Thank you, Eleanor Roosevelt!

Was it she who said “do something every day that scares you”? Can’t remember. In any case, that quote was the springboard for Layout Ten. I came across it again and started thinking about what “scares” me in scrapbooking terms. Or, if that’s a little strong, what it is I avoid for being too intimidating or simply “not me”.

Two things sprang to mind: Bright, in-your-face colours and bling. I’m a quiet soul generally, and I think that carries through onto my pages. I love rich colour, but I like it to blend in and harmonise with my photos, rather than contrast. I’ve mentioned my Bling Aversion before now…

So, breathing deeply and with photos in hand, I trotted off to the local store, and bypassed all the sections I usually beeline for.

Here’s the end result:

(I’m not sure that the purple of the paper and rhinestones shows up in the photo here as it actually is; it’s a really vibrant ultra-violet in the flesh.)

First thing I found was that I had to play with my photos a bit. I liked the shot itself, but it got lost when I held it against anything bright. So I messed around with the colour and brightness levels, until I got (what I thought was) an intense ‘arty’ effect. Discovery: You don’t need Photoshop for this – it is in fact extremely easy to do! After doing that, the photos actually preferred the company of the brights.

Second thing I found (and I hope this isn’t cheating) was that I was happiest with a bright + neutral scheme, rather than a bright + bright one. That scheme seemed to work best with the photo – the bright emphasised the intensity of the photos’ colours, while the beige echoed the serenity of the pose. Whatever the reason, it made brights Dani-friendly. J

And so to the bling. Do you know, I actually felt slightly anxious as it started to go on. Had to keep repeating, wild-eyed, to myself, “thematically justified! It’s thematically justified!!”  That’s what made it work for me, along with using it tone-on-tone. That was a discovery – when you use bling in the same colour as the background, it’s there without being THERE!!!!  Ha! Bling for the shy and retiring…

  

So, this week has taught me that “do something every day that scares you” is still valid and pithy advice. I shall make a mental note and try to follow it – though perhaps just every other day ;)