just an old-fashioned girl

Hello and welcome. I'm glad you dropped by. If you´re looking for something a little nostalgic of bygone eras with a timeless elegance and a little modern twist – in other words, something slightly “retro” – then you should feel right at home here in my shabby chic room. Month by month, there will always be something new to see so I hope you´ll enjoy your stay and come back again soon.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Creating A "Real" Scrapbook


It´s been typical April weather here recently, a horrible combination of torrential showers which flatten the daffodils in my garden, and sudden gusty winds which turn even the sturdiest umbrella inside out. After a thoroughly unpleasant walk with Dora I needed something to do indoors to take my mind off it. There´s nothing better than difficult and tedious work to make me forget everything but the task in hand and there´s nothing more difficult and tedious than restoring photos so I dug out an old album which is my own personal chamber of photographic horrors. All the photos in it are in a sad state and the one I decided to tackle was so badly scratched, blotched and faded it took me the best part of the morning to restore it and several cups of strong coffee to restore me. Having finished I felt a sense of anticlimax. A glance out of the window showed that the weather hadn´t improved in the meantime so I cast about for something else to do. Then I remembered a battered old scrapbook which pre-dated digital scrapbooking by many years and which had stood neglected on a shelf for so long I´d almost forgotten about it. When I opened it it took me back to the days when I used to draw frames and little motifs to decorate my photos. I never actually stuck on buttons and other “real” embellishments so I suppose it wasn´t a scrapbook in the usual sense of the word. Anyway, it gave me the idea to create something which you might call a hybrid, a cross between a traditional scrapbook and a more modern one which would be particularly suitable for displaying my recent restoration work. The following layout may give you an idea of what I mean.

  Click on image for a larger view

The photo second down on the right is the one I´ve just finished restoring. All the others were edited some years ago and in each case I´ve shown both the original and the restored version though this very small format camouflages the worst of the wear and tear on the originals. I thoroughly enjoyed creating this page though it´s not all my own work. As you can see, I had a helping hand, not to mention an eraser to correct my mistakes as I went along. I think that by now you´ll have gathered that a cup or three of strong coffee is essential to the creative process and is usually accompanied by some drips and splashes so I´ve replicated these too. Now, quite literally, back to the drawing board...

Creating this kit is going to be so much fun!

8 comments:

  1. Fabulous - that is an awesome creation. Really LUV this :-D xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ohmygosh! That is the coolest scrap layout EVER! Seriously. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I totally agree with ike and Diane, this is fabulous and the coolest scrap layout ever! I can't wait to see what other goodies you put in the kit! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Delightful LO...makes me want to drag out some of the vintage photos from my Granddaddy's side of the family. Though I have still unfinished photos from my Granny's side that need to be scrapped...both in paper and digital. Love the background paper here and the coffee makes me want to have another cup right now. Looking forward to the new kit!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I too love this page. The old book image is so very accurate of days gone by. The entire look is so natural but your feel for whimsy and touches of humor really bring it to life. We all greatly admire your restoration work and it looks like you've found another great way to present it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is fabulous! I can't wait to see what else you come up with.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love this - I have so many old photos that I keep hidden so I don't have to work on them!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Love the page, and I'm in serious admiration of your restauration work! Started on some pictures my dad gave me...... The combination of "no brain", sore hands and totally not knowing how to do it so it looks halfway decent and not like an Andy Warhol piece..... let's just say that it will be a while before they see "air time" LOL.

    Can't wait to see the kit!

    ReplyDelete