Friday 10 May 2013

Onwards and Upwards!


Welcome to my post for Jennifer's Onwards and Upwards Blog Hop!


 If you comment on all of the posts as you travel round the blog hop and then return to Jennifer's to let her know that you've completed it then you are in with the chance to win this amazing prize:



 Glitz Designs Colour Me Happy and Simple Stories 24/7, worth over £25!  All entries must be received by Monday 13th May at 10:59 pm BST.

Now Jennifer's word of the year is PROGRESS and that got me to thinking about how I have progressed with my scrapping.

I started scrapping in November 2004.  I was inspired to scrap by a page I'd seen in a card making magazine.  I remember the layout so clearly, it was a girl's birthday party at a bowling alley and the cardstock was red, which went really well with the bright colours of the bowling balls.  I wanted to try but didn't have a clue where to start so I cut paper and got my glue and photos and gradually started to build a unhealthy large amount of albums.

My pages now are full of patterned papers.


Wow I even use patterned paper for the background, something we didn't do 9 years ago!

I love masks and mists.


Sometimes I love to fill the whole page.


And I definitely like to see lots of journalling in my own handwriting...now!


It wasn't always like that though and even now I find myself wishing my layouts could look as good as some of the layouts I see when I'm blog reading.  When I see really great layouts I like to look back on the creators work, I go back to their first blog post to see how they have progressed since starting, it can be a great learning tool.

Now, I didn't have a blog when I first started but I have been stupid brave and had a little dig around in my albums.  Although I don't scrap in order I do file my layouts in order so it's a good job I have a fantastic memory and know that this is my first ever layout:


A double page of Maddie's first day at nursery and very heavily inspired by the first layout I had seen in that mag.

This layout is the first ever challenge I took part in over on UKScrappers:


I think I've progressed a bit over the years don't you? :)

Your next stop on the hop is with Jenny.

If you lose your way then here's a list of all of the blogs:
Jennifer
Rinda
Meghann
Louise
Lisa-Jane
Julie
Jo S
ME
Jenny
Jacky
Fay
Daphne
Abi
Jennifer

Good luck and thank you for stopping by
Jo xx

33 comments:

JO SOWERBY said...

Well we all change overtime. I too have some layouts which I know are my first and they leave alot to be desired. Even things I made a couple of years ago. I feel could do with major overhauls. What I love about scrapbooking though is how we all evolve our styles overtime and still make something truly original and beautiful,
Jo xxx

furrypig said...

it is great seeing how your scrapping style has changed over the years and hearing how you started out

Maria Ontiveros said...

I say definitely progressed, but your old pages still look good (especially the second, classic one).
Happy hopping,
Rinda

Julie Baswell said...

I can also see the confidence you have gained. That very first layout you did was as good as an experienced scrapper. Keep on, you're doing good.

Julie
I Create Purty Thangs

Fay aka Beautifullily said...

Thanks for sharing your first layouts, I think your style has evolved in a similiar way to mine

Lou said...

I remember not having patterned papers for backgrounds too! You have made me want to hook out my first pages to share lol! not sure i'm as brave as you though. A brilliant post Jo and lovely pages x

Joy said...

I have committed many crimes against scrapbooking - photos cut into hearts & stars, sticker sneezes & weirdly patterned paper. But I loved those pages at the time & it is so much better than a pile of pics in a box!!

Annie Claxton said...

It's really interesting to see where you started and how far you've come - and one of the best things about scrapping for me is that you never stop learning :o)

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

Hi Jo ~ Just stopping by to say thank you for the sweet comment you left on my blog. Thanks for your kind words, and I'm really glad to know that you enjoyed my vacation posts. :)

Your layouts are lovely, and it's fun to see how your style has evolved!

Sarah said...

Hi Jo! Your first layout is quite similar to mine mine had zebra print photo mats though :-) I'm not sure where it is now though i may have hidden my first album at the back of the deepest darkest cupboard. Love seeing how other people ave developed their own style though.

Joanne said...

Thanks for showing the old and the new

scrappyjacky said...

I started scrapbooking the same year as you....and can see some big similarities between your early pages and mine....I hope I've made progress as well!!
I hate my handwriting.....but nearly always hand journal now.....I think it's so important for future generations to see.

Sandie said...

It's lovely to see how your style has progressed, but there was never the materials or inspiration around when you started. How things have changed!

Daphne said...

Thanks for sharing your scrapbooking journey! Quite a big progress, right? x

Becky said...

Lovely to see how your scrapping style has developed over the years. Love your patterned paper layouts :)

Sarah said...

Oh Jo, this has been great to look back and see how far you've come!! Maybe I will look out my first pages and blog them... or maybe not!! :) x

Lisa-Jane said...

You have definitely evolved! My first layout didn't use patterned paper at all so you faired better than me in the beginning! I like looking back at older layouts because it is interesting to see what we were inspired by over time. I think I've improved over the last year more than previous 2 years simply because I am scrapping more than ever and I bet that's the same for you too. Its been lovely to see your journey!

KraftyKaren said...

I know I have made huge progress since I started in 2004. I do actually cringe now when I look at early layouts - they are very Creative Memories as I started out at one of their parties and for the first couple of years only used their products. And no I won't be sharing any of them on my blog LOL!!

And your first layout is way better than my first attempts.

Sandra said...

Oh you certainly have improved. How great to show your first layout :) I remember you telling me to go back to the start of someone's blog and see how they've progressed .... And I sometimes still do that. See, I do listen to you :) x

Jennifer Grace said...

Well, yes, I can certainly see you've progressed! Your layouts are gorgeous, I especially love the one with a photo of you and lots of hand journaling, I love hand-journaling on pages as it's so personal. You misted page looks fantastic too!

Great idea for a post to fit the theme! Thanks so much for joining in with my Onwards and Upwards Blog Hop! x

Pam said...

It's quite entertaining to go back and look at the first albums I did. Snicker sneeze, severely cropped photos, zig zag scissors. LOL

Sian said...

I have really enjoyed your take on this theme. It was so good to see your pages and to think about my first forays into scrapping too. I came to it through a magazine too, just caught a glimpse of one in the newsagents and picked it up.

vixen said...

Your layouts are stunning and its amazing how over time our styles and tastes change. Thank you for sharing x

jackinthebox said...

My first layouts look just like yours!!!!!! But change is good!!!!!!!!

Unknown said...

Lovely pages now, but I think we just didn't have the range of lovely things then that we had now! I also have had to work on my resistance to cutting lovely things up and covering them, it's taken me a while!

Lesley G said...

You certainly have progressed, although I front journal now, I still don't like my own handwriting!

Jimjams said...

It's lovely to see the progression Jo - your pages seem more stylish now, but the early ones still capture fabulous memories! I cringe when I think back to the first few cards I sent out :-(

Bethany said...

How fun to see your progress! My original pages are so different, but special just the same.

Sue Jones said...

I started around the same time and my children ( now all adults) STILL love to look though them all - it was more about the photos in those days i think - now its more about all the other "stuff" on the page and I am just as bad as trying to get it all perfect.
Love all your examples :)

Claire said...

Gorgeous layouts.
C xx

Julie H said...

I started dabbling in scrapbooking not much later than you did, so a lot of what you are saying is very familiar to me!

Karen leonard said...

Ha Ha ...great post!!
You made me go and have a look through my first layouts..and it wasn't just a quick look either..I was there for ages :) Thanks for sharing xxx

Lisa's Creative Niche said...

wow love all of the different ways you create and shared with us! It's fun to see what others do and their process!