SB layout do-over #2...

Actually, this layout was never finished in the first place, so it isn't technically a 'do-over' but I'm going to add quite a bit to it in the process, so it isn't fair to say I'm just 'finishing' it, either. And I do not want this make-over process to become a habit, because I have plenty of other layout ideas floating around in my head that I still want to make! But this layout has some (rather obvious to me, now) design flaws that I really want to correct before finishing it up and calling it done.

two-page spread, Hoover Dam

I made this two-page spread during a weekend at the Phoenix Scrapbook Cottage. I didn't use a page sketch or anything for it; I just shuffled the photos around until I liked the arrangement. I really liked the layered embellishment I made (it was cut out with the Cricut electronic cutter), and the stars, but other than the photo arrangement, I really didn't think through the whole page layout when I did it... maybe I was tired at the time? I don't remember. I stuck the elements down to save the arrangement, brought it home, and left it in my box of unfinished layouts. So, it's finally getting the 'makeover' treatment (sort of), too.

 The only thing I did on this layout when I made it was to add a thin border at the bottom, attach the title stickers where I wanted them, and add the map embellishment near the title. The problem is, these things aren't really 'related' at all to the rest of the design- they're just sort of 'floating' out there on the page-- this especially bothers me with the title. 

I know I left the blank space on the right-hand page to add journaling, but I didn't have any plans for how I was actually going to do it. And, even though there's quite a few photographs, the pages just look 'empty' with only that sad, lonely red border on all that kraft paper. So, it's finally time to both jazz it up and finish it up! 

my pile of potential choices

I rummaged through my boxes of assorted bits, border and journaling stickers (my rummaging system is working so far!), and pulled out this pile of stuff. It's all got colors I thought might match with what's on the layout already. There's an assortment of things to pick from: a number of label stickers, a couple journaling cards, tags, and two rolls of blue decorative tape. 

Before the Super Bowl game started this afternoon, I spent a few minutes working on the next steps: I un-stuck the title stickers and those few embellishments and set them safely to the side, added a piece or two of patterned paper to my 'to-pick-from' pile, and started narrowing down the choices to just a few stickers and tags. Now the layout will have to sit for a day (or two, or more) till I have another few minutes to make my next decisions. But at least the process is underway! (some people say they can make a scrapbook layout in just an hour or so; my process is days- or months- or more!)

In other news, we ate homemade tacos for dinner while we watched the Super Bowl-- it was a good game, although long, with the power-outage delay! Yesterday, we spent the day out: we drove to Tucson, ate lunch at a very popular (and very good) Mexican restaurant, and visited a cactus nursery jam-packed with cacti and succulents of all types and sizes... I wanted one of each! And I only took 160 pictures the entire day, too- lol! Once I edit some of them, I'll post a few pictures. We're definitely going to go back sometime...to both the restaurant and the nursery. (not to mention that we happened upon a monthly estate sale... in my book that makes for a definite road trip repeat!)