Hi all!  Janelle here today to ask what inspires you when you are scrapping.  Sometimes I get in a big rut where I just don’t know where to start.  For as much scrapping as I do, it can be hard for me to keep coming up with new things and ideas.  Especially when I hit a lull in my creativity.  So it got me thinking…  What inspires me to keep on creating?
The answer came pretty quickly!  GALLERIES!  I love to look through the galleries for inspiration.  Being inspired by others is a great jumping point when you’re just not sure where to start.  I found some amazing layouts that truly inspire me to create.  I want to show them to you and tell you what I love about them!
Check out this fantastic layout by msbamf2you using Tickled Pink Studio & Studio Flergs’ Fresh Start:

Let me tell you what I LOVE about this:  There is so much going on here, but for some reason it doesn’t feel overly busy to me.  I love all of the paper layers behind her photo.  I also really like that she used a journal card in a space that was probably meant for a photo.  Sometimes I get discouraged when working with templates that have multiple photo spots because I only have one photo to work with.  What a great idea to use a journal card!  Try it out!
Her clusters are also fantastic!  I tend to work in small clusters with only 3 or so flowers.  She has taken tons of flowers but scaled them down to make a beautiful, full cluster with tons of colors and variety.  Trying new things in your scrapping can definitely lead to further inspiration.  Change up your clusters!  Try something new with them!
I love the significance of her journaling.  Sometimes I journal just to journal because there is a post for it.  Make it meaningful.  After all, that’s probably what you’ll appreciate the most come 10 years from now!
Here we have another layout by Lyd using Tickled Pink Studio & Megan Turnidge’s December Moments.
The diagonal layout is very eye catching!  I tend to create to one side, or in the center.  I like how this layout pulls your eyes right into it, leaving some great open white space in the corners.  I also have a tendency to create three separate clusters.  This layout appears to have one giant cluster with the photos placed and stacked on top of it.  It’s very pretty to the eye and feels full and elegant!
Her title work is also fantastic!  I love how she has blended “CHRISTMAS” into the background paper, underneath the majority of her layout.  I also like the contrast of the gold alpha with the year.  This is great!  It’s not overpowering, but it is visible and you know just when this event took place.
And one more layout by jk703.  This layout was made using Tickled Pink Studio & Meghan Mullen’s #This Year – Birthday kit.

Let’s start off with the simplicity of the layout.  Sometimes less truly is more!  I’m usually a stacker.  I stacks lots of shapes and papers on top of each other so this really caught my eye as being something different I could explore.  I also tend to steer clear of rectangles or squares when I’m making my shapes.  Mine are most often skewed, like I was cutting like a mad man and didn’t care what shape I came up with.  The simplicity of her layout & the straight lines really puts the focus on her photo and her journaling.  I love the big photo.  Many of the templates only give space for small ones.  It’s nice to see a beautiful big photo.  And again, we see great journaling here that in the future will no doubt be greatly appreciated.  Her clusters are small and simple, again putting the focus where it belongs, on the event and the journaling.
So what are you waiting for?  Go to your favorite gallery, find layouts you love, and study them.  Why do you like them?  What drew you to them?  Then try to incorporate what you loved about the layouts into your next layout.  I hope you feel like you can be inspired!  Good luck and we’ll be watching for your pages in the galleries!