10 Things I Learned From Calvinball

So, Calvinball ended, like, *forever* ago, but I'm just getting around to this blog post now, even though I've been thinking of it *forever*. If you missed out on my frequent Calvinball postings here, you can see the whole month's worth right here. 

Here is my stack of layouts that were started as part of the Calvinball competition, which sadly, are still stacked up on my desk almost exactly like this. But, that's over TWENTY layouts I started in the month of March, in addition to the ones that I finished, that I likely would not have made if it wasn't for the inspiration and prompts from Calvinball. 

10 Things I learned from Calvinball

1. I LOVE scrapbooking! I really do. I love making stuff, I love telling stories. I was stuck in a bit of an uninspired rut at the beginning of the year, and Calvinball really pushed me to force myself out of it. Yay.

2. Sometimes it's good to Just Glue It. Not every page will be perfect, not every page needs to be perfect. That stack of 20 unfinished layouts will quickly become 40 unfinished layouts (I'm sure layouts reproduce!) and none of them will be remembered or appreciated if they're never completed. Tell those stories. Get it scrapped. Just glue it.

3. I'm never going to be a 200+ page a month kind of scrapper, and that's OK. :)

4. Sometimes when a page isn't working, it's OK to take the photo off, rip the page apart, and start over, or just put that story and picture away for another day.

5. I like making stuff. I like fussing over whether something should be placed 1/8 of an inch to the left or right. Those fiddly bits are why I love the process of scrapping.

6. I love my old product!! One of the Calvinball challenges was to use pre-2010 product.. oh my. I have so much old, good stuff in my stash. Combining it with new product, and using the old product in new way really does give it new life! When it comes to pattern paper.. using just one or two pieces combined with newer papers is great. Break up those old collections, they won't look so old any more!

7. I love cute stuff! And themed stuff! I never really bought much of these kinds of supplies, but the digital scrapper ladies at Get It Scrapped seem to use cute, adorable, wonderfully themed stuff on a lot of their pages, and now I'm just craving it. :)

8. Playing along with a great group of ladies is more than half the fun. :) It's inspiring, it's motivating, it's friendly, and it's nice to have something to share with a larger community. A common purpose, and understanding.

9. Browsing (and leaving feedback!) in galleries and blogs is awesome. It adds so much to the community, and makes a nicer day for those that have comments left for them. I think the advent of the "like" button has lead to fewer gallery comments.  I tend to leave comments on blogs, but it's so easy NOT to in galleries. I'm going to work on changing this. :)

10. Get It Scrapped is awesome! If you haven't checked it out, you should. If you are looking for a place to share creativity, find inspiration, and learn new design and layout process tips, Get It Scrapped is definitely the place for you. Paid membership is totally worth it, and there's lots of free content for non-members, too.

For more inspiration, cool projects, and generally just really nice stuff to look at,

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