All about the (scrapbooking) base

I mentioned earlier this week that I have scrapbooked in March but not shared much. Partly this came about because I was busy at work starting a new trimester, but also because I noticed a pattern with my pages: I had been using a similar design for each. Specifically, I've been using a strip of patterned paper to serve as a base for the photo and story. Here are the pages:

This first was the last page I made with a January kit, so I supplemented with stash quite a bit. I set the patterned paper block high on the pages, supported by strips, tape and twine. The journaling card and title spilled over into the white space below. Here's the details:

Next is maybe my favorite page, one I did to (finally!) record my Week-in-the-life last fall. I never take many photos when I do this--I forget when I am working--but this was still a snapshot of my life, so I recorded it. I made each photo 2.5 squared, making an embellishment square to fill out the grid. The block I set flush to the top and did the rest--title, journaling, embellishments--below.

About that label sticker: It is there only because I messed up the sewing underneath. Heh.

Next is the page I made to record my One Little Word for this year, Play. I did a few things differently here:

1. I used many pieces of patterned paper for the block.
2. I set it flush on the bottom.
3. I added a few strips of the same patterned paper on the top for balance.
4. I kept the journaling on a card within the block.

Here it is:

Next is a simpler page that I turned on its side: This time I ran the block vertical instead of horizontal, clustering the photos, journaling, and accents along the line.

Finally, a page about my other son, using much of the same paper and products as my One Little Word page. Design-wise, it is almost identical. The only differences are how I arranged the journaling and title, which transforms it into a new page:

Thank you for checking out my March designs! If you're like me and stress out about arranging your layouts into new designs, fret less and embrace the base.