Opposites Attract

In the never-changing quest to find interesting topics for scrapbooking pages, I stumbled upon opposites. It amazes me to think about how something we learn during preschool can hold such meaning later in life. One of the milestones of acquiring language involves using and understanding opposites. Young children should be able to quickly produce an opposite when given one of its common pairs. Think up/down, hot/cold, open/closed. As adults, we often rely on opposites to express how we are feeling. It was a matter of life or death, it is either feast or famine, and we need both yin and yang. These opposites are powerful and meaningful. Love and hate both represent strong emotion and these can’t exist without each other. How can you hate something unless you know what you love? See what I mean about opposites … the possibilities are endless.

There are so many pairs of opposites in our language! Just by exploring all the choices, you increase your chances of being inspired. I introduced a lesson on subtraction today by asking my students to tell me about the opposite of addition. Step away from looking at it mathematically and think about this. What would you like to add to your life, subtract from it? Sounds like a scrapbooking layout to me. Rough and smooth typically refer to the texture of an object, but it can also relate to a relationship you have had with someone or a personal journey you have undertaken. Consider how there are many people in your life, but only a few real friends. Brainstorming a list of opposites can trigger countless thoughts and ideas. Creative titles, clever topics and interesting journaling will be the end result.

The artists below incorporated opposites when creating these beautiful layouts. See if you can spot how these are used! Is it in the journaling, title, theme, design choices or all of the above?

Two Births by Jenni Hufford

Supplies: Paper: American Crafts, Studio Calico, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Vellum: The Paper Company, Die Cut: Lily Bee Design, Cards: October Afternoon, Journaling Tags: Elle's Studio, Rub-Ons: Studio Calico, Flower: American Crafts, Chipboard: Sassafras Lass, Pin: Making Memories, Specialty Ink: Tattered Angels, Alphabets: American Crafts, Harmonie.

Design Notes: The theme was to focus on my journaling as well as incorporating opposites in the design. I decided to do a layout about the births of my two children Jonah and Jordan, and how each of these experiences were SO very different from each other. I did a little collage highlighting both births. For my son Jonah's collage, the back drop is blue, but the accent journaling tags are pink, and for my daughter Jordan's collage I used a pink backdrop and accented in blue. I placed the journaling in the center of the collages, and the title on the opposite side of the page.

Journaling: It's amazing to look back at these pictures and realize how different Jonah and Jordan's births were from each other. I guess it goes to show that every birthing experience is different. For Jonah, I had to be induced at 41 weeks and was in labor for 10 long hours. For Jordan, my water broke 10 days early and was holding her in my arms five hours later. One was a boy, the other a girl. One was born in the old maternity wing at Community North, the other born in the brand new wing at Community North. One had unexpected complications resulting in a 12 day NICU stay, the other was perfectly healthy and was discharged after 48 hours. My heart breaks a little when I think about how different our emotions were at Jonah's birth. We were worried and nervous. It was a difficult way to begin our parenting journey, but God used that time to draw us close to Him and trust His plan for our son. He completely and miraculously healed Jonah to full health in 12 days. With so many differing experiences, I know one thing is certain, we praise God for the miracle of life and for the two beautiful, healthy children He gave us. Photos from Jonah's birth in 2006, and Jordan's birth in 2008. Journaling 3/2010

The Missing Part of Me by Rachel Hall

Supplies: Paper: Lily Bee Design, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Chipboard: BasicGrey, Flowers: American Crafts, Buttons: KI Memories, Ribbon: Daisy D's.

Design Notes: When given this wonderful assignment about opposites, my mind immediately turned to my husband and I, and how we are quite literally opposites in personality but we somehow manage to make it work completely together, and I realized that it is because of those opposite traits that come together and fill in all of those missing pieces of each other. I wanted to create a clear separation in my design where I journaled about our traits separately, but that was combined by the strips of journaling in the middle, representing how we come together despite those differences.

Journaling: You're outspoken and you're bold. You're a performer and an artist. You stick up for yourself and do so confidently. You're the one you want around when there is a big emergency. You're stubborn like a mule. You're sensitive and sentimental. You're a talker. You don't bottle things up. You're disciplined and regimented. You can be negative in your outlook bordering on pessimistic. You're everything I needed to balance out ME, the missing parts of me. My true partner in this life and though its hard to imagine that we could be any more different, it's what I wanted and needed in my life- someone who helps me be a better person. I'm quiet and I'm reserved. I'm an artist with no need or want to perform. I'll stand up for a stranger before myself. I can handle all of life's little dramas. I can be a pushover and unconfident to the point of madness. I'm independent and free floating. I'm logical and rational. I don't need to talk much. I hold everything in. I could learn to be more disciplined. I am positive bordering on denial.

For You by SJ Dowsett

Digital Supplies: Papers, Sewing Elements, Sequins, Ribbon by Michelle Underwood, Journaling Tag by Shimelle Laine, Flowers by Amy Wolff (all at Two Peas in a Bucket), Font: Loved by the King, Other: alphabet.

Design Notes: When asked to design with opposites as my theme, I thought "Oooo cool... but how!?" After thinking a while, I decided to go with including two of the same photo – one color, one black and white, and also I reversed the smaller photo to continue with the opposite feel to the page.

Journaling: Mother's day 2010 my third year of being a "mum" & still get tummy wobbles when you bring me flowers with your adorable smile & sing song voice, "Happy Mothers Day."