One of the neatest thing about the graphic scrapbooking style is that it gets a lot of its ideas from advertising and graphic design. Have you ever looked at an advertisement and seen the straight lines and geometric design? Next time you pass by a billboard, take a look at the design. You will be surprised to see how easily a graphic scrapbooker could use the billboard as inspiration for a layout.

Jamie Grove’s layout is a perfect example of an advertisement that you might see on a billboard. She framed her picture which really makes it pop off the page. When people create advertisements, they are going for an eye-catching design which draws the viewer’s interest. Kat Poole’s layout shows a more whimsical take on a graphic layout. You can still see the clean lines but she added some paint splatters to enhance her topic. The graphic scrapbooking style is an easy style to pick up.

The next time you create a layout, give it a try. It might be just your style!

Morning Wake Up Call by Jaime Grove

Digital Supplies: Kit: Cooper Bundle by Brine Design (Two Little Pixels), Software: Photoshop CS3, Fonts: Mistral; Custom Print Font by Darcy Baldwin (Sweet Shoppe Designs).

Design Notes: The photograph on this layout was captured using my cell phone, which does not produce high-quality images. One of the tricks I use to quickly perk up these photos is to duplicate the layer and change the blending option setting for the new layer to Soft Light. It doesn't make it perfect, but it is a definite improvement.

Journaling: The house rules state that no dogs are allowed in our bed. Of course, I’m the bad one, since I’m willing to make exceptions so that we can have snuggle time together in the mornings. I try to make sure they understand that they have to be invited into the bed and that they can’t just jump in whenever they want. Most of the time, they abide by our secret agreement. Sometimes they blatantly defy it - such as this morning when I awoke to this lying next to me.

Always so Serious by Kat Poole

Supplies: Cardstock: Reflections, Alphabet Stickers: American Crafts, Die Cuts: Sassafras Lass, Ticket: Maya Road, Transparency: Maya Road, Stickers: Jillibean Soup, Sassafras Lass, Paint: Apple Barrel, Sketch: Just C & S (just-cs.maumautte).

Editor’s Note: I like how Kat added a fun spin to her layout by adding a few paint splatters. Journaling: We always have a fun time together!

Remember This Moment by Diana Brodeur

Supplies: Paper: Making Memories, Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper, Stamps: Studio Calico, Ink: Staz-On (Tsukineko), Pins: Maya Road, Thread: DMC, Font: Typist.

Design Notes: I created my own patterned paper by stamping a collage on my cardstock.

Journaling: When I was about 8 or 9, I was obsessed with caterpillars and butterflies. I can remember searching through all the bushes outside our apartment looking for caterpillars. Once I found one, I would put it in a jar and label where I found it at so that I could return for more leaves whenever the caterpillars needed more food. I remember being so happy and excited once I saw the caterpillar build a cocoon because I knew it wouldn’t be too much longer before I beheld a beautiful butterfly.