A few weeks ago I read a great article in the Sunday Parade magazine called "My Story in Five Faces" by Connie Schultz.
Scrapbooker that I am, I thought: now this would make an awesome concept for a layout. So I set out to translate her concept to scrapbook form. Here's what I ended up with:
I designed a 12 x 12 digital template featuring four slots in which to feature 4 decades. I decided to cover the teens through 40s. If you're not that old, you could do the preteens through the 30s, or if you have more decades, you could turn this into a two-page spread.
I chose to make this page a hybrid project. I simply printed out my photos on separate photo paper, and printed the rest on a sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock.
Clean. Simple. Journaling rich. My kind of page.
JOURNALING READS: The Teens—Oh, this sweet, young face. When I look back at any photo from my teen years I always see the same thing: a girl who is trying so very hard to be the latest and greatest thing, but is missing the mark and deep down, she kind of knows it. I have a lot of compassion for this face and this girl. I look at her and want to tell her to hold tight; that her style will be coming; that she’s going to feel good in her own skin as soon as she makes the connection that being her—not being anyone else—is a pretty good and desirable thing. I also see way too much hair. Good God! Way too much time spent in hot rollers. I also remember a girl who didn’t want to move her head too quickly for fear of shaking out a those hard-earned loopy curls. Sigh. Those were the days.
The Twenties—Remember that movie called “Stella got her groove back”? I don’t really know what the film was about, but that title is how I felt about me and my 20s. Cathy got her groove back. Actually, because I never had a groove that wouldn’t really be an accurate statement. However, it was in my 20s where I feel like I connected to myself stylistically. It was in my 20s where my confidence —spurred on in my late teens from the whole new wave experience—continued to grow and increase and some might say blossom. In this photo, I’m already living in Minnesota with Dan, and it really was an era of fun, change, love, life and work. I learned to rock the lip liner and lipstick, as well as keep that skin pale, smooth and flawless. Ha!
The Thirties—If I found my groove in my 20s, I definitely capitalized on it in my 30s. But the 30s had one component that the 20s were lacking. Namely, children. I had Aidan when I was 30 and the face that was looking back at me then looked not much like what you see above at all (at age 37). My 30s saw my weight go way up and way down, and that decade probably saw more different faces of me than at any other time in my life. In a sense, the face you see above came towards the end of struggling with identity and how I fit into the world as a mother and later as a self-employed woman trying to make it all work. The hair definitely stayed shorter in the 30s. Again, being a parent, who had time for fussy hair?
The Forties—And here we are today. Key differences? This face needs glasses to see. This face has looser skin around the edges. This face has a bit of extra skin underneath it as well. I wonder if it’s too soon to categorize a decade into which you’re presently planted. I know that so far, my 40s have been good to me, but they have also been surprisingly challenging in some ways as well. I’ve chosen to make my 40s the time of quitting smoking and getting in shape. I’ve chosen to make my 40s about fixing the glitches in my marriage and building a new and different life with Dan. I’ve chosen to grow at a time when I could have sat back and simply said, “Hello status quo.” So this face? Unsure but hopeful. And grateful for every single minute of it.
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TECHNICAL NOTES: I created this page using my No. 99 Layered Template. Once I placed my photos and sized them to my liking, I then dragged all four photos along with their mask layers (dragging one photo and one mask layer at the same time) into a new document for printing. I manually added trim marks using guides and the pencil tool to draw them in, and then I made each layer mask a bit bigger on all four sides to accommodate for a bleed on each photo. I printed the photos onto photo paper. Back in the template, I turned off the photo layers and just printed the rest onto a piece of white 12 x 12 cardstock.
DESIGN NOTES: This page features a very symmetrical balance structure. What you have on the left you have on the right. Also, repetition is strong as the photos and journaling boxes repeat across the page. There is also equal amounts of white space around all of the elements and a nice wide margin of space cushioning the entire design. Font harmony is achieve through the use of a single font for the title works and subheads. Of course, because I own that font, I used it for my journaling as well.
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To celebrate the release of my 100th template at Designer Digitals, come back tomorrow for a seriously cool giveaway. I'll give you a little hint: It might involve Photoshop CS5.
Hope to see you back here tomorrow.
dawn says
I LOVE LOVE THIS CATHY!! YOU JUST KEEP GETTING COOLER AS YOU GET OLDER I THINK. LOVE THIS WHOLE CONCEPT AND HEARING ABOUT YOU GROWING UP, SO FUNNY AND SWEET!!
Thanks for inspiring us with a new idea!
Pam says
A great classic template, beautifully interpreted. I had already bought it from Designer Digitals but seeing your take on it has inspired me even more. As I am now 62 a double page spread is on its way! Thank you Cathy.
Pedroza says
What a beautiful layout, what a treasure this is for your children to have. Love this documentation.
Kendra B says
Great page!!!! Thanks for more inspiration!!
Karen G @ It's Still Life says
I read that article and thought it too would make a great scrapbook page. I haven’t done anything with it yet. Almost feel like I have too much to say. I love how you kept a focus to your journaling.
cathy says
Wow. Thanks.
heidig says
Very nice layout! I’ve always admired your clean and simple scrapbooking. You really don’t need much in the embellishment dept to get the story told. You do it so well!
karen says
You have such a way with words…just the right mix of honesty and self-deprecating humor. Oh, how I wish I could be so eloquent! Well done, Cathy.
kelli says
As a 35er I see so much in this page and journalling…you have encouraged and helped me to be excited about the future in a way that reminds me “I’m still learning”… you never really arrive do you? love that. I want to be constantly growing,hopefully for the better. I love this concept. Great idea!
Lee Currie says
Smart stuff! Now on a search to find photos of myself …
Katie B says
I read that article and thought the same thing. This would be a great scrapbook page idea. Your page is perfect — simple & elegant.
maybaby says
Love this Cathy. I had the same thought when I read that article in Parade a few weeks ago-the big difference is I only thought it, you actually did something with it!
You are an amazing woman and I can’t wait to see what your fifies bring you.
Marilyn says
Wow, seeing these “baby” pictures, I can REALLY see your daughter in your face! So fun!
cathy says
Thank you!
jan says
Wow! your picture #2 looks just like your daughter
Mark says
Nicely said, madam. HEY I DIDN’T READ THE TECHNICAL NOTES on account of I’m not a scrapbooker.
cathy says
No worries, my friend. The tech notes need not apply. To you.
Joyce says
I love this!!!! As someone in the forties too, it is inspiring to see where you have come from, and that you see the forties as a time of greater growth. I definitely need to do a page like this for myself!
ArlaMo says
Fabulous! I saw that article and wished I had more picture of myself.
Leanne in CA says
Love this! I especially enjoyed reading the journaling and going back and forth looking at the photos. Great!! You are only a few weeks older than me, so this is fun to see. Thanks for sharing.
Becky says
Love this – totally classic Cathy, and I really like the inspiration piece, too! I think I’m going to do one like this for myself, too.
Britiney @ Consider the Lilies says
I read that article from the Parade too. But, alas, since I’m not you It didn’t occur to me to make it my own. Love what you did with the idea. And you’ve inspired me (of course!) like always.
kat :) says
love love love this idea, so fabulous!
Jenny B. says
What a great idea!
Aliza says
This is beautiful. Visually, of course, but conceptually as well. It’s now on my (ever growing) to-do list.
Lori says
Love it. The design, the photos, your ”keeping it real” journaling. Excellent.
SuzanneB says
Fabulous layout Cathy. Love it and love your reflections. Just had a chat with Stacy Julian for our 12 class and I mentioned that I saw this Parade article and have it hanging in my scraproom so I can do my own Story in 4 Faces; the other “chatters” said you had done a layout on this same thing just today! What a coincidence…so I had to come over here to your blog and see what you had done. I just love it! Now I’m even more inspired to do my own. Thanks.
Carol says
I love this layout! I am also amazed at how much your beautiful daughter favors you, especially in your ‘twenties” photo.
Thank you for sharing this…I am off to do one of my 6 year old.
Maureen says
Wonderful saga. If I don’t do this soon I may need to make a 3 pager! btw, it really does get better in your 50s and 60s!
Donna C says
I so love this layout for both the design and subject! Great concept!
Dawn says
Inspiring template and I am so excited to use it!! I was in a bit of a scrapbooking slump when alas…your template hit the market!!! So fun. Thanks! Dawn
Kimbel says
Lovin’ this page. I’m going to have to do one too!
Julie says
OMG LOVE this idea. Now, where are the pictures of me in my twenties….
Julie
Jemima says
Wow. What a great idea for a layout. I’m only 24 so I can’t really do decades but I was thinking that even ’12 of 2012′, etc could work. Endless possibilities.
I was wondering what printer and program you use especially for photos? I’m desperatly trying to find a good one based on real people using it rather then what the companies websites say. Any recomendations would be great!
Tobey says
what an awesome layout–I could so do this 🙂
cathy says
I have an HP Photosmart 8750, i use Photoshop and I use Ilford Gallerie Smooth Pearl photo paper. : )
Amy K says
I also saved this from the Parade for scrapbooking inspiration. Thanks for sharing your fantastic layout for further inspiration!
SARAH says
I saw that same article and tore it out of the newspaper, thinking that it would be great to capture a look at my own life like that. (LOVE IT!) Im in my 30’s now, but I have changed A LOT over the years… married my HS sweetheart, claimed that we never wanted kids, did everything to please everyone else – instead of making myself happy, long hair because HUBBY liked it, came to my senses after YEARS of a rough married life, divorced, found Mr. Right while I was out trying to find myself, cut my hair super short to make myself happy, married Mr. Right, 2 ADORABLE KIDS who mean the world to me and being mom to 2 under the age of 3, think that this super short hair IS the cats ME-OW!
Danielle Roz says
Hi Cathy!
Love you by the way!
Down to business.Here’s my problem:
Bought the template, printed out the whole thing, turning off the pics.
But I do not understand how to drag photo’s into another document, so I can print on photo paper.
any help would really be appreciated : )
Danielle
cathy says
Danielle, turn those photo layers back on. Then, take one photo at a time. BUT, that means you need to shift + click to highlight the Mask Layer (the one called PHOTO that goes with the actual picture you dropped in). Highlight both of those layers, then click IN the layers palette, then DRAG to a new doc and release, it will bring both the mask and the photo in. Then, you simply click on the mask layer (photo) and drag each of the four side handles out a tiny bit to allow for some trim and bleed room. Repeat for each photo.
Try it !
: )