Redo #2

As a general rule, I don't redo old layouts.  If I went back and changed every layout I don't like, I'd never make anything new.  Plus, I think is it fun (if a bit painful) to look back at old layouts and see how my style and skill have developed over time.

I have redone old layouts exactly twice.  The first time was in 2009.  I was looking through Trevor's baby albums and one layout just drove me crazy.  Here it is, from December 2007:

I hated how dark it was.  I used the trimmer to separate each element, then reattached them in exactly the same layout on a kraft background.  Even though I barely changed anything, I liked the resulting layout MUCH better.

Fast forward three years.  Every time I open my 2011 album, this is the layout I see first.

It was my first time painting directly on cardstock and I had fun making it.  But I didn't actually like the layout very much.  In fact, I blogged that it didn't feel like me.  Over time, I've gone from not being crazy about it to hating it.  I think part of the problem is that it's the first layout in the album, which is not the best place to display a "not really me" layout.

So I did the unthinkable:

Unlike my first redo, where I kept all the elements the same and attached them to a different background, this was a total redo.  I carefully removed every single element, planning to salvage as much as I could.

That same day, Shannon White emailed the Scrapping Stamper Design Team her March sketch, which was perfect for my planned redo.  Yea!  What a nice coincidence.

I carefully sliced the brown mulberry background paper and started laying out my elements.  I realized I was going to have to flip the sketch to hide where my green patterned paper had torn when I removed the picture.  I also realized I'd have to add something to hide the paint and journaling on the brown strip.

Here is the final result.

I am approximately a million times happier with this layout than the old version.  It's very me, and therefore a much better way to start an album.