{I’m} Perfection – Scrap Challenge

[This week's scrap challenge is brought to you by team member Amy Hannum. Hi Amy! Just as a reminder, everyone who participates in the challenges this month is entered into a drawing to win a free month of OTS membership!]

Let me start with a little introduction…  a game called Two Truths and a Lie…  Surely you know this game from: freshmen orientation week at college, Girl Scout Camp, team building at your place of employment, fill in the blank…

So, my two truths and a lie:
I’ve been digitally scrapping for just under a year.
I’m a natural blonde.
Home is where the military sends me.

Additionally, you may want to know my “basics”…  my name is Amy and I love scrapping.  I scrap for the preservation of my feelings, adventures and that of the ones closest to me.  It’s with that intent that I selected this topic for the blog this month…  {I’m}Perfection.

I have been a follower of FLYLady off and on and she says that we let our perfectionism get in the way of getting our lives in order (basically).  We worry too much about doing everything “perfectly” that we either never start or can’t enjoy what we do accomplish.  And it’s true in scrapping as well!  I know there are those of you who can sit in front of your computer screens and spend hours debating if that shadow is truly perfect or if that element is just in the right spot.  Did I tint that photo too much or not enough?  It’s not quite like that beautiful page I saw last month in the magazine, ugh!

And what about that photo that has an odd blur going through it?  The one where the light isn’t quite what I thought it’d be when I took it?  And where my baby’s face is all messy instead of just the perfect picture of serenity and joy?  Can I PhotoShop that out?

WAIT!  That’s the story! I think our feelings and memories can get lost in trying to be “perfect”.  It’s not about being perfect and getting that badge to put on our digital walls.  It’s also not about capturing someone else’s style as our own.  It’s about telling OUR stories about OUR lives.  They aren’t perfect.  They are smudged, sometimes dirty, sometimes sad and sometimes done in a hurry.  And our layouts all don’t look like a professional.  When I look at my older layouts, it’s clear that I’m not the scrapper I was when I started.  But, I’ll still enjoy what I created then because I created it and the memories are still my own.

So, pick a photo that isn’t perfect…  and scrap it fast.  Find a picture you skimmed by the first time and think of the story behind why it wasn’t perfect.  Don’t let yourself get caught up in the details.  Scrap it however comes naturally (use a template if that helps), whatever brings a smile to your face, but don’t work on it for more than an hour.

Finally, don’t forget to guess my lie!  I’d love to know you better as well, so leave me some truths and a lie about you too.  Post your layout & any gallery links so I can leave comments.  I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Follow me on my blog: http://scrappingmysoul.blogspot.com/

Related posts:

1. Then and Now – Scrap Challenge
2. If only To Be YOUNG AGAIN! – Scrap Challenge