Discouraged

I have been working on my challanges all day... And after going through all of my stuff ( and I have a lot) I can't find anything I want or need to use... I have been looking online for the past couple of hrs but the only style I seem to go back to is scraps of darkness... Does anyone know of any other lines out there like this one? I like the style a lot and I am seriously ready to go through all of my stuff and start over from scratch.... Even though I don't feel like I'll use it it has been a challenge to figure out what to part with I have this nagging what if.... in the back of my head telling me to hold on to it but space is limited also... Any ideas out there?!
TIA everyone

I'm not sure I understand what you are asking.... Are you wondering if you should get rid of everything you own and switch to products that you can create things in the style of "Scraps of Darkness" (I have no idea what that is), or are you trying to do things in the "Scraps of Darkness" style with what you have but not finding anything in your stash that will give you the right look? Or did I miss it completely?

Im kind of a rambler sorry... I like the sty;e if scraps of darkness it's a site someone on here told me aboout more grundgy edgy type feel... I have a lot of stuff and I am not sure if I should just start completely over... But when I go to get rid of my stash of stuff I can't seem to part with it... even though it's not the direction Ive some how leaned towards... Does that help at all?

Have you thought of altering the items you have in your stash? It's amazing what some distress inks or mist sprays or perhaps some embossing powders can change an item.

Scraps of Darkness is a kit club. I agree with Rosita, play with the art mediums for sure! You can certainly distress your paper without any fancy tools. Do you have any sprays or acrylic paints?

Since you're not really sure of the direction you want to head, if it were me, I'd figure out some way to hold on to what I have. Fads, techniques and our own likes/dislikes change. Maybe you could weed out things that you know you really don't like...those things that you think of as "ugly paper", but even some of those can be useful for trims, mats, corners, distressed, sprayed, stickled or just used as practice pieces.

Maybe buy a kit or enough for just a page or two of the new style you'd like to try and then find out if it's really you. There are lo's I really like, but they aren't pages I would actually like for myself. Then if you find out that is your style, maybe then do some serious weeding-out.~Judy

Thanks Ladies... I don't know what distress sprays are.. LOL I'm getting back into things after a long time away I did by some distress paint but having a hard time figuring out how to use it correctly Ive been waching alot of "how to" videos to help get me up to speed..

Lately I've gone for distress a lot of my stuff, not yet with distressing sprays but just a simple distress tool like this one.
http://store.scrapbook.com/wr-71052-3.html
If you are using textured papers its awesome just to distress the edges a little bit and then Tim Holtz distress inks are great to add a bit of color. Any ink will work, I'm just partial to his stuff!!!

Check out some of the videos Sb has put together on distressing, maybe it will give you some ideas for using your current stash!!!
http://www.scrapbook.com/videos/?c=111

Hope that helps!!

I highly recommend the Invild Bolme distressing tool! It is AMAZING. AND highly recommend using embellishments you have- I got a package of very 'ladylike' chipboard embellishments when I took a class- and with some gesso I had in my bag, some Distress Stains, and my Ingvild Bolme distresser, they near instantly looked more gender-neutral and very cool- so much more modern, too. If you consider a distressed/aged look to be 'modern,' lol. But you get my point. Even if you can't 'see' it- just try it- paint it, look at it again. Even just making it one solid color might change your entire thought about the thing.

-k

That was super helpful! Thank you! Thats the majority of my issue... Most of the stuff I started with is way to "girlie" per say and it doesn't match up with the type of pictures I have of my girls... Or son... They won't do princess outfits or anything like that ( believe me Ive tried) They are more of the skaterish types I like things to look older and I did go to watch some of those video's thanks again!

If you look in the gallery here there are tons of "scraps of darkeness" layouts posted there and I believe they usually try and link to the products they use.

But I too have a really hard time getting rid of anything in my stash. I'd keep the stash and really with a few distressing items you can still probably use your stash.

That tool Kory posted really is awsome! I started with this distressing tool by tim holtz. And I love this ink pad of his as well. Distress the sides and then ink them and sometimes I just run the ink pad over the whole paper to give it a darker shade. lol

I do love that scraps of darkness style and I like the swirlydoos style too! But if you go to the gallery you can find lots of layouts of both and thankfully some people link to the products they use.

Cheesy ~Scraps Of Darkness~ By Jennythomas101

Well, let me tell you a story. Picture it, Sicily 1922...oh wait, I got confused with Sophia Petrillo. But seriously, I was in the same place as you about a year ago. I have a lack of space and there was a bunch of stuff that I was not using. So one evening I decided to purge myself of everything that I had not used in a long time, or ever. Bags and bags of stuff went out to the curb. Not a week later I started doing mixed media and I needed half the stuff that I had tossed. My suggestion is that whatever you don't think that you want, put it in a box (or 2 or 3) and put the box somewhere out of the way. If you still haven't gone back to the box months later, then sell it, donate it or just toss it. It will save you a lot of money when you need to replace what you tossed, believe me.

• Crafting Marfa Said:

I'd like to mention that if your pics of your daughters don't match your girly paper print them in b/w. they wil match any paper that way. Also you can "grunge" up your girly paper very easily by distressing it with inks, masks and that awesome distressing tool by Prima. (LOVE that tool)

I'm like the others instead of getting rid of everything I would suggest that you get some distressing inks and stains and try grunging up your stash. Why get rid of what you can use, take one item that you don't think you will use and try altering it to make something you will use. You would not believe how many things I've used by doing that..

Awsome idea Jane! I'm gonna have to try that! I've got some paper that I don't think i'll ever use too but can't bring myself to get rid of it!

Way to go cindy! It's amazing if you just take one item and work on it what you can come up with.

My son went to his fathers house for 2 week today Really missing him already! So i'm hoping to be able to get lots of scrapy stuff done while he's away. Would rather have him home though.

My kids just came home but my son came home siick ear infections in both ears So I ahven't accomplished as much as I'd hope to... I did get 2 lo's done for my page map challenge

I got photos printed finally. lol

I would get everything that I have not used in a year and put in a box and donate to a school, I have done that many times and believe me they are very thankful. And even if you find you now need something you got rid off, you won't feel guilty because you donated to a great cause....