Happy Thanks Living, my friends! It’s Erika Hayes, moderator over at Club CK, a free online scrapbooking forum filled with great inspiration, challenges, chats, and helpful hints. The online community of Creating Keepsakes also offers free mini-classes from industry leaders, so I hope you’ll find time to join us.

Repetition as a Design Tool

This month for the Thanks Living challenge we are going to turn our attention to a very powerful design tool: repetition.

Dearest Dad by Erika Hayes.

To help you understand what I mean, here’s an example:

If I write, if I write the same statement twice, as I just did, your brain asks, “Why did this sentence begin with ‘if I write’ twice?” Your brain may have forced your eyes to go back and make sure it actually said it more than once. It’s even possible that you resolved that it was a mistake and just moved on. My point is this; our brains know when something is repeated so it bares reexamination to make sure it did not miss anything. Cool, huh? This is why the principle of design that is often called repetition is so effective.

You know why repetition works—and now we are going to look at how to make it work for your layouts.

Making repetition work for your layouts is a very natural thing that we as artists pick up on quickly.  I want to share a few fast ways to look over your layouts, and in combination with our other skills, find ways to incorporate this very effective design principle in your layout designs.

Pattern Repetition

"Let it Rain" by kinseywilson, as seen in the Club CK idea galleries

I am going to use a very trendy pattern as my example: chevron prints.  We see them everywhere—the lines are dynamic and using the same pattern can be a strong introduction to repetition. Patterns like these are a great way to include repetition on your scrapbook pages without having to think much about it.

Shape Repetition

"SSAGTTZD 2012" by Erika H, as seen in the Club CK idea galleries

Using a variety of shapes is also an effective way to use repetition. By using patterns such as circles and squares, you can repeat the design on your layouts to reinforce your focus. Using shapes like hearts, however, can convey a sense of meaning behind the design. For example, circles and squares are perfect for any theme, while hearts are more specific to love and affection for someone or something.

Color repetition

"Peanut Butter and Jelly" by Heather, as seen in the Club CK idea galleries

I think in the principle of repetition, that color is one of my favorite methods.  Why you ask? With color, the artist can control the mood of any layout. Use colors like yellow to convey friendship, and use hues of blues to scrapbook your water memories.

Texture Repetition

"The Fanciest Hot Chocolate Ever" by latz, as seen in the Club CK idea galleries

Another fun way to include repletion on your pages is with texture. Whether you are using a textured cardstock, or roughing up the edges of several photo mats, this technique will bring a sense of repetition your layout.

How to Use Repetition in Scrapbooking

I wanted to show you a breakdown of how you can use repetition on our scrapbook layouts, so here is my August Thanks Living Layout broken down!

I hope you get a chance to join us this month, and remember, it is never too late to start counting your blessings!

About the Thanks Living Challenge

I am elated this month!  I was looking over my Thanks Living journal last night and I realized that I had a tremendously blessed July.  Then I looked back even further and realized just how blessed my life really is.

It is funny how much this project has changed my outlook.  I am in a habit now, even when things seem to be difficult, to seek the blessings inside each trial.  I should also tell you that I like this new way of life and I don’t plan to stop my life of Thanks Living! The Thanks Living challenge is an ongoing yearlong challenge that you can begin at any time. Remember: if you are busy counting your blessings, you will lose track of your misfortunes!

If you have missed any of the Thanks Living challenges, you can find them all here:

• Introduction to Thanks Living
• Thanks Living Challenge #1 – Points and Lines
• Thanks Living Challenge #2 – Visual Hierarchy
• Thanks Living Challenge #3 – Layering and Clustering
• Thanks Living Challenge # 4 – Balance and Symmetry
• Thanks Living Challenge #5 – Odd Numbers
• Thanks Living Challenge #6 – Visual Triangles
  
• Thanks Living Challenge #7 – Grounding and Anchoring

—Erika Hayes, Club CK moderator