Trend Talk with Melissa Elsner: Polaroids in Scrapbooking

Megan Hoeppner, creative editor

Hip hooray, it’s time to chat trends again! This month, I’m excited to welcome Melissa Elsner, Design Team Coordinator for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out. Her trend will leave you ready to pose and say “cheese,” so get that grin of yours ready!

Melissa Elsner, Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Thanks, Megan. I’m thrilled to be on the blog with you today. When I was thinking about a trend to explore, I thought about elements that I saw a lot of at the last CHA show in July.

First, do you all remember Polaroid cameras? Remember when we thought how amazing it was that a photo could develop so quickly?

Photo credit: Yumalum/Etsy

And now look at our technological world today. With digital cameras, camera phones…everything is ready for us now. There is just something special about a Polaroid, though. I love the frame around the photo. I think, deep down, we all love the feeling of nostalgia the Polaroid frame can give, and the scrapbooking world is feeling it too.

Just take a look at how it is appearing in these manufacturers’ collections:

Photo credit: Clear stamps from Lily Bee Design Persnickety collection

Photo credit: Pink Paislee Photograms from the Portfolio collection

Photo credit: Mini Instaframes by Heidi Swapp

Photo credit: Echo Park Paper “Sweet Day” collection

Even in the digital scrapbooking world these lovely Polaroid images are everywhere. I love these “ready to print” polaroids by Adrienne Looman for Two Peas in a Bucket:

Photo credit: Picnic frames by Adrienne Looman for Two Peas in a Bucket

The Polaroid frame is even an option in many photo editing programs like Picasa, Photoshop and Instagram.

So what does one do with the Polaroid image? There is the obvious and fun way: frame a photo! You can use a stamp, chipboard element or a die cut.

You can use a Polaroid to frame your journaling. You can use it as a simple embellishment with a brad or bling or sentiment inside of it.

I loved this sheet of paper from My Minds Eye, which was included with the September kit, Innocence, for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out:

Photo credit: My Mind's Eye Be Happy "Adorable" paper

Something I wanted to try out was seeing how it would look to use those frames to frame patterned paper. I used my scissors and craft knife to cut out the shapes and the center. Then, I simply cut down pieces of pattern paper and placed them behind the frame. Here is how it turned out after layering, adding accents and journaling:

My Joy by Melissa Elsner for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

Notice how I was able to utilize negative space and still bring in lots of color and texture. The frames help bring it all together and draw the eye to the design and focal point of the layout.

Polaroids are around to stay, I do believe, and what a wonderful, timeless element to have in our stash. I hope you get a chance to experiment and play with them.

—Melissa Elsner, Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Thanks, Melissa! I love seeing the retro look of Polaroid in a new and fresh way. Your layout is so fun! We’re delighted you could join us and inspire us today!

Cheers!

—Megan Hoeppner, creative editor