[.ca] Designer Scrapbooks with Anna Griffin: Memorable Moments ... (ISBN 1402710291)

Tasteful, feminine, stylish: scrapbook pages for grownups:
This is a very personal collection of the author's own scrapbook pages; the photographs are all of herself, her family and friends. In all, there were perhaps sixty samples with full instructions for recreating them at the end of each chapter. The emphasis throughout the book is on allowing traditions to star as the theme ideas for all kinds of pages: the sections include Birthday, Valentine's, Easter, Family Vacation & Travel, Anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. I was surprised that really very few of them were wedding themes, which is of course what Anna Griffin is widely known for. On the other hand, watch out for the Thanksgiving section, which contains some (in my opinion) very sorely needed and wonderful ideas that any family could use in a scrapbook. As you might expect, this book showcases pages made exclusively with Anna Griffin's own designer line of papers, accents et al. The author explains in the introduction that she gets her inspiration from antique textile patterns, engravings and botanicals. Typically, a page design utilizes about half a dozen or more coordinated patterns, little (if any) solids, and perhaps a memorabilia envelope, pocket or surprise foldout section. In place of purchased accents, the reader is shown how to make the most of cutting and folding the papers for some very stunning effects. The final touches are often satin ribbon bows or buttons. The end result is a very flowery, multi-patterned look on every page; some will think it's lovely, others might feel that it is too cluttered or busy. I would say that it isn't truly a "collage" style, since it is so carefully coordinated and not random at all, but rather Anna Griffin has succeeded in creating an authentically Victorian look and feel to her scrapbooks. The only downside is that there seems to be precious little space reserved for meaningful journaling. My bottom line impression is that creating pages the Anna Griffin way is a very involved process that requires planning, a few precision papercrafting skills (beginner/intermediate level) and of course the exclusive Anna Griffin line of papers and die cuts (I doubt many of us have much success trying to mix patterns from other designers for these results). If you like the lavish Victorian style and you have a reliable source for Anna Griffin supplies, then you'll love this book. -Andrea, aka Merribelle