Challenge 12 - No Photos Allowed!

I don't know if you are like me, but photos tend to be the starting part for me when I am making a layout. For the last challenge, we focused on the photos. For this one, I want you to take the focus off the photos.

Perhaps there is a story that needs to be told, but there are simply no pictures. Maybe you have a cool piece of memorabilia that you want to build a layout around. Maybe you just want to play with paper and paint and rub-ons and make something fun.

You are hereby challenged to make a layout without ANY photos. None at all. Other than that, there are no rules. Sky is the limit, folks. Have fun with it.

As always, either link your creations back here or at the threads that will be started at scrapbook.com and twopeasinabucket.com. The deadline is midnight on Sunday, February 25th.

For this challenge, we called in some help from the other '07 HMers. Enjoy!

Amanda Johnston's Layout: Amanda's layout is journaling-focused, telling the story of singing in Madame Butterfly. THe butterflies are the perfect addition to the story she is telling. Here is the journaling:

Music is a huge part of me. Always has been, always will be. In a former life, before my daughter was born, before my husband joined the Army, I sang with the Huntsville Opera Theater. We performed fully staged and produced operas. For a grass-roots company that survived on ticket sales we did pretty well. One of the largest roles I had was playing Mrs. Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly. Now B. F. Pinkerton was a pig. He married Butterfly for his convenience. Never mind that she gave up her religion and her family to be his child bride. She truly loved him. Pinkerton left Butterfly. Every day during his absence she watched for the ship that would bring him back to her and their child. One day that ship arrived. Unfortunately B. F. Pinkerton was accompanied by his real wife, Mrs. Pinkerton. Yes, I played the other woman in Madame Butterfly. I had a really hard time wrapping my mind around that concept. I felt a real sympathy for Butterfly. Her childhood and her innocence were taken away by this odious foreigner. I was having to act in a way I never would have acted in real life. The costume mistress understood what I was going through. She made me a traveling dress from scratch. And she lined it in blue. She told me that no matter what, I was true blue on the inside. No matter the role I am singing or acting, I am still me. Even though I initially had a hard time with the concept of being the other woman I persevered and grew in my acting ability. As a cast we performed to rave reviews. I don’t sing in operas any more, but I’m still true blue on the inside. No matter what happens - I’m still me.

Amy Sullivan's (HOF HM '07) Layout: Amy's layout is also journaling-focused. Her layout is a fun story of her love for a particular series of fiction novels. Minimal embellishing keeps the focus on the story but still gives a striking visual page.

Deb's Layout: Deb chose to journal about some favorite things, keeping the writing in a list format. This gave plenty of room for her to mix and match some gorgeous papers on the left.

Jen's Layout: For my layout, I worked around a tag that I found on a piece of maternity clothing. It gave me a strong reaction and made me want to write some feelings down in a layout. I chose some bold patterned papers from a Studio Calico kit to further the point of my journaling.