Hi all! Jeni here bringing you a quick Theory Thursday. (Eek! My first!) I have been having so much fun browsing through the gallery here at ScrapMatters. There are so many great scrappers out there! I love to look at all those layouts especially the ones that really jump out at ya! But what makes them jump out? What’s that little somethin’ extra they all have?

Well, it could be anything really! Stitching, eyelets, brads, staples, ribbons. . . you get the idea! The little extras that take your LO from good to fabulous! Here are some great examples I found in the gallery here at ScrapMatters.

This first example is by Marcistar. Check out all the staples! Now she could have just used one or two, but there are a bunch!

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How creative!  Her page doesn’t have a ton of elements all over it. It’s very simple, yet still stunning – mostly because of her precious picture – but the repetition of her staples adds that little somethin’ extra!

Here’s another example for you by ckmom12673:

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This page has a couple of elements to it that make it really stand out. First she divided the photo into three pieces. That really helps draw attention to the different parts of the story. Her “date on a string” off to the side is adorable too. What an ingenious way to date your LO! Now why didn’t I think of that?!

That little somethin’ extra doesn’t have to be an element. It can be your picture, or in this case the colors (or maybe the lack of color) in the pictures. Here’s a great example by A-to-Z:

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She could have left the photos all in color and it would still have been a very cute page, but by bringing out ONLY the pink it really ties the whole LO together. In that little photo on the far left she has only a little bit of pink. That aspect would probably have been totally lost if she had left the entire photo in color.

This next LO by snaprebelx is one of my new faves! It has so many great elements – where do I start?!

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Well, the first thing I noticed was her little ribbon tab at the very top drawing attention to her title and also bringing in some more pink. The next thing I noticed was her glittery file tab dating her picture. And last, but certainly not least, I love how she chose a black background. It makes all the colors pop and really gives the feel of “attitude” to her LO. Picture the page with a white background – doesn’t that give it a totally different feel?

There are so many amazing ways to use the elements we get in each kit and the best thing is that there is no right or wrong way to use them! Try using some elements in a new way today to add a little somethin’ extra to your next LO. Don’t feel discouraged if you can’t think of anything “new” though, just do what I do. Steal – ahem, I mean – “scraplift” someone else’s great idea! [wink, wink] I’ve already found several ideas I’m going to use. Have a great Thursday!

-Jeni