What inspires you?

How are you inspired to scrapbook? I have several inspirations:

1. Crops where I can meet friends and just have a good time being productive
2. Sketches or other layouts that give me inspiration on color, layout, theme, etc
3. Challenges that pull me out of my standard style of of scrapbooking
4. The perfect pictures that just scream to be scrapped!!!

So here I sit...two days away from my monthly crop where I have a 2-page layout class as part of the agenda and I haven't gotten the layout done. So where do I start after I get past the stress of not being prepared? Here's one of my favorite sites for inspiration: Page Maps

Whether you scrapbook 8-1/2 x 11 or 12x12, 1-page layouts or 2-page layouts, this is a GREAT site. And they have at least one completed idea for each "map" shown. What I really like about "maps" is how you can modify the map to meet your needs or style. You can swap a large photo for multiple smaller ones (I like more than one photo on a page), you can swap journaling for another picture or embellishment if you don't like to journal (but you really should!!!), you can rotate the layout(s) 90 degrees, etc.

So I haven't picked a "map" yet, I'll knuckle down after I post this...maybe. But here's a layout I did for one of the May layouts using one of the Becky Fleck's Dec 2006 pagemaps...I REALLY changed it up because I added newspaper articles, a copy of Jeff's certificate for being a volunteer coach at the Junior Olympic Development Training Camp, and a copy of the first check he received for Trap Shooting...a whopping SIX DOLLARS. Oh, and take special note that the article and picture in the bottom right corner includes a 2008 Olympiad...Cory Cogdell is representing the US in the Olympics this weekend for Women's International Trapshooting. The preliminaries are 5pm AK Time on Sunday, with the finals at 11pm AK time that same evening. Go Cory...she's a fellow Alaskan!!!