Try something new or stick to what works?

For my scrapbooks, I tend to stay with the same style.
My style is matted or framed photos, stickers and die cut type embellishments,  titles, brighter colors, no journaling mixing and matching patterned paper.
I have added new things here and there over the years....prima flowers, washi tape as a border or divider.

For my mixed media scrapbook style journal.
It was printed out  >> my writing, thoughts, feelings, etc... or others writings (quotes, saying, poems, etc... ) all very structured, orderly, neat.....in sheet protectors in a three ring binder.

I've always loved the mixed media style. In the fall of 2019, I decided to change it, because life is not perfect, life and feelings are >> messy, neat, sometimes normal (whatever that means), sometimes crazy and chaos,  sometimes my heart and should need to release (into writing) how I am feeling or how I have felt in the past, etc... and I wanted my journal to reflect that. So I deconstructed my original journal, saving all the printed stuff.
My journal is now mixed media style. Parts will be messy, my feeling that are put in writing (my handwriting) on a page will be real, some will be neat and orderly. Because all of it, is reflective of how life is. 
With my new and improved, different style journal....I ma learning and figuring it out as I go. Mixed media, messy and anything goes.....is definitely outside of my comfort zone. So is the releasing of my feelings, some of which have been repressed for a long time.

At this point, nearly twenty years in to the hobby, I mostly stick to what I know works for me.

One, because I already have the supplies for those techniques.

Two, because I know the tried & true embellishments/techniques aren't going to fail, discolor, or crumble in five or ten years time. I feel scrappers have been burned far too many times with embellishments that turn gooey, or turn yellow, or crumble, or rust.

I’d like to say I try something new, but my bin full of barely used mixed media supplies would say otherwise. But the way I scrapbook has changed overtime. My style ow is nowhere near where it was when I began 25 years ago. And although there elements from 10 years ago, my books from the past 3-4 when I’ve gotten back into the hobby are still different. I’d say I’ve been fairly consistent since getting back into things, but I do see myself relying on my comfort zone because it’s what I’ve enjoyed consistently over the years.

You can thank me and my videos for the term Dickers!

I had a little giggle reading someone else use the term and I love it!

I’ve been scrapbooking since 1996, and over time, I have found my own style. I don’t follow the trends, although I will try something new if it appeals to me and suits my photos.

Someone once called my style “clean & classic.” I’m not sure that’s the right description, but it’s probably closer than any other. I don’t use mixed media, but I do use design principles of focal point, drawing the eye through the layout, and occasionally have in interactive element, such as a flap to lift, or hidden journaling. The colors of the papers have to coordinate with the photos or provide a good contrast. I don’t use papers that have the right theme, but different colors than my pictures. I want my photos to stand out against the decorations and background paper, so I mat my photos. My computer journaling is matted, too. The embellishments are chosen to help support the photos and/or the story behind the pictures.

I think I do have a style, but I also like to try new things. Every January at The Lilypad they have a Month of Challenges. Every day one of the design team hosts a different challenge. Some of them are really hard, and take me right outside my comfort zone (especially the ones that involve art journal stuff). But it's great fun to stretch yourself.

I'm not at all adventurous these days and actually try to scrapbook as simply as I can. Maybe that sounds boring, but it's the season I am in right now.

I am heavily reliant on "dickers" (LOL, great term). Glueing the layers of die cut letters together is time consuming, but I don't mind it somehow.

I love trying something new, but my decision to try it depends on cost and time. For example, I have tried most of the mixed media supplies and have picked my favourites. But I haven't tried gel-plate printing yet. I am waiting to find a good deal on a gelli plate, but in my heart I feel like it will be messy and time consuming and something I don't use too much even if I love the look?

I think I've tried almost everything through the years. When I took Cathy Zielske's classes I turned into quite a minimalist (and love those layouts) and when I took Shimelle's classes my layouts were a lot more MOHR. I'm not sure what "new" they can throw at me other than new art techniques?

Laughing at dickers. I find I can get lost in the process of making an embellishment (like gluing together dickers) and by the time I’m done hours have passed and I’ve gotten nothing done on my project. It makes me a really slow scrapbooker. I scrapbook for the creativity and process of making, not the end product.