What are your scrapping rules?

got room on that bench for me?

Can I join you both on the bench?

I used to try really hard to put together my layouts based on what I saw in magazines, online, etc.  And then I realized that doing that was taking the joy of scrapbooking away from me, like I was trying to be someone I wasn't.  I didn't scrapbook much for several years.  A few years ago I decided I wanted to continue scrapbooking, but not feel "burdened" by having to create in a way that wasn't me.  So now I just do whatever I like and I'm enjoying scrapbooking again like I used to "back in the day" when I first started scrapbooking.

 I don't really view them as rules. Just some simple design principles that add up to an attractive layout. It's just how I scrap but if I don't do one of these things on a layout it won't bug me and I don't feel like I'm breaking a rule.
I like a visual triangle but will sometimes do a diagonal or column design for some variety. When choosing papers I combine different pattern scale. I try to find a small pattern, a medium pattern, and a larger pattern, but not always. I tend to anchor my embellishment clusters and titles with something - a doily, tag, a large shape, or a large embellishment - to make it stand out and have a base so it doesn't have a floating effect. I also add embellishments in odd numbers. 
So I wouldn't say these are rules. They're just part of my typical scrap process. 

not any rules that i’m aware of. i just do what i like. i’ve never noticed where people are looking or odd numbers. i just make what my heart wants to say. my work may not be design team ready, but my memories are recorded and my feelings expressed. i just can’t be bothered to change my ways at this age. i like my stuff or work it until i do.

can i sit on the bench?

When it comes to my scrapbooking, my motto is I do what I want, when I want. I don't really have rules for myself.

My family has a rule though. If mommy finally found time to scrapbook, please leave her alone for a bit. 😆 My toddler does not understand this one yet. 😉

1. Do what makes me happy.
2. Enjoy my hobbies on my terms and in my style.
3. Don't compare myself to others.

I try to avoid the use of the word "rules" in scrapbooking, but I definitely have a "preference" in how I like to do some things. Okay, okay, they're rules!   But loose rules, and I will ignore them when necessary. Mine are similar to what's already been mentioned.

~ Flowers and dots usually in clusters of three.
~ Three clusters in a rough triangle pattern - I blame Shimelle for this one! I sometimes only do two clusters, and have to stop myself from plonking a third one on the page.
~ People looking to the centre of the page. And if the placement of the photos means that someone is looking off the edge of the page, I sometimes flip the photo horizontally. 
~ I try to avoid floating elements, and try to anchor them to something else on the page
~ I put a white border on most of my photos
~ I don't like to have the photos touching - they all have to have at least a couple of mm of space between them.

One "rule" that I have learnt to ignore is that every page must have a title. Sometimes I spend so much time trying to think up an interesting title, it sucks the joy out of it for me. So now if I have spent more than ten minutes agonising over a title, I just don't do one. As long as it has a date, and usually a name & location, I'm happy.

When I started this happy journey in 2000, I had a lot of help getting started at an LSS. I was told "The first rule of Scrapbooking is 'There are no rules, the second rule is 'read rule one' ".
I think it's fine to have a style, I wish I had some style, it might help.

I kinda' feel the need to say that just because I enjoy and apply design principles to my pages doesn't mean I'm attempting to create a masterpiece, or that scrapping is a struggle or burden instead of a joy. I scrap strictly for me. I have no family that will see these albums when I'm gone. They are for me, for now, and for the joy that creating brings me. (Okay, and sometimes I think that these will be good to prod my memory as senility sets in! )

I've always seen things in a certain way and I started to understand why when I learned about design principles. I drive my husband crazy when I decorate our fireplace mantel and hearth. I've always balanced things with odd numbers, and groups of three instead of two. I'll put one big thing on one side with a few small things on the other side. I'll balance across and diagonally. He's learned to just leave me alone and let me do my thing.

For me, it's part of who I am and how I see the world.

I don’t think of them as rules, but more preferences. I do like the rule of thirds, odd numbers and no trapped white space.

I guess my one hard and fast rule is to always include a date. Hand written or date stamped.

On layouts I also always write the date, place and names of the people on the back. Even if I journal on the front. I’ve gone thru too many albums and photos from my grandparents where no one has a clue about who or when the picture was taken.

These are my preferences too. 

Also:
The picture doesn't have to be perfect. If half a couch is the only photo I have of the couch that we had when I was young, than that is ok because it brings good memories.

Not every LO has to have journaling. Sometimes the Name/Date is enough.

For myself, while agreeing there are no rules, I have to include the who, what, where, when….the story. Most of the time. Sometimes the story ends up on the back lol. Trying to stay organized and making sure I spend time with my spouse and not always in my scrap space are important too. I’d probably live in my space if I could!

I don’t think I have rules - I guess the one I do have is journaling, I like to include quite a bit of info on my pages because I know that’s the thing I go back to (and so do my dds) when we are looking at old pages.

The only other thing I guess would be to carry the design/elements across the page but I don’t even care about rule of three - I place things around the pages (pockets) as I feel they look “right” whatever number that happens to be. I have done four spots of something plenty and smile a little thinking how people are obsessed with “3” but I just do what I think works for that page/s.

Besides the basic "rules" of design that most of us agree help to give a page a pleasing look (even if we don't follow them consciously I think we mostly have a sense of balance and symmetry, etc that we're guided by) I think the most important rule that I try to follow is to write in the journaling the things I would tell someone if they looked at the page and wanted to know what the story was.

I've heard people talk about pages they made with minimal or no journaling, launching into a hilarious or moving story that said so much about their family relationships or gave the photo so much meaning - for me, that's what I want journaled on the page. It's what I would want to inherit from relatives and what I would want to pass down. Ideally a lot of the meaning is told in the photographs and the design and not every photo has a big story, but if there's one I would tell when I show you the photo I want to make sure it's on the page.