Paper Trail Blog Hop - Celebrating La Belle Vie!

Welcome to the paper trail blog hop. You probably arrived here from Vicki's blog. If this is your first stop, I hope you'll continue on with the hop.

I loved playing with this paper pack. I liked the classy colors that work well for my daughter and use pink without being babyish. To celebrate, I created two layouts about her birthday using patterns from the Make it From Your Heart book.

This pattern made me nervous at first because of the five small photos, but my friend Kerrie inspired me to use it. I am happy with the way it turned out. Cropping the photos smaller can help draw attention to certain elements and hide my sometimes flawed photos. (Check back Friday for some suggestions about cropping photos in this way.)

This paper seemed to call for bling and sparkle. I used the black sparkle flourishes some fussy cut flowers and Stardust Glitz.

I used a sentiment stamp intended for cards for the title and subtitle on this layout. Because I was able to include so many small photos to tell the story, my journaling could be very brief. I tucked the thoughts into the right hand flourish.

The second layout I created focuses on one gift my daughter received. This one also uses a pattern from the Make if From Your Heart book. I love using the patterns in this book because I can modify them to suit my layouts and style. Here I added two additional photos by using two 4X6 photos on the left page rather than a 5X7 and adding an additional photo cropped on the right page.

I used the same black sparkle flourishes (one pack was enough to create both layouts) and Startdust Glitz to embellish this layout. Once I find supplies that work well together I love to create multiple layouts using the same set. It saves me time making decisions!

For this layout I also used some word and definition stamps as embellishments. A variation on the rock and roll technique let me stamp the words in black and the definitions in grey so that the embellishment didn't overpower the layout.



 Thanks for stopping by! Remember to check Friday for some suggestions on cropping photos.

Your next stop is Karen's blog. I'm sure you'll love what she created.

Paper Trail - Avonlea

Welcome to the Paper Trail! I hope you are enjoying the hop, whether you arrived here from Field's Finery or if this is your first stop.
 
It has been a busy week here. Who am I kidding? It has been a busy few months. Sometimes I feel as if I barely have time to take photos, much less scrapbook them. What do you do when you are short on time but long on inspiration? One of my favorite tricks is to turn to a favorite paper packet and coordinated embellishments and accessories. Using three sets of coordinated embellishments along with the Avonlea papers and a sketch brought this layout together in no time.

The  large chocolate cardstock doily shape cut from the Artiste Cricut Cartridge helped to customize the sketch to work with my papers. In addition to the Avonlea papers, I used three sets of coordinating embellishments on this layout: the Avonlea Complements Canvas Shapes, the Brocade Assortment and the Mini-Medley Accents Slate Collection. Choosing these already coordinated embellishments and having each of these collections on the table in front of me made it very easy for me to finish the layout.

When adding embellishments, I try to work with a visual triangle that draws attention to the title, journaling and photos. For the title on this layout, I included a canvas flower to which I added a slate button tied with twine. Between the layers of the title block I included a Resin Pin.
Tip for using pins on layouts: stick the pin into a foam square or a glue dot between layers of your page.

The second point on my triangle was the journaling. The journaling spot itself is a Canvas Shape. In addition, I added two items from the Brocade Assortment to fill in the gaps and tie the layers together. Adding an element like the medallion to a place where multiple layers meet (here the photo, two B&T papers, cardstock and the journaling spot) helps to bring a feeling of cohesion to the layout.


 

The third point on my triangle is on the right hand side of the page near my two favorite photos. Here I used a shape cut from the same cardstock as the title block to continue that color, a small Canvas Shape and another medallion from the Brocade Assortment. (Notice the way the embellishments overlap the layers again.)







I love the finished look these embellishments bring to this layout. The best part is that I still have many elements from each collection that I will be able to use on more projects in the future - especially since I seem to be constantly short on time! 


Thanks for stopping by! Please, continue hopping on to Mary's blog.