My Mind's Eye Blog

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | February 2015

Hello everyone! This is Shelly again with this month’s dose of the makings of a double page layout.

It still cold and white outside here in Ohio; what better way to brighten my day than to get creating with Jubilee’s Wild Berry Collection! I pulled together some winter pictures for my daughter’s album and thought why not make it bright and bold just like her personality.

Supplies: Jubilee: Wild Berry – “Today” Inked Paper, “Love” Paint Paper, “Love” Stamped Paper,  Label Stickers, Enamel Dots, Chipboard; Mint Julep – “Journey” Fields Paper; Necessities Metallic’s Decorative Tape.

I had about 12-13 pictures that I wanted on this layout, so the big photo block was going to be my go-to design. I decided to give it a little slant to switch things up. I know, whoa… slow down. HA!

I played with different combinations of Jubilee to see what I liked to really highlight the pictures. I wanted to really focus on the girly-side since this layout was going in my daughter’s album. She is 100% girly-girl so pink was a must in my book. I ultimately landed on the bold colors and prints on Wild Berry. I know it seems more summer, but I was going to make this a fun twist on winter.

I pushed my chosen papers around to see which ones really called out to me and worked with my pictures. I absolutely LOVE that paint strip patterned paper. It is so bold and pretty. I knew it would be a challenge for me to use as a background, but I had to use some of it.

Little doses of bold patterns work wonders don’t they! To bring in some extra pink, I added a 4” strip of the big dot patterned paper to the bottom of my layout. It wasn’t until I was finished with this page that I realized I used the same pattern, but red, on last month's double layout! I guess it just stuck with me.

Once I had everything in its place, I wanted to put a large snowflake in that big open space in the middle of my layout. I like how it really draws your eye in and balances out the photo block.

This page really needed a touch of sparkle on it. I used my diamond punch along with Necessities Metallic glitter decorative tape in silver to get the job done.

Since I already had my Silhouette up and running, I also cut out the title “Winter,” and embellished it with a chipboard button and a few enamel dots. That little “leave a little sparkle” quote was just meant to be.

Here's a closer look at each page.

Thank you for dropping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Shelly

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | January 2015

Hey everyone! This is Shelly again with this month’s dose of the makings of a double page layout.

The wind and snow have been blowing here in Ohio, which is the perfect time to start a fire and cozy up to my craft table. This month, I chose to let the season around me inspire me. I have been slowly filling in gaps for my son’s past albums. The next stop on my list was the winter of 2011-2012.

Supplies: Jubilee: Tangerine – “Honor” Traveler Paper, “Awesome” Shield Paper, “Story” Triangle Paper, “Adventure” Be Daring Paper,  6x6 Designer Paper Pad, “Story” Journal Cards, “Awesome” Enamel Dots; Mint Julep – “Journey” Adventure Paper, “Journey” Journal Cards; Joyous – Decorative Brads, Decorative Tape; Sleigh Bells – Decorative Brads

 

I started off with my sketch. I always have lots and lots of pictures when it comes to documenting my season summary pages, so the big block of pictures always works perfectly for these. I sized all of the “indoor-around the house” pictures at 2x3. I stuck with the two larger pictures at 3.5x5 for the “outdoor” fun. Crazy enough, we only had a couple of snow falls during this winter. I was lucky to have actually taken these. The snow melted right after lunch that day!

When it came to choosing papers, I grabbed various blues, a red, and yellow. In the end, you will see that I ended up tossing out the yellow and replaced it with a touch of woodgrain instead. I know it could really be a Fourth of July page, but I loved how bold and cool the colors were together.

I kicked off my page by adhering all of my pictures. I knew I wanted that diagonal blue stripe to be my background next to the block of pictures. Then, it was time to get creative.

I chose a few of the Journaling Cards from the Jubilee Collection. These are not just for your Project Life layouts, but for traditional pages too! I am a big fan of customizing and layering them.

After getting most of my left-side into place, I tackled the right-side; the side that I could really have fun and create with endless possibilities. I know some of you aren’t fans of double-page layouts, so this is where I hope I can inspire you.

I loved the look of the die-cut 3x3 journal card and really wanted to re-create that same look on this side of my layout. After seeing the “Hello,” I knew that it would work perfectly as part of my title. I know that word has been beaten to death in this community, but I still love it!

To create a nice flow of the woodgrain, I layered a couple more in for good measure with my journaling card. I was really going back and forth about how to add a little something extra this side of my page. I played with some extra patterned paper over the red dots, but fell in love with adding some texture tone-on-tone by placing a few enamel dots over the big red polka dots.

I liked how it added just a little extra something, without overpowering the rest of my page. It is always a fine line when you are creating with so many pictures. Even though most of my pictures were on the other side of the layout, they still add extra chaos that you don’t want to compete with.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Shelly

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | December 2014

Hello everyone! This is Shelly here today to share with you this month’s double page layout.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Last week, I shared a few Project LifeⓇ  layouts documenting Christmas for my son’s album HERE. Today, I am here to share how I finished off the Christmas season documenting. With his album already in progress, I had two single 12x12 open canvases to fill up before and after all of those pockets. We have lots going on before and after the actual Christmas holiday so, I decided to document those pre-Christmas and post-Christmas events.

Supplies: Sleigh Bells Ring: “Reindeer” Paper, “Noel” Paper, “Christmas Tartan” Paper, “Branches” Paper, “Christmas Confetti” Paper, Gift Label Stickers, Designer Brads, Mixed Bag Diecut  Pieces, Decorative Tags; Joyous: “Noel” Paper, “North Pole” Paper; Just Sayin’: “Garden Party” Paper.

As with all my other pages, I pulled out my favorite pictures that I wanted to tell my story. My sketch came together after choosing my favorites. With any work in progress, this was not set in stone. You will see how I changed and modified my plan as everything started to take shape on my table.

As you can see, once I had my pictures in place. I played with my initial plan just a touch. I wasn’t falling in love with the very linear look that was initially happening. That is one thing I love about sketches. They can always be changed to make them work for what you need.

I also wanted each side of the layout to stand on its own. I kept a title and a little bit of journaling to explain each picture.

When it came to the title, I pulled out my die-cut machine. I love the gold stripe patterned paper from the Just Sayin’ Collection. AND it is such a bonus that the gold is glazed, so no mess! I trimmed a piece off and ran it through my die-cut machine.

I layered a few random letters with the red gingham that I used on the right side.

As for the papers, I kept mostly with the same patterns I used in the Project Life pages. I did however choose to add in that lovely blue with stars pattern from Joyous Collection. I liked how it added just a touch of non-traditional Christmas color to these pictures.

For the title on the second half of the layout, I did a flip-flop reverse. After finding the “Christmas” die-cut in the Mixed Bag, it made creating this title easy.

Once I had the pictures and title in place, I found that there was just too much open space on the blue pattern. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with that space at first, but after seeing the big circle Decorative Tags and the bell from the Mixed Bag, I thought they would make cute ornaments to hang. I just love it when things fall into place sometimes.

Again, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season of celebrations! Thank you for stopping by, and I hope I have inspired you to document all of those other events that tie into your Christmas fun.

Shelly

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | November 2014

Hey everyone! This is Shelly again with this month’s dose of the makings of a double page layout.

The crisp fall air has arrived here in the Midwest US, which just happens to be my favorite time of the year. YAY! It put me in the mood to get scrappy with some rich cozy colors.

This time, I decided to challenge myself to use Christmas goodies. If you are anything like me, I tend to collect lots and lots of Christmas collections, and there is no way I could ever use them all.

So why not use them for something other than Christmas? I got busy with the Sleigh Bells Ring Collection along with a touch of the Frightful Collection to bring in some orange.

Supplies: Sleigh Bells Ring – “Reindeer” Paper, “Christmas Tartan” Paper, “Noel” Paper, “Blitzen” Paper, 6x6 Designer Paper Pad, Enamel Shapes, Alpha & Word Stickers; Frightful – “Frightening Frames” Paper, ”Spooky” Paper, 6x6 Designer Paper Pad, Enamel Dots; Jubilee Tangerine – “Adventure” Be Daring Paper, “Story” Rub-Ons; Other: Alphabet, Silhouette leave shapes.

 

With this layout being a fall summary, I had lots of pictures that I wanted to include. The easiest and quickest way I can fit all those memories on a layout is to do one big block of pictures on one side of the layout. You could totally do a 12x12 photo collage, but I opt for putting (2) 3x4’s on a 4x6 for ease of printing.  Most of my daily pictures are horizontal 4x3’s, so this block works perfect.

Colors! I pulled out a few of my favorite non-Christmasy themed papers from the Sleigh Bells Ring Collection. The orange papers from the Frightful Collection and a touch of yellow from Jubilee Tangerine Collection were just what I needed to really bring out the fall for my layout.

After pushing around some patterns, I fell in love with the rustic wood pattern on the B-side of the “Reindeer” paper. It is the perfect fun neutral to let the colors in my pictures really pop. To add a little more interest to the block of pictures, I added a white mat to a few of them.  I also decided to push the open 4x3 space to the middle. Once I had my foundation down, I was then left to embellish and have fun.

I used my Silhouette to cut a few different leaves from various patterns. You could also just freehand cut a few leaves too. I almost did a few like the one on the bottom right, but then I remembered I had these leaf shapes in my files. The orange leaf there, it was cut by my hands, so I know you could cut them too!

I added in lots of different textures using enamel dots, rub-ons, corrugated letters, and stitching. I need a whole sheet of those little leaf rub-ons! I have to admit that I actually squealed when I was thumbing through the different rub-on sheets and came across those.

The “lovin’ it” rub-on was a last minute add. That open space between the two vertical pictures just kept screaming “fill me in!” and this rub-on was the perfect touch. As for the date, I used an Alpha & Word sticker sheet from the Sleigh Bells Ring Collection. There is only one sticker of each number, so I used (2) “L’s” which did the trick for the eleven.

To add interest to the big block of pictures, I continued the yellow strip of patterned paper across the top. This also helped bring my two sides together.

I wanted to re-create the same embellished look from the left side of my page onto the little 4x3 open space on the right side, just on a smaller scale. I was able to add in two falling leaves with enamel dots, the corrugated alphabet, rub-on words, and a scalloped border. I have to say that I really packed a punch in that small canvas I was given.

I know not all of you out there reading this are into double page layouts, but this has to be the easiest “sketch” to dip your toes into if you have ever wanted to try your hand at it. You can turn any single page into a doubler just by adding a 12x12 block of pictures.  

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Shelly

 

 

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | October 2014

Hey everyone! This is Shelly again with this month’s dose of the makings of a double page layout.

With Halloween just around the corner, and the new Frightful Collection in hand, I was inspired to get busy on some Halloween pages. After taking a look at my trusty notebook, with a list of layouts that I still would like to complete in my children’s albums, I stumbled on Halloween 2011. Yep. I am taking it back a few years here folks. I can’t be the only one still working through some past memories to document, right?!?

Supplies: Frightful – “Frightening Frames” Pattern Paper, “Pumpkin” Pattern Paper, “Dots” Pattern Paper, “Frightful Words” Pattern Paper, 6x6 Designer Paper Pad, Mixed Bag, Enamel Dots, Sticker Sheet, Chipboard Elements, Decorative Brads; Collectable Collection Remarkable – “Smile” Grin Pattern Paper, “Handsome” Adorable Pattern Paper;  My Mind’s Eye Decorative Tapes – Red & Black; Other: Twine, Alphabet Stickers, Stapler

After pulling together my favorite pictures, I realized that I didn’t just have to cover trick-or-treating, but our entire Halloween festivities including our fun at the pumpkin patch and pumpkin carving.

I had just the right amount of photos where I could easily section the two big events off having one per side; pumpkin fun on one side, and then trick-or-treating on the other. I wanted the sides to be able to play on their own but complement each other too. I opted for a hap-hazard random cluster of photos on each page.

Of course I had planned to use the Frightful Collection, but after seeing my photos, I wanted to add in another pop of color, GREEN! I knew exactly where I was going to get that pop of green. I went right for my absolute favorite collection, the Collectable Collection. These two sheets just happen to be my all time favorites from that collection too. I have a thing for anything green. It’s always been my favorite color.

I kept the papers for the left side of my page more neutral… less spooky, I guess you could say. Since the pictures were from our pumpkin patch visit, I thought it would give that side a happier fall feel for those pictures.

The right side with the trick-or-treat pictures I went with the scary pumpkin faces and spooky words. Maybe I over thought my choices, but I had fun doing it. I just thought that these seemed spookier which was perfect for the spookiest night of the year!

When it was time to have fun embellishing, I wanted to just go a little crazy with all sorts of fun embellishments placed around my pictures. I added a strip of black & white stripe paper on the top to unify my two pages.

I tossed in a few scalloped borders here and there. Then, I added in brads, enamel dots, stickers, decorative tapes, chipboard elements, and bits & pieces from the mixed bag.

When it came time to choose a title, I almost cut out the word “Halloween” to place in the dotted green pattern paper. BUT I stopped when I was shuffling through the mixed bag assortment. There were just too many fun things in that bag to pass up. I went with a more playful and not so direct title. Obviously just looking at this page, you can see that it was all about Halloween. So instead, I played with all of the random bits & pieces that have words on them; particularly my favorite “Tricks & Treats” and create a collage to fill in my space that I saved for a title.

After playing with Halloween pictures, it is making me even more anxious for Halloween to come. It just happens to be my favorite holiday! I just love the entire fall season as a whole; great weather, beautiful colors, outdoor fun, and all those extra spooky ghostly shows on television.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful week and a spooky Halloween next week!

 

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | September 2014

 

Hey everyone! This is Shelly again with this month’s dose of the makings of a double page layout.

Last month, I shared a summer summary page for my son’s album found HERE. This month, I thought I would share how I pull together a layout for my daughter’s album with the same topic. If it is a layout that I will be documenting for both of my kids, I pull pictures together for both layouts all at once. Killing two birds with one stone always makes it easier, but I do enjoy changing up the “style” of the layout for each of them to keep things interesting for myself.

Supplies: Jubilee: Wild Berry – “Hey You” Geometric Paper, “Love” Stamped Paper, “Love” Paint Paper, “Life” Diamonds Paper, “Love” Decorative Brads, “Love” Label Stickers, “Life” Mixed Bag, “Life” Enamel Dots, “Wonder” Chipboard Elements, 6x6 Designer Paper Pad; Tangerine – “Adventure” Be Daring Paper, “Story” Rub-Ons;  Other: My Mind’s Eye Designer Tapes

Knowing that I wasn’t going to be creating this layout right away and my memory fades way too fast these days, I had my sketch book close by while I edited and sized my pictures. As you can see, I have both sketches right there waiting for me for both Summer layouts. I kept them very similar in design, so that I wouldn’t have to resize the majority of the pictures. My plan was to let the colors and patterns give each of the pages their own uniqueness.

Here is a little reminder of what last month’s layout looked like.

I absolutely loved how the blues, yellow, and orange blended together with my summery pictures.

Since this month’s layout was for my fun pink loving girly girl, Jubilee’s Wild Berry was top on my list this time around. The bonus of having so many colorful pictures on a layout is that you can really switch up the color palette to customize the look that you are aiming for.

Having pictures laid out, I started pushing around papers on the left side of my page first. My plan was to keep with the same lines as the large block of pictures on the right side of the layout. With my son’s, I kept with one large block of the same pattern. To switch things up with this layout, I opted for three strips of patterned paper to add some interest.

Having so much color and pattern on the left side, I wanted a neutral color for the top strip that would connect both sides of my layout. Once I saw the Adventure pattern paper with the quote “Life is a daring adventure” on it, I knew that it would be the perfect neutral with the added bonus of a built in title.

When it was time to embellish my layout, I stumbled upon the mixed bags. The stack of little triangles jumped right out at me. I do have to say that every time I dump those bags out onto my desk, I am always amazed at how much comes in those packages of fun. I totally recommend getting your hands on a bag or two! They are such a great value.

Last stop of my creative process was to play with the left side a bit. The new rub-ons were the perfect touch to re-create the look of my main title from the other side giving my double page layout a unified look.  

As I did with my son’s layout, I included a divided page filled with pictures of our annual Fourth of July family trip.

I am really happy how each element of this double page layout can stand on its own, yet flow so nicely when put together.

So, do you create similar layouts for multiple albums? Do you like to keep them exact replicas of each other for ease and time, or do you like to switch it up just a touch? Or maybe you like to do something completely different for each one? As you can see, I like to change things it up just a touch to keep my own interest and creativity flowing. I am afraid that if I didn’t, memory keeping would just feel like one big assembly line. 

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | August 2014

Hello everyone! This is Shelly returning again with this month’s dose of the makings of a double page layout.

The kids are heading back to school, and summer is coming to a close. In honor of saying goodbye to another summer, I thought I would bring you guys some summer inspiration to get those memories documented. If you happen to follow my series here, you know that I am a big fan of season summary pages. There is nothing better than piling all those memories onto one page to see it all at a glance.

Supplies: Jubilee: Tangerine – “Story” Triangle Paper, “Adventure” Be Darling Paper, “Story” Wonderful Paper, 6x6 Designer Paper Pad, “Honor” Label Stickers, “Honor” Decorative Brads, “Awesome” Enamel Dots, “Awesome” Mixed Bag; Wild Berry – “Hey You” Gardens Paper, “Life” Tribal Paper, “Hey You” Rub-ons; Other – Alphabet stickers, cardstock.

As always, I started off with a sketch. With these summary pages, my go-to sizes are almost always 2x3 and 3x4. These are the perfect sizes to get lots of those memories on a layout! Summer is almost always the season with the most pictures. I guess the outdoors brings out the photographer in me; that and the fact that daylight seems to be endless. Oh summer!

I did section out my pictures into two categories this time around, everyday summer and our family getaway for the Fourth of July. Instead of trying to put all of those pictures on this summary page, or creating a second one, I printed my favorite shots from that week as 4x6 so I can slide them in simple pocket page protectors.

When it came time for color choices, Jubilee’s Tangerine jumped right out at me with a touch of the Wild Berry too. The aqua, yellow, and orange were all calling to be on this page.

I started off with the yellow “Adventure” Be Daring paper first. It has a fun pattern and the subtle color between the yellow and soft white would let the 3x4 pictures take center stage. Next I pulled the line of 2x3 photos on the left side up because once I placed the patterns and colors they weren’t anchored enough on the page. They were competing too much with the patterned papers. Once I pulled them up against the yellow, my eyes were happy.

Knowing I was going to have a pocket page insert in between my layout, I wanted each side to be able to stand alone, yet still work perfectly together too. I mirrored the horizontal lines on both sides; whether it be with pictures or patterned paper.

Using some strips of patterned paper, I created a banner cluster to draw your eye in on the left side of the page.

Keeping a big blog of smaller pictures is my go-to. Like I said earlier, I wanted each side to be able to stand completely alone on its own but flow with the other side as well. Switching up the horizontal lines from patterned paper to a cluster of pictures and vice-versa helped me achieve the look I was going for.

The new rub-ons are the bomb! I was pretty excited when I first saw them, and knew I could have some fun with those babies. They were the perfect touch for the haphazard graffiti looking title. It also allowed me to have a title on both sides of my layout that would look great together or separate too. A win-win in my book.

When I do something to one side, I like to do it on the other side as well. This is a great way to bring both sides together. This bottom corner was the perfect spot for some more 3x4 photos with white borders and a banner cluster too.

 

For the pocket page, I simply slide my pictures in with a label sticker for a short title. The pictures tell the story, so no extra words were really needed. This is something we do each and every year, so sometimes it is good to just let the photos tell the story from time to time.

We spent lots of time at the beach and play ground during our week of vacation. I grabbed a couple of my favorites that told the story for each of those adventures.

This insert couldn’t be all business. I trimmed down the same blue stripe “Story” Triangle paper from my layout, printed a quick phrase, and embellished it with an enamel dot from the Tangerine Decorative Brads. That’s simple, but sweet in my book.  The best part is that I got the entire summer documented and recorded.

I really love the concept of mixing quick and easy pocket pages with my traditional pages. I get to have fun and be creative, yet I am practical and realistic with my time management. It feels really good to get these memories documented for my children without being overwhelmed with several layouts. Pocket pages aren’t just for my family Project LifeⓇ  albums any more. I can mix and mingle them with my creative side too.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Shelly

 

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | June 2014

Happy Friday! This is Shelly with your monthly dose of the makings of a double page layout.

With this month being dedicated to all the wonderful fathers out there, I thought I would do a double layout dedicated to my husband and all the fun things that make him an awesome dad. I have had these pictures filed away for awhile to get creative with. I already completed a layout for my daughter’s album of similar pictures, and I thought it was about time I do it for my son’s album too! 

Supplies: Now & Then: Izzy – “Boys” Smart Paper, “Happenings” Frolic Paper, “Smile” Regard Paper, 6x6 Designer Paper Pad, “Good Times” Accent Stickers, “Boys” Decorative Brads; Milo – “Friends” Field Paper, “Documented” Alpha/Word Stickers; Necessities – Wood “Worn Wood” Paper; Other: Alphabet stickers.

As always, I had my sketch book ready for me. Since these were printed quite awhile ago, this definitely came in handy.

Laying them out on white cardstock, I figured out the colors that I wanted to go with. The Now & Then Izzy Collection colors called out to me with all the primary colors in my pictures.

Since there were lots of pictures and lots happing in those pictures, I opted for a nice neutral background. The Necessities Wood Collection was perfect to play with as a base to my page. I loved how the white borders popped off the dark Worn Wood paper. I also decided to push my pictures around just a touch to give the layout a little more “haphazard” look.

After seeing my open space on the layout, I cut a few strips of patterned paper to act as a border around my page. I also added in some decorative tape, brads, and a little bit of stitching for some texture.

To mirror that same look, I embellished the top left corner with the same design.

I created a visual triangle completing that same design near the title. Being that this page was full of little moments from here and there throughout the year 2012, it was only natural that the “Moments” sticker was top on my list to use.

As always, here is each side for some more inspiration.

With a little picture adjustment over to the left, this would make a great single page layout.

With this side, you could add some more embellishment fun to it by including additional patterned paper stretching across the top.

Thank you so much for stopping by on this fabulous Friday. I hope I have inspired you to get scrapbooking and take on a double page layout or maybe even scrapbook those everyday moments that makes someone you love special. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Shelly

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | May 2014

Before we share this post we want to take a moment to express or sincere gratitude for all the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending this beautiful country we are so blessed to live in. Thank you doesn't sound like nearly enough to convey our feelings but we won't ever stop saying it.

Enjoy your Memorial Day.

Hey everyone! This is Shelly with your monthly dose of the makings of a double page layout.

This month, I thought I would share one of my favorite places to go looking when I am in need of a little inspiration. I don’t have to go too far. I actually turn to my own pages. Why re-invent the wheel, when you have something that has worked in the past. Right!?!

So here is my new page.

Supplies: Now & Then: Izzy – “Good Times” Range paper, “Boys” Dapper paper, “Smile” Bloom paper, 6x6 Designer paper pad, “Good Times” 3x4 Cards, “Happenings” Enamel Dots, “Dream Big” Decorative Buttons; Now and Then-Milo – “Little Things” Label Stickers, “Documented” Decorative Buttons; Record it! – Pretty Things Decorative Tape; Other: String, letter stickers, number stickers

 

And here is my inspiration page.

Last month, I shared a spring summary page for my daughter’s album. While getting those pictures ready for print, I also prepped pictures for a spring summary page for my son’s album too; nothing like hitting two birds with one stone. For my son’s spring page, I was inspired by this older page of mine. I knew these pictures would work perfectly with the same sketch with just a little tweaking to make it work again for me.

Like always, I had my sketch ready and waiting for me when I was ready to get creative. As you can see, I simply replaced one vertical picture for a third photo strip to accommodate all my extra pictures. I kept with a very generic sketch leaving room to get creative once I started cutting up papers. This sketch was solely to remind me how I had planned to lay out my pictures. Sometimes I like to add in more detail if I have ideas flowing, but this go around, I didn’t really have a plan except for my pictures.

Next stop was to lay out my pictures and pull out some pretty patterned papers that had some colors that talked to me. I really wanted to stick with mostly yellow, a little bit of green, and a touch of the blues and orangey reds.

After pushing papers and colors around, I really liked the yellow stripe to be the background of my pictures. With so much green in my pictures, I thought it was a nice contrast. I am not a color expert by any means. I know some of the basics, but I ultimately flow with what calls to me and makes my eyes happy.

Then it was time to have fun and embellish. I filled in some of the open space with some of the 6x6 papers from the Now & Then Izzy Collection. I love that there are “bonus” patterns in those designer paper pads. Both of the patterns I went with are not designs that are 12x12.

I created a little banner cluster from a couple of scraps left over from the same papers I layered behind my focal picture topped with one of the 3x4 cards embellished with a little enamel heart and the year.

I brought the same letters from the title over to the right side of my layout to bring the sides together along with some buttons, enamel dots, and decorative tape.

Not to leave all you single page loving enthusiasts out in the cold, so here is some inspiration for all of you too! I thought both sides of this layout would look great as a stand-alone too. I would probably add two more enamel dot/button clusters for a little more pop, and it would be good to go.

And I can’t forget about the right side! I like that my random words could act as a nice title holder for a single page layout too.

Do any of you turn to your own albums for inspiration? It makes me happy that I can be inspired by my own creations, yet the new pages always seem to meld into their own look. I like that I can tweak my sketches to make them work for the pictures that I have on hand.  Just a few little things here and there and it’s a whole new page to me.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Anatomy of a Double Page Layout | April 2014

Hello everyone! This is Shelly with a behind the scenes look at the makings of a double page layout.

Awe… SPRING! It is here… well, sort of. Being in the Midwest, I keep waiting for that next and last snowfall we seem to get in March/April. Maybe this year, we will get lucky though. A girl can dream, right!? With the birds chirping and the snowpiles gone for now, I was iching to play with some bright playful fun colors. I was inspired to get our spring memories documented from last year for my daughter’s album.

Supplies: Now & Then – Dorothy: “Lovely Day” Party Paper, “The Best” Happiness Paper, “Wild & Free” Spirited Paper, “Lovely Day” Play Paper, “Pretty” Label Stickers, “The Best” Accent Stickers, “Wild & Free” Enamel Dots, “Celebrate” Decorative Buttons, 6x6 Designer Paper Pad; Now & Then – Izzy: “Boys” Smart Paper; Cut & Paste Decorative Tapes; other: My Mind’s Eye twine, Thickers, string, bubble border punch.

 

Left Side:

 

Right Side:

After pulling my favorite pictures aside to scrapbook, I created a quick sketch in my notebook.  I had quite a few pictures, so I actually opted to go with an additional “insert” of a 6x12 divided pocket page. I would be able to slide in 4x6 pictures to document Easter and a Girl Scout outing that was important to my daughter

That way, I had the pictures in her album, but if I ever feel the creative desire to scrapbook those memories, I could easily go back and do that too! It’s a great way of feeling accomplished and get those memories documented.

Next up, laying it all out with an idea of colors! As you can see, my page ended up changing just a touch after some cutting and pasting. I put the focal picture on the left side of my page instead of the right like I had sketched it.

I went back and forth with it, but ultimately decided to switch up my initial plan. Looking at it now, it could still easily go on the right side… I can’t be the only one out there that always second guesses herself. Right? HA!


After laying out my papers, I started the embellishment process. I started with my big empty 6x8 spot. I had ideas of either a large title to fill the space or filling it with some journaling. I opted for both, sort of. I typed up my journaling to see how much I had to say.

I always make sure there is room for the story before I add any of the fun stuff, but why not include the story as part of the fun stuff? I cut the journaling block into a banner and then added a few fun patterned banners too. After having that in place, I went with a small title to fill in on one of the banners.

With the left side being very photo heavy, I went light on embellishment there. I added a few strips of decorative tapes and a phrase sticker.


Following the triangle rule of thumb with my embellishment groupings, I added a little something extra to the top left. A simple bubble border strip, a button, and a couple of enamel dots did the trick just like I had done on the other side of my page.

This is the finished product with the 6x12 divided pocket page to include some extra memories. I added a little tab on the side labeling each event. It is so simple and easy, and just like that the memories of spring 2013 are documented for my daughter.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day!