Shapely Scrapbook Pages!

I love adding big shapes as backgrounds or borders on my layouts. Giant circles, jumbo scallops, zig-zagged edged ledger paper…I am drawn to it all, but watch those prices. Those die-cut papers do not come cheap & I am still learning this the hard way! Last Friday I bought my sister an adorable scallop circle with pink and orange polka dots. It was so fun and just her style, but you can imagine my surprise when it rang up at $2.49!! Really how cute could ONE piece of paper be????

Want a trick to make your scrapping money go further? Cut that die-cut in half, use one piece on your layout as a border, and stash the other half in your scraps for use on a future layout. You can also trace each shape onto chipboard and save as a template for future use. Then you can always make your own out of paper you already have, rather than spending a few dollars each time you'd like to add a jumbo shape.

My assignment for Scrap Play this week was to create a layout using a jumbo shape. Below is my “Smile” layout which has a jumbo circle. I traced and cut out the circle from a sheet of pattern paper using a dinner plate, and then sanded the edges to "rough it up" a bit before adhering to the page. I also ran it through my sewing machine, adding a texture to the outside edge as well.

My “Anna’s First” is an example of making that pricey die-cut go further. By cutting it in half and using only a portion as a boarder, you can save the other half for other layout- 2 fun die-cuts for the price of 1!!! =)T

Good Old Red White and Blue!

My challenge for Scrap Play this week was to make a Red, White and Blue layout. Not having any patriotic pictures to scrap (how is it possible that I'm actually CAUGHT UP on something?) I pulled three pics of myself and my niece that fit the color scheme and presto- challenge fullfilled! Since I tend to work with muted over bright colors, my red white and blue assigment was translated into maroon and denim, with a notebook page ripped out and added for the white addition. I also came across a package of "hello my name is" stickers while digging through my stash, and decided this would be a perfect way to create my title block. I drew the letters for my title on chipboard, trimmed and added to the nametag for a little bit of the unexpected. Whether it's Independence Day, Memorial Day, or just another crazy day in the life of your family, red white and blue can be used all year long. Here's my assignment, along with another more patriotic RW&B layout.

Happy 4th!! =) T