Easter Layout - with DT Katie Howard

Good Morning!

Can you believe we are so close to Easter already?
I keep feeling like I have lost some time somewhere, like maybe a month or so! In keeping with it being almost Easter I decided to create an Easter page, and like my last creation, I decided to continue on with the mixing of collections. Mixing collections is such a great way to make your stash go further too, and it doesn't hurt when they all go so well together!

Today I am using two Maggie Holmes collections, Chasing Dreams and Gather. I was also inspired by a page that I saw by Paige Taylor Evans which used lots of paper strips on the background, each of those strips had decorative edges and were grouped by colour. In a similar way I created paper strips, used some border punches to give them decorative edges and put them into a rainbow pattern of colours, and I love how it turned out. This is such a great way to use lots of patterned paper, but in small amounts so it doesn't look too overwhelming.

I started on a piece of white cardstock, then I sorted through my papers from both collections looking for colours and patterns that worked together to form a "kind of" rainbow. A great way to start is with the 12x12 paper pads for Chasing Dreams and Gather, that way you have some of all the beautiful papers at hand. But, buying individual sheets you have the benefit of them being double sided! , I used both sides of most of the papers that I chose, and I only cut strips that were between 3/4 inch and 1.5 inches wide so you really don't use very much at all, leaving so much pretty paper for more pages! That is what I call a win-win situation.
From Chasing Dreams I used: Hello Beautiful, Cheerful, Be Happy, Lovely, Delicate, Stay True and Graceful. And from Gather: You + Me, Kate, Beautiful, Details, Thankful Heart, Magical and Moments.

I layered my photos with some of the Gather ephemera and some more of the patterned papers, just enough to create a separation from the background. I also raised this up on foam for dimension and to add to that separation, foam tape is the easiest way to do this. Before I secured my photos, for some added interest, I sprinkled gold mist over the background. I used Heidi Swapp Color Shine but you could use any brand of mist.

Chipboard shapes from the Gather collection helped me to add little details, best of all they have gold glitter on some of the pieces too!

Because I raised my photo grouping on foam tape I was able to tuck some of the chipboard shapes in underneath without it being bulky or sitting strangely.

To finish off I used the word "sweet" from the Gather Thicker accents as my title, the word worked with the Easter Egg theme and I had lots of colour on my page so it didn't clash, all round I was winning! My journalling was typed on the computer and printed, then cut into strips to add to my page. I love doing my journalling this way (if I don't write directly on the page of course), it is such a quick and easy way to add neat and contained journalling. I like to use a typewriter font and I keep my strips pretty narrow.

Well, that is my page for today, I hope it inspires you to go and play with and mix collections or maybe try creating a background with strips of patterned paper, or even just to scrap an Easter page!
Thanks for stopping by, until next time...

Katie x