Epic Adventure Mini Album | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone! It's Sue Plumb back again to share my final guest designer project with you. Today I am sharing a special mini album I created to document an epic adventure I had with my sister - a surprise weekend away to celebrate her birthday that was organised by her partner (and a few sneaky scrappy gals you may recognise!)

There is so much to love packed into this album - not just the memories, but some beautiful products too. I have found myself using a lot more patterned papers lately, and falling in love with paper all over again.

So, let's get started on this album. I began with a pile of photos and a small 6 ring binder-style planner I had purchased at Kmart. I opened it up and removed everything from the inside, leaving me with the cover only. 

I started by making myself a "kit" of coordinating items to work from that included a variety of patterned papers; stickers; and die cut ephemera.

I chose a number of patterned papers from the Simple Stories 'Heart' and Heidi Swapp 'Emerson Lane' collections; with some odd sheets from Pink Paislee and Websters Pages added in. My main criteria when choosing the papers for my kit was colour choice - with both the A and B sides of each one needing to fit my chosen palette.

I started by cutting the sheets of paper into smaller "pages" - trimming each one into a variety of different sizes and shapes. I then used a few different decorative border punches to punch along some of the edges. 

Now it was time to sort the pages into some sort of order. I shuffled and stacked them, making sure that the sizes were mixed up and that colours and patterns on facing pages were complimentary to one another. I then punched each page using a 6-hole punch (check out the gorgeous DCWV 6-hole gold punch in the store HERE); adding some hole reinforcer stickers as I placed them into the binder.

With all of my pages in place, it was time to start adding my photos. (I do admit that the order of the pages did get shuffled a little as I began to work my way through the book.)

I treated each page just like a tiny scrapbook layout - I had a background, photo/s and now they just needed embellishments. I didn't want to use anything bulky because I wanted to make sure the pages would lay flat, so I chose a mix of stickers and die cuts to use.

To coordinate with the papers I had chosen, I used the Simple Stories 'Heart' Cardstock Stickers; and the Heidi Swapp 'Emerson Lane' Stickers and matching Ephemera. 

Throughout the album I added extra interest to some of the pages by adding "tip-ins" (extra interactive flaps) using tags / ephemera / pieces of paper, which I fastened with washi tape. (There is even a set of coordinating 'Emerson Lane' Washi Tapes!)

I left some of the pages in the album photo-free and kept them simply decorative. You can see how having a good variety of different page sizes, colours and patterns adds plenty of visual interest.

I did choose a couple of embellishments that were slightly dimensional to use in my album - the super cute Pebbles 'Spring Fling' Puffy Stickers - Flowers; and the 1 Canoe 2 'Globe Gallery' 3D Butterflies.

I made an effort to include handwritten journalling on as many of the pages as I could - using a variety of labels, journal tags and even paper offcuts to write on.

Another way to switch things up in the album is to add the photos sidewards - just as I did with the landscape shot, which allowed it to be printed larger.

Never be afraid to punch directly through a photo to turn it into a page itself; and when dealing with small pages, sometimes it is better to embellish over part of the photo.

When working on a small scale like this, especially with papers featuring bold patterns, it is better to keep to the "less is more" rule with embellishments.

Look at the papers you have and see what can be fussy cut from them to use as embellishments, such as flowers, labels, shapes and quotes.

Another way to add extra interactive elements to your album is to include small envelopes, such as the Heidi Swapp Memory Planner Envelopes I used,  which can be used to hold memorabilia, journalling or even extra photos (just like I did in my special "sealed section").

This is by no means all the pages from my album - there are just too many pages to share here (and some still to be completed). Once I have them all finished I will try and film an album flip through to share with you in the Scrapping Clearly Facebook group. 

Thanks so much to Kylie and the wonderful team for having me as a guest this month - I have so enjoyed sharing my projects with you.

Happiness & Cocktails | Sue Plumb

Hi everyone!

It's Sue Plumb back again today to share my latest guest designer project with you.

For today's post I wanted to go "back to basics" and create a fun 12x12" scrapbook layout that was focused on paper. (My love of paper is, after all, what first led me down the rabbit hole of scrapbooking.) I chose to document some fun photos that were taken almost a year ago at my retreat on the Sunshine Coast.

The collection I chose to pair with my photos was the 'Good Vibes' collection from Crate Paper. This collection is full of bold, playful patterns - perfect for pairing with my retreat photos!

I began with a sheet of the Girls Night paper as my layout base, which I topped with a sheet of white cardstock, that I trimmed down to measure 11x11". This left me a nice, even 1/2" patterned paper border all the way around the edges.

I then turned to my other papers and was immediately drawn to the gorgeous All Good paper, with its rich colours, florals and sweet bird motifs. I cut a large rectangular piece which I placed vertically on the left side of my page. I then cut a smaller piece of the Hashtag paper and layered it horizontally over the top.

Next, I cut one of the stripey pattern strips from the Passion paper, which I added on top to provide a strong, horizontal line on which to place my photos. 

I still wanted more layers behind my photos though, so I cut two tags from So Chill cut apart paper; punching a hole in each and then tying them with twine. These were then tucked in underneath where my photos were going to go. I also tucked a small white doily into my layers before sticking my photos down.

For my page title, I cut the large "happiness" piece from the Big Heart foil accent specialty paper and placed it below my photos. I then used some blue Pinkfresh Studio 'Boys Fort' Mini Alpha Stickers to complete my title. (These are such a cute size, and there is also a sheet of both tan and green alphas included in the pack.)

With so many busy patterns at play, my layout required very few embellishments (as the papers had already done most of the hard work for me). I reached for the remaining piece of the All Good paper I had used earlier and fussy cut one of the little birds from it. I the added it to my page using foam tape to give it some dimension.

Above my photos I added a gorgeous 3D butterfly embellishment from the One Canoe Two Globe Gallery range.

To finish off, I added a scattering of blue sequins from the Teresa Collins Urban Market Sequins pack. (These were the perfect match for the blue of our cocktails!)

That's all from me today, I hope I have inspired you to get back to basics too and create something featuring lots of pretty papers too. 

Until next time, happy scrapping!

'You Rock' Scrapbook Page with Lisa J

Hello there,

I am so excited (and I have to admit a wee bit nervous) to share
my first project for the Scrapping Clearly Design Team.

Kylie chose well for me this month with my DT goodies - the absolutely gorgeous "You Rock" collection from Cocoa Vanilla Studios. Oh my, this collection is stunning and as a Mumma to four boys just perfect for me.

Just look at this perfection:

My first layout with the kit is "You Rock".

I started with some white cardstock and, once I worked out where my photo would be positioned,

added some background interest with stamping and mist splatters.

The Colour Blast Colour Sprays are perfect for adding colour without shimmer.

I love Ranger Archival Inkpads for my stamping since they are permanent and don't run when you wet them.

I have used an older Darkroom Door splatter stamp from my collection but any background stamp will add interest. Check out the Darkroom Door range in store here.

I adore the rubber charms in this collection - they add a different texture from all the paper layers.

I have finished off my embellishing with some torn washi strips, die-cuts, stickers, flair buttons and the divine wood veneer, also from the You Rock collection.

I painted my title wood veneer in black paint for impact.

Thanks for checking out my first project.

I can't wait to see what you are all creating this month.

Be sure to share in the Facebook group.

Happy creating

Dream by Lauren Hender

Hello!

Welcome back to the Scrapping Clearly blog.

Today I have a beautiful easy to create layout to share with you using some stunning products from the.... Scrapping Clearly store.

To build this layout I have used three large pieces of patterned cardstock to build the background. This was the pink floral, the black and white crossed and the teal with pink flower.

Just placing these pieces into place I knew this layout would come together easily.

I then layered up my photo, fussy cut some frames from the cardstock and using foam adhesive layered my cluster with a doily.

The frame cardstock is just wonderful - definitely a fun feature that is a very cost effective feature on the layout.

Tip: When purchasing your patterned cardstock have a think what you may fussy cut. It may mean that you will end up purchasing the same sheet twice but it will add an extra layer or a cost effective embellishment.

Now it's the time to add all the pretties.. this is the fun part. When adding the details I was absolutely blown away with how fabulous the cork embellishments looked. I have to admit when I saw them in their packet I thought I wasn't going to be able to use them.

See! It looks great..

So let's go shopping.

Maggie Holmes Chasing Dreams Collection

Teresa Collins Something Wonderful Chipboard Buttons

Pink Paislee Moonstruck Collection Cork Stickers

I hope my layout has inspired you to get creative.

Happy Scrappin

Lauren xo