Creating a layout

My creative process

I wanted to walk you through the steps that I take when creating a layout from scratch. Sometimes I start with the photos already in hand, and sometimes I start with a set of papers. Today I'm taking you through the version that starts with photos. 

1. Select the photos you want you use. I always have too many, and have to cull. I also have to choose the sizes, as I usually print all my photos as 6x4" and as 3x4". (If you don't do this, you must! It's the topic of this video). For the layout today I chose four 6x4" photos.

2. If you have a layout in mind, now is the time to see whether it will work with your photos. I decided that I would keep it very simple and just have two portrait photos on each page. 

3. Go through your craft materials. I look for papers that will complement my photos, whether it's in terms of colour or subject. For this series of photos I wanted to use "Sugar Rush" because it filled both criteria! 

4. Play! I like to put cardstock and papers up against the photos and lay them on white daisy so that I can see the colours in front of me. 

5. Create any stamped images now. For this layout I decided to create a stamped background using ink splats from D1733 Splash of Color, so I used the co-ordinating colours from Sugar Rush to splash ink all over the page. I used Raspberry, Blossom, Seaglass, Tangerine, Ruby and Whisper. 

6. Cut paper and place on the page. I still like to play with ideas and adjust, changing zip strips or colours if they don't work etc. 

7. Adhere in place. 

8. Add your journalling and embellishments. 

Here is a sketch of the layout I ended up creating. It's a very simple one, and could be used over and over again with many different arrangements of photos:

White Pines Blog Hop

Good morning and welcome aboard the "White Pines" Close to My Heart Blog Hop! If you're arrived here from Maz's Inky Fingers, you are in the right place. If this is your first page in the hop, just keep clicking through the links at the bottom of the pages and you will come right round in a circle. We have more than ten consultants who have worked on this blog hop for you, so you'll get lots of inspiration for your Christmas projects!
I have a Christmas double page layout for you, ready to go with spaces for your photos.

For the pages I have used images from the Art Philosophy cartridge, along with the White Pines paper, Cranberry cardstock, Fern Cardstock and Chocolate Cardstock, and the Green Shimmer Trim.
Thank you so much for stopping by. Please do leave a comment before you head off to Wendy Hopper's Expressions of the Heart.

Twinkle Stamp of the Month

Good morning, and welcome aboard the Close to My Heart Downunder Blog Hop for October's Stamp of the Month, Twinkle.
If you have arrived here from Denise's blog, Scrap, Stamp, Share, then you're in the right place. If you've just joined us, just keep clicking through the links provided at the end of each blog post, and you will eventually come round to the start again. The hop is one big circle of Christmassy love!

This stamp is a set of 15 which I have hardly scratched the surface of this month. My project has a lot of space for photographs and for embellishments, which I would like to use the stamps for, but I've simply run out of time this month and have only got the bare bones to show you.

I've created a kind of concertina mini album for you, with cardboard front and back panels. The rest is made of three 8.5" sheets of cardstock and folded in so that the whole little book can be tied with twine.
The paper packet I have used is the current Christmassy set, White Pines. I've teamed it with Cranberry, Chocolate, Cashmere and Fern cardstock.
I hope that this little book inspires you to create one of your own, ready to fill with Christmas photos and messages of love this year! When family lives far away it's always nice to send something extra special in place of a card.

Thanks so much for hopping by! Please leave a message before heading on to the next blog, which is Lauren Moore's CTMH Craftings.

It's National Stamping Month!

Can we call it International Stamping Month?

Welcome to the Australasian Blog Hop for September's very special limited edition stamp sets. There are three special stamp sets to choose from this month, all available from your Close to My Heart Consultant with no additional purchase necessary. Check with your consultant for your local price, but here in New Zealand the cost is $25 a set. Buy one or two or all! When you purchase all three sets for $64, you will save $11.
If you have arrived here from Maz Wood's Blog, Inky Fingers, then you are in the right place. The hop is one big loop, so just continue clicking around till you come back to where you started. With three stamp sets to feature, you are sure to see all sorts of ideas for the different packs.

My favourite set was the cardmaking one, and since I have been having a play with the watercolour paints this week I decided to combine the stamps with my new CTMH paintbox. I absolutely love this style of font. It's funky and fresh, and goes so well with the organic style of unpredictable watercolours running wherever they want to!
My three cards also feature some embossing. This combines really well with the watercolour technique, as the embossed wording resists the colour and remains bold, shiny and legible.

I tried out three different techniques with each of the three cards.

Card #1 - Hello

1. Stamp the sentiment on watercolour paper with black archival ink.
2. Sprinkle with black embossing powder, shake off excess and heat set.
3. Paint background with watercolour paints. Use a lot of water so that the colours run into each other.
4. Allow to dry.
5. Back with Cranberry cardstock and set on a Colonial White card.

Card #2: Oh Hey Thanks

1. Mask a piece of watercolour paper with painters tape.
2. Wet paper and paint with watercolour paints, right up to the painters tape.
3. Allow to dry fully.
4. Stamp with white pigment ink. Emboss with white powder.

Card #3: Honeycomb

1. Paint entire watercolour paper with watercolour paints. Allow lots of spreading.
2. Cut honeycomb card from Artfully Sent and Pacifica cardstock.
3. Stamp "hello" sentiment in Pacifica ink on White Daisy speech bubble.
4. Put the card together by adhering watercolour paper to the back of the honeycombed cover, and raise speech bubble up on foam tape.

Please leave a comment before you head off to the next blog on our hop, which is Mez's Craftroom.

September's Stamp of the Month



Welcome to the Close to My Heart Australasian Blog Hop for September. If you have arrived here from Tracey's Blog then you are in the right place! The link for the next blog will be at the bottom of this post. Our Stamp of the Month is a very sweet set called "Paper Garden". It co-ordinates with images you can cut on your Cricut with the Artiste cartridge.



Paper Garden Stamp of the Month September, $10 / $33

I have seen so many wonderful things done with this set, and I'm sure that the other girls on the blog hop will showcase some very creative projects, but I have chosen to keep mine very very simple.

When I sell my cards at fairs and markets I am often asked for sympathy cards, which I rarely have many of. This stamp set however really appealed to me as the central image for a sympathy card.
I used the colour trio of Juniper, Glacier and Thistle for my cards, but any colour combo would work.

My cards are 4x4", so the base is a Juniper piece 8x4", scored and folded in half.
The next layer is Glacier measuring 3.75x3.75", and the top layer is White Daisy, 3.5x3.5".
I used the "rock n roll" technique for stamping the flower image, first using Glacier and then rolling just the outside edges in the Juniper.
I stamped the sentiment with Thistle.
I tied the ribbon / twine to the White Daisy and Glacier layers before adhering them to the Juniper base.

Look to the Light, Set of 5, $18

For my sentiment, I chose the beautiful sayings from the "Look to the Light" set, which are so appropriate and supportive. However, if you want a less religious feel to the cards, I would recommend "Big Hug", which again is perfect for sympathy cards.



Big Hug Set of 10, $33

Thank you so much for hopping by! Please leave a comment before you head on over to the next blog, which is Leah Cameron's Corner.



Between the Folds

This week's challenge on Between the Folds is to use the Cricut on your pages - so I'm stoked that I can enter again!
I created a page which was a bit SCARY for me... I used patterned paper from lots of different paper packets; which is something I never do! But I wanted to show how easy it is to use up scraps of paper that you might have left over, and this is a very very simple sketch.

The Cricut is really the only "dressing up" that I did. I used Artbooking again (which is my go-to cartridge at present) for the title, the plaque, the branch and the leaves.
The colours I've used are Saddle, Fern, Crystal Blue and Thistle. The daubing is in Chocolate. The papers are from Wanderful, Ivy Lane, Arianna, Laughing Lola, Yuletide Carol and Balloon Ride.

Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing the Zoe Paper Packet

Welcome to Close to My Heart's Australasian Blog Hop for our newest paper packet - Zoe!

If you have arrived here from Mez's Craft Room then you're in the right place. The blog hop is one big circle, so by clicking on the link at the end of this post, you will be taken to see the next inspirational ideas.

I have been having a lot of fun designing pages with this paper packet. I teamed it with Kraft cardstock, which is a firm favourite with my ladies, and brought in a little bling. Plus I'm on a colouring kick, and experimenting with different techniques.

Feel free to use the sketch I created for this page, and of course please also check out my Scrapping Sketches ebook, which has forty designs for you to choose from.

Get the look

Watercolouring technique - first I stamped my images with Archival Black ink, and allowed them to dry thoroughly. I used a soft bristle brush dipped in water and then picked up ink from the lid of my ink pad, and brushed this onto my images before fussy cutting them out.

Stitching - I added stitching to the page by first using the stitch guide ruler and piercing tool, then threading black cotton through the holes.

 

Doodling - Once I had cut out my photo mats to the desired size, I used my Uchida black journaling pen to draw a fine border around the inside edges. Don't worry if your lines aren't perfect - that's the point! I never use a ruler for this kind of line.

Bling - I cut a Cricut circle and used this as a guide before applying many Bitty Sparkles to the page.

Supplies used on this project

Archival Black Ink, $12.50, 44751

Happy Birds set of 9, C1600, $25



Duck Easy Stick Adhesive Z3033, $30 for four dispensers

Bitty Sparkles $5 Z1263, pack of 100

Non-stick micro tipped scissors $22.50 Z1836

Zoe Paper Packet, 6x papers, 6xcardstocks. $18 X7197B

Stitch Guide $23.50, Z1852

Coral Shimmer Trim $8.50 Z3088


Piercing and Embossing Tool Kit $11.50, Z2046


The great news is that Zoe and many of our new product line are already available to purchase.

To purchase these and many more Close to My Heart products, click here or on the links in the side bar.
For more exciting ideas for your Zoe Paper Packet, continue on through our Zoe new product blog hop. Your next stop is Creating With Kara Davies, where I know Kara will have some more creative project ideas.

Thanks so much for hopping by!