The Deconstructed Layout #16- Tower of Terror

In today's Deconstructed Layout we are all about the background!Today my project is about making your own background. I have used a plain piece of solid cardstock and altered it using stencils, Gelatos®, PITT® Pastel Pencils, ArtGRIP® Aquarelle Watercolor Pencils, stamps, spray inks, and molding paste.

To see the whole series of Deconstructed Layouts click on the logo.

For the base layer I used a 12x12 stencil and filled in the circles using watercolor pencils, Gelatos, and pastel pencils. I then outlined all the circles with a fine tip black pen - one that won't run when sprayed with water! I moved the stencil and sprayed lightly with water so make the watercolors run in a few places. I also added a few sprays of ink here and there. 

The next layer is some simple stamping. I used an old background stamp that I bought years go - it's a basic shape that works well on pretty much everything. Next up is a layer with stencils and modeling paste. When the paste was dry I used a damp sponge and Gelatos to color it. This method also deposits a bit of color in other random places so beware. 

Here's a close up of the colored paste. You can see how the color is uneven and leaves some areas of the paste white. The very last layer on the background was to add some shimmer spray. It's hard to see in the photo but it's just visible at the top of the beige circle. 

Here are a few close ups of the layout. 

I used lots of layers under my photo for added visual texture. 

Lots of layers here too - eight layers total at the corner of the photo. Because they are all flat layers it doesn't add any really bulk to the layout so it will still slip easily into my albums. 

Yeah,,, that's Steven Tyler in the back row. 

I always add journaling to my layouts in my own hand writing.  I started scrapbooking to tell stories and I just can't do a layout with out telling the story! If you want to know why you should use your own hand writing, rather than a printout, on your layouts, see my post here on why it is so important.

Way back in the day, when I was a Band Mom, we went to Walt Disney World one year for competition. As a group of us were standing right at the front of the line to get on the Tower of Terror, who should walk right up to the front of the line but Steven Tyler of Aerosmith!

If you would like to see more of The Deconstructed Layouts

the entire series is shown HERE.

Deconstructed Layout #11 Green Island, Antigua

For The Deconstructed Layout #11 - Green Island, Antigua - I want to talk about using one large centerpiece photo on your layout. This was one of my favorite shots from a recent vacation and I really wanted it to shine.

To see the entire Deconstructed Layout Series hop on over to this page.

It has been a while since I cut a photo up into strips, and I have been itching to do it. I have soooo many photos from my recent trip from the Caribbean- beautiful photos that I really want to showcase on my layouts.

Being an engineer by trade, measuring and having everything straight is right up there on my list!

I used a piece of washi tape across the top of the paper - it is hard to see in the photo because it is very light. I placed it two inches down from the top of the page and used my ruler to make sure it was level. 

Next up I marked the center of the page and then marked 1" on either side of the center- remember the strips are 2" wide. I wanted 1/8" between the photo strips, so working from the center of the paper towards the edges, I measured 2" then 1/8". Repeat on the other side, again working from the center towards the edge.

Here is what my page looks like after I have everything measured. Adhere the photo strips using the pencil lines as a guide. 

I started with an 8x10 photo and I cut it into five 2" wide strips. I added a frame in PSE before printing to give it a little something more.  Adhere the photo strips using the pencil lines as your guide. Once you have everything in place, trim the cardstock with a 1/8" margin on all sides then erase any visible pencil lines.

Mat it on a dark blue cardstock, again with a 1/8" margin then adhere to the background paper. I used the Everyday Moments stamp set from Elle's studio to add detail to the upper corner of the photo. I stamped it with white StazOn, then traced over the words with a Signo White Pen..

I finished the layout off with two smaller photos at the bottom, a few embellishments, and some journaling. 

 

I hope you are enjoying my set of tutorials- I am having a lot of fun putting them together.

I would love your feedback too- please leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Deconstructed Layout #10 Long Beach CA

For this installment in The Deconstructed Layout - Long Beach, CA - I want to focus on scrapbooking those memories were were don't have photos to go along with them. I decided I wanted to make a travel book, making one page for every trip the hubs and I  have ever taken together. The problem is,, way back in the day we didn't have cameras like we do now! There are a lot of  trips where I have no photos, but I can Google with the best of them!

To see the entire Deconstructed Layout Series be sure to check out this page.

Our very first trip was to Long Beach, CA to see the Spruce Goose and Queen Mary. So I made a list of all the trips I have no photos for and started looking. I searched Google images and found some great graphics for most of the things I needed.I found some postcards (non-royalty) for my page. I printed them out on heavy cardstock and trimmed them to the size I needed.

The album I am using is 6x8- and I want to put a LOT of ages in it, so thin pages are a must. This is really hard for me! I am mostly sticking to one photo, a postcard if I have it, stamped images, and journaling. FLAT is what I am looking for!

To get the layers I like so much but still keep the page thin, I used several of the tags  and layered then behind my photos. I also added layers on top of my photos- here I used one of the Prima Lace Stickers.

On this photo I stamped right on top of it using the Elle's Studios Everyday Moments stamp set.

I stamped in white in first, then black ink to give it more depth.

Brads and die cut stickers round out the rest of the layout. by using these flat elements, I was able to pack a lot onto this little layout!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Have a wonderful day!!