This weekend I finished a layout design after being inspired by Kathy from Scrap Our Stash blog, which I design for, and by a call from Creating Keepsakes magazine. This is a portrait which I have been wanting to scrap for a long time and I used some techniques that have been in my to try file for a while. Of course I also wanted to use some of my stash so I was able to do this as well.

The 12x12 layout features a 7.5 x 9.5 photograph which I cropped down from a 10x13 photo. I am a professional photographer as well and I happened to have taken this photo of my daughter at my former studio so many years ago. Using a corner rounder punch I softened the edges of the cropped portrait then used Powder Puff Pink Cheeks Chalking Ink to put a little color around the photo edge. This helped to also smooth the transition between photo and embellishments. From SEI's Chocolat Collection I handcut what is actually 2 pieces of bracket scroll butterfly pattern paper, then used the chalking ink to ink the edges of the brackets before I placed this on the background cardstock. I did this inorder to break up the white and pastel pink keeping the design from feeling flat while also adding some visual interest with color and pattern.

The technique I have been eager to try on a layout for awhile is to crochet an embellishment for a design. I love to incorporate other crafting techniques or art mediums into my layouts and it is a great way to use up left-over supplies from my other craft project or to recycle items from around the home. I used a soft white baby yarn, left over from an afghan I made, to crochet a scallop edge frame for the photo. I began this project by edge punching a piece of white cardstock measuring 7.5 x 9.5, same as my photo size. After being trimmed with my scallop edge punch I lost about 1/4 inch measurement on each side of the paper but was left with holes in which to start my crocheted frame. The scallop punches also help to secure a heavier pink velvet ribbon in the corners that I used as a trim on the inner part of the frame in order to add a bit more color and to ensure a smooth transition between the frame and portrait. Glue dots adhere the ribbon on the edges of the frame. I then adhered the portrait directly to the cardstock with adhesive and then adhered the entire piece to my background papers.

In addition to the frame embellishment, I used some 1/4 pieces of silk flowers (found these at the fabric store in the clearance bin and grabbed them for scrapping instead) to create multi-layered pink & cream silk flowers with chipboard vines framing the portrait. The flower pieces are layered 4-6 pieces and held together with my favorite adhesive Glue Dots (nothing else would work so well) and then secured with a pearl brad. The brads are also attached to the yarn of the frame but I needed more glue dots to ensure everything stayed put. This embellishment really gives the page a lot of dimension. If height on your layout is not something you are comfortable with then perhaps you might have done it different from me by layering the florals flat using a flat adhesive, though the look would be very different and I cannot visualize it being nearly as flattering.


In my stash, I had some bright pink & blue chipboard vine looking scroll pieces from Bo Bunny in my stash which did not match this page even a tiny bit. Refinishing them seemed more labor intensive than just starting from scratch which is how I became inspired to cut 1/8 inch chipboard scrolls with my Cricut Expression using my Home Accent & Storybook cartridges. More information in this post on cutting chipboard with a Cricut and extending the life of the adhesive cutting mats. Afer I inked them green I used a vine pattern stamp and clear embossing powder to add some dimension to my "vines." I really love these scrolled vines as an accent on layouts but I just do not feel they can stand alone and need to be coupled with florals or some other type of foliage as they are not quite scroll shapes. They just go better this way even if they are just doodles they need some floral enhancement. I also cut my journal box from the chipboard but I did so in 2 different sizes for a layered effect. I put the pieces together with the craft foam for depth then nestled the entire piece into the flowers and tucked the chipboard vines into the open space of the journaling box and used more craft foam adhesive discs to secure the vine to the page. Using a thick craft foam allowed for everything to fit together well without stress on any piece from the height of the frame or flowers. This layout would be beautiful in a shadowbox on the wall but it fit very nicely into the page protector of the album despite the thickness of the page created from the page embellishments.

I have placed my title with the silver stickers but will need to come back and journal once I know just what I want to write and the font I will write it in. I like to practice any hand-journaling for my layouts before I take pen to paper or layout and I know I will use my own handwriting because I already placed my journal space down on the page. Even without my journaling the "I Love You" charm gives the page a completed look I think and I could probably just leave everything as it is.

Taylor, My Angel single page 12x12

I appreciate your taking the time to learn about how I put together this layout and as always I appreciate your support of my art and my blog. Feel free to contact me anytime you have questions!

HOT TIP: Cutting Chipboard Using Cricut & Extending The Life of Adhesive Cutting Mats

If you find it hard to cut chipboard and other thick materials using your Provo Craft Cricut you are not alone. Despite the claims of Provo I just couldn't do it and so I became quite skilled with a craft knife as my chipboard just would not adhere to the cutting mat

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The adhesive cleaning spray, Stick Away and repositionable adhesive spray, Stick & Sprayfrom Crafter's Companion was introduced to me by a very talented artist, Mary Wigham, of Wigham Designs. I haven't discovered any other product that does what these both do and I use plenty of spray adhesive. The most impressive is the mere 30 seconds it takes to spray then wipe the mats clean!

Anyhow, I never could cut chipboard with any of my Cricut machines, even when I "Duck" taped the board to the mat as one internet blogger suggests or used a thnner piece of board as Heather of Reflections recommended. I have, however, found that spraying my mats with Crafter's Companion Stick & Spray, which I fondly refer to as "Mary's Magic" has ensured a great cut. I do this with chipboard that is 1/8" to 1/4" thick and machine settings as is: 6 blade depth, med (3) speed with max (5) pressure using a regular blade with a single cut.

"Mary's Magic" has also ensured that I haven't had to purchase new mats in about 5 months, since I first purchased the Crafters Companion Stick Products and I have taught classes with the mats and am probably an above average user so this says a lot. Anytime my mat seems to lose grip I just spray my cleaner on after giving the can a good shake, wait about 30 seconds and wipe with a dry paper towel. Then I shake the adhesive and hold about 1.5" away and give a good coat of temporary repositionable adhesive spray. The mats can be used again and again until they get cut through or so thin they snap. I purchased the 5.9 oz. cans and they have lasted quite a long time for me. I should mention though I rotate about 6 mats so if you rotate less your spray may not last as long. If you use products such as glitter covered cardstock or inexpensive thin black paper that leaves behind fibers you will want to clean your mat after each use which of course will use up the spray faster.

If you are new to Provo Craft's Cricut and are interested in a brief Cricut Basics course please contact me for more information. I am certified with EK Success as a Scrapbook Design and Technique Instructor for Spotted Canary School and I am also formally trained in Cricut consumer education and have taught several courses for basic and advanced users. I would be happy to discuss how I can help you with Cricut, scrapbook tool use or design theory.

Scrap Updates I Should Have Already Sent...

Hello everyone! I have been hard at work completing assignments and getting new layouts done for you to get inspired by! As I shared 2 weekends ago on Facebook, I was informed that for the 6th and 7th time in the past 5 months, Scrapbook News & Review Magazine, an online publication was going to feature 2 of my designs in the magazine scheduled to release on 2-13-11. However, due to some publishing/server errors this issue was delayed until 2-17-11. It has now been released and so I hope you will check it out if you haven't already! The two layouts, "Hold Time Here" and "Luna" have been removed from my galleries and will not return until the approximate date of 3-20-11. (Just in time for my birthday on 3-22!) They can be found in the magazine publication under the categories of "The Title is the Star" and "Black & White and 1 Other Color."

If you are not a subscriber to this magazine you won't be able to view the publication, however, the magazine is only 4.99 an issue so I hope you do pick it up to view it. Since SNR has been such a strong supporter of my work and I plan on submitting designs again to them in the future I really hope you will in turn support them while continuing to support me. The magazine is jam packed with TONS of things from staff articles on techniques and tips to reader submissions. Plus, the decision to offer the publication on the web instead of in print is very GREEN and progressive of them. You will begin to notice more and more magazines moving into this direction of publishing either as an alternative to print subscriptions or as a webazine.

So, as stated, I have 3 new layouts posted in my galleries right now. "Bunny Love" I made for Easter and a brand new collection by We R Memory Keepers. This is a single page 12x12 layout but I still managed to fit my hand-written journaling and seven photos nicely on the page. This is a testament to how far behind I can get in getting photos into albums...these photos from Easter 2007 were from my now 4-year-old son's first Easter and first chocolate bunny. The poem is by a woman named Suzanne Tillman (credit to her is posted on the back of my layout page with the page recipe as I don't know who she is and I could not fit her name on the design anyhow!) and it reads:

I love you chocolate bunny dear,

I think I'll nibble on your ear.

And it won't do you any harm,

if I nibble on your arm.

I don't think anyone with know

if I nibble on your toe.

Oh, chocolate bunny, you're so sweet,

I think I'll nibble on your feet.

You're better than an Easter Egg!

I think I'll nibble on your leg.

I love you chocolate bunny so...

Oh No! Where did my chocolate bunny go!?!

If you like the Easter design of little baby Jsck with his chocolate bunny on his first Easter then you can pick up the We R Memory Makers collection, "Peeps" which is brand new! Both Rochester Scrapbooking Company and Very Impressive Papers Scrapbook Gallery (www.vipscrapbook.com), which are my local scrap-stores just put these collections out this week for you to pick up. I love this designer and the double sided papers they provide that are quartered, making them perfect for mini-albums!

My other two layouts, "Camp" & "Sleeping Under the Stars" were created in response to a design assignment from RSC, my local scrap-store where I am still currently a DTM. Both layouts are created from October Afternoon's Campfire collection which Rochester Scrapbooking Company has carried since September 2010 and Very Impressive Papers Scrapbook Gallery recently picked up after a visit to Winter CHA. I had been asked last Fall when the collection first came in to create something and I started a design, but when I took a break from designing in October this project hadn't been finished so it wasn't submitted and Nancy who just asked me to design for the collection wasn't aware I had been asked last Fall anyhow. So I finished the first project assignment from Mary, "Sleeping Under the Stars," and then created a brand new one in response to Nancy's request. If you are local I hope you can visit the store to view my 2-page layout in person which Nancy chose to display. Here is the other layout I was able to complete for the collection as well.


The sleeping bag below the photo is actually a creative journaling tag!



This title is hand-cut from a shipping box I recycled and an oversized journal tag tucks behind photos on the far right of the second page. Hiding journaling allows me to fit in more photos on a layout.


As always I really hope you share the news with your Facebook friends and help me grow my reputation as an artist. This time is actually vital for me as I am moving into several new projects as the new year has been unfolding so the more page "LIKES" I can get the better my prospects for the future are. Keep up to date (when I manage to update) with my blog at http://www.reflectionskeepsakes.blogspot.com/ by becoming a follower...or follow me with Facebook's Networked Blogs application. My blog is sure to have expanded information and more photos than an update or a wall post will and with so much taking off right now it should have lots of inspirations for you!

Lastly, I am always seeking inspirations of my own so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE share your opinions on my work and then share your own work with me! Have ideas for fun page designs? Techniques? Making your own embellishments? Then please share, I am interested!

Lots of Love and all That Scrap, Malina Rome of Reflections Keepsakes