by Debbie Hodge

Surface treatments that add a golden finish are trendy in home decor, and gold is showing up in fashion, too. Gardener Susan Cohan says, “Opulence isn’t a dirty word.  After years of frugal garden and DIY design options ie. the pallet craze and other recycled madness, many (including me) are ready for a sense of luxury.” Check out the current gold spotting we’ve done on our scrapbooking inspiration Pinterest boards.

And then see the techniques and color schemes our Creative Team has used to get gold on their pages.

Katie Scott says, “During a Colorado road trip we happened upon a real hot spring in the snow!”

“Because the ground around hot springs was golden yellow and gold amidst lots and lots of white snow, I used glittered gold letters and papers.  I also used glitter glue to make the cut out embellishments (camera and tag) to go from plain paper to glittered accents.”

Hot Springs by Katie Scott | Supplies: Heidi Swapp and Bella Blvd. paper; American Crafts (Amy Tan and Maggie Holmes) embellishments and letters;

Marie-Pierre Capistran, says, “On April 5th it has been 15 years that my husband and I are dating. I had been thinking about what I could scrap about using gold. When the 5th arrived, I pictured a big 15 in my head–all shiny and gold–and I knew what to do.”

“Way back, I took art classes, and one was about using gold leaf. I I covered a customized Silhouette-cut title with gold leaf. It worked great but I wouldn’t necessarily do it again. I think you could achieve almost the same look with cheap gold foil. To finish off the title, I Silhouette-cut “we chose each other” (in French) and used the negative this time.”

“I added green and blue hues and a pop of orange to my gold titlework. I love this color combo. I brought a little more shine with some mustard color shine spray from Heidi Swapp which looks like orange when it’s sprayed on blue. Because the gold on orange wasn’t popping enough I added black rub-ons under the title.”

15 years ago by Marie-Pierre Capistran | Supplies: Patterned paper: AC Dear Lizzy, Magenta, My Minds Eye; Velum paper: AC Dear Lizzy; Banner: Heidi Swapp; Spray mist: Heidi Swapp; Button: AC Dear Lizzy; Rub-Ons: Heidi Swapp; Washi Tape: Bella Blvd; liked sticker: Heidi Swapp; small glassine envelope : Studio Calico; Small tag: Elle’s Studio; Stamps: Studio Calico, Stampin’UP!, Purple onion, date stamp, Heart punch: Stampin’UP!; Other: Silhouette, sewing machine.

Deborah Wagner says, “This photo is of my daughter and a friend at spring formal.”

“I converted the photo to black and white and changed the Blending Mode to Overlay in Photoshop.  I duplicated the photo layer and applied a glitter style to the entire photo; setting the blending mode to Soft light and the opacity to 38%. Using a layer mask and a soft brush, I erased the glitter from everything but the girls’ dresses. My daughter’s dress was originally pink so I added another layer on top of the glitter layer, and used a soft pink brush set on Color blending mode at an opacity of 60%. To finish, I added a glitter style to the starburst brush and the word art.”

Glitter Spoken Here by Deborah Wagner. Supplies: Katie Pertiet – Chandra Solids, Scatterings No. 1, Cathy Zielske – Girlie 2 Word Art; Anna Aspnes – Art Play Palette Sea foam

Michelle Houghton says, “My daughter made a rocket with her Grandfather over spring break.” She named it ‘Shooting Star,’ and painted it bright gold.”

“I used three different products to carry over the bright gold of her rocket. A metallic gold paint is on the chipboard lettering and splattered across the background.  I used a gold paint pen for the border and journaling, and then there is gold foil over the pink word ‘shooting.’ I used a glue pen across the letters and then added the gold by laying it face down and rubbing across the back of the sheet.” 

Shooting Star by Michelle Houghton | Supplies: cardstock; Bazzill Basics, paint; Liquitex, paint pen; Zig, gold foil; Martha Stewart, chipboard; unknown

Stefanie Semple says, “We are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary shortly, and in honor of this occasion, hubby had a new ring made for me. It is gorgeous and ‘over-the-top’ when compared to my original wedding set. I made this layout showcasing this personal story and my gratitude and appreciation of him. I have an album celebrating us and this layout will be the cover page.”

“I used a heritage-style patterned paper with clocks to cue the subject of time. The title, ‘Bling,’ is what I said when I first saw my new ring. I loved the gold shiny alpha for over-the-top drama and flair. The stars and sparkly bits echo the sparkles of the diamonds and their reflections. I added mauve flowers to to create my visual triangle. It’s fitting because the colors for the vow renewal ceremony are white, green, purple and mauve. The bow on the sub- title is a nod to the idea of tying the knot and celebrating anniversaries. The gold heart showcases our love standing the test of time, with gold being a precious metal. This layout is an exuberant declaration of appreciation and thankfulness.”

Bling by Stefanie Semple | Supplies: LDrag Designs: Auld Lang Syne (kit), Eternal love letters (kit); Jady Day Studio: Why I love you (template).

Kiki Kougioumtzi says, “This is a photo of my daughter playing in a summer sunset, pretending to holding the sun.I used a warm color palette, and gold complements it well. It also enhances the focal point photo. I applied leafing medium with a stencil (which I washed immediately), waited the suggested time, and then added the gold leafing. To embellish a little more I added gold sequins.”

Catch the sun by Kiki Kougioumtzi | Supplies:Cardstock:Bazzill Basics,Canson;Gold leafing & medium:Efco;Acrylic paint:Ranger Studio;Alphas:Basic Grey;Stencil:The Crafter’s Workshop;Other:Tattered Angels glimmer mist,thread,sequins.

Terry Billman says, “Embracing life and living each day as if it were his last has been Craig’s desire since receiving the news that his cancer returned and is incurable. This photo was taken on a recent trip to Hawaii when we took a stroll on the beach at Waikiki. He reminded me of living each day to its fullest.”

“I love the texture of the pearlescent paper and the way it gives the layout dimension. I used the hard light blending mode on the photo to give the surf and water a glittery effect. Using the color blending mode on the warm glows added a dramatic sunset  effect behind the photo. The subtle gold paint splatters were placed from left to right to guide the eye through the photo to the journaling.

Embrace Life created by Terry Billman | Supplies: Anna Aspnes: Pearlescent Paperie 1, Warm Glows 4, Art Play Embrace Life, Gold Paint, Gold Alpha Number Set, Life Word Art No. 3

Ashley Horton says, “I aimed for a nautical feel on this page since it was at the beach and my daughter’s shirt is navy. My nautical color scheme here is navy, red, white, and gold.”

“I have been saving (hoarding) gold polka dot vellum paper from Crate Paper that I knew was perfect for this color scheme and subject.  I wanted a touch of gold in my title, but I didn’t have any gold letters or alphas, so I misted AC Thickers with Gold Color Shine from Heidi Swapp.  It created the exact effect I was looking for.  I finished off my page, with flecks of the Gold Color Shine on the background and scattered gold sequins.” 

The Golden Days by Ashley Horton | Supplies: Patterned Paper, Rub Ons, Clothespin: Dear Lizzy; Bits: Amy Tangerine; Gold Vellum Paper: Crate Paper; Flair Button & Mini Bag: Fancy Pants; Thickers: American Crafts; Mini Market Stickers: October Afternoon; Color Shine: Heidi Swapp; Other: Shipping Tag & Sequins

Amy Kingsford says, “This is special page about my son. There is a side of himself that he shares only with those that make him feel most comfortable.  My title for this subject is ‘Golden Boy,’ and that inspired my incorporation of gold.

“I used gold painted leaf transfers and golden glows and sparkles alongside everyday photos.  The gold paint and glows capture the light in the photos and take them from the ordinary to the special. I paired the gold with the dark navy for a masculine look but also to increase the intensity of the gold on my page.”

Golden Boy by Amy Kingsford | Supplies: Anna Aspnes Designs: Art Play Palette Heraldry, Artsy Layered Template No. 71, Gold Leaves No. 3, Warm Glows No. 4, Burlap Scraps No. 1, Kriss Kross Stitched Overlays No. 1.

Christy Strickler says, “I love how my cat looks at me when I pet him, and this photo captures that look.”

“My color palette was inspired by a vintage image. I stamped and embossed with gold embossing powder. I also embossed several wood shapes and added gold washi tape. The gold is light but adds a rich feel to the layout. It gives weight to the emotions I want conveyed.”

Looking Up at Me by Christy Strickler | Supplies: Cardstock: Colorbok; Patterned Paper: My Mind’s Eye, Studio Calico; Alphas: Jillibean Soup, Webster’s Pages; Stamp: Hero Arts; Embossing Powder: Ranger; Wood Veneer: Studio Calico, Lawn Fawn; Cloth Tag: Basic Grey; Buttons: Jillibean Soup, Basic Grey; Jewel Studio Calico; Other: Tape, jewels

Leah Farquharson says, “I recently ordered a bunch of jewelry making supplies– because I need more hobbies!”

“I used a number of different elements here for a monochromatic gold scheme that fits with the subject of jewelry I used gold-embossed vellum to mat my photo, journaling and title, and there are lots of gold accents and embellishments. The design and color scheme on this definitely pushed me outside of usual range, but I love the page, and think it works without being gaudy.” 

Jewelry by Leah Farquharson | Supplies: patterned paper, tags, stickers, brads, feathers, chipboard, vellum, flower: American Crafts. Chipboard letters, border sticker: Crate Paper. Lace pieces and foiled lace diecut: JBS Mercantile Antiquarian kit.

Scrapbook Coach           Masterful Scrapbook Design

by Debbie Hodge

Mosaic, the making of images by combining small pieces of glass or stone, was a primary form of decorative expression in antiquity. Its use arose independently in a number of cultures, with the earliest in China. Mosaics continue to decorate homes and architecture today — and digital technologies make new approaches possible.

Take a look at your supplies and photos and see what kind of mosaic technique you could use on your scrapbook pages.

make a tiled mosaic

Christy Strickler says, “My son used to love jumping in the pool over and over again while his dad caught him. Mosaic patterns always remind me of the tilework in swimming pools. To create the look of patterned tiles, I used tile spacers and patterned paper. Real tiles would have been too heavy for paper. I cut  paper into one inch squares which I then embossed with Ranger’s Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel ( UTEE). While a few of the paper tiles were still hot, I stamped them with a small fish. Staz-on ink works best for stamping in UTEE. I used liquid adhesive to adhere the tile spacers.”

Daddy! Catch Me! by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Colorbok; Patterned Paper: American Crafts; Alphas: My Little Shoebox; Stamp: Fancy Pants; Ink: Tsukineko; Mist: Pink Paislee; Other: Vellum, tile spacers

Amanda Jones says, “This page documents two photos of the sky that represent a past time in my life.”

“I was inspired to replicate a classic tile design with cardstock. I inverted the colour scheme and cut .5″ squares of grey cardstock with my paper trimmer. As I was piecing it, I found that even a tiny variation in size made a big difference in my ability to line up the design. Next time I try this technique I will cut my squares with an electronic die-cutter to ensure they are exactly equal in size.” 

MK Skies by Amanda Jones | Supplies: Cardstock – Bazzill Basics; Wooden letters – Pink Paislee; Flower die-cuts – Basic Grey; Rhinestone – Teresa Collins Designs.

make a mosaic embellishment

Sue Althouse says, “This page is about how peaceful life can be sitting on a deck with the ocean in your back yard. I incorporated a mosaic sunset embellishment to represent the day drawing to a close.”

“I cut the sunburst shape from kraft card stock with my Silhouette Cameo and filled in the negative space with paper in a series of analogous colors. To do this, I cut the colored paper into increasingly smaller circles, inked the edges and layered them.”

Peaceful by Sue Althouse | Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Basic Grey, My Mind’s Eye, Studio Calico; Alphabets: American Crafts; Ink: Jenni Bowlin; Mist: Mr. Huey’s; Brads: Teresa Collins; Flair Button: Studio Calico; Floss: We Are Memory Keepers; Twine: Doodlebug; Die Cuts: Silhouette; Circle Punches: EK Success, Fiskars

fill a band with a mosaic 

Marie-Pierre Capistran says, “I had just taken a mosaic class before traveling to Barcelona and was really impressed with the  mosaic I saw there. I scrapbooked the trip incorporating a mosaic of buttons and brads as a backdrop for my title. I used a variety of shapes, colors and sizes of buttons. I wanted my title to be elevated so I used very thick buttons and brads.”

Barcelone by Marie-Pierre Capistran | Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Letter stickers: American Crafts; Glitters: Martha Stewart; Various buttons and brads from my stash.

Ashley Horton says, “I snapped this photo of our little boy as we were getting ready for a bike ride. Inspired by a sketch with a band foundation from Creative Scrappers and this architectural inspiration piece I made my mosaic of patterned paper blocks in three sizes (1″ , 1.5″ and 2″).  Over these I layered a few black grid overlays that I cut with my Silhouette Cameo. 

Boy Wonder by Ashley Horton | Supplies: Patterned Paper & Stickers: Echo Park; Enamel Dots, Brad, & Washi Tape: My Mind’s Eye; Thickers & Embossing Powder: American Crafts; Font: Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold; Acrylic Stamp & Color Shine: Heidi Swapp; Ink: Stampin’ Up; Flair Button: The Paper Bakery; Wood Veneers: Studio Calico; Sketch: Creative Scrappers

break a large photo into a mosaic of pieces

Michelle Houghton says, “Both of my girls LOVE Lego building bricks. When given the opportunity, they spend a lot of time playing in a Lego store.  I created a mosaic effect with the photos here, breaking large photos into multiple pieces to support the Lego theme. Breaking a large photo into pieces and creating a mosaic is easier with photos that are busier(think flower garden) than these with the open expanse of flooor and wall.”

Lego Love by Michelle Houghton | Supplies: cardstock; Bazzill Basics, patterned paper, fabric hearts, twine and letters; American Crafts, buttons; Buttons Galore and More, ink; Sharpie, jewel tag; unknown

Amy Kingsford says, “This page is about how I learned to transform my boys’ transformer toys, and the joy I felt when they started coming to me for help even when their father was home!”

“I was inspired by the placement of the blocks in a template by Amy Martin and thought that it would be fun to use their configuration to break apart a single photo so that the details overlapped one another in a way that created a mosaic effect. I re-sized my photo so that it was just barely larger than the whole of the cluster of blocks and clipped duplicate versions of the photo to each individual block. This way I could have control over the details that were highlighted in each individual block. I played around with making some of the blocks black and white or desaturated in an effort to capture the color variance of a mosaic photo, but in the end I loved the color of my original photo too much.”

You’ve Been Transformed by Amy Kingsford | Supplies: Amy Martin: Spacey v. 12; Sahlin Studio: Grunge; Michelle Godin: Always Remember; One Little Bird: So Major; Julie Billingsley: Imagine That.

make a mosaic of smaller photos

Vicki Walters says, “I started this page with a map of Alaska, and then used the Photoshop Plugin Filter Forge  to “pixelate” it. The result was a guide for creating a mosaic of snip-its from photos taken on a trip to Alaska.”

Travel Alaska by Vicki Walters | Supplies: Anna Aspnes at Oscraps-ArtPlay Palette EnRoute and EnRoute Sampler

Adryane Driscoll says, “The mosaic portion of this page is made with old Hitchcock movie posters. For those of you who are not big Hitchcock fans, he often left subtle clues in his movies for the viewer to find. ‘zzy yet?’ is ‘dizzy yet?  from Vertigo, and ‘king in? is ‘checking in?’ from Psycho, and I included them both.”

“It took hours to create the mosaic, but I like final result because it has depth. The hardest part of making the mosaic was finding a way to have a repeatable pattern that didn’t look like it had been repeated.  I did that using drop shadows, and size and blending variations.”

It’s Only a Movie by Adryane Driscoll: Credits: Anna Aspnes I ArtPlay Palette Metro Graffiti; all images are from the internet.

more mosaic inspiration

Looking for more ideas and inspiration for doing something creative with mosaics on your page? Check out our Mosaic ideas Pinterest Board.

Scrapbook Coach           Masterful Scrapbook Design

When you’re looking for a starting point and ideas for a scrapbook page, you want resources for getting the job done, and Pinterest probably has what you need . . . if you could only find it.

Kiki Kougioumtzi uses inspiration found on Pinterest to inspire her scrapbook pages, both in part and in whole.  Check out her 40+ boards at http://pinterest.com/kikik/ and read on to find out who she follows on Pinterest.   

Marah Johnson’s Paper Flowers Board

Ideas for creating your own paper flowers for your layouts or home decorations.

Marah: website | pinterest

Birgit Koopsen Bernstein’s Techniquez Board

Tons of fun techniques to try on your layouts.

Birgit: website | pinterest

Amy Locurto’s Child Photography Board 

Posing ideas, tips and inspiring photos with children.

Amy: website | pinterest 

Kim Watson’s Silhouette Projects & Ideas Board

Great collection of inspiration and free cutting files for Silhouette users.

Kim: website | pinterest

Christine Newman’s Organization Board 

Ideas for organizing your scrapbooking supplies.

Christine: website | pinterest

Using Inspiration

Below is an example of how Kiki has used inspiration from Pinterest in her scrapbooking.

Kiki says, “I love rainbows. To be precise, I love the ROYGBiV arrangement. I have most of my scrapbooking supplies organized in this manner and I even have a rainbows board on Pinterest. One of my first pins was an iPod advertisement that led to the following layout. I liked the columns of color arranged in roygbiv. The color dripping, breaking at the top from photographs. I kept the color dripping and the columns but I turned everything to it’s side to add interest (I think that human eye is trained to see drippings going downwards not sideways)

Inspiration: Ipod Advertisment found on Pinterest

Loving today by Kiki Kougioumtzi | Supplies: Cardstock: Canson; Waterocolor: Talens Ecoline; Acrylic paints: Ranger Studio; Glimmer mist: Tattered Angels; Alphas: Basic Grey, Doodlebug; Brads: Making Memories.

Kiki lives in Athens, Greece  and is a SAHM to a sugar & spice girl, a wife to an understanding and loving husband, and a creative spirit from the day she first walked.  In 2006 Kiki opened an issue of Scrapbook Answers Magazine and it was then that she knew she was hooked and she’s been scrapping ever since.

Kiki actually began as a digital scrapbooker because she found it difficult to find the products she wanted in her country. After a year or so of experimenting with Photoshop Elements/Photoshop, Kiki discovered the joy of online shopping and now she’s a  paper and glue scrapper and she’s not looking back!  Kiki enjoys finding inspiration wherever she can  including photos, everyday life, her fellow scrapbooking bloggers–and lately Pinterest!

Photos and stories, color and design principles, pretty paper and painting mediums are Kiki’s happy place!

Kiki: website| pinterest 

Scrapbook Coach           Masterful Scrapbook Design

• Anything worth doing is worth doing well. ~ Hunter S. Thompson 
•  Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life. ~Confucius 

Word art designed by Amy Kingsford.

  Click here to download zipped file with png and pdf files

•  When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt. ~Henry J. Kaiser
• It’s not what you achieve, it’s what you overcome. That’s what defines your career. ~Carlton Fisk
• There is no substitute for hard work. ~ Thomas Edison
• I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by. ~Douglas Adams
• Work to become, not to acquire. ~Elbert Hubbard
• Whistle while you work. ~Frank Churchill, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
• A career is wonderful, but you can’t curl up with it on a cold night. ~Marilyn Monroe
• Work hard, play harder. ~ Gretchen Wilson

by Debbie Hodge 

Looking for Spring by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: at end of this post. Click to see larger.

so much that a bike can represent

When I think about bikes, I think of the challenges and opportunities they present — and how those vary depending upon who you are. Riding a bike is a skill to be conquered as a child, an opportunity for early freedom for the pre-teen, and a way to get around traffic jams for the courier. It can be a way to fly your “green” flag and a way to exercise.

Debbie’s husband longs for the first day he can get on his bike each spring, and she’s scrapbooked that enthusiasm with a photo of the bike inside while he tunes in up — next to a window showing record March snows. A fun yellow bike sticker accompanies snowflakes and flowers for embellishments.

Off to the Races by Michelle Houghton | Supplies at end of this post. Click to see larger.

the shape of a bike

Visually the bike offers  interest–with circular wheels, straight spokes, and slices of pie when the two meet. Images of bikes that scrapbookers can use vary in styling from vintage to doodled. See how our Creative Team scrapbooked bike riding on these pages.

Michelle Houghton says, “Last spring two friends and I challenged ourselves to participate in a sprint tri-athalon, this layout commemorates the day.  I wanted to stick with colors from the photos since we had purposefully matched our tops.  I also wanted to keep with the feel of the athletic event, so I found papers that complemented the bright orange and black of our clothing and decided to create the look of a bike wheel as the framework for the photos.”

before the bike: the trike

Tara McKernin says, “I wanted to capture the story, thoughts, and feelings around Jake riding his tricycle from last summer. I like to keep my layouts with large photos clean and simple, with the focus on the photos and the words.  I kept the colors simple and the background neutral, taking my sing accent color–green–from the grass in the photo.”

This is real life | Tara McKernin | Supplies: Template, Cathy Zielske; Paper, Karen Funk

getting a bike is a big deal

Sue Althouse says, “This page is about getting new bicycles for my 7th birthday and again on my 50th birthday.”

“The dominant color in my photos is green, so I chose red, the complementary color, to bring energy and contrast to the layout. Small doses of blue add harmony and point out my blue bicycles. For interest and dimension, I used a variety of products: twine, chipboard, stickers, Thickers, flair, mini pearls and wood veneer. I challenged myself to use 3 different materials for the title. The twine, Silhouette die cut and Thickers are a fun and eye-catching combination!”

Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Stickers, Buttons, Chipboard: Basic Grey; Border Punch, Star Punch: Fiskars; Alphabets: American Crafts, Amy Tangerine; Die Cut, Decorative Tab: Silhouette; Twine: Doodlebug; Bicycle Flair: A Flair for Buttons; Wood Stars: Studio Calico; Mini Pearls: Doodlebug

Terry Billman says, “This layout is about my husband assembling our granddaughters first Radio Flyer tricycle. The only thing she wanted to do was gather acorns and put them on the back of the tricycle. She didn’t want to ride the tricycle! I selected a neutral background and highlighted the page with different shades of pink to coordinate with her top. I blended photos of the Cami and the tricycle in the background and framed closely cropped photos of Craig assembling the tricycle.”

Radio Flyer created by Terry Billman| Anna Aspnes: Artsy Layered Template No. 72, Art Play Palette Enamored, 12 X 12 Distressed Edge Overlay, 12 x 12 Artist Edges 6, Stitched by Anna Red No. 1; Katie Pertiet: Loosely Labeled Dates No. 3

learning to ride a bike is an even bigger deal

Audrey Tan says, “This page is about my youngest learning how to ride a two-wheeled bike. He was certainly wobbling a lot initially and I managed to capture those initial moments of learning. Hubby was quite patient with him and he eventually mastered his balance.”

Audrey used themed bike elements and worked with black-and-white blended pieces for an urban-road look.

Progress by Audrey Tan | Supplies: Anna Aspnes: ArtPlay Palette En Route, EnRoute Sampler, EnRoute No1, Foto Inspired Frames No1; Gina Miller: Stitched Alpha; Font: Rat Infested Mailbox

Kiki Kougioumtzi says, “My daughter went with the scouts to a road safety park, where she got her bicycle driving diploma.”

“I took colors from my photos (blue, bits of yellow, orange, grey and pink). I don’t usually use themed products. The exception in this layout is the bicycle rub-on, which is part of a visual triangle. I used patterned papers with organic designs (leaves and circles) to represent movement. Those prints are arranged in a orderly way, though (e.g., the leaves are in a row) to support the idea of ‘lesson.’ The alphas are rendered in a childlike font.”

Enjoy the ride by Kiki Kougioumtzi|Supplies:Patterned paper:Becky Higgins,Provo Craft;Cardstock:American Crafts;Rub-ons:American Crafts,Cosmo Cricket;Stickers:Basic Grey;Chipboard:My Mind’s Eye.

and then it’s time to enjoy the ride

Adryane Driscoll says, “This is a photo of my son taken almost 6 years ago.  Even though it’s not a great photo, I knew 6 years ago that it was a special capture because of the combination of images. The topic of bikes combined with my son’s recent birthday finally gave me the direction I needed to scrap it. I converted the photo to black and white to reduce the impact of the distracting background.”

“Then, I went with a black, white, and yellow color scheme which I like for more graphic, dynamic pages. I knew I wanted to focus on the bike and the sign in the photo so I went through my products and pulled out all kinds of arrows and bikes. I moved things around and eliminated everything that I didn’t like or didn’t work. Because there was a lot of journaling, I broke it up and positioned it in visual triangle around the photo. Using some of the tips from Debbie’s class Tension, Story,Focus and Flow, I played with the spacing between the lines of journaling and the spacing between the actual letters until I found something that I thought was comfortable for the eye.”

enjoy the ride by Adryane Driscoll: Credits: Anna Aspnes I Road Rider Page Set, EnRoute No.1 BrushSet, ArtPlay Palette Metro Graffiti, and ArtPlay Palette Social Network; O’Scraps Seven Birthday Collab

Marie-Pierre Capistran says, “My daughters are 2 and 4 at the moment, and what they like most is to ride their scooters.”

“On this page I used a large focal point photo to show the scooter riding and smaller photos in in Polaroid frames (free printables) to record the places we go when riding bikes. I don’t usually used themed elements but an image of a red guy riding a scooter added fun and fit into one of those Polaroid frames. Heidi Swapp rub-ons with words related to adventure and love add texture and interest to the page. Lastly, I included chevrons, triangles and arrows to guide the eye through the page and add movement.”

Scooter ride by Marie-Pierre Capistran | Supplies: Patterned paper: DCWV; Letter stickers: American Crafts Thickers; Chipboard elements: American Crafts Dear Lizzy; Rub-ons: Heidi Swapp; Like sticker: Heidi Swapp; Others: date stamp, patterned paper from stash, polaroid frames found on internet, stitching.

Debbie Hodge says, “My husband rides his bike several times a week from early spring to late fall. He rides so much we take it for granted. Realizing this, I parked myself on the front steps and waited until he came home after work on a late fall evening. I used map print paper to represent the idea of him traveling many miles and a two-tone diagonal print for energy and motion.”

Hey There, Traveler Maps, Woodland Jangle Elements, Winter Peony Elements, Naturally Krafty 12 by Katie Pertiet; Pedal Pusher by One Little Bird; Folded Ribbon Bits, Staple Its, Brad Bonanza by Pattie Knox; Blackout font

Additional supply lists

Looking For Spring by Debbie Hodge | Supplies: Patterned Paper: Soho Garden by American Crafts, Sketchbook by Amy Tangerine; Cardstock: Sequoia by Sara Gleason; Journaler: 5th and Folic by Dear Lizzy; Handcut Snowflakes by Valerie Wibbens; Stitching, Banner template by Anna Aspnes; Bike: Amy Tangerine; Flower, Alpha: Spring Day and Sunshine Alpha by Sahlin Studio; Bebas Neue, Bohemian Typewriter fonts.

Off to the Races by Michelle Houghton | Supplies: patterned paper; SEI, sticker letters; Doodlebug Designs, Inc., ink; Sharpie, wire string; unknown

Scrapbook Coach           Masterful Scrapbook Design

Ashley Horton was inspired by the colors and textures on a Paris Storefront. Check out our Storefronts inspiration board.

by Debbie Hodge

Storefronts, with their photo-shaped windows and doors, make a great starting point for layout inspiration. Add in trim, window boxes and window displays, benches, awnings and signage and you’ve got inspiration for titlework, embellishment, texture, mood and more.

 Be sure to click on the links to inspiration photos when they are not shown here (because of copyright). Lots of great eye-candy. And we’ve collected more storefronts for you inspiration on Pinterest: Inspiration Storefonts. 

The Get It Scrapped Creative Team has translated several storefronts into eye-catching scrapbook page design.

Amanda Jones says, “This is a simple, everyday page capturing the beauty of a local area.  I was inspired by these two storefronts shown here. I took the shapes from the black and white logo as my main page elements and framed them on either side with flag pieces with the type cut away as on the General Store storefront. 

Source: General Store      Source: Polka Gelato

Exmoor by Amanda Jones | Supplies: Cardstock – Bazzill Basics; Patterned paper – Simple Stories; Electronic Die-cutting machine – Silhouette Cameo; Ink Spray – Tattered Angels.

Betsy Sammarco scrapbooked photos of her niece with a backdrop of circles inspired by a local window display.

Betsy says, “Window designers are wonderfully creative!  A window display can inspire the layout or background elements of an entire page.  This window not only contains a great color combination, it also shows great design possibilities of using circles on a page. The lines of various sized circles of the display inspired the background design of the layout below.”

Water by Betsy Sammarco | Supplies: all supplies from a Jenni Bowlin Studio Mercantile Kit, Cardstock: Bazzill, Patterned Paper: My Mind’s Eye, Pink Paislee, Wooden letters: Studio Calico, Photo frames and stickers: Heidi Swapp, Chipboard banner: Pink Paislee, Paint: Jenni Bowlin Studio.

Source: photo by Betsy Sammarco 

Adriana Puckett says, “This layout is an homage to book-spine poetry, a recent discovery that I made and absolutely love! The photo on the page is of an arrangement from Maria Popova at Brain Pickings. A storefront photo from Flickr by Penelope Fewster provided the perfect inspiration for my layout, with its rounded script title and symmetrical design.”

SEE THE INSPIRATION

Book-Spine Poetry by Adriana Puckett | Supplies: Paper: Studio Calico; banner embellishment: Basic Grey; brads: Basic Gray; font for title: Grand Hotel; misc: crocheted heart.

Brenda Becknell was inspired by a candy-colored photo of stores on Main Street in Disney World taken by Burnsland photos when she scrapbooked these everyday photos of her  grandkids, journaling about how much they have brightened up her life. She says, “I was inspired by the pastel colors of the buildings and the different types of trim on the buildings and the way they were lined up down the street.”

SEE THE INSPIRATION.

Sweet Kids by Brenda Becknell | Supplies: Cardstock: American Crafts; Patterned Paper: American Crafts & Jillibean Soup; Sentiment sticker: Pink Paislee; Pearls: Queen & Co.; Stamp: Technique Tuesday: Border punch: Martha Stewart “Lattice Arch”: Twine: The Twinery: Markers: Copic

Stefanie Semple says, “I made this  layout for a friend about the dogs that fill her home and heart with love. I love taking portraits of people and pets, and gifting a layout of them.”

“I was inspired by this photo of a store front in the New York Times Fashion and Style section, and copied the shapes of the store front’s door and windows for my photo spots. I used a similar white capital lettered font/alpha for the title as the store name. Even the papers I chose are similar in color to the storefront photo. I placed a paw print on the heart to separate the two words within the title, as well as to play on the idea of heart and home full of canine love.”

Source: NYT Fashion and Style

House full by Stefanie Semple | Supplies: Juno Designs: Tell your story (kit); River-Rose Desings: Cats and Dogs (kit).

Marie-Pierre Capistran says, “It’s a tradition for us to meet once a year at a maple sugar house (we do that instead of meeting at Christmas) and this is a page about this year’s meeting with my extended family.”

“From this photo of a storefront, The Modern Pantry, I took the general layout of the windows and the door as well as the placement of the title and subtitle. I also kept the gold lettering on black bands for the title and subtitle. Finally I added word tags on the pictures, as there are flower boxes in front of the windows on the picture.”

Source: The Modern Pantry

Sugar house by Marie-Pierre Capistran | Supplies: Cardstock: Stampin’UP!; Patterned paper: DCWV and some gold paper I had in my stash; Letters: Making Memories, Basic Grey; Alpha dies: PTI; Others: small word tags from my stash, tiny attacher from Ranger, date stamp.

Vicki Walters

Looking at storefronts, it was hard to narrow it down to just one!  I liked the windows and position of the door in this one  so I made a line drawing of it and formed a makeshift template to start.  This second adorable shop had the awnings and I just loved them and I loved the tables in front of this Japanese shop. And a photo by Digital Watt on Flickr was by far the greatest inspiration of all, So I made a collage of all the little things I loved and created my very own storefront.

Sources:   Imageshack   Mokkasin    Hello Sandwich

Life’s Better at the Beach by Vicki Walters | fonts Old Stamper and TangieAJImpossible Things
Anna Aspnes at Oscraps-Multimedia Flowers no 1 and MultiMedia Sea Life; Paula Kesselring at Oscraps-Summer Beach Joanne Brisebois at Oscraps-Count the Ways BRimm at Devient Scrap-Nantucket; Holliewood Studioes at Devient Scrap-Just Another Day; Mister Whiskers at Devient Scrap-Chalkboard; Studio Manu at Scrapbookgraphics-Vintage Summer.

Rosann Santos-Elliott says, “This layout is about a mother and daughter’s day at a farm during the fall season. It was inspired by a photo on Flickr taken by Jim Rice of a storefront decorated for harvest time. I used clusters to represent the decorative clustering outside the store and used fall color with a touch of summer colors to offset the green background.”

Sweet. Happy. Together by Rosann Elliot-Santos | Supplies: Simple Stories – Green Dot/Grid paper; Decorative Brads; Bingo Cards/Diaganol Strips; Simple Stories – 100 Days of Summer Fundamental Stickers; Simple Stories – 24/7 Chipboard; MME – The Sweetest Thing Decorative Brads

Adryane Driscoll says, “I liked the look of the lettering on this storefront from Bodie and Fou found pinned here.  The word “vintage” reminded me of times spent in flea markets and antique stores looking for little treasures. Because the page was going to be busy, I tired to limit myself to three types of elements: flowers, gems and flying things.”

Source: Bodie and Fou

vintage by Adryane Driscoll: Credits: Anna Aspnes I ArtPlay Palette Simplicity, MonoBlendz Avalanche Paperie No.7, Doily Edge Overlays No.1, ArtPlay Palette Night Before Christmas, ArtPlay Palette Sweet Pea, Stitched LoopdaLoops White No.1, ArtPlay Palette Gather, ArtPlay Palette Truth, WoodShop Alpah&Number Set No.1, WoodShop Buttons No.1, ArtPlay Palette Globe Trotter, ArtPlay Palette Lifes Little, and ArtPlay Palette Metro Graffiti; O’Scraps Seven Birthday Collab; Pattie Knox I PinIts!; Forever Joy I Petticoat Rose and Breathe; Holliewood Studios I Art Journaling; J Kneipp I Far From Here; and Katie Pertiet I AllSet Alpha No.2

Katie Scott says, “The storefronts Pinterest inspiration board made me think about my daughter’s excitement about our recent cruise, and how she was probably more excited about shopping for the cruise and showing off her “fashions” than the actual trip. Rather than using one particular storefront, I let my mind wander to mannequins and and fashion magazines.  I used papers and products with silhouettes of fashionable women for this page.

That Hat by Katie Scott | Supplies: DCWV paper; stickers and embellishments from Studio Calico, Authentique, Crate Paper, and Basic Grey.

Ashley Horton says, “Candid shots are great for telling the stories in your children’s lives, but sometimes it’s nice, to get those posed shots.  They are the ones you can look back on and see how much your child has grown from year to year.”

As soon as I came across this French storefront from Beautiful Portals, I knew I wanted to work with this amazing color scheme.  I loved the calming feel created by the teal, wood grain, and black in the photo, and there was just a touch of juxtaposition with the addition of the yellow.  The papers I chose to work with for this color scheme are from the Glitz Design Uncharted Waters collection, but I was able to use them out of the nautical-themed context, by using everyday embellishments. 

Source: Beautiful Portals

Calm, Cool & Collected by Ashley Horton | Supplies: Patterned Paper & Paper Garland: Glitz Design; Patterned Paper & Wood Veneers: Studio Calico; Flair Buttons: The Paper Bakery; Tags: Elle’s Studio; Memory File Stamps: Heidi Swapp; Hello Wood Veneer: Freckled Fawn; Washi Tape: Pebbles; Thickers: American Crafts: Fonts: Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold & Pacifico

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by Debbie Hodge

The asymmetrical cross is a scrapbook layout design that has flexibility for just one photo or many.

Dina Wakley praises this design for its flexibility says, “It’s a great framework on which you can be creative and add many or just a few photos and embellishments. To keep the design fresh, I change my mediums.”

Dina Wakley says, “One of my favorite compositions is the asymmetrical cross. I start with a strong horizontal element. Then I cross it at either the right or the left side with a strong vertical element. On ‘bad hair curse,; the inky blots are my strong horizontal element. The blots traverse the entire width of the canvas. I arranged my three photos, the cheesecloth, the canvas, and the burlap vertically on the right side.”

“I have noticed that I turn to this design again and again. It’s simple and it works. To keep the design fresh, I change my mediums. Sometimes I create an element with patterned paper, sometimes with ink, sometimes with fabrics (as I did on this layout). Sometimes I arrange my page elements to spray out from the framework, sometimes I stick to the framework closely.”

Bad Hair Curse by Dina Wakley | Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill, Ink: Dylusions
by Ranger, Stencil: Crafter’s workshop, Fabrics: various from the fabric store,
Alphabet: American Crafts, Thread: Gutterman

Tara McKernin says, “This is a layout from a day out with my Grandparents who were visiting us from Belfast, Northern Ireland.  I believe it was actually the last time my Grandmother traveled  from Belfast to see us.”

Tara crossed a horizontal band of patterned paper with multi-photo frame strips.  She says, “Running the paper across the page grounds my strips of photos to the canvas.”

I want to remember by Tara McKernin | Supplies: Template, ChrissyW Digitals; Paper, Karla Dudley and Karen Funk

Leah Farquharson says, “I’ve been learning a lot of life lessons this past year, and one of the most recent is to live from a place of abundance. If we hold on too tightly, all of the things we fear and hold on to tend to come to be – if we instead live fully and abundantly, you’d be surprised how that abundance comes back to you in amazing ways”

“I created my cross foundation with a horizontal band of  die-cut blocks layered over a misted band used with those blocks as stencil. I used the hearts punched from the diecut pieces, sprinkled with a vertical title to make the vertical cross band. The use of the negative diecuts along with the “positive” punched hearts supports my theme.”

Live Abundantly by Leah Farquharson | Supplies: cardstock: Bazzill. Patterned papers: American Crafts, Fancy Pants Designs. Buttons: Jenni Bowlin, Fancy Pants Designs, Autumn Leaves. Tag: JBS Mercantile kit (vintage find), Letter stickers: October Afternoon. Feathers, chipboard speech bubble, paperclip: Studio Calico. Flower: American Crafts. Twine: Maya Road. Inks: Ranger, Studio Calico, October Afternoon, Maya Road. Diecut: Silhouette Shapes by American Crafts

Deborah Wagner scrapbooked her son and his dog in 1994. The cross is made with an intersection of  a portrait-oriented photo and a horizontal band of patterned. paper. She says, “For emphasis, I added the over-sized frame.”

You and Me by Deborah Wagner. Supplies: Katie Pertiet Catana Solids Paper Pack, Classic Patterned: Finest Paper Pack, Hot Floral Mini Kit, Anchors Away Solids, Everyday Pets Borders, Sweet Rose Bay Kit, Loosely Labeled No. 2, Color My Love Kit, Bradded Photo Frames No. 1, Crowning Affair Vibrant Kit, Ledger Grid Overlays No. 1, Winter Woods Kit; Lynn Grieveson Worn Photo Edges No. 5, Ali Edwards You and Me Brush; Pattie Knox Staple Its Clusters; Jesse Edwards Doodled Flowers; Anna Aspnes Heart Loop da loop

Brenda Becknell says, “Now that she’s almost four, my granddaughter has become adept at dodging my camera, so I usually end up with photos of her making silly faces or poses.  I scrap them anyway because they are a true reflection of her personality now.”

A horizontal band of patterned paper houses title and journaling, and square photos mounted one-over-the-other make the vertical cross band.

Seriously by Brenda Becknell | Supplies: Cardstock: Recollections; Patterned paper: American Crafts Dear Lizzie “Lucky Charm” collections; Stamps: Technique Tuesday and Hampton Art; Brads: Making Memories; Diecut alphabet: Provocraft Cricut “All Mixed Up” cartridge.

Stefanie Semple says, “I took my daughter and a friend to the local nursery and we loved looking at and feeding the animals. This little monkey was so charming. He wanted to check out my camera and would have made a grab for it if I were a little bit closer.”

“I made a strong vertical band of striped patterned paper and arranged four small photos matted on high-contrast cream in a horizontal band that crossed over it. The circles add more contrast and interest and the colors and motifs were chose to evoke a sense of Autumn.”

Autumn by Stefanie Semple | Supplies: Jennifer Labre Designs: October Afternoon (kit); Jessica Sprague: Template 1-01(template that I tweaked a little)

Katie Scott says, “My husband gave my 9-year-old daughter signing privileges on a cruise, and these photos show how she enjoyed the independence and bought a stuffed animal monkey.”"

“I wanted to highlight one of the photos – the close up of my daughter’s happy face -  since it was the best one, but I wanted to include the other photos that depicted what she was so happy about.  They are all arranged in a horizontal band. The addition of title and journaling above and below one of the photos makes the vertical band and emphasizes that photo.”

I realize that the asymmetrical cross is really going off the page here but I wanted to get the title in the bottom right which is where you typically write your signature on a document.

Signature Monkey by Katie Scott | Supplies: Crate Paper paper; Sassafrass stickers; American Crafts letter stickers.

Doris Sander says, “I used a vintage label turned on its side as my strong vertical element and then a polka-dot patterned paper with polka-dot vellum overlay as my strong horizontal element.  My vertical and horizontal design areas each take up approximately two thirds of the page.  This created a nice structure for the energetic play of patterns that I used on the page.  I especially like the way the horizontal portion peeks out from the edge of the vertical portion.  I definitely plan on utilizing this design concept again in my scrapbooking.”

Coke by Doris Sander | Supplies: cardstock – Bazzill, patterned paper – JBS Mercantile Exclusive, vellum – Dear Lizzy, journaling spots – Studio Calico, Chic Tags, stickers – Jillibean Soup (word, alphabets), Basic Grey, flowers – Pebbles, heart crystal – Prima, chipboard sun – JBS, glitter – Art Glitter, label, milk cap – vintage, other – German foil star, pop dot

Amy Kingsford says, “I made this page for my son. He’s at that age where he’s starting to want to be like everyone else and I want him to know that it is okay to be different.”

“My journaling trickles down the page vertically and my photo and accents come across the page horizontally.  I love the resulting white space that this composition created and how my key elements intersect to establish a clear focal point.”

It’s Okay to Be Different by Amy Kingsford | Supplies: Anna Aspnes: ArtPlay Palette City Limits, ArtPlay Palette No. 6, Abstract FotoBlendz No. 5, Finger Prints, ArtPlay Infatuated Chevrons, Urban Stitchez No. 3.

Christy Strickler scrapbooked photos of her son snuggling with his cat.

She says, “I used layers of patterned paper to create the vertical section of the cross. I relied on texture and pattern from the crochet trim and grey patterned paper to soften the heavy feel of the grey and red papers.  I made the other section of the cross with wonky lines of machine stitching, adding pearls and jewels with the stitching.”

“The title (chipboard letters covered in black flocking) sits at the intersection of the cross.I like that the layout is very structured but that elements within the structure are allowed to be random and organic.”

Snuggles by Christy Strickler | Supplies Cardstock: Colorbok; Patterned Paper: Jenni Bowlin;Alphas: Sassafrass; Flock: American Crafts; Tag: Basic Grey; Jewels: Making Memories; Other: Pearls, Crochet Trim, Labels by Dymo label maker

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Sue loves the visual pop that designing with bold colors and patterns creates in her pages.

Sue’s cool thing right now is using bold colors and patterns on her scrapbook pages.

 Sue says, “I’ve always been drawn to colorful objects and bold patterns. I like to dress in bright, happy colors and add colorful accents to my home decor.”

“When I started scrapbooking, I discovered online classes where I could learn about the color wheel and color theory. I find this a fascinating subject. Some of my favorite layouts in online galleries and blogs are those that have pops of color, lots of pattern, and an easily perceivable sense of organization.”

“One Fine Fall Day is about all the local activities available to us in the fall. It is built on a central band of bold patterned paper and contained by two narrow border strips on each side. A loose grid is layered on top, using different size orientations so the design is not too rigid. I like to work in compartments of color that are controlled and organized, but I also like to break the borders to add interest and unpredictability.”

One Fine Fall Day b y Sue Althouse | Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Alphabets, Stickers: Simple Stories; Postage Border Punch: Fiskars; Stamps: Stampin’ Up!; Inks: Creative Memories, Hero Arts; Mist: Mr. Huey’s; Buttons: American Crafts, October Afternoon; Floss: We R Memory Keepers; Other: Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter

Using bold colors and patterns is a great way to bring your pages to life. 

Sue says, “After learning more about the meaning, mood, and emotion that color can convey and even evoke, I knew that needed to be an important part of expressing myself creatively.”

“I feel very satisfied when I can bring my stories to life with color and pattern. The more I scrap, the more I realize I am happier with layouts that embrace color and pattern in a controlled manner. I like to be basically positive and optimistic and want that to translate into my scrapbook albums.”

“This page is about my brother and his new grandson. Another technique for getting an abundance of color and pattern on a layout is to use punches and die cutting tools. This Silhouette circle die cut serves three purposes. First, it brings energy to the page. Second, it symbolizes the circle of life. Finally, it contains the patterns and colors in a crisp, clean and organized fashion. This page satisfies my love of color and my need for order!”

My Brother is a Grandfather by Sue Althouse | Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Pebbles; Alphabets: Jillibean Soup; Stamps: Technique Tuesday, Studio Calico, Amy Tangerine; Ink: Hero Arts; Marker: Marvy Le Plume; Heart Stitching Template: Amy Tangerine; Twine: Doodlebug; Circle Die Cut: Silhouette; Wood Veneer: Studio Calico; Enamel Dots: My Mind’s Eye

 Look to your photos for color and pattern inspiration. 

Sue says, “My main source of inspiration is my photos. Rarely will I try to match the colors in the pictures. Instead, they become the start of my color palette. If I want an energetic page, I’ll go with a complementary color scheme. If I want something calmer, I’ll choose analogous colors. If my photos are full of warm colors, I will deliberately choose cool colors to create contrast, and vice versa. I like to add a small dose of an ‘unexpected’ color for a little tension.” 

“This page is about my grandfather and his six siblings. One of my favorite ways to make patterned paper and embellishments pop is to place them on a background of black card stock. I think this is especially effective when the photo is black and white. The combination on this layout is a pleasing mixture of vintage charm and vivid color.”

Thompson Family by Sue Althouse | Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Brads, Twine: My Mind’s Eye; Alphabets: Silhouette, Cosmo Cricket; Quilt Star Punch & Chipboard: Jenni Bowlin; Wood Veneer: Studio Calico; Stapler: Tim Holtz

 What’s your “cool thing?” Is it a way of laying out your page, products, storytelling approaches or something else?

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Understand, Buy, Color, Shade, and Blend with Copic Markers

Michelle Houghton has written over 30 lessons on copic marker coloring for the Get It Scrapped blog. Wondering where to start? Right here!

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Get It Scrapped is 5 years old. To celebrate, we’ve planned a 5-week series of giveaways. And this one is the last!

This week

We’re giving away (2) $50 gift cards from Etsy.com and (2) MSD 2013 memberships. Entry opens Weds, May 8 and closes Sunday, May 12 at 3 am ET. Scroll down and enter with a simple click. Earn more entries with blog post comments, tweets, and more.

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