Inspiration: Lasting Memory Layout challenge #496 (polka dots + flowers + stickers) + Page Maps March 2020
I had been looking forward to using the Hey Crafty Girl collection from Simple Stories. I recently found pictures of my sister and my niece crafting together when we visited my parents in our hometown. My niece had spent the first half of the week alone with her grandparents, and then my sister, my other niece and I drove up to spend the rest of the week with them. My mom had stocked up on craft supplies before her granddaughter's visit to ensure she would have something to keep her busy with. It worked, as apparently, at 7 a.m. the day following her arrival, Megan grabbed the bags, headed to the kitchen and proceeded to start crafting! I know she's a kid and pretty much all kids love to cut and glue stuff together, but I have an inkling she'll remain a lifelong crafter just like me as the desire to create is really strong and I'm always surprised at how much interest she takes in what I do. (As an example, we were looking at scrapbook albums during a visit and since we were not sitting together when she was looking at it, she told me, "There's something I wanted to go back and show you. I really like how you made this embellishment here," pointing to a mini wooden embroidery hoop in which I had added a cross-stitched image found in a piece of patterned paper. I was incredibly surprised that she was paying attention to such small details.)
So the day I found those pictures, I got the papers out, including the polka dot papers from the Simple Basics kit and ephemera pieces I bought to match, but when I sat down and started trying to put something together, I just couldn't find my angle and so I put it aside. It's been a few weeks, but tonight, I decided I was giving it another go. Once I found a good sketch for it, I was back on track. The Page Maps sketch has three pictures plus the journaling block. My pictures are quite large and I didn't want to trim them down as I wanted to keep the art supplies, which are telling the story, especially the big kit Megan is using, which used to belong to my sister and I as kids and that my parents dusted off for my niece ot play with, which I mention in the journaling. So I used the same page construction, but with the two pictures instead of three. I also decided to glue them at an angle because it's a crafty-themed page and the collection is whimsical, so to have everything placed following a grid felt too constrained.
The sketch has ric rac at the top and bottom and I went looking in my shoebox of leftover ribbons. I spotted the white wool trim and thought it would add a nice texture. The best way to keep it in place is by stapling it, but I quickly realized my mini stapler was not long enough to reach, so I pulled out my old stapler from deep within a drawer. (When I say old, I mean old - this thing is full metal and weighs a ton. It was something my mom got to keep when her office closed down back in 1988. What it lacks in style it makes up for in sturdiness. Take it from someone who's had to unclog many staplers over the years at the office, this one works much better and always staple through on the first try! And it had a big-enough bite to reach where I wanted.)
I used the cute paint colors at the top and alternated the orientation to fit more in a tighter space. I added Glossy Accents to the top and also on the top of the brush bristles, to make it appear wet. The DYI I used for the title is also a die-cut from the Ephemera pack. I used stickers to decorate it - a pin, a clip and a button, and I sprinkled additional stickers throughout the page. I love when I'm making a first project with a new collection, when I have every sticker, die-cut and paper available. It's always easier than when you're near the end and have to work around leftovers. On this one, there was no limitation! I like how the layout turned out. The colours are so yummy, I love the sorbet kind of look.
Supplies
Patterned Papers, Stickers and Die-Cuts: Hey Crafty Girl (Simple Stories)
Dies: File Folder Edges Die-namics (My Favorite Things)
Accessories: Stapler; White Wool Trim, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals, Artisan Pearls,
Spiral Border Punch, Black Rhinestone Basic Jewels, 2019-2021 In Color Faceted Dots (Stampin' Up!);
Glossy Accents (Ranger)
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