Make a Splash with Pops of Black!
Hello, Friends! There is something so striking about black accents on a colorful layout. The pop of black can come in the form of a stamp, paint drops, rub-on's paper. In today's post, we asked...
Layers in Your Memory Keeping
Hello, friends!
Layering is a foundational element in most memory-keeping designs. By adding layers you can create depth and focus to your layout. Layered clustered provide visual interest and can help to tell your story. Today our Memory Keeping Team shares their tips and tricks for adding layers to different layouts.
Traci's pocket pages are brimming with beautifully layered embellishments.
"Hey, Daisies! Today I want to talk about layers in your pocket pages! A lot of crafters look at pocket scrapbooking as a simple formula: 3x4 or 4x6 photo + 3x4 or 4x6 card and call it good. While this works for a lot of people, I actually need a lot more layers to be happy with my pocket pages! My April 2021 Project Life spread uses the Tranquility Collection as a base with pieces from the Poppy Fields and Treetop Canopy collections as accents because the colors all work well together. You can see that not only do I love layering stickers, chipboard, and wood veneer over my photos, I also can't seem to leave a journal card alone and often re-imagine the lovely Cocoa Daisy cards in new ways. I like to think of each pocket as its own mini layout.
Tips for getting the most out of your layered pocket pages?
1) Print your photos smaller than 3x4 and 4x6. I like to print mine at 2.5x3.33 and 3.33x5. This gives you enough room to play in the pocket while not making your photos too small. I often like to go even further and print photos at 2.5x2.5 as well.
2) Think about paper layering FIRST. Often, the paper layers will have to go behind the photo, so think about adding scraps and smaller papers you've already cut into behind your photo as a mat or as an offset accent before you think about what you're putting on top.
3) Use "dead" spaces on your photos as homes for stickers, chipboard, labels, and other accents. This will cover up the less attractive parts of your photo and give you more room for embellishments. It also serves as a way to easily frame exactly where you want your viewer to be looking in the photo.
4) Think outside the box when it comes to your journaling cards! You'll often find that sentiment cards have a ton of excess space you can cut off and then use as a jumping-off point for making a layered card. If you have a journaling card that DOESN'T have enough space to trim, what can you add on top of the card without trimming it? I hope this helps you get started adding more dimension to YOUR pockets!" So many great tips for adding layers to your pocket cards, tips that work well for all forms of memory keeping.
Evy loves adding layers to her Simple Dori Spreads.
"Layers in a TN? Why not? If you look at each of my projects there are always layers of embellishments. I realized this by looking at my gallery of completed projects. I like overlapping different embellishments because it makes a project even more particular and more personal.
If you look at the detail on the photo you will find a washi strip, a sticker, and a piece of chipboard. The washi from the Tranquility Travelers Notebook Memory Keeping Kit has the same pattern as the patterned paper. The sticker is the same color as the one used in the title and the chipboard is like a small title. Between the sticker and the chipboard, I also included rub-ons to give movement and mimic the pops of black on the other page. I loved that in a very little space, I created a small project within the project, don't you think?
Also in the title, I played with layering with items from the Tranquility Modern Memory Keeping Kit: stickers, rub-ons, and stamps as the background for the puffy-alpha-stickers combo. Each element of my layering has a meaning and allows me to give a sense of movement to projects using little space."
Odessa likes to use paper, die cuts, stickers, and rub ons to create layers on her spreads.
"When I hear the word layer, I start ripping paper and piling it on top of more torn paper. So that’s where I started for this Simple Dori spread using the Tranquility Collection. I used a few different cardstock patterns from the kits torn at different angles and layered on top of each other for the background. I kept them all in the green-blue colour family. I felt like things might look busy and this way it wouldn’t be too distracting. I love those extra-large folded cardstock sheets that come in the Tranquility Classified: Memory Keeping Kit. I used one as the background, and cut it down to the size of the spread so I could work on it as one big page. I can either stick it in my Simple Dori insert later or slice it down the middle and attach it in with adhesive or washi. It really is like a mini scrapbook layout this way.
Once I laid down and secured my background I added in my photo on a crisp white mat using the white cardstock from the Tranquility Modern Memory Keeping Kit. Then the magic starts.... all the embellishments! Since I’m most likely putting this in my Simple Dori,  I kept it on the flatter side. I pulled out die cuts from a few different kits: Modern Memory Keeping Kit, Planner Add on Kit, Travelers Notebook Memory Keeping Kit, and the Classified: Memory Keeping Kit. I moved them around on the page, deciding to keep it above the bottom torn cardstock for some visual impact. Once I played with the die cuts enough I went in and filled it in with stickers and rub ons from the same kits. I was going for a collage, art journaling feel using only alpha stickers and die cuts and it turned out pretty good! I added some of the black patterned rubs ons to give it a bit of a mixed media feel.
Finally, I tucked a little butterfly die-cut into one of the lower layers beneath the photo to give the eye a diagonal line to follow from it to the cute moth in the other corner. It’s a nice little touch that adds a cute little sketchy detail that amps up that collage feel."
Do you love layers in your layouts, too? Share with us your lovely layers by tagging @cocoa_daisy on social media or posting to the Cocoa Daisy Fan Page.
Best,
Rachel, Memory Keeping Team Blog Coordinator
