Things that Matter: layout share

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Altenew: A Year In Review Blog Hop + Giveaway

Hey friends! Today I get to share something fun with you - my favorite Altenew projects from 2019! There were so many to choose from and I had a hard time narrowing it down. As I was deciding, I realized that some of them are my faves because of the photos. So here they are, in no particular order!

Sweet Boy

This layout uses the Build-A-Flower Hellebore stamp set, which is absolutely gorgeous. This photo of my daughter and nephew is so sweet.

Eighth Grade Cutie

Love flowers. So much. This layout features some awesome open line stamps from the Flower Garden Stamp Set that I colored in with the 36-Pan Watercolor Set. Love it.

Still Close

This is a layout I created before I was on the design team, but I love it just the same. I created the background with some Altenew Embossing Paste and the flowers came from the Botanical Rhapsody Washi Tape. The tape is black and white, so it's great to layer on patterned paper. I used the Alluring Blooms 6x6 Paper Pack and it looks awesome!

The Woods

This one is a fave because of the photos and I used the Poppy Garden Stamp Set + 36-Pan Watercolor Set for the florals. I also love the softness of the vellum butterflies from the Mix & Match Mariposa Die Set.

Sending Love Card

Although I'm on the Scrapbook Design Team, I enjoy making cards too. I totally loved creating this one using the Color Wheel Die with the new Metallic Watercolors that Altenew released this year. Anything rainbow is good with me!

Hello Layout + Cards

This one is kind of cheating, because it's multiple projects, but I can't help it. I am obsessed with this color scheme and had fun creating a die cut inlay on the background of my layout with the Wavy Outline Dies. I used the leftovers to create two cards and I love them too!

There are lots more projects I could share, but I won't overwhelm you because now it's time to hop along to the other creators taking part in this blog hop. So much inspiration to be seen!

Before you head out, Altenew is giving away a $30 gift certificate to 6 lucky winners! Please leave a comment on the Altenew Card Blog and/or Altenew Scrapbook Blog by 01/03/2020 for a chance to win. Random winners will also be chosen to win a $15 gift certificate from the comments left on each stop on the hop. All winners will be announced on the Altenew blogs on 01/06/2020.

Jen Schow **YOU ARE HERE**

Altenew Scrapbook Blog

Thanks so much for stopping by!

SUPPLIES

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

10 Tips for Scrapbooking with Scraps

Hey friends! I have been having a major love affair with my patterned paper scraps - I can't stop making layouts. And that's always a good thing, especially since I feel like my mojo has been lacking lately.

A few weeks ago, Use It or Lose It Episode 14 focused on using paper scraps and today, I posted a video sharing seven more layouts! Seriously. Can't stop, won't stop.

I shared 10 tips for using scraps over in my Crafty Use It or Lose It Facebook group the other day and thought I would post them here as well so they have a more permanent home. I've added photos of my "scrappy" layouts throughout, so enjoy!

1. Choose a photo that will stand out against your busy background. A photo with few colors, a black and white photo, or a photo with a lot of open space (or white space) work berst. If you want to choose a colorful photo, consider opting for lots of neutral layers or a monochromatic color scheme.

2. Make sure your eye is drawn to the subject matter. On this layout, I chose a photo with lots of white space, which naturally draws the eye, but I also added an arrow pointing to my daughters face and put the title on top of it.

3. Start with your larger scraps, add your photo, and then layer smaller scraps. It's just so much easier this way! Make sure to use a variety of patterns in different scales. Use some that are very saturated in color, and some that have light colored backgrounds. Distribute the colors around in your layers so that your layout doesn't get lopsided with "visual weight", unless that's what you're going for because we all know that rules are meant to be broken, right?

4. When layering your papers, make sure that none of the edges line up. It makes for a much more interesting and eye-pleasing composition. If you look at the layers on my layout, you'll see that I have corners of papers nestling into each other and tiny edges of papers peeking through.

5. Leave in some of the rips, tears, punches, and uneven edges. Again, it just makes it more interesting. Look for ways you can incorporate it into your design. I love little details like that. Also, consider adding in vellum or transparencies. When you add these specialty papers over your layers, you get a cool peek-a-boo effect.

6. Add in something curvy to offset all of those square edges. Your layout can get looking really boxy and I find that adding in icons or embellishments with a different shape really helps. I love using circles, hearts, and flowers. Always flowers.

8. Line things up by color. You'll find you can add in scraps in various styles and make them look good together by simply sorting them into rainbow order and lining them up. Adhere embellishments by color as well to add interest without overwhelm.

9. Add a few embellishments that will change things up a bit. Paper on paper on paper can definitely work, but it's nice to bring in another texture whether it be puffy stickers, stitching, wood veneer, or enamel dots.

10. Use a bunch of one shape. Whether you create a grid style layout (like the one above) or go crazy with a shape like I did below, this is a great way to use up your scraps. Grab your punches or dies and go to town!

I hope those tips have been helpful! I would love to see what you create using your scraps. Join the Facebook group to be inspired and inspire others - I also do giveaways and live videos there too, so you won't want to miss it. :)

Please let me know if you have any questions and I hope to see you again soon!

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