Lets Explore / Sheena Rowlands / Small Photos

Hi there Scrap Addicts x Sheena here again.

This month we have been challenged to create using small photos. Generally I tend to scrap with just 1 photo on a layout so I also challenged myself to use more than 1 photo.

Lets Explore.

Once I had decided to scrap photos from a recent road trip to France I printed 5 photos all 2 1/2 inch square, in fact only 4 made it on my page in the end. I keep all my travel themed papers and embellishments together just to make it easy when I scrap. I loved the map paper from Crate Paper Here and There range & had to use it as my base.

Originally I cut my title on the Silhouette with the intention of backing it with patterned papers but I loved the base paper so much I decided to leave the title unfilled but elevated on foam pads.

I gathered my photos plus some papers and postcards to layer with and added them across the bottom of my page & adhered them when I was happy with how they looked. I then added 3 clusters of embellishments plus a few hand written details.

I love how this came together & we would love to see your pages featuring small photos over on our FB page.

Till next time x

Surprise Party | Lisa-Jane Johnson | One 6x4 photo

Hi there scrappers!  It's Lisa-Jane from Pretty My Page here today with my take on the single 6x4 challenge.  I scrap with single 6x4 photos most often because I tend to get them printed in batches.  I just send bulk orders off and then when I have them in my hand I can see if I think they might be better in a different format or perhaps in black and white etc.  Any photos I don't use I can give to my daughter to scrap book and when I'm paying 5p a print I don't really mind not using them all!

For this layout I was trying to use up some of the final precious remains of my Simple Stories Love and Adore collection that I have been using to scrap my surprise 40th birthday party.  I was getting short of larger pieces for backgrounds so I added in this pretty bow paper from a big paper pad onto a frame that I had left over from using the middle section on another layout.  Of course I had to have a border - I always have to have a border at the moment.  

I wanted to try out a new stencil so I added some butterflies to the bottom of where I intended my photo stack to go and some gorgeous script towards the top left.  I love how it adds a subtle layer and a bit of interest.

I tend to shy away from glitter without their being a good reason for it and I kinda think a surprise party is definitely a good enough reason so I embraced the glitter alphabet!  

I mounted my actual photos in fairly plain papers from the paper pad so I wasn't wasting the best patterns under the photo - please tell me I'm not the only one who does this?  That way I could use the dwindling Simple Stories pieces for bigger impact elsewhere.  Some stickers and chipboard from the range, matching enamel dots (they do match, those red ones are actually pink in real life...) and then some vibrant pink twine helped to bring it all together.  I really was led by the pieces I had left over on this layout but I love the way it turned out.  Now it's over to you!

Happy scrapping!

Hello Adventure | Gemma Summers | Journalling

Hello Scrap Addicts!

Gemma here with my layout using our theme for this month ... Journalling.

Journalling is something I have recently been adding to my layouts and I can now see its importance to me, in it helping to record my memories and story. I chose to base this layout on my love for walking and a new hobby, geocaching. 

I started by creating a mixed media background. The inspiration for this came from a rainbow stencil and enamel dots I used from 'Pretty My Page' our sponsor this month!

As I love rainbow colour the rainbow stencil was perfect. I used texture paste through the stencil, then added watercolour paint over the top, blending the colours together. I then sprayed extra water to help the paint run down the page. With my photo being black and white I went for a colourful background and I like the stencil's texture.

Once I had added my photo, the layout came together quite quickly.

All the embellishments I have used came from my 'Mind the Scrap' September subscription scrapbook kit. This included my title of the large 'Heidi Swapp' wood veneer 'Adventure'.

I created 3 clusters which were coloured according to the mixed media behind it, for a tone on tone look. One in pink, blue and yellow, which worked perfectly with the enamel dots. Each cluster also has a star in that colour too.

I always like to do my journalling last and I hand write it.  I added this onto a speech bubble die cut. To continue the colour on colour, I wrote this in pink pen to help it blend in. I like the personal touch the handwriting adds and the coloured pen makes it not too bold.

Don't forget we would love to see your layouts using journalling this month
on Instagram using #ukscrapaddicts

I hope you enjoyed this layout!

Summer Lovin' | Laura Jane Thomson | Clustering

As you have no doubt realised if you have been following our blog and social media, this month our topic is 'Clustering' in scrapbooking - something which I am not totally comfortable with as I never feel that they look the way they should do.  

As crafters we see the work of so many other amazing crafters and it is so easy to compare ourselves, for example I see some scrapbookers who create layouts with the most beautiful clusters at the points where they want to draw your eye around the page so when I create a layout using clusters of embellishments I then look at it and think 'YouTuberA' does it so much better, mine look rubbish in comparison.  

For this months theme I ended up creating three different scrapbook layouts with embellishment clusters before I finished this one that I am remotely happy with - I'm sure if I saw this layout on someone else's blog then I'd no doubt think it was lovely!

When I read through the blog posts and watched the process videos on 'Clusters' by some of the other wonderful UK Scrap Addicts Creative Team, I looked back at this layout and thought the clusters were rather minimal and perhaps not enough but I am quite happy with this layout, as this month is the first I have actively tried to add embellishment clusters to my layout.  

I have only been scrapbooking for ten months and I am still learning so much from fellow crafters, so I know I am nowhere near the level of scrapbooking talent as some of the other incredible people who share their work online, but I also know the progress I have made over the past few months and am slowly accepting that learning these new techniques takes time and to stop expecting instant results.

I would challenge you to try something new or out of your comfort zone the next time you decide to work on some scrapbooking or memory keeping... perhaps clusters are new to you to?  Why not give it a go and share it on our UK Scrap Addicts Facebook page or tag us (#ukscrapaddicts) on all the other social media platforms.  I cannot wait to see your creations. 

Enjoy the rest of your week. 

xx Laura xx

Layout | Jackie Ashton | Clustering

Hi everyone, Jackie here with my layout featuring one simple cluster.  

For my layout this month, I’ve continued with a 9x12 layout that will be included into my Paris album and added a cluster of embellishments to the lower part of my page.  I used this cluster as a place to add  the date and location, as this layout is one of several taken whilst at the Efflel Tower, I didn't add any journalling.

My cluster includes several layers - dollie - tag - vellum - wood veneer - puffy stickers - heart shape, all layered together to make a beautiful cluster on my layout.

Hope you like how I have showed that a little cluster can help bring the page together.

Week in the Life | Michelle Mills (UglyBugPlans) | UK Scrap Addicts | Clustering

Hey UKScrapAddicts, I hope you are well? You probably know by now that this months theme that we are covering is "Clustering" as in the clustering of embellishments. To be honest I wasn't really aware that this was a "thing" I just thought we stuck our embellies where we fancied them but since the topic came up I have been noticing patterns in not only my own layouts but the layouts of other YouTubers  and have noticed a few things:

Most of us work in threes, three colours, three embellishments etc, I'm not sure why but it definitely looks more pleasing to the eye.

We use embellishment clusters to draw our eye to certain points in the photo we are scrapping or to draw our eye around the page of a pocket page layout. If my layouts are quite busy in one area yet lack in another I tend to add an embellishment cluster there to bring your eye to that spot.

For this layout I'm using the last LottieLovesPaper kit, its such a bright and fun kit and the puffy stickers are to die for!

https://youtu.be/hV8B-LWp1n8

I hope you enjoy the video, you can find me over on my blog or YouTube channel and of course I will see you back here the same time next month.

Much love
Michelle xx