Crate Pixels w/Amy Parker

Hi Everyone!! Amy here, and today I am going to show you how I created the background of my layout here.

I started this layout actually a good while ago, and had to set it aside to complete some other projects. Well, by the time I came back to it, I knew where I was going with it, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember what inspired me to start it!! LOL! Anyone elsehad this happen?! Well it really stinks cause I wanted to be able to explain my thought process, but it just isn’t coming to me anymore. But still I am extremely happy with how this turned out, albeit a more graphic pattern than I am used to doing. I had a lot of fun doing something different though!

When I started this project I knew the color scheme from which I wanted to work off of, and it was actually really awesome how well Crate’s three new releases all worked together to fit the colors from the photos! If you look close you will see that all three lines
are used almost the same amount throughout the whole layout!

I began by cutting out ½ inch squares of all the papers I wanted for my pattern background. There are so many awesome pink colors in all the releases, and I knew I wanted to use all those in a way to make them all shine. I chose to do a pattern that had them fade from dark to light away from the pictures in the center of the layout.

Once I had all my little squares cut, I sorted them into piles by specific pattern, and then how apparent the color was on that piece. So for example, some of little squares from the Peppermint collection are very subtly sprinkled with pink in them, and those went to the far edges of the top and bottom of my page. The more dark and prominent colored squares I moved further towards the photos.

 

Now with the actual placement of these squares, horizontally there is no rhyme or reason. The only thing I wanted to make sure was consistent was their vertical placement. To achieve this I drew lines on my cardstock (VERY LIGHTLY - as I did erase these after my squares were glued). Here is what it looked like before the squares were stuck down.

 

I started a ¼ inch away from each side of my page and just drew ½ inch sections for each
column for the squares to go in. (Now this is something I did not knowing AT ALL how it was going to turn out, or if it was going to at all even, so I lucked out that it all fit!) In between each column I would move my layout over a teensy bit to make a small space between. Once this was all done, I began to carefully glue down the squares, with just teeny bits of glue, not a whole lot, cause we will be sewing over these real soon! When the glue had dried, I erased all the marks, and began sewing with my machine in straight lines down the sides of each square.

 

In the picture above you can see the very top of my hidden journaling card. A hidden journaling card is a great way to incorporate the story behind the picture/memory,without it taking away from the design of the layout. A lot of times I have so much to say that putting all my journaling on the actual layout for all to see would take up more space than I EVER would have room for! So I tend to go with the hidden journaling just cause it works out better for me and my memory keeping.

 

There is the front. And below is the back. LOVE these journaling cards from the Accent Cuts papers!

 

After the little squares are all attached and sewed, then you can start to experiment with embellishments and accents to go around your photos. I did a lot of fussy cutting of some of the gorgeous flowers and added a few punches here and there. Some twine, some canvas, some border stickers and journal spots for the title, and it is all done!

Really hope you enjoyed this, and that it inspired you to create your own background out of your favorite papers as well! Take care! ~Amy

Comments

[Kate Vickers]

Very pretty! I love this idea. Cute pics too!

[Char]

WOW this is soooo creative! I love the design and the pictures....You amaze me all the time! :-)

[Court's Crafts]

GORGEOUS layout, fantastic idea!!!

[Angela Fehr]

Oh, this is so pretty & amazing! I love it!

[jamie]

this layout is wonderful, love that you used sewing on the page and that it looks like a quilt! what an amazing page!

[Julie Tucker-Wolek]

Loveeeeeeeeeee this!! LOVING all the squares and the journaling too! :):):):):):):):):):):)

[Michelle]

Incredibly lovely!!!!

[Natalie Hall]

This is wonderful! Thanks for sharing!!!