CP Simply Pale: A Day at the Beach w/Open Road - Naomi Atkins

Here with more of this month's "CP Simply Pale" feature and an Open Road invitation to Florida is CP Gal, Naomi Atkins....

Hello Crate Paper fans! I was really excited to take on this assignment given that it is way out of my comfort zone! I have been feeling in a bit of a design rut, and this turned out to be exactly what I needed!

Most of you know that I usually scrapbook with a lot of bold color and large photos. I decided that I was going to have to do things differently, and I had several smaller, softer photos that I wanted to use. I ended up using a grid design for my layout because I do like to keep my layouts pretty linear. I had several light colored design elements that I wanted to use as well.

My first instinct, as I was pulling out everything 'pale', was to still grab lots of color. However, as I put things together, I decided I wanted to stick with one color scheme to make the design flow better for me. I had these light colored, beachy photos from our recent trip to Florida and I knew that was what I wanted to use.

The new Open Road collection is highly versatile. It's one of the most versatile collections that I have seen in a long time. The most amazing, eclectic variety of vintage florals, retro colors, and beachy and travel elements, all mixed in one gorgeous collection!

One of my favorite papers in the collection is a white brick paper which made for a perfect background. I arranged and rearranged until I was happy with how things looked. I then added the embellishments I had chosen in random spots, and sewed down my background papers in a quilt–like fashion (I do that a lot!).

I had these very pale yellow/cream Thickers, which I really wanted to use as well. I knew I preferred them to say "Remember"...because as I was taking the photo of my feet, I made a conscious effort to think about how relaxed I was at that very second. After returning home and when things got stressful again, I took the photo out and 'remembered' how amazing that moment had felt. It is the screen saver on my computer.

The beautiful pale colors really went well with the theme of my layout — I'm so glad that I was "forced" to stay neutral as I was very happy with the result! The final addition was a piece of white lace trim I had picked up at Hobby Lobby, and some buttons I had in my stash.

I had some leftover pieces that I had cut and was originally going to use, but skipped over them in the end. Since I already had the papers pulled and trimmed, I decided to make a quick card out of them. For those of you who like card making, this is a great way to make and have a handmade card whenever you need one! When I have my supplies out, I always have leftover pieces sitting around. So, I try to whip up a card from them — having an extra card on hand is always a bonus!

I hope you are inspired to step outside your comfort zone and try something new. Also, make sure to scope out the new "Open Road"! There is a little something there for everyone, and for every possible Summer adventure!