Crate Paper's trendy CP Gal, Maria Lacuesta, is highlighting a two-page spread using a streamlined memory keeping system that makes scrapbooking everyday adventures a breeze. There's even a bit of Maggie Holmes' Confetti as an added bonus–come check out this fabulous duo set-up!
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This week, I'm going back in time and documenting a fun trip to New York I took in the summer of 2013. I plan to devote multiple spreads in my 6" x 8" album to this memory and these two pages will serve as an introduction to the rest of my photos from the trip.
It took a long time for me to finally find a memory keeping system that I could actually keep up with and pocket pages have really helped to stream line my work flow. I've always been drawn to grids, collecting memorabilia, and documenting everyday moments, so my attraction to pocket pages was no surprise. But really, the best thing about this memory keeping system is how fast and easy layouts come together. Now that I have a rhythm with my scrapbooking, I can revisit unfinished albums and continue working on them.
These two pages came together really quickly because as I've mentioned, I've been able to stream line my process. I definitely like trying new things, but at the same time, I have favorite techniques that I incorporate into almost all of my layouts. This helps me maintain a comfortable work flow and put together layouts really quickly. Practice makes perfect!
First, I gathered up my supplies. If you're anything like me, you have a ton of supplies and I like to limit my options at the beginning of my creative process, otherwise, I tend to get overwhelmed. This week, I was dying to work with the Confetti collection by Maggie Holmes. I'm absolutely in love with all of the patterns and embellishments and I know I'll be able to use it on all sorts of different projects.
Then, I thought about what photos I wanted to use and made a rough sketch of my layout. I decided to go with a full page photo, one of my favorite compositions in my albums. Next, I did some editing in Photoshop and I printed my photo at home using my Canon Pixma iX6580. I decided to go light with my embellishing and simply added some text right onto my photo, another technique you'll see again and again in my work. For this page, I used the really great foam Thickers in the Confetti collection.
On the opposite side, I layered a PP with a grid of 2" x 2" pockets over another full page pocket, but this time, I decided to use a fun patterned paper from the Confetti collection instead of a photo. In the small pockets, I added some playful embellishments and I thought the dotted stripes of the patterned paper added interest to my layout without becoming too busy or distracting. All of the embellishments lay securely in the small pockets except for that cute little Ampersand chip, so I quickly stitched the opening closed with my sewing machine.
When working with see-through compositions in my pocket pages, I always try to make sure the backside of my pages remain cohesive to the layout. In other words, I wanted to make sure my page of embellishments looked good layered over my large photo when I flipped the page. And finally, as a finishing touch, I added the "remember" sticker, keeping things simple, but still interesting.
In the end, I loved how the pages turned out and I didn't have to spend a lot of time on them. I find that working on my albums in small, manageable chunks keeps things fresh and I stay motivated and creative. One of the most important lessons I've learned as I've developed my work flow is that just because I keep things simple that doesn't mean I can't add touches that still create a lot of impact.
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