Playing with Paper Blocking on a Layout

I've been hoarding the awesome and huge wood veneer framework heart from Maggie Holmes' Confetti Collection. I wish I had another one, so many fun things you can do with it!
I've also been holding onto a couple pieces of patterned paper from Studio Calico one by Ashley Goldberg (A FAV!) and another one, a cute little cactus pattern from the Fairground Scrapbook kit. I knew I wanted to use those three things in a layout. They had been sitting on my desk, staring at me whenever I walked in. So I decided to tackle it. These days it's all I can do sometimes to muster up enough energy for creative time once the girls are tucked in and my evening chores are done.
I'm always happy when I get a 5th wind ;)

I took a few classes a few months back at the Crop & Create Calgary event that Scrapbook & Cards Today hosted. Awesome event by the way!! (If you're interested, it's already booked for 2017 at The Carriage House Inn) Jodi Sanford, owner of Fancy Pants Designs, was teaching one of the classes that I took. Now this may seem silly or small to some, but this honestly has been the biggest AHA moment in a really long time for me in memory keeping. She had printed her photos for the mini album that we were making on matte photo paper. AHA! Why have I never done that. Or why haven't I noticed how gorgeous it is until now? HOOKED! It became my new obsession overnight, I literally went home and printed until all hours of the night! Thanks again Jodi, you may have changed my life!  I luckily already had a pack of the Epson Presentation Paper Matte Finish at home. So I printed the night away :) Black & White photos printed on Matte super gorgeously smooth and thick card stock *in loooove*. So, I also wanted to use a large photo that I printed of Milly on Sally (her favourite horse) on the layout.

Now that I've rambled on and on here are some of the photos I took of the page.

I'll include some simple steps of how my layout came together. I had high hopes that this would be a quick page. FYI, it was not. But I love it!! I just couldn't decide on the papers, or which photo to use. Often a hang up for me, I just want to scrap all the photos! Please feel free to copy my colour scheme if you'd like to make a similar layout but a little quicker.

How it all came together. When I started this page I had my mom print me out a 12 x12 photo that I was going to trim down to fit the really wide strip in the frame. I had the photo that I ended up using on my desk and last minute switched my plan to have it fill the left half of the frame. I use the tombow glue very sparingly on the back of that side of the frame and glued it onto the photo. Once it dried enough I used my craft knife to trim the edge of the photo, using my self healing mat. Be sure to remove all papers from the mat before you start trimming, I allllmost trimmed it laying on top of my coveted criss cross paper! yikes. Then choose the papers that you want to use to fill the other spaces. This is what took me the longest. I wanted to use all the papers! When I use multiple colours on a layout I try to balance them on the page by using an invisible triangle, see how the yellow pops make a triangle? Not all of them have to do this but it does create cohesion if you do this rather than having a mish mash of different coloured products all over your page. I also like to have something small in opposites corners of the page to bring the eye all the way across the page. You could also just leave that step out, if you want a cleaner look or perhaps you want to frame your layout. Ikea used to have thee best frames for framing 12 x 12 layouts, I'm so sad they discontinued it! It was a thicker white frame with rounded corners and a white mat. I have one layout hanging in the hall in it and I so wish I had more! Once you have all the little bits where you want them, take a quick photo of everything so you remember where to put it once you've finished all the glueing of the paper. Now start at the bottom of the frame and glue the smallest piece of paper on making sure to overlap the photo a little. trim the excess and repeat. I left the one spot open to show the background paper through, I felt like it needed that. You can totally fill it with paper or even a solid colour of card stock. Once you've finished that, adhere all the embellishments. I used foam pop dots on the M and the cactus to give the page a little more dimension. Keep in mind where you think your page will be ending up. Don't give it too much extra dimension if you plan on keeping it in an album. I plan on hanging it on a wall in my studio!

Because I love the dimension in my layouts here are a few photos to try to showcase that. It's so hard to capture a page in a photo, I wish you could see it in real life! :)

If you liked this little page tutorial let me know! I have been working on a little scrappy class to offer full of all sorts of fun techniques you can use on any scrapbooking page, on a card, in a mini album or  even for some DIY wall art in your home. It's a pretty in depth class so my goal is to have it ready for beginning or end of August. Pretty excited about it, I'll keep you posted on the progress and give a few sneak peaks soon :)

Thanks for visiting my little blog and have a happy Monday!

Links + descriptions to supplies used (I've done my best at finding resources but some supplies are no longer available):
Vintage Sassafras (vintage blur rose paper) "Mix and Mend" wee bundle (thats what its called to a T, man I miss that Co.)
Twine + Ink puffy stickers (past Studio Calico kit)
Big Picture Classes white tags (Similar here)
Ali Edwards "Click" kit (current Kit)
Ashley G yellow with polka dots paper (past Studio Calico kit)
Pink Horse Paper Dear Lizzy (Lucky Charm Collection)
Small floral paper (old Studio Calico kit)
labels - current print and cut labels from Studio Calico
Date Stamp - Heidi Swapp
Star veneer - Studio Calico
"M" Pink Paislee
Tombo Mono Liquid Glue
Maggie Holmes by Crate Paper Heart Framework
Horse (from a lady named Debbie)
Vintage ticket (past Studio Calico kit) similar here 
Cactus is from the Honey I'm Home by WeR Memory Keepers 
Yellow felt heart is in the Wonder ephemera kit by Crate Paper
Tim Holtz mini stapler
Printer I use is a Canon Pixma (love!) my favourite tool by far!