"Sweet"- a simple layout by Lynne

Hi crafty friends! Papercrafting has grown and changed so much over the past few years, and sometimes it seems  that complicated and time-consuming projects are in the spotlight; you know the ones you look at and think, " I could never DO that!!" ( I know I think that quite often!) Well, this page focuses on simple ways to use Gypsy Soul chipboard and has no complicated techniques, but I still love how it came out!

The paper I used was Blue Fern Studio Seaside Cottage-the colours worked so well with my photo, but since this is not a beach-themed page, there were elements in the left lower corner that didn't suit my page....so I just tore off both corners, inked the rough edge, and added some coordinating paper....and a couple diecut pawprints.

I matted the photo and cut two more rectagular pieces from another sheet and created a layered mat for the cute photo of my cat Honey (she very seldom isn't running around getting into trouble, so I was happy to get this shot!) The edges were all distressed and inked as well. I have a distressing tool, but usually just do it with scissors-either works great, but if you use scissors, rub the blade along the paper gently so as not to gouge into it, unless that's the effect you want.

I stenciled pawprints here and there and also used punchinella to create the spotted pattern on my page...I find pigment inks the easiest to use this way, as they have the foamy pad that rubs smoothly across the stencil.

This photo shows  my homemade flowers, which were made with a flower punch, then crumpled, inked and layered. And nothing is easier than adding naked chipboard to your project-that's right, I did NOTHING to these fern pieces!! I thought the natural colour went well with the colours on my page.

The danglers were heat-embossed, and I knew this embossing enamel had really good coverage, so I didn't prime them before adding it-I just rubbed them onto the Versamark pad, then made sure they were well-coated with the embossing enamel, and finished with the heat tool. The ivory colour with the gold flecks inspired my choice of brads for the flowers as well.

I wanted the title piece to look different from the danglers, so I painted it with dusty blue acrylic paint, then sponged it with sage green paint. You also get a closer look at the punchinella stencilling in this photo

I added a twine bow to the word dangler and stapled some twine above the photo for added texture; a page like this can be done in one crafting session, and goes together even easier with purchased flowers; I just enjoy making them because then I know they coordinate perfectly and don't have to pull out every flower I own to see if they match (or go shopping for flowers that match, although that can be a fun excuse to hit the craft store!!)

I hope you enjoyed my page and that, if you find complicated projects intimidating, the simplicity of this will inspire you to grab some supplies today and put together a page! Crafty hugs from me and sweet little Honey!!

GYPSY SOUL ITEMS USED

String Alongs-cats
Words & Phrases 2
Fern Fronds

OTHER ITEMS USED

Blue Fern papers, Seaside Cottage
Colorbox Mixed Media Ink-Honey
Ranger Distress Ink-Bundled Sage
acrylic paints
Stampendous embossing enamel-Aged Ivory
Versamark ink