She Sews a Fine Seam

Happy 5th Monday, everyone! I'm Sandi of Soft Side of Sandi  (personal blog) and also Stuck on U Sketches  challenge blog. I was so flattered when Sheila asked me to do a Guest Designer spot for her. My approach may be a little less "technical"  than you normally see here at She's a Sassy Lady  ... but I figure that's okay. I mainly do layouts and only a few other types of paper crafting projects as needed. So, I decided I would just walk you through how I usually approach a layout and share my cut file.  First, let me show you the finished product:

My first step in doing a page is to decide upon the photo (or photos) I will use and then to select papers to go with my them. That for me is the hardest part! I love paper and have far too many options! On this page I wanted to keep the photo as a color photo and chose to match my mom's blouse. TIP: When I first began to scrap, I would rely on my Color Wheel quite frequently for assistance. Over time, I use it less and less .. and bend the rules somewhat to meet my needs. But if you are new to paper crafting, I highly recommend using one.  Here's a pic of the papers I chose:

Love using purple and teal together! Today I've used Webster's Pages Shine a Light and Foo on Film, as well as misc cardstock.

Next, I usually select a sketch to go with the number of photos I will be using. I also have a few fall-back sketches memorized that I use when the mood strikes, like with this page. (TIP: There are lots of great sketch sites online.  I have even recently downloaded some sketches to my I-phone from the App store. You may at first feel limited when using a sketch ... until you see how it can improve your results.)  Then I start designing either on my Gypsy or in Design Studio to see if my page elements will fit and look balanced. This was how my page looked in DS:

Here's a few photos of some of the cut elements:

Next, I used my Zutter Distress-it-all to distress my 12x12 paper edges, then inked them with Tim Holtz Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. I normally do more layers on my pages but since I was using a large photomat, a large title and the dressform cut, I decided I would like to stay with one continuous paper.  After distressing my edges and inking them, I adhered the purple paper to black cardstock. TIP:  If you do not have a distressing tool, you can always just use the edge of your scissor blade.

I scanned the photo of my mom and did some photo editing before printing it and adhering it to the photomat which was cut using the Cricut Sentimentals cartridge. TIP: Scan your photos before using them so that you will have digital storage and will not have to use your originals. Before I adhered it to my paper, I assembled my title and the shadow layer using my Zig 2 way pen. Those were cut using the Nursey Rhyme cartridge. Then, after inking my edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Broken China.  I adhered my photo and title to my page, as well as the black corner scrolls which were cut from the Cricut Heritage cartridge.

My dressform was cut multiple times using the Cricut Forever Young cartridge to make it thicker without stopping to cut some chipboard. Then I decorated "her" a bit with some ribbon for her skirt and flat-backed adhesive pearls at her neck. TIP: Foam squares were used on the backside of the dressform to provide some dimension and lift it off the page.

Before placing my flowers on my page, I used Terrifically Tacky Tape along the bottom of my photo and attached some black trim from my stash. Once the flowes were in place, the scissors (also from Sentimentals) were glued to my flower cluster. My flowers are a mix of Prima Guava Peony Etude and Petaloo Chantilly Mixed Blooms in Great. TIP: You could also easily use your favorite hand made paper or fabric flowers.

Lastly, I added some purple crystals to the chandelier, pearls to my photomat and a single Jolee's purple Fluer-di-lis on the right side of my black trim.  I did journal beneath my photo after taking a photo for this tutorial. The crystals and pearls are the Prima E-line variety from my stash. TIP: I use a flat blade like a wallpaper knife to lift my stones from the packaging and to transfer then to my paper. Works great for me!


If you are interested, here is the link to the DS cut file: http://www.box.net/shared/9yv1ntpnti
And here is the link for the Gypsy version of the file: http://www.box.net/shared/2gjydfef51

In closing, I just want to thank Sheila for having me here today.  I hope you enjoyed hearing about how I made my little project! Please let me know if you have any questions.  Sandi