Spice Up Your Layouts

Kick up your papers, titles and embellishments

The summer heat tends to bring on the doldrums. If you find yourself in a creative rut, try these techniques for spicing up your scrapbooking layouts!

KICK IT UP . . . with paper

ORIGINAL

KICKED UP!

While the original page shows off my photos well, it doesn’t do much to grab attention. The straight lines feel generic, and the colors are bland. In comparison, this second layout boasts a much more exciting backdrop. The curve in the patterned paper provides energy and movement like you would anticipate finding in an aquarium. As a result, the eye immediately follow the main photo through the page to the journaling, title and supporting photos and quickly sees the playful mood of the layout.

KICK IT UP . . . with titles

ORIGINAL

KICKED UP!

While the first layout has a clear title, it doesn’t accurately portray the playfulness in the photos. In this layout, I kicked it up by layering journaling blocks, rub-ons, letter stickers, buttons and chipboard letters. The dimension and added texture give the title a burst of energy and the arrangement improves the overall flow of the page by drawing the eye up through the layout to the title and photos and then off the page.

KICK IT UP . . . with embellishments

ORIGINAL

KICKED UP!

The original layout is nice, but it doesn’t fully capture my daughter’s bright spirit. Plus, the hard lines make it appear static. Creating movement and enhancing a design doesn’t have to be complicated; just repeat similar embellishments around the perimeter of the page as I did. The glittery floral die-cuts and sprinkling of pearls were an easy way to jazz up the original layout. Attaching the die-cuts with adhesive foam adds dimension without distracting from the photos.

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This is an excerpt from Kick it Up!. > Click here to buy the book.

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