Eniko's Playhouse

Graphic 45 Papers...a Thrilling Challenge to Work With

I've been hoarding Graphic 45's Once Upon a Springtime paper collection for some time now. I knew that once I got around to scrapbooking my sister Ildi's fairytale wedding, those adorable fairy images would come in handy...and indeed they did.

Ildi was already in her early 50's when she met her prince and decided to wed, in 2006, so you can imagine that I was quite taken aback when she announced that she was going to have a "Fairy Wedding." But I suppose if the guy you love makes you feel like a fairy princess...what's age got to do with it? Here's Ildi with her beloved Erick on their special day:
I've never seen a more gloriously joyful, excuberant, beaming bride! Ildi and Erick had been both married before, but this time it was different. They found in each other some little piece that was missing in themselves. At the risk of being cliche...they complete each other...and in fact, this really was a fairytale come true for both of them.

As my wedding gift to the couple, I offered to make the wedding cake. I sculpted the cake topper in their likeness (as close as I could get in miniature) of the bride and groom, depicting them as fairies.

Funny, now I see butterfly wings wherever I go...scrapbook stores and craft stores seem to be filled with them. But at the time, here in early October of 2006, it was virtually impossible to find the props I needed to bring my vision to fruition. At last I found some wings!

The cake was a simple little 3-tier... I don't remember now what flavor or what icing, but it was abundantly adorned with painstakingly made meringue mushrooms and marzipan acorns and autumn leaves (thank you, Laura Beckman -once my protogee & today the executive pastry chef at The Black Dog- for your help). The wedding cake needed to be as magical as the wedding...

Here I am putting the final touches on the "Fairy Cake":
And here is a close-up of the finished woodland fairy cake masterpiece:
So I finally got around to creating some scrapbooking layouts of this fun-filled wedding. As a member of the Design team at Let's Scrap, one of my duties is to create layouts inpired by specific scrapbook sketches posted on the site. For this particular challenge, this was our "blueprint' if you will": 

Interpreting scrapbooking sketches can be tricky business. At first glance, one might think that this design would be best applied to a children's layout, because of the "cutesy" graphics, but it is important to look past the obvious. The graphics need to be translated into mere elements...they can become an embellishment, a journaling block, or a photograph, for example. I decided to not flip or alter the design of the sketch this time...I thought it would serve my layout well as is, but how to use the fairy paper from Graphic 45? -That became my greatest challenge in scrapbooking the story of the "Fairy Cake".

Graphic 45 papers are very colorful and covered with patterns and images. One of my fellow scrappers commented, "I have G45 papers, and I take them out and look at them, and think how beautiful they are, and then I put them back, not quite knowing what to do with them." I knew just what she meant. Combining busy patterns is not only tricky, but can be outright frightening. "What if it ends up looking like a cluttered mess?"

Since I am a follower of Nathalie's Studio and Balter Designs & have taken their "Second Floor Challenge" -meant to inspire artists to push their boundaries (this week's challenge was to "use something from your supplies that you haven't used before") -so I decided to set aside my fears of "cluttering up" my layout and I started pairing the Once Upon a Springtime papers with wild abandon. Using the assigned sketch as a framework, and photos of the wedding cake at Ildi's wedding as the theme, this is what I created:
The experience was thrilling. At first, the fear of messing-up was palpable, but as I took risk after risk, grouping patterns that I would not normally put together, I began to feel that joy of creation that we, as artists, strive for. The beauty of the color combinations began to dominate over the fear of mixing patterns. I decided to use a cut-out of the cake itself as the embellishment in the lower left-hand corner (where the cutesy graphic of the boy is in the sketch):
I added two fairy tags in place of the cloud (and attached some sparkly metallic fiber for extra magic):
And I placed a pair of G45 "postcards" where the image of the sun is suggested and used one as my journaling block. (The image of the little fairy with the frog is an inside joke...Ildi has a small collection of frogs with crowns on their heads...sort of a reminder of how many frogs one must sometimes kiss before finding her prince at last):
Truthfully, I was still a little scared as I uploaded the layout to the Let's Scrap Gallery, wondering if my colleagues would find it "too busy". But as soon as it was posted, the accolades started pouring in...everyone loved it! ...And even more importantly, I loved it, too...as much for the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, as for the joy of the finished product.

Go ahead...step out of that comfort zone...you might just love it out there!

Hugs, Enikö

More Art-Cards: Card-making with an Artistic Flair

So the fabulous month-long Let's Scrap Blog Hop is over and I am in card-making withdrawal. I managed to juggle a busy work schedule, Valentine's weekend, an Academy Awards Party, doctor's appointments & all the other trappings of life and somehow squeezed out enough time to complete 18 cards. -Not much to boast about considering that so many others made the maximum 50 cards that were offered up in inspirational sketches on the various stops on the Hop, but honestly, I had a ball and am very proud of the artistic flair I gave my humble 18. I thought it would be fun to share some cards, along with the sketches that inspired them. This is one of my favorites. I made this card for my dear friend, Annelle (a very talented Penny Rug designer), who cared for my children during my Newport restaurant days, and played jazz for them every night during dinner. She and I enjoyed several Newport Jazz Festivals together, and this card plays tribute to those days. So this sketch, created by Debby D. of Let's Scrap was the one that inspired the layout for the card. Just to share the thought-process with you... First, I found the fabulous image of the jazz singer and the jazz musicians in the Curtain Call collection of the wonderful scrapbooking paper company, Graphic 45 and gathered all of the other elements that I planned to use.

I'm not sure what made me think of the sentiment, but Annelle is a highly spiritual person, and her heart is abundant with love, and she surrounds herself with music, so it fit: "Love is the Music of the Soul". I cut that out of red paper with my Cricket die-cutting machine. I also knew that it would make a stunning statement if I colored the songstress's lips in bright red glitter...it would emphasize the passion in her heart and add drama to the card. It was close to Valentine's Day, so adding the heart was a no-brainer. I covered that with the same red glitter, as well as the heart-shaped pin...and voila!

I guess my initial inspiration comes from the graphic images I find in my stash of scrapbooking supplies (that, or a great sentiment I might come across). It is only after I have an image in mind that I match it with a card sketch that will lead me in the direction of the final layout...at least that's how I operated during the February Blog Hop. This next card is a great example of that. I found a unique graphic of a bird flying over a botanical image (from Graphic 45's Botanicabella collection) and it just fit a quote that I particularly liked. "Nothing is too Wonderful to be Real"...isn't that the loveliest sentiment ever?

So I matched the idea to the sketch you see here on the left. There are no strict rules when it comes to sketch inspirations...the only rule is to use the sketch design as a guideline for the layout. The design can be flipped, inverted or altered in any way that suits the user. As you can see, I only used one sentiment, instead of the suggested three, but I used the idea of the three identical shapes (though in different proportions) in my design. I also raised the three square shapes on pop-dots to add interest and dimension.
An interesting note about turning accidents into positive elements: The cool printed tissue tape on the far left was added because the card tore at the crease when I scored it a bit over-exuberantly. Also, the tear above the sentiment was originally not intentional -it was simply an accident. I decided that instead of trimming it straight, I would emphasize the tear by inking it. I then inked all my edges for balance and consitancy. -Often it's the "oops"-s of a project that will end up giving it depth and character. I really love the way this card turned out, don't you?

Cassie, if you're reading this...this card was inspired by you. Cassie has decided that she's had enough of Boston winter and has booked a flight to the Caribbean to get some "beach time". I've been dieing to make something with Graphic 45's Travelogue collection (which I won in as blog candy a couple of months ago) so it was the perfect motivation in combination with this card sketch:

The sketch is simple, which I love...it allows for creative tweaking & interpretation. (Incidentally, these were concerns when I first entered into "sketch" territory...I was afraid that using another's sketch for inspiration, or guidelines, or design, would somehow impair my own artistic sensibility or creativity. -But what I found was that it pushed me, instead, in areas of creativity that I may have otherwise not entered into and challenged me in ways that pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to see beyond my own limitations.)

So I picked my background paper and  my graphic image...the sentiment was easy...the word "BEACH" said it all. I also wanted to add the lacey element that appeared on the sketch without being too "girlie" (which Cassie is not), so I simply used a paper punch to "imitate" the lace in the sketch. The only tricky piece was the "fussy cutting" of the Bird of Paradise flower that I thought the card needed for color balance. What do you think?
I just love the colors and the textures and even the simplicity of this card.

I will end this post with my Oscar Party invitation. (I will post more cards really soon...I promise). Many of you know what an avid movie-buff I am. -Not sure why that is, but I LOVE the cinema! Every year I host an Oscar Party for my like-minded movie-loving friends. This year, my favorite movie was Hugo, by Martin Scorsese. I had a feeling that Hugo would do well at the Academy Awards, but that more than likely The Artist would win the coveted golden trophy (which is exactly what ended up happening). This following card, inspired by the sketch on the left, was a tribute to the silent era of Hollywood, as well as to these two amazing movies that honored it.

The images are, again, from Graphic 45 (it just so happens that their papers are exceptionally artistic and I find myself being highly inspired by them). The graphics I used were from the Curtain Call collection...the central image of the moon is one you might remember from Georges Mellie's movie, "La Voyage du la Lune"...and featured in Hugo. The filmstrip images of silent movie stars was a respectful nod, on my part, to the theme of The Artist. The image of the watch is also reminiscent of Hugo's theme. (It's fun to scroll back & forth between the sketch & the finished card to see what elements were adapted in what way.) -I think you'll love this:

So I think I will pause now & announce the winner of the LEAP 46 Blog Hop Candy. Here's Jim, pulling the winning name out of a hat:

And the winner is...(drum roll, please)...

CATHY!

Congratulations, Cathy! Please leave your address on the Let's Scrap website, or email it to me directly, and I will send the goodies right out to you.

More cards in my next post, stay tuned...

Hugs, Enikö

Girlfriends...Those Irreplacable Gems in Our Lives

Girlfriends! -I shudder to think how we would get through life without them...without their love, support, encouragement, and just plain silly laughter. You've seen some of my fabulous girlfriends on my scrapbook pages...here's a little nugget of why I think they're so very fabulous. Check out this hilarious & touching tribute on Susan Branch's blog about her friendship with the enchanting Margot Datz.

Just click here to view:

Susan Branch Blog

(hand-painted & copyrighted by Susan Branch)

If you're not already a follower of Sue's, you should be...her hand-written & illustrated cookbooks and calendars are sheer delight (she's written 14 books!) and her astounding hostessing skills have advanced her to "Domestic Goddess" status nation-wide.

Margot's amazing artwork can be viewed on her website, and her book, A Survival Guide For Landlocked Mermaids, is a must-read for all women -a beautiful gift for girlfriends. (Signed copies are available through Bunch of Grapes Bookstore on Martha's Vineyard.)

Here's how I attempted to capture Margot's spirit on a scrapbook page:
...and this is how I honored the lovely Susan Branch in our buddy Jaime's Memory Book -Sue hand-wrote the beautiful "Jaime's Recipe for a Happy Life":                  (double click to view in larger size) 
Incidentally, both layouts above feature papers from fabulous Graphic 45.

Thank you for letting me share this wonderful part of my life with you...

Hugs, Enikö

 

An Altered Print Tray Evolves Into a Personal Altar

I've been wanting to use a print tray in an art project for quite some time, but didn't quite know where to begin. When Featherstone Center for the Arts placed a call to all local artists to participate in their "The Art of the Personal Altar" exhibit, it was just the inspiration I needed.  I purchased an antique Hamilton print tray on Ebay, and began to reflect on my journey through life. What has made me who I am today? What moves me? What fills my heart and gives me joy? What guides me through life spiritually? 
This is what the print tray looked like when I unpacked it. I loved that the partitions were different sizes & I proceeded to make templates out of scrap cardstock that would fit into the different compartments so that my background papers would fit well.
Next, I went through my stash of scrapbooking papers & set aside images that represented me or that would serve as good backgrounds for the items that I wanted to display. Then I gathered memorabilia and objects that inspired me, told my story, or made me smile.
The rest was an organic process. I decided that my piece would be titled "Journey" and my intention was to honor the journey of my life thus far. This Personal Altar would be a creative expression that would hang on my studio wall as a reminder of who I am, what fills my soul, and what connects me with the world around me. Papers were inked and adhered with Mod Podge; items were aged with paint or ink, as needed, before gluing down, mostly with Glue Dots.
The upper right hand corner displays The Little Prince, the charmingly profound little book that my oldest brother gifted me -a book that helped shape the young woman who has grown into who I am today. The background behind the figure is from the first visual-effects movie ever made & represents the beginnings of the technology that governs our life today. The images to the left of it represent my life on Martha's Vineyard...the Flying Horses Carousel that I have enjoyed with my sons and grandson, the strength of womanhood & the everlasting friendships that I forged on the island. Below the image of the prince, you will notice an ancient map of Hungary, my birthplace. The metal tag on it reads "Family" and the miniature potted plant represents the transplanting of the Farkas family as well as my dad's love of plants...something that that he passed on to my sister and me. The image of the tight-rope walker with the parasol (by Graphic 45) represents my playfulness, my fondness of New Orleans, & the fine line I have always traversed in my adult life as I "soar" fearlessly through it all. The next compartments symbolize "The Playground of the World"...my love of daring & risky endeavors & also the amusement park that was the location of my first date with my first lover, now my ex-husband.
The upper left-hand corner of the piece is about the immergence of the adult me and the formulation of all my loves. Paris...travel...appreciation of good wine and good food. The romantic dreams of the little girl (represented by the tiny photo tucked among the star-filled sky) grew into fearlessness in love and business. The tiny bircage hanging above the tiny cluster of plants & flowers represents my first business "Plants of a Feather", in which I sold plants & birds on Providence, RI's Eastside.
The lower right hand side of the print tray shows a map of the United States emblazoned with the banner that spells "Freedom". In front of the map, I've placed significant paraphernalia of the time: the iconic Life magazine with the Beatles on the front cover, the "Kennedy for President" button & the miniature American Dictionary. Together, they depict the flight to freedom & the scramble to learn the English language and to embrace the American lifestyle. The seashells near the bottom represent the desire to be near the ocean, and the drawing of restaurant clients underneath the words "Laugh" and "Play" give a nod to the many years devoted to the hospitality industry (but with a tongue-in-cheek smile). The Newport, R.I. years are noted by a poem, "The Blessing of the Boats" by Lucille Clifton, with an image of the Newport Bridge & metal music notes representing the Newport Jazz & Folk Festivals and the countless classical concerts I attended at the mansions during those years.
The lower left of the print tray portrays my love of the cinema, the Academy Awards, Hollywood, Barbie collecting, and creative writing. The little baby with the blue diaper represents motherhood & the Budha with the flowers is a nod to Herman Hesse's Sidhartha, which had a significant influence on the evolution of my spirituality, as did my Catholic upbringing, which is evident in the tiny blessed "Virgin Mary" pendants purchased at the Vatican in Rome.
Here I am standing next to both of my pieces at the show. The Alice in Wonderland-themed tableaux, titled "We Thought You'd Never Come" is a whimsical shrine to the magic of childhood fantasy. You may see more of that piece, as well as some of my other dioramas in an earlier blog post by clicking (here).

I love that the print tray piece is not only visually stimulating to look at, but that it tells the complete story of my life's journey with symbolism and humor. It is in fact, my own Personal Altar.

Thanks for visiting...as always, I welcome your comments & questions.

Hugs, Enikö

Scrapbooking a Friendship Album: Part 4

In my last several posts, I talked about the many aspects of friendship that were explored through my latest scrapbook design project. Topics such as "Joy", "Companionship", "Passion", "Spirit", "Nurture", and "Cultivate" have already been illustrated through various scrapbook layouts in the Friendship Album created for real estate agent Carol's milestone birthday. As I share a few more with you, notice how each friend is represented, not only by the poem, personal note, or photos they contributed, but by the title of each layout. I chose these words carefully, each meant to represent the personal connection the friend had to the "birthday girl".

This scrapbook layout represents "Gratitude" -using Webster's Pages beautiful papers and journaling blocks:                                         (click on images to enlarge)

The photos used in the layout below shows friends spending the early morning hours of New Year's Day with Carol on the glorious beaches of Martha's Vineyard...watching the sun rise as it brings with it new "Hope" for the coming year:

Another friend, sent me a trove of fabulous quotes that she said all reminded her of Carol, so I included as many of them as I could on these fabulous patterned scrapbook papers from Graphic 45's Fashionista Collection, and chose the title "Sisterhood":

Lastly, using papers from Webster's Pages again (Can you tell I love this company?), and the title "Splendor," I attempted to capture the sensuality described on the pages, represented by the rich colors, the quotes about seaside dwelling, and the photos of Carol's luscious soups, which she is famous for:

I hope you've enjoyed my Friendship Album series and that it inspired you to take a closer look at your own friendships and how you might describe them. How might you be described by your friends?

As always, I appreciate comments left on my blog, below -thank you.

Passing the torch of friendship, Enikö

 Visit my website -Enikö's Scrapbooks

A Whimsical Children's Summer Layout

To scrapbook the old-fashioned fun I had with my darling grandson, Rigel, when we played on the beach during last August's visit, I turned once again to Graphic 45 Papers. In their "On the Boardwalk" line, there are lots of images that remind me of beach days in Asbury Park and Coney Island during my own childhood. I was especially drawn to a printed scrapbook paper that was colorfully illustrated with vintage postcards of various beaches.

I immediately knew what I would do. I printed out my favorite photos of Rigel playing in the waves the same size as the postcards on the scrapbook paper. I used matte photo paper to mimic the look & feel of the vintage postcards and I glued my photos over several of the beach scenes -leaving some intact. This is a close-up of the right-hand scrapbook layout:

I really love the way this layout turned out. The image of the three beach-goers on the lower right just tickled my fancy, so I raised them with foam adhesive to achieve a great 3-D effect. Love, love, love the tag of the bathing beauties and by placing it where I did, it served to break up the repetition of rectangular images and added a nice touch of interest.

It was my good fortune that I also had some reproductions of old postcards of Martha's Vineyard on hand, which I incorporated into the left side of my layout. I titled my scrapbook layout "An Old-Fashioned Beach Day", which I wrote on the back of an old postcard, along with my journaling.

Graphic 45 papers have no shortage of whimsical graphics that are perfect embellishments to any scrapbook layout. This ad for men's and boy's bathing suits was a great contrast to Rigel's modern beachwear. I also added some large beach-themed grommets that picked up the color of the stamps & beach sign graphic.

Now wasn't this fun? And it really made me long for summer and the beach and playtime with Rigel.

Sharing the love, Enikö

If you enjoyed this post, please send me some blog-love by leaving a comment below. Also, please visit my website Enikö's Scrapbooks!

Scrapbooking Black & White Photos

I love black and white photos, but from a design point of view, they can be a bit challenging to scrapbook. Colorful printed paper can feel like it's competing with the photo, but sticking with a black & white palate can feel very "one note" and flat.

I simply adore this black & white image of my grandson, Rigel -he looks so serious and determined- and I was dieing to use it in a layout. I found a really great pattern in Graphic 45  's Curtain Call paper pad that used silver-gray letters to spell-out entertainment-related words. Since Rigel was named after the brightest star in the Orion constellation, I love using stars in scrapbook layouts about him. I also love thinking of him as the star of his own life's journey -I'm always wondering what choices he will make in life and who he will become- so when I spotted the giant words "Curtain Call" on this paper, it  inspired this message:

The addition of red and cream (in the  lettering and embellishments) to the page added character and made the layout more lively and interesting -enhancing the black & white photo without overwhelming it or competing with it.

On a more personal note, I love the positive message of this scrapbook page, that we are all stars in the story of our lives...and indeed we are.

Passing the love, Enikö

(Photo by CSIS Photography Portland, ME)

Scrapbook Layouts Using Graphic 45 Papers

(photograph by CSIS Photography)

Last week I wrote about my hesitation to break into the gorgeous paper pads of Graphic 45 's colorful and utterly inspiring collections. The papers were so exquisitely designed that I didn't dare to cut them up - I used them basically to drool over. In addition to that, the papers are very vibrant and so strong in character, that I was a bit intimidated by them. I thought that they would compete with the photos in a scrapbook layout. Well, as you can see, I got over my fears and have found great joy in stretching beyond my scrapbooking comfort zone and entering an entirely new realm of papercrafting.

The layout above was designed to show-off a wonderful image of my photogenic three-year-old grandson, Rigel, by CSIS Photography. Standing in front of the multi-colored-shingled shack in his cable fisherman's sweater, Rigel had the exact look that I wanted to combine with the unique "Steampunk Debutante" papers by G45. Elements on the design are very 3-dimensional...especially in the upper right-hand corner, where some very interesting woven beads hang by fibers from a large metal brad, so the background in that area didn't scan as clearly as I had hoped, but perhaps you can still appreciate the interesting juxtaposition of contrasting elements. To me, these contrasts mimicked the personality of the subject, who is simultaneously a rough-and-tumble boy and a soft, gentle, sweet spirit.

This next layout is a study in monochromatic design:

(photograph by CSIS Photography)

Here I was inspired by the color of the grass in autumn, with its hues of yellow ochre and green. I wanted the focus to be Rigel's face as it was highlighted by the rays of the sun shining through his incredible head of hair. The papers used in this layout are also mostly from the "Steampunk Debutante" papers by G45 -I believe the lettering on the left was cut-out from G45's "Renaissance-Faire" collection. The cool envelope is a rather new addition to G45's line of products -I switched-out the black yarn it came with a green cord that co-ordinated better with the other elements. The 3-D list of all the ways I love this boy was written on some cool ledger paper.

You've probably noticed the many layers of inking and chalking that were applied to give the papers this worn and aged appearance. I also want to point out the interesting technique used on the solid green paper that mats the photo. The paper is torn using a ruler, then the edges are wetted and sanded to make them soft and fuzzy and just a bit uneven, like the neglected lawn and the boy's uneven curls.

One of my favorite elements on this scrapbook layout is the metal button used as the center of the flower...these sort of contrasts add whimsy as well as interest to the artwork.

So dear readers...what have you done lately to step outside of your comfort zone? What challenges have you stepped up to that changed your perspective or allowed you to grow in an unexpected direction? (Please send love by leaving a comment below).

Playing it forward, Enikö

Scrapbooking With Graphic 45 Paper

I've been having a lot of fun working with Graphic 45 papers lately. If you're not already acquainted with this fabulous scrapbooking paper line, it's time you got introduced. In their own words:

"Graphic 45 is an award-winning scrapbook and paper crafting company. We offer vintage inspired crafting products that capture the flamboyant style of the 1920's and 30's - with vibrant color, irresistible texture and imaginative design to create products with decades-old appeal that's both fresh and familiar."

I saw my first sample of this company's papers at the Creative Keepsakes Convention last year in Manchester, NH. I kept going back to their booth until I purchased every paper collection I could get my hands on:  Renaissance Fair, Domestic Goddess, Christmas Past, Le' Romantique, Fashionista...I had to have them all. Beautiful, vibrant papers with glorious graphics on both sides. The problem was that I adored the papers so much that once I brought them home, I didn't have the heart to cut into them. I would just take them out every once in a while when I needed joy or inspiration, and then I would put them away again.

So recently I heard about a Graphic 45 Design Call, requesting scrapbook designers who love Graphic 45 paper to submit samples of their work to be considered for a position on their design team, and I threw caution to the wind and finally broke into my virgin paper pads.

This page was designed in honor of my dearest girlfriend, Margot, a local artist, author and book illustrator, here on Martha's Vineyard. She is also one of the most colorful characters on this little island and as fashionable as can be. I used paper from Graphic 45's Fashionista collection and embellished it with plenty of bling, lace, flowers, tassels, & strands of pearls to reflect her flamboyant, playful fashion style.

I did it! I broke through the fear of cutting into one of my Graphic 45 untouched paper stacks!

Do you have a scrapbooking dilemma? Or is something keeping you from conquering a scrapbooking fear of some sort? I hope you'll share your story in my comments below & I will be showing you more of my Graphic 45 scrapbook layouts in my next post.

Fearlessly scrapping, Enikö

 

 

A Memory Book for a 60th Birthday: Part 6

So this past month, I've been going on & on about the virtues of using great scrapbooking paper to enhance layouts and to simplify the process when pressed for time. In this post, I'd like to introduce you to another line of printed papers that I am absolutely wild about -  Graphic 45. I found them at a recent Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooking Convention and became completely hooked! (In fact, I just purchased their new Halloween Collection, which has a vintage Alice in Wonderland theme, which I will blog about soon.)

For Jaime's Memory Book, Graphic 45 had the absolutely perfect paper to use for our dear friend Sue Branch's layout. If you're not already familiar with the beautiful line of cookbooks, calendars, quilting fabric, notecards, etcetera, of Susan Branch you must look her up (her website is breathtaking). Her first book, Heart of the Home - a lovingly illustrated, original cookbook written in Sue's own handwritten script, set the tone many years ago for what would blossom into a very successful, lucrative business. So it was not surprising when Sue presented me with beautiful original artwork/ journaling that I was to use in the layout about her friendship with Jaime. Since all the girlfriends consider Sue the domestic goddess of our group, it was fitting to use paper from the beautiful vintage-style line from Graphic 45 aptly called 'Domestic Goddess'.

On the left side of the double-page layout, I used a really charming vintage silverware-themed paper in a pretty steely-blue. I added trim that I cut off of another paper from the same collection & adhered it to the left of the page. I also added the Blue-Ribbon Pie graphic, cut out from the same Graphic 45 line. The canister of sugar and the baking bowl were cut out of a Cosmo Cricket paper called Elements from the Early Bird Collection. I raised them on foam adhesive dots to make them pop off the page. Don't you think Sue's "recipe card" artwork is amazing? Now that's journaling at its best!

In the right-hand page of the layout, I repeated the blue...here again, I cut off the border of a coordinating paper and glued it onto a really cute paper with a teapot design...so Sue Branch! (The queen of vintage teapots & teacups & tablecloths!) I couldn't resist adding the "Domestic Goddess" title, and then added journaling of my own to complete the story. Notice the color choice that frames the journaling block...the touch of yellow ties in with the bowl's stripe, the aprons & the fruit on the opposite page and helps coordinate it with the yellow in the teapot paper. It just makes your eye dance around the layout, but in a comfortable, playful way. (I also used the teapot paper to mat the two photos on the left side of the layout & then punched them up with a touch of the red to pull it all together.)

Sue and Jaime both loved the layout and felt it represented the essence of Susan Branch beautifully. The lesson in this post is that paper selection can truely tell the story of your layout as well as the photos can. Also: clever, inexpensive embellishments can be cut out of patterned paper and used with great success to enhance any layout. The only additional embellishments are the 4 brads that hold on the journaling block...the rest is all paper!

So take a second look at your paper stash and discover new ways to use the lovely patterns on them...Enjoy!