Echo Park - Summer Vibes - Beach Vacation

Hi everyone!

It's Claire here and today I have a bit of a different blog post for you, designed to help you use those last few leftovers from a collection. In this post I'm using the fun Summer Vibes collection from Echo Park. You can find it in the shop here.

It often happens to me that I have oddly sized scraps of patterned paper and a whole host of ephemera pieces leftover that sit on my shelf waiting to be used. So, before I move on to a new collection, I'm challenging myself to use those scraps - and I love the final result!

I started with a crisp clean sheet of Premium White Cardstock and then went to rifle through my scraps. The piece of paper I came to first was this Cool Shades paper which has a cute wave pattern on the B side. It's roughly 8"x4".

I distressed the edges and wrapped a piece of twine round the top to mimic rope you'd find at the beach. 

The next scrap of paper I came to was an L shaped piece of the 4x4 Journaling Cards - Again on the B side, this paper has a bold stripe which I love! You probably know by now that I can never resist a stripe!

I knew I wanted to try and use three photos but because of the shape and size of the scrap, they wouldn't all fit. To make it work, I mounted 2 photos with the stripe horizontally and one with the stripe going vertically. It was a happy accident born from necessity, but I love how this breaks up the pattern behind the photos.

I raised the paper and photos on foam, adhering them in the middle if the page to create a central column.

Next came the embellishing! I had some leftover Chipboard Phrases, some stickers from the the Element stickers sheet and the Sticker Book from this collection as I loved the icons so much, so there was ample to choose from. In reality I only need a few pieces - I would have had more than enough with any of these options.

I wanted my title to sit at the top of the page, so using 2 stickers from the sticker book. I raised both of foam, with the beach arrow slightly offset across the edge of the pattern paper. A snorkel from the chipboard help finish the title. 

Around the photos I made three small clusters. To the left, I opted for surfboards - one from the sticker sheet and the other from the chipboard.

In the centre panel, I again mixed the embellishments using that cute van from the Elements Sticker Sheet with a small circular subtitle from the chipboard. 

And to the right, both the lilo and flip flops are from the chipboard pack. The lilo is stuck flat whilst the flipflops are raised on foam for extra dimension. 

To bring the page to life, I wanted to create some sand and help anchor the design by brushing on some dry Distress Oxide ink in Fossilized Amber. I love it! It's the perfect shade to match this collection!

I didn't need to gesso the paper first as the ink is relatively dry, applied in small circular motions with a dry mini stencil brush.  

To create a mottled effect, I splashed a few drops of water over the ink with a small paintbrush, left for 30 seconds and then dabbed it up with a paper towel. The water reacts with the Distress Oxide ink, removing it from the page, giving the page more depth and interest.

As a finishing touch, I grabbed a few of the Pinkfresh Studio Matte Gold Pearl Essentials, scattering around the design.

I hope you've enjoyed this bonus layout, and it has inspired you to get the most from your collections.

You can check out the Summer Vibes collection here.

Until next time, happy scrapping!

Claire xx

@scrappysoulmate

Pebbles ~ Kid at Heart 💜 #1

Hello! 

It’s Anna back with you today and this month I’ve been working with the bright and colourful Pebbles collection -Kid at Heart collection. 

I love colourful collections, so I was so pleased to be working with these beautifully bright papers!

So, as I looked through the papers Hi, Friend really stood out at me. All the little squares were calling out to me to be cut out and made into a grid layout. 

I decided to document our staycation last year. I always create a separate album or mini book for a holiday. But I like to have one page like this in my regular yearly albums to document a holiday. 

I began by printing out 2 or 3 small square photos from each day of the holiday. I then cut out some of the Hi, Friend 2x2 squares and selected a few pieces from the phrase ephemera pack.

I assembled each element on a sheet of white 12x12 bazzill cardstock, laying them out in chronological order. Once I was happy with the layout, I began to adhere all of the elements to my layout. 

I then added in a few more pieces from the phrase ephemera. I particularly loved the days of the week words, which went perfectly with this layout, enabling me to define each day. 

I added a strip of the scalloped paper from the Playful patterned paper along the top edge of the layout. 

Finally, I added a title using Simple Stories colour vibe alpha stickers. 

See you soon with another layout using this collection! 

Thanks for looking! 

Anna

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