For those you who have been following my blog you'll notice that Alex is slightly younger (by about 4 years) in this layout. No, I haven't resurrected an old layout to enter into the challenge, I'm behind in my scrapbooking by about .. well, four years.
Challenge? This layout is my first Anything Goes motivator in the PJ Challenge. PJ Challenge is a central location where crafters can showcase their work. You should check it out.
Alex was less than a year old when I took him to visit my family in Montreal. If you haven't had the chance to visit I strongly recommend. It's absolutely fabulous nine months of the year (January has its moments, however, it can end badly and February/March are just unpleasantly cold and humid - the city is still fabulous regardless if you stay indoors). And yes, the visit will be worth the six or eight kilos you'll gain trying all of the delicious foods. Seriously. Six kilos in one week. It's that good.
The layout started with a few small finds. I had some old postcards that I decided to cut up, the street sign and the Montreal paper, however, it gained real charm when I found the scrabble tiles, the bottle caps and bottle cap centres and the Home Decor screen prints (it's hiding behind the photo frame and street sign) at Treasured Memories.
Montreal conjures up thoughts of family, friends, haute couture, charm, elegance, antiques, wine, fashion, and everything French. It conjures up ideas of food as well - I just wasn't in the mood to add a croissant or smoked meat sandwich to the layout but perhaps I might model the third page (yes, I have one more) in the form of a cafe ..
I absolutely love the screen print. The carte postale stamp, washi tape and bottle caps add playfulness to the piece.
The
pennants and brads seemed to really fit in with the Montreal concept in
their design and gave the page an additional layer and dimension. Very simple concept for a great effect.
The
corners of the photo frame reminded me of the fleur de lis and I
thought it added some really nice depth to the layout. I distressed a
frame that I found at Michaels and stamped it using my trusty little music stamp to anchor it on the page. The darling playing with Alex is my niece.
The scrabble tiles provided motivation to get this layout completed. They were terribly fun to work with and I have to use tiles again in a future project. They were affixed with a hot glue gun (both to each other and the paper and to my fingers).
The second page of the layout was equally fun to design and create. I wanted continuity between pages and used some of the same materials. The Montreal paper was cut in half to use on both pages and I carried over the screen prints, washi tape and bottle caps.
I found a new passion for doodling and I find that it really gives the layout (or card or tag) weight. It really makes the image, whether it's a photo or a stamped image, come to life. I was very excited to find some great metallic markers on the less expensive and have used them to doodle around the page particularly on the postcards.
I also doodled the bike wheels and handlebars. The sign was distressed with Tim Holtz distressing ink (vintage photo). The vellum printed banner added a little semi-hidden touch and dimension.
The bottle caps were a fun find. I've recently seen a demo where they
hammer the bottle caps flat. I'm not sure why. Part of the charm is
the layer of height. I might change my mind when I (a) tear the protective sheet or (b) can't close my scrapbook because I have too many added dimensions. Hmm.
I better get cracking on the third page or I'll never have continuity. I've been learning and experimenting with a whole bunch of new techniques lately. It will definitely be more difficult to return to a previous style once too much time has elapsed.
Stay tuned for page three of the Montreal adventure!
