Shimelle and Things, with Sandra

It's Sandra here with you today, with a Shimelle layout! Now if there is one collection I've been waiting for {stalking Manda, would be a more accurate way of describing it} it's been Shimelle's new collection with American Crafts. I adore her style, intelligence, humour and quirkiness, and religiously watched Glitter Girl videos for years. And so I've been dying to have a play! So I was thankful that I got home from a movie day with the kids, (and with some brand new photos) to find my September Penny Lane Scrapbooking kit had arrived. And with such soft tones in the included Crate Paper Notes & Things line, I knew I had to have the best of both worlds.

We were in a park when we took this photo, so I was immediately drawn to using the woodgrain paper as my background. I find if I layer my papers, as ragged "frames" around the photo, I can pump out a layout quite quickly. My tip when doing this, though, is to be careful of the order in which you're layering. You're looking for "coordinating contrast" (I don't expect this is an official term, just one that I made up as I'm typing this). It's typically not good to have a plaid/checked background right next to a stripe. But a thick stripe and a delicate spot may work ok. And a patterned paper up against a plain would be even better. Now when I say "plain", that includes papers that don't have stand-out designs on them, or those typically more organic, often monochromatic (one colour, different shades). For example, the woodgrain paper could pass as plain or lightly patterned - it's the perfect kind of neutral that you need in any kit. If this paper matching is a new concept for you, the best way to learn is to play around with what you've got. Stack your papers in different orders, and check out the difference it can make! This goes for your photo too - you will often find a lighter paper looks better against darker photos, and vice versa. Coordinating contrast :)


To make the Notes and Things butterfly stickers pop a little more, I put some baby powder on the backs of them to make them not sticky anymore, then I just glued/pop-dotted the centre of them, and pulled up their wings. To further enhance the more organic feel to the layout, I wanted to use the cork paper here and there too. I punched butterflies to match the Notes and Things butterfly stickers. And I love the effect of having two different alphabets in the title, so I cut the "perfectly" part out of the cork paper with my Silhouette. I have a Wacom tablet that I used to handwrite the word, then imported it into Silhouette Studio to cut. So now I have a title that perfectly matches my journaling! {If anyone wants the file just let me know, I'm happy to share.}



I was so pleased that Shimelle's line had some great coordinating products for this story, and with that gentle pop of colour against the soft Notes & Things papers and vellum, I think they worked well together. Thanks for taking a look, and be sure to grab your own Scrappy Canary Penny Lane kit soon, cause there are just a couple left.

Love and light,
Sandra