Monday, February 22, 2010

Easter with the Noel Mignon Seaside Cottage Kit

The Noel Mignon Seaside Cottage kit has quickly become a new favorite of mine. Love the soft colors and shabby feel! I thought it would be the perfect kit to do an Easter page with. Here are my four cuties all spruced up last year. :)






Sometimes I begin a page with a sketch I've drawn out before hand, sometimes I use an interior picture or color palette inspire me, and sometimes I just let the products do the talking. :) For this design, I began with the Webster's Page striped patterned paper with the preprinted decorative frame.



I cut the paper into a wide strip and decided to arrange my photo over it so that the frame was peeking out from underneath. I planned on adding my journaling or title to this space later on.



I usually begin a page from "front-to-back" so to speak. I find the paper or products that look best with my photo or convey the feeling I want the layout to have.

The photo looks lonely so I started to build layers behind it to give it more presence. A pink patterned paper frame around the photo and then another patterned paper layer behind the photo and Webster's strip to tie them together. Now it looks like this.



The background was looking plain and boring to me. So I pulled off the layers to add some paint and spray ink. I used Snow Storm Vibez and Cotton Candy Spritz by Shimmerz spritzed on the background. And then Weathered Wood Tim Holtz Crackle Paint to add a "frame" around the photo block.

I also added stitching to the previous polka dot patterned paper layer (I always stitch my layers individually, so I can still move them around if I'd like.) and then mounted that layer onto a piece of pink patterned paper.



Much better! :)



I was feeling good about it, so I decided to add my title and a few embellishments around the preprinted frame. The floral die cut underneath the title helps to ground it, as well as add a bit of solid color to that side of the page.


I wanted to bring the feeling of the fancy frame over to the left side of the page, so I added the Melissa Frances dimensional photo corner to the top left corner of my photo.

I also felt like I needed to create a visual triangle on this page with the pink color happening in the floral embellishment, photo matte, and title . . . so I added the pink label to the right of the photo. I like to add a few embellishments to "floating" pieces like that so they feel "held down" by something. Here I used a cameo embellishment and pebble sticker.


My page felt good, but it *needed* one more thing. After looking at it awhile, I decided that the blue felt too "heavy" to me. I wanted a lighter feeling to this page. I tucked in a few pieces of Lace Hambly Transparency and it did the trick!

Wah-lah! I'm done.


Added a bit of journaling and now I am ready to slip it into my album. :)




Here is an accompanying sketch for my sketch fans! ;)



Check back tomorrow for details on how I used Shimmerz Paints on the background and chipboard pieces on this page. :)

20 comments:

  1. Jana...the layout is absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing your design process!

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  2. Goodness gracious... That page is FANTASTIC!! The kits seems maaaarvellous!

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  3. I love the play-by-play. Thank you for sharing your talents, especially with your new sketch blog :).

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  4. Oh, this turned out gorgeous! I love the soft colours and the picture. And thanks for the great description!

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  5. This is a great layout. Your kids are adorable. Thanks for the step by step thought process. I noticed on most of your pictures there is a black outline on them. Is that something you hand draw on it or is it just an option you choose when you print it? And if you do draw it, why? Do you think it makes the picture stand out more, etc. Just wondering. I like it BTW. :)

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  6. Beautiful! Love the step by step too, looks awesome with the Kraft PP!

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  7. Oh wow, thank you so much for explaining your start to finish of this gorgeous layout, wow you make it look so achievable like this, I too love the seaside cottage kit I got, just amazing value too. I am looking forward to next months.

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  8. This is beautiful!!! I love the soft color palette and enjoyed seeing your creative process. That kit is just beautiful!

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  9. WOW! Congrats Jana...this is a stunning LO!!!
    Thanks for the inspiration!

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  10. It is "magnifique" ! Thanks for the step by step (pas-à-pas) !

    Céline from France

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  11. Jana, I LOVE this LO!! It was so wonderful to get a walk through on how you created this!!! Thanks for taking the time to help inspire us!! It is very much appreciated! :)

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  12. Beautiful! I'm loving those burlap flowers! :)

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  13. That is a beautiful layout!!! It is amazing how much work one page can be--but so worth it in the end!

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  14. I just love that you give us the anatomy of how your page came together. I love the color scheme and it is just perfect. Each little detail is just perfect.

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  15. Oh thank you so much Jana....I absolutely loved seeing how you put your layout together....why you chose certain things, how you balanced it up....so many ideas for me....thanks a lot. Love the way you scrap!! xL

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  16. Oh thank you so much Jana....I absolutely loved seeing how you put your layout together....why you chose certain things, how you balanced it up....so many ideas for me....thanks a lot. Love the way you scrap!! xL

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  17. Oh thank you so much Jana....I absolutely loved seeing how you put your layout together....why you chose certain things, how you balanced it up....so many ideas for me....thanks a lot. Love the way you scrap!! xL

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  18. Ooops....sorry about the extra posts....derr me!! LOL

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  19. Hey You!!! As gorgeous as ever....and your layout is stunning as well :) I am so excited for you and the things that you are doing. You are an exceptional lady with phenomenal talent. I love how you broke down the page to show how you created it. Always wanted to see that :) Take care!
    Much Love-

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  20. Thanks, everyone! I'm really glad you like it. It feels funny to talk about a page play-by-play, but if it helps someone learn something, than I am happy. :)

    Nicole, to answer your question. Yep, I hand-draw that penline around my pictures. I use an American Crafts gel pen (*heart* my favorite!). I don't know why I do it. LOL! I just like how it looks. :) I guess it feels more "complete" to me. Ya know, how some people like to ink the edges of paper and some don't. :) Just something I like to do. :)

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