Altenew Academy Stamps Meet Scrapbooks: Stamping A Background

I actually have several stamp sets in my collection that I purchased just to make scrapbook layouts with them.  Using your stamps and dies to create scrapbook pages is just one more way to stretch your crafting budget and get more out of your stash.  You get more bang for your buck when you have stamps and other tools that you can use not only for cards and gifts, but for scrapbooks and memory keeping.

In Altenew Academy’s Stamps Meet Scrapbook class the instructor, Lilith Eeckles shares her expertise and makes it look so easy!  One of the things that I really like about it, is that she shows how she plays around with laying things out and experimenting with where her elements will go many times before she gets to her final layout.  I find it really interesting to watch someone else’s process.  I love that she prepares all the parts of her layout and then experiments with how she is going to put it together explaining her thought process as she goes along.

Lesson 2 involved using stamps to create a quick background directly on your 12 x 12″ scrapbook paper.

My process started with selecting a picture this time.  Yesterday, I had stamp sets in mind that I really wanted to use and I just happened to pull a picture of Dad out of my photo box that actually coordinated well with my layout.

Today, since the point was to create a background using stamps, I wanted it to coordinate with the photo.  I selected a picture of my kids from 2004 (!!) on a nature walk and realized that Altenew’s Birds of a Feather stamp and die set would be absolutely perfect for this picture.

 

I made this page last night.  As I stamped something crooked, I realized that I needed to sleep on this one.  I was getting too tired and it wasn’t coming together.

I really like these birds.  Can you tell? I included 8 of them in the layout!  There is a lot going on here…admittedly too much.  Maybe 3 or 5 birds would have been a good limit.

I wanted to make them very colorful and when I flipped the insert of the stamp set over to check the layering guide, I loved the colors that they used in their illustration.  I had colors that matched well enough and I decided to go with those colors.  I did try stamping the birds directly on to the paper, but it was requiring masking the birds and the branches to create the illusion of the birds on the branches without the branch cutting across some part of the bird.  It was much easier and less time consuming to stamp and the die cut the birds with the coordinating die set.

I also stamped the branches twice in a couple of spots to extend the branch into the page.

One of the touches that Lilith showed was to stamp a sentiment sentence around the photo.  I do not like the sentiment that I chose.  Her sentiment was one line with a uniform font size that fit like a border around the edge of the photo.  This one didn’t work well with the variation in font size.  Plus, this is where I was getting tired and stamping crooked.

A lot of times when I’m not happy with a project, I will sleep on it.  The next morning it always looks better than you remember and you have a fresh perspective.  I had contemplated making a glitter paper border around the photo to cover the stamped sentiment, but instead I just drew some sketchy lines and called it a day.  I like the message in the sentiment and decided to keep it.

I did like the layout much more before I added that sentiment touch.  The layout had more white space before I added it and that is what is missing from this page.  You need some empty space to give your eyes a rest.

As I was typing this, I realized that I can experiment with a border around that image.  I discovered that the border needed to be an inch wide to cover the sentiment I didn’t love the look of.

I tried glitter paper because the washi tape was not wide enough.

Still not in love with it…

My next idea was to use the Wood Pallet Background stamp that I just got from Altenew.

So much better.  Still not enough white space, but at least this coordinated with the nature walk and birds on the branches.  I added a few red faux brads and I’m calling it a day on this page.

In the end, the old mantra…less is more would have been better.  Live and learn!

I’m going to try the sentiment around the picture on a future page.  I’ll just be careful to select a smaller font and a flatter sentiment!

Thank you so much for joining me today!  I hope you find time to spend in your craft room!

Today I am definitely embracing the imperfections!!!