Article written using Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 with Windows 7
I was thinking about this assignment and trying to decide what to do to show you a new way to use embellishments, a way to take a “fresh” look at embellishments you have in your digital scrapbook stash.
I opted for one of my very favorite types of article: the “do-over.” This is when you take a layout you are not happy with or wish to update and give it a “make-over.”
I selected a layout I created when I first started doing digital scrapbooking, before I discovered the large range and quality of Scrap Girls products, and when I was still learning the very basics. I loved this layout at the time and was proud of each little thing I had learned. This layout has never been seen before by anyone except me, and I am stepping out of my comfort zone sharing it here. I lurked for so long, admiring other people’s layouts and thinking mine wasn’t good enough, but I wish I had been brave enough to share it then. If it made me happy, it was good enough.
Looking at this earlier page, I had to choose what I liked about it. The photos. That was all. I needed to rethink the entire page. I decided to start with a photo mask and selected one from Amanda Fraijo-Tobin’s Value Pack: Reinvent.
First, I clipped a paper to my mask and then clipped my photos to that, softening the internal edges of the photos with a brush. I chose the heart paper from Armi Custodio’s Flutter Collection Biggie as it showed the detail of my mask and also gave a border and some color.
Next, I wanted to keep the viewer’s eye drawn to my photos. I opted to use the principle where odd numbers of embellishments are more appealing. I added flowers, leaves, and ribbons to fit with my garden feel, placing them at the edges to add more of a border effect and a little color interest. I like to use ribbons in this way because it gives a soft frame to a sweet page.
A few final touches like the chevron ribbon to frame the photos (again, framing with ribbons) and word art to balance the photos… and I am done! Using different items in non-traditional ways is not only fun but it extends your digital stash indefinitely!
We would love for you to post your “do-over” pages (with the “before” if you are game!) and use your embellishment stash to give it a makeover. Post to the Scrap Girls Gallery so we can admire your creativity. And if you are a lurker? Be brave and share with us; we all start somewhere and we would love to see your pages!
Digital scrapbooking supplies used:
Article written by Jody West
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