Reach For The Stars! by Jen McMurtrey

Reach For The Stars! by Jen McMurtrey

One of my favorite movie quotes is from You’ve Got Mail where Meg Ryan references fall and bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils. What has this got to do with paper crafting and Simple Stories? Funny you should ask . . . the new School Life collection appeals to me in much the same manner . . . it must be the teacher in me that loves all things school and school-supply related.

When I received this collection, I actually giggled out loud and clapped my hands with glee because I love anything and everything created with school in mind. School Life is full of fun papers and embellishments that can be used in so many different ways. For today’s project, I chose to focus on my son Caleb’s graduation from high school in 2018.

                           

                        

Since this layout has four photos, I decided to use the Simple Pages Page Template – Design 1 to help quickly map out the placement of the pictures. I began by tracing around the outer edge of the template to create a matte to anchor the layout as well as a second slightly larger mat behind that. Next, I penciled in lines that mimic the spaces between the photo squares and hand-stitched over them with black embroidery floss. The stitching really brought everything together.

                           

                         

The top two photos and the one in the bottom-right corner were next, and I adhered them within the stitched squares.

                             

                              

After adding the photos, I embellished them using chipboard stickers and die cuts, enamel dots, and brads. I love how each of the embellishments matches my son’s personality and sense of style.

                          

                       

When adding the photo in the bottom-left corner, I used washi tape to create a flip up page to house my journaling.

                                                        

                       

After typing the journaling on my manual typewriter, I added everything behind the flip up and embellished with foam and puffy stickers along with elements from the sticker book.

                       

                      

The last piece I added is the title, which is one of the super cute foam stickers from the collection. It fits perfectly along the bottom border of the photo!

                        

                           

This layout was a fun one to create and I love the story behind the photos – not many people have the privilege of being a teacher where their children attend school. I love that I have had the opportunity to not only teach, but also be a participant in so many activities, where my two youngest kids have/do attend high school. It is truly a gift.

Thank you for visiting today and sticking with me to the end of this rather long-winded post. I hope that today’s project inspires you to get those precious school memories documented – yours and your kids’. Have a great day!

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