Your Future Is Bright! by Jen Davis

Your Future Is Bright! by Jen Davis
Greetings Simple Stories fans! Jen Davis here sharing a traditional 12x12 scrapbook layout with you using the new School Life collection. I'm so excited to be sharing my first blog post with you since joining the Simple Stories Design Team! I was absolutely thrilled to discover that I got to create with the School Life collection for my first project feature! The colors are vibrant without being too overpowering and I love how the images and designs work for both younger and older kiddos alike! 
           
      
For the base of my page I cut strips in varying widths using the B side of the School Rules! patterned paper as well as the B side of the sheet of Journal Elements (love that corkboard!), also including two narrow strips of a sheet of the Pool (dotted side) Color Vibe cardstock to both the top and the bottom of my page. I used my sewing machine and stitched a simple straight stitch along my patterned papers along the top and the bottom of my layout. 
Upon seeing the chipboard frames that coordinate with this collection I knew that they were going to make an appearance on my page. I really wanted to use more than one frame and I think that I figured out a nice way to incorporate two (one large and one small). Since I had a nice mix of colors and patterns going on, I opted to have the smaller frame hold a black & white close-up photo of my daughter and just tilted the frame ever so slightly on my page. I have two 4x6 photos and one 3x4 photo on my page. I like how it just happened that my unframed 4x6 picture kind of blends in nicely with the background of the corkboard paper. It really looks like a bulletin board. I added the nice chipboard title "School Life" from the 6x12 Chipboard set and was good to go as far as my title was concerned! Adding the cardstock sticker scalloped border sticker along the bottom of my page added a bit of weight to balance out my title and I felt it really finished the base of the page. Now to add some fun extras!
        
         
The cardstock sticker banner that is on the 12x12 Cardstock Sticker Sheet is so adorable and actually mimicked a banner that was in one of my photos that was hanging in my daughter's classroom! I added it to the corner opposite of my larger photos and popped it up a bit using three dimensional adhesive. I also had some fun adding some of the School Life Decorative Brads. That clock being one...I love it so much! 
           
           
I'm a fan of enamel dots. I didn't always know what to do with them but I've discovered that just adding a mixed assortment of sizes and colors here and there on your project (I love using them on cards too!) really adds a little something special and packs a punch. Here I mixed the enamel dots with some of the fun chipboard pieces from the same collection. You might notice that my "clusters" of enamel dots and chipboard pieces create a visual triangle on my page allowing for your eyes to focus on what is central on my layout. Embellishment clusters are a nice way to create that nice pleasing look and is a design tip I've learned along the way over my many years of scrapbooking. 
             
            
The photos on my layout are from when my (now 16 year old!) daughter was in the sixth grade. I'm so glad that these photos of her first day of sixth grade are now on a page and in her album! So much has changed! It's so fun to go back and reminisce about days gone by while creating with older photos don't you think? I hope this project leaves you feeling inspired to create using photos from school days past or present!

Featured Products

0 comments

Leave a comment

Hey there...so happy you're here!

Don't miss new products, exciting news and all things Simple Stories. Join our mailing list - it's simple!