Lily Bee Finds

Challenge on Tuesday | Sketch challenge

Welcome back Lily Bee fans! Can you believe it is October already!!!

We were going to post this on Tuesday - but decided to post our new collections instead ! How did you like them!! If you haven't seen the post yet - stop by HERE because you could WIN them! You don't want to miss out on that :)

 A new month means a new sketch and I am back again today, to share this month's sketch challenge!

It's also "white space" week here on the blog, and so that has been incorporated into this month's sketch. Here is the sketch for this month's challenge:

and here is my project using the sketch:

Supplies: Destination (Port paper, 6x6 Tiny Tablet); Pinwheel (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Chit Chat Stickers, Letter Stickers, Label Stickers); Sweet Shoppe (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Circle & Tag Stickers, Embellishment Bundle; Handmade (Bag of Bits); Christmas Cheer (Index Journaling Cards); Persnickety (Index Journaling Cards)

I used the Port paper as inspiration for this project. I just love the polaroid frame background and knew I wanted to make it part of my design. I cut 2"x2" squares and layered them over the base paper and then stitched them down:

Next, I created my layered grouping under my photo, with some Index Journaling Cards and different types of stickers:

I finished off my page with some of the great letter stickers in the Pinwheel line. I love how the larger font mix well with the smaller letters!

Now, it's your turn to play along! We'll pick one winner from all of our challenge entries this month to win a Lily Bee prize package.  Here are a few things to keep in mind:

- Your layout must use mainly Lily Bee products (approx. 50% - 60% older or newer lines to showcase Lily Bee Design).
- Post your layout to our Facebook Page or Flickr Gallery to be eligible for monthly challenge prize. 
- Title your post "10/1 Sketch Challenge" so we can find it easily and then leave a comment on this blog post letting us know you've entered.
- Deadline is October 31, 2013, Midnight CST
- One winner from all the challenges will be announced in next month's Kristen's News feature.

Don't forget, you can enter multiple times so the more you play, the better your chances are of winning!

 

 

Handmade Love

Hi all!  Andrea and I will be sharing some cards with you that are sure to brighten the day of someone you love!  

First, these adorable creations by Andrea.  I am consistently blown away with her one of a kind ideas and designs.  Get ready to swoon!

Let's look at each one!  I love the unique shape and the stunning banner on this uber cute card!

Supplies:  Persnickety (clear stamps, Huffy - paper, ABC cardstock stickers), Double Dutch (bags of bits), Autumn Spice (Brown Sugar - paper, clear stamps)

Andrea says: Valentine's Day, in our house, is all about the handmade. These cards are handmade from the hand cut shaped card to the embellishments that top them. To create a shaped card, begin with a folded piece of cardstock.  Draw or begin cutting the shape you want to create, making sure that you leave part of the folded edge intact.  Cut paper/cardstock for the front of the card and stamp, embellish and build your card in your creative way. 

Here is a second card that is sure to bring cheer to anyone! 

Supplies: Persnickety (Huffy - paper, Picky - paper, Snooty - paper, ABC cardstock stickers), Victoria Park (Raspberry - paper, bag of bits), Christmas Cheer (Figgy Pudding - paper), Double Dutch (Marmalade - paper)

Super cute!

I decided to make two very different cards that incorporate the same major design elements, the word "today", index journal cards and hearts.  It is cool to see how dramatically the same ideas look when you dress them differently.

First, I made this monochromatic card using mostly pinks.

Supplies:  Persnickety:  (Paper:  Fussy, 6X6 Tiny Tablet, Index Journal Card, Mixed Cardstock sticker)

I simply clustered the Today sticker, circle sticker and punched hearts over an index journal card.  Easy, yet sweet and feminine.

For my second take, I went with the primary colors featured in Pinwheel along with the fabulous heart bokeh paper from Destinations.

Supplies:  Pinwheel (Paper:  Cherry Blossom, Apricot Tree, Flip Flops; Chit Chat Stickers; Circle and Tags sticker), Destinations  (Paper:  Bon Voyage); Persnickety (Index Journal Card)

This card is the polar opposite of soft with its bright oranges and reds.  I again incorporated a piece of an index journal card, this time placing it along the top.  I like the unique scallop it give at the bottom of it.  I then layered several stickers and chipboard pieces to convey my sentiments.

Grab your Lily Bee goodies and start creating.  Handmade cards are sure to bring joy to others!

It's All About Love!

Hi everyone! Leslie here today with a big question. Are you ready for Valentine's day?
Love is definitely in the air! It's already displayed in stores & is all around.
To celebrate, we're sharing a whole lotta love here all week on the Lily Bee Design blog.

Today Nicole and I are sharing a couple of "love" layouts with all of you.

Nicole is up first with a layout of love about her oldest son:

Here's what she has to say about her beautiful layout:
 

"Along with some of my favorite photos of my oldest son, I wanted to use
some of my new and old Lilybee favorite products! I misted the Stationary paper
with some scraps from a Cameo cut and then let Pinwheel be my guide! I added in
a Lily Bee journaling card and some of those always perfect mini ABC stickers. I
couldn’t resist adding in a couple small piecharts from the 6x6 tiny tablet
too!"

Supplies:  Stationary (Slushie), Pinwheel (Picnic basket, Ice cream truck, Embellishment
bundle, 6x6 tiny tablet), Handmade (Bag of bits, Mini ABC stickers)

and here's my layout about my sweet girl:


Supplies:  Pinwheel (Cherry Blossom Paper, Ice Cream Truck Paper), Autumn Spice (Vanilla Paper),
Christmas Cheer (North Pole Paper, Frosty Paper, ABC Stickers), Persnickity (Prim Paper, Fussy Paper, Picky Paper, Index Journaling Cards, Mixed Stickers, ABC Stickers, 6x6 Tiny Tablet)

to recreate the heart in the center, simply fold a 12x12 sheet of cardstock in half & cut in a
half heart shape. Open the fold to your heart. Then take strips of different patterned papers
and place diagonally (the strips don't have to be perfect sizes. I cut some thinner than others.)
on your heart, then trim the edges.

By making my photo stand out more - I turned it black and white and placed on the right side
of my heart by using 3D adhesive.  I wanted it to have a little more dimension.

I also used the letter stickers as part of my journaling along the left side of my heart

It's been a pleasure sharing with you today.
I hope you have fun creating your very own treasures of love.
Thanks for stopping by today!

 

 

Cards on Wednesday - Full of Love

Do you have Valentine's Day on your mind?  There is something about a craft table spilling over with pink and red this time of year that put a smile on my face.  Today Leslie and I are sharing a few cards that embrace the theme of love.

First up, Leslie created two cards full of beautiful layers and a great way to use Lily Bee's cardstock stickers.

To create the heart embellishment she stacked punched hearts, folding and gluing each one down the center. Once they dried, she fanned them out to add dimension. Using the same color, yet different patterns, really sets off the effect.

Supplies: Persnickity (Index Journaling Cards, ABC Stickers), Christmas Cheer (Frosty Paper, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Mixed Stickers, ABC Stickers)

 

Leslie's second card is just as amazing.  She loves hearts and finds ways to use them. For these “love” cards, she wanted to use hearts and colors you wouldn’t always see on a “Valentine” card.  So from little to big, red to multi-colored she incorporated hearts in such a creative way.

Supplies: Pinwheel (Cartwheels Paper, Lime Rickey Paper),  Persnickity (Clear Stamps, Index Journaling Cards, Mixed Stickers, 6x6 Tiny Tablet), Autumn Spice (ABC Stickers)

To create the heart shape on this card, simply freehand cut from paper and cover in strips of Lily Bee paper from a variety of collections.  As I was flipping through papers I pulled out paper that had pink in it.  Once the heart is stitched, I backed it with cardstock and hand cut a scallop border around it.  Inked the edges a bit to allow it to stand out and backed with foam adhesive.  Stamp a few pennants, hearts and doilies and assembled to create a banner using pink wire.

Supplies: Persnickety (Picky - paper, Fuzzy - paper, mixed cardstock stickers, clear stamps), Autumn Spice (clear stamps), Christmas Cheer (clear stamps), Victoria Park (Raspberry - paper)

This card also features hand cut elements in creating the flower stem, leaves and petals.  By cutting circle shapes in a variety of sizes, fold each petal four times, ink each crease light to bring out each fold and adhere layers using foam adhesive and/or craft glue.  Use the same technique to create the leaves. 

Supplies: Victoria Park (Raspberry - paper, bag of bits), Persnickety (clear stamps),Christmas Cheer (Figgy Pudding - paper, Mrs. Claus - paper)

Thank you for stopping in today!  Enjoy creating a little something special in the name of "LOVE" today.

Cards on Wednesday - Winter Wonderland

It is cold outside and you may be stacking on the layers and bundling up.  This week we are celebrating the chilly weather and taking it into our craft room to create projects for this winter wonderland.  Sharing with you today two cards layered with some of my favorite Lily Bee papers and stamps.

Why not create your own embellishment?  Here I used papers from Christmas Cheer to create a winter cap, topping it off with a little handmade thread pom-pom.  Stamped a few snowflakes to create a background for the card ontop of layered journal cards. 

The second card is taking layers of punched, stamped and die cuts and stitching them on the card as a banner.  Once it has been attached, gently fold each piece towards the stitching adding more dimension to the card.

Supplies: Persnickety (clear stamps, index journal cards, Fuzzy - paper), Christmas Cheer (clear stamps, index journal cards, Hot Cocoa - paper, Figgy Pudding - paper), Victoria Park (bag of bits)

Maybe while you are bundling up, take a moment to add a few layers to your next card as well.  Thank you for stopping by and enjoy your crafty moments today!

Focusing on Cards

Good morning! 

We wish you very happy holidays from all of us here at Lily Bee. 

Today we have Andrea and Becky here with some fun card ideas to help you 

ring in the new year. 

You never know when you might need a card for a special occasion and these 

cards will hopefully inspire you as you create for others. 

First up is this gorgeous card from Andrea. I love how cheery and bright 

it is and this would surely delight anyone who received it: 

She brings in so much color and texture on this card. 

About her card Andrea says, " I love creating cards that may not fit 

perfectly inside an envelope. With a bit of 3d foam adhesive and favorite 

Lily Bee collections, you can take your card making to a whole new level."

Andrea began creating this card by stamping and layering paper strips on the 

front of a folded piece of cardstock.  Next, add foam adhesive to the back

side of the index journal card, add the ribbon and adhere it to the front 

of the card.  Add stamped elements (such as the butterfly) using foam 

adhesive or craft glue.  Bend the wings upwards to create more dimension.  

Using a safety pin, add a paper heart from Victoria Park Bag of Bits 

collection along with buttons.  

Supplies: Persnickety (Clear Stamps, Index Journal Card), Victoria Park (Bag of Bits), 

Double Dutch (Celery- paper), Christmas Cheer (Hot Cocoa- paper, Figgy Pudding- Paper).

With 2012 coming to a close I decided to create a card to celebrate the

coming year. 

This card was quick and easy to create by simply layering a couple of 

journaling cards and adding the sentiment. Don't be afraid to cut into 

your cards like i did here. It adds a unique touch to your project and allows 

you to use the products in different ways. 

I cut the "Today" from one of the journaling cards and used it as a 

highlight on the card.

Supplies: Persnickety (6x6 Tiny Tablet, Index Journaling Cards). 

Tutorial | Tiny 'Autumn' Mini Album

Good morning creative souls and happy Friday to you! Today, I (Cindy) am super excited to share a simple tutorial on how-to make this tiny mini album out of index journaling cards.

Gather a mix of index journaling cards. I used 17 of them from Autumn Spice, Persnickety, Victoria Park, Double-Dutch, Buttercup and Handmade collections.

Score each index journaling card in half, which should measure 2-inches, facing up.

If you want, you can also gather a few mini tags and mini envelope and score each of them in half, too. Once each index journaling cards has been scored, fold with print side facing in. Set cards up and arrange them with the tabs equally spaced and add in other index journaling cards with two notches at the bottom in between the cards with tabs.

Lay in order and begin adhering the first two index journaling cards backs together using a glue stick. Make sure the front of each one are flush and even through.

Use the scored mini tags and mini envelopes within the mini album adhere them to different index journaling cards. This can be done with them added in between gluing and to also hide any unevenness.

once cards have been glued together, use binder clips at top and bottom and drizzle Helmar's acid free glue to the back seams of the cards and evenly spread to get a good seal on the spine of the mini album. (Note: this glue dries super fast...less than 5 minutes)

Once dry, use mini album to determine size of cover and score according to thickness.

Evenly adhere the first and last index journaling cards inside album cover, one at a time.

To decorate the front of my mini album, I used a small tag stamped with title and embellished with tiny leaves and button. Add twine or ribbon through button holes and through the tags hole and adhere it to the small flap with a few glue dots for extra security.

Here is a view inside the tiny mini album.

Throughout the album, I used lots of cardstock stickers, clear stamps and tiny die-cut leaves. I specially made this album to keep all my favorite photos from this Fall season. This album fits 2"x1.75" photos perfectly (Instagram photos would work, too).

Happy FALL and enjoy your weekend!

 

Challenge - Then & Now

Hey there! Are you ready for this weeks challenge?

I can't believe September is already here and for most, school has been in session for at least a few weeks now. As, I (Cindy Liebel) was comparing photos of my kids from each year on the first day of school, I couldn't believe how big they have grown. Time sure does fly by. Next thing you know, they will both be off to college...sigh!

So, my challenge for you is to create a "then and now" or even a "before and after" scrapbook page. This is a fun way to go through those photos you've either been holding onto or that you may have forgotten about.

In the first photo, my daughter was only two years old, she was super excited to be with her big brother as he ventured off to school in the first grade. Her cheeky grin and his sweet smile makes me gasp. Now, in the second photo, three years later, she's in Kindergarten and he's in fourth grade. I adore the love my daughter shows for her brother still to this day.

To create the cluster of stars for my background, I used my Cameo Silhouette and embellished with the bold colors from the Double Dutch collection.

And now it's your turn! Create a layout based on the challenge and upload it to our Flickr gallery to be entered to win a fabulous prize package at the end of the month!

There are just a few rules to keep in mind:

1. Your layout must use at 70% Lily Bee products.
2. Post your layout to our Flickr Gallery here to be eligible for monthly Designer's Choice Challenge prize drawing!
3. Be sure to title your post "Lily Bee September Designers' Choice Challenge" along with the date of the challenge, September 4th, so we can find it easily.
4. Deadline - September 30, 2012, Mountain Standard time.
5. Winners will be announced Friday, October 5, 2012. 

Happy creating!

Card Making with Michi and Danielle

We are back with more card inspiration for you today.

First, a lovely card by Michi! I really love her casual take on the strips of patterned paper and the fun use of brads and mist here!

The random stitching around the outer border is the perfect touch to this card!

(Happy Together card by Michi Nobeno)

LilyBee products: Double Dutch pattered papers, Handmade patterned papers, Double Dutch Bag of Bits.

Next is a Thank You card by me. I used a die called "Cover Plate: Quatrefoil Die" by Papertrey Ink with Lily Bee's Double Dutch papers.

I cut one quatrefoil piece out of white cardstock and three more quatrefoil pieces using the plaid papers from the 6x6" Double Dutch Tiny Tablet. I first placed the white border onto my card and then filled in the colorful centers with the plaid pieces! It's fun to create a design with the patterns. Everything is placed onto a white cardstock base, and I like how the white-on-white looks.

For the sentiment, I added a piece of vellum with a stamped "Thank You" over the top. You could definitely print a sentiment with your printer onto vellum if you didn't have a stamp. I really like how the patterns still show through the sentiment. To adhere the vellum, I used a few tiny dots of Elmer's Craft Bond Fabric & Paper Glue, which worked beautifully and dried clear.

(Thank You card by Danielle Flanders)

LilyBee products: Double Dutch 6x6 Tiny Tablet.

 

We hope you were inspired by our cards today. Thank you for swinging by the LilyBee blog!

Challenge - Use the Negative to Your Advantage

Good morning, Lily Bee Fans!  Patricia here with you today to share one of my favorite uses of pattern paper.  I do own a Cameo Silhouette, but this would work just fine with any type of die cutting machine and/or punches.  So your challenge today is to use those negative cuttings on a layout or card.  And if you've used them before, then try to think of a different way to use them as I did here on my layout.

Whenever I have used negative cuttings, I usually use the whole piece of pattern paper with the cut outs. But this time, I cut up the stars that I put on top of another piece of pattern paper and also pop dotted them.  I also challenged myself to use my 1" circle punch to make the corners of my layout.  I cut out just a half circle on all four corners before adhering to the white cardstock.

Since I used a busy background, I kept the pattern paper I used under the all of the stars the same.  It helps the eye move around the layout as I also cut out the doily and used a star bit in the same pattern.

Lily Bee Products:  Pattern Paper:  Buttercup:  Flower Pot, Puddles, Sunflower; Handmade:  Pattern Block;

ABC Cardstock Stickers:  Handmade; Cardstock Stickers:  Buttercup; Bits:  Buttercup; Stamps:  Double Dutch; 

 Index Card:  Handmade

The stars on the layout were cut with the Cameo, but I wanted to show you how you could do this with a 1" circle punch.  I cut out a row of circles from the pattern paper, adhered with pop dots and used bits to fill in the circles.  Very simple card to put together when you need a quick card.

Lily Bee Products: Handmade 6x6 Tiny Tablet; Cardstock Stickers: Handmade; Bits:  Handmade

 

And now it's your turn! Create a layout or card of your own using the negative leftover cuttings from your die cutting machine and/or punches, and upload it to our Flickr gallery to be entered to win a fabulous prize package!

There are just a few rules to keep in mind:

1. Your layout must use at 70% Lily Bee products.

2. Post your layout to our Flickr Gallery here to be eligible for monthly Designer's Choice Challenge prize drawing!

3. Be sure to title your post "Lily Bee August Designers' Choice Challenge" along with the date of the challenge, August 28th, so we can find it easily.

4. Winners will be announced Friday September 7, 2012.

5. Deadline - August 31, 2012 - have fun!

Sketch Challenge | 08.27.2012

Hello there! Melissa Mann and Amy Heller are here today with a new sketch for our Monday Sketch Challenge!

Here is the new sketch:

This sketch can be interpreted in so many different ways! Don't feel like you  have to use the photos in exactly the same place as the sketch - those blocks could all be photos or they could all be pattern paper - feel fre to adapt it to work for you!

This is Melissa's take on the sketch. She followed the sketch explicitly. 

Lily Bee Supplies:
Handmade Pattern Paper
Handmade ABC Stickers
Handmade Stickers
Handmade Bag of Bits 

.and this is Amy's take on the sketch:

 

And here is what Amy had to say:

Melissa's sketch is really well suited for a layout. But you can just as easily use it for cards as well. Because of all the detail in her sketch, I chose to limit my color palette to just a 2-3 colors, to simplify the design and keep the focus on the sentiment for each card. In my first card, I stuck very close to her sketch. In the 2nd card, I decided to mix things up by taking several of the square places on the right of the sketch and using one larger piece by using one of Lily Bee's Index Journaling Cards. This creates a great focal point on the card.

Lily Bee Supplies:

Remember This {Laugh}

Supplies: Victoria Park 6x6 Paper Pack, Double Dutch 6x6 Paper Pack, Victoria Park Bag of Bits, Victoria Park Alpha Stickers

Oh Happy Day, You Are 2!

Supplies: Victoria Park 6x6 Paper Pack, Double Dutch 6x6 Paper Pack, Victoria Park Bag of Bits, Buttercup Bag of Bits, Double Dutch Bag of Bits, Handmade Bag of Bits, Handmade Index Journaling Cards, Handmade Alpha Stickers

 

 

Now, here are the details if you wish to participate in the sketch challenge:

1. Your layout must use at 70% Lily Bee products

2. Post your layout to our Flickr Gallery to be eligible for the monthly Sketch Challenge prize drawing

3. Title your post "Lily Bee August Sketch Challenge" so we can find it easily.

4. The deadline is Friday, August 31, 2012 at 9PM MST. Winners will be posted in Kristen's September news post on September 28th. HAVE FUN!!

Thanks for joining us on the blog today!

 

Cards on Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, Lily Bee fans! We hope you are having a fabulous week thus far! Today, Summer is bringing you a couple cards today that feature die cutting to get you thinking about how a simple little extra can make a big difference in your cards.

Here, Summer, used a simple scallop border die cut, but instead of using it on the interior of the card, she adhered it so it would actually be the edge of the card. What a unique and simple touch that creates such a beautiful "wow" factor!

Happy Together by Summer Fullerton

Lily Bee Supplies Used: Double Dutch/Handmade Patterned Paper, and Double Dutch Bag of Bits

 

For this card, Summer used created die cuts in her card and then really created impact by also die cutting the circular scalloped frames that showcase those die cuts. Absolutely fabulous!

Smile by Summer Fullerton
Lily Bee Supplies Used: Double Dutch/Handmade/Victoria Park Patterned Paper and Victoria Park Bag of Bits

 

 Thank you so much for stopping by today! Have a super Wednesday!

 

Sketch Challenge I 8.20.12

Hey there! Today, Cindy and Julia are here to inspire you with a new sketch challenge on this lovely Monday morning.

Cindy took a more literal, yet awesome, approach by following the sketch in it's entirety. She used the 6x6 Tiny Tablet to create her pattern color block on her layout and embellished each one with a variety of mixed cardstock stickers, bag of bits and buttons.

Victoria Park: Pattern Papers-Raspberry, Covert Garden & 6x6 Tiny Tablet, Bag of Bits, ABC & Mixed Cardstock Stickers, Double Dutch: Index Journaling Cards

She added a unique twist to arrows by layering the banner triangle stickers together for a cool affect.

Julia's layout is just fabulous. She flipped the sketch horizontally for her layout design. Amazing!

Patterned Paper: Handmade – Fat Quarter, Timble, Rag Quilt, Running Stitch, Double Dutch – Sand

She designed her layout with lots of texture, using elements that pop off the page. Her pattern color block is grouped with a mix of Handmade pattern papers that compliment her overall design and photos.

And now we want to you see YOUR take on the sketch! Here are the rules to keep in mind:

1. Your layout must use at 70% Lily Bee products

2. Post your layout to our Flickr Gallery to be eligible for the monthly Sketch Challenge prize drawing

3. Title your post "Lily Bee August Sketch Challenge" so we can find it easily.

4. Winners will be posted in Kristen's September news post on September 28th. HAVE FUN!!

 

Altered Item - Frame and Mini Album

Hi, Lily Bee fans. Today, Michi and I will share some altered projects with you. 

Michi's frame is so adorable.  She used a wooden frame painted white and then used the Handmade and Double Dutch collections to decorate it.

Such a cute idea how she made a polaroid frame using Double Dutch Croquet.

My altered item is a mini album.  I did a transfer of pattern paper using sticky back canvas.  For the front side of the canvas, I used a gel medium to adhere and let dry.  Then used water and rubbed through until the image appeared.  For the sticky back side, I could just adhere it, and then water it down and start rubbing to see the image.  What I like about using canvas instead of just pattern paper, is the texture and feel it gives an album that will be handled a lot.

Some of the white you see on the pattern paper is from the paper fibers.  You want to be careful how much you rub, because you may rub all of the pattern paper off.  I like the look of the white, so I do a little at a time until I get the look I like.

I added tape and stitching around the edge for a finished look.  Then cut out a starburst, adhered, and embellished the front cover.

The album is about 12X6, with the inside pages being a just a little big smaller to fit nicely within the cover.  I like to mix different sized pages and little extras, like the doily I cut with the Silhouette tucked in between pages.  I also like to add stamping.  I used the Double Dutch stamps to create a border using the days of the week on a few of the pages.

I used the score board and made a #10 size envelope to put in between the pages to tuck in receipts or any other memorabilia from the summer.  To make the envelope flap be able to open and close between the pages, I cut down at an angle from left to right at the top of the flap on the left side and repeated it on the right side of the flap, cutting at an angle from right to left. 

I also made some smaller pages measuring about 3 3/4 high, so you can see a little sneak of the other pages.  I like to add dimension without too much bulk to my mini albums.  And this is a great way to do that.

Some Journaling Index Cards were also placed in between some of the pages.  To assemble the album, I did use a sewing machine (you can do by hand) to make sure that the "smaller" pieces I put in between would be secure.  Then I did a pamphlet stitch to stich two signatures of about 4 pages.  I am not an expert at making books, but they are a lot of fun to make, easily stored, and a great way to remember Summer memories.

Supplies:  Pattern Paper:  Victoria Park:  Grander Theatre, Covent Garden, Buttercup:  Queen Bee, Sunflower, Rain, Handmade:  Sky Blue, Rag Quilt, Patchwork, Running Stitch, Double Dutch:  Hopscotch, Croquet, Key Lime Pie; Index Journaling Card:  Victoria Park, Double Dutch, Buttercup, Handmade; Stamp:  Double Dutch; Cardstock Stickers:  Double Dutch, Handmade; ABC Cardstock Stickers:  Victoria Park, Double Dutch, Buttercup, Handmade; Bits:  Handmade, Double Dutch, Buttercup

Thank you so much for stopping by to visit.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and are inspired to create!

Design Sense - Creating a Strong Focal Point

Today, I want to give a few tips on how to make sure that your layouts have a strong focal point.  Understanding some basic design principles will allow you to make sure that every element on your page works to support your main objective.

Lily Bee Supplies (Buttercup Collection Kit, 6x6 Tiny Tablet, ABC Cardstock Sticker, Bag O Bits, Double Ductch Hopscotch Paper, Handmade Linen Paper)

 
The first step is to think about what is going on your page that you want to be the main focus for your viewer.  This can be a photo, a title, or even your journaling. The beauty is that you get to decide what gets the most attention.

Secondly, determine which specific elements you want to include on your page.  This is all about narrowing your list of products down to the ones you’re actually going to glue down. For my projects, I wanted to use Hexagons as a design element.  I lifted them off the page for depth.

Third, think about how the elements you’ve chose can ‘point’ to your main focus.

For my project, I’ve used my title as my main focus.  I’ve decided there is an important value statement that I want to highlight through emphasis on my title specifically. That concept is the idea that couples can ‘make it work’ in marriage.

The first thing I'm going to do toward that end is create my title as a 'grand entity'.  Size is one very clear way to point the eye to a focal point. 

 

Secondly, placement is important.  Placement doesn’t have to be centered, in fact, centering along the rule of thirds is often a great idea.  However, when anything is front and center, you just can’t miss it.  This time, I'm going with that idea.  

Thirdly, I’ll use the aforementioned ‘other elements’ to create a triangle who’s lines move the viewers eye around the page so they are sure to spot all the most important parts.

You’ll notice that there are more than just one triangle that could be recognized here, but all of them emphasize my main focus.

Finally, consider color.  Some colors are more attention grabbing than others.  Color also evokes mood, so carefully plan for the mood you want to create.  I want my viewer to be soothed by the hopefulness of my subject matter so I'm going with the color Yellow (which symbolizes hope) for my title to add extra emphasis to my point.  I’ve also outlined it in black pen so that it will stand out. 

These concepts will help you as you seek to create meaningful, memory-keeping projects in the future.