Design Challenges - Wrapping Up

Only a week late, I finally have all the assignments from the Design Challenges Class completed.

Number Nine: Go Margin Free

(Supplies: Letter stickers and asterisks by American Crafts. All other supplies by Crate Paper.)

I love this photo. Yes, it is blurry, but that's part of what makes it special, the action, the motion, the energy of the memory, my Mom and I dancing. I didn't have room for journaling because of the size of the photo, but I'm doing a 6x12 companion page that will give me more room.


Number Ten: Use Photo Strips as a Design Element

(Supplies: Card stock by Bazzill. Number dies by QuicKutz. Gems by Sticko. Glitter by Stickles. All other supplies by Echo Park Paper.)

These photos were taken way back before I went digital. They were 3.5x5 inch prints, and most of the photos were dark, so a great solution was punching a square out of each one and putting those squares into strips. Although I tried to adhere the first strip straight on the page, it was a bit crooked, so I went with it and made the second strip crooked on purpose. Most of the supplies came from Echo Park Paper's Winter Park collection, but I was able to use a few bits and pieces from the previous winter-themed kit, Wintertime, which is one of my favorites of all time. I love getting to use up old supplies.

Number Eleven: Feature Type Both Big and Small

(Supplies: Card stock by Bazzill and Stampin' Up! Patterned paper by Glitz and Basic Grey. Stamps by The Stamps of Life. Inks by Colorbox, VersaMagic, and Tim Holtz Distress. Large letter stickers by Little Yellow Bicycle. Small letter stickers by Crate Paper. Brads by JoAnn, Etc. Based on a sketch by Shimelle Laine.)

For this layout, I used some patterned papers from Cocoa Daisy kits, and I put a stamp set I recently bought at Mega Meet to use. I so dig those stars! I like that I can create all kinds of embellishments, all different styles and tones, with one stamp set. Definitely check out The Stamps of Life. Lots of great options there, including a subscription program.

Number Twelve: Embrace Fine Lines

(Supplies: Letter stickers by Pebbles, Inc. Ink by VersaMagic and Stampin' Up! Stamp by Elise Blaha. Dimensional stickers by Jolee's. All other supplies by Doodlebug.)

That little darling is my niece, Olivia, on her 2nd Hallowe'en, and I have loved these photos of her since I first saw them. I wanted to go cute, rather than spooky, and I love this Doodelbug paper with its matching buttons and pearls. The little chick stickers from Jolee's were the perfect accompaniment.

One of the options for this challenge was to use a broken line, and that's what I did around the orange patterned paper, giving the whole page a homey feeling. I really enjoyed doing this layout, and I know it will make me smile for years to come.


So...better late than never, right? I want to thank Elizabeth Dillow, the instructor for this class at Big Picture. Twelve pages, twelve stories told, and I stretched my design capabilities, also.