Down Sunflower Lane: My Boy - Couture Creations

Welcome welcome fellow crafters!

Tracey R here today with more of the gorgeous Magnolia Lane range. I am so enjoying creating with this collection. The colours & embellishments are truly gorgeous. are truly gorgeous. If you haven't grabbed any from your LSS be quick, because it's been very popular. Today I'm sharing a 12x12 layout of me and "My Boy".

So let's get crafting!

These photos are around 5 years old, but they make smile and I've been wanting to scrap them for sometime. I really like these little passport size photos, but rather than use then as one photo (how they were printed out, I've cut them up individually. To start I chose my background page (ULT157488 Rosehip Memories). I love any script paper (I'm in heaven with all script papers in the Magnolia Lane range!!), and this green paper is no different. It has a script & postmark pattern making it perfect as background.

Using a light coat of modelling paste and a stencil I've added some circles over the page either side of where my photo will go. Initially I like the circles just plain white, but when I added my matted photo (as below) the white stood out a little more than I was looking
for, so I added distress ink (light pink, rose grey) to plastic packaging from my
embellishments and dabbed it over the circles.
Just make sure your modelling paste is dry before you ink!!!!

To matt my photos, I'm mounted each photo on foam tape and attaching in a grid pattern. Making photo mats is a fantastic way to use up your paper scraps - which is exactly what I've done here. I've used offcuts from both my 6x6 & 12x12 Magnolia Lane paper pads. I've used green & pinks tones of paper in a range of pattens for interest. I've distressed each piece of paper with my non-stick scissors and then inked each edge with a pink ink. I adhered each layer of paper together with double sided tape except for the last 2 layers (one closest the background page) where I've used foam tape to give some dimension to the mat. And if you're using papers from the same collection it doesn't really matter which ones you use because they are all coordinating! Making your job much easier & quicker.

I've added a piece of white gauze to the back of my photo mat and added to the page with some more foam tape. I've placed the photos towards the top slightly off centre. You can also see the inks I've added over the white circles. It tones down the starkness of the white and adds more detail & colour to the page.

I've changed the look of my rosettes by adding other embellishments to the centre. I removed the pearl (keep that for something else!), added some white gauze, and placed a metal trinket on one and a oval cabochon to the other. Just a small change, but creates something totally new.

I've placed the 2 rosettes and paper magnolia along the bottom left hand side of my photo mat with foam tape, and once in place added a part of the bling flourish under the flower.