Things Are Always Better Than They Seem

I'm back with another layout - I really am trying to live up to (at least) one of my New Year's resolutions and take some more "me" time and get some more scrapbooking done! This week I've done a layout to play along with Case File #3 at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration and I've also used the January 15th sketch at Once Upon a Sketch. I'm also going to submit it for the Scrap it with a Song New Year's challenge! I love using challenges as a way to jump-start the creative process; when you have so little time to scrap - it is great to have a little outside inspiration!

The CSI Case File "evidence" I used for this layout includes: sheer ribbon, tags, a doily, and circular elements; for the "testimony", I used tags and repetition. The journalling prompt at OUAS was to focus on "Goodbye 2011" or "Hello 2012". Another resolution I made for this year was to try and focus more on the positive - 2011 was a year of ups and downs and it is far too easy to let the bad stuff keep you down. So, I need to remember that Things are always better than they seem -- and one look at my sweet little boy is a reminder that I can face anything in 2012! I journalled using lyrics from the song When I See you Smile by Bad English (wow - I'm dating myself) because they were so appropriate for this picture and this layout's message: "When I see you smile, I can face the world; You know I can do anything, when I see you smile."

I've used patterned papers by Webster's pages and Glitz Designs for this layout and edge-distessed and inked all the papers with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The base page is from Webster's Pages Nature's Storybook collection and it has been in my stash for quite a while. I layered strips of paper from Glitz Design's Beautiful Dreamer and Laced with Grace collections and added some lace trim to edges of the top strip. I then layered a circle of Glitz Designs (Beautiful Dreamer) paper with a Doily for the central circular element of the page. The three layers under the photo include a Glitz Designs paper layer, and patterned papers by Webster's Pages (Country Estate) and Glitz Designs (Laced with Grace). I also added a couple of embossed photo corners to the photo. To complete the layering, I used two floral pieces of Glitz Design's Whatnot from the Beautiful Dreamer collection and fussy-cut another floral element from the Webster's pages Country Estate paper.

I used a Melissa Frances Vintage Tag as the title element for my layout. I didn't like the embellishments that were on it - so I removed them and added some eyelets (circular) from my stash and criss-cross threaded some sheer ribbon through them. There was a picture of a creepy little girl on the tag - so I took the frame off the tag and cut a piece of the Glitz Design Beautiful Dreamer - Floral paper to fit in the frame on the tag (flowers = not creepy). I added clusters of flowers around the tag and at the edge of the picture and finished off the embellishing with a Dusty Attic Leafy Stem chipboard piece.

I did a really simple treatment on the Dusty Attic chipboard piece - I inked the entire piece with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and then coated it with a fairly generous coat of Ranger Crackle Accents. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. I love your visits and truly appreciate your comments!

Materials Used:
Patterned Papers - Webster's Pages: Country Estate - Breezeway, Nature's Storybook - Violette Wings; Glitz Designs: Beautiful Dreamer - Whatnot, Houndstooth, and Floral; Laced with Grace - Paper Layers, Stripe; We R Memory Keepers Paper Doily; Melissa Frances Vintage Tag; Martha Stewart Embossed Photo Corners; Dusty Attic Leafy Stem #3 (Small); Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink; Ranger Crackle Accents; Prima Mini Roses; Recollections Boutique Fleurs - Lace Borders and Mulberry Paper Flowers; Offray Ribbon; Tags and Eyelets from Stash; Memory Taper Runner XL; Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam; Glue Dots (Craft and Mini).