Great Day | Dust It Off Challenge | May Homemade Kit

Hi everyone! Today I am back with another layout from my homemade kit to share. For this one, I decided to go busy! I wanted to use up as many paper scraps and embellishments from my kit as I could, especially some of the buttons I had included (but barely touched). Besides using lots of materials, I also wanted to use lots of photos; so I printed off six photos that I had taken around the venue at the Cocoa Vanilla Studio retreat last year.

I started my layout with white cardstock and some acrylic paint. In order to keep my layout from being too busy, I knew I had to keep the focal area of the layout fairly tight, and then leave plenty of negative space around the page for the eye to rest. 

I chose light pink and light grey paints, and used my silicone spatula to simply smear the paints onto the page. Once dry, I used one of my favourite stencils, called Rose Bouquet from StencilGirl, and some Vicki Boutin gold glaze to add some subtle floral detail over the top of the paint.  

Once I worked out the rough placement for my photos, I then set to work with a pile of scrap paper to create some layers. There was very little method to this part of my process - I just cut the papers (Crate Paper & Heidi Swapp) into different sized pieces and stuck them down on the page. I also added a couple of small green paper doilies, before sticking my photos down on top.

Once I had the background layers and my photos in place, it was simply a matter of going back and adding some embellishments. I began with a small chipboard frame, which I cut in half and tucked in behind my photos on either side. 

I then added an assortment of bits and pieces - Heidi Swapp die cut acrylic pieces; Cocoa Vanilla Studio buttons and flair button; and stickers and die cuts from Crate Paper, Websters's Pages and the Reject Shop. 

I finished off with some handwritten journalling and a few splatters of green mist. Despite how busy it is, I think I managed to balance it with a good use of negative space so it wasn't too overwhelming. 

I could probably squeeze another layout or two (or maybe even some cards) out of the remnants of my kit. I think I am up to about 8 so far? Not bad considering these were mainly older products from my stash.

I think I might be due to make a fresh kit soon - if you have any suggestions of what you would like to see me include, let me know. 

Until next time, happy scrapping! X