A couple of quickies

Don't you find that having kits to play with sometimes means you can pull together a layout more quickly? I certainly find that with the layouts that have a cleaner look to them. I'm not a speedy scrapper but it is nice to be pleasantly surprised with how fairly fast a layout has come together.

So here are two layouts that fall into that category - the first using the full kit

with the dog faaaaar away keeping an eye on us. The title would have been "This is what Lucky loves" but I had run out of "s"s. However as I am from South Wales originally I allowed myself this version of the phrase because it is what my auntie Eirwen would have said.

I decided I wanted a neat bow in that lovely blue ribbon, so folded it down, wrapped the other ribbon around it, wrong side showing, sewed them together and then added gems on the top

I cut out the heart and flower from the Echo Park paper and layered them over a journalling spot made from another of the papers and a label die. Another little cluster of those fab Prima stickers on the left hand corner and the embellisment was more or less done

I then cracked open the Lite kit - Noted. It was the printed die cut that first got my attention and really got the ideas started.

I knew I wanted to place it on its own at the top left and then have the photos near the bottom right. The grey cardstock was a perfect element as that was the kind of sky we walked under! I made a series of mats using the papers from the kit, interspersed with white cardstock. The bottom layer had its edge punched and a Doodlebug paper frill (not in the kit) attached. Every layer was edged with black sharpie pen. The layers were stuck down at different angles and then some of the stickers carefully placed amidst the layers.

I added my long title with stickers from the kit and some journalling on hand drawn lines. I do like this look but use a ruler if you prefer! A few grey liquid pearls and white enamel accents finished it all off.

Outlining everything with a black Sharpie (or any other fairly thick opaque pen) does take time - and practise, but it is one of the things that I do a lot to give a defined edge to my scrapping and helps me to use loads and loads of patterns together. And as there are loads of fab patterns in the kit it is well worth giving this a go.
NB when outlining I put scrappy paper under the edge I want to define and then draw along the patterned paper, making sure that most of the pen line goes on the scrappy paper. I end up with some sharp looking paper pieces and some A4 paper covered in short black lines! And even though i have a steady hand, every now and then the black line ends up careering over the wrong paper and I then have to think creatively about how to cover it over. That can be fun too...