GCD Studios Assignment: Pile on the Layers/Handmade Embellishment

One of the first GCD Studios Design Team 2011/12 assignments was to create a project that incorporated a handmade embellishment with lots of layers. I've just been looking for an excuse to scrap a photo I took of my oldest grandson Jack with his mother (my middle daughter; Cait) on her twenty-first birthday back in January, but the color of Caitlin's shirt was posing a bit of a challenge for me to find just the right patterned paper to use on the layout. I loved the bright colors of the photograph and didn't want to change the photo into a black and white or sepia-toned photo like I might normally do in cases such as these.  At any rate, when I recently recieved my GCD Studios Design Team supplies and saw the bright patterns featured in the Homespun Chic Collection by Melody Ross, I knew this would be the perfect collection to use when creating a layout that featured this photograph.

I matted the photograph on deep royal blue cardstock (from American Crafts Winter Collection) that coordinated well with the blue tones found in the Homespun Mod flocked patterned paper I added at the center of the layout and matted that onto a piece of Petit Blossoms paper. I also added a small strip of the reverse side of the Homespun Mod paper and layered a row of tiny pearls on top of that, to the right of the photograph, because this layout was all about layering.  I used large pieces of the reverse side of Homespun Garden paper on both sides of the layout to create interest and balance.  A tag from the blue cardstock and glittered alphabet letters on white cardstock made the title pop on the page.  I printed a quote from Agatha Christie onto white cardstock that I cut into strips and layered onto the patterned paper.  Handmade pearl-topped flowers, a brad from the Melody Ross Homespun Collection, Homespun Brad set,  stamped leaves and Parisian Accents (Spellbinders) cut from the blue cardstock completed this layered project.

I used Die-namics (My Favorite Things Stamps) Rolled Rose and Rolled Flower dies to create the handmade flowers from blue cardstock. Other supplies included: Certainly Celery Ink from Stampin' Up, Turning a New Leaf die and stamp set and a tag die by Papertrey Ink, Pearls from Hero Arts and Pink Paislee "Sweetness" Glitter Alphabet Stickers. The Raspberry Fizz ribbon used on the tag is also from Papertrey Ink and tied together with Pink and White Baker's Twine purchased at Really Reasonable Ribbons.