Rain, Rain, Stay And Play!

Using Raindrops for Scrapbook Layouts...

Hello all, Jennifer here today. I'm going to show you different ways to use raindrops on your pages - they aren't just for grey days! I've used lots of the fantastic Pink Paislee Hello Sunshine collection which is so colourful and fun!

The first page I have to show you has a photo that's nothing to do with the rain, it's just a photo of my husband and my daughter when she was 4 months old...

Our Rainbow:

My page is about how we were beginning to get the hang of things by the time she was 4 months old... as much as you can get used to looking after a baby anyway!

To start my layout I began with the 'b' side of the 'Stormy Weather' paper, I picked out some Heidi Swapp Color Shine Mist in 'Coral' and 'Navy', and I pulled out my trusty messy-stuff pizza box:

Then I started sprinkling coral mist at over the paper by taking the lid off the bottle and tapping it so the drops fell off the straw. I concentrated the drops at the top of the paper, so it looked like the beginning of a rain shower::

I let the coral mist dry completely and then repeated this with the navy mist (otherwise the wet colours would blend and look murky):

Once the navy mist was dry too I planned out my page. I couldn't work out why the area on the left didn't look quite right, where I'd placed some Hello Sunshine Ephemera pieces:

Then I realised it was because the right-hand side of the page had a Pocket Card which was mostly white, so I needed to bring the white across the layout... I simply flipped the little raindrops over to their plain white side: 

 Here's how it looked once the page was finished - I stuck the transparent 'be the rainbow' tag from the ephemera down with Glossy Accents which worked a treat:

I loved how there was lots of journaling space on this pocket card:

Of course I couldn't have the word 'rainbow' in the title without making it multicoloured! I didn't have all the colours of the rainbow in my Thickers collection so I just went with what I had:

The next layout does have a photo from a rainy day...

Puddles Without Wellies:

All the other mums at the school-run laugh at my son because he is crazy for puddles... I'm always saying 'no, you haven't got your wellies on' but 5 seconds later he's in there anyway... I've kind of given up!

I chose to let the 'Puddle Jumper' rainy paper work it's magic at the top of my page, it definitely sets the scene, as does the 'Rain Rain Go Away' pocket card. I also added an umbrella from the Puffy Stickers with some drops and Gold Enamel Dots beneath it:

At the left side of the page I used a piece of the 'Rainboots' paper to brighten things up and keep it positive looking! I doodled with a black pen along the white lines to emphasize the arrow effect:

A couple more pieces from the Chipboard Stickers to add to the lighthearted feel - I wanted to show that even though he's ignoring me I don't hold it against him - I just love to see him play:

What do you think? Have I inspired you to add a few raindrops to your next page? I think living in the UK certainly gives us a lot of rainy inspiration!

Have a great day!

Jennifer x

Jennifer blogs her crafting activities over at Jennifer Grace Creates, she has a big blog event coming up on Friday so make sure you check it out!

A "Grid" Layout with Hello Sunshine

Recently I ran a workshop at the Wilton Crop. 

We used the lovely Pink Paislee "Hello Sunshine" Papers and a selection of journal cards from Pink Paislee and Simple Stories with a focus on a grid design to create a quick layout for multiple photos.

Here's the layout and instructions should you wish to make a similar page.

Start off by "gutting" the sheet of "Hello Sunshine" paper and saving the middle piece for use on another layout. Of course, you can use a different patterned paper if you wish. Next, trim half an inch off two sides of the white cardstock so that there is a small border of stripes showing when the cardstock is adhered centrally on top of the paper.

Decide which 3" x 4" journal cards to use and crop the photos to size (if you've not already printed them to the size you want) and work out where they will all go in your grid design before starting to stick anything down. 

On my layout I had two rows of 4" high but the top row was only 3" high - this allows for a small border around the layout. You could put a 3" high row in the middle instead but it worked better for my photos and cards to have this arrangement.

You will see from the above photo that I opted to use a 6" x 4" photograph instead of two small photos or you could have 1 small photo and 1 journal card in that space instead. You can choose which ever arrangement suits your photos and the cards you wish to use.

Before sticking everything in place I rounded the corners using a Project Life Corner Rounder and also popped a doilie (cut in half) under the photos/cards each side to add some extra interest.

Add your title - this doesn't have to be in the top centre space - originally I was going to put it in the centre spot but then decided to swap it with the photo.

I chose the title "Whatever the Weather" as my layout is about how my daughter loves to go to the beach no matter what the weather is like .... even on chilly days she will go in the water and happily play on the beach.

I will add some handwritten journalling to that card with the umbrellas and rainbows on over on the right hand side before putting it away in my album.

All that is left to do is add some embellishments. I used some "Hello Sunshine" chipboard, Simple Stories DIY Boutique Brad, Studio Calico Wood heart and arrow and cut the black banner and little black arrow from scraps of paper using the Project Life Nesting die set.

Add embellishments on top of the doilies and overlapping the edge of the photos to help draw the eye towards your main photo(s)

If you do have a go at making a grid layout, please do leave a link in the comments so I can pop over and see or post your "grid" layout to the S J Crafts facebook Page.

Before I go ... don't forget there's FREE Postage and Packing over at the shop all this weekend when you spend £15 or more!! Offer ends 10am Monday 12 May!

Sarah x