Anniversary - Carmela

Carmela shared another letters layout. This one is different as she celebrates seven years with her sweet hubby. Instead of the letters being made by her pictures, she let the letters have equal weight with her pictures, telling her story together.

Layouts from Christy

This is another set of layouts from Christy. Notice the silver hinges in the layout with the wedding cake. You can actually use those hinges by cutting a slit in the page protector and threading the "lid" through the slit. I have used things like that before, however I always make the picture the base of the section - under the page protector. I let the "lid" be journaling, artwork, or souvenirs.

In the bottom layout, that issue is remedied with the use of acid-free envelopes from clearbags.com. You can add a stack of pictures to your page just by attaching the protective bags and again, cutting a slit in the page protector to let the stack pull through.

If you try one of these ideas, please share it !

Chelsea's Baby Shower Layout

Chelsea shared this layout. I think it's a great example of using invitations in your layouts. The most important aspect is to make sure you use papers that will coordinate with the invitation. The pink shade that Chelsea used doesn't exactly match the colors on the invitation, but it coordinates - it doesn't clash with the shade.

I'm not a color guru, but I've learned so much about it since I started this journey with CTMH. For instance, this pink has purple overtones. They're not obvious at all, but if you put this pink next to one with orange overtones - like a salmon color - you would see a distinctive and often unpleasant difference.

In this case, while the colors aren't exact, the shading works well together with all the pinks being of the purply variety. The brown she is using is sort of a dark chocolate and also doesn't exactly match, but goes with the brown of the invitation. Browns also have shadings, from green to orange tones. This brown is rather green in tone, but not extremely. She embellished the brown cardstock with an impression machine that did a dry-emboss pattern on it. The "Love" label is from the Cricut, I think. I have the vague impression that it was a temporary label that she planned to switch out with something else, but I may be confusing her with one of the other guests. I think, if it were me, I would stamp the "LOVE" on some of the plain brown cardstock - that hasn't been impressed - in White Daisy. I would cut it out in an oval shape and maybe even edge the oval in the white daisy as well. Then I'd further accent it by raising it on a 3D foam square.

I really like this page! It is simplicity itself, starting with a solid, brightly colored base and having no other paper than a diagonally set design sheet. The only other papers on the layout are small-print mats for the pictures. What a quick way to introduce a section of pages from a singular event!

Layouts from Lisa

I love these layouts! The title tells it all and the pictures are great with it!.

I love the way Lisa distressed these papers. She first tore them and then edged them with a dark brown ink that matches the letters she used. She also got more than 10 pictures on her pages by using a flip stack on the bottom right of the pages. She used envelopes from Clearbags.com and cut her pictures to fit into the 4x4 spaces.

Layouts from Rhonda

Rhonda is just a proud grandma, and she got a LOT of pictures (13!) on this double layout for her daughter's baby shower.

Pages like this really focus on the pictures instead of the theme, but even with such full pages, there is still room for some incredibly cute accents! (Catch the pony on the bottom right corner!) I also love the way Rhonda tied the colors together, using two different base colors, but connecting them with accents that match the bases.

Layouts from Christy

These simple layouts were perfect for Christy when she was scrap-booking for a family event. She had a LOT of pictures and was able to get 11 of them on these pages. I love the lattice that is evident in all the pictures! It acts like a matte for the pictures and gives a unique connection between them all.

Layouts from Kym - Thanks!

This cute layout is contributed by a distressing queen. (She's a natural with embellishments, too; so much to learn - so little time!)

Did you catch how she burned the edges of her paper. The same type of effect can be achieved without the use of fire, btw. You have to use solid core cardstock (not white-core) and you can tear the edges then ink them with an ink that is a chocolate or a cocoa. Oh and the boot is from the "Way Out West" CTMH stamp set. She gave it some bling with Stickles.

Layouts from Lisa - THANKS!

The layouts for the next couple of weeks are from real people, they aren't artists or professionals, just gals who have a passion for their families and their scrap-books. If you use some of their ideas, please take a pic and send it in! I'd love to see your take on these designs!

Many of the layouts that were made at the retreat didn't actually use CTMH paper, although most of them used CTMH techniques and, as in this case, our wonderful scrap-booking program books. For this one, Lisa had made the layout on the right hand side and wanted to find one to go with it. She found the left had page in the Reflections book and it worked perfectly with the first page. I particularly like the way the colors work together so well, and of course Lisa's sweet baby is stinkin' cute!