Tuesday Tutorial with Trina: Layering

Hi, it's Trina again, this time sharing the technique I use for working with patterned scrapbooking paper like Studio Calico's new Printshop "Monochrome" from the Main December scrapbook kit. The backside of Monochrome is a wonderful collage-style pattern. If you are one who finds this type of patterned paper difficult to work with, this tutorial shares my process. I love layering and collage paper makes it extra fun!

If you are a subscriber you can login and see the December kits now here Citrus Twist kits page.

Here is the layout I made:

To begin my page I cut elements out of the collage paper that I liked best, including items like the camera, music notes and other ephemera. I cut out shapes in strips, circles and fussy cut items like the camera. I also cropped my photo so I could build layers up behind it. Here are some of the many pieces I cut out (plus my photo). I wasn't sure which ones I would use, but wanted enough available to grab from. The C-shaped piece of paper was to stretch my paper further. I used this to tuck behind the layered photo frame.

Next I cut a few frames to tuck behind my photo from some of the patterned green and patterned black paper that came in the kit. Each frame is a little larger than the last so they will peak out from behind the layer in front. I even cut one of the layers out of the collage paper.

I cut three strips out of three of the patterned papers from the Main kit. I cut these by hand and wanted them to have slightly uneven edges. I used these as a base behind the photo and photo layers on my page:

First I glued down the strips. Next I glued down the bottom (or back) frame for my photo, then layered each slightly smaller frame on top, building them up until I glued the photo down. I don't glue right to the edges of my paper so I can tuck some of the little collage pieces behind. Then I got down to playing. I tuck the little shapes here and there to see what I like best. I don't glue them down until I like what I see. This truly is play time. I added the silver washi tape as an after thought:

Then it was time to reach for my embellishments to put down on top of the background strips and photo and to fill some white space of the background using things like the etched wood badges and gray glitter stickers and more of the collage paper ephemera.

Next I covered my photo with a piece of scrap paper to protect it, splashed (really, I splash!) a little Heidi Swapp Tinsel Color Shine randomly on my page and stamped a few phrases.

This picture shares some of my layers of cut outs from the collage paper. I scattered the circle shapes here and there on my page and adhered one of the new Studio Calico Printshop cork shapes. The very last thing I did to the page was do some layered strips at the top and bottom, using bits of the "Monochrome" and other patterned papers:

Thanks for visiting our blog today. Full reveal is on December 5th!

Trina