Trend | Project Life Out of the Pocket
A new trend is becoming more and more visible in scrapbooking. Many people are enjoying the convenience of the coordinated Project Life and other pocket style kits so much, they are using them for non-pocket pages. Often times, this usage of the pocket cards is coming along with another trend borrowed straight from pocket layouts - grid style layouts.
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The straight lines, symmetry, and heavy graphic overtones of this look is in sharp contrast to the random vintage collage look that has dominated the space for the past few years.
First Day Of School Layout
Supplies:
Project Life by Heidi Swapp (Favorite Things Core Kit) - currently exclusive to Michaels Stores
Heidi Swapp Interchangeable Stamp - currently exclusive to Michaels Stores
Heidi Swapp Date Stamp - currently exclusive to Michaels Stores
Heidi Swapp Paper Pad (Hello Today)
American Crafts Remarks Alphabet (JFK Neutrals)
Silhouette Printable Foil (Gold)
Brush Script font
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Brushed Corduroy, Picked Raspberry)
Bazzill Smooth Cardstock (Marshmallow)
Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen (Superfine - black)
This layout, with the use of the cards from the Heidi Swapp Project Life core kit as its main elements, came together extremely quickly. I spent some time selecting out a few cards and then arranging them on the background - kind of like playing a creative game of Solitaire! Shuffle, lay out, rearrange, shuffle...
After deciding on a card layout I just layered a few elements on top, just like my process after I've selected my cards when I'm making a pocket layout. In this case, I needed a title which I created with my Silhouette and letter stickers. (Another trend sneaked onto this layout too when I made the title out of metallic gold!)
First Day Of School Detail Date Stamp
Then I used the date stamp to stamp the date in a medium brown. I wanted it to be visible but not "in your face". The result is a tone on tone look that blends in with the other designs on the kraft background paper but stands out enough to be seen.
The last element was the circular element created with the Heidi Swapp Interchangeable Stamp.
First Day Of School Detail Happy
If you have the stamp, you know that it stamps with a built-in black ink pad. And yet, my impression is pink? If you hold the stamp in the compressed position (as if it were stamping), you can wipe off the stamp with a baby wipe, ink the stamp with whatever color you want, and then make a quick impression with it. Yes, it is a bit of a tricky task requiring some manual dexterity and strong hands...but the results are really fun and bring more versatility to the stamp.
After a little bit of trial and error, I've discovered it is much easier to get a good impression with both the Interchangeable Stamp and the Date Stamp if you "prime" the stamp with an artist's eraser and then use a pigment ink.
For more interpretations of this trend, check out these examples:
In My Garden by Eunyoung Lee
Salzburg by Janine Langer
Digital Project Life by Linda Roos
Petting Zoo by Suzy Plantamura
