Project | Travel Album: Messe Frankfurt Style
2016 is just around the corner, and that means another trip in late January to Frankfurt for Creativeworld. So now I'm on a mission to get my 2014 Frankfurt album completed before then so that I will still only be one album behind! It's time to crank out some pages if I'm going to make it!
[Disclosure: Messe Frankfurt is a Scrapbook Update sponsor. Some links in this article are affiliate links that pay this site a commission when a purchase is made after a click.]
Today's layout is sort of part two of the previous layout I did that was titled Hello Messe Frankfurt. The content is somewhat an extension of the first layout, and much of the design is as well.
Messe Frankfurt Style layout
This layout is all about the inside of Messe Frankfurt, whereas the previous one was more the outside. I kept the design very consistent from the previous one by using the Project Life “Everyday” Core Kit by Liz Tamanaha again, but this time I needed to add something. This layout had a lot of orange in the photos, because of the signage inside the Messe. To tie this in, I reached for another Core Kit, also by Liz Tamanaha. The insanely popular Midnight Core Kit has the same black and white color scheme and coordinates perfectly with the Everyday core kit - but has touches of golden yellow that work wonderfully with the signage in my photos!
Messe Frankfurt Style left
I repeated on this layout the technique of using Gelatos and a water brush to highlight certain elements in a card. Above, I used the technique to highlight days like on the previous layout. On the right had page (below) I used the technique to highlight a word from a stamp to create a custom embellishment card for a hard-to-fill horizontal 3x4 pocket. The red line under the title is created with a similar technique, only the color medium is watercolor pencil.
Another one of my favorite tricks showed up on this layout - using a cut down card from the kit to create embellishments or other elements. The yellow patterned block on the title card is a 3x4 journal card turned sideways and laid off the edge of the 4x6 card. It's the perfect way to make sure all of your elements match!
This layout is a great example of why I horde stamps to use in my Project Life layouts. I used six different stamps from five different sets on this layout! While a lot of companies make stamps that are "designed for Project Life," even stamps that would seem totally incompatible with the Project Life style can be useful. I used a lot of Tim Holtz stamps on this one that are very vintage in tone and because I was selective with the designs I used from the sets, they worked fine with this ultra graphic core kit! (Yes, the queen of purging did just give you permission to horde stamps!)
Messe Frankfurt Style right
Designing pages is a process that starts before I even start arranging photos (or printing them). For the right side of the layout I changed from the usual Design A pocket page. I had a lot of vertical photos for this segment of the album that I really loved. I didn't want to print them small. I wanted to show them off! Working in a topical album like this, I know what is going to be behind this page. So I looked over my pictures for the next bit of the album and decided that it would be workable to start my next page with the back of a Design D page.
Then once I have my photos (narrowed down out of dozens and then printed) and the pocket pages selected, it's time to start the process of selecting cards. While the finished product may be clean and simple, the process certainly isn't. I only needed to select 8 cards for this layout, but this is what my desk looked like early on in the process:
Messe Frankfurt Style process
You can see that for each card that I need to select, I usually pile a cascade of possible cards up near that pocket. Then, as the overall vision comes into focus with everything laid out, I start gradually eliminating and setting aside rejects one by one. Eventually, I'm left with the final version. Some people may be able to design by just looking at an empty pocket, and then reaching into their files and flipping through until they pull out the perfect selection, but that is not me!
After selecting cards, then I add the finishing touches on a layout by adding the stamping, journaling, and other embellishments.
Once again in January I will be traveling to Frankfurt for Creativeworld. For those of you who have missed my previous articles about Creativeworld, the show takes place in Frankfurt, Germany at the end of January every year alongside the annual Christmasworld and Paperworld shows. DIY is booming in Europe, and it is growing market for crafts companies. In recent years more and more American companies have been exhibiting at Creativeworld, and more Americans have been attending the show, lead by the cooperation of the Craft & Hobby Association to explore the international market. The show is sold out for exhibitors for this year, but to learn more about attending, or exhibiting for future years, visit the Creativeworld website.
Supplies:
Tim Holtz Mini Blueprints 3 stamps (stamp also available in Travel Blueprints set)
Tim Holtz Phrases 2 clear stamps
Kelly Purkey "Ready, Jet, Set" stamp set sold at Kelly Purkey online store
Unknown stamp set by Heidi Swapp
Faber-Castell Art Grip Aquarelle Pencils in Red (pencil #121)
Check out the rest of the album so far:
