I suppose it's fitting, what with Valentine's Day just 3 days away, that I admit to something.
Right around Christmastime I developed a new love affair.
Yes, it's true.
And that love affair is still going strong.
I'll explain how it happened...I was searching desperately through my scrap stash for some vellum. Yes, vellum. Just one little piece is all I needed...a piece just large enough to provide a mat for a photo. But alas, no vellum. After the panic receded, and I took a deep breath, I decided I would look for something else to fit my needs. Hmmm...copy paper? No, too opaque. Parchment paper? Hmmm...better, definitely, but still too opaque for me. WAX PAPER? Oh yeah, baby - that fits the bill PERFECTLY! And guess what? I haven't been able to get enough. I know this doesn't come as much of a surprise to a lot of you...I haven't been exactly discreet about my new love. But now I'm letting the world know. It's OK to use NON-SCRAPBOOK items in your SCRAPBOOKING! Woo hoo! Wow, that feels good.
In fact, my projects today use a few non-scrapbook items...they're just plain old household items and they work so well! So here's what happening today...here are my supplies:
Wax paper, some toothpicks and a sandwich bag...oh yeah...I said a sandwich bag.
...gorgeous Vintage Chic paper (Textbook and Just Dots), some photos, embellishments (Sentiment Stickers & Definition Stickers and Disco Arrows & Hearts) and my wax paper scraps...
...I usually use wax paper to cover my work area when I spray my Color Shine, too. So, when I'm done with my spraying, I just let the Shine dry and use that wax paper in my layouts. Sometimes I love having those colors pop through under my photos...
I want to show you why I love the wax paper so much...and why it has come to replace vellum for me as a layer in my paper crafts...
First, here are the photos I want to use on the paper I've chosen for my projects...(without the wax paper base):
They look OK...right? Sure, they look OK, but I think they can look even better...a stark white mat under the photos would provide too much of a contrast, and may be distracting to the beauty of the papers and to the subjects in the photos...
...but the wax paper, with it's soft white color and it's near translucence, makes the perfect middle layer between the bold paper pattern and bold colors in the "lab" layout. And it softens the bottom photo and paper even more...making them look dreamy and light.
I usually use a stapler to attach the wax paper to my background paper and other layering papers...after all, we use wax paper in the kitchen because it doesn't stick to much...soooo...a stapler takes care of that...
But I have found that foam adhesive dots work perfectly to attach my photos to the wax paper...
Cool, huh?
Now, how did I use the other items in my supply photo? Let me show you my finished "lab" layout...
I ran out of "banner sticks" for my Travels Destination Pennant, so I just substituted a toothpick, and instead of washi tape, I used plain old masking tape to hold down my "&" No Limits Stix - I just stamped it with an arrow from Heidi's Clear Stamps, and voila! deco tape.
I also grabbed an old monthly file tab (January) and used it as another layer under my photos...
And there's another little toothpick...adding dimension and texture to a Disco Arrow. Love.
Now here's the other layout - BEACHCOMBER -...and a little surprise...have you been wondering what happened to the sandwich bag I had in the supply photo?
Do you see it? Here, let me show you a little more closely...
As I layered up my photo and wax paper (along with another piece of patterned paper and some vintage wallpaper), I grabbed the sandwich bag...
I had a couple of other photos I wanted to include on this layout, but I'm basically a one-photo-scrapbooker. So I used the baggie to hold the other photos that were relative to my layout. I cut the top off with pinking shears (to add a little texture), glued the baggie to the paper and sewed around the edges with a zig-zag stitch.
Practical, inexpensive, adds another layer, and does the job just perfectly...
And here's the rest of the BEACHCOMBER layout...I just love this one...probably because it brings back wonderful memories of this fantastic restaurant and the people I shared the morning with...
And just another quick note...don't throw away the info strips on your patterned paper! These little strips from both the Vintage Chic and Sugar Chic papers made the PERFECT little embellishments for this design...
And the Gold Lame Color Shine is so subtle and beautiful against the colors in this paper...
SHAMELESS PLUG WARNING: See the "Made my day" graphic up there? That's available in Heidi's class {Mo}tography...which is going on again THIS weekend! February 15 & 16. If you missed it the first time, make sure you sign up this time around! I printed it out on a transparency and simply glued it to my background paper.
They say Necessity is the Mother of Invention...so true. Next time you're stuck without something, try substituting something you already have on hand. Simple, everyday household items can really add to your work...just don't be afraid to play! That's what it's all about...
