"It's Okay, I've Got You Baby"

Spending 5 hours on a single-page scrapbook layout is not something I can manage for everything I scrap, but regardless I am glad that I spent that much time on this particular layout. I just love this photo...it so encompasses my daughter right now, it is so her...holding Elizabeth, super tan, wavy and semi-disheveled hair, scars on her arms from picking bug bites. It is a definite glimpse into who Isabelle is right now, isn't that what we all love about scrapbooking? Once in awhile a photo just captures the moment, that period of time so perfectly, and we are dying to scrapbook it and tell that particular story, that is how this photo was for me.

Back story of the photograph-our dog Elizabeth was going to the vet today and was very nervous waiting for the doctor to walk into our examination room. Isabelle (my dog loving little girl, ) quickly swooped her up, holding her like a baby on her shoulder and rocked and patted her saying, "It's Okay I've Got You Baby," over and over again. This was a moment that had to be captured, I quickly grabbed my I-Pod 4S and took some photos. Isabelle is such a little mama and I am so thankful that I photographed and scrapbooked this moment that I want to remember forever.

How I Made My Embellishments Coordinate with my Photograph

One challenge I had with this layout, was finding items that matched the purple in her dress, it is not a color that I found easily in my scrapbooking supply stash or at my local scrapbook store....I remedied that with watercolor. Seriously, if you have never tried it, you have not lived!!! Watercolors are inexpensive, terribly addicting, and an incredibly fun way to color in scrapbook paper and what not. You can use watercolors to add extra color to anything scrapbook related, or also (like I did) to color embellishments/ or paper to coordinate with your photograph, or more specifically my daughter's very colorful dress that takes up a lot of the picture. For example, the cameras in my layout from the Amy Tangerine Sketchbook Line by American Crafts that are purple, aqua, and yellow/green-yup watercolor, Amy Tan did not make the cameras that way, they were just outlined in black, but what a great base. I also colored the SC wood veneer cameras and tweets. The cameras were colored using purple watercolor and I used aqua for the tweets. I also used a cardboard high heel found in the October Afternoon Miscellany pack for an embellishment on this layout. . . this was embossed using Zing embossing powder in Opaque Aqua.

Different Strategies to Make Your Embellishments Coordinate with your Layout

1. Use watercolor. A basic set of watercolor can be purchased for right around $5 at your local craft store.
2. Use American Crafts Zing Embossing Power, or any other embossing powder that you have. These can be purchased in the $6 price range and are great to find in an unusual color that you use a lot of, or just happen to really like.
3. Acrylic paint is another way to alter a layout to match-you can color embellishments, use it to stamp with, you name it. Acrylic paint is very affordable as well, and can be purchased for right around $1 at your local craft store. You can often find them for 2 / $1 with sales as well.
4. Mist or drip excess paint or mist onto a layout...I love to use either acrylic paint or Studio Calico Mister Huey.
5. Stamping-you can use colored ink or black, you can emboss, you can use Versamark, the possibilities are endless.

Supplies Used:

Papers

• Studio Calico Take Note patterned papers
• Studio Calico Heyday Breezy
• Studio Calico Heyday Silly
• Studio Calico Heyday Cheerful
• October Afternoon 9 to 5 Boardroom 
• October Afternoon 9 to 5 Paid in Full
• Amy Tangerine Sketchbook

Other Products Used

• American Crafts Thickers in Bree Font, misted using Studio Calico Mister Hueys in Classic Tan and Taxi
• Studio Calico Heyday Stamp Set Thoughts
• Tsukineko Black Stayz On Ink
• American Crafts Zing Embossing Powder in Opaque Aqua
• Studio Calico wood veneer-cameras, tweets, and stars
• Brads-My Mind's Eye
• Buttons-My Mind's Eye and other assorted
• Jute-used to tie buttons

Anyone else scrapbooking anything very meaningful lately? Have you captured a photograph lately that truly is a representation of a special person in your life at that moment? What about making things coordinate on your page, what do you do to make accessories and paper match the harder to use pictures or other scrapbook items? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Monday!

Toni