Chris shows us how to create a sophisticated layout using several techniques including tearing, stitching and tag art. She also shares with us a great way to include hidden journaling on your page.

To recreate this layout, you will need Citrus Green paper, Bazzil cardstock (linen blue and linen red), White cardstock, cotton to match the Bazzil linen blue, Jo Sonya�s French Blue and Napthol Crimson Artist Colours, Folk Art Basil Green acrylic paint, Wooden letters for the title, Birch silver vest buckle, Light Blue Gros Grain ribbon (width 1.5 cms), Eyelets, Blue and Yellow Ricrac, Blue Embroidery cotton and Pebbles Inc Funky Circles stickers.

Use the Bazzil Linen Blue cardstock for your background. To begin, tear the citrus green paper in half and set one half aside for now. Working with the first half (this is our main strip) tear the other edge.  Position and adhere it about 4.5cms down from the top of the Bazzill Blue. Take the other half of the citrus green paper cut two strips, the top one about 1cm in width and the bottom about 3cms in width. Tear one edge of each strip. Adhere the top strip to the Bazzill Blue and set aside the bottom strip at this stage.

Sew borders around the main citrus green strip and sew a top border and diagonal corners on your top strip. Now take the strip for the bottom and sew one row on the bottom and sew diagonal corners. This strip will be used to hold tags.

Cut 36cms of the light blue grosgrain ribbon. Thread it through the vest buckle and space it about 5 cms in from the right side. Adhere it just under the top strip of the citrus green paper, folding the edges to the back. I have used photo tabs for this.

You may wish to paint the wooden title 2 in a single colour, or paint them as follows: the number 2 with French Blue, the letter B with Basil Green, the letter O with Napthol Crimson, the letter Y with French Blue and the letter S with Basil Green. Allow for drying time and then attach these over the Gros Grain ribbon, as shown above.

Mat your photo on the Bazzill Red cardstock allowing a border of � a cm. Adhere to the left of the main citrus green paper. Mat the Happy, Joy and Life sticker on the Bazzill Red allowing a � cm border. Overlap and adhere to the bottom right hand corner of your photo. Mat the sticker with the 3 circles and a green line on a piece of Bazzill Blue, once again allowing for a � cm border. Adhere this to the right of photo on the green citrus paper.

Create two tags 11� cm x 4 cm with Bazzill Blue. Attach the two longer stickers to each. Attach yellow ricrac near the top and set eyelets. Thread the blue embroidery cotton through both tags allowing one tag to become two. Attach the bottom tag to the left bottom of the photo as seen in layout.

Create three more tags 8cm x 8cm and adhere the three bigger sticker squares to each. Set an eyelet in the corner of all and thread through lengths of blue ricrac. Place in the bottom left side of the citrus green that we have created as a tag holder border.

Next, mat the two smaller square stickers with a circle in the middle, to the Bazzill red allowing for a border of 1or 2 mms.

Cut six mats, each 3cm x 3cm for the six smaller stickers that are left, four on the Bazzill blue and two on the Bazzill red. Adhere these and the 2 larger square stickers to the bottom of the page creating a border, as shown above

As an optional extra, use white cardstock to journal on the back of the three 8cm x 8cm tags. Consider including who, when, where and why, to preserve the memory of this photo and layout

If you would like to have any of your designs included in our resource centre, please email them to us at rc@stickersnfun.com (please make sure all files are .jpg or .gif).