Our friends and our family are the most important people in our lives and greatly impact on who we are. Makes sure you include the people who have influenced your life and how important they are to you in your albums. The following layout was created to recognise the impact my friend Carol has had on me and reflect how much I value our friendship.

The materials used in this layout are Sonnets Paper (Yellow Block, Peach Wash, Hydrangea Wash, Lavender Wash and Celery Wash), White cardstock, Purple Ribbon, Making Memories Buckle, Alphabet Stamps and Purple Ink, White Flash Fibre, Purple Eyelets, Purple Magic Mesh, White & Cream Buttons Stickers, Strawberry Alphadots Stickers and Butterflies & Flowers Vellum Stickers.

There are a lot of steps involved in creating this layout. However, each one is fairly simple so anyone can re-create it.

Because there are many different papers making up the background, I began with a sheet of white cardstock. That way, I could easily construct my background by layering everything on top of my cardstock. As you will not be able to see the cardstock in the finished layout, I recommend using a colour you have too many of or you feel you would never use otherwise.

I choose all Sonnets papers to create this layout, but you can use any with a soft pastel look to them. I recommend using different shades of the same design for the most impact.

Begin by cutting a square of your Yellow Block paper (or equivalent). It should be about 2/3 the size of your page. Adhere it in the top right-hand corner. Then tear a strip of Celery Wash paper (or equivalent green paper) to go across the bottom of your page. Make sure it is tall enough to overlap onto your Yellow Block paper. Adhere it. Next, tear a strip of Hydrangea Wash paper (or equivalent blue paper) to go down the left-hand side of your page. Again, make sure it is wide enough to overlap onto your Yellow Block paper and adhere it. Finally, tear a corner of your Peach Wash paper (or equivalent) to across the bottom left-hand corner and adhere it. You have now created your background.

The next step is to prepare your photo. Begin by creating a thin matt on white cardstock. Then, adhere to a second matt made from your Lavender Wash paper. Make sure the border around your photo is about 1cm wide and leave a space for your ribbon down the right-hand side.

To attach your ribbon, first cut two equal pieces long enough to span your matt. Place them on top of each other and thread through your buckle. Separate the two pieces with a fan effect and place the ribbon on top your photo matt. Tuck the top of each piece under the matt and adhere (I recommend using a photo tab). Now decide how high or low you want your buckle and put it in place. Then, tuck the bottom of each ribbon under the matt and adhere. Finally, adhere your photo to your background paper, making sure it is a little off-centre so you will have room for your tags.

Creating the tags is easy. Simply choose which two rectangular stickers you would like to use from your Butterflies & Flowers Vellum sticker sheet and adhere them to your Peach Wash paper. Cut out a rectangle around the sticker leaving an approximately 12 mm border across the top and a thin border around the rest. Next, cut two diagonals across the top to create the tag shape, attach your eyelet and thread the fibre through.

I have stamped the word 'friendship' onto the heart sticker. If you wish to do the same, you will need to be careful. The stickers are made of vellum, which is not very absorbent. You will need to leave the ink to dry for quite a long time and you will need to handle it very carefully in order not to smudge it.

Next, cut two pieces of purple Magic Mesh to go in the bottom left-hand corner. Use your flower and dragonfly stickers to work out the size. Once they have been cut, adhere them to your background, overlapping them a little. Next, add your stickers and button. 

Finally, finish off your layout by adding your title to the top left-hand corner.

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).