12x12 layouts using 6x6 paper

Designing 12×12 pages with 6×6 paper

January 5, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

When new collections come out by my favorite scrap companies I am always tempted to buy. But I rarely get the whole collection because no matter how much I like (even love) it, I just can’t imagine wanting to create that many layouts out of the same look. Add to that the fact that collections have become so expensive. So I have been for some time buying the 6×6 paper pads that many companies are issuing. They have long been favored by card makers because of their smaller-sized patterns, and I quite like the lower price tag as well.

So I am always on the hunt for ways to use pieces of patterned paper that are 6×6 or smaller on my 12×12 layouts. When I find good ways to do this I will share them here in case you, like me, have several 6×6 paper pads waiting to make it into your designs.

Below is my first sketch with this in mind. I based it on the design I shared yesterday, which was called “Calendar girl.” If you use this sketch in a design please link to it in the comments. I would love to see what you create with it!

Sketch #1 uses 1 photo and 4 patterned papers

Our calendar girl

January 4, 2011 By Janice Daquila-Pardo 1 Comment

It’s time to pull out our new calendar, and this time I’m more excited than usual about the task. The calendar we’re going to use this year is special to us.

Here’s the story:
A few years ago my brother, Phil, gave us a Cat Fancy calendar. Each day had a photo of cats and some random cat fact. Throughout the year I tore away each day and read the facts. Then near the end of the calendar was an invitation to send in up to three photos of your own cat(s) for consideration in their upcoming calendar. The payment if any of your photos were chosen would be two of that year’s calendars.

Because everyone believes their kids are the brightest and their pets are the cutest, I figured there would be a lot of people sending in photos for the chance to show off their cats. In spite of all the imagined competition, I decided to send in my three photos and see what happened. For a while I waited expectantly to hear that they’d received them. Nothing. After a while longer I thought they would just let me know which one they had chosen to use (because I really believed they couldn’t say no to all three of my entries; they were just too good!). But a long time passed and I never heard anything, so I just forgot about it and chalked it up to their bad taste. 😉

Fast forward a year and a half (a few months ago): A package arrived with two 2011 Cat Fancy calendars and a letter telling us on which date our cat was featured! What?! It’s a weird feeling to think something is all over and then have it show up again in your life. Well, we are very proud of our darling Lucy, so I’ve immortalized the chosen photo in a layout (of course).

Here’s the layout:

Cat Fancy fancies our calendar girl

Scrapbook PageMaps 2 sketch contest

November 14, 2010 By Janice Daquila-Pardo Leave a Comment

I love, love, love to scrapbook using sketches. I visit sketch sites online for ideas. I sketch my own ideas and follow them. And I use every nice book of sketches that I can get my hands on.

So, of course, I love Becky Fleck’s PageMaps sketches. She puts out new sketches on pagemaps.com at the first of each month, and she also publishes books of her work. I purchased her first book when it came out a few years ago, and I love it! Now her second book is out, and she’s holding a layout contest with her new book as the prize. Just try to keep me from playing along with that!

Here is the sketch:

PageMaps contest sketch

And here is my layout based on it:

First days

I really enjoyed using this sketch, and even if I don’t win the prize I’m thrilled to have completed another layout about my childhood to add to my album.

Note: I’m submitting this to the Paper Issues “You rule the school” link party.

« Previous Page