Backyard Summer Paradise / Bella Blvd

Happy Sunday, friends!  I'm back today to share another new layout for Bella Blvd.  I've been in Summer scrapping mode for a while now, and I used a lot of the Illustrated Faith Basics collection to create this fun and bright page.  I have some fun tips to share with you about how I put this together and how you can create it in a simple way.  I used white cardstock for my background, and the cloud cut file is from Hip Kit Club.  I used a few of my favorite techniques here, and I love how this turned out.

 

After I cut the clouds out, I sorted through the IF Basics 12x12 Paper Pad and chose the papers I wanted.  I based my selections on my photos.  I chose pinks, yellows and blues.

I traced the shapes of each cloud onto the patterned papers and then cut them out.  I glued them behind the open clouds a little off center.  I love how they aren't perfect and you can still see some of the paper outside the clouds.

After each cloud was filled in, I arranged the photos where I wanted them.  It's fun to tuck photos under parts of cut files like this. I also arranged my photos so it looks like she's looking across the page.

To add even more texture and detail, I machine stitched along the bottom of each cloud with white thread.

 

 I left some of the threads long to add a bit more of a whimsy look.



Now that the bulk of the design is finished, I used some of the Illustrated Faith Acrylic Paints on the background.  I mixed in white with the blue, pink and yellow to lighten them up a bit.

I used a dry brush to paint directly onto the paper.

I also added a bit of paint to some plastic packaging.  I sprayed a bit of water on it and then smudged it down onto the background.  Now the background is ready for the clouds.

Here are some close-ups of the layout.  I added some adhesive foam under the clouds to raise it up off the page.  This creates really nice dimension and shadowing.  Before gluing it down, I did add a bit of tangled thread under it in a few places.  I embellished here with a few flamingos from the IF Basics Cardstock Stickers and Paper Pieces.

I love how this turned out.  I used some of the Tiny Text alphas for my spaced out title.  I made sure that I added background colors that would contrast against the cloud next to it.  This pink cloud really stands out against the yellow.

Here's a close-up of the photo tucked in under the cloud.  As long as you're not covering up anything important on the photo, this is a great technique.  I did add a few of the Ciao Chipboard hearts in a few places.

Here's the bottom of the page.  I broke the title up into three areas.  The pops of blue pull the colors out of the photos.  I wrote a bit of journaling down below that.

I just love the effect of adding machine stitching and adhesive foam under some of the pieces.  Sometimes I love to add color to the Ciao Chipboard, but I liked how it looked plain white on this page.

I also fussy cut a few shapes from the IF Basics Clear Cuts pack including this floral cluster and the flamingo here.

I hope this inspires you to create a fun Summer layout using these fun techniques.  This came together pretty quickly, so it's perfect if you are limited on time.  Give it a try!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead!