Scrappy Musings: My Heart: A Layout for Tres Jolie Kits

I’ve chosen to scrap a sweet picture of my granddaughter (My Heart) as my first project as a Design Team member with the Tres Jolie Kit Club.

I based my layout, made from the Scrapbook Kit, on the February Mood Board. Kim posts a challenge with a twist every month. This month, it’s ‘layers” and I’ve included plenty of those here.

Here is the Mood Board:

And here is how it all came together:

The Scrapbook Kit is jam-packed with papers and flowers from 49 and Market and – best of all – several packages of laser cut chipboard shapes from Tres Jolie.

I selected two of the Heart Keys and a Heart Doily and covered them with white gesso. I wasn’t sure about the way I’d end up placing the keys, so I treated both sides. (By the way, take a look at the supply list. Not a typo; Tres Jolie now carries its own line of chipboards. Here’s where to find it: https://tresjoliekits.com/collections/chipboard )

When the gesso had dried, I painted the pieces with the Baby Pink acrylic paint that came with the Mixed Media Kit and put them aside.

I selected the “Serene” sheet to use for my base and trimmed off the UPC strip. I love how 49 and Market prints a design on the reverse side of these strips. I’ll be using this later, so I put it aside.

I’m planning on a lot of layers and embellishments, which can weigh the paper down and cause it to warp in the middle. To prevent this, I like to give it a sturdy layer of packaging underneath, using ScorTape as the adhesive.

This piece of packaging came with office supplies. You can also use cereal boxes or (if you need a heavier base) the USPS box that your kit came in.

I cropped and sized my photo to measure 3”, printed it out and trimmed it, leaving a small bit of the white border around the image. I cut a square of packaging just a little bit smaller than my photo.

Using a tape runner, I glued the packaging to the back of the photo and some bits and pieces to the back of my chipboard heart. Not only will this give them a bit of extra stability; it will add dimension to the layers that I’ll be creating.

I cut two squares from the “Radiate” sheet, one slightly larger than the other and backed them with packaging.

Before assembling all of the layers, I went over all of the edges with Distress Ink to give them definition

Those steps with the packaging make a big difference, don’t they?

I selected a few pieces from the Ephemera Stacks and began to place them here and there, using the assembled heart piece as a guide.

I selected a few of the die cuts from the paper pack and added the UPC strip.

Once I was satisfied, I printed out the image to use as a guide when I went to reassemble the arrangement.

I’m a bit of an economist. I usually cut (or tear) off the parts that won’t show, saving them for another project.

I inked all the edges and backed some of the larger pieces with packaging.

I cut off a large section of the pink piece to use on the right side of the arrangement.

Using Fabri-Tac, I began to glue the pieces together. Fabri-Tac takes a few moments to bond, giving me time to ensure that the pieces lie exactly where I want them. I added a small length of the seam binding from the Cards, Tags and More Kit to the tag and tore the UPC strip to fit. I added the heart assemblage, and my focal piece was complete.

Before gluing the focal piece down, I used it as a guide to apply several of the rub-on images.

Next, I started to create layers of flowers, starting with a piece from the die cuts. After inking the edges, I used a stylus to create some dimension on several of the petals and leaves.