Using a Polaroid frame stamp on a scrapbook page
Oh, how I love it when inspiration comes along at just the right time. That beautiful scrapbook page tutorial by Kirsty Smith went live at just the same time when the Dear Lizzy 5th & Frolic stamps were sitting on my desk. I’d been using the word stamps in that set a lot more than the image stamps in this set, so Kirsty’s page quickly reminded me how easy it would be to make something lovely with the Polaroid-style frame. I put it together with a sheet of kraft cardstock and scraps from my February Best of Both Worlds kit.
First I stamped the Polaroid frame in brown dye ink…
…three times on each of three patterned papers, for a total of nine frames.
Then cut out all those frames with scissors. Easy enough.
Spend twenty minutes moving the patterns around in a grid until finally settling on this arrangement. Then spend the next twenty minutes wondering why that took twenty minutes to decide. This is a slippery slope.
Transfer the frames – in that much pondered order – to a sheet of neutral patterned paper. Kirsty’s pages often remind me to use all that grid paper in stash. Attach with adhesive that allows for things to be moved about – or just be way more graceful than I am and not knock the frames onto the floor six times while you’re trying to figure out the rest of the design. Your choice.
Cut the grid paper to frame the frames, ink the edges, and attach it to the centre of the kraft cardstock background. Exhale happily that this step had significantly fewer opportunities to derail for another twenty minutes.
Use the spray tube and an eye dropper to splatter mist on two corners of the page to form a diagonal line. I used gold lame color shine spray by Heidi Swapp and Studio Calico Mister Huey’s spray in Dark Calico (that one is on sale at the moment if you’re looking for a dark neutral shade, by the way). Be completely impatient and refuse to wait for the larger droplets to dry, and enjoy the feeling of living dangerously throughout the rest of the creative process as a result.
Use the scraps from cutting out the centre of the stamped frames to cut three photographs to a size that will sit nicely behind three frames. I picked photos that had some nice details that were otherwise lost in a larger image when printed at 4×6.
Realise it might be simplest to make all the red frames match, all the green frames match, and all the turquoise frame match. Spend another twenty minutes deciding which colour would be best for the photographs. Eventually choose turquoise. Live the rest of my entire life wondering if this was the right decision.
Start the green frames with a stripe of tape inside the window.
Then a punched circle in the corner…
…and a smaller punched circle over the top. Feel like I just won house points for Hufflepuff by managing to get all three patterned paper colours into this embellishment grouping.
Top with a postage stamp sticker from Jenni Bowlin Studio.
Add dimension with a wood veneer file tab by Studio Calico.
Realise the red frames are now looking very naked by comparison. On the two corner frames, add a punched circle and a Studio Calico badge embellishment. Ten points to Hufflepuff for the group of three formed by the circle shapes in the punched piece, the badge, and the closest large droplet of ink, all overlapped.
Title gets the centre square. The white woodgrain Thickers and the red Jenni Bowlin letters are both from the kit, plus those tiny turquoise letter stickers are an older set in my stash by Cosmo Cricket. Congratulate self that ‘Kwai’ fits so perfectly in the frame, since I didn’t think to check that before this step.
Use the arrow stamp in brown ink on top of the wood veneer tabs, mostly because I’ve fallen in love with the look of stamped veneer. Point the arrows toward the nearest photo to help direct the eye to the photos, which is extra helpful with the combination of small photos and plenty of embellishment.
Add some leaf stamps to the corners of the two red frames.
And some little red star stickers too. Then I noticed the turquoise frames started to feel too plain, so I added red baker’s twine to the edges. Award ten points to whatever house baker’s twine belongs to for its amazing ability to be a perfect little detail on pretty much anything.
At this point, I headed to my ‘use it or lose it’ box. I constantly go through supplies and try to clear out the things I will not use. Sometimes I end up with items that I still like but they are old enough that I haven’t been using them as much and I need a little push to grow up and choose a side: use them or lose them. I write a deadline somewhere on the product and whatever I don’t use by that date heads to the donation box. Right now there are a few sheets of these 7gypsies stickers, which are fab for cutting into little word blocks…
…and also has a few labels with phrases that will fit this page.
Then finish with writing around the grid paper, and make a serious note to self that Kirsty’s layered page idea would allow for significantly more writing than this.
Award Kirsty at least fifty house points for her inspiration that lead to this new page whilst feeling a sudden urge to go through my entire basket of scrap papers and stamp them all with Polaroid frames.
Decide that would take way, way too long.
Read more about: best-of-both-worlds-kit tutorials
Next post: Using Handmade Frames on your Scrapbook Layouts by Mandy Koeppen
Previous post: Two Sides to Every Story: a Scrapbook Tutorial by Kirsty Smith
10 March 2013, 18:02
I too have this stamp set sat on my desk right now! I might actually stamp frames on my scraps!! Thanks for sharing the inspiration :)
10 March 2013, 18:06
You are so funny! Thanks for the fun inspiration!
10 March 2013, 18:10
OOh I have that stamp and I loooooooove Miss Smith she is brilliant. Love the LO you’ve created it’s given me some motivation. Thanx for another gr8 page Shimelle
Jo x
10 March 2013, 18:43
Ha ha, still laughing! Thanks for sharing your idiosyncratic process in such a fun way. Great LO too!
10 March 2013, 18:54
Loved reading this process tutorial! You are so funny! I also have this frame stamp set on my desk right now (because I bought it from the BoBW kit!) and I might just have to use it on some scrap papers to have on hand. Thanks for the fun read and the LO inspiration.
10 March 2013, 19:20
I never comment but I had to today, just loved this post!! SO FUNNY!! AND I have been totally wondering how to use that same polaroid stamp, so thank you for the great inspiration :)
10 March 2013, 19:23
I don’t do white or off white layouts, so I kind of passed on KSmith’s video. BUT I LOVE your colorful layout version.
10 March 2013, 19:51
I loved your cheeky narrative today! Great layout. I don’t have the stamp set but I think I will be using my silhouette to make frames soon. :)
10 March 2013, 20:48
Great layout and super fun post! Ten points to Ravenclaw for genius narrative!
10 March 2013, 21:03
Thanks so much for the tutorial and ohmygosh you are too funny! I could just picture you doing all of that. I especially like the idea of the “use it or lose it” box. Thanks for sharing that! I am going through my stuff right now and I think I might do that!
10 March 2013, 21:38
I love your style, Shimelle! That was so much fun to read and it is a fantastic page. Now I want a cut file for my Silhouette! WAY too lazy to cut them out!
10 March 2013, 22:12
wow….,.superb technique! I love the frame layout style…soooooooo……. gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!
10 March 2013, 22:39
I can’t decide if I like your layout or commentary more! Too Hilarious! Can’t go wrong with Harry Potter references ;)
Have a great week!
Jeanna
10 March 2013, 22:48
Awesome layout! I love the colours you’ve used and the journalling around the edges. Your commentary made me smile, too!
11 March 2013, 00:14
Too funny Shimelle! Love all your Harry Potter references – 50 points for the funny tutorial! Your Polaroid frames look great but I’m with Tammy, I’m way too lazy to cut them all out myself! Thanks for the laugh and the inspiration!!
11 March 2013, 01:02
Thank you! LOL’d all through this post! But now need a Polaroid stamp…
11 March 2013, 01:40
Thanks for this great layout-idea and making me laugh this hard in the morning. Love your writing-style!
11 March 2013, 04:12
and a 100 points for that awesome step by step process. love your layout <3
11 March 2013, 05:19
LOVE the narrative and particularly the resulting LO! And, for the second time in a week, am reading one of your posts thinking – I just have to have that stamp (last time it was the Amy Tangerine Camera!) – but perhaps might have to make do with sketching for now!
11 March 2013, 05:22
You had me giggling all the way through the layout. Bravo Shimelle, and 50 points to Hufflepuff for being so clever!
11 March 2013, 05:38
You’ve had me giggling this morning. This is just all too familiar.
11 March 2013, 06:24
This is awesome—you are awesome!! Thanks for the chuckles—and that’s a great page!!!!
11 March 2013, 06:56
The layered LO was amazing but felt like a bit too much work/confusion. This one I could do! I love the way it turned out and agree that this comedic side of you is funny and fabulous!
11 March 2013, 08:13
Baker’s Twine obviously belongs to Hufflepuff given their proximity to the kitchens ;)
Great layout!!!! You always manage to make me smile :D
11 March 2013, 08:49
Oh thanks so much… love this layout and stamp set just happens to be sitting at hand on my desk as well.
11 March 2013, 08:59
Love that you were inspired by Kirsty’s page and that you gave us a step by step run down of what you did. Love the resulting page!
11 March 2013, 09:45
Great layout. Am going to make one. I really enjoyed your commentary along the way – so cute and funny.
11 March 2013, 10:28
Fabulous layout and I really enjoyed the commentary in your post!
11 March 2013, 10:32
Love how you used this stamp, which I actually have because I got it with the Feb BOBW kit, and I am going to try something like that on one of my layouts this week. Super great inspiration from both you and Kirsty. I will try yours first because I understand it better right off the bat. Thanks!
11 March 2013, 12:53
Shimelle, great post – I laughed so hard! :) Great LO, too – will have to try this one. I don’t have a polaroid stamp but they would be easy enough to do by hand.
11 March 2013, 13:46
I love to watch your process in your videos because I always learn so much, but I have to say you are much cheekier when you write it out and it makes for a great read! =) I also loved the polaroids from Kirsty’s tutorial and I’ve been wanting to make some. I don’t have a stamp though so I’d have to draw it by hand…and I’m kind of lazy. Well I’ve had double inspiration now so I better get to it! Thanks! =)
11 March 2013, 15:56
Great LO! I particularly like the combo of the patterned paper polaroid frames on the grid paper. Will definitely have to put that stamp set on my shopping list! Also enjoyed the clever commentary… :-)
11 March 2013, 18:15
how beautiful i have to scrap lift this!
11 March 2013, 19:55
I wish i had that stamp set on my desk! love all of this, the pics, the embellies, the layout, and the running commentary!
11 March 2013, 20:03
Loved reading your very informative and entertaining post. Love the page – it looks great!
11 March 2013, 22:37
You sure do know how to make a scrapbook layout post fun. You had me giggling and swooning at the same time. I love how your page turned out and am thinking that my Lawn Fawn polaroid stamp has been neglected for too long.
12 March 2013, 07:05
Love love love the layout and also your story telling.
12 March 2013, 11:19
So happy to know I’m not the only one who spends 20 minutes wondering why I spent 20 minutes deciding on a color, stamp, ribbon, etc.
Have a wonderful day – thanks again for the inspiration!
12 March 2013, 19:26
awesome polaroid layout! Love the embellishment where the first Hufflepuff points would have been won! Will surely scraplift that!
21 March 2013, 08:48
Thanks Shimelle. It is so much fun watching your process! I loved Kirsty’s layout, and I love yours too!
17 January 2014, 13:25
Thanks again for your permission to post your layout at the SBT-Forum.
On my blog you can see my lift. (http://sabinekreativ.typepad.com/sabine-ist-kreativ-mit-stempel-und-papier/2014/01/der-jumpstart-.html)
I had so much fun scrappin the layout.
Sabine
8 February 2022, 02:58
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8 February 2022, 02:58
“It is very useful content I got greatly helped. I will share this content to my friend thankyou!!!
8 February 2022, 02:58
“It is very useful content I got greatly helped. I will share this content to my friend thankyou!!!
8 February 2022, 03:03
It is very useful content I got greatly helped. I will share this content to my friend thankyou!!!