Off-Cut Scrapbooking with Jen Schow
Today I am delighted to welcome a very special crafty friend to share a project with you: it’s Crafty Jen Schow! You might already know that I love her stamp designs but you might not know that we got to spend some excellent time together at ye old craft trade show in the before times and friends, I MISS HER. So this is my next best thing: getting to see her scrapbook. Enjoy. -Shimelle
I love layers and textures to create interest on my layouts. One of my favorite things to do is create with leftovers and off-cuts from previous projects. I love the sort of “organic” look of torn edges and punched papers sticking out of a bunch of layers.
For this layout, I went through my stash of scraps and my bin where I keep interesting off-cuts, random inked or painted pieces, and embellishments that didn’t find homes on other pages. I layered them up behind my photo letting all of the interesting bits show. In order to keep the chaos contained, I like to add tight layers and keep them right around the photo. This allows room for your eye to rest on the outer edges. The other thing I like to do is make sure to add in lots of neutrals so the colors and patterns don’t become super overwhelming – book pages are a favorite! The last thing I really pay attention to when adding layers is to make sure none of the corners or edges line up – something that I’ve learned from Shimelle!
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For texture, I’ve added stitching, roughed and curled up the edges of the papers, used embellishments with different finishes, and added in stamping, staples, and embossing. Simple things really do make a big difference, so if you feel like your next layout is missing something I encourage you to try some of these techniques!
For me, the most important part of any layout is the story. I had this funny photo of my daughter and when I saw it I thought, “She always does this pose!” It was the perfect jumping off point for a list of the things she’s always doing right now – teenagers change so quickly!
I hope you’ve gathered some ideas for adding layers and texture to your next layout or maybe documenting the things that someone close to you is always doing!
| Jen Schow loves documenting her most important everyday stories using words, photos, and pretty papers. She has been scrapbooking since age 12 and has worked in the industry in some capacity for about 12 years. She is most active on Instagram these days, but you can find her popular Use It or Lose It series on Youtube. |
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