Good Times / Paige Evans DT

It's Friday....yeah!!  I'm so ready for the weekend :)  Today I have a new layout to share for the Paige Evans Design Team.  I used Paige's new Pick-Me-Up collection, which is just so bright and beautiful.  I often use white or light backgrounds for my projects so I challenged myself to use a dark blue patterned paper as my background for this page. I used Pick-Me-Up Paper 15 and also Paige’s Faux Flower Background cut file. I cut the design first and then left the paper on my Silhouette cutting mat to add some mixed media to it. I first smudged some white gesso over the cut file area with my fingers. I knew I was going to add a lot of color to the page, so I used several coordinating colors of ink sprays over the gesso to create a watercolor effect. Once it all dried, I carefully peeled it off the mat and punched out the shapes. Next, I used nine different patterned papers from the collection to back all of the open spaces.  I love how all the colors pop against the dark blue and all of the ink sprays just add to the color explosion.

For added texture and dimension, I machine stitched through every line of flowers with different colored threads. This collection is excellent for backing cut files because there are so many colors and patterns to choose from. In fact, it was hard to narrow down which papers to use! I used several pieces from the Pick-Me-Up Ephemera Die Cuts to embellish.

To add layers under my photo, I used some pieces from the Journaling Spots and Ephemera Die Cuts. Those floral clusters are my favorite! To the left of the photo I created a small title using the Mini Thickers which are perfect for these dark backgrounds - the white just pops off the page. Then I created a little cluster of goodies underneath it: I fussy cut some small word and phrase bits from the 6x6 Paper Pad. I also added a sticker from the Stickers and a few Puffy Stickers.

I created another fun cluster on the left side of the page. I used more of the Ephemera Die Cuts, Stickers, pieces cut from the 6x6 Paper Pad, as well as a circle element cut from one of the 2x2 Paper Pads.

The Ephemera Die Cut pack has this adorable hat included, and it just happened to fit my daughter's head in the photo...haha.  I just had to add it to her...I think it's cute (and funny!) :)

Here's one more close-up of all the awesome goodies!  I just love the Mini Thickers...they're the perfect size, and if you want to color them, you can!

I hope this inspires you to step outside of your comfort zone and use a dark background! It was a challenge at first, but once I got going with the embellishing, it quickly came together. And it really makes those bright colors stand out!

Be sure to check out my process video here if you'd like to see this page in action :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a fantastic weekend!