Family So Much Happy / Hip Kit Club

It's Friday...yay!  I'm sharing my newest layout for Hip Kit Club today, and it features the 2020 October Hip Kits.  They contain a lot of the newest Fall collections from Simple Stories and Pebbles.  I decided to go with a darker patterned paper background for this page.  Whenever I use a busy paper like this polka dotted one for a background, I almost always cover a lot of it with white gesso.  My goal isn't to cover up all the pattern, but to soften it in areas.  You can see where all the white is, but the dots are still visible in most areas.  The gesso not only preps the paper for the paints and liquid, but it goes create a white space on top of the background color.  This helps the mixed media products stay true to their color.  Otherwise they would just soak right through into the blue background and you'd never know what color was used because it would just look dark.

Once I applied the gesso and let it dry, I used all three of the Lindy's Magical Powders from the Color Kit.  I just wet my brush, dipped it into the powders and treated it like watercolor.  I wanted a light pinkish color, so I kept applying layers of color until I got it like I wanted it.  I also added some gold splatters using the Jen Hadfield Gold Glitter Spray that we got last year in the November Kits.  

I used lots of things here...including these gold scalloped border stickers from Pebbles.  I stuck them to white cardstock first and then cut them out so they'd have a small white border.  This just helps them to stand out against the dark background.  I mixed and matched the title using a gold Thicker and a sticker that I fussy cut.  I love how "so much" nestles in between the f and y in "family."

These flower die cuts are from Pebbles, and I layered a bunch of them here around the photo.  I added adhesive foam behind some of them to pop them up.  I also added in some yellow thread.

Somewhere along the way, I decided to tear a chunk of the layout off here at the bottom and attach it to a piece of dark blue cardstock from the Cardstock Kit.  I'm so glad I did because I think it really brings the page home.  I smudged more white gesso over it to give it a distressed and weathered effect.  I created another floral cluster, added more thread and even a piece of some packaging with gold scallops.  I used a white gel pen to write my journaling.

I added in more stickers from the Simple Stories sticker book here.  I love how they look with this photo of me and my sister.  I popped up the yellow heart and the "together" piece.  I love how that creates dimension.

I love these gold leaf puffy stickers!  They're from Pebbles and they are perfection in every way.

I layered some Pocket Life cards & patterned paper behind my photo as well as some adhesive foam.

Here are a few more shots of all the close-up details :)

I really do love how this came out!  I hope it at least gives you some ideas to try on your next layout.  I know this one was a little heavy on the mess making, but it was a lot of fun, and I love the result.

Be sure to check out my process video here:

 

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you again soon!