Yearbook with Hannah

Aloha!! It’s Hannah here today.

Do you you ever have a story to tell that needs lots of space for journaling but you also have a bit of photos you want to use to highlight your story? What do you choose to do? This is where my brain says double page layout. I really like to give the photos room to breathe and leave lots of space to handwrite  my story without worry that I will run out of room.

I know double pages aren’t all that popular anymore. We often have this concept in our mind of what they should look like or we are worried about filling all that space. If they aren’t your jam, that is fine too. I also want to remind you the cool thing about allowing your story and your photos come together to fit your style and rearrange how you think double pages can look like.

I used the Malibu Main August Kit to make my layout today.  I also am cutting each side to 8 1/2 by 11. I am thinking this change in size will be a nice change in my album but also not feel so daunting as I feel the space.

I start with 2 pieces of white card stock, I like to start off with something empty and crisp. I edged one side with some bright purple chalk ink. I wanted to add a touch of color because I knew on the first side I was using the gorgeous sunset water paper.

I am not gonna lie, this paper is gorgeous and it saddened me to cut it down, but I knew it really would fit my spread better this way. One this first sheet I stitched some weird zig zag stitches. I carried it through to the other side by adding a strip of the sunset paper underneath it.

Adding the stitching all the way across will tie the layouts together to help tell a cohesive story.

The photos from each side are from a different place, I wanted it to be contrasting against each other as well. I layered some papers under the photos on the second side.

The first side I layered some of the embellishments from the kIt together to fit nicely near the start of the title.

The little squares from the speciality paper are my favorite. I used them all over my layout. 

I really wanted my second page really simple so I could do my journaling on this page. I added a little bit of Shimmerz Creamez in pink and purple. The shimmer in the paint is so pretty but subtle that it really enhances the words that are written over top.

I mixed thickers from the August Main Kit with leftover Thickers from last month’s kit. They work so well together and the both really pick up on the colors in this kit. I wanted my title to run across both sides of the double page spread. I wanted to make sure though, that when the pages were separate they could stand on their own too.

I had fun adding the hologram phrase stickers through out the layout.

Here is a look at the full double page spread.

I really wanted my story and the few photos to do the focus. Little details like leaving room for the journaling and using my title to help tell my story really ties everything together.

Check out my process video and see me make this fun double page spread.

I hope that you are inspired to really use your photos and experiences to help tell your stories on your layouts. I also hope you share them online and use our hashtag #cliquekits so we can see your projects with your Clique Kits.

Geek Lab with Hannah

Aloha!! It’s Hannah here with you today! Lately I have been loving adding my own brush script to my layouts. It is a fun way to add a bit of me to the layout. It makes the layout seem more homemade and has an unique touch.

Today I am going to be sharing with you how I take my own brush script and making it into a png file so I can add it to the Silhouette Software and add it to an exclusive Clique Kits Cutfile.

At the end of the blog I’ll also have a video tutorial that I put together sharing this same info as well in case you like to see what someone is doing in order to learn. I hope you will save that video in your Youtube info so you can refer to it the next time you want to add a png to a cut file.

Adding your own brush script to a cut file is so easy.  It just takes a few extra steps and a piece of you is injected to your layout.

First, use some card stock or watercolor paper, watercolor paints, and some watercolor brushes. I prefer to use black watercolor or at least a dark color paint so that it shows up when you can your image. I also like thicker paper because it won’t warp also allowing for a crisper and cleaner file when you scan it.

Brush script out the title or word you want to use. I find in general with brush script, practice makes perfect. Also know that it is not going to be perfect and that is generally the look I am going for. If you want it close to perfect keep trying until you get the look you want.

You will also need a scanner that is connected to your computer. Mine is wireless so I can do everything right from my computer. Scan your image however your system allows you to do. (My scanner will scan if I go into the system preferences and switch the printer to the scan section.) I like to scan at 300 dpi because I will also get a cleaner clearer image. I scan and save my image to a PNG at this point. You can scan and save as a JPG and switch it to a PNG later.

You will need a PNG in order to use it in the Silhouette software.

I decided to use the Sun exclusive cut file for July. I pull up the Cutfile in my Silhouette software like I normally do when I am going to cut it. I like to open it using the SVG file, because all the cut marks are already added. It’s one less step.

You can open it in a png and then trace it to add the cut lines. Make sure you the High Pass Filter is selected and the value is high enough to get all the intricate cuts of this file.

I also recommend that when you cut this file out you use a nice sharp blade and double cut it. This will ensure that your file be cut right and you don’t have to redo it.

You will need to pull up the scanned cut file in another window in your silhouette. Select the words or phrase in the software with the trace tool. Select the High Pass Filter up the value until everything you want to cut is in yellow.

If there is any part of the image you don’t want cut this is a good time to select the image and select release compound path. This will separate the lines in the image, allowing you to select and delete certain areas of the image. (I show how to do this in detail on the tutorial, as I had info on the image I didn’t want to cut.)

When all the lines you don’t want to cut are deleted, then reselect the image and select Make Compound Path. This will connect all the words in the phrase so you can move them together.

When this whole image is selected (the phrase or word you brush scripted), Copy it.

Click back on the Exclusive Cutfile from Clique Kits, and paste the brush script into the exclusive file. Adjust the brush script to whatever size you like, inside the middle of the sun.

All your cut lines should be in red, since you already selected and traced the outlined phrase you are adding.

From here you cut the file as you would any other cut file.  Adjusting the settings according to the paper you are cutting on.

Here is the tutorial video showing you all this info I explained.

I used a piece of patterned paper from the July Pool Party Main Kit, from Bella Blvd. I wanted a fun pop with the cool design.

I kept my layout really simple so that this amazing cut file would shine.

You can watch my process video of this layout below.

 

Here is a look at my finished layout, with some watercolor behind the cut file so it peeks through all the cuts of the file.

Thanks for joining me today. I hope you try and share with us how you use the Clique Kits Exclusive Cutfiles!!