Paper Chain Masking

Several weeks ago I happened upon an adorable paper chain pattern, which I sketched out immediately and set aside for a future project. I thought of it again when I began to work on this layout with the photos of kids running up and down the yard. It seemed a good fit, and I ended up using it to create an interesting title block for my page. I folded a strip of paper to fit the pattern and carefully cut around the silhouette. Instead of using the chain itself on the page, I stretched it out and used it as a mask, adhering it to the paper with repositional adhesive. Then I got out my ink pad and blending tool. The Barn Door Distress Ink matched the colors in the Great Adventures kit perfectly. After blending the ink onto the mask and into the background, I added some paint splatters in yellow and blue. Only after the paint had dried did I carefully peel off the mask, setting it aside. (You'll see in a future post how I put it to use as well.)

After completing three full pages with this kit (and I layer to the max), I had a lot of scraps hanging around my workspace. I cut several flag shapes from three of the patterns and arranged them sideways on the page, leaving just enough room for journaling.

In this closeup picture of the title block, you might be able to see my letter treatment. In order to help the white letters stand out, I used a Slick Writer to add dashes on each of the letters. Then I outlined them, tracing the letter shapes as close as possible with a regular black journaling pen. Much better.

How are you doing with your April kit(s)? Are you down to scraps yet? Next week, I've got another project done with bits and pieces leftover from my kit. Stay tuned.