Close to my Heart puts out three idea book/catalogs a year and the new one arrives in September. As a consultant I get the catalog early and can also play with all the new products. The other night I was cropping with the girls from the Road to Life Church in St. Joseph and I put together 4 pages with our new papers. I'd like to give a shout out to the girls who allow me to come crop with them once a month, thanks Laura Deckert and crew! Anyway, I took one of our new paper sets and pictures from my California trip and went to work.
First you'll need a paper set, papers that already are made to go together are the best. I do not like having to match the paper myself (must be why I work for CTMH). You need two base pages, use cardstock that you don't mind covering up. Cut three pieces of paper (pattern or not), one 12 x 5.5, one 12 x 3 and one 12 3.5. Distress if desired. Now attach these down to the paper next to each other. Turn so pieces are vertical.
Choose one photo cut approximately 4 x 6 and make a mat for it. What I do is attach my photo to the paper and trim 1/8 to 1/4 inch border. Distress mat. Attach that photo and mat about 1.5 inches from top, 1 inch from right side.
Cut two pieces of matching patterned paper 2 by 2. Distress. I added more of these later as you'll see but attach these to the left side of your photo.
I like to break up the patterns on a page to add a bit of balance to the page and also give me lines to follow when lining up photos. Cut a strip 12 by 2 and attach 3.25 inches up from bottom, making sure to distress first if desired.
Matting two or three photos on one mat is a cool look, here I cut my photos the same exact height (3.5 x 4) and put them on a mat that measures 3.75 by 8.5. Distress them. Glue to your page a half inch up from the bottom, two inches from right hand side.
Here's page two. Cut paper 8.5 by 12, 12 x .5 and 3 x 12. Distress and attach as shown.
Add big mat cut 7.5 by 6.5. Distress and fit it on the 8.5 by 12 piece short end up 1/8 inch from top and left side.
Now turn the whole thing one quarter turn to the left. When doing two pages and making these "striped" backgrounds I like to go vertical on one page, horizontal on the other. Up to you, though. Attach a 4 by 6 photo down at the bottom of that mat making sure you have a bit of border. Now cut a strip of paper 1.5 by 12 and line it up a quarter inch from your photo mat going vertical and attach.
Now make a mat to fit a your next two photos, my pictures measure 4.5 by 4 and 3.75 by 3.75 and the mat for the first one is 4.75 by 4.25 and the second is 5 x 4.5 to add a nice different look. Distress and add the photos to the center then attach the first photo (right) 2.5 inches from the top, .5 inch from right hand side. Put the larger photo 1.5 inches from right, 1 inch from top.
I used a Stickease strip along the top edge of my paper (see that small line?) but you can do the same cutting a strip of paper one eighth of an inch by 12.
Cut a piece of paper 4 by 2 and attach one half inch from left side and one eighth of an inch from the bottom of your center photo.
Add a title. I used one from the Stickease that comes with this super secret paper!
Now let's go back to the first page and finish that up, yes I have a tendency to more on whenI get stuck and then go back later. Add two more 2 by 2 squares. I was going to put a journal block in that space but it didn't work so I went with adding a second title instead. Add two more of those eighth of an inch by 12 inch pieces one a half inch from the left and right sides.
Here's the title. It says, Learn from yesterday, Live for today, Hope for tomorrow. Pretty neat, huh? You could add a journal block here instead. On my Stickease set there were tons of little circular decorations. I distressed them and mixed them with brads to fill up any spots I thought needed a little "something."
Here I added them on the second page up at the top, grouping them and layering them over each other. You can put brads in the center of the designs too! I also used a new stamp set (to be named later) to add the date on the right hand side.
Here's the final layout. Sorry for the lousy photo but the lighting from above kept making it difficult to avoid the glare so I had to take it at an angle. If you click on it you can see more detail (same for all the photos). Whew, two layouts now done from the vacation, only about 100 more photos to go......
This is a 6 x 6 card, my new favorite size to make. The colors are juniper, creme brulee and cranberry, the stamp set is 
Do you have a kid who never smiles in pictures? You wouldn't believe the word I had to make this one say to get a laugh like that! We loved the La Brea tar pits, talk about going back in time.
The Museum of Science and Industry is very hands on. My mother in law, sister in law, daughter and myself found the perfect photo op...something every scrapbooker always looks for.
Leadership convention at last. From day one they gave us free products. There is nothing like the excitement of scrapbookers screaming over brand new paper and something to put it in! Valerie and I were sure enjoying ours!
The awards banquet is the highlight of the weekend so we had to dress up, of course! Here's Chris, Amy and Michelle and myself ready for the evening.
The next day the family went to the Cabrillo Aquarium in San Pedro where you could be inside of a fish bowl.
This was another hands on attraction, don't you love those? The kids all dressed up in fish costumes for this picture.
The final night ended like the first started, at El Pollo Loco. After a long day at the Wild Rivers waterpark, we were exhausted but happy! Thanks for taking a peek into our vacation!
Now cut a piece of Autumn Terracotta cardstock 5 x 5 and do the same thing but this time, diagonally on the paper. Use your 
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