Practical Scrappers - Two Posts in One Day!

Do you ever look at a layout as you are working on it and know it is going to be a favorite? Well, that's exactly how I felt about this one that I created for Practical Scrappers!

First, I love the picture. Yes, those are my legs and feet that I photographed with my iPhone last summer while I was being blissfully lazy on my back porch. Just looking at it brings back memories of that wonderful afternoon of doing nothing. Second, the colors on the papers (part of the MME Miss Caroline Collection)are so bright and vivid, and they compliment each other perfectly! Third, the banner that I downloaded and used from the Silhouette online STORE turned out so well - it was juuuussst the right thing for my title. Don't you agree?

Now, the object of the game over at Practical Scrappers today was to use one or more tags on our layouts. And, believe me, the other PS Gals did a fabulous job! To see their layouts and get wonderful inspiration, check out today's Practical Scrappers post HERE.

For my tag, I used a Silhouette file by Lori Whitlock (of course). I really liked how the tag was layered because it allowed me to add journaling while ensuring that the pretty patterned papers showed around the edges. I added some wonderful rub-ons, a couple of red buttons, and some chipboard butterflies to make a nice little cluster around my tag.

The inspiration for my layout came from this great MME sketch found over at their BLOG.

Lori Whitlock Shadow Box

Did you know that, in addition to Lori Whitlock's wonderful two-dimensional cutting files such as her Project Life cards and create a mini-album files, she also makes fantastic 3-D files such as this wonderful SHADOW BOX? And, just to make sure your crafty experience is fun and easy, Lori has an easy-to-follow tutorial posted HERE to help you put your shadow box together. Was it time consuming to make? A little. Was it easy to make? Yes (after watching the tutorial). Do I like the results? I absolutely love them!

I made my shadow box for my sweet nephew's parents, using a few of his first professional photographs and the Charming papers from Echo Park's This & That Collection. I also used the "Enjoy Every Moment" Phrase and Banner Set from Lori's STORE.

One thing I really enjoy about this shadow box is that the trays are nice and deep - allowing you the option of placing actual objects inside them. The Shadow Box is quite sturdy, too, after it is fully assembled so you can use objects that have some weight to them without fear of damaging it.

Look! I used the "wood" patterned paper for the outside frame of my shadow box.

And here is the top with a simple twine hanger. Don't worry, there is an extra cut of paper attached under the top of the frame to help "reinforce" your shadow box if you decide to hang it.

That's it for now, but be sure to check back next week for another fun-filled Blog Hop! Details to come!