Step-by-Step Layout Tutorial by Design Team Member Eila Sandberg!

Hello there everyone!  

Today we have one of our Designers,Eila Sandberg, sharing her creative 

process with you in this EXCLUSIVE tutorial created just for us!!  Yay!!!

You can read more about Eila on our Design Team page HERE.

Hello everyone! I actually don't have much of a planned process

 but it always starts with either the papers or the flowers. I have a 

huge crush on papers & flowers!  Always GOT TO HAVE  flowers on 

my pages!!  This particular page came about when I was sorting a

 pile of papers & they happened to come up in the order almost 

identical to what I ended up using! Here's a peek at my finished page...

Step 1 - Choose papers & layer them in the 

order you want them to appear on your page.

Step 2 - Select the embellishments you want to use

& decide approximately where you think they will be

placed or clustered on your page.

Step 3 - Remove your chosen embellishments 
then cut, layer & adhere your papers.

Step 4 - Prepare your background by adding your mixed media.

I almost always use modelling paste through a stencil/mask, as well

as misting & stamping.  I love my Prima brick stamp & use it often,

as well as toilet rolls, lids & cups to stamp circles on my pages.

Step 5.  Once your background is dry layer up & adhere 

your photo & main embellishments, ie fussy-cut papers & 

chipboard.  NOT your flowers at this stage!

{Note to other "chunky" scrappers - if you love bumpy details

this is easily achieved by using foam strips or 3D pop dots under

your photo so that other layers can easily be tucked in around

& under it.  You need to leave about 1/2" around the edge 

for this to be possible so don't position your foam tape right

to the edge of your photo -remember to leave a small gap}.

Step 6.  Add mediums to your embellishments too.  Here I decided

 to add more dimension to my chipboard houses once they were 

already adhered, so I smeared out some Glass Gel Bead medium

 on them with my finger as well as adding it randomly around my page. 

Once dry the gel bead medium looks much nicer as you see below!

Step 7 -  Add some light touches of acrylic paint to your raised areas 

to bring out the dimension.  Often I use several colours for this.

Step 8.  Continue to layer!  That is what my style is all about!!  

Layering first with papers, then with mediums, then with 

embellishments!  Here I added a crackle effect on top of 

the chipboard elements & background using a crackle stamp.

Step 9.  Take a look at your layout & add more embellishments 
in order to enhance the "flow" of your page.  

Step 10.  Add mediums to your embellishments, for example

I often dab cream acrylic paint onto my flowers to tone them

down a bit (I find white gesso too stark!} I often add an

accent colour using acrylic paint, applied with my index finger.

Step 11.  Set your layout aside then look at it again the following day,

with "fresh" eyes!  Often I add my finishing touches at this point.

{that little " something something!!"} or I may shift something from

one point to another.  

Step 12. Day 2!  Distress & ink the edges of your page (ALL the layers!) 

{which is why I don't  stick my papers down all the way to the edges}.

Sometimes I spray a little water on my papers to fluff them up a bit, drying off 

with a heat gun (this adds a nice, lightly distressed look). Lastly I add some

 extra touches of misting & stamping, making sure to protect my photo by 

covering it with a piece of card first.

And here is a reminder of what the finished page looks like.

So there you have it! 

 Backwards I know but that's how I do it!!

***As my process is fairly lengthy I work on a couple of pages at a time,

so while the mediums are drying on one, I am working on the other :)***

This is the page I created on the same day as the one you've just seen!

Thank you Eila!  

I have always wanted to know exactly how Eila achieves such beautiful creations!!  

Now I see that there are no short cuts to perfection & every page she creates

 is a labour of love!!! If you are interested to see what products Eila has used

on these pages please pay a visit to her blog to see!

http://dollopsofscrap.blogspot.com