The Backyard Remodel

This is one of the layouts which looks simple, easy and clean, yet took forever!  I learned a lot about the Cricut on this layout which is odd, since the page doesn't include a lot of Cricut accents.  I wanted to steer clear of green backgrounds because I feel the photos would have gotten lost in them. 

I used Medium Berry Red Colormates cardstock for the background and then found two matching patterned papers with the same color red accents. (The patterned paper is from PaperSalon Glad Rags floral and multi-stripe.)

 I added two strips of patterned paper along the bottom of the photos.  My initial plan was to create a scalloped bottom on the striped paper.  So, using my gypsy I created a border and went to cut it.  I learned that cutting on the very edge of the paper made it move around on the mat a lot.  I think it would have worked much better if I hadn't precut my boarders and had the cricut actually cut the boarders in the scalloped shape.  In the end, I just trimmed off the messed up scallops and used a smaller boarder piece. 

After assembling it altogether, I wasn't very happy with the boldness of the patterned paper.  I felt it overwhelmed the photos and took over the page.  Instead of starting over from scratch, I found a bright blue coordinating cardstock and cut two different sizes of circles to create a border on top of the patterned paper.  I think it helped "calm" down the pattern paper.  To tie the blue in, I cut the title (George font) in blue, with the shadow in the striped pattern paper.  In he end, I really like the page, but it was nothing like I originally had planned!