Using Sticker Letters and Paper for Super Quick pages!
By Helen Naylor

When looking for ways to speed up the process of doing a layout, there are a number of different considerations to make. Will the focus of my page be the patterned paper that I will use? How much journaling will I do? Will I use something pre-printed that will speed the process? Will I mat my photos? Will I layer my papers? All of these individual components can be done quickly and with great success with minimal practice.

I have become very handy with my 12" Paper Trimmer from Fiskars. I use the extension arm that swings out from the bottom of the trimmer to measure my paper. Not all paper measures the same. I will measure quickly to make sure the papers are not all off - even ¼ of an inch can mess up your measurements. I love to trim my paper to11 ½ X 11 ½, and then mount it on a true 12 X 12 sheet. I mostly use a solid color for the base sheet and put a printed on top, but that can be reversed. You can choose soft colors or make them bold and bright, depending on the mood you want to set for your layout.

Splish Splash could have been a number of different color themes, but I found the new Stickerkins by Stickopotamus that I just adore! So I chose the colors to coordinate with the stickers. They remind me of all the small children in my family, so they will go with lots my pictures! 

First I mounted the blue patterned paper (8 ¼ X 10 ¾) on the red cardstock (8 ½ X 11), and then the yellow (7 X 9 ½) on the red (7 ¼ X 9 ¾ ). The clue to making this easy is to use your measuring arm and cut down in increments of ¼ to ½. Bold primary colors will make the page more dramatic! I added the Stickerkins to the page, creating a little scene. (To make the sticker less tacky, you can first stick them to your forearm to remove a little of the adhesive. They will become more permanent in just a little while. Add the colored letter stickers to a small, long strip of red and add a splash and a bubble or two to complete the layout.

Fall Leaves

In Fall Leaves, I used solid on solid cardstock, and I used some patterned paper for photo and text box mounting. It offers a clean and unbusy backdrop for my photos. I love the letters from Debbie Mumm! I only wish they came in more colors!

Who can resist a little girl in her dance recital costume! Mounting patterned paper on white cardstock, I used a combination of soft stripes and coordinating polka dots to set the backdrop for the little cherubs holding their letters high! Tiny Dancers matches the little girls perfectly!

Listen…Do You Want to Know A Secret? I promise to tell you that the hardest part of this layout was coming up with the text! Lines from songs will always warm the heart…and date you faster than you could imagine.  A hint? If you see the title from a song that you think might work for a layout, write it down in your own personal idea book! 

Listen...

Save that and cute sayings you might come across for another journaling day. By keeping the layout in 2 colors, there isn't much time spent in deciding what will match! Especially if one of the colors is white! So I used white sticker letters on the dark blue paper to create a focal point to set the mood for the story in the photos.

By using my handy 12" Paper Trimmer to trim and mount my photos and background paper, and by using sticker letters, I am able to keep getting those pages done in a hurry without totally sacrificing my style!