We've nailed the backdrop idea and the punches and shapes are perfected, but now we want to add that "little something extra" to give our pages and character. Remember that the possibilities are endless here and that anything can be modified or added to these pages.

For those of you new to chalks or who've broken in your entire set to the point that you can't tell which is the white without literally scratching the surface, remember that other elements can be used to create the color in your layout. In this pink hearts layout, I used chalk to create the pinks in the centers of the die cut hearts. Unfortunately I couldn't find a paper I liked, so I used white chalk to lighten a dark pink, and used a dark pink to add color to the lighter pink. All of the hearts were cut using the Sizzix Personal Die Cut Machine and the Primitive Hearts Die Cut. I made a border like the ones we saw last week, and then added a few hearts to the mats I cut for my photos. The only thing I could think of is how perfect this layout would be if I had pictures of kids eating Pink Bubblegum Ice Cream!

Going with the border idea, I created this blue oval layout, but added blue stitching to the title block oval. The ovals were made with a Creative Memories Oval Cutter and affixed with Sailor adhesive. I punched holes in the large title oval with a Fiskars hole punch and used Making Memories Watercolor collection stitches to sew the border. I liked using the stitches SEW MUCH, that I decided to try them in another layout.

In this yellow stars layout, I created yet another border... this time using yellow stars, but found a new use for the fibers. The stars in the layout were made with the Sizzix and the Primitive Stars die cut. Unfortunately, to create the large stars, I had to trim one set down to layer them as shown here. The small stars are also on the die cut. I punched holes at the top with a Fiskars hole punch and also at the bottom of the title topper box. I cut different lengths of thread so that the stars would look like they were hung more randomly than straight in a row. The embellishments may take a bit more time, but are another way to carry the monochromatic element of the layout to a new level. While the paper is fun and has tons of potential, the extras set your layouts apart from the crowd. A few great ideas for using other elements to carry the color theme are: using ticket stubs from a theme park or event, using colors from a party invitation, or balloon decorations, using colors inspired by nature of which you may have artifacts... beach sand or fall leaves for example. Use your imagination and creative talents to add your own personality to your albums. I hope you enjoyed learning this fun and diverse technique.