add color, life and detail...

Embellishing...I love it.

It's the butter on the bread, the syrup on the pancake!

Embellishing gives your work life and color and adds detail and interest! Even in small doses, embellishments give a touch of flair. They finish off a piece of art which could otherwise be flat and uninteresting.

This was one of the layouts I made for my recent eBook called the Embellishing Handbook. Notice the title work, which I cut with my Silhouette Cameo and really loved the negative of the title, so I kept the negative sheet and backed it with a light colored patterned paper. I wanted to add color and life to the title, so I changed the O out with a square piece of paper to mimic a "home" and added stitching to the roof, a flower for dimension and tucked in a red stripe journaling card to draw your eye right to the detail. All of these embellishments together create interest to an otherwise flat, boring title!

I consider embellishments to be many things. Even the banners on this page are embellishing the page by adding color and life. They also add scale. Notice the little "together forever and always" saying, which is a small scale, the chevrons are medium in scale and the florals add a large scale pattern to the page. Embellishments have SO many different JOBS in our artwork. Scale, color and pattern are some of those jobs. Embellishing has a purpose!!

Would you like to learn more? I am giving away another copy of my Embellishing Handbook.

Leave a comment with your favorite way to embellish. I will draw a winner in a couple of days. Don't forget to leave your email addy, so I can contact you! I'm still looking for my You've Got Mail class winner - Lucy Newton. :) Do you know her? If so, please let her know I'm looking for her. :)

Embellish purposely!

embellishing tips and tricks.

I finally did it....

A few of my scrapbooking friends have been encouraging me to jot down some of my ideas and put something together in a book form, and I was approached by Big Picture Classes and Ella Publishing about a year ago to put an eBook together for them. I wasn't sure what people might want to learn from me, but the folks at BPC/Ella wanted to know why I choose the embellishments that I choose in my work and tips on how to embellish more effectively. So...after a few months of hard work, lots of LOVE and dedication, it's finally here: the Embellishing Handbook! :)

Inside I have twenty never-before-seen projects...one layout and one card for each of my ten tips on embellishing. So whether you are a layout person or a card person, this eBook is for you! (Papertrey Ink fans...I have a ton of Papertrey Ink projects inside!)

I will give you the top five reasons WHY I embellish...what I use embellishments for and why I choose the ones I choose. And the top five reasons HOW I embellish more effectively...what embellishments do for our pages and how to use them to your advantage!

Here is a sample of one of the cards that I made for the eBook.

Did you know embellishments can be die cuts and stamps? Even punched shapes? To me, embellishments includes anything that pretties up your project. On this page, I talk about how to use embellishments to reinforce the style you are going for. Fun and energetic? Use bright colors and large embellishments like these chevrons that grab your attention!

Thank you for letting me share my news. I am SO excited for you to see the projects inside and truly hope these tips help you embellish your projects more effectively. You can find my eBook for sale at Big Picture Classes and Ella Publishing.

I'd love to give away a copy to one of my blog readers! Just tell me what would you like to learn most about embellishing? I'll choose one random winner soon. Wishing you a very happy New Year!