Summer Reading Layout by Paige Evans

Hi friends! I'm here with a new layout and process video for Becki Adams' Crating About Reading YouTube Hop in loving memory of her son Austin. I've used my Open Book with Flowers and Backing Pieces cut file paired with the Wonders Project Pad to create this layout about Summer reading - one of my very favorite things to do is read outside amongst the flowers during the warm summer days. Sometimes I can coax Fox to read outside with me :)

Find out more about wonderful ways to contribute to the Austin Adams Memorial Library Project HERE and the Amazon wishlist HERE.

Here is my process video to see how this layout came together from start-to-finish:

I started by die cutting my Open Book with Flowers cut file from textured white cardstock with a Silhouette Cameo. Then I spent some time backing it with the solid colored papers found in the Wonders Project Pad. I have pages from an old book in my stash that I used for backing the pages of the book.

I created a custom background by tearing a piece of a green floral paper and distressing the torn edge then using a sky blue paper for the top portion. I adhered the backed cut file onto the background using foam squares for dimension to create depth and shadows.

I printed a 3.5" square photo, trimmed it down leaving a white border, then tucked it into the left pages of the book cut file. The white border helps the photo stand out from the busy background. I created the title with the gold foil alpha stickers found in the Project Pad and placed the letters along the curve of the right pages of the book to say SUMMER READING.

Next I grabbed the bees, butterflies, ladybug, and dragonfly stickers from the same sheet, placed them onto scratch white cardstock, and fussy cut them out to turn them into die cuts instead of stickers - much easier to move them around and figure out where I want them to land permanently. 

Once I figured out the placement of three bees, I used a pencil to draw flight trails and then stitched through them with white thread.

I added a gold foil "love" tab sticker above the photo and wrote journaling with a dark blue pen below the book. To finish I added a couple more insect stickers-turned-die cuts around the photo.

I hope this layout inspires you to check out the YouTube Hop hosted by Becki Adams in memory of her sweet son Austen as well as check out my Open Book with Flowers and Backing Pieces cut file and the Wonders Project Pad. Until next time!

SUPPLIES: Patterned papers, die cuts, stickers, Project Pad: WONDERS; Cut file: Open Book with Flowers and Backing Pieces by Paige Evans; white cardstock; Silhouette Cameo