Happiness and Laughter Layout by Paige Evans

Hello hello! I'm flying back from Texas today where I've been teaching in-person classes! Here is the bonus page we learned how to make featuring hand stitching:

1. Measure and find the center of Paper 20 with the pastel hearts and trace around a 4” square photo. Since this is where the photo will go, we can save some time and not add stitching inside this square.

2. Grab a piercing tool and place a foam mat behind the paper. Use the stitches printed on the hearts as a guide to pierce a hole at the bottom point and then every other stitch line all the way around the heart. Repeat poking holes around every heart.

3. Using matching colors of DMC thread (I selected thread colors 16, 17, 211, 225, 703, 761, 747, 3354, 3823 and 3849), to make a chain link stitch around each heart. It took me about 8 hours to stitch the entire background. HERE is my tutorial for my 3 favorite stitches.

4. Once the stitching is finished, attach a 4” square photo to the center with foam squares. Fussy cut a sentiment as a title from Paper 1 then add it at the bottom of the picture along with a scalloped border from the Sticker Book.

5. Layer half of a Floral Die Cut topped with a floral Chipboard Sticker and a Mini Flower Puffy Sticker on the left side of the photo. Add a photo corner Chipboard Sticker on every corner. Tuck a small label sticker from the Sticker Book under the photo and write journaling with a purple pen.

6. Tuck a small Floral Die Cut under the bottom right corner and top with a flower from the Puffy Phrase Stickers. Place a round floral Cardstock Sticker and a small Floral Die Cut at the top right. Top the upper left photo corner with a flower from the Puffy Phrase Stickers.

7. To finish, layer hearts from the Chipboard Stickers, Puffy Phrase Stickers, Sticker Book, and fussy cut from Paper 1 tone-on-tone inside the hearts across the background.

I hope you're inspired to try hand stitching Paper 20 from Blooming Wild!

SUPPLIES: Patterned paper, stickers, die cuts, embellishments: BLOOMING WILD; piercing tool; foam mat; DMC thread colors 16, 17, 211, 225, 703, 761, 747, 3354, 3823 and 3849