Inspired by Print Ads

Whenever I am short on inspiration, I look to print ads. The ads are always well laid out. After all, they are designed by professional marketing teams to grab the viewers attention. It makes it easy to substitute my photo for the ad's and embellish as I please.

This Macy's ad was one of my recent choices. With a little vision, you can see where you can add in a photo or a block of paper. There's a nice spot for the title and a subtitle. Take out the ad's text, and you have a place to journal. Whether you choose to use one photo or four, the ad is well balance.

I decided it would be easiest to start with my main photo and then scale the rest of the page around it.This is often the best way to work with ads.It can be difficult to try  to crop and print a photo to the same sizes as those in the ad. I chose a 4x6 photo of my dog and cat napping together. I then cut blocks of paper and placed them around the photo to create a rectangle just as you see in the upper portion of the ad.

Sometimes ads are very flat. This one had that feel. So I added dimension within the blocks by using brads, jewels and ribbon. Adding glossy accents to the title letters helped keep them in place while also adding a bit of dimension. I chose soft colors paired with brown for my palette. I often use brown when I scrap my pets. The soft blue and pink lends to the theme of them napping together.


Side by Side by Christy Strickler | Supplies: cardstock: Die Cuts With a View; patterned paper: Basic Grey;alphas: Paper Trunk; brads: Making Memories; ribbon: Basic Grey; badge: Pink Paislee; sticker: Momenta; other: jewels, DMC floss,glossy accents


For more Ad Inspiration and tips for using ads on Scrapbook Pages, check out Get It Scrapped!