Before I get into the main point of today's post, I wanted to share the back story behind the photo. My son, like most boys, could care less about Cinderella. We had wandered around the Magic Kingdom and my son loved the castle. At this age, he loved knights and castles. When we mentioned that you could eat in the tower, he of course wanted to. We didn't have reservations but luckily, with a short wait, they could fit us in. My son spent the time waiting by exploring the throne room style lobby.
Shortly after our day at Disney, I came across a die cut of Cinderella's Castle. It was one of the few supplies I ever bought with a specific layout in mind. For whatever reason, I never got around to making the layout. Today was going to be the day! After pulling the layout from the package, I discovered that parts of it were no longer in good shape. Some of the laser cut lines did not show up well and made the castle look dingy. I decided to omit some of the layered parts and to dress the castle up a bit on my own. The parts I omitted were pink. I thought that was a shame. Sure, it's a boy's layout and Cinderella wore a lot of blue. Omitting the pink would not be a big deal, but yet, here was the chance to add some pink, frills and bling to a boy's LO.
Let's Eat in the Castle by Christy Strickler
Supplies| Patterned Paper: Pink Paislee, Basic Grey; Alphas: American Crafts, unknown; Flowers: Maya Road, Pebbles, Making Memories; Stickers: Pink Paislee; Ticket: JBS Mercantile; Buttons: JBS Mercantile, Maya Road; Jewels: Imaginesce; Die Cut: Paper Wizard; Chipboard: Studio 112; Ribbon: Prima; Mist: Ranger, Homemade
The textures in the photo guided my choices. Velvet ribbon, jewels, and gold tones set the stage for my tiny son in the giant throne. I chose the bird and clocks to remind me of the Cinderella theme. The die cut was, admittingly, a little hard to work with. I never considered its size all those years ago when I purchased it. Though it is a bit dated, updating it and using the castle with my current scrap style makes it the perfect fit for my layout.
Consider older items in your supplies. Can you alter them? Can you update them to work with newer products from your stash? Blending in old supplies with new ones can give them new life. Try making a kit of your own. Select products from your earliest days as a memory keeper. Choose another set from supplies that are over 6 months old, then add a few things you purchased in the past 6 months. Allow the theme of your photo to drive your choices in texture and motif. The result will be a fresh layout that highlights the story.
Love how the Castle turned out, Christy and the Gold letters in your title look awesome! And I'm loving that cluster at the top of your photo!
ReplyDeleteThis is fabulous!!! Love your take on this :)
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