Ashli Oliver is joining us as the second of our guest designers this month. We love her beautiful, mixed-media style, and we know you will love her project so much that you may even be grabbing for your paints and your March exclusive kit before you know it!
Hello there! It’s Ashli here with you today to share one of my favorite design techniques: REPETITION!
When I saw the gorgeous acrylic star embellishments, as well as the fun stars in the March digital cut file, I knew what I had to do!
After printing out my photo at 8-½” x 11”, I used my Silhouette machine to cut the digital cut file stars straight from my image in the negative space along the left side. After cutting the stars, I removed my photo from the cutting mat and trimmed it before adhering it to the right side of my layout. Next, I adhered the photo stars back on my layout, matching them up to where they would have been on the original photo print- almost as though my photograph was bursting into a trail of stars!
Then, I layered the gorgeous acrylic stars on top and completed the starry goodness with some paint! I started by applying white acrylic paint to my cardstock, then once that was dry, I topped it with inexpensive watercolors to create a soft, dreamy background. You can learn more about this technique in my e-course, The Softer Side.
And, of course, I couldn’t leave the right side of my image out, so I used the lovely little tags from the March exclusive kit, bits and pieces from the Little Moments collection, and Little Moments wood veneer to layer up in repetition all along the side of my photo. A little stitching was the perfect finishing touch to pull this layout full of stars together.
Not only is repeating a design element fun, but it is a sure-fire way to guarantee a successful page!
Ashli Oliver (aka soapHOUSEmama) lives with her husband and four girls, age 10 and under, in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Ashli is a recovering graphic designer and when she is not busy homeschooling her kiddos, you can find her drinking copious amounts of coffee while playing with paint and pretty paper in her studio. Not only does Ashli love documenting her family’s memories, but she finds great joy in the creative process… which, in her case, usually involves lots of messy, painty fun!
You can find Ashli, and her work, at her Website, YouTube, Instagram, and Classes.
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