4th of July Fun in Pockets with Sharon Gurley

Hello again, crafty people! It’s Sharon here to share with you my second project using the amazing products from the June release!

Supplies |  June 2021 Kit, June 2021 Print and Cut Labels, June Labels, Summer Label Stickers, Stars and Stripes Chipboard Stickers, Cork Labels, 4th of July Wood Veneer, Good Times Paper Stack, Weekend Stamp, Daily Tabs Stamp

One of the many things I love about Elle’s Studio is how the same monthly kit can give you supplies to document varied topics in different months. This month’s release helped me document holidays in June AND July. Using the kit along with the more patriotic add-ons, I was able to create a 9 x 12 inch pocket page documenting my family’s 2020 4th of July activities. 

Nothing sets a color palette like a patriotic holiday in the U.S. and the June products had so many red, white, and blue options! I knew I wanted my title to use the 4th of July Wood Veneer which I originally placed on a white background. I realized the light wood and the white paper just didn’t offer enough contrast, so the blue striped paper from the Good Times Paper Stack was a perfect replacement. If you ever struggle to use wood veneer in your crafting, change the background paper to a darker color to make it pop! 

One of my favorite tags from the kit was the one that mimics the Patriotic Acrylic Stars from the add-ons. Elle’s tags with space for journaling are the ones that I always find myself using first! I continued my journaling onto a custom made tag with a banner from the Stars and Stripes Chipboard Stickers placed on top of a label from the kit’s die cuts. 

Once my journaling was in, I shuffled my tags around and found that the best arrangement had created two diagonals through my project. The diagonal from the upper right to the lower left spread out the words. The diagonal from upper left to lower right spread out the most concentrated colors of blue, white, and red. It’s always good to take a step back and look at how your pockets look together. I shuffle the tags and pictures until it looks and feels right.

Labels and stamps are some of my favorite products because I use them so much, and I love to combine them as embellishments. The June release has amazing labels everywhere! I used them from the monthly kit’s die cuts, the June Labels, and the June 2021 Print and Cut Labels. Next, came stamping on these labels! Elle has created a series of Tab Stamps that have so many typewriter words and phrases on them that fit perfectly on labels. For this project, I used the Daily Tabs Stamp with labels on three of the nine pockets. My favorite stamped label embellishments are on the title pocket since they bring in more of the color scheme to the title.

I also used the Weekend stamp set to create an embellishment for the photo collage in the lower left pocket. Is anything more fitting than “thumbs up” for a pocket documenting a Facebook event? 

Once again, thank you for taking the time to look at the details of my project! Hopefully, I have helped you see the potential in these wonderful products. Also thank you to Elle and Meghann for giving me this amazing opportunity to guest design!

Hi, I’m Sharon, and I love paper crafting! You’ll usually find me making cards, creating decorations, and scrapbooking in my craft cave (also known as my basement) in the Chicago suburbs. Even at a young age, I kept travel journals and took photos, so when I discovered Project Life in 2015, everything clicked into place. I’ve been documenting my life with my husband and two young children in pockets ever since. It’s truly my favorite crafty project of all time!

Be sure to follow Sharon on her Instagram feed for more beautifully designed projects, including more pocket pages like the one she shared with us today! Thank you so much for inspiring us, Sharon!