Happy summer, friends! It’s Michelle, and I’m so happy to be on the blog today using the colorful July 2022 monthly kit and add-ons, perfect for all those summer memories, both indoors and outdoors! Today I’m sharing a traveler’s notebook-sized pocket page I made using the new release to document a little indoor fun. I had so much fun with all the colors and designs in this release and I’m loving how it brought this day to life!
Supplies | July 2022 Kit, Everyday Label Puffy Stickers, Orange Puffy Alphabet Stickers, Puffy Star Stickers, Medium Hazel Stamp, Star Notes Stamp
Pocket page memories are such a favorite of mine and the variety of die cuts and pocket tags that come in the monthly kits are always the perfect inspiration for memories in pockets. I love that your aren’t limited to how you can use your pocket tags, and as you’ll see in this layout I used them a bit different than the traditional way. I started this layout of our grandson’s visit to a play gym with his photo sized for the top 4 x 4-inch pocket and adhered two cute die cuts from the July 2022 Kit. I selected the 3 x 4-inch “Hello Good Times” pocket tag and thought it would be fun to pair it with the multi-colored 4 x 6-inch pocket tag. I flipped the 4 x 6-inch pocket tag upright and trimmed it to a 4 x 4-inch size while adhering the 3 x 4-inch tag to the front. I left a little space on the left side so I could add that blue and white sentiment die cut with a tiny stapler. Super easy, full of color, and quite fun!
I left the right side of my pocket page as an open layout since I had many photos I wanted to include. I did a simple sketch of my idea and went with somewhat of a grid-type layout that would allow for a good mix of tiny photos, journaling, and one slightly larger photo. I sized the tiny photos at 1.25 x 1.65-inches and cropped them with a small white border. I placed those photos around the top and down the right while trying to leave room for journaling on the middle left. I was so excited to use the Everyday Label Puffy Stickers and once I placed my tiny photos I thought it would be fun to coordinate the puffy stickers into that photo grid. I collected puffy stickers in photo albums when I was a little girl and using them on this layout of my grandson was one of my favorite highlights of making this. I adhered the photos and then placed the puffy stickers to almost float around the photos while leaving space for journaling.
I was super excited to use the awesome Star Notes Stamp for journaling space on the left middle of the page. I used the Medium Hazel Stamp, definitely a new favorite of mine, to combine a mix of both stamping along with those adorable Orange Puffy Alphabet Stickers. I finished the journaling spot off by using a green die cut from the July Kit paired with a tiny star using the Puffy Star Stickers.
For the bottom of this page, I had a larger photo sized at 3.9 x 2.7-inches, but it needed something. As I was going through my pocket tags in the July Kit there was a 3 x 4-inch pocket tag that was quite similar to the multi-colored pocket tag I had used earlier in my 4 x 4-inch pocket. I was a bit worried if I backed the photo against it that it might be a strange contrast against the other pocket tag, perhaps too busy. I reminded myself that this layout was about fun and smiles and colors, all representing the memory, and sometimes you just have to get out of your head and play with ideas! I turned the tag sideways, cropped a tiny bit from each end, and adhered it to the back of the photo. I’m actually glad I went for it because I really am loving the ending result.
This same larger photo had some blank space, but I did have one more photo I really wanted to use. The problem was it had a yellow tint to it that I wasn’t able to lighten up without distorting the photo. My grandson’s pose and expression in this photo was just too cute and that in itself absolutely required that I include it. I decided to size it super small at 1.2 x 1.3-inches and used it as a photo in a photo. I adhered it to the negative space on the right side and ended up using that tint issue to my advantage. I remembered the yellow “fav place” pocket tag in the July Kit—the perfect sentiment for this spread. I cropped out only the title so I could attach it to the bottom of the tiny photo and added a cute puffy green star from the Puffy Star Stickers. Don’t let your pocket tags go unused or be worried about cutting them down—it feels really good to find other ways to use them. I loved that I used a few pocket tags differently than I typically would and all these little pieces came together in a fun way. My last little bit to finish was to adhere one of the cute arrow die cuts from the July Kit to the top corner.
Thanks so much for your time today! I had so much fun with the July release and I’m looking forward to seeing your inspiration using the new kit and add-ons! Share your projects using the #ellesstudio hashtag on Instagram and over in the Elle’s Studio Facebook Group, too! Happy summer and happy creating, friends!
