Quick and Simple by Michelle

Good morning all! Today I'm here with a layout I created in about 30 minutes - from printing the photo to watching the mist splatters dry. It's my proof that a layout can be quick and simple and still be creative and quite pretty, if I do say so myself. :)

While figuring out how to get the most out of my limited scrapping time, I've come to rely on a few tricks to get me in and out of my office before my little one wakes up from his nap. Hopefully you can use one or two of these ideas next time you scrap.

I would say that 98% of my layouts done in the past year are made with a white cardstock background. It's clean, it's simple, and it matches anything. No time spent trying to find the perfect color background to match that gorgeous patterned paper or the dress that my daughter was wearing in the picture. I just grab it and go.

Now, my patterned paper and accent colors? For the last month or so I've been grabbing aqua, black, and red over and over again. I love aqua just because. The touch of red gives it a pop. And the black? Well, it matches everything.

My next quick trick has to do with punches. The one I use most is my big star punch. It's perfect for me because it works for boy or girl layouts and can go with any theme. And to make it even simpler, I punch the shape from the same paper that the shape will be laying on. You add depth and detail to your layout without the fear of making your layout too busy.

For a little more detail that takes almost no work at all, add a little splatter. I will confess that I am a mess with mists. So I don't mist. I splatter. I don't worry about it being perfect because it won't be. And that's what makes it work. 

Journaling used to be what I hated the most. I spent 4 years in college writing nonstop papers for my English degree, but when it came to journaling on a layout, I would cringe and write something awful. And then I discovered lists. And that my own handwriting was just as good as a computer. And journaling became a lot less painful. 

Date stamps are also fabulous. It gives the layout a little something extra. And when you stamp your date upside down? No worries. Just stamp it right side up on another sheet of paper, draw a border around it and cut it into a banner. No one will be the wiser. 

I hope I've given you a new idea to try that just might save you a little time! 
 -Michelle


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