Thankful For...

Hey there!  Missy back with you to share two new layouts using the Gather Together Simple Set [1].  This collection is full of beautiful Fall colors and is centered around Thanksgiving Dinner.  However, there are several things that are versatile and allow you to take a different route.  I really don’t document Thanksgiving Dinner, so I created a few pages centered around family and thankfulness.  I’m very pleased with how they turned out, and I hope they give you some inspiration.  My first layout is about my two grandmothers.  They were both at my house for a birthday party a few months ago and they were holding hands and chatting.  It was the sweetest thing!  I started with some light kraft cardstock from my stash and a beautiful leaf cut file from the Just Nick store.  I used some Shimmerz Paints on the background using the packaging & splattering technique.  I used papers from the collection to back the leaves and arranged my photo where I wanted it. 

Here you can see the detail of the cut file, the patterned papers and some of the background work.  I machine stitched through all the leaf centers with gold thread for added detail.  For a smaller secondary title, I cut a sentiment from one of the patterned papers and embellished the corner of it with cute leaves from the sticker sheet.

Aren’t these Fall colors so beautiful together?  They have such a homey and comfortable feeling.  For my main title, I used coordinating alpha stickers from the Snap Bold pack.  Again, I stitched with gold thread and then added a red heart sticker and a few phrase stickers from the Hello Fall collection.

I added some tissue paper and patterned paper pieces behind my photo as well as some adhesive foam.  That gives it a little bit of dimension so I could easily add some tangled thread under it.

Here’s one final detail shot of everything.  I added some gold spray to the little dots on the leaves and added more of the same color on the background.

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For my second layout, I used more photos of one of my grandmas and my daughter.  They were just hanging out on the couch, and I just had to document it.  For this page, I used another beautiful cut file from the Just Nick store.  I used white cardstock as my background and to cut the cut file.  I cut it again using the green patterned paper and then added it to just the leaves on the circle.  I used a very old small lined stencil and some Shimmerz Dazzlerz to create those sketchy lines.  I used a deep red color and a dark green to create some fun background texture.  Once that dried, I used some packaging again with Shimmerz sprays.  Once I got everything where I wanted it, I used some dark brown thread to stitch around the big circle.

Here you can see the awesome texture from the stencil and how pretty that cut file is.  I used the “thankful” sticker from the sticker sheet as my title and then added a few smaller stickers around the page, including some hearts.  I used some patterned paper pieces and tissue paper behind my photos.

I used a torn piece of the pretty plaid patterned paper (say that three times fast…haha) as a layer.  I love the color it brings!  Just like on my first page, I added some shiny gold stitching to added pops of shine.  I also added foam behind the photos.

I cut this group of hearts from one of the patterned papers, and this is where I added the gold stitching.  I wrote just a little bit of journaling and added my date stamp.

Here’s another look at the cut file detail.  I love how the leaves curled up because it gives it a little more of a realistic effect. 

I surely hope these gave you some inspiration on how to stretch a small collection and make it work for you.  I had a great time putting these together, and I hope you get some ideas from them!  Have a great day & Happy Thanksgiving!