Playing "Dress Up"

If you could buy any "dream product" from a favorite manufacturer, what would you choose?  Would it be too boring to suggest a pack of graph paper and a pack of ledger paper?

Well, last month I had the opportunity to buy some OA products on clearance, and I jumped at the chance to load up on graph and ledger papers.  I bought a 25-count pack of each (this graph paper and this ledger paper), and I hope to show you in this post that these products are anything but boring.

These papers make wonderful backgrounds--they match everything, and they can be "dressed up" as much as you like.  Below you'll find a layout I made for palette #136 from the Color Room.

Supplies: graph paper & alphabet stickers by October Afternoon; dove & lattice papers by Lawn  Fawn; kraft notebook paper by Cachet; damask paper by Basic Grey; all other papers by Echo Park; penguin & snowflake stickers by Reminisce; doily & butterfly stickers by Cosmo Cricket; envelope by DMD; bow, ribbon roses, & curling ribbon by Berwick-Offray; metallic paint by Deco Art; pearlescent paints by Ranger; sewing thread by Singer; embroidery floss by DMC; buttons upcycled from old clothing.

Title/journaling: "The best gift under the tree is the gift of FAMILY."

I used lots of layering, doily images, and giftwrapping ribbon.

About all that ribbon...I know what you're thinking.  Once I put this layout in an album, all the ribbons will get smooshed.  I think, though, that the smooshed ribbons will have their own kind of charm...the same way that pressed flowers have charm, you know.

And the pièce de résistance is this Christmas tree.  I created it using all my favorite techniques of the moment.  I made the body of the tree via string printing, then added brush stroke branches for definition.  I added more string printing to create the feeling of garlands on the tree, then I made ornaments using the ghost stamping technique.  Buttons and ribbons roses further decorate the tree.

Graph and ledger papers need not be used solely as backgrounds.  Because of their lined surfaces, they are easy to make into customized journaling spots.  That's what I did for the layout below, which is called "Thru His Lens."

Supplies: ledger paper, die cuts, stickers, & badge by October Afternoon; dotted, striped & circle-patterned papers by American Crafts; dove paper by Lawn Fawn; doily paper by Studio Calico; red "cross stitch" paper by Magnolia; pearlescent paint & white pen by Ranger; red & green pens by Zig; embroidery floss by DMC; buttons by Blumenthal Lansing.

Journaling: "It may be out of focus, it may be blurry, but this photo is a treasure to us, because it was taken by our sweet son.  Christmas Eve."

These days I just cannot finish a project without adding some Liquid Pearls.  Here, I used Liquid Pearls to create a "flash" on the camera badge.

So, do you agree with me that ledger and graph papers are anything but boring?  I had a lot of fun "dressing up" my papers with these layouts, and I hope you've enjoyed looking at my creations.  Thanks for stopping by my blog today!