My Heart is Full- Basic Grey Curio

I've had these beautiful Curio papers in my stash for a little while. They were so pretty and ornate that I kept saving them for a special occasion. Nothing seemed to be a good enough layout for them. But then I came across a picture of me holding Jada and it filled my heart with love. I have been truly blessed and I appreciate everything I have. So I decided to do a page about how full my heart is with love for Jada and Caleb.

I started out by cutting out the Curio- Camelia paper on my Cricut. (I absolutely love that machine!) Then I started layering. I sewed the Curio-Upholstery down first and then the Curio-Camelia on top of that. The picture was secured using pop dots and the ribbon was secured using glossy accents.

Then I used Ranger Distress Stain in Black Soot to go around and distress the edges. Those inks really are amazing. It's all the convenience of an ink pad, but where you need it most. With the edges still wet, I started rolling and tearing the edges. A little tear here and a little tear there was all it needed.

The title was done using those delicious chipboard letters again. (I told you I loved them!) Once again, I added depth using pop dots. As a matter of fact, I had to order some more pop dots last night. The journaling reads: Between the love I have for Jada and the love I have for Caleb, my heart always feels full.

I tried really hard to stay away from the over embellished. Nowadays, it really is too easy to cover a page with flowers and fluff, but that takes away from the overall design to me. This paper was so detailed and ornate that it was hard to do, but I tried to keep it simple. The simple details pull it together to me. The inked edges, the stitching, and the ribbon were enough for me to tell the story. Next time you reach for that bucket of flowers, look at your layout and ask yourself if you really need it. Instead, challenge yourself to add details in a better way. Hope you all enjoyed this!