Welcome to another installment of Make a Page Monday. This week's page focuses on something that is fading with alarming speed here in the southern part of Minnesota: warm Fall weather. Let's jump in and talk weather and design.
(click on the layout to see if larger in a new window)
SIZE/MODE: 8.5 x 11 two-page digital layout.
THE STORY: A few weeks ago we headed up north to our family's cabin on Gull Lake to take the dock out for the winter. It was unseasonably warm and gorgeous, so we took the pontoon out for a final spin before packing it all in. I figured it would be nice to document the weekend and the weather, as anyone who lives here knows, it doesn't last long.
THE JOURNALING: The weekend wherein you go up to the cabin to take the dock out of the water is usually two things: cold and cold. This year, with a forecast in the 70s, we joined up with the McElroys and made a weekend out of it. Before Dan and David packed up the boat for the season, we took a nice little fall pontoon ride across Gull to have lunch at Ernie’s. With barely a chill in the air, it was really lovely to be out on the lake this time of year. We were probably a few weeks past prime color, but fall in the northland is a pretty time and place to be any way you slice it. Combine that with some good cousin bonding time, a round or two of Balderdash, and lots of football, and you have a short, sweet cabin weekend.
1. Unity: If you look at this two-page spread, notice how all of the visual content "hangs" together as one big chunk. Everything has a direct relationship. Photo edges touch. The journaling block lines up in the grouping. It's almost like a big puzzle that's been assembled so that it feels finished. This is unity in action, when photos and words all have a purposeful and connected relationship to one another.
2. Symmetry: If you slice this two-page spread down the center, what you have on the right, in terms of occupied space, you also have on the left. Even steven, as far as space goes. Solid, predictable and symmetrical, even with different photo sizes filling in the opposing space.
3. Repetition: Square photo shapes dominate this design. Even something as subtle as this serves to unify and connect the design. The golden mustard color is repeated from the journaling cardstock and seen in the title. Finally, I chose to do part of the title in grey to tie in with the grey background cardstock.
4. White Space: One oversized inch of space frames the entire core design. I call this 'framing white space' and it injects a bit of breathing room as well as a framing effect that holds all of the visual content together. An inch on the edges of any layout will add a nice cushion of air to the overall design.
Here is a basic sketch you can download to keep in your scrapbooking files. The sketches are on 8.5 x 11 paper for easy printing.
digital template—Layered Template No. 72 by Cathy Zielske
digital papers—Just Ribbed Paper Pack No. 02 • Aki Solids Paper Pack (orange and white papers) all by Michelle Martin
date stamp—Digital Date Stamps Vol. 12 by Katie Pertiet
font—Avenir and Amelie (script font)
software—Photoshop Elements 8.0
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This template is also available from Designer Digitals in a 12 x 12 size. Both are on sale until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Questions? Comments? You know the drill, design lovin' peeps.
