Clique Kits Blog Hop

Hey there friends!  I am so excited to be a part of the Clique Kits   blog hop today. If you are just starting the hop with me, here is a list of the participants:

Clique Kits https://cliquekits.wordpress.com/
 Gia Lau https://giaaloha.wordpress.com/
 *Melissa Vining http:yesterday2day4ever.blogspot.co.nz
 *Candace http://findingeverydayperfection.com/
 *Kat Benjamin http://kraftykat9.blogspot.com
 *Leigh Ann http://www.artfulleighcreative.com/
 *Aliza http://peopleofthescrapbook.blogspot.com
 *Elisabetta https://abcdeliblog.blogspot.com/
 Donna http://scrappydonna.blogspot.com/
 Emma Pescott http://emslifedocumented.blogspot.co.nz
 Sandy Gonzalez http://craftythought.com
 Kim Allen kimsscrappyblog.blogspot.com/
 Mariah Hecher http://www.fun2scrap.blogspot.com/
 Renee Aslette http://www.reneeaslette.blogspot.com
 Kate Blue http://www.kateblue.blogspot.com
 Megan Blethen www.craftymeggy.com
 Kelly Barron kaybeetoo.blogspot.com (you are here)

 Bernie Miller http://weekendatberniis.blogspot.com.au/

I am excited to be sharing this layout with you today.  If you have followed me for a while, you will know that I am trying to get more stories told on my pages. My daughter is almost 14 years old, and it is just an amazing experience to watch her mature. I had been thinking about how I wanted to tell this story and when I saw the butterfly cut file offered this month I knew just how I was going to tell it. I love for elements on my pages to contribute to the stories being told so the butterfly was the perfect choice.

I used my silhouette and cut the file out.  I enlarged it so that it would be a huge focal point.  I chose to print my photo in black and white.  I didn't want to lose my photo on the page and knew that backing the different places of the butterfly with patterned paper would be a lot of color on the layout. So by printing the photo in black and white, it offers a nice contrast to the patterned papers behind the cut file.

I used my silhouette to cut the title out. I usually cut all of my files in white and then color them with inks, mists, or gelatos. I used Tim Holtz distress inks to color the title. I love the yellow twine that came in the kit and thought that it would make cute antennas for the butterfly. I had to play with it a bit to get it the way I wanted it to look. I used Dylusions white and Heidi Swapp teal mist on the background, and then glued sequins around the page. 

I did not want my journaling to be on the page. It is something that I don't mind if people read, but since it is personal to Emily, I decided to tuck it behind the photo on a tag that can easily be pulled out. I layered vellum behind the photo and that is something that I do often. I like the bit of texture and dimension that it brings without adding another color or pattern to the layout. As I was looking through the kit I noticed that the packaging of the ephemera had a pretty pale aqua stripe so I used that as well as a paper layer! Don't overlook your embellishment packages...often they will have subtle designs and colors that work well with the collection that you are using. I also popped the photo slightly off the page for added dimension as well.

Before I adhered the butterfly down to the page, I sewed around the edges of the entire cut file and around the layout. I have been on a sewing kick lately and thought that this would be a nice touch to complete the butterfly. I love how it turned out!

Be sure to check out the other members of the blog hop. There are so many beautiful creations being shared you are sure to find inspiration! If you want to see a close up of my process, the video is linked below.  The supplies used for this layout all came from  Clique Kits January kit - Alegria which is still available for purchase at the present time.