Pinterest Inspired Layout | Maggie Massey

Let's face it, there are times when we all need a boost of inspiration...and, especially when I'm trying to kill a kit, or when I feel my designs are getting kind of stale, the very best place for me to get my inspiration is Pinterest. Without fail I can find a layout I love enough to re-create...with my own spin. Doing this takes a lot of time and "moving-everything-around-until-I-like-the-way-it-looks" out of completing a page. One of the hardest parts, the design work, is pretty much already done for me!

As I was scrolling through the Studio Calico Pinterest boards I saw this PL spread by Amanda Caves, @itsmeamanda. The colors and design really caught my eye and I thought it would be fun to create a traditional layout using this spread as my inspiration. I already had a few small photos on hand, so I sat down with my "The Underground" kits and got to work.

I laid out my photos and cut a few 3x4 cards out of white cardstock (to act as place-markers on my page until I finalized my embellishments). I added a sheet of vellum (cut down to 11.5"x11.5") over my patterned paper to tone it down a bit, and then I began arranging my cards and photos on top.

To complete my page I just kept referring to Amanda's spread...seeing what stood out to me and playing with the same elements on my layout. When a white card wouldn't work for what I wanted, I simply replaced it with the same sized card cut from patterned paper. The horizontal and vertical lines in the spread really stood out to me, so I knew I wanted to include them on my page. I added some strips from the King's Cross Add-On washi tape to a 3x4 card...and voila - my stripes! Some small punched squares from some of the Piccadilly papers, adhered in a grid, helped me achieve that awesome colorful block look from Amanda's paint tray photo. And, of course, the large "7" on Amanda's spread was a huge part of her design...so I replicated it (sorta) with my own "six." Finally, I used a 4x6 cut from patterned paper to mimic Amanda's 4x6 photo...and this is where I did my journaling. I love the way this layout turned out...and I love that I was able to sort of step outside the box of my normal page design.

SUPPLIES: The Underground: Piccadilly Add-on - watercolor die-cut ; Notting Hill Add-on - background paper, patterned paper, sticker sheet, mini word stickers, stamps, pastel wood chevron sticker, chipboard alpha; King's Cross Add-on - washi tape; American Crafts Mini Stapler; American Crafts Precision Pen .01 black; 12x12 vellum sheet; Neocolor II - yellow, yellow-green, bismuth green, waterbrush medium