May 03, 2017

Using the Alfresco Documenter Kit with Carson Riutta

Hello and happy May! By now you've all seen the photos of this months gorgeous kits and stamp sets. I'm happy to be here today, showing you the Documenter kit in action as you patiently wait and prepare to receive your own kits. I created a May page for my 2016 album using the main Alfresco Documenter Kit, with all its bright and happy colors and prints, and the Bistro Add-on. Hopefully, the fact that I'm so behind in my memory keeping will give you a boost of confidence and the feeling that it really is never too late to start!

I always start by moving my photos around the page to find just the right composition. I always consider these elements: color balance, getting the right mix of faces on the page, and illustrating the stories I want to tell. I've been getting my photos professionally printed at the beginning of every month at Persnickety Prints, and having that stack of photos to choose from makes this process just so quick and easy.

My next step is to try all the gorgeous cards from the kit in the remaining spots on the page. I always look for color balance, white space, room for journaling, and a good mix of prints and words.

I'll move those cards around for a good thirty minutes sometimes until I'm happy with the result. I'm sure I'm not alone in this! :)

The embellishment stage is the most fun part for me and really feels like play time! And without the kits, I would probably pull every embellishment out of my stash to try on my page. Limiting myself to the matching, well designed embellishments in the kits keeps me fast, focused, and happy as I play. I especially love those vellum speech bubbles this month and used them as a journaling spot as well as a way to add some serious pops of color.

And finally, I pull out my typewriter and add my journaling to the page, adhere everything permanently, and get my elements all tucked away in their pockets. A finished page just feels and looks so great, doesn't it?