My little sister is headed to Auburn University this fall and inspired by Auburn's school colors, orange and blue, I came up with a "Good luck gift" to send her.
I've got this great photo of the two of us and noticed it has also shades of orange and blue. I decided to use these softer hues for my project.
I liked the layout idea from Tami Potter's book, Designing Photo Mosaics and more, page 65, letting photos "bleed" off the page.
For this project, I also utilized the adaptability of the grid system. The grid lines are printed 7/8 inch long (vs. 1 inch), to offer forgiveness and flexibility.Materials used: white 12x12 RTC cardstock, Dotto adhesive, metal ruler, Mosaic Moments self-healing mat, craft knife, Medium Teal cardstock, 3 photos, a Cutter Bee (used for scoring cardstock), a bit of orange patterned paper by Sassafras, and the ever-so-helpful Quick Glance Cutting Guide.
After carefully cutting the RTC paper in half, I then scored the paper twice--one line between each of the three sections.
Once the grid is cut and scored I have three sections that look like this:
On the first and third of the three sections, I used the Quick Glance Cutting Guide and my Mosaic Moments tools to precisely cut the photograph to the correct height--three blocks--which is three inches and two eighths.
I also cut one piece of the cardstock into a 1/2 inch strip and the printed paper into a 7/8 inch strip. This left me 1/8 inch spaces between each element of the layout.
I used the printed grid marks to position the photo and the patterned paper strips. Then I placed the blue paper strips in the top and bottom margins.
I again used the metal ruler, craft knife, and mat to trim the excess from the edges of each section.
Be sure to fold the paper to avoid accidentally cutting the white RTC paper!
To fill the center third, I simply used adhesive to hold a vertical 4x6 photo in place:The finished project can be displayed standing up just like this.
I think it will look adorable in her new apartment!
I added a handwritten note on the back to wish her well.
Then I folded it neatly into thirds along the scored lines, tied a coordinating ribbon around it, and slipped in a gift card (optional, of course). If you decide to mail your project, be sure to address the envelope BEFORE placing your project inside, to avoid damaging any photos.
Do you have a college-bound daughter, sister, niece, nephew, or friend who might enjoy finding this in his or her mailbox?
Just customize your color scheme to match their school's colors and you're all set!