design each moment

cupcakes by Elizabeth Moon

For my birthday a few weeks ago, our family visited this adorable little cupcake shop near our home.  The cupcakes tasted even better than they looked!

I realized when I got my prints, this would be the perfect time to use the Create A Cupcake stamps!

Materials used: 12x12 grid paper in birch, pink and white cardstock, metal ruler, craft knife, Dotto adhesive, Lil Chizler, cutting mat, Create A Cupcake stamp set and a set of markers.

The birch grid paper echoes the flecks of vanilla bean in the frosting.

I like to use markers instead of ink for stamping--it's inexpensive and dries quickly.

Inspired by the layout on page 44 of Designing Photo Mosaics and more by Tami Potter, I began by cutting three pieces of white cardstock, 2 and 1/8 inches wide and 3 and 2/8 inches tall.  On each of these, I created a happy little cupcake.

I alternated these at the top of the page with photos of cupcakes cut to the same size. Then, I matted a whole photo of the birthday girl (me!) on pink cardstock and placed it in the middle of the page.

For the rest of the space, I cut four photos into 2 and 1/8 inch squares and then filled in a few empty squares with more sugary goodness, as you see here: I balanced the four square photos by placing people diagonally to people, and cupcake to cupcake.

Mmmm...are you craving something sweet?

I know I am!

at the library

One of our favorite places to picnic is around the fountains outside our local public library.  Picnicking is such a fun and relaxing way to spend time as a family.  And after our meal, we like to go inside the library and check out a few books. Always bring your camera along when dining alfresco--you never know what might happen!

I was inspired by this photo of my son's adorable little feet. My goal was to create a page focusing on Atticus as a toddler, letting his personality be center-stage.
Materials used:12X12 grid paper in Toffee, white cardstock, Lil Chizler, Dotto adhesive, craft knife, metal ruler, Quick Glance Cutting Guide, Mosaic Moments cutting mat, photos, and an old book (more on that later).

I began by playing with the photos I wanted to use to see where I would place them in the layout.  I flipped through my copy of Designing Photo Mosaics and more by Tami Potter, to get some ideas for cutting the photos. 

Because I decided to use the entire photo of Atticus' feet, I chose to mat it on white cardstock.  That way, I could cut the cardstock to fit the grid, instead of the photo.  Plus, I liked the way it emphasized and framed the picture, and gave me a nice spot for journaling! When I finished placing the photo mosaic on the 12x12 grid paper, I had three small open spaces.  Inspiration struck and I thought of using printed words instead of patterned paper--after all, these are pictures from our time spent at the library!

Warning: Don't cut up your library book!   :) I actually keep an old book I bought at a garage sale on hand for art projects.  This book happens to be quite politically incorrect, so using it for creative projects saves it from the landfill!

And here is my finished project:I love seeing his different expressions.  He's growing up too fast!

farmers' market by Elizabeth Moon

The Farmers' Market is a photographer's dream!  All the beautiful bold colors and patterns of vegetables, fruits, and flowers in the soft, morning light--Woohoo! Let me grab my camera!

The Mosaic Moments system is ideal for capturing this vibrant energy.

So I gave it a shot. Materials I used: two pieces of black 12x12 grid paper, white cardstock, a dozen or so photos to choose from, Lil Chizler,  Dotto adhesive, craft knife, self-healing mat, Quick Glance cutting guide, and my metal ruler.

I began by sorting photos into three categories: ones that would look better all in one piece, ones that would look nice in maybe two or three pieces, and ones that would look great cut into mosaic pieces.
There were two photos in particular that I didn't want to cut at all.  However, they did not fit exactly within the grid, so I matted them each on a piece of white cardstock 6 squares and 5 spaces wide (which is 6 inches, 5/8ths), and 4 spaces high (which is 4 and 3/8ths inches).  Once the matted photos were in place, one on each of the two pieces of black 12x12 grid paper, I simply began cutting the photos into one inch squares and arranging them on the pages. 

I did decide to leave one other photo in a larger size, as shown here, but I trimmed it down to fit the space instead of matting it.
I really love how it turned out!
Is there a Farmers' Market in your hometown just waiting to be photographed?

stripes by Elizabeth Moon

  We spent many leisurely afternoons at Colonial Williamsburg when Atticus was a baby.  I love these photos of Atticus and his Daddy from one such afternoon and was inspired by the sweet little knitted hat Atticus is wearing.  

I think I'll always remember shopping for his baby clothes---one hand on my round tummy and a heart full of hopes and dreams.

Those colorful stripes gave me an idea...
Materials used: 4 photos, 12x12 Grid Paper in Mint, Desert, Robin's Egg Blue, ....(need color samples), Mosaic Moments cutting mat, craft knife, Dotto adhesive, and handy metal ruler.

I used the mat and craft knife to carefully cut strips of paper one inch wide and 12 inches long.
I cut four of these strips out of each of four out of the five colors of grid paper I had chosen.
Once I had a nice little pile of these colorful strips to choose from, I arranged just ten of them horizontally, using the grid system, as shown here:Once the striped background was complete, I used one of the layout solutions from page 75 of Tami Potter's Designing Photo Mosaics and more to position these four photos.

To balance out the busier background, I selected a very simple layout for the photos.

I added a little note above the bottom right hand photo to document who/when.

And there you have it!  An easy and fun way to highlight a sweet memory and a favorite item of baby clothing.

bleed orange and blue by Elizabeth Moon

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!