One aspect of parenting teens that I absolutely love is watching my kids come into their own interests and passions. I will admit, some of their interests have surprised me - especially Zach's interest in drama. Zach played Lurch in his high school’s production of The Addams Family. I am always amazed when I see Zach perform: he has struggled for years with stuttering and is an introvert, but when he gets on stage it all falls away and he shines. It brings me to tears when I see him, just seeing how far he has come!
When he entered high school he wanted to join the drama club and convinced Caleb to do it with him. I think he was nervous to go to the first auditions alone. That was all it took, and there was no looking back. Last year, as a freshman, he played Fred Casely in Chicago and now Lurch. I know at first, he was a little disappointed because Lurch doesn’t speak, but I was amazed at how much this kid could communicate in grunts, groans and shrugs. I didn’t realize until halfway through rehearsals that he had a solo in the last song - which blew me away.
I still have so many pictures from The Addams Family to scrapbook, but I wanted to do a layout of just Zach and another that showcases Caleb in the play, along with others that show the whole cast, the programs and the ticket stubs; so here is the first of what I am sure will be many layouts.
Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks
Anytime I am doing a show theme layout my go-to embellishments tend to be stars - as in a Broadway star! I also tend to use black cardstock as my base. To me it adds the feel of being in a darkened theater, and the color of the photos stand out as if they are on the stage.
Because of the blue lighting on Zach in many of the pictures, I chose a blue paper for my backdrop. I actually had recently received Simple Stories Say Cheese papers which are intended for Disney layouts, and found some cool star prints in their Say Cheese Tinseltown Collection. To coordinate, I used Simple Stories Cardstock scraps to create my stars. What I really liked about their cardstock is the fact there is a solid side to the paper and also a dotted side, which provides some variety.
After selecting my papers, I got to work punching out a bunch of stars in multiple sizes. I layered some to create dimension and then I stitched on some to add texture. When I create a border of shapes such as this, I always adhere my large items first and then fill in with smaller shapes. I used foam adhesive to pop up some of the stars.
To create continuity between the two sides of a layout, I always adhere a shape that will cover both sides. I adhered a large layered star flat to the page, and then using my sharpest scissors I I careful cut the overhanging paper. To ensure my image is lined up on the second page, before I glue it I tape my pages together using washi tape so I can perfectly match up the image. I also adhered stars that would hang off the edge of a layout and then trimmed those images.
I incorporated my title into the border by using a larger star and smaller letter stickers. This way my title would not distract from or cover the photos, but also seamlessly match the theme of the layout. I had to use a thin metal die cut for this star seeing as my star punches were not that big.
After adding the star borders, I left well enough alone. I tried “sprinkling” some stars through the layout, but it distracted from my photos so I opted not to use them. I was happy with the final layout, but more importantly, so was Zach!
Supplies Used:
Cardstock - Bazzill
Pattern Paper - Simple Stories Say Cheese Tinseltown
Letter Stickers - Doodlebug Designs, Inc.
Punches - Fiskars
Thin Metal Die (Title Star) - The Stamps of Life
Embroidery Thread - DMC
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