Techniques and Tricks #01

The March Hols are upon us and I am feeling so energised and recharged.

Here to share with you a nice technique I love using on my layouts... This technique is called blocking. Some of you might have heard it before while others are unfamiliar. Literally, you sectioned blocks in your layout, decorating them in individual blocks while ensuring that they look like a cohesive piece at the end of the day.

Here is one recent layout that I did...

Sections 1 and 2 (top left hand corner) : 2 blocks individually designed with vellum, tags, embellishments and buttons.
Section 3 (right hand corner) : Title, stamping, flags and buttons
Section 4: Photo with a scallop edge.
Section 5: Journalling and little embellishments.

I absolutely love this technique as it allows me the freedom to scrap in blocks while ensuring them the layout remains cohesive.  A simple way to ensure that it remains cohesive is to ensure that the embellishments and papers you choose match the photos. So in this case, the recurring red, black colours are present OR you can choose neutral colours (white, kraft) that could go well with any bold colours seen in the photo.

Here is another one that I did yesterday...

This time, i grouped my papers according to 2' squares, creating a grid pattern. This blocking technique allows your patterened papers to stand out on its own. You can add interest by stitching each square and I ensured that embellishments were kept to a minimal so that the focus could still be on the papers and the photo.

Lastly, another layout to show the blocking technique..

I have shown this layout before but literally, the blocking idea is the same. Grouping them into irregular sections and allowing each section to be individually assembled allow the layout to look cohesive after all. This time, using products and papers from the Maggie Holmes collection matched perfectly with the colours in the photo.

I hope you feel inspired today to try this technique.
Hopefully, I would find more time to share simple tricks like that.

Happy Wednesday!