Scrapbook Boutique ~ February 2015 Challenge

I'm back with another scrapbook layout today, this time to enter into the Scrapbook Boutique ~ February 2015 Challenge.  I was rapt to discover this February challenge had a 'back to school' theme!  Here is the inspiration photo:

Looks yummy, right?  I knew the photo I wanted to use, and so I just had to set about planning out the page.  After a couple of 'wrong turns' that have gone back into the stash to fight another day, I came up with this layout:

My son John is in Grade 6 this year, and my daughter Kaitlyn is in Grade 4.  I made them pose together in front of the school sign on the first day of the 2015 year (as I have done each year - although they seem more and more reluctant to be seen doing it, LOL!).  This year, however, is a bit more special as it is not only John's last year of primary school, but he is also one of the School Captains this year as well (see his badge in the photo??).  It is an amazing honour, and we are so very proud of him!

Anyway, back to the layout - I made a wooden-effect frame by cutting out four strips of brown cardstock and inking them with Kaisercraft's 'Wood Grain' stamp in a darker brown ink. I then laid these around a piece of black cardstock (I didn't have a big enough piece to use proper 'blackboard' cardstock, but it doesn't matter) to create the wooden frame around the chalkboard.

I double-matted the photo, first on white, then on red.  There is some random doodling around the red mat.

The funky '2015' banner comes from Stampin' Up!'s 'Class of 2015' stamp in the current Occasions Catalogue (with my son in such a senior leadership position for this year, how could I resist buying that stamp?!!)  I masked off the "Class of", inked up the "2015" with white pigment ink and stamped it on the only piece of chalkboard cardstock I had - the piece was just big enough!  Once it was dry, I then matted this on white cardstock.

Using Stampin' Up!'s 'Tape It' stamp set, I stamped the chevron tape stamp in blue on blue cardstock, and the alphabet soup tape stamp in red on red cardstock.  These have then been fussy-cut out.  I have created little features on the right hand side of the page with groups of these stuck together.

I stamped out "A, B, C" and "1, 2, 3" from Stampin' Up!'s 'Morning Post Alphabet' and 'Morning Post Numbers' stamps sets, respectively.  I stamped them onto white cardstock using Versafine Ink in 'Majestic Blue'.  I then fussy-cut out each one, leaving a small white border around them.  I punched six circles from my red cardstock using the Creative Memories '1-1/2" circle' punch and popped my letters and numbers up on the circles.  These circles were adhered down the left hand side of the page.

I created a thin green border strip to go around my yellow cardstock (these being our school colours).

The writing on the 'blackboard' has been done using a Stampin' Up! 'Stampin' Chalk Marker'.  I added a few little tiles I've had for positively eons, with some black hemp tied to the ends.

I've had a great time making this layout today - once I got on a roll and got through my 'false starts', the whole thing came together really well.

Cheers!

Deb.xx