Inspired by PageMaps

Sometimes a sketch proves to be truly inspiring. Such was the case with Becky Fleck's October Pagemaps. When I saw her sketch, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. Here's Becky's sketch:

And here's my layout:

(I have to apologize for the blueish tinge on my photos lately. Sal got me Photoshop Elements for my birthday and my learning curve is rather steep. If anyone has any tips, I would love to hear them!)

As you can see, I kept pretty true to the sketch. I switched out the 4x6 photo and used a 5x7. I love this photo of the kids watching the fireworks! Instead of a circular element in the bottom left corner, I added a rectangular transparency. Love how the shiny stars help anchor the corner. I am finding that I love using transparencies as mats more than I do as overlays. The title is from the My Mind's Eye accessory sheet which I customized with Stickles. Here's a close-up:

I used a Papertrey Ink Tag Sale die to created the journaling label. I added a strip from the accessory sheet and stamped using Technique Tuesday stamps for further customization. I was so happy with how the tag came out that I used the rest of the lined paper to cut out journaling tags for my stash.

The journaling reads: One of my favorite summertime traditions is the 4th of July BBQ at the P***'s. Good friends, good food and fireworks -- what more can you ask for!

Supplies:

Cardstock: American Crafts;

Patterned Paper and Accessories: My Mind's Eye (American Made);

Stamps: Technique Tuesday (Good Times; Everday Life);

Ink: Stampin' Up! (Night of Navy; Riding Hood Red);

Tools: Papertrey Ink die (Tag Sale #1); Spellbinders Shapeabilities (Lotus); Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher;

Misc: Transparency (My Mind's Eye/Lime Twist); Button (Doodlebug/Ladybug); Diamond Stickles by Ranger; Twine from my stash.