A game changing layout using 8 (almost) full sized photos -

You know that magical moment when a design just clicks – when it’s simple, clever, and shows off your photos beautifully? Well, I had one of those moments recently, and I had to share it with you!

This layout might just be a world first (ok, maybe that’s a little dramatic – but I’ve truly never seen anything like it before in scrapbooking). I stumbled across the inspiration in a magazine, and instantly knew I had to try it on a 12×12 layout.

✨ The magic? It uses eight (almost) full-size 6×4 portrait photos. Yes – eight! With just a simple trim, you can achieve this clean, eye-catching design.

I shared the layout at my recent retreat and… wow. Let’s just say the oohs and aahs were flowing! (Yes, I even took a video to capture the reactions – you’ll see why when you try it yourself.)

It’s the kind of layout that makes scrapbooking feel fresh again – and best of all, it’s so achievable. No fancy tools, no complicated measurements. Just a smart way to display your favourite memories.
(You will need a photo trimmer though.)

💡 And here it is!:

Isn’t it gorgeous!
It really is a winner, because it’s so good in it’s simplicity, but there’s also more than you can do with it if you want to take it further.

Here’s a video on how I cut the photos to create the form (with version 2)

https://youtu.be/eqzOdVJ_jck

This is what I used to create the decorative elements on the page;

FALLS – Party Alphabet Dies from Stampin’ Up!® (embossed with a Fern folder from SU)
Wallace – stamp set from my stash
Background cardstock – Granny Apple Green from Stampin’ Up!®
Trees – Frosted Forest stamp, die cut and stencil set from Stampin’ Up!®

If you’d like a tutorial on how to create this yourself, with the little tips and tricks to do it without any frustrations, add your email address in the box below, and I’ll get it on its way to you.

What I love about this layout the most, is that the basic form of it is so easy to create, and is super striking on its own. So great for scrappers like me who like quite clean and simple pages.

But if you like a more decorative look, it offers you that opportunity also.

How can you change it?

There are several ways you can modify the layout, keeping the integrity of it.

Firstly, you could add backing paper (plain or decorative) to any of the photos.

If you had more journaling to add to the layout, you could cut a piece of 6×4 cardstock in the same way as the photos, and add this in place of a photo.

If you wanted more area to embellish, you could add coloured cardstock / DSP (as above) and add embellishments to it.

You can create stronger embellishment clusters on the edges of the layout.

You could shorten the photos – they don’t need to be the full 6″.

Here’s another version, where I’ve implemented a couple of these modifications.