Book Club is Beautiful!

Do you participate in a book club in your area? I've been a part of one for a few years now. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with the girls and discussing (ok, contesting) parts of the latest book we'd read. I'm a voracious reader, but I tend to get stuck in a genre rut so book club helps introduce me to books that I wouldn't normally read. I have read books about building schools in Afghanistan. I've read books about the Jews suffering through the Holocaust. I've read about the atrocities in Rowanda. It has been eye opening and educational. I suggest starting your own book club if there isn't one you currently attend. It's a great way to formulate friendships and hear others' opinions and perspectives.

Along those same lines, I wanted to share a layout using products inspired by the very books that I love. Last year American Crafts introduced their "Classics" line, which was inspired by classic literature. The patterns are reminiscient of old book patterns and the titles of the pieces within this line will hint at some of the books you studied in high school and college.

What I love about this line, is the sophisticated color palette. I wanted to see how well that palette would work with a picture of my niece, Zadie. I was happy to see that they coordinate beautifully.

Here is a close-up shot of the stamped title block. I stamped the images behind the title with Versamark stamping ink and then heat embossed the images with clear embossing powder. Then I layered chipboard layers and a title cut from my Silhouette machine.

One other fun element on this page is the die cut lattice shape beneath the title. I placed colored squares behind some of the open design for a pop of color.

This layout has become one of my favorites. I guess you could say it's a classic in its own right because it's a classic me page--stamping, die cutting, and lots of color.