La Belle Vie Baby

CTMH La Belle Vie B & T

When I saw this new paper, I thought of the picture above, taken about 22 years ago. Dark colors are not usually found on typical baby layouts.  But this is no typical baby.  She was a delight from the moment she arrived, but very pensive. A sweet and gentle girl, but a deep thinker with a strong sense of propriety. When she was about one and a half, she climbed down from her high chair to put herself in timeout because she said she was thinking something naughty. My mother used to say, "Eva has an old soul."

She has always had her own personality and her own style. She has gorgeous olive skin and dark soul-filled eyes. My other dd would not be able to carry the weight of this paper, but dear little Eva can. It suits her.  Sort of a Goth-baby type look.

Semi-Hidden Journaling Using Cricut Artiste Doily

The lace backdrop of the photograph lightens up the center of the page. The reverse side of the black patterned paper is the pretty pink/mauve patterned paper. I cut a 9" doily using the Accent 1 shape on page 31 of the CTMH Cricut Artiste Handbook.  I tucked the month and year under a couple of the openings with the La Belle Vie Mauve cardstock for a peek-a-boo effect.

Mixing Boutique and Bohemian Embellishments

The embellishments were from a few different collections. Pearls came from the Opaque Adhesive Gems and the Pearl Flourishes.  I placed a pearl on each of the rosettes on the Colonial White ribbon. The crocheted flower is from the Bohemian Assortment and the metal bow clip is from the Boutique Assortment.

CTMH Jardin Frame Stamped on Martha Stewart Clay

I flattened out some Martha Stewart air-dry clay and stamped the frame from the Jardin set in Chocolate ink.  It dried to almost the same shade of pink as the paper used for the doily!  What a great accident! If you want a certain color, it would probably be a good idea to make a small sample first.  Here is a quick video showing how to stamp on this type of clay:

  

The clay is sold at both Joann's and Michael's.

*edited to add a note about the Slate ink used in video -
It dried closer to it's true color, with a tinge of green around the edges.

Sewing Through Eyelets and Pearls Added to Rosette Ribbon

It was fun to incorporate a few peek-a-boo elements in the layout for a little whimsy.  In addition to the date, mentioned above, I placed cardstock cut with the Martha Stewart doily edger punch under the patterned paper.  I also set eyelets and sewed through them, tying a big knot.

Even though this paper would look stunning with wedding photos or used for a visit to an old, classic city, I like it for this baby layout, too.  Sometimes, pushing myself out of the 'norm' results in a mess!  But I think it worked this time. :-)

I hope you have a wonderful day!  Thank you for visiting!

Beverly