Cameras at the Ready!!

If you're at all like me, it was your love of photography that led you to scrapbooking. As the craft revolves around photos and taking snaps, I often snap up any camera-themed embellishments and stickers as they are easy to work in to page, whatever your theme. It will be no surprise then, that when I spotted this Crafter's Workshop 12x12 template, I couldn't wait to get my mitts on it!

I'd never really been drawn to the templates before as I'd always associated them with making backgrounds using messy pastes and mists and paints which, although always look fab, my backgrounds are usually patterned paper. However, when I saw this I knew I wanted to use it to make my own embellishments.

Here's how:

First I'd chose which camera I wanted to use, and trace it onto my chosen patterned paper:

 I'd then begin to trace cut out the "detail" pieces of the camera from other patterns (great for using up scraps!)

 Once all layered up and stuck together, I'd add in pen details:

 And my finished patterned camera would be ready to go on my layout!

 They can look at bit strange and obscure during the piecing together stage,

 but adding the black doodled outlines really brings it together and makes it look like a camera:

Here's my first page, documenting about how we can look forward to family bike rides and make use of the beautiful cycle track just across the road from our home now that my step daughter has mastered riding her bike without stabilisers.

For my second page, as well as making camera embellishments, I also used the template to make my own journalling card. I began by selecting my patterned paper and tracing one of the camera tempaltes using a brown AC Slick Writer pen.

I popped it into place on my page, and then drew journalling lines across it with a black pen:

 Hey presto, one camera-shaped journalling card ready to go:

Here's my completed page, Reason to Smile. It tells the story of lovely Sally Anne, who was my soft bunny toy as early as I can remember. She used to go everywhere with me, as this photo circa 1984 shows, and I once nearly screamed an aeroplane out of the sky when I discovered she was not coming to Spain with us - the only thing that calmed me was the reassurance that she had stayed behind to help my Dad and Grandpa move everything to our new house while we were away! She had been gone (but not forgotten!) for years, so I was over the moon to find her in pretty good rooting, tooting, cow-girl condition in a bag in my mums attic when she moved house last year. Sally Anne and Natalie Anne were reunited!! She now sits pretty in my craft room, although does get treated to the odd day out - last Summer I held a Teddy Bear's Picnic for my class; each child brought their favourite Teddy, and I took Sally Anne in to meet them all!

I also used the template to make a quick birthday card; this time I popped a bit of 3D foam in between each layer to add a bit of depth.

I also added a pearl and a crystal to this one to add a bit of detail:

 There are lots of lovely CHA arrivals in the shop at the moment - why not grab a template with some new papers to make your own embellishments to coordinate with your pages :)