This is the layout that was, and then wasn’t part of CHA.  My friend Judi is launching her paper line, Scrapperdashery here in the U.S. through Product Performers.  I made this layout, intending it for their booth at CHA, but found out today that they didn’t pick up the ‘God Save the Queen’ patterened paper.

Ah well, it’s one I needed for the scrapbook anyways!

It’s funny, because I recently read a discussion where people were criticizing layouts ‘made for’ a manufacturer as not being something ‘real’ or that would be used in a scrapbook.  I challenge that thought.  Every layout I make has a place in my scrapbook, and it is sometimes painful to give them up for their commercial purpose.

So here’s a keeper, and now I can make a duplicate for my husbands’ parents.

The journaling on the ‘Eye for Beauty’ layout says: "There are many ways to see the sights in London.  You took a boat tour on the Thames.  You rode an open-air double-decker bus through the city.  But the one thing you could not do was take a ride on the London Eye.  A 25 mile view of the city can be seen at its top.  But at nearly 445 feet tall — it was too much for your fear of heights to allow.  Still you took a great picture!  July, 2006".

I used Heidi Swapp / Advantus ghost letters, adhered with Ranger Matte Accents and swiped with a Ranger Pearl Paint Dabber.  I also used a couple swirls from Tim Holtz’ Grungeboard, colored with Distress Ink in Fired Brick and the Pearl Paint Dabber again.