Jungle Kitteh

This is a layout that has been in progress for some time. I printed the photos a while ago, picked out some cardstock and patterned paper, kind of planned the page but when I laid everything out didn't like the way it looked so put everything into a bag. Every now and then I pulled the bag out... rearranged things, tried new patterned paper then put everything back in the bag. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
This week I've been trying to clear up some of these long unfinished projects and layouts... with some success I might add. Finally things seemed to fall into place. Funny that it seems to happen when you just say to yourself... "dammit I need to get these bloody pictures on the page... like it or lump it".


I started by changing the cardstock. Instead of a green background, I went for Kraft. Though I loved the green so it didn't disappear too far.
Given the subject matter... kitten up a tree... I wanted to have some trees somewhere on the page... to keep up the theme. I couldn't have green trees on a Kraft background that just wouldn't look right, but I also didn't want to go back to a boring green background with Kraft trees. So I experimented...

1. In order to have the Kraft cardstock as my background and be my trees I had to use the green as negative space. 
2. On the back of the green cardstock I sketched a couple of rough trees. 
3. To get a natural look, I tore the tree shapes out by hand. 
4. I temporarily adhered the green trees in place and lightly traced around them.
5. Using the traced lines as a guide I loosely inked a tree shape using Tim Holtz Distress Inks. I made sure to ink well beyond the traced lines so that I had lee-way to move my green negative spaces slightly to alter the final shape of my trees.
6. When I was happy with the colouring of my "trees", I temporarily placed the green negative spaces. At this point I made a few slight adjustments to the green shapes to give the final look of my trees before permanently adhering the shapes in place.
7. I adhered my photos in place taking care to make up my eye-balled spacing was even. (I usually don't measure)
8. I added my title across the bottom part of the layout.

At this point I wasn't sure if I was finished or not, so I took a couple of photos and decided it needed more, though I wasn't sure what... so I left it overnight and contemplated it in my sleep LOL.

1. I tore some thin strips from the green trees bits I had discarded. I roughly bent each strip in half following the line of the strips.
2. I chalked the two sides of the strips in two shades of green chalk. I wanted the strips to stand out from the green background rather than blend in.
3. I adhered the strips in place with Elmers Glue.
4. The title didn't really stand out enough, so I outlined the letters with white pen to coordinate with the white borders of the photos.
5. Having sorted the bottom section of the layout the top needed something extra. I found some old "jungle leaves" I'd die cut years ago but never used. Even though they were already green patterned paper, I distress inked the leaves to look more tropical.
6. I adhered the leaves in place giving them a little dimensionality.

And here is the final result...