Hello, friends! It’s Andrea Lake with you today. I am sharing a very special layout featuring the SCT Signature City alphabet dies and the Reasons to Smile collection from Shimelle and American Crafts. Even though I am crying in the picture, they were the happiest tears. I took that selfie the day I received the Spring/Summer issue of the SCT Magazine from this year and saw my name was right next to so many other ladies I admire so much as part of the SCT Design Team!

Supplies | American Crafts Reasons to Smile collection: Patterned paper, cardstock stickers, foam stickers, enamel dots, ephemera; Scrapbook & Cards Today: SCT City Alphabet Dies; Scrapbook.com: Sorting Trays; Therm O Web: iCraft Ultra Bond Adhesive; Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L: E-Z Runner Grand, Crafty Foam Tape, 3D Foam Squares, 3D Foam Strips; Spellbinders: Platinum 6 Die cutting machine; We R Makers: All-in- One Tool, Scissors from the Mini Tool Kit; Other: Tim Holtz Scissors, My Sweet Petunia Precision Glue Press 

‘Believe’ is my word of the year and I wanted to use the metal die to spell that word, but I also wanted to cut and use some extra letters to add interest and dimension to my background. To achieve that, I ran the die through the die cutting machine several times to cut a second sheet of the same patterned paper from the background and glued the letters in random order. This is not supposed to be a distracting element, it is just a way to use the die while adding some fun elements to the layout.

I also added a few layers with different embellishments and played with the dimensional adhesive.

I encourage you to take that selfie, pick your favorite paper collection, and tell your story. It is definitely worth it. You can watch the process video and see how this layout came together.

Take a look at how this layout comes together in my latest process video:

I hope this page inspires you to grab this fun metal die and create the most personal and special projects! 

Find more of Andrea’s creations here: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube