For as long as I can remember, I have loved reading. For me, the best part of reading is the ability to let your imagination paint the picture from the written word. I’ve yet to meet a movie that did a book proper justice. Reading and scrapbooking have a lot in common. Both hobbies take me away from the stress found in everyday life. I read before going to sleep every night, even when the light annoys my husband! It’s part of my nighttime ritual that helps me relax, unwind and put the troubles of the world aside.

For several years now, I’ve made a list of each book I’ve read within a calendar year. January 1st, I take a picture of all the books I’ve read throughout the previous year. I’ve always had grand plans of scrapbooking the photo, and this year those plans became a reality. I dug into my stash of patterned paper for this layout and used the 12″ Noel Joy paper by BoBunny for the foundation of the page. I’ve always loved the antique books on this patterned paper.

I chose the Get Lost in a Good Book cut file from Peartree Cutfiles to document my reading list from 2020.

I began by cutting the file in black cardstock and then backed the words with a gorgeous patterned paper by Bazzill Basics Paper called Antique Script. I love how the title stacks on top of a book. Because some of the books I read in 2020 were quite old copies, it is hard to see their titles in the picture. I wanted to include the book titles in this layout and decided on creating a little book from the book base in the cut file.

I started by cutting a duplicate book cover to mimic the front and back covers. Next, I cut multiple “pages” from heavy vellum to fill the book. I used these vellum pages to record the names of each book found in the picture. Using vellum tape, I adhered these pages together on the left-hand side and secured the second book cover to the top to complete the book. The result is a 3D embellishment that mimics a book.

To help balance the weight of the newly created book on the right-hand side of the layout, I mounted the picture on fun foam before adhering it to the background paper. I found coordinating stickers from the Photoplay Holiday Cheer paper pack to create the subtitle 2020 Reading List. The final touch was adding the three chipboard stars found around the picture. These stars also came from a very old paper collection in my scrapbook stash – My Mind’s Eye, Vintage Christmas.

And that’s a wrap on my first layout for 2022! I appreciate you stopping by and hope I’ve enticed you to look at cut files in new and different ways.

Until next time, stay safe, stay well, and Happy Scrapping!