Hand crafting your work

Today I was working on a scrapbook layout using Close To My Heart's new STELLA paper pack. I finished it, I thought, but then my inner voice said "it needs a touch of something". I percolated the idea for a bit, and came up with a way to finish the layout by adding a hand crafted look. It occurred to me that the difference in just "making" a layout and finishing a project that is hand crafted makes quite a noteworthy difference.

The photos attached show the first "almost done" layout, and the next is the completed project. What a difference! I know what you all are thinking, too! You don't want to spend all that time hand stitching your pages! It took just a few minutes to mark the holes using CTMH's clear 14" ruler that includes guide holes for evenly spaced stitching. It has a metal straight edge for craft knife cutting and 1" grid marks (item # Z1471 - $9.95). Then I used tulip embroidery thread and just stitched with an embroidery needle. It took 9 minutes per page, and I did that in front of the TV!!

Have a look - I think the difference is impressive.

Tomorrow I will post these pages with a few different photo arrangements so you can see another way to polish your layout. I'll also show you a way to "fix" a mistake on your work - can you spot mine?

Juli