Stash Busting: Adoption Scrapbook

I know I've been gone for a few days.  Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and I've battled one over the last week.  I've found that the more that I lose myself in my studio the less I focus on my pain.  So, while I missed you this week, I spent as much energy as I could muster in my studio making a scrapbook for my neighbors who just adopted from China.

I haven't met Riley Grace yet, but I have followed her journey from China to Tennessee through her blog, Ramblings Regarding Riley.  The family's posts are filled with pictures and details of their journey that definitely tug at your heart strings. 

I took a chronilogical approach to Riley's memory book and used paper and embellishments that I purchased years ago to scrap my hubby's trips to China, South Korea, and Taiwan.  I wanted Riley to know the journey that her forever family went through to get her.  However, I knew that I couldn't tell their story for them, and I firmly believe that the most important part of a scrapbook is the journaling.  So, I created hidden journaling spots on nearly every 8x8 page.  Here's a sample:

I started with Die Cuts with a View Far East 8 x 8 paper pack.  I then added my title, 'God's Plan', using Basic Grey letter stickers.  I cut a sweeping wave out of a light blue piece of card stock from the pack, glued it in place, and machine stitched it to a bamboo-colored sheet using a zig zag, leaving a pocket in the dip of the wave for our tucked-away journaling tag. 

HINT:  To keep the stitching looking cohesive, I used a needle to pierce the paper where my stitches would have been and then used blue pen that matched my thread to draw in the stitches.  Can you tell?  I didn't think so.

To make the the hidden tag, I cut a shape from orange stock from the same DCWV pack to look like a rising sun when tucked into the blue wave.  This piece should be almost as wide as the blue piece and the bottom should match the shape of the bottom of the blue piece.

You could tuck this tag in and leave as is for journaling.  But, I wanted more surface area and thought that it would be better if the journaling spot was white.  So, I fan folded a large strip of plain white printer paper and attached it to the tag.  Fan folding white card stock would create too much bulk.

Honestly, that wasn't quite enough for me.  So, I also created a journaling spot under the picture of the "before" family.  Here, they can record their prayers for the little girl that God would bring into their lives.

To do this, cut a piece of light colored card stock the same size as your photo.  Attach it to your background where you plan to place your photo.  Then, cut a narrow strip of paper the same width as your photo and fold it in half.  This is your hinge.  Glue one side to the card stock and one side to the photo.

Viola!  Now you have two large journaling spots on an 8x8 page.  I can't wait to give this to the family and meet their newest addition.  Welcome home Riley Grace!