There’s no need to stick with just a background paper and a frame for your photos, not when you have such a wonderful range of scrapbooking papers available to you. In fact, one way to turn just one or two photos into a full page for your album is to use plenty of layers.

Clean Layers

If you’re a neat person who likes things to line up just so, then clean layers are for you. It’s a very simple method of framing your photo and can be done fairly quickly. Here I’ve created an example of clean layers using Shabby Princess papers from the Celebrate Kit.

Clean Layers Patriotic

Clean Layers, Patriotic

With clean layers, you just need to cut a piece of scrapbooking paper a little larger than your cropped photo and place this behind the photo. Add as many other papers as you like, each a little larger (1/8-3/4”) than the previous. By not making them uniform, you’ll make the page less predictable and more eye-catching.

For a little extra oomph, try using scallop scissors or another fancy edge on a couple of the layers. This works particularly well with feminine pages, since you can make a lacy edge on one or two of the layers. Embellishments add an extra special touch, as well.

Distressed Layers

For a slightly more rustic look, you can use either papers that have already been distressed along the edges or make them yourself. This example shows what you can do with some nice masculine scrapbooking papers from DSfree.

If you are working in a paper album, simply tear the paper to roughly the size you want. The torn edges will help it look more distressed and you can layer these as many times as desired. They won’t be straight, but don’t worry about this.

For those of you working on digital scrapbooking albums, you can use brushes to make the edges rough. Depending on the scrapbooking software that you are using, you’ll have a variety of brushes available to you. You can also download brushes online. All you need to do is select the size of paper you want and then run the brush around the edges . . . voila! Instant roughed up paper!

Distressed Layers, Boys Will Be Boys

Distressed Layers, Boys Will Be Boys

Distressed layers are great for just about any photo, but they work very well for those cute outdoors shots you have of your little adventurers! Many scrapbookers use older looking papers for this type of torn edge look, but there’s no reason not to try it with any paper that works with your photos.

Experiment and see which of the two layering designs you prefer. It’s a great way to fill up a page and make it more pleasing to the eye when you have just one or two photos of your child that you want to feature.

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