Using Printed Clear Overlays

Overlays, clear sheets of flexible plastic, have been used in scrapbooks for several years. Their popularity is due to the fact that they are transparent and can be laid over or under any embellishments. Manufacturers have made using them easier by creating preprinted overlays. Preprinted transparencies often come in 12" x 12". They can be cut for smaller layouts or smaller areas of a layout.

Here are some ideas for using preprinted clear overlays on your scrapbook pages or projects.

Use a Full Sheet and Add Elements on Top. Choose an appropriate cardstock or patterned paper and lay the full sheet of the overlay on top of the paper. Now add photographs, journaling and/or some embellishments to the layout. This simple method allows the overlay to shine on your layout and provides a quick and easy way to embellish a page.

Use a Full Sheet and Mix Elements on Top and Underneath. Not everything needs to be positioned only on top or underneath the overlay. With the clear nature of an overlay, you are free to move things on top and underneath the overlay. This gives you freedom to view how it would look in either position. Experiment with adding your design elements both on top and underneath. You can even mix the elements on top and underneath within the same layout. In Ramona Greenspan's layout "Cinderella" she uses the overlay under several elements but also uses it on top of some.

Alter the Overlay. Although you can get preprinted overlays, don't forget it can be used in many ways. It can be written on, painted or cut. My favorite alteration is cutting the original transparency into several sections, giving me the freedom to move the section around on the paper. In my layout "determination" I cut the transparency and moved the title across the middle of the frame.

Position the Overlay Text on a Photograph. The look of a photograph can be greatly enhanced by adding overlay text on top of the photograph. The graphic impact of the overlay will enhance your photograph and entire page.

Layer Different Overlays. While an overlay may come as a large sheet, don't forget overlays can be mixed together. Two or more overlaps, placed on top of each other, can provide a spectacular look. Alternatively, a layout could be made up of portions of several cut-up overlays.

Use Overlay Scraps. After cutting up an overlay, scraps of good overlay materials will be leftover. Don't just throw them away. Instead turn them into something for another layout. They can be placed over a journaling section or a photograph. They can be cut into shapes and used as an embellishment. In Ramona Greenspan's layout "Pure Girl" Ramona used a large portion of the overlay on her layout but she also cut up some of it and used it on a tag.

Use Digital Overlays. Digitally created overlays also create great effects on a scrapbook page. You can either use them on photographs before printing them or print them yourself on a transparency and use them as you would any other printed overlay.

Overlays can be attached in many ways including the following: use a spray adhesive, staple it, attach with brads, sew through the overlay, attach it with page corners or use paperclips. If the overlay has a colored printed area, regular adhesive can be placed under that area.

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