Two-Sided Transparent Layout

It's funny how some of the most creative ideas stem from trying to find the solution to a problem. What was my dilemma? I had a large, two-sided valentine that I wanted to include in a layout...but I wanted to be able to see the artwork and sentiments on both sides of the card.

The best way to show both sides was to make the heart the basis of my layout, and use both sides of it. Then, when it was inside the page protector in an album, both sides of the layout would be seen as individual pages. I thought it was brilliant, but I'm sure I'm not the first to think of it. With all the clear scrapbooking products available now, it's no surprise that this idea crept into my head.

Here's how my layout came together:

First, I used two photographs of my daughter making the valentine to cover half of one side of the heart. I glued the photos to the heart and then cut around the heart design to make them fit within the valentine.

Next, I decided that the layout still needed to be square so that it wouldn't slip around inside the page protector. So I cut two black 1" wide frames with black cardstock. Then, I tilted the heart and sandwiched it in between the two black frames to hold it in place.

Since parts of the heart were covered by the frame, I drew in the outline with white pen on both sides of the black frame so that at a quick glance, you could see a complete heart on both sides of the layout.

Next I found two matching pink circle stickers (you could also use punched cardstock or different colored circles as long as they were the same size) and attached them to both sides of the heart to make a little journaling tag that would dangle in the open space between the heart and the frame. I punched a hole in the bottom of the circle to lace through a piece of red ribbon.

The original valentine had three punched hearts in one corner, and I thought it would be neat to add some transparent texture to the layout, so I stapled a piece of black shimmery mesh to the front of the valentine covering the punched hearts. The staples were a great way to attach the mesh and leave a clean look on both the front and back of the design. The mesh added texture to the front, and you could see it peeking through the hearts on the back of the design.

Next, to add an embellishment to the top portion of the layout, I hung a punched heart (two actually, one for each side) with a piece of black ribbon wrapped around the frame.

Finally, I added additional penwork with a white pen around the frame on both sides of the layout.

Then I slipped it inside the page protector, and now I've created two pages in my album...at one time. That's efficiency at its best!

Two-Sided Transparent Layout Tips:

1. Use creative adhesives. Brads and eyelets won't work, unless you cover the backside of them with something. Think two-sided adhesives: ribbon, matching stickers and staples are all good alternatives.
   
   
2. Two-sided layouts are a great time to use double-sided patterned papers. You can take full advantage of the designs on both sides of the paper.
   
   
3. Use the open space and transparent aspects as creative design elements. Dangle items in "mid-air," add rub-ons to transparencies and stretch them across the open space to create a design with a clear background.
   
   
4. Remember that words, letters, and die cuts written or placed across transparent elements will be visible on both sides, but they may not read correctly when viewed backwards. If you use letters and fonts that are mirrors of themselves when flipped over (such as W, O, A, M, V, U, T, Y, etc.) you can maintain the "correct" look of the letters on both sides of the layout. Or you can get creative and use a word with a "b" on one side of the layout and a word with a "d" on the other.

This was my first shot at a two-sided page, but I doubt it's my last. I love the consistency between the two sides, and it makes a great little surprise when you turn the page to see the backside of the layout. It's an opportunity to present the same thing from two vantage points. I've already got ideas of front/back pictures in mind...

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