January 29 - Design Lesson #4 - Grouping

Well, it is time for another lesson that I have learned from the book Design Basics Index by Jim Krause. This is the fourth lesson. If you are interested in the first three lessons you can read them HERE, HERE, and HERE. Today, Jim is talking about grouping. I found this section very interesting!! Jim expalins that "grouping" items on a layout helps the "viewer make useful connections between elements". So on a card or scrapbook page, I interpret this as meaning that when you put certain things together they become connected or related to each other. Below I have designed 2 cards. The sentiment on the card on the RIGHT is seperated. When I look at this card, my mind kind of says that the FLOWERS are JUST FOR YOU since that part of the sentiment is closer to the flowers making me "connect" those elements. The sentiment on the card on the LEFT is not seperated as much. There is a bit of a seperation only in that the second part is placed on the green strip of paper. However, the different pieces of the sentiment are close enough together to be connected and clearly on this card it is the BIRTHDAY WISHES that are JUST FOR YOU. What do you think?? Interstingly, I asked my "non-card making husband" which of the 2 cards he liked better and he said "I like the one on the left. The other one looks like everything is all over the place, like things are all grouped randomly"....and that was before I had filled him in on the title of the lesson! So, one last bit of information. Those flowers are actually flower transpariencies. I got the idea from Shari Carroll at Hero Arts Online. It is like making a photo transparency using packing tape. Only for this technique, you stamp on cold laminate (like a transparancy with a sticky side) with StazOn ink and then stick the cold laminate to some colorful designer paper. Then with water, you "wash off" the white side of the paper leaving a colorful transparancy look to your flowers. It is really hard to see it in these photos (even the close up I've included) how cool this looks in real life, you'll just have to trust me on this one!! Supplies: Carstock-Wisper White (SU), Color Me Silly Green and Striped (Basic Grey); Ink - StazOn Black (Tsukineko), Baisc Black (SU); Stamps-PaperTray (PaperTrey Ink), Delight In Life (SU), Accessories - Cold Laminate (I got this from a wonderfully kind person Jean in Austrailia. She kindly sent me a few sheets. I've been meaning to look for it here in Canada but I haven't found it yet. Does anyone know?? I've looked on line at Staples but could not find it.) Well, I hope you have enjoyed this lesson on grouping. I know that I certianly did. I think I am going to go and see what else I can "group" together!! Thanks for visiting.