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Making Do

You’re this close to completing a holiday-themed scrapbook layout. All you have left to do is place letter stickers on the page to spell out “Merry Christmas.” You get as far as “Merry Ch” when you realize you don’t have a third “R” sticker.

Now what?

One of my biggest pet peeves about using letter stickers is that single packages don’t feature enough of the most common consonants and vowels. Most alphabet packs will provide you with an extra vowel or two, and if you are lucky you’ll score a couple extra “T”s and “S”s. However, this doesn’t help if you need four or five of the same letter to spell out a title or quote.

If you are desperate to get your page design complete without having to run to the store and purchase another package of stickers, simply make do with what you have. For example, a solution for the missing “R” in “Christmas” could be to create another using a Cricut machine. Or, you could take off some of the stickers and use a ransom note technique. The sticker version of this technique utilizes letters from different size or style alphabet packs to create the title. By employing this method you are able to use leftover stickers from multiple sticker packages and avoid having to spend additional money to complete your layout.

Likewise, if you are happy with the shape of a particular letter sticker, but the color or pattern doesn’t complement your layout you could use the paint overlay technique. This is done by placing the stickers you currently have on hand onto a piece of cardstock. Lightly press them in place, and then select a color that coordinates with the paper and photos you are using in the layout. Using a small, flat brush, lightly tap the paint around the stickers. Be careful not to use too much paint on the paper as you don’t want to flood the sticker and ruin your page design. Once the paint is dry, carefully lift the sticker off the page. You should be left with an attractive airbrush effect.

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About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.