in your face

Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: October Afternoon; Stickers, die cuts, and flashcard: October Afternoon; Letter stickers: October Afternoon; Corrugated alphabet: Jillibean Soup; Heart punch: Martha Stewart

These pictures flat out cracked me up. You might not get the humor because really you just have to know Chewy (our chocolate lab) to "get it".

He's goofy and silly and incredible sweet but also a tad bit delusional. We have two other dogs that are both very small. I think Chewy sees Oscar and Abbey and just assumes that he's the same size. I am positive he has no idea of the beast he is.

Anyway, if there is one thing Chewy likes to do, it's to be in your face. He has to be right there in the center of attention, nose to nose. The funny part is that he might start far away from you but you can see him slowly inch closer and closer. It can be when you look away or if you give any indication that you are going acknowledge his presence. It can be mildly annoying when he gets to that no sense of personal space point, like he did with Drew in the pictures.

Drew and I were having a conversation while sitting in the backyard and slowly we saw Chewy get closer and closer until Drew and I both couldn't stop giggling. Chewy took the giggling as an invitation to get even closer. You know he's totally invaded your space when a big glob of dog slobber hits your leg. That's when Drew tried desperately to push him away, all while still giggling.

We figure a dog that can make you giggle is definitely a keeper!

I made this layout based on a sketch from Sketch Support. The sketch itself was created to work with 6 x 6 patterned paper pads that are becoming more and more available. (The three background squares are all 6 x 6.)

If you wanted to make this layout with just a 6 x 6 patterned paper pad you could play around with the strips bordering to the 6 x 6 background pieces to come from the pad as well.

• One way would be to cut three 1/2 x 6" strips and alternate them from being on top of the square to being on the bottom. So the first square on the left would have the strip at the top of the square. The first square on the right page would be adhered to that the top of the square aligned with the top of the strip on the left page. Then you would adhere the strip at the bottom of the square. The last square would be adhere so that the bottom of the square aligned with the bottom of the strip. Then you would add the strip at the top of the square.

• Another way would be to cut small 1/2 x 1/2 squares and line them across the top. You could use either squares all from the same pattern or play around with a bunch of different patterns.

• You might also try pleating the paper. You can easily hide any seams when you use pleated strips by overlapping and tucking the end under the last pleat. It might take several strips though with them only being 6".

There are always ways to use those 6 x 6" patterned paper pads, even on two-page layouts or with sketches. It just might take a little out of the box thinking to make it work! :)