Creating a layout from Z to A

I made this layout backwards, mainly because I was too impatient to wait until I had time to work on it in the normal way so I did each stage as and when I could over the course of a day.

I started by creating this embellishment cluster, comprising a ticket, a tag and a Harry Potter trading card. I let the green cauldron motif dictate the colour scheme. I applied the Maya Road owl to a scrap of green patterned paper and inked the edge of the acylic star with black Staz On.

My next stage was to mat my photos onto green cardstock and vellum. Then I typed up my journalling and matted that on another tag. I included a quote from 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' (Sorcerer's Stone if you're in the USA, I think) and I plan to use a quote on each layout I make.

You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even put a stopper on death — if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

One of my favourite sets at the Harry Potter Studio was Professor Snape’s ‘Potions Classroom’. The attention to detail in the bottles of ingredients and delicate chemical equipment was fantastic. Each of the glass jars had been hand-labelled by the 200-strong props team. One cauldron glowed a magical green and stirred itself slowly as if by magic.

 

 

When I got to this point I remembered I had seen Shimelle do something similar in her class 'Explore' a couple of summers ago, so I went back and rewatched the videos for inspiration. I love that, having paid for a class at shimelle.com, I have permanent access to the archives.
                            
                            
                            
The final stage was to decide on a background. Although I love both sides of the blue Heidi Swapp map/compass print, the colours didn't work and I finally opted for glossy Bazzill Basics black layered on green Core'dinations cardstock. No patterned papers at all.

These stages had taken the whole day on and off but the rest of the layout came together quickly after that. I added a title with 2 fonts. (Useful hint to self: the black tile letters are not self-adhesive so I spelled out the word 'details' on a  strip of double-sided tape which made it much easier to move it around on the page before pulling off the backing paper and sticking it down.)

I finished off the page with more of the film strip washi tape, acrylic shapes adhered with Glossy Accents and adhesive pearls, all of which I had started with. I really like how the process came full circle and I'm pleased with the final page. As a bonus, my husband's comment when he saw it was "Very green. Very Slytherin!" I hadn't even thought of that!