Hello!!! Cynthia aka MrsPeel here! I hope everyone is well and having a great day! So, lets talk about double pagers!
We have an amazing challenge this month for double page layouts, also called two page spreads. The challenge is hosted by someone who is more than a talent at it: HeatherB. Heather has been one of my main inspirations for scrapping since 2010. I also got the double page bug! When I posted one of my last spreads in the gallery, some people suggested I should write a post about how to get good results. Technically, I don’t think we can call this a tutorial, but I can give you tips that will work in almost any style! I hope you find this useful! For the May Style Challenge, Heather made this wonderful double page layout.
What is a double page spread?
I would start by explaining my concept of a double page spread. It is scrapping two pages, side by side using the same products, color palette, and maybe the repetition of elements though not always. The key is that this flow over both pages tells a story and is harmonic to the eye in doing so. When I first started to scrap with the intention to print my completed pages in books, I didn’t know anything about scrapbooking and was learning by trial an error. I didn’t really care much if one page next to another wasn’t the same story or if it was done with same kind of elements or palette or… anything really! After printing 6 books, I realized I needed pages that are side by side to be a bit cleaner, pleasing to the eye overall, so I started paying more attention and seeing how I could achieve this.
When do I create a double page spread?
I mainly create a double page spread when I have too many photos that I love from one event. Sometimes double pages are needed to make a record of a week or a day. At the moment I’m trying to be consistent with the Month in Review thing, as I would love to be able to do Project Life. I will maybe try a mixture of pocket pages with other styles to make a record of our weeks in a good chronological order. I will add that even art journaling can be made beautiful as a double page spread. This will sometimes speak more loudly than just one. This happened to me with Little Butterfly Wings’ Together We So Rock! The amount of elements, stamps, paints… everything was so amazing and I wanted to use it all, but it would have been too cramped on just one page, so I divided it over two pages and it allowed me to use much more of the product I love.
There is an easier way. If you like templates, use them!
There are double page templates for all tastes. Some come as a double page which you will scrap in one go. Then for people like me, some templates come in pieces allowing you to scrap one side (12 x 12) and then the other. Then you put both sides together for something that looks super amazing! Scrapping with Liz has some awesome Month in Review Templates each month that have both types of pages, so you get to choose how to scrap them!
Here is an amazingly double page by none other than Liz herself!
There are also some amazingly gorgeous double page templates from Cheryl of Fiddle Dee Dee Designs. She offers clean style as well as full page style templates. These are beautiful and get fabulous results.
Here is a double pager by Roxana Marroquin with one of these templates. I LOVE the way she gave life to the page!
With templates there are limitless possibilities, you can choose a couple of very different templates and make them work together, I do that sometimes and it is fun!!! There are templates that are ideal to put together as double pagers, like for example looking for templates by the number of photos you have will make it easier to get the photos onto the page in a gorgeous visual composition. The kind of thing I do a lot, when I have lots of both photos and journaling. There are templates that were created specifically for text, so you have one side with photos and the other with only text, making the whole thing more interesting than just writing the journaling with the same background to go side by side. It all depends on what you are looking for! You can find templates by many of our designers in the Templates Category.
Now, what if you don’t want to use a template?
If you like the fuller look for your pages, you can always think about how many photos you want to use. Sometimes one page can be full of photos and the other have just a couple and give it a bit more detailed embellishments. One of the last double pagers I made, wasn’t actually born as a double pager. I started with one photo, then wanted to add another, then realized how many elements I loved in the kit. Using them all or more photos would crowd the page too much, so I scrapped one side with some blank space and tried not to overload the page. Then I used the same background and same kit, but included many photos on the other side, adding some touches (as I love elements!!), space for journaling, and the result was this double page:
You can also make a double pager of two clean & simple or blank space pages. Sometimes just cleverly locating the scrapped part of the page in opposite sides. Make your composition go diagonally through the two pages. Make your tittle big and interesting on one side and scrap the story on the other side. You can choose to scrap just the center of the double pager by having half of your photo on one page and the other half on the other with embellishments all around. Other possibilities are making one side a full page photo and the other side just a bit of elegant journaling, and maybe a date tag or a cluster with a small photo. The possibilities are endless!!!!
Another awesome inspiration for double pages is Polly, Amber. Her extractions included in her two page spreads are amazing. She always gives a different touch to each page that makes them outstanding!!!
There are so many amazing double page scrappers, not only Pollys,but many people in the community are so inspiring. The gallery is full of inspiration! You can also choose to scraplift two very different pages and make them work together for your own style double page spread!
We also have an AMAZING Lilypad Pinterest Board where pages are pinned from the Lilypad gallery for inspiration. I hope you enjoyed this and hope that we will see your double pagers in the challenge forum and the gallery!
If you would like more ideas, just give us a shout!
Kristina Lee says
Great post, Cynthia, thanks!!
Shivani says
Lovely post Cynthia!!! :) I must admit I do love a double page and sometimes my reasons are exactly the same – too many photos and unable to choose the best ones or rather let some go!!! LOL! I also like to do DPs where one side is just showcasing a single BIG photo and the other a more traditional layout page. I love the option of a bigger canvas and with layflat printing options it does work out beautifully.