Please welcome our February guest designer, Tracey Campbell with her simply stunning layout based on our challenge this month.
Create your layout on WHITE cardstock
COLOUR – Select your ONE colour from the image (BLUE, ORANGE, BROWN, GREEN or YELLOW)
Criteria for February – Please use paint or ink on your layout.
For this month’s challenge I selected BLUE from the moodboard.
The layered, fluid washes in the inspiration image immediately caught my attention. I wanted to recreate that sense of movement and softness, so I built up my background on white cardstock using diluted blue paint, splattering and blending to create depth while still maintaining generous white space.
The paint and ink criteria aligned perfectly with my style. I love using mixed media to add energy and texture without overwhelming a layout. In this design, the blue becomes both the background and the storytelling element — from the bold watercolour wash to the subtle enamel dots and hand-drawn waves that echo the playful theme.
My focal point sits within the “O” of the Love title, creating a strong central anchor. I balanced this with soft clusters on either side, keeping the palette restrained while introducing dimension through layered embellishments and subtle texture. Working with a single colour really allowed me to explore variation in tone — pale blue patterns, deeper enamel accents and layered paint — all against crisp white cardstock.
I’m Tracey, a Canberra-based scrapbooker who has been creating 12x12 layouts for more than two decades. Scrapbooking is my happy place — a creative blend of storytelling, design and playful experimentation. Most of my pages feature my two daughters, our animals and the vibrant everyday moments that make life worth documenting.
My style is eclectic and adaptable, often shifting with the mood of the photos and the colours I’m working with. I love building layered mixed media backgrounds on white cardstock and incorporating paint, splatter and thoughtful embellishment to create balance, movement and dimension.
I actively share my work across several platforms and have recently returned to creating process videos on YouTube, which has been such a rewarding way to share my creative journey again.
You can find more of my work here:
Blog – Three Obsession
Instagram – @sharnook
Facebook – Tracey Campbell
YouTube
Rainbow Wishes and Butterfly Kisses
This layout showcases my love of vibrant colour and circular design. I built the page around a bold rainbow floral frame, allowing the curved title to guide the eye around the focal photo. The layered florals, ink splatters and dimensional details create movement while still keeping the design balanced and cohesive.
Adore
This layout was created for the 3Quarter Designs Design Team, where I currently design. I combined layered mixed media, torn edges and rich floral elements to frame the vintage photograph, building depth through colour contrast and dimensional embellishment. I have shared a full process video of this layout on my YouTube channel, where I walk through how the background and layered composition came together.
Thank you so much for joining in with us Tracey. It has been a such a delight having you as our guest.
There is still time to join in with our current challenges. Entries close midnight on the last day of the month. We'd love to see your page and find out what colour you decided to use.
