What’s Your Motif? Ideas for using Trees on your Scrapbook Pages

by Amy Kingsford

Use trees on your scrapbook pages to set the scene for your story, to reinforce your page’s theme, and even to convey meaning.

A little bit about trees

• Trees are the longest living organisms on Earth.
• The tallest tree in the country lives in the Redwood National Forest; it is 369 feet tall and over 2000 years old.
• A single tree produces enough oxygen to sustain a family of four over a year’s time.
• An Ada tree growing in Australia has a root system that spans more than an acre.
• Tree rings are used to calculate the age of trees, but also offer scientists important information about volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters throughout history.
• The seeds from the Cottonwood tree can stay in flight for several days.
• 30-35 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States each year.
• The height of a tree is recorded by climbing it and measuring from its spire to the ground.
• Depending on species and age a healthy tree can have upwards of 200,000 leaves.

Ideas for using trees on your scrapbook pages

Extend the tree-filled scene in your photo onto the canvas.

Sara Gleason constructed the perfect backdrop for the story behind her page “Tree Lined Memories”  using a variety of tree and nature-inspired elements.  Her embellishments extend the details in the photos onto the surrounding canvas. And arranging them in a tight focal cluster pulls the viewer into the scene.

 

Use a tree-patterned paper.

Anna Aspnes shows you how to embrace the idea of a busy tree patterned paper in “The Tree” by using it as the background for a nearly-photo-filled page.  Anna chose a pattern with low density which makes it feel lighter on the page. The silhouette of the tree in the patterned paper is the same as that in her photos which adds unity.

 

Render your journaling in the shape of a tree.

Paula Gilarde establishes a clear sense of theme in her page “Christmas?” by using Photoshop to create a tree-shaped text path for her journaling.  This fun effect complements the colors and other themed elements on the page perfectly while adding just the right amount of novelty to the funny story Paula tells.

Use a stamped tree as your foundation.

On “Olive You” an over-sized digital tree stamp is the first layer and starting point for my page.  The tree motif not only reinforces the fall theme of my page but also establishes a vertical shelf for showcasing my photo and embellishments.

 

Reinforce a visual triangle with subtle tree stamps.

Debbie Hodge stamped the same tree in three spots on “It’s Either Badminton or Tree Felling” to back up the three points of  the visual triangle framing her page elements. The motif supports and adds repetitions to the funny story she tells.

 

Make a mixed-media tree.

Dina Wakley adds to the bold and funky vibe of “Spooky Boo” with a mixed-media tree.  She cut the trunk from a wood grain overlay and the leaves from corrugated cardboard .  The stitching replicates branches while contributing to the tree’s already rich texture.

 

Add a “tree-lined” border.

Kayleigh Wiles used a collection of whimsical tree stamps to add a watermarked border along the bottom of “Three Months.”  The  border adds to the soft, springtime feel of the layout. The trees represent the idea of growth rather than repeating any explicit trees in the photos or story.

 

Frame your page with “fussy-cut” tree branches.

Michelle Houghton framed both her  photo and this page with two clusters of tree branches cut from patterned paper with a craft knife.  When used in small doses, busy tree-patterned paper can add just the right touch.

Make a scrapbook page all about trees.

Melanie Grimes pays homage to the tree in every aspect of her design on “Go Climb a Tree.”   From the wood-grain background to the beautiful photo, word-art title, border, and, finally, realistic tree accents, every detail here taps into our associations with trees.

 

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