Digital Tip: Avoid Creative Cropping with Paint Overlays!
When I first saw Story Foundations: Family Ties, I knew it was going to become an invaluable part of my scrapbooking stash. I loved that it wasn't just another typical Thanksgiving collection, but one that truly celebrates the connections, traditions, and little moments that create the ties that bind us together. And, of course, it doesn't hurt that it's perfect for documenting all those family gatherings that inevitably revolve around food. (Seriously, how many family events don't involve food? LOL!)
Every family gathering that involves a meal comes with a signature group selfie. You know the one! Most of the time, it's the entire family squeezed together around a table piled high with an almost ridiculous amount of delicious food. Other times, I've completely forgotten about taking the obligatory photo until the event is nearly over, and then I'm scrambling around trying to convince everyone to stop what they're doing and gather together for one last picture. Either way, I've usually accumulated plenty of other photos of family members, whether they're alone or posing with someone else, so I felt like I had the creative freedom to let this one oversized group selfie take center stage. Spanning nearly the entire width of my 12x12 layout, it definitely makes a statement!
Once I placed the photo, I started selecting patterned background papers that complemented the clothing colors of our family members and picked up on other colors and details throughout the photo. From there, it was time for the fun part: building those embellishment clusters! I piled on the labels, flowers, die cuts, word strips, string, and all sorts of fabulous ephemera, creating clusters above and below the photo to frame it and give the layout plenty of personality. I used the labels to tell the story of why our family was at a Mexican restaurant for Thanksgiving, as well as identifying everyone in the photo.
After everything was in place, I noticed something about that big group photo that I hadn't really considered before. There were areas showing other restaurant booths and, gasp, people who weren't actually part of our family! Not exactly the supporting cast I wanted in my family scrapbook story.
So, here's a little creative tip: pull out those fabulous paint overlays and clip them right to your photo! There's no need to fire up your photo editing skills or spend time painstakingly removing unwanted background details. Just use the paint overlays to cover up anything you'd rather not have included. It's a quick, easy way to disguise those distractions while adding even more artistic texture and interest to your layout. I added the same overlays I used on the background that is white gesso with a heart tissue paper pattern, and voila! The distracting details disappeared!
Sometimes the best scrapbooking tricks aren't about editing the photo at all. They're about getting a little creative with the layers! And that's just another reason I love Story Foundations: Family Ties. It's all about celebrating the people, the traditions, the food (always the food!), and the wonderfully imperfect moments that make our family stories worth telling.
If you’d like to see my process for this layout, click here to watch my YouTube video:
Family is made up of the people we love, the traditions we carry on, and the little moments that become the stories we tell for years to come. Family Ties, the newest chapter in the Story Foundations collection, celebrates all of those connections with a warm, nostalgic mix of colors and hand-drawn details. Whether you're documenting generations of family history, everyday moments with your favorite people, or the traditions that make your family unique, this collection is all about capturing the stories that bring us together.
Filled with charming hand-drawn embellishments, from family keepsakes and old photographs to cozy home details, florals, and symbols of connection, Family Ties offers plenty of ways to add personality to your pages. A coordinating mix of patterned papers, journal cards, word art, and stickers brings together sentiments of gratitude, togetherness, and nostalgia, with just the right touch of autumn warmth.
Like every Story Foundations collection, Family Ties is designed to mix and match with the other chapters, giving you endless possibilities for documenting the stories that matter most. Because no two families are alike, and every family has a story worth keeping.
See the unboxing and example images for the Story Foundations: Family Ties collection HERE.
Don’t forget, the entire 2026 Story Foundations Collections are meant to mix and match and pair with each other! You can see all the Story Foundations Chapters HERE.
BUNDLE INCLUDES:
Story Foundations: Family Ties Digital Kit, Cards 1, 2, &3 + Stickers!
BUNDLE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
Story Foundations: Family Ties TN Papers or Patterned Cards