Smiles Shine: A Cheerful Scrapbook Layout | Debbi Tehrani

Sometimes a scrapbook page just needs a little sunshine, and this cheerful 8x8 scrapbook layout has plenty, thanks to beautiful sunflowers, an uplifting message, and fabulous pieces from the Bramble Fox September Fox Box Plus. I used several elements from the September Fox Box Plus, including the fabulous title, Paper Snips, Woodies, and stencil, combining them with patterned papers and a few pieces from my stash to create an inspirational page for my weight-loss coach, Lizzie. The warm yellows, navy blue, soft florals, and sunflower embellishments all work together to create a page that feels happy, uplifting, and full of sunshine. I scrap in an 8 x 8 format, so you may notice that Bramble Fox products look a little larger on my layouts than they would on a traditional 12 x 12 page—which gives these gorgeous pieces plenty of opportunity to shine!

A Title Worth Smiling About

How fabulous is this “Smiles Shine” title piece? I absolutely love the playful font with the smile-shaped arrow, and I knew it would be perfect for this layout. I paired the Bramble Fox title with some old BasicGrey letters to create a customized. The message is especially meaningful because my coach Lizzie Merritt is all about helping women recognize their own strength and learn to shine their light. I started the background by using Stencil #143 from the Fox Box Plus with Weathered Wood Distress Oxide. The subtle pattern adds just enough texture and interest to the white cardstock without competing with the title or photos.

💡 Debbi’s Design Tip: Don't overlook older supplies in your stash! Mixing an older alphabet with a brand-new Bramble Fox title can give your page a unique look and help you use those older treasures in a fresh way.

There’s More to This Story…

I love finding little ways to sneak extra journaling onto an 8 x 8 layout, and this tag was the perfect solution. I tucked a tag with more extensive journaling behind the photo, giving me plenty of room to tell the story without taking up valuable space on the front of the layout. I used Scor-Tape along the left and bottom sides of the tag to secure it while still allowing the journaling to slide out. A little flower charm dangling from a twine bow adds a pretty detail to the tag and gives the eye another little surprise to discover. This little hidden-journaling trick is especially useful when you have more to say than will comfortably fit on the visible part of an 8 x 8 page.

💡 Debbi’s Design Tip: Hidden journaling is a great way to preserve the details of a story while keeping the overall design clean. Secure only the sides that need to be attached and leave an opening so the tag can slide out easily.

The Story Behind the Smile

Here's a closer look at the journaling tag tucked behind the photo. The charm is hiding the first part of the message, which begins, “I love this picture because it captures much more…” The journaling continues with a reminder of how meaningful this photograph is and why I wanted to convey more than just what you can see at first glance. I love adding hidden journaling like this because it gives the viewer a little surprise when they discover that there is more to the story tucked behind the photo.

💡 Debbi’s Design Tip: A hidden journaling tag doesn't have to be completely invisible. Letting just a little piece peek out—like this tag and its charm—can actually encourage people to pull it out and discover the story.

A Bouquet of Sunshine

How beautiful are these sunflowers from the Paper Snips? I absolutely love the mix of gold, pink, and periwinkle in these flowers. They made it easy to pull together a color palette for the layout, and I even used the blue cover of Lizzie's book as another color cue when choosing patterned papers from my scrap drawers. I love how the sunflower clusters frame the photo and title while creating plenty of layers and dimension. And, of course, I found a little heart Perspextive to add to the mix! I always add hearts to the pages I give away, so finding one that worked with the title was a must.

💡 Debbi’s Design Tip: When you're stuck choosing patterned papers, look beyond your scrapbook supplies for color inspiration. A book cover, clothing, a photo prop, or even a small embellishment can give you the perfect starting point for a cohesive color palette.

Repeat After Me

I created a similar embellishment cluster on the opposite side of the layout to help balance the larger cluster near the top. The word strips are from the Paper Snips, and I love how easily these little phrases can be tucked into a cluster to add another layer of meaning. The beautiful detail on the Woodie sunflowers is another favorite element. The etched design gives them a completely different look and adds a natural, tactile quality among all the paper flowers. Repeating the sunflower shapes, colors, and little word strips throughout the page helps connect the two sides while keeping the layout from feeling too symmetrical.

💡 Debbi’s Design Tip: Repeating a shape or motif is one of my favorite ways to make a layout feel cohesive. You don't have to duplicate a cluster exactly—just repeat a few of the same colors, shapes, or embellishment types to create a visual connection.

Sometimes You Just Need to Sleep on It

One of my favorite tips is to leave my layout overnight and look at it again the next day with fresh eyes. Sometimes when you've been staring at a page for too long, everything starts to look “finished” simply because you've looked at it so many times! On this layout, I noticed that the area near the title could use just a tiny bit more detail, so I added the two small flowers as well as some dimensional Nuvo Drops around the page. They may be little details, but those final touches helped add a bit of texture and shine and made the layout feel complete.

💡 Debbi’s Design Tip: Give yourself permission to walk away from a layout before calling it finished. Fresh eyes can make it much easier to spot those little areas that need one final touch—or recognize that they're actually perfect just as they are!

I love how this layout came together with all of its cheerful sunflowers, sweet details, encouraging words, and, of course, that fabulous Smiles title. It feels like the perfect visual reminder that even the smallest bit of sunshine can brighten someone's day—and sometimes we all need a little encouragement to remember to let our own light shine, too.

If this layout has inspired you to add a little more sunshine to your own scrapbook pages, be sure to check out all the beautiful new products in the Bramble Fox shop. From gorgeous Perspextives and Paper Snips to stencils, Woodies, and all those little details that make a page special, there are so many possibilities waiting to inspire your next layout.

Until next time… keep smiling, keep shining, and keep creating pages that bring a little sunshine to someone’s day!