Certain words and phrases can help to define, or become deeply entrenched in, the era when they were most commonly used.
When I think of the late 1990s/early 2000s – a time when my teen years were wrapping up and my twenties were starting – no shortage of such lexicological examples spring to mind.
While I doubt that expressions like “your happy place” and “go to your happy place” were invented during that time period, they were certainly popular back in the earliest years of the new millennium.
A lot of us have at least a few treasured happy places, be they real or imaginary. Spending time visiting or reflecting on these locations can be highly beneficial to our sense of well-being and mental health.
I like to think the same rings true for many animals as well – especially those who get to experience an assortment of different locations throughout their lives.
Though it is beyond the scope of our current scientific abilities to determine if animals (be they wild or domestic) do in fact have mental happy places, I would not rule that possibility out for a second.
Thankfully, we can often make educated guesses as to what an animal’s favourite kinds of places most likely are. 🙌
Their moods, energy levels, and reluctance to leave said spots are just some of the cues that can let us know what locations our beloved critter friends enjoy the most.
In the case of Annie, she – like many of her canine peers the world over – is absolutely bonkers for dog parks. 😍
Big or small, at the beach, in the woods, smack dab in the heart of a city, it really does not matter.
If there is an expanse of land where she can run and fetch – coupled with the prospect of fellow doggos for her to play with – she is in absolute seventh heaven! 🥰
A while back I created the scrapbook page that is at the heart of today’s post. It celebrates the fact that dog parks are, hands (and paws!) down, our dog’s happy place of choice.
It honours Annie’s unwavering passion for these public spots where she and her furry friends collectively help to keep the Chuckit! product line in business, and where I always know she will be the living personification of happiness. 😊
The Park is My Happy Place scrapbook page
In my Only Love Lets Us See Scrapbook Page post from 2020, I talked about the fact that Annie is one seriously unphotogenic pup!
This is most definitely the case. However, sometimes one can have slightly better luck of getting a usable, non-blurry and/or head-turned image when Annie is at the dog park. This is especially true if Annie is sitting patiently while she waits for someone to hurl a ball as far as they can for her.
It was on one such occasion, several years ago now, that I captured the cell phone photo at the heart of this fun pet-themed scrapbook page.
For my colour palette, I pulled directly from the sunny, sandy hues in that image, as well as the adorable pinkness of Annie’s outstretched tongue.
To convey a sense of the sand in the photo, I used some gold glitter paper as one of the layers behind it. As well as sandy brown, dark brown, and kraft cardstock. And then further drove home a sense of sand all the more via the use of gold glitter alphabet stickers.
I readily admit that the imagery on the central background paper used here has little to do with dogs or dark parks. 😄
It does, however, depict things – reading, a comfy chair, enjoying a spot of tea – that many people greatly enjoy and which may factor into some of their happy places.
I also find it to be a very serene and pleasant illustration (in a great springtime colour palette), which helps to enhance the overall sense of joy that this layout telegraphs.
The project photos shared throughout this post were taken (and watermarked too, for that matter) closer to the time when I made this scrapbook page. Therefore they were not captured in the lightbox that I picked up around the start of 2021.
Which, while handy for some sizes of cards, tags and other small items, does not work very for LOs, unfortunately.
I am still trying to hit on a solution for taking pics of scrapbook pages that I am even just quasi-happy with. 😄
If you have any tips for taking photos of 12×12 scrapbook LOs either inside or out of a lightbox, please do not hesitate to share them with me in the comments below. I am all ears!
Products used to create this dog-themed layout
-Dark brown cardstock
-Sandy brown/beige cardstock
-Kraft cardstock
-Gold glitter cardstock – Glitter Silk Cardstock from Darice
-Printed peach tone background paper (This particular piece of paper was amongst a selection that I received as a gift a few years back from a lovely fellow paper crafter. No product information was included with it, so I am unable to point you towards where it came from. That said, numerous brands such as My Mind’s Eye, Prima, and Pion Design have released relatively similar-looking papers over the years.)
-Assorted patterned papers – most of those used here came from the Farmhouse 8×8 inch pad from October Afternoon
-Thin cork sheet (used behind photo) – Cork Sheets from Forever in Time
-Dark brown ink pad – Dew Drop Rich Cocoa Ink from Memento
-Dark orange ink pad – Dew Drop Morocco Ink from Memento
-Dark brown fine point marker or pen (for journaling)
-Assorted chipboard piece stickers (all chipboard pieces used on this LO) – Maggie Holmes Celebrate Today Stickers from Crate Paper
-Peach and pink dimensional flowers – Love Clipping from Prima Marketing
-Cream crochet trim
-Coral pink velvet ribbon – Valentine’s Ribbons from Martha Stewart
-Slightly larger gold glitter letter stickers – Marquee Love Letter Stickers – from Heide Swapp
-Slightly smaller gold glitter letter stickers – Gold Glitter Futura Alpha Stickers from Sticko
-Pink mini letter stickers – Sno-Cone Mini Market Letter Stickers from October Afternoon
-Dimensional foam, pop dots, or similar to elevate some of your layers
-Adhesive, such as a tape runner, of your choice (I often use my Scotch Tape Glider)
The journaling on this fun pet page says…
“Annie lives – absolutely lives for the park. Whether playing fetch, roughhousing with fellow pups, or running from one end to the other, is on canine cloud nine.”
How to make a darling springtime hued pet themed scrapbook page
Begin by using a 12″x12″ piece of kraft cardstock as the base of your layout. Ink all four sides with Dew Drop Rich Cocoa (dark brown) ink.
Cut a piece of dark brown cardstock a touch smaller than the base layer. Adhere to base layer.
Cut the piece of peach hued patterned paper a wee bit smaller than your previous layer. Ink all four sides with Dew Drop Morocco (dark orange) ink.
Snip four equal-sized pieces of cream coloured crochet trim and fold them over each of the four corners of that piece of patterned paper, as shown. Adhere them in place then adhere that layer to the previous LO base layers.
Tear the edges on various sized pieces of mini polka dot paper, sandy beige/brown cardstock, and brown vintage ruler print cardstock. Arrange on the lefthand side of your layout, as shown.
Top those layers with one vertical piece of cork and one horizontal piece of gold glitter cardstock. Adhere layers to one another and to the previous torn edge layer stack.
Run a piece of pink velvet ribbon and a piece of cream crochet trim across the center of the gold glitter cardstock layer. Adhere.
Mat your photo with layers of dark brown cardstock, sandy brown cardstock, and mini polka dot print paper. Ink the edges of the polka dot paper with dark brown ink. Adhere photo to layers, layers to one another, and then the completed photo stack to the gold glitter cardstock layer.
Use dark brown ink to ink the edges of three paper roses/flowers. Adhere the flowers around the lower left-hand side of the photo. Tuck a cute pink die cut chipboard ticket beneath one or two of the roses. Adhere in place.
Tear the edges of a slender strip of brown vintage ruler paper and another from the mini polka dot paper. Adhere them a little ways below the photo area of this LO.
Use a mix of dark pink tiny letter stickers and two sizes of gold glitter alphabet stickers to create your page title, placing it atop the two torn edge layers that you just created. Adhere a dark pink chipboard heart at the end of your page title.
Write your journaling in dark brown ink/marker on the main peach coloured background layer, just below where you placed your page title.
Vertically arrange, then adhere, a tiny gold glitter chipboard star and two tiny gold glitter cardstock hearts to the top left and bottom right-hand sides of the peach printed layer of paper, as shown.
Arrange and adhere a chipboard banner and chipboard “love you” word piece across and around the photo stack area, (again) as shown.
Lastly, place the “big smiles” sentiment chipboard sticker piece on the bottom right-hand side of the photo itself.
And there you have it, one sweet, adorable, shabby chic pet themed scrapbook page in a warm, inviting colour palette that suits springtime to a tee!
Scrapbook page tips and ideas from this layout
-When working with background papers that include large illustrations, try to allow some open breathing room to remain on your layout so that you do not run the risk of the design looking too busy or of your photo(s) getting lost in the visual mix.
In this instance, I did so primarily above the illustration of the chair, which remains open and provides a nice contrast to all of the action going on around the photo + page title + journaling.
–Take inspiration from textures in your photos(s) for some of the materials that you use on your scrapbook page itself. This could be anything from wood/bark to snow, straw to pebbles, grass to sand (as was the case here).
If you do not have textured materials that convey a direct sense of the tactile element(s) in your picture, try using similarly coloured and/or shaped products instead.
-Photo corners do not have to be reserved simply for photographs themselves. I adore putting corners on other parts of my layouts (and cards, too, for that matter), as I did around all fours sides of the central printed paper layer here.
-And speaking of photo corners, they do not have to be made solely from paper. Just about any material that you can cut, fold or otherwise shape to look the part can make for a fab photo corner.
Some of my favourites include ribbon and trims, scraps of fabric and felt, cardboard, cork, burlap, chipboard, embossed cardstock, vellum, tin foil, glitter cardstock, metallic cardstock, felt, and paper or fabric flower petals or leaves.
-When inking or otherwise distressing your page, do not hesitate to do so on the edges/tops of your flowers as well.
You can also splatter them with paint or dye ink, emboss them with embossing powder, apply glitter or flocking, or, if the petals are suitable, even apply things like stickers and rub-ons for an extra cool effect. 😃
-Use different sizes, colours, and/or fonts in your title lettering. This draws the eye in, is oodles of fun, and can be a great way to stretch your letter sticker + chipboard alphabet stash further.
Papercrafting is my happy place
Objectively, I have quite a few happy places, both in the real world and tucked lovingly within the walls of my mind.
And while, technically, somewhat more of an act than a place, paper crafting is by far one of my happiest places – as is the tiny room in our house that I am fortunate to be able to devote to being a witchy + crafting space all my own. 💗
I could talk until the cows (and our black & white puppers who totally resembles them 😄) came home about the tremendous psychological benefits that crafting has on my life – just as it does the lives of many people the world over. But that is likely best saved for a dedicated post unto itself.
Chances are, one day, I will devote a post (or two!) to that very topic. Right now, though, as this particular entry wraps up, Annie and I are both very curious to know…
What is one of your favourite (real or imagined) happy places? 💕🐕💕
Absolutely brilliant page with your sweet pup! I can see that Annie is clearly happy in her place there! LOL Really lovely textures, papers and details so lovingly placed! I am in love with how you’ve done your flowers and gold sprinkle of touches here! Crafting is certainly my happy place too friend! 🙂
Aww, thank you SO much, my awesomely kind and supportive friend.
I haven’t had a chance to make a scrapbook page for a few months now, so dug into the ol’ archives (relatively speaking) to share this springtime perfect (IMO) one here a few weeks ago.
With any luck, I will have the time and (moreover) health to craft a new layout or two (or more!) in the coming sun-kissed months of spring. I have a lot of ideas for pages (+ things like mini albums) percolating in my mind at the moment and I am very eager to hopefully bring at least some of them into being soon(ish).
Many heartfelt thanks again, sweet Vicki. You, yourself, are – speaking of such- a wonderful ray of sunshine.
🖤 Autumn
Annie is a little cutie! This page is perfect and the papers are amazing!!!
You are sweeter than all of the Easter candy that will be enjoyed this spring, dear Celeste. Thank you very much for your heart-touchingly kind words.
Annie really is a cutie pie – and we are convinced that she somehow knows it and used it to all but wrap us around her precious little paws. 😄
Big hugs coming your way,
🖤 Autumn
That is the most gorgeous scrapbook page, Autumn! I love that adorable pic of Annie – Vizzini is like that too. He never sits still for long to get a non-blurry picture! I laughed at Annie’s pink tongue lolling out with sand? dirt? all over it. Oh, dogs.
I wasn’t sure about the non-dog-related items (like the teapot), but I appreciate the explanation. Our happy places are sometimes more about the mood that we feel when we are in them, either physically or mentally.
Have a wonderful weekend, my dear friend.
Such a fellow cutie pie! I adore Vizzini sooo much. Even though I have never spent time with him in person, I feel as though I know him well through your many posts that he has appeared in over the years.
If you would ever like me to make a scrapbook page or two (or another type of papercraft project) starring him, I would be elated to do so for you.
Thank you very much for your lovely words, my dear friend. And to answer your question, it was sand all over her darling pink tongue that day (as that particular dog park has a ground comprised of sand for the pups to frolick around in).
Warm hugs & the cheeriest start of spring wishes,
🖤 Autumn
As both a dog-lover and photographer I know how hard it is to get good pictures of these constantly-moving animals. They refuse to stand still and pose! In fact, my favorite photo of my beloved dog Juno is a very blurry picture of him romping in the yard; the blurriness conveys his constant motion. I’m happy you found an activity (crafting) that fulfills you. We all need such passions and most fail to find one.
How right you are across the board, Ally.
I feel profoundly fortunate to have – much like yourself – multiple passions in my life that are perpetual sources of joy, comfort, inspiration, and so forth. There are never enough hours in the day to spend on these loves, but thankfully we can often manage to carve out hours to spend on them.
Aww! Sweet Juno is clearly a fellow camera-shy pup. Interestingly, our precious cat (Stella) who perished in the fire, was uber camera-shy as well. Thankfully though – and all the more so given her tragic, untimely death – we were able to get some lovely shots over the years of her. Many were lost in the fire itself, too, but those that were stored online were mercifully spared and are truly amongst our most treasured images.
For a long time, it was just too painful to even contemplate creating new (as in post-fire) scrapbook pages about Stella, but I think that at this point I would be comfortable giving it a shot. Indeed, I have long desired to create a memorial page or whole album about her, so that may be how I ease into “scrapping” her again.
Thank you again. May this spring bring an abundance of opportunities to focus on your many awesome passions your way!
🖤 Autumn
What an adorable scrapbook page, paying tribute to equally adorable Annie!
Bess has definitely found her happy place here at Dove Cottage, in particular when her personnel (Jos and me) is around to give her cuddles!
Contrary to her predecessor, Phoebe, she is an extremely photographable pet, and consequently my phone is full of photos of her taken over the year she’s been with us. xxx
Bess is such a wonderfully darling cat. I adore getting to know her (just as I did precious Phoebe) via your posts. What a joy that she is not camera-shy at all. That must be an absolute delight for you and Jos.
I have yet, as an adult, to have a pet that was not camera shy – though, my sister’s two dogs are usually pretty good with being in front of the lens, so happily I can take snaps of them sometimes with far less risk of getting little more than a furry blur as I press the shutter. 😄
My heart brims with happiness for the three of you and I eagerly look forward to continuing to get to know Bess better via your wonderful blog posts, dear Ann.
Many thanks for your terrific comment. I hope that your spring is already off to as a positive a start as can realistically be during these times of major ongoing global challenges.
🖤 Autumn
Annie is adorable and your scrapbook page of her is fabulous Autumn!!
What a wonderfully nice comment, Donna. Thank you so much – from both of us.
Many hugs & the cheeriest start of spring wishes coming your way,
🖤 Autumn
I love this scrapbook page. Such a sweet dog, love her face. Such a great way to save memories. Have a great week.
Thank you sweetly, dear Anesha. That it is indeed!
My first foray into the world of papercrafting (in the autumn of 2010) was scrapbooking and while I do tend to make a higher percentage of cards/tags/wands/etc these days than LOs, I can’t imagine ever ceasing to create a new scrapbook page from time-to-time as well.
And all the more so if I am (we are) able to get a high-quality photo printer one day.
Big hugs & the cheeriest of March-into-April wishes coming your way,
🖤 Autumn
This is a really gorgeous scrapbook portrait of your beloved dog! My dog’s happy place is definitely her mum and dad’s bed, where she usually gets to nap 1-2 times a day!
Aww, that is a truly lovely spot for your dog to pick as her happy place. I can imagine it as become all the more so for you and your partner, too, since having a precious four-legged friend there to spend the night with you every day.
Thank you very much for your wonderful recent comments here, Laura. It is always a pleasure to hear from you.
Big hugs & the sunniest of springtime wishes,
🖤 Autumn
A fabulous page Autumn, Annie is adorable. I love the distressed feel you have created with the torn edges and pastel colours and as always, you have added so many super details and lots of great texture.
It’s good to be back after spending the last month sorting out my craft room.
Pauline – Crafting with Cotnob
x
You did a phenomenal job with your craft room revamping, dear Pauline. I was in wide-eyed awe of it in the photos you recently posted of your newly made-over room. You are a fellow organization adoring lady after my own heart.
Thank you very much for your wonderfully sweet words about this pet themed scrapbook page.
I have been lucky to average a couple of hours online each week so far this month. As a result, I am a bit behind on visiting other peoples’ sites (yours very much included), but hope to do some major catching up if my health will permit later on this week.
Oodles of hugs & the loveliest of early springtime wishes,
🖤 Autumn
What a wonderful scrap book page to showcase your adorable Annie. As usual I love all the little details on your page from the torn edges to the lacy corners, all so inventive. I have no solution to the issue of taking good photos, if you ask me it is always a challenge, even with a light box, which I try not to use as it just seems to wipe out the colour. The concept of everyone having a happy place even our pets is so nice, my main happy place is my craft room, followed closely by my garden and the local riverside. Of course there are many others that are occasional happy places as it is not possible to visit them often xx
Aww! Thank you very much, my sweet friend. This LO was made prior to when I launched this blog at a time when I certainly had far less papercrafting supplies than I am presently fortunate to call my own. I think that if I made it today, some of the same elements would be there, but others would be swapped out for (or see the addition of) things like die cuts and perhaps even a little dry embossing with a polka dot pattern to echo the sand on Annie’s adorable tongue in that shot.
I am still very happy with it, of course, and actually, absolutely cherish those pages I was able to make as I gradually began building up a (papercrafting) stash again in the wake of that life-changing event. I have at least a couple more LOs from that general period which I hope to post here in due time as well.
Many thanks again, dear Hilary – including for sharing about some of your own most beloved happy places. How fantastic that you have not “just” one, but at least several between your regulars and those that are visited from time to time (the same rings true for me as well).
Big hugs & the cheeriest start of spring wishes,
🖤 Autumn
This is adorable. I love my cat Professor Vader Bhaer. As I type his massive black form is at my feet. While he definitely would not be the frolicking type ( ha ha!) a page dedicated to him would be up my ally!
Delightful.
Annie definitely found her happy place with you,fabulous happy page with glorious colours and texture
You are blush-inducingly kind, Meg. Thank you very much for your sweet, wonderfully supportive words about this fun pet themed scrapbook page.
Big hugs & the happiest of wishes for a beautiful March-into-April coming your way!
🖤 Autumn
Thank you very much, dear Kmarie. Your precious cat has such an awesome name!!!
Our own Miss Annie’s moniker stems from the fact that nine years ago to the very month, she was the anniversary gift that Tony and I gave each other to celebrate our “loveiversary” (aka, the anniversary of the day we first met).
If you feel inclined, you should definitely make a scrapbook page about your darling kitty. Should you happen to do so, please don’t hesitate to share it with me. I would love to see your own papercrafting creativity!
Many hugs & the sunniest start of spring wishes,
🖤 Autumn
Aww! Annie!! What a great face! I love seeing your close-up photos of your projects. Great tip about leaving space for the background and I really like your torn layers! My happy place is more a frame of mind. When it’s quiet and I can just do what I want I am in my happy place! Thinking of you!
Thank you sweetly, dear Angie.
As someone who could easily be the president of the International Introverts Society, I can sincerely relate to what you said regarding serenity + free time to spend as you please being a major happy place for you.
I really hope that you will be able to experience plenty of that as 2022 continues to unfold, my lovely friend.
Scores of hugs & sunny springtime wishes,
🖤 Autumn
You definitely channelled sweet Annie’s heart and love of any park in this adorable scrapbook page. Precious!
Thank you very much, my sweet friend. You are always the epitome of kind!
This particular scrapbook page was created prior to my (current) blog being launched, at a time when my craft supply stash was considerably smaller (post-fire) than it is today. Were I to make this same page in 2022, I would change certain elements, but the general design would hold true and I adore this fun pet page all the same.
Indeed, I have an especially meaningful spot in my heart for those papercrafting projects that I was able to make during those intense years of rebuilding our lives from the ground up. Years that were made all the more meaningful and easier to handle thanks to Annie’s presence throughout all of them.
Thinking of you, lovely lady, and sending a rainbow’s worth of joyful start of spring wishes your way!
🖤 Autumn
What a wonderful keepsake to remind you of happy days in the park with Annie! I love how you picked out the colours and textures from the photo and thank you for the tips on creating a good scrapbook page.
Happy upcoming spring!
Take care,
Hugs
Carol x
Thank you very much, dear Carol. Your kindness and support of my crafting mean a great deal to me.
Though I love it no less than if it had been produced this year, I made this LO prior to my blog’s launch, during which time I was started to gradually build up a craft supply stash again. Was I to have made it today, some elements would differ, but the general design would likely remain – very much including pulling colours from this fun photo to use as the jumping-off point for this LO’s palette.
I hope that your spring is already off to a positive start and that you have a sunny, safe, and very enjoyable season.
🖤 Autumn
I thought I was the only one who made scrapbook pages of our dogs! LOL This showcases Annie so beautifully with those torn edges, crochet lace and all the little details that hit home to any dog lover/owner. Annie is a gorgeous dog, and the way you paid tribute to her with this page is just heartwarming to me! Beautifully detailed and designed – great job!
Dear Carol, your immensely lovely words made both my face and my heart smile broadly. Thank you so much for your awesome support of my work and for the very sweet things you said about our darling Annie.
Huge hugs from both of us!
🖤 Autumn
Yay, always fun to see pics of Miss Annie and on a beautiful scrapbook page to boot!
Thank you very much, dearest Inky. Were it not for the fact that Annie is profoundly camera shy, I would likely post pics (or photos of projects starring her) here so often that people might think I should have called my blog Dogcrafted Life! 😀
Alas, she would almost rather go to the vet’s office than have a lens pointed at her, which means that the few good photos we are able to nab mean all the more to us.
Big hugs & the very cheeriest of springtime wishes to you, my sweet friend!
🖤 Autumn
Beautiful page design with the beautiful Annie centre of attention as it should be. Having been surrounded by many animals both wild & domestic from birth i would say they all have happy places they prefer to be….equally they let you know when they aren’t happy too….those who say different obviously aren’t in tune with nature. Emmax
Thank you very much, lovely Emma. How right you are! Each critter has a personality all their own and likewise places where they feel the safest, happiest, and/or most at peace.
As the extrovert to end all extroverts, most of Annie’s involve public locations with fellow pups, but I am certain our own backyard + the couch where she lays beside me daily are amongst her happiest spots as well.
Many hugs & joyful start of springtime wishes coming your way,
🖤 Autumn