Products:

Melange Fotoblendz No 2: http://www.oscraps.com/shop/Melange-FotoBlendz-No.-2.html
HaHa from Vintage Halloween Artplay Palette: http://www.oscraps.com/shop/ArtPlay-Palette-Vintage-Halloween.html
FineEdgeFrames No. 2: http://www.oscraps.com/shop/FineEdge-Frames-No.-2.html
WarmGlos No. 8: http://www.oscraps.com/shop/WarmGlows-No.-8.html
Autumnal Artplay Palette No. 2 (retired)

Process:

I started with a hard-edged photo, a text message series, and a desire to make a fun page documenting a conversation I had with my daughters. I used the multimasking-with-Fotoblendz technique from this video http://annaaspnesdesigns.com/video-multimasking-with-fotoblendz/, and after I got the photo more or less okay, I added the FotoGlows to lighten up the drinks. Then I added the big frame, the sticker title and the text conversationit was a lot to squeeze in, and that's without the journaling. The background came next, and I didn't fuss too much about texture because the layout was already so busy. I did the little piece of journaling next, to get it out of the way, and the page wasn't working for me so I stepped away. When I returned, I found myself adding even more: two frames to focus attention on the drinks, a fine-edge frame around the text conversation and a bold HaHa. A few buttons finished it off. I considered going back and removing stuff to free up some white space, but then decided that the layout captured the emotion I wanted to express and that my girls would love the page just as is, lack of white space notwithstanding.