Just Travel | Julie Taylor

Hello Magpies. Today I’m sharing a layout using the new New York City collection from Carta Bella. This is a must collection for anyone having been to or going to visit this vibrant city, full of rich colours & fabulous icons perfect to document your visit.

There’s something magical about standing by the Brooklyn Bridge—its sweeping cables, the hum of the city beneath your feet, and that unmistakable New York energy. I wanted my scrapbook layout to capture not just the view, but the feeling of being there, so I leaned into texture, layers, and a hint of urban grit.

To ground the page, I started with a stencilled central square created using my street map stencil. The design echoed the city grid perfectly and instantly set the tone for a New York-themed layout. After stencilling, I machine-sewed around the entire square to give it a framed, tactile look. The stitching adds that handmade touch I love, and it subtly mirrors the structure and lines of the bridge itself.

On top of the stencilled square, I layered my photo—taken from the Dumbo side, with those iconic arches rising up. I added a mix of embellishments clustered around the photo to draw the eye inward and to build a sense of depth. The Just Travel acrylic title piece was the perfect finishing touch. To make it pop, I backed the open aperture with a photo of the bridge to further enhance the feel.

The Carta Bella New York collection did a lot of the heavy lifting with its rich colours and perfectly themed elements. The patterns and icons feel distinctly “New York,” without overpowering the rest of the design. For a little extra personality, I included some exclusive Hey Little Magpie wood pieces. Their warm tones and detailed shapes brought a lovely balance to the cooler tones of the papers and made the whole layout feel more dimensional.