Archive for January, 2011
Water colored images are a spectacular addition to any scrapping project. They can be as detailed or simple as you want them to be. It all depends on the look you’re after. Start with a line-art stamp set. Line-art images contain no block or solid elements, making them ideal for water coloring.
You can use these sets to watercolor in to any coordinating colors. Simply press the closed lid against your pad, and you’ll have a pool of ink ready for water coloring. Be sure to always stamp the image in a fast-drying, waterproof ink to prevent the image from smearing when you begin water coloring.
Perfectionists and artists-in-a-hurry sometimes shy away from mats because they find it difficult and time-consuming to cut straight, even layers. A plain straight-edge tool, is actually a remarkable product that makes it easy to make perfect mats every time.
These tools can be used to mat photographs, accents, images, journaling–anything requiring a straight edge. You can even use them to create double, triple, or quadruple mats. The tool consists of two clear, molded rulers with small lips of varying width. Each edge is embedded with stainless steel strips. The steel strips ensure a straight edge, even after repeated cuts with sharp blades.
A well-balanced page pleases the eye and creates a polished, professional look. Once you’ve identified the photos, title, borders, and journaling you want to use, arrange them on your page and step back. Check for any spots that feel empty or heavy.
If you see a spot that is empty, that’s where an accent should go. To select the right accent, consider the color scheme you’ve chosen and the other elements on the page. For a heavy spot, try to balance it out by adding accents to another spot on the page to create equal weight.
Accents in scrapbooking can also be as complex as you’d like. Tags serve as wonderful accents; they’re popular yet timeless, and they are extremely versatile.
You can add a few elements, such as the ribbon, brad, and paper-piercing patterns to create a customized accent that coordinates with any page. An example of a page would be a tag, tied to the page with ribbon and thread; simple flower-imaged journaling; and a handful of well-placed flower images to balance out the entire look. Both ink and card stock colors coordinate wonderfully, the flower images on the journaling and background coordinate as well. The result is a polished final product that looks perfect!
Additional accents in scrapping, such as wire works, eyelets, brads, buttons, and ribbon, also add interest and dimension to your page.
Adding a stamped accent to a page can be as simple as stamping an image on card stock. You can cut out a few coordinating images as well, to make your accent pop out even more. Thanks to all of the wonderful colors available in both ink and card stock, we can perfectly coordinate all aspects of a page.
While photos are the focal point of most scrapbook pages, the little extras, such as accents, can finish off the page to perfection. When a scrapbooker understands what accents are and how to use them effectively, this aspect of scrapbooking can be fun and offers an ideal opportunity to add individual taste, and style.
Basically, we use accents to reinforce the theme of mood of our page; add a fun, eye-catching element to the page; provide a balance for other page elements; or fill empty spaces. Accents can include stamped or cut-out images, images stamped on tags, and images wheeled or stamped on the background paper.
Digital scrapbooking has become increasingly popular over the past few years. One of the reasons is the switch from film to digital cameras. While traditional film results in physical pictures that you can physically place in albums, digital cameras are simply hooked in- and voila! – your pictures are on your computer. I enjoy digital scrapbooking because I can retouch photos, easily organize photos, and add in decorative elements and commentary.
By using digital scrapbooking albums, I am saved the frustration I often feel from dealing with glitter, glue, and general mess. Still, there is something to be said for having a physical scrapbook. For one, if your computer fails you might lose all of your precious photos, but if you have a physical scrapbook album then you’ll still have your memories. I do recognize the validity of physical scrapbooking, which is why I was so pleased to discover websites where you can upload your digital albums and they’ll print and bind them nicely for you. Now I have the best of both worlds!
For the beginning scrapper, investing in black pens of various tip sizes will easily accommodate thin to thick tasks. They contain pigments ink that are acid-free, are archival quality, are light-fast, waterproof, non-bleeding, and quick to dry. They are also perfect for a variety of lettering styles.
For a variety of tip styles, try those pens that scroll, brush, do calligraphy, are writer, fine, and chisel. Before investing in a complete color set of any particular tip style, try the pen set in black to ensure you’ll like the effects the style creates on your layouts.
I’m overly fond of the varieties of designed paper pads. My favorite are the paper lines that capture themes of the 1920′s and 1930′s with a vintage charm of vibrant colors and amazing textures.
I’m currently working on that antique photo album, turned into a scrapbooking album, that I mentioned I’d found in an earlier comment. I’ve had to add some of this kind of paper to the album to carry along the theme. My only problem is that the album uses an odd size of paper, so I’ve needed to cut the paper to fit. Some of the strips can be designed with my scissors and used as borders, or added as embellishments.
We all have our favorite supplies that we use for various projects. A vital item in my scrapbooking supply tote are markers. The markers that I use to scrap are high quality, durable, low odor markers that contain a permanent alcohol-based ink that dries acid-free. They are refillable, replaceable, and come in a large variety of colors.
I use them with my stamping to blend and shade colors. They will not tear up the paper, even if you go over the paper surface multiple times. With lots of practice, even the least artistic crafter can create beautiful images to use on cards and scrapbook pages.