Archive for February, 2012
Adding a dimension of scrapbooking embellishments to a creative project can be just like having that little sweet treat after eating a meal. There are a great number of ways to add dimension to your scrapbooking page layouts. Here are a few of the basics.
Step up your card making or scrapbook pages with some layers and breadth and you’ve got pages and an event to remember.
Another simple way to enhance your creations with proportion is to adhere one or more scrapbooking embellishments to your project using dimensionals. Highlight layers under images for even more pop.
Accessorize your project with dimensionals that already have that quality, like beads, buttons, and brads.
You can also create the breadth on your scrapbook pages using scrapbooking tools. Try paper-piercing, dry embossing, or punching out a piece or two. I’ve created embossed circles using a crop-a-dile in many of my projects.
Layering, to popping, to accessorizing, and more. Think of all the ways that you can add scrapbooking embellishments for dimension in all of your scrapbook or card creations.
Dry embossed images on scrapbooking paper is very appealing. Not only are embossed images visually attractive, they make you want to touch them too. But this type of embossing can be time consuming, and you may want to apply this technique to a few scrapbooking pages at a setting.
However, there are cricut dies that can make the process of dry embossing quick and clean. What sets these dies apart from other dies is that they not only cut, but they emboss too. All that you need is your special cricut machine, an embosslits die, and some scrapbooking paper. Run a piece of the scrapbook paper through the machine, and you have a perfectly embossed and cut image done very quickly. You have ebossed images for multiple pages or cards.
An embosslits die cuts around the embossed image, can make a more intricate cut than we can do by hand, and the image is embossed to the very edge. It’s very hard to cut so precisedly by hand.
The embosslits also applies equal pressure to all embossed sections of the image every time it’s used.
So if you’re needing to add a new design to your scrapbooking paper, try embosslits dies.
Batik is a traditional Indonesian method of dying fabric and the supplies needed to perform this method should be a part of your scrapbooking tools. With this technique, a wax design(s) can be applied to fabric before you dye it. This type of wax will resist the water-based dyes and preserves the color of the fabric. Batik elements are very common, even in scrapbooking.
Batik images work well as background images on scrapbooking pages and cards, and they provide a unique look to the overall design.
For a new idea in card making, create an image on a card, emboss the design with clear embossing powder from your scrapbooking tools onto white scrapbooking paper. Then apply ink with a sponge dauber, which will dye all of the exposed card stock but the embossed image.
This idea makes your accents pop right off the page. I also try to use a lot of bright colors for the affect.
You may want to add a little more variety to your cards or pages when you are lost for a new idea. Include the wax and pieces of fabric in your scrapbooking tools.
As scrapbookers, we have a great love of this great hobby and find it hard to resist the urge to dig into our scrapbooking tools to try other techniques.
Stamping or using stickers on metal tags is one of those fun new scrapbooking adventures. And when you combine stamping on metal tags with heat embossing, you discover a look that is delightfully fresh and unique. Embossing on a metal tag is easy, and the options it presents are irresistible. Heat up that scrapbooking tool and get ready for serious fun! This technique can be accomplished in a few short steps. First, apply VersaMark on to a stamp or sticker, and set it aside. Sponge VersaMark ink on to the tag, sprinkle it with embossing powder, and melt the powder with your heat tool. Hold the hot tag with tweezers, and repeat the embossing process twice. Place the pre-inked stamp or sticker into the hot embossing powder, and let the embossed image cool before you gently remove it. When cool, embellish the tag with beads, brads, ribbon, or scrapbooking paper.
If you haven’t acquired the above items, do so, and include them in your scrapbooking tools.
Wedding scrapbooking albums are for more than the bride and the groom. With all of the people in attendance at this memorable event, there may be a need for more than one wedding scrapbooking album.
No matter who’s putting together this album, it’s important to have a plan in place before beginning this important project. There are so many pictures to place on scrapbook pages, so preparing your mind for what to put on each page and what types of scrapbooking supplies and embellishments to use is critical.
The first thing I do is prepare a list of recipients that will receive wedding scrapbooking albums, and then get to the task at hand. Then, I think of how the album(s) will be arranged, and check my scrapbook supplies for availability of the items that I’ll need. It’s best to have all of your scrapbooking materials on hand so that you don’t have to waste time going to the craft store to purchase more of one thing or another.
Next, I sort through the photos that I’ll be putting on the scrapbooking pages and decide how many scrapbooking page layouts will be in each scrapbooking album.
I also choose the color coordinating scrapbook paper and accessories that can be used with each set of pictures. This will make the project go faster.
Don’t worry, there’s no right or wrong way of creating your wedding scrapbooking albums, just try to design them with some personality and originality.
I’m really into scrapbook kits for kids, grandkids to be more specific. I love the kits, because everything is there in front of them to start creating. My grandchildren are enthusiastic about designing scrapbook pages centered around themselves. Fortunately, I’ve taken plenty of pictures of them, so when we sit down they can dig into their project using the scrapbook kits.
With scrapbook kits for kids, the idea would lean toward simple and streamlined. The goal being to share memories in a way that doesn’t require a lot of scrapbooking tools or supplies. And with children, they want to get things done without wasting a lot of time!
I’ve discovered that my grandkids appreciate that shelf of scrapbooking albums even more than I do. They pull two or three of the heavy books down whenever they have a minute to spare, sitting on the couch, examining their works of art.
There are scrapbook albums of their school programs, birthday parties, t-ball games, flag and tackle football games, holiday celebrations with us, and summer days spent with us. They savor every minute and are so proud of the work that they put into their creations.
So yes, we scrapbook. I save and savor moments. I take pictures and collect lots of scrapbook kits for kids. I do it for me and for them, and maybe someday for their children’s children.
Scrapbook kits for kids are not very costly for me to purchase, and have provided some valuable time well worth spent with my grandkids.
For the beginning scrapbooker, don’t think that you need a ton of scrapbooking tools! Don’t feel overwhelmed about purchasing many, many supplies, just enjoy the hobby. Here are a few ideas for the beginner.
Don’t worry about what you need, just go with an idea that you may envision. Sizing of scrapbooks is up to you!
Begin a memory that you want to document, match it with a photo of whenever, and start designing. The memory is the important item in scrapbooking.
If you don’t have a particular design, just spread your wings and go with the flow. If the page doesn’t look right, toss it and start over.
Start with a few thing or things from your scrapbooking tools and create. You don’t need a lot of scrapbooking embellishments right from the start. Simple pages are wonderful!
Don’t stress over making perfect scrapbook pages. Relax and enjoy what you’re creating. That’s the fun of the hobby!
Let scrapbooking change your life through the use of the scrapbooking tools that you have on hand.
Another huge time-saver for the photographer beginning to create scrapbooking albums for posterity, is choosing a few basic page templates that coordinate wonderfully, and can be used to create a variety of different-looking scrapbooking pages.
Of course, the power of scrapbooking is preserving the memories. Photographs alone are not sufficient; scrapbookers need to recognize the importance of journaling. In the coming years, beautifully crafted scrapbooking albums with pictures of people on the pages that nobody recognizes from events that nobody remembers will be heartbreaking, not heartwarming.
Write down the names of the people shown in the photos and the dates that the pictures were taken. A scrapbook page becomes even more meaningful when more specific journaling is included. Themed scrapbooking albums present an ideal opportunity to do this, as journaling records the details, stories, and feelings about events that make us smile. The memories won’t last without the gentle reminder that scrapbooking albums provide, those recollections may be gone before you know it!
My youngest brother is graduating from high school at the end of May, and I’ll be looking for scrapbooking kits to preserve the memory of this glorious occasion. He was recently accepted into his top choice university – which also happens to be my alma mater – and I am very proud of his accomplishment. With the help of my parents and his friends, I’m putting together a senior year scrapbook album that he can take with him to the university. Whenever he feels lonely or just wants a bit of home, he can look at the scrapbook album and be reminded of all the good times he has had.
Going into the local crafting store can be overwhelming; nearly everything I see I want to purchase! To avoid purchasing unnecessary items, I’ll be looking into scrapbooking kits. There are several scrapbooking kits that I’ve seen already that cater to graduations, so now I’ll need to make the big decision as to which one I’ll choose.
Research indicates Americans take billions of photos each year, so why not put them in scrapbooking albums for posterity sake? Unfortunately, most of the same avid photographers are often lost when it comes to to preserving the very pictures they’ve worked so hard to take.
Start with the basic scrapbooking supplies that any scrapbooker needs: a variety of different types of stickers, or an alphabet set and one versatile stamp set, two or three colors of coordinating scrapbooking paper and ink, and one or two accessories.
Choose a general theme or subject that offers exciting possibilities for a variety of your photos. Try to select a theme that also allows you to use photos from different years that can be used together for a beautiful layout in your scrapbooking albums. With this idea, you can create dozens of pages on this theme, all color-coordinated, to possibly cover an entire lifetime. The end result might be scrapbooking albums as gifts for grandparents, children, or a family album preserving precious family photos.
Try to select a simple muted color palette for your scrapbooking albums. It is a key to creating quick and easy pages. Muted palettes go well with most photographs, and there’s no time wasted picking new colors for each spread. If you’re worried about certain photos coordinating with your scrapbook pages, you can always print your photos in black and white, which looks great with virtually every color in your scrapbooking albums.
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