Author Archives: Heather

Feb11

Not Enough Supplies?

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Not Enough Supplies?

One of the problems I’ve heard from people who’ve said they want to scrapbook is that they don’t have enough supplies to make the kinds of pages they want to create. They’ve decided that they need to invest in a huge stash before they can make a single page.

Please don’t let this idea stop you.

basic tool kitAside from the basics (see my recommended products page) there’s very little you need besides photos and paper. Sure, you can use lots of different papers and 10 different types of embellishments, but you don’t need to do that in order to create beautiful pages with lots of meaning.

Pages I make typically use less than ten different products, and frequently less than five. On occasion I use more product, but that’s usually when I have more time, or when I am exploring a new technique. It can be very easy to create something lovely with a minimum of product.

Let’s challenge ourselves, shall we?

Using only five pieces of product, our basic tool kit, and a photo or two, let’s make a page.

Here’s what I will be using:IMG_4379

Because I simply have to use these photos:

dsc_3725dsc_3731

Go pick out some photos and product. Let’s get some pages made!

Feb8

Using a Sketch

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Using a Sketch

There are so many ways you can adapt this sketch to fit what you have. Some simple changes in products and photos, and it becomes an entirely different page.

sketch 1 pic

First let’s remind ourselves how a strict interpretation of the sketch looks:

IMG_4366

This is how a strict interpretation looks, in digital form:

true blue_final

Very different from the first page, just by using different papers and photo.

Now, how about a 12×12 instead of an 8.5×11? And down the left side instead of the right, with no strip separating the photo and journaling? Yep, same sketch. Same structure. (I used less product so more attention would be paid to the story and the jokes on the background paper. I love elephant and chicken jokes.)

DSCF2119 Here’s another version on the left, where the journaling/photo mat has been extended the height of the entire page, and the journaling is on strips, instead of being separated from the photo by strips. 100_7229

One more left sided version, where the photo/journaling mat is now layered pieces of paper instead of a single piece, and the journaling has been replaced by a photo. Three tags anchor the center strip, and give me a place to add just a touch of journaling.

IMG_3800 Now, we’ve got the photo/journaling mat in the center of the page, and the dividing center strip has been turned into layered strips, anchoring the title. Instead of a single photo, there are two photos grouped together at the top. IMG_1444Now that we’ve brought the title down off the top of the page, let’s take it all the way to the bottom, and widen the dividing strip, so that it’s big enough to act as a journaling spot as well. IMG_1279We can even turn the photo/journaling mat in its side, and turn the journaling spot into a pocket for hidden journaling.IMG_1291

Now that you’ve seen this sketch, and how it can be adapted and adjusted to fit your supplies, what are you going to do with it? Show me what you make! It’s time to get scrapping!

PS If you would like to make your own digi page you can download the zipped template here: sketch 1.psd

Feb5

Sketch Basics

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Sketch Basics

One of the simplest ways to start creating a page, whether you’re new to scrapbooking or have been doing it for years, is to start with a sketch. Some people call sketches page maps, some call them layout designs or templates, but they all refer to the same thing: a simplified line drawing that shows you where to place paper, photos, journaling, title, and embellishments.

Let’s start with a simple one, so you can see a sketch in action:

sketch 1 pic

We’ve got a background paper in the light purple. When you’re putting your page together, this can be a solid cardstock or a patterned paper. Just make sure as you build your page that you’re using papers that are stiff enough to support your photos and endure living in your albums.

The light blue is a combination photo mat and journaling spot. For this particular page, I had a lot to say, so I designed a large journaling spot, and room for one 4×6 photo.

The title fills the space above the photo mat, and there is minimal embellishing with two strips of ribbon/washi tape/paper, and a teeny tiny heart.

This is how it looked after I was done:

IMG_4366

As you can see, simple design can be beautiful. You don’t have to use a lot of techniques or embellishments to create something you love.

Now, you could make a ton of pages using this design, and simply because you use different papers and photos, they will all look different. Not only that, you can also think of each piece as a simple place holder, and vary what goes into each place. For example, the journaling block could be a spot for another photo, and the strips could become spots for journaling instead of just being embellishments.

Use this sketch, and see what you can come up with. I’ll show you lots of variations on this page on Friday.

You can do this.

 

 

Feb4

Photo Organizing Class

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Photo Organizing Class

I have to share this before it’s too late:

Stacy Julian is running her Finding Photo Freedom (affiliate link) class starting this Thursday, February 7th!

Why am I so excited about this? Because this is a class you need to take if organizing your photos is your stumbling block in scrapbooking.

I took this class back in 2009, when I decided I needed a more efficient way to find the photos I wanted to use for scrapbook pages. Most of my images were digital, and finding the photo I wanted to scrap for a particular story was more time consuming than the actual page creation.

Stacy’s class was just the process I needed! There’s a system for organizing digital photos for printing, a chronological and event based component, and a structure for additional sorting of photos to find relationships, common themes, and evidence of growth and change. There’s also a system for organizing the pages you complete.

This is a revolutionary system. Not only does it move you beyond date based stories, it helps you find and tell stories that go beyond the who, what and when, and into the how and the why. The how and the why stories are my most important and beloved pages.

Without this system, I probably would have never noticed this common theme:at four

at 8at 9at ten
This boy, running towards me, so excited and happy, and wanting to share that with me; this is a story and common thread in my life that I would probably have never noticed if I hadn’t taken Stacy Julian’s class.

It’s not too late to sign up for her class. It starts this Thursday, but you can register until the following Wednesday (the 13th.) Sign up. It will change how you scrapbook. In a good way.

300 x 250

Feb1

Using that Patterned Paper

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Using that Patterned Paper

Are you ready for some examples to help you visualize how to use your precious paper?

Let’s start with the most common: a paper with a large design. When you’re working with a large design, you need to decide if you are going to incorporate it, and let it dictate the structure of your page, or if you are willing to cover up some of the design.

In this first example, I used the shape of the design to build my layout. Since it looked like a frame, I treated it like a frame, and kept my photos within the design, by cutting through the paper, and sliding the photo corners under the frame. I added flowers and buttons to the ones already printed to create a visual triangle and give the page more texture.

Fitting photos into a pre-printed design

Fitting photos into a pre-printed design

Sometimes, if you buy paper stacks or a collection, you will find you have a plain patterned paper which complements your paper with a larger design. Then you can make a two page layout, using the large design as an embellishment cluster. To balance this page out, I added some diecut trees on the opposite page, and repeated the stars throughout the page to create more unity as well.

carrying a pre-printed design over two pages

carrying a pre-printed design over two pages

Sometimes you just need to ignore the design entirely, however. The next two photos were both made with one sheet of paper that I love. The part that was more like an illustration than a pattern I used for my alarm clock.

paper in the real world

paper in the real world

I saved the part that was more densely patterned, and used that as a background. With no photos, the patterned paper and the journaling became the star attractions.

Using that lovely, huge design

Using that lovely, huge design

Occasionally, a pattern is really bold and can be rather distracting. Rather than use the whole piece of paper, cut out parts of it, like I did with this page. The original is very bright and cheery, but was difficult to work with. By using pieces of it, I kept the cheeriness, but didn’t have my photos and story overwhelmed by the patterned paper.

Using pieces of patterned paper as embellishments

Using pieces of patterned paper as embellishments

Laser cut lace papers are another difficult piece to work with. The simplest thing to do is to back the lace paper with a coordinating cardstock. It’s a great way to give your page some support both physically and visually.

Using those fancy lace papers

Using those fancy lace papers

Lastly, this is one of my favorite things to do with double sided patterned papers when I love both sides. I cut the piece of paper to 8.5×11, and then use the reverse side to create a coordinating stripe down one side of the page. On this particular page, I even used the left over one-inch strip to create a punched border. Fast, simple, and effective, this is a go-to design for me, especially when I have just one or two photos to highlight.

using both sides of a double sided paper

using both sides of a double sided paper

One more idea for you before you go. Have you heard of Shimelle Laine? She’s one of the most inspiring scrapbookers out there, and she scraps using this wonderful idea called a starting point. A starting point is a background built of cardstock and patterned paper that she then puts her photos, journaling and embellishments on. For True Scrap 3 (a live, online scrap retreat) she presented a class called the Perfect Collection. In this class, she showed how she cut all her paper in one collection pack up, and then assembled her pages. Yes, you read that right. She cut her paper up before she knew what she was going to do with it. Radical idea, right? I love it! Here’s an affiliate link to the class: The Perfect Collection. I seriously recommend trying this class and the ideas in it to get yourself over the fear of wasting or ruining your paper.

Are you feeling more comfortable about using your treasured paper? There are a lot of ideas here. Pull out your paper. Use it this weekend. Show me what you make. I’d love to see it!