My Crafty Life

Paper Crafting Tip#13: Start your holiday cards now!

If you're like me, everyone on my Christmas Card List expects a hand-made card from me.  That adds up to a lot of cards,  which I am sure many of you can relate to.  The only way I can keep up with this is to make my cards in batches.  I make 4 or 5 designs, and then I make the cards in groups, assembly line fashion.  It's fun to get together with friends, too.  I've already made 2 groups of cards, and I have 2 other designs in my sketchbook. 

Now, you don't have to make so many designs, of course, but I find that I get kind of bored if I try to make them all the same.  If you'd like to share your cards, please email them to me, and I'll include them in my Blogs for November and December.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

You might have noticed that now I have changed the title of these posts to Paper Crafting Tips.  I've decided to include tips for all types of paper crafting, since most of us are involved in more than one type of crafting.

Happy crafting!

Scrapbooking Tip #12: Ironing Ribbon

I've seen all the cute little craft irons on the market, and I even own one of them. (I got it on sale.)  They're OK; but I'm impatient, and I don't like to wait for them to heat up.  Besides, they never get quite hot enough to be very effective.  But did you know that you don't need an iron to "iron" your ribbons?  If you've got a lightbulb, you're good to go.  First, make sure that your lightbulb is clean and dust-free.  (Of course, you need to do that while it's cool. Don't ask me how I know that.)  Then just pull your ribbon tight, and rub it slowly across the hot bulb, being very careful not to rub your fingers along the bulb as well. (Don't ask me how I know that, either.)  It works great!  And you can save your money for the really essential things, like more paper, more chipboard, more dies for your cutting machine, and - yes, you guessed it - MORE RIBBON!  Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by!

Scrapbooking Tip #11: Add a Little "Bling"!

I love glitter and rhinestones!  I use them wherever I can:  on my layouts, on my cards, and on any other craft project on which I can get away with it.   Sometimes it's difficult to know when to stop, though.  I don't want my projects to look too gaudy, so I try to use the "bling" in moderation. 

Using glitter does have one drawback, though.  I'm constantly "sparkling."  No matter how hard I try, I never can seem to get all that glitter off me.  In fact, when I was working in a very upscale paper store in SoHo a few years ago, one of the "younger" associates complimented me on my "cool nose ring."  Just as I started to tell her that I didn't have a nose ring, she corrected herself and said, "Oh, no, wait; that's glitter."  I even find glitter on the cat!  And my kids!  Oh, well, I guess it's an occupational hazard.  Here's to the BLING!

Below is the most recent Disney layout I've done.  I used a lot of glitter and rhinestones for the title, but I felt that the layout warranted a lot of shiny stuff.

Scrapbooking Tip #10: Organizing by Color

I know that this is a day late, but yesterday I went to see that gorgeous great-nephew of mine!  He's smaller in person, but also even cuter.  Pictures will be following very soon!

This week's tip is on organization.  I stamp a lot, and I had been pretty dissatisfied with the way I organized my inkpads for awhile.  I had all my dye-based pads in one drawer, all my pigments in another, and all my SU/TAC in another.  I even kept all my mini inkpads separate.  I didn't know what colors I had anymore!  Then it hit me.  I had an AHA! moment!  Why not organize my inkpads the same way I organize my paper?  I had to try it, right then and there.

You see, I'm a COLOR person.  Just about everything I do in scrapbooking and card making begins with color.  My papers are organized by color, and it works really well for me, so I decided that I needed to do this for my inkpads as well.  It's wonderful!  I combined some colors, and I still have 3 drawers, but now I can see what colors I have and what colors I need.

I haven't found a need to organize all my embellishments this way yet, but my ribbons and buttons have been that way for quite awhile now.  Like I said, I'm a COLOR person.  You can be a COLOR person, too!

Enjoy your crafting this week!

Scrapbooking Tip #9: Use your scraps to make a card.

Happy World Cardmaking Day!  I'm having some friends over to celebrate, and we're going to be starting our Holiday cards.  My tip for you this week is really easy to do.  After you finish a layout, take all the scraps you have left over and create a card or two.  You'd be surprised at how many cool designs you can come up with, and you'll feel like you're really getting your money's worth out of your supplies.  Here are some examples of what I made using mostly scraps of paper.  Have a great weekend!

Scrapbooking Tip of the Week - Tip #7: Diecuts

I have to admit that I'm cheating a little bit this week.  Yesterday was my birthday, so I was a little lazy.  I'm using my Weekend Challenge idea for A Shade of Blue.  (See the sidebar for the Challenge link.)  Try using a diecut or two to embellish your scrapbook pages (or cards).  They're easy to make, and you can customize the colors to match your layouts.  I used the Sizzix Birthday Cake and Rectangle Frame dies for the card below.  The photo corners are from the frame.  I just cut the corners off!  All of the papers that I used are from my scraps. 

If you'd like me to explain how to layer diecuts, just post a comment, and I'll do that later this week.  And to all my friends who tell me they check out my Blog, I'd love to hear from you.  Thanks to everyone who pops in to check out My Crafty Life!

Scrapbooking Tip of the Week - Tip #4: Titles

Most of my pages have titles.  In fact, I think ALL of my layouts have titles.  Some are one word, and some are pretty long.  It all depends on the layout.  I find that a catchy title really makes people want to look at the page(s).  You might not want to put a title on all of your pages, and that's OK, too.

I create my titles in different ways.  Sometimes I stamp them, and other times I use my BigKick to die-cut them.  I use rub-ons, my computer, and occasionally stickers. 

Here is a layout from Halloween of last year.  The title is simple, but effective.  I used my BigKick and the Vixen set by QuicKutz.

Scrapbooking Tip of the Week - Tip #3: Journaling

I believe that journaling is what separates scrapbooks from photo albums.  Although I find journaling very easy, I realize that many people do not.  I don't think it's necessary to write paragraph after paragraph for every layout, though.  Sometimes just the 5 Ws are enough: Who, what, when, where, and why.  If you can write down just this information, you will have enough for most layouts.  Sometimes these details can spark your memory of other details, and the journaling will come more easily.  Give it a try.  Oh, and I do most of my journaling in my own handwriting, but I do occasionally use the computer.

On this layout, I relied on a nursery rhyme to inspire my journaling.  I did this one awhile ago, but it's still one of my favorites.

Scrapbooking Tip of the Week - Tip #2: Select your papers.

Now that you've chosen your photos, it's time to match your papers with the pictures.  Remember to use acid-free, lignin-free papers.  You don't want to ruin your photos over time.  I usually use 12 x 12, but this size can easily be trimmed down to a smaller size.

Look at your photos to find a common color.  If you can't find one, you can choose some neutral colors that work with the colors you do have in your photos.  Sometimes I choose theme colors.  For example, if I'm working on a Christmas layout, I'll usually choose Christmas-themed papers.

Start with the plain cardstock, and then select 1 or 2 patterned papers that match it.  Most scrapbook paper companies have papers that coordinate.  I advise that you use only 1 or 2 patterns, because your layout can become nauseatingly busy if you use too many.

In this layout, I've chosen summer-themed papers that match the colors in my photos as well.  They are from TAC (The Angel Company).  Please contact me for more information about this kit.

Remember to check back next week for another scrapbooking tip. 

Scrapbooking Tip of the Week - Tip #1: Choose Your Photos

Believe it or not, you don't have to scrap every photo you take!  Yes, that's right.  Give yourself permission to scrapbook only the photos that are the best, or the ones that tell the story best.  I try to select between 4 and 7 photos for each (2-page) layout.  Sometimes I choose more, and sometimes less.  And, now that I have gone digital, I have only the best photos printed and choose from those.  I put the remaining photos in an acid-free/lignin-free photo album with sleeves.  Repeat after me:  It's OK to scrap only some of my photos. It's very liberating!

Have a great week-end!