Finding Your Muse

Every scrapbooker has one of those days now and again when it's impossible to create a decent page. As hard as you try, you can't get the pictures to look good on the page. Another situation is finding yourself in a rut. If every page starts looking then same, its time to take a break and get over your scrapbooker's block-find some new inspiration.

Inspiration is all around in the world. Turn on the television to check out your favorite celebrity's latest fashion, and this may lead to a new color scheme for one of your pages. Read a magazine and you may see a cute way of placing photographs and text on the page together. Billboards, advertisements, movie posters, and simply the scenes of your neighborhood can all become sources of inspiration if you look at the world with a scrapbooking eye.

Pictures are not the only things that can inspire a new page idea-words have a way of working themselves into your pages as well. A funny or moving quote can be used on a page as an embellishment, or perhaps a catchy phrase can become the theme and title of your layout. In any case, you may just need a break from the visual arts for awhile. Some of my best page ideas come to me when I'm doing something totally unrelated to layout design, such as reading. Take a break and walk away from your scrapbooking space. Perhaps a simple the change of scenery will motivate you to get back into the groove of creating original pages.

Friends can be a good source of inspiration as well. Ask for advice on your layout or, if they scrapbook as well, browse through some of their albums. You don't have to flat out copy their ideas, but perhaps a few of the elements you see on some of their pages can be put together to create a page of your own. You can also achieve this by browsing through scrapbooking publications such as magazines and books. Again, you don't have to create exactly what you see, but the mark of a good designer is the ability to make a technique his or her own.

The best source of inspiration should be your photographs. Pull colors from those in the pictures, and use the number and sizes of the pieces to determine what kinds of layouts are possible. Use your subject matter to inspire you as well. Children and pets work especially well for this, and with a little determination, you'll be back in the cropping chair again in no time.

Author: Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 file ready to download if you hate printed files. Check spectrum of scrapbooking tips on http://www.ask-how.info/scrapbooking

Scrapbooking: Computer-Aided Scrapbooking

There are infinite options for scrapbooking. It is just up to you on how beautiful your scrapbook will look when finished. Older generations have done theirs using the basic art materials available even to schoolchildren. But now in the digital age, computers will change the look of scrapbooks. Today, it is almost impossible to achieve anything without the use of computers. If magazines are not available to make up for a desired text to go along with the concept, graphics editors can do everything. The only requirement is the skill to do it.
Computer is the best tool for scrapbooking in the 21st century. How can computers aid in pre-designing each page of your scrapbook. Here are the pointers on how to use the best-known scrapbooking tool.
USE COMPUTER SOFTWARE:
Third party scrapbooking softwares commonly used around have ready-made pages to choose from. If the designs are satisfactory, why buy from books stores if you can print your own? Of course, the printing itself may cost, but using softwares, the designs can even be enhanced. These image-ready applications are very user-friendly and designed for people who don't have too much skill in primitive graphics design.
HELP YOURSELF WITH POPULAR GRAPHIC ARTS EDITOR:
If you find other ready-made designs from applications too impersonal, then you can do your own with the aid of graphic arts software. You can scan your old picture or take a shot with digital camera, make layouts from different backgrounds, combine multiple photos from your collection, and adjust how it will look on your page.
Graphic Arts Editors have built in good fonts to choose from. In this case, you can use any to satisfy your design liking. For professional outcome, this is only applicable to those who have the skill to use the editor. People whose works are inclined to digital arts have the advantage for creating very modern scrapbooks.
Graphic Arts Editor can enhance photos, correct lens errors, clean dust/specks, blur and sharpen images, change the color and many other corrective measures.
PRINTED FINISH
There are ways of accomplishing scrapbooks with the aid of computer printers. You can start a semi-finished scrapbook with bordered boxes for photos, or you can do a complete printable scrapbook with no more mess. In other words, you can print a designer page or the complete digital scrapbook.
What comes along is the choice of paper to use. Specific inkjet paper with varying thickness, surface and texture can be accommodated by branded printers. The scrapbook can be printed double-sided or one-sided.
RESOLUTION
When complexities started with computers, the most important aspect in doing printed materials with computer starts with resolutions. If the user is not so familiar on resolution behavior seen on screens versus the printed output, then it is the time to start asking an expert and have some background info on how it can affect the print from the start of the layout. For people with background on graphic arts, this is still not an average issue. It is a very crucial one in order to have the best print using a specified appropriate paper.
In conclusion, scrapbooking must adhere with modernization. The greatest advantage of using computer as basic tool is the capability to back up the file and keep it for future printing. Or even if you have done a conventional scrapbook, computers still can manage the scanning and reproduction of scrapbooks.
Article by: NICHOLAS TAN

GCD Studio Little Red Dress Scrapbooking Layout

The following instructions will help you create this very cute layout "Little Red Dress" using products from GCD Studio, all products used are from their Whoop De Doo Collection.
Materials:
2 sheets 12x12 cardstock from Whoop De Doo Collection
2 sheets patterned paper from Whoop De Doo Collection
Whoop De Doo ribbon
Whoop De Doo epoxy
Whoop De Doo chipboard
Blue glitter letter stickers

Instructions:
Use one piece of cardstock as your background. Trim the second piece of cardstock to 10x10 inches and adhere it in the center of the other piece of cardstock.

Trim one piece of patterned paper into a 1x9-inch strip. Adhere the strip to the page. Cut the second piece of patterned paper into one 6-inch circle and one 3.5-inch circle. Adhere both circles to the page. Trim a piece of ribbon to 7.75 inches and angle the ends. Adhere the ribbon to the page. Choose a large chipboard shape for an accent. Embellish with the epoxy and chipboard.

A Gift Made of Scraps

Perhaps the most rewarding type of scrapbook you can make is one that you intend to give as a gift. Scrapbooks make special gifts for almost every occasion, because there handmade touches show that you care about the person. When someone receives your scrapbook as a gift, he or she may be inspired to create a scrapbook as well, and in this way you can spread the scrapbooking bug to friends and family members.

There are many different types of scrapbooks you can make for the recipient. One of my favorite types of themes makes a good gift for a graduate or someone moving away-use pictures from throughout the years of the person growing up and end with a recent picture and some blank pages so the album an be continued. Pages made as a continuation make good future gifts as well. This is also a good idea for couples celebrating their wedding or anniversary. Instead of just having a traditional wedding album, include pictures of both people from before they met and then create pages of their life together.

Gathering pictures for these albums might call for you to be a bit sneaky. Talk to friends and family members. Remember, never scrapbook using a person's original photographs without asking first. Instead, make high-quality color copies at your local photocopy center. If you use the machine correctly, you shouldn't be able to tell the different between the originals and the copies. By careful to replace the photographs exactly as you found them, not only to prevent the recipient from finding out the surprise, but also as a common courtesy. Even some people who do not do scrapbooking have very precise systems for keeping their photographs in order.

If you don't have access to photographs or want to give a gift to someone who likes to do the scrapbooking on their own, try making a layout album for the person. This is an empty album of sorts-you do all the page designing and let the person crop and add their own photographs. They can use the album as given or remove the pages in groups or singularly to add to an album they are currently creating. Perhaps your best bet for an avid scrapbooker is not an album, however, but a box full of supplies or a gift certificate to a local craft supply store. You can still personalize this gift by choosing papers to coincide with specific events in a person's life-for example, buy beach-themed paper for someone who recently bought a beach house, or buy letter stamps that spell out specific names. With a little creativity, you can use your love of the craft to give a perfect gift to anyone.

Article by Tom Ambrozewicz, one of the pioneers in using breakthrough articles audio technology on his web sites. You can read or listen to all scrapbooking tips at http://www.ask-how.info/scrapbooking

Give Your Album Some Flow - Scrapbook Themes

Scrapbooking starts when someone has a lot of pictures that he or she wants to organize in an eye-pleasing way. To do this, you can start creating pages on a whim and produce a random collection of photographs mounted on paper, or you can take the more effective approach and plan out a theme to your album. There are many album themes to consider when choosing the option that will best fit your needs.

The most often used theme for your album really isn't much of a theme at all-chronological order. Most beginning scrapbookers use this method of organization because it is convenient to use if you are trying to get all of your photographs out of boxes and into acid free albums. Chronological scrapbooks also make it easy to keep up with the album as you get new pictures developed. However, this is not the only type of album that can be created, and you should weigh all options before starting to scrapbook.

Consider creating a birthday or holiday album, which work especially well for scrapbookers with children. Rather than including pages with all your pictures throughout the year, choose one holiday and start an album with one layout for each year. The result will be a book that shows the progression of a child from year to year, and these make excellent graduation gifts or can become keepsakes as your children move out of the house. These are on-going projects, so you will need to devote many years to an album before it is complete.

Another theme that makes a beautiful album is people. This works nicely with the random pictures you may have that were not used in your chronological album. To make this kind of album, create one layout for each person, and show them throughout the years. Alternatively, if you take many pictures, you can create a single album all for one person. An album themed by people makes a good gift for someone with many grandchildren or for someone moving away from a group of friends.

However you chose to theme your album, think of its function before you start. Who will be looking at the album? Are you giving this album as a gift? What kind of pictures do you have available? Scrapbooking according to theme creates well-organized albums, and by choosing a theme before you start creating pages you can make an album that works well in your collection or as a gift.

Article By: Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 file ready to download if you hate printed files. Check spectrum of scrapbooking tips on http://www.ask-how.info/scrapbooking

Organizing Your Scrapbooking Area

With the hundreds of thousands of scrapbooking papers and embellishments available on the market, it is easy for your craft area to become overwhelmed by scrapbooking supplies. This becomes an especially difficult challenge for scrapbookers who live in small spaces such as apartments or dorm rooms. Never fear-with a little effort you can follow a few easy steps to create a space for your things that is organized, clean, and beautiful.

You will likely need the most time and space to organize your papers. A good option for this is a paper saver, as made by most of the larger scrapbooking companies. Usually made from plastic, these folder-like portfolios are large enough to hold hundreds of papers and include tabs to separate your pages into categories for easy organization. If you find that you do not have enough room in a paper saver, you might also find it useful to invest in a filing cabinet or one of the sets of drawers made especially for scrapbooking. These are available at all craft stores and online.

Once you own a tool for organization, the next step is to decide how you want to categorize your supplies. The option most often used is color, but you can also separate your paper into themes (holidays, wedding, etc) or by marking, such as solids and stripes. You can also use this system to organize flat embellishments, such as die cuts or stickers.

You also need a place to store your tools and embellishments that are not easily filed. One good way of doing this is by using baskets and a shelving system. Store cutting tools in one basket, glues in another, markers and paint in a third, and so on. By buying baskets in bulk, you will save more money then if you use photo boxes, and the display will be uniform and attractive. Remember to label your baskets so you save time when you're looking for a particular item.

If you need to save space, however, a basket and shelving system may not work for you. Instead, keep all your tools and supplies stored somewhere safe and out of the way and keep a "kit" of your most used items close at hand in a photo box, basket, tote bag, or other container. That way when you only have time to do a quick page or two, you can use your kit to complete it and then quickly clean up. On the other hand, when you can devote an entire day to scrapbooking, you can pull your supplies out of storage to complete many pages of your album.

Try to remember that keeping your space clean and organized will make scrapbooking easier and more enjoyable in the future. By labeling your storage containers and sorting your papers, you will be able to quickly find the tools you need. Organization is the key to stress-free scrapbooking and creating beautiful albums.

Written By: Tom Ambrozewicz, one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 file ready to download if you hate printed files. Check spectrum of scrapbooking tips on http://www.ask-how.info/scrapbooking

Check out my Slide Show!

License Plate Titles

I really like these cute License Plate Titles, they are very simple to make and can be used as a way to add an interesting title to your scrapbooking pages and off the page projects.

Materials (to make 1)
1x 5” x 2.5” Patterned Paper
1x 4.75” x 2.25” Cardstock
1x 4.5” x 2” Patterned Paper
TLC Phrasez

Instructions

1. Cut you paper and cardstock to the correct measurements then use a corner punch to round all the corners.

2. The largest patterned paper goes on the bottom. Adhere the cardstock to the centre of the largest patterned paper, adhere the smaller patterned paper to the centre of the cardstock.

3. Punch holes in the all the corners to give it a authentic “License Plate” look.

4. Use the words and images from TLC Phrasez to embellish your license plate.

Simple! TLC Phrasez have been used in this example, but you can create your own using other letters, words and images

7 Ideas to Make Beautiful Scrapbooks

1. Vellum
Vellum is a transparent, translucent material. Vellum can be used to create a slight shadow or shade change to background or embellishment colors. This can be used as a softening agent for baby scrapbooks, as a touch of elegance to gift scrapbooks, or to create dimension in a boring flat page.

To reduce the cloudiness effect caused by gluing, apply only a thin line of glue along the edges of the vellum. In this way, you will see a slight shadow only along the very edge. This will look like a border to the vellum. Vellum is available in both acidic and non acidic forms.

2. Shadow Boxes
A great way to add depth to your scrapbook page is to add shadow boxes. Basically shadow boxes add a shadow to your images. Shadow boxes are also a great way to make your most important photographs or text boxes stand out form the rest of the page. Shadow boxes can also be to emphasis dedications.

To make a shadow box, simply cut a box shape out of paper. Next, put your embellishment on a larger square of cardstock. Then, add glue to all four sides of the cardstock square and attach it to the back of your paper. The embellishment will show through, adding greater dimension to your page.

3. Patterned Paper
Patterned paper can be used for backgrounds, borders, and embellishments. Often plain white backgrounds look rather boring and dull. Patterned backgrounds add a touch of excitement to your page. The right pattern tailored to your theme and purpose can also increase that professional look.

Colors and patterns can be used to coordinate with your photographs or to add dramatic effects. Paper with various themes and patterns is widely available. For instance, a birthday scrapbook could have a background made of your favorite gift wrap. This could add a touch of elegance or a touch of humor depending upon the patterned paper you choose.

4. Textured Paper
Textured paper can add extra dimension to your scrapbooking page. Textured paper can be used to highlight focus items on your scrapbook page. Textured paper can also be used as a backgrounds or border to give your page an interesting fresh look.

5. Book Jacket Backgrounds
For an added personal touch and artist flair use a book jacket as a background. This scrapbook technique looks especially nice when the book jacket is the reader's favorite book or author, adding a wonderful personalized touch.

Be aware, however, that the glossy coating on the book jacket creates an added challenge to sticking objects to this background. Alternative attachment methods include sewing and eyelets.

6. Adding Dimension
One good way to add dimension to images is to use double stick foam tape. Double stick foam tape literally allows items to pop out at your reader adding realism to items. This technique is especially useful in children's art and educational scrapbooks.

Simply, cut the foam tape into whatever shape and size you want. Then, attach to shape onto your scrapbook page. Double stick foam tape is available at most craft stores in various colors and thicknesses.

7. Ribbons and Lace
Ribbon and lace are by far the most common, and most beautiful, border embellishment. The flowing nature of both materials encourages a touch of softness and elegance. Ribbon and lace are especially popular in gift and memory scrapbooks.

Moreover, ribbon is easy to glue and attach. Lace requires a bit more patience.

For an interesting change from ribbon and lace, try using jute or raffia.
Article by: Lena Fields

Organizing Digital Photos for Scrapbooking

Digital cameras are becoming more and more popular as time goes by. As a scrapbooker, I find it easier to store and organize digital photos then regular photos. This is how I organize them.

After loading your photos onto your computer, create folders. Copy and paste photos by date and event. I like to even take this a step further and copy and paste what photos I want per layout. So when it's time to scrapbook, I simply look at my different folders and decide which one I want to work on. I then look to see how many pictures there are and figure out a layout that would work well. I take in consideration different sizes I could print the photo, with regular film processing you can't do that. I then print out only the ones I want to work with.

With digital photos, you can crop, trim, or change color tints on your photos. Think black and white photos would look better then the scattered colored photo? No problem, simply got to your photo editing program and play with the coloring. If the subject of your photo is off center or something distracting is in the picture, use your photo editing program to crop or zoom in.

Digital photo is the way to go! They are so much easier to work with and take up only computer space!
Article By: Debbie Luker

Basic Color Theory for Scrapbooking

Looking for a simple, versatile scrapbooking idea that can make your pages interesting and great looking' Try using the color wheel that you learned about in grade school to design well-coordinated eye-pleasing pages that really shine. The simple color theories that you learned in grade school can serve you very well in scrapbooking today, and after reviewing the basics you'll be ready to create an unlimited number of great looking pages.

Remember the color wheel' Colors arranged in a circle, similar to a rainbow, and all of the colors related' Red combines with yellow to make orange, yellow and blue combine to make green, and red and blue make purple, remember' Visit your local craft store and invest in a simple color wheel to get you going. Most of the art departments will have one, and EK Success now makes a fancy one just for scrapbooking. Any color wheel will allow you to use these simple ideas.

Let your picture be your guide in choosing a color scheme for your page. Choose one color from the photograph to be your 'key' color. It may be a color from a flower in the foreground, or the color of the shirt your child is wearing. Whatever you choose, it will be the starting point for your color themed page design.

The first color scheme is monochromatic. Say you've chosen the blue of your son's eyes. Since every color comes in many values, choose two or three additional values of the blue color you want to use. You may choose one lighter value and one darker value, or two lighter or darker values, it's up to you. Now do all of your work on the page in these three colors. The result will be restful, calming and cohesive. Your page will be pleasing to the eye and stylish, no matter how you accessorize.

Choosing two or three adjoining colors is called an analogous color scheme. These combinations tend to be either warm (from the red side of the color wheel) or cool (from the blue side of the color wheel). They are pleasing to the eye, restful and attractive. Certain combinations lend themselves very well to different themes as well. Consider a combination of red, orange yellow and orange for a striking fall layout, or a combination of icy blues and purples for a frosty winter page.

The third basic type of color scheme is complimentary. Choosing colors across the wheel from each other creates contrast and is a good way to make the items on your page stand out. On a blue page, mat the photos in orange and use orange toned accents and your details will really stand out. Red and green are also complimentary, another reason that those Christmas pages are usually so striking. Every color on the color wheel has a compliment. Consider basing your page on one color and accent with its compliment for a striking, impressive effect.

The basics of color theory that we learned in grade school are worth reviewing when you're looking for ideas to get started on your next scrapbook page. Invest in a color wheel and put those great papers to work for you!
Written by: Jay Moncliff