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Looking for ideas?
Here are the best of the Tips & Tricks from our Design Team & Monthly Newsletters
If you have any tips & tricks that you think should be listed here, please contact us on our contact form.
Distressing - The word distress has a wide variety of meanings including psychological suffering, pain, worry,
anxiety etc. All of these will be experienced the first time you decide to try distressing your pages - LOL!
However, once you start you will wonder what all the fuss was about and you will be totally addicted.
Here are a few basic distressing techniques and tools to try....
1. Lightly spray patterned paper with water and scrunch it. Unfold carefully and repeat if a more textured look is desired. Allow to dry before using it when scrapbooking (you may want to gently iron it).
2. Use a sanding block to sand the edges of paper or photos. (Ink the edges for a further distressed look.)
3. You can also distress the edges of cardstock by running a scissor blade along it.
4. Tearing cardstock or patterned paper also gives a distressed look.
5. A mixture of water and ink in a spray bottle and sprayed onto the paper gives an interesting distressed look.
Distressing is a great way to hide any mistakes that may have been made. Have some fun!!
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When scrapbooking, especially as a beginner, it can often be completely overwhelming. Relax, this is supposed to be fun. There really is no right or wrong, you just need to let your imagination run and let creativity flow. Here is a list of five things to think about when scrapbooking for the first time.
1.Photos- pick out the best photos that represent the feeling and look you want the page to have - dont try to use every photo
2.Journaling - writing something about the photos. Remember you will be looking at these pictures years from now and it is important to know who the people in them are, where the picture was taken and when.
3.Use complementary colors- try to co-ordinate your colors and patterns so that they are pleasing to the eye. Try getting a colour wheel if choosing colours is too challenging.
4.Effective designing- don't let all the "stuff" overpower your photos - they are what is important. Remember the "Less is More" motto
5.Make sure you only use supplies that are archival quality so that they will withstand the test of time.
Have fun preserving your memories!
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This months tip hopes to help clear the dreaded "Scrapper's Block". We've all had it -
you look at your photos and think what can I do. Try this little exercise. Make a list of
the ideas below and keep them in a journal close to your scrapping space. Pull it out as needed.
Alternatively, cut the list up and put each one in a tin. Whatever you pull out is the one you do.
1. Use a black background
2. Journal in your own handwriting
3. Use nothing but cardstock
4. Use a tag on a layout
5. Use metallic paper somewhere in your layout
6. Do a black and white layout
7. Use bright colours for a layout
8. Use fabric flowers
9. Dot the i's in your title with an embellishment
10. Use a handwritten title
11. Make a pocket page
12. Use 1-word adjectives to describe the person in the picture
13. Do a vellum overlay over a photo
14. Chalk the edges of a torn photo mat
15. Use at least 3 photos on a page
16. Journal on vellum over a photo
17. Put your title down the side of the page
18. Use fabric
19. Use white as a background
20. Use a quote on a layout
21. Use at least 3 shades of the same colour
22. Use the name of a song for a title
23. Scrap a family tradition
24. Journal using a list
25. Crop a picture in a circle
26. Use photo corners
27. Put title letters on individual tags
28. Use squares on a layout
29. Use eyelets
30. Dangle something from a letter in the title
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Recent months have seen the marrying of stamping and scrapbooking.
Once thought of as not having a place for stamps in scrapbooking, there has been a complete turnaround
and stamps are being used everywhere. Don't be afraid to give stamping a go. Get some basics such as a
'Merry Christmas' Stamp, a good ink pad such as the new Tsukineko Brilliance Dew Drops and some scrap cardstock and get stamping.
It is a good idea to get into the habit of cleaning your stamps after each use to ensure they last longer and colour
is not transferred from one pad to the next. Do not soak your stamps in water to clean them as this will loosen the adhesive,
instead try wiping them with a wet cloth then blot the stamps dry with a paper towel. Alcohol-free wipes will work also in
cleaning your stamps.Do not use oil-based solvents to clean your stamps as this will deteriorate the rubber.
Happy Stamping.
Thank you
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What do you do if your stamp doesn't work out the way you wanted it to?
There are a few ways to fix this problem...
1. Start by re-inking the stamp. Then, hold the layout on a light box or sunny window and line the inked stamp up with the partially stamped image. Now you can re-stamp.
2. Use a gel pen to fill in the missing areas of your image. Fill in and outline random portions of the picture to make it blend together.
3. Re-stamp the image onto a coordinating piece of paper and place over the original image.
4. If all else fails, tell everyone it's got that rustic/handmade look!
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When taking photos to scrap, try taking candid photos instead of the usual posed shots. Candid photography is about capturing the spontaneity of the moment and can sometimes tell a fuller story than the more formally posed ones. Here are some basic tips to help you take better candid shots:
1. The best way to take candid shots is to always be ready to do so. Take your camera everywhere. Friends and family will start expecting you to have it so it will become more normal. Which means they will be more at ease and relaxed and the photos will be more natural.
2. Use a long zoom if possible. This will help you take photos outside their personal space making them more relaxed and less likely to know you are photographing them.
3. Take lots of shots. Try shooting multiple images quickly. (Change setting to continuous shooting mode on a Digital SLR). You are more likely to get that surprising, spontaneous photo the more shots you take.
Happy Snapping!!
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With the kids still on holidays and constantly looking for things to do, why not get them scrapping.
Scrapbooking with your kids is a great way to involve your children in the memory making process.
You can let the kids loose giving them use of some carefully selected products from your stash and
either have them create their own page or incorporate their creations onto your page.
Either way, the end result will be a very special and unique memory the kids will treasure as much as you will.
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This month's technique is embellishing with Diecuts
Diecuts are machine cut paper shapes and are a great scrapbooking technique to add interest
to your pages. They come in many styles, colors, thicknesses and many are self adhesive.
You can use scrapbook diecuts to frame photos, journal on, and/or reinforce the theme of the page.
Another scrapbooking technique is to spice up the diecuts.
Shade them using chalks or pens and pencils. If the edges are uneven after you press out a
diecut just run your thumb nail around the edge. Don't throw away the surround or negative at it
is sometimes known as. You can use it as a stencil to make more diecuts,
mat a photo or just punch out some shapes. Keep some basic shapes among your supplies to fill in gaps
if needed. Basic shapes that may suit several themes include camera, flower, butterfly, sun, or
star diecuts.
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This month's tip continues on with journalling.
It is important to journal on your page
as a future reminder for all those who will view your work in years to come. Every scrapbook
page needs to have some journaling in order to identify what is going on in the photos.
Whether it be half a page or one word is up to you . If you want to try something other than the
standard journal box, try writing around the edge of a single photograph or the entire page.
You can use the journaling as a way of framing the photographs or the page.
Other journaling ideas include writing a verse, a poem or repeating a couple of words on a wavy line on the page.
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Rub ons are a fantastic product especially for those of us not too happy with what our writing looks like.
However, you do need to work carefully with them as they can have a mind of their own and wind up exactly
where you don't want them on your page.
You can lift them off with a glue eraser or pencil erasers,
but the best method we find here is to cut out the letters or words you are going to use from the sheet first.
Check out our range of rub ons today.
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A tip this month for making interesting titles for your scrapbook Layouts.
Take a photo of objects that start with a certain letter.
For example a photo of Apples and then cut out the letter 'A' from this photo
or a photo of the grass for the letter 'G'.
The possiblities are endless and so much fun when mixing them up.
Or you could simply start the title with one of these letters
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Want to create a special place to hide your journalling away. Creating a "pocket" is a great way to hold special words and thoughts without taking away the look of the page.
Take two pieces of paper - cardstock or patterned paper will do - of differing sizes ( for example : 1. 15cm long X 8cm wide 2. 12cm long x 8cm wide). Place tape on all 3 sides of the smaller piece of paper, leaving the top free of tape. Place on top of the larger piece of paper and stick in place. Put tape on the back of the large piece of paper and attach to your Layout. There you have a basic "pocket" to put your keepsakes into.
Variations Include:
Stitch around the three sides.
Embellish the top/smaller piece of paper.
Use decorative scissors around the edges to give it a different look.
Use Vellum paper
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This month's tip is "How to Organise Your Scrap Space". Everyone's scrap space will vary in size and style and versatility. Whether it's an entire room or a small space in your bedroom, with a bit of planning and thought you can create the perfect environment that will inspire you to create.
The first step in creating a space of your own is to choose an area of your home that can be designated as your scrapbooking space.
It is best to decide on any decorating themes or styles that you want to use before you begin buying materials. Choose a colour scheme (e.g. Red/black, Pink/Aqua ) or theme (e.g.Retro, Classic, Shabby Chic) and then buy containers, shelving, furniture or art work that reflects what you have choosen.
If you are unsure or just want some inspiration, check out Design Magazines or websites to see what type of style you like.
Click Here for How to Organise Your Scrap Space
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We thought this month, with the arrival of our new Cardstock Range (Core'dnations)
it would be great to have a tip for using Cardstock.
Cardstock is a particularly thick and heavy piece of paper.
If using cardstock for scrapbooking it is important to make sure it is archival safe and that it
is acid and lignin free.
Solid coloured cardstock is the most useful and versatile type of paper.
Cardstock also comes in a variety of patterns and textures.
It can be used in a number of different ways in scrapbooking, from backgrounds to embellishments.
If you want that torn look, card stock is easier to "direct" when tearing by hand, and gives you that nice,
jagged edge without the rip getting out of control. Try tearing the edges of mattes or putting a torn
strip across the page to put your title on for a natural, hand-made look.
When punched with a paper punch, card stock makes sturdier cut-outs that are easier to use.
Because it is stronger, card stock is also a better paper to use if you are attempting to emboss
letters or stencils onto the page, and the embossing is sharper around the edges for a more pronounced look.
When beginning your scrapbooking supply collection, card stock should be at the top of your list.
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