4
Creative
Tutorials Great Ideas for
Washi Tape and Wood Veneer
Silhouette
Cameo Review Tips for your
Scrapbooking Journaling Issue 1 July 2012
$3.99
Contents
15.
04. 08.
12.
02. Scrap Space 04. Cameo Review 05. Tutorials 08. Project Life 10. Washi Tape 12. Wood Veneer 14. What is Scrapbooking? 15. Gallery 20. Scrapbooking Journaling 26. Next Issue
Embellished Issue 1
3
Scrap Space
Scrapbooking, for many people, is much more than a passing phase. It becomes a lifelong hobby. Not only are you able to artistically express yourself through a craft, but you’re also doing something very important at the same time—preserving your family history. Since this hobby in particular becomes a part of everyday life, it makes sense to have a dedicated area in your home to devote to your craft. 4
Issue 1 Embellished
W
hile each individual’s scrap space will vary in size, style, extravagance and frugality, everyone faces the same basic dilemma: How can I organize my workspace and store my scrapbooking supplies? 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. There are three categories of areas that your space may fall into: dedicated space, shared space, or portable space. While most crafters dream of a dedicated room with a fabulous view, custom-built storage, and all of the latest tools and supplies, only a lucky few are able to enjoy that type of space. Most have to share or “borrow” space from their home, and others still must tote their “space” to a local store or fellow scrapbooker’s house to have an appropriate workspace and environment. The good news is, you can do any of these easily with a little bit of creativity. You have several storage elements to consider such as furniture, shelving, cabinets, closets, drawers, boxes, bins, baskets, and lighting. Some people say that where you create plays an instrumental role in what you create. Most people are creative when they feel creative and they feel creative when they are in an environment that inspires them. Build your scrap space into an environment that inspires you to create. If you are able to paint the walls of your space, as you consider colours keep in mind that the colour will change with the lighting during the day.
with might change the way that your project looks as light is reflected off walls and other surfaces. Neutral colours on the walls such as tan, cream, and white are a good way to assure natural lighting and reflections, especially right around your work space. However, don’t let that stop you from painting one wall the deep purple you’ve been dying to use! Once you’ve organized, stored, and decorated your space, don’t forget to keep it maintained so you can continue to enjoy it. Here are several maintenance tips that will help you keep your space in top condition:
Make it a habit to clean up and clean out your supplies regularly. • • •
•
If you run out of room in a storage bin, see if you can discard older products before you expand to another container. As you buy new products, put them right into your storage system. To save time while you are scrapbooking, designate a “put away” basket near your workspace so you can put all of the extra products away after a scrapbooking session rather than while you are in a creative zone. Clean up between layouts, so you can start with a clean slate for each new page.
Another reason to carefully consider the wall colour in your scrap space is that whatever colour you surround yourself Embellished Issue 1
5
Review: Silhouette Cameo
T
he Silhouette Cameo is a digital cutting tool, marketed to the home user. It connects to your computer through a USB port. While it is capable of reading cut files through an SD card (thus eliminating the need for a corded connection), you will always need your computer to purchase and manipulate your images. So what is so great about this machine? Well for starters, it is affordable. You have a one time fee for your machine and then you can cut away. The parts are inexpensive when you consider that the mats and blades will last for a hundred cuts or more. It is compact, which can be a real bonus if you are limited in space. I have other machines, but I find it easier most of the time to just to pull out my Cameo which hooks up in seconds, and is small enough to stay on my desk for periods of time. Next, the basic software for manipulating your images is free, and with it, you can access the ever growing online store which contains thousands of images which can be bought individually. That means there are no $50.00 cartridges where you may get images you do not want. The software is so easy to use, that you can begin cutting and manipulating images within a matter of minutes. If you don’t find what you are looking for in the store, then you also have the freedom to import graphic images into your Silhouette Software, and print them, layer them, and cut them. The Cameo is fitted with an optic eye, which reads registration marks which you print onto your paper, and cuts the images in relation to these marks. I have personally found these cuts to be extremely accurate, and from what I have found of other reviewers, it has been found by others to be one of the most accurate on the market. If all this was not enough, Silhouette has created a whole line of products which are designed to
6
Issue 1 Embellished
work with your machine, and expand your crafting repetoire. From home decorator and fashionista, all the way down to the humble crafter and rushed school project maker, this will be the machine which can take you to a one way trip of creativity and fun. Now if you want to do even more, there is a paid upgrade to your software, called Silhouette Studio Designer Edition Software. This is the regular software on steroids. With this upgrade, you can now import SVG files directly into your software for easy manipulation and cutting. Also you have some fantastic new creative knife tools which will allow you to clip designs using a variety of cut patterns. There is a wonderful new sketch tool which allows you to turn cut images into sketches with a variety of lines and fills, a rhinestone tool to turn your patterns into rhinestone designs for your clothing, a built in ruler and guide lines to make your personal creations easier to manipulate, and finally an enhanced eraser set to modify designs with more precision! If you like freedom to create without borders, then this upgrade will definitely fulfill your needs. While the cutting is precise, there are some limitations to the materials you can cut with it. It works well with paper, cardstock, vinyl, lightweight fabrics – essentially anything up to about a 0.8 mm thickness. Felts, heavier Chipboard and Grungeboard are off limits. Finally, if you plan on crafting with ninja like stealth in the dead of night, this machine will definitely give you away with its distinctive noises. When all is said and done, the Silhouette is probably one of the most versatile and cost effective machines out there, and in the end it , IS, that darn good!! It works the way it should, has few hick-ups, and is probably one of my favorite machines out there.
Tutorials Get creating with these fun tutorials.
1. Stitched Flower 2. Banner 3. Messy Background 4. Crumpled Paper
1. 2.
3.
4. Embellished Issue 1
7
Stitched Flower Materials: cardboard, patterned paper, circle punch, spray ink, stitching, frame 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Cut or punch out a smalle circle, a larger circle with a hole in the middle and 2 petals. Glue these down on to paper in the positions you want. It may be easier to see where to place the petals once you’ve stitched the stem. Stitch around the edges of the small circle 3 times, making sure to overlap and go off the edges and inside. Stitch around the inside of the large circle 2 times, again, making sure to overlap etc. Stitch around the outer edge of the large circle 3 times, overlapping and going of the edge etc. Stitch a straight line down from the large circle and then stich around the petals twice.
Banner Materials: cardstock, Kaisercraft paper and flowers, stamp, Thickers stickers, tiny alpha stickers, chipboard shape, lace, spray ink, string, staples, stitching 1. 2.
3.
4. 5.
8
Cut a strip of paper 6cm wide and to a length you want. Fold the strip in half and mark points at 3cm along the folded edge and 1.5 cm along the other edge. Cut from a point on the outer edge to points on the inside edges, making triangles that fold out to diamonds. Fold the diamonds over a peice of string and glue them together. Hand stitch along the top of each triangle and staple the string to the page.
Issue 1 Embellished
Messy Background Materials: patterned paper, gesso, letter stickers, Martha Stewart butterlfy punch, circle punch, Cre8tiv stamps, machine stitching 1.
2.
3.
Stick down embellishements such as unwanted stickers that you can’t find a use for. Scatter them over the background page. Spread a layer of gesso over the embellishments, making it thicker in the middle and washed out near the edges. This will need a few coats to get a nice boldness. Wait for it to completely dry. It will most likely need a few hours or overnight.
Crumpled Paper Materials: cardstock, patterned paper, Kaisercraft paper flowers and rhinestones, felt shapes, stamps, spray ink, stamp pad, stitching 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Tear peices of patterned paper up to form layered hills. Crumple the paper up into a ball and then flatten it out. Repeat 2 more times. Flatten out the crumpled paper and use a stamp pad to ink the raised areas and the edges. Glue the crumpled paper to the background, making sure to flatten it out as much as it will. Stitch the paper down around the edges of the background. Embellished Issue 1
9
Project Life
P
roject Life is a solution-based approach to scrapbooking that was created to simplify the process in order to allow you more time to enjoy life! It requires no glue, no scissors, no tools, and no skills of any kind. The design of our products takes the guess work out of layout design so that you can focus on recording your everyday moments through your photos and journaling. The simple design is stylish and makes it possible for you to complete more pages in less time.
10
Issue 1 Embellished
Becky Higgins, creator of Project Life, is a busy wife and mother who is passionate about capturing the little bits of life, and she’s making it easy for others to do the same. “It’s called Project LIFE because it’s about YOUR LIFE. Whatever your life is. Whatever your stage of life. Whatever your family circumstances. Whatever your lifestyle. Project Life is designed to help anyone + everyone get their pictures into a book,” says Becky. Her goal is to help others Cultivate a Good Life and Record It.
This back-to-basics approach to scrapbooking appeals to the person who’s never made a scrapbook in their life as well as those with experience because it allows you to feel the freedom that comes from letting go of the “guilt” that so many associate with the memory keeping process. CreativeTeam member Liz Tamanaha says “I love Project Life because it can be anything I want. Simple when I just want to get the basics recorded. Crazy intensive when I have the creative energy for it. And for once, I feel caught up with my scrapbooking.” The Project Life “way” of memory-keeping is so crazy-simple, it has become known as “revolutionary” in the scrapbooking industry. All you need is one of our Core Kits, a Binder, and a Big Pack of 60 Photo Pocket Pages. By pairing your pictures and words with these basic products, you will be able to tell your story, in your own way, resulting in a complete album.
The Project Life line of products has grown to also include many other items that enhance the memory-keeping process for those who want to do more. All Becky Higgins products are available through Amazon. com for our U.S. customers, or through our international distributors for customers outside of the U.S. All Project Life designs are also available as digital components through JessicaSprague.com which allows you to use your photo editing software to create your own pages and projects. We have also partnered with Shutterfly to offer photo books in two of our most popular designs - the Clementine Edition and the Turquoise Edition. Whether you choose our physical products or one of our new digital options, Project Life takes the “scrapbooking” out of scrapbooking so you can focus on turning your everyday stories, your celebrations, your challenges, and your big moments into albums to be cherished. Embellished Issue 1
11
Washi Tape is made from paper and is basically decorative masking tape. It comes in a limitless amount of designs that you will soon be swooning over.
Washi Tape Washi Tape 12
Issue 1 Embellished
e
Make a border Use strips of washi tape along the edges to make an easy and effective border. This is great for when you’re in a rush and need to finish the project, especially Project Lifer’s who are falling behind and need a quick embellishments to catch up.
Layer it Layer strips of Washi Tape on top of each other to create a look of depth. Again, this makes for an easy embellishment.
Hold things down Washi Tape is see through so it’s good for holding down embellishments and titles etc without completely covering what’s underneath and adds an extra detail.
Place it under a cut out Instead of using paper under cut outs, try using Washi Tape. This works well when placing it over a coloured peice of paper as it will show through and adds an extra connection.
Embellished Issue 1
13
Wood Veneer 14
Wood Veneer Issue 1 Embellished
Studi Calico Wood Veneer shapes are laser cut and extremely versatile.
r
Staple Wood Veneers are great for stapling and this technique holds better than glue. The wood is thin enough for any staple to go through and doesn’t split. The staple also adds extra detail.
Tell a story Add a figure to represent each member of your family. Add a camera if you were having an adventure taking photos. Add a bird if you were out feeding birds. The possibilities here are endless.
Stamp on them Sometimes Wood Veneer can look plain and boring when there’s not much else happening on the layout, so try sprucing them up with a stamp. This is also a great way to add a little more colour if you use coloured ink.
Add on top of an existing embellishment Add a Wood Veneer shape on top of another embellishment. This draws the eye to it and creates a layered interest. It’s also another way of sprucing up a plain shape.
Embellished Issue 1
15
Scrapbooking What is Scrapbooking?
Scrapbooking is a method for preserving personal and family history in the form of a scrapbook. Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork. Scrapbook albums are often decorated and frequently contain extensive journaling.
B
eginning in the 15th century, commonplace books, popular in England, emerged as a way to compile information that included recipes, quotations, letters, poems and more. Each commonplace book was unique to its creator’s particular interests. Old scrapbooks tended to have photos mounted with photomounting corners and perhaps notations of who was in a photo or where and when it was taken. They often included bits of memorabilia like newspaper clippings, letters, etc. Marielen Christensen of Spanish Fork, Utah is often credited with turning scrapbooking as what was once just the agesold hobby into what is now the actual industry--meaning stores that officially sell and manufacturers of scrapbooking supplies, which didn’t exist before. She began designing creative pages for her family’s photo memories, inserting the completed pages into sheet protectors collected in 3-ring binders. By 1980, she had assembled over fifty volumes and was invited to display them at the World Conference on Records in Salt Lake City. Marielen and her husband AJ authored and published a how-to book, Keeping Memories Alive, and opened a scrapbook store in 1981 that remains open today. The most important scrapbooking supply is the album itself, which can be permanently bound, or allow for insertion of pages. There are other formats, such as mini albums and accordion-style fold-out albums. Some of these are adhered to various containers, such as matchbooks, CD cases, or other small holders. When scrap artists started moving away from the “page” and onto alternative surfaces and objectives, they termed these creations “altered items”. Modern scrapbooking is done largely on 12 inch (30 cm) square or letter-size (US Letter (8.5 by 11 inch). More recently, smaller albums have become popular. The most common new formats are 6, 7, or 8-inch square. It is important to many scrappers to protect their pages with clear page protectors. Basic materials include background papers (including printed and cardstock paper), photo corner mounts (or other means of mounting photos such as adhesive dots, photo mounting tape, or acid-free glue), scissors, a paper trimmer,
16
Issue 1 Embellished
art pens, archival pens for journaling, and mounting glues (like thermo-tac). More elaborate designs require more specialized tools such as die cut templates, rubber stamps, craft punches, stencils, inking tools, eyelet setters, heat embossing tools and personal die cut machines. A lot of time people who enjoy scrapbooking will create their own background papers by using the tools mentioned along with “fancy” textured succors. Various accessories, referred to as “embellishments”, are used to decorate scrapbook pages. Embellishments include stickers, rub-ons, stamps, eyelets, brads, chipboard elements in various shapes, alphabet letters, lace, wire, fabric, beads, sequins, and ribbon. The use of die cut machines is also increasingly popular; in recent years a number of electronic die-cutting machines resembling a plotter with a drag knife have hit the market(e.g. The Cricut), enabling scrappers to use their computer to create die cuts out of any shape or font with the use of free or third party software. In addition to the collection of photographs, tickets, postcards, and other memorabilia, journaling is often a principal element in modern scrapbooks. Journaling is text that describes, explains, or accents the photographs on a scrapbook page. Contemporary journaling can take many forms. It can be reflective and story-like, take a reportive tone, or simply be a list of words. Journaling may also include song lyrics, quotations, and poems. The value of journaling lies in the fact that it provides an account of family histories that may otherwise not be preserved. Many consider journaling one of the most important elements of any scrapbook. Journaling is a personal choice and it can describe the event, the photographs, or relate feelings and emotions. Handwritten journaling is considered best by some scrapbookers who see handwriting as valuable for posterity, but many people journal on the computer and print it onto a variety of surfaces including vellum, tape, ribbon, and paper.
Circa 1950’s Materials: cardstock, DCWV paper, Kaisercraft felt shapes and rub ons, Martha Stewart and Fiskars punches, Thickers stickers, old newspaper, gel pen, spray ink, stitching
Embellished Issue 1
17
Road Trip Materials: cardstock, Silhouette Cameo, DCWV paper stack, My Minds Eye paper and stamps, washi tape, date stamp, ribbon, stitching
Summer Fun Materials: cardstock, My Minds Eye paper and stamps, Kaisercraft shape frame, Fiskars and Martha Stewart punches, washi tape, date stamp, chipboard shapes, spary ink, staples
18
Issue 1 Embellished
Just the 2 Of Us Materials: cardstock, Fiskars and Martha Stewart punches, Basic Grey 6x6 paper pad, My Minds Eye paper and stamps, chipboard shapes, date stamp, Thickers stickers, stitching
I Don’t Care Materials: cardstock, Kaisercraft paper, pearls, ribbon, flowers and die cut sheet, Thickers stickers, Martha Stewart and Fiskars punches, stitching
Embellished Issue 1
19
My Chemical Romance Materials: cardstock, Kaisercraft paper, My Minds Eye paper and stamps, Silhouette Cameo, Studio Calico mask and wood veneer, washi tape, date stamp, typewriter, spray ink, stiching, staples
Timeless Materials: cardstock, Simple Stories paper, Martha Stewart butterfly punch, Fiskars shape cutter, corner punch, Kaisercraft paper flowers and pearls, tiny alpha stickers, masking tape, mask, spray ink, stitching
20
Issue 1 Embellished
Snow Materials: cardstock, DCWV paper, Kaisercraft paper, Martha Stewart punches, snowflake punch, Thickers stickers, spray ink, gesso, stamps, masking tape, stitching
21 Materials: My MInds Eye paper, Martha Stewart and Fiskars punches, Thickers stickers, background stamps, netting, lace, staples, stitching
Embellished Issue 1
21
Journaling Scrapbooking Journaling
Journaling and scrapbooking works hand in hand. Learn easy scrapbooking journaling ways and tips to spruce up your pages with writing that takes only a few minutes.
F
acing the writer’s block? Frozen in front of the computer screen or with a pen in hand? Wondering why aren’t the magical words that weaved a good story coming to you? And the thing is, there’s a writer in you. Really. You can surely write.
to do a full-blown story, that should be sufficient space. Creating layouts takes more of your right-brained activity while writing takes more of the left-brained. So dividing the two activities might work in your favor. It’s your own call, whatever that helps you get things done most effectively.
To get the writer out of you and get on with your scrapbooking journaling, just start writing or typing. There’s no time better than now to start.
You don’t have to let yourself be stuck simply because you can’t think of that perfect quote, saying or phrase to use at the moment. If you’re really stuck, just keep moving on and come back to it later on to make the addition. Just make sure you remember to do so. Who knows maybe just when you were doing another piece of scrapbooking journaling, or even something totally irrelevant, inspiration struck you and you went aha, “I finally got it!” Isn’t that euphoria.
Or you can start with doodling. Somehow seeing something with ink on paper will start your scrapbooking journaling juice flowing. Our brain has a way of wanting to fill up that piece of paper with more ink and perhaps words. What? Not even a single word or doodle? Here’s a last resort. Find a book or magazine, take a paragraph from anywhere and start copying it down without thinking. As long as you get your fingers moving, it’ll somehow activate your left-brain activity and your own words on scrapbooking journaling will start arriving. Just start by writing little descriptions on scraps of paper or typing some words on the screen. Even though your initial writing might be a strain to read and probably not making much sense, write on. Simply put down what you know first. Waiting for everything may keep you waiting for a long, long time and you may never even get started. Your brain will start digging into those files of memory and out of the blue, it may just locate the perfect piece of information that you’ve totally forgotten about. One consideration though. You might want to think about people who will read your scrapbooking journaling in future. They weren’t there with you, so they might be oblivious to the facts. Making a habit of noting down as much details as you possibly can, will help paint a vivid story and picture for them. Bring them along with you in reliving those memories of yours. Basically, write straight from your heart. Many times I find that I’ll be doing a layout for my page first, then allow space for my scrapbooking journaling and move on to the next page . After I’m pretty done up with my layouts or I’ve gathered a neat pile of layouts, I’ll go back and fill in my scrapbooking journaling for all the pages at one sitting. A good guideline is to leave about half a photo space per page for your scrapbooking journaling. Unless you’re intending 22
Issue 1 Embellished
Many a times, you’ll probably need to call someone to verify some facts, or to recall an event for your scrapbooking journaling. When interviewing others, jot down a short list of questions you’ll need answers for. This will create a more structured and productive conversation, and get the answers you wanted. A timeless formula is the five Ws that get the gist of things: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY.
Who - What are the names of the people present in the pictures? People change throughout the years, especially children. So helping the viewers to identify them will help trace the children’s growth. And who took the pictures? What - What’s the occasion, special event or memorable moments taking place? What happened at the event? Where - Where did the event take place? Background information will help paint a clearer picture. When - Obviously giving dates will help place the photo in proper context. And people like to know when things happened. Why - Why did you choose this photo and not another? Any special meaning to this photo? All this information will help tremendously in enriching your narrative story. Next time you’re stuck, bring out this formula and work with it and get your scrapbooking journaling going. This formula works like a charm.
find loads of usable information on the Internet to pad up your writing. And save those emails your long-distance friends or relatives sent your way! Witty remarks, wacky stories or unbelievable happenings in those emails could contain paperless material for your next scrapbooking journaling exercise. With these resources, you don’t have to start from scratch again. If you wanna keep things short and sweet, and more to the point, use bullets. An interviewing tip: Somehow repeating someone’s words back to her will prompt her to naturally come up with additional information for you. Amazingly simple technique. Another simple scrapbooking journaling idea is to pretend that you’re writing a letter to your friend. Isn’t this a lovely idea? Writing a letter is very personal and adds intimacy to your scrapbooking pages right away. Write in a way like you’re chatting with a close friend. And yes, remember to add in the “Dear ...” and end it off with your signature to make it looks real. A good suggestion I’ve read somewhere before is to have a little notebook with you at all times. Keep one handy in your handbag, one in the glove compartment of your car and one on your bedside table or wherever that you find most convenient. Whenever inspiration strikes, quickly scribble down those little nuggets of words that popped into your mind or spilled out of someone’s mouth. Perhaps a catchy quote you saw somewhere. A short, inspiring poem you read somewhere. Or it could be a quote, phrase or even a sentence fragment. It doesn’t matter as long as it catches your fancy. You need not know exactly the use of it at that point. By putting it down in written form before you forget it, would allow you interesting writing material to work with later on. It’s an amazing feeling when you needed a suitable description or phrase and you found it by flipping through your one of your notebooks. Unless you are one of the rare ones with a powerful memory capacity, I would urge you to spend a minute of two writing the details down now. It will save you agonizing hours later trying to figure out some minute detail that you’ve forgotten to record.
You don’t have to be a story-teller giving a narration all the time. There are times where bullet points will bring your points across faster, directly to the main points. Bullet points are easy to read, save you the headache of making smooth transitions from one sentence to the next, and highlight the most important information straight away. Be it dots, circle or asterisks, bullet points make strong statements in your scrapbooking journaling. It’s basically about: 1) Collecting the information you need. 2) Organizing that information in a logical sequence. 3) Polishing your written piece till you’re happy with it. There’ll be times when you simply run of out words, your own written words. Period. There are other methods to fill up the empty box with words. Not your own words though. Just other people’s words. Be it quotes, sayings, poems or titles, you have in mind, these will make your scrapbooking journaling journey more colorful and fun.
To prevent from having to start from absolute zero, one way is to start your own resource file right away. Anything that you deem to be useful in future could likely be. Better to take up space than berating yourself later on, for not saving that piece of colorful brochure outlining your New Zealand trip itinerary. Postcards, pamphlets, publicity materials, brochures, flyers, magazine advertisements and sales literature, all these can all make ways into your resource folder. This way, you’ll have tons of material to start you off with your scrapbooking journaling and erase away your writer’s block. Who says you’ll be short of usable material? There’s always the Internet to save the day. If you’re doing scrapbooking journaling for a page on your hobby of card-making, you’ll Embellished Issue 1
23
Title Title
Photo
Photo
Journaling Journaling Journaling
Title
Jornaling
Photo
Title
Title
Photo
Title Title
24
Issue 1 Embellished
Title
Scrapbooking and Cardmaking supplies
moorecrafts.co.nz 123 Fhake Street, Thorndon, Wellington
Take a peak at the next issue
26
Issue 1 Embellished