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Perfect Pearls for Scrapbook Layouts – Paperclipping 193

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paperclipping 193

If you’re not naturally a technique-driven scrapbooker it can be baffling and unnatural to try to learn to incorporate techniques into your regular process. You might be attracted to the products and the possibilities but find that it breaks up your flow.

For the first time in 16 years of scrapbooking I feel like I can say that I’m a technique-girl in addition to being a story- and concept-girl. Turns out you can learn to make techniques a comfortable part of your process without sacrificing any part of what you’re naturally inclined to. Here are 3 tips for adding the technique to your story…

NYCDA (closeup)

1. Do one technique on the front of a tag (don’t decorate the tag — just do one technique so you don’t get confused later!) and write the how-to steps on the back. Add it to a large book-binding ring (where you can add more later) and hang it in view near where you scrapbook.

I was forced to do this when completing my Ranger U certification. I would still be lost had I not done this.

80_techniques

2. Set aside a scrapbooking session to experiment with different takes on one technique or technique-driven product.

Hate the idea of making a bunch of random creations with no scrapbook page in mind? Look through the photos and stories you’d love to make soon. Consider them as you choose images and colors with which to experiment. I did this with my Perfect Pearls last week. I did eight experiments and ended up with four that I immediately added to new layouts!

What do you do with the rest of your experimental creations? Store them the way you organize any store-bought item.

love SHARE (closeup)

3. Identify a technique-driven product you wish you used more and find a home for it that is closer to your scrapbook table.

Recently I moved my Big Shot to a shelf directly over my table so I can stand up and pull it down. My dies and embossing folders are now in an open wine box at standing height next to my table and they’re easy to flip through.

Side Benefit of Dance (closeup)

All three of these tips seemed impractical and unnatural to me before, but now that I’ve done them, I realize they were the difference between me getting it and me not getting it.

Need somewhere to start?

In this week’s video tutorial I share everything I know about Perfect Pearls, partially from in-person training from Tim Holtz, and partially from my own experimenting. I share…

  1. Basics on how to use the Pearls successfully
  2. Six effects to try with your Pearls and stamps
  3. A general color concept
  4. Four new layouts using Perfect Pearls and stamps

This episode is now available to Members. CLICK HERE to find out how to become a Paperclipping Member.

USA Desert dance Power Elite (closeup)

For info on the Paperclipping Membership, please click here.

Shine on,
Noell

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Posted in Scrapbooking Ideas, Scrapbooking Techniques, Stamping Ideas May 22nd, 2012

PRT114 – My Experience of Your Experience

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We’re all over the place this week, but we definitely spend quite a bit of time talking about Jeremy Renner. Come listen!

You can use this audio player to listen to the show:

If you want, you can also right click this link to save the show to your computer manually.

The Panel

Sponsors

Big Picture Classes: Click here to see special offers from Big Picture Classes!

Everyday Storyteller: Click here to learn about Everyday Storyteller

Picks of the Week

(Affiliate links wherever possible.)

How to subscribe…

Did you know that when you subscribe in iTunes (which is free), you’re helping support Paperclipping Roundtable? It’s true. iTunes measures every subscription, so it’s like casting a “vote” for the show. It helps us move up the ranks and helps us grow the audience.

iTunes is free. Subscribing is free, so why not use it to download the show? Subscribe in iTunes (iTunes link) right now so your computer will automatically download each new episode as they become available.

Or you can always manually subscribe to the Paperclipping Roundtable RSS Feed.

Posted in Roundtable May 17th, 2012

Is This Amount of White Space Right or Wrong?

3 Comments

white_space

I got a question that was such a good one I decided to share it with everybody in an email.

Irene Dunne sent me a layout for feedback. All her photos and the title were against the edges of the page. She wanted to know how she could fill the space of her layout without moving the rub-on title. I gave some suggestions in my live webinar forMembers for NSD and Vicki Lee sent this question after attending:

“I’ve seen some layouts that have a lot of white space. When is itappropriate to have that much white space, and if you want to haveit, what are the parameters about how big that space can be? The page looked pretty good to me, even with all the empty space, but I know that [you] said that it really needed something there.I
understood the solution, but just wonder about the use of large amounts of white space.”

At the beginning of the session I said that any feedback I give is subjective, not “right.” I wouldn’t say that her page “needed” to have something in the white space — just that I found myself feeling like the layout wasn’t complete.

You see the difference? I told her the result her page had on me,and answered her question for how she could adjust her focal point if she wants to.

So what’s the answer to Vicki’s general question about white space?

There is not a set appropriate amount of white space. There aren’t parameters for how big a space can be, but there are design principle for what seems to work most often for most purposes that tell you what your white space will cause in the viewer of your page.

1. Placement:

If you put your subject one-third of the way in from the edge it feels comfortable and intriguing.

Things on the side feel like they’re side things and not the main thing.

Since Irene’s photos and title were at the edge, the main subjectwas in the bottom corner, and she was asking me for help, I suggested she add a new focal point to the spot that was about 1/3rd of the way up from the bottom, and that she make it black and white so it would blend into the grayish background and preserve her intention of soothing white space.

2. Size:

Here’s the best guideline I can share in terms of size: Do you like it? Is the attention going where you want it to go? Does it feel the way you want it to feel?

The more white space you have, the more your eye goes to that empty space instead of the subject. Also, the more white space you have, the more calming the effect is. Some people find a lot of space too calming — in other words, boring. Others find it peaceful and beautiful.

I’m in the second camp. I love art with a lot of white space. But in photography and scrapbooking I tend to want the subject to stand out more immediately, so my subjects are a little bigger. But if you love the calming experience of noticing the beautiful white space first, and then being eventually drawn into your subject second (because yes, the eye will go there before it’s done looking!), then do it! Especially if a calm feeling will enhance your story!

I’m constantly trying to remind people that design principles aren’t rules. They’re there to help you know what type of effect you cause when you place things in certain ways. You get to choose what effects you want to cause.

With Irene’s subject on the edge, it looked like a border to me and I found myself looking again and again at the center and feeling like the page wasn’t finished yet. At the same time, I really enjoyed her page and how soothing it was. Irene gets to decide whether she’s happy with that result or not.

So if Irene is reading this and thinking, “I was just trying to follow the “rule” of thirds when I asked for feedback, but I actually love the page as it is,” then she shouldn’t feel like she needs to “fix” her layout at all.

Hopefully that helps both Vicki and Irene, and anyone else who’swondered about this!

P.S.> If you think you’d benefit from seeing design feedback on layouts people are struggling with, I added a recording of this webinar to the Member Videos last Friday. If you’re a member you can find it there now. If not, follow the link to learn about getting a membership for yourself.

CLICK HERE.

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Posted in Scrapbook Designs May 14th, 2012

PRT113 – It Makes You Brave

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Today we’re attacking one of the scariest things ever — the blank page! Come listen!

You can use this audio player to listen to the show:

If you want, you can also right click this link to save the show to your computer manually.

The Panel

Sponsors

Big Picture Classes: Click here to see special offers from Big Picture Classes!

Everyday Storyteller: Click here to learn about Everyday Storyteller

Picks of the Week

(Affiliate links wherever possible.)

How to subscribe…

Did you know that when you subscribe in iTunes (which is free), you’re helping support Paperclipping Roundtable? It’s true. iTunes measures every subscription, so it’s like casting a “vote” for the show. It helps us move up the ranks and helps us grow the audience.

iTunes is free. Subscribing is free, so why not use it to download the show? Subscribe in iTunes (iTunes link) right now so your computer will automatically download each new episode as they become available.

Or you can always manually subscribe to the Paperclipping Roundtable RSS Feed.

Posted in Roundtable May 10th, 2012

Which Ranger Products Do You Want To Learn To Use In Your Scrapbooking?

204 Comments

80_techniques

Last week I got to attend Ranger University and got certified as a Ranger U educator. It was an amazing workshop — three 9-hour days where we learned 80 different techniques!

See the tags and bags hanging from my organizer in the photo above? Those are the samples I made, one for each of the 80. So I’m excited to share with Paperclipping Members my understanding of how to use all their MANY different technique-oriented products, but in the way I work best…

I’m going to shares ideas for how to translate those products and techniques into modern scrapbooking. You most often see them used for vintage projects, but I like to use them for every day scrapbooking, which is not vintage.

And as usual, I’ll share broad concepts so you can adapt the techniques for a variety of projects, styles, and uses so you don’t feel trapped to copy whatever I choose to do.

But I want your help. I’m curious to know which of these different types of products you’re most interested in. I admit up front that I will ultimately choose the ones that I end up using for layouts and projects I’m most inspired to start making. But your votes will help me prioritize, so I’d love to hear!

Which of these products are you most interested in learning to use?

ranger_products

  1. Perfect Pearls
  2. Perfect Pearl Mists
  3. Distress Stain – blending and other effects
  4. Claudine Hellmuth gesso and medium products
  5. Adirondack Color Wash
  6. Distress Ink – blending and other effects
  7. Dylusions Ink Sprays, Stencils, and Stamps
  8. Melt Art
  9. Adirondack Alcohol Ink – blending and other effects
  10. Distress Markers (not shown)
  11. Other (please specify)

Just for fun, here are my pictures from the event…
ranger_u_collage

Don’t forget to vote for your Ranger technique hopes and dreams! :) What do you most want to learn?

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Posted in Uncategorized May 9th, 2012

PRT112 – I’m a Piler

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Today we’re talking about photography, equipment, and scrapbooking. Come listen!

You can use this audio player to listen to the show:

If you want, you can also right click this link to save the show to your computer manually.

The Panel

Sponsors

Big Picture Classes: Click here to see special offers from Big Picture Classes!

Everyday Storyteller: Click here to learn about Everyday Storyteller

Picks of the Week

(Affiliate links wherever possible.)

How to subscribe…

Did you know that when you subscribe in iTunes (which is free), you’re helping support Paperclipping Roundtable? It’s true. iTunes measures every subscription, so it’s like casting a “vote” for the show. It helps us move up the ranks and helps us grow the audience.

iTunes is free. Subscribing is free, so why not use it to download the show? Subscribe in iTunes (iTunes link) right now so your computer will automatically download each new episode as they become available.

Or you can always manually subscribe to the Paperclipping Roundtable RSS Feed.

Posted in Roundtable May 2nd, 2012

Organize Patterned Paper by Design Principles – Paperclipping 192

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paperclipping 192

How would you like to spend zero time staring at your page trying to come up with a design concept whenever you scrapbook?

What if you could find and choose your patterned papers within a minute or two, and sometimes within seconds?

It was so liberating to discover a scrapbook process that eliminated the awful staring-at-the-age torture, and turned one of my longest steps (choosing and finding my papers) into my shortest ones.

The solution to both of these problems is one simple question:

What is the mood or tone of the story you’re scrapbooking?

Many of the design principles are there to communicate mood, emotion, even very specific ideas. So if you just ask yourself this simple question, your design knowledge will give you all the ideas you need to make a page!

And now I’m organizing my papers according to these principles.

My 3rd Birthday

Just identify your story’s mood (energetic, serious or traditional, quirky, playful, stable, peaceful, etc), then go to the papers filed under that mood and its design characteristics.

I can’t promise it will be this fast for you, but it now takes me only as long as it requires to reach my hand over to my paper file and pull out the top 1-3 papers in that file — since I’m finding that when organized this way, whatever is on top will almost work for the page!

No more digging!

Finding the papers used to be one of my slowest steps, but it’s now the fastest.

Not sure how to start, or what those specific design principles are? We shot a video that shares…

  • many of the pattern styles and the emotions and moods they evoke
  • specifically how I’ve organized my papers this way
  • samples of the patterns I put in each of my “mood” files
  • some of the recent pages that resulted from many of these “mood” files
  • how a layout begins to actually comes together using this process.
  • how to test out this new system before you decide to commit to an
    entire re-do.

If you’re a Paperclipping Member you can find this newest video in your iTunes feed or in the Member’s Area!

Not a member yet? Click here to learn more!

Posted in Scrapbook Designs, Scrapbook Organization, Scrapbooking Storage, Scrapbooking Supplies April 30th, 2012

Memory File Techniques – Paperclipping 191

8 Comments

paperclipping 191

Do you have any big stories or events you’ve delayed scrapbooking because you can’t figure which approach you should take?

Maybe it’s a yearly trek with the ladies to a scrapbooking event and you have loads of pictures of the clan traveling together, scrapbooking in the lodge, cooking the meals, and sight-seeing with your cameras. Don’t forget all that ephemera from the stops you took along the way.

Do you scrapbook it by year? Or do you do a page about the fun ride up with everyone squished in two minivans, plus another page about the lodge and its environment, plus another page of all the ladies scrapbooking, etc.

But if you want to make sure every lady and crazy fun moment gets included, you’ll end up with a full-page collage for every single aspect of every single trip.

That could mean five pages for each and every year!

What do you do?

You put it off for another time, right?

No, no, you don’t do that anymore.

memory file 14

Now what you do is get a Memory File box designed by Heidi Swapp. Or you could purchase the equivalent office supplies and make them all scrappy and cute with your current scrapbooking product.

This format is great because you can take a linear approach, such as documenting your event by year, and still be able to highlight all those different activities that happen within each year. This is because the file folders are dimensionally and spatially open — meaning you can make multiple miniature books that you open or pull out for each part of your story.

memory file 10

memory file 1

Here are a few common events the Memory File system could help you with:

  • birthdays
  • Christmas or other holidays
  • visits to grandma and grandpa
  • visits from the grandkids
  • sports
  • dance
  • drama or choir
  • high school
  • your business
  • your job
  • reunions

I’m using the Memory File to document my yearly trips with Izzy to CHA. We put together a video that shows the three folders I have so far, how I sectioned them out for the different aspects of our trip, and a few techniques I came up with to make them interactive so I could fit my massive number of photos.

If you’re a Paperclipping Member, please go to iTunes or the Member’s Area to catch the newest tutorial!

Not a Member? CLICK HERE!

memory file 6

memory file 12

Click here to learn about a Paperclipping Membership.

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Posted in Mini-books, Scrapbook Albums, Scrapbook Layouts April 25th, 2012

PRT 111 – In Ten Easy Steps

29 Comments

Today we’re talking about more systems to help us stay organized. Come listen!

You can use this audio player to listen to the show:

If you want, you can also right click this link to save the show to your computer manually.

The Panel

Sponsors

Big Picture Classes: Click here to see special offers from Big Picture Classes!

Creative Passion Classes: The Copic Classes Bundle – Click here to learn more.

Picks of the Week

(Affiliate links wherever possible.)

How to subscribe…

Did you know that when you subscribe in iTunes (which is free), you’re helping support Paperclipping Roundtable? It’s true. iTunes measures every subscription, so it’s like casting a “vote” for the show. It helps us move up the ranks and helps us grow the audience.

iTunes is free. Subscribing is free, so why not use it to download the show? Subscribe in iTunes (iTunes link) right now so your computer will automatically download each new episode as they become available.

Or you can always manually subscribe to the Paperclipping Roundtable RSS Feed.

Posted in Roundtable April 24th, 2012

PRT110 – Clash of the Die-Cutting Machines

48 Comments

This week’s show is all about die-cutting machines, electronic ones and manual ones. Come listen!

You can use this audio player to listen to the show:

If you want, you can also right click this link to save the show to your computer manually.

The Panel

Sponsors

Big Picture Classes: Click here to see special offers from Big Picture Classes!

Creative Passion Classes: The Copic Classes Bundle – Click here to learn more.

Picks of the Week

(Affiliate links wherever possible.)

How to subscribe…

Did you know that when you subscribe in iTunes (which is free), you’re helping support Paperclipping Roundtable? It’s true. iTunes measures every subscription, so it’s like casting a “vote” for the show. It helps us move up the ranks and helps us grow the audience.

iTunes is free. Subscribing is free, so why not use it to download the show? Subscribe in iTunes (iTunes link) right now so your computer will automatically download each new episode as they become available.

Or you can always manually subscribe to the Paperclipping Roundtable RSS Feed.

Posted in Roundtable April 20th, 2012

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