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Paperclipping 100 – A Collage Formula

Paperclipping 100 - A Collage Formula
Wow, we’ve now released our 100th tutorial! You can help us celebrate 100 helpful Paperclipping Tutorials by becoming an Affiliate so you can start making money from your blog or website. Our new affiliate program will pay you a 25% commission for anyone who comes over through your badge and becomes a Paperclipping Member within 30 days. You can sign up here.

Today’s episode is for our Members. If you’ve ever struggled to make a rectangular collage using different-sized photos, you’ll appreciate this one. I’ve come up with a very simple formula to make that often frustrating task very easy! If you’d like to watch today’s episode, as well as the other 99 waiting for you in the archives, but don’t have a Membership, please visit the Membership Information Page.

Below are the layouts I shared in the episode…

Easter 08

Easter 08
You see that pink egg over on the far right? That was a tag from one of the goodies I bought the kids last year. I got a kick out of the fact that last year’s Easter came so early, the product manufacturers posted the date on all the tags…I guess to make sure we were ready!

Journaling on layout reads: We’ve been adjusting our Easter tradition a bit over the last few years. We moved the early morning hunt and breakfast outdoors last year. This year we hid plastic eggs instead of our colored eggs (we still color eggs, though). Blake has played Easter Bunny with Dad and I before waking up the kids for the last few years. And this year they got more stuff and less candy. One thing remains the same, though…total fun and the enjoyment of Spring.
Easter_08_Selections
The circular tag and title arch are the Memory Makers Noteworthy Glitter Die Cuts. The swirly flourish is from Bazzill.

Wonderful Beautiful Amazing

Wonderful Beautiful Amazing
The overall up-and-down placement of the 2 large photo blocks, as well as the shape and placement of the two paper journaling blocks were inspired by a layout by Ali Edwards that appeared in Creating Keepsakes Magazine a year or two ago.

Journaling reads: We’ve been taking day-trips through the canyons near Superstition Mountain and Canyon Lake a lot lately. It’s only minutes from our home–one of the reasons I am so happy with where we live. We all love the scenic drive, looking at the cacti, cliffs, and joking about how Blake convinced Aiden that the winter moss on the rock walls is called, “souvenir” because Aiden wanted to collect some to bring home during this particular trip.

Today–Jan. 4, 2009–we took advantage of the rare overcast weather for great lighting and color saturation. Israel and I each brought our cameras and tripods and caught some fun memories while you kids climbed and played. I love this.

Typed journaling on photo: Trinity was having a hard time getting through the thorny path to join you on the butte. You went down and carefully led her, just like a gentleman. Later I thanked you and you said, “That’s okay. I enjoyed it.” What a cool dude…you make your mama so proud.

Wonderful_Selections
The digital text that I layered onto my photos (except for the journaling) are all from Ali Edwards’s Loving Life Word Art and her 12×12 Life text frames. I will demonstrate how to do this in Photoshop Elements in a future episode.

The butterflies and folliage rub-on’s are new from My Mind’s Eye. The more subtle rub-ons that add texture to the page are older ones from Chatterbox.

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  • After reading this week's newsletter, I've watched this episode again, and I still love it! :)

    I may use this "technique" soon :)

    Thanks again!
  • Awesome! Thank you! :)
  • jobsalabama
    Amazing Nothing to tell any words. Congrats for your 100 episodes.
    staffing power
  • Thank you!
  • Ok Noell....You have been tagged!
    Check out my blog....
    Keep it going!
    I know your VERY busy!

    Love ya!
    Dedra
  • 100 Episodes!!! congratulations!!!!!!!

    I enjoyed this episode a lot, I just got photoshop and I'm so exited to learn how to use specially to do photo collages. Thank you for your always wonderful, great quality-full of design principles-awesome ideas- video tutorials!!!!!! I'll be here to watch 100 more!!!!
  • AshleyMoseley
    Noell, I really loved this episode! It really brought to light some questions I was having about collages. I always attempt them, but it is hard for me to get how to really lay them out. Also, I am very excited to see the Ali Edwards Loving Life Word Art/12X12 Life Text Frames tutorial. I love the 8X10 on that 12X12 page! It is so beautiful!
  • Glad to hear you're interested in that tutorial, Ashley. I'll probably shoot
    it either this week or next week, so it'll be a handful of tutorials out
    before we release it.

    And yes, my little "discovery" has made collages so easy and enjoyable! Good
    luck with it!
  • Thanks for a great episode. This was my 1st one as a premium member and I really enjoyed it.

    Got 1 question for ya... On the Easter layout, did you create that particular photo collage in Photoshop and then print it out? If so, how do you print yours?

    I assumed from the 2nd layout (canyon) that you definitely created as a Photoshop image because of all the digi elements.

    Thanks for all the extra help!

    Jamie ~ Alabama
  • Thanks for your new Membership, Jamie! I'm glad you liked your first Premium
    episode.

    Yes, I did both on Photoshop. For the Easter layout, I left some of the
    spaces blank and that's why there were some white spaces on that left side
    that I attached to the layout. I print them at Costco. Costco will print a
    number of sizes: 12x12, 8x12, 8x10, 8x8, etc. I usually choose one of those
    sizes for my collage area and then I use the formula with the size I'm
    working with.
  • Congratulations to you both on 100 episodes!!!!
    Thank you for letting me be apart of your journey and here is to 100 more episodes!!

    Love ya!
    Dedra
  • Thanks for this episode guys. I have quite a few double page 'collages' to put together and this will make it so much easier now. Love you hard work! Awesome achievement on 100 episodes, there isn't one that hasn't been useful. Definatley worth every cent!
  • CindyS
    Congratulations on the 100th episode! You guys never fail to put together something amazing. Thanks for the inspiration.
  • MKelley5199
    Love it...can't wait to give this a shot. Cheers to another 100 episodes :)
  • Congratulations on 100 episodes -- what an AWESOME accomplishment. And, they are all amazing videos, at that!
  • I like a lot this way of figuring out the LO, I mean, I enjoy measuring, dividing, etc
    I've enjoyed this episode a lot!!

    Love both of your LOs, great job!!
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