Home 2008 (Page 4)

Year: 2008

ORGANIZING YOUR CRAFT SUPPLIES – Part 1 of 3

Organizing Your Craft Supplies:

Find the system that works for you. Different personalities require different organization systems. Just get a system that works for you and the space that you work in. Also get a system that will allow you to grow as your supplies grow. You don’t want to keep changing your system all that does is confuse you and then you have no idea where you put things (I know, it’s happened to me).

If you find things easier when they’re alphabetized, then use that type of system. Perhaps you’re better at finding things by color, or maybe you prefer to organize by manufacturer. It’s all about finding the style that makes you most productive.

** Storing photographs. Once your photos are developed (or printed), you need to store them safely until you’re ready to put them in your scrapbook. Keep them separated by year or event. There are so many different products out on the market to store your photos in, just make sure that they are acid free and archival safe. Don’t forget to Label the outside this will save you time later when looking for a specific photo or event.

** Store embellishments and other items. Sometimes, for the purpose of creatively decorating your scrapbook, you may wish to keep tickets, brochures, maps and postcards, golfing score cards that are related to a particular trip or event. Use manila file folders, and label them so you know what is inside. File them away until they’re ready to be used. Once you want to add these articles to you scrapbook page, a good idea will be to spray them with an acid free, archival quality protective coating. Again there are many different kinds on the market. I use a spray from Rogers Craft Source called Scrapbook Protectant Spray.

** Organize paper. Where do you keep all of that cool paper until you’re ready to use it? Many Scrapbookers use paper racks to organize their paper. Vertical paper storage also is a great alternative this is my choice for storing paper. It is easy to pick out your favorite colored or pattern paper quickly. You can get a plastic, portable filing container just make sure that it is archival safe. There are also hanging file folders available. Label the hanging files by theme or color. If you don’t have room for all of these racks and filing cabinets, Crop-In-Style has a portable Paper Taker tote that also works fantastic for all size papers.

You may also want to buy acid free photo boxes to hold blank Greeting Cards and Envelopes for your handmade card. You can label the outside of the box with the size of the cards and also the color of the cardstock. This helps when looking for a specific size/color blank card.

** Storing Rubber Stamps. Shallow, plastic containers work best. You shouldn’t stack rubber stamps; the reason is that it will be easier to see the top of the stamp that shows your design. In my case I have thousands of stamps so I do have some that are stacked but I also have then in plastic containers that are labeled with the theme of the stamps inside.

** Store tiny stuff. For very tiny die-cuts and other small items such as brads or eyelets, check out storage containers at your local craft store or even hardware store. They have great items for organizing. Baby food jars or any clear containers serve the same purpose.

** Keep it together. Already have a pretty good idea of stickers and die-cuts you’re planning to use with a particular set of photographs? Keep them in the same storage product that you have chosen for your photos until you’re ready to put them into your scrapbook. This way, everything will be in one place and ready to use.

Have a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

Organize Craft Supplies Part 2

Organize Scrapbooking Room Part 3

CORRECTING SCRAPBOOKING SCREWUPS

The Scrapping Screw-Up

Every Scrapbooker has done it, I know I have. I know that you will one day. I am talking about A Scrapping Screw-Up.

Picture this – You have just finished the most beautiful, totally awesome Scrapbook page, and you are sitting back thinking that this is the best one yet and all of a sudden you find “IT”, a sticker that ripped, a miss spelled word, a rub-on that has worn off, a finger print. Well do not worry about it; here are a few tips to fix up your “scrapping screwups” instead of starting over or the worst throwing out what you thought was your best ever scrapbook page

What happens though when you have a ripped or misplaced sticker?

There are many ways of fixing a misplaced sticker.

* If you didn’t place the sticker down too hard then carefully use any really sharp object like the tip of a craft knife or even a pair of tweezers to help peel up the sticker. You can place another sticker in the same place of where the sticker is you have duplicates or you may have to add a different embellishment where you took the sticker off.

* If your sticker is stuck to the page and you can’t get it off using the technique above, there is a product called UnDo which takes off the sicker and if used correctly you can re-use the sticker once it dries.

* If these techniques don’t work consider placing a small picture in its place or a larger sticker or another embellishment over the top to cover up the mistake.
Ever have a Rub-On that gets rubbed-off?

Everyone loves rub-ons now days since they come in so many different styles. The alphabets come in a variety of fonts and colors and now they even have sayings that you can use inside your Handmade Greeting Cards, but at times rub-ons don’t love us. I know I can’t tell you how many times I have had used a rub-on where only some of the rub-on goes on so I have to get it off. Here are some tips for when rub-ons go bad.

*Lets say that you were rubbing on a word create and you accidentally rubbed on some letters that should not be in that work, you can use the tip of your craft knife to scratch away the letters that are misplaced.

*If your rub-on is incomplete. I mean that if you are rubbing on the letter “T” and the line on the top is missing, you can use an acid free pen of the same color and fill in the missing spots.

Using rub-ons are going to be so much easier and worry free now that you know how to fix your mistakes.

Found a miss spelled word in your journaling?

No problem. There are a couple of ways to fix that. If you have typed the word or hand wrote it, all you need to do is re-type or re-write that word on either the same color paper or different and cut it out and place over the word. If it looks out of place, retype a couple of other words even though they are spelled correctly and it will look like you intended for some words or sentences to be on different kinds of paper. You can even adhere with a small brad or eyelet for a cool look.

So next time you find a mistake with your spelling, stickers, or rub-ons don’t worry. There is always a creative way to fix it and no one will ever know but you.

Have a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

CORRECTING SCRATCHED OR STAINED PHOTOS

Have You Ever Had a Photo that is Scratched or Stained?

As a Scrapbooker you know that the most important part of your scrapbook is the photo, and if that photo gets messed up by getting it stained by your coffee cup that is on your work station or scratched by one of your Scrapbooking tools, then you don’t have a scrapbook page with a photo now do you.  Well do not worry I have some ideas that I have used personally and some that my friends have used and said that they worked for them and they just may be the ticket to save your scrapbook page. Never think the worse until you try some of these tips.  What do you have to loose?

The most common mistake I have is doing a wonderful layout and then when I think I am done I realize that I have scratched or smudged my photo. Don’t Worry. Reprint the photo and replace the bad with the new.

Well sometimes it’s not as easy as that so here are a few handy ideas:

If the scratch is on the corner of the photo you can easily cover it up by using a corner paper punch, or with a photo frame, or even photo adhesive corner tab to cover up this scratch.

Another method is using an embellishment such as an eyelet, brad, ribbon ties along the edge where the scratch is, or a sticker will work great too!

Another technique to use on a scratched photo, when near the edge, is sanding.  I have not done this personally but a lot of my Scrapbooking friends have and it looks fantastic.  Take a small piece of sandpaper and rough up the edges all around the photo, if you think this effect will not go with the theme of your layout then take some paint and give the photo a brushed border effect.

If you notice the scratch or tear before you have added it to your scrapbook page, of course you can reprint this photo especially if it is in a bad noticeable spot of the photo.  But what if this is the only photo that you have and can not reprint it.  You may want to use your scanner and scan it into your computer and clean up the photo using Photoshop or one of the many computer photography programs that they have on the market.  Doing this your page will be perfect and no one would ever know that there was a problem  OR  if you don’t have a scanner and photo software you can add the scratched  picture to your scrapbook with a little caption “sorry this picture is scratched, but it’s the only one I have”.  This to me just shows that everyone makes mistakes and it can still be perfect!

One of the other fears a Scrapbooker has is when you are scrapping and you spill a drink and the photo gets wet or stained. That is why I always print two pictures. I never know when I am going to need that photo, and if I don’t need to use that second picture it  can go into a frame or I will send it to that special someone who was in the picture or was at that event and give them a smile.

So do not fear, if you have a scratch or a stained photo there is always something you can do to make it look Great!

Have a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Spring Has Sprung! (A Quote from My Mother)

Growing up the first day of spring my mom would recite a poem for us and I guess after hearing it for many years it is just on of those things that sticks in your head. It goes like this:

Spring has sprung

The Grass has riz

I wonder where the birdies is

The birds are on the wing

The birds are on the wing?

My word How Absurd

I thought the wing was on the bird.

I can’t believe that it is spring already and that Easter has already gone. It seems like it was just Christmas. I guess that saying of Time Flies when you are having fun is true. Since having my own business and enjoying every moment of every day, time really does fly by. Wouldn’t it be cool if we could “pause life” like we do on our televisions now days and just savor the great times for as long as we want and then at the same time fast forward the not so happy times in our lives.

Crafting is a great way of just being in the happy moment. I know that when I am making my Handmade Greeting Cards I can be anyplace that I want. Even though my craft studio is in my home in New Mexico, I can dream of being on a beach in Hawaii or driving my vesper with my husband through the wine country of Tuscany. I am in my own little world and nothing can stop me from achieving my dreams.

Have a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

SPRING CRAFT SHOW IN THE RECORD BOOKS

Another Spring Craft Show in the Record Books

I can’t believe that the Spring Show is over.  It takes so long to prepare and then it is gone.  I guess it is just like any event that you plan for.  The preparation always takes more time than the actual event.  

The overall census of the show this year was that there were a lot of “lookers” and not “buyers”.  My friend’s mom called them “Lookie Lous” Me personally, I think that since Easter is so early this year, and tax season is creeping just around the corner that people really weren’t buying for that reason.  All of the crafters products were great; there were a lot of jewelry crafters with beaded items, ceramic pottery, rhinestone shirts & hats, candy, some “crafters” that I wouldn’t call crafters were selling items that were not hand made, almost like going to a flea market kind of items and antique stuff.

The coolest part is that I was the only one there who was selling Handmade Greeting Cards.  I did really well on my Easter cards and Custom Birthday cards and believe it or not Get Well cards.  I did make Mothers Day & Fathers Day cards but they didn’t sell, I’m thinking that people don’t think that much in advance, at least not at this show.  That is the chances that you always take when you are in a show.  You never know what is going to be the big seller.

The best part of selling your own handmade greeting cards or whatever it is that you create is the satisfaction and accomplishment that you feel when the customer comes up to you and compliments you on your work.  It is a feeling that puts a big smile on your face.

Have a Great Day and don’t forget to leave time to Craft!

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