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Category: Crafting General

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!

COUNTING DOWN TO THE SPRING CRAFT & GIFT SHOW

Counting Down to the Spring Craft & Gift Show

Today is a get “my butt” in gear day. This show is going to be fantastic for Easter cards primarily because of the timing of the event. I have come up with a few design ideas that I’ve been working on in my head. Now it’s time to put it to work. Here is a sample of one of my ideas.

Simple steps to Creating the perfect handmade Easter Card:

I find that being organized is very helpful so I get all my supplies ready for this one card, this way it keeps my work area clear of unwanted materials.

Now since I know that I am going to make 25 of each image, I will work in stages. For me this is the best way to mass produce cards. Especially if you are going to be making a cards that are layered.

1. I then start stamping the image on the white cardstock with my black ink. (I am using color box pigment ink since I will be using embossing powder. The pigment ink stays wet longer and holds the powder great.)

2. Once I have stamped the image on my cardstock, I then apply my Clear Embossing Powder to the stamped image. I shake off the excess into my plastic tray since I can re-use what was shaken off. (I use a plastic craft tray that has a funnel at one end, this makes is really easy to put the embossing powder back into its original container.)

3. I then heat the embossing powder with my Embossing Heat Tool until the Embossing powder crystals are smooth and shiny. (I use a Marvy Embossing Heat Tool.)

4. Then I use my colored embossing markers to color in my image. (I use Wet Looks Embossing Markers by Marvy)

5. When I have completed coloring my image I then apply Clear Embossing Powder to the entire image and heat with my Embossing Heat Tool until the embossing powder crystals are smooth and shiny.

6. Since I am using a layered look to my card, and have the words Happy Easter stamped on purple cardstock, I would follow the same inking and embossing procedures as I did on the stamped image of the card.

7. Now all I do is assemble the card to make the final product. I use adhesive tabs to put the layered cardstock together. (I use Herma Vario permanent tab adhesive).

You have now made a perfect handmade layered card for your family, friends or customers to enjoy. I bet whoever receives this hand made greeting card will never throw it out! This is a keeper for sure.

Easter Card 2008

Have a great day and don’t forget to leave time to craft!

SCRAPBOOK PAGE LAYOUT AND DESIGN

Scrapbook Page Layout & Design

For the beginner Scrapbooker designing your first page can be scary. I know that sounds crazy, but you are looking at all the new supplies that you have purchased and thinking to yourself what happens if I mess up, I just wasted all this money on supplies. Always remember that your scrapbook pages do not have to look like anyone else’s. They can be really simple, just a picture and some journaling on a page or you can make them full of embellishments. It’s all up to you.

A lot of Scrapbookers like to start out by at least having some kind of idea of how there page is going to look like when completed. If you are not that creative you can pickup a Scrapbooking magazine and find a layout that you would like to try or there is a great book written by Becky Higgins called Creative Companion. This is a book that is filled with sample page layouts. Find one that works with the number of photographs you have, and has a design that works with your style. I refer to this book a lot when I am having a scrappers block.

Now that you have the idea it is time to gather all of the supplies you will need to get your scrapbook page looking like the sample that you have chosen. Remember, just because the sample layout that you found is all in blue and green tones, you don’t have to use them, especially is your pictures are geared towards the colors of red and yellows. Use your imagination and you will make a beautiful masterpiece that you can call your own.

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

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