K & Company Mini Book Continued

I continued to torture the glitter glue pen today, and forged ahead with the creation of the K & Company Mini Book. I have to say that after this experience, I am a big fan of the mini book, and let me tell you why.

First of all, I’ve always felt like paper scrapbooking limited my style. The alphabet sets were always slightly or extremely smaller than I would have liked, and having done a lot of digital scrapbooking, I am extremely spoiled by being able to resize letters to their proper HUGE status in my layouts. I strongly use what I call my Wonky Letters (TM) style, which consists of me taking gigantic letters, and aligning them on my layouts like a set of crooked teeth. “First letter tilts to the left, next letter tilts to the right, third letter tilts to the left and drops down an eigth of an inch…”, etc. My Wonky Letters (TM) style works wonders in the mini book format. This was a pleasant surprise.

Creating a mini book has also forced me to do something that I’ve always been terrified to do. I have been stretched creatively, and forced to cut photographs with scissors. Cutting up my photographs was probably the number one barrier of entry between me and the wonderful world of scrapbooking, and definitely the reason I chose to dive into digital instead of paper scrapping. When you’re creating a digital scrapbook, you simply crop, resize, and save the original version of your photo on a nice hard drive that gets back up nightly to an external back up drive. Cutting a photo? It’s like asking me to cut the fingernails of a two day old baby. What if I screw up? Somebody might get seriously injured! I might chop off an arm, or a head!

I had to throw caution to the wind and cut those photos because they were too big to fit on the mini book format. I feel like I’ve been liberated! I even cut one of the pictures in HALF, and used it in the center of a two page layout. It was like walking on the moon!

Something that I have noticed about the mini book is that my pages are warping. I am not sure if it is the glue stick I’m using, or because the paper is thicker than normal, but the pages are buckling inside. It must be the glue stick. I’m using Scotch Scrapbooker’s glue with 2 Way Applicator. Fancy, I know! I don’t think I’ll be able to do my normal “Three Days with Shakespeare” scrapbook pressing routine where I place the book underneath my college edition of the complete works of William Shakespeare for 3 days, in which anything under its crusing weight comes out flatter than a flapjack. I have a good many 3D elements in the book. But I’ll give The Bard a shot, and see if it flattens up before I give it away on Friday.

If you have any advice for a poor warped Scrapbook Evangalist, please post a comment. I like my scrapbooks a little shabby, a little junky, a little bit rock and roll. I’ve been told that I have a tendency to pile it on a little thick… but never in reference to a scrapbook!

K & Company Mini Book & The 25 Cent Glitter Pen

Today I started a K & Company Mini Book. I combined it with a set of Brenda Walton 3 dimensional flower stickers, and various alpha packs. You know I can’t resist mixing it up. While I was out shopping today for a dinner party, I wound up wandering down the craft aisle at Target. Luckily, Target’s craft aisle leaves a lot to be desired, so I was not tempted to empty the entire contents of the aisle into my shopping cart. But I did manage to walk out with a couple of 25 cent glitter glue pens.

I’ve never experimented with the glitter glue pen. Tonight all of that changed. The K & Company mini scrapbook kit comes with a variety of lovely papers, alphabets, tags, stickers, and other scrapbook goodness. It’s turned out to be a perfect marriage with my 25 cent glitter glue pen.

I started out using the glitter glue pen to create simple curved lines off of the Brenda Walton flower stickers. Behold the glitter glue pen madness that soon took over my pages. I think I have found a new signature scrapbook supply that screams Beth Berry, Scrapbook Evangalist!

Enjoy. You’ve been warned. Glitter glue at your own risk.

Click image to see all sizes.

Digital Scrapbook Technique- The Big Picture

Digital Scrapbook Technique- The Big Picture

If you’re trying to add new dimension to your digital scrapbooks, one of the fastest and easiest ways to create complex effects is to take advantage of the hundreds of Photoshop Actions that are available for download on the web.

I used The Big Picture Action from PanosFX to create this photo collage effect for a quick layout.

Click to Enlarge

How to Do It:  To read the instructions for how to create this effect, click through to the FULL ARTICLE

Formula for Scrapping Birthday Parties

When I am shooting pictures at a birthday party I try to think ahead about the creation of a future digital scrapbook layout. I use the following easy to remember formula to make sure I get all of the shots I’ll need to create a compelling double page spread that documents the celebration.

It’s as easy as spelling B I R T H D A Y

B- Birthday Child
I like to take a few individual shots of the birthday child, and always use these as the central photos in the birthday party layouts.

I- Ice Cream & Cake
Include a picture of the cake, and if you can capture it, it’s always nice to have a shot of the birthday child blowing out the candles.

R- Recreation
While the kids are playing party games, or jumping in the inflatable jump castle, walk around and shoot action shots! Even if some of them turn out blurry or slightly out of focus, you’re bound to capture a handful of great shots.

T- Theme
Focus on the theme of the party. If it is a cowboy themed party, make sure you take pictures of all of the guests in their cowboy hats, or take pictures of the cowboy hankerchief goodie bags. Take a few shots that help document the theme of the party.

H- Happy Kids!
Don’t be afraid to ask groups of kids to gather together and say CHEESE! Most of the time, the kids love to ham it up in front of the camera (especially if you let them see the photos on your camera screen after you take the shot!). So, round them up in small groups and get some close ups of their happy smiling party faces.

D- Dad & Mom
Try to get a picture of dad and mom together. And if you can manage to get one of Dad, mom, and the birthday child…even better! Often mom and dad are running around the party and when they get the photos back from the party, you’d never know they were even there! The child will appreciate the scrapbook later in life even more if mom and dad are included in the layout.

A- Attendees
When the kids sit down to eat cake, go around the table and ask each one of them to smile while you take their picture. I try to include a picture of every child at the party in all of my birthday party layouts. Using different conventions, such as a photo contact sheet or a stacked polaroid effect can pack a lot of pictures into a small space on a layout.

Y- Yourself
Don’t forget to have someone at the party take a picture of YOU to include in the layout. So often, we find ourselves behind the camera, and it’s nice to see the artist make a cameo appearance in their own scrapbook every now and then.

Hot New Products

With the metric ton of new digital products being released weekly at digital scrapbook sites around the web, the task of weeding through and finding the hottest new kits out there can be a full time job. Here a few shining stars…

To the left, you see Angie Brigg’s new digital scrapbook kit Gypsy Boots, being sold exclusively at ScrapGirls.

It includes 16 colorful, slightly distressed papers, 3 sheets of fun, felt flowers, butterflies, dragonflies. You also get ribbon and ric rak and other fun embellishments. And best of all, you also get 3 different types of alpha.

I am a big alpha fan, so this kit looks right up my alley. I love the bright colors and attitude of this fun new kit.

Designer Digitals artist Katie Pertiet has done it again with her new Little Indians Kit. The kit reminds me of books I used to flip through over and over in the big downtown library when I was a kid. It has a wonderfully nostalgic feel, without being outdated.

The neutral color scheme is also perfect to use for scrapbook layouts featuring boys or girls.

Since I am a big fan of mixing and matching the kits in my library, I see a lot of pieces in this kit that I know I’ll wind up using again and again, including the typewriter key alphas, the photo frames, and the stitches.

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A New Favorite!
Could I love designer Lie Fhung’s work any MORE? I don’t think it’s possible!

Fhung is an artist with such an amazing eye for detail that literally every time I drop something she’s designed onto a layout, I break into a smile.

You really have to see the detail in her Syrin Seamstress Kit to believe it. Ripped fabric strips, stitching that rambles across the page, and a variety of stick pins with shadowing that will blow your mind.

Fhung is such an incredible artist, and is relatively new to the scene. I see a very bright future for her site Ztampf.com, and I’m on the edge of my seat to see what she is cooking up next!

Dog Ears- Memory Makers September 2006 Part I

The September 2006 edition of Memory Makers Magazine was a dog ears delight. In fact, I didn’t get past the Chatterbox ad inside the front cover without making my first dog ear.

Page 1- Chatterbox has introduced Chatterbox Fonts Volume 3: Fonts, Dingbats, & Doodles. The ad cleverly displays the fonts included on the CD, and I think this one is going to be a must have for my growing font collection.

There are a handful of nice handwritten journaling fonts, as well as a couple of nice fat title style fonts, with both grungy and elegant varieties. The doodles and dingbats included on the CD are creative and fresh, and I can see myself using them not only to embellish pages, but also to potentially create patterns for papers and tags for my personal stash of homemade digitals.

The ad says look for it in your favorite scrapbooking/craft store today, so I complied. As soon as I had finished the magazine, I drove to my local Michael’s to try to find the collection. But of course they didn’t have it. Neither did my Hobby Lobby. The craft stores in this town need to get with it, and PRONTO!

But never fear, that’s why the Internet is here, right? Well, actually, I looked all over the Internet too, and could not find this CD volume in any online stores yet. Oh, Chatterbox, why do you tease us so? The collection is not even available on the Chatterbox site as far as I could tell.

The font is now on the Chatterbox site. Click here to go to the product page!

Tags: Chatterbox, fonts, scrapbook fonts, scrapbooking fonts, scrapbook journaling
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Page 13- Deja Views Plum, Blue, and Blue Raspberry and Chocolate Brown Fresh Print (R) grouping is an irresistable scrapbook layout color combination. I love it! They have complete instructions for creating this scrapbook page, and a list of all of the scrapbook materials you’ll need on their Projects Page. 

Tags: scrapbook layouts, deja views, scrapbook materials, scrapbook papers, scrapbook kits, scrapbook ideas. ________________________________________

Page 18: Okay, rarely does a scrapbook magazine make me cry. But the layout and story about the My Biggest Challenge Giveaway winner caused me to burst into tears on a flight between Atlanta and Minneapolis. Winner, Vicki Maloney, from Milwaulkee created a beautiful layout of her beautiful daughter who was killed in a car accident last July.

She said it took her over 6 months to be able to even create scrapbook layouts again after the loss, and the page she created is just simple and precious. You’ll just have to flip to page 18 to see it. So sweet. And again, I’m verklempt.

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Page 22: Dog earred to remind me to check out the Penelope’s Potpourri scrapbook collection from s-e-i. The collection uses large tulips in combinations of hot pink, blues, and greens to create a very feminine and playful aesthetic.

I think this would be perfect for my niece’s birthday party scrapbook.

I’m also on the hunt for a digital kit that has similar tones. So, if you know of one, please comment on this post! Or design one, pretty please.

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Page 26: Michelle Minken’s layout honoring her parent’s 35th wedding anniversary, and inspired by a vintage handkerchief is just lovely lovely. It is a great little article about finding inspiration in your immediate surroundings.

I think we should all challenge ourselves as artists to create beautiful surroundings that inspire us daily.

I think I have figured out what my New Year’s Resolution is going to be this year!

K & Company Frippery Jewelry Kit

For months I have been eager to try putting together one of K & Company’s Frippery Jewelry Kits. Since first seeing an ad for them in Creating Keepsakes magazine, I have been checking my local craft stores to see if they would start stocking the kits. My local Hobby Lobby didn’t carry them, and I didn’t see them at my local Michael’s. So, imagine my suprise when I found that my local fabric store had a nice variety in stock, tucked away in their crafting supply section.

I was instantly attracted to the color combinations and designs of the Katie collection. And decided to make a pair of earrings, and a charm necklace. This was my first attempt at any sort of jewelry making, so I was glad to see that the kit came with everything I’d need to complete my jewelry except a pair of pliers, and wire cutters. I thought to myself, “No problem! I’m sure I’ve got those hidden somewhere in the kitchen junk drawer.”, and I headed home to start on the project.

I was so excited to see the kit that I actually opened it in the parking lot, while sitting in my 100 degree car on a hot August afternoon in the South. I’m crafty, but I’m not always very bright.

The necklace kit includes 6 metal charms- 3 square and 3 circles. They are nice and heavy, and have decorative edges, and really gorgeous K & Company designed “K” designs embossed on the back of each charm. I think this is a really nice touch since the charms look great even if they get flipped over while you’re wearing the piece.

Also included are 7 different paper designs, conveniently printed on sticker paper, so all you have to do is pick the design you want, the shape you want (circle or square), and stick the sticker onto the metal charm. Then you can top it with the included clear plastic dome stickers of the same shape to create a magnified version of the paper design, and a very clean and polished looking charm.

I enthusiastically started sticking papers onto charms, and creating my masterpiece. I knew I wanted to spell out the word “Lucky”, and since I had also purchased the earring kit, I dipped into the stash of letters and papers in that kit as well to mix it up a bit. There are plenty of supplies in each kit to give you a lot of variation, but I can’t ever play by the rules, so mixing the kits was a natural choice for me.

After I had gotten all of my charms together, and looking the way I wanted, I set about assembling the necklace. Now, maybe it’s me, but I don’t find jewelry making all that simple. My hands always feel too big and clumsy, and I easily get flustered. Especially since I coudln’t find that set of pliers and wire cutters I was so sure were in the kitchen junk drawer!

I highly recommend splurging and getting the Tiny Tool Kit. You’ll thank yourself during assembly. Or at least having a really nice pair of needle nose pliers on hand. Essential! Essential!

You can also purchase little punches that will let you punch out pictures in the perfect size and shape of the charms if you want. The kit comes with lovely green pearlesque beads for you to add to embellish your piece. Since I prefer my jewelry to be a little more dangly, I cannabalized another necklace, and combined it with the provided beads to create my own gypsy version of the necklace and earring set.

Here I am, modeling my new jewels. 

Overall, I think this is a GREAT product, and I am very happy with the way my jewelry turned out. While they are on sale at my local fabric store, I am planning to go pick up the Phoebe set as well. Same idea. Different color scheme.

I think the jewelry is of good quality, and that I will get a lot of wear out of it. In fact, I’ve worn it everyday since I finished the pieces!

So, this product gets FIVE STARS for creativity, quality, and fun. It’s a great keepsake, and would make a fabulous gift, either as a kit or as a finished piece of jewelry.