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July 31, 2012
July 30, 2012
Project Life Challenge 4: Embellish Photos and Pages
Welcome to the final of four Project Life challenges this month, brought to you by Megan Anderson from the Nerd Nest.
The best thing about Project Life is that it simplifies my memory keeping process. Keeping things super simple helps active this, but I also find myself looking forward to the weekly creative outlet Project Life brings. It feels good to use up my stash and get a little fancy. I love to embellish my photos and pages in a simple way, so that I feel like Project Life is doable for me but also fits my style and stretches my artistic muscles a bit. There are many ways to embellish your Project Life pages in quick, simple ways. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Add Strips of Color | When you are focusing on the photos, a few strips of color with simple designs go a long way. For the above page, I cut a page protector down to a custom size and sealed it shut with washi tape, a technique I first saw here. I added patterned paper that mimicked the spots on the lady bug.
Add a Little Dimension | You don't have to give up dimensional embellishments for Project Life! I usually add dimensional elements, like the chipboard leaves above or the felt circles in the first photo in the post, to the outside of the page protector with a super strong adhesive. This gives my pages more texture, makes it more fun for the kids (they LOVE feeling this stuff!), and allows me to overlap embellishments over multiple pockets.
Add Words to Photos | Adding words to photos gives you a chance to embellish photos, add titles, and tell the story behind the pages. For an awesome example of this, check out Ali Edwards's Week 20 Project Life.
Add Color | Layer bits of color over and under a photo that's a bit smaller than your pocket. Just a little bit can add a huge pop to your spread!
Make a Mini Page | If you're having trouble figuring out how to include embellishments in Project Life, try thinking of some of the pockets as their own little mini pages, complete with title, writing and a photo. Project Lifer Lisa Truesdell does this with almost every one of her pockets!
Combine Words and Photos in Each Pocket | I love adding a few words to each photo. I do this by writing in the negative space of the photo, writing on patterned paper above or below a photo, or adding a label sticker to the photo. I know that I won't really remember what's going on in these photos later, so a quick description is going to be so cool to have later. For a simpler take on adding words to Project Life photos, check out the work of Amy Schubert, who adds plain text to each of her photos using Powerpoint.
Create Unity with Patterned Paper | Most of the time I like to think of the whole spread when I'm embellishing a week of Project Life, so I try to create unity by repeating colors and patterns. In the above page, I used the three patterned papers over multiple pockets, which really unifies the page as a whole. I hope this inspires you to embellish your photos and pages!
GIVEAWAYS CLOSED!! THANKS FOR PLAYING
Participate in the challenge, and be entered into the challenge giveaways, by creating and upload your own Project Life page that illustrates how you embellish and upload it to the Project Life Community Gallery. Challenge is open through August 6. Winners notified and announced by August 10.
(Remember to tag it with embellish PL Challenge )
WINNER: Christina C
closed Challenge Giveaways: One lucky challenge participant will win the prize from this week's sponsor, Elle's Studio, a $25 gift certificate!!
Special thanks to all of our prize sponsors, listed below.
Grand Prize!! WINNER IS JEANETTE PIERCE
One person will be randomly selected to win.
Project Life (winner gets to select from one of the five editions)
- Core kit
- Binder
- Big pack of photo pocket pages
- Big envelope pages
- Scrapbook dividers
a Rafflecopter giveaway
July 25, 2012
It’s been four years since I last attended the Craft and Hobby Association trade show in Chicago, so when I express printed my badge and headed inside, I really didn’t know what to expect.
The massive convention center was filled with inspiring products, the kind that made me want to get home and start creating. I made my way over to my little spot on the floor: the Webster’s Pages booth. As the PR Manager for this company, I was most excited that I got to meet my friend, Brandin O’Neill, the co-owner and designer of Webster’s Pages, for the first time.
We hit it off right away.
For weeks now, I’ve been blogging about and chatting up our new collections:
Park Drive:
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Once Upon a Halloween:
Royal Christmas:
(And a very special mid-season collection, Best Friends…)
Because I’m completely smitten with each and every design and embellishment…
But seeing the booth in person just really took my breath away. It was everything I expected from Webster’s Pages…beautiful, elegant and inspiring.
And beyond that, we just really had FUN!
After all, sharing our new collections and all the little goodies that go along with them…things like these special edition Perfect Accents:
And our brand new StoryMarkers:
…absolutely made our entire trip wonderfully memorable in every way.
Our walls were lined with gorgeous layouts from our designers…pages like this one from Diana Brodeur, which features the new Park Drive collection:
And this one from Stacey Michaud, which highlights Once Upon a Halloween:
Now we’re back home, filled with tons of new memories, anxious to get these new collections out the door…
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Giveaway closed
***Giveaway winner is Smileygurl80***
"I love all three!! How can I choose just one? But if I had to I'll pick Park Drive. I so love those accents that says Keep Calm and Scrap on."
Speaking of which…we’d LOVE to give away a collection kit from one of our new lines to a Big Picture reader and we’d love to do it today! Just tell us which of our three new lines you’re loving most (below in the comments) and we’ll choose one lucky winner to be among the FIRST to receive it!
Connect with Websters Pages via
Giveaway closes Friday July 27 at midnight PT
Winner announced by 7/31
July 23, 2012
Project Life Challenge 3: Incorporate Memorabilia
Welcome to the second of four Project Life challenges this month, brought to you by Megan Anderson from the Nerd Nest.
One of my favorite things about Project Life and using a three-ring binder style scrapbook is the ease of including memorabilia. It's nice to have a place for all of those bits and pieces that I collect without having to worry how to work them into a 12x12 layout; I've been including more bits of life than ever before. My album is now filled with daughter's artwork, graduation announcements, notes, letters, product packaging, and other wonderful things that I would have otherwise lost or recycled. There are so many ways to fit memorabilia into your pages! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
 
Slip it in Page Protector Insert | My favorite way to include memorabilia is to add it in a small insert in the middle of my weekly spread. For the above spread, I collected two programs from my daughter's school music concert. I slipped in the first program as is, then folded the second program in half and slipped it behind the first program. That way the concert is introduced on the first side, and you can see which song my daughter's class sang on the back. I also included a photo of my daughter's class with some journaling attached to it. I let the photo "float" in the protector so that I can remove the programs to look at them later.
I like to attach journaling to the page protector with a brad or adhesive instead of attaching it to the memorabilia, so that the memorabilia is better preserved. You can include even more memorabilia by using an album pocket. Check out all of the memorabilia Marcy Penner included in this page!
Gather Bits from your Family | I love that including my family's memorabilia helps add their perspective to our life story. In the above page, I cropped my daughter's favorite Valentines from school and slipped them into an insert. You might try this method with your kids' birthday cards, your spouse's memos, receipts, or with business cards and brochures from a family vacation you weren't even a part of!
Include Tags and Project Packaging | The things you buy say a lot about your life, and bonus: the packaging often looks cool too. Try cropping down a food packaging box, including clothing tags like I did above, or making an embellishment out of packaging. Check out this packaging-filled spread from Amy Tangerine for more inspiration!
Scan and Shrink | Sometimes I have great memorabilia, but I don't want it to take up tons of space. I love scanning memorabilia (especially my daughter's artwork) and shrinking it down to fit into a single pocket, as I did with the mermaid artwork above. This is also a good option if you're concerned with archival safety.
Include Notes | The things you jot down throughout the week, like grocery lists, to-do lists, or little things to remember, are everyday things that you will really treasure later. These things might seem mundane now, but the sorts of things you'll put on those lists will change a lot over the years! In the above page, I included the feeding/diaper chart I kept on my nightstand to keep track of my then-newborn son's habits. This is something that I did because I didn't trust my sleep-deprived brain to remember when he last ate, but it ended up being a really interesting record of what life with a newborn is like.
 
Slip in Letters Between Pages | Notes and letters are really fun things to include, as they often get other's voice into your album. You can use some of the other methods mentioned to include notes and letters, but you can also just fold one up, and clip it behind a page.
Add in Real-Life Objects | If you don't mind adding bulk to your album, consider adding flatter objects directly into your album. I got the idea to include newborn clothes from Ali Edward's Anna Baby Book. I can hardly believe now that my son ever fit into that tiny thing. Other objects to consider: a paper hat from a zoo trip, a winter hat or gloves, or a smooshed paper cup from an event.
Take a Photo of the Memorabilia | If your memorabilia is too bulky to fit in, take a photo of it! I loved finding a way to fit in my daughter's diorama on this PL page covering what she was learning in school at the time. I hope this inspires you to include memorabilia in your Project Life!
GIVEAWAYS CLOSED! THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING
Participate in the challenge: and be entered into the challenge giveaways, by creating and upload your own Project Life page that shows how you incorporate memorbilia and upload it to the Project Life Community Gallery. Challenge is open through August 6. Winners notified and announced by August 10.
(Remember to tag it with memorabilia PL Challenge )
winner: Alissa
CLOSED Challenge Giveaways: One lucky challenge participant will win the prize from this week's sponsor,American Craft, a $25 assortment of slick writers.
Special thanks to all of our prize sponsors, listed below.
Grand Prize!! WINNER IS JEANETTE PIERCE
Project Life (winner gets to select from one of the five editions)
- Core kit
- Binder
- Big pack of photo pocket pages
- Big envelope pages
- Scrapbook dividers
Giveaway details below, brought to you by Raffelcopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
July 20, 2012
The summer CHA show has just wrapped up and tweets, updates, pictures, and videos are all over the web. What are you excited about? I am looking forward to holiday scrapbooking and crafting. These product picks are sure to make for a fun 2012 Christmas season.
July 18, 2012
Hey Big Picture friends! I'm Lisa Truesdell (aka gluestickgirl), and I'm thrilled to be visiting the BPC blog to talk a bit about mixing patterned paper. I LOVE using lots of colors and patterns on my pages - and enjoy finding just the right balance to fit the theme of my layout. Here are some tips for getting an eclectic mix without overwhelming your project.
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1. Go Coordinated
If you're new to using 5+ different patterned papers on your page, here's a great way to ease in - stick with using just one line. Manufacturers put together collection packs that are perfectly coordinated, so you don't need to worry about pulling together your own mix. There are eight patterned papers on this page - all are from the American Crafts Chap collection. You'll notice that I used smaller scale patterns for all of the larger paper elements - this is a great way to add a little balance and calm to a page with a lot of pattern.
2. Stick with a Kit
Scrapbook kits are also a great way to test the waters on mixing different papers. Someone has already put together a coordinated collection of papers and embellishments from other manufacturers - all you need to do is pull out your photos and start scrapping. Taking a closer look at the sorts of patterns that are grouped together in these kits can help you get a good feel on how to mix them yourself. Studio Calico makes awesome kits with unexpected paper combinations - I used their Elmwood Park kit on this page. I started with a large block of a netural paper, then used small pops of different colors all around the page.
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3. Busy + Plain
Once you're ready to start putting your own paper combinations together, a good way to keep things cohesive : pick ONE multi colored patterned paper, and then pull in a mix of monochrome patterns. I started this page with the map patterned scalloped sticker from Crate Paper, and then pulled in several papers in colors that were within that sticker. I treated the brighter colors - pink and yellow - as accents, and made sure those colors were spread out around the page in visual triangles. To finish the patterned paper combination on this page, I pulled in a red and navy airmail stripe. It really doesn't match the rest of the papers, but it provides a perfect unexpected pop. I love adding a bit of unexpected color in small amounts - it can give a project a little extra energy.
4. Stay Neutral
I use a lot of smaller patterns when I'm mixing papers, but sometimes I fall in love with a BIG pattern, like this pie chart. Committing to one busy paper doesn't mean you can't bring in a few others - you'll just need to choose them carefully. On this page, I offset the large pattern with several neutrals and tiny bits of tone on tone papers. On this page, as in all the others, I used a neutral background - it's a good way to counter all of the color going on elsewhere!
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Studio Calico Giveaway
Giveaway CLOSED!
**giveaway winner is Selenatx**
"Sticking with a kit or the same manufacturer usually helps so much in mixing my patterned papers."
I hope I've inspired you to try a little mixing and matching on your next page! If you need a little more of a push, how about a chance to win Studio Calico's Elmwood Park kit?
- To be entered into the giveaway leave a comment sharing your favorite patterned paper mixing tips.
- Giveaway closes in 48 hours Thursday 7/19 at midnight PT
July 16, 2012
Project Life Challenge 2: Make It Work for You
Welcome to the second of four Project Life challenges this month, brought to you by Megan Anderson from the Nerd Nest. (week 1 challenge)
When I started Project Life in January 2012, I felt like I had an army of fellow scrappers taking on the project with me. Now that we're halfway through the year, I've noticed a MAJOR drop-off in online Project Life activity. Maybe scrappers are just sharing less, but I have a feeling that some of you may have gotten overwhelmed by the project. I've also heard some talk on the Project Life Community about how to juggle both Project Life and traditional scrapbooking. I tackle both of these issues by making Project Life work for me, and you can make PL work for you too! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Do As Much or as Little as You Want | It's the time frame of Project Life, the idea of doing a weekly spread, that got me excited. After hardly scrapping at all in 2011, I thought that PL could be just the thing to get me back on the proverbial horse. What I didn't expect was wanting to do more than just Project Life. So I came up with a system that works for me: I make an "in review" page at the end of each month and an "introduction" page at the beginning of each month. I slip any traditional layouts or extra stuff from the month in between those two pages. It means that I'll end up with three albums this year, but man am I happy! For many people, having too much to fit into Project Life isn't the problem. It's not being able to keep up with it. If that's the case for you, don't worry about having a weekly two page spread. Try just one spread a week. Skip some. Take a cue from Wendy Smedley, who is hoping to do one spread a month for the next four years. Or don't worry about a timeline at all: just fill pockets with random photos and stories as you have time. Remember that it's getting the memories recorded that's important, not "doing the project right". Need to simplify your process? Check out the work of Monica McNeil. She makes it easier by sticking to the Becky Higgins products and focusing on the everyday.
Forget the Pockets | If you're feeling stuck or in a rut, you might try forgetting the pockets for a week or two. I had a ton of fun doing the above spread, which has an insert that's incorporated into the double page design. This is even easier to do digitally. Check out Jessica Sprague's tutorial for adding a background to a digital Project Life template. Just changing the background, but sticking with the pocket design, can make for a refreshing change! BPC Member Kathleen Ducharme does a great job of this as well.
Tell Bigger Stories | Sometimes big things happen in your life that just don't seem to fit within the Project Life space. I just started using the Project Life format for my 2011 stories, and I added a ridiculous 4 extra inserts to my Week 1. That was the week my son Jonas came home, and I just couldn't tell the story of his first week with us without a ton of extra space. Consider adding in an insert with just extra text or extra photos if you don't feel that your story fits. I find that BPC member Nicole R. Norman employs this technique often!
Make Space for Words | Pocket page protectors can make telling long stories difficult. But the words are just as important as the photos. Try making space for words by printing a large journaling block or by adding a just-words insert. I hope this inspires you to make Project Life work for you!
GIVEAWAYS CLOSED
THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING
Participate in the challenge, and be entered into the challenge giveaways, by creating your own Project Life page that illustrates how you make it work and upload it to the Project Life Community Gallery. Challenge is open through August 6. Winners notified and announced by August 10.
(Remember to tag it with makeitwork PL Challenge )
WINNER: Natalie Spring
CLOSED Challenge Giveaways: One lucky challenge participant will win the prize from this week's sponsor, Paislee Press stamps.
Special thanks to all of our prize sponsors, listed below.
Grand Prize!! WINNER IS JEANETTE PIERCE
One person will be randomly selected to win.
Project Life (winner gets to select from one of the five editions)
- Core kit
- Binder
- Big pack of photo pocket pages
- Big envelope pages
- Scrapbook dividers
a Rafflecopter giveaway
July 13, 2012
Here are some more fun and exciting Summer CHA 2012 product previews for you to enjoy!
Websters Pages has been sharing new products all this week on their blog, design team member Diana (pictured above) made the layout below showcasing products from the new Park Drive line. to make this sweet layout.
Plus they have this product line called Story Markers, and I just love their assortment of new perfect accents!
See what CHA products we highlighted last week here.
July 12, 2012
Join in the 28 Sketches 2 contributor blog hop. Stop by each of the following blogs to learn more about each designer and how they contributed to the class. Have fun!
Oh and don't miss out, class starts next Thursday 7/19
July 11, 2012
Hello! Aly Dosdall here, and I’m so thrilled to be joining you on the BPC blog. Today I’d like to share a quick tutorial for how to resize your photos in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.
When I have lots of photos to include on a scrapbook layout one of my go-to techniques is to print all of my photos at 2 2/3 x 4 inches. This creates a unified feel across them page no matter how many photos I include, and it makes the design process easier.
How do I print my photos at 2 2/3 x 4 inches? Resize them and print two photos on each 4 x 6 inch print.
Here’s how:
1. Open the photos you would like to resize in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Click on Image > Resize > Image Size or Image>Image Size (depending on your software and version).
2. Click on the Constrain Proportions box and replace the number in the Height box to 4 inches for a portrait photo (vertical), and for a landscape photo (horizontal) change the number in the Width box to 4 inches. (If your photos are a different size as long as they’re 4 inches on the longest side you’re fine.)
3. Now open a new 4 x 6 inch 300 dpi canvas (File>Open new or File>New). If you have two portrait photos you’ll want your canvas to be landscape (6 inches wide and 4 inches tall). If you have two landscape photos you’ll want your canvas to be portrait (4 inches wide and 6 inches tall).
4. Go back to your first photo and select the Move tool in your tool bar. (It’s usually the top icon in the tool bar and looks like a little arrow.) Drag and drop your photo onto your 4 x 6 canvas and line it up flush with one side.
5. Go back to your second photo and drag and drop it onto your 4x6 canvas lined up flush with the opposite side.
6. Right click on the Background layer in your Layers palette and select Flatten Image. Now click on File>Save As and save the image with a new name as a JPEG file. Now you can print this 4 x 6 image at home or upload it to your favorite website. All you have to do is trim them when they’re done printing.
Bonus tip: I usually select a white border when I print my photos which acts as an instant photo mat and saves me some time!
Join me my newest workshop, Multi Photo solutions
About the Class:
Throughout the workshop, you'll receive a handout each week with detailed instructions to create two multi-photo projects – one and two page scrapbook layouts, mini albums, full albums and fun photo displays. Aly will provide sketches, templates, video demonstrations, and plenty of helpful tips so that you will feel confident (rather than overwhelmed) when facing that big stack of photos. As always, you can access the class content at your convenience, so there's no pressure...just lots of fun, practical, and creative ideas!
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