Weaving Photographs and the Use of a Collage to Give Your Scrapbooks Artistic Flare
August 31, 2007
For more dramatic results from your photographs, trying weaving two copies of the same photograph together. This technique creates a three-dimensional artist look. This technique would look great on a scrapbook for a graduating art student or a scrapbook for a friend who is quite artist and creative. This technique might also look good on a child’s scrapbook with a kid’s art background giving the whole page an abstract look.
To achieve this technique, first you need two copies of the same photo. On one photograph, draw evenly spaced vertical lines on the back of the picture. Cut along these lines with scissors or an exacto knife. On the other photograph draw and cut along evenly spaced horizontal lines.
Next, using alternate strips, from photograph one and then photograph two, weave the pieces together. To preserve the rectangular shape of the photographs, start your weaving in the center of the piece and work outwards.
Collages are congregations of photographs or news clippings. These items can be placed in any order or pattern. Collages can have a theme such as a single individual or an entire family group combined.
Low On Cash For Christmas? Try Gifts in a Jar
August 30, 2007
Time is money, and right now you don’t have either the time or the money to answer the call of the shopping mall at Christmas. The only way you can show your friends love, peace on earth, goodwill towards men is by shopping at Macy’s, so you think.
It’s a safe bet that the Three Kings didn’t buy the gold, frankincense and myrrh given to Jesus Christ in the manger from Macy’s or Pottery Barn.
This year you, too, can give frankincense and myrrh of the tasty kind. The best part is, the ingredients come from your neighborhood grocery store or even your own kitchen. The Three Kings used ornate containers, but you can make do with an inexpensive 1-quart mason jar to hold your “sand art” cookies, or “Gifts in a Jar.”
What do you need to make “Gifts in a Jar”? Let’s take, for example, the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies: flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oatmeal and raisins. All of these are available for under $5 at your local grocery store. If you buy in bulk, you’ll save more time and money—just make sure to create your “Gifts in a Jar” as soon as possible before you plan on giving them. The ingredients have a shelf life of 3 months in most cases, so use fresh ingredients.
Use Newspaper Clippings, Graphics, Kids Art, and Clipart to Enhance Your Scrapbook
August 29, 2007
A popular addition to scrapbook pages is newspaper clippings. Newspaper clippings of birth announcements, team photographs, or favorite celebrities add a personal touch to scrapbook pages.
Newspaper contains about 4% lignin. Therefore, yellowing and brittleness of the newspaper paper will eventually occur. However, since the percentage of lignin is low, newspaper will preserve for many years before this deterioration process begins to occur. To further slow this process, use Mylar or page protectors to protect the newspaper from the outside elements.
Various graphics and clip art are available on the Internet. Many of these items can be downloaded or printed for free. Downloading and printing images is a good way to find pictures or photographs of your child’s favorite television character or band for a unique personalized touch. Print these graphics or clipart directly onto lignin-free and acid-free paper.
Kids bring home the greatest creations of macaroni, glitter, and finger paint. Unfortunately, the macaroni bits and glitter is soon all over the floor or eaten by the dog.
To save these creations, without the macaroni and glitter mess, simply scan and print your child’s creations for use in your next scrapbook.
Underwater Photography: The Wonders Under the Sea
August 28, 2007
The world of photography is an amazing one. It’s been with us for quite a while now but it is constantly changing. Cameras are changing and improving. Methods of developing are changing and improving as well. We have digital cameras that allow people to take a view of their pictures immediately without traditional developing. Another change in the world of photography is underwater photography.
What do you think brings us those great shots of saltwater fish and movies that film in the ocean and under the sea? What about shots taken in swimming pools? You see those in the movies a lot but may not have thought about how they take those pictures and videos.
You probably never thought about it because for a long time underwater photography was not really an option for everyday people. But now it is not just an option, it’s really easy to achieve.
- What is Underwater Photography?
Underwater photography is as the name implies photos that are taken under water. This is pretty interesting since early cameras could not function if wet. But as people started discovering the wonders under the sea, they wanted to be able to share that with others or even just to prove what they actually saw. So we began creating cameras that could work under water.
Choices
August 28, 2007
You can do and you can be whatever you want. You have the power, and the right, to make the changes.
There are many choices to be made as daily life goes by. There are changes in our world and choices in our lives. There are those who come and those who go. There are those who enrich, and those who drain. There are thoughts which improve our daily grind, and there are thoughts that depress us and bring us down.
Every chance meeting, every friendship, every love, every choice we make, changes us inside and out in ways we neither see nor notice until sometime later.
All of a sudden we encounter an old circumstance, but we handle it in a new way a better way. The choices and the changes we made have caused us to grow, to improve, and we can move on unafraid.
You have one life to live, don’t let it count for naught. You have too much to give, Choose to give it!
Copyright 2004 Fran Watson
For more poetry and stories you can go to Fran’s webpage http://www.franwatson.ca
I Just Love It!
August 27, 2007
“I Just Love It!”
You know the scenario. You’re sitting at the family Christmas gathering and your ten-year-old opens one of Aunt Martha’s itchy homemade sweaters. Or Uncle Bobby, who’s been swearing to lose twenty pounds for years, opens an exercise cycle. Of course, if Uncle Bobby follows the politeness rule, he’ll say, “Thank you, it’s just what I wanted.” (Then he’ll conveniently “forget” about it in the basement or storage closet.) your ten-year-old may not be as skilled at pretending as Uncle Bobby, but kids know enough to know that any answer other than “Thank you, Aunt Martha, I love it” will raise the roof.
There’s nothing wrong with pretending you like a gift that someone has consciously bought because they think it suits you, you’ll like it, or it will be good for you. The saying “It’s the thought that counts” is a truism. Unless you habitually don’t put much thought into your gifts. Have you stopped to look at other people’s faces when they open your gifts?
Preservation and Making Copies of Your Scrapbook
August 26, 2007
You put a great deal of time, thought, and effort into your scrapbook pages. Scrapbooks often are very personalized creative works that are very meaningful to the creator. Therefore, you should try to protect and preserve your work.
The most important way to protect your pages is by using lignin free and acid free products. Lignin free and acid free protects will reduce yellowing and crumbling. Also, use colored paper or ink that is resistant to fading due to age, exposure to light, heat, and other unfavorable conditions.
To protect your page from the outside world, use Mylar or page protectors. Special page protectors for three-dimensional pages are also available at most craft stores. These protection pages not only protect your objects but also reduce indentations caused by three-dimensional objects.
Copies can be easily made and placed into your scrapbook. Also, copies of your scrapbook pages can easily be made for other purposes.
The great thing about modern technology is that you can make copies of your baby announces, recipes, and calendars without a great deal of hassle. This reduces time and money. Furthermore, the ability to copy scrapbook pages allows more scrapbooking uses.
Getting Rid of Messes and Mistakes in Your Scrapbooks
August 25, 2007
No matter how careful you are, you will undoubtedly find a mistake, mark, or mess on your finished scrapbook page. This is just part of the process of making a scrapbook. If you find a mistake, mark, or glue bits on your scrapbook page, just rub it off using a soft white eraser.
Alternately, make the mark into an interesting squiggle or doodle. In other words, incorporate the mistake into your creative works! You know the saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I’ve personally created some very unique and interesting patterns from mistakes that actually came out beautifully in the finished product.
Here’s how to handle some common mistakes:
For mistakes in journal text, cover the mistake with a sticker the same color as the journal page. Then, just write over the sticker. White out can also be used for white pages.
Fingerprint smudges on your photographs can be removed by rubbing the fingerprints with a piece of flannel or a dry baby wipe.
Excess powder or glitter can be brushed away. This is time consuming and frustrating. The best solution is to reduce static electricity before you add the powder or glitter. Just place a dryer sheet on top of the page before you work.
Rubber Stamping and Scrapbooking will Bring the Family Together During The Holidays
August 24, 2007
No matter what celebration you and your family will rejoice in this holiday season, the common thread is family unity and the joy of sharing in the relationships with others.
Remembering the past is always an important part when bringing the family together. It is important to reflect on the fun times we have as a family, and those not with us anymore.
Technology lets us organize out memories better than ever before. With computers, digital photography and video, there are simple ways to get the kids involved with preserving the past.
The kids are at home for their winter break, and like mine, they are probably bored. Putting together a scrapbook is a great task to keep them busy with a good project. This can be done before and after the holidays. By taking lots of pictures, they will be able to assemble them in their book. It is fun to add their own twist with colored pencils and markers, or rubber stamps and crafting scissors.
Perhaps, they will be able to create gifts for others. Grandparents always like a homemade picture frame from their grandchildren.
Patterning and Spacing in Your Scrapbooks
August 23, 2007
How can you arrange your scrapbook page to best show off your mementos and embellishments? You can place everything in the center of your page, place a single focus item in the center, or divide the page into sections adding items to each section. You may also choose to lay the items out in a standard recipe or calendar layout.
Shapes also make interesting placement patterns. Common shapes include circles, squares, hearts, and stars. However, you can also place items in object patterns such as mountains, trains, or Christmas trees.
The shape you choose for your scrapbook will depend entirely on your theme. For instance, a logical shape for a wedding or Valentines Day scrapbook is a heart. A nice shape for a Christmas scrapbook is a Christmas tree. You might make a cake pattern for you niece the pastry cook. Let your imagination and creativity be your guide.
Various ready made patterning templates are available on the market.
Spacing is a difficult matter. There is a fine line between having a balanced scrapbook page and a gaudy mess. If items are too closely spaced your reader will feel overwhelmed. If your items are spaced to far apart your viewer will feel short changed.
