Kelly's Tutorial Videos with the July Kit

Hello everyone!  

It's Kelly here to share some techniques from my July kit layouts.  I was so inspired by this kit, that I created two tutorial videos for you!

First, let's take a look at my vintage wedding layout and the techniques I used in my design.

On the reveal and blog hop day, I posted a video that showed a fast forward on how I designed this layout.  You can click HERE to see that video.

I created a tulle and pearl border around the heart

I scattered the tiny pearls for a 'confetti' effect.

I made a tulle flower base for the other kit blooms.

Here is a video that shows how I made this easy tulle flower:

You can also click HERE to watch it on YouTube.

My second layout with the July kit is also a vintage design, using a photo of my mother's cousin:

The small butterfly balloons are punched from the cork sheet with a Martha Stewart punch:

I glittered the edges and adhered black twine beneath each one.

The larger cork butterfly beneath the journaling strips is cut from a Sizzix die with my Big Shot.

I painted the kit leaves and glittered them too.

You can see that I cut the Pink Paislee journaling cards into frames and popped them up with 3D foam squares, then layered stamped vellum behind.  

In the next video, you will see how I used the kit's Prima stamp and Smooch together to make this title as well...

You can click on the centre of the video to watch it now, or click HERE to watch it on YouTube.

Although this is my final blog post and video for the ScrapThat! Design Team, I will continue to make videos and blog tutorials on my own personal sites "Kelly Creates" and YouTube Channel.

I've really enjoyed being a part of the ScrapThat! Team, sharing my designs and techniques... and will continue to stop by here to be inspired!

Video Feather Tutorial by Kelly Klapstein

Hello everyone!

It's Kelly here, and today I am going to share the technique I used to create the feathers for my layout.

I used the vellum and Clearsnap Smooch "Moonlight" Ink from the May 2013 Anniversary kit, along with my own Crafters Workshop 6 X 6 stencil.

Here is a video I made to show you a short step-by-step technique to make these feathers.


You can also click HERE to visit my YouTube Channel and watch more videos.  If you would like to be notified of all my future videos, click the Subscribe button while viewing any of my videos on YouTube.

I have a blog too, where I share lots of crafty tips and techniques.  Click HERE to visit my blog Kelly Creates.

I hope to see some feathers on your layouts soon!

Paper Weaving

Got scraps??? For today's tip, I will show you a simple way to maximize your scrapbook patterned papers by using your leftover scraps, mainly strips or rectangular pieces. In this project, we will use several pieces of colored patterned papers to produce a woven paper mat that we can use on a layout or a card.

Weaving is one of the most ancient forms of human creativity. Baskets and textiles would not have been possible without weaving. This project will give everyone the experience with working with the basic concept of weaving. The good thing is, we can also apply it to paper crafts!

Basic Materials:
Cut strips of patterned papers from your leftover scraps. Since my example will be for a card, the strip size that I did is 6"x0.5". The number of strips will depend on how big you want your woven matt. (You can always add as you go along)
liquid glue
your basic folded card
other embellishments or photos you would like to add

Before I started weaving, I distressed all the edges of my paper strips. This will add dimension and details to the project. Use a darker shade of Distress Inks to give the illusion of shadow and depth.

Start weaving, glue each section as you go along to make everything properly settled. You can go as long or as wide as you want too.

Once you have your desired size, just run it through your trimmer to cut the excess sides or you can just leave it as it is to show an unfinished project. That will definitely look great on a layout!

Thanks LG" for sharing this awesome tutorial with us!

TIPS ON PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR LAYOUTS

Hello!  This is LG blogging today here at Scrap That!.  When I just started scrapbooking I thought that the process of creating a page was the hardest part, but I found photographing my finished layout more difficult because I was having a hard time capturing the real look of my page. The color was off, the alignment was slanted, and the photograph looks so different from the actual layout.

As I have tried several cameras I found out that the main key to get a good photograph of your layout is LIGHTING. Here are some tips that i have read and discovered:

• the best time to photograph your layout outdoors is 1hr after sunrise and 1hr before sunset. This is the ideal time of the day because the sunlight is not that strong and the brightness is just right.
• when taking photos indoors, take a photo in the afternoon when the sun is so bright. Find a room that has enough light. Make sure that the wall painting is white because colored rooms bounce back the colors to the layout.
• you can also use a white cardboard to bounce the sunlight.Simply locate the sunlight in your room. Position the cardboard directly to the sunlight to bounce the light towards your layout.
• if you want to use an artificial layout, create your own mini lightbox. You can find the intructions here: HOMEMADE LIGHT BOX. If I have time I definitely will make me one of those.
• never photograph your layout using your flash or putting your layout directly to the sunlight! This will create strong shadows or the light might bounce back on the photo of your layout if you have used a glossy photo paper.

POSITIONING of your layout is very essential too. This will make it easier for you to crop your image later on using a photo editor software. Here are some tips on positioning your layouts

• you can adhere your layout on a wall at eye-level
• you can also use a photo stand
• or simply place your photo on the floor (this is mostly what I do)
• before taking a photograph of your layout, imagine a grid on the view box of your camera. Make sure that the spaces on all sides is parallel to the layout.

CAMERA. I think the best results is with a digital camera, preferably an DSLR camera like the Canon Digital Rebel. But if you don't have one it is okay to use a regular digital camera keeping in mind that the quality is different when using a DSLR. With good lighting you can still get a very decent photo of your layout.

• Set your camera to Auto Depth of Field setting and shoot. The auto depth of field keeps all elements equally important visually, which makes the text and photographs all stay focused.
• Use a tripod if your speed is below 100 to make your photo sharp.
• ISO must be set not higher than 400. The higher the ISO the greater chance of getting grains-look on your photograph
• Instead of just taking one photo of your layout, take several. It's easy to delete anyway. This will allow you to capture the perfect photo.

PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE. After photographing your layout, it is still important to add some minor adjustment to your photograph by using some photo editing software. I actually use 2 software, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS4.

Usually I use Lightroom to edit the colors because it has the capability to adjust the colors individually unlike Photoshop. If you edit a color on Photoshop it will adjust the entire photo and make it all green for example. In Lightroom it only adjust the green colors thus you can make it more vibrant or pale. I do them first on Lightroom then I just do the cropping or cleaning(removing spots) on Photoshop.

Whatever photo editor software you use, just adjust the levels, brightness, contrast or color balance to get your desired outcome. Crop it! I suggest you place your layout near you so that you can use it as guide as you do some adjustment. Make it look like as close to the actual layout.

You're done! You can now upload your layout online!

Hope I was able to help you get an idea on how I photograph my layouts.  Until next time!

LG

Easy Folded Flower Tutorial by our Designer Vicky Alberto

As promised, I am going to do an easy folded flower tutorial as seen in one of my recent May Scrap That! kit layouts. At the end, you'll have a two-layer, 6-petal flower as shown below. The beauty of these flowers is that you don't need double sided paper (like you do with most other folded flowers). This is not a new concept and I cannot take credit for inventing this flower... I found it a long time ago on the internet along with other folded flower tutorials that I will be providing in the near future.

Step 1: Punch out 6 large circles and 6 small circles. I used a Fiskars and a Creative Memories Punch.

Step 2: Fold the circles in half with the pattern (that you want showing at the end) on the inside and then fold up the bottom a third of the way up. Make sure that all of the circles are folded the same way. Mine I do with the curve facing left as shown below.
Step 3: Unfold back to a semi-circle position and use the crease that you just made as a guide to "open the petal".
Step 4: Repeat this for all 12 circles.
Step 5: Glue your flower layers together by glueing one bottom "flap" to the back of a petal at a time, until all of them have been added. I find that using a glue stick is less messy and works best so that if you need to adjust the petals to be spaced more evenly at the end... then it allows you time (since it dries slower than other adhesives).
Step 6: I ink the edges before glueing the two layers together and then finish off by adding Stickles to the centre or a brad.
That's it! You can also make this a 7 or 8 petal flower if you like a more crowded petal look. Enjoy!

STAMPING WITH DISTRESS INKS

Guess what????  Lori has to be away and she asked me to babysit the blog for the week so here I am, Janis, blogging here at Scrap That! again!!! ;o)

Today, I'm gonna share with you a fun way to stamp using your distress inks.  I don't usually use distress inks for stamping, but I recently got this huge Donna Downey Wheat foam stamp from Prima Marketing, so it's a good excuse to play!!!  ;o)

Gather and prepare your supplies:
Stamp
Craft mat
Cardstock
Mini-mister with water
Distress inks (I used Shabby Shutters and Pine Needle from Ranger Industries here.)

Rub your distress ink (I used Shubby Shutters) first on your craft mat.  Make sure that you got the top part area of the stamp covered.

Build on another layer by rubbing a different shade (this one is Pine Needle).  Make sure that you rub it closely to the first layer so that there will be no space in between.  Build on layers until you cover the whole area of the stamp. 

Get your mini-mister and mist the layers with water.  Just be careful not to over-mist - -distress inks are specially formulated to spread when wet so just enough spritz to cover the layers will do.  ;o)

Get your stamp and press it into your craft mat.  You can move the stamp around a little just to make sure that you have covered all the areas completely...

... and stamp your image on you cardstock.

Pretty neat, huh?  ;o)  Love the combined effect of the distress inks on the stamped image!!! You should definitely try this!!!

I used this stamped image on a project that I'll share with you on Saturday.  Until then!!!

Have fun creating,
janis

TEA BAG HOLDER TUTORIAL

Hello everyone!!!  This is Janis guest blogging here at Scrap That! again.  You might be wondering on what project did I use my handmade blooms that I taught HERE.  The cat's out of the bag - - I created some tea bag holders as gifts for my kids' summer school teachers !!! ;o)

This is not the first time that I made these (check out my first set of tea bag holders HERE - - and definitely, this will not be the last time.  What I love about these tea bag holders is that they are cute, personalized (really appreciated by those who will receive them) and versatile (you can switch chocolates or other items in lieu of tea bags!!!).  I first learned how to make them using this tutorial at Splitcoaststampers, I just shortened and deleted some steps (thanks so much for the inspiration, Beate!!!).


Gather and prepare your supplies:
One 3 1/2" x 7 3/4" piece of cardstock
One 6 1/2" x 7" piece of patterned paper (I used Upsy Daisy's Bebe papers again to match my handmade blooms!!!)
Mini-scor pal, or other scoring tool
Adhesive (double sided tape or liquid glue)
25" piece of ribbon (optional)
1" Circle punch (I used the smallest Fiskars Circle Squeeze Punch here)
Scraps of cardstocks and patterned papers to decorate the tea bag

Step 1:  Get the 3 1/2" x 7 3/4" piece of cardstock and score at 3 1/2" on both sides.

Your cardstock will end up like this:

 Step 2:  Fold along the scored lines.  Set aside.

Step 3:  Get the 6 1/2" x 7" piece of patterned paper.  With the 6 1/2" side up, score at 1/2" and 3" like this:

Step 4:  Fold along the scored lines. Apply double sided tape or liquid glue on the 1/2" section of the paper and fold paper over. 

Step 5:  Score at 3 1/4" on both sides.

Step 6:  Fold along the scored lines.  Slide paper partially into your circle punch.  Center and punch.  Do this on both sides.

Step 7:  Apply double sided tape or liquid glue on the spine of your patterned paper and center and adhere on your cardstock like this:

Step 8:  Apply double sided tape or liquid glue on the middle of the cardstock.  Place ribbon on top and tie it around the cardstock base so you'll end up with this:

Variation:   In lieu of ribbon, you can also use a belly band.  I used one 1 1/2" x 8 1/2" patterned paper which I adhered on both ends for this.

You may now decorate your tea bag holder with your choice of cardstock and patterned papers.  I added my handmade blooms and thank you sentiment from Upsy Daisy's With Gratitude Rub-Ons and voila!  Really nice and thoughtful gifts for my kids' teachers!!!

 

Hope you like my tutorial.  Thanks again Lori for the opportunity to guest blog here at Scrap That!.  ;o)  See you at Scrap That's forum!!!

Have fun creating, 

janis

A FLOWER TUTORIAL

Hello everyone!  This is Janis, your blog hostess for today!!!  I am soo honored to be Scrap That!'s Guest Designer for June and beyond excited to create with Scrap That!'s June's Kit (I promise - - it's one divine must-have kit!!!).

Today I'm gonna share a tutorial on how to make some handmade blooms.  I have seen a lot of tutorials on these and I thought it would be cool to share my first take on making them here.  ;o)

Gather and prepare your supplies:

Patterned papers (I used Upsy Daisy's Bebe papers here!!!)

Brad (I used a green cord one from Upsy Daisy's Walk in the Park Brad Collection!!!)

Distress ink pads

Paper piercer

Mini mister with water

Craft mat

Flower dies (optional)
Heat gun (optional)

For the bigger handmade bloom, I ran some flower diecuts with my patterned papers - - 3 pieces for each size. If you must know, the dies I used were from Sizzix, but you can use any type of dies or punches of different sizes.  You can do freehand too, totally up to you!!! (Forgive the lighting of the photos though, as I did this during night time when the kids were sleeping!!!  LOL!!!)

Stack all the flower diecuts together, pierce in the middle, and hold them with a brad.

I brought out my craft mat at this point as things will get a little wet.  With your mini mister, lightly mist the layers with water and pull them to the center...

... until you reach the last layer.  Do not worry if they get crumpled in the process - - the more crumpled they get, the better they'll turn out!!!  ;o)

 

While the layers were still wet, I distressed the edges with distressed inks (I used Tattered Rose and Shabby Shutters on my petals). I don't know if it's just me but I find that the crumpled effect gets better if they are dried using a heat gun (either that or I'm just impatient to wait for them to dry up!!!  LOL!!!).

On the smaller blooms, I distresed the edges of the petals right away before misting them (unlike in the bigger bloom when I did this as a last step).  I stacked the layers and held them with a brad and crumpled away too!!!

Here are the finished handmade blooms.  Don't they look gorgeous? ;o)

Maybe you're wondering what's the difference between distressing the petals right away before misting and distressing them as a last step while the they are still wet.  It's not too obvious in this photo but the inks are more vivid or intense when applied as a last step rather than when they are watered down.  If you want to "soften" your distress inks when you applied them as a last step, you can use your mini mister and mist directly on your distressed petals with water.

Hope you like this flower tutorial - - I had major fun doing this!!! I don't have the links of the flower tutorials that inspired me to do this experiment - - but major thank you for the inspiration.  ;o)  

Stay tuned for another tutorial on Monday - - I've done a gift project where I used these blooms as embellishments!!!  Until then!!!

Have fun creating, 

janis

Distressing Tip from our Designer Karen Wilson

Methods of Distressing

 

Distressing is a big thing in the scrapbooking industry right now. There are several ways to achieve this look. First off there is the simple, fast distressing you can get by running your exacto knife along the edges of your papers, the more force you put into it,the more intense your distressing will be, you can also go deeper into the paper in some areas, to give more depth. Another way is tearing(a great therapy!). You can dry tear your paper but a way that I prefer is to run a wet q-tip along wherever you want to tear and start tearing, the wet line will help guide where you will tear. Which ever way you decide to distress you can also roll some of the edges towards you. A fav thing of mine to do is, whenever I distress, I ink my edges. It gives it a beautiful worn look. Hope you found this info helpful!

Here are two examples of my work where I used distressing.  You can visit my blog to see close ups.   http://agirlsscrapobsession.blogspot.com/

** NOTE - you can also use a distressing tool.  Making Memories makes one that does a great job!  Hint...you may just find one in the upcoming July kit! :)