Tools n' Techniques on Thursdays: Die-namic layout!

Okay, so when I started out on this layout, I hadn't really intended to go all out on the die cuts, but as I got into it...well, they kind of just started piling up. And I kinda decided to indulge and just keep adding more and more of them.

Previously I had die cut some words with my Cameo for another layout and had the negative left over. I've been on a kick to use up every little last scrap of paper lately and I wanted this layout to coordinate with some with other pictures from the day, so I figured that adding the leftover piece would be a good way to do that.

In the top corner of the "Sunday Funday" negative die cut, a chunk of the paper was missing where I had test but to make sure the blade depth was set correctly. There wasn't room to trim away the area, so I added a little banner and star embellishment to cover up the missing paper. You'd never know that I was solving a problem would you?!

Right now cork letters are popping up everywhere. I love them, but they're a wee bit pricey, so I pulled out my favorite QuicKutz font, Studio, and some adhesive-backed cork from Lifestyle Crafts to cut my own letters.

Tip: Handle the letters carefully as the cork is a little delicate.

The page felt like it need a little "oomph." You know, that thing that draws the eye in and gives it a little movement, a little excitement. So I pulled out my Lifestyle Crafts banner die to create that element, but a plain ol' chunk of cardstock seemed a little boring for a page with so much going on. In order to dress up the die cut and give it some personality of it's own, I stamped on it using a roller stamp that I colored with Tim Holtz Distress Markers. One of the great things about the Distress Markers is that you can get second and third generation impression simply by huffing on the stamp in between impressions. I also added some two-tone ink splatters just for good measure.

Tip: The banner itself wasn't fitting on the page quite right, 

so I cut it where I could hide the seam under the photo and made it work with the layout.

Pretty amazing what you can accomplish just by die cutting something as simple as a sheet of paper, huh?

"Love This" by Mollie Deem

Supplies: Cardstock - Bazzill; Patterned Paper - Crate Paper (the Pier), American Crafts (Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm), Studio Calico; Wood veneer banner - Basic Grey; Wood Veneer Letters - Studio Calico; Wood Veneer Arrow - Freckled Fawn; Stickers - Crate Paper (DIY Shop), October Afternoon; Cork, Cutting Dies - Lifestyle Crafts; Pens - Ranger, Uniball; Mist - October Afternoon; Adhesives: EK Success, 3L Adhesives; Kokuyo.

Project Life, My Way - Week 1

I have finally begun working on scrapbooking 2013 Project Life-style.

As I sat down to begin (5 months into 2013 and already feeling super far behind), I realized I was going to be a wee bit challenged. In order to scrapbook this way I was going to have to scrap in chronological order. Yes, the dreaded method that requires organization up front. (Which, coincidentally, is not one of my strong suits when it comes to photos and memorabelia.)

So today, we're going to talk about that dreaded word: O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N.

Instead of diving into my collection of goodies, I found myself sitting down to organize photos. One of my biggest barriers to getting my scrapbooking done, is the prep work. I often get photos from my mom, and my sister, and my brother that go along with the photos from my camera, my cell phone camera, and my husband's cell phone. And of course, we all have Nikon cameras and Samsung cell phones which means that all of our collective photos are using the same file naming structure. And that's a problem, because IMG_001 from my camera is not the same as IMG_001 from my mom's camera, and I if I don't give the files unique names, and I'm not super duper careful, I could end up writing over a precious photo. No pressure, right?

So here's my workflow:

First, I collect photos from all sources. Then I put them in their own folder named after the image owner.

Next, I go through those photo files, and rename them to add a 3 character extension to the file name that indicates who the original the image owner is. (For example, if the photo owner is Jane A. Smith, then the photo would be renamed as IMG_001_JAS.)

 

Finally, once all of the photos are renamed, I put a copy of them into an annual file folder where I compile all of the photos for the year. Then I sort them into file folders by date. Here's what it looks like:

...and from there I am ready to start scrapbooking. Well, I am assuming that I know where I put the memorabelia.

 

Several hours later, I finally had the first month's worth of photos gathered, renamed, and all in the same folder where I could then sort by date order to start working with them. Whew. Glad that's over!

 

Finally. Time to start scrapbooking!

 

Week 1 - Left side

Week 1 - Right Side

 

We don't have children and live fairly mundane lives, so I don't have a lot of very interesting activities to scrapbook on a daily, or even weekly, basis. Taking that into consideration, I've decided that in addition to photos, I will include things like what I was thinking or feeling on a particular day, maybe a quote that resonated with me that day, or my Facebook status update. Fortunately I have a handy little iPad app called Momento that collects information from my Facebook, Instagram, and FourSquare feeds onto a calendar. This way, I can just grab my iPad to help jog my memory and provide content for my album.

 

I've added a photo gallery over on my Facebook page with close-ups of some of the page elements. Head on over there to see more images for these two pages. 

 

Want your own personal shopper to help you re-create these pages for yourself? I've collected the materials I used all in one place for you. Buy them here.

 

Other supplies used that are not available through Amazon:

• Freckled Fawn Washi Tape
• October Afternoon Midway Chip Shapes
• Me and My Big Ideas Icons (Dollar Sign)
• Martha Stewart Anywhere Punch (Doily)
• Basic Grey Mono Stickers (Black)

Happy Scrapping!