Scrapropos

I ordered this canvas a couple of weeks ago and it arrived today. It looks so nice I had to share right away.

As part of my studio overhaul, which is still ongoing and turning into a bigger job than originally planned, but worth it, I want to upgrade the art on my walls.

Using GIMP 2.o and some digital papers and elements from scrapgirls.com, I made a 16×20 image at 300dpi. I will warn you in case you try to do this yourself. It was a HUGE file when I began adding all of the layers that even my brand spanking new computer choked at it a bit. I kept each individual graphic and photo on a separate layer until I was happy with the whole layout, then added a subtle drop shadow to each element to give the illusion of layers. Then I flattened the image and saved, as a still large, but manageable jpeg.

I was very nervous about how it was going to come out. Some of the small photos were taken with an older digital camera that was somewhere around 1 megapixel and there was nothing even close to what I was doing in the sample gallery on the canvas site. When I opened up my package today I was thrilled. It is perfect. The old images are so clear, much clearer than I expected.

Right now it is sitting on my pellet stove. When my husband gets home, I will have him hang it up for me.

I wrote a full review of the website I ordered from on my personal blog : Mind Of A Mom if you are interested in more information.

scrapbook, scrapbooking, journaling, scrapbook layouts, scrapbook projects, freebies, free scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking freebies

First of all, many thanks to the fabulously-creative ELAINE, who is taking the challenge issued in my last post. Pictures are on their way! I can’t wait to see what she does!

I’m still in love with ribbon and printed twills, and last week I brought some of them out of my scrapbook room and into my family room. It’s been a long time since I plugged in my glue gun! lol! Using a glue gun is like riding a bike - you never forget how. In 5 minutes, I had a newly-adorned lampshade. LOVE it.

scrapbooking, ribbon, twill, hot glue, altered lampshade

I created this altered letter for my friend Sarah, who plans to hang it abover her scrapping desk:

I used a paper mache letter instead of wood, and learned that the sandpaper technique doesn’t work well on paper mache! I think it’s because the edges aren’t crisp enough to “cut” the paper as you sand. I ended up using my trusty Cutterbee blade to trim the paper off. Then I sanded the edges to smooth it out, and slapped on a coat of ink.

The sides of the letter are painted with Making Memories scrapbook paint.
Paper: Basic Grey
Flowers: Prima
To keep the little mini book closed, I stuck a photo corner on the back page and tucked the front page into it. Love making these letters!

How do you decide how to embellish? And how do you know when to stop? This question was posed to me recently, and my off-the-cuff answer was, “Just do it!” After thinking about it more, though, that’s still my answer. Just DO it. Don’t overthink it - just have fun. And remember… sometimes less is more.

Tonight, I helped my sister create letters for her daughter, and took photos as we went through the creation process. I hope this helps answer more questions!

1. Decide on a color scheme. Bobbie chose black and white with pink accents. After pawing through my paper stash and not finding anything “just right”, we decided to use ink and stamps instead. It was a lot faster than using paper!

2. While waiting for the ink to dry, we pulled out embellishments, and concentrated on finding pink ones. Bobbie knew she’d want to use flowers and ribbons, but we pulled other things too, in case something struck us as perfect.

3. We started with the flowers, since we knew for certain that we wanted to use them. After placing them on the a couple of different letters, we decided that we liked them on the B best. At first, we had 5 laid out, but then decided that 3 actually looked better. (A good rule of thumb in design is to use odd numbers.) For added interest, we double layered one of the flowers.

4. Next, we pulled ribbons and started tying them around the T, covering flaws in the stamping as we went. At first, we only had pink ribbons, but then I noticed the pink button on the ribbon card, and said, “Hey, what do you think about adding this touch of green?” Bobbie liked the idea, so I tied it on. Then we decided to switch the pink brads on the flowers to green ones, to carry the green throughout the set. After that, Bobbie added brads here and there to the ribbons, and finally, we added one more touch of green with the plaid ribbon. We decided to beribbon only one side of the T’s crossbar; asymmetry adds visual interest.

5. I didn’t like that the I was so much darker than all the other letters, so I lightened it up by adding the white flower ribbon. Because the lines of the stamping are horizontal, I purposely adhered the ribbon in diagonal lines, so that none of the stamped design was lost.

6. We played around with some of the other embellishments, but ultimately decided that we liked the remaining two letters unadorned.

Result? The whole project took less than an hour (including ink drying time), and Bobbie loves it!

My friend Cara has made quite a name for herself with these “Name Frames”. She made one as a gift last fall, and then orders started pouring in from people who saw it. Isn’t it adorable? This was my Christmas gift from her. She uses scrapbooking paper, stamps and ink from Stampin’ Up, and scrapbooking embellishments to create a one-of-a-kind piece of art for each name. Mine matches my family room perfectly!

Just goes to show you what can be done with the tools and supplies at your fingertips. Scrapbooking - it’s not just for scrapbooks anymore.

Several weeks ago, I gave instructions for papering these letters. Now that the recipient of this gift has received it, I can finish this entry.

Once you’ve papered and sanded the letters, and inked the edges if you desire that effect, it’s time to embellish! Choose ribbons, buttons, brads, jewels, charms, rub-ons, mini-frames… the possibilities are really endless. I made this set based on a sample in one of the Memory Makers’ “Decorate Life” books: Home Decor. (My local Target carries this book in the scrapbook aisle.)

I made letters for two other friends, too, but I forgot to take photos before I wrapped them for Christmas. One of them featured a crystal that hung from the top of the “C”. Glue Dots are great for adhering embellishments like buttons and metals to your letters. Tie on charms with bits of ribbon or embroidery floss. Mostly, just have fun embellishing.

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Someone asked about using Mod Podge instead of watered-down glue. I prefer Aleene’s Tacky Glue mixed with a bit of water. Mod Podge always seems to wrinkle my paper, and unless you’re decoupaging and planning to give your paper a top coat of Mod Podge, I’ve found that it doesn’t hold as well, either. Experiment and decide which works best for your needs.

I recently created a Christmas gift using wooden letters from Making Memories (found at my local Target), coordinated paper and fibers (also Making Memories), and assorted embellishments.

Covering the letters in paper is easier than you think. Here’s how:

Supplies needed:
Your letter
scrapbooking paper
glue (I use Alene’s)
water
foam brush
craft blade or scissors
bone folder, popsicle stick, or other smooth rubbing tool (I used the round barrel of my blade)
sanding pad

1. PAINT THE GLUE ONTO YOUR LETTER.
Squirt a liberal amount of glue onto a plate or paint tray. Dip your foam brush into water, then rub it into your glue, thinning out the glue. Paint the glue onto the entire top surface of your letter. You don’t want the glue too runny. (If it has bubbles in it when you paint it on, it’s too runny. Just brush the bubbles out.) You also don’t want it too thick, because then it doesn’t spread evenly.

2. PAINT THE GLUE ONTO THE BACK OF YOUR PAPER.
In this case, I used pre-cut 6×6 paper, which was the perfect size for my letters. Don’t worry about cutting your paper in the shape of your letter. Just cut it in a square or rectangle slightly larger than your letter. It’s especially important here to make sure the glue isn’t too runny, because it will make your paper buckle and wave. Spread the glue evenly over the back of the paper you’re using to cover the letter. You don’t need a heavy coating of glue - on the paper, the thinner, the better.

3. ADHERE PAPER TO YOUR LETTER
Carefully place the paper on top of your letter, being careful to line up the paper so that the entire surface of the letter is covered. Using a smoothing tool (I used the round barrel of my craft blade), smooth the paper and press it into the letter. You’re almost “ironing” the paper down to the letter. Make sure there are no bubbles, wrinkles, or unglued edges. Let dry.

4. CUT INTO CORNERS AND CURVES
Once the glue is completely dry, cut into the corners and curves of your letter using scissors or a blade. You’re not trying to cut around the letter - you’re simply cutting a straight line from the outside edge of the paper to the edge of the letter. Like so:

5. SAND OFF THE PAPER
This is the coolest part! Using your sanding pad (or a piece of fine sand paper), start on the straightest edge of your letter and begin sanding the edge of the paper. The paper will begin to fold along the edge of the letter (see above photo) and the sanding will eventually cut the paper off. Work your sanding pad into the corners and curves of your letter until all edges are smooth and clean.

Sometimes, there are little paper stragglers left after you’ve sanded off the bulk of the paper. Just go back with your sanding pad and sand them off. They shouldn’t be stuck to your letter, because the glue dried on the back of the paper before you began sanding. You can also carefully tear the paper off, but make sure to tear AWAY from the letter, not toward it.

VOILA! You’ve got a perfectly papered letter.
From here, you can ink the edges, add fibers and ribbons, photos, baubles and embellishments, etc. Have fun!

I’ll post part two of this series next week, after the recipient has received her gift.