Table, Organization & Tricky Deals

There's no comparison between my crafting table "during" the creation of a LO and the rare times when I'm not.  One looks as if a slow motion explosion has taken place, and the other a nice orderly oasis of quiet.  Without exception, and from a hard earned lesson, the table gets cleaned in between projects.  I've said it a hundred times already, but I can't think with a disorganized mess in the line of site.  I can't!  In the future I'll have to make sure any haul mention will be during those times between projects.  I want to start photographing/videoing them... for future reference.  And that simply can't be done on a disorganized table.

I find that once again there are more scrap room organizational changes necessary.  It's the paper!  There's a small box sitting on the floor layered with colour coordinated long paper strips.  There's no other place to file them neatly as they come in varying widths and lengths.  I'm thinking the solution to this could involve using the shoe tree bag currently used for punches; but then, what with all the punches?

Pink Shoe Bag, very weighted down

This, too, has become problematic lately since it's very difficult to find a particular punch within the current system.  Punches don't file into neat categories, be that size or theme.  The card ring with punched images is the only way of really knowing what I have available anymore.  That's a real lifesaver.  But most of the punches proper are heavy and restrict some options.  Maybe....?  We have a few open-wire baskets, primarily used with wire shelving systems out in the garage.  (Always a treasure trove of storage possibilities!!!)  I'm thinking using these at the back and hanging under of my craft table where they have both the weight and extra area to spread them out instead of riffling through small sleeves as required now.  Each time I wanted a punch it would require bending over and crawling under the table; bothersome, but "do-able" until I come up with a better system, and to a certain extent, I'm already doing with the current system.  The only other option would be to hang the other six-foot wire rack (the twin to the rack shown here) somewhere within the room.  And, as these things go, doing so would require rearranging that area, also.  Either way, something has to give somewhere.

The craft room was originally set up as the computer room.  I hadn't actually began scrapping at that point.  But, should we move again, the room would be set up specifically as a craft room, alleviating most of the organizational challenges dealt with over the past year.  One thing for certain... that computer desk with hutch would never grace the room!  I would certainly buy another crafting table instead.  And paint the room in pink and lime green, if I want.

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I submitted the latest LO for the CSI challenge with only hours to spare, and then only after I decided to settle with the photography results on hand, which were all less than idealistic.  Before this project, I never, in a million years, would have never considered the tricky problems with photographing a matte finished photo with a glossy.  Well, I sure do now!  I'm convinced that it can't be done.  Oh, sure, hundreds of photographers would testify to the contrary.  But not with MY skill set!  I literally spent almost two hours, some with Martin's help, trying to capture a true page likeness.  In every case it became a contest of shadows.  Even though I had two different skies to work with - 1 sunny and 1 rainy - and an abundance of natural and artificial light sources, there was no coaxing out a single great photo.  I guess the lesson taken from the experience is to consider this problem when thinking of using two different photo surfaces in the future.

The problematic glossy photo!  Urg!

All the myriad of talents learned thus far are about to be put to a functional use.  My husband went on a new diabetic medication delivery program.  It's not insulin, but he has to administer a shot within an hour of eating dinner, never after.  He does well with the morning shot, but 9 times of 10, he forgets the evening dose.  I'm about to put together a 6x6 or 8x8 cutely decorated page to remind him each evening.  It will say something to the effect of:  No pot before the shot, or some other silly thin.  I can't wait to jump on this project.  Just right after I pull together an awesomely adorable ocean themed LO.  ;D

Ca-rot Top

I've been wanting to scrap this page for a long time now.  The only problem is the quality of the picture.  The back lighting from the bathroom window probably caused the extreme shading of the photo.  This is really disappointing, but was done before I began working on my photography "skills."  Don't think the same mistake would be made today, or at least would hope not.

The page is about a silly idea we came up with after cutting the top of a carrot that had greenery left in place.  The thought was that if we planted it, we would have a nice carrot at then end.  It got really bushy and healthy looking for about 2 months, but suddenly wilted.  The time was right for my helper to harvest.  After a hefty tug, all that came up was a green bunch of wilted leaves.  No carrot.  No roots.  The whole episode turned into a very fun memory... hence the desire to document the event despite the lousy photo.

Entering contests on CSI.com's site has opened me up to using colours in a way I might not have thought before.  I still lack real courage, but this is a learning process! 

About six months ago I stumbled upon an adorable pet-themed paper pack on sale.  The pages were absolutely adorable, but until this project I had no clue where to use the paper.  Now unleashed, there's many, many projects that come to mind using this paper.  This is how it goes with most all the paper pads bought along the way. As a side note... although the camera doesn't capture it, the rabbit is actually flocked.

I created the flower and carrot sign for embellishments.  The banner in the top right and the title located at the top left are commercial products.  The carrots are the crowning achievement on this page.  I used the Cricut to cut the shape, but the paper I wanted to use wasn't large enough to accommodate the full shape I had to start with, so in the end had to trace and manually cut the actual cutout onto paper originally planned for use; all done with very satisfactory results.  I then generously inked the carrots and leaves, and if I don't say so myself, did an excellent job on shading.

My Carrot Job

The most demanding aspect in presenting scrapped pages into digital images is capturing the true colours.  For that, I'm still experimenting with lighting techniques.  Too much light and the photo turns out washed; too little and all is dimmed (as in this case).  I believe setting up a shoot in diffused sunlight works best.  I may have found the solution for taking perfectly square photos for cropping.  There is an adapter to the tripod that extends an arm that in turn holds the camera directly over the center of the subject.  The centering is most critical for cropping; any deviation in angle distorts captured lines.  These devices run anywhere between $35-60, but Martin thinks he can build one for under $10.  The question at that point is when he'll have time to get to do it.  I'll give him two months after the promise, but if there are no results, it's off to the store for the extension bar.

Adhesives, Photography & Lessons Learned

I've selected some of my best pages (best in my opinion) and began photographing them.  Certainly a skill set of its own!  I've noticed some of the pages set out in the house as temporary decorations throughout the year warped.  Too much heat?  Not enough support?  Really, there was no clue as to what factors, or combination therein, cased this discernible warping.  The largest concern was that once warped the page could not be straightened or photographed properly.

I just LOVE the internet.  There's absolutely no question that anyone can ask that the internet can't provide an answer.  However did we live our lives without it? A couple of inquiries solved the riddle about warping.

The key seems to involve the amount of adhesives used on the page.  The more glues, the more certainty to warp.  Well... that's a problem since almost everything on the page requires taking down onto the page. 

Early on I understood different sorts of glue were on the market, and many not suited for scrapbooking due to acid or other chemical content.  Fortunately I have a niece with years of experience in the hobby pound this information into my head before I ever picked up a pair of scissors, and nothing was ever ruined or threatened by paper- or photo-toxic adhesives. 

Without a little experience in this craft it's difficult imagining how many, many different types of adhesives are available specifically for scrapbooking. There are dimensional dots that raise an element off the page.  There are liquid glues for paper-to-paper bonding.  Glue runners, where a line of rubbery glue bonds many types of elements together.  All stickers come pre-glued.  And finally, for purposes of discussion, there are glitter glues.

(Upon reflection the previous two paragraphs probably been posted previously... if so, whoops.  It's not as if anyone happens on to the page anyway.)

So!  Is it the weight of the glues or the types of glues that cause the warping?

The project in question begins with a heavy paper, or what I consider card stock.  In this case I used the Cricut to cut out "Give Thanks" in 3 inch letters to mount on the page.  (Side note:  the size of the script was primarily determined by the skill set I had at the time in working with the Cricut.  Today I could easily bring that down to 1 inch.)  This element was also heavily decorated with glitter, since this was my first work with the stuff and I wanted to experiment.   And, because the glittered element was never to actually come into contact with the photo page, I cheated and used regular Elmer's Glue from a bottle.  (Covering a 3 inch phrase with glitter requires a whole lot of glue!)  There were several dimensional stickers added to balance the height of the overall page.  Finally, since the page was created to decorate a holiday table, it was placed on a plate holder for a full month.

When described as such, retrospect tells me I probably did everything possibly wrong to the page.  The tip offered here is:  watch the use of glue and the quantity used.

Live and Learn!!

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In a huge departure of my buying philosophy "never pay full price for anything," I did just that.  Not once, but twice!


Paper companies come out with full lines of accessories in almost all collections.  This usually includes: 12x12, 8x8, and sometimes 6x6 inch paper pads, individual sheets, stickers, chip board sets, perhaps coordinating ribbons, alphabet stickers, stamps and possibly more.  The longer a collection has been out in the market, the harder it is to find many of the accessories.  Thus and therefore, to assure the option of buying collection accessories, it has to be bought early on, and usually at full price.  This lesson came painfully when I found an older collection and discovered nothing but the one pad and a sticker set remained.  That was after I conducted the most extensive internet search possible.

Graphic 45 specializes in nostalgic 1920-30's images in incredible colours.  It's a great paper to work with be that scrapbooking, or in creating home decor; some pages are nice enough to frame as is.  It also runs on the expensive side.  Thus far, I found the paper line too intimidating to use in everyday scrapping.  What I have worked with has been found at greatly reduced prices with limited accessories, if any.  This year they came out with a line called "Little Darlings."  It was love at first sight.  I knew this was a collection applicable to so many pages I want to scrap, but had not found paper to do the intended photos justice.  I bought the FULL line, except the 3 different stamp sets and the 8x8 paper pad; however, I bought extra copies of some of the accessories.  I all but fell over when the price totaled over $50, but every scrap of this stuff will be used for years.  I may go back and make up for the accessories not originally purchased my next allowance cycle.

Then I found a completed layout from scrapbooking.com featuring a different company line.  I used restraint and didn't go all out and buy the full collection, but did purchase enough of the coordinating supplies to pull together a couple of antique photo pages.  Again at full price. 

This is the type of post (very chatty) where there's not much I can't do for the day.  Obviously, this is one of those days.

I couldn't resist putting an image of the collection here!

Graphic 45 Little Darlings Main Image Page

Sharpies & Photos

Altering photographs is scarey business.

I attempt to decorate photos  only on prints that can easily be taken to the local photo shop and have them printed again.  Never, never, never on original prints dating back years.

Today I played with a print recently back from Walgreen's and decided to use one of the journaling templates bought, but rarely used.  The template is plastic if that makes any difference at all.  For the colouring medium, I decided on a Sharpie Marker.  (Sharpie has such a great range of colour you would never expect, usually found in the art department of a craft store.)

Not the greatest idea I've come up with!  The ink sets on top of the print and the moment the template moved the ink dragged with it.  Fortunately, I was able to save the print because the ink sets on top of the print instead of quickly absorbing into the photograph paper.  This is a mixed blessing.

I would have been much better off using a regular ink pen.  Yes, I know:  standard ink is bad for photos.  Bad.  And so, my first attempt of decorating photos with ink was a partial failure.  Live and learn, right?

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The Peach Keen Stamp set arrived in the mail today.  My first project using these stamp will surely involve anthropomorphizing a soccer ball, since the next scrapbook page involves documenting this winter's Futsol games.  It's safe to say there will be many uses for the stamps throughout the hobby.  Now I'm dancing around waiting for next month to buy the animal faces.  I did decide that eventually the monster faces are a must.


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Getting down the right photography skills is a process and world into it's own.

Another projects finished in the past week:

Feeling A Little Snooty, Page 2