Make your photographs tell a STORY!

I would consider myself an amateur photographer. I have taken some classes and used to be a member of the local photography club. Lately, I haven't had much time to just go out and shoot...but I saw this blog post about making your photographs tell a story. What a great and simple idea!! Have every photo have a beginning, middle and end. What a difference it makes in the photo too...I really did want to walk down the steps and ride the waverunner....or maybe just sit on the beach! :)

Fiskar's Fingertip Craft Knife

This month's Scrapaholix USA kit technique is the Fiskar's Fingertip Craft Knife. Now anyone who knows me knows that I tend to cut myself with sharp objects often! Luckily this little guy fits on you finger so it's impossible to cut the finger that it is on....you just have to remember to keep your other fingers out of the way. It took me a little while to get used to it, but once I cut out a flower or two it was fairly easy. The knife hooks onto your finger and you hold it as if you were holding a pen or pencil, so it makes it easier to move. You can actually cut out pretty ornate things with the knife. I cut out the two flower embellishments in the layout example below.

Kit Contents:

1 sheet Crate Paper - Hope patterned paper (single-sided with fancy border)

1 sheet Crate Paper - Temperance patterned paper (double-sided)
2 sheets Bazzill Bamboo
1 sheet Bazzill Java
1 sheet Bazzill Powder Blue
Fiskar's Fingertip Craft Knife
Brown Ribbon



Example Layout:

Low-cost Scrapbooking Options - Monochromatic Layout

Not every layout needs to cost an arm and a leg! You can make a low-cost monochromatic layout for anywhere from $2 to $4 - all you need is a few sheets of cardstock. I always use Bazzill Cardstock because they have textured and smooth cardstock and they all come in a wide variety of colors with varying shades. Select a color that complements your photos and pick out three or four shades of that color. The total amount of cardstock you need will ultimately depend on the final design but in the example below I probably only used four to six sheets of cardstock.

Monochromatic color schemes are not only easy to make, but they are pleasing to the eye! Typically it is best to select one of the colors to be the main color and then use the remaining shades to coordinate. Try layering the carstock from darkest to lightest or lightest to darkest. You can also use shapes in varying shades as I did in the example below. I cut out squares of the various shades of purple and placed them from darkest to lightest across the bottom of the layout.

Want to add a little "pop" of another color? Try using a color wheel, to select an analogous color or a complementary color. Analogous colors are colors that are located next to each other on the color wheel and give a bright, cheery look. Complementary colors are colors that are located opposite each other on the color wheel and will give a more vibrant look to your layout. In the example below, yellow is a complementary color to purple and you can see how the yellow m&m "pops" off the page!

Page Kit Sale - Buy three get one FREE

Page Kits are on sale. If you buy any three page kits from Celestial Creations & Scrapbook Supplies, Inc. you will receive one FREE! All you need to do is select the three kits that you would like to purchase and at checkout write in the comments section the name of the pagekit that you would like free.

Scrapaholix USA kits contain the hottest papers such as Daisy Bucket, Cosmo Cricket, Bo Bunny, Basic Grey, Daisy D's, Kelly Panacci, and more. Plus the kits typically include Bazzill cardstock and embellishments such as flowers and brads. Each Scrapaholix USA kit is centered around learning a new scrapbooking technique and comes with instructions and an idea sheet. Some techniques available in pagekits are:
Midnight Oil Scrapbook Designs Acrylic Albums
Tim Holtz Grungeboard
Tim Holtz Fragments
Midnight Oil Scrapbook Desingns Vinyl Letters
Puzzle Pieces

Plus many more! Check out our selection of Page Kits! Get 'em while they last!

Need a Personal Shopper for Scrapbooking Supplies?

Do you need new scrapbooking supplies, but don't have the time to shop for them? Let me help you find the items you need, your Personal Shopper for Scrapbook Supplies. For example, are you looking for a new scrapbook album but don't want to go through the thousands of albums out there? Just let me know what you are looking for (theme, colors, style, etc.) and I will hunt around then send you an e-mail with options and prices. You select what you want, pay your invoice and I mail it off to you via USPS Priority Mail and whalaa....your package arrives 2-3 days later. This will save you time and money because my time "hunting" is FREE for you! Plus if you spend over $50 you will get FREE SHIPPING. Additionally, if you are shopping for a gift for someone else I can wrap and mail the gift to the recipient.

If you would like to try out this new service, just shoot me an e-mail at celestial.creations@verizon.net with what you are looking for and I will do all the legwork and e-mail you back with some options.

Whistle Stop Inauguration Train Trip Embellishments

If you attended Present-elect Barack Obama's Whistle Stop Inauguration Train trip and are looking for some train embellishments....look no further. Check out these train embellishments that would be perfect for scrapping your inauguration memories!!

Jolee's Choo-Choo - only 3 left - $2.99 but now on sale for $2.09!

Jolee's Train Trip - only 1 left - $1.99 now on sale for $1.39!

Publish Post

Rules of Scrapbooking

Are you a beginner? Was your New Year's Resolution to learn how to Scrapbook? Well, I will go over the Rules of Scrapbooking for you!

Rule#1 - Use Acid-Free and Lignin-Free products - Most scrapbooking supplies will state whether they are acid-free and lignin-free and you should look for products free of acid and lignin. The presence of acid and lignin (a chemical compound that is most likely found in wood) will damage your photographs over time. This is why newspaper clippings turn yellow over time.
How to Break Rule #1 - If something isn't acid-free or lignin-free you need to isolate it from the items on your page. For example, if you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to use the first leaf of Fall (i.e. lignin) in your scrapbook page you can laminate it (if it isn't too dried out) or you could scan it or take a photo and print "the leaf". For newspaper clippings, if you want to use the actual newspaper clipping instead of a copy, you can use Krylon's Make it Acid-Free Spray to make it safe for your scrapbook. Likewise, Tim Holtz's Grungeboard is not acid-free so it needs to be
isolated or coated with something acid-free like ink, acrylic paint, glimmer mist, ect.

Rule #2 - Page Titles - Generally speaking scrapbook pages have a page title. You can think of it as the Headline of a Newspaper - it should grab your attention and give you a teaser about what you are scrapping. Some examples for a New Year's Layout would be "Ringing in 2009", "Partying till it's 2009!" or "Waiting for the Ball to Drop".


Rule #3 - Journaling - Some people think of journaling as a four letter word; however, journaling doesn't need to be a dreaded task. Scrapbooks are a way to preserve memories and without the four W's (Who, What, When & Where) it makes it easy to forget what was going on at the time. There are lots of excuses (I don't like my handwriting, there isn't any room left on the page, and on and on), but there are also lots of solutions. If you don't like your handwriting, try doing it on the computer or writing a little note and hide it behind a photo (hidden journaling). If you absolutely hate to journal try incorporating little bits of info into the layout. You can put the date on an embellishment or write the people's names beneath their photos. Sometimes the title says it all, so you don't really need to journal.

Rule #4 - Rules are meant to be BROKEN! - Remember, this is YOUR scrapbook, your memories and your life. You don't need to go crazy learning every technique under the sun or make pages exactly like the "scrapbook celebrities", just scrap your photos and get your memories preserved. Don't be afraid to try scrapbooking because your layouts won't look like everyone else's - they aren't supposed to!