Photo Expressions

Tutorial: Coloring and Shading Flowers by Sharon Harnist

Ttutorial: Coloring and Shading Flowers by Sharon Harnist

1. Stamp an image. Then, choose a 3-color blending group (here I used R20, R22, R27) and quickly base coat the roses with the lightest color.	Here, I’m using R20. You don’t need to be concerned with taking your time and coloring in small circular motion; you’ll be doing enough blending later! You can even leave the a few areas white, like the very tip ends of the petals.
2. The illustrator will usually give you an idea of where the shading, or deeper/darker colors should be; those areas will usually be cross-hatched or indicated with lines or stippling. Color those areas with your mid-tone color (R22).	3. Go back with your first, lightest marker (R20) and blend the colors together.
4. Also, keep in mind that areas/petals that are closer to you will appear lighter and petals that are towards the back or bottom of the flower will naturally appear darker; color those areas with either your mid-tone or your darkest color (I used R22 and R27).	5. Go back and add some depth to your mid-tones and deepest recesses of the flowers with your darkest color (R27). Also, where some petals cast a shadow on other petals, use your darkest color to indicate shadows. Blend with your mid-tone color, if necessary.
6. For the leaves, again, choose a 3-color blending group (I used G21, G24, G28). Quickly base coat the leaves and stems with the lightest color in your blending group (G21), leaving a few white spaces as highlights if you wish.	7. Use your mid-tone color to add depth to the areas indicated by the illustrator (usually on the lower half of the leaf) and on leaves that are further away from you or towards the back of the plant (G24).
8. Go back and use the lightest G20 to blend the two colors together, if needed. 9. Go back and add some depth to your mid-tones and deepest recesses of the flowers with your darkest color (R27). Also, where some petals cast a shadow on other petals, use your darkest color to indicate shadows. Blend with your mid-tone color, if necessary.

What is a die cut machine and what do you do with it?

What is die cutting?
Die cutting is like using a cookie cutter. A hand-operated, die cutting machine uses steel rule die shapes to cut through a wide range of materials quickly and easily.

What makes die cutting better than scissors?
The use of scissors takes time and patience. However, die cutting transforms the tedious task of cutting numerous letters and shapes into a fast, fun and easy endeavor – replicating the same perfect shape over and over again.

How do I clean my machine?
Over time and due to normal use, your shape-cutting machine may become dirty or dusty. To clean, use Isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) poured on a clean paper towel and rub over the machine until it evaporates. With another clean, dry paper towel, wipe off any residue. Never use bleach or abrasive cleaners on the Machine. Never oil your Machine.

What can you cut?

•Self-adhesive rubber (for making rubber stamps)
•Sheet magnet
•Foil
•Static cling vinyl
•Fabric
•Felt
•Thin metal
•Paper wood
•Heat and shrink plastic
•Poly foam
•Sponge
•Leather
•Faux fur
•And so much more

Sizzix Big Shot Machine

There's a big reason why we call our shape-cutting and embossing machine a Big Shot. It's because the stylish black-and-pink Big Shot works with our smallest dies to our big 6" wide plastic-backed treasures and embossing tools. If that wasn’t big enough, this portable roller machine cuts and embosses many different materials. This versatile machine works with ALL dies and embossing folders.  Now that’s a big deal.

There are two different types of Sizzix dies - embossing and shape cutting.

Embossing

Shape Cutting

One die, endless possibilities

Inspiration for you:

Create a scrapbook page base out of patterned paper. Ink edges of page. Cut a large patterned paper rectangle and adhere along the right side of the page. Stamp a Bingo Card onto cardstock, trim around the design, mat on patterned paper and attach to the page. Stamp designs along the bottom of the page. Die-cut a Tag from cardstock, ink edges and attach to the page. Die-cut No. 7 from cardstock using the Cargo Stencil Numbers Movers & Shapers Magnetic die set and the Base Tray. Crop a photo to size and attach to the page. Die-cut Tattered Flower Garland from patterned papers and ink edges. Layer flowers to assemble and secure layers with brads. Adhere as shown.

Cut cardstock to size and fold to form card base. Cut a piece of patterned paper to fit across the card front and emboss using the Honeycomb embossing folder. Adhere in place and distress with ink. Die-cut Harlequin Border out of patterned paper and adhere to the card front. Trim away excess. Die-cut Bird Branch out of cardstock and patterned paper. Distress with ink and attach to the card front. Stamp a sentiment onto patterned paper, trim to size, ink edges and attach to the card front. Wrap a ribbon around the card front and tie in a bow.

Cut a box out of cardstock and it's lid out of patterned paper and fold to assemble. Distress the edges of the box with ink. Wrap a ribbon around the box and tie in a bow. Die-cut Sewing Edge from cardstock. Embellish with twine and ink. Stamp a sentiment onto cardstock, trim to size, ink edges and attach to the box top with foam dots.

Easter Eggs using your Craft Supplies

Here are some great ideas from Better Home and Gardens for making pretty Easter eggs.

Using a crafts punch, punch circles from double-sided adhesive. Attach them to the eggs. Pour different colors of glitter into separate bowls. Roll each egg in glitter; remove excess with a clean paintbrush. For a multicolor egg, place a few stickers on an egg at a time. Roll in glitter, remove excess, adhere more circles, and repeat with a different color glitter. And by using different die cut or punches shapes, the possibilities are endless.

Scrapbooking supplies are a simple way to create cute, dye-free eggs. Thicker stickers work best because they cling to the shape of the egg. Place decorated eggs in mini pots for a seasonal display.

Decorative paper delights on these sophisticated eggs. Attach patterned-paper pieces to double-sided adhesive, remove backing, and attach to egg. To decorate eggs with ribbon, use 1/8-inch double-sided crafts tape to make designs. Stick ribbons onto tape, then adhere to egg as desired.

 

Scrappin' Challenge

Photo Express Scrappin' Challenge:

To keep our scrappin' mojo going and to prepare for the Load challenge in May, we are going to send out a Page Challenge every newsletter for you. That means you have a whole 2 weeks to get the layout done!!!!! Anyone can do that :) Please take us up on the challenge and create a layout - if you don't want to do the prompt, that is totally okay, just create a layout of your choosing. Don't cheat yourself and do a layout you have already done. Create a new one. Tell a new story.

As an added incentive, bring in your layout to show us and fill out a ticket stub while you are at the store.  Over the next 3 months, March, April, and May (so that is 6 challenges), if you show us at least 5 of them, you can register for Free to come to a Saturday Crop at the end of May (first come first served of the people who have 5 tickets). That means you did at least 5 of the 6 challenges.  And you have a whole 2 weeks to do each one!  Let's get scrappin!!

March 1st - 15th Page Challenge : Hobbies Past or Present
(bring in your layout by March 16th to show us for a ticket entry)

I really liked this prompt in Load 212 (It was Hobbies Past). I chose to document my love of photography. I didn't have pictures of these cameras, but the internet does!  I did a quick digital layout that day, as I was really short on time, but I love the results.
So here is my layout for a bit of inspiration but do your own thing.  A hobby growing up, a hobby you do now, or a hobby you admire and would like to do.  Or do your own thing completely. Just do a layout in the next 2 weeks and show us.  Simple!

Valentine gift ideas (I'd love the chocolate bar!)

Give the sweetest gift of all with a homemade sugar cookie in a cute package. Add a few drops of gel food coloring (we used a rose pink) to the batter; use a cookie cutter to cut out hearts; bake and cool. After cooling, embellish the cookies with sugar hearts (adhered with a frosting pen) or brush on a thin coat of luster dust (available in the cake decorating section).

To package: Cut pieces of decorative cardstock to fit inside flat cellophane bags. Place a cookie in each bag. Cut another piece of cardstock the width of the bag and 3 inches high. Fold in half and place over top of cardstock-lined cellophane bag. Punch two holes in the middle, string a ribbon through the holes, and tie a knot.

Wrapped in Love

Cover your valentine's favorite chocolate bar for a sweet gift in just minutes. Add ribbon, buttons, stamps, or cutouts to make it even more personal.

Valentine's Day Banner

Bright colours make this Valentine's Day mantel pop -- traditional pink hearts mix with bright orange, yellow, green, and blue patterned fabric on the banner. To make, trace 16 hearts onto pink houndstooth fabric and cut them out. Use a stencil to paint letters onto the hearts to spell out a sweet phrase (like "Be Mine Valentine" shown). Sew the hearts onto colored fabric squares with fun patterns, attach the squares to red ribbon, and hang across a fireplce or even bathroom mirror.

 

 

 

Valentine's Ideas - great for class Valentine's

How cute is this robot card from Scrapbooks etc?!

Robot Candy Card

Design by Lisa Storms

Turn a mini candy bar into a robot by wrapping it in patterned paper and adding a head, arms, and legs. Give each robot its own personality and style by playing around with different buttons, punches, and papers.

Sweet Lollipops

Design by Deb Berger and Lisa Storms

A greeting has never tasted as sweet as this lollipop-turned-valentine. To cook up this delicious design, layer a punched circle over a scalloped circle with adhesive foam. Attach the circles to the front of a plastic-wrapped lollipop, add another scalloped circle to the back, and embellish. Use an adhesive dot to secure the ribbon leaves.

Friendship Pencil Toppers

Designs by Jennifer Holmes

Dress up valentine pencils with cute toppers. Thread the pencil through two punched 1/2-inch holes. Stamp images and add only a few colors for faster production.

February Page Maps

Becky has her February Page Maps posted.  Great timing for those of us doing the LOAD 212 challenge.

Grab some supplies, grab a sketch and tell your story! Here are just a couple of examples from her site.

 

Dream Basement Scrapbook Room Ideas

Doesn't this room look so inviting?! You most likely don't have the space to do something like this, but you can probably borrow some of the ideas and put them into your own space.  From Scrapbook Etc.

Divide a Room Into Spaces

Polly Maly's creative space took a lot of work to pull off, but it ended with a functional, accessible, and all-around pretty room. This roughly 15X15' room, reorganized by designer Cathy Kramer, became a powerhouse when broken down into dedicated zones for different tasks and supplies: (left to right) tool station, embellishments and photos, computer center, stamping supplies. Paper and books are stored along the far right side of the room.

 

Keep Tools in Place

Low-cost nonslip drawer liners prevent punches from shifting around in Polly's tool station, making it easier to find what she needs.

Put Important Items Together

Frequently used tools are close by and kept tidy with simple drawer organizers. This collection is housed in the top left drawer of Polly's built-in desk.

Consider Your Work Space

Having lots of work surfaces allows Polly the luxury of leaving a page in progress without cluttering the room. Though she works mostly at the portable table in the center of the room, standing at the counters adds a whole new dynamic to her work style.

Put Things on Display

To the left of Polly's built-in desk is a zone that houses her photo boxes and embellihsments. Kramer chose glass-front doors for the upper cabinets to keep the space visually light and to allow visitors to see Polly's collection of vintage cameras.

Use Creative Pieces For Decorating

Embellishments can be fun both on the page and off. Some of Polly's colorful button collection pulls double duty as decor.

Group Embellishments for Storage

Loose accents were dropped into small clear jars and then placed in a spice-jar drawer organizer.

Pick the Right Type of Shelving

By choosing pullout shelves for the base cabintets, Kramer made every inch easily accessible. Baskets hold packaged accents, and sheets of stickers and rub-ons slip into page protectors, which are then organized into three-ring binders.

Add a Spot for Inspiration

The paper zone contains an inspiration board that's flanked by stacked cubes filled with cardstock, hanging files for scraps, and books. The board adds flair to the room through bright, vibrant colors.

Make Supplies Accessible

Polly sorted patterned paper by color and placed it in vertical storage boxes. The boxes and pullout drawers make it easy to find what she needs without having to rummage through messy mounds of paper.

Take Advantage of Wall Shelving

A rubber-stamper from way back, Polly keeps her collection contained on the shallow picture ledges to the right of her desk and in the utility drawers beneath. Ink pads are stored in a lazy-Susan-style caddy on the work surface.

 

Valentines Cones - super cute gift idea

Valentine's Day Paper Cones

I just had to show you these GORGEOUS cones made by Briana from the Jenni Bowlin Blog. How cool are they?! Imagine hanging on a child's door knob or a neighbours front door or a co-workers desk, or giving to classmates. Super cute!  And these could be made using any patterned paper and supplies.

I made these cones, also known as paper cornucopias or May Day baskets, for my kids to give to their teachers for Valentine's Day. You can tuck a little wrapped gift inside or put the gift inside wrapped with tissue paper or for a very special presentation you could wrap the gift in a vintage hankie. Another option is to use shredded paper and fill the cone with candy and treats. 

They also look so pretty to use as decorations. In the top photo I strung them on a ribbon and hung them over my mirror and in the photo above I hung them on my white feather tree.

The cones were made using 3D Scalloped Cone from Silhouette. I have a Cameo so I was able to cut them from full sheets of 12 x 12 paper for the largest cones. If you have a Silhouette SD they'll be smaller, closer in size to the diamond patterned cone I made. If you don't have electronic die cutting capabilities there are tons of cone templates online. 

(Note: the Silhouette Cameo is available at Photo Express)

After the cones were cut I glued them together and used a long reach stapler to add a little reinforcement along the back seam, probably not completely necessary but I didn't have to wait as long for the glue to dry. I cut the silhouette girls from Jenni's papers.  The older girl is from Be My Guest and the little girl is from Haven. I layered the Haven girl on a JBS oval label sticker to match the other one, as seen on the diamond patterned cone. 

I made full, loopy bows with seam binding. For a few of the cones I used two colors on each bow. I added the teachers' initials using JBS alterable alphas in the middle of the bows. I attached ric rac handles and the bows with hot glue.

They look cute on the inside too!

Supplies:

Be Our Guest - Hers

Haven - Common Objects

Red/Black Line Extension IV - Letter Chart

Red/Black Line Extension IV - Multiplication

Red/Black Line Extension IV - Pen Nibs

Alterable Alphas - Micro Dot

Haven - Betty's House

Red label stickers

Red/Black Extension IV - School Dress
Other supplies:
Gold oval doily 
Vintage seam binding and ric rac

Briana

More Winter Layout Ideas

Sledding Scrapbook Page

Design by Melissa Inman

Melissa created balance in her layout by adding strips of paper to both sides of her two-page design. She added three arrows to guide the eye, keeping them all in solid green tones to pop off the patterned paper.

Editor's Tip: For fun lettering, add patterned paper to closed off space in letters, such as Melissa did with the "g" and the "o."

Simple Shoveling Winter Scrapbook Page

Design by Renee Foss

Renee created a block with her four smaller photos and balanced it with a larger shot. She kept the page simple, adding just a bit of patterned paper on top of a solid background.

Big Pic Winter Scrapbook Page

Design by Susan Weinroth

Susan created her title in the circle with stickers and letter brads. She positioned smaller circles along the top of the photo and centered red brads on the smallest circles. Her funny photo takes center stage in the middle of the page.

Family Gathering Winter Scrapbook Page

Design by Candi Gershon

Candi grouped multiple photos at the bottom of her layout and balanced them with a large title and journaling block above. She added extra emphasis to the title and journaling by curving the edges of the paper underneath.

Snow Fun Scrapbook Page

Design by Erica Hernandez

A craft knife helped Erica handle the thin spaces and smooth the curves of this penguin, which makes a cute addition to her page about winter fun. Erica brought cohesion to the layout by letting the sled and the penguin's scarf overlap her photo. Using colors from the scarf, Erica choose solid color paper to block off different sections of the page.

Serious Sledding Layout

Design by Shannon Zickel

Give your layouts some a cool factor by spraying ink along the bottom edges of the pages. The technique works on any color background, even kraft. Here, it gives the page a "frosty" effect. Chipboard snowflakes get a festive update with patterned paper.

Sledding Fun Layout

Design by Pam Callaghan

For this fun sledding scrapbook page, Pam grouped several photos in a large block for a big emphasis in the center of her layout. She curved the edges of the patterned paper and the photos to add movement to the page.

Editor's Tip: Create a title that mirrors the action in your photos. Pam lined up her letter stickers along the bottom edges of staggered supporting photos to play up the downhill action.

Snowboarding Layout

Design by Paula Murakami

The patterned paper Paula chose for this snowboarding scrapbook page immediately reminded her of snow and helped her pick a colour scheme for the page. Converting photos to black-and-white allowed her to use any colors she wanted, so she chose frosty hues that play up the winter theme.

Editor's Tip: Use seasonal shapes to further drive home your theme. Paula used snowflakes in several spots on her page, including the one that subs for the letter "o" in her title.

Snow Tubing Layout

Design by Annette Pixley

Annette's inner tube sledding pictures mark a trip to Mt. Hood with her son. She matted her photos with colorful cardstock to make the mostly white winter sports images pop off the page, and she mixed rub-on phrases with her journaling to help highlight certain words and emphasize the winter theme.

Editor's Tip: Recycle for low-cost embellishments. Annette placed her title on a cloud cut from a magazine advertisement. Just remember, not all found objects are safe for scrapbooks. Keep questionable items away from one-of-a-kind photos or treat with deacidification sprays to be safe.

Snowboard Outing Layout

Design by Angie Cramer

Angie snapped these winter sports photos of her son Ryan on a snowboarding outing. Angie chose the layout colors--black, gray, and red--from her son's winter gear, pulling the entire page together.

Editor's Tip: Be creative with your title. Angie stamped "snowboarding" as well as snowflake patterns onto three round metal-rim tags, then strung the tags together with fibers to make a vertical title.

 

 

 

 

Winter Scrapbook Layout ideas

I'm sure you've taken a few snow pictures over the last week.  Here are some great layout ideas from Scrapbooks etc.

 

Pretty Punch Winter Scrapbook Page

Design by Lisa Storms

Use basic punches to create a graphic snowflake border. Abstract flower punches produce simple snowflakes when paired with white cardstock. Clip the flowers' rounded tips, adhere the shapes to multicolor punched circles, and top with gems.

Editor's Tip: Give a winter layout a crisp, tiled look by mounting photos, journaling, and accents with thin adhesive foam.

 

Sweater Weather Scrapbook Page

Design by Jennifer Perks

No snow? No problem. Patterns, textures, and accents from the sweaters in these photos inspired the creative color blocks on this cardstock-only page. Turn buttons, snaps, and other notions into layout embellishments. For a fun, interactive element, machine-stitch a zipper to cardstock. Mimic the texture of a sweater by layering tone-on-tone cardstock shapes. Outline the shapes with pen to help them stand out.

 

Digital Winter Scrapbook Page

Design by Leslie Lightfoot

Bring together your favorite outdoor photos in a photo collage. A digital template makes designing the layout a snap -- all you need are photos and a few digital elements! Embellish with a cluster of stars instead of the traditional snowflakes and use dark colors for an interesting way to display winter photos. (Remember, you can get all your digital layouts printed at Photo Express!)

Outdoor Fun Winter Scrapbook Page

Design by Vicki Boutin

Head outdoors with your kids and snap shots of them enjoying the snow. Stamp a snowflake on a circle of white cardstock and add a gem in the center to make it glisten. Punch a text pattern into circles for an unexpected accent.

Editor's Tip: To get properly exposed snow photos, use the Winter or Snow setting on a point-and-shoot camera, or set a custom white balance on a digital SLR.

 

Snowflake Flurry Scrapbook Page

Design by Erin Clarkson

Break away from traditional icy pastels and go bold with unexpected hues. Stick with one paper line to make matching a breeze. Balance the bright colours and eye-catching patterns with black-and-white photos that are sure to pop. For a smooth finish, sand chipboard edges after covering with patterned paper.

 

Snowscape Winter Scrapbook Page

Design by Greta Hammond

Fashion slopes from white textured paper and layer them with adhesive foam to create depth between layers. Trim snow mounds with rickrack and tuck action photos behind the hills to make them feel like part of the scene. Mat snow photos with patterned paper to give them added oomph on a page.

 

 

 

 

Winter Day Scrapbook Page

Design by Amy Howe

Amy turned to darker shades of purple, blue, and green for an elegant look (the three colors also happen to fall next to each other on the color wheel). The dark colors contrast nicely with a large black-and-white photo, showing the fun that can be had on a dreary winter day. Clear plastic flowers with button centers add a subtle, but glimmering touch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brighten someone's Desk

Quick and Easy Floral Pens

Brighten someone's day with super-easy spring-theme pens. Secure flower embellishments atop a pen, then wrap the base with coordinating paper for a pretty, put-together look.

Love Is In The Air

Our Valentine's display is getting set, here are some of the new Valentine's with more coming this week.

Echo Park Yours Truly

Here is a cute bag topper using this line from the Echo Park Blog. Click here for a video with instructions.

 

A Year in Review quick project

Here is a great quick project from the Simple Stories website. A few sheets of paper, a couple of favourite photos from each month last year and an evening and you have a great review of last year. (If you have no idea how to find a few favourite photos from each month of last year, seriously consider taking Foto Freedom!) You could also do up the few album pages for this year and add photos in each month. What a great project!

I like to capture the past year in photos.  This time, I'm using the Simple Stories signature system of elements and page protectors to help me.  Year.o.graphy is the perfect collection for this kind of project. I created 4 pages, each with 3 months of 2011 documented on them.  I loved the ease of the 4x6 elements with the large month abreviations on them --- I basically just slipped them into my sleeves with some journaling strips on them!  I know I've said it before, but super quick & easy!

Simple Stories Year.o.graphy:

• #1901 - 12x12 Calendar Cardstock Stickers
• #1902 - 12x12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers
• #1903 - 12x12 Expression Cardstock Stickers
• #1910 - 4x6 Journaling Card Elements #1
• #1911 - 4x6 Journaling Card Elements #2
• #1912 - 4x6 Vertical Journaling Card Elements

We R Memory Keepers - 4x6 12x12 photo sleeves

A Christmas Review Album

Jodi from the Simple Stories blog has a great album that you could easily recreate to showcase your Christmas photos. I totally love the Simple Stories lines - look how fast you can create a gorgeous album just by cutting up the page pieces.

I wanted to show you how easy you could make an album for yourself using the divided sheet protectors as well.  It is so easy and so fast to put together, the one thing that I really like is that I could put it all together and when I have a minute over the Christmas break, I will get the pictures off of my computer and in the album for my kids to enjoy all year long! 

One of our very favorite traditions at our house is to cut down our own tree from the mountains.  I can't wait to add the pictures of our giant Grizwald tree to this page!