May 24th, 2019
Inside: how to rescue your valuable old photos from magnetic albums If you’re over 40 it means you probably have old magnetic albums, black glue-on scrapbooks or just old photos stashed in boxes or drawers. All these precious photos filled with memories and history are in danger! If you used “magnetic” pages in your album – the ones with sticky pages that you could cover with clear plastic – your photos might already be in rough shape. Photos on old black paper pages, even with photo corners, might not be faring well, either. If you do own one of these older photo albums full of precious family pictures then I advise you to do something NOW to try and prevent further deterioration. WHAT CAN HAPPEN TO YOUR OLD PHOTOS Older magnetic photo albums have pages that are covered in strips of sticky glue that hold the photos to the pages. The pages are then sealed under …
May 17th, 2019
Inside: how to make amazing altered art projects from stuff you have in your house! A wise man once said: creative people can make art from anything and I happen to agree. Us crafters, designers, artists (or any other name you want to use) see a potential craft project in things other people don’t. How many times did you see an item thrown out that you thought you could transform to something beautiful? I bet more than once… Creating art from everyday items and turning household objects or even unused or empty things to something beautiful is called altering or up-cycling. Altered art is a transformation or ‘alteration’ of ordinary, everyday objects into decorative pieces using a wide variety of different techniques and materials. It describes a way of recycling, and giving new life to all sorts of commonplace and functional (or perhaps even useless) items. WHY CREATE ALTERED ART Once you get the idea of …
May 10th, 2019
Inside: full proof ways to save money on your craft supplies We all know crafting is an expensive hobby! the manufacturers don’t help when they release new products two or three times a year and stores fill their shelves with crafty eye candies as far as the eye can see. However it is possible to stay within a budget and save money on craft supplies. SAVE MONEY ON CRAFT SUPPLIES IN THE CRAFT ROOM Saving money on craft supplies starts strangely enough in your craft room! Not because you stop buying craft supplies but because you start being smart about the craft supplies you already have. MAXIMIZING CRAFT SUPPLIES Saving bits and bobs from projects is a good way to cut your crafting expenses because you may have much of what you need for your project already on hand. Scrapbooking and paper crafts are perfect examples. I have boxes full of random-sized pieces of …
May 3rd, 2019
Inside: great hacks to make amazing mini albums you need to know and try! If you’re a paper crafter and you want to showcase your photos and document your memories you can make 12×12 scrapbook pages or mini albums. However sometimes those large empty scrapbook pages are a little intimidating and time consuming to create so a smaller mini album is the perfect way to achieve the same goals in less time and more fun! Mini albums come in all sizes, with 8”x8” and 6”x6” being the most popular. They often have all their pages in the album about a specific person, place, event or occasion. There’s often a thread of continuity in terms of design: The papers match the album or the scrapper uses the same alphabet stickers throughout. WHY MAKE MINI ALBUMS Overwhelmed by the thought of devoting time, money and energy to a giant scrapbook, more and more people are starting …
April 26th, 2019
inside: why foam stamps are the best for your mixed media projects For years I’ve been looking for stamps to include in my mixed media projects but all the stamps that I found only worked with ink. I wanted to stamp images on the background and as focal points on my art journal pages and canvases with acrylic paints and not ink. However the types of stamps available on the market didn’t work with acrylic paints. But then I found foam stamps and my life changed! WHAT ARE FOAM STAMPS Foam stamps are an interesting alternative to traditional rubber stamps. As the name suggests they are formed from foam and not from rubber or acrylic. They are durable, bold foam stamps designed for use on many surfaces. They can be used with acrylic paints, inks and glazes. You may know foam stamps from kids crafts but today these stamps have evolved into much more versatile …
April 19th, 2019
Inside: why work with a sketch and how it will make your scrapbook pages better Everyone of us hit a creative wall sometimes. We finally find the time and mood to create some scrapbook pages but we have no inspiration at all, no ideas! This is definitely a frustrating situation because we stare at a pile of papers and embellishments and we are stuck. This is where the sketch comes in! I can’t tell you how many times sketches have saved me and turned a boring and unfruitful afternoon into a multiple scrapbook page extravaganza! WHAT IS A SKETCH? Think of sketches like “blueprints” for creating pages. They feature outlines for scrapbook layouts that give you a general idea of where to place your papers, photos, embellishments, titles and journal spaces, and typically come in gray scale tones to allow you to visualize the page designs with your own products. They differ in their level of …
April 12th, 2019
Inside: how to use chipboard in your craft projects. Even use the negative leftovers! If you’re like me you probably have lots of different types of chipboard. Are you really using them in your craft projects or are you just buying them and let them sit around collecting dust? Have you ever tried to buy them online but weren’t sure what you needed? If those questions sound familiar then I’m here to help you be a master of chipboard! WHAT IS CHIPBOARD? Chipboard is a pressed paperboard (non-corrugated cardboard). It’s made by gluing fragments and layers of recycled paper together. The adhesive is applied using pressure and heat and ends up being smooth and rigid. The thickness varies from very thick to very thin, but it is always heavier than cardstock. Chipboard is popular for scrapbooking, card making, rubber stamp projects and more. It can be painted, inked, distressed, cut and glued. You can also buy …
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