tsr member spotlight

The start of a new year always inspires evaluation and change in my life. While each day is new, the
beginning of a brand new year seems to up the ante for fresh starts. I recently spent three days cleaning
and reorganizing my scrapspace. After I was able to define my needs and revisit what I wanted from this
hobby in general, I was able to come up with a better plan regarding how to organize my supplies and my
space to best meet my needs and make my scrapbooking time more enjoyable. Because I knew that I
wanted to surround myself with things that I love and want to use, I was able to get rid of many things
that I had been hanging onto for too long just because “I might need that down the road”. I sorted and
purged with confidence, and the end result is a more organized and happy haven for me. It was an
energizing project, and it caused me to think a lot about the process of change – from changing and
reorganizing the material things in my life like my scrapspace, my closet, and my kitchen to changing and
reorganizing the immaterial things in my life like my priorities and my attitudes. I hope that you’ll take the
opportunity that is presented with this New Year to do some evaluating of your own as well – whether it be
your scrapspace or your priorities, here’s to good changes in 2010!
Tammy
TSR MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
While perusing the December Kits Member Gallery, the following two layouts caught my eye for this
month’s Member Spotlight! Nice Work!
By TSR Member, Staceyscraps
By TSR Member, mommyc
Be Inspired by TSR’s December Sketch:
Created exclusively for The ScrapRoom by Julie Bonner
Inspiration from our Baristas:
Christine Dunker
Lan Amphone
Deb Wisinski
Jenny Moore
Be Inspired to Organize
Chaos to Creativity: Organize Your Scrap Space – Embellishments (Non-Alphabets)
By Shawnna Samples & Tammy Harp
This month we are tackling embellishments, the accessories of scrapbooking. This may be my favorite part
of the scrapbooking industry. Adding embellishments to a layout is like adding the perfect pair of earrings
to an outfit. What girl doesn’t love that?
This section of organization is sometimes a little tricky because it involves all of the following:
Stickers
Buttons
Die-cuts
Chipboard
Metal
Flowers
Ribbon
Brads/eyelets
Journaling helps
3D Misc. Doo-dads and more
Do not get overwhelmed. Start slowly and choose one category at a time. For each category item, make
some decisions about how you use the items and where in your scrapspace you could store them. Decide if
that particular item would be best stored in closed storage (tidy and unseen) or if you’d prefer open storage
so that you can easily see what you’ve got and grab what you need. Think also about whether or not
seeing that item would add a decorative element to your scrapspace or not. (For example, plain chipboard
is not particularly beautiful, but organized and colorful ribbon and flowers pack a real aesthetic punch!)
You can group embellishments by color, embellishment type, or manufacturer. Again, you should group
your items in a way that works for you, and you’ll need to choose whether a closed storage option, an open
storage option, or a hybrid storage option is best for each category item.
o Closed storage is tidy and unseen and allows for stacking and maximizing space, but your
items are not as accessible and it is easy to forget what you have.
o Open storage allows for items to be seen and accessible but requires more room and looks
less tidy.
o Hybrid storage is a combination of closed and open storage and consists of larger bins or
baskets that can be stored on a shelf and filled with open storage items. As long as you label the
bins, you can easily reach in and grab what you need in no time at all.
You’ll probably find that you need a combination of closed, open and hybrid storage options in your space,
depending on how much you use a particular item and the size and placement of your scrapspace in your
home.
Below are a few storage options for some key embellishments. Storage suggestions include but are not
limited to drawer units, baskets, jars, pails, bins, and boxes. Use your imagination for some creative storage
options to really personalize and functionalize your scrapspace for you.
1.) Ribbon is like skittles for scrapbookers – colorful and fun! Some suggestions for storing this eye-candy:
o Wrap your ribbon pieces around clothespins and store these wrapped clothespins in clear jars or
shallow boxes.
o Wrap your ribbon around small pieces of cardstock and store together in an embroidery floss
box or boxes.
o Purchase your ribbon by the spool and store it all on a hanging rod for that fabric-store look and
feel.
o
If you’re like me and you can’t bear to throw away a piece that could adorn a layout or card,
consider sorting your ribbon by color and storing the pieces in clear plastic jar. You’ll feel like
you’re in a scrap-candy store every time you walk into your space!
2.) Buttons are my "go to" item when scrapbooking. I rarely create a layout without them. Saying that,
you would think that my stash has dwindled over the years, but just the opposite is true. I buy bags and
bags of buttons. I can honestly say that I rarely see a bag that I don't LOVE, and therefore NEED. Here are
a few fun ways I have discovered to store buttons:
o Add all of your buttons to one large jar to be displayed.
o Sort buttons by color and display in mason jars.
o If your button stash is smaller, you may want to sort them by color and store them in your
embellishment containers.
3.) Stickers are a little trickier, as you’ll have to choose how you want to sort them - theme, color, or
manufacturer. Once you have established what works best for you, you can move on to selecting a method
of storage. I use a combination of both closed storage and open storage. I have many of my stickers and
all of my rub-ons stored in Cropper Hopper Storage Boxes (the divided snap type). I further sort these by
theme:
• winter
• spring
• summer
• fall
• baby
• school
• I also have slots for each family member as I often buy items with a particular picture or layout in
mind.
My remaining stickers are stored on a Clip-It-Up. These are stickers that I plan to use quickly or stickers
that I want sorted by manufacturer. This system works for me but make sure that you store your items in a
way that will work for you. Know how you think when you scrapbook and organize accordingly.
1. As a final parting shot, below is an example of both Closed, Open and Hybrid Storage options
displayed together beautifully. You can see that the Closed storage (lidded and stacked boxes and
drawer units), the Open storage (paint turntable, bucket of paintbrushes and pens), and the
Hybrid storage (labeled bins) live together in perfect harmony. It is an organized thing of beauty!
To see more photos of Liz’s Black & Yellow Creative Haven, click here: LIZ’ CREATIVE HAVEN
(or copy and paste the following URL into your browser:
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1530448 )
Be sure to check next month’s newsletter, where we will be organizing our alphabets!
Be Inspired by Photography: Photographing Your Completed Layouts!
By Jenny Moore
One of the most frequently asked questions by scrapbookers entering the digital age is “How do I
photograph my layouts so that they will look good when I upload them to online sites?” While it seems as
though taking a simple photograph should not require a tutorial, the truth is that there are a few quick tips
that you can try today that will give you brighter and sharper images immediately.
1. It is best that your layout lay flat on a smooth surface. I use a piece of black foam core that you can
get at Wal-Mart. This provides me with an obvious black boundary around the page for when I go to
crop the image.
2. Stand directly above the layout (this may require you getting on a stepstool in order to get directly
above the image and not at an angle to the image). Zoom in to where the top and bottom of the layout
are close to the edge of your viewfinder. By zooming in a little, you get your camera off of "wide angle"
format and the edges of your layout will be straight and not rounded. For DSLR cameras, zoom in to at
least 50mm.
Here is an example of
a photo taken from a
bad angle. To get the
best image, make sure
that you position your
camera lens directly
above your layout
before taking the
photo.
The angle on this
photo is better, but
not perfect. Notice
the rounded corners
and blurring edges.
This is an example
of a wide-angle shot.
To avoid these
rounded edges,
stand a little further
above your layout
and zoom in to at
least 50 mm. The
result will be a
flatter and straighter
image.
3. The next best tip is that you photograph your layout using window/natural light and turning off your
flash. Light from a north or south window is best while avoiding direct sunlight. I actually place the
layouts on the floor next to my front door, which has an all glass "screen" door.
Here is an example
of a photo taken
with a flash.
Typically, a flash
doesn’t work well
when photographing
a layout, as there is
too many shiny
surfaces on a layout
for the light to
bounce off of. Turn
off your flash, bump
up your ISO number
and place your
layout in natural
light.
4. For those of you that want more control over your image, be sure to use between ISO 400-800, Auto
white-Balance works well, and at least 1/100 second exposure to avoid camera shake.
Here is our same
image again after
applying all of the tips
detailed in this article.
The image is properly
exposed from a
straight-on perspective
with no blurring or
curling edges. I think
you’ll find that your
layouts will be enjoyed
online more by
yourself and others
when they are crisp,
clear, and “spot-on”
like this one.
PRIMA ANIMAL BASH *BONUS* RECIPE CARD
Designed by Deb Wisinski
The ScrapRoom 1/10
www.scrap-room.com
January Kits Used: Prima Animal Bash Flavors of the Month Layout Kit, January Embellishment Kit (bling flower
centers)
CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS:
Animal Babble:
Cut (5) strips of paper in various widths and lengths
Photo Needed:
(1) 4”x 5” photo (printed with white scroll border)
PAGE ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Use the backside of Prima Festive Fun Patterned Paper as the base for this layout.
2. Mount 4”x 5” photo onto 4.25”x 5.25” piece of Blue Spruce cardstock. Use a distressing tool or your
fingers to distress the edges of the cardstock photo mat.
(Tip: I printed my photo with a white scroll border. You can also add this type of border with a white
rub-on applied to the edges of your photo, if desired.)
3. Approximately 3” from the top of the page and slightly to the right of center, adhere your (5) strips of
patterned paper, cut from the Animal Babble Patterned Paper. Stagger the lines and leave a margin of
background paper showing between each strip, as shown.
4. Adhere matted photo on top of border strips, as shown.
5. Adhere title** vertically down the left side of the photo and underneath the photo, as shown.
6. Add Prima stitched animals around photo, as desired.
7. Assemble (2) flowers by layering (3) flowers on top of one another, staggering the petals for dimension.
Adhere each layer together with a small dot of glue in the center. On the top layer, add a Prima Pearl
Bling Flower Center to the center of each flower. Adhere the flowers to the page as shown for balance.
**Alphabets and other items used for Titles and Journaling are not always included in the monthly kit. Substitute something
suitable from your own stash or print something up on your computer! Our Recipe Card layouts and directions also sometimes
include “common scrapbooking staple items” such as brads, buttons, mounting cardstock and ribbon that can be easily substituted
with something from your stash for that little extra “zing” on your pages if desired.