Scrapbook Blog

Ok, friends, I am ready to launch a new part of the site, and I need your help.  I would like to have searchable categories for page layouts so that we can share our best ideas with each other.  Your favorite pages could be featured on this site!  But more than that, you could search through hundreds of page layouts for ideas that have been submitted by other scrappers.  Looking for an awesome new Halloween idea, look at some of the best SCARY pages other scrappers have done!  I had thought about posting pages I make (which I will), but then realized that I would also like to see what others are making.   It is so awesome to learn new techniques and also be able to brag about your best pages! 

What I Need From You:  All I need from you is a quality (no camera phone pics) digital picture emailed to me of your best (2 page) layouts.  You can include different pictures for each layout.  You may offer tips on how to put the layouts together so that others can reproduce your ideas (but you don’t have to).  You can submit as many ideas as you’d like.   By submitting the images, you are giving scrapbook.org permission to post the images on this site.   Email your ideas including the images to:  info@scrapbookblog.org.  Now read below for the goods! 

What You Can Earn for Posting Your Ideas:  I am willing to pay a dollar for each (2 page) layout that is approved to be posted on the site.  If you submit 20 layouts and they all are awesome and get approved, you will get paid $20.00.  It is that easy.  Then you can put that money toward more scrapbooking purchases!  If you are like me, I am always looking for a way to scrape together some extra money to purchase some new tool or paper pack.   Please understand that not all ideas will get approved….we have to make this the best of the best!  Payments will be made to you through Paypal, so please include the email address that you would like your payments sent to.  If you don’t have a Paypal account, it is really very easy to get one.  Just visit www.paypal.com to sign up.

The Goal:  I want to build a collection of the coolest page layouts and ideas that I can sort by themes and colors.  I want to share with each other our best pages and newest ideas! OK, now go tell all of your talented friends that you have discovered a way to get RICH and FAMOUS!

READY………..SET……………..GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

info@scrapbookblog.org

Lately, I have been making many posts about the prices of Cricut cartridges….mainly because that is what I have been shopping for.  When I find great prices, I like to share that info.  But, I have also been doing some major “spring cleaning (in the fall, I know)” of my scrapbook room.  I have so many types of materials to use when I scrapbook.  I am moving beyond some of these items now that I am using my Cricut.  Here are my thoughts on some of these materials…..

Stamps:  I have A LOT of Stampin’ Up! stamp sets that I have loved in the past.  I make my Christmas cards every year with some sort of stamp theme, and I always get rave reviews.   I have always kept all the stamps and added them to my collection.  And I have purchased a lot of stamps intending to use them in my scrapbooking.  However, these do take up a ton of space.  And how often do I use them?  The truth is that they mostly gather dust.  I do have certain sets that I love to use, so I will keep them.  I like to have different types of material in my scrapbooks, so stamping here and there helps me mix it up a bit, but I have decided to get rid of about 50% of my stamps.  These stamps really do hold their value well, and I have found that they will fetch a pretty penny on eBay.  LOVELY…..now I can buy more Cricut cartridges!  My hubby has been complaining because I have been spending quite a bit on Cricut cartridges, but I just explained to him that I’m simply trading up.

Sizzix:  One of my most modes of die-cutting is going to be outdated soon.  I have a ton of Sizzix items, and I am not yet ready to get rid of all of it, but it is time to be realistic.  If I have a shape that is also on a Cricut Cartridge, then it is time for it to go.  Sizzix also takes up a ton of space (when you have as much as I have managed to collect over the years).  Here are a positive though…..the Sizzix or Ellison Decorative Strips.  They make a nice 12 inch border….and that is something the Cricut does not do, my friend.  These are worth the investment.

Brads and Eyelets:  I love these, but just am unsure if they will do damage to the pictures (when a scrapbook lays on its side for years) or pages over time.  I guess time will tell on these, but I am not investing too much in these types of decorations, and I am using them very sparingly.

Shape Makers and Punches:  Really, the same thing.  I have sooooo many of these.  A complete table in my scrapbook room is covered with punches.  Now that I have the Cricut and Cricut is releasing so many cool cartridges, I am getting rid of the punches if they duplicate what is on a Cricut Cartridge.  However, there are some I would never get rid of.  The basic shapes…..circles, squares, etc.  I am partial to the Creative Memories Shape Makers that are sized for stacking.  These are so handy.  You can buy comparable sized punches at craft stores that do the same job.  I love to take extra scraps of paper, and just punch out squares, circles, stars, whatever….in stackable shapes.  I store these in a nifty container to use on future pages.  I should do a post about that.  Anyway, I would keep my basic shape punches no matter what.  But my dragonfly punch is going.

Overall, I have to say that what is contained in one little Cricut cartridge, the size of the Cricut cartridge, and the ability to do so many different sizes of each item makes me think I want to spend my money there and get rid of some of these other items.  Not totally, but gradually reducing.  I have been getting these cartridges for around $40 or $50.  Think about it….a Sizzix Alphabet is more than that.  It takes up a ton of space, and only cuts in one size.  I guess you could call me a “Cricut Convert.”

Many scrappers are afraid to cut their pictures. I know one Creative Memories consultant who said, “We just don’t believe in that anymore.” Um, then why does CM sell their Cutting System for cropping pictures???

Here’s my thoughts. Cut when you need to be able to focus on a subject of the picture. Don’t let a messy background take away from who the picture is really about. On the other hand, don’t cut out objects or people who are rarely in your photos. For instance, I have pictures of my daughter jumping rope in the driveway. In the background is our old car. While I think it is distracting and not so pretty…I also realize how much I like to look at old pictures and see all the neat items in the background of that time period. It helps to date the pictures and to really get a glimpse into daily life back then. While I may not like our old car now, my grandchildren may think it is neat and oldfashioned in 30 years. Imagine my old Honda Accord seeming neat!

I also want to point out that it is good to cut out the un-pretty from the picture. One of my wedding pictures has my uncle tipping a brewski way up and slouching…and this is all seen from behind. Doesn’t really add to the wedding moment me and my husband posing in our first moments of married life. You want to yell, “MOVE…get out of the picture!” So, I crop!

Some people think it is just plain sinful to cut. I think it is sinful to let someone’s fat roll show when you could crop an inch off of the bottom and let everyone focus on her kind face. Yes, I have a picture like that of someone….and yes, I cropped!