by Linda | Jan 30, 2013 | DIY printables
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Elise Blaha Cripe
A blogger, scrapbooker and designer, Elise is definitely a known name in the scrapbooking industry. I’ve been following Elise’s blog for quite some time and love how she shares so many aspects of her creative life, not just scrapbooking. I think of it as living a creative life and she’s also a great example of someone without kids who scraps a lot – even though she’s currently expecting! The news actually made me feel closer, because I’m also expecting my first child and it’s wonderful to read and share in our life experiences. Although Elise is a paper scrapper, she’s a designer as well who most recently designed the seafoam edition (Amazon link) for Project Life. She also runs her own shop and definitely uses digital tools in her crafty work and lifestyle.
Elise says:
My only digital tool at the moment is Photoshop Elements, and I am actually very happy with it. I use my computer to edit, resize and crop photos for printing almost everyday. I also create, with PSE, graphics that I print and use in my Project Life album (the quote cards are a good example of this) and I sometimes add text elements directly to the photos before printing.
I consider myself a paper scrapbooker because I like to put it all together “in real life” but I cannot imagine not using digital in some form or another for almost every project I do. 🙂
Project Life – Paper and Digital
For those who are into Project Life scrapbooking – whether the full system or taking some of the styles and ideas – digital tools are really indispensable. Elise uses digital titling, journaling, printing of quote cards and various designed cards for her Project Life and really shows how easy it is.
via Elise’s blog
Designing for yourself doesn’t have to be super complicated or fancy, sometimes it’s just text or beautiful usage of typography. I really love Elise’s clean style.
- Consider creating your own journaling and designed cards with quotes or existing imagery/graphics that you can readily print out
- Don’t hesitate to caption or title right on top of your photos
- Don’t forget that anything you see online can be printed out and used in your scrapbooking, take advantage of this!
Photo Editing
Digital photo editing is also a tool in Elise’s arsenal and I think sometimes we don’t take advantage of all the possibilities! Now that everyone has a smartphone, it’s easy to do on the go as well, so you won’t be spending all your time in processing photos. Apps like Instagram and Afterglow have made it super easy to tweak your photos. There are a multitude of actions that can be loaded into Photoshop as well, to give your photography a boost. Ultimately, making a small effort can really help to enhance your photography immensely. Elise wrote a post with tips on taking self-portraits and I think it offers great insight.
via Elise’s blog
- Try using your smartphone and all the latest apps offered to enhance your photography on the go
- Explore Photoshop actions available for to apply premade effects to your photos with a click
- Consider what a difference it makes to add titling, journaling, stamps and other graphics on top of your photos before printing
Try it for yourself
The take away is to remember how much power we hold in our hands these days with the technology available. With just a little effort, we can make a big difference in our memory keeping and it doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated at all.
To start you off this week, I’ve designed a journaling card that would be great for Project Life, but also on a traditional layout as a designed embellishment. In 4×6 size, you can use it as a title card or size it down for other pocket sizes – both horizontal and vertical versions. Hope you have fun using a little digital in your memory keeping this week.
Download BTP_HelloLifeCardSampler
If you like printables, be sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter for new designs, links to freebies and the latest from yours truly.
by Linda | Jan 24, 2013 | DIY printables
The Pixel and Paper Series highlights digital techniques and products for scrapbookers like you and me. I believe that everyone should consider digital elements to be a part of their scrapbooking toolbox, so let’s learn together what the possibilities are. Each week, I’ll be sharing the opinion of a real-life scrapbooker to reveal how they use digital in their scrapbooking. Each post will also offer a freebie download to help you get started on your pixel and paper journey. Enjoy!
Introducing… Noell from Paperclipping
A role model in the scrapbooking industry, I’ve followed Noell for quite some time as a member of her professional scrapbooking video community, Paperclipping. I’ve also learned so much from her inspirational blog posts and community driven podcasts (Roundtable and previously The Digi Show). I believe that Noell represents a lot of paper scrappers out there, who benefit from using digital in a variety of ways. She uses Photoshop for a variety of techniques even though her layouts are all on paper in the end.
Noell says:
My favorite digital tool is the text tool in Photoshop. I love adding journaling directly onto my photos and then I dial down the opacity a bit to make it slightly translucent. I’ve done a lot of my title work this way as well.
The other most common things I do is to make grid collages with photos, or to use my wacom tablet to add my handwriting or some hand-made doodles, like hearts, onto my photos! Love that!
Photo Collages
Probably the most common use of digital for scrapbookers is the processing of photos before printing. Since 99% of photography is digital these days, it’s the natural workflow of getting photos into your scrapbooking.
via Paperclipping
Noell takes it a step further, not only processing photos for print, but creating photo collages as well. It’s a great way to fit multiple photos into a layout. Don’t forget that there’s a whole lot you can do to your photos before sending them to print.
- Consider post-processing to up the quality of your photo (cropping, color adjustments)
- Consider creating collages or series of photos in a block
- Consider using templates and frames to prepare your photos for print
Digital Titling, Journaling, Labeling
Probably the second most common use of digital for scrapbookers is typing and printing our journaling blocks. You can easily type your journaling in any font you choose and often will be able to fit more journaling than if you handwrote. Although there’s nothing wrong with handwriting your journaling, digital tools might be handy for certain circumstances.
via Paperclipping
Noell takes it to the next level by using digital type for titles, journaling and labels/doodles… to further enhance her photos before printing.
- Consider adding your title onto your photo
- Consider including captions for your photos
- Consider adding elements as embellishments onto your photos digitally before printing
Try it for yourself
I think the take away is to remember that digital provides you with a lot of flexibility in scrapbooking and you should definitely advantage of it! Adding elements digitally means you can see how it looks before committing to print – thank you undo button. You can also create so many different styles with all the fonts, actions and digital elements available in the market. The possibilities are limitless.
To start you off this week, I’ve designed some freebie digital frames for your personal use. Place them on top of your photos before printing, a great way to highlight those Instagram-type snapshots. Of course, you can use these frames in digital and paper layouts – whatever works for you.
DownloadDigital Frames Sampler
If you like printables, be sure to sign up for my email newsletter for new designs, links to freebies and the latest from yours truly.
by Linda | Jan 15, 2013 | my creative journal
We can all agree that the Internet has opened up a whole new realm of inspiration and connection for creatives like you and me. We have instant access to so much content and visual stimulation. It can be a feast for the eyes, propelling you into a world of imagination.
Unfortunately, you’ve probably experienced information overload as well. Inspiration can quickly turn to overwhelm and self-doubt. It’s important to limit your information diet, but of course you want to take advantage of everything available as well. It can be fun to surf your favorite blogs, scroll through Pinterest and leaf through your favorite magazines, but then what do you do? How do you put inspiration to use?
Physically using your print magazines and tactile materials…
I’m a huge fan of print magazines and have a pretty hefty collection on my bookshelf. This year I’ve decided to really put them to use. Yes, they are beautiful and precious, but they would serve me better if I cut them up and used them in my journaling. I can also give specific issues to creative friends when an article would serve them well. Finally, I could also donate books to the library and allow others to gain some inspiration and knowledge. I need to process and pass things on.
Thinking back to 2012, so many books and magazines were kept safely on my bookshelf – collecting dust. So I’m making it a point to go through my physical inspiration stash and use them somehow. This goes for art prints, papers, stationery – all those bits and pieces of inspiring materials we tend to hoard. Stop hoarding, start using!
Using digital and virtual inspiration…
It’s sad to see many print publications disappearing these days, but thankfully a new generation of digital publishing is rising up to take its place. I definitely turn to online magazines and virtual content for inspiration as well. I want to share my list of favorites for visual eye candy, but before you click away, I wanted to talk a bit more about how to put that inspiration to use first.
Although you are looking at something virtual, if it peaks your interest, don’t hesitate to snap a photo or print out a copy to include in your journal. You have to take notes somehow if you are going to put that inspiration to use. I often have my journal beside me, so that I can doodle and jot down notes while perusing around.
To take it a step further, don’t just clip or bookmark the inspiration. For those who use Evernote, it can be too easy to just clip everything and never have time to look back! Think about why you want to stop and record that inspirational spark. I find it best to actually write out my idea as a task or project.
The point is to take in the inspiration, digest it and really think about how you can apply it to your work and life.
It really only takes a few minutes to see something inspiring and then decide that you actually want to start a series of prints in that same color scheme. Or perhaps a certain geometric design you saw will be the starting point of your next line of sewn bag design. Put inspiration to use by taking that tiny step ahead in the process. Eureka – inspiration hit – now what does that mean for you? I guarantee that changing your mindset in this way will help you feel truly inspired and more importantly – productive – at the end of the day. It’s really inspiration time well spent.
Now here’s my list of inspiring publications…
Of course, taking a walk outside and snapping photos can be amazingly inspiring as well. Putting inspiration to use can apply whenever that spark ignites.
I want to add that it’s not about making your recreational time about work – by no means. If you are taking time to recharge then acknowledge that the time is spent for that reason. However, if you are out trolling for inspiration, then make sure you put that inspiration time to use in the end. Looking for inspiration is completely different from recharging your energy!
So what sources do you turn to for inspiration? Have you put that inspiration to use?
by Linda | Dec 26, 2012 | my creative journal
Hope you had a lovely holiday with family and friends!
I’ve been trying to clean up my space and found myself tempted to dive into a bit of crafty fun. Nothing like getting your hands into materials to spark inspiration. I noticed that my collection of leather has been building up, so I thought it was about time I used my leather scraps for something. Often a project that uses fabric can be applied to leather as well. Here’s my round up of leather craft tutorials – enjoy!
If you are looking to buy leather, think of upcycling old jackets, boots and purses you already have. Sometimes it’s cheaper to get something from a second hand shop as well. Otherwise, you can check out the Tandy Leather Factory. Is there a leather project that really peaks your interest?! Share your projects… because I definitely will.
by Linda | Apr 26, 2012 | my creative journal
Last week, I talked about my newsletter blues and since then I’ve quickly realized that it’s more of a cleanse. It’s a good thing to clear out the air and really connect to those who resonate with you, instead of speaking to people who have their backs turned. In a way, I’m looking forward to unsubscribes from uninterested people.
I think of it as the socially responsible thing to do as well. I know from statistics that many people aren’t even opening my emails. I really would like to decrease digital pollution. It’s a waste of energy, space and money for everyone. So do yourself and others a favor today, go and unsubscribe from stuff you aren’t interested in anymore. Every once in a while, unsubscribe in your spam folders too… instead of letting that pile up… cleanse! On the other hand, if you really want to get my weekly emails of thoughts along with a new illustrated girl – sign up here.
In other creative business news, I’ve been mulling over my about me page and trying to rewrite it. It’s not even linked up on this blog anymore, because I don’t feel like it reflects who I am. Everyone talks about how that page is the most visited by new readers… but I can’t seem to present myself properly. It’s always difficult for me to write up an all encompassing blurb, when at times, I still feel pretty confused about things. I realize that life is ever changing, so there is no such thing as a “done” about me page. But I need to get something done…
Today, I also received a bunch of new books in the mail – yay! Although I have a kindle, I still want the physical printed book at times. I’m excited to dive in although I have so many different books in progress right now. It’s good chaos I suppose, just like inside my head! I have an “active bookshelf” where I keep books that are in progress or frequently flipped through. If you are interested, here are the latest books I bought (Amazon links below)
A blogger, scrapbooker and designer, Elise is definitely a known name in the scrapbooking industry. I’ve been following Elise’s blog for quite some time and love how she shares so many aspects of her creative life, not just scrapbooking. I think of it as living a creative life and she’s also a great example of someone without kids who scraps a lot – even though she’s currently expecting! The news actually made me feel closer, because I’m also expecting my first child and it’s wonderful to read and share in our life experiences. Although Elise is a paper scrapper, she’s a designer as well who most recently designed the seafoam edition (Amazon link) for Project Life. She also runs her own shop and definitely uses digital tools in her crafty work and lifestyle.
