Back to Basics - Photo Organization

Happy Halloween!!!!! My little guy is already foaming at the mouth waiting for candy. Actually that is what he wanted for breakfast. He got cereal instead. Well not like that is not like candy anymore....but at least that is fortified! Well hopefully. Anyway, I hope everyone has a safe and healthy trick or treat!

AH yes, photo organization. If you are anything like me my photo organization is a bit laughable. From traveling to crops and working at home, my pictures are everywhere! But when I do clean up my pictures and sort them, I get a lot more done (6 pages instead of 2!)!

Printed Pictures

There are many ways to organize your photos (ones that are already printed...I will get to digital pictures in a minute)

First I would take the living room floor method (this is always the best way for me)...divide your pictures into how you scrap. By event, by season, by person or any other way you scrapbook.

Once all of your pictures are divided into piles then look through each pile. Make sure all of your photos are "scrap-able"....if they are not good enough to go into your scrapbook then take one of those re-closeable photo holders (you know the kind you get when you pick up your pictures) and label it "photos not used" and place all of those pictures that cannot be scrapbooked in there.

After sorting all of your pictures and removing the ones you do not want to scrap or the ones you cannot scrap, find some way you want to store them. Pat Catan's has clear storage boxes or photo boxes with organizer tabs that are good. Or even if you do not want to do that you can put each pile into a quart sized Ziploc bag and then put them all in a box (labeled of course). Now when you want to scrap, you can easily find pictures to scrap!

Digital Pictures

For some reason digital pictures are a little harder for me because I have now gotten into photo editing. But I have done it!

When I download my pictures I load them into My Pictures. Each month has a folder (ex:Dec 06, Jan 07, Aug 07) and each major event has its own folder (our wedding, our vacations).

Now I know it is tempting to be done with your pictures, but don't be! Make sure you make a backup! Our computer has crashed a couple of times and thankfully my Brother-In-Law is a tech genius and has gotten them all back for us. So after I download to my hard drive I download to shutterfly (http://www.shutterfly.com/). This way I can order prints too without going to the store or I can pick them up at Target within the hour (a nice bonus). I download to shutterfly with the same folders that I save on my computer with.

Other ways of backing up your photos would be with a memory stick or CD. Just make sure to make a back-up.

I have dabbled in the digital editing bit - you know red eye or cropping. I have gotten addicted, but I have to find a way to edit then save so I am still saving in my folders but saving the edited files. If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them. It just seems so time-consuming.

Now you are ready to scrap with organized pictures! When you go to a crop just take the pictures you want to scrap. You will be amazed how fast you will scrap!

OH! And I always hear concern from moms about only using a few pictures. That the whole moment is not being captured in the scrapbook. My solution is to print two copies of your pictures. One copy goes into your pile to organize. The other pile goes straight into a regular photo album. That way ALL of your pictures can be seen and only the best of the best (or the ones you want) are scrapbooked. Just a little idea! :)

Hope all of your little ones sleep good for you...no tummy aches! And my mom came up with a good idea for candy. You know how everyone is worried about safe candy. Let your little ones trick or treat. When they get home have some candy that is different from what you passed out handy, and when you ask them to go wash up, swap the trick or treated candy with your candy that you bought. That way you don't have to worry what is safe or not. I think it is a fab idea (of course this will not work with older kids, but for little ones it will work)!

Jen

THEY ARE COMING!!!!!

I promised lots of new product and I will be delivering! By the end of the week there should be TONS of new product in the stores!!! Here is a run-down (plus scrapping ideas!):

For Fall Pages:

Basic Grey : Mellow Collection!!!! (buttons, card stock letters, 6 papers, fibers) Love the look and if usually do not go for that look, try it....it is a great way to step outside of your usual pages. Here are a few I did with the collection that is going to be in the stores.

Scenic Route: Rub-ons, 5 double sided papers, Chipboard letters, and Card stock stickers. Also matching from The Paper Company: Leaf epoxy stickers and fall mini booklets (for journaling, of course) :)

For Christmas Pages:

Imaginisce: Candy Cane Collection (6 papers, rub-ons, card stock stickers, foam snowflakes - white and multi-colored, poinsettias- red and white, brads-2 sizes, Chipboard elements)...all seen here in one of the pages.

The Paper Company: Christmas Collection (6 Double sided paper, brads, ribbon, rub-ons, stickers, mini books (to write in), epoxy stickers, rhinestones)

Check it out! I hope to see your crafty pages!

Jennifer

My Weekly Challenge Submission

Hi everyone...another great fall weekend! Well I worked on my Submission from last weeks challenge: what do you love most about fall. I love reconnecting with my family during the fall. We go to high school football games, have parties, and play in the leaves. It is a way we reconnect as a family before the craziness of the holiday season sets in.



In my layout I used Cosmo Cricket double-sided paper (Jitterbug Collection - Miss Molly, Lula, Georgie girl, and Tall Sally), Heidi Swapp stamps (Forever and family), and my computer. All, but my computer, can be found at Pat Catans!!!


I used pictures from 1982 when my sister and I were just babies...my son kept asking if I was him....it was too cute and very nice to do a layout of pictures from so long ago.

Weekly Challenge - What you love about fall

It is Friday and that means it is challenge day! YEAH! Even if you just do the challenge every week, at least you are scrapping once per week!

***This week I want to challenge you to do a layout about what you like the most about fall***

It could be that the holidays are coming up, the cool crisp air, family traditions you do in the fall, the bright colors of the trees, the smell of fall, what you bake, your favorite sweater, or anything that reminds you of fall.

Take a picture of that favorite sweater and then put it in your layout. Bake that something special and take a picture of that...get the creative juices flowing! Step out of your normal scrapbooking routine and do a different kind of layout.

I am going to post my layout tomorrow so you have some time to gather your own ideas....but I already know the picture I am going to take and what I love about this time of year....

Can't wait to see what you have done!!!

Jennifer

jenne@darice.com

Reader Submission from Challenge!

Happy Friday! I will be posting a new challenge later in the day, but I just wanted to post a reader submission of last weeks Challenge (Use overlapping pictures). This layout, by Erin, has a nice balance on the paper and has a crisp, clean look! She also got creative and put her title going down the side instead of across the top. This is a great way to change things up! You should also notice her embellishments are grouped in threes (her pictures too). This a another way to create a good-looking page. Your eyes flow through the page so it is pleasing to look at. Great job Erin! Thanks for your submission! I Can't wait to see more submissions for this weeks challenge (oh and all you have to do is take a digital picture of your layout, download it, and send it as an attachment to my email (jenne@darice.com)! I will take it from there :)

Until later!

Jennifer

Tips and Tricks #2 - Organization - Paper

Ok, it is officially October (for now!)...I was so cold last night I had to wear socks. Half of me welcomes the cold weather (more scrapbooking) and half of me dreads it (socks to bed and the sun seems like it is never out!!). But at least I can pull out my sweaters!

Anyway today’s Tips and Tricks is about Paper Organization. If you are an organized scrapbooker, you will get much more done! And as most of you probably know, finding paper is half the battle. Finding coordinating cardstock is the other half. So here is what I do...and it works for me!

First I bought the Cropper Hopper Vertical Paper Storage Organizer ($19.97 at Pat Catan's vs $24.99 retail)...I did this mainly because paper organization is the most daunting to me. Brads and stickers I can easily figure out, but paper organization haunts me!

Then I separated my papers into the categories that I felt necessary. Mine are as follows:

***By theme (baby, family, holidays (one for each), stripes, coordinating papers, flowers, circles, and pet)

***By Color (each divider gets a different color...does not matter if one color is a textured paper - if it is one color, it gets put in with the color it belongs to)

***By Name Brand - I personally did not think I needed this until I started to look at my paper

So I sat in the middle of my family room and divided my papers into piles (toddler also helping...he is SUCH a good helper :) )...then I loaded them into the Cropper Hopper. I am happier than ever with my Cropper Hopper. They fit nicely into my travel bags and I can easily find my papers I need. I did buy a separate one for the solid colors...that worked the best for me.

And get this...instead of finishing only 3 pages in a 12 hour period; I finished 6...ok well MAYBE it was because my paper was organized...maybe not. :) But at any rate, I really enjoy my organization!

Email me if you have any questions. Have a great night!

Jennifer

Getting Back to Basics #2 - Getting Started

Hi everyone! Sorry I did not post yesterday...by some fluke the power never came on in the office yesterday so we were sent home for a day to ourselves. I took to the mall... :) Anyway, here is yesterdays Getting Back to Basics #2 - Getting Started



Ok, everyone is ready to scrap. You have your basic tool box and you are ready....but what in the world do you do with that stuff? Whether you are already scrapping and trying to change up your style or doing it for the first time, you have to pick the paper.



That does not sound daunting until you enter Pat Catan's and see there is a whole aisle dedicated to paper. Hmm... Some of you might just turn around, BUT DON'T! Here are some easy ways to get started.



1.) Take your pictures you want to scrap with you (it will be easier to coordinate paper). Oh And I will be talking about photo organization in a future entry - something everyone needs!



2.) Think of your layout in layers coming together

• 1st layer background paper


• 2nd layer matching cardstock


• 3rd layer another matching patterened paper


• 4th layer pictures


• 5th layer embellishments

Now these are not necessarily the layers you will put your layout together with, and you can have more patterened paper and many more different colors of cardstock, but this is just the basics to get started.

3. Pick out your background. This can be patterened or plain colored cardstock. This is the fun part that is up to you - make sure it refelects who you are - afterall, this is your scrapbook! Oh and make sure your pictures match!

4. Pick out at least two other papers - one just cardstock and one another matching pattern (all of the matching papers are placed at the store together - so just look above or below the first paper you pick and usually that one matches!

5. Get Creative! Use books, other scrapbookers ideas, the internet, anything for ideas that strike your fancy and lay out your pictures - remember to leave space for your title and your journaling (if you want to....at least leave space for the date :) ) You can cut (crop) your pictures or leave them just as they are.

6. Title and Date your layout (and/or Journal)

7. For finishing touches you might want to use stickers, brads, fibers, rub-ons, etc. Feel free to experiment to find which elements you like and which ones you want to use. I will be covering all embellishments in future entries so watch for those!

8. And you are done - About two hours later - that was supposed to be a joke :) Since at the 12 hour crop I finished 6 pages...Talking takes a lot outta ya! Put your layout in your book and put a page protector over it....you are one step closer to completing your families memories :)

Happy Scrapping! If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment or email me at: jenne@darice.com

Jen

For this page I picked one patterened paper and two different coordinating colors of cardstock. I used different sized pictures to mix it up a little and die-cut shapes (castle and sand-dollar) for the embellishments. I also used stamps for the "surprise" and embossing powder for the sand effect.

It was a great weekend!

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! With the weather being so nice it was hard to resist the wonders that fall brings (yes I was the mom pressing leaves this weekend!)! My friends and I also had 12 un-interupted hours of cropping (thank all husbands and babysitters!). Ok, maybe 7...the rest was spent shopping and socializing...but that is why we scrapbook, right?


Of course I have been reading a lot about scrapbooking lately and there are tons of views on the hobby and how it has evolved from the early days. I hear words like: pressure to buy, hobby is lost in the marketing of it all/the world of publishing, where did the purpose of the hobby go?


Personally, I think the hobby has never been better. There is so much to choose from and there are so many options (themes, stamps, brads, ribbon, etc). When I started scrapbooking I was probably 16 and I had no choice in how my pages looked. It was whatever the store had went in my scrapbook. Plus, now there are tons of resources (people and books) to help someone navigate their way through scrapbooking.

These days I can theme my albums (especially with the selection of Pat Catan's!), choose a 6X6, 12X12, or 8X8 scrapbook and not feel constrained by the selection! I can create something that represents me and my family! Best of all it reflects my personality...something that tends to get lost in the juggle of kids, husband, work, family, and taking care of the house (does anyone know a good housekeeper?) :)


Above all, it is still about family and friends and love and memories. And if you choose to be published or keep up with every new embellishment, etc, I believe that is your choice (and you CAN with the options!). And if you don't want to do new things and you like it your way, continue on making beautiful memories for your family....


Either way we all have the same goal - making memories for ourselves and our families. :) Now isn't that warm and fuzzy? :)

What do you think? Take the poll to the right of the page....

Oh! I have received challenge submissions....do you have yours ready? I will post them before I put the new challenge on Friday!



Talk to you later.... Jen

I Can Barely Contain Myself - Look Whats New!

Ok, I know I posted this morning, but a "present" was dropped off at my desk this morning. I was informed that the new Daisyd's Rub-On Tape is now available in the Pat Catan Stores! Wooo Hooo! We have the three patterns: Zig-Zag, Dashed Line, and Border Pattern! Best of all they are priced at $3.97 - This is $1.02 off of retail!!! A dollar in scrapbooking supplies saved is an extra dollar for another scrapbooking product in your bag!

These are so easy to use too....just like your adhesive! Jazz up any layout quickly! In each package you get a white and black runner in the same pattern!

Hope you go pick these up this weekend! Happy Scrapping! Check out the challenge posted earlier today! I want to post your layouts on Monday!

Jennifer

Weekly Challenge # 2 - Overlapping Photos

Morning! I hope everyone is recovering from the Tribe game last night. Don't worry, we will take the win! As I heard on the radio this morning, we have never clinched a title at home. So hopefully Saturday is the day! :)


This weeks challenge is to create a layout by overlapping your photos. This will be especially helpful with Party layouts or events that have a lot of pictures taken at them.


Hint: if you use different sized photos it will be easier to create this layout.

Send me your layouts! I want to post them!

Here is my layout: "Sneaky" - If you cannot read the captions, while I was baking Christmas cookies last year I noticed something unusual - my house was rather quiet. Now I have learned the more quiet it is in my house, the bigger the um "disaster". At first I could not find my son, but he was tucked away in the corner with a box of gift brownies (Harry and David no less)....and he was NOT HOLDING BACK! :) He had it everywhere and of course I went to grab my camera to take a picture instead of getting the brownies from him (this should also be know as scrapbooking disease :) ). Needless to say he did not want to give them up....but mommy prevailed and all we had to deal with was the tummy ache that followed :)





Happy Scrapping!


Jen


PS. I am counting the hours until my 12 hour crop!

Tips and Tricks - Taking Pictures

Hi everyone! I am so excited because this weekend I am going to get 12 HOURS of Crop time all to myself (oh and a few good friends). We have added a few to the mix this time so it should be extra fun...it seems every time we get ourselves into some sort of um "trouble" - Like the time I decided it would be better to SQUEEZE my glue bottle instead of poke it with a pin. I have NO CLUE why I would have done something like that, but never-mind logical thinking....I squeezed- right until the top popped off. Hmmm. There were a few ladies who were less than happy, but I tried my best to apologize and cleaned up the mess. Well my friends and I had glue everywhere - in our hair, pages, clothes...needless to say it was a riot. So I am sure there is some kind of "trouble" waiting for us! I am PUMPED!



So anyway, Here are a few quick tips for taking a better photo - they have worked for me!



* Get close to your subject (and to the subjects level) - try to eliminate backgrounds that have nothing to do with the picture you are taking



*Put your flash on outside - it will brighten up your colors and make your subject pop out (fyi:this will not work further than 5 feet away)



*Try the 3 burst picture option on your camera - once I found this I am addicted to it. I have wonderful sequenced pages that only the burst would catch. For examply my son jumping in the pool - one is getting ready to jump, the other is in the air, and the third is splashing in the pool - very cool!



*Frame your subject. It could be through a window, looking through a tunnel (you know those play tunnels) or like my son loves, under the dining room table through the chairs.



Yes, this is a little bit of work for you, but you will LOVE your pictures! And you won't have your subjects looking up at you anymore! Happy Scrapping!



Jennifer

Getting Back to Basics #1- Just Starting out

Today I am starting a new series "getting back to basics" - Each Tuesday I am going to have a post about just beginning to scrapbook and getting back into the hobby. Hopefully this will help the beginners along!



Your toolbox - necessities for scrapbooking



Alright - you know you want to scrap, but you have no clue where to begin! Among the aisles of paper and embellishment you just want to get your feet wet.



Have no fear because you do NOT have to spend a lot of money (although soon you will probably want to) and you do NOT have to be a great artist (I am a horrible artist in case you were wondering!). These are your memories and your books. It is all about what you want and how detailed you want to get. Some scrappers just use layer colored cardstock. Some use a ton of embellishments. Others just a lot of patterened paper or stickers. This is your life and you should scrap it how you see fit. PLUS, there is no right or wrong in scrapbooking. Your book will be BEAUTIFUL no matter what. And the more you learn the more detailed your pages will become. No competition allowed!



So you need a "kit" of basic supplies. Don't try to buy the most expensive products, buy what you think you will use...you can always upgrade later! My supplies range from beginner to advanced because I will buy something at the beginner level and if I like it I will buy a more expensive version and so on.



***Album***



these come in may shapes and sizes. The most popular is 12X12 and 8-1/2X11. Pick out what feels right to you. There are many beautiful Darice Albums at Pat Catans to help you get started at a great value!



***Page Protectors***



these are essential because you do not want your projects to get damaged while transporting or storage. Make sure you put your page protector on after you are finished with your page. You will thank yourself later



***Scissors***



You will need just regular scissors to get started - upgrade later once you know what size you will use the most



***Pens and Pencils***



Alas...journaling (ie:putting words to your page). One of the most laughed about subjects in scrapbooking. Either the author does not like their handwriting or journaling is the last thing they want to think about. BUT it is the MOST important! It tells your story!!! So pick up black, acid-free fine-tipped markers. You can move to colors after you get the hang of it. Oh and pick up a pencil. I am always marking paper so I know where to cut.



***Adhesives***



Stick it down! If you don't have an adhesive, you dont have a page. I personally like tape runners the best, but acid free glue sticks work just fine!



***Trimmer***



Although this is not a "necessity" and all scrappers will usually let you borrow their stuff at a crop, this is a good tool to invest in. You can easily cut up to 12X12 papers in one swoosh! I like my trusty Friskars paper trimmer (of course found at Pat Catan's too!)



***Ruler***



Just a great thing to have; whether you need to write in a straight line or you have to put stickers on the page....a good thing!



***Cutting Mat***



The mat makes a good workstation without damaging tables (with other fun tools I will teach you how to use!). If you are going to a crop, the tables have these already.



Well there you go! Your supplies list! Of course you will need pictures and paper and stickers, but I will get into that next week! If you want a word file of this blog entry or the next one so you can get started right away, just email me! I will be happy to send it over!



PLUS, rememeber to email your new layouts to me (I will post them!) and your comments!



Have fun getting your stuff!!



Jennifer

It's a Blur! - Response to weekly challenge!

Ok, I did it too! My picture is my husband and I dancing our first dance at our wedding. Not the greatest picture of either of us, but it catches something that only this picture can capture. Us showing how we feel about eachother - to everyone who was there.

If you want to re-create this layout (or something similar) you can find all the materials at Pat Catan's. (paper American Crafts a la Carte - pumpernickel, creampuff, and baguette double-sided papers - Clear Stamps - Heidi Grace: Tags and Words - Autumn Leaves: Scribbles alphabet - computer)

I hope all of you had fun doing this....I did. It was taking the so-called imperfect and making it something I would put in my album. Now someone can tell through the picture how we were feeling during the wedding.

Send me yours and I will post it!!!

Have a great one!

Jennifer :)

Weekly Challenge #1 - Using "unwanted" photos

I have a very energetic 2 year old. He is always on the go which makes it very hard for me to capture "good" pictures of him. A lot of them are blurry and even more of them have his head turned sideways or the whole picture is just a hand or a foot running to its next destination. Does this remind you of your child? Or is there that picture of your or a good friends wedding that would have been perfect if it weren't blurred a little bit?



Well I challange all of you to scrap those pictures. Take a few and make a layout that screams emotion or truly tells the story of your life. Like Christmas Eve is always the same in my family (the pictures year after year can even show you that)....so my pictures are the same "old" thing. Very busy pictures and lots of people doing the same thing....hanging out in front of the tree....but that is our holiday...tradition some people call it. :)



I will scrap a layout of fuzzy pictures and post it on Monday....let me know how you do!



Happy Scrapping....if anything....these challenges will get you scrappin'! I still have to catch up!



Jennifer

Perfectly Clear - New Clear Stamps!

I am excited to say that new Heidi Swapp clear stamps are in the stores now! They are great for pages AND cardmaking (or anything you can create!). There are 10 one-word stamps and 2 new corner stamps (I adore this look!). The best thing of all is the price! The one-word stamps are $1.97 and the corner stamps are $3.97! Wooo Hooo! Here are these stamps:

I always have loved Heidi Swapp. Her work is simple yet sophisticated. When you go pick these up and make a project, send it over to me....I would love to see what you have created with them! Have a great day!

Til tomorrow!

Jennifer

Sneak Peak! Changes are coming to Pat Catan's Scrapbooking!!!

Get ready! Get Set! SHOP!!!! Coming soon to Pat Catan's stores is the scrapbook destination you have been looking for! We are creating a whole new look that will satisify the creative genius of a scrapbooker you are AND your wallet! Don't pay retail for the hottest scrapbook tools, paper, embellishments, crops, classes and stamps any more! And don't get bogged down trying to choose which product to buy because it is pricey....buy it ALL at Pat Catan's...and still keep your husband/significant other smiling (are you excited yet? Because I am!) !



Here's what is coming:


Every month (Starting in November 2007) new product from the hottest and hippest vendors will be featured on 2-3 endcaps that will rotate each month! Fresh ideas, new paper, embellishments, etc. Best of all, they all coordinate....you can find complete layouts right in one spot (now isn't that easy?)!

A few examples of vendors we are going to feature the first few months:

Basic Grey

Scenic Route

Imaginisce

The Paper Company

and MUCH MORE!!

We are also going to do some other cool things to help you get more pages done and enhance your hobby through the blog:

***Layout ideas (with the featured product and much more) will be available so you can "scraplift" or put a twist on an idea!!!***
***Tips and Tricks are also coming (digital scrapping, taking a better photograph, etc)*** ***Weekly Challenges (get scrappin' ladies!)***

***New Ideas for you to use in your scrapbooking***

***Gallery for you to post your projects***

And there is still more to come!

So if you are a seasoned scrapper or just beginning, Pat Catan's is going to be the place to be!

The time is almost here! Mark your calendars for November 1st! Stay tuned to this blog for updates, tips and more!!!!!

PLUS if YOU have any ideas please feel free to email me at: jenne@darice.com (subject line= blog) or post a comment to the blog. I would love to hear from you and if you have a great idea to implement for the crops or scrapbooking department (vendor/product ideas) I would like to do it!. After all, this is all about you and we want to make it for you and by you!


Stay tuned for more!!!




Jennifer