The Scrap Booking Club

Are you suffering from scrapbooking burnout?  Are your photos and scrapbooking supplies piling up and you don’t have the motivation to create a single page layout?  Here are a few ideas to help you cure your scrapbooking burnout.

1. Learning a new technique can spark your creativity.  Just find some photos and try out the technique.  It’s always best to try a new scrapbooking method as soon after you learn it as possible.

2.  Don’t think you have to get through your entire photograph backlog.  Just pick one photo today, and showcase it on a page.  Just getting started may be just what you need. 

3.  Organize and clean out your photos.  Start going through your photographs and get rid of the blurry or poor quality ones.  Your backlog will start shrinking.

4.  Go through and organize your scrapbooking supplies. Can you use your materials in a new way? Or can you create new color combinations?

5.  Your scrapbooking magazines are a great resource of inspiration.  Read one today for review of the latest products and ideas for page layouts. 

6.  Take a scrapbooking course or workshop.  This is sure to bring your some motivation.

7.  Attend a scrapbooking crop.  Either sign up for one at your local scrapbooking store or plan one yourself and invite your friends and family.

8.  Go shopping!  Browse through your local scrapbooking store or craft store and get inspired by all the new products available.  

9. Stop trying to be perfect. Thinking every page you create must be a work of art only stops you before you ever get started.  Give yourself permission to make a less than perfect page layout. 

10. Sell or give away some of your scrapbooking supplies. Scaling down can help you overcome supply overload.  Sometimes too many choices can keep you from taking action. 

11. Don’t try to make an album tonight.  Just make one single page layout.  One page a night leads to many completed pages over time.  

12.  Take a scrapbooking challenge. Many online scrapbooking communities organize challenges.  The participants all follow the same basic guidelines for a page, and then show off their creations in the community gallery.

13.  Try digital scrapbooking.  Learning how to creative scrapbook albums on your computer can be inspiring.

14.  Join a scrapbooking community online and read their message boards and forums. Most of these communities have galleries where members upload their scrapbooking pages for others to see and make comments.  

15.  Put your scrapbook albums on display.  Let your family and friends enjoy your page layouts.  See their faces light up as they appreciate your pages will motivate you to get scrapbooking again.  

Just a few of these scrapbooking ideas will chase your scrapbooking burnout away.

Filed under: 01-Articles on July 4th, 2009 | No Comments »

Using Christmas clip art can give holiday projects or messages visual impact. Even if you don’t have artistic ability, it will give your Christmas cards, party invitations, scrapbooks and personal web pages pizazz. There is ready-made clip art offered on the Internet that can be easily inserted into your word processing program. Many online galleries offer free clipart, however, you may want to subscribe to a website that offers a larger selection. No matter which sites you use, it’s important to use the clip art their on-site search engines well to avoid browsing through every image.

There are so many great images for the Christmas season, such as Santa, holly, snowmen and angels. Text greetings and Christmas messages framed by borders also come under the heading of Christmas clip. Additionally, you can find an excellent selection of humorous Christmas images. You can even find cute animated Christmas cartoons. Some are even slightly baudy, but that just adds to the holiday fun.

Many people choose to compile their own free Christmas clip art collections they keep on hand to beautify print projects and Christmas greetings. This speeds up the time needed to find images, which helps when people are already so busy with holiday activities. And since the holidays come around yearly, having Christmas clip art on hand will save time not just this holiday season but in the future.

When using Christmas clip art images as backgrounds, it’s important to choose the right color and size, so text placed on top of it won’t be obscured. In addition, it’s important to stick to a central style and theme so the final results won’t be too busy. Following these simple guidelines will help you achieve the best possible results.

Scrapbookers have even more uses for Christmas clip art. They use it to make printable or digital Christmas paper , which are then used to create beautiful scrapbooking layouts. Scrapbookers also use Christmas clip art for inspiration to design both digital and printable scrapbook embellishments. Using their creativity, scrapbookers take ordinary Christmas clip art and turn it into a whole new art form.

Filed under: 01-Articles on July 3rd, 2009 | 3 Comments »

Creativity is a skill that cannot be learned or taught. It is an art that comes by origin and is God gifted. Lucky are those persons who are blessed with such beautiful gift of art. Art is one ability that enables nations to come close and perform on a single common stage. The ability to perform in front of nation and bringing out their talent is imbibed in these great artists. Art does not always mean music, dance, embroidery, etc but art can be anything that comes by birth and surprises everyone. Even being pleased is an art. If you know how to be joyful and how to make others happy, then you too are talented. If you feel that you too are gifted with any art or creativity, never restrain it. Instead work hard to explore it and improve it further. Some of the technicians of our city feel that magic within them. They consider blessed to have the creativity within them and they want every blessed person to identify the art in them. For this they have initiated a contemporary course to help children and even adults to identify conjure and magic in themselves so that they come out with new innovative products with modern thoughts. To just mull over about the conjure within you will fetch you nothing. You should work to cultivate it further so that the world knows you through your art and remembers you for your masterpieces. The Buffalo Electricians (Need one? click here!) have initiated searching the students who have an excellent pick up for understanding the electronic circuits. This search will help to bring new contemporary talent in front of all. To help and facilitate the students to grow in the field of their interest Olmsted Falls Roofers (Need one? click here!) have initiated leisure pursuit and craft classes to develop their art of creativity and this would help them to hunt new talent and will also aid students to identify the talent within them as well. Even the Gaithersburg Plumbers have commenced the talent hunt programs to find the talented students who have an innovative viewpoint to perceive things so that they can also implement them in a different way.

Filed under: 01-Articles on July 2nd, 2009 | No Comments »

In this age of digital cameras, you have probably thought that you can just point and shoot and out will appear a great shot.Hold on, don’t go so fast.The honest truth is, you may have a great digital camera, but if you are clueless in what to do, you will take ugly shots.

Well, I’d love to share with you some great advice in photography to help improve your skills.  These tips are coming from years of experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.  These tips all involve lighting and they are going to be some of the biggest keys to your success in taking your photos.

First tip you will use in regards to lighting.  Now if you are taking shots outdoors during the day, natural sunlight provides some of the best lighting possible.  Now you are probably thinking, “that’s easy, when you are a San Diego photographer since it is always shiny there”, when in actuality really bright sunlight can cast harsh shadows.  Or it can wash out the details in faces if the sun is overhead.

Overall, what you will want to do is to have the sun behind you when you take most of the shots.  This prevents the harsh shadows that can be caused by the sun.But there will be those times and instances when you want different angles to get those shadows into the shots.

Now that we have tackled the day shots, what if you are taking shots at night? 

The key technique for night photos is actually turning off your flash.Now if it is pictch black, of course you will need it, but if there are some lighting, use it, but make sure the shutter speeds are slower to let the light in.Another thing, make sure you keep a steady hand when you take your shot or you can blur the photos.  Doing these couple of tricks can make a dramatic difference when taking night shots. 

The final piece of advice to use for lighting is using the golden hour to capture great shots.  There is something photographers call the “golden hour” or magic hour, and that time is sunrise and sunset.

It is during this time of day when you will capture great shots that capture more warmer colors.  You will be able to capture that golden lighting you won’t catch any other time of day.

There you have it.Probably the biggest tip in taking beautiful photos is to make use of the natural lighting around you.  Knowing what techniques to use for different parts of the day, or just scheduling a photo shoots to capture those times of day will help you become an excellent photographer.

Filed under: 01-Articles on July 1st, 2009 | No Comments »

Do you collect things around the house like action figures, toy cars, dolls, different kinds of mittens, antiques and many other things? Well, then, how about deciding on collecting things and earn extra profit from it? You see, a lot of people nowadays are into the hobby of collecting many different things from stamps to plants and just recently, they have discovered that they can earn enough money from the things that they collect. You might already heard a lot of stories about people who made a fortune when they decided to sell their old stuff to some museum or something and they got big money from it. There is even this one guy who sold his own copy of the very first superhero comic book and he got thousands of dollars for it. The fact of the matter is, there is money in what you collect. A collector hobby can be a lucrative hobby, too, just as long as you know what to do and how to do it.

Others don’t collect things beforehand to sell them. They would go through Internet websites, hoping to find out what kinds of items that are saleable and once they have found what they are looking for, they will go and find some collectibles price guide, find out how much would it cost to sell those items in a collection and earn profit. For example, people are going crazy over their new president’s merchandise from hats, to pin buttons, to posters and even shirts and handkerchief and other things and they would even sell their soul just to get their hands on those items. As a collector care and collector hobbyist, you invest on these items, put them into one good group or collection and then, post it up for sale and in no time, somebody has to contact you and want to buy that “presidential” collection for a hefty price.

Filed under: 01-Articles on June 30th, 2009 | No Comments »

Belly buttons have been a source of fascination and wonder since ancient times. Used to be a navel was a place to gather lint and a things for swamis to contemplate but then came 1953 and the sexy invention of the bikini It seems that ever since that sexy innovation arrived showed up , a woman’s belly button has been shown to varying degrees with much satisfaction.

Of course, sporting body jewellery of various sorts has been happening since early days , but the pierced belly button  and peace sign belly ring is a relatively new thing . Historically, the first peace belly button ring was sported  by super-model Christy Turlington on a London catwalk in the 1960s. Naomi Campbell showed off her peace belly ring  a few years later.  Since then, peace sign belly rings have become almost ever-present , showing up on celebrities from Janet Jackson to Madonna and beyond. Today, getting a peace sign belly button ring is no large , and it seems almost every twenty-something lady has one. One of the main benefits of a body jewellery (besides looking great ) is it can be covered under clothes . Show up at Grandma’s house with a pierced eyebrow, or other facial   body jewellry and you are bound to have some explaining to do. She doesn’t have to know about your peace navel ring , does she?

So you’ve decided to get a peace sign belly ring? Before you do, be sure to know all about after care, and have the cleaning supplies you will require ready at home. Here’s what you’ll need to keep you and your body Jewelry clean and healthy:

* Non-iodized Sea Salt
* Sterile (bottled) water
* Cotton Balls
* Mild, Fragrance-free Liquid Soap

Wash your newly-pierced belly button and  peace sign belly button ring in the shower with just a bit of fragrance-free liquid soap and dab dry with a clean towel. Clean with soap no more than twice a day. In between bathing use a simple saline soak created with 1/4 teaspoon non-iodized sea salt dissolved in eight ounces sterile water. Washyour hands before touching your freshly-pierced belly button for any reason, even cleaning it. To soak your belly button hold the saline solution in a little glass and press it over your piercing and against your belly to form suction, a shot glass works great for this!. Hold in place for ten to fifteen minutes. Do this several times a day for best results and quick healing.

Even if your piercing looks healed, continue this process for at least three months. The thing is, a belly button piercing heals from the outside, in, and although it may appear healed from your point of view, it may still be raw on the inside. Wear loose-fitting clothes that put zero pressure on your new peace sign navel ring, as well.

Wonder what’s expected with a new peace belly button ring? Well, for one thing it will be a little sore . It could possibly be red and maybe a little bit swollen, too. You may notice a clearish, white to yellow liquid being secreted from the piercing called sebum — this may sound gross, but if you do have this discharge, smell it. Normal  secretions are odorless, but if it’s pus, which indicates an infection.  The secretion will smell rather rank and you may require medical attention and antibiotics to fix the problem .

Never, take your   body Jewellry out until you’re certain the piercing is one-hundred percent healed. Once it is completely healed, enjoy your piercing and all the cool styles of peace sign belly rings you can dangle from your new, sexy navel.

Filed under: 01-Articles on June 29th, 2009 | No Comments »

If you have kids, you most likely have plenty of old crayons around the house that are no longer used. Before throwing them out, consider using them to make candles. This can be a great way to turn them into something new and useful again. Most children will love the idea of making candles and enjoy knowing their old crayons were used to make them. Making candles out of crayons can also be a great gift idea. 

Discuss safety procedures with your children before getting started. Since the crayons will have to be melted at a  high heat, they may not be able to participate in that part of the candle making process. Assure them that there are many other aspects of the candle making that they can be a part of.

To start, gather your supplies. In addition to the crayons, you will need a wax carton. This can be from milk, fabric softener, or orange juice container. You will also need paraffin wax, two full ice cube trays, a double boiler, and white packing string. If you don’t want to use your double boiler, an old coffee can and a saucepan will work just as well. 

Trim the top off of the wax carton, leaving it approximately six inches high.  Cut the string for the wick at least 8 inches long. You will later trim the wick to fit the holder. To ensure a wick that burns easier, take three pieces and braid them together. Use smaller pieces of string to tie the ends together. The holders for your candles can be anything you desire as long as they are non-flammable. Pretty vases, glasses, and jars work nicely. 

Melt about three pounds of paraffin wax in the double boiler or coffee can. To help it melt faster, cut it into small chunks. It taks about 15 to 20 minutes for melting. While the wax is melting, peel the papers off of the old crayons. You and your children can choose to separate the colors by lights and darks to have a mix that combines well or you can mix them all together and see what the color ends up being. 

For best results, only add the crayons to the wax after it has completely melted. After the crayons and wax have both melted, immediately remove the mixture from the stove and pour into your candle holders. If you would like to make scented candles, try adding a splash of cinnamon or vanilla to your hot wax mixture. 

It is important that the candles be left alone to completely harden. Make sure you have an area where this can be done. It is also important to make sure small children can’t reach them because the wax will stay hot for several hours and can cause serious injuries. 

A entertaining way to spend time with your kids is to make candles out of old crayons!

Filed under: 01-Articles on June 28th, 2009 | No Comments »

It can be hard to spare the money for your perfumes when everyone is finding things so difficult at the moment. There is a way to save on perfumes and that is by making them yourself at home. Perfume makes a great gift for friends and if you make it yourself it won’t cost you too much either.

The ingredients are readily available in most areas and you can prepare the ingredients using normal kitchen equipment. You might imagine you need a laboratory and a white coated scientist but that just isn’t the case.

You need to decide on the type of fragrance you will make before you can get all the ingredients you need. To make your own perfume you will need some essential oils but apart from that you need little more than water and pure grain alcohol or vodka. You can add additional scents to the mix when you are more experienced but these are all you really need. The different types of perfumes we are all familiar with are cologne, Eau De Cologne and Eau de Toilette.It is a little more involved to make a proper perfume because they are made with blends of animal and vegetable oils.

The way they are chemically composed decides what the results will be like but they will all behave slightly differently. These are inexpensive and are readily available from your local stores. We can start making perfume once we have assembled our ingredients and decided on the equipment we will use for the process.

The most important ingredient in making perfume is the essential oil used to make the perfume you require. Each one of them will have a different chemical composition and you will learn about the different results you will get from each one. It will help if you learn what is meant by the base, middle, top and bridge notes which are all terms used to describe the perfume.

You can find books and other information about making perfume at home on the Internet and you can buy kits that come complete with an instructional manual. These kits cost anything from $30 to $60 and have everything you need for mixing and storing your finished product.

Filed under: 01-Articles on June 27th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

An excellent way to keep the memories of your small baby alive is by making impressions of your baby’s handprints using a handprint kit. Baby handprint kits come in many different types. People have been preserving copies of their baby’s hand prints for centuries. You can make a copy of your baby’s handprints on almost any material including paper, ceramic tiles, and clay.
 
 Baby handprint kits make wonderful gifts for new parents and grandparents alike. Ceramic tiles are a great place to capture you baby’s handprints. Supplies you will need for this project include a tile that this either four or six inches, a medium brush, a dark color of ceramic under glaze, clear glaze, and a sponge. This is a fairly messy project so you will also need towels to help clean up. Your local hobby store should have all the materials you need.
 
 Prior to beginning the project ensure that baby’s hands and the tile are clean and dry. Using the dark glaze paint baby’s hand, being sure to keep the fingers apart. Once the hand is painted firmly place it on the ceramic tile so that you get a print that looks just like baby’s hand. It is also nice to add your baby’s name and date of birth in paint. Apply a coat of clear glaze after the tile has dried complexly. Another great way to make a baby handprint is with plaster. The first step will be to put some plaster into a small container.
 
 Rub a little oil on baby’s hand and then press it gently in the plaster. Apply some gentle pressure to each part of the hand to get a complete print. You will need to wash baby’s hand once you remove it from the plaster. You can use any pointed tool to write baby’s name and date of birth in the plaster before it sets up. You may also want to draw decorative symbols in the plaster before it dries.

Filed under: 01-Articles on June 26th, 2009 | No Comments »

Purchasing a metal detector can be overwhelming as there are a lot of controls and features that you may not be accustomed to. Which type of detector should you purchase and what functions might you need? Before you choose on the metal detector to purchase you should to think about the manner of metal detecting you wish to do. Do you want to search for relics or gold nuggets, or maybe you want a detector to operate in the surf or even submerged. You can obtain more information on the types of metal detecting at How to Choose a Metal Detector. In this commentary we’ve put together some facts on the features of metal detectors and how they work.

Metal Detector Features

Depth – Detectors are intended to work at various depths so check the manufacturers instructions.

Signals – Detectors use an assortment of means to notify the operator when a target has been detected. Visual or audio alerts are most frequent. Economical detectors may use the same tone for several types of metal while a costlier machine may have assorted beeps which vary with the type of the target. The higher-priced detectors often have separate tones for various types of object, for instance one tone for silver, another tone for coins.

Detection Modes – Controls on many detectors are used to change settings for the type of target you are looking for. This may be coins, rings, relics or gold. Many detectors perform in different modes at once while others allow you to hunt in each mode independently only. Setting a mode for the type of metal you are searching for can aid you in eliminating false negatives.

Ground Balance – Highly mineralised soil can hinder detection so a lot of detectors have settings to permit you to modify for this.  Higher-priced models can make adjustments automatically for minerals in the earth and eradicate false signals.

Sensitivity – Sensitivity can be changed on most detectors so they are less responsive to ground minerals or any other objects. This can be valuable in eliminating trash but can lead to missing some objects. Beginners should start with by looking at all targets except for areas with elevated levels of trash until they get a feeling for the apparatus.

Metal Discrimination – Some machines can be adjusted to get rid of signals from iron, others have superior responsiveness for gold or silver

Weight – You may be using the metal detector for extended periods so it is critical to test out the weight and make sure it is easy for you to use. Several can be mounted on a waist box to reduce arm tiredness.

Batteries – Most detectors use AA batteries with working times that can vary anywhere between three hours to in excess of 35 hours. You could use rechargeable batteries and you should at all times keep some spare batteries with you.

Budget

Now you have an understanding of the features you want it is time to consider a range of models available and select one within your budget. A good used machine will permit you to buy a detector with additional features at a lower price than purchasing new. Try out Garrett Metal Detectors and Metal Detectors for some good value detectors with a good range of functions.

Filed under: 01-Articles on June 25th, 2009 | No Comments »