Author Archives: Lisa Andrews

Changing Layouts into Invitations and Announcements

I love making homemade announcement and invitations, but sometimes I just do not have the time to invest is a project. Creating Keepsakes is now offering an exciting new service where you can turn your layouts into small, ready to mail announcements or invitations. Although I do really love to make my own cards and invitations, I think this new service could provide some new and fun possibilities. The way this service works is you create either a 12 x 12 or an 8 1/2 X 11 layout. You then mail in the layout to the announcement service printer. They … Continue reading →

American Idol, Making Memories Style

With the popularity of FOX’s American Idol, I guess the Making Memories wanted to get in on some of the same kind of fun. Last month Making Memories had a call for layouts to be posted for a Making Memories Idol Contest on their site. They had thousands of entries and the Making Memories team narrowed the competitors down to 50. Now it is your turn to help decided the next Making Memories Idol. You can go here to sign up to receive an email reminder when the voting begins on Monday morning, March 5. The voting polls will be … Continue reading →

Layout Enlargements

Turing Layouts into Large Wall Displays I have seen many layouts that would be absolutely beautiful as décor in a home. The traditional 12 X 12 size of layout could work well for framing in some areas of a home, but some areas would look great with a bigger piece of art. Now you can use your layout as wall art, but have it as a bigger size than the traditional scrapbook page. Creating Keepsakes is now offering a service that will allow you to easily enlarge your layouts. They use digital technology, which allows them to really make each … Continue reading →

Creating a Gift Album Framework

I love to create gift albums for several reasons. First, it is a project that is usually finished quickly and I an able to hold the finished product right away. Also, I love to give something that I have made to someone else. It is also a great way to use supplies that I might not get around to using on a layout. This past month I created a mini album framework for my sister to give to her boyfriend. She added the photos and journaling, but I gave her a start. I started with a blank Heidi Swapp 6 … Continue reading →

Tips for Better Photos

Pictures are something that we depend on to help us tell our stories on almost every layout we create. Most of the time the photos are the focus of each creation. So, I think that it is important to strive to take better pictures so that we will have more material, which inspires us to create even more layouts. I am certainly not an excellent photographer, but I have learned a lot of things since becoming involved in scrapbooking. Here are a few of the things I have learned along the way. Take LOTS of pictures. I think the best … Continue reading →

Layout Deconstructed: Week 1

It seems that we as scrapbookers like to be on the lookout for a new technique or idea to add to a layout, so I thought that I would start a weekly article called “Layout Deconstructed” where I will break down the details of a layout. This will hopefully help you notice some subtle (or maybe not so subtle) techniques you could apply to your own layouts. So, let’s get started with the week 1 layout: Snow. Paper Selection. At first this may appear to be a random mix of paper and not something that you would choose to put … Continue reading →

Quick Tips for Your Photos

There are always times in scrapbooking when you need a fast and fun way to display your photos. I have a few techniques that work well time and time again. Here are a few of my favorite techniques. Place the photos right next to each other. This technique works well for a few reasons. First, it allows more space for more photos because you don’t have to allow for any space between the photos. It keeps the design clean and uncluttered. You also save time because you don’t have to mat any photos. Paint the edges of your photos. This … Continue reading →

Embellish Your Photos

Since photos are the focus of most of our layouts, we should be having some fun with them. It is fun to not just put the photos onto the layout, but to also add embellishments and others elements to the photos. You can do anything to the surface of a photo that you can do to your paper. Here are a few fun ideas to try out on your photos. Add a Rub-on. Rub-ons are a fast and easy way to add and accent to a page. You could also add a meaningful rub-on word along the edge of a … Continue reading →

Classy Coordinates Sketches Subscription

It doesn’t matter if you have just started scrapbooking or if you have been scrapbooking for years, looking at sketches can be a wonderful way to get a start on a layout. If you are not familiar with scrapbook sketches, they are drawing that show where you should places your photos, journaling and embellishments. When I started scrapbooking, I didn’t know about sketches. I think that they just we not a popular concept. Now there are books full of sketches and sites online full of ideas. I just came across a site that offers a monthly subscription for sketches at … Continue reading →

Family History Scrapbooking by Becky Higgins

Many people start scrapbooking because they have many heritage photos that they want to preserve. The problem is that preserving and recording ones ancestors can be a daunting task. Becky Higgins’s new book, Family History Scrapbooking, will help simplify the process and put you on the right path for preserving your family’s history. The book is divided into 6 chapters, each focusing on a different step in the family history scrapbooking process. All of the information is presented as answers to questions. A question is at the top of most pages and then Becky writes her answer to the question. … Continue reading →