My name is Noell Hyman.
I love scrapbooking.
You can read about me here.
So many of you have been asking for tutorials on Photoshop, especially for digital techniques for photos, so today’s episode is one version of a technique I use all the time.
This one is for Premium Subscribers. You can learn more about the Premium Subscription by visiting the Membership Information Page.
This week and next we are turning photos and memories of one of our trips into a visual memoir using my step-by-step process to keep it meaningful and prevent overwhelm. If you missed the first three steps, you’ll want to start there first:
This is where we get to the bare bones of the story. We are going to eliminate unnecessary photos.
*Which photos do you really need to tell each story?
*Which photos can tell a totally different story that is unrelated to the trip and can better express itself in a different album?
I have a few piles of stories and photos from Disneyland that will make more sense as part of a different story, or album. For example, Israel took this series of photos of Blake and Trinity while waiting in line:
After Trinity’s had her hundredth picture taken, Blake can’t stand it anymore–he’s got to get in on it…If nothing else, he should give her some rabbit ears.
Trinity tries to push him away while posing at the same time (#3), but quickly decides that rabbit ears for him would make a good shot, too.
I love watching them play like this.
This story is more about Blake and Trinity and how they play and less about our time at Disneyland. I decided to pull this group of photos out of our Disney stack and make it a page for our This Is Us album–an album with stories about who we are–and how we are–as a family.
It’s easy to eliminate the blurry or bad shots. It’s harder when there are so many good ones. It’s a lot like the state of our children’s bedrooms and the amount of stuff they have. When there is too much stuff, they can’t keep it under control, and they can’t enjoy their things as much as they could if they weren’t surrounded by so much chaos.
One great photo can often have more impact than three similar ones unless the others contribute to the story in a meaningful way. Think of this as getting rid of the clutter so you can enjoy the best of it.
And remember, you’re not actually eliminating those extra photos from your life. You’re just eliminating them from this album. You can still view them on your computer or somewhere else.
If you’ve kept up with us so far, you should have stacks of photos and note cards with a brief description of each story. Your assignment today is to go through each stack and decide which photos you can eliminate by asking yourself the two bolded questions above.
This will make you better able to begin assembling the album, which we will start doing very soon!
This week and next we are turning photos and memories of one of our trips into a visual memoir using my step-by-step process to keep it meaningful and prevent overwhelm. If you missed Step 1, be sure to go back and read that first.
This step is not about organizing. It is about connecting and catching the vision.
Take this time to go through each photo so you can put yourself back into the vacation frame of mind. What did it feel like to be there?
Your photos are probably already in the chronological order of the trip and grouped by smaller events and activities. As you do go through the photos to lay them on your table, proceed with these steps:
1. Keep groups of photos together in loose piles so you can still see at least a part of each photo.
2. Lay piles close together so that you have a choice of seeing them in their various groupings or seeing them as a part of a whole.
Doing it this way allows you to keep the artistic, story-connecting part of your brain working, as opposed to the linear, organizing part. By seeing all the pictures together, you will be able to identify stories that go beyond the events.
For example, seeing pictures of my sister with her family and different points in the trip led me to the idea of telling the story of being at Disneyland with my big sister and little brother again. Had I kept my photos in a linear and organized manner, I might never have thought of that angle, which is part of the most important aspect of this trip for me.
1. While looking at your photos scattered all over the table, identify the stories that pop into your head and begin writing the dominant idea of each story onto a note card. My note cards say things like, “Family & Faces–who we were with,” “Enjoying the scenery–just as enjoyable as the rides,” “Mom & Me,” “Splash Mountain-The big people and tiny little Sidney.”
Make sure you jot down a note for all the stories that come to mind, even if you have no photos to support them.
2. Match stories to photos. Sometimes this means pulling photos out of their event grouping to use it for a different subject.
At this point, we are only partially turning ourselves over to the organizational parts of our brains. There is no need to put these into a fixed order yet. You can still leave the piles in a haphazard manner on the table, allowing your mind to stay within it’s artistic play area of the brain. Or if you need to put them away, you can stack them in any order with your story note cards in between each stack of supporting photos.
You’ve now written down the individual stories. You’ve connected with your memories and made connections between photos you might have separated before. Is there an overall story or theme that is starting to creep out?
If there are any words or ideas running through your mind, begin writing them down. You can brainstorm or make a word map. However you do it, have a place to collect these thoughts so you don’t lose them. If you’re able to solidify a theme at this point, that is great! If you’re still trying to work it out, that’s okay, too. The next step might help you out…
Stay tuned for Step 4 as we proceed to turn our memories into memoirs.
* * *
Your assignment for today is to complete the two bolded instructions under each of the steps above.
Would you like to save money by making your own embellishments? Today’s episode for Premium Subscribers should give you some ideas.
If you want to learn more about the premium membership so you can have access to all of the videos, click here.
Today we have an awesome video for the Premium Subscribers. In this tutorial I take inspiration from a very old layout, but make key changes on my new one using my understanding of design.
Make sure you stick around for the outtakes at the end of the video!
If you want to learn more about the premium membership so you can have access to all of the videos, click here.
Paperclipping 50 - Puffy Paint from izzyvideo on Vimeo.
I hope you enjoy today’s free episode of Paperclipping where I demonstrate a fun product with a few tips.
As usual, there is a high-quality version available, which is worth the little bit of download time. I also included show notes for this episode.
Most of my scrapbooking inspiration comes from the mood or feelings I associate with the subject of my layout. I try create a visual expression of how I feel. When I think of the outdoors, I often think of relaxation, play, and whimsy. Below are two techniques for adding details that evoke those three characteristics.
What you need: Floral patterned paper, a transparent glue like Diamond Glaze or Glossy Accents, two different colors of beads.
1. Working in small stretches at a time, apply a line of glue about half an inch long along the inside of a petal. Using a pen, pencil, or other pointed tip, pick up one bead at a time and place them in the glue, just inside the outline of the petal.
2. As you place each bead, press it into place with your fingernail. If you use your fingertip it will get sticky and the beads will stick to it.
3. Continue alternating between glue and beads until you’ve outlined the petal.
4. Fill the bud in with a small amount of glue and add beads until they fill the bud.
If you feel like you have some weak spots (perhaps the glue was almost dry when you added a couple of the beads), you can add some glue to the sides of the beads to make them stable.
What you need: A decorative tag, two colors of wire, glue dots, wire tool (optional).
1. Cut two pieces of wire to about 4 inches each.
2. Feed wire through hole of tag and bend wires in half so they straight out from the top of the tag. You’ll have 4 ends.
3. Twist the wires around themselves a couple of times at the top of the tag.
4. Working with one end at a time, twist the wire with a tool or with your finger so that you get a fun spiral. For a playful look, don’t try to make the spirals perfect.
5. Place a glue dot on the bottom side of the top of the tag so it holds the wire in place.
6. After adding the tag to your page, arrange the wire so they stick up in different directions for a totally fun and carefree look.
Here is another example of the same two techniques together. Don’t they feel happy?
Spin & Be Merry
Two-page 12×12 Layout
Below are two sets of instructions for layering embellishments the way they are on the layout above. You don’t need to have the same products. Look through your own stash to find items with similar characteristics. If you don’t have a lot of embellishments, look for designs you can cut out of patterned paper.
I used this pair of birds on a branch as a way to pull attention to my focal point photo.
1. Nestle the bird duo with a word that supports the layouts’ story.
2. Highlight the word with a circular embellishment.
3. Apply foam dots to the back of your bird embellishment to raise it on the page.
4. Place the entire set on top of an area of patterned paper that you’ve lined with a ribbon (like rik-rak).
I cut this trio of flowers from the K.I. Memory Lace Cardstock.
1. Highlight your “bouquet” with half of a circular shape, like this screen-printed transparency by Hambly.
2. Add three-dimensional buds to your flowers with brads or epoxy stickers.
3. You can extend the plant-life on your page by adding a subtle transparent grouping of leaves. Mine are a soft orange and come from My Mind’s Eye.
When layering embellishments, start with a focal point piece, like the birds or the flowers. This doesn’t mean the embellishment will be the focal point of the page–just the focal point of that cluster. Find smaller pieces like words or buttons to gather around the focal point, and a shape, such as a circle, to act as a frame.
Are you a flower lover? Do you need something new to do with your flowers? Try these two ideas I share in this episode for our Premium Subscribers.
If you’d like to learn more about the premium membership so you can have access to all of the videos, click here.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve found some wonderful hardware to salvage before throwing away the old backpacks from the kids’ school year.
Do you see the pink closure on the minibook in the picture above? I cut it out of my daughter’s backpack a year ago(it was on a side pocket) and added some pink wire and a charm. Here’s how it works:
1. Use a utility blade or scissors to cut away the material that encloses the closure. Then cut the bungee-like cord away from the back pack.
2. Add a charm to one end of the cord (if your charm comes from an old unloved bracelet or necklace, that makes it even better!).
3. Put the two ends of the chord together and wrap multiple times with a thin wire.
4. When you’re almost done wrapping the wire, position the charm over the center of the wired area and feed the wire through the ring of the charm. Then wrap the wire one or two more times.
Every backpack has its own sweet surprises. While this year’s packs didn’t have any closures like the one above, Trinity’s did have these:
I love the stitching on these.
This mesh will be a great way to add texture to a layout.
I might feed some ribbon through this clasp. You could probably feed two or three narrow ribbons side by side for a fun mix of patterns.
Remember to examine items for potential before throwing them away. It’s at least as fun as shopping. I promise.
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