Some Questions from the Blog

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach! I have a few questions from the comments on my blog that I wanted to answer.

What is your email address?
My email address is thescrapbeach@gmail.com. Feel free to use it any time you like!

You asked if there was anything in particular we are interested in seeing? I am curious how to maximize the amount of pictures per page without it appearing "junked up".
I like to use photo collages when I have many photos on one layout. Photoshop Elements helps me to resize my pictures so they all fit on a smaller canvas that is easier to work with than several 4"x6" photos. If you don't have any photo editing software on your computer, you can download Picasa for free, which I hear is an excellent program.

Another solution is to not worry about getting all the photos on one layout. For example, on the left side of a double-page spread you could have a 12"x12" layout with your favorites from an event. On the right side you could simply adhere several photographs to a sheet of cardstock. You can get six 4"x6" photographs on a 12"x12" piece of cardstock as long as they are all either vertical or horizontal. If you wanted some of the cardstock to show between and around the photos so they're not jammed up against each other, you could trim the photos slightly smaller than 4"x6".

I have tons of decorative scissors but cannot cut a straight line to save my life. Do you have any suggestions on how to cut around a sheet of paper?
When I am using decorative edged scissors, I use my ruler to draw a pencil line on the reverse of the paper where I want the edge to be. Then I cut along that line as a guide and my edge comes out perfectly straight.

Where do you get your chipboard?
I get my chipboard from Create for Less. The brand is Paper Accents and I buy the extra thick sheets in packs of 12"x12". I cut my chipboard down to make smaller albums.

Regarding Page Kits: How do you decide what to put into each one, I mean how do you choose the papers, embellishments to place in it?
I am going to do a video tutorial on making page kits {promise!}, so I won't get into it too much here. My first piece of advice is start with something that is inspiring you -- either a new supply, or a tool you've wanted to try -- and build out from there. Say, for example, that I had some new Disney patterned paper. I would look for coordinating patterned paper -- maybe something with polka dots or something with stars -- and then add matching/coordinating cardstock. Then I would find some buttons, ribbons, chipboard, bling, etc., that worked with that theme and voila! Disney page kit!

I have issues with doing a page or double layout when alot (10+) photos are used. It seems I always need more room for journaling to explain what is going on, more pics don't always clear things up.
You could think about combining a scrapbook album and a photo album together in one. For more about what I mean, check out this video:





While the album & Page protectors I show in the video are no longer available, other companies are making similar products. For example, American Crafts now offers 4"x6" photo sleeve page protectors for their 12"x12" albums {shown below}. Some other companies offering these types of photos sleeves are Fancy Pants, Pioneer and We R Memory Keepers.



If you don't want to go that route, you could also try utilizing hidden journaling or accordian mats. A good video to look at for ideas on how to get more photos and journaling in a smaller space is my Christmas Mini Album. I utilized several different devices for adding extra photos and journaling, and all of them would translate easily onto a larger page. When I include an interactive element on a layout, I just make a slit in the page protector so it still functions in the album.

Where do you keep all of your completed layouts?
Right now I keep them all in albums in a small cabinet that also doubles as my printer stand. You can see it below:


12"x12" albums are on the top shelf, extra page protectors and albums bits and pieces are on the middle shelf, and unused/unfinished albums + mini books are all kind of jammed onto the bottom shelf. I need to think of a better way to display my mini books.

If you a concerned about space -- as in, where the heck am I going to put all these pictures, layouts & albums!? -- then a big piece of advice (and one I follow myself) is to be more selective about what you scrap. I may take as many as 300 photos at a single event, but only a tiny percentage of those will ever make it into an album. The rest are on flickr for friends and family to see and enjoy. I try to think of scrapbooking as a slice of my life, or a glimpse into what is going on -- things that are special, that I want to remember, things I would rather forget, and just plain ol' everyday things. I don't try to make it a detailed record of my life, however, and that saves me time, money and space, as well as eliminating all stress and guilt from the hobby.

I hope that answers some of your questions. If you had a question that I didn't get to, or if you have one you'd like to ask, please feel free to leave a comment here, or over on YouTube, or email me!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.