Friday, July 31, 2009

Love Your Craft Knife

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

It's probably no secret that I love my craft knife. Or, rather, craft knives, since I have more than one. Currently I am using a retractable detail blade craft knife manufactured by X-Acto and the standard size Martha Stewart craft knife. I like both of them just fine ~ no complaints ... yet.

I say "yet" because I haven't found the "perfect" craft knife, so I always approach a new knife with a bit of skepticism. I have also used a standard size X-Acto which I broke after years of use {miss it!}, the pink Bo Bonny retractable detail blade craft knife which broke before I even had to replace the blade once {utter trash!}, and various disposable breakaway carpet knives/box cutters.

The only reason why I don't just stick exclusively with the box cutters {they're the most economical option out there} is because I use craft knives so much that they become uncomfortable in my hand. That is one thing I really love about the Martha Stewart craft knife ~ it is very easy to hold and comfortable to use.


Despite not having found the "perfect" craft knife, I still love using them! I use them all the time to get a nice tight edge to the paper on my mini albums, to cut detailed shapes out of patterned paper to use as embellishments on layouts, and for a number of other reasons. If you don't already love your craft knife, there are several ways to improve how you feel about it!

First, make sure it is sharp. Really sharp. Change it often. More often than you think it actually needs to be changed. Replacement blades are cheap, so there's no reason to try to stretch the blade's life ~ all that does is ruin your project.

Second, switch from a self-healing mat to a glass mat. A self healing mat is fine, but a glass mat is so much better. The blade doesn't dig into the rubber ~ instead it skims across the surface of the glass. It cuts through the paper quickly and cleanly & with less pressure from your hand. {So you don't get as tired!} There are glass mats designed for scrapbooking, like this one for the Making Memories Slice:


Or this one from Tonic which is actually on sale right now for $11.89 at Two Peas in a Bucket:


The benefit of a glass mat that is actually designed for scrapbooking is that it will usually have a grid on it. This can help you with measuring, lining up page elements and other projects that require lots of detail work. However, if the grid doesn't matter to you, or if you already have a self-healing mat with a grid, you could go with any piece of tempered glass with a finished edge. I know scrappers who use glass cutting boards with great success.

{Another benefit of glass mats unrelated to cutting is that they are an excellent surface for heat embossing. The glass protects your normal work surface from warping, and it distributes the heat along the back of the project and the embossing powder melts really quickly.}

Third, when you're actually doing the cutting, turn the project instead of your hand. This will enable you to keep the knife in a comfortable position for your hand & it will be easier to control. Turning your wrist all around to try and cut around the edges of things will feel unnatural and not give you the control you want.

I hope these tips help you to build a better relationship with your craft knife! It's definitely one of my "must have" tools, and I don't know if I could scrap without it.

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

"Big Pinks" Mini Album, Part Four

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I just uploaded the fourth & final video in my "Big Pinks" series over on my YouTube Channel. This is a 5"x5" chipboard mini album which I am using to highlight photos of all the flamingos I've seen down here! The supplies came from the July 2009 Girls Gone Scrappy mini album kit.





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

"Big Pinks" Mini Album, Part Three

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

Well, first off, I'm sure you've noticed that things look a little different around here! What do you think? I liked the way it looked before, but this one feels more scrappy and summery to me & not just as plain beachy.

I also just uploaded the third video in my "Big Pinks" series over on my YouTube Channel. This is a 5"x5" chipboard mini album which I am using to highlight photos of all the flamingos I've seen down here! The supplies came from the July 2009 Girls Gone Scrappy mini album kit.





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Friday, July 24, 2009

She Likes It!

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

A while back I posted a sneak peek of an album I was making for a my friend Stephanie {to tease her a little bit} and I actually finished the album and sent it off this week. She got it today and she posted a video of it, so I thought I would share her video with all of you!



She also has great pics on her awesome blog if you'd like to see some stills: With A Grin

I'm so glad you like it, Stephanie! Thanks for making a video to share with everyone!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

"Big Pinks" Mini Album Video, Part Two

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I just uploaded the second video in my new "Big Pinks" series over on my YouTube Channel. This is a 5"x5" chipboard mini album which I am using to highlight photos of all the flamingos I've seen down here. I was able to get a ton of photos in this album, as you will see, so hopefully you'll get plenty of ideas for ways to include photos and journaling in your mini albums!





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wrapping Up

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I just finished wrapping up quite a few projects that have been hanging over me and was able to sort of clear the decks regarding scrapping. I've been trying to hink of what to do next & since I've got Halloween pictures printed, I think I'm going to do some Halloween layouts & maybe a mini when I finish my pink album. So it will be Halloween in July!

After Halloween, think I might just be ready to start breaking into the Disney photos and memorabilia and start working on that album {which will be a work in progress while we're down here, as we will continue to add to it}. It's hard to think about scrapping right now, though, because I stayed up almost all night trying to finish Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg and I am so sleepy. The book started out slow but when it got going ~ man, it was fun! Which reminds me of another good project to revisit ~ getting caught up on my little 6"x6" album of books I've read this year!

I have lots of fun stuff to do coming up, so hopefully you guys will see some great new videos when I'm done with the pink album!

Kathryn
Lifes a beach. Scrapbook it.

Monday, July 20, 2009

"Big Pinks" Mini Album Video, Part One

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach! I hope you each had a relaxing and revitalizing weekend! I spent some time working on my tan {an endless project, fraught with peril, as I am whiter than milk & my skin seems to have two shade levels: snow and lobster} and attended a pool party. I also got a ton of scrapping done and it was so fun! I finished a mini album I've been working on with my July kit from the Girls Gone Scrappy kit club.

I just uploaded the first video in my new "Big Pinks" series over on my YouTube Channel. This is a 5"x5" chipboard mini album which I am using to highlight photos of all the flamingos I've seen down here. I was able to get a ton of photos in this album, as you will see, so hopefully you'll get plenty of ideas for ways to include photos and journaling in your mini albums!





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Half Marathon Chipboard Word Album, Part Five

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I just uploaded the fifth video in my "Half Marathon" series over on my YouTube Channel.





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Desdichaedo?

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I have been asked what my YouTube user id means. It comes {loosely} from the Sir Walter Scott novel Ivanhoe, and it is the name {sort of} that the hero uses when he enters a tournament anonymously. According to Sir Walter Scott, it means "disinherited" and it is what my dad used to call me when I came home late, etc. Scott was mistaken in his translation of "desdichado" as "disinherited" as it actually means "desolate/distraught" but we are fans of the book and the book's meaning is "disinherited".

The actual spelling from the book is "desdichado" {Spanish} and not "desdichaedo" which is my user id. I mispelled it originally, and didn't notice my mistake for quite some time. Once I realized I had added an extra "e" I decided not to change it since it is hard enough for people to remember it as it is ~ I didn't want to confuse everyone all over again.

So, basically, desdichaedo means disinherited.

Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe inspired the French poet GĂ©rard de Nerval {also a Scott fan} to write a sonnet entitled "El Desdichado" in 1853. So I will leave you with the poem.

El Deschidado

I am the man of gloom ~ widowed ~ unconsoled
The prince of Aquitaine, his tower in ruin:
My sole star is dead ~ and my constellated lute
Bears the Black Sun of Melancholia.

In the night of the tomb, you, my consolation,
Give me back Posillipo and the Italian sea,
The flower that so eased my heart's desolation,
And the trellis that twines the rose into the vine.

Am I Eros or Phoebus? Lusignan or Biron?
My brow is still red with the kiss of the queen;
I have dreamt in the grotto where the siren swims. . .

And, twice victorious, I have crossed Acheron:
My Orphic lyre in turn modulating the strains
Of the sighs of the saint and the cries of the fey
.

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrpbook it.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Half Marathon Word Album, Part Four

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I just uploaded the fourth video in my "Half Marathon" series over on my YouTube Channel.





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

HUGE Giveaway at the Cuttlebug Spot!

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

Just a quick post today to let you all know about a HUGE giveaway at The Cuttlebug Spot! They have a goal to reach 1,000 followers, and, once they do, they are giving away a $1,000.00 gift certificate to Custom Crops! :D How awesome is that!?

Anyway, to be eligible to win, you have to do three things:
1. Become a follower of their blog
2. Create a post about their giveaway on your blog
3. Comments on their post with a link to your blog entry

It's pretty simple and the prize is HUGE! :D Good luck to everyone who enters!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

From Lampshade to Clip-It-Up!

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I was browsing some YouTube videos the other day, and I came across a great video tutorial on turning an old lampshade into a homemade version of a Clip-It-Up!





This great idea for repurposing an old lampshade comes from Bree Tetz and Camille Young, the co-owners of the Crop Suey kit club. I love it ~ it is so creative! By choosing the right lampshade from the thrift store, you can totally customize how tall or wide you want your supply hanger to be ~ fabulous! And it's so much easier to do than many of the other homemade Clip-It-Up! replacements I've seen.

All it needs is a lazy susan underneath so it can spin & it would be a perfect place for me to store my clear stamps. Assuming I ever find exactly the right lampshade, that is, since I need a fairly tall and narrow one. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Friday, July 10, 2009

New Album: Sneak Peek

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I've been playing with my birthday presents, and I wanted to show you the first thing I cut on my Big Shot!



I actually used the QuickKutz "Dragonfly" font to make these mini chipboard letters. I cut a total of four layers: three with scrap white cardstock and one with the patterned paper I wanted. I put adhesive on the backs of all the letters with my Xyron X-Box, and then I layered them together. Once that was done, I glued them to the big Prima flower with Ranger Glossy Accents.

It was so much easier than making my own chipboard letters by hand with my craft knife ~ holy cow! I love my new toy and I have all kinds of plans for it! Yay!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

P.S. That's a detail shot of the cover of a mini book I'm making for a friend of mine. I won't be doing a video series on this album coming together, but I will be posting pictures periodically. She knows I'm making it & I know she reads my blog, so I am going to be putting little teases and sneak peeks for her on my blog while I work on it to get her really excited for it. :D

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Half Marathon Chipboard Word Album, Part Three

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

It is no longer my birthday, although I am still playing with all my toys! I used my new Big Shot last night on an album I am making for my friend Stephanie & I am sure you will be seeing quite a bit of the machine in upcoming videos!

Speaking of videos, I just uploaded the third video in my "Half Marathon" series over on my YouTube Channel.





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

It's my birthday today ~ yay! I am turning 29 today! {That's 29 for the first time, not like I am really 32 and just saying that I am 29}

I love my birthday because I love getting presents. {Who doesn't!?} And I also enjoy reminding everyone that It Is All About Me. Even if it is only All About Me for 24 hours. :D

Anyway, I just opened my brand new Big Shot {yay!} and I am dying to go play with it! I also got two Quickutz alphabets to go with it ~ Stardust and Dragonfly ~ and I have so many ideas for them! Yippee!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Half Marathon Chipboard Word Album, Part Two

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I just uploaded the second video in my new "Half Marathon" series over on my YouTube Channel.





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Create Your Own Chipboard Word Book + Video

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

As you all know, I have finally finished my husband's half marathon album. {Yay!} The half marathon album is actually a custom word book that spells "half" which I created from raw chipboard and grungeboard letters. You'll see this in the video, but essentially what I did was trace around the large grungeboard letters and create my own wordbook that way.


If you don't have grungeboard at home and would like to try this project, you can print out enlargements of a font from your computer. That way you can customize your projects even more ~ custom font AND custom size!

I just uploaded the first video in my new "Half Marathon" series over on my YouTube Channel. This album may have een a bear, but the concept is still good & I will probably use it again.





Thanks for watching & I hope you enjoyed it!

Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.