New Layouts - March 26, 2011

Here is what I have been up to .... I don't do much hybrid scrapping.  The closest I get is printing a page and slipping it into a frame to hang on the wall, or in this case printing some simple cards.  I loved how they turned out, though.

In the Birdhouse by Mari Koegelenberg

In the Birdhouse by Mari Koegelenberg

In the Birdhouse by Mari Koegelenberg
Mad 4 You by Mari Koegelenberg and Elise's Pieces

Here's a nice little page that celebrates the hobby of scrapbooking.

All About Me collab kit by the digichick designers
buttons from Sweet & Simple Life Kit #3 by Gina Marie Huff

This page is about the exercise that I've managed to keep up with for several months.

Paisley Stamps by Scrapping with Liz; Summer's Last Kiss by DeCrow Designs
cardstock and The Sun Will Come by SuzyQ Scraps

And here is a Project: Love, Me page, the last in the iLaugh series, although I might add a few more pages of my own ideas.

Cardstock from HoHoHo by Miss Tiina
Garden Whimsy by Studio Flergs and Sugarplum Paperie

Finally, I hosted a "Spreading Sunshine Challenge" at Weeds & Wildfowers as part of the 4th anniversary celebration over there. We each shared a photo for another person to scrap.  This is the page I made for Blanka.

Funky Basic Cardstock; Everyday Life #1 and #2; Sweet & Simple Life #3
a few Life365 Hodge Podges all by Gina Marie Huff

And here is the page Lissa made for me. Isn't it a perfect birthday page?!

Sweet and Simple #7; Life Is Good alpha; Life365 papers and BorderIt5;
Starter kit; Happy Birthday wordart all by Weeds & Wildflowers designers

Wow, that was a lot of pages! I've been busy! All of March has been busy with planning Miller's birthday party, planning our Team activities for Digiscrap-apalooza, and with my guest CT gig at the digichick. It's been busy, but fun.

Blurb Book Review - all of my 2010 layouts in print!

I'm finally here with pictures (and a review) of my Blurb book.  Here is a quick-run down of my book:

• I made a 12 x 12 hardcover book with image wrap cover and premium paper.
• I used the online book creation tool, Bookify, which has a 160 page limit.
• Instead of doing full-bleed pages, I chose to use the large square layout that is within their software, and I chose the border to be black.  I didn't want to worry about trimming for full bleed, and I also had several two-page spreads.  I thought the border (which actually measures at 9/16 inch wide) would be a good fit for my needs.  See photos below.
• I chose a white spine to match my front and back covers, which also had a white background.
• All of the jpgs I uploaded were 3600 x 3600 pixels, saved at a quality of 10 in photoshop, except for the front and back covers which were 3702 x 3675 pixels (this was the size of the cover images that I made last year, and I just did the same.)
• Shipping was really fast. I received the book 6 days after placing the order, several days earlier than their estimate.
• I love my book.  The quality is great, although there were two issues that I saw:  warping of the cover, and print quality of thin text.  See photos below.

Let's get to some pictures. Here is the cover.  The white background actually has a very subtle texture, which is barely visible in the finished product.  I had actually anticipated this, and almost decided to go back and make the background completely white, but out of laziness I didn't bother.

My title page

Some colorful pages

Some black and white (mostly) pages

Some more pages

Some more mostly black and white pages

My last page, which I call my Time Capsule

The binding

The spine

I had estimated that the 1/2 inch border all the way around would allow two page spreads to be visible without any part of them being hidden in the binding.  I was pretty close, but some of the black border does show in the middle.  It doesn't bother me.  I wasn't expecting perfection.

These next two photos show the two quality issues I have with my book.  First, the front cover has some warping.  My book was delivered on a rainy day, and I've wondered if the humidity was a factor.  This photo was taken about a month ago, and today the warping is not as pronounced.  Perhaps it will continue to flatten.  The Blurb book that I printed last year had no warping.

Finally,  there is a slight issue with some of the text.  I often chose hand-written fonts with very thin lines, and the printing process created text with uneven or jagged edges.  It was difficult to photo and is more pronounced in life.  But I think this photo shows the effect fairly well.  It does not bother me immensely, but I do notice it when I look at the pages.  It was only noticeable on really thin fonts.

Overall, I LOVE my book.  I am happy with the black borders, although I was a little worried about that when I ordered the book.  I had seen a few other books printed with black borders and thought it looked fun and dramatic.  You can also pick a white border, and I believe they have several colors to choose from.   In fact, I changed the border to white for my calendar pages at the end of my book:

I think I actually like the black border better than the white border!

I will continue to use Blurb for all of my book printing.  The biggest beef I have with them is that they occasionally run promotions (like 20% off), which supposedly they send out in their newsletter to let people know about them.  I am signed up for their newsletter and have never received notice of these promotions.  I missed the Valentines Day 20% promotion, but I was able to use the NEWBLURB coupon code for 20% off.  I had placed a previous order, but I think the NEWBLURB code can be used once per customer.  So if you place an order, I'd say give that code a try.  It saved me about 25 bucks.

Next Friday I will be in Las Vegas for Digiscrap-apalooza!  It will be the first time I have been away from my son for more than a couple hours.  And he has slept in the same bed as me from birth, so this is some serious separation that's coming up.  He's four and I'm thirty-five, so I think we can handle it, right? Yeah, right.

New Layouts - March 18, 2011

I've been so busy! I didn't even post my new layouts last week. So I've got quite a few for today...

This is another "self portrait" for my Project: Love, Me album.

Fabricology by Viva Artistry

This is a page I've been thinking about for a while, and the Digi Dare #218 finally got me to put it down on "paper." I used to be a little bit anti-preschool, but now I've changed my mind, only to find out that it is pretty difficult to get in now - like I needed to get on the waiting list two years ago difficult.

ABCs and 123s by Sugarplum Paperie
Buttons and number strip from Amiable by DeCrow Designs

This is just a simple little page about getting my son to eat something other than tuna sandwiches and cheddar cheese. Why is it that he'll give a new type of chocolate bar a try, but a nice ripe peach?? Now way.

Juicy Fruit Kit by Designs by Kat and Designs by Julie Bullock
Juicy Fruit Templates by Scrapping with Liz

I made cupcakes for my son's birthday party last weekend. I wanted to make spider cupcakes (and I did, they just weren't very ... photogenic), but ended up with spiders and bugs. These butterfly cupcakes were very pretty.

Memoir by Danielle Engebretson

Before I got pregnant, I suffered from severe headaches, which completely and immediately went away when I got pregnant. They stayed away while I breastfed for 2 1/2 years, but they gradually came back as we were weaning. But since then they have improved again. It is so nice to be mostly pain-free now, and the headaches I do get are fairly predictable and manageable with over-the-counter pain meds. Thank you, God.

Everything Under the Sun by Sugarplum Paperie and mgl scraps

This is a picture of me when I was probably 2 or 3 years old. It is one of a few photos that my dad fished out of some frames at his house, so that I might have more scrapping fodder. Thanks, Dad!

Quilt Shape Templates by Scrapping with Liz
Everyday Life 2 by Gina Marie Huff and Cinzia Designs

I think that puts me up to date. Anybody out there going to Vegas for Digiscrap-Apalooza? It's just two weeks away! I'm nervous and excited. Go Team Purple!

New Layouts - March 5, 2011

Guess what!? I got a guest CT spot at the digichick for the month of March! I can hardly believe it. I applied totally in the spur of the moment, and based on past experience with CT calls, I didn't expect to be chosen. But I was! I've already been busy making pages.

Here are two pages for my Project: Love, Me album

Destination April by Kellie Mize

Fun with Photos Templates by Scrapping with Liz;
Destination April by Kellie Mize

And here are some more pages, documenting every day life.

Everybody Skate by Danielle Engebretson

 

Template by Scrapping with Liz;
It's About Him and It's About us (alpha) by Captivated Visions

XOXO by Gina Marie Huff and Simply You, Simply Me Design
elements from Sweet & Simple Life Kits #2,#8,#11 & Life365 by Gina Marie Huff
Photo action by My Four Hens

New Layouts - Feb 26, 2011

My Blurb book came yesterday! That's less than a week after submitting the order. I will try to have pictures of it soon.

Here is the one layout that I made this past week.

Fun with Opacity Masks by Scrapping with Liz; Clouds & alpha
(both recolored) & paper from Innovative by One Little Bird;
Flower (recolored)& epoxy buttons and lines from Conversation Pieces
no. 4 & 5 by One Little Bird & Paislee Press

New Layouts - Feb 19, 2011

I'm so excited because I just finished placing my order with Blurb for my 2010 photobook of scrapbook layouts. It should be hear the first week of march!

Here are the layouts I've finished this week.

Fun with Opacity Masks by Scrapping with Liz; Everyday Snapshots by Kasia
Designs;Cardstock by SuzyQ Scraps

Fun with Opacity Masks by Scrapping with Liz; Cardstock from HoHoHo
by Miss Tiina; The Little Bird Said by Kasia Designs

Post Bound vs. Photobook

(We R Memory Keepers Linen Album Review)

I had my first photobook printed last year for my 2009 project 365 album. I loved it so much that I decided that going forward I will always have my scrapbooking layouts printed in book form instead of single prints to slide into photo protectors. This is what I love about the photobook (compared to post bound album):

• Compact. No bulk from the binding mechanism.
• Light.  The pages are printed double sided AND there is no added weight from the page protectors.
• Costs less.  Approximately, pages printed in a photobook are about $1 per page.  For a post bound album, nice photographic prints run about $2 per page, plus the cost of page protectors and the album itself.

All of this adds up to me:  I'm going to go with photobooks from here on out.  However, there is an argument for printing true photographic prints and placing them in page protectors:  These types of prints are archival and waterproof.  They will probably last longer than a photobook, which is made with ink printed on paper.

I have about 200 layouts that I've already had printed over the last couple years.  I've gone through several iterations of albums for these prints, and I want to share with you the journey and my most recent album choice.  Here is the reason I've had such trouble:  I want as few albums as possible.  My 200 prints are mostly from the years 2008 and 2009, plus a few pages with my baby photos.  So two albums is ideal, 3 tops.

In the beginning, I started with a small, extendable album, and I used the Snap Load binding system.  This was a post bound album, and I removed the posts and glued the Snap Load bands in place.  These are similar to plastic zip ties.  You pull them tight and press then into the mechanism.

I liked the Snap Load system, but I was trying to put all 200 pages into a single album, and the plastic ties just couldn't handle that load.  So then I moved everything into a large ring album:

I liked this at first, but eventually had to concede that 200 pages plus the weight of the page protectors is just too much for one album.  It is really heavy.  Plus, the album was so long (to accommodate the large ring) that it could not easily fit on any of my shelves.

So I recently decided to break the pages into two albums, and I purchased two
We R Memory Keepers Post Bound Linen Albums in the Silverstone color choice.

These albums are NOT extendable - they have a fixed spine width. But they are generous - the product preview stating they can hold 100 page protectors. The post is a full two inches long. The page protectors have an extra hinge section which allows the pages to extend out of the binding area and lay flatter when the book is open. I love these page protectors - they are nice and thick and plenty roomy. I'm sure they would be great for paper scrappers.

My 200 pages roughly separated in half at the 2008/2009 junction.  The 2008 album ended up with 52 page protectors and about 100 layouts.  The 2009 album ended up with about 42 page protectors.  As each album can actually hold 100 page protectors, they seem a little "empty."  But weight wise, I actually wouldn't want to add any more pages.  The book with the 52 page protectors actually feels a little over-loaded when you hold it in your lap.  This photo below shows the one with only 42 page protectors.

These albums also have this nice label on the spine.

Overall, I think these albums are beautiful and are the best fit that I've found so far for a digiscrapper who is an album minimalist.  They look and feel well made, and come in about 8 different colors: bright and bold as well as some more earthy tones and two shades of gray. I bought mine online through Joann. They are a little pricy at $29.99, but I got them at a sale price (%40 off, which looks to still be in effect today).

I think these albums are more suited for paper scrapping given their roominess, which would be perfect for thick and bulky layered paper pages. The wide spine just isn't needed for digi prints. And here is how they look in my TV table:

If there are any scrappers out there who have found a post bound album tailored specifically for digiscrapping, I would love to hear about it.