How to place Text directly on your Photographs Before printing

Hi there all !

Well there I was poised to create my montage video of my trip to the Stitch and craft Show last week, and low and behold... there is something wrong with my video editing software since my laptop went in for it's new hard drive! Are we all standing in amazement... not really... we've all come to expect that PCs, just like cars can go into fix one thing and come out with something else wrong!

So my montage will have to wait - along with my other videos due to be done this week - till my IT expert (!) can help solve the problem!

Till then, I am sincerely hoping it will be very soon, I am posting another HOW TO VIDEO from the SimplyScrapbookingNow.com archives (lots more over there too!).

It's about how to place a white title (or any text) onto a photograph before printing it using MS Word.

I hope you find it useful - click here to see the written article and video there or watch below.

Stitch & Craft Show at Olympia

Hi there,

Well I hope you've had a good week! I went down to Olympia (in London) to the Stitch and Craft Show 2009!

I took my FlipVideo with me to take some shots, which I did. I was hoping to video lots of demos for you, but sadly there were only a few! I haven't had time to edit the videos yet, mainly as I only got back yesterday and I picked up my laptop with new hard drive, meaning that everything has to be reloaded onto it (and I didn't feel too good for 24hrs either). So I will be making a montage for next time.

But in the mean time here are some stills from the videos.

Also, at the end of this post there is another post today with a "how to video".

As we were there early (by about 15 minutes) a queue was forming!

This (above) is an ingenious little gardget (pack of 4 sizes for £12.99) for helping stampers. It uses a rocking action (one rock across the face of the stamp) for ease of stamping. I will be posting the video with more information shortly.

I took a picture of these because I just love things that are "outsized", either huge versions of smaller items such as these buttons which are about 2-3 diameter, or miniature versions of bigger items. Not to mention I'm a sucker for a rainbow of colours!

This chap (I thought the tattoos were a funny backdrop to the subject matter he was demonstrating!) was demonstrating the wonders of a little gadget from Xcut which fitted their existing punches (both sizes) to align them to helo you make neat borders. More info in the video soon.

This was intriguing... it was a product to decorate in "papier mache" style, although the paper and glue/varnish were a special creation from this company and very versatile, (more in the video demo) it starting me thinking about another use for our scrapbooking papers! Btw, this was a very large giraffe he was decorating! I will try to contact them and see if I can get a picture of the finished animal!

This is a close up of a covered wooden letter.

This was just a bit of self indulgence for me... colour wise that is. I'm not a big user of glitter, in fact I hardly ever use it... I did by a little bottle of Stickles whilst at the show to see what I can achieve, so I am trying ! LOL. But I just loved these colours and the fact that you can buy these glitters by the bag. He does mail order too, so I will give you the details with the video.

Scrapbooking Video - How to create more space on your page and hinge a photo

Here is a video from the SimplyScrapbookingNow.com site. It's about how to get more photographs on your page and yet it still looks like a one photo "arty" page.

You know the sort I mean, those pages you would like to make which have one photograph and lots of lovely papers and embellishments to set it off. The only problem is that it doesn't make a dent in your "photo mountain" and you need to scrapbook more photos. Also other photographs are necessary in your scrapbooking pages to tell the story correctly.

So here is one solution to that problem.

Another "Tips Video" on photo cropping & Easily Made Favours Bag

Hello, We had a great afternoon at the ScrapBuddies Crop yesterday! (where we do Scrabooking and Cardmaking and, well, just about any papercrafting to be honest!) My demonstration was about "how to make a 2-5-7-10 bag".

I decided, as the bag is sooooo easy to make, that rather than me demo it and then members make it, we all worked along together (those that wanted to join in that is - as ScrapBuddies is a very relaxed group and you can join in if you wish or just carry on with your own projects!)



Above are some examples of some of the members' completed projects which they managed in no time at all. I did hand out a free template for everyone, (I always provide a free hand-out at the crops).

Next time I will be demonstrating Hybrid Crafting, and there will be a free kit available for anyone attending, but make sure you email me befre 6th April so that I can send you a link for the download that you can print out and bring with you.

As for other things, the ICanCraftNow.com website is almost up and running, and the free hybrid card kit will be available for all very soon! I'm just putting the final touches to the matching items which will be available to purchase such as a matching envelope, tag, scrapbooking papers, and a brag book and mini bag which will come along a little later. I'm also not going to make you all wait till I have my shopping cart installed either, that will come later, so buy now buttons will be available. I'm getting really excited about it all now!

Right then, I have another video for you... and don't forget that there are more posted every month in the SimplyScrapbookingNow.com Newsletter, sign up and you'll get them first!

This video is about Photo Cropping Tips for Scrapbook Pages



I hope you find the video useful!

Scrapbooking Video Tutorial, Cardmaking and SSNow.com Newsletter

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and scrapping and/or card making like mad things!... here is the weekly update from me!

First of all, here are a couple of cards I have made recently (one actually this afternoon as I have to give it as a bithday card tomorrow!)

Here is a closeup of the flower detail. I have made a video about how to maked these really eacy flowers.

Below is the other card, which I started at a cardmaking gathering I attended one evening back in February. It was held at a local shop to me in Lowestoft called The Norwich Road Craft Shop which is run by Margaret. The evening get togethers are every other Wednesday, the next one being 18th March. I met a lively bunch of ladies of all ages busily making cards for a couple of hours.

It's held in the shop itself and therefore all the stock is available for you to buy too... handy that! If you are local to Lowestoft and want to ring Margaret, the telephone number is 01502 567123, otherwise the link to the shop website is above (click the name).

Although I started make the card at the Norwich Road meeting, I finished it as an example for the tutortial video, I mentioned. The video in question is part of the new SSNow.com Newsletter (March issue) which I published last week.

If you would like to see the video straight away and are not a subscriber to the newsletter, you can subscribe for free here. You will get immediate access to the latest issue plus other interesting articles. Oh and subscriber freebies, of course.

Here is a close up of the flower - 6 layers and a button! Great for using up scraps by the way.

Now then... If you are a subscriber you may have already seen the video below, but I thought I would post it here as it is now available on the SimplyScrapbookingNow.com website anyway as past newsletter content.

It's about using Heavily patterned paper and letting it do all the work, have a watch!

I also visited a crop yesterday, run by Tracy. Tracy started in scrapbooking, but actually has moved over to cardmaking and has a huge amount of equipment, which she generously brings with her to the crop for everyone to use.

There were stamps and inks, various useful punches, a cuttlebug with dies and embossing folders (which I like very much!) and a Cricut with lots of cartridges... a very nice piece of kit, quite expensive (plus the cost of each cartridge) but very easy to use. I myself have a Craft Robo at home, but the Cricut was very portable as you don't need a computer to run it.

I did make a page layout which I finished at home, but I can't share it as I sent it off to a magazine for possible publication, but I will share as soon as I can.

I'm still working hard on the Hybrid Kits, and I will post up the freebie very shortly now (may be mid week even!) if you are a subscriber you will get notification via email when the freebie is available.

Warm wishes to you all !

P.S. I have been putting in lots of paragraph spaces here, however Blogger seems to have taken them all out and won't put them back... so sorry about the close up text!!

Hybrid Crafting Freebie and a hybrid Word Album

It's Sunday evening and here is the weekly post!

Firstly, I wanted to show you a Word Album I made for a friend on the birth of her 2nd son.

Now this album is a true hybrid scrapbooking album! That is because all the papers I used on it were printed from my computer! They are digital scrapbooking papers from a kit by Vicki.The papers I used are from the Putting on the Glitz Kit. They were free until recently but I see from her site that they are all retired, Vicki now sells her kits. Check out her blog.

I covered each of the chipboard letters with a contrasting paper - all via my printer and added a few flowers and buttons, etc. My hand holding the album in the picture above gives you an idea of scale. See how effective hybrid scrapping can be!

The above picture shows the back of each panel, which I cut round each letter.

I gave the album as a blank (as seen here) with some bits and pieces in a little kit to add to the album when she adds some photos.

Right then, other news... I have been very busy with the new site and have made up a freebie hybrid card making kit, as it was the first proper one, it has taken a long time to sort out the mechanics of a downloadable product, much more than it took me to design the card!! Still the first fledgling pages are there.

I will be posting a link at the end of the week for a FREEBIE HYBRID CARD MAKING KIT from the new site ICanCraftNow.com you can have a nose at the font page now if you like - but it is only temporary while I build the real one.

Also, the SimplyScrapbookingNow.com Newsletter will be coming out soon, so sign up for that if you haven't already. I've made a number of short videos for that.

I will be providing subscribers with downloadable freebies, from now on (as opposed to the freebie frenzy), which won't be available anywhere else! Oooh... how exclusive is that! ooh er! but it does mean that the freebie is available to all subscribers and I won't have to hand a very sharp pin to my hubby or daughter to weald around my hands holding a piece of paper in order for them to choose a winner!!! LOL

So anyway, you might like to check back here around Friday to pick up the freebie which is a whole card kit. And... if you make cards for charity sales, I am happy for you to make use of this kit (as long as there is a little mention on the back of the card somewhere).