Getting Started In Scrapbooking

You have seen several of your friends' scrapbooks. You have also developed a growing interest to make one of your own. You finally decide to make some moves and go to the scrapbooking shop and grab some supplies. But once you enter the shop and see what is in store for you, you found yourself totally lost with hundreds of items to choose from. The same feeling of being lost also happens to other starters like you, believe it or not. Surely, you don't want to end up picking up some items you just thought you might need but you really do not. You want to have specific list of scrapbooking supplies you can use.

To help you out on this, here are some of the scrapbooking supplies must haves to start you with your scrapbook making:

Album - When selecting an album, consider the size and the theme you want to achieve. A definite size would help you plan the overall look of your scrapbook while the theme would help you choose the style of album you need. Try to find a large album if you want a good space for elaborate decoration; of course, this would depend on the theme you want to adopt. A small album is also okay if you prefer a manageable space. Sometimes, scrapbook enthusiasts have small and large ones but as a beginner, you may want to start on one size and improve from there.

Album refill - You may want to include album page refills the moment you buy your album. This is because album refills do not have standard sizes and you may not see refill that matches the size of your album in the future. Grab some packs so that you would not have to worry about finding one when you need them. Make sure also that when you buy an album, refills are available. Pick refills from the same album manufacturer you have bought.

Adhesive - There are several types of adhesive. There are also several brands of adhesives you can buy. Pick one or two that would match the exact need of your scrapbook. Glue Dots, Mod Podge, Triple Thick, EZ, 3D Dots, and Xyron are some of the brands you might want to pick.

A Pair of scissors - It is always advisable if you have a separate scissors for your scrapbook. This will let you keep it as sharp as possible. Your mom does not want you to use the kitchen scissors is another good reason why you should have your own pair of scissors exclusively for your scrapbook.

Papers - Different kinds of papers would let you have a beautiful scrapbook. But if you select one, make sure that the colors you pick match your chosen theme. You may want to go to scrapbooking shop and get different types of paper sold in sheets. This will give the pages of your scrapbook some variations.

Journal pens - If you buy journal pens, consider the permanent marking, fine tips, and acid-free ones. Acid-free pen is a must because it will keep the album clean and free from chemical reaction that would cause the pictures and the album to deteriorate.

Additional supplies:

Acrylic paint - For more vibrant look of the pages of your scrapbook, colored pens and papers may not be enough. You may want to add some acrylic paint on your shopping. You can buy them in batches or individually.

Rubber stamps - Rubber stamps could add more color and style to your scrapbook. Rubber stamps come on different shapes, sizes, and styles. Choose some that would enhance the look of your scrapbook.

Rub-Ons - To free yourself from cutting or writing texts on to your scrapbook, rub-ons are nice alternatives.

Die Cut Machine - To have a perfect cut every time you make some texts, purchase a die cut machine.

Scrapbooking kit - a clean and exclusive compartment of all your scrapbooking supplies is a must. Thus, you may want to have your own scrapbooking kit.

These are some of the things you could have as you start your own scrapbook. Make sure you have the primary things before buying other supplies that are more expensive.

Gook luck and happy scrapbooking!
Thanks Jon Simms!

Mother Mini

Hey... Don't forget Mother's Day is coming up!! I'm a mother and thought I'd post some etsy minis of the cool Mother's Day gift guides on there!



And don't forget to shop for mom (or yourself!) tomorrow at Artitudes!

Buy Handmade and?

Of course, as crafters, many of us strive to buy handmade whenever possible. (If we don't make it ourselves, of course!) But what about buying local? If you have something handmade you want to purchase, do you go out of your way to source a local artisan to produce it? Here are two examples of Lincoln Handmade buying local and being greatly rewarded by using our local talent!
First up is this awesome laptop bag made by pursesbyashley, a wonderful bag creator and fabric artist!


Next up is this beautiful toddler dress and knit shrug fashioned by the talented Crafterella:

She did such a fantastic job and it was great to be able to work with someone in person as opposed to having to do it all on the internet.

What have you bought handmade and local? Tell us about it below!

Craft Night with the Lincoln Handmade Team

We had an excellent time last night at craft night.  There were seven of us in attendance and we ate and crafted the night away.

Korinne and Deb are shown here.  Korinne made some monster truffles that were pretty much amazing and here she is working on her uber popular instant cemeteries.  Deb worked on making silhouettes of her cute family. 

 

Lisa spent most of the night with the Big Kick and paper punches.  She had a really great idea of running through some old book pages and CD liner notes to make them into flowers and other shapes.  Here she is crocheting after she got kicked off the machine. 

I'm not pictured but I spent most of the evening chatting away and eating. 

Here we have Stacy, Kelly, and Ashley.  This was Stacy's first time at one of our meetings and we tried not to scare her off.  Please come back!  Kelly is a veteran.  She used the big kick to cut out some fabric.  In this picture, it is Ashley's turn at the Big Kick.  I have a feeling we're going to see flowers and scallops on a lot of lnkhandmade team items in the future!

At the end of the night, 18 boxes of fabric were delivered to my house!  We had a great time going through it and picking out things to take home.  I still have some left (let's face it, A LOT) so if you're in the neighborhood and would like some fabric, let me know! 

Spring is in the Air

It is really starting to feel like spring and that means it’s time to open up the windows to freshen up the house and do a little cleaning.

I knit and crochet to relax and all the knitting needles, crochet hooks, and other notions plus a mountain of yarn can really pile up. I knew there was a problem when I lost one of my knitting needles in the couch and while I was retrieving it I also found 2 crochet hooks, a tapestry needle and a stitch counter.

My solution was to create the ultimate knitting and crochet organizer that was also portable. Knitting needles and crochet hooks are stored on the outside, leaving room on the inside for yarn caddies, patterns, books, WIPs, and other notions. There are also pockets around the interior to help keep smaller items from getting lost.

I recycled and old sheet for this organizer, but there are so many different fabric options the design possibilities are endless. If you would like to make your own bucket organizer the pattern is available for free here.

My bucket also holds two yarn caddies made from 2 liter bottles to keep dirt and cat hair off of my yarn. They’re easy to make, just remove the bottom of a 2 liter bottle, I used an exacto knife and then re-cut it with scissors to smooth the edge. Punch a hole about every inch around the bottom of the bottle leaving about 1/2” between the hole and the cut edge using a standard hole punch. I then crocheted into each hole three times, I just used the crochet hook that was recommended for my yarn (any scrap yarn you have will work). I single crocheted in the round until it measured about 4”. To finish it off I single crocheted one, chained one and skipped a stitch and repeated that all the way around. Then I just crochet a chain and laced it through the holes. (Excuse my pattern writing, the original tutorial is unavailable and I am not a pattern writer!) I love these things and they are so easy to make.

Now that your knitting and crochet supplies are organized it’s time to clean the rest of the house or do what I did, start a new knitting project!

A change in plans . . .

What started with BIG plans to build a studio in our detached garage with an absolutely gorgeous BIG view morphed into a compact little studio space in our house. Not exactly what I had planned but I’m coming around to realize that I needed to severely pare down my equipment and supplies and work more efficiently. Who needs all that space anyhow? I mean it.

I really thought we’d finish off a 12x18 space in our detached garage and shop where I would have all of my metalworking equipment (not to mention a great view). We moved into our home in the Fall and I had no intention of working on jewelry or even needing a studio until then. Right. The phone starts ringing. Local galleries are selling my work better than before (go figure - yay) and I need to continue refilling the cases with my simple jewelry. {sigh} I surrender.

My DH Ed suggests that I take space in our basement where our workout area will be, consolidate my equipment and set up a studio inside. I have to admit, it’s gonna be warmer. He starts carving out a place for me to work. I’m a stubborn girl and not all that happy about changing plans you understand, but I start to come around and see that this is actually going to work!

We hang pegboard on the walls of my little 6x12 area (one third the original planned size) and it’s wonderful I find, to be able to see my wire and stock immediately. No digging through boxes to find that 21 gauge wire and bezel wire and stones and stock. I have outlets every 2 feet – OMG – no more extension cords. We’ll be hanging bi-fold doors so that the area looks like a huge walk-in closet and can be closed off when I’m not using it, thus hiding the bench mess. And someday when I’m too old and decrepit to pound metal any longer, this can become a big old walk-in closet with great lighting.

My bench is one that Ed built out of 1” square tubing with a thick particleboard top. He built me a matching soldering table with a steel top, both with shelves underneath to store plastic storage boxes, oxyacetylene tanks with miscellaneous supplies. I love it.

I get a kick out of posting pics of my ‘bench mess’ and I’m really proud that I’ve managed to carve out a bit of workspace from such a reduced original plan. Smaller is better and from an efficiency standpoint, this could not be better for me.

Having Fun!

LNKHandmade Four
Originally uploaded by Chimera Creation

Our Lincoln Handmade team meetings are SO much fun. Here is a photo of Christy and I, where I am comparing our chick sizes. She has a much bigger chick than me, but that's okay!