Welcome to a brand new series from our Design Team – we thought we’d have a look at colour theory and how you can use (or knowingly break) these rules to create pages that pop.
Each week we’re going to peel back the layers of the theory and see how it can be translated into perfect page layouts.
We begin with the very basics of the colour wheel – primary, secondary and tertiary colours.
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Sue loves using patterned papers. They are the first item she looks for to compliment her photos. Sue has recently discovered the gorgeous printed tissue paper, produced by 7 gypsies. The tissue paper is available in several designs but Sue chose the lovely Birdsong Collage, to use. Sue decided that the tissue paper really needed to be layered to show off it's beautiful texture.
She used a both a quickutz die and a Martha Stewart Punch All Over the Page, Classic Butterfly punch to cut multiple layers of butterflies. Sue stitched the layers together with her sewing machine and then hand-stitched sequins and beads to the centre of each of the butterflies. Sue teamed the luscious brown tissue butterflies with the soft pinks papers from Crate Paper designs and gorgeous pink Prima flowers. She also added in a layer of Hambly transparency to add another dimension to the layout.
The result is a pretty floral layout which compliments the photo of Sue's daughter Lily, out walking with a parasol.
Leeann thinks we are definitely spoilt for choice when it comes to paper accents. So when Leeann saw these already made paper accents by Crate Paper/Emma's shoppe she knew exactly what she want to create with them,(pocket wallet). All they needed now was Leeann’s arty touch.
Trim the paper accents and lay them out. Start by randomly stamping with ink and paint using bubble wrap and an assortment of rubber stamps. Then give all the paper accents a white wash all over. Finish off with some doodling using gel pens.
Cut a strip a little wider than the paper accents from Donna Downey 12 x 12 canvas sheet/heart and used this as a cover. Line everything up and machine stitch through the centre.
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We asked our design team to look at new ways of using products that we all have in our stash. We kick this off with a look at stamps – just take a look at the results from Louise and Iris.
Louise W isn't the world's most confident stamper so tends to get around that by using a pigment ink and stamping onto a plain transparency instead. In this case she did that with the tree from the Tattered Angels stamp set - it makes it much easier to position it and avoid smudging. By stamping on the front of the transparency, she was then able to use alcohol inks to colour the tree on the back, adding interest to the image and allowing it to be customised to suit the layout colours.
The tree stamp adds depth and grounds the heading for the layout, while the vintage branch echoes the trunk and ties it in with the dual-meaning heading 'Buds'.
Iris' style usually involves some misting and a lot of stamping... She likes to try different mediums for stamping and for this assignment, Iris used glossy cardstock for her base. The edges of the glossy cardstock has been stamped and distressed using alcohol inks... a great solution for multi-colour stamping on non-porous surfaces according to Iris.
With this technique, Iris was able to work on a glossy surface, and stamp multi-colour and vibrant images. To achieve the crisp images, Iris applied two to three colours of alcohol ink on a felt pad and dabbed the pad on to her stamp. She then stamped the image immediately. With the still moist felt pad, she dabbed the felt pad on the edges of the cardstock to give it a distressed look.
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Heidi Swapp has come up with a versatile product that can be used to add a little fun to any scrapbooking layout. Her first realease masks have now been out for around 12 months now, but many scrapbookers still find them daunting so we thought we would take this opportunity to demistify them.
A mask is the opposite of a stencil; it is a flexible material with a lightly tacky back to make repositioning easy, and when removed it is the background paper that shows through where the mask had been.
Here are a few ways to use a mask. The first 7 are demonstrated in the images shown here.
Here in this first layout "Summer Splash" I have used the "Newsprint" Alphabet Mask with paint and a brush for the word splash, giving it a wishy washy look. I have also attached the masks themselves as part of the title to form the word summer. To attach the mask, simply add a little more glue to the back so that the mask wont fall off, or you could sew over the top to keep it in place.
For the layout "Wave Runner", I altered the Horizon mini mask a little to suit what I wanted to do. I simply cut off the parts that I didn't need, and then used the mask as a template for sewing. I attached my mask to the page and then, with an awl, placed holes in the mask as well as my page. I then removed the mask and sewed the pattern to the page. If you don't want to put holes in your mask, simply use the backing sheet that the mask came on - it will have the outline of the pattern of the mask, so all you need to do it place it on your page and use it as a template to punch your holes.
For my Sketch Book I have used the Dasiy Mask and spray paint. WOW!!! If you haven't tried spray painting, I'm telling you, you must give it a go! Have a little test run before you do your page or book, just so you get the hang of it. It is fun, and gives a great effect when dry. I have used a matt acrylic spray paint which I picked up from Go Lo for a bargain. I spray painted before I attached anything else but if you are spraying after, make sure you protect anything you don't want painted. AND also remember to only spray paint outside. Read the directions on the can before applying. Once you have had a couple of test runs and are happy with how to use it, lay your mask on your page or book and apply your spray paint to your project.. drying time is quick too.
So with so many possible uses, the mask is a great addition to your scrapbooking stash!
Review by Nic Wright...
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BasicGrey has a great tool called the Notch and Die Cut Tool with three interchangeable magnetic tips for adding slots to your pages. The tip shapes are half-circle, v-wedge and straight-edge and the blades are razor sharp. This tool has been around for a few months now but there are still many people who have not seen it in use.The tool is pretty easy to use - simply mark the area where you want to make your incision, place the tool in place and rock back and forwards a little. Make sure you have a protective self-healing mat under the project area you are working on, and you should emerge with a clean crisp cut.
The notch and die cutting tool has application in both the scrapbooking and card-making arenas. Some ideas for its use include:
On the layout "Sally" I have used the tool to create a hand made flowers using the half-circle notch tip. First I traced a circle on my page, then I lined the notch tool up, and went around the circle, leaving little gaps in between. Once I finished that I cut out some petal shapes and placed them into the slots that the notch tool created to make a flower, then added a small circle and a brad to create the middle off the flower. The number of petals you will need to complete your flower will be determined by how big you make your circle.
For the layout "Almost Four", I used the triangle shape notch. I cut my paper to look like ribbon and used it as journaling strips at the edge of the photo. I made little triangle slots to slide the strips in to and then attached each strip with a brad. I also used the straight tip along the bottom of the layout so that I could weave patterned paper through the page.
On the layout "The Dora Pose" I have used the half-circle tip to create slots on the edge of each strip of patterned paper. I had a hole in each semi-circle and then strung ribbon from side to side, and then placed some photos over the ribbon.
Attaching a title by mounting letters on chipboard or cardstock and then stringing each tile through a notch in this same way is also very effective.
Review by Nic Wright...
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QuickStampz is the latest offering from Quickutz and is now available in Australia. I am so excited to be able to share what it is and how it works with you. I'm sure it will be one of the best new tools of 2006!
So what is QuickStampz? Well it is effectively a set of tools that come in a cute but sturdy tin, that allow you to use your Quickutz hand tool and dies to make foam stamps!!! The possibilities for making custom stamps is now amazing!! Just imagine paisley stamps, photo corner stamps, alpha stamps, shape, heart and patterned stamps - every die that Quickutz makes can now be turned into a foam stamp.
Inside your Quickutz QuickStampz tin, there is everything you need including:
All you need is your Quickutz hand tool and we are ready to start.
You do not need to use the die that comes with the kit - you can use any of your favourite dies. All you need to do is take your selected die and remove any foam that is currently attached to it (if you have already set the die for normal die cutting), then place it inside your Quickutz tool as per normal. Then take one of the thick sheets of stamping foam and insert it into your tool with the foam side down (and the adhesive side up). Press your tool down firmly and then remove. Pop out the accent or letter, peel off the adhesive backing and position on the rounded size of the rocker. Your foam stamp is now created!!
The thing that I really loved about this tool, is how much thought has gone into it's creation. It simply increases the use of the tools and dies that you already own, with the only outlay being the stamping kit which, once owned, will last such a long time with a bit of care. Going forward the only purchases you will need to make are for new dies and stamping foam.
The acrylic rockers are fantastic. Because they are not flat, you don’t end up with the corner of the stamp inked up when you press the stamp into the stamp pad! They are also clear so you can easily see where you are placing the stamp on your page, so no mistakes!
And the absolute best thing are the little grooves which make lining multiple foam die cuts up so easy! Not to mention that because they are plastic they are light and easy to clean!
Here is a layout I created using the exclusive die that came with the stamping kit. I love the dark dimension the stamp gave me to create a unique background pattern. It frames my picture and makes the bright spring colours I’ve used jump off the page. To create this, I started with my blank sheet of white cardstock and inked up my stamp, then stamped it onto my page, being careful to line it up with each of the shapes. I left the foam on the rocker so that when the rest of the page was finished I could add the top stamp over the photo. Other materials include: Quickutz Studio Font; SEI Chalk Paper and Kaboom Buttons; Junkitz Baby Blanket paper and Spring Fabric; Heidi Swapp Small Crimson Floral and DMC Cotton.
With the second layout I got more creative and used my Flower DooDads die. This die makes three flowers, so I put the large one on one rocker and the two small ones on the other rocker. This way I could start with my large one, then slot the other two in around the first. The flower cosmos at the top looks quite cool, especially finished off with some Carolee’s Creation Brads and doodling! I also tried the QuickStampz on my Studio Font Alphabet and was surprised at how easy it was to get a straight and clear title!! I am definitely one that struggles with lining my foam stamps up, so this was fantastic, and yep, all the letters are the right way round!! These were simply individually cut from the foam then lined up on the long rocker. In one press of the stamp pad the title was done! Other materials include Heidi Swapp Acrylic Paints in Betty, Butterscotch and Sea; Scenic Route Charlotte Eastern Ave Floral Aqua Paper; Sassafrass Lass Delight Paper; Basic Grey Flourish Rub-ons; SEI Sweetie Buttons and DMC Cotton.
Review by Rachel Axton...
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