I thought I'd take some time to publicly answer a few of the questions I've gotten lately that you might find interesting!
Q:
I have a question about the process of creating a database for your scrapbooking. Do you use a particular software? How do you organize your layouts?
Posted by: Mattie Ettenheim | July 04, 2010 at 03:11 PM
A: I use a databasing program called Filemaker. I was able to custom create a database that has exactly what I need. Here's what it looks like:
For each layout I create I am able to enter the vital stats…
…insert photos, keep technique notes…
…and even keep track of submissions, publications, where it has been posted online, etc. One of the benefits of Filemaker is that I can search the database in about a thousand different ways to find what I need. For example, I can search by "never been online" + "summer" + "multi-photo" and immediately find out where the digital scan of the layout is located, as well as which album holds the actual physical layout. Pretty cool, right? It does, of course, require that I enter all of the information after every single layout I create. And that can be a pain and time consuming. But I think it's worth it!
Before Filemaker I kept individual word document files, which was fine, but unsearchable. If I were to do it again without Filemaker I think an excel spreadsheet would be a great idea. It's searchable and easy to work with!
Q: Thanks for sharing the apron instructions! Do you already have
instructions up on the rolled canvas roses?
Michelle via e-mail
A: Unfortunately, I do not have instructions for the rolled canvas roses posted to my blog. Because I do a lot of teaching and demonstrating for Prima (and they sell a lot of flowers), it's kind of a conflict of interest. However if you type "rolled fabric roses" into google, you will find a long list of great tutorials!
Q: I would like to know what kind of paint brush you use that allows you to get such small writing, with that much control. The ones I have flop all over the place. I would love to know specifics, because I know nothing about paint brushes – would like to be able to just go to the art store and say "I need one of these" Hahah!
Posted by: JJ | June 29, 2010 at 03:53 PM
A: I use a round paintbrush, size 0 or 2. I really like the brush pack from Ranger that is sold under the Claudine Hellmuth Studio name. It has several brushes (including a size 2) and they're good quality. I highly recommend them. You can buy the whole pack for about $7.
If you don't want all those brushes, buy a size 0 or 2 round brush, synthetic bristles from any art supply store. Don't be afraid of buying a student grade brush. I find the student grade products are perfectly awesome for what I do. However beware of those cheap craft store kids brushes. They can be very frustrating because the bristles fall out and won't come to a nice tip.
Q: When you put your 1 pagers in an album, do you put anything in the facing page protector? Do you have them all mixed up or keep one side for LOs and the other empty? Do you mix 1-pagers together with 2-pagers?
Posted by: Jill Green | July 04, 2010 at 07:38 AM
A: I use three-ring albums for all of my layouts these days and I do just put random layouts next to each other.
I also throw some 8.5×11 and two-page layouts into the mix. Here's a two-page 8.5×11 layout.
You can see that there's a big gap between the pages. And the previous 12×12 and next 12×12 page both peek through at the edges. I don't mind the way it looks at all!
In this next photo you can see that I've flipped the page and have an 8.5×11 layout next to a 12×12 layout.
I think that how you set up your albums is entirely up to you, but I like putting it all into an album and not worrying too much about it. That said I'm also the kind of person who refuses to buy furniture sets or match my clothes with any sense of normalcy, so take it for what you will! I'm just a mixy-matchy kind of gal! 😉
Q: How did u make the zentangle ring that u were wearing on scrapbook memories today. My 10 year old loved it & would like to try and make one
Posted by: Cyndie Weiss | June 25, 2010 at 12:41 AM
A: This is a fun and easy project:
1. Buy a ring blank (or make your own, which is what I like to do).
2. Cut two small squares of white paper, one to fit on top of the other, and doodle your zentagles.
Be sure to use a waterproof pen like the Sakura Pigma Micron or your
drawing will run during the next step.
3. Coat your zentangles in UTEE. I like to use the melting pot to do this, but you can do it with clear embossing ink and several layers of UTEE.
4. Adhere the UTEE coated squares to each other and to your ring blank using a strong jewelry adhesive like E6000. You really must use a serious adhesive or it will fall apart on you. And then simply slip it on your finger!
You can also make a ring this way using patterned paper, book pages, or fabric. Here's a piece of canvas that I painted…
…and the ring that resulted!
The UTEE makes it stiff and shiny. Check out the supershine in this photo:
those rings are so fun! love it!
those rings are so fun! love it!
those rings are so fun! love it!
those rings are so fun! love it!
THANK YOU, JULIE! Whew! After seeing your unmatched one-page layouts next to each other, I can finally say that I’ve found scrapbooking FREEDOM!
As you may remember, I am fairly new to scrapbooking, and I’ve only completed three double-page layouts since I met you in person last January at CHA in Anaheim, CA.
Why? Because I would stare at the large empty space of a double-spread layout thinking I needed a degree in interior design or architecture in order to decorate the vast paper real estate in front of me. And so, I just pouted and did absolutely nothing. My photos just accumulated.
But tonight, I promise I will do a one-pager with relief. Tomorrow, I will attempt another layout without worrying about matching it to its neighboring layout in the album.
THANKS AGAIN! You are certainly touching lives with your generosity and colorful blog.
I have NOT found another scrapbooker who willingly shares her artistic secrets.
May God bless you!
You are highly admired and LOVED, Julie!
Damiane Lucas
THANK YOU, JULIE! Whew! After seeing your unmatched one-page layouts next to each other, I can finally say that I’ve found scrapbooking FREEDOM!
As you may remember, I am fairly new to scrapbooking, and I’ve only completed three double-page layouts since I met you in person last January at CHA in Anaheim, CA.
Why? Because I would stare at the large empty space of a double-spread layout thinking I needed a degree in interior design or architecture in order to decorate the vast paper real estate in front of me. And so, I just pouted and did absolutely nothing. My photos just accumulated.
But tonight, I promise I will do a one-pager with relief. Tomorrow, I will attempt another layout without worrying about matching it to its neighboring layout in the album.
THANKS AGAIN! You are certainly touching lives with your generosity and colorful blog.
I have NOT found another scrapbooker who willingly shares her artistic secrets.
May God bless you!
You are highly admired and LOVED, Julie!
Damiane Lucas
THANK YOU, JULIE! Whew! After seeing your unmatched one-page layouts next to each other, I can finally say that I’ve found scrapbooking FREEDOM!
As you may remember, I am fairly new to scrapbooking, and I’ve only completed three double-page layouts since I met you in person last January at CHA in Anaheim, CA.
Why? Because I would stare at the large empty space of a double-spread layout thinking I needed a degree in interior design or architecture in order to decorate the vast paper real estate in front of me. And so, I just pouted and did absolutely nothing. My photos just accumulated.
But tonight, I promise I will do a one-pager with relief. Tomorrow, I will attempt another layout without worrying about matching it to its neighboring layout in the album.
THANKS AGAIN! You are certainly touching lives with your generosity and colorful blog.
I have NOT found another scrapbooker who willingly shares her artistic secrets.
May God bless you!
You are highly admired and LOVED, Julie!
Damiane Lucas
THANK YOU, JULIE! Whew! After seeing your unmatched one-page layouts next to each other, I can finally say that I’ve found scrapbooking FREEDOM!
As you may remember, I am fairly new to scrapbooking, and I’ve only completed three double-page layouts since I met you in person last January at CHA in Anaheim, CA.
Why? Because I would stare at the large empty space of a double-spread layout thinking I needed a degree in interior design or architecture in order to decorate the vast paper real estate in front of me. And so, I just pouted and did absolutely nothing. My photos just accumulated.
But tonight, I promise I will do a one-pager with relief. Tomorrow, I will attempt another layout without worrying about matching it to its neighboring layout in the album.
THANKS AGAIN! You are certainly touching lives with your generosity and colorful blog.
I have NOT found another scrapbooker who willingly shares her artistic secrets.
May God bless you!
You are highly admired and LOVED, Julie!
Damiane Lucas
great q&a!!!
fun tip : staple the page protectors on the inner seam to keep the 2 page spreads looking attached. 🙂 i know you don’t care how it looks but i thought maybe one of your readers might!
great q&a!!!
fun tip : staple the page protectors on the inner seam to keep the 2 page spreads looking attached. 🙂 i know you don’t care how it looks but i thought maybe one of your readers might!
great q&a!!!
fun tip : staple the page protectors on the inner seam to keep the 2 page spreads looking attached. 🙂 i know you don’t care how it looks but i thought maybe one of your readers might!
great q&a!!!
fun tip : staple the page protectors on the inner seam to keep the 2 page spreads looking attached. 🙂 i know you don’t care how it looks but i thought maybe one of your readers might!
this is a loaded post, thanks so much for all the tips, I love the rings, beautiful.
this is a loaded post, thanks so much for all the tips, I love the rings, beautiful.
this is a loaded post, thanks so much for all the tips, I love the rings, beautiful.
this is a loaded post, thanks so much for all the tips, I love the rings, beautiful.