Balzer Designs

Workflow: How I Work With Photos

A woman named Diana wrote me an e-mail with the following query:

As I took a look at your work I couldn't stop wondering what is your workflow. I guess what I would like know is how do you decide which pictures to use, how do you edit them, or decide which ones will be in black and white, where or how do you print them, size, etc...
 
I just started scrapbooking about a year ago and now I am having a hard time getting organized with this matter. I can't decide which pictures to use, printing, color, sizes, etc...

It's a great question.  Photos are the basis of everything we do in scrapbooking and I have found that if I can get the photos "right," the rest of it seems to come together very quickly.  So, here's my process...

1. I take a million photos of nothing.

I use the camera in my iphone almost every day to snap photos while I'm waiting for the bus, or of a big fancy plate of food at a restaurant, or whatever else seems to strike my fancy. My "real" camera is a Canon Digital Rebel XTi and it's fantastic.  I highly recommend it.  I try to take all my photos without the flash and so good lighting and a steady hand are important. 

2. I upload to iphoto.

I'm a Mac girl and so I use iphoto (comes pre-loaded with all Macs) to transfer my photos to my computer.  iphoto is a very simple program and I like the user interface.  I don't keyword my photos.  I know that I ought to (and iphoto has a great tagging system) but it's too time-consuming for my tastes.  I leave my photos in iphoto, unedited, until I'm ready to scrap them.

NOTE: Once I've scrapped an event or moment, I transfer those photos to my external hard drive (EHD) and delete them from iphoto.  My EHD is arranged by year and then each year is sub-categorized by event or subject (i.e. "Mom's birthday," "Random Photos of Julie," etc.)  This keeps me organized

3. I choose the substance of my layout or project.  Then I choose the photos.

What does that mean?  The "substance?"  I always start with a story that I'm trying to tell.  Let's work through an actual example.  Here's my substance:

Chicken fried steak and biscuits and gravy are childhood favorites of John's that he can't get very easily in New York City.  So, on this trip home, he ordered all of it at once!

So, now I want to choose photos that best tell this story.  Here is a screenshot from iphoto:

 

You can see that I have eleven photos relating to the story of John and his huge breakfast, but which ones best tell that story?  Well, since the focus of the story is the food, my main photo will be one of the food shots.  I just need to choose the one that makes him look the most gluttonous. For supporting photos, I will want to include at least one shot of him, and maybe two.  Uneven numbers (3 photos) tend to be pleasing.

Here are the photos I've chosen to use:

4. I edit almost every single photo I scrap.

Once I've chosen my photos, it's time to edit them.  iphoto does allow you to do some simple editing, but I prefer the control of Photoshop.  I primarily use Photoshop CS3.  But, almost all the basic editing I do can be done in Photoshop Elements as well.  

I start by editing my focal photo: The food.

 

 

You can see that I cropped the photo, and adjusted the lighting.  Now, there are two strikes against this photo being the focus of the page: (1) it's very busy and (2) it's of inanimate objects.  Therefore, I need to do something to the two photos of John to ensure that this photo remains the focus. An easy way is to use color.  The eye will look at a color photo before a black and white photo.  So, I will make the photos of him black and white, which you can see that I've done here:

 

I also cropped the photos, particularly the second one - it's a much tighter close-up of him than the original. 

5. Time to print!

Now that I've edited my photos, it's time to print them.  I print at home using an Epson PictureMate Deluxe.  It's a small printer that prints 4x6 photos.  So, most of the photos on my layouts are 4x6 or smaller.  To save paper, I often create a 4x6 canvas in Photoshop and place several smaller photos on it as below:

So, that's it!  That's the process I use to get my photos ready for scrapping!  Let me know if you have any questions!

How About a Year-Long Project?

This is a post I wrote for the Label Tulip blog, but I thought I'd post if over here in case anyone was interested in trying out a year-long project.  I do mention my Project Fifty-Two at the end, but there are a million other great ideas out there!

As we creep towards 2009, you might be thinking that now is the good time to get involved in a year-long crafty project.  I have to agree.  Here are some ideas that might interest you...

Project 365: A Photo a Day

As the title suggests, the goal is to take a photo every day and post it online with absolutely no photo editing.  I did this in 2008. Or, rather I tried to do this in 2008.  I did manage to take a photo almost every day, but the printing and keeping track of it kind of fell by the wayside.  But, Creating Keepsakes Magazine has come up with a genius kit-of-the-month to take care of that problem.  I'm truly tempted to try it again using this kit.  It's a two-page spread for every week done with slip-in page protectors.  So smart and so easy and so tempting!

The Diary Project

An artist named Kirsty Hall spent 2007 working on this.  Essentially, she wrote a note on piece of paper, placed it in an envelope, drew on the envelope, and mailed it to herself every single day.  I'm kind of charmed by the idea of sending it out into the universe and getting it back again.

A Life Well Crafted

Kolette and Jason Hall of Colorbök fame are running a year long course through the online classroom, "Big Picture Scrapbooking."  I'll admit that I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but it looks like Jason and Kolette will spend the year inspiring you to take risks and create a better life through crafting.  Intriguing and you can either buy a month-by-month "membership" or the whole year-long shebang.

Project 365: Draw the Line

The link above goes to George G's blog.  He draws something - from a portrait to a doodle - every single day and posts it to his blog.  I'm not a particularly good draw-er, but they say practice makes perfect. 

The Journal Quilt Project

This one has been going on and on for ages.  Basically, you create an 8.5x11" quilt once a week (or once a month).  In addition, you're meant to keep a diary of your thoughts on doing the project.  There's a great book that pulls from the first five years of the project called, Creative Quilting.  It's a huge book full of inspiration!

Project Fifty-Two

Finally, this is my own project for 2009.  The idea is to get a year of your life recorded in some way.  Every week for one year, participants will create something inspired by an event, a thought, or an emotion from that week.  And since I dabble in lots of different things, I wanted to make sure that other people who dabble could participate.  So, what you create doesn't have to be consistent.  You can create an art journal page one week and a quilt the next.  Or you could stay consistent and make fifty-two scrapbook layouts.

Why not try out a year-long project as part of your 2009?!

Christmas Went By in a Blur!

This photo makes these cards look awfully orange.  They're really a lovely bright red.  I just want to say a belated Merry Christmas to everyone!  And Happy Hannukah as well.  It's the sixth day, just two more candles to light!

Label Tulip in December

Due to postal issues, the Label Tulip reveal was super late this month.  But, it's well worth the wait!  Check out the design team gallery and get ready to drool!  Really super duper stuff.  So, without further ado, here are my creations...

• I overdyed the grey fabric red to get some nice color variations.  (LOVE that this kit has Amy Butler fabric!)
• The puffy hearts were created by stitching the fabric to felt and pulling tight to get some wrinkles.
• It’s so fun to see photos that span the last twelve years.  We are so different and yet so much the same!

•  To make the cover, I stitched strips of fabric around a transparency.  Here's a a hint: use scissors to snip a little edge in your fabric and then rip it the rest of the way for a nice frayed edge.
• I used scraps for most of the pages.  They are held together with the fabric tape.
• For the first time, I used a post from my blog to fill in the journaling.  So easy and totally practical!

• I painted the time card with Distress Crackle Paint, let it crackle, and then applied Distress ink to the card, over the paint.  Then I spritzed the card with water and wiped away the excess ink (the Crackle Paint resists the ink).
• I hand cut the flowers from some patterned paper.  The leaves were stamped and embossed, over inked, and then hand cut.  Then the flowers and leaves were layered with foam adhesive.
• I stitched a strip of the orange patterned paper into a ruffle and used it as the base of my foliage.
• The title is painted with a thin paintbrush.

• I used alcohol inks to “paint” the transparency before I laid it over a piece of patterned paper.
• I used a combination of paint and glitter glue to create my title.  The numbers are pure paint.
• By the way, these are the most unflattering photos on earth!  But, I practice what I preach and I totally put them in my book (and on the internet)!

• I created the circles by hand cutting some wonky circles from orange cardstock.  The larger circles all got dabbed with blue paint while the smaller circles all got a brad pushed through them.  I used foam adhesive to put the two together.
• I used an old toothbrush to crate the paint spatters you see.
• The title is painted too and then outlined with white pen and inlined with a black pen.

• I inked the edges of all the photos.
• I inked the orange and green papers with three colors of brown to create a worn, fabric-like appearance.
• I didn’t have enough felt “h’s” so I made one from a “u” and and an “i.”

And as a super special bonus (and one I better post before I get cold feet), here is another layout using my December kit, but when I finished I decided it was awful!  So, I didn't submit it to the Label Tulip gallery for this month.  What do you think?  Is it as bad as I think?  Or even worse?  LOL....

Thanks for stopping by!

E-mail in my Inbox...

Lots of good news came into my inbox very suddenly!  I had a layout picked up by Scrapbook Trends.  My very first time in that magazine.  I'm quite excited.  And I have just been invited to join two different design teams, beginning in 2009: Sugarplum Paperie and Right at Home Scrapbooking. 

Sugarplum Paperie is the storefront of a digital designer named Nicole.  I read her blog and she had a call up for some guest designers, so I tossed my hat into the ring.  She surprised me by asking me to become a permanent member of her hybrid team! 

Right at Home Scrapbooking is a wonderful store in North Attleboro, MA.  It was the first LSS I ever visited and I really consider it my hometown LSS in many ways.  It was the first LSS I ever took a class at, and I do go and visit every time I'm in the area.  I'm so thrilled to be a part of their team!  And I made this little blinkie for them last night:

Also this very talented woman was kind enough to give me this:

Sue is scrappy and quilty and has that artsy-fartsy sensibility that I so enjoy!  You should definitely check out her blog!  And now, the 'Fabulous' Award rules:

1. You have to pass it on to 5 fabulous blogs.
2. You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions.
3. Make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.

My brother is on his way to Europe for the holidays, so I thought I'd feature 5 fabulous European blogs today...

1. Scrapbook-Trends - a lover of paint and ink and getting messy, plus the nicest gal in the world!
2. Little Corner of Ania - crazy talented scrapper and DT member for every company you've ever wished you could design for!
3. My Crafty Life - this man is the template king.  He posts all sorts of very cool templates that he's designed. 
4. The Green Frog Studio - crazy talented and extremely prolific French scrapper.  Love her painty-ness.
5. Wilna's Blog - okay, so she's South African and living in Canada, so not European, but I do love her stuff!

And five fabulous scrapbooking addictions, otherwise known as five things I must have when I scrap...

1. ATG
2. Teflon Craft Sheet
3. Sakura Pigma Micron
4. Cutterbees
5. Ranger Distress Ink

Thanks for stopping by!

Project Fifty-Two: Time to Get Ready...

2009 is almost here!  Which means that it's almost time for Project Fifty-Two to get going.  Remember, this is meant to be a no-stress project.  Just another way of getting creative and recording a bit about your life.  (If you'd like to read all the previous Project Fity-Two related posts, click here.)

• If you would like to join the flickr group for Project Fifty-Two, you can find it here.
• If you would like a blinkie/icon for your blog, you can download either of these:

Now, remember that list that I asked you to make?  Basically, I just suggested that you write down a list of crafty projects that you wanted to get to "someday."  Now it's time for the next step.  Put it somewhere safe and forget about it.  Okay, you're probably thinking, "What an odd instruction."  That list is not something that I want stressing you out or weighing down on you.  That list is for a rainy day.  When you're creatively drained and out of time, pull out that list and do the first thing that appeals to you.  Trust me.  It's an easy way to kick yourself out of a creative slump.

I'm very much looking forward to January 1.  I can't wait to get started!  I hope you'll join me!

UTEE Heart Mosaic

I sent this layout

to Suze Weinberg, the melting pot guru, and she put it in her newsletter!  A couple people wrote to and asked me to provide some instructions.  So, I thought I'd write them up for everyone to see.

I was looking for a cool way to do mosaic tiles and so I invented this super easy technique!

Supplies: UTEE clear, To Dye For Red, UTEE flex, Teflon Craft Sheet, Melting Pot, Glossy Accents, Pencil, Eraser, White Cardstock

NOTE: These instructions assume that you know how to use a melting pot.  I plan to post a video tutorial sometime after the holidays for those of you who don't know how it works.

Instructions:

1. Pre-Heat your pot and then melt some UTEE clear in it. 
2. Once it's melted add a few beads of flex.  You may be wondering why I'm using flex since we want it to break into the mosaic pieces?  If you don't use flex, it shatters into shards that are too small and pointy to be useful.  A little bit of flex makes for more manageable shards in my opinion.
3. Add a few drops of To Dye For Red.  Integrate it into the pot.
4. Pour the UTEE onto your Teflon Craft Sheet, at a thin to medium thickness.  Let cool.
5. Once cool, start breaking it apart with your hands.  Place any shards you don't like back into the melting pot.
6. Add more To Dye For Red to the re-melted shards.  This creates the color variation with the darker red you see in parts of the heart.
7. Repeat the pouring, cooling, and breaking steps.
8. Draw an outline of a heart with a pencil.  I drew mine freehand because I don't mind it being wonky, but you can trace something if you're more of a perfectionist.
9. Start filling in the heart with your shards.  I filled the whole heart in and when I was happy with the placement of everything, I applied Glossy Accents to the back of each shard in order to adhere it to the cardstock.
10. Erase your pencil line.
11. I found that the Glossy Accents didn't hold the shards to the cardstock as well as I had hoped, so I ended up "grouting" the entire mosaic with glossy accents.  It's easy to do, simply fill in every crack with Glossy Accents (it's self-leveling and won't drift much from where you place it) and let it dry.

When people see this layout in real life, they're convinced that it's glass and when they touch it, they're shocked to feel plastic.  How cool, is that?!  With color variation and some patience, I think you could do all sorts of amazing mosaic projects! I'm excited to try!

And totally unrelated, Just Let Me Scrapbook is offering 40% off!  Just use the coupon code "SYOS08" and be sure to tell them Julie sent you!  Only good through December 16!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

True Vision and Two More Sneaks

I've been enjoying slowly reading and working through a book called, "True Vision: Authentic Art Journaling."  It's by a woman named L.K. Ludwig.  Today, I read something so genius in it. 

"There is a certain excitement that is generated when we acquire a found-object treasure.  When we look at the found object, we think, 'Oh, wow! That would be great in....'  'That would work perfectly for....'  'I could use this in a piece on....'  Excitedly, we snap up our find and carry it back to our studio, where we admire it, perhaps turning it over in our hands, and then we place it carefully onto a shelf or a tabletop or into a drawer.  Unfortunately, the creative energy generated by the found object, all the possibilities for its use, and the excitement surrounding the found object go onto the shelf or into the drawer with the object.  We give up the creativity to preserve the object, even though we obtained the object with the intent of using it.

This sort of self-defeating behavior has its roots in fear -- fear of running out of good stuff, fear of never finding another one, fear of ruining the object.  And, while some of these fears are legitimate, a certain amount of art making involves risk taking.  There will always be good stuff to be found, and the next treasure is always waiting.  Missing the opportunity to capture that creative energy is a true waste.  In other words, use your good stuff.  There is always more good stuff to be had."

I love the second paragraph.  Every word of it speaks to me. 

"Art making involves risk taking."  That line in particular sticks out to me.  It is usually when I feel out of control and unclear as to whether the result will be brilliant or horrible that I end up loving the result.  When I'm super careful, the process is boring and the result often is too. 

And, as I've mentioned before, I'm a hoarder.  The notion that I'm going to ruin something I love by using it is one I clearly identify with.  It needs to become my 2009 mantra, "There is always more good stuff to be had."  On a purely personal level, it's a good mantra for life, not just crafting.  I've had a few disappointments and setbacks recently and rather than dwelling on them, I think it's good to keep moving forward.  Tomorrow is a new day and offers the opportunity for something fabulous to happen!  Right?

Before I go today, how about two more Label Tulip sneaks?  Here you go...

Thanks for stopping by!

An Award and Five Creative Posts...

Michelle LaPoint Rydell was kind enough to give me the Kreativ Blogger Award.  Much appreciated Michelle, thank you!  For those of you who don't know Michelle, she's a super creative and arsty fartsy scrapbooker. I very much identify with her free spirited sensibility.

As you know, part of the deal with this award, is to pass it on by pointing out five other bloggers you love.  But, I thought I'd shake it up a bit and point out five creative ideas that I love.  I've come across some amazing ideas lately and I wanted to share!

1. Genius Acrylic Stamp Storage.  Seriously.  This woman is a genius! She bought an old French door and used the panes of glass to create standing storage for her stamps - and she can see every single stamp!  Wish I had the space for something so cool and creative!

2. Pop-Up Cards Instructions.  Say that ten times fast.  Master of the Pop-Up, Robert Sabuda, has instructions for many cool (and holiday appropriate) cards.  I love the reindeer and the tree.

3. Let there be *adorable* lights!  These are surprisingly good looking fairy lights made from egg cartons!  Egg cartons!  I am definitely going to give this tutorial a whirl!  Looks so cute!

4. DIY Fabric Scarf Holder.  I love the look of this simple to sew scarf holder.  I don't know about you, but there are only two of us in this house and yet there are always a million scarves lying on the floor of the closet.  This is definitely an easy fix that you can stitch up in an afternoon!  I love it!  (Although, it looks like it's stapled into the wall, and I'm not about to do that part of it.)

5. Faux Enamel.  Easy to follow step-by-step directions for stunning results!  I love this project.  It was the very first blog post I ever bookmarked.  Just too too cool!

bonus: And I would be remiss if I didn't point out Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of Christmas.  He has outdone himself this year with cool ideas that just blow my mind.  The recent faux snow tutorial can only be the work of an evil genius.

Thanks for stopping by!

Label Tulip: December Sneaks!

The Label Tulip December kit arrived yesterday and today I sat down to play.  I had fun splashing around in my paints and mixing them up with all the great papers and embellishments in this kit!  Here are a few peeks at what you can expect...

I haven't even started on the add-on kit or the grab bag I bought!  Kits go up for sale on December 15 (or you can subscribe to guarantee you get one). 

Also, I just wanted to share my friend Riv's project and the discovery we made. 

She came over to make one of my book frames, but she brought a paperback instead of a hardcover book.  All the glue started to wrinkle the pages.  So, I suggested that she sit on the book to create heat and pressure.   And that seemed to straighten everything out!  A good crafty tip, eh?

Thanks for stopping by!