Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

Store Bought

• Try painting with sponge cut-outs
• Sprinkle on some glitter
• Decorate with buttons or charms
• Glue cinnomin sticks around the bottom half of candle
• Paint or stamp a design on white tissue paper, then glue to outside of candle
• Apply studs or beads

Wax Crystals

• No time to melt the wax to make the candles? Try the new wax crystals on the market. Just pour into heat resistant container (think of oven safe items because candles do heat up!). The wicking for this type of candle is a waxed wire core.
• Wax crystals can be scented with oils or colored with food coloring. Just place crystals in a zip lock bag and add the oil or color and shake!
• Try layering different colors of crystals and using a blunt tool like a spoon or butter knife to create patterns or designs. This method is much like working with sand.

Beeswax

• Still no time to melt down some wax? Try the great natural smelling beeswax sheets. These candles are usually hand rolled. Place soft or unwaxed wicking onto one edge and roll the sheet into a candle. The real trick is making sure the first roll is very tight. Keep top and bottom edges even.
• Beeswax is naturally adhesive. Sprinkle glitter to a rolled candle and the glitter will adhere all by itself. Lightweight items like dried florals, buttons, and ribbon will also stay stuck without adding glue. Remove flammables before lighting candle.
• Beeswax may have a dusty white coat. This is called Bloom. All you have to do is lightly heat the sheet of wax with a blow dryer to have the bloom disappear.
• Did you find the time to melt the wax? Then try the new heating bags available for no fuss, no mess melting. Just break up wax and place in the bag. Now place the bag in low boiling water! Pour melted wax into molds. Melted wax can be colored with dyes, crayons, or scrap colored waxes for tints.

Candle Tips

• Place candles in the refrigerator at least 4 hours before burning for a longer, cleaner burning candle.
• Never throw out scraps or ends of candles. Melt them down when making new dipping candles. Dipping candles are made by melting wax in a double boiler and repeated dipping the wick into the hot wax. Layer after layer builds the candle. The last few layers can be clean, unused wax.

Once you have a grasp of the elements of design you need to apply the elements to your scrapbooking pages. This process is made easier when you understand the principles of design. Don’t let the fancy wording intimidate you. As a child, you learned to tie your shoes by breaking the process down into steps and then using each step to form a finish bow that kept your shoes from falling off. Today, you just tie your shoes without much thought. The principles of design can become that easy too. Four principles that are useful to scrapbooking are

• Contrast
• Proportion
• Balance
• Harmony

Contrast And Proportion

Some contrast must be used on your scrapbook page so that all the parts don’t blend into each other. You are not really emphasizing one part over another, but helping guide the eye through the page so nothing is missed. Often your photo lends to this principal. Let the photo stand out from the title, captions or journaling. The eye first focuses on the photo and then slide down to read the caption. Contrast can be achieved by combining different sizes, shapes, lines or colors. Contrast isn’t meant to distract the eye, but guide it from one element to another on your scrapbook page.

Proportion is the relationship between the size of your photos, memorabilia and journaling and how each is placed on the background paper. Shapes can also play a role. Proportion can be balanced with contrast or unity.

Balance

Balance means to equalize the weight of the elements of design. A formal balance would mean that all the parts of your scrapbook page are of equal weight and are placed symmetrically. Informal balance can be achieved when you vary the value, shape, size and location of your scrapbook parts often creating an asymmetrical design.

Harmony

Harmony or unity gives the sense of all the elements belonging or working together. Your scrapbook page should be viewed or seen, as a whole not just parts thrown on a page. This can be done by not overwhelming a page with too many shapes, lines, colors or textures. Too busy means there is no harmony.

The Ultimate Preservation Solution
Preservation Copying In A Nutshell

No matter how well any paper or photographic item is stored eventually the item will degrade to the point where it is either prohibitively expensive to repair it or where repair is no longer possible. When this point is reached copying is the only practical way to preserve the material into the future. Although modern copying technology can preserve items otherwise destined to be lost, most copying technologies do not reproduce the original item with total accuracy. Small amounts of definition and clarity are lost each time an image is copied. This loss of clarity becomes more pronounced over several generations of copies, as you may have encountered when you’ve made a copy or a copy. It is not quite the same quality as the original. Digital technology is the only current way to create an exact duplicate of the original, however because digital technology is stored in electro-magnetic media, like VCR tape it is susceptible to the very rapid decay. Despite its limitations, copying is the only practical way for the layman to preserve many items.

• Paper items can be either photographed or copied using a photocopier. The image placed on paper by a photocopier is very stable, however, care should be taken to place the image on good-quality paper. Acid-free paper is a must. Paper marketed as photocopier paper and loaded into most commercial coin operated photocopiers is usually of poor quality.
• When photographic copies of documents or photographs are made care should be taken to select a photographer experienced in copy work. Copy photography is as much an art as a science and an experienced hand will obtain the best copy image.
• Contemporary color photographs of significant importance to a family should be copied about twenty-five years after they are taken in order to preserve their original color hues.
• Material that has been glued in scrapbooks is very difficult to copy. Usually the only solution is to destroy the scrapbook or the scrapbook page in order to make good copies of the items found within the volume.

The First Rule Of Genealogy

The first rule of genealogy is simple: Do not do what can’t be undone. We highly recommend you write that sentence 100 times and then paste it to your Family Heritage Journal. Joking aside, exactly what does this rule mean to you and me as amateur genealogists? Take a look at this list of don’ts.

1. Do not cut or crop any old photos that don’t have a negative. Only cut or crop copies of a photograph.
2. Do not write on a photograph in dark permanent or water-based ink. Water-based inks can bleed or run if wet harming the photograph.
3. Do not laminate any documents or original photographs. You can’t undo lamination without harming or destroying paper or photograph. Make copies and laminate the copy.
4. Do not write or make notes on any paper documents. Even pencil marking that can be erased might harm the document.
5. Do not eat or drink near any documents, photographs or memorabilia. Accidents happen and the result can be permanent damage to your family treasures.

Supplies Needed

Polymer Clay: Clay specifically designed to be cured in household oven or toaster oven
Air Dry Clay: Also called paper clay. Air dries so there is no need to heat or bake.
Clean Surface: Clay picks up every dust or particle on the work surface and your hands.
Dedicated Rolling Pin: To evenly flatten clay if necessary for your project.
Cookie Sheet or Baking Tray: To place clay items on to bake, cover with aluminum foil.
Rubberstamps, Clay Tools, Molds: To make patterns or images into the clay.
Craft Knife, NuBlade™, Tissue Blade (or other thin cutting tool).
Oven: Pre-heated to 250 degrees or temperature recommended by manufacturer.
Optional: Dedicated Pasta Machine or Food Processing Unit (to condition clay). Once clay is used in either machine, that machine should not be used to any consumable food preparation.

Step-by-Step

Polymer Clay

1. Preheat oven to temperature recommended by manufacturer. Make sure you check the label because not all manufacturers recommend the same cooking temperature.
2. Wash your hands thoroughly. Condition the clay by kneading it in your hands until pliable.
3. Roll clay out to about ¼” thickness. Stamp an image into the clay with a rubberstamp. Or press clay into any type of mold and remove. You can also make 3-D figures like a teddy bear or snowman. Trim with cutting tool if needed.
4. Place on clean cooking sheet. Place in heated oven.
5. Note cooking time on label. Manufacturers vary, but an average is 15 minutes per 1/4” thickness. Clay hardness as it is cured/cooked by the heat.

Air Dry Clay
          Same process as above, but no need to condition clay or bake
          the clay, just allow the clay to dry for 24 hours.

Tips

• There are wonderful cutting, shaping, and design tools on the market for polymer clays, but don’t forget that toothpicks, paper clips, cookie cutters, and pencils are handy tools too.
• Polymer clay and air dry clay adheres to most surfaces with a dab or two of glue.
• Make an embellishment for the front of a scrapbook, diary or journal.
• Another wonderful way to use your rubberstamps. You can make buttons to coordinate your designs and projects.
• Store unused clay in an airtight container like a zip-lock plastic bag.

Supplies Needed

Photos: Black and white photo. Remember that you can have a color photo printed in black and white at your photo processor or on your own computer if you have a photo quality printer.
Tinting Markers or Photo Tinting Kit: These are a special marker designed for coloring on photos. The tints are very subtle. There are several brands available. Some manufacturers have a liquid compound included with the photo tinting kit. Follow manufacturer’s labeling and instructions.

Step-by-Step

1. Read and follow specific manufacturer’s labeling and instructions.
2. Apply liquid pre-tinting solution if applicable.
3. Work one area at a time. Work with one color of marker at a time.
4. Gently rub the marker in a smooth fashion over the area you want to tint/color. You don’t have to push down on the marker.
5. Since the colors are so soft and subtle, you need to “build” color. Go over an area and step back from the photo. Do you want more color? Go over the area again and step back from the photo. Keep “building” layers of the color until satisfied with the final hue.
6. Repeat process for all other photo areas you want to color
7. Allow photo to dry for 24 hours before using or framing.

Tips

• Have your subject wear light clothing with some contrast. Extremely dark colors will appear almost black on the photo print and tint colors will not be detectible.
• Avoid any heavy shadowing in a photo especially around the face. Shoot outdoors or with a flash.
• When photographing people use props as a way to add interest and charm to the photo. Props like hats, dolls or teddy bears or flowers.
• Avoid busy backgrounds.
• Color only the prop or other focal point of the photo.
• Don’t forget that landscapes can be fun to photo tint.

• Get closer. When you look through your viewfinder it is natural for you to focus all of your attention on the subject. However, your camera isn’t doing the same. Standing too far away can lead to your subject getting lost in the landscape or background. Move closer so you can see more detail. Or if your camera has a zoom lens, let the lens do the work. Next time you take a picture of your best friend, let her face fill the viewfinder and you’ll get some amazing results.
• Keep steady. Nothing blurs a great photo faster than unsteady hands. Hold the camera with both hands and gently push the shutter button down. Taking a normal breath and holding it while you shoot a photograph can also help. You might also consider using a tripod.
• Vertical vertigo. Most photos are taken with a horizontal frame. It’s natural, and done without thinking. But why not shoot a photo vertically every now and then? Next time you get ready to shoot a photo take a few extra seconds and turn your camera sideways. You might get a better shot. Many people or objects look better, like full-body shots or tall buildings, when you take a vertical picture. This also helps when you lay out your photos to create a scrapbook page—vertical photos add variety by giving you different lines, shapes, forms, and perspective.
• Background matters. Keep your backgrounds free from clutter. A plain background brings focus to the subject you are photographing. When you look through the camera viewfinder, learn to pay attention to the area surrounding your subject. Make sure no trees grow from the head of your grandson and that no wires seem to stretch from Uncle Bill’s shoulders.
• Better off-center. It can become a habit to always put your subject in the center of your viewfinder and click, but centering is not always the best placement. Take time to play with shifting your subject to the left or right of center. Keeping the subject a bit off center adds to the variety of line, shape, form, balance, and harmony of your photograph, which in turn will lead to more exciting photos for your scrapbook pages.
• Dramatic black and white. Since black-and-white photos are known to have a longer life than most color photographs and also produce a more dramatic effect, it’s a good idea to include them in picturing taking. With standard cameras, this means purchasing black-and-white film. Some digital cameras have a grayscale mode that digitally reproduces the photos as black and white. Photo-editing software also has a grayscale feature that allows you to change a scanned color photo to black and white for printing.

Tips

• Know your camera. Read your camera manual and refer back to it if you have any problems. It is very important you know what all the buttons, selections, and features are and what you do to use them. Cameras have settings that help you take better up-close portraits or far-reaching landscapes. Cameras have buttons that adjust for available lighting, from a cloudy day to bright midday sun. By using the available technology, you will be rewarded with better photographs. Once you know how to use your camera, the best advice I can give is to practice as much as you can. This means keeping that camera handy for any and all photo opportunities.
• Create the scene. Do more than aim and click your camera. Take charge and get the photo you want. As you look through the viewfinder, take time to really see what’s going on. Ask people to move closer together for a better shot. Tell Grandpa Ralph to lean slightly to the left or right. Add a prop. Remove a hat. Do whatever it takes to make the photo better, tell a story, or, better yet, make you smile.
• Light might. The most vital part of every photograph you take is the light. It affects the appearance of everything you photograph. Harsh light can make your human or animal subjects squint and grimace. Not enough light results in shadowy darkness in which details can be lost. If the lighting is not right then move yourself or your subject. Check the settings on your camera and adjust for bright light, cloudiness, incandescent, or florescent light and moonlight.
• If you are using a camera with film, film speed also affects the resulting exposure. Knowing you will have a day in bright sun photographing running children calls for a different film speed than a day of indoor flash photography capturing posed family groups.
• Learn when to use your flash to fill in with light and when you should use your red-eye reducer. According to Kodak, the number one flash mistake is taking pictures beyond the flash’s range. Photos taken beyond the maximum flash range will be too dark. As a general rule most cameras have a maximum flash range of less than 15 feet. You can find your flash range in your camera manual.
• Digital cameras will give you options to select indoor and outdoor lighting. It’s important that you select the correct lighting to get the best results.
• Eye to eye. One-on-one eye contact can bring a photograph to life. When taking someone’s photo, remember to get to that person’s eye level. This is especially important when photographing children. You may have to kneel, bend, or hunch, but the effort is worth it. Your subject doesn’t always have to look directly at the camera because by being at eye level you create a personal and warm feeling to the photo.