Scrapbooking Supplies

How to Make Your Title Work Shine

by Jean Manis on March 28, 2012 · 0 comments

in Scrapbooking Ideas, Scrapbooking Supplies, Scrapbooking Tutorials

I often get stuck in the title work blahs, from both the design and creative wording perspective. I’m primarily a digital scrapper, and I’ll find a favorite font, apply a style that gives it some dimension, and use it again and again for a one- or two-word title. In a word, boring!

To get myself out of the rut, I decided to investigate what makes the title work of layouts stand out from the crowd. Although fantastic title work can be created with the use of a Silhouette machine, with masks and spray mists, with stamps or printed “word art” stickers and tags (to name just a few options), I’m not discussing those here.

Furthermore, because there are a whole set of different options available in the digital scrapping world (for example, reverse type subtitles can easily be created on the computer), this article focuses on traditional letter/alphabet products.

After looking through countless layouts, I found that variety and contrast between the pieces of the title phrase make for more interesting and eye-catching titles.

For phrase title suggestions, check out Peppermint Creative’s Title & Phrase Guide. I’ve used phrases from the Spring category in my examples below.

Obviously, there are countless combinations and no strict rules to how to put products together. Let’s look at a few of the currently available product options and how they could be used on a layout:

Mix bigger letters with smaller ones

This combination is especially effective when you want to highlight one word in the title phrase such as “first signs of SPRING” using larger letters.

Black Pantry Fresh Squeezed Glitter Foam Thickers by American Crafts

Happily Lost Collection 12 x 12 Cardstock Stickers by Lily Bee Design

Although a sticker sheet doesn’t provide dimension to a layout in the same way that a chipboard alpha sticker does, it’s an affordable way to get a combination of large and small letters onto your layout.

A Boy’s Life 12X12 Alphabet Stickers by Echo Park Paper Co.

Mix materials

Combine a large wood alpha with smaller, non-dimensional sticker letters

Another option for a phrase title with emphasis on one or two of the words, such as “spring is in the air”.

Wood Chip Wood Shop Alphabets by Pink Paislee

Sidewalks Mini Market Alpha Stickers by October Afternoon

Combine corrugated paper letters with smaller, non-dimensional sticker letters

Kool Kraft Corrugated Alphabet by Jillibean Soup

Nature Garden Collection Textured Alphabet Stickers by Prima

Mix similarly sized alpha of different colors

This option works well for phrases such as “A DAY IN MAY” where no part of the phrases gets more emphasis than the other, or for combining names or initials on a layout as in “W & J”.

Waterfall Doll Fabric Chipboard Peachy Keen Thickers by American Crafts

Amy Tangerine Goodness Slate Printed Chip Thickers by American Crafts

Mix capital letters with lower-case letters (of the same color)

This option works well where one or two words of the title phrase are being emphasized such as “a BOUQUET of spring” or “a bouquet of SPRING”.

Autumn Press Alpha Sticker Sheet by Studio Calico

Picadilly Alphabet Stickers by BasicGrey

Mix block letters with italics or script

The use of this combination depends on the sizes of the two letters being combined. If the two alphas are more or less the same size, use it for titles where no one word gets more emphasis such as “Spring fling”.

Waterfall Doll Fabric Chipboard Peachy Keen Thickers by American Crafts

Garden Cafe Pond Custard Foam Thickers by American Crafts

If the block letters are larger than the italic letters (or vice versa) use the combination for emphasis on one of the words as in “hop into SPRING”.

Amy Tangerine Goodness Slate Printed Chip Thickers by American Crafts

Beetle Black Loopy Lou Letter Stickers by Doodlebug Design

Country Picnic Collection Corrugated Alphabet by Pebbles

Bright Side Alphabet Cardstock Stickers by Lawn Fawn

Inspirational Layouts

Eclectic Fashion Sense by Sarah Webb

Two Reasons by jacksonsmama

Don’t Be Fooled By The Dress by amyheller

2 Little Monkeys by AllisonWaken

All The Great Moments by nngo409

Explore Mexico by NancyDamiano

Contributing Writer and Team Leader Jean Manis loves to scour online shops for the perfect products for her simple scrapbooking projects.

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Save Time & Money with Kit Clubs

by Krista Wells on February 29, 2012 · 3 comments

in Scrapbooking Supplies

In this post, design team member Krista Wells, will share the benefits of belonging to a scrapbooking kit club.

Studio Calico February 2012 Monthly Kit

Let’s first talk about kit clubs themselves. If you are a part of a kit club, you sign up for a short term membership for a certain amount of money each month, and every month a kit is delivered to your door or your inbox full of new goodies for you to play with! Awesome, right?

1. No-Stress Product Selection

Perhaps the most crucial benefit of a kit club is that all the product selection work is essentially done for you. The kit designer has scoured through scrapbooking and papercrafting products in search of the latest and greatest supplies and put a kit full of paper and embellishments, sometimes even stamps, together for you to enjoy. There’s no digging through your stash and trying to match up items. It’s all right there at your fingertips and it all ‘goes’ together.

This is fabulous for those of us who don’t have as much time as we would like to paper craft! The product selection process and the anxiety of gathering items is taken away so  you can simply sit down, pull out those pictures and dive right in creating your pages. I have discovered that usually start with the base kit and add a few items from my scrapbook stash as I go.

Another benefit of a kit club is that usually the products are the latest hot items to hit the market. Manufacturers can provide wholesalers and kit clubs with product faster than most of us can order it and have it delivered to our homes. As a result, kits are often packed with brand new goodies. Sometimes a kit club will even join with a manufacturer and produce one-of-a-kind items just for their monthly kits. Studio Calico has partnered with Sassafras, American Crafts, Hero Arts and a number of other companies to produce beautiful product that is exclusive to their kits.

2. Budget-Conscious

Another great reason to try a kit club is to curb your monthly budget. I’ve discovered that since joining a kit club I shop a little less. There’s less of an urge to go out to the store or shop online to snag something. I know that each month there’s a set amount of money that will bring me some delicious  scrapbooking supplies. I try not to buy too much to add to my kit each month. If you are looking for a way to get the latest and greatest without the temptation of shopping online, then check out a kit club. Friendly on your wallet, but still loaded with new products!

Some people are adverse to kit clubs because they like to chose their own product. I’ll admit that sometimes there are items in my kit that I don’t immediately ‘like’. I look at it as an opportunity to try new things and to expand my creative horizons. In fact, I discovered my love of misting through my kit club. I never would have tried something so messy before seeing one of their design team members use it on a page.

3. Awesome Communities

Another bonus of kit clubs, they have  awesome design teams that showcase ways to utilize products in each kit. I find a wealth of inspiration and talent from kit club design teams that range in styles suitable to every paper crafter. Kit clubs also have online communities with message boards and members that share their work as well. It’s fantastic to belong to a fun group of people who share the same love of scrapbooking!

My experience with kit clubs has been wonderful. In my opinion the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. I’m a huge supporter of kit clubs myself and have found a couple that suit my style. If you haven’t tried one before I highly recommend checking them out – whether you are a digital, hybrid or traditional paper crafter – there’s a kit club out there for you! More often than not you can choose to buy a single kit from a kit club before signing up for a subscription. Hunt around and see which kit club fits your style before you make any commitments.

There are a number of kit clubs for paper crafting kits on the market that are just amazing. Check out Studio Calico, Scarlet Lime & Cocoa Daisy for fabulous offerings, if you are a paper scrapbooker. Club Scrap is a community that provides the best of both worlds – a paper kit and a digi kit – making the kits an excellent option for the digital, hybrid or traditional scrapbooker. Live your Stories offers a monthly template club. Five new sketch templates monthly are also part of our own Premium Membership.

Don’t forget to check out your local scrapbook store as well. My LSS recently began creating kits each month and for a low price I can pick up some great product and help support a local business as well.

The Paperie February 2012 Monthly Kit

Have you ever purchased a scrapbooking kit or subscribed to a kit club?

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