General design tips for a scrapbook layout: Part 3

Embellishment:

·         Odd numbers, especially three (organized in a triangle around the picture), works well.

·         They should be positioned in focal points around the picture/s so that they drive attention back to the picture (e.g. at the 3 vertices of a triangle that circumscribes the picture or diagonally with the pictures in the middle).

·         Paper and illustration from books at thrift stores or weeded at libraries (foreign languages, music sheets…)

·         White or neutral embellishment (flowers, brats, cardboard and wood ones) are more versatile since they can be colored with ink pads, mist, heat embossed or covered with glossy accents, etc… They can be stamped on with Staz-on with music or script background.

·         Wood Veneers: they can be quite expensive and there seems to be limited sources (often out of stock). I like them very much since they are very versatile. I was quite happy to find a vendor on line. At this web address http://photobucket.com/WoodVeneers you can see their catalog and write down the items' numbers. Than you can e-mail you order to Diana G McRae dianamcrae@cox.net. You pick what you want and how many you want, They are cheaper than other brands. They will laser cut them based on your order and ship them for a reasonable price.

·         Leave some breathe, i.e. some empty background (embellishment can be arranged in two opposite corners and in the other two journaling and title).

·         For western people eyes goes automatically in the upper left corner and then down the lower right, as if we were reading. That upper left corner should stay empty or the gaze will stop there without flowing to the pictures.

·         Balance colors, size, etc. of the embellishment between the two corners where they are concentrated (or the three triangle points).

·         Cheap embellishments can be found among stationary, sewing items, small hardware, cloths tags … (e.g. doilies at Walmart)

·         They can be hand made by cutting small pattern in paper or using punches.

·        Paint sample cards can be punched and used as embellishment

·         Envelops, Tabs and Tags: add a retro look. There are tags and envelops templates that will allow you to cut them on any kind of paper. There are also tag punches. Tags can be used to tuck in journaling or to hold memorabilia.

·         Buttons: cheaper at sewing sections of department stores. They can be completed with a thread tight in the back (there is a flossing tool for people with braces that can help) or in front. They can be attached with a glue dot. Try gluing script behind transparent buttons.

·         Striped thread (baking twine) can be home made by solid one, by rolling it tight around a piece of cardboard and drawing diagonal lines with a sharpie.

·         Large stencils for letters/color canadd some movement. If for example your title is "You and I", you could write "you" and "I" with stickers and paint an ampersand with a stencil in the middle

·         Bunch of embellishment thread to a twine like a garland in half of the page and attached with two brads

·         Mist: Very popular, a mist is basically a thin paint in a spray bottle, with or without metallic or sparkling reflexes. It can be sprayed, to create an halo somewhere in the layout or to paint an embellishment. You can also spritz small drops with a small paintbrush, or larger drops with the back of tube of the sprayer. The key is the distance: spraying from far yo will have a more subtle effect, while from a close distance the color will be more saturated. You may want to spray inside an old box. Mists should not be shacked with lot of energy otherwise the sprayer will make a ton of bubbles and blots. However, the  metallic glimmer suspended in the liquid tend to deposit on the bottom. You have to gently and slowly turn it upside down or rotate for a while. After saturating in can be buffered with a paper towel or spread with a brayer. Mist can be made at home  with metallic or traditional acrylic paint (e.g. Folk Art) abundantly diluted with water or alcohol (will dry faster and will not warp the paper). You can buy empty sprayer at Wal-mart or Target (in the traveling section of the Health and Beuty department). Cover the bottom of the sprayer with paint (let's say 25 drops) and add alcohol to ¾ of the bottle. A little funnel may help. Add  pea-size glass beads (2 or 3) to help the mixing. If you are using plain acrylic paint, you can add some iridescent acrylic medium or perfect pearls or perlex (silver, gold). Some add a point of a paintbrush of Mod Podge to fix the mist but this is necessary sense only if you added Pearlex and Perfects Pearl that do not come with their own fixative (already present in the metallic acrylic paint). Water colors or distress ink refill can be used in lieu of the acrylic paint..

·         Flags and other cardboard embellishment can be home made out of a toothpicks and leftovers of paper

·         Tearing paper: tearing towards you will leave a white edge. Away will not. Cool with vellum.

·         Faux stitching: although it is possible to machine stitch the paper (avoiding areas with glue), one option is to trace little stitches with a gel pen in a contrasting color.

·         Hand stitching: lightly trace the path you want to stitch. Position the paper over a mouse pad and pierce holes with a needle or a piercing tool every ¼ inch or so along the line. Thread the needle (e.g. cross stitch thread). Hold the beginning of the thread in the back with adhesive and do a continuous back stitch. Hold the end of the thread in the back with tape. You can also make a dashed stitch by going always forward.

·         Sewing machine (See "Glitter Girle Adventure 011: the sewing Machine Solution" on you tube for an awesome tutorial) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T705Jcpyz0). In brief:

o   Always check the bobbin for enough thread

o   Pick straight stitches longer than those used for fabric (otherwise it could tear the paper)

o   Try first on scrap paper with the same weight.

o   Start with the needle down: easier to turn at corners by pivoting around the needle

o   avoid to run the needle where there is glue:  he more you are planning to sew the less glue you should try to use and try to glue at the end, after sawing

o   Threads at the end:

- Pull them on the back and fix them with adhesive so they do not unravel

 - If they are very close to the edge, just rune them around and fix them with adhesive

-  Enter them in a needle and put them in the closest hole
- Or just scatter them around for a more casual look

·         Dry cuts or thick paper embellishments can be tri-dimensionally shaped (e.g. rolling them around a pencil) by lightly spraying with water

·         Scrap paper used for masking or protect the mat: do not throw it. Over time it can become an interesting pattern itself. The same for paper form which you have punched shapes.

·         A subtle background or a picture can be framed with some irregular brush strokes of a distress color along the edges