10 Scrapbooking Tips and tricks

I don’t claim to be an expert by any means, so take this list with a grain of salt. These are just some tips I’ve discovered along the way that can be a great help.

1. Alcohol free baby wipes are perfect for cleaning rubber and acrylic stamps
2. Not sure if a stamp is the perfect design for a certain spot? Stamp it first with a solvent ink like StazOn on a piece of plastic and lay over your project in progress to check. Clear inserts or packaging that come with products are handy for this.
3. Glossy Accents by Ranger is also a great adhesive for lumpy stuff and clear elements
4.Older stickers and diecuts that you probably won’t use again make great masks. To use the diecuts lightly apply a re-positionable adhesive to the back. Then ink, paint or spray over them
5. Place embellishments in odd numbers like three and five for more visual impact
6. No more e’s in your letter sticker pack? Try an upside down 3! I’ve done this tons of times. In fact I have also changed a lower case g into a y and an h, and an ampersand (&) into an S. It all depends on the font, so take a closer look to see what you can improvise!
7. Try using themed products on unrelated projects. I’ve used stickers from a wedding sheet on a layout about pizza and another about dinner guests. This way you get more bang for your buck!
8. Punch holes in raw chipboard to make it a more decorative element. The Crop-a-Dile cuts through chipboard like butter!
9.Grab five to seven left out items from your desk and challenge yourself to use them on a quick page. You’ll be amazed at what you come up with
10. When all fails, use Thickers!

Note: This article was originally posted on my Callaloo Soup Blog.

Read These Next

I’m always tempted by the pretty velvets at the fabric store. So much texture! And the way the fibers catch the light! But sewing on velvet is trickier than you’d think. That nap that lends beautiful texture also likes to slip and crawl. That nap can also spell disaster if you cut a piece the wrong direction. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t use buy that velvet and sew it into something gorgeous, you just need to go into your velvet sewing project prepared. And Melissa at Melly Sews has a post that takes you step by step through sewing on velvet.

Velvet is such a luscious fabric, especially for winter sewing projects. Of course there are velvet Christmas sewing projects – stockings, tree skirts, santa hats – but velvet is beautiful for all winter. Think of all the gorgeous velvet dresses, evening bags, hair accessories, even pillows and other home décor that you see all winter long.

Melly Sews’ post gives you the tips and tricks you need to know in order for your velvet sewing project to end up a success. There are types of projects better suited for velvets, and kinds of projects to avoid. She describes the different types of velvet available. And she also tells the best way to lay out and cut your pattern pieces from velvet fabric. Her tutorial also covers marking, pressing, and of course sewing that beautiful fabric. There’s also a video included in case that’s your preferred method for learning.

Head over to Melly Sews to learn how to sew on velvet fabric.

And if you want to learn more about that lovely blue velvet dress shown, she has a post that tells more about it including 2 ways to style it depending on if you want to be more dressy or more casual.

[photo credit: Melly Sews]

Read These Next

Have you read?