Laura Vegas

creating keepsakes has a new special issue out, called the best of digital scrapbooking.

digital scrapbooking. i'll be honest. it scared me for a long time. seemed very overwhelming and totally out of my comfort zone. but i eventually gave in to the trend, and tried my hand at some digital layouts. and you know what? it's not that hard, and it was actually kind of fun 🙂

this new special issue is a collection of the best tutorials from digital scrapbooking magazine. there are sections on scrapbooking digitally, organizing your files, perking up your photography, digitally scrapbooking your keepsakes, digital layouts with dimension, artistic techniques for your pages, and other tips and commonly used terms.

want to see a few of the ideas you'll find inside the pages of this issue?

it's january, so you know what time it is, right? CHA time. when manufacturers are frantically working on getting their new products printed and booths designed and planned out. and when designers are frantically working with the gorgeous new products, and creating projects to fill up those booths 😉

yesterday, on the jillibean soup blog, they shared a pre-sneak peek of some of their new products. official sneak peeks start on tuesday. but how great do these images look! i can't wait until you get to see the rest. they're also doing a giveaway on the blog, for a "fat pack". you can read all about it on the blog, and then leave a comment, telling them what your favorite store is. brick and morter, online store, kit club, whatever. they will draw a winner on monday morning, to receive a fat pack. and then the winner's favorite store also receives a fat pack, of their own. pretty cool, right 🙂

a few nights ago, on facebook, a fellow scrapper suggested that i do a tutorial-of-sorts on  photographing layouts. i thought it was a great idea. i have been asked quite a few times on tips and suggestions for getting great photos of layouts and projects. so, i thought i would show you how i take photos of my layouts. and then link you to a few friends of mine that have shared their ways, as well. since my way isn't necessarily the right way.

we had a super foggy and dreary day today. and i will tell you this. i can never get a decent shot of my layouts when it's dark and dreary. i'm always chatting with fellow designers and hearing "i'm waiting for the sun to take pics of my finished projects", "it's raining today, so i can't get pics of my project", "crud. i'm so last minute on this project, and now i don't have any sun left in my day to get a photo of it". lol! natural sunlight is key to a good photo. luckily, the sun came out in full force for about 15 minutes this afternoon. just long enough for me to grab a layout, and take a few shots for this post.

i always take photos of my projects in my scraproom. not because it's my scraproom. but because it's the one room in the house with good natural light. i have this large window at the front of the house, and i always have my layouts just to the side of this window, so that the lighting falls nicely on the layout. i crack open the blinds to let in as much sun as i can, without casting any shadows. 

i also have this smaller window, on the side wall of the room. i also open these blinds, to let in even more light.

when i'm ready to photograph a layout, i clear off the one end of my desk, since i'm taking the photo from the opposite side of the desk that i sit at. i grab this large jar of buttons. no particular reason. it just happens to sit right on the little drawer unit by that small window, so it's convienent. i also grab this piece of thick chipboard, that's just a tad bit smaller than 12×12 in size. btw: this is a much older layout of mine, that's been shared before. i had it out to mail to the mommy of this adorable cookie lover, and figured i would  use it for this post :)

i use the thick chipboard piece to back my layout, so that it stands up straight. and i prop the chipboard and layout up against the jar of buttons. i get it as straight up and down, as i possibly can. if it's tilted back at all, against the jar, then you'll get a warped look to your layout. you want it as straight as possible.

i bring my chair around to the other side of the desk, and as close to the window as i can get. i angle the layout, so that the sunlight from the front window is hitting the layout, but not causing any glares or anything. and i try not to place my layout in front of the smaller window. if that window is behind my layout, it messes with the lighting.

then i zoom in with my lens, until i get a shot that looks pretty much like this one here. i use my 28-135mm lens, since it's my everyday lens on my camera. you want to shoot straight on to the layout. not looking down, or tilting the lens down. i usually sink down into my chair, so that i'm at eye level with the layout. do your best to get it straight, so that the layout isn't tilted to the left or right either. although if it is a little crooked, you can adjust that in photoshop.

and don't just take one photo. take about 6-8 photos. if never fails, that only one of them will be totally in focus and straight. lol! better to have choices, then to have to go back and re-shoot the layout. this photo above is straight out of the camera. it's a little on the dark side, compared to what my layout looks like in real life.

that's when i go into photoshop and adjust it to look as close to my real layout as possible. i usually just need to do a "screen" layer, to lighten it up. although sometimes, the colors are a little dull as well. so i will adjust my coloring, if needed. i sharpen the layout, and then i'm ready to crop it.

this shows a screen shot that i took in photoshop. you see those little marching ant lines around the layout? that's where i'm cropping. personally, i leave a little space around the edges of my layouts. some people prefer to crop all the way to the edge of the layout, with nothing else showing. just personal preference.

this shows a screen shot of my final crop. i then resize it for the web. i usually do at least 9×9 (or up to 12×12), at 72 dpi.

and here is what you would see here on my blog, or in my galleries.

for detail shots, i just lay my layout right down on my cutting mats on the desk. nothing fancy. the difference in the detail shots, is that angles are good, and i tilt the lens like crazy. get down low, get at an angle, and tilt the lens to get a decent amount of that section of the layout as you can. this also helps show the textures, and dimension on your layout.

then i zoom in and take the shots. once again, i take several shots so that i have choices. and so that my chances improve for getting a shot that's in focus. this shot here was not cropped at all. just lightened up a little.

that's pretty much it. i stick to this same spot in my scraproom, usually at the same time of day. because i know it works. one think i should add. if i have a two page layout to photograph, i do the same steps. except i move my white embellishment box over from the side of my desk (you can kind of see it, in that first photo of my room). i use two pieces of thick chipboard, and prop them up up against that. the box is wide enough, that it supports both pages together. i photograph them together, side by side. and then i do each of the pages seperately.

and because my way isn't the only way. i thought i would pass on these links, to a few friends of mine that do it a little differently. in case their ideas work better for you.

lynn ghahary did a tutorial on how she photographs her layout. she takes her photos in the bathroom, of all places. you can see her post HERE.

maggie holmes did a great tutorial on how she photographs her layouts, on the studio calico blog a while back. check out THIS blog post of her's, where you will find the link to the tutorial.

geez. i havn't blogged since last year. lol! hope everyone had a great new year's. we had a quiet one here at home. we're already two days into the new year, and i'm feeling so on top of things. even ahead of the game on things too. we'll see how long that lasts.

i'm so glad to hear that many of you will be taking on project life this year. sounds like many of you already have your kits, and sounds like i talked some of you into ordering kits. which i love! there were some questions brought up in comments, and some thinking-out-loud comments as well. i do respond to all my comments, one on one. but thought it would be a good idea to come and touch on a few of those here as well, in case it helps anyone else in the process.

you've seen this photo before in my last post. but wanted to mention that it's also serving as my day one photo for my album. no, i did not take this on january 1st. but that's ok. it's the perfect shot for my opening photo.

and here's my day two photo. i spend the good part of today, working on scrapping assignments. and this was just a shot of my desk, at one point during the day. and yes, thats a sewing machine. after 4+ years, i took it off the shelf it landed on after i purchased it. and i'm using it on my layouts. most of which, i can't share yet. sorry.

first up, i wanted to share some links and info that i think are worth sharing. 

about 2 minutes ago, i saw becky mention on facebook that the extra page protectors and journaling cards are at amazon and available for purchase! i'm really excited about the divided page protectors, since i think they'll make a great addition to my regular scrapbooks.

HERE is a video, by becky herself, walking you through the process of setting up your album. her ideas are a lot like how i set my album up too.

on this post HERE, scroll down a ways, and you'll see another video. this was from a reader of becky's blog, maryann. i am in some serious L-O-V-E with her album she shared. i did include some memborabilia in my 2009 album. but i just love how much additional stuff she added to her album. all the extra page protectors, in all different sizes. extra photos, enlargements, papers, all sorts of things. gave me a lot of ideas. she mentioned that since she added so much extra stuff, that her album became a two album project for the year. that's when the extra albums that are available this year, would come in really handy ;) 

HERE are some additional ideas of what you could use this project life kit for. love the "all about me" idea for a teenager to work on. or the "baby's first year" for a new baby in the house. the "weekly/monthly themes" would be fun. i know a friend of mine is going to incorporate some weekly themes within her album.

another way to try this project, is to do the digital version of the kit. the info is HERE. some might find it easier to keep up with this project, by adding photos and journaling on the computer.

those are totally random photos, that have nothing to do with what we're talking about. lol! but this post was getting very text heavy. i thought tossing a few cute kiddos on here, would break it up a bit. that's  haley up above. she was back here for the two holiday weeks, while her preschool was closed. and then zachary, just a few days after his first birthday 🙂

i'm going to very randomly answer a few Q&A's, or respond to comments made about this project. i'm doing this as a photo-a-day project. which is how i'll be referring to it. keep in mind, this kit can be used in SO many other ways, that don't require taking a photo every day. if that's not what you're up too this year.

not sure what day to start your album on? this year, the first day of the year fell on a saturday. most of us view our weeks as sunday thru saturday. so you'll have to figure out what to do with that one extra day. you could switch it up, and do your weeks as saturday thru friday. or you could just ignore january 1st, and start with the second day of the year. or you can simply stick that first day's photo in the title page, like i'm doing. last year, i had two photos on my title page. the year before (shown above), i had three photos on my title page. if you want a definate, defined title page, then you'll have to come up with a plan for that first day.

don't live close to anywhere that prints photos and don't print at home? need tips for those that print in BIG bunches and then forget what was what? i would really recommend finding an online photo printing site. there are tons of them out there. shutterfly, winkflash, scrapbook pictures, even costco (membership required). if you can upload and order your prints every other week, at least, that would really make this project easier. if you wait every 2-3 months to do an order, that's a huge amount to catch up on. if this is the only option you have, i would recommend you at least take the time each day to fill out your journaling cards and slip them in the album. and when you upload your photos to your computer, save them as you usually do. but then save each photo again, in a folder for "project life" or "project 365" for each month. rename the photos, with the date the photo is for. most labs will print the image name on the back of your prints. so then you'll have the photo date right there, to refer back too. and if you're journaling cards are filled out, that will also help match them up.

how do you figure out which picture to take? when i did my 2009 album, i really focused on getting photos of all the "stuff" that made up our lives. stuff around the house, home decor items, piles on the counters, things in the girls room, etc. just all the little things, that seem like nothing important. but that make up our day-to-day lives. HERE is a list of 365 photo ideas, that was put together by creating keepsakes, when the originaly project 365 was put out. it's got a ton of ideas that maybe we wouldn't think of on our own. 

is there room for more than one shot that day? there are spots for seven photos a week. but that doesn't mean you can't add more. i have taken two photos, cropped them to 3×4 each, and put them together onto a 4×6 canvas to print. there's an example of this in my 2009 page shown above. an easy way to get two photos in one spot. but you could also add in extra page protectors, if you wanted to include more photos.

do you write it from your perspective or that of your family? personally, i write from my own perspective. since i'm the one making the layouts, and telling the stories, i write it from my own view. but including family members in this project is a fantastic idea. i have heard from several people, that are making this a family project. leaving the album out, where the entire family can be involved in it.

worried that your regular scrapping will suffer, as you work on this project? this wasn't really a question, but a comment made by my friend megan. i can see how this could happen. some people might find that this project is ALL they want to scrapbook this year. some will do this project, and then fill in with layouts about all the other stuff that goes on. for me, i loved that it allowed me to document SO much of our day-to-day life. i knew that things were touched on, and in the books. and if i wanted to take photos from this project and scrap them on an additonal layout, than more power to me. it takes away the pressure to scrap every photo from the year, and lets you focus on scrapping the ones that you really want to take the time to scrap. does this make sense?

have you completed this project the past year or two years, and feel like you need a break from it? that's actually how i felt last year, after doing the 2009 album. but i found that i took less photos this past year. and i feel like i don't have that much to remember 2010. i have the big moments, the events. but not the little stuff. i miss that. but this project doesn't have to be a photo-a-day project. if that's how you've done it previous years, switch it up. instead of an entire week on a 2 page spread, do an entire month. choose your favorite photos each month, add them in, and journal about them. you could even mix regular layouts right in between the pages.

i think that's it for now. that was a lot of typing, and i've sort of lost track of what i chatted about and what i didn't. if there's anything else you're curious about, or want my thoughts on, feel free to ask.

i thought i would share some thoughts on project life with you today. and also show you how i go about setting up my album, and getting it all assembled. here's my kit, that came on monday.

i have been a fan of becky higgins forever. and from her first project 365 kit, i just fell in love with the concept. the photo-a-day idea. it's a big commitment. but it's also a super cool project, when you see it coming together. i'm so glad that i completed my 2009 album (with the exception of a few months of journaling to finish. lol!), and i kind of regret that i didn't stay with it for 2010. but i'm back for this coming  year, and am really excited about it. it might also help that i'm in love with the turquoise edition. i just heard that kerri bradford was the genious behind the design. which totally made sense, because it's her style from start to finish. and i'm a huge fan of her's also. so i was really meant to work with this kit 😉

here's a little something i blogged last year, as i was discussing the idea of project life, and showing my first few weeks of the project:

"here is what i tell anyone that asks me about this project. don't overthink it. don't stress over it. it's one photo a day, and one journaling card. so simple. did you have something special one day, and take 50 photos, and were worried about what to do. stop, and pick just one photo to represent that day. you can scrap that same photo, along with the other 49 photos, on another layout if you want. this project can be all that you scrap the entire year. or it can be just another project that you do, in addition to other layouts. it's all about what you want it to be. seriously. looking back at my album from last year, i would guess that about 70% of the photos in that album are ones that i'll never scrap on an actual layout. and yet, i have them in an album with some journaling. they're represented and accounted for. how cool is that? to be able to document all the little things in our life. the ones that we don't feel are special enough to devote an entire layout too. but that really do make up our day to day life, and tell something about us."

i'm so insightful, aren't i? lol! anyways. onto how i assemble my album. keep in mind, this is how i do it. and could be totally different from what everyone else does. or maybe my way just doesn't work for you. totally fine. in fact, if you check that link i mentioned above (the "this year" one), you'll find a link there to a fellow blogger that filmed a video on setting up her album. it's really cool to watch. and she did a few things i would never do. but that's what makes us all unique, right 🙂

the first thing i do, is add all the divided page protectors to the album. then i pull out all the title cards. there is one for each week, along with some extras. these are where you write the dates for that week. i spread out all the designs, and then put them in a nice, planned out order. but that's mainly because i'm slightly anal about things being perfect, and not having the same design or color in a row. lol! then i go through, and slip one title card in the top left pocket for each week. 52 times.

the monthly bookmarks are to add into the album, to give a clear view of where each month starts. these come with a thin plastic covering on them, to protect them from scratches. so i simply peel all of those coverings off, and then i place the entire stack of bookmarks into the front of the album. i will insert them into the correct spots, as i go along.

there are some special front page and back page cards. there's a picture in the kit, of how they could be arranged. while you could certainly change it up, i figure if someone else took the time to think it out and come up with a plan, then i'm all for it. so i slipped those all in, exactly like they showed.

NOTE: since 2011 starts on a saturday, i will be starting my album on that day. i like the idea of a sunday thru saturday week. so i will actually take one of these filler cards and one title card OUT, and slipping in my very first photo and journaling card. i'm ok with having my title page and my first official day be together.

next up is the filler cards. there are spots for eight journaling cards on each weekly spread. since there are seven days in a week, the extra spot gets filled with a filler card. these are just decorative cards, that work on their own. or you could do something to them. i spread out the filler cards, with the ten designs. and then i go through the album again, and slip one in each week. i try to pick the best design or color that goes with the title card for that week. this entire kit matches of course. but some cards just naturally look better with certain cards. kwim?

the journaling cards. this takes a bit of time. i spread them all out, into the different designs. there are 20 designs. keep in mind, there are bi-fold designs included in the kit as well. these are for when you have more to say, and want more room to write. i don't put these in my album to start. if the time comes and i want a bi-fold card, then i swap it out.

for arranging the journaling cards, i split them into 3 groups. once again, this is just totally my way of doing this. and my way, isn't the right way for everyone. just how i do it. i sort them into three groups (2 groups of seven, and 1 group of six = 20 designs), so that i have a good mix of designs and colors. i like to make sure i don't end up with a bunch of cards with red in one week, or have all the best cards with the text on them in another week. so i sort them out. then i shuffle them out into weeks, using group one, then group two, then group three, and then back to group one. since the third group has 6 designs, i randomly pull a card from the other piles to add in.

once i have the 52 stacks, all in order, i start slipping them into the album. for me, it doesn't matter what pockets i slip them into for each week. because when i add the photos, and then go to journal, i will arrange them exactly how i want them. i just like to have them IN the album, and in the orders i want for the weeks. kwim? some people keep them in the boxes they come in, and randomly pull them out to use. but i prefer to have as much as i can, put together and ready to go.

and now, my album is all assembled and ready to go. how i worked on this for my 2009 album, was to print my photos every weekend. i'm about 3 minutes from my costco, so it's easy and convenient to place small orders like that. i don't want to make anything super complicated, or have multiple spots to upload photos or keep track of them.

so for me, i just take my photos during the week. pick my seven photos for the week, upload them to costco and order, and then slip them in the album. if i do this every week, i can remember what photo goes with what day. and i write the journaling cards when i add the photos. i journal about what the photo is. so i don't feel the need to write anything down during the week. i don't have a great memory, but i CAN remember what the photos are about just by looking at them ;)

in the end, i have the one storage box that holds my extra pieces. the bi-fold journaling cards, the days and numbers stickers, the extra title cards and filler cards, and the date stamp. so i have the album and a small storage box. that's all i need to work on this project, in addition to my photos and a pen for journaling. love that.

have i talked you into ordering one of your own yet? you know you're all intriqued by it, right? i need some of my online friends, to be doing this project too. so we can keep each other on track. if you have ordered it, which kit did you get? if you havn't ordered, do you need a gentle nudge. because i can do that. i'm a great enabler. lol! and if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask.