The ScrapBlog

Question: hi robin! i’ve never scrapbooked before. i’m hosting a surprise party for a friend who is having her 4th baby. its not a baby shower but more of a celebration of friendship. i was thinking of mailing the 12×12 sheets to some of her close friends and having them decorate however they like and either sending it back to me or bringing it to the party to put in a binder.
what is the best way to mail them?

Answer:  If you want to save money, I would just fold the paper (or cut down the middle) and send it and ask the recipients to find a good way to fold it for the way back.  But, since having a crease or seam in your scrapbook page is probably what you are trying to avoid, here are some suggestions:

1.) Use a maximum size is 15″ long X 12″ high envelope (call your local post office to see if they carry this size - this is the largest the post office will mail).  This is probably the second cheapest method - just make sure to include some cardboard or chipboard on either side of the paper to prevent bending.

2.) Send it in a mailing tube (these come in round and square - you can purchase just about any length and just roll the paper up and put it inside).  Check out your local post office for costs.

3.) Just use a standard box that is at least 12″ in length.  Since it won’t weigh that much, the cost may be similar to the mailing tube.

Question: Aloha Robin,  I want to make a postcard that has the word FUN written, real big, almost edge to edge big, with a collage of pictures inside the letters. How do I do that?
 

Answer:  There are two ways to do it - traditionally and digitally.  I will address both ways below:

1.) The easiest way to make your letters would be to use letter stencils the height of the postcard (Postcard size is 3.5-4.25″ in height and must be 5-6 inches in width).  I would lay the stencil on top of the photos you have already put in a collage and then cut out the letters and adhere them to the postcard. 

**If you do not have letter stencils, just make your own either by drawing them freehand or printing letters (probably a bubble or thicker font) off you computer onto cardstock and cutting them out to use as a stencil.

2.) Another option would be to use a blank postcard and use knife or cutting blade to make your letters on the post card.  Then you could just lay the postcard on top of the collage you have already made and adhere it with glue.

3.) If you want to do this digitally (makes it perfect for mailing), there is a great tutorial online for photoshop here.  If you don’t have Photoshop, just do a general internet search on the internet using the terms “turning a picture into text” and then type next to it whatever image editting program you have on your computer.

I actually tried it with a few pictures of my son to make sure it works (I didn’t spend too much time on it, but you can see how it might turn out):

Question: Hi Robin — I love using stickers in my scrapbooking, but am now wondering about whether I should keep on using them. I’ve made scrapbooks for gifts over the past six years and recently one of the recipients came and told me that some  of the stickers had fallen off the pages. Will the adhesive dry up in time, leaving all the stickers at the bottom of the page protector? Please advise, and thank you for your time.

Answer: My experience has shown that some stickers do fall off over time.  But I have found that if I stick with acid-free stickers and paper, I don’t usually have a problem.  Just keep in mind that not all stickers at the craft or scrapbooking store are acid-free.  Look on the labels to make sure.  Since you have used stickers in the past, make a note too of any sticker brands that you have found fall off.  You will probably find that these are the ones that didn’t say acid-free when you bought them.

And, if you still worry about stickers falling off, just use some of your own adhesive (in addition to the adhesive on the sticker) to give those stickers an extra boost. 

Question: Do you know where I can find Candy Land (the children’s game) scrapbook/cardstock?  I can’t find it anywhere!  Thanks!

Answer:  We have a few on our website here, including some cute Candyland scrapbooking embellishments!

Question: Hi I was just scanning your site and I am interested in digital scrapbooking.  I was looking at the fonts and then it went to what I think are kits but it says e cards.  what is e cards?  Can I use it for scrapbooking.

Answer: E-cards are cards that you can download and print yourself.  Or, if you are a digital scrapbooker, you can use the images you download on your digital scrapbooking pages.  Since they are cards (hence the name), most of them are meant to be used as a card.  But have have purchased e-cards for their images as well.

If you are interested in just purchasing new fonts for your regular or digital scrapbooking, you can do that here.  If you would like to purchase some digital scrapbooking kits, we have those here.  Most of these kits include some background papers, embellishments, overlays, and sometimes fonts as well.  They are great for digital scrapbookers or even for scrapbookers who do both digital and traditional (like me).  For example, you can print off any of the embellishments, cut them out and include them on your pages.

Hello Robin: We live in Palmer, Alaska and have opened a Stamping, Scrap booking retreat. Please feel free to check out our web-site. Things are still work in progress. We would love to hear from you.    www.3foxesstudio.com     

Question: Where can I find the over-all from ek success that is “watch me grow”?
Answer: I am not sure what you mean by over-all (if you mean overalls - like the kind you wear, here are all the products we carry of them: http://www.scrapbookfinds.com/content/search-results.php?name=overalls).  The only product I know from EK success that has the title “watch me grow” you can buy here: http://www.scrapbookfinds.com/content/search-results.php?name=ek%20success%20epoxy%20baby

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