Thursday, February 19, 2009

20 Items to Spice Up Your Scrapbooks

Author: Mei Galang

A creative way to save and preserve your treasures is through Scrapbooking. You can place your photographs, newspaper clippings, poems, and tickets into your scrapbook to display and preserve your memories. These days Scrapbooking have gradually evolved and there are new items that can be used to decorate it.

Your own unique embellishments can add a special personal touch to your scrapbook pages. It can be used as the main focus of your page, to highlight items, or as borders. Below are 20 best items that can be used:

1. Stickers.

Stickers are fun and easy to stick to scrapbook pages and can be used for captions, thought bubbles or even to hide mistakes. It is recommended to add stickers that are related to your theme or have a personal significance for you so that it can represent a specific experience or hobby.

2. Ribbons and Lace

Can be considered a common border embellishment but it can always add beauty and elegance because of the flowing nature of both materials encourages a touch of softness and elegance.

3. Embroidery Cotton

It’s individual fibers can be used to highlight items or used to add dimension to pictures or your items. You can also choose to twist or braid for use in artwork or as imaginative borders.

4. Hemp

Single, twisted, or braided fibers can be used to accentuate focus objects, as picture frames, or along the edges of the scrapbook page as borders.

5. Sequins

It can be placed randomly in a variety of colors to give a dramatic, abstract, playful attraction to items and pages or it can be arranged in specific patterns and colors the effects can be elegant and dainty.

6. Rhine Stones

Rhinestones add color and shine to your scrapbook pages making any dull page more exciting.

7. Dried Flowers

Dried flowers can be used to add elegance and as an accent in scrapbooks.

8. Popcorn Garlands

Create a cloud punch out of popcorns from a regular paper, crinkle it and roll into tight balls. Glue it together to make garlands, a sure eye candy for your scrapbook.

9. Glitter

Glitter can add a wonderful sparkle to your borders and fonts but it can also create a huge mess if you don’t apply it properly so be careful!

10. Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint can be use to draw and paint embellishments or create accents around focus objects.

11. Liquid Appliqué

Liquid appliqué can be use to draw and paint embellishments or create accents around focus objects. Simply squeeze the liquid gently onto or around the desired image or form.

12. Fabric

Fabric can be used as a background or as a border to add dimension and texture to your scrapbook.

13. Pockets

You can temporarily store objects in a pocket added on your scrapbook.

14. Eyelets

Eyelets are round stub-like pieces of metal. These items are generally used as a way to anchor difficult or heavy objects to your scrapbook pages.

15. Hinges

Hinges are used to make permanent and strong pop up windows.

16. Moldable Foam

Moldable foam allows you to create three dimensional object, borders or backgrounds. You can even use moldable form to make your own rubber stamps.

17. Buttons

Adding buttons to a scrapbook page can as simple as adding a ready-made button. You can also create customized buttons that match your theme.

18. Charms

Charms can be added to memento, graduation, or gift scrapbooks to create a personalized feeling to the page.

19. Crystal Lacquer

Crystal lacquer adds shine and protection to your photographs. This shine adds a soft elegance to any scrapbook page.

20. Beading

Beads can add color and design to a scrapbook.

Over the years, scrapbooking has matured into an art. It is no longer about pasting newspaper clippings into messy bundles of paper. It has evolved into an art with no rules, creativity and imagination are your only limits. Now armed with a few helpful hints and ideas on items that can add life to your scrapbook it’s time for happy scrapbooking!

About the Author:

Mei recommends Oz Free Classified Ads site for your online resource of best buy sell trade deals. Great finds for scrapbooks and other arts and craft classified ads at OzFree.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/

Craft-A-How-To Contest 3rd Quarter 2007 Winners


We would like to share previous winning entries of our craft contest. Below are the 3rd Quarter 2007 winners.


1st Place

Title: Ashley's Headpiece
Created by: Patricia Vega
Depew, New York 14043

Ashley's Headpiece

It's very easy to make your own headpiece.
And saves a lot of money!

Bridal headpiece made from bridal flowers & appliques.


Materials needed:


  • 2 bridal roses - SKU BA6508IV
  • Leaf with pearl dangles - SKU BA6492IV
  • 2 fabric leaves
  • Plastic canvas remnant
  • Scissors
  • Needle and thread
  • 5" comb


Directions:
  1. Arrange decorations as desired.
  2. Cut piece of plastic canvas to fit height and width.
  3. Sew decorations to plastic canvas, trim away visible plastic canvas.



  4. Sew comb (and/or veil) to back of headpiece.


2nd Place

Title: Placemat Purse
Created by: Alyssa Schmitz
Le Mars, IA 51031

Placemat Purse
Create you own funky purse with a placemat,
an old belt and some exciting trimmings!

Purse made from placemat, old belt and fiber trims.
Materials Needed:
  • 1 fabric placemat 13" x 18"
  • 1 girl's belt M/L
  • Turquoise Hairy Gimp Trim- 28" (IR2585TR)
  • Fuchsia Hairy Gimp Trim- 28" (IR2585FS)
  • Fiber Patch Trim- 28" (IR2670E)
  • Thread matching the placemat.
  • Scissors
  • Needle to stitch the handle in place.
  • Sewing Machine used to make the purse.
  • Hot glue gun used to attach the handle and the trims.
Directions:
  1. Fold the placemat together with wrong sides together for a 9" x 13" rectangle.
  2. Stitch the sides using a ½" seam and matching thread.
  3. Glue a row of the turquoise trim around the top of the purse, 2" from the top.
  4. Glue a row of the fiber patch trim just about the last trim.
  5. Glue the fuchsia trim above the multicolored trim leaving ½" of the top of the purse showing.
  6. Attach the ends of the belt for a handle to the purse as follows:
    Front - Glue the belt buckle to the top left corner of the purse. Stitch to secure.
    Back - Glue the end of the belt with the holes to the top left corner of the purse.
    Stitch to secure.


3rd Place

Title: Holiday Frame
Created by: Diana Hunt
San Diego, CA 92124

Holiday Frame
A simple way to jazz up your photo frame! And a great gift idea too.

Photo Frame with Christmas trims & appliques.
Materials Needed:
  • 1 picture frame (preferably red, green or gold)
  • 1 yard Christmas trimming - IR1494B
  • 2 pieces Christmas appliques - SM616XS
  • Pair of scissors
  • Glue gun
Directions:
  1. Measure the lenght of the sides of the picture frame where you intend to attach your Christmas trim.
  2. Cut your trims to correct lenght.
  3. Glue trim on the top and bottom sides of the frame.
  4. Glue Christmas appliques in the middle of the top and bottom trimmings.

ATreasureNest's Craft-a-How-To Contest


We would like to invite everyone to join our craft contest. Share your creations and get to win prizes too!



Contest Mechanics:

This contest is fun and easy!

  1. Submit pictures (at least 2 quality images) and a step by step how-to guide of a craft or design project that utilizes ATreasureNest (ATN) products. Don’t forget to include a title and a short description of your work.
  2. At the end of each quarter, the top 3 best How-To submissions will be selected.


Criteria:

For your reference, below are the criteria for judging.

  • Creativity / Artistry: 35%
  • Originality: 25%
  • Clarity of Presentation (instructions & images): 25%
  • Materials Utilized: 15%


Entry Prizes:

You are already entitled to a prize upon submission of your entry!

  • Use 1 to 2 ATN products in one project - get 20% Discount Card.
  • Use 3 to 4 ATN products in one project - get 25% Discount Card.
  • Use 5 or more ATN products in one project - get 30% Discount Card.

Note: If you submit photos with title and description only without a step-by-step How-To guide you will still be entitled to a 10% Discount Card.



Major Prizes:

At the end of the quarter, winning entries will be awarded with ATN Gift Cards!


  • 1st Place - $100 ATN Gift Card
  • 2nd Place - $50 ATN Gift Card
  • 3rd Place - $30 ATN Gift Card

What's more? Winning entries will be featured in the homepage of http://www.atreasurenest.com/



Rules and Policies:
  1. This contest is open to all who have active accounts with www.ATreasureNest.com.
  2. Entries (text and images) may be emailed to sales@atreasurenest.com or mailed to: A Treasure Nest, 5631 Braxton Drive, Suite 707, Houston TX 77036.
  3. This is a quarterly contest. Entries must be received on or before the last day of each calendar quarter – 1st Q deadline is March 31, 2nd Q is June 30, 3rd Q is September 30 and 4th Q is Dec 31. ATN may adjust deadlines.
  4. All creations must utilize at least one ATN product. The item number or SKU code of the product used should be mentioned in the description or the body of the step by step How-To guide.
  5. Instructions and descriptions should be in English. It should include a title of the project, a short description and the step-by-step process involved. It should also include your complete name and address.
  6. Images must be clear (suggested resolution is 300 pixels/inch), though we do not expect your pictures to be of studio quality. You can submit as many photos that will show your step by step process and the finished project.
  7. All creations must be through your own (or a group's) effort.
  8. You can submit multiple entries. However you can only win at most 2 places in a given quarter. (Meaning one cannot win all the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Places.)
  9. The list of winners will be posted in the website within the succeeding quarter.
  10. Winning creations will be featured in the website's homepage. Non-winning entries will all be evaluated and may be included in the website's resource pages. ATN shall give credit to the creator/artist in the website.
  11. All submitted materials (images and text documents) shall be the property of ATN. ATN may edit description, instructions and images.
  12. Gift Cards and Discount Coupons will be emailed and are valid one (1) year upon receipt.
  13. Discount Coupons shall only cover for products in the ATN website and not cover for taxes and shipping cost.
  14. The panel of judges will be made up of ATN Management. The decisions of the panel are final.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Welcome to ATreasureNest's Blogsite!

Greetings to all crafters, designers, scrapbookers, artists, beading enthusiasts and all hobbyists!

We are initiating this blog to be able to share different projects and activities relating to arts, home decor, crafts, embellishment and design. In this blog, we will also feature winners of our ongoing quarterly fun contest, the Craft-a-How-To Contest.

We welcome works and creations from anybody. So, if you want to share please email pictures, captions and descriptions of your projects to info@atreasurenest.com. Or if you have any article relating to arts, crafts and design we will gladly feature your composition in this blog. As our appreciation, we will be giving out $5 to $20 ATN Gift Cards that you can use to purchase craft supplies and materials at www.atreasurenest.com.

Welcome to your treasure nest!