Big Picture Classes Blog Posts

Student Gallery - Layout Love

2012-02-23T00:00:00-08:00

I love looking through the BPC Student Gallery...you guys are amazing! When I saw this layout by Jen Day, I knew she must be taking Cathy Zielske's Type class (stay tuned...I believe this class is going to be offered again in the not-so-distant future if you missed it the first time). I asked Jen to share a little with you...here's what she had to say!

I've always struggled with type design when it came to journaling my digital scrapbook pages or other typing projects, especially with size and spacing. When I read that Big Picture Classes was going to offer Ten Tips for Type I knew it was just what I needed! Cathy taught us several of the most basic, but highly useful tips for choosing fonts, type size and alignments, and I also picked up a few Photoshop tips. All of this was interjected with Cathy's typical wit and straight-forward, easy to understand manner. She guided us to create a layout that helped to reinforce these concepts.

I chose some fun pumpkin carving photos and wrote a tongue-in-cheek documentation of the event. I am thrilled to be able to put these concepts immediately into effect and hope that with continued practice these "Ten Tips" become easy habits!

Thank you so much for sharing with us Jen!

Angles love Curves! challenge

2012-02-22T00:00:00-08:00

Hi BPC goers! Allison Landy here I a’m excited to be with you here today on the BPC blog.! I’m hoping that my try this challenge to you today is both fun and helpful.

I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been invited to lots and lots of parties. Here I thought the holiday party-going season was over! But it’s birthdays and anniversaries galore amongst my family and friends. That means I’ve been in need of a variety of cards to share with my hosts. When time is short, I always go back to basics with simple designs.

One of my favorite design principles is the idea that “angles love curves.” It’s a great adage to remember, it’s why we often round the corners of our photos and place them on a square page background. Curved lines add softness to a design, and they give the eye something different to look at. When working with cards, the principle holds just as true. Here’s a card I made recently using this principle.

Imagine if the stamped image in the center were square instead of circular. It just wouldn’t be as “interesting.”

Tonight it’s a birthday party, so I decided to whip up a quick little birthday greeting for my friend. For this card, I wanted to incorporate several sized circles into my design. I was going for an energetic, fun look. So, out came my punches and my brightly colored papers, and I went to town.

Your try this challenge today, should you choose to accept it... is to make a card with the angles love curves principle by using circles somewhere on your card. Remember to load your finished card to the Big Picture Classes sharing gallery or Facebook Album! Be sure to also pop on over to the Simple Stories blog at www.simplestories.com where we are doing a fun give away!

For more card making inspiration, check out Allison Landy's card class here at BPC, Cooking Up Cards.

Tuesday Tip for 2/21/12

2012-02-21T00:00:00-08:00

My paper piercer is always in close reach when I’m working on a project. I love how it makes placing a brad or adding some stitching a breeze. One of my favorite uses for it is to separate the prongs on the back of a brad. Just stick the point of the piercer between the prongs and press the tip down towards the center of the brad. It saves your fingernails, and it helps the prongs to lay flat on the back of your project.

Ginny Hunsberger

Photo Management

2012-02-20T00:00:00-08:00

Photo Management

Learn from a pro how to establish an effective work flow for loading pictures from your camera to your computer. Also I share tips on how to clean up the digital mess on your computer.

Here's a little taste of It's All About Me

2012-02-18T00:00:00-08:00

Hi Guys! Aaron Morris's workshop, It's All About Me, starts soon (March 1st, registration is open now!) so I asked if he would write up a short "all about me" prompt that we could share on the blog...just to give you a little idea of the kind of topics you'll be learning about during class. Here's what he wanted to share with you guys...Thanks Aaron!!

When we're scrapbooking, it's easy to identify the things that make the ones we love special. I could easily rattle off a list of things that make my two little girls absolutely perfect. It's not always as easy to think about the things that make us special, the things that set us apart from everyone else and make our loved ones love us back. Even thinking about it right now, I would have a hard time putting into words what makes me special.

So let's try journaling a little bit about what makes us special. The first thing I want you to do is sit down and brainstorm a list of things that make you special, and be totally honest with yourself. Think about how you are seen in others' eyes, and the person that you try to be every day. Whatever you do - DON'T ask someone else to tell you what they think makes you special. That's cheating, and as a teacher, I am legally obligated to report all forms of cheating to the government. Ok, not really, but it's a much more meaningful exercise if it all comes from you.

Once you have your list, sit down and pick one of the things off your list. I want you to pick the thing that you feel is the most special about yourself. This will be the topic that you will journal about. You are going to focus on writing a whole passage about this one character trait. Sound daunting? I promise it isn't. Here are some questions to get you thinking....

1. Why do you think that this characteristic makes you special?

2. What about this characteristic sets you apart from others in your life?

3. Where did this characteristic cultivate from? Was it a person? How did they contribute to this characteristic being part of you?

4. How does this characteristic impact the ones you love?

5. Why is this characteristic the one that is most special?

6. How do you hope to share this characteristic with others?

Those are just some ideas to get you going. Try and really think a lot about this characteristic. One thing that I find helpful when I am having trouble writing is to just start writing, even if I know it's not good or something I won't include in the final piece. The act of just getting started will get your juices flowing!

So today, I want to give away one seat in my upcoming workshop "It's All About Me." If you would like to be entered to win the spot, in the comments below, tell me one thing that makes you special. It'll be your starting point!

The giveaway closes Sunday night (2/19) at 9:00pm PST. Winner will be announced on Monday (2/20). Good luck!

And the winner is Alice Jaggard! She said: One trait that is special about me is my intuition. Not a psychic thing, just the way I can read the tone of a voice, body language, a series of small events that others might not notice, or lack of routine behavior. All of these trigger an understanding of what is going to happen.

(sorry I posted the winner 2 days late guys!!)

From the Gallery: Spirit Day

2012-02-16T00:00:00-08:00

While looking through the BPC Student Gallery this layout really caught my eye! I loved all teh layers, the stitching, the buttons (I LOVE buttons), and the fact that it was a layout about a student's life! Not about her kids, or her husband, or her mom...but about her! (I'm really bad about creating layouts about myself). Way to go Jennifer! And thank you so much for letting me share your layout with everyone here!

When I asked Jennifer about her layout, this is what she said:

"I did this layout because I was inspired by the photo. I had been doing a 30 day photo challenge, and the day the prompt was to take a picture of what we were wearing, it was Spirit Day at the school I teach at. I made the page as an EVERYDAY page for the class Twelve. I tend to make linear pages, so I had fun stamping and embossing circles, which are always sort of spirited shapes to me!"

Take the challenge...can you create a layout about something "everyday" in your life?

Happy Valentines Day!! Project Life Giveaway

2012-02-14T00:00:00-08:00

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!! WINNER TBA 2/17

The winner is FotoBrooke

" I am so bummed that I just recently heard about Project Life. Apparently, I have friends who have been doing this for a couple of years. I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to do this!!! -"

I got to hear Becky speak at The Creative Connection last fall and she shared her vision for Project Life as well as some insight to its evolution. I was truly amazed and am thrilled with her success in creating such an ingenious method for capturing life. Three cheers for Project Life!!

We invite you to join the Project Life community here and exchange ideas with others enthusiasts plus share your creations. (plus it is free)

The winner can pick the color style (from what is in stock) and will receive one of each of the items listed below

Project Life Binder
Core Kit (coordinating with the binder)
Big Pack of Design A Photo Pocket Pages

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

To enter, leave a comment below; include your first and last name, and location.

Giveaway closes in 48 hours at 11:00 am PST. Winner will be randomly selected from comments and announced by 2/17.

New to the Project Life concept? Learn more in the short video below.

Back to the Basics with Stacy

2012-02-13T06:00:00-08:00

Photo Freedom Basics!

Learn how easy it can be to do "something with some of your pictures" from the ever inspiring Stacy Julian. She shares five fundamentals of productive scrapbooking with you in this episode and you will be motivated to start organizing your own photos for easy access and hours of memory keeping fun!

In the Picture this Week

2012-02-11T08:00:00-08:00

Two very exciting things are happening this week:

1. The Curious Scrapbooker’s Field Guide started February 9th. This class is A.MAZ.ING. May is doing a 12-week workshop that will teach you everything (okay, maybe not everything, but nearly) you could ever want to know about just about every scrapbook supply and technique out there. This really is a timeless class that will be an amazing reference for you to come back to again and again, year after year anytime you have a new product you want to play with…or are just feeling like you need some new ideas! She has 24 videos available week 1 (A-Z reference videos) and additional videos, handouts, etc. every week. This class is a fantastic deal, and you don’t want to miss out!! Registration closes on the 15^th, so sign up now!!

2. Heidi Swapp’s 4Expert workshop, The Art of Observation, is open for registration. (If it isn’t open Saturday morning, wait until tomorrow…I promise it will be open soon if it isn’t already). Heidi has been working hard making this class for you, and I know how excited she is to share all her ideas. This is such a personal class for Heidi. On a conference call a couple of weeks ago, she said “I want students to walk away feeling like there’s so much value to them and their lives.” I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend 12 weeks with someone who’s entire goal is to make you realize how VALUABLE you are! If you sign up for class, you’ll get to see Heidi work with a lot of her new fun products . This class is full of good stuff…email clues, observation techniques, photo assignments, project assignments, videos…you have to trust me that this class is so worth your time! Check out her class description and sign up now. You don’t want to let this one pass you by!

And happy early Valentine’s Day to you all!

CHA 2012 with Stacy

2012-02-09T06:00:00-08:00

Wanted to share a snapshot of our CHA 2012 experience with you all from Stacy's perspective. These are photos she tweeted. Want to read the tweets, have fun?!

People

Booths

Products

and Scrapbook.com recorded a top ten product video, watch it!

Make a Brainstorm List

2012-02-08T06:00:00-08:00

I have a little challenge for you today that is sure to inspire AND help stretch your supplies to their full potential! Double bonus! When I get a new scrapbooking tool or artsy medium, I like to brainstorm a list of ideas for using my fun new product. I also like to keep a pack of Avery Shipping Tags on hand to give all these ideas a trial run on a smaller scale before I take them to the next level on a layout or project.

I recently acquired one of Jenni Bowlin Studio's new Grandma's Doily punches by Fiskars. Now this punch can be a little intimidating at first since it's not what we usually expect from a punch. Instead of punching OUT a diecut, it punches a design INto the background paper. Interesting. I thought about this for a while and then got busy creating. Here are the ideas I came up with; I'd love to see your ideas!

Using the negative space from punches is wildly popular in scrapbooking right now. This look will give a nice airy feeling to your work.

My first thought was to make my own stencils with the punch. For the left image I wanted to try paint. I punched a line of three doillies onto a piece of scrap cardstock for my stencil. I then lightly adhered the mask to my tag with removeable adhesive. For best results with paint and stencils use a paint dabber or a very dry paintbrush. Heavy paint use with a stencil leads to bleeding under the edges and a less crisp image.

For the right image I punched the doily six times and then misted it. Again, it is helpful to use a removable adhesive with your homemade stencil. Mist causes warping of cardstock. This warping then allows the mist to go under the design area leading to a fuzzy image. Using the removeable adhesive prevents this problem.

Never throw away your scraps without giving them a thoughtful once over! The tag on the right here was created with stencil that I used with the mist. This has another technique that I like with a negative punch. Backing them with a nice patterned paper gives a nice punch of color.

On the left you see a more traditional use of a punch. Simply punch the negative image into paper, then use a circular punch to create a medallion embellishment that you can use anywhere on your page or project.

This tag has my most complicated punch technique. I wanted to incorporate some glitter into my design which required a little layering. Glitter can also be difficult to work with, so I did a careful analysis of my process before I got started. I find that the less glitter is touched the better.

These are the steps I followed to get this nicely glittered layered medallion:

Punch Grandma's Doily into patterned paper and then punch it out with a circle punch.
Punch a slightly larger circle from a piece of scrap cardstock.
Adhere the cardstock circle to the tag.
Lay the Doily over the circle and pencil mark the center.
Remove the doily and place a glue dot topped with a punched paper dot scrap over your pencil mark.
Paint glue onto the chipboard circle with a paintbrush, avoiding the gluedot center.
Apply glitter and shake off excess.
Layer on the doily, add another glue dot to the center and finish with a pearl or rhinestone.

Now what will you do with all your pretty tags? These would make great Valentine's. They could also be added to layouts, packages, or cards. I've decided to use mine for Coke tags. Believe me, teachers will LOVE this gift!

See more Doris Sander's work on her blog and at Jenni Bowlin Studio.

Tuesday Tip for 2/7/12

2012-02-07T00:00:00-08:00

Story triggers are everywhere! I was busy shredding bank statements when I realized as I was looking through my credit/debit transactions this was a record of my trip to visit my son in Tennessee! The transactions listed the dates and locations where my card was used and that was enough for me to reconstruct the trip timeline! With each purchase comes a story...some of which I might have forgotten if I had relied on my memory and pictures (of the bigger events). Now that I have gone green and get e-statements, I simply highlight and copy the transactions I want to keep for a trigger and include them in my scrapbook files. The statements are a great addition to the photos & memorabilia I collect from our family trips!

Karen Grierson

One Little Word Feb highlights

2012-02-07T00:00:00-08:00

The active community in Ali Edwards 2012 One Little Word class are posting and sharing their creations, check these out, and for more see the bottom of the post for a link to the February blog hop.

from Crissy

Word silhouette from CarrieO

To see more awesome pages check out the blog hop and start here.

Tips for Scrapbooking People

2012-02-06T00:00:00-08:00

In today's episode Stacy talks about how to scrapbook the "people we love." Learn tips on how you can focus on the people that matter most and your relationship with those people in your scrapbooks.

What do you think? Are the most important people in your life represented in your scrapbooks??

The Curious Scrapbooker's Field Guide + Unity stamps Giveaway

2012-02-03T06:00:00-08:00

Today is our last day of giveaways and we have a fantastic giveaway for you today, a spot in popular teacher May Flaum's new 12 week class, The Curious Scrapbooker's Field Guide.

About the class, "During each of the 12-weeks of class, there will be a focus on specific techniques and products. Adding texture, stitching, mists, stamping and everything else she could think of – May has created a class full of information and inspiration. Students will find scrapbook layout project examples each week as well as projects such as cards, tags, altered projects and mixed media canvases. This class features a new colorful PDF handout and videos each week, and an A-Z basics library of 26 videos."

Learn more about the class and sign-up here.

Yeah we love Unity Stamps and they have added two sets of their new stamps to this giveaway. Thanks Unity!!

CLOSED GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

To enter, leave a comment below sharing your favorite scrapbook technique. Giveaway closes in 48 hours at 6:00 am PST. Winner will be randomly selected from comments and announced on 2/6.

Winner is Karen Kellenberger

"Other than some stamping on my pages (title or a few embellishments), I haven't really used any techniques in my scrapbooking. This class sounds like a lot of fun, and those stamps are wonderful!"

Scrapbooking Your Faith Class and Valentine goodies Giveaway

2012-02-02T06:00:00-08:00

Hope you are enjoying our week of giveaways, today's class is Scrapbooking Your Faith by Courtney Walsh.

About the class, "In Scrapbooking Your Faith you'll learn that you don't have to be a scrapbooker to preserve this side of you. Rather than feeling limited by a single medium, we'll explore a variety of ways to document your faith, including traditional scrapbook pages, journals, home decor, mini albums and more. You'll see that when it comes to collecting memories, the way you do it is secondary."

Read rest of description here.

To sweeten the day our friends at Adorn It have offered to give away Happy Hearts paper collection and Happy Hearts fabric fat quarter stack with a reatil value of $60.00

About the Happy Hearts collection

ADORNit’s Happy Hearts Collection is available in both fabric and paper and includes coordinating ribbon and embellishments. The designs have playful elements like polka dots, chunky flowers, and lots of Valentine color! And of course, hearts everywhere!

Everybody wins! Download our Happy Hearts Papercrafting Sampler for free. Here's the link:

CLOSED GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

To enter, leave a comment below. Giveaway closes in 24 hours at 6:00 am PST. Winner will be randomly selected from comments and announced on 2/3.

***Winner is CKCpurple

"Love, love, love the Adorn It Happy Hearts collection. WOW!!!"

All About Me Giveaway

2012-02-01T06:00:00-08:00

The class giveaway today is for a spot in Aaron Morris's new workshop, All About Me.

About the class,"In this class, you will get a variety of "All About Me" prompts that will inspire your journaling as well as templates and sketches to get that journaling onto the page. You'll work with Aaron to put together a variety of layouts that will get you back in your scrapbooks, as well as prompts and ideas to use long after the class is over. Imagine your family in the future looking through your scrapbooks and still wishing they knew more about you. With this class, you can be sure that that will never happen."

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

To enter, leave a comment below and list an all about me topic that you want to scrapbook. Giveaway closes in 24 hours at 6:00 am PST. Winner will be randomly selected from comments and announced by 2/3.

And the winner is Sassyscrapper!! Congratulations!!

"I would LOVE to win a spot in your class ... I've been struggling to do an All About Me album for years and can't seem to make much progress. It would be wonderful to have some major direction" that I'm sure your class would provide. So without appearing too needy ... please PICK ME!!!"

Mastering Manual Mode Giveaway

2012-01-31T06:00:00-08:00

Today's class giveaway is for one spot in,Mastering Manual Mode taught by Elisha Snow.

About the class, "In this 8-week class, you'll learn how to reach your full potential in digital SLR photography — exploring what you can do in program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and other creative modes. You'll learn exactly what ISO, shutter speed and aperture mean individually and how they work together to create that perfect photo. You'll delve into white balance settings and focus modes, and learn more about camera equipment, accessories and lenses. You'll get a refresher on some basic (but important!) composition tips and discover some fun and amazing photo techniques that Elisha has amassed throughout her own learning adventures"

Read the rest of the class description and sign up here, class starts March 1.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

To enter, leave a comment below stating why you want to improve your photos. Giveaway closes in 24 hours at 6:00 am PST. Winner will be randomly selected from comments and announced by 2/3.

And the winner is bkoconnor! Congratulations!!

"I have a burning desire to learn how to use the manual modes on my camera. My son just started competing in gymnastics and no one is allowed to use a flash during the meet or warm-ups. I need some photos of my son doing his routines that actually turn out. Please...."

Tuesday Tip for 1/31/12

2012-01-31T00:00:00-08:00

List ingredients to favorite recipes on 3x5 cards, punch a hole in the corner and fasten together with a jump ring. I carry these in a small pocket in my purse or in my car. It has saved me many a time when I was out running errands, needed to figure out what to make for dinner, and being assured I bought all the ingredients I necessary. It also saves me from forgetting the one ingredient I would otherwise forget that is key to the meal!

Marie Von Dane

Ten Tips for Type Giveaway

2012-01-30T06:00:00-08:00

Welcome to class giveaway week. Today's class giveaway is for one spot in Cathy Zielske's new class, Ten Tips for Type.

About the class, "In Ten Tips for Better Type, Cathy Zielske gives you a basic overview of type, designed to build your confidence when using fonts on your pages. From how many fonts look good on a page to the best way to align your words, Cathy’s class gives you a solid foundation of type theory that will translate to a better understand of how to create readable, engaging type on a scrapbook page."

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION:

To enter, leave a comment below sharing your favorite use for fonts on your scrapbook projects. Giveaway closes in 24 hours at 6:00 am PST. Winner will be randomly selected from comments and announced by 2/1.

And the winner of the spot in Ten Tips for Better Type is Donna S. "I usually just use fonts for titles on my pages My journaling is mostly done by hand. Maybe i need this class to find more uses for fonts!"

Congratulations Donna!