Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Photography

If you're at all like me, scrapbooking has challenged you to become a better photographer in some way. While there was never anything too terribly wrong with the photos I was taking nearly seven years ago, I wanted to know more about photography and to do what I could to capture our lives in more meaningful ways.

The simplest photography rule to follow is to bring a camera - any camera - with you wherever you go.  I have a smaller digital point-and-shoot by Panasonic that is usually floating around in the bottomless pit of my purse, along with some stale Goldfish crackers, Dora band-aids and gum wrappers. And I have my iPhone which takes decent pictures in a pinch.  In fact, when I go to IKEA, I use my iPhone to photograph the info card on the item I want to purchase so I know where in the warehouse to go to pick it up. Which I've been doing a lot lately since we're doing a bit of work on our house. Even these silly photos will probably end up on a scrapbook page somehow about the current state of things around my house.  So bring that camera with you and have it at the ready.

There is one particular rule in photography that bears repeating, even if it's something you've mastered already. It's called the Rule of Thirds. By dividing your image into thirds vertically and horizontally, you end up with four lines that travel across your image in both directions with four intersections. By placing your subject along the lines and/or at the intersections, you create balance and a pleasing composition. See below for some examples:

 

 

 

In each of the photos above, the eyes of my subject or a sweet kissable baby face are on one of the lines or at an intersection.  Of course, some rules are just screaming to be bent just a bit:

 

Maybe it's just her sweet face being smack in the center of all the delish green that appeals to me but the bending of the Rule of Thirds here just works.  

(If you want to know how to create your own Rule of Thirds grid in Photoshop (and maybe it'll work in Elements, too), go here for a quick and easy tutorial.) 

But the most important rule of all is to just take the photo. You're better off having captured the moment imperfectly than to miss capturing the perfect moment.  So whip out the camera and capture the crazy big family eight-birthday celebration (Aidan, Chuck, Chris, Tim, Katy, Katie, Grandma and Bill blew out some candles) which I converted to black-and-white because the white balance was too weird to mess with:

Or the two giggling girls who insisted on being in the crib together and having their picture taken making faces together but I had to use my external flash and I have no idea what I'm doing with it so I had to edit it to death:

And with the conclusion of this here post and all its run-on sentences, I'd like to introduce an upcoming new feature here at WCS.  We'll be taking turns writing some articles that will expand on our journaling, photography and scrapbooking themes a bit more and cover more specific topics.  Our first photography article will be up next week and we'd love to hear from you if there is anything in particular you'd like us to discuss.    

Have a happy Friday folks!

 

and the giveaway goes to . . .

Thank you everyone for stopping by! Your comments were fun to read. Looks like we seek much warmth and comfort in scarves, blankets, and layering; in chili, soup, and hot cocoa; and in snuggling, books, and great blogs. Clearly warmer places have their draw, but some of you claim to miss chilly old man winter. Easy to say when you are warm! I am teasing! I would miss winter, too, if I didn't have it at all.

A big shout out to Studio Calico for sponsoring our giveaway this week. I sense someone is going to be very happy to receive this collection! And that someone is... (drum please...)

And number 87 belongs to Tracy. She has a long list of things to be warm (and needs it where she lives - speaking from experience!). I am certain that her Studio Calico Home Front collection will also warm her heart and help keep her busy enough to increase her core body temperature!

Thank you, all, for your comments this week! Tracy, please email your contact information to us at writeclickscrapbook at gmail dot com (by midnight Saturday). Make it a great day!

give.away.day. featuring STUDIO CALICO

It is truly our/your lucky day. for 

is back! And for our

today we are featuring their very own Home Front line.

Look at see what our very own Beth and Elizabeth did with this great line.

 

With a new Studio Calico release coming round the corner, we are happy to be able to offer you a sampling of the Home Front line before it has all been scooped up. Don't the layout possibilities seem so endless with those yummy papers and embellishments that represent what we wear and where we live? And the fabrips have my curiosity piqued like none other! And don't forget to visit the Studio Calico gallery and blog if you need additional inspiration!

If you would like to be considered for today's giveaway leave us a comment telling us your solution for beating the cold chill of winter (I like to curl up by the fire, or on the heat register/vent, with a cup of wassail and a big thick lambie blanket). Or for those of you on the other side of the globe, tell us how you beat the heat (really can't imagine having to beat the heat right now... oooh, please may I come visit you all?).

Two last, but not least, items. No, you don't have to be a Studio Calico subscriber to buy the Home Front line. (But, really, why wouldn't you want to be?). Home Front is available at your local retail store, or try here! And finally, don't forget it is your responsibility to check back to see if you are the lucky number!

Coffee Talk with Cathy Zielske

Cathy Zielske is a graphic designer, author and blogger with strong ties to the scrapbooking industry. She is the former art director for Simple Scrapbooks magazine, where she oversaw the visual direction of all Simple publications and books. Cathy is currently developing and teaching online workshops to help scrapbookers write better and take what they've written and make it look fabulous. She's currently teaming with Big Picture Scrapbooking to offer her workshops, Designer Digitals to offer her original design templates, and Typepad to offer hilarious blog content. Cathy lives quite happily in St. Paul, Minn., with her husband, daughter and son, where she is a big fan of potato chips, Crowded House and stretch denim.

WCS: 2009 was kind of a rough year for scrapbooking in many ways. Or was it? Now that the dust has settled, how are you feeling about 2009?

CZ: 2009 WAS a bit freaky in many respects as far as scrapbooking goes, and it got very personal for me when I was laid off of my job at Simple Scrapbooks magazine. Not that it was a shocker that the magazine went under. You can only run so few ads for so long and survive in publishing. Still…it was a reminder that no job is safe in this day and age.

On the flip side, for me…initially I had no idea what I would do. With all that's happened since then—teaching more classes at Big Picture Scrapbooking, creating products for Designer Digitals, designing eBooks for Ella Publishing—I've begun to see the lay off as a kick to my overall creative life in scrapbooking. This has been a really good thing for me.

However, it is because of the great connections made during my years at Simple Scrapbooks that I've been able to continue pursuing a life inside of the scrapbooking industry. For that, I'm extremely grateful.

WCS: Why did you decide to take the plunge into designing your own products for Designer Digitals? How has that experience changed your perspective about scrapbooking?

CZ: Having seen the type of things Ali Edwards was doing—digital templates featuring great design and great concepts—I finally decided to take the plunge and learn more about digital design for scrapbooking. The result has been a complete recharge as far as my passion for story telling, design and photo taking goes.

After working at the magazine for five years, admittedly, I was a bit burned out on the hobby. This foray into digital has reinvigorated me and reminded me what I love most: good design paired with great stories. Designing templates for Designer Digitals challenges me to create smart looks that encourage, not only good design, but good storytelling as well.

I've been a hybrid scrapbooker, combining digital elements with real life scrapbooking elements, since I started in 2001. It's been fun to see what I can make solely in the digi realm, as well as find ways to create hybrid concepts out of purely digital products.

WCS: How have you changed as a scrapbooker since your early days?

CZ: I'm less obsessed with it. I don't scrapbook every single day of my life, and believe me, in 2001, there were very few days when I didn't scrapbook. I think I have a very healthy outlook on saving stories. I know that I can't save it all, nor do I want to try. I want to enjoy the process when it inspires me from an organic place; that whole, "I have to write this down NOW" feeling.

WCS: Last May, Stacy [Julian] ran a series on her personal blog called "When You Teach a Friend to Scrapbook." It was a great collection of tips and common sense advice. How about you? When you teach a friend to scrapbook, what do you tell her?

CZ: I try to tell her it doesn't have to be an all or nothing venture, that you can save your stories in many different ways. Maybe it's just a Favorite Photos of the Year type of album, and that's it. Maybe it's a story book created at Shutterfly, or another online service. Maybe it's just a school days album. Maybe it's a hopes and dreams type of journal with no photos of any kind. Scrapbooking can be so many things. To pigeonhole it is to remove all the different possibilities.

Even if it's just putting photos into an album with a few lines of description, I try to tell her that it can be that simple and still have incredible value.

WCS: You're currently keeping yourself quite busy with Design Your Life at BPS, designing original product for Designer Digitals, designing at Ella Publishing Co., and blogging. Do you have any other plans up your sleeve for 2010?

CZ: I plan to run for public office, become a certified yoga instructor, and train for the Boston Marathon this year... (of course, I'm joking.)

You know, 2010 is the year of flexing my creative muscles again, reminding myself of what I love—stories, photos and design—and finding ways to inspire others to feel that love, too.

I'm hoping to teach more workshops, and very likely will be running my Me: the Abridged Version workshop again at Big Picture Scrapbooking. If I do nothing else than get a few more women to focus exclusively on telling their own unique stories, I'll feel like I accomplished something important in this industry. As you know, our stories really DO matter.

That, and I'd love to lose some of my muffin top.

WCS: Our theme this month at WCS is "Favorites." How about you tell us a few of yours? They can be current or all-time favorites. We're not picky. Feel free to elaborate or include visuals when applicable. Or add other favorites I didn't list.

WCS: Favorite pen.
CZ: Zig writer.

WCS: Favorite patterned paper.
CZ: BasicGrey.

WCS: Favorite first stop on the internet each morning.
CZ: Facebook.

[ed note: if you haven't already imagined this like a lightning speed round, go back and start from the beginning of the favorites section. See?]

WCS: Favorite thing to eat for dinner.
CZ: Anything that has to be served in a bowl.

WCS: Favorite album listened to in 2009.
CZ: Owl City, Ocean Eyes.

WCS: Favorite book read in 2009.
CZ: The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan.

WCS: Favorite movie screened in 2009.
CZ: Up.

Thanks, Cathy : )

What's Your Project?

We're almost halfway through January, which means you still have time to fall under the spell of January magic—not the magic that compels you to commit to a list of resolutions, but the magic that charms you into committing to a creative project. There are so many wonderful ones to choose from: Project 365. Twelve photos on the 12th day of each month (which happens to be today, hint hint). A once-a-week photo challenge. My own project? Committing to a weekly blog post called "Ten on Tuesday" for the entire year, where I sit down and list ten things I'm thinking about on...Tuesdays. 

Projects are fun. They keep us accountable and motivated to create. I've recently read three project-related books that I wanted to share with you today; they aren't scrapbooking books, exactly, but I think you'll find them to be fantastic resources and springboards for your own ideas. Before you know it, you'll have a project—or maybe even 52 projects—up your sleeve!

A Year of Mornings is based on a straightforward concept: two blog-friends committed to taking a photo in the morning each day for a year, stitching them together, and posting the pair each day on a blog, which was later turned into this book. The photos are simple, personal, and interesting to look at (my only complaint is that the book design didn't present all the photo pairs at the same size, so some of them were harder to study). If you've completed a month-long photo-a-day or the full-fledged Project 365, you know it can be difficult to achieve a daily photo. The authors acknowledge this—and even though their project is missing some photos, it doesn't take away from their accomplishment (nor should it take away from yours, if you miss a day or two or more). The beauty of their project is that they embarked on it together. There are so many variations on this idea that you could try with a friend. You're already thinking about it, aren't you?

Jeffrey Yamaguchi's 52 Projects is a quick-read with long-lasting impact. Based on the notion that life is more fun and rewarding when you plan (and sometimes plot) a little regular creativity, he makes a convincing case for the benefits of making your own list of 52 projects. Some of the ideas he provides are never going to make it on my list, but even some of those got my wheels turning about something else I could try. Many of his suggestions are memory-keeping ones; he has some great ideas for what to do with old photographs and ephemera, and even better ideas for journaling (and by default, page ideas). He is a friend to scrapbooking, indeed—I was especially thrilled to read #7 on his list of 52 additional resources at the end of the book, where he suggests readers check out Simple Scrapbooks magazine. : ) It's money well-spent to add this to your reference shelf. Also, be sure to explore his site, and dig into the archives and links. 

And finally, Listography: Your Life in Lists. This is the first in a series of spin-off guided journals (you'll also find titles geared toward music, love, the calendar, etc.). It's not necessarily ground-breaking material—I don't know about you, but I've been making lists since I first started writing—but the guided, fill-in format is kind of fun, the topics aren't necessarily ones I would have thought up on my own, and the illustrations are quirky and entertaining. Books like this make excellent resources for scrapbookers, because the sole purpose is to help you get your story down on paper. A worthy goal, I think we can all agree. A fun bonus: the creators of this series also run a free website where you can digitize, customize, and categorize your lists (publicly or privately). A list of 52 projects, anyone?

Last Minute Change of Plans

Good morning, glories!

We've had a slight change of plans at Write. Click. Scrapbook. today. You see, Jody Wenke (otherwise known as USAJody, or Miss USA, or One of the Two Awesome Jodys, er, Jodies) was supposed to be your hostess this week. You can imagine her (and our) horror to learn that her entire scrapbook area—a room lovingly and beautifully carved out of her basement—was the victim of a burst water pipe just after Christmas. While she and her husband (and their insurance company) work to repair the damage, I'm filling in with a little help from my friends! We thought it would be nice to let Jody know we understand her frustration. Those of us who have been there got together to cheer her up with our own home disasters!

12 x 12 page by Elizabeth Dillow

A few years ago, we discovered that our basement water heater had bottomed out—the second time it had happened to us (though in two different houses). During the discovery, hand-wringing, clean-up, and completion phases, I didn't take a single photo—but that doesn't mean I can't include the story in our family scrapbook. I actually did blog about the incident, so pulling the journaling straight from my blog made this a quick and easy page to create. Luckily (knock on wood)(there will be a lot of knocking on wood today) we haven't replaced a water heater since!

11 x 8.5 page by Jody Dent-Pruks

Jody documented her family's swimming pool disaster with her trademark sense of humor—and had the presence of mind to take photos of the aftermath of their collapsed pool. According to Jody, "the pool collapsed in the middle of the night (such a loud crack and so much water pouring everywhere). Insurance dithered for 7 weeks and then said no – too old, rust present, yadda yadda! Not a problem, we will just pay to put a new one in but now it’s school holidays, the weather is hot and the pool suppliers close down during Christmas and the first 3 weeks of January. So here we are, hot days, no pool and sad kids!"

Jody also documented a more dangerous, scary home disaster that occurred in 2007 when her family's shed (think detached, large garage with storage) caught fire and burned to the ground on their property (farm). Not only did it destroy outdoor equipment, but all of her Christmas decorations and many sentimentally valuable papers and ephemera from her sons' lives. With the pictures she took, she created an album to document the devastation and rebuilding process—a truly therapeutic endeavor!

mini-album by Jody Dent-Pruks

 



 
Sheds are pretty important in Australia. So important, they have their own associations!

In Vermont, Katrina deals with a different kind of challenge: spring flooding, dangerous ice, and foot after foot of snow (which might be pretty and calming once in a while, but try driving to work every day in it). Using a few photos of her driveway and neighborhood looking more like a lake, she documented a facet of her life that might otherwise have been lost!

8.5 x 11 digital page by Katrina Simeck

Emily Pitts might not have a disaster on her hands, but she sure has a house that requires a lot of special knowledge and care to live in it (which, after a long day, might feel a bit disastrous, right?) Documenting these quirks now will ensure her family will remember the experience of living there in so much more detail one day.

12 x 12 page by Emily Pitts

Instead of one disastrous occurence, Erin Sweeney documented a multitude of catastrophes on her page, where you can almost relive each and every hour of those terrible 24 along with her. You might not think you'll want to relive experiences like these, but sometimes these are the stories that become the stuff of family legend—and can strengthen a family's bond just by merely surviving it all!

8 1/2 x 11 page by Erin Sweeney

Sara Winnick decided to spin our last-minute assignment a different way: she will be prepared the next time diasaster strikes with one of these:

card by Sara Winnick

Don't you just need a card like this on hand? I know I would have felt better the day my water heater came crashing down had someone handed me a "sorry about your water heater fiasco" card. : ) 

What about you? Have you had any home disasters or other catastrophes that you're far enough removed from now to document? These debacles are part of our life's story just like the happier (and drier) moments are too, and it's worth sitting down to document them. Help Jody know she's not alone and share your story this week in our Flickr gallery! And if you don't have a disaster to document... well, now's the time to knock on wood again!

Sunday Morning

photo by Tina Cockburn

Supplies for 2010

And now that you are armed with a few more ideas to help you create a yearly review page, document your resolutions, scrapbook your goals, and maybe even start a monthly album project, here are some supplies that you might need to help you with your scrapbooking in 2010 (you'll have to excuse me while I link you over and over to Two Peas - this is the site that I am most familiar with. Feel free to provide any links in the comments you think other scrappies might swoon over).

For the ambitious scrappers among us, a complete Year in Review book, digital style:

 

For the ones who simply want a single page to cover the year:

 

 

Digi journaling cards that could potentially help you with that resolutions page:

I love the vintage look of these Jenni Bowlin calendar cards (also in black/red and yellow/red). These would be great for page accents or even a mini-mini-album:

Jillibean Soup Red Calendar Journaling Sprouts (also in green, brown, and black) would be perfect for a date accent or adding a cohesive element to a month-by-month album:

The larger size of these Jenni Bowlin 6" Circle Die Cut Calendars would be great for a mini-album:

 

This Creative Cafe Calendar Kit would be a super easy (and colorful) way to create monthly review pages as you go:

Maya Road 2010 Black & White Calendar Sheer Accents:

 

Carina Gardner's IMPRINT v.4 digi brush and stamp kit would make super a super cool addition to your digi and hybrid stash:

These 7Gypsies Gypsy Year stamps aren't brand new, but they are still fancy and flourish-y and useful year after year:

Kate Teague's Monthly Bits are cute digi calendars that can be added right to your digi creations or printed and trimmed for your hybrid pages:

For the Project 365-ers:

 

A classic little digi kit to make a diary for recording your daily life, with a single spread for every week of the year:

And with that bit of enabling, my week here on the blog is complete. Thank you for joining me, and I wish you all the best in 2010!

Meanwhile...

So we've covered the "year in review" page and the "resolutions" page, and meanwhile, our brains were likely in overdrive doing some scrapbooking multi-tasking, am I right? We scrapbookers never stop thinking up new projects to work on, and staring down the entire year tends to inspire some exciting projects:

Project 365-Scrapbooking: This photo-a-day project has been around for a while, but it hit the scrapbooking scene with full force last year. If you want to document the daily activities of life, then this is the project for you! There are a multiple ways to document your daily life, but the simplest I've seen is the new Project Life kit by Becky Higgins. Don't be afraid to customize Project 365 into Project 1, Project 7, or Project 31. Dedicating a single day, week, or month to taking photos of your life can be rewarding in its own right and if we are honest (and easier on ourselves) probably a lot more manageable.

I scraplifted an idea of Elizabeth's and made a daily photo + journaling album about my daughter the month she turned one. It was a lot of work, but it's still one of my favorite albums.

 

 

Project 365-Photography:Maybe you're not especially interested in scrapbooking the mundane details of everyday life, but you do want to focus on your photography or simply get in the habit of taking more photos, then you can still adapt Project 365 to suit you. Read How to Take a Photo a Day and See Your Life in a Whole New Way. Or check out our very own Elizabeth Dillow's Project 365 +1: 2008 for her year long photo project that lives happily on her blog. And if you simply want to see some inspiring photos from photojournalists around the world, take a peek at the A Photo a Day site.

Monthly Review: Maybe you find any version of Project 365 particularly daunting, and a monthly review page is more your style? Last year, Two Peas sponsored a class called A Year of You, which showcased a different summary page for each month of the year. I love the idea of compiling a collage of photos along with written highlights from the month. It frees up precious scrapbook time for those extra-special photos. :)

Here was my interpretation of Robyn Werlich's January page:

During 2010, the first weekly challenge of every month over at Two Peas is a "Month in Review" page, so there's some motivation for you! 

Monthly Photo: A combination and twist of the Project 365 and Monthly Review ideas is to take a photo of the same thing (your child, yourself, your backyard, etc.) on the same day of every month to document the changes that occur throughout the year. Once you have twelve photos, you can make a layout or a mini-album and have a really cool record of something or someone that is important to you.

Favorite Photo:While you are shutterbugging, keep a folder titled "Favorites," where every month you store a copy of that one photo from the month that really spoke to you. These could be random photos or photos of each of your kids. At the end of the year, you can make a quick digital album or scrapbook something a little more elaborate like Elizabeth's 12 album in The Scrapbooker's Almanac. Last year, I created a mini-album of eight favorites (for 2008):

 
One Little Word: And for those among us who appreciate the words, Ali Edward's One Little Word project might be just what you are looking for. Every year, she selects a word to focus on throughout the 12-month period. The beauty of her idea is that you can keep it simple or make it as detailed as you want. As she says, "a single word can be a catalyst for enriching your life as well as your scrapbook layouts." 

So now you have lots of ideas and even less time! Back tomorrow with some enabling for all your scrapbooking projects! :)
 

and the giveaway goes to . . .

Thank you, Unibind, for sponsoring our giveaway today and for providing our three MyBook kits. You are all so clever and have the greatest ideas for your books. Here are just a few:

1. a book of animals found in the yard (the same could be used for bugs, flowers, neighborhood kids)

2. road trips, sports' years, family gatherings

3. inspiration albums for quotes, one little word reminders

4. children's artwork, school projects, handwriting

5. and the most popular - Christmas photos. 

Thank you, too, to Unibind for creating a manageable solution for overwhelmed scrapbookers!

On to our lucky numbers...

Congratulations to Jennie, Andrea, and Theresa! We are very excited for you and hope that your Unibind MyBook kit will provide you with the opportunity to complete a quick and easy album! Please contact us at writeclickscrapbook at  gmail dot com by midnight on Saturday to claim your gift! Happy day!