Friday, December 17, 2010
Scrap Book Designs
SCRAP BOOK 101
In simple words, a scrapbook is a decorated photo album—but it preserves something more than just the photos.
A scrapbook includes journaling (telling the story behind the photos) as well as memorabilia (tickets, certificates, letters, etc.). I think this is pretty cool, think of it as writing the story of your life, in words and pictures: you get to choose the words, the photos, the memories........
Lookin back on it will be sure to make you laugh, cry, or just wonder at how smart, or dumb(in most cases) we can all be.
You might be having big boxes lying around filled with photos, wondering how you’ll ever get around to all of them? If scrapbooking seems like a monumental task, don’t worry—it’s really not. All you need are a few basic materials and some ideas.
HOW TO
1. Pick your photos, First, select your photos based on one theme or event—a child’s first birthday, your weekend trip to the coast or an everyday event like the kids’ bathtime. Think of each page as having a story to tell.
Whether you place one really special photo on a page or 3-6 photos, there should be a common theme connecting them. Once you’ve chosen a theme, decide which pictures look best together. Don’t be afraid to edit—just because you took two rolls of film at that party doesn’t mean you need to use all of those photos.... :-)
2. Pick your papers: Pick a patterned paper for your background, which instantly adds color and depth to a page. A patterned paper is a great way to mirror your photo’s story—and you can find a paper for practically every look, style and theme. Let the paper pattern help you tell your story and make creating your album faster and easier: Choose a pattern that enhances your theme, like an elegant paper for a page of black-and-white photos, or a fun print for kids’ pictures.
3. Sticking your photos. When using a patterned paper as a background to your photos, remember the Golden Rule of Patterned Paper: Always stick your photo onto a solid paper so the colors and shapes in the photo don’t compete with the colors and shapes on the paper.
To stick a photo, just glue it onto your solid paper and cut around the paper so that you have a border around the picture. This will provide a visual “space” between the photo and the paper. Even if your background paper is a solid color, I would still do this so that it has a more finished look.
Think of it as framing a picture before you hang it on the wall—whether you have wallpaper or not, a frame still adds a nice polished touch.:-)
4. Lay out your page. Arrange your elements (photos, journaling, embellishments:- stick on stars, beads, cut out paper etc) on the background paper. Before you glue them down, move them around to make sure you like the placement.
As a rule, the center of your album page attracts the eye first; if it’s empty, the page will look incomplete. Overlap elements in the center, or add an embellishment in the center of the page.
* but this is the story of your life, so you can work with whatever rocks your boat..... *
5. Journal your story. You can choose to write directly on the page, but sometimes it’s easier (and less stressful) to write onto a separate scrap of paper, then glue this onto the page. If you goof, you can just flip the paper over and start again.
Or you could type on your computer and print it out. This is great for those of us who hate our handwriting or need to use a spell-check (hehe)
Yet I’ve come to realize that handwriting is so personal, and so individual, that it becomes precious to us, so have no fear, no matter how bad your writing may look.....its the thought that counts. :-)
When you’re finished with your scrapbook page, simply place it in your album. I like three-ring binders, or spiral binding, because they make it easy to add pages as you go back in time. It means you don’t have to take apart the entire album to add pages or rearrange them.
Once you get a couple of ages layed out, your book is done :-)
Happy Reading...eerrmm...& Looking...
A scrapbook includes journaling (telling the story behind the photos) as well as memorabilia (tickets, certificates, letters, etc.). I think this is pretty cool, think of it as writing the story of your life, in words and pictures: you get to choose the words, the photos, the memories........
Lookin back on it will be sure to make you laugh, cry, or just wonder at how smart, or dumb(in most cases) we can all be.
You might be having big boxes lying around filled with photos, wondering how you’ll ever get around to all of them? If scrapbooking seems like a monumental task, don’t worry—it’s really not. All you need are a few basic materials and some ideas.
HOW TO
1. Pick your photos, First, select your photos based on one theme or event—a child’s first birthday, your weekend trip to the coast or an everyday event like the kids’ bathtime. Think of each page as having a story to tell.
Whether you place one really special photo on a page or 3-6 photos, there should be a common theme connecting them. Once you’ve chosen a theme, decide which pictures look best together. Don’t be afraid to edit—just because you took two rolls of film at that party doesn’t mean you need to use all of those photos.... :-)
2. Pick your papers: Pick a patterned paper for your background, which instantly adds color and depth to a page. A patterned paper is a great way to mirror your photo’s story—and you can find a paper for practically every look, style and theme. Let the paper pattern help you tell your story and make creating your album faster and easier: Choose a pattern that enhances your theme, like an elegant paper for a page of black-and-white photos, or a fun print for kids’ pictures.
3. Sticking your photos. When using a patterned paper as a background to your photos, remember the Golden Rule of Patterned Paper: Always stick your photo onto a solid paper so the colors and shapes in the photo don’t compete with the colors and shapes on the paper.
To stick a photo, just glue it onto your solid paper and cut around the paper so that you have a border around the picture. This will provide a visual “space” between the photo and the paper. Even if your background paper is a solid color, I would still do this so that it has a more finished look.
Think of it as framing a picture before you hang it on the wall—whether you have wallpaper or not, a frame still adds a nice polished touch.:-)
4. Lay out your page. Arrange your elements (photos, journaling, embellishments:- stick on stars, beads, cut out paper etc) on the background paper. Before you glue them down, move them around to make sure you like the placement.
As a rule, the center of your album page attracts the eye first; if it’s empty, the page will look incomplete. Overlap elements in the center, or add an embellishment in the center of the page.
* but this is the story of your life, so you can work with whatever rocks your boat..... *
5. Journal your story. You can choose to write directly on the page, but sometimes it’s easier (and less stressful) to write onto a separate scrap of paper, then glue this onto the page. If you goof, you can just flip the paper over and start again.
Or you could type on your computer and print it out. This is great for those of us who hate our handwriting or need to use a spell-check (hehe)
Yet I’ve come to realize that handwriting is so personal, and so individual, that it becomes precious to us, so have no fear, no matter how bad your writing may look.....its the thought that counts. :-)
When you’re finished with your scrapbook page, simply place it in your album. I like three-ring binders, or spiral binding, because they make it easy to add pages as you go back in time. It means you don’t have to take apart the entire album to add pages or rearrange them.
Once you get a couple of ages layed out, your book is done :-)
Happy Reading...eerrmm...& Looking...
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
All Handmade...........All African......:-)
Beads, in all colors and sizes, glass stones, shells ( which i personally handpicked at the coast...),
cut out papers, recycled paper, colored paper......... put it all together and you end up with atienoamisi!!
at your service........ :-)
The Pictures still speaketh........
The cards still speaketh...............about graduations and such........... :-)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Peacock Feathers and the like
Why peacock feathers as the title for this post?
Well my weekend is the reason why. I got a request to design an african themed invite, and i reckoned this would be fun, creativity at work right? Beads, shells, gourds perhaps, such things.
Its refreshing when you meet a client who has done their home work and they know what they want............. until they ask for peacock feathers on their cards...........(i think the soundtrack to my life skipped a beat at that point)Yes, on her card, and she even had a lovely design that she had researched on...... sweet huh?!
But the minute i saw the design i fell in love with the feathers too (ti hi)
so sunday i was out (with my ever faithful sidekick) in the amazingly hot nairobi sun( 98 degrees i reckon), at Maasai market lookin for them.
This was after texting a couple of friends at 8. a.m on sunday asking if they knew where i could get them.
After lots of laughter, and accusations of being a poacher, AND threats of being reported to the animal rights org...( helpful friends aye?! ) they finally suggested maasai market.
Amazingly i did get the feathers, and managed to meet someone who could supply me with just enough for my order. . :-) which made me realize maasai market is a card makers heaven. Just find the right person to get u the right materials and your home free.
Of course you will get to hear of ridiculous offers, ..... 16, 000 for 160 feathers..... makes u wonder if the feather comes with the bird attached..............
but it was a succesful weekend nonetheless. I hope my client likes the sample...fingers crossed... :-)
Well my weekend is the reason why. I got a request to design an african themed invite, and i reckoned this would be fun, creativity at work right? Beads, shells, gourds perhaps, such things.
Its refreshing when you meet a client who has done their home work and they know what they want............. until they ask for peacock feathers on their cards...........(i think the soundtrack to my life skipped a beat at that point)Yes, on her card, and she even had a lovely design that she had researched on...... sweet huh?!
But the minute i saw the design i fell in love with the feathers too (ti hi)
so sunday i was out (with my ever faithful sidekick) in the amazingly hot nairobi sun( 98 degrees i reckon), at Maasai market lookin for them.
This was after texting a couple of friends at 8. a.m on sunday asking if they knew where i could get them.
After lots of laughter, and accusations of being a poacher, AND threats of being reported to the animal rights org...( helpful friends aye?! ) they finally suggested maasai market.
Amazingly i did get the feathers, and managed to meet someone who could supply me with just enough for my order. . :-) which made me realize maasai market is a card makers heaven. Just find the right person to get u the right materials and your home free.
Of course you will get to hear of ridiculous offers, ..... 16, 000 for 160 feathers..... makes u wonder if the feather comes with the bird attached..............
but it was a succesful weekend nonetheless. I hope my client likes the sample...fingers crossed... :-)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Random Simplicity
"How do you do it?, Do you sit and think up ideas first before making the final pieces?" and my best so far " do you think upside down?"
These are some of the questions people ask when they go through my work. . .
(and i always assume they are subtle....yet well meaning compliments)
At the introduction, i said atienoamisi is anything but ordinary. Same with the whole process that goes into making the cards. I don't believe in sitting down and making thumbnail sketches and color schemes and mockups...... It makes the whole process....whats the word...boring, ordinary. (not that i haven't tried...i did, and got tired at sketch number 5 :-/)
Work with the flow, thats my motto. Of course its good to have a mental outline of what you would like to achieve, from there, I sort of just work.....ideas "come" as i cut, and paste, and thread.......
I tend to think the best ideas are those that are not soo carefully though over.
An initial flower could be something else, instead of the full flower why not just a petal...... instead of a straight line of beads why not just throw them all over.......
Thats the beauty of the designs, no two are exactly alike ( unless you specifically ask for it)
Random, thats what they are.
Have to admit, some are accidents.......(and they are quite a number..:-} )
A wrong cut here could lead to a new design.
So thats how the designs come about, i don't sit on my head, i don't stand on one leg, ( I do sit on the floor though...) i don't make 100 sketches before i begin working.....
I call it random simplicity....
These are some of the questions people ask when they go through my work. . .
(and i always assume they are subtle....yet well meaning compliments)
At the introduction, i said atienoamisi is anything but ordinary. Same with the whole process that goes into making the cards. I don't believe in sitting down and making thumbnail sketches and color schemes and mockups...... It makes the whole process....whats the word...boring, ordinary. (not that i haven't tried...i did, and got tired at sketch number 5 :-/)
Work with the flow, thats my motto. Of course its good to have a mental outline of what you would like to achieve, from there, I sort of just work.....ideas "come" as i cut, and paste, and thread.......
I tend to think the best ideas are those that are not soo carefully though over.
An initial flower could be something else, instead of the full flower why not just a petal...... instead of a straight line of beads why not just throw them all over.......
Thats the beauty of the designs, no two are exactly alike ( unless you specifically ask for it)
Random, thats what they are.
Have to admit, some are accidents.......(and they are quite a number..:-} )
A wrong cut here could lead to a new design.
So thats how the designs come about, i don't sit on my head, i don't stand on one leg, ( I do sit on the floor though...) i don't make 100 sketches before i begin working.....
I call it random simplicity....
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Just Call Me Simple...........
Cut out flowers in different colors
Possible wedding Invite..... Note the contrast between the colors.......... Black, White and Gold
Cute......... nuff said :-)
Am a sucker for cut out flowers and butterflies and everything cut out. These ones have sequins added to the top for extra beauty... cool huh!?
Awesome way of incorporating red in ur theme...... You dont have to over-indulge... a touch here and there and look what we end up with.......... Classy!!
The way these butterflies gave been cut out and used is simply amazing!! And please note, an all white theme can actually work... :-)
All time classics...... You can't...shouldn't go wrong with Red and Black
Monday, November 8, 2010
Anything But Ordinary
So after days and weeks of procrastination, I have finally stated a blog for my work.
A place where even more people can see and hopefully want :-) what we have
atienoamisi is all about creativity when it comes to greeting cards, and gifts.
Cards are becoming way too generic, boring even.
Its all about flowers and ribbons, together with a horrid choice of colors and graphics.......
( just so u know, hot pink and pink don't go together) Its quite disturbing really.
I tend to think atienoamisi is different, queer, weird you might say.... but life is tooo short to be ordinary.
So lets have beads on our cards, shells, glass stones, paper cut outs.... pressed flowers.........
anything but ordinary.
and thats what i intend to put on the table......... :-)so enjoy....
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