Save those Scraps!

I hold my hands up - I never used to save scrap paper or card. If it was smaller than a playing card I would chuck it! *shakes head in shame* chatting with my crafty friends I discovered how wasteful I was being! I'm proud to say I have been keeping scraps for about 3 years now :)

my issue was I kept all the scrap in a box about the size of a shoe box, all shoved  in with everything just thrown in ontop of each other.  I found that I had the same problem I had with my stamps - I was only ever using the top few bits to do anything with.

A trip to Ikea solved all my problems!!

I bought a pack of 2 suspension file boxes and have used one to  file all my scraps in. I sorted all the bits of paper out into separate colours and put each colour in its own drop file. I have: Multi, Red, Orange & Brown, Yellow, Green, Blue, Pink, Purple, Black & White and Gold & Silver. simples! also keep scrap black and white card tucked into the front - VERY handy for stamping if youre then going to cut and mount!!

It's unbelievable how easy it is to find things now! my card and paper stock is lasting so much longer because I'm not cutting into a new piece every-time!!!

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/90180389/ <-----link to the boxes.x

My 'Pink' scraps!!

The suspension boxes themselves are quite reasonably priced, though it wasn't a cheap trip to Ikea; i ended up buying 12 different sized boxes for all my different bits and bobs but it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!! My inks, magazines, punches, wooden stamps, peel offs, embossing kit, packs of cards and envolopes, everything - has a nice new home. my craft room has never looked to neat!! and everything is so easy to find now. I will have to post a picture....when it is looking a little more tidy!! 

That's it for now,

Big Love and Speak soon!

xxxxx

Let There Be Light (Box)!!

Hello hello!!

I can't believe this is my 1st blog since January!! I may have been quiet but I have definitely been busy!!!

I'm gonna share with you today how I have made a light box. there are loads of tutorials out there on how to make one of these but if you're anything like me, you'll watch them and never get round to making one because "you don't have time", "I bet its harder than it looks", I don't have all the bits it says I need"....

well, I finally got my bum in gear and made one, and I have to say, it was REALLY easy!!!

What you'll need:

1 cardboard box (relevant in size to the item you want to photograph inside it!)

sellotape

craft knife

ruler

pencil

WHITE tissue paper

large piece of clean, unmarked matte card (this is your backdrop so white or black)

2 x light sources (desk lamps will do)

ok, after you have gathered all your bits and pieces make sure your box is the right size!!

I had to adapt my box a bit to make it taller... it would have fitted 'standard' 5x5 and 7x5 cards in but I have started making these taller ones - 8x4. why not turn it up on its end I hear you shout... well I make check book style cards (4x8) so i need the light box to be long as well as have height to it. Anyway, I cut the box in half widthways and with a few bits of extra cardboard I made the box taller.

MARK THE BOX UP:

mark out the bits your gonna cut out.  I left a 2cm frame around the area I cut out. This will differ on the size of box I guess - the YouTube tutorial told me to leave a rulers width but that was massive and left my cut out bit rather small. mark up 3 sides and leave the bottom and back blank.

CUT THE LIGHT WINDOWS OUT:

cut the 3 sides you have marked up. if you have them you can also remove the top and side flaps from your box.

I used one of the sides of my box as my front so I had to cut a window in that too. that's why I have a frame on the front of my box.

PUT THE BACKGROUND CARD IN:

the card is the background. use a matte card - shiny will interfere with the flash of your camera. trim to the inside width of your box. when you put the card in be careful not to bend it - any mark of crease will show up on your pictures - it's worth being EXTRA careful at this stage.

when you have slid the card right up to the top back of the box, secure it with a little bit of tape. you will have a nice curve In the card - don't fold this, leave it as a curve. push the card back as far as you need, remember your product has to stand on the base so it needs enough room to do so before the card starts curving.

COVER THE LIGHT WINDOWS:

all that's left to do is to cover your light windows with tissue paper. doing this helps diffuse the light and creates a more even lighting on your product. covering the holes is easy - cut the tissue paper so it's just bigger than the hole and then tape in place. I found 2 sheets of tissue paper worked well for the lighting, play around with it though - you may find 1 sheet is enough or that you need 3 J

Play around with the position of the lights - different products will need different lighting.

...and there you are - it really is easy!! By using the light box it gives a nice consistent background for your pictures!! so no more messy desk in the background, or inky cutting mat!! (guilty on both counts!) it looks so much more professional and It really brings out the detail in the picture too - and shows a 'truer' colour. I took a couple of pictures last night, the first picture is pretty much how I would take pics in the past, relying on the room lighting and the camera flash to do a good job. well, see for yourselves what a difference the lightbox makes.

I have to say I'm a little angry at myself for not making one of these sooner!!! I think of all the pictures of my cards I've taken and how much better they would have looked using the light box!! oh well, I have one now...and all for the price of a  pack of white tissue paper!! (would you believe I had every colour apart from white!!) ooooooooo - FYI - It took me little over an hour and a half to make - though i did have to remake and resize my box!! So if you find a box that is the right size from the start, making this will take you no time at all! LOL!

Well, I hope this has shown how quick and easy making a light box is and how much of a difference it can make to your photos!! if you sell your craft, or post pictures of it online, no matter what it is; jewellery, cards, flower arrangements, baking... if it fits in a box - make one of these - your pictures will be amazing!!!

Big Love. Speak Soon.

xxxxx