Monday, October 20, 2008

Black and White. Well, not exactly...

I realized that after challenging my students to make a page using mostly Black and White materials, I had never made one myself. First off, I realized that its a little difficult to come up with a photo! I have tons of photos I want to scrap, but not many that I envision on a black and white page. So, I ended up choosing a photo that I'd run an ambiance and a soft color filter on. It was close enough to black and white, but still had a beautiful hint of color.

But.... I guess I'm just not a pure black and white fan. No matter what I did to the page, it just seemed incomplete without color. So I switched over to a "mostly" black and white base, added some back color, chose most of the elements in a very soft color to match the photo, and added a splash of red. I know its still not perfect, but it feels better to me. (By the way, the basic layout is a lift of a page by Nikki Beaudreau. Just want to give credit where credit is due!)

For my "students," I'm really looking forward to the next challenge class on the 28th. I can't wait to see the pages you come up with. Its harder than I thought!

白黒。まあ~ちょっと違う。。。

次回のチャレンジは白黒ですね。そう言えば、今気が付いたけど私も白黒ページが作った事が無いです。まずは、やっぱり写真を選ぶが難しいですね。山ほどスクラップしたい写真あるのに白黒ページに合う写真はなかなか無かった。ずいぶん前に色んなフィルターを使って変換した写真を結局選んだ。白黒の近いけれど、まだ少し柔らかな色が残ってる。

ただ、白黒だけで満足出来なかった。どれのアクセントを加えても、色が足りなくて気に入らなかったです。だから、下地紙は二枚にしました。一枚はほとんど白黒で、も一枚は黒と水色にしました。写真の色に近い色の飾りを使って、 三ヶ所で赤いアクセントを加えました。まだ完璧ではないと思うけど、前より気に入った。(ところで、このページの基本レイアウトアイデアは Nikki Beaudreauさんが作ったページをスクラップリフトをしました。)

生徒様に、28日に皆様の作品を見るのを本当に楽しみにしています。私は思ったより楽しいです。

Monday, October 13, 2008

November & December Crop Schedules

November

November 4 (Tues): Advanced Scrappers (Challenge: One Photo Page - Let's make a page using only one photo. Photo can be an enlarged print or a regular sized photo. Simple photos without distracting backgrounds work best for this.)

November 12 (Wed): Open Scrap (any page theme is ok, no lesson or challenge)

November 17 (Mon): Open Scrap (any page theme is ok, no lesson or challenge)
NOTE: I had previously planned to have an Open Scrap on Tuesday, November 11th, but I had to change this to Wednesday, November 12th.

December

December 2 (Tues): Beginner Scrappers (Lesson: Introduction to Mini Albums. Anyone interested in making a mini album, please take a look at the mini album styles available. I'll also have examples of patterned paper sets. After everyone decides which materials they want to use, I'll order the sets.)

December 9 (Tues): Open Scrap (any page theme is ok, no lesson or challenge)

December 16 (Tues): Advanced Scrappers (Challenge: Year in Review Page - Let's make a page summarizing 2008 for your family, child, or even yourself! Photo Suggestions: 4 photos - one from each season; 12 photos - one from each month; 2 photos - one from beginning of the year and one from end; 1 photo - best one showing highlight of the year

Memo:

"Open class" means anyone who has scrapped before, any level, is welcome to come.

"Beginner scrappers" are generally those who have been scrapping for a year or less. First-time scrappers are also welcome.

"Advanced scrappers" are those who have been scrapping for more than one year.

Limit: 8 people

11月と12月のスクラップブッキング

11月4日(火): 上級者 (チャレンジ:1枚写真のレイアウト - 1枚だけ写真のレイアウトを作ってみましょう!写真が大きめにしてもいいし、普通のスナップサイズでも大丈夫です。出来るだけシンプル写真の方が良いと思います。)

11月12日(水): オープンスクラップ (テーマは何でも大丈夫です。レッスン・チャレンジはありません。)

11月17日(月): オープンスクラップ (テーマは何でも大丈夫です。レッスン・チャレンジはありません。)
ご注意下さい:前に11月11日(火)にクラスを行う予定と連絡しましたが、12日になります。

12月2日(火):初心者 (今日作るのページテーマは何でも大丈夫です。この日にミニーアルバムを紹介します。ミニーアルバムが作りたい方は絵の用紙セットとアルバムの見本を見て、選んでもらいます。ミニーアルバムに参加するの皆様のご希望を確認して注文します。)

12月9日(火): オープンスクラップ (テーマは何でも大丈夫です。レッスン・チャレンジはありません。)

12月16日(火):上級者 (チャレンジ:1年間の振り返る - 2008年を振り返るページを作ってみましょう。ご家族や、お子さんや、自分でもの一年間!準備する写真アイディア:4枚 - 四季節, 12枚 - 毎月, 2枚 - 年の初めと年の終わり, 1枚 - 今年のハイライト写真)

オープンクラス: 経験者のみになります。レベルに関係なくて参加出来ます。

初心者: 一年以下経験の方になります。初めての方でも可能です。

上級者: 一年以上経験の方になります。

定員は8人にします。

Thursday, October 2, 2008

October 28 Challenge: Black and White

I have finally decided upon this month's challenge. At the suggestion of a student, let's try to make a page using mainly / only black and white materials. Photos can be black and white as well, or in color.

10月28日のチャレンジ: 白黒
やっと今月のチャレンジが決めました。生徒さんのお勧めで白黒材料でページを作ってみましょう。写真も白黒でもいいし、普通でも大丈夫です。楽しみにして下さい。



Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Year in Review

Keeping current with my pages is a challenge for me. I don't scrap my photos in any particular order. More like whatever I feel like scrapping at that time. I jump from child to child, year to year, even decade to decade recently. All the pros say to give yourself the freedom to scrap what you want when you want without feeling pressured. So I do.

I realize that as of today, we have entered the last quarter of this year. And here I am just now getting around to making a 2007 Year in Review page for my family album. Truth be told, I made my other Y-i-R pages (from 2001 to 2006) only within the past two years. I got the idea, ran with it and made five years worth of Y-i-R pages all over the course of about 3 months. Even now, I still need to go back a few years further and make pages for the first several years we were married. (I wonder if I can remember what we were doing way back then....)

Anyway, I love making Year in Review pages. I think in the distant future it may be the main album my family actually looks at over and over again. I'd love to see your pages too!