In my spare time at work, I have the pleasure of proofreading some of the very cool North Light Craft books. The new book (due out in May) by collage artist Giuseppina Cirincione inspired me to try out using wire in my paper crafting. (Check out her previous book, Collage Lost and Found here.) Let me tell you: working with wire is addictive!  It’s easy to work with, requires few tools and little training, you can mold it into any shape you like, and it adds such a unique twist to paper projects. Plus, with thin, light-weight gauges (like the 26-gauge I used here) it’s the perfect addition to greeting cards and album layouts.


Since it’s never too early to start making valentines, I made a couple of cards for the upcoming holiday using wire to add embellishment.  First on my list was a card for my husband, one that required some not-so-girlie elements. I used an olive green as my base and added wire to create a miniature photo holder to hold my love bird icons. Withh a holiday that just calls for such girliness as pink and hearts, I also took the opportunity to make a more feminine card.  Here, I used the wire to make jump rings to act as a binding for the card.

Have you ever used wire in your scrapping? What about other unique materials? Share your ideas here! And look for more great Valentine’s Day projects right here on our blog.

Kristin

Addition to this post: To make the jump rings, simply wrap wire around a pen (or whatever object will create the size of circle you'll need) a few times.  Slide the coiled wire off the pen and cut through the lenghth of wire so that you end up with several individual rings. I also used a pen to create the circles in my mini photo holder.

Memory Makers’ newest book Paper + Pixels is hitting store shelves this week! Here, authors Audrey Neal and May Flaum share some insight into hybrid scrapbooking and their own scrapbooking journeys.

SNAPSHOT

What was the first scrapbook you made?
Audrey: A small spiral-bound album for my in-laws. They lived six hours from us, and so it was a Christmas gift that covered my daughter’s first year. That was in 1997, and as expected, it was full of die cuts and sticker sneeze.

May: A big 8x14 spiral-bound book with a very 80's looking lady with "stylish" hair and makeup on the front. It said scrapbook, and I used it to put pictures and notes and stickers about the summer of 1986.


What’s your favorite Photoshop tool?
Audrey: I really love using different blend modes. It allows me to combine different patterned papers, add overlays to my backgrounds, or make large photos fade into my background – there are just so many cool artistic effects you can achieve with these modes. I also love clipping masks. Again, it’s another great way to get the look of hand cut titles or photos with just a few mouse clicks.

May: The blur tool. It can make a blemish blend away, tone down a background to bring focus back to the subject, and you can also use it to de-saturate…I love that blur brush!

What’s in your purse right now?
Audrey: I just changed purses, so I’m sure there’s some stuff I didn’t transfer over. I always have a book in my purse – I actually won’t buy a purse if it’s not big enough to hold a book. Plus there’s my wallet, checkbook, some grape chapstick, two pens, my keys and cell phone, and my planner. Oh…and there are a couple of receipts from lunch and the post office in there

May: If you really must know... receipts, loose dollar bills and change, some jelly bellies, diapers, a rattle, lip gloss, and some stamps. My wallet and cell phone are on the counter-- they're almost never actually in the purse.

THE DEEP STUFF

What is one thing you really want readers to get out of the book? 
Audrey: What I think is great about the book is the fact that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on difficult-to-learn, expensive software programs. You can use simple programs such as Microsoft Word to create some really fun, creative techniques on your pages. The other thing is that with hybrid techniques, you can use a little or a lot--it’s up to you. Even the simplest techniques can really pack a punch on your designs.

May: Anyone can do it, even without a special program. While Photoshop Elements or a comparable program is really nice there is so much you can do with your word processing program! I have a lot of fun with Word, and I know that most traditional scrapbookers are already doing printing out of journaling and titles, so why not kick it up a notch?

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Want to know more about Audrey and May and Paper + Pixels? For the complete interview and for the opportunity to ask your own questions of the authors, check out the forum.

And for a chance to win a copy of Paper + Pixels, leave a comment on Christine's post (click here).