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november 6, 2006 volume one : issue seven This week I want to address a question from Ronda: I love the way you incorporate stamps into your layouts. It seems to me that you just plop such graphic stamps down and they look fantastic. But just dropping a stamp down on a page scares me! Is there a method you use? Do you feel your stamps have to �coordinate� with your layouts? What kinds of inks do you use? Thanks for the inspiration this week Rhonda. Stamps are a big part of my creative process and a big part of my whole philosophy of going with the flow. Ali stamp goodness  Any chance you have some stamps there in your stash of creative goodies? Most likely your answer is yes. Stamps are a popular and timeless product - you can find one or two on almost everything I create. I love them. They add just a fabulous little something to each project. I love that they serve as another way to tell my stories - whether as a title, journaling, or accent. If I remember correctly, my first stamps were an alphabet set. In fact I am pretty sure they were a set from either Hero Arts or the antique alphabet set from PSX. From there the obsession grew, including way too many of the wonderful unmounted alphabets from Ma Vinci, among others. I remember being totally inspired by Kristina Nicolai-White's use of those extra large stamps in the Designing With Words  book.I recently went through and cleaned out my stamp collection, figuring out which ones I really cared about, use the most, etc. I found that the ones I kept could be organized into four main categories: 1. lines for journaling/anything that gives a home to my journaling 2. words in classic typefaces - individual words and phrases/ definitions (especially ones that refer to date and/or time) 3. geometric shapes: circles, squares, rectangles 4. and the occasional random organic image like this butterfly I picked up sometime on the road (swirls go into this category too) In reviewing my stamps, I tend to shy aware from ones that aren't generic enough to be used on a variety of different projects. I like my stamps to be a part of my creation, rather than the star. There have been exceptions, but for the most part generic, shape-based stamps tend to make me the most happy.  method/process One of the reasons I love stamps is that they are messy. They are wonderfully imperfect. I have every expectation when I stamp that it will be delightfully a bit off center (or more), and that there is a possibility I will mess it up enough that I will need to cover it up or collage it with something else before I am done. And for me, that is ok. I like that stamps bring that organic hand-made touch to my projects. One of the ways I like to work with stamps is by layering or grouping them together - often times in shades of the same color. This is an easy way to cover up those mistakes that are bound to happen while playing with stamps. I also like to mix geometric shapes (such as a group of squares) with free-flowing swirls. The two provide a nice contrast to one another within a design, adding complexity and interest. Stamps are one of those tools that have the potential to bind people up. Rather than letting them be organic and fun, I see students focusing on getting it perfect. Perfect placement. Perfect amount of ink, etc. Let go, my friends. Creating with stamps is simply another opportunity to work on going with the flow and embracing imperfection and being playful rather than bound up in the quest for perfection. mounted vs. unmounted & clear vs. red rubber There are so many options with stamps these days. I use both depending on what I have on hand. I love that with the clear acrylic stamps I can see right where I am stamping (and even then they are still messy and not always perfect and I love that). I tend to be more concerned with the design on the stamp than whether it is mounted or unmounted. organization At Target a few months back I found these great little rectangle tins (see photo above) - they became the home for my wood mounted stamps. For me right now, this sort of open organization seems to work the best. Each little tin contains groups organized somewhat in the following manner: lines, art words, squares, circles, rectangles, generic text, date, etc. Packaged clear acrylic stamps are kept in a basket (usually stored in the packaging they came with) that sits on my table within easy reach. Some, like those from Technique Tuesday, are kept in large 3-ring binders. As with all organization, it is coming up with a system that works for you. current favorites Here's a list of some of my current favorite stamp manufacturers. But I have to say, nothing beats going into a scrap or stamp store and coming upon something I have never seen before - a wonderful little present. Catslife Press for words/definitions Fontwerks for journaling/just overall goodness (especially this one) Technique Tuesday for fonts Autumn Leaves for lines/journaling blocks/swirls Stampin Up for dates Paper Source for fun stuff inks These are the ones I have in a small basket on my work table. They are the ones I turn to the most: Stampin Up Color Box Chalk Tim Holtz Distress Inks from Ranger weekly challenge  This week the challenge is to embrace that wonderful imperfection inherent in using stamps. Sound like a big challenge? It is. If you are like me, sometimes it has to be laid out right in front of you for it to have any impact. Here's a little more direction: create a layout that uses at least three different stamps - one geometric, one text, and one organic (swirl, artsy, etc.). If you make a mistake, work with it or leave it. Chances are, no one will ever notice except you - everyone else will see it as a totally cool artsy use of stamps. Embrace that! Come by my blog and post your challenge layout link on Friday, November 10, 2006. Looking forward to seeing your creations. holiday project #2  This week I received a Land of Nod catalog in the mail that had a cool collage of stamped elements in a white frame. I immediately tore it out and began thinking of ways I could create something similar myself using all my holiday supplies (if you have not gathered up all your holiday supplies together into one convenient location, now is the time to do it). I picked up an inexpensive frame with mat at my local all-purpose store (I love that I can get groceries and frames all in one place) and went to work. Each of the patterned paper squares are 2 inches x 2 inches. Manufacturers include: Chatterbox, My Mind's Eye, Daisy D's, KI Memories, Basic Grey, Creative Imaginations, and Scenic Route.  Additional elements include: KI Memories: chipboard elements 7gypsies: stickers Marah Johnson Decemeber 25th: rub ons Danelle Johnson Art Warehouse: stamps Daisy D's: rub ons My Mind's Eye : tag Memories Complete: "happy holidays" I ended up with a black frame and a white mat. I can't wait until after Thanksgiving to hang it up. What was Holiday Project #1? Click here to find out. question & answer Q from Kami : A couple issues back, there was a great shot of you & Simon. How do you get shots in front of a mirror without a glare (obviously I never use the flash). A : One thing I do when I take a photo in the mirror is get to one side or the other, rather than shooting head on. I also take a bunch of shots - the more I take the more I have to choose from when I am ready to create. Q from Chris : I was wondering, how do you suggest we can play catch up with photos (and I have lots and lots) that we never got around to scrapping but really want to document? It seems like such a daunting task! Would love to know how you would handle a task like this? A : Ah, catching up. You know, I am not too fond of that term "catching up" - it directly implies that you are behind in some way or another. Who needs that pressure? This is supposed to be fun and relaxing and enjoyable - not something that adds stress to our lives. Here's my take: make a list of the stories you really want to tell from the past. Put that list on your bulletin board or in another location that is easily accessible for you to refer to when you are getting ready to scrapbook (maybe in an idea notebook if you are a mobile scrapbooker). Mix old stories in with the new as you plan out what you want to create next. Another idea: create a file on your computer just for those stories from the past that you want to tell - as things pop up in your mind while you go about your day (at home or at work) type them up. I have found that if I take those couple moments to get them into the computer I don't forget them AND I have journaling at the ready when I get a chance to be creative. I scrapbook yesterday & today & tomorrow in no particular order. For me, it is more about the story I want to tell at the time. Sometimes that is from long ago and other times it is right now. And what is tomorrow scrapbooking? It is capturing my own emotions about the future - thinking ahead, daydreaming, wondering, etc. Simply another way of expressing myself that makes me scrapbooks even more valuable to me. Q from Sheri : There is such an array of new paper and products coming out on the market. Sometimes I'm just getting into stuff I bought into the summer, only to find there is something "new" out there. How do you manage to trends? A : I admit it, I love new stuff. I get excited at the prospect of walking the floor at a trade show, seeing cool new stuff in stores, and receiving boxes of goodies on my doorstep. But man oh man, it is CRAZY how often new things are coming out and how much stuff there is in general. It can easily distract you from the work at hand: telling your stories through words and photos (with a bit of other goodies thrown in for fun). What to do? Stop worrying about what is cool for everyone else. Establish what is cool for you and go from there. Stick with what you love. You may love always having the newest as soon as possible or you may love having tried and true supplies on hand that are comfortable. By focusing on the story rather than the supplies you enable yourself to not get caught up in all the excess and the trends of the moment. Now don't get me wrong, I love trends. I love seeing what is happening and what is coming next. But let's be realistic, it is just not feasible financially to try to keep up with it all the time. So give yourself a break and remember why you are doing all of this in the first place. If you have a question you would like to have answered send me an email and write "newsletter" in the subject line. 2007 Life Art Wall Calendar  Copyright � 2006 Ali Edwards/AE Design/Life Art Media. Please do not reproduce any content without permission. Ali Edwards, author of A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking and A Designer's Eye for Scrapbooking with Patterned Paper, is Creative Editor of Creating Keepsakes magazine where she writes a monthly inspiration column called Studio A . She is a wife, mother, artist, writer, and seeker of balance. Owner of AE Design and Life Art Media, she conducts life art workshops around the globe. You can find her online on her blog or contact her through email at ali@aliedwardsdesign.com
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