First let me say I am so happy to hear that there are other like-minded stackers out there! :)

And Michele L. left me this comment yesterday...  (my other blog)

But my question is this: how do you stack brads, buttons and flowers? LOL

Love your sense of humor!  I did imagine taking a photo of brads somehow all stacked up just to make you laugh but then realized that I would probably spend too much time on it...:)  

Obviously stacking doesn't work for everything but I do have a few more tricks up my sleeve. ;) Today I thought I would show you my storage for my scraps.  You know, those little bits of paper that as a scrapbooker we all feel the need to hang on to?  I try to be "tough" with my scraps and only save what realistically I will use but I make a lot of scraps!  For the longest time I used something like this except that mine was one big pouch - not divided into three sizes.  It was 12x12 and had a handle on the top so I hooked it on the back of my chair.  It worked for me for a long time except that the small bits always slid to the bottom and I was constantly digging out each section of the pouch to see my options.  Eventually it was time for an upgrade.  So off to Ikea I went and found this.  Super cheap and just right for my purposes.  

Remember I scrap on a dining room table so I decided to utilize all that wonderful empty space under it with my little rolling cart from Ikea.  The unit has three drawers so I divide my paper scraps as follows - warms (reds, oranges, yellows), cools (blues, greens, purples) and neutrals (blacks, whites, browns, greys).  The cart sits right next to me (my chair is to the right of the cart).

And you know what?  I use my scraps all the time now.  They are so easy to grab and since the drawers are big it is easy to rifle through looking for just the right piece.  My kidlets also know that this stuff is fair game for homework (Harper) or random cutting/crafts (Magnus).  I really, really love this system.  I think what always happened to me before was I tried to put my scraps into too small of a space and it made looking for scraps feel like a bit of a chore.  Not now.  It is so easy to grab something from here and get right to work.

For me organization needs to be easy to maintain but it also needs to be easy to see/use.  If I don't see it, I don't use it.

That's it for today.  Seems a bit more normal than yesterday doesn't it??  LOL  Back tomorrow with more :)

 

I'm a stacker.

Yup, I like to pile things.  It seems like a good solution to me when I am quickly tidying.  Stack it all up into a pile and it instantly looks neat (to me at least!).

Want to see?

My bed side table.  A quick stack of all my various bedtime reading materials (and other weird kid debris) and it seems organized to me.

All my class materials and samples.  One stack and they are all together (and I know where to find them).

Umm, maybe this one doesn't look neat but here is it - stacked felt.  (I am serious when I tell you I stack!)

Magazines I am reading.  Stacked nicely beside my work area.

OK, now before you start imagining me as some crazy lady with stacks everywhere in my house I don't stack everything.  :) Nor do I compulsively stack, lol. 

I have been struggling with neatness for my whole life (I did mention my mother saying a mess follows me everywhere I go, right?) and I am trying to improve. BUT after spending forever trying to be neat like others I realized that it wasn't working for me.  So I started to look for things I that I did naturally without a lot of struggle.

I stack.  After the kids go through the DVDs to find a movie (how is possible that they need to take out EVERY movie to decide??) I stack.  So quick and painless.

So I started to apply that idea to my scrap stuff.  As most of you know scrapping can get messy - fast!  And it gets hard to create when there is too much mess.  BUT I don't want to feel like I am spending forever cleaning up.  I need it to be quick and painless.  I certainly don't want to waste valuable scrappy time, lol.

So I started to stack my supplies.  But of course it doesn't work for everything so I adapted.  Remember of the simple storage solution last week?  Think of those as stacks on their sides. 

One thing I do truely stack is my paper.

Above is my cardstock and below is my patterned paper.

WHAT?

I know what kind of solution is that? But you know what it works for me.  I add the paper to one cubby of my Ikea shelves and it stays contained.  No need for something fancy - I told you it wasn't going to be magazine solution pretty.  I am quite happy to have all my paper jumbled up together.  Can I find things?? Well, of course I can!  I just grab a stack and flip through it.  Do I have to worry if I pull out five options and then only use one?  NO.  I just quickly add them back to the top of the stack.  Five second clean up suits me!

I find this especially helpful with cardstock.  I love happy color accidents.  You never know when two unusual colors are going to end up together and make a happy color accident.  That cetainly is not going to happen if I have all the reds together and separate from all the greens and purples!  I cannot tell how liberated I felt when I realized that I didn't have to do it the way I was "supposed" to do it.  

Now I am not saying this is going to work for everyone.  I know having papers all stacked up and jumbled up together is going to drive a few of you over the edge.  But you know what?  That is ok too!  What I guess I am trying to say is you need to look at you and find out what works for you.  Stop comparing yourself to picture perfect scrap spaces and figure out what works for you and your space. I can bet you will be happier with your space if you do!

I didn't stop there though. I found another paper solution that works with my stacking love.

Paper racks that fit right into my shelves (I can't find these any more so no links - sorry).  I used these to keep a few things separate from my "main" stacks.  Projects I am working on, specialty papers or even just some new supplies that I want to play with.  No real rules to it.  Just what I feel I want to have separate - and it changes all the time.

So side by side this is what my paper looks like right now.

Seems organized enough to me.  And I am definitely happy with it.

And because organization is never done...

I have been toying with the idea of adding these to my paper solution.

I am not sure if vertical will work for me but I was thinking of breaking up my patterned paper a bit.  The pile is getting big (got to stop shopping!) so I thought it might help but I am thinking I will probably go with these. (but I do want to give vertical a chance - you never know!)

My system is definitely not finished and I am always working to make it better.  I don't want elaborate solutions because I know I will not maintain it.  I know myself well enough to realize that storage and organization needs to be as easy as possible.

Ok so now I feel just a bit naked in front of you all!  Please advert your eyes....;)

*******

More crazy Crystal storage solutions tomorrow.  Bet you'll be back just to read how strange I really am!

*******

Hope everyone in the US is having a great Memorial Day today:)

 

 

I may or may not have a 1/4" circle cut into the tip of my thumb.  Well about 3/4 of a circle.  At least I know I am alive - the heartbeat in my thumb lets me know that fully!

Sorry about he fuzzy picture but I had to take it left handed - what do lefties do when they need to take a photo?  The button is on the right. It really is a right-handed world!  I might just have to design the first left handed camera...

If I haven't scared you off with my sillies lately then I am surprised!  A girl has got to celebrate though, right?

After all the emails I got last week from the other messy scrapbookers out there who were so happy to hear I was a messy girl I thought this week I would share some of my organization (ha!) tips.  Well they are really more like - how can I contain this mess just enough so my hubby doesn't throw me out - kind of tips.

As us messy ones know cleaning up is a pain.  So the idea is to make life as simple as possible when it comes to organization.  If it is too much work then after about a week it starts to slide.  You know what I mean?   

So that is the plan for the week.  You are going to see my messy ways and how I combat them - well sort of combat them.  :)  I am not promising magazine gorgeous solutions.  I am talking about reality.  I mean who really has their embellishments color coded and labelled in perfectly matching containers?  I know I don't!

[It seems as if I might loose some tidy, color-coding readers of this blog this week but I promise I am really just jealous of your natural ability to be tidy...:) Seriously.]

 

Ok so here goes. 

Prepare yourself for lots of rambles and extra info that you may not need.  I find that some people learn really quickly and others need more detail.  So skim if you are a quick learner or take your time and hang off my every word if you need to. J  I don't mind.

Rounding corners in Photoshop is pretty easy.  You just need to know which tools to use.  If you use some other program, well, scram...

OK just kidding.  You can probably transfer the ideas over to whatever program you use.

 

So to start I will assume you want to round the corners of a photo so you can print it off with this nifty little look.

Oh yes, Magnus is participating in this tutorial.  This is what he thinks of people who don't scrapbook. ;)

So open your photo in PS.  Make any and all edits you want to make to your photo first.

Just image I am going to print this photo as a standard 4"x6".  (Really this photo of Magnus deserves an enlargement cause it so funny but we'll imagine it as a 4x6.)

So crop the image to 4"x6".

Then you need to add a new layer on top of your photo.  Two ways to do this - click Layer (at the top of your screen) > New> Layer  (or to save time press Shift+Ctrl+N)

This will create a new layer on top of your photo.  Think of it as a clear transparent layer that sits on top of your photo.

So now you need to choose the tool that will give you the rounded corners - called the Rounded Rectangle tool.  Imagine that!  It can sometimes hide behind one of the other tools so click the little arrow in the bottom corner of that tool and it will pop up.

The first thing you need to do is set the radius for your curves.  I like mine at 45px but you can mess around and find out what you like.

Next you need to draw your rectangle.  Just move your cursor over your photo and you will see a little + show up.  To draw you need to just click and drag.  I like to start at the top left and work over to the bottom right but again, your choice! 

Now, since I am not so much about precision with these types of things I don't measure things.  I just line up my little + sign in the top corner matching up the ends of it with the edges of the photo.  I cannot capture this in a screen shot so imagine my drawing is the way it will look. J

Then click and drag your shape out.  You should get something like this.

Then you need to go over to your layers box and click on the paths box.

At the bottom of that box is the "Load path as a Selection" button (they couldn't come up with a snappier name??)  Click it.  The solid line that you drew will turn into a dotted line.

 

Now you need to invert your selection ‘cause right now you have the inside selected.  And we want the outside selected so we can fill it with white.  To do this you click on Select >Inverse (or Shft+Ctrl+I).  This will give you two dotted lines now (your rounded rectangle and the outside perimeter of the photo).

Now all we need to do is paint the area white.  Make sure the foreground color is set to white.  Then choose the paint bucket option (if you can't see the paint bucket remember that it is hiding - just click the little arrow in the bottom corner of the button and it will pop up.)  (You cannot see my dotted lines in this screen shot cause they disappear in the capturing of it.)

Now take your little paint bucket and click anywhere in the area between the two dotted lines.  You will get this.

Now deselect your dotted lines.  Choose Select > Deselect  (or Ctrl D)

Now all that is left is to flatten your image so you can print (or save).  Either choose Layer > Flatten Image or I like to use Shft+Ctrl+E  (merge visible).

Done!  I know I broke it down into micro steps but if you are not a whiz at PS then I know it gets overwhelming.  And I am not by any means saying I am a whiz at PS - I know how to do a few things but there is still lots (and I do mean lots) that I need to learn.

Have fun and remember to share if you use this.

***

(Oh, just wanted to add that for myself I set up a file so I could just drag this template onto my photos.  The only difference is you start with a new, transparent file (not a photo) but you create it using all the same steps.  You must do a "Merge Visible" at the end so that the middle part stays "clear" so you can drag it over your photo.  If you do this then you only need to do it once and you can use it over and over again.)

 

 

My  hubby, Austin surprised me with my favorite cake last night to celebrate the arrival of the book.  That guy knows how I love to celebrate!

And since I have been confessing things lately here on my blog I will admit to having a piece for breakfast this morning.  I mean, is there anything that says I am celebrating more than a piece of decadent cake for breakfast??  I think not!

So last night I was in a bit of a daze after the book arrived.  My hubby kept asking what was wrong ‘cause I didn't seem excited enough.  I think I was just too excited to get it out.  Who knew super-dee-duper excitement for me was shown as a daze?  LOL

I love the fam's reactions though.

Magnus couldn't, umm, care less.  I mean he really didn't care!  (He is only 4 after all so I can forgive.)  He was much more interested in the boxes of class supplies that had arrived at the same time.  You see he likes to open the boxes.  It is his job.  One he takes very seriously.  Once that box is open he couldn't care less what is inside!  I did try to convince him to look (he was the only one home) but since seeing his photo in Memory Makers magazine and other scrappy books he has come to the conclusion that he is every book with pictures.  Seen them once, see them all is his opinion. 

I am saving for therapy already.

Now Harper was completely different, the darlin'.  She ran into the house, grabbed the book and settled down on the couch for a long read.  She read everything.  Cover to cover.  Asked questions, made comments.  That girl knows how to make this momma happy!  I was in such a daze that I didn't think to take her photo but next time she has the book in her hands I will.

Austin of course made me laugh like he always does.  He wanted to know how many times he appeared in the book.  Not a word about me.  Just how long until people recognized him on the street (phh). Made me laugh hysterically. J

But seriously, my family had ego issues.  I am calling a carpenter today to get the doors made bigger in the house so everyone's head can fit through.  Just call us the big-headed-Rieger's.  As in, oh, here comes those big-headed-Rieger's.  Quick, don't make eye contact!

OK, so that my husband doesn't appear to be anything but the amazing husband that he is (remember the cake from above!) he did get all mushy on me and gave me the -babe, you are the best- speech which did make my head swell a bit.  So now my head won't fit through the door!  ;)

What are we going to do?  I hope that carpenter gets here quick!

So here are two things I loved about getting to see the book, live and in person.  Things I hadn't seen until yesterday.

The spine.  Can't wait to see it on a bookshelf!

And the back cover.  It has a back cover!  Ahhh....

And now some details.

The book arrives at the F+W warehouse at the end of June.  This means shortly after that it starts shipping to local stores and to online stores such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Tower Books, Buy.com.  If you are in the UK you can buy it here or here.  In Canada you can buy it here or here.  I am looking into Australia.  Live somewhere else and want to know where to buy it?  Let me know and I will find out for you.

And something exciting for those of you coming to the Great American Scrapbook Convention in Arlington, Texas in a few weeks.  There will be advance-hot-off-the-press-brought-in-just-for-you copies of the book available at the Memory Makers (F+W) booth.  Yup, you can get a copy almost a month early if you are at the show!  I will also be attending a book signing on Saturday, June 7^th from 1-2pm at the booth if you are so inclined.  (sounds very glamorous doesn't it - no wonder my head is swelling!!)

So that is it for my rambling.  I am sorry you have to go through this.  Feel free to skip this post.  I will not be offended at all!

And I am putting together that rounded corner tutorial in Photoshop today so it will be back to the regularly scheduled programming soon!  I promise! ;)