The Good, The Bad and The Blurry...with Helmar and Clearsnap

Hi, It's Erin with you today with a Love themed layout to tie in with our Helmar and Clearsnap collaboration week.

It's taken me a year now to really embrace these blurry pictures. I always seem to reach for the "good" photos in my collection first, thinking I'll come back to the imperfect ones later. I guess that's true, because sometimes a photo is just too important to overlook, despite it's technical challenges.For me, there are several reasons that I needed to scrap these:

• These are the only ones I have from Valentines 2012
• I love the expressions on my kids faces
• They remind me of how much fun we had racing against the camera's timer
• They perfectly capture the action of the moment
• ...and they remind me that things in general don't always need to be picture perfect.

I began the layout by first inking my photos with some black Colorbox Cats Eye Pigment Inkpad, Then I set forth to create the background paper.

I used two different Jumbo Rollagraph Design Wheels and handle to make this. The Archival Dye Cartridges that fit the handle are loads of fun to use, as you get a consistant never ending supply of ink on the stamp. I just rolled randomly over the page until I was ready to switch to a more graduated shade of ink. That's when I released the contact of the roller with the ( black) Dye Cartridge, and just used what was left on the roller. Then I filled in areas with some colour by hand applying some Colorbox Fluid Chalk Inks ( Warm Red and Creamy Brown) to the rollers and then to the page. Further shading is achieved by lightly applying ink directly to the page in areas using the Creamy Brown Chalk Ink pad.

I assembled the papers and photos using Helmar's Professional Acid Free Glue. Once the borders were dry, I was able to easily add stitching without worrying about gumming up my sewing machine.Because I found the title letters too light in colour, I swapped out Archival Dye Cartridges for a turquoise, and rolled right over my letters to give them interest. Not a perfect application, but this whole page is about going with the flow.

 

For really tricky embellishments like the canvas butterfly, and this funky wire heart, Helmar's 450 Quick Dry Glue is amazing. I love how I was able to apply it to the irregular open back of the heart, and it doesn't even show.

So remember, scrapbooking is much like love- if something ( or someone) is really worth it, you've got to embrace the good and the bad, and just learn to go with the flow.

Helmar Design Team Member,

Erin Morehouse

Comments

[Katie B.]

Love your random rolled on background and your open heart! Wonderful layout! Thanks for sharing.

Katie B.

[Beatrice Lawson]

Love it! So true, perfect pics are not what matters. Beautiful layers of goodness, and your happy faces are what catches the eye.

[Julie Tucker-Wolek]

Wowwwwwwwwwww! I am LOVING how you created that background! GORGEOUS!!

[MaryLouH]

A cute layout. Fun to remember the kids when they were this little - when they are grown and gone from the house.

[Caryn S. (Scrapnsing)]

Oh I LOVE how you did the background on this! What a fantastic idea! It fits the photos really well.

[TracyM #6773]

Cute and fun layout Erin!!!

I really love that you have used these photos AND shared your story about them - we ALL have photos like these and I for one have been too frightened to use mine - THANK YOU - I now feel like I can use them :)

[sandeeNC]

I love your LO and really love how you have embraced the blurry photos!The pictures are really cute! waving hi from the hills of North Carolina ♥