Okay, I'm here to attempt to answer all of your questions. Some I'll answer individually, and some I'll group together 'cause many of you asked similar questions. Here we go!
1. Lindsay asked:
As for questions...how do you make your photos large on your blog?
Also...how do you store all of your mini albums/scrap pages?
answer: Okay, the large photos on the blog. I have to say, I am the worst at step-by-step instructions for this kind of thing. There are a few ways you can make your photos large, but you need to edit the html coding of your template in blogger to accomodate the larger photos. Some people use a host site like photobucket where they upload their images first, before uploading them to blogger. Confused yet? I think your best bet is to google "large photos in blogger" or something like that, and you'll find some instructions from people that know what they're talking about! That's what I did and after playing around for a while I figured it out. See, everyone uses different templates and stuff, which is why I can't really tell you exactly how to do it...so google it!
And as for mini album storage...I have a couple baskets on my shelf in my living room where I store all of my most recent mini-albums. That way they are right at hand for me, my girls, or anyone who comes over to browse through. I love being able to see them whenever I want! And my scrap pages...I have a 12x12 album for each child, a family album and a friends/family one as well, so every time I complete a layout, it just goes in the appropriate album. I also scrap different sizes, but no matter the page size, they all go into the 12x12 album. (Remember this album of Payton's? Just scroll down a bit!)
2. Robin asked:
Where do you get all your girls bows? The big flower ones that are so adorable!
answer: Okay, a few people asked about my girls bows and hair things. Some I buy and some I make. Honestly, the flower hair things are so easy to make...just buy flowers at any craft store, and glue them to a hair clip using a hot glue gun and glue a jewel in the centre. Easy as that! You can buy them anywhere, too. Head over to etsy and just search "flower hair clips" or "children's hair accessories" or something like that and you will find tons!! Oh, and someone asked me where I shop for my girls. Just the typical places...Old Navy, WalMart, Target, Superstore, Children's Place, Winners...nothin' too fancy! It's so easy to find cute girl clothes, I never have to spend tons of money on them. And anything I buy for Payton gets to be worn by 3 children in the long run, so it's always worth it!
3. Lisa asked:
Hi I love your blog and your scrapping style and I been lovin the envelope that you put on your layouts as I am a big journaller and I dont always want everyone to read it or sometimes it doesnt fit on my layout. What I was wondering is do you make your own ones or do you buy them and are the acid free or not?
answer: Hi Lisa. I just buy my envelopes, and to be honest, I totally don't worry about whether they are acid-free or not. If they're cute, I'll use them! I buy lots of my envelopes at a local stationary store where I live (Evergreen Stationers for those of you who live close by), so just shop around and see what you find! I looove envelopes!
4. Camera questions:
answer: Lots of questions about what camera I am shooting with right now. For Christmas Graham gave me a Canon Digital Rebel XSi and I am loving it. Now I need to be honest. I DO NOT know alot about cameras and which ones are better, etc, but this one has been awesome so far. I am slowly slowly learning how to use it and what each button and knob does. It is a learning process, that's for sure! The lense I am using is the Canon EF S55-250 mm, f/4-5.6 IS. (can't find a link, sorry!) I was surprised at how expensive lenses are, I had no idea! When I know more, I'd love to invest in some more lenses.
5. Photography questions:
answer: Okay. Photography. First of all, I am learning. I'm not going to pretend at this point that I can give you in-depth answers to photography questions. As for now, I love experimenting and learning and playing with my camera. It's a hobby that's quickly turning into an obsession! I have never taken an actual photography course. That's something I've always been interested in, and maybe one day I'll do it, but for now, I'm just learning on my own. There is so much info that can be found on the internet and through other scrapbookers/photographers to keep you inspired and to answer simple questions. If you're considering taking a photography course, I would highly suggest that you familiarize yourself with your camera first...learn how to use the basic functions before you dive into a class. I would feel way more comfortable taking some kind of class right now, as compared to when I first got my camera and had no idea how it worked. Does that make sense? And as for my black and white backgrounds on my photos...I DO have photography stands and backdrops that I use, this isn't a photoshop trick. I bought them online about a year and a half ago. I don't have a link, but again, you can just google "photography stands and backdrops" and see what you find! It's been worth it for me to have them, but before that, I would just use big sheets as backdrops for my pictures. Anything goes, really!
6. Photo-editing and Photoshop:
answer: Okay, so right now I am using Adobe Photoshop CS2 to edit my photos. Graham and I have been using photoshop for over 5 years now, so it's hard to give a simple answer when people ask, "How do you edit your photos?" We have been using it for so long and have helped eachother and taught ourselves different tricks. It's taken a long time and lots of practice to familiarize ourselves with the program, so if you're new to photoshop, I would look online for step-by-steps and how-to's. Bobbi always has lots of great tutorials on her blog, and Jessica Sprauge, Rhonna Farrer and Renee Pearson are all digital queens. So search their blogs and websites to find any specific answers that you may be looking for! That being said, I DO use actions on my photos as well as tweaking them myself. There are so many actions, it just depends on what your needs and budget are. These ones are free, and Maggie's are my favorite. Hope that helps you out a bit! And to Holly, yes, I create my blog banners in Photoshop!
7. Photo Frames, my Printer and Digital Stuff:
answer: So we all know that I am not a digital scrapper. But I am loving all of the hybrid stuff lately, and the different ways you can incorporate digital elements into your traditional scrapbooking. My fave place for hybrid stuff right now is House of Three. These are the photo edges that I've been using lots and I just love them! Take some time and browse the site to see what they have that you might like. Remember...all of that digital stuff can be printed out on to regular paper and used as traditional scrapbooking products. So cool. (oh, and there was a question about what printer I use. I have the Canon Pro9000 and I love it!) And just a little side-note in regards to digital scrapbooking as opposed to traditional scrapbooking. Digital scrapbooking has really boomed in the last couple years, and I LOVE it. I love all of the possiblilites and convieniences about it, and the many doors that it has opened. However, I have to kind of laugh when people ask me, "So are you going to go all digital?"...like you can only do one or the other. Both ways of scrapbooking are so awesome, how could I ever just commit to one? I love the hands-on aspect of traditional scrapbooking...I could never give that up. But I love how freakin' cool digital scrapbooking is, so I have to do that, too! Do you see where I'm going with this? One of the things Heidi talked about when she was here in May was to NOT categorize ourselves (ie. I'm a cardmaker, I'm a stamper, I'm a scrapbooker, I'm a digi-scrapper). Allow yourself to create in ALL aspects of scrapbooking...it's much more fun, I promise!
8. Tissue pom-poms:
answer: Someone asked how I hang my tissue paper poms-poms from the ceiling. I just screw in a tiny little hook into the ceiling and then hang the flower using clear thread. I got mine at the dollar store!
9. Jessica asked:
Well, I would like to know what a typical day in your house looks like. I like to ask other Mom's that. Just curious how you tackle afternoon boredom and all that stuff.
answer: Oh, man...a typical day in my house! Well, right now I am loving that we have no schedule and no places to be (for the most part!). I try to get us all up and dressed and fed by 10 am-ish. Man, it takes a long time to get ready with 3 girls, plus me! Yesterday I think I finally got dressed at about 3pm. Haha! Anyways, mornings always go by quickly, that's when I go out to the store to run errands and stuff like that. Then after lunch it's quiet time for everyone. Yesterday was a tough day...I was just exhausted and was trying to do about a million-and-one things, and of course my kids wanted my attention, so finally I popped some popcorn, they colored some brown paper bags to put their popcorn in and we all laid on the couch and watched a movie. Sometimes TV really is the answer! Honestly though, every day is different for us right now. Our routine really comes into play after dinner-time. We always do clean-up, baths, brush hair and teeth, stories, prayers and bed. Whew! Technically I could scrapbook after that, but lately, I just crash, too!
Okay, so I think that's about it! Thanks everyone for all of your questions. I hope I answered them all! We're off to Montana on Sunday for about a week and I can't wait to have a little vacation, but lots to do before then. So, bye for now, I'll be back in a week!
Tal :)
