Scraps Of Mind

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I don’t know about you but I’m an old fashioned girl. I like to be able to touch my scrapbook pages in printed form. Looking at them on the PC screen just doesn’t do it for me. I’m sorry, until they’re printed out they’re just not real.

But I don’t want to go to the trouble and expense of taking my 12×12 inch layout files to a professional printer to get it done. I want instant gratification.

However, as is the case with most of you I expect, I only have a regular A4 or Letter width printer.

So I recommend, when you have completed your layout, you resize it to 8×8 inches (in PSE4, Image>Resize>Image Size and change the height and width fields) and print it on your regular printer. Don’t save the reduced size unless you want to keep the file at 8×8. I just resize, print and then use the Undo button to get back to my 12×12 size. I use glossy or satin finish Photo paper and I adjust the printer settings for this and print at the highest quality. Let the ink dry properly (usually about an hour), then just trim off the white edges and there you have your digital layout…real!

Now there’s a few things you can do with your print out:

• Slip it into an 8×8 album (make sure it is in a protective sleeve, or the print will rub and wear off. And let it fully dry off for 24 hours before putting into the protective sleeve or the plastic will ’stick’ to the print.)
• Mount it on a 12×12 piece of cardstock and store it with your other hand scrapped pages (if you are bi-scraptual)
• Mount it on a canvas or in a frame and hang on the wall (makes a lovely gift)
• Or, my personal favourite, combine the two scrapbooking worlds by adding some ‘real’ embellishments such as brads, silk flowers or ribbons to it to give it an extra level of dimension.

I find that the reduction of size from 12×12 to 8×8 has very little impact on the quality of the layout (especially if you scrap at a minimum of 300 dpi). It’s probably a good idea to use a crisp clear font style if you’re going to include a lot of journaling or at least use a reasonable font size (but you’d have to do that anyway if you want to read it clearly on the screen).

And now your virtual creation is ‘real’.

Other related posts:

Scrapbooking Techniques & Tips - Photomerge: Electronic versions of your paper scrapbook layouts
Scrapbooking Techniques & Tips - Upsizing your digital photographs and images
Scrapbooking Techniques & Tips - Personalising your backgrounds

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               T’was the blog before Christmas. Logging off from the Net.
                No time left for writing; preparations to set.

                             With garlands and lights my house is all decked.
                             Holly in Summer don’t work well I expect.

                                     I’ve made all my cards and mailed them as well.
                                     They’ll arrive before Christmas, a surprise let me tell.

                      Silly Season’s in full swing. Every night is booked out.
                      So much fun is hard work but worth it no doubt.

                                    Two more gifts left to buy and then I’m all done.
                                     Wrapping them is a chore but giving is fun

                                             The turkey is ordered. Seona and Phil here at last.
                                             We’ll dress the tree together just like Christmasses past.

             As we hang all the baubles and imbibe Christmas Cheer,
             Season’s Greetings dear readers and a Happy New Year.

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Well I’m overdue for a post, having joined the rest of the victims of the Christmas Scramble described in my earlier post. So I thought I’d write about my collection of H&K Tunstall porcelain in my ongoing collections category series.

Hollinshead and Kirkham, originally of Burslem in Staffordshire, moved their pottery works to nearby Tunstall in 1890. They catered mainly for the middle class end of the market and, in the main, produced a range of conservatively designed dinner ware. However in the economic slump following the First World War the company needed to do something to address their falling sales. Designer Harold Growcott was their White Knight.

Growcott came up with a range of designs for hand painted porcelain that tapped into the growing interest in all things Art Deco. The designs featured an abstract painted background of two or more colours on which bold fruit or floral designs were hand painted. The result was bold and exciting.

The Delicious Dozen as it came to be known was actually a range of 14 designs, but let’s not be pedantic about a good nickname. The designs were applied to many of the existing pre-war shapes, to give them a new lease of life, as well as some fresh new shapes more in keeping with the Art Deco style. Due to its similar subject matter and large bold painting style H&K has also been dubbed ‘Poor Man’s Moorcroft’ but if the prices I have had to pay for some of my pieces are anything to go by, that’s not a title that fits today’s collecting market.

I’ve photographed some of my favourite pieces from my collection for your viewing pleasure. The name of the fruit design on the all brown background is Luscious, the square platter is the Autumn design and the little floral jug in the back is the Primula design. I particularly love the platters and the cake slice as I use them for special occasions and it’s a great feeling to actually utilise these old pieces.

Other related posts:

The Beauty of Belleek Porcelain
On the Scent - Vintage Perfume Bottles
Confessions of a Collectaholic

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