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How To Shop With Your Photos

"What Paper Do I Use With These Photos?"

How To Shop With Your Photos

1. Choose Your photos.

Separate your photos into the approximate groupings you will use per layout. At this point you may have a rough idea of the layout ofyour photos (though this often changes when you actually sit down to scrapbook). A good starting point is usually a grouping of 6-8 photos though sometimes you will have more and sometimes less. Large photos look fantastic on layouts also, so you may want to consider having a focal photo enlarged to 5x7, 8x8 or 8x12. Our kiosks in the store are so easy to use to order your photos, and you can also take advantage of our FREE online program called foto Depot.  Upload your photos and order directly from home. This program also acts as an additional backup for your photos as they are stored on the server, and you can easily edit your photos also.  You can also share your photos by sending friends and family members the link to your albums or photos. See this program at www.pephotos.ca

2. Choose cardstock and patterned paper.

Here is where you choose what the page is going to look like. Is it a theme page such as a dog? You might want to check out our pet section for patterned papers that relate to the theme. Is it a girly page? Check out our girly section, or maybe our pink section. Do you have a favourite manufacturer such as Basic Grey? Then head right to that section. Pick 1-3 sheets of co-ordinating patterned paper. Remember that even really busy patterns can be used as you only need to use pieces of it. The best way to choose papers that will match your photos is to hold the photos right over the papers. You'll see what the different looks convey and will be able to choose the look you want. Once you have chosen a patterened paper that conveys the mood, theme or colour of your photos, then choose 2-3 cardstock colours that match.  A good guide is to take 2 sheets for the background, then choose 1-2 sheets of 2 other colours that match, and 1 more sheet of the background colour. This gives you lots of options for matting, journalling, die cutting and anything else you want to add to your page. You will have paper left over, so when you finish the layout, make up a few cards with the leftovers or create another layout.  Easy to do since all the coordinating is already done.  You can leave off the saying on the card if you prefer until you are ready to use the card. You will always have a supply of cards on hand for those moments when you need one.

This process can also be reversed so that you choose your cardstock first and then choose your patterned paper.

3. Choose coordinating embellishments.

This step is similar to choosing your patterned paper - think of the mood, theme, or colour you are wanting to convey. Many manufacturers have matching embellishments that go with the patterned paper, making it very easy to co-ordinate. Embellishments can be anything from stickers, rubons, brads, ribbon, die cuts, tags, charms, frames, flowers, punched shapes, and more. Remember though that less is more when it comes to embellishments. It is tempting to buy every embellishment that will match, but then the photos will get overwhelmed. Usually 1-3 well placed embellishments is all you need to add the finishing touches to your layout.

4. Choose the "medium" for your title.

You probably have a title in mind for your layout so now is the time to choose how you will add it to your page. If you want to die cut it, you can use our die cut machines in the store for FREE when you purchase your paper from us (minimal charge if you are bringing in other paper or materials such as fabric, fun foam etc). Maybe you own a personal die cut machine, and want to add a new font to your collection. We have a great selection of letter stickers and rubons that you can use for titles. And stamps are another easy way to add a title. Another option is to print out your title on your computer onto cardstock.

5. At this stage, put your "kit" into a page organizer from Cropper Hopper or into a page protector so that when you have time, the decisions are already made so you can just sit down, pull out a "kit", grab a layout idea from a sketches or page map book or magazine and scrap. When you see something else at a store or in your supplies that would work with your "kit" , just add it in to your page organizer.

6. Another option is to choose a manufacturer's premade kit - they've done all the co-ordinating and matching of colours for you. There are kits that are just papers, papers and embellishments, and some even have the pages designed for you! How easy is that?!

Please don't hesitate to ask any of the scrapbookers at PE to help you with any of these stages. We all have great expertise in creating great scrapbook pages and co-ordinating products, and we are more than happy to help you choose a layout!

What Papers Do I Use with These Photos?

1. Use your photos as a guide. If you are going to a store, bring them with you. If you are in your scrapbooking space, use the photos there.

2. If you are in a store, take your photos you want to use on a layout, hold them up to a paper tower, and move them from the top of the tower to the bottom of the tower. Often you will have a certain colour in mind that you want to pull out of the photo. Certain colours will pop out as a good match. Pull those paper colours out of their trays and place your photos on top. You will quickly see which colours match the best. Don't be afraid to try a few different combinations. Once you find your main colour, then choose 2-3 other complimentary paper colours to use with the main ones. Use the same approach, except this time scan the tower with your photos on top of your main colour paper. This will work for patterned paper or cardstock. At home, use the same procedure with however your paper is stored. When pulling for a layout, a good rule of thumb is to take 3 of the background colour (main base paper), then 1-2 sheets ea of 2-3 coordinating colours. This gives lots of options for matting, titles, and diecutting or other embellishments you want to add. You will almost always have paper left over to do either another layout or to make cards with.

3. If a photo is a "non-colour" photo (there is no specific colour that jumps out at you), you have a couple of choices of where to start. First, you can think of the "theme" of the photo and start there as a guiding point. For example, for a baby boy photo, you might start with blues. If there is no obvious theme, you can use a neutral background such as blue, brown, grey, white and of course black which goes with everything. Another option is to turn your photos into B&W (very easy to do on foto depot - PE's free online storage,sharing, editing and ordering program- see it at www.pephotos.ca), and then it doesn't matter what colour paper you choose.

4. Pay attention to the underlying colours in a paper. For example, greens can be cool toned (with a blue base) or warm toned (with a yellow base). If you were wanting to put a cool toned green with a blue paper, it will probably match the best with a cool toned blue.

5. The same process works if you are trying to find cardstock to match your patterned paper. Bring the paper over to the cardstock towers (or your stash at home) and put it in front of the colours. As you scan the paper down a tower, certain colours will pop out as matching. Place the cardstock underneath the patterned paper, with some of the pattern peeking out. You will be able to tell if it matches or not.

6. Keep in mind that everything is OK...no one is going to care if the colour you chose is off by a 10th degree. What they will care about is that you took the time to scrapbook your memories - the photos and story are what they are looking for. Choose your papers quickly...don't agonize over the decision for 1/2 an hour (or more!). That is valuable scrapbooking time. Challenge yourself to find all the coordinating products you will use in 5 minutes and see what you come up with.