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Post by refugeepea on Sept 24, 2019 18:57:34 GMT
Was that Christine Middlecamp? I just *adore* her work! She recently popped back into the paper craft world with a collection from Fancy Pants Yellow Door. I think she makes great clusters and I love her sense of color. Here's her current Insta account FifteenacresGah!!! How cute is this? I'm following her now. I struggle with clusters.
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Post by refugeepea on Sept 24, 2019 19:14:26 GMT
On those wood veneer pieces, do you all just use them as-is, naked? I haven't used many, but I have put stickles on top of a wood veneer word.
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Post by papersilly on Sept 24, 2019 21:21:19 GMT
clusters are my go to thing on a page. i love a grouping of items that the eye can gravitate to. i feel it anchors a page. i don't pre-make them because i just build it as i go. i usually start with my largest item and build around it.
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Post by hop2 on Sept 25, 2019 0:49:43 GMT
You need some enamel dots! Check out Shimelle. She is the queen of clusters and layering. She does a Friday FB live pretty regularly and they are saved on her FB page Scrapbook Like a Superhero. AH! Enamel dots, yes! Where do you all get ED? Does Michael's sell cheap, Recollections ones? I feel like I need a good stash of those. The 3 Michaels near me do not have enamel dots. The closest they had were the hearts & other shapes from the illustrated faith collection that they have now clearanced.
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Post by joblackford on Sept 25, 2019 4:22:31 GMT
Oh man, there was another thread recently where someone shared a source for enamel dots, lots of smaller ones, or maybe just lots for not too much money. I'll try to find it for you oh yvonne
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Post by joblackford on Sept 25, 2019 4:37:18 GMT
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Post by Patter on Sept 25, 2019 9:18:14 GMT
I love clusters and have been doing them for many, many years. I like to use chipboard (painted in some way), metal pieces, always flowers, enamel dots, wood veneer, you name it! I never, ever pre-plan. I just lay things out and see what I like. At the end, if I like it, I take a photo, take it all off, and then glue down. I can play with it so much easier without ever gluing until the end. Also, there are sketches with clusters on them. That is helpful if you are uncertain. Here are a few examples of my clusters:
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Post by disneyer on Sept 25, 2019 12:54:39 GMT
You need some enamel dots! Check out Shimelle. She is the queen of clusters and layering. She does a Friday FB live pretty regularly and they are saved on her FB page Scrapbook Like a Superhero. AH! Enamel dots, yes! Where do you all get ED? Does Michael's sell cheap, Recollections ones? I feel like I need a good stash of those. I would buy the Nuvo drops instead of ED. I have about 6/7 bottles (neutrals and most used colors) and use them all the time. Love them in my clusters. I am trying to also use packages my stash. They can be tricky at first and take a long time to dry but way more bang for your buck.
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oh yvonne
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Post by oh yvonne on Sept 25, 2019 13:46:45 GMT
Do any of you pre-make clusters? I remember years ago there was a scrapbooker whose blog I followed, Retrospection. I can't remember her name but I think she stopped scrapping. She was a young widow and scrapped her young son and did AMAZING work. She did a whole series on cluster making and they were mini works of art. Was that Christine Middlecamp? I just *adore* her work! She recently popped back into the paper craft world with a collection from Fancy Pants Yellow Door. I think she makes great clusters and I love her sense of color. Here's her current Insta account FifteenacresAHH! I come back to this thread of *awesomeness* ! I'm so excitred to hear Christine Middlecamp is back to scrapbooking, and designing now!?! I've just followed her Instgram now, thank you so much! The last time I had tried to find her blog it was deactivated and from what I could find she had become a jewelery designer, so this is terrific news, thank you for finding her again for me.
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oh yvonne
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Post by oh yvonne on Sept 25, 2019 14:07:22 GMT
Oh my goodness ladies, I come back to this totally awesome thread, I swear this one is bookmarkable! I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to teach me so many fabulous tips and techniques! So many great new products I had never even heard of Nuvo drops?!! and links and Ahh I can't get into Flicker, I sent a help desk ticket so I can comment and finally upload myself. Thank you sweet Peas for helping a sister out! You all do amazing work, I'm so inspired!
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oh yvonne
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Post by oh yvonne on Sept 25, 2019 14:08:58 GMT
AH! Enamel dots, yes! Where do you all get ED? Does Michael's sell cheap, Recollections ones? I feel like I need a good stash of those. I would buy the Nuvo drops instead of ED. I have about 6/7 bottles (neutrals and most used colors) and use them all the time. Love them in my clusters. I am trying to also use packages my stash. They can be tricky at first and take a long time to dry but way more bang for your buck. I'm so looking for these! I had seen Nuvo drops mentioned but I had no idea what they were, now that I know I'll look for them!
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oh yvonne
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Post by oh yvonne on Sept 25, 2019 14:11:08 GMT
@pater, thank you for sharing those pics, I've always loved following you and your blog over the years. Beautiful, is that silk ribbon I see? Wow. Inspired!
Speaking of fabric, I see Christine Middleton is using fabric in her layouts as well, is this a newer trend, textiles? That's fun. I've been seeing bunches of thread, too.
I swear scrapbookers are so artsy, I love it!
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Post by grammadee on Sept 25, 2019 14:18:08 GMT
KikiPea I really love what you do with the way your clusters enhance the flow across the page, whether or not they are part of a larger spray of leaves or florals or other items. And the way they help tie in the photo and titling and journaling. Patter your flower clusters are GORGEOUS! Love what you've done with the ribbons and metal pieces. I like the tip you give to photograph the cluster before you take it apart to do the final attaching. I have often put one together, been happy with it, but then the final result is not what I had hoped b/c I didn't quite get the order right when I glued it down. Wow! This thread could be a tutorial all on its own! Loving all the ideas and examples. I love layering and I love clusters, but with both I tend to overthink them. Still looking for that perfect balance.
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naby64
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Jun 25, 2014 21:44:13 GMT
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Post by naby64 on Sept 25, 2019 15:06:40 GMT
oh yvonne get thee to Tuesday Morning!! Grab some ephemera packs, one of those sticker books from AC. See if they still have some 12x12 chipboard sheets that match all the newest lines. Tons of Maggie Holmes and EP I think are out there right now. On your way home stop at Ms and HL(they have a huge clearance going on right now) and grab those enamel dots. Check HL for circle punches if you need some more, plain and scalloped. Do you have a manual die cut machine and dies. I think those may be on clearance too. Hit up Dollar Tree for some doilies. Anyway, I have a label punch that punches out 3 sizes. I think it is an EK Success. Perfect for getting just the right size label to stick in a cluster. I don't pre-make my clusters but I have pre-made some elements. As I work on pages and I have scraps left, I grab some punches and start punching circles, labels, hearts, etc. I grabbed one of those 4x5 photo holder bins. I think there are 16 4x6 holders in a large bin carrier. I keep all circles in one, hearts in one, you get the picture. Then when I need to start my layering I grab that and go to town. Someone mentioned Victoria Marie. I just bought her Layering Like A Boss class, hoping to up my game.
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naby64
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Post by naby64 on Sept 25, 2019 15:08:31 GMT
I just found some clusters I made for a scrapbook generation online crop that were so cute. I wish I could find more sketches like that. They were all paper. I could probably buy their sketch kits but I’m cheap. Lol. They have a ton of free sketches to download. I think there is one every Friday. I love their sketches!!
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naby64
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Post by naby64 on Sept 25, 2019 16:04:38 GMT
Oh and I don't remember if these were mentioned - Banners! HL does have a punch that punches 3 different width sized banners. It is a Paper Studio brand so wait for a 50% off sale. This one and it is 50% off this week. $9.99
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Post by Patter on Sept 25, 2019 16:14:19 GMT
oh yvonne , it's sari ribbon, and yes, it's silk. One of my favs to use! I have had it for years. In fact, only the first photo is from 2018. The other examples are from 2015 and older. Ooops! I also have been using fabric on my creations for a very long time too. When you do mixed media work, you tend to work with a little of everything. LOL! And grammadee , oh yes, a phone makes everything so easy. I photograph a lot of things before making them final.
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scrapnnana
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Post by scrapnnana on Sept 25, 2019 16:21:02 GMT
I love clusters, but I don’t make them ahead of time. I learned a long time ago that pre-made items rarely work for me.
In all honesty, I don’t use clusters that often. I should use them more. With all the embellishments I have, it should be easy, but it’s still a bit of a struggle for me. I appreciate the examples posted in this thread.
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oh yvonne
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Post by oh yvonne on Sept 25, 2019 21:14:36 GMT
Oh and I don't remember if these were mentioned - Banners! HL does have a punch that punches 3 different width sized banners. It is a Paper Studio brand so wait for a 50% off sale. This one and it is 50% off this week. $9.99ah, there isn't a HL near me..yet. Soon, hopefully. I hear they are putting one in the town next door to me in an old Mervyn's store location. I want this though, that is so cute! Thank you!
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naby64
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Post by naby64 on Sept 25, 2019 21:59:06 GMT
Oh and I don't remember if these were mentioned - Banners! HL does have a punch that punches 3 different width sized banners. It is a Paper Studio brand so wait for a 50% off sale. This one and it is 50% off this week. $9.99ah, there isn't a HL near me..yet. Soon, hopefully. I hear they are putting one in the town next door to me in an old Mervyn's store location. I want this though, that is so cute! Thank you! Ohhhh, so sorry!! Well, then order online. While it is on sale, it will cost just under regular price. Their shipping is $7.95ish, I think?
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Post by infochick on Sept 25, 2019 22:31:49 GMT
Reading the post from naby64 reminded me that the sticker books in one of Vicki Boutin’s recent lines, Color Kaleidoscope, has a sticker book especially meant for clusters. The pieces are sized to be layered on top of each other. It would make for some easy cluster building, especially paired with some die cuts, enamel dots or wood veneer. This line is great because there are lots of colours so it goes well with different lines. It looks like Vicki’s newest line has a sticker book that would work the same way.
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Post by pepperwood on Sept 26, 2019 1:03:01 GMT
I think Anna Griffin is a talented professional designer who does wonderful work with clustering as well as layering. Even if you are not into her vintage (mostly floral) designs, I think you can learn alot about design principles by studying her work.
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Post by refugeepea on Sept 26, 2019 1:42:36 GMT
I love clusters and have been doing them for many, many years. I like to use chipboard (painted in some way), metal pieces, always flowers, enamel dots, wood veneer, you name it! I never, ever pre-plan. I just lay things out and see what I like. At the end, if I like it, I take a photo, take it all off, and then glue down. You are amazing! Your pages are works of art!
I learned a long time ago that pre-made items rarely work for me Me too. I wish I could make them work!
Reading the post from naby64 reminded me that the sticker books in one of Vicki Boutin’s recent lines, Color Kaleidoscope, has a sticker book especially meant for clusters. The pieces are sized to be layered on top of each other. It would make for some easy cluster building, I think these were made especially for me!
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Post by joblackford on Sept 26, 2019 4:47:30 GMT
Anyway, I have a label punch that punches out 3 sizes. I think it is an EK Success. Perfect for getting just the right size label to stick in a cluster. I got that same punch after seeing Shimelle use it all the time for her Journal Your Christmas album! I only have a few punches but I thought that looked really useful. I believe it's this one - Simon Says Stamp link but I think I got mine from Amazon.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2019 5:47:16 GMT
Someone mentioned Victoria Marie. I just bought her Layering Like A Boss class, hoping to up my game. I really enjoyed that class. Her Embellishing Like a Boss class will definitely help you with creating clusters. I think she does a great job of clustering and she has a pretty straightforward process or formula that she follows.
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Post by mikklynn on Sept 26, 2019 13:02:06 GMT
I've seen people heat emboss wood veneers too. Rub the wood veneer on Versamark ink pad, dip in embossing powder, and heat gun it. Might need some tweezers. I think that can give a nice clean look if you're not a fan of the woodiness. And you can use glitter embossing powders to avoid the mess of glitter. There are tons of old Glitter Girl episodes on YouTube if you need more Shimelle without dealing with Fbk. Lots of clustering and layering there. ( GG Playlist link) I've done that. I put a little adhesive square on the bottom and adhere it to a piece of cardboard. Then I can hold the cardboard with my fingers when I use the heat gun to keep it from moving around. It's easy to remove when the wood veneer has cooled.
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Post by mikklynn on Sept 26, 2019 13:15:08 GMT
AH! Enamel dots, yes! Where do you all get ED? Does Michael's sell cheap, Recollections ones? I feel like I need a good stash of those. I stock up on mine at conventions. I usually get Echo Park there for a good price. I've never purchased from Here, but it looks like they have a great selection, and great prices. I have some in my cart now! I also like Eyelet Outlet dots. You can Google them to see where all you can purchase them. I checked out your link. There are some unique enamel dots. I bought 3 sets for $10.75 including shipping. I love the sea glass set!
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Post by hop2 on Sept 27, 2019 15:15:25 GMT
AH! Enamel dots, yes! Where do you all get ED? Does Michael's sell cheap, Recollections ones? I feel like I need a good stash of those. The 3 Michaels near me do not have enamel dots. The closest they had were the hearts & other shapes from the illustrated faith collection that they have now clearanced. I stand corrected - today I saw enamel dots in a Michaels. Only 3 types of mixed color packs. Not cheaper though, unless you can use a coupon. They were over $4
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oh yvonne
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Post by oh yvonne on Sept 27, 2019 18:21:27 GMT
oh wow, love those punches! In my mind I think I have a Silhouette that can probably cut all those, but punches are so handy quick and easy. Maybe I can just cut a bunch at once in batches? I suppose I should do some basic colors just to have a stash on hand. Love that technique about how you emboss, mikklynn thanks for sharing that tip and joblackford I signed up for Shimelle's JYC years ago and forget that I have forever access to those videos. So much content out there its mind boggling. Just gotta know where to find it, I forget!
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Post by crimsoncat05 on Sept 27, 2019 20:04:11 GMT
In my mind I think I have a Silhouette that can probably cut all those, but punches are so handy quick and easy. Maybe I can just cut a bunch at once in batches? I suppose I should do some basic colors just to have a stash on hand. I have a Silhouette that I rarely use (I know it can do SO many things, but it takes so many steps! read that in a whiny voice, lol) but I did cut a bunch of label shapes out of a basic off-white color of cardstock that would coordinate with my typical layout colors. I put the cut labels with my label stickers, and did end up using them a fair amount. I've since organized all my stickers and die cuts into 3-ring binders a la Janet Madison / RTS and I hope to use them a lot more often now that it's easier to see what I have. I don't pre-make clusters or any embellishments at all; I tried that once or twice and didn't use them. I think for me, I just never know how exactly I'm going to 'feel' about embellishing any given layout-- the 'level' of embellishment I want, I mean-- to pre-make coordinated things ahead of time. I also have a Big Shot and one of the very first die sets I bought was Tim Holtz's set of tags. It's also come in very handy for making embellishment clusters; I should pre-make a bunch of those out of a cream or white cardstock, too (that way I could color them with ink if I want, to match any color scheme). One of the other things I use quite often as an embellishment cluster base is my CM circle punches. I'll use those with PP scraps from my layout. Sometimes I'll even gut/cut a piece of PP from behind another layer so that I can use the same PP for embellishing even if I don't have any leftover scraps. My main 'rules' for embellishment clusters are ones I've picked up from various places. Mine usually have: 1) at least two or three different textures / materials (wood, textured cardstock, thick chipboard, flat sticker, etc.) 2) at least two or three different items (enamel dot or rhinestone, shaped sticker, chipboard item, decorative or metal brad, etc.) 3) at least a couple different shapes (round base, rectangular label, flower or leaf punch, etc.) 4) usually a small word or phrase (sticker, stamped and cut out, typed on my typewriter, etc.). The word or phrase in my embellishing is kind of 'my thing' at least right at the moment.
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