Flag Book Tutorial

A flag book for a fabulous vacation

I found this tutorial on http://liftbridge.blogspot.com/. 

So, where have I been?  I have a day job at a University, and for three months every year, my schedule is just swamped and leaves no time for blogging.  I thought I'd planned in advance for my busy schedule, but it just wasn't meant to be.

After recovering from work, we went on a planned and wonderful trip to Disney World (Interested?  Read all about it!)  This was supposed to be our only trip this summer, but then I had to go to England for work (and then to visit family) and then a spur-of-the-moment trip for a funeral (1000 miles driving in four days).  That was about 6 weeks of traveling in a summer when only two were planned!

In between trips, I really wanted to make a quick mini-book about our trip to Disney World.  I really wanted some time to myself, and I really feel at peace while crafting.

My choice for this type of project is a flag book.  The pages are little "flags" that simply cry out for a photo or fabulous embellish.

To start, I cut all of my pieces and prepared them.  I've done some of these aspects in my other projects, so I'll just provide links to instructions if you need more explanation:

• Two bookboard covers covered with paper (bookboard is 4 1/8" by 12.25" - large paper is needed to cover this paper. Try the oversized sheets by Club Scrap or a pad of larger watercolor paper.)
• The Club Scrap Essentials video shows you how to cover the board perfectly
• Two pieces of paper to cover the inside of the covers (3 7/8" by 12" - green with polka dots in the picture below)
• One piece of paper to make an accordion spine (12" x 12"-red in my picture)
• To prepare the spine:
• Score the paper starting at two inches
• Make 17 score lines every half inch
• Use a Scor-it board if possible - it makes the straightest score lines, which really helps this project be a success
• If you use a Scor-it board, flip the paper over every other score so that you make "mountain" and "valley" scores.
• Lots of flags (my book will use 24 measuring 3 7/8" x 4")

Score the accordion piece on the score lines - like folding a fan when you were crafting as a kid.

Glue the flat flaps to the covers, carefully lining up the scored edge with the edge of the book cover.

Glue some ribbon on each side. This will hold it in place while you complete the other glueing.  I love this polka dot ribbon!

Glue the green inside covers on each cover, centering each nicely, and burnishing well after glueing.

At this point, my book felt a little wobbly, and I was running out of crafting time.  I was a bit disappointed, because I love the colors, and was afraid I had done something wrong.  I put my book in abook press just to press the spine a bit.  When I took it out of my press the next time I had time to do crafting, I was amazed!  The spine was super crisp, and the book already felt solid.  You definitely need sharp, crisp folds for this book to be successful.  Use some weights or a heavy book if you aren't able to get this on your own with a bone folder.

Finally, glue the flags in.  If possible, do the top and bottom set of flags first.  The middle set can then be evenly spaced between them.  Another secret to this book is that the flags can't rub against each other, so each row needs to be even and even space between them.  The top and bottom rows of flags are glued to the left side of the fold, while the middle set is glued to the right side of the fold.  Here is a close-up of the bottom set of flags.

And, here is what the finished book looks like before I add pictures:

I'll share the pictures when it's finished.  I have some super cool pictures from Disney World, and I just got the embellishments I want to use in the mail this week.

All of the paper and ribbon is from the Club Scrap Comics kit except the cover which is oversized.  I think a really heavy cardstock is a must for the spine and pages of this project.  Stampin' Up! cardstock is also a good thickness for the spine.

The book can also be resized so you don't need extra large paper.

High Key, Low Key

Low Key

(Heels by woody329 on Flicker)

(Tucker by Sarah Christine on Flickr)

High Key

"Here in my room" by evilkorny.

High Key by Brayden Heat

I noticed while looking for high key and low key that many of the photos are of people (though I didn't chose to show them here).

What I Learned From Carrie

Recently, Carrie Minns, foodie for Portland's magazine 1859 came into our photography class to teach us about food photography. Carrie taught me something I have always wondered about: how to make the background of a food photo better than just the countertop. She said she tends to take arial photos, but when she doesn't, she lets a piece of fabric or other material billow up behind it.

Fine Art v. Editorial Food Photography

Editorial food photography is what you will find when you're flipping through the pages of Cooking Light or Gourmet Magazine. The photos are clear and give you an idea of exactly what the food is, how to eat it, or how to prepare it. The photos are generally more informative than glamorous though they are aesthetically appealing (if they weren't, would you want to make the recipe the magazine is providing?).

These two photos were taken by Leigh Beisch and can be found on her website:http://www.leighbeisch.com/

Fine art food photography, on the other hand, is more likely to be found in a gallery or a portfolio. The photos may or may not accompany a recipe and the food in the photos may or may not be something you would actually eat! The photos may not be appetizing but they are glamorous.

These two photos were taken by Marcus Nilsson and are wonderful examples of fine art food photography. They can be found on his website: http://www.marcusnilsson.com/

Snapshot Aesthetic

To me, snapshot aesthetic means the photo was taken quickly, the subject is likely in the center of the photo, and the photo is all but candid. Snapshots are captured moments because you can see how the environment felt to the photographer as they took the photo.

I think these two photos are good examples of snapshots. 

Portraits: then and now

This is a photo of a daguerreotype taken in they 1850's by a distant relative of mine. The caption on the photo is "Young ladies who were attending the academy and boarding at our house". 

As I was looking through old photos of my family, most not as old as this one, I noticed that the older photos were usually much more posed than many of the photos we take today. Presumably this is because taking photos was very expensive in the past and by posing for photos you were almost guaranteed a good image. 

Star Books

 bubblyfunk.typepad.com

Self portrait inspiration