Pixel Paint Scrapblog – Scrapbooking Tips and Ideas

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June 27, 2009

All About Eileen Gray

Category: Arts and Crafts – tkwriter 11:05 pm

One of the leading developers in the Modern Movement in Architecture, Eileen Gray is an Irish furniture designer and architect recognized for building some of the most famous furniture designs of the 20th century.

Born on the 9th of August 1878, Eileen Gray was the youngest daughter of a privileged family living near the little market town of Enniscorthy in Northern Ireland. Her father, James Maclaren Gray, was a painter and inspired Eileen’s artistic interests by accompanying her on painting tours in Switzerland and Italy and fueling her independent spirit. When she turned twenty, Eileen was enrolled at the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art, where she bumped with other artists including Kathleen Bruce and Jessie Gavin. Later, Gray, along with Gavin and Bruce, transferred to Paris and studied at the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi. Eileen was continually moving back and forth from France, Ireland, and England, until in 1905 when she inhabited back in London when her mother became ill. It was during her time in London that Gray revisited to the Slade School.

Then, while walking down London’s Soho district, Eileen Gray appealed the owner of a lacquer repair shop to show her the basics of lacquer work. This contributed to her meeting with Seizo Sugawara, a Japanese immigrant who moved to Paris to regain the lacquer work exhibit at the Exposition Universelle. Sugawara came from an area of Japan acknowledeged for its decorative lacquer work, and she taught Gray until she was 35 years old.

When World War II exploded in 1914, Eileen Gray moved to London and went back to Paris after the war. During this period Gray was bestowed the task of decorating an apartment in the Rue de Lota, where she created most of its furniture, carpets, lamps, and lacquered wall panels. Gray’s work on Rue de Lota garnered attention among critics, who saw her designs as creative for its time.

Assured of her success in Rue de Lota, Eileen Gray settled to open up Jean Desert, a small shop in Paris, to display her work and that of her artist friends. Then in the 1920s and 30s, Gray became involved with the well-connected Union des Artistes Modernes. She also designed and supplied the Tempe à Pailla during this period, and during the Paris Exposition in 1937 she demonstrated her designs of a holiday center in the Le Corbusier Esprit Nouveau Pavilion.

During World War II, Eileen Gray was bound to abandon from the French coast and transferred inland. After the war completed Gray lived a secluded life, largely concealed from public view. Finally, she died of old age on October 31, 1976 in her apartment in France.

June 26, 2009

Suggestions for Camera Parts

Category: Arts and Crafts – tkwriter 4:05 pm

If you’re wasting time trying to figure out how some parts of your camera work, shuffling through ipod parts, film, tripods, or iphone screens, there are some simple ways to get your camera working. This article tells how to set up cameras.

Loading film is one of the most basic steps if your camera is not digital. Make sure the film that you buy fits your camera, whether you want black and white or slow or fast shutter speed. The first thing to do is to adjust the shutter speed to the appropriate place on top of the camera, then pull the film out from the film canister a few inches. Make sure the camera is open so you can put the film inside by unlatching the release which will usually be on the right side of the back of the camera.
After you do that you’ll want to put the canister in with the flat side facing up, pulling the film to the right where you will put the film into the spool and wind it until the film is around the spoon. Then once you close the camera wind the film until the frame counter on the top reaches the number 1.

Choosing the right lens is important. A telephoto lens will magnify the subject you’re taking a picture of. If you want your photograph to be wider than normal, a wide angle lens will broaden the area you are taking a photo of. Normal lenses are best for most normal situations because their focal length of 40-55mm enables you to take picture under the most variety of circumstances. A zoom lens can accommodate many of these potential settings,saving you money.

Setting up a tripod can enable you to get a steady picture and can let you take pictures in many different ways not usually possible. The first thing you want to do when setting up a tripod is to pull the legs out from the center of the tripod so that they rest evenly and all three legs are even on whatever surface you want to set it up on. To raise the height, pull out the telescoping legs to whatever length you need it to be so that the camera will be at the correct height. Tightening the clamps will secure it. You can then adjust the top of the tripod to the angle you want to take the photo at. This is a good idea if you are on uneven ground and the tripod legs don’t give you an even enough surface from which to take the photo.

June 23, 2009

The Secret to Having a Great Science Fair Experience

Category: Arts and Crafts – tkwriter 9:36 pm

Science fair usually scares students away right when their teachers mention it . To them, it coexists with stress and boredom. They spend months gluing data and observations to a foam board. Most think the only exiting part of it for most is picking out the art supplies to decorate their presentation. However, most kids fail to see that all you need to do to make science fair more bearable is try. If you look at it from a negative aspect, it’s going to be a bad experience. If you try to make it a positive thing, you might even enjoy yourself.
The most important part of making science fair a good experience is make sure to pick a topic that interests you. You would be surprised on how broad of a spectrum you can pick from. If you’re interested in baseball, you can try to do an experiment about the velocity or speed of balls hit depending on the material of the bat. An experiment like this will make you look foreword to your experiment, because you have to play baseball in it! Most people enjoy knowing more about the things they are interested in, so what’s better than becoming an expert using science?
Another thing you have to do is actually do the work. If you slack off and have someone else do it, the little amount of work you actually do will be miserable. On the contrary if you put yourself into the project and do work, it will motivate you to keep working. If you actually do it, it is very likely that you will find yourself genuinely interested in what you’re doing. Once you’ve got the engine going, it’s all easy work from there. The hardest part is knowing what you’re experimenting on and making sure everything is right. Just do the work and it will pay off in the end.
Lastly, science fair helps so much in the real world. It teaches so many skills and experiences that you can’t find in any other situations. It teaches time management, how to be organized, how to use logical reasoning, and public speaking. Participating in science fair is a great way to raise ones confidence in themselves while around other people. You have to deliver a speech and be able to discuss your own experiment to very smart and practiced professionals. Regardless of whether you place or not, just being able to talk on the same level as these people will help you be much more confident.
Being a part in science fair doesn’t have to be a dreadful as it sounds. If you go in with a positive attitude, it can surprisingly alot of fun. Even if you aren’t the scientific type, you can benefit from the experience. You can learn a lot about one of your favorite subjects and have a good time while doing it. You also gain a lot of life skills from science fair. You get practice in being able to compose yourself under pressure. When you graduate into the real world beyond school, you wont be able to believe how many thing people struggle with that you do with ease thanks to science fair.

June 19, 2009

Finding New Layouts And Scrapbooking Ideas

Category: Scrapbooking Ideas – tkwriter 2:23 am

You do not have to look very far when it comes to scrapbooking ideas. They are all around you and as you sort through old family scrapbook from your family you can get an idea on how to make your own scrapbook journal or album.

You can even draw inspiration from online scrapbooks. Once you form your own ideas you will be off to the races and creating your own. Now it is time to create your own.

scrapbooking tools
Scrapbooking ideas can come to you out of the blue. It may be at a soccer game where your kids are playing and suddenly inspiration hits. You snap a couple of pictures and go looking for the right scrapbooking items.

By using your pictures you can create some wonderful collages, and then you can work on developing your own unique scrapbook layouts. By grouping them together and then arranging and rearranging them, you will develop some great scrapbook layouts.

Once you have the scrapbooking paper, embellishments and the right projects scrapbooking , it is time to check out different layouts. There are many examples of layouts on the web. You can go to www.scrapbook.com to see the gallery of different layout designs. The website can also give you hints and tips for creating the right scrapbook for your needs.

Now that you have the pages assembled it is time to put them into a scrapbook album and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Do not forget to grab a pen and make special notes in the album next to the pictures. The handwritten notes will be something your kids will enjoy reading once they get older.

projects scrapbooking
Sometimes scrapbooking ideas come and sometimes you get stumped for ideas. If this is the case and you do not know what to do next, then take a look at some online websites to help get the creative juices flowing.

You can also take classes on how to scrapbook and the instructors can give you ideas for new layouts and designs. Before you know it, someone will be using your scrapbook ideas.

June 10, 2009

Label Your Letters and Mail with Flair

Category: Arts and Crafts – tkwriter 6:08 am

After all of the e-mails, text messages, voicemails, and other unnecessary portals of communication, it is nice to get a letter in the mail from relative or a close friend. What makes an envelope even more fun to open you might very well ask? Well, address labels will do just the trick. An address label with your name and information printed on it with a cool design is probably the coolest thing you could do with a mailed envelope other than completely decorate it yourself. return address labels are also really cool because it gives the recipient a chance to have fun with your labels too.

Many companies sell address labels with your very own printed background that range anywhere from a pink butterfly background to a 9/11 memorial design. You can really customize it so that it fits your very own style. The best things about address labels are that they come in sets that can be changed monthly. It is also usually very easy to contact companies to change your information if you ever move or change any information. The return address labels are also really helpful if you’ve just moved and you need to give everyone a new address to send things to.

Address labels make a regular white envelope fun to open. Any letter really brightens up anyone’s day but making the letter colorful and fun to open is even better. Another perk from address labels is that you never have to write your information. You can just simply choose a label and apply it to the envelope. Sometimes you can even use these stickers on forms or for paperwork other than letters. Address labels can ultimately save you some time when sending out your family Christmas cards.

If you don’t use address labels regularly they are great for when you do have lots of letters to mail out. If you are extremely busy and barely have time to pull out a pen to write on Christmas cards then maybe address labels would be the best thing for the season. The address labels are easy to use, fun to look at and not not extremely expensive. Address labels make it a whole lot easier if you are sending out lots of gifts or letters. If you have older members of the family who love to send letters but can no longer use a pen very well, address labels are great for them as well. That way you can still receive cards from Great-grandma!

Address labels are a great tool for the office if you are a small company, at home if you are a frequent mailer of letters, or even just as labels if you don’t want specific items like books or backpacks to get stolen. Personalized mailing labels are fun to have and very easy to buy, making your job even easier. The best way to utilize your address labels is to send more letters to your family. This way your family receives a fun-filled and happy letter, and it didn’t even take that long for you to write it and send it!

June 9, 2009

You Too Can Create a Beautiful Memory Book

Category: Scrapbooking Tips – tkwriter 5:50 am

You don’t have to invest hundreds of dollars and hours of time to create your own special scrapbooking albums. Armed with the essential tools and supplies, anyone can get started scrapbooking right away. No need to feel intimidated as you peruse isle after isle of memory book products. Stay tuned and you’ll find out how to start preserving your cherished memories without too much muss or fuss.

First, you’ll need to choose what photos you want to work with. Instead of choosing many photos that would fill an entire book about a family vacation, it might be easier to begin with just a handful that focuses on a smaller event, such as junior’s first baseball game. Once the photos are selected, arrange them to determine what size each should be, keeping in mind the total size of the page.

Next, choose the background paper. This can be a solid or patterned paper that coordinates with the event of the page you are creating. If you would like to highlight the photos, them mat them onto cardstock. You are welcome to use as many or as few colors as you’d like. Photos can have a uniform frame all around or they can be placed at interesting angles. For added pizzazz, decorative edge scissors may be used to cut the mat. Make sure all paper and card stock is lignin and acid free.

Once, the photos are where you like them, you might consider adding a border on some or all the sides of the page. Simple strips of paper or ribbon would work as well as borders cut using decorative edge scissors. You get to be as creative as you want.

Next, come up with a title or name for this page. Both the color and style of the lettering will draw attention to it. Use alphabet stickers to spell out the title, die-cut letters, or ready-to-use title strips that give you plenty of options. Stickers should also be acid and lignin free.

Now, grab your special pens or markers and write about the event, note important dates, names and descriptions of places and activities. If you’re worried you might make a mistake, write on a separate piece of paper and apply it to the background paper when it looks just right. Only use pens that use pigment ink.

When used strategically, embellishments can turn a nice looking page into a work of art. Embellishments are anything decorative such as ribbons, buttons, tags, stickers, eyelets and charms. Remember that less is more so resist the urge to add too many do dads.

Keep in mind that until you get more practice, it’s best to lay out all the components of the page and play around with them before deciding on the final layout. Once your satisfied with the result, then it is okay to start gluing things in place.

If you get stuck for ideas, there are tons of books, magazines and websites you can look at for inspiration. These precious creations even can be created on and printed from your computer. Whatever method you choose, you’ll be sure to enjoy it because every page is a unique creation.

June 4, 2009

Collecting Stuffs Made Easy

Category: Arts and Crafts – tkwriter 10:50 pm

Having a collection is a method of de-stressing. It can take your mind off of things and help you relax. Collecting items is also not that difficult. Basically, you have to look for something that you really want. There is an endless variety of things that you can collect. From postal stamps, to coins to even Pez dispensers, the kind of objects you can collect is vast.

Look For Something Your Are Interested In

First of all, you must collect something that you can really devote into. This can be something as simple as a coin. If you are having a hard time choosing something that you want to collect, try to remember things that you are simple fascinated by. Were you fascinated by badges of different kinds or perhaps postal stamps with animal designs? Most people even get fascinated by several different designs of cufflinks.

Create a List to Help You

If you still find it hard to look for something that fascinates you, simply making a list of several different things that interest you can be very helpful. You can also put all the things that you can possibly collect in this list. Once you have listed everything you can think of, simply omit anything that seems less interesting to you. You can also choose not to collect items that are simply out of reach or impossible for you to collect.

Know Your Limitations

In any kind of hobby there are boundaries. Fortunately, you are the one who can decide which these limitations are; is it going to be the cost or the availability? If you find the thing you want to collect a little bit expensive, you are better off looking for something else. For instance, collecting mechanical pocket watch can be expensive. Instead, look for an alternative that you can easily buy and collect at a lower price.

Know About the Item

It is important to know anything and everything about the item you want to collect. Do a simple research about the things you want to collect. This would give you the general idea on how hard or easy it is for you to collect these items. Once you finished your research and knew everything there is to know about the items, you can start collecting.

Be Unique and Protect Your Collection

Getting used to something that you collect can be a breeze. You will come to a point where you become familiar with the prices and other concerns about the things you collect. Once you get to this point, it is time to make your collection unique. There several things that you can take into consideration in order to make your collection unique.

For instance, you can create a theme for your collection. Why not try collecting stamps that mostly contain animal prints or coins from a single continent? You can also make use of the age, quality and rarity of the objects as measures to make your collection unique.

Lastly, always remember to protect your collection. If you are collecting coins, women’s or men’s valet is not enough to protect your them. Dedicate a part of your house or even as simple as a cabinet for your collection. Just make sure that whatever space you give your collection, provide it with enough security.

June 3, 2009

Art Supplies And Helping Others

Category: Arts and Crafts – tkwriter 4:34 pm

As an artist, I am aware of the importance of having the best art supplies, the right tools and the finest resources for all of my artistic needs at the risk of ruining a could-have-been great project. At school, I am provided with all of the necessary supplies and all of the things that I want and need. I am able to achieve anything I want. After I complete a pastel rendering, for example, my teacher supplies me with any king of foam board necessary to mat my final work. Thus, I am able to show my artistic potential to everyone.

Unfortunately, not everybody has access to all of the paint and board and canvas that I am. There are children in inner city school districts that go to schools which don’t have enough money to buy enough artistic supplies. They may be aspiring artists, but their dreams are cut short since they do not have the resources their talent requires. I am lucky to be in such a school district where the community is supportive of the arts and has enough funding. It is too bad that not every school does.

I am certain that there are children in these poorer school districts that have as much if not more talent than the best artist at our school. Their art may also have more of a story to portray, something with a deep meaning. Their art could possibly depict their lives and what it is like to be in such a crummy situation as they may be in. For example, if one artistically talented child who did not have the resources available to him lived in a home where his parents abused him, his artwork may be therapeutic to him and also have a deeper meaning, a hidden message even, told through the paint.

These reasons and many more are why there are programs out there that take donated art supplies and give them to these lacking schools. These organizations will take new or lightly used paintbrushes, crayons, canvas, matting board, colored pencils, pastels, and many, many other items and give them to the schools and the children that need those supplies the most. When you donate to such a cause, you get that happy, warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart that tells you that you’ve done something good for someone else, that you may have just enabled a child to pursue their dream. What could possibly be any greater than that?

In school, we run canned food drives, and coat drives, and pennies-for-patients fundraisers, but I wish that we also had the capacity to start a donation for art supplies too. Since I go to a fairly well off school district, I’m sure that it be simple to start one. Our arts department could sponsor it and we could get other schools that are nearby to join in as well.