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Friday, January 31, 2014

Scrapbooking the Polar Vortex

What a crazy winter it’s been & it’s not even February yet!  Living in Michigan I have no shortage of snow photos to scrapbook & always look forward to taking more.  Those of you that aren’t used to getting snow might be a little out of your element (no pun intended) when it comes to ideas & products for your layouts featuring winter weather pictures.  Weather you’re a veteran of snowstorms or only get to enjoy them once in a great while here are some ideas to help you with your snow related photos.

(Click on images to view larger)

Winter Page Ideas

Super easy border using circles to create a birds eye of a snowman

   snowman looking up 

Here’s a digital version  of the guy above – you should be able to right click on it and save it to your computer and use it on your digital pages

Snowman

Winter fun at Scrapbook.com

Need to purchase some winter themed products for your pages? 

I’ve recently purchased a Cuttlebug mostly for embossing but I’m becoming quite addicted to Spellbinders & other dies that cut & emboss at the same time. Here are a few I have my eye on:

(clicking on product pictures & descriptions will take you to Scrapbook.com via my affiliate links)

Spellbinders - Shapeabilities Collection - Die Cutting and Embossing Templates - Snowflake Pendant

2013 Snowflake Pendant

Mr. & Mrs. Snowman

Icicles

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To learn more about using Spellbinders in various die cutting machines you can watch this video. 

I love product collections because with they help a page come together very easily. The work of coordinating paper & embellishments are already done for you!

Echo Park – Keepin’ Cozy Collection

Echo Park – Let it Snow Collection

You can also purchase most of the items in the collections separately, like these papers: 

12x12 Echo Park Let it Snow 12x12 double sided paper – journaling

Another fun things about these Echo Park products is that you can purchase coordinating designs in the Silhouette store to cut with your electronic die cutting machine. 

Here are just a few (design number listed at the bottom so you can find them.)

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Haven’t been able to find any “Polar Vortex” related items so I created this title.  You can download the svg file here. (Free of charge)

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Tips for taking snow pictures

Get up close!  By doing this you will reduce the amount of white background in your photo allowing your camera to get a better picture.

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Center your picture on a dark object – when you push the shutter button down halfway your camera will adjust using that spot and you will get better results than if it was centered on bright snow.

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Have people face the sun when taking their photo – that way they won’t be too dark because of shadows

Sometimes using your flash can  help brighten up your subject when they’re surrounded by all that bright white snow.  Using the flash will fill in darker areas, balancing the light of the snow.

A burst of color against a white background can make for a spectacular photo.  Bright clothing, trees, buildings can all make for beautiful subjects against a snowy background.

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Beyond snowmen & snowball fights, some ideas for winter photos:

Close-ups of snow covered plants & trees, pinecones, berries on branches. 

Furry & feathered friends - it’s hard to beat a photo of a red cardinal against a snowy background! 

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The contrast in textures, patterns & colors with winter photos can be a fun opportunity for some unusual photos.

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Stay warm & have fun!

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