Tips & Tricks: WRMK For The Record

I learned a few things while putting this recipe card layout together, so I thought I'd share!

(Wait, have you seen our recipe cards?  You can access cutting instructions and photo sizes used - getting more pages done doesn't get any easier than that!)

The first thing I learned is that 12x12" paper doesn't fit in my printer.  I know, right????  LOL  I'm so used to doing 8.5x11" pages that printing my journaling is just one of those things I don't think about.  I loved the WRMK just as is, so I didn't want to cut it up just to make it easier to work with.  Except... I *could* cut it up if I was careful!

The first thing I always do, especially if I'm going to print my journaling right on the paper, is lay out my pictures and figure out where the journaling will fit.  Sometimes I just measure it, other times I'll make a few light pencil lines.

I cut the paper right along the line WRMK gave me.  *grin*  You can see I have a few pencil lines drawn for my journaling space.  I knew it would get confusing if I cut up the paper and tried to remember which edge was what without the guides.

I journaled and printed onto some plain printer paper.  Next step is to tape the good paper on top - I use a lightbox, but a window works really well, too!

I sent the good paper (taped onto the printer paper) back through the printer and taped it all back together.  You can see the pencil lines really helped me line things up!

And this little date/title block?  Oh, I could hand-write in there... but that totally freaks me out!  My brain can't handle too much handwriting (I think it's because I'm a control freak *wink*).  So I did the same trick here:  cut out the element, printed up some journaling to fit, and then printed on the block. 

Back in place.  You can't tell, especially once it gets put into a page protector. 

The other thing I learned is that sometimes things happen that you *can't* control.  GASP!  I know, right????  My pleated cardstock strip is an example of that.

I intended to just sew one nice straight line of stitches through the center of the strip.  Well, I got it, sort of, but my machine was making this horrible noise and it was eating thread like crazy.  And I was a little annoyed.  I got a bunch of beautiful variegated silky thread for Christmas and it was just whizzing off the spool!  I turned over the paper and discovered that the tension was really messed up and made this amazing loopy texture.  Hmmmm... that would look really cool on TOP of my page...  So I turned the page over, crossed my fingers, and sewed near my first sewn line.

And it worked!  And I have no idea how to do this again on purpose.  But I'm glad I ran with it - this ended up being one of my favorite pages of all-time.

Oh, and the photos?  I don't have Instagram (maybe I'm one of the last people on the planet?) so I downloaded a free app named Pixlr-o-matic onto my desktop.  Tons of fun filters and effects!  And you can turn your rectangular photos square, too!

Hope you are inspired to try something new - or to turn a stumbling block into a jumping off point.  You may just love what happens next.  *big love*

- Theresa/Savi