Cricut Gypsy Makes Scrapbooking Design A Versatile and Portable Option

The Cricut Gypsy is the newest innovative scrapbooking tool from Provo Craft.   Now scrapbook designers have the capability of creating and designing great scrapbook pages on the go.  The Gypsy’s portability expands the crafter’s capacity to create and produce their designs just about anywhere they go: on a trip, to the doctor’s office, scrapbook parties, just to name a few places where you might want to take it with you and use while waiting.

The Gypsy is the portable design studio to be used with your Cricut cutting machines.  This amazing little tool can be hooked up to your computer, your Cricut machine, or used by itself alone.  Gypsy is a compact dynamo hand held tool that can store Cricut cartridge’s contents (it comes with two cartridges preloaded in its memory), CD contents from your computer, and information from your Cricut machine itself.  This machine’s storage capacity can give you up to 10,000 designs to work from–awesome!  The vast pool of resources you may add to your Cricut Gypsy  can easily by found by searching for the title of a cartridge or keywords of a design–how easy is that?  Once this information is stored in your Gypsy it can be used in any Cricut machine–whoa, talk about being functional and versatile!

The Cricut Gypsy allows you to perform several important design functions: slant, size, rotate, flip, stretch, and weld.  All of these functions give the designer optimum creative ability in constructing scrapbook pages or greeting cards.

The machine’s touch screen allows you to see the feature or function you are looking for, or working on at the moment.  A stylus is used to make navigating through all of the functions and features available with the machine very easy.

At approximately 8″ long and weighing just under a pound, the design dynamics of this machine allow the serious scrapbooker to design just about anything anywhere.  A purse, backpack, or its own carrying case will let you take it just about anywhere you want to go.

Gypsy come with a rechargeable battery.  The battery’s charge life is ” . . .  about four hours with continuous use, and up to eighteen hours with intermittent use.  Battery life may vary depending on how bright the screen brightness is set.”  An AC adapter and car charger are provided.  A computer connection cord is also included, along with an instruction booklet, protective cover and carrying case.  (We recommend watching the videos provided by Cricut) to speed you along your way in using this powerful portable design tool.)

This powerful, yet little tool, is for the dedicated scrapbooker and greeting card designer.  While it may not be the least expensive scrapbook tool for its size.  The Cricut Gypsy does provide the serious paper crafter with a light weight, huge memory capacity, easy to operate, dynamic and portable design tool.

You can purchase just the Cricut Gypsy packet, or what we recommend is the Cricut Gypsy Machine Bundle.

Here is where you can find good prices for your own

“LET THE FUN BEGIN”

Next to the photograph, accents are the heart and soul of your scrapbook page or book. For most scrappers this is where the fun begins. These embellishments should highlight and enhance your focal point. You never want to over power your focal point or photos with too much embellishment. All elements of design should direct attention to your focal point–make it say what you want if to say!

You don’t have to be independently creative here. Using the benefit of others creativity can be a starting point. Where there is scrapbooking there are ideas: shops, magazines and friend’s scrapbooks–just to name a few. There is no want for ideas in this scrapbook crazed era if you take a little time to look around and explore.

One Note of Caution: As you use accents, be sure to use acid-free paper to keep your pages from yellowing or breaking down over time, and that your embellishments won’t cause damage or problems with your page, or your book.

“Are My Pages on a Teeter-Totter”

We all need balance in our lives. Too much of a good thing often turns into a distasteful thing.

In design, balance is a fundamental principal.

Scrapbook pages should have good and effective balance–not too much of any one thing. When proper layout is accomplished your balance looks and feels comfortable, easy and right.

Elements of your page have weight. If there is an over abundance of any one element then the element becomes over weighted. One big picture improperly placed can dominate, but give balance when other smaller pictures are added. That doesn’t mean to say you have to do pages with more than one picture, but if you do a one picture page you need to add balance with embellishments, title and journaling.

You are looking for symmetry (balanced proportions). There are two forms we are concerned with: Asymmetrical–where there is a lack of proportion–not symmetrical. Symmetrical items are parts on opposite sides of a dividing line or median plane, a center or axis–like two children on a “teeter-totter.” Each creates its own effect. For those of you who are more detail oriented and would like to know more about these two forms of balance- see the article on Balance and Symmetery in Scrapbook Design.

Balance is a visual effect. Item placement helps the eye move across and through the page. This eye movement promotes connectivity to unrelated items…a back and forth or up and down movement. Placement of items in a “Z” pattern or “diamond” form helps the viewer move fluidly about your page.

In art there is the rule of “3″ (or odd numbers 3, 5, 7, etc.) The easiest and most useful number is “3.” When you use more than three items your page can become to busy and the theme is hard to follow. If you have several photos you want to use it may be best to break them up into to coordinating pages.

Your prime focus item should be placed on those (imaginary) divisional third lines dissecting your page . . . it gives you a “tic-tac-toe” frame to work from. You don’t need to use drawn lines–just visualize them in your mind. Perfection isn’t required here.

You need to give your eyes a rest by leaving enough background space. This helps with letting the focus be on your photograph(s).

For additional information (a little more technical see: The Golden Ratio and The Rule of Thirds).

Each of us uses balance every day in our lives. We need balance to walk or even stand up–physical balance; or functionality to balance our checkbooks. We even try our best to balance our lives between family, work, recreation, hobbies, religious participation, etc.

Because scrapbooking is a visual activity, balance and symmetry are essential and the KEY to making a page look pleasing and functional. Balance in our scrapbook composition can be created with using different colors, sizes, material, shapes, etc. How you use each of these elements, which you control, is what creates the VISUAL INTEREST.

Read More »

DESIGN PLANNING

“Plan Your Page”

As you plan your page(s) you need to have some conceptual idea of how you want it to look . . . what you want it to say. You need a plan for your scrapbook page just like a builder needs blueprints (a plan) to build a building.

Read More »

“What colors or color scheme should I use for my scrapbook page?” Is a question most all of us have asked ourselves at one time or another.

Understanding what color is and can do for you is essential. (See the article on Color Can Enhance Scrapbook Pages) to gain some understanding of the value of color.

The difference between an attractively designed page, and a so-so page, could rest on your proper use of color. The use of harmonious colors, those that work well together will help in selecting the color scheme you want to use on your page. A color wheel can make this design step much easier to accomplish. You can purchase color wheels to have easily at your disposal as you work on your page projects.

Sir Isaac Newton created the first color wheel which allows us to visualize color harmony–what you think looks good.

Read More »

Color

“Use Color to Enhance“

The use of color will evoke emotion and mood as much as anything other than the focal point item. Color has a language all its’ own. When used effectively and appropriately color will help you convey the message of your page.

Start with the primary colors: red, yellow and blue. Then use coordinating colors–those that are made by mixing two primary colors: red + yellow = orange. Adding tertiary colors–mixing primary color with its two closest secondary colors. Other elements of color are tint and shade. Tint = color plus white; Shade = color plus black.

Read More »

“Select a Focal Point”

The focal point of your page should be the central theme you are trying to convey. Everything else should help support or enhance this prime image or thought. Sometimes the photo image is not the focal point . . . it could be the title, a thought or poem, etc. What ever the focal point is it should standout with accents, color or size.

Just like when you shoot an arrow at a target you may be satisfied in just hitting it. Our goal, however, is to try and hit the “bulls eye.” That is what you are trying to do with your focal point.

Read More »

TYPE

(Fonts)

The "Patchwork Letter" fonts are from Renaesroom.com

“The written message has its place.”

While written messages (journaling) and titles are helpful, they are not necessarily essential to your scrapbook page. Like all other elements of scrapbook design, your message should enhance your focus–”less is best.” There are a myriad of font types. This is another one of those areas where you can go overboard if you’re not careful. The fonts should be simple and easy to read.

When selecting a particular font be sure to consider who the reader or audience who will be reading or viewing the print. Here is where pleasing you may not be as important as pleasing them.

Read More »

INSIGHTS INTO SCRAPBOOKING DESIGN

Each of the pages below have basic insight and tips on how to layout and design a scrapbook page. This isn’t a detailed course, but suggestions you should find to be very helpful as you go about designing each of your scrapbook pages. You will find as you create your pages your understanding and proficiency will increase. Having a basis to start from is always helpful. You can building on these basics and perfect your craft over time . . . be patient, it will come.

Be sure to seek help too. There are plenty of other resources around to help teach and guide you as you engross yourself in making your “masterpieces.”

• Plan Your Page
• Select a Focal Point
• Use Color to Enhance
• Shape Helps Define Your Page
• We All Need Balance
• Embellishments & Accents Make the Difference
• Type or Fonts Help Say What You Want to Say
• Remember It’s All About the Photo
• You Are Your Own Best Judge

For additional information see “The Golden Ratio” and “The Rule of Thirds.”