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    How to Preserve and Store Your Child’s Artwork

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    Children are constantly coming home with a new art project they’ve created.  While these52154011-ma masterpieces are near and dear to every parent’s heart, they can clutter up your home become a messy pile of paintings.  Or they may end up as a jumbled assemblage of papers stored on your fridge.  Wouldn’t you like a way to compile these creations into an organized collection that you can both display and store for years to come?  Here are a few ideas.

    Before you begin, you may want to choose only your favorites to save.  Or let your child choose.  This will result in an art collection spanning their childhood composed of treasured pieces, rather than every page ever brought home.  One thing recommended by many professionals is to have a back up.  Before you discard anything, consider scanning it into a computer.  Keeping scanned images is a great way to preserve things without the added bulk of storing the actual project.

    The first step in preserving artwork is to decide how you’d like it protected.  Sliding designs into page protectors lets you switch them out as needed.  Sheet protectors come in varying thicknesses.  Be sure you choose archival quality so the items won’t fade or yellow with age.

    For long term protection, we recommend lamination.  Now before you start thinking that a laminator is more expensive than page protectors, keep reading.  While the initial investment of a laminator may cost more than a box of sheet protectors, you can get a decent machine for less than $40.00 that will cover both letter and legal size items as well as numerous smaller things. For just a little bit more, you can find a quality Fellowes laminator that will accommodate pages as large as 11″ x 17″, which is often the size of children’s art.  The protection offered by lamination as well as the versatility in size makes it a worthy investment.

    Once protected, decide how you want to store these items.  If you’ve chosen to put everything into page protectors, you can easily arrange these in a three ring binder.  Putting them in order of their creation date will give you a timeline of your child’s progress.  A smaller binder could be used for each individual year while a larger binder could store multiple years separated by index tabs.

    Laminated creations can be stored a number of different ways.  You can purchase large folders specifically designed for saving wider pieces of artwork created by your little one.  Some people keep pictures in a box or scrapbook.  Or you could bind them together in a book.  A plastic comb binding machine is another inexpensive tool that you can use to save things.  Many of these smaller devices offer a built in manual punch.  This is another way to preserve creations year by year.

    Using these suggestions, you’ll be able to effectively store the masterpieces created by your children without giving up the front of your refrigerator.  And they’ll appreciate the compact storage and the time you put into it more than they would a box full of colored pictures.  Getting a start on this while your kids are young will help keep you organized for years to come.

    How to Organize Your Recipe Card Box

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    Anyone who cooks has recipes.  Whether you concoct gourmet meals to feed your family 1701860-sm-maevery night or you only have time to occasionally make cookies, you need a recipe.  If you’re like most people, you probably have at least a handful of recipes passed down from one generation to the next.  These are usually put into a recipe card box.  But if that box isn’t organized, you’ll have a hard time finding the one you need.  If you’re looking to get organized, keep reading.

    The first thing you need to do is to get all your recipes onto cards that will fit in your box.  These can be as simple as 3×5 note cards.  Or for something fancier, you can get designer recipe cards.  There are even a few places online where you can customize your own to say “From Tara’s Kitchen” or whatever else you want.  Having the same size cards will help you sort through and locate things quickly.

    Once you have all the entries compiled, check to see if they all fit in the recipe box you have.  After gathering everything together, you may find that you need another container.  Here you have two choices.  You can purchase a second box similar to your first.  Or you could look for a recipe container large enough to hold every recipe you have.  When choosing, you may want to look for one that has category dividers.  These will help you get and stay organized while also serving as a guide to find items quickly.  If your box doesn’t have dividers, you can order them online for as little as three dollars.

    After gathering all your supplies, it’s time to assess.  Do you have any recipes that could use re-writing?  After time, cards tend to get splattered on and faded.  Having legible instructions is important when you’re attempting to cook; you wouldn’t want to miss a step because you couldn’t read it.  Free templates are available if you prefer to type rather than hand write the ingredients and instructions.  This is also a good time to seriously consider laminating all of your recipes.  Doing so will protect them from tearing, fading, and splashing.  Laminated recipes will last longer and can be passed down for generations.  A great laminator for this is the GBC HeatSeal 9″ Creative Laminator.  It heats up in only six minutes, so you can quickly get the job done.  With a nine inch opening, you can laminate multiple recipes at once.  And it’s affordably priced at under $25.00.  Whether you go with our suggestion or use your own machine, a laminator is definitely a worthwhile investment if you want your recipes to last.

    Now is when you can start arranging your entries into categories.  If you’re using dividers, you can go with the categories provided.  Or you may want to alphabetize them.  It’s up to you to discover the easiest way to find what you’re looking for.  And since you’re not creating a bound book, you can rearrange them as needed.  One thing we’d recommend is to take a few minutes to create an index.  This will help you find things quickly.  Alphabetize your index list and note where in your box each recipe is located, whether it’s under “Meats” or “Entrees”.  You may find recipes that are missing or lacking during this process; now is the time to retrieve them so you have a complete listing.  Once everything is arranged, simply put them all in the box in order.  It may help to alphabetize within each category for swift location.

    Congratulations, you did it!  If you followed these steps, you should now have a nice, organized recipe box.  Now go get cooking!

    Holiday Card Supplies to Consider Using

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    Have you started making your holiday cards yet? If you haven’t, you should probably get gbc-h115-laminator-sm1-maon it soon since the holidays are just about here. There are some supplies you can use to help you out creatively so you can make cards you can take pride in. Some of these will be expected (pens, glitter) and others will be surprising, such as a die cutting system. Here are some things you should consider using when putting together your holiday cards this year.

    1.)    A rotary trimmer. Even if you’re working with store-bought elements such as stickers and appliques, it never hurts to have a good rotary trimmer on-handed. These devices makes it easy to quickly cut perfectly straight lines. There are even some trimmers that can do wavy lines which is a nice option to have when putting your cards together. You might also want to have a pair of scissors around for making circular cuts.

    2.)    A pouch laminator and laminating film. Pouch laminators are handy machines if you need to make a document more durable. They can also be used to add foil accents to your holiday cards for a high-class look. Laminating foil comes in some beautiful colors such as blue, purple, and green so you’ll be able to find the right hue no matter which holiday you’re celebrating.

    3.)    A scorer. Something that could come in really handy as you work on your cards is a scorer. This is simply a device that helps you crease thicker stocks (i.e. cardstock). You’ll find a device like this helpful if you end up using paper that isn’t already folded. (This will also give you some some creative freedom because you can use just about any type of paper you want. You won’t be limited to pre-folded paper.)

    4.)    A die cutting system. If you’d like to make your own appliques for your cards, you should think about getting a die cutting system. Some of the best ones are made by Xyron and they can help you make holiday-themed shapes that can really brighten up your work. With some machines, you can even print out letters so you’ll be able to beautifully spell out your holiday greetings.

    5.)    Pens, glitter, glue, and so on. Finally, you’re going to need a bunch of your typical crafting supplies on-hand to get the job done. Gather up a good supply of your favorite pens, adhesives, etc. Make sure to put some holiday tunes on your stereo or MP3 player and grab some hot chocolate to set the appropriate mood.

    These items can help you make some of your best holiday cards yet. You’ll be surprised at how handy it is to have devices like a rotary trimmer, die cutting system, and scorer at your disposal, especially if you do crafts throughout the years. The laminator can not only help you attach foil to your creations, you can use it to protect your important paper documents and photographs. Consider getting some of these devices today to make your card-making sessions easier. Happy holidays!

    Getting Started Scrapbooking

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    Scrapbooking is a great way to preserve treasured memories.  But getting started can beCreatopia-sm1-ma a daunting task.  There’s all the pictures, not to mention any mementos you may be saving.  And isn’t it expensive?  Here is a guide that will get you on your way to creating a beautiful scrapbook to cherish for years to come.

    First, gather all your materials.  We’re not talking about cutesy stickers and colorful pages.  Before you can decorate, you need to see what you have.  Get together any memorabilia you may want to include.  This can mean pictures, playbills, recital programs, newspaper articles, magazine cut outs, cards, or anything else you may want to save.

    The next step is to organize.  This is where many people get overwhelmed and give up.  But by breaking this process down into baby steps and doing it in short bursts of time, you can get it done.

    • First, organize by year.  Put everything from 2009 in one pile, 2008 in one pile, etc, until this is completed.  Some years it may make more sense to organize by school year.  And you may have enough pictures from a single event, like a cruise or big family vacation, to warrant a separate book.  The main point here is to do a rough division of larger chunks of time.  Put each division into a folder or box.
    • Next, take one grouping of items and further divide it into months.  If you don’t have a ton of stuff, you could also group them into three month chunks.  Do this until everything is in smaller groups within the larger category.
    • Finally, within each smaller stack, arrange in order of occurrence.  This will help you see how your book will flow and give you small pieces to work with.

    Now that everything is organized, you can start your book.  Scrapbooks are available at craft stores but these can be expensive.  A cost-effective way to make a custom scrapbook is to purchase a three ring binder and page protectors.  Binders come in a wide variety of sizes and colors.  Clear View binders allow you to insert any picture or collage you want onto the cover for your own unique look.

    Page protectors can do double duty in a scrapbook.  After making your pages, simply slide them in to keep them from getting torn or spilled on.  However, they make great pockets for organizing your items before you start.  After the final division of pictures, you should be left with small stacks of pictures for each day or event.  You can slide these into your page protector and store them with the rest of your scrapbook while you work on the beginning.

    To make your first pages, you’ll need supplies.  Be sure to get items that are photo safe and acid free; this will keep your pictures from yellowing with age.  A great scrapbooking tool is a sticker maker laminator.  These turn any photo or paper memory into a sticker that you can adhere to your page.  The larger ones can also laminate precious items to preserve them.  If using page protectors and a three ring binder, you’ll also want to invest in paper inserts.  Heavier weights are generally better but you’ll want something lighter than cardstock to use for your backing.

    Finally, embellishments.  These can be stickers, letters, colorful pages, etc.  Before you start seeing dollar signs, keep reading.  A sticker maker allows you to turn any picture into a sticker.  This can save you money by not buying premade stickers.  Find a picture online to print out and add to your page.  Scrapbook accessories can be expensive but they go on sale often.  Many craft stores have weekly adds with coupons and also take competitors coupons.  Be patient and get these things either with a coupon or on sale.  You’ll save a lot of money by doing it this way.  You can also find scrapbooking supplies online for less than retail cost.

    This is just a quick overview to get you started.  Once you dive into the world of scrapbooking, you’ll find hundreds of ideas and decorating techniques.  But for now, get those pictures divided so you can get started!  Good luck and happy scrapping!

    Eight Reasons to Get A Laminator For You School

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    GBC-HeatSeal-H100-4-5-inches-Pouch-Laminator-17012801-ma

    School is back in session and with that comes new supplies. One thing to put on the list is a laminator. To some this may seem like an unnecessary expense. However, it can actually save you money and provides a variety of uses for teachers and students both. Here are a few reasons why your school needs a laminator.

    1. Save money. With budget cuts on everyone’s mind, the last thing people want to do is buy something they don’t need. While a laminator may be a big investment up front, it can save you money in the long run. The combination of a decent printer and a laminator allows you to create your own visual aids and signs instead of paying someone else to make them for you.
    2. Save artwork. Kids make tons of art in school, especially grade school. Parents love to walk through the school and see their child’s artwork on display. However, other kids are not always kind to papers on the wall. Protect these precious drawings by laminating them. Teachers can take these protected creations and provide free decor for your school. And parents will love that their child’s art is preserved and will last for years to come.
    3. Create your own signs. Schools are often printing up arrows or maps to direct students and parents to the correct location. Why not print them once and laminate them? This way you will be able to reuse any signs you make instead of reprinting them over and over.
    4. Teacher aids. Kids love visual aids and teachers know this. A laminated list can be turned into a reusable checklist. Or a large sheet can be covered and used as a dry erase board.
    5. Every holiday finds kids making crafts as gifts. A laminator expands the realm of ideas. Kids can make bookmarks, cover wallet size pictures to create gift tags, make place mats, as well as any other ideas they come up with.
    6. Create visual displays. Adhering items to a mounting board can provide a creative visual display. Laminating posters can protect them for years of use. Let kids make a banner for your school as a class project and then laminate it before hanging. It will be much more personal and cost-effective than ordering it from a print shop.
    7. They come in a kit. Complete laminating systems make it easy to get everything you need at once. Commonly included is a few rolls of laminating film, a cleaning kit, an instructional DVD, and a cabinet on casters for easy mobility.
    8. They are safe and easy to use. Features such as protection against overheating and a locking key switch make these devices safe for use around curious children. And most only use a single on/off switch as well as a control for switching between forward and reverse function. This allows both inexperienced adults as well as supervised children to safely and easily operate the machine.

    These are just a few of the benefits you can expect from owning a laminator. Teachers and kids alike will appreciate the convenience of this device. And you’ll enjoy saving money by having this device. So check out a laminator today to see if it’s right for you!