Scrapbook Podcasts

By Christina VanGinkel

Almost everyone has heard of Podcasts. If you have not, then you are probably in a minority. What was new to me though was that when I thought of what a Podcast was, I automatically thought of some rebel locked away in a basement, making a Podcast for some other rebels to listen to on their iPod. After all, a Podcast is essentially audio content that you can download from the web to listen to on your iPod. They are often put together by people who feel that they have something to say, but cannot get it out there in some other form, such as a through a typical radio program, a television show, or even a printed version, such as a book.

However, with many things Internet, when something takes off, even those people who at first might have disregarded some aspect of it, such as the Podcasts, may suddenly realize what a great way they could be to get their word out about subjects that might actually be very popular with the mainstream public. Then, they might even go so far as to combine the 'new' technology with some other part of the web that has in fact been round for some time. This is exactly what I thought of when I came across a site that was a combination of Podcasts with streaming videos to promote a person's tutorials on, what else, Scrapbooking!

If someone has already done this, I am not sure, but this site is just fantastic. The person who has pulled together this innovative idea has even set up a link with iTunes, where you can sign up for the free lessons to make sure that you do not miss a single lesson as they are released. Just click right on the link from their site, aptly named scrapbookingpodcast, or you can find it at iTunes via a search through their Podcasts. The site currently has seven lessons, including:

Use Sizzix machine to emboss with brass stencil (on the iTunes site, this Podcast is listed as Emboss without the light box)
Valentines Day layout with embossed paper
Make your own flower embellishment
Create a Moving Wheel
Pop-ups in a layout
Watercolor Pencils
Create Rubber stamps

I decided to download the Podcast on creating your own rubber stamps, simply because I could not imagine how this would be done. The presentation was professional, and walked through a very detailed production of how to accomplish this very task. I was so excited while watching the video, that I immediately restarted it once it was done to make a list of the materials I would need to do this on my own. She even made points such as marking the containers that you use with the chemicals as for chemical use only. Having written instructions for craft projects my self; I know how thorough one has to be when explaining situations such as this, and she did a wonderful job! The voice of the narrator is also pleasing, which is a big issue with many people listening to Podcasts of any kind, even these versions that coincide with video. If the narrator is hard to listen to, it is a definite detraction. So taken with this Podcast, I went back and downloaded the rest of them.

The next one I viewed was the one on using pop-ups in a layout. As a somewhat new owner of a Wishblade cutter, I am always interested in anything that might point me in the direction to more actively use my cutter in my crafts. Again, the step-by-step instructions were clear and precise, and I could hardly wait for the Podcast and video to end, to try to make my own 'I' and various other parts. I would note that some viewers of this particular Podcast might think this one is a bit on the easy side, but with instructions such as these, keeping it basic can be the best way for the viewers to take in the details, and then turn them around and use them in as elaborate ways as they can think up. I highly recommend these Podcasts for anyone looking for some new input into their favorite hobby of scrapbooking.