What do you use to make your titles?

Hi all. My biggest bugaboo is HOW to make my titles. I usually cut out letters on my cricket and layer it for a dimensional look, BUT, I feel it looks the same over and over!

Do you all use:
Chipboard?
Gypsy?
Cricket?
Draw by hand (I hate my handwriting)?
Rub ons?
Printer?

And I would love to know the DETAILS of exactly how you do it (eg. If you use your printer, do you print out and trace over pp or chipboard and cut out with sizzors or craft knife?) all responses greatly appreciated! Stephanie (mom of two boys :-)

All of the above!! Also, stickers, pre-printed titles (like MME), chalk, masking, paint, colour in printed title with chalk, crayons, paint, pens, glimmer mist, ink, ect. Try searching the gallery under "titles" for some visuals!

These days I mostly use Thickers. And the teeny alphas. So I buy them ... but it's easier that way!

On almost all my pages I used the Memory Makers Tiny Ledgers. I love them because they're small and you get lots of letters per pack. I usually don't have enough room on my pages to have big titles..lol!!

Oh and Basic Grey letter stickers.

• Scrapbook Queen Said:

Thanks for the ideas! I browsed the videos here on SB.com and tips and techniques sections but found very little. Do you mind if I ask for some details? For instance, with chalk do you use stencils? What is MME? When you print your own out, what do you do, trace onto pp or print directly on pp or vellum? Thanks!

Stephanie - I'm guessing MME is the brand "my mind's eye".

I cut letters on my cricut, and also use thickers (foam, chipboard, felt, etc). those are my two primary sources of titles. occasionally I use stamps, usually clear ones, or paint with foam stamps (very rarely these days).

I'm also bored with my own title designs these days. but I think I can improve it by mixing up the styles/types of letters I use in any given title, and playing around with title placement.

Mostly I use one of the hundred of fonts that I've downloaded, and tweak it in Photoshop with a layer style or photo effect or some combination. Then I'll print it on vellum or my new fave paper (Cryogen White), trim and adhere.

• peenut_23 Said:

Thanks Jill. Can you paint the thickers? Or do you just buy them in the color you need? Appreciate it!

• kuzatab Said:

Cool! Do you print with a color printer or color them later with something? Thanks!

I use Thickers all the time

• kuzatab Said:

Yep, I use the printer in all kinds of ways, print onto plain paper and trace onto pp, or print directly on the pp, cs or vellum or photo paper. Maybe in colour or in black and white if I want to add my own colour. I might cut each letter out or leave them on a square background or cut out in a circle or other shape. You can use WordArt if you don't have Photoshop to get some neat effects.

The chalk can be used with stencils, masks, just to colour in witha Q-tip or cotton ball...so many different ways.

I think the point is that there is no ONE way to do titles. Experiment, try a buch of different ways. I rarey do the same title on each page. It totally depends on the photos, how much room I have, what the style of the page is, ect. Also, title do not always hav eto be at the top of the page in a striaght line, sometimes just changing the position or orientation or shape of the title is a good way to spice it up!

Also check out this website: http://www.wordle.net/
You can make cool word clouds for titles.

I hope that helps.

Check out my gallery for different title ideas!

I'm an alpha junkie, lol. My faves are Thickers and the small ledger alphas, like others have mentioned...but I am always on the lookout for a good deal on alphas and snap them up when I find one. (I never buy the Thickers at full price anymore, except the real basic ones that are "only" $3!)

I've used chipboard letters, rub-ons, and stickers. Occasionally I'll stamp letters and cut them out or just cut a cardstock strip and stamp directly on it. Mostly I use my Pazzles Inspiration since it gives me access to every true type font on my computer.

I use thickers, stickers, chipboard, I like to use the foam letters for kids things and fun projects. I use about anything that I can get my hands on.

I'm still working on getting a die cut machine, sadly. Most of the time I use stickers or alpha die cuts that come with papers. I also use stamps either directly on the LO or on a separate sheet. Sometimes I just use ink & sometimes I emboss it or glitter it. Love my alphas though!!!

• twoboysforme Said:

I usually just print with a color printer - you can get great effects depending on what you print it on: vellum, or a sparkly cardstock. I'm really getting into Copic markers so I may try an outlined title soon and color it in.

And as Scrapbook Queen points out, you don't need photoshop, Word and other programs have word art possibilities as well.

I do have a die-cut machine, a Gazelle, so I can cut anything I want, but I find I usually like the complexity of a photoshop-treated title more than one cut from cardstock - it's just my current style.

There is one title I'm particularly proud of. I created it in photoshop, welding all the letters together, printed it and used it as a pattern to cut my title out by hand - it's a vacation LO so I cut the title from a roadmap of where we went and I was very careful to place the cutting so the pertinent cities and landmarks would be included in the title after it was cut out. This HAD TO be done by hand, so as much as I'm a huge fan of technology, sometimes the old-fashioned way is best. It's at the beginning of my gallery if you're interested, the Arkansas LO.

And btw Stephanie - Happy Birthday!

I use a lot of chipboard letters-I have many different fonts and I cover them in coordinating paper sometime to go with my layouts. I also like Thickers too-they come in so many fun colors and fonts.

Sometimes I use chipboard, or I use my cuttlebug with patterned paper or bazzill.

I'll use my Cricut, stickers, Thickers, chipboard, or use stamps to make my titles.

If I use the Cricut to cut out the letters for my titles, then I will distress the edges or add some Stickles here and there to give the letters a different effect.

Good luck!

I know what you mean about titles. Mine look very similar over and over. I use sticker alphas and also cut letters with my cricut. I have yet to use wire or yarn to make words but want to try this. At a crop last Sat one lady wrote title words with a glue pen then sprinkled with glitter for a nice, different effect.

Recently I have been browsing galleries and looking at card ideas. Many of the card front ideas would make an interesting rectangular background for titles.

Wow, thanks everyone!! Great ideas and inspiration. My hubby bought me Design Studio for my bday so I'll have to learn that and use it for my title making. Only bummer is, I don't have a jukebox. Thanks again everyone!

I try to use my cricut to cut out my titles as often as possible, but I love chipboard titles, and I hate the work of covering it with paper, so awhile back I started painting them, then I will take a flourish stamp and emboss the design on them....sometimes I use colored ink and clear embossing powder, other times I use colored embossing powder...I love how these turn out, and it's my favorite title technique, and gets quite alot of complements...
If I have a long title, I will cut most out on the cricut and then do the main word with my chipboard technique...here is an example, but there are many in my gallery..
Vampire By Rtay

I love Thickers, and I have a big drawer full of other letter stickers, but most of the time I use my Sizzix alphabets (I have Sunset, Fruit Smoothie, Alphabuckles, Limelight, Boxed Brush, Wallflower, Round-a-Bout, Crop It, and Go Slim).

I do have a Cricut and several alphabet cartridges but I find it a pain to peel and glue individual letters. Recently I got Design Studio for a great price so soon I'll give welding letters a try.

I also print titles on my PC. You can use regular script fonts or download / purchase digital kits with fonts and titles, dimensional liquid mediums will give a different look, sewing or embellishing behind the letters. HTH

I've used a bit of everything but I tend to use mostly chipboard letters, thickers or alpha stickers. I really need to use my Pazzles more but I'm like you and feel that it looks to much the same with each layout so I only use it every now and then. Another alpha I like is Heidi Swapp's ghost letters, but I only use them occasionally as well.

I love these ideas! Thanks so much ladies!

I like using Tim Holtz' grunge board. He's got some awesome stuff. He's got small letters and big letters, different fonts, some shapes (swirls, stars, crowns, etc.) and you can ink them to your heart's content!

i use chip board letters and paint them to match my pages [they r 3D and can coordinate any way you like]
i also LOVE stamping & or embossing for a funky or glossy image

I use die-cuts done with my CraftRobo most of the times.
I also love embroidering or stitching the titles. Filling the outlines of the characters with microbears. Beading, threading, stamping!
Creating titles with all of things I may get: buttons, wires, flower soft, acetate, ribbons...
Once I used "men's toys" - screws, nuts, ball bearing, wires and some electrical stuff. I enjoyed the process and how it turned out.

I have also gone into second hand stores and bought old board/word games and useed the chips or tiles. Some games for younger children use cards that you can cut and alter for your needs

Wow, great ideas ladies!!!! Love the idea of the buts and bolts -- that sounds wonderful :-) The board game pieces is a great idea too!

Thanks all, Stephanie