How Does a Flip Book Work?
When pages of a flipbook are flipped through rapidly the photographs or drawings appear to be moving. This rapid movement creates a simple form of animation. The Flipbook’s animation takes place in a single spot which allows the user to simply stare at the animation as it happens. This differs from cartoons that usually read from right to left.

New Age of Flip Books?
Flipbooks are not just for grade school kids anymore. It used to be that the only people who enjoyed flipbooks were young adults and kids that either created them or enjoyed those provided in their Cracker Jack boxes.

Now specialized Flip Book software is changing the creation, look, and detail of the flipbook. Adults and kids alike are enjoying flipbooks created from short videos taken at parties, weddings, Bar / Bat Mitzvahs, or any other event.

A mobile studio can now be set up to provide flipbooks at events and parties. The mobile flipbook studio includes the equipment necessary to take the short video clip and print the flipbooks on site. Costumes, props, and cards with sayings on them are provided to the party-goers to be used during their short video clip. After the video the flipbook is printed on site and in less than 90 seconds.

One of the most interesting stories to come out of Cleveland Browns training camp this year has been the unexpected emergence of 6th round draft pick James Davis as a potentially integral part of the Browns’ 2009 offense.

With Jamal Lewis seeming to be firmly entrenched as the starter despite his advancing age, and Eric Mangini pledging early in camp to get more touches for Jerome Harrison, it appeared that Davis would provide nice depth and a body on special teams, but little else.

Then he ran 80+ yards for a TD against Detroit’s backups and seemingly overnight there was chatter that he could end up as the starter.

Yesterday, Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon-Journal posed the question “Do the Browns have a running back controvery?” His answer was a resounding…maybe.

The Browns could have a couple of very interesting decisions in the near future.

One is at quarterback. Which we all pretty much know about.

The other, though, is at running back where rookie James Davis might be making a push to unseat Jamal Lewis.

Far-fetched? Perhaps.

But a certain team that makes its living running the ball extremely well in the shade of the Rocky Mountains has had great success with late-round running backs.

I am sure that all Browns fans are excited about the potential that James Davis has flashed. And Eric Mangini has spoken glowingly of his rookie, which I thought was a little unexpected but certainly nice to hear. Still, there are some reasons for caution, and no one should be writing Jamal Lewis’ Browns epitaph just yet.

First off, many a running back has had a strong preseason, especially playing in the later quarters, and not seen it translate to the regular season. We need to see James Davis succeed against other teams’ first team defenses before we book his ticket for the Pro Bowl. Remove the 81-yard run from his impressive line against the Lions (12 carries, 116 yards, TD) and Davis’ stats look far more pedestrian: 11 carries, 35 yards.

True, the ability to take carries to the house from long distances is a desirable trait for a running back to have, and certainly something that Jamal Lewis now lacks, but Davis’ 81-yard scamper may have been more of an anomaly than something we will see regularly. According to his pre-draft Scouts Inc. profile, Davis’ straight-line speed is above average but not elite. While Scouts Inc is by no means the gospel, it is further reason to at least temper expectations that Davis will be regularly running up and down the field in the regular season.

Additionally, there is an important part of the running back role that many fans (myself included) forget about sometimes in our zeal to see a young guy or backup get on the field: pass blocking. Once again, looking at his Scouts Inc profile, Davis is criticized for not being great in this area:

Has shown the ability to catch the ball when facing the QB and is a solid underneath dump-off option. However, he lacks ideal experience catching the ball, he struggles to adjust to ball thrown outside of his frame and he is not a homerun threat after the catch. Shows adequate awareness in pass protection and flashes the ability to hold ground against blitzing defenders. However, he’s not very physical at the point of attack and doesn’t work as hard as he should to sustain.

This jives with reports I’ve seen and heard from people who have attended Browns training camp. Everyone has lauded James Davis for being extremely impressive as a runner, but are concerned that his blocking is not quite up to snuff. Certainly opponents will attempt take advantage of this with blitzes, which could leave Davis as the last line of defense to protect whoever is playing QB (at least we have two!).

Thus, especially early in the season, Davis being on the field could very well be a tip-off to the defense that we plan to run the ball or throw a quick pass. This would conceivably add more defenders to the box and potentially limit Davis’ effectiveness and the offense overall.

Now that I have said all of this, and highlighted what I see as the glaring questions/weaknesses surrounding James Davis, let me also say this: for the Browns to have a successful season, James Davis will have to be a major part of it. We saw how poorly the Browns’ offense played last year, and how much it was hamstrung by a lack of play-makers. the Browns will need the spring that Davis appears to have in his step to put a more dynamic unit on the field in ‘09.

At one time, Jamal Lewis was an explosive runner with the ability to maul people and run away from them. Those days, however, are long gone. While Lewis still runs hard and is a solid short-yardage back, he is slow to the hole and lacks any semblance of breakaway speed. He can churn out 4-5 yard carries on a good day, but rarely is going to move the chains if the distance to the marker is outside of that amount.

Having James Davis, a young running back with fresh legs and some burst, can be an excellent complement to the bruising Lewis. Sprinkle in Jerome Harrison – whose production with limited opportunities should not be forgotten – as a runner and receiver, and the Browns have the makings of a solid running back trio that can keep eachother fresh and offer varying looks to defenses.

James Davis may very well prove to be the every down back of the future for the Browns; and what a steal that would be, getting him in the 6th round. For 2009, however, the Browns and their fans will most likely be best served by Davis playing a role in which he gets 10-15 carries, Lewis gets a similar number, and Jerome Harrison gets 8-10 touches (carries and catches).

So rather than a controversy, let’s call it a committee. The Giants rode “Earth, Wind, and Fire” (Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Derrick Ward) all the way to a Super Bowl and then to another solid season last year. With more and more teams moving to 2-3 back committees to provide different looks and keep legs fresh throughout the year, it may (and probably should) be something that the Browns look to do as well.

Next season, with Lewis likely gone and a full year to evaluate Davis, we can start discussing who “the starter” is. For this year, let’s enjoy the addition of what looks like another solid backfield option and hope that James Davis is what he appears that he may be: a solid building block for the future of the Eric Mangini era in Cleveland.

Bonus James Davis fantasy projection: As stated, it certainly looks more and more like James Davis will become an integral part of the Browns running game. And we’ve all seen enough rookie running backs produce to know that you shouldn’t avoid them like you do rookie receivers. A talented running back behind a decent O-line can usually come in and have success right away.

With Lewis and Harrison in the mix as well, however, I would not expect anything close to what Steve Slaton and Chris Johnson did last year (barring injuries to Lewis and/or Harrison). Still, James Davis is worth drafting in the later rounds and should at least have some value as a bye week fill-in. I look for him to get 125-150 carries on the season and between 550-675 yards with 3 or 4 scores.

Obviously if he starts getting 15-20 carries a game, he becomes a possible #3/flex starter or even a #2 depending on the matchup. But I would draft him hoping for that kind of production, not expecting it.

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The Hot Button is sponsored by American Button Machines, the premier online source for button maker and button press enthusiasts, including supplies for fabric buttons, photo buttons, pinback buttons, as well as badge reels. They also sell a variety of circle cutters and will teach you how to make a button at their website or on their button making blog.

There are only four things you need to start a button making project:

1 – A button press (also called a button machine or button maker)
2 – A circle cutter
3 – Some button making supplies for the appropriate button sizes you desire
4 – The right kind of paper for button making

Then, once you have the supplies, there are only three steps after that. (See…the further along you go, the fewer steps you have, and the easier it gets!)

1 – Design your buttons – this can be done by hand or on a computer using ready-made button design graphics. Plus, you can make buttons from graphics that you cut out from printed material like books, photos, and magazines. The options here are endless. You can embroider fancy fabric covered buttons or take a family picture and make photo buttons, for instance. 

2 – Cut out your graphics using a circle cutter.

3 – Place the button supplies (shell, back, graphic, and mylar) into their appropriate dies. Then just pull the handle twice and you’re done!

And guess what? Only 2 steps after that! (See…from 4, to 3, to 2…easy as could be.)

1 – Figure out what you are going to do with your new buttons. Fundraiser? Button Business? Campaign promotion? Church promotion? 

2 – Then plot your next button making rendezvous. ☺

So what are some ways that button making especially useful during the summer?

Summer Camp

Do you help run a summer camp or know someone who does? Do your kids attend summer camp? If so, think about how useful a button machine and some pinback button supplies could be. Whether for use as nametags for camp counselors, or as nametags for kids so the counselors can quickly learn their names, personalized ID buttons are both fun and functional.

Vacation Keepsakes

Most families go on their vacations during the summer when the kids are out of school. And if your family is anything like ours, you almost always come back with 3-5 pictures out of the multitudes taken that stand out above the others as truly capturing a magical vacation moment.

Why not create keepsake photo buttons or magnets? They are easy to make and can help you remember a great vacation long after you’re home (and presumably wishing you already back on vacation!)

Cause Awareness

As we all know, buttons are a great way to promote causes. One of the best venues to promote causes is during get-togethers, whether they be for church, school, or even the neighborhood. And there is no better time to plan an outing than during the summer, when everyone can enjoy the great outdoors.

If there is a cause you want to promote (i.e. recycling, or “going green”, or a proposal at school, etc.) plan a get-together at an organization you are a part of or at home, and give everyone buttons they can wear out around town. Especially if your group is filled with like-minded people, it probably won’t be too hard to get them excited about participating.

And finally…

Back to School!

That’s right…it won’t be too long before the summer is over and the kids are ready to go back to school. Button supplies and button makers make great gifts for teachers and schools, should you be looking for a way to show your support (or even just to curry a little extra favor for your student!). Or how about making customized name buttons for the teachers at your child’s school? These can be extremely helpful, especially during the first few weeks of school when so many new faces are scurrying about the hallways.

These are just a few ideas for summer-specific uses for buttons. What other summer button maker ideas can you think of? Please share in the comments section.

Making buttons is an engaging and entertaining experience, made all the more enjoyable by the fact that you end up with useful products once you are done. Whether you are looking to fundraise for a cause you believe in, promote a campaign, or show support for a person, band, or team, buttons are a terrific solution.

In this article, we are going to highlight three fun and useful types of buttons, each of which make button making a truly joyful and productive pastime.

Fabric Buttons

A number of different attachments, such as a keychain, zipper pull, or cell phone charm can turn any button into a personalized novelty item. This is especially useful for embroidery shops, which can make a personalized fabric button to accessorize any item. There are a number of backs that can be used with a fabric button. While some prefer a pinback to decorate a purse or to wear on clothing, a jacket, or a hat, others might want a more versatile back.

Snap-Inz shoe charms are used to turn a fabric button into a shoe charm to decorate Croc shoes. These charms can be glued to the back of a button and simply snapped into place through the holes on the Croc shoes. Another use for fabric buttons is as a ponytail holder. This can be accomplished with a special button back that has an eyelet to run a ponytail elastic through. Other specialty kits can include button bracelets and necklaces, as well as pacifier clips (paci-clip) and keychains.

Pinback Buttons

Pinback buttons have a variety of uses, and both fabric buttons and photo buttons overlap into this category. But one specific use for pinback buttons is promoting bands.

Pinback buttons have been in use for a number of years and some are quite popular as collector’s items, especially for independent bands. A number of rock bands in the 70’s sold 1-inch pinback buttons with the band’s logo or name. The tradition of buttons for bands has increased as more and more bands search for cheap ways to promote and advertise themselves, an album, a show, or even a particular song. Additionally, many bands have evolved to use more than just 1-inch buttons for promotional purposes. Refrigerator magnets, medallions, and earrings have also become popular because of how easy they are to produce.

The most cost-effective method for how to promote your band through promotional buttons will depend on how many buttons are desired. If you only want a very small amount for a one-time promotion, ordering the buttons for bands from a custom button making retailer can be a decent option. However, what the vast majority of bands are finding out is that a small portion of gate receipts from one show can allow them to invest in a 1-inch button maker and a circle cutter, and this offers bands the ability to create and customize their own pinback buttons for different shows and albums.

Photo Buttons

Photo buttons have a wide variety of uses, and most of them seem to revolve around parents making photo buttons with pictures of their kids. In fact, if you’ve been to one high school sporting event in your life, there is no doubt you have seen exuberant parents proudly displaying their sons and daughters with a photo button.

In fact, any high school athletic department would be wise to look into photo buttons as a way to help raise funds.

Photo buttons are typically made with 2-1/4 inch, 3 inch, and 3-1/2 inch buttons. The two larger sizes are widely used because you have a much larger canvas to work with. This allows you to put the student-athlete’s picture on the photo button and then customize the text. A 2-1/4″ button gets a little a crowded with a much smaller picture. For circular photo buttons, circle cutters are a great way to get the picture sized perfectly.

The typical sports photo button costs about a nickel to make and most athletic departments of photo vendors who produce the buttons for the schools can charge anywhere from $5-$8. This is a pretty significant profit margin. And the more you make and sell, the cheaper the overall cost becomes.

So, as you can see, the possibilities with buttons are endless. We’ve only scratched the surface of the many uses for fabric buttons, pinback buttons, and photo buttons. The moral of the story is simple though: with your own button machine and supplies, the whole wide wonderful world buttons is open to you; and you limited only by your own creativity.