Hello and happy Wednesday. Brittney here on “Words for Wednesday”.

I have had a couple people ask me how I make my text wrap around my embellishments, like in this LO for example.

While there are several ways I do it, depending on the shape, I’ll show you the quick & dirty way. Hopefully you’ll learn something new and have a new way to manipulate your words and journaling on your LOs.

(These steps are for Photoshop. I’m not an Elements user so I’m not sure if you can do this same thing in Elements. Someone who uses Elements, let me know in the comments section!!)

Ok – Step 1: Select your Polygonal Lasso Tool.

Step 2: Click, click, click out a shape that will evenutally be the shape of your text box. HELPFUL HINT: on the straight edges – in my case the top, bottom, and right side, make sure you get your bars perfectly straight or the text will do wonky things. The more clicks you make, the smoother the text box will be, but it doesn’t have to be a perfect curve, the text will still look great.

Step 3: With your selection made (and those marching ants still marching), on your palettes menu, next to the layers you’ll find a tab named “Paths”. Click it!

Step 4: On the far right side of the pallette box there is a little drop down menu marked by three lines and little triangle. Click this drop down menu and select “Make Work Path”. Just click ok on the next box that pops up.

Step 5: Now your selection has been turned into a path, which will look like this. If you select your type tool and hover it inside the box you’ll see the text tool get a little dotted ring around it. I couldn’t get a screen shot of this, so I did my best to give you an idea of what it will look like. When the text tool has the dotted ring around it, that means it will type within this path. If you hover your curser over the edge of the path your text tool will get a wavy line through it. If you click while you have the wavy line through it, your text will go AROUND the path’s edges. But for this one, we want to type inside the path/box so click when you have the dotted circle text icon.

Step 6: Just type your journaling now and format it however you like.

And that’s it. The little path lines will go away if you click on another layer. Pretty simple.

Like I said, there are many other ways to do custom text paths, but this is a really easy method.

Hope this all made sense. Feel free to PM me if it didn’t!!

Make your words matter!!

xoxo

Hi everyone, Shari here. I know there is so much happening at ScrapMatters that it is hard to keep up with it all. We like to keep things hopping. No time to be bored or lose our creative edge. I just want to remind all of you that our Quick Page Exchange is going on right now too. Each month we spotlight a designer and for May the kit we are using is Happy Scrap Girl’s beautiful “Inspire Me”. If you are new to quick page exchanges check out the ScrapMatters’ forum (under Quick Page Exhange) for more information. You will also find the thread for the May exchange. Participating is a easy and pain free way to end up with a complete album at the end of each month so come on over and join us. Okay read on down for some wonderful winning LO’s and the Tuesday challenge!!!

I wasn’t quite sure what to write this week’s “What Matters Monday” blog about. I couldn’t think of anything. I asked my hubby what he thought I should write about, to which he replied that I should write about the importance of backing up your hard drive… Ya, why would he say that you might ask? Probably because my computer crashed last week and we have still have been unable to get ANYTHING off of it yet. Yes. I’m feeling very sheepish and very sad since ALL of my pictures are on there from the past 6 years – most of which haven’t been scrapped yet. Yes, it really stinks. I’m still praying that by some miracle he can get them off and I won’t lose all those memories. Oh well, what can you do for now? At least all of my finished pages and scrapbook stuff were on an external hard drive, right? Better than nothing, I guess!

After thinking about this topic for a while, I decided it was too depressing to write about, so I had to come up with something else. Which led to my new, less-depressing, topic – taking time to make memories (and then backing them up).

I know we talk a lot about journaling and how important it is, but what would we do without the events to journal about? I know we all take pictures of the “major” milestones in life-birthdays, Christmas, graduation etc. – which is great. But, do we take pictures of the little things in life? Like taking pictures of the time we tried to hard boil an egg and heard a strange chirping noise in the pan and thought we were cooking a poor little chicken to death? Or do we take pictures of the first flower that bloomed in the yard this year as a result of hours and hours of yard work last year? Or how about pictures of you hubby and brother-in-law putting together the grill that you’d been wanting for months and months and finally talked your hubby into getting for you?

Yes, these are all little things, but they are the little memories that you will be able to look back and get a broader picture of what was going on at a particular time. The important thing to remember here is not just to take pictures, but then scrap them (sooner than later) so you can write all the thoughts and emotions down with them. They give you a broader picture and allow you more of an opportunity to journal about what you were thinking – emotions, thoughts, funny anecdotes etc.

Not only should you find time to take pictures of the little things and journal about them, but also find excuses to DO the little things to take pictures of. I know I can go for weeks without taking pictures and then realize that I have no clue what I did that past week. It’s rather depressing.

Make time to get out and do things and don’t forget to bring your camera. Document your life with the little things, and then don’t forget to journal about them.

Well, this week’s Sunday Spotlight is going to have to be a little different. Our spolight-ee is off on a fun vacation I believe and we haven’t heard from her to get her questions back. So deary – you know who you are – we’ll spotlight you at a later date!

So, I guess today we’ll spotlight some of the FAB products we have in the shop these days. I’m constantly amazed at the great stuff that keeps showing up week after week!! So . . . let me show you what’s new!

Misschifis has been working on some FAB flowers lately, and has released “Au Naturelle 1″ and “2″. Both packs are gorgeous!

Look what our fabulous CTM zakirah created with them!! (all images are clickable)

I also used them a little big in my own LO “Missing You”.

Along with Monica (Digi Keepsakes)’s new “Tender Moments” mini-kit, which is SOOOO cute!!

The fabulous miss Ellie Lash has a VERY cute new kit out this past week called “Frogs & Kisses”. I just love it!

And last but not least, Happy Scrap Girl & SHARIng Creations have teamed up to bring us “Juliana”. Such sweet colors, patterns and flowers. So girls and so so cute!

There are so many more awesome new products in the shop. Go check it out!!! Have a great Sunday!!

xoxo,

Hi everyone! Sya here, hosting my first ever Saturday Special challenge. For this week, I have a music & lyrics challenge for you. We also have a participation prize in the form of a kit designed by our very own Britt of Britt-ish Designs. Check out the kit!

Anyway, let’s get started!

Have you ever listened to songs and said to yourself, “Hey, I can totally scrap about this!” I listened to a wide variety of songs from pop to rock to even a little bit of country, so I was constantly aware that I am inspired by the titles, the lyrics or the story behind the songs. The thing is, eventhough I was inspired by them but I never scrapped what I was inspired by. So today, I am challenging you to pay attention to what you’re listening to and make it as an inspiration for your page.

Here are some pointers to make this easier for you. You might want to . . .
1. Use the title of the song as the title of your page.
2. Use the lyrics as your journaling. Sometimes it’s hard to put your emotion to what you’re writing and it helps to use other people’s words for that purpose.
3. Tell us what you love about the song. Maybe there’s a special memory about it that you wanted to share. e.g It’s the first song that you and DH danced to as a couple, your child singing the song for the first time, etc..

But you can interpret your “musical inspiration” any way you’d like.

Here are some inspiration from the ScrapMatters CT

Mine

Brittney

Katie

Kate

Jeni

Linz

Krista

Melanie F

Melanie N

Upload your layout and post the link in this forum thread by midnight 23rd May (PST) . Everyone who enters will receive the “Music & Lyrics” mini kit, AND I’ll choose a random winner to award $5 GC to the shop. So guys, what are you waiting for? Crank up the volume of your stereo (or IPod or whatever) and get scrapping! Most importantly, have fun!!

(PS, comments got turned off somehow.  They are back on if you want to leave any )

Ok lets hope the third time is the charm here.  Im having blog issues.

My Photo Phriday tutorial today is on “Product” shots.  You know how when you see things in ads, or on the web, sitting on a nice seamless background, they just seem a little bit more apealling?  The same could be done with your family treasures.  They sell “Table Top Studios” for a lot of money,  I found one for as much as 199.00!!!!

Well you can accomplish almost the same effect, with a single sheet of paper.  Heres an example of a shot I took a year or two ago, that shows you how it looks.

Here is the setup that I used:

The cool thing about MY desk is that I can use a magnet to hold up my paper.  But you can use pretty much any 90 degree wall/counter and tape the paper.  Also you might need to push the paper back so that its a LITTLE less curved.  But I didnt have any tape :-0  I used my flash pointed up to the ceiling.  If you dont have that option, then just expierament with distance and light diffusion (see my last Photo tutorial) .

Here’s how my photo turned out:

There ya go!  This little guy has been with me since I was 3 years old!!!  I’ll be doing a scrap page on him soon.  He was with me in high school as well, in my pocket for every final exam!  Unfortunatly, there are no photos of him other then these that I took.  Just another reminder to photograph EVERYTHING.  Cause it may not seem important today, but tomorrow it could be.

This wasnt as in depth as my original article, its gotten slimmed down each time I wrote it.  If I had been at home, I could have reposted the original, but Im on my new laptop and didnt have it. (wel the second time I posted it, i wrote it then deleted the file after I saw it was posted.  I dont know what happened to the post!)  Anywho, thanks for listening, I hope you get something out of it   ….I also hope this post doesnt disapear lol.

Hey everyone, Leslie (GG Digital Designs) here with my first EVER blog post at SM, and your Theory Thursday! I’ve decided to share some of my hybrid projects with you today, and give you some of my printing tips!!!!

Printing quality can either make or break a hybrid project…from experience, I know ALL about the breaking part!!!
* Printing at home is always an option, but it depends on the project. If it’s something to frame, or something that you’re not going to have to mod-podge over the top, GO FOR IT!!!! Otherwise, it’s probably smart to have your projects printed at a local or online photo lab!
* There are SO many places to choose from, but one thing to remember is to choose “MATTE” finish. The whole glossy thing just doesn’t work so well with hybrid projects! Some of the places I’ve used are WalMart, Sam’s Club, Costco, and online at Winkflash.com
* To resize for printing, here’s what I do! Let’s say I have an 8×8 page I want printed. I would open up a new 8×10 document, (if printint at a photo lob), or 8.5×11 (if printing at home) and then drag the 8×8 over to the it. This way my page will stay square when printed, and then I can just trim off the edges!

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, I’ll share with you some of my favorite projects! I’m SO addicted to hybrid…It’s just SO much fun to see your creations all printed!

Jewelry Boxes
Boxes from WalMart, All Digital Supplies from GG Digital Designs

Laundry Sorter Signs
Craft Wood – Lowe’s, Digital Supplies from GG Digital Designs and Peppermint Creative

Toy Basket Signs
Baskets – WalMart, Wood – Lowe’s, Digital Supplies from GG Digital Designs, Peppermint Creative, and The Shabby Princess

Framed Page
Frame – WalMart, Ribbon – Rod Works, Digital Supplies – The Shabby Princess

Framed Picture (Sorry for the TERRIBLE picture!)
Digital Supplies – The Shabby Princess – Olivia Kit

I’ve created you a little template to create your own Framed Picture!!! Be sure to share your creations in the SM Gallery!
Click the image to download!

Hello fellow scrappers! It’s time once again for Words for Wednesday. How is it that weeks fly by so quickly these days!? My goodness! In that respect, I’d like to focus on the word “TIME” for today’s post. Perhaps a bit bland at first, but you can interpret this in sooo many different ways!

For a new mommy, sleepy time has to be the best time of day… Or night for that matter! For a Nana or Grandpa, time with grandkids is precious and so looked forward to, and sometimes just too long! For students, the countdown to a test or the end of summer break can’t be long enough! For Daddy’s, waiting for the day to end to get to spend time with the family can seem like forever. There are so many ways you can look at time.

All too often I find myself looking back on photos and longing to go back in time. It is taking some effort, but I’m trying to learn how to live in the moment! Does anyone else have the trouble of thinking, ok, when they’re older, it will be easier… I forget sometimes to just appreciate how wonderful life is RIGHT NOW, and appreciate the hurdles, heartaches, joys and special moments that are happening all around me! Sometimes I wish my babies could stay little forever, but that just isn’t happening!

So I created a little quote by Jim Croce to help inspire a “time” LO:

Here is the LO I created:

Journaling reads:

“This was your first day of BYU Preschool, so Mom took the afternoon off to spend some time with just you and me. We hiked up to Bridal Veil Falls, had lunch together at Olive Garden, and met your teacher, Mr. Brad, together. I cannot believe you are 7 this month. I will forever cherish this day and the time we were able to be just Mommy and Matthew. I will love you forever, I will like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.”

Ok, this is my very first time using 4Shared, so bear with me if this doesn’t work! Here is the quote in black, and here is the quote in white!

So go and scrap about a time that you want to catch and put in a bottle! Happy scrapping!

Hi!  Britt here!  Popping into Monica’s post to announce last week’s “Walk Down Memory Lane” template challenge winners!! Kristie picked Rhonda42182 to receie the $5 giftcard this week!!

And alyssahope

and Kass_23

will be receiving my Kristie’s new “Riptide” Scrapkit! Everyone did such an incredible job! Ok – back to Monica’s new challenge!!!

**************************************************************

Hi all, it’s Monica here. This is my very first challenge here at ScrapMatters. Yay! I’m so used to doing the Words for Wednesday that this is kind of weird for me. So it seemed only natural for me to have my template challenge also be a journaling challenge. Now come one, no groans. It’s not that difficult. Journaling does not have to be this long ordeal, just whatever is in your heart to remember. Okay, so here are the rules.

1. Follow the template as much as possible, but do make it your own. Make adaptations as needed and embellish to your heart’s desire. Even flip it if the mood strikes you.

2. JOURNALING IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST. Also, the journaling must be your own original words. No quotes, sayings, song lyrics, poems, etc. allowed. (Please note that I have nothing against using quotes and such, I’m actually a huge fan of them. But this is a challenge and I’m going to make it slightly difficult.)

3. You don’t have to use ScrapMatters’ products. It would be great if you did, but this is your layout. Do as you wish.

4. Entries are due on May 19th. I’ll have the winners posted on May 20th.

5. You must provide a link to your layout in this forum thread. Let us all get a look at it and admire your talent.

See, that wasn’t so bad. Like all of our other challenges this is meant to get you to have fun. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with. In the end there will be two lucky participants to get a $5 gift certificate to the ScrapMatters store or your choice of one of my digital kits. One winner will be my personal favorite layout and the other will be chosen at random.

So if this sounds like something you want to participate in, grab your template here.

Take a look at some of the great layouts the ScrapMatters’ Creative Team has completed.

Katie

Stacy H.

Brittney

Zakirah

Tater

Jeni

Why don’t you get started? Can’t wait to see your layout. Don’t forget to post your link in this forum. Have Fun!!!

Hi folks Andrea here.  We had so much fun speed scrapping on NSD that we decided to make it a regular event around here.  I sure hope you can make it–for more info, including help with time zone conversion, visit this post in the forum.  Lots of fun and prizes for everyone who participates. Everyone who completes the assignment will get this set of six templates for a participation prize.

There will also be two other prizes:
My favorite layout = Kit of your choice from Andilynn Designs
Random layout = $5 gift code to the SM store

And if we have more than 15 participants there will be some extra surprise goodies!

HOPE YOU CAN PLAY ALONG!