Hi Everyone! Krista (sahlink) here!
I’m so excited to host again with this week’s Tuesday Template Challenge.

No rules… Just have fun!

Sorry, All linked up now!!!
Download here.

Here’s my LO that inspired the template:

Funky Love {Refunkified} by Megan Turnidge

And here is some serious inspiration from our fantastic CT…
from wm(squared)

D is for Dog by wm(squared) Designs

kimbytx

Tracie Stroud Love Blooms Here

kkklatt

dirty feet design ‘justin’ and ‘happiness is’.
Background paper is ‘lovelife’ by Sahlin studio (slightly recolored)

j_hopewell

used {A Pirate’s Life} by Brianne Hafen (DS Round 4 kit)

melanie3boys

Britt’s Tale as Old as Time

Juno

Megan’s Easter Morning

And, here’s a reminder to the Matter of Scrap Challenge rules:

You have all month to complete this layout. Please upload your LO to the Tuesday Template Challenge gallery and link it here. in this thread to get your point. You can also earn an additional point if you use a ScrapMatters product released in the past 7 days. Just make sure you mention that when you post your page. At the end of the challenge, one lucky winner will receive one more point at the end of the month for creating my favorite layout

You don’t have to use ScrapMatters products to participate in this challenge, but we love it when you do! Remember, no double dipping. Each LO must be created for one challenge only. Have fun. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Hi Kate here with this week’s What Matters Monday.  This week I thought it would be interesting to know what matters to our designers.  What do they like to see when we use their products? What is important to them?

Here is what they said:

“I love seeing people use my designs – it just makes me happy!  I really enjoy it when someone uses something in a creative way that I never would have thought of too.  Its’ very inspiring!” – from Jeni Hopewell

“I love to know someone had the perfect pictures for my kit… I mean like they wanted to scrap them, but never had inspiration. And now they scrapped! One email with LO link in it can make my day!” – from Muss

“I think we all LOVE seeing what others do with our designs… so I love when people send me a PM or email showing me what they’ve done with my designs! ” – from Megan Turnidge

“I love seeing layouts that use my kits differently than I may have expected when I was designing them. I love creativity!” – from Tracie Stroud

“I love seeing the individual vision and creativity each scrapper has.  I often think “I didn’t even think of that when I put this kit together!”  PM’s or Emails of layouts make my day too!  I also love to see my kits turned into hybrid projects!  I have a special love for hybrid projects!” – from MickeyB

“I agree!  Seeing the hybrid projects blows my mind!!!  I also love seeing everyone’s layouts.  I get so sick of seeing my kit by the time I’m finished with it, it gives me new love for it when I see all the layouts & projects created with it!!” – from Wendy (WMSquared)

“When someone PM’s or emails me about a LO that they have created using my designs…it just MAKES MY DAY!!  It just makes me feel good knowing that they liked it enough to scrap a page with it and want to show it off!!  There’s no better feeling!!” – from Tater

Isn’t that great to know?

I think that it is a great reminder that if you do create something, don’t feel shy – let the designer know.  Show off!  They love it!

This post wouldn’t be complete without a little reminder about giving correct credit when you use a product.  The designers work so hard on their products that it’s only fair to give credit when it’s due – but make sure you check at whichever gallery you are posting at, what their rules are about linking etc.

Thanks to our designers for taking the time to answer this!

Hi.  Kate here with our Saturday Special for this week.  I’m going to show you how to use the clone stamp tool.  I use Photoshop CS3, so I’m not sure what other programs use to get the same effect sorry.  So, ever have a photo that you like but you can’t really use because of something that is in the background?

For example:

Here is a photo of my husband and his brother – a nice photo of them together (and rare because they hardly see each other) – so I’d like to be able to scrap it, but it looks ridiculous with that lady in the background right?  Quite distracting from the subject.. her face is so blurry.  Haha, just kidding.. but it is distracting!

so, using the clone stamp tool, I removed her from the photo.

now, technically mine is VERY rough, but I was really proud of it and happy enough with it to scrap it.

Here is my LO.  You may notice I actually ended up removing the menu board too.

Template from Sya’s blueprints, kit: Jakey’s Jinx from Erica Zane

Here is how I did it, and you MUST try it because it’s so incredibly simple!

First, open a copy of your photo in your program.  This works best if you zoom in to get the details right – although it does pay to zoom out again and make sure it looks right overall too. Change your tool to the ‘clone stamp tool’.  Make sure your brush size isn’t set too big.

Now you need to decide what you want to paint over your item with.  I decided to pretend that the window just ran right along, and painted over the woman with some trees and windowsill.  So I selected some trees by clicking on them and holding down the option key.

I then started painting over her face, just like using a brush or eraser.

You need to do just a little at a time, and keep selcting different parts to paint with.  It’s hard to explain, but as soon as you try it you will see that it becomes very obvious if you are just repeating the same part over and over again.  It takes patience, but it’s worth it! Keep painting over the item until you are happy that the background looks natural enough.  Be wary of subtle shade changes too, they can catch you out.

And that is seriously all there is to it.  You just keep selecting parts of your photo and use them to paint over the item you wish to remove.

I hope this helps you fix some photos that are difficult to use.  Sometimes cropping can only do so much!

p.s. check and re-check your photo after you’re done – you don’t want to end up on photoshopdisasters.com!  Haha! I did one recently and only after I’d finished I realised I had completely missed someone’s hand.. so I had a photo of my daughter with just a random hand sitting on the chair next to her.  Not a good look!

And now some magic from our team!

From sahlink – here is her before and after photo:

And here is her LO:

From kimbytx

Before & after:

GG Digital Designs The Happy Place and WHere The Heart Grows, Britt-ish Designs Black, white and red all over, and Designs by Tater worn polka dot alpha

From monsu:

Before

After

Extraordinary Collab by Jennifer Barette and Juno Designs
Simply Dated by WM[squared] Designs
(Template by Fei-fei’s Stuff)

Aren’t they great?  And doesn’t it make a difference to the photo?  I can’t wait to see what you make!

Make sure you upload or link us to the before photo too.  Upload your LO to the Saturday Special gallery, and post an image and link in the forum here, and don’t forget to specify if you use any newly released products to earn yourself another point.  The challenge runs until the end of the month.  I will pick one winner who will receive an extra point.

Happy scrapping!

Happy Spring, Everyone!  Tgmousechick Kim here bringing you April’s ReNEW It Hybrid Challenge!

This month our featured project is a mini keepsake box, using small packaging boxes.  The inspiration came from my laboratory at work.  We do a fair amount of histology work, and one of our reagents comes packaged in a small plastic box to prevent breakage.  Before I came along, these boxes were thrown out, but now our Histotech just passes them on to me for craft projects.  Thank you, Sarah!

For whatever reason, boxes are fun!  For a child, there is no better toy on earth than a cardboard box- large ones can be home to great adventures, and little ones can hold a myriad of valuable treasures.  One of the funniest moments of the movie WALL-E is when he finds a small velvet box when he’s cleaning.  He tosses the diamond ring inside and keeps the box!

You may not have access to plastic boxes for Vectashield, but I imagine that you other types of boxes that can be converted to keepsake boxes: Altoid tins, cough drop boxes, baby food containers, and tea boxes are a few that come to mind.  The conversion process is similar.  The project I’ll demonstrate for you today converts one of my boxes into a holder for my daughter’s Webkinz codes!

So, without any ado, let’s walk you through the process…

1) Prepare your foundation
My boxes are black plastic.  I used the Twice As Nice Collab kit, “So Totally Teen” by MickeyB Designs and Designs by Tater, and a black foundation is great for making those bold colors pop.  However, if you have a printed box or it’s the wrong color, you have the option to change your foundation.  You have a couple of options.  You can either create a new foundation by covering with printed paper, or you can use acrylic paint.  Apply as many layers as needed to create an opaque background.

2) Design your box panels
Since the measurements are specific to your box, take a few minutes and measure the dimensions of your box.  Do you want your design to go to the edges of the box, or do you want a border?  Write down your measurements (add a few millimeters to account for trimming space), then head into your software, open a new letter/A4 sized project, and create boxes to serve as your canvases.  Use a clipping mask to snap your papers into place.

3) Print your panels and trim

4) Apply panels using adhesive or Mod Podge (allow to dry as needed).  A final topcoat of MP is optional, but might be a good idea if you think your project might come in contact with moisture. (This is a second project- a Tooth Fairy box, using “Little Leonard” by MickeyB Designs)

5) Embellish with real-life goodies- ribbon, flowers, buttons, etc

That wasn’t too bad, was it?

With one cute hybrid project out of the way, here’s your BONUS recycling paper crafting idea!
Easter is this weekend, and while it is a significant Christian holiday, it also means chocolate season in my house.  Easter chocolate might just be my favorite, since the lovely pastel foil wrapping always suckers me into buying way more candy than we need.  So, I’m going to share a project idea with you, so you can at least make pretty things as you consume that chocolate.

Save your foil wrappers, grab a transparency sheet, and a can of spray adhesive.

If you want to do any printing on the transparency, do your printing before foiling it.  On the wrong side of the transparency, apply a light coat of adhesive, and allow it to be come tacky.  Then, take your foil wrappers and apply the colored side to the adhesive.  You can add small pieces or large- it’s entirely up to you!

You will end up with a sheet with a stained glass look- it can be used for anything- mattes, frames, cut for embellishments, etc.  I made simple blocks and used them to embellish this card using Britt-ish Design’s Bunny Foo Foo kit:

Since this is our monthly ReNEWit feature, Donna Sangwin from reCREATE.org and I have been chatting about packaging:

Hey all – Donna from reCREATE here.  This ROCKin’ Hybrid project got me thinking about single-use packaging and excess packaging.  By now you probably know I am a fan of reusable water bottles and shopping bags – they just make sense.  What you probably don’t know is that I won’t let my kids talk me into buying juice boxes or drink pouches, or individual snack packs.  Single use packaging is made from stuff that takes hundreds of years to break down, so our landfills are quickly becoming mountains of icky old chemicals.    I don’t buy Ziploc bags anymore; they also just get tossed.  It is easy to buy a big box of a snack and portion out a small amount into a reusable container.  It uses a lot less waste.

The antithesis of single snack pack is a company called TerraCycle.  This company is the model of eco-friendly.   They describe themselves this way…

“The TerraCycle Story is a tale of ultimate Eco-Capitalism. The company’s flagship product, TerraCycle Plant Food™, is an all-natural, all-organic, ‘goof-proof’ liquid plant food made from waste (worm poop) and packaged in waste (reused soda bottles)!”

They are so successful that they have been named the “coolest little startup in America ”.

So the eco-tip of the month… Think twice before tossing.  You just might be throwing a million dollar business away with your garbage… or at least a potential craft material!

And now, here’s a great project from my hybrid colleague, Jaime.  She converted an old box that jewelry came in to a treasure box for seashells (using a newer kit by WM [squared] Designs, D Is For Dog):

So, your April ReNEWit Challenge is this- find a box and alter it!  Once you are done, take a picture and post it in the Hybrid Gallery, and then link it to the April ReNEWit challenge thread in the ScrapMatters forums.  Remember that you get one Matter of Scrap Challenge point for the completed project, and you can earn a bonus point if you use a new product from the ScrapMatters store (remember to mention that in your post- that’s critical to getting that bonus point).  In addition, I’ll select one random winner at the end of the month, and that’s worth an additional Challenge point.

Here’s the rest of the fine print:

- ScrapMatters products are not required, but we always love it if you use them!

- The project you create for this Hybrid Challenge cannot be used for Matter of Scrap points for other challenges.  One point per project.

I think that’s it!  I’m looking forward to see what pops up in the gallery!

Hi, Kate here bringing you this week’s Grand Theft Layout – two in a row, lucky me! This is one of my favourite Matter of Scrap challenges that we do here at ScrapMatters.  I am taking over from someone else today, and they chose to lift Bethanny this week.  Her gallery is awesome – full of multi-photo layouts, and I know that is going to appeal to a lot of you!

Here is the LO I lifted:

My Lucky Charms

And here is mine:

she lifted ‘Just a Day’

Well, I can’t wait to see what you create with Bethanny’s gallery!  Don’t forget to insert a link to the original LO in your credits, and remember to tell us if you use any products that have been released within the last week to get your extra point!  Come and post your lifts into the forum post here (don’t forget to include a link to YOUR layout so we can leave you love!).

Good Morning, fellow scrappers.  It’s Cyndi, here to give you this week’s Tuesday Template Challenge.   And since I know it’s really going to stretch some who aren’t used to scrapping multiple photos, there won’t be any other rules.  Just have fun!

Download Here

You have all month to complete this challenge. Please upload your LO to the Tuesday Template Challenge gallery (HERE), as well as linking it in the forum (HERE) thread to get your point. You can also earn an additional point by using any product released in the past 7 days in the SM shop. Just make sure you mention which new product you used when uploading your page. At the end of the challenge, I’ll be choosing one random winner who will earn an extra point as well!

You don’t have to use ScrapMatters products to participate in this challenge, but we love it when you do! Remember, no double dipping. Each LO must be created for one challenge only. Can’t wait to see your pages!

Not let me me show you what our fabulous CT/DT whipped up…

from Wendy

from Sharon

from Kelly

Great inspiration!!  Can’t wait to see what you  do too!!

There are many design principles that we can use to create beautifully balanced layouts. One of those principles is the visual triangle. Stay with me! Don’t worry if you failed geometry or can’t remember the difference between a scalene and an isosceles triangle. Surprisingly enough, this concept is very simple. Your challenge is to use three of the same (fill in the blank) to help guide the viewer’s eye around the page. You can be creative and have fun deciding which “three” you are going to use. Here are some examples:

•   three of the same element (or variations of the same element)
•   three pops of the same color
•   three areas of text – font or alpha
•   three pieces of the same patterned paper

There are many more ways you can incorporate the visual triangle into your layouts. Go where your inner mathematician takes you. Here is some inspiration from our fabulous CT:

by Andrea (chia): My Guy by Alma’s ScrapHabit Designs – She’s repeated the gears to anchor her photo.

by Natasha (bcnatty) – She repeated the colors of the elements and journaling in three places.

by Monique (monsu): D is for Dog  by WM [squared] Designs – She’s got a lot of threes in here: three blocks, three embellishments, only three main colours and even a three word title! WOW!

by Sharon (skyezak): Flower Girl by Megan Turnidge – Her sparkly pink and blue flowers form a triangle around her photo.

by Melanie (melanie3boys): Britt’s Monstrosity Alpha, AnnaBV’s Date Stamps, Jennifer Barrette’s Masquerade, and the Extraordinary by Jennifer Barrette and Juno Designs. She created several triangles with the blue and black and white elements.

Challenge Details

· Scrap a LO using the visual triangle

· Post it in the Saturday Special Gallery and in the forum

· Deadline is April 30th, 2009

· You will earn 1 point for your LO and a bonus point if you use a new release (within 7 days of release – be sure to mention this in the forum and in your credits)

· No double dipping, your LO must be unique to this challenge

· At the end I will pick a random winner to receive an extra bonus point to go toward their May totals

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Hello Henriëtte here with this months challenge.

To start here is the winner of past months challenge:

Christine (inhisgrip)

with this wonderful picture:

I love the great setting and how he looks to be so caught up in his own thoughts, totally unaware of the camera.
Congrats Christine!!
On to this months challenge:

The subject for APRIL is something we need everyday: FOOD!

So take a picture of your favorite dish, or most yummy looking food and make our mouths water….

And a food picture would be great for entering in the “a Matter Of Taste” challenge were members can exchange all their yummy recipe’s!
Here are some tips for making the food picture looking extra yummy:

 Styling Your Food

• Place solid or simple patterned papers (available at a scrapbooking store) as a background. Figure out what works and does not work in terms of contrast and similarity. Also, make sure that you have enough paper to completely cover the entire field of view.
• Experiment with incorporating serving pieces, whole place settings, napkins, placemats, and tablecloths. Set the table with silverware, drinks, and even candles to convey the right mood. If you’re budget-conscious, you can always find these items at thrift and resale stores, flea markets, and garage sales.
• If you have multiple food subjects available to you (like two dozen cupcakes from which to choose), use only the best examples. A blemish can easily ruin an entire photoshoot.
• Mist fruit, vegetables, and glassware with water to create condensation and make them look more appetizing. Shiny food appeals more than dull food, and anything you can do to make your food shine will make a more interesting photo.
• Incorporate elements from the food you’re shooting or place appropriate condiments in the frame. Slice cucumbers thinly and place them on top of yogurt soup to lend it some freshness. Accompany Thai food with small bowls of sugar, chili, fish sauce, and fresh limes. Some ideas will work, and some won’t.

 Food Photography Composition

• Zoom – with both your lens and your feet – to put the food in its place. Whether you are using a prime lens or a zoom lens, you can always get in close to magnify a detail of the food or loosen the shot up to show the food as a component of a larger meal.
• Rotate along all three axes. Some food looks best when looking directly down on it, while other food has an interesting side profile that can only be seen when shooting across the food at its level. Slightly tilting the camera clockwise or counterclockwise can add some interest to an otherwise dull photo. Take advantage of the low cost of experimentation since you’re shooting digitally.
• Use the rule of thirds. In general, the rule of thirds helps to easily give you compositionally strong photos, and this holds true not only for landscapes and action shots but for food as well. Practice following it to learn when you should treat it as a suggestion rather than a rule.
• Take advantage of the fact that your subjects won’t walk away. While a lot of food stylists say that you only have a short time to work with food after it’s served, that hasn’t been my experience (ice cream being the exception). I always feel that I can walk around, zoom, hover, and poke and prod to get the shots I need.

From an article by Jonathan Pollack (digital-photography-school.com)

And here is my go on the challenge:

Well my photo has been prosponed due to the hospitalization of my youngest daughter, I hope you’ll understand and I will post my picture and LO as soon as possible.

But luckly you can already enjoy these mouth watering pictures of Cyndi (Cyndi146) and Monique (Monsu):

Have fun!

Happy hybrid Thursday, friends!  It is really exciting to see what happens as pixels dance with paper – our gallery is slowly but surely filling up with some drool-inducing projects!  Shall we take a peeky?

….

Tracie (TracieK) ushered Spring into her home with this wall decor she created for our  Dazzling Decor  challenge.  She used GG Digital Designs’ Just For Mom  kit.

Look how beautiful it looks in her home:

….

 Emilee (emileem) is making girls around the world swoon with her ballerina hair bow holder, created with the Tiny Dancer collab kit by Britt-ish Designs, Designs by Jeni Hopewell, and Fluffy Bunny Feet Designs:

….

For the Project reNEWit Challenge, Krisi (Krisi616) made these cute matchbook scribble pads using scrap papers and Britt-ish Designs and Suzy Q Scraps’  Tale As Old As Time collab kit:

….

Jen (jentapler) created these vibrant bookmarks using Sya’s Blueprints’ Bookmarked!  templates:

….

Kari (karistamps) stated that she has no one to give these adorable onesies to  - anyone having a baby soon?  Kari used Haynay Designs’ Angel Baby Combo Kit to gussy up the onesies:

….

Perhaps the recipient of Kari’s onesies can use an insanely beautiful, zero-calorie diaper cake too – Chels absolutely rocked the Angel of Mine charity collab kit by GG Digital Designs, Megan Turnridge, and Designs by Jeni Hopewell:

….

All images are linked, so go leave some love!!!

Keep on posting those hybrid gems – who knows, your project might be featured next month.  Until then, my friends – have a beautiful Thursday!

Hi, Kate here bringing you this round of Grand Theft Layout. We are going to be lifting Stacy (shutch) – I love her LOs – her love for her family shines through and I always get lots of great ideas when I look at her LOs.  Here is her  gallery – good luck choosing just one!

I lifted this LO – Cooper

Here is mine:

And now from our team:

From Vero

She lifted this LO:

here is her LO

From Monsu

She lifted this page:

Here is her LO:

From Jeni Hopewell

She lifted:

And here is her LO:

And from alamama

She lifted:

And here is her LO:

Can’t wait to see which LO you pick to lift! Post your LOs in the forum here