Hi, everyone! Rebecca (reboscraps) here with this week’s edition of Grand Theft Layout! I’ve been admiring the gallery of Cherry Limeade, and have actually lifted  one of her layouts before, so I picked her gallery to inspire you for this week’s challenge! To play along, go check out her gallery and choose a layout that inspires you. Are you ready to see what the CT has come up with???

Whitney lifted Favorite Things Today:

and created this layout using The Three R’s Bundle by Bella Gypsy & Connie Prince:

kendallt lifted Sisters:

Here’s her fun layout using Alex in Paperland by Scrapmuss Designs:

Calliclaire chose to lift Love You:

And she created this layout using Funk-A-Dily by GG Digital Designs:

Peek-A-Boo was the layout that jendavey picked for her scraplift:

And made her page using Retail Therapy by Captivated Visions, Date-Go-Round by Stolen Moments, and Circle Stitches by Sahlin Studio:

One more – I lifted Beach Baby:

And created my page using Harvest Happiness by Jady Day Studio:

Are you inspired yet??? Before you dash off to scrap, keep in mind these ScrapMatters guidelines for this challenge:

- Pick a layout from Cherry Limeade’s gallery, and use it to inspire your layout. You can flip or rotate the layout if you want.

- You will have until the end of October to complete this challenge. Please upload your creation to the Grand Theft Layout gallery and post in the Grand Theft Layout 9/29 forum thread with your layout and the Cherry Limeade layout (both linked) that inspired your creation.

- You will receive one Matter of Scrap point for completing the challenge. You can earn an additional point for using a NEW product from the SM store! (You must indicate that you used something new when you post your layout in the forum!)

- I will choose one lucky winner at random to receive an ADDITIONAL point!

- You don’t have to use ScrapMatters products in this challenge, but we LOVE it when you do!

- Remember no double dipping… your layout must be UNIQUE to this challenge!

I’m looking forward to seeing which layout inspires you!

Okay, this is Liz with this week’s Tuesday Template.  Here is the template I whipped up for you all:

Download Here

There are no specific rules or theme for this template.

Here is my take:

Using Chelle’s Creations and Connie Prince’s Street Smarts and Chelle’s Creations Primarily Stitched Alpha

And what the CT managed to whip up:

By Cara:

Using Haynay and Inspirations by Day’s Way Out West

By Becca:

Using Stolen Moments and Britt-ish Designs  Opening Night and Chelle’s Creations History Lessons

By Fiona:

Using Whimpychompers A Spooktacular Evening

By Fran:

Using Chelle’s Creations Kick It!

By Carolyn:

Using Lawteeda Designs Faith and My Favorite Things

By Tanya:

Using Trixie Scraps and JennCK Designs A Boo-tiful Night

By Carina:

Using Connie Prince Wonderful  Weekend, Jenn Barrette’s Vintage Charm, and Erica Zane Sunburn Savvy

The Nitty Gritty:

You have the rest of September AND all of October to complete the layout. Upload it to the gallery, and leave BOTH the image and a link as a reply to the forum thread.

You will receive one point for completing the challenge. You can earn an additional point for using a new product from the ScrapMatters store (PLEASE indicate you have used something new when you leave us the link in the forum), and one lucky winner will receive one more point – I will be doing a random draw!

Remember, no double dipping…your layout must be unique to this challenge. Have Fun!

Hello, everyone!  It is Liz (mommy22girls) bringing you a this What Matters Monday.  I struggled with what to talk about today.  So many things about scrapping and life in general I could write a novel about, but I was thinking about a statement I see lot in the forums and during chats “I lost my mojo.”  I don’t know any scrapper (myself included) that hasn’t suffered from burnout or loss of mojo.  Especially those of us who are scrapping in contests or for teams.  But you have to develop some strategies to cope with the inevitable burnout.

For myself, I step away from the computer and re-evaluate why I am scrapping.  I ask myself  “Am I still having fun?” If the answer is no, I try to figure out why.  Am I pushing a LO just for the sake of getting it done? Am I trying to force a kit to do something it doesn’t want to do? Are the pictures the problem?  I also remind myself of why I started scrapping in the first place: to preserve the memories of family.  When I remember that my family isn’t going to care that my shadows are little too dark, I am often able to get over that stumbling block.

Sometimes, I have just scrapped too much in a short period of time (Queen of Scrap is a big instance of that).  When that happens, once I get some time I shut down Photoshop and just walk away from the scrapping for a few days.  Like a scrapping detox.  I hang out with my family, I surf the forums, and even take some pictures, but I don’t scrap.  When I come back, I am usually refreshed and filled with inspiration.

I guess the bottom line that I am getting at is that burnout or no mojo will happen to you as a scrapper but if you have some coping strategies in place and keep in sight what really matters about scrapping (hint: it usually isn’t shadow work, although that is important) you can overcome any slump.  So go hug your loved ones, take some photos, and scrap some pages!  Have a great day.

My pick for this week is  Your Eyes by LauraLea! Isn’t it awesome?!  I love the close-up of the eyes, I love the shadowing. I love all the little detail placement of the elements yet how it is all centered on the page. I love the color combo mixed with the black and white photo. She makes me want to grab my camera and take a close up of my own children’s eyes!

Congrats LauraLea!! Head on over to the gallery or the forum and leave her some much deserved love!

-Wendy (NeverlandScraps)

1. Your screen name? Your real name? My screen name is Mye and it’s also my nick name. My real name is Myrlyn De Leon.

2. What is your main job/career? I am a digital scrapbook designer and I go by the name Mye De Leon.

3. Are you married/children/pets? I am married for 5 years to Kris and have twin daughters, Scieszka Raine and Elysia Raine. We also have 2 dogs named Yuna and Bea.

4. Where is home for you? For me, home is where my family is. Well I have 2 types of families, my real family and my digi-family. Scrap Matters family is one and this big happy family is something I love and treasure.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods? I love spaghetti despite my age and I prefer cake over ice cream. And of course, barbeque!

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I am simply happy with Vanilla

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? I prefer salty

8. Beverage of choice? Juice or tea are my best choices

9. What’s your least favorite food? Carbonara and Kebab

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? PC. Have always owned a PC but still dreaming for a Mac LOL! I use Photoshop CS3 extended both for scrapping and designing.

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I have been digi-scrapping since 2009. I got fascinated with it when I saw my friend posting a lot of layouts in her blog. I asked her how she does it and she introduced me to Photoshop. I started learning the program and there, now I am totally addicted

12. What was your 1st LO about? Oh my gosh – I think I haven’t even posted my first LO in any galleries. But they are of my daughters baby pics. I started making an album of their first year but didn’t really like it and thought of repeating all of them. I have these LOs though made using Happy Scrap Girl’s Berry Licious kit

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? I used to love playing volleyball but I haven’t been out much really so most of the time, I am just in front of the PC or watching my little girls play.

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? The journaling. I really really need to improve on that. I seldom have layouts with journal. It’s really a challenge for me as it just doesn’t come to me naturally. I feel like I am always obligated to put something appealing to those who will look at the LO.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I wanted to learn how to cook better. I know how to cook but MIL still knows best and I wanted to surpass her cooking prowess!

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I haven’t watched TV for a long time and I can’t say it’s my favorite but I used to like Supernatural and So You Think You Can Dance (are these even being shown now?)

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? Oh I want to scrap in a quiet place. I don’t even want background music. When others can’t scrap without snacks or coffee, I’d prefer nothing. It will distract me really LOL! Call me weirdo!

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? A twig and a flower. It’s a challenge for me without them.

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? A little  known fact about me? Hmm, I design too but I still have my very own favorite designer by the name of Connie Prince

20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style? I love to have simple clusters in my layouts. I want it clean and less cluttered

21. Favorite LOs that you have done?


22. How long have you been a member at ScrapMatters? I have been a member of SM since April and I just love being here – the girls are friendly, the designers are awesome! It’s a community filled with good people who cares for each other.

23. Do you have any suggestions for kits you’d like to see in the SM store? So far, I have seen a lot and I shouldn’t ask for more in the store but it would be nice to see a couple of new Asian kits in there

24. What is one thing you tend not to use on layouts? Buttons. I rarely use them. It’s weird because I have a good friend who can’t stand without a button in a kit! LOL!

25. How long have you lived in your city? We’ve been here for more than 20 years already, though I had to spend 5 years in another city when i was in college.

26. What is your favorite childhood memory and have you scrapped it? Oh I guess I won’t be able to give you some LO about this but my favorite childhood memory is being able to play in the farm. I haven’t had a single photo though to scrap it with and it’s a pity.

Thanks Mye for letting us get to know you a little better!! Check out her full gallery here!

-Melanie (scrappymelly)

I am by no means a shadow expert!!! I dont think I want to be either LOL because when i have a bad shadow day ( and i do have them) people will be like awwwwww im sorry!!! LOL Im not very good at explaining things and have never written a tut or tips or anything to describe how i do my shadows so please bear with me. I will try not to make you lost!!! I am going to give you the basic settings i use for alot of elements! I will give you the size, opacity and distance ranges i use and you can decide which settings you might like for yourself. I am going to also give you a few tips and some suggestions that i use myself when shadowing!

I use the same settings for various elements but there are the ones i use as a basic but i DO sometimes adjust either higher or lower depending on how much drama I want with my shadows

ALL my angles are at 45 degrees
and my blend mode is always Multiply

Metals:

Opacity 70- 75
Distance 18-20
Size 25-30

Sometimes with metals when i resize my shadows look blurry and light so I sometimes will just duplicate the layer and it makes it pop

Flowers ( real and fabric), photographs, frames:
65-70 Opacity
40-45 distance
45-50 size

I dont use frames very much which is why I have a deeper shadow on my photographs as the tend to me sitting on top of everything and I like them to pop

string:

opacity 65-70
25-30 Distance
30-35 Size

Again when i resize my string the shadows look blurry and light so I usually duplicate the layer to get that shadow pop

Epoxy, flairs

60-65 Opacity
30-35 Size
35-40 Distance

Depending on my epoxies or flairs I will usually stay in the middle of the settings at 60 Opacity, 30 size, 35 distance
i will go a deeper shadow which is why i gave a generic setting range that i will usually use

Buttons:
70-75 Opacity

20-25 Size

25-30 DIstance

Buttons are really iffy for me. Sometimes a button i use the opacity will be really dark on the settings i use so I will alot drop down to 65 opacity, then there are sometimes the buttons are really big and i stay at the 70 opacity. I rarely go any higher than 70 as the shadows look really harsh
For buttons that have a bit of string hanging off them i use my string setting but lower the opacity on it

Ribbons

opacity 70

distance
25-35

size
35-40

i LOVE to shadow my ribbons. I have the most fun with ribbons as i use them on most every page!!! Okay with ribbons i change up my settings. I stay at 70 opacity unless its a light paper and i lower it to about 55.
I will totally go wild with the distance and size. I will also sometimes use the warp tool and just pull the curl part of the ribbon edge down a little bit but not all the time. I never really go above the settings i just told you about but sometimes if a ribbon is on the top of the page I will add maybe an extra 5 to the size and distance to 40 distance and 45 size.
I usually shadow THEN resize ( and im sure i do it backwards lol) so my shadows tend to be blurry if i make the ribbon really small. In that case as I do with my strings I will duplicate the layer and it will look so much better. If it ends up being to dark I will adjust the opacity on the layer and hte duplicated one

Leaves:

opacity 70

distance
45-50

size
40-45

II love foliage! i use a much bigger shadow on my leaves and foligge. I really like them to just go BAM off the page. SOmetimes if I am working with really small foliage I will use my flower settings i gave you above also

Papers, Alphas Wordart, Beads spills
opacity 65-70

distance
15-20

size
15-20

I use the same settings on all these! Sometimes I will use my flower settings on my papers and wordart also. It depends on how i want my shadows to look that day.
Experiement with the settings to find the ones you like though. I dont always stick with just using one setting with the same elements. I will use the paper setting on a photo and a photo setting on my paper.

acrylics

opacity 65

distance 25-30

size 20-25

Im not to great with acrylics. These are the settings i tend to use cause i found that sometimes they arent to gaudy and harsh

Stitches and scribbles

opacity 70

distance 5-10

size: 10

I use way to many stitches and scribbles LOL!! i always use these settings on my stitches. I sometimes will also shadow the scribbles with the same settings!

With lighter papers i drop the opacity down to 50-55 percent. I use the same size, angle, blend mode and distance. I just make the opacity a tad lighter. I sometimes will make the shadows closer to the paper much lighter than the ones that are layered on top. I might use the regualr opacity settings i usually use also. If the llower opacity is to light for you even on light paper then play with the settings till you find something you like that makes you go wow that really rocks lol

Here is a page of mine using my settings:

Here are some FABULOUS pages done by the uber talented SM CT!!!
From Cristina::

From Melissa::

From Tronesia::

few quick SM guidelines:

- You will have until the end of October to complete this challenge. Please upload it to the GTL gallery and leave your LO image and Cherry Limeade’s LO image (both linked) in this GTL 09/29/10 thread.

- You will receive one point for completing the challenge. You can earn an additional point for using a NEW product from the SM store! (Please indicate that you used something new with your LO/link in the forum.)

- I will choose one lucky winner (random) who will receive an ADDITIONAL point!

- You don’t have to use SM products in this challenge, but we LOVE it when you do!

- Remember no double dipping…your layout must be UNIQUE to this challenge!

ETA:: I really wanted to have my styles done but RL just got crazy UGH!!! I WILL have one done asap and will post it when I do!!

Hiya everyone! Melissa (profiler_mar) here to bring you another installment of It’s In The Cards! I kept this template fairly simple, so it is easy to print the separate layers and add some dimension to your card, or use the template as is.

Here’s our template:

Download HERE

Here is my card, using Leafy Month Mini by Scrapmuss Designs:

And here is some fabulous inspiration from the creative team!

From Tanya (TanyaH666) using Season of Giving; Snipettes: Season of Giving; Holiday Mixed Media; Holiday Dates; and Aged Words: Christmas – all from Sahlin Studio:

From Rebecca (reboscraps) using Wizarding Magic from the ScrapMatters Design Team and Silver Scatters from Man In The Moon Designs:

Remember the rules of the challenge are:

To earn your Matter of Scrap point for the month you need to photograph and upload your card to the Hybrid Challenge gallery by the end of September. Then come back here and post it in this thread as well. Make sure to let me know if you use a new product within a week of it’s release – if you do, you get an extra point! One random winner will be chosen to receive an extra point as well!

Thanks for playing and can’t wait to see your beautiful cards!

Oh my goodness! I always forget how daunting it is to host this challenge! I go through my favorites and am amazed all over again at how talented the community is here! I had a hard time narrowing it down, but as I browsed through 1girl1boy (leslie)’s gallery, I wished every single one of her pages was part of my collection – so there you go! Your challenge is to take inspiration from one of her pages – either her use of color, composition or title work – and create a page of your own. Remember, it doesn’t need to be an exact copy – that’s why it’s called a lift.

I lifted this one..

and ended up with this..

Feet in the Sand by Jenn Barrette

The CT had a heyday with Leslie’s gallery – check out all these awesome pages!!

alansrock lifted this…

and created this…
2 Thumbs Up kit by Late Night Scraps & Creations by Rachel

calliclaire turned this…

into this..
Sunday Afternoon by Trixie Scraps Designs and Sarah Bennett

melanie3boys was inspired by this..

and created this..

mommy22girls chose this one..

and made it her own..

lionsimba lifted this..

and ended up with this..
Embossed Frames and So Grateful by Sahlin Studio and Stitch Me Up Frames by Chelle’s Creations

gonewiththewind took this one..

and turned it into this..
Online by Captivated Visions and Jenn Barrette

jennamy82 lifted this beauty..

to create this one..
Explore.Learn. Grow by Sahlin Studio

kendallt used this as inspiration..

to create this sweet page..
Vintage Charm by Jen Barrette

kv2av took this incredible page..

and turned it into this one..

Sahlin Studio’s In Review: Modern, Season of Giving, Snipettes: Season of Giving, Holiday Mixed Media, Holiday Dates, and Aged Words: Christmas.

jendavey chose this one..

and created this..
Online collab by Jennifer Barrette and Captivated Visions & Just Smile Alpha by Jennifer Barette

Once you’ve completed your LO, upload it to the Grand Theft Layout Gallery, and be sure to link us up HERE in the forum so we can leave you LOTS of love..

A few reminders:

* You will receive one point for your entry
* You will receive one extra point for using a NEW product within the first week of its release – PLEASE MAKE A NOTE OF THIS IN YOUR POST
* One lucky winner will also receive an additional point at the end of the challenge
* You have until the end of Septemberto complete your layout
* No double dipping – please keep your layouts unique to each challenge
* HAVE FUN!

And don’t forget to leave Leslie some love as you’re browsing – I’m sure she’ll really appreciate it!

Hi everyone! It’s Fiona (canadianmommy) and it’s time for another Tuesday Template! No rules, just have fun with it! Check it out:

Download here!   The password is: tt921

and here is the layout this template was based on, using Happy Scrap Girl’s Berry-licious Bundle:

Now for some inspiration from the CT!

From Fran98765:

From alansrock:

From andrea4376:

From Bethie:

From Scrappycath:

From kendallt:

From jennamy82:

From jeffsamber:

and from cinna:

Aren’t those some GORGEOUS pages?!!

Some reminders:
* Post your layouts to the Tuesday Template Gallery, don’t forget to post a link here so we can leave you love
* You will earn one point by participating in this challenge. You can receive an EXTRA point for using a product that has been released in the seven days prior to your post – just be sure to tell us in your post so you receive proper credit
* Your layout must be unique to this challenge – no double dipping!
* You have until the end of September to complete the challenge
* At the end of the month, I’ll choose one random winner to receive an EXTRA point

Can’t wait to see your layouts!

Happy Monday!  Carolyn here to talk about What Matters.  I could go on and on about family, health, positive attitudes, your scrapping habit, etc, but today I want to address something different.  This past week has been particularly stressful for me.  Wherever I went I hit traffic and it got me SO ANNOYED.  This spilled over into everything I did.  I was annoyed with my kids when they would not stop (well, being annoying)!  I was MAJORLY annoyed when my oven decided to put the broiler on and not switch off until I tripped the switch.  Aaargh!  Okay, I was kinda panicked more than annoyed at the time!  I was super-annoyed when the water-softener guy called to give me quotes for over $500 to fix something that we thought was no big deal.  I kept thinking that I could not get more annoyed.  And then, well, I DID!  I felt like I was going to snap.  Everything was going wrong.  Nothing was going right.  I couldn’t get any housework done and that was also annoying me.  I couldn’t cook, I couldn’t do anything but be annoyed.  You know what I mean?  Do you have days or weeks like this?

THEN:

My friend called to see how I was doing and I started going on and on about all my woes.  She put it all in perspective: LET IT GO!  Does it matter if the laundry is not done?  Well, I have no clean underwear so, yes, it kinda does.  Okay, do one load and then stop being annoyed about it!  Does it matter that you were late for preschool?  I guess not…Lauren was clueless…let it go!  Does it matter that you need a new oven…well….let’s not go THERE!  But she made me realize that I was just stressing myself out.  That all these things were not going away tomorrow, but the way I dealt with it could change.  I guess I am going on about our positive attitude after all.  But my long-winded point was about friends…how they are important in helping us deal with our daily woes, helping us see different ways to get around things, helping us see what is important.  There is always someone out there who is in more unfortunate circumstances than you are.  Let go and go get some coffee with your friend.  A nice long chat will make life seem worth living again! 

And not only your IRL friends, but your digi friends too.  Sometimes we can tell them things we may not reveal to our IRL friends.  Sometimes, through our layouts, they know us better than our IRL friends.  They are always there for you.  Depend on them.  If you cannot get through your day, let them know.  They will make you feel better.  I have found that digi-friends here at ScrapMatters are SUCH caring people.  I could not live without them.  THANKS guys!  What a great community!  Have an awesome smooth-sailing week and pray that bad luck does not really come in threes (I have backed up all my latest digi-files just in case).

Happy Scrapping!

Carolyn (calliclaire)

Hello Scrappers! Chelle here with this week’s everyday magic…

I remember one day last year that we woke up late. We raced around like crazy and still made the bus…because it was also late. I could’ve been frustrated all day that I didn’t hear the alarm, but instead I chose to notice the little miracle that the bus was late that day too.

Look around. I’ll bet you can see little miracles in your everyday life. A parking stall opened up when you were in a hurry. The PE shoes your son needed were on sale….

For this week’s everyday magic, scrap about one of the little miracles in your life.

Here’s my layout:

And here’s some inspiration from our fabulous CT:

By Bethie:

By LeeAndra:

By Bonnie:

By Kendall:

Remember:
- You’ll receive 1 point for completing this challenge if you post it in the “Everyday Magic” gallery, as well as linking it back up here in this thread.
- You can receive 1 bonus point for using a new release (within 1 week of release) from SM in your LO. If you use a new release, make sure to say so in your post and credits so we don’t miss your bonus point.
- You have until the end of June to get this challenge done.
- At the end of September, I’ll be choosing my favorite entry and that scrapper will get 1 bonus point!
- Your LO must be a NEW LO specifically created for this challenge. And you may not combine this challenge with any other SM challenge, including Speed Scraps.

Can’t wait to read about your little miracles!