*Manic Monday sales go into the shop early Monday morning and will “disappear” around midnight! HURRY! What are you waiting for!?! *
Great Escape by WM squared Designs:
Southern Summer by Erica Zane
It was so hard to choose but here is the LOTW: Beauty Timeless by candacesoon. An absolutely flawless double blend, a perfect touch of elements and color for the beautiful photo. The composition is awesome. But it really starts and ends with that stunning photo.
And for the Project of the Week: Lia’s Mood Book cover–I love the colors Lia used for her mood book- so peaceful and serene, perfect for a journal to log moods. I am a big fan of framed titles on any kind of project so that made this pop out for me. And isn’t the little dangling monogram a perfect touch!
I wanted to feature a fairly new member to ScrapMatters in the spotlight today. Mother Bear’s layouts have been catching my eye in the gallery because her photos are simply beautiful and the subject of many of her layouts are her grandchildren.
Your screen name? Your real name? Mother Bear; Julie Wells
2. What is your main job/career? I am a part time school bus driver for mentally and physically challenged children. A very challenging but sometimes rewarding job.
3. Are you married/children/pets? I am a widow with 3 grown up children. My husband passed away suddenly and unexpectedly almost 2 years ago and that was one of the main reasons I have immersed myself into digi-scrapping. I have 5 adorable grand children 2 girls and 3 boys and my pets are 2 beagles
4. Where is home for you? I live in Brisbane, beautiful Queensland, Australia.
5. What are your 3 favorite foods? I love all types of salads, a good steak done on the barbeque and roast lamb and vegetables (rather boring I know)
6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I don’t particularly like nor eat ice cream, but if I had to choose it would be chocolate
7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? Salty…..I love chips and nuts. I have to really control myself with these.
8. Beverage of choice? water or tea (again I know it’s boring) I’m a diabetic so I have to watch what I eat and drink. Most drinks I like contain too much sugar so I just don’t have them at all.
9. What’s your least favorite food? Spagetti bolognaise. Can’t stand it at all.
10. PC or Mac? What program do you use? I use a PC Toshiba Satelite laptop and Photoshop CS5. Love what I can achieve with this programme.
11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I was a paper scrapper looking for a way to edit my photos so I started dabbling in photo editing approx 3 years ago and then joined some forums to see what digi-scrapping was all about. Approx 2 years ago it became this obsessive hobby that it is today. I don’t go a day where I don’t scrap I’m so obsessed by it. Before that I didn’t even know how to turn a computer on let alone use one. I am 100% self taught. I started applied for my first CT with Carolyn Rose Kite in March 2010 and now I am on 13 CT’s. In December 2010, I became CT manager at Pickleberry Pop an Australian scrapbooking site. I love and thrive on my CT work.
12. What was your 1st LO about? My yougest grandson, Jordan, enjoying chocolate cake. The title says it all.
13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? I love photography (I,m always trying to get that perfect pic), going for a walk, reading (when I have time) painting but circumstances prevent me from persuing this other passion.
14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? Getting a layout completed and being 100% happy with it without wanting to change the placement of elements, papers ect. I am a perfectioist and a constant fiddler. I am slowly learning just when to stop and just save the layout.
15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking? I would love to learn all I could about photography but I just don’t have the time.
16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? I must admit I rarely watch TV, (too busy scrapping) but I do try to watch Greys Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Law And Order SVU and NCIS.
17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where? Quiet, mostly but sometimes I will have music (when I remember to turn the radio on), in my computer room. I work better when I’m not distracted. sometimes I’ll snack while scrapping as I often forget to eat lunch.
18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be? I just LOVE realistic leaves and flowers. I don’t care as I also tend to use these on my boy layouts.
19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…? I am a very shy, private person, lacking in self confidence about my scrapping abilities. I don’t think I’m good enough or talented enough to be on the CT’s I’m on.
20. Can you tell us a little about your scrappin’ style? I don’t really think I have a particular style as I scrap from traditional to fantasy, depending on the kit, and my mood at the time. I always create a layout first and then choose what photos to use. A bit back to front there to most other scrappers, I suppose.
21. Favorite LOs that you have done? This is really hard as my favourites change daily. Here are a few that I really like.
Julie has a loads of inspiring layouts in her SM gallery, go check it out and leave her some love.
Hello! Hello! Trista here to share with you a fun technique for my very first ever Saturday Special hostessing gig! I hope you all brought snacks!
Soooo, Let’s make some waves.
Adding a wavy edge to a strip of paper is fairly simple. Please note that I use Photoshop 7, so these instructions may take a little tweaking on your part to achieve the same affect with other photo editing software. Here we go!
1. Open a new transparent document in Photoshop. I start with 12inx12in (300dpi) in size.
2. Select the Polygonal Lasso tool from the tools palette.
3. Click the mouse to create a starting point. (Something to note: Clicking beyond the boundary of your open document is best to assure the wave is from one edge of the open document to the other. Continue to click the mouse to draw a wave across the open document. Don’t forget to draw the sides and bottom so that the mouse is back to the starting point. Marching ants appear around the selected area. There is no need to worry that the edges are not smooth. That is next on our to do list. 
4. Select “Edit in Quick Mask Mode” on the tools palette or press the shortcut key “Q”. This is the first step in smoothing the rough edge on the wave that was just created.
The non selected part of the document will be pink. This is a mask.
5. Next, from the top menu, select Filter, then Noise, then Median. Reduce the size of the preview image in the popup window so that the curve can be seen. (From what I have read, but have not tested the work around in Photoshop Elements for smoothing the edges is to paint/erase with a soft brush, reduce stroke opacity, or to feather the mask with the Gaussian Blur filter.)
6. Toggle the Radius slider to 93. This will smooth out the edge of the wave. Click OK.
7. Return to regular editing mode by selecting the Edit in Standard Mode icon on the tools palette or by pressing the shortcut key Q again. This action removes the pink mask and returns the marching ants from the previous selection, but now the wave is smooth.
8. Now it’s time to decorate. Fill the wavy border with color or paper and you are on your way to a fabulous layout.
For those that find it difficult to create a smooth wave, there is still another option. You can let our fabulous designers here at ScrapMatters do all of the hard work and use some of the premade curve templates that are in the store. Here are some examples.
Behind Me Curves Template Pack from Graham Like the Cracker.
Wendy of wm[squared] has Got Curves? Templates. There are three versions.
More than Just Curves from Happy Scrap Girl
Happy Scrapping.
My page using Serenity by Andilynn Designs
I gotta show ya what the team did!
Kayla used a wave element from Harbor Bay from Dream Big Designs .
Chel used Up All Night: Boys from Whimpy Chompers
Kairyn used Let Me Be Me from Band Geek Designs and Got Curves? Vol. 1 Templates from wm[squared]
Sharon used Got Curves? Vol. 1 Templates from wm[squared]‘s and Opening Night from Stolen Moments Designs and Britt-ish Designs.
Now on to the details of the challenge. Create a wave using the instructions in the tutorial above (you may use a template). Place the wave somewhere on a layout. That is it! Be sure and upload your finished page to The Saturday Special Challenge gallery and then post in the MOS Challenge forum.
Challenge reminders:
-You will receive one point for posting in this thread & in the Saturday Special gallery. You can receive an additional point for using new Scrap Matters products; please make a note of new products in your post. And at the end of the month you’ll be entered into a random drawing that could earn you some bonus points!
-You have until the end of May to complete this challenge to earn MOS points.
-Remember no double dipping…your photo and/or layout must be unique to this challenge.
-You don’t have to use Scrap Matters products, but we love it when you do!
Hi! Krisi here with a little hybrid tutorial for you. Today we are going to create a really simple but impressive and personalized gift. Wedding season (if there is such a thing) is approaching – and this would make the perfect gift item.
Start by getting the picture frame you want to use. The frame I chose is from IKEA and actually was to hold 3 smaller pictures – all matted together. I simply removed the matting for my project.
Image courtesy of IKEA
Now that you have the frame you can start working in the program you use to scrapbook. Measure the frame so can create in your program a work area the same size that you ned. Don’t worry about getting it printed just yet. My frame would hold something 19.75″x9″ so that is what I created for my workspace. For the background color choose a color you would like to use as the base background color.
Once you have your image to create on you will use various brushes to give the paper a little bit of texture. I used three shades of the blue to create mine. I brush the different colors on different layers so if necessary you can adjust the opacity to create the look you want.
{NOTE: If your image will be 12×12 or less you can just use an already created paper from a digital scrapbooking kit.}
Next we are going to add the text to the background, again play around with the opacity of the text. This item is for my daughter’s teacher who was recently married.
Once you have created your masterpeice digitally now you want to create a file that is the same size as getting something printed from Staples or Kinkos (for example I did a 20″x16″). I had extra room around where the image was and adding some other items waiting to be printed.
I chose to get mine printed at Costco – and it was ready that afternoon!
Once you have your project printed (home or professional lab) simply trim it down to the size she will need. Then put your image in the frame, tie a big bow around it and let the gift giving begin!
I hope this has inspired you to create a fun, unique and personalized gift for someone you know in the upcoming months.
Look What’s New at ScrapMatters.com 5/20//2011!!
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 Matter of Scrap ChallengesMake sure you check out this month’s Matter of Scrap Challenges! Have you stopped by Everyday Magic yet this month? This challenge will hopefully turn an everyday trouble spot into something magical. Join Mary of Plum Dumpling Designs to see how she created this fanstic party planner. |
*Manic Monday sales go into the shop early Monday morning and will “disappear” around midnight! HURRY! What are you waiting for!?! *
If You Give A Girl A Castle by Erica Zane
I loved this Mothers Day card by Tpowers with the cool homemade flower! I am sure the mother who received it was thrilled!
The image is linked so head over to the gallery and leave her some love!
-Carrie (Carrie1977)
I had such a hard time choosing from all the fabulous layouts in the gallery this week! I finally decided on Bliss by May S. The clustering and shadow work rock!
The image is linked so head over and leave her some love!
-Carrie (Carrie1977)
Hello fellow scrappers,
Kayla aka keepscrappin here with today’s Saturday Special Challenge. If you’re anything like me, you want to get the most from your scrappin’ supplies, so today I’m gonna to show you one way to get more outta those alphas you’ve got in your digi stash. Sure we all use alphas to title our layouts, but how about using those alphas as embellishments for our layouts? Don’t worry, it’s easy and fun too!
The basic idea is to look at your alphas in a different way. Is that an exclamation point? Yes, but it could be a flower too just by duplicating it and rotating each new layer 30 degrees…. continue until you’ve gone all the way around.
How about using that asterisk as a flower or in a scatter. Take that period and use it as a flower center or part of a scatter. Combine those Y’s in a circle to make a snowflake. The possibilities are endless, so just let your imagination go wild and have fun!
Here’s a small sampling of some ideas you can do with alphas.
My favorite letters to work with from alpha sets are: asterisks, periods, exclamation points, v’s, i’s, and y’s; but really you could use any letter you want. Just look at the shape of the letter and see what you can come up with. Don’t be afraid to resize, duplicate and rotate your letters or even delete part of your letter to get the look you want.
Here’s a layout I made using a couple of alphas to embellish my page.
I used the alpha that came with the On the Front Porch kit from Plum Dumpling Designs for my scatters and I used the Frosty Alpha from WM[Squared] Designs to make some flowers.And here’s some pages from the ScrapMatters Creative Team
from Melissa using Sprocket By Elise’s Pieces
She made flowers from the asterisks and turned her title sideways to use it as a vertical embellishment on her page.
from Trista using Grandpa’s Garden and Grandpa’s Garden – Veggies by Chelle’s Creations
She used the I, l, V, 1, and, – from the alpha and clipped green paper to create grass.
from Melanie using Be Inspired – JennV, Oh Snap! Mega Mini & Oh Snap! Word Art all by WM[squared] Designs
She duplicated and rotated the v to make stars.
from Kelli using Gimme Space Templates – Band Geek Designs, Blessed to Be Your Mother – Jady Day Studio, Blessed to Be Your Mother Add on Alpha – Jady Day Studio, Stitch Me Up Frames – Chelle’s Creations
She used the lowercase L to make a tab for her date.
Aren’t they all great?
And here are some alphas from the ScrapMatters store that would make good candidates for this challenge.
Stamped Foam: Primary Alpha
Frosty Alpha
And many more in the alpha section of the store, so go check ‘em out!
Got enough ideas now? Good, then let’s get to the challenge. Your challenge is to use an alpha as an embellishment on your layout. [ I want to see you use an alpha in some way other than just as your title]. Please make sure you tell us what alpha you used and how you used it as an embellishment. (ie. I used the lowercase L in the Frosty Alpha from WM[Squared] Designs to make a flower.)
And the fine print!
Have fun and keepscrappin’
Hi there! Melanie here to host this installment of It’s in the Cards! I’m so excited to be hosting this challenge as my first ever challenge as a CT member. So let’s not waste any time and get to the template!
And here’s some more inspiration from our fabulous CT!
From Tracy using Only The Sky Is The Limit by Amy Stoffel
From LeAnn using Boys’ Treasures by Andilynn Designs (from Andrea’s 2011 iNSD Grab Bag)
From Ami using Don’t Bug Me by Erica Zane
From Karen using Just Married by LDrag Designs (part of Lina’s 2011 iNSD Grab Bag)
From Jennifer using Sunkissed: Sunrise by Jennifer Labre Designs
From Sharon using iScream by Plum Dumpling Designs
From Sarah using Wonderful Tonight by Jady Day Studio and Julie Billingsley
Challenge reminders:
-You will receive one point for posting a link to your project in the It’s In The Cards 5/12 thread & in the It’s In the Cards gallery. You can receive an additional point for using new Scrap Matters products; please make a note of new products in your post. And at the end of the month you’ll be entered into a random drawing that could earn you some bonus points!
-You have until the end of May to complete this challenge to earn MOS points.
-Remember no double dipping…your project must be unique to this challenge.
-You don’t have to use Scrap Matters products, but we love it when you do!
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