Hi all, Happy Thursday!  Carolyn here to bring you your inspiration for Challenge 19: Use a Black and White picture on your page. 

I have to admit that this WAS a bit of a challenge for me as I really love color photos.  But sometimes there is a particular kit that is perfect for my photo, but the colors just look horrible together.  That’s when a black and white photo makes all the difference. 

Here I was just LOVING Amber’s kit and wanted to smack every element in it on the page…I just love them all THAT much.  So, with all those papers and elements, my picture was lost.  Not anymore!  Once I changed it to black and white, it was much more visible on my busy page.  Here’s my layout that I had so much fun making with Just One Of  The Boys by Stolen Moments and Jenn Barrette Designs:

Here’s a sweet layout from Annisa, using It’s A Boy Thing by Haynay Designs and WM[Squared] Designs:

And here’s a fun layout from Jan with a partial extraction, using Backyard BBQ by The Design Girl:

Hope these inspire you to have fun scrapping some black and white pictures.  I cannot wait to see your layouts for this challenge!

For a full list of the January 2012 Bingo challenges head over to the forum here and if you want all the details about our challenge system including the prizes click here!

Happy Scrapping!
- Carolyn (calliclaire)

Kairyn here with today’s challenge!

6. Let’s get hybrid- create a checklist of some sort to help you get organized and show us your handiwork.
Stolen Moments has a helping hands kit that would be great for a chore chart.

She also has some ready made printables available.

And Simply J has some lists. These would be cute dressed up. They are 5.5×8.5 so they would fit on a altered clipboard or other background and look really cute.

She has calendars, home reference centers, and holiday planners available as well!

Diana’s Creations – Fruitmania would be fun for a grocery list or menu planning list.

I used Helping Hands by Stolen Moments and created this small chart just for me. I plan to print it 6×6 and stick it on a kitchen cupboard door to keep me organized and FLYing!

I can’t wait to see what you create!   For a full list of the January 2012 Bingo challenges head over to the forum here and if you want all the details about our challenge system including the prizes click here!  See you in the gallery!

Hi all, Carolyn (calliclaire) here to bring you day 5 challenge!  I picked this one as it allowed me to do something “summery” in the middle of winter.  Here’s your challenge:

5. January is winter for some and summer for others! Use a gray background on your page if it’s winter or a blue background for your page if it’s summer.

Well, I kinda cheated.  January IS winter here for me, but LAST year we were in South Africa and it was bliss to have beautiful summer days in the middle of our winter.  So I scrapped my family pics from last year in sunny South Africa.  Made me a little nostalgic, but also brings back good memories (the thing I love about scrapping!)

I used Kim B’s beautiful, most gorgeous kit, Always, that I recently discoverd in her store.  Love it!!

Here is another example for you from Kayla, this time using a grey background:

Kayla used January Mix-A-Kit products.  I just LOVE that title work!

Last, but not least, is this fabulous layout from Kairyn Lisa:

I LOVE how her photos pop off that grey background.  Awesome layout!

Now let’s see what you can do!   For a full list of the January 2012 Bingo challenges head over to the forum here and if you want all the details about our challenge system including the prizes click here!  See you in the gallery!

- Carolyn (calliclaire)

Today’s ScrapMatters Bingo Challenge is

#23. Travel Scraps: create a layout showcasing a favorite winter vacation spot

Don’t travel?  Well, then show us what winter activities you like to do close to home (staycation layout).

Here’s an example from Fonnetta (SM CTM) to help get those creative juices flowing.

It’s not too late to join in on the ScrapMatters Bingo Challenge fun.  Jump in anytime to play along and win some great prizes – details here.  And here’s the whole list of challenges for December.

Hello again everyone,

It’s Kayla aka keepscrappin back again with today’s ScrapMatters Bingo challenge.

#16 – Take a moment to step away from your camera and scrap a photo of yourself.

Here’s an example from me – using the NEW today Dear Santa kit from Down this Road Designs and Holiday Stackers Vol. 1 from Memory Clips.

I hope you all are having fun with the new challenge system.  If you haven’t joined us yet, remember you can jump in anytime to play along to win some great prizes- details here.  And here’s the whole list of challenges for December.

Hello everyone,

It’s Kayla, aka keepscrappin here with today’s challenge.  I hope ya’ll are having fun with the new challenge system here at ScrapMatters.  Go here for the full list of challenges for December.  It’s fun and easy to win great prizes, so make sure to check it out.

Okay, enough chit chat, let’s get to the challenge.

#5 – The northern hemisphere is starting to be covered in snow. Use a white background for your page.

Easy Peasy – right!  Here’s my layout with a white background.

Layout credits:

Template – Gratitude Freebie 11 from Memory Clips
Kit – Christmas Blues from Diana’s Creations  (new 12.2.11)
Font – century gothic

And here’s some helpful tips I use when making layouts with white backgrounds.  Just use the ones that work for your layout.

1. Add your shadows as you go, so you can see how it’ll look.
2. Let your photos be the focus of your layout.
3. Make sure there’s enough contrast between your background and any white elements, so they’ll show up.
4. White backgrounds variy from snow white (white) to grayish or creamy whites. So if you use a gray or creamy white background, use white elements in the same white color family to make it pleasing to the eye.
5. Add an overlay/ texture to your background to give it more ummph.  Here’s a whole section that are available in the SM shop.
6. Sometimes it’s fun to play with subtle brushes or paint splats on a white background like I’ve done on the above layout to give it a little more interest and draw your eye to the photos and across the page and down to the title.  Boy, that’s was a mouthful!  LOL

Well, that’s it for today, so get scrappin those white background layouts and win yourself some great prizes.

keepscrappin’

Kayla

Hello, It’s Cathy here to host the It’s In The Cards Challenge for 09/22/2011. I’ve got a fairly simple card template that you can dress up to your liking! I took this template and created a gatefold card as my sample. Here’s a preview of the template and sample:

Download the template here or on the linked image above.

And here’s a close up look at my sample:

My sample card was made using Chocolate Frosted Snowflakes by Stolen Moments.  Here are some great samples made up by our awesome creative team.

Tracy made this adorable daisy card using Denim and Daisies - Papers and Elements by Jenn Labre.

Sarah used My Magical Place Add-On Kit and My Magical Place: Add On Alpha by Haynay Designs to make this magical birthday card.  The Mickey silhouettes were a participation prize that she got at another site.

Tamara used  Funky Lane by Sugary Fancy and the all over bracket punch by Martha Stewart to create her cute card.

OK here’s a review of the challenge rules:

Remember that September is double points month!!

-You will receive two points for posting in the “It’s in the Cards Challenge 9/22/2011″ thread and in the “It’s in the Cards” gallery
-You can receive an additional 2 points for using new Scrap Matters products; please make a note of new products in your post. So I can give you the correct credits!
-You have until the end of September to complete this challenge for MOS points.
-Remember no double dipping – your layout must be unique to this challenge.
-You don’t have to use Scrap Matters products, but we love it when you do!

I hope you’ll join us for this challenge! Happy creating!

~Cathy~

Happy Saturday! I hope everyone’s had a great week! Day from Inspirations here and today I’m going to share with you one of my favorite tricks for making a quick title to coordinate with any page or kit you are working with!
I’ve worked this in PS CS4 but you should be able to do similar with other programs

1. Choose a chunky font and type out your title in the size you want. Don’t worry about color as that’ll be changing! Once you’ve got it, right click the layer in the layers palette and choose “Rasterize Type” (This is called “Simplify Layer” in PSE)

2. Pick a paper to fill your alphabet with and drag it onto a layer above your title. Right click the paper layer in the layers palette and choose “Create Clipping Mask”. (In PSE group the layers by pressing CTRL+G with the paper layer selected)

3. You should now see your paper in the shape of your title. You can move around the paper layer to get whichever part of the pattern showing that you like. When it looks the way you want it, right click the paper in the layers palette and choose “Merge Down” to make your title all one layer.

4. Now you can use your title as is if you like, but you can also play around with some effects to make it pop a bit more. In the effects menu (the little round f button at the bottom of the layers palette) inner or outer glow or shadow, bevel and emboss and stroke would be my main choices.

5. For this I’m using a stroke to give the alphabet a sticker-like look. Adjust the size of the stroke, the placement (in the letters, out or straddling the border) and the color.

6. Now add your title to your page, give it a drop shadow and finish your LO!

Here’s mine, I used the colab kit Vintage Surf Shop, a few elements from my kit Catchin’ A Break and my Tiny Alphabet

and here’s some inspiration from the SM creative team!

Kayla

Tamara

Ophelia

It’s time for another edition of the Saturday Special. Are you a blocking junkie? I certainly am a fan of blocking! Do you ever wonder how to make a row of ellies perfectly line up on a page? Today I am going to show you how to align elements/papers on a page. Let’s get started.

This little trick saves loads of time when used for lining up the alphas in a title.

1. Place all of the elements on the page that you want to align.

2. Link all of the layers together in the layers palette. You can do this by highlighting at least one of the layers to be aligned, then clicking the link button on all of the other layers to be aligned.

3. Next click one of the align buttons from the tool bar. I generally use align bottom edge. This will line up the items that are linked.

There you have it. Perfectly aligned ellies! Note: It is sometimes necessary to unlink the layers to adjust for spacing.

Okay, now it is your turn to give this technique a try. Join us in the forum to play along! I can’t wait to see what you create. Go forth and align!!

Challenge reminders:

-You will receive one point for posting in this thread & in the Saturday Special Gallery. You will 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 August 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 remember your SM gallery must contain at least 50% SM product beginning July 8, 2011.

Hi everyone and welcome to another “issue” of the Saturday Special. The thing I like most about this challenges is that I often find some tutorials and tips that are new to me and teach me more tricks for learning scrapbook deeper.
This Saturday I also have a small tutorial for you. Some time ago I bended a lace into a circle for a CT layout and some CT member asked me how I did it. So I thought maybe it will be useful to someone out there, too, to see how to do it!

Let’s start with our small tutorial! First pick the lace, ribbon or element you want to bend and drag it into your empty page.

Now you should increase its height a little… well, you will learn it from experience, anyway, I increased my height to 160%.

Now in the top bar look for the Filter Menu –> Distort –> Polar Coordinates

It will open up another little window: Rectangular to Polar (yes, if you have a round object, for example a frame, you can convert it to a straight line with the other option!).

And voilà:

Your nice lace turned into a super cute circle to be used as a frame or a different element of your taste.

Your chance for this Saturday Special challenge is to create a layout using a bended element, so simple!

I hope you enjoyed the small tut!

This is how I used my new circle lace:

Credits: FuchsiaLime : sweet deal by LDrag Designs

And here’s more inspirations from our wonderful CT ladies!
Ophelia (navaja77) picked a scallop and used the technique in GIMP. It created a flower type element:

Credits: In The History of Ever by Amy Stoffel

Melissa (prettypeaches) used the technique on the stitches:

Credits: Lovebirds By Jeanine DeOre

Kayla (keepscrappin) turned a white ribbon into a circle:

Credits: Holly Jolly from Band Geek Designs

Fran (Fran98765) took a straight scallop clip of one of the papers and turned it into a circle for the scallop mat under the journal mat:

Credits: Summertime Fun – At the Zoo by Jady Day Studio

Amanda (dznyscrapper) turned a ribbon into a circle:

Credits: Summertime Fun – At the Zoo by Jady Day Studio, Around the Block Template Pack by Haynay Designs

———

Challenge reminders:

-You will receive one point for posting in this thread & in the Grand Theft Layout Challenge 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 July to complete this challenge to earn MOS points.

-Remember no double dipping… your layout must be unique to this challenge.

-You don’t have to use Scrap Matters products, but remember your SM gallery must contain at least 50% SM products.