Happy Tuesday, scrappers! Are you excited for another edition of your favorite MOS challenge? {wink, wink} Here’s your template for this week, and the only rule is to honor the month of St. Patrick by including something GREEN in your layout.

**NEW** Fly Free by Jennifer Barrette, Get Real Shadow Styles by Jennifer Barrette, Font: sf_Lily

by Wendy – WM[squared]

“Alice” by Brittish Designs, “Just the Basics: Cardstock” by WM[squared] Designs *new 2-26-10*, font: DJB Gimme Space

by Courtney {cnscrap}

Glass Pebble Alpha, Scratched Notes, Est. Date, So Grateful – all by Sahlin Studio, A Knight’s Tale by Britt-ish Designs & Man in the Moon Designs

by Jenn {abcmomof4}

Britt’s Miss Kitty Add-On and Faith Trust and Pixie Dust 2, WM [Squared]’s Shabby Chic Alpha and Teen Grunge Stitches, Sahlin Studio’s Enjoy the Moment

by Stephanie {nanienamou}

Frosted Jubilee By Becca

by Gi Cristina

365 days of love by Gwenipooh Designs, Slim metal alpha by Gwenipooh Designs, Stitch Me Up by Chelle’s Creations

by Sweeet

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow by Plum Dumpling Designs

by Jenn {jennamy82}

Already your Mother by Page Frocks

Now all you have to do is stop by the forum to download the template and post your layout.  You have till the end of the month to play.. Have fun!  I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

It’s Tuesday Template time! Wendy here with another template! Hopefully you’re not sick of my templates!    The Tuesday Template challenge is my all time favorite!  It seems like the only time I can get any scrapping done is when I use a template!  Bad, I know!  At any rate, there is no specific theme or set of rules for today’s template, just have fun!! Use the template as is, or switch it up…it’s all up to you!

Here is the template:

Here’s *MY* LO:
Credits: “Lucky U” by Scrapmuss Designs & Stolen Moment Designs
“Behind The Scenes – V.1″ by Pressed Petals

Here is some inspiration from the ScrapMatters CT/DT:
Layout By: Stef
Credits: “Out of this World” by Jennifer Barrette and Hazel Olive Designs

Layout By: Suzanne
Credits: “Storytime” by Designs by Sarah Bennett, Lil’ Digi Bits by Jude, and Stacey’s Backdoor Designs

Layout By: Jill
Credits: “Always Kiss Me Goodnight” by Jeni Hopewell

Layout By: Amber
Credits:  “Everyday Elegance” by Stolen Moments, “So Grateful” by Sahlin Studio & Sugarplum Paperie, “Everyday” by Sahlin Studio

Layout By: Lori
Credits: “Celebrate Love” by Pri Rocha

Layout By: Jan
Credits: “Wintersong”  By Becca

Layout By: Gwen
Credits: “Love is everything” by Gwenipooh Designs

Layout By: Kim
Credits: “Love Bytes” by Britt-ish Designs

Layout By: Fiona
Credits: “Feeling Frosty” by Jennifer Barrette, “We’re Just Dating v.2″ by Brittish Designs

Layout By: Jen W.
Credits: “Better Together” and “Celebrate Love” by Pri Rocha

Layout By: Jenn
Credits: “Happy Go Lucky” by Happy Scrap Girl,  “Wordlilicious” by Andilynn and “My Ribbon Jar” by Britt-ish Designs

Layout By: Shari
Credits: “Plugged In” by Connie Prince and “Word-a-licious”  by Andilynn Designs

Feel inspired? Good! Now go download the template –>> HERE and lemme see what ya got! I’ve included both the .psd and .png files for you!

The “Fine Print” aka the Matter of Scrap Challenge rules:

You have the rest of February to complete the layout! Upload it to the gallery, and leave BOTH the image and a link in the challenge forum–>>  HERE!

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.

Happy Scrapping!!
Wendy

This is my first time hosting a challenge here at ScrapMatters! I’m so excited! I figured since it’s almost Valentines Day we should make a heart shaped card!  Here is your template.

4 shared link http://www.4shared.com/file/21385689…files_zip.html

Here is the card I made using Pink Valentine by, Britt-ish

Look at some of the great cards our Creative Team Members made for this challenge!

By,  Jennifer (notes4theheart)

Credits:
Sweet Thing-Febuary Newsletter Kit by Jeni Hopewell and Chelle’s Creations
Sweet Thing Add-On by Jeni Hopewell and Chelle’s Creations

By,  Sylvia

using ‘Celebrate Love’ by Pri Rocha

By,  Jendavey

Credits: Heart’s Content collab kit by Denise Beatty Originals and Erica Zane

By, dbrprc

I Wuff You by Connie Prince

Join us in the ScrapMatters Hybrid Challenge Forum and make a card of your own!

And here are the rules:
To earn your Matter of Scrap points for the month you need to photograph and upload your card to the Hybrid Challenge – It’s in the Cards gallery and post it in the challenge thread **here** by the end of Feburary. If you use a new product within the week of it’s release please let me know so I can give you the extra point.

Julie (Juliemomof4)

Hello, all!  Tgmousechick Kim (Geeky Diva Designs) here, bringing you today’s Tuesday Template!  I’m going to get right to it:

Take advantage of that big block on the template!  Our Creative Team has provided a wealth of examples to inspire you!

Here’s mine, using Hawaiian Happy Hour by The ScrapMatters Team:

From Jen, using Storytime by Designs by Sarah Bennett, Stacy’s Backdoor Designs, and Lil Digi Bits by Jude:

Wendy (WM squared Designs) flipped it and modified it a bit.  She used 2 kits by Jenn Barrette, Chilled and Feeling Frosty:

Kimbytx went with its original intention, using Kiss the Frog, a new collab by Britt-ish Designs and DeCrow Designs:

SM_Amber (Stolen Moments Designs) was so clever!  She realized that the large spot was perfect for documents!  She used 2 products by Sahlin Studios- her Blessed kit and her Clear Pebble Alpha:

Next, QuiltyMom used Snowbound by Britt-ish Designs.  She used one of the photo spots for her journaling!

Finally, LoriBear maintained a lot of white space on this adorable layout, using Different Kind of Love by Juno Designs and Sya’s Blueprints:

I loved the sample layouts this week- such a display of diversity!  I can’t wait to see what you do with it!

A Reminder of the other Matter of Scrap Challenge rules:

Upload your layout to the gallery, and leave BOTH the image and a link in the challenge forum.

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!)

If you post a layout for this template challenge, you cannot use the same layout to complete another challenge.  You have until February 28th to post!

Have fun and stay warm!

Kim (tgmousechick) (Geeky Diva Designs)

Hey scrappers! Jenn (jennamy82) here bringing you this week’s Tuesday Template Challenge. I hope you enjoy it! Chose any theme you would like, and feel free to flip, rotate, modify in any way you please!! Can’t wait to see what you will all come up with!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Here is my updated layout using My Heart Soars by Jennifer Barrette:

And here is some fabulous inspiration to show you from the SM Team.

By scrapmonster using Happy Birthday to Me by The Design Girl

By JillyFish using Fairchild and String Theory by Britt-ish Designs

By sm_amber

By wm[squared] using Spot of Tea by Erica Zane & Denise Beatty Originals, Pink Valentine (recolored) by Brittish Designs and Blessed by Sahlin Studio

By QuiltyMom using The Boys of Summer and We’re Just Dating v.2 by Britt-ish Designs

See how versatile the template is! I can’t wait to see your layouts.
Use the template and upload your layout to the Tuesday Template Gallery HERE. Also, be sure to post in this thread to let us know you are playing.

REMEMBER:

You’ll receive 1 point for your submitted layout layout, and one EXTRA point for using a NEW RELEASE PRODUCT (must be within the last week) from the Scrap Matters Shop. Be sure to mention in the forum, if you used a new SM product.

At the end of the month I will choose one Random Winner at the end of the month to earn an additional point! Your layout must be exclusive to this challenge.

To qualify for points each layout you submit must be unique to this challenge, no double dipping.

It’s my FAVORITE Challenge!! It’s Tuesday Template time! Wendy here with another template!  I haven’t hosted a challenge in like 2 months, and i’m SOOO excited to get to host one in October, my FAVORITE month of the year!

There is no specific theme or set of rules for today’s template, just have fun!! Use the template as is, or switch it up…it’s all up to you!

Here is the template:

Here’s *MY* LO :

Credits: Kits:  “Autumn Blush” by Jennifer Barrette & “Feeling Fall” by WM[squared] Designs, Alpha:  “In the City” by Sahlin Studio

Here is some inspiration from the ScrapMatters CT/DT:

Layout By: alansrock

Credits: “Octobers Daily Download” by The SM Design Team

Layout By: happyscrapgirl

Credits: “Explore, Learn, Grow” by Sahlin Studios

Layout By: jillyfish

Credits: “Everyday Elegance” by Stolen Moments

Layout By: jennamy82

Credits: “With Dessert” by Juno Designs

Layout By: jendavey

Credits: “Punky” by Erica Zane, “Date Labels” by Erica Zane
“Chatter” by Plum Dumpling Designs & “JH_Krisi Font” by Jeni Hopewell

and last, but certainly not least…

Layout By: loribear

Credits: “SM Collab Friday Flea Market” by the SM Design Team

Feel inspired?  Good!  Now go download the template –>  HERE! and lemme see what ya got!  I’ve included both the .psd and .png files for you!

The “Fine Print” aka the Matter of Scrap Challenge rules:

You have all of October  to complete the layout. Upload it to the gallery, and leave BOTH the image and a link in the challenge forum–>

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.

Happy Scrapping!!

Hello Everyone, and Happy Thursday!  Tgmousechick Kim here to present to you a brand new monthly hybrid feature- I’ll Pencil You In

Calendars are a great way to dabble in hybrid, and they make wonderful gifts!  However, unless you do the Holiday Grand Plan (and maybe not even then), by the time you start thinking about gifts for the holidays, you could end up scrambling to get your calendar done in time.  The Hybrid Team here at ScrapMatters is here to make your holidays easier: to provide you with the tools and ideas to plan your 2010 calendars now!  Work on them slowly throughout the year, and have a great gift (or several) at year’s end!

Today’s hybrid lesson is a “Get Organized” primer.  The SM Hybrid Team Leader, Heather (hedderlee), has designed a fabulous planning sheet to get your project off the ground, and the Creative Team has gotten together to give you some great ideas for your calendar pages.

When designing a calendar, one of the first things you want to think about is the format.  Do you want to have it bound, either professionally or with the long-forgotten Bind-It-All in your home?  Do you want a traditional calendar that runs from January to December, or perhaps you want to appeal to the teacher on your gift-giving list and set up a calendar that spans the school year from July to June?

I have two calendar projects that I will develop using the “I’ll Pencil You In” feature.  One is the standard January to December calendar that I will keep on my desk in my lab.  The other is a gift for a friend that I work with.  She’s expecting her first child in August, so I’m going to give her a calendar that will span the first year (a 13 month calendar from August to August), so she can record some of those major milestones.  The projects should showcase the wealth of options you have before you.

First, let’s start with the typical January to December calendar page.  I designed this one as a 4.75″ square to create a CD Jewel Case Calendar:

This page was made using the recent ShamROCKS kit by AnnaBV Designs.  The calendar came from “Save The Date” by Simply Sweet Designs (she’s retiring, so run to the store and grab this while it’s still available!)

You have a couple of calendar options out there.  In addition to the planning sheet, Heather has also created a nifty brush set to customize your own calendar.  You can download that set from here.  And in the months to come, you will also see new calendar releases from our SM designers.

For this month, just start slowly.  Take some time to think about your project, and fill out your planning sheet.  To help you pull your ideas together, the Creative Team have been working on the planning sheets as well!  Here are the sheets that I’ve completed- one that will include a 2010 version of the March page shown above, and the other for Danielle’s baby calendar:

The Creative Team has been hard at work as well.  Here’s one from Hybrid Team Leader, Heather (hedderlee):

And another from CT member Mary (littlehiccup):

I can’t wait to see the plans you come up with!  For this month, the “I’ll Pencil You In” challenge is simply posting your completed (or mostly completed) planner page in the gallery and in the challenge thread to be found in the forums.  Here is the blank form to copy:

Starting in April, your completed calendar pages will count for challenge points.  If you are using photographs, you will have a certain measure of flexibility- you can use this year’s photos for next – ie. January 2009 photos for the January 2010 calendar page – or random photos.  The plan is to have as many of the photos chosen now as much as possible.  Obviously, everyone’s photo stash will be limited to March 2009 at this point.  Choose them at each month’s end!  Plus, you can make notes for the pictures you would like to take!

As always, here are the guidelines for the challenges at Scrap Matters:

- entries must be posted in the appropriate challenge gallery, and in the corresponding thread in the forum
- entries must be posted before the end of the month (March 31st) to be counted toward that month’s point total
- you’ll get 1 point for completing the planning page and posting it.  Plus, I’ll select one entry at random for a bonus challenge point.

Have a great Thursday!  If you’re a college basketball fan- enjoy the Madness!

Hello—I can’t believe how easy it is to hit the wrong button in phpList–I thought I was pushing test and hit send.  I might go back to our old newsletter mailer, at least you could stop it when there was a mistake.  I think the newsletter is going out now, but you might get a blank one first or not.  Since I really can’t tell what’s going on with the mailing I thought I would post this month’s newsletter here.  So keep reading and you’ll find all of the important links!

It’s hard to believe that March is here already. I’m happy to present the March issue of the SM newsletter. Included as usual in our newsletter is a fabulous free kit. This month features a fabulous travel-themed kit called “Enjoy the Journey” by Heather (Dirty Feet Designs) and Wendy (wm2 designs).  There is also a great tutorial by Heather of Joy Revisited Designs.

Our Design Star Contest is moving along just great.  It was so hard to narrow down the contestants.  We received 90 mini-kits and tried to pick 20 favorites–we just couldn’t do it, so there are 25 contestants moving on to round two.  The round one mini-kits are almost finished as freebies and the round two paper packs are going up tomorrow morning.  So hurry to get these fabulous freebies while they are still available in one convenient place.

If you’re looking for the freebies log into our forum and hop on over to the gallery from there and check out all of the free mini-kits/paper packs in the Design Star category (you have to scroll down to almost the bottom of the gallery to find them). You must be registered and logged into the forum first and then click on the gallery button to see the entries.

We’re giving you several options from which to download your newsletter. They all have the exact same newsletter.

Here is the 4shared link to the March newsletter,

Here is the box.net link to the March newsletter,

Here is the mediafire link to the March newsletter.

I hope you enjoy it. Andrea & the SM newsletter group

Hello all!  Wendy here for another installment of “Words For Wednesday”!

Ever attend an event and forgot your camera?  Ever go through something significant and need to get it down on paper, but don’t have any “pictures” to accompany that journaling?  Well….for today’s challenge, its ok!  I am guilty of putting together a LO and not attach much journaling to it.  On traditional pages, its easy to hide journaling or a long story, and with digi, I feel like my hands are tied, even though I know they aren’t.

For today, your challenge is this:  Whip up a LO with journaling only.  No pictures.  You may use all the elements you want, just no pictures!

To help {bribe} I mean, motivate you – everyone who posts your LO here in the forum –> here will get a participation prize!  You have until Tuesday, September 23rd to submit your LO’s.

What’s the prize you ask?  THIS:

Can’t wait to see your layouts!

Hey, Stacy (shutch) here. This is my first post here at the ScrapMatters Team Blog and it is a bit daunting, to be honest. I have recently been given the opportunity to be on the CT here and am very excited about that.  Apparently Brittney was looking through the gallery and needed a post for Words for Wednesday, she saw a LO that I did a few weeks ago where I used a definition and she had a bright idea – lightbulb moment – so here I am to write about using definitions on your LO.

Here is the LO that inspired this post:

I use definitions every once in a while in my LOs – usually, to be honest, when I can’t think of a title or journaling for a picture. In the LO above I couldn’t remember the actual name of the lighthouse (really not good when scrapbooking I know) but I needed something to add to the page. I just wondered what the actual definition for a light house was. I simply went to dictionary.com and wrote the definition down.

I have always had a fascination with what words really mean. Especially since I have had children. They often ask me what words mean and I find it interesting that I don’t usually know an exact definition. For example, my little boy asked me the other day what tree meant. All I could think to say was, “Well it is a tree, you know what a tree is.” It is times like this when I wish I was smarter and knew all the answers. However, thanks to the internet I can be the smartest mom on the planet – as long as the kids can wait a few minutes to get an answer.

I would challenge you all to use more definitions in your LOs. What does your child’s nickname really mean? What does your family name mean? What is the definition for your favorite pet, such as dog, cat, fish, etc? It is so simple to find a definition and you can easily use it to add a different touch to your LO.

Brittney and I have made you a freebie – we know how much everyone likes a freebie – using some definitions. I have had these funny definitions that I found in a magazine three or so years ago. I have been waiting to use them, so I was excited to get this chance. It is another side of definitions you might not think of. You can make up a definition that fits your LO. Is there is a funny saying in your family or do you have a different definition than others? Add that to your LO too. It will make it more personal.

Click HERE and go snag your freebie!  Leave us some love here on the blog if you like it!

Here are a few examples for your viewing pleasure. Now go out and think of definitions for your LOs!! For a great place to start go to the shop and get the freebie!

and one from Brittney