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Oh, Sweetie... an inspired freebie ♥

I met my sweet little niece last Saturday. I managed to get some photos of her with my kid... and there was one that just made my heart melt. It's not as sharp and clear as the other photos that day, but it oozes the moment.

I went to town with the chance to scrap a baby girl. Since I used such bold patterns, I kept the design simple and almost symmetrical:

Credits: Jenn Barette: Ain't Life Sweet; Gina Miller: Sewing Table; One  Little Bird: Stargazer Elements (staple); Fonts: Pea Shally, Mom's Typewriter

I loved the page so much, I turned it into template (and gave my package a nice make over... still have a bit of  tweaking to do, so forgive me): 

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Enjoy! 

Download photos from Facebook- a mini tutorial

My family is spread out all over the place, so I keep up with their lives on Facebook. My sister is really great at taking photos of my parents, since she upgraded to an iPhone, and I just don't have enough photos of them. On Mother's Day, she shared this photo of them after their Mother's Day brunch.

(I've blurred out the identifiers... and my sisters name is pronounced Ray-kah, not Rick-ee)

My dad paid the bill. He drives my mom nuts with this sorta twisted humor. 

I knew wanted a copy of these photos, but there is no need to wait for an email or other file transfer. All you need to do is click on the image you want, click on options and select 'download'. See this handy screen shot: 

Facebook assigns some crazy, numeric file name to a photo, so you'll want to rename the file in the dialog box that pops up (which I hope you've set, if not, check you downloads folder for the crazily named file). Hit 'save' and you're done.

Facebook won't give you the highest quality image because it compresses photos, understandably. You are at the mercy of the photographer: camera, settings, upload settings. BUT, worst case scenario is you have 3 or 4 inch photos at dpi you can print.

I did some quick editing (because my sister doesn't). In the end, here's what I did with my sister's photos:

Just make sure you have permission to download and use the photos. If you aren't sure, ask. 

  

What this whole Get It Scrapped thing I'm always talking about?

In case you've been wondering, Debbie made this really awesome tour video of everything Get It Scrapped offers. I'm sharing with you today because I talk about GIS a lot on this blog (mostly because it changed my ever scrapping life):



Try the free membership, say hello to the peeps, chat about design, tips and trick and push buttons, see if GIS is right for you
...OR...
Dive right in to a paid membership, get a ton of classes, immerse yourself in scrapbooking, get live feedback from me and tons of other (and probably more) awesome scrappers, paper and digital, that you love.

The fruits of a busy, busy week!

For some reason, I decided that all my deadlines and obligations needed to be met by yesterday. It was a gorgeous week spent at my computer, and I also planned it so when I was done I would have to build an ark. (rain, rain, and more weekend rain)....

There's a new Real Life in Pockets out today. It's perfect for those of us who have kids who are anti-mamarazi. On this page, I'm talking about exactly that. My kid rarely lets me get photos of him, except the obligatory holiday and birthday photos. I'm forever having to sneak photos (no flash, camera on silent). Another blocked design, which I'm loving lately. It's great for layering.

I'm also loving that that Jaimee and other designers are producing the square pocket stuffers. Rectangles are great and all, but after awhile, you crave another shape.

There's also another amazing collab Jaimee did with Amber from Stolen Moments Design called Lightbulb Moments. I used a criss cross design here because I wanted to show off the gorgeous background paper! I didn't use all the things I wanted to on the page, so I plan on scrapping more with the kit over the weekend. I really, really want to use the alpha!!

And here's the kit preview... The alpha is included, but I'm still showing you here because it's awesome!

Allison Pennington is the featured sponsor over on My Scrapbook Art. I was able to work with some of her product (yay!). I just love her bold colors and funky style. If you wanna see my page, hop on over there. While your at it, grab the free kit Allison is offering to MSA's readers:

Yesterday, I made my first post on the Gallery Standouts blog. It's always hard to pick standouts, but it's a huge honor to be a guest for the site. I'm actually thinking that some of the page I loved, but didn't select may end up on the Sunday Standouts over at MSA. I'll have to a post one of these as to what I look for in a GSO because I've developed a formula.

I'm ending with a reminder that I'll be critiquing pages next Friday at Masterful Scrapbook Design's Office Hours. If you haven't signed up, I highly recommend it. It's fun and you learn so much! The critiques so helpful and we are really super nice- it's not negative at all- for those that fear critique. If don't have a membership, grab one HERE.


Go have scrappin' fun! I'm taking the rest of the day through Saturday off. I have a date with my Playstation tonight! 

Until next time... 

GIS: Linocut Look

My latest page for the Get It Scrapped blog is rockin' a linocut look. It's not something I'd ever considered until the assignment, but I found myself loving it. You can see the article, which features all sorts of tips and approaches to the technique, HERE.

Linocut is a handmade, carved stamp that artists use for quick production. You can search Pinterest for a better idea or just read the article. I'm glad I work digitally because I don't have a good track record with Exacto knives!

For my page, I used layer styles to get the look of a linocut. I'm currently having a love affair with layer styles. They may be the one thing that pushes me over to a Photoshop subscription.


Jenni Bowling Studio: County Fair; Just Jaimee: Storyteller Collection- February 2014 Layer Styles, Ice Cream Paper Pack; One Little Bird: Lemon Drop Elements; HGD by Laurie Ann: Today’s Story; Fonts: Marcelle Script, Things We Said, Pea Stitchasaurus Rex

I used the Jenni Bowlin's primitive feathers available in the County Fair kit because they have that handmade feel. I used Jaimee's stamped layer styles to make the one feathers into a negative and positive stamp.

I found that font through a page by Vicki Bridges at The Daily Digi. It's an awesome, free font called Things We Said. The vellum bits add a some color and texture to the page without overwhelming anything while the pennants add a sturdy foundation that frame the title.

Oh, and that's my bossy little kitten, Katniss. She is definitely the queen of the house.

Lessons from Mom

I'm lucky enough to have an awesome mom and an awesome mother-in-law. I don't have enough photos of either. It's not from lack of trying. My mother has always had an aversion to the camera. She told me once someone said she looked like a monkey in a photo and she's carried that with her since.

That's the power of words. Thanks to that jerk, I only have a small handful of photos of my mother over the past 37 years. It's a shame because my mom has always been beautiful stylish and photogenic. The only photo I've ever known her to pose is this one with Bobby Vinton and her friend, Kathy... and you can tell she's not comfortable with the camera.


Sara Gleason: Tea Rose; Scrap Orchard: March 2012 Grab Bag; Traci Reed; Document Life Sampler

I didn't inherit camera aversion from her, but I'm always the photographer. My family has plenty of photos of me looking like a dork... or one of those photos you'd see on Ellen.

There are things my mother did give me. She did her damnedest to make sure I knew women contributed valuable things to the world. She taught me how to love myself and to find my worth from within. She fostered the idea that I'm a sword wielding, butt-kicking Princess Charming, able to rescue myself from all sorts of peril.



Jenni Bowlin Studio: Baby of Mine; Tangerine Dream; Vintage Pockets & Tags, Vintage Mini Deck Silhouettes; Sara Gleason: Petals, Amy Martin: Need More Stitching v. 1; One Little Bird: Stargazer (staple); Just Jaimee: April 2014 Storyteller- Layer Styles; Fonts: Arick, Nyala 

I had to tell this story, even though I didn't have a photo of my mom recently or from when I was a kid. Here she's with my sister, well before I was born. The photo is the photo. The wrinkles and tear is how it appears in real life. I simply used the edge finder selection tool extract the photo with the tear.

I used Jenni Bowlin's Vintage Pockets & Tags for this page to add some extra interest and layers. I changed the colors of the to match my page. To give the pocket a little oomph and the appearance it is stuffed with stuff, I ran a burn brush along the edges at 35% opacity with the size around 55 and mid-range density. 

Here are the JBS things I used. The Vintage Tags & Pockets are on sale for $1 today only!! 

The thing I love about JBS kits is that they all work so well together. They are probably the easiest product ever to tweak colors, but I find you don't actually have to often. That's the bonus to paper lines: They tend to be similar enough so the scrapper can collection hop.

Feel free to make a mom page and share it in the MSA Gallery because the May Journaling challenge is all about moms!

GIS Scrapbooking Ideas: Making a nautical motif modern with color

Hello Sunshines!

Up on the GIS blog today is one of my favorite motifs: Modern Nautical. For my page, I used two of my favorite beach photos of my kiddo when he was small. It was his first introduction to surf and sand shortly after we moved here. I've scrapped the bigger photo before, but not the little one. I used Pixlr-o-matic to process the photos- one warm, one cold to match my page.

Credits: Just Jaimee: Ice Cream Papers; Kaye Wienecki: A Little Message Elements; Allison Pennington: Seize Papers,  Rain Rain Elements; One Little Bird: Lemon Drop Elements; Valorie Wibbens: Swoon Elements, Sprinkles v. 22; HGD by Laurie Anne: Shine Basics; Amy Martin: Blanc Stitches v. 2; Fonts: Jane Austen, Albertsthal Typewriter, Slim Pickins

I am not a huge fan of a traditional nautical motif. It reminds me of surf & turf in the late '80s. But I live near the ocean, so nautical is always in this time of year. I have no lack of inspiration for an updated, trendy nautical look. What I notice in the shops and magazines lately is softened or muted color tones mixed with punchy colors, dark navy and black, with linen and raw material type neutrals. I brought that influence to my page for a fresh take on an old motif. Using modern colors is an easy way to freshen up trends we feel are dated.  

There you have it. Now go read the article for more ideas!  

A Page a Day in May & Process Play

Over at Get It Scrapped, we're doing a chilled challenge called A Page a Day in May. The goal is to create 31 pages this month, but how you get there is up to you. While some of pages are assignments and can't be shared yet, I do have one to share.

I used the May BYOC to create the page.



I kept it simple, with the journaling being the locations of the photos. And yes, that's my hubby giving me the finger. He's such a rebel.

Yesterday, Process Play went live on Masterful Scrapbook Design. I'm just so excited and honored to be able to be a part of this month's issue (and so is my mother-in-law, who finally got to see the finished pages). I read a lot of the e-book last night. I was only meaning to skim it, but I got sucked in.

 the membership is 20%
off for a limited time.

Guest teaching this month are  paper and digital scrapbookers: Kim Watson, Lynn Grieveson, Sue Althouse, Leah Farquharson and me!

I learned a lot about my scrapping just creating the pages for the assignments. I set the goal to scrap with intention a few years ago. What I didn't realize I was missing was insight into how I scrap. As usual, the missing piece came from Debbie. Scrapping consciously, paying attention to my process took me to that next level. I think this issue of MSD would be great paired with Style is Leverage (now self paced).
 
Hope everyone loves it as much as I do! I hope to see you at the live events!!

May Storyteller & a template freebie for you

I hope everyone is enjoying their iNSD! I sure am. Remember, you can always join me at the live GIS crop. Just register and follow the instructions to get into the meeting room.

I say every month that I this month's Storyteller Collection is my favorite, but I'm saying it again. This month is my favorite ever! Don't forget to checkout the idea magazine as well. It's gorgeous to look at and it has a ton of tips and tricks from Jaimee's Creative Team.

Here's the page I created with the kit:

For this page, I used:

• Elements
• Paper Pack
• Extra Papers
• Digital Stamps
• Layer Styles
• Flair
• Washi Tape
• Square Cards
• Word Art
• Tags

It has to be one of my favorite pages, ever. Not just because it's one of the perfect, happy day pages, but because the colors work together to create an amazing golden light. If you haven't noticed, I love ampersands at the moment. Combined with my love of black and white (or high contrast), the background paper makes my heart sing. That heart cutout comes 3 ways: pre-filled (used here), plain, and in template form so you can clip your own papers to the inside of the hearts and the cut out itself.

Because I LOVE this page, I've made it into a template... and I'm sharing.

Click on the image to download

Contents:

• .TFF 
• .PSD
• .PSP
• Individual .PNGs
• Shadows on separate layers for customization

Yipee!!

Did you see that Jaimee also has this sale going on? Hurry because it won't last long!!!

The Fine Print: Please do not select collabs, collaborations, collections + product bundles. You may choose kits, commercial use items, elements, paper packs etc.. You may also not combine with any other offers such as subscriber bundled deals!

Why are you still here? Go grab this kit now!

We need that in digi...

Emily Pitts shared a page in her Masterful Scrapbook Design interview that we all went ga-ga over. It had this great shelf of gold sequins in a transparent bag that the paper scrappers in the group that were raring to lift. I said I was going to ask Jaimee if she could make something similar for digi.

I did ask Jaimee, who said she'd take a stab at it. Well, her stab turned out to be amazing. She created three different versions of sequins in a bag and I love them all. I quickly created a page with one:



I can't wait to use the others!! I need to grab more of the May BYOC so I can play.

May: Mark your calendars!

I am getting pretty excited about all that's going on in May:

iNSD: 

The fun really started today over at The (dash) Lilypad. You can head over to their official iNSD forum to join in. There will be lots of releases, including the Build Your Own Collab (aka the BYOC) and a 30% off store wide sale on older releases.

Saturday, May 3rd, Get It Scrapped is having a live crop from 8am to 11pm. It's free, it's fun, and you can register for it HERE.

And because I love iNSD, I have a post up on My Scrapbook Art today to get you in the mood to celebrate what we do.


I'll be giving away some goodies Saturday and Sunday as well, so check in here!


The Challenge:

We're doing a page a day in May over at Get It Scrapped. There's no prize except the satisfaction of getting pages done with a supportive group of scrappers. We always have a great time, so feel free to jump on in. We welcome everyone! Failing the challenge is also perfectly acceptable. :)

I'm using the challenge to finish my 2013 Month in Review album and work on the series of photos I took earlier this month driving home from dinner. I created this page to get an early start:




Masterful Scrapbook Design Process Play:

I'm completely excited to be a guest teacher for this issue of MSD, which goes live May 7th. The assignments really made me pay attention to how I approach pages, what order I put a page together, and what tools and techniques I use over and over again for each page. You can sign up HERE for a membership, which includes:

• Immediate 6 month access to 48 classes:  36 Masterful Scrapbook Design classes  and 12 Scrapbook Coach classes (smart device friendly) 
• A new class each month  
• Weekly live webinar events (that are recorded and available to stream or download)
• Sketch and template library – search by # and type, link to class content and to full downloads
• Everything is downloadable for you to keep

You can try the free classes to get a sampling of Debbie's teaching style, which is both fun, easy to understand and comprehensive. The membership is such a great value for any level of scrapbooker, paper or digi. 

The Products:

This weekend there will a new Storyteller. I say it every month, but I LOVE this new one. I think I've created one of my favorite pages ever with it. Lots of goodies for hybrid scrappers as well and great layer styles. Plus the handy dandy magazine! 

Jenni Bowlin is releasing some great new digital product and reminding us of some tried and true must haves.

Did I get everything? Let me know if you have anything fun going on this month. I'll add it to my list. :)

Backin' up because my daddy taught me good...

One of the great lessons of adulthood is that your realize all the cliches are true. For the digital world, I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Let's talk about prevention. If your using your computer in your scrap process, you probably need to make these seriously boring habits a part of your routine. I know I do.

I'm gonna share what I do each month to keep myself from drowning in digital chaos and making sure our family doesn't have a serious interruption to our digital life. It seems like a lot, but I've figured a little trick to keep it quick and easy-peasy. I'm going to share what I do and when I do it in a handy-dandy list:

Downloads Folder
the folder(s) everything you download ends up
I do the tasks in this group before I download new product in a new month. That means before I do any downloading on May 1st, I do all these things. Makes it a lot easier to get scrapping after shopping!

• Unzip Files
• It's easy to unzip in batches with free programs like Unzip Them All
• Delete or store zip files
• I keep my zip files awhile after I unzip, but keep them in a folder named "unzipped" so the files are out of the way
• Organize and delete all other files
• The stuff you accidentally download, only needed temporarily or are no longer useful... AKA the stuff in your digital junk drawer

Supplies
If you're like me, you have a lot. I don't do much organizing, but if I do, it's done with the things in the Download Folder group. 

• Organizing
• Put your files where they go. Even my basic organizing system means I have to do this. If you want more ideas for organizing, click HERE. 
• Tagging
• I admit, I never do this, but if I did, I do it after organizing. 
• Deleting  
• This could fall under Organizing, but because of the fear it elicits. If you want to delete supplies, but can't quite hit the actual delete button, try creating a "maybe delete" folder. Put the supplies you thought to delete in the folder, then wait six months to re-evaluate your feelings about the product. Chances are you'll either see the product and want to use it or you'll toss it. 
• Backing Up
• I use Backblaze. After the initial back up, I turned of the automatic back ups. I'm not wired into router, so the constant backing up bogs down my interwebz experience. Instead, I switch the back on at bed time the same day I do my planning for the upcoming month. 
• I'm also creating a second back up for my printable layouts and favorite photos by taking advantage of free Flickr storage. 

Photos

• Organizing
• My system is loose like my supply system. I organize by date the photo is taken. 
• Tagging 
• I PSE to import my photos, so I use the auto tagging feature when my photos are loaded. I always make sure to write the meta data when I'm done, so the tags stick to the file. 

• Processing
• I do this as needed. 

For great tips, tutorials and classes on organizing supplies and photos, check out Digital Scrapbooking HQ. 

Computer:
Unless otherwise specified, I do these things when my computer starts feeling slow or every Sunday before my shower. 

• Organizing Files
• I do this at the beginning of each month
• Deleting Unnecessary Files
• I do this before I back up my files
• Clearing software clipboard and cache and/or optimizing performance
• Did you know your scrapping and photo software had these things? They do. When my programs hang, I always clean things up. Here's how:
• Photoshop
• Elements
• Paint Shop Pro
• Cleaning out temporary files 
• I do this twice a month or if my computer starts to lag a little. Norton has button to push to accomplish in the tasks menu and I imagine other security programs have a similar button. You can also do this manually (make sure you can view hidden folders):  
• Start Menu>Computer>OS(C:)>Users>Your Computer Indentitfier (may have a little lock by it)>App Data>Local>Temp the delete all those files. Some will stay, so if your computer insists, skip those. Done! 
• Deleting Browser Data
• You can do this in the Control Panel under Internet Options. If you aren't using IE, open your browser and delete your data with the browser's native tools. 
• Checking for Malware, Spyware, Registry Errors, Viruses and Tracking Cookies
• I use Norton and Malwarebytes programs. 
• Running Disk Clean Up
• In your Accessories Folder you have this really cool tool that cleans stuff up. Run it. Check all the dialog boxes, hit OK. 
• System Reboot
• Because it's good to get a fresh start after doing all this stuff. 

Hardware:
We do this with all our electronics whenever we clean under desks. My hubby is incredibly anal about these tasks! We have more canned air than anyone ever should.

• Vents ensure they are clear of debris and nothing is blocking air flow
• You'd be amazed at keeping vents and ports free of dust improves performance and keep the fan healthy (a computer will not run without a fan). Don't kill your computer this way.  
• Check Wires 
• Are they in a safe place? Completely connected? Is any metal exposed? Are prongs damaged? 
• Clean & Dust
• This includes things like your mouse, mouse pads, headsets. Use a lens cloth on your monitors or products formulated for cleaning. Turn your keyboard upside down over a trash can and shake gently. You can use a slightly damp cloth to wipe down your hardware. 

Did I mention BACK UP!! That's what I'm currently doing and writing this post while I wait for things to finish up. The trick is to incorporate these tasks into your routine. It will quickly become habit and you'll avoid mega-digital-disasters, too!




P.S. The video at the top of this post is the song I listen to whenever I back up my files.

Take time to play

I haven't had much time for making pages that aren't assigned. It's been a whirlwind two months. I thank the stars for my CT work because I'm not sure carving out for scrapping would happen. Sunday night I decided to grab a kit, dig in and play because nothing! Because I wanted to! I went a little crazy.




I'm happy with the result and glad I got this story down while it's fresh. I used this month's Art Social, which isn't Easter themed, but perfectly colored for Easter pages. I need to make more time for play and experimenting. I think I'll work it into my May goals...

A Happy Easter

Hello Interwebz!

Yesterday was Easter. We didn't have much ado over it as my in-laws are currently in Haiti (lucky devils). It was just us, but we still had a happy day.

Saturday we dyed eggs. My husband came up with these two gems while I wasn't paying attention:

I made the traditional Easter Snaik egg:

This page, which I created a few years ago, tells the story of the Easter Snaik (excuse the sad kerning and leading... I didn't know better when I made it):

Of course, no holiday activity would complete without a kitty photo bomb:

After dying eggs, we discussed the origins of Easter (the Christian origin, not the Pagan one). We talked a lot about Judaism being the Jesus was a Jew. Then we watched some of The Bible, which is currently on Netflix.

We aren't religious, but both my husband and I have studied religion extensively. My kid self-identifies as Christian and we encourage him to learn more about it. Discussions on the topic of religion are always interesting and always leave my kid to want to know more. I love his curiosity and living in a time where he can satisfy it immediately. But wow, I forgot how violent the stories are in The Bible!

Considering Easter Sunday was cold with steady 25 mph winds and gusts nearing 40 mph, I was glad the Easter Bunny opted for an indoor egg hunt this year (so were the cats who discovered eggs roll). I don't have any photos sadly because I slept through it. That kinda happens when you have wait for your kid to fall asleep on a holiday eve. It wasn't until 3am that the Easter Bunny finished his work. Anywho, hubby didn't take photos.

Easter dinner was breakfast, thank goodness. Eggos for the win! I finished my day with a long walk with James the cat and some non CT scrapping... perfect-o! I hope everyone else had a wonderful Easter (or Sunday), too.