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... 

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: 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. :)

Masterful Scrapbook Design: Office Hours Rock!

The other morning I created a page, but something felt out of balance. I couldn't exactly figure out what my eyes were seeing that disrupted the visual harmony. There was a disconnect on the page somewhere that I couldn't put my finger on. Thank goodness I'd signed up for MSD Office Hours with Anna Aspnes.


I uploaded my page into the MSD gallery to get feedback from Debbie, Anna and my fellow scrappers who were in attendance. Here's the original page in question:

I loved the big, bold title, the bold circles and swashy black lines. I just have an affinity for copious amounts of black media on a page with pops of color. Still something was bugging the heck out me.

It turned out that the collective eyes and brains in the webinar were able to pick out what the issue I only felt was and how I could fix it. The flower didn't fit the theme and the circle that surrounded it was unnecessary. I realized that I had no particular reason to have that flower there anyway. (except that I thought I ought to try using a flower) If I take away those elements, then the turquoise swashes need to be changed and Anna suggested using a blue in the photo. That's exactly what I ended up doing:

Supplies: Just Jaimee: Doodled Line + Circle Brushes Bundle, Storyteller Collection- September 

(also available a la carte); Font: SimSun (on of my faves)

Now the page has a bit more of an Americana feel to it, which supports the story. It also feels more balanced and the parts feel connected. I am really glad I had the page workshopped (as we call it at MSD) because it made all the difference in the world. I really love the instant feedback!

If you want to check out MSD and see what the fuss is all about, you can now get a 10 day trail FREE! Use my affiliate link to sign up: Visit Masterful Scrapbook Design

And here's a little sneak peak of the live webinars (which are also posted as recordings you can access anytime and/or download):



♥ Carrie

P.S. Katie Scott did an amazing lift of my revised layout- check it out!

Grids & Blocks

Wow. It's been awhile. July flew by!

I'm plugging along with the latest issue of  Masterful Scrapbook Design which is all about grids and blocks. The teaches this month are some of my favorite scrappy people: Doris Sander, Tiffany Tillman, Lynnette Penacho, Lisa Dickinson and Summer Fullerton. I guess I shouldn't leave out Debbie Hodge because she's a hands on kinda gal. They've shared some amazing pages and great tips for using grids and blocked page design.

I really love the beautiful hand out (all 200+ pages of it!), but my most favorite thing are the live webinars!  There's one interview with each teacher and then 'Office Hours', which is really a mini critique workshop. They are incredibly informative and a little hilarious, just all around fun. If you can't make it to the live webinars it's okay: The recordings are posted ASAP for forever viewing. One of my favorite things to do is to grab a coffee, stick in my earbuds and scrap while re-listening to the webinars. (click HERE for an example of Office Hours!!)

I really love the how MSD can be either self-paced or in real time. The either-or format fits my crazy life and I can have a toe in the scrappy pool or just dive right in. Also, there is a forum  to hash the issue out as you need and a gallery share your pages and get insightful feedback. Some of the girls share really great lists from each webinar as well so that you don't overlook those really neat tips, tricks, or bullet points from the live conversations.

This issue has been timely because I've been doing a lot of grid and blocked layouts lately. After a couple of weeks of being immersed in grids and blocks, I feel like I have a handle on why my older pages work (or not) and can now scrap with more confidence. I believe that your mood always comes across on a page. Confidence is important!

This page was inspired by Grids and Blocks:

Just Jaimee: Wood + Veneer Journal Cards, Storyteller July Collection; Amber Clerrg: All Glitter & Sparkles Alpha; Fonts: WakingUp, MS Gothic, Pea Shally

This is one of my favorite pages to date. I just love that watercolor brush! It really leads you through the whole page while reinforcing the theme. Breaking the borders with the embellishments keeps the grid from being boring. It's clear, it's focused, it does it's job of capturing the memory visually. You probably don't need me to tell you what the journaling says to understand the story-- Photos from the first time my son was up close and personal with the ocean. MSD really reminds me to scrap with intention.

If you'd like to join me in this issue of MSD you can sign up for Grids and Blocks, you can buy save big bucks by using this link to purchase the rest of this year's issues: Grids & Blocks, Tension & Color. If you want to try just one issue at time at $12.50 an issue, that's fine, too!!  Click Here: Grids & Blocks. I'm just blown away at all the goodies that are packed into this issue and I have a feeling you will be, too!

I hope I see you there!!

♥ Carrie