Style or Rut?

As you do more and more scrapbooking, digital, hybrid or paper, you will see your own style develop. You may like clean, simple lines in your scrapbooking. Others prefer a more cluttered look, using lots of embellishment clusters to fill in the page. Some enjoy a grungy style, with all their papers containing some sort of distressing or inking or paint. Whatever your style, it is sometimes good to review your recent layouts to see how your style is evolving . . . or NOT!

 

It is easy to get in a rut with your scrapbooking. Perhaps you tend to prepare your pages in exactly the same way, depending on the number of photos you are using. You may enjoy using ribbon but always place it in the same place and always fasten it to the layout in the same way each time. Maybe your titles rely on the same alphas, layout after layout.

 

The same thing goes for the techniques you use in your layouts. Do you always use the same ones? Have you tried tearing paper? Folding corners? Clustering photos or embellishments? Have you added stitching? Inked or painted your edges?

 

I would like to see some layouts from my readers. Send me a link to a previous layout of yours and one in which you have tried a new technique or layout style.

 

All of us, let's try something new this week in our scrapbooking. Leave a comment below to tell me how you made out with it!

 

I'll leave you with a couple of layouts I have done recently, using my new kits, Midnight Blues and Bounty in Burlap.

 

Click photo for full credits

 

Click photo for full credits

A Couple of Things . . .

I am so glad that you like my newest kit, Bounty in Burlap! I have received many favorable comments on it. Today, I received notice that my kit has been featured on Scrap Praise! As a new designer and store owner, this is very exciting and encouraging! I hope that you, my readers, will continue to enjoy the kits I design. I would appreciate some feedback from you as to the kind of kits you are looking for or need. What colors do you want? I tend to favor very bold colors so if that's not what you are after, I need to hear from you so I can accommodate your needs! What themes do you want in your kits? What type of textures and patterns do you like in the papers of a kit? Is there some special element that you would like to see included in a kit? Leave me a comment below.

 

Don't forget to use Kaboodle to bookmark your wish list of items from my store! Be sure to include dreamscrapper as a tag so that I can do a search and possibly find you to bestow a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) of some sort! I have already gifted one lucky recipient with a special coupon to my store. You could be next!

Monitor Your Layouts by Measuring Your Monitor

As designers, we are frequently reminded to check our work at 100% zoom. This is to be sure that we leave no stray pixels on our designs. Also, working at 100% helps in erasing or masking difficult areas.

As a digital scrapbooker, however, I would encourage you not to rely on 100% zoom to check your layouts. You may have noticed that when you use 100% zoom, your layout is HUGE! You can only see a small section at a time at this zoom percentage. Relying on this will not give you the true look of your layout when it has been printed. That's how you and others will be viewing it, right?

The correct way to view your layout as it will look after it's printed is to click on the Print Size button on the Options Bar while the Zoom Tool is selected. (Photoshop and Photoshop Elements) However, to be sure your view is accurate, you must do some advance preparation.

First, measure the width of your screen in inches. Second, determine the resolution that you are using. (Do this by right clicking on the desktop, choosing Properties, and then choosing the Settings tab. Note the Screen resolution given for your monitor. Third, divide the width into the resolution and round to the nearest whole number. Fourth, in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements choose Edit, Preferences, Units and Rulers. In the New Document Preset Resolutions, set your Screen Resolution to the whole number you got at pixels/inch. Lastly, restart Photoshop/Photoshop Elements to use your new settings. If you take a ruler and measure an inch when you have your own rulers turned on, you should see that the measurement is now accurate.

Examples:

The width of my main monitor is 14.25 inches. My screen resolution is set to 1600 x 1200.

1600 divided by 14.25 = 112.28070175438596491228070175439

112.28070175438596491228070175439 rounded to the nearest whole number is 112.

112 is the setting I use in my Preferences.

The width of my secondary monitor is 13.25 inches. My screen resolution is set to 1280 x 1024.

1280 divided by 13.25 = 96.603773584905660377358490566038

96.603773584905660377358490566038 rounded to the nearest whole number is 97.

97 is the setting I use in my Preferences.

The width of my laptop monitor is 13 inches. My screen resolution is set to 1280 x 800.

1280 divided by 13 = 98.461538461538461538461538461538

98.461538461538461538461538461538 rounded to the nearest whole number is 98.

98 is the setting I use in my Preferences.

Using this strategy, you will have better success in judging what textured papers will look like once they have been printed. For more help with textures, read my previous articles, Adding Texture to Your Layouts and Using Patterns to Add Texture. Try using these settings and see if you get a more accurate view of your layouts. Leave me a comment below as to how you made out with this strategy!

Share in Nature's Bounty!

Is there any better time than autumn to witness the glorious colors of nature and rejoice in their splendor? Come and celebrate the season's bounty with the release of my new page kit, Bounty in Burlap.

Click for enlarged view

If you don’t already have some autumn shots waiting to be scrapped, you’ll be posing your kids in the leaves just so you can use this kit! Burlap, pumpkins and apples abound in this special autumn kit. In “Bounty in Burlap” by DreamScrapper, you will receive 8 delightfully textured papers, in glowing autumn colors of russet, ochre, sienna, tan, and orange. You will also find a special bonus in this kit: an 11” by 11” frayed burlap paper with folded corner. Papers are created at 12" by 12" at 300ppi and saved as high-quality jpg files ensuring excellent print quality. In "Bounty in Burlap" you also get a plaid bow and matching ribbon, a border composed of a ribbon, bow, and apple slices, 2 pumpkins, a burlap bow and ribbon, both a whole apple and an apple slice chipboard charms on beaded chains, a cluster consisting of leaves, an apple slice, cinnamon sticks and a bow, a frayed burlap frame embellished with messy ribbon stitching and autumn leaves, a circular frame composed of ribbons, and an assortment of wrought iron fasteners - 4 photo corners, 4 photo prongs, brad, eyelet, staple, paper clip and swirl clip. Completing this page kit is a stylish, wrought iron alpha. Alpha has a complete upper and lowercase set, numerals 0 to 9, as well as 11 other punctuation marks. Alpha is provided both as a single sheet and as individual letters. All elements are created at 300ppi and saved as png files to preserve transparency. Drop shadows are applied only where layering of pieces makes shadowing necessary for realism. Thank you to Tandika Star and DigiScrapDesigner for items used in the creation of this product. Special thanks to Stacy Carlson (Gotta Pixel), Atomic Cupcake and Monica Larsen. Thanks to Lara Payton at http://www.dustybear.com for the use of her Ribbon Stitching.




I would welcome feedback on these products. Please leave me a comment below.

Also, I have a freebie for you that coordinates well with the kit.

This download has expired.

Thank You to My Readers

All I can say is, "WOW!"

The response to my new page kit, Midnight Blues, has been fabulous! I am very pleased that I was able to fill a niche for those of you looking for kits suitable for scrapping "boy" layouts but that most of you agreed that this kit is universal in that it could easily be used for boys or girls! Thank you so much for all your comments and support of both this kit and my new store, DreamScrapper.com.

In addition, I finally made it to the freebie list provided by IkeaGoddess! I think I have arrived!

New Kit and a Freebie

It's been some time since I have had a new entry on my blog but I hope you will agree that the wait has been worth it!

Today, I would like to introduce my new page kit, Midnight Blues.

Click image for product

“Midnight Blues” by DreamScrapper, contains the varying shades of blue that can be found in the sky from dusk to midnight. These colors would work very well for boy layouts but would be equally suitable for that of a girl. This page kit provides you with 8 distinctly textured papers ranging from rich velvet to woven fabric to handmade paper. Included is a distinctive paper created by fastening two torn papers together with chrome safety pins, while the gap between them reveals another textured paper! Papers are created at 12" by 12" at 300ppi and saved as high-quality jpg files, ensuring excellent print quality. In "Midnight Blues" you also receive one large floppy bow, a matching knotted ribbon, two chrome frames, a tiny tag with chromed border, a safety pin charm cluster, a bead and chain border, a single blue binder clip, a cluster containing a folded ribbon and chipboard stars and moon held together with a different binder clip, and a unique glass, chrome, and glitter bauble suspended on a stapled ribbon. Completing this kit is a glitter-filled glass and chrome alpha, sure to delight you and add sparkle to your layouts! Alpha has both uppercase and lowercase letters, numerals 0 to 9, and 12 other punctuation marks. Alpha is provided both as a single sheet and as individual letters. All elements are created at 300ppi and saved as png files to preserve transparency. Drop shadows are applied only where layering of pieces makes shadowing necessary for realism. Thank you to Tandika Star and DigiScrapDesigner for items used in the creation of this product.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Here is a little freebie for you that coordinates with the Midnight Blues kit.

This download has expired.

I would love to receive your comments on this kit! For those of you looking for kits suitable for boys, will this work for you? What do you like best? least?

Store Launch is a Success!

Well, I am stoked! Yesterday was the launch of my store, DreamScrapper.com, and I was pleased with the response I received! Thank you for making my launch a success!

Remember that the storewide 20% off will be in effect until September 19. The following layout was made using the exclusive page kit, Autumn Glory:

Click for enlarged image

What layouts are you creating with this kit? I would love to see your results! Please leave me a comment with a link to your layout.

For those of you who use Kaboodle, if you save any of my products, be sure to create a tag for dreamscrapper so that if I do a search there, I can RAK those of you that turn up in a search.

I would also enjoy receiving any comments/critiques you have about DreamScrapper.com.

1. What do you like best about the site?
2. Was the site setup pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate?
3. Was the checkout service satisfactory?
4. What suggestions do you have for improvement?
5. What type of products would you like to see developed?

I look forward to your comments . . . you may comment by clicking the comment link directly following this post.

Store Opening . . . Finally!

Well, it has been a frustrating few weeks of announcing my store opening and then announcing its delayed opening and then announcing the opening again and then another delay! But finally, it is time to open the store doors! However, now I am really excited!

TOMORROW, you will be able to see DreamScrapper.com and check out the products there! To help celebrate my opening, there will be a storewide sale of 20% off for the first week.

In addition to the sale, I am offering an exclusive page kit that will be FREE to the first 50 customers to place an order of $10 or more!

Click image for larger view

Autumn Glory embraces the fall season in all its colorful splendor! Rich shades of russet, rust, ochre, sienna and green, will enhance all your autumn layouts. In the Autumn Glory by DreamScrapper, you will receive 8 lovingly created papers, in a mix of textures, patterns and colors. Papers are created at 12" by 12" at 300ppi and saved as high-quality jpg files ensuring excellent print quality. In Autumn Glory you also get 1 ruffled flower, 1 frayed, multicolored burlap flower, 1 ribbon wrapped rustic wood frame, 1 ochre binder clip, 1 floral envelope tie, 1 cord trimmed triangular tag, 1 daisy trimmed floral overlay, two folded ribbons, 6 oversized buttons – 3 threaded, 3 without but with stitches provided, 1 bunch of cattails plus single cattails and reeds to make your own grouping and one torn piece of antique paper for journaling. In Autumn Glory by DreamScrapper, you will also receive a ripped and folded alpha where every letter is unique! Alpha has a complete uppercase set, 6 punctuation marks and one blank alpha that you can customize using your chosen font. Alpha is provided both as a single sheet and as individual letters. All elements are created at 300ppi and saved as png files to preserve transparency. Drop shadows are applied only where layering of pieces makes shadowing necessary for realism. Special thanks to Monica Larsen.

Click for larger view

Click for larger view

I know you will fall in love with this kit so don't miss out! Be one of the first in line at DreamScrapper.com tomorrow. Doors will open at 10:00 AM CST.

I sure hope to see you there!

Scrapping Your Pets

For those of us who have pets, more often than not, those pets are like members of the family. Because of this, our pets will definitely show up in our scrapbooking albums! Sometimes, entire albums are dedicated to a beloved pet. Layouts may be created while the pet(s) is alive or done as a memento after a pet has passed on.

Whatever your reason for scrapping about your pet(s), like any other topic, you need kits to help you create your layouts. I have found an excellent, though small, collection of kits that would be suitable for your pages. Click on the images to be taken to the product.

For dog lovers, nothing could be cuter than this kit by Kay Miller Designs :




And if your definition of "pet" also applies to some barnyard animals, this kit, also by Kay Miller Designs, might be to your liking:




If cats are your fancy, head on over to Weeds & Wildflowers to see this kit:



Weeds and Wildflowers also has a barnyard type kit:



Over at Nitwit Collections, you will find a darling kit suitable for scrapping about both cats and dogs.


I hope that these resources help you in scrapping about your own pets! If you have any other suggestions for pet scrapping products, please leave me a comment with a link to the product.

I will leave you with a layout I did about our two Lhasa Apso dogs.

Click image for credits

Texture Challenge Results

I must say that I am rather disappointed that I had only ONE entry for my Texture Challenge! Without comments from my readers, I am at a lack to know if this is because people are too busy to participate, don't like the challenge topic, don't like the prize, etc. Be that as it may, I am happy to award the quick page to Mariska who provided this entry:



Thank you, Mariska, for your interest and participation in the challenge!

Digital Scrapbooking Blog Carnival - September 1, 2007

I am pleased to be hosting the 6th edition of the Digital Scrapbooking Blog Carnival today! Karen Karooch of Scraps of Mind will be sponsoring the next Blog Carnival to be posted on September 15th.

Katie the Scrapbook Lady presents Flickr and Big Huge fun posted at Katie the Scrapbook Lady, saying, "So many fun photo tools at Big Huge Labs!"

Katie the Scrapbook Lady presents Roundup your memories each month posted at Katie the Scrapbook Lady, saying, "Monthly "roundup" tool is posted at the end of each month with simple questions and prompts to help you summarize your month"

Hummie presents How to Create Era-Themed Scrapbook Pages posted at Creative Genealogy, saying, "Wow, I was excited to read this great page about using clothing through the generations to determine a timeline for a photo."

Karen (aka Karooch) presents What Resolution Should You Print Your Layouts At? posted at Scraps of Mind, saying, "Should you print your layouts at 300 dpi or 200 dpi? Scraps of Mind takes the test."

FitBuff presents I Can Stand My Stand Up Desk posted at FitBuff.com's Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog, saying, "Anyone who spends most of their day sitting down, especially those working from home, should consider a stand up a desk. It's now been one month since I set mine up, and this article chronicles how it has improved my posture, productivity, and performance. Plus there is a short video to show you how to set one up yourself for free to try out."

Karen (aka Karooch) presents 10 Terrific Ideas for Framing your Photos posted at Scraps of Mind, saying, "10 great ideas for framing your photos on your scrapbook layouts, together with links to examples and even more tips and techniques."

Karen (aka Karooch) presents Have you ever done a Scrapbook Layout Make-over? posted at Scraps of Mind, saying, "I challenged myself to take a very 'blah' layout I made a couple of years ago and put some oomph into it using a combination of digital and traditional scrapbooking techniques"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of
Digital Scrapbooking using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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digital scrapbooking, blog carnival.