Guest Blogger at Scraps of Mind

While teaching my IRL (in real life) digital scrapbooking class the other night, I noticed that some of my students seemed a little overwhelmed at the various layouts I was showing them. To soothe and encourage them, I used an analogy to show them that it was definitely possible for them to create layouts like the ones they were seeing. The analogy proved to be an apt one, and one that was easily understood. Because of this, when I was asked, by Karen Karooch from the Scraps of Mind blog, to be a guest blogger, I enlarged the analogy to a complete article, complete with layouts to illustrate it. I hope that you will check out my article on her blog. It will be published on Tuesday, April 29. While you are there, be sure to explore Karen's blog. She has a vast collection of articles, tutorials, and all round great information on digital scrapbooking.

Also for today, my CT member, Kayre, has created some layouts using my Prairie Sunset Bracket Album pages as embellishments to give you an idea for what you can do with these other than to build a hybrid album. Thanks, Kayre!

Click photo for full credits

Click photo for full credits

Hope these give you some ideas for using the Prairie Sunset Bracket Album!

Prairie Sunset Bracket Album

Just released is my new Bracket Album that features my page kit, Prairie Sunset. I hope you'll check it out!

The “Prairie Sunset” Bracket Album is designed for use with the Basic Grey Chipboard Bracket album available online and at local scrapbooking stores. This album was designed with the luscious papers and elements from the Prairie Sunset page kit and features the shades of gold, tangerine, crimson and amethyst. There are 12 pre-made pages, an unique glass-windowed front cover and matching back cover, and 4 solid pages with stitching to be used for journaling or additional pages that you create utilizing elements from the Prairie Sunset page kit. In addition, Photoshop and Photoshop Elements users will be able to use the 6 text paths that coordinate with 6 of the album pages. Think outside the box to use these pages as embellishments on a full-sized layout or placed on a 6 or 8-inch page to make a square album page. All pages are created at 300ppi and saved as .png files to preserve transparency. Included with this album are directions for using the text paths and a tips sheet for completing the album. Thank you to Tandika Star and DigiScrapDesigner for items used in the creation of this product. Special thanks to Atomic Cupcake and Monica Larsen.

National Scrapbooking Day Layout Competition

National Scrapbooking Day is fast approaching! Be sure to mark your calendars for the weekend of May 3 so that you can get in on the many sales, contests, and other promotions. A good thread to bookmark is this one at Digishoptalk which details all of the sales: NSD Sales Master List.

What will be going on at DreamScrapper you ask? A sale will definitely be taking place so be sure your Paypal card is dusted off, fired up and ready to go! More details on the sale will be provided closer to National Scrapbooking Day!

Rules:

1. Create a layout using primarily products found at DreamScrapper.com. You may enter more than once, but each layout must be created primarily using DreamScrapper products.
2. Post the layout in the online gallery of your choice and email the link to me at dreamscrapper@gmail.com. In the email, include your name, email address at which you wish to be contacted, and the link to your layout.
3. Entries must be received no later than Sunday, May 4, 2008 at midnight, CST, to be considered.
4. As links are received, images will be posted here on my blog.
5. The winners of the competition will be announced on my blog Monday, May 5, 2008 and the winner will be notified via email.
6. Winners will be drawn randomly so EVERYONE has a chance of winning!

So, get scrapping . . . you can start entering NOW!

I'm On a Roll!

I guess that going to an all-day scrapping crop gets the creative juices flowing because I got another layout done today. This one celebrates my daughter's very first job - at 13! She has been working at the Half Moon Drive Inn since April 10, 2008. On Friday night, my husband and I went there for dinner. It was so crowded we almost couldn't stay because there was nowhere to park! Luckily, we managed to squeeze in. Inside, it was a zoo! While waiting to place our own orders, we watched our daughter filling orders behind the counter. She was moving VERY quickly to complete each order and then announcing the order number over the intercom. She was totally oblivious to us, being as it was so busy, and it gave us a good chance to see her in action without making her self conscious. We were very proud of her!

Anyway, this layout uses both pieces from my new kit, PRAIRIE SUNSET, and doodles from Kate Hadfield. I also wanted to use some acrylic letters (they are all the rage right now) by Emily Powers. Somehow, they didn't look quite right in their natural, clear state so I tinted them to match the layout. So, what do you think?

Digital Gal at a Paper Crop

On Saturday, I had the extreme pleasure of scrapbooking all day long! I attended an all-day crop put on by our local scrapbooking store. I had attended a previous crop by this store last year. This year the store has new owners and I found the crop to be a little less organized than before but still enjoyable!

As before, I was the only digital gal in attendance, complete with my laptop, EHD, and LCD monitor! My best friend, Charlene, attended the crop with me.



Last year I had finally convinced her to give scrapbooking a try. She had never scrapbooked before nor shown any real interest in it, though she is very creative herself and even teaches card making! You would think that scrapbooking would be a natural for her, considering that she has a number of the required tools already - paper cutter, inks, stamps, paper, embellishments, embossing powders . . . you name it!

At the last crop, she came because she wanted to create an album of her family's trip to Disneyworld and she made a good start on her album. At this crop, she continued working on this album and created two absolutely lovely pages!


Check out the glitter on her title!


Anyway, we are already planning to attend another crop in the fall and I can hardly wait!

I was pleased to complete two layouts at the crop . . . you would think that I would have accomplished more than that during the hours of 10 AM and 11 PM! However, I was not the only one in this position! I mean, you had to take time out to eat and walk back and forth to the store about 5 times and just TALK!

Anyway, here are the two layouts I created. Let me know what you think!

Click for larger version and full credits

Click for larger version and full credits

Somewhat maddening was that the layout I intended to scrap at this crop did not come to be! I had wanted to do a page about my daughter's first job at a local historic burger joint. Kate Hadfield created the most gorgeous fast food doodles, at my request, but the page just hadn't "gelled" yet in my mind for me to scrap it. I will be sure to post it here when it is completed. For now, check out these doodles by Kate:

Prairie Sunset

Not everyone gets to see a sunrise but I'm sure everyone has seen a sunset. On the prairies, the sunsets are spectacular! I have tried to recreate this feeling in my latest kit, Prairie Sunset.This kit is on sale now but only until Wednesday - don't miss it!

“Prairie Sunset,” by DreamScrapper, is a glorious kit, brimming with a bevy of luscious papers and elements. Eight richly patterned and textured papers are included in shades of gold, tangerine, crimson and amethyst. A BONUS set of 4 textured solids is also included. Papers are created at 12" by 12" at 300ppi and saved as high-quality jpg files ensuring excellent print quality. Contained in "Prairie Sunset" you will find a flower-embellished brass frame with unique, pleated inserts, two bracket frames joined with a beaded cord, a potted plant trimmed with a bow, three roses tied up with a glittery cord, a folded ribbon, a buckled ribbon complete with separate buttons, a satin ribbon with matching bow, a textured bow, a set of journal strips that you can anchor to the page with zigzag stitching that has been provided in four different shades, four glitter-trimmed journal mattes in four different shades, three flowers in three different shades, and a delightfully shaded sunflower. Some elements come in both shadowed and unshadowed versions. Completing this page kit is a textured chipboard alpha, reminiscent of a prairie sunset. Alpha has a complete upper set, numerals 0 to 9, as well as 10 other punctuation marks. Alpha is provided as individual letters so you may open only those that you need. If preferred, a single alpha sheet can be provided upon request. 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 Atomic Cupcake. Thank you to Tandika Star and DigiScrapDesigner for items used in the creation of this product.





I also have a sweet little freebie for you that coordinates beautifully with this kit. Click on the image below to download.

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I would love to hear your reaction to this kit. Leave me a comment below!

New Kit Release - SHABBY SPRING

First there was Shabby Sage and now there is Shabby Spring!

“Shabby Spring,” by DreamScrapper, is a delightful spring kit, bursting with blooms, shabby papers and elements. Eight richly patterned and textured papers are included in shades of pink, grey, and black. A BONUS set of 5 textured solids is also included. Papers are created at 12" by 12" at 300ppi and saved as high-quality jpg files ensuring excellent print quality. Contained in "Shabby Spring" you will find a charming collection of elements to embellish your pages. You will receive six flowers (three different types with some re-colored flowers), a branch of leaves, a flower embellished envelope tie, three buttons, a flower and leaf cluster, a cardboard bracket frame with layered edges, a round, lace-trimmed frame with flowers, a glittered chipboard flourish, two different folded ribbons, a satin ribbon and bow, a jewellery tag, and brushed pewter fasteners including 4 photo prongs with jewels, 4 photo corners with jewels, paper clip, eyelet, staple and brad with jewel. Some elements come in both shadowed and unshadowed versions. Completing this page kit is a glitter encrusted chipboard alpha, with varying sizes of letters. Alpha has a complete upper set, numerals 0 to 9, as well as 11 other punctuation marks. Alpha is provided as individual letters so you may open only those that you need. If preferred, a single alpha sheet can be provided upon request. 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 Atomic Cupcake.

I also have a sweet little coordinating FREEBIE for you this week! Click on the image to download.

Link has expired.

I would love to hear what you think of this kit . . . drop me a line below!

Digital Doings

The more I see of the products available to digital (and hybrid) scrappers, the more convinced I am how good we have it here on the Internet! The wealth and quality of the products available is overwhelming! I am constantly adding to my Kaboodle list in hopes that one day I may purchase it all!

In a previous post, An Organizing Tip and a Layout, I showcased my layout, Yesteryear. I used several recently purchased products in that one. The border of the layout came from Flergs' fabulous Butterfly Garden. I purchased this set as part of her larger collection, Border Collection, which contains not only the lovely clustered and unclustered leaf borders but also leaf borders with butterflies and individual butterflies and flowers! She also included some nice glitter borders as well.

In addition to Flergs' kits, I utilized some lovely flower doodles from Kate Hadfield available at Catscrap. I had purchased her Winter Flora Doodles for some of my Christmas layouts and just had to have her Spring ones as well! In addition to these, she has released a number of sets of new doodles available at The Lilypad as well as some doodle set collaborations with Jacque Larsen that are also available at The Lilypad. I think that Kate and Jacque's doodles are unique in that they are realistic with just the right amount of "cuteness" that can really add to the effectiveness of your layout!

Not to be left out, I also used a beaded flourish from Jofia Devoe's Swirls Therapy.

Jofia has several other unique products available that can definitely add a special touch to a layout. In my layout, Wheels, I used one of her moth overlays from Ephemerals II.

In Wheels I wanted a different look for this heritage layout of my mother riding her tricycle so I chose a very plain background paper and then converted one photo to a sketch. The other photo is framed with a frame from one of Jen Ulasiewicz's collection of Shabbier Chic Frames. The blue butterfly comes from the Butterfly Garden by Flergs shown earlier.

click image for full credits

One last layout that I finished today utilizes one of Miki Ferkul's latest kits, Maia's Secret. I can't say enough about that kit! The colors are entirely spring-like, the papers are full of wonderful rich textures, and the elements are exquisite! Of course, I had to make use of some glitter from Flergs as well! Miki has another kit just out, Spring Linens, which is equally nice and which I hope to scrap my next layout!

click image for full credits

I hope you have enjoyed both my layouts and my roundup of products out and about in the digi world!