Creative Prompt: I Am.

Interpret this prompt any way you wish. You might want to share your different roles (mother, sister, best friend … ), what you’re doing on a particular day (a slice-of-life focus), how you’re feeling when creating the page, plans for your future, etc.



i am (becoming more me every day)

supplies: Adhesive (Tombow) • Acrylic accents, paint (Making Memories) • Chipboard, button, rubber photo corners (KI Memories) • Letter stickers (KI Memories, Making Memories) • Patterned paper (K&Co.) • Pen (American Crafts) • Stamp (7gypsies) • Text card (Moo) • Misc.: date stamp, ink, staple

For my I Am page, I chose to focus on the ways we’re always changing and growing. My journaling shares some areas of growth in my life at the moment, such as making time for one of my hobbies (creative writing) by joining a writing group and reaching out to my community by searching for volunteer opportunities. Instead of keeping my journaling together in one block, I broke it up by writing on the following surfaces: on chipboard accents, directly on the patterned paper and inside a journaling block stamp.

Additional notes about my page:

• I used products from more than five manufacturers (which is the June Master's Challenge prompt). And even though the month of June is quickly coming to a close, check out the thread in the forum for inspiration and to share your own layout that showcases products from five or more manufacturers.

• To make the second part of my title stand out (the word becoming), I painted on the patterned paper and outlined and doodled on my letter stickers.

If you take part in this creative prompt, please post your layouts in our Online Idea Gallery. (Be sure to specify that you participated in this prompt.) I can't wait to see what you come up with and how you interpret the theme I Am.

All the best,

Katie

July/August Recap

Hello everyone, it’s time for another issue recap. So without further ado:

Cover: This cover just feels like summer to me (my second-favorite season). Love the grass and tall pitcher of lemonade. And Master ’07 Katrina Simeck’s Summertime layout is bright and vibrant.

We’ve had a few requests for the Summertime supply list, so here it is:

summertime
by Katrina Simeck
Colchester, Vermont
 
supplies: Adhesive (SCRAPBOOK ADHESIVES BY 3L) • Brads (Making Memories) •
Cardstock (Bazzill, Die Cuts With A View, WorldWin) • Die-cutting system
(QuicKutz) • Flowers (American Crafts) • Patterned paper (BoBunny) • Pens
(Sharpie)

Pg. 2
Looking for a cute way to document your summer memories? Check out this issue’s Journaling Spot.

Pg. 8: WEB EXCLUSIVES (Don’t have the magazine at your fingertips? I’ve included the links below. Enjoy!)

-We’ve got another irresistible FREE digital kit from Michelle Coleman. Click here to download her Bohemian Summer kit.

-What’s your favorite journaling tool? Click here to share.
(Pg. 40 Find out how to record authentic journaling on your layouts in the Beyond the Obvious feature by Contributing Editor Courtney Walsh.)

-Learn how to combine themed embellishments with a basic collection of patterned papers to create a fun, trendy look in this Web exclusive from Hot Off The Press Designer Laura Nicholas.

-Discover easy-to-learn digital skills to create your own patterned paper. Click here. (Tip: You can use your NEW Bohemian Summer kit. See above for details on where to download the kit.)

-Click here to see inspiring summer photos from Contributing Editor Laura Oles. (Pg. 20: Give your own summer photos a boost using Laura’s tips for capturing sunsets, using white-balance basics and shooting blurred-action photos in this issue's Focus on Images column, 3 Steps to Sensation Summer Snapshots.)

(I love Vita Thai’s Mum’s Advice No. 289 layout. Currently, one of my favorite hybrid techniques is printing text on photos. It’s so easy! Want another example? Click here. (Scroll down to see the layout.) Also, please note that the giveaway mentioned in this blog entry is over.)

Pg. 22
This month’s True Colors column is dedicated to monochromatic color palettes. (Kari Hansen’s Ode to Flylady layout uses variations of one of my favorite colors: purple. Challenge: Read Kari’s tips and create a monochromatic layout of your own that showcases one of your favorite colors. Share them here.

Pg. 44
Traveling this summer? Check out the Wanderlust Revealed feature.

Sneak Peek:

Tip #9—Save maps. In whole or in part, they’ll add a unique touch to your layouts later.

(Idea: I recently incorporated a map on a collage I created (see below). To capture a textured, collage-like look on a layout, you can use the same technique I did. 


 


Here’s how: Adhere your piece of map using gel medium. Use Vaseline on the places you’d like the map to show through. Then, paint over the entire map surface with acrylic paint. When the paint dries, you will be able to wipe away the areas you covered in Vaseline, revealing sections of your map.)

Page 50 to 72
You’ve got to check out all of the incredibly inspiring reader layouts we have in this month’s galleries: It’s A Guy Thing and Reader Idea Gallery!

As always, please leave comments and let us know what you thought about this issue. We truly enjoy hearing your thoughts/suggestions/ideas.

This weekend, I’m off to my sister’s high school graduation and party. If you have suggestions for documenting graduations/parties, I’d love to hear them. Click here to share your ideas.

Wishing you a wonderful rest of the week,

Katie

Supplies:
All patterned paper and embellishments were from the Noteworthy line.
Adhesives: Tombow
Pen: EK Success

Create something. Inspire everyone.
GinaMarie

On an earlier entry, I posted this creative prompt in response to a question posed by one of our forum members.

The creative prompt of the week is use a tool that you own, but have never used more than a handful of times.

This is the layout I created based on the prompt. I used our Cricut machine in the office, because I had never tried to use it before. We just recently received some of the new cartridges from Provo Craft, so I busted it out and used the Street Sign cartridge to cut out the word wish and the arrows. I love this new font, and I could see myself using the arrows on a lot of my pages. Click, here, to see what others have created with their "new" tools, and join in the forum fun!

I used a simple painting techinque on this page and carried it through each element. I used a foam make-up applicator and brushed the paint on the edges and the places where I wanted the journaling stickers to go. I also brushed some paint over the wish word and the arrow to give them some more dimension. I liked using the foam make-up applicator because it gave me more control than a bulky foam brush.

I wanted to create a background for my photo with a certain amount of significance. In Photoshop Elements, I typed a passage from the Bible to use as my background and then placed a digital overlay and my photo on top of the text. I also included a digital piece of paper for my journaling spot.

After I printed the 8x9 digital layout, I placed it on a 12x12 piece of patterned paper and added the title, handwritten journaling and other embellishments to complete the hybrid look. For another hybrid idea, check out Master ’08 Iris’s blog, here.

Have you ventured into the hybrid world, yet? Click, here, to take a quick poll and let us know what you think about hybrid scrapbooking.




Create something. Inspire everyone.
GinaMarie
 
Supplies:
Glitz Design: Digital frames, overlay
Cosmo Cricket: Blackboard letters, patterned paper, ribbon
EK Success: Pen
Image-editing software: Photoshop Elements, Picnik
Tombow: Adhesive
UGlu: All-purpose adhesive
Misc: Brad, buttons, clip, metal plate

My scrappin' sisters! Where are you? I haven't seen one layout posted to our current creativity challenge and I want to give away a copy of We Dare You from Memory Makers Books! (That's a $22.99 book for FREE if you win!)

This week’s challenge goes like this:
1.    Create a 1-page layout with the title An Attitude of Gratitude
2.    Include at least three different photos
3.    Use autumn colors as your palette (Autumn began Sunday 9/23) as your palette
4.    Include two different embellishments

Deadline for submission is midnight Thursday 10/4/07.

Go to the Gratitude Challenge thread and post your pages in response to this challenge. See you in the forum!

Here's my response to the challenge below. These beautiful people are: (l to r) my future son-in-law James, my sister Cathy and my daughter Megan.