Search
Navigation
Blogroll
Free Updates
|
 Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Digital Inspiration
I love digital layouts! The colors, the way the elements can be layered and the details that can be added to them always amaze me. But, as much as I enjoy looking at them, I just can't create them. I have enough skills to create a hybrid layout here and there, but full fledged digital pages are out of my reach. That doesn't mean I don't use them as inspiration, though. Actually, I have many digital designers whose galleries I often peruse. So, when I decided to look through the Memory Makers gallery to find a layout to lift, I was thrilled to run across this one by Amy Hutchinson, one of my absolute favorite digital girls! Her work is stunning.
I used her design, but changed the theme to a boy page. The flowers became stars and the colors went from bright to drab and shabby. I used chipboard for the swirls, stitched the border and used my Dymo Caption Maker for part of the title. It was really fun trying to figure out how to recreate this page with paper and paste. I have to say, I'm happy with the results. It's called 'S is for Snack' (Journaling says 'Undoubtedly your favorite part of soccer.) I don't think my son would be playing if it weren't for those treats at the end of practice. :)
  
So, if you are a traditional scrapper and you're looking for inspiration, look carefully at a digital page. I'm sure you'll be able to recreate it and make it your own. Thanks, Amy, for creating such a fun page!
~Anabelle
(Supplies:Paper:Me and My big Ideas, Basic Grey, Chipboard: Tim Holtz, Me and My Big Ideas, Making Memories, Transparency: 3M, Stamp: Cornish Heritate Farms, Paint: Delta, Ribbon: May Arts, Ink: Ranger, Sticker: Me and My Big Ideas, Rubons: Doodlebug, Dymo Caption Maker, Floss: DMC ,Glitter: Ranger, Jewels and Felt: Queen and Company, Pens: Uniball, Marvy, Graph Paper)
Anabelle O’Malley
9/30/2008 5:42:14 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
|
|
Monday, September 29, 2008
grids
I hope everyone had a great weekend! I was browsing through the MM gallery and this layout by Ivette Valladares caught my eye, I love clean lines and the grid design on her layout really inspired me, I lifted her use of squares as well as her use of a bold title.
Grids are a great way to use a number of photos as well as bits of a patterned paper that would otherwise be to busy or bold. I also love the versatility of grids, you can use them horizontally or vertically (like I did). You can do any shape or size in your grid as long as the pieces are uniform in size. So the next time you are "stuck" on a page or want to use a number of photos on your layout, try a grid, I know you will love the result! Have a great week! :)
Supplies: Alpha Stickers, American Crafts. Chipboard letters, American Crafts. Date sticker, 7gypsies. Epoxy sticker, Prima. Patterned Paper, Jenni Bowlin, October Afternoon, SassafrasLass. Rub-on, Hambly.
Christine Drumheller
9/29/2008 11:30:27 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Be inspired
I am a quote person. I cannot help but love a good inspirational quip or saying.
I thought I would share some of my favorites with you.
Maybe you can use them on a layout or as inspiration for a layout.
Or maybe they will just make you think a little bit.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Make each day your masterpiece.
-John Wooden
That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.
-Emily Dickinson
The tragedy of life is not so much what we suffer, but rather what we miss.
-Thomas Carlyle
Tomorrow’s life is too late.
Live today.
-Marcus Valerius Martial
Because of our routines we forget that life is an ongoing adventure.
-Maya Angelou
No pessimists ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.
-Hellen Keller
Perform every act in life as though it were your last.
-Marcus Aurelius
If you want to keep your memories, you first have to live them.
-Bob Dylan
Let nothing dim the light that shines from within.
-Maya Angelou
Right now a moment of time is passing by…we must become that moment.
-Paul Cezanne
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I hope your weekend has been great!
gretchen
Gretchen McElveen
9/28/2008 8:29:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
INSPIRED BY YOU
I was searching through the gallery and discovered this cute mini album by Jacqueline Yeo. Such a wonderful tribute to her two little girls.  I loved the scallop shape and the color scheme. I thought it would translate nicely to a greeting card. Below is my scrap lift. I hope you like it, Jacqueline!  I used the DYMO Caption Maker to mimic the ribbon on Jacqueline’s cover. Just choose various shapes on the font wheel with the clear tape, and then back with cardstock. Perfect faux ribbon! The next time you need some inspiration, be sure to check out the gallery. You never know what wonderful creations you will find! Have a great week! Kim (Cardstock: Prism, WorldWin Papers, Crystal: me & my big ideas,
Patterned Paper: Anna Griffin, Punch: EK Success, Ribbon: Offray,
Stickers: American Crafts, Misc: DYMO Caption Maker)
Kim Frantz
9/28/2008 7:25:39 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Friday, September 26, 2008
Reduce - Reuse - Recycle
About a month or so ago I bought my son an Ipod shuffle. The left over packaging just screamed to be re-used so I decided to repurpose the packaging turn it into a little holiday gift box.
I cut patterned paper to fit inside the container. A snug fit along with some vellum adhesive holds the paper in place. Then I wrapped the little box just as if it was a package. I created a tag by mounting a felt accent on cardstock. The DYMO Caption Maker is the perfect topper for this tag. I really like the added images DYMO is offering the "heart" was jsut the perfect touch i wanted to add to my tag.
Supplies Used: Patterned paper (Tinkering Ink), Cardstock (Bazzill), Finery (Tinkering Ink), Ribbon (Making Memories), Eyelets (American Crafts), Stick Pin (Fancy Pants) and DYMO Caption Maker
I hope I have inspired you to look before you throw away you never know what treasures you might be tossing. Have a wonderful crafty weekend friends!
Cheers,
9/26/2008 6:30:48 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Accessorizing Your Photos
Happy Friday! I have a fast and easy project for you today. I know I am always trying to keep current photos of my children in my purse. A quick way to do this is to create a key fob that can be clipped onto a wrislet, wallet or handbag! You will need the following tools and materials to create this accessory:
*Picture
*Glossy Accents
*Glue
*Cardstock
*Xacto Knife
*Sanding Block
*Chipboard Shape
*Puncher
Cut your picture down to size and adhere it to the punch out portion of your chipboard shape. I used a flower but other shapes will work equally as well!
Add a little glue to the adhesive side of the chipboard shape to make sure your photo really adheres. Place your photo on the adhestive surface and flip it over to cut your picture into the chipboard shape.
Once you have your desired shape add the positive chipboard image to the top! Now you have a cute little frame! :) If you like a distress look, sandpaper the edges and add a little ink for definition. To make sure it stays together add cardstock to the back of the entire piece.
Cover your accessory with an glossy medium on the front. Do not shake the bottle as it will add bubbles. You will get some bubbles as it dries which takes about 15 minutes. I added this medium to protect it and give it some shine.
Once your accessory is dry punch the top of it to make a hole for the jump ring. I used a jump ring but you can use whatever you have on hand-ribbon, floss, twine, etc....
Add your new accessory to your favorite handbag, bookbag, laptop, etc! Mine was still a little wet, lol. But it didn't stop Synai from taking it and adding it to her bookbag. :) Now she will always have a little reminder of her brother during the day!
Have a great weekend!
Veronica Jennings
9/26/2008 12:06:54 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Thursday, September 25, 2008
3 Little Photography tools
for under $25.... I am a scrapper who has been bitten by the shutter bug. They just naturally seem to go hand in hand. I love taking pictures, capturing little moments and this beautiful world. While trying to improve my skills, I have found these 3 tools that have made my life a little easier and my photography a little better. - A Tabletop/Mini Tripod
- A Flash Diffuser
- A Camera Remote/trigger
 This tabletop tripod has been a great piece of equipment. I can mount my SLR Digital Camera or my point & shoot camera to it. It provides a steady, stable platform which allows me to get sharper, clearer pictures. It is also great for when you need long exposed shots, like nighttime & birthday pictures. You can find many tabletop/mini tripods for under $20. It is compact, lightweight, and so easy to carry. I have traveled the world with this little guy. There are many different manufactures out there and I suggest you find one that fits your needs and matches your camera, making sure you know how the camera mounts to it. I have been contemplating about upgrading to the Gorillapod for even more flexibility. Plus it doesn't hurt that it comes in bright colors.  Natural light is always best but honestly we can't always shoot pictures in natural light. That is why I love this pop-up flash diffuser. It was recommended to me by my great friend Beth. You will always finding it sitting on top of my camera just in case I need to use my pop-up flash. It takes away the harsh flash light, diffusing and softening the light. Diffusers don't have to be just for SLR cameras. They also make them for point & shoot cameras. I bought this "puffer" for my SLR from Gary Fong. He also sells the " Delta" for point & shoot cameras.  A camera remote is another great tool that allows me to get sharper, clearer pictures. It also permits me to actually be in the picture every now and then. Remotes are camera specific and can be wireless (which is what I have) or cable trigger. I love the convenience of my wireless remote. When I am not using it, it sits on my strap and I barely notice it. But the great thing is that it is there when I need it. Using the remote, I can take either immediate pictures or timed pictures depending on the set up and whether or not I am in the shot. The wireless remote is a simple tool that has really strengthened my photography skills. And yes they do make them for point & shoot cameras! Here are some of my pictures using these tools to help illustrate the usefulness.  A different take on a family shot. Tabletop tripod & wireless remote (it is in my hands)  A night time shot of flowers using my diffuser.  Self portrait using my tabletop tripod and wireless remote  birthday candle pictures using my diffuser  Sunset over the mountains using tripod and wireless remote Love Always.....
Ronda Palazzari
9/25/2008 6:58:54 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Welcoming Fall
Can you believe it? Fall is here! I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that it's nearly October, the leaves are changing and the weather is getting cooler. We're taking advantage of the beautiful weather by being outside more. I took the girls out the other day and they had a blast finding leaves that had changed into the beautiful colors of Fall. I couldn't resist snapping photos and I can't wait to scrap the ones that I got:
 
Of course this also got me searching for some new scrapbooking papers with beautiful Fall colors and themes. I couldn't believe all of the gorgeous new products that are out there! Some of my favorites were:
Fancy Pants All Fall Collection
Cosmo Cricket Mr. Campy Collection
Scribble Scrabble Autumn Afternoon Collection
Basic Grey Offbeat Collection
I challenge you to snap some photos of the changing season and scrap them! Take the kids on a treasure hunt for leaves and other signs of Fall and scrap about what you found!
Warmest Wishes,
Jaime Warren
Jaime Warren
9/25/2008 6:17:40 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Dymo Caption Maker is a Must Have!
I loved working with the Dymo Caption Maker over the last week. My favorite new tape is of course the clear. I am a huge fan of word strips on layouts. The Caption Maker now allows me to create strips without having to use my printer. The clear tape layered over cardstock gives that great white color to journaling that we all love. I especially like using the tapes on my ghost shapes and alphabets. The tape edges disappear leaving a look of words embossed right on the plastic. Here is a layout I created using the caption maker. The layout is my daughter Belle's first photo at the age of 6. I make sure to make a layout for her first photo of each year. Supplies will be noted below. Enjoy! Love, Melissa
  Supplies: Pattern paper (Bo Bunny, Crate Paper, Ki Memories), Chipboard (Crate Paper), Die Cuts(Crate Paper), Felt flowers (Ki Memories), Ghost Flowers (Heidi Swapp)
Melissa Blair
9/24/2008 1:03:40 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
More Dymo Tips
Hi, this is Anabelle. Have you noticed a trend here? I'm also sharing some fun tips for using the Dymo Caption maker. I had a lot of fun with it. Here is a card that I made using it. I decided to try and think outside of the box a bit. Since paper piecings are making a comeback, I thought I'd use the Dymo to help me make one. I punched the sun/flower symbols onto clear tape. Then, I adhered them to yellow paper. I cut the strips to create the rays on the sun.
Then, I decided to make my own mini-alpha stickers. This was so quick and easy. I'll be doing it a lot! All I did was punch out my sentiment leaving spaces between the letters. I peeled off the paper (be sure to do this FIRST) and then cut the letters apart. I even added a little heart.
So, here is my finished product. Thanks to the help of the Dymo Caption maker, I have a quick and easy card.
Thanks for stopping by!
(Cardstock:Die Cuts With a View, Glittered Cardstock: Doodlebug, Caption Maker: Dymo, Tape: Dymo, Paper Frills: Doodlebug, Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket, Gems: Darice)
Anabelle O’Malley
9/23/2008 6:07:52 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Colors in Photos
In knowing that many of you blog readers don't consider yourself "digital" scrappers, I have a couple of questions... Do you ever use the computer in one way, shape or form in your craft? Do you print your photos? Do you edit your photos? Do you scan old photos? If you do any of these things, you ARE actually dabbling in hybrid scrapping, believe it or not! If you can edit a photo on the computer, you can digitally scrap. Part of digital scrapping is manipulating elements, whether photos, flowers, brads, whatever, in an editing program. Along these lines, how about a little example of what you can do with a photo and selective coloring in a photo editing program such as Photoshop.... Notice the subtle change but the effect is has on the final layout below. In order to achieve this effect, there are only a few simple steps (and this is not the only way to get to this point as there are always a couple of different ways to get to the finished product). After the photo is open, use either the color selector tool or the selection tool to select (get marching ants around) the area on the photo of which you want to change the color. You can adjust the color tolerance so that more or less of the original color is selected to make sure you have smooth edges. After you have the area selected with marching ants, you can play around with levels, contract, saturation and more to get whatever look you're striving for. In this case, I simply converted the selected area to black and white. Credits: Papers, elements by Amy Wolff & Michelle Godin Garden of Whimsy, www.the-lilypad.com; Mat by Amy Wolff Fancy Cuts 3, www.the-lilypad.com; Stitching by Syrin www.catscrap.com; Glue by Jenn Patrick Glue Blobs; Font is Pea Daisy Doodles
If you'd like more detailed instructions, feel free to contact me any time with this or any other digital question. I will always do my best to answer or get you to someone who can. :)
Amy Martin
9/23/2008 11:37:10 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
IN OUR EYES
I just got back from a relaxing weekend at the beach. A well-needed vacation with family. The weather was warm, the breeze was constant, and the laughter went late into the night. When my husband and I walked into the beach house my parent’s were renting for 2 weeks, I saw an array of sea shells lined up on the fireplace hearth. I walked over to take a closer look. My Mom said she was collecting them for Maddie (her granddaughter, my niece.) Her plan was to gather a new shell each day, take a photograph, and then make a scrapbook. I thought that was such a wonderful idea. At this point, my Mom had collected a week’s worth of shells. She knew I would be on board to help with the photography. We placed each shell in a plastic bag, labeled them with their corresponding day, and headed to the sand and surf. With bags in hand, we started walking around the beach. Sand dunes and sea grass provided the perfect backdrop for the first shell. We decided to both take photographs so there would be plenty to choose from for the scrapbook. We finished photographing the remainder of the shells in different settings, gathered up our belongings, and rushed back to the house to see how we did. As we pulled up the photographs on the laptop screen, one thought kept running through my mind. It was so neat to see how we individually interpreted each scene. We both looked at the same shells, yet saw something different. Below are two photographs of one day’s shells and stones collected from Cape May, NJ. The first is what my Mom saw in her eyes, the second is what I saw in my eyes. Different points of view, two unique compositions, both beautiful. If there are several photographers in your family, this might be a fun exercise the next time everyone is together. The results would make a great layout, mini book, or photo collage on the wall. Have a great week! Kim  
Kim Frantz
9/23/2008 12:26:36 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
|