It's April--No Fooling!

Welcome to a brand new month!  I always love the first day of the month when I can tuck in and read through our brand new mags.  There is always such inspiration to be found in the talents of our writers and the many artists who contribute every month.

Take a peek into our April ScrapStreet.com Magazine Issue:

And then wander through our GingerScrapsStreet April Issue:

Make time to play with the gorgeous freebie from talented designer, Valarie Ostrom.  It is just simply gorgeous!  I know you will have as much fun playing with it as I did.

Downloads:  {paper}  {alpha}  {elements}

Thanks so much for stopping in!  We hope you start your April off with plenty of scrapping mojo after a trip through our pages.

Wednesday freebie

Welcome to our Wednesday freebie. A quick post today as I am super busy. We have a teeny minikit just right for scrapping the everyday.

Link expired. Enjoy your scrapping.

The Little Things

Hi everyone!

It's the end of March already which means you have just a few days to submit to our current call for submissions.  Get those projects in!  I have a feeling it's going to be a great issue. :)

I wanted to take a moment and talk about the little things you can add to your layouts to jack them up a bit.  While I still don't know how to describe my scrapbooking style, I do know that I'm attracted to good composition, clean lines and structured design with a few "wow" factors.  The word "wow" can be used loosely.  That doesn't mean I actually say the word "WOW" but it just means there are some little things make me go... huh!

This layout was one I created for a recent challenge on the Lily Bee Design blog.  We were so fortunate to feature Lily Bee back on our August 2010 issue.  It was then that I fell in love with their product. So, naturally, I had to participate in the challenge using some of my stash but what intrigued me the most was it was about handmade embellishments.  I love doing that!  Why? Because it's economically friendly. And you are guaranteed to have embellishment that go with your product.

Cute photo, right? I'm the one in the pig tails. The little rosettes were my handmade embellishment that were cut with my Silhouette SD first. (I love my Silhouette!)

In constructing this layout I wanted to focus on some little details. I decided to spritz the cardstock base with some mist.  Not normally my style but, to along with the photo, I wanted something playful. I messed up when applying the rub-ons to that block (another handmade embellishment) but left it.  Sometimes our boo boo's end up kind of cool.

Then the fun begins.  I add my embellishments but think of those little things to complete it.  To add that little sparkly or colorful touch.  For this layout is the bling brad on top of the rose ribbon and the little pearls.

I guess my advice to you in this post is to sit back and look at your layout when you're done.  What else could you add to finish it off? Maybe a little drop of Liquid Pearls or a few pieces of bling.  Maybe some doodling or a splash of paint.  Or if you like it the way it is, then that works too!  Happy Creating!

Melissa

Supplies used for this layout: Paper, rub-ons: Lily Bee Design, Cardstock: Core'dinations, Alphabet: Basic Grey, Bling, pearls: Prima Marketing, Brad: Pink Paislee, Rosette ribbon: American Crafts, Ticket: Not sure... anyone know???, Mist: Smooch Spritz, Tool: Electronic Cutter: Silhouette SD (Shape: 3d_floral)

Be Inspired by April in Paris

Hi, it's Julie Ann here with some spring inspiration. Coming up in our April Issue of GingerScrapStreet Magazine, my article will feature projects on the theme of April in Paris. Here is a storyboard of inspiring Paris photos for you to enjoy by in the meantime!

1. L'Artiste, 2. Monet's Roses, 3. Monet's Garden in Giverny, France - The Pond (V), 4. A, 5. Clock #2 Musee d'Orsay Paris (2005), 6. Fancy Sign, 7. Lovely French Postcards, 8. Metropolitain., 9. Paris Kiss 2, 10. Psyche Revived By Cupid's Kiss, Paris, France, 11. France - Paris - Louvre - Kissing Couple, 12. Ile de Re, Holiday Romance, White-spotted Bluethroat, 13. monet's window, 14. Monet Waterlilies, 15. Sunday morning at the Champ de Mars, 16. The Cloisters, Paradise Island, Bahamas, 17. Le hameau de la Reine Marie-Antoinette..., 18. April break, Paris, Ladurée, quartier Madeleine, 19. French break, Toulouse, 19.04.08, 20. Marie Antoinette's Bath, 21. IMG_3240.JPG, 22. Cherub Planter, 23. Versailles Gardens, from the queen's apartment (?), 24. La Concorde et La Madeleine, 25. Bienvenue à la Tour Eiffel - Torre Eiffel - Eiffel Tower - 巴黎鐵塔 (Paris, France)

Happy Hump Day--Freebie!

Howdy all!  How is your mid week treating you?  I am looking out the window watching the crazy Chicago weather.  We have had 70 degrees, rain, sleet, and snow all rolled into 3 days.  Insanity!

Last week I was on "spring" break (we midwestern college folks use that term very loosely) which usually amounts to spring cleaning week for me.  My kids have a different schedule and I am not the type to pull them out of school to race off to a tropical location--though it was tempting!

First up on my cleaning list was the mudroom.  Although (looks out window in disgust) we still get snow in March and even April, it wont be the heavy snow pants type.  I cleared out all of the serious winter gear and broke out the lighter jackets and rain gear.  As I was sorting, I noticed just how into hats my kids are.  We have winter hats, ball caps, cowboy hats, holiday hats, silly hats, stylish hats--the list goes on and on.

It is completely my fault.  See, when my daughter was born she was completely bald.  She could have doubled as Mr. Clean's love child.  And she stayed that way until after her SECOND birthday.  Just a little soft blond fuzz.  What is a mom to do?  Buy hats!

After looking at the collection, I was inspired to make a little mini kit to share.  Maybe I am not the only one that has a bunch of pictures of kids in happening hats. Hat's Off to all of you!

Downloads:  {papers}     {elements}   Live for one week! 

Please understand that this kit is for you to download and enjoy.  As with all of our freebies, you may NOT upload them and post them in any other location.  I know it seems horrible that I have to type this, but our site is being pirated with each freebie we post.  Please download with respect.  Thanks. 

Storing your Digital Stash on your PC

Hi, this is Jodi here

Story Writer for Gungerscrapstreet.

I was thinking of something to blog about today which lead me to think about the ways that my storage of digital elements has changed in the few months since I've been doing Digital Layouts,

So i thought i would share it with you....

Maybe you might be able to pick something up??

I have a PC, Im not sure what the MAC systems have, 

so everything i refer to it will be in reference to the PC System.

WOW, cant your digital bits and pieces add up?

I was wondering why my images were having trouble opening until i saw the size of the folders on my PC!!

Oh My Goodness!!!

"LOVE"

(This is one of my first Digi layouts using Free Digi Downloads)

So to save on space, i have had to start looking at how i am storing my digital items.

At first i used to download kits and drag and drop items into separate files sorted into categories

such as papers, ribbon, flowers, embellishments etc.

And then i started having my items published and the details of the 

designers were lost during this whole process!!

Ekk! I didn't even consider that!!!

"Snow Fairy"

(This was last months Gingerscrapstreet Free Download)

Then i started downloading more and more digital elements 

and trying to find actual items started to get time consuming.  

As I became more aware of Digital Scrapping and following different designers,

i found it was easier to save items in Kit form with the name of the kit and the designer!
This made it so much easier to identify different items when it comes to naming the designers.

Incidently, this is the same way I store my traditional scrapbooking items.

In bags by Kit and Manufacturer.

Another thing i have done recently to address the increasing size of my digital stash, 

was to purchase a separate hard drive just for digital elements.

Its 2 Tegabites (Which is like really big!!)

and cost about $100 (AUD)

But now all my digital elements are saved onto that hard drive

in folders under the name of the kit and Designer.

"You are Amazing"

(This was one of my first purchased kits)

The upside, is that when the computer gets a bug, it cant get into this external hard drive

and if i go anywhere, all i need to take with me is my laptop

and the external hard drive

and i can scrap on the go!!!

Yay!

Hope this post might help someone that is thinking about this area.

Dont forget to stop by my blog

Making Notepads: Paper Source tut

Hello!
It's Sara, aka Scrapping All The Way, and I've got my favorite homemade notepad tut, from Paper Source:

If you want to personalize your notepads, create a fun graphic (a photo or a cute element) and print it on the paper before creating the notepad. These make wonderful gifts!

OR, if you're like me and not super good with printers, just create a small (3.75" x 3.75") or a large (4.125" x 5.5") notepad at artscow.

And then use your new notepad to write an actual handwritten note to a friend, family member, or anyone else who needs a note of encouragement!

Cheers,
Sara

Is Journaling A Thorn In Your Side?!

Since I started scrapbooking way back when I have always been a journaler, a story teller. Whenever I'm asked how I start a page, it's always with the story and the photo(s). I normally have no idea what type of design it will take on, but I definitely know what I want to convey in the layout. I'm certainly not the best story teller out there, but I try to do my best because I know that's what my kids and family want to see. The pretty papers and embellishments just make it prettier for them to read it!

I hear scrappers say quite often that that is their downfall. They can get the design, paper and photo placement done in no time, but sit and sit when it's time to write the journaling for the layout. So I thought I would bring you some tips on what I do to ease this along.

*I keep a notebook with me a lot. No, not all the time, but I have various notebooks throughout my house and often in my car too. That way, if something comes to me I can write it down right them, otherwise mommy brain takes over and out the head it goes! I write down everything from a page idea, fun quotes from my kids, or random family stories that I suddenly remember.

*I look online for prompts too. One place I love (I'm biased) is Scrapbooking From The Inside Out where you can find a new emotion to explore every month. Sometimes I take the emotion and use it as it's obvious meaning and make a page from that:

The emotion for February was Vulnerable and what first popped into my head was my daughter and the fact that her personality type makes her vulnerable to all kinds of anxieties and issues.

Whereas in this layout I took a fun approach to vulnerable and journaled about my weaknesses.

You can find prompts all over the scrapbook world in online classes, online challenge blogs, kit club challenges, etc. Those can be a great jumping off point and give many different ideas.

*I almost always make room in my designs for journaling, whether it's an entire block, a place for strips of paper or journaling along the outside of the photos and/or layout. I treat it as a photo placement and that way I know I'll have room for more than just a sentence or two. I also always write in pencil first then go back over it in pen. This has proven very necessary in journaling past! If I do computer journaling it is printed off at least once on scrap paper before printing it off on patterned paper or cardstock.

*Finally, look at your photos in non-traditional ways and go beyond the who, what, when, where. In the photo/layout below it would have been very easy for me just to describe that we were at our family house in the mountains, enjoying a cool summer day and the girls actually posed for a photo. Instead, I journaled and made a layout about our decision to have only 2 children and their need to be good to one another and value each other. Go beyond what you visually see in the photo and journal what you feel or what you think of when you look at it.


*As you can see I make layouts about the good, the bad and the ugly. Very, very few things, if any, are off limits when I sit down to make a page. I know not everyone is comfortable putting those emotions and possible struggles out there on a page for themselves or even the scrapping world to see and that's ok. I know that my life is anything but rainbows, puppies and roses, so I go for it all. I want my children to read that I struggle with things in my life too and worry about things. I just pretend in real life to have all the answers!!

Now, I send you out to journal and write, write, write!!! After a while the story telling will be fun and your family will love remembering all the fun and quirky stories your family holds!

Krafty Freebie

Ready for another freebie? This week we have a fun little Kraft Mini Kit with some bright, cheerful designs and the typical kraft stripe.


Link expired.

Get Well

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Scrapstreet Features Writer, Aymee Gandy, here with you on this beautiful day to share a card I have made. Have you ever flipped through your card box and found that you were missing cards for certain occasions? I did this recently and I noticed how I had a million 'Thank You' cards and absolutely no 'Get Well' cards. I knew I had to remedy the situation. To me, you always need to have cards like these on hand. You never know when a friend or loved one may fall ill or have to go in for a procedure. In times like these, I always make sure to send a card out to brighten their day and let them know I am thinking of them. If possible, I like to add a bit of humor to my 'Get Well' cards. I mean, who doesn't need a smile on those days? So here is what I came up with...

'Get Well'

Supplies:

Paper: Scenic Route

Cardstock: The Paper Studio, Bazzill Basics Paper, Core'dinations

Alphabet: American Crafts

Rhinestones: Queen & Co.

Twine: Divine Twine

Ribbon: Ribbon FX (Hobby Lobby)

Adhesive: Helmar

Electronic Cutter: Cricut (Provo Craft)

Electronic Software: Sure Cuts A Lot (Craft Edge)

SVG's: My Scrap Chick

Embossing Machine, Embossing Folders: Cuttlebug (Provo Craft)

This card was inspired by the 'Bear Behind' svg file that I purchased at  My Scrap Chick. These are for use with the Sure Cuts A Lot software, which I adore. I hope this card will make the recipient smile!

I just loved the little 'bear behind'...

Added extra dimension with my ribbon and pop dots to pop up my bear...

Thanks for looking! Have a fabulous day!

Happy Scrappin'!

Multi-Photo Mayhem

Hi everyone Casey here with some more information on multi-photo layouts.  In case you have not read my GSS article this month you can catch it here.  It gives inspiration and tips on creating multi-photo layouts.  I wanted to take this chance to showcase several template designers that I love and how there products can help guide you through Multi-Photo Mayhem!

First off one of my favorite template designers...Yin from Simply Yin. Her templates are always so well thought out and allow you to incorporate lots of photos for maximum punch!  Take a look at one of my latest layouts using her Template 219.  Be sure to check out all of the oodles of freebies that Yin has on her blog!!!  Oh and she has lots of great template packs in her blog store too!

Next up in my go to list of multi-photo template designers is ChrissyW Digital. Chrissy creates simple symmetrical templates and funky asymmetrical designs too!  Some of my favorites are her Gridz pack!  Also keep check on Chrissy's blog for great freebies too!  This layout is one of my favorites because it shows off my little one's shoe style...she loves shoes.  Well, she does not love wearing them but she does love playing with them!

OK now lets talk about Manda Girl!  She also creates versatile templates that help you create mulit-photo layouts that are Wow!  Be sure to keep up with her blog for great freebies and inspiration. I used one of her blog freebies to create this layout...yes I said free;)  I broke this up into two pieces so you all could see how the journaling flows with the photos.

So now you have three great resources of templates, tons of freebies to get started and hopefully a little inspiration...so what are you waiting for...get scrapping!  I hope you and yours have a great rest of the week!!

Cupcake Topper Tut!

Hello, it's Sara with a quick post. I'm sick and my husband caught it from me, and it now appears our daughter is sick, too. :( So this is just a quick little post to tell you to hop on over to my blog for a tutorial on making cupcake toppers! It's my first-ever hybrid project, and I'm quite proud. I'm not a hybrid gal, but I am a cupcake gal! I used the new kit Amused by Ellie Lash, but really you could use any word art atop any circular element (or square, or other "easy to cut out" shape would work).

Have a great weekend and happy scrapping (or hybrid-ing!)

Photo Taking Tips with a Guest

Hi everyone!

Melissa here with a fun and hopefully helpful post for you.  I've got a friend helping me today. His name is Marco and he is pretty adorable.  But let me first tell you what my post is about today and then I'll let you see his face.

We get lots of submissions here at ScrapStreet with talented designers, such as yourself, that want to be published.  One of the things that magazine staff look for is a well taken photo.  Not only does it help us see your project well but getting into the habit of taking good photos is just something we should all work on.  And when you get one of those wonderful project acceptance emails, we want your project to look absolutely beautiful.

So I thought I would share with you some tips and tricks in taking photos of your projects for submission and also just in general to post on your blogs and in galleries.  Now let me just bring Marco into this now because sometimes we have a "helper" who just can't stand not being the center of attention.

Isn't he cute?  Poor Marco.  He would be our lovely Mich's doggy.  I couldn't help but share this photo with you all as she was trying to take a photo of a card for an upcoming article.  While most of it is blurred I thought you might like the sneak beyond Marco's snout.  Also, I can't really help you when your animal wants to get in the photo anyway.

Okay.  Now let's get to business.

First of all.. everything I'm sharing is done with my little point and shoot digital camera. I am not rich enough to have one of those fancy DSLR's although, I would LOVE to have one someday. Not just for photographing projects but just photo taking in general. So you don't have to have anything fancy to take good photos. You just need to know your camera.

1. Lighting. It is best to take photos of projects in natural daylight but we all the know the reality of this time of year. It's at a premium and when it is there, it's either too windy or too snowy or too something. I relish in my Summer time! So if you take photos inside, find some good lighting. I have two Ott Lites. But you can use any type of "daylight" type lamp.

A note about outside though: Don't use direct sunlight as this will create harsh shadows. It's best in the shade or on a cloudy day.

2. Focus and such. Here's the fun part. On my camera, I use the Aperture setting. Usually it's indicated by an A on point and shoots. Typically on any Aperture menu you will see an 'f' with numbers by it, a box with a +/- and a number and then ISO with a number. Each of this is adjustable while in Aperture mode. Here are the things to know about each.

'f' captures light. The lower the number the more light it will capture. So it's best to have it on a low number while photographing indoors. I have mine on it's lowest setting which is 2.8 on my camera.

+/- adjusts the Brightness. Kind of like when you edit the brightness in a photo editing software, you can do that on the camera. I rarely mess with this one. So I leave it at 0.0

For ISO, this is something you would change depending on the lighting in the room. Mine is always kept at about 100. For anything else, you can make the number go higher if the lighting is low but just know that your photo will be grainier. Some photo editing programs will allow you to adjust the "noise" of your photo but I recommend not messing with it when taking a project photo.

The other item you will want to adjust is the macro setting. My camera has the macro button on top. Next to the button is a flower and a mountain. The flower is the one you want... that is the macro. The mountain you would use for distant scenery.

3. Flash. NO flash. That is all.

4. Background. It's best to take photos of your projects with a plain background. That way your project will pop without any distractions. I have two white 12x12 pieces of paper that I prop for my cards. Then I take my two Ott lites and shine one on the background paper and the other on the project.

5. Take several photos. This is good to do. Experiment. Take them from slightly different angles. Farther away. Closer, etc. Then bring them up in your photo editing software.

6. Editing. There is always something to fix. I use Picasa and Picnik. I usually crop first, adjust lighting a bit, sharpness, sometimes contrast and brightness depending the lighting and then bring it up in Picnik to resize. Photos seem to appear better on blogs at about 600 to 800 pixels. 

Here is an example of how editing can change your world.  Here is a before and after photo of a card I recently made:

Before

After

I hope that these little tips have helped you with your photo taking!  Layouts... well... there are more tips for that but we'll just talk about cards for this post! And if you have any other tips, let us know!  Share your expertise with us. :)

And while we're talking cards make sure you check out the current Card Corner article.  We are featuring Good Luck cards and then mosey over to the Current Calls!  We're looking for manly cards! :)

hugs,
Melissa

Wednesday with lots of freebies

Welcome everyone! A new month and a beautiful new kit on the blog. My Inner Bliss is by Aimee Harrison Designs and was created especially for us as our free kit for March. Aimee is our March Discovery Designer in the GingerScrapStreet magazine, you can find out about her here.


So grab your free copy for this month here or on the sidebar to the right and find your inner spirit while scrapping.

To co-ordinate with Aimee's pretty kit we also have a free alpha for you!


You can find that here for a week. Enjoy and please show us your creations and check out our calls.

WHoooooooo......Loves Sentiments, Owls, and A FREE stamp set??

Yoo--hooo!!! Hi everyone! K Andrew here staff writer for Crossroads Cafe, a regular feature in GingerScrapStreet magazine! I'm also a HUGE cricut blogger and I LOVE anything to do with the cricut and paper crafting!
psssst.....Did I also mention I absolutely LOVE owls?!

In fact, my entire craft room is decorated with these wonderful birds, and I love to make lots of owl projects.
See a pic of my room above--hoot-a-licious!

Hoooo-Ray...you can imagine my excitement when I saw these sentiment stamps from My Pink Stamper called Tweetie Hoo Puns. I ordered these adorable sentiment stamps from Memory Miser.
Whooo gives a Hoot..... Have a hard time finding the right sentiment? If so, do I have a great treat for you!
I find these sentiment stamps are often a great springboard for my projects! Most of the stamps match cricut cartridges--so it's foolproof--something I really appreciate as a mother of two busy little boys!

WHOOOOOO loves a **GIVEAWAY**??????
 I love these stamps so much that I would love to give one of you a set of  Tweetie Hoo Puns, shown above. Just leave me a comment about how you would use these stamps! I'll draw a winner Thursday on March 3'rd...I'll announce it on my blog so make sure you pop by my blog Getting Cricky to find out if you won Thursday!

Whooo would like to be published in GingerScrapStreet's May Edition???????
I wanted to share a few of my Owl projects with you, and then invite you to submit your Owl projects to me. Did you know I'm having a Submission Call right now featuring OWLS for the May edition?? Just email me your "Owlish' project to kristalstamper@yahoo.com as soon as possible!

Thank-hoooo for joining our "owlsome" blog today and everyone here at ScrapStreet hopes you have a Scrappy Hoot-a-riffic Day!
We would LOVE for you to follow the ScrapStreet blog--making our scrappy hearts complete!

Big Owl Hoots & Smooches from your favorite "Cricky Girl",

K Andrew of Getting Cricky

Visit my blog for more Cricut and Owl foolishness!