Happy November!

Are you ready for the holiday season?  When do you officially count the start?  I used to think it began with Thanksgiving, but as the season got busier and busier I changed my mind.  Now, Halloween kicks off the season for me.  The bonus is I can start it with plenty of chocolate on hand.

Check out this treat!  This gorgeous kit by the amazing KimB Designs is all yours for free this month.  Aptly titled Rejuvination, it is a mini spa treatment just right for soothing your holiday season stress away.  For more of Kim's kits, check out her KimB's Designs.  And make sure you peek closely at her header--it totally makes me grin. 

Downloads:  {total}
Please respect this generous gift and do not upload/share this kit.  Friends are welcome to download it here for the next month.  Thank you!

Ready for more?  We have the latest issue of GingerScrapsStreet Magazine for you!  This issue offers ideas for tapping into the crafty goddess within.  We hope you enjoy!

Feeling inspired to scrap?  Check out our current calls HERE.

Have a most awesome November!

Time for MASKS!

It is almost “Trick or Treat” time – so let’s talk about MASKS!!  I’m not talking about trick or treat masks though … I’m a 100% digi-gal, and today am going to share with you how I use clipping masks (I use Corel PSP, but this would be the same premise if you are using other software).

The photo of my aunt and uncle on this layout is very formal, as is the flower cluster, the metal elements and the ribbon.  Adding the mask to the background papers for this layout gave the page a bit of aged look to match the frame.  I placed the mask on top of the burgundy colored background to help bring out the coloring of the flowers as well as the red tones in the frame.  

(Digital Supplies:  Kits –Refined Sentiment by Lauren Bavin and Maskee Page Sized Clipping Masks Set 6 by Marcee Duggar, Digital Scrapbook Place http://blog.dsp.me/

Software:  Corel PSP X2)

Here is a page I created using a photo of our beautiful daughter in law – I felt that the colors of the elements worked well with the photo, however, the page seemed a bit washed out. 

You can see that by adding a mask on the top of yellow background paper (over the bright orange paper) made all of the colors in the photo and the elements to pop right off of the page. 

Digital Supplies:  Kits –Merriment by Mandy King http://mybagofscraps.com/ and Maskee Large Quick Bits Set 2 by Marcee Duggar, Digital Scrapbook Place http://blog.dsp.me/

Software:  Corel PSP X2 – Font:  Pea Missy)

Masks can also be used on photos as well, like I did in this layout.  After applying the mask to the photo, I placed it on top of the background paper layer.  I wanted the large masked photo to be the center of attention on the page, but didn’t want many sharp lines on the page – and the mask was a perfect way to create the softness I was looking for.

(Digital Supplies:  Kits – Hydrangea Valley XL Value Collection designed by Meryl Bartho and Maskee Large Quick Bits by Marcee Duggar, Digital Scrapbook Place http://blog.dsp.me/

Software:  Corel PSP X2 – Font:  Veranda)

Many online scrapbook stores sell masks; they come in oodles of shapes and sizes.  Once you become familiar with how to apply them with your software, the sky is really the limit to how you can use them!  Go ahead, try using a mask today!

Happy Halloween with LYB

I made this Halloween Album using all LYB Booville halloween collection. The album is 4x9 and turned out very chunky. I love chunky albums.  Even when I dont try to make my albums chunky, they turn out that way LOL.

Little Yellow Bicycle Halloween Album

I used the black chipboard pumpkin from LYB and sanded it - I wanted to make the pumpkin look more grunge versus shiney and new.

Most of the pages were made with the LYB envelopes.  I placed large tags inside the pockets

This page has a "floating matte" I do this by adhering mounting tape on three sides and leaving the top open in order to slip tags behind the photo matte

I added some dimensional "googly" eyes that I bought from Michael's.  I added the googly eyes because the dotted pattern paper made me think of monster eyes.

When you use an entire collection from a manufacturer it makes it sooo easy to design a layout or an album.  The work of matching paper and embellishments is already done for you.  I usually like to mix and match my embellies and paper from different manufacturers, but when you are pressed for time and need to make a project fairly quickly; go ahead and use a collection.  While you are at it, you might as well plan on 2 projects because most likely you will have lots of embellishments left over from your embellishment packs.  Happy Halloween!

{making pretty cards...}

Hello everyone! Its Smitha here, to share some crafty thoughts with you today.

I have been making cards for over a year now. I am basically a scrapbooker at heart. But cardmaking is so much fun and  I love that you can feel so creative and by making a quick card in under 15 minutes. Instant gratification.

And isn't it handy, that you always have a stack of cards on hand, ready to use! I love having cards with no sentiments, these are so versatile... perfect last minute gift!

Another staple in my card collection, 'thank you cards"

Now that my little girl is growing up and making friends of her own, I think I should be making more "happy birthday" cards :)

What is in your card collection? I would love to hear about it!

Missed Goals

Have you ever caught yourself reminiscing back to your youth and becoming depressed, saddened or frustrated because you realized there were things you wanted to accomplish - but didn't? I accidentally went that direction not too long ago.  I hate it when I let myself go there because I know that I should be appreciative of where I'm at. And no matter how many times I get irritated with myself, I can't go back and change it. All I can do is observe where I'm not right now and what can I do to improve or work with what I've got.

At Scrapbooking from the Inside Out, the October kit focuses on Achievement. I wanted to document that moment when I reminisce to the days of youthful amibition!

And because I wanted to still go easy on myself, I softened it up with flowers and ruffled ribbon. (Flowers are not included in the kit.)

And here is that wee list. Some of it includes current goals and one's that I had hoped to have reached by now and still haven't.

Thankfully, these are all things that I could still accomplish. The desire for an interior design degree is no longer there but has morphed into graphic design. Now someone tell to get off my hiney and get to working on that goal please!

How about you? Any goals you have that seem to be out of reach at the moment? Now go use your favorite hobby and creatively journal it.

- Melissa

Show me your splatter!

Show me your splatter!
Show me your drips!
Show me your misty mess!
Impress me with your blobs!

Why?
I want to know how you can be inspired by art. Specifically, the work of abstract, expressionist, Jackson Pollock. He is famous for his techinque of pouring and dripping paint onto a canvas he had placed on the floor. Now, I'm not saying you need to put your card or layout on the floor (klutz that I am, I would have it all over the carpet), but let me see your take on this technique.

A quick internet search of Jackson Pollock will introduce you to his work and get you thinking. It worked for me...

Did you know that Distress Stains make great splats?

I splatted my cardstock with 3 different shades of Tim Holtz' Distress Stains, and then spritzed with water. I let it dry, and added these simple embellishments (a ribbon scrap, "celebrate", and a chipboard "u" that I "bling-ed" with gold glitter).

(inside: cuz baby you're a firework! Have a fabulous birthday!)

So, you've been inspired...what do you do now?

Submit your creation to Scrapstreet Magazine for my submission call. Graffiti, is a feature in each issue of Scrapstreet (actually, it will be a feature of Scrapstreet, this is my first request). I'll be highlighting a different artist or technique in each issue, and then asking you to show me how the artists can influence your scrappy creations. So, go! Now! I'm waiting....create, and then show me your splatter! Send it to submissions@scrapstreet.com. The deadline is midnight, October 30th. Please keep the image size around 600x600 pixels.

And, yes...your creation is good enough to be seen by others.

~Kelly

It's October 25th

and you know what that means?

Only two more months until Christmas!!! I LOVE Christmas. While a lot of folks are loving Halloween and declaring it their favorite holiday, I'm standing on my tip toes, taking a glimpse over the horizon and I see my twinkly Christmas lights, sugar cookies and gingerbread men waving at me!

Call me crazy. I don't care. I adore the holiday season and how it rejuvenates that desire deep inside of me to value the relationships I have and be so very thankful for the blessings in my life.

With all that said, have you started your Christmas cards yet? I start mine in August. Not because I'm completely psycho but because I procrastinate and if I don't start in August, they will never get done.

I've got a special project to share with you today created by Anna Sigga. I received this lovely card and envelope in my email about a month ago and knew immediately I wanted to share it with you on the blog. Check it out:

Christmas Envelope Card by Anna Sigga

Supplies: Paper: 3ndypaper, Cardstock: American Crafts, Flower: Skrapp Og, Bling: Prima Marketing, Ink: Ranger Industries, Tools: Stamps: Basic Grey, Punch: EK Success

Anna has gone above and beyond and put together a visual step by step on how to construct your own envelope.

To see more of Anna's beautiful work, make sure you check out her blog here.

Now... get crack-a-lackin on your Christmas cards!!! You still have time to submit to our current calls for Card Corner right now. Check them out below:

Card Corner. As we enter into a season of new and fresh beginnings, love and friendship we want to feature cards showcasing sentiments including New Years, Valentine's Day, Friendship as well as Thank You, Happy Birthday and Congratulations. Take a look at the following techniques we'll be featuring and send us your fabulous cards!

• Color Combo. It's the season of love. Send us your cards showcasing any shade of pink and red. You can throw in a neutral and one other color to "pop" but keep the focus on those "love"ly colors.

• Feeling Misty. We've seen them used on layouts and altered projects but we want to see how YOU showcase mists and inks on a small canvas. Send in your cards using mists. You can use masks, maybe mist an embellishment. Be sure to include design notes on how you used mists on your card!

• Ribbon. Ribbon adds a fun texture to all of our projects. We want to see creative ways you use ribbon on your cards.

• Being Transparent. Feeling like people are seeing right through you lately? No? Well, we'd like people to see right through your cards! Use a clear media such as acrylic or transparencies. Get creative - cut them, ink them, use it as a base. Whatever you do we want to see them!

• I Heart You. Heart embellishments, hearts used in a sentiment or stamp, heart shaped cards. These are just a few of the many ideas a heart can be used on your cards. Send in your creative card featuring a heart (or hearts)!

Deadline is midnight October 30th for all calls.
Please send your work to submissions@scrapstreet.com.
Please send a separate email for each submission you would like to be considered for publication. Please keep the image size around 600 x 600 pixels. Thank you!

Have a great Tuesday!

- Melissa

It's Almost Halloween

Are you ready?  Halloween is almost here!  It is a prime time to grab the camera and shoot away!  I love to take photos on Halloween because of all of the great colors of the costumes and decorations!  I usually amp up my pictures using Photoshop!  The more pop, the better!

Scrapping Halloween is super easy considering all of the great Halloween lines out there.  Think Teresa Collins Haunted Hallows, Bella Blvd's Too Cute to Spook or American Crafts's Nightfall. So many adorable options!  I love a traditional orange and black combo, with a touch of purple!

Here is a layout:

I used Teresa Collins Haunted Hallows here!  The frame and October are all a part of a calendar paper.  I covered the rest up with a variety of patterned papers!  I threw in some red to compliment my son's costume!

I have been very into this diagonal patterning lately...I think it adds something unique and allows you to overlap lots of patterns at once!

Have fun capturing your Halloween memories this year!

Oldies but Goodies~

I love using my stash~stash can come in handy sometimes.  When Jillibean Soup had their Design Team call at the beginning of this year, I only had these papers.  They are two or three years old and I still think they ROCK!!!!  They were perfect for these pictures~

This is another layout done with older Jillibean Soup and to me this paper still has "it".  You know that something special that just makes you love it.

I remember when these lined papers came out and I loved them then and I still think they are great.  Dig deep in those cabinets and pull out that cute old stuff and scrap it!!  My call for the January issue of Scrap Streets is~

Some of our favorite Scrapbooking company's that are no longer in business lets show some love~so dig through your stash and bring out an oldie but goody!!!   My email is ~ connie@scrapstreet.com 

Have a great day and see ya soon!

by: C. Mercer

3-D Halloween Treat Bags

Halloween is such a fun time of year. In addition to the traditional trick or treating, many of us will be attending parties or we have kids who will be attending parties. Some of you brave souls will be hosting parties, too. If you're one of them or if you're a parent who's volunteered to help make the treat bags for your child's class (ahem, like me), here is an idea for a goodie bag.

I took cello bags and filled them with candy. I created the 3-D pumpkin in my Silhouette machine and used black ribbon to finish it off.

This project is very versatile, too. You could create one for a birthday party using fun, festive colors and a birthday-themed image. You could use pretty pastels and flower images for a Mother's Day gift. Christmas treat bags could be red or green and have a Christmas tree.

If you choose to do this for Halloween, you can be assured your guests will be happy with the treat and won't play any tricks on you!!

Haunting Halloween Stamps!

CS Designs is a name you need to know if you don’t already.  CS Designs is owned by an exceedingly talented artist, Chris Stern, who decided not to long ago to share her art in the form of digital stamps.   BUT these are NOT your average digital stamps.  These stamps are so unique and funky, certainly one of a kind in the digital stamp world.  She offers different collections of remarkable digis.  If you like distinctive, unusual art you are going to flip over CS Designs.

 Since Halloween is just around the corner I had to share the latest additions to her digital stamp shop, HAUNTING APPARITIONS and HALLOWEEN GOTH & MACABRE SENTIMENTS!  Chris describes these stamps as “Paranormal, Ghoulish, Goth and Macabre”.  She has a wonderful selection of images as well as haunting sentiments and they all work together or separately. 

Sharon Rogers, CS Designs Head Designer, has graciously agreed to share some of her creepy creations with you featuring just a few of the new stamps.   To see the complete collection be sure to go to CS DESIGNS.

The first creation features the digi Solitaire Ancient Embalming Treatments.  What is not to love about these?  You need to take note of the "mummy" wrapping too, great embellishment.

Next is Sharon's card with the digital Paranormal Medium Agency and she also used the Poison Bottle digi.  Oh I just love this card with the purple and shades of orange The chain attaching the bottles is a clever idea.  This card just reaches out and grabs you.

This card shows us the Solitaire Mask of Webs and the Step Into My Parlor digitals.  I really like how she used just two colors and the white webbing completes the eerie look of the card.

Never fear, CS Designs also offers a whimsical take on Halloween with the digital Stamps, PRISCILLA's HALLOWEEN.  These feature the sweet Priscilla digital dressed in her Halloween attire, but created in the true artistic fashion of Chris Stern. 

Using 3D Elements

I love making all kinds of mini albums.  I personally like to make the cover first because that helps me set the premise for creating the rest of the pages inside.  I also want to make sure that my album cover gets your attention from the first moment you see it.

One of the ways that I initiate interest on my album covers is by using 3D elements whenever possible; and using a wood piece is an excellent way to decorate an album cover and catch your attention.

Wood pieces come in different patterns, below are four albums I have made with 4 different themes.  The covers or introduction to the album speaks for itself.  There is no mistaking what the theme of the album will be by the wood piece that is shown on the cover.

Next time you are contemplating making an album, think about your theme first - and then go shopping for a cute 3D wood piece.  You will be amazed at how many choices you have.  Oh, as an added tip, when adhering your wood piece to your cover be sure to use a strong liquid glue such as Beacon’s fabri-tac or zip-dry.  These adhesives dry fast and clear.  Happy Scrapping!