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!