Out and About in the DigiWorld

Congratulations to the following stores on their grand openings:
Melissa Bennett Designs - 50% off almost everything in the store
JMT Art - 25% off storewide, gift with purchase, $1.00 specials
Jen Ulasiewicz Designs - 25% off storewide


Comfort Zone by Jennifer M. Trippetti, free with $5.00 purchase at JMT-art

The Scrapbookgraphics blog Studio Matters is always a great place for inspiration. This week's Studio Starts challenge involves scrapping a struggle. Join the challenge or just check out the gallery to leave some encouragement for those who have scrapped their own struggles.

I picked up Lush Blooms by Zoe Pearn last Sunday at The DigiChick. Melgen Designs is having a 50% off sales which includes 50% off her Buy the Whole Store deal. Autoshop by Karen Lewis at the DigiChick is on my wishlist for my little man. If you like Autoshop, make sure you also check out the coordinating Chipboard Cutouts (shown below) - some of the cutest kiddie transportation elements I've come across. I've been impressed by the fresh, clean line approach of templates by TaylorMade at Oscraps.

For those looking for help getting started in digital scrapping (or looking to get a friend started), Linda Stattgast of Scrapper's Guide just released her new CDs Learn Digital Scrapbooking! for PSE6 and PSCS3



I've been browsing the DST Gallery each morning and trying to post a layout each day to the Gallery Standouts thread in chatter. Here are just a few of the pages I bookmarked for inspiration (click on the images to see the layout in the gallery with full credits).

Bubbles by NishaM - The green edging around the photo is a nice take on the scalloped-border trend and I'm really drawn into the graphic approach to the page.



Out of the Shadow by marnie4two - Wonderful merging of theme, journaling and artistic design



Au lac by bisontine - Check out the dramatic effect of bright color on blakc.

Is It Summer Yet?

We get one week of sunshine here and my digital muse thinks it is summer. Tangy Treat is a fun, funky set to get ready for summer, scrap last years summer pics or just have some fun with.



The papers and elements can be purchased individually.



There is a set of quick pages.



and brag book.



I'm so behind of my scrapping Mya. Here she is at one month (she's now almost three months). This was created with one of the quick pages, plus and elements and the alpha that comes with the page set.



The latest of the Style Files is a set of denim styles. This product comes with a professional use license and is fine for use in creating your own digital scrapbooking supplies for sale, scrap-for-hire and other printable crafts. I have written tutorials for loading and using layer styles in Photoshop and Photoshop Element.



These Denim Mats were created using the styles with additional beveling and stitching added. They are also available in my store.



If you missed any of the Date Bits last week, they are now all available for purchase.



Mrs. Wresh came up with these adorable Lunch Note Printables. I almost wish Jamin was in school so I could put them in his lunch ... almost. I not ready to send my little guy off to school just yet.



FREE SAMPLE
No longer available. Here is a quick page created by Meredith Cardall using my Tangy Treat page set. You can read about Meredith's scrap-for-hire service on her website.

Out and About in the DigiWorld

Congratulations to the following stores on their Grand Openings:

We Are StoryTellers - 20% off all orders of $10 or more
Gypsy Chick Designs - Over 300 papers for $25

Treasures To Scrap has a full schedule of crops this weekend. If you've never visited Treasures to Scrap, I highly recommend checking them out. TTS is a fun and very encouraging scrapping community where paper and digital scrappers participate in crops and challenges right alongside each other.

If you are looking for inspiration - stop by Jess Gordon's Scrapbook Ideas Blog. She has tons of great hybrid ideas and some free doodles available for download.

Several designers have put together a Trash to Treasure event at DigiShopTalk. Freebie gatherers will love this one.

MandaBean does some of the best word art around and I love her new set of "And I Quote..." celebrating Children. Jenna Desai's Doodle Photo Frames and Masks look really fun. Simoni Grigoni's layout After School caused me to add Natalie Braxton's String-a-ling II to my wish list.

TrendWatch - Boxes

I blinked and suddenly they are everywhere - boxes as layout elements. I haven't picked up a set yet, because to me they look like the kind of element I'd only use on a page or two and then probably never use again, but that doesn't stop me from admiring all the fun and creative ways other scrappers are using them (click on layouts to see them in the DST gallery with full credits).

In Family, nzmumof4, uses the boxes to display family photos and memorabilia.



Pam1 displays her boys playthings while her boys sit atop the boxes in Boys and Their Toys.



Zsaliza put her layouts in the boxes with her son breaking free in Out of the Box.



LauraKaye manages to make a set of cardboard boxes look elegant by combining soft papers, black and white photos and shabby embellishments in Our Shadow Box.



If you are looking to pick up a set here are some options:

Buncha Boxes by Donna Rafferty, Plain Digital Wrapper



Box It Up by Maya, Scrapbookgraphics



Boxed In Set 1, Paint the Moon, Oscraps



Put It In a Box, Gisela B., Scrapbook-Heaven

Twilight Romance and More

This week's new kit is Twilight Romance - full of soft lavender-blue, vibrant purple, whimsical elements and a touch of glitter.



As usually you can pick up just the papers ...



or just the elements...



or the quick page set.



There is a also a coordinating brag book available.



My latest Style File is a set of 16 PS layer styles to help you create glossy and slightly 'imperfect' plastics. This product comes with a professional use license and is ok for use in digital designs, scrap-for-hire and other craft, design and printables businesses.



This week's element pack is a set of word art on cut canvas pieces. Each canvas bit has slightly frayed edges.



This alpha coordinates with the Sitting Pretty Page Set and is now available in the store for those who missed it in the January SBE Newsletter.


Last, but not least, the talented Kim Wresh has created several sets of tumbler inserts from my page kits.







FREE SAMPLE
No longer available. Here is a free quick page created by Meredith Cardall from the Twilight Romance set. This quick page is different from any appearing in the Twilight Romance Quick Pages that are for sale, so grab this even if you plan on purchasing the quick pages or combo pack.

Thanks to Meredith for this page. Meredith is available to scrap for you. Visit Designs by Meredith for more information.

Last of the Bits

Thanks for all the nice comments from so many of you this week. I've enjoyed putting together the Date Bits series. I've never had so many visitors and I welcome all those who 'discovered' my little spot on the web this week. I hope you'll visit often. Your questions and comments motivated me to finally update the blog a bit. While I don't have a family photo of the 4 of us yet, I did update the text to refer to the latest addition to our family; sweet Mya. You can now easily find a link to my store - it's that big black blinking square under the 'About Me' stuff.

While we are at the last of the Date Bits, do come back tomorrow to see my latest releases at Scrapbook-Elements and grab a related freebie.

No longer available. This set of Bits are 12x12 paper cut frames with months. While this set doesn't include years or days, I can image some of the earlier 'bits' stapled or otherwise attached to the frames to complete a full date.

This is a large download (65MB), so please unzip and make sure you have the entire set soon after you download. If it is incomplete or corrupt, erase the download and try again.

Out and About in the DigiWorld

I had so much fun doing the 'Out and About' columns over the past two weeks. It gave me a great excuse to browse stores, read all the various store and designer announcements, try to discover the latest and greatest. But this week I had trouble finding things that caught my attention. Perhaps it is because many designers and store owners are away at a trade association convention, or perhaps I'm just feeling uninspired. I'll keep the column brief today.

I see Natural Designs in Scrapbooking (NDISB) and the Digital Scrapbook Artisan Guild have registration open for a number of digital scrapbooking classes starting in March. I don't have any experience with the classes themselves, but the course descriptions sound wonderful.

Congrats to Bren Boone on the opening of her new shop where you can pick up beautiful things on sale through the 17th.

New products this week include Digi-Journal Templates from Britt-ish Designs which look fabulous for stylish layouts requiring a lot of journaling. I can see these being used as one side of a two page spread, leaving the other side for more photos. Those of you looking for unique boy stuff, don't miss Vera Lim's About a Boy Elements at Prima Hybrid. The are also 2 coordinating sets of papers. Darcy Baldwin began a line of European ready fonts which include images and markings for all the major European languages. Plus her previews are always fun to read. Mike's Coffee Collection at Daisie Company isn't a new release, but I just discovered this adorable set and had to give it a mention.

FREEBIE
No longer available. Date Bits 6 is ready to go. This is a set of slightly distressed Photoshop brushes (sorry no .pngs this time) sized to be used with the accompanying tabs. Of course they can also be used alone for a 'date stamp' effect.



To address some of the questions that have been left regarding the Date Bits.
- The font used for the first two sets is called Typist.
- They are for personal use only.
- If you happened to miss a set, they will be available for purchase in my store on Feb. 24.

Next in Date Bits Series

No longer available. Quick post today to release Date Bits 5. This is a set of calendar brushes and some shapes for marking specific dates. The .png files are included for use in programs other than Photoshop. Enjoy!

Free Form Text Paths in Photoshop

This mini-tutorial covers free hand drawing of text paths in Photoshop. This feature is only available in the full version of Photoshop (not Photoshop Element).

To start select the Free Form Pen Tool in the tools palette.



Click on the path icon in the options tool bar.



Click and drag on your canvas to draw your path. Click the check mark in the options tool bar when you are satisfied with your drawing.



Select the text tool in your tools palette, click on your path and begin typing.



Your text should follow the path. You can change the text color, font and size just like any other text entry.



FREE SAMPLE
No longer available. Here is the fourth installment in the Date Bits Series. Have a happy Valentine's Day!

Layout and Date Bits 3

I'm having so much fun scrapping with pinks and flowers. Here is a recent page I did of Mya. The journaling is about her smiles, coos and efforts to interact with her world.


Credits: Flowers, word strips and stamps from Sweet Madeline by Lynn Grieveson, Designer Digitals, Ribbons from Polka Dot Ribbon Bits by Misty Cato, Scrapbook-Elements, everything recolored for page.

FREE SAMPLE
No longer available. Here is the third in the Date Bits Series. This is a set of PS brushes for created tabbed frames. You can use them as is, use them to create a clipping make or apply layer styles for varying effects. The .pngs are included for use in other programs.

A Note about the Freebies: There is a high volume of people downloading these items. Please unzip your files after download to make sure everything downloaded properly. If not, erase the downloaded file and re-download. Due to the number of freebies offered on this blog, I am not able to reupload previously available downloads. Thank-you for understanding.

Layout Inspiration: Silly Boy by my3hens

I fell in love with this page the instant I saw it in the gallery. This little guy has so much personality and it really shines through in my3hens's layout. The blocking of all the photos framed by the white borders is an effective presentation and the variation of color and black and white photos prevents each photo from competing with the one next to it.



While I was in her gallery, I also added this one to my favorites. I love blended pages and really like how this one is framed by the circular stitching and journaling.



FREEBIE
No longer available. Here is the second in the Date Bits series. This is a black and white version of yesterday's gift. Be sure to come back daily this week to collect each set in the Date Bits series. Tomorrow's set will be a set of brushes.

New Releases and Freebie Series

With a baby and toddler around the house peace and quiet is rare. I figured even though my home is managed chaos at least I could create something peaceful, thus the inspiration for Calming Influence.



As usual the papers are available separately...



and the elements.



There is a set of quick pages as well.



Here is a page I did with one of the quick pages plus the alpha from the page set. The title reads, "I said I'd never call her Princess" and the journaling is all about why I now call her princess anyway. :)



Finally there is a coordinating brag book.



The element pack of the week is a set of Chipboard Flowers. These even work well on boyish pages. I used one on the layout of Jamin in this post.



The latest Style File is a set of two-tone glitter effects. You can find tutorials on layers styles for both PS and PSE in the tutorials section. This item comes with a professional use license for digital designers, scrap for hire and other printable, craft digital design businesses.



FREE GIFT
No longer available. This week I'll be doing a freebie series of elements for adding dates to layouts. Each set will only be available for a day or two, so stop by each day to get the latest set.

Out and About in the DigiWorld

My poor neglected blog - I'm trying to get organized enough to get back to posting regularly, but I just haven't gotten there quite yet. I did have fun putting together the Out and About column last week, so I thought I'd try it again for this week.

Songbird Avenue released their February kit. For those who are new to Songbird Avenue, it was started by Jan Crowley and Meredith Fenwick. Each month they put together a kit in collaboration with a guest designer and donate the proceeds to charity. This month's proceeds will be benefit the Minute Man Arc Early Intervention Agency.



This week's Digital Scrap Connection giveaway is a 1 year subscription to ActionFX. This is a wonderful prize for designers and others who are interested in creating their own elements, but all PS and PSE scrappers can find something of interest on Al's site.

Tracy Ann is having a sale on her paper packs at TADA. If you've never seen her work, check her out - you are in for a treat.

Hummie has posted a new video tutorial on threading a ribbon through a buckle. The ribbon and buckle are provided. Scroll down in this thread to find it.

Looking for something to jump start the creative process? Stop by the Digi-Dares blog. Each week a designer posts a 'dare' to inspire a page. One person is picked randomly from all those who create a page based on the dare criteria to receive coupons from each of the 4 Digi-Dare sponsors. This week's dare is to scrap a page about someone you love using non-traditional Valentines Day colors.

The theme for SBE's February Recipe Exchange is Heart Healthy Recipes. Details are available in the forum.

I'm always on the look out for new boyish sets. Dielle's Backyard Explorer looks to have some great elements for scrapping young boys at play or even big ones. I especially love the compass and tag elements - very clever. Full page border and page mats are popular right now and Diamante's Design's Layout Holders are a great approach the trend. There has been an explosion of printable and hybrid products in digiland. I've yet to try hybrid myself, but these little Match book Mini-books at Scrap Girls are adorable and look like something even I could handle.

Mya is 2 Months

Just a quick post to share a photo of my baby girl who turned two months old today.

New Releases - You & Me, Flowers and More

Just in time for Valentines, You and Me, a set with hearts and flowers for the ladies and enough black and grunge that you can make a Valentine a guy will love. Almost everything at SBE, including these new releases is 25% off through the weekend.



As usual the papers can be purchased separately...



as well as the elements.



There is a matching set of quick pages created by the talented Edeline Martha...



and a 12 page brag book created by me.



For element lovers out there, this week's element pack is a set of burlap flowers including metal flourishes that can be used as vines for the flowers.



Kim Wresh has been busy making mint tin quick page albums; one with You & Me...



and another one with The Promise of Mya.



FREE SAMPLE
No longer available. Here is a frame package created with papers from You & Me. These frames are not included with the kit, so grab them even if you plan on picking up the kit. Enjoy!

Super Bowl Sale

I've been told there is a big football game going on this weekend, so to celebrate save 25% off my store at Scrapbook-Elements. Enjoy and have a great Super Bowl Sunday.