New Releases and June Desktop

New this week:

Lullaby; perfect for scrapping sleeping babies, bedtime routines, much loved blankies, teddy bears and more.



Purchase Lullaby by Friday, June 6th and you'll receive this banner album free. The album is created to fit the Maya Road Banner Album.



I had a wonderful time teaming up with my friend, the talented Betty Jo Martin, to create Adorable You.



You'll receive the 3x3" Mini-Accordion Album free with purchase when you buy Adorable Me before June 6th. This album is sized to fit the Maya Road Mini-Accordion Album.



Finally, I've added a set of Display Frame Singles.



Free June Desktops
Here is a set of June computer desktops created for you by team member Jennilyn from the Lullaby page set. Enjoy!

Out and About in the Digiworld - Steals and Deals Edition

The Out and About column is easy to write the first week of each month. Shops are opening, new designers debuting, new megakits are released, etc. However the last week of the month is just the opposite, so instead of the regular Out and About, I thought I'd try a compilation list of sites now offering weekly deals or sales on new releases.

MONDAY
Sophia Sarducci - all new releases 20% off

TUESDAY
ScrapArtist - all new releases 20% off
Digital Freebies - 30% off new releases
Vera Lim Designs - $1, $2 and $3 items
We Are Storytellers - varying special offers

WEDNESDAY
Sweet Shoppe - one designer struts her stuff on the blog and often a discount is involved
Snap and Scrap Shoppe - $1.00 items
Little Dreamer Designs - selected items $1.00

THURSDAY
The DigiChick- new releases 20% off
Designer Digitals - selected items available at reduced prices
ah! Designs - selected product 50% off
Funky Playground - selected items reduced to $1.00
Scrap Outside the Box - selected kits 50% off (Thurs and Fri)
Weeds and Wildflowers - varying special offers

FRIDAY
ScrapArtist - selected items reduced to $1.00
ScrapOrchard - new releases 20% off
Plain Digital Wrapper - selected products 50% off
The Lilypad - new releases 20% off
ScrapDish - selected items reduced to $1.00

SATURDAY
Sweet Shoppe - new releases 20% off
E-scape and Scrap - selected items $.99

SUNDAY
Digital Scrapbook Place - new $.99 item of the week
Designer Digitals - 2 $.25 items
Gina Miller Designs - new items 20% off


While I try to get around to many places on the web, the digiworld has gotten too big for me to monitor all the sites. If you know of a site that offers a regular, weekly sale/discount, feel free to post the information as a comment to this post. I'll verify the information and edit this post as necessary.

Chilling and Grilling and a Freebie

Thanks everyone for all the wonderful ideas and inspiration you provided for my soccer pictures. I'll be sure to post my finished page when I have it done.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. The weather was beautiful here and we spent it up in Oak Harbor with trips to the beach, some kit flying at Fort Casey and of course, kicking the soccer ball around.

Meanwhile, Penny Springmann and I released a collaborative kit, Chilling and Grilling.



You'll receive this coaster album free when you purchase by this Friday. The album is sized to fit the Maya Road 6" Coaster Album.




Free Sample
Here is an alpha created using a couple of the papers from Chilling and Grilling. Enjoy!

Inspire Me Please

A couple of reader questions before I get to my question for you all.

Christeph wrote, I've been seeing these lovely shaped albums for a while and I've even bought a bracket album and made pages for it - but now I'm trying to figure out what's the best (ie least messy!) way of attaching the print to the page? Should I print on an adhesive sheet to start with (I know Avery do some full sheet labels) or what would you recommend?

Having never done one, I am certainly not an expert on this issue. However, from what I've heard, your best bet is to print your pages, let them sit overnight to make sure the ink is completely dry and then use Modge Podge (an adhesive) to affix them to the chipboard. Modge Podge can also be used as a sealer. Most people sand and ink the edges to finish off the look. Here is a thread in the Sweet Shoppe forum where you can find tips and tricks.

Another reader wrote, a couple of weeks ago you placed a freebie for blending a picture... I'd love to see you make a set in different shapes that would fit an entire 12x12 page...Please, please, please make more shapes like squares, rectangles, ovals, circles that are big sized like the freebie.

This is on my to-do list. I also hope to write a tutorial to teach you how to make your own, but no guarantees on when either one will be completed. If you need some similar masks in the meantime, I recommend those by Anna Aspnes at Designer Digitals.

Now my request for inspiration ...

I have these fun photos (below) of Jamin and Barron playing in the yard with Jamin's new soccer equipment. I even have a little commentary written up, but no great ideas for scrapping them. If you've done or seen a layout with a sequence of photos such as this could you leave me a link? Perhaps I can find a good page to scraplift. The topic doesn't have to be soccer or sports, I just need composition ideas. Thanks in advance for any help.

Rookie player Jamin take the ball down the field ...



He's approaching the goal ...



From 4 feet out he takes the shot ...



And he scores!!!



Celebration time ...



Hugs all around.



Have a great day everyone!

New Releases at Sweet Shoppe Designs

We finally got a few days of sun around here and have been out and about playing. I'll have some photos tomorrow. Meanwhile here are the products I released over the weekend.

The Zoe Page Set was created for a friend who is expecting a baby girl next month.



When you purchase by this Friday, you'll receive this heart quick page album free. The pages were created to fit the Maya Road 2 Ring Heart Album.



I also released a set of frame strips ...



... and some date wheels for recording each milestone of your little one.



FREE SAMPLE
Here is a frame and word strips that coordinate with the Zoe Page Set.

Out and About in the Digiworld

It's been awhile since I've done and Out and About column, so here's playing catch up with some of the things going on in the digiworld.

The Songbird Avenue kit this month, Take Flight, is a collaborative effort of all the guest designers over the past year. Proceeds from the kit go to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.



One of my favorite challenges at the Sweet Shoppe is the Cookie Decorating Challenge. The challenge hostess provides a template based on a layout and you get to 'decorate' it in your own fashion. This week's template is based on a layout by the very talented Kay Miller.



There is a free hybrid purse template on the ScrapArtist Blog. How cute is this?



The DigiChick has brought on a host of new designers, including Kelley Mickus who's color schemes always seem to draw me into her work. For example, I have trouble putting green and red in the same color palette without the kit or page looking Christmasy, but Kelley has combined them with a pale blue, black and white for a fresh take on a spring theme in One Fine Day.



Laura Deacetis has expanded her store The Shabby Pickle to include several other designers, each of which has her own special flair. While browsing the store, the funky playfulness of Nikki Beaudreau's Who's There? caught my eye.



Looking through the galleries, I am really drawn to some of the great compositions using bright colors on white. It's an eye-catching trend that works great for photos of children at play. Here are a few that have landed in my favorites.

Color My World by taramichelle - The bright colors on white give the page a happy, light-hearted feel and the doodle elements are perfect accents for this young artist.



10 Months by chic_mama - Clean lines and primary colors are a great way to show of this happy little guy. The stripy strip on the side and repeated bracket mats make the page pop.



Danae loves football by amandajane - The use of white space here allows for a generous helping of a funky pattern and bold frame.

Happy Mothers Day, New Releases and Freebie

Happy Mother's Day to all the women out there who are raising children and to those who have taken the time to be a mentor in someone's life. I hope you are surrounded today by people who love you.

This morning I told Jamin it is a special day for celebrating mothers and he said 'Ok'. Then as I started to head downstairs he said, "Wait! I have a mother", and ran and gave me a big hug. My Mom's Day is complete. We will be meeting with my parents, brother and Barron's parents today for a meal out. Both my mom and Barron's mom are wonderful ladies and we are blessed to live close enough to both of them that Jamin and Mya benefit from their love as well.

My new set this week is inspired by my devotion to a good cup of coffee.



There is also a Luggage Tag Album sized to fit the Basic Grey Luggage Tag Chipboard Album. You can receive this album free if you purchase the Coffeehouse page set by Friday, May 16th.



FREE SAMPLE
Here are a couple of elements that coordinate with the Coffeehouse set. These items are not contained in the Page Set, so you might want to download these, even if you plan on purchasing the set.

Catching Up and Scrappers Guide

I decided to take a little break following National Scrapbooking Day and wouldn't you know it, an entire week flew by. I'll catch up by answering a few reader questions and emails.

One newsletter reader wrote, Is there any way in Photoshop CS 2 to rotate the brush? Flip it?

Open your brush palette if it is not already visible, Window>Brushes (keystroke F5). Click on the words 'Brush Tip Shape' near the top left of the brush palette. Here you will find Flip check boxes to flip your brush (Arrow 1). You can also rotate the brush by specifying the angle of rotation (Arrow 2) or by rotating the cross hair controls (Arrow 3).



Another reader wrote, I want to cut a jagged edge from a heart....like cut the heart in half with jagged edge....is this possible? how please?

There are several ways to cut items apart. The best for your purpose is probably to use the polygonal selection tool. The polygonal selection tool is housed in the tools palette with the lasso tool and the magnetic lasso tool. Right click on whichever one is showing and select the polygonal selection tool from the fly out menu (arrow below). On your canvas create your selection by clicking once at each 'corner' of your selection.



Once you have your selection created, go to Layer>Layer via Cut (keystroke Shft+Ctrl+J). The selected piece should now be in its own layer and you can move as desired.



Belanna wrote, Is there a quick and easy way to separate page alphas into individual letter files? ... I've written an action that will take me half way there (once I select a letter, it will do the rest) but can't figure out how to make it do the whole thing automatically for a complete sheet. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Wish I could be of more help Belanna. I have a set of scripts that I use to separate my alpha, but I still have to do the initial selections by hand. Is there any reader out there who can help Belanna out by directing her to a tutorial or resource for creating an action to separate letters into individual files?

On another note, I am the featured designer for May at Scrapper's Guide. My kit, A Mother's Love is available exclusively to Premier Members. As readers of my blog, you can try out the May Premier Newsletter including video tutorials and my Mother's Love kit for just $4.99. Find out more here. Please note that signing up for the discounts will also initiate the subscription process to receive Scrapper's Guide free newsletter. This offer will only be available until the end of May.

New Releases at Sweet Shoppe Designs

Happy (inter)National Scrapbooking Day! This is an exciting day for me as I open up shop at Sweet Shoppe Designs. I've been working behind the scenes there for the past couple of weeks to get ready and I have loved working with all the other designers.

Along with fellow new SSD designers, Eva Kipler and Melissa Bennett, I will be hosting a Grill the Newbies chat at 5pmEST/8pmPST in the SSD chatroom. It will be a time to ask us questions and get to know us a bit. We are also cooking up a little goodie and challenge for those who are in the mood for scrapping.

Today only SSD is having a storewide 30% off sale. You also receive the Hey Girlfriends Collaborative Set when you spend $10 or more.

If you are new to SSD the Quarterly Assortment is a great way to get a sampling of all the designers. For just $3.99 you receive a mini-kit from each of the 21 designers.

Here is a preview of my mini-kit.



Here are are the rest of my debut products.

Jamin started talking at 13 months and he hasn't stopped yet. This set is dedicated to all those out there with the charming gift of gab. Packed with alphabet inspired papers and elements paired with a classic and timeless design style Chatty will work for layout from fun to sophisticated and everywhere in between.



This week only, you receive this 3" Mini Accordian Album when you purchase the Chatty page set. The album page fit the 3" Maya Road Mini-Album.



I got the honor of designing with SSD owner and fellow designer Robin Carlton. We came up with Imagine That, created to celebrate books and young book-lovers.



Here is a page using the set create by team member Laura Kockelkorn. Everything used if from the kit with the exception of the paper tear which is from Vera Lim.



Purchase Imagine That this week and you'll receive this 6" Coaster Album free.



I also got to work with Lauren Grier to create Rooty Tooty - a fun set to get you ready for summer.



Here is a fun set of customizable doodle borders. Each border comes as a layered .psd file so you can customize both the doodle and the fill with your own choice of papers or colors. You'll receive 4 12" inch doodle borders. A .png pack of doodles and fill shapes is included for use in other programs.



Show off your athlete's name and number with pride on your pages or use this chunky, distressed stamp alpha to add grungy lettering to any page.



Perfect for your resident speed demon, car enthusiast or racing fan, this checked acrylic alpha can add a funky touch to any page.



FREE SAMPLE
Here is a quick page created by team member Meredith Cardall using my Chatty page set.

Sale and Last Call at SBE

After nearly two years, I've decided to make a change in stores. As of mid-May I'll be saying goodbye to Scrapbook-Elements as my design home. I've enjoyed my time there and will miss the designers and staff immensely. I'll be using the change of stores as an opportunity to retire a large portion of my inventory, so if there is something at SBE that you have your eye on, you might want to pick it up during SBE's National Scrapbooking Day sale. Almost everything in my shop is 25% off through Monday, May 5th.



Frequent blog visitors might remember Jamin's fascination with rocket ships and astronauts. A couple of weeks ago my parents and I took Jamin to the Museum of Flight. My camera batteries died shortly after we arrived. Fortunately my mom is as much of a camera hound as I am so she was able to capture some great moments. Here is my layout from the trip.


Credits: Road Trip by Dani Mogstad, Sweet Shoppe Designs

Page 1 bigger - Jamin didn't eat his lunch, he was too busy playing 'blast off' with the salt shaker. (Photo bottom left)



Page 2 bigger - The museum is just off the Boeing Field runways. Jamin is plugging his ears in the upper left photo because he said the planes were too loud.