Digital Creations

I've slowly been accumulating quite a variety of digital elements thanks to great, free digi kits available on sites like Two Peas in a Bucket, Creating Keepsakes, Shabby Princess, and polka dot potato.

I love playing with these when the traditional juices aren't flowing. Kinda helps out my scrappin' mojo sometimes, plus it's a handy way to procrastinate when you're on the computer.

Here's my latest creation:



I used elements from a bunch of different kits. Polka Dot Potato has a huge digital kit on their site that you can download for free and it's full of goodies. The flower cut out (which I actually cut out from a piece of paper in the kit, only to discover, that it was a seperate element as well), papers, note paper, and metal brads and photo corners came from this kit. The leaf brush is a Melanie (brushes.nenuphar.net) photoshop brush, the frame and text overlay are Rhonna Farrer designs, and the corrugated corner is a Veronica Ponce creation. Thank you all for creating these beautiful pieces.

If you have any questions about digital scrapbooking or any of the techniques I use on anything I post here, let me know. I'd love to answer questions, or help out if I can.

I like playing with photos and layers and all of the goodies in Photoshop and it's an easy way to get crafty without getting messy... No ink on my fingers, glitter stuck to everything in the house for days, embossing powder spilled on the table, no mess of any kind. Very satisfying.

Canvases

I haven't been able to do anything crafty for almost a week now, so I finally had to sit down and do something fast to get my scrappy juices flowing again. I've been getting so many ideas lately, I really should get down to work more often and do some of them! Now that the rush of Easter and traveling and company and so on is over, I can get scrappin'!

This is a canvas my mom and dad brought me back from Costa Rica. Just a small one, really cute, and literally a blank canvas for me to create on. I decided to try out painting on canvases because I've only ever scrapbooked them with paper.



I may add to it... not quite sure whether I'm done or not, but I thought it was kinda cute and I thought you may like a little peak. Hopefully, this week will bring some more projects.

Spring is here?

Brrrrr!!! It was cold this morning! Not very spring-y. It was -21 C when I was scraping my windows before work! That just makes the first day back after a long weekend more difficult. Oh well, only a short week ahead!

Hope you all had a fantastic Easter!

We had such a nice, relaxing weekend. It was great to have the time off together, to see so many family and friends, and just get away.

Plus... I got to open up a few birthday presents early!! I got some really neat scrapbooking loot: metal page borders from 7 Gypsies and bling from IOD, great new papers and ribbons and stamps and loopy brads and flowers and all kinds of goodies! I'll have to make some layouts and show you what I got.

So, my big plans were to take some photos over the weekend... unfortunately, my batteries were dead. Grrr. And, they're not a standard size, like double A or anything, so I couldn't even swap some new ones in. Big grrrr...

So, I borrowed my mom's camera and took a few, but I have to wait for her to email them to me. I'll tell you though, I missed sooo many photo opportunites. Of course, that's all I was thinking of because I didn't have a camera on hand. The calves were flouncing past me in the field, my little cousins had a great Easter egg hunt and decorated some really cute eggs, there was a beautiful, full, harvest moon, and we had tons of family over.

Alas, this will teach me a lesson. Keep your camera handy and the batteries charged!

Thankful

To celebrate Easter, I have a Thanksgiving layout for you : )

Timing is everything.

I always have fall papers and elements around as I'm slowly working on our wedding album (we got married Oct. 8... 2005) so I really can't help but use them even if they are a bit innapropriate seasonally.

Here's a layout with photos of myself and my parents. I didn't have my camera with me that day (of course) but it was such a perfect fall day. We were surrounded by beautiful, yellow, crunchy leaves and the sky was just a perfect blue. Next time, I will have my camera ready. Thankfully, someone else had a camera and I got pictures from them.



Some neat things I did on this layout:

I used two fake leaves on this layout that were actually part of our wedding decorations. They look just like real ones, but won't crumble. See them behind the big brown circle element? This is why I keep everything. I always find uses for things.

To make the journaling lines, I painted one side of an old CD case and used it as a 'line' stamp. I just used a cream coloured acryllic paint to do this. Cheaper than buying a stamp, and I like how it turned out.

Now, my challenge to myself is to take photos over Easter. For some reason, I haven't been taking many pictures lately. So, after the weekend, I'll have more pics to post.

Happy Easter!

Get your game on!

Just seems to be a fun time of year, doesn't it? St. Patricks Day is kind of a lighthearted, skippy leprechauns in green tights kind of holiday, spring is in the air, and with Easter around the corner, there are all kinds of decorated eggs and candy...mmmmmm, Mini Eggs... How fun!

As I'm in the mood for games, and my mojo needs a little boost, I've been playing along with some of the games at Just Cre8, a great little Canadian kit club who will be sponsoring the retreat. It's their birthday celebration all week and they have some awesome challenges, prizes, and classes going on over there.

If you have time to play, head on over and see what Sue has in store for you.

This is a quick layout I did for their sketch challenge. I may go back and add to it... I think it needs something more, but it's fun and whimsical which I like.



Notice Brad and I pointing out our winning (at the time) board game piece? We never seem to do all that well at Canadian Trivia... a Mountie and a Parks employee, and we still can't win. Sad really. That's all right, we'll just beat them all at Scotland Yard or Clue!

And, a quick layout to give you a glimpse into my childhood. It was a happy one, if you can't tell by the scrunchy-faced grin :)

Ha! I just thought it was a cute picture for my 'book of me' scrapbook. I want to get my mom to write some journaling for me, though, because I don't even know what beach this was at or how old I was... Luckily, I think she can help me fill in the blanks.



Hope you all have big plans for Easter. We're heading to my parents farm for a little R and R and some visiting. Can't wait! The best part is that it's calving season, and they've all ready had a few so hopefully, when I come back I'll have some pics of the newbies frolicking around in the field to show you all.

Living in a National Park has a lot of perks, but unfortunately, there is a down side.... Lately, things seem to be falling apart in our house and nobody wants to come out here to fix things.

Our internet has been spotty, our toilets are tempermental, and I can't get anyone to cut my dog's hair, or mine, for that matter. Bailey is starting to look a little like a Rasta Dog... time for a trim.

Oh well, with no internet, hopefully I'll spend more time getting things done :)

Here are a few layouts from the MAK weekend (scanned with my wonderful new scanner) :



I don't know if you can see it here, but I incorporated a little tulle that we used to decorate at our wedding into this layout. You may see it behind the flower and on the tag. Also, I used some Ranger crackle paint, which I love and the Kaiser pearls, which are perfect for wedding layouts (or any kind of dressy occasion).



I really love the colours in this one. I am definitely a fall colours person.

I've been trying to incorporate my handwriting, because I think that just makes it more special, but I think I need to take a handwriting class...I just can not keep it neat.

Oh well, so my future generations know I am not a neat writer.

Hopefully, I'll have a few more layouts for you to check out later this weekend.

MAK weekend

What a great weekend! The sun was shining, I had some great company, and I got a bit of scrappin' done!

For those of you who don't know me well, you've never heard of MAK. Well, 'MAK 3' was the password that my cousins and I had to get into our tree fort at my grandparents place when we were little. You had to say those special words before we would roll down our little rope ladder and let you in. Not very inlusive were we.... but to tell you the truth, it wasn't actually all that 'secret.' :)

My cousins, Meagan and Ange (plus Kelly, makes MAK, get it? Pretty creative, I know...) and I are all very close in age and have always been really great friends.
Since, the treefort is long gone, and we've all moved, but still remain close friends, we converted our secret password into the name of our get together weekends. Hence, MAK weekend.

The girls packed up a TON of stuff and came out on Friday for a weekend of scrapping, skiing, snacking, and visiting and we had a blast! I really love these little get togethers.

I wish I could say I got a ton of scrapping done, but I really didn't. For me, it was one of those days where you move the same sticker around for 40 minutes and never stick it into place. But, it was still fun and Meagan and Ange both got a ton of pages done, so I would call it a success.

I'll have to post some pics later this week.

Hope you're enjoying the sunshine!

Christmas present

I know it's March, and here I am chatting about Christmas. Well, I don't know if this makes it better, but I'm talking about the Christmas that just past, not the one coming up in 9 months. I know I'm late, but it's taken me awhile to discover the true joy of what I got from my hubby 3 months ago...

The background to this story is that my husband really likes to get Christmas lists from me. Very specific Christmas lists. Not just what I would like, but specific brand names and colours, and where he can find it (meaning what store, what shelf, etc.) I, on the other hand, don't really like making these lists. I hate asking for things and I honestly feel like I have enough all ready.

So....

I guess we've learned to work with each other and I actually had thought of something that I wanted. A scanner. A very simple one. Just something that I could use to scan in layouts I make or old pictures I want to keep or whatever I may find that I think should be saved electronically.

Brad jumped all over this. Not only had I given him an idea, it was a gadget. I was giving him permission to go gadget shopping.

I didn't really realize what I'd done until I opened my gift at Christmas and saw the biggest scanner I've ever seen. What I opened was a Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL.

Yes, it's as big as it sounds.

While I loved the idea and was very grateful, I really thought it was more than I needed. I was just looking for a simple scanner, and this behemoth wouldn't even fit on my desk.

Unfortunately, before I could return it, Brad had ripped open the box to get a closer look.... there went the return option.

So, jump ahead a few months, the house is all unpacked and set up, life is returning to the routine we had established before our house fire, things are good. Then I look over at the enormous scanner perched precariously on my desk. I haven't even set it up. Sure, maybe it's more than I need, but it's not going to get any smaller now is it?

So, I set everything up and had an inaugural scanning ceremony, and guess what? I love it! I've been scanning everything I can get my hands on.

I don't know if I needed a scanner this big, but I guess that's what Christmas is all about, getting something you wouldn't buy yourself.

So, moral of the story, I guess I should just be quiet and be grateful. Brad had fun shopping for it and I really do find it quite handy.

So, here it is, my awesomely huge and extremely handy Christmas present:

Retreat Treats

Let me just tell all you retreat attendees... you will not be disappointed with the AMAZING door prizes and goodie bag items we've got for you!

Here's a pic of A FEW of the goodies that await you:



This is just the beginning if you can believe it. There are still more waiting for you, and even more to come! I really have to send a great big shout out to our sponsors!

Plus, the class kits are so jam packed full of goodies, and the vendors will have new, neat products on hand, so don't worry, you'll go home with a whole new stash of scrapbooking supplies.

And, the instructors are really amazing. Really, all of these women have inspired me, and that's why I contacted them. They will knock your socks off!

Can't wait to see you in April.

Visit the website for more details on the retreat.
www.scrapbooksavvy.net

Favourite old photos

I have been looking at some old pictures lately, and I've decided to incorporate some of the pics of my childhood into my book of me. I don't want to open a new can of worms by scrapping all the old pics I have (since I can't even keep up with my current stock), but some of them are so precious I want them taken care of.

Here's a layout I did using a favourite photo of my dad and brother and I playing. My mom took it and I absolutely love it. I can just imagine all four of us playing in our old place...



I still feel like it might need something else, so I might keep it out to play with...

digi scrappin'

I have a challenge for you all to get your scrappy mojo flowing...

Create a layout using the word 'footsteps.' It can be digital, paper, or hybrid, your call. Be creative and lets see where you take this.

Please leave a comment directing me to your version either in an online gallery or on your blog or send me an email with a jpg of your layout and I'll feature it on the blog later this week.

Here's a little digital project I did using 'footprints' (thanks to Lisa for posting the sketch for this at Concealed Beauty). The picture is of some friends of ours at the zoo. They have the cutest girls...



All of the papers and elements were from A Little Dreamer Designs and were created by Michelle Coleman. The kit is called Wild Sorbet. I especially love the elements in this kit. They have great frames, ribbons, transparent shapes, and rub ons. Very fun to play with.

Happy scrapping!

Scrapbook Savvy Mountain Retreat Updates

Head on over to the Scrapbook Savvy site to get updates on the retreat.
www.scrapbooksavvy.net

The instructor's bios and class descriptions are up and classes are open for registration. Make sure you check out the times of the classes, so you don't double book yourself.

Check it out!

Scrappin' all Saturday

What a great weekend!

I had a visit from a friend that I never get to see last night, the laundry is almost finished, and now, I have no plans for today or tomorrow... how rare is that?

I'm not even going to cook tonight. I cooked a big batch of yummy soup Thursday and a roast last night, so I'm taking tonight off and we're eating left-overs (Valentines Day is over hehehe).

To top it all off, it's beautiful outside! Lightly falling snow, the temperature is hovering right around 0.... quite perfect here in my snowy haven.

I went for a great cross country ski this morning, so the dog is exhausted, hubby is off to work, and I'm free to scrap to my heart's content! Yippee!!

Here's a look into my Saturday scrappin' so far:

A layout about some of my favourite things, with a lot of doodling, some paint, and lots of photos (10 to be exact).



A close up of the doodled title (and my eye...)



And a look at the out-takes we have from our Christmas photo:



I also made some great journaling blocks while I was playing on my mac this morning, so I'll have to use them on a layout tonight!

Hope your weekend is just as great.

Friday ramblings

Guess how we spent our Valentines Day yesterday? We went and picked up our new washer and dryer!!!

It's been a month and a half without one. Can you imagine? We've worn a trail between our neighbours door and our own, lugging laundry baskets ever since our move, now, we can do it at our leisure (and our neighbour will not appear at our door holding a bra of mine in his hand ever again). *blush*

Who would've thought this would be so exciting? Happy Valentines Day, honey!

Well, here's a look at our washer:



You can find out more about the Kenmore Elite HE5T 4.0 Litre front loading, energy efficient washer and dryer combo can be seen here (in case you're in the market for a new set).

Also, the door prizes for the Scrapbook Savvy Mountain Retreat are coming in fast and furious and there are some great ones! It's hard for me to stay away from them... pretty ribbons, great stamp sets, storage units, beautiful papers, class kits, rub-ons, wall art, magazines.... anyone coming, you will be happily surprised!

And, the classes are just about up which means registration will begin shortly. You know what? There will be some excellent classes. These ladies are so talented, and the projects are fabulous! You will be so happy with the projects that you can make.

Check out the progress on the retreat here.

On another note, here's a recent layout I did for a mountain biking race, my hubby was in "The 24 hours of Adrenalin."
I love these photos of him, and had fun playing with the bright colours. I also used black embossing powder to distress the edges of the paper and accentuate the dirt on hubby's face :)



Hope you enjoy!

Wow!!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone for stopping in to check out my blog. I installed a hit counter two weeks ago to keep track of traffic, and I've all ready had over 300 hits!!

Wow! 300 hits in 2 weeks, I had no idea...

Thanks so much folks.

new layouts and things happening

I have a few new layouts to post, but before I do, I must tell you about the great, week-long Valentine crop going on at Concealed Beauty this week. There are daily challenges, prizes, games, inspiring layouts and much more. What a great way to spend Valentines week!! If you stop by the forum, make sure to say hi and check out the great kits and items in the store.
Stop by to check it out at www.concealedbeauty.com

Also, there's a great Canadian kit company called Just Cre8 which has phenomenal kits and amazing people.
They are also sponsoring the Scrapbook Savvy Mountain Retreat!! You can look forward to an awesome door prize from them if you're attending. Stop in and check out their great forum and take a peak in the store to peruse all the great goodies Sue has in stock.

Now, on to some layouts...

Here's a dedication layout I did about my brother Curtis, and his wife Brandi:




I had these two really great photos of them from a hiking trip my family went on and needed a good use for them, so I thought this would be perfect.

Notice the Kaiser pearls?? Lovin' them right now.

Also, another photo from the same hiking trip of my dog, Bailey.

'Still' doesn't really describe a two year old Airedale Terrier so you'll appreciate the sentiment if you have a puppy.



I was playing a lot with this one. I hand drew the ripples around the picture and pierced some holes to highlight them, sort of like bubbles....possibly in my mind only : )

I also stitched some grass in the corner.



Just mixing things up a bit....did you all know that I won a trophy for sewing when I was in grade school?? And this is how I use my sewing machine now : )

Toot toot.... that's me tooting my own horn.

Hope you enjoy!

Maya Road at CHA and some cool videos from Tim Holtz...

If you love Maya Road products like I do, you'll love this!

Maya Road released their Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) new release catalog. Check out all the new goodies they've come up with here.

If you were like me, planning to maybe hold back on the scrappin' supplies for awhile, you better wait a few more months, this stuff looks good!

Also, check out these great videos from Tim Holtz.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

digital how-to

So, here's another digi layout for you all....



If you're new to digital scrapbooking, I've compiled the steps to make a basic layout such as this one for you.

All of the elements I used are free downloads from Rhonna Farrer and Jessica Sprague.

First, open a file that is the size you'd like to work in, I use 12 x 12 because that's the size I usually have albums for and a nice big canvas to work on. Make sure to save it here so that if anything happens, you'll at least have the benefit of save updates.

Next, open your background paper and drag it onto your document.

Open your picture and place it on your layout, sizing it accordingly (I usually size mine to about 5 x 7 in advance so it's not a huge file).

Next, open the frame and size and rotate it using free transform, in your edit pull down menu. A note for those new to designing, if you hold down the shift key, you will maintain the elements proper proportions. This way, nothing looks flattened or squished.



Next, open the explore text and drag it onto your layout. This time, try sizing it by going to edit and then transform and then scale.

Open the bird file and drag to layout, size using either of the previously mentioned methods.



Most of the time, I like to try and place elements on my layout in the order I'd like them to appear, however, that doesn't always work... I always think of elements I'd like to add or change my mind, which is a part of the creative process. This time, I thought the background looked a little boring so I added a transparency.

To do this, open the transparency and drag it to your layout. Move it behind all of the other elements by choosing the layer it is in from your layers palette and click on it with your cursor, hold it down and drag the layer directly above of your first layer (your background paper). This way, all of the other elements will be above the transparency, except the background paper.

I changed the opacity of the transparency to 28% using the opacity slider located above the layers palette.

A few last minute things and we're done. I moved the explore text and added a ribbon to finish things off, and then hit save. Voila! Done.

Now save your file. If you won't be altering it, ever again, save it as a jpg, this will flatten all of the layers so anything placed in the file will be unmoveable in the future. Otherwise, if you're in photoshop a psd (or gif in most photo editing software) file will allow you to come back and move elements, change layers, etc.

So, happy digi scrappin'!

And the winner is.....

Sharon Shuttleworth!!!!!!

Congrats Sharon, I'll be contacting you to see how you would like to use your $50 gift certificate to the retreat!

Here's Sharon's winning comment regarding what she's working on:
My focus right now is on my 4-H members' projects - I lead two groups, my "2nd Yr Scrappers" (3 girls, ages 10-12) and the "Grad Scrappers" (3 university girls). Just finding and learning new techniques to teach the kids is keeping me busy. The results are worth it though - they are having a ball, and producing awesome layouts!

For all of you who were waiting for the announcement, I apologize, my internet is still down, so I have to knock on neighbours doors to do my posting...

Organized at last!

Bet you all thought I meant my house was organized after the move... well, no, unfortunately, the house is still in shambles, but my life is one step closer to being organized now that my organizer is all complete (see how many fun things you can do while avoiding work).

I posted a few pics of my organizer before when it was bare bones. Here's what it looks like now. I'm quite happy with it. I think it will be functional and inspiring.





















So each section is divided by my handy tab dividers and has a photo that I love or is of a special memory. Each divider has a pocket on both sides that I stuck a tag in with a quote that I like or that motivates me.

Also, there are four sections... a day-timer, layout planner, layout idea list, and a to-do list. The last three are a free download from Creating Keepsakes magazine. Very handy I must say!

Unfortunately, my organizer will not help me plan around everything that comes up...Being married to an RCMP officer doesn't lend itself to much regularity.
My hubby has been out all night and all day at a big accident here and I'm sure could use some sleep....Hopefully, he'll be able to come home soon.

Be careful on the roads if you're driving anywhere.