Write. Click. Scrapbook.

and the giveaways go to . . .

Ladies, please email us at writeclickscrapbook at gmail dot com to claim your lucky number! Thank you!

give.away.day. featuring PENNY SPRINGMANN DESIGNS

Today we have a real holiday treat for you our dear readers! We are please to present

with Penny Springmann. Penny Springmann is a self-taught digital scrapbooking designer living in the mid-south with her husband of 15 years, 2 wild and crazy sons (8 and 7), and a brindled mutt, Gary the girl. When she’s not designing, Penny enjoys reading, running, hiking, playing, shopping, and cooking.

Penny began digital scrapbooking in 2003. From the beginning she created her own brushes, backgrounds and elements since there really wasn’t much out there in terms of product and she enjoyed tinkering in Photoshop. However, Penny didn’t begin selling her designs until spring of 2006. Currently, her designs are sold at My Digital Stash and Sweet Shoppe Designs. You can find Penny's blog on her site pennyspringmann.com

Penny's favorite product is actually a line of products, her 12 Month Collection. This collection has grown each month in 2011. The collection consists of a massive neutral base kit that is supplemented by individual month kits throughout the year. In addition, each month also includes  4 12×12″ coordinating templates to scrap the month’s photographs. This collection is perfect for scrapping  P52 or P12 or everyday scrapping, you don't want to miss this kit!

Look what the write.click.scrapbook team members did with the 12 Months: January kit!

Marvelous Marnie Flores created this sweet layout of Poppy waiting for the bus during the first snowfall. The fun snowflakes and curvy alphas really make this page pop!

And the pink in this kit really spoke to Marnie. She couldn't resist scrapping this great photo!

Sensational Celeste Smith set out to show that this kit is indeed a "boy" kit too! She created this lovely page using a template. A quick way to get your mojo flowing!

Sweet Penny is so unbelievably generous! Today she is giving away a treat for every single one of you! She put together a lovely word art kit for free for you!!! Just double click the image to begin the download.

This word art kit is perfect for sending a New Year's card or adding a title or element to a digital or hybrid layout. Our own, magnificent Monika Wright made this adorable New Years' card. Such a clever use of the countdown numbers in the free kit from Penny!

Amazing Amy Sorenson created this fabulous page that uses the word art as part of her fun title!

Last but not least, Penny is giving TWO lucky readers a ten dollar gift card each to her store! So head on over to her store and take a peek around, come back here and tell us what you would choose. Comments will remain open through tonight. Two lucky numbers will be posted tomorrow. Please remember to claim your lucky number before Saturday at midnight. Good luck and happy crafting!

I love my December Daily.

'Tis the Season for December Daily albums. They're everywhere right now and I love it. I really enjoy seeing everyone's take on the project. I did my first, and last, December Daily album in 2008. I'm not sure what happened to my plans for a 2009 album. In 2010, I printed my photos, got my album and supplies together and then never got past day three.  

The problem for me last year was I tried to change it up from the 2008 album. I switched sizes, design style and photo sizes and tried to make a more uniform album. It didn't work for me. This year I'm back to what I know. Which is my make-it-up-as-you-go style. 

I'm back on track for 2011 though. This year my album is 6x8, with pages made of patterned paper and kraft cardstock. I'm using two lines which go well together to keep it easy, I don't have to think about what matches what. Same with embellishments. This works for me as I don't mind when things are matchy-matchy. 

I take bit of a different approach to creating my December Daily than many others. I don't put it all together beforehand. For me that just doesn't work. I've tried it that way, but I then end up moving things around, taking it apart and completely changing it. Instead, I cut out a bunch of pieces of 6x8 patterned paper and kraft cardstock to use as my base and go from there. When I have time, I'll work on a few pages, but I don't worry about trying to complete a page every day. More than likely, I'll finish the bulk of the project in January. 

So far, I've finished my cover and days 2, 3, 4 and 12. 

Cover

The flower is popped up with foam dots, so it scanned a bit funny. 

December 2nd

 

December 3rd

December 4th

 

 

December 12th

 

 

My December Daily album covers the entire month, ending on January 1st. Obviously, I've got a way to go. But I've found that as long as I keep up with the journaling (I keep a Word document going with each day's activities), it's easy to complete after December has ended. And not pressuring myself to get a page done each day makes the holiday a bit less stressful.

We've seen some great December Daily projects so far this month. Are you making one this year? Share it with us on Flickr, we'd love to see!

WCS Chanuka fun!

Hi everyone! It's Keshet, here to share a quick and easy Chanuka decor project, which can be easily adapted to Christmas, birthday parties, and more!

I created a fun lttle decor tablescape for the upcoming Chanuka celebration:

I love adding basic holiday objects, like the menorah and Chanuka candles, to the decor (PS--Can you tell that the menora is a little, er, off-center? It's our very own Leaning Menora of Pisa.)

Here's a closeup image:

In my opinion, Thickers are always a welcome addition to any holiday decor!

I created a banner in somewhat traditional Chanuka colors to add to the scene. I used blue and white, and threw in some yellow, black and ledger prints to mix it up a little.

And to center the banners, I created this little Chanuka doily decoration.  I used a Crafting Jewish Style sticker for the center!

And there you have it! Some fast and easy decor to use for Chanuka, or any other, holiday fun!

Non Traditional

Oh my, can you believe that in less than a week all the holiday madness will be over?!  Me either.  Much to do and prep in the next 6 days for me and probably all of you too!

Bring in holiday and Christmas scrapbooking, and I'm basically of no use! For some reason when I sit down with holiday papers and photos I normally find 1 million other things to do instead. Since I'm more of an everyday scrapper, scrapping events puts me in a deadlock on ideas.  Go figure!

What I have found myself doing more often to get those holiday photos scrapped is to go a more non traditional route, whether with subject or with paper.

Use Non Themed Papers/Embellishments

Sure, there is some red and a bit of green in here, but I predominantly chose papers and embellishments from lines/manufacturers that have no holiday theme whatsoever.  I seem to work better that way and ideas come to me a bit quicker.

Aside from the Santa tag/circle, not a holiday paper or color in sight and I rather prefer it that way!  I tried to use holiday papers for this, but I simply pushed paper around for a while.  I bagged it and went a completely different route and was done within minutes with this card.

Scrap Holiday Photos on Non Holiday Layouts

 Because I still take tons of photos during the holidays and want to scrap most of them, I try to find different ways to incorporate them into my books.  My daughter took a big part in making the Christmas dessert one year and I wanted to document her love of cooking rather than that specific dessert on that specific day.

A Different Take on a Big Idea

It's no secret that Ali's December Daily is a huge hit with scrappers.  I love the idea, love the concept and would love it if I could in my life complete one!  I'm horrible, especially when it comes to a time limited, time intensive project.  I tried last year, but stamped a giant FAIL on the front because it still sits in a heap in a drawer.

This year I still wanted to document our holiday because we have a lot going on and there is no way I can sit a make 10 layouts about the holidays when it pains me to do even 1!  I went a different route this year and am making a December Journal instead of a December Daily.

I'm still documenting our celebrations, traditions and excitement of the season, but more in a journaling format than a daily format.  This way there is no pressure to get something done each and every day!

I still won't be done until January, but I feel like with this route I am more inclined to get it done because I won't be behind "x" amount of days, but behind by a few ideas.  Much more doable for me!

So those are my non traditional ways of dealing with traditional photos and holidays.  I know I'm probably not the norm on this and many others really enjoy scrapping these holiday memories, but this is my take on how to still get those precious photos and memories scrapped for the wee ones to look back on.

What are some ways you scrap non traditionally for these traditional holidays and photos?

Sunday Photo + Words

{photo: Lisa Ottosson}

scrapbook!

Gallery Walk

I have the pleasure of loading the gallery each month, which means I get sneak peeks of all the layouts as they come in. And then I get to spend some time with each project as I post it and edit the materials' lists. But even still, when I pull open the gallery as a whole, my knees swoon, just a bit.

Like every month, there is something in each project that catches my eye. Let's go in order of appearance.

Lisa's canvas: First, I love red polkadots. And tiny ones remind me of my favorite swiss dot dress when I was little. But my favorite part is Lisa's ingenuity in decorating a stamped doily. I would have been tempted to buy an actual doily, which would not have had the same simple glory that Lisa's stamped doily attains.

Aly's layout: Such a brilliant use of cards. I love how some of the circles are names, others photos, other designs. I think the mixture provides such good balance. And helps us to see how eclectic gatherings help tell stories.

Christa's layout: My favorite part of Christa's layout is how she used border punched paper to create shelves for her pictures. This subtle tie in to her subject unifies her story and photos and design. So clever.

Aly's layout: First, the pictures are perfect. I have had three small children and this very same situation, but never thought to bend down and snap a picture of the ornaments on the floor, or the giant grin of the culprit. Times like this I remember how important it is to visit our site often for reminders of all those photos we don't want to miss!! (Such a shameless plug!! teehee!!) Second, did you notice Aly's use of the photo corners? A quiet means of defining the photos as a whole.

Celeste's layout: One of Celeste's greatest strengths is her design strength. She flexed her muscles for us again this month. Notice how everything about her layout is linear: the squares, the even spaces, the white space. And then, there's the photo. Tilted just so. Thereby drawing our eye in. And with tilt, the ninja's eyes become horizontally even with the squares, thereby providing one more bit of balance and symmetry.

Aly's layout: Did you read the journaling? It talks about a moment of quiet. I find most of my quiet holiday moments are spent staring at the lights on my tree. I feel a layout coming on!

Lisa's layout: Aside from the scrapbooking side of things, I might need some of those cookies!! hee hee. Lisa has such a way with her photos. (My favorite might be the kitty next to the elf!!) It's not just the photos she takes, but her angles, her lighting, and the details. Oh, the details.

Christa's layout: First, do you see how unseasonal the colors in this layout are? Not very Christmas-y,but really lovely all the same. And can you spot the triangle? The bottom of visual triangle is the left hand side of the layout (top to bottom). The apex of the triangle is the photo of Jed. This triangle wouldn't work without the tape at the bottom of the page in the lower left hand corner. Cover it up, for just a moment, and evaluate the difference. See? I told you Christa was clever!!

Kelly's book: I love the idea of a page or two representing each year of celebrations. I have made similar birthday books, but never thought to do it for Christmas. This is so very smart. And how fun to look at each year as it grows. Thank you, Kelly, for such a terrific idea!

Keshet's layout: Oh, food shots! What's not to love? I have taken photos of the neighbors' and teachers' treats in the past, but rarely seem to get them on a layout. I love how Keshet's layout show a close-up photo and then one in full packaging. Perfect.

Paula's layout: Paula's photo grouping is just perfect. And did you know that you can have this too? She used a digital photo cluster to put it together. These can be used for paper layouts, too by adding your photos, printing it out, and then trimming the edges. Adding the notation on the bottom of the photos makes it even more purposeful. And the layers on the title? Lovely.

Cheryl's ornament: Only Cheryl could transform a dollar store ugly plaque into this darling little creation.

Cheryl's plate: Or a plate into this? And if you try this at home, be sure to add shadows to the layers so that you can tell who is in front. It's the same as if you were using stickers. One on top, one below.

Francine's layout: The title is terrific and tell so much of the story. Good titles are so effective. I have been keeping track of the books we have checked out of the library on Pinterest and I know that a layout like this will be a perfect capture of our visual list! Something I love about Francine's layout is how the title is big and bold, and the flourish is big and bold, and the photos are just so tiny.

Lisa's layout: I love this one for its content. Have you a similar book? A place where you keep all your ideas together? Have you thought to photograph it and add it to your scrapbook? These items that make up our world are so fleeting. And yet, so basic for us. Perhaps you could look around your life and see if there's something you do often that hasn't yet made your scrapbooks!

Lisa's layout: Did you notice the texture of the blue ribbon beneath the photo? and how the ribbon isn't completely adhered, thus providing even more texture? The velvety softness adds to the warm glow of the lights. And again, Lisa's photos are well-composed so that the twinkle lights glow softly.

Marie's layout: The visual triangle on this layout is more like a pyramid, coming up and out of the paper. The stacked layers make the photo rise up and out of the page, catching your eye before anything else. And Marie was right on target in getting down level with the baby to shoot the photo at the appropriate perspective.

Monika's layout: Monika's design is one of my go-to designs. It works seamlessly for horizontal 4x6 photos. I probably have more than 20 layouts with nearly the same design. And, no, that's not lazy, just practical!! Further, did you notice the woodgrain tape? So hip!

Emily's layout: For a layout about a santa collection, Emily's layout is remarkably and delightfully void of santas. Rather, the title is the story and the photo is the evidence. The trees prove the season and the colors lend a cheer. Especially helpful with a black and white photo. And have I mentioned how real Emily's pages seem? And always have a twist of wry humor.

Donna's layout: Donna chose to use two patterned papers as her backdrop, though not in equal proportion. When she added her photographs, she put the narrow photo on the wider pattern, and the wider photo on the narrower strip. This slight adjustment creates flow from the vertical base of the visual triangle (the left hand side of the layout) up and through the triangle to the middle of the page on the right side. With the edge of the landscape photo crossing over onto the patterned paper on the left, the layout becomes cohesive and level.

Amy's layout: This is a wonderful reminder to get our memories on paper even if it means we must wait for the photo. And if you know what size it will be, you can create an whole layout and even place it in the proper album. Who said layouts need photos?

Amy's layout: Being a fontophile and a stickerphile, I have always wanted to create a layout like this, but have never been able to determine how to do it. Now I know who I can ask! I love the boxes and how she hand drew them. And I wish we lived close enough to visit my mom and help her decorate!!

Alexandra's tags: Such a clever way of documenting our homes. Tags relieve the pressure of having a particular number of items and are fun little canvases to decorate. And once we get some snow or put up some lights, I am totally taking Alex's suggestion to document our outside homes.

Thank you for going gallery walking with me. I hope it was helpful to evaluate the little things that make the layouts work so well.

 

Saturday Sketch

This week you have a chance to recreate Donna's layout. She put together a sketch for you that is also downloadable as a layered template. Enjoy!

Thank you, Donna! From all of us!

 

Printable

School ended for us yesterday. Which means Thursday was spent elbow deep in white chocolate popcorn. Having 16 teacher gifts to put together, I thought it might be easiest to print tags. So I made tags.

In case you need them ...

... you may download them here.

 

Thank you for stopping by and spending some time with us! We appreciate you and hope you are doing well on your holiday preparations. Next week will be filled with more December Dailies. Can't wait to see you here!

Quickie gift or decor ideas

EEK! There's a little over a week left until Christmas and I don't know about you, but I am not ready! I'm always on the lookout for quick and easy decor and gift ideas because I love to make things, but I don't always have a lot of time. I got a Silhouette SD this year and have been very happy with the fun things that I can make with it when I take a little bit of time. I made some gift card holders using it last weekend - so easy and they looked great.

I'm going to share another project that I made using my new toy - this time using napkins from the dollar store ($1 for 2 napkins!), some digital brushes and heat transfer material/paper/stuff.

I imported my digital brushes into the Silhouette and cut them out of the Heat Transfer. After I removed the extra material from around the image, I iron it onto my napkins. Here's some more:

I'll include more complete instructions on my blog.

Happy Holidays!

and the giveaway goes to . . .

Congrats to Kelly! We are so excited for you to get to play with the penguins! Adorable! Please send your mailing address to us at writeclickscrapbook at gmail dot com. Thank you!

I wonder who is up next???

give.away.day. featuring BELLA BLVD

It's Thursday, which means it'shere at Write. Click. Scrapbook. Today's give.away.day. features the Christmas Wishes line from Bella Blvd. This whimsical holiday line combines bright colors, classic patterns, and a whole lot of fun!

Vivian used this line to create both a layout and card:

For a chance to win the Christmas Wishes line, please leave a comment below sharing with us your holiday wish. Comments will remain open through this evening and one lucky number will be drawn at random and posted tomorrow. Be sure to check back to see if yours is the lucky number as it is your responsibility to claim your number by midnight Saturday!

As a thank you to our friends over at Bella Blvd, please check them out on Facebook and tell them that Write. Click. Scrapbook. sent you!