Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Capturing Your Summer

Is there something that you can think of that just screams summertime to you? Maybe its the beach or pool, maybe it's kids enjoying frozen treats. For me, this past summer with a teen and tween, it was sleeping. Lots and lots of sleeping.

I wanted to document this milestone in my kids summertime routine, since sleeping was not something that either of them, or my baby for that matter, have ever been fond of in the past. I managed to snag sleeping pictures of both of them and whipped up a quick layout so I'd have it to remember.

Make sure you document what summer means to you, even if it's something as trivial as sleeping. I am hoping that it rubs off on my baby boy this summer, but so far he's proving to be just like his older brother and sister not needing any sleep at all. Oye.

Happy Tuesday!!

Happy 4th Birthday!

Hooray hooray hooray hooray hooray today is our birthday!

We love this time of year as we get to look back at the last 12 months and marvel at the changes, the fun, and the general awesomeness of our favorite site!! We hope that you have enjoyed the posts, the layouts, and the inspiration.

We are excited to get year five started! We are going to have a bit of a sentimental beginning with our 

This month we are looking back at year four. Each of our designers picked a layout or post that they loved from this past year and used it to inspire a new layout. Let's take a look.

 

Mother’s Day 2013 | Aliza Deutsch

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Basic Grey, My Mind’s Eye) + buttons (My Mind’s Eye, Fancy Pants) + paper clips (Fancy Pants) + thickers (American Crafts) + labels (Evalicious, Basic Grey) + stickers (My Mind’s Eye) + ink (Versamark) + fonts (Times New Roman)

A Note from Aliza
This layout was inspired by a recent Mother’s Day post by Marnie. She said that every Mother’s Day, she takes a picture with each of her children. I knew right away that I wanted to do that too, and I am madly in love with the results.

June Fun Fact
I just bought a necklace that I love, but it’s really big and bold. I am working up the nerve to wear it to work.

 

Date Night | Christine Newman

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (American Crafts Amy Tangerine, Dear Lizzy, Studio Calico) + stamps (American Crafts) + ink (Memento) + pen (Sharpie) + punches (Fiskars, Marvy Uchida, McGill) + digital graphic (Ali Edwards) + digital die cutter (Silhouette America) + adhesives (Scotch, Glue Dots, Tombow) + stapler (Advantus) + font (Blackout)

A Note from Christine
This layout was inspired by a post by Katie Ehmann during her Patterned Paper Week in November 2012. I wanted to create a layout using just papers to celebrate... well, paper! :)

June Fun Fact
Todd and I always take Summer Solstice (6/20 or 6/21, depending on the year) off work. Our rationale is that Summer Solstice is the longest daylight of the year, and we don't want to spend it at work! We look forward to our annual tradition or spending Summer Solstice outside and together every year.

 

Hello New Love | Lisa Ottosson

8 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Creative Club) + stickers (My Little Shoebox, American Cafts

A Note from Lisa
Teka always inspires me with her projects. I chose this simple page because of the big journaling banner.
I wrote some lyrics on my banner and added my photo on top. I added a strip with low opacity in Picmonkey to the photo before printing it, so that I could easily add my letter stickers as a title.

 

Magic | Lisa Ottosson

8 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin) + embellishments (Crystal Wilkerson, Ali Edwards digital kit)

A Note from Lisa Ottosson
This layout is inspired by Deb Duty´s page called Happiness. Deb always makes such cool layers so I wanted to mimic that. I had the Jenni Bowlin patterned papers but felt like I wanted something more. So I began doodling and ended up making that magic paper. It was much fun and I know I will do that again!

 

Lucky Me | Diane Payne

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Studio Calico, Basic Grey, American Crafts, Kesi Art) + washi tape (Freckled Fawn) + flair (A Flair for Buttons) + ink (Faber-Castell) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Diane
As I re-read and looked at inspiring post after post from the last year, Amy Coose's layout with stitching around her photo caught my eye. I love how it framed and brought attention to her photo. It was exactly what I wanted to do to showcase the photos that captured my daughter's loving gifts to me this Mother's Day.

June Fun Fact
It may be summer and school is out but we will be busier than ever with select softball tournaments, speed camp, wrestling lessons, football practice, baby sitting and a trip overseas. It will be a full and busy month, but I love it and wouldn't want it any other way!

 

Birthday Wishes| Amy Coose

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Pebbles, Studio Calico, American Crafts) + chipboard (Studio Calico) + mist(Studio Calico, Heidi Swapp) + pen (American Crafts) + tags (Chic Tags)

A Note from Amy
As I went back through our amazing galleries from this past year, I was really inspired by Marnie's layoutfrom the Feeling Thankful gallery.

I loved the design of the layout and the sweet pictures of her kids with their grandparents, and I knew I had the perfect pictures of my baby boy with his grandmothers on his birthday, and I couldn't wait to get them scrapped.

June Fun Fact
June is a busy month for us. We have the last day of school, my birthday and my daughter's birthday the day after, and we also usually travel home to see my family. I wait all year for this month, because it's filled with so much fun.

 

love you | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Studio Calico) + stickers (Sassafrass, Studio Calico) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + washi tape (Freckled Fawn)

A Note from Katie
This layout was inspired by Valerie O’ Neall’s The Many Faces of Lucas layout in the Five is Fun gallery.

June Fun Fact
I don’t work during the summer and I can’t wait to spend all day lazing around the pool and scrapbooking at night!

 

Written in the Stars | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kits (Stencils no. 1 by Creashens at Pixels & Co., Stargazer by One Little Bird at The Lilypad, A Beautiful Mess Splatters by Just Jaimee at Pixels & Co., At the Thrift Shoppe by Jennifer Barrette at Sweet Shoppe Designs, Papery Stuffs by Dawn by Design at Pixels & Co.) + masks (Cut.It.Out Clipping Masks by Robyn Meierotto at Pixels & Co.) + stitching (In Stitches Neutral Basics by Robyn Meierotto at Pixels & Co., Sewing Kit 1 by Agnes Biro (retired)) + fonts (DBJ Celeste from Darcy Baldwin at Sweet Shoppe Designs)

A Note from Celeste
Amy Sorenson's recent Silhouette Week was super inspiring. While I can't really use my Silhouette to scrapbook digitally, I can still bring the look to my pages by using the .png files to clip papers to and shadow to get the same look.

June Fun Fact
I'm excited for school to end. Both boys will be going to sleepaway camp this year the same week. It's going to be fun for them, but I'm sure too quiet around here!

 

What’s in a Name? | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Studio Calico, Lily Bee Designs) + stamp (Studio Calico) + ink (Stampin’ Up!, Jenni Bowlin) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + punches (EK Success) + font (Times New Roman)

A Note from Jennifer Larson
I took inspiration from a post by Amy Coose back in February about using your stash, specifically stamps for a background. I took a Polaroid stamp I had and stamped a background of Polaroids to serve as a photo mat, filling in the centers with patterned paper. This was a quick but eye catching design!

June Fun Fact
I have a collection of Noah’s Ark pictures, figures, and cross-stitched samplers.

 

Lucky Number Forty I Christa Paustenbaugh

12 X 12 | materials patterned papers (Echo Park, Basic Grey, October Afternoon) + stickers (My Mind’s Eye, American Crafts, Jillibean Soup) + die cut (Evalicious for Cocoa Daisy, Chic Tags, Basic Grey) + rub on (Basic Grey) + brad (CosmoCricket) + ribbon (May Arts) + die cut machine (Silhouette SD) 

A Note from Christa
I took my inspiration this month from a Click post. I think it’s very important to take photos of ourselves as moms and not just let them sit on the memory card and/or computer, but also putting those on paper and scrapbooking them. I wanted to document my recent 40th birthday to embrace it!

June Fun Fact
This month marks our 1 year anniversary of living overseas in Japan. We have had lots of adventures so far and looking forward to many, many more in our short time here. This month we head off to explore Seoul, South Korea.

 

Mornings | Valerie O'Neall

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Bazzill) + patterned paper (My Mind's Eye, Pink Paislee, Studio Calico, Crate Paper) + stickers (Sassafras, Studio Calico, October Afternoon, Jillibean Soup) + wood veneer (Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn) + printed shapes (American Crafts, Ormolu) + kraft tags (Maya Road) + flair (Ormolu) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + alpha stamps (Hero Arts) + bow (Jenni Bowlin) + stamps (Studio Calico, Ormolu) + mug thicker (American Crafts) + buttons (Autumn Leaves) + ink (Memento) + pen (Copic)

A Note from Valerie
This layout was inspired by Diane Payne's embellishment week back in January (1.28.13-2.1.13). I couldn't pick just one type of embellishment, so I used almost all the embellishments mentioned throughout the week.

June Fun Fact
I actually enjoy repainting rooms in our home. Now the ceilings? not so much (and thanks to roof leaks, I've had to repaint almost every ceiling in our house).

 

Click Click Click | Francine Clouden

12 x 12 | materials stamps (KesiArt, Studio Calico, craft supply) + spray ink (Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, KesiArt) + printables (write.click,scrapbook)

A Note from Francine
I love pretty much everything that Valerie does, and I especially loved her layout from the Conversations gallery in February. It got me excited about inking and stamping! I also used the free printables designed by Marnie for the Favourite Photos theme last December. They went perfectly with this month's theme AND my layout.

June Fun Fact
Without my notebooks, lists, post-it notes and wall planner I wouldn't remember a thing!

 

Smitten | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials papers (Crystal Wilkerson, Echo Park) + fonts (Doodle Basic, Lavanderia)

A Note from Marnie
Celeste is my hero. She is one of the most consistent scrapbookers alive. As I hunted through her year 4 layouts, I found this one with its place for flair and tiny patterns. I love how quickly it all came together. Maybe I should just copy all of Celeste's layouts!!!

June Fun Fact
We just got a puppy!!!!!!

 

Miss Sandy | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials papers (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (Bebas, Century Gothic)

A Note from Marnie
I'm a big sucker for Francine's layouts. This one with it's grid was too perfect to pass up. I loved the two fonts on the edge, but couldn't get mine to work. But I wish I could have.

June Fun Fact
We finished school in May this year, so June is all about the fun fun fun!

 

True Love | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials papers (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (Bondoluo, Century Gothic)

A Note from Marnie
Christine is so incredibly talented. When I saw her layout in our November gallery, I was taken in by the mixing of patterns and how cool it looked with the patterns and colors.

June Fun Fact
Did I mention we got a puppy? We love her. Her name is Chartreuse Rosabelle Starlight. But we just call her Charlie!

 

It's a terrific gallery, no? If you would like to see the gallery as a whole, you may do so here. And there you will find all the journaling, too!

For a little bit of birthday fun, a few of us put together some journaling, photography, and scrapbooking tips. If you would like to start with Aliza, she will get you headed to the next place. And if you get lost, here is the list:

Aliza Deutsch
Amy Sorensen
Amy Coose
Christa Paustenbaugh
Christine Newman
Diane Payne
Jenny Larson
Katie Ehmann
Lisa Ottosson 
Marnie Flores 
Valerie O'Neall

Thank you for joining us for our birthday! Have some cake for us and raise your glass to another year of scrapbooking together!

We love you, dear readers! We love you!! Happy birthday us!

In Review

With just one week left this month, it is that time again. That time where we take one last look at the gallery before we celebrate a new one. Shall we begin?

 

This month we celebrated all things daily. Routines. Repeat adventures. The tedious. The average. The little things that fill our days and our lives. To make our lookback more educational, we have included a tip that you can use to help you better understand what makes a great page. We hope you enjoy the last look.

Hope you enjoyed our gallery walk! Until next month...

Silhouette Digital Machine: Tips, Tricks, and Secrets

Welcome to the final day of Silhouette week with me, Amy Sorensen. (I’m wishing I had more days to blog about this topic—we’ve barely scratched the surface.) Today I wanted to cover some helpful tips and techniques that work with the versatility of the cutter. Let’s jump right in!

A Few Silhouette Secrets

1. The secret to making your cutting mat stay sticky for longer. I discovered this the hard way: I once left a nearly-brand-new cutting mat sitting out, uncovered, on my desk. For an entire ten days of vacation! It was so dusty when I got back, it would hardly hold anything. That’s when I learned that to keep your mat sticky for as long as possible, you’ve got to keep it covered with the plastic sheet it comes with. This keeps the dust out and it also seems to revitalize the stickiness a little bit. Find yourself with a cutting-mat full of objects you’ve cut but don’t have time to peel off? Cover everything up with that plastic sheet until you’re ready to peel.

2. The secret to a dust-free mat. Even though I try to keep my mats protected, they eventually get a little bit of dust on them, or a few tiny pieces of cardstock from intricate cuts. Every once in awhile, give your cutting mat a wash. Use warm water, a little bit of dishwashing soap, and piece of scrunched-up plastic wrap in place of a rag. Rub gently with the plastic to wash off the dust and scraps, then let the mat air dry. (And then hurry up, put the plastic cover back on!) This won’t make the adhesive as sticky as it was when you bought the mat, but it will extend the stickiness.

3. The secret to removing little scraps. Use packing tape! Whenever I cut something that leaves a whole bunch of small leftover pieces, I reach for some packing tape. Roll it into a loop and carefully press it on top of the small remnants. Then peel the tape off and the remnants come off with the tape.

4. The secret to keeping stuff in place. Sometimes your cutting mat has simply lost all its sticky, and you don’t have a new one yet, but you need to cut something. Washi tape to the rescue! I mentioned this on Monday but I think it’s so useful it deserves its very own tip. Jennifer is the brilliant mind behind the idea: use washi tape to hold down the paper/cardstock you’re cutting. It peels right off when you’re finished. Just make sure that the object you’re cutting isn’t too close to the edge of the mat, so it doesn’t overlap the washi. This works perfectly when you only have a small piece of something you want to cut from.

5. The secret to not replacing your blade. If your blade starts to seem dull before its time, pull it out of the cutter and clean out the little tube it’s encased in. Small scraps of paper can clog the space around the blade, making it hard to turn and causing it to cut less precisely.

Silhouette Technique: Foundation Piecing

One of my other favorite hobbies is quilting, and I find that the techniques I learn with fabric quite often translate, in one way or another, to scrapbooking. Foundation piecing is a quilting technique that’s useful for small or intricate shapes; it involves using paper as a foundation, then removing it once you’ve sewn the small pieces together.

I figured out this technique when I made the title for this layout:

I wanted the title to have a mosaic feel, like the tiles you find in a swimming pool. I glued down a whole bunch of diamond shapes on a foundation of white printer paper, welded the word "memory" in the Silhouette software (I used Bemio, which I use almost every time I have a word with a lower-case y because I love this font’s y), and then cut it out with the covered-with-diamonds foundation.

Here’s another example, with step-by-step instructions:

I’ve been wanting to recreate in paper the spiderweb potholders from this blog post ever since I saw it last fall. (I also am itching to make a Halloween quilt—instead of potholders—with the same idea, but that’s totally another post!) Here’s how I made them:

1. I used this triangle card cut file by Loni Harris:

2. I ungrouped the object and deleted the triangle with the flowers:

3. Then I deleted the perforated line, drew a solid one, and grouped it all back together, which gave me a pair of 60° triangles:

4. Next I sized the paired triangles and then copy and pasted the object twice. I rotated one (click on the object, then click Object, Rotate, 180° degrees) and then lined up everything. I grouped these three triangle pairs, copied and pasted, and moved the second one down the mat:

5. Once the cut file was prepared, I got the foundation ready. I used a blank piece of white printer paper and some .5"-ish patterned paper strips. (Two of these are paper selvage—the cute edge design you cut from the edge of a 12x12 sheet.) I inked the edges of the strips, then glued them onto the white printer paper. (It’s necessary to apply glue all the way to the edge of the patterned paper strips!)

6. After letting the foundation piece dry, I cut it into two 8.5" x 2" strips, stuck these on my cutting mat in the corresponding spots, and sent it through the Silhouette. Before cutting, I changed the Cut Settings to Double Cut, since it needed to cut through two pieces of paper. (Click on the Cut button, then Change Settings to change to a Double Cut. This setting will stay in place until you change it.)

7. After cutting, I peeled the triangles off the mat and assembled the spider web following the directions in the potholder link (using double-stick tape instead of thread). Full disclosure: I had to re-glue three of the tiny triangle points. And I learned that it works better to put the web together by making two half-hexagon shapes rather than going in a circle. The edges don’t all quite match up without overlapping them a bit.

I can’t quite express how ridiculously happy these spider webs made me! I think they’d look equally as cute done in blue patterns (as snowflakes) and in pastels (as flowers.)

Silhouette Technique: Use the Pens

The first few times I used my Silhouette, I was a little bit afraid. Probably silly, but overcoming that initial will-I-do-it-right resistance was a little tough for me. That’s probably why I haven’t tried the Silhouette pens yet—but I do believe Diane has helped me get over my fears! She shared this layout:

The "Kisses for Daddy" title was done with the Silhouette pens. Here is her advice for using the pens:

Some designs in the Silhouette store are specifically for sketching. You can search for them by entering sketch designs. They also are indicated with the letter "S" in a grey box. Here's an example of one:

You don't have to use a design that is designated as sketch but sketch/outline images work best.

To sketch a design with your pens, replace the blade with the sketch pen of your choice and from the cut menu choose "sketch pen" under the cutting options. When you are done sketching an item you can also cut it out. To do this, leave the design you just sketched in place in the cutter, offset the design, change the pen back to the blade and cut the offset line.

For fonts, the thin ones work best. There are some options in the Silhouette store and several options at Lettering Delights too.

One great idea for the Silhouette pens is to use them to write the salutation on the inside of a card, like here:

To figure out where to place the text, draw a rectangle the same size as your open card in the Silhouette software. On the right side of the rectangle (the inside part of the card once it's folded), type the greeting, saying, or sentiment you want. Then place the cardstock or patterned paper on the cutting mat in the spot that corresponds to the place the image is in the software. Then delete the box and follow the above steps to sketch.

See! Totally not scary. I'm going to order pens next time I need a new mat or blade.

Silhouette Technique: Hybrid Scrapbooking

Christine taught me about the potential for using digital scrapbooking products with the Silhouette cutters. You can drag .jpg and .png files right from your file manager into the Silhouette Studio window. You can then use the trace and cut feature to turn the image into an object you can cut. To trace the image, click on it, then select Trace from the Object menu. Draw a space around the part you want to trace, then click on the Trace button. Delete the original image and you're left with the shape you can now send to the cutter as usual.

You can also use digital patterned paper with your Silhouette. Open the cut file you'd like to cut. Then drag the patterned paper from your file manager to the object in Silhouette Studio. When you let go of your mouse, the paper fills the shape. Use the print and cut feature to finish the piece.

Here's a great example to show the flexibility of the Silhouette when its paired with digital supplies. Christine created both an entirely digital layout:

and then a paper one with the same supplies as a hybrid layout:

Brilliant, yes? Christine will be sharing other hybrid scrapbooking techniques later this month—I'm excited to learn other techniques from her!

Free Cut Files
Amy Coose shared this cute layout:

The awesome part (well, besides its general gorgeousness): The circle "Love" text embellishment? Totally free! Every Friday, Chic Tags has a free cut file download. The Silhouette store has a weekly free cut file. And you can get the free WCS cut files monthly! We post these on the first day of the month.

And with that, we are at the end of the Silhouette week. I hope it's been helpful to you. Go forth, dear scrapbooker, and cut stuff out with your Silhouette. It's a great way to use your supplies!

Silhouette Digital Machine: Text Features

I confess: all affection for pre-made cut files aside, the real reason I got a digital cutter was for the text capabilities. (After all, any type of alphabet-related supply is automatically my favorite!) The ability to cut out any font in existence? It's the Silhouette's coolest feature in my mind.

Of course, just because you CAN cut out every font in existence doesn't mean that every font looks great once it's cut. Some fonts have lines that are too thin, or jagged edges, and some just don't translate well as digital cuts. Here are some favorite fonts:

Script

Sans Serif

Serif

And some ideas for text embellishments you can make with your Silhouette:

Add text to a solid embellishment

Amy Coose added the word "Sweet" to the tab shape and "Fun" on the chevron arrow. This is easy to do: Simply open the solid shape and size as needed. Click on the Text button, select the font you want to use, and type the word. Then move it right on top of the solid shape and resize. Group these two and you're done!

Christine does something similar with the title on this layout. A banner shape + a clean font (Blackout, in this case, which is a great go-to font) = a quick but awesome title!

Try finding solid shapes to cut that go along with the theme of your layout, or use a tag, journaling box, decorative square, or label shape. I quite often add the date to my layouts by typing it onto a solid shape and then cutting it out.

Use the negative shape

I do this quite often when I cut out words, because it's easier to glue down one piece (with all the letters aligned already!) than a whole bunch of smaller letters. Here's an example from Valerie:

By cutting the chevron designs and the title out of the same white cardstock—and keeping it all together—Valerie created a design that draws your eye right to the title.

This technique is so versatile! Use the negative shape as one of many layers, like Christine did in this layout:

(the script font is Pacifico, another versatile one!)

Write your journaling with negative shapes:

Christa, who is a color-mixing genius, shows that backing each line with a different color adds a certain pop that you can't get any other way.

Or, try mixing negative and positive shapes, like Diane did in this layout:

Layer the letters right on top of your photo for a fresh look.

Create a Mask

Cut out the word you want. Use temporary adhesive to stick it to your background, then spritz the piece with mist. Let it dry for a bit, then peel up the word. Here are a couple of examples:

This layout illustrates just what I love about masking a word: the contrast between the letters' clean edges and the more organic feel that the mist makes. I'm not sure I'll ever not like this!

Diane also shared a layout that uses a mask. This one has a longer, welded title (see the instructions for welding in yesterday's post), which she outlined with pen after the mist dried:

(The "good stuff" embellishment is also made with the Silhouette.) Different mists create different finishes—Diane's mist is less opaque than the one Valerie used, so it lets some of the background paper show through.

Make a great big title

I think it's creatively freeing to know you can cut any size, shape, or color of text that you want to with a Silhouette. For me, this freedom often results in big, big titles! You can make LARGE titles with enormous letters, as in this layout by Diane:

Or this one by Christa:

Or you can make a LONG title with lots of words. Grab an entire sentence from your journaling and turn it into a title. Use a short poem or some song lyrics. Or create a subway-art-esque piece with words that develop your journaling more fully, as in this layout by Valerie:

I used the words of a little jingle I made up for this layout's title:

A favorite quote is also a good source for a long title. Diane uses Captain Jack Sparrow's words in this layout:

And I used a favorite quote about this beach on this one:

And! If you want to cut out the same title, here is the cut file:  Download Net of wonder title

Now! I have a question for you! I love the look of solid cut-out letters, so I rarely add the center of Os and As and Ds back in when I use negative shapes. (See the p, o, and b in the word "problem" on Diane's layout above to see what I mean.)  Do you like to leave the centers empty? Or do you stick down the center shape? I'm curious!

Make sure to check back in tomorrow, when we'll be doing a give away!

Silhouette Digital Machine: Software Tips & Tricks

Welcome to day two of our WCS Silhouette week!

Today we are looking at the Silhouette Studio software that comes with your digital cutter. (There is a different software, called Silhouette Studio Designer Edition, that is an upgrade to the standard software that ships with the cutter. We’re just looking at the standard software.) Once you learn some of the ins and outs of the software, using your Silhouette gets much easier and quicker. And more fun!

One of the most helpful features is Group/Ungroup. It does just what its name suggests: lets you separate and/or group objects together. As you use this feature you'll find it makes your workflow much faster.

When you open a cut file that has many different parts, they are always grouped together. For example, I just downloaded this "Life Card Words" cut file by Michelle Curie:

When I click on the image, I can move, size, and rotate every card at the same time. Keeping them grouped this way is helpful if I want to cut them all out at the same size and on the same color of cardstock or patterned paper.

But since I just want to cut the "she said" and "happy life" cards right now, I need to get rid of the rest. To do that, click on the image so that it’s selected. Right click, then chose Ungroup. Click somewhere outside of the image to deselect it. Then, click on the things you don’t want to cut. You can either do this one at a time, or you can click and drag to select multiple objects. Then just press delete:

Now I can move and size just the cards I want to cut. Ungrouping is helpful for may different types of cut files. Since ungrouping lets you work with individual parts of the object, you can cut things out in different colors or patterns. Take a butterfly for example: if you want the wings to be one color, the body another, the spots on the wings something different and then the antennae something else, you'd have to cut it out four different times without the Group/Ungroup feature. With it, you just ungroup all the parts, then move them to different places on the cutting mat. You can also modify things—maybe you want a larger border around that journaling card than the cut file originally designed, for example. So you could increase the size of the base while leaving the card the same size.

I use Group/Ungroup a lot in my Silhouette workflow.

Remember that when I am using my Silhouette, I try to cut out extras to have in my supplies? That means I’m often adding objects to the file I’m preparing. To keep this simple, I always have two studio tabs open at once. The first one is the main one, the screen I’m adding objects and words to and the one I will send to be cut. The second tab I think of as the "working" tab; it’s the one I use to open cut files from my library. That way I can ungroup cut files, then move only the objects I want to cut into my main screen, without accidentally moving the objects that are already there.

As an example, here is what my screen looked like the last time I used my Silhouette:

See on the bottom left corner, those two "untitled.studio" tabs? The white one is the main tab, the one I’m using to put together a mat’s worth of stuff to cut out. The greyed out tab is the working tab. Before I open another cut file, I switch to that screen so I can ungroup and then select just the items I want to cut.

Group/Ungroup is also useful when you’re cutting out letters. In this layout:

I wanted the title letters cut out from different patterned papers, but I also wanted the letters of each word to be the same height. Here’s how I did that:

1. I typed the word "silly" as a piece of text in my working tab.

2. I created a different piece of text for the word "pumpkin." (I used the font Verb Black for both.)

3. I sized each word to 5.25" wide.

4. When each word was the correct size, I used ungroup to turn each letter into its own object.

5. I cut and pasted random letters into different spots in my main tab, then organized them so they would be cut out of different patterned papers.

Another helpful function in the Silhouette Studio is the Weld feature. Weld connects individual objects into one object, blending the objects where they are touching. For example, in this layout:

I wanted the word "hug" to be mounted on three connected circles. So I drew three:

(If you hold the SHIFT key down while you’re drawing a shape, it makes it the exact same height and width.)

Then I lined them up:

Next I selected them all, right clicked, and chose Weld:

Weld is the tool you use when you want to connect letters into one piece, like Amy Coose did in this layout:

Here are the steps to take to weld words and letters together:

1. Type your text. If all of the letters will be the same size, you can just make one text object; if you want different sizes (or fonts), type each size as its own object. I usually set less-important words in a smaller font, like Amy did with the words "to have" above.

2. Ungroup the text so that each letter is a separate object.

3. Line up the letters in the design scheme you want. Make sure that each letter is slightly overlapping another letter. Sometimes you have to very slightly rotate a letter to make this happen.

4. Once you are pleased with the arrangement of letters and words, select the whole piece by dragging a box around everything. (Make sure everything is selected! the red line indicates it is selected.) Right click, then choose Weld.

5. Position as necessary on the screen, then cut.

Welding words is one of the Silhouette features I use the most. Words and letters in general, in fact, are the main reason I bought the machine. Tune in tomorrow for a day dedicated to all the wordy stuff you can do with the Silhouette.

 

Welcome, May!

Hello May! We are so happy to welcome a new month and a new gallery! This month we look forward to our final month of weekly blogging. We were be learning from Francine, Amy, Christine, as well as have help from our team preparing for Father's Day. We can't wait!

A new month brings a new gallery.

May is the month we celebrate the Everyday. Those things that make up our every day lives. The little things that might get lost in our scrapbooks and our memories. Our schedules, our routine. Project Life is a wonderful way to capture the details of our lives. And our scrapbooks are a great place to record some of the details as well. Our team has put together some amazing layouts. We just know you are going to be inspired to create some just like them!

As a reminder, if you would like to see the layouts a bit bigger and with the journaling listed, please hop on over to the gallery album.

Without further ado, may we present... Everydaily III!

The Family that Types Together | Aliza Deutsch

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin, Pebbles, Elle’s Studio, Simple Stories, Cocoa Daisy, Webster’s Pages) + buttons (Fancy Pants) + thickers (American Crafts) + labels (Chic Tags) + stickers (My Mind’s Eye, Glitz Designs, Simple Stories) + fonts (Linenstroke)

A Note from Aliza
This layout lists a couple of random reflections about technology and our everyday lives.

May Fun Fact
I am currently obsessed with finding inexpensive rock climbing shoes.

 

Love To Run | Christine Newman

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Wausau, Bazzill) + patterned paper (American Crafts) + mask, mist (Studio Calico) + die cuts (American Crafts) + stickers (American Crafts) + paper clip (Freckled Fawn) + stamp (American Crafts) + wood veneers (Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn) + ink (Prima, Palette) + pen (Sharpie, Sakura) + twine (The Twinery) + digital cutter (Silhouette America)

A Note from Christine
When it comes to everyday type of photos, it doesn't get more everyday than this. I exercise almost daily and feel weird if I don't run or workout for a couple of days. I love to eat so working out is a necessity. It also helps me feel less stressed and sleep better.

May Fun Fact
When I was little, I collected scratch-n-sniff stickers. I think I still have some old ones in a box somewhere. I want them to bring those back!

 

Everyday | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kits (Life's a Ride by Valorie Wibbens, Dayplanner by One Little Bird at The Lilypad) + washi tape (Tape It! by Pink Reptile Designs at The Lilypad) + journaling cards (Happy Note Cards by Gina Miller at the Lilypad) + word art (Life 365 by Karla Dudley at Pixels & Co.) + template(Simple Scrapper Premium Membership)+ font (Underwood Champion)

A Note from Celeste
When I thought about everyday this year, I just couldn't get past the fact that our daily life includes music. My son, Adam, plays the saxophone almost every day either practicing, attending rehearsals or performing. I added the clock stamp and washi to symbolize the time he spends. The musical staff is just clip art that I clipped some digital paper to.

May Fun Fact
My niece is a Bat Mitzvah this month. I'm looking forward to the family gathering together and hearing her give her Torah portion. It is sure to be a special day.

 

Every Day | Valerie O'Neall

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Crate Paper) + tags (Elle's Studio and American Crafts/Dear Lizzy) + stickers (Crate Paper) + alpha stamps (Studio Calico/Hero Arts) + other stamps (Ormolu) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + fabric brad (American Crafts) + ink (Memento) + other (Silhouette SD & date stamp) + font (Rockwell)

A Note from Valerie
This layout came together really fast for me this month. I love using my Silhouette for title work (font is Rockwell). These photos are from 2011, but can you believe two years later, this train set is still what my son plays with everyday (best. gift. ever.)!?

May Fun Fact
I was completely anti-texting and anti-smartphone for such a long time. I've only had a plan with texting for two years now, which is so unusual for someone of my generation, but I am now the proud owner of an iPhone.

The Reader | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Kesi’art) + brads (Crate Paper) + thickers (Amy Tamgerine) + tag (Dear Lizzy) + stickers (Amy Tangerine, Dear Lizzy) + die cut (Silhouette Cameo, Studio Calico + stamp (Amy Tangerine) + ink (Versafine)

A Note from Katie
This layout perfectly captures the everyday of my oldest daughter, who is in Kindergarten and is learning to read! I sewed some leftover letters in a random pattern to mirror the letters on the background paper.

May Fun Fact
Every time I play the lotto (which isn’t very often) I seriously think I am going to win, and am crushed with disappointment when I don’t. Some may think that I’m foolish, but I just think I’m an optimist!

 

The 4 O'Clock Stare Down | Diane Payne

12 x 12 |materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, Echo Park, Basic Grey, Simple Stories) + buttons (A Flair for Buttons) + thickers (Ameican Crafts) + labels (My Mind's Eye, Twine & Ink) + stickers (American Crafts, Pebbles, Basic Grey) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Diane
At first I was unsure what to document as a daily activity. When the dogs were anxiously waiting to be fed one evening it dawned on me that I should record their daily ritual.

May Fun Fact
In just a few short weeks school will be out. I'm looking forward to a little less structure and sleeping in on the weekends.

 

InstaLife | Lisa Ottosson

8.5 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Backside of Cocoa Daisy March Kit Ad card, Jenni Bowlin) + brad (Dear Lizzy) + flower (homemade) + stickers (Scrapworks, American Crafts)

A Note from Lisa
When I prepared for this month´s theme I was a bit puzzled about what I would do. As I am doing Project Life every week I record our everyday lives in there. Then it hit me! What is the one thing that I use to catch photos of our everyday? Instagram. Right now we Instagram the heck out of our lives. In my journaling I talk about how we say to each other several times a day: That is going straight up on Instagram!

March Fun Fact
I have to remind myself to use my DSLR these days! I am so happy with my iPhone camera!

Errands with Boys | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket, Glitz, Basic Grey, Studio Calico) + buttons (Company Name) + thickers (American Crafts) + tape (Glitz) + enamel dots (My Mind’s Eye) + stickers (Basic Grey, Studio Calico, My Mind’s Eye) + ink (Jenni Bowlin) + chipboard (My Mind’s Eye) + photo frame (Basic Grey) + die cuts (Studio Calico) + twine (Martha Stewart) + fonts (Times New Roman)

A Note from Jennifer Larson
Since my husband travels periodically for work, I become a single parent at certain times of the year, shepherding my boys solo to their various activities. This month I examine those various activities and the fact that my schedule circulates are them. Though it’s a time crunch, I love the time in the car with my boys, particularly our conversations. To remember these errands and the accompanying stress and joy, I printed various photos I took of these errands with boys and put them together on one page.

May Fun Fact
Every Mother’s Day, we go out to eat Chinese food.

 

Everyday Moments|Amy Coose

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (American Crafts, Pebbles, Basic Grey) + flair (Greatest View) + wood veneer (Freckled Fawn) + tags (Chic Tags) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + mist (Heidi Swapp) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Amy
This layout really shows my everyday, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Journaling
No matter how hard it is having a baby again, there is nothing I'd rather be doing each day than this.

May Fun Fact
I love these pictures of me getting some good snuggle time. It makes me so happy that I had the chance to experience baby snuggles again. 

 

Rise and Shine | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kit (Rise & Shine by One Little Bird at the Lilypad) + template ( Plant Your Story: Journaled {volume two} by Sara Gleason at the Lilypad) + font (Century Gothic)

A Note from Celeste
My morning routine just wouldn't be the same without a cup of tea or coffee. Even though I get up in the dark, I make sure that I have an extra ten or fifteen minutes to sit and enjoy it. Notice the floral elements, as a mom to boys, I get my flower fix whenever I can!

 

Everyday | Jennie McGarvey

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Lily Bee Design, Studio Calico) + stickers (Studio Calico) + alphabet stickers (American Crafts) + labels, tags (Chic Tags) + pen (American Crafts) + fonts

A Note from Jennie
My layout has been a while in the making. My son has been wearing exclusively Angels (his favorite baseball team and baseball is his favorite sport) shirts for a while now (two years or so?) and I wanted to make sure I captured that before he moved onto something else or varied his wardrobe.

May Fun Fact
I rarely use the computer for journaling. I prefer to handwrite my journaling, but will occasionally use a typewriter if the project calls for it.

 

Have a Good Day | Deb Duty

12 x 12 | materials) patterned paper (Simple Stories, Teresa Collins, Cosmo Cricket, Fancy Pants, Webster's Pages, American Crafts) + flair (Hello Forever) + chipboard star (Pink Paislee) + alpha (Heidi Swapp, Little Yellow Bicycle, Glitz Design) + labels (Studio Calico) + ink (Hero Arts) + stickers (Studio Calico, Basic Grey) + stamps (Studio Calico) + sequins (Studio Calico) + resin stars (Freckled Fawn) + metal clip (Prima) + cork arrow (Studio Calico) + inventory tag (vintage) + pen (Micron)

A Note from Deb
I took this photo as my boys walked out the door for school while I held on to our dog so she couldn't escape just like I do every morning. I love capturing these simple moments that seem so ordinary at the time, but will one day be just a memory.

May Fun Fact
I generally don't like any scary or intense TV shows, but after my boys introduced me to The Walking Dead, it has become my new favorite. I still can't believe I actually enjoy a show about zombies, but it's just so good!

 

A-Okay | Kelly Jeppson

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Elle’s Studio) + paper elements (BasicGrey) + alpha stickers (Doodlebug Designs) + burlap + washi tape (7Gypsies) + big brad (Studio G)

A Note from Kelly
Life for a mom can be pretty mundane, but at the end of the day, I’m always happy to see the smiling faces of my three kids. It makes it all worth it!

Journaling
Today I might…make breakfast, pack lunches, find homework, socks, shoes, lost toys. Drive to school, to scouts, to soccer, to the store. Eat standing up. Do laundry. Check email. Vacuum. Answer phone calls. Bandage scrapes. Walk the dog. Clean up messes. Make dinner. Stay up late reading. But it’s all a-okay with me, because I get to be your mom.

May Fun Fact
Before we had children, I convinced my husband to get me a Mother’s Day gift because I would be the mother of his future children! Pretty smart, I must say.

 

The Best Part | Sarah Pendergrast

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Crate Paper, American Crafts) + epoxy dots (My Minds Eye) + stickers (American Crafts) + letter stickers (October Afternoon, Basic Grey, Heidi Swapp) + labels (Basic Grey) + washi (Freckled Fawn) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Sarah
I snapped this shot one day after school, when the two of them were particularly happy to see each other. This photo reminded me that that no matter how glad I am that they are in school during the day, the best part of my day is the after school pickup.

Journaling
No question, one of the best parts of my day is picking you guys up after school. It’s a huge perk of being a stay-at-home parent. I get to hear about recess, see test scores you’re proud of, and watch you hang out with your friends.

May Fun Fact
I’m super excited to start a new volunteer job this month as an urban nature monitor. I will get to count turtles, dragonflies, butterflies etc. that reside right in the middle of our city.

Little Moments | Francine Clouden

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Tim & Beck, American Crafts, Crate Paper, Studio Calico) + chipboard letter stickers (American Crafts) + candy buttons (Studio Calico, BasicGrey) + spray ink (Studio Calico) + clear stamps (Studio Calico, Hero Arts) + rub-ons (American Crafts) + baker's twine + stamping ink

A Note from Francine
Baking with Kieran has become an every day activity because he really loves to bake. We now bake his snacks together most weeks. 
A technique tip: that pink garland under the title was made using letter Vs from my sheet of chipboard letter stickers.

May Fun Fact
After six months in the new house I think it's time to reorganise my scrapbook room!

 

Almost Everyday | Paula Gilarde

12 x 12 | materials LayerWorks No. 175 (Studio DD) + Stay Here kit (Katie Pertiet) + I Heart Stories Wordart Brushes (Ali Edwards) + Wooden Stickers Alpha No 1 (Katie Pertiet) + Painted Text No. 1 (Katie Pertiet) + Instamatic Frames No 3 (Katie Pertiet)

A Note from Paula
Or at least everyday we can, we try to walk the 30 minutes to school. Molly loves it!

 

Everyday He: | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (My Mind's Eye) + alpha stickers (American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, Echo Park, Teresa Collins, Bella Blvd, My Mind's Eye) + die cuts (Silhouette) + circle punch + quilt star punch (Fiskars) + fonts (Satellite, The Only Exception)

A Note from Amy
The real story about this layout is something on the back. To get all of the daily details, I wrote a list of questions for my son Nathan, and asked him to answer them. When I found the paper (he left it under my keyboard and went to bed), I discovered that he'd written his answers AND a sweet note to me. The combination of his handwriting and his note was just so...NATHAN to me. I made a little pocket for the back and stuck the note in it with my response. I do a lot of hidden things on the backs of my layouts. Who knows if anyone will ever see them? But I like knowing they are there.
To make the little banners that back the words "goes" and "to," I punched with the quilt star punch, and then trimmed off the two vertical strips. Voila: instant banner!

May Fun Fact
My oldest kid is graduating from high school this month. HOW did I get to this phase of my life?!?!

 

Hanging Out | Marnie Flores

8.5 x 8.5 | materials patterned paper (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (AmerType, Mathlete, CK Jot)

A Note from Marnie
Santa brought a bar and a beam to my house this past December. The bar sits in our front room and welcomes everyone who visits. And my monkeys love it. (One of them averages 3 hours a day on her bar!) I can't even begin to explain how breathtaking it is to watch them do their tricks. They amaze me!!

May Fun Fact
My kids get out of school in May for the first time ever. I grew up going to school until the final Friday in June. (I like to joke that I went to school for an extra year: 1 month x 12 years...) I can't believe that in less than a month we will be on vay-cay-tion!!

 

That's it! We hope you enjoy the gallery! Please leave us word and tell us what caught your eye!

In Review

This has been such a fun month. After mini month, it is always refreshing to be back to layouts and projects. And such amazing layouts we have had.

Kelly started us out with a burst of spring. Then Jenny helped us with our two page layouts, and Lisa sparked our imaginations for digging deeper into our project life albums. Then this week we got ready to say thank you to our teachers. 

 

With just 3 days until our new gallery, it is time to look back at our April gallery, Shapes.

This month's theme lends itself nicely to evaluating the layouts for design magnificence and skill. Let's go one by one and and pull out some design elements that work and which can help you create stronger layouts.

That's it! Please enjoy your weekend and your scrapbooking and we will see you Monday with a new theme week!

Teacher Appreciation Week-Photo Tips

Hey there, I am happy to be posting about some photo tips for capturing your child's relationship with his or her teacher. I was a teacher before I had my sweet children, so I have plenty of experience both as the teacher and the parent.

First, and foremost, make sure that you ask or let your child's teacher know that you are going to be taking some pictures. They expect that you are going to want to capture some of your child's school experience, but it's always nice just to make sure.

• If you are looking to get some candid, action shots, do your best to do so during a classroom party or another time that the teacher is expecting parents. Try turning off your flash so it's not going off and disturbing the activities.
• If you want some posed shots, try emailing the teacher and asking when would be a good time to do so. Parents always want first day of school photos, but that is usually a super busy and stressful time for not only the children, but also the teacher. It might not be the best time to ask the teacher to stop what she's doing to take a picture. Nobody will know that you waited until the 2nd week of school to take your child's first day photo. :)
• Classrooms usually have wonderful, natural light, so make sure you take advantage of that light when positioning yourself to get that great picture.

Here is a photo from Francine, which is too cute! Francine said, "My tip is just to be brave enough to ask! I really wasn't sure if she would agree (I was the only parent with a camera! lol) but she was fine with it. I'm really happy that I got these since he changed schools just two months later when we moved. So when in doubt, ask!"

Layout Idea: Capture the Action

These pictures of me reading to my students were taken by my assistant, and I love that I have a layout showing me at work.

Teacher Appreciation Gift Idea: Water Bottles

A couple of years ago, I made this gift for my child's teachers. They loved them, and they were so easy to make. I just purchased a cool water bottle, filled it with their favorite candy and added a tag.

 

I can't wait to see how you capture your child's relationship with his or her teacher, and make sure to let them know that they are truly appreciated.

Welcome, April!

April is here and we're not fooling! We are so very excited that a new month is upon us. This month we are looking forward to Kelly, Lisa, Teacher's Appreciation preparation and Mother's Day preparation. We hope to inspire your spring pages, and help you get ready for the holidays ahead of us.

 

The first also brings us a

This month we are celebrating shapes: circles, triangles, hexagons, squares, stars. Whether the graphic elements be big or small, our pages love them all. Here is a look at our gallery as a whole!

And here are the pages one by one. Please click on over to the gallery to see them bigger, and read the journaling! 

That's it! We hope you have found a layout or two, or twenty, that will appeal to you and your scrapbooks! We look forward to seeing your "inspired by" layouts! And please let us know if you like the new cards.