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Maximize your stamps Day 3 Home decor projects

It´s time for some home decor inspiration all made with the digital version of the "Eat more cake" stamp set from Kellie stamps.

For my home, I like to add simple designs that I can make myself. And it doesn´t get any easier than with a digital stamp! For this poster I simply opened a WORD document on my computer and added the "it´s your day" stamp from the set to the document and centered it. For a little more interest I added a border around the actual image (also in WORD) before printing it. I printed on A4 paper, but I am going to also be printing this on a larger paper size later. Here I have just added some washi tape to attach the poster to my wall. Doesn´t it look fresh and fun?!

Here I have added the same poster into a simple easy frame and put it in two different places in my home just to show you how nice it looks in a frame too!

Kim made this lovely banner with the digital version of the stamp set. 

Besides using digital stamps as photo overlays or bases for journal/filler cards, there are bound-less ways to use these modern, amazing tools for memory keeping. I also created this 'Celebrate' banner. After downloading the whole word,  I split each letter into its own file so it would be easier to maneuver them in my online Cricut software. Enlarging each to about 6 inches tall, I electronically cut each letter in pink and also it's shadow in a darker shade to add depth. Attaching to a white square of cardstock, the short pentagons on bottom part of the flag in stripes and dot grid gold, add just the right amount of accent to this all purpose banner. From birthday parties to everyday instances we commemorate,  it's a welcome addition to our house party decorations!

I have one more quick and easy project to share. These cute flags are so cute to add to a bouquet of flowers as a hostess gift or to a houseplant too.

I just printed a few of the sentiments aligned to the left to have room to fold them in half. Then cut them in strips and cut the little banner edge, folded them in half and with double sided tape I attached them to a grill stick.

See? Quick and easy is my middle name! Well maybe not easy :)

 

What would you make?

Maximize your stamps Day 2: Birthdays

Welcome back! Today I am sharing a few ways you can use the stamp set Eat more cake from Kellie stamps to make cards, layouts and party decor for birthdays. Let´s go!

These first projects are made by myself. I´ve made a wrapping paper by using a WORD document, setting the paper to horizontal and then adding in the two digital stamps happy and birthday as you can see. For a little bit more interest I chose to make the middle row a bit bigger and use a bright pink. You can easily change the color of the stamps in a digital editing program such as Photoshop. I have used the free website picmonkey.com for that. 

I also used Picmonkey for the card shown here. I started out with a 4x6" canvas and added the stamps at the top there several times and changing the color/opacity level on a few to create the faded stamp effect. The cake stamp is an older one from Kellie stamps that is not longer available, but you could add any birthday related stamp or embellishment really. 

Here are two fun cards made by the owner her self, Kellie. Here is what she says:

Over the other weekend Diane was sharing her watercolour cards she'd made.  It got a lot of us inspired to start creating and so I grabbed out my forgotten watercolour paint set and tried a few things that weren't working. But then I remembered watching a youtube clip  from Amy Tan, here.  After that is all just came together and I love it. 

Tracey made this cool card! 

My intention was to make it look like a lightbox.  It took way longer than I thought (silhouette dramas) but I am really happy with how it turned out.  I have made the messages on acetate that can be removed to give it more of an authentic look.

Diane is the one who made all the fabulous brush script in this stamp set! 

I created this layout to celebrate my 35th birthday and there is no better way to make a layout special than with a WHOLE LOT of stamping in my favourite colour: rainbow! I threw some stitching in there as well and I have a very special layout for my special day!

My fellow swedish DT member Magdalena made this fun and different birthday layout.

My daughter turned seven in August so this stamp set for perfect to use for my traditional birthday interview project. I also wrote a bit about her day.

Cecily made two fun party pieces! 

To create these coordinating birthday pieces, simply grab some digital stamps and create your sentiment, then attach them to coordinating cardstock or card base and you're ready to roll. I chose the traditional 'Happy Birthday' but there are loads of things you could say!

Make sure the two words are fully attached to each other for easy trimming and then accentuate the black and white words with a pop of color–or confetti like I've done with this card!

 

Tara made this cute pocket page spread. 

I made my own journal cards using the Letterglow app, changing the colors for boys/girls. I am going to be doing an IG giveaway for a pdf of the journal cards.

 

Isn´t this just a fantastic use of just one stamp set?!

Ok, so we have birthdays down, tune in tomorrow to see some home decor projects!

Scrapbook. Watercolor patterned paper

Yay! Let´s make our own patterned papers! For my layout in the February gallery at WCS, I did just that and I thought I´d just show you real quick.

Whenever I have a scrap piece of paper left after a project I use it to scribble stuff down on or doodle with my watercolors. This acctually came from just a doodle while I was bored one day! I used a very fine tip brush and my black watercolor and first made the xoxo pattern just randomly on the paper. I like how uneven and imperfect it looks, which is perfect since I am not a painter by any means! 

I then made the very simple heart patterned, which is basically a thick V. 

The squares were a little bit more tricky, but I had the same philosophy here; make it perfectly imperfect! 

 

I then used my 1 inch circle punch to punch out the circles I then used for my layout. Easy peasy! Oh and wouldn´t this be a great way to use your kids artwork on a page?! I think yes!

 

Last year I shared another easy way to use your watercolors to make scrapbooking supplies, go check that out too!

After I made this and wrote this post, I did two more pages using watercolors to make the background. I will be back tomorrow with those!

 

Lisa

 

Let's Make An Organizer

When recently going through some of my scrapbook supplies I ran across some super cute divider pages.I believe they were made for Smashbooks, but I had other plans for them.

The title spurred the entire idea to make an organizer to help keep me on track with things to do, projects, stuff I need to get and notes in general.

Divide & Conquer...how genius is that?!

Ok, let's get started!

   

Supplies

I love the bright colors...a different one for each section. 

I started by cutting the little hooks off the ends.

Next, I selected the paper for my inside pages. Instead of regular copy paper, I decided to use patterned paper since I have an abundant supply. :)

Organize

Once I had selected my paper, I sorted it into colors to coordinate with the tabs. I selected 10 sheets per section.

Assembling

I cut each page the same size as the divider pages, stamped titles onto the tabs and bound the book with my Bind It All. For the finishing touch I added an ampersand flair, from A Flair for Buttons, over the existing one printed on the cover to dress it up a bit.

On the inside pages I added copy paper to the pages that I thought would be difficult to see writing on, adhering it with washi tape.

Below are just a few pages from each of the sections.

Red Section - To Do

Orange Section - Urgent

Blue Section - Projects

Green Section - Notes

Pink Section - Shopping

I can't wait to start using my organizer, making to-do lists, and jotting down notes. I hope this will inspire you to dig into your stash and make an organizer that fits your needs too!

You can easily duplicate this project by making divider pages using cardstock or patterned paper from your stash. For the title page, use letter stickers or Thickers for a little dimension. Customize the tabs to fit your needs.

If you don't have binding machine, use 2-3 jump rings to keep it together. If using jump rings, you can even add or remove pages as needed!

Thank you for visiting today...I hope this has inspired you to dig into your stash and make something pretty to keep you organized.

Learn a New Technique! Day Four: Embossing Paste and Stencils

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 4 of our week devoted to learning new techniques!

Sue here today, with a new technique I’ve been enjoying using on my scrapbook pages. Embossing paste adds an interesting dimension and texture to your cards and layouts. It is spread through a stencil to create a raised surface. I like the way embossing paste adds dimension without a lot of bulk. It’s a fun technique to learn.

 

Supplies

You will need these materials to use embossing paste on your projects:

- embossing paste (comes in a variety of colors, I have white and silver)

- stencils (another stash item to start collecting, beware!)

- removable masking tape (I use washi tape because I have a ton of the stuff)

- pallet knife(s)

 

The Technique

1. Decide where you want  your embossed image to go. Tape the stencil into place so it is flat to the page and will not move. Mask off any areas you do not want to emboss if necessary.

 

2. Use your pallet knife to apply a layer of embossing paste over the surface of the stencil. Use gentle sweeping movements, like icing a cake, to push the paste through all the holes of your stencil. You can apply as thin or thick a layer as you want. (if you end up with some paste where you don’t want it, you can use a clean pallet knife or craft knife to scrape the unwanted paste from the surface of the page)

 

3. Carefully wipe off any surplus paste and return it to your jar of embossing paste. Remove the masking tape and carefully lift the stencil from the page. Clean your stencil and pallet knife right away to avoid the paste hardening on them! 

4. Leave your page somewhere flat to dry. This could take anywhere from 20-40 minutes, depending on how thickly you have applied the embossing paste.

 

The Result

This technique looks especially nice on dark paper, don’t you think? Another of my favorite looks is white-on-white. As a clean and simple scrapper, I love being able to add a few splatters while having complete control over where and how much goes on the page.  

If you decide to try this technique, there are plenty of examples on Pinterest. Allow yourself time to play with your embossing paste on scrap paper, or try it out on a card first. Give yourself permission to experiment. Who knows? Embossing paste and stencils may become a new staple in your scrapping repertoire!

Please come back tomorrow as we wrap up the week with a final new technique from Jenny Larson!

 

Learn a New Technique! Day Three: Watercolor

 

Welcome to another Learning a new technique post this week! Lisa here and today I am going to show you how very easily you can use watercolors to make pocket cards. The trend of watercolors in memory keeping has been going on for a while now, but let´s face it not everyone is a painter me included! But, really, if you can hold a brush and color then you are set. I am going to show you 4 examples.

 

Let´s start!

Circle card

1. First cut cardstock/watercolor paper to the size card you would like to make. I cut mine to 3x4” cards.
2. For this first card I used a fuller brush like this.
3. Choose your color and then simply paint a circle that is filled in.
4. Put aside to dry!    

 

Striped card

1. I used a flat brush for this.
2. Choose your color and with the flat brush paint stripes across the card. 

 

Splatter

1. Change back to the fuller brush.
2. Clear your workspace so that nothing will get splattered that shouldn´t.
3. Choose your color and make sure that you use a little more water so that you can easily get splatter.
4. Then hold your brush like you would a magic wand (he he) and make a rapid motion downwards so that you get small drops of color on your card.

 

 

Stamped card

1. For this I used an outlined heart stamp from Technique Tuesday, but the important thing is to have a stamp that is outlined.
2. Stamp (with your normal stamp pad) randomly on the card and then let dry.
3. Now, use a thin brush (or even a q-tip) depending on how big the space is that you will color in is.
4. Tip! Don´t use too much water when you color in the stamp.

 

Now you have your basic cards. Here is how I used my 4 cards in my Project Life album!

 

 The circle card became a title card. 

 

The lined one is perfect for journaling.

 The splattered one is a weekly card.

 

And finally the stamped card is used as a background.

 

Fun, eh?! I hope that I have been able to inspire you to try watercolors for yourself! Have a great day!

Lisa

How to Print 3x4 Photos on a 4x6 Print

Happy Friday! Carey here, and like many scrapbookers, I've been documenting our everyday lives using pocket pages in addition to 12x12 layouts. I'm also using both traditional and digital supplies. Although I mostly use 4x6 in. photos for my pocket pages, I like to include smaller photos as well. The most common size I use is 3x4 in., which fit perfectly into the smaller pockets. This size is also great for photos taken with my phone, since they often look better printed smaller due to their lower resolution. While some photo processors will now print small sizes such as 3x4 or instagram-friendly 4x4 or 3x3, these sizes generally are more expensive than traditional 4x6 prints. To take advantage of the lower cost, I print two 3x4 photos on one 4x6 print, using Photoshop Elements. Here's how:

 

Step One: Open a new file at 6 x 4 in., 300 dpi.

 

 

 Step Two: Open two photos and make any necessary edits. Crop each photo to 3 x 4 in., 300 dpi.

 

 

Step Three: Using the Move Tool, drag the first 3 x 4 file onto the 6 x 4 file and move until aligned with the left edge.

 

 

Step Four: Repeat Step Three using the second photo, but align with the right edge.

 

 

Step Five: Save your file as a .jpg. Now it's ready to print at home or your favorite photo processor.

 

 

Once your 6 x 4 file is printed, simply cut the smaller photos apart to use in your pocket page album, or on any project! The same steps will work for 2 x 3 in., 3 x 3 in., or any other small-sized photos - even mix and match sizes (such as one 3x4 with two 2x3 photos) to fit on a single standard 4 x 6 print. Here's a few examples: one pocket page and one 12x12 layout.

 

Using smaller photos is a great way to get more photos on one layout!

 

Happy scrapping!

Jumpstart Week | Technique

Welcome to day 4 of Jumpstart Week.  This week we are looking at the different ways that you can jumpstart your scrapbook page.  We looked at Photos, Colors, and Design so far.  Today we will look at techniques.

Trying a new technique is a great way to jumpstart a page.  There are so many different techniques that I want to try on my layouts!  For my “Beach Love” layout, I really wanted to try hand-stitching on my page.  After I put down some papers and my photos and got a general idea of where I want to stitch, I stitched the word “LOVE” and an arrow in the upper left hand corner.  I also stitched a star on the lower right corner to balance things out. 

You can even stitch on Project Life journal cards. I stitched the speech bubble onto a 3x4 journal card and adhered my photo inside it.

On this layout, I hand-stitched the sun rays using twine.

Another technique that I wanted to try on a page was emboss & resist with watercolors.  I did that on my layout about going to AT&T Park for baseball game.

Here’s a close-up of what the emboss and watercolor resist looks like.

If you’re interested in trying this technique, I have a video tutorial on my blog here.

For my page “Catch a Wave”, I wanted to simulate looking at things underwater through a porthole, so I created punched out circles on the bottom of the page and filled some of them with two layers of vellum and sequins and wood veneers in between.  I think this see-through effect is a fun look.

Another technique I love is filling cut-outs with patterned papers underneath.  For my layout below, I used my Silhouette machine to cut out the circles with hearts in them, and filled the hearts with coordinating patterned papers underneath.  Pretty fun!

Lisa O created this layout by using the punched out negative space paper strips as mats behind her photo.  She had punched out a bunch of butterflies and saved a few strips of the papers to use for the layout. So clever!

Jennie also wanted to use the negative space of a die cut on a page.  The mat with the hearts cut out really pop off the page!

Laura O wanted to try some Photoshop actions on her photo.  Laura says, “I used a photo action (Adrienne Looman Little Kisses).  For something like this I always duplicate the photo to apply the filter and keep the original.  I know that someday I might want to see how things really looked.  With this photo the effects of the filter were so fun and super saturated I was inspired to scrap it with this polaroid frame and colorful papers.”  Photoshop actions are a great digital technique to try!

Jennie wanted to incorporate letterpress into a 12x12 layout.  She used that technique to create this page “The Great Outdoors”.

Another technique that Jennie wanted to try was to use large photos cut up into several smaller slots on a Project Life layout.  That looks so cool!

Want to use up all your alphabets?  Why not use the leftovers to create some visual interest?  Jennie used it as part of her title + as an embellishment/page element.  So creative!

There are many techniques that I still want to try.  I keep a list of them in Evernote so that if when I have some time to experiment, I can go down the list and try something out.  Trying out new techniques is a great way to jumpstart a page!

 

Digi Tips Day 5 | Keyboard Shortcuts

Happy Friday! Carey here to wrap up the week of sharing some quick digi tips. I hope you've had time to try some of the great tips shared so far.

I've always used keyboard shortcuts in my workflow, no matter which program I'm using, including everything from spreadsheet, word processing and other programs at work to Photoshop Elements and Lightroom for my favorite hobby. Learning keyboard shortcuts for routine and frequently repeated commands certainly speeds up the process for me. Today, I'd like to share some keyboard shortcuts for Photoshop Elements, some of which are universal shortkeys, and point out some that are my favorites and most frequently used.

 

Let Keyboard Shortcuts Improve Your Digital Workflow

The following image shows a variety of shortcuts using the Control (Ctrl) key (for Windows, or Command, Cmd, for Macs) plus a letter. I've included a few other select shortcuts as well.

Some of the standard, universal shortcuts that I use frequently, both in my digital scrapbooking and in my daily work, include:

Ctrl + X ...Cut: Used to cut text, images, digital elements, selected areas or portions of photos

Ctrl + C ...Copy: Quickly copy a selected item, text or area

Ctrl + V ...Paste: Quickly paste what you've cut or copied - can use to easily paste the same item multiple times using this shortcut

Ctrl + A ...Select All: Select all text or all items on the page/project

Ctrl + Z ...Undo: One of the BEST features of digital!

Ctrl + Y ...Redo: An undo of your undo! or repeat your last command

 

My most frequently used Photoshop Elements Shortcuts include:

Ctrl + G ...Group: Create a clipping mask with the layer below

Ctrl + E ...Merge Down: Merge with the layer below

Ctrl + J ...New Layer via Copy: A great way to duplicate items quickly or to duplicate a specific selected area/portion of an image

Shift + Ctrl + J ...New Layer via Cut: Cuts a selection from a layer and puts on its own layer; useful for spot edits or splitting items apart

Shift + Ctrl + I ...Inverse Selection: I often use to select an item on a solid background - it's easier to select the background with a magic wand tool than to try to use the lasso tool

Ctrl +/- ...Zoom in/out: Probably my most-used shortcut - allows me to zoom in or out without having to switch tools

[ or ] ...Change Brush Size: Changes brush size without having to switch tools

 

These are just a selection of the wide variety of keyboard shortcuts available. I hope you'll give them a try and see how they can speed up your workflow! What are your favorite shortcuts?

 

Digi Tips | Coloring Digital Doodles

Hi Everyone!  Christine here to kick off Digi Tips Week!  Each day we will share a different simple digital scrapbooking tip with you.  The tips are simple and easy, and bite-sized (or is it byte-sized, ha) so that you can jump right in and try it!  Whether you are a seasoned digital veteran or a newbie, you can pick up tips to add to your digital scrapbooking repertoire.

 

Today I'm going to show you a very simple way to color-in digital doodles.  This tutorial will work in both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.  I'm using Kate Hadfield's Colour In Valentines as an example.  You can use any digital line art or digital stamps/brushes.

 

Here’s the before. The card comes as a black and white line drawing or doodle.

 

And here’s after coloring using Photoshop.

 

The whole process just takes about 3-4 minutes.  The Photoshop/PSE tools that I'm using in the tutorial are the Eyedropper Tool (to sample colors) and the Paint Bucket Tool (to fill in the colors between the lines).  If you want to use the color palette instead of using the Eyedropper Tool to sample colors, you can just click on any color in the color palette you would like to use.  Watch the video below.  If you wish to view it bigger, click here to go to Youtube. 

 

 

 

I hope you get an idea of how easy it is to color in digital doodles to match the colors of your digital layout or to print out for your crafting!  Stay tuned the rest of the week for more Digi Tips!