Archive for November, 2009

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Create. Give. Enjoy! Holiday Count Down

November 30th, 2009 Ana

I just love this time of year. The lights, the music, and of course the festive decorations and gift giving! While perusing through my copy of  December issue of Simply Handmade, I fell in love with these little gift boxes created by Renae Curtz. I love the modern twist she put on the traditional matchbox by using wood sheets to create the boxes.

gift boxes simply handmadeIt is the last day of November, so I guess I better get moving to make my own holiday countdown. Luckily, these are proving to be really easy to make. Renae die cut the boxes from wooden sheets; leaving the wood raw is a great look and helps  make this project come together quickly. (Texture Cuts Wood Sheets, Tree Trimmings stamps, Bigz XL die all available from Stampin’ Up!)

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88 Comments » Create.Give.Enjoy, Giveaways, Holidays, Inspiration Tags: , , , , , , ,

Ana Cabrera

Feeling Grateful!

November 30th, 2009 Jen

We just finished celebrating Thanksgiving with two dinners in our household–one with my favorite in-laws and one hosted at my home for my side of the family. Something about the smell of turkey baking in the oven makes the holiday magic so much more tangible.

Because I’m in the “thanksgiving” mood, I thought I’d share a few items that make me feel grateful for this wonderful hobby.

I love this darling fall line from Cosmo Cricket:

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And every project should have die cut paper, and I LOVE this one from Creative Imaginations:

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Basic Grey always releases the most beautiful items, and Indian Summer is no exception. These lovely buttons would enhance any layout:

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And because I’m a stamper, I have to share this lovely Thanksgiving set from Hero Arts:

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I have so many things to be grateful for: my family, my friends, a warm home, good health, and of course the love of scrapbooking which I share with all of you. Wishing you the warmest holiday wishes!

20 Comments » Uncategorized

Jen Gallacher

Create. Give. Enjoy!

November 27th, 2009 Ana

Starting today, join us for three weeks of inspiration to add joy to your season! With daily giveaways on our blogs, blog tours, and creative ideas for your crafting/scrapping/gift-giving, we want you to be part of the fun.

bandhero

On December 14th, one lucky reader will receive BAND HERO (we call it memories in the making). Rock out. Take pictures. Scrapbook ‘em. And years down the road they’ll be asking, “Hey, remember that time when Mom sang Love Story just like Taylor Swift?” (Oh yes. We remember.) Enter to win BAND HERO for some serious family fun! All you have to do is a leave a comment. Each day you leave a comment, is an entry in the drawing! (It is also an entry into the drawing of the day)

Entries begin today, so stay tuned for more giveaways. As an added bonus to out  Facebook and Twitter friends, “retpost and retweet” our daily “Create.Give.Enjoy- Giveaway Alert” for a chance to win a Flip Video. Be our friend on Facebook and you will automatically also be entered to win. Here’s to a season of creating and giving!

326 Comments » Create.Give.Enjoy, Giveaways Tags: , , , ,

Ana Cabrera

WOW #19: PS Text Boxes

November 25th, 2009 Jen

I love graphic design, especially typography. Something about words just speaks to me (no pun intended). LOL!  So often on my layouts, you will find a text box containing words in different sizes and font styles.

Today’s “Work it Out Wednesday” is going to focus on creating text boxes in Photoshop. The reason I prefer PS over a word program is that I can more easily manipulate the words by using Layers.

For today’s project you will need a photo editing program (I used Photoshop CS 4).

Step 1: Open up a new document.

Text Box 1 

Step 2: Start with a new layer.

Text Box 2

Step 3: Select the foreground color for your first line of text. I chose a blue.

Text Box 3

Step 4: Select the “T” Text Tool and then select the style of font you’d like to use.

Text Box 4

Step 5: Once you’ve typed the text, if you’d like to change the font size just highlight the word (while the “T” tool is still in use), and then change the font size.

Text Box 5

Step 6: For the next set of words, repeat steps 2-5.

Text Box 6

Step 7: You can move text and change word size and font style as many times as you’d like just by selecting the layer you’d like to change.

Text Box 7

Here is a finished sample using these techniques:

Rosy-Outlook

(Supplies: Cardstock–Provo Craft, Bazzill; Pattern Paper–Doodlebug Designs, KI Memories; Photo Corners–Heidi Swapp; Twine–Craft Supply; Border Punch–Fiskars; Flower Stickers–Me and My Big Ideas; Gems–Me and My Big Ideas; Stamps–Hero Arts; Stamping Ink–Stampin’ Up; Marker–Inque Boutique; Font–Hettenschweiller.)

If you have questions about this process or have an example of your use of text boxes, we’d love to see it. Just leave us a link in the comments section below.

7 Comments » Work it Out Wednesday Tags: , ,

Jen Gallacher

Organization: Brads!

November 23rd, 2009 Jen

I love brads. I started scrapbooking with the eyelet craze, and when brads became the “new eyelet” I loved them even more. They are quick and easy and appear on almost all of my projects.

So I’d like to know how you contain these often tiny embellishments. I store mine by color in fishing tackle boxes like this one:

brads-1

But sometimes I buy brads in cute packaging and keep the brads as they come. How about these darling tic tac boxes from Karen Foster Design:

Brads-2

Do you have a great idea for storing brads? Care to share? Just add a link in the comments section so we can see your fabulous organizational ideas!

7 Comments » Uncategorized Tags: ,

Jen Gallacher

WOW #18: Magic Mesh

November 18th, 2009 Jen

Another oldie but a goodie–mesh!! I still LOVE this stuff. I think it’s because I enjoy textured items so much. And mesh is just fun to play with. You can see all the options the Magic Mesh company has to offer here.

For this project you will need mesh, a stapler (or you can hold it down with another adhesive or even brads), scissors, and any other products you wish to complete your project.

Magic-Mesh-1

Step 1: Measure the mesh on your project.

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Step 2: Cut mesh to size.

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Step 3: Staple mesh in place (I wanted to cover my staples so I placed a ribbon behind the mesh and stapled through both it and the mesh–be careful not to staple through both sides of your card, however).

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Step 4: Tie ribbon into knot to cover staples.

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Here is the finished project:

Magic-Mesh-6

(Supplies: Cardstock–Bazzill; Pattern Paper–Making Memories, Fancy Pants Design; Die cut tag–Jenni Bowlin; Black mini brads–Karen Foster Design; Holly and Flower–Making Memories: Buttons–Jenni Bowlin, Craft Supply; Ribbon–Pebbles, Inc.; Twine–Craft Supply; Mesh–Magic Mesh; Stamp–Little Yellow Bicycle; Stamping Ink–Inque Boutique, Stampin’ Up; Scallop Scissors–Provo Craft)

Just a note: some mesh comes with adhesive already on the back so you may not need to employ some of the adhesive steps mentioned in these intructions.

Do you have mesh projects you’d like to share? We’d always love a peek. Please post a link to your project within the comments section if you decide to participate.

3 Comments » Work it Out Wednesday Tags: ,

Jen Gallacher

May 2010 Calls!

November 16th, 2009 Jen

I wanted to share the current call with you so you can send in your best, most drool-worthy work to us. You blow us away every time, and I can’t wait to see your submissions this time around!

May 2010 Call

Scrapbook Trends Magazine is currently looking for layouts with the following themes for our May 2010 issue:

  • About Me
  • Bling
  • Family
  • Fast & Fabulous
  • Mother’s Day Cards
  • My Mom Is…
  • Stitching
  • Showcase: Layouts you love that don’t fit any other category. Be prepared to share the story behind the layout, why you created it and why you love it.
  • Real Life: My Space – Take a picture of your scrapbook space. Are you organized? Messy? A work in progress? Share your creative space in a layout.
  • Challenge: Color Combinations – What’s your favorite color combination? Using just two colors, create a layout that illustrates why your favorite colors rock!
  • Stories To Tell: Heritage – Where did your ancestors come from? Do you have a special story of your favorite aunt? These are the kind of stories we’d like to see this month!

***PLEASE SEND A SEPARATE EMAIL FOR EACH SUBMISSION YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION.***

Deadline: 11:59pm (Mountain Time) on Saturday December 5th, 2009.

Please send submissions to submit@scrapbooktrendsmag.com

1 Comment » Uncategorized

Jen Gallacher

Mini Albums

November 12th, 2009 Ana

One of the most requested holiday gifts at my house are mini albums. The adults in my family have all come to expect this very personal gift year after year.

minialbum_harley

This creation by Shelley Haganman provides inspiration for a unique mini album. With eye-catching embellishments in keeping with the theme, this book is so much fun! You will find many more ideas in our best selling Mini Albums 2009. There are only a limited number of copies left, so be sure to snag one before they are all gone! Grab one today and you will save $10 off the cover price.

3 Comments » Inspiration Tags: , , , , , ,

Ana Cabrera

WOW #17: Digital Holiday Cards

November 11th, 2009 Jen

This is the perfect time of year to start your holiday cards. So for today’s “Work It Out Wednesday” I’m going to show you how to do some quick and easy digital cards.

Supplies: You will need a photo to use for the card, a digitally downloaded card, the printing shop of your choice.

Step 1: Download the digital card from the website of your choice. (Follow directions on the website to do this correctly). Cards come in two choices: 5X7 or 4X8. I chose a 5X7 card from Erica Hernandez, and a 4X8 card from Sande Krieger to show you both options.

Step 2: Open the card in your photo editing program.

 Screen-shot-1

Step 3: Open the photo you’ve chosen in your photo editing program.

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Step 4: Change the image size of your photo to fit the card. In this case, I needed one that was 3.5″ T X 5.2″ W.

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Step 5: Drag photo over to card.

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Step 6: Open a new layer on the card. We will be inserting text into that blank bubble.

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Step 7: Insert text in whatever color you desire. I chose a red that matched the “merry” word.

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Step 8: Flatten image and save. Then you can upload it to any online printing site and have the cards printed and mailed to you.

Here’s my finished card:

Holiday card 1

(Supplies: Cards Simple Easy Peasy 2009 Holiday 1, Erica Hernandez for www.twopeasinabucket.com; Vintage Typewriter font from www.scrapvillage.com)

This card will print as a 5X7 card, which opens for a special message or a signature from you and your family. If you prefer the photo cards that fit in business size envelopes, then you will want to select a 4X8 card. To give you another option, I created this one. Follow steps 1-8 to complete the card.

Holiday-Card-2

(Supplies: Joyeux Noel Cards v. 2 by Sande Krieger for www.twopeasinabucket.com; Vintage Typewriter font for www.scrapvillage.com)

The thing I love about digital cards, is that I can mass produce them just by printing more. You gotta love something that easy!

Do you have a favorite digital holiday card that you’ve come across this year? Please link us to it in the comments section.

2 Comments » Holidays, Work it Out Wednesday Tags: ,

Jen Gallacher

Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

November 10th, 2009 Ana

Scrapbooking from the Inside Out has launched their November kit Generosity, perfect for this time of year. This kit is so graceful and stylish – full of rich, deep color and elegant design, with coins, copper accents, shimmery self-adhesive mosaic tiles, and pretty Prima.

scrapbookinsideout

This month they’ll help you explore how you give of your time and money, inspiring a generous spirit in yourself and your family, positive self care vs. selfishness, and the big and small gestures that create connection in your life.

Here are two GENEROSITY-themed LOs from SFTIO’s DT Coordinator, Nancy Doren, that were created using the kit:

thegoodstuff

acceptance

Scrapbooking from the Inside Out’s industry-exclusive content will help you explore your inner world with a music playlist, journaling prompts, moving photos, inspiring quotes, and meaningful monthly challenges.

To enter to win one of these great kits, repost this post on your blog and link it back to Scrapbook Trends, then give us a link to your blog post in the comment section of this post, and you could be exploring what GENEROSITY means to you!

79 Comments » Giveaways, Inspiration

Ana Cabrera

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