A big project I am working on with Webster's Pages!

Over the last few months I have been working closely with Webster's Pages, Brandin in particular...I have to tell you that woman has ideas.....good ideas, and they just keep comin', lol!!  NovelTree is her brainchild and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to be a part of it.  NovelTree is Photobooks, Photobooks with pockets and scrapbook pages all using the digital format of Webster's Pages papers and embellishments.  You get to pop in your pictures, add some journaling and you have a beautiful book, but you also get the chance to do some personalization to the pages as well if you want.  Founders club will be introduced on Friday.  Want more info?  Check out the Webster's Pages Blog :)  Any questions?  Check out the information on the Webster's Pages site. (the two samples being shown are two that I designed....so excited!!!)

 This is a sample of one of the pages:

 And these are samples of the pages from the photobooks that I turned into Scrapbook Pages:

I hope you will check out the books that fellow designer Mitsue and I designed for Webster's Pages!!!  I cant wait to have one of them in my hot little hands :)

Scrapbook & Cards Today Publication!!

So I got a great unexpected package today in the mail......from Scrapbook  & Cards Today magazine!!!  While at CHA Summer this year they saw a sample I did for Epiphany Crafts in the booth and asked for it to use in their publication!  It was my sweet little mixed media canvas I did using Pink Paislee, Epiphany Crafts and Helmar Adhesives.....my very first mixed media canvas that I love so much and wasnt sure I would ever see it again.  Its back home again and ready to be cherished.  So check out my whole page publication:

Its on the very last page of the issue.....Woo Hoo!!!

BasicGrey Digital projects

Been working alot more with digital scrapping, and came across BasicGrey and their extensive digital collections.  Decided to play a little and create some layouts and other projects....all 100% digital :)

How about some 12x12 layouts?  

This one is featuring the Phoebe Digital Collection and my crazy carefree granddaughter Jenna in a candid shot taken on the beach when we were camping there this summer:

 And this one, the uses BasicGrey Black Tie digital collection.  It features my daughter Rachel, who graduated from Pepperdine University this summer with honors and cum laude...the black and grey tones with the splashes of blue/red were perfect for her schools colors!

 

And this layout featuring all of my daughters from a Christmas a few years ago, also using Black Tie....love the bold colors here and how the photo just pops~

 Next up...my granddaughter Jenna again, this time at the Santa Barbara Zoo and sledding California style, cardboard and a hill covered with astroturf.  I used the Euphoria digital collection here to coordinate with the color of her capri's and to represent fun summer colors:

Something else I really like to do is when I am going to frame a photo I have taken I like to add a little somethin' somethin' to it and the Black Tie digital collection was perfect for this photo I took of my daughter Katy and grandson Jeromy this summer:

I love to make my own digital Christmas cards every year, sometimes I make them for others if they ask...I love working with the smaller size!  This one is done with the Dasher digital collection and features my daughter Rachel and her significant other, Chuy:

Lately I have done quite a few double page layouts, I have quite the time with them usually...such a big surface to cover, but doing it digitally is more fun.  Again I used the Dasher digital collection and I am featuring my grandchildren and our fascination with Christmas hats:

and I tried to think out of the box for my last project and came up with making some tags, they can be used to embellish a layout, digitally, or printing it out and adding to a project, I used various digital collections for these:

And that's what I have been up to......lots more creations with the kiddo's back in school :)

BasicGrey Digital

Yep....BasicGrey Digital!!!  I took the sketch from the blog challenge on the Basic Grey Blog and used it for a 2 page digital layout:

I used the Euphoria Digital Collection and made a layout featuring my grandkids new puppy Zoe:

thanks BasicGrey for the challenge...and sketch!

Webster's Pages September Digital Challenge

It's all about the layers......a Webster's Pages Digital Challenge for September!

Ahhhhh....September, I love Fall!!!  I am so happy to see September, I love the colors of the season, the slight breeze, warm weather, and back to school!  So this month we are going to focus on a technique of sorts, using layers.  There are many ways to create layers in various sizes and shapes in digital layouts so I will cover the methods that I use on a regular basis, and by all means if you have a different way of doing it please share :)

I am using Adobe Photoshop CS4 but I know that some of these methods work with other programs so it will be a trial and error kind of thing...best way to learn sometimes.
 
The first method I use is to 'cut' the digital paper by simply cropping the paper with the cropping tool.

Another method I use is to use the Marquee tool, in the rectangular/square shape or the oval/round shape.  I simply choose the tool, create the shape on the paper and then 'copy' (control c).  Then I go over to my layout and 'paste' it (control v).

You can also use a mask shape and 'clip' the paper to the mask creating all kinds of fun shapes.

And the last method I use regularly is to simply resize the paper smaller than the background paper.

I created 3 layouts this month as samples.......because.....its Back to School and I have 3 grandkids that went to Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade this year and I managed to get pictures of them all on their first days, yay!!!  I have used lots of layers in these layouts using all of the methods I listed above:

2nd Grader features my granddaughter Jenna and in this layout I used a mask for the bracket shaped paper, and I used the copy/paste method with the marquee tool for the striped square behind the photo.  I used the fantastic Trendsetter collection for this layout.
 
First Day of School features my grandson Jeromy who moved away during the summer and has started at a new school...I sure miss him!  The blue and green papers were 'cut' using the cropping tool, and the strip of ruler paper was cut using the 'cut' and 'paste' method.  I used the new collection, All About Me for this layout.
 
Watch Out Kindergarten features my youngest grandson Trevor who started Kindergarten this year.  It was very difficult to watch him go...he has been my sidekick for the last 5 years!  The paper with the scalloped design on the very bottom of the stack was 'cut' using the resizing method, I just wanted to scallop detail to peek out from the layers.  The two blue papers and the strip were created using the copy/paste method (my normal go to method).  I used the very appropriate Wonderfall collection for this layout.

So my challenge to you this month is to use layers, lots of layers, in whatever method works best for you!   And as an added bonus, if you create a layered layout with the theme of back to school you will get two names into the drawing for the prize package.....a digital collection of your choice!!  Sound good?  I can't wait to see what you all do, and I hope to see lots of back to schoolers!!

Please upload your entry into the gallery at InspireMe and then link it up to the post over at the forum at InspireMe.  Contest ends September 30th.