Designer Showcase: Valentine's and Love

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day!!  A special day for love and romance.  We are sharing some Love and Valentine's projects here with you for this week's Designer Showcase.

Pam created this amazing page. The colors are so fresh and fun. I love how she used black & white photos.  Check out what Pam did with the chevrons in the background paper. She modified them to add more color and detail to her page. She cut out portions of the chevron print and slipped in other patterned papers. She created her own pattern paper!

Here's another page where Pam has used shapes to create a beautiful textured background for her layout. Pam took large blocks of patterned papers as mats behind the photos. She cut heart shapes from them and placed smaller heart shapes in coordinating patterns inside. Using strip of paper and ribbon, she create the look of dangling heart ornaments!

Ever have trouble balancing romantic elements on a masculine page? Sarah perfected it on this page that she created.  She used a dark background with lots of scruffy texture and rough stitches to give the page a masculine edge.  She added subtle pinks and reds through the ephemera and doilies that she layered.

Cindy created the two cards above. The quilled hearts she says is a good "beginner project".  I don't know, I'm very intimidated to try quilling. Cindy makes it look so elegant.

The second card, Cindy created for a Valentine card challenge that did not allow the use of hearts or the word love. Well, I think she definitely got the power of love going on that card! She used tone-on-tone flowers to create a very interesting design.

Here is a layout that really embraces romance. From the lovely Paris scenery, to the delicate hearts and lacy edges. Everything about this creation of Gael's speaks of love.  I love the way she did the two tone hearts behind the letters of the word "love" as well as across the top of the photo. The clusters of roses and dainty accents all add to the splendor of the page.  I'm really taken with one little detail on this page. The zipper pull! Such a neat adornment, especially with the little heart dangling from it. It makes me think that this couple is all zipped up in love!

Valentine's Day is not the only day for sharing love. We would like to remind you all that each and everyday we truly enjoy you following our blog, supporting and encouraging us. We hope that you continue to find inspiration for your creative journey from all of us here at Ideas For Scrapbookers. Your comments and talents are very much appreciated!  We hope that you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Designer Showcase: Calendars

Welcome to Wednesday!  Some people celebrate Wednesday as the "middle of the week" - it's half way through the work week. Which means we're on our way to another weekend!!  Here at Ideas For Scrapbookers, we celebrate with a little Designer Showcase.  And to keep track of all those days, we thought we would focus on calendars.  (Did you like that segue??)

Calendars are a great way to display and share your memories. You can make calendars in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  Pam created this calendar to reflect a particular date.  She included a precious photo and quote from her son.  This could stand alone as a monthly calendar.  I can just see it as a CD sized calendar on a desk, or in a flip book style calendar.  It could even be used as a date element on a scrapbook page. Lots of versatility here.

Digital scrapbook supplies can be used to create a calendar as well.  I used to make my calendars using paper and traditional supplies.  When I started getting more into digital scrapping, I found it fun to create the calendars using my digi stash.  I still print them out and bound them using my Bind-it-All.  I design the top and bottom each as an 11"x8.5" image. That way I can print them on letter sized paper.  It can be a little tricky figuring out your printer and how to print two-sided so that you get the right top facing the correct bottom, but once you do, it's pretty easy to create your own calendars.  You can include photos and elements on special dates like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc.

By the way - before I had the Bind-it-All, I would simply stack the months as they should be bound, then punch 2 holes where the top meets the bottom. I would tie a small loop of ribbon through those holes to "bind" my calendars.

Another way that you can scrapbook a calendar is to create it digitally, then upload those pages to a photo service that creates calendars, like Shutterfly. You'll receive a beautifully printed and bound calendar ready for gift giving or hanging up! Or you can use a photo service to create the calendar from start to finish.  They have many designs to choose from and allow you to include one or many photos per page.

You can also create desktop wallpapers that include a calendar.  I like to change my desktop monthly.  Sometimes I create my own, but there are a lot of free desktops available for you to download and use. This makes it easy to change up your wallpaper often. One that I really like is The Shabby Princess.  Each month they share a beautifully designed desktop in .png format with openings for your photos . Just download it, open in your photo editing software, and add your photo(s) underneath the design layer. Easy-peasy!

I found another great resource to help with making a calendar. This one doesn't include photos, but it could be used for making a calendar to include in your scrapbooking or craft projects.  It is called the Harmonized House Project. It includes lots of printables that you can use to create a calendar to keep you organized, and keep track of a busy family life.

Hope this inspires you to create some calendars. Use them to organize your family or work life. Or make them a part of your Project Life scrapbooking.  They also make great gifts!!  Have fun creating!

Update: Digital kit credits:

October calendar (Wizard): Kit: Wizarding Magic by ScrapMatters Design Team (2010 no longer available); Calendar Topper Templates and Calendar Bottom Dotted Lines by Graham Like the Cracker (retired)

April Calendar: Kit: 2013 Calendar by Chelle's Creations.

January 2013 Desktop: by Shabby Princess.

Designer Showcase: 30 Minutes or Less

Welcome to another Wednesday!  All of us at Ideas For Scrapbookers would like to start off by wishing those of you celebrating a very Happy Hanukkah!!

This time of year is so busy, isn't it?  There are so many things going on.  We've got school events, work gatherings, parties to attend, shopping to do, holidays to prepare for and participate in....  Sometimes it's hard to find time to do it all!  But we don't want to see your scrapping and crafting suffer.  So this week our theme is "30 minutes or less".  We've got some great pages and projects to share that can be done in less than 30 minutes!!

Cindy has 2 pages to share with us this week.  This first one is just so cute!  The construction of this page is simple and quick, but the impact is lasting!!  Cindy used photos of her son and his grandmother at different times, but in the same basic pose and props.  She cropped them to the same size and aligned them on the designer paper.  She placed a heart (in a color that coordinates with her son's outfit) as an accent. Then added a title and journaling.  Fantastic memories recorded in no time!

This second page by Cindy is colorful and a great use of scraps of your favorite designer papers.  Cindy used the strips of paper to create a mat that really brings your attention to the photo.  She add a bit of journaling on a piece of paper, added a few elements for detail (apple and tags) and used the teachers name as the title.  Another special moment in life recorded!

Pam shares this beautiful, bright page with us.  She cropped each of the bird photos the same size and kept with a blocked design to help speed up the process.  Using paper strips as accents and a few die cut elements adds some shape and interest to the page.  Pam added some stitching around the edges for a little texture.

Anupama created this quick page. She used a great combination of designer papers to give her page a feel of traveling, vacation and leisure.  She tore the travel icon paper and layered it over some striped paper.  She added a touch of cardboard below her photo. Using small letter stickers, Anupama was able to quickly add her page title. A sweet wreath made from twine adds dimension to her page.

 This is a digital page that I made in a jiffy.  I used some plain paper in the background. I added some digital stamps on top to make it look like a designer/patterned paper.  The double frame was an element in the kit. I duplicated it to create a row of four. The word art made a great title and journaling all in one.

This is a quick Christmas card that I created. It's made from plain red, white and green card stock. I cut the white to look like a door and layered it.  I added an inked wreath and bow. A black brad made a perfect door knob.  A quickly made card with lots of holiday spirit.

We hope these samples give you some inspiration to create pages when you are short on time!

Designer Showcase: The Bucket List

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Cathy here to bring you another fabulous Designer Showcase. This week our theme is Bucket List.  We're talking about scrapping things that are on your list of "hope to do someday", or maybe you've already done them.  Just like you see in the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Perhaps it's a special wish you'd like to see come true, or maybe a once in a life time vacation.

For Pam, one of her bucket list items was to make it to Central Park in NY. Her page starts with the pretty photos. Pam brought out the bright colors by selecting coordinating papers. I love the way she made her page seem like a scene with the sky, clouds and the various shapes. The interconnecting circles are like the pathways through the park, and the patterned papers that fill the circles resemble the sculptures. The strips of paper are like the park benches. Super creative way to record this precious memory.

Marlene has 2 projects to share with us.  In this first one, she shares about a very special trip to the Rain Forest.  This was such a special trip that Marlene made a 2-page layout and included lots of photos.  She also built her page similar to the photos. She has a dark brown background like the rich soil. She used blue and green to mat her photos, just like the lush foliage and beautiful sky.  I really like how she used the circles to highlight special things in her photos.  Marlene also left plenty of room for journaling. She even labeled her photos - which is a great way to remember the special names of plants, flowers, animals, etc.

This page shows another of Marlene's special places to visit, the Statue of Liberty.  The cloud, statue die cut, and title area also create a perfect design triangle. Things I love on this page - the majestic star background, the strips of paper with the chevrons and star border, and the really cute title! It is so moving to experience Lady Liberty in person, there is not much that needs to be said about it!

Now this is a list!  Gael has created a page with some of her bucket list items! What a great way to record your dreams and wishes at a point in time. I love that she included a photo too.  The page is so beautiful. I especially love the circle with the butterflies going about it. Makes me think of the circle of life and how all that we do and learn helps us to grow as a person and becomes a part of us.

Whatever is on your bucket list, take the time to record it in your scrap albums.  Whether you have accomplished the item, or hold hopes of doing so. It is a part of who you are and your dreams. So take the time to record it.

Designer Showcase: Lots of Patterned Papers

Yeah, hard to believe it is Wednesday again. And the middle of October already!!  Cathy here with the Designer Showcase. This week we are sharing projects that use lots of patterned papers.

This is one of those skills that takes a really keen eye, or just a lot of guts to give it a go. Mixing up patterns together on the same project can be really intimidating. A great guideline to make it easy for you if you're just getting started trying this is to use papers from the same manufacturer/line. They've already done the coordinating for you. The colors go well and the patterns are a good mix.

If you want to pick and choose papers from your stash and try mixing them, here are some great examples from our Contributing Artists.

Marlene created this page. I love the design. She told me this page nearly put itself together. I wish my pages would go together so easily and look as wonderful as this!  I like that she used colors in her papers that pull the colors from her photos.  Her papers were all part of a monthly kit.  So some coordinating has been done, but not quite as readily as staying with one manufacturer/line.  Marlene chose a larger yet subtle pattern for the background with the grid paper. She then built a base on it using a small print (polka dot) with a contrasting darker color. On top of that she used a medium sized pattern (floral) which goes back to the light shade.  She also used border punches which helps to add distinction to the patterns. The photo is matted on plain cardstock, but surrounded with a border cut small patterned yellow paper.  Off topic, but I also like the balance that Marlene gave her page by placing a string of elements under the smaller "string" of photos and one larger element above the larger photo (made larger by the yarn).

Pam shares this great example of many patterns on one page. Her papers are by GCD Studios and My Mind's Eye. First, she kept her colors bright and her backgrounds lighter.  Pam took advantage of the off white paper behind her photos. Not only is it a great neutral color, but it has a fantastic pattern that lends itself well to blending with other patterns. The grid design on it goes great with blocked shapes (the red and green papers), as well as stripes (the dark blue and yellow papers). But since the grid is on a diagonal, it coordinates just as well with strips on the diagonal ( the light blue paper).  By blocking her design, Pam also gave the eye a break between each of the patterns - another great tip for coordinating patterns on the same project.

Cindy shares this great tip for combining patterns - use moderation.  She started out with the large dot pattern as her background paper. This gave her a great base to coordinate with. She used those color when selecting other patterned papers for her page.  She created a mat for her photos using a medium sized pattern in one color and kept it trimmed close. She cut several different patterned papers into narrow strips.  This allowed her to include several patterns without creating a large conflict to the eye.  Another great tip that she incorporated on this page, is how Cindy made the chipboard letter mimic the background paper, but reduced the size of the dots.

Again using moderation, Cindy was able to include 7 different patterned papers on this Christmas List page.  She kept her background a medium sized pattern in a subtle light shade. This allowed her to build some cheer on her page with those seasonal colored patters.  Cindy added to the whimsy and fun of the page by cutting them with different scissor shapes too.  Another neat thing bout this page that has nothing to do with patterns. I love that she included her sons actual hand written list. What a great way to really preserve those memories!

Here are some neat ideas in this layout by Gael. Her background is a large subtle print orange paper with a wispy look to it. This makes it a nice choice for adding other patterns on top.  She then used some yellow striped paper to add an analogous color and blue dotted papers to add a complementary color by the color wheel.  This adds some contrast and more vibrancy.  To create the frame for the photo, Gael cut out a Prima tag - great reuse/recycle idea.  Down the sides she rolled up small pieces of the accent papers to add dimensional texture to her page.  What a great idea for using up scraps of paper!  Another idea for using scraps of paper is the pretty bow that Gael made from paper at the top of the page.  Adds just a bit of floral pattern to tie in with the journal tag and flowers on the page.

I hope this gives you some ideas of ways to combine patterned papers on your next project!

Designer Showcase: Gritty, Grungy

Welcome back for another Wednesday of Designer Showcase.  Last week we really made things sparkle.  This week we are going to get grungy, gritty, and rustic.  We've got some edgy designs, but using new products and techniques. You just might even see some

Let's get this showcase started with some great examples from Pam. Ok - what's not to love on this page?  Sure it's grungy and gritty, but Pam used bright and light colors that are really popular right now.  She did a great job of inking things up and using a krafty colored gridded background that really pulls together the fresh  new colors with the aged grungy look.  Her choice of shapes is also a neat design. The patterned papers are cut in a shape like old style admission tickets, and then they are stitched down - oh so cute!!  And that little flag on the toothpick is just so chic!

This page, also by Pam, is another great example of how to blend the rustic old look, with updated techniques and products.  She uses darker colors for the background and lighter, fresher colors in the foreground.  Pam adds some really trendy flair with the scattered stars, cut pendant banner and tabbed journal spot. Yet the selection of patterns and colors keeps the page looking rugged enough to tell the story of these handsome cowboys!

Cindy shares a couple of rough and tumble pages with us. On this one about a trip to a petting zoo, she picked a great background paper to set the tone for the page. The scruffy spots on the brown paper add texture and the feel of grit and dirt.  Just perfect for this page.  The large strip of animal skin pattern paper adds some interest and is in keeping with the theme of the page.  I know this is not a grungy thing, but I also like the way she right aligned the journaling strips. Great little design tip.

Talk about rough and tumble - check out the great action photos on this page by Cindy.  So great to capture that energy. To help her page reflect the vim and zip, she used a combination of dotted papers. The small pattern in the background with the larger dots in the foreground gets your eyes hopping.  The colors in the larger dots also play off the balls in the one photo.  For some additional grittiness, Cindy tore the edges of the papers and inked them up.  A simple technique that adds a lot of detail and texture to your pages.

Grungy and gritty is not just for guy pages.  Anupama shares this page that she created with a photo of her children on it. She has worked in some great rustic feel with some mixed media techniques. Anupama has done a bit of misting and masking and painting to build up her background and create a frame of sorts for her photo.  she's added metal with the little chicken wire which really gives a nice dimension and feel to the page. I love the spot where she poked the paper through to the front. Keep that in mind for the next time you accidentally tear a paper, all is not lost, look how great it looks!

Speaking of using mixed media techniques, Gael has shared this page and has done some really cool mixed media work as well.  See that awesome pattern below the bridge picture on the left, and again under the "Prague" title?  Gael created that using gesso. Yep, gesso on a scrap page!  She also sprayed the paper with glimmer mist allowing some of the ink to run. She also did some stamping on the background too.  Now check out the stack of circles.  She layered circles with differing patterns and colors and added some texture with pleating, die cuts and gems.  Then she snuck in some string that wanders it's way around the circles. A beautiful page with lots of rustic charm and gritty edginess.

These pages have so many great ideas and techniques on them, I really need to make notes in my inspiration book. I hope you've been inspired too!

Designer Showcase: Lots of Journaling

Welcome to another Wednesday edition of Designer Showcase. It's Cathy here, bringing you the topic of Lots of Journaling.  In trying to preserve memories, we so often focus on getting the perfect photo. Journaling is an important part of preserving our stories as well.  Think how great it will be when years from now our children, friends or other loved ones, are looking through our albums and they read the journaling and relive those fantastic memories.

You don't have to be an author to journal.  And you really don't need any special tools.  Recording your thoughts, feelings, or recollection of activities can be done in your own words, and in your own handwriting.  Let's take a look at a few samples of layouts with lots of journaling.

In this layout, I wanted to share some of my feelings about my husband. I used the quote "To the world you are one person, to me you are the world" as a basis for building out my journaling.  I picked different thoughts and wrote a paragraph about each. For instance I wrote "To the world you are a firefighter" and a few sentences about that. Then I wrote "To me you are a hero" and I wrote a few things about how he changed my life.  This is a digital page so it was easy to type out my journaling.

For this page I wrote about the coffee mugs that I collect. Some people, including my husband and kids, laugh at me for having so many mugs.  I really enjoy starting my day off with the mood they set or the memory they bring. So I typed about this on my page. Something that my kids might enjoy reading and learning about me in years to come. I hope.  I left a lot of open space on the page and typed  it all out above the photo. I then set a few elements in the upper left corner of the journaling to frame it. Since this is a digital page, I could allow the journaling to flow under the elements.  What's really funny about my collection of coffee mugs? I don't even drink coffee anymore!  But I still use them for my morning cup of orange juice.

Pam shares this page with us. The layout of the page is awesome, I love the circular shapes of the photos. The colors that she chose really highlight her son's shirt and the garden greens in the photos.  She used a lined paper to type her journaling on to. It gives a nice clean, crisp look.  Pam talks about what happened on this particular day, but also some general observations that she has about her son. A perfect way to capture both the immediate memory as well as thoughts about your child's character and development.  It will be great to compare several pages like this over time to reflect on how your child grows and changes.

Marlene shares a page about a situation that happened to her. She was a bit afraid when boarding a boat.  But as other's got on the boat with ease, her family giggled at her. I love the way she tells the story first person, yet includes the humor that her husband and son saw.  She typed out her story and inked the edges of the paper. She also framed the journaling with some buttons and elements.

Cindy has two pages to show some different journaling. On this first one she hand wrote her journaling. This is her preferred way.  This is a great way to make your writing and design all that much more personal.  Here is a neat tip that Cindy shared. She doesn't write her journaling directly on the background of the page. She writes it on a piece of paper that can be adhered to the page, This way if she makes any mistakes in her writing, she can just re-do it without messing up her whole page. Great idea!

Now on this page, Cindy had a lot of journaling that she wanted to fit on the page. She chose to type this journaling.  By typing it, she could adjust the font size smaller to fit in more journaling that is still legible.  Typing the journaling can also make the layout a bit more formal. Or you can chose from so many different fonts that coordinate with your page to add to the design of your layout.

Whatever you are journaling, it's important to remember that there is no right or wrong way to do it. Just write!  And keep writing. Write to your hearts content.  When you look back at your pages, you'll appreciate all the details that you recorded.

Designer Showcase: Awwwww!

This week we are going to have you saying "Awwwww!"  Our theme this week is pages that make you go awwww!  Cathy here for another Designer Showcase. So sit back and be prepared to be awwwed as we take the cuteness factor up a notch.

OK a bunny is going to make you go "awww", but even more so, is a sleeping bunny resting comfortably under the piano with toys about him!  This is so cute. Cindy shares this page about their pet "Trouble" (yeah, eve the bunny's name makes you go "awww").  Trouble didn't sleep around them for quite some time. Cindy was really happy to capture this peaceful bunny moment.

What do you do with those pictures that you didn't scrap? Cindy had a box full. She went through them and found all these great pictures of her son's smile.  She used a squared punch to create equal sized photos and made this awesome page with lots of cuteness.  What a great way to remember a child's smile over the years.

There is so much on this page to get you "aww-ing".  Dogs and puppies will do it anytime, but add birthday party hats and the cuteness skyrockets!  I'm wondering how long it took for Marlene to get this perfect photo of her dog's birthday party.  The cuteness is accentuated by the darling little puppy die cut, and the adorable title. "Party Animals".  How cute!!!!

Pam captured some really amazing photos of some cute birds on her page. She included the great expression on her son's face and lots of cute embellishments.  This page is so colorful, bright and cheery, it has me saying "awww, wow!"

Check out the photos on this page by Pam.  I can hear you all saying "awww, what a cute puppy!" I love the way she included more than one photo of that adorable face, so we can see how cute it is from any angle.  Then the title is even done in a super cute way. She made her title like a banner with buttons holding up the work "cuteness". The polka dot paper just takes the cuteness over the edge!

I hope you've enjoyed "aww-ing" over these adorable creations this week!