Paislee Press

25 days, Adorned + a giveaway

2009-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Dude. I cannot even begin to express how excited I am about Tiffany Tillman's newest online workshop at reneepearson.com: 25 Days of Templates. Ok, I admit I might be just a *tad* bit biased because she commissioned me to create an exclusive digital kit for her class. Wanna see?

In this class, Tiffany will help you craft a holiday album using her beautiful layered templates as the foundation. If you want a stylish album but don't want to stress about it and/or you don't have a lot of free time to create, this class is the *perfect* solution. I think I need this class. Pronto. In addition to the holidays, December is a BIG month for us. This year we are celebrating my husband's 40th birthday, and celebrating Audrey turning two. Two December birthdays in our household makes for an extremely hectic holiday season and the last thing I want to worry about is how I'm going to keep up with documenting our holiday + birthday memories. With Tiffany's fabulous templates at my fingertips, I can put together pretty layouts very quickly and then sit back and fully enjoy the holiday festivities. Bring on the hustle and bustle, I'm ready for you this year!

Ready to see some of gorgeous layouts created by my creative team using Tiffany's templates + the adorned kit?

by emilie

by marina

by emilie
by audrey

by liaby susan
by emilie

by raji

by audrey

by som
by tali
by therese
by peppermint

To learn more about what this class can do for you, stop by Tiffany's blog. She's got a great FAQ's posted and a few sneak peeks of more yummy templates!! You can register for the class HERE. If you register for the class by November 17th, you get an early registration discount!

A Giveaway
Tiffany has so generously offered to give away a spot to her class to one of YOU! To enter for your chance to win, simply post a comment below. You have until Friday, November 13th at 11:59 pm (PST) to enter. You can get an extra chance to win if you tweet this. Be sure to come back and post a link to your tweet in the comments section. The winner will be drawn at random and announced here over the weekend.

As always, thank you for stopping by and good luck!

wall art (diy project no. 1)

2009-11-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

Blank walls intimidate the heck out of me. Like this one in my office that I've been staring at all year long. But no longer. I'm bidding it a fond farewell.

good bye boring blank wall, hello mosaic of photos + layouts

I got this fabulously ingenious idea from Domino (oh how I miss that magazine) + Rita Konig's collection of photos (Oct 2008 issue).

The photos are 5x5 in size (printed through whcc). I decided to go with a square format so I could include both photos and layouts in the mosaic arrangement. All of the photos were printed with a white border. I like how the white borders "frames" each individual photo and also acts as an anchor, visually bringing together all of the photos. The layouts were printed without the borders.

Below is a template so you can easily create your own mosaic wall display. It's 5x7 in size and includes the white border, a clipping mask, and also the cut lines. If you choose to get them printed as 5x5's you won't need the cutting guides, but these will definitely come in handy if you're printing them as 5x7's. note: if you don't want the white border edges for your layouts, don't use the clipping mask included in the template. Instead, resize your layout (to 5x5, 300dpi), then drag and drop your layout file to the template while holding down your SHIFT key (holding down the shift key ensures that the file is centered with the document).

ETA - download link is fixed!

Enjoy the free download!! If you use it to create a wall project, I'd love to see it. Link me to your projects in the comments section below or email me.

I'm signing off now to finish up the newsletter that is going out tomorrow for Digital Scrapbook Day. I'm really excited about this issue...and I think you should be too. :) It contains a little surprise/token of my appreciation to presslist subscribers. Are you on the list?

eta - updated with instructions per reader request

These are the materials I used to assemble the wall display:
1. a leveler (+ pencil)
2. mounting squares

Tip 1: define your space
The first time I assembled the photo wall, I "eyeballed" the positioning and the entire arrangement ended up looking like the leaning tower of pisa. So, I (carefully) peeled off the photos and drew horizontal guide lines on the wall using a leveler and pencil. If you're really good with eyeballing/guess-timating, then you can feel free to skip this step.

Tip 2: adhering photos to wall
I used double sided mounting squares to stick the photos to the wall. No specific reason for using this adhesive over another except that they were in my stash of craft supplies (left over from my paper scrapping days) and readily available. Place mounting squares along the entire top edge of the photo, then place on the wall.

dear digital scrapbooker: do you print your layouts?

2009-11-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

I just set up a survey here --------------------->
please take part if you are a digital scrapbooker

I've been wondering how many of us actually get our layouts printed. My guess is that a lot of us, maybe even as much as 70% of us, do not get our pages printed. I love digital scrapbooking. I love the ease of creating without having to clean up a physical pile of papers + embellishments. I love that I can instantaneously share the layout/story/memory with my friends and family via emails or online galleries. And then to actually get your layouts printed, to be able to hold it in your hand, display it on your bookshelf, look at it without having to turn on your computer + click on a file.....well, that's quite another experience. A pretty awesome one. :)

One of my ct member recently confessed to me in an email that she's *never* had any of her layouts printed. As I was composing a response to her, it occurred to me that I was guilty of the same thing. I've gotten lots of things printed - little mini albums, quick albums and most recently, the 296 page blurb book, but none of my 12x12 layouts have been printed. The things that I have printed were easy to do because they were created as part of a collective so the pages were cohesive and went well together. And I think that is precisely the reason I haven't printed any of my 12x12 layouts. I mostly scrap one page layouts and I scrap out of order. As a result, none of my 12x12 layouts necessarily go with one another. The thought of having to print them out and then figure out how to organize them in the album in a way that's aesthetically pleasing is one of the reasons I haven't printed 12x12's. That, and the fact that I'm not thrilled with the idea of having to store bulky 12x12 photo albums.

Maddie's blurb book has motivated me get more things printed. When I saw this post over at the daily digi about Janet's album system, it was like a eureka moment for me. It never occurred to me to have my 12x12 layouts printed as 8x8's. Genius. Now I can't wait to send all of my layouts to print. The only thing that's holding me back now is finding the perfect 8x8 top loading cloth album. I've heard alot of great things about the We R Memory Keepers linen albums, but I'm not ready to take the plunge yet. I currently use kolo cloth albums to store my 4x6 photos and I would LOVE it if kolo would hurry up and offer a top loading album in the 8x8 size. Does anyone have the ins with this Kolo? If so, can you put this idea in their head and make something happen?

With regards to aesthetics and creating a cohesive look with layouts that are created as one pagers, this task is surprisingly easier than I originally suspected. As scrapbookers we have a certain style and are drawn to certain things that we consistently apply to our layouts. In that sense, it will be easy to pair layouts side by side. I pulled a couple of pages from my gallery that were posted between August 3rd - September 23:

I think I would be able to pair any of these layouts and side by side and it would look like they belonged together. I like that they look coordinated but aren't necessarily "match-matchy". Of course, this system will not work for everyone. For those of you that prefer to tell your story in chronological order, or for those of you that aren't concerned with creating a cohesive flow (on an aesthetic level).

Today's new release, a set of coordinating quick pages designed by Cindee Bae, is a great tool for scrappers who scrap out of order yet want to be able to put together an album that looks cohesive.

These quick pages are 30% off for the next 24 hours, then will remain on sale at 15% off thru Nov. 8th.

and all quick pages designed by cindee bae are 50% thru Nv. 8th

Look at how great they look printed.
They are 8x8 prints, ordered through whcc.

Do you print your layouts? What system have you created that works for you? If you don't print your layouts, why not? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

Tomorrow I'm sharing a photo wall project idea. Hope to see you then.

fall + love

2009-11-03T14:30:00.000-08:00

new set of presslines wordart

edition No. 15 is about fall + love

It's 30% off for until tomorrow, Nov. 4th at 1:00PM PST. After that you can still grab it at 15% off.

inspiration from the creative team

by lorraine

by lia

by tali

by therese

by marina

by lorraine

by audrey

by nancy

by dunia

in good company

2009-11-02T09:30:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday folks! Guess what? I got the awesome opportunity to collaborate with Leora Sanford again! I love working with her. Not only is she one of my favorite designers, Leora's also a very dear friend. She's one of the first friends that I made when I first started scrapbooking waaaaaay back in 2004. That was when we were both paper scrapping. I fell in love with her design style from the first moment I laid eyes on her layouts. She has this unique way of adding whimsy and fun to all of her pretty + sophisticated designs. May I present to you...

in good company
a paislee press + leora sanford collaboration
{an evening with friends. good food. engaging dialogue}
This sophisticated, modern kit celebrates the good times had when you’re in the good company of friends and family. This collaboration project from paislee press and Leora Sanford Designs is only available for a limited time so be sure to pick it up while you can.

In celebration if iDSD, our kit is 15% off thru Nov. 8th
AND
this set of 4 quick pages is FREE when you purchase our kit.
Be sure to add both the kit and the quick pages set to your cart and the discount will automatically apply when you check out.

Check out the awesomeness from our creative team members!!!

I love the invitations that our ct gals made with the kit!

here's a photo of what the invites look printed up. Audrey printed on photo paper.

I'll be back tomorrow with another new release. In case you missed it, I posted sneak peeks of new products that are coming out this week HERE. Follow me on twitter if you want to know when new products become available!

and so it goes...

2009-10-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Do you find yourself waiting (wishing) for life to slow down so you can relax or finally get around to doing the things that you never have the time to do? Yeah, me too. The only problem is life doesn't slow down and instead proceeds to do just the exact opposite. I had all these grand plans to post some fun things on the blog and then before I knew it the week came...and went. But hey, the good news is the weekend's here!

Speaking of news, I am excited to report that I have some fun things planned for this upcoming week, in celebration of iDSD (international digital scrapbook day). Select items will be on sale in my shop beginning on Monday, Nov. 1st and new products will be released throughout the week. Here's the schedule + sneak peeks:

MON | a new collaboration kit 15% OFF thru Nov. 8th

TUES | new set of presslines 30% off for the first 24 hours, then 15% off thru Nov. 8th

THUR | new set of quick pages (designed by cindee bae) 30% off for the first 24 hours, then 15% off thru Nov. 8th

FRI | DIY photo wall project idea + free download

New releases will be announced via twitter as soon as each product becomes available. Be sure to sign up and FOLLOW ME on twitter so you don't miss out on the additional savings that I'm offering during the first 24 hours of each release!!

I'll be back on Monday to debut a new collaboration kit with one of my favorite designers (so geeked that I got to work with her again!!). Until then, have a wonderful weekend!

wild things + the winner is

2009-10-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

The terrible two's has officially set in for Audrey (she's only 21 months). Lucky us huh? I hope this is a phase that will pass quickly. When she's not throwing tantrums though, she is as sweet as can be. Take yesterday for instance. She actually requested that I take a picture of her. "Mommy picture," she said, holding her hands to her face like this:

I happily obliged and that made her happy. It was happiness all around. :)

here are a few more photos...

max and the wild things (audrey with her auntie hannah)
photo taken by george lee

max and maddie

maddie and max
photo taken by george lee

and the winner of apothecary frames is...

Congratulations Crystal!! Please email me at elizzylee at yahoodotcom for your prize.

in other news...

I'm working on a few collaboration projects that I'm really excited about and I'm hoping to find some time to work on a post, per your request, about my photo processing. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful rest of the week. :)

decidedly modern + a giveaway

2009-10-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

Introducing a new line of vintage inspired yet decidedly modern frames + clipping masks:

They are so versatile and will work well with just about any project: minimalist pages, shabby + layered pages, single photos layouts, multiple-photo layouts...pretty much any type of layout! But don't take my word for it, check out these amazing pages by my creative team:

by Tali

by maria w

by nichole

by dunia

by diana

by lorraine

by audrey | by lorraine

by maria w

by audrey

by som

by marina

by shaui

by cindee

and one from me

I'm using these frames for my project 365 album. You can see more of my layouts in this post.

a giveaway
I'm giving away a set of these apothecary frames. To enter for your chance to win, simply post a comment below. You have until Tuesday, October 20th at 11:59 pm (PST) to enter. The winner will be drawn at random and announced here on Wednesday. For an extra chance to win, simply add/follow me on twitter, then come back and confirm in the comments that you are following me. If you're already following me, tweeting about this giveaway will earn you an extra chance too! Be sure to come back and post in the comments section with a link to your tweet.

Good luck and thank you for participating!

is anyone still doing project 365?

2009-10-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

I'm still at it. Shocker, right? I honestly did not think I would last as long as I have. But here we are, in mid-October and I'm still taking photos. With only 2 1/2 months left this year, I think I might actually make it to the end.

And perhaps even more shocking, I've actually started scrapping + working on the album design. I'm excited because this album is coming together more quickly than any album I've ever worked on! Here are a few of the pages (using frames + clipping masks that will be available in my shop tomorrow):

I'm going to have these pages printed through blurb again so I'm sticking with the same photo + text approach that I used for Maddie's book, with the addition of the frames. I like that the frames are subtle and add just a little bit of interest without taking away from the photos. And this simple design approach is going to allow me to concentrate on the part of the layout that always stumps me: the journaling. I dread writing SO MUCH, try to avoid it as much as possible because I'm so bad at it!!! But I can't very well expect to get better if I don't practice right? So practice I will and maybe one day I will find my writing voice. Wouldn't that me something? :) By the way, if you're like me and struggle with journaling, then you should take a look at these journaling tips written by ct member Becky (and there's a free template at the end of the post for you, so snag it while you're there!

If you liked the way the frames look in the pages I posted above, wait till you see the layouts that my creative team made with them! They will be posted here tomorrow and I'm hosting another giveaway so be sure to stop by for your chance to win a set of these frames!

files files everywhere

2009-10-17T03:30:00.000-07:00

Just for kicks, I went through my project folder to see just how many files I had to keep track of for my album project. Here's the breakdown:

2, 997 photos were taken between june 5 - sept 5
679 photos were post processed and used in the album
108 working files were created (all psd files of layouts, scans of memorabilia, and some psd files of edited photos)
296 completed layouts to be uploaded for print

Whew, that's a lot of files.

Since I've gotten a few inquiries from you regarding how to sort, keep track of and manage files, I'm going to share the filing system that I created for the project. I love all things organizational-related so I'm super excited about today's post. Even if you don't plan on starting an album project, it is important to have an organized system for your photos so at the very least, skim through the first section of this post.

For my blurb book project (which I named mbook), I worked from two different master folders.
The 2009 folder is where I store all of my 2009 photos in its original form.
I always keep the original files stored in this folder. Photos that I post process are saved and stored in a separate folder. I've had to learn the hard way to set up my filing system this way. Who knew that my post processing preferences would change over time?? **cringe** Oh the remorse I feel every time I think about the photos that I ruined because I saved over the original file. That is a HUGE lesson learned for me. Don't make the same mistake I made! Always retain an original copy of your photos. (Side note: the great thing about adobe lightroom is that all the edits you apply to your photos are non-destructive so you can edit to your hearts desire without worrying about destroying the original file. I currently use a combination of lightroom + photoshop to process my photos so I still save my edited photos to a separate folder).

Organize your photos in chronological order + be consistent with your file naming format.
My photos are all organized in chronological order. I have a separate folder for each year and within this folder are subfolders categorized by day. Here's a screenshot of the folder contents:

All of my folders follow a consistent format: year-month-date-nameofevent(when applicable).
Incorporating event names or other keywords to the file name helps me remember what's inside that folder. As you can see, I only have a few folders that are tagged with keywords. This is something that I need to improve upon but I haven't quite figured what keywords will work. Since I've been taking photos (almost) everyday for project 365, most of the photos are a series of random + unrelated things: audreyinbackyard+maddietummytime just doesn't quite cut it as a keyword. If you've figured out a system that works for you, please share.

Inside the project folder mbook
This is the folder I saved/stored all things that were related to this project: psd templates I created, flattened jpg files for uploading, low reso files for posting online, etc. All of the folders I created for this project followed this format: mbook-contents of folder. Here's a screenshot of the contents:

a closer look at the folder contents (click on folder icon to see what's inside)

a folder for your processed photos
This folder stores all the photos I want to include in the album. I use lightroom to go through my photos. I also use lightroom to perform basic edits (adjusting exposure, temperature, tones) and export them to this folder.

working psd/tif files
This folder stores all of the psd/tif files related this the project: layouts, scans of memorabilia, and psd files of select post processed photos (this is so I can remember which combination of actions.) I always retain a layered psd/tif file of my layouts so I can easily go back and make changes to a layout if the need arises. I used the following file naming format for my layouts files: 060509, 060609, and so on. Since I was scrapping the photos in chronological order, and the pages would be organized by the same way, it just made the most sense to name them simply by date.

What if I'm making an album of a certain event (like a birthday party) and all the photos/layouts have the same date. What type of file naming scheme should I use?

I would still include the date of the event (the more often you use the same pattern the more likely it will eventually become intuitive for you) and then tack on a descriptive category to the file name:

122008-guests
122008-cake cutting
122008-games
122008-opening gifts
122008-details

Once you have the categories established, you can go a step further and plan what order you want these categories to appear in your book

122008-01-details
122008-02-guests
122008-03-games
122008-04-cake cutting
122008-05-opening gifts

Doing this little bit pf pre-planning ahead of time is beneficial in so many ways! First, it gives your project a tangible structure. Nothing motivates me more than having a vision of what my project may end up looking like. Having these categories also helps trememdously with your workflow because you can schedule/divide tasks based accordingly: today I am going to sort through all of the photos of guests, tomorrow I will get these photos scrapped, etc. Doesn't the project appear much more manageable when you can break them down to mini tasks? It's totally do-able and you can do it!

high-res (3oodpi) layouts you will print/upload to book vendor
I stored all of my high-res layouts to this folder so when it came time to upload to the photo vendor, all I had to do was browse to this folder, select all, and click submit. The file naming format I followed corresponded with the psd files above, with the addition of page numbers: 060509-1, 060509-2, 060509-3, 060609-1, 060609-2...and so on.

low-res files for online sharing
I kepp all low-resolution files for web posting in this folder.

That's the nuts and bolts of my filing system. I hope you found this post helpful. If you have any questions, or if you have suggestions or want to share your organizational system, please post in the comments section below or email me. I'd love to hear from you!

lovelies + a list

2009-10-15T16:47:00.000-07:00

You know what's lovely? Having an inbox filled with emails about albums+scrapbooking+and all things craft. Nothing inspires me more than to read about your craft experiences or your excitement for starting one, so I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to write and inspire me. I'm especially excited for those of you that are embarking on your own off to press projects and I cannot wait to see what you create! Over the past few days I've given a lot of thought about what tips+project how-tos to blog about. And, well....I got overwhelmed thinking about it all. So I did what I always do when I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. I made a list:

tips + how-tos
establishing an efficient filing system (reader requests)
how to scrap a certain type of photo
how to decide which photo(s) to use
photo post processing (reader requests)

project management (workflow)
text+journaling (reader request)
printing specifics
layout designs + templates (reader requests)

This is what I have so far. I'm not sure if all of these will make for informative blog posts, just brainstorming at the moment. I'm definitely going to do a write-up on the filing system. Will have that up soon. Maybe even as early as sometime tonight.
..........

ooooooooooh. Before I sign-off, I wanted to share this amazing layout created by ct member audrey neal.

Audrey created the layout using the mosaic template - press plate no. 25.
I love how she used selective tiles for photos, filled in other tiles with colored papers, and left others out completely. There's a beautiful flow to her design. Isn't she brilliant?

If you haven't already picked up press plate no. 25, it's available as a free download in my shop.

enjoy!

this book

2009-10-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

i am proud of.

As some of you know, I recently completed a HUGE photo book project documenting my daughter's first three months of life. The process involved curating over 3,000+ photos, editing them, and getting them on layouts. The end product was a 296 page book that I got printed through BLURB. The book is done, but my off to press project is far from being complete. I set a goal HERE to get all of my photos over the past two years organized, scrapped and printed. My ultimate goal is to get ALL my digital photos scrapped+printed, but I thought it best to start off with a more modest+manageable goal. I plan on starting Audrey's book soon. But first, I'm taking a little break to recharge.

Some of you asked me to share more layouts from maddie's book, so here they are:
note: you can see more layouts from previous posts HERE and HERE.
photos of the printed book can be found in THIS POST.

scanned our hospital bracelets for this page

I couldn't decide which photo to use because each one shows off a different aspect of maddie so I stacked them side by side in sequential order and really liked how it turned out!

The book opens up with this quote from story people:

For a long time there were only your footprints & laughter in our dreams & even from such small things, we knew we could not wait to love you forever

So I thought it would be nice to include photos of us waiting+getting ready for her.

paired pregnancy photos with corresponding ultrasounds that were taken around the same time

for this sp taken at 32 weeks, I didn't have a corresponding ultrasound so I added a journaling page instead

and last but not least
The book opens up with this photo mosaic. It's a compilation of my favorite photos in the book, a sort of "snapshot preview" of the entire book, if you will. I like adding these types of intro pages to my albums - something about it, creating it, seeing it in the book, it gives me an incredible feeling of accomplishment. Somehow a project never quite feels finished until I make one of these. You can see a similar one I did for another album HERE.

Per reader request, I turned the photo mosaic page into a template and it's available to you as a FREE download.

Please note: The mosaic page shown above was cut off during printing at blurb (an eight of an inch all around). You can see the printed page HERE. The 8x10 layered template has an .18 inch border all around to account for this. Please note that this print guide was set manually by me (based off the difference between the page that I uploaded to blurb vs. what was actually printed) and NOT by blurb so I cannot guarantee the accuracy/precision of the guides I set. The 12x12 layered template version bleeds to the edges. Please adjust the template/page size to the specification recommended by the vendor you are using. The clipping masks in the template are vector shapes so you can easily resize to fit your needs.

update
the download link has been updated - I added a PSE compatible version of the templates
if you're using PSE, please go ahead and re-download to access the PSE versions.

You can also use the template to create this layout

Once you have your mosaic completed, just copy a section of the mosaic and paste onto a new page and voila! You've got yourself a new layout, completed in a matter of seconds (or minutes, hee hee).

Enjoy your download!

Will be sharing more tips on how to manage album projects in the next Off To Press installment. I could use your help in figuring out what aspect of the project to focus on. If there is something in particular that you want to know, please post in the comments section below and I'll try my best to include it in the next post!

to the east

2009-10-08T09:30:00.000-07:00

Somewhere to the east of me there is a little town called eastbourne that embodies artistry, simplicity and homegrown creativity. Or so I've been told by my newfound friend + design crush, the fabulous kathryn wilson. I have admired her designs + photography from afar for quite some time and was SO stoked to have an opportunity to collaborate with her!!

May I present to you...a kathryn wilson + paislee press collaboration...

eastbourne
"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home."
This kit is best described in the words that inspired us to create it - homegrown, organic, simple, beautiful. It has fresh and crisp colors and is... simply beautiful - full of passion.

close-up of the papers + elements

awesome-ness from our creative teams

We are running a special promo for this kit.
For a limited time, when you purchase our kit, you will get this free paper pack.
paislee press newsletter subscribers and kathryn wilson fans get an additional 15% off, so be on the lookout for your coupons!!

a (belated) welcome

2009-10-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

Please join me in welcoming the newest members of the paislee press creative team. These lovely ladies inspire me SO much. They make me want to be better...a better photographer, a better storyteller, a better artist. Take a peek at their galleries and and I think you'll see what I mean. :)

audrey

lia

maria

marina

raji

welcome to the team ladies! I'm so stoked and very much looking forward to working with you. :)

tweet, tweet + the album goes to...

2009-10-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

So, i finally caved and decided to join the rest of the world. I now have a twitter account. Well, I actually created the account a few months ago but have woefully neglected it until now. I plan on using it more so if you're on twitter, follow me!!

and the winner of the snapshots no. 2 album is.....

Congratulations Gabi (and thank you for your sweet comments)! Please email me at elizzylee at yahoodotcom with your choice (quick album or layered template album).

A HUGE HUGE HUGE thanks to everyone that participated in the contest. Stay tuned for more giveaways. The next one I'm hosting is going to be quite a bit different from ones I've done in the past and you're not gonna want to miss it!

snapshots no. 2

2009-09-28T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be debuting Snapshots NO. 2 today!! My newest album is a bit different from previous quick albums in the sense that I didn't design coordinating pages from 1-20. Instead, these are a set of pages that you can mix and match depending on the number of photos you have and the story you want to tell (ie., is the message a simply one liner or a few paragraphs long).

Both albums are 20% thru Sunday, October 4th. PressList Subscribers get additional savings on top of the sale price. Not yet a subscriber? Sign-up HERE.

here are a couple of sample pages from the quick album

the album is also available as a layered template album

The layered template is so very versatile! It comes with 14 templates that you can mix and match and it also includes the wood grain paper that was used to create the quick album. Use the templates as is to create a clean and simple layout in a flash. Or incorporate color and patterned papers and personalize it to your hearts content. Just take a look at the amazing layouts that my creative team produced! Same templates, but completely different looks, each one reflecting her style.

by emilie

she used the layered template album to document a year in the life of her daughter. I love how the album is organized by month, you can easily see the progression, changes of the season, etc. I also love how she integrated color seamlessly into her album - every colored page perfectly compliments the photos.

by nancy
Nancy created a page for each of her children, letting the photos + mood dictate the color scheme of each page. I love that each page uses a different color scheme yet will still coordinate beautifully together in the album.

by Desiree

I love the graphic elements and neutral palette - makes for a bold and masculine statement

by audrey
I love the soft elements and colors audrey used in her layouts. And I'm also CRAZY in love with audrey's post processing. That retro look goes so well with the polaroid frames! For those of you that are interested, she used the seventies action by Pioneer Woman.

by lia
Lia used the template to show off these adorable photos of her son dressed up for his first school play. The dark background is perfect with the sepia toned photos and the accents she used injects just the right amount of color and depth to the page.

by Marina
Marina used one of the templates to create this adorable page about her nursery in the making. She is going to have the hippest nursery on the block!

And last but certainly not least, Marina used the layered template album to create this stunning pregnancy album/journal.

Click here to view this photo book.

are you inspired yet?

win snapshots no. 2

I'm giving away one of the snapshot no. 2 albums (your choice of the quick album or the layered template album). To enter for your chance to win, simply post a comment below. You have until Wednesday, September 30th at 11:59 pm (PST) to enter. Only one entry per person please. Good luck!!

i no longer fear you, multi-photo layouts

2009-09-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Do you have series of photos like these just sitting on your hard drive, waiting to be scrapped?

Anyone recall my blog post from waaaay back in July 2008 about being snapshot happy? *LOL* Well, I'm still just as snapshot happy now as I was then. What though, I asked myself, is the point of taking all these photos if they just end up sitting on my hard drive, unscrapped?

Multi photo layouts used to be my bane but I have since embraced the challenge of creating multi-photo layouts that are clean and minimalist. I pulled all of the photos from above (ran some TRA actions to get that retro-ish look) and came up with this:

then added journaling

here's what the pages look like side by side

I had so much fun making these pages I kept going, and ended up with a new quick album, snapshots no. 2.

It's debuting later today, it will be on sale for a special introductory price and presslist subcribers will receive additional savings. Oh, and I'll be giving one of these away so check back in a bit to enter for your chance to win.

Btw, what do you think of the new blog banner?

blurb book goodness

2009-09-23T03:47:00.000-07:00

I can hardly contain my excitement!! As some of you know, maddie's blurb book arrived yesterday. I'm happy to say right off the bat that my report will be a positive one, for the most part. The photos did print just slightly darker than what I "saw" on my computer screen. All in all, I will definitely order from them again. That's my two cents. Now lets get to the photos of the book and you can decide for yourself.

The book was delivered in tip top shape (via fedex). I like that it was protected with the shrink wrap.

This is the front cover of the dust jacket cover (next time I might try out the image wrap option)

inside flap - the jacket is nice and sturdy
back of dust jacket

dedication page
in case anyone is wondering, i used this quote by story people

my mosaic prologue page + the title page

here are a few sample pages

remember how I agonized over the layout on the right? I ended up going with the first version after all!

I tried a 2-page spread that didn't work out so well. eta: Blurb does not provide a template or set of guidelines on how to set the image so it spans across two pages correctly. I think this is because the measurement would vary so greatly, depending on the size of the book and where the two page spread happens to be in the book. I will probably try this again with my next book. Now that I have this book to reference, I think I'll be able to play around with the spacing and get better results.

Here are things that I will do differently with the next blurb book I make. I will be very careful with the edges. On two of my pages, some of the text was cut off. Also, the text was just slightly blurry. Someone had emailed me a few weeks ago (or was it last week?), and asked if I had saved the pages as jpegs or pdfs. Text supposedly prints crisper with pdfs. (does anyone have experience/knowledge on this issue?) For the next run, I'll give pdfs a try. As I mentioned earlier, all in all, I am very happy with the way the book turned out. And now I also get to experience the joy of sharing these photos with my family and friends. :)

Are you ready to get all of those photos sitting on your hard drive onto layouts and printed? You can do it!!! Here are a few tips to help you manage your project.

1. decide on the theme of the book (ie., summer of 2009, birthday photos, a family vacation). for your first project, start off with something small. the theme of my book was simple: maddie's first three months. Although I had roughly 3,000 photos to go through, it was much less daunting a task because I kept the focus on maddie, which meant that I could skip right over photos that didn't have anything to do with maddie. I also knew that I wanted to have the photos organized in chronological order. This order really helped me to put together layouts very quickly.

2. establish a good filing system it takes a lot of files (photo files, layered psd files, flattened high-reso files for print) to create a photo book. this can easily become a very messy project if you don't establish a good filing system right off the bat. create separate folders for each category: photos, layered files (working files), upload for print files, and for some of you that want to share your work online, upload to web files.

there are a couple more things I want to add to this list but it is 3:45am now and I think I should sneak in a little nap before the girls wake up in a few hours. I'll be back later to finish the rest of this list. good night all!

it's a good tuesday

2009-09-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

I just got an email notification informing me that my blurb book is being delivered today.**rubbing hands together** I'm so excited!! I'll pop back in later to share the results. In the meantime, I have a couple of new releases that are ON SALE (until Monday, Sept 28th) that I wan to tell you about. Take advantage of the savings and grab them now!!

$2.99 | sale price $2.00

$3.99 | sale price $2.99

by desiree

by nancy

and I can't resist sharing how Hollie (of Holliewood Studios) paired the halloween presslines with her new her halloween themed kit, All Hallows Eve

by hollie

by finecraft

be sure to stop by hollie's blog to see all of the gorgeous masterpieces that her creative team made!

and lastly...

Join us for a chance to win a $10 gift coupon to my shop and a $10 gift coupon to shaui's shop. All participants will receive this set of quick pages for FREE, just for playing along!

here's the link to our challenge thread:

>> i want to join in the fun <<

hope to see you there. :)

and the winner...

2009-09-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

is...

lucky no. 74...

Congratulations Willa! You have won Embrace Vol. 2 AND a voucher for one free 5x7 photo book printing from Shutterfly. Please email me at elizzylee at yahoo dot com to redeem your prize.

Thank you again to everyone that entered and have a wonderful week!

more embraceable inspiration

2009-09-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Happy sunday guys!! I just wanted to pop in to share the albums that our creative teams made using the embrace quick albums.

rules for embracing life by emilie ahern

Click here to view this photo book.

e is for embrace by Pamela Funk-Parr

Click here to view this photo book.

e is for embrace by Yoshiko

Click here to view this photo book.

baby by Yoshiko

Click here to view this photo book.

I'll be back later tonight to announce the winner of the quick album + shutterfly voucher contest! A HUGE thank you for sharing what new thing you have embraced. I was caught off guard by how emotional it would be for me to read your experiences + stories. The things that you guys are doing is a HUGE HUGE inspiration to me.

embrace

2009-09-17T00:36:00.001-07:00

may I present to you, embrace, a new paislee press + fei fei's stuff collaboration
I had such an amazing time working with Shaui, I can't wait to do it again!!!

This the one of the layouts that Shaui made using the kit. Isn't it stunning? I love the proud mommy grin on Shaui's face and fei's cheeks are irresistibly pinchable!!

Here's one that I made. :)

a gift for our subscribers
These two quick pages are FREE when you purchase the embrace kit. Be on the lookout for the details in your newsletter!

not yet a subscriber? sign-up HERE for my PressList,
and go HERE for Shaui's mailing list.
sign up soon because this offer is only valid thru september 25th

check out the amazing work of our creative teams
WOWOWOW!!!

embrace 5x7 quick albums
As I mentioned yesterday, we had so much fun working on this kit Shaui and I both ended up making 5x7 quick albums!!

you save 20% when you purchase both together!

here's another look at my completed album

Click here to view this photo book.

I'm giving away one quick album (embrace vol. 2) along with a shutterfly voucher for one FREE 5x7 photo book printing. To enter for your chance to win, simply post a comment below with your answer to this question:

What have you embraced lately?

Since you will be sharing with me, I think it's only fair that I share with you too. :) For me it is chaos. Most recently, I am trying my hand at embracing (rather than fighting) the chaos, the messiness, the unpredictable-ness of everyday life with an infant and a toddler.

You have until Saturday, September 19th at 11:59 pm (PST) to enter. Only one entry per person please.

Shaui is hosting an album giveaway on her blog as well, so be sure to pay her a visit!!

and lastly...

Shaui and I are hosting a scrapping challenge at the O!!! It's going to be OFF THE SCALE fun. And there will be prizes. All participants will receive this set of quick pages for FREE, just for playing!!

AND, one grand prize winner will receive a $10 GC to my shop and a $10 GC to Shaui's shop. Click HERE to go to the challenge thread!!

embraceable moments

2009-09-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

OK. I think I have officially developed an addiction for making albums. One might think that after finishing a 290+ page album, you would want a little break? Quite the contrary for me! While I'm so very thrilled to have that project completed, a 290 page book isn't exactly something you can tote around easily. A 5x7 brag book on the other hand, is very portable. :)

So, I took a few of my favorite embraceable moment photos, grabbed papers and elements from embrace (a new paislee press + fei fei's stuff collaboration kit that's debuting tomorrow) and ended up with this...

It's a 21 page quick album (20 coordinating pages + a title page), designed so that you can put together a meaningful and cohesive album in a matter of hours. Since I'm getting my album printed by shutterfly, the quick album also includes a coordinating cover (front, back and spine) that is shutterfly compatible. You can see the entire album here:

Click here to view this photo book.

Shaui has also made a GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS (did I mention gorgeous already?) quick album using embrace so be sure to swing by her blog to see her album in action.

Both albums are debuting tomorrow. And both of us will be hosting an album giveaway of sorts. I will be giving away one set of embrace vol. 2 along with a coupon for a FREE 5x7 photo book printing at shutterfly. For those of you that have never ordered from shutterfly, this would be a great way to test-drive them! Details on how you can win the album + shutterfly coupon will be posted here tomorrow. See you then!

off to press, off to press (and a sneak peek)

2009-09-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

guess what this is?

The covers for my blurb book project!! It finally went to print early this morning. I ended up with 290 pages (yikes!!) and it only covers the first three months of maddie's life. As soon as it gets here, you can be sure I will be jumping online to share it (whether it's good or bad) with you! Keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a happy report. :)

In other (really exciting) news, I finally got an opportunity to collab with Shaui (of fei fei's stuff) on a full kit!!!!! Oh my word. This collaboration was one of the most intimidating and exhilarating experiences ever! Not only is Shaui INSANELY talented, she's also so easy-going, so down to earth, so incredibly sincere and sweet. Here's a sneak peek.
Sign-up for PressList and Fei-fei's Stuff Mailing List now so you can take advantage of an exclusive offer that only our subscribers will be getting!

Also, be sure to stop by our blogs on thursday because we will be hosting giveaways and a scrapping challenge (with prizes). It's going to be crazy fun.

love found

2009-09-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

I am so super super super excited to announce that paislee press and TaylorMade Designs have teamed up again!! It is always a joy to work with Amanda, not only because she is one of my favorite designers of all time but also because she has fast become one of my closest and dearest friends.

Our lastest collaboration project, est., is about love. finding it. celebrating it. everyone has a love story worth documenting.

we also made a coordinating alphas+numbers set
which we are offering for FREE w/purchase of the kit to our newsletter subscribers

not yet a subscriber? sign-up HERE.

inspiration from our creative team