Scrapping with Liz

Mix and Match Double Templates 3

2012-05-25T10:00:00.000-04:00

I've loved making several double-page layouts lately, so I was so excited to see Liz's new products.
Mix and Match Double Templates 3 were designed so you can combine the pages to create dozens of different two-page spreads. These designs have a combination of large and small photo spots and are decorated with large paper strips and pretty floral clusters. The individual templates can be used for single page layouts as well. Priced at $4.80 (20% OFF) through 5/31.

Here is inspiration from the team!

FREEBIES You Might Want to Know About!

2012-05-24T16:03:00.000-04:00

I'll admit, I'm being lazy tonight. I had this super awesome blog post planned about a "scrapbook" I made when I was 12. My mom found it while she was unearthing some old photos and such. I was going to take photos and share it with you all. But, alas, it's almost the middle of the night right now (as I'm writing this) and just not a great time to take pictures (plus I'm a little too tired and lazy to go get my camera!). Every night I say to myself, "I'm going to take pictures tomorrow when it's nice and bright in here." Every day, I forget. So here I am...wondering if I should just skip a blog post this week....but I'm a creature of habit. I. just. can't. do. it. I have to stick to my routine (hmmm, maybe I should scrap about my silly routines).

Back to the purpose of this blog post. Right around this time every month (about the 3rd week into the month) I have a couple of freebies floating around in digi-land and I thought this might be a good time (since I didn't have anything else to blog about) to make sure you are aware of them. After all....I don't want you missing out on anything free!

Here's one that you can grab for free right now. It's available on the Scrap Orchard blog. I don't know if you are aware or not but they have a new blog feature called Template Tuesday. Each Tuesday you can run over there a snag a free template! So make sure you aren't missing out on that.

Here's another one that's free. You can grab this one over in the Scrap Orchard Challenge Forum. You can even play along with the challenge if you want to. Oh and um, I think I left some personal journaling on this page. Just ignore it, delete it....or read it, I guess. I made this template after a created a page....and I RARELY do that. I usually create the template first and then make a page.

There's also another way you can snag another template....but there is a little bit of work involved. As some of you know I have a Template Make It Snappy on my Facebook page and in the Scrap Orchard Forum on the first Saturday of every month (which will be coming up next weekend). We are changing things up a bit starting in June. There is still going to be a Template Make it Snappy but you won't get the free template unless you participate in the challenge. No worries though, it's still going to be a lot of fun and it will be super easy for you to participate. Grab one of the FREE templates above or make sure you have one of my templates handy so you'll be ready to play. Plus there will be a $5 prize to one winning participant.

Be sure to be tuned into my facebook page for other freebies, coupons, etc...that I might just randomly decide to post.

Oh and about that super awesome blog post about the "scrapbook" I made when I was 12. Yah, um, I'll get to that next week....if I remember to take pictures!

-Liz

It's that Time! Sneak Peek & Giveaway

2012-05-21T23:16:00.004-04:00

It's late Monday night over here...but not too late for my normal Monday sneak peek and giveaway! Right? If you are familiar with some of the templates I've made recently then you might know what these are. I'm addicted to these. I love making them and I really love using them!

So take a guess. Let me know what you think they might be. You have until 5/23 at 11pm EST to enter. I'll announce the winner here in the comments and on my facebook page shortly after 11pm on Wednesday.

Just a little reminder about Scrap Orchard's Make It Snappy. This week is sponsored by Captivated Visions. Go play along and maybe you'll get a coupon to her store!

-Liz

Comic Templates

2012-05-18T07:30:00.000-04:00

Liz has some really fun new templates - inspired by comic books! Comic Templates are multi-photo pages decorated with captions, speech and thought bubbles and action bursts. These are perfect for scrapping your own little super heroes, conversations, or just a fun way to scrap your everyday life. On Sale 20% OFF through 5/24.

Here is some inspiration from the team.

Have a great weekend!

Digital Scrapbooking - Video

2012-05-17T07:30:00.000-04:00

I spend a lot of time explaining to people what digital scrapbooking is....at least what it is in my eyes. I wrote a blog post not too long ago about what it is but I thought for some of you visual people out there I might show you in video form. Actually, this is a good add-on to my What is Digital Scrapbooking post. So if you want to show your friends what it's all about, have them read that blog post and then come back here to watch the video I put together. This video will show you the process I go through to scrap a page, from picking out the photos, picking my template, picking my kit and then finally scrapping it. The first few minutes of the video I'm explaining what I'm doing to get started and then the last part is just a fast-forwarded version of me scrapping a page. I didn't think you would want to watch me scrap for an hour! So here goes.....

This is my finished page made with a Recyclables 10 Template and Laura Bansiak's kit Hey Girl.

See now, wasn't that fun? Don't you want to do it?

Now for a little announcement. The winner of Monday's blog post giveaway. She is going to win my new Comic Templates. Are you ready? It's Cheryl, Cassie and Mark! She said...

These look great...can't wait to see them!

Don't be fooled by the name, there is only one winner. That's just her blogger profile. Cheryl, make sure you send me a message so I can get you your free templates!

-Liz

May GSO Winner!

2012-05-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

Please join me and congratulating Sandra (sberkan) on winning this month’s special Doubles GSO! Sandra competed against some double-ly awesome layouts but you the voters chose her gorgeous layout of new baby as the best. We love this layout's contrast of the black and white, the close-ups of the hands and feet and the amazing clustering by color groups.

We got a chance to ask Sandra about herself and this is what she said...

How long have you been digi-scrapping?I have been digi-scrapping since 2008. I was never a paper scrapper and discovered this hobby while creating photo books. I didn't think I'd continue after I finished the book I was working on (ha ha!).

What is your favorite thing to scrap?Well, my favourite things to scrap are a toss up between my kids and vacations. I'm working on books for both of them (my 6 yo's baby book, in fact) and they are both such fun topics to work with.

What is your favorite Liz product? Oooo, I have to pick a favourite Liz product? I love templates and she makes such fabulous ones that it's so hard to pick. I especially love that she creates templates with so much variety. But, if I had to pick, I guess my favourites (for now) would be her Wall Templates and her Fun With Envelope Templates.

If you were a digi-scrap item, which one would you be? Let's see...if I were a digi-scrap item what would I be? The first thing that popped into my mind was a template but I'm not sure why :) Maybe because I love to use them or possibly because they are organized and planned out and I am definitely a planner!

If you love this layout check out Liz's Wall Templates and create your own gorgeousness.

Sneak Peek Time, Giveaway & Freebies!

2012-05-14T10:01:00.002-04:00

I'm pretty excited about these new templates but I'll be honest, I can't take full credit for them. My husband gave me the idea. Actually, this happens quite a bit. In fact, last night as we are sitting on the couch next to each other (him on his computer, me on mine) he actually said to me, "Okay, now we gotta think up the next ultimate digital scrapbook template set!" I just gave him "the look" because I didn't know if he was being serious. He is always giving me suggestions....some I take, some I don't! But this one I did, and I LOVE them. They are going to make some really fun pages and I think they will be able to tell a story in a really fun way.

If you want a chance to win this set just leave a comment here and I'll announce the winner in Thursday's blog post (doing things a little different around here). Leave a comment here by 11pm 5/16 EST to be entered into the drawing.

And here's the info on the next Make It Snappy over at Scrap Orchard. These are a ton of fun. I can actually say that now since I participated in on during iNSD! I might actually go on over Wednesday night and play along.

I have something super special for you guys over on my facebook page. During iNSD I reached over 3000 fans and to thank everyone for their support I made this free pack of templates. It's available on my facebook page. All you have to do is "like" me and then go to the "freebie" tab and you can download this whole pack. It's only going to be available until 5/20 so grab it now while you can.

I do appreciate you guys so very much. You don't know how much this little business of mine has blessed our family and others!

-Liz

5 New State Templates + iNSD Templates

2012-05-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

Liz has added to her line of US State templates with five customer requested states. These are great for scrapping the places you've lived, your travels or just your home town pride.

Here are all of the State (and country) Templates in the Market.

Alabama	Alaska	Arizona
California	Colorado	Connecticut
Florida	Hawaii	Indiana
Iowa	Kansas	Kentucky
Louisiana	Maryland	Massachusetts
Michigan	Minnesota	Missouri
Montana	Nevada	New Hampshire
New Jersey	New Mexico	New York
North Carolina	Ohio	Oklahoma
Oregon	Pennsylvania	South Carolina
South Dakota	Tennessee	Texas
Utah	Virginia	Washington
Wisconsin	Wyoming
USA	Australia

Also new in the market are Liz's templates from the iNSD Scrap Orchard Olympics. If you weren't able to participate you can still have these templates. They have a great mix of large and small photos and are decorated with stitching, scallops and clusters.

Here are some inspirational layouts from the team using the iNSD templates and various State Templates.

SwL Creative Team Projects

2012-05-09T23:17:00.000-04:00

I've seen a few of my Creative Team Members making some awesome personal projects with some of my templates. I thought I would take some time to give you a little peek at what they have made and then you can check out their own blogs to see the whole project. Maybe you'll get some inspiration, I know I did!

Dagi made these adorable flashcards using my Preschool Flashcard Templates and some other delicious digital scrapbook products. Read her blog post to find out more. Oh and you might want to check out the design on her blog. I do believe she used my Blogwear Templates. ;)

Jenn just got her first digital scrapbook album printed! It's beautiful. Go on over to her blog The Typative Scrapper and take a look. She's taken lots of photos so you can see what it looks like printed. It's simply beautiful. She used a lot of my templates plus some other digital scrapbooking goodness.

You'll want to take note of a couple other things when you are checking out Jenn's blog. She used my Blogwear Templates to decorate her blog and she is a Radvocate for Totally Rad. It's a great tool for editing your photos. Go on over to her blog and check it out (the info is at the bottom of the post) and then go on over and get the 30 day trial. I did and it's awesome....I might just be buying myself a Mother's Day present! Oh and Jenn has some GREAT tutorials. Be sure to check those out while you are over there.

Tiffany has put together an AMAZING Life 356 album. Instead of taking a photo a day, she decided to take several photos a week and then scrap them in this calendar form. It's such a great way to really remember the day to day stuff. She used my Background Templates with a mix of other digital scrapbooking stuff. Go on over to her blog Dotted with Dots to see more pictures and to read about what other products she used. What I love about Tiffany's blog is that she shows you full albums she is working on. It's a great place to get some inspiration.

I love seeing what people make with my products. If you have something special you've made please link me up here in the comments. I might even do a special blog post about it (if you don't mind!) and if I do you'll get a little prize.

-Liz

May GSO -- Special Doubles Edition

2012-05-08T22:16:00.003-04:00

Were doing something special this month that's twice the fun -- a Double Layout GSO! April saw a lot of double layouts in the gallery and we wanted to celebrate these special layouts. Double layouts are perfect for scrapping those big AND small events in life. Take a look at these gorgeous layouts and pick your favorite. Vote Here! Then come back on the 15th and see who won!

Melissa (prettypeaches) created this fun and cheerful double layout of her child's favorite song using the Simple and Sweet Album Templates II. We love the yellow stitching as a border, the paint title, the farm theme (those duckies are TOO cute!) and the journaling font.

Sberkan created this precious layout of her new baby using the Wall Templates. We love the contrast of the black and white, the close-ups of the hands and feet and the amazing clustering by color groups.

Shari created this sweet layout of her son gardening using the Facebook Freebie for both sides. We love the banner across the top, the different color photo mats and the bright and happy photos that show his pride in a job well done.

Chrissy (Angel185gccca) created this double page layout with two totally different templates but it flows so great together. We love that she made one side mostly photos and the other side focuses more on the journaling.

Sneak Peek, Giveaway and iNSD Recap!

2012-05-07T20:48:00.003-04:00

Wow! What a weekend! I hope you all had a fun iNSD this year. I know I did. I had fun at the chats, seeing all the new pages and I even participated in my first Template MIS. It was so much fun, definitely doing it again.

Well, I'm going to keep this short and sweet this week since I know we are already filled to the brim with digital scrapbooking goodness. I had some special requests for more State Templates. So I got to working and have 5 brand new sets for you! Can't wait to reveal them all. If you want a chance to win them just leave a comment here and I'll choose a winner on 5/9/12 around 11pm EST.

Oh and I'll be releasing one more thing! Just in case you didn't keep up with some of the freebies I handed out this weekend, you'll be able to grab them this week in my new releases.

Here's a page I made for the Template MIS that I participated in. Kimberley hosted it on my facebook page on Friday night. I can't believe I scrapped a page in less than an hour! It was so fun scrapping along with everyone else. I'll admit, I didn't really like the first rule. 1. one photo repeated three times; you can change size, crop, color and angle differently I really wanted to use more than one photo with this template but I'm glad I stuck to the rules. I love how the page turned out.

Say it with Spunk Laura Banasiak

Well, iNSD is over but I hope you guys have a great big stash of digital scrapbook supplies to keep you scrapping for awhile.

Back to a normal week *sigh*.

-Liz

iNSD and Farmer's Market $1 Sale

2012-05-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

International Scrapbooking Day is here, and with it comes the famous Scrap Orchard Farmer's Market. All of the products in the Farmer's Market category are only $1, and that includes both old and brand new designs! This sale runs May 3 - May 6.

Liz has three new products, all at just $1. (All of the images below are linked for you.)

Mix and Match Double Templates 2 is a set of double page templates designed so you can build dozens of different 2-page spread combinations.

Tile Templates feature page-filling backgrounds with just a hint of decoration on top. Create beautiful backgrounds with your patterned papers or use the clipping masks for LOTS of photos.

Recyclables 11 is new to the Market, but check your stash before you buy. This collection of past freebies features some full-page designs with overlapping layers as well as several templates featuring circles and scallops.

And here are the rest of Liz's Farmer's Market products - all just $1 each. This is the lowest price you will ever see on these products! All of the images are linked for you.

Finally, here are inspirational layouts with the new templates.

See you at the Farmer's Market!

My April Pages

2012-05-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

It's time to show you what I scrapped this month. In case you don't remember, I'm trying to get all my 2011 pictures scrapped along with keeping up with my 2012 pictures. My goal is to scrap the current months pictures along with the same month from 2011. Four months into the year and I'm keeping up! I can't believe it.

So here are my April 2011 and 2012 pages that I scrapped this month. 7 pages. Not too bad for me, although not as many as last month.Thankfully I did have a lot of pages already scrapped for April 2011. I only had some Easter pics from last year that I really wanted to scrap.

So here's the one page I did from April 2011. I loved scrapping my Easter pics from 2011 and 2012 this month. It was fun to see the changes in the kids.

Using List Templates
Vintage Valentine by Tracie Stroud

This actually happened in March but got mixed up in my April pics. A very special moment for our family.

Using My Bliss from Tracie Stroud
This template will be available in a Recyclables set this weekend that you'll be able to get for a steal of a deal.

A friend mailed an Easter egg to the girls. I knew it was coming so I grabbed the camera when I sent the girls out to check the mail. I'll have to remember this idea for next year!

Using Hip Hoppity by Faith True Originals.
This template will be given away as a freebie at the challenge I am hosting over at Scrap Orchard on May 5th at 10pm!
Make sure you stop by and grab it!

I had so many Easter pictures that I wanted to scrap. I like pages with lots of photos, it's a great way to scrap all those random photos from the day.

Using Taste of Spring by SuzyQ Scraps

And I'm using a new template set that will be released for iNSD!

You'll be able to grab this set for $1 during the sale.

So keep your eye out for it.

My beautiful girls on Easter Sunday. So thankful to friends who give us hand-me-downs.

Using Mix and Match Double Templates 1

And Lavender Blues by Tracie Stroud

Left Side

Right Side

Here's another page with lots of photos. It includes photos from some of our April homeschool co-op activities.

Using Making the Grade by Tracie Stroud
And another new template that will be released with the one above!
I'm so excited about these. They hold lots of photos....or lots of pretty papers, whatever you like.

Well, there you have it. I think it's a good re-cap of what our April looked like. I didn't take a lot of pictures this month, only of the special occasions. I'll try to be better next month. I'm just glad that I'm keeping up with this project. Are you keeping up with your scrapping?

-Liz

iNSD Sneak Peek & Giveaway!

2012-05-01T09:19:00.000-04:00

Today's sneak peek is coming at you a day later than normal. I had an unscheduled root canal yesterday and I just didn't get everything done that I had planned BUT everything is okay now and I'm back on track for iNSD! Yay!

It's no ordinary sneak peek time today! It's iNSD sneak peek time! Are you all excited about iNSD this year? I know I am. There are going to be lots of sales, games, challenges and FREEBIES!

Let me tell you a little bit about what I have going on this weekend.....before I show you a little sneak peek of what I'll be releasing.

Scrap Orchard is going to kick off the fun with a mystery chat and then the first annual iNSD Torch Relay is going to start at 12am on May 3rd, right after the chat.

You'll be able to grab freebies all day Thursday and Friday! There will be a free template from me somewhere along the relay!

The $1 Farmer's Market Sale will also begin on May 3rd. Here's a little sneak peek of what I'll have on sale!

Then on Friday, May 4th at 8pm Tracy will be hosting a Template Make It Snappy on my facebook page. You'll be able to come on over and grab another FREE Template, play along with the challenge and maybe win some $$$ to my store!

Then right after the MIS there will be another chat over at Scrap Orchard at 10pm. There will be some fun and games going on over there.

That's not all folks! All day on Saturday Scrap Orchard has some awesome challenges planned and I'm hosting the 10pm challenge. It's going to be a template challenge. So you'll come get another FREE Template, play along (get another FREE template for playing along) and maybe win some $$$ to my store.

You got that? Now onto the sneak peek. I have 3 sets of templates releasing and you can get each set for $1 during the sale! There's a total of 19 templates! 19 templates for $3 and not to mention the 17 other packs of products that I'll have on sale for $1.

So does anybody want to win the new stuff? If you do, just leave a comment here telling me what your favorite thing about iNSD is. Is it the sales, games, new products, challenges, etc.... I'll choose the winner on Wednesday night (right around the time the fun and games start happening) and post the winner here in the comments.

Have a fun week and get well rested for iNSD!

-Liz

A Baby Shower Inspired by a Digital Scrapbook Kit

2012-04-25T09:41:00.000-04:00

I hosted another baby shower at my home in March. You guys know how much I love baby showers and how much I love incorporating digital scrapbooking into them. My friends planned and cooked all the food and that left me with the invites and decorations. Yay! That's my favorite part.

We didn't have a specific theme for the party. We just knew that it was going to be a baby girl. So I went to my local digital scrapbook store, Scrap Orchard, for some inspiration. ;) I found this kit from Tracie Stroud and I loved the colors.....I especially love her designs for party inspiration. If you don't believe me, then check out this post.

So I grabbed this kit and started with my invitation. Here's my 5x7 invite (with edited text). I used a few different fonts that I had and I grabbed the colors from the kit and used some paper at the bottom of the invite.

Here's the printed invite. I used Persnickety Prints. I love that you can get envelopes with your prints.

I also made up these little 4x6 printables. I thought it would be fun to have some cards that guests could fill out with either a prayer or a word of encouragement for the mom and baby.

Not the best photo but you get the picture.

And then I made these baby prediction cards. I found this idea on pinterest and just made one up to match the invite and blessing cards. I printed both the baby predictions and blessing cards out on my home printer.

Then I made these little 3x4 inch food tags. I made a whole bunch of tags, put them all on one 8.5x11 sheet in Photoshop and then printed that sheet out on my home printer. Then I cut them out and folded them in half, easy-peasy (my kind of hybrid).

Here are a few more photos from the shower.

The little table with all the cards on them.
You can see the little banner I made below. I used my Mini Hybrid Banner Templates to make it.

Since it was spring I got some fresh flowers that matched the invitations and put them in different sized jars all over the house.

Food!
Thanks to Nicole for coordinating all the food and for all the friends who helped prepare it.

And a big thank you to my sister Amanda for making a beautiful cake.
If you are in the Western North Carolina area you should check her out.
Creative Confections by Amanda.

I'm sure you can find some inspiration for a party from one of your digital scrapbook kits!

-Liz

Mix and Match Video and FREE Template!

2012-04-21T11:17:00.001-04:00

I'm here with a special Saturday post. I just released my first set of Mix and Match Double Templates. I wanted to show you a few different ways you can use them. So I made a little video tutorial for you. If you have any questions you can leave a comment here and I'll try to help you. Please overlook all the silly mistakes and my dryer buzzing in the background. ;)

Now that you have made it through that video, hopefully you learned a few things and looked over some of my mistakes, I have a free template for you. This will only be FREE for a limited time so grab it while you can. It's the right side of a double page template. Right now you can get the left side template on my facebook page (just "like" my page and then go to the exclusive tab). For this right side you just have to click on the image.

Happy Saturday!

-Liz

Mix and Match Double Templates 20% OFF

2012-04-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm absolutely in love with Liz's new set of double templates - I scrapped three double pages with them already!! They're called Mix and Match Double Templates 1, and you can pair up all of the different templates to create dozens of combinations. They're on sale for 20% OFF through 4/26.

As if these aren't versatile enough as 2-pagers, you can use them to make single pages too. Look at these pages from the team!

If you love double pages, you won't be disappointed with this set of templates. They're so much fun.

The Beginner Digital Scrapbooker & Ten Tips for You

2012-04-18T14:09:00.003-04:00

I recently spent the day teaching my 9 year old daughter how to digitally scrapbook. As I was teaching her the ins and outs of Photoshop there were a few things that I consistently had to remind her about. I thought I would share some of those things with you. Some of them will be key things every beginner digital scrapbooker will need to know and some of them will be little extras that will make your scrapbooking a lot easier. I'm also going to share the pages she made....because I'm proud of her.

I'm using Photoshop CS3 so all of my tips will be based on that program, although most things will be similar in Photoshop Elements and other version of the creative suite.

1. Use Templates! Okay, okay, you don't have to use templates BUT if you are a beginner digital scrapbooker this is a great way to go. My daughter used them on all four of the pages she created. It was a great way to get her started and teach her about layers. I have two beginner video tutorials here that will teach you how to use a template. There's even a way to get the template in the video for free. ;)

2. Remember to use Ctrl+alt+g to clip your papers/photos to the different layers. It only took a few reminders for my daughter to remember this.

3. When you place an element on a page and then you rotate, re-size it or whatever you will have to hit enter. She would always get frustrated because Photoshop wouldn't let her do anything else until she hit enter and she would always forget to hit enter and then she would be stuck. So remember, hit enter after you have used your move tool to rotate or re-size a photo, paper or element.

4. When you re-size an element in CS3 hold down the shift key while you re-size it so it doesn't distort it. She remember this after a few moves. In Photoshop Elements you don't have to hold down the shift key, I think.

5. Use your change screen mode. When she would maximize her template so she could get a better view of it she would get confused about how to go back and look at her elements and paper. You can change it by hitting F or by going to the bottom of your tool bar. Just click and hold on that box and then you can decide what view you want.

6. Zoom in or out. I taught her how to zoom in closer to her template to be able to view it better. You can either use ctrl+ or you can use the little scroll thingy (don't know what it's called) on your mouse. On my computer you have to hold down alt for it to work but on my hubby's computer you don't. I guess it's probably our settings. I think I want to change mine!

7. Use your Arrange tool. It helps arrange all your elements, papers, etc... in your Photoshop workspace so that you can easily see them all. In Photoshop Elements you won't have to worry about this because you have your work bin at the bottom....one thing I don't like about CS3.

This is the before pic of all my elements in my workspace.
Kind of a jumbled mess.

And here they are all organized.
These elements are all from Laura Banasiak's kit Spunky Chick

8. Copy and Past Layer Styles. I think this is a REALLY easy way to use shadows when you are a beginner. She needed help remembering how to do it but once she got it down it was pretty easy for her to remember.

You go to your layers palette and right click on the layer's style that you want to copy and click on Copy Layer Style (you see it highlighted) and then once you click on that you'll go to the new layer that you want to copy that same style to and right click and hit Paste Layer Style (it's right below copy layer style).

I also have a video tutorial here to show you how to copy and paste layer styles. You need to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to view it.

9. If you are using a template, feel free to stretch the different photo spots or paper layers to fit your photo needs. She needed to do this on one of her pages because her photo didn't quite fit in the photo spot. I have a video tutorial here that will show you how to do this.

10. Save periodically. I taught her to save her layered .psd file (or .tiff) periodically so that she didn't lose anything in case it crashed.

If you are a beginner digital scrapbooker you can find more tutorials here and if you go to the Scrap Orchard University Forum you can find lots more written tutorials and video tutorials,everything from beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Here are her pages!

Made by my 9 year old daughter.
Using a template I made that you'll be getting free the weekend of iNSD! So keep your eye out.
Using Sweet Spring by WMSquared Designs.

Made by my 9 year old daughter.
And this was made with a kit from Jady Day Studio and Flergs called Magical Christmas.
Using a template from the ever trusty Simple and Sweet Album Templates.

I did show her how to stretch out the picture and paper mats (all at the same time) so that it would work better with her pics. I have a video tutorial here and in the video tutorial you can see how to re-size all the layers in a template at the same time.

Made by my 9 year old daughter.
This template was a freebie given away at a special MIS. It will soon by in Recyclables Template Set.
And using Nature's Goodness by Faith True.

I think she did pretty good with her first few pages.

I think my #1 Tip for beginner digital scrapbookers is REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT. Master one step before moving onto the next. I didn't even get into journaling, photo editing, shadowing (beside copy and pasting the layer shadow), etc... When I was learning it took LOTS of pages before I remembered all the basic steps. After that I was ready to learn new things.

Either way, I hope you learned a little something....from my daughter!

-Liz

April GSO Winner!

2012-04-17T00:08:00.000-04:00

Please join me and congratulating Christine (Carolina Scrapper) on winning this month’s GSO! Christine competed against some stunning competition but you the voters chose her adorable layout of her son as the best. We loved this layout for it’s large photo with its dreamy look and grungy damask background paper perfect for a little boy.

We got a chance to ask Christine about herself and this is what she said...

How long have you been digi-scrapping?
I started out scrapping digital in late 2007, after finding a program called Scrapbook Factory Deluxe at BestBuy and thought it looked neat. Then last year I broke down and got Photoshop CS4 after seeing all the awesomeness you can do with templates, photo masks and actions.

What is your favorite thing to scrap about?
Just to scrap everyday life is so fun! I love scrapping my three kids; each are so different that it gives me the chance to scrap their personalities. But I find that I scrap Logan, my youngest, more than the girls, teenage girls, they just won't let me take their photos anymore :(

What is your favorite Liz product?
Oh gosh, how could I pick just one...LOL! I love the variety of Liz's products and have found these two that I keep going back to a lot lately, Fun Fade Masks and Photo Blend Templates.

If you were any digi-scrapbook item, which one would you be?
Hmmm, hard one, I think I would be some kind of splatter/scatter, I almost always have them in my layouts, I think they make the photos stand out more.

If you love this layout check out Liz's Photo Blends Templates and create your own gorgeousness.

Sneak Peek/Giveaway - My FAVORITE Templates EVER!

2012-04-16T16:51:00.002-04:00

I'm not kidding when I say that these are my favorite templates EVER! Am I allowed to say that about my own stuff? There are so many ways that you can use them. Just you wait and see! They look like plain old templates BUT there is so much more that you can do with them.

So if you want a chance to win them just leave a comment here telling me what your current favorite templates are of mine (my store) and you could win your favorite set PLUS these! I'll announce the winner here in the comments and on my facebook on 4/18 sometime after 11pm EST.

And as usual a reminder about the Make It Snappy coming up at Scrap Orchard.

It's always on Wednesday night's at 10pm EST.

That's it for now folks.

Happy Monday!

-Liz

Splatter Masks 20% OFF

2012-04-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Liz has a new set of clipping masks this week called Splatter Masks. Use them as an artistic clipping mask for your photos, or clip paper to them to add texture to your backgrounds. You can even use them over a patterned paper create a journaling spot. Splatter Masks are priced 20% off through 4/19.

Here is some inspiration from the team.

Have a great weekend!

How Far I've Come

2012-04-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

When I was in Vegas hanging out with my digital scrapbooking friends we got to talking about how far we've come as digital scrapbookers. Some of us even pulled out (on our EHD's or in our oldest galleries) some of our first pages. We talked about how we got started, where we bought stuff (or didn't), and what some of our biggest mistakes were.

I thought it might be fun to show you some of my very first pages and explain a little bit of how my digital scrapbooking has changed over the years.

This is the VERY first digital scrapbook page I EVER made! Made in the spring of 2008. I made it with freebies that I found online, no template and photoshop elements 5. Can you believe I didn't use a template? As you can see I liked double pages back then as much as I do now and I almost always added journaling to my pages. You can see my traditional scrapbook side come out in my digital pages.

I *think* these papers and elements might have been from Scrap Girls but I'm not sure.

I just slapped on the standard paper shadow that is included in photshop elements. As you can see all of my papers, photo and elements have the same shadow. I think this is probably where I've come the farthest....shadow work is key!

Oh and not to mention my hair. I've been growing it out for four years now and I don't look anything like that photo!

Okay, this page was made about a month after that first page above. This was my first time EVER using a template. A friend had told me about them so I thought I should give them a try. This was a freebie as well...actually everything you see in my first year's pages were freebies that I found on-line. You can see I even left on some of the element placement stamps from the template! Ack! I enjoyed using the template because it made placing my photos and paper so much easier.....but the problem I had with using someone else's template was that I LOVED laying out the page. This is when I started making my own templates.

I *think* this template was from Andrea Gold....but again I'm not quite sure.

This page was scrapped at the end of 2008. You can see my progression in just 8 months. A little better with my shadows and photo treatments. I was still using freebies! I believe I made this template?

This is where I got this kit. Good to know she's still designing.

This page was scrapped at the end of 2009 with one of my first purchased kits! I also had made this template. I think my scrapping skills stayed about the same for a year.

Chillin' out Kit from Vera Lim, Mira Designs & Mag Designs from Shabby Pickle
Circle, Circle, Circle Temps

This is at the end of 2010. I had been selling my templates at Scrap Orchard for almost a year at this point and I believe my digital scrapbooking dramatically improved in that year. I think it was from using more high quality purchased kits BUT the big thing was participating in challenges and asking questions in the forum, seeing how other people scrapped, etc... Up until I joined Scrap Orchard I hadn't "joined" a scrapbooking forum or store. I think it's a good idea to get involved somewhere where people can help you and encourage you to improve.

Dear Diary By Tracie Stroud and Vera Lim
Zine Style Templates

And this is my last page I scrapped in 2011. I've grown to LOVE frames and buttons.

Background Starter Temps
Magical Christmas by Jady Day Studio and Flergs
Some frames from My Girl by Jady Day Studio

So you can see how I've come over the last four years. I still scrap pretty simply, I still use a lot of photos on my pages, I still love double pagers and I still include journaling. The things I've changed over the years: shadowing, BUYING kits, & finding a store to fit into to. I think all of these things have helped me become a better scrapper. Especially the store thing. I think being involved in a store and their forum and challenges will really help you become a better digital scrapbooker....and I know the perfect store if you need one. ;)

-Liz

April GSO -- Time to Vote!

2012-04-10T02:55:00.001-04:00

March brought a lot of spring color and fresh layouts to Liz's Gallery. We have selected our favorites and now its time for you to vote and select the winner! Check out these beautiful contenders nominated by Liz and the CT Team. Do you have a clear favorite??? Click here to vote! Then check back here on 17th to find out the winner.

AJM created this beautiful layout of spring using the Fun with Envelope Templates. We love the bright colors, gorgeous flowers, and pretty brush work; all contrasted against the graph paper.

Springlicious!

Christine (Carolina Scrapper) created this adorable layout of her son using the Photo Blends Templates. We love the large photo with its dreamy look and grungy damask background paper perfect for a little boy layout.

Lucky!

Shari created this fun layout of her family at Christmas using the FEB2012 Challenge Freebie. We love the wonderful colors, happy photos and the heartfelt journaling that tells the true story behind the photos.

Winner!

Carol (Iowan) created this charming layout of a too cute little fellow using the Template Thursday Freebie. We love all the black and white with the touches of magenta and the damask patterns pair perfectly with the photo of the vintage suit.

Adorable!

Evie (flutterbyefaery) created this gorgeous layout of a sweet little girl using the March MIS Freebie. We love the combination of the turquoise and red, the super sweet photos, the delicate elements and the metal word art title.

Lovely!

It's Monday!

2012-04-09T15:31:00.000-04:00

....and that means it's time for a sneak peek and giveaway! This week I don't have any templates for you but I do have some fun masks. It's been a little crazy around here lately...getting back from Vegas, a baby shower, Easter, more adoption paperwork, trying to finish strong with our homeschool year....so I took it a little easy this week and just worked on some masks. It was a fun change from the norm.

So here's the sneak peek. I had to squeeze a picture of my 4 year old in the preview...she's just too cute.

If you think you might want these fun masks then just leave a comment here letting me know if you've ever used a splatter or faded mask for a photo or paper. If you haven't then these will be great ones for you to try. Plus there will be picture instructions included with the purchased download! I'll announce the winner sometime after 11pm EST on 4/11 here in my blog comments and on my facebook page.

And as usual, here's a reminder about this week's Make It Snappy over at Scrap Orchard. This week it's sponsored by mle Card. She was my roomie in Vegas and she's SUPER sweet...and she makes some awesome digital scrapbook kits!

That's it for now!

-Liz

Wall Templates 20% OFF + Free with Purchase

2012-04-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

For designing digital scrapbook templates, Liz gets a lot of inspiration from home decorating magazines. Her new Wall Templates were inspired by wallpaper designs! I think they also look like the antique frames that are hung in my grandmother's kitchen. If you purchase Wall Templates in the next week, you will also receive the Ornamental Masks for free. (20% OFF introductory sale price and free with purchase available through 4/12).

Here are the free with purchase masks:

The team loved this set and created some stunning layouts.

Have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping by.