Spotlighting Linz and Lisa

This week I'm excited to bring you two more spotlights!  These ladies seriously ROCK their layouts.  First off, let me introduce you to another March CT guest...

Linz

{aka Linz}

I've been married for 11½ yrs. We live in the Midwest and I'm a SAHM to our 4yr old son. I've been digi scrapping with CS3 for nearly 2yrs now (never paper scrapped). It's a much needed stress reliever after my little guy's in bed, which is why I scrap every.single.day.

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Since May '08.  Have you ever paper scrapped? Nope.
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill? Clusters and layering Your weakest? Keeping things simple
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping? Find some tutorials and jump right in! Don't be afraid to ask questions.
4. Describe your scrapping "system"... What program do you use?  Photoshop CS3 Where do you start first - photos, papers, elements, journaling? Once I know what kit I'm working with, I find a photo. Then I grab a bunch of papers and drag them in. After I've placed the papers and photo(s), I just start throwing elements on the page...moving, resizing, layering, etc. Journaling, if any, is last. Do you always have something in mind when you start, or do you let your creativity guide you? I wing it! How long does it take you to complete a layout? I'd say roughly an hour, though some take longer. 
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? I usually scrap for a few hrs every night after my son's in bed.
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks? Pepsi and silence is all I need. Sometimes the TV's on, but I find it distracting.
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? Take photos....to scrap. Of course. ;)
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? Hmmm....insert witty line here. I have no idea.
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? I get inspiration from all over!
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? Probably a boyish outdoor/playing/getting dirty kit. I don't think I could ever have enough of those. As for colors...I dunno. What matches dirt?? :p It would need to have sticks, rocks, tree bark, a dirty handprint...maybe some bugs. Once the weather warms up, that's all my little guy cares about is going outside and getting as dirty as possible!

Linz has shared with us some of her awe inspiring layouts.  She mentioned clustering in a strong point for her, and you better believe it!  Check out the clustering on these layouts!

First Layout

Favorite Layouts 

Using Stolen Moments Products

Most Recent Layout

Those were great huh?!  If you want to catch more of her work check out her BLOG and her GALLERY!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next let me introduce you to one of our permanent CT members!

 

Lisa

{aka aprilisa}

1. How long have you been scrapping? I start scrapping about a year ago. Have you ever paper scrapped?  No, never!  When did you make the switch to digi and why?  I actually started everything by learning some designing things.  My aim was to be a designer at first. But ever since I tried scrapping, I enjoyed it very very much. I learned about digital scrap booking from one of my best friends who is a designer.  She showed me her stuff and encouraged me to give it a try.  I still remember how I used to refuse it over and over because I feel that I am not a creative person.  But, look at me now, lol.  Nothing more I can say other than I love everything about scrapbooking! 
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  I’m not sure, lol.  I don’t have much confidence.  But my friends and other scrappers who left comments for my layouts said they like my layering and the composition of my elements.  So I think I will take that as my strongest. I’m still learning, though. Weakest skill? Definitely extracting!  I hate it, lol.  And I think I still need to learn about shadowing.  I want to know how to make realistic shadows. I have a hard time with title and journaling also.  I love to see layouts with journaling, but when I want to try it myself, I don’t know what to write, lol. 
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping?  Follow a lot of tutorials. There are tons of amazing tutorial out there.  Browse the galleries to also help you get ideas of scrapping.
4. Describe your scrapping "system"... What program do you use?  I use PS CS2.  I have PS CS3 but I failed to install it on my old laptop.  Don’t know why. I have PSE7 also but I never use it. Where do you start first - photos, papers, elements, journaling?  I start with the kit (papers are the first thing I would love to see when I have new kit). Normally I start with layering some papers as background then I will find some photos matching the kit. Elements go next.  Sometimes I will start with the photo if I have some special photos to scrap.  Do you always have something in mind when you start, or do you let your creativity guide you?  Both.  If I have a kit in my hand and I know I have some photos matching with the theme, I will scrap with some idea in my mind.  But mostly I will go with the flow.  If I don’t have any idea I will use templates. I love templates.   How long does it take you to complete a layout? One to two hours per layout.  I’m a slow scrapper.  Especially if my baby’s crying, lol.
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week?  I will scrap minimum 2 hours a day.  And that is around 4 – 6 AM in the morning, lol.  Don’t think I’m weird, it because that’s the only time I can scrap freely without distraction from my daughters.  My second daughter is 4 months old, and she wakes up very early in the morning.  I will change her diaper and go to my computer while she’s playing on her bed.  I will scrap anytime I had a change, too.  It’s a way for me to get relax.  So 2 times 7 will be 14 hours. That’s a minimum.  Usually I never do minimum, lol 
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks? Coffee, of course! I start my day with coffee.  And scrapping in the morning makes me have 2 cups of coffee daily. I’m not with my husband now, so I can drink my coffee near the laptop, lol.  He’s an IT man, he doesn’t like me to eat or drink when I’m working in front of computer.  I need some music also to enjoy my scapping time. Or TV will be ok ;-p 
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping?  Baking!  I have a lot of recipes book and magazine. I love to try some new recipes.  Reading always makes me relax too. 
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? I don’t know.  Maybe it will be fun if I go travelling and then scrap it.  I travelled to many places before I have daughters.  Now, I’m lazy to do it.  Oh, I know.  I wish I can meet Supernatural hero: Jensen Ackles, take some photos with him, and then scrap it, lol. 
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration?  There are a lot of great scrappers that inspire me.  If I should mention a name,  I love Lori and Yolanda’s layouts.  Ok, that’s 2 names :)
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why?  Baby Girl Kit.  My daughter is 4 months old, So I have plenty photos of her, plus my first daughter’s when she was a baby .  A kit with love theme also would be great.

 Lisa always has such great layouts.  She truly does a lot of layering and does such a great job at it!  Here is some eyecandy from her!

First Layout

 Favorite Layouts

Using Stolen Moments Products

Most Recent Layout

Wowzers!  Those are stunning!  To see more of Lisa's layouts be sure and check out her BLOG and her GALLERY.

Just Call Me Kim & Springtime Blogwear

Happy Friday, everyone!  And boy am I glad it's the weekend!  I have two great new products for you this week, so let's jump right in...

First up, is a set of blogwear made using my collab, Easter Morning.  It's perfect for adding a little springtime to your home on the web - I know my personal blog sure enjoyed the face lift! ;)  You can check it out in action HERE.

 

And next up is a brand new set of CT-inspired templates - hot off the press.. Who's the talented lady we're emulating this time?  Why, Kim, of course!  I love how her pages always have so much going on, but she always manages to let the photos be the focus..

 

 

Now here's a whole slew of pages by my team and the awesome ladies on the Scrap Matters team.  I love how they've each adapted the templates to suit their own styles - the versatility is amazing!  Kim, herself, even got in on the action - TWICE - and her "new" pages are totally different than the originals.. crazy!

---

Now before I go, I wanted to publicly congratulate the winner of the $26 GC to my store from my birthday celebration last week.. Anyone who made a purchase was entered, and the lucky lady who won is angela_bridges.. Congrats, and have fun shopping!  :D

And one more winner - from my little commenting contest on the sneak peek:  Congratulations to Lizzy  - who won Kim's templates!  Check your PM at ScrapMatters for your prize!  :D

---

That's it for me this week, but don't forget, these new releases are 20% off today and tomorrow only, so grab them at a discount while you can!  I'll see you here again next week, but until then, happy scrapping!

Spotlighting Laci and Bree

In case you haven't noticed we've had a few guests around here creating some beautiful layouts with Amber's kits.  I wanted to help you get to know these great gals a little bit more.  First up we have....

Laci

{aka lacidock}

My name is Laci. I am from a small town in Southern Utah. I have been married to my best friend Brandon for the past 5 years. We have two beautiful girls, Elli is almost 4 and Addison is 2. I have been digi scrapping for almost 2 years and LOVE it :) 

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why? I started out paper scrapping when I was in high school. A couple years after my first child was born I started digi scrapping. I stumbled across a digi scrapping site and just went from there. I loved that I could just get on the computer and start scrapping and didn't have to make such a mess. It is great especially with little kids in the house.
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest? Tough question. I honestly haven't really thought about it. I guess my strongest scrapping skill would be making the picture the focus or clustering I think my weakest skill is journaling. I have a hard time writing out a story.
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping? Shadows are really make a scrapbook page. When I first started scrapping I didn't know to add shadows to my pages and they really do make a big difference.
4. Describe your scrapping "system"... What program do you use?  Where do you start first - photos, papers, elements, journaling?  Do you always have something in mind when you start, or do you let your creativity guide you?  How long does it take you to complete a layout? I use PSE 6. I almost always start out with a photo and then let my creativity take me from there.
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? Maybe 8-10 hours.
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks? I scrap at night after I tuck the kids into bed. I usually have the tv going in the background.
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? I love to hang out with my family.
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? I would love to take my kids to Disneyland for the 1st time and I am sure that I would have a lot of great photos to scrap.
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? So many inspiring people in the community it would be hard to just pick a few.
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? I would love a kit all about Summer. I am so sick of the cold weather today.

Laci has such great layouts.  I love that she does amazing clustering but leaves ample white space on her layouts.  Get ready for some great eye candy courtesy of Laci!

Oldest Layout

Favorite Layouts

 Current Layout

Thanks Laci for showing us these amazingly inspirational layouts!  If you would like to see more of Laci's layouts check out her GALLERY!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next up lets get to know.....

Breon

{aka breeoxd}

Hey there, my name is Bre and I’m 28 years old and taken :O). No kids on the horizon, but I have plenty of entertainment with an amazingly patient boyfriend named Jay, a not-so-patient furbaby named Theo and some really great friends and family. I spend all of my day either pushing pills(j/k, I work  in a pharmacy) or digiscrapping and really can't imagine what I'd do without either. Other than that I am really into taking tons of photos and just love to catch the colorfulness of this crazy life. I'm all about traveling, but better yet, being a tourist in my own backyard. Throw in a good book, some facebook time ( long live mafia wars! lol), and any one of the generic tv crime dramas and I'm a happy girl!

1. How long have you been scrapping? Have you ever paper scrapped? When did you make the switch to digi and why? Well, I started paper scrapping about 11 years ago when I spotted a cheapo kit in the college bookstore. You know, those 10 dollar ones with rainbow paper and a gluestick? lol. It snowballed into a career when I became a sales rep for scrap companies and sold to places like AC Moore and Joanne's. Problem was, between my own addiction and all the samples ( I know, life is hard, right? lol) I could not create a layout to save my life. I had about 10,000 sheets of paper- no lie! And frankly my once creative passion became an agony of indecision. Then, about 2 years ago I saw my boyfriend's twin brother working in PS, and thought "hey, I can do scrapping that way!" I thought I was a genius! HAHAHAH
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill? Your weakest?  I would have to say journaling is my strength. I love to get it all out on paper, ya know? My weekness would have to be scrapping outside the box, literally. Sometimes I feel like I scrap too many photos in just a rectangle or square, and my layouts start to look a bit dull.  
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping? Stay away from the freebies!!! I know that is the biggest temptation out there, but really, you will NEVER use all those freebies. There's just no way! All it will do is make you have more to sort through. If you are going to snag freebies, just make sure it's something you will really use, and that something changes for everyone. Maybe you adore templates, maybe you love qps. Who knows? But you really dont need it all.  
4. Describe your scrapping "system"... What program do you use? Where do you start first - photos, papers, elements, journaling? Do you always have something in mind when you start, or do you let your creativity guide you? How long does it take you to complete a layout? I was finally lucky enough to get Photoshop CS3 last year. It is worth every penny! I actually find it easier to use than elements after a bit of a learning curve. I always start with photos, unless I am doing a CT layout. Even then, I never really just make a lo for a lo's sake. I want to get my stories told- no time for just pretty layouts! lol. I also live and die by my ACDSee software for sorting. I have over 500gigs of scrap supplies at this point, and so far this is the best software for my needs- love that I can ask it for a pink brad, or a red graphic styled paper and it gets them all for me! It helps me because I am such a SLOW scrapper. I usually start pondering a layout for a week or two, and then sit down to do it. At that point it can take me 2 hours to 2 days if Im not feeling my groove! But... once I am feeling it, watch out! I can get 10 layouts done in a day!
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? I spend most of my spare time scrapping or tagging scrap supplies. Probably about 25 hrs a week. Still loving it though!
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda? music? snacks?  I like to take my laptop & scrap in bed. The TV just distracts me and I get nothing finished. If my hunny isn't asleep next to me, I just pop on Pandora, and my furbaby, Theo curls up by my side. I think best that way :) Oh, and there is almost always a coke there too.
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? I love to read, and I used to cross stitch as well, but not too much anymore. Mostly I love to play tourist in the areas around my house (Northern VA) or try to make it back to NJ for family and friend gatherings. That, and I really actually like to clean
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? Well besides the obvious trip to Paris, China, or Ireland, I might have to say go to the Wizard of Oz festival held in L.Frank Baum's hometown in NY every year. I would dig that, cause I'm geeky that way. That's only cause I managed to get a long term scrapping goal finished last year- getting my hunny and his twin brother in Thing 1 & Thing 2 t-shirts!
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community? Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? I have quite a few places/people that inspire me in the scrappin word. Scrapmatters is of course my go-to for their challenges and wonderful support, Ali Edwards & Cathy Zielski always inspire me with their words and design skills toTRUELY tell my stories, the Simple Scrapper blog is always informative and helpful and Elsie Flannigan, though she is not always scrapbook related, really inspires me with her use of color and pattern.   
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? Wow, now that is just makes me feel all awesome and powerful, bruhaha! Well she already hit the nail on the head with color, since her Everyday Elegance kit is just my go to color scheme, but for kit themes I would love to see a few things- a nice reading kit, and non cutesy cat or animal kit, and something for adult friends/couples going out on the town that isnt a girls night out kit. Vague enough for ya? :)

Ready to check out Bre's fabulous layouts?!  Get ready, here we go!

1st Layout

Favorite Layouts

 

Current Layout

Layout Using Stolen Moments Products

Wow weren't those amazing?!  Make sure and check out Bre's GALLERY to see more inspirational layouts!

Sneak Peek 03/24

Hi Everyone! It's been a while since I last posted a sneak peek.. life caught up with me, but I'm really glad to be here to share the sneak peek for this week with you. Once again Amber has used one of our FABULOUS CT members as her inspiration for this template set.





Want a chance to win this template set to add to your stash of CT inspired templates? Just tell me who you think the star of this template pack is and I'll pick one lucky winner and post it here on Friday along with Amber's new release post.

I hope you are all having a fantastic week!

~Kate

Easter Morning - A New Collab

I tell you - it seems like all I've been doing lately is collabs, and I'm not going to lie... I'm having SO much fun!  Yeah - they're a little more work, but seriously, the results are SO worth it!  :D  

 

A while back, Ro of Man in the Moon Designs asked me if I'd be interested in doing an Easter collab with her.  She's so super talented, of course I jumped at the chance, and I'm SO pleased with how it turned out... Take a look...

 

 

I'm telling you, the elements in here are SO fun!  Ro has such a great eye for design, and an amazing talent for creating fun and whimsical hand-drawn pieces..  And there's so much in here, this kit will work great for oodles of non-Easter pics as well!  Check out these fantastic pages by our teams..

 

 

 

 

As part of my birthday celebration sale, the kit will be 26% off on Friday, then back to the standard new release discount of 20% off for Saturday and Sunday. 

 

And speaking of my birthday sale, there's just one more day of celebratory discounts, so if there's something you've been wanting, now's the time to act! 

 

 

 

I've also taken the opportunity to get a new banner made {finally} as well as give my blog a face lift, {you  like?} and do new blinkies.  I'll be taking a look around digiland over the weekend - blogs, forums, it's all fair game - and a few lucky people will be receiving some very special "party favors" for sporting the new look..  So let's see it!

 

And finally - a freebie for you.. :D  A little add-on that coordinates with the new kit.. Be sure to stop by Ro's blog for her bit, as well... 

 

 DOWNLOAD

 

Oh!  And the winner of Wednesday's sneak peek contest.. It was SO fun - and sometimes sad - to read all your comments about your best and worst birthdays.. I used random.org to pick my winner, but I will tell you, I was so glad you won - your story really stood out to me and brought a bit of a tear to my eye.. So who was it?  ......  teresaj  Please email me at the address in my sidebar to redeem your prize.. :D

Well - that's it from me this week, but I'll definitely be here next week with another fabulous product for you!  Happy scrapping!

Sneak Peek

Hello all!  Are you having fun celebrating Amber's birthday with her?  Have you checked out the sale going on?  Or the games in the ScrapMatters forum?  I sure hope you all have been following along.  Today I bring you another fun part to Amber's celebration. 

Friday Amber is releasing a new kit.  She collabed with Man in the Moon Designs for this hippity hoppity kit.  Lets take a peek at what is in store....

Now wouldn't ya'll just LOVE to get your hands on this kit? To have a chance at winning this kit and to stay in the spirit of celebrating Amber's birthday leave a comment on this post answering the following question: Describe your best or worst birthday. 

Amber will choose a winner and post it with the kit reveal on Friday.  I can't wait to hear the tales we get from this question!
~Jewelle

Birthday Savings from Me to You!

Well - it's that time again.. Another year has come and gone.. Another year older and another year wiser.. well - older, at least, lol!  :D  In any case, it's my birthday this week, and I'm having a celebration!

My entire store will be 26% off March 15th-19th.

{Bundles are excluded from the sale}

Fill your cart with as many goodies as you like, and if you reach any of these three totals,

simply enter the matching coupon code for even MORE savings!

$10 - enter code smd_BDAY_10 to save an extra 10%
$15 - enter code smd_BDAY_15 to save an extra 15%

$20 - enter code smd_BDAY_20 to save an extra 20%

As an extra bonus, everyone who makes a purchase will be entered to win a $26 gift certificate to my store!

But that's not where the fun ends... Be sure to keep an eye on my blog, Facebook page

and the Scrap Matters forum for even more chances to play, party and WIN!

One More Day to Save & Some "New" Products

Oh my word!  This week has just flown by!  I can't even believe it, and there's no sign of slowing down yet, either.. I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes.. 

Anyway, I just wanted to pop on and show what I have in the shop this week.. It's a little bit of a flashback, but the newsletter kit that Scrapmuss Designs and I created exclusively for Scrap Matters readers is now available for purchase.

 

If you already have this portion but missed the add-on, don't forget to grab it.

And if you've been biding your time and don't have either, you can get them both in a money-saving combo pack!

 

I'm really proud of how this kit turned out - perfect for St. Patrick's photos, but still generic enough for everyday photos as well.. Can anyone say P365 for your March pages?  ;)  It's been so fun going through the gallery to see what everyone has been creating with this already!  I've snagged a few from the SM community members and added them to my CT pages for a little show-and-tell...

 

And now one last reminder about my retirement  sale.

All of these products will be gone forever in no time, so snatch them up while you still can.

Inspiration layouts using some of these products.. Be sure to check out the detailed images for more!

Happy scrapping, and I'll see you next week! 

Pop & Fizz Freebie!

So, Wendy, one of my awesome guests this month, has whipped up a totally fun QP for you all, using some of the products I'm retiring from my store {both currently under $2}.. 

Here's the layout she created...

And the QP..

DOWNLOAD

Feel free to grab it, and be sure to tell her thank you.. :)  Also, don't forget - I'm retiring a bunch of other products as well - all 50% - 60% off through Sunday.  Grab them while you can!

 

http://scrapmatters.com/shop/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=83