I'm late.. I'm late.. for a very important date..

*laughing* the title for this post says it all! I'm normally so on top of the sneak peeks (I normally have them done and scheduled before now) but for some reason I totally spaced out this week and forgot *GASP!* So.. Even though I'm late posting, it's still Sneak peek day around here! This week Amber is releasing a new set of templates - I think we've seen something similar to this before.. and they're just as fantastic! Here's the sneak peek - I even included a little sneak at 2 layouts the other girls on the team created.


Even though I was late, there's still a chance to win these super cute templates. Leave me a comment here, and tell me of a time you were late to something - even if it was for something small like a blog post. One random winner will be chosen by Amber and the winner will be announced along with the full product information Friday!

keep your fingers crossed that I'm not late next week - Amber may fire me!!

Spotlighting Tiffany

Jewelle here!  Have I ever told you that I LOVE doing this spotlights?  I do!  I love it because not only do I help you all get to know who's creating beautiful layouts for Amber, but I get to know the ladies I'm working with even better!  Today's spotlight is the first one for the new Stolen Moments teams, so say hello to...

Tiffany

{aka Tiff}

I'm a tall, loud, talkative, bossy, get-it-done-yesterday, 26 year old. I'm the wife to my best friend, Justin, who lets me tackle 50 projects at once, and encourages me the whole way. (Although some of his critiquing on my scrapbook pages could use a little refining. LOL). I'm a full time mommy to my little chatterbox - Harvey, who is 18 months old. One day I'll be able to understand what he's gabbing about! And I'm also a part time mom to my nieces, who I nanny 4 days a week. We have lots of fun doing crafts and going on adventures around the Salt Lake Valley - where I call home. 

Read on to hear more about Tiffany and her scrapping!

1. How long have you been scrapping? It seems like forever. My mom and I kept "old school" scrapbooks with butcher paper and rubber cement when I was a young girl. I've always kept special keepsakes from events to scrapbook (think autographs, ticket stubs, and grass stuck in the blanket from the night of my first date.) Have you ever paper scrapped? Most definitely!  I got really into paper scrapbooking like it is now when I got married and I joined a scrapbooking exchange group. It really helped me stay current! When did you make the switch to digi and why? I first heard about digi scrapping in early 2008, but I wasn't sold until my baby was born that October. Only then did I start to think about SO many pros of keeping my "stash" all on an external hard drive. And now.. I won't ever go back, although I still get together with the gals to make cards and such.
   
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill? I think I'm pretty good at titles. I feel like the title makes the page, and most of the time people looking through my albums only look at the photos and the title. And shadowing. I guess I'm good at that too. Your weakest? Designing the basics of my pages.  A layout comes together so much easier for me when I use a template. When I try to do it all on my own it takes much longer to "gel."
   
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping? Only download something if you really like it, and if you really feel like you're going to use it. Don't get freebie happy. I  also bought some really great tutorial magazines: The Ultimate Guide to Digital Scrapbooking (one and two) by ScrapbooksEtc. They are FULL of tutorials (and print screens) on how to do anything and everything you would ever want to know.
   
4. Describe your scrapping "system"... What program do you use? Photoshop CS3. Where do you start first - photos, papers, elements, journaling? I usually start with the photos. Then I try to find a kit with colors or a theme to go along with them. I spend some time thinking of how I want to organize the page, what kind of title would be good, and which photo I want to emphasize. Then I choose my favorite elements and papers and usually an alpha and open them all up in Photoshop.  Usually I shadow as I go, and move things around until I like them. Do you always have something in mind when you start, or do you let your creativity guide you? Not always, but sometimes I get an idea for a layout and I think about it for a while, then take photos and start from there.  How long does it take you to complete a layout? Usually about an hour to an hour and a half.
   
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? Probably around 10 hours a week.
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks? No snacks or drinks - I hate to get my laptop sticky or dirty. But I do like to "listen" to my favorite movies or DVRed television shows. I get more done if I've already seen them 100 times. :)
   
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? I love camping. We go camping a ton with my hubby's family and our annual camping trip to Bear Lake is coming up in August. I can't wait to get on that boat!
   
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? Man, I don't know. How about travel out of the US a bit further than Niagara Falls and Tijuana! But first I'd need a passport...
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? I love all of ScrapMatters' challenges! They - by far - have the most and the best challenges out there. Just being challenged and then getting more inspired by the gals that play along helps me get my photos scrapped. :)
   
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? A lake/boating kit. (see above). I especially love scrapping with rich, bright colors so: orange, teal, yellow, green, and purple or pink. She could include elements like life jackets, splashes, skis, wake boards, the rope, towels, and word art like "crash and burn", "rough rider" and "need for speed".

First Layout

There was some circle challenge at one of the sites I came across, so I decided to see what I could figure out in Photoshop. I didn't have any digital supplies, so I just messed around... for like 6 hours. Yeah. I could probably do this layout in about 15 minutes now. But I learned a lot - and that's what counts, right?!

Favorite Layouts

This is the album cover for my wedding. I extracted us out of other photos and added them into this one. I just LOVE how it turned out. 

 

 This crazy photo of my kid-self has always been a favorite of mine. I love the simplicity of this design, the glittery scatter, and of course - the 80s references! (Oh, and check out the triangles on my shirt...)

Layout Using Stolen Moments Products

Most Recent Layout

Just my little Harvey enjoying his first ice cream cone. I had so many photos I wanted to use, so I had to come up with a way to get them all on there without going overkill. Hopefully it worked!

Such fun layouts, huh?!  To see more of Tiffany's gorgeous layouts go to her GALLERY or BLOG!

$2 templates, anyone?

I have these FAB templates on sale for $2 TODAY ONLY.. Run and grab them quick!

Scraps by Number: Just Call Me Keyr

Some Layouts..

I just realized I never showed these off.. I spend SO little time scrapping for myself these days, I figured I'd better milk it for all it's worth, lol.. I spent almost 5 hours cropping with my KC digi-friend Angie Pedersen last Saturday, and had a total blast.. :)  And I'm super proud that I got this many pages done in that short of time.. it's seriously like a new record for me!  {All images are linked for credits..}

http://scrapmatters.com/gallery3/showphoto.php/photo/123718/ppuser/906

 http://scrapmatters.com/gallery3/showphoto.php/photo/122470/ppuser/906

 http://scrapmatters.com/gallery3/showphoto.php/photo/122476/ppuser/906

 http://scrapmatters.com/gallery3/showphoto.php/photo/122473/ppuser/906

http://scrapmatters.com/gallery3/showphoto.php?photo=123715

Stash-Building Bundle - 40% OFF!!!

Happy Friday, once again, scrappers!  Last week, I promised you a totally fabulous collection of goodies for this week, and here's hoping I do not disappoint, lol... Let's get right to it.. 

 

In that survey a while back {see, I told you I listened} many - no, MANY - of you said you were looking for some scrapbooking basics.. The things to really help bring the kits you already own to life.. Something to spice things up once in a while.. With that in mind, I've created this incredible Stash-Building Bundle that's available at a 40% discount for a very limited time... Check it out.. 

 

 

With everything from stitches to alphas, papers to photo actions, there's definitely something for everyone..  Whether you're new to digi-scrapping or have been an addict for quite a while, these are the perfect supplies to help bulk up your box of tricks..  Mix and match them on their own, or use them to bring new life to kits you already own and love..   You can see larger images of each product in the detailed images in the store, but first - check out these fab CT pages..

Now be quick to grab this AWESOME deal!  It's only good for one week, at which point, everything will be broken apart and made available separately.. 

 

Now - let's get to the winner of Kate's sneak peek contest.. First of all, thank you so much to everyone for playing along with these each week.. I love to see those repeated names, and I feel like I'm really getting to know some of you so well.. :)  .. and since you all told me what you're doing this summer, I might as well do the same, lol.. We're headed home for about 3 weeks in July to visit mine and DH's families in UT & AZ, then about a week after we get back, we'll be moving across the country to NYC!  Pretty crazy, eh?  Oh well, we're excited.. Anyway - your winner.. a big congrats goes to Green Box Creations!   While these drawings are totally random, I do feel it quite justified that you won.. Come on,  now, really - who wants to take Calculus 2 during the summer?  You definitely deserve something fun, so email me to get your  $5 coupon..

And one last thing before I go.. I've started a discussion on my FB page regarding some sales I have coming up that I'd like your input on.. If you could take a few seconds to check it out, I'd really appreciate it.. :D

 

See you next week, and until then... Happy scrapping!  :D

Sneak Peek - 6/23

Hi Everyone. How's your summer going so far? Here in Florida, I'm just trying to beat the heat while keeping the kids entertained! This week my oldest is attending camp, so that's making the days go much faster for her. I'm hoping you're all off enjoying the wonderfully warm weather (it's around 100F here every day) but with Amber's new release this week, you'll have plenty to keep you busy to help you beat the heat!

This week Amber is releasing a SUPER sized bundle pack - which is absolutely jam packed full of stuff that I know I use A LOT on my pages. Want a small sneak peek.. okay.. here goes :)


Doesn't all of that look yummy? I just love EVERYTHING in this bundle and can't wait for you to see it too. This week instead of giving away the new release, Amber is going to give away a $5 gift certificate to her store for you to pick ANYTHING from her store!! How cool is that? to be entered into the drawing for this gift certificate, leave me a comment here on the blog telling me one thing you have planned to do over the summer - with or without kids - it doesn't have to be a trip, it could be just hanging out at home or going to the local zoo, just tell me something fun you plan to do over the summer :) Amber will be here on Friday with the winner of the gift certificate and the new release!

Take care!

~Kate

Spotlighting Monique

Its that time again!  Jewelle here to tell you about another fabulous guest CTM that has joined us for the month of June.  I have to tell you up front, I secretly stalked Monique's gallery over at ScrapMatters.  She does an amazing job at keeping her layouts simple, and I love that look.  So lets all say hi to...

Monique

{aka monsu}

My name is Monique, monsu in the galleries. I’m 46 years old (Ouch!!), and I just celebrated my 22^nd wedding anniversary to Theo. I’m Dutch, and we live in the Netherlands after having spent some years abroad for my husband’s job. I’m a speech therapist by profession, but I currently work as a preschool teacher and library volunteer, which I both love. Next to scrapping, I love reading, traveling and cooking.

Here is a little survey that Monique graciously answered the questions to.

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why? I started paper scrapping while living in Toronto in 2004. I switched to digital early 2007, when I started taking classes at Jessica Sprague. I have been completely addicted ever since! The endless possibilities, the no-mess aspect and the fact that you NEVER run out of supplies has made all the difference!
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest? I am an aspiring minimalist scrapper, and I feel I’m at my best when I create simple white space layouts! The whole layering of elements is something I’m really bad at, and I admire people who can do that and still end up with a beautiful page!
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping? Try to learn your program! I LOVE video based classes and I would recommend them to anyone. So worth the investment!
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 PSE7, and I’m usually very happy with it. The only thing I really miss is not being able to create my own text paths! I usually start with a kit I really like, or photos to tell a story. I just LOVE papers, and always use clipping masks as my favorite technique! Elements and journaling are always last, but most of my pages do have some (or a lot of) journaling on it. It takes me one to two hours to finish a page, although I sometimes have to come back to a page if it’s not coming together the way I want it to!
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? I’m guessing 10 to 20 hours a week, depending on work or other things I need to do during the week!
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks? Although I work on a laptop, it’s always on my desk in the office. No music or TV, I need my peace and quiet to concentrate! I don’t tend to eat anything at the computer, but I might have coffee, tea or a bottle of water on hand!
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? I would say: travel, and I think it shows in my layouts!
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? I really want to take a ride in a hot air balloon some day. I would love to know what it feels like, and they are so colorful and photogenic!
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? I love browsing the gallery at ScrapMatters for inspiration, and Christine (Alamama), Denise (Neeceebee) and Courtney (CNscraps) are among my favorites! I have scraplifted them all! I also love looking at minimalist scrappers in the Oscraps and MScraps galleries.
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? Amber just did a travel kit that I love, and that I’ve been using a lot already! In addition I love neutral kits that I can use for everyday photos, with lots of gorgeous patterned papers!

I'm really excited to show you these layouts from Monique.  Look at how she uses white space to her advantage! 

First Layout

This is one of my very first pages, following some directions by Ali Edwards about the importance of documenting everyday things! I think it is also the first time I used photomasks to place photos in my page!

Favorite Layouts

I love this page because I feel I've accomplished some successful layering (so hard for me!) while still keeping plenty of white space!

I love this page because of the color combination, the journaling, and also because it features my DH! 

Layout Using Stolen Moments Products 

This is a layout I made while I was on the SM store CT. It's a very clean and simple page, and it shows a self portrait my DH took of the both of us! 

Most Recent Layout
Here's my latest page, showing some pics I took only last weekend, while celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary at the beach! 

Ahh!  Aren't those amazing?  If you would like to catch more of Monique's work be sure and head over to her GALLERY!  Come back next week when you get to meet one of the regular CTMs! 

Just Call Me Alli & Creative Bundle

Oy!  Have you made it through another week?  I have .. I think ...  lol.. But what better way to brush your cares away than to do some scrapping, right?  {At least that's what I'll be doing all day tomorrow at a local mega crop - yay!}  

 

Anyway, let's get back to the business at hand.. and we're going to mix things up a bit, this week.. The  random winner of Kate's sneak peek contest was...  Leanne!  Check out what you've won below, then email me for your prize.. 

This week I have a fabulous new set of CT-inspired templates, courtesy of the very talented Alli - aka AlliJ2008..

Scraps by Number: Just Call Me Alli

 

 

 

 

I love Alli's classic page design!  With bold shapes and simple embellishments, her photos are always the main attraction, and now you can get this fantastic look in no time flat!  Includes 4 layered templates - PSD, TIFF and PNG files included.

 

And for those of you who have been "waiting" to snag some of these awesome CT-inspired templates - you know who you are ;) - I've bundled them all up, so you can grab them in one easy place, and make it a bit easier on the pocketbook, too.. 

 

Scraps by Number: Just Call Me Creative - Vol. 1

Now check out these fantastic inspiration pages from my CT using the Alli templates, but be sure to peek into my product gallery at ScrapMatters to catch a glimpse of some of the other sets in action, as well..

 

Have a great weekend - and especially a fantastic Father's Day to those of you who celebrate - and I'll see you next week with an incredible collection of goodies you won't want to miss!  See you then!  :D

Sneak Peek 06/16..

Hi!! I'm just stopping by to show you a small sneak peek of Amber's upcoming template pack that will be released this Friday. I just love these template packs and I'm sure you will too!!


Aren't they fantastic?? Amber is also going to be offering all of her template packs that are inspired by CT members (new and old) in a SUPER value bundle deal - she'll tell ya more about that on Friday, but I wanted to let you know in case you've been wanting to snatch up these template packs - this is the time to do it!!

Want to win the latest template pack? Oh alright.. you've twisted my arm :) Just leave me a hello comment to be entered into the drawing :) pretty easy this time.. Amber will pull one name at random and post the winner on Friday along with the bundle & new template pack reveal.

Have a great rest of the week.

~Kate

Spotlighting Kim

Hey all!  Jewelle here to bring you another spotlight.  With all the excitement of the new CT and the beginning of the month, I forgot to introduce you to our guests for the month!  So you'll get to meet both ladies as I spotlight them this month.  I'll tell you though these ladies are fantastic layout artists and super sweet as well!  Without further ado let me introduce you to....

Kim

{aka kmkarayannis}

My name is Kim Karayannis and I am originally from Southern California, but have lived in Northern Virginia for the past 10 years. My hubby and I both just finished our 10th year of teaching high school history (that's how we met). My husband has 4 daughters (so many girls around here!!) and we have one son, who is three, and the subject of most of my pages. I am working on my Master's in ancient and classical history, slow and steady wins the race! I love scrapping, Disney, traveling, the ocean, Lord of the Rings, and burgers and fries. I am doing some creative team work that I COMPLETELY love, and I thank Amber very much for letting me join this AWESOME group of ladies for the month of June. (I hope she will let me know of any other month, EVER, that she wouldn't mind having me around again, hehehe.)

Kim answered a little survey for us helping us get to know her even a little bit more! 

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why? I paper scrapped starting in high school, you can imagine how those pages looked!! I kept up with that until my local store closed and then I finally gave in and went digital in 2008. I have not looked back!
   
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest? I think I am good at multi-photo pages, and I am really proud of my P365 pages. Using color is also something that comes easy for me. White space, single photo layouts and curves give me FITS!
   
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping? For someone just starting out the VERY most important thing I could suggest is finding a digi-home and getting involved. Participate in challenges and forums and you will see your skills grow right away while meeting great people! It worked for me!
   
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 8 and I think I love it...no need for anything else! I always start scrapping with photos. I have these running "topics" in my mind that I am always working on...my son's 1st year baby book, P365 layouts, and keeping up with current pictures. I pick from one of those three topics and get going! I spend 45 minutes to an hour on each page, but have been known to take longer when doing extractions.
   
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? I busted my backside cranking out layouts during the Queen Of Scrap contest, but usually I spend about 1-2 hours per day on SOMETHING related to scrapping, whether that includes actual scrapping, creative team work, posting, participating in forums, and all of those kinds of shenanigans.
   
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks? HOWEVER I CAN!! I really can't while my son is awake, so usually it is during nap times or after he goes to bed. I like to hang out with my hubby and scrap in front of the TV sometimes, but I recently got an awesome chair in my bedroom where I can sneak away for some much needed peace and quiet, so I expect many future layouts to come from that spot!
   
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? Hanging out with my little man, watching movies and reading, but at certain times EVERYTHING takes a back seat to my grad school work.
   
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? I would LOVE to scrap more travel. I also love scrapping pages that have pictures of me as a little girl doing the same kids of things my son does now...pages that will have a picture of me and a picture of him, about the same age doing the same kinds of activities. I think those are priceless keepsakes.
   
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? My family and travels are VERY inspirational for scrapping. When I don't know where to go with a particular page, I browse around in some galleries at ScrapMatters, and I'm telling you, there is PURE genius there! Many of those ladies are on THIS team!!!
   
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? I have SO many of her kits, that this is a hard question. Right now I am interested in a Mediterranean type kit and versatile solid papers that have a bit of texture to them. I would also love a solid go-to stash of strings and stitches of different shapes, sizes and colors. 

Kim is 100% correct when she stated that she rocks multi-photo pages.  I love looking at all the photos she puts on a page.  I've also been known to spend a lot of time looking at her P365 layouts.  Pure genius!  I'm excited to show you some of Kim's layouts.  Be on the lookout for the multi-photo pages ;)

First Layout

This is the first page I ever made...I will rescrap it someday! What the heck kind of stroke did I apply to that little prince button??

Favorite Layouts

I made this for QOS using the QOS kit, it is inspired by a layout by Liz Moss (mommy22girls). I have not tried a lot of photo less pages and I really enjoyed this one and LOVE how it turned out.

I made this two-pager about my classroom (been in the same one since I started teaching 10 years ago) and we are being renovated, so I am moving out of it after all this time. I am SO happy with how this turned out, I captured exactly what I felt. 

Layout Using Stolen Moments Products

I love my P365 pages. This is my most recent one and I used Makin Me Happy and the Happiest Add-on along with a template by Simply Scraps. The Happiest Bundle is just so perfect for so many different kinds of pages...it is one of my favorite kits in my whole stash.

 

Most Recent Layout

I made this as a Father's Day present for my Dad and my Hubby. I just love that photo and knew I needed to do something special with it.

Amazing layouts huh?!  To see more of Kim's stunning creations check out her GALLERY and BLOG.   Be on the look out next Tuesday to learn about our other guest CTM for June!

Road Trip, Anyone?

Happy Friday, scrappers!  It's been a busy week here, so let's get right to it!  First up - per the request of many newsletter subscribers {remember that survey a while back?} I have a fun and different - for me - product to share with you..

Bend in the Road: Curved Templates & Text Paths

These are a quick and easy way for you to add a little interest to your pages - and for those of you who can't create text paths on your own, you won't be left out of the fun any more!  The shapes are PNG files and will work in any program that supports that file type.  The text paths have been tested in PSE6, PSE7, PSE8, CS3, CS4 and CS5, so go on - have some fun!  Just check out what my CT did with them..

 

 

So what did you think about those last few pages there?  Didn't that look like an awesome kit?  Well, I'm here to tell you - IT IS!  ;)  I've teamed up again with one of my all-time favorite collab partners, Jen Balding - the genius behind Girl Boy Girl Designs to bring you the ultimate in summer vacation kits.. 

Exit #3

This baby is huge!  With 21 papers and over 80 elements, it has everything you need to document all those hours spent traveling to and from your favorite summer vacation spot...  Here are a few more CT pages..

And - just for fun, we thought we'd put our other collabs on sale for you this weekend, as well..

All of these - along with Exit #3 & Bend in the Road - will be 20% off this Friday and Saturday only.

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And a few more pieces of business - the winner of the blog4urblog contest - the person who has won a custom blog design & installation by yours truly... julijewelz!  Congrats - keep an eye out for a PM from me!

And, we've got another winner!   It was so fun reading all your comments about favorite vacation spots - it got me itching to get out and hit the road myself, lol.. By random draw, the lucky lady is.. Alyna!  Email me telling me which new product you want, and I'll send you a coupon code.. 

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Alrighty then - I'm heading out for now but I'll see you here again next week, so until then Happy Scrapping!  {and enjoy a few more CT layouts, too..}

Just kidding - not quite done yet.. Here's a freebie for you that goes with the kit..

 DOWNLOAD

Enjoy - and have a great weekend!