Spotlighting Sya

The end of the month has crept to an end.  With the end of the month comes our last guest spotlight.  She has been working hard all month for Amber.  I think she definitely deserves some attention!  Let me introduce you to...

Sya

{aka syapotter}

I'm 25 years old, from Malaysia, a small country in South East Asia and currently teaching at a local private university, mostly teaching English Language. I'm doing my Master's in Education (TESL) and hopefully will graduate next year. I am not yet married but am blessed with 3 nieces and a nephew, so my layouts are mostly about them. 

 

 

1.  How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why? I started scrapping back in June 2007. Earlier that year, I discovered paper scrapbooking and started getting hooked to it but because it has yet to become well-known in Malaysia, I started to search for other alternatives and came upon digiscrapping. It was like love at first sight and I have never looked back since.

2.  What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest? My strongest would definitely be my layering and clustering and weakest would definitely be the fact that I sometimes seem to stick to only one style instead of branching out to other styles of scrapping. I try to do that once in a while but I always go back to my comfort zone and what I know I am able to do well.

3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping?

I would tell them to just go out there and play with whatever is available. I was self-taught in PS and I find that the best way to learn to do something is just by trying.

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 am currently using PS CS3 and hopes to upgrade to CS5 someday. As for starting a layout, it all depends on the mojo really. Sometimes I would see the photos and knew immediately what I wanted to do for the layout but more often than not, what I ended up with was usually different from what I envisioned at first. Sometimes it would take me hours just to complete a layout but when the mojo is flowing, the shortest time it would take me to complete a layout is 30 minutes.

5.  On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week?  I'm not really sure about this, but probably about 15 hours more or less.

6.  Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks?  I definitely have to have music. Sometimes I would get inspiration from the music that I listened to. I love listening to most Top 40 songs but I draw the line at Hard Core Rock. Definitely NOT my type of music!

7.  What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? Spare time is really hard to come by these days but I do love to read. I recently bought a Barnes & Nobles Nook and am so in love with it and it goes with me wherever I go.

8.  What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? Visit all the Disneyland parks in the world, which is really ironic because I recently visited Disneyland Hong Kong and I was kinda afraid to start scrapping photos from that visit because it felt kinda sacred to me somehow. 

9.  Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? A lot of scrappers inspire me in the community but if I have to name one person, it would have to be Cindy Schneider. I just love her style of scrapping.. As for inspiration, I found that just browsing around the galleries help. Sometimes I would stumble upon some scrappers that I have not yet discovered.

10.  If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why?

I like all things girly and definitely have a crush on anything pink, white and brown. And oh, I recently fell in love with the English style type of decorating so it would be great if there's a kit like that.

 

Oldest Layout

This is not my first LO but the oldest one that I still have. It's of my nephew. I cringe when I look at this because of the lack of shadows and the use of the different colored alphas.

 Favorite Layouts

This one was of my college friends taken 2 years before we graduated. It was really crazy that most of us are on different life path and scattered all over the place now.

This one was a remake from a horrible layout that I did in 2008. Loved it so, so much better.

Using Stolen Moments Products

I used Into the Night for this one. Awesome, awesome kit.

Most Recent Layout

I've always wanted to experience snow, hence this page. The photos were taken from Google..

Aren't her layouts wonderful?!  I know I am always inspired by them!  Be sure and check out more of Sya's stunning layouts in her GALLERY!

Cyber Monday Coupon Blog Hop!

I'm making this quick... For those of you who don't know, Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday when you can find all kinds of yummy sales online.. Well, since ScrapMatters already {and is still} having an awesome Black Friday sale, some of the designers wanted to supplement those sale prices with additional discounts... in the form of a blog train, of course.. ;)

You should have just come from Jen Graham's blog - http://gltcblog.wyldgrahamcrackers.com/ - and here's what I have to offer...

Use the code smd_cyber_15 to get 15% off anything in my store.. CU & Custom Services included!

Next up, stop by Val's blog - http://geniabeanascraps.com- to see what awesome deals she has cooked up for you... Happy hopping!  :D

New BLACK FRIDAY Goodies!

Well happy Black Friday, everyone!  If you're just getting back from braving the crowds in the wee morning hours, congratulations!  For those of you still heading out - best of luck!  I've never done the crazy sale hunting myself, but I think I'd like to at least once in my life.. This year, though, just a quiet morning at home with the family.. :)

 

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Anyhow, I have 3 fantastic new releases to show you this week, but first, a message from our sponsor.. ;)

 

You can find out more details and schedules for the chats and speed scraps HERE.

 

With sale prices this low, if you've been holding out on purchasing one of your favorite kits, now is the time to do it.. Perhaps one of these is getting a little too comfy in the warm confines of your wish list..

 

 

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Now - you may recall the Boxed Up Advent Calendar I released last week.. Well, I'm also offering the templates for the boxes in 3 sizes - perfect for gift-giving, creating your own custom advent project, and so many other fun uses, as well!  I, personally, am looking forward to handing out matching hand-made necklaces to the girls/women in our family in their own personalized gift boxes.. What can YOU think of to use them for?

 

 

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I've also teamed up this week with an old ScrapMatters alum - By Becca - to create this absolutely stunning holiday kit!

 

A beautifully traditional Christmas kit with subtle vintage undertones, plenty of gold accents, and just the right amount of sparkle - perfect for adding a bit of class and elegance to your holiday pages.  We never even talked about the kit having any sort of vintage feel to it, but we both managed to put just the right combination of things together to give it a classic, turn-of-the-century feel.. I'm really SO pleased with how it came out!  :D 

I also have this coordinating alpha, but it's SO timeless and wonderful, it can work with pretty much any kit you choose...

 

 

A classic vellum alpha with a subtle damask pattern, edged in a delicate glitter detail - perfect for winter, holidays, weddings, special occasions, and so much more!  Comes pre-shadowed in 5 colors: red, green, gold, blue & pink.  Upper & lower cases, numbers and some symbols.

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Now check out these killer CT pages.. There were so many I couldn't include them all, but definitely keep an eye on the galleries this weekend - there is some serious talent out there, kids... ;)

 

 

 

 

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My newsletter subscribers got this matching freebie.. If you're not already subscribed, you should be.. ;)

 

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And now - the winner of this week's sneak peek contest is.... jovita!  Email me for your coupon.. 

 

And of course, be sure to check back here on Monday for a coupon blog hop - special coupons to supplement the Cyber Monday sale from select ScrapMatters designers.. Until then.... Happy Scrapping!  :D

It's almost here.....

Great big sale time is coming.. are you as excited as I am....??  See you tomorrow... :D

It's Sneak Peek Time!

Hi Everyone! It's been a while since I've posted a sneak peek - I've been hiding in my text books and trying to finish up this semester - I can't wait to start scrapping again, because I've missed it so much!

This week Amber has teamed up with another fantastic designer to bring you a gorgeous Christmas/holiday kit. it's stunning and my sneak peek doesn't do it justice - I wish I could just post the full thing but Amber may not like that - wouldn't be much of a sneak peek now would it?



I just love the non-traditional colors in this kit and I can't wait for you all to see it in it's full splendor!

So, what about my normal giveaway.. Of course there's a giveaway, it wouldn't be sneak peek Wednesday without one! Just answer my question (I'll start posting the random questions again in December, so bare with the "boring" ones for now.. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the U.S. which according to Food Network, it's the biggest food day of the year! What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish? For those not in the U.S. just tell me your favorite dish for any time of the year :) Just comment here and one lucky person will be drawn to win the new release for Friday. Amber will be back on Friday with the kit reveal and the name of the winner.

Have a great Thanksgiving & I'll "talk" to you all soon!

~Kate

Spotlighting Ruth Ann

I'm a bit late today with our guest spotlight.  I better get straight to our fabulous guest then huh?!  Introducing...

Ruth Ann

{aka corsicar}

I'm 24, born and raised in California. Sunshine makes me happy, and anytime the temperature drops below 50 degrees F, I'm freezing. Music is a huge part of my life - I teach piano lessons, and play piano for local choirs and theater groups. It's so much fun!! Sometimes I can't believe that I get paid to "play." Also I'm a huge Disney fan and love traveling.

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why? I never paper scrapped, but I started digiscrapping in July 2009 after I took my first trip to Disney World. I wanted to do something with all the photos to help me remember the trip, and I discovered digiscrapping thanks to a Disney forum. I never thought I was a "creative type" but scrapping has really inspired me.
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest? I'm still learning! Hahaha! But I think my shadows have really improved thanks to tutorials and just trying different things. My weak point is probably composition. I have a REALLY hard time starting with a blank page, so I usually use a template.
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping?  Learning a graphics program can be overwhelming, so have a friend help you learn your program, if you don't know already. Freebies are great to start with, and do challenges or tutorials just to get used to scrapping.
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?  I use GIMP. Usually I start with the photos I want to scrap and choose a kit that matches the color or theme. Sometimes I'll have a really clear idea of how I want the page to look, but usually I make it up as I go along. After I've got the photos, I choose the papers, and finally the elements. Journaling is usually last.
5. How long does it take you to complete a layout? Usually a few hours. If I'm not feeling inspired or somethings not working, I set it aside and come back to the page in a few days.
6. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week? Recently, not as much as I'd like to. Maybe about 6 hours working on pages, but then there's always more time spent organizing my stash and browsing my favorite sites.
7. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music? snacks?  Lounging on the couch with my laptop, and I usually have the TV going. If not, then just some music probably.
8. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? I love playing the piano, and in the last year I've started to really enjoy running.
9. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? Hmmm... I've always wanted to go skydiving. Can I take pictures on the way down? :D
10. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration?  Since I'm still working on scrapping my Disney World trip (and all the Disneyland trips), I love Britt-ish Designs because of all her Disney-inspired kits. Some of my favorite scrappers are Britt, Cheryl (gonewiththewind), Tanya (TanyaH666) and Brenda (Brenda Smith Designs). Clustery and white space LOs both appeal to me, although I don't make white space LOs very often.
11. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why?  Hmm this is tough. I love bright colors or colors that remind me of my favorite foods - orange (sherbet), (mint) green, rich (chocolate) brown, purple...maybe not all at once though. Hahaha! And I know I have a bad habit of buying kits based on the color scheme, even though I have no photos to go with the kit! I love glitzy kits too (which is why Into the Night is one of my absolute faves). So maybe a fancy-ish kit, with some glitz and elegance, but bright, energetic colors.

Oldest Layout

My first LO ever, and the reason I wanted to learn how to digiscrap - an awesome first trip to Disney World!

Favorite Layouts

This is "THE Castle Shot" and as soon as I saw this template, I KNEW I had to use it for this photo. Then I found the perfect word art, and this page practically created itself. (Although, I spent hours brightening and adjusting the photo.)

 Yet another Disney World LO! This is one of my few pages that I created without using a template. I had collected all sorts of different fishy & ocean elements and I knew I wanted to create an ocean scene to go with these pics.

Layout Using Stolen Moments Products

This is a scraplift of a page I saw as a newbie scrapper. This uses my favorite Stolen Moments kit - Into the Night. Totally gorgeous colors, and plenty of glitz and elegance. It was fun coming up with 100 different things and activities to include. The hardest thing was sizing all the different fonts to fit.

Most Recent Layout

I LOVE the colors in Amber' collab kit Better Days Ahead. Sooo rich and gorgeous.

Thank you Ruth Ann for sharing your wonderful layouts with us!  To see more terrific work by Ruth Ann check out her GALLERY!

ACK! We need a winner!

In all the excitement of my releases yesterday, I totally forgot to pick a winner of my collab with Flergs!  Soooo... without further ado, the lucky lady is...

The Myers AKA Diana

Congratulations!  Email me for your coupon.. :D

To everyone else holding out to see if they won, you still have a few hours to grab the kit or any other new goodies at the 20% off sale price.. And also, thank you for all of the fun ideas for a Christmas/winter kit.. I'll do some brainstorming, and hopefully have something to show you before too long..   ;)

{{hugs}}

Collab w/ Flergs, Hybrid Goodness, and MORE!

Happy Friday once again!  As time keeps moving forward into the holiday season, there's a hustle and bustle about like no other time of year.. and while I do love it, it has me kind of exhausted all.the.time.  This week, though, I have a fun new project to help get you in the holiday mood, and hopefully it's early enough that you still have time to do it.. ;)

 

 

Included are:

• 25 uniquely pre-designed box templates with and without digital embellishments .  Boxes measure approx. 1.75" x 1.75" x 1" - perfect for bite sized candy bars or other small trinkets.
  
• 1 matching header - 10" x 3"
  
• step-by-step instructions with photos
• JPEG & PDF formats provided

Project length: 2 to 2-1/2 hours plus physical embellishment time

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I'm also re-releasing the final pieces from my guest spot at Scrapbookgraphics..

 

 
 

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And finally, my collab with the incredibly talented, sweet {and patient to deal with a certain someone who is constantly behind, lately} Flergs... 

Our goal was to create the ultimate boy toy kit - and what boy doesn't love to play with blocks?!?  Of course, with an incredible palette in primary colors, it's perfect for so much more than that! You can scrap pages of all kinds - be it a favorite set of blocks, the wonderment of discovering the teeniest blade of grass, or even a trip to your local children's museum.  This is sure to be a standout in your collection, and one you will turn to time and time again!

We both had so much fun playing with this one, that we just had to do a few extras.. here are my bits..

 

And Meg's...

 

And what would an awesome collection like this be without a bundle.. or TWO?!?

 

Get the bonus alphas and clusters in this one... 

Or add the glitters and extras as well!

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And now some FABULOUS CT PAGES to help inspire you to get your imagination going...

 

 

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Thanks for hanging with me through this marathon newsletter, so of course, a freebie!  But first - a quick reminder that all my new releases - bundles excluded - are 20% off thru Saturday!  Now.. Stop by Meg's blog to grab this...

And grab this from me right down below... :)

 DOWNLOAD

 I'll see you again next week, but until then, happy scrapping!  :)

Sneak Peek for 11/19 Releases

Just a little peek at what I have for you on Friday.. This has also been posted before by someone you may know.. To those of you who haven't seen it already, you'll just have to wait to find out... ;) 

 

For your chance to win, leave a comment telling me what kind of winter/Christmas/holiday kit you'd love to see from me.. color choices, theme, style - have at it.. If I choose your inspiration, you'll get a free copy of the kit I create.. :D

Also - check out my Facebook page for a peek at something else I have coming out this weekend..

Spotlighting Amanda S.

We are halfway through November so it is high time that I introduce you to one of the guests who has been working diligently for Amber.  Sit back and enjoy!

 

Amanda

{aka dznyscrapper}

I've been married to my wonderful husband for eleven years and we have 3 great kids, Michealla (10), Hunter (7) and Kailee (22 months). We also have a 3 yr old black & white Shih Tzu named Tinkerbell. I am a SAHM the majority of the time, but I also substitute teach at the local elementary school and teach classes at my local scrapbook store.

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why? I started digital scrapping about 4 years ago. At first I just started so I could do photobooks for my kids' grandparents for Christmas. I started paper scrapping in 1995. I still do a little bit of paper scrapping but it has been very limited for the last 2 years. Just before I had my youngest in December 2008, I switched to digital almost exclusively. Her crib took over my scraproom, so going digital was so much easier. I had planned on only having her in there for the first few month, but here we are almost 2 years later and she is still in there. lol.   
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest?  I think one of my strongest scrapping skills is choosing the colors for my layout and then being able to mix and match kits to get just what I want. Along with that would be my ability to recolor items to get them to match my pages. My weakest is probably my journaling. I have never been much of a journaler, so that carries over into my pages, too. Though I have gotten a lot better since I first started scrapping.
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping? Get to know your program by reading tutorials and asking questions, but also don't be afraid of it.  Just get in there and start playing around with it.
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 currently use Photoshop Elements 5.0. I would like to upgrade to a Photoshop Creative Suite someday, but for now PSE lets me do most of what I want. For my layouts I usually start by picking my pictures and then checking if I have a template I want to use with them. Then I go through my kits to see if any kits I have will go with my pictures. If not then I either go shopping or start mixing and matching. Once I get everything open in PSE and start working on my page opening more things up as I need them. My journaling and title are usually the last thing I put on my page. It usually takes me quite a while to work on a page but on average I can get a page done in about 3-4 hours if I don't have a lot of interruptions. 
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week?  On average I probably spend about 12-15 hours scrapping though I also spend quite a bit of time checking out the latest happenings at ScrapMatters on top of that. I usually scrap for a couple hours after my kids go to bed each night or while my youngest takes her afternoon nap. 
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks? I do most of my scrapping while sitting on my couch with my laptop. I have one of my favorite shows or movies on the television for background noise. I almost always have a can of Mountain Dew next to me, too. I usually don't snack while I'm scrapping.   
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping?  My favorite thing to do besides scrapping is traveling and camping with my family. Since my husband drives truck long distance and is gone for a week or two at a time, we all look forward to when we get to spend that time together as a family without all the interruptions.  I also love taking pictures of all the great memories that we make together. 
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it?  I would love to travel somewhere tropical just so I can finally use all the great tropical kits I have been hording. lol. I have a weakness when it comes to those kinds of kits.  
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration?  There is so much great inspiration to be found in the scrapping community. I don't know if I have any one person that I go to for inspiration. If I'm feeling like I have lost my creativity I will usually peruse the gallery at ScrapMatters. There are so many awesome scrappers there that it doesn't take too long and I feel inspired. :) 
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? Right now I would have to say I would love to see her create a nature/explorer kit with a more girly feel to it. There are a lot of cute kits like this out there but they are all very boyish. I would love to see one with pinks, oranges and greens. My youngest is such a little tomboy. She's the little girl you will find sitting in a mud puddle with a dress on and a frog in her pocket. 
     
    Oldest Layout
    This is one of the first digital pages I did with Photoshop Elements. It was before I was buying all the great kits that are out now.
    
     
    Favorite Layouts
    This is one of my favorite pages because of the picture. It's from this summer during one of our visits to the park. It was time to go and both kids grabbed one of Kailee's hands to take her back to the car. My kids have such a close relationship and my youngest looks up to her big brother and sister so much.
    
     
    These pictures are from our vacation to Yellowstone National Park in 2008. We happened to find these elk just sitting there under the tree.
    

I just love how this page came together. It's one of my many pages that has a very long credits list. lol. The pictures are from when we went to the butterfly house at a zoo we visited this summer.

 

 Layout using Stolen Moments Products

One of my pages using one of Amber's kits & template packs. Love how the colors of it go with my kids coats. It was so much fun to work with. :)

 

Most Recent Layout

These pictures are from when we had breakfast in the castle at Walt Disney World in 2005.

 

 Thank you Amanda for sharing this all with us!  To see more of Amanda's inspiring layouts head over to her GALLERY or her BLOG and take a look around.