Yours Truly V. 4

It's another Friday with another NEW release!!  :)  I've taken the guesswork out of layout design for you by creating templates based off of 4 of my most recent layouts.



Templates are good for so many things!  Newbies find templates easy to work with when they're still learning the basics of a program and don't want to focus all their time and effort on great page design.  They're also a great way to kickstart your MIA mojo - I find that I'll start with a template and by the end I've created something totally different, but I never would have reached that end result without the template as a starting point.

Here are the pages that inspired the templates, but you can find even more inspiration on my FB page and in the store..









As always, they're 20% off thru Sunday.. Until next time... Happy scrapping!

New Templates Coming Soon!

This week I've put together another fab set of templates for you!  I've got a thread going at ScrapMatters where you can enter for a chance to win them for your very own.. :) There's also a discussion on my FB page telling what you all like in your templates, so come join in and let me know what YOU think.. See you soon!!  :)

Freshen Your Page with Fashion Trends!

Hi everyone! Doralisa here to welcome you on a Wednesday! I hope you all had a nice long holiday weekend and took some time to remember our heroes on Memorial Day.

Today, I’m looking at fashion trends. Are your scrapbook pages keeping up with the current fashion trends? In some ways, it’s easier and less expensive (and less risky!) to use fashion trends on your layouts. Let’s take a look at the Spring/Summer 2013 fashion trends from Vogue.

The Sixties – Try using colors from the Sixties. A good source for color palettes is http://www.colorhunter.com/tag/60s/1. A ready-made digital kit I found on ScrapMatters was Free Spirit by Jennifer Labre Designs.

Stripes – This is pretty easy to add to your layouts since there are so many kits out there with striped papers. Amber has a set of neutral striped papers called Stripes: Classified that you can use for starters. And who says you have to keep your stripes to paper? Victoria Feemster has a Stripey Alpha that can help your layouts sport the striped trend in a subtle way.

Checks – Checks are all over! Although Vogue’s example consists of black and white checks, you can use colorful checks, like Simply Happy {checks} from Victoria Feemster.

Oriental prints – Such a fun touch to add to pages! Kim B’s collection, Acceptance, has some great pieces, such as the printed papers. Be sure to check out the Acceptance flairs too! A Little Bit of China by MHK Scraps has some wonderful Asian prints that would work as well.

Tuxedos – Trying to use this trend on your pages might be a little tricky. Aside from using an actual tuxedo (like the one in From This Moment by Amy Stoeffel), I think incorporating black and white elements, like Amber’s Black Tie Affair and Blackbird or geniaBeana’s Basically Elegant, can be a great way to bring this fashion trend into your layout.

Ruffles – While ruffles are pretty on dresses, skirts, or even blouses, it’s a little hard to incorporate on a digital layout, unless you have something like the tutu from Wimpychompers’ Sweet Dancer. A loosely gathered flower might be another way to use the ruffles trend on your page.

Hawaiian prints – Anything about Hawaii always reminds me of summer and beaches. Use touches of Hawaii on your pages, like those found in Hawaiian Escape by LDrag Designs or Just Like Paradise from Jennifer Labre Designs.

Safari – The best thing about using the safari motif is being able to use neutral colors, which are pretty easy to find. Welcome To The Jungle by Down This Road Designs has great papers, including animal prints. You can also use palm trees and a little bit of burlap to add interesting texture.

Kimono – While Vogue’s interpretation of the kimono isn’t traditional, you can use traditional elements, like those found in Kokeshi by Amy Stoffel or Asian Paradise by guest designer Tracy Martin.

Metallics – Now who doesn’t love bright and shiny on a page? A quick search in the ScrapMatters store found quite an assortment of metallic items. You can use any of the silver elements from the Hold It Bundle by Amber, gold accents from Mezzaluna by KimB, Dangle Charms from Down This Road Designs, metallic word art like Heartfelt: Words from Jennifer Labre Designs, or even one of the many metallic alphabets like Brass Alpha or Simple Metal Alpha (both from Down This Road Designs), Chunky Metal Alpha (Simply J Studio), Paper Chrome Alpha (Clever Monkey Graphics), and Wired Alpha (MHK Scraps).

Pleats – I’ve always been a fan of pleats, and I found one in Amy Stoeffel’s She: Bits. However, the accordion-pleated flowers are extremely popular, so it should be easy to find a kit that has one to place on your page. And, I love the pleats in the banner from Whisper of the Heart: Elements by Meagan’s Creations.

Dots – Another simple fashion trend for your pages. You can find lots of dotted papers, like the My Basics – Rainbow Dots by Crossbone Cuts Designs, Frosty Flakes Dotted Paper by Memory Clips, and Everyday Basics: Dotted Papers by andilynn designs.

Gold Sequins – These little accents add a bit of bling to your page, but may be hard to find. I spotted some in From This Moment by Amy Stoffel, Amber’s Joyeux Noel collab and Christmas First by KimB. No one has to know your sequins came from a holiday kit – I won’t tell! J

Twins – This has to be one of the easiest fashion trends to put on a page. Just double-up on an element! Two frames, two flowers – there are lots more creative ways to interpret this trend. And the twins don’t even have to be exactly the same. How easy is that?

Fringing – I’ll admit that I wasn’t quite sure how to bring this trend on to a digital page, but I found a pom pom fringe (silver-colored, so very versatile!) in the July Birthday kit from andilynn designs. Another creative way to add fringe is to layer very thin strips of paper. By varying your shadowing on each strip, you can add interesting depth.

So if you’d like to get trendy on your pages, add one of these current fashion trends. You just might find a new look that you love!

Starting Over - Now Available

Yay for Fridays and yay for four day weekends here in the states!  Right now we don't have much of anything planned for the extra day off, but I'm sure some yard work and extra playtime will be in order.. :)  Today I'm re-releasing my mini kit, Starting Over, that was previously included in April's Mixed Matters.

The sunshine is another reminder that you always have a chance at Starting Over. In shades of sunny yellow, infused with deep purples and an even sprinkling of teal and cream, Starting Over is all about acknowledging the hard things in life while keeping a good dose of optimism.

Peek at the gorgeous work my CT did with this.. I love that so many different styles and looks can come from the same kit!

by Debby


by Britanee


by Cheryl


by Natalie


by Jordan


by Yolanda


There's more inspiration in the store, so be sure to take a peek!

Until next time... Happy scrapping!

Font-tastic Fun

Hi, all! Doralisa here, popping in today to talk about fonts!

I've always been a fan of fonts. I have a huge backload of fonts that I use for scrapping and for work. Fortunately, they are not all installed on my computer, or I'd have a big problem. :)  Let me share some favorites. (Please note that not all of these fonts are free for personal use.)

In scrapbooking, I journal on almost every page I do, whether it is traditional paper or digital. For traditional pages, I try to use my own handwriting, but when I have too much to write or want to make sure I can fit my story on my layout, I type up my journaling. Sometimes, I like my journaling to look like I hand-wrote it, so I have a few favorites in my pocket.

My newest handwritten favorite is Amber's Niki font! I love that it's easy to read and has lots of personality.

One of my old stand-by fonts for journaling is Shelter Me. I've used this font on a lot of layouts!

If you're looking for a little more of a masculine handwritten font (to tell his point of view), try Amber's My Guys.

Sometimes, though I need a little heavier font for my journaling to make it stand out a little, especially if I have a lot going on the page. One of my recent findings is Pacifico. I think it's a great font for a little bit of journaling, but it can also work for titles too!

Speaking of titles, I have a few faves for those too! First, there's Very Damaged, a grungy font that works great on art journal pages.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bebas Neue is a very clean font that is easy to read. Note that the letters are only upper case.

I also have one typewriter font that I tend to use regularly - Traveling Typewriter.

Script fonts for titles can sometimes be hard to find, especially if you're looking for something that will work on wedding or heritage pages. I love these (images are linked):

Masterics

CAC Champagne

Euphoria Script

I could go on and on about fonts, but then this would be a really long post - ha! So check these out for now, and I'll be back again soon for another installment of Font-tastic Fun! Have a great rest of the week!

Tender Earth

Hello, and welcome to the almost-weekend!  Today I have a little mini kit for you, previously released at another site, so be sure to check your files before purchasing.. ;)

Enjoy the softer textures and the newness of everything around you with Tender Earth. This kit is perfect for precious quiet moments, sweet memories, relishing in the hope and new life that spring brings.

I've been working in my yard tonight, while I still had some daylight, and seeing these fresh young flowers and dirt scatters is really timely for me (she says with the dirt caked under her fingernails).  My CT did some really beautiful things with this little mini.. By the end of the week, though, we were joking that I needed to be sure and mention that babies aren't required for purchase.. ;)  Take a peek..

by Britanee


by Amanda


by Debby


by Cheryl


by Niki


And that's it!  Have a wonderful, hope-filled weekend, and I'll see you soon...

Happy scrapping!