Sneak Peek

BBQ's, fireworks, parades, and backyard parties are things I think of with the 4th of July.  I of course have tons of pictures to scrap from these fun events.  Amber has a great collab kit out this week that will help you (and me!) scrap all those moments.  Head over to this thread at ScrapMatters where you can enter for a chance to win this kit for your very own  Here is just a little taste of what is in it!

Spotlighting Britanee

Hey all, Jewelle here!  Did you know I have one of the best jobs in the world?  I get to interview the Stolen Moments creative team members in order to spotlight them.  It is always so fun getting to know these wonderful ladies.  I am super excited today to be spotlighting a new member of the Stolen Moments team so you can get to know here a little bit better too!  Sit back and enjoy getting to know....

 Britanee aka britaneejean

My name is Britanee Walker (britaneejean throughout digiland). I'm a 26 yr old SAHM to 2 little girls who are the reasons behind why I scrapbook.  I've been scrapbooking since I was a little girl.  I discovered digital scrapbooking in January 2009.  Digi-scrapping is my relaxation, therapy & creative outlet.

How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why?  

 

I 've been paper scrapping since I was a little kid. My mom's an excellent paper scrapper but I never acquired that skill. I discovered "digi scrapping" with a program in 2006 but only did it off and on. A friend then convinced me to try PSE, which I did in January 2009. I've never looked back. I LOVE the fact that there's no mess for my kids to get into, I'm not wasting supplies and ctrl+z (I'm BFF's with that one lol).
 

What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest?  

 

I honestly don't know. I have to use a template for every page. It's rare for me not to since I don't have as much time as I wish I did. I do try to go beyond the template though and make it my own. I love to journal. I know many people hate journaling but that's one of my favorite parts. I always over journal lol!

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

 

Don't give up! I help out at a friend's event ever other month and that's the main thing I keep saying when trying to teach someone. Don't give up and keep practicing! It's taken me 3-4 years to get where I am today. I think a lot of people think it's all going to click into place immediately and it doesn't.
 

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 PS CS5. My "system" is different if I'm scrapping for my designers or for myself but no matter what, I place my pictures last. I have them in mind though while scrapping. I pick my template out at the beginning then go from the bottom/back to the top/front. Papers are placed first, then elements, title, picture, & journaling. Depending on mojo (and kids behaviors lol), I can complete a LO anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. My weekly instagram layouts take me about 3 hours. 

 

On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week?  

 

I aim for at least 1 LO/day. It doesn't always work out, but that's about 7-10 hours/week.
 

Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks? 

 

I love to have an ice cold water or fountain diet coke with me. I love snacks but am trying to be better about having those around my laptop. Music distracts me, though I like having a show on in the background. It's usually something my husband's watching.
 

What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping? 

 

Playing with my kids and taking pictures. We've been packing as much fun as possible into our summer and the biggest thing we've done is hang out at the pool every day. We all love it. I also LOVE to read. My kindle paperwhite is my constant companion.
 

What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it? 

 

Disneyland! or camping. I actually hate to camp but the camping kits are so cute to me that I might just do it so I can use those cute kits. Disneyland is a given though! We've never been as a family and my kids are dieing to go.
 

Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration? 

 

I love Pinterest. it's become my go-to for inspiration. iI have many friends in the community who inspire me all the time. I love their styles. I can't name them all or we'd run out of room lol!
 

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

 

Oh man...a fun summer kit! That's only because it's summer right now though. Maybe she wants to make a camping kit? (wink, wink) I LOVE all girly kits so another one like her Happily Ever Afters kit/bundle would be awesome! Also, any daily moments kit would be great. I can't have enough of those.
 

What kind of scrapper do you consider yourself?  And why were you drawn to that aesthetic?  {ie cluster, minimalist, artistic journaler, etc} 

I'm definitely a clusterer. I love to cluster and I think that's because I can and it doesn't weigh down the actual page. I couldn't ever do that on a paper layout.  I love to use lots of paper too. I would love to art journal but I haven't had much time to give it a go. Depending on the feel of the layout, I also like minimalist pages.

 

Now lets check out a few of Britanee's layouts!  

 

Oldest Layout

Baby shower...one of the first ones I did. Scary! This was before I knew about drop shadows.  I made this back in the VERY beginning and I can't believe I'm showing it to you! 

 

 

Favorite layouts 

My favorites lately are my weekly "project life" layouts for my instagram pictures! They take a while for me to do but I love every single page.

 

 

Most Recent Layout 

Hugs. I LOVE capturing my girls relationship with each other. I always place my picture on my page after it's 90% done (right before journaling, title & finish shadow work). I had just taken this picture this weekend & thought it'd be perfect.

 

 

Stolen Moments Layout
Mother's day. I've loved this kit since it was first released. I finally got it but then couldn't find time to play. I scrapped this page during a convention and the only regret I have is that I didn't use it sooner. This was a different way for me to scrap my mother's day that year.

I could spend all day looking at Britanee's amazing layouts.  To see more of her inspiring work, be sure and pop over to her GALLERY and stay a while!


 

Font-tastic Fun on a Friday!

Happy Friday, all! Doralisa here, and I am so excited about being able to write this for a Friday post, mainly because I'm a word geek. I just love the alliteration of all those "Fs," lol! This is what happens to English majors - we get so excited about words sometimes. :)

Anyway, it's time for another installation of font fun! I hope you enjoyed last month's dive into the font pool. I've uncovered a few more this month that I'd love to share.

A great font to use for titles is ChunkFive. Not only is the name of it fun, the chunky letters work wonderfully for titles or short words that you can enlarge on journal cards!

This next font is similar to ChunkFive, but the letters have a "humorous" look, if letters can look funny. :) Take a look at Serifa Comica!

Another fun font you can use for titles is Risque! Luckily the font isn't as risque as the name implies!

For handwritten fonts, I picked up a cool new one this week - PW 01 Script. Not such an interesting name for a font, but I love the way it looks!

Or how about this super easy-to-read handwritten font called Can't Change the World? It reminds me of how carefully I tried to write my letters in grade school.

If you want something in-between a script and a printed handwritten font, Jinky just might fill the bill!

Now fonts can be used for more than just journaling or titles. When you use a decorative font, you can use them to make some very unique elements for your pages. For instance, check out Symbol Signs. You can use these to create a piece of flair, enlarge them for a journal card, or even use the male or female signs as a big element.

I thought Runeicity Decorative would be great for use in creating your own background paper. Just type up a bunch of the characters, space them out, enlarge them a little, and you have a creative background!

Or, for those of you who are headed to one of the Disney theme parks, you can even make your own Mickey paper or journaling cards using this dingbat font - Mickey M TFB!

Remember, fonts are fun! Use them for journaling or titles - or use a decorative font just to make your page your own!