New stuff

My scrap time has decreased SIGNIFICANTLY. If I can survive June and July, I'll hopefully be able to catch up in August when I have a month off school. You know the drill- credits and journaling can be found in my galleries.

More stuff

I took a 2 week hiatus from scrapping- it was actually nice. I thought I'd spend my 3 week break from school scrapping like crazy, but I ended up needing to recharge and simplify my life. I've made a bunch of drastic changes, some sad, some a relief, but come Tuesday, I'm ready to start classes again. Bottom line, there's not a whole lot of layouts but I'm getting back into the groove again.

Did this for a DigiDare Challenge using Tangie's stuff:
This was for a past challenge on Tangie's blog- she gave out a freebie that was really fun to work with!
Yet another Tangie layout- that woman never sleeps.
This used Melissa Bennett's and Micheline Martin's collab- So Whatever. LOVE it! I did this for a challenge at Sweet Shoppe designs. I had to take a non digital scrapbook page and make it into a digital layout. Here's what I used. And here's what I came up with:
I also scraplifted this one to help get my groove back: (Used Pixel Gypsy's stuff)
Using another one of Melissa Bennett's collabs:
And yet another:
Melissa Bennett and Pixel Gypsy's stuff:
As always, credits and journaling can be found at my DST gallery.

I didn't stop blogging

I didn't stop blogging- I've just been so tremendously busy over the last 2 months, I don't even know which way's up. I have scrapped- in little pockets of time I've been able to scrounge up between homework, finishing that crazy PTA album, working 4 days a week, and being a wife and mother. ;) If I don't scrap though, I will lose it- this is my one patch of sanity. Yes, you're about to see a LOT of layouts, but keep in mind they've been done over a course of 2 months. I participated in the Amazing DigiScrap Race Season 3 this year- this was my first time doing it, and some of it was a REAL challenge for me. Both in finding time to do it, then to complete my requirements. I learned a LOT of new techniques, so I definitely consider it a success.

The other big news for me is that my DREAM CT spot had a guest CT call, and I applied, and got accepted as a guest, then after my month was up, was asked to be a permanent CT member for Melissa Bennett! I was so excited I couldn't sleep!

I guess to keep this easy for me I'll break it into my designers. They don't all have the same requirments, so some have more than others. As always, for journaling and credits, just go to my DST gallery on the sidebar, or click the thumbnail for an enlargement of the pic. :)


Melissa Bennett's stuff: (Mostly in this one, but had to use 9 other designers as well for ADSR)

Pixel Gypsy's stuff:




Sara Ellis- love this new collab!
Merkeley Designs:
Mel Herzog:

and Tangie Baxter:


This one is my masterpiece. I spent about 6 hours on it, and I'm pleased to say that it actually turned out like it was supposed to in my head. That rarely happens! The challenge for this was to include wings somewhere on teh page- so I used the duck wings. This layout I actually had a DREAM about- down to the design, colors, everything. It bounced in my head for a week before I finally had chance to scrap it:
I posted this one before, but I'm sooo proud of it- my first altered art attempt!
I can't deny this child:



If you made it down here all the way, thanks! :) I know it was long!

My first altered art project:

Tried this out for the first time last night for ADSR. It's definitely FUN!

Tutorial- Blending an image into a background using ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 Beta

I just posted my very first tutorial at DigiScrapInfo! Here it is:

We're going to explore a few different ways to blend a picture into the background using ACDSee Photo Editor 2008. I was amazed to discover how easy it was when I learned how to do it. Ready?

1. Start with a solid background paper with some texture. I used the black solid from Tangie Baxter’s new “Timeless Masters” kit.

2. Drag and drop the image you want to use into your work area. We’re using a picture of my daughter from her dance recital.

3. I went ahead and reduced my opacity to 80% on the image, but this is optional.

4. Next to the opacity, click on the pull down menu next to Transfer. You will have the following options: Normal, Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, Hard Light, Darken, Lighten, Difference, Burn, and Dodge. Play with each of these and select the option you like the best. For this example, I used soft light.

5. I did this first with the image uncropped to see what the effect would be. I will show you some other options as well.

6. I didn’t do this to this image, but you can also apply a vignette and manipulate that as well. Try playing with the vignette option by itself, as well as with the transfer option.

7. I didn’t end up liking the look of the uncropped image- the black didn’t blend in as well as I thought, so I decided to extract my daughter out of the background.

8. If you extracted your image, drag and drop the image onto your background.

9. We're going to apply a slight gaussian blur to soften the image a little. From the adjustments pull down menu to the right of your workspace, select gaussian blur.

10. Adjust the slider bar at the bottom until you’re happy with the result. Remember to go for a very slight blur- just to soften the edges.

11. Repeat Step 4 to blend the extraction using the transfer menu, and adjust the opacity to your liking.

12. That’s it! Here’s my finished layout:

I also ended up blending the ballet dancer jpeg into the black background as well.

13. Have fun with your blending! Remember that it’s a very broad field, and there are many different effects you can use to achieve the look you want. Play with it and experiment with different methods to find one that works best for you.

Exciting news

I have had a few people ask me about what they can do to get started with Digital Scrapbooking. Well, I have the perfect opportunity for those that are interested in giving it a go.

How would you like to be able to try something out for 3 months, without having to pay for any software or anything? ACDSee is releasing a Beta of their updated Photo Editor Program- ACDSee Photo Editor 2008. This program is very user friendly and very easy to work with and learn quickly. I switched to this after using Photoshop for a while and not really getting the hang of it. With this one, I found a BUNCH of free tutorials over at DigiScrapInfo and was making scrapbook pages within minutes of downloading.

Anyway, I get off tangent a lot. Basically, since they're coming out with this beta, it means that anyone and everyone can download it for 3 months for free. (It's a $50 program normally). It's the full version, so everyone who downloads it can play with it and learn on it, and give feedback back to the company. For those that have been digi-scrapping for a while, that's a great feature since there are a lot of specific things we want our programs to do. For those just starting out, this is a FABULOUS opportunity to do so.

Here's the info as to where you can download the program:

ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 Beta Release

If you're interested and want to experiment with it, or just see what it's all about, I will be more than happy to help you. I've been using this program for almost a year and completed over 400 pages last year, and have finished and printed 5 albums since making the transition from paper to digi. And I am part of DigiScrapInfo, which is a tremendous resource, as some of you may already know.

This is a FABULOUS opportunity to try out a program (hopefully get hooked ;) and give feedback to ACDSee. They are such a great company and listen to US and our needs, which is so nice. From what I understand, ACDSee is gearing this program more towards digi-scrappers. That is so cool to me to have a program that's designed with our needs in mind!

Please try it out, even if you're thrilled with the program you're using currently. It can't hurt- it's free for 3 months, and you can provide feedback back to the company. I already listed the feedback link, but here it is again:

ACDSee Photo Editor 2008 Beta Feedback

And don't forget, if you ever get stuck, check out DigiScrapInfo. We have forums, a blog, tutorials, and now that our team is larger, we have more resources to help YOU!

More, and new releases

I think I've finally settled into a routine where I can do both my schoolwork and my scrapbooking. Oddly enough, my housecleaning sometimes falls by the wayside. It's weird.


All my designers have kept me busy with new products coming out.
I scraplifted this one- kit is by Mel Herzog:
This is the February OScraps Collab- it has some fantastic elements! :)
My sister and her husband: I'm not thrilled with this one, and may go back and tweak it later. This is using Jill D-Zine's New "Whisper Soft:"
Here's a sneak peak at some of the items in Tangie Baxter's "Mystery Case #2." Seriously, there is some awesome stuff in there! :) This will also be in public galleries tomorrow with the release of the mystery case!
Another new release hitting shelves tomorrow from Sara Ellis and Amy Sumrall's new Playful Hearts:
Pixel Gypsy's Tattered Spring:
I love love this kit from Pixel Gypsy- it's called Love Bug.
This is probably one of my favorite layouts to date- I tried out a new photo colorizing technique that I haven't played with yet. I did it in ACDSee Photo Editor in all of about 10 minutes. This is using Tangie Baxter's new "Her Royal Court" kit.
Another layout using "Her Royal Court", done for the very first Tangie Baxter Loft challenge!
One more using Mel Herzog's Broom:
Hope you all have a good night!