Christmas Memories | Digital Layout

Hey there! During the past few weeks two of the designers I work for, Karla Dudley and Shannon McNab (of Scotty Girl Designs), have transitioned from Pixels and Company to their new home at The Digital Press. I will continue to work for both designers at their new store, and I have a layout finished using one of Karla's new kits, Gilded. 

The templates in this kit are super cute and easy to work with. I used one of my favorite photos from this holiday season and wrote up a quick little blurb about Jack's first hot cocoa experience.

  

The gold foil accents in this kit are so pretty! I love the big star & star button. 

Most of my December photos will make it into my December Memories album, which I will finish when the boys and I fly home early next week. I'm anxious to finish it... I had a great time working on it this year. We did so many fun holiday activities that I was able to document in a cute little album.

You can check out Karla's products here and Scotty Girl Designs' here.  

Make sure to check out the two new releases from Chickaniddy Crafts! 365 and Yippee are debuting at CHA this year. I can't wait to start working with these new collections! You can see 365 here and Yippee here. 

Autumn | Digital Layouts

I was delighted when Scotty Girl Designs' newest kit, This Year 2014 Fall, popped up on my Facebook feed... it is absolutely gorgeous! 

We don't have traditional fall weather here, so I had to go through my photo archives to find photos for both layouts. The first layout features photos from our year in Ohio (2010). Mark's parents were in town and we visited an air museum with the kids. It was October and the leaves were turning colors... it was beautiful. 

My second layout features a Layered Layout V. 12 template from Deena Rutter and the same This Year 2014 Fall collection from Scotty Girl Designs. These two kits worked so well together. Digital templates were my initial draw to digital scrapbooking, and Deena's template is exactly the reason why.

On this layout I used photos from way back in 2005. Mark took the camera to campus and took some beautiful fall photos for me. I was pregnant with Evan (and very sick), but he knew I wanted photos of the campus in autumn. He is such a great husband. :)

You can check out Shannon's newest collection here, and Deena's template set here.

Back to School | Digital Layouts

Last year I created a scrapbook layout to celebrate Evan's first day of school. I love how that layout turned out (you can see it here), and I used that layout as a template to create layouts for this year's first day of school photos.

I used a new collection from Mommyish, called Scholastic, for Evan's layout. He has changed so much from last year! I used a color photo instead of a black and white photo, but the basic layout is the same.

For Jack's layout I used the same Scholastic kit, plus First Day - Journal Cards & Stamps. I also changed the layout size from 12 x 12 to 8.5 x 11.

I am going to upload these to Persnickety Prints and file them in their respective albums. 

I am off to take Bailey for a walk. She is getting so much better on her leash, but now we are working on the barking issue... she's rather protective of her new family and loves to bark at strangers. It's like trying to train a toddler! 

I'll be back in a bit with a card for this week's RetroSketches challenge. Thanks for stopping by!

Turtle | Digital Layout

In June, Jack and I spent 10 days together while Evan was in Washington visiting my parents. Jack loves art projects, and we pulled out several unopened Kiwi Crate boxes to work on. 

One of his favorite projects involved using markers to color sea animals, then spritzing them with water so the ink bled, creating an awesome blended look. I took a ton of photos while Jack was creating his project, then created a layout using Scotty Girl Designs' Stitched Grid Templates.

My favorite element on this layout? The wood veneer "you" in the large photo. It looks so realistic! 

I combined both color and black and white photos on my page... something I love doing with digital pages. It adds a lot of interest and allows for imperfect photos to look great. 

Make sure to check back later this morning for a fun announcement. Thanks for stopping by and have a great Friday! 

 

Digital Layout | Jack & Cindy

As a scrapbooker, I love perusing online galleries, looking at beautiful layouts for inspiration. The Pixels & Company gallery is one of my favorites to look through... stunning layouts, a lot of variety, and great CAS pages. I looked at several layouts using this fabulous template set, called Stitched Down Templates Vol. 6 by Laura Passage, and I had to create my own page with the stitched hearts template.

I paired the template with Karla's newest collection, Hush, and a photo of Jack and my friend, Cindy, from 2012. I used almost all of the patterned papers from the collection, mixing the colors and textures. The title was created using Karla's Calipso alphabet, which is one of my favorite alphas ever. :)

I have a few links for you today. Just some fun places I like to visit, and a couple of places that I contribute to on a regular basis.

• Gallery Standouts | A great collection of new (and awesome!) layouts every week. I have been featured a couple of times (including this layout), and my peers at Pixels & Co. are often featured, too. 
• Scotty Girl Designs Blog | Shannon, the designer behind Scotty Girl Designs, has a wonderful blog that she updates regularly with digital project life layouts, tips & techniques, recipes, and layouts. Starting Wednesday I will be contributing a bi-monthly blog feature. Check it out if you are a digital scrapbooker!
• Pixels & Company | I have been on the P&Co. CT for a little over a year, and they are truly one of the best digital scrapbooking stores out there. Amazing designers, active message board, and tons of layouts in the gallery. 

I hope you will check out Shannon's blog on Wednesday. I have a new layout to share that highlights a fun new blog feature. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Family | Digital Layout

When I look through my scrapbook pages (both digital and traditional), I see a lot of white. And kraft. And black. Plus grungy fonts, primary colors, and hardly any pink. A majority of my layouts feature pictures of Mark, Evan, and Jack... and they definitely do not like pink. 

But pink happens to be one of my favorite colors. I adore pink flowers (especially tulips), pink pajamas bottoms, my Flamingo Pink Fiestaware, and the pink purse I bought at Target a few months ago. After today, I can add this layout to my "favorite pink things" list. 

I used Celeste Knight's Honeysuckle kit along with a photo of my mom, great-aunt, and cousin. This photo was taken in my parent's backyard last summer. I really wanted my layout to convey femininity, love, and family, so I converted the photo to black & white, and used some beautiful elements and papers from the Honeysuckle kit to embellish my layout. My favorite element from this layout is the gorgeous floral patterned paper directly behind the photo. I don't always mat my photos (and especially not on patterned paper), but it works here. To keep with the feminine theme, I added flower stickers, gold washi, pink paint splatters, and two white doilies, delicately tucked under the photo. 

Was this layout completely outside of my comfort zone? Yes. Absolutely yes. But do I love it? Another yes! Sometimes pushing myself to try new things, new color combos, or new techniques can push me creatively, and I usually like the results. 

I have a huge stack of photos sitting on my desk right now, and most of them feature a little boy or two, so no more pink. It's back to "little boy" layouts, neutral colors, and my favorite typewriter font. 

Pixels & Co. | Creative Team Blog Hop

Good morning and welcome to National Scrapbooking Day with Pixels and Company! 

Pixels and Company has a ton of fun challenges going on today that I can't wait to participate in! My favorite challenge is the Template Challenge using this free template. If you get a chance, download the template and play along! 

The amazing P & Co. designers have put together a beautiful kit to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day. Below is a preview, and you can purchase it here.  

I have a fun little freebie for you using the Bermuda Triangle collection. I designed two journaling cards for you: one vertical 3x4 inch card, and one horizontal 4x6 card. These cards are perfect for your pocket scrapbooking or digital layouts. A preview of my cards is below, and you can download them here. 

Here is a complete list of the blog hop participants. If you get lost along the way, head back to the Pixels and Company blog!

• Pixels & Company  
• Lynnette 
• Amy  
• Jenn 
• Linda 
• Laura 
• Barbara 
• Anna 
• Kelly 
• Mandi 
• Jen H 
• Erin << YOU ARE HERE
• Jen E.  
• Carey 
• Kat 
• Rachel 
• Nettie 
• Becca 
• Pixels & Company Forum

To kick off  iNSD, I have some digital inspiration for you. I am obviously on a one-photo-and-neutral-backgrounds kick. It might be time to branch out a little bit! The Bermuda Triangle kit has a fun color scheme (and no black or kraft!), and I hope to have time to play with it today. You can view my gallery here to see a list of supplies for each layout.

Jen E. is next on the hop! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful National Scrapbooking Day! 

#LegoMania | Digital Layout

For years, I have been buying Lego sets for the boys, but they haven't been interested. Sure, they open them up and maybe put a few pieces together, but usually the very expensive sets end up in one giant bin, and the firetruck/airplane/whatever is never actually assembled. 

Then we went to Lego Land in December. They boys loved every second of it, and they quickly put their new Lego sets together. A couple of months later we saw the Lego Movie in theaters, and Evan discovered the TV show Ninjago, and an obsession was born. 

Of course I had to document Evan's new hobby. I used a 6x12 inch digital template from Simply Tiffany Studios and elements from Karla Dudley's Life Story March & April kits. I usually create 12x12 inch or 8.5x11 inch layouts, and occasionally 8x8 inch layouts, so this was a fun change.

Jack is following in his brother's footsteps and received several new Lego sets for his birthday, too. I used my phone to take this photo of Jack. He is playing with his new Lego Juniors and Lego City sets. According to both Evan and Jack, Legos are the best. 

They boys are already looking forward to spending their summer playing with Legos.

Jack decided that Ninjago Legos are cool, but too hard for him to assemble. He likes the City and Juniors Legos the best.

Jack always gives me the "bad guy" to play with, while he is the good guy.

The best part about his new set? The jail where the bad guy has to go when he is naughty. 

Oh, how I love having little boys. And so far, ages 8 and 5 are pretty awesome. 

Digital Layout | Us

When we had our professional photos done in November, I really wanted a few pictures of just Mark and me. And I am so pleased with the results! This photo is especially sweet, and the Pillow Talk collection from Creashens was perfect for it. I also used a digital template from Scotty Girl Designs called Singled Out.

The next time I'm at Ikea I am going to pick up a frame for this layout... I love it. I love the photo (Katie Rosado Photography), the journaling, and the beautiful elements from Creashens' kit.

This layout, plus two more, are featured on the Scrapaneers blog today. Here is the link if you want to check it out!

Have a great week! 

Digital Layout | Mye's Hopscotch Project Life Kit

I had the privilege of working with Mye's new Hopscotch collection last week... a fantastic new Project Life style digital scrapbooking kit. Well, kits. She has created so many new products that coordinate, including templates, 2x2, 3x4, 4x4, and 4x6 cards, vellum cuts, flair, and many more!

I used one of her new templates and a handful of other Hopscotch products to create a layout with some cute photos of Evan. He has the sweetest smile... I just wish he would allow me to photograph him more often!

I haven't been in my office in almost a week (my Uncle is in town and I've been spending my evenings with him!), but that will change tomorrow. I have several new challenges I want to create cards for, plus two layouts that are "in progress" and need to be finished. I also need to use up my February Studio Calico kit before my March kit ships in a few days. I might resort to bribing the kids with extra xBox time tomorrow so I can get some work done!

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Digital Layouts | November Edition

Happy Friday! We had a l-a-z-y afternoon here. The boys watched Monsters University and A Bugs Life (oh how we love Pixar movies on our house!), while I did some scrapbooking. We can be so busy that sometimes it's nice to just relax and watch a good movie (or two!).

I have been busy creating layouts for the designers at Pixels and Co., Karla Dudley, and Scotty Girl Designs. It's been a while since I've posted layouts, and I have quite a few to share today. You've been warned... this is a photo heavy post!

Our sweet kitty, Lilly, is making a couple of appearances today. She is just so darn cute, and has a habit of being underfoot (or on the table, or in the cabinet, or on the couch, or wherever else I am. All. Day. Long.). She is a very social cat and manages to be photographed often. We have another sweet kitty, Gabby, who is skittish and anxious, so I only have only a few photographs of her... and non in the presence of our kids! They tend to overwhelm her. Gabby's favorite spot is sleeping behind the couch in the master bathroom closet (Mark's "man cave"). It's hard to photograph a cat who sleeps in the most secluded part of the house all day!

Anyway, when Lilly was just a kitten, she followed Jack around the play room, fell into the toy box, and was very mischievous. Jack adores her.

Up next is a layout featuring Evan and Jack, and their friend, Nick. Getting three boys, ages 6 and under, to sit still and smile at the camera is nearly impossible. But I actually like the goofy shots... these photos show the true personalities of all three kids. And I'm shocked that Evan is the one kid smiling at the camera in all three photos... with his good smile! Not his "I would rather be eating worms than smile for one more freaking photo, MOM!" look that I have been getting a lot lately. Sigh. But for now, I get these three adorable, and completely goofy, shots of Evan, Jack, and Nick.

Bikes! Our weekends now include lots and lots of bike riding. Evan and Mark riding to the school and back (9+ miles round trip!). Jack and Mark riding to the park (.5 miles round trip!). Jack falling and scraping his knee twice while walking his bike across the street. Oh yes. The tears. The wailing. The sheer agony my poor, wounded child was in. Yes, it was very sad and I'm sure his knee hurt. He was bleeding some and required neosporin and a band-aid or two, but his carrying on was something for the record books. Jack is a wee bit on the dramatic side (which is one of the things I love about him the most).

Flashback to Jack, circa 2011. Baby cheeks! Chubby hands! Curly, blond mop of hair! Man these kids grow up way too fast. And I love, love, love this photo of Jack. So much so that I might get it blown up and framed. He loves digging in the sand with his beach toys. And only wearing swim trunks. And in this photo, he is so excited the by bird/boat/plane he has spotted in the distance. I miss Jack @ 2 years old. But Jack @ 4 is pretty cool, too.

Now we are going w-a-y back in time. Specifically, 2006. I remember this day vividly. Mark and I really wanted a family photo for our first family-of-three Christmas card. We drove onto the WSU campus (which was 2 miles away), set up the camera on a tripod, and took 100+ photos to get the perfect shot. Which never actually happened. Evan was too distracted by the grass! And the people! And the shiny object to our right! to actually look at the camera. But it was a really fun afternoon. (And this photo makes me miss Pullman like crazy.)

Is there anything better for a kid than baking Christmas cookies with Grandma? According to my kids, the answer is no. And Jack is very fond of sprinkles. :)

The photo template is, well, perfection. I used 7 seriously silly photos of Jack with a few anecdotes about my favorite 4 year old.  

And we are back to cat photos. When I work in my office, Lilly likes to sit on my computer. Or in my box of inks. Or, even more helpful, on my printer. So finding her resting on the spare desk is a welcome change to her usual (obnoxious) ways.

The final layout I have to share features a trio of Jack photos, all adorable (if I do say so myself). In the center photo he has his favorite accessory of the year... his very first mohawk. It's actually a faux-hawk, but he was damn proud of it. And had no problem telling the stylist at Super Cuts when he walked in the door that he wanted "a blue mohawk" after his hair cut. And she sure delivered! Jack sported the look for two days and was devastated when we finally had to wash his hair.

If you've made it this far, thanks for looking! So many wonderful memories captured on these pages. 

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for stopping by! 

Pixels & Company DSD Blog Hop

Welcome to the Pixels & Co. DSD Blog Hop! 

First up, a quick tip for those of you who like to upload your layouts to different galleries. When I first started sharing my layouts in galleries, I had a hard time keeping track of all the different products I was using. I am the type of scrapbooker that likes to hop around between different kits, designers, and stores. I like to use a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Then I would try to upload my layout to a gallery and not have a clue where each product was from. It was so frustrating! I tried opening up a little sticky note on my desktop, but remembering to add each new product (and delete products that didn't make the page) was annoying.

A couple of years ago I realized I can simply add the designer and the kit name in the layers palette in CS6. Each time I open a new element/paper, I rename it in the layers palette to include the info I will need when I upload it to a gallery. Simple, fast, easy, and if I need to wait a few days or weeks to upload it (due to an assignment or delayed release), I can simply open the PSD file in CS6 and all the information is there. 

Here is a screen shot of a layout I'm working on right now:

 

This layout is for Scotty Girl Designs' new F-Stop collection, so most of the products are from her. I will admit that sometimes I do forget to update the layers palette with a new brad or tag, but for the most part, it works great. I hope you guys find this little tip useful! It has made my digital scrapbooking work flow so much easier. 

The P&Co. designers have created a gorgeous new collection to celebrate Digital Scrapbooking Day, called Piccadilly. I had the opportunity to work with this collection tonight and I've created a fun little freebie frame for you. You can download it here. 

And here is what my freebie looks like. Isn't the wood grain frame fantastic? And I love the transparent banner (both by Karla Dudley Designs).

And finally, I have a double page layout to share using a new release from Scotty Girl Designs called F-Stop. It might be my favorite Scotty Girl Designs collection yet! So versatile, and the colors are perfect for scrapbooking my two little boys. (And I think this might be my first digital 8.5 x 11, two page layout ever... and I love it. I must do it again soon!)

Next up on the hop is Sarah. And in case you get lost along the way, here is a list of all the designers:


Pixels and Company http://pixelsandcompany.com/blog/
Mandi - http://ryanmandi.blogspot.com
Jennifer H http://jenniferhignite.blogspot.com/
Anna - http://scrapownia.blogspot.com
Lynette - http://scrapping-is-life.blogspot.com
Mary - http://justus-photographyanddigistuff.blogspot.com
Becca http://beccanicole05.blogspot.com
Jen F http://jenflaherty.blogspot.com
Erin T http://erintaylor718.blogspot.com/
Sarah http://pinklimeproductions.com/
Jen E https://www.facebook.com/JensCre8tivity

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day!

Erin. :)

Digital Layouts | September

The first month of school is always a crazy-busy time for us, but I did manage to create a few layouts for the Pixels and Co. designers. I worked with current photos, but I also pulled out a bunch of older photos, too. I love looking back at photos of the boys from years ago... they have grown up so much! 

(Supplies - Patterned paper, flair, paper strips, journaling card, staple: (Laura Passage) Down By The Bay. Template: Karla Dudley.)

(Supplies - Template and kit by Karla Dudley Designs.)

(Supplies - Digital template, ombre paper, sticker: Deena Rutter. Stitching, tab, staple: (Basically) Mommyish. Alpha, other patterned paper: Karla Dudley.)

(Supplies - Karla Dudley Designs and Mommyish.)

 (Supplies - All supplies (except template) are Scotty Girl Designs. Template is Karla Dudley Designs) 

I have a few more layouts I need to create this month... luckily our schedule has evened out a bit this past week and I should have plenty of time to finish a few more pages. I love my three hours of freedom every morning. :)

Have a great week!

Digital Layouts | August 2013

Hey there! I am currently bundled up on the couch, Kleenex and ice water within reach as I fight a cold. Evan was kind enough to share. :)

I've had another busy month over a Pixels and Co., creating layouts for several designers. For the first layout I pulled out some photos from 2010: Jack's First Birthday. Look at those chubby cheeks and big blue eyes!

A couple of weeks ago I had the boys sit in the family room for a Christmas card photo. I know, it's early. But Shutterfly sent out a coupon code for free Christmas cards so I made it work. And I must admit, they turned out pretty well for an impromptu photo shoot. Rocket was lingering and in the way, so Evan pulled him in for a few pictures, too. Jack wanted to pose with Lilly and Gabby, but they aren't the pose-for-photos type of kitties.
 

The traditional first day of school photo of Evan. He is a 2nd grader this year and the first 8 days have been wonderful. The transition from summer to school was (fortunately) an easy one for all of us. 

And last but not least, a super cute Jack photo, enlarged to 12 x 12 with the help of a digital template.

I'm off to open another box of Kleenex and watch Grey's Anatomy reruns. Super fun Saturday night, let me tell you! 

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

Digital Layouts | Jack

Hey there! I hope everyone is having a great week. The kids and I are enjoying the final days of summer vacation... I can't believe they start school next week! 

I have a couple of new layouts to share using products from Pixels & Co (and both layouts feature Mr. Jack). The first layout uses Scotty Girl Designs' new Camp S'more kit. And that raccoon? Too cute for words.

(Supplies - Patterned paper, rub-on, stickers, alphabet, buttons: (Dawn By Design) He Creates. Template: (Scotty Girl Designs) Skyscraper template. Stitching: (Scotty Girl Designs) Swirly Stitches. Staple: (Mommyish) Basically.)

I need to place an order with Mpix soon to get some of these layouts printed and in my albums... I have made a ton of layouts in the past year! Not that I need to be "forced" to create, but having monthly responsibilities for Pixels and Co and two different designers definitely keeps me creating. 

 I'll be back tomorrow with a card for Fresh Squeezed Stamps. Thanks for stopping by!

Digital Layouts | July Edition

Happy Saturday, friends! I hope everyone had a great week. I have several layouts to share tonight using some fun new products from the girls at Pixels & Co. Most of these layouts I created while I was in Washington, using photos from our trip. I love that I have fresh photos and memories already scrapped. :)

(Template: Scotty Girl Designs Skyscraper Templates.)

(Papers, metal frame, tag, butterfly, heart, stitching, pearl: Scotty Girl Designs/Mye De Leon Everlasting Kit. Sequins, metal clip: Mommyish Basically kit.)

(Template: (Wild Blueberry Ink) Blueberry Seeds No. 3. Patterned Paper: (Gennifer Bursett) Scarlet Letter. (Mye De Leon) Easy Livin'.. Quote: (Robyn Meierotto) Snippets | Love. Eyelet: (Mommyish) Basically - Full kit.)

(Scotty Girl Designs: Walt's Park, Adventure, Frontier, and Swirly Stitches.)

(All supplies are Karla Dudley Designs. Kit: Mellow Yellow.)

(Using Wild Blueberry Ink's Just a Boy kit.)

 (Patterned paper, washi tape, tag, label, sticker, cardstock: Dawn by Design - Day Tripper. Staples: Karla Dudley - Digi Essentials. Wood star: Wild Blueberry Ink - Just a Boy. Blue star: Robyn Meierotto - Dude. Mist, stitched frame: Mommyish - Basically)

Now I just need to send my layouts off to Mpix for printing... I can't wait to see them in person! 

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by. :)

Traditional + Digital | Scrapbook Layouts

Hey guys! I have a few more layouts to share today... two traditional layouts and one digital. I am having so much fun working with my photos again! And of course using some fun product, too. Who doesn't love chipboard banners and cute little letter stickers and Thickers?!? 

But up first is a digital layout using MyeDeLeon's new kit: Carefree. I used a lot of elements from her kit (paper, banners, frame, doily, butterfly sticker, journaling card, and "having fun" sticker). I also used one of her new Page Blenders for the beautiful white frame. 

Up next is a CAS photos + journaling + washi tape + letter stickers layout. Super simple:

(Supplies - Washi tape (unknown). Letter stickers: (BasicGray). "create art" stickers: (Tim Holtz). Stamp: (Technique Tuesday). Tab: (October Afternoon). Other: Typewriter.)

I love using my old typewriter to create journaling for layouts. And it is especially convenient when I want to type directly on a journaling card (for project life). I use temporary adhesive to adhere the 3x4 or 4x6 journaling card to a piece of printer paper then feed it through the typewriter. Works like a charm! 

The last layout I have features our adorable kitty, Lilly. She was just a munchkin when Mark picked her up from the animal shelter (and only weighed 2 pounds!). She is much bigger now, tipping the scales at 10 pounds, and is still as cute as ever. And that chevron paper is one of my favorites... I love it! I don't have a detailed supply list for this layout because I completed it several weeks ago and I can't remember who made what, but if you have any questions leave a comment and I will do my best to answer them. 

Close up of the typed journaling: 

Awesome chipboard Thickers and cluster of elements on the top of the layout: 

I think that's it! I will be back tomorrow with a card (or two) if I can get into my office in the afternoon. My dad is in town to watch Evan play in his first ever soccer tournament so the next few days will be super busy. 

Have a great week!