Looking at Life 2

Summer Bunting Video Tutorial

2012-01-26T13:49:00.003+11:00

Here's a great summary of everything we are offering in the January edition of Digital Scrapper Premier. It may not be summer in your neck of the woods but we are sweltering in 30° with 98% humidity in ours. Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to sign up for all these wonderful downloads before it goes away at the end of this month. Happy scrapping!

Possibly The Best Fruitcake Ever

2011-12-17T18:18:00.005+11:00

Today was my day for getting into the festive mood. I wrapped the gifts, put up the decorations that Chloe wouldn't be able to reach and planned my Christmas lunch menu! Why oh why do they use tins of a size and shape that are so hard to find. I must have over twenty cake tins but do you think I have the correct size? So, I'll just have to improvise. I did however make a spectacular Christmas cake the other day which is called, (wait for it) "Possibly The Best Fruitcake Ever"from the Sunbeam Foods website. We've already eaten a quarter of it so I thought I'd share the recipe. It's seriously good!

POSSIBLY THE BEST FRUITCAKE EVER

Ingredients

500g Sunbeam Raisins
250g Sunbeam Pitted Prunes, chopped
250g Sunbeam Pitted Dates, chopped
125g Sunbeam Sultanas
125g Sunbeam Currants
200g glace cherries
1 cup rum or brandy
250g butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
4 x 60g eggs
200g dark chocolate
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/2 cup apricot nectar
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup SR flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Icing sugar for dusting

Method

Mix the dried fruit in a large bowl and add the rum (or brandy) and leave for a day or two.

Line a large tin (mine was a 25cm square tin which is 8cm deep. The recipe calls for a 23cm round cake tin) with a double layer of baking paper on sides and base. Wrap outside of tin with a double thickness of brown paper and tie with string. (I didn't wrap the outside)

Heat oven to 160°C.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until creamy, then beat in the eggs well, one by one. Add to fruit and mix well.

Melt the chocolate in a small pan over simmering water, or in the microwave for two minutes, then stir in the jam and nectar and pour over the fruit. Stir well.

Fold in the flour and cinnamon, and tip the cake mixture into the prepared tin. Smooth the top and tap the pan against the worktop to settle the contents and remove air holes.

The length of time for baking will depend on your oven. I have a fan forced oven and in the large square tin it took 2 1/4 hours but the recipe says 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from the oven, leave in the tin, wrap in kitchen towels and leave overnight.

Dust with icing sugar before serving. As I said, it's seriously good and it's not too late to make it for Christmas!

A Stitch In Time Video Tutorial

2011-12-08T16:47:00.000+11:00

Here's my second video for December! Creating your own stitching is so much fun and it doesn't take that long! With my directional brushes and special layer style textures you can stitch on a path, create messy stitching, do zigzag, create loose threads and so on. It's a smorgasbord! So click on the blinkie at the top of this blog, join Premier at Digital Scrapper and you'll be able to download four videos, the beautiful Christmas Lights kit from Julie Billingsley and a 20-page template album - ALL at a HUGE discount to the normal store price. They are exclusive to Premier Members until the end of December after which you'll find them in our Digital Scrapper store.

Cool Clusters Video Tutorial

2011-12-04T12:09:00.001+11:00

Julie Billingsley is our guest designer for December. She has created a gorgeous Christmas kit which I couldn't wait to get started on. I recorded two videos this month and this one called, Cool Clusters will help you figure out how to use all those cute accents for a floral art inspired page. So click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Premier our monthly subscription service. You'll be able to download the kit, a 20-page template album and four how-to videos. If you would like to see the album just click HERE to see it as a page-turner on Shutterfly.

Tearing It Up Video Tutorial

2011-11-08T16:18:00.003+11:00

It's a man's world here at Digital Scrapper this month! This beautiful kit by Manuela Zimmermann was very inspiring for all of us who produced how-to videos and the album. You can view the album, beautifully designed by Jen White, with photos from Sharon Maughan, here on Shutterfly. My video is called, Tearing It Up. I show you how to create a fabulous torn edge and apply it to paper and photos. In fact, torn edges are so useful you can apply them to papers or frames from any kit. If you would like to download this kit, the 20-page Quick Album and the 4 videos, just click on the blinkie at the top of this blog, sign up for Premier and join in the fun.

Center Stage - Video Tutorial

2011-10-07T22:50:00.000+11:00

This month's Premier kit and album is designed especially for the person behind the camera. We make pages and albums about our friends and family but rarely do we showcase ourselves. So here's an opportunity to tell everyone about you. The team at Scrapper's Guide all joined forces to create one or two pages for each of our categories - enough to fill a 20-page album which you can view HERE on Shutterfly. It's beautifully designed by Carol Gilmour with a kit by Taylor Made called, 'Me Personally'.

Apart from the kit and album we've created four video tutorials. Mine is a designer page video called, Center Stage! I give you some great tips on how to give your photo star billing!

To download all these goodies before they disappear at the end of October, you must click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to go to our website and join Premier, our monthly subscription service.

Ten Tips For Photographing A Baby

2011-09-20T14:52:00.001+10:00

I never realized just how difficult it would be to photograph a baby until I began taking photos of our new granddaughter! They are either crying, dribbling, have a runny nose, a rash or a toy right in front of their face. Then just when you think you have a good pose, there's not enough light (and you're forced to use a flash), the background is too busy or their their outfit has stains all over it. Lets face it, most of us don't have a photo studio with the perfect backdrop or a showpiece home. So here are a few tips that I've learned along the way.

1. Position the baby (if she/he will sit) facing the window so they have natural light on their face.
This is easier to achieve before they start crawling.
2. Give them something to hold that will distract them so they don't go looking for something else.
3. Lie down on the floor in a position where they have to turn their head slightly to look at you.
4. Play peek-a-boo with the camera! (I took 60 shots while playing this game)
5. Experiment to get the camera settings just right and then concentrate on taking the photos.
(You'll miss the perfect shot if you're constantly fiddling with the dials)
6. If you have clutter in the background, as most of us do, use a wide aperture (lower f/stop). This will not only blur the background but because it lets in more light, it will allow you to have a faster shutter speed.
7. It's easier to fix a photo that is slightly underexposed rather than overexposed. If you're having trouble getting a perfect exposure, go for minus number rather than plus number For example in Manual Mode it will either say -3 or +3 or a higher number in either direction.
8. Set your camera to sequential shooting. This means that while the shutter button is depressed it'll take multiple photos.
9. Always take a moment to focus on the eyes.
10. Babies will not cooperate if they are hungry, thirsty, have a wet nappy, are tired, or missing Mum and Dad! Happy snapping!

The settings I used for these photos are:
Manual Mode
f/5.0
Shutter speed 1/80
ISO 400
Center weighted Metering
Lens: 50mm f/2

Fast Lane Travel Album Video Tutorial

2011-08-12T21:16:00.000+10:00

Back in 2006, Carl and I had a magnificent holiday in Tasmania. It was expensive and wonderful! When I arrived home I transferred all the photos to my hard drive and then basically forgot all about them. Does this sound like you? In this Designer Page video tutorial I take you step by step through the process of organizing your travel photos and getting them into a Shutterfly album super fast! That's why it's called, The Fast Lane. I had this photo book printed and the result is fabulous. Back in 2006 I was using a very basic digital camera. It's hard to see how I could have improved on the quality of the photos if I had owned my Olympus Digital SLR then. If you would like to view this video you need to sign up for Digital Scrapper Premier by clicking on the blinkie at the top of this blog to go to the Scrapper's Guide website.

Adaptable Acrylics Video Tutorial

2011-08-04T21:54:00.000+10:00

If you like using acrylic accents on your scrapbooking pages then you're going to love this video called, Adaptable Acrylics. The Acrylic Layer Style is provided with the video and I teach you lots of beautiful ways that you can apply it to create marvelous effects. Don't worry if you don't know how to install it in your version of Photoshop Elements. I give you a link to the instructions BUT I also provide you with a psd document containing the layer style that you can just copy and paste to your page. It's that easy. This month's theme is travel and our Premier members receive a gorgeous kit by Susan Bartolini and 16-page album designed by Carol Gilmour. Adaptable Acrylics is just one of four how-to videos that come with this month's goodies! Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to sign up and join in the fun!

Crazy Patchwork Heart Video Tutorial

2011-07-05T13:49:00.000+10:00

Here's a really fun video tutorial for this month's anniversary theme. I used to do traditional crazy-patchwork and it translates beautifully into digital scrapbooking. It certainly helps when you have such a lovely kit work with as this one called, A Legacy of Love by Kristin Cronin-Barrow. Head off to Scrapper's Guide by clicking on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Premier so you can download this and three other beautiful tutorials. You will also receive the kit as well as a 16 page Quick Album with front and back covers. Linda and Charlie Sattgast, recently celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary so we had some gorgeous photos to work with.

Going Graphic Video Tutorial

2011-06-04T21:17:00.000+10:00

Peppermint Granberg, known as One Little Bird, creates beautiful kits! When I asked her to design a Birthday kit for our June issue of Premier I just knew it was going to be spectacular. It's always exciting to open a new kit and start playing around with papers and accents. Graphic design is one of my favourite styles of scrapbooking. So I've created a video to teach you how to make a page just like mine. If you click on the blinkie at the top of this blog and sign up for Premier, you can download this kit, 4 videos and a stunning 16-page album that is Shutterfly all ready to drag and drop your birthday photos into. See you there!

Memory Book Video Tutorial

2011-05-08T11:08:00.000+10:00

Oh, how I love heritage pages. I've been looking forward to May Premier because it's all about recording family history. Our Quick Album this month features my grandmother's story of her life and was beautifully designed by Carol Gilmour using our featured kit this month called, 'Recollection' by Joanne Brisebois. This page is from the video tutorial I have created called, Memory Book. You'll learn how to extract a book from the background, remove the writing and turn it into a journaling mat. There are some great tips on photographing and scanning your own book but I also provide this one for you to practice with. You can see the whole quick album here on Shutterfly and if you like what you see, then join Premier this month by clicking on the blinkie at the top of this blog. It's as simple and as easy as that. Happy Mothers' Day, Grandmothers' Day and Great Grandmothers' Day!

Filed Memories Video Tutorial

2011-04-18T22:32:00.001+10:00

I love the look of file tabs on photo masks because it gives you a space to add a caption. In this video tutorial you learn how to create this folder style page including the folded pocket. The file tab is included with the lesson in the Extras Folder. If you sign up for Premier this month you'll also learn how to create this cute designer paper clip to match the kit. It's the extra tidbit in the Premier Newsletter. Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Premier and download this lesson before it disappears at the end of April.

Credits:

Photos – Linda Sattgast

Papers and Accents - Family Together kit by Lauren Grier - April 2011 Premier

Fonts: FFF Tusj and FG Jayne Print.

Textured Overlays Video Tutorial

2011-04-02T11:35:00.000+11:00

This beautiful, whimsical kit by Lauren Grier of Sweet Shoppe Designs is our featured kit for April Premier Members. In this new video I teach you how to create several different types of overlays from the papers and elements in that kit that you can use as brushes or png files to decorate your page. Overlays are so useful because they help to add layers of complexity to your pages. Join Premier now by clicking on the Blinkie at the top of this blog to download the kit, a 20 page template album and four tutorial videos.

Potted Plant Frame Video Tutorial

2011-02-06T17:14:00.001+11:00

This beautiful kit by Leora Sanford is just perfect for creating an album about your home. For celebrating your garden, I have a video tutorial on making these cute little frames that look like potted plant labels. If you click on the blinkie at the top of this blog and join Premier, you'll find the kit, album templates and 3 other tutorial videos. Have fun!

Dear Diary Overlay Video Tutorial

2010-12-16T23:14:00.000+11:00

In this video I take you step by step through the process of creating an overlay that you can use repeatedly for each new week of the year. Sometimes we forget to take photos regularly but with this type of pictorial diary the process is less daunting. It's a bit like a Project 365 but less work. Hop along to Scrapper's Guide before the month is finished to pick up this and 3 other video tutorials along with Micheline's beautiful kit and the 20 page Quick Album.

How To Make A Calendar On Shutterfly

2010-12-09T10:49:00.000+11:00

Check out the Digital Scrapper Blog HERE to watch my free video on how to create a Digital Scrapbooking Calendar on Shutterfly.

4 Seasons Shutterfly Quick Album

2010-12-08T21:03:00.002+11:00

We're a month ahead of ourselves! It's time to reflect on the year that's passed and get all those photos organised into an album. So we came up with the 4 Seasons theme for our December Album of the month! This time it's my turn to provide the photos. Jen White, Digital Scrapper Album Designer "extraordinaire" has put together a fabulous book from a stunning kit by Micheline Martin.
Lucky Premier members have already downloaded this kit, album and 4 videos which I'll tell you about over the next few weeks. In the meantime if you want to join in the fun, all you have to do is click on the blinkie at the top of this blog and sign up for our monthly subscription service.
That way you get all the goodies immediately. Quick page albums are Shutterfly-ready and require minimum work to put them together. You can choose from flattened png quick pages or layered templates for more flexibility. Check out the album HERE ON SHUTTERFLY.

Christmas Comes Early

2010-11-07T15:47:00.000+11:00

Last year Linda and I visited Pittock Mansion in Portland, Oregon. It is without a doubt the most stunning historic home I have ever seen.
Every year volunteers decorate the rooms with a Christmas theme. There are Poinsettias everywhere, even lining the exquisite staircase!
I've used several video techniques featured in this and past premier months to create this page. Don't forget to check them out at Scrapper's Guide.

Kits: Christmas Past - Scrap Kitchen, Seaside Vacation - Digital Scrapper Designs
Postcard - Graphics Fairy
Video Tutorial Techniques: Digital Watercolor Painting - Jan Walker
Beautiful Blending - Susie Roberts
Tattered Edge Overlays - Susie Roberts
Vintage Photo Frames - Linda Sattgast
Photos: Susie Roberts and Linda Sattgast
Fonts: Mutlu, CK Frankfurt and Times New Roman.

Designer Page Video Tutorial - A Hole In One

2010-10-21T12:31:00.000+11:00

Alignment and centering is one of the trickiest techniques in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements.

In this lesson I show you how to use the alignment functions in both these programs to accurately center and align objects with each other.

At the same time you learn how to create this cute story-board template.

The kit I've used is from our current Premier month - "At Home" by Paislee Press.

To find this video and kit - click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to find out more about how to sign up for Premier.
You can purchase the videos and kits separately in the store BUT as a Premier member you receive a 70% discount.

Folded Photo Frame Video Tutorial

2010-10-15T22:28:00.000+11:00

Here's a frame with a difference! I just love this stunning kit called, Thankfully by Krystal Hartley. It's the second of two kits featured in our October Premier issue.

In this video you'll learn how to make a folded photo frame exactly like this one.
Join Premier now to download this and three other videos as well as our Shutterfly-ready quick album templates.

Pocket Your Thoughts Video Tutorial - How to make a negative sleeve pocket.

2010-10-08T14:38:00.000+11:00

This month we were extremely lucky to feature two designers for our Premier members. Paislee Press is well known for her classy, minimalist style. This stunning kit called, At Home is so versatile that you can use it for any theme. In this video, I teach you how to make this beautiful negative sleeve pocket which you can use to show off journaling strips or any other little accents that take your fancy. Sign up for Premier to get all the goodies at 70% off the store price.
Just click on the blinkie at the top of this blog and follow the prompts.

Babies Everywhere!

2010-09-17T13:35:00.000+10:00

September is our baby month! Personally, I am surrounded by babies at the moment. We are going to be grandparents for the first time in November and many of our daughter's friends have just had babies too. This beautiful kit by One Little Bird is our featured kit for September, available for current Premier Members, along with a gorgeous album to celebrate baby's first year. Premier members have two weeks to download it at 70% off before it goes into the store at the normal price. Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join and download all the September goodies.

Simple Circles Video Tutorial

2010-08-26T20:39:00.000+10:00

Here's a really useful design template. Are you one of those people who have trouble getting those pesky stroke outlines to line up when you place photos in a circle? In this lesson I show you a quick and easy way to end up with equal spaces all the way around. It's just a matter of thinking outside the square! These adorable school photos were taken by my colleague, Andrea Graves of Scrapper's Guide. This is her son, Sam. There are only a few days left until the end of the month to download this and three other video tutorials before they disappear into the store at the normal price. So save 70% and join Premier now by clicking on the blinkie at the top of this blog.

Kit: Colab with Digital Scrapper Designs, Jen Allyson and Holly Designs. Fonts: Print Bold, Learning Curve Pro and Collegiate Heavy Outline.

Tattered Edge Overlays Video Tutorial

2010-08-08T17:43:00.000+10:00

Ever wondered how designers create those gorgeous shabby edges to make papers and photos look old?
In this video you'll learn the technique from start to finish. I even show you how to apply the technique to a frame.

August is our "Back To School" month at Scrapper's Guide so we have two beautiful kits - one whimsical and one shabby to cater for all tastes.
They are collaboration kits with Jen Allyson and Holly Designs. Tattered Edge Overlays make a great addition to any shabby style kit.
Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Premier and download both kits, an 18 page "Back To School" Shutterfly friendly template album AND 4 video tutorials.

Beautiful Blending Video Tutorial

2010-07-21T12:00:00.002+10:00

Have you ever wondered how to achieve a seamless blended photograph?
In this video I demonstrate how to blend photos with background papers to make beautiful digital paper and how to cover up the sharp edges using masks. My album, Scrapper's Guide Team Retreat, is full of blended pictures. It's one of my favorite scrapbooking techniques. I also used it to create most of the papers in the Seaside Vacation kit. So if you'd like to learn more about blending then join Scrapper's Guide Premier before the end of July!

Weathered Wood Video Tutorial

2010-07-18T16:01:00.000+10:00

This month is all about summer. Even though it's winter where I live, you wouldn't know it. Carl and I went to the beach yesterday and kids were swimming and frolicking about in shorts and T Shirts. It's just so warm.

In this lesson you'll learn how to create the look of distressed painted timber. It makes great digital paper. So join Premier now to download this and a heap of other goodies. The kit I've used in the video is by Eva Kipler who designed our whimsical July kit called Beach Bound.

Seaside Vacation Album At Scrapper's Guide

2010-07-02T12:12:00.000+10:00

July Premier is out! This is a "Behind the Scenes" peek at our Scrapper's Guide Team Retreat vacation last December. Scroll down to the bottom of this blog to see the whole book as a page turner at Shutterfly. We have created a template album to download if you would like to create one just like it. Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Premier and download two kits, an 18 page layered template album and/or flattened png quick page album plus 4 video tutorials. To complete your own version of this album you'll need to watch the one called, "Beautiful Blending". That way you'll be able to place your own landscapes on the background pages.

Center Of Attention Video Tutorial

2010-06-27T11:16:00.000+10:00

I really love simple and elegant pages. In this video you'll learn how to create this layout using a magical extraction method without having to do all the work. You'll also learn a few tricks about creating stroke outlines around photos that aren't uniform in size and get some great tips on making word-art.
Premier members get this video as part of their subscription but after the end of June it will only be available in our store at the normal price.

Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to find out how to join Premier.

Wedding Digital Scrapbook Kit

2010-06-13T11:07:00.000+10:00

Digital Scrapbooking Kits specifically designed for weddings can be hard to come by. At Scrapper's Guide we've created an elegant kit and full, 20 page template album that's Shutterfly-ready to make scrapping your family wedding super easy.

Premier members automatically received this kit as part of their discounted monthly downloads. But if you aren't a Premier member then you need to go and check it out before it goes into the store at the normal price. Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to pop over to Scrapper's Guide and see what's on offer for June. We have four wonderful videos, and a 20 page layered template album as well as a flattened quick page album to save you most of the work. Our motto is "Get It Scrapped". We make it so easy to get that wedding album on to your coffee table in the shortest possible time.

Calling All Angels

2010-06-02T12:51:00.004+10:00

Every now and then you come across an Angel (or two)! Angels are people who share their resources and techniques with the rest of us just for the love of it.

I took a detour from my usual scrapbooking duties to search for vintage images that I could freely use in my design work and came across an angel site called, The Graphics Fairy. Karen, who owns it, along with a beautiful antique store, uploads new vintage graphics on her blog every day. They are scanned at a high enough resolution to be used for all types of art, craft and scrapbooking projects both personal and commercial. Two of her fans also own an antique store and they made these adorable little lavender sachets from graphics downloaded from her site. Clara and Marcela from Nice and Easy Antiques, were kind enough to share with me their techniques for printing the pattern onto the fabric. So I spent several hours yesterday shopping for supplies and making my lavender sachets.

You'll need to open the images in Photoshop first and extract the design. Open the Levels dialogue box and move both the end sliders towards the center to make the white whiter and intensify the black. Use the magic wand to select the white area, then go to Select > Inverse so only the black is selected. Press Ctrl J (Mac: Cmd J) to copy the black outline to its own layer. Create a new file the same size as your transfer paper and drag the extracted design on to it. If you like the blue, change the foreground color to Hex: #21217A and with the design layer selected, press Alt, Shift, Backspace (Mac: Option, Shift, Delete) to fill the pixels with blue. Repeat with as many designs as will fit on your paper, keeping in mind that you may want to transform the size up or down depending on the size you want your finished graphic to be. The other thing to remember is that any wording must be reversed. Use the Transform tool and flip the layer horizontally.

I used Epson Transfer paper to print my graphics and I cut them out as close to the edges as possible.
Then I simply followed the instructions that came with the paper to iron them on to some white cotton muslin. I made four which I just sent off my my sister-in-law for her birthday and have several more ready to go. They make such a beautiful gift and a wonderful lavender fragrance is wafting through my house. Thank you, Karen, Marcela and Clara for sharing! You truly are angels!

Photo Journaling Video Tutorial

2010-04-29T10:41:00.000+10:00

There are so many things to consider when taking photos of an occasion. Most of the time we're so worried about getting our camera settings and focus right, we forget about composition. Invariably we come home without that elusive shot. The title, "Photo Journaling" is scrapbook-speak for photo journalism. In this lesson I give you a valuable formula on how to always come home with the perfect shot so that you can tell your story in pictures without the need for a detailed written description. Let's face it. Some of us are just not writers.

There are only a few more days, as a Premier Member, to download this and 3 other video lessons before they disappear into the store at the normal price. Premier Members receive a 70% discount. Click on the Scrapper's Guide blinkie at the top of this blog to join up NOW to take advantage of the huge savings on the current Premier downloads. If you're wanting to take your scrapbooking skills to the next level, then Premier Membership is a "must have".

Blueberry Muffins

2010-04-22T22:48:00.002+10:00

I know the recipe says Blueberry Muffins. But you'll probably detect other berries here as well. Yes, you can also use mixed berries instead.
In New South Wales, where I live, fresh berries are very expensive. Our climate is just too warm. So I usually buy Creative Gourmet frozen berries and they work very well in this recipe and are about one quarter of the price.
This is another of my fail-safe, totally delicious and very moreish recipes that I'm sharing with you in the month of April. Click on the recipe card to see a larger image.
Enjoy!

Ginger Sponge Cake

2010-04-20T10:50:00.003+10:00

Now this is a really delicious sponge cake. For those who are mystified by Golden Syrup, it's like Treacle but not quite as dark or as thick. Here's the Wikipedia explanation if you want more information. Mixed spice is another ingredient that might stump you but you'll find that it's just a mixture of common spices. This cake is rich and moist and although it's yummy when it's freshly made and still a little warm, it does become even more moist the next day.
Don't even go there if you're on a diet. But this is a party!

By the way, this is another recipe page from the Sentimental Sweets Template Album which you can purchase at Scrapper's Guide.
Just click on this page to get a larger view to copy and paste to your computer.

Cute Cutouts Video Tutorial

2010-04-16T11:41:00.004+10:00

It's Party Time at Scrapper's Guide. This month's Mother's Day Recipe Album, called Sentimental Sweets, is full of cute shapes. There are lots of teapots, coffee pots and cookie jars. In this video I teach you how to create your own cutouts using Mary's doodles as a guide. Shapes make great journaling mats. So click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Digital Scrapper Premier so you can download this and three other videos. The videos will be available in the store but it's much cheaper if you purchase a membership. We're having a recipe exchange and a huge competition where you can win a free Shutterfly Album of your favorite recipes. You only have two weeks as the competition closes at 9am on May 1st. Read all about it HERE!
Kit: Sugar and Spice Kit by Digital Scrapper Designs.
Fonts: Brandy Wine and Cochin.

Chocolate Coconut Slice

2010-04-15T09:52:00.001+10:00

Since this month is all about favorite family recipes I made one of my favorites yesterday called, Chocolate Coconut Slice.

If you click on the scrapbook page it will be big enough for you to read the recipe and copy and paste it to your computer.

Mary Newman and I had a lot of laughs about the differences in how recipe instructions vary between the USA and Australia. She's American and I'm Australian and we're both on the Digital Scrapper Design Team at Scrapper's Guide. Mary drew all the beautiful doodles in this month's kit.

When she started reading my recipes in the album the questions really started coming. What's Icing Sugar, Desiccated Coconut, Caster Sugar etc? We realized that some people would have absolutely no idea what these ingredients are.

So here are a few translations:
Icing Sugar = Powdered Sugar
Icing = Frosting
Method = Instructions
Desiccated coconut = Finely shredded coconut.
Caster Sugar = White sugar but the grains are much finer.
Self-Raising Flour = All purpose flour with 3 teaspoons of Baking Powder added.
This is a recipe my mother used to make for us when we were children and I still make it regularly today. It contains no eggs, and is very quick an easy to make if you have unexpected visitors. We make a lot of these slice style biscuits in Australia and I'll share more with you in the coming weeks. Enjoy!

Mother's Day Recipe Book Album

2010-04-04T09:14:00.007+10:00

This is a huge month for me. At Scrapper's Guide we created a collaborative kit by the Scrapper's Guide Design Team and a beautiful Mother's Day Recipe Book Album. Although Mother's Day isn't till May, this will give you a whole month to create the album with your favorite family recipes. There will still be time to have it printed by Shutterfly to give your mother or grandmother on the special day.
There has never been a better time to join Premier at Scrapper's Guide. Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to grab this mega kit and a 16 page album including front and back cover. You have the choice of flattened png quick pages or our usual layered quick pages to give you more flexibility with design.

February Layered Quick Pages At Scrapper's Guide

2010-02-03T14:19:00.000+11:00

This month's kit is by Amanda Rockwell and is full of love. Very appropriate for Valentines Day.
It's still summer here so my pages are beachy and full of the beautiful bright colors we see in the kid's beach towels these days. I've made 3 text paths that you can use on any page. That's the beauty of layered quick pages because everything is separate.

To download Amanda's kit and the full album the Creative Team have made for you, just click on the blinkie at the top of this blog and sign up for Premier. It's that easy.

Victorian Journaling Frames Video Tutorial

2010-01-13T22:06:00.001+11:00

In this lesson I teach you how to create these beautiful, old world journaling stamps. There are hundreds of free fonts with decorative corners and borders that you can use to create a unique frame. You'll also learn how to extract engravings from papers and elements to use on your frames. To join Scrapper's Guide Premier, click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to download this and 3 other video tutorials before the end of January to take advantage of the 70% saving.

January Layered Quick Pages At Scrapper's Guide.

2010-01-03T13:16:00.001+11:00

Christmas is over and we've hit the ground running, ready for 2010. And it's going to be a big year with lots of exciting new kits and video tutorials for our Scrapper's Guide Premier Members. Stephanie Ogren is our January Designer and she has come up with a really pretty, old world kit that looks great with black and white or vintage photos. Our Creative Team members have all been inspired along these lines so the Quick Album we've created is great for scrapping those old photos that have been sitting in shoe boxes. To find out more about Scrapper's Guide and how to become a Premier Member, just click on the blinkie on the top right hand side of this blog.

Fonts: Castellar, Desdemona, Edwardian Script ITC, Book Antiqua, Lainie Day SH.

Quilted Designer Page Video Tutorial

2009-12-23T11:55:00.002+11:00

Just two days to go before Santa calls. This is my last video for 2009 for Scrapper's Guide Premier Members. When you become a Premier Member you receive a discount of 70% but it will still be available to purchase separately in the store in January at the normal price. As designers we often have favorite pages that we have created during the year. I have to say that this is one of my favorites. The design is very versatile. If you turn it around it suits a portrait style photo as well. In this lesson you learn how to make those cute little gifts and a shredded gold bow. This kit by Diane Rigdon is very pretty and I loved working with it. I added some gold stitching and a seamless gold foil pattern to the downloads so you have everything you need to re-create this page.

We have some wonderful new videos and kits coming up in 2010. Premier Membership only costs $8.99 per month. So if you're looking to take your scrapbooking to the next level, don't delay. Click on the Scrapper's Guide blinkie at the top of this blog to learn more. A very merry Christmas and a happy new year to all.

Christmas Layered Quick Pages At Scrapper's Guide

2009-12-10T06:18:00.004+11:00

I'm late posting my Christmas pages because I've been in Portland, Oregon enjoying the wonderful hospitality of my mentor and friend, Linda Sattgast, the owner of Scrapper's Guide. When I first discovered digital scrapbooking, I purchased Linda's original tutorial CD and taught myself from the easy to follow, bite size lessons which made learning this wonderful art form so easy. Let me tell you, there is no better way to learn than with your own personal, tutorial instructor right there on your computer screen, leading you step by step through the lessons. Linda's latest DVD for Photoshop Elements 8 is out now. There is six hours of tuition and a beautiful kit with a Layered Quick Page Album to make your next photo book simple and easy. Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to discover the world that I found just four short years ago. Hey, it's Christmas! When a loved one asks you for your gift suggestions, why not start right here.

Strokes On Steroids Video Tutorial

2009-11-19T20:07:00.008+11:00

Have you ever had trouble with stroke outlines? Sometimes those unusual shapes can be a bit challenging. In this video I'll teach you how to keep the corners sharp and retain the integrity of the shapes. For Photoshop users I also cover how to create a dotted stroke outline on a path. Just click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Scrapper's Guide Digital Scrapper Premier to download this and 3 other videos. You'll also receive a full 14 page album with front and back covers and a beautiful kit by Jill Means. See you there.

Wedding Album

2009-11-06T17:48:00.007+11:00

I finally finished Jaime and Fiona's wedding album. We decided to let the photos shine so it has minimal scrapbooking elements. Most of the photos in this book are by "Precious Memories" who did a superb job and worked very hard on the day. The rest were taken by yours truly and other family and friends. Just scroll down to the bottom of this blog to see a link to the book where you can view it online at Shutterfly. I can't wait to see it in the flesh!
Credits: Clean and Serene papers by Jessie Edwards, Brushes by Katie Pertiet, Anna Aspnes of Designer Digitals and Ancient by Green Eyed Butterfly.
Diamonds and Glint Brushes from December issue of Scrapper's Guide Premier for 2008.

November Templates At Scrapper's Guide

2009-11-03T11:33:00.005+11:00

It's that time of year again. Getting together with friends and family for the festive season means you'll have dozens of precious photos to scrap. It's photo overload at my place especially when my siblings and I decide to have Christmas together. This month's kit is described as a graphic design style kit. Graphic Design generally means limited or no drop shadows and few, if any, 3D embellishments. That's great news for scrapping large numbers of photos quickly. At Scrapper's Guide we've come up with a fabulous 14 page album for you to scrap all those celebratory photos quickly. This month's kit, by Jill Means, will compliment any photo. Drop by Scrapper's Guide and check out the other Creative Team Album Pages by clicking on the blinkie at the top of this blog. Better still, join Scrapper's Guide and download all the goodies in this month's Premier download. There's so much more to come.

Creative Shape Design Video Tutorial

2009-10-28T14:00:00.004+11:00

This is my last video for October and you only have a few days left to download it as part of Digital Scrapper Premier before the November issue is released. After that it will only be available in the store at the normal price. I love playing with vector shapes. In this video you'll learn how to cut a rectangle in half to make way for a circular frame, thread string through a hole and wrap text around a shape. There are two videos, one for Photoshop and one for Photoshop Elements. I've also created a couple of text paths for you to copy and paste to your finished page.
Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Scrapper's Guide Digital Scrapper Premier to get this and three other tutorials along with the kit and album templates.

Corner Page Curl Video Tutorial

2009-10-14T17:20:00.003+11:00

Page curls are wonderful for revealing hidden treasures. In my latest video tutorial you can learn the secrets of using the Dodge and Burn Tools to create a 3D effect. Once you have created the perfect shaped curl, you can use it as a clipping mask for other papers. So you only have to create the shape once. Click on the Scrapper' Guide link at the top of my blog to join Premier so you can download this and three other video tutorials.

October Templates At Scrapper's Guide

2009-10-02T17:29:00.005+10:00

Although it's now Fall in the USA, in Australia we are celebrating the return of Spring. This is my favourite time of year because I take the opportunity to go out and photograph our beautiful native flowers. On the Central Coast, where I live, we have an abundance of exquisite wildflowers all through the bush, even Waratahs. These photos were taken in a hall at the Mt. Penang Spring Garden show where the light was quite poor. I avoid using the flash because it ruins the natural colours. I use spot metering, an ISO of 1600 and sometimes even increase the exposure to +0.3 or +0.7. You would be amazed at how this lightens a dark photo before you even start working on it in Photoshop. The quick fix in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements is to press Control/Command L to bring up the Levels Dialogue Box and move the right hand slider towards the centre and then the middle slider to the left slightly as well. Instantly your photo will lighten as much as you want.

One of the problems with using an ISO as high as 1600 is that it creates "NOISE". The noise will also be more noticeable when you lighten a dark photo. Noise looks like black specks. To clean up noise, download the free filtering program called "Noiseware". The download is on the right hand side of this blog under the heading "Freeware Programs I Use". You can use it independently of Photoshop or pay $50 and buy it as a plug in that will end up in the Filters menu after it's installed. I used the free version for quite a while but when I upgraded to CS4 I purchased the plugin so I can do everything without leaving Photoshop. It is without doubt the best free program on the web. I use it constantly, even for cleaning up old photos that look grainy. It makes all your old photos look like they were taken with a digital camera.

This month's kit by Susan Bartolini of Sweet Shoppe Designs is gorgeous to work with. I just loved it. We have four exciting new videos for our Digital Scrapper Premier Members to download and the full Quick Page Album for you to get a head start on your October pages.
Just click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join Scrapper's Guide.

Graphic Design Video Tutorial - Offset Squares

2009-09-30T22:12:00.006+10:00

This is the last week of our Scrapper's Guide September Premier issue before it's replaced by October. My last video for this month is a lesson on creating a simple, graphic art style page using the grid.
In this lesson you will learn how to crop and align photos accurately for a storyboard and use patterned paper as a background for an accent. In a few short days you will only be able to purchase this video through the store at the normal price. Premier members save 70%. Click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to join. See you there!

Pen And Wash Video Tutorial

2009-09-10T17:16:00.003+10:00

Would you like to learn how to create the look of Pen and Wash in Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements? Sign up for Scrapper's Guide Digital Scrapper Premier by clicking on the blinkie at the top of this blog to download this and three other wonderful tutorials. These cute alphabet cards are just the beginning. Don't miss out on all the fun!

September Templates At Scrapper's Guide.

2009-09-04T10:19:00.005+10:00

This month's kit from Gina Miller is so versatile that you'll have trouble deciding what to do with it. No you won't really! Because we do all the hard work for you. So many Quick Page Templates to choose from, not to mention four lovely new video tutorials to get you started on new techniques. If you have ever wondered how to use the Gradient Tool then wonder no more. Linda and I have created two tutorials specializing in creative ways to use Gradient techniques to make accents for your pages. There's also a great tutorial on how to make coloring book drawings from your photos and another on designing a graphic art style page. If you click on the Blinkie at the top of this blog you'll be able to sign up for Premier and get everything right now!

My title, "All Boy" was created using a simple technique I call "Offset Alignment". I've used the free font, Mom's Typewriter. Type the words with a point size of 150 and choose a color that matches your papers. The Hex code for my green is #5c4d00 and I've lowered the opacity of my layer to 55%. Control/Cmd Click on the type layer thumbnail to get a selection outline, create a new layer, then choose Edit, Stroke, choose 5 pixels and black for the color. With the Move Tool selected, nudge the stroke layer down and to the side a few pixels with your arrow keys to that it's offset against the words.

The other Fonts: Karabine and Century Gothic.

White Space Design Video Tutorial.

2009-08-26T15:42:00.006+10:00

If you would like to learn how to create this White Space Page Design, you can watch my Video Tutorial on the technique. All you need to do is click on the blinkie at the top of this blog to register for Scrapper's Guide Digital Scrapper Premier. Then you'll be able to download this and three other videos on creating Vintage Photo Frames, A Grid of Nine Template and Do It Yourself School Portraits. Not to mention the fabulous kit and an entire Quick Page Template Album. It's never been easier to get started on scrapping all those photos.

August Templates At Scrapper's Guide

2009-08-03T11:17:00.009+10:00

This month's beautiful kit is called Bloomin Beauty by designer, Anja Schernau (Sunflowers).

You can see more of her beautiful work at Pickleberry Pop. It made me feel all summery creating the templates with a garden theme. This month I made my album cover look like a real book with stitched corners. To make my papers look worn and creased, I copied and pasted some creases and marks and blended with the background. So here's how you do it.

Open an old, creased postcard with imperfections. Use the Lasso tool to draw a selection outline around a crease and feather the selection by 5 pixels. Copy the selection to a layer above your paper and change the blend mode to color burn, multiply, linear burn or soft light. The blend mode you need to use will depend on the color and texture of the papers. You can also lower the opacity of the blend mode layer if it's a little too strong. Now the crease or mark will look like it belongs on your background paper. I used Linda's folded paper from the January 2009 Premier Video kit for the large creases.

I am very happy to announce that I have become a video instructor for Scrapper's Guide. My first Design Video is called, "White Space Design". You'll need to join Premier this month to see it though. So click on the blinkie at the top right hand corner of this blog and become a Premier Member.

Fonts: Miss Lankfort, Jellyka St Andrews Queen, fff Tusj, CAC Shishoni Brush, Chocolate Box Decorative and Desdemona.

July Templates At Scrapper's Guide

2009-07-03T11:10:00.006+10:00

This beautiful kit by Michelle Coleman of Little Dreamer Designs for the Premier members at Scrapper's Guide was perfect for my summer photos taken last December. I love the graphic art look at it is so easy to create if you turn on the grid in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Choose View from the Menu Bar > View > Show Grid. If you also turn on the snap feature you'll find that your selections are drawn to the lines like a magnet. Choose View > Snap To > Grid. I turn my grid on and off constantly so (for Photoshop users) I use the shortcut, Press Ctrl/Cmd and the Apostrophe key. It is a little hard to see your layout if you leave the grid showing all the time so I just turn it on when I want to position photos and papers accurately and have them line up. To sign up for Premier just click on the blinkie on the top right hand side of this blog.

Fonts: fff Tusj, Susie's Hand, Didot and Zapfino.

June Templates At Scrapper's Guide

2009-06-04T15:32:00.012+10:00

Double Page Spread

Album Cover

Another beautiful kit for the Premier members at Scrapper's guide. This masculine kit was designed by Veronica Spriggs and is perfect for scrapping pages about the man in your life.

I've given my photos a distressed look by adding a grunge overlay by Linda Sattgast of Scrapper's Guide. It was a bonus download with her wonderful Tutorial CD for Photoshop CS3. Rather than create the perfect rounded rectangle with the shapes tool, I've used an old rounded postcard as my clipping mask for the photos. It makes them look a bit more realistic if they're a little rough around the edges. In keeping with the distressed feel of the page I've used a great font called Downcome. Again I used a clipping mask to merge the font with two of the beautiful papers from Veronica's kit.

Other fonts: Petra Script, LD Telegram, Mom's Typewriter, CK Frankfurt, Palatino Linotype and Old Script.

Happy Birthday Katie

2009-05-14T11:40:00.003+10:00

It's our dear daughter's birthday today. She's such a treasure.

Credits: Katie Pertiet - My Memories Quick Page, Alpha -Botanist No 16, Stitching - Botanist No 13, Extra Frame - Vintage Photo Frames Curled and Flat, Digitally Pressed Petals No 3.
Font: Olicana Smooth.

May Templates at Scrapper's Guide.

2009-05-04T11:31:00.019+10:00

There are so many extras for all those lucky Premier members at Scrapper's Guide this month. Because our templates are layered, you can mix and match the elements to your heart's content. Each month I try to come up with something a little bit different so that our members have more things to play with than what is provided in the kit and the video tutorials. I've made a thought bubble with a scene inside, a negative sleeve pocket with some little journaling tags and a big text path that can be used in either PS or PSE. This month's kit, called "Recess" is by Heather Roselli of Sweet Shoppe Designs. She is such a talented designer and I really enjoyed working with these beautiful papers and elements.

You might like to know how I created my thought bubble. Have you ever had a good look through all of the custom shapes available in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements? The thought bubble is one of them. So, here I've used it as a frame. You can put anything inside it such as journaling, a photo or do as I have done and create a little scene. Heather provided so many beautiful elements that it wasn't hard for me to put this scene together but... how did I get it all into the bubble?

First of all you need to click on the shapes tool in the tool box and click the custom shape. When you go to the options bar and click on the down facing arrow, you'll find all the shapes available there. Scroll down to find the bubble and click on it. Make white your foreground colour and click and drag out the shape on your page, holding down the shift key to constrain proportions. Right click on this layer in the layer's palette and choose, rasterize shape. Now it will be a regular pixel based layer. The next step is to begin creating your scene. As you add the elements they will each be on a separate layer. This is a good time to resize them to the proportions you want. Don't worry if they don't seem to fit the bubble yet, that comes later.

When you have everything resized and repositioned, select all the element layers and merge them together so they are all on one layer. There are two ways you can place them in the bubble.

The first way is to create a clipping mask. With the elements layer above the bubble, position your mouse between the two layers and press Alt/or Option on a Mac. When you see the two circles that appear, click. Now your scene falls inside the perimeter of the bubble. You can still resize and move it around to get it just right because it is on its own layer. You can resize both layers together with the transform tool or independently of each other. Once you're happy with everything, merge the two layers together to make it permanent.

Now for the second way you can put your scene into the bubble. Prepare your scene like before and then merge together so it is all on one layer. Position it so that it fits your bubble roughly but there will still be overhanging elements. Control/Command and click on the layer thumbnail of the bubble to get a selection outline. Now target the scene layer. Go to Select in the menu bar, choose Inverse to select everything except the bubble shape and press the Backspace/Delete key. This deletes all parts of the scene that are outside the bubble. Now merge the two layers.

The last thing I needed was an extra little cloud leading down from the bubble. The shape only provides two. With the rectangular marquee tool, click and drag a selection outline around the little cloud and press Control/Command J to duplicate the layer. Drag the new cloud into position and resize to make it smaller than the one above it. Now merge the two layers together.

Last but not least, don't forget you can flip your bubble as well to suit your photo. Press Control/Command T to bring up the transform outline. Right click inside to bring up the sub-menu and choose "flip horizontal". Now the bubble is facing the other way. Have fun!

Credits: Fonts - Pencil Pete, Tall Drink, Ma Sexy, ck_Ali's Hand, Century Gothic and Century School Book. Photos for Beach and Bubbles, Nicole Young.

A Vintage Journaler for Easter.

2009-04-05T10:37:00.007+10:00

April must be my vintage month. Everything I'm working on seems to have the vintage feel. My sister has been patiently waiting for me to get started on Emily's baby album so here is the title page. As a special Easter treat I'm giving away the "Once upon a time" journaler as a freebie for you to download. Katie Pertiet is the master of the vintage look so I made these little additions to go with her "Once upon a time" kit which, along with a few others, will be the basis for my pages. I've always been a huge Beatrix Potter fan so I've used images from Jemima Puddle Duck. They are so soft and feminine. Don't forget, every highlighted word is a link.
Credits: Lynn Grieveson: Papers from Love Letters Kit and Worn Page Edges No 2. Katie Pertiet: Overlays - Letter Box Clusters, Hooks - Letter Box Seamstress kit, Stamp & stitching - Once upon a time kit, Buttons - Botanist No 7 kit, Deckled Edge Photo Frames Vintage, Photo Wraps No 4. Shabby Miss Jen: Ribbon bow - French Attic kit.
Fonts: Chocolate Box Decorative and CK_Becky

April Templates at Scrapper's Guide

2009-04-04T11:51:00.007+11:00

Double page spread.

Album Cover

I have a real soft spot for heritage layouts so this month's kit called "Memories" by Vera Lim was the perfect inspiration I needed to start scrapping these old photos of my mother's family. As a special bonus for Premier Members I've created two page curls that can be used on any layout. That's the beauty of layered templates.

It was my turn this month to create the album cover so in keeping with my heritage look I decided to use the brown paper background. My grandmother is the little one in the front so this photo would have been taken in 1900. The photo on the back is her grandmother at seventeen who was born in 1842. She had thirteen children, twelve of whom survived. They were hardy souls back then. No fuss, no nonsense. They just got on with it. I asked my grandmother once how she coped with being widowed in her forties, never to remarry and she said, "It's a good idea not to think too much." I have to keep reminding myself of those words of wisdom.

Thomas the Tank Engine - Creating a fun layout.

2009-03-14T19:40:00.007+11:00

Back in August I wrote a post on a card I made using a Thomas the Tank Engine background. One of my readers asked me if I would write a detailed tutorial on this layout and I was only too happy to oblige. But, I've gone one step further. I've written two tutorials, one on this layout and one on how to make a card from it. To see the card, click here. To download the Thomas the Tank Engine background, click here.

This month at Scrapper's Guide, the Premier members have been treated to a wonderful tutorial by Linda Sattgast on how to extract hair. If you become a Premier member before the end of March you can download this tutorial and learn how to magically select hair from a background. Have a great weekend.
Credits: The fairy and tag are from Katie Pertiet's "Fairy Dreamer Kit". The fonts are: Two peas - Well Behaved and Susie's Hand.

How to create a Shabby Chic background.

2009-03-11T12:34:00.017+11:00

One of my favourite scrapbooking techniques is blending photos and papers with textures to create an interesting and unique background. I took this photo in my sister-in-law's garden at Christmas when all her roses were blooming. Paul Grand is a master at blending photos, so you should check out his blog and have a look at some of his creations.

Paul provides free textures for you to download at Flickr. You'll need to click on "more sets" to find them all. To create this look I used a gradient mask to blend my roses photograph with Katie Pertiet’s pink background paper and then blended two of his textures, cracked paint on stone and cracked door paint with my gradient layer. Here are the instructions for my technique and my roses photo if you would like to use that. You will need to download the textures directly from Flickr but if you’re not a member you may have to sign up first. Just click on the links that I have provided above, right click and choose, "Save As". Choose a location on your hard drive and click okay.

I would love to see what you create. If you would like to show me your work, email me with a link to your page. Don't forget, a little love goes a long way. If you like my tutorials, leave me a smile or two.

Credits: All Designer Digital products - Hipster Plumes No 11, Gumdrop Baby Kit, Amelie Kit, Photo Wraps No 4, Stacked frame from HDTDT No 17. Font: Scriptina

March Templates at Scrapper's Guide.

2009-03-05T21:22:00.006+11:00

I have had such a busy month with wedding preparations I have not had time to post. But now that it's all over I can get back to my usual routine! This month's kit by Eva Kipler is very sunny and bright. I know that it's cruel for those of you in the Northern hemisphere to have to read about swimming and Christmas in the same sentence but for us down under, it's a tradition. Our Christmases are hot, hot, hot! If you haven't already explored the possibilities of becoming a Scrapper's Guide Premier Member, then do drop by and have a look. The value has to be seen to be believed! Here is my double page spread for this month with the added benefit of being able to place all the elements on your page individually. They are layered templates. See February's post to get the low down and watch the videos on how to use them. They are much more flexible than the flattened quick pages. I have some new and exciting techniques to tell you about soon but in the mean time I hope you enjoy these pages. Just click on the images to get a closer look.

Fonts: CK Becky, Adobe Garamond and CK Journaling Condensed.

February Templates at Scrapper's Guide.

2009-02-06T12:21:00.006+11:00

To celebrate the month of “LOVE” I have created two new templates for the Scrapper’s Guide Premier Members as part of this month’s quick page album. The kit for February is called “Rule my world” by Irene Alexeeva. Just click on the images above to get a closer look.

It’s a beautiful kit with deep drop shadows already built into the elements so I found it a lot of fun to work with. If you don’t already know, we are now producing layered templates instead of quick pages so that you will have total flexibility with the pages you create. Watch Linda’s latest videos for Photoshop Elements and Adobe Photoshop to see how easy these new templates are to use. It is pure magic! She also shows you how to adjust your templates for pages that are not the traditional 12 x 12 inches. For the Elements video, click here. For the Photoshop video, click here.

The burned effect that I have created with my type on the Hessian background is very easy to do. Use black as your foreground colour when you type your words and then change the blend mode of the type layer to “overlay”. The blend mode you use may vary depending on the background paper of course so you can experiment. Do you know that you can toggle through blend modes easily? Click on the blend mode “Normal” at the top of the layers palette so it is highlighted in blue. Now press the down arrow key on your keyboard and watch how your type changes with each blend mode. It’s just more Photoshop magic!

Credits: Scrapper’s Guide Premier kit “Rule your world” by Irene Alexeeva
Fonts: Stencil, Lainie Day, Travelling Typewriter and L D Telegram.

Wedding reception place cards.

2009-02-02T09:57:00.003+11:00

Jaime and Fiona's wedding is only a few short weeks away so I thought it was time to make the place cards now that we have a definitive list of guests. The easiest way to do this in Photoshop is to make the individual place cards first and save each one as a jpeg after changing and re-centering the name. Then place them on an A4 size page. Here are a few tips if you are going to attempt a project like this.

Work out what size you want the place cards to be and how many you can fit on the page size you're using. I made mine 9cm wide x 8cm high at 300 dpi. They fold in half to make 9 x 4 cm. You can fit six on an A4 page so I'm only using about 9 pages. The guest's name should be dominant for obvious reasons. After all, it is a place card and after a few toasts their eyesight could be a bit hazy! I played around with different designs but felt that this one complimented the invitation. I also put a 1 pixel, pink stroke outline on a new layer over the top to make the edges more defined.

To do this, create a new layer, Control+ Click on the paper background layer thumbnail to get a selection outline and move back to your new layer. Make sure the colour you want to use is the foreground colour chip. Go to Edit, Stroke, choose 1 pixel and inside for the location. Click okay.

To center each name after you have retyped it, use the rectangular marquee tool to click and drag out the defined area for centering. Click on the Move Tool and choose the 2nd option "align vertical centers and then the 5th option, "align horizontal centers". If you don't define the area first, it won't work.

After making 50 or so individual cards, create your new A4 size file at 300 dpi and open six of the cards. Drag each one onto the new page, closing them as you go. If you have the "snap" feature checked (see the View menu), they will be drawn to each other like a magnet so it takes only a few seconds to position them. Just leave enough of a border around the edge so no clipping occurs. Use a guillotine to cut them out. The whole project, including the design, only took about four hours with minimal cost. In the current climate, we're all after that!
Credits: Anna Aspnes "Fancy Love Kit", Fonts: Arno Pro, Beautiful ES, Perpetua Titling, and Elegant.

Flash makes me squint.

2009-01-20T15:53:00.006+11:00

I know that sometimes it's absolutely impossible to get a decent photo without using the flash. Houses can be notoriously dark inside, especially older ones with smaller windows. However there are some things you can do to avoid having to use the fill flash, as I have done here to this poor child. First of all, remember that photography is all about light. A camera needs light, like we need food! So rule number one is to take command and position your subjects as close to a window as possible. Rule number two is to change your camera settings if you can, to accommodate a low light setting. Change the ISO to 800 or higher, use spot metering and if possible, increase the exposure compensation to +3 or +7. Read your camera manual if you don't know how to do this. Obviously a slow shutter speed will let in more light too but that can result in blurring if your subjects are moving around. When all else fails, the only thing to do is turn on the flash. If your subject is outside and half of their face is shaded, turn the camera so that the flash is facing the shaded side. This will help to even out the light.

Circles make great journaling spots. Just use your elliptical marquee tool to click and drag out a circle from your chosen paper, holding the shift key to constrain proportions, and copy to your page.

Credits: Free kit by Anna Aspnes " Something Springy" and Simple Torn Edges. Katie Pertiet: Little Bits Alpha, Tied Fastners No 2.

Fonts: Tall Drink and CK Becky.

Make your own calendar.

2009-01-10T17:37:00.006+11:00

Making a calendar is not as time consuming as you might imagine. I made the size eight inches square instead of twelve so that I could print it out on A4 paper. I used a box calendar template for each month and just added my own special occasions. I printed an 8 x 8 inch layout on the back of each one so I have a lovely scrapbook page for each month. You could showcase all the pages you have created during the year or create a special page for whoever has a birthday that month. May is Katie's month (mine too but she's more important). For the cover, I have made a year in review page with a photo from every month from the previous year. Just remember that when you print out your box calendar, you need to flip it over so that the scrapbook page is facing the right way. I used Epson's double sided matt heavy weight paper and my "Zutter Bind It All" to hold it together. If I were you I would also put a little dot on the top of the pages where you want to punch a hole. I forgot and had to measure and do it later. It would have been much easier if I had centered a circle in Photoshop first on each page.

Credits: Background paper - Scrapper's Guide January Premier kit by Amanda Heimann. Year in review template No 3, My Memories Quick Page ,(from our class kit) Digitally pressed petals No 3, May Alpha from Botanist No 16 - Katie Pertiet. Days and Months Hand Drawn Brushes - Ali Edwards. Box Calendar template by Kellie Mize of We are storytellers. Fonts: CK_Ali's Hand (see right hand side link under free fonts, Olicana Smooth and Susie's Hand.

Stretching photos to fit.

2009-01-07T11:24:00.006+11:00

I keep forgetting to mention to my students about the Designer Digitals chats. So I thought I'd do a post on it and include a little tutorial for you to download on "Stretching Photos". The chats at Designer Digitals are very good value because, not only do you get to meet some of your fellow scrapbookers, you also receive a freebie from the store in the form of a download link while the chat is in progress. I took part in Cassie Jones "How do they do that" tutorial yesterday which was on the topic of using layer masks in Photoshop Elements. Although I already know how to do that I still like to take part and pick up a freebie. For any of you who don't know how to fake a layer mask in PSE, just scroll down the right hand side of this blog to find two tutorials on it by other people. The layout here is the one I created after the chat using the free mini kit that was included in the download. Cassie is a great teacher. You will be able to purchase this lesson in the DD store for future reference. It is called "How do they do that No 17 PSE Layer Masks".

Here are a few helpful hints when taking part in the chats, especially for those who are in different time zones. When you register with the DD website your personal time zone should be displayed. If you click on "Chat" follow the link to the Chat Schedule and this will bring up the calendar of the current month. If you live in Australia, for example a chat scheduled for Monday 10 pm will show up as Tuesday with the time changed at the top to 1pm which is our time here in Sydney. This works sometimes but not always during daylight saving. If you log in at 1pm as I did you'll find that it wasn't due to start till 2pm. Lots of other people signed in early too. Here's how to overcome the problem...

Firstly, click on the chat on the calendar you want to take part in and request a reminder for this event. I always choose 4 hours ahead of time. You'll receive an email reminding you that it's imminent.

The next step is to go to the Time Converter for New York (which is Eastern standard time in America), put in the details of the chat - ie Monday 5th January 10 pm - and do a conversion to your own city. You need to check this every time because daylight saving can be very confusing to work out.

When you go to the Chat page you need to login with your user name before you can enter the chat room. There are options there for changing fonts, colours, your avatar, etc. It is best to stay with black, standard fonts so that people do not get confused with the designer's instructions which will be in colour and bold type. Cassie always provides a PDF tutorial as part of the download so you don't have to try and remember all the instructions.

Obviously the time is not always going to be particularly convenient wherever you live especially if it takes place at 3am but there's no reason you can't login ahead of time, with a connection that doesn't drop out, and check the chat history when you wake up. It will all still be there.
Have fun chatting!

Credits: HDTDT No 17 (yet to appear in the DD store) Cassie Jones. Papers and frames by Katie Pertiet from the tutorial and Photo wraps No 9. Fonts: Kayleigh, New Pooh, Forelle and Carlotta.

Rounded rectangles and using the stroke command.

2009-01-04T12:52:00.011+11:00

Happy New Year everyone! To kick off January 2009 I’ve created two more quick pages for the Scrapper’s Guide Premier Members from the kit by Amanda Heimann called “Come Out and Play” made exclusively for Scrapper's Guide. I just love working with bright colours and my reading theme was perfect for this month. Some of you may know that I support the “Read Every Day” program at my local primary school. I love reading so much that I couldn’t bear the thought of a child not having the same opportunity to develop a love of books. To some children it comes naturally but others need help. If you have the time, the inclination and the opportunity to assist at your local school by listening to children read, I can assure you that you that the rewards are far greater than the effort required.

This is my niece, Emily on her first birthday. Notice how engaged she is! My sister reads to her children every day and has done so since birth. It’s never too early to introduce a child to books. Mem Fox is one of my favourite children’s authors. The words around the photo on the left are some of her “Ten read-aloud commandments”. Do visit her website for she is a very inspiring writer. Now I'll get off my soap box and give you a few scrapbooking ideas. Click on the image to get a closer look.

These layouts are very simple to create and here are a few tips.

To put a stroke outline around your alpha:-

Make sure that black is your foreground colour. Select your alpha by Control+clicking on the layer thumbnail to get a selection outline. Go to Edit, Stroke, choose 5 pixels and inside for the location. Click okay.

To create the rounded rectangle, stroke outline journaling frame:-

Click and drag out a rounded rectangle shape with a radius of 100 pixels and rasterize the layer. Create a new, blank layer above it. Control+click on the rounded rectangle layer thumbnail to get a selection outline and then click back on the new blank layer. Go to Edit, Stroke, choose 5 pixels, black for the colour and outside for the location. Click okay. Now delete the original rectangle layer because you were only using it as a guide. Now you have a stroked rectangle to use as a frame for anything you like.

The fonts I have used for this layout are: CK Ali’s Hand, Weirdo, Arno Pro and Century Gothic
These last two fonts came with Windows XP.

Jessica Sprague's Daily December Template

2008-12-10T16:15:00.008+11:00

One of the templates I used in my Christmas Recipe Book (featured above and below) was Jessica Sprague's Daily December Template. If you have been looking for this template kit then you need look no further. The wonderful thing about layered templates is that you can clip your own papers and photos to every layer. Place your paper above the layer you want to group with and hold down the Alt key while you hover between the two layers. When you see two little circles, click the mouse button. The template layer will now be filled with your photo or paper. See how differently my page turned out using Jessica's template. I changed the orientation for a start. Go to Image, Rotate Canvas, choose 90 degrees clockwise to get my orientation. Did you also know that you can save individual template layers as a new file? This means that you can use elements in a template on another page without having to open the template again. For example, select Jessica's little tree stickers layer, right click and choose, duplicate layer. A new menu will appear. Under destination, click on the down facing arrow beside the box with the document name and select "new". Type a new name for the file and click okay. The tree stickers will now open in a new file the same size as the template. To reduce the size of this file, go to image, trim and click okay when the next dialogue box opens. Now the tree stickers will fill the frame. Save as a .png file so it will remain on a transparent background and use less file space.

All the credits for this book are available to view in the Shutterfly Featured Book post so I won't repeat them here. However, there is one more little trick I want to tell you about. See the "O Christmas Tree" sentence? That comes from a lovely overlay by Katie Pertiet, called "Worth Repeating Holiday Brushes-n-Stamps". When you open that overlay you have the same sentence repeated over and over in different fonts. If you only want to use one line, use your rectangular marquee tool to select it and copy and paste to your scrapbook page. Select the colour you want with the eyedropper, highlight the sentence layer and press Alt+Shift+Backspace to fill with the foreground colour.
So why did I do this instead of just typing the sentence myself? This particular font, called Olicana Smooth, is 45.00 English pounds. Yes, you heard me right! It's one of my all time favourites and Katie uses it a lot. Isn't it true that the more expensive something is, the more we covet it? The other fonts I've used here are, Carlotta and Santa's Sleigh and Susie's Hand.
Happy Christmas everyone!

Wedding Invitation.

2008-12-06T10:21:00.005+11:00

My son is getting married in February and they asked me to design the wedding invitation. I am going to create the wedding album for them also as a gift so we decided to theme the whole thing. I took Fiona for a stroll through the DD store to choose a kit and she fell in love with Anna Aspnes "Fancy Love" kit. Hmmm! I wonder why? This is their finished invitation with the words of Shania Twain's "From this moment" which is the song Fiona's going to walk down the isle to. I know this is not a traditional invite but it's exactly what they wanted. So here it is.
Credits: Anna Aspnes - Fancy Love Kit Font: Jane Austin.

Jotters.

2008-12-05T11:05:00.004+11:00

I thought you might like to see some of my jotters since I've attacked them with the "Zutter Bind It All". It works really well and I'm very happy with it. If you want to create a little inset heading like the "Shopping" jotter, this is how you go about it.

Create a new layer and click and drag out a rectangle with the rectangular marquee tool. Don't deselect. Use your eyedropper to pick up a colour from the background page to use as your foreground colour. Use the paint bucket tool to fill this selection with that colour. Don't deselect. Now go to Edit, Stroke, choose 5 pixels, inside for the location and choose a contrasting colour for the stroke. Click okay. Now you can deselect and type in your heading with the type tool, using the same stroke colour. Easypeasy!
Credits: Home Away From Home freebie kit from Jessica Sprague. Hullaballoo kit from Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs (used to be a freebie but I'm afraid I can't find it anymore, sorry).

Scrapper's Guide Creative Team

2008-12-04T23:28:00.006+11:00

I am very happy to announce that I have joined the Scrapper's Guide Creative Team. Each month I will be creating a double page spread from the Digital Scrapper Premier kit as part of a quick page album. The December kit has been designed by Kristin Cronin-Barrow and it's called "Silver Bells". I can highly recommend signing up for Scrapper's Guide Premier because, not only do you receive a beautiful kit each month with a fourteen page quick album but Linda Sattgast also provides several video tutorials. It's very good value. I have been a Scrapper's Guide fan and premier member for several years.

I had so much fun creating this double page spread for the December quick page albums. These two pages are a celebration of a wedding we had in October. My daughter, Katie was a bridesmaid.

My journaling reads:

"Cheryl and I met at pre-natal class when we were six months pregnant with our daughters, Corinne and Katie. They were born just six days apart. The girls were close friends as they grew up together, attending the same kindergarten and schools. Their friendship has never wavered. Corinne was the first to tie the knot and asked Katie to be her bridesmaid. The speech Katie gave at the reception, brought the house down as she recalled the escapades they got up to over the years. Wade is a very lucky man to have claimed this beautiful girl for his bride."

Credits: Papers and embellishments from the Silver Bells kit by Kristin Cronin-Barrow.
Fonts: Old Script, Garamond Premier Pro and DB Fleuries.

How to create contact sheets of your kits.

2008-11-29T12:57:00.005+11:00

I have always been a bit lazy about backing up selectively. In other words, I just tend to back up everything regardless of whether I'm backing up the same kits over and over. I have found it easier than going through my folders and working out what's new. That can work in theory but what about when you decide you want to delete some stuff. How will you know where to find it again when you want it? I have decided that enough is enough and I'm not going to do this anymore. The first thing I realised I had to do was catalogue everything I have, by printing out contact sheets. Before you shudder at the thought of all that paper for the hundreds of items in your stash, why not try this?

Most kits you download have a preview photo. This shows you everything in the kit. You can make a contact sheet of all the preview photos of your kits by opening them all on your desktop first.

Secondly, if you have just downloaded a new kit, you can make a contact sheet of everything in the kit. You may want to start doing this from now on.

To make a contact sheet in Photoshop, go to File, Automate, Contact Sheet II. A new dialogue box will open, giving you some options. First, decide what you want to appear on the contact sheet. It will either be a folder on your hard drive that you will navigate to or the current, open documents on your desk top. Next you need to type in the size of the page you're printing and the resolution. Some people like to make CD/DVD case contact sheets, but since I keep my discs in a 3 pocket plastic sheet in a folder, I put in the A4 sizes at 300 dpi. You can also choose how many columns and rows, the font and font size. If you are choosing a folder from your hard drive you may want to click, "include sub folders" as well because some kits come with about two or three folders. On the right hand side of the dialogue box you will see how many images are going to be included and how many contact sheet pages will be generated. Click okay and watch your contact sheet come together in record time. You'll probably want to print out the kit contact sheets in colour but for files like overlays, brushes and templates, black and white will be fine.

I print it out and include it with my back up disc. From now on, keep a list of newly downloaded kits and make a contact sheet straight away. The only regular backups you'll have to make are your project files. The benefits are two-fold. Not only will you not keep backing up the same stuff over and over but you can see what's in your kits when you're planning your pages without having to open all the folders on your computer. I'll bet you find some things you never knew you had.

Credits: Katie Pertiet - Bontanist No 13 (our class kit) The kit needed two contact sheets but I've only put one of them here.

Quick Christmas presents.

2008-11-21T11:35:00.014+11:00

I've been trying to come up with some ideas for little Christmas gifts that I can make easily for my family. Jotters, notebooks, shopping lists, etc make great gifts that you can put together with a minimum of fuss and time. I began with an 8 inch x 8 inch page at 300 dpi and created two jotter covers side by side. It saves paper because you just cut them in half when they're printed. I used Jessica Sprague's mini brag book as my original template (great if you're short of time and ideas) because they are the right size. Once you have created your two covers, printed and trimmed them, you need to create a cardboard backing and some plain white paper inserts. I've made a template with cutting guides for you to download here. You can use it as the basis for your covers too if you like. Print the template out on plain paper for the inside pages and on cardstock for the backs. I know it's a bit tedious cutting all that paper but you can probably cut several sheets at once. I'm putting 20 pages in each notebook.

Next, you need to work out how you're going to bind them. There are lots of ways to do this with ribbons or rivets but I like the wire binding so I purchased a Zutter "Bind It All" machine from Lincraft. If you want to use the small 3/8" (10mm) Owires you need to make sure you get Version 2 which has a spacing bar attachment. The older version only uses the larger 5/8" (20mm) wires which can look cumbersome on small booklets. With the spacing bar, you can punch your holes closer to the edge.
Credits: Kits: Fly kit, Rag Doll paper pack and Tied Fasterners No 2 by Katie Pertiet. Fonts: Scriptina, Chocolate box and 1942 Report.

Using blend modes for backgrounds.

2008-10-30T10:49:00.008+11:00

I often use blend modes with papers and photos to create an interesting background for a scrapbook page. To create this card for my brother's 50th birthday, I searched Google Images to find a suitable "horses and hounds" photo and some cute fox hunting illustrations that would work well with my design. I always do an "advanced search" for the highest resolution images. Choose extra large from the dropdown list. It looks complex but it's not really. I used the pink, textured background paper from Shabby Miss Jen's French Attic kit and then changed the Hue/Sat so that it was a slightly desaturated green color. Press Control+U to bring up the Hue/Sat dialogue box (or use an adjustment layer) and change the Hue to +42 and the Sat to -7. These settings suited my photos but you may need different settings for yours. I placed the photo on the layer above my textured paper, changed the blend mode of the photo to color burn and then erased the areas of the photo that I didn't want with a soft eraser brush at 50% opacity. The photo of my brother is on the next layer above with a blend mode of darken. Again, a different blend mode might suit your photo. Rather than extract his head from a photo, which can take a while, I just put the cropped photo on top and erased the sections I didn't want like before. When you use a blend mode, many areas of the photo disappear anyway so there is not much erasing to do. The last thing to add on that side of the card is the photo frame. It really is that easy.
Credits: Textured paper - Shabby Miss Jen, French Attic Photo Frame: Katie Pertiet - Deckled Edge Photo Frames
Fonts: Chopin Script, Hana and Kunstler Script.

Face Swap Tutorial

2008-10-10T15:32:00.013+11:00

How many times have you taken a group photograph, only to find that someone blinked or looked away just as you pressed the shutter? When I take group photos I always use the sequential shooting mode which is available on most digital cameras today. This means that your camera will continue to fire off photos while you hold down the shutter button. If you want to take that a step further you can use the bracketing mode, which will take three photos at different exposures, so you have a choice. You'll see the problem that I had when you look at the photos above. My dear brother and his family were having lots of fun, horsing around while I was trying to get a good photo in fading light. Fading light means you need to use a slow shutter speed to get a decent exposure without the flash. Slow shutter speeds result in blurring if people are jumping around. I had two photos which both had problems. Linda Sattgast from Scrapper's Guide wrote a wonderful tutorial on how to do a face swap in July 2007 so I have put a link to this tutorial here. This is one of the benefits of signing up for the Scrapper's Guide free newsletters. I just knew this was going to come in handy one day. I took my sister in law's face from the first photo and placed it in the second photo via the face swap method and voila... I have a photo I can use.

Credits: Treasure template (part of your free kit when you sign up for my digital scrapbooking classes), and all other elements by Katie Pertiet of Designer Digitals. Font: Olicana Smooth. (not free but stunning) A similar one that is free, CAC Shishoni Brush.

Shutterfly Featured Book

2008-10-03T09:45:00.013+10:00

A few weeks ago, Shutterfly interviewed me for a story on my Christmas Recipe Book (read the entire book at the bottom of this blog). The story is now "live" and can be viewed on their website here. They will be featuring it on their home page from mid December.

Credits: This kit, Botanist Notebook No 17, from Katie Pertiet of Designer Digitals is one of my favourites and compliments the Christmas embellishments beautifully. Check out the Holiday Trees and Star Gazer Flourishes Brushes and Stamps too, and see how I used them throughout the book. The recipe pages are from a beautiful template by Kellie Mize. Kellie has joined wearestorytellers and you will be able to purchase her templates from January 1st. In the mean time she has some freebies there for you. The little tree on those pages comes from a mega Christmas kit by Shabby Miss Jen, called Tree Trimmin Party. I did use Jessica Sprague's Daily December Album template for some of the pages. It's free.

Flora Festival

2008-09-14T18:16:00.002+10:00

I went to the Mt Penang Flora Festival today and spent an hour photographing the beautiful wild flower arrangements. To create the background paper I ran my flower photo through the water colour filter and then used a gradient mask to blend it with the doily paper. This is my great grandmother, Florence Baynes.

Credits: Doily paper - Fran Seiford from the Scrapper's Guide Feb 07 premier kit.
Katie Pertiet - Photo wraps 4 and vintage post card. (I cut the hole in it).
Lyn Grieveson - Buttons recoloured from Love Letters Kit.
Font: Palace Script MT.

Father's Day

2008-09-03T11:30:00.005+10:00

One just has to do a Father's Day layout considering it's almost upon us. Here I've used my favourite new kit from Katie Pertiet called, Fly. Another great idea for torn edges is to use them on journaling strips. Once you've put a torn edge on a piece of paper and merged the two layers, just use the marquee tool to select a rectangular shape and copy it across to your page.
Fonts: 1942 Report and Petra Script. Torn Edges by Anna Aspnes

Making Cards

2008-08-31T16:18:00.010+10:00

Jessie's still flavour of the month because it's her third birthday. She's obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine so I decided to give her a train ride. I selected her out of a photo and placed her on the train carriage with a drop shadow. For the back of the card I chose a matching blue as my foreground colour and white as the background colour. To get the same effect, go to Filter, Render, Clouds. Each time you do this the cloud formation will be different. Click on the image to get a closer look.
Credits: The fairy and tag are from Katie Pertiet's "Fairy Dreamer Kit". Get the Thomas the Tank Engine photo here for free. The fonts are: Two peas - Well Behaved and Susie's Hand.

Pretty in pink.

2008-08-24T14:45:00.008+10:00

Our advanced digital scrapbooking class starts soon so I thought I'd create a page using two of the papers you will learn to make. The pattern maker is a fabulous way to create digital paper and this gingham design is a good example. The background paper is so quick and easy using my grunge overlay and I've added a spring flower overlay created by Rene Bross. Adding a torn edge is another class project and it looks great on any paper. The course outline for the advanced course includes, Making digital papers like those you see above, collage papers using ephemera, photos and illustrations, bevelled and embossed papers and that's just in week 1.

In week 2 we will be creating a page curl from scratch, corner folds with custom shadows, digital tags and stickers. In Week 3 you will learn to create a postage stamp, postage cancellation stamp, a postcard journaling mat, create and install brushes and align gridlines.

Week 4 will be devoted to learning how to extract part of a photo to pop out of its frame and a beautiful brass brooch frame with a reflected glass overlay.

Credits for the above layout:- Alpha, recoloured from Botanist No 13 (your class kit), Buttons - Botanist No 7,

Pink Card - Blossom and Grow kit, String - Threaded Wraps 3, Stamp - Once upon a time kit - all by Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals.
Spring flower overlay - Rene Bross Designs at Digital Scrapbook Place from the Dreamsicle kit.
Staples - Shabby Miss Jen, French Attic kit.
Fonts: Trajan Pro.

Homework project for my students.

2008-08-12T14:44:00.004+10:00

This is just for my Community College students. On Friday I will give you full instructions for creating this page from your class kit. This is a "homework project" and by the end of the third week you should have all the skills you need to create it. It's not compulsory of course but may help you get a layout done from beginning to end. Just click on the image to get a close-up look.
Credits: Botanist No 13 Kit, Pressed Flower and Vintage Photo Frame - Katie Pertiet.
Fonts: Castellar, Carlotta and Chaparral Pro.

Jessie's nearly three.

2008-07-20T11:24:00.002+10:00

The simplest scrapbook pages can be eye-catching if you draw attention to the photograph. Placing your subject near a window will give you natural light and catchlights in their eyes. I have creatively cropped this photo for maximum effect and used blending techniques to give it a luminous hue.
Credits: Background paper from Botanist No 13 (our class kit), Frames with flourishes - both from Designer Digitals.
Fonts: Chocolate Box Decorative and Century Gothic.

Peter Rabbit

2008-07-16T14:08:00.004+10:00

Adding a children's storybook illustration to your scrapbook page is so easy. In my Advanced Digital Scrapbooking classes you will learn how to add an image like this, seamlessly. On the right hand side of this blog you will find a link to high resolution Peter Rabbit images available for download.

Credits: The background paper is Jen Reed's from the Scrapper's Guide April 2007 Premier kit but I've recoloured it to suit my layout. The ribbon is Photo Wraps No 4, frame from Vintage Frames No 5 and overlay flowers from Botanist No 9 all from Katie Pertiet. The flower sticker is Lynn Grieveson's from Amelie . Fonts: Chocolate Box Decorative and Bickham Script Pro.

Heritage Albums

2008-07-03T22:34:00.005+10:00

Preserving your old photographs in a heritage album is so easy when you have digital scrapbooking skills. This is my grandmother when she was only twenty five and my mother at three. The blended background paper and metal brooch with reflected glass overlay are two of the projects we cover in the Advanced Class.

Credits: Pressed Flowers, vintage photo frames, and pin - Katie Pertiet. Pen - Mo Jackson, Background papers blended with ephemera from the web. Fonts: Jefferson and Jane Austin

Postcards from Patonga

2008-06-23T18:53:00.007+10:00

This page is a celebration of the Australian bush. We live in such a beautiful part of the world and Spring is the time for taking photographs of the wildflowers. Waratahs grow profusely along the road to Patonga and the vibrant, crimson flowers create a stark contrast to the background of the gum trees. In my advanced digital scrapbooking classes, students will learn how to create some of these beautiful elements from scratch. Class projects in this layout include postage stamps, postage cancellation stamps, making brushes from illustrations, customised postcards, blended papers, perfectly aligned gridlines just to name a few. Click on the image to get a closer look. Credits: Background papers, blank post card and long tie fastner are from the class kit provided by Katie Pertiet of Designer Digitals. Botanical illustrations from the web, Fonts: Aquiline Two, 1942 Report, Pea Amy Rica, Birmingham Sans Serif, Imprint MT Shadow, Engravers MT and Copperplate Gothic Light.

Happy Birthday Mum.

2008-06-16T13:13:00.003+10:00

This page has been created using some of the items from the free class kit my students will receive when they start Digital Scrapbooking at the Central Coast Community College. Custom shadows and corner folds are just some of the techniques taught in the advanced course.

Credits: Papers, pin, ribbons and tags - Botanist No 13 Kit, Stitched Frame - Letterbox Naturalist Kit by Katie Pertiet, Journaling Mat - free ephemera from Flickr, Fonts: Pegasanna and Heritage.

Learn how to make a page curl.

2008-06-15T17:05:00.007+10:00

When you join my digital scrapbook classes at the Central Coast Community College, you will learn how to make this beautiful page curl from scratch.

Credits: Papers from the Ad Challenge Freebie 11407 (but no longer available free). Pinned Frames No 2, Alpha and Flossy Stitches from Botanist No 13 (part of our class kit), recoloured - all by Katie Pertiet. Note and flower from Amelie by Lynn Grieveson, Ribbon from Skinny Minis by Christina Renee. Font: French Script.

And another one coming up.

2008-05-14T17:26:00.020+10:00

My sister-in-law, Libby also has a birthday in early June. Katie took this gorgeous photo of Libby's puppies just before she sold them. Learn the secrets of creating breakouts, torn edges and make patterned paper just like this, in my digital scrapbook classes.

Credits: Katie Pertiet - Letter Box Seamstress Alpha, Postcard Journalers, Messy Stamped Alpha, Totally tied up string, Vintage Story board frames, Pressed Flowers. Anna Aspnes - Simple Torn Edges. Lynne Grieveson - Background paper, Amelie, - Mo Jackson - Recipe page - Ashley. Linda Sattgast - Grunge Overlay from CS3 CD

Fonts: Pegasanna, CK Ali's Handwriting.

Birthdays Galore

2008-05-14T17:20:00.013+10:00

Our darling daughter's birthday today. Happy Birthday Katie!

Credits: Background papers, frame and Hand Stamped Alpha, a freebie from Michelle Coleman from Little Dreamer Designs. Hipster Plumes - Anna Aspnes Fonts: ITC Avant Garde, Lainie Day and Susie's Hand

Mother's Day

2008-04-26T12:58:00.014+10:00

I've just made this card for my mother from one of my scrapbook pages. I have a little trick. I change the image size to 5.5 x 5.5 inches and make a template 5.5 inches high by 11 inches long. This prints out perfectly onto an A4 page and looks beautiful on glossy paper. Christina Re's square envelopes from d-i-y stationery are the right size and come in many beautiful colours. If the back of the card is going to be white I add a layer to my original template and put a one pixel stroke of black around it so I have a cutting guide. Score the fold for a perfect edge. Credits: Background papers - Lynn Grieveson, Vintage paper - Shabby Miss Jen, Photo wraps, flourishes and pressed flower - Katie Pertiet.

Recipes

2008-04-26T12:45:00.012+10:00

Another of my favourite pastimes is cooking or baking to be more exact. I belong to a little tennis club called "The Pearls" named after the place where we play, Pearl Beach. When someone has a birthday we have a party after the game. The party girl brings Champagne and beautiful things to eat. Fiona, my daughter in law to be, is also a member and it was her birthday recently so I helped her cook a couple of beautiful recipes. The girls all wanted a copy of the recipes so here they are to share with you all.

Credits: Template - Kellie Mize, Grunge overlay - Linda Sattgast from her latest cd "Learn Digital Scrapbooking".

Our favourite place in the world (at the moment)

2008-04-20T13:27:00.009+10:00

This is our local beach at the best time of the day, as the sun is setting at low tide. We walk there nearly every day with Schnappy, our little miniature schnauzer. I created the stamp, get it here for free.
Credits: Background papers, alpha and string - Katie Pertiet from Designer Digitals