A Baby Shower Inspired by a Digital Scrapbook Kit

I hosted another baby shower at my home in March. You guys know how much I love baby showers and how much I love incorporating digital scrapbooking into them.  My friends planned and cooked all the food and that left me with the invites and decorations. Yay! That's my favorite part.

We didn't have a specific theme for the party. We just knew that it was going to be a baby girl. So I went to my local digital scrapbook store, Scrap Orchard, for some inspiration. ;) I found this kit from Tracie Stroud and I loved the colors.....I especially love her designs for party inspiration. If you don't believe me, then check out this post.

So I grabbed this kit and started with my invitation. Here's my 5x7 invite (with edited text). I used a few different fonts that I had and I grabbed the colors from the kit and used some paper at the bottom of the invite.

Here's the printed invite. I used Persnickety Prints. I love that you can get envelopes with your prints.

I also made up these little 4x6 printables. I thought it would be fun to have some cards that guests could fill out with either a prayer or a word of encouragement for the mom and baby.

Not the best photo but you get the picture.

And then I made these baby prediction cards. I found this idea on pinterest and just made one up to match the invite and blessing cards. I printed both the baby predictions and blessing cards out on my home printer.

 

Then I made these little 3x4 inch food tags. I made a whole bunch of tags, put them all on one 8.5x11 sheet in Photoshop and then printed that sheet out on my home printer. Then I cut them out and folded them in half, easy-peasy (my kind of hybrid). 

Here are a few more photos from the shower.

The little table with all the cards on them.
You can see the little banner I made below. I used my Mini Hybrid Banner Templates to make it.

Since it was spring I  got some fresh flowers that matched the invitations and put them in different sized jars all over the house.

Food!
Thanks to Nicole for coordinating all the food and for all the friends who helped prepare it. 

And a big thank you to my sister Amanda for making a beautiful cake.
If you are in the Western North Carolina area you should check her out.
Creative Confections by Amanda.

I'm sure you can find some inspiration for a party from one of your digital scrapbook kits!

-Liz

Mix and Match Video and FREE Template!

I'm here with a special Saturday post. I just released my first set of Mix and Match Double Templates. I wanted to show you a few different ways you can use them. So I made a little video tutorial for you.  If you have any questions you can leave a comment here and I'll try to help you. Please overlook all the silly mistakes and my dryer buzzing in the background. ;)

Now that you have made it through that video, hopefully you learned a few things and looked over some of my mistakes, I have a free template for you. This will only be FREE for a limited time so grab it while you can. It's the right side of a double page template. Right now you can get the left side template on my facebook page (just "like" my page and then go to the exclusive tab). For this right side you just have to click on the image.

*download expired

Happy Saturday!

-Liz

Mix and Match Double Templates 20% OFF

I'm absolutely in love with Liz's new set of double templates - I scrapped three double pages with them already!! They're called Mix and Match Double Templates 1, and you can pair up all of the different templates to create dozens of combinations.  They're on sale for 20% OFF through 4/26.

As if these aren't versatile enough as 2-pagers, you can use them to make single pages too.  Look at these pages from the team!

 

If you love double pages, you won't be disappointed with this set of templates.  They're so much fun.

The Beginner Digital Scrapbooker & Ten Tips for You

I recently spent the day teaching my 9 year old daughter how to digitally scrapbook. As I was teaching her the ins and outs of Photoshop there were a few things that I consistently had to remind her about. I thought I would share some of those things with you. Some of them will be key things every beginner digital scrapbooker will need to know and some of them will be little extras that will make your scrapbooking a lot easier. I'm also going to share the pages she made....because I'm proud of her.

I'm using Photoshop CS3 so all of my tips will be based on that program, although most things will be similar in Photoshop Elements and other version of the creative suite.

1. Use Templates! Okay, okay, you don't have to use templates BUT if you are a beginner digital scrapbooker this is a great way to go. My daughter used them on all four of the pages she created. It was a great way to get her started and teach her about layers. I have two beginner video tutorials here that will teach you how to use a template. There's even a way to get the template in the video for free. ;)

2. Remember to use Ctrl+alt+g to clip your papers/photos to the different layers. It only took a few reminders for my daughter to remember this.


3. When you place an element on a page and then you rotate, re-size it or whatever you will have to hit enter. She would always get frustrated because Photoshop wouldn't let her do anything else until she hit enter and she would always forget to hit enter and then she would be stuck. So remember, hit enter after you have used your move tool to rotate or re-size a photo, paper or element.

4. When you re-size an element in CS3 hold down the shift key while you re-size it so it doesn't distort it. She remember this after a few moves. In Photoshop Elements you don't have to hold down the shift key, I think.

5. Use your change screen mode. When she would maximize her template so she could get a better view of it she would get confused about how to go back and look at her elements and paper. You can change it by hitting F or by going to the bottom of your tool bar. Just click and hold on that box and then you can decide what view you want.

6. Zoom in or out. I taught her how to zoom in closer to her template to be able to view it better.  You can either use ctrl+ or you can use the little scroll thingy (don't know what it's called) on your mouse. On my computer you have to hold down alt for it to work but on my hubby's computer you don't. I guess it's probably our settings. I think I want to change mine!

7. Use your Arrange tool. It helps  arrange all your elements, papers, etc... in your Photoshop workspace so that you can easily see them all. In Photoshop Elements you won't have to worry about this because you have your work bin at the bottom....one thing I don't like about CS3.

This is the before pic of all my elements in my workspace.
Kind of a jumbled mess.

And here they are all organized.
These elements are all from Laura Banasiak's kit Spunky Chick

8. Copy and Past Layer Styles. I think this is a REALLY easy way to use shadows when you are a beginner. She needed help remembering how to do it but once she got it down it was pretty easy for her to remember.

You go to your layers palette and right click on the layer's style that you want to copy and click on Copy Layer Style (you see it highlighted) and then once you click on that you'll go to the new layer that you want to copy that same style to and right click and hit Paste Layer Style (it's right below copy layer style).

I also have a video tutorial here to show you how to copy and paste layer styles. You need to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to view it.

9. If you are using a template, feel free to stretch the different photo spots or paper layers to fit your photo needs. She needed to do this on one of her pages because her photo didn't quite fit in the photo spot. I have a video tutorial here that will show you how to do this.


10. Save periodically. I taught her to save her layered .psd file (or .tiff) periodically so that she didn't lose anything in case it crashed.

If you are a beginner digital scrapbooker you can find more tutorials here and if you go to the Scrap Orchard University Forum you can find lots more written tutorials and video tutorials,everything from beginner, intermediate and advanced.

Here are her pages!

Made by my 9 year old daughter.
Using a template I made that you'll be getting free the weekend of iNSD! So keep your eye out.
Using Sweet Spring by WMSquared Designs.

Made by my 9 year old daughter.
And this was made with a kit from Jady Day Studio and Flergs called Magical Christmas.
Using a template from the ever trusty Simple and Sweet Album Templates.

I did show her how to stretch out the picture and paper mats (all at the same time) so that it would work better with her pics. I have a video tutorial here and in the video tutorial you can see how to re-size all the layers in a template at the same time.

Made by my 9 year old daughter.
This template was a freebie given away at a special MIS. It will soon by in  Recyclables Template Set.
And using Nature's Goodness by Faith True.

I think she did pretty good with her first few pages.


I think my #1 Tip for beginner digital scrapbookers is REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT. Master one step before moving onto the next. I didn't even get into journaling, photo editing, shadowing (beside copy and pasting the layer shadow), etc... When I was learning it took LOTS of pages before I remembered all the basic steps. After that I was ready to learn new things.

Either way, I hope you learned a little something....from my daughter!

-Liz

April GSO Winner!

Please join me and congratulating Christine (Carolina Scrapper) on winning this month’s GSO!  Christine competed against some stunning competition but you the voters chose her adorable layout of her son as the best. We loved this layout for it’s large photo with its dreamy look and grungy damask background paper perfect for a little boy. 

We got a chance to ask Christine about herself and this is what she said...

How long have you been digi-scrapping?
I started out scrapping digital in late 2007, after finding a program called Scrapbook Factory Deluxe at BestBuy and thought it looked neat. Then last year I broke down and got Photoshop CS4 after seeing all the awesomeness you can do with templates, photo masks and actions.

What is your favorite thing to scrap about?
Just to scrap everyday life is so fun! I love scrapping my three kids; each are so different that it gives me the chance to scrap their personalities. But I find that I scrap Logan, my youngest, more than the girls, teenage girls, they just won't let me take their photos anymore :( 

What is your favorite Liz product?
Oh gosh, how could I pick just one...LOL! I love the variety of Liz's products and have found these two that I keep going back to a lot lately, Fun Fade Masks and Photo Blend Templates. 

If you were any digi-scrapbook item, which one would you be?
Hmmm, hard one, I think I would be some kind of splatter/scatter, I almost always have them in my layouts, I think they make the photos stand out more. 

If you love this layout check out Liz's Photo Blends Templates and create your own gorgeousness.

Sneak Peek/Giveaway - My FAVORITE Templates EVER!

I'm not kidding when I say that these are my favorite templates EVER! Am I allowed to say that about my own stuff?  There are so many ways that you can use them. Just you wait and see! They look like plain old templates BUT there is so much more that you can do with them.

So if you want a chance to win them just leave a comment here telling me what your current favorite templates are of mine (my store) and you could win your favorite set PLUS these! I'll announce the winner here in the comments and on my facebook on 4/18 sometime after 11pm EST.

And as usual a reminder about the Make It Snappy coming up at Scrap Orchard.

It's always on Wednesday night's at 10pm EST.

That's it for now folks.

Happy Monday!

-Liz

Splatter Masks 20% OFF

Liz has a new set of clipping masks this week called Splatter Masks.  Use them as an artistic clipping mask for your photos, or clip paper to them to add texture to your backgrounds.  You can even use them over a patterned paper create a journaling spot. Splatter Masks are priced 20% off through 4/19.

Here is some inspiration from the team.

Have a great weekend!

How Far I've Come

When I was in Vegas hanging out with my digital scrapbooking friends we got to talking about how far we've come as digital scrapbookers. Some of us even pulled out (on our EHD's or in our oldest galleries) some of our first pages. We talked about how we got started, where we bought stuff (or didn't), and what some of our biggest mistakes were.

I thought it might be fun to show you some of my very first pages and explain a little bit of how my digital scrapbooking has changed over the years.

This is the VERY first digital scrapbook page I EVER made! Made in the spring of 2008. I made it with freebies that I found online, no template and photoshop elements 5. Can you believe I didn't use a template? As you can see I liked double pages back then as much as I do now and I almost always added journaling to my pages. You can see my traditional scrapbook side come out in my digital pages.

I *think* these papers and elements might have been from Scrap Girls but I'm not sure.

I just slapped on the standard paper shadow that is included in photshop elements.  As you can see all of my papers, photo and elements have the same shadow. I think this is probably where I've come the farthest....shadow work is key!

Oh and not to mention my hair. I've been growing it out for four years now and I don't look anything like that photo!

Okay, this page was made about a month after that first page above. This was my first time EVER using a template. A friend had told me about them so I thought I should give them a try. This was a freebie as well...actually everything you see in my first year's pages were freebies that I found on-line. You can see I even left on some of the element placement stamps from the template!  Ack! I enjoyed using the template because it made placing my photos and paper so much easier.....but the problem I had with using someone else's template was that I LOVED laying out the page. This is when I started making my own templates.

I *think* this template was from Andrea Gold....but again I'm not quite sure.

This page was scrapped at the end of 2008. You can see my progression in just 8 months. A little better with my shadows and photo treatments. I was still using freebies! I believe I made this template?

This is where I got this kit. Good to know she's still designing.

This page was scrapped at the end of 2009 with one of my first purchased kits! I also had made this template. I think my scrapping skills stayed about the same for a year.

Chillin' out Kit from Vera Lim, Mira Designs & Mag Designs from Shabby Pickle
Circle, Circle, Circle Temps

This is at the end of 2010. I had been selling my templates at Scrap Orchard for almost a year at this point and I believe my digital scrapbooking dramatically improved in that year. I think it was from using more high quality purchased kits BUT the big thing was participating in challenges and asking questions in the forum, seeing how other people scrapped, etc... Up until I joined Scrap Orchard I hadn't "joined" a scrapbooking forum or store. I think it's a good idea to get involved somewhere where people can help you and encourage you to improve.

Dear Diary By Tracie Stroud and Vera Lim
Zine Style Templates

And this is my last page I scrapped in 2011. I've grown to LOVE frames and buttons.

Background Starter Temps
Magical Christmas by Jady Day Studio and Flergs
Some frames from My Girl by Jady Day Studio

So you can see how I've come over the last four years.  I still scrap pretty simply, I still use a lot of photos on my pages, I still love double pagers and I still include journaling. The things I've changed over the years: shadowing, BUYING kits, & finding a store to fit into to. I think all of these things have helped me become a better scrapper. Especially the store thing. I think being involved in a store and their forum and challenges will really help you become a better digital scrapbooker....and I know the perfect store if you need one.   ;)

-Liz

April GSO -- Time to Vote!

March brought a lot of spring color and fresh layouts to Liz's Gallery. We have selected our favorites and now its time for you to vote and select the winner! Check out these beautiful contenders nominated by Liz and the CT Team.  Do you have a clear favorite??? Click here to vote! Then check back here on 17th to find out the winner.

AJM created this beautiful layout of spring using the Fun with Envelope Templates.  We love the bright colors, gorgeous flowers, and pretty brush work; all contrasted against the graph paper.

Springlicious!

Christine (Carolina Scrapper) created this adorable layout of her son using the Photo Blends Templates.  We love the large photo with its dreamy look and grungy damask background paper perfect for a little boy layout. 

Lucky!

Shari created this fun layout of her family at Christmas using the FEB2012 Challenge Freebie.  We love the wonderful colors, happy photos and the heartfelt journaling that tells the true story behind the photos.

Winner!

Carol (Iowan) created this charming layout of a too cute little fellow using the Template Thursday Freebie.  We love all the black and white with the touches of magenta and the damask patterns pair perfectly with the photo of the vintage suit.

Adorable!

Evie (flutterbyefaery) created this gorgeous layout of a sweet little girl using the March MIS Freebie.  We love the combination of the turquoise and red, the super sweet photos, the delicate elements and the metal word art title.

Lovely!

It's Monday!

....and that means it's time for a sneak peek and giveaway! This week I don't have any templates for you but I do have some fun masks. It's been a little crazy around here lately...getting back from Vegas, a baby shower, Easter, more adoption paperwork, trying to finish strong with our homeschool year....so I took it a little easy this week and just worked on some masks. It was a fun change from the norm.

So here's the sneak peek. I had to squeeze a picture of my 4 year old in the preview...she's just too cute.

If you think you might want these fun masks then just leave a comment here letting me know if you've ever used a splatter or faded mask for a photo or paper. If you haven't then these will be great ones for you to try. Plus there will be picture instructions included with the purchased download! I'll announce the winner sometime after 11pm EST on 4/11 here in my blog comments and on my facebook page.

And as usual, here's a reminder about this week's Make It Snappy over at Scrap Orchard. This week it's sponsored by mle Card. She was my roomie in Vegas and she's SUPER sweet...and she makes some awesome digital scrapbook kits!

That's it for now!

-Liz

Wall Templates 20% OFF + Free with Purchase

For designing digital scrapbook templates, Liz gets a lot of inspiration from home decorating magazines.  Her new Wall Templates were inspired by wallpaper designs!  I think they also look like the antique frames that are hung in my grandmother's kitchen. If you purchase Wall Templates in the next week, you will also receive the Ornamental Masks for free. (20% OFF introductory sale price and free with purchase available through 4/12).

Here are the free with purchase masks:

The team loved this set and created some stunning layouts.

Have a great weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.