Creating For...

On a whim, I applied to be on a creative team and was accepted! I'm now creating for Kelley Mickus designs. She has her own site, All Things Visual, and you can also get her products at The Digi Chick. So you'll be seeing a lot of my layouts featuring her beautiful designs... here's my first:



(In case you were wondering - these pictures are not mine. I participated in a scrap swap at DSM, I did this page for the lovely Michelle)

Everything I used is from Kelley's "One Fine Day" kit. Don't you just love the colors??

Tractors & Trucks

As soon as I saw this kit on DSM's "Oh Boy!" CD, I knew I had to do this page. It's taken me a few months, but I finally got around to it! The jounaling reads:

"You have always love tractors and trucks - the bigger the better. I remember when you were just starting to talk and I would go into your room in the morning to get you out of your crib. You would look up at me, smile, and say, "tractor". You did this several times, it was so cute. From the time you could hold a toy, and even now, a truck, tractor, or some type of building machine is usually your toy of choice. You have several books you love on the subject - because of you Dad and I have learned a backhoe from an excavator, a bulldozer from a loader!"

{everything from Digital Scrapbook Memories "Tool Time" kit on the "Oh Boy!" CD, "Pea Breathe Easy" font}

It's A Horse!

{papers, frames, gel, circle stitching, & arrow from GG Digital Designs "Ride 'Em Cowboy" kit, zigzag stitching from Michelle Coleman's "Bohemian Summer" kit, alpha from Digital Scrapbook Memories Oh Boy! CD - "Good Sport" kit, "Cry Kitty" and "Pea Bonnie Script" fonts}

Favorite Technique: Clipping Masks

One of my favorite things about scrapbooking with Photoshop is clipping masks. They are super easy and there are so many possibilities. (If you've ever used a layered template, you know what I'm talking about.) I'll explain what it is first, then give some cool examples of how to use it.

As long as you understand your layers, you can do this. Basically all it means is that you can make one layer (usually a paper) take on the form of another layer (usually a specific shape). Clear as mud? Let's say I have this:

A simple orange star, with a stamped effect:

{orange star from Gina Cabrera's "Lucky Star" kit}

But for whatever reason you like this pattern paper:

{paper from Aja Abney's "My Wish For You" kit}

You can "clip" them together to create this:

To do this, put your star (or whatever it might be) and your paper onto your canvas. You must make sure that the star (or layer you want your paper to be "clipped" to) is just below the paper. Then click on your paper layer (above the star). Simply press Ctrl+G and voila!
Alternatively, you could also go to the top of your screen and click Layer>Group With Previous to achieve the same results.

Here's a layout I recently did where I used this technique in a couple of different ways.



It's a two page layout, you can see them a little better separated:





So, clipping masks. First of all, I used this little circle frame:


{frame from Thanty Borges' "Antique Frames vol. 3" at ScrapKuts}

As you can tell, I duplicated it several times and arranged them around my page, then selected various solid colored papers and clipped them to the frames. I also used clipping masks to create the title for my page. I started with this clear alpha with white painted edges:


{acrylic painted alpha by Kristen Aagard}

Again, I just took a few of the same solid colored papers and clipped them to my different letters. Since this was a clear element, it only took on the parts that were white, which I think is a pretty fun look.

Anyway, these are just a few examples of some fun ways to use clipping masks. Like I said, it is super easy and you can some very fun effects with it! If you try it I'd love to see the results!

{background paper by Michelle Coleman from "Vintage Dreams Retro" kit, journaling tag by Jackie Eckles, circle frames by Thanty Borges, alpha by Kristen Aagard, clipped papers by Amy Teets (red), Kim Crothers (yellow), Melany Violette (green), Michelle Coleman (blue), Miss Mint (orange), flowers and brads from GG Digital Designs, "Pea Luv Holly Wood" and "Century Gothic" fonts}

Pass The Torch!

Digital Scrapbook Memories is having a very fun event to celebrate the Olympics - and this is just the beginning of it. Go here to get help pass the torch and get all the fun details! There will be prizes - you could win one of thirty DSM CDs and (the most exciting) a copy of Photoshop CS3 (a $649 value)! Let the games begin!

Stars & Stripes

{papers and embellishments from Redju Scraps "American Kit", "GG Leslie" font}

Playing Catch-Up

Normally I have a rule that I don't go back and try to "catch up" on my scrapbooking... that is just way too stressful and the fun out of it. However, I did start this fun album earlier this year and I WILL finish it! So I finally got caught up and here are April, May, and June's pages:













{Ordinary life templates by Jessica Sprague, background paper by Leora Sanford}

Outside Boys

The stuff I used for this page is adorable, no? I found it free here.

{paper and embellishments from Bren Boone's "Naturally" kit, stitching by Gina Cabrera, "Problem Secretary" and "Slab Tall X" fonts.}