https://bit.ly/3xYHVZy
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Monday March 27th, 2023
DD: MAR 20
March 20, 2023 by Leave a Comment
https://bit.ly/3IAfIgA
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Sunday March 26th, 2023
DD: MAR 19
March 19, 2023 by Leave a Comment
https://bit.ly/3xYIaDW
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Saturday March 25th, 2023
DD: MAR 18
March 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment
https://bit.ly/3KJz0D8
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Friday March 24th, 2023
DD: MAR 17
March 17, 2023 by Leave a Comment
https://bit.ly/3EIHkPI
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Thursday March 23rd, 2023
DD: MAR 16
March 16, 2023 by Leave a Comment
https://bit.ly/3SxykCA
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Wednesday March 22nd, 2023
Tutorial Wednesday (Photoshop Elements)
March 8, 2023 by 6 Comments
Weaving – the Digital Way
PDF Version : https://bit.ly/428oL1i
Sorry to keep you waiting! When Ginger send me an idea for a tutorial that I really loved, I had no idea it would end up being much more complex than at first glance. I scrapped the first two attempts at making this a coherent process and I think you’ll find it’s not as bad as all the screenshots – and your faithful demonstrator – make it look. (However, this tutorial will require intermediate-to-expert familiarity with the Elements software.) It started with Ginger sending me a link to this layout by trinanne; she used this month’s brush and clipped her papers to it over and over. Of course, I had to take the long walk sown the garden path instead…
Now, obviously, if we’re weaving a bunch of papers or ribbons together, they’ll look best against a neutral solid background. I’m using 10 different patterned papers and a solid cardstock from the February 2023 Daily Download Noteworthy, from Miss Fish.
I decided it would work best for the way I was seeing this in my head if I created a bunch of paper strip Clipping Masks. If you’d rather use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to cut strips, that’s up to you. I want to have some variations in width, some crooked and torn edges, and one strip will have a deckle edge. (Instructions not included.) To make those individual features work best, the adjustments are made to the Mask to ensure the patterns on the papers aren’t distorted. I’ll be making a roughly 8 inch by 8 inch square, 10 strips in all. Here’s a tip: When using the Custom Shapes Tool you can specify dimensions and with only one click, you’ve got the desired shape in the desired size. I’m using a Width 8 inches, Height 1.5 inches for my first strip Mask.
Don’t forget that when using the Custom Shape Tool, the resulting shape is a Smart Object – it’s locked and can’t be altered unless you Simplify it. More recent versions of Elements includes a Simplify button bar in the Tool Options. If your version doesn’t show it there, right-click on the layer and choose Simplify Layer from the drop-down menu that appears.
Here I’ve created all 5 of my horizontal Clipping Mask layers. I’ve changed the foreground colour a bit for each to help keep them separate in my mind. You can see there are some thinner and some thicker strips. Next I’ll make 5 vertical strips the same way.
All 10 strips are there now. Let’s Clip some papers to them!
I know you all already know how to Clip papers to template spots but I’ll review anyway. With your paper right above the object you’re Clipping to, right-click on the paper layer and choose Create Clipping Mask. Alternately, you can use a keyboard shortcut. For versions 14 and earlier, CTRL/CMD>G will do it. For versions 15 and later, CTRL/CMD>ALT/OPT>G. My fingers just go there almost automatically now, I’ve used that shortcut so often.
Here are the 5 horizontal strips with their papers Clipped in place. The process is identical for the vertical strips.
Just like that.
I’ll show you how to make them look a little less deliberate in the next few screenshots. Here’s why I opted for Clipping Masks and not just Marqueeing out a bunch of strips. If I decided to Image>Transform>Skew a paper strip, the pattern would also Skew and it would look awful. So instead, I’ll Skew the Mask, giving it crooked ends, and the paper will stay unblemished. Skew only allows the corners to move in a single direction.
To make each paper strip more manageable, after I make my tweaks to the Mask, I’ll right-click>Merge the paper and Mask layers into a single layer. The shortcut is CTRL/CMD>E.
Here I’ve made a bit of a curved cut into the end of the Mask. The Smudge Tool will give that effect, or you could use the Elliptical Marquee Tool to Cut (CTRL/CMD>X) away a thin curved sliver. That method will give you a cleaner Cut.
Why not, indeed?
For this strip I used Image>Transform>Distort. With that command, each of the corners moves independently in all directions.
Another variation on the Smudge Tool.
Now let’s get to the WEAVE. First you’ll need to decide which strip to start with. I’m going to skip the first vertical strip and pass the pink striped strip then the multi-striped strip underneath my red-and-white horizontal strip. I Selected the edges of the first horizontal strip by CTRL/CMD>clicking on the layer thumbnail in the Layers Panel. Then I made the pink striped layer my active layer. To make it look like it passed behind the horizontal strip, Edit>Cut or CTRL/CMD>X removes that Selection from the pink striped paper.
Alternate this process for each of the horizontal layers.
Here is what it looks like before the dimension of shadowing is added.
Add a new, blank layer at the top of the stack of layers. This is where you’ll put your shadows. Decide where your light source is. That will determine where your shadows will lie. I like my light to come from the upper left, at 120°. Because some of my paper strips don’t have sharp, straight edges, I created custom shadows for those layers. (Custom Shadows – Jan’s Method) If you’re going with straight edges you can ignore that. Instead, use the Pencil Tool. For the horizontal strips, you’ll be drawing in your shadows inside the edges of the paper horizontally. For the vertical layers, you’ll be drawing your shadows inside the edges of those papers vertically. The Radius for your Pencil lines can be fairly small, since the papers will be laying tightly together. I used 4 pixels but 5 or even 8 won’t be too big. Set your Foreground Colour to black (000000) Click the cursor right inside the corner of the paper square you’re working with.
Then hold down the SHIFT key and click the cursor in the opposite corner. Here I’ve made a horizontal line. Don’t be too fussy about making it perfectly straight, because it’s not going to be noticeable later.
After you’ve got all your paper rectangles outlined in black, add a Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur to that layer.
Don’t go overboard here. The Blur is to soften the lines, not make them blend right into the paper! If you can’t see anything in the Preview Pane, click your cursor in a spot where you know there’s a line. It’ll pop up in the Preview Pane and you can gauge how far to Blur. 2.3 pixels worked well for me.
Last thing to do is to change the Blend Mode to Linear Burn and drop the Opacity to about 60% and it’s done! Now to decide how to use the weave…
You can Save this weave as a PSD to allow for alterations later, or as a PNG to preserve the transparent layer behind. Or you can just go ahead and scrap on top and around it.
Til next Tuesday!
Designer Spotlight March 2023
March 5, 2023 by Leave a Comment
North Meets South Studios
This month we have two designers in the spotlight, but only one was able to join me for a chat. North Meets South Studios is a collaboration between two best friends, Tracy Anderson (Trixie Scraps) – the northern half, and Connie Prince, the southern belle. Connie and I had a wee visit and this is what she shared.
J: Thanks for agreeing to let me pick your brain, Connie. Let’s get the formalities out of the way first. How long have you been designing?
C: I have been designing since 2006!
J: That’s a LONG time!! You must really love it. What made you decide to get into design?
C: There weren’t a lot of digital scrapbook options back then and I wanted specific things for our family albums. I started making things and it just spiraled from there!
J: That’s a familiar story, Connie. Can’t find what you want? Create it yourself! And here you are, crushing it! What tools do you use to create your designs?
C: I use Photoshop, Illustrator, and a program on my iPad called Procreate!
J: Ah, the usual suspects… What is your favorite kit currently in your GS store and why?
C: Currently, I’m getting tons of use out of my Happy Plans collection. I caught the planner bug this year and it’s been fun using it for that purpose, too.
J: When I think of your store, this is pretty much exactly what I see! Now, to get a touch more personal… What one word would your friends and family use to describe you?
C: Loyal.
J: What an essential and valuable trait to have! Next, I already know the answer to this question because I’ve been following you for 10 years, but maybe there are folks who haven’t caught on.
Describe your perfect vacation.
C: Anywhere with sugar white sand & gorgeous blue water is perfect for me!
J: Yep, called it!! I’m not much of a beach person. I’m more into museums and cooler climes. Okay, so this query typically gets the same response from everybody. Are you like me, or like them? Are you more likely to dance or sing in the shower?
C: Dance for sure, I dance all over the place so why not lol!
J: I actually do both, with my own personal country music playlist helping me out. Bluetooth speakers are amazing! On to food: If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
C: Salad, I can never get enough of a great salad!
J: I enjoy salad, but living in Canada, in the winter salad greens aren’t easy to find and are expensive. I just signed up for an organic produce delivery service and they’re sending greens in my first order. Can’t wait! Can you play a musical instrument?
C: Yes! I played piano when I was younger and my husband gifted me with a new one last year so I’ve had a wonderful time “relearning”.
J: I took lessons when I was quite young. We didn’t have a piano so I would practice at the school after all the rest of the kids went home. When we moved I lost that opportunity and that was that. I wasn’t destined to be a concert pianist anyway, so it’s all good.
What did you want to be when you were small?
C: Honestly, I just wanted to be a mama! I had the best mom and I wanted to be just like her!
J: I’m pretty sure you met that goal. Thank you so much for helping me let our GingerScrappers get to know you better. Now, before I let you go, I just want to make sure to pass on the rest of the Important Information! Connie and Tracy (in absentia) are hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge this month in addition to providing the Daily Download for March, right here on the Blog. Each piece of the DD is available for 5 days, but don’t worry if you miss some because the whole kit will be available for purchase in the Shop next month. Connie is also host to the monthly #2023 Challenge, and Tracy hosts the Show Us Your Hobby Challenge. Be sure to check them out!
GingerScraps: NEW Buffet, New FREE with Purchase Collab, NEW Designer, Scrap-a-thon & More!!
March 1, 2023 by Leave a Comment
It is the 1st of the month and you know what that means, a huge, exciting newsletter! We have a New Buffet, New Monthly Mix, New Free With Purchase Collab, New Challenge Reward, New Daily Download on the GingerScraps Blog, a New Guest Designer & the SCRAP-A-THON!
Let’s start out with the March Buffet. Don’t forget to check out the Buffet Bundles. One easy click to add bundles of Buffet goodies to your cart.
I love the muted hues of this month’s buffet!
Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab. It’s the {ides of march}!
This Free With Purchase was created by ADB Designs, Alexis Design Studio, Karen Schulz, and Tami Miller Designs.
This collab includes: 3 Alphas {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 62 Papers, and 82 Elements.
It’s {simply spring}! (or at least it’s felt that way here lately)
This Monthly Mix was created by Connie Prince, Lindsay Jane, Magical Scraps Galore, Scraps N Pieces, Tinci Designs, and Triple J Designs.
This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 55 Papers, 91 Elements, and 4 12×12 Template {page, png, psd, tif file formats}.
Now to the March Daily Download Sneak Peek. This month’s Daily Download is from North Meets South Studio! Make sure you are checking the blog every day to get all the pieces of this kit!
We have a new Guest Designer this month!
Moore Blessings Digital Designs
Hi, I am Lori Moore. My design shop is Moore Blessings Digital Design. I am a retired school teacher turned homeschool mom. I began designing in 2016.
I am a widow who lives with my dog and cat. I have three adult step-children and 5 grand-children (who live several hours away), a grand-dog (that I have the pleasure of puppy sitting daily), and a grand-cat (who takes care of herself)!!
I am a Certified Tennessee Extension Master Gardner, the Women’s Ministry Leader in my church, and I serve on the Board of Directors for a local Senior Center, where I volunteer and serve as PR Director. I hope you will see all of these influences celebrated in my design work.
For hobbies I enjoy research and teaching workshops, crafting, music, photography, and brain/logic games.
Are you ready for the March challenges? Remember any 10 completed challenges gets you this great kit.
This Challenge Reward was created by Cutie Pie Scraps, Heather Z Scraps, Memory Mosaic, Polka Dot Chicks, and The Scrappy Kat.
This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 75 Papers, and 114 Elements.
And now a few samples from our talented store CT. Head over to the gallery for more ideas!
Designer Spotlight: February 2023
February 5, 2023 by Leave a Comment
It’s Miss Fish!
Many of you will already know Juli, aka Miss Fish. Lately she’s moved past mainly template designing and is bringing more of her talent to entire kits. I know I’m happy to see that! She’s also been in the Designer Spotlight before, so we talked about some different things this time to keep it fresh. (Since we both have the same first initial, I’m going by “O” today.)
O: Let’s get the bread and butter out of the way. What motivates and inspires you as a designer?
J: I love designing templates that make me want to stop what I’m doing and scrap a page. I often will plus in my own photos
and some elements to make sure designs will look good for my customers.
O: Segué ahead… What one word would your friends and family use to describe you?
J: Busy! Lol…I work full time, plus I design and we like to have fun with friends and travel. I’m not one to just plop down and relax.
I go all the time!
O: It can be exhausting, right? I enjoy traveling too, so why don’t you describe your perfect vacation.
J: Anywhere in Europe close to a train station so I could go on different adventures every day.
O: So is that what you would do if you won the lottery?
J: YES! I’d quit my day job and travel full time. I’d bring along my laptop so I could design and scrap in my free time.
O: Oddball question, that I can probably guess the answer to: are you more likely to dance or sing in the shower?
J: Sing.
O: Yep, called it! Do you have a green thumb? What do you grow?
J: Yes. Currently growing Brussel sprouts, cherry tomatoes, peppers, arugula, and some herbs. Plus my cat’s favorite, carnations.
O: I’ve grown broccoli but never Brussels sprouts. Now I don’t have room for much but I have some flower boxes and a small bed in the front yard. Most of my blooms are purple, white or pink. What are your most favorite and least favorite colors?
J: My favorite color is blue. My least favorite color is orange.
O: Oh, I don’t like orange much either, or yellow. Hence they’re not prominent in my garden! {Except the Stella d’Oro lilies the developer planted. They can stay. What would your dream car be?
J: Something red and fast but in an SUV size, maybe a Porsche?
O: That would be amazing! My daughter had a BMW SUV, but didn’t love it so she’s driving a VW Tiguan now. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
J: I would make myself able to actually remember words and why I walked into a room.
O: I can definitely relate! Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?
J: My phone. I’m embarrassed to say how attached I am to it.
O: I’m finding myself falling into that habit too, at least until my eyes start protesting. If you had a warning label, what would yours say?
J: Caution: probably crabby, feed for best results.
O: Hahahahaha!! Me too! Let me get you a snack, girl!
Before we disappear with our treats, I want to remind everybody that Juli is not just the IN the Designer Spotlight, she’s hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge this month AND is providing the Daily Download on the Blog too. Each snippet of the Daily Download is available for 5 days; if you miss one or two and are heart-broken, don’t worry. The entire kit will be available for purchase in March. (Egad, did I really just say that?)
