Archives for September 2019

Fresh Baked: September 27, 2019

Oh, my goodness! Fall might officially be here! Leaves are starting to change color. The mornings are definitely getting a bit nippier. It’s staying darker longer and the days just seem to be getting shorter, faster! Soon we’ll be in the month of blacks and oranges and purples and greens! But don’t fret! There’s still time to “Like Them Apples” and create layouts about taking a “Journey With You”!

Remember when you spend $10 in the store, you get a great new collab! September is the start of fall and that means APPLES!

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https://store.gingerscraps.net/GingerBread-Ladies-Collab-Like-Them-Apples.html

1
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Harvest-Sunset-II-Kit-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Harvest-Sunset-II-Collection-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Accents: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Harvest-Sunset-II-Accents-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Word Art: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Harvest-Sunset-II-Word-Art-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Framed Masks: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Harvest-Sunset-II-Framed-Masks-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Styles: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Harvest-Sunset-II-Styles-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html

2
Bundle https://store.gingerscraps.net/Everyday-Moments-Bundle-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Full Kit:https://store.gingerscraps.net/Everyday-Moments-Full-Kit-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Tattered Papers:https://store.gingerscraps.net/Everyday-Moments-Tattered-Pieces-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Extra Papers:https://store.gingerscraps.net/Everyday-Moments-Extra-Papers-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Glitter Sheets:https://store.gingerscraps.net/Everyday-Moments-Glitter-Sheets-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Alpha: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Everyday-Moments-Alpha-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html

3
https://store.gingerscraps.net/One-more-chance-3..html

4
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Gypsy-Autumn-Bundle-by-ADB-Designs.html

5
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Fall-in-Love-Petite-Bundle-by-ADB-Designs.html

6
Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/360-Life-Oct-Transform-Collection-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/360-Life-Oct-Transform-Page-Kit-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Alphas: https://store.gingerscraps.net/360-Life-Oct-Transform-Alpha-Sets-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Frames: https://store.gingerscraps.net/360-Life-Oct-Transform-Frame-Clusters-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Blooms: https://store.gingerscraps.net/360-Life-Oct-Transform-Blooms-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Extra Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/360-Life-Oct-Transform-Extra-Papers-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Messy Edges: https://store.gingerscraps.net/360-Life-Oct-Transform-Messy-Edges-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Glitters: https://store.gingerscraps.net/360-Life-Oct-Transform-Glitters-by-Aimee-Harrison.html

7
https://store.gingerscraps.net/I-Feel-Pretty-BGD.html

8
https://store.gingerscraps.net/At-the-Car-Wash-BGD.html

9
Bundle: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Bundle-Collection-by-Connie-Prince.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Kit-by-Connie-Prince.html
Mixed Media: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Mixed-Media-by-Connie-Prince.html
Quoted Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Quoted-Pack-by-Connie-Prince.html
Messy Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Messy-Papers-by-Connie-Prince.html
Border Clusters: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Border-Clusters-by-Connie-Prince.html
Week 41: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Week-41-Template-Pack-CU-Ok-by-Connie-Prince.html
Week 42: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Week-42-Template-Pack-CU-Ok-by-Connie-Prince.html
Week 43: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Week-43-Template-Pack-CU-Ok-by-Connie-Prince.html
Week 44: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Week-44-Template-Pack-CU-Ok-by-Connie-Prince.html
Extra Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Extra-Papers-by-Connie-Prince.html
Alpha Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Alpha-Pack-AddOn-by-Connie-Prince.html
Word Art: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Word-Art-Pack-by-Connie-Prince.html
Pocket Cards: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Pocket-Cards-by-Connie-Prince.html
Quick Pages: https://store.gingerscraps.net/-2019-October-Quick-Pages-by-Connie-Prince.html

10
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Blue-Bayou-Templates-by-Dagilicious.html

11
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Doctors-Orders-Digital-Scrapbook-Kit-by-Dandelion-Dust-Designs.html

12
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Cluster-Maps-Vol.-4.html

13
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Road-Maps-Vol.-18.html

14
Top Of The World | Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Top-Of-The-World-Collection.html
Top Of The World | Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Top-Of-The-World-Kit.html
Top Of The World | Alpha Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Top-Of-The-World-Alpha-Pack.html
Top Of The World | Element Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Top-Of-The-World-Element-Pack.html
Top Of The World | Paper Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Top-Of-The-World-Paper-Pack.html
Top Of The World | Finishing Touches: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Top-Of-The-World-Finishing-Touches.html
Top Of The World | Pattern Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Top-Of-The-World-Pattern-Paper-Pack.html

15
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Pocket-Polaroid-Frames.html

16
Artsy Papers: https://bit.ly/GS-FOCAutumnArtsyPapers
Ombré Papers: https://bit.ly/GS-FOCAutumnOmbrePapers
Alphas: https://bit.ly/GS-FOCAutumnAlphas
Flowers: https://bit.ly/GS-FOCAutumn-Flowers

17
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Happens-Kit.html

18
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Jumpstart-Designs/

19
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Jumpstart-Designs/

20
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Layered-Page-Templates-September.html

21
Set1 – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Fall-season-Templates-Set1.html
Set2 – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Fall-season-Templates-Set2.html
Set3 – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Fall-season-Templates-Set3.html
Set4 – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Fall-season-Templates-Set4.html
Full Bundle – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Fall-season-Templates-Bundle.html

22
Kit – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Autumn-Kit.html
Painted papers – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Autumn-Painted-papers.html
Photomasks – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Autumn-Photomasks.html
Masks&Frames – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Autumn-MasksFrames.html
Stamps – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Autumn-Stamps.html
Stamps&Borders – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Autumn-Stamps-Borders.html
QPs Set – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Autumn-QPs-Set.html
Full Bundle – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magic-Autumn-Bundle.html

23
https://store.gingerscraps.net/PrelestnayaP-Design/

24
https://bit.ly/GS-FallinInLoveCollection

Remember, if you complete 10 challenges, just ten, you get a free kit as well!!

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Take the journey into fall!

Sneak Peeks September 26th 2019

Happy Thursday! Let’s check out a peek of what the designers have cooked up for tomorrow!

From Dagiclious

From Down this Road

From Aimee Harrison

From Tinci

From JoCee

From Snickerdoodle Design

Tutorial Tuesday (Potpourri)

Well, It was Bound to Happen…

For awhile my laptop has been acting up a bit, all things I could ignore. I had planned to back up my files, but of course I kept putting it off. To make a long story short, procrastination is a BAD thing! Yesterday, after yet another protracted Windows update, my laptop became a very expensive door stop. The update somehow deleted a system file that is essential for the proper functioning of the thing. While I’ve been able to get into my files, my laptop is essentially done for without a factory reset. I bought a new one this morning and am diligently retrieving all my important stuff from the brick so that I can install it all on the new one. But considering it took 18 hours to copy just my current digi-scrapping folder it’s going to take some time.

This unpleasant event will have another effect, which is to force me to move completely over to Photoshop Elements 2019 – no sense installing both version 15 and 2019 on the new laptop. What was holding me back was having to reload all my brushes, styles and actions… Now I have to do that anyway. Moving along. Slowly!

My words of wisdom for today: If you haven’t backed up your files in awhile, either to an external hard drive or to the Cloud, plan to do it SOON. Like today! Don’t be like me, forced into action and losing precious productive time. When I’m back up and running on all cylinders, I’ll bring you something flashy and fun, I promise.

Fresh Baked: September 20, 2019

Fall is supposed to officially start on the 23rd. I’m ready for those colors to appear on the trees. I love all the green, but I miss the oranges and the reds, and the yellows! Are you ready for a cool evening walk with someone special? Or afternoon football games, cheering on someone you love? It’s almost time!

Remember when you spend $10 in the store, you get a great new collab! September is the start of fall and that means APPLES!

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https://store.gingerscraps.net/GingerBread-Ladies-Collab-Like-Them-Apples.html

1
Kit – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-foggy-morning-Kit.html
Painted papers – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-foggy-morning-Painted-papers.html
Masks&Frames – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-foggy-morning-MasksFrames.html
Photomasks – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-foggy-morning-Photomasks.html
Stamps – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-foggy-morning-Stamps.html
Full Bundle – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-foggy-morning-Bundle.html

2
Set1 – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Wordart-Templates-Set1-Autumn.html
AddOn – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Wordart-Templates-Set1-AddOn.html

3
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Painted-Autumn-Kit-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Painted-Autumn-Collection-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Borders: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Painted-Autumn-Borders-by-snickerdoodle-designs.html
Clusters: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Painted-Autumn-Clusters-By-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Graffiti: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Painted-Autumn-Word-Art-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs-sd-pa-word-art1.html
Styles: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Painted-Autumn-Styles-by-snickerdoodle-designs.html
Word Art: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Painted-Autumn-Word-Art-by-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html
Word Strips: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Painted-Autumn-Word-Strips-By-Snickerdoodle-Designs.html

4
Bundle: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Reach-for-the-Stars-Bundle-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Reach-for-the-Stars-Full-Kit-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Edges: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Reach-for-the-Stars-Messy-Edges.html
Glitter Sheets: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Reach-for-the-Stars-Glitter-Sheets-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Masks: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Reach-for-the-Stars-Masks-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Extra Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Reach-for-the-Stars-Extra-Papers-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html

5
Bundle: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Words-to-live-by-Remember-Bundle-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Words-to-live-by-Remember-Full-Kit-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Masks: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Words-to-live-by-Remember-by-Tami-Miller-Designs-tmd_wtlb_remember_bundle1.html
Marble Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Words-to-live-by-Remember-Marble-Papers-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Glitter Sheets: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Words-to-live-by-Remember-Glitter-Sheets-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html
Dates: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Words-to-live-by-Remember-Dates-by-Tami-Miller-Designs.html

6
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-falling-2..html

7
Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Frivolous-Fall-Collection-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Frivolous-Fall-Page-Kit-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Alphas: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Frivolous-Fall-Alpha-Sets-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Borders: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Frivolous-Fall-Borders-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Titles: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Frivolous-Fall-Titles-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Plaids: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Frivolous-Fall-Plaid-Papers-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Messy Edges: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Frivolous-Fall-Messy-Edges-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Glitters: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Frivolous-Fall-Glitters-by-Aimee-Harrison.html

ADB Designs
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Housewife-Life-Bundle-by-ADB-Designs.html

9
wire frames: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Heritage-Resources-CU-Ornate-Wire-Frames-by-ADB-Designs.html
heritage qp album: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Heritage-Resources-CU-Quick-Page-Album-by-ADB-Designs.html
botanical qp album v2: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Heritage-Resources-CU-Victorian-Botanical-Quick-Page-Album-v2-by-ADB-Designs.html
victory garden journalers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Heritage-Resources-Victory-Garden-Journal-Cards-by-ADB-Designs.html

10
https://store.gingerscraps.net/September-2019-Template-Bundle-by-Connie-Prince.html

11
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Perfectly-Paired-Digital-Scrapbook-Kit-by-Dandelion-Dust-Designs.html

12
Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Don-t-Stop-Believin-Collection.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Don-t-Stop-Believin-Kit.html
Alpha Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Don-t-Stop-Believin-Alpha-Pack.html
Element Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Don-t-Stop-Believin-Element-Pack.html
Paper Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Don-t-Stop-Believin-Paper-Pack.html
FinishingTouches: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Don-t-Stop-Believin-Finishing-Touches.html
Pattern Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Don-t-Stop-Believin-Pattern-Paper-Pack.html

13
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Summer-s-End-Kit.html

14
Bundle: https://bit.ly/GS-LetItGoBundle
Kit: https://bit.ly/GS-LetItGoKit
Elements: https://bit.ly/GSS-LetItGoElements
Artsy Papers: https://bit.ly/GSS-LetItGoArtsyPapers
Cardstocks & Ombré Papers: https://bit.ly/GS-LetItGoOmbrePapers
Patterned Papers: https://bit.ly/GSS-LetItGoPatternedPapers

15
https://bit.ly/GS_LifePagesPocket5

16
Mini Bundle: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumnal-Mini-Bundle.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumnal-Kit.html
Word Art: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumnal-Word-Art.html
Cardstocks: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumnal-Cardstocks.html

17
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Jumpstart-Designs

18
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Kristmess/

19
Bundle: https://store.gingerscraps.net/At-The-Museum-collection.html
Page kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/At-The-Museum.html
Journaling Cards: https://store.gingerscraps.net/At-The-Museum-cards.html
Graffiti Pack: https://store.gingerscraps.net/At-The-Museum-graffiti.html
Shabby Torn Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/At-The-Museum-bonus-papers.html
Word Bits: https://store.gingerscraps.net/At-The-Museum-word-bits.html

20
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Traveler-s-Notebook-Mini-Kit-by-Miss-Fish.html

21
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Picture-This-1-Templates-by-Miss-Fish.html

22
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Picture-This-3-Templates-by-Miss-Fish.html

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https://bit.ly/mags_GS

Remember, if you complete 10 challenges, just ten, you get a free kit as well!!

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Take the journey into fall!

Sneak Peeks September 19th 2019

Happy Thursday! It’s also Talk Like a Pirate Day! Our designers have some great new releases coming out tomorrow! Let’s check them out!

From JB Studio

From Tinci

 

From Down This Road

From JoCee

From Miss Fish

 

From Aimee Harrison

Tutorial Tuesday (Potpourri)

Breaking the Digi-scrapping Code

When I was reading through the comments on last week’s tutorial Another Paper-Scrapping Digi-Hack something Pam K said about my use of the word “coffin” (referring to the weirdly shaped open areas of the snowflake brush I was using) made me laugh. She said, “Jan, I thought “coffin” was a scrapbooking term that I hadn’t heard of yet — LOL!! When I first started digi-scrapping, I was lost by the use of a lot of acronyms (GSO, LOTD, etc) & different words that (to me) seemed to describe the same thing (splatter, paint, graffiti). 🙂” But then I got to thinking… I wondered how many newbies to our amazing hobby are in the same boat, wondering just what the heck we’re talking about. So I decided I’d create a little glossary of digi-scrapping terms and acronyms. I think I’ll start with some generalities then move on to more specific stuff.

Let’s start with Software related terms. (Updated September 18 to include corrections from readers with more knowledge of PS CC and Gimp.)

PS : Photoshop – the most versatile and flexible graphics and image-editing software, from Adobe; expensive with a steep learning curve

PS CC : Photoshop Creative Cloud – a software package that is subscription based, on a monthly basis paid annually; identical to Photoshop above also includes access to online storage (at extra cost). If you don’t renew your subscription or miss a payment, you lose the license for using the software.

PSE: Photoshop Elements – a more economical choice of software, with many shared features with PS but a slightly less-steep learning curve; the most common software in use for both photo editing and digital scrapbooking according to several polls I’ve seen

Gimp: Gnu Image Manipulation Program – a free, cross-platform raster-based image editing software, also quite popular in the digi-scrapping world; it doesn’t allow for non-destructive editing. When using commercial templates, the PSD, TIFF and PNG  formats are compatible (see below)

Artisan: Forever’s digital scrapbooking and photo editing software – less versatile than either PS, PSE or Gimp; close in price to PSE. Autopopulates pre-designed layouts; no ability to use layered templates but is compatible with most digi-scrapping kits. Forever has a small selection of digi kits and a line of photo-based products similar to Shutterfly. My Memories Suite is comparable, but less costly

Layout: an arrangement of images – photos, papers, elements and text – for artistic or documentary purposes. Also LO.

Template: a file containing multiple layers; the layers build a layout from the background up, indicating where paper, elements and text will go. Templates speed up your workflow by eliminating much of the decision-making necessary for positioning items on your layouts, but still allowing for a lot of originality.

Clip: visually altering a photo or paper by attaching and “cutting” it to fit inside a specified outline. (Think multiple layers of paper in different sizes and shapes.)

Clipping mask: a defined shape with uniform or variable opacity, to which papers or photos may be clipped.

Brush: the digital equivalent of rubber or acrylic stamps

Stroke: a customizable outline around an object; options are colour, width, transparency and whether it goes inside, right over or outside the edge of the object

Style: a method of altering the appearance of an object that may include bevel (gives the look of thicker or embossed material), drop shadow (darker, semi-transparent outline), inner glow (highlighted area inside the outline) and outer glow (highlighted area outside the outline) and colour (variably transparent, often completely covers the underlying colour)

Filter: adjusts the appearance of objects or surfaces to resemble other media such as watercolour, mosaic or texture; also includes some options for blurring

Action: a series of automated commands that instruct the software to make adjustments to photos or other images; actions “run” on the image to edit them quickly and easily with some options for manual tweaking. There are a number of sources for actions, including a bunch of free ones from the Coffeeshop blog. They take your really nice photo and elevate it to outstanding in less than a minute!

Extraction: digitally removing the background from a photo or scan; the equivalent of using cuticle scissors to cut out a face or other image from a “real” photo

PNG: Portable Network Graphic – an raster-based object with a transparent background, the format which allows resizing without loss of detail; the most common use of this is for digital elements.

Raster: Bit-mapped images – a grid of individual pixels that together form an image

PSD: Photoshop Document – the entire collection of layers which have been created or altered in the creation of an image; the format for PS and PSE friendly templates

TIFF: Tagged Image File Format – another way of saving a compressed multi-layered document like a template without losing detail; creates a file smaller than a PSD but larger than a JPEG

JPEG: Joint Photographic Expert Group – a compressed image file with some loss of detail, but generally not noticeably so; the most common file type for storage and sharing of digital photos and other images

Are you thoroughly confused? Wait… it’s about to get worse! We’re moving on to digi-scrapping community acronyms and terms.

GSO: Gallery Stand Out – a term first coined by the digi-scrapping blog Fingerpointing; the blog began as a way for new digi-scrappers to learn how to grow their skills through example and constructive criticism. Now it’s more of a place for digi-scrappers to reap the rewards and accolades afforded to excellence. A team of respected digi-scrap artists browse through digital galleries for the major online digi-scrapping communities then post a mini-gallery of their picks for the day with a description of what drew them to the layouts. I’ve had the huge honour of having TWO layouts so recognized this summer.

LOTD: Layout of the Day – some online communities include a layout chosen by the staff of their store as layout of the day according to criteria they determine for their particular community

LOTW: Layout of the Week – here at GingerScraps, we have a weekly GSO that is selected by the community itself. And that segués into the GS-specific stuff…

Sugar Cookie: a member of the GS praise team. These ladies have a responsibility to make sure ALL people who post their layouts in the GS Gallery are seen and commented upon, part of our friendly, welcoming attitude. So the Cookies spend time looking at layouts, sometimes dissecting them for special techniques (right glee?), then leaving some love for the scrapper. Another one of their responsibilities is to choose the contenders for LOTW through…

Baker’s Best: a layout that makes a special impact on the viewer. Anyone can make a nomination for Baker’s Best by indicating it in a comment left under the layout then posting in the Baker’s Best forum thread. The Cookies must choose one each week. And as a former Cookie, I’ll tell you… IT’S HARD to pick just one!! lorigaud manages the BB program; she notifies each of the contenders for LOTW so they can check out their competition and ensuring their layout gets at least one vote.

Fresh Baked: GingerScraps’ name for the weekly new releases.

The Buffet: all designer kits created using the colour palette of the month, as chosen by Ginger; they release on the first day of the month. These kits/collections are on sale for the first 5 days of each month then go to regular price.

Bake Sale: a selection of kits chosen by the designers that are on sale for just a SINGLE DOLLAR for 5 days, from the 15th to 20th each month.

Monthly Mix: a huge collaboration collection created by the GingerBread Ladies team of designers that is only $5.25 for the entire month it’s released in, after which it goes to the regular price of $7. The September Monthly Mix is called Sunny Delight and contains 5 (lowercase only) alphas, 46 papers and 73 elements. Can’t be beat!!

Cookie Jar: where you keep track of your Challenge layouts so you can win the Challenge Reward kit. You will receive this Reward kit, created by the GingerBread Ladies, in the month where you reach 10 challenges completed. Some people get in 10 challenges almost every month and have a ginormous stash of these awesome kits. <hides in the corner>

Scrapping Survivor: a progressive digi-scrapping game modeled after TV’s Survivor, complete with alliances, weekly challenges, tree mail, immunity challenges and tribal councils. It’s a really popular event with separate tracks for staff and non-staff (who aren’t eligible for the grand prize, to make it more fair) and culminates in the crowning of the Sole Survivor. The prizes are pretty fabulous… now that I’m retired and my real job doesn’t get in the way any more I think I might join in for the 10th contest.

And there you have it, my friends. A short (and hardly complete) glossary for digi-scrapping the GingerScraps way! [Can you believe this is tutorial #150?? I can’t!!]

~September Featured Designer: Mags Graphics~

Wow – halfway through September. I admit, I’m really looking forward to fall temperatures here in the northern hemisphere. I had the joy of “chatting” with Maggie from Mags Graphics. She is our GS Feature Designer for September. And I love that she gave me this awesome graphic to use. Under it, you’ll find some scrapbooking and fun questions for her.

Kit used on above is “Let’s Get Crafty“.

How long have you been designing?

Since 2009

What made you decide to design?

I’ve been scrapbooking in some form or another since I was 15 years old. Once I switched to digital scrapbooking vs. paper, I wanted to make kits for themes that I couldn’t find out there already.

What do you use to create your designs (program, additional tools, etc.)?

I use Photoshop CC to design. I have also used Paint Shop Pro. And I take some of my own photos for silhouettes and extractions.

Describe your design workplace.

My office is my NERD ROOM! I have over 200 Funko Pops on shelves making a perimeter of the room. I also have other shelves of Buffy and Harry Potter figures and props. Plus, my main organization involves Post-It Notes… so there is a wall of assorted ones right in front of me.

What motivates and inspires you as a designer?

I like to make kits that look like they were created with paper or real materials, even though they are digital.

What is your favorite kit currently in your GS store and why?

Ha! I like Big Stinker! Surely, there is NO OTHER kit like this out there!

What was your first job?

I started babysitting my neighbors when I was 9 years old.

Have you ever met anyone famous?

Several at the Cincinnati Comic Con: Henry Winkler, Ian Ziering, Chris Rankin (Percy from Harry Potter), Nicholas Brendan (Xander from Buffy), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter), and I went to school with Carmen Electra.

What are you reading right now?

I’m re-reading The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson… one of my all-time favorites!

What is your favorite quote?

“You must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait, the less likely you are to find it at all.” – Dead Poet’s Society.

What is something you want to do in the next year that you’ve never done before?

Indoor Skydiving

You have your own late night talk show, who do you invite as your first guest?

Joss Whedon (Creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

If you had to delete all but 3 apps from your smartphone, which ones would you keep?

Waze, PokemonGo, iTrackBites

If you could have someone follow you around all the time, like a personal assistant, what would you have them do?

COOK all of our meals!!

Would you rather travel back in time to meet your ancestors or to the future to meet your descendants?

That’s tough! I’m intrigued by both! I’ll say Future.

What commercial jingle gets stuck in your head all the time?

None – I skip commercials! 😉

If you could turn the ocean into a liquid other than water, which one would you pick?

My husband’s amazing Bourbon Slush!

Thank you to Maggie for indulging me!! Make sure to check our her GS Store, her Facebook Fan Page, her Facebook Group, and her blog!!

Are you grabbing the Daily Download this month?

And she has these great add-on packs to match:

Plus she has a sale going until the 23rd. All sorts of goodness and fun this month!

Friday the 13th: Just The Good from Gingerscraps!

Today is Friday the 13th, but that’s okay! That just means that the deals are scary good right now!! Start getting ready for 2020 with some great calendar ideas. Take one last dip in the pool before it gets too cool! Plan out those crisp fall afternoons while sipping a cup of something warm!

Remember when you spend $10 in the store, you get a great new collab! September is the start of fall and that means APPLES!

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https://store.gingerscraps.net/GingerBread-Ladies-Collab-Like-Them-Apples.html

1
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magical-Kingdom-Digital-Scrapbooking-Kit-by-Miss-Fish-and-Shepherd-Studios.html

2
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Building-Blocks-2-Templates-by-Miss-Fish.html

3
https://store.gingerscraps.net/You-re-A-Star-Templates-by-Miss-Fish.html

4
Stamps – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Keep-your-memories-Stamps-Vol6.html
Watercolor Borders – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Keep-your-memories-Watercolor-Borders-Vol6.html
Stamps&Borders – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Keep-your-memories-Stamps-and-Borders-Vol6.html
Gringe Photomasks – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Keep-your-memories-Grunge-Photomasks-Vol5.html
Masks&Frames – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Keep-your-memories-Masks-and-Frames-Vol6.html
Full Bundle (+FWP Offer) – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Keep-your-memories-Creative-Box-6.html

5
Kit – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-tryst-Kit.html
Embossed papers – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-tryst-Embossed-papers.html
Clusters&Wordart – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-tryst-Clusters-WA.html
Photomasks – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-tryst-Photomasks.html
Stamps&Frames – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-tryst-Stamps-Frames.html
QPs Set – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-tryst-QPs-Set.html
Full Bundle – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-tryst-Bundle.html

6
https://store.gingerscraps.net/What-Does-The-Fox-Say-Kit-by-Scraps-N-Pieces.html

7
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Magical-Kingdom-Digital-Scrapbooking-Kit-by-Shepherd-Studio-and-Miss-Fish.html

8
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Second-Chance-Vol-2-Templates-by-Shepherd-Studio.html

9
Bundle: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Second-Chances-Bundle.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Second-Chances-Kit.html
Journal Cards: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Second-Chances-Journal-Card-Pack.html
Flair: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Second-Chances-Flair-Pack.html
Ombre Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Second-Chances-Ombre-Paper-Pack.html
Journaling Words: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Second-Chances-Journaling-Words.html

10
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-falling-1..html

11
https://store.gingerscraps.net/A-Blessing-of-Birdsong-Bundle-by-ADB-Designs.html

12
Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Field-of-Wildflowers-Collection-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Field-of-Wildflowers-Page-Kit-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Alphas: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Field-of-Wildflowers-Alpha-Sets-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Borders: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Field-of-Wildflowers-Borders-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Titles: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Field-of-Wildflowers-Titles-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Watercolors: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Field-of-Wildflowers-Watercolor-Papers-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Edges: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Field-of-Wildflowers-Messy-Edges-by-Aimee-Harrison.html
Glitters: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Field-of-Wildflowers-Glitters-by-Aimee-Harrison.html

13
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Patchwork-1-Templates-by-Aimee-Harrison.html

14
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Pocketful-3-Templates-by-Aimee-Harrison.html

15
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Alexis-Design-Studio/

16
Bundle: https://store.gingerscraps.net/One-Last-Dip-Bundle.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/One-Last-Dip-Kit.html
Journal Cards: https://store.gingerscraps.net/One-Last-Dip-Journal-Cards.html
Flair: https://store.gingerscraps.net/One-Last-Dip-Flair-Pack.html
Ombre Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/One-Last-Dip-Ombre-Papers.html
Bonus Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/One-Last-Dip-Bonus-Papers.html

17
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Time-for-a-Trim-BGD.html

18
https://store.gingerscraps.net/triangle-frames-by-Clever-Monkey-Graphics.html

19
https://store.gingerscraps.net/2020-Center-Fold-8.5×11-Calendar-Templates-CU-Ok-by-Connie-Prince.html

20
https://store.gingerscraps.net/2020-8.5-x-11-PreMade-Calendars-by-Connie-Prince.html

21
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-Nights-Digital-Scrapbook-Kit-by-Dandelion-Dust-Designs.html

22
Kit – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Rock-Band-KIT-by-Heather-Z-Scraps.html
BOY Elements – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Rock-Band-BOY-ELEMENTS-by-Heather-Z-Scraps.html
GIRL Elements – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Rock-Band-GIRL-ELEMENTS-by-Heather-Z-Scraps.html
Papers – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Rock-Band-PAPERS-by-Heather-Z-Scraps.html
Alphabets – https://store.gingerscraps.net/Rock-Band-ALPHABETS-by-Heather-Z-Scraps.html

23
Kit: https://bit.ly/GS-GoneAwayKit
Alpha: https://bit.ly/GS-GoneAwayAlpha
Elements: https://bit.ly/GS-GoneAwayEllies
Papers: https://bit.ly/GS-GoneAwayPapers

24
COMPLETE COLLECTION: https://store.gingerscraps.net/A-WHOLE-NEW-CHAPTER-Complete-Collection.html
KIT: https://store.gingerscraps.net/A-WHOLE-NEW-CHAPTER-Kit.html
VINTAGE PRETTIES: https://store.gingerscraps.net/A-WHOLE-NEW-CHAPTER-Vintage-Pretties.html
EMPHASIS EXTRAS: https://store.gingerscraps.net/A-WHOLE-NEW-CHAPTER-Emphasis-Extras.html
ADD-ON: https://store.gingerscraps.net/A-WHOLE-NEW-CHAPTER-Add-On.html
WORD ART: https://store.gingerscraps.net/A-WHOLE-NEW-CHAPTER-Word-Art.html
BLENDED PAPERS: https://store.gingerscraps.net/A-WHOLE-NEW-CHAPTER-Blended-Papers.html

25
COMPLETE COLLECTION: https://store.gingerscraps.net/OUR-LITTLE-SPROUT-Complete-Collection.html
ELEMENTS: https://store.gingerscraps.net/OUR-LITTLE-SPROUT-Elements.html
FARM FRIENDS: https://store.gingerscraps.net/OUR-LITTLE-SPROUT-Farm-Friends.html
WORD ART: https://store.gingerscraps.net/OUR-LITTLE-SPROUT-Word-Art.html
BLENDED PAPERS: https://store.gingerscraps.net/OUR-LITTLE-SPROUT-Blended-Papers.html
PAPERS: https://store.gingerscraps.net/OUR-LITTLE-SPROUT-Papers.html

26
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Kristmess/

27
Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-Hues-Collection-by-Lindsay-Jane.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-Hues-by-Lindsay-Jane.html
Quick Pages: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-Hues-Quick-Pages-by-Lindsay-Jane.html

28
Collection: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-Hues-Collection-by-Lindsay-Jane.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-Hues-by-Lindsay-Jane.html
Quick Pages: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Autumn-Hues-Quick-Pages-by-Lindsay-Jane.html

29
Bundle: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Book-Nerd-BUNDLE-by-MagsGraphics.html
Kit: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Book-Nerd-KIT-by-MagsGraphics.html
Alpha Packs: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Book-Nerd-ALPHA-PACKS-by-MagsGraphics.html
Journal Cards: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Book-Nerd-JOURNAL-CARDS-by-MagsGraphics.html
Genre Tags: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Book-Nerd-GENRE-TAGS-by-MagsGraphics.html
Worn Papers: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Book-Nerd-WORN-PAPERS-by-MagsGraphics.html
Word Art: https://store.gingerscraps.net/Book-Nerd-WORD-ART-by-MagsGraphics.html

30
https://bit.ly/mags_GS

31
https://store.gingerscraps.net/Alexis-Design-Studio/

Remember, if you complete 10 challenges, just ten, you get a free kit as well!!

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Take the journey into fall!

Sneak Peeks September 12th 2019

Happy Thursday! Our designers were hard at work this week making some awesome goodies to release tomorrow! Let’s check them out!

From Lindsay Jane

From Tinci

From Clever Monkey Graphics

From Aimee Harrison

From Miss Fish

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

Another Paper-Scrapping Digi-Hack!

Are y’all enjoying GingerScraps‘ Eleventh Birthday Bash?

So, I was wasting a rainy Sunday afternoon browsing Pinterest, trying to ignore the chill in the air and looking for distraction. And suddenly, there was some inspiration for a tutorial (as soon as I figured out how to do it!) for another digital version of a paper-scrapping technique. And it builds on the heat-embossing tutorial from last week, so it seemed like it was meant to be. Here’s the photo that caught my eye, from the Stampin’ Up design team. Do you see where I’m going?

If you’ve read any of my other tutorials, you’ll know that I like to do things like this on their own canvas, and I like to work large, then make small. To that end, I opened up a 12×12 canvas on my workspace. Then I browsed through my brush collection until I found a great set of snowflake brushes that came from a former GS designer, Pretty in Green.

I like the look of my inspirational image so I’m going to use black, but of course you do you!

I enlarged the brush to its maximum size. It can always be resized later (as long as it’s on its own layer).

Then I dropped a tonal paper from Connie Prince‘s pretty Snowflake Kisses kit UNDERNEATH the brush layer.

I’m not going to pretend that the next few steps didn’t take a lot of trial and error to get it right. The first step is to click on the Layer Thumbnail of the BRUSH layer to select the edges of the brush.

Then I clicked Select>Modify>Expand to make the selection bigger.

Here’s where the take-a-guess-and-hope-for-the-best comes in. I want all the various parts of the brush area to be contiguous with the others. I finally settled on 75 pixels.

Because the brush was designed by a human and not a machine, the hearts weren’t exactly and precisely spaced away from the solid line outline so the pixel width had to accommodate for that in order to eliminate the gaps. When you try this yourself you’ll soon see what I mean. But the gaps can’t stay, they mess up future steps so getting it right now is vital.

I played with this whole technique for several hours before I got it all settled in my head. I want the paper to be a solid background for the brush, and that meant I had to eliminate those “coffin” areas. I knew I’d have to ensure there are NO tiny little open areas in the paper when I “fussy cut” it, so to make sure I got the job done in the most efficient manner I put a blank layer in between my paper and my brush. (If you look closely you can see the marching ants around the edges of the selection.)

But first I had to fill the selection to be able to see where the little gaps might be. On the blank layer, I chose the Paint Bucket tool and my black foreground. Then I clicked on a random spot inside the snowflake shape.

Of course, the marching ants still outlined the “coffins” so they’ll have to be manually filled.

To turn off the marching ants, you can click Select>Deselect or you can use the keyboard shortcut D.

Then I went back with the Paint Bucket and filled in each “coffin”. After they were all filled in, I clicked in several more random spots inside the outlined area to fill in as many of the invisible gaps as I could.

Then, just because I had tried to make this technique work as simply as possible about a dozen times already, I zoomed in on my black snowflake and using a black round brush, I covered up any remaining gaps.

There are two ways to use this shape as a clipping mask. This is the labour-intensive way. With the PAPER layer active, click on the mask Layer Thumbnail to select the edge and get the marching ants. Then click Select>Inverse (CTRL/CMD>Shift>I) to have the PAPER selected, not the shape.

Now you can Edit>Cut (X) the paper surrounding the mask away.

Now the mask layer can be Deleted. (Obviously, to Work Smart Not Hard, I could have moved the mask layer below the paper layer then Clipped the paper to the mask… which is what I did with the second example below. Live and learn!)

To get the flocked look on my brush, first I applied a Bevel Layer Style. Just as I did last tutorial, I clicked on the Styles button at the bottom of the Layers panel, then chose Bevels>Soft Pillow Emboss.

The default settings are fine, so on to the next step.

It’s a really good idea to Simplify layers when you’re planning to layer Styles, like I’m going to do here. Otherwise that bevel could disappear.

Several GS designers create Style sets to go with their collections but Katie of Just So Scrappy/Ooh La La Scraps is the only one who has a FELT style. I used JSS Lucky Me‘s black felt.

Look at that! And I Simplify

Now to do the digital version of “fussy cutting”, which leaves a thin white edge around the image. Super simple with a Stroke! Edit>Stroke (Outline Selection)

I just pulled 30 pixels out of the air and applied it to the INSIDE of the edge.

For those of you who have paper-scrapped, you know how the Stampin’ Up designers got the elevated look with their ornament cutouts. They used double-faced foam tape. Digitally, it’s a simple shadow! If you need a refresher on creating custom shadows, you can find my quick-and-easy method here. It starts with a blank layer UNDERNEATH the cutout.

I clicked on the cutout Layer Thumbnail with the blank layer active.

Then I Filled the outline with black.

So there’s the basic shadow layer. Clicking D gets rid of the marching ants and clicking V activates the Move tool.

I decided that I wanted a right-sided 30° angle on my light source so I nudged the shadow layer over as shown. To turn a flat black blob into something that looks like a shadow, it’s necessary to Blur it. Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur it, to be more precise.

To see the effect the Blur filter has, you can click on an edge with the cursor and it’ll pop up in the box as shown. Slide the handle to the right until it looks good to your eye. I went to 11.1 pixels.

I always change the Blend Mode for my shadow layers, which will change the transparency and the overall effect, but it’s an optional step. With this one I used Color Burn. It’s important to do this step BEFORE you adjust the Opacity, because the Blend Mode tool will stay turned on if you do it later, and then when you use your arrows thinking you’re going to nudge something, it isn’t going to move, but it might change colour or disappear altogether…

And then adjust the Opacity to what looks right.

Then I went ahead and made a second snowflake cutout using (most of) the same steps.

When you have two objects overlapping, the shadow will look different where the items actually touch. So I used the Smudge tool (the one that looks like a fingertip) to push the shadow a little closer to the upper layer and to pull it away a little where there would be more space between the paper and the background. It’s subtle but it does make a difference. (Take another look at the inspiration photo if you’re still confused.)

How did I do?