Archives for August 2023

Tutorial Tuesday (PS Elements 2020>)

August 29, 2023 by Jan

Quick Trick: Guided Edit – Pattern Brush

Hey, GingerScrappers! Thanks for all the kind thoughts and support for those of us in the fire zone. For me, the crisis is over, at least for the time being. Fire season won’t end until we get some snow, so we can’t really relax. But we didn’t have to evacuate, like so many of our community did. The tally on structures lost is ongoing and most of the people who have lost everything have been notified. They’ll need so much in the coming weeks; I can’t even imagine.

But enough of that. Today I’m building on our paper-making lesson from a couple months back. I’m using a Guided Edit only available to those using Elements 2020 through 2023, so if that’s not you, I apologize.

I’ve created a solid black 12×12 paper on my workspace. Black is a good background for this tutorial since it makes the patterns much more visible in the tiny screenshots I’ve been forced to use.

Click on Guided up at the top of your screen and Elements will take you to this interface.

Click on Fun Edits, then on Pattern Brush as shown.

There are 15 Patterns to choose from in Elements 2020-2022. There were a few more added for Elements 2023. Here, you can see 9 of the Patterns. There are 2 ways to use this Edit and I’ll show you samples of both. If at any time you’re not happy with what you’ve done, you can Undo (CTRL/CMD>Z) back to your background paper, or click the Cancel button at the bottom right. Cancel takes you back to the Guided menu and you can start again.

First, I’m using the Fill edit. I chose the random hearts and clicked Fill. The Pattern is at 100% Opacity against the black. I like it!

In the Fill option, the Opacity slider is active. So here I’ve decreased to 85% just to show you what you can do. I’d probably leave it at full bore.

Oh, and… you can Erase some of the Pattern!! Using the Pattern Eraser Tool, I removed some of the bigger hearts from my sample. There’s also a Blur option that I didn’t play with. You can try it and see what it does. I think it would be perfect with the bokeh Pattern.

I Undid my way back to my plain black and this time I chose Paint using the default settings to Paint a diagonal from the lower right to upper left. See how the positions of the hearts randomly shifts?

I played with the settings, decreasing the Size from 150 pixels to 75, increasing the Scatter from 25% to 50% and dropping the Opacity to 85%. Then I Painted all over the black to create a tiny, overall pattern. There are so many ways this can be customized!

For this sample I used the random stars and Fill. If you don’t like the colour of the Pattern as Elements provided, you can definitely change it once you’re back in Expert mode.

Here’s a glimpse at the other 6 Patterns. I love this confetti cannon look!

Yet another Pattern… but really, who wants red, gold and brown snowflakes? Let’s click Next down at the lower right and move out of Guided mode.

Here, I chose Continue Editing In Expert and clicked Done. If I was happy with my paper at this stage, I could choose to Save it As a .jpeg and use it again and again.

In Expert mode, you can see the new layers Elements has added to the paper. The top and bottom layers are the only ones that matter. You can activate that pattern layer at the top and add a Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid>Clip to change colour, or you can play with the Blend Mode for that layer to see what works best for you.

Here’s a close-up of the pattern so you’ll easily see the Blend Mode change.

Switching to Luminosity took all the colour out of the snowflakes, but not the shadowing! I could increase the Opacity of the pattern layer to 100% to brighten the white. And that’s all there is to it!

Sorry for the formatting glitches. When I mix up my screenshots and have to move them around, WordPress plays with me, hard!

This is a bit of a milestone for me. My very first Tutorial Tuesday Blog post appeared August 30, 2016 – SEVEN years ago!! Today’s Tutorial is #315… that’s a lot of words! No wonder I’m hoarse. (Although that could be the smoke…)

It just started raining here for only the second time since July 24th. Rejoicing!!

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, Tutorials Tagged With: Tutorial Tuesday

August 25, 2023: Fresh Baked

August 25, 2023 by Stephanie MH

Can you believe it’s almost the end of August? Has school started where you are? It’s been fun seeing the buses go by the house and see my little neighbor across the street get off the bus of an afternoon.

Remember if you spend $10 in the store, you get this great kit for free.

Let’s see what we have new in the store this week.

Have you picked up the August Monthly Mix? Only a few more days to get it at the lower price.

How are those challenges. I hope you are enjoying the wide range of options. You only need to complete 10 to get this great reward.

I was delighted to see so many of you enrolling in last month’s class at The Digital Scrapper! I hope you all had a fantastic time “painting with patterns”!

This month, I have chosen to feature a wonderful class called “Stories from the Road”. I’m currently enrolled in this class myself, and I am absolutely LOVING it! There is an abundance of incredible information and inspiration to be found.

Here is some additional information about “Stories from the Road”:

There is something about a memory that you can hold in your hand. It’s cherished.

Not long ago, Jen White, from Digital Scrapper, whipped up a photo book for her son-in-law for Christmas. She honestly had no idea of the tremendous impact it would have on him.

Through that experience, the foundation for Stories From the Road was born.

In this course, Jen will teach you everything you need to know (and more!) about creating a themed photo book — from the dreamy beginning to ordering end.

Don’t forget that we have a TON of wonderful materials to scrap all your photobooks! The “Vacation” category and the “Photobooks” section of the shop are a great place to start! I think my first photobook created from this class will be a Disneyland photobook! I’m so excited to get started on it!

LIMITED TIME – SAVE 35% on Stories from the Road!

Don’t miss this Exclusive offer for Gingerscraps customers! On sale now through August 31, 2023, Midnight Eastern.

P.S. Stories From the Road is evergreen, meaning the information and resources can be used over and over again for years to come.

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies

Tutorial Tuesday: Interrupted

August 22, 2023 by Jan

UPDATE!

We are safe. It was pretty hairy over the weekend, but today, they’ve classified the two fires on this side of the lake as being held. The closest evacuation alert to us was about 2 1/2 miles, but seeing how far fire can move in no time flat when blown by high wind, we were packed and ready to go. The bigger fire is still burning out of control, but thankfully, it’s moving away from populated areas. Almost 200 properties are partially or totally destroyed. Rebuilding will take years. I’ve learned so much about the science of firefighting, logistics of mass evacuation and disaster recovery than I ever wanted to know. But I’ll say this: The people on the front lines of these fires are heroes. And they don’t get nearly enough recognition for the work they do. We all know about firefighters, police officers and paramedics, but we don’t know much about the people who keep them going: mechanics, pilots, food services, utilities management, emergency support personnel and so many others. We need to stop taking them for granted!!

Thank you all for your kind words and concern. We GingerScrappers in the fire zones appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.

Jan

This isn’t what I had planned for today. I have no tutorial written and to be honest, I haven’t given it much thought. Some of you will have seen stories on the news without knowing you knew anybody in peril… I live close to Okanagan Lake – on a clear day, I see it from my favourite chair without even turning my head. On Thursday a wildfire burning some distance west of the lake, blown by high winds, very quickly became a real threat. More than 30,000 people were evacuated via the few arterial roads we have here, within only a dozen hours or so. Then the fire jumped the lake in two spots and started consuming fuel on this side. We watched in horror as the evacuation orders crept closer and closer to our neighbourhood. Ash and embers were blowing around like leaves in the fall. We’re still packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice but we are safe and the threat is gradually diminishing. I know you’ll all understand that I’ve had other things on my mind… Thank you!

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking

August 18, 2023: Fresh Baked and RETIRING PRODUCTS

August 18, 2023 by Stephanie MH

Happy Friday. We hope your week has been great. Today kicks off our Summer Retiring Products Sale.

Make sure you have checked out before 11:59 pm Eastern time on August 24. All products in the sale will be retired at the once the sale ends.

Remember if you spend $10 in the store, you get this great kit for free.

Let’s take a peek at some of the new items in the store this week.

How are your challenges going? Complete any 10 challenges and get this great collab as a reward.

I was delighted to see so many of you enrolling in last month’s class at The Digital Scrapper! I hope you all had a fantastic time “painting with patterns”!

Here is some additional information about “Stories from the Road”:

There is something about a memory that you can hold in your hand. It’s cherished.

Not long ago, Jen White, from Digital Scrapper, whipped up a photo book for her son-in-law for Christmas. She honestly had no idea of the tremendous impact it would have on him.

Through that experience, the foundation for Stories From the Road was born.

In this course, Jen will teach you everything you need to know (and more!) about creating a themed photo book — from the dreamy beginning to ordering end.

LIMITED TIME – SAVE 35% on Stories from the Road!

Don’t miss this Exclusive offer for Gingerscraps customers! On sale now through August 31, 2023, Midnight Eastern.

P.S. Stories From the Road is evergreen, meaning the information and resources can be used over and over again for years to come.

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies, sales Tagged With: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies, sales

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

August 15, 2023 by Jan

Challenge Spotlight: Inspiration

How is it already the third Tuesday of August? Of course, this month has FIVE Tuesdays, so we’re actually smack-dab in the middle of the month. The Okanagan valley in BC, where I live, is having a heat wave and we’re blanketed with wildfire smoke again. I feel very bad for the movers who are emptying a truck across the street in this heat and cruddy air. Our Level 4 drought is quickly moving to Level 5. Seems like it’s bad news everywhere. To all the GingerScrappers in Hawaii, you have all our love.

I chose the Inspiration Challenge for this month’s Challenge Spotlight because the Challenge Joy (Memory Mosaic) has tossed our way is something I love to do: take a photo from an “odd” perspective and scrap it. The alternate Challenge is to scrap a photoless layout from someone else’s perspective. When I looked at the Challenge Gallery, I was a little surprised to see only one person chose the photoless option. But what a great choice it was! Let’s have a look at the entries. As usual, they’re in the order they were uploaded to the Gallery and they’re linked to the Gallery so you can take a closer look, leave some praise or whatever. Just click on the scrapper’s user name and you’ll be right there. (I have participated in this Challenge, but decided not to include my own layout, because the focus of these Individual Style posts is on YOU!)

Here, greenfiend27 has two photos and perspective is a feature in both of them. These stainless steel balls see, to be everywhere these days and offer endless potential for interesting photos. They can be a lot like funhouse mirrors, right?

GrannyNKy has a really carefully-framed photo for her layout. There are millions of photos of Christ the Redeemer near Rio de Janeiro, but not many like this one!

Look at TBear‘s layout… the lone outlier! Here’s what she said about it: “DGD, who thinks outside the box as second nature, asked me what I thought an alien birthday cake would look like. I tried to create something from her perspective…outside the cake mix box.” I LOVE it! Kids are so clever.

I had to look very closely at this layout by MeleahG to decide where the “perspective” was… and then it hit me: the depth and breadth of variety! Shakespeare, Narnia, The Count of Monte Christo, The Witch of Blackbird Pond… I read that one when I was about 10 and had completely forgotten it.

For her layout, bumblebeee chose a photo taken from HER perspective of her family canoeing in an idyllic spot. Sometimes looking at the back of someone’s head can be magical. (This PICU nurse’s heart is happy to see life jackets on those precious babies.)

One of the cardinal rules of obtaining great photographs of kids and animals is to get down on their level. And Karen Diamond learned that one well! She also has an aerial view of the farm and a downhill shot of cows in a pasture, so she’s used many perspectives. Good job!

JAMSquared80 has skillfully used up-shots for her layout. That perspective gives a sense of just how tall those buildings are.

Here’s another good example of getting down on their level from photocrazy. Not only do we get better images this way, but they’re more natural and uninhibited.

I’ve NEVER seen a real peacock with its tail fanned out, never mind from the BACK! Props to gmae for this unusual perspective!

This makes it look like the subject of the photo is either walking on water or walking up a glass wall. It’s a bit disappointing to know it’s a glass balcony wall and gadawg83‘s subject is seated, don’t you think?

If you’re new to digi-scrapping, GingerScraps’ Challenges are a perfect way to find inspiration, learn new things and build up your stash. Several of our designer-hosts include freebies with their Challenges and there’s a Challenge Reward kit for completing 10 Challenges. (Missi keeps track of everybody’s totals. When you reach 10 completed you’ll automatically receive the download link for that month’s Reward via Private Message. However, the counter stops there until a new month starts, so if you hit your 10 layouts on, say, today – August 15th, but you keep going and complete 5 more layouts, those ones don’t carry over to September when the counter starts again. Clear as mud?) Here’s a look at the August Reward kit.

See you all next Tuesday!

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Challenge Spotlight, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, GingerBread Ladies, Tutorials Tagged With: Tutorial Tuesday

August 11, 2023: Fresh Baked

August 11, 2023 by Stephanie MH

Happy Friday everyone! We’ve got a big newsletter today with a lot of great products.

Remember if you spend $10 in the store you get this great {cookout} collab for free.

How are your challenges going? Complete any 10 challenges and get this great collab as a reward.

I was delighted to see so many of you enrolling in last month’s class at The Digital Scrapper! I hope you all had a fantastic time “painting with patterns”!

Here is some additional information about “Stories from the Road”:

There is something about a memory that you can hold in your hand. It’s cherished.

Not long ago, Jen White, from Digital Scrapper, whipped up a photo book for her son-in-law for Christmas. She honestly had no idea of the tremendous impact it would have on him.

Through that experience, the foundation for Stories From the Road was born.

In this course, Jen will teach you everything you need to know (and more!) about creating a themed photo book — from the dreamy beginning to ordering end.

LIMITED TIME – SAVE 35% on Stories from the Road!

Don’t miss this Exclusive offer for Gingerscraps customers! On sale now through August 31, 2023, Midnight Eastern.

P.S. Stories From the Road is evergreen, meaning the information and resources can be used over and over again for years to come.

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies

Tutorial Tuesday (Potpourri)

August 8, 2023 by Jan

Inspiration: Song Lyrics

PDF Version : https://bit.ly/3OwWJGE

When Cindy Ritter said she sometimes takes her inspiration from song lyrics, it really resonated with me. I’ve used lyrics as journaling – a LOT – and song titles too can stimulate my scrapping mojo. So today, I think we should take a deeper dive into that topic. (I’m going to be VERY wordy… so prepare yourself!) I’ve gathered some examples of lyrics that lend themselves well to memory-keeping. Some of them are from 70s pop, some from folk music and some from country because that’s what I listen to; they’re meant to be examples to help you think about YOUR favourite tunes and what they mean to YOU.

My first verse is one that can be adapted to almost any situation. Time in a Bottle was written by James (Jim) Croce. It’s so meaningful on so many levels. It could reflect romantic love, love for a parent or from a parent, and even the relationship between close friends.

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day ’til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you.

Another verse with similar sentiment is from Remember You Young, written by Ashley Glenn Gorley, Thomas Rhett Akins and Jesse Frasure.

And no matter how much time goes by
And no matter how much we grow up
For worse or for better, from now ’til forever
I’ll always remember you young.

For layouts about children and growing up, another song by Ashley Glenn Gorley and Lee Williams comes to mind: You’re Gonna Miss This. Trace Adkins‘ rendition is so moving.

You’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These Are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you’re gonna miss this

This verse from Light on in the Kitchen is a blueprint for moms and daughters. Written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington and Ashley McBryde, the entire song is full of love and wisdom.

Honey, trust yourself
You better love yourself
‘Cause ’til you do, you ain’t no good
For anybody else
And, honey, boys are dumb
But you gonna find your one
Love him hard and bless your heart
You’ll need someone to listen
That’s why I leave a light on in the kitchen

To carry on with that theme, Mothers and Daughters, by Troy Verges, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Melvern Rivers Rutherford II, speaks for itself.

Mothers and daughters
Daughters and mothers
For a few years they’re
Like oil and water
Then one day they discover
That they need each other
Mothers and daughters
Daughters and mothers

For those of you who miss your mothers, Theodore Harris has the words your memories may need. My favourite version is by Glen Campbell.

There ought to be a hall of fame for mamas
Creation’s most unique and precious pearls
And heaven help us always to remember
That the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world

I’ve always felt this song recorded by Rascal Flatts represents what each parent wants for their children. It was written by Stephen Paul Robson and Jeffrey Allen Steele and is called My Wish.

My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to
I hope you know somebody loves you and wants the same things, too
Yeah, this is my wish

This one, Strong Enough to Bend, was recorded by Tanya Tucker; it would be a great way to commemorate a long and enduring marriage. It was penned by Paul Davis and Bobby Emmons.

There’s a tree out in the back yard
That never has been broken by the wind
And the reason it’s still standin’
It was strong enough to bend

For years we have stayed together
As lovers and as friends
What we have will last forever
If we’re strong enough to bend

Another Rascal Flatts song could be an anthem for those who have survived their worst struggles, and an anthem for those still conquering them. It’s called Stand, written by Dan Ernest Orton and Eric Blair Daly.

‘Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend ’til you break
‘Cause it’s all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, yeah, then you stand

What lyrical lexicon would be complete without something by Carole King to round it out?

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue
An everlasting vision of the ever-changing view
A wondrous, woven magic in bits of blue and gold
A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold

Let me show you some examples of how I’ve used lyrics to inspire my layouts.

Blue looks good on the sky
Looks good on that neon buzzin’ on the wall
But darling, it don’t match your eyes
I’m tellin’ you
You don’t need that guy
It’s so black and white
He’s stealin’ your thunder
Baby, blue ain’t your color

Hillary Lindsey, Steven Olsen, Clinton Lagerberg

Well, the road rolls out like a welcome mat
To a better place than the one we’re at
And I ain’t got no kinda plan
But I’ve had all of this town I can stand

And I got friends out on the coast
We can jump in the water and see what floats
We’ve been saving for a rainy day
Let’s beat the storm and be on our way

And it don’t matter to me
Wherever we are is where I wanna be
And honey, for once in our life
Let’s take our chances and roll the dice
I can be your lucky penny, you can be my four-leaf clover
Starting over

This might not be an easy time
There’s rivers to cross and hills to climb
Some days we might fall apart
And some nights might feel cold and dark

But nobody wins, afraid of losing
And the hard roads are the ones worth choosing
Someday we’ll look back and smile

Mike Henderson, Christopher Alvin Stapleton

and one last one…

Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free
And stand where the peaks meet the sky and the lochs meet the sea
Where the rivers run clear and the bracken is gold in the sun
Ah, the cares of to-morrow can wait ’til this day is done

Oh, come by the hills to the land where life is a song
And sing while the birds fill the air with their joy all day long
Where the trees sway in time and even the wind sings in tune

Ah, the cares of to-morrow can wait ’til this day is done

Come by the hills to the land where legend re-mains
Where stories of old fill the heart and may yet come a-gain
Where our past has been lost and the future has still to be won
Ah, the cares of to-morrow can wait ’til this day is done

W Gordon-Smith

I’ve used song titles for layout titles too. There are so many ways to make them work for you! What song inspires YOU?

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, Tutorials Tagged With: Tutorial Tuesday

MEGA $2.00 Tuesday! 8-07-2023

August 8, 2023 by GingerScraps

Who is ready for a MEGA $2.00 Tuesday Sale!? Remember to check out BEFORE the clock strikes midnight (eastern time) and all these amazing deals go back to full price.

Here are just a few of the over 250 products offered in this $2.00 Tuesday MEGA SALE!

Remember if you spend $10 in the store you get this great {cookout} collab for free.

Filed Under: sales

August 04, 2023: Fresh Baked

August 4, 2023 by Stephanie MH

Here we are at another Friday. I don’t mind the Friday’s coming quickly, I just wish the weekend was longer.

Remember if you spend $10 in the store you get this great {cookout} collab for free.

Now it’s time to look at a sampling of the new kits in the shop.

Have you gotten started on your challenges yet? Which is your favorite? Complete any 10 challenges and get this great collab as a reward.

I was delighted to see so many of you enrolling in last month’s class at The Digital Scrapper! I hope you all had a fantastic time “painting with patterns”!

Here is some additional information about “Stories from the Road”:

There is something about a memory that you can hold in your hand. It’s cherished.

Not long ago, Jen White, from Digital Scrapper, whipped up a photo book for her son-in-law for Christmas. She honestly had no idea of the tremendous impact it would have on him.

Through that experience, the foundation for Stories From the Road was born.

In this course, Jen will teach you everything you need to know (and more!) about creating a themed photo book — from the dreamy beginning to ordering end.

LIMITED TIME – SAVE 35% on Stories from the Road!

Don’t miss this Exclusive offer for Gingerscraps customers! On sale now through August 31, 2023, Midnight Eastern.

P.S. Stories From the Road is evergreen, meaning the information and resources can be used over and over again for years to come.

Filed Under: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With: Digital Scrapbooking, Fresh Baked, GingerBread Ladies

Designer Spotlight: August 2023

August 3, 2023 by Jan

Cindy Ritter Designs!

Remember my comment about updates in Tuesday’s Tutorial, that they mess things up? Well… it happened again. I couldn’t find my notes for this post. <fuming> All is not lost though. I’ve been able to recreate them. Now, let’s get to know Cindy Ritter a bit better!

Cindy and I chatted at length last week over margaritas on the patio. We got the housekeeping stuff out of the way early, so we could really dish later.

J: What do you use to create your designs?

C: I primarily use Photoshop but am trying to learn to use Illustrator and a tablet. I also use various types of paints, pens, papers and my scanner to create unique products.

J: It can be really challenging to learn new software. I’m trying to wrap my head around Cricut Design Space right now and really wishing there was a common lingo for these applications. I mean, what the heck does “weld” mean, and why didn’t they go with “merge”? I think I’ll need a glossary… Okay, now that we know HOW you work, let’s talk about WHY. What motivates and inspires you as a designer?

C: Most often I am inspired by music, my emotions and color. I absolutely have to have music when I’m working.

J: Oh, me too! I’m often inspired by song lyrics I find especially resonant. Tell me about your favourite kit in the GingerScraps store. Let me guess… it came to you in a song. 😉

C: My favorite is the Beautiful Struggle collection. It WAS inspired by the song “Beauty in the Struggle” by Brian Martin. Like many women, my life has been a series of struggles and challenges, so for me it was very personal. I collaborated with Aimee Harrison and Cheré Kaye and really enjoyed working with both of them.

J: It’s amazing! I LOVE IT!! (I linked it for our readers – just click on the title above and you’ll go right to the collection.) Honestly, who among us hasn’t struggled at one time or another? I think I might be able to guess your answer for this next nosy question: What are your most favorite and least favorite colors?

C: My favorite colors are greens, yellows and orange, I really don’t like pinks and purples.

J: Ladies, take a look at the collection… See any pink or purple? Me neither! Cindy, since you love green, do you have a green thumb? What do you grow?

C: I have a fairly green thumb and do pretty well with green and blooming plants but I don’t have much luck growing anything edible. I live in an apartment so I do container gardening and love growing anything blooming that can survive the heat of Mississippi summers. My current favorites in my garden are Hibiscus, Rock Trumpet, and Bromeliads.

J: In Mississippi you get heat AND humidity. Here, we get the heat but it’s tinder-dry, which is why there’s so much smoke in the air all the time. <sigh> Our HOA has very strict rules about planting anything that isn’t drought-tolerant and every house has drip irrigation to minimize water use. Water is one of the necessities of life for everything. Aside from necessities, what is one thing could you not go a day without?

C: My cats! All 3 are rescues who weren’t old enough to be away from the mama cat when I got them. Bowie and Ziggy have both been with us for over a year now. Our most recent rescue, Phoenix, was only 4-5 weeks old and under a pound when we got him recently. He was brought to us on July 18th by a neighbor who found him injured in her driveway. Apparently she knows I’m a crazy cat lady. Lol

J: I’m not a cat person, but I get the desire to take care of living things who can’t take care of themselves. That’s why I was a nurse for 25 years. 😉 Perfect segué… What did you want to be when you were small?

C: As a child I dreamed of being an artist. I spent most of my working years as a floral designer and also worked as a graphic designer. After I retired I taught myself scrapbook design. My childhood dream is my reality.

J: That’s fantastic! Who says dreams don’t come true? As a fellow retired person, I have so many things that fill my days. Are you a sports fan, or a gamer?

C: I love to play Cribbage. My grandmother taught me to play when I was young and now that she’s gone it brings back pleasant memories of time spent with her. I’ve taught my grandson to play and I hope that years from now playing cribbage will hold pleasant memories for him.

J: Ooh, yes!! I learned to play Cribbage when I was about 10, but I don’t play it well. My late father-in-law skunked me almost every time. When we had a family retreat for my parents’ 60th anniversary, we taught our son-in-law to play. He’s brilliant and caught on right away, now he loves it too! We also got him interested in curling. Such a Canadian thing. If you could have a super power, what would it be?

C: I’m torn between teleportation and time manipulation. Having ADHD, I get distracted very easily and am usually running behind schedule. Both of those would be helpful in getting things done and getting where I need to be on time.

J: I grew up in a military household, so if you’re only 10 minutes early for something, you’re already late. Teleportation would really be a boon for that! I’m also a serious procrastinator, which means I spend a lot of time in conflict with myself. What would you do if you won the lottery?

C: Give each of my kids a house and the money for college. Anything left I would use to help the homeless.

J: Every time I ask that question of designers, I get a variation on those answers. Which leads me to remind everybody that Cindy is providing this month’s Daily Download (and it’s a-freakin’-mazing!) and has already posted a template freebie on the GingerScraps Facebook page. If you’re on FB and haven’t seen it, LOOK FOR IT! You won’t be disappointed! Of course, Cindy is also hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge this month, in addition to her usual Real Moments Challenge. But if all of THAT wasn’t enough, she’s also put her entire store on sale at 40% off (with bundles and collabs excluded, naturally). But wait! There’s even MORE… Spend $12 or more and you can get an ADDITIONAL 15% off with the coupon code SD_cindy_8-23. What are you waiting for? Go shopping!!!!!!!!! (If you see me with a cartful, just look the other way, okay?)