Archives for April 2025

Designer Spotlight: April 2025/1

Adrienne Skelton

One of the changes made for 2025 here at GingerScraps was to have TWO Designers in the Spotlight each month – as long as two Designers signed up. 😉 This is the first month where we have two who agreed to let me tell you their secrets. 😀 Since Adrienne got to me first, she’s got the Spotlight first.

J: Thanks so much for chatting with me, Adrienne! You’re a relative newcomer to GingerScraps and we really want to know you better. How long have you been designing?

A: I started to design back in the early 2000’s . In 2010 I had to take a health break due to illness. I have been back since 2021 and loving every minute of being back!

J: Ooh, that’s a long time. I hope your health has improved and stays that way! So, way back when what led you to begin designing?

A: I used to do paper scrapbooking, but at the time I had young kids and being able to afford buying scrapbook kits was expensive, so I decided to put my art skills to use and design something digital using Paint Shop Pro and from that point on I was hooked!

J: Somehow I knew you started as a paper scrapper. I think most of us did. I also think most of us would agree that only having to buy papers or set of embellishments once and being able to reuse them a million times, with zero spilled glue, is a huge advantage. You mentioned Paint Shop Pro… are you still using it to design?

A: No, now I use Photoshop and Procreate on my iPad, sometimes I will hand craft items and scan and use them.

J: I’ve seen some of your doodles and I love them! Do you have a favourite kid — I mean KIT in your shop?

A: 😀 That is a very hard question! If I had to pick one it would be She’s a Wildflower. I just love how this kit came together. I designed all my drawings and doodles using Procreate ( I love to draw even if its digitally) and put it all together with Photoshop. I think because this kit reminds me of nature so much! Being out among the wildflowers.

J: Those are the doodles I was just talking about! I think I’d print them on watercolour paper and use them for greeting cards. I like the colour palette you chose; it really fits the theme. Dear readers, if you’d like to get a look at the collection just click on the name above – it’s hyperlinked! Do you have any other talents you’d care to tell us about?

A: I am self taught pianist although I am not very good, I still enjoy plunking on the keys every now and then.

J: I took piano lessons back in the Stone Age but we didn’t have a piano for me to practice on. Being the Type A, ADHD-adjacent person I am, that just couldn’t continue! So I let it go. How would those close to you describe your personality?

A: LOYAL , very faithful and sincere, to a fault. I can sense others emotions and am very supportive.

J: You’re an empath! That can be really hard to live with, the psychic cacophony that can’t be turned off. What sort of distraction works for you, other than designing? Do you have an special vacation spot that lets you relax?

A: My perfect vacation would be laying on the beach somewhere listening to the ocean waves, feeling the cool breeze on my face, Or that could also be somewhere / anywhere in nature where I can be at peace with my thoughts.

J: Got it. I’m not really a beach person, but I do like to be alone somewhere I find mentally restful when I’m stressed. My garden fills that pretty well. What would you do with your prize if you won the lottery?

A: First I would make sure my family was taken care of. Secondly I would buy a house where I had a lot of land, a lake and plenty of nature.

J: So, pretty much what we did… although we didn’t win the lottery, hubby received an inheritance. We don’t HAVE a lot of land, we actually don’t own the lot our house is built on, we lease it. But we have a view lot with a pond AND a lake! Lots of wildlife too, although I’m not a fan of our dog’s bestie – a coyote. She doesn’t seem to know that big puppy isn’t a puppy at all! Good thing it can’t jump our fence. The angle is just too steep. If you had a warning label, what would it say?

A: Be careful and stay away when she is angry!

J: My daughters would slap that label on me for sure. It takes a lot to get me to blow, so when I do, it’s epic! And I rarely give any sign I’m heading for a flashover; it’s my super power. Would you like to have one?

A: I’d love to be able to see the future!

J: I think that would be awful! Imagine if we KNEW about what’s happening in the world right now this time last year, but were unable to stop it. That would be so bad. Anyway, I hope what’s in your future is a greatly successful Spotlight month. Dear readers, Adrienne is providing one of the Daily Download kits this month here on the Blog, as well as co-hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge in the Forum. That’s on top of her regular monthly All About Me Challenge too! She has a coupon for us!

I’ll be back soon with our second Designer Spotlight, Jumpstart Designs.

 

 

 

DD: APR 2

https://bit.ly/4ccD2PX

Follow Adrienne on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.

Follow Sheri on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.

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 Tuesday April 8th, 2025

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

Guided Edit: Pattern Brush

Today’s tutorial can be built upon in so many ways, and I’ll mention some of them at the end. For now, I’m going to show you a super-quick and easy way to make custom confetti for your layouts. I’ll be using two papers from Jumpstart DesignsSweet Sweet Perfection in my example.

To use the Guided Edit, you need something on your canvas; it can be a paper or a photo. Then click Guided at the top of your screen, and choose Fun Edits. You’ll be looking for the Pattern Brush, which should be where the red box is below.

There are a total of fifteen Pattern Brushes to choose from; they all have potential for some fun looks. For right now, we’ll use the one that resembles bokeh, the first option of the second row of Brushes.

I clicked on Paint and just randomly moved the sliders around. You might want to play with the Size and Scatter settings.; remember you can always Undo [CTRL/CMD>Z] if it isn’t making you happy, change the settings and try again. For confetti or other element scatters, leave the Opacity set at 100%.

Then I proceeded as I would for any Brush, moving my hand in a random pattern across the paper.

Just to show you the other option at this stage, I backed out to just the paper, and instead clicked on Fill, then clicked just once on the paper. This is what I got.

Trust Adobe to know some of us would be bothered by the ones hanging off the paper, and giving us a tool to make it better! The Pattern Eraser Tool can be employed to clean up your results however you choose.

As I said above, this Edit can be used on photos to quickly add bokeh. If you find too much of the photo is obscured you can add some Blur to it. For confetti we don’t need the Blur, so when you’re happy with what you see, click Next.

You’ll be whisked to this screen where you have the option to Save your work or to Continue Editing. Click on In Expert then click on Done.

If you look at the Layers Panel, you’ll see that Elements has added two mask layers to the paper. The layer closest to the original paper layer isn’t actually visible, even if the Visibility is turned on, so go ahead and delete it if it’s in your way. I dropped a patterned paper from the same kit on top of all the layers.

I think most of you know how to Clip papers to the layers below them, but I never assume… So if you’re new, right-click on the top paper layer then choose Create Clipping Mask. Or you can use the keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD>ALT/OPT>G. **IF you’re using Elements 14 or more recent! If you’re using an older version your keyboard shortcut is CTRL/CMD>G.

To Merge the patterned paper with the confetti scatter, click on the paper layer then hold down the SHIFT key and click on the masked layer. Both layers will be active. Then right-click and choose Merge Layers from the drop-down menu. Or you can instead use the keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD>E. Once the layers are Merged, you can Resize by grabbing one of the “handles” at the corner on the Bounding Box and moving it in or out.

Pop a little Drop Shadow on the confetti layer to add realism.

Simple!

Can you see using the Guided Edit>Fun Edits>Pattern Brushes for other scatters? You could use a glitter-gel Style on the hearts for bead-like hearts, a glass Style on the little starburst ones to create a gemlike look. What about a wire or metallic Style on the stars? I can see myself experimenting with this one a lot!

My sprained finger is still splinted, but it’s close to healed; the swelling is pretty much gone from the injured tendon. Still some stiffness and discomfort with flexing it, but a bit less every day. I never realised how much I use that finger when I’m typing!

 

GingerScraps: NO JOKE Sale & More!!

We love a good April Fools’ joke, but this deal is 100% real!
For April 1 & 2 only, enjoy a jaw-dropping NO JOKE 60% off sitewide at GingerScraps! (Some restrictions apply).
Don’t miss out—this sale vanishes at 11:59 PM Eastern on April 2!
Reminder: The April Buffet arrives on April 3, and it will be 50% off from April 3-7. There will be no $2 Tuesday & Wednesday sale this week because these deals are already too smoking hot to pass up!
No prank—just pure savings! Snag your favorites before they’re gone!
And don’t forget—grab the New April Free With Purchase collab when you spend over $10. Plus, get started on those April Challenges in the forum, and collect the April Feature Designers Daily Downloads—FREE each day on the blog!
Now hurry and head to the shop—these deals won’t last!

Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab.

Life’s Laughable Moments by The GingerBread Ladies is a digital scrapbooking kit bursting with fun, silliness, and pure joy! Celebrate the moments that make you smile with a vibrant palette of red, orange, yellow, blue, and teal, perfect for capturing life’s funniest and most lighthearted memories. Packed with playful elements, cheerful patterns, and whimsical touches, this kit is all about embracing laughter and finding joy in the little things. Whether you’re scrapping goofy selfies, inside jokes, or fun family moments, Life’s Laughable Moments will bring energy and happiness to your pages!

This Free With Purchase was created by Buzzbee Scraps, Craft-tastrophic, Cutie Pie Scraps, Dear Friends Designs, and Designs by Lisa Minor.

This collab includes: 76 Papers, 125 Elements, and 4 12×12 Template {png, psd, tif file formats}.

Simple Blessings by The GingerBread Ladies is a digital scrapbooking kit that radiates happiness and warmth. Designed with vibrant springtime hues of purple, teal, orange, and green, this collection is filled with beautiful florals, graceful butterflies, and heartfelt accents that celebrate life’s simple joys. Whether you’re scrapping memories of a peaceful morning, a cherished moment, or a day filled with love and laughter, this kit will add a touch of serenity and positivity to your creations.

This Monthly Mix was created by CarolW Designs, Ilonkas Designs, Let Me Scrapbook, and Moore Blessings Digital Design.

This kit includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, and 55 Papers, 88 Elements.

March’s Daily Downloads are provided by Adriene Skelton Designs and Jumpstart Designs. Each zipped file will contain two folders, one for each designer.

Take a look at the new challenge reward kit. If you complete any 10 challenges this month, you get this gorgeous collab (or a variety of other choices from previous challenge collabs) as a reward!

Earth Song by The GingerBread Ladies is a beautiful and serene digital scrapbooking kit that celebrates Mother Earth and the importance of conservation. With soft pastel hues and a tranquil, nature-inspired design, this kit is perfect for capturing the beauty of the outdoors, the wonders of spring, and your love for the planet. Filled with earthy elements, delicate florals, and heartfelt touches, Earth Song is a gentle reminder to cherish and protect our world. Whether you’re documenting nature walks, gardening, or moments of mindfulness in the great outdoors, this kit will bring a sense of peace and harmony to your scrapbook pages.

This Challenge Reward was created by Aimee Harrison, Cindy Ritter Designs, LDragDesigns, and Scrapbookcrazy Creations by Robyn.

This kit includes: 2 Alphas {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 52 Papers, and 81 Elements.

Take a look at this sampling of layouts from the store CT using the April Challenge Reward kit.

DD: APR 1

It’s a new month and time for a new Daily Download. Before we get to the new sneak peek, let’s look at the full kits from March.

Road Tripo 25 by Scrapbookcrazy Creations by Robyn (Direct link to be provided.)

Spring Is In The Air by Connie Prince

Now to the April Sneak Peeks. Most months will have two daily download kits for you. Each zipped file will contain two folders, one for each designer. This month’s kits are from Adrienne Skelton Designs and Jumpstart Designs.

https://bit.ly/4cdjhrz

Follow Adrienne on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.

Follow Sheri on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.

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 April 7th, 2025