Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

August 19, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: That’s Entertainment

It’s that time again when the GingerScraps Blog celebrates YOU… the reason we’re here… by shining the spotlight on your creativity. And boy howdy, are you all being creative! With Scrap-a-Thon going this month, the Gallery is literally hopping with layouts. Choosing a Challenge to feature was a challenge in itself. Enter Boomers Girl’s That’s Entertainment. The prompt Lori gave us is as follows: “For the month’s challenge, let’s talk about commercials. I know, most aren’t widely entertaining, but there are some that are. I’d love to see you create a layout with the title being a slogan for a product used in a commercial.” What a fantastic prompt! Let’s see how it’s been put in play.

Layouts will appear in the order they were uploaded. As usual, each layout is linked to the Gallery so you can get a better look, and maybe leave a comment on the ones you really like. Just click on the Scrapper‘s name and you’ll zip to it.

First up is a layout from photocrazy. That background paper adds a sense of explosive movement that plays well with the Red Bull tag line.

To be totally honest, I had to look this one up – I didn’t recall it at all until I heard the music. But let me tell you, ktmoonblue has used the PERFECT textured paper for her title. It looks good enough to eat! The cookie elements are pretty darned realistic, too.

Formby Girl went super-simple for her MasterCard layout. Who could resist that face? (I’m kinda cracking up over the very feminine little girl holding a Batman umbrella, but that’s just my terrible sense of humour.)

I haven’t worn make-up in what feels like a lifetime, but I can recognize a great product when I see one. These artificial lashes and this mascara! Keeping the glamour aspect front-and-centre, dj_w reinforces it with her great photos.

Okay, who hasn’t got a favourite McDonalds jingle? My 42-year old son still likes a Happy Meal! I think dkane‘s layout could easily be a print ad.

KAPOH typically doesn’t “scrap” in the traditional way. I love that she took Clara Peller’s Burger King slogan from the 70s and created a little farm vignette.

So, imafishtank has gone quite obscure for her layout. I don’t recognize an advertising slogan here at all. Her journaling helped me make sense of the photo series.

Overachiever msbrad used two different, more recent product taglines, Energizer and Burger King. I love how she’s blended her focal photo and embellished with fun, summer elements.

Katherine Woodin is another over-achiever. She used both the tagline from a British cooking show and an older Burger King jingle for her memoir.

This was the main McDonalds message back in the day when I worked for them. (We won’t mention how long ago that was…) The photo stater used looks like a much nicer break that the ones I took in the basement of the Duluth (Minnesota) McDonalds back in the day.

Connie – Gerbera is of the same vintage as me, and she too liked the 70s McDonalds jingle. Her photo sets the tone for the patterned papers she chose to layer behind it, and she’s created a lovely memory.

I used to love the Kool-Aid man! (Sometimes I feel like I married him… my husband is about the clumsiest human I know.) I like how beccasue incorporated a photo of a partially-demolished wall as a nod to the ad.

Last, but not least, Briannasscrapper went with that golden oldie, Campbell’s Soup. She’s also got their signature red, gold and white colour scheme in there!

Now my brain is just humming with ideas for this Challenge! If I can find the photo I’m seeing in my mind’s eye, I’ll be back!

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Fonts)

August 12, 2025 by 1 Comment

Back-to-School

If you live anywhere in North America, you can’t escape the back-to-school frenzy, even if you have nobody in your life who’s in school. It worked out well for us though… our son’s backpack came home from his day program last week with a totally fubar zipper. Walmart had a wide variety of options and I grabbed him one that holds everything he needs on a day-to-day basis. Score one for Jan!! I managed NOT to buy any pens, paper and paint this year, so that’s another point for me. So how did we end up looking at back-to-school fonts, you’re thinking. Well, when my mom came to see me on my birthday back in May, she brought me a bag full of things she found when cleaning her house after my dad died. They were all things I’d saved from high school. I KNOW, right?! Looking through them was a real walk down memory lane. One thing that really struck me is how much my handwriting has changed over the course of my life. That bag had half a dozen different variations! So that led me to thinking about how much it bothers me that schools aren’t teaching kids cursive writing any more and how that will severely hobble them in the future. But I digress. I’ve rounded up a baker’s dozen of schoolish fonts, from learning basic printing to more “sophisticated” teenage girl script. (I don’t have to describe that one, do I?) 😀 They’re all from dafont.com and 100% free for personal use. Just click on the font’s name and you’ll go right to the download screen. Oh, yeah… they’re not in any particular order. You’ll see.

First one up is KG Perfect Penmanship. Many of you already know Kim Geswein‘s fonts… she’s a machine! This one is the most perfect example of grade-school printing ever. You’ll see a couple more of Kim‘s fonts in a minute.

This isn’t one of them. 😉 Learning Curve BV is exactly how I remember being taught cursive writing. Very controlled, perfectly shaped and spaced letters, easily legible.

Kindergarten looks a lot like a real child trying very hard to make every letter perfectly. I love it!

Makes You Stronger is Kim‘s controlled middle-school cursive. My handwriting looked a lot like this when I as about 12.

I liked Second Son School for the notebook lining. Doesn’t it bring back memories?

I feel like English Essay is an evolution of a typical girly cursive hand from the basic to beginning to add some personality. Remember writing big, loopy, widely-spaced letters to fill up the page faster? 😉

Why do I think this could be a serial killer’s first printing? Just kidding. The Writer is definitely a beginner’s hand.

Very Simple Chalk is exactly that. It’s an all-caps font, with two sizes to represent upper and lower case characters. It includes numerals and a wide range of punctuation, as well as multilingual characters.

When I saw this, I HAD to share it with you. The crayon shape is part of the character map and you can point the business end in either direction. To point to the left, use the { and } at each end of your word. To point right, use the [ and ]. Each of the letters in Crayonized has the lines above and below, so they all connect up. It’s pretty cool!

Then, if you want your journaling to look like you wrote it with a wax crayon… Crayon Hand.

Ooh, teenage boy time! Most of the guys I’ve ever known mix printing and cursive, with small letters – Random Handwritten. My husband’s writing is so tiny and tight it’s hard to read; it’s like he has to pay for the ink. And he likes superfine pens, to make it worse.

Here’s another must-conform-avoid-attention-and-meet-expectations-at-all-costs late middle-school girly hand. Ironic name, though: The Only Exception.

And last… the tween girl who wants to assert some individuality but still craves the approval of her teachers……. Simplify Notation Single Line is tidy, controlled but has little circle tittles. How many of us dotted our I’s with hearts at some time in our lives? 😉

Did you see one that you might use for the Journaling Challenge this month? I hope so!

 

 

 

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, Fantastic Fonts, Tutorials Tagged With:

Designer Spotlight #2: August 2025

August 3, 2025 by Leave a Comment

CarolW Designs

CarolW has been a GingerBread Lady for s few years already, but this is her FIRST Designer Spotlight! She wanted to make up for lost time, so our conversation went on for a while… We touched on a LOT of stuff, so maybe you should grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle in. What I’m going to share with you is fascinating.

J: Carol, I’m so happy to see you in the Spotlight this month! I think you’ve been a bit of a mystery lady to most of us, so this is your chance to tell us what you’d like us to know. How about we start with what brought you to digital designing.

C: In 2009, while browsing the web by chance, I came across a scrapbook that I found quite magical. Since then, I have been crazy about it, and this is what I have persisted in for the longest time. I like making templates. Later, my mother told me that maybe I could try making templates and let more people use them. So I began my career in design.

J: [Please excuse the formatting snafus. WordPress isn’t playing nice today.] Oh, so you and I were cutting our teeth on digital scrapbooking around the same time! Where do you find your inspiration?

C: I usually think about which theme a color is more suitable for based on the color palette.

J: I think along the same lines, mentally sorting through my photos and kits to decide the basis for a layout. Do you have a favourite palette?

C: I like yellow, purple and bright color schemes.

J: I’ve never loved yellow, sorry… but I can definitely go along with the brights. What do you do when you’re in a creative rut? Do you have a place where inspiration just appears?

C: In parks or forests, I enjoy looking at any plants and flowers in nature and breathing fresh air. This way, my inspiration will come.

J: Who doesn’t feel better after being outside in nature? It’s a proven antidepressant! Is that why many of your collections have natural themes?

C: Yes, I prefer the themes of the nature series. I think nature can adapt to any occasion.

J: That’s so true. Is there a season or occasion you like to design for more than any other?

C: I like autumn designs. I think the colors of autumn are the most beautiful.

J: Hallowe’en is about my favourite time of year, so I agree with you. Do you like designing papers, or elements, or some other digital item most?

C: I love to design elements. For each one, I want to do it better. I keep comparing how to make it the most suitable and the most attractive.

J: That attention to detail is pretty obvious! Your designs are instantly recognizable and are always flawless. Is there a style or trend you’d like to try but haven’t found the courage to yet?

C: Graffiti style, collage style. I’ve always wanted to try, but I feel that I just can’t do them well no matter what.

J: I understand that better than you know. Grunge is hard to get right. I don’t think I can envision anything so gritty with your name attached to it. Can I ask how you came to your design brand?

C: It comes from my English name. My name only has a Chinese version. My surname is WEN. My English name, Carol, comes from my English teacher. She gave it to me when I was in primary school. I have been using this for so many years. The suffix “W” indicates that this is my surname: WEN.

J: Ah, that makes sense! I had a friend in nursing school who came to Canada from Beijing after the events at Tiananmen Square. She adopted an anglicized version of her name too, in order to fit in. I often wonder where she ended up. I hope she’s had a soft landing. How do you manage all the things you have to fit into your day, between designing, other commitments and personal stuff?

C: Every morning when I rest, I usually go to buy some things for my mother that she needs. After lunch, I started designing. Around four o’clock in the afternoon, I stop because I can’t sit in front of the computer for too long, or my head hurts. After dinner, I will go
shopping with my mother, or go with friends, or go to the movies.

J: That sounds like a nicely balanced routine you have. Do you have any advice to give someone who is new to digital design, or who is thinking about jumping in?

C: Perseverance and passion are gifts. Stay fresh forever!

J: Boy, does that last sentence ever resonate with me. So, enough about “work”. Like you, it makes my head hurt. Let’s talk about something fun! How do you unwind after a busy day?

C: I play games or watch my favorite TV series. I watched it with my father. Lying on the sofa, I poured a glass of ice water and discussed the plot and characters of the TV drama with my father. That feeling was extremely comfortable!

J: That sounds so cozy! I like being completely alone when I’m feeling stressed, and because I’m almost never completely alone, it’s a real treat. I’m going to put a sign on my studio door that says, “DO NOT DISTURB the CRAFTER. She may decide to hurt you.” My husband always seems to know when I’m trying a new technique or medium for the first time and throws me right off. Is there a hobby you’d like to try but haven’t yet?

C: Surfing, I’ve always wanted to try surfing once. I live in an inland area far from the sea, with no ocean around. When I travel, I always choose places with the sea, but I get seasick. So I have never gone surfing even once. So I really want to give it a try.

J: I think riding a surfboard is different from being in a boat. I don’t know that it would cause seasickness – your brain would be too involved in trying to stay on the board! Any surfers reading this want to weigh in? Let’s backtrack for a second. You mentioned a favourite TV show… what is it?

C: Criminal Minds. I really love this TV drama so much.

J: Oh, I LOVE it too! One of our daughters does a similar job for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but she says it’s not glamourous and they don’t have a private plane to fly around in. She’s also never arrested anyone and doesn’t carry a weapon. She always watched shows like Criminal Minds when she was growing up, and now that she’s living it, she prefers John Hughes movies instead. She watches Home Alone EVERY year at Christmas. Do you have a movie you could watch over and over and not be bored?

C: The Jurassic series. I like Jurassic Park and I also like Jurassic World!

J: My son loves those! Let’s play What If… If you could have any pet, real or imaginary, what would it be?

C: Dinosaurs!! I am very fond of paleontology and history. When I was in college, I really wanted to study archaeology, but that was rejected by my parents. I live in Japan and I really enjoy watching programs on paleontology and history. I also like visiting museums. I think dinosaurs are very magical animals! They are wonderful.

J: I should have seen that coming. 😀 If you could teleport to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

C: Egypt, I like Egypt very much, although I have never been there once. I want to see the pyramids. I want to see the mummies. I think that’s a very magical place. But because it was so far away from me, my plan never succeeded.

J: Coulda predicted that answer too. 😉 Don’t give up on your dreams! You never know when opportunity will knock. If you could live in a fictional universe, which one would you choose?

C: I want to go to Pandora. Yes, that’s because I watched the movie Avatar. I think Pandora would be extremely beautiful!

J: I think it would be too. I’ve never actually seen the movie; don’t the inhabitants of Pandora have um… special skills that you’d have to learn? Is there an Earth-bound skill you’d like to learn?

C: Driving. In fact, because of the car accident in 2015, I have never learned to drive. Even though I have fully recovered now, I still haven’t learned. I’m worried that when I’m studying, I might use the accelerator instead of the brake… This is really terrifying.

J: Yeah. It’s always a possibility, but it usually happens to elderly people. I do a lot of driving and I think soon I’ll be doing ALL of it. Hubby’s heading for the “elderly” realm. 😉 He’s kinda scary… Let’s flip this around. What flavour of ice cream would you be?

C: Vanilla. It has a fresh scent and is very gentle.

J: It’s uncomplicated. I’d want to be tiger tail… licorice and orange. It was my favourite as a child, and I haven’t had it in a LONG time. I have three tubs of ice cream in the freezer and none of them is exciting, just delicious. Do you have a favourite comfort food?

C: Noodles. Here, many people think that noodles can nourish our bodies and our spirits. Noodles are a very warm and nourishing food, so I think noodles can comfort me at any time.

J: Noodles are universal, aren’t they? Most cultures have them in some form. Now I’m hungry… Maybe we should wrap up. I’ll fill our readers in on the Spotlight particulars and link ’em up with the goodies. Thanks so much for your patience! Have a wonderful August.

Have you seen the sneak peek for Carol‘s Daily Download? Check this out!

Go figure… yellow and nature! Everything in Carol‘s Store is 40% off this month AND she has a coupon.

Of course, Carol is also hosting one of this month’s Designer Spotlight Challenges, in addition to her usual Daily Download Challenge. Between Carol and Neia, you could get in a quarter of the Challenges needed to earn the GingerBread Ladies‘ MEGA Seaside Serenity.

 

What are you waiting for? 😀

 

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, Feature Designer, GingerBread Ladies, Product/Designer Spotlight Tagged With:

Designer Spotlight #1: August 2025

August 2, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Neia Scraps

For our first Spotlight this month, I chatted with Neia, or Neia Scraps as she’s known in the GingerScraps Store. She’s sharing the Spotlight with CarolW, and I’ll share our (very lengthy) chat with you tomorrow.

I think we’ve all caught glimpses of Neia‘s sense of humour before, but this time she didn’t hold back. 🙂 You’ll see what I mean…

J: Neia, it’s been awhile since our last visit In that time you’ve been VERY productive!! Last time we talked I told you how much I love the way your design style has evolved, and I followed that up with buying something like a dozen complete collections. I’ll tell you, the Daily Download has me drooling. But now I’m wondering, how do you make it all work? Designing, commitments, family and personal time… how do you make it fit?

N: With coffee, good playlists, and a lot of controlled chaos. Sometimes I design while waiting for the pasta to boil. Multitasking queen.

J: I used to be really good at that, but since I retired, I’ve started to slip. 90% of the time it doesn’t matter, though. What do you most enjoy about how GingerScrappers (and others) use your designs to create their layouts?

N: It’s like watching someone decorate with things you love — but even better!

J: Remind me again, how did get into digital scrapbook designing in the first place?

N: Accidentally. One download turned into a hobby, then a passion… then 5,000 layers later, here we are!

J: Uh… I’m pretty sure it’s WAY more than 5,000. You don’t skimp on your kits by any definition! Let’s play “what if” for a few minutes. What would you choose if you could learn any new skill instantly?

N: Sword fighting. Not useful at all in real life, but imagine how cool I’d feel.

J: OMG!! I have this mental picture of you dressed like one of the Musketeers now! I’m probably always going to see that image when I think of you. My son-in-law teaches fencing, but I didn’t see you in the white jumpsuit. Nope, the knee-high boots, full-sleeved white shirt, vest and scabbard. And you look MAHVELOUS! To sort of stick with the fantasy theme, if you could be any age for a week, how old would you be?

N: Maybe 25 — young enough to eat pizza at midnight, old enough to know that was a terrible idea.

J: Hmm. when I was 25, I already had three kids. I wasn’t even seeing midnight. Ever. And the one time I ate pizza while nursing my son, he screamed the entire next day. Definitely a terrible idea! 😀 In a similar vein, if you could time travel, which way would you go? (I, of course, would go back and skip the pizza.)

N: I’d go to the future just far enough to see if someone finally invented self-cleaning laundry. Priorities.

J: Hahahahaha! That would be amazing! I have four loads waiting for me to get it into the machine. Maybe tomorrow. 😉 I’ll have to get the dog to move though. She’s sleeping in the doorway. If you could be any animal for a day, which one would you choose?

N: A spoiled house cat. Naps, snacks, and dramatic staring? Sounds like my kind of schedule.

J: Oh, my… yes! Bonus for me is hubby is allergic to cats, so he’d let me scrap in peace. He’s already bugging me about what’s for supper. I don’t know. It’s pretty hot so I won’t be grilling. Maybe it’s a mac-and-cheese day. What’s your favourite comfort food?

N: A warm bowl of homemade soup with bread. Bonus if I didn’t have to make it.

J: I make really good soup, but usually only do it in the fall. I won’t ever let hubby eat soup in a restaurant. The slurping would be embarrassing. I mean… it’s so LOUD! What was your most embarrassing moment?

N: I waved back at someone who wasn’t waving at me. Then tried to play it off by fixing my hair. Oscar-worthy recovery.

J: Too funny! I’ve done that, but instead of trying for the Oscar, I just put my head down and changed direction. You’re braver than me! So now I’m gonna talk about business. I won’t mind if you wander away.

Business? Well, I already mentioned the Daily Download. There’s only a Sneak Peek on the Blog, but I have an image of the full kit, and it’s FABULOUS!

There’s a coordinating mini-kit and some messy edges in the Shop. Of course, I have to have it all. If you’re in a rush and can’t wait for the DD, the entire collection is in the Shop. Half price, too!

This month, everything in her shop is 45% off—or even more on bundles!
And here’s a little bonus: spend $20 or more and get an extra 10% off at checkout. Use the coupon: NEIA-SL202510

Neia is hosting one of the August Designer Spotlight Challenges. Click on the underlined text to see what she’s up to. (ANY text that’s in bold and underlined in my Blog posts will be hyperlinked.) This is in addition to her regular, monthly My Memories Challenge. She’s so busy…………………………

Be sure to check out the Summer Scrap-a-Thon that started yesterday. The mega-kit reward for 20 Challenges is going to make you so thirsty! Check back tomorrow to meet CarolW.

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, Feature Designer, GingerBread Ladies, Product/Designer Spotlight Tagged With:

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

July 29, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Quick Trick: Twisted Template 

What do you do when you really want to create a layout, can see it in your head, want to use a template but don’t have one that matches the layout you see in your mind’s eye? You alter one to give you what you want! Let me show you.

I had a vision of how I wanted to use some seaside photos I took on my first trip to Ireland. I wanted a blended/masked area for the lighthouse and two horizontal photo spots for the other photos I wanted to include. I went through my templates, using the keyword search technique I shared with you many tutorials ago. But alas, I didn’t have anything in the dozens and dozens I looked at that would work. But I DID find one that could be twisted to my purposes, so I went with it.

This is what I chose. It’s from JB Studios’ JDoubleU V.29. It doesn’t have a blended/masked area, but it does have potential white space where I could add one. And the photo spots are vertical, but that’s fixable too!

The first thing I did was to decide how I wanted the page to be oriented, then made some decisions about how to get there. I clicked on Image>Rotate>Flip Vertical. (I know… still not horizontal, but give me a minute!)

Here’s how I got them oriented correctly. Image>Rotate>90° Left. There’s still no white space for my masked photo, but don’t worry! It’s coming!

But first, I had to put the clusters toward the centre of the page, not the left edge. So I clicked Image>Rotate>Flip Horizontal. Getting close now!

I decided there were some elements there that I wasn’t going to use, so I just made them invisible. Now I can get things sorted.

I wanted to move that entire centre block of photos and elements over to the left of the page. I could do it one item at a time, but that’s not my schtick! So I Selected all the layers I want to shift by holding down the CTRL/CMD key and clicking on each layer, one at a time. It sounds time-consuming but it takes little more than a minute or two. I kept one eye on the Bounding Box so I could avoid including things I didn’t want in there. Once I had all the desired layers Selected, I just… moved them over!

I also nudged it up a bit. The cluster in the upper left corner could stay there, but I don’t think that’s what I want. I’d like to have a cluster in the lower RIGHT corner!

So I used the same process to Select all the layers there, and moved it too. There was one random little flower left out in the field, so I moved it down. Now to create a layout…

I used a mask from Prelestnaya-P, who was a GingerScraps designer once upon a time but isn’t currently. You might notice that the lower of the two horizontal photos has been made a bit wider; I wanted more of the waterfront in there. I’m quite pleased with the result. It looks nothing like the original template, and it was easy to achieve!

The next time you hear from me, it’ll be Designer Spotlight time again! August’s a two-fer and you’re going to love what I learned about these two ladies. See you later!

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

July 22, 2025 by Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Daily Download

GingerScrappers, you’ve really been crushing the Challenges this month! When I was touring the Gallery looking for a likely Challenge to Spotlight today, I was quickly inundated with layouts. And the Challenges that make the best Individual Style posts were very well-represented. There were so many, in fact, that no matter which one I chose, I could never include ALL the Challenge layouts in a post that didn’t run on for days. So I decided to try something a little different. I decided to go with the Daily Download Challenge, which has two Designers‘ kits this month, You’re a Peach from Aimee Harrison and Cleaning Day from Twin Mom Scraps.

There were THIRTY layouts in the Challenge Gallery so I had to decide how to proceed in the fairest possible way. I opted to use Random.org to decide for me! I numbered each of the layouts, then entered all the numbers that were created with Aimee‘s kit into the randomizer. Then I chose the top 5 on the list.

Then I did the same with the layouts using Twin Mom‘s kit.

Now that I’ve explained the process for choosing which layouts to feature, I’ll remind you that each layout is linked to the Gallery so you can get a closer look, and so you can leave some comments, should you choose to do so. Just click on the Scrapper’s name. Let’s get started!

VariaMoon chose the bold plaid and patterned papers from Aimee‘s kit. Placing the paper pieces behind the photos on an angle emphasizes the geometry of the plaid. I like that she used colour cues from her photos to choose the papers she used to mat them with.

Here, imafishtank used mainly warm colours with the cool colours as accents to feature photos of a very pretty child and proud mama. She has such a variety of papers framing them and made a statement with her title.

Using just a few bits of the kit, domino44 created a bold celebration layout, framing her photo with a warm, peachy cluster.

Ooh, this looks like another celebration! Maybe a 4-generation celebration? The clusters pbhill created help draw the eye to her photo, while the warm palette coordinates beautifully with the colours in the photo. That butterfly seems to be quite popular. 😉

I can almost taste that pie… photocrazy stayed on theme for her layout. I like that she has a good amount of white space here, so the ribbons, rickrack and banner serve as tractor beams to draw the eye to the pie.

Now let’s look at Twin Mom’s kit. First up is greenfiend27. I like everything about her layout! The elements she chose not only play nice with her image colour-wise, but they’re also representative. Those bead scatters are so perfect.

I’m always impressed by no-photo layouts like this one from dhariana. Her focus on creating calm in her layout led to blending papers, sticking to a very neutral palette and the creation of a single, cohesive cluster.

5grand had a similar idea. I love the humour in her layout! Her choice of paint splatters behind the cluster replicates water all over the floor int he photo. Very clever! And the banner made me laugh out loud. She’s so right… housework isn’t fun! That’s why I pay to have someone do it for me. 😉

GrannyNKy put the emphasis on her photos. I, too, really wish I could have a clothesline – there’s no better smell in the world than line-dried laundry.

This poignant layout from ranchcreations made me a little misty. She kept the layout very clean and simple, to keep the focus on emotion. Her clusters are understated but achingly beautiful. My mom will soon be 90, so this will be in my foreseeable future. I hope I’m as dignified.

Hubby and I have been diligently cleaning our garage now that our big dining room set has sold and we have room to move. The peaches are starting to ripen on the trees here, and I’m so looking forward to slurping a bunch down soon. We’ve had a LOT of rain in the last week, and the cherries still on the trees are being threatened with splitting. I have photos of the cherry dryer to scrap and I’m seeing layouts in my head for both these kits! See you next week!

 

 

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

July 8, 2025 by 2 Comments

Greatest Hits: Abstract Meets Graphic Art

For this month’s Perfectly Paired Challenge, Dani wants to see your artsy side. That made me think of this tutorial from 2017. I think I might do exactly this as the basis for my Challenge layout. Then, of course, I’ll have to combine bits from two kits to fulfill the rest of the Challenge requirements. I’m sure I have some kits in my stash that have brushes, overlays, paint and other artsy elements in them that I can massage into a cohesive layout. Wanna give it a try? (If you’re impatient, by all means scroll down to the end to see the finished product. 😉 )

To begin, you’ll need a great photo with a relatively plain background, because the image will be extracted. This photo of a skateboarder from Pixabay was a great choice for my example since my inspiration for the tutorial came from an image of a skateboarder. I dropped it on a white paper for the initial steps to make extraction easier.

I used the Magic Wand tool to extract my image. This tutorial will provide a refresher for you if you’re still getting the hang of extracting images. You can duplicate your photo now, or wait until you’ve got your extraction complete or the line of marching ants in place. But you will need to duplicate your photo. Make your duplicate layer invisible.

Working on the extracted photo, I clicked on the Filter menu, selected Stylize and Find Edges as shown. Remember when I showed you how to do this?

Once the image has been filtered, some of the colour from the image is still visible. Right now, I don’t want that. It looks a bit odd.

So to remove that hint of colour, I chose Enhance>Adjust Color>Hue/Saturation (CTRL/CMD>U) and pulled the Saturation slider all the way to the left. That leaves only the sketch.

We didn’t do this in the Sketchy tutorial, but for this one it’s a vital step. Enhance>Adjust Lighting>Levels will take you to the menu shown. What this step does is dramatically darken the lines in the sketched image.

The histogram shown below is part of the adjustment menu. You can adjust both sections simply by pulling the sliders. Make sure you can see your image so you know when you’ve gone far enough. If you need to move the dialog box, click and hold the gray bar at the top of the box then drag it up, down or to one side so you can see what’s underneath it. I wanted my background area to stay bright white and my sketch to be darker and more detailed. The changes I made are shown in the dialog box.

Now I have what looks like a charcoal drawing of the skateboarder. I want to have some of the colour from the original image in there, so I selected the topmost layer and added an adjustment layer mask by ALT>clicking on the Layer Mask icon (the divided circle icon above the Layers panel). The image disappeared but was really still there. I just had to reveal it.

I used a medium-sized soft round brush from the default brushes PSE comes with to paint back the colour, working on the Layer Mask. By using a low opacity (20%) I was able to build up colour where it naturally would appear darker and keep other areas much lighter. When you hold down your mouse button as you paint, you can overlap your brush strokes and have no visible overlap. Once you release the mouse button, the tool resets and areas of overlap will be darker. You want to brush over the whole area in one step to avoid those overlap spots. Keep that in mind as you go so you don’t end up with streaks.

Once I had the colour the way I wanted it, I Simplified the layer. (Right-click on the layer in the Layers panel and select Simplify Layer.) That step merges the mask with the image and prevents me from messing it up.

Now for the really fun stuff! I added a new blank layer underneath the sketch layer then used a watercolour brush at 100% Opacity from my collection of free brushes. I had an idea what colours I wanted to use so I just played around with both colour and brush selection until I liked what it looked like. By putting each brush on its own layer I can resize it, reposition it, decrease the opacity of it, increase the opacity by duplicating the layer, position it above or below my sketch and photo layers and whatever whim enters my head.

I experimented with lots of different watercolour and grunge brushes, deleting the layers that just didn’t work.

If you look closely you’ll see I’ve made a lot of changes by adding and subtracting, shifting and overlaying layers. You might also notice that the original photo colours are darker in this image. I duplicated the topmost simplified colour layer from the Layer Mask step then adjusted the opacity of that duplicate layer until I liked it.

To add a little more grunge and graphic feel I chose a gray colour and used a free graph paper brush that I duplicated and rotated. One layer is above the sketch and one is below it.

For the finishing touch I added some tiny gray splatters on top of all the layers and some below.  The process is one of playing with your stash and experimenting with things you never thought you could do.

I saved the finished image as a .png file for even more versatility. This is what it looks like with no paper behind it.

Now to find a good photo, decide on a theme and get to work!

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

Designer Spotlight: July 2025

July 3, 2025 by 1 Comment

Designs by Lisa Minor

How is it even July already?? This month’s Designer in the Spotlight is Lisa Minor. Today, I’m going to share the tea Lisa and I spilt earlier. She’s recovering from a total knee replacement right now, so let’s make sure she feels the love!

J: Lisa, you must be so uncomfortable with that big surgery you just had. I hope you have someone who’s taking care of you, and a comfy chair to sit in between therapy appointments. Do you have a favorite comfort food that always makes you feel better?

L: Chicken and Dumplings. I have so many fond memories of eating it.

J: Ooh, I love that too! Last night I caught a few minutes of a cooking show where the guy was making chicken and dumplings noodles… without the dumplings. So of course I had to go online and find a recipe! I’d serve it with apple pie for dessert, unless it’s too hot, then I might go with ice cream. If you could BE ice cream, what flavour would you be?

L: Vanilla of course! Plain, simple and delicious!

J: Oh, and versatile too! Don’t tell anybody but I have a pint of Chapman’s Butter Tart ice cream hiding deep in the bottom of the freezer. If the guys don’t know about it, I don’t have to share. 😉 Like our Prime Minister, I like a good wink. 😉 What’s your most used emoji?

L: Anything with a “thumbs up”, LOL. I’m just not that “text” savvy.

J: Let’s talk business for a minute. What’s your favourite part of seeing others use your designs for their layouts?

L: I think it’s how they put it all together. It’s such a personal thing to share photos of yourself and your family and the love shows through.

J: That’s something that always appeals to me, the individual style that Scrappers have and how they can take an identical collection of papers and elements then turn them into something beautiful, unique and intensely personal. Can you share any sneak peeks of coming attractions?

L: Yep! Arriving mid-July, Enjoy the Waves.

J: That’s going to sell like hotcakes! We’re a long way from the ocean but our lake gets some pretty decent waves on windy days. I always snicker a little when I see someone asking on Reddit about how choppy it is. Interesting way of staying informed, I guess. The teasing is usually gentle, especially for Reddit, if you know what I mean. Have you ever done anything embarrassing in public?

L: When I was 8 months pregnant with our first, it was the “year of the cicada” in Ohio. One flew down my shirt and I just literally ripped the shirt off in the parking lot. Those things are “buggly ugly”.

J: Oof!! We don’t have cicadas this far north, but we do have junebugs. When my husband and I were dating we were zipping down the highway on his motorcycle when a junebug flew into him. He said it felt like he’d been shot. And there were guts everywhere. It was gross. Another time, again on his bike, a wasp ended up flying into my bra. Stings in that area really hurt! I’m actually having phantom pain there right now… Good thing I wasn’t allergic, but it could have been kinda funny. What’s the funniest thing you believed when you were a kid?

L: I believed I had an “extra” front tooth because my teeth were so crooked. Hey, my cousin told me so, and I totally fell for it.

J: That’s kids for you. I was catfished, before catfishing was a thing. I still hate that girl with the heat of a thousand suns. And she knows it. Same girl who bit me on my thirteenth birthday. The school principal came into the girls’ bathroom to check it out and disinfect the bite before he suspended her for the rest of the week. Oy. I wanted to be anywhere but there. If you could teleport to anywhere in the world, where would you go?

L: Ireland! It’s on my bucket list.

J: Great choice! I’ve been there twice and hope to get back one more time before I get too old to travel by myself. It’s truly a magical place. Last time I was there, the strap on my purse broke and wasn’t fixable, so I went to a discount store near my hotel and bought a new one. I bet the hotel cleaning crew wondered about all the weird things I threw away when I switched them out. What’s the most unusual thing you carry in your bag or pocket?

L: I actually carry a small bag full of things like single use toothbrushes, Tylenol, antibacterial wipes, band aids, eyeglass wipes, etc. You can NEVER be too prepared.

J: I like the way you think! I do the same. Well, maybe not the toothbrushes, but I have some flossers! And a screwdriver. Like you say, be prepared for ANYTHING. One last question, then I’ll let you get some rest. Do you have a guilty pleasure? I mean, one that you can share with our readers? 😉

L: True Crime. I’m obsessed.

J: ME TOO!! Particularly the ones that use forensic genetic genealogy. The things real people do are so much more twisted than any fiction writer could dream up. So fascinating! Well, I promised to keep this short so you’re not wiped out. Go put your feet up and have a nice cup of tea while I finish up here.

In addition to her usual monthly Pinterest Challenge, Lisa is also hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge. And she’s providing our July Daily Download kit here on the Blog. It’s called Listen to the Music and I can’t wait to see the whole collection. But that’s not all… she has a coupon code 7sdlm20off …ON TOP of the already 50% off discount this month you can take an ADDITIONAL 20% off a single purchase of $5 or more. What a deal!! (It’s a single-use code, so make sure you fill your cart with ALL the goodies before you use it.) See you all next week for another Tutorial Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Daily Download, Digital Scrapbooking, Digital Scrapbooking Freebies, Feature Designer, GingerBread Ladies Tagged With:

Tutorial Tuesday (CANADA DAY!)

July 1, 2025 by 2 Comments

Happy Canada Day Eh!

Okay, so technically, this isn’t a tutorial. But it does show the power of using a search bar when you’re in the Shop… I just typed “Canada” into the box and got 9 pages of results.

Today is the 158th anniversary of the Confederation of Canada, and we Canucks are very proud of our country. But we don’t typically express it with over-the-top celebrations and rah-rah patriotism. That doesn’t mean we’re not patriotic, we’re just quieter and more intentional about it. The events of the last 6 months have brought out a fierce, determined pride in us and we’re growing into our love of country in a way we’re starting to become very comfortable with. We still won’t be throwing monster family picnics or parading down every small-town main street on July 1st, but we’ll definitely celebrating. If you’re a Canadian and you’re celebrating today, here are some GingerScraps collections to help you commemorate us.

What I love about this kit from Kristmess is that it recognizes our First Nations history and culture, which has never been more intrinsic to Canada’s identity. You can find it here.

Adrienne Skelton has included word art all the provinces, but I don’t see the three Territories, Nunavut, Yukon and Northwest Territories. (Sometimes I think they’re like Puerto Rico, Guam and USVI, out of sight and mind.) Anyway, she’s also named some of our major cities, got the hockey skates, stick and puck in there and lots of maple leaves. It’s here.

My son-in-law is a Mountie so I love that Scrappy Kat has them and their Stetson in her kit. I spy some maple syrup too. For a closer look: here.

Well, it definitely looks like Canada has a colour palette… Robyn‘s got the cutest moose so far! Find it here.

Heather Z has a bunch of little Canucks in her kit.

Magical Scraps Galore has also given a little nod to our Indigenous peoples with the snowshoes and totem pole in her kit. I think this is the first one with a snowflake in it. 🙂

Wetfish Designs has some lovely frame clusters that you can see here.

Connie Prince is the first to mention fireworks… Yes, Canadians celebrate their birthday with fireworks; the display over Parliament Hill in Ottawa is usually televised and is quite spectacular. Here in Kelowna, our fireworks are launched out over the lake to minimize our ever-present fire risk. We can see them from our deck, so we can avoid those crowds that I hate so much. 😉 Find it here.

Connie additionally has this older kit, part of her Travelogue series. I like the flairs she created with some map sections; they make the kit truly Canadian. Her Travelogue series also includes kits for three of the ten provinces, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.

Most of the collections I’ve shown you here have add-on packs of papers, word art or clusters too. If you want to see them, just do the “Canada” search. 😉 Elbows up!!

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, GingerBread Ladies, Lets Celebrate, Tutorials Tagged With:

Tutorial Tuesday (Windows)

June 24, 2025 by 6 Comments

Quick Trick: Install that Font!

Hidee-ho, Scrappers! Today’s Quick Trick is so simple it doesn’t need any screenshots. I know, right? But I’m going to give you some anyway… I downloaded a new font so I could show you that this Trick works.

Did you know that you don’t have to unzip font folders? Nope, you don’t! You can just double-click on the folder, which will open and you can see all the fonts within. (Sorry for the blurry image.) You can tell in Windows 11 that the folder isn’t unzipped: the Extract All button has appeared. On the far left you can see the font icons. I prefer to install Open Type files so that’s what I’ll do. Double-click on the desired font.

This window opens. Just click on the Install button and the font’s ready to use. You can now choose to Save the folder in case you lose your fonts, or delete it. I Copy the font into a Fancy Fonts folder so I can always find it again/transfer it to a new system. This too works without unzipping the folder.

One extra tip: For Windows 11 users, you no longer have to exit Photoshop Elements and re-enter to access those new fonts. It’s magical!! Want a new scripty font for an elegant layout and none of the ones you already have is doing it for you? Find one online that you love, install it as shown and proceed! That new font will be ready to go without any additional steps. Ta-dah!!

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Digital Scrapbooking, Fantastic Fonts, Tutorials Tagged With:
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