Follow Cindy on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.
Follow Lisa on her Facebook Fan Page.
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Saturday July 11th, 2026
Follow Cindy on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.
Follow Lisa on her Facebook Fan Page.
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Friday July 10th, 2026
Welcome to the first Friday in July! We hope our Canadian friends had a wonderful Canada Day, and we wish our friends in the USA a happy and safe Fourth of July!
Do you have any special plans for the holiday weekend? Whether you’re heading to a barbecue, watching fireworks, spending time at the beach, or simply relaxing with family and friends, we hope you make lots of memories.
Don’t forget to capture those special summer moments! We have some amazing new kits in the store that are perfect for preserving your favorite photos and creating beautiful scrapbook pages you’ll treasure for years to come. Happy scrapping!
If you spesnd $10 in the store, you will get this beautiful collab for free.
Let’s look at some of what is new in the store this week.
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!
Follow Cindy on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.
Follow Lisa on her Facebook Fan Page.
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Thursday July 9th, 2026
Designs by Lisa Minor
July. Already. Oy!! Half the year is gone. But I must say, things chez Jan are better now than they were this time last year, so I’m okay with time flying. I guess. Anyway… this month we have two Designer Spotlights. Part Two will appear on Saturday if all goes well. 😉 Because Lisa was a true early bird, visiting me back in May, she has the first spot. 😀 We decided not to talk much business this time, and went right for the fun. Check out Designs by Lisa Minor! <hyperlinked – look for the coloured, bolded, underlined text!>
J: I hope you don’t mind that I have some music on in the background, Lisa. I like a little something to drown out the golfer profanity from the second tee. We could sit on the deck, but some of those golfers lack manners and have weak bladders. ;( Nobody wants to see that! But on the topic of music, if you have a theme song, what would it be?
L: Good Riddance by Green Day
J: Hmm. There are so many ways one could take that. Green Day does have some accurate insights though. I think mine would be something by Ashley McBryde. Maybe Light on in the Kitchen. The people in her songs might be fictional, but I think we all know somebody that fits the profile. If you could spend a whole day with a fictional character, who would you choose?
L: Wolverine, but only if it’s Hugh Jackman all dressed up.
J: Ooh, he’s fiiiiiiine! I loved him in Real Steel (which I’ve watched far too many times), and The Greatest American Showman. Mad acting skills! But speaking of skills, we should talk a wee bit about design. Right? Do you have a favourite holiday or season to design for?
L: Spring. I love that everything around that time of year feels so fresh and new.
J: I love spring too, watching my garden waking up and seeing the birds return. Those rituals are comforting. Do you have any traditions or rituals you follow when starting a new collection?
L: I have a form that I fill out for each kit, so that anytime I think of an idea or get inspired by something, I can jot it down.
J: Oh, smart!! I’ve developed some routines for creating my tutorials, and for how I construct the other Blog posts I’m responsible for. It really helps to have that process. I’ve really enjoyed the tutorials, since they’ve pushed me to learn a bunch of new ways of looking at things, picking up new skills along the way. Is there some skill you don’t already have that you’d like to learn?
L: Honestly, EXCEL. I’ve taken the public classes, and I still use it with the skill of a Kindergartener.
J: Urk. No. Not me! I feel like it’d be teaching an old dog new tricks and I kinda like retirement. Although… it would be more fun if I had a younger body. Even just for a week. If you could be any age for a week…?
L: 30. Honestly, I would love to be 30 again and know everything I know now!
J: That would be AMAZING! There are so many things I’d do differently. I’d make sure I had more fun. Have you ever played a really great prank on someone? Or had one played on you?
L: I put Kool-Aid Mix in the shower heads at a women’s retreat. It was RED and did not go over well when they turned their showers on.
J: OMG. I just had a mental image of the prom scene in the Sissy Spacek movie Carrie. I think you know the one I mean. Can’t understand why they’d be irked. 😀 I’m guessing you weren’t invited back. Too bad you couldn’t have turned into a bird or something and gotten outta Dodge. If you could swap places with any animal for a day, which one would you choose?
L: A Sloth! I would love to be able to turn my brain off and just sleep.
J: I can definitely relate!
L: I could stay in pajamas, all day every day.
J: SAME! But my son’s Handi-transit bus driver might have questions. No visits from the RCMP please… especially now that I have a family member at the detachment. 😉 Which reminds me, I have a housewarming card halfway constructed. Car making has become my number one hobby. Is there a hobby you wish you had taken up?
L: Crochet. I wish I had paid more attention when my Grandma did it. My daughter taught herself and does a pretty good job!
J: Hmm. I can teach you! Do you think my daughter would like me to crochet her a housewarming afghan? HAHAHAHAHAHA! That would be a hard pass. Lisa, thanks for the chat! I’ll fill our readers in on what you’ve got going on for your Designer Spotlight and then I really do need to finish that card before it’s time to make dinner.
As usual, Lisa is providing us with a Daily Download kit.
And she’s one of the Designer Spotlight Challenge hosts. To make it even more awesome, she’s done this!
And before I forget, she also hosts the Pinterest Challenge each month. Check it all out! So many opportunities…
Follow Cindy on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.
Follow Lisa on her Facebook Fan Page.
Remember, the download is kept up for 5 days, and then it is taken down. If you miss pieces, the kit will be available for purchase on the first day of the following month.
Post expires at 10:00am on Wednesday July 8th, 2026
It’s a brand-new month at Gingerscraps, and we have so much in store for you! Be sure to check out our new Free With Purchase, Monthly Mix, Challenge Reward, and Daily Download. We’re also excited to welcome a new Guest Designer. Stop by and see all the wonderful new products, promotions, and inspiration waiting for you this month!
Next let’s look at the July Buffet. Don’t forget to check out the Buffet Bundles. One easy click to add bundles of Buffet goodies to your cart.
I just love these gorgeous colors for July.
Summer Days captures the timeless charm of sunny afternoons and coastal adventures with a touch of vintage style. This bright and cheerful collection features old bicycles, sandy beaches, ocean waves, Adirondack chairs, colorful umbrellas, sandals, and other classic summertime favorites. Blending vibrant colors with nostalgic details, Summer Days is perfect for documenting family vacations, beach trips, boardwalk strolls, lazy afternoons, and all the memories that make summer unforgettable.
This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 47 Papers, and 84 Elements.
This Free With Purchase was created by Aimee Harrison, CarolW Designs, Cindy Ritter Designs, and Scrapbookcrazy Creations by Robyn.
Under The Stars celebrates the magic of sleeping beneath a blanket of twinkling stars. Whether you’re gathered around a crackling campfire deep in the woods or enjoying a backyard sleepout with family and friends, this kit captures the wonder of outdoor adventures. Filled with camping essentials, woodland accents, cozy campfire touches, starry skies, and nature-inspired details, Under The Stars is perfect for preserving memories of camping trips, s’mores, hiking, late-night storytelling, and unforgettable summer nights spent under the open sky.
This kit includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase & Lowercase} and 82 Papers.
This Monthly Mix was created by Designs by Lisa Minor, Ilonkas Designs, LDragDesigns, Let Me Scrapbook, and Moore Blessings Digital Design.
July’s Daily Download is provided by Cindy Ritter Digital Designs and Designs by Lisa Minor. Stop by the blog each day in June to collect pieces of these beautiful kits.
We are excited to announce we have a new Guest Designer starting in July.
BIO:
Hi! I’m Kelley! I’m a mom of 5 young adults (ages 18-24) along with a dog, 6 cats, and several reptiles. I discovered digiscrapping in 2010 and have been addicted ever since! Aside from scrapping and designing, I love photography, vegan cooking, sewing, soapmaking, junk journaling, happy mail – basically all things artsy or creative. I’m always adding new hobbies to the roster – my newest is sourdough baking. I also love gardening, camping, and visiting different parks to try out the hiking trails.
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!
Freshness of July is bursting with the bright, carefree spirit of summer. Designed in a cheerful palette of sunny yellow, pink, and deep rose, this collection is filled with sweet cherries, zesty lemons, buzzing bees, and fresh seasonal accents that celebrate warm days and simple pleasures. Perfect for documenting picnics, farmers markets, backyard gatherings, sunny adventures, and all your fruity summer memories, Freshness of July brings a refreshing splash of color and happiness to every scrapbook page.
This kit includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase & Numbers}, 36 Papers, 57 Elements, and 2 12×12 Template {png & psd formats}.
This Challenge Reward was created by Connie Prince, Craft-tastrophic, and Cutie Pie Scraps.
Take a look at these beautiful samples created by the GS Creative Team. These were done using the July Free with Purchase Kit Summer Days.
It’s a new month and time for a new Daily Download. Before we get to the new sneak peeks, let’s look at the full kit from June.
Now to the July Sneak Peek. This month’s kits are from are from Cindy Ritter Digital Designs and Designs by Lisa Minor.
Follow Cindy on her Facebook Fan Page and her Facebook Group.
Follow Lisa on her Facebook Fan Page.
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 July 7th, 2026
Zen Doodling Wrap-Up
Once again, Best Laid Plans were scuttled… but this WILL post before Tuesday is over. Thanks for the grace you all provide me, it’s deeply appreciated!
I’m finally wrapping up that Zen doodle project. Have you guessed what I put in the centre? Let’s see! This is where we ended last time. I acted on a hunch and took a look at the Custom Shape (aka Cookie Cutter) library. Whoa!! There’s a Yin-Yang symbol in there! To ensure it’s an actual circle, I selected Defined Proportions, which defaults to 1:1 and dragged out a symbol. Elements puts these shapes on their own layer, so once it’s been Simplified, it’s easy enough to resize and reposition.
As you can see here, I have a doodle layer, a yin-yang layer and a black outline layer that has a Cloak of Invisibility on it at the moment. Centering an object is simple: activate the two layers (doodle and yin-yang) then Align to both Center and Middle.
I should point out that the Brush I used for the basis of my doodle isn’t perfectly symmetrical. So when I Duplicated finished segments and moved them into place, they didn’t fit precisely over their spots. That means I have some… gaps. But… moving the black outline layer down to the bottom of the stack and Filling it with the Paint Bucket didn’t make them go away. What to do?
First I had to figure out where the problem actually existed.
I tried a *few* things that didn’t work. Then I Merged the doodle and black background layers together.
Then I just dumped black Paint until the gaps disappeared.
Other than Filling in the centre of the doodle with white, the remaining steps are completely optional. I wanted some catchlights and a bit of dimension so I went into the Styles menu and chose Wow Plastic. It’s one of Elements‘ core Styles that is part of the basic software. The one I’ve outlined in the screenshot is a CLEAR plastic Style so the colours below it will be unchanged. But… if you apply it to the actual doodle or yin-yang layer, the colour will disappear. So… Copy Layer it is!
It’s not really obvious in the screenshot, but the effect is a bit much. Too much. So I’ll adjust it.
This is a good skill to develop. You can pretty much always make adjustments to Layer Styles. And you can see what you’re doing as you do it, which really helps. To get into the Style Settings menu, double-click on the fx icon on the right side of the Layer.
I changed the Lighting Angle to 60°, tweaked the Drop Shadow Size and Distance to 16 pixels each, lowered the Opacity to 46%, set the Outer Glow to 54 pixels at 39% Opacity and decreased the Bevel to 35 pixels. That gives it a nice 3D look without being overpowering.
I think I’ll apply the same Style to the rest of the doodle. I don’t need to remember what those settings were, I can just Copy Layer Style to Paste it onto the doodle. But not THE doodle… a Copy Layer. To Copy the Style, right-click on the Styled layer and choose Copy Layer Style from the dropdown.
Making sure you’re on the Copy of the doodle layer, right-click again and select Paste Layer Style and Elements will apply those same settings to the doodle.
I Saved my doodle as a layered PSD file so I can make other adjustments when I decide to use it for a card or a layout. It can be a background, a frame (pop a photo into the centre instead of a yin-yang) or even a 3D element. For those purposes I’d want to Save it as a PNG file so the transparent background is preserved.
Now, you may NEVER attempt digital Zen doodling, but these techniques can be put into play in so many other ways. Don’t be afraid to experiment!! If something doesn’t look like you want it to, just Undo [CTRL/CMD>Z] as many steps as you need to (my fingers just find that keyboard shortcut naturally, from so much practice) and try something different. All you’ll lose it a bit of time. 😉
I’ll be back on Thursday with a July Designer Spotlight. Care to guess who that might be?
Happy Canada Day to all the Canucks out there. And happy 12th birthday to my first grandchild, Jonathan.
Follow Aimee on her Facebook Fan Page.
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 July 6th, 2026