Designer Spotlight: October 2026 (Part 2)

October 15, 2026 by 1 Comment

Buzzbee Scraps!

I owe Karen (aka Buzzbee Scraps) a HUGE apology. When I posted Part 1 for October’s Designer Spotlight, I’d indicated that Karen hadn’t been in touch to chat with me. Little did I know she’d been trying to contact me via email for a couple of weeks already at that point, and for some reason, I wasn’t getting her emails. Ginger was acting as our go-between and finally sorted it all out for us so we FINALLY had our visit. I feel just awful that she’s missed HALF of her Spotlight month. I hope we can make up for that…

J: Karen, I can’t explain what happened with my email. Ginger shot me a test this morning and she was able to get one through. Oof. Sorry!! Let’s not waste another minute!! I think I know the answer to this but can you share with us how you arrived at your Designer name?

K: It’s really simple actually. My surname is Busby and I absolutely love bees lol. So I sort of combined the two.

J: I figured it was something like that. I adore bees. Well, all the pollinators… living in an orchard city as I do, they’re a vital part of our economy. So of course I love the logo you created. šŸ˜‰ What other kinds of things inspire your creativity for new collections?

K: Colours are a big inspiration. I will see a colour combo while out and about (often in nature. I am so inspired my the natural world. Which is why a lot of my kits feature cute, critters)! and that will start my brain working on themes that would work with the colours. Other times it might be a life event that I have recently experienced, such as weddings, birthdays, being with my family, days out and walks in the countryside. Just everyday experiences that I think would need documenting.

J: [Note to readers: Karen puts “u”s in words like Jan does. šŸ˜€ ] Well, that’s a lovely seguĆ© into asking the favourite-child question… do you have a favourite kit or collection?

K: I think probably my Photographer kit <hyperlinked>. The colours are not what I would normally choose. But I saw them together on a birthday card and loved the combo. The theme came easily as I have always wanted to make a photography kit. Photography is a big hobby of mine and so it was really fun to make. Customers loved it too and that really warmed my heart.

J: LOL! Remember these comments, folks. I actually kinda like this colour palette. I’m not usually a big yellow lover, but right now all the trees are sporting almost that exact shade. The kit is fabulous!! So what does a typical workday look like for you?

K: I get up around 7.30. Have my tea and toast then go for an hour long walk with my rescue dog, Tilly. Then it’s back home to feed and clean out my 4 rescue guinea pigs. After that it’s kettle and computer on for design work until lunch time. After lunch, I will do any errands that are needed and visit my mum. She has early stage Alzheimer’s and I pop in to see her most days. Then I will be back at my PC until 5 ish. Then I walk Tilly again, feed her, sort out the guineas and get dinner started. Dinner is usually around 7.00. On Thursday & Friday I also dog sit little Maggie. So I fit that in too!. Sometimes I will work a bit more on my designs after dinner depending on energy levels. My design work has to fit around everything else. So I often do some over the weekend too. I love it though and I feel so fortunate to be living the life that I do.

J: I’m so not a morning person. Having to be at work by 7 am for day shifts was such a struggle for me. I envy people who can be productive before 10 am! I’m sorry to hear about your mum. Mine is nearly 91 and still as sharp as ever. My sister and brother live with her, so I don’t worry about her (much). Is there anything about your design process that would surprise me?

K: Usually that I don’t use a lot of AI. A few elements may be made with AI. But I try to avoid it. I prefer things to be my own work. All of my patterned papers are made my me. I don’t use AI to generate patterns , make tags or wordart etc. Hopefully, that keeps my designs unique to me. But who knows. Maybe that means that I will get left behind. I’ll take the chance lol.

J: AI isn’t at all intelligent! I do historical research and the amount of garbage being produced by AI when documents are transcribed is ridiculous. I waste a lot of time having to locate and read/transcribe things for myself. It’s kinda funny about Ukraine taking out all the Russian bot farms though. Do you have any specific goals you’ve set for the next year when thinking of your design work?

K: I would really love to be producing more designs. I have so many ideas and not enough time to get it all done. Maybe I will get better at managing my time lol. I just want to keep on creating things that people want to use in their memory keeping. I came to designing late when the market was already flooded with amazing designers. So carving out my little spot is taking time. I am so happy with the feedback that I get from my sweet, customers. It really does spur me on. Hopefully, over the next year, I can get more kits made. So I guess the thing that I would like to accomplish is just “more”!

J: I think you’re doing pretty well, ma’am! If you couldn’t be a Designer, how would you feed your creative needs?

K: As I came to designing later in life. I already had a career in early years childcare. My favourite part of that was being a children’s nanny, where I could use my creativity a lot. I really enjoyed encouraging children to explore their own creativity too. I started my working life as a horse riding instructor though and worked training horses and riders for many years. If I wasn’t designing now, I probably would be a nanny still. Although I have often toyed with going back into the horse world – though not too much creativity there!

J: Kids are great for keeping one on one’s toes. My entire nursing career was in pediatrics… no stinky adults for me! One of my former patients was on our unit for a long time, long enough to make us a chain of origami cranes to brighten up our nursing station. I loved that child so much! Every day was a (virtual) K-Pop dance party in that room. What tune really gets you bopping along?

K: This one is easy. Mr Brightside by The Killers. Here in the UK, it is usually played at any sort of gathering with music. People usually get up and dance to it while screaming the words. love it!

J: I’ll have to YouTube that one. It’s not familiar, but it must be a lot like Sweet Caroline or the Chicken Dance in the reaction it evokes. I really should track down that Hugh Jackman movie about the Neil Diamond impersonator, if only just for the music. Is there a movie you can watch over and over and still love it?

K: This one takes some thought. There are three. Can I have three? They are – In Pursuit Of Happiness, The Lion King (original cartoon) and The Greatest Showman. It depends what sort of mood I’m in. But if you are forcing me to pick one. It has to be In Pursuit of Happiness. it’s so uplifting and a reminder that things can get better. I always cry happy tears at the end lol.

J: I love all three of those… speaking of Hugh Jackman. šŸ˜€ Of course you can choose three! But for this last question, you cannot have three. Just one. What one food could you happily eat every day for the rest of your life?

K: Well. I absolutely could not live without chips. So I’ll say that. I mean the french fry kind. I think crisps are called chips in other countries? I mean the ones that you get in fish & chip shops in the UK. (not the small, crunchy things in packets) But I love pub chips, oven chips and homemade chips. So my answer would definitely be chips!

J: YUMMMM! In eastern Canada we have chippers – food trucks that make absolutely sublime chips. With malt vinegar and lots of salt. <stomach rumbles, entering the chat> When I was quite small, for a treat, we got authentic fish and chips – wrapped in newspaper and smelling incredible – for our supper on Friday nights. I judge ALL fish and chips against that memory. <stomach becoming a problem…> I know it’s quite late on your side of the pond, so I’ll wrap this up. As usual, Karen is providing us with a fantastic Daily Download as part of her Spotlight, AND she has a coupon!

As for Challenges, Karen hosts the monthly Photography Challenge šŸ˜‰ and is co-hosting the Designer Spotlight Challenge for this month.

Make sure you check out her Store! Ā Ā Buzzbee Scraps

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

tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

October 13, 2026 by 1 Comment

Paper Tears and Curls – Advanced (Part 1)

I hope you had a chance to review the paper tear tutorial I recently updated. Today we’re going to build on that and the end result will be another shadowbox look with lots of texture. There are quite a few screenshots but they’re mostly recapping and expanding. Let’s jump in. Today’s technique will create the appearance of tearing thick, heavy, multi-ply cardstock. When you choose your papers, make sure they have visible texture. [The two kits I’ve pulled from have been retired, but there are lots of others that will work beautifully.]

There are a couple of ways to reveal the background paper; you could just shift the top paper layer to expose the background (which can create problems with shadows later), or you can use the Rectangle Marquee Tool to outline the part you want to remove, then use the Edit>Cut or CTRL/CMD>X command. Then make a Copy – right-click>Duplicate Layer>OK or CTRL/CMD>J of the top layer, which will become the white paper core.

It could be my rapidly-deserting-me vision, or it could be the screenshot – it’s blurry. But what you need to know is that when you’ve used a paper like this one with an irregular surface, just dumping some white paint onto with the Paint Bucket isn’t going to work. Instead, I clicked Layer>New Fill Layer>Solid Color.

Turn off visibility for the top purple paper layer while you do the next steps. Make sure you’re only adding the solid colour to the piece, not the whole canvas. Check the box for Use Previous Layer to Create Clipping Mask.

Of course, the Fill Layer isn’t firmly attached to the paper layer underneath it until you Merge the two layers. Click>SHIFT>click on the two layers then right-click and choose Merge Layers, or CTRL/CMD>E.

This step is optional. To knock down some of that bright whiteness and add a bit more interest, I’ve added some noise: Filter>Noise>Add Noise

The speckled appearance can be adjusted. Play with the slider until the Preview looks good to you, with Distribution set to Gaussian and tick that box for Monochromatic. (Otherwise, the noise will have some psychedelic qualities. šŸ˜‰ )

Time to tear it up! Turn on visibility for the top purple paper layer and make sure it’s active. Choose the Eraser Tool and set it to Brush. Go into the Brush Selector by clicking on the tiny triangle to the right of the thumbnail. (And pretend there isn’t a typo in the screenshot. šŸ˜€ )

Look near the top of the list that opens for Artistic Brushes. They’re PSE-integrated Brushes, so they will be there. Select the one indicated.

Using a combination of random clicks and some click-dragging, tear a strip off that purple paper.

I’ve zoomed in so you can see the texture the Artistic Brush and the Noise Filter add to the image.

Then repeat the process on the white core layer. Be messy!

Zoom in on a nice, wide spot in your white core. Add a new blank Layer on top. This is where the delamination of your multi-ply cardstock happens.

Set your foreground colour to whatever colour you prefer for your shadows. I used black here. Go to the Brush Tool, and select the Drop Shadows set. They’re also PSE-integrated Brushes. I chose an 8 pixel square Drop Shadow Brush at 100% Opacity to add a squiggle. Don’t worry if it hangs over onto your coloured paper.

Oops! Another typo! That’s what I get for editing screenshots when there’s a lot of glare. I can’t always see what I’m typing. Anyway… although the Drop Shadow Brushes have softer edges that Basic Brushes do, this is still too harsh, so I added a Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur

I decided a Radius of 1.7 pixels was good, but you might want more, or less. Watch the Preview. You do you!

Adjusting the depth and angle of the shadow is done with the Smudge Tool; I used Size 30 pixels, Strength 46%. I pushed and pulled spots randomly to make a more realistic shadow.

To put a cleaner, sharper edge on the delaminated spot, I used a hard, round Brush, 12 pixels and 100% Opacity with the Eraser Tool. I also cleaned up where the squiggle overlapped the purple paper.

Last thing is to make sure the shadow lets what’s underneath it show through. Change the Blend Mode to Linear Burn. And you have another type of paper tear! You can adjust the Opacity of the squiggle until you’re happy with the look – but zoom out first so you can see the actual change.

Next time I’ll turn some of the white core tears into curls and we’ll shadow up the paper layers. As soon as I figure out an easier way to do that… Pray for overcast skies here so I can see what I’m doing!

 

 

 

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

Designer Spotlight (October 2026)

October 4, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Wetfish Designs

 

 

I know you’re all trying to get your Digital Scrapbooking Day activities out of the way, but Cyndi and I hope you have a few minutes to get to know her better. Cyndi is the creative mind behind Wetfish Designs and it’s her turn in the GingerScraps Designer Spotlight. I wasn’t able to fit in an actual coffee date so we chatted by phone.

J: Cyndi! How are you? I’m sorry we have to do this over the phone but my life has been a gong show lately. Let’s start with a softball: If you could describe your design style with just three words, what would they be?

C: The Kitchen Sink (a little bit of everything)

J: Hahahaha! Sometimes that brings the best results. Trying to shoehorn your work into a given shape can be the opposite of creative. Do you have a kit or collection that really makes you proud?

C: My Daily Download kit from last year, Rainbow Bridge. <hyperlink> When I designed that kit I had just lost two of my pets. Every time I see a layout in the gallery with that kit I am reminded of the joy that can come from remembering a love of a pet with boldness and without reservation. It is bursting with color and expression.

J: Pets are family! My two pups are what keep me from sinking some days. Our older one (she’s eleven) has a heart condition, but the vet says it’s stable for now so I’m feeling relieved.Ā  I know I’ll have to use your kit eventually, so thanks for making it cheerful. We know what inspired THIS kit… what inspires you more generally?

C: Home interiors are my go to inspiration for most of my kits. I stay up to date on design trends with Pantone and of course, Pinterest. Anthropologie, Home Goods, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and similar retailers also give me ideas.

J: Not the answer I was expecting, but being familiar with your work, it makes total sense! What do you find challenging about digital scrapbook designing?

C: I try not to think of things as challenges as much as opportunities. Recently Facebook started charging small businesses to post more than two active links a month. It is way too expensive for me so Iā€™m trying to think out of the box and come up with other ways to reach my customers with my new releases and sales. Ginger had suggested being more active in the forum so that is my goal for this month, to do just that. So the challenge may be Facebook placing limitations on my reach, but the opportunity of using the forum (which I really have not used to date) is the now upon me.

J: As IF Mr Zuckerberg needs more money. <sigh> I used to enjoy Facebook and kept in touch with so many people I don’t see all the time, but now it seems like all it is is ads, sponsored posts and “suggested for you” stuff from accounts I couldn’t care less about. I’ve significantly decreased my interactions there and may let it go altogether. But the GS Forum? That’s great social interaction with like-minded people. I like the way you framed this challenge-vs-opportunity concept though. But let’s move away from the oligarchy and the sad world we live in. If you could live in a fictional universe, what would that look like. (No superheroes needed.)

C: I read a lot, so this one is tough. It is like choosing a favorite child šŸ™‚ Iā€™m currently reading Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon and really loving it. So today I think I want to live in 16th century Ireland!

J: I know WAY too much about 16th century Ireland to even consider that… 51% of my DNA is from there. My more recent genealogical Irish history is pretty bleak so, no thanks. I love Ireland to my core and would teleport myself to modern-day Ireland in a heartbeat, but I’d never time travel there. Where would you choose to teleport if that was a thing?

C: I would definitely be beaming myself up and over to Scotland! Iā€™ve never been there and it is on my bucket list. I love the moody atmosphere and the breathtaking scenery. When Iā€™m reading I often put ambience videos on my tv and Scottish Highland videos are my favorite!

J: AHA!! The tie-in to your Wild About Styles Challenge that I completely missed! I’m one of those weird people who enjoys bagpipe and tin whistle music, so I may want to join you! I could listen to Celtic Thunder’s Caledonia on repeat. (Don’t tell anybody, but I HAVE! šŸ˜‰ ) If you had a theme song, what would it be?

C: Goodness of God by Jen Johnson/Bethel Music. This has been the song Apple ranks as my ā€œAnthemā€ every year when it gives me an overview of my listening habits on iMusic. There are many covers of this song that I also enjoy but this is the version I gravitate towards anytime I need encouragement. It is also probably one of the only worship songs that I can sing by heart without pretending Iā€™m doing karaoke.

J: I’ll have to look that one up. Y’know… for those moments when I need encouragement, instead of grabbing a tub of ice cream and a spoon. I’m all in on Chapman’s Salted Caramel super premium these days. And the scale is complaining. What flavour would you grab?

C: Baskin Robbins’ Jamocha Almond Fudge. All day.

J: I’m having dessert at your house! If we were having a dinner party and you could invite (and have them accept!) any three people – real, living or not – who would they be?

C: This is hard because I think who I pick is very much determined by where my head and heart are at the moment. But today? I want to be in my childhood home at the dining room table with my now deceased mom and dad and my grandfather, Pop. Lots of memories around that table and I miss them all so much.

J: I feel you. Last weekend we scattered my dad’s ashes and it was both draining and comforting. It felt like he was there, just out of sight. I know my mom was feeling him next to her. Anyway, enough of that. One last nosy question… If you werenā€™t a digital scrapbooking designer, what other creative path do you think youā€™d take?

C: A writer. I finally started writing the novel I always wanted to write. I took a few months off from that to let it breathe. As the weather turns
colder and Iā€™m inside more I will return to my novel and keep crafting it. I am completely addicted to watching book influencers and YouTube videos about books and writing. I donā€™t ever see myself as having a YouTube channel or video channel of any kind though!

J: They say we all have a book inside of us. Keep on writing!! Who knows, you could be the next Elsie Silver, with several best-sellers and your own Netflix series in production! Thanks for the chat. Time to get to the practical part of the Spotlight…

There are two Designers in the Spotlight this month; Karen (Buzzbee Scraps) hasn’t chosen so far to be grilled on my spit. But she and Cyndi are both providing a Daily Download kit for all of us. Cyndi‘s sneak peek is below.

Cyndi has a Spotlight coupon code too…

And in addition to her regular monthly Wild about Styles Challenge, she’s also hosting one of the Designer Spotlight Challenges for October. Go check them out!!!

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

September 22, 2026 by 1 Comment

Greatest Hits: Paper Tears Updated

You might wonder why I’m doing another rerun here. If you worked through the shadowbox effect tutorial from earlier this month, you might recall that Jill‘s request had two examples of shadowbox techniques. I showed you how I duped the first one, and mentioned that when I showed the second one, I’d be focusing on paper tearing. Since I wrote the original posts I’m going recap today, I’ve learned a few things… and those tears can look even more realistic. Yes, you read that correctly: I’m doing a double-header today! The first technique tut is 9 years old already…

THIS LOOKS REALLY LONG!! DONT PANIC. IT’S NOT THAT BAD!!!

Obviously, the easiest way to add a paper tear to a layout would be to use an already-roughed-up paper from any of the GingerScraps Designers, or to use a Photoshop Elements Action that automates the process. But if you don’t like those options you definitely can create your own tears.

If you were to tear a piece of high-quality cardstock, which generally has colour applied to one or both sides with a white core, youā€™d get a bit of an irregular edge, with varying amounts of white backing paper showing along it. So to demonstrate this, Iā€™ve used an embossed cardstock fromĀ Ooh La La Scrapsā€˜ simply gorgeous bundleĀ You and Me. Fortunately for me, there is also a solid white, textured paper in the kit too, so Iā€™m going to use it for the core. (For the first few steps, I turned the visibility of the white paper layer off.) And to make it easier to see what I was doing, I put a piece of gray patterned paper behind it all.

I wanted to have tears along both vertical edges of the paper and I wanted some of the background to be visible. I also wanted toĀ WorkĀ SmartĀ NotĀ Hard. So I selected the layer with my pink cardstock on it and using theĀ Rectangular MarqueeĀ tool, I selected a portion of paper thenĀ Edit>CutĀ [WSNH:Ā CTRL/CMD>X]I trimmed away some paper from each side. Youā€™ll see why this is aĀ WSNHĀ tip as we go along.

I then selected theĀ Eraser Tool and a relatively small brush size. [Update: Instead of using just a round Basic Brush for this step, check out the Artistic Brush set that’s included in your software. There’s a Rough Bristle option in there and when you set the Size to about 100 pixels, it adds some amazing texture to your tears.] Working along the right side of my canvas, I erased away some of the pink cardstock in an irregular, jagged manner. Donā€™t try to be too careful because you want it to lookā€¦ well, TORN. If it might make it easier for you to visualize, take a real piece of paper, any kind, and tear it. For real. Then look at the edge. Itā€™s not gonna be perfect!

Because I wanted both sides to be torn, I repeated the process on the left side of the canvas too.Ā You may have noticed that I broke my own rule of only erasing on aĀ Layer Mask. If youā€™re wondering why, itā€™s because it really doesnā€™t matter if I erase too much of these papers. It doesnā€™t have to be perfect. Itā€™s better if it ISNā€™T perfect.

Once I was happy with the edges of my tears, I turned the visibility of my white paper layer back on and trimmed away some of it along both edges in the same way I did with the pink. It made me so happy to see that the texture of the white paper was the same as the pink ā€“ that core layer should have some texture to it too. [Update: if you’re using a flat paper or a Fill Layer for your white core, you can get some texture by using a Filter>Noise>Add Noise set to 5%, Gaussian Distribution and the Monochromatic box ticked. If it’s too in-your-face, you can tone it down by adding a Blur>Gaussian Blur>1 pixel.]

The next step was to erase the edges of the white paper just like I did with the pink cardstock. Zoom in close to your work so you can see exactly what youā€™re doing.

This time I erased close in to the pink paper in some places and veered away a bit in others.

When you zoom back out, there may be some bits of white paper still there. These have to be erased too.

After I had my white edges the way I wanted them, I selected the pink cardstock layer again and went back with the Eraser Tool and created some little slivers of torn paper as shown below. This would happen with real cardstock, so I always include a few little shreds.

Hereā€™s a full screen view of the two torn edges.

The last step to ensuring realism is to add a very infinitesimal shadow to the cardstock layer. I like to have shadows visible on both edges, so to accomplish that I Duplicated [WSNH:Ā CTRL/CMD>J] the pink cardstock layer before I applied a drop shadow. I used a simple shadow, with the following settings: Size 0,Ā Distance 2Ā andĀ Opacity 75. (These arenā€™t hard-and-fast, use whatever settings look the most realistic to you. Just remember them for later.)

When I had my shadow just so, IĀ SimplifiedĀ the layer. Doing that locks the shadow to the cardstock so it doesnā€™t change later.

Then I did the same thing with the second pink cardstock layer, with one difference ā€“ theĀ angleĀ of the shadow.

After both layers had that little extra definition provided by the shadows, I merged the two pink cardstock layers with the white paper layer. [WSNH: Select all layers thenĀ CTRL/CMD>E]

And hereā€™s the finished layout.

Now, the second trick I’m going to add is to Copy a paper tear from a template! This one is so simple!

Thereā€™s a way to import a paper tear from a template into a layout-in-progress that only takes a few easy steps and very little time. However, you must have a template with a paper tear on its own layer, or a commercial-use paper tear template. They have their own limitations, and may not give you the look youā€™re after. So try this.

I started out with this template from (former GingerBread Lady) Tinci Designsā€™Ā Second Chances V.2Ā collection. I resized all of the layers (except the background paper) to allow for adding a tear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was waiting to find a template like this one fromĀ CarolW Designsā€™Ā Spring Dawn. That tear is moveable!! But how can I move it ontoĀ Krizstinaā€™sĀ template?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are a couple of steps that need doing first. But to start, I found the tear layer inĀ Carolā€™sĀ template,Ā right-clickedĀ on the layer and choseĀ Duplicate LayerĀ from the dropdown menu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NowĀ ElementsĀ needs to know where to put it. The new menu shows all the files currently open in theĀ Photo Box, and offers the option of creating aĀ New Document. Thatā€™s what Iā€™m going to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This step is completely optional. I chose to give my new document file a name,Ā Paper Tear Mask, for clarity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is what happens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But look at thatĀ Bounding Box! I was thrilled to see thereā€™s more to the tear that can be used just byĀ ResizingĀ it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now to make it useful and not work too hard while Iā€™m at it. I added a new blank layerĀ underneathĀ the tear layer. Just hold down theĀ CTRL/CMDĀ key and click theĀ sheet-of-paper iconĀ at the upper left of theĀ Layers Panel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, I used theĀ Paint Bucket ToolĀ to fill the whole of the blank layer I just created. Pick any colour you like (but not white) for this step.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To turn the coloured part into aĀ Layer MaskĀ so papers can beĀ ClippedĀ to it, I used a hard, round brush within theĀ Eraser ToolĀ to remove the coloured part above the tear. This can be done quickly because as long as I donā€™t cross over the tear into the lower part of the coloured area, I can just scrub it away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And thatā€™s it for creating the tear mask! To move it over ontoĀ Krizstinaā€™sĀ template, Iā€™m going toĀ ActivateĀ both layers byĀ click-shift-clickingĀ on each of them, thenĀ right-clickĀ to open the dropdown menu toĀ Duplicate Layersā€¦

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This time, Iā€™m going to send them onto theĀ TinciĀ template.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ā€˜MKay. there are the tear and the mask, placed on top of the background paper and underneath the rest of the layers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I donā€™t like the tear up there, just to be a non-conformist. So Iā€™ll move it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And all thatā€™s left is to add the papers. Iā€™ve usedĀ North Meets South Studiosā€™Ā March 2022 Daily DownloadĀ kit,Ā When Life Gives Lemons. I want the woodgrain paper to be my background and the yellow gingham to be a tablecloth, sort of ā€“ maybe one of those vinyl ones with the fuzzy background and now itā€™s torn . By ClippingĀ the woodgrain paper to the coloured part I added to the tear, thatā€™s what I get. Cool, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, if youā€™d like to do this technique again sometime, you canĀ SaveĀ your workĀ AsĀ aĀ .psdĀ orĀ .tiffĀ file and reuse it again and again. By having all that coloured area, you can pretty much put the tear anywhere!

So, how will this novella make next week’s tut easier to follow? The review will ground you in the basics, so when I throw in some curls on those torn edges, you’ll already have great tears to play with! Have I piqued your interest?

 

 

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

September 15, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Initial Inspiration

I must say, September arrived and our weather flipped a switch. It’s chillier than usual and we’re actually getting some rain. We’re so happy!

This month’s Challenge Spotlight is focused on a new Challenge hosted by Alexis Designs. It’s called Initial Inspiration and it looks like a LOT of fun! I’m going to let Alexis explain how the Challenge works:

“Each month, I will choose a letter of the alphabet to use as the starting point for your page. Your challenge is to incorporate words, colors, themes, supplies, techniques, or other creative details that begin with that monthā€™s featured letter.
This month, we will use the letter “S“.
Create a layout inspired by the letter S. You may interpret the challenge in your own creative way, but the featured letter should be clearly represented throughout your page.
Theme: (thought starter)
School, September, Solstice, Students, Scarecrows, Sunsets for a few thought starters.
Background:
Sienna, Sapphire, Scarlet, Sepia, Straw, Saffron or other colors beginning with S
Embellishments:
Stars, sweaters, squash, squirrels, soup or anything else beginning with S
Flowers of September:
Asters, Morning Glories, Sunflowers, Snapdragons, Salvia, Wildflowers and other flowers that align with September. It could be anything really.
Journaling:
Write about back-to-school, late summer days, early autumn, farmers markets, September activities, adventures, or annual traditions.
Photos:
First day of school, leaves turning, long drives, campfires, etc.”

As always with the Challenge Spotlight, I’m going to share some of the participating layouts submitted to the Gallery for this month, and we’ll examine each to see how the Scrapper has met the Challenge‘s criteria. Each layout will be linked to the Gallery via the Scrapper‘s user name so you can get a closer look or leave a comment. Or both! This is your reminder that whenever you see bold text that is underlined and in colour, that’s a clickable hyperlink. There were quite a few entries in the Gallery already so I edited the selection to ODD numbered layouts to keep this from turning into War and Peace. Let’s jump in!

Katherine Woodin was first out of the blocks, as she often is. I think she’s the most prolific Scrapper we have! šŸ˜‰ She has the letter S in her title, she’s used starry paper, snowflakes to play off the bird’s common name, silver and sapphire colours. That’s a pass!

Windswept chose to stick to sunflowers and the letter S in her title, plus some saffron-coloured paper mats. That’s a pass!

Here, msbrad has lots of places where the letter S appears, including her subtitle, and a bunch of stars.

Grace went with the month, September, and a straw-coloured background for the autumnal elements she used. The tag has sepia inky edges. Those sparkly swirls… that’s also a pass!

Aha, a back-to-school layout, but with a justpennys twist! She’s used a lot of school supplies elements and a classroom photo to incorporate the theme. Pass!

FormbyGirl chose an alliterative title with S for the initial consonants, a straw-coloured background, string, and her journaling is all about the title’s subject. Pass!

BriannasScrapper chose to focus on Sonic for her title, her journaling and her photo. Shall we call the shapes in the background swirls? Pass.

Shadows – the title, photos of them, how they’re created (sunwashed), a stylized sun paper clip, a stamp, some striped paper… glee‘s got the bases covered. Pass!Ā  <whispers: That looks like a tree-of-heaven. which isn’t heavenly at all, it’s demonically invasive.>

I’m going to keep this Challenge on my radar, because I think it’s a fantastic concept. Do I have a layout for it in mind? No, not really, but I DO have thousands of photos of sunsets… What do you think? Something to try, or no?

 

 

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

September 10, 2026 by 7 Comments

Digital Shadowbox: Take One

Yay!! I’m back in business! Turns out fibreoptic systems can fail right at the connector if they’re not perfectly aligned, and heavy truck traffic can knock those connectors ever so slightly out of alignment. The joys of living in a construction zone. All fixed, carry on! <whispers: The service tech gave me his cell number so I can call him directly if it happens again. šŸ˜‰ >

Okay, on to the tut! I tried to put the tutorial together offline so I could do a hit-and-run, but it messed up the formatting so badly, I’m starting from scratch… Awhile back Jill sent me request. Could I deconstruct a shadowbox-style layout she found online? She sent me two images and I’m going to deconstruct BOTH of them! The first one (the layout is from The LilyPad and the scrapper is Roxana) is this one.

 

Of course, I’m 1000% going to scraplift this layout, and my scraplifts are always very true to the original. You’ll see! Here’s the silhouette I created to use as my custom shape. You can grab the zip file HERE. Warning: This is at least an intermediate technique and assumes some familiarity with the software.

I’m using JB Studio’s 3 A.M. Thoughts kit throughout. First thing to do is decide how many cutout layers desired and choose papers for them. They go into the Layers Panel bottom-up. (Ignore the topmost layer in the screenshot – it’s where I put a Stroke so you could see where I’ve Selected the outline of the silhouette.) The silhouette layer is at the bottom but its placement isn’t a big concern.

Now that the papers are in the correct order, 1. activate the top-most paper layer. Then go to the layer with the silhouette on it. 2, CTRL/CMD>click on the layer’s THUMBNAIL to Select the outline. Make sure you haven’t accidentally made that layer the active one. It shouldn’t be filled with blue. Then click on Edit>Cut or use the keyboard shortcut CTRL/CMD>X to cut out your first shape.

Look at that! To make this process as simple and easy to remember as possible, I decided to Resize the shape to 90% of whatever size I just used on the previous layer. The quickest way to Resize anything is to click on any of the four corners of the Bounding Box. That activates the Transform menu, which includes a sizing box. Type your desired number into the box and for this purpose, make sure the Constrain Proportions box is also ticked. That way your newly sized item maintains its shape exactly, just smaller (or larger, depending).

I just followed all the same steps of Activating the paper layer, Selecting the edges of the shape and Cutting out the bit in the middle.

I worked my way down the stack of papers, shrinking the shape to 90% of the previous size and Cutting that out of the middle. Notice how everything remains in alignment.

I opted to use this grungy tag for the layer with the torn and curled edge. Bet you were wondering…

It needed some massaging to make it work.

Now you’ll see why I reran the Custom Shadow tut. Each of these cutouts need to have shadows. šŸ˜‰ If you have a set of shadow Styles that includes a cutout, you’re all set. Go ahead and hit each layer. But if you don’t, it’s all good. We can make our own! Pop a new blank layer UNDERNEATH your topmost paper layer. We’ll work our way down.

Now, with the blank layer active, Select the edges of the top paper layer by CTRL/CMD>clicking on the paper layer’s THUMBNAIL. Next, go to the Paint Bucket Tool and fill the blank layer with your shadow colour. I used black for simplicity.

Okay… there’s a black layer under the paper cutout. But it’s not doing anything.

The very easiest way to turn this black layer into a shadow for a cutout is to just make the whole layer a little smaller so it peeks out from under the paper above it. I played around quite a bit before settling on shrinking it to 96% of the original size. Each shadow layer will be the same.

To take that stark black shape and make it look like a shadow, it needs softening. So click Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur…

I like the look of a shadowbox with thick spacers between layers so I used that as my mental view. If you want your layers to look closer together, adjust accordingly. I went with a 20 pixel Radius.

Realistic shadows don’t obliterate the visibility of what it’s cast on, so to give the shadow some transparency, change the Blend Mode to Linear Burn.

Last step… decrease the Opacity of the shadow to whatever looks right to you. I went to 33% because my spacers are THICK!

The torn tag needed a little different treatment because it’s much closer to the paper underneath it. I nudged it out and down a smidge, then used the Smudge Tool to customize it a bit more before Blurring it by only 4 pixels, changing the Blend Mode and decreasing the Opacity to 53%.

Et voilĆ ! The basic shadowbox look is there. Now I’ll finish the layout and you can check it out in the Gallery!

I think the other example Jill sent me will focus more on paper tearing and curling. Sound good?

 

 

 

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

Designer Spotlight: September 2026

September 3, 2026 by Leave a Comment

ScrapChat Designs

The first thing Jill said to me was, “I feel like it was just yesterday that we last chatted!” It’s been a year…. But she’s not wrong about how hard she works at being a Spotlight Designer – it’s a LOT of work. A good half of our conversation was business-related, and then she gave me a peek into what REALLY makes her tick… Here’s a transcript of that conversation.

O: Jill! Good to chat with you again. You must be a glutton for punishment! Out of the 45 Designers here at GingerScraps, I think we’ve met more times than anybody else. (Not that I’m complaining!) So let’s talk about GS for a second. What’s the best part of belonging to the GingerScraps family?

J: Oh, where do I start? I love the sense of family at Gingerscraps, both as a designer and as a scrapbooker. Iā€™ve made so many friends along the way, and I love being part of a community where people genuinely share the same excitement for preserving memories and telling their stories. Itā€™s a place where I get to create, scrapbook, laugh, and connect with people who understand why this hobby means so much to us. Itā€™s my scrapbooking home.

O: You’ve just said all the things I think about GS. I’ve mentioned before that I didn’t really *choose* to become part of the GS community, it was assigned to me by the designer I was creating for at the time. But it didn’t take long for it to start feeling like home. But like everything else, it comes with challenges – and I don’t mean the fun kind in the Forum. What do you find to be the biggest challenge to being a digital designer?

J: One of the biggest challenges is creating products that appeal to a wide range of scrapbookers and making sure each kit, regardless of its name, can be used for many different topics. Take my recent collection, Aced It, which was named after my grandson Jace and granddaughter Grace. Jace is starting kindergarten while Grace is in sixth grade, but I feel like the papers and elements can be used for school, birthdays, and plenty of other memories too.

O: You’re so right! This collection will work for a lot of different purposes. Our grands are starting Grades 7, 5 and 3 this fall. Where does the time go? šŸ™ Your colour palette here…

J: I tend to gravitate toward primary colors, bright and cheerful palettes, and retro color combinations. Iā€™m not much of a girly girl, and Iā€™ve never been a big fan of pinks and purples. The same holds true in my designs, although I certainly use them when the theme calls for them.

O: Gotcha. I’m kinda the opposite. Variety’s the spice of life, right? Do you feel like your style has evolved over the years?

J: When I started designing, everything was dark-colored and grungy. These days, my style is much cleaner, and Iā€™ve learned to work with a wider variety of color palettes. Although I still rarely work with pinks and purples without complaining! LOL

O: <snorts> Okay, we get it! ScrapChat Designs isn’t a fan of girly stuff! šŸ˜€ What does a typical design day look like for you?

J: Wake up and have coffee. Thatā€™s about the only thing that is typical in my design life! I often work on the back porch so our 13-year-old Lab, Sunny, can be outside. Iā€™ve also been known to work in airport parking lots while waiting for my boyfriend to land after work. Once I find a creative streak, I completely lose track of time and can sit for hours without getting up. I definitely donā€™t have a set 8-to-5 schedule, and I often work until 2 a.m.

O: Sounds like me when I’m “digging up bones” – working on my family tree. It’s easy to get into the zone! But I tend to take a chaotic approach to it and often end up going down a rabbit hole I could have ignored. How do you keep yourself organized and on track when you’re working on more than one collection?

J: I donā€™t, honestly! I tend to compartmentalize projects like Buffet and templates. I usually work from beginning to end on one collection before moving on to the next. There are rare exceptions when another deadline suddenly needs my attention, but for the most part, Iā€™m a one-project-at-a-time designer.

O: I need some kind of discipline. Too bad it doesn’t come in a bottle. šŸ˜€ Let’s change the subject here. Are you a prankster? What’s the most memorable prank you’ve ever been part of?

J: One year I served my family including my youngest son ā€œcupcakesā€ for dinner on April Foolsā€™ Day. They were actually meatloaf with colored mashed potatoes on top. He nearly cried when he saw them because he HATED icing. I never expected a silly prank to upset him so much! Once the truth was revealed, we laughed and ate.

O: Ooh, I did something like that to my kids too! I’d bought a Mrs Smith’s Aussie Pie (chicken pot pie) at Costco and heated it up for supper. Daughter #2 asked what it was, so I told her it was Aussie Pie. “Well, what’s in it?” What do you think is in it? It’s Australian. What do they have a lot of in Australia? She mulled that over for a minute… or five. She pushed it around on her plate and side-eyed me as I calmly put a big forkful in my mouth. She suddenly said, “KANGAROO??” Then she burst into tears. Husband and I were trying so hard not to laugh. I wonder if she remembers? What’s a ptotato chip flavour you’d like to see at a convenience store near you?

J: OLIVE, hands down. Wouldnā€™t that be amazing? Salt with more salty crunch! YUM!

O: I’ve gotta tell you, my first mental taste wasn’t that… it was olive OIL. Ugh. But now that I’ve thought about it a second, yes… it would be delicious! I’m quite partial to Tayto cheese and onion after I ate my weight of them in Ireland. I was so excited when Lay’s created a very similar version for their World Cup promotion. The halitosis though. Do you have a favourite outfit, one that you’d be okay wearing every day for the rest of your life?

J: Jeans with no zippers, a kinda dressy blouse, no socks, and probably no shoes. Although, since shoes are oddly required sometimes, Iā€™d go with a pair of slip-on flats. I recently realized Iā€™ve turned into my mother in the way I dress, and Iā€™ve decided thatā€™s not a bad thing.

O: I’m with you on all of that except the dressy blouse. For me it would be a medium weight t-shirt with 3/4 length sleeves. I can’t stand full-length sleeves and push them up to my elbows. No socks unless there’s a very good (unavoidable) reason, and Sketchers walking shoes or flip-flops. Perfect! I recently made the mistake of going on a 5K walk with my (very fit police officer) neighbour wearing my flip-flops. I won’t do that again! Although the ice cream was lovely. What’s the most random fact you know?

J: Did you know Walt Disney had an apartment above the fire station at Disneyland? He and his family used it as a place to rest and get away from the crowds, and Walt liked to watch the park guests from the windows.

O: I definitely didn’t know that! I think that’s a good spot to pause and talk about your Spotlight. You’ve already seen this sneak peek for the Daily Download.

Make sure to check out Jill’s two Challenges, her usual Use It All and the Designer Spotlight one. And… drumroll please…

Discover something new for your pages this month! Use code SPOT-SCD-2026 to take 10% off orders of $10 or more at ScrapChat Designs through September 30.

We’re finally getting some rain in the Okanagan Valley. Hallelujah! It’s almost like the weather looked at the calendar and flipped a switch. We went from dry, sunny and 33Ā°C (91Ā°F) to drizzly and 13Ā°C (55Ā°F) in the blink of an eye. I won’t complain though. Wildfires aren’t a good thing. See you next week!

 

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Photoshop Elements)

August 25, 2026 by 4 Comments

Greatest Hits: Complex Shadows ā€“ Janā€™s Method

Today I want to revisit this tutorial from 2019 because the tutorial I’m working on for you right now will lean HEAVILY on complex custom shadows. Rather than reinvent the wheel, listing all the steps in great detail, I felt it would be worthwhile to post this review so you can start thinking about the process. That way the new tut will flow much nicer. šŸ˜‰ Onward!

Shadows are what turns a 2-dimensional image into what looks 3-dimensional. They definitely make or break a layout. If youā€™ve played around with the recap tutorial from a couple of weeks ago, youā€™re probably ready to spread your wings and get into complex shadows. Iā€™m not going to get into the actual 5 step-process, since thatā€™s already been covered. Here Iā€™ll show you how to use thatĀ Smudge toolĀ to make your shadows even more realistic where your elements are sitting on top of other elements. For my layout, I used some of the templateā€™s drop shadows, as you can see below. But for most of the layout Iā€™ve customized my own shadows, starting with the ivy leaves shown here.

The trick to using theĀ Smudge toolĀ effectively without messing up (much) is to make use of theĀ [Ā (smaller) andĀ ]Ā (larger) keys to grow or shrink your cursor, and to use theĀ crosshairsĀ inside the cursor as your reference point. Where you only want to move a very small area of your shadow, make your cursor small then position the crosshairs at the edge of the area you want to move. Using very slight movements, push or pull, depending on where you want to move the shadow ā€“ push close, pull away. Then when youā€™ve got what looks right to your eye, add yourĀ Gaussian Blur filter.

If you choose to change theĀ Blend ModeĀ toĀ Linear BurnĀ (orĀ Multiply,Ā Color BurnĀ or whatever), make sure you do that before you decrease yourĀ Opacity. If you do it in reverse, next time you go to nudge an element with theĀ Arrow keys, all that will happen is the software will scroll through theĀ Blend Modes, not move your object!! (How do I know?? Lots of practice atĀ CTRL/CMD>Z!!)

Letā€™s see what happens to this burlap flower. Itā€™s overlapping the flair, some paper and a leaf.

I decided the burlap was quite stiff, so there wouldnā€™t be a lot of lift at the ends of the petals. Itā€™s literally laying on top of the edge of the flair, so there isnā€™t much shadow cast there. But where it overlaps the leaf, I gave the petals just a hint of a curve.

The final shadow isnā€™t too obvious. I always look at the entire element when Iā€™m adjusting theĀ OpacityĀ so I donā€™t lose it, but also to ensure it looks natural.

This little flower adds some new opportunities. The shadow should run under the gold flower, which is above it in the stack.

But the shadow should also be a bit closer to the petal itself where it overlays the bigger flower beneath it. Where the petals could be curved away from the paper, the shadow can be farther away.

Did you know thatĀ ElementsĀ will remember the settings you used for yourĀ Gaussian Blur filter? Itā€™s a great step-saver when youā€™re shadowing a lot of similar things, like flowers and leaves, to use the keyboard shortcutĀ CTRL/CMD>FĀ ā€“ automatically blurring your shadow to the same amount as the previous one.

This is a tricky one. I put two flowers one on top of the other and rotated the top one to make the flower fuller. So there will also be two shadow layers. The shadow on the upper layer will be more visible, and will need a bit more pushing and pulling that the ones weā€™ve already looked at.

The white arrows show where Iā€™ve used theĀ Smudge toolĀ toĀ PUSHĀ the shadow away from the centre while the red arrows show where Iā€™veĀ PULLEDĀ the shadow toward the centre.

In this screenshot you can see the end result of the blur-blend-fade process for the topmost flower. And the shadow layer for the bottom is there too.

The burlap underneath could make demands, but nothing we canā€™t handle!

Done!

Again, the shadowing is subtle but effective.

Now for the burlap rosette. Itā€™s a softer-looking element than the multi-petaled burlap flower. See if you can figure out what Iā€™m going to do to customize this one.

Did you figure it out? Are you starting to see how different objects will cast a different shadow?

There will be more depth to the shadow at the lower edge where thereā€™s a gap created by the little aqua flower.

On to the gold flower. Itā€™s overlaying several other objects.

Take a close look at where the shadow touches the leaf on the far left. See how Iā€™ve brought the shadow in really close where itā€™s touching the leaf, but let it stay farther away where thereā€™s a gap between the flower and the paper underneath?

Ta-da!

This one was an easy one. I pushed in close to the centre of the word strip to make it look glued down there but loose at the ends. Be sure to change the size of yourĀ SmudgerĀ toĀ BIGĀ when youā€™re curving paper like this so you get a smooth arc. I created a little mock-up of what theĀ Smudge toolā€˜s cursor looks like. (Of course, it wonā€™t be red when youā€™re working, itā€™ll be black.) Remember, theĀ [Ā key makes your toolĀ smaller, theĀ ]Ā makes itĀ bigger. That crosshair is SO useful!

Blurred, blended and faded. Take note, the blur isnā€™t quite as soft here as it is with the flowers because the edges are sharper, so the shadow should be sharper. This one isĀ 2.5 pixels.

Ah yes, stickers! The shadow will be very tight, but thereā€™s still room for some tweaking.

I pushed it a little closer where itā€™s crossing the edge of the thicker paper.

Now thereā€™s a hint of distance where the sticker comes off the thicker paper. Subtleā€¦ When you see my finished layout in theĀ GalleryĀ youā€™ll see that Iā€™ve also used theĀ Burn toolĀ to give the illusion of the edge of the thicker paper showing through onto the sticker itself.

This one is a single layer of the aqua daisy. Itā€™s got some challenges!

The white arrows show where Iā€™veĀ PUSHEDĀ the shadow away from the centre, the red arrows where Iā€™veĀ PULLEDĀ it toward the centre.

But wait! Where the ripples in the bottlecap touch the petal, the shadow has to be thinner. IĀ [[[[Ā my cursor down to tiny to make this look more natural. Look too at the leaf.

Blur, blend, fade.

This is another challenge where the burlap petals touch the twine.

Again, I think the burlap has been stiffened a bit, so not a lot of curving petals.

I hope these examples are giving you some insight into how shadows are cast.

Did you think Iā€™d leave out the bottlecap? Heck no!!

Where the crimps touch the object below, the shadow is thin, where the crimps curve away from the object below, the shadow bellies out a bit.

I love how this looks!

Last but not least, this knot needs attention. Itā€™s a heavyweight, so the shadow wonā€™t be too far away in most places, depending on what itā€™s touching.

White arrows ā€“Ā PUSHEDĀ away, red arrows ā€“Ā PULLEDĀ in.

And there you have it!

Do you think youā€™ll be ready to start creating your own custom shadows now? I hope so!!

(Credits are in theĀ Galleryā€¦ too many different kits to list them all here!)

Hey! At the end of the week it’ll be the TENTH anniversary of my very first tutorial here. I can’t believe it!

 

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

August 18, 2026 by Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: My Memories

It’s that time again! Your time to be in the Spotlight… This month’s Challenge is the My Memories Challenge hosted by Neia Scraps. If you’re new to GingerScraps’ Challenges, each month the site runs about 30-ish new Challenges, each with their own Challenge criteria. There truly is something for everyone, as evidenced by the number of layouts posted to the Challenge Galleries. There are LOTS! Each Challenge has its own Gallery, with space for viewers to leave comments. Each month there’s a Challenge Reward – a full-sized kit created by the GingerBread Ladies – that is awarded to everyone who hits 10 new layouts posted to the Galleries since the Scrapper‘s last Challenge Reward. August is also GingerScraps‘ semi-annual Scrapathon. More about that at the end of the post. Each month I do a Gallery sweep and put some Challenge layouts in the Spotlight. I look at each to see how closely the Challenge‘s instructions are met, and point out some features that might otherwise go overlooked. I don’t play favourites though. And each layout is hyperlinked to the Gallery by the Scrapper‘s user name so you can take a closer look, maybe leave a comment, you know… community things. Any time you see something in bold coloured text that is also underlined, that tells you there’s a hyperlink attached. Now let’s talk about the My Memories Challenge.Ā 

Here are Neia‘s instructions:

Theme: Strength
Keyword ideas: strength, brave, still standing, endure Inner strength, resilience, or showing up even when it was hard.
The Challenge: Create one layout inspired by this monthā€™s theme. A place, a feeling, or anything that makes you feel grounded.
The Keyword (Required)
Your layout must include one keywordĀ connected to the theme.

  • The keyword should beĀ clearly visibleĀ and a main focal point.
  • You can create it using:
    • A title
    • Word art
    • Alphabet letters
    • Templates

Any style, size, or placement is welcome ā€” as long as the word stands out.
Add the credits for the product you used.

The following layouts can be found in the My Memories Gallery.

Our first layout is by Katherine Woodin. Katherine is a dedicated Scrapper who uses digiscrapping as a daily diary, so she appears in every Spotlight. šŸ˜‰ I’d say the word “strength” is pretty visible, and I love that she took a selfie. Her layout is well-balanced, with the large floral cluster forming an X with her photo and “journaling blank” book, tied together with a ribbon. Rehabbing a bad shoulder is a lot of work; congratulations, Katherine!

Sandra B‘s layout is one I can identify with. I’m not a fan of heights either, but that’s not why I didn’t kiss the Blarney Stone when I had the chance… I’m also not a fan of stairs. Especially 15th century stone stairs. šŸ˜€ I knew instantly what was happening in her centrepiece photo. Did you? Strength of mind for sure!

The title of dhariana‘s layout translates to “Virgin most powerful, pray for us“. It’s an ancient Marian prayer for strength and protection. A bit obscure, but definitely meets the Challenge, amirite? The prayer card and praying angel element promote the theme.

Faith is also central to this layout by demma_b13. My brain is interpreting all sorts of things from her choice of elements but I don’t think I should expand on that. There’s a purposeful circle in the way she’s arranged her layout, moving the eye around on a defined path.

AlyciaIN implies strength by referring to a five-decade-long marriage. I love her choices here, and how perfectly they complement the story she’s telling. Her subtitle is a touch of whimsy.

I feel seen!! Here, greenfiend27 is also implying strength indirectly, and those comics are perfection. Her layout is clean and simple, and her title/journaling very descriptive.

What a message! What first caught my eye when I saw dkane‘s layout was the colour palette. It’s perfection! Then I read her journaling and subtitle – which led to to really looking at the photos. Transitions are everywhere! And self-acceptance is a strong theme too. Awesome!

That photo. It grabbed me first. Then I read the journaling. Gahhh! If art journaling was ever the absolute best choice for a layout, it’s one about losing a beloved pet. For her layout, lebjs successfully blended more traditional scrapping with art journaling to acknowledge her husband’s courage in choosing to say goodbye.

One needs not be brave to be strong, but it’s necessary to be strong to be brave. That’s what I think angbrey is saying with her pretty doodles and matching floral cluster.

Daydreamer‘s layout is an intensely personal one, which led to her concealing the identities of her subjects. Resilience is a facet of strength, maybe the most important facet. Surviving a difficult experience is one thing, coming out of it “better” is quite another. Going off on a tangent, I think she’s chosen the paper behind her photos perfectly – it immediately reminded me of the countless hospital gowns I’ve seen in my life. šŸ˜‰

Now to wrap it up… Scrapathon. Twice a year, the Challenges take on a new lustre. If you complete 10 in any month. you win the Challenge Reward.

But during Scrapathon, if you complete them all, you win a mega-collab collection!

<channels Ferris Bueller> Are you still here? Why are you still here? Go on… check out the Challenges!!

 

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

Designer Spotlight: August 2026

August 4, 2026 by 1 Comment

Connie Prince

It’s been awhile since I had a chat with Connie Prince, although she pops into the Spotlight fairly often. I think most of us already know her and her design work, so we didn’t spend much time on the work angle. Here’s how our visit went.

J: Connie! It’s been a minute. How are you? I know you’ve had some not-so-happy times recently so let’s not go there. How about a softball… what are your favourite/not favourite colours?

C: I love primary, bold colors. Pastels are my least favorite!

J: Pastels can be quite insipid, and if you don’t like them, it’s really hard to make them work for you. You do bold primaries very well, so don’t change! Honestly, you set quite a pace with your designing, I don’t know how you do it. What do you do for you?

C: I play piano and it soothes my soul so much!

J: Music is such a wonderful form of expression, and can evoke all the moods. I enjoy having it playing, even when I’m in the shower. Thankfully, I’ve got good antiskid strips in there. Lord knows where I could end up when I get right into it. Do you sing, or maybe dance in the shower?

C: Definitely dance!

J: Getting a workout in while taking care of hygiene… great multitasking! What would you do if you won the lottery?

C: Travel, travel, & travel some more!

J: I haven’t been anywhere special in a long time. Travelling with our son is quite challenging, so we tend to stay put. But when we’re not on fire, there’s so much to see and do around here, it’s not such a bad thing. What does your dream vacation look like?

C: Anywhere tropical works for me!

J: Not for me. Must be my Scandinavian and Irish genes coming through. As long as I’m not expected to eat herring….. Oh, I had some absolutely scrumptious Irish-style fish and chips the other day. I could eat that all the time. If you had to choose, what would you want on your plate every day?

C: Steak and salad

J: I do enjoy a good steak. If only beef wasn’t so darned expensive. I need to find a farmer who’ll sell it to me without the middle man. Win-win! But I’d need to get over my aversion for making those kinds of contacts. Do you have any trait that you’d change if you could?

C: I would love to master the art of being patient. I’m working on it, but it is for sure a big struggle!

J: Patience I have. No one believes I’m as introverted as I am. Sigh. Most people see me as self-assured and confident. I’m really not. How would your friends and family describe you?

C: Loyal.

J: That’s a wonderful thing to be! there are so many other adjectives that are loyal-adjacent that probably also fit. If you could have a super power, what would you choose and why?

C: Manipulate time, I’d definitely make use of that one!

J: That would be pretty handy. Speed through the bad things, slow down the good things. Maybe go back and do some things differently. I see the benefits! I don’t think I’d want to see the future though. Life moves too fast as it is. Aside from necessities, is there anything you couldn’t live without?

C: My phone!

J: Hahahaha! Me too! My friend accidentally left her personal phone and her work phone on top of her car after work the other day. She got about half a block when she heard them fall off. Her work phone was totally fine… and she spent most of her day off replacing her personal one. Speaking of phones, I’m sorry mine keeps pinging with news about our wildfire situation. I’m going to have to go through them soon. Thanks for chatting! I’m not going to keep you in this smoky air any longer. Have a great Spotlight!!

Have you seen Connie‘s Daily Download? (I mean, of course you have. It’s right here on the Blog…)

But maybe you haven’t checked out Connie‘s regular monthly #2026 Challenge. She creates a mini-kit for that one every month!

Then, of course, she’s also hosting the other Designer Spotlight Challenge for August. And she has a sale too.

I hope you’ve budgeted for this!

 

 

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:
Next Page »