Challenge Spotlight

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

December 17, 2024 by Jan Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Daily Download

The Challenge Galleries are just a-hoppin’! I thought everybody would be too busy to get much scrapping done (like me 😉 ) but I was wrong! I have a layout for the Daily Download Challenge, hosted by the lovely CarolW and featuring Twin Mom Scraps‘ Feel Better Soon, so I had a peep at the other layouts, and I’m going to share them with you. But first, let’s preview the DD kit. It’s bright and cheerful, with a smattering of themed elements.

The upcoming layouts are all linked to their spots in the Gallery, so if you choose to take a closer look and leave a comment, you just have to click on the Scrapper’s Forum handle. They’ll appear below in the order they appear in the Gallery, earliest first. Let’s have a look…

First up is trinanne. She has two layouts in the Gallery, so for her entries, they’ll be linked separately HERE and HERE. As you can see, she’s created a double-layout spread, recording the events surrounding her Achilles tendon injury (which is exquisitely painful). I like that she used the solid yellow paper for her backgrounds, which keeps the layouts bright. One page is dedicated to the injury and includes a number of themed elements, the other to how she filled her time while she healed.

It’s clear that people aren’t the only ones who need medical attention. Poor kitty… Alasandra added some text to the ID band and incorporated some themed elements into her cluster. I like how the banner ties the whole layout together.

Windswept‘s layout reminds me of the time my #2 daughter broke her wrist for the first time. It was also in 1992, oddly enough! I like how she’s anchored the photos with bandaids and made mirror images of the clusters.

For her layout, greenfiend27 managed a masculine look by using the plaid paper as a border and keeping the palette to blues with accents of the other colours. The placement of the fluid bag makes it look like it’s actually infusing into her subject. [Editor’s note: those thermal mugs are HORRIBLE!!]

Did your internal monologue just go, “OWIEOWIEOWIE” like mine did? No more tripping over kids’ shoes for Got2Scrap! I like the way she’s framed her photo with clusters to keep the eye moving.

Whew! An off-topic layout!! The palette of the kit coordinates perfectly with the photo kabrak1207 chose and that cluster is perfection. I love the way the rick-rack is anchoring the entire layout.

MarilynZ has used quite an assortment of papers to document her story. I think she changed the Blend Mode to give the red diamond-patterned paper a faded look. She also lightened the frame around her photo.

Here’s another non-themed layout from makeyesup, which is a desktop wallpaper. The little clusters don’t obstruct the calendar’s boxes, but do anchor it to the page. And that cutie-patootie extracted photo would put a smile on any face.

Content Warning! BriannasScrapper‘s photos are a bit gnarly. I like that she masked her large photo then added a photo strip down the side to show the reason for the large photo. The layout is clean and simple.

Here’s another nasty gash from domino44, but the way she cropped her photo blunts its impact a bit.

Is there anything that touches one’s heart more than the look on this little person’s face? The design of dhariana‘s layout makes the photo the focus, from the fade on the patterned paper into the solid to the arrangement of the embellishments. The little pops of red also lead the eye to the photo.

Route66‘s journaling reminds me of #1 daughter’s nose… broken multiple times. The record card is one of those priceless finds that only a documentor-of-life would understand. I like the way it has been framed with all the themed elements, and the use of the word strips augments her story.

Content warning! More gnarly photos from nimble4u … but I love the ugly Christmas sweater! See how the clusters move the eye around the layout? The bits of black tie the sweater to the rest of the layout.

I think every hospital in the world has the same blue gowns. They’re more flattering than the yellow isolation gowns, but a lot more drafty. 😉 The paper choices pbhill made pick up colour from the photo for a cohesive look.

Content warning! More gnarly fingers. I think we’re pretty lucky if we depart this world with all of them still attached. Jill has built her layout around the photos. keeping the palette on the masculine side. I like the black frames on the photos, they accent them nicely.

The journaling on mom2triplets04‘s layout does a lot of heavy lifting. I’m very relieved for her family that it turned out well.

What a note to end on… my layout hasn’t been posted to the Gallery yet – Christmas time is challenging. We drove up to Kamloops on Sunday to see my mom and deliver their gifts, which turned out to be great timing. Yesterday it snowed ALL day, so I know the drive through the mountains would have been nasty, especially coming back in the dark.

Since next Tuesday is Christmas Eve and the last day before Chanukah, I’ll be giving you all the day off, so to speak. I have one more tutorial request for 2024 and we’ll close out the year with it. I wish you all the best for the holidays. Take care of each other, life is short.

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

November 19, 2024 by Jan Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Quote Challenge

I hope I’m finding all of you in good health and good spirits! I had a COVID booster yesterday and feel a bit off today – poor sleep, sore arm, shoulder and neck, headache – which I expected. (I’ve had WAY worse reactions before that put me right in bed for a day… this is nothing.) So today is a bit low-key over here. The Challenge I chose, the Quote Challenge, is one I’ve only participated in once or twice. I love using quotes as journal prompts but find I can’t force it. That may be why there are only eight layouts for examination today. I’m showing them in the order they were posted to the Challenge thread. As usual, each layout is linked to its spot in the Gallery, simply click on the Scrapper‘s username and you’ll be whisked right to it.

The quote CathyK chose for this month reads: “We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.” ― Ellen Marie Wiseman Let’s see how it’s been interpreted.

Up first is alexandergirl68. Her layout is simple, placing the focus on a casual photo of her extended family. The quote forms the entirety of her journaling. I only just noticed she’s matched the plaid shirt of the central figure in her photo with paper. How clever!

Our second layout is by pinklily. She’s diligently catching up with a Project 52 album and for the week of November 28-December 4, 2022, her chronology is so sad! She has used the quote as a sort of mental pep talk.

I love the ombre paper cinna has used for her background. It works beautifully with the other soft colours she chose to accompany her photo. She’s using the quote as her journaling to reflect her gratitude for the people she has in her life.

How beautiful is this layout by lm44west?! That grungy background and elegant cluster that pull colours from her photo creates something very special. Her use of the quote as a caption is quite effective.

For her layout, trinanne made the quote a theme, reflected in the photos of her family she’s used here. The grid style is ideal for this type of layout.

This layout by formbygirl transforms the quote with typography into a word art statement. The emphasis on “together” is reflected in her photos. Her colour choices meld with the photos so beautifully!

I adore the philosophical direction justpennys has taken here. That grungy background makes the cluster pop, and the quote is more of a guide than a statement.

When I look at this layout, I feel the pull of yin and yang… good and not-so-good. I think that’s what yvonne55 is conveying with her use of the quote. Most marriages/relationships have ups and downs, good and not good days, and she’s reminding us that as long as we meet our challenges together, we can do hard things.

Have these ladies given you some inspiration?

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

October 15, 2024 by Jan Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: DSD Brush Challenge

This month has been a bonanza of Challenges! Rather than choose one of the usual 37 (!) monthly Challenges, I looked at the Digital Scrapbooking Day Challenges and opted for the Brush Challenge hosted by CarolW. I decided that I’d show you all the odd-numbered layouts this time. As usual, wherever you see bold, underlined, coloured text, I’ve linked that text to something, either a thread, the Gallery or a specific URL. Each layout is linked to the Gallery via the Scrapper‘s user name so you can pop in and take a closer look, and of course, leave some praise for the Scrapper. But first, let’s have a look at the brush Carol has created and provided free, no-pennies.

Isn’t it gorgeous?? Now let’s see how our Scrappers have used it… starting with this one by demma_b13. She’s done a tone-on-tone blended paper with it, combined with some other brushes, and it’s perfect. I’m also a sucker for a cute blue-winged kookaburra.

For her layout, andastra has gone with one of the grays from her photos and with the bird peeking out from behind the large cluster, it echoes the leaves. Very artsy!

At first glance, I thought dhariana had designed a mutant half-rabbit-half-bird! She has created a landing space for her beautifully simple white-space layout with the Challenge brush and some others.

Branma went for a paint look as part of her mixed-media background paper. The green she used is a close match for the leaf embellishments you chose.

Here, echoes77 went for a high-contrast look, layering the Challenge brush over another botanical brush, and if I’m seeing it clearly, she changed the Blend Mode to Multiply. It has the effect of mimicking the bark on the tree in her large photo and it’s stunning!

I’m hoping jenasz will see this and tell us how she used the Challenge brush, because my eyes are failing me! I see lots of brushes, just not that specific one.

To ground her masked photo, glee went with a taupe colour and has the bird looking in the opposite direction, providing some visual tension.

DebraB made the brush the star of her show!

Windswept has kept her layout very simple, using mostly brushes to achieve a pretty, monochromatic, white-space layout.

And last, we have this artsy, mixed-media masterpiece by biche57. The bird section Challenge brush fades into the paint, while part of the text area is tack-sharp. It’s an interesting look I may have to try and dupe!!

Since October has 5 Tuesdays, next week I’ll have a regular tut for you, and will save the Quick Trick for the last one. Now to come up with a topic……

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

September 24, 2024 by Jan 4 Comments

Challenge Spotlight: Real Moments

Yes, it’s me. I’m back. Dad’s celebration of life was on Saturday and life can go back to normal. Thank you all so much for you condolences and words of support. They really meant everything. So it’s quite fitting that today I shine the spotlight on you and your talents! (Must be the universe talking…)

This month’s Spotlight Challenge is Buzzbee Scraps‘s Real Moments. Here’s how she worded her Challenge: “This month I would love you to think about music. How does music feature in your day to day life? Do you listen daily? What motivates you musically? Or, is there a particular piece of music that always takes you back to a moment in time?” Music is as personal as fingerprints, so I think you’ll find these layouts, tied together by a theme, are revealing and moving. This month, rather than go to the Gallery and Save all the layouts there, I decided to instead pull only the ones that have also been added to the Forum thread. As alwaus, each layout will be linked to the Gallery so you can take a closer look and leave a comment, if you’re so inclined. Just click on the GingerScrapper‘s user name and you”ll be whisked right to it!

First up is this pretty, nostalgic layout by demma13. It’s clear that music soothes her, and the AI image she’s used, with that little flock of doves, certainly reflects that. How perfectly placed is that old-time radio!

Next up is zippyoh. She’s chosen to share her favourite Spotify playlist for 2023. I zoomed in to read it and it’s an eclectic mix of genres, tempos, topics and moods. The iPhone element and the speedwalking gnome are just right to accompany the list.

For her layout, lawyerlyn chose to journal the lyrics of Let the River Run, an incredibly beautiful Carly Simon song – one I have on my own playlist. The photos appear to be sharing her favourite river scenes with us in support of her theme.

CathyS is all of us! Who doesn’t listen to their favourite music while they’re driving their car? Yesterday when I was driving back from Kamloops, I had my SiriusXM set to The Highway and I was belting out all the tunes. Like Cathy said, music takes my mind off the traffic and the winding mountain road, without distracting enough to be dangerous. She listens to praise music, I listen to country. 😉

It looks to me like fontaine and her granddaughter use music as a falling-asleep routine away from home. (I can’t do that because the lyrics will run through my brain all night!) There’s that iPhone element again!

Ooh, do I relate to this photo!! Windswept must be in the same demographic as I am; not too many people listen to music on vinyl any more. Her comment about good and bad is an astute one. I know you know what we mean, that some songs evoke very strong reactions based on memories and the emotions they elicit.

I love this layout so hard!! Margaritaville is part of the soundtrack of my teenage years and gadawg83 has really captured the whole vibe.

For linweb, music is like a touchstone she uses to inspire, to comfort and to praise God.

5grand hears the music of nature. Birds have songs that are identifiable to those who take the time to listen. I hear red-winged blackbirds and quail everyday. At night I hear a screech owl calling to his mate, crickets chirping and frogs croaking. Sometimes I hear coyotes yipping to each other. Soon the crickets and frogs will be replaced by ducks and geese as they make their way south. And indeed, that is the music of life.

Here, kabrak1207 is simply celebrating music. The fellow in the top hat seated at the piano gives a sense of a sweeping crescendo of notes.

Tbear and her grandchildren play the same game I play with my son. He LOVES made-up lyrics and sometimes forgets they’re made up. Don’t you adore the little girl, standing on the staff of music, smiling enthusiastically?

MarilynZ‘s playlist is filled with oldies from the 50s and 60s. Did you know that the music popular when you were 14 to 17 is the music that will always be the music you love most? For me, that’s 1972-1975. And it’s 100% accurate! What’s your heartsong playlist?

DiDi’s Mom‘s layout showcases her favourite hymn. It confuses me a bit, with its somber colour palette, when the lyrics are quite optimistic and joyful. That makes me want to know more…

This layout from granny5pics made me laugh out loud. Acoustics are everything when it comes to music and my singing voice always sounds a LOT better in the shower.

Musical theatre is another one of my loves. I related so strongly to the journaling Pups_r_Paps included here. I’ve been that person! Her focal photo really sets the mood, don’t you think?

Music often tells a story, as Pixel Palette does with her layout. Her simple background and minimal embellishment allows her journaling to be the focus.

I quite enjoy the tongue-in-cheek comment echoes77 made here, then expands in her journaling. I too am grateful for headphones.

Music is a great motivator when engaged in fitness activities. The right playlist can make a workout just fly, and pacing is automatic. Daydreamer is on the right track by incorporating music into her fitness goals.

Here, mdusell has hit on yet another truth about music. Our brains process various stimuli in different areas and in different ways. The music centre is incredibly durable, remaining active and intact for a long time after some other functions have faded. My son is a survivor of multiple childhood strokes that severely damaged the area of the brain in charge of speech. It took him a long time to learn how to communicate verbally again. But the part that’s in charge of music was left alone, so he has the ability to memorize lyrics after only a couple of listens. Music is a key to memory!

GrannyNKy has demonstrated that music can be the message.

And last, beccasue has created this mostly monochromatic layout that really brings all the foregoing bits together in one place. Music is powerful.

This little stroll through the Real Moments Challenge music theme has given me some inspiration but I haven’t figured out how I’ll execute yet. Stay tuned!

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

August 20, 2024 by Jan 2 Comments

Challenge Spotlight: Use It All

Time for another Challenge Spotlight, where YOU are the stars of the show! I’ve been keeping track – in a haphazard sort of way – of which Challenges I’ve showcased so far; today I decided I’d go back over all of them and add dates to my list so I can try not to be too repetitive. Y’all. This is Challenge Spotlight #36!! Not all Challenges lend themselves to a head-to-head comparison; some have too many variables to work well in this type of post, so some repetition is a given. If you’re wondering, the last time I focused on Use It All was in October 2021… so it’s time!

The Use It All Challenge is hosted by the very talented Karen Schulz. She provides a FREE mini-kit – part of a larger collection – and the Challenge is to USE IT ALL. That means every item in the mini MUST be on your layout somewhere. Karen also allows us to use any or all of the rest of the collection. This month’s mini looks like this:

The rest of the collection can be found HERE. Let’s take a look at some of the layouts posted to the Use It All Challenge Gallery. There were a LOT of entries there for this month, so rather than show them all here, I’ve instead chosen to go with every fourth layout, beginning with the very first layout posted. Otherwise this post would be so long, no one would want to look at it. As usual, each layout is linked to the Gallery so you can take a closer look, and leave some praise, if you’re so inclined. Just click on the Scrapper’s user name and through the magic of technology, you’ll be whisked right to it.

Our first entry is from Windswept. I can see all the bits from the mini, and a couple of additions from the collection. I like how she’s blended two of the papers.

Next is a layout from pbhill. It’s the first time she’s been part of the Spotlight! Hers is an interesting take;, she’s desaturated the colours of the papers. But I don’t see the pink flower……..

I’m not seeing any flowers on this one from jenasz. The doodles appear to be floating over the page.

Looks like makeyesup understood the assignment. All the items from the mini are there and she’s added some gesso too.

I can see dj_w has added some elements from the larger collection to her layout. The blended papers in the background are lovely. Do people just not like the journal blank, though? Seems like everybody wants to use just the border…

Macsandy has added a bunch of elements from the collection. The warm palette she chose really works well with her photos.

I see mdusell employs the KISS principle. Her layout keeps things simple, and she’s included all the required elements.

I LOVE this photo; it reminds me of my youngest two grandchildren. Her creative use of papers is another thing I like about photocrazy‘s layout.

Aha! Our first furbaby layout! I think that cat actually IS laughing, amirite, larkd? Don’t see the solid white paper anywhere though.

Celestine had added some daisies, a rub-on, and a bunch of other elements from the collection. I like the diagonal arrangement of her layout.

There it is! The elusive journaling block makes its first true appearance on mom2triplets04‘s layout. I’m glad to know my dogs aren’t the only ones on their best behaviour at day care!

Aw… bathtime photos are always a favourite. It looks like pepsibubbles borrowed the Beatrix Potter elements from another of Karen‘s kits.

The flowers got the royal treatment by lisar. Does anyone see the white solid paper though?

That paper fold is genius, dragonstarr! Lovely cluster, too.

I’ve been very busy here this last week and have had limited time for scrapping. Thanks for letting me look at your layouts, ladies!

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

July 16, 2024 by Jan 2 Comments

Challenge Spotlight: Recipe

It’s time again to shine the spotlight on all of YOU! But first… did y’all get your Prime Day shopping done? 😀 I paid my credit card off yesterday so I’d have a wide-open window. 😉

Let’s get down to business. This month the Challenge in the Spotlight is the Recipe Challenge, which is hosted by Sweet Pea Designs. It’s a good Challenge for a Blog post, since all the participants are working from the same set of required elements. So I’ll be taking a close look at each of the layouts to find each of the things on Penny‘s list. The layouts will appear in the order they were uploaded to the Challenge Gallery, and as usual, they’ll be linked to the Gallery so you can get a closer look. Just click on the Scrapper‘s name and you’ll be zoomed right to their layout. (Anything I underline will be a hot link!)

First up is this pretty layout from alexandergirl68. She’s definitely got 5 papers there, a tiny string heart, a ribbon bow and there are flairs on her title. banner Single photo, frame, 2 clusters and border, check. I had to zoom in to see that the heart on the frame is made of beads, check! And the theme is perfectly represented.

Let’s look at this one from snickels next. She’s used 2 photos, one with a thin white frame and one masked. Check! One of her 5 papers has been clipped to her border. Clever! Beads are all over the place, I’m guessing the string is holding up her birthday banner and she found a birthday flair to coordinate. Bow, yep; 2 clusters, yep; looks like all the boxes are ticked!

GrannyNKy‘s layout is so feminine! Like snickels, she has clipped one of her papers to an overlay. I like how she’s interpreted the “photo with frame” by putting the frame behind her photo. 10 points! I see 2 clusters, 2 bows – one of string, several flairs, a lovely banner, some paper borders and a celebratory theme. The beads are there, scattered under the larger cluster. Zoom in if you don’t see them. Full marks.

Katherine Woodin‘s clebration isn’t obvious, but it’s everywhere in her journaling. I had to look really hard to see all 5 papers, which is a sign of a crafty Scrapper. The rest of the required elements are much more easily spotted. That happy face emoji flair cracks me up.

I didn’t have to look too closely to see the theme for dj_w‘s layout. Every one of the listed ingredients is easily identified. Good job!

Macsandy had me squinting… she used a string of beads and I overlooked them 3 times! I love the stamped-heart border she chose and her clusters are perfection. This might be my favourite of the six layouts I found for this Challenge.

One thing I noticed about these layouts is that four of them have a similar colour palette, which has to be a coincidence.

I hope everyone is safe from all the weather-related events we’re seeing. Last night’s derecho was pretty frightening. We’re seeing quite a bit of smoke today, as we head into week 3 of 90+°F temps. I’ll be driving up to have what might be my last visit with my dad later this week… he’s tired of feeling unwell and is talking about being “ready to go”. So if I miss a post, that might be the reason. Stay cool and stay safe, my friends.

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

June 18, 2024 by Jan Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Template

The third Tuesday is the day of each month when I take a moment to shine the spotlight on YOU, the GingerScrappers, and your individual styles. I spent some time browsing the Gallery and chose Scrapbookcrazy Creations by Robyn‘s Template Challenge for today’s Spotlight. Template challenges are perfect vehicles for this kind of spotlight because every participant starts with the exact same blueprint and can interpret it in their own way. And templates are great kickstarters for GScrappers whose mojo is nojo. As of this morning there were 29 layouts posted to the Challenge Gallery! No, I’m not going to make you scroll through 29 separate entries; I instead will show you every second layout, in the order they were posted. If you’ve participated and your layout isn’t here, it’s not because it isn’t worthy, it’s because it ended up being an even numbered entry, that’s all. I’ll offer some gentle analysis of each layout and link it to the Gallery so you can get a closer look, and maybe leave your own comment – just click on the GScrapper‘s user name and you’ll be whisked right to it.

But first, let’s look at the template Robyn has provided to each of us, at zero cost. It’s relatively simple, but with a great deal of potential.

You’ll notice that most of the layouts to follow are oriented exactly as the original template is – there’s nothing wrong with that – but look very different! In fact, there are only 3 layouts in the Gallery ATM that have switched up the orientation. Let’s go…

This layout by alexandergirl68 stays very faithful to the original template. Her colour palette is drawn from her photos, with the houndstooth paper mimicking the brick in the larger photo.

For her layout, domino44 chose to make her floral clusters larger and to keep the layout monochromatic. (Remember colour theory? 😵)

I like that dj_w has used a slightly larger, distressed paper behind her wildlife photos. She too used a colour palette inspired by her photos; keeping her clusters smallish and subdued allowed her photos to be the stars of her layout. That tree is a great addition!

Windswept has created a beautiful monochromatic composition that is perfectly colour-matched to the blues in her photos. The addition of a third cluster and the much larger title add a personal touch.

Alasandra’s layout is the first real departure from the basics. The mat behind her main image is more prominent compared to the template, and she’s created a floral border rather than a paper one around her smaller image – the one I didn’t even see until just now! The two watercolours seem to blend into each other. Lovely!

For her layout, larkd chose to rotate the template 90° to the left. She enlarged and shifted one of her clusters so it’s a bit more central and added some extra flowers. Her pastel palette puts the focus on her photos.

Did you all know Michi likes to travel? 😉 She kept the template in its original orientation, but that’s really it; she’s added some arrows to draw the eye to the map, expanded the lower cluster down into the corner with travel-related elements and added a subtitle.

O.M.G!! I love this layout by greenfiend27. It has so much depth and texture with those frames. Clusters are perfection! She simply rotated the template 90° left and ran with it.

Here, jenniferl75 has kept things simple, letting her photos tell their story – the first things I see are those smiles. The nautical colour scheme supports the subject matter.

Here’s a departure from the basic! I like that fontaine has added two more photos that echo the template’s photo blanks, and that she scaled down the clusters to keep the layout from being too busy. The paint behind the photos and the wordstrip set her layout apart.

Pixel Palette has moved a few things around – the title and subtitle are replacing the clusters, which have moved underneath the photos.

I’m so drawn to that large photo! Using coral as a foil for the desert colours in the plaid paper ties the layout together for trinanne. The addition of the dolies to the clusters gives them an elegance.

Perfect picks on the patterned papers, Got2Scrap! They both mimic the dimples on the dome in the large photo. I also like how she’s chosen elements in the same colours as Stitch – the two blues, the soft purple and the pink really work.

Who doesn’t love photos with cute kids getting Grandpa to make funny faces? RobynC has kept the masculine aspect of her layout with her choice of elements.

And last, we have this soft and lovely layout by andastra. Her upper cluster forms a perfect photo corner, and rather than creating a cluster in the lower left area of the layout, she’s shifted it to the centre. The little happy face flair is so sweet!

Great work, ladies! See you next week when I’ll have a Quick Trick for you.

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

May 21, 2024 by Jan 2 Comments

Challenge Spotlight: iNSD Mini Kit Challenge

Yep, I know. May is 2/3 over already. It seems Spring is a little behind for us this year; it’s quite cool and damp – I can’t complain about rain though, given the extreme drought we’re stuck in here. But I digress. This month I’m taking us on a bit of a different path for the Challenge Spotlight. Rather than going with one of the usual monthly Challenges, I chose the iNSD Mini Kit Challenge, hosted by CarolW. This was part of the week-long (inter)National Scrapbook Day celebration and it was VERY well-received. The kit Carol provided for the Challenge is beautiful! [editor’s note: There’s an entire BUNDLE that matches the mini in Carol‘s store…] The mini was so well-received, in fact, that I had to stop snagging images from the Gallery when I hit 20. Can’t lose the audience, you know! The layouts appear in the order they were posted to the Challenge thread.

As always, I’ll be linking each of the layouts to the Gallery so you can get a closer look at them and leave some comments, should you wish. Just click on the Scrapper’s user name and you’ll be zoomed right to her layout. Now let’s look at how each Scrapper has used the exactly same mini kit to create a very individual layout…

First up is this clean-and-simple layout from deej. She’s kept her focus on the photo with her minimalist use of papers and embellishments.

Katherine Woodin‘s a scrappin’ machine. She participates in EVERYTHING while also documenting all the moments of her life. She’s augmented the mini with bits and pieces from the full kit to create her layout. By blending her desaturated photos into the background paper, she was able to use photos that might not coordinate colour-wise with the kit while reflecting the theme. I like the precision of her perfectly-spaced button border.

LovelyMissKait makes her first Challenge Spotlight appearance with this beaut! [Welcome!!] The design of her cluster is perfection. The shadows on those papers… the paper looks like it’s lifting a bit in spots. Very effective.

For her layout, greenfiend27 blended some of the papers, threw some paint splashes on, then clustered the elements to draw the eye to her images. That star bokeh adds an almost mystical look. The quote is the perfect addition.

The yellow patterned paper is surely a hit! Here, aquaris has used the wire heart as a frame, anchored by her floral cluster. [Should I tell her I see hummingbirds out my living room window all the time?]

Ah! The grungy, gesso-smeared paper takes its first starring role! The photo of the crocus was a brilliant choice, andastra; it coordinates with the kit’s colour palette beautifully.

There it is again! But this layout looks very different – individual style, amirite? That tumble of paper rounds created by pagefrocks provides movement anc keeps the eye traveling across the page.

And we’re back to the yellow patterned paper again. But that’s the only similarity to the other yellow layouts. KarenDiamond has chosen a photo that coordinates perfectly, then blended it over a paper frame. Her use of brushes and word art to draw the eye while remaining true to the theme is quite skillful.

I see mum23ms has used elements from the full kit for her white space layout. Can you pick them out?

What an artsy look dhariana has given her layout. That grungy paper is the perfect background for this style. She’s made expert use of white space and created a strong horizontal aspect with the arrangement of her elements.

This just screams JOY at me! LidiaG has designed a gorgeous cluster to anchor her photo, and is the first to use the most neutral of the papers for her background. On (much) closer inspection I see she’s also used a mask to blend in the striped paper with a very subtle touch. Love it!

It’s so interesting that two Scrappers can use identical backgrounds and yet have such unique looks. I can see where trinanne got her inspiration – the carriage flair! So far she’s the only one whose extracted the hummingbird from the ephemera.

Cool!! Look at how the way jenasz used the star bokeh sparks her photo! It adds such a magical touch – almost like fireflies. The other unique touch is how she’s twined the vine all the way around the photo, like a frame.

Ooh, where do I start with this? The splotchy ink is gorgeous, the masked photo is perfect and to be honest, it’s really hard to tell where the photo ends and the elements pick up. This is a masterpiece, biche77!

I adore how bagheertje has blended her papers for the background. It looks easy, but getting it right isn’t! She too has extracted the hummingbird and used the loop of twine as a frame, but brings her own style to that beautiful central cluster.

There’s the star overlay again, but with a completely different look. Pippin‘s spray of flowers draws the eye to her photo beautifully blended into the ink splotch. See how the hummie ephemera almost seems like an extension of the ink?

I think this is the first layout to make prominent use of the raffia twine loops. I very much like the font demma_b13 chose for her title – it has an old-world feel, evoking thoughts of European colonization in the late 15th century. The yellow flowers bring a sunny warmth.

How clever is wvufan04? Using the ink splash as the background for some word art in a font very similar to the one on her male subject’s t-shirt… so smart! I like the tiny pops of pink too.

I like how jirsev has amped the ink splashes against that grungy paper. Her layout pops right off my screen.

Our last peep is muted and filled with luscious white space. AJsRandom opted to emphasize the yellow end of the colour palette for her layout and kept her cluster very simple. Lovely!

If you participated in this Challenge and your layout isn’t shown above, I apologize for the omission. It doesn’t mean your layout isn’t stunning and deserving, it means I ran outta gas! I’m functioning on very little sleep ATM and just couldn’t go beyond 20 today. I feel like my brain is melting… But I’ll pull it together and come up with a Quick Trick for next Tuesday!

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

April 16, 2024 by Jan 1 Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Daily Download

Today I have a selection of layouts pulled from the Daily Download Challenge Gallery. There’s a bit of a discrepancy between the Gallery and the Challenge thread in the Forum, so not all of the layouts posted to the Forum are here. Sorry! For those of you who are seeing a Challenge Spotlight for the first time, let me fill you in. On the third Tuesday of each month, I choose a Challenge from the long list of options we have here at GingerScraps and put the Challenge participants’ layouts in the Spotlight. Over time, each of us develops our own particular style, sometimes to the point that viewers know without looking whose layout is on their screen. My comments about each of the layouts I’m sharing will point out something specific that reflects the Scrapper’s Individual Style. What makes a Challenge well-suited for this type of Spotlight is that all participants are working from the same starting point: a kit, template, brush, mask, font, word art or image. Where there are too many variables, a Spotlight is a bit more difficult, but not necessarily impossible. Each of the layouts to come will be linked to the Gallery so you can take a closer look and leave a comment, if you’re so inclined. Just click on the Scrapper‘s user name and you’ll be whisked right to the layout in the Gallery. I chose the Daily Download today; this Challenge requires the participant to use the previous month’s Daily Download kit to create a layout, topic of their choice. Last month’s DD was supplied by Connie Prince and it looks like this:

Now, let’s look at how this kit inspired our GingerScrappers. Up first is makeyesup. She has created a minimalist desktop calendar, with what I think is one of the papers clipped to a grid brush. She has also clipped a coordinating paper to a font to create the month header. It has a bright, springy look.

This is the work of domino44. She’s added a solid white paper (included in the kit but not visible in the thumbnail) to her paper stack to provide her neutral background and changed the wording of the title tag. (I feel like that title needs some context. 😉 ) She’s shadowed the paper doily to perfection!

How eye-catching is that embossed brown cardstock lulumoon has used for her background? Her command of white space is stellar; her single photo is very much the focal point. I like that she clipped the same striped paper she framed her background with to the perforated heart; it pulls the layout together into a complete whole. If you look reaaaallly closely, she’s also threaded the ribbon through one of the heart-shaped punch-outs in the heart.

For her layout, katt chose to keep it simple… the maps, location pin, photo and title all tell the story suggested by her journaling.

Here, photocrazy has chosen patterned papers that read more like solids – I usually do that too! That choice lets all the spring elements draw the eye to her photo of hyacinths in bloom. I need Smellovision©!

I LOVE what austin_kellie has done with her layout! The kit coordinates with her photos so beautifully, and her use of the peeling painted wood paper background is brilliant. Her clusters compliment her photos without taking away from them, leading the eye around the page.

CathyS had me puzzling for a second, then I realized she’d used one of Connie‘s papers clipped to a mask for that cheery background – which I think is a blend of two solids, toning down the brightness of the yellow. Keeping the add-ons to a minimum makes that technique even more effective! I even thought she’d created an out-of-bounds look with the sunflower in the upper left… very skillful use and placement of the elements!

DianeInOz has created a beautiful travelogue with her layout. I think this type of layout is perfect for using bold patterned paper in the background. It holds its own with multiple photos but doesn’t distract. I have to give her family props for travelling at a time when COVID was still a major concern (not that it’s gone, it’s just laying low right now); I’ve only done short day trips by car. I’m too chicken!

Now THIS is genius! Look at how chigirl has turned patterned papers into ribbons, then wove them into a frame for the heart of her layout. Her clusters echo the brightness of her photos, making them pop off the page.

The simplicity of willow‘s layout is its strength. By decreasing the saturation of the green curly ribbon, she’s given it a supporting role. The mask she’s used is absolutely perfect with her almond blossom photo.

Clean-and-simple is how I describe alexandergirl68‘s style here. Her photos are driving the bus! The bright pops of yellow really bring the layout to life.

Pocket-scrapping is great for travel photos, or really, any layout with multiple photos. Kristi Martin‘s sparing use of embellishments keeps the layout crisp while the pops of yellow add warmth. The addition of white borders on all her paper blocks is intriguing. I may have to borrow that…..

To round out our baker’s dozen, this layout from trinanne puts a huge smile on my face. I’ve mentioned before that one way to achieve cohesion when your photos don’t quite work with your chosen kit is to convert them to black and white. I might have tried to keep the bunny ears in full colour, though.

There won’t be a Tutorial Tuesday post next week. I have some stuff going on that will need my attention. Details to follow…

Tutorial Tuesday (Dingbats)

April 2, 2024 by Jan 2 Comments

Inspiration for the April Scraplift Challenge

I’m very literal (I know, I say that ALL the time) when it comes to the Scraplift Challenge. If I like a layout enough to emulate it, I’m gonna EMULATE it. So I was looking at the April 2024 Scraplift Challenge last night and what resonated with me was the abstract drawing Alexis used for her no-photo sample layout.

Then I started thinking about what I could use to emulate it. Do I have any doodle drawings in my stash? Will they work? What else could I use? And just about the time I fell asleep, it occurred to me that maybe using a dingbat could be an option. So I pored over the dingbat section at dafont.com and I found a few you might like. All the sets I’m showing you are 100% free for personal use; the bold name of the dingbat (font) is a direct link to the download. Let’s take a look.

First and most closely related to the image above is this collection called Woman Faces. Don’t be fooled… there are a LOT of options with this set that wouldn’t fit into the screenshot. 236 different glyphs, to be exact! Many of them are line-drawings, so very suitable.

If you like a less formal effect Cartoonabha might work for you. This one comes with 66 different options. some of them are very expressive!

This set contains the 12 constellations that make up the Zodiac. If you’re into that kind of thing, Constellations Ostia could provide your non-photo focal point. Or you could use the glyphs as background stamps.

The Goddess gives off a bit more of an esoteric vibe. There are 30 options in this one; the letter X is a fairy!

Art Nouveau Flowers offer a lot of possibilities. They can be filled with the Paint Bucket, Styled to look like wrought iron or lead, have papers clipped to them, or just be left as is.

For a more whimsical take, Country Cuties is your friend. Mostly line-drawn, there are some sweet kittens, cutie bears, a frog, and that hilarious pig.

For the Disney fans, there’s Disney family 1, with all the usual suspects represented.

If you’re more of an old-school Star Wars gal, check out Lucas characters. No Grogu… so if you’re looking for him, skip this one.

These Vintage Mixed vol1 dingbats remind me of print ads from the 60s. There’s even an image of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers for elegance. The pointing finger could work for quite a few topics, don’t you think?

I just love the gossipy image! Vintage Mixed vol2 has even more retro images; I think my fave is the cartoon bride and groom on the run.

If you’re in the Path of Totality for this month’s solar eclipse, this set called Galaxia might have something you could put into a photo-less layout. Or you could use the drawings for a border.

These just made me laugh. Smile 2 Me has a huge assortment of expressions; I love the one flashing a peace sign.

From the ridiculous to the sublime… Caligrafia Divina strikes a more elegant chord. The dragon is fabulous.

And last, since we do Takeout Tuesday at my house, there’s a food set called LMS Junk Food Junky. (Of course!) I could see myself creating a layout and calling it In Praise of Pizza.

I had one more for you but for some reason WordPress isn’t allowing me to attach an image of it. I’ve tried several different tricks and failed……… It has a selection of fairy tale images in it and is called Once Upon a Time2.

If you’re not sure you see anything you like, check out the other dingbats at dafont.com. There’s something for everyone there. These are just my picks for what would work as line drawings. (I won’t tell you how many I downloaded today. 😉 )

Before I let you go, I should explain how to use these dingbats as line drawings, shouldn’t I? Install your dingbat set; they take a little longer to install than say a script font, because of the added details. Then open Elements. Dingbats are essentially fonts, so the Text Tool will let you see what’s in the set. I usually run through the alphabet, looking at which image is attached to each letter. For this purpose, I’d use a huge size, like 200 pts. Then I’d Simplify the text (image) so it can be manipulated. Now it’s resize-able to whatever will work best. And then I’d work my layout into the canvas.