Challenge Spotlight

Designer Spotlight: April 2025/2

April 7, 2025 by Jan Leave a Comment

Jumpstart Designs

Okay, so I’m going to warn you right from the jump… Sheri and I have known each other a LONG time, so this post is going to be … chatty. Maybe grab a beverage and a snack!

O: Sheri, remind me again, how long have you been designing?

J: Almost fourteen years!

O: I think I started collecting your designs very near the beginning. I have some kits and templates that go back to 2012! What motivates and inspires you when you sit down to create?

J: Color (sic), and spending time on Pinterest and similar sites. I always have a bunch of ideas of what I’d like to design and do differently but finding the extra time to play around with new ideas doesn’t seem to happen very often.

O: Pinterest can be such a rabbit hole! I have to limit my browsing time, otherwise nothing gets done. Time for the favourite child question. Do you have a current favourite kit in your store? <hyperlinked to Sheri‘s store!>

J: EARLY AUTUMN WHISPERS. Fall is my favorite time of year and I wish it could stay autumn all year long! I try to enjoy every minute of this season before the cold and snow sets in.

O: I LOVE that one!! I have the whole collection. I really like the way you use colour, and how your illustrations always fit the theme so perfectly. I also love fall, once I’ve got my garden put to bed and the days are still warm. It’s like life just slows down a bit. Since I’ve just given you a compliment, what’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about you?

J: That I must be a good mother because my children are awesome! Some days I question my parenting, but I’ll take that compliment any day!

O: Same, sister, same! What one word would your family and friends use to describe you?

J: Probably smart ass. LOL. Oops, that’s two words!

O: Well, I think it’s one word. Smartass, dumbass… right? I’d be called the same. Have been called the same. And other less savoury terms. Warning label?

J: WARNING: Subject prone to sarcasm!

O: This must be why we’re friends! Super power?

J: Being able to make time stand still.

O: Ooh, that’s a good one! But it could be dangerous in the wrong hands. You’d have to be careful when choosing when to stop the clock. Would it just be YOUR time that stops, or everybody’s? Yep, overthinking it again… Have you ever thought about time travel?

J: I’d go BACK IN TIME for sure! I’m not too thrilled with society these days. I think we’ve lost our collective minds and I fear for how things will be for my children and grandchildren. I miss the good old days when most people valued self-reliance, integrity, and knew how to be respectful of others.

O: Well said! Pair time travel with being able to stop time and we could have a much better world. With the way things are right now, it’s sure not Shangri La. Seems like the people with big money are running the world and that’s a bad thing… What would you do if you had lots of cash, like a lottery win?

J: Probably buy just enough property in the mountains to build a few little homes so my kids and grandkids could all live with me forever. If I had my way, they’d be with me no matter how old they get! Oh yeah…. And I guess saving for retirement might also be good idea so I don’t have earn a living until my last dying breath.

O: Mom and Nana Jan loves the idea of a family compound where all the people I love would be in one place. Labour organizer Jan would totally approve of your second goal. It’s something I tried really hard to get through to the young nurses I worked with who complained about having to contribute to the pension plans we had, and who didn’t want to put away a little money now in a retirement savings plan that our employer would match, to have a nest egg for later. If they could see my retirement investments now, after I’ve already been retired nearly 6 years, they’d maybe understand. It’s always a good plan to save for the day when you don’t have employment income. Now, let me slink down off my soapbox. Time for a fun topic: sing or dance in the shower?

J: Neither! I’d probably trip and fall over the edge of the tub, and God help anyone who’d have to hear my voice! That’s one talent I did NOT inherit from my parents. They were both musical and had a country-western band for many years. They were even good enough to play for President Ronald Reagan when he came through town back in the day, but it’s better for everyone if I don’t attempt singing myself! LOL

O: I do both! I have a waterproof Bluetooth speaker in the bathroom, Sirius XM on my phone and a gigantic shower stall. I mostly go with 60s and 70s hits and belt ’em out at the top of my lungs. Don’t care if the neighbours hear me either! When The Drifters start into On the Boardwalk, I can’t stay still. I love country music too; maybe I’ve heard something your parents have done. Since you’re from a musical family, can I assume you play an instrument?

J: I played the piano for many years but haven’t touched one in a long time. I also bang on our bongo drums now and then and have always thought it would be fun to be a drummer.

O: My husband fancies himself a drummer, and even has drumsticks. But no drums… he just bangs on tables, books, couch cushions and sometimes (gently, with just his hands) on our son’s belly. What’s your dream car?

J: I’m and SUV sort of gal but ultimately I’d just like one that’s paid for, haha.

O: We downsized to one vehicle this time last year. We need an SUV or station wagon (I don’t think they make them any more) because of our son’s wheelchair so I put a lot of research into what we chose. We traded in my nine-year-old Escape and hubby’s six-year-old Fusion for a 2024 Kia Seltos and it’s great! We didn’t have to come up with a ton of cash either; the trades were quite generous. Even with the chair in the cargo area, I can haul a LOT of groceries! If you could only eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would you go for?

J: Homemade tacos! Actually, anything Mexican with lots of cheese!

O: Mmmm, tacos!! I love a good fish taco myself. I’m not sure what I’d choose if I had to though. Gotta watch that good old Hemoglobin A1C… getting old really isn’t ideal. Other than necessities, what’s the one thing you couldn’t live without?

J: Hugs from my grandkids!

O: Yep, that’s it right there! Speaking of, I think I hear them now. Go get you some hugs, Grandma! Thanks for the chat!!

Now, before I forget, Jumpstart Designs is providing one of the Daily Download kits here on the Blog. She’s also one of the hosts of the Designer Spotlight Challenge in addition to her regular monthly Jumpstart Your Layouts Challenge – where you get a free minikit every month Are you playing along with that one? You should!! Don’t miss out on the COUPON either!!

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

Designer Spotlight: April 2025/1

April 2, 2025 by Jan 2 Comments

Adrienne Skelton

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

March 25, 2025 by Jan Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Everyday Memories

I seem to have an injured tendon in that finger I sprained, so it’s back in the splint for the foreseeable future. If you spot a typo (or ten), please just ignore them. 🙂 But enough of that! This month I’d like to showcase the Everyday Memories Challenge, sponsored by Miss Fish. Here is her prompt: “Manifesting your dreams in 2025 “You are a masterpiece of your own life, make sure to paint yourself in the colors you love.” (Unknown) This month your challenge is to create a vision board, sometimes known as a dream, motivation, inspiration, manifestation, or goal board.”

The layouts that follow are the ones that have been posted to the Challenge Gallery. There are others that have been posted to the thread that I haven’t included. The images are in the order they were posted, and they’re linked to the Gallery via the Scrapper‘s user name. Just click on it for a closer look.

First up is this vision board by FormbyGirl. She’s chosen to go with a Top 10 list of the things she plans to focus on, and it’s obvious the main one is FAMILY. I love everything about her layout, which has a definitely cheerful and optimistic look to it. The word strips she chose act as captions for her photos, and that sweet element of the woman in tree pose made me smile.

For her vision board, carla has included some goals and some leisure objectives. Her photos frame her clusters and the layout as a whole has a serenity to it.

Guess what demma_b13 has her sites set on. 😀 I like how she’s run the photos for each of her travel goals down opposite sides of the page. Let’s all hope she gets her wish, the one in the lower left corner.

I think scrapmevrouw would get along really well with carla! I like how she’s created a grid-styled layout and the bright colour palette that really draws the viewer in.

VariaMoon is manifesting some personal goals with such confidence! I like the little map fragments used as mats behind her photos.

Ooh, I’m sensing a theme… vacations! It looks like larkd is planning three cruises for this year. The background paper waves, maps and timetables relate to the theme so well. Have fun!

I think we can all guess what msbrad has chosen as her main vision for 2025. What great action photos. I can’t believe David is so grown up!

5grand really took the notion of a vision board to heart and has created an actual clip board! The elements she selected reflect the various goals she has identified via her photos. I can relate to the social media “diet”, I need one too!

It seems memmienelleke took the prompt quite literally. Her passion is scrapping and she painted a portrait of herself. She shares a birthday with my middle child. 🙂

Several of the things I hoped to see in 2025 have already come to pass. My son’s new wheelchair arrived and he has started using public transit to go to his day program! My friend Jenn came to visit with her 8-year-old daughter. And I attended the Peach City Feis – an Irish dance competition. It was amazing, the talent those dancers have. Expect to see some Feis layouts once my finger heals. I guess I should make it a goal to be less accident-prone for the rest of the year.

Filed Under: Be Inspired, Behind the Scrapbook, Challenge Spotlight, Creative Style, Digital Scrapbooking, March 2025 Challenges, Spotlight Challenge, Tutorials Tagged With: Tutorial Tuesday

Tutorial Tuesday (Individual Style)

February 18, 2025 by Jan Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Wild About Styles

It’s already the third Tuesday in February – which is almost over! – and time for YOUR chance to shine! Today we’re looking at one of our new Challenges, Wild About Styles, which is hosted by Wetfish Designs. It’s an intriguing Challenge where Wetfish provides a free-for-the-month set of Styles for use in the Challenge; this month the set contains 12 different maps. Yes… Maps. And the goal is to use more than one for your layout. She’s even provided us with a sample layout!

Let’s see how our GingerScrappers used the Styles for their layouts… Remember, each layout is linked to the Gallery so you can take a closer look and perhaps leave a comment. Just click on the Scrapper‘s user name (it’s bold, underlined and in living colour) to jump right to the layout. They’re posted in the order they were uploaded to the Challenge Gallery; there may be others in the Forum thread that aren’t in the Challenge Gallery, as I discovered last month.

Our first participant is nimble4u. She’s used at least 6 – no, make that 7 – of the Styles, applying them to each of the papers from the Tinci Designs template she chose. How’s that for following the rules? 😉 I don’t read Dutch, but she’s obviously travelling.

Alasandra has used so many I can’t keep track. She has applied them to her frames and some of her embellishments; that really customizes her layout. She, too, used a Tinci template (I have hundreds of them, so I recognize them right away) and the theme of her layout is travel, but in a more generic sense.

I’m sensing a pattern… lm44west also applied the Styles to the papers here. Her paper layers don’t have distinct shadows so it’s a bit difficult to separate them. I *think* she’s applied a different Style to each of the characters in her title.

Pixel Palette‘s used a subtle hand for her layout; by blending a large map with a floral paper she’s created movement in a layout about the single most impactful moment in travel history. She also applied Styles to her title and behind her smaller photo.

I could totally see this layout by greenfiend27 on a classroom wall somewhere. It’s literally an “animals of Australia” poster, complete with a map-Styled frame.

KatL has used two map Styles for sure. Her aerial photos are well-showcased with map mats.

With another variation on a theme, pbhill has used several Styles applied to her paper mats… and that great banner! The Styles she chose draw from the colours in her photo.

Katherine Woodin is most of us right now, am I right? So much of the continent is snowed in and freezing. She applied a Style to her background and title, and when I zoomed in I think she’s even blended map Styles into her photos. Very interesting effect.

Anybody who knows msbrad (Michi) knows she LOVES to travel and takes hordes of photos. She was a teacher in another life, so she also follows rules. 😉 Lots of different maps are visible here, even if you don’t zoom in! I love how she’s got a bike with tulips sticker to echo her bike with tulips photo. Made me smile.

Jill went simple, applying a Style to her background then blending a photo into it. She Styled her title, and perhaps the word strip in her cluster. The hiking/camping elements she’s clustered look so real!

At first I thought trinanne had only used a single map Style here – which is PERFECTLY oriented to her subject, but then I took a closer look and she’s applied a semi-transparent map Style to the frames around her photos. That bread bowl… now I’m hungry!

I’ve downloaded the Styles, and now I’m inspired to create a layout. Are you?

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)

January 21, 2025 by Jan Leave a Comment

Challenge Spotlight: Photography

Today I’m shining the Spotlight on Cindy Ritter‘s Photography Challenge, and it’s serving two purposes. Her Challenge was to use a selfie on a layout, so now we’ll be able to put faces to user names! Cindy even obliged by posting her own selfie. Isn’t she beautiful?

As usual with the Challenge Spotlight, each layout you’ll see here will be linked to the GingerScraps Gallery for closer inspection and the leaving of praise. Simply click on the Scrapper‘s user name. [Editor’s note: whenever you see text that’s in bold, coloured text and is underlined, it’s a hyperlink. The work’s all done for you!] The layouts appear in the order they were uploaded to the Challenge Gallery.

Our first selfie is this very warmly yellow layout from pjm117 (aka Karen). Her choice of a spring-like yellow and green palette makes her selfie really pop.

This one is from zippyoh, and I love the way she’s used ombre paper and pulled the palette from her puffy vest. Lovely contrast is provided by pinks and peaches. So pretty!

Ah!! The many faces of Katherine Woodin! She has such a lovely smile, don’t you think? Going with black-and-white for all those “selfies” was a brilliant choice.

Stellar palette and paper choice, mdusell – Marge! The shadows for her seagulls are perfect to give the illusion of flight.

Have you met lawyerlyn? She includes photos of herself on many of her layouts. This simple grid-style layout lets the photos tell the story.

Glee! What a morbid word strip… I think she’s aging gracefully. I like the spill of elements across the page, with her photos the focal point.

This is Alyssa, aka photocrazy. By keeping her layout clean and simple, that gorgeous sunset and those two beautiful smiles are where the eye goes first.

Who doesn’t love a grungy white space layout? It really makes the sky behind pbhill (otherwise known as Babette) pop… which leads the eye directly to her face. And the background emulates the colours of the desert.

Dorann (dorannmwin) is the one in the centre, in case you don’t know her. Those punches of orange echo the lights in the photo.

Tbear used a very similar palette here. That postage stamp frame highlights her photo and what I see first every time I look at it? Her twinkly eyes! I bet she’s a sweet, funny person everybody loves.

The next two layouts weren’t in the Challenge Gallery, but had been posted to the Forum thread. Ladies, don’t forget to post your layouts to the appropriate Challenge Gallery if you want them to count toward the Reward Collab. It’s easier for Missi to verify your participation there; she has thousands of layouts to vet every month, so let’s make her job a little easier, okay?

Sometimes I wish I hadn’t removed the SnapChat app from my phone; seeing photos like Sams Scraps‘ is one of those times. I have a bunch of photos of my son and me with these fun filters. Might have to reinstall it. Her palette works so well with those photos!

Here, princess-scraps has used some low-light New Year fireworks-related photos. Looks like it was a great party! The fragmented arrangement of her photos and papers give excitement and a tiny touch of chaos to the layout.

If I decide to take part in this Challenge, should I follow Glee‘s and Katherine‘s lead and go with a then-and-now retrospective, or should I use SnapChat photos of me with (or without my son)? Decisions, decisions!

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)

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!