Welcome to Friday everyone. I hope you have all had a great week.
Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab, perfect for all your outdoorsy photos!
Let’s see all the goodness the designers are adding to the store this week.
Don’t forget to work on all your challenges! Just 10 completed challenges gets you this great collab for free.
Did you survive the iNSD festivities?! We sure loved seeing the forum and gallery full of scrapping artists and their beautiful pages! Just because iNSD is over this year, don’t worry, our designers have been hard at work creating tons of new goodies for you. Let’s see what they have for us this week!
Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab, perfect for all your outdoorsy photos!
Don’t forget to work on all your challenges! Just 10 completed challenges gets you this great collab for free.
Goodness y’all. It’s Cinco de Mayo and it’s also INSD time again. Are you excited? You know we always do it big here at GingerScraps. I hope you are ready for a week of sales, fun and games, and more!
Are you ready to see what our designers have for this great celebration?
Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab. Should be easy with all these great iNSD sales.
Don’t forger to work on all your challenges! Just 10 completed challenges gets you this great collab for free.
Memory Mosaic (aka Joy)
How is it even possible that one third of the year is already behind us? It’s crazy! Our Spotlight Designer for May is someone we’ve already met back when I first started writing the Spotlight posts. Joy is the creative mind also known as Memory Mosaic. We had a little chat so I could catch up with her and what follows is a transcript of that visit. [Click on her designer handle to check out her store!]
O: Joy! It’s good to see you again. What’s new?
J: Well, for years I designed on my lap book, a MacBook, but in the last couple months I have started designing on a 24inch iMac…. That has been a big difference. I had to get a trackpad, because I was used to using that on my laptop, and I just couldn’t get used to using a mouse. But I have to admit that the larger screen is a huge plus. I use Photoshop in making my designs. I have also been using Procreate on my iPad, to create some new elements.
O: Ooh, nice! I’m not an Apple fan – I’ve only had problems with any of their products, but I know a lot of folks who swear by them. I hear you about the trackpad… I use a laptop pretty much exclusively, so when my husband wants me to check something out on his desk top PC, I fumble with the mouse. A LOT. Which is funny to me because when I was still working, I used a mouse to chart, all the time. But then, it’s been almost 4 years since I retired, so I should expect to be rusty, right? When you switched to a desk top system, did you also revamp your workspace?
J: I have just in the last few months turned a small bedroom into my own personal office! It has been so much fun. I created word art for the walls, I have photos of my kids, and some special artwork my daughter made me. I have an antique secretary in there and a new corner desk. Beside my desk is a white board where I try to keep track of what I need to accomplish for the current month. I have a tv, which I often use to stream music, and my essential oil diffuser which I like to use to diffuse oils that help keep me in a positive frame of mind, boost creativity and peace. Having my own space has been a game changer for me.
O: Sounds like heaven! I’m still trying to organize all my non-digital hobby stuff in the room we had purpose-built… been in the house 3 years. Guess I’m just lazy! Or not motivated enough. Probably both. What inspires you when you’re designing?
J: My family and friends are a huge inspiration to me. But also life experiences play a role. I just created a new kit in my Going Places collection, that is focused on NYC, and that was based on the years I lived in NJ while growing up and we would make trips to the City.
O: That’s great! I’ve never been to NYC. I don’t love crowds so it isn’t somewhere I ever consider when I’m planning a trip, but the history would really appeal to me. I’m curious though… what colours do you really love to work with? Which ones do you steer clear of?
J: My favorite colors are blues, with punches of yellow or red added for accents. My least favorites are oranges, although I do love fall landscapes, which are full of oranges… so maybe it is more that I don’t feel I personally look good in oranges, so I stay away from them.
O: I wore a yellow gown at work all the time and look dead in yellow, so it’s not for me. Orange looks hideous on me too. But, as you say, fall colours are so beautiful. Are you a sporty person, or do you prefer to watch others sweat and injure themselves?
J: No, not sporty, But… I love playing card or board games with my grandchildren. Right now our favorites are Ticket To Ride-Europe and Trash.
O: That sounds wonderful. I haven’t seen my grandchildren since the fall of 2018. They’re all pretty physical kids, but are also voracious readers. My granddaughter is fearless and has great potential as a junior Ninja Warrior. It’s her super power. If you could have one, what would it be?
J: Well, as a kid I always enjoyed watching Bewitched… I would love to be able to wiggle my nose and have my house clean and the laundry done! LOL! Not sure that is a “super power”, but wouldn’t it be amazing?!
O: Definitely a super power! With my luck, I’d end up more like Esmeralda than Samantha. And look like Aunt Clara… The actress who played Samantha has the same surname as my mother’s maiden name but I’m absolutely sure we’re not related. Have you ever met a famous person?
J: When we lived in Ecuador, Joni Eareckson Tada came to the school I was teaching at and I got to meet her. I don’t know if she would be considered “famous”, but it felt like it to me. 🙂
O: I’m sure she’s famous in some circles. What did you want to be when you grew up?
J: When I was little I wanted to be a teacher. I actually went to college to do that, and right out of college taught 2 years, before we started our family. Later on, when we were missionaries in Ecuador, I taught in our international school to help cover fees for my girls. Over the years I taught Pre-K4, Kindergarten5, First Grade and Third Grade. Then we adopted 3 children and our family moved to a place that didn’t have good school opportunities for our kids, so I ended up homeschooling the last 3.
O: So you made your childhood dream come true! Awesome!! Having lived in a poorer country, I’m sure you learned how to do more with less. Is there anything now that you couldn’t live without?
J: It would be hard to go without my phone. I didn’t have a “smart phone” for years, but then when we did finally get them, I wondered how we had managed without them! LOL! Some days though, I wonder what life would be like, if we just went back to everyone having landlines, at their house. (Of course that would mean going back to the time of no internet, and that wouldn’t be any fun!
O: Yeah. Dystopia! When we moved into our house, hubby was the one to supervise the service provider who set up our stuff. We have a landline. It never rings. 😉 If you could make a movie about your life, who would you want to portray you?
J: Julia Roberts. LOL! Not sure that it would be a very good fit, but I think she is amazing.
O: Oh, isn’t she?? One night when it was quiet on the unit, one of my coworkers decided we should write a script and call it PICU: The Movie. He asked each of us who we’d want to be our characters; I couldn’t think of anybody I felt was suitable. He looked at me for a long moment and then said, “I know! Judi Dench!” This was at least 15 years ago, at which time I was about 50 and Judi was… older than my mother. He thought it was a great compliment. “She’s so dignified!” Yeah, well. He redeemed himself. “Oh, wait, I was thinking of Helen Mirren.” Marginally better – she’s only 13 years older than me. James, maybe just stop digging. 🙂 Joy, thanks so much for letting our GingerScrappers get to know you better.
Ladies, before we go, I should remind you all that Joy is providing the Daily Download – found right here on the Blog – this month, as well as hosting the May Designer Spotlight Challenge. That’s in addition to her regular hosting duties for the Inspiration Challenge! She also has a coupon…
interNational Scrapbooking Day is upon us, she make sure you visit both the Forum and the Store so you don’t miss out on any of the fun.
Buckle Up for [inter]National Scrapbook Day
According to the Master Index, this is my 300th Tutorial Tuesday post! And it’s also the lead-up to [inter]National Scrapbooking Day, which is formally set for Saturday, May 6th. I thought it could be a good time to revisit and update the Tutorial I wrote 5 years ago on how to survive the next week with your sanity intact.
I’ve been seeing a LOT of sneak peeks, ads and excited chatter, and I know there will be an overwhelming number of opportunities to get your scrap on, starting at different times over the coming week.
Here at GingerScraps, the people behind the scenes have been very busy organizing a celebration jam-packed with sales, games and a ton of fun. I haven’t seen any insider info on what’s planned for this year, but in the past, we’ve had a store-wide 50% off sale and a gigantic free-with-$20-purchase collab. The scavenger hunt is not only fun, it might show you designers you’re not familiar with and may soon become new favourites. Our designers usually create a fine selection of $5 grab bags – they’re always a great deal. And then there are the chats, speed scraps and games in the Forum. You don’t want to miss them!! And that’s just this one (albeit fantastic!) store!!
Back in 2010 when I was a digiscrapping newbie, iNSD and DSD (Digital Scrapbooking Day, which used to be in November but has been moved ahead to October because with Thanksgiving in the US, November was already too frenetic) were so exciting, but I found that I was a bit scattered in my approach. I ended up confused and bewildered, I overspent, and I wound up with a bunch of freebies I never use. So here are my tips for making iNSD work for YOU instead of the other way around.
A] Don’t dive in head-first! Take some time to look at the stores you frequent to see what their special events look like. Make a list of things that interest you, including dates and times for things like chats or speed scraps. That way you can see conflicts easily and make a decision about which will be more fun for you. Also include deadlines for any contests you may want to enter. Planning right at the beginning will really help.
B] Once your list is compiled and double-checked, create some kind of reminder for things that have a specific time associated with them. This can be as simple as a couple of Post-It notes stuck to the edges of your monitor, or as techie as reminders on your phone, complete with beeps or bells to prod you into action. I don’t know about you, but I’m becoming more forgetful all the time and without the pings on my phone, I’d miss a lot of things! Now I’ve even set certain notifications on my smart watch that are pretty hard to ignore. 😉
C] Set a budget and stick to it. Figure out BEFORE you look at the sales how much you can afford to spend and make sure you don’t go over. Because iNSD is the same week as my birthday, I tend to be a little generous to myself, but I won’t spend more than $20 at any one store, and no more than about $50 for the entire event. Inflation (and lousy exchange rates) notwithstanding. I may have to increase my limits to $25 and $75.
D] There are going to be lots of blog-hops with free collections from various sources out there. Don’t fall into the “but it’s FREE!” trap. Even free is too much if it’s something you don’t love and won’t use. Think of the storage space you’ll waste if you go hog-wild with the freebies. Look at each and every freebie with a discerning eye and only download the ones you know will work for you. Take a look at how much room you have for new files and perhaps move some less-favoured (and therefore less-used) stuff onto a memory stick or external hard drive. Personal note: When I replaced my laptop last year I opted for one with a smaller hard drive, partly to force me to do some decluttering. And while it worked, I’m such a collector… I soon was getting warnings about the lack of capacity. So I bought a SanDisk 512 GB USB drive that is so small and handy, it can stay plugged in all the time. I moved a bunch of files to it, can access them instantly and the nagging stopped. It was a bargain at $60. Might have to buy another!
E] Speaking of blog-hops, if you find one that’s especially fabulous and you HAVE to have it, you might find yourself signing up for newsletters or Facebook pages for designers you may never want to have on your Rolodex (or filling up your inbox). So make a list of ALL the places where you’ve signed up/subscribed/liked/followed so that you can later return and un-do them again. Don’t worry about offending the designer; they’re too busy right now to notice!
F] You might want to give some thought to pre-planning for any speed scraps you might join. Create a folder of possible photos to use. Have some in there that are in landscape format as well as some in portrait format, and some that can be made square or circular without losing anything important. Also have some that will work for multi-photo layouts, just in case. This will save you a lot of time when the speed scrap starts. Make sure you’re unlikely to be disturbed for the 2 hours a speed scrap usually lasts. And have a beverage and a snack ready before you begin.
G] Don’t try to conquer the GS scavenger hunt in a single sitting!! Your eyes will thank you. But by all means, DO play along. This is the exception to my rule about freebies, since the prize is usually a fabulous GingerBread Ladies collab. Who couldn’t use one of those?
H] And finally, review the tutorial I’ve provided on using a multi-file extractor. Don’t wait to unzip and organize all those amazing kits you’ve gathered, do it while you’re on a roll! You won’t regret taking the time now, but if you leave it, you might never actually look at any of the super-duper kits you just bought. And that would be a terrible shame!!
I’ll see you all again once we emerge from our iNSD-induced fugues with a new tutorial! I’ll be back tomorrow with the Designer Spotlight. Always busy!
It is the 1st of the month and you know what that means, a huge, exciting newsletter! We have a New Buffet, New Monthly Mix, New Free With Purchase Collab, New Challenge Reward, New Daily Download on the GingerScraps Blog, & New Designers!
Let’s start out with the March Buffet. Don’t forget to check out the Buffet Bundles. One easy click to add bundles of Buffet goodies to your cart.
Aren’t the buffet colors gorgeous? And with the buffet kits, you can mix and match to get the perfect kit for you.
Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab. Are you feeling {outdoorsy}?
This Free With Purchase was created by: Just So Scrappy, Kristmess, Miss Fish Templates, and Neia Scraps.
This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 47 Papers, and 102 Elements.
When life gives you lemons, just make {lemonade & laughter}.
This Monthly Mix was created by: Aprilisa Designs, Dear Friends Designs, JB Studio, Jumpstart Designs, and Sweet Pea Designs.
This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase, Lowercase, Numbers & Punctuation}, 50 Papers, 78 Elements, and 4 12×12 Template {png, psd, tif file formats}.
Now to the May Daily Download Sneak Peek. This month’s Daily Download is from Memory Mosaid! Make sure you are checking the blog every day to get all the pieces of this kit!
We have great designer news for May.
First, we have a new permanent designer joining the GingerScraps family.
BIO:
Cornelia lives with her husband, her four children and a puppy husky in Austria. When her oldest daughter was born in 2009 she started scrapbooking and never quit documenting the lives of her family. A few years later she started her design career to make her own collections. Her designs will be available exclusively at GingerScraps!
We also have a guest designer this month!
BIO:
My name is Wendy and I’m the creative force behind WM[squared] Designs. I started digital scrapbook design whilst living in California. Everything was so expensive out there and I found that creating elements and papers made me happy, and provided me with exactly what I wanted to use on my layouts! That was 15 years ago!
I’ve always loved to travel, and creating travel themed kits makes me happy! I’ve been married for going on 3 years to my soulmate, and we live with our 4 cats in Ireland, though I’m originally from Texas!
Are you ready for the May challenges? Remember any 10 completed challenges gets you this great kit.
This Challenge Reward was created by: Adrienne Skelton, Lisa Rosa Designs, Scrapbookcrazy Creations by Robyn, and ScrapChat Designs.
This collab includes: 1 Alpha {Uppercase ONLY}, 48 Papers, 78 Elements, and 4 12×12 Templates {png, psd, tif file formats}.
And now a few samples from our talented store CT with a sneak peek of the iNSD Mega Collab!
Here we are at the end of another month. Hard to believe it. We have exciting news this week so keep reading to the end!
Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab.
Let’s see our new items for this week.
Now for our exciting news! We have TWO designers that are joining the GingerScraps family permanently.
Are you getting your challenges done and posted? Complete any 10 challenges for this great reward kit.
Well here we are at another Friday. I hope your week has been amazing. I’m excited because I will be on “vacation” next week. I’m working a good part of it, but it will be from a different location so it’s sort of a vacation.
Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab.
It’s always exciting to see what the designers have new in the store each Friday. Let’s see what we have this week.
We have exciting news to share. Moore Blessings Digital Design is now a permanent designer here at GingerScraps.
To celebrate, she has a new mini kit in the Welcome Wagon Forum and a sale on her store for the rest of the month.
How are you doing on the challenges for April. We’re almost halfway through the month. If you complete any 10 challenges, you’ll get this kit as a reward.
Happy Good Friday! I hope you have all had a great week and have a wonderful weekend!
Remember any $10 spent in the store gets you this great collab.
Ready for a look at what is new in the store?
Have you gotten a start on your challenges? Remember, if you complete 10, you get this great kit as a reward.
ScrapChat Designs
Hello again, ladies! Another month has begun and it’s time for the Designer Spotlight once again. This month I’m chatting with Jillian, otherwise known as ScrapChat Designs. A little birdie told me April is her birthday month, so in celebration we visited over bourbon rather than coffee. Let’s get to know her a bit!
O: We’ll start with the yeahyeahyeah stuff… How long have you been designing?
J: I began designing templates spring of 2021. Kits/collections in Summer of 2021.
O: So you’re pretty much still cutting your designer teeth. Props to you for jumping in and doing a such great job already. What made you decide to design?
J: I was on the creative team for many of the wonderful designers here at Gingerscraps. Several of them encouraged me to start and support me with their moral support and advice to this day. They are not only my mentors but my friends.
O: The community here is really incredible. I arrived here ten years ago as a CT member and have loved every second of those ten years. When I think about how much I’ve grown, both as a digital scrapper and as a person, I can’t regret any of it. What tools do you use when creating your designs?
J: I use Photoshop. Late in 2022 I started to use some basic functions in Illustrator. I switched to Mac at Christmas time.
O: I’m always trying to learn new things. But I draw the line at an entire, new software system. I’ve been organizing my crafting space for months now so that I can accommodate a Cricut. What an enormous job. Do you have a specific place that’s set up specifically for your design work?
J: I don’t have an official work space. I have a Mac Book. I can work any place. I move with the sunshine in my house. I work in the sun room, at the kitchen table and even outside on the porch. I spend a lot of time in airport parking lots waiting to pick up my long time boyfriend who is a pilot. I work there as well. My computer, planner and idea notebook travel with me.
O: Being portable really makes it easier to be productive, doesn’t it? I couldn’t imagine working in my car though. This next question can be hard to answer… Do you have a favourite kit or collection in the GingerScraps Shop?
J: I Have Overcome, the collection I designed for the March Buffet is my favorite. It’s dedicated to the strength of overcoming things. My oldest daughter passed in March of 2019. She had a tattoo that said “I’m not what I have done but what I have overcome.” The photo of her and her tattoo showed on my photo memories on my phone the day I started to work on the Buffet. The collection was one of the prettiest and quickest collections I’ve ever created.
O: What an amazing way to remember your daughter, although I’m sure it was a painful process. I’m so sorry for your loss. She sounds like someone I’d like a lot. How do you relax? Describe your perfect vacation.
J: My perfect family vacation would be to take my three children, significant others and grand kids to Walt Disney World. Many of my best memories of my children’s childhoods were created at Disney World. My perfect couple vacation a long cruise with a balcony room starting with coffee in the room each day.
O: How did I know your first thought would be family? Made me think about the Disney cruises I’ve seen on Instagram – you could have a twofer! What would you do if you won the lottery?
J: After the obvious of paying off bills, I have a dream of starting a garage for low income individuals to get their cars repaired at. As a long time single mom, car maintenance was always a struggle. Cars I could afford needed work but the work was expensive. Not having a car was not an option living in southwest Ohio, so I always had to pay for the repairs some how. I dream of helping people by removing the fear of that noise in the back of the car costing them a $1,000.
O: OMG, what a selfless dream! I’ve never been a single parent, but I absolutely have lived the used-car-unexpected-repair-bill-how-do-I-pay-it part. It’s funny that I’m driving an eight-year-old SUV that is still in very good condition and rarely have to spend any money on it, but I can’t explain why that is. I told the salesman it was the last vehicle I intended to buy. He laughed. But it’s hauled me, my family, hundreds of bedding plants, tons of soil and mulch and many other things. Are you a green-thumb kind of person?
J: I cannot grow things in my house. I love, however, caring for our two acre yard. When we moved in almost two years ago, I was overwhelmed by the number of trees and flower beds this house had. I have embraced the care of the yard. I relax and forget time when I am out there.
O: Our old house had a huge yard that eventually had 5 separate flowerbeds. There’s something very soothing about digging and pulling weeds. Now we have a very small yard so most of my planting is in pots. Still satisfying. And as I get older it’s nice to garden standing up. 😉 Okay, I’m trying to decide what to cook for supper_ unsuccessfully, might I add. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
J: Pepperoni and pepperjack cheese. So weird I know! It’s always my go to snack.
O: Ooh. Pass the Pepcid please! I used to have a cast iron stomach, but no more. Thanks, COVID. Anyway, if there was one thing you could change about yourself, what would it be?
J: My anxiety and confidence levels. I stress over every decision I make. I’m the poster child for a mountain out of mole hill. I can overthink everything. If you only knew how long it took me to pick out 10 questions and answer them, you would laugh. [Editor’s note: Designers receive a list of possible questions in advance so they can avoid topics they’d rather not address.]
O: Thank you for being a good sport! Before I let you off the hook, let’s remind our readers about what being the Spotlight Designer means… Obviously, it means she’s hosting the so-named Challenge this month in addition to her usual Year of Blessings Challenge. And she’s providing this month’s Daily Download right here on the Blog. She’s gotta be busy! Make sure you check out her Shop.
See you next time!
