SteinwaysMom

What's Up?

2008-11-19T21:17:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed, my stint w/FunkyPlayground was very brief. The FPD crew were just wonderful but I decided to focus my energies on Oscraps as I work FT and it became apparent that I was really stretching myself thin trying to maintain 2 shops.

Lately I've been withdrawing from the digiscrap world, trying to do stuff like take out the trash, go to bed on time and keep my house clean! I seem to find every excuse in the book to stay online way too late. Finding balance is tough for me and I don't even have kids :)

A lady from my church commented that my townhome looked like a magazine. Boy little did she know that I actually thought I would turn my townhome into a magazine ready palace soon after moving in. Oops...I am still haunted by the unfinished pet gate, the upstairs hall which has one coat of paint and areas where I couldn't even reach the ceiling. Not to mention the bedroom trim which has been decimated by Ms. Penelope, the resident rabbit, and the numerous patches of dug up carpet that can be found throughout the upstairs.

But at least SOMEONE thinks my place looks like a magazine! After about 4 years or so it's finally coming together...

Debra Tope Designs Terms of Use (Personal)

2008-11-19T21:05:00.001-08:00

Copyright ©2008 by Debra Tope
http://www.Steinwaysmom.blogspot.com or DebraTopeDesigns [at] gmail [dot] com

Legal copies of this product may only be obtained via purchase at:

Oscraps: http://www.oscraps.com/shop/home.php?cat=301

OK (personal use)

Personal scrapbook layouts and artistic creations (ie. you don't make any $$$ from them)

Web/blog graphics ONLY if it is for your personal blog/website (ie. it can't be use for any commercial/money making purposes).

NOT OK (commercial use, or sharing files):

Any use of this product that results in you making money or profiting materially is prohibited.

You can’t use this to make digital files (.jpg/.png or other web graphics) that are redistributed. That means you can’t design freebies, quickpages, tags, E-bay pages, blog headers or any other graphics for redistribution.

You can’t make printed items from this product and sell them on Ebay, Cafe Press or anywhere else.

Sharing the original .zip/.jpg/.png files in any form is strictly prohibited. The product is licensed only for use by the individual who purchased it and that licensed can’t be transferred to anyone else.

Legalese:

All graphics and images contained in this download are copyrighted by Debra Tope with all rights reserved. By legally downloading this or any other element, you have obtained a license to use the kit or element for your own use only, and you are required to abide by the terms of this user license.

Permissible:

use all graphics and images within the kits and all other downloaded elements for personal use but please give proper credit and/or a link back to the site, if allowed
use these graphic designs for scrapbooking submissions and publications, providing that proper credit to of Debra Tope is always given.
alter these graphics. Credit is still required for any and all altered graphics or portions thereof.

NOT Permissible:

claim these graphics as your own or alter them in any way and then claim them as your own.
this includes altering them to create derivative graphics that you sell or offer free to others.
redistribute these graphics in anyway, shape, or form. THIS INCLUDES DISTRIBUTING IN YAHOO GROUPS, FILE SHARES, EMAILING TO OTHERS OR OFFERING THEM FOR DOWNLOAD IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FASHION.
Use these graphics for any project/endeavor for which you receive material or financial gain.

Big News...I'm Getting Funky at the Playground

2008-09-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's official. In addition to my Oscraps Shop, I will also be selling an exclusive product line at Funky Playground Designs. I have absolutely loved working with the girls at the playground and all the new and existing designers there.

I've got a few items in the shop and they are 30% off....images are clickable

FPD Teachers Pet & a Fun Contest

2008-08-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I am participating in the FunkyPlayground Designs Teacher's Pet Contest - it has been a real blast, as well as a challenge, but I've really pushed myself and learned a lot.

The 4th and Final Project is a collab with one of the FPD designers - I got to work with the gracious and talented Kim Christensen...here is our entry (click to view/download):

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE FUN CONTEST KIM AND I ARE RUNNING AND GET THE CHANCE TO WIN GIFT CARDS TO OUR SHOPPES - YOU GET MY PREVIOUS FPD ENTRIES JUST FOR PLAYING...

Designer Spotlight This Week!

2008-07-20T21:05:00.001-07:00

This week is my designer spotlight at Oscraps - it will be worth your while, trust me...to play, check out Designer Spotlight Challenge Forum at Oscraps

Hi Hi Hi

2008-06-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

Holy cow, last post January! I've been busy creating a bunch of fun crumpled papers and chipped frames... plus I'm running a special to save you some money - if you buy at least $7 worth of products you get 30% off your order!

Check Them Out in my Shoppe

2008 Update and Some Cool New Products!

2008-01-06T13:46:00.000-08:00

Wow, so much for blogging. I have some cool new products in at Oscraps - I am so grateful to all the people who have purchased my designs in 2007 - I remember being so petrified as a new designer last January but everyone at Oscraps has made me feel so welcome. They are truly an awesome group of people to work with.

Click on image to check out the product in my store

Here is my sweet foster bunny Raleigh featured in a layout with Thrift Shoppe Frames 3 and Aged Leathers Biggie Frames. Isn't he adorable? I kind of 'rescued' him from a reptile store (long story) and the Columbus House Rabbit Society has graciously offered to adopt him out through their network.

Plus more Aged Leathers items from 2007 (can't believe I didn't post them here!)

New EXCITING Line of Stuff

2007-07-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

Aged Leathers...these seriously look like old grungy leather - I ended up doing 44 papers! And I thought I was an element person hehe.

Coming soon...frames and other super cool accessories to match! As in see below...

Other than that, I'm still on Jenny Craig - only 3 1/2 pounds to go...it feels so good to have this 'weight off my shoulders'...the Jenny Cuisine is a bit pricy so I am slowly finding other frozen dinners that are healthy...Ethnic Gourmet and Kashi are really good. So are Amy's (in the health food section). I can't believe how tasty Ethnic Gourmet's Saag Paneer is (that's this Indian spinach and cheese dish that is my all time fave meal) and it was on sale for $3.50 - guess what I ate all week :)

Carla Gibson

2007-06-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

Sue Cummings and I were working with Carla Gibson on a collaborative project called Frameworks. I remember Carla Pm'ing me about her altered designs and would I be interested in working on that kind of stuff...

So it is with great sadness that I learned about Carla's aneurism and passing...I didn't know her well but she had this beautiful motherly energy...

In case you haven't read, Oscraps is creating a "Friends and Family" category in the store to benefit Carla's family. That or buying Carla's products will really help. Or you can do a layout or just leave a message of condolence for the family. They are good people.

Links - How you can help:

Give the Family Your Condolences

Post a LO in our Carla Gibson 'Well Wishes' Gallery

Purchase Friend's & Family Products

Purchase Carla's Products

Designers - you can donate products to Friends and Family - email Vicki Stegall at the following address: Charity at Oscraps dot com

May Update

2007-06-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Sigh....you have probably noticed I am not exactly prolific when it comes to putting out new products...or doing layouts or blogging or anything else for that matter...between work and my never ending battle to 'fix up the house'...not a whole lot seems to get done...

Jenny Craig Update - I have lost over 15 pounds! Jenny is perfect for my lifestyle (ie I hate cooking, meal planning, grocery shopping and anything else having to do with eating properly). Deciding which frozen entree to eat for dinner is just my speed. I went to Macy's (never shop there I'm a Marshalls/thrift shoppe girl) just to try on a size 6 and it fit (eh a little snug but my ego was satisfied)...

NeverEnding House Saga - I painted the living room this rich golden brown - it looks super with all these ethnic tapestries I got on E-bay and these cool Umbra carved wood curtain rods I got at Odd Lots (cheap!)...of course being a bad blogger I have no pictures. My back patio, despite having slaved over it 2 summers ago, looked horrendous so I had to buy this weed killer to put between the patio stones and spend an afternoon doing gardener type stuff like hacking off dead foliage from last summer along w/a multitude of weeds that set up shop.

Car Saga - I can no longer pride myself in driving an old beater. God blessed me with a 95 Buick LeSabre with leather interior -- yeah baby! It's an older luxury model with lotsa' bells and whistles (shoot, just having a driver's side door that opens is a bell and whistle in my book)...

Get out the Violin! - Geez, I look at all the amazing layouts, amazing designers...and sometimes feel that it is all passing me by. As a designer I feel like I am slowly creeping along, one tiny step at a time. Scrapwise I have bottomed out - no new photo shoots, thus not much incentive to do layouts.....Just bear with me! Back when I was scrapping into the wee hours the rest of my life was going to seed - gotta balance things out I guess. I am an 'all or nothing' type but reality is forcing me to parcel out my efforts one small step at a time...

What's Up...

2007-04-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

I have not had the mind to scrap, design or anything creative lately. Instead I tried to get my taxes done, clean the house, file/toss mounds of paperwork and so on. It's amazing how much free time you have when you don't digiscrap. Of course I wasted 3 hours watching reruns of America's Next Top Model last night. This is the kind of show I am embarrassed to say I watch haha. But who didn't grow up wanting to be a model and the show provides a sort of vicarious thrill.

Moni, one of my CT members, has resigned from digiscrapping. It's a bummer because she is mega-talented. But I totally understand how much time this hobby can take - it has a way of taking over your life and if you have kids and obligations it makes things even worse. Hopefully we'll see her again soon.

I joined Jenny Craig! I am so bad about eating - they call my type 'the unconscious eater'. Jenny is perfect for lazy singles such as myself cause all you do is buy your food their and nuke it. It's actually pretty balanced and satisfying. Valerie Bertinelli has just signed on - she wants to get down to a size 8.

Everyone looks puzzled like 'you aren't even overweight' but it's that pesky 10-15 pounds that I continually complain about but am to lazy to tackle that motivated me to try Jenny.

Actually I do have one new product out, 5 & Dime Braided Trim - I have this idea for a line of inexpensive elements called '5 & Dime' you know, like the dollar store:

Thrift Shoppe Frames, vol II

2007-03-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

Thrift Shoppe Frames, Vol II - I worked very hard on these and they turned out very nice. At 50% off you can't lose (through end of March)...

CT-less

2007-03-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

I've decided to resign from all my CT's, I feel so bad but designing and working and being ill is taking what little energy I have. It was a sad decision for me and I cried about it...memories of my first days of digiscrapping last year and how thrilling it was to do CT layouts and really get into the process...I have enjoyed it immensely...

Right now I feel so sapped of energy, of creativity, there seems no self to even express, just this harried person trying to work, keep the house halfway decent and come up with something for the shop. I hate living like this but a lot of life is about following through with commitments, regardless of how one feels, and gracefully bowing out of those committments one can no longer honestly fulfill.

I think being on CT's was way easier than designing...with the latter there's a lot of overhead, quality control, packaging, announcing, marketing...I could easily spend four hours on a layout but with designing it goes in fits...I get bored easily, the outcome isn't as quick. Yet some part of me is determined to continue on this new adventure...

Bible Stuff

2007-02-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

I'm kind of tired of hyping scrapbook stuff...let's talk about the Bible...

I am reading 2 Chronicles about all the kings after David. Basically most of them were lame, although some had their moments. After Solomon there was Jerboam and Rehoboam. Now Jerboam controlled the Northern kingdom but there was one problem. Everybody was supposed to go down South to worship in Jerusalem at the temple. He was so threatened by this that he made a golden calf and told people to hang out at home and just worship that. How lame can you get. My pastor says this is akin to just doing what's spiritually convenient instead of making the extra effort to 'go to Jerusalem' to get the real thing.

Then you have Rehoboam. Now he was right after Solomon and the people asked him basically if he would be a decent guy. His older advisors, said, treat your people right and they'll serve you. But all his friends said the people were a bunch of whiners and he should come down hard on them. He unwisely chose to listen to his buddies and ran his mouth and a lot of the people rejected him.

Both of these fools should have listened to God and done what was right but they had to have it their way and it cost them big time. Now how many of us, including me, have to do it our way and fall on our face. I will be the first to raise my hand.

Layered Templates

2007-02-09T20:26:00.000-08:00

I found some good tuts on layered sketch templates (these are also popping up for elements too).

Photoshop/Photoshop Elements

Paint Shop Pro

Digital Image Pro - to assemble a layered template using individual .PNG's, check this tutorial out

New Kit! The Promise

2007-02-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

Ashalee Wall pm'd me about doing a collab (I was complaining about how I hated making papers). Lucky me as she's a paper diva :) Here is what we came up with - it's got delicious papers and tons of ribbon and bling which I swear you can arrange in zillions of different ways. Get it HERE at Oscraps!

Changes...OScraps Collaboration Kit

2007-01-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Collaborations are so much fun...here is my part of the OScraps Collaboration Kit...It's the first time I used a palette (imagine that) and worked on product that is not a freebie. It was fun working w/everyone. The kit is huge and a really great deal - for $7.50 you get over 40 papers and 90 elements!

Here is everything all together. I collaborated w/Sue Cummings on wordart that would fit inside the metal charms I designed - now Sue is a WordArt specialist, which I have no aptitude for, so it was great to work w/someone with complimentary skills.

Oscraps is such a friendly store and it has risen to #15 in the digiscrap top sites. I encourage everyone to check out the store, post in the gallery and introduce yourselves in the forum. Plus there is a fun Snowball Fight this month during which lots of fun stuff will be given out.

Designing at OScraps!!!!

2006-12-01T09:33:00.000-08:00

It's official. I am now a designer at OScraps! Vicki Stegall kindly asked me to join their team and I am thrilled and more than a little bit nervous to be among such great talent.

My OScraps Products

My first 3 products are freebies - I did major enhancements to the 3 freebies I am offering at Luckybug: Nettie, Noni and Funky Pink.

Latest Work

2006-11-03T16:47:00.000-08:00

So busy with creative team LO's, usually 'cute kid' stuff, I never do any digital art, so this was very fulfilling to do. I really want to pursue digital art and not just do scrapbooking.

The picture is from the Flickr collage group and it has 'Slaves' written on it. It really moved me. This was a very dark time on American history and the foreboding elements in the work reflect that spirit.

Almost everthing was stuff I made myself except: Scrabble alpha (Maya @ Scrapbookgraphics; Stitched Corner (Lie Fhung @ Ztampf; and grunge overlay (Lu Braxton @ Oscraps). Picture from FlickR collage group. Actions by Atomic Cupcake.

Worldwide

2006-11-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

Well I was googling myself. Usually this reveals all the ridiculous forum debates I was in 5 years ago (politics and religion and all that fun stuff) and other pointless information. But I found some layouts using my freebies which was super rewarding to see.

Seems most of the LO's were by Europeans, esp Germans. I take this as a compliment like maybe I have this 'European flair' hehe.

Introducing QuirkWare

2006-10-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

I decided to create a line of products entitled QuirkWare

Quirkware will feature cool, off the wall papers and elements and the best part about it is it's free!

My first Quirkware creation is called Nettie - named after my great grandma, Nettie German.

Everything shown here is from Nettie, except the cool shabby flowers, by Vicki Stegall (@ www.Oscraps.com and www.Plaindigitalwrapper.com)

The frame is from my Noni freebie.

Freebies Update

2006-10-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

My freebies will now be hosted at Luckybug Scrapbooking courtesy of Bill Crittenden. No more expired links, yay! I am studying scrapbook design and wanted to share the results of my explorations with others.

Feel free to visit my freebies page any time and check out Luckybug.

I would love to see what people do with these freebies so feel free to share link to layouts you've done using them. In addition, all feedback, positive or critique-oriented, is welcome.

I've Been Tagged

2006-09-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

I must admit I am pretty lame socially but Robyn has tagged me. The rules are to list 5 weird things about you or your pets. Since I'm extremely weird that's pretty easy:

1) My rabbit Penelope will claw the carpet and chew on the woodwork when she wants me to get out of bed and feed her
2) I used to live in this huge house on campus with all these boho hippies. I think there were 35 people that lived there in the 3 years I was there. One guy would make herbal concoctions all day and another housemate mistook his 'petroleum-free petroleum jelly' for salad dressing! We heard this girl used to live there who was a fruititarian, and ate only fruit. Then she changed to a breathetarian! I could go on all day!
3) I drive an 84 Caprice classic my cousin gave me. It has no headliner, the windshield wipers don't work, there is duct tape around the radio, which doesn't work anyway, bashed up fender from when I hit a guardrail while yakking on my cell. The latest thing is the driver side door won't open and the window won't roll down, which means I can't go to drive thru's any more! Oh yeah and it leaks when it rains.
4) Steinway, my other bunny, will flick his back paws in the air when he's disgusted with me. It's his way of saying 'talk to the hand'.
5) I speak in tongues and 'run the aisles' at church.

Round 2 Entry

2006-09-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Must have spent 8 solid hours working on these. They went through more reincarnations than the Dali Lama! A lot of the versions were pretty ugly but I find that if you keep pushing eventually you will get to something that feels right.

Went and bought one of those Dover clipart books - now they come w/CDs so yay, no scanning. That's how I got the little scrolly thingies. The pink one was actually this stock photo close up of a ceramic jar - it had all this cool crazing. Also an overlay of lace and a boatload of blending modes.

The problem with Round 2 is all the entries look great so I don't know how the judges are going to make a decision!

Scrapartist Apprentice - on to Round 2!!!!

2006-09-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

Good news - I am among the lucky who make it to round 2! Thanks to everyone who used the freebie kit and left such kind comments. This is turning out to be really fun!

Click HERE for the freebie kit It's weird - it says over 2000 views. It's hard to believe that many people are checking out the kits!

Steinie is a Star

2006-09-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

My artist friend Kathie McCullough who I met thru E-bay just loves Steinway. I think this is his 4th or 5th painting! I own two and they are spectacular.

If you want a painting of your special bunny or kitty, check out Kathie's amazing work.

Freebie Time - LINK REFRESHED

2006-09-08T21:11:00.000-07:00

Took the plunge and am offerin my first freebie. Due to the popularity (yay!) I refreshed the link this Sunday. Click Here to download - leave a comment if you do! And if you use it, leave me a link to your LO so I can leave you some love.

UPDATE: So far 2 people have used this in their LO's & they are fabulous! Check out Rebecca's and Kristins.

My First Alpha

2006-08-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

I really have no ambitions to be a 'designer' but I have been taking the wonderful tutorials at Digiscrapdesigner - well worth the $35 annual fee. Anyway I am playing around w/an alpha featured in the LO below (the rest of the stuff is by Scrapartist's Michele Coleman and Nancy Janitz - I only wish I was that good!). Click on image for full credits or to leave some love.

Anyway I will offer this alpha in some form once it is perfected. Stay tuned!

For the Love of Bunnies

2006-08-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

Bunnies are such gentle souls. Ms. Penelope Rose, my beautiful big white bunny often gets less attention than Steinway but I have been asked to invest in her health and well being via a sizeable vet bill and it made me realize how much I love her. She is the sweetest, most gentle soul and a reassuring presence who shares my bedroom. Thank you Jesus for my beautiful bunny!

I mentioned this situation at DST and this very nice designer gave me a gift certificate to her store - I am always amazed at the thoughtfulness and kindness of the digital scrap community.

Some Nice Things...

2006-08-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

I am very privileged to be a guest CT for Sylvie aka Sausan Designs @ PlainDigitalWrapper.

As someone who is deep into the altered/collage style I can say that her Altered Aristry products are primo artistic materials for the discerning scrapper.

Even if you don't think you're all that artsy, her stuff will confer instant 'cool artist' status to your layout.
I was honored to get named LO of the Day @ the Digichick.

This is the LO I did of my Dad using Jan Crowley's Portobello Road kit. It was really fun to do. I actually got the elements to look three dimensional.
(click image for more)

The last thing is I actually met a fellow digiscrapper 'in real life' - Mary Rose (Dating_Revolutionist) of Digishoptalk and I met at Panera after a class let by some gals who run DigiscrapPlace.com - I hope to get together again w/her and more Columbus Ohio digiscrappers.

She's Baaack

2006-07-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

Lie Fhung has returned from her vacance w/hubby in romantic Paris. She's already got a Paris-inspired kit out called Palais Royale! Looks really super with architectural shots.

Above are my layouts. One is of Versailles (r) and the other is Jardin du Luxembourg (l). Fhung really captured something about old France in this kit. I feel like I'm actually there! She sent me a postcard from Paris and I'm like 'who do I know who would actually be in in Paris'? It took me a minute to realize it was her! I've been to Paris twice but boy I haven't travelled abroad in over 10 years (which is still a privilege I appreciate).

Faery Child

2006-07-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

My latest Hailey LO...I guess I'm just into extractions and blending modes, no matter how much I drool over other people's style. It was fun to play with various shades of silvery green gray. I used funky freebie paper by Sunday Bevacqua (toned way down) who is a new designer at PDW. The kraft type paper was made by me! Yes, I actually designed some paper! More on that later....Click the photo for full credits...

Venting - updated

2006-07-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well thanks to everyone who sent 'hugs' thru the internet. The house is still a mess but I'm over it. At least I have one!

Steinway...

2006-07-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

I am in love with my bunny! He's such a character and is always there when I need him. Being a single Christian w/no hubby or boyfriend, I am subject to bouts of loneliness but as soon as I hug dear Steinie I just feel blessed. God knew I needed him and I appreciate him soooo much!

First LO done w/Jan Crowley's wonderful new Portobello Road kit, which she gave to me (little did she know I was gonna buy it anyay!). Second is done w/commercial overlays by Amy Jo Smith and elements by Maya @ Scrapbookgraphics. The hearts are my own. Deckled frame and paper on lower third by Lie Fhung.

Cheapo Wal Mart Lamps - FIRE HAZARD

2006-07-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

OK, I was sick yesterday and it was really God that I stayed home. I kept hearing this popping slapping noise but couldn't figure out what it was. It seemed to be coming from the back patio and at one point I thought I saw sparks.

I called the fire dept expecting they'd send a plain clothesguy to check it out. A few minutes later I heard sirens, then this humungus fire truck pulls in the back lot and 4 fire guys jump out all dressed to the nines in full fire fighting regalia and weilding axes.

Uh, you guys didn't come here for me, did, ya?

Yep.

They didn't find anything but later that night I heard the sound again and smelled something burning. Sure enough it was this cheapo Walmart light sitting on the dining room table - I jiggled the cord and this big flamey thing shot out and the cord broke in two. I don't even think Steinway (my bunny) chewed on it.

Thank you Jesus for alerting me to this problem. My house and my precious bunny rabbits could have burned down.

Hailey Redux

2006-07-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here she is again....you must know I have over 60 pictures of her as Little Miss Whitehall! The paper printed a blurb naming some other kid as the winner - we got on the newspaper to issue a retraction.

Click picture for credit. I used Iron Orchid Designs 'Sweet n' Trashy' and 'Redemption'. The little wrought iron gate is crafted from their Enamel embellisments.

There's Just Somethin About Mary

2006-07-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

Boy, I slaved over this one. I'm so envious of those scrappers who are masters of cute and intricate element placement so I'm trying to learn more by practicing...hope I pulled it off.

Mary is my friend's granddaughter and she's a total ham...click pic for credits but the main feature is Iron Orchid Design's Sweet n' Trashy paper pack..

Now this is my kind of Pink!

2006-07-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited. I really needed some pink cause I've been taking so many pictures of Hailey and Angel but I really can't stomach icky pastel pinky poo stuff!!!. Luckily IOD just came out w/this fab new paper pack called Sweet n' Trashy. It's pink, but a really cool vintage-shabby pink w/tons of character. It also goes really well w/Nancie Rowe Janitz's Summer Afternoon elements. Nancie has a great paper pack too - a little bolder than the IOD version but just as cool. Both available at Scrapartist!

ScrapbookGraphics Toys

2006-07-04T22:38:00.000-07:00

Well I blew $35 bucks at Scrapbookgraphics. I really wanted that 'Day at the Spa' kit. Turns out my money was well spent.

The LO below is Angel and her uncle Lamar - now he's a goofy kid but I got this shot and it looks totally artsy cool so I paired it up w/Anna Aspnes Esther paper pack which is hypnotically beautiful and full of gorgeous brushwork. I just added a sanded overlay and string! Anna is definitely a must have for artistically minded scrappers.

Here is another Anna Aspness paper from Esther. This is Hailey, the new 'Little Miss Whitehall 2006'. Now Hailey is not at all prissy and she is prone to saying some off the wall things but she's also got a lot of personality and I think she charmed the judges socks off. When it came time for her to join her escort for a walk down the 'runway', she snapped her fingers and pointed to the spot next to her. Girl know's how to train her man already! I was amazed at how beautiful she looked in the photos...she sort of reminds me of the Olsen twins. Anyway she took to her new found fame quite well...

Here's Hailey at her ballet recital. I couldn't get any good shots of the performance - they all came out w/horrible demon eyes but I made up for it afterwords w/a little photo shoot. The little tutu was so cute and she enjoyed hamming it up big time. All the stuff is from the Scrapbookgraphics Day at the Spa kit (yep, this paper is by Anna Aspness too). I'm not a kit person at all but I knew this one was a winner and it's chock full of amazing stuff.

Here's Angel at her first Birthday. She was freaking out cause mom left the room and this is a shot of her and mom (Sabrina) when she came back to comfort her daughter. I loved the wave paper because it echoed the theme of calm and peace. Also from Day at the Spa.

2 Peas Drama births DigishopTalk.com

2006-07-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

Well, there's a new site called www.Digishoptalk.com (DST) - I guess people at 2 Peas got upset cause all their posts mentioning other sites and designers kept getting deleted. So Shannon Beiger started this site and it's really growing like crazy.

One thing I like about DST is they have forums for blog freebies, store announcements and sales. It's like when you get the Sunday paper and you just want to space out an look at all the ad flyers. I enjoy this. And it's better than people trying to promote their stuff in the middle of forums dedicated to conversations between scrappers or constantly battling 2 Peas over TOU violations.

Great work, Shannon and everyone else involved!

OK, Let's Get Real

2006-07-04T20:55:00.000-07:00

Boooohooo...I am really having an identity crisis w/this blog. This is supposed to be my happy upbeat scrapblog but I don't think anyone even reads it. Besides, 'happy and upbeat' is not really 'me'. I am not a perky person at all but I don't want to be all gloomy and morose either.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Well after throwing a fit over how time consuming this blog is I just spent 3 hours adding new stuff to it. My excuse is it helps me learn HTML. Plus it's nice to go to my blog and have all my favorite links right there. Plus it just looks so nice and pretty!

If I ever had time (or spent less time digi-surfing) I would try to create a blog freebie. Now that would be fun....I have never designed anything and it sounds like fun...

ScrapbookGraphics: The Big Reveal

2006-06-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

New designers...

The best talent in the industry...

Can't wait!

Pretty

2006-06-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

Winnie's Wall @ 2 Peas (actual paper) but the colors are really cool...

Groovy Colors

2006-06-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm really digging the latest color schemes out there, pairing earth tones like chocolate brown with melon, aqua and raspberry. Here are two kits I love. Lie Fhung's Resilience Charity Kit and Michelle Coleman's Gypsy Rose from Scrapartist:

Here's a LO I did w/Resilience. Angel my church baby looking all sweet and mysterious:

Cute New Boutique

2006-06-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

CatScrap
Featuring designs by
Syrin, Catrine
and Tyting (Birgit).

It's got a
uniquely Scandinavian style.

Very fun stuff and some great freebies.

Digiscrap Cool Links

2006-06-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

Vintage/Collage Image Resources (free)
StockXChange - great royalty free photo database
Scrapability - Vintage Image Links
University of Florida ETC - Great literary/vintage clipart collection
Iron Orchid Clipart - Cool clipart including an antiquities section
OperaGloves.com - Awesome site (bit off the wall)- vintage/celebrity glam photos
FlickR Collage Images - Intended as place where collage artist can post source photos to share
NYPL Digital Collection - Awesome collection but only free if you right click and save as
Jay Arraich - Some free (not vintage) photos (good for layering) + PS Tutorials
Images of Women of the Past

Vintage/Collage Image Resources (for sale)
E-Bay Search#1
Ebay Search#2
Collage Stuff -CD's w/ephemera images
Miss Mary -Retro/Vintage clipart
Recycled Relatives -Buy a relative for 2 bucks a pop

Altered/Collage/Inspiration

Art-E-Zine -Rad Altered/Collage E-zine - freebie ephemera downloads!
Scrapability - Another Fantastic resource for altered digital/ephemera resources
Basic Grey -Fab papers. Not digital worth checking out just for the color palettes/designs.
Claudine Hellmuth -Claudine Hellmuth - Uber cool collage diva
Hope Wallace/Paper Relics -Another collage divia who does digital

Digital Scrapbook Sites w/Altered/Collage products:
ScrapBookGraphics -by Maya has a great selection - also see her Blog
Scrapartist - Great Altered/Collage Challenges + Designs by Hope Wallace

PS Tutorials
PlanetPhotoshop
Photoshop911
GoodTutorials.com
EScrappers Denis Germain's site
Anna Espnes Digiscrap Tutorials
Scrap Outside the Box Tutorials
Digital Scrapbook Place Tutorials

Digital Rubber Stamp Tutorial

2006-06-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

I did this layout w/Fhung Lie's new Springlets Kit from Ztampf. It has these great vellum journaling blocks w/torn edges that I will use over & over - I am figuring out how to use their torn edges as a 'frame' for other papers, cause the torn edges look really realistic. I did a tutorial on how to do the 'rubber stamp' effect on the bottom right of the layout. Got this cheap PDF maker software on E-Bay and found a free place to host the PDF - all new stuff for me.

Digiscrappin for Newbies:

2006-06-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

I decided to compile a list of links for anyone who is interested in getting into digital scrapbooking.

Not only is digital scrapbooking fun but there are a variety of sites where you can post your pages in galleries and meet all sorts of wonderful people with similar interests. It's a very positive, welcoming online community (warning: digiscrapping is mighty addictive!)

If anyone reads this and has some good resources to add, just leave a comment.

Glossary of Basic Terms

Layout (LO) - term for a digital scrapbook page. The standard size is 12'x12'.

Paper Packs/Elements/Kits - Paper packs are sets of digital 'papers'. Each 'paper' comes as a 12'x12' file that you can paste into your software layout. Elements are digital files with images of bows, ribbons, wordart, staples, and other doodads that you can also use in your LO's. Kits are coordinated sets of papers and elements.

File Types: .JPG's, .PNG's, .ZIP's: .JPGs are standard graphics files. Many elements come as .PNG files. .PNG files are like .JPGs except that the background surrounding the element image is transparent instead of white. Kits, paper packs and elements can be downloaded as a .ZIP file, which you save to your hard drive and right click to extract.

Paypal - Most sites selling digital products use an online payment service called www.paypal.com. This service is also popular with E-bay users. Once you pay for an item with Paypal, Paypal takes care of deducting the money from the banking/credit card account you have specified. The digital site will then allow you to download a .ZIP file with the item you have purchased - very convenient and easy! Some sites sell CD's for dial-up users for whom downloading big files is impractical.

Tutorials

Hummie's World Hummie has a great series of tutorials for Photoshop Elements (but could be used for Photoshop 7/CS series too).

Scrapbook-Bytes is another digital scrapping site that has an extensive selection of tutorials, including software selection and how to do a basic layout using the software you have chosen.

Digiscrappin' with Jen is a great blog designed to help newcomers to the digital scrapping world.

Digital Scrapbook Place Scrapping 101 - DSP has a 'scrapbooking' university with tutorials for beginners - advanced users. This is their intro article, from there you can check out their beginners Tutorials.

Freebies
Freebies are paper packs, elements or kits that are free. Please be aware, however that both pay items and freebies are governed by the designer's Terms of Use (TOU). Most TOU's allow you to use the products for personal use only. In addition, TOU's usually don't allow you to redistribute files (ie. giving them to your friends, Aunt Martha or a Yahoo group). If you want share freebies w/your friends, give them the links to the sites where you downloaded them - this is legal.

OScraps OScraps is a great place and has a friendly forum and lots of great quality freebies in the shop - they now have a tutorials section ranging from beginning to advanced techniques.
Scrapartist (outstanding gallery and quality freebies).
Scrapbook-Bytes you must set up an account (free) and log in first.
Shabby Princess has an awesome selection of free monthly kits.
DigishopTalk is a hoppin' non-commercial site with a great freebies forum. New freebies every day but the 'links' expire quickly so be sure to grab them when you can.
Gaucho Girl Fun items
Ztampf is one of my favorite 'boutiques' and has some really nice free samples.

PRINTING CONSIDERATIONS

Just a note - since most standard LO's are 12x12, this raises the issue of printing. Keep in mind that these LO's can be resized to 8x8 and printed on a standard printer. 8x8 is a standard scrapbook size so albums are readily available. Another option is to use an online service that specializes in scrapbooking, like ScrapbookPhotos. This service offers a variety of square print sizes from 4x4 to 12x12 and the quality is excellent.