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March 2008

March 31, 2008

another manic Monday . . .

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Happy Monday everyone!!! Sara here today to give you another bloggity challenge!!! This week's challenge is going to be using a sketch. I had planned on giving you one that I had made, but my scanner was not cooperating!! So, I did a search online for "scrapbook sketches" and found a wonderful site with some amazing, free designs. I am not sure if I can legally post the image here, so I'm not going to, but will link you up instead!! Oh, be sure to leave some love in the comments section!! Okay, here it is -

My Scrapbook Sketches

I just loved this one, because there's a place for more than one photo if you want it AND there is a place for journaling!! And journaling leads me to the requirements for this week's layout!!

You must use products from Jen {not ALL of the products have to be Jen's though - she's cool like that!!!}, at least 3 different papers {think stripes, polka dots, and a solid!!}, an electical/whimsical title {lots of fonts, alphas, doo dads!}, and JOURNALING!!! Lots and lots of journaling {okay, maybe not that much, but you get the idea!!} That's it!

Make it fun, make it funky, grunge it up, and have a good time. I know my layouts seriously lack journaling, so this is going to be a fun challenge for me. When I finish it up, I will post my layout here {and maybe some from the rest of the CT!!}

Of course, you have until 11:59PM CST {midnight!} on Sunday, April 6th to post your layout in the JWD Gallery AND link us up here on the blog {I think a few of you forgot that last week - no biggie!}

So go have fun and delve into your memories for some creative journaling! I honestly can't wait to see what you amazing scrappers come up with this week!!! See you next Monday!!

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psssst . . . we have a winner from last week's challenge {had to take care of some technical difficulties first!} The winner is heidicapatos and her scraplifted layout is BEAUTFIL!! Totally springy and lots of amazing color!! Congrats Heidi!!

March 29, 2008

Highlighted Scrapper

Member Morning ladies! I hope all of you have gotten over your Easter candy hangovers, and are back in the swing of things.

So since Jen and the CT want this blog to be for you AND about you, we've decided that we'll highlight non-CT scrappers every other week or so. We'll choose someone who has posted layouts in the gallery, been active on the forums, etc. and write up a little bio on them so we can all get to know them better.

For our first scrapper, I've chosen the one and only Danielle (AKA danielle_d). Her pages are amazing you'd be hard-pressed to find even one that I haven't added to my Favorites over at the site. And, my gosh, do I envy the speed with which she scraps. She posts two or three layouts a DAY sometimes, while I'm lucky to finish one layout in two or three days. LOL! I seriously don't know how she does it.

So this week, I sat down with her (not really... I'm not even sure where she lives. LOL!) and asked her a few questions. Some are about scrapping... some, um, not so much. LOL! So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and read about this woman with the amazing talent.

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Have you SEEN this girl's layouts?!?! Oh my gosh! They're AMAZING! Here are a few examples, but go check out her entire gallery for TONS of eye candy and inspiration. (And make sure to leave her some love while you're there!)

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March 28, 2008

Layout of the Week

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hi all!  lisa here with the new layout of the week!  i'll just get right to it and tell you that this layout by LolaLovesLife jumped at me from the gallery.
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i love the way she highlighted her Easter weekend and then labeled and described each photo.
you can go here to leave a comment on this fabulous layout!
congratulations LolaLovesLife!  you just won a $5 gift certificate to jen's store!

March 27, 2008

Trendy Thursday with Tay

Let's talk photo mats. They're a scrapper staple and boy are they HOT right now! And not just any old mat will do. Funky, chunky shapes with scallops and scrolls are the current must-have so you can imagine my excitement when Jen posted her new Easy Proofs templates!

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I love that in each template, Jen has provided us with a gorgeously grunged mat that is ready to use as-is or can be overlaid with any paper without loosing the depth of the slightly lifted and curled edges, thanks to a separate shadow layer. Her mat is a totally unique shape with multiple photo blocks - a new twist on the current trend! The thick appearance of the mat, coupled with its curvy shape, is a breath of fresh air for scrappers who are tired of being limited to circles and squares. Even better is the fact that mats add enough visual interest that you don't have to pile gobs of embellishments on your layout to draw the eye in. This means you'll be able to scrap stunning pages without spending a lot of time layering and recoloring extra elements which is why I think mats are here to stay!

Want to see more? Check out the Gallery to see layouts using the new templates. Be sure to upload yours when it's done, you trendy gal!

Gotta have the templates now? Here's Easy Proof #2 and Easy Proof #3, just released! 

March 26, 2008

Easy as 1, 2, 3!!!

It's that time again and this week I'm pleased to post the first design in a new product line called "Easy Proofs".  Templates that are perfect for helping you organize all your photos in a fun yet sophiscated way!!!  Simply use your photos and the easy to use template and any scrapbooking supplies you love and you'll have an amazing layout in no time!!! 

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This particular design comes with separate text layers, option grungy grid layer and 12 spaces for photos!! Treat them like I did with 12 different photos OR come up with your
own way of using it!!

Here you can see an example created by Teresa!!! I love how she used one photo in all the spaces, added extra grunge and extra elements!! I love the way the bright colours pop against the dark background!!!

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I challenge you to use the Easy Proof Template and post in the JWD gallery.  I can't wait to see how you all use it!!! Two lucky posters will earn the rest of the product line!!!  Happy Wednesday!




Is It Still Tuesday?

Well, it is here in Southern California, and since I haven't sung yet I guess it's not over, right?  Is anyone up for another free template?  Does that sound alright to you?  Here is this week's template and coupon code.  Post your layout link here and you might win a $5 gift certificate to Jen Wilson Designs! 

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Congratulations go out to joelsgirl!  Her loverly layout, Lucky, is last weeks Challenge winner!  Not only did she rock the template, but she used Jen's Creative Fortune kit beautifully!  Enjoy your shopping, girl!

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March 25, 2008

Sent from the Mothership: Essay #1

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Hello gang! It's Allison, affectionately referred to as "Alien" for reasons I'm not going to get into right now, but NONE of which have anything to do with UFO's, science-fiction, or extra-terrestrials. At some point, I'll explain all of it (and it's not even remotely interesting or creative), but for now, let's move on to what I came here for.

I've been on Jen's team for almost a year now. I'm still convinced that the only reason I'm even on her team is because the rest of them figured I'd be an easy target to make fun of and laugh about behind my back. So they get a few laughs at my expense and I get to scrap with Jen's awesome designs. See? We all win. <grins>

So with that being said, I decided to embrace my role of "Team Idiot" and write a silly little post just to (hopefully) make you laugh a little. During my one-hour commute to work this morning, I made the long, boring ride a little less painful by compiling a Top 10 List. And this, my friends, was the result. Enjoy!

10 Signs You May Be Scrapping Too Much...

1. You buy and dress yourself and your children in similar colored clothing so that you already have your basic color pallette when you go to scrap the photos later.

2. You can look at the color of a shirt or dress in real life and immediately match it up to a specific piece of digital paper in your stash that is the exact same color.

3. While snapping photos, you're thinking to yourself, "Oh my god, these will look PERFECT with the Vinnie paper pack from Jen's Laundry Line!!" (And you're damn excited about it.)

4. You stay up until midnight the night before a designer's new release is due out because there's that little part of you that hopes that maybe the designer set up the store so that the new release is automatically there at midnight EST on that date.

5. You go out in search of very specific photo opportunities, and take pictures of things you normally wouldn't, just so you can use a particular element, paper or journaling card that you just love that's in your stash, but that you haven't had the right photos for yet. (Chicken wire anyone?)

6. You start skipping social events and ditching important functions and obligations because you don't want to miss out on a designer's chat or challenge that night.

7. You study (closely) the shadows of random people and objects in real life, wherever you go, just so you can perfectly recreate those shadows in Photoshop when you're back at your computer. (Am I the only one that does this? I really do need to get over this obsession with drop shadows. It's getting a little weird.)

8. You start using scrapping terms in place of the correct words in real life situations without thinking about it...

"Hey hon, can you crop the kids' chicken up for them while I get them their drinks?"

"Hey, can you do me a favor and clone those documents so I can drop them in the mail tomorrow?"

9. When talking about the people in your life, more of them have online user names (and you don't know their real names) than have actual, real live birth names given to them by their parents.

"Oh hon, Skraprbabe said the funniest thing today!"

"You should see the cool new camera that momto4kids got! It's to DIE for!"

10. You look in the mirror in the morning and notice a large zit on your face. For a few fuzzy moments, the line between real life and the scrapping world blurs, and in a still half-asleep stupor, you casually reach for your handy dandy Spot Healing Brush to zap that sucker away before you leave for work.

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If you've found yourself guilty of any of the above items, you may want to re-evaluate your life. And if you're like me er... [ahem], those other people that have found themselves guilty of all 10, then you really need to take a day and just spend it outside or something. Because those people are weird. Yup. They sure are...

March 24, 2008

It's Spring {almost!}

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Hi y'all!!! Greetings from sunny Florida {okay, sunny, but really cold!!} Sara here and I have a new challenge for you this week!! I was trying to decided just what I wanted to do - a scraplift, a springy layout, a scraplift, a . . . - well, you get the idea. Sooo, I decided that I would throw a scraplift challenge out there for you - but with a springtime twist!!! I went searching through the JWD Gallery last night and today, and there are some beautiful layouts there ladies!! Stunning, actually. I finally found one that I absolutely loved and thought would be perfect for you all to scraplift - here it is:

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To be loved by danielle d

You can find her layout HERE to leave her some love!!

Now, the twist - you must lift this layout AND create a springy one for yourself! Jen has lots of fun, springtime kits, papers, and elements in the shop to help you do just that!! Some of my favorites are anything from the Sprng Decor Collection, her new Easter Morning blog bonus, and there are some really nice ones in the Seasonal Scraps line as well. So, look around for some inspiration, get out those Easter pictures {or spring ones from last year if you still have snow on the ground where you are!} and get scrappin'! Post your layout in the JWD Gallery {or somewhere else if you want!} and link us up here in the comment section before Sunday, March 30th at 11:59PM EST, and someone will win a nice little goodie!!!!!

And for some CT inspiration for you, check out Teresa's beautiful take on the challenge:

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Kick Back and Relax

You can click the title for full credits. The photo is of fellow CT Allison's {alienhard} daughter. Such an awesome photo and layout!!!

Hope you have to a great week - oh, and check back tomorrow for April's new Template Challenge!!!!

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March 22, 2008

Easter Blog Bonus...

As mentioned here is the special "guilt-free" treat for all you blog readers!!! Enter code  easterblogbonus2008 at checkout and you'll get this  FANTASTIC mini kit FREE!!!

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Please note the code is only valid until 11:59pm EST Sunday!!

Easter Treat!

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