When creating a layout, I have been known to grab bits and pieces off templates and move them to a different template to create a look I want. Our team member, Kim (a.k.a MissKim) took this to a new level this past month by actually combining whole templates. Here’s an example:

Supplies used: Templates by Cindy Schneider and Ali Edwards. Kit is Make It Count by Kristin Cronin-Barrow and Lauren Grier. Font is DJB Mary Magpie.

For the layout above, Kim used one of Ali’s templates and one of Cindy’s templates to get accomplish a different look that she loves.

I thought this might be fun to try! I took one of Janet’s templates from “Scrap Your Heart Out 2” and selected all of the layers except the background layer:

With the move tool selected and with the background layer selected in the second template:

I dragged all of the selected layers from the first template by Janet onto the second template by Zinnias and Swallowtails (Sara Gleason). Holding down the shift key while I did this ensured that everything would be centered when I dropped it.  Here’s what it looked like:

Here’s a look at the templates before:

Here’s the result:

Layout by Steph, additional supplies: 12 months: August by Penny Springmann; Title Creator by Anna Forrest; Fontologie Printing Primer font.

I have to say, I’m pretty happy with it and it was fun to mix it up a bit! Now, it’s YOUR turn!

1. Grab TWO templates
2. Put them together and scrap ONE layout
3. Post a link to the layout in the comments and be sure to tell us what templates you used
4. Do all of this by Sunday, September 18th at 10pm ET for a chance to win $10 worth of supplies from one of this months contributors to The Digi Files!

P.S. Michelle VO was the random winner selected from the comments on yesterday’s feature of Little Green Frog. She won $10 in product from Little Green Frog!

Alpha by Kate Hadfield

Awhile back, I posted about scrapping roadblocks and how they prevent us from accomplishing our goals.  The roadblocks I hear about most often from our readers are:

TIME – just not having time to scrap
RULES – not feeling like your layouts are “good enough”
OVERWHELMED – too many photos, too many products.  You name it, you guys feel overwhelmed by it.

Lately, my biggest roadblock is TIME! I own my own business (The Daily Digi), host and produce a weekly podcast (The Digi Show), I am a mom to three kids, a wife, and a myriad of other roles and responsibilities.  I can totally understand not having enough time. When my life gets crazy and I have events coming up, things that need to get done, and deadlines looming, scrapping just isn’t a priority.  But, I have to remind myself WHY I do this:

1) I love it!  It makes me super happy!  It is so therapeutic to me and can quickly cure a bad mood.

2) I love the end result! I love having happy memories that I can live over and over again. I love seeing my family look through layouts and albums.

3) I don’t want to forget and I don’t want those that I love to forget either.

Supplies: template Janet Phillips, “Best Day Ever” by Meghan Mullens, font is Printing Primer Fontologie by Steph

Scrapbooking is important to me and I have to make time for it, even schedule time for it.  I carved out an hour tonight and made a layout I’ve been wanting to make for a couple of weeks.  (Right now, I’m also getting ready to start “Cousin Camp” tomorrow and visiting family.  So, I scrapped and visited with my mom and sisters while they finished putting customized labels on water bottles and cut out a bunch of other goodies for me (THANKS)).  Without the deadline of this post, this layout might not have gotten done so soon.  Do you work better with deadlines? I know I tend to get things done when I give myself a deadline.

Here’s a deadline for you: Sunday, July 24th by 11 pm ET.  Just post a link to the layout that you created for the deadline and enter yourself for your chance to win $10 in product from a contributor to The Digi Files.

THIS challenge is unique because it’s for those that really have a hard time overcoming their roadblocks and actually scrapping.  I don’t want to give any other requirements besides JUST SCRAPPING!  You can do it and you will be happier for it too!

P.S. Julia Spencer is the random winner chosen from Friday’s comments to win a spot in my Album of Awesome workshop!  Congratulations, Julia!  I’ll see you in class!

P.S.S Tamara was the random winner chosen from the comments in yesterday’s feature on creashens and won $10 in product from Shen!

Earlier this week I tweeted that if I didn’t do something creative soon, I might explode.  It had been a pretty stressful week and I hadn’t scrapped in a couple of weeks.  I love to scrap!  Scrapping makes me so happy and it fills my “bucket” when I feel depleted.  I saw the signs and I knew I would need to MAKE time to scrap soon.  Can you relate?

I live to create memories with my family and being able to relive those memories as I scrap them and each time I look through albums, is so fulfilling! I started this layout by picking one of my photo folders and scrolled through it.  I knew I had been dying to scrap with this kit by Sarah Jones that is included in The Digi Files this month, so I started in my summer folders from last year.  I found these photos and knew the bright colors would work well with the colors in Sarah’s kit.  I felt inspired and knew this was the right direction.  I found a template by Nannie’s Designs and started pulling papers and my photos in.

I start by placing my photos first.  Then, I start experimenting with the papers. I clip them to different shapes and put them in different places.  I keep turning off and on papers until I am happy with the look, this is so much fun to me.  Next, I pull in a few elements, but I don’t usually use too many.  Last, I apply my drop shadows.

Now it’s your turn!  Come share with us what you scrapped (post a link) by 9pm ET Tuesday, June 7th and one person will be chosen randomly to win $10 in product from a contributor.  The only rule is that the layout needs to be scrapped and posted in response to this challenge

Just over two months ago, I wrote a post called “Scrapping Roadblocks” where I talked about the roadblocks that sometimes stop us from scrapping. I gave our readers the challenge to scrap and it thrilled me that so many of you took me up on that challenge (some after a long break)!

Today, I want to introduce you to our new “challenge” here at The Daily Digi:

Just Scrap!  Just set aside the time, set aside the roadblocks, and SCRAP!

Where to Start

Start with something that “makes your heart sing” (as I always say on the Digi Show).  If it’s a product, start there.  Maybe it’s a photo or a memory or story.  Whatever you think of or see that makes your heart feel full, start there.

What Next?

Open your favorite scrapping program and get to work! Pull in the photos, the products, a template, whatever you need to get you in a grove.  Save often and if you have to come back, that’s okay, the important thing is that you SCRAP!

Remember, something is better than nothing!

Here’s my layout:

supplies: Papers by Studio Rosey Posey, alpha and doodles by Kate Hadfield, Template by Nanies Designs (TDF29), Title Builder by Anna Forrester, Supply Tracker by SpeedScraps.

When one of our team members announced that she was going on bed rest with her pregnancy, it instantly brought these memories back and I felt an urge to document them, so I did.  Here’s what the journaling says:

When you went in for your transplant, my sisters gave us a few months of Netflix. We were excited to try it and we did more than that! The day we came home from the hospital, I went down on bed rest with my pregnancy at 20 weeks. We would send the kids off to school and watch movies the whole time they were gone.  There just weren’t too many things we could do your first few weeks home, no driving and no public places. Crazy crazy time of life for us! It was filled with lots of emotions (happy, scared, stressed), but these are some of my favorite memories from that time.  It’s also some of my favorite memories from our almost 17 years together. We had a new start with your health and had been given the gift of time! A second chance! What more could anyone want?  We just celebrated your 5th year anniversary of your transplant and we are still Netflix subscribers…going strong, never stopped! Lots of good times!

I’m so happy to finally have this memory documented so I don’t forget!

Now it’s your turn!  Come share with us what you scrapped (post a link) by 9pm ET Saturday, May 14th and one person will be chosen randomly to win $10 in product from a contributor.  The only rule is that the layout needs to be scrapped and posted in response to this challenge

If you’d like to play along, just create a layout of your own using only the items you see below (one item from each of the April Digi Files contributions.) Feel free to recolor or otherwise alter the items, but your page should only include these files. You can also add any fonts you need and small fasteners like staples.

Supplies:
lpritchett-herecomesthesun-glitter2
jlarsen_LS_PP1
hollydesigns_ditf-el3
studioq_sweetgarden_paper1
quirkytwerp_playfulsunshine_polkadotgreen
MissMint_iRock_beads
any template from sgleason_dandelion (Zinnias & Swallowtails)

Here are some layouts to inspire you:

Layout by Katie. Font is Century Gothic

I turned off most of the embellishment layers on this template and then stretched the photo spaces a bit to fill up more of the canvas. I changed the saturation on the polka dot green paper using a slider in the layer adjustment tool to turn the paper gray.

Layout by Jenn Lindsey. Additional credits: Ribbon Happy font

A minimalistic style is pretty much the opposite of my usual scrapping style, but it’s nice to change it up a bit every now and then. Through the use of the template and the minimal amount of elements provided in this challenge, I was able to reign in my usual style a bit to create a layout that was more subdued. Had I not stuck to the provided elements, I would have still felt the urge to cluster and pile on the elements.

Layout by Karen.

I did quite a bit to stretch the supplies for this challenge. I used some of the template “spots” as is, just using the eyedropper and bucket tools to get the color I wanted. To give those “papers” a bit of texture, I then blended the glitter overlay onto the paper. I recolored the beads from Miss Mint and dragged them individually onto the page. I also used the polka dot paper twice, but shrunk it down quite a bit so it had a different look in a new color. Finally, I rasterized the type in the title and added a stroke to get a sticker effect.

We’d love to see what you can do with this challenge! Be sure to leave a link to your layout or project in the comments section of THIS post to be eligible for the gift card drawing. Don’t forget that you can also link to our flickr group if you want to upload your page there. Deadline for entries is 10 P.M. EST on Saturday April 16, 2011. Winner will be announced on Sunday morning (April 17).
_________

The random winner from yesterday’s post is Connie who won $10 in product from Zinnia’s and Swallowtails! Check your email Connie!

Here are the ingredients for this month’s challenge:

Here’s the supply list:
klewis-mywonderland-border
pspring-iam-journaling2-list
sd_Rememberthisday_Paper12
tmonette_springFieldTrip-pp25
WW_EL_paper5
vlim_sweetmemories_epoxyframe-sh
I’m so lucky (in kk_wio_spring folder)

A few pages we’ve created with these challenge “ingredients”:

Layout by Katie. Font is Pea Luv Holly Wood. Background template by Scrapping with Liz (paperback 7).  All I did to recolor the orange paper (in PSE) was to add a new adjustment layer and slide the hue slider to the left until I got the right shade of pink (-38).  I changed the border by clipping the green paper to it. I lowered the opacity on my large background photo to create a paper. I used the word art of “I’m so lucky” to inspire me to write down some of the many things I’m grateful for.

.

Layout by Karen. Fonts are Simple Life and Pea Miss Staker
I wanted this page to be in Christmas colors since the subject was our church’s Advent workshop. I arranged all of the papers and elements the way I wanted them, then used the hue/saturation and vibrance sliders in the Image>Adjustments menu to get the shades I was looking for.

.

Layout by Anne. I did a little recoloring (by going Enhance -> Adjust color -> Adjust hue/saturation in PSE) and did a few changes to the acrylic frame.
I used one of the templates from Good Life / Scrapping with Liz

.

Isn’t it fun to see what can be created with 7 random digi scrap goodies? Now we’d love to see what you can do with this challenge! Use only the ingredients listed, but you can add fonts or use templates to help you with your layout.  Be sure to leave a link to your layout or project in the comments section of THIS post to be eligible for the gift card drawing. Don’t forget that you can also link to our flickr group if you want to upload your page there. Deadline for entries is 10 P.M. EST on Saturday  March 19, 2011. Winners will be announced on Sunday morning.

.

.

Jenn was the random winner chosen from yesterday’s post and won $10 in product from Krisi’s Kreations!  A coupon code was sent!  Check your inbox Jenn!

The Daily Digi team not only wants you to enjoy The Digi Files each month, we want you to get the most out of the great kits you find inside. To help you do that, we host a challenge so you can find new and fun ways to create a great page out of just a few items. If you’d like to play along, just create a layout of your own using only the items you see below (one item from each of the February Digi Files contributions.) Feel free to recolor or otherwise alter the items, but your page should only include these files. You can also add any fonts you need and small fasteners like staples.

File names:
HeatherT-Tendresse-Paper8
sclingerman-chipper-paper5
awall_bemine (15)
wm2_crlo_banner
ange_wa02
MMullens_SocialButterfly_button3
nettiodesigns_thedigifiles-page1 (optional)

Here are a few pages we’ve created with these challenge “ingredients”:

Layout by Katie. I lowered the opacity on the pink paper for my background to make it a lighter shade of pink. I recolored the button and blue patterned paper to better match the pennant. I also enlarged the photo spaces and rearranged a few things on the template.

.

Layout by Melissa S. – She turned off several of the template layers and stretched out the journaling mat to extend to the bottom of the page.

.

We’d love to see what you can do with this challenge! Be sure to leave a link to your layout or project in the comments section of THIS post to be eligible for the gift card drawing. Don’t forget that you can also link to our flickr group if you want to upload your page there. Deadline for entries is 10 P.M. EST on Saturday 19, 2011. Winners will be announced on Sunday morning.

P.S. The random winner selected from yesterday’s post was Jag who won $10 in product from Ashalee Wall!  THANKS so much to all who participated!

This is how we did it:

Here are my 7 ingredients:
TDD_Celebrate_AllisonPennington_Paper (Newspaper)
TDD_Celebrate_awolff_bg2
TDD_Celebrate_EvaKipler_staple
TDD_Celebrate_JLabre_Matt
tdd_celebrate_mkc_blue_bow
TDD_Celebrate_PODD_multiphoto frame
TDD_celebrate_daniellee_flowerredblue
Ali’s hand font

(I also made this into a quick page that was given to those who have purchased this month’s Digi Game with playbook)

.

Layout by Lauren. Here are the 7 ingredients she chose:
TDD_Celebrate_SSA_paper1
tdd_celebrate_mkc_greenpaper
TDD_Celebrate_AllisonPennington_Frame (Double_Blue)
TDD_Celebrate_awolff_journallines
TDD_Celebrate_VickiStegall_WA_LoveU
TDD_Celebrate_Flergs_Branch
TDD_celebrate_daniellee_journalcalendar
font: djb poppyseed

.

Layout by Jenn.  Here’s her 7 ingredients:
TDD_Celebrate_PODD_multiphotoframe.png
TDD_Celebrate_Flergs_Branch.PNG
TDD_Celebrate_awolff_bg3.jpg
TDD_Celebrate_JLabre_SPCream.jpg
TDD_Celebrate_Cheeky_staple.png
TDD_Celebrate_AllisonPennington_ThoughtBubble(Cloud).png
TDD_Celebrate_EvaKipler_glitter_bubblewrap2.png
Typewriter Scribbled and CK Becky fonts

.

This collection contains:

226 ELEMENTS
76 PAPERS
1 ABR BRUSH SET
5 ALPHAS
2 LAYERED TEMPLATES
1 SCRAPIT LAYOUT ACTION

all for only $5.00! The hardest thing about this challenge will be picking only 7 items to use! We would love to see what you come up with. Be sure to leave a link to your layout or project in the comments section of THIS post to be eligible for the gift card drawing. Don’t forget that you can also link to our flickr group if you want to upload your page there. Deadline for entries is 10 P.M. EST on Saturday January 22, 2011. The winner will be announced on Sunday morning.

Team member Tara here with this month’s From the Files challenge. I have to be honest, pulling together the items for a “From the Files” challenge is a lot harder than you would think. When I scrap I either “kit scrap” or mostly “DIY scrap” where I pull element from all my digital product. So I thought piece of cake! Well, I was wrong, two attempts and about 6 hours later I finally picked my elements. I’ll be honest when the last element was chosen I could imagine my layout in my head, how I could work these together. None of the items I chose originally are in the final selection either. So here are my choices for December’s From the Files Challenge, I challenge you to join in on the fun with me. Here are the ingredients to use with this month’s challenge:

Files:
kcroninbarrow-ilovecocoa-pp4.jpg
kwiniecki_neverending_paper01.jpg
jkneipp_123_countonme_journaltag3.png
lbanasiak_makechange_pp13.jpg
ehs_mnn_el_flower1.png
klund_sbd_bowblack2.png
clivesay_circleoffun_3.psd
template is optional

If you’d like to play along, just create a layout of your own using only the items you see below (one item from each of the December Digi Files contributions.) Feel free to recolor or otherwise alter the items, but your page should only include these files. You can also add any fonts you need and small fasteners like staples.

.

For my layout, I had in mind a photo free layout in mind, and once I had all my final items selected I worked with the temple flipping it and creating a separate background layer to make the red border. I journaled about a few things I remember about my Dad.

.

Lauren’s layout is wonderful, I love her style and it amazes me how each of us put the elements to different uses. Here I love the cut outs she uses on her page and how it pop’s the bold patterned paper without overwhelming the layout.

.

Katie’s layout was another fantastic way to use a template in another way, I also love that she used the grid patterned paper as her background. Sometimes I tend to shy away from bold papers for background but it looks wonderful in her layout and I will have to play with that option myself a little more.

fonts are traveling typewriter and DJB Tracy Script

.

Trina’s layout was fantastic, I love how she desaturated the red patterned paper and blended it with the white one, I love how this turned out.

Font – CK Bella

.

We’d love to see what you can do with this challenge! Be sure to leave a link to your layout or project in the comments section of THIS post to be eligible for the gift card drawing. Don’t forget that you can also link to our flickr group if you want to upload your page there. Deadline for entries is 10 P.M. EST on Saturday December 18, 2010. Winners will be announced on Sunday morning.

P.S. Ana is the random winner chosen from the comments in yesterday’s post about Miss Kim!  She won $10 in product from Kim!

The Daily Digi team not only wants you to enjoy The Digi Files each month, we want you to get the most out of the great kits you find inside. To help you do that, we host a challenge so you can find new and fun ways to create a great page out of just a few items. If you’d like to play along, just create a layout of your own using only the items you see below (one item from each of the November Digi Files contributions.) Feel free to recolor or otherwise alter the items, but your page should only include these files. You can also add any fonts you need and small fasteners like staples.

File names:
Paper 10 by Kat
mmareda_zoie_bg15
Jazzmin_IGCO_8
sc_spontaneous_element16 (shadowed or non-shadowed version)
JennCk_Aether_Scatter2
GeekChic_Twinkle_aquagem
any layered template from Jenn Lindsey’s template blends set

.

Here are a few pages from our team:

Layout by Jenn.L. Additional Credits: CK Constitution and Cool Dots fonts

.

Layout by Tara

.

Layout by Karen.

I recolored the papers and sequins a few times for variety and deleted just a few layers from the template. I also used a font (Myriad Pro) to make a title by adding a stroke to the type after rasterizing the layer.

.

Layout by Anne.

I layered the brown paper on top of the dotted one to make it a little bit darker in color, using the DIFFERENCE mode and lowering the opacity to 63. I also cut out a circle in the paper using one of the circles in the template. I chose the circle layer, used the magic wand to select it, chose the below paper and hit delete to make the cut, then I deleted the circle tag.

.

We’d love to see what you can do with this challenge! Be sure to leave a link to your layout or project in the comments section of THIS post to be eligible for the gift card drawing. Don’t forget that you can also link to our flickr group if you want to upload your page there. Deadline for entries is 10 P.M. EST on Saturday November 20, 2010. Winners will be announced on Sunday morning.

P.S. Sarah was the radom winner from the comments yesterday on the Jenn Ck Designs feature.  She won $10 in product from Jenn!  Congratulations!!