August 2011 – The Daily Digi

August 31, 2011November 27, 2013

It’s That Time Again and SEVEN Will Win

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When you become a member of The Digi Game, for ony $7.50 a month you get over $50 worth of high quality products from seven different designers each month. You also get the Playbook, an interactive ebook with layouts, tips, tricks, links to other resources, and a video tutorial showing you ways you can use the supplies! We also upload bonus gifts for our members each month, just a little surprise as our way of saying THANKS! When you subscribe to the annual membership, you get TWELVE months for the price of eleven! That makes it less than $7 per month! Here’s a close look at everything included during August:

Designs by Kat: Pictures that Tickle the Designer In Me

The Tattered Pear: An Instant Connection

Meredith Cardall Designs: She Choked On a Blue Adhesive Tab

Kelleigh Ratzlaff: My Blog is My Dumping Ground

After Five Designs: Scrapping Should Be Fun!

mle Card: Sewing A Straight Line

Studio Basic: Let Your Emotions Flow to Your Mouse

These products are only available until the end of today and then they go into the designers’ stores at full retail value.

This month the Playbook includes tips and techniques on:
Actions
Effects
Hybrid (tutorial)
Journaling
Layout Design
Scrapping Outside the Box
Templates
Time Savers

And if all of that weren’t well worth the value, The Digi Game members also get access to exclusive kits every four months they are subscribed AND a bonus kit just for joining!

Story of Everyday Life is the first the exclusive kit that Digi Game members get access upon subscribing:

Good Life is the 2nd exclusive kit that members get after 4 active months:

My Journey, My Life is the 3rd exclusive kit that Digi Game members get after 8 active months:

preview

We will have a brand new kit that will start going out to our members that have been active for 12 months tomorrow (and I LOVE, LOVE this kit).

NOW…for the FUN part! Leave us a comment sharing one thing you enjoyed about The Daily Digi during August! We will randomly select SEVEN people from the comments below to win $10 in product from one of this month’s contributors.

August 30, 2011November 27, 2013

Play it Again with Phone Photos

I (Katie) am so excited to bring you another round of “Play it Again” and share with you many different ways to digi scrap the same memory. We love showcasing the many different ways to scrap the same memory and we think it has helped our community realize that there is no “right” or “wrong” way to digi scrap.

THE INSTRUCTIONS:

This time, the assignment was to use 8 random photos taken with my iPhone camera. I asked some of the best scrappers in digi land to put together a layout with these photos (they had to use all of them) and my journaling. Everything else was up to them. I had a few of the scrappers tell me that this was the hardest “play it again” challenge yet!

THE JOURNALING:

Journaling: Summer of 2011 might also be referred to as “iPhone Photography Season” since that’s the camera I’ve had with me the most. I’ve snapped pictures of our evening around the firepit, a miniature golf expedition, a road trip to Logan, and garden harvests. I’ve been able to capture dirt-caked shoes when they returned from camp, scenes from the Shakespeare Festival, and my kids relaxing on long summer days. These might not be prizewinning photos, but they are all moments I would have never caught without my trusty iPhone camera.

THE RESULTS:

I’m crazy about that iPhone embellishment and I love all the blue frames on this fun page. The scatters and ribbons in the background really add a nice finishing touch to this layout. Oh, and I just love that mini book with the journaling on it!

Layout by Tracy Ducar. Gallery link. Credits: Smart Chic by Julie Billingsley, Fonts-DJB Webster by Darcy Baldwin & Clementine Sketch

The font on this layout is just awesome, I’m going to need to download it ASAP! I love the clean look of the photos with the color blocked squares – they remind me of paint chip strips. I like how she used only portions of the iPhone photos with some creative cropping. The subtle colored stripes on the edge of the page add just the right finishing touch. Fun page!

Layout by Tiff Landry. Gallery link. Credits: Froggy’s Cardstock by Gina Miller, Plaid Addict 3 by Rachel Young, Paint Swatch Templates and Vintage Vogue Elements by Sahlin Studio, Sprinkles V3 by Valorie Wibbens, Summer Minimalist by Fruitloop Sally, Photoactions by My Four Hens Photography, Font: Pea Nic Script

This delightful page captures the fun feeling of our summer with the cute embellishments. I would have never thought to add in those special touches, but I love how they add to the theme of the page! Great use of a bold patterned paper in the background paired with some nice clean white space for the journaling.

Layout by Beth (kewl-jive). Gallery link. Credits: Everything from On a Sunny day by Kristin Aagard

I’m loving the alpha on this page, it adds such a great look! Fabulous layering of papers and embellishments and the cluster along the bottom of the photos is fantastic!

Layout by Britanee (britaneejean). Gallery link. Credits: A list of all supplies used- Unique by Designs by Kat & Say It With Ink Alpha by Captivated Visions. Font is Elizabeth Skinny

The flowers on the edge of this layout make me so happy! I love the look of the tilted paper layers and I think the use of multiple types of frames is especially clever!

Layout by Jenn Lindsey. Gallery link. Credits: Captured by MScraps, Botanical Garden Vol. 1 by Redju, Field Trip by Sahlin Studio, Traveling Typewriter font

I love to play along with these challenges as well! I had a hard time finding a template for these photos that had 8 spaces, so I used a 9 photo template and filled the middle spot with paper and a piece of word art. When I have a variety of colors going in a lot of different photos, I try to pick one predominant color to use for my paper choice. Green jumped out at me from several of the pictures so I used that as a backdrop. I had fun with the multi-colored banner and I think it’s a good way to play off some of the other colors in the photos.

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Layout by Katie. Gallery Link. Shabby Shoppe Ad Challenge template, Weeds & Wildflowers/Cinzia Designs Everyday Life #3, The Typewriter font by Heather Hess

Isn’t it amazing to see how the same memory can be presented in so many different ways? Every scrapbook artist puts a unique spin on the pages they create, even when using the same photo and the same topic.

Take a minute to explore each layout again and think about which one you prefer. Think about why that one stands out to you and what you like about it. It’s a great exercise to help you learn about yourself as a scrapper and your own preferred style. It also might help you explore some new styles that you haven’t tried before. Its perfectly OK to use several different styles and methods in your own scrapbooking – I do it all the time! When you get ready to work on your next layout, take some time to think about all the ways you could play with that memory and have some fun!

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August 29, 2011May 19, 2014

Are YOU in the Picture?

If you listened to episode 4 of The Digi Show, you will know that I (Katie) had a good friend suddenly pass away in July. She was much too young to go, and it’s been hard to deal with the loss. When I went to her funeral, I watched the slide show of pictures that a relative had put together and I could almost hear her criticizing herself for how she looked. I couldn’t help but think to myself that no one she left behind was thinking anything negative about those photos. We all just wanted to see her. Those pictures are a treasure for her sweet family! It was a real wake-up call to me. I realized that it doesn’t matter if I don’t think the photos of me are the “best” ones, they are the memories that will matter to my loved ones right now, and also after I’m gone. I have been very reluctant to get in front of the camera the last few years, so I’m going to try harder to get myself in the picture more often. I’m going to remember how important it was to see those pictures of my friend, and that my own friends and family will want captured memories of me as well.

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Steph

A series of events over the past year have really helped me “get over myself” as Katie would say, and be sure I am in the photos:
1) We went on a trip as a family (I don’t even remember which trip now) and as I looked through the photos, I realized there were only a couple of me. I thought to myself, “Someday, my kids are going to wonder if I was even there. Someday, when my mind is gone, *I* might wonder if I was there!”
2) I had a friend pass away last fall unexpectedly. She left behind four young kids, the youngest was 2. As I watched the slide show at the funeral, there were so many pictures of her. Pictures of her with her kids, with friends, with cousins and aunts, uncles…on and on. I wondered if my kids would have that legacy if something similar happened to me.
3) Katie shared a similar experience on she had this summer with a friend on The Digi Show.
As I talked to my husband and kids about that last event and Katie’s story, things clicked for them as well. They have started taking the camera from me and taking pictures of me. Sometimes, I feel like I am being followed by the paparazzi, but I don’t worry anymore about where the camera is and what I might look like. After all, isn’t that what we want the people we are photographing to do?

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Lauren

I’m RARELY if ever in photos. One way I’ve been trying to “get in the picture” is by messing around w/ the photo apps on my ipad. My kids and I will goof around and take tons of weirdo pics… it’s so much fun AND there will actually be proof that I existed! BONUS!

Kimberly

Like many moms out there, there are lots of photos of my kids, a few of my husband and pretty much none of me. I decided this year I would change that. I signed up for the 52 Week Project (www.52weekproject.com) and have been religiously taking a slf portrait each week. I find that since I’ve sarted this project I’ve also started scrapping about myself more.

Anne

I don’t like my picture taken, but I try to be more in it since I know my kid would want photos of me when he gets older. I got a remote for my birthday and have just started playing with it, I see more photos in the future Cheesy (please disregard all the mess around me, I forgot to tidy up. LOL.).

Tara

I always try and get in the photo… self timer, holding the arm out, passing it off. I’ve also made a point in going and having our family photos done each year.
As a photographer I constantly am reassuring the Moms, and I use myself as an example. Looking back at my photos growing up there are hardly any of my mom cause she hated being in the photos. My Dad was always the photographer growing up and he passed away suddenly when I was 19 and my sister was only 12. The photos of us with him mean so much to us and we have 1 family photo. Just 1 in my Aunt’s kitchen on Christmas. I purposely capture my Mom with my boys every chance I get because of this. That’s why we make sure we get in the photos.

Heddy

I’m the camera person in my family, so I’m usually behind every shot. Our daughter is now school-age though and from time to time I am able to hand her our point-and-shoot camera and she takes photos, which is nice! (And she LOVES to do it!)
For this photo, I used my camera on a tripod, with a remote trigger. (If you have a dSLR, a remote trigger is an excellent buy!)

In the Garden collab by T for Me Designs and Sugary Fancy Sunny Summer Holidays template by Little Moments

For this photo, I shot my reflection in a mirror.

I Am Craft by Deca Designs Joyful Heart template by Busy Bee Designs

Kim

Besides photos I snap on my camera phone (love being able to switch the camera on my iphone to take self-portraits easily!), I find that most photos of me are taken while I’m cooking. I’m not sure if it’s because when I’m cooking, I can’t have a camera in my hand or if I just cook a lot, but when I went to create an about me layout, all the photos I found were me in the kitchen. Seemed like that was worthy of a layout…

Kit is Close To My Heart by Zoe Pearn. Fonts are PMN Caecelia, SNF So Sweet and DJB Mrs Webster. Paper stacking template by Jacque Bernarndo.

Trina

I have a hard time getting in the pictures too. We got our family pictures done professionally in October and I’ve scrapped those a couple times. I have been asking/demanding that dh take my photo (alone and with others) more as I have 6,500 pictures from 2010, and I’m in about 10 of them.

Whispers of a Heart kit - Litabells Designs Lizzy Freebie - Crystal Livesay Font - Century Gothic Photo by Nichole Drevenak Photography

Thankful for You - Jenn Barrette and Zoe Pearn Lickety Split: Rocky Road - Tiny Toes Designs Photo by Nichole Drevenak Photography

Credits: Good Mother by Jenn Barrette Make the Time Templates - Connie Prince Font - Century Gothic

Credits: Take Note - Jenn Barrette and Kristin Cronin-Barrow Angie'licious 4 - ChrissyW Get Real Shadows - Jenn Barrette

Credits: Sorbet kit - Litabells One Pic Wonders Vol. 1 - geniaBeana Font - Pea Amy*Rica Script

Melissa

Well, I haven’t scrapped any of these photos yet, but since my cancer diagnosis, I’ve been much more deliberate about being in photos despite the fact that I am not looking my best. I keep thinking that while I want to remember all the words/phrases/things they do, when my kids are adults, they’re going to want to see their parents and how our family interacted and not necessarily just 1,000’s of cute photos of themselves.

I love seeing photos of all these amazing ladies! They all inspire me so much and I appreciate them sharing these beautiful photos with all of us here. It takes effort (and courage) to get in front of the camera, but if we can do it, so can you! Make sure that YOU are in the picture!

katie big

August 28, 2011November 27, 2013

Link with love

Kal Barteski is an artist who has started a Link with Love initiative that it so important to share with others. She explains: “I’m asking you – as the best parts of the internet – to help change the way we treat art. I’m asking you to share information. To educate. To LEAD. To be conscious as you surf and pin and tweet and flutter about on the world wide web. Give credit. Keep links. I’m asking you – not to do this because it’s RIGHT – but to do this BECAUSE IT PROTECTS THE SPIRIT OF PASSION. The heart of art.The very reason we make things.

I can’t do this by myself. There is more information here. We are just starting to build a site and add content. Visit linkwithlove.org to get a badge that you can post on your own blog or site that shows the internet YOU RESPECT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. That you LINK WITH LOVE.”

We always link with love here at The Daily Digi. We give credit to those whose ideas inspire us, and always link layout and product images to their original source. It’s the right thing to do, and we love to share all the wonderful resources we learn from. We hope you will also embrace the mission of the Link with Love initiative and give credit when you share online.

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August 27, 2011March 21, 2014

Digi Scrapping Memorabilia

When someone finds out I (Katie) am a digital scrapbooker, they usually ask me “what do you do with all the papers and memorabilia?” It’s a good question because we all end up with a lot of pieces of paper and life tidbits that we want to save. This was a problem even back in my paper scrapping days. I decided to keep only the papers, certificates, and pieces of art that showcased my kids personality and I put them all in a few big pocket pages each year. I thought it was a pretty good approach, but it sure did make their albums bulky and awkward. Now that I’m fully digital, I have found a few different ways to manage these materials.

I’ve come up with 2 solutions that have worked well.

The box on the shelf. I bought 4 storage boxes from IKEA and each person in our family gets a box. I keep them on a closet shelf. Each time someone gets something they want to keep like an award, a letter, a birthday card, etc. It goes into the box. About once a year I pull down the boxes and we all reminisce as we look through them. None of our boxes are close to full and if they started to get that way it would probably be a good time to re-evaluate what we are keeping. This is a simple approach and it works. Someday I hope my kids will be able to take their boxes with them to store in their own homes once they are good and settled down. For now, I’m happy to be the keeper of the boxes as long as they want me to.

2. Scan and scrap! Not everything belongs in the box. I try to photograph projects as we do them, or scan works of art and include them in my children’s albums when possible. Sometimes the hard copy goes in their keepsake box, sometimes it is just thrown away after I scan it. Some stuff just gets thrown away. I don’t even feel guilty about this. If I kept every piece of paper and memento that came through our doors, we would be buried in it. I do have a fondness for school and vacation memorabilia though because those items really help tell the story.

I especially love digital bulletin board style layouts for displaying these types of items. You can resize, layer, and add as many pieces as you want to and your page stays as thin as a photo. This is where shadowing can really make a difference. Here’s a layout using items from my son’s 2nd grade year. He attended public school back then. I didn’t worry about making the school name visible because we have moved from that area, but generally you should be very careful about posting the name of the school your kids attend or any other identifying information. Keep them safe!

The bulletin board is my creation and it will be a free bonus gift in the upcoming September Playbook. Yay! The thumbtacks are from Maya’s High School Kit at Scrapbook Graphics.

Tips from the team:

Lauren said “One thing we’ve done w/ the kids is to have them HOLD or STAND BY an art work that we don’t plan on saving for whatever reason. It’s such a fun memory to see not only the project, but how old they were when they made it!”
Tara shares “I have photographed it, scanned, and just plain old popped it in a page protector and right in the album. I do the last one the most with Project Life now.
Wendy said “I have a box it all goes into. If I have something special, I scan it. But, I would love to get a setup with a stationary camera that I can just photograph it all laying flat.
I am also planning on painting the kids rooms with that magnetic primer so they can hang their artwork in their rooms easier.”

Here are some other layouts that use memorabilia in an inspiring way!

(All images are linked for credits)

I love all the vintage memorabilia included on this page!

Adding ticket stubs and other travel items to a page helps you tell a more complete and interesting story.

Including artwork and crafty creations on a layout will make them into treasured keepsakes for years to come.

Memorabilia can add a wonderful and artistic feeling to the layout. I love the layering of the items on this page!

Pieces of memorabilia can be used as actual journaling on the layout.

Some great resources to help you digi scrap memorabilia:

Scan It! by Janet
Ideas for memorabilia to scrapbook + scanning how-to by Pattie Knox
Scrapbooking travel: 5 tips for collecting and including memorabilia on your pages by Tammy Dailor

Now go dig out those ticket stubs, postcards, and pieces of memorabilia to add to your next digi page!

katie big

August 26, 2011November 27, 2013

Isn’t it Funtastic?

After finishing up our first week of back to (home)school, I (Katie) am more than ready for a Funtastic Friday full of shopping and scrapping! Good thing there are so many great new finds and deals to share with you today!

Yin has an amazing album deal for only $5.00!

New from Laura Banasiak this week: Back in Session! 20% off exclusively at Scrap Orchard. You’ll also receive a four pack of name tags with the purchase of the kit!

Iara of Studio Baers Garten has a beautiful new collection on sale this week

Pamela Donnis at Keeping Life Creative has some free printables and instructions for creating a fun back-to-school hybrid project

Purchase for $7 or more by products of Sabrina’s Creations and receive Clean and Simple n°11 for free.

Jennifer Labre has this fabulous new school kit out today and it’s 20% off through the weekend! Make sure and check out the coordinating Notebook alpha too!

Suzy Q Scraps has a video tutorial showing how to fit pictures inside various digital scrapbook frames, including clustered & pre-shadowed frames.

Studio Basic has a fun new Life is Sweet collection on sale!

Nanie’s Designs has got these brand new big photo templates, 20 % off this week. So fun to work with and the finished layouts are always stunning! Sassy Starters The Big Picture Volume 1 is also in store.

Kate Hadfield has a fun new sleepover themed collab with Eva Kipler called ‘PJ Party’ and it will be 20% off Friday – Sunday.

Quirky Twerp has a new collection in her shop called Happy Day. It’s available in a scrapbook kit, a paper pack and a tag pack. And, just for you, an adorable coordinating Happy Day freebie on her Quirky Twerp Blog.

Are you ready for some football?! Danielle Young has this cool new football-themed kit at Oscraps. Enter coupon code: RUready to get the coordinating quick page set for FREE with purchase of the kit! (Be sure to add both items to your cart and checkout before August 31st)

Julianna Kneipp has a gorgeous new collection!

Stayin’ cool by the pool? Then this kit from WM Squared is for you!! 20% off Friday-Sunday

Sugarplum Paperie and Sahlin Studio have a gorgeous new Treasured Moments kit. Be sure to grab this freebie on the Sahlin Studio blog!

Karla Dudley has a new kit, a freebie, and a sale going on!

Mari Koegelenberg is having a Creative Team call. Check it out!

Mye De Leon has this new fantastic Baby Collection! It will be on sale in all her stores for 1 week so be sure to grab it! Do check on her BUNDLE offers – she’s giving a HUGE discount on them!

Isn’t Heather T’s new Golden Moments kit just so pretty?

It’s JennCk Designs’ End of Summer Sale! Save at least 30% store-wide through September 15!

Kaye Winiecki has a fun new mini kit at her guest store, Pickleberrypop on Friday. It will be 25% OFF until the end of the month!

I love this fun wall art kit from Krisi’s Kreations! TDD readers can save an extra 10% with code TDD10% until August 31st

Get your head in the game with Chelle’s new releases – Kick It and Play the Game! Each kit is on sale this week and you get the Sporty Word art with the purchase of the kit. Stop by Chelle’s blog for a GREAT tutorial on how to recolor the Kick It alpha.

Scrapping with Liz has this great freebie on her blog + a coupon to her store!

If you’ve had your eye on any goodies at the digichick, now’s the time to go shopping! There’s a big storewide sale going on until August 28th!

Peppermint Creative has all sorts of new stuff; school and grad themed kits, 12×12” and 8.5×11” templates, build your own award ribbons all 15% off. Commercial-Use Vectors 20% off and everything else 25% off storewide. Plus don’t miss the current free kit Pinwheel Bubbles.

Finally, we had a blast recording a new episode of The Digi Show this week! I’m still giggling over the title of “I Need Stuff for Crazy People” Winking smile and I’ve been thinking about our topic all week long. We discussed the mistakes we made on our early pages and why they do or don’t matter. Great stuff!

Hope you have a fun time in digiland, I know I will!

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P.S. SharonG was the random winner selected from the comments on the Designs by Kat feature.

P.S.S Karyn A. was the random winner selected from the comments on the Tattered Pear feature from Monday.

THANKS to everyone who joined in!

August 25, 2011November 27, 2013

Designs by Kat: Pictures that Tickle the Designer In Me

DesignersStudio
I’m happy to welcome back Designs by Kat to The Digi Files this month! My team always goes crazy for the textures on her papers! I love her doodles and cute animals; shabby pattern combinations of dots and plaids on her papers and elements. Let’s take a closer look at “Close to Heart” that is included in The Digi Files this month:

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Here are some layouts created using Designs by Kat’s contribution:

Layout by Jenn.

Layout by Tara.

Layout by Anne.

Layout by Kimberly.

Layout by Karen.

You can see more layouts created with this kit on our “Team Inspiration” page.

InTheStudioWith
My name is Kjersti AKA Kat. I live in Norway and I’m married to my dear husband Paul. We have two boys, Sander 16, and Elias 8. We also have a cat called Scotty.

STORE
BLOG
FACEBOOK

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Fun in the Sun. Elias is having a nice time in Rhodos, Greece. I have used Tropical for this layout and I also made it in to a quickpage. The quickpage is included when you buy the Tropical kit.

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SUPPLIES: Tropical.

I have always been creative and have tried almost everything when it comes to arts and crafts. I still have not tried to paint with watercolors so that is the number one on the list of things I’ll try next. I started out as a cardmaker. I sold my cards at a local hairdresser. One day when I was searching the web for new stash I found a Norwegian Digital Scrapbooking site. My life has never been the same since. After a couple of months with scrapping (I started out scrapping in Powerpoint) I started to design and I just loved it! I love spending time with all my colleagues, my great team and all the scrappers at Scrap Orchard. I’m so amazed by all the talent in this digital scrapbooking world.

inspirestocreate3
There are so many things that inspire me. It usually starts out when I see a color combination, a word, an amazing layout, a preview or a commercial with fancy fonts and colors. I have a quite big folder called Inspiration where I store pictures that tickle the designer in me.

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I have Acer Aspire 5738ZG laptop, 4 GB RAM. I use Photoshop CS5 and I love Illustrator. My old tablet just passed away so I had to get a new one. So now I’m learning to use my new Wacom Bamboo Pen & Touch. I have a Nikon D40 and a macro lens.

tipstricks
Since I started out as a card maker I always have that in mind when I start a digital layout. I build a page like I would do it in real paper. I choose a photo and find the paper I want to use. Then I search the kit for everything that goes just over the background paper like brushes, paint splats, rub-ons and so on. This items are “attached” to the background paper and have no shadow. Then I build a base of straight ribbons, scallops and stitching and give them a small shadow. Now it’s time for the photos and frames and I give them more shadow than the scallops behind the photos. The elements on top like flowers, bows, buttons and so on gets more shadows. I often do this when I’m designing also, build a kit from papers, to rub-ons, paint splats, frames and elements 🙂

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My favorite product at this moment is Tropical:

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My best selling product is Animal Adventures:

Here are some of my favorite products by Designs by Kat:

Here are some more inspirational layouts using Designs by Kat’s products. All of the layouts are linked to the originals with credits.

Go have a look in Designs by Kat’s store! We will randomly select a winner from the comments to win $10.00 in product from her store! (Comments must be posted before midnight EST to qualify)!

Receive 40% off Designs by Kat with coupon code kat40tdd through December 31, 2011!

August 25, 2011November 27, 2013

Inspired by Designs by Kat

The following layouts were created using “Close to Heart” by Designs by Kat included in The Digi Files during August:

Layout by SharonS, additional supplies: Template: Jenn Lindsey, Font: Pea Picky Panda

Layout by Jenn.

Layout by Tara.

Layout by Anne.

Layout by Kimberly.

Layout by Karen.

August 24, 2011November 27, 2013

My Life At Play

“My Life At Play” is an EXCLUSIVE collection to THE DAILY DIGI that is FREE to subscribers of THE DIGI GAME after their twelfth payment (or twelfth month for annual members). “My Life At Play” contains: 114 papers, over 220 elements, 5 layered templates, 2 word album layered templates, 4 alphas, 1 font, and 8 quick pages. This amazing collection was created by 23 of the top digital scrapbooking designers (all of whom are previous contributors to THE DIGI FILES).

Here’s a closer look at everything that is included in “My Life At Play”:

Allison Pennington

Baers Garten Designs

Chelle’s Creations

Clever Monkey Graphics

Danielle Engebretson

Dianne Rigdon

Elise’s Pieces

ForeverJoy Designs

Heather {Hess} Joyce

Heather T

Jennifer Lyndsey

Ju Kneipp

Karen Lewis:

Lauren Reid

Studio Rosey Posey

Mari Koegelenberg

Mye de Leon

Scrapbook Lady

Scrapping with Liz

Studio Flergs

Studio SuzyQ Scraps

Tracey Stroud

Wendyzine Scraps:

Special thanks to Janet Phillips and Melissa Bennett for their behind the scenes contributions!

August 24, 2011March 21, 2014

2 different Digi Scrappers selecting colors for a layout

When it comes time to choose the colors you want to include on a layout, there are many different approaches a digital scrapbooker can take. Of course, anything goes with a black & white photo, so some scrappers love to make their color choices easier by keeping the photo color neutral. Some scrappers don’t worry as much about color and just use the supplies they want to use with the story they want to tell.

I (Katie) can’t help but think of color choices every time I create a page. I love color! It’s a big part of the page design for me and one of the most deciding factors when I am selecting supplies for a layout.

My approach to selecting colors for a layout almost always starts with the photo(s) I want to use. I love to emphasize or complement the colors in my photos with the digital papers and embellishments I use on a layout. When I looked at this group of pictures I wanted to scrap, the predominant color that stood out to me was brown. Brown on my daughter’s shirt, brown rocks, brown garden bed, brown chocolate, and brown graham crackers.

I knew I wanted to emphasize the theme of s’mores and the fire, so I looked for a camping kit in my folders of digi supplies. When I saw this kit, I liked the variety of browns included. I knew I would find some brown to scrap with. I also noticed the greens in the kit and as I looked at my photos again, I saw that there were hints of green in our garden and on my son’s shirt. I could have picked up on the colors of the starburst candies to use, but those didn’t feel very “outdoorsy” to me. Green felt like a good color choice to go with all of that brown.

I started off with the embellishments I wanted to use and paired them with the photos. I decided that using brown as the background would make my layout too monotone. I decided to use a large amount of green to complement my photos and the brown embellishments.

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I like to focus on using 1 or 2 predominant colors on a layout. Sometimes I will add a small accent color or two – in this case, the orange of the fire and the colors of the candies add a little “pop” to the page.

My color selection process almost always follows this same pattern. I work from my photos and pull out the colors I want to feature and then find the supplies to complete the layout. I thought it would be fun to show you a different approach though. There is no “right” or “wrong way” to select colors for a layout, and there are many great tools to use to make it easier.

I asked Anna Aspnes to share her method for selecting colors for a layout. Anna is such a creative inspiration to me and I love reading her blog and chatting with her when she’s a guest on The Digi Show.

Here’s Anna:

I typically begin a layout with a neutral background and I tend to prefer light colors such as white, tan or gray. I favor textures over bold patterns in selecting backgrounds for my pages because they provide a great canvas for blending one or more images. In this layout, I applied 2 different blending modes to two copies of the same image, and then blended the edges using brushes from ArtPlay Palette Saffron Villa.

The color picker is used to sample brighter colors in my images and these are used to recolor select letters and words in my WordArt title. Letter and word selections are made using the appropriate Marquee tools from the Tools palette. The “pops” of color brightens the design and draw the eye to the focal words in the title.

Brushwork was added on 2 new layers in colors sampled from the same blended images which determined the Foreground color in the Tools palette. I used a dark blue color sampled from Luke’s shirt, and a gray from the artsy flower overlay, added to the page earlier in the creation process.

One dimensional crochet heart from ArtPlay Palette WordPlay was added to the layout. I usual tweak the color of embellishments to co-ordinate with the colors on a layout rather than completely re-coloring or selecting a perfectly coordinated element. Notice that the crochet heart has been resized and positioned to create a pleasing visual triangle with the other two red/orange elements on the page.

Additional neutral elements such as the painted overlays and tape complete the page and add increased visual interest without detracting from the focal points denoted through the use of bright color. The journaling is added in a black simple serif font. I also always recolor the date in red or similar color to ensure that it is visible and stands-outs from the rest of my text.

Isn’t it fun to see Anna’s approach to color? I love the way she used the red to make her page so visually stunning! Color is a wonderful way to add style, emotion, and design to any page. Here are a few more posts about color that are worth checking out:

Designing your memories & communicating with color by Joey
Color popping against achromatics by Steph
5 questions to ask when selecting color on Get it Scrapped

What’s your process for selecting color for your pages? Do you use the same method every time, or do you vary your approach? Next time you sit down to create a layout, take a minute to think about color and the role it plays in your scrapping.

katie big