Grungy frame/border

I really love the look of grunge frames..it was a bit difficult to master but so easy to do once you figure it out. My friend Vicky gave me a simple tutorial on it . There is also a great website which offers tutorials http://spraguelab.squarespace.com/imported-archives/2006/4/28/photoshop-friday-issue-no-3.html

Here is my try at it.

I tried it on this layout too:

Valentines Layout

I have just completed my valentine's layout using template #15 simply Yin http://simplyyin.blogspot.com/ .

Happy birthday little one!

It has been a crazy couple days. Today Megan is 9 months old. Well, not only is Megan teething she is cutting 3 of her top teeth...yikes poor little monkey. Ethan also lost a tooth this morning, how funny it is that one is teething the other one is losing his. Needless to say Marty and i have had next to no sleep as we are tending to our very fussy poor baby girl.

I have a new layout, It's Megan's birth (her first pictures). I can't believe that 9 months ago, she was born and gave us such a scare. This layout is hers to remember her birth.

Credits
Fonts Used: akaFrivolity. I love you kit-Rhonna Design

Treats:
ikeagodess has amazing freebies. Everyday she posts freebies, it is truly amazing.http://www.ikeagoddess.blogspot.com/

Getting things done

I' ve managed to get a layout done today. I really had to put my mind to it , it's not that I don't want to but because I just can't seem to keep off all the digi sites. The digi world is like your traditional scrapbook store, you just keep getting more & more stuff, it so much fun but my poor computer is taking a hit!

I downloaded a kit for free, some fonts for free, a template for free and yes also a tutorial for free.

Credits: Template 17 by Simply Yin, Dude Totally by Tia Bennett, font babykruffy and Myriad Pro.

The Goodies
I have tons of links to free and cool stuff but I will only post what I've tried out.

Free fonts: Here is a link where you can find free fonts, i've already used 3 from this site 1001freefonts.com

Free templates: Designer Simply Yin is amazing, this is my second time downloading her templates http://simplyyin.blogspot.com/

Free Kits( basically a set of papers, frames and embellishements that all match ): I downloaded "Dude Totally" by Tia Bennett from www.twopeasinabucket.com. They have 52 kits for free. I've been a member for a few years now, I love this website.

It is very important to credit the designers if you use their materials (even if it's free). Most of the materials you download will come with a TOU (Terms of Use).

Preparing Layout for the Web!!

Wow - I've been itching to get on my blog as it's been a few days since I last posted. I mentioned in my very first blog I had other duties to juggle but that doesn't mean i wasn't checking out all the fun stuff for my newest addiction.

I finally found an easy way to re size my layouts in order to prepare them for the web. You can find all sorts of tutorials on this very topic for every photo editing software. I was lucky to find someone to explain it to me (on the forum i belong to). I have tried it and it works!
So i decided to write the steps for anyone who may looking for how to do this. Here is the Step by Step–Preparing your layout for the web (In PhotoShop Elements 3).
By the way, different blogs, forums ,websites may have different size requirements.

1. Once you have finished your layout go to the Top Menu & click on "IMAGE"
2. Scroll down to “RE SIZE”
3. Select “IMAGE SIZE” and change it to 600 x 600 pixels (it will look very small but that is OK)
4. Go to “FILE” at the Top Menu and scroll down to “SAVE FOR WEB” You will see a comparison of your original file and the new file (you should notice that the file size, as well as the dimension have changed)
5. Save it wherever you save your layouts & remember to change the file name

Voila! Resizing your layout for the web.

Next ...as mentioned above, i found some amazing stuff and i can't wait to share, come back hopefully i can get it up soon!

“Don’t Ramble On”

My other half Marty who writes blogs for a living offered me advice on writing a blog. He tells me to “just write short sentences, be straight to the point”…”don’t ramble on”!! I am a girl, how can I not “ramble on” lol.

Ok, so I still have not figured out how to prepare my layouts for the web Resizing your layout for display on the web, PSF'06 #4 . I tried it but my layout turned out so small ..i couldn't make it out. So I will try and find another tutorial.

Here it is anyway, i'll keep working on this sizing thing.

That’s it …I’m tired, Megan was up all night with a cold.
Let me know what you think.

Sweetly Simple

What you need to know to get started on Digital Scrapbooking:
All you need is pictures, your own computer with a lot of memory (I started to save my files to cd’s because my computer can’t take it) and a photo editing software such as Photoshop Elements.
According to my research, Photoshop Elements is a great software to use. I am using an older version of PSE (3); this is working fine for me, for the level I am at.

My work & findings:
I have created my first 6 layouts (you can view them on my slideshow) by downloading papers, kits, embellishments to compliment by pictures from the Internet (for free).
Yes, yes there are a ton of freebies on the Internet!! And they are easy to find most sites will have a dedicated section on freebies.

There are also tons of free tutorials on the web. My friend Vicky (who happens to be a great designer and a published one too) pointed me out to this really great site
The Sprague lab a Little Studio of Scrapbook Alchemy:
http://spraguelab.squarespace.com/blog/
This website offers step by step tutorials, some are even videos tutorials.

Another great way to learn is joining forums. I just joined http://www.godigitalscrapbooking.com/ ….its an awesome forum with so much more. I was welcomed with open arms and encouraged to post my LO (acronym for Layouts) and there is tons of support. So I am working on a layout for the “scraplift challenge” which I will post in a few days.

My goals for next couple of days

1. Scraplift challenge

2. "Layouts ready for Web"-Apparently I am not resizing my layout for display on the web properly ( I just happen to bump into this information when I was getting the links above). So today at some point, when Megan goes down for a nap I am doing this tutorial:Resizing your layout for display on the web, PSF'06 #4

What Is A Scraplift?
A scraplift is when you take inspiration for your layout from someone else's layout.The inspiration can be anything - the layout of the page, the style of photo, the effect used on a photo, the kit, the colours, the quote - anything at all about the layout.Please note that when you scraplift someone's layout, it is polite to credit them with creating the original layout - even providing a link if it is allowed. Definition credit, godigitalscrapbooking.com

Wish me luck and happy scrapbooking!