Hey Everyone!! Crystal here bringing you another Penny Candy Playdate! I always love these because I can find so many awesome kits that I forgot about and you guys can score them at a discount! WOOT! Today I am showcasing Julie and Eva’s Fantabulous You.

I love this kit! So perfect for my little guys!!!

Here is a page by Mary:

And here is one by Melissa Bennett:

And here is one from me:

Seriously such a fun kit and perfect for those little men in your life!!!

Hey there Sweet Hybrid Lovers! Jen Tapler here with your Hot 4 Hybrid post for this week! The Hybrid Babes have had several specific questions recently from community members about hybrid card-making. Each of us has a very distinct style and as you experiment with hybrid I encourage you to find a technique and style that works best for YOU! Some Hybrid hotties do all of their design and layout work digitally, then print out their finished digi card, score the cardstock and add a few physical embellishments.  I tend to have a hybrid style that is a bit more like a traditional paper crafter / card-maker.  At the request of a few community members, today I thought I’d give you a detailed look at my card-making process from start to finish.  (I apologize ahead of time for the long length of the post – LOL).

I almost always start with a fantastic kit I see in the shoppe and want to play with.  I am most often initially inspired by digi papers – I look for patterns and colors (and sometimes textures) that I think will print up well and that I can combine with cardstock and items from my physical stash of goodies (like ribbon, buttons, etc).  Today I was drawn specifically to the papers and alpha in this fun kit by Melissa Bennett:

I started by opening up the papers and embellishments I wanted to use (in this case I wanted to use the alpha to form the word “HI”) in Photoshop Elements (I use PSE6 and will be showing some cropped screen shots of my process. Disclaimer: I am so NOT a digi girl, so forgive me if I mess up the lingo or whatever). I also open up 2 new documents – an 8.5 x 11 inch document and a new document that is the size of the card front I’ll be making – today it is 4.25 x 5.5 inches.  I then start dragging the papers one by one onto the card document (4.25 x 5.5 inch) and then using the little corner square things to “shrink” the paper to a size that seems right so that the size of the pattern on the paper looks right for the size of the card:

Once the pattern looks good, I merge my layers and then drag the card document onto the “print” document (8.5 x 11 inches):

I typically have a basic idea of what I want the finished card to look like at this point. To save paper and ink, I don’t print ALL of the digi papers in that full card front size, so this is when I roughly “crop” them down, keeping in mind I do my final cropping physically after everything is printed.  But in this case, I know that I want my striped paper to be about 2 inches tall, so I go ahead and use the marquee tool and delete button to crop it down to roughly that size. I’ll shape everything up with my paper trimmer later after I’ve printed everything:

I then repeat this process with the other papers I want to use, resizing them onto the card front document, then dragging onto the “print” (8.5 x 11) document, then cropping with the marquee tool. Once all the papers are roughly the size I want them to be, I drag my embellishments onto the “print” document and size them appropriately:

Once I have all of the digital papers and elements in place, I’m ready to print. I ALWAYS print on double-sided matte brochure / presentation paper. I usually just buy the OfficeMax or store brand or whatever happens to be on sale (I honestly can’t tell a difference).  But I’ve found that this matte paper seems to give me the best true-to-color results and I like the weight of the paper. The MOST IMPORTANT tip I can give you, something that makes a HUGE difference in overall print quality, especially in the vibrancy of the colors, is to be sure you change your printer settings to reflect the paper type you’re using each and every time you print!! For me, because I use an HP printer, I do this in my print window by clicking on “Preferences” , then making my selection under “Paper Type”. This may look slightly different for you depending on the printer you use, but there should be somewhere to change this setting before hitting that final “print” button!! (and even though I don’t use HP brochure paper, this is the closest to what I do use, so that’s what I go with):

Once I’ve printed my document, I cut all of my digi papers out and gather my supplies.  For this particular card I wanted to use a Kraft cardstock base and I needed a hobby knife to cut out those letters. I also wanted to pop the letters up on 3D adhesive to give the card some dimension:

And finally, here’s a look at my finished card:

I know it seems like  A LOT of steps, but really this card took less than 20 minutes to complete, start to finish. I could have added some ribbon and brads to give it a little more oomph, but I think it’ll be just fine the way it is.

I hope you’ve found this helpful and can see that hybrid really is SO easy. You don’t need a lot of fancy supplies and you really don’t need to be a digi expert either (obviously!! LOL).

I’d love to hear what you think! Are these types of tutorials and glimpses into the Hybrid Babes’ processes helpful, or would you rather just see completed eye candy?

Hi Everyone SugarBabe Mary here bringing you the new installment of the
Take Out Tuesday Sketch provided by Traci Reed
It’s so versatile you can be creative and copy it to a T or modify it as you see fit.
Consider it a jumpstart to your digital scrapbooking layout

Here are a couple of the Sugarbabe examples ………….

My Page

Credits:Dear Diary by Kristin Cronin-Barrow
——————————————-
Traci

Credits:Toddle Around Boy and Paintity Doo Dah Alpha by Traci Reed, Year In The Round Dates
by Lauren Reid, DJB Sarah’s Print by Darcy Baldwin
———————————————
Shannon

Credits:Limited Edition Petit Four Oh So Pretty(Retired) Traci Reed, Melissa Bennett, Eva Kipler and Krystal Hartley, Robin Carlton:De-Constructed Alpha(retired) Fonts by Darcy Baldwin:DJB Merry, Zoe Pearn
Bag O Buttons, Dani Mogstad & Paper Flowers
———————————————
Sue

Credits: Blue Skies Ahead by Lauren Grier, Border-Line: 2 by Lauren Grier, More Than Words:
Titles by Darcy Baldwin & Jenny Hutson, Bold Brushwork by Misty Cato, Border Basics:
Rectangle Stitches by Libby Weifenbach, Daisy Chain by Fee Jardine, Fonts: DJB Poppyseed,
DJB Pooja, DJB Paulam
————————————————
& Crystal

Hope your inspired now Go Have Fun

It’s  Monday again! Keely here, happily presenting our latest Layout Of  The Week.

Choosing a page is always hard and this week was no exception. My choice for the week is  carriesmom and her fun Doodle Bug layout.  This page is so cheerful, full of great details and I really admire the way she turned an every day kind of moment into a real storytelling opportunity.

Congratulations Liz! I’ll be PM’ing you soon.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping!

Hi guys

Hope you are all having a fantastic Sunday!     Due to the time difference here in Australia I’ve already had my Sunday and I spent part of it cruising the amazing gallery here at Sweet Shoppe.      Can I just say…your layouts are amazing!     Seriously…the gallery is pure digital eye candy and VERY inspirational.

So it is my turn this week to choose some of my favourites so we will start with the first layout by g8rbeckie.     When I first saw this layout in the gallery I loved the design of the page…especially the clustering of the elements.     And then I read the journaling.     I’m a sucker for great journaling so I love that she has included little pieces of information that so easily get forgotten with time.

The next layout is by amystoffel.   Just look at that little face peeping out from between the elements…what a cutie!     I love the design of this page, the clustering of elements is divine and then the journaling.     Absolutely beautiful and so heartfelt.    He is one lucky boy to have a Mummy creating such beautiful pages for him.

The next standout is an amazing Hybrid Project by robinmgriffin.     I don’t think I have a hybrid bone in my body so I’m totally in awe when I see things like this in the gallery.    I love the invite with the details in space talk and those treats look fabulous.    I think this would have been one awesome party to attend

The next amazing layout is by heatherlarson88.    Not only has she shared the story with some fabulous journaling but it is also illustrated with a series of photos.      If you are like me and take a bazillion photos for every little thing our kids do…layouts like this are a great example of how you can a create a page that reads like a story and uses multiple photos.    Awesome work!

And lucky last is this beautiful layout by mummytothree.    I love the white space design on this page which really helps to highlight the two most important elements of the page…the photo and heartfelt journaling.     It is stunning and a beautiful love letter to her husband.

Okay so they are my fav’s for this week…thank you so much for creating some awesome layouts with my designs girls     To say thanks for sharing them with us and inspiring me the above girls will receive my next kit prior to release in the Sweet Shoppe.     As soon as it is available I will send you all a PM.

Also don’t forget…the Designers LOVE to see any layouts that you create using our products so if you can post them in our Designer Galleries it makes it super easy to find them, we can show you a little bit of digi love and you might even get picked for a Sweet Sunday Standout!

Have a good one

Fee

Happy Saturday Sweet Shoppers! Your favorite day of the week is here, and I have more than 50 brand new goodies to show off in this week’s newsletter sneak peek! Here’s your first look…

The designers have really outdone themselves this week with some absolutely scrumptious new goodies! There is seriously such great stuff this week including the cutest tribute to Sesame Street from Traci called Sunny Days, an absolutely rockin’ collection of goodies from Manda called Dream, Wish & Believe that is a must have for any Disney fan and if you were a fan of Kristin and Meg’s Sibling Rivalry collection last year, you are going to love their brand new duo of kits called Brotherly & Sisterly Love! With more than 4 dozen new releases from our talented team, you are sure to find a treat or two you’ll want to add to your stash!

We also kicked off a brand new month earlier this week, and that means we have a fantastic collection of inspiring new challenges and an incredibly talented new Treat of the Month too! If you love Rubia’s fun style, you won’t want to miss this month’s easy to use Limited Edition Inspired by Rubia templates from Darcy…

On that note, we’ll see you here in your inbox next weekend with lots more new goodies! Until then, keep making memories and scrap MORE!

Robin : )

Another Friday means another amazing Featured Scrapper! This week’s scrapper, Ferdy, has a fabulous style that is always eye-catching in the gallery. I love how she can fill up a page with goodies but also do amazing white space pages.

Here’s a little more about Ferdy:

I’ve never done traditional scrapbooking in my life, About 3 years ago I was searching on Google how to create frames for my photos using Photoshop. When I saw a Brazilian blog about digital scrapbooking, I was crazy about it and decided to give it a try….and it was passion at first sight!

1. What was the title of your very first layout?

The very first layout I uploaded to DST was called “Beach”.

2. What is your favorite color scheme to work with?

I love to work with shades of pink.

3. What is your one dream or goal in life?

This is a tough one…I dream of traveling to Europe again. There are so many places I still want to visit…on the personal life, I’m still single, and I dream to have a baby!

4. Which aspect of scrapping do you think you are best at?

I think I’m very good at scrapping in several different styles. This is great to me because I don’t get bored doing my pages. I love to play with them and I’m always trying new things!

I also asked Ferdy to share 3 of her own favorite layouts and tell us what she loves about them…

Although I’m not really a freestyle scrapper, this is one of my favorite pages. It took about 2 days to get ready, and I only had courage to scrap it 1 year after taking the photos. I knew I had to do something crazy on this page and I love the results.

This page is close to my heart. My sister lives in Italy and I wanted to make a surprise for her by scrapping this photo. I love this kit and at the end, it was a surprise for me, this page made the GSO’s blog!

I like this page a lot! I had a long and boring hair for so many years and then, all of a sudden I decided to go for a change. So I did a girlie page to celebrate my new look!

Featured Scrapper Challenge (Bonus #1) for your March 2010 Scrapper’s Portfolio

This week we are doing a traditional Sweet Shoppe Spin-A-Lift. Chose a layout from Ferdy’s Gallery and spin it 90 or 180 degrees or flip it entirely to make it your own.

**please note this challenge is worth 1 point and cannot be combined with other portfolio prompts except for NR bonus point for a total of 2 points.**

Here are some examples from our very own Sugar Babes!

Tracy – lifted Ferdy’s Amor

Credits: Out and About – Bikin’ by Fee Jardine, Layered Up In You Circles 2 by Lauren Grier, DJB Christine by Darcy Baldwin

Stephanie lifted Ferdy’s 100% Boy

Credits: Happy Go Lucky by Kristin Cronin-Barrow,  I Heart Rainbow Blooms by MandaBean, No Strings Attached and Oodles of Tags by Julie Billingsley,  Stitches by Traci Reed

Keely – lifted Ferdy’s Love You

Credits: Kwismis, Love Day, You + Me, 365 Remembered January Vol. 2, Quote Marks Vol. 1 all by Lauren Reid

Nikki lifted Ferdy’s Me

Credits: My Everything by Kristin Cronin-Barrow

Don’t forget to edit your Portfolio with your page for this challenge!

NOTE: These Bonus Challenges are EXTRA on top of the Posted Portfolio Challenges.  They CANNOT be combined with any other challenge and stand alone (except New Release bonus pt).  Please feel free to PM me with any questions – nikkiARNGwife.  Thanks!

Happy Thursday! I am here to highlight another great kit from the Sweet Shoppe’s Penny Candy section. I have chosen to highlight Dani Mogstad’s Gidget kit. This kit is great for any beach or summer photos you might have to scrap. I love the colors in this kit, along with all of the flowers, postage stamp frames, and surfboards. Don’t miss the opportunity to pick it up at 30% off.

Here are some fabulous layouts using this kit:

Cindy’s

Amy’s

Mine

Traci’s

Amy’s

Jamie’s

Hello sweeties! I am a little nervous for this post since I am NOT a Hybrid Babe. I envy their talents so much, so thought I would give myself a chance to dive into hybrid. Hybrid can be as easy, or complicated as you choose. The Hybrid Babes make it look like a breeze! Honestly it wasn’t too bad. It did take me back to the TIME CONSUMING days of paper scrapping a little. Seriously that is the biggest factor on hybrid projects I think is time. I have been wanting to create a little Fitness logbook for my workouts and eating, so asked a few Babes to share their hybrid notebook ideas too.

First off here is that Fitness Logbook. Everything is done digitally, except I mounted it on chipboard and used my Bind It All to create this notebook.

I also thought how easy it would be to make some other types of notebooks. They would be great to use around the house, or as gifts.

I created this little notepad and just had my local copy store put that gum paste at the top to create a notepad.

Then I thought how nice it would be to have my Weekly Menu done into a notepad too. Here I used Kitchen Helpers by Darcy Baldwin. They are just double sided color copies and gum pasted at the top. I love having this handy in the kitchen!

Finally I thought how much I love little journals and decided to make one with a ribbon binding, not everything needs a Bind it All right? (Although I do love them.) Here I used Kristin Cronin-Barrow’s new Dear Diary Kit, which worked perfectly. Then I punched some holes in the sides and laced it up with some ribbon from Hobby Lobby.

There are so many amazing Hybrid projects in the galleries. Here are a few more to get you inspired to jump into hybrid and create a fun notebook of your own!!

From Sara (livelys)

From Teresa

From Savitri (she finally broke in her virgin Bind It All)

Happy Tuesday Sweet Shoppers! Aggie here to bring you another fabulous gift to jumpstart your pages with Take Out Tuesday! Libby took time out to make this inspiring word art. I love quotes. Sometimes, when you are at a loss for words or just couldn’t find the right words to say, quotes are perfect and complete the page for you!

You can download and start playing with it right away!

Our amazing Sugarbabes whipped up some fabulous pages for you to get inspired by. Notice how the word art is customizable you can fit it in any page of yours.

From Sugarbabe Mary:

From Sugarbabe Amanda:

From Sugarbabe Cindy:

And lastly, one from me:

Enjoy and I can’t wait to see what you guys create out of it!