Hi, Kate here filling in for Linz.

I’ve decided to do a 2 or 3 part post, bringing you some hybrid tips from some of our talented forum members who have been wowing us lately in the gallery with their hybrid projects. I’ve personally not attempted a hybrid project yet, even though I’m very keen, so these posts are a sneaky way of getting tips for myself!  Don’t tell my family, but almost everyone is going to be getting something hybrid-ish for christmas!  Shhh.

Today I’m going to be sharing tips from member Laura M:

Welcome to the world of Hybrid Scrapping. Hybrid is an awesome way to combine traditional scrapping with digital scrapping. I have made 3 chipboard word albums and was asked to share some of my experiences with creating a hybrid chipboard album. So I decided to write about some of my lessons learned:

1. If you can get a template to create your digital layout for your word album, then do so. If not, I use regular scrap paper and then cut out the design with an exact-o knife.
2. Design most of your page before you attach it to the chipboard. If you are using brads, sewing, or if you want to lace ribbon on to one particular side, then you will want to do this on the paper before you attach it to the chipboard.
3. I use glue sticks and glue dots to affix my paper to the chipboard. Spray on adhesive did not work well for me.
4. After everything is attached to the chipboard, then the real fun for me is adorning the pages. I love to add chipboard letters, cutouts, jewels, ribbon at the top and a whole lot of everything. I also love glitter glue as it really makes stuff pop better.
5. Patience — I expected to do an album in a day. Did not happen — kids, phone, work, husbands and life happens. So organize the stuff you plan to use in a cardboard box and leave it sitting on top of your printer so that you remember to come back to it.
6. Involve the kids. My twins are 4 years old and they have had a hand in decorating the albums that I make. At first, I was all about saying no, it’s mommy’s stuff. But then I decided to give in and let them help and my all time favorite album now is the beach album because it was not just about me, it was a collaborative effort with 2 little kids who had a great time with Mommy. Priceless in my opinion — because its a part of us forever.

Now I’m sure you want to check out her projects.. here is her beach album:

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Isn’t that fantastic?  What a great project to do with your kids with a gorgeous result!

Thanks so much for sharing your tips Laura.  Make sure you leave her some love in the gallery by following the links above!

See you again soon with more hybrid tips..

Hi everyone! Ellie here again with Words for Wednesday! I struggle so much with the journaling on my layouts, so recently I decided to take up a different kind of scrapping project, one where I would still need to be creative, just not so much in the things that I write! I’m working on scrapping myself a couple of cookbooks! It’s the perfect project for me because I get to combine my love of food with my love of scrapping, and the recipes are already set, so I don’t have to think too hard about what to write! lol

I wish I had some photos to post, but I’m still collecting and testing (and tasting!) recipes right now. I am taking photos of my finished dishes as I go and when I’m finished will scrap them alongside the recipes and have them printed in a photobook. Fun, right?

So as I was planning my cookbook I thought it might be cute to have little quotes scattered here and there throughout. And of course I want to share some of them with you! They can be used for all kinds of layouts, too, not just cookbooks or the food related sort! I hope you enjoy using them.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Thanks for stopping by, and happy scrapping!

::Winner of the Birthday Rolodex::
Heather (hedderlee) here! Thanks to all of you who left comments on my birthday post! It was interesting how many of you shared the same desires in terms of hybrid projects. I will have fun incorporating all the great ideas you came up with in the coming months.

Random.org helped me choose the winner of the birthday rolodex, pictured here:

And the winner is post 21:

Cindy, congratulations! Here is her original post:

Please PM or email me your address, and we’ll get the Rolodex out to you shortly.

::Winners of the 8.2.08 Saturday Special::
*Cough, cough*
In all the amazing excitement of our Grand Reopening, I didn’t announce the winners of the 8.2.08 Saturday Special! Forgive me, please! The entries were somewhere in the old and new forums/galleries, so it made for a very interesting twist on our usual challenge.

Here is the original layout I based the challenge on:

And the winners are… drum roll please…

My pick-
Judy (fivebales)’s Perfect Summer Day:

Random pick-
Margaret’s Anatomy of a Boy on Vacation:

Thanks for playing everyone, and congrats to Judy and Margaret. I will PM you today with your prize!

And now, onto today’s Template Tuesday fun-

Hi! Brittney, busting into Heather’s post to announce last week’s “Tilted Template Challenge” winner! I am so glad I got to randomly draw a winner! There were far too many wonderful entries!! Our lucky winner was . . .

“4th Anniversary” by katg1006.

Congrats katg! Ok - Heather - take it away . . .
___________________________________________

Heather (hedderlee) here for another exciting challenge! Today we’ll play with this design:
I used the Tiny Cowgirl kit by Britt-ish Designs.

Click on the image to download:

Your challenge is to intersperse paper with photos.

Look what the SM creative/design team gals came up with:

Lina (ldrag2004)’s Wildlife is Not Actually Wild:

Credits
When Nature Calls by Fluffy Bunny Feet Designs
Stitched paper bag alpha by Matahati Designs

Krista (norton94)’s Chicken Swim:

Credits
Shabby Cottage kit by Matahati Designs

Kate (kateypie)’s Loves Red:

Credits
Touch of Cherry kit by Erica Zane
Staples by Britt-ish Designs

Lisa (ckmom12673)’s Reach for the Sky:

Credits
Everything from Britt-ish Designs: Toy Sheriff, You Can Quote Me, Date Stamped

Katie (ktkadoo)’s Ups a Daisy:

Credits
Magical Escape kit by Erica Zane

Wendy (kissncontrol)’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun:

Credits
Background Paper - “Forever In Love - Summer” GG Digi Designs
Red Striped & Polka Dotted Blocks - “A Touch Of Cherry” by Erica Zane
Red Starburst Blocks - “Bursting With Joy” by Britt-ish Designs
White Grid Blocks - “Grid Locked Paper” by Britt-ish Designs
Black Polka Dot Blocks - “Just Married” by Britt-ish Designs
Black Frames - “Forever In Love - Summer” GG Digi Designs
Date Strip - “Got A Date” - by Britt-ish Designs
Bead Alpha: “Black Bead Alpha” - by Britt-ish Designs
“Fun” Alpha: “A Kid Again Alpha” - by Britt-ish Designs
White Flowers: “Leave The World Behind” by Britt-ish Designs
Sequin (recolored): “Leave The World Behind” by Britt-ish Designs
Font: Traveling Typewriter

Heather (haynay)’s Swim Lessons:

Credits
Hayfever Happens by Erica Zane
staples from the Just Married kit by Britt-ish Designs

Stacey (shutch)’s Piles of Smiles:

Credits
Country Stars kit by Ellie Lash Designs
alpha by Matahati Designs
date stamp by Britt-ish Designs

Brittney (designerbrittney)’s Grammy Turns 81:

Credits
“What’s Hanging’ Journal and Tags” by Andilynn Designs
“All American Kid” by Jeni Hopewell
“Grocery Bag Alpha” by Jeni Hopewell
“Clear Date Buttons” by Jeni Hopewell
“Hand Stamped Alpha” by Michelle Coleman

and Denise (neeceebee)’s How Do You Like Them Apples:

Credits
Fairchild kit and Fairchild add-on (posted on Britt’s blog) by Britt-ish Designs

All who participate will receive the gorgeous Sweet Summer Days mini kit by Lina of LDrag Designs:

Looking forward to your artistry! Be sure to post your layout in the 8.26.08 thread.

I began my quest of scrapbooking way back…first as a memory book in grade school with cards, programs, notes, etc.  By high school I incorporated magazine clippings and my favorite music into my book.  Then by college I was an official paper scrapbooker (but far more basic than paper scrapping today LOL!). 

Eventually with a busy life and better computer skills I turned digi, so to say.  But the common thread all along was the story! 

My goal was to document for myself and my family what was happening during this life of ours.  This interest began as a child going to visit my Grammy.  She had a stack of scrapbooks like nothing I’d ever seen.  (**read:  She did not have magnetic cling pages)  She had paper albums with black or while paper pages and pictures, some with fancy edges, some with photo corners.  She had journaling!  

She had news clippings, sketches, and notes. 

Every visit I would pour over these books of hers and her mother’s (my great-grandmother - an artist) asking questions about what life was like then, who was who, etc.  I have two of those books today - they are my prized possessions to tell the truth. 

The stories are precious glimpses into a time gone by, and they made me realize I had more in common with my grandmother than I thought, despite our age difference.  These books show the basis of who I am, my family heritage. 

I encourage you to tell the story.  The daily life too, not just milestones.  How much do things cost today?  What stages are you or the kids going through?  What is important to you?  What was said?  Interview your kids, your parents, or your best friends. 

For those nervous journalers out there…a picture tells a thousand words!  Take pictures of where you work, where you live.  Don’t extract every picture, sometimes the backgrounds tell so much of the story.  That old furniture in your den will be nostalgic to your kids when they are 40!  The cereal box will be “old” looking some day.  Relish the story!

Remember the basics of storytelling from school?  Who, what, when, where, and why? 

Go ahead… have fun being artistic, better yourself by learning new techniques, but don’t get too caught up in the technique du jour, that you forget to eventually get to the story too.  Now of course, not everyone may have the same goal…but this is what matters to me:)

Hi all! Lisa here from the Scraps Matter Gang!! I have the honor of interviewing the amazingly talented Zakirah of Matahati Designs today! If you haven’t seen her work, you can go here to the shop and check her out! Here’s what we learned about Z!

1. Your screen name? Your real name? Which do you prefer we use in the interview?

- My screen name is zakirahzakaria. My real name is Zakirah Zakaria. I prefer if you just call me Z throughout the interview

2. What is your main job/career?

- I’m a college student, doing a Graphic Designs degree at a local university. I’m in the 2nd year of my degree study.

3. Are you married/children/pets?

- Nope. Too young to get married, ROFL!! I’m not married, I don’t have children, and I don’t have pets too

4. Where is home for you?

- My hometown is in Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia. I’m now staying in Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia. I visit my hometown pretty often, around 2-3 times a year.

5. What are your 3 favorite foods?

- I love everything that I cook, LOL!! Ok, ok. Serious answer is this Love Letter biscuits by Julie’s. I especially love the chocolate variety. Can’t live without it! I also love Ayam Masak Merah. It’s something we eat here with rice. It’s spicy. And I also love cakes. Chocolate cakes, especially.

6. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

- I love vanilla the best. I can’t eat too much chocolates, lol. I’ll get headaches if I do!

7. Snacks…Salty or Sweet?

- Salty!

8. Beverage of choice?

- Moroccan mint tea. I love the minty taste. Very refreshing and perfect when I have headaches!

9. What’s your least favorite food?

- Honestly I don’t have any coz I love to eat. But if I have to pick, it’s got to be…hm…the durian fruit?

10. PC or Mac? What program do you use?

- PC all the way!

11. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started?

- 9 months. Since December 2007. I discovered it earlier though, in August the same year. I was doing some research on subculture back then when I stumbled upon digi scrapping. But I didn’t do anything with it till the semester break comes, which is in December.

Can you believe the talent on this lady for only 9 months!! Amazing!!!

12. What was your 1st LO about?

- My younger sister’s African-American barbie doll. I had no idea what to scrap about, and that’s one of the pics that I had in my HD that time, so I scrapped it, haha

Credits here

13. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)?

- Recently I started to love baking. It works like a therapy for me. I’ve always thought that baking is the hardest thing to do, so being able to actually made a chocolate cake myself is a personal achievement like no other. Besides, I didn’t learn from baking schools or whatsoever, just tried out a recipe from the internet, so it’s a very sweet personal achievement for me, lol!!

14. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you?

- Deciding on which paper to use for the background. That’s difficult! I’m always indecisive anyway, even in real life.

15. What would you like to learn to do (or do better) not related to scrapbooking?

- Sewing! I’d love to make my own clothes, that’d be really, REALLY cool!! Then I don’t have to worry about clothes that I love but are too tight so I can’t buy them, coz I can make my own so they’ll always fit me!!

16. What are your favorite movies/TV shows?

- I love Spongebob Squarepants, Fairly OddParents, Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, That’s So Raven, Mythbusters. Yeah, I love cartoons and everything for the kids! For movies, hm, I think I love Mulan and all the Disney movies. I grow up watching them.

17. Describe your “scrapping” environment. Music? TV in the background? Drinks? Snacks? Where?

- I love listening to good music while scrapping. My playlist varies from time to time, depending on my mood. Sometimes it’s 90’s, sometimes it’s the current hit songs. I usually scrap in my room, on my bed, with my laptop. I don’t snack coz I hate to have cockroaches or ants in my room, lol!! But sometimes I didn’t listen to anything. It’s just good to focus on scrapping itself and have no music to disturb me, lol!

18. If you only had 2 elements to use on a LO, what would they be?

- Flowers & strings. Repeat.

19. Would you like to share a little known fact about you…?

- I’m a shy girl in real life (honest!). Haha.

20. When did you start designing? What is your favorite product that you’ve designed?

- I started designing in mid June this year. My fave product? Hm…..this is a toughie. Probably the Hang ‘Em Fancy elements!

21. How would you describe your design style?

- I don’t know, lol! It varies. And it’s hard to tell since I’ve just started and still looking for ‘the’ style that fits me as a designer. Even as a scrapper, I love to be flexible and changes according to the kit that I love. But basically I love real elements a lot. But I also love shabby chic (though I could never pull it off successfully). Maybe in 6 months if I get the same question, I’d be able to give a solid answer, lol!!

22. Where do you get your inspiration/motivation?

- Surroundings. Music. Nature. Love. Almost everything around me sparks some ideas to me. It’s just a matter of me applying them to my designs, lol!
Motivation; I get my motivation when I’m inspired. But I have to give credits to my boyfriend coz he’s my biggest motivator. He could make me laugh when I’m crying. Serious!!

23. Which of your kits showcases you style the most?

- I think Ever After showcases my style the most. I love soft, romantic colors, dreamy stuff, and Ever After has it all. It’s like a dream come true to me, hehe.

24. What is your favorite color scheme to design with?

- Pastels. I love pastels so much. My bedsheets are all pastels. If I’m rich, I’d buy a pastel-coloured laptop and gadgets, lol! I also love rich, traditional colors. In Malaysia we consist of many different races and traditions, so colour inspirations are everywhere. I’m blessed to be born and live here!

25. Favorite kit you’ve designed?

- Ever After. I love it so much. And I love all the layouts I see with it!

Here is that gorgeous kit! It is so full of awesome!! Click image to go get it!!

Here are some of my Favortie LO’s of Z’s. Click image for credits.

Check out her gallery here and her beautiful blog here.

Thanks so much for letting us get to know you better, Z!

Hi Everyone.

Denise here to bring you my first Saturday Special, and I am so excited.

Today we are going to focus on titles, and not just any old titles, but fun and clever titles.

Your challenge this week is to scrap a layout, about anything you want, but it must include a title (in an alpha, a font, a combination, whatever you want), and your title has to be clever.

Now, what do I mean by clever?

Well, everyone’s definition is going to be different, but mine is a play on words, a twist on a well known phrase, or just something that looks like it might mean one thing, but in the context of your layout, means something else.

Here’s my example:

Sometimes, when you love a child, it can stink. LOL!

And here is what the fabulous design and creative team came up with:

This is by Katie (ktkadoo):

This is from Lina (ldrag2004):

This is from Brittney (Britt-ish Designs):

And this one is from Stacey (shutch):

So, there it is. 

You have until Midnight Friday, August 29 to post in the Saturday Special gallery, and link back to the forum here, so I will know you are playing along.

If you get stuck and you just can’t think of a title, don’t worry.  Just leave a little message in the forum and we will put our heads together to come up with something great!

Everyone who participates will receive this AWESOME paper pack from DigiKeepsakes by Monica .

I look forward to seeing your creations.

Hugs!

Hello all! Tami here to bring you this week’s Photo Phriday. Can you believe it’s Friday again already!? Wow! I’m just thrilled to have made it to the end of my son’s first week back at school. Phew!

Ok, on to this week’s topic. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about “home.” This can be where we were raised, where we feel most loved, where our heart is, or our hometown, state, country or simply our address! But how many of us have taken the time to scrap about it? I know I haven’t. How cool would it be to have something to show about where we live, in the years to come when we might not be where we are now?

Growing up I was always told that my Grandpa BUILT (yes, with his own two hands) the house my mom grew up in. But I haven’t EVER seen pictures! I would have LOVED to be able to see it and appreciate all the work that went into it. I would love to know what her life was like, what her neighborhood looked like, what malt shoppe she visited on Friday nights! I would love to be able to see the home, or hometown, of my dad who was born in Soda Springs, Idaho, or just one simple snapshot of the store my grandfather owned before it burned to the ground. How amazing would it be to be able to connect with the past and learn so much more about where my parents came from? I can go visit those places now, but everything has changed. It just wouldn’t be the same as traveling back through time to see it as they did.

So this is my challenge, start documenting the places you live, love and call home. Make them the focus of a layout or two, so years from now, your friends and family can truly appreciate where you’re from and what you loved most about it. And, of course, a picture is worth a 1,000 words! So go! Snap some shots and share your life with those to come!

To give you a bit of inspiration, I remembered a LO that Britt created about her first real home with her hubby. I love that she listed what she’ll remember and what she loved most. Won’t her future children just love it!?

Have a great weekend!

Well, Krista here to announce that Chia won a $5 gift certificate for the challenge from last Friday. Here is her winning layout:

Image is clickable to credits, so go leave Chia some love.  Thanks for playing!

Hello everyone! Jeni here with another Theory Thursday post. Well, it’s that time of year again. Back to school - WAHOOOOOOOO!! I’m just a little excited. ; ) So I decided to celebrate with a little back to school hybrid fun!

I made each of my kids a little backpack tag with their picture on it so they can find their bags easily in the SEA of backpacks at school. That was so much fun that I also decided they needed some cuteness in their lunchboxes as well. These projects were both super easy! Here’s what I did:

First I created all my projects and then printed them out on matte photo paper.

Then I cut out all my lunch box notes - easy peasy!

I mounted the two backpack tags onto some chipboard that I recycled from the packaging of some patterned papers I had bough - yes, ACTUAL papers. : ) I mounted the tags using my trusty Xyron machine so they would be completely adhered to the chipboard. Then I switched out the cartridges in my Xyron machine and laminated the two tags for more durability.

Then I cut them out - very carefully. I also colored in the white edges of the tags with Sharpies to help them blend in a little more. Especially on the black tag - the white paper core was VERY obvious.

I punched holes in the top of the tags and placed eyelets in them for durability.

I attached the tags to the backpacks with a jump ring I got at my local office supply store. And that’s it!

Thanks so much to Leslie of GG Digital Designs for letting me use her goodies {School Days} and {Flower Power} to make my notes and tags. I’ve got a little goodie for you too! I made a template from my backpack tags so now you can make your own! We’d love to see what you do with it so be sure to post your completed projects in the gallery so we can all “ooh” and “aah” over them. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD TAG TEMPLATE HERE