Monday, January 23, 2017

How to Stretch your Digi stash

I shared some ideas on Amber La Bau's blog today  on how to stretch your digital kits

Hi there everyone!
I know that even though we all have a large stash of kits in our digital arsenals - I also know that we all like to use our kits several times for creating to maximize our crafting dollars. There are several ways that we can do this - which is one of the biggest benefits for digi scrapping. In fact, this was one of the primary reasons that I switched to digital scrapbooking back in 2014.  I was a dedicated paper scrapper before then, but the ability to stretch my stash (in a non-space taking type way) was one of the most instant benefits of digital scrapping.
So let's look at a few ways that we can stretch our stash and our digi kit dollars.
  • Use Neutral colored kits to be able to document lots of everyday memories or even bigger stories. Use key elements of your photos or background to pick a primary color - then shop your stash to find a similar predominant color in the kit.
    Stories to Tell kit
    Stories to Tell kit  - neutral colors and elements. Word art can be used for many different kinds of stories.
    Have Coordinates Will Cache - although this is an outdoor kit - there are lots of great neutral papers and elements to use with any kind of photo.
    Have Coordinates Will Cache - although this is an outdoor kit - there are lots of great neutral papers and elements to use with any kind of photo.
  • The Blackbird kit has lots of great neutrals and bold neutral patterns that can be used for many different kinds of stories.
  • Use flexible templates that can be combined and modified.  These templates can be used for patterned papers, photos or even artsy treatments.
    This example reduces the template and then mats with a large border and highlights some of the great patterned paper
    This example reduces the template and then mats with a large border and highlights some of the great patterned paper
    Story Grids Anthology Vol. 2
    Story Grids Anthology Vol. 2

  • Use "themed" kits off theme.  Not every kit needs to be used for the theme that it was initially designed for.  For example, I used this Christmas/Winter kit, A Season to Remember to document some travel photos from our trip to Spain.
    Use a Season to Remember to document some vacation photos.
    Use a Season to Remember to document some vacation photos.
    A Season to Remember
    A Season to Remember
    I hope this gives you some ideas on how to use your kits again and extend your stash even further.  Have fun documenting your memories!                                        

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Birthday Calendar Reference Cards

Amber LaBau Calendar Cards - Holly w/ www.paintedladiesjournal.com

Do you like to use calendar cards in your Project Life Scrapbooks? I decided to incorporate them this year. I always liked the look, but don't always have photos every week, and sometimes I have tons of photos in one week. I'm just all over the place, so I never really included calendar cards. However, I decided to just flow with it this year. I'll put them in when it makes sense! Now that I have the cards for 2017, I thought I could use the 4x6 version that Amber LaBau designed to create a printed reference set that has all the birthdays of people in my life (are you also a card maker?). I will keep this for years, not just 2017. 
Amber LaBau Calendar Cards - Holly w/ www.paintedladiesjournal.com

First, I did some work in Photoshop Elements. I used a pack of "Labely Bits" from Amber LaBau's shop at the Lilypad to add some pops of color to these cards. One thing of note, the calendar cards are in grayscale. You need to change them to color mode (RGB) before adding color. I also recommend picking a scale for the elements you are adding and actually scaling them down on each card, so they are all the same size. You can place them all and then select all at once to scale. (From menu bar: Image>Resize>Scale) Those nice big labels came in a tad too large for the scale of the card. I scaled everything by 50%.

Amber LaBau Calendar Cards - Holly w/ www.paintedladiesjournal.com
Do you like to send snail mail to family & friends on their birthday? I want to do that more. I thought having this handy (note to self: put it in the pocket of my planner) would help remind me. I used Canon Matte Photo paper. One thing I learned about this paper is that it has two different sides. One side is bright white and the other is cream. Make sure you put your paper in your printer correctly!

Happy New Year!

Holly Genc