Hi there! Back in February, I challenged myself to use the same photos and products (same kit and template) to produce two different styled layouts. It was an interesting experiment and I'm back for another Minimal and Maximal Monday! ... but this time I'm changing up my method - and I ended up with an interesting realisation from the process but I'm getting ahead of myself...The plan: Last time I started minimalistic scrapping with a 'dressed down' template then made it busier and added more pattern and product, which I openly admit is easier for me. This time I'm planning to make my more maximal page with a busier template first, then shrink the template and photo cluster from that maximal layout and pare it all back for a more minimal look, which is how I generally scrap if there is a minimal challenge but subtracting is nowhere near as easy for me (decluttering in real life and … [Read more...]
Make It Monday Birthday Card
Hello and welcome back to another Make It Monday blog post! Polly Robin here with another beginner card hybrid project. My goal is to show you that you can easily make your own cards for a fraction of the cost of store-bought ones, plus you can personalize them as well using kits from your digital stash!This week I made a quick birthday card for my nephew. He loves blue but gets overwhelmed with a lot of things to look at one time, so this card is a clean and simple one.First, I planned the card in Photoshop and decided to use the latest MPM Genuine collection since it had the perfect blue pattern paper and even had a great alphabet to coordinate.Next, I created my print sheet and printed it using my Epson 3850 ET printer.I cut out the sentiment strip, the alphabet letters, and three strips from the blue pattern paper. The first pattern paper strip measured … [Read more...]
April Challenges
Hello everyone! It’s Polly Karen back again with a look at our new batch of monthly challenges for April. Each month we have 8 brand new challenges that are posted in the forum Challenge Pad on the 1st day of the month. (the BYOC Challenge is posted on the 1st Friday of the month.) You can use the challenges simply to inspire you to keep creating new layouts OR you can also earn yourself a fabulous coupon for your next shopping trip in the Lilypad Store. (2 challenges = 10%, 4 challenges = 20% and 6 challenges = 30%). Those who complete at least 7 challenges will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate! Isn’t that an awesome prize?!?! You’ll get lots of great memories captured in your scrapbooks AND you could win a fat gift certificate prize!!! Pretty great, right?! So let’s take a look at this month’s new batch of challenges!1. Random Challenge … [Read more...]
Presenting the Newest MPM for April!
Greetings, Pad Scrappers!Polly Liana here, super psyched to introduce you to the MPM for November. What’s MPM, you ask? It stands for Memory Pockets Monthly. It’s a wonderful monthly collection that’s perfect for those scrappers who love to work with pockets and journal cards. Each collection is created by some of our most talented pocket card designers (this month it’s Sara Gleason, Designed by Soco, Becca Bonneville, Rachel Jefferies and Allison Pennington). They work with the same color palette so all of their designs coordinate, and they are inspired by one key word. This month’s word is GENUINE (and this collection certainly is o` beautiful!). April’s kit features the classic balance of bright pinks with cool blues-- perfect for spring. Let’s have a look at the main kit:Would you just look at those cute images of birds, butterflies and flowers?So now … [Read more...]
Hello there, Polly Stefanie here with some layouts I found that all feature the same photo over multiple photo spots.This is not something I often do, but it can be very eye catching when done correctly.I used the same photo, just tweaked it slightly to better fit in the template, nudging my face up a little to be more visible.But look at these, all the same photo spread over a variety of different photos spots. And the wonderful effect that has.How would you get creative with this idea? … [Read more...]
March Challenge Spotlight
Hello there! It’s Polly Karen bringing you an inspiration packed Challenge Spotlight post! Each month we have 8 monthly challenges hosted in our forums and at the end of each month, I look through the challenge galleries and shine my spotlight of just a few of my favorites. So without further delay, let’s check out some amazing new layouts created for this month’s challenges! 1. Photography Challenge - Capture an image of YOU doing something you love:by cinna: by Aerobigirl: 2. Inspiration Challenge - Make a page about someone that never gives up:by Electra: by aflorent: 3. Random Challenge - Create a layout that features torn edges:by janedee: by myka: 4. BYOC Challenge - Use 90% current BYOC products from at least 3 designers:by … [Read more...]
So You want to Start Digital Scrapbooking: Getting Started Step-by-Step in GIMP with a Layered QuickPage
Today we're starting to get to know the free graphics program GIMP by scrapping with a layered quickpage (QP). Fair warning - this is a long post with (hopefully) enough information and screen images to make using it easy for someone that is a beginner to digital scrapbooking or just new to GIMP.What is a QP? As we talked about a few weeks back in the Beginners FAQ blog post, a QP is a pre-made scrapbook page. A traditional one would be a single flattened page with a cut-out for a photo that you would simply drag in, and maybe add some text on but no ability to move items on the quickpage around. If it has a flower on there and you don't like the position of the flower, you would have to try to cover it up with something because the flower and everything else is flattened onto the background and can not be manipulated in isolation (well not especially easily or by someone … [Read more...]
Make it Monday Faux Fractured Card
Hello and welcome to a Make it Monday blog post! Polly Robin here to share with you another card tutorial. This week I’d like to show you how to make a faux fractured card. It’s a simple card that doesn’t require many supplies and can be made in batches without taking much time. Let me show you what I mean.As always, I do a rough project in PSCC just so I can see what colors and sizes I want to use. I am making a birthday card for my brother-in-law, so I wanted masculine colors. These papers from Lynn Grieveson’s Joulukuu kit were perfect for the vibe that I was after.So, after printing both the black patterned and solid grey papers, I cut a diamond out of the grey paper using my scissors. Then I used a stamp and black embossing powder to create the greeting in the middle. I placed that on my black patterned paper and cut out ¼- inch strips from silver foil paper. I … [Read more...]
Seasonal Inspiration: Bunny Layouts
Hey! What's up, Doc?! It's nearly that time of year again and I've been hopping around the gallery checking out all the bunny pages! Not just the Easter ones, but the backyard critter ones as well as the cuddly toy ones, the cute headband and selfie ones, and for those of you still waiting for Spring, the snow bunny pages! Let me show you a few that caught my eye this weekend - click on through to the gallery for credits and to comment on any you love too!____________________________________________________________________These ones celebrate the Easter Bunny (cute or creepy is in the eye of the beholder and if you grew up like me, you never actually saw the Easter Bunny, you always just missed him and only saw what he left so I can relate to photoless pages about him)...These celebrate the backyard kind, whether they are regular visitors, part of the … [Read more...]
Thoughtful Thursday : St Patrick’s Day
Hello there, Polly Stefanie here with some wonderful layouts inspired by the Emerald Isle and all things Irish. St Patrick's Day is the 17th of March, do you celebrate it? and if so how?Traditional Irish BlessingMay the road rise to meet you,May the wind be always at your back.May the sun shine warm upon your face,The rains fall soft upon your fields.And until we meet again,May God hold you in the palm of his hand.May God be with you and bless you;May you see your children’s children.May you be poor in misfortune,Rich in blessings,May you know nothing but happinessFrom this day forward.May the road rise to meet youMay the wind be always at your backMay the warm rays of sun fall upon your homeAnd may the hand of a friend always be near.May green be the grass you walk on,May blue be the skies above you,May pure be the joys that surround … [Read more...]