Have you ever wanted to use a template but it’s not EXACTLY what you need?  It’s just missing something.  I am here to help YOU fix it.  Before we start there are a few tricks to help you merge your templates more easily.

TIPs/TRICKs for merging templates. (These are tips/tricks and not RULES, these may be true for some cases but not all, so don’t FORCE them, ok?)

1. Merging templates from the same product or set is easily than merging different products.
2. Merging templates from the same designer tends to be easier.  Most designers have a “look/flow” that just can be seen in most of their templates.
3. Open more than 2 templates, even if you are merging 2. That way if the first one doesn’t work you are ready for the next merge.
4. Set up your windows into “float” mode.  That means you can see all your opened templates at the same time.
5. Zoom out those templates so you can see opened templates at the same time.
6. LOCK the background layer of the templates.  When you merge them you want to grab everything but the background, LOCKING the bottom layer makes it so much easier to grab everything but that layer.
7. If at first you don’t succeed, try again… or flip it!
8. Move things around if they are not working, bring them up or down on the layers order or turn them on and off.  Have fun and play!

I’ll be using the Topography No. 14 template set by Valorie Wibbens. 

This last capture is the end result and all the changes made.  Keep moving stuff around until it “feels” right.  You will know when it’s done when you see it.

On my final page, you can see that I decided to replace the tags fro those paper flourishes. I still kept the balance of them by making the flourishes about the same size the tags were. 

FINAL TIP: Remember not because the template has a circle or an X, it means you need to replace it with a circle or an X. Those are just “place holders”, use an element that occupies the same area in your page and you will keep the balance and flow that the template has.

credits: Simply Chic by Pink Reptile Designs, For the Love of Alphas 2011: The Building Blocks by Allison Pennington, Paintstroke Chatter- Sentiments by CD Muckosky, Topography No. 14 by Valorie Wibbens

The post Merging Templates – Making them work for you. appeared first on The Lilypad.

First, I took my wooden letter and scanned it at 300 dpi on my scanner flatbed.  Use 300 dpi because the output of your scan needs to be at the same dpi as what your patterned paper will be.  Open up your scan in Photoshop.

 Next we are basically going to “extract” our letter.  There are many ways to do this but I love to use the magic eraser because it is so fast and easy!  To do this go over to the eraser tool and toggle through your options until you come to the magic eraser tool.  It looks like an eraser with a star on it.  Go over to the background of your scan and click once.  After clicking once most of my background was gone.

Continue clicking on parts of the scan that you don’t want.  The magic eraser tool can be finicky and will try to eraser your whole letter sometimes.  Go slow with your clicks and if it does erase your letter just use the undo tool!  After about two minutes or less of using the magic eraser tool I was left with this. 

I finished off my “extraction” by using the normal eraser tool on the remaining spots.  If you notice that the eraser tool took small chunks out of the side of your letter use a brush to fill them back in.  I didn’t have that problem with this letter or I would show you a screen shot.  With my extraction complete I went ahead and dragged it over to a new 8.5 x 11 document.  I recolored one Gina’s fabulous papers and clipped it to my letter extraction.  Leaving me with this lovely letter!

From here you just need to print and cut out your letter.  Adhere your paper letter down to your wooden letter and embellish to your hearts content.  I kept mine simple so my daughters wouldn’t be tempted to pick at it.  Just a little ribbon and some Stickels to add some interest. 

Can I let you in on a little secret?  This technique can be used for lots of other projects!  Use it to re-purpose a banner, or how about those shaped mini albums that are gathering dust in the closet too?  The possibilities are endless!  Ready to give this a whirl?  Go ahead and show us in the Hybrid gallery what you come up with! 

The post Decorated Wooden Letters appeared first on The Lilypad.

Browsing through the gallery, I have picked out some great examples of layouts using acrylics.

And here are some of my favourite products and kits with gorgeous acrylics:

The key to great looking acrylics on digital pages, is with perfect shadows. Krista  has some great tips on shadowing acrylics on her blog. And Peppermint has some general shadow tips on her blog, as well as fabulous shadow layer styles in the store, including one for acrylics.

The post Acrylics appeared first on The Lilypad.

Once upon a time, in a digital land far away to some and yet very much close in others hearts was a dream to open a store.  Not an everyday kinda store, but a type of magical and extraordinary store.  The shelves would be filled with items of wonder and love. Hand crafted and thought out goods that would stand above all the rest. The merchandise was well crafted and lovingly placed into the store. The place would be called The-Lily Pad. (the dash is for one of the heroines named Peppermint, but that is a whole different story)

Those that were personally and carefully picked to bring their handiwork to barter were artists and virtuosos of high abilities and skill. The artisans produced such dynamic items it was noticed by all.  They needed support to show others how this wonderful commodity could be used, so they would desire to have such amazing goods also.  This support birthed the group called The Pollys. 

The dream continued with a comfortable place to gather around, and laugh about how you used the things you found in the store.  The laughter was intermingled with support, prayers and sometimes tears for the others you met while gathered here.  The Pollys could be seen throughout the symposiums conversing and encouraging others to enjoy the benefits of this craft called Scrapbooking. Spectators grew, and as they increased a portico was opened to house the works of others arranging their elements and blending their papers.  A gallery of sorts for them to hang their canvases was needed, and the Pollys were there to encourage and spread the love of The-Lily Pad to each and every one.

The Pollys are a sweet and giving group of people, they also merrily make page after page for the designers at The-Lily Pad, and help to keep the wonderful dream alive.  Each month 7 challenges are set out to the public to help them to create pages for themselves, and the honor to be a guest Polly.  For of all those that finish the quest of every challenge, their names are entered into a random selector, and the lucky one enters the majestic gates to a world of splendor and amazement.

You enter with a private message, and it begins the adventures. The adventure is 4 weeks, start to finish.  You see the workings of The-Lily Pad and it is like no other.  You are amazed as the designs begin to unfold, sometimes slowly, sometimes so fast you are overwhelmed.  The designers bring new and fantastic things for you to play.  They ask not much, just to use what you take, and to show others what you made.  Join with the Pollys and help keep The-Lily Pad dream alive and healthy.  

This little tale is filled with blatant over-use of a thesaurus, but also with a giggle in my heart.  You see, I won that quest. I have been a Guest Polly now for almost 2 months.  It has been amazing. I have made so many pages in the last 6 weeks, that I love with all my heart, that will be printed in this years book. I have been stunned at the professionalism by each and every designer and the amazing Pollys.  This is a very organized machine, and I count it lucky to have been asked to be here a little bit longer.  I write this for fun, and to also encourage you to give the challenges a go, because you will have 7 pages done, you didn’t have before.  Then you have the chance to be a guest Polly, and this month, there are two guest spots being awarded! 

Go and become a part of the story of The-Lily Pad.

~never lose your joy

anneofalamo

The post The Story of the-Lily Pad and the Pollys appeared first on The Lilypad.

Templates are WONDERFUL b/c they are SUPER easy to use and they’re helpful to putting a quick page together when you can’t come up with something on your own.

Take for example Amy Martin’s Whip It Up Fast Mini-v1 Templates. 

Here are some pages using them…

by AmberR:

by AnneofAlamo:

I love how she switched the template up a bit and rotated it. Nice work Anne!

by karen perry:

by Dalis:

Here we have JustJaimee’s Storyteller May Templates

and some fun pages using them…

Here we have Lynn-Marie’s Press Play #5

and some layouts using them…

So, when you need a little extra push on scrapping that page, look no further… The Lily Pad has LOTS of templates to help you

Happy Monday!

Brandi

The post Template fun! appeared first on The Lilypad.

roasted haloumi, bacon and tomato salad

•  250g haloumi, sliced
•  4 rashers bacon, rind removed
•  200g sourdough bread, chopped
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
•  250g truss cherry tomatoes
•  80g baby spinach leaves

dressing

•  ½ cup (125ml) red wine vinegar
•  2 tablespoons olive oil
•  1 clove garlic, crushed

  Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF). To make the dressing, place the vinegar, oil and garlic in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Place the haloumi, bacon, bread and olive oil on a baking tray and toss to combine. Roast for 5–6 minutes. Turn the haloumi and add the tomatoes. Roast for a further 6–8 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked and the croutons are golden. Place in a bowl with the baby spinach and dressing and toss to combine. Serves 4.

I usually use a bit more baby spinach and cut the cherry tomatoes in half because when my kids eat them whole, they spurt everywhere!

So have a great weekend and dont forget to check out all the new goodies in the store today!

The post My favorite salad recipe appeared first on The Lilypad.

I’ve been going through the gallery lately and all of these pages are absolutely inspiring. Today I’m going to share with you my top 5 favorites from the gallery. Won’t you sit down and enjoy with me? Maybe leave some love for these girls and their fun layouts?

This one is Addict by Natascha

I love how she has this big polka-dot paper with all of the word art and frames scattered around. Truly pops!

This page is (I Hate) Medical Mystery by naughtsncrosses

I love how she took what’s going on in her life and expressed it on this page. Plus, this layering is fantastic! 

Just a Bit Dramatic by Itarbox

The colors, the layering, the cute pictures, the title. Love it!

Vroom Vroom by pagefrocks

I love the doodley, white space, rustic look to this page. Gorgeous!

today’s_outfit by suefalstaff

I adore the clean fresh look to this, and how she’s documented her outfits for the week. Too cute!

Don’t forget, if you have a minute, go leave their pages some love!

Have a great Wednesday!

Brandi

The post Gallery Goodies! appeared first on The Lilypad.

Okay, so you won’t be going at the speed of infinity, but it is a pretty face paced scrap! Having some things in place prior to the actual scrap can make or break your time. 

1. Have some photos prepped.  

I like to have at least three groups of photos that I want to get scrapped. Speed scraps are a great way to finish off year books, or projects that need to be done.  I really pushed to get my 2012 book done, and speed scraps were a big part of it.

2. Buying kits BEFORE the actual chat starts!

This is mucho important. I have on occasion freaked and needed a kit for a speed scrap, and my nerves were about shot, trying to get them downloaded, unzipped and on to my page before the end time. Have a few kits bouncing around in your head. I like to browse thru the store that day, and pick up one, or two. (cough cough) or more.  We all know it is way more fun to scrap with NEW things! 

3. Check out the chat room, make sure your JAVA is compatible, updated and ready to roll.

Java is a fickle program.  Sometimes it works in Chrome, some times it doesn’t.  I like to go in early in the day and make sure I can get in, and if not run some updates.  Java oh Java why do you fight me?

4.  You are going to be incommunicado for 2 hours.

 Have pop tarts or some sort of snack to toss to young children.  Explain the importance of what you are doing to your friends and family. Block that time out! I know some of you are laughing right now, but I get frantic when one of my kids decides they want to explain exactly how the solar system works when I am in the middle of a speed scrap.  

5. Know your dates and what happened in the photo.

You get to the final step? Date it, and add some journaling, is a big favorite of most taskmasters, I mean hosts of the Speed Scraps.  So, write it down, get the facts in order.  Now that I have written this blog the final step is probably gonna be, now flip the page and dance a jig to Justin Beiber’s latest song.  

6. Get an easy way to save for web action. 

I can not stress this enough.  Having an action that you go click…and it moves at the speed of light and pops up a window to help you click the right size, and then saves all nice and tidy will be such a help.  I use this Resize for Web Action. It is free! I have used it for years now. Never once failed me.

7. Upload

This sounds all easy, but you have to upload it to the correct gallery; usually Speed Scrap.  Then copy the image.  Use the handy dandy links under the photo details, either Linked Thumbnail or Linked Image.  Copy that url and paste in the Speed Scrap thread in the forum.  If time is crazy, put a little disclaimer; I am freaking out about time, will come back and edit for credit! Then come back later and give props to those designers that helped make your page a reality.

8. Leave a little love.

This is one of my favorites, we just hung out for an hour laughing about the instructions and life.  Leave a few comments to your sister scrappers! Way to go! You will reap the happy, I promise. 

9. Mark your calendar

Yeah, now your are addicted and prepared.  The next speed scrap:

10. Apply, rinse, repeat!

 ~Never Lose Your Joy

Anne of Alamo

The post Speed Scrap Prep appeared first on The Lilypad.

Every Day by pagefrocks

loved by Ellie

today’s_outfit by suefalstaff

wagon ride by adejong

ACT by LivyBug

Tape Love by Sannn

You and Me by DoggiNo

Amazing right?!  The LilyPad gallery is bursting at the seams with even more inspiring layouts.  Be sure and hop on over to check  them out!  Have a great week!

The post Froggy Finds appeared first on The Lilypad.

Seven pages in the store for Special Saturday happiness at the Lily Pad for this past weekend!  I don’t know about you but I was blown away at the creativity of each  and every designer! I just stared at the new releases, and knew what they had been putting out for the last 4 months, cause I had been buying most of it! The creativity and mojo is overflowing here at the Lily Pad!

One of the perks of being a Polly(I am a mere Guest, but love every moment), is seeing the goodies roll into the back room to make pages prior to the release date.  I am not joking, (and not breaking back room secrecty here), but these ladies were almost hourly putting a new design in the shoot for this years iNSD! 

What to do on these crazy download times? I got to thinking, if I am overloaded, my friends and peers probably warmed up their PayPal accounts with new purchases also.  Now it is time to use those gorgeous goodies!  First you need to unzip those well bundled babies! Give them some air!!

I use a program called Extract Now. (I am not paid by them, and they have no idea who I am), but it is free and it does lots at the same time! It even has a cool siren sound when you are all done. You do have the option in the settings to turn that off, but it makes me feel happy when it shrills!  It is a drag and drop and hit the Extract button! Tada! 

I like to go in and then clean up my download folder, I click on each folder and cut it out of the folder go back to download and paste.  This is to make scrapping easier for me later. I keep the Elements as my main folder and then put the papers, alphas and any other fun journaling cards or paints in there also. It is all nice and neat.  

The Lily Pad is my home in Digiland.  I do all the challenges and really really make a lot of pages for our yearbook with the goodies from here.   Every month I make a BYOC folder, BYOC-0513. I like to keep it together for another month, then bring the folders back to momma! Here is a glimpse of my download folder this morning. 

This is where your dedication or obsessiveness kicks in. I have a motto, if I have not scrapped with it, it stays right here in download land.  (except for the BYOC, that lives here all month) I bought this kit for a reason, or downloaded as a Creative Team member,and by golly, it is gonna become useful to the scrapworld some how.  Useful is not sitting on my EHD! I have had kits for up to 6 months in my download folder, waiting for that inspiration to scrap a page or two.  This is not a dead set rule, as I will file my freebies almost immediately.  

You can see, I have the Lily Pad folder open.  The Puter files by number than alphabetically, so I place 00(zero, zero) in front of designers I create for, or a 0G for those I am able to guest.  This brings them to the top of the file, so I know I have more in those folders and draw from them for pages more often. 

This is just one way to unzip and keep the do dah happy in your scrapping! I hope it helps someone, to become organized and more importantly, get to scrapping those memories!!

~never lose your joy

Anne of Alamo

The post UnZippity Do Dah appeared first on The Lilypad.