Tidbit Thursday - Layout Credits

Happy New Year (okay....not quite yet but close enough)!!!! Helen, aka LifeScraps, here to bring you the last post of 2-0-0-9, woo-hoo! Jennifer....thank you for the chance to guest for you this month. You are such a sweetheart, truly :)

This Thursday tidbit is something I need desperately to work on for 2010! I don't know about you but I am HORRIBLE about keeping track of my credits as I scrap. For me, it isn't so much that I don't know how or can't find a way that works for me....it's simply that I forget. But, for many, they DON'T know how or CAN'T find that certain way that works for them. So, that is today's tidbit.....layout credits! FYI: I am just copying this from Simple Scrapper (one of my mostest favorite blogs to follow).

3 Easy Ways To Keep Track Of Your Layout Credits

Have you ever been all set to upload a layout and realize you’ve used papers from 2 designers, elements from another and an alpha from yet another… and you don’t remember which 4 designers it was? I think we’ll all been there at some point, even when we know that keeping track of product credits is so important.

There are many ways to do keep it all organized, but its up to you to find one that fits your routine. Simple Scrapper offers three options that just might work for YOU.

1. Use a Table of Contents – Create a new Word document and drag your web-ready images into it. Under each image, list the credits as well as where you’ve uploaded the layout.

2. Use Layers – In your PSD or other graphics file, label each layer with the designer and kit name.

3. Tag It – Use an image organization program, like ACDSee to tag your final layouts with the designer and kit name.

What we don’t recommend is relying solely on one gallery to store your layout “metadata”. While big sites do have backups, nothing is foolproof. Make sure YOU have a backup.

It only takes an extra minute for each layout to keep your records up to date. No excuses!

I would like to add ONE more. It is the one I use (when I remember to do it, that is). I use PSE 6.0 and under FILE is a tab called File Info. I like to list my credits in the Copyright section so when it comes time to post in a gallery I can copy/paste the information as needed. I do not save my .psd layouts once I am completely done with a layout so it is nice to know this information is saved even in the .jpeg format. You just have to open your layout in your PSE program and you can get to the credits.

So, how do YOU keep track?? Leave a comment and let us know. Happy Scrapping :)

Read more...

Warm Winter Wishes~ New @ Polka Dot Plum

Nikki and I have teamed up yet again to bring you this adorable winter kit. Warm Winter Wishes has everything you need to scrap your winter pages and more.

Check out a couple of CT layouts:

By Leila:

By Rach:

Check out this kit at Polka Dot Plum today! ♥

Read more...

Happy Holidays from the CT! HUGE Template Giveaway!

Happy Holidays, digiscrap fans! My CT girls are all so excited for the holiday season and we wanted to give you, our loyal blog readers, a super fun giftie to celebrate. I have to say that the girls really did an AMAZING job on these templates and I hope you enjoy them as much as I am. I am truly blessed with the best CT ever! ♥

Check out this FREEBIE template set: Isn't it fabulous?!?! These templates are ready for you to download. There are 2 downloads:

Download 1

Download 2

We hope you enjoy using these wonderful templates. If you use them for a layout, we'd love to see, so be sure to link us up here.

Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season.

xoxo

Jennifer ♥

Read more...

Member Spotlight: slurpeegirl13

Hi'ya! Helen, a.k.a. LifeScraps, here to bring you this Sunday's spotlight post! I am guesting for Jennifer this month and was excited to try my hand at blogging for a designer. Never done that before. I blog regularly but on my own personal blog. This is new and I love trying new things!

Moving on....I chose to spotlight a member of Jennifer's fabulous creative team. Today, the spotlight is on, none other than one of Jennifer's more recent memebers, (drum roll please) the fabulous, the creative and talented, but above all sweetest gals I know in digiland.....

Trina a.k.a. slurpeegirl13

Let's get to know "slurpeegirl13" a little better, shall we? I asked Trina to answer some questions and here are her answers:

1. Tell us a little about the non-scrapbook-related “Trina”.

There's a non-scrapbook related Trina? Just kidding. I'm mommy to an almost-2 year old, wife for 3.5 years, admin assistant at a meat packing plant. I love Harry Potter, Twilight and JD Robb books, well any mystery type books really. I'm proudly Canadian, except when it's -40 out - then I'm just Canadian lol. I am addicted to both slurpees and steeped tea from Tim Horton's.

2. How long have you been a digi-scrapper & how did you get started?

6 Years this Christmas Day! I got the CK Scrapbook Designers program for Christmas, 2003, and I have never turned back to paper scrapping.

3. How long have you been with Jennifer Fox Designs as a CT member?

Today is the 19th ... so 19 days. I guested in November and joined full time Dec. 1st.

4. What program do you use to scrap with and have you always used it?

I use PS CS2 and am saving up for CS4. I have used a couple scrapbook designers, Digital Image Suite, PS7 and now CS2.

5. Do you do any traditional or hybrid scrapping?

Paper - nope. Hybrid - I'm starting to, mainly cards but I also did some exploding boxes for Christmas.

6. What are your top 3 favorite kits by Jennifer Fox Designs?

(All previews link to Jennifer's store at Polka Dot Plum)

7. What is your favorite layout created with a JFD kit?

Using Cuppycakes....

(Click on the image to go leave Trina some love!)

8. How long does it take you to complete a layout from beginning to end?

If I have my mojo on board, 45 min. to an hour. If it's not on board, 3-4 hours (coming back to it and trying again, that sort of thing). If I'm using a template (which I love!), about 30 min.

9. List 5 things you love.

1. My family and Friends.

2. Steeped Tea.

3. Reading.

4. Music.

5. Digital Scrapbooking.

10. List 5 things that bug you.

1. Bad Drivers!

2. People that cut in line at Timmie's (coffee shop).

3. Being the only one of her parents that can tell when dd needs a diaper change.

4. Stupid people that think they're smart.

5. Seafood. I don't know why, but I cannot eat anything that lived in water.

Thank you, Trina, for letting us take a look at the girl behind the screename, slurpeegirl13! I can see why Jennifer snagged you up to be on her team!

Read more...

Christmas Sale @ Polka Dot Plum

What's better than the holidays being right around the corner??? How about an amazing holiday sale?!?

Most everything in my store is on sale! Check it out HERE!

Read more...

I'm a Fresh Face!

I'm being featured in this month's DSA Enabler as a Fresh Face in the digi world! I'm really excited to be a part of this fun publication and hope that you'll rush out to get your own {free} copy!!!


As part of my feature, I get to offer you this super cute mini kit freebie. You'll only be able to find it in The Enabler:

Head on over to DSA right now and grab your copy and this free kit! Enjoy! ♥

Read more...

Spotlight on Six O'Clock Wedding

Hi everyone...Jessica here today to bring you a spotlight on this absolutely beautiful kit Six O'Clock Wedding available over @ Polka Dot Plum.



I mean how can you resist the gorgeous color combinations and super fun elements. It is perfect for more then just wedding layouts though. Here are some examples I found in the galleries as well as something I came up with when playing with the kit.

Mine:


Jump by Scrappurple:

Perfectly Imperfect by ttklewis:

July Sixth by Kelly:

So if you have not got this kit in your stash head on over to Polka Dot Plum and pick it up!! You will not regret it. If you get it come back and share your own layout so we can leave some love!

Read more...

Friday Freebie 12/11/09

Ho ho ho (insert freak-out here)!!!

Kim (Sprauncey1) here with your freebie this Friday. Can anyone else hear that sound? Tic tic tic... It is crunch time for getting stuff done for Christmas! I don't know, maybe you are like me a few years back that had everything done by Thanksgiving and can sit back and laugh at the rest of us running around like chickens, but keep the snickering down....OK? Me...well I have my calendars printed and bound at least. Half of them are mailed off, the other half not, and none of my presents for the nieces and nephews are even bought yet. And don't talk to me about Christmas cards! Sigh!
So for this Friday Freebie, I thought that if you are like me and not likely to get some stuff done in time, at least we can be ahead in another area. So I made us all some thank you cards for after Christmas to send out. Grandma's always love those!

I used Jennifer's beautiful Take Me Away kit at Polka Dot Plum.
And so I created this card front, that literally you just can print out two to a sheet (both images on the right side so it folds right), fold, write and mail! Easy right? And you can start the New Year off ahead of the game! Here's my cards all printed out, you may be able to see I got a little ambitious and added a tiny bit of glitter, but you don't have to do that.

And this is what the digital image looks like when you download it:Download here

Have fun with these and enjoy! Merry Christmas!

Read more...

December Birthdays

Hey everyone! It's Mandy aka chastml. Tomorrow is my youngest daughter's first birthday. I can't believe it! How did the past year go by so quickly? We're going to have a small family party at home for her. You know, dinner she can eat with her hands, her own little cake she can eat with her hands and a present wrapped in birthday paper. I don't want her to ever feel like her birthday isn't special enough for its own present in birthday paper. Even if that birthday paper is red. It also has puppies in party hats, so it's definitely not Christmas paper.

I would love to hear how parents of December babies celebrate their children's birthdays. How do you make sure your child has a special day amongst the hubbub of the holidays? Do you throw a party? Do you make sure there's a birthday present? Do you do something different? Please leave a comment. I would love to have some additional ideas for next year.

Read more...

Oldie but goodie

Hi everyone, Trina (slurpeegirl13) here to bring you some gorgeousness. Since there's no new release this week, I decided to pick my favorite Jennifer Fox Designs kit and show you some layouts I found using it in the galleries. The kit is 'Bubblegum Beauty', a collab between Jennifer and Tracie Stroud (preview is linked).

Isn't it purdy? I love the colors - perfect if you have a little girl but the blues thrown in there for the boys in your life. And here is some inspiration I found randomly in the galleries:

By Manderin Oranges:

By Leila:

By emmasmom:

By Alixwest:

And last but not least, by 1girl1boy (Leslie)

Have you used Bubblegum Beauty? Link us up to your page in the comments section so we can see! And if you haven't got it yet, what are you waiting for???

Read more...

Get to know Jennifer...and a freebie!

Good Sunday morning to all of you out there in digiland! It's freeeezing here in the Midwest but we have yet to have snow. *knock on wood* I hope you all are having a fabulous weekend wherever you are and I'm gonna make it a little sweeter ;) I am a nosy person by nature...just how I'm wired. SO, today I'm bringing you a get to know you about our very own designer extraordinaire, Miss Jennifer Fox, along with a lil' freebie that Jennifer made just for you.

I'm a 30 year old retired elemetary school teacher turned SAHM of two darling kids. I've been married to my college sweetheart for going on 9 years. I'm obsessed with photography, scrapbooking (digi and paper), yoga, and Appalacian State football. I've been "officially" designing for about 9 months, but dabbling before that. I'm pretty much an open book and wear my heart on my sleeve.

What made you start designing?

I had been scrapping for a long time and sometimes got frustrated when I couldn't find what I needed to make a layout look the way I wanted. I started playing around with creating some stuff on my own and enjoyed it. I entered a designer contest at Funky Playground and ended up being offered a spot in the store. It's just kind of taken off from there.

Which do you prefer scrapping or designing?

Depends on the day. Sometimes I really prefer to just relax and scrap--plus, scrapping is really something I do for my family, so I freak out a bit if I get too far behind. Other times I'm just feeling more creative and that's when I do my best designing.

What's your favorite kit so far....?

I really, really love Such a Hoooot!

Do you have any inspiration when it comes to designing?

I get inspiration from so many places. My CT girls are a HUGE help. I love fabrics, catalogs, bedding, wedding sites, etc. I really love to play with colors and that is usually a starting point for me.

Do you have prefer single photo layouts or multiphoto layouts?

Hmmm...probably multi.

Your fave movie?

No way I can name one. The last movie that really blew me away was Seven Pounds. Just wow. I love chick flicks, though--Sweet Home Alabama, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Failure to Launch are some that I'll watch whenever they're on.

Book?

The Shack. In a close second is The Love Dare--not exactly a novel, but very important to me.

Skittles or M&M's?

M&Ms. Duh. Chocolate.

What's your favorite word?

Ridiculous


Which came first...the chicken or the egg?

Bacon. Really. I love bacon.


Do you recycle?

Yes.

What's one thing that no one would believe if you told them?

I was *this* close to going to med school, but decided last minute that having a family was more important to me and the years of sacrifice just weren't worth it. I loved teaching, love being a SAHM, but still question that decision.

Isn't she just the cutest, ever? Now that you know a little bit more about Jennifer, how about a little freebie? I admired Jennifer's scrapping skills LONG before she became a designer and I love when she makes templates because it lets me scrap a little like her! Soooo, today, I have a little template that Jennifer made so you too can scrap just like her.

Just click here and voila...it's all yours!



Hope you all have a great Sunday!

Read more...

Freebie Friday

Hi! Coila here to bring you a little freebie for your Friday! I used Jennifer's Sweet Christmas and made a frame for you all.Click here to download


I hope you like it :) Have a happy Friday!

Read more...

Backdrop Photo Tip

A couple of weeks ago we got our family picture taken for our Christmas cards! I was lucky because it was still warm enough to take photos outdoors. However, it has gotten much colder since then and I'm sure many of us will be taking Christmas photos INDOORS!!!

So, if your house is like mine and you have less than ideal backgrounds in your home for a good backdrop, here are some ideas you might be able to use to give your photos that professional look.

Backdrop ideas to try:
fabric shower curtains
wrapping paper
sheets
tablecloths

All of these ideas should give you a wide variety of different patterns and textures to play with. You probably want to stay away from anything too glossy. Also, if your background is a little too busy you can adjust your aperture to a low value so that the background will be more blurred and less distracting in your photo.

I hope you have fun using some of these backdrop ideas in your own photos!

Read more...

December Blog Train

Welcome to my portion of the December Mega Blog Train! I'm super excited to join this HUGE train that features 100 designers!!! This month's theme is, of course, Christmas and Holidays. This mini kit features great warm colors, super cute elements, and great papers.

Click on the preview or HERE to grab my part of the kit. From here, you should head over to RebeccaPSP Designs. If you get lost, you can find a list of ALL participating designers and links to their contributions at the Blog Train Blog. You'll also find a slideshow that reveals each and every part of the kit there. Please be sure to leave some love at each of your stops. Also keep in mind that we are all in different time zones, so be sure to check back if a part seems to be missing.

While you're here, why don't you follow my blog and subscribe to my newsletter? You'll get announcements, be the first to hear important news, and even get great coupons and freebies!!! Hope you enjoy and remember to link me up to any LOs featuring my stuff--I'd love to see what you do!

Until next time,
Jennifer ♥

Read more...

December Desktop Freebie

Hi out there, Sprauncey1 here!

I was thinking about my Christmas decorations earlier today (after seeing my neighbor's house's decorated for a couple weeks already!) and thought I'd "decorate" my computer first. You know I got to have priorities! So I created this desktop calendar using a kit Jennifer made for a little special treat in December. It is super cute and oh so Christmassy fun! But for now here's a little desktop/sneak peak!:

PC desktops

Mac desktops

Now I just need to get going and get the rest of my decorating done! Time to turn on the Christmas music and make some cocoa and start dusting off the boxes, its going to be a long day! Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!

Ciao!

Read more...

Huge Sale This Weekend!

Stop by my store at Polka Dot Plum this weekend and save 50% off your entire order!

Use code: jf_BF50 at checkout to get your discount. This offer expires 11/30, so hurry!!!

Enjoy and have a great weekend! ♥

Read more...

Spotlight Sunday!

Hi everyone, guest CT member Trina here with your Sunday Spotlight for this week. I decided to see what people have made with Funkalicious Fall by Jennifer Fox Designs and GSD by Nikki Epperson, and I had so much fun perusing the galleries, there are so many talented scrappers out there!

Here is a preview of this gorgeous kit :
First up this one caught my eye at DST - Mr. Ringbearer by schock77. I love the circle, the layered backgrounds, the placement of the elements and of course the wonderful journalling. This uses

Isn't this the most adorable face ever? This one is by ladyponies23, and it went straight into my scraplift folder - love the blocking, the titlework, and again the journalling.

This one also uses Scraps to Go 1, some of Jennifer's awesome templates. Awesome titlework and clustering, yet again! Little Pumpkin by knlchevys

And this is my favorite page of mine that I did this month is this one, Pretty in Pink.

Thanks for looking at these pages, hopefully you got some of your own inspiration and you can pick up Funkalicious Fall to create something beautiful! Link us up here to your creation using this kit!

Read more...

A little weekend inspiration...

Hey! Alix here, or as some of you know me, sassynsweet ;) I am *loving* my time as a guest CT member and seeing as it is drawing to an end *sob*, I thought I'd share a fun little photo tutorial I created with you all.

One of the best parts of being a photographer is there is always something new to learn! Even if you already know about a certain technique or tip, it never hurts to practice, so go ahead and give this one a try!

One of my favorite techniques is when part of the picture, usually something in the foreground is sharp and the background is blurred. I like how a nice soft background will contrast with your subject and it really helps to make the photo 'pop'. Kinda like this:



In order to get a nice soft background, you need to use a bigger aperture, like f2.8 or f4, because smaller apertures mean more of your background is in focus. Obviously this is easier if you have a dSLR camera, but for those of you with point and shoots you can fake it using photoshop and I’m going to show you how!

First choose a picture that has a distracting background that you would like to tone down. I am going to use this one:



First duplicate your photo, because you should never work with the original! Now just like with everything in photoshop there is more then one way to do this, but I am going to show you my favorite way.

Using your magnetic lasso, being by selecting a starting point on your image, then follow as closely along the subject as you can (if the magnetic wand chooses something you don’t want then just click ‘backspace’). You can also click along the subject to make the selection points if you’d like or the magnetic lasso is having a difficult time with a certain area. Once you make your way back to your starting point, the ‘marching ants’ will show up. Like this, here it is up close:



Again, there are probably several ways to do this part, but I’m just going to show you the way I am most comfortable with.

Click on Filters --> Blur --> Lens Blur



Adjust the settings to your liking, I changed 'radius' to 30, but I didn’t change them much from the default.



Here’s it is after the filter is applied



And the before and after:



Whew! If you made it this far, thank you! I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, it was my very first, so thanks for being my guinea pigs! If you try it out post a link to your photo in the comment section, we'd love to see them!!

{Hugs}

Alix

Read more...

Freebie Pillow Box

Kate here wishing everyone a Fabulous Fall! This is a great time of year to reflect on blessing in our lives. I have so many wonderful family and friends in my life. So I thought, why not make them a little thank you. So I grabbed my Funkalicious Fall kit by Jennifer and GSD by Nikki Epperson and I put together this little pillow box for you to fill with candy.


They are quite easy and I will show you how to do it. First you will need to download the TEMPLATE HERE and then print it.

1. So first, cut out your pillowbox


2. Next, fold on the straight lines


3. Next you are going to score the ovals. I don't have a bone folder but that's okay. I take my scissors edge and score around the inside oval edge.


4. Fold the ovals in like this


5. Next glue the cream flap to the back side of the box
6. Make sure on one end the ovals are in and the other end they are open. Now you need to fill this cute box with some yummy treats.
7. Now go take this pillow box to your family and friends that mean a lot to you!!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Read more...