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July 9, 2010
Stretch Your Supplies: Punch Week 3
Welcome to week three of our challenge series. Time to stretch your supplies, in particular your punches!
Join us for the last week of stretching as we get creative with our punches.
view week one here
view week two here
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
Do something with the negative space!
Can you find the negative space? I punched each photo with a heart shape and backed it with patterned paper. Next I added a number sticker that referred to the reference journaling on the left.
To participate, upload a layout that fits this week's challenge anywhere online (to your blog, to an online gallery, or to our BRAND NEW Flickr gallery). Then leave a comment on this post containing a link to your layout by Thursday, July 15 at midnight MST. One random participant each week will win a free copy of Eight is Enough!
AND, at the end of the three weeks, we'll pick two random participants from the entire challenge series who will each win an assortment of punches from EK Tools and Martha Stewart Crafts! Every layout you enter counts as one entry into the giveaway, so yes you can submit several different layouts in the same week, and the more times you enter, the greater the odds that you'll win!
Zig Zag Chain Edger Punch
For Sale Sign Large Punch
Bubbles Edger Punch
Leaf Stamp and Punch
Medium Birthday Candles Punch
Garden Trellis Deep Edge Punch
Deco Fans Punch Around the Page Set
Commenter #11, teapot2angel, who added Shimmerz Spritz and a colored brad on her layered punched butterfly. Adorable!
Join us for the last week of stretching as we get creative with our punches.
view week one here
view week two here
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
Do something with the negative space!
Can you find the negative space? I punched each photo with a heart shape and backed it with patterned paper. Next I added a number sticker that referred to the reference journaling on the left.
To participate, upload a layout that fits this week's challenge anywhere online (to your blog, to an online gallery, or to our BRAND NEW Flickr gallery). Then leave a comment on this post containing a link to your layout by Thursday, July 15 at midnight MST. One random participant each week will win a free copy of Eight is Enough!
AND, at the end of the three weeks, we'll pick two random participants from the entire challenge series who will each win an assortment of punches from EK Tools and Martha Stewart Crafts! Every layout you enter counts as one entry into the giveaway, so yes you can submit several different layouts in the same week, and the more times you enter, the greater the odds that you'll win!
EK Success Brands is giving away:
Dotted Circle Medium PunchZig Zag Chain Edger Punch
For Sale Sign Large Punch
Bubbles Edger Punch
Martha Stewart Crafts is giving away:
Leaf Stamp and Punch
Medium Birthday Candles Punch
Garden Trellis Deep Edge Punch
Deco Fans Punch Around the Page Set
The Random Winner from Week 2 Was:
Commenter #11, teapot2angel, who added Shimmerz Spritz and a colored brad on her layered punched butterfly. Adorable!
Posted at 02:36 PM
July 6, 2010
Scrapping by the Book
Guest blogger Audrey Neal writes:
I've been a book lover for as long as I can remember; in fact, I'm lucky enough to say that some of my earliest memories involve books. And while I consider myself a gadget girl in many ways, switching to an e-reader has been one technological advance I'm not willing to take. Not only would I miss the familiar heft of a book in my hands, but I'd miss out on the amazing cover art that accompanies some of my favorite books.
Those same book covers have served as inspiration for my scrapbook pages time and again. Whenever I'm feeling uninspired, I browse my bookshelves and come away with so many great ideas. Let's take a peek at a couple of my favorite books and I'll show you what I mean.
Design style: This cover features a playful look with hand-drawn illustrations. You could easily achieve the same look with doodles -- either digital, stamped, or hand-drawn.
Technique: The cover artist created a neat effect by using negative space on the hillside to create the outline of a man. Punches give you the same look on your layouts, and clipping masks help you achieve the look with digital layouts.
Photo treatment: Get the same vibrant look for your photos with photo actions, or play around with overlays and textures to mimic the blurred background on the main image.
Typography: This funky font would look great handcut from cardstock or printed onto a subtly patterned paper. Create a block of color to back your title.
The opportunities for inspiration are endless. In fact, I've found that some of my most meaningful layouts have been strongly inspired by the books I'm currently reading and their covers. Here's one of my favorites:
I had just finished The Help and was moved so strongly by this story; I couldn't stop thinking about it, even as I moved on to other books. There was so much about the book that resonated so strongly with me, and in part I knew it was because of the relationship I had formed as a small girl with three older black women who worked at the restaurant my grandparents owned when I was younger. It wasn't long before I knew the story I wanted to tell, but I was having trouble coming up with the layout and style. That's when I turned to the book cover for help.
Color scheme: I pulled patterned papers from some of my favorite designers in the same purples and yellows of the book's cover. (Being able to recolor just about anything makes this really easy with digital scrapbooking!)
Visual element: The birds and birdcages helped me to think more symbolically about the story I was telling; while I never really discusss the idea of being caged by society's ideas about class and race, those ideas are hinted at with the images I chose.
After participating in a circle journal based on books and reading with a number of scrappers this past year, I wanted to continue and expand this idea of getting scrapbooking inspiration from the books I was reading. That's when The Open Book Challenges were born. Every other Monday, seven talented scrappers and I take turns offering up our latest reads for your scrapbooking inspiration. We offer a short review and then include a variety of challenges, both inspired by both the content and the design of the book. To play along, all you have to do is create a layout (digi, hybrid, or traditional), card, or other paper project of your choice (any style, any format) and post a link to it in the comments. That's it -- though we do welcome comments and discussion about the book as well.
Click here to see the current challenges we have posted, as well as short bios of our challenge team.
We've got a new challenge going live on Monday, July 12 -- we hope you'll stop by, check it out, and play along!
I've been a book lover for as long as I can remember; in fact, I'm lucky enough to say that some of my earliest memories involve books. And while I consider myself a gadget girl in many ways, switching to an e-reader has been one technological advance I'm not willing to take. Not only would I miss the familiar heft of a book in my hands, but I'd miss out on the amazing cover art that accompanies some of my favorite books.
Those same book covers have served as inspiration for my scrapbook pages time and again. Whenever I'm feeling uninspired, I browse my bookshelves and come away with so many great ideas. Let's take a peek at a couple of my favorite books and I'll show you what I mean.
Design style: This cover features a playful look with hand-drawn illustrations. You could easily achieve the same look with doodles -- either digital, stamped, or hand-drawn.
Technique: The cover artist created a neat effect by using negative space on the hillside to create the outline of a man. Punches give you the same look on your layouts, and clipping masks help you achieve the look with digital layouts.
Photo treatment: Get the same vibrant look for your photos with photo actions, or play around with overlays and textures to mimic the blurred background on the main image.
Typography: This funky font would look great handcut from cardstock or printed onto a subtly patterned paper. Create a block of color to back your title.
The opportunities for inspiration are endless. In fact, I've found that some of my most meaningful layouts have been strongly inspired by the books I'm currently reading and their covers. Here's one of my favorites:
I had just finished The Help and was moved so strongly by this story; I couldn't stop thinking about it, even as I moved on to other books. There was so much about the book that resonated so strongly with me, and in part I knew it was because of the relationship I had formed as a small girl with three older black women who worked at the restaurant my grandparents owned when I was younger. It wasn't long before I knew the story I wanted to tell, but I was having trouble coming up with the layout and style. That's when I turned to the book cover for help.
Color scheme: I pulled patterned papers from some of my favorite designers in the same purples and yellows of the book's cover. (Being able to recolor just about anything makes this really easy with digital scrapbooking!)
Visual element: The birds and birdcages helped me to think more symbolically about the story I was telling; while I never really discusss the idea of being caged by society's ideas about class and race, those ideas are hinted at with the images I chose.
After participating in a circle journal based on books and reading with a number of scrappers this past year, I wanted to continue and expand this idea of getting scrapbooking inspiration from the books I was reading. That's when The Open Book Challenges were born. Every other Monday, seven talented scrappers and I take turns offering up our latest reads for your scrapbooking inspiration. We offer a short review and then include a variety of challenges, both inspired by both the content and the design of the book. To play along, all you have to do is create a layout (digi, hybrid, or traditional), card, or other paper project of your choice (any style, any format) and post a link to it in the comments. That's it -- though we do welcome comments and discussion about the book as well.
Click here to see the current challenges we have posted, as well as short bios of our challenge team.
We've got a new challenge going live on Monday, July 12 -- we hope you'll stop by, check it out, and play along!
Posted at 12:57 PM
July 2, 2010
Stretch Your Supplies: Punch Week 2
Welcome to week two of our challenge series. Time to stretch your supplies, in particular your punches!
In the last two years the type, quality, and styles of punches have grown drastically. It is a tool that can be used in so many different ways. We, at Ella, were inspired by the inventive ways Nicole Harper, Stephanie Howell, and Kelly Noel used punches on their layouts in Eight is Enough: Easy ways to stretch supplies and use leftovers, so we wanted to extend the inspiration to you!
Join us for three weeks of stretching as we get creative with our punches.
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
Add color and embellishments to your punched shapes
As you can see I used a butterfly punch and added bling and polka dots with a Sakura gel pen.
To participate, upload a layout that fits this week's challenge anywhere online (to your blog, to an online gallery, or to our BRAND NEW Flickr gallery). Then leave a comment on this post containing a link to your layout by Thursday, July 8 at midnight MST. One random participant each week will win a free copy of Eight is Enough!
AND, at the end of the three weeks, we'll pick two random participants from the entire challenge series who will each win an assortment of punches from EK Tools and Martha Stewart Crafts! Every layout you enter counts as one entry into the giveaway, so yes you can submit several different layouts in the same week, and the more times you enter, the greater the odds that you'll win!
Zig Zag Chain Edger Punch
For Sale Sign Large Punch
Bubbles Edger Punch
Medium Birthday Candles Punch
Garden Trellis Deep Edge Punch
Deco Fans Punch Around the Page Set
In the last two years the type, quality, and styles of punches have grown drastically. It is a tool that can be used in so many different ways. We, at Ella, were inspired by the inventive ways Nicole Harper, Stephanie Howell, and Kelly Noel used punches on their layouts in Eight is Enough: Easy ways to stretch supplies and use leftovers, so we wanted to extend the inspiration to you!
Join us for three weeks of stretching as we get creative with our punches.
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
Add color and embellishments to your punched shapes
As you can see I used a butterfly punch and added bling and polka dots with a Sakura gel pen.
To participate, upload a layout that fits this week's challenge anywhere online (to your blog, to an online gallery, or to our BRAND NEW Flickr gallery). Then leave a comment on this post containing a link to your layout by Thursday, July 8 at midnight MST. One random participant each week will win a free copy of Eight is Enough!
AND, at the end of the three weeks, we'll pick two random participants from the entire challenge series who will each win an assortment of punches from EK Tools and Martha Stewart Crafts! Every layout you enter counts as one entry into the giveaway, so yes you can submit several different layouts in the same week, and the more times you enter, the greater the odds that you'll win!
EK Success is giving away:
Dotted Circle Medium PunchZig Zag Chain Edger Punch
For Sale Sign Large Punch
Bubbles Edger Punch
Martha Stewart Crafts is giving away:
Leaf Stamp and PunchMedium Birthday Candles Punch
Garden Trellis Deep Edge Punch
Deco Fans Punch Around the Page Set
Week one's randomly chosen winner is... skling!
Great use of color- and what chipper photos of that little boy
Posted at 12:27 PM
June 25, 2010
Stretch Your Supplies: Punch Week 1
Remember our "six weeks of sketches" blog challenges, based on our popular Stretch Your Sketches eBook?
Well, we're starting a NEW series of challenges, beginning today, that will go for the next three weeks. And we're going to ask you to stretch again, except this time you're stretching a product from your stash, in particular your punches!
In the last two years the type, quality, and styles of punches have grown drastically. It is a tool that can be used in so many different ways. We, at Ella, were inspired by the inventive ways Nicole Harper, Stephanie Howell, and Kelly Noel used punches on their layouts in Eight is Enough: Easy ways to stretch supplies and use leftovers, so we wanted to extend the inspiration to you!
Join us for three weeks of stretching as we get creative with our punches.
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
Make a background using paper scraps and a punch!
I created this layout with a Martha Stewart button punch that embosses AND punches at the same time. The lively colors and playful heart made from buttons really suit these photos of my cute niece.
To participate, upload a layout that fits this week's challenge anywhere online (to your blog, to an online gallery, or to our BRAND NEW Flickr gallery). Then leave a comment on this post containing a link to your layout by Thursday, July 1 at midnight MST. One random participant each week will win a free copy of Eight is Enough!
AND, at the end of the three weeks, we'll pick two random participants from the entire challenge series who will each win an assortment of punches from EK Tools and Martha Stewart Crafts! Every layout you enter counts as one entry into the giveaway, so yes you can submit several different layouts in the same week, and the more times you enter, the greater the odds that you'll win!
Well, we're starting a NEW series of challenges, beginning today, that will go for the next three weeks. And we're going to ask you to stretch again, except this time you're stretching a product from your stash, in particular your punches!
In the last two years the type, quality, and styles of punches have grown drastically. It is a tool that can be used in so many different ways. We, at Ella, were inspired by the inventive ways Nicole Harper, Stephanie Howell, and Kelly Noel used punches on their layouts in Eight is Enough: Easy ways to stretch supplies and use leftovers, so we wanted to extend the inspiration to you!
Join us for three weeks of stretching as we get creative with our punches.
THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE:
Make a background using paper scraps and a punch!
I created this layout with a Martha Stewart button punch that embosses AND punches at the same time. The lively colors and playful heart made from buttons really suit these photos of my cute niece.
To participate, upload a layout that fits this week's challenge anywhere online (to your blog, to an online gallery, or to our BRAND NEW Flickr gallery). Then leave a comment on this post containing a link to your layout by Thursday, July 1 at midnight MST. One random participant each week will win a free copy of Eight is Enough!
AND, at the end of the three weeks, we'll pick two random participants from the entire challenge series who will each win an assortment of punches from EK Tools and Martha Stewart Crafts! Every layout you enter counts as one entry into the giveaway, so yes you can submit several different layouts in the same week, and the more times you enter, the greater the odds that you'll win!
EK Success is giving away:
Dotted Circle Medium Punch
Zig Zag Chain Edger Punch
For Sale Sign Large Punch
Bubbles Edger Punch
Martha Stewart Crafts is giving away:
Leaf Stamp and PunchMedium Birthday Candles Punch
Garden Trellis Deep Edge Punch
Deco Fans Punch Around the Page Set 
Posted at 08:02 PM
June 9, 2010
Summer family fun
Ella friend Tami Morrison is cooking up some summer fun at BPS and Ella has a spot in her class, Kidding Around, to giveaway. To enter leave a comment with and share your favorite summer activity to do with youngsters. Giveaway closes Thursday at midnight MST.
a little bit about Tami
Tami Morrison brings her unique brand of fun to this class, along with a child development degree, 15 years of teaching experience, and 24 summers of parenting. That adds up to plenty of clever ideas to keep kids engaged and amused over summer break. They'll be having such a blast documenting their exploits, they won't even notice they're developing skills in writing, creative expression and gratitude.
Special discount for everyone!!
Ella readers can enjoy 10% off the Kidding Around workshop at BigPictureScrapbooking.com.
At checkout use the code: ellasummer to redeem your discount.
Happy Summer Ella readers
*Disclaimer: This coupon only applies to Kidding Around workshop; coupon does not apply towards other Self-Paced Projects, Workshops or Gift Certificates. Good for one time use, per student. Expires July 14th, 2010 at 10pm PST. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Coupon must be entered in the “Promo Code” box during checkout and press “apply” button; discount will be applied immediately. Not applicable towards previous purchases. Other terms and restrictions may apply.
**Winner of giveaway**
kimbyrns
Posted at 08:14 AM
May 17, 2010
Teaming up with Cosmo Cricket
Time for a blog swap! What's that, you ask? Two companies share products with each other, and then they swap projects to share with their readers. Oh, and there's a giveaway too! (at the bottom of both posts)
Check out the projects inspired from Ella eBooks that are made with the Cosmo Cricket products.
* Using the newest line, Delovely, from Cosmo Cricket, design team member Wendy Sue Anderson used Stretch Your Sketches as inspiration for her project.
"I was so excited to participate in this swap with Ella Publishing! Because I'm a lover of sketches myself, I chose the book "Stretch Your Sketches" by Donna Jannuzzi. It has 32 pages of inspiration to draw from...and more than 30 sketches! It was hard to choose just one sketch to start with, but I ended up choosing the sketch on page 19 to inspire my layout. I am actually planning on printing this e-book so I can use it as a reference more easily - I'm sure it will be a great resource to have!"
* To see the rest of the Cosmo design team projects inspired from Ella eBooks check out their blog.
* Now for projects by some Ella friends. They all used the Text Tricks eBook as their inspiration.
Featuring the Joy Ride line
First up is Katie Scott.
Journaling reads "Allison's Allowance: We recently gave the kids the
opportunity to earn a weekly allowance. At first, Ally wanted to bank
it, but during a trip to Ikea - she found this tube & Igloo!"
(maybe next week we'll bank it - since we match the dollars they bank).
Designer Notes:
* I find Cosmo Cricket's products very user friendly - they are inviting and cute and because they are so versatile, they are just easy to use. I love the inclusion of the 12x12 sheet of journaling blocks.
* I know that turquoise / aqua is supposed to be the it color this year and there was lots of that color in this line and I find that color to be a happy and fun color to use in scrapbooking, so yes the colors worked well. Plus I liked that there was a neutral color along with black and/or white in almost every page so that I would be able to mix in other supplies from other manufacturers very easily.
* I have the kit out on my scrapbooking desk and even though I've made several layouts, I'm still really enjoying "Joy Ride" and plan to make many more layouts from this same kit.
P.S. The only thing that I possibly don't like about Cosmo Cricket is that their products are two sided so that if I like both sides, often times, I don't want to "waste" the back side so I often times do a layout on the back too.
Also: I like that their paper is sturdy enough to use as the base of a page (instead of cardstock).
Monica McNeil is next
Even though these pictures span an entire month & could tell several different stories, when I saw the clock in the set of cardstock stickers I knew I wanted to pull them together to tell the story of how my family came together to watch my son the first month I went back to work. Text tricks had so many fun ideas I couldn't pick just one! I planned my title around the clock that originally inspired me, then I incorporated the title into my journaling & I used the a sketch as the base for my layout.
Supplies: Cardstock (Studio Calico) + Patterned Paper ( Cosmo Cricket Joyride: Detour, Round About, Fast Lane, Are We There Yet, Borders) + Cardstock Stickers ( Cosmo Cricket Joyride) + Chipboard Letters (Cosmo Cricket Joyride: Redline)
Now featuring the Material Girl line
Next is Barb Wong
Supplies: cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket) + chipboard embellishments (Cosmo Cricket) + letter stickers (Cosmo Cricket) + sticker embellishments (Cosmo Cricket) + ink pad (Tsukineko) + ribbon, adhesive pearls and staples (unknown source)
Designer Notes:
* The design tip I used from the Text Tricks eBook is "journal on tags." The Material Girl elements paper provided lots of fun journalling tags with a mix of good colours and designs–they inspired me to recall these fun, never-before-documented pregnancy facts on my layout.
* I inked the edges of all the patterned paper I used on this page to give the different elements a cohesive look. The colour black is actually repeated all throughout the page: the thin black photo mats, the journaling done with a black pen, the black cross-stitching, the black ribbon and my black hair in the photos.
* I was worried that the page would look "too full" so I left some breathing space along the top, bottom and left edges of the page. The common margins between the main block and the journaling tags on the side provide a visual resting place as well.
oh and I made and posted a card from my scraps
Moon Ko used The Material Girl line also
journaling reads:
You are a loser of teeth. Not a loser in life. No, that title would belong to me when I quickly realized I couldn’t pull the loose tooth out of your head. You came home to show me your tooth that was barely hanging on to your fleshy gums. All it seemed like it needed was a good pull to get it out. We got the string, wrapped it around your tooth and then ...nothing. I couldn’t do it. We tried for hours and every time we tried (and failed), I would get more freaked out. By the time Daddy got home, I was a ball of nerves. He yanked it once and out it came. So let’s just chalk pulling teeth on to my ever- growing list of things I can’t do.
supply list:
8.5x11 layout pattern papers (Cosmo Cricket Material Girl) + stickers (Cosmo Cricket) + letter stickers (Cosmo Cricket) + chipboard (Cosmo Cricket) + kraft paper + font (Arabic Typesetting)
Giveaway:
* Cosmo Cricket has generously offered to giveaway three goody boxes to three lucky Ella blog readers. To participate, leave a comment and share what you are looking forward to most this upcoming summer. The giveaway closes, Wednesday, May 19th at noon MST.
* Visit the Cosmo blog to see projects by Ella Friend Linda Barber
Never browsed an Ella eBook before? Download our free sampler to see what they are like.
The winners have been notified and are listed below
mklsutiger
alwayscharlie
wonderdaisy
Check out the projects inspired from Ella eBooks that are made with the Cosmo Cricket products.
* Using the newest line, Delovely, from Cosmo Cricket, design team member Wendy Sue Anderson used Stretch Your Sketches as inspiration for her project.
"I was so excited to participate in this swap with Ella Publishing! Because I'm a lover of sketches myself, I chose the book "Stretch Your Sketches" by Donna Jannuzzi. It has 32 pages of inspiration to draw from...and more than 30 sketches! It was hard to choose just one sketch to start with, but I ended up choosing the sketch on page 19 to inspire my layout. I am actually planning on printing this e-book so I can use it as a reference more easily - I'm sure it will be a great resource to have!"
* To see the rest of the Cosmo design team projects inspired from Ella eBooks check out their blog.
* Now for projects by some Ella friends. They all used the Text Tricks eBook as their inspiration.
Featuring the Joy Ride line
First up is Katie Scott.
Journaling reads "Allison's Allowance: We recently gave the kids the
opportunity to earn a weekly allowance. At first, Ally wanted to bank
it, but during a trip to Ikea - she found this tube & Igloo!"
(maybe next week we'll bank it - since we match the dollars they bank).
Designer Notes:
* I find Cosmo Cricket's products very user friendly - they are inviting and cute and because they are so versatile, they are just easy to use. I love the inclusion of the 12x12 sheet of journaling blocks.
* I know that turquoise / aqua is supposed to be the it color this year and there was lots of that color in this line and I find that color to be a happy and fun color to use in scrapbooking, so yes the colors worked well. Plus I liked that there was a neutral color along with black and/or white in almost every page so that I would be able to mix in other supplies from other manufacturers very easily.
* I have the kit out on my scrapbooking desk and even though I've made several layouts, I'm still really enjoying "Joy Ride" and plan to make many more layouts from this same kit.
P.S. The only thing that I possibly don't like about Cosmo Cricket is that their products are two sided so that if I like both sides, often times, I don't want to "waste" the back side so I often times do a layout on the back too.
Also: I like that their paper is sturdy enough to use as the base of a page (instead of cardstock).
Monica McNeil is next
Even though these pictures span an entire month & could tell several different stories, when I saw the clock in the set of cardstock stickers I knew I wanted to pull them together to tell the story of how my family came together to watch my son the first month I went back to work. Text tricks had so many fun ideas I couldn't pick just one! I planned my title around the clock that originally inspired me, then I incorporated the title into my journaling & I used the a sketch as the base for my layout.
Supplies: Cardstock (Studio Calico) + Patterned Paper ( Cosmo Cricket Joyride: Detour, Round About, Fast Lane, Are We There Yet, Borders) + Cardstock Stickers ( Cosmo Cricket Joyride) + Chipboard Letters (Cosmo Cricket Joyride: Redline)
Now featuring the Material Girl line
Next is Barb Wong
Supplies: cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket) + chipboard embellishments (Cosmo Cricket) + letter stickers (Cosmo Cricket) + sticker embellishments (Cosmo Cricket) + ink pad (Tsukineko) + ribbon, adhesive pearls and staples (unknown source)
Designer Notes:
* The design tip I used from the Text Tricks eBook is "journal on tags." The Material Girl elements paper provided lots of fun journalling tags with a mix of good colours and designs–they inspired me to recall these fun, never-before-documented pregnancy facts on my layout.
* I inked the edges of all the patterned paper I used on this page to give the different elements a cohesive look. The colour black is actually repeated all throughout the page: the thin black photo mats, the journaling done with a black pen, the black cross-stitching, the black ribbon and my black hair in the photos.
* I was worried that the page would look "too full" so I left some breathing space along the top, bottom and left edges of the page. The common margins between the main block and the journaling tags on the side provide a visual resting place as well.
oh and I made and posted a card from my scraps
Moon Ko used The Material Girl line also
journaling reads:
You are a loser of teeth. Not a loser in life. No, that title would belong to me when I quickly realized I couldn’t pull the loose tooth out of your head. You came home to show me your tooth that was barely hanging on to your fleshy gums. All it seemed like it needed was a good pull to get it out. We got the string, wrapped it around your tooth and then ...nothing. I couldn’t do it. We tried for hours and every time we tried (and failed), I would get more freaked out. By the time Daddy got home, I was a ball of nerves. He yanked it once and out it came. So let’s just chalk pulling teeth on to my ever- growing list of things I can’t do.
supply list:
8.5x11 layout pattern papers (Cosmo Cricket Material Girl) + stickers (Cosmo Cricket) + letter stickers (Cosmo Cricket) + chipboard (Cosmo Cricket) + kraft paper + font (Arabic Typesetting)
Giveaway:
* Cosmo Cricket has generously offered to giveaway three goody boxes to three lucky Ella blog readers. To participate, leave a comment and share what you are looking forward to most this upcoming summer. The giveaway closes, Wednesday, May 19th at noon MST.
* Visit the Cosmo blog to see projects by Ella Friend Linda Barber
Never browsed an Ella eBook before? Download our free sampler to see what they are like.
The winners have been notified and are listed below
mklsutiger
alwayscharlie
wonderdaisy
Posted at 09:20 AM
May 11, 2010
Ezine cover archive
The May cover makes nine total covers Ella has shot since we went live in September. Pretty exciting.
Click on the links below to see the complete version. Do you have a favorite cover? Have you lifted any of these covers? Share in the comments below.
September 09
October 09
November 09
December 09
January 10
February 10
March 10
April 10
May 10
Posted at 09:04 AM
May 6, 2010
May Scrapbook Ellaments Behind the Scenes
Just a few behind-the-scenes facts about our newest (and best?) eZine issue!
1. The winner of our cover contest was the lovely Keri Babbitt, who, we found out, happens to live just in the next city over from me! That was a first. She was able to drop off the layout right on my front porch, rather than having to mail it.
2. When we realized the eZine was going to go live on Cinco de Mayo (5-5-10), we just HAD to include a 5-related article. Hence, the Editor's Note. Incidentally 5 +5 =10. Not that it's relevant, but interesting to point out. How many dates are also addition problems?
3. In Mix & Match, two of the pattern pictures were photographed and sent in just exactly as you see them, and two were assembled digitally by me. (I learned some fun new shadow tricks in Photoshop in the process!) Can you guess which have natural shadows, and which have digital shadows? Okay, I'll give you one hint. Here's how one of the images came in:
4. I got a real kick out of this suspicious-looking puppy photo from Jody Wenke (in Paper Plus Pixels). Isn't that the most human expression you've ever seen on a dog? This pooch is thinking, "I don't know about you..."
5. Did you know there are now TWO ways to find out that the new eZine is live and ready to read? You can sign up for our mailing list, or you can "like" our brand new FaceBook page, where we'll post short synopses of each new article every month! You better do both, just to be safe.
We're moving to a PAGE instead of a GROUP, because it gives us so many more options for connecting with our readers in relevant, meaningful, and of course FUN ways. And we'll even bribe you with giveaways and free stuff, too; we're not above bribery.
So...will you Like us? Please? We just want to be Liked. Like Sally Field, we just want to be able to say, "You LIKE me. You really LIKE me!!!"
(p.s. We're not so sure we approve of the new "Like" button that replaced the old "Become a Fan" on FaceBook. If you don't Become a Fan, that doesn't feel personal, but not Liking someone, that's another story...)
1. The winner of our cover contest was the lovely Keri Babbitt, who, we found out, happens to live just in the next city over from me! That was a first. She was able to drop off the layout right on my front porch, rather than having to mail it.
2. When we realized the eZine was going to go live on Cinco de Mayo (5-5-10), we just HAD to include a 5-related article. Hence, the Editor's Note. Incidentally 5 +5 =10. Not that it's relevant, but interesting to point out. How many dates are also addition problems?
3. In Mix & Match, two of the pattern pictures were photographed and sent in just exactly as you see them, and two were assembled digitally by me. (I learned some fun new shadow tricks in Photoshop in the process!) Can you guess which have natural shadows, and which have digital shadows? Okay, I'll give you one hint. Here's how one of the images came in:
4. I got a real kick out of this suspicious-looking puppy photo from Jody Wenke (in Paper Plus Pixels). Isn't that the most human expression you've ever seen on a dog? This pooch is thinking, "I don't know about you..."
5. Did you know there are now TWO ways to find out that the new eZine is live and ready to read? You can sign up for our mailing list, or you can "like" our brand new FaceBook page, where we'll post short synopses of each new article every month! You better do both, just to be safe.
We're moving to a PAGE instead of a GROUP, because it gives us so many more options for connecting with our readers in relevant, meaningful, and of course FUN ways. And we'll even bribe you with giveaways and free stuff, too; we're not above bribery.
So...will you Like us? Please? We just want to be Liked. Like Sally Field, we just want to be able to say, "You LIKE me. You really LIKE me!!!"
(p.s. We're not so sure we approve of the new "Like" button that replaced the old "Become a Fan" on FaceBook. If you don't Become a Fan, that doesn't feel personal, but not Liking someone, that's another story...)
Posted at 01:23 PM
April 30, 2010
Enjoy National Scrapbook Day
Hope all you awesome Ella readers have exciting plans for this holiday. We are recommending you stop by and visit some of our friends in the industry and check out what they are doing.
Be back later today with the TV challenge grand prize winner!
Make sure and check out these awesome National Scrapbook day happenings.
Creating Keepsakes magazine
Be back later today with the TV challenge grand prize winner!
Posted at 08:12 AM
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April 27, 2010
Schedule time for fun
{ discovery no.18 } don’t forget to have fun
“Regularly having fun is one of the five central factors in leading a satisfied life. Individuals who spend time just having fun are 20 percent more likely to feel happy on a daily basis and 36 percent more likely to feel comfortable with their age and stage in life.”
This layout is based (and the text above is from) on secret #18 from the eBook, 20 Simple Secrets of Happy Scrapbookers. It seems easy enough, have fun, but for some of us task driven women this can be a challenge. I know it is for me. So how do we have fun? If this question is hard to answer for yourself, then you, like me, need to figure it out and make time for it!
a few things I do for fun
Make a list of what you do for fun, then photograph some of those items and make a layout. Simple really, remember it is important to document yourself.
Supplies: letter stickers (AMerican Crafts) + border stickers and flower (Sassafras Lass) + + sticker (Little Yellow Bicycle) + Tuffy font
“Regularly having fun is one of the five central factors in leading a satisfied life. Individuals who spend time just having fun are 20 percent more likely to feel happy on a daily basis and 36 percent more likely to feel comfortable with their age and stage in life.”
This layout is based (and the text above is from) on secret #18 from the eBook, 20 Simple Secrets of Happy Scrapbookers. It seems easy enough, have fun, but for some of us task driven women this can be a challenge. I know it is for me. So how do we have fun? If this question is hard to answer for yourself, then you, like me, need to figure it out and make time for it!
a few things I do for fun
- listen to favorite podcasts like the Moth and Wiretap
- visit with friends at the neighborhood pool
- visit my favorite funny blogs
- play games with the kids
- camp and enjoy nature
- complete decorating projects
- scrapbook, of course
- hang out with friends
- chat with friends
- reminisce with my family
- go to movies with my man
- go on shopping adventures with friends
- walk through beautiful gardens
Make a list of what you do for fun, then photograph some of those items and make a layout. Simple really, remember it is important to document yourself.
Supplies: letter stickers (AMerican Crafts) + border stickers and flower (Sassafras Lass) + + sticker (Little Yellow Bicycle) + Tuffy font
Posted at 07:37 AM
