Friday Freebies - Can you Keep UP?

Friday Freebies happen every week!  I know, so much free awesomeness, you can hardly stand it right?

Well, hop on over to the Creative Memories Project Center for some digital freebies.

Here's a few from St. Patty's Day just in time for your St. Patty's photo pages...

NSD 2012 Recap

Thanks for coming to NSD 2012.  National Scrapbook Day was a lot of fun.

Here's a recap of what we did!

pdf available if you will host a National Scrapbook Day event.  Contact cmsher (at) gmail (dot) com to request.

Totally Tools Greeting Cards

Next week, I'm going to be teaching some new scrapbookers how to use some of Creative Memories traditional tools and products.

One easy and stress free ways to teach tools is to teach card making.  Often times, new scrapbookers aren't sure what their first project will be or haven't had time to gather photos.  Cards are useful creations that don't require a lot of know how and making them with cM tools helps me to introduce tools to newbies.



That said, making cards is a great way to use up older scrapbook paper that you may be growing tired of.  When you use it in a card - it gets a whole new life. 


This weekend I'm hosting a National Scrapbook Day event.  My attendees will be introduced to some of the exclusive NSD products from cM.  I used the BEST OF paper pack to create all of the cards shown.



My NSD attendees can earn prize tickets by creating cards with their NSD exclusive products.  Even tho. they aren't newbies, they will have a chance to use some tools that they may not have yet tried out!  I hope so.  My attendees at NSD will be challenged to customize and decorate their cards.  I can't wait to see what they will come up with at the event.



There are lots of samples of cards on the cM project center.  Both digital and traditional cards samples are shown.  I make all of my greeting cards - and why wouldn't I?  I have a lot of scrapbook supplies and tools and a homemade card is often nicer and cheaper than a store bought one.

Give cards a chance.

Here are my lesson pages to make 7 cards.

I also have a pdf handout of these instructions if you are a cmc and would like to use them at a class, party or event.  To request a handout, contact me at cmsher (at ) gmail (dot ) com. Enjoy! and Happy Scrapping.

Borders and Designs so ENCHANTED!

Here are some design inspirations using the ENCHANTED Power Palette (PP).  If you'd like more details about the products that come with the palette or the SALE price on this product for the entire month of March, check out the Enchanted Power Palette details from THIS POST.

But first, take a second to check out the beauty of the texture on these designer pages.

And the textured paper.

And some designs I created by putting them all together.  I can't wait to decorate some album pages with these border designs.

I created a pdf document with these images.  If it would help you with your National Scrapbook Day, you may request that I send you a copy by contacting me here.

NEW! Power Palette - Enchanted.

I love it when Creative Memories comes out with new power palettes.  As much as I love the old ones, it's usually time to see them go and to freshen up my pages with something new.

Enchanted is - well... quite enchanting!  There's also another new Power Palette called Divine


but this post features enchanted.

First- there is a 12X12 coverset that coordinates with Enchanted - LA LA LA LOVELY it is.



Beauty - just look at this baby.

A power palette has A LOT of elements.

First - there's a designer paper pack.  Here's what that looks like. 


Usually, the designer papers in a PP are a thinner/lightweight type of paper.  The designs on each side of paper is different.  One is usually a big whole page design and the other side is a more consistent pattern.  One downside of the lightweight paper is that it doesn't always perform so well with the Creative Memories tools (sorry CM but that should NOT be the case). 

However, the designer paper in the Enchanted PP is almost the weight of cardstock.  It's also embossed with a bit of texture - gorgeous and slightly 3D...ahhhh... just what a printed paper should be. LOVE.  NOTE: cM, please make more paper this weight.

Then there's a more monochromatic paper pack.  It looks like this.



Again, in ENCHANTED, the monocolor paper is also textured.  This time the design is pressed into the paper.  The two pressed designs are leaves and dots.. SO cute and about the weight of our "card stock" which used to be called "photo mounting paper."

Next, there are photo mats and journaling boxes.  These little papers mimic the big guys and coordinate with everything.  They are JUST the right size to back photos and pre-made journaling lines are a true time saver.



Move along to the Paper ADHESIVE DIECUT Ribbon.  The paper ribbon is double sided but this new ADHESIVE ribbon is both die cut and already sticky - again, something fun and new.  There are 4 styles in different widths.


FLOWERS...love them.  Many of the power palettes come with flowers.  They just make pages and borders so - well, flowery, funky, fun, and instantly loverly!  Many different colors and sizes, combine them together, use them separately - have a blast with them.  Awesome.



Follow along, blingy stickers. I've sad before I'm not really a blingy gal.  These are subdued blingly jewels.  I added them to borders for some instant pop without feeling like too much of a fashionista.  They were quite fun.


Finish up the PP with titles and RED abc letters and you could scrap for an entire weekend with just one pack.





Did I mention that this PP is on SALE... for a BIG SAVINGS?  I will just whisper here that EVERY PP is on sale right now... YAY.  Click here for details.  Did I mention that all digital power palettes are ALSO on sale?

Now that you've gotten a look at the elements of the Enchanted PP, make sure to check out my website for coordinating Enchanted products for PicFolios, digital, etc...  Click here to see that.  Then, type Enchanted into the search box in the upper right hand side of my webpage and drool over all that is enchanting.



YUP... I certainly DID use the enchanted pack to make borders, layouts and designs.

C'mon back to the blog tomorrow to see all of THOSE happy little doings.

YES... those of you who are attending my NSD event this weekend can check out the products and designs in PERSON...up close and personal - you will be enchanted by Enchanted.

Freebies every Friday

Did you know that EVERY FRIDAY Creative Memories posts digital png files for FREE to use with your digital scrapbooking?  Go here to find them.

Here are some of the latest - there are many.  Check it out!









This is just a sampling - there are so many more!
Enjoy and happy digi scrapping - Sher

Spring Additions 2012

This coming weekend I'm hosting a National Scrapbook Day event for some of my FAVORITE scrapbooker friends.  One of the products I plan to highlight for them is the brand new Spring Additions pack.  This pack just became available March 1st.  Click HERE to purchase it.

The pack consists of 12X12 double side papers, paper photo mats, title stickers and decorative stickers.  The color palette has a dark and light teal, a coral and a lime-ish green.  There are a variety of patterns from a cross hatch to a soft linen to little sparkly sunshines.

This pack reflects the colors you would find in clothing stores right now! 

The colors are more muted than vibrant and they reflect the early spring landscapes with the waning winter hues just beginning to let in some modest colors.

The muted shades in this pack will contrast well with spring photos that show more vibrant colors.  They are more bold than pastel but definately not bright.  The look is soft and soothing.

Flowers are a key icon in this pack - and of course, it is spring after all!



If you've read my blog before, you'll know I'm a big fan of additions packs.  There are just enough supplies to treat you to the new colors featured this season, but not SO much product that you feel you have to use them year in and year out.  A few page layouts and you're on to your summer pack.  That's the way I like it!

Squares all in a row.  Six 2 inch squares make a super simple border but display all the lovely colors in a pack.

A border design showing the patterns and colors of this additions pack.  Created using the Creative Memories square maker.

A border design similar to above but without the squares turned - aka no diamonds here.

You also know I tend to be a bit of an OLD SCHOOL scrapbooker.  That's MY own personal term to describe someone who cuts apart their papers and embellishments to make lots of real estate on an album page to hold several photos.  I also still like to create borders, journal boxes, cut apart 12X12 papers, etc... I like additions pack because I can get creative with them in a speedy, cohesive fashion and I don't have to search thru multiple packs of paper and decorations pulling things together.  It all blends!  A NEW SCHOOL scrapbooker tends to use one more subtle photo on a page and surround it with LOTS of papers and embellishments.  The Creative Memories project center shows a LOT of examples of page layouts using just one photo on a page, or more than one photo but very small with a lot of room for embellishment. This one is really cute.

NO JUDGEMENT HERE!  There's a style for everyone and maybe you like to flip flop between them or combine the two styles - guess what - there are no rules - feel free - you can do just that!

Some of the project center pages are beautiful and creative and lovely.  I just tend to demonstrate a somewhat different page style.  Who can resiste the cute little gal in the photos above?

Click here to go to the project center.

I like to cut apart the 12X12 papers and get a bit more mileage out of my layouts.

Once the paper is cut apart, there are no end to the layouts you can create.  I've shown examples using one or two 4X6 uncropped photos and one smaller cropped photo - just for consistency.  I've demonstrated the layouts using the back of the photo.  Imagine YOUR photo in this spot!

Sometimes you can use the same embellishments but just arrange your photos and journaling boxes in different orientations to fit your specific needs.



Of course there's nothing to keep you from using an entire 12X12 paper as a background - they are beautiful papers after all.



But cut them apart to stretch your package supplies.

oops, blogger turned my photo - ugh!

Three photos (2 uncropped) plus a little journaling spot.



Here's a style for one uncut photo and a bit of a longer journaling story.

One benefit of cutting apart a page is having a nice white page surfact to journal on directly - I love journaling directly on a page using our two sided pens.  Creative Memories pens are the BEST!



Here are some layouts using the borders of squares shown above.  The border with 6 squares uses 2" squares and the border with 8 squares uses 1.5" squares which can be cut with the square maker tool.



Here are a few more layouts.



Happy Scrapping and ENJOY some flowers in your life inside or out.

By the way - this spring additons pack is also available as digital artwork.  I'm a huge digital fan!  Click here to purchase this additions pack in digital.  Both PC and MAC versions are available.  This link takes you to the PC version.

STAY TUNED... more borders and layout ideas coming your way!