Shallow depth of field photos

Great article on getting that cool blurred background look! http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/out-of-focus-richardson/

MouseScrappers!

I'm having a blast posting layouts over on MouseScrappers! It is a GREAT place for Disney scrappers. Come check it out!

http://www.mousescrappers.com

Happy International Scrapbook Day!

Wow, there are some AWESOME sales out there today!  I was inspired to write just to sum up some of my favorite finds for the day (so far).  I’ll be starting my day over at the 40% off sale at ScrapMatters.  Britt still has a few kits that I didn’t scarf up yet.  I think I’ll snag Animal Kingdom for sure and maybe a few others.   Here are some more of her awesome Disney inspired kits:

Around the world

 Arabian Adventure

You can’t go wrong at 40% off!  I’m also getting Connie Prince’s A Magical Place kit.  Love it!

 

Sweet Shoppe has some fabulous sales going on, too, and I spotted some Disney-ish kits there as well!  Sweet!  (no pun intended!)  Here’s In a Land of Fantasy by Manda Bean

and Traci Reed’s Enchanted: Kiss the Girl kit – adorable!

I’ll keep looking for the best deals out there for you, but for mow I have to go SHOP!  And maybe even SCRAP!  I’m feeling inspired now!  Later!

Some Awesome Disney kits!

Found these while checking out the new stuff at ScrapMatters today.  I think I’ll be doing some shopping today!

 

and Britt has an Animal Kingdom kit – OMG, I love it!!!!

 

The Rest of the StoryBook: Sharing Live Page Templates

Great directions on making and sharing templates!

The Rest of the StoryBook: Sharing Live Page Templates

A New Two Pager!

Thanks to a request, I finally got around to making a new template!   Thanks, Christy!  So, here it is.  A two pager, 7 pictures per page with 4 inches for journaling on each pages (those were her specifications).  I hope this works well for everyone doing P365 or if you just have a lot of pictures to scrap from one event!

Here are the previews (first page is linked, or click HERE to download)

Please let me know if you use my template!  Email me or post a comment.  I’d love to see what everyone does with this!

Testing Windows Live Writer

I’m hoping this will make this blogging thing easier and faster for me.  This is just a quick test, but if it works, hopefully I’ll be back soon with some more fun freebies and stuff!  Let’s try putting in a picture.

ooh, that was easy!  Like that.  Let’s try a link.  Look at this adorable Jungle Kit  I just found.  Perfect for Animal Kingdom Layouts!

That’s is for today’s test.  Let’s see how this works!

Calendar Templates For Sale! and a freebie!

Ok, so maybe it isn't quite on par with ToysRUs or Target, but I am having my own little sale here on the blog. And I didn't quite have it ready yesterday (darn all that shopping I did! :) ) so it is now a Black Friday WEEKEND roll out! I have decided to sell a set of calendar templates for 8.5x11 calendars starting today!

The .zip file contains 12 .page files that allow you to make a full year's worth of calendar layouts for only $2!! What a deal! and because you are all so cool, I'm also giving away a card template FREEBIE! So, if you need to get moving on those photo gifts and cards (and who doesn't), use my templates to speed the process along! Or if you don't feel like doing all the work, contact me and I'll put your projects together FOR you! Contact me for details on that.

So, here is the preview of the blank templates:


FREE CALENDAR TEMPLATES


and now, for the freebie! I made up a few Christmas card blanks and I decided to share one with you today. Here is what it looks like filled with papers:


and HERE is the link to download the .page file! Enjoy! BTW, I'd love to see any finished pages you make with any of my templates. You can email them to me at labdogs42 @ gmail.com (minus the spaces).

ETA, I'm taking the link to buy these down and add these to my freebies. Enjoy!

A quick one pager

I did this page for my next Disney book and I thought it would make a fun template! Here's the template:



and here is the page I made with it:


I used Britt-ish designs Space Ranger kit and I have to look up where I got that Tomorrowland alpha! I promise I'll find out!

Two New Templates by Request!

So, I got a request for pages with landscape 4x6's and 7 photos to a two page spread (for p365 layouts especially), so I decided to do a layout that incorporated both of these requests! So, here is your template with 7 landscape 4x6's! I haven't made a layout with this template yet, but I'll try and get one together soon! Enjoy!



get the left page HERE



and the right page HERE

FREE CM Templates!

I will be posting some FREE templates for SBC+ users from time to time. I'm also going to put together some packs of templates to purchase. So, please let me know what you are looking for in a template (like what kind of project you want a template for, what sizes, etc). I take requests! But for now, we'll start off with a simple two page template based off this layout I did of the Block party Bash parade at Disney's Hollywood Studios:

Page 1


Page 2:
all products used in this layout are by Britt-ish Designs Remember, the pages are fully customizable. You can use the shapes I have picked out and fill them with paper or use any cute elements from any kit in those spots. I put them there mostly as inspiration and placeholders. Use whatever suits the mood of YOUR layout! That's what's s cool about them!

So, here are what they look like, you can get them HERE (one zip-- it contains both .page files)



I find the easiest way to use these files is to unzip them and place them in my Creative Memories StoryBooks folder. When I want to use them, I just click Import a Page in the file that I'm working on and navigate to these pages. You click on the pages you want to import, and voila! They are in your book and ready to use!

Have fun using these and I'd love to see what you do with them! Leave a comment or email me with a link to your layout online. I can't wait to see them in use! Enjoy!

Boo Banner Project

Want to make a cute banner for Halloween? You can whip this one up in minutes!


Supplies:
Printable created with CM Trick or Treat add-on
1 piece 12x12 Black cardstock
Cricut for letters (I used Mickey font at 3")
Foam squares
CM Halloween Micro Maker
hole punch
some kind of yarn or ribbon for stringing
adhesive (I used CM Tape runner)

Directions:
Print backgrounds on 1 sheet 8.5x11 cardstock (from Staples)
Cut them out with 12" trimmer
Cut three 4x6 rectangles from black cardstock
adhere backgrounds to black background
cut letters on Cricut from remaining black cardstock (I used Mickey font at 3")
adhere letters with foam squares
punch micro shapes from scraps of paper in coordinating colors
adhere shapes with foam squares
punch two holes at the top of each card
Thread ribbon or yarn through holes and hang up!

I used CM foam squares to make the letters and punches "pop"

Here is the printable file for the backgrounds. It is a .jpg, so anyone can use it. Image is linked. You can download the file from Smugmug for FREE!

Another Cool CM Project!

Creative Memories is really getting on board with the cool ideas this Halloween season. I really like this Bingo idea. So, here's a picture of the project and a link to the instructions. Enjoy!

The Disney PhotoBook that started it all!

Click here to view this photo book.

This was my first venture into the world of digital scrapbooking. I wanted to make a book about our Disney trip and I wanted to be able to make a copy for my MIL, so I started learning how to use SBC+ and make my own pages. I am now a total addict! So, here is the book that started it all!

October Desktop

One of my favorite things to do in SBC+ is to make a new monthly desktop at the beginning of each month. I make one and put it on my laptop, my work laptop, and I email it to Scott for his work laptop. It is so fun to have current pictures on my desktop! This month, I used a couple of photos taken as we prepared for a 5 year old's "Rock Star" birthday party. I used CM's Motor Grunge kit for the background and mats, and an Alpha from Ellie Lash's Pumpkin Patch kit (recolored to match papers). I hope you like it!

CM has some good new freebies up!

Some of you probably know that Creative Memories has been offering digital freebies for a while now. They are usually one or two little elements per day. Soem aew great and some are so-so. Here are a few recent ones that I thought were really great! (BTW, you don't have to use SBC+ to use these freebies!)

Images are linked!


Cool halloween word art that matches the Trick or Treat kit:

Testing, Testing

So, this is going to be my new blog where I'm going to focus on my new Creative Memories business including sharing tip and tricks for StoryBook Creator Plus, page ideas, and hopefully some FREEBIES like blank page templates! I'm trying to get it set up right now, so this is really just a test. More to come!