Now I have to say that when I saw what this year’s color was, I was really excited to scrap with it.  And I gave some thought to what might be fun to do with Emerald that would be a little different.  Here’s where my wandering thoughts led me…

The color wheel.  What is a color wheel, you ask?  The basic color wheel is made up of twelve colors.  There are the three Primary colors: red, yellow and blue, which when mixed together in different ways make up all the other colors on the wheel.  Then there are three Secondary colors: orange, violet and green.  Remember learning about those as a child?  Yellow and blue make green.  Red and yellow make orange.  Blue and red make violet.  Finally you mix a Primary and Secondary color to get the six Tertiary colors.  But really just taking a look at the color wheel makes a lot more sense!  Here is one example.

Now my whole reason for talking about the color wheel is to show you a way you can develop a color palette for a layout.  We’re going to look at color schemes that come from the color wheel and make those the inspiration for our layouts.  We’ll use blue-green as the starting point because Pantone’s Emerald is a blue-green.  Ready to see our color schemes??  Here we go!

Our first color scheme uses Complementary Colors.  These are colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.  So for us today, we’re going to use blue-green and red-orange.

Complementary colors give maximum contrast.  This is because they don’t share any of the same colors.  For example, yellow and violet are complementary and violet is made up of red and blue (and not yellow).  Complementary schemes have an energetic feel.  Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to find the right balance though.  Here is what I did using Emerald and its complementary color.

Up next we’re going to look at an Analogous Color scheme.  Analogous colors are any three that are side by side on the color wheel.  Today we’ll use green, blue-green and blue.

Analogous color schemes are pleasing to the eye and are supposed to be able to create different moods.  As I read about this type of scheme, it was usually recommended to let one color be the dominant color while the other two colors add depth.  I’m not sure if I got that 100% right in this one, but here’s my analogous layout!

Our last color scheme for today uses Triadic Colors.  These colors are equidistant from each other on the color wheel (they make an equilateral triangle).  Our triadic colors are blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

Triadic colors give variety to a color palette because they aren’t close to each other on the color wheel.  Some of the color schemes could come off as a bit gaudy, but used the right way, they have interesting impact.  Here’s my take on this color scheme.

I asked the Shabby Team if they’d like to try these color schemes out themselves, and they have more inspiration to share with you!!

What I love most about this post is that we started with one color, Emerald, and the layouts that were created are all so different!  Thank you everyone for all these beautiful layouts!  If you want to see theirs in more detail, check out the gallery, where they will be uploaded soon.

Here’s where I usually say “that’s all for today”, but instead I must sign off a bit more permanently.  This is my last post before the team blog posts end, and I have so enjoyed my time here and sharing a love of scrapping with all of you.  Thanks for being such a great community of scrappers!  I’ll see you in the gallery!!  Bye bye!

Hello everyone!  Kim here today to share this month’s extra-large, extra-sweet Product Spotlight post!  We’re wrapping all the spotlight fun into this one post and giving you a bit of an early Christmas present too!  SP is once again putting ALL of her holiday kits and products ON SALE for a limited time!!  That’s right… everything holiday related!

There are several holiday kits in the Shoppe, each unique but also able to mix and match with other kits as well.  The Shabby Team has put together a bunch of new inspiration to show this.  I’ve tried to be helpful and name the main kits used in each layout.  But please keep in mind that the layouts may include items from other kits as well.  These will all be uploaded to the gallery with full credits, so check there for a closer look at each layout!  Here comes the inspiration…

Still a favorite of mine is the Twas the Night kit.  I especially love the blue ornate paper and the sparkly elements (there’s a star and snowflake too that are not shown here).  For this layout, I mixed these with paper and elements from the new Nutcracker kit.

And here are more layouts from the whole team!

And here’s one final layout by Kylie using the Believe kit.  I do love how the “Naughty or Nice” word art from the new Holiday Wordart and More worked so well for Kylie in this layout.  Don’t we all want to be on the nice list?!

Thanks ladies for all that inspiration!  That’s all for today, but tomorrow Casharina will be here with fabulous food post!  Bye!

  I’ll admit that I kept this project as simple as possible, but it still has a bit of flair with the wrapped frame.  I like it!  And here’s what you need to create your own:

• Frame (This one seems so simple, but it was the trickiest part for me.  You need to remember that you are going to wrap the edges when you pick out a frame.  So, the kind of frame where the glass and backing needs to be slid in from one end won’t work.  You need glass and backing that goes straight in from the back.  I hope that makes sense!  And in truth, you may not be able to fit the glass back in the frame anyway.  In my example, I couldn’t.  You may have to experiment a little to see what works best for you.)
• Scrapbook paper (My example uses the plaid paper from Once in a Blue Moon.  I printed it on my home printer on 8.5×11 inch paper.  No need to have 12×12 inch pages for this project.)
• Tape or other kind of adhesive
• Printed out embellishments of your choice
• Scissors

Follow these steps to wrap the edges of your frame:

• Remove the glass and backing from your frame.
• Cut your scrapbook paper into strips.  Mine were about 1/2 inch thick, but you can experiment to see what you like.
• Use tape/adhesive to attach one end of a strip to the back edge of your frame.
• Wrap the strip around the edge of the frame, being sure that you have some overlap each time you wrap.
• When you get to the end of the strip, cut it so that it ends on the back edge of your frame and tape it down.
• Repeat the last 3 steps until you have all the edges of your frame covered.  Just go as close to the corners as you can because you’ll take care of those next.

Now for the corners.  I wasn’t sure what I’d do about this part, but here’s what worked for me.  I cut out a square of the scrapbook paper, then cut a little bit into one corner of the square (shown below).  I taped the two corner pieces down on the inner part of my frame (where it wouldn’t show), then wrapped the rest of the square around the corner like you’re wrapping a present (with more tape to hold it down).

You’ve done the hard part at this point!  You’re all ready to put your pictures and the backing in the frame and add any embellishments you’d like.

There are a couple of other things I’d like to mention from my experience with this project.  Number one, the hardest part is going to be finding a frame that you will still be able to fit the picture and backing in after you wrap the frame.  You might try wrapping just a few strips of paper, then seeing if it’s going to work.  Using regular weight paper (not a thicker cardstock) to print out the scrapbook paper will allow the paper to bend and form more to the frame.  I’d recommend not trying cardstock.  That said, I did use cardstock to print out my embellishments.

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing this little hybrid project!  And I hope you have a lovely rest of your weekend!!  Be sure and stop back by the blog on Monday as Lindsay will be here to announce our next Layout of the Week.  Bye!

I challenged the Shabby Team to find an SP element that they have never used before and create a layout with it.  I love the results and hearing how they enjoyed the challenge.  Let’s see what inspiration we have today!!  First of all, I took the challenge too and created this layout with mostly the Clementine kit.  I absolutely loved this kit at first sight and go back to it often.  But I have no idea how I’ve waited this long to use the stitched flowers and paper button!  I knew these elements could inspire a layout, and here’s the layout I made when I started working with them.

Next up are layouts from Rosy and lego.  Rosy said that she’s always felt the Fun Flash Cards would also make good elements for a layout but had never used them that way before.  I like how she picked the “i” and “s” cards by the photo to highlight the initials of her son and his special animal.  Lego really stepped up to the challenge and made a layout entirely of elements she has not used before.  Wow!!  She said the result feels “a bit alien”, but she likes it.  I do too!!

These next layouts are from Amber and Emily.  Amber used a frame, sparkle swirl and some papers for the first time.  And I think that frame is just perfect for a layout like this!  I like that she stapled and taped it down in just the right spots so it truly looks like it’s bending off the page.  Emily decided to use the Gracie medallion paper and Autumn Word Whimsy for her layout.  She also wanted to challenge herself to use the leaves in a little different way than before.  I think the result is beautiful!  I love all the different kinds of leaves – both realistic and whimsical – together in that cluster.

Aubrey and Kylie’s layouts are up next.  Aubrey used the photo sleeve from Gracie as well as other elements she had never used.  I love the large stamp in the background and the zipper with stitching.  She put all the pieces together perfectly in this one!  Now Kylie, who has worked with SP for a long time, was truly challenged to find an element she has not used before!!  But she says she is 99.9% sure this is the first time she has used the red button flower from Twirl!  Her layout is a masterpiece of fun and girly drama, which I know about in my own house too!

Our last piece of inspiration comes from Lindsay.  She says that the paper clouds and epoxy buttons from Giggle Box are part of the reason she loves the kit, but this is the first time she’s put them into a layout.  I love that she chose the grays to make the yellow and aqua really pop.  And it all so perfectly makes sense with the saying of her layout.

Thanks everyone for all the inspiration and for being willing to do something a little different!!  If you want to see more details of their layouts, they will be posting them in the gallery.  And of course, we always love to see what you do with the inspiration as well, so post your own layouts there too!!  Bye bye for today, but see you here tomorrow as Casharina shares a hybrid project.

To start with, I couldn’t ask the team to create something and not give it a try myself :)  Here’s my layout using Smell My Feet, as well as elements from a few different kits.  If you could see into my home right now, you would know this is definitely an everyday occurrence, as my youngest is always climbing on anything he can find!  Can I just say that I love all the colors in this dotted paper?  I could have gone so many directions with color using that paper.

Now for some inspiration from the Shabby Artists… some of who are making their blog scrapping debut today, YAY!!  Amber has created such a sweet sleepy baby layout with some great elements from Goose Bumps (love that black photo frame with the tape on the corner).  And Kylie paired Goose Bumps with Penelope to create a perfect fairy page.  The colors from both kits work really well together.

Aubrey’s layouts are full of fun… we all know how little ones do love a fort and balloons!  I love that in one of her layouts she has mixed Goose Bumps with An Affair to Remember for a birthday page.  So creative!

Next up Lego and Lindsay have taken pieces from Halloween kits and wrapped them in with all sorts of other kits.  I always admire the way Lego uses stamps to create a softness in her layouts, and she has done it again with this one.  One of the stamps she used was the scattered stars from Goose Bumps, an element I have used frequently myself.  Lindsay has also used one of my favorite elements from Smell My Feet, the cardboard frame, and she has filled in the banner from Goose Bumps with colors to match her layout.  Isn’t her cowgirl so cute?!

Our next layout is trademark Rosy.  She has beautifully blended photos of her two kids and added just the right touches.  Notice how she’s used one of the pieces of tape from Smell My Feet.  One of my favorite parts of that kit are the unique pieces of tape.  Emily has created a layout with lots of fun photos.  I love that she was able to use the alphas and stars from the Wonderful kit.  They make a great combo with the plaid paper from Smell My Feet.

And to wrap it all up, here is Casharina’s layout.  She has used some of my favorite pieces of all from the Halloween kits: the scalloped frame, word strips and alpha from Boo!  I find myself coming back to those elements a lot (especially the alpha).  The stitching is very cool too.  I really love what she’s done here – clustering perfection!

Thank you ladies for all your inspiration!!  If you’d like to see their layouts in more detail and see a full list of credits, check out the gallery, as they’ll be uploading them throughout the day.  And while you’re looking, stop by the Shoppe to get these Halloween kits while they are ON SALE!  Plus, there’s more happening on the blog tomorrow, as Kylie is here to announce the winner of Template Challenge 28… and give you the next template to enjoy!  Bye bye!

First of all, this layout jumped out to me because of the colors.  I love the bright yellow and green against the black background.  And adding in a bit of purple gave it just the right girly touch.  And who wouldn’t be drawn in by those cute photos?  As graciewollf pointed out, it was the perfect time of the day for a little golden light in the background.  Makes the whole page just shine!  Lovely scrapping and my pick for this week :)

Graciewollf, enjoy your $10 gift card to the Shabby Shoppe coming in your email (be sure to check your spam folder if you don’t see it).  Congrats again!!

 Although this isn’t a Halloween layout by any means, I could see this color scheme working for some of you who may be scrapping Halloween later this week!  And speaking of Halloween, stop back by the blog tomorrow and Wednesday for some more scrapping inspiration.  We have some great Halloween (and non-Halloween) layouts to share with you!  Kylie will be with you tomorrow.  Bye!

First of all, let’s take a look at a layout I made for this post today.

I see a lot of layouts right now that use the technique of “cutting out” papers to show another paper layer underneath.  In this layout, I created a wheel shape and wanted that to be cut out to show the red layer underneath.  Now, I could have actually cut it out of the top layers (something we’ll not cover in this post), but I would have had to cut through several layers.  Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to get everything lined up just right on a cut out like this.  So what’s the trick??  An inner shadow.  Here’s how you can use an inner shadow to give the effect that a shape is cut out.  (Please note that I’m using Photoshop CS5 and it’s possible that your version could use a different menu or shortcut to get to these options.)

• Step 1: Create the shape that you want to “cut out”.
• Step 2: Open up the blending options for the shape’s layer (I double click on the layer in my layers palette).
• Step 3: Create an inner shadow.  As with all shadowing, you can change the settings to get the look you are going for.  Try different blend modes, opacities, angles, sizes, etc.  For the inner shadow in my layout, I used the settings shown below.  (As a side note, I’ve recently started using the blend mode “linear burn” for many of my shadows.  I like the look better in most cases. )

• Step 4: Bring in the background paper you would like to show under your cut out.  Clip it to your shape.  (Layer -> Create Clipping Mask or  Ctrl-Alt-G)

All done!  Your shape now looks like it is cut out, but it actually isn’t.  One of the things I love about this trick is that as I work more on the layout, I can still move the cut out shape around or resize as I need.  The shape has not been merged with any other layers.  How many times have I created a cut out, merged it, then wished I could move it later??  Many times – lol!

I thought I would also share a recent layout I posted in the gallery that uses this technique as well (might as well give a little more inspiration while we’re talking about it!)  This layout was inspired by Beckie’s rainbow post.  In this layout, the dotted papers all look like they are under the squares of the kraft paper.  But they’re not!  I created this layout with a series of squares layered on top of each other.  It is just that the squares that have the dotted paper have an inner shadow on them that makes them look cut out from the kraft paper squares around them.

Using inner shadows really is an easy way to get a cool cut out effect.  Hope you give it a try sometime!  And be sure to stop by tomorrow as SP is going to check in with us on Project Scrap 2012.  I’m sure there will be lots of great inspiration for those September pages!!  Bye bye!

This layout caught my attention right when I saw the title: What’s Missing?  I just had to click on the thumbnail to see the whole layout and find out what it was!  I was glad I took the time to look at this one too.  This layout makes great use of the Gracie kit (which is still on sale for a short time in the Shoppe).  I like pops of pink in the strip of paper and recolored hearts.  I can’t help but love the words “training wheels” on the photo frame strip.  There are a lot of great details to look at in this layout!

Thanks for sharing this one with us, aconover!  You’ve been emailed a $10 gift card to the Shabby Shoppe (please check your spam if you don’t see it)!

And thanks to all of you for sharing your layouts in our gallery.  Keep them coming!!  That’s all for today, but be sure and check out the blog on Wednesday as Kylie shares our next Gallery Girl.  Can’t wait to see who it is!

Where am I going with all this?  I ran across an idea several months back that I knew I’d love to do with my older kids, and I’m going to share our fun with you today.  The idea was to have a photo scavenger hunt where you intentionally spent time letting the kids be behind the camera.  Love it!  Not only would they love that this time was all about them taking photos, but it would give them a fun way to find what the subject of the photos should be.

We had the perfect opportunity this month, as we were doing a big family birthday weekend and were looking for some simple fun things to do with everyone who was coming to visit.  (Thus I played our scavenger hunt up bigger than necessary.)  I started by creating a list of scavenger hunt items that I thought could be found in most outdoor places (thinking ahead that we could do this again later with the same list).  I was mindful to use things appropriate for my kids’ ages (turning 6 and 4).  Then I made a 4×6 inch card for each of the photographers that I laminated and put on a string so they could be worn around their neck (keeping little hands free for taking pictures!)  Here’s what my card and list looked like:

Credits: Recipe Card template (rotated) from the Muffin Man set, paper from Heartfelt, alpha from Boo, star extracted from Sandbox swirl stamp, and camera by Heather Roselli

We headed to one of our favorite parks, divided up into teams (boys against girls at the kids’ request), and started taking pictures!  Here are some of the photos that they took.

So what did I learn on our little adventure?  To start with, I could have made the list longer!  Although we weren’t making it a race to see who could find all the items first, competitiveness seems to run in our family and they got through these pretty quickly (about 15 minutes).  I encouraged them to find more things to photograph when they were done with the list.  It was also good that it wasn’t just me with the two of them because having a bit of adult help for each of them was good.  But beyond that, it worked really well!  They were both excited to see the pictures later on the computer and my daughter especially was excited to have my phone all to herself to take pictures (yes, we let her use the phone camera because it was simpler and what she really wanted to do).

Of course, you would expect that this adventure turned into a scrapbook layout!  I thought I’d share that with you too before I go ;)

Hope you’ve enjoyed a peek into our fun with a kids photo scavenger hunt!  And I hope you are all encouraged to find ways to share your interests with the kids in your life.  Be sure to stop by the blog tomorrow, as Kylie will be here with the September project scrap templates.  Bye bye!

Whether you’re moving into fall right now like me in the U.S. or into spring like Kylie in Australia, they are often great times to be outdoors.

Let’s take some inspiration from the great outdoors as we speed scrap today!  And as you work on your layout, somewhere you should include the color yellow to represent the sun.  This can be in papers or elements and can be a lot of yellow or just a little.  It’s up to you!

1. Add two or three photos to your layout.  You may place them in frames if you like (not required).
2. Add 2 solid papers and 2 patterned papers
3. Add as much foliage as you want (greenery, leaves, etc) plus 3 different flowers (you can use as many of each as you like, but use only 3 different ones).
4. Add one wood OR metal element.
5. To represent wind, add an element or brush scatter.  It can be a scatter from a kit, or you can create your own scatter with an element or brush of your choice.  For ideas, check out Casharina’s tips on working with brushes and scattering -> HERE!
6. Add a title using a combination of an alpha and a font.

That’s it! :o) …you’ve now received all 6 of your instructions.  You may not add any other elements to your page that haven’t been explicitly stated in the instructions :o)  Also remember that fonts are “free” and you can add EXTRA journaling and/or a date to your page if you wish (as well as anything else you would like to do with fonts/text).

Please post your layout here by 5PM Eastern Daylight Time (one hour and ten minutes from now – so make sure you allow enough time!) in order to qualify for the prize drawings.  If you are having trouble uploading your layout to the gallery, you can find help HERE.

SP, Kylie and I will be posting our layouts shortly if you want to head on over to the Fast & Fabulous Gallery for a peek at how we scrapped along with the instructions :o)

Happy Scrapping!!

IMPORTANT: Be sure to REFRESH this page in your browser to see comments and to get the next instruction!