Hi everyone!  Kylie here with our first GALLERY GIRLS feature for 2012! YAY! :o)  Over a year ago SP began sharing these wonderfully sweet and all-inspiring blog posts!  We haven’t had one for a little while, so I think it is a perfect time to remind ourselves what these features are all about…so here is a little explanation: all of our ‘regular’ gallery posters that we love and feel that we have almost come to ‘know’ – SP affectionately refers to as her ‘GALLERY GIRLS’ :o) – and every once and a while we spotlight a ‘new girl’!  To catch up on all our past ‘gallery girls’ (we absolutely adore each and every one of them and their outta-this-world scrapping talents) click HERE or on your visits to the blog you’ll find the Gallery Girls category down the right side of the blog…just a simple click away from friendly faces, a little chat and layout after layout of digi-scrapping delights!

These are such fun blog posts to work on…a definite fave, for sure!  I really enjoy getting to know everyone better and I’m always inspired during the process…and I hope you guys are too!  Of course, this time was no different and I’m so, so unbelievably excited to share our next ‘gallery girl’ with you!  For our first twenty-twelve feature, I got to work with the gorgeous Gloria…though you might know her better as chocochoco :o)

Gloria joined us over a year ago and regularly pops in with a gem of a creation!!  It has been lovely to watch her style evolve.  I always look forward to each and every beautiful page that hits her gallery!…they are a true feast for the eyes!  Time and time again she successfully marries her black & white photos with a flurry of richly patterned papers and tons of decorative elements.  Goodness me, soooo much time and effort put into each page!!  Her clustering is incredible and the depth she creates with her bold shadowing is amazing.  Her layouts always have this fabulous 3-dimensional feel (like a paper tole creation, in my opinion)…you can almost reach out and touch layer upon layer.  Works of art…little masterpieces…to showcase her precious family photos.  Gloria is such a sweetheart and her love of family comes across in every single page :o)

Be sure to scroll down so you don’t miss the new layouts Gloria created specifically for this feature!  She will also be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each there :o)

…a HAPPY page to begin with!  Ahhh-mazing huh?!

Now, on with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

My name is Gloria aka chocochoco in the digiland. I lived in Jakarta, Indonesia with my beloved parents, charming little brother, and sweet little sister. Besides scrapping, I enjoy reading and listening to music.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I’ve been digi scrapping for almost three years and haven’t tried any paper scrapping before.  At first I was addicted to editing my photos with brushes and shapes and a friend of mine told me something new. She told me about Shabby Princess free kits and I have totally fallen in love with digital scrapbooking.

…creative beyond belief - Gloria takes our kits to a whole new level with these two beauties!  How cool are those layered frames!!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I’m still trying to discover my style because it keeps changing as I try new things but I absolutely love clustering and using lots of pattern papers.

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

I usually start with a theme and designs and then choose the kit that I want to use.  Then I layer the papers and elements and then add a title and maybe some journaling. I find that journaling is the hardest part. As you see, I rarely do my own journaling. I usually use quotes or poems or song lyrics.

…no holding back with this layout for her handsome ’super’ brother.  Who says you can’t use flowers for guy layouts!!  And Gloria always manages to create wonderful texture on her pages…what a sweet and sunny page on the right.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

I think my favorite is The Fated Bond because I’m using my favorite kits and also two wonderful templates (Shabby Princess Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge Three and Shabby Princess Ad Inspiration Template One). I just love how everything came together :)

…and no surprise it’s our favorite too!!

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

I wish I knew how to add realistic touch to my page. When I first started scrapbooking (digitally, since I haven’t tried paper scrapping) I didn’t know how to set a drop shadow properly.  I just put some papers and elements and added some photos. I was a little disappointed when I saw the result. But now I think I’ve found my favorite drop shadow style :)

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

My inspiration come from magazines, songs, movies, and of course my little cousins and family. I also look through pinterest and galleries to get some ideas.

…more gorgeousness from Gloria!

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have Canon Digital IXUS 1000HS and I wish I could have my own DSLR asap. lol. I also have both Photoshop Elements 7 and CS4 but mostly use the CS4.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: I love white and any shades of blue. Please don’t make me choose. I just can’t. lol
• Favorite FOOD: Anything made from chocolate
• Favorite MOVIE: My Sister’s Keeper
• Favorite SONG: Any song by Owl City and Big Bang
• Favorite MEMORY: When I had a road trip with my whole big family, celebrated my grandpa’s 70^th birthday. It was so much fun.

…and no better way to finish off than with a whole lot of LOVE and a beautiful sentiment!!

—————————————

Gloria, a huge THANK YOU for being a part of the Shoppe’s community…and for  letting us get to know you a little bit more! :o)  It has been a joy!  We all adore you here at the Shabby Shoppe…and can’t wait for your next incredible layout to hit the gallery!!! 

THANKS for checking in with us today, so glad you did!  I’ll see you back here tomorrow…same time, same place…to share the free APRIL desktop!  See you then! :o)

KylieGallery Girls, Inspiration, Uncategorized 10 Comments

Hi all! :o)  Kylie here…and once again, sooooo happy to bring another new GALLERY GIRLS feature to you!  This will be our last gallery girls post for 2011…and what a way to finish the year out!!  Today, I’m beyond thrilled to ‘introduce’ you to one of the shining stars in our inspiration gallery…Gracie (graciewollf)! :o)

I have a feeling that my ‘words’ simply won’t do justice in describing Gracie’s awesome talent for digi-scrapping…however, I’ll do my very best! ;o)  Not only is she a beautiful person inside and out, she is a true creative spirit and you can see that in each and every page.  Her photographs are AMAZING - technically brilliant and full of life, light & love…and this brilliance flows over into the rest of her page…from stunning corner to stunning corner.  Gracie has a definite flair for color <you can see that at an instant>, and her design-work results in truly unique and magical creations.  Her layouts are big and bold!  But at the same time, all those precious little details, that you so often find gracing Gracie’s pages (sorry about the pun! LOL!), never ever get overshadowed.  And, I just love Gracie’s versatility – from serious, heartfelt pages to pages full of funny adventures – from no journaling and a simple title to the perfect amount of storytelling – from soft & dreamy palettes to a rainbow of colors – from lots of negative space to cluster upon cluster!  If you’re like me you’ll get totally lost in her incredible work!  Gracie’s gallery is pure inspiration!

So let’s move on with getting to know a bit more about the gorgeous Gracie and checking out all the incredible new layouts she created especially for this post (be sure to keep scrolling!).  Although, I’m betting you have already had a peek – I don’t blame you, absolutely impossible not to…seriously outta-this-world AWESOME, aren’t they?!  I soooo wish I could have made every layout featured here full-size, but alas, it would have taken forever for the whole post to load and I didn’t want you to have to wait any longer than necessary to see all the fabulousness!!  Gracie will, however, be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery…so you can see the larger images and more info about each there :o) YAY!

It was impossible to choose a favorite new page to share first, they’re ALL my faves!!…but I just had to ‘bookend’ with these sweet co-ordinating layouts.  This is big sister Aurora’s page…my oh my!  Beautiful…what more can I say, so I’ll just stop there and let you take it all in!

Now, on with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I always hate this question because I never know where to start! How about the beginning? I grew up on a tiny island in South East Alaska, Petersburg, to be exact. The town, at it’s most populated, boasted 3,600 people. You had to make your own fun- that’s why I think I am creative to this day. I remember mom giving us crayons, chalk, markers, and freezer paper and telling us to, “have at it”.

Today, I like to think of myself as a schizophrenic artist (as my husband calls it) – I have to have two or more projects going at once.  I am a photographer. I enjoy digital art, tangible art, and all things creative. I am a mom of two little girls that I hope share my creative whims someday.

Two more gems!  I’m a big fan of circles and these two pages are circle-tastic!  And just look at the cutsey cousins pic…adorable! 

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I have been scrapbooking for quite a few years – it’s so hard with kids – they always want to help cut, paste, rivet… not the safest thing in the world. I switched to digital last year to keep things under control – I can leave my projects safely on my laptop and no one touches, moves, cuts, or destroys anything, which makes me happy!

Love, love, love these two layouts!  Gracie uses her namesake to perfection in “Molly & Daddy”.  And how awesome is the yellow, brown and dark blue combo on the other…and the whole page is layered to perfection! 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I like to think I am a multiple personality scrapper. I like simple clean lines but then I love the chaotic nature of clustering. I enjoy clean edges ran over by messy stitches. I love torn edges too. I really enjoy neutral with a mix of bright colors. I think my favorite kit to date is, “Gracie” because the pallet is so versatile and the elements are PERFECT!

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

I am an organized scrapper – I adore the Easy-as-pie templates so much that I when I first go to make a page, I like to create a template and plan everything out. I do know what pictures I’m going to use before I create it though.  I pick my papers out next, then frames, if I use them. I follow by edging, stitching, and elements.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

See, even Gracie herself has trouble picking just the one fave from her gallery, lol!

 Gracie says ~ To date, my favorite layouts are, “Expressive Molly” which I love because of the simple clean lines of it and the little details, like the tag hanger and scalloped edges. I also LOVE, “Flower Child” because of the continuity of the whole page – the picture coordinates, the papers, embellishments— everything just flows.

…and here is SP’s pick…

SP says ~ It would be tough to imagine a sweeter and more special layout than this one! Little Molly’s ‘first cry’ photo is out-of-this-world amazing – what a perfect capture! Then…the precious ‘sisterly love’ photo…MELT! Finally…the patient mommy picture – LOVE! And, while this page is obviously ALL about the photos and memories/moments…the actual design of the layout is incredible, too! From all of the layering and stitches, to the shadows…and just the simple fact that the page is BLUE…even for a baby girl – BRILLIANT and total PERFECTION :o) While it was difficult to choose a favorite…as they are all WOW pages (seriously…not a less-than-stellar page in the entire gallery)…this one spoke to me the most! BRAVO :o)

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

I wish I knew how to vary shadows. I love how things that are supposed to jump off the page, can look like they do (like leaves, or bows). If you simply add more distance and play with the sliders, it can add so much depth!

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

I find inspiration in just about anything – I find it in just about everything. I find it in the colors of what my kids are wearing (or what they put together), i find it in a neat fabric, I find it in a magazine, even in jewelry. I like to take all of these things and scatter them in the way the jewelry patterns may lay, or in the placement of a pocket on jeans.

I can’t get enough of graciewollf’s scrapbooking layouts, can you?!  A couple more treats for us to drool over…

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I am a little lucky being a photographer, I have some neat stuff to play with. I have a Canon 7D and a Canon Rebel xt, along with a handful of lenses. I use photoshop cs3 for all of my editing and page creating needs.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: Pink. no, Blue. no, Yellow. Orange? But then Green is so pretty too…. can I pick all?
• Favorite FOOD: I think my favorite has to be Chocolate. yup. Chocolate. It goes with anything – Coffee, fruit, wine… yup anything!
• Favorite MOVIE: I think it’s Princess Bride.
• Favorite SONG: anything by Adele, Jake Owen, or Nickel Creek.
• Favorite MEMORY: I was about 21, and my twin sister, Marie, and I were actually home, in Petersburg, AK, together, with our boyfriends. We decided to go hiking to the garnet mine and get some garnets. It was a long hike and on the way down an embankment, Marie’s boyfriend tumbled a bit, grabbed a tree root on the way down and ripped the seat out of his pants. I still giggle to this day thinking about how red that poor guy turned—did I mention, he was my ex-boyfriend? hahahaha. We did get a jelly-jar full of garnets. It was a great day!

…and now it’s Miss Molly’s turn!  Again, my oh my… PRECIOUS - in every way possible!!  Both Aurora and her little sis are the perfect models for mommy!  My heart is melting at the very sight!

—————————————

Gracie, THANK YOU SO MUCH for having fun with us…for sharing a little of your artistic world, and of course, for allowing us to admire all those amazing pages, photos and stories, here at the Shabby Shoppe blog! :o)  It has been a complete pleasure and total joy to work with you!  I actually feel kind of sad to finish up this post…I want to see more, and more gorgeous layouts!! LOL!  But one thing is for certain, I am leaving this post excited and completely INSPIRED!  Best of all – I KNOW I am not the only one!

We’ll be back in twenty-twelve with more Gallery Girl instalments…so stay tuned and keep posting in the gallery! (because ya never know, the next gallery girl might be YOU!!)

THANKS for joining me today – and I’ll see you back here…same time, same place…to announce the winner of template challenge 18 <oooh, exciting!>, to share the next template challenge with you and a little something extra – YAY!!  See you then! :o) 

KylieGallery Girls, Inspiration, Uncategorized 23 Comments

Hi everyone! :o)  Kylie here with our newest GALLERY GIRLS feature…our 12th one!  A year ago SP started sharing these fun blog posts with us…a whole year of AMAZING inspiration and smiles!  So wonderful!  I guess it’s a nice time to remind ourselves what these features are all about - so here is a short, but sweet, explanation:  all of our ‘regular’ gallery posters that we love and feel that we have almost come to ‘know’ – SP affectionately refers to as her ‘GALLERY GIRLS’ :o) – and each month we spotlight a ‘new girl’!  To catch up on all our past ‘gallery girls’ click HERE or on your visits to the blog you’ll find the Gallery Girls category down the right side of the blog…just a simple click away!

These wonderful lil’ features are fast becoming one of my favorite blog posts to work on.  I really enjoy getting to know everyone better and I’m always inspired during the process…and I truly hope you are too!  Of course, this month was no different and I’m thrilled to share our next ‘gallery girl’ with you!  This time, I got to work with the lovely Jessica…though you might know her better as jessg26 :o)

 I’ve always admired Jessica’s gallery…she has the sweetest little two-year old girl, her pages are always jam-packed with lots of adorable pics and pretty things…and her scrapping style just rocks – each page is a joy to see!  I can’t help but smile at all the love and personality she packs into each and every layout.  And, when it comes to her Project SCRAP pages she is an absolute STAND-OUT – I always look forward to those!

Now for the best part…let’s get on with meeting sweet Jessica and get a first-look at all the beautiful pages she has created especially for this post!  Jessica will also be uploading all of the new layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each one :o)

There could be no other way to start off this ‘interview’ but to show you this stunning wedding layout. I can’t help but let out a big sigh! :o) The combination of the beautiful, beautiful photos, the lovely embellishments and sweet pastels…nothing more precious! 

Now, on with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

My family and I live in San Diego, CA. My husband and I have been married for 5 years and we have a wild little girl who just turned two. I am currently a stay-at-home mommy and intend to keep it that way for as long as possible! Prior to my daughter’s arrival, I was working as a Registered Nurse at the Children’s Hospital. I loved my job and thought I would miss it, but being able to take care of my girl is so awesome. In my free time I like to avoid doing housework by scrapping, reading, sewing, or searching for yummy gourmet recipes that my family won’t eat!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

 I started out in paper scrapbooking shortly after my husband and I were married. It was summer break before my last semester of college, I didn’t have a job, and my husband was still in school and working…so I needed something to do! I ended up getting all of the proofs from my wedding photographer for free so I got to work. I now have a lovely (and huge) wedding album somewhere in my closet. I started working on an album of my daughter’s first year while she was still very young, but once she became mobile, it was impossible…too hard to clean up everything in between naps, mealtimes, etc. It was also getting too expensive! I was interested in starting digital scrapbooking but had no idea where to begin. A friend of mine actually referred me to the Shabby Shoppe blog for free kits and tutorials, and I got a 30 day free trial of Photoshop Elements. I was hooked! My husband bought me the Photoshop Elements software for Christmas last year.

How about this gorgeous birthday party two-page spread?! Perfect scrapping…lots of photos, lots of journaling, lots of gorgeous little embellishments all in the right places!! And I just LOVE the colours…awesome banner too!! 

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I really don’t know how I would define my style. When I did paper scrapbooking, my layouts were pretty simple, with just a few embellishments here and there. But with digital it is so easy to add more and more! You never have to worry about using up all your supplies. I love that. I like to use lots of pictures since it is so easy to resize and fit them just the way you want them. It’s hard for me to do a layout of just one picture! I like to use lots of color. I usually like to include some journaling as well.

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

 For the most part I start out with my photos. I usually have a specific event/memory I want to preserve before I forget all about it. Then I like to try to coordinate the papers etc with either the colors in the photo, or just with the theme I am going for.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

Jessica says ~ I had a lot of fun with all the color and I just love the pictures, they make me laugh. That kind of drama is pretty much an everday occurence in our house.

And here is SP’s pretty-in-pink pick ~

SP says ~ “I remember seeing this layout for the first time – it just JUMPED out of the gallery at me, lol – and I still love it just as much! I don’t know if it is all of that PINK…the incredibly cute photos…the TUTU…the drop shadows, or what – but it just ‘speaks’ to me :o) It is a true, girly-girl page, and the contrast of the scallop just makes it all POP! So, although it was NOT an easy decision <choosing a favorite> – this has to be it :o)”

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

I wish I had known how to recolor! Since I’ve learned to do that, I haven’t made a single layout where I haven’t recolored one or two items. Recoloring greatly extends the use of all my digital elements.

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

As you can see from my layouts I’m kind of obsessed with my little girl! It’s just so much fun to scrapbook all the new things she is learning and all the trouble she gets into. I guess that’s part of the reason I like so much color in all my layouts.

Another adorable & brilliantly scrapped two-pager to celebrate Leah’s second birthday! ‘TWO’ SWEET!! ;o)

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have a Sony Cybershot. It is not a fancy camera at all. I bought it because it was pink. And small enough to fit in my pocket. I would love to have a super expensive camera that makes all my photos look professional, but I would never have the patience to learn how to use it anyway! I use Photoshop Elements 9.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: blue
• Favorite FOOD: chocolate
• Favorite MOVIE: dan in real life, or Pride and Prejudice (the new one)
• Favorite SONG: “How Glad I Am” by the Living Sisters or “Hold on” by Michael Buble
• Favorite MEMORY: My wedding day, and the day my daughter was born :o)

And to finish…a cute, cute, cute PRINCESS page!!!

—————————————

So, now you ‘know’ Jessica a little better!  She is such an inspiration for us at the Shoppe and I’m certain you are finding yourself inspired, too!  Be sure to check out Jessica’s fabulous gallery for even more gorgeous layouts and inspiration!  THANKS AGAIN for being a ‘gallery girl’, Jessica :o)

Join us next month for another GALLERY GIRLS FEATURE! Our final one for 2011…so don’t miss it!

Rosy will be with you tomorrow with a post that’s guaranteed to inspire! …and the fun won’t stop there ~ on Friday we have a yummy food post by Casharina, and then I (Kylie) will be back on Saturday with your FREE November desktop!  Bye for now! :o)

KylieGallery Girls, Inspiration, Uncategorized 7 Comments

 Hi all! :o) Kylie here and I am so excited to bring you another GALLERY GIRLS feature!! I know we tend to say it over and over again, but here at the Shoppe we soooo treasure our little digi-scrapping community…and, seriously we can’t say that enough!! We are always inspired by each and every gallery post and value each and every comment!  It’s such a creative, sharing and loving environment and we are overjoyed by all the amazing talent out there…day after day, week after week, month after month!! :o) And this month it is my absolute pleasure to share even more inspiration from one of our favorite gallery girls – Aubrey…or you might know her as con01008!

From day one, I’ve adored Aubrey’s natural flair for scrapbooking! I look forward to each and every gorgeous page that hits her gallery! Always full of extra-cute pics of her beautiful family (just look at that family portrait above…so wonderful, & smiles for miles!!!), funny little anecdotes that make me chuckle, and, amazing use of color and elegant clustering! Aubrey even creates her own acrylic-style alphas with Shabby Princess papers…isn’t that soooo clever! Everyday moments or special events, Aubrey scraps them all lovingly and with such incredible style! 

It’s been lots of fun for me to bring this post to you! Aubrey has been such a joy to work with (and email with) and she has created lots of fun new pages to share with us! And, of course, she spent some time answering our interview our questions, sharing with us about her scrapping journey and family life! We’ll get to know her better here in just a second, but first – let’s check out a new layout that Aubrey created just for this special post (there are lots more new and cute layouts sprinkled throughout the post below…so be sure to scroll down). Aubrey will also be uploading all of these layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each one there :o)

See what I mean about amazing use of color and elegant clustering!! Isn’t this a delicious combination!! And, as cooking is one of my very favorite things, I was immediately drawn to this adorable page! It has a perfect amount of everything…all the right ingredients, you could say! LOL!!

On with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

Hi! My name is Aubrey and I have been married to my knight in shining armor for 9 years. I am also a stay at home mother to 3 of the most beautiful children – Kinsley, Kenton, and Colby. These four are my pride and joy and the reason I scrapbook! :o) I love to capture all the small things as well as the events of life.

Something that my friends and family know about me is that I am quite the chatterbox! My dad actually warned my husband when we were engaged that I had a quota to fill every day. It is still a joke with my husband and I! :o)

I love to watch old movies and TV shows, read biographies and classics, digital scrapbook, travel to new locations, and just spend time with my family! We are also very religious and actively involved in our church. My husband is my best friend and I love sharing my life with him!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I have my sister-in-law to thank for getting me started with scrapbooking back in 2003. I loved it from the start! I have continually done paper scrapbooking since then and still make pages for family members. I started digital scrapbooking the beginning of 2010, but I had started doing digital crafts like invites and flyers back in 2009. That is when I found Shabby Shoppe :o) I love it more than paper scrapping; something I never thought was possible!

…a couple more gems!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

I am still trying to discover my style because digital scrapping is so different from paper but I absolutely love clustering! :o)

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

I usually start with pictures, but sometimes I will see a paper or layout that that reminds me of a set of pictures and that is my inspiration. I also love looking at the gallery for new ideas! :o)

…and I love Aubrey’s versatility in going from scrapping her kids to scrapping more ‘grown-up’ style pages like these two! Simply AWESOME!!! 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

I like this one because of its simplicity and the hilarity of the moment! Kenton is so funny with his sleeping behaviors that all the pictures we have of these moments just make us laugh! My husband and I just giggled as we read the journaling that was on this page! :o)

And here is SP’s fabulous pick (hmmm… ‘great minds think alike’!)~

SP says ~ “The super cool and bold color palette is what first caught my eye with this layout! Then…when I actually opened it up and took a peek…I immediately remembered another similar layout and I just had to laugh, lol! It appears that adorable little Kenton has the ability to fall asleep, anytime…anywhere (boy am I jealous, lol)! I LOVED the ‘not quite awake’ layout – and this ‘sequel’ page is equally as wonderful (if not even more so, lol)! The pics are priceless…and I love how Kenton used his ‘time-out time’ to catch some zzzz’s :o) FABULOUS job with both the photos and the layout…and totally my ‘pick’ :o)”

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

Clustering had really eluded me until just recently. With paper scrapping I was always afraid of using embellishments because once they are used, they are gone. Digital has given me a new insight into scrapbooking that I love! I can use as many things as I want! Looking at all the inspiration on the gallery has really taught me how to layer and cluster :o)

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

I will see layouts in almost anything! I can look at a window display at a store and turn it into a layout (much to the frustration of a friend of mine!) and I will write it down and save it for later when I am searching for a layout to use. Color is also a big thing for me. I love to look at all the colors around me and put them into the layouts I use. My kids also inspire me when I am creating a layout. The innocence and happiness of childhood comes out in the layouts to illustrate their quirks and day-to-day happenings.

…even more FUN & GIGGLES with these two super-cute pages!! :o)

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have a Canon Rebel Xti and Photoshop CS3. I love both of these! I do also have a point and shoot that is quick to pull out and carry in my purse. My husband actually bought that one for him because he considers the Canon mine because he has a hard time using it! :o)

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: Any shade of blue.  I can’t get enough of it.
• Favorite FOOD: I love sushi! I could eat it everyday!
• Favorite MOVIE: Pride and Prejudice (BBC version with Colin Firth)
• Favorite SONG: Richard Marx – Right Here Waiting For You …our wedding song :o)
• Favorite MEMORY: The day I married my best friend, and of course the days my babies were born :o)

Aubrey has some seriously incredible two-page spreads in her gallery! How amazing is this one?!!! The color-matching with the photos is divine!

—————————————-

Aubrey, THANK YOU so, so much for being a part of the Shoppe’s community…and for having fun with us on your Gallery Girls feature! Thank you for letting us get to know you a little bit more…you are pure sunshine and we love ya!! :o) And, I know that we will continue to look forward to your new gallery postings and your continued inspiration!

I’ll be bringing everyone another new GALLERY GIRLS post next month…so stay tuned :o)

Thanks for joining us today!! Beckie will be here tomorrow in preparation for our inaugural FAST & FABULOUS Speed Scrap!! YAY! ~ I sooo can’t wait, it’s going to be lots of FUN!!!

KylieGallery Girls, Inspiration, Uncategorized 7 Comments

 Hi everyone!! :o)  Kylie here…and I’m really, really, really excited to bring you my very first GALLERY GIRLS feature!! (Thanks SP!!)  I LOVE the fact that every month the lovely SP has been spotlighting one of our ‘regular’ gallery posters whom we have all come to ‘know’ and love…her ‘gallery girls’!!  It’s one of my absolute favourite posts!  As the end of each month rolled around, I’ve looked forward to getting to know each, and every, extraordinary ‘new girl’ just that little bit more…and I LOVE that I get to share this month’s special post with you all…what a privilege!

And what a way to start!! :o) I am thrilled to ‘introduce’ you to the uber-talented Elisabeth aka LEGO!

Elisabeth burst onto the Shabby Shoppe scene several months ago with a LOTW win and since then each and every layout she has posted has been a pure delight! She’s a real sweetheart, heaps of fun, and an awesome digi-scrapper with passion aplenty! Her creativity knows no bounds…especially when it comes to colour! Her ability to see more than just the kit in front of her never ceases to astound me. Talk about getting the utmost out of a kit…Elisabeth is a genius!! So let’s get on with meeting our beloved Elisabeth and checking out all the amazing new eye-candy she created especially for this post…inspiration galore!!! Elisabeth will also be uploading all of these new layouts to her gallery…so you can see larger images and more info about each there :o) 

To start things off, I couldn’t help but begin right here with this quintessential lego layout! Isn’t is FANTABULOUS?! COLOUR-rific is the ‘word’!! ;o) I could stare at it all day and find new surprises – a treasure chest of elements! – a little sprout, goose bumps, clementine, hopscotch, sweetiepie, gigglebox, blossom, yours truly, gabby collection…the list goes on!! And the photos of her sweet Paulina are just as cute as cute can be!!!

(There are lots more new and super-cute layouts sprinkled throughout the post below…so be sure to scroll down)

On with the interview…

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I’m an English and Spanish teacher for 10 – 18 year olds living in Vienna, Austria – very close to Schönbrunn Castle if you’ve ever been to our beautiful city. I’m married to the loveliest and coolest man in the universe who happens to be a graphic designer (yippee, yippee, yeah!) and about a year ago we became parents to Paulina which – as stated in one of my layouts – was quite a change in our lifestyles. But we enjoy it a lot! Before I used to travel as often as I could, with friends, my boyfriend or all alone: I’ve been to 35 US states, studied in Spain and Ecuador, took a “round the world trip” for over two months. We actually do plan to continue this passion of ours with Paulina by returning to New Zealand for seven weeks in the upcoming winter. We’re sooo excited ;-)) When we are in the country or even at home, we sit in front of our laptops ;-)), read, make plans, do some sports and eventually cook (my second favourite passion) or eat out with friends (mind you: for inspiration ;-)). Nowadays I’m rather keen on finding out which veggies my baby likes to munch …

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SCRAPPING DIGITALLY…AND DID YOU EVER GIVE PAPER SCRAPPING A TRY?

I started more than a year ago when I was pregnant, actually by discovering the SP site =). When I first saw it, I knew instantly that this was made for me! I had never really done any paper scrapbooking apart from all the travel diaries I kept (with sticking in tickets, postcards etc. and lots and lots of journaling, of course). The digital approach is perfect for me for I don’t want to buy and store all the paper stuff. I like keeping things simple. Besides, I can redo layouts without having to throw away tons of material.

…a couple more pages from Elisabeth…adorable everyday moments captured with such style!! Loving the pops of red!

HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE YOUR SCRAPPING STYLE?

Non-existent.

I don’t think I have a style. A couple of weeks ago I would have definitely added “yet” to the previous sentence and the fact that I couldn’t manage to make a decision about the scrapbooking style I wanted to concentrate on even haunted me a bit, but admiring all the different styles I realized I don’t really want to limit myself to one only. I don’t like a “too photoshopy” kinda look with loads of blending etc. I really like layouts that look “as if” (they could exist on paper). I came to the conclusion that there are three influences that appeal to me the most: the Cathy Zielsky style (graphic, simple, clear – I loved her book); the KayleighWiles/Georgeinci/Nath… style (a bit messy, loads of elements and brushes) and – of course – the Shabby Princess/Kylie/Beckie… style (e.g. devine clustering, great ideas, …their layouts just make me feel good!) Another scrapbooker I admire enormously is Elizabeth Kartchner: no digital stuff – the real thing, amazingly creative, crazy, sooo tasteful and her outrageous use of colours, material and patterns is just so full of life.

…ready for some more fun?!! Yes, please!!! Loving the graphic look with the ‘Amazing’ layout – utter gorgeousness!! And the “Pauli Loves Water” page is pure joy!

WHAT IS THE FIRST COMPONENT OF EACH PAGE YOU CREATE…OR DOES IT VARY FROM PAGE TO PAGE?

Actually only half of the times it’s the photo. I’ve this stock of layouts that I did and do when there are no recent pics to scrap. Others take a bath, watch a movie (we don’t even have/want a TV set), have a glass of wine to call the day…  I try to learn new things in Photoshop or Illustrator, or on a lazy evening (like mostly LOL) I try to create a new layout or just scraplift. That is the perfect form of relaxation for me ;-) So the starting point of my pages is at times a layout I want to copy/create, a new kit’s components or a photo I want to use. And very rarely it’s a story/memory I want to save.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LAYOUT (TO DATE) AND WHY?

 I like it so much because it was so not planned and yet the details are just perfect for me, like my dad’s shirt matching the club’s logo, for instance. Additionally, it was so much fun to find, alter and place all the embellishments, I like the colour combo and most of all: Paulina’s facial expressions really seem to be the ones of a fervent soccer fan. (And our team really did win this year’s national league !)

And here is SP’s fabulous pick ~

SP says ~ “I just love the HAPPY look and feel of this page! Who could resist all of these precious little munchkins…the layout just screams CHILDHOOD! I LOVE the arrows pointing to the ‘treats’ of choice (tooooo cute!)…the creative use of the floral paper…the PRECIOUS photos…the placement of the ‘word’ buttons…and the ‘subject’ matter, too! The fact that their special group of friends had babies so close together…and they manage to see each other weekly (as a group) – LOVE it…what a wonderful tradition for both moms and babies :o) While it wasn’t easy choosing a favorite from Lego’s AWESOME gallery…this one definitely caught my eye :o)”

WHAT TIP/TECHNIQUE DO YOU KNOW NOW THAT YOU WISH YOU HAD KNOWN WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SCRAPPING DIGITALLY?

The recolouring/desaturating of items in the non-destructive form of corrections and the use of layer masks. (It’s a blessing to have an expert at hand, but he does get impatient with my sometimes complicated working methods after having told me over and over again, how easily it could be done ;-)) and the “alt”+”cmd”+”z” shortcut!

WHAT IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR SCRAPBOOKING?

That’s a difficult question. My child (and her little friends) is/are the reason and justification for me to do this scrapbooking thing. When we have a lovely snapshot of her, I am really looking forward to employing it in a page. But other than that it’s mostly fellow scrapbookers and the world out there in posters, ads, nature etc. that help me to choose forms, colours, elements. My husband gave me this sketch book insisting I should scribble and draw before starting a layout. Sometimes I do it, not very often though. But when I do it, the layouts are better.

I just ADORE these two layouts! How cool is that underwater photo! WOW!! And a special birthday invite with cutie-pie pics…super-sweet!!

TECH STUFF :o) Tell us about your camera and software!

I have a Canon EOS 300D with a Canon EF 50mm 1:1.4 objective (at least half of the good pics were taken by my DH ;-) who also just told me the exact objective description btw). I use (his) Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Illustrator CS5.

FAST FIVE FACTS!

• Favorite COLOR: teal (this being the only fave-question with just­ one answer ;-))
• Favorite FOOD: asparagus risotto followed by a “susi cake” (dense chocolate cake topped with a rich mousse au chocolat)
• Favorite MOVIE: No one knows about Persian cats, Breaking the Waves, Pretty Woman, The Shawshank Redemption … there  are too many!
• Favorite SONG: “Endlessly”, “Starlight”, “Take a Bow”, … by Muse, “Elephant gun” by Beirut, “Teardrop” by Massive Attack and “Tirol Concerto” by Phillipp Glass, “Times like these” by the Foo Fighters … and believe me: I could go on and on! (Is there really anyone in the world with just ONE favourite song??)
• Favorite MEMORY: having the easiest, quickest, not very painful (and all of that very unexpectedly) natural birth I’ve heard of and being able to take this tiny little treasure home from hospital after just a few hours. And without question our wedding day which I had never even dreamed of being like it was. Additionally, I have so many travelling memories I treasure a lot, but one stands out a bit: one week of paradise on the Tui Tai diving ship in Fiji.

And last, but certainly far from least, a gorgeous page by Elisabeth to round off the post! Monotone softness at it’s very best! And I just LOVE the adorable photos of little Paulina with her Theo….oh my, PRECIOUS!!! :o) 

I sooo hope you enjoyed this GALLERY GIRLS post…and getting to know Elisabeth (lego) a little better! Be sure to visit her stunning gallery at the Shabby Shoppe, where I am sure you will find bunches and bunches of inspiration for your own pages and projects! And, of course, we’ll be bringing you another new and exciting GALLERY GIRLS post next month…so stay tuned :o)

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH, Elisabeth…for letting us get to know you and your gorgeous family a little more. It has been an absolute pleasure! You are so much fun and such a true talent. We all adore you here at the Shabby Shoppe…and can’t wait for your next beautiful layout to hit the gallery!!!

Thanks for visiting the blog today…we’re soooo delighted you did!! :o) Be sure to join me tomorrow when I announce the WINNER of our Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge 15 and share number SIXTEEN!! Yay!!

KylieGallery Girls, Inspiration, Uncategorized 6 Comments