::ANNA::

ArtsyTraditional and the Artsy Layered Template

Step-by-step instructions by Amber Ries here.

ArtsyTraditional | Adding Dimensional Elements

This article is one of a series of ArtsyTradional posts kindly written and provided by AnnaTeamer, Amber Ries.

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Are you an ArtsyTraditional scrapper who sometimes has trouble adding three-dimensional elements to your pages?  Maybe you are a Traditional scrapper, venturing over to the ArtsySide, but can’t quite make the two styles merge? Or perhaps you're Artsy with a desire to add a little traditional dimension to your pages?  

Read on.

In the very first ArtsyTraditional article, I shared how the addition of drop shadows can create realistic depth and dimension on a digital layout.  In this post I want to share my methods for adding dimensional embellishments to my artsy pages.

Each ArtPlay Palette includes an Elements folder containing a variety of dimensional embellishments such as brads, metal anchors, buttons, flowers, leaves etc, however, these elements are visually flat due their digital nature and require the addition of a shadow to give the impression of dimension and bring the element to life. 

Create a releastic drop shadow using any of the following methods:

1. Drop shadow files. Many of the elements are accompanied by separate drop shadow files which provide an easy drop shadow option.  Place the drop shadow file behind the element, slightly off center, and adjust the opacity and  color of the drop shadow as desired.  Once you have placed the drop shadow flile use the arrow buttons on your keyboard to nudge the shadow into perfect placement.

2.  AnnaStyle Shadows. A new set of drop shadow layer styles are now available in the store.  Load the styles, select the element to which you would like to add a drop shadow and select the style of your choice from the Styles palette (Photoshop) or Effects panel (Elements).  These layer styles are delivered with step-by-step instructions for installetion and use.

3.  Create your own.  Use the layer styles tools within Photoshop or Elements to create your own custom drop shadows, recommended for more advanced users. 

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Element Arrangement.  The next step is to successfully incorporate the shadowed dimensional element(s) into your artsy pages using one or more of the following techniques.

1.  The Visual Triangle.  The foundation of Busy Little Elf was created using a combination of photos, transfers and brushes.

 

This layout includes a focal point photo, journaling, a title and the date, but to create an ArtsyTradtional layout, it needs some dimension. Arrange the shadowed elements so that they create a visual triangle.  

If I draw a line from the bow to the title/candy cane to the poinsetta element grouping I would end up with the triangle as shown.

Busy Little Elf | Amber 

Place your elements randomly on the layout and then move them around and group them until you create an arrangement that is pleasing to you.  There are no rules to this practice other than to experiment and play.

In this layout, I started by creating a cluster next to the circular photo frame, then moved to the title for point two of my triangle. I added my son’s name to the title, as well as a candy cane, some Sprinkelz and a MultiMedia elf. I complete the arrangement by adding a bow and button up near his face to create the last point of the triangle. 

The visual triangle leads the eye to the focal photos and journaling on the page.

Note. Aside from triangles you could also try linear arrangements from one side to the other, a Z-flow, or a diagonal flow from opposing corners.  I exhausted all these options before settling on the triangle which was most fitting for this particular layout. 

2.  Embellish a LoopDaLoop.  Use brads, buttons, flowers or the element of your choice to anchor LoopDaLoop ArtsStrokes. Notice how the elements in the following layouts enhance the curvature of each LoopDaLoop.

The Perfect Escape | Kathy J

Leaving | Adryane

3.  Monogram Cluster.  Use a letter from a dimensional AlphaSet and arrange it with one or more elements to create a cluster arrangement.  A trio of elements is a good rule of thumb, but most odd numbers work well.  In the following layout 2 dimensional elements have been grouped with a heart brush motif to complete the trio of elements.  Notice also the clever use of brads on the bear transfers.

B | Adryane

S | Amber 

Once you’ve added one element to your layout beginning placing and tucking a a couple more next to, behind or on top of this focal element. Essentially you are creating a visual triangle of elements within the visual triangle outlined above.

Note.  You can create a triangle cluster of elements using a variety of elements, such as this arrangement brads in differing sizes and a flower which add depth to an otherwise flat page.

Friends | Phylis 

A multi-dimensional arrangment of stars leads the eye providing the opportunity to notice the artistry in the layout. 

Thanksgiving | Phylis 

A title becomes the third point of the visual triangle.  The drop shadow cements it's status as a dimentional embellishment and accentuates it's presence on the layout.

Partners | Barb

A skinner triangle also works the theory.  Small photos can also act as embellishments.

e | Anna

3.  Adhere a frame.  Elements such as photo turns, brads, tape and stitching can be used to anchor one or more frames to a page.

Sisters | Kerry Halasz

Linderhof | Amber Ries

Note.  It's important to make sure your photo turns are anchoring frames down in a realistic manner. Notice how the shadowing gives the impression that the frame is lifting slightly at the top left corner.  I purposely avoided any element placement on that corner because the primary function of a photo turn is to press down and anchor an area of a frame.

4.  BradBullets.  Use brads and buttons to emphasize and organize your journaling.

A single mini brad draws the eye to two simple lines of journaling.

Santa's Elf | Adryane

Multiple brads organize and accentuate informational bullets.

My Boys | Vicki Walters

5. Elemental Typography.  Use dimensional elements in place of letters, numbers punctuation in fonts to accentuate you titles.  

Week 1 | Diane

A brad has been used to dot the i in ‘friends’ and a larger decorative button leads the eye from the title along the page to the focal  photo on the opposite side of the following layout.   Notice also how the brads also serve to anchor the photos.

Be My Friend | Ezster

Element shadowing and placement takes practice.  Start small by adding just a brad or button to your pages.  From there you can begin working in threes to create visual triangles of single elements before you progress to arrangements using clusters of elements.  Don't try to run before you can walk.

Take the process one step at a time and you'll be comfortably adding multiple elements in no time.

ArtsyTraditonal | Layout Deconstructed

ArtsyTraditional is a series of posts by AnnaTeamers, Amber Ries and Katherine Bley, that provide guidance and inspiration for combining artsy digital supplies into traditional style.

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Hi everyone!  I'm Katherine Bley and I am going to provide you with a peek into a traditionalist’s play on ArtPlay by showing you how I put an ArtsyTraditional layout together.

Please note that I usually add my photos first to a layout and then embellish around them.  In this tutorial I will show you layer by layer from the bottom of my layout upwards, to provide a better picture on how the layout comes together.

1.  Create a new layout at 12 X 12 300 DPI with a white background.  Select the background paper from ArtPlay Palette Gather.

2.  Add a transfer from the ArtPlay Palette just to make the fleur de lis a little more prominent.  Line the transfer up with the digital paper exactly so that the damask pattern blends seamlessly.

3.  Add the Love WordTransfer and reduce the opacity by 42%. 

4.  Add the dotted overlay from ArtPlay Palette Autum Haze.

5.  Add a couple of ArtStrokes from ArtPlay Palettes Gather and Sophistica.

6.  Add a GoldPaint Overlay and reduce the opacity by 26% for a more subtle look.

7.  Add a mask from Abstract FotoBlendz No. 1 and re-color using the Paint Bucket tool so that it coordinates with the color and tone of your layout.  The color of the mask can be sampled from the background paper.

8.  Duplicate the mask to make the mask more prominant.

9.  Add a photo and convert to black and white.  A sepia tint was added to the photo by creating a new layer, filling that layer with a color sampled from the background and setting the blending mode to Soft Light.  Reduce the opacity of the layer as desired.

10.  Add the frame from ArtPlay Palette Autumnal No. 2.  Customize the frame by clipping a paper from ArtPlay Solids Gather Paperie.

11. Add a title.

12.  Add the final embellishments.

Layout complete with little effort required. Really. Anna’s products do all the work so that even the traditionalist at heart can add a little ArtPlay to her and her family’s memories.

You can view the finished layout and a full list of supplies used with links to the products in Anna’s ArtStore at OScraps.

DigitalCrafting StockingStuffer

I have made these before.

This past weekend, with Christmas in mind,  I made some more for Ella and Luke, and a couple of their friends.  Artscow currently have a really great deal valid until December 2, 2011.  Create 3 dog tags for $8.99 shipped with coupon code: PDOTAGS.

You can download the template I use for free here.

ArtsyTraditonal | Using Templates

This is another fabulous "traditional with an artsy twist" post by AnnaTeamer, Amber Ries.  

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I love to use AnnaArt to spice up any traditional page.  Combining artsy with traditional can be intimidating for the pure traditionalist. I know this, my style has always been traditional.  Creating traditional pages with realistic elements, photos in frames, a nice title and  blocked out area for journaling is the style in which I feel most comfortable.  At some point in my scrapbooking journey, the process of creating purely traditional pages became somewhat of a chore.  I was feeling that “I have to create these pages and record these memories”, instead of “I want to create pages and record memories”. I very close to giving up scrapbooking when I saw the potential in ArtPlay.

When Katherine and I introduced Artplay meets Traditional, we threw a lot of ideas your way. ArtsyTraditional is a series of tutorials that will be shared over the coming months to help you expand on those ideas. So wherever you are in your scrapbooking journey, whether you are scrapping because you feel you have to,  or are just interested in spicing up your traditional pages, join me as we delve into the wonderful world of ArtPlay!

In this post, I’d like to talk about working with a template or sketch. Templates give you a head start in the design process.  You are more freely able to play because the design basics have already been laid out for you. So let’s get started.

1. Open your template (I used MultiFoto Single Template No. 18) or create your sketch.

MultiFoto Single Template No. 18

2. Build your layout, whichever way works for you. I start with the blank sketch and then added my pictures. I prefer to add the photos first, because I always have more than I need and this method simplifies the selection process. In fact, in this particular case I had enough photos to fill in every photo clipping mask of this template, but decided ultimately to leave some free for embellishment.

3.  I add the digital papers to the template. In this case, I used Artplay Palette Pumpkin Patch for my background paper and Artplay Palette Autumnal No. 2 for my accent papers. One of the methods mentioned in Artplay Meets Traditional, was to think of each ArtPlay paper as a sampler of patterned papers. I could have used just one piece of patterned paper from this kit for all of my paper embellishing, but I chose to clip a different piece paper to each square photo mask, moving around the paper on each mask until I discovered a part of the paper that I wanted to showcase. 

For example, here's a paper from Artplay Palette Autumnal No. 2 on which I have highlighted the area used in my layout.

4.  After clipping the papers to the template, I moved each one to a layer above the white frame and tilted them to add energy, motion and depth.  I also added black strokes from FotoBoost Templates No. 2 to bring out my focal point photos, and build in a visual triangle:

5.  The next step is to add embellishments!  Stick them on there, move them around, re-size them, add shadows... Allow youself to go a little crazy.  Notice how I have grouped elements together to create clusters which are placed in a contrasting diagonal arrangement to the linear design of the layout.  

Don’t forget your journaling, your title and your date!

6.  With the tradional work done we start having fun with a little ArtPlay.  I can spend literally hours playing around with brushes and transfers, not that it need or should take that long.  It's purely a matter of enjoying the process.

Here are a few ideas for you to try on your next layout:

• Add brushes, always stamping each brush on a new layer to ensure easy edits at any time: change the colors, sizes, opacity, and apply differint blending modes and fill modes to each brush layer.
• Play with masks and transfers, tuck some behind your photo mats, re-size, rotate, layer and experiment with the different blending modes.  Did you know that masks and transfers can be used in a similar fashion to brushes?
• Adjust the blending Modes, then layer some brushes on top of your photos

This is my layout with the added layer masks, brushes and transfers (I removed the photos so you could see what was going on, you won’t see anything behind the frame when the layout is finished). I  used a number of fall-themed brushes and transfers, changing the blending modes to: Overlay, Soft Light and Color Burn.  Some of my favorite Go-To Art: LoopDaLoops, FotoGlows, and themed brushes.

And this is my finished page:

Artplay Palette Pumpkin Patch | Artplay Palette Autumnal No. 1 | | Artplay Palette Autumnal No. 2 | Artplay Palette Fall | FotoBoost Templates No. 2 (black strokes around frames) | Fotoglows No. 5 | Different Stokes 6 | MultiFoto Single Template No. 18

Were you keeping track? It only took us a small number of steps to create a traditional layout and give it a artsy twist. By starting small, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you will build the confidence necessary to strike out and create a layout that is pure art, and you'll soon find it  impossible to create layouts without ArtPlay.

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Thanks Amber for sharing your talent with us!

Elegant Halloween Pumpkin Project

Digital Supplies:  ArtPlay Palette Wicked (lady, Wicked WordArt, spider art) ArtPlay Palette Monster Treats (spider)

Are you looking for a unique change from the traditional carved orange pumpkin? 

How about giving these elegant white pumpkins a try... They provide great contrast to traditional Halloween decor.  The cream base color creates a  perfect canvas for decorating with black transfers for a beautiful and dramatic affect, and you reap the benefits of avoiding messy pumkin carving clean-up.  Arrange them in groups use just one as an elegant table centerpiece to add a touch Halloween charm.

Follow these easy steps to create your own elegant pumpkins:

1. Gather supplies: 

• White Pumpkins (large and small sizes)
• Avery #4383 Clear Sticker Paper
• Ink Jet Printer, Scissors or craft knife
• black Sharpie
• ribbons, buttons, jewels, spiders, etc. 
• Optional: spray  adhesive. 

2.  Create the transfers: Open the .png brush files from ArtPlay Palette Wicked and ArtPlay Palette Monster Treats into a photo-editing software program.  Size the art to fit your pumpkins and print, following the instructions for your printer.

3. Apply transfers to pumpkins: Trim each design as close as possible using scissors or craft knife. Peel the backing and apply the printed transfer to pumpkin. Spray adhesive is optional.

4. Decorate the pumpkins: Use ribbons, jewels or buttons to add additonal charm.

5.  Document your decor. Take a photo of your arrangement and create a page to document Halloween 2011.

Layout by Chris Asbury, digital supplies for this layout can be found here.

Please note that small size of the tiny pumpkins makes it difficult to apply transfers.  You can decorate them with smaller art such as the spiders and add simple Sharpie designs such as polka dots.

Optional: For a more playful look use orange pumpkins and decorate with colorful Halloween designs, or mix both the white and the orange pumpkins. There are no rules. Have fun and Happy Halloween!

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This post was brought to you by AnnaTeamer, Chris Asbury.  Thank you for sharing your talents and creativity.

ArtPlay Meets Traditional

Handing today's post over to AnnaTeamers, Amber Ries and Katherine Bley, both of whom dance on the traditional side of ArtPlay.  If you are intrigued by ArtPlay Palettes but struggle to incorporate them into your traditional style, this post is for you.

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Anna’s creative style is unique and purely her own. It is artsy and free-feeling, so completely removed from a traditional sense. That can be quite intimidating to those of you who are traditionalists at heart. Step in Amber and Katherine . . . both of us have strong traditional backgrounds and continue to create the bulk of our art from a traditional point of view.

Amber says:

“Above all, I am a traditional scrapper. Back when I was scrapping with paper, I swore up and down I’d never go digital, which is funny because even then, I was scrapbooking about 90% of my layouts on the computer. When I finally did go digital (thank-you to my daughter), I decided I would only do it if I could make my digital pages look like my traditional pages. That was my ultimate goal, to become a traditional digital scrapper.”

Katherine says:

“My dive into digital was purely accidental, and completely unexpected. Before I went digital I simply sought to learn how to create sketches of my traditional paper layouts on the computer (so that I could include them with the traditional paper scrapbooking classes that I was teaching).  I had signed up for an on-line class to get me comfortable with PSE, and the rest is history ;D”

Both of us agree that the core (or base) of our layouts remain strongly traditional and where we used to turn our noses up at the blended photos, and all the swoopy artsy stuff, we are completely entranced with what we can create when we step outside our comfort zone and mix traditional with artsy.

Traditional tends to be very linear and dimensional with the use of drop shadowing to mimic pages created with paper.  Artsy pages lean more towards the abstract in which definitive lines begin to disappear and the components of a page become more blended.  You may lean towards one or another but there is no reason why you can’t combine a little bit of both.

Listed below are five simple techniques for using ArtPlay in a traditional way and for taking an already traditional page and giving it an ArtPlay twist.

1.  Think of each ArtPlay paper as a sampler of patterned papers. While patterned papers can be and are used as the base for a layout, more often a solid color background or cardstock style paper is preferred with patterned papers being cropped or trimmed to coordinate and accent the overall theme and tone of a traditional-styled layout. Generally the bolder and/or brighter the pattern in a paper, the smaller the usage on a page. Creating with artsy papers in the traditional sense, the “rules” essentially remain the same; solid color or cardstock style background with smaller sections of patterned papers used to coordinate and accent.

:: Crop linear shapes using the Marquee/Custom Shape/Cookie Cutter Tools and then clip your papers to them.

Digital Supplies: MYO FotoFrames Layered Templates No. 1 | Stitched by Anna Frames No. 3 | Dark Textured Neutrals Paperie No. 1 | Two-tone (Note) Worthy Paperie

Vicki has created nesting squares to set off her beautiful photograph, clipping a paper to the photo mat and outlining it all with a border stitch.

:: Clip pieces of paper to shapes within templates. Using a template is an ideal way to let your artistic creativity flow. The template already lines up your layout and leaves you free to experiment as little, or as much as you want.

Digital Supplies: ArtPlay Palette Strawberry Preserve (paper)

Anna has replaced one of the photo clipping masks in this layout with a cropped piece of strawberry preserve paper.

:: Apply drop shadows to cropped paper pieces and elemets, as demonstrated in all these layout examples.

:: Frame the ArtPlay papers.  Use them in place of photos in all your staple photo frames.

Digital Supplies: ArtPlay Palette Autumn Haze (accent paper, dot splatter, dotted overlay, staples) | ArtPlay Palette English Rose (accent and background paper recolored, flower) | ArtPlay Palette Find My Way (border overlay, butterfly trio, clock hand, flourish, loopdaloop) | ArtPlay Palette Find My Way No. 2 (butterfly, clock, fleur de lis, flower) | ArtPlay Palette Scholarly (grid stamp) | AnnaSampler No. 2 (paint splatters) | Dotted Korners N Edges No. 

Katherine has taken a frame cluster and replaced three of the photos with patterned paper. She has kept the layout perfectly linear and traditional, adding realistic drop shadows to all 3-D elements, but introduced a touch of ArtPlay by including brushes.

2. Use the various Blendz products, transfers and overlays as element accents. For example, try recoloring a FotoBlendz or mask and use as a mat behind your photos instead of a cropped piece of paper with solid line.

Digital Supplies: Artplay Palette Play Out (bradded flowers) | Artplay Palette Thanksgiving (orange button) | Celebrate , (paper, brushes, Fotomask, anise) | Genuine  (flower & pearls) | Fotographie (circle accent, blue button) | Easter Bunny (bow) |  Scholarly (brushes & stamp) | MonoBlendz Origins No. 02 | MonoBlendz Cayenne | Straightline Stitched: Orange | Stitched by Anna Circles No. 02, | MYO Fotoframes 2

Amber took a traditional layout, clipped papers to shapes and then used a FotoBlendz to create a grounding mat for the focal point photo and cluster, instead of another rectangular matting element. Just as with a regular shape, she clipped her paper to the Fotoblendz, then changed the blending mode.

Digital Supplies: Artplay Autumn Haze | Fall Wordblendz | Stitched by Anna White No 9 | DifferentStrokes No. 2 BrushSet

Fiona has also used a transfer (from Artplay Autumn Haze) to ground her focal point photo on the left page. On the right, setting off the traditional cluster of stitched frames, she uses a Fall Wordblendz to ground the photo cluster. Another idea for using FotoBlendz, is to clip a piece of patterned or solid paper with texture to the FotoBlendz using the clipping mask function in Photoshop, Elements or Paint Shop Pro, to create a custom blended paper piece.

Digital Supplies: Esme Paperie (bg paper and paper clipped to Checkerboard Blendz) | AnnaBlendz Checkerboard No.1 |  ArtPlay Palette Scholarly Solids | ArtPlayPalette Autumn Haze (dotted overlay, frame) | ArtPlay Palette Barren Sunrise (bird art on right page) | LoopDaLoop Melange No.1 | Hipster Plumes No.29 | Stitched by Anna White No.10 | Vintage Pearlized Brass Brads | FotoGlows No.3 | FotoGlows Star No.1 | Sun and Moon No.1  (moon brush on right page)

Chris clipped a patterned paper (from Esme Paperie ) to the Annablendz Checkerboard, creating a beautifully blended custom background while keeping the traditional feel of framed photos stitched down to the page.

3. Frame a FotoBlendz. If you use a FotoBlendz as your main photo and still feel the need for that traditional anchor, try adding a frame on top of the Blendz allowing the blended edges of the mask to bleed out from behind the frame.

Digital Supplies: ArtPlay Palette Scholarly | Scholarly Stamped No. 1 BrushSet

Anna carefully contained the Fotoblendz and photo within her  frame. The picture subtly seeps out from behind the frame, creating a magical effect. 

You can also use a FotoBlendz as your main focal point photo in a MultiFoto layout studded with smaller framed or linear photos.

Digital Supplies: Summer Template Album No. 1  | Stitched by Anna MultiFoto Overlay collection No. 1 | ArtPlay Palette Sweet Christmas | Torn N Tattered 12” Scalloped PaperStrips No. 1 (Top and Bottom) | Magic SnowSpray No. 1 | LoopDaLoop Sketchy No. 1 BrushSet | Holly Pume Fotoblendz | tissue alpha | festive song elements | TNT Korner Templates

Amber deleted the focal point shape from the template and replaced it with a holiday-themed fotoblendz for her main photo. The stitching frames the photo, giving it a more linear appearance with a slight twist. The ArtPlay papers clipped to linear shapes maintains its traditional feel but with a twist.

4.  Be aware of the scale of your page elements.  For example, traditional pages tend to have smaller less graphic-looking  titles.  You can easily shrink down large elements to fit your page more comfortably using the Move tool from the Palette.  Make sure you have the *Constrain Proportions* option checked in the Options bar (Elements) or you hold down the SHIFT button on your keyboard (Photoshop) to make sure you are resizing your elements proportionally. WordTransfers easily become subtle title accents and Wordblendz look great in small format, as shown in the examples below:

Digital Supplies: ArtsyBlendz Origins Paperie (papers) | Sketchy LoopDaLoop ArtStrokes No. 1 | ArtPlay Palette Barren Sunrise (turn + flower recolored) | Family WordTransfers No.1 | Foto WordTRansfers No. 1 | StraightLine Stitched White No. 1

Digital Supplies: Artplay Palettes: PlayOut (kite, tape, paper) | Floralis (BG paper) | Heart (felt heart) | Mist (brush behind kite) | No. 11 (purple buttons |  special one (transfer) | Wordblendz: Winter (play title) | Play word Transfers | Stitched by Anna White. No. 3 & 5 | scuffed frames | Burned Paperie | OMG paper | Club Caribe Scallop |  Emergency Ribbon

In this example, Amber has used both WordTransfers and WordBlendz, decreasing their sizes until they become accents and title pieces. Additional elements have also been shrunk and given realistic drop shadows.

5. Brushes are less complex than you think.  Consider them a digital version of stamps and ink.  Use the .png file by moving it onto a page as you would any other element, or load the .abr file into the Brushes palette and stamp onto your page changing the size, color and orientation as desired.  Always stamp each new brush *Stroke* on a new layer to ensure easy edits at any time.  You can also adjust the blending mode of any brush layer, change the color and or opacity as well as layering them using different blending modes together.

Digital Supplies: 12x12 Textured Overlays 1 | Play Word Transfers No. 1 | Sketchy MultiPhoto Frames 2 | Sun and Moon Brush Set no. 1 | Different Strokes 2 | ArtPlay Palette Weinachtsbaum

Kerry used a tree brush from ArtPlay Palette Weinachtsbaum as a background element, changing the color and layering it beneath a word transfer.

Digital Supplies: Stitched by Anna Frames No. 1 | ArtPlay Palette Seafoam

Anna used the sailboat brush as a stamp behind her photos, she recolored and changed the blending mode so that you can see the texture of the paper beneath. Layering the glass pebble and another brush on top gave her a sweet, traditional element cluster.

There are so many artsy options for traditional scrapbookers, the hardest part of the process is deciding on which one to try out first.

The vast choice in styles and approaches that you have available to you in digital scrapbooking is one of the best parts of this sport.  You can be traditional, artsy, or a mix of both. ArtPlay literally means to play with Art, a practice that enables you to explore new possibilities within your current style and preferences. 

Allow yourself to play once in a while, step out your current comfort zone and reap all the benefits of a little ArtPlay.

NewART, KardPrintz and GiveAway

As promised, I'm getting ready to release the polar-opposite part 2 of a music extravanganza inspired by Music Memories, and following ArtPlay Palette Concerto from last week.  If classical isn't your style then this just might be....  ArtPlay Palette RockStar is part of an upcoming AnnaRelease comprising 6 new digital products, as well as 4 brand NEW KardPrintz collaborative products, arriving in the store tomorrow.  

A little sneak peek:

A closer look at the papers in this ArtPlay Palette:

Frames that coordinate, but may also be used independently:

Brown stitched border that coordinates with the re-released ArtPlay Palettes Autumnal No. 1 and No. 2 from this week's Special MidWeek Release.

Note that AnnaNews subscribers will receive an exclusive FreeART add-on to ArtPlay Palette RockStar this weekend.

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The NEW KardPrintz Series

Last week I did a post about creating Cards and Invites using your digital supplies in honor of World Card Making Day.  Behind the scenes here at aADesigns, I have been working with Deb Rymer to create a new line of KardPrintz card printables for the digital and hybrid crafter.  Deb is an AnnaTeam member, hybrid crafter and card maker.

We're kicking off the release with 2 Halloween cards perfect for invites or a fun home-made Halloween greetings.

The concept behind these cards is to enable you to quickly and easily print and assemble either a fully digital card, or a hybrid card that incorporates both digital and traditional components, with a home-made look and feel.  I always prefer to send and receive cards that are home-made, but I don't always have the time to implement that desire.  KardPrintz are a convenient and easy solution to creating home-made cards affordably and fast.

Each KardPrintz is delivered in both a Digital and Hybrid versions to accomodate both types of crafter.

KardPrintz Digital products include .jpg printables for both at home and Shutterfly printing, a layered .psd file for easy customization, as well as detailed step-by-step instructions in .pdf format providing both the print options and a walk-through of the digital card-making process.

KardPrintz Hybrid include .jpg printables for at home and detailed step-by-step instructions in .pdf format providing you with instructions for printing and trimming the digital components of the card, and then assembling them with traditional crafting supplies to create a hybrid card.

I are super-excited about these, not only because they provide a solution to one of my own dilemma's, but I am hoping they are of use to you too.

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The BIG GiveAway

In light of the new AnnaRelease and the NEW KardPrintz series, I'm going to give away one ArtPlay Palette and 2 KardPrintz this week.

Please tell me in the comments section:

What type of greeting do you send or would like to send most often?  (Birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving or invites, for example)

I'll randomly select 3 winners on Friday, 14 October 2011 at Midnight EST.

Thanks for playing.

Cards, Invites and a Mid-Week Release

Card made digitally using ArtPlay Palette Wicked

Saturday October 1, 2011 was World Card Making Day and I did my part by designing a Halloween invite for Ella and Luke's upcoming Halloween party.

I am really interested in re-purposing and re-using where I can, and in terms of digital scrapbooking supplies, I think card making is an easy and natural progression.  Cards are so expensive to purchase, so much more meaningful when they are hand-made and the process of creating them can be a simple extension of your current scrapbooking preferences.  If you like to digital scrapbook then they can be created digitally and printed, but if you also like to dabble in paper you can add some hybrid flair to your cards.

Here are a couple of great examples of a hybrid card from one of my CT members, Deb Rymer:

Designed with ArtPlay Palette Smooch

Designed with ArtPlay Palette Find My Way No. 2

The Card-Making Process

1. Decide how the finished will be printed | The first consideration should be whether the card will be printed at a lab, either locally or on-line, or whether you will print at home.  The decision you make will be determined by your preference and will effect the choices you have available to you in step 2.  

2. Establish the size or dimensions of the card |  If you choose to pint at a lab or on-line you will select one of the size options available to you, however, if you choose to print at home you will have a lot more flexibility over the size and shape of your card.  I usually go with the latter because I tend to leave my card-making until the last minute.  It also affords me the freedom of being more creative with my cards.

The Halloween card was originally designed at 3 X 5 3/4 inches to be matted with a 1/2 inch border on cream card stock and  fit the 3 1/2 X 6 1/4 inch envelopes I currently have on hand.  I usually make my cards hybrid as this allows Ella and Luke to participate in the process.

3.  Design the card |  The canvas size for designing a card is much smaller than a 12 X 12 inch layout so I tend to re-size my digital papers and elements accordingly in order to pay attention to scale.

4.  Print Card |  Arrange as many cards as possible on the 8 1/2 X 11 inch canvas and print border-less according to your printer specifications.  

I reduced the size of my original design slightly to fit 6 cards almost perfectly on one sheet of 8 1/2 X 11 inch photo paper.

5.  Trim and Assemble |  Trim the designs, create a folded card or postcard style mat for the design to allow for a 1/4 inch border around the design.  Adhere the design to the card and and either write, print or stamp the greeting or details for the card as appropriate.

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NEW Mid-Week Release

There are still many digital products that have not yet made it into the store and these will be added periodically over the coming months in the form of a special mid-week release.  I have had requests to add some of my older Halloween kits.  I spent a little time earlier in the week revising these and they are now available in the store and are offered at a 20% discount for a limited time.  Please note that the thumbnails are directly linked to each product in the store.

Busy...

...but it's slowing down a bit now so time to get up on the blog. 

I got flowers on Friday:

What can I say?  A man who cooks and buys me flowers...I'm a lucky lady.

Friday night was Halloween Town, a big warehouse downtown Anchorage with lots of booths giving out candy.  Fun.  Luke's first real brush with this Holiday, and I kept things really low key last year, so it was the first time for Ella too.  So much to look at, Luke would keep crashing into people as he took off looking in the opposite direction, not to mention befriending all the other little dinosaurs.  Ella was our hard core candy collector, on a mission, while Luke was too busy trying to get stuck in:

We also got our first big snow last week.  Hard to remember exactly when, all I can tell you is it's very cold and very white, and will stay that way for some time.  17F when I went out to do my Christmas Shopping this morning.  I'm heading off to San Francisco next week for a meeting so I'm looking forward to basking in the 40-60F heat ;)

When T or T -ing on Tuesday with Ronalyn and the gang.  Cold but fun.  You really can't stay out all that long. Photos will follow soon.

Also, I want to share this:

Mainly for my Mum over in the UK.  This is an album she helped me with by filling in the blanks on my Grandparents, particularly my Grandad (pictured) who died coming up to 17 years ago.  I got 4 pages all about it in the November/December Simple Scrapbooks,and even better, it was my first time submitting and first time published with paper.  I often wonder what my Grandparents would make of all this scrapbooking.