Member Monday - Kendall

As I new member of Sarah's team, I wanted to highlight another new member. Kendall started uploading to Scrapmatters in the end of November 2009. I remember seeing and being impressed with many of her layouts and that she was able to create SO many in a short time (she already has 111 layouts in her gallery!). I was excited to find her on Sarah's team. Here is a bit more about Kendall.

Where are you from? Born and raised in SC. The town I live in now is about 20 mins. from Augusta, Ga., which is in the news right now because of the Masters golf tournament.

What are a few of your 'favorite things'? My family, my pets, my iPod and music in general, Walt Disney World, dark chocolate, the beach, massages...I could go on! :)

What is your digital scrapbooking background? I tried my hand at paper scrapping, but I hated cutting up my pictures, so that didn't last too long! I started digi-scrapping in November of last year and have become completely and utterly addicted.

How did you get started? Last year, several of my online friends from another website began to post layouts of their Disney trips. I am a sucker for all things Disney and thought it would be so much fun to do an album featuring photos from all my family's trips. I did some research and discovered the Britt-ish Designs blog, and from there learned about ScrapMatters. I haven't looked back since! :)

Where do you get inspiration for your layouts? I get inspiration from lots of different sources. Sometimes, the mood I'm in inspires my LOs. Other times, I'll have a particular photo that I really want to scrap, so I'll build a page around it. Most of the time, I'm inspired by all the wonderful kits out there. I'll see something and think, "Oh, I have the perfect pics for that kit!"

What is something unique or quirky about you? Hmmm...let's see. I tend to memorize things really quickly/easily, especially song lyrics. It's a trait I inherited from my dad.

What is your favorite kit from Designs by Sarah Bennett? Honestly, I love all of Sarah's kits! My favorite that I've had a chance to work with so far has been "Memories of You." It's just such a classy, elegant, all-purpose kit.



What are some of your favorite layouts using Sarah's products? I'd have to say these three are my favorites:




Check out Kendall's fabulous gallery and see what I am talking about!

CU Bubble Wrap Brushes

Hi everybody! My name is Kim, and as a new member to Sarah’s CT, I am so excited to be making my first post to the CT blog! Today I am going to be talking about one of Sarah’s new releases from 3/26, the CU Bubble Wrap Brushes.

You can install these brushes in Photoshop or Elements by following these steps (Li had to help me out with this because this is the first time I ever installed a brush set!):

1. Save the file on your computer
2. With PS or PSE open, click on the brush tool and then open the drop down menu where you choose the brush you are going to use.
3. Click on the icon that looks like two little arrows pointing right and click “load brushes”.
4. Now, browse to the folder where you saved the Bubble Wrap file and click on the .abr file for the brush set.
5. You should now see the brush set as an option in your pull down menu of brushes, it is just that easy! Please let us know if you have any questions about using the brushes by leaving a comment and we will get back to you!

Sarah included .png files so these can be used as stamp type elements also, but if you load them as a brush set the customizing possibilities are endless! Since the are a CU pack, credit is not required but VERY appreciated!
Here is a page I made with the brush set after installing it (They are white on my page). It also uses Sarah’s beautiful Sister Sue Kit and All Wrapped Up, Sarah’s other new release from this week, pictured below:

My page:

So head on over to ScrapMatters and grab these brushes! We can’t wait to see what you make!

Happy Friday and a Freebie!

Hi everyone, Janine here for my first post on the blog as a CT member for Designs by Sarah Bennett!  I'm thrilled to announce that Sarah has two amazing new products out today.

I also have a quick page for you that I made using All Wrapped Up and Sarah's awesome kit Tough Boy pictured below.

Here is a preview of the quick page that I have for you today (click on the image below to download), please post a comment if you grab it and make sure to check out all the amazing products shown above from Designs by Sarah Bennett.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and fantastic week ahead!

Member Spotlight Monday

Hey all! Becky (hoo-rah) here to bring you a CT Member Spotlight on this glorious Monday. As you may have noticed by now, Sarah's creative team has recently grown...and there is so much fantastic talent in the group, I thought it might be fun to get to know the CT members a little bit better. Today, I have decided to highlight a CT member whose work absolutely amazes me - Li (a.k.a. Li14).

Not only is Li a seriously talented scrapper, but her photography work is inspiring. And, she's not afraid to get in front of the camera...unlike yours truly, who avoids being in front of the lens at all costs. I love how happy her layouts are, and how she almost always includes some type of journaling on her page. I didn't know Li before joining Sarah's CT, but I have quickly become a HUGE fan of her wonderful scrapping creations. Now, rather than listening to me gush on and on, here is a little more information about Li...

What is your favorite color? Blue

What word describes you best? Just one word?? People tell me all the time that I'm creative. I don't think I am, though. LOL. Maybe smart...I was always a good student in school.

What's your favorite food? Cheesecake

What traits in others are you attracted to? Kindess, sense of humor

If you were given one super hero power what would you choose? Flying for sure. I would LOVE to be able to fly!

What program do you use to scrap? I use PSE5 but will be switching to CS4 soon!

What kind of camera do you use? Nikon D80

What is your favorite kit from Designs by Sarah Bennett? My favorite kit is probably Remember Me. I just love the colors.

How would you describe your scrapping style? My scrapping style is pretty traditional. I don't often do anything that I couldn't do with real papers, elements, etc.

What are your 3 favorite layouts? Choosing 3 favorite layouts is a hard one! Some of my favorite layouts using Sarah's kits are:

Now seriously, aren't Li's creations FAB.U.LOUS? For some more wonderful inspiration, check out Li's gallery at ScrapMatters...and don't forget to leave her some love while you're there!!

Tell Your Story

Hi everyone! I'm a bit late this week with my first post since joining Sarah's CT (sorry!) but I hope you'll forgive me this time. I promise to be more prompt next time.

I thought we'd talk a bit about telling your story this week.  I don't know about you but one of the primary reasons that I love to scrapbook is that I love to tell the stories that I think are important to our family. I tend to journal on almost ever page that I do. However, I know, after years of being a part of this community, that a lot of people really struggle with journaling. So, I thought we could focus a little on journaling (or telling your story, if you prefer to think of it that way) this week.

First things first, what is journaling? Well, it's pretty simple. It's really just writing the story of your photos so that you document the story ~ the thing that happened ~ the words that were said ~ the actions that were taken. The who, where, what and when of the event or story that you want to tell. See, I told you it was easy.

Here are a few strategies to get you started if journaling is something that you struggle with ...


1. Just write. Write anything and everything that comes to mind. The nice thing about digital scrapbooking is that nice DELETE button which can erase all your mistakes. Write whatever comes to you and don't feel pressured to be perfect. You can go back later and fix any mistakes. Just start writing. I've heard that creativity is a right brain activity whereas writing and organizing thoughts is a left brain activity. Just getting your words on the page can apparently activate that left brain into helping you get those thoughts out onto paper & organized effectively. The creativity that you access while making your page is more of a right brained activity but the way with words that you need for journaling often comes from the left side of the brain. But, according to the reading I've been doing, just getting yourself to put words out there can activate that left side of the brain.which helps to get you more comfortable with the writing process.

2. Use those details. Pay attention to the details but start your journaling process by getting out the basics - the who, what, where and when. After you get those basics onto the page, you can go back in and fill in the details which add color and texture to your journaling. The detail is what makes the story vivid for those who read your journaling. Tell about the little things that we all have in our life but sometimes forget to include in our scrapbooks - the color of the sky, the cute comment our children make, the birds singing - whatever it is that you take notice of during an event. It can add color to your journaling and give those reading your journaling a sense of what you're trying to convey. It's the details that make the story special. It's the details that people often need to be reminded of ...Just remember, write from your heart and it will always be wonderful to read.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice. Journaling takes practice. It doesn't come easy to everyone but it does get easier with time. Be patient and don't give up. Keep trying. Keep journaling. Keep telling your stories. The more you journal, the more you'll learn about what works for you and what does not work for you. Just stick with it. In the end, telling a story is basically three things - 1. gathering information/details/'the story' 2. putting that information into a logical sequence and 3. working on it until it tells the story you want to tell.

My last tip is an easy one ... pay attention to those who journal well, read their journaling, learn what you like or don't like about their style. This is one of the BEST ways to get yourself more comfortable with journaling.

Here are a few pages, using Sarah's beautiful digital designs that showcase journaling, for you to take a look at and begin thinking about how to journal on your own pages ...

by QuiltyMom, using Memories of You

 

by jamieh, using Storytime

 

by becca1976, using Sister Sue

and one by ME using Spunky Monkey

by becca376, using Love You Always

by megg26, using Tough Guy

I hope that you found these beautiful pages inspiring and I hope that you'll take some time to focus on telling your stories! Have a great week everyone!

Freebie Friday

Hey everyone! I'm Melanie aka melrio and I am one of the new members on Sarah's Creative Team. I'm super excited about my first post here and wanted to share my excitement with you by giving you all a free Quick Page this week.

Sarah has a beautiful kit named 'Remember Me' and it is full of wonderful patterned papers and gorgeous elements that work perfectly for all kinds of layouts. Here's the kit:

Remember Me by Sarah Bennett at ScrapMatters

And here's a FREE QP made by me...just for you!

Click here to download the QP

I hope you enjoy the Quick Page and check out Sarah's other beautiful kits at ScrapMatters. Until my next post, I wish you all well.

Sneaky Peeky!

Hello all...Gabby here for a little treat for all those scrappers who are like me.....impatient! No worries here is a sneak peak of Sarah's kit "Memories of You" that will be released at Scrapmatters this Friday!



This kit is great for just about any layout!

See you later!