Digital Scrapbooking Blog and Scrapbook Inspiration
from DesignerDigitals

Welcome to the Just Finish It Challenge!

This is the season where we’re all looking for shortcuts and easy ways to get everything on our to-do lists checked off. I have a super-quick way to get a page done and marked off that list for you. I love clean and simple lines - straight and grid are definitely two words that I use to describe my scrapping style. One of my tricks to making a quick page is to design on a grid. I add a photo to my page and then design in boxes around the photo. And here’s one of my favorite things to do with those boxes. Instead of using a template or designing squares that I then fill with embellishments, I simply take a piece of patterned paper and reduce it dramatically. In the layout below, I’ve taken 3 pieces of patterned paper, reduced them from 12 x 12 to 2 x 2 and placed them on my page. Add a title and journaling and you’re done!

Supplies: Orinoco Paper Pack, Rosehill Paper Pack, Kids Are Cool Brushes and Stamps, Digital Date Stamps Vol. 20

I can’t wait to see your layouts!
~Steph

Welcome to the Just Finish It Challenge!

If you’re anything like me, your scrapping productivity probably mirrors your mood. If I’m overwhelmed and stressed, the idea of working on a long-term scrapping project just makes me feel more overwhelmed. And so I avoid it. And then feel even more overwhelmed. Sound familiar?

I have a secret weapon, though. And I’m guessing that many of you might have done the same thing. My secret to getting rid of the overwhelmed feeling is retail therapy! Yep - when I get stressed, I go shopping.

I ran into a bunch of life stresses this week and just couldn’t get up the motivation to do much of anything. But then I went shopping around in the DesignerDigitals store and came up with soooooo many wonderful new products that will help make large scrapping projects go very quickly. So, I wanted to share them with you.

These calendar templates are the best! Super-quick gift idea and the best part is that you only have to make them once and can print off as many copies as you want for family.

2011 CD Calendar Layered Templates

These library cards are fantastic. We buy our kids a lot of books every Christmas so I’m going to personalize these cards, print them off, and adhere them inside the front cover of all the books I give my kids this Christmas.

Library Cards: Days of December Collection 2010

You can never go wrong with a Layer Works template!

Layer Works No. 15

Lynn’s new template would make a super-quick spectacular Shutterfly book!

My Windows Template No. 10

Hope these inspire you to just finish it!

~Steph

Welcome to the Just Finish It Challenge!

This week’s challenge may be the easiest layout you’ve ever done because you’ve already created this layout. Confused?

No confusion necessary. The challenge is simply to scraplift yourself. And the easiest way to do this is to open up the PSD file of an old layout and simply replace the photos and embellishments. It really is that easy.

Elena decided to scraplift this layout that she created in March of 2009.

With that layout as her template, she created this stunning Halloween layout.

Supplies: Distressed Edge Overlays No. 05 12 X 12, Stitched by Anna White No. 01, Party On! Pennants: Halloween (owl), Aki Paper Pack, Aki Solids Paper Pack, Bead Scatterings No. 01, Halloween Memories Element Pack, Paper Cuts No. 02, Photo Cuts Masks No. 04 (altered/rearranged), Vintage Flashcard Alphabet

I chose to scraplift a layout I made this summer.

I replaced the background paper and the elements to make it a more seasonal fall layout.

Supplies: Blueline Botanicals Kit, Fasten Its!, Intensity Paper Pack, Painted Accents No. 1, Banner Words Brushes and Stamps No. 1, Written Words: Positive Reinforcement Brushes and Stamps, Fall Tickets

I can’t wait to see your layouts!
~Steph

Welcome to the Just Finish It Challenge!

This week I’m going to show you a super-easy way to get a layout made in 10-15 minutes. The trick to this layout is to use one large photo. I’m going to show you my process along the way so you can see how quickly the layout was made.

Step 1: Move the photo onto a blank document.

Step 2: Add a piece of patterned paper behind the photo to be the background paper. (I like to do this step second rather than first so that I can see what color paper I might like to coordinate with the photo.)

Step 3: Add a ribbon or a strip of patterned paper or maybe some stitches to the bottom of the photo.

Step 4: Add a title and journaling and your layout is done!

Total time taken to finish layout: 9 minutes.

Step 5: OPTIONAL - Go back later when you have more time and add an embellishment or two. Here, I added in an ampersand to my journaling and two small embellishments to the top right of my layout.

Total additional time: 6 minutes.
Total layout time: 15 minutes

Supplies: Tonals: Scarlet Paper Pack, Orinoco Paper Pack, Creative Life Phrases Brushes and Stamps, Awarded Alphabet No. 2, Ledger Mixed Monograms

Next time you’re in a time crunch, try using one big photo and see how quickly the page comes together.

Can’t wait to see your layouts!

~Steph

Welcome to the Just Finish It Challenge!

I hear all the time from friends that they have a bunch of scrapbook layouts that are almost done - ready to go except for the journaling. For me, journaling is the easy part - I write just like I talk - a lot!!! But, for a lot of people, journaling is the hardest part.

So, I wanted to share some quick tips and products to help with journaling.

Blog
If you have a blog, don’t journal twice! Use your blog entries as journaling on layouts. Simply cut and paste the journaling from your blog onto your layout and the journaling is done.

Pen and Paper
Just because you’re scrapping digitally doesn’t mean that you can’t journal by hand. Often, when I’m going through my photos on my laptop, I choose my favorites to scrapbook. I star them, put them in my scrapping file online and then I grab a pen and paper that sits by my computer and make notes about the photos or layout ideas I have. Why not jot down some quick journaling at the same time?!

Journaling Tags
There are way too many journaling tags in the DesignerDigitals store to even count. Put them to use! If you have some ideas for journaling but don’t have time to do an entire layout, open up a journaling tag, move it onto a blank layout, and write. Save the layout and you’ve got a great start. If nothing else, you’ve got the idea started.

I love these tags because they give journaling prompts:

Week in the Life Journal Cards

The Monthly Journal Card Value Pack

Weekly Journalers Brushes and Stamps No. 1

Digital Journals

If you want to journal a lot and you have a big story to tell, try making the journaling the main part of your layout. DesignerDigitals has numerous digital journals. Add a photo (or not) to the journal with your text and the layout is done.

Vintage Journals

Ali even has a set of journaling cards that you can print out and keep on your desk for daily thoughts and journaling.

Reflections Journal Cards

Whatever you do, I hope you take steps today to Just Finish It!

~Steph