Janet (JALong) created this adorable Easter Egg themed tree using Mindy’s Bunny Hop Kit and Mindy’s Bunny Hop Pinstriped Paper

I created these simple pencil toppers and Tic Tac Toe set for my girls.

If you are looking for ideas for teachers, I created these covers for Easter candy and gift bag toppers, too.

These were all created using Mindy’s Hunny Bunny Kit and Pattie’s Feltboard Friends Tweethearts and Anna’s Stitched by Anna Overlays 1

At Christmas, Mel (Britgirl) shared her lanterns she made as gifts and I added it to my list of things to make. When I saw these cute lanterns at my local craft store I bought several of them. They will make great gifts for the kids teachers, and we have a few to use around our house, too. I used Katie’s Vintage Spring Greetings

Get your printers ready and share your ideas in the Hybrid Gallery for all of us to see.

~Sarah

Worn Edges Mixed by Lynn Grieveson

Irish Solid Papers by Andrea Victoria

Fanciful Felt: Flourished Shamrocks by Pattie Knox

Speaking of being pleased, Creative Team members, Amy, Kathie and Sarah gave me wonderful examples to show off on the blog. It’s great to see the green on these pages and our favorite pooch even dressed up for the occasion! Of course, he did!

Amy’s (aka AmyL) Page

Amy’s additional products are Layered Memories No. 06 by Michelle Martin, Little Folded Ribbon Bits by Pattie Knox, Sun Kissed Kit by Jesse Edwards, and Messy Stamped Alpha No. 07 by Katie Pertiet.

Kathie’s (aka Kathie 02)Page

Kathie’s additional products are Stitched by Anna: Lime by Anna Aspnes, Spot Dots Paper Pack no. 11, Spot Dots Paper Pack No. 17 and Postage Strip Alphabet No. 01 by Katie Pertiet.

Sarah’s (aka shhbabymine) Page

Sarah’s title is from Painted Words Brushes and Stamps by Ali Edwards.

Thanks for taking a look at this challenge. Be sure to snap some pictures today! We’d like to see how you spent the day celebrating the wearing of the green!

It’s a very easy assignment but one that takes just a bit of planning. Choose any day of the week and photograph your activities as you go about your regular routine. You will want to take at least 3-4 photos that day but you may want to take a lot more. A layout might include photos such as these: your kitchen as you cook breakfast, the kids as they leave for school, your cup of coffee, the drive to work, a meeting with your co-workers, the laundry, a grocery run in the afternoon, your hubby coming home, the kids going to bed and then you logging onto DD as you settle into your evening. The point is to take photos of the everyday routine that you have and to focus on the details that you might otherwise overlook.

We were very lucky this week to have community member Denise Gormish help us out on this challenge. I have known Denise for years and her gallery is one of my absolute favorites! She is a master of clean and simple scrapping and every layout that she makes is an inspiration to me.

Denise’s layout is entitled “It’s So Typical” and her photos tell such a great story of her daily routine. And I also love that she included two photos of herself - we often forget to put ourselves in front of the camera and I love that she included these photos.

Supplies: School Album Layered Template Set (12 x 12 ), Drawn Blossoms No. 01, Negative Sleeves No. 03, Drop Shadow Styles Collection, This Is The Day Word Art, Just Linens Paper Pack No. 04, Weathered Neutrals Paperie No. 05, Absolutely Acrylic: Arrows

Creative Team member, Kari, documented her daily routine for us, also. Kari’s photos are full of color and fun and her journaling is detailed and goes through her entire (very long!) day. Fantastic glimpse into her life right now!

Supplies: The Story Word Art + Hand Drawn Brushes, The Story of Today Overlays, Grid No. 02 Layered Templates

My daily routine is not entirely typical right now since we’re in the middle of buying a new house but I’m hoping that my family will enjoy looking back on this time as a new adventure for us.

Supplies: Ali Edwards Layered Template No. 33, Caught Red Handed Kit, La Cremerie: Fruits Noirs Kit, This Is The Day Word Art

I hope you’ll join in with us on this challenge and preserve a day in your life. I can’t wait to see your layouts!

~Steph

We have all grieved the sudden loss of our team member, Bonnie.  She was a gifted keeper of stories for her family. To honor her I’ve chosen to focus PageKraft:WriteTrue on the significance of leaving a story.  We are all committed to keeping the images and events and beautiful pages we create as a testimony to our families experience.  But sometimes we need to drop deeper into our own hearts and think through what we want to tell others. 

What have you learned about life that might help your son?  What do you know about loss, for instance, that might nurture your niece in her long term care of her chronically ill husband?  Is there knowledge about your mother, a deep story of wisdom, that you know and need to “keep” for your own children or for those you know?  Is there some story of truth which you need to tell yourself?

Memories are particular and fragmented, and they are all we have to offer the loved ones with whom we have shared life.
Maureen Murdock

When you want to tell a story which will move another into deeper thought, tell the details - all the way down to the sensory specifics - and also tell the point.  You will have a unique twist on the details you remember and the way you write it out.  Those details, those unique qualities of your own mixing are part of how you share who YOU are.  But to tell a truth in story you will want to give the point and that does not have to be straightly told, either.  You can leave the reader with the truth in their lap without writing it out as a conclusion. 

Elena has krafted this powerful page of renewal and the lessons of loss after a great life sea-change.  The elegant design serves as a strong foundation for the transformational experience and her bold reorientation to life.

For a long while I have thought about teaching my grandpeople the importance of staying true to themselves.  It is a complicated endeavor and one requiring ongoing attention.  Worthy of a page of instruction in my opinion and from my own frame.

Think about what you might want to give back in the way of story.  What would you like for others to know that will help them on their own life’s journey.  This need not be about you but may be your own wisdom from someone else’s story. 

Life and loss and chipping away the edges teaches us things which should be shared. Join us in this different way of PageKrafting and enrich our lives with your knowledge.
Leave a trace.
Post your pages in the PageKraft:WriteTrue + Click Gallery. 
Or if you just want to read the stories others leave, see our pages more closely and find out about what great materials we used, feel free to click on the link and see what we have to share.

We look forward to seeing your pages with embellishment clusters in the Gallery. Find more ideas and design lessons for embellishing scrapbook pages in Embellishing with Alphas and Every Little Thing, e-books by Debbie Hodge and the DesignerDigitals team.

“You’re gonna love this story” says the title on this week’s inspiration page by Denise Gormish. Well, you’re gonna love this layout! It’s so lovely and fresh. The white background allows the light, bright photo to really shine and is always a good choice when you have a photo with strong colors in it. Yet, it is far from plain, thanks to the yummy colored brushwork and the little details Denise has added. A fab design too, with great use of journaling strips.

Look at how different the layouts inspired by this great page turned out (and don’t forget to share your take on it too in the Saturday Scraplift gallery!)

Credits: layout by Janet, Mailroom no.01 paperpack, Stacked classic frames, Messy Stamped Alpha no.04, Domesticity hand-drawn words, Staple its, File Folder Labels element, Lil Bit tags, Loopdaloop artstrokes, Stitching by Anna Aspnes (including Stitched Bitz).

Credits: Layout by Lynn, Classic Cardstock: Natural Beauty, Vintage Photo Frames: Large, Vintage Photo Frames no.04, stitching from Year in Review Template no.03 and Rounded Word strips by Katie Pertiet, Journaling spots and strips by Lynn Grieveson, Brad Bonanza by Pattie Knox.

Credits: layout by Angie, ArtPlay Magic Solids, Classic Curled Photo Frames no.02, Typesets Memory No.01, Little Plastic Flowers no.01, Scatterings no.04, Different Strokes no.04.

~ Lynn

This week, I am proud to present Starlite9711/Bailey, a member of our Creative Team, and her terrific page - she says this is her first Art Journal page and she is hooked. She made an important point in saying: “I made a vow to myself to scrap more OF me, and FOR me…..this stuff is important even if our kids faces aren’t plastered all over them.” I could not have said it better myself.
(And I promise, it was pure chance that both Bailey and myself decided to use Anna’s Potpourri paper!)

And here is my page and secret.

I used one of Anna Aspnes’ superfun Potpourri paper packs, where the white background paper is already folded and stitched down. The other elements I placed on top and carefully erased where I wanted to create the effect as if they were tucked beneath the fold. The phone I googled and shamelessly grabbed off the internet, used my Magic Wand Tool in Photoshop to erase all the white and then “glued” it onto my page. SO much easier and less messy than with a magazine, good old scissors and glue.

You may also notice that most of the title (Truth) is hidden and hard to see. Don’t be afraid to partially or mostly hide elements, titles or journaling on your pages. In the end, your Art Journal pages are not for a grand audience (well if you don’t mind the rest of us who are oooooh’ing and aaaaaaah’ing at your creative work) - these pages are for YOU. As long as you know what you wrote and your intentions, that’s good enough. I say it again, in Art Journaling it is the Process more than the final product that matters. And having fun while doing it.

These are some of the products I used: Anna Aspnes - Potpourri no2 (Coming soon!), Pattie Knox - Absolutely Acrylic: He Said/She Said, Jesse Edwards - Retrophide Kit no2, Katie Pertiet - Twisted Stitches and Watery Alphabet No. 03.

Have fun revealing your secret, opening the backdoor and unveiling part of you!!    - Aino.

Kathleen (kathleen.summers) used the template for pictures of her less-than-happy daughter as she celebrated her first birthday. The soft pinks and neutral background create the perfect palette to allow those photos to shine.

Credits: Clustered Layered Template No. 03, Naturally Krafty No. 01 Paper Pack, Cut Ups: Baby Collection, Postage Strip Words No. 01, Jewelry Tag Alphabet, Tied Fasteners No. 03, Cheeky Time Plus Pack, MonoBlendz True Taupe Paperie, Torn N Tattered Scalloped PaperStrips No. 01, Stitched by Anna Scalloped Borders No. 01, Stitched by Anna Bitz White No. 01, Worn Page Edges No. 02, Natures Best Flowers, Bibles Quotes No. 02.

Steph’s (Steph) page focuses on her daughter, too. Libby’s own words provide the journaling about how she feels when she’s with her equine friend Angel. Steph drew her color scheme from Libby’s red jacket.

Credits: Clustered Layered Template No. 03, Caught Red Handed Kit, Cabana White Solid Paper Single, Ledger Paper Pieces: Hearts, Cut Ups: Everyday, Cut Ups: Everyday.

I wanted to try something a little different with Katie’s template. I merged the layers of the cluster, clipping to it a single picture of the cupcakes from my older son’s recent birthday. This large photo then became the background for the shot of my son and grandson.

Credits: Clustered Layered Template No. 03, Tied Fasteners No. 03, Assorted Tapes No. 04, Hush-a-Bye Element Pack, Ingrid Kit, Memory Mini Line Stacks Brushes and Stamps, Birthday No. 01 Brushes and Stamps, Staple Its, Stitched by Anna Lime No. 01 (coming soon).

Katie’s template is one of today’s Thrifty Thursday specials. I hope you’ll join us in this challenge and post your page in the Template Challenge Gallery.

I might just need to say again; be inspired by the starting piece. Don’t try or feel you must copy it, replicate it. Take a part of it – shape, colour or layout for example, and see where that idea leads you.  Don’t worry at all if the end result looks nothing like the starting piece. Its just a starting point, to bounce from
Don’t let anything intimidate you, break it down and look closer.. this is your art, not the original artist’s.

That said, I think I take my life in my own hands to cover an iconic {DVD/CD} cover…

I liked the specific shape filled with photos… heres my page.

…now if you feel the need to email me and say that looks nothing LIKE Michael Jackson’s amazing cover!! or How could you think of taking such art and doing your own…then please hold fire on the emails!
I know it doesn’t involve the stage shows, the superstardom and all that. Its just my girls on a merry go round.  
But I like how it finished up.  So I’m okay with that! LOL
I really look forward to your interpretations! Please post your pages in the itunes gallery here.

I invited Tracy to share more of her personal story with us. Here’s how she describes herself:
I am a 50+ year old, homeschooling, digital scrapbook loving, stay-at-home mother to three beautiful children, two dogs, a hedgehog and a Beta fish. I was a Navy brat as a child, and the desire to move every three years still rears it head even now.  Though I’ve moved 21 times in my life and lived primarily on the East or West Coast, I have always considered myself a Midwestern gal at heart.  I have been a “Jacqueline” of all trades, holding a spectrum of jobs from Target cashier to circuit board manufacturer, from Naval Flight Officer to church newsletter editor, from a drama librarian to a physics and computer science teacher.  My love growing up was math and science because I had not one shred of talent for drawing.  Like most good things, I came to digital art late in life and have not looked back since.

I also asked Tracy how she happened to become active in the Designer Digitals community?
When I first started digital scrapbooking, I was a “freebie hound”, scouring the internet for digital freebies.  I eventually came to realize that the freebies at DD were the absolute best. After I worked up the courage to post my first LO, there was no turning back.  I had found my home.

Here are the other questions I asked Tracy and her interesting answers:

1. It’s obvious from your wonderful gallery of layouts that your family, especially your children, are a top priority in your life. How do you also squeeze in time in your busy schedule to scrap your pages and do you have a designated place to scrap?
LOL!  I don’t sleep.  I have always been a night owl; my sweet dh, on the other hand, conks out early.  So once the children are in bed (and hubby, too), I have my scrapping time.  I’m often up until midnight or 1:00 a.m. during the week working on the latest LO. I also try to grab spare moments during homeschool while my ds is working on assignments or a test. Since I am bound heart and soul to my iMac and EHD, I scrap at my desk in the bedroom.  (It gets a bit cumbersome to carry around. Fortunately, at night, dh can sleep through my clickety-clacking on the keyboard and I work well in the dark ... uh, literally, not figuratively.

2. What drew you to begin scrapping digitally and how did you go about learning and perfecting the techniques you use on your pages?
I was a HORRIBLY slow paper scrapper.  It would take me days and days just to do one LO because I would keep taking it apart to try different papers or different photo positions.  When I first was introduced to digital scrapbooking, I was immediately drawn to the ease and speed with which I could explore different takes on a layout.  I also loved the fact that it was not a destructive process for my photos.  Add to that the fact that I could reuse those digital resources over and over again without using them up and easily change their color to add variety ... I was hooked!

Whatever I’ve learned in digital scrapbooking has been primarily through play and experimentation.  I’m a “trial and error” sort of person.  I love to see a new technique, take it apart, then try to replicate it on my own.  Such an approach makes for some happy accidents.  The downside is that I tend to brute force my way through something.  I love to tackle “discovering” the technique on my own, but after I’ve found “a way” to get it done, I often buy one of Cassie’s tutorials to see how it can be done more gracefully.   As for perfecting a technique, well ... I’ll let you know when I do.

3. Do you plan your scrapbook pages or do you like to wing it and see where your muse takes you when you begin a scrapbook page?
I usually have a vague notion of what I would like the page to look like, but the final LO is more often the result of experimentation and play than any keen initial vision.  I’m not the best at visualizing things in my head; I need to see them on paper.

4. I noticed that you created a wonderful tribute album for your mother. Do you have ideas for your next projects and what advice do you have for scrappers who have never put together a special gift album?
One of the projects that has been on my heart of late is the creation of a faith album for my children.  I have been struck by how often I document the day-to-day events or thoughts but how little I commit to paper those things that truly mean the most to me.   If I can share with my children what I truly believe in life and how I came to those beliefs, as painful as some may be, I believe that will have real value for them as they face similar crossroads in the future.  It is so important to me to have my children to know the faith I have and why.

I have done two huge projects in the past year—a tribute album for my mom and the yearbook for my children’s school.  My best advice for anyone who wants to undertake such a project is:  USE TEMPLATES!!  They are a marvelous springboard for design, and they help relieve some of the creative stress.

5. Please share some favorite digitals designs from the DD store with us:
My top “go to” items are Vibe Alpha by Danelle Johnson (Art Warehouse) and any of Katie’s Classic Cardstock papers.  I just love the wonderful texture of the cardstock.   I also use brads from Pattie Knox’s Brad Bonanza and Anna’s fabulous stitching quite often.
Vibe Alpha by Art Warehouse
Classic Cardstock Paper Packs by Katie Pertiet
Brad Bonanza Kits 1, 2 and 3 by Pattie Knox
Stitched by Anna Kits

Tracy asked her DH to select a favorite layout from her gallery. He did a great job of picking a layout that represents the bold, bright colors Tracy loves.
Photography: Thank You

Here’s the link to Tracy’s gallery at Designer Digitals where you can see more of her fantastic work:
Jazzamatazz Gallery

Tracy, thank you, for your active participation in the forums and the idea gallery at Designer Digtals.  I know everyone will benefit from a visit to your gallery and we also benefit from your friendship.