ScrapKitty Design

2007-12-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

We're Moving on Up!
(movin' on up!)
To the BIG TIME....

Yep, we're moving on up to a NEW blog! So that you will come visit us, we've left you a little freebie on the new site!

CLICK HERE to visit the new site and snag this snazzy frame!!

SALE extended through the weekend!!

2007-11-24T20:05:00.001-05:00

I'm feeling VERRRRY thankful - so don't forget to stop by my sale - AND
CLICK HERE to download my TurkeyScrapKitty!

SALE Today and Tomorrow!

2007-11-22T17:01:00.001-05:00

CLICK on the previews above to visit the store!

AD: Save this email, you don't want to miss this sale!

2007-11-20T23:57:00.001-05:00

CLICK HERE to see all the participating designers!

Don't miss this Sale - 50% off select designers' stores!

Thursday Nov 22 and Fri Nov 23

discount applies to personal use kits only

that are regularly priced over $3.00

CLICK HERE to see all the participating designers!

AD: Save this email!! You won't want to miss this!

2007-11-20T23:38:00.000-05:00

Don't miss this wonderful sale!!

AD: SALE! 50% off all kits over $3.00

2007-11-03T12:19:00.000-04:00

CLICK HERE to go to the store!

TAG - you're it!

2007-10-16T17:44:00.001-04:00

By request, I've put together a little kit of TAGS and TIES from my Kandy Kat kit! These are perfect to jazz up your layouts or tie onto some goodies! On SALE now 25% off - until Friday! Get them while they're cheap!

Don't Miss this KIT!

2007-10-14T13:28:00.001-04:00

This is an amazing opportunity to do good, and WIN BIG!! Who doesn't need a new hard drive?? This is an INCREDIBLE kit - you will love love love it!! It's on sale 25% off right now, and if you click on the top image, you can find out all about how to win that hard drive! Go to it!!

and JOIN US TONIGHT
9PM at SOTB CHATROOM
for a chance to win great new pieces!

CROP tonight at 10PM EDT

2007-10-12T09:27:00.000-04:00

If you haven't posted from last week's crop, there's still time! You can WIN the KandyKat kit! Come to the crop tonight - we will be playing games for another copy of Tags and Ties this week!

THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF MY 31% OFF SALE on KANDY KAT - get it NOW!

Look What BEAV Did!!

2007-10-11T22:06:00.001-04:00

My darling friend Beav made this with pieces from my KandyKat Crop Gifts!! (GO LEAVE HER LOVES!)If you've been attending my Feeling Scrappy crop on Fridays, you HAVE all these pieces! If not, you will still be able to get them in the addon kit, due out next week! Meanwhile, cruise on over to the store and take advantage of the

LAST DAY of my 31% off sale on Kandy Kat!

My invite

2007-10-10T10:02:00.000-04:00

Here's the invite I made this kit for!!
I'm THRILLED with how it came out!!

SALE three more days!

2007-10-10T09:44:00.000-04:00

Get my new kit Kandy Kat while you can!! This is the lowest price it will be all year, so take advantage and get it NOW! This kit is FULL of everything you need to make a wonderful layout:
it works well for Fall layouts too, with fabulous textured solids and harvest-y pumpkin papers!

CROP at Midnight tonight at SOTB

2007-10-09T13:18:00.001-04:00

We're playing games and WINNING tonight!! Join us to get this adorable crop gift which (by the way) coordinates with ScrapKitty's Kandy Kat kit on SALE this week only for 31% off! LOOK HERE
And if you didn't figure it out already... <whispers> it coordinates with ALL the SOTB challenge bonuses!! See the challenges HERE

See you in the chatroom: http://www.scrapoutsidethebox.com/chat

LO: Kandy Kat kit

2007-10-07T23:32:00.001-04:00

I did this in response to a layout a friend shared about her 'pamper me' basket in her bathroom! I used my Kandy Kat kit, and it came out not halloween-y at all!!

Kandy Kat is on sale for 31% off all week - see it here! JennKitty

SALE: and look who's used my kit!

2007-10-01T20:02:00.001-04:00

SALE $2 TODAY ONLY

get this amazing versatile kit now, while the price lasts!

LOOK who's using this kit:

CLICK HERE or on the layout to see who did it!

Look what Twila did!!

2007-09-22T23:00:00.000-04:00

My amazing friend Twila made this amazing layout with my Almost Spring kit - and she featured me on her blog today! Such a dear she is! Go look, and leave a kind comment. I just LOVE how she did all the creative photo crops on this one - and she did it in DIP! She's inspired me for my October Tricks of the Trade Challenge - watch for it on October 1!
CLICK HERE to visit Twila's blog

Creating Keepsakes ROCKS!

2007-08-27T13:30:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity this weekend to work as a teaching assistant to Jessica Sprague at Creating Keepsakes University in Nashville, TN. It was an absolute BLAST, let me tell you! I've never attended a CKU, but I've got friends who had, so I had a clue what to expect - but WOW. Blow me away. The staff for the event worked amazingly hard, and everything ran amazingly smoothly. But the highlight of the day was Jessica herself!She was gracious and generous from the beginning to the end of the day. She never missed an opportunity to point out and thank the teaching assistants, even mentioning where I sold and that I taught classes too! I learned more just seeing her in action than I could have imagined. She's a seasoned teacher, and has the patience of a saint, let me tell ya!

She has online classes HERE, and sells her tutorials at Designer Digitals HERE - check her out, I'm sure you will be as impressed as I. Her BLOG is just full of great information - read through the archives when you have time.

Just for you, dear readers, I'm passing on the same coupon I was handing out to students in class on Saturday:Just so y'all know, my dear friend Dede made this cool kitty card for me, and got me into this great adventure! (If you see her in a crop, ask her why it's all her fault!!)

Have a great week everyone - see you in the chatroom!

To SQUISH or not to SQUISH...

2007-08-06T21:27:00.000-04:00

The mysteries of JPEG explained!! What does JPEG stand for? WHEN should I save as a .jpg file? What do those numbers mean in the little box? Can you save a file too many times?
CLICK HERE to read a little tutorial we wrote for our Photoshop Elements 101 class, and all will be revealed!

Daily Download - Don't miss this one!

2007-08-05T23:12:00.001-04:00

if you have any of my kits, and especially if you don't, you won't want to miss this week's Daily Downloads at Scrap Outside The Box!
This week's offerings will include pieces from many of my kits, all of which have never been for sale. If you attend my Feeling Scrappy? crop on Fridays, you may have some of these, but some have never been given away before! Don't forget to unzip the folder to get the great coupon to my store!
CLICK HERE to go to SOTB and get the download!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DST!

2007-08-01T13:38:00.000-04:00

Don't miss DST's birthday celebration!!
LOOK HERE
for a cool way to win one of my kits!

Happy Birthday Everyone!

A Challenge for you!

2007-08-01T01:20:00.000-04:00

My August Tricks of the Trade Challenge is up at SOTB - CLICK HERE for more info
I think my minikit you get for a bonus this month is CUUUUTE, and if you put a link to your layout in the comments here, I'll give you THIS:

So hop on over to SOTB and Challenge Yourself!

CLASSES!!

2007-07-05T10:45:00.000-04:00

Since our PSCS2 class was so popular, we're now offering TWO classes for Photoshop Elements! I believe these will fill up fast, so sign up now! We'll re-offer the PSCS2/3 one later in the fall, also, so keep your eyes open.
CLICK HERE or on the graphics to read more in my store

Daily download at SOTB!

2007-06-24T23:49:00.000-04:00

I have the daily download this week (June 25- July 1) at SOTB! Stop by HERE to get this great mini. It coordinates with my Changes&Challenges Kit. Don't MISS the COUPON inside each download - great savings!

COUPON: This week only!

2007-06-14T17:08:00.000-04:00

This is a GREAT deal to let you get caught up on those kits you've been wanting:
CLICK HERE to visit the store!

SALE TODAY ONLY- 50% off!

2007-06-14T17:06:00.001-04:00

Don't miss this chance to get this versatile Build-a-Bug kit for half price!
CLICK HERE to go to the store!

FREEBIE and Challenge: Look what BLYTHE did!!

2007-06-03T12:23:00.001-04:00

I want to brag on a friend - Blythe Evans is layout of the day at Gotta Pixel!
She posted this layout in my Tricks of the Trade Challenge this month at SOTB, and apparently I'm not the only one who thought it was WONDERFUL!!
Click on the photo to go leave her some love then check out the challenge yourself!

in addition to making a wonderful layout, when you post it you get my coool zoo themed posting bonus! Just for stopping by here, here's a little giftie for you - my original drawing of the giraffe!

CLICK HERE to DL this little fella for your own!

Feeling Scrappy Friday - May 18

2007-05-18T10:18:00.001-04:00

Click on the image to DL the cropkit, come to the crop for the password!! Hope to see you there- 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central, 6PM Pacific - you Mountain Time folks can figure it out!!

THE KIT IS OUT!! Here's a gift for you!

2007-05-18T10:02:00.001-04:00

Here's a little jiffy page my wonderful CT member Dede made for you all! CLICK HERE or on the image to download it! And if you like THAT, here's a COUPON good for 25% off this kit - good for a whole week! So don't miss this chance to get such a deal on this kit! CLICK ON THE COUPON to go to the store:
Hope you all are having a wonderful week - my kids get out of school next Wednesday, so I'm enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasts!!

COUPON: This week only!

2007-05-13T00:49:00.000-04:00

Just for you all, this is good thru Thursday! My new kit FAUX FLOWERS that I made this kit from should be in the store today or tomorrow, so watch for it!

HAPPY NSD!! A bonus for buyers!

2007-05-05T01:47:00.000-04:00

CLICK HERE to see this larger - go to my store today and ALL KITS are on sale 50% off!

SALE SALE SALE!!

2007-05-04T15:35:00.000-04:00

GREAT SALE at SOTB this weekend -
Sat and Sunday

- my entire store will be on sale for
50% OFF !!
Time to get those kits you've been wanting!
CLICK HERE!

2007-05-01T22:45:00.000-04:00

HERE IT IS - my Technique Challenge for May!CLICK HERE to go to SOTB for more information and links to the tutorials and gallery! I hope you will ALL show me your OOBS!!! heehee
And here's that COUPON I was talking about! Enjoy!!

some great chats coming up!!

2007-05-01T00:35:00.000-04:00

COME JOIN US AT SOTB tonight to kick off our new challenges! I'm hostessing the Technique Challenge - CLICK HERE for more info!
Check back here tomorrow for a great COUPON too!!

CROP TONIGHT!!

2007-04-27T16:30:00.000-04:00

Feeling Scrappy? get all the information HERE -
scroll down if those chatty cathys have posted chatter and you'll see the post with the preview! Click on it to get the kit, attend the crop for the PW - you know the drill!!
See you all LATER!!

2007-04-27T16:27:00.000-04:00

Hey guys, join us at SOTB tomorrow for our Spectrum of Love crops! Even if you don't have anyone in your circle affected by autism, you will appreciate the wonderful colors and items in these kits! We are giving away WAY cool prizes (not just your average "kit of choice" - though there will be those too!) so you'll want to try to make them all!! I'm going to be sleeping off spending the night at the mall with 2500 Girl Scouts during the 10AM, but I'll see you at the 2 and 9 PM!

A GREAT DEAL for you!!!

2007-04-07T11:39:00.000-04:00

My new addon is out and do I have a deal for you!
Purchase Almost Spring or the addon Almost Spring Too! and email me the order number to bigscrapkitty@scrapkittydesign.com and I'll send you THIS:

HAPPY EASTER!!!
If you attended the crop last night, you already have this kit, but DON'T let that stop you from checking out my 20% off SALE!! CLICK HERE to go to my store

Come and CROP!!

2007-03-30T16:06:00.000-04:00

Every Friday, join me cropping at SOTB - there's always a little surprise for you, and lots of friends and fun...

It's ALMOST SPRING!

2007-03-25T22:41:00.000-04:00

Thought you'd all like to see the new kit, I just realized I posted the coupon and NO PREVIEW!! BAD ME!! The kit will be 25% off through Thursday, but the coupon below is only good for another hour!! CLICK HERE or on the preview to visit the store!

Look what Lisa made!!

2007-03-24T13:01:00.000-04:00

My friend Lisa (who I did the cute Flower Fiesta kit with) is working on a new kit, and she sent me this tag - AND SAID I CAN SHARE WITH YOU!! WHOOhoo!!
NOW you can get the whole kit on her Blog - HERE
THANKS Lisa!

Now, I will sweeten the deal!

2007-03-23T20:25:00.000-04:00

This is a special coupon just for my good blog subscribers and crop girlies! You can use this thru Sunday on ANY kit in my store (except Commercial Use kits). Grab my new kit - Almost Spring - that I used to make the coupon!! CLICK HERE to go to my store!

WHAT A DEAL!!

2007-03-22T07:20:00.000-04:00

GREAT DEAL at SOTB this week only!

LAST WEEK for this kit!

2007-02-25T15:12:00.000-05:00

I've been out selling GS cookies all weekend, PLEASE - if you see a girl scout, buy a box or even better DONATE A DOLLAR - that has the same effect as buying TWO boxes, as far as the troop is concerned, and costs you less!

Here's part 4 of Flower Fiesta - CLICK HERE or on the graphic, and ENJOY!!

Oh My GOTH!!

2007-02-18T22:50:00.000-05:00

FINALLY, the Goth kit is in the store!! This kit is going to be perfect for my GROWN UP (before kids) Halloween pics, as well as my Goth and Biker friends! It was so much fun to make, and there is MORE coming - my friend dede just keeps thinking of things she NEEDS me to make!!!

To kick things off, here is a coupon for 30% off this kit - for a short time only!
Gothskitty30
click here to see the whole kit

Flower Fiesta - Week Three

2007-02-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

I think this is my FAVORITE installment -
so sorry I forgot to do this yesterday - lots of fun things going on - stay tuned right here for even more great stuff!!
CLICK HERE or on the preview to DL this week's installment:

Making a Ribbon Frame

2007-02-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

Have you ever found yourself while scrapping wanting a frame that you JUST CAN’T find to match the kit you are working with? But the kit has RIBBONS? Well, here is a way for you to make a mitered frame using ribbon, and it is really painless!

I've redone this tutorial, and you can get the .pdf version at the SOTB tutorials page HERE.

HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY

2007-02-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

A little giftie from Lisa and me - here's a coordinating alpha for our Flower Fiesta kit! Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's day!
CLICK HERE or on the graphic to DL the alpha:

see you Friday for week 3 of this great kit!!!

SO glad you like it!

2007-02-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

The response to the first part of our Flower Fiesta has been wonderful! Lisa and I are SO happy you all are enjoying our kit as much as we enjoyed making it for you...
so CLICK HERE or on the preview to get the second part of this great kit! Remember to leave us a link to any layouts you do with this kit - we'd LOVE to see your work!

JUST FOR YOU!!!

2007-02-02T20:52:00.000-05:00

My friend Lisa and I were talking one night, and I was admiring her work... and we decided we wanted to work together! So we made this little kit for you, and will give you an installment a week for a month - wait till you see, they get better every week, and if you are subscribed to this blog you won't miss the SURPRISE freebie we're going to throw in for fun!
Here's the preview for week 1 - WE'RE SORRY, this link has EXPIRED - please see next post for another part of the kit!
Please come back and leave a link in the comments for any LOs you might use our stuff in - that's the best way to say "thank you" -
oh and don't miss the GREAT coupon for 50% off the kit of your choice from ScrapKitty Design at SOTB - it's in the download!

Just a note...

2007-01-14T12:26:00.000-05:00

Just a little goodie for you all -
If you come to my Feeling Scrappy Crop this Friday at 9PM at SOTB - (click here to attend)
you will get a great treat from my new kit! Watch this space for a preview soon....

HAPPY NEW YEAR - so I'm a little late...

2007-01-06T14:23:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I'd intended to have this up earlier, but life gets away from me sometimes...Here is my new kit in the store - Gotta Get Organized- and just for you I have a 25% off COUPON! use this code at checkout SKITTYorganize25 for your discount on this versatile kit!

CLICK HERE to visit my store

ALSOOOOOOOOO - Here's a little giftie for you:you can DL this quickpage for a short while by CLICKING HERE

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful year, full of purposeful work and great friends!

Get 'em while they're HOT

2006-12-20T23:49:00.000-05:00

My WHOLE STORE is on sale until Friday at 46% for my birthday - but Paisley Promises is 50% off for Fab 50 all week! Get them both for the price of one!

it's FAB-u-lous, DAHling!!!

2006-12-11T19:23:00.000-05:00

My new kit FAB Fa-La-La is in the store now! CLICK HERE or on the photo to go there:

and for my VERY SPECIAL BLOG BUDDIES: Here's a coupon for 25% off -HAVE A FAAAAABULOUS Christmas!!!

TUTORIALS - Templates, layered and unlayered

2006-12-09T11:40:00.000-05:00

TEMPLATES:

WHICH KIND DO YOU NEED? –

There are two basic kinds of templates layered and not layered.

Layered templates usually come in .psd files. The .psd format preserves layers, whereas the .jpeg and .png format files do not. These work well in PS, PSE, and PSP. I’m not sure if other programs support them, you will want to try and see…CLICK HERE for a free template to practice on.

UNLAYERED TEMPLATES
OK, first, let’s look at unlayered templates. These are simply graphics that are done in bold and contrasty colors – usually shades of black. What you need to know is how to select a single portion of that graphic.

Let’s use our tree for an example (see above to get the free template) – the star is black. In PS and PSE, you use your magic wand tool and click on the star, and it will get selection marks (or marching ants!) around it. Do you PSP users know how to do that? How do you do it?

Then you can use that selection to either fill in with color, or cut out of paper.

FILLING WITH COLOR
To fill in: you can use a brush and paint – if you leave the marching ants, the color will only show up inside the selection. Keeps you in the lines easily!!

Or you can go to Edit>Fill and fill with the foreground, background, or use the color picker…

OR – you can fill with a pattern! Go to Edit>Fill>pull down the menu and choose Pattern. You will get a choice of patterns to fill with.

To do a lot of these, click on your fill bucket tool, and change the settings at the top to pattern or foreground, depending on what you’d like.

***FUN TIP***
Make a pattern out of your paper!!! Open a paper and go to EDIT>Define Pattern. You can name this pattern anything you’d like! Now when you go to select a pattern, you will see your paper there!

This is a great way to do many template pages with the same kit – make patterns out of all your papers and fill fill fill!!!

CUTTING OUT OF PAPER
But the fun thing to do is to cut it out of a paper.

First, use your Magic Wand to select the shape you’d like to cut out of paper.

Then, open a paper that you like – then drag that paper over the template. It will make a new layer for itself.

***SHORTCUT***
If I have a small area to cover, I usually don’t bother to drag the whole thing, I will use my marquee tool (the dotted line circle or square) and cut out a little piece (CNTRL+C) and paste it onto the template (CNTRL+V). When you paste, it will make itself a new layer. Then move that layer so it covers the part you selected.

Next, at the top click SELECT>INVERSE. This changes the selection to everything that was NOT selected before.

Now, hit CNTRL+X to delete that. You are left with a piece of paper just the same shape as the template shape!!! Repeat this for every shape on your template.

Remember to save this under a different name, so you don’t lose your template!

LAYERED TEMPLATES
Layered templates are just as much fun, or more! There are a few advantages to layered templates, such as the ability to move them around, or delete an element you don’t wish to use.

FILLING WITH COLOR
This works pretty much as above, except you need to have the layer you wish to use selected. Once your layer is selected, use your Magic Wand to select the element, and EDIT>FILL to fill with a color.

See the instructions above for filling with patterns, and making patterns out of papers!

CUTTING OUT OF PAPER
First, open your template and any papers you think you would like to use in the layout.

Select a layer that you would like to put the paper on. Use your Magic Wand to select the object you want to cover with paper.

Drag the paper you desire onto the layout. It will be placed on its own layer just above the layer you selected.

With the paper layer selected, go to the top of the screen, and click SELECT>INVERSE to select everything except your shape. Then click CNTRL+X to delete. You now have your paper cut in the shape of your element!

***SHORTCUT***
Use a clipping mask to make this fast and easy – and more flexible!
There is NO NEED TO SELECT THE ELEMENT IN THE LAYER.

Drag your paper onto the template – check your layers palette to be sure it’s directly over the template layer you wish to use. Keep the paper layer selected.

Hit CNTRL+G (CS2 users, ALT+CNTRL+G or roll your cursor over the line between the layers until you get two little circles, and click) AND THE PAPER IS CUT IN THE SHAPE BELOW IT!!

Now you can use your move tool to drag the paper around inside the object until you get the pattern set the way you like it! This is GREAT for putting photos inside shapes – use a photo instead of paper – all the same steps apply.

Once you have it the way you like it, you need to merge the two layers CNTRL+E or Layers>Merge Downward

To minimize the number of layers in your document, you can either drag the template layer you are done using to the trashcan at the bottom of the layers palette, or you can hit CNTRL+E to merge the paper layer with the template layer below. (Using the menus, go to LAYERS>Merge downward

Repeat this for every element in the template you want to use. You can then delete any unused layers, and move or resize the elements on any layer. These are the most versatile templates, because you have the ease of a pre-made design, with the personality of your own touches!!

HALF PRICE THRU FRIDAY 11/17

2006-11-15T23:06:00.000-05:00

Everything in my store is on SALE at 50% off through Friday! Don't miss this chance to grab all three of my coordinating kits:
Paisley Promises
Embroidered Eloquence
Paisley Promises Add-On Kit

These kits not only coordinate with each other, but also with the P4D BCA3 kit, and any other kits derived from that project.

Stop by my store by clicking HERE

Fab50 - I have TWO kits on sale!

2006-10-25T23:06:00.000-04:00

Come to the Fab50 crop at SOTB Thursday at 10PM and don't miss my two sale kits - including the brand new PAISLEY PROMISES!
Both this kit and my favorite SCRAPPY GIRL will be 50% OFF for one day only - Thursday, October 26!
Shop here
Crop here
See all the great kits on sale and get the crop kit
HERE

Feeling Scrappy Friday CHOCOLATE NIGHT

2006-10-20T14:24:00.000-04:00

Crop Tonight
SOTB 9PM ET
click HERE to attend

click on the photo or click here to get crop kit

C'mon and get STONED!

2006-10-16T23:31:00.001-04:00

My new kit just hit the store TONIGHT!! I'm so excited about this one - so many cool things you can do with it!

STONE COLD GORGEOUS

this kit includes beautifully textured stone elements, perfect for all your Halloween projects - use the stones as backgrounds, journaling blocks, and personalize your projects with my really cool carved ALPHA!
I even included a quickpage for easy invitations or great gothic layouts!
AND
if you buy the kit and post a LO using ANY of the pieces of the kit, I'll send you free the add-on kit that's not even in the store yet! Just post a link to your LO here, at the bottom of this post...
HAPPY HAUNTING!

ATTA Girls get going!

2006-10-01T23:55:00.000-04:00

Jen has been under the weather with a migraine, so it's up to us to keep the lovin' comin'!
click here for today's link and go make someone's day a little brighter!

MY KIT IS A FREEBIE!! WHOO HOO!

2006-09-23T00:55:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is a big day at SOTB - and you can get my mini kit as a FREEBIE if you come to one of the FOUR crops tomorrow! Wow!

Click here for more information about the American Cancer Society Charity Kit and Crops - this is a really wonderful, truly MEGA kit, and for one of the best causes!

Feeling Even More Scrappy? Friday Night Crop

2006-09-20T23:13:00.000-04:00

Join me for another fun Friday night chatting and cropping!
FRIDAY, SEPT 23 9PM SOTB (see link below!)

I am working hard on surprises for this crop, including freebies from a brand new kit - the crop kit will be uploaded tomorrow, so stop by the Fab 50 crop tomorrow at 10PM at SOTB for a link - http://www.scrapoutsidethebox.com/chat/

Here's a sneak peek at the kit I'm working on for the crop:
SEE YOU THERE!

Calendar of Hope Mega Kit - support this good cause!

2006-09-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

CALENDAR OF HOPE at Scrap Outside the Box

Many of the Scrap Outside the Box designers have been affected by Cancer of their loved ones and wanted to do something to help others suffering from the same difficulties. They decided to create this lovely kit and donate the funds to the American Cancer Society.

COMBO KIT - GET both kits and save $2.00

I was able to participate in creating this kit, and I hope you can all join with us to raise money for Cancer Research. The jiffy scrap calendar pages are amazing, and the kits really represent the best of all these designers.
CLICK HERE to go to the store for details.

Come ON ATTA Girls -

2006-09-19T22:56:00.000-04:00

Have you left someone lovin' today?
Visit the blog for the daily link here
http://scrapkittydesign.blogspot.com/2006/09/atta-girls.html
then GO MAKE SOMEONE'S DAY!!!

ATTA Girls - BLINKIE CHALLENGE

2006-09-12T00:54:00.000-04:00

Well, Tina gets the honor of coming up with the first ATTA Girls blinkie - right click to grab it! Now the rest of you scrappy girls get busy and do one in your own favorite style! That way people can find something that 'works' with all their other blinkies :) And don't forget to check today's link - while you are free to comment on any LO you want, it will be really cool if a WHOLE BUNCH of us post on the same one in the same day! So do the link, if nothing else! Thanks girlies!!! You all are the BEST!

WE ARE SOOOO SCRAPPY!!!

2006-09-08T23:18:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much to everyone who came to my crop at SOTB - we had a BLAST!!!! I didn't log off till 10:45 - (ever have those guests who wouldn't leave?)
To say thanks for those who came - (and those of you who didn't, but chose to visit my blog today) here is a little quickpage freebie:

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=CA34ADDC56A4EB84

watch for more Feeling Scrappy Friday crops at SOTB!

ATTA GIRLS!

2006-09-08T23:06:00.000-04:00

Some of us girlies think we need more comments on LO's at SOTB, so we have a FUN way to rectify that - you've all seen Hummie's Kudos Team?

http://hummdingertub.blogspot.com/2006/07/kudos-team.html
join it if you can, it's fun.

AND we're going to do the same thing for SOTB -

if you want to be an ATTA Girl, here's what you do...

CLICK HERE

to join our yahoo group and get a daily email reminder with a link

click on that link, and you will be taken to the SOTB blog, where you can find our layout of the day! Then click on the layout link, and leave some love!

If enough of us do this, we can make lots of people happy, and how often can you do that!!!!

FEELING SCRAPPY?

2006-09-06T00:03:00.000-04:00

I'm hosting my FIRST crop EVER

at SOTB on Friday, September 8 at 9PM!

Please come join me for all the fun - I have a great crop kit available for download, and a wonderful posting bonus!
CLICK HERE to see the preview!
CLICK HERE to for all the crop information
CLICK HERE to download the crop kit
CLICK HERE to attend the crop
I'm looking forward to seeing everybody there!

A Lesson on Pixels

2006-08-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

OK girlies - we need a lesson on pixels, and dpi. (or ppi - same thing, for our purposes)

When your camera captures a picture, it is capturing a set number of pixels. A 3.2 MB camera captures 3million2hundredthousand pixels, 5MB 5 million, etc. That is the MAXIMUM number of pixels it can capture. However, once it captures them, it has to store them on your card.

SO - it allows you to capture FEWER than the maximum, hence the lower settings.

MY CAMERA:
5.0 megapixels
Maximum capture: 2592pixels across, 1944 pixels down.
Second best: 2048 pixels across, 1536 pixels down.
Third best: 1600 pixels across, 1200 pixels down.
least best: 640 pixels across, 480 pixels down.

WHERE IS THE DPI?
dpi is actually a printing term, referring to the number of dots the printer will put on an inch of paper to make the print.

72dpi means 72 dots across, 72 dots down in each inch = total 5184 dots per square inch.
300 dpi means 300 across, 300 down, total 90,000 dots per square inch.

Now those of you who cross stitch, know that the more little squares make up your picture, the more detail you can put in that picture.

SO: say I take a picture at maximum capture with my camera - 2592 across, 1944 down.

IF I view it at 300 dpi, you would divide 2592 by 300 = 8.64 inches across
divide 1944 by 300 = 6.48 inches down

IF I open it up at 72 dpi, you would divide 2592 by 72 = 36 inches across
divide 1944 by 72 = 27 inches down.

SAME number of pixels, but at 72 dots per inch, you have spread them out widely. If you squish them together so you are looking at 300 of them in one inch, you have a much smaller photo.
When you are opening up a photo in image editing software (PS,PSE, whatever), it is choosing for you a dpi to view it at. It seems that you girls have your default set to 72. There is a place to change that in PS, I'd have to look for it - I have mine set to open everything at 300.

RECAP -
CAPTURE - The megapixels on your camera is the number you are CAPTURING. The more pixels you capture, the larger you can print that photo at a higher dpi. Obviously, more is better. BUT - what about space on your card? Let's talk about JPEG. JPEG compresses those pixels so you can get more on your card. Some cameras will allow you to change to a higher compression, so you can squeeze more photos on the card. That's kinda like stuffing clothes in your suitcase. If you fold them nicely, and don't pack them too tightly, they will come out with minimum wrinkles. If you insist on folding them really tiny, and smashing as many as you can get in there, they will come out all wrinkled up. SO, you don't want to squish those photos up any more than you have to.
My camera doesn't allow that.

I have a 512 MB card. It holds 237 photos at highest resolution, 369 at the next, 588 at the third best, and 2089 at the lowest. It was less than $25. We actually have 2 of them, for vacations, but I rarely use the second. 237 is the most I need to be shooting at one event (I did max out a card at the second grade show last year!) without dumping them to the computer. Your camera card is not meant to be a long term storage device, you should be cleaning it off regularly. It is too vulnerable to being damaged, having your camera lost or stolen, to keep photos on there longer than necessary.

OUTPUT - the dpi (dots per inch) or ppi (pixels per inch) is the number of those captured pixels you are squishing into one inch. The more per inch, the sharper you photo will look. The fewer per inch, the larger your print will be, unless you crop it, and fuzzier it will look.

So, Lori and Hummie, open up a picture, turn on your rulers, and see how large those photos are. Go into image size, change ONLY the dpi setting, and you will see the number of inches change. You have not changed the pictures, just squished more into each inch.

Photographic prints are printed at 300 dpi (usually). So are good press prints. Your computer or TV can only show a MAXIMUM of 72 dpi, so if you are NEVER going to print or enlarge or crop, working at 72 dpi is fine. I can never be sure when I will want to print a photo, so I just do everything at 300, and switch it down for uploading to the web.

As a rule, it is a good idea to capture as MANY pixels as you can. I leave my camera set on HIGH all the time. I'd rather have too much information, than not enough. That way, if I want to crop it to show the kid in the corner with a goofy look on his face, and enlarge that photo to 4x4 inches, it won't be all grainy. 'Cause you never know when you will need to crop the heck out of a photo!

This is why designers create at 300 dpi - because if I make a tag to be 1"x2", and you want one that is 4"x8", when you enlarge it I want it to still look OK. If I made that tag at 72 dpi, then when you enlarged it, it would have only 18 pixels per inch, which you could clearly see each pixel. Make sense?

I'm sorry to get on the soap box, but this stuff confuses everybody! I want you all to make the best images and the best layouts you can!

Hope this makes sense, and answers those questions about what to set your camera to. Anybody have any questions, just ask!!

Jenn

2006-08-19T01:37:00.000-04:00

Coming Soon!

Scrappy Girl - new kit from ScrapKitty Design at Scrap Outside the Box

This girly girl kit is packed FULL of cool elements just right for your pretty girls - Check out the license plates and frames - perfect for journaling! TWO alphabets, lots of beads and bauble, and many, many great papers you will use for everything.

Check back here soon for more information about how to get the FREE crop kit and posting bonus!

Bandana Paper

2006-08-10T11:41:00.000-04:00

I made this for a friend, and thought I should share it with you!

sorry, this freebie is over, watch for this paper in a new kit at my store at SOTB

Almost Here!

2006-08-08T16:18:00.000-04:00

Here is a preview of my first kit - I wanted to do classic Red White and Blue for all those great summer photos!
This kit includes:
8 colored papers, PLUS a textured white paper,
three tags,
4 ribbons,
4 bows,
8 brads,
6 metals - staples, clips, brads,
1 gold border
2 gold embellishments
and a beautiful gold alphabet including numbers and punctuation!
This is a wonderful classic addition to your collection that you will use over and over all year!

SOON to be on sale at Scrap Outside the Box - watch this space for a link to my store!

First Ever Freebie!

2006-08-07T21:41:00.000-04:00

While I am waiting for my kit to be approved for sale at Scrap Outside the Box, I thought I'd give everybody an early freebie from the crop kit! This word art will coordinate with my Face of Freedom kit, available soon, as well as the crop and bonus kits.

Sorry, this freebie is over, watch for a Feeling Scrappy Friday crop at SOTB to feature this kit!

2006-07-16T22:08:00.000-04:00

New avatar!

2006-06-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

Hellooooo scrappers! Welcome to my blog! I plan to use this place to post freebies for you, welcome feedback on new designs and ideas, and gather your feedback. I'm just getting going as a new designer, so watch this spot for more and more and more...