Summer Fruit

Summertime and the living is easy... well at least that is the goal.  For me, the season is not complete without backyard barbeques, lazy days at the beach, tall glasses of iced tea, and snacking on fresh picked fruit.   

Using summer fruit salad as my inspiration, I created a few digital scrapbook pages to share with the SOC family.  As always, if you like them please feel free to download (right click & save) them for your personal (non-commercial) projects.  

Wishing you all a wonderfully fun, creative, safe and truly awesome summer.

Thanks for looking!

 

"Dee-Dee" Digi Stamp

How many of you are stampers? Despite the fact that I have a semi-huge collection of rubber and acrylic stamps I don't consider myself a big stamper.  Especially when it comes to the kind that you have to color.

Although lately I have been catching a little stamping fever and decided to create my own digi-stamp.  I think she would be great for a Mother's day or Birthday Card.  She is named after my aunt Dee-Dee and she has a sassy vintage feel.  This was my first attempt at illustrating and digitally coloring a design of this type, but I am pretty pleased with how she turned out. 

If you would like to create a card or project with her, you are welcome to it.  Simply right click the image below and save the file.  As always, the design is free for personal (non-commercial) use only.

Thanks for looking, enjoy!

Shero

Just wanted to share a little sisterly love.  I am so grateful to the many women who love one another, care for each other, support those in need, encourage the discouraged, enlighten the dim, inspire the soul, educate the mind, and generally handle the business every single day!  Despite what people may say about women not "getting along" and not supporting one another, I know the opposite to be true.  Yes, there are always a few exceptions.  But, we will not lose focus over a few fools.  Today, I salute my sistahs!

Here is a little gift that I hope you will use in a layout, card or project that is dedicated to the most special woman in your life...YOU! (Just click the image below and save.)

Back to School Digi

Wow! Can you believe it is that time already?  Back to School!!!!! 

Here are a few digital elements that can be used as overlays, titles, frames, etc.  Just a little something to help mark the occasion.  Hope you enjoy! (As always free for personal, not commercial use.)

Here a few ideas of what you can do with them...

Island Style Pocket Journaling Cards

Are you enjoying summer? I hope so.  Lately, I've had a one track mind.  All I can think about is the beach - I have vacation on the brain.  So much so, that I created these island inspired pocket journaling cards.  Of course, I had to share them with my SOC family.  

If you are heading out to the beach this summer (or not) feel free to download and use these fun cards.  Click the image for a PDF. (As always they are for personal use only.) 

Enjoy!

Words Live Forever!

Hey ya'll it's Black History Month!  In honor of some of the great leaders in American history, I have created these journaling cards.  I pulled together a few of my favorite quotes from Malcolm X, Shirley Chisholm, Frederick Douglass, and Zora Neale Hurston.  

 

It's ridiculous how much inspiration can be found in the words of our ancestors! 

 

I love that their sentiments have been recorded in the history of time and continue to live up through today.  It reminds me of why we scrapbook; so that our stories, ideas and impact can persist long after we are gone.

 

The printable journaling cards are the perfect size for pocket-style scrapbooking.  They can also be used as embellishments on cards or standard scrapbook pages.  Click here to download your copy today! (For personal, non-commercial use only.)

Christmas Sassy Tags

Happy Holidays!!! Christmas time is here and I am loving it.  Not sure why I am so excited about Christmas this year, but I'll take it.  Nothing beats quality time with the family.  I created these "sassy" holiday tags that I thought would be fun to add to gifts or use on a card or layout.  Of course I hooked you up with a free download.  Enjoy! (Personal use only)

Back To School

August is here and it is already Back To School time! I am still trying to figure out what happened to the summer.  Although I am not in school, nor do I have children in school - I still get excited during this time of year.  Maybe it is the ushering in of Autumn or maybe its the fact that I love school supplies.  When I was young I always enjoyed getting new notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, etc.  Actually, I enjoyed school supply shopping MUCH more than I enjoyed shopping for new school clothes.  With that in mind, I decided to create a few digital papers that celebrate the Back To School spirit.  Feel free to download (right-click) and use in your personal projects (not for distribution or commercial use in any way).

Back To School Digi-Paper Collection
By: Aysha Livingston

Inspiration Everywhere

Happy Saturday!  As many of us have heard many times before, inspiration is all around us.  That sounds like a wonderful concept...until you sit down to create a project and realize you are experiencing "scrapper's block."  How do you find inspiration when you are stuck?  One simple solution is to open up a magazine.  When you think about it, magazines are FULL of layouts.  If you think about it in scrapbooking terms, a magazine can be a book of sketches!  Here's how I took a magazine layout and converted it into a digi-layout.

First, I found a magazine layout that I thought would work well as a scrapbook layout.  Tip: Search for layouts that have distinctly shaped photos as opposed to layouts where the image floods the entire background (although that might be a cool idea also).

 

Next, I created a sketch in Photoshop.  If you choose not to work in a digital program, you can also draft a magazine-inspired sketch with good old-fashioned pencil and paper.  (Download this sketch for free.  Just right click and save.)

Here is my completed layout!  I really like how it came out and I will definitely use this technique again.  Give it a try!

Inspiration Magazine Layout Source: www.dbadesign.com.au

Proper Planning Prevents...

Constantly in a state of trying to get organized, I work hard at putting together detailed page kits with pictures, paper and embellishments.  I even go the extra mile and pull chipboard letters for my page titles in advance.  

So, when I recently decided to attend a crop, I was completely at ease knowing that I only had to grab a few of my trusty page kits and head out the door. 

I arrived at the crop, happily sat down to scrapbook, unpacked my page kit (which had been prepared months earlier) and then realized that I didn't remember what my title was supposed to be.  After playing a quick game of Soul Train Scramble Board, I finally figured it out.  Then, just shy of completing the layout, I couldn't think of what to write for my journaling.  So, I packed it up and promised myself that I would finish it when I got home.  For some reason, I find it difficult to compose while scrapbooking in a room full of people.

In order to remedy this (and alleviate my growing pile of "to be continued" layouts) I created kit cards.  This planning tool is intended to help scrapbookers record journaling and page titles in advance.  If you enjoy putting together kits, feel free to download and print onto standard copy paper. (For personal use only.)

Lucky Charm

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, it got me thinking about luck and good luck symbols.  Many are familiar with the popular symbols of good luck like, the four leaf clover, the lucky horse shoe and even lucky #7.  But I started to wonder about good luck symbols from around the world and an interesting one that I discovered is the Adinkra symbol Mmusuyidee, it is said to remove bad luck and is a symbol of good fortune.  If you look at it closely it sort of resembles a four-leaf clover.  Adinkra symbols were originally created by the Akan people of Ghana and the Gyaman of the Ivory Coast in west Africa.  There are many Adinkra symbols and they are used on fabric, pottery, decor, and even painted onto walls.

I thought it would be fun to create a few digi-papers with the symbol.  Please feel free to download and use them in your project (personal use only). Just click on each image and save.

Enjoy!

New Year Values

Happy New Year!  I am feeling good and looking forward to a wonderful year full of growth, creativity and prosperity.  If you are like me, you have many crafty and scrappy projects that you would like to complete this year.  Or maybe, you are hoping to complete just one special project.  

With the start of the new year, I have been thinking about the core values that are important to me and the goals that I would like to accomplish.  This lead me to the idea that I might want to document my thoughts about these values and incorporate them into my scrapbooking projects.  To help make that happen, I created a sheet of journaling tags.  If you would like, feel free to download the pic below.  You can print it out or use it in your digital projects.

Have fun and welcome to 2013!

Thanksgiving Place Cards 2012

This year has been a rough one for a lot of families (mine included), which makes it an excellent time to take a moment to count our blessings.  Thanksgiving could not have come at a better time.  As we continue to hurdle over life's obstacles I hope we all will remember to be thankful for the opportunity for growth in every moment.

That said, is everyone is ready for the holiday season as it quickly approaches?  As for me, I don't have much to do since I will be dining as a guest.  But, I still could not resist the temptation to create a quick Thanksgiving digi-craft.  I put together a printable sheet of Thanksgiving place cards with a modern feel.

Feel free to click & print them out and use them on your table.

 

Source: Graphic icons from curbly.com

 

Amazing View!

Well by now the summer is in full swing!  Hopefully, you all have had an opportunity to enjoy the sun.  But, before you get too comfortable don't forget to use plenty of sunscreen and wear good UV protected shades.  July is UV Safety Month!  Who knew?

Over exposure to UVA and UVB rays can cause sunburn and age spots, lead to wrinkling and even lead to skin cancer.  So be careful out there!

In the spirit of summer, sun, shades, and Independence Day.  I created a fun pair of sunglasses that will always have an amazing view.  I decided to superimpose a photo of President Obama shaking hands with the crowd.  Below is a copy of the shades, feel free to download (right click & save) and use it with one of your summer photos.  Enjoy! Thanks for reading!

Happy Mother's Day!!

What an honor it is to be able to wish all of you a Happy Mother's Day!  Our mothers, grandmothers, and aunts are such blessings to us.  I have always loved spending time with my family.  However, this year has been rough on my family and so many of my friends' families.  Losing loved ones has given me a renewed appreciation for the precious moments that I get to share with family.  None more special than those spent with my Mother and Grandmother.    

In honor of Mother's Day, I created a bit of word art.  You can right-click it, save it and use it as a digi-stamp or print it out and use it as an embellishment on a layout or card.  Enjoy!

Lucky Tattoo...Just for The Faux Of It!

Here's a little bit of photoshop fun for you! Have you ever wanted to explore your "wild" side and thought about getting a tattoo? Well, if you don't dare to go under the needle you can always give yourself a faux tattoo using photoshop. Before we get started let me clarify....NO, that is not my belly!

The process is simple.

Step 1. Select an image (with some skin showing) and open it up in Photoshop.

Step 2. Select a graphic that will work as a tattoo, and place it on a different layer in the same document as your photo. If your image has a white background change the blending mode to "Multiply" this is found in the "Layers Palette" this will eliminate the background.

TIP: There are many images available for personal use on the internet. (It is best to find a graphic with crisp clean lines.) For my image, I created a simple "Lucky" tattoo.

Step 3. Position and re-size your tattoo as desired. Using the "Move Tool" hold down the shift key and drag the corners.

Step 4. In the "Layers Palette" decrease the opacity to around 85%, and change the blending mode to "Overlay". This will allow some of the skin's texture to show through and give a more realistic look.

Step 5. Use the "Blur" tool over the tattoo to give it a slightly aged appearance.

Step 6. Save the image as a .jpg or .png., and you're done!

Give it a try, it may take a little practice but once you get the hang of it. It's easy! I have attached a copy of the tattoo for your enjoyment. Simply right click the image and save. If you don't want to use it as a tattoo you can always use the file as a digi-stamp or title on a digi-layout. Thanks for reading!

Love Is Kind

As we prepare for Valentine's Day tomorrow, and we celebrate romantic love. Let us also remember, thank and honor our other loves; our friends that share kind words when we need that extra support, our aunts and mothers that encourage us through our growing pains, and our grandmothers and great-grandmothers that always let us know that we are loved!

In honor of those people in my life I created a downloadable card and digital stamp entitled "Love Is Kind." They can be printed and used as a thank you card or as a journaling tag on a scrapbook page. (Just click the images to download the graphic.)

Happy Valentine's Day! Enjoy!

Scrapbook Layout Planner

Happy 2012 Everyone!

I hope you are ready for a new and exciting year full of creativity. As for myself, there are many projects that I would like to complete this year and the only way possible to get them done is to have some sort of a plan. So, I created a "Scrapbook Page Planner." It has prompts for layout size, color, supply list items, journaling, and sketching. The idea is to print out a few of these sheets and complete them when I have free moments during the day. That way when sitting down to scrapbook or while putting page kits together, I will already have an idea of what I would like to accomplish.

Attached is a copy of the planner sheet, please feel free to download (click the image) and print out as many copies as you need to get organized. Hope it helps!

Scrappin' the Box

Christmas is quickly approaching and hopefully we will be done with all of our shopping and/or gift making in time for the holiday. But, have you ever finished your shopping at the last minute to sit down to wrap gifts only to discover that you are out of wrapping paper? No worries, it's easy to wrap beautiful gifts using your scrapbook paper. It's a chance to give a gift with unique one-of-a-kind gift wrapping, especially if you make your own bows, or stamp your gift tags.

Gift Box: To create a gift similar to this use a few sheets of matching scrapbook paper and cover the outside of a box. Next, craft a simple bow from strips of a coordinating sheet of paper, and add gift tags. For a little more interest, add a contrasting satin ribbon around the box.

Party Popper Box: Cut an empty paper towel roll down to a size that will fit your gift. Place your gift inside the roll, then wrap it in brightly colored tissue paper. Tie the ends with floss or string and cut the edges with decorative scissors. Next use your scrapbooking paper to wrap around the roll and finish with a ribbon. For a more festive feel I used a Martha Stewart edge punch on the ends.

I hope you are able to use some of these ideas. May you and your loved ones have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

PS: The digi-paper and tags will be available for FREE in the next issue of the SOC eSpire magazine!

Thanksgiving Place Card

Time is flying by! Can you believe Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away?!! For some people it can be a stressful time of the year, as they prepare to host lots of family and friends. For me, it is a time to re-unite with family. When I was younger it seemed that the whole family lived in one place (no more than 15 minutes apart). Now we all live in different states. So, the thought of Thanksgiving is anything but stressful it is exciting, filled with food, friends, family and fun!

Of course since I am not hosting Thanksgiving, there is no need to defrost any turkeys, shred any cheese for baked macaroni & cheese, clean and cut collard greens, peel and bake candied yams, or roll out any dough for pie. I have the luxury of just showing up! So, to help out all of those people who are hosting Thanksgiving dinner I offer my contribution to your table. I have attached a place card that you may print and cut out for the holiday.

Tips: Double click the image to download. Use heavy cardstock and fold the card in half to allow it to stand on its own. Also, if you print a large copy of the image you can use it as a place mat...at the kiddie table perhaps.