Online Scrapbooking Classes Are Just Not Doing it for Me

I mentioned in an earlier post that I've developed a dislike for online scrapbooking classes, especially the ones with a long list of supplies to purchase.  The cost of a class can range from free to upwards of $95.  I got an email invite to one of these classes this weekend and, though the class sounds real nice, it's been my experience that the time I spend "in" class is yet one more activity that takes away from the time I could be, um, scrapbooking!

And I have a confession to make.  Of the half-dozen or so online classes I signed up for last year?  I didn't finish a single one, not even the ones I paid money for!

That just made me feel stupid not to mention a little poorer in both money and time.  Oh, and printer ink and paper, too, because it seems there's always stuff you gotta print out; worksheets, checklists, workbook dividers, organizational charts, and other handouts.  Aren't we digital scrapbookers trying to move toward paperless???  I only want to print my finished layouts! Instead, I ended up with a stack of stuff printed on cardstock but that I never put to use because I both lost interest in the class because there was too much  filling in of the blanks on those printouts (by hand!) AND I was busy scrapbooking.......!

Most classes now also include audio and/or video lessons.  I seldom have the patience to watch the video lessons (and I have even less patience with audio because I am a very visual learner). I'm sure a lot of people like them, but I don't.  Just give me a written tutorial with a few (a few, not dozens!) of screenshots.  I like to have something static to refer back to later if I need to; I don't want to have to watch the video all over again!  I can save a written tutorial in my Tutorials folder on my laptop and then search that folder for key words to find all tutorials dealing with the skill I am interested in.  As far as I know you can't search a video in that way.

And let's face it; there are so many versions of Photoshop CS and Photoshop Elements and Digital Imaging Pro, and Scrapbook Max, and MemoryMixer, and there are new ones popping up all the time, these classes can't possibly cover the detailed step-by-step for every one of them.  I would rather the "lessons" just use terms such as "select {insert name of object here}" and let me decide which tool (in Photoshop CS3, in my case) to use to do that.  Let's understand our software, not just follow step-by-step procedures to perform a task because when one of those steps doesn't work for our particular software, we're hosed!

But not if you've learned to use the tools in your scrapbooking software's toolbox.  Then you can just say to yourself: "Self, my software does that in a different way, and I know what it is!"

Back to those {usually quite long} "supply" lists............granted, they are usually at their most damaging to your wallet if you are doing traditionl {paper} scrapbooking but, good grief, I've seen some for online digital scrapbooking that are ridiculous!  Most common is for the supply list to consist of kits and other products sold at the website that is offering the class.  Well, ok, that's a marketing technique to get more sales, I understand that.  But the rebel in me wants the choice to use products that I already have or {gasp!} my own designs.  Some instructors do say go ahead and use whatever you want or have but the lessons (and screenshots) are always geared toward using what's on the supply list.  Sorry, but that just saps my own creativity.

LOTS of people love those classes; they must, or there wouldn't be such a huge number of them being offered, and more popping up every day.  If you're one of those people, more power to ya, and have fun.

But don't look for me in class. ;-D

The Rogue Digi-Scrapper

I've never been one to follow the crowd, and my own unique personality has been wanting to bust out, so get ready for rogue digi-scrapping in 2010!

It'll be unique, unusual, different and, most of all, FUN!

"If you follow all the rules, you miss all the fun!" ~ Katherine Hepburn

Restoring a Damaged Photo

Wow, way too long since my last post!  I have been rushing to get client projects done by Christmas and they're done!  Now I'm "off" for the rest of the year.  Whew!

One of my favorite project was this very damaged photo (above).  My client had rolled it up years and years ago and put it into a cardboard tube, thinking that would help keep it safe.  Well, you see the result.  Terrible cracks and bends!

I scanned it, then worked some Photoshop "magic," and here is the end result:

My client was very pleased!  She got 7 prints, one for herself, and 6 to give as gifts.  What a priceless gift for her siblings; the restored portrait of a very special relative.  And when you consider that she spread the cost of this project over SIX gifts, each gift was very reasonable indeed!

I'm hoping to post some new freebies very soon, so check back often!

Two Free Digital Scrapbooking Templates

It's another double-double day!  Here is a double serving of free templates and they each come in both .PSD and .TIF formats!

Download Webajeb-Template-031 free from 4shared here.

 

Download Webajeb-Template-029 free from 4shared here.

As a demonstration of how versatile templates are, here is a 2-page layout I made using these two templates:

As you can see, I modified both templates pretty drastically!  Sometimes I use a template exactly as it comes, other times I modify them to suit what I have in mind for my layout.  It was fun to combine these two unrelated templates, and I love how the 2-page spread turned out.  Here are the individual pages, for a closer look:

 

Enjoy the templates!

If you'd like to see more templates like these click here to visit my online store!

Double-Double Freebie Day - 2-Page Template AND WordArt!

Yay, it's double-double day!  A FREE double-template (2-page layout) AND a FREE bit of Word Art!  First, the template:

Webajeb-Template-040

This was inspired by a sketch in the may/june 2007 issue of Scrapbooks, Etc., a magazine I still receive even though I'm nearly 100% digital.  I say "nearly" because I still do some hybrid projects, and I still get tons of layout ideas from the paper scrapbooking world which I then convert to digital.

Here are the two individual pages of the template.  {All three are included in the free download links at the end of this post.}

 

{left page}

 {right page}

Here is the layout I made today, using the template:

{background papers by Cottage Arts and Kim's Scrapping}

A closer look at the individual pages:

{left page}

{right page}

I custom-designed the word art for this page because I felt I wanted another circle somewhere, and also needed a title, so this is what I came up with.  I hope you like it because it's today's FREE word art, and it's INCLUDED in the template download!  For you font-collectors, the font I used is Downcome which you can download at dafont {one of my fave font sites}. Here's a closer look at it:

Download the templates (plus word art) in TIF format from 4shared here.  

Download the templates (plus word art) in PSD format from 4shared here.

Of course, as is the norm, these templates include all my Easier-to-Use features! 
Feedback is appreciated so I can continue to improve my digital scrapbooking products, as well as come up with the new stuff you are longing for!

Enjoy! 

FREE Digital Scrapbooking Template by Webajeb

Webajeb-Template-038

Here is one of my latest templates, free to my blog readers; you'll find the download link at the end of this post.  For those of you who are keeping track, yes, the most recent templates have been posted totally out of order.  I have at least a half-dozen that I have not yet posted, but am hoping to get them up very soon.  So keep an eye on this blog!  Subscribe to it, or Opt In to receive e-mail notifications when it's updated; that way you won't miss any!

And, of course, some of them (all?) will be offered FREE here first, then eventually uploaded to my online store.  Right now I'm pretty slow about getting stuff into my online store - I don't know, lately I just haven't felt like doing the techie stuff but I'll get caught up one of these days.  Oh, and don't forget, as of this post, the links to freebies on my blog never expire!  {As I wrote in that earlier post, I haven't had time to go back and re-link all the freebies from all my earlier posts, so if you find a freebie you want and the link has expired, simply email me, tell me which item you'd like, and I'll send you the link.}

Ok, back to today's free template.  It's a double-header!  LOL, I mean a 2-page spread.  I do LOTS of 2-page spreads - I love to have a unified look across both pages, especially in albums of specific events, like weddings.  I use a 24 inch wide by 12 inch high document to create the 2-page spreads.  I did the same for this template.  The template document size is 24x12 and, as you can see, the title runs across the center divider.  The template file includes a layer with a thin divider line - you'll want to hide or delete this layer before you print or publish the layout, the same way you hide or delete the layer with the photo numbers on it.

For those of you who prefer to work with single pages, I'm also including the template as two separate 12x12 documents (with the title moved to one page).  Here they are:

left page

right page

Oh, and something new!  In addition to the Easier-to-Use features I've already added to my templates, I am now also including the name of the font that I've used in any text layers.  I know how frustrated I get when I'm using a template someone else has designed, and they've used a totally cool font for their title and/or journaling and I want to use the same font, but don't know its name.  So from now on in my template files that info will be included in the name of any layers that use fonts.

Here is today's template as I used it for a double-page spread in an album I'm currently working on:

{flame element by Amy Hutchinson}

Isn't that fun?  You can see that I haven't hidden the divider line yet.  I like to wait until the very last minute to do that so I don't inadvertently allow it to run through someone's face, or through some other important element.

Here's a closer look at the pages after separation:

left page

right page

If you've never scrapbooked in the double-page format you're probably wondering how you're gonna print that thing.  Obviously, you've got to split it into two documents first but doing that is a LOT easier than you might think.  Here's how:

First, hide or delete any layers you don't want to print including the divider line and the numbers layer.  Next, flatten the document.  Answer 'yes' if you are asked whether you want to discard any hidden layers.  DO NOT SAVE.

Select your crop tool and set its Width and Height parameters each to 12 inches, type 300 in the Resolution box and select pixels/inch. Hold down the CNTL key (CMD for Macs) and press the hyphen (-) key so that there's some room around the borders of your document.  Position your mouse a little up and to the left of the top-left corner of the document.  Drag it toward and past the center bottom of the document, then release the mouse button.  Double-click inside the selection to accept it.  You will now see ONLY the left page.

Select File, Save AS, and save your layout under a new name (I usually just add an A to the existing filename), and in .JPG format for printing.  Your new file will go into the folder you indicated, and the original .PSD file will remain open.

IMPORTANT STEP!  In the History palette, go back to the step before Crop (keyboard shortcut: CNTL-Z will take you back one step).  Now repeat the cropping process, this time starting with the mouse position a little up and to the right of the top-right corner and dragging, again, toward and past the center bottom.  Select File, Save AS, and save under another name (I usually just add a B to the existing filename), and in .JPG format (with Quality = 10) for printing.

Now you can Close (don't save!) your original double-page file.  When asked if you want to save changes, choose No (else you'll end up saving your .PSD or .TIF file in the flattened format).

Download the double-page template from 4shared here for .PSD and here for .TIF.

{UPDATE: the individual page templates are included in each downloadable .ZIP file; sorry for the confusion!}

Let me know if you have ANY problems; I'm here to help!

Fun and FREE Digital Alpha PLUS Word Art

What's more fun that a bit of FREE digital Word Art??  How about the entire alphabet plus numbers AND punctuation (in .PNG format and 300 dpi)??!

Several designers have created "outlined" alphas, and then overlap the letters as I did above, for a really fun look.  I tried to find a set to purchase that allows S4H use (scrapbooker for hire) at no extra charge, but was unsuccessful, so I ended up creating my own.  It was fun, and now I can use them in any way I want on either my own personal layouts, or for client layouts.

AND - I'm giving them to you - FREE!  I've zipped them up into one file which you can download from 4shared by clicking here.  Resize, recolor, and use in any way you like.  All of my products are copyright-free so no worries - just have fun!

All of the letters of the alphabet are in one .PNG file, so you'll need to marquee each letter and copy & paste (or drag) to your document.  Overlap the letters as desired to get the look of the "Drama Queen" word art.

One of these days I'll make individual .PNG files for each letter, and offer the set in my online store, but that will have to wait until I have fewer client projects.  Meanwhile, enjoy the alpha, and I'd love to know what you think of it, and see what you use it for.

A Wedding Album of a Different Color

{layout inspired by Kellie Mize}

Sometimes the traditional style of wedding album just doesn't cut it.

My latest client project is a good example; her daughter's wedding was rock 'n roll themed with lots of red, purple, pink, & black, and photos in a gritty, urban, and totally rockin' style.

This title page layout is just the beginning of what is bound to be an exciting walk on the wild side of weddings!

Digital Photo Masks and One is FREE

{paper & elements by Summer Driggs}

Two new photo masks for Back to School pics, and I'm going to give you one FREE! It's got a crookedy, whimsical, and swirly-curly look for girls' back to school photo. I used it with a photo of myself from wayyyy back in the Dark Ages, when I was in about the second grade. I didn't want to put the year on because then everyone would know how ancient I am!

In my layout I added a thin white stroke to the mask, and also a drop shadow. Here's the mask I used, and this is also the one that's FREE:Here's the second Back to School photo mask, the one for boys:

What a fun messy, grungy look, don't you think? Perfect for boys! Here's a layout I made with the mask:

{paper and butterflies by Olga Unger}

Again, I added a thin white stroke - I think it makes the outline of the words stand out much better. This time, instead of a drop-shadow, though, I used the Bevel/Emboss layer style and selected "Down" instead of the default "Up." This makes the mask look as thought it's been pressed down into the paper. I love the look!

If you'd like the second mask you can purchase it from my online store here (set of 2 includes the free mask!), or simply download the free mask from 4shared here.

Create a memory today!

Digital Word Art Freebie and Template 24

Whoohooo, another digital template ready for you! Number 24. Yeah, templates are just about my fave thing to create because once they're done, I use them over and over for all types of layouts. They're the perfect tool to jumpstart creativity any day!

This is a 2-page template; each page is in a separate .PSD file. Create 2-page spreads, or use just one of the pages for a single page layout. Swap the two pages around, if you like, flip 'em upside-down, it's all up to you. Make 'em your own!

As usual, I've included a layer with numbers corresponding to each of the photo shape layers in the file. This makes it easy to find the layer you want to clip your photo or paper to. It's so easy! Simply click to highlight the shape layer where you plan to place your photo. Then drag your photo in. It will drop right on top of the correct layer. Awesome!

Here's a layout I made with this template:
Clean & classy, perfect for a wedding layout, but by using different background paper and adding elements you could easily make a layout for pretty much ANY occasion. And bonus! You can include LOTS of photos! Put a single photo on each layer, or cover two or more template shapes with one photo, the way I have. It's easy: decide which shape layers your photo will cover, merge those layers, then clip the photo to the merged layer. Done!

Did you know you can email me with any questions you may have? Sure! So if you have questions, or want more detailed, step-by-step directions on using my templates, e-me! I always get back to people ASAP. The last thing I want is for you to download one of my templates and then not be able to use it. I'm here to help!

I also created that lil' bit of word art that you see on the left page of my layout; here's a bigger view of it:
I've decided to not only include the word art with purchase of the template, but to also offer it FREE to my blog readers. Download it at 4shared.

Oh, and you how I usually go back and disable the freebie links 'cuz they're only available free for a limited time? Well, I'm just too busy for that these days (thanks to all my new clients!) so from now on, I'm just going to leave the freebie links forever! Whoohooo! I love freebies as much as anyone, and I have to admit I've often gotten annoyed when I'm reading through blog posts and there are freebies, but the links have expired. I hate feeling like I've missed out, lol!

Of course, I don't have time to go back now and RE-link all previous freebies either, but if you'd like one that I have posted in the past, just email me, tell me which one(s) it is, and I'd be happy to send you the link(s).

Visit my online store for lots of other templates, paper, kits, word art, and more. If you prefer, go straight to the Templates section for today's template!

Now go let {your creativity} all hang out!

Sharp-dressed Men - Template Number 022

Yet another template! Number 022 and I call it "Sharp" as a nod to the six sharp-dressed men in the layout I made using the template.

It's a 2-page template and includes a textured background paper in a neutral color with embossed border and lines. It's very cool!

In my layout below the black line is just so you can see the division between the two pages. Your printed layout won't have that. I thought the clean and simple lines lent themselves nicely to wedding photos.

The template is delivered as two pages, in .PSD format. I tried to also include .TIFF format but the zipped file was so big it was going to take 3 hours to upload. Seems there's something wrong there.....that just seems excessive.....but I'm just not sure. So, if you'd rather have this template in .TIFF format, just let me know. I'd be glad to send it to you after you have made your purchase of the .PSD files. My contact info is on the sidebar of my blog.

You can get this template here at my online store.

Although I don't have a freebie for you today, yesterday's freebie is still available, and will be through tomorrow (Sunday) evening. Don't miss it! Get it via yesterday's post here.

A new client dropped off CDs with photos for TWO photobooks, so I'm going to be busy for a couple of weeks! There's another project in the queue as well, so if you are contemplating having me do any custom-design work for you, please contact me soon so I can put you next in line.

Have a great weekend!

New Two-for-One Templates and a FREEBIE

New digital templates by Webajeb and they're Two-for-One at my online store!

Get either set for just $1.49, which is the usual cost of a single page template, so for the same price you are getting TWO pages! Use them together or separately. Delivered to you in BOTH .PSD and .TIF formats, 300 dpi, and 12" x 12."

Webajeb-Template-019

A layout based on Webajeb-Template-019
(papers and rose by Creashens)

Webajeb-Template-017

A layout based on Webajeb-Template-017

And today's freebie is my own "Treasure the Moment" stamp, as used in the above template:

It's in .PNG format so it's got a transparent background. Use it as a stamp or overlay. Download it from 4shared by clicking here!

Happy Birthday Freebie for Digital Scrapbookers

Today is my birthday so I have a gift for you: two photo masks for birthday layouts!

I made these really large, they nearly fill a 12 x 12 canvas so in addition to resizing the mask and using it for a single photo, you could leave it at the large size and put a collage of photos inside (something I've been wanting to try).
Download them both at 4shared or mediafire along with a copy of my new Terms of Use which states that my digital designs and products are ALL copyright-free!

{Sorry, links have expired, but you can still get the photo masks here.}

You may recall a tutorial that I wrote recently on how to use photo masks? A lot of you downloaded it, and left me nice comments or sent emails. I'm glad to hear it was useful for so many of you. Because at least one person (who is using PSE 5 & who has become a goldmine in feedback) was still having trouble I added some more descriptive step-by-step instructions. I've updated the tutuorial and re-uploaded it to 4shared and mediafire. If you are using an earlier version of Elements, and had trouble with the first version of the tutorial, try this new one!

The tutorial is also copyright-free per my TOU so go ahead and share it with your friends and fellow digi-scrappers, pass around the link, or even post the contents on your own blog or website. Credit to me is appreciated but not required, as are small donations.

If you'd like to give ME a birthday gift? Send me your layouts (or a link to them) using any of my products! I really enjoy seeing what people do with my humble offerings. There are so many talented designers out there Be sure to let me know whether or not it's ok to use your layout on my blog and/or website.

Stop back by soon for more FREE photo masks - in honor of Father's Day and Graduation.

Now, go scrapbook something!