Digital Printing 101 - Lesson 2

Last week I gave you a glimpse into printing your digi files.  If you missed the post - make sure you go back and read up before we move to this week's lesson. 

Did you know that you could type on your digital files in Acrobat?

Most of the printables that I download come in the Acrobat format. While you can add text with other graphics programs, I wanted to show you how to do this technique inside Adobe Acrobat.

This card is a great example of a hybrid project. The papers used to create the card are from Marion Smith's Mad Tea Party Collection.  She gave the prototype papers at CHA. Check with your local retailers for availability - the collection is shipping in September.

The journal card that has the card sentiment on it, is from Marion's digital collection Scarlet.  The downloads are distributed in Acrobat.  I used the Papyrus font to add the sentiment in Acrobat - then I printed it to add to my card. 

Here is how it is done....

Here is a quick video showing you how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader & Adobe Acrobat Pro to type out your journaling on your  digital files.  

You may need to adjust your computer's volume the software captures my voice "soft".

 

NOTE:   Some conditions set by the author of the document could  prevent you from being able to do this in Reader since Reader was created  for "viewing purposes".

Download the Adobe Reader for free here!


Thank for stopping in today,

Tonya A. Gibbs
http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com

 

Smash Pages

Today I would like to share with you some of the pages that I've created in my K & Co. Smash book. All of these pages were desinged using scraps.

Since these journals are pre-bound with a rather small coil, it is important to keep the pages somewhat flat.  I build out my layers with paper, since they are not too bulky.  I try to use as many of the smaller pieces as possible to hide the patterns that are pre-printed on the journal pages.

In this layout - I only had a few of the chipboard letters left, so I abbreviated the words Love and You so that I could use what I have. 

 

 

I just love to layer  scraps of paper.  Feel free to rip, tear, punch pieces of scrap to give your layouts more interest. Other awesome products to include are paper clips, washi tapes, journal cards, tags, envelopes, flat flowers, buttons, rub-ons, ribbon, staples and transparency lay-overs.

 

 

This layout is a photo I took at Easter of the Gibbs kids. I wanted the photo to really pop and I loved how the blue theme of this page worked well with my Easter photo.  To tone down the bright colored background, I layered some softer pastel banners  in the negative space aross the top. Don't forget to pull out your stamps for these books too.

 

Thanks for stopping in today,

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomomscrapbooks.blogspot.com

Layout | Sweet Childhood Memories

I've been on a scrapbooking kick lately. Once I got going, watched about a thousand youtube videos, then just jumped in patterned paper first. 

This is a picture that's been stalking me for months. It's ended up on my craft desk so many times after cleaning my space. I don't even know where this picture was stored or how it ended up on my craft desk. After my husband cleaned my scrap room for me (best husband ever!) it still was on my desk so I just had to scrap it. 

I used the August 2012 Studio Calico main kit + a few pieces from previous kits and my stash. 

This is a picture of me as a child in my first big girl bedroom. 

A little of everything in the embellishments. Doilies, sequins, and splatter.

Chipboard buttons, labels, badge (probably going to add a tiny little heart on that badge), more sequins, and twine. 

Journaling: 

I slept in the bed with my mom from early childhood until I was about 7 or 8. When I finally got my big girl bedroom I knew there were a few things I had to have: A ruffly pink comforter with matching pillows. My Mickey and Mini Mouse poster. My beloved Panda, perfectly placed on the rocking horse. And my piano (still need to learn to play). 

I'm planning to add more journaling on the back of this XL tags that I die cut with a Tim Holtz alterations die. It fits perfectly in medium/large sized glassine bags. 

Thanks for looking and Have a great weekend. 

Angela

You & Me Layout

You & Me Layout

 School is back in session that means I'm back at work full time after spending 3 months off for the summer. Love my summer breaks!!

This year there have been so many changes at work, new team members, new class schedule, shorter class periods, and combining English & Reading into one class = Lots of prep work for me. 

I also started gradate school 2 weeks ago. That means reading the text, peer reviews, journal articles,  and papers galore. This is my 3rd time starting graduate school and this time there's no turning back. 

All of this means that I'm super busy, a little overwhelmed, and utterly chasing my backside. I know that I'm well on my way to "figuring out" how to manage this new life that I've created for myself and my DH is certainly doing his part to help me out. 

But the other day everything seemed to come to a head and it left me a frustrated mess. No tears this time just utter anxiety about my growing to-do list, etc. 

My husband was trying his best to cheer me up but by that time I was just in a bad mood. Then he said, "Why don't you go into your office and get crafty?" Why that didn't occur to me, I have no idea but it was exactly what I needed, and this layout was the result. 

Now I'm not much of a scrapbooker but I had this photo on my desk and I just went with the flow. What I love about this layout is that it came out of an emotional space. I didn't think about it too much. I pulled out my Studio Calico August kit and just used what I had nearby. 

Peggy said it best in this post from last month, "Art Heals." It really does. It removed my crappy mood, it put things back into perspective, and I have a layout I love to remind me the next time I'm in a "bad mood" to appreciate the good things.

Angela

12 X 12 Layout | Girly Girl: Who Me | The Reveal

Hi there. 

I finally finished the layout and here it is.

Girly Girl: Who Me?

This is my second layout this month. That's like a record for me. I can't believe I'm scrapbooking. I never thought I would get into it until after I had kids but It's so fulfilling to be able to tell that story, chronicle that moment, cement that memory into a place that it wouldn't have been before. I look at my one scrapbook I have with all of my 5-6 layouts I have in it from the past 4-5 years that I've been a crafter and I'm very proud of what I've done, and motivated to do more. 

I had so much fun with this and I think these colors reflect that. 

This layout was inspired by a sketch from Kelly Purkey's "Sketchbook 4" class that's going on right now at Studio Calico. It's been a fantastic class and it's really gotten me inspired to scrapbook more. I'm probably going to purchase the previous "Sketchbook" classes just so I will have a plethora of sketches at my disposal. They take a lot of the guess work out if it for me and really inspire me to be more creative. I've found having a jumping-off point or a set of rules gives me great motivation and inspiration. It also temps me to break the rules also. (*In A Whisper......I'm a little bit of a rebel that way.......but not really)

Hope you all like it. 

Journaling: 

I don't know when it happened. It seems like just yesterday I was wrestling all my guy friend from middle school. Now I'm a full fledge member of TEAM GIRLY GIRL. I love all thinks pink, Girl, and most of all FAB!!!

Supplies: 

InLinkz.com

Let me know what you think. 

Sweet Hugs. 

Angela BC

Sneak Peek | Girly Glam Girl: Who Me?

Got scrappy this week using the new Studio Calico kit. Absolutely love their kits. Can't believe I made another layout. I'm becoming a scrapbooker. Lol. Still putting the finishing touches on this layout for today's post.

Here's an insta-SneakPeek...

I'll be back for the full reveal later this evening.

Sweet Hugs,

Angela

Blog | Facebook | Twitter

 

Rustic Layout - Using March Journal Pages

So you guys know how much I adore Marion's designs. Today I want to share a tip with you for making layouts using the Monthly Challenge downloads. When I started putting my journal together I began thinking that these images were so beautiful, I would love to make a layout. But my layouts are always 12 x12 and these pages are around 5x7. Sooo this is what I did.

First - decide which designs to use. I used Days 1, Day 1 Insert, Day 2, Day 10, and Day 22. Photos of these days are below.

So Day 2 was the day I decided would make the prettiest paper for a layout. I openned the file in Acrobat. Then chose Document > Crop Pages or (Shft + Ctrl + T or Shft + Cmd + T on a Mac). This dialog box appears.

I adjusted the settings in the circled area until I acheived the crop that I liked. Chose to return to the document.

Then in the Printer Panel I chose "Fit to Printable Area" My pages printed 8x8. (Well maybe 8.25 x 9 depending on how you cropped the file, and how much margin your printer will allow for.) but you get the idea.

My final printed document looked like the preview in the above panel.

Then I began assembling my layout using Coordinating cardstock, punches, lace, twine, antique book pages, and flowers as accents. I spritzed the entire layout with wheat fields, hola hoop, and antique brass Glimmer Mists. I used a Prima resin bird that I painted black with the Folk art Metalic Black & yellow - I love how he matches the bird in the artwork.

The rustic look and warm colors of this layout is going to make it a fav for a long time. I hope this has given you options for reusing your Journal downloads once your journals are finished.

Are you making other projects with your downloads? If so, please post them in Artsy Addicts, and make sure you tag me so that I can see what your projects look like.

Thanks for stopping in today,

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomoms.com

Sources:
Marion Smith Printables - March 2012 Pages 1, Page 1 insert, Page 2, Page 10, and Page 22.
Tim Holtz: Picket Fence Distress Stain, Gathering Twigs Distress marker.
Tatterd Angels Glimmer Mists: Hola Hoop, Antique Brass, Wheat Fields
Prima: Resin Bird, Mini Roses (white) I painted them yellow to match the paper.
Twine, Lace
Paint: Yellow, White, light blue, Black Magic
Vintage Book Pages.
Cardstock: Mustard, Light Blue
Zutter: Donna Salzer Corrugated Cardboard.

{Puppy Love} 12 X 12 Layout - ABC

Hi Artsy Addicts.

Angela here to share a layout with you.

My dear husband (still getting use to the fact that i have one of those now....) has become a dog lover in our 7 years of courtship and our 7 months of marriage. We were all hanging out in the bed the other day and I was able to snap this picture of my first fur baby Teddy and Mr. C cuddled up together. How cute right? I love these boys.

Photo via Instagram App. 

I must have been obsessed with this picture because I'm not really a scrapbooker. I've done scrapbook pages in the past but they've always scared me and I never liked the way they've turned out.

When I did scrapbook in the past I most frequently gravitated toward 12 X 12 sizes. Not sure why though. That's about as far away from 4.25 X 5.5 as you can get....

Anywho, I was so inspired by this picture that I decided to scrapbook it and here's what I came up with.

Click on the picture to see a larger view

I love those stinking Hexagons. They took forever to place perfectly properly and didn't use up as much paper as I would have expected. I did use most of the 4 different 12X12 sized patterned papers you see here. I did save a little space by not putting hexagons beneath the picture but next time I will cover the entire background first.

I totally love this layout. I'm still intimidated by the 12 X 12 size. It's just so massively large to me, but I'm working my way through it right now as I make a full custom scrapbook for my co-worker.

Call it Scrapbook therapy.

Thanks for stopping by everyone.

Sweet Hugs,

Angela Butler-Carter
Blog | Facebook | Twitter

.::{Supplies}::.

My Mind's Eye | Fiddlestick "Story" Stamps	County Fair Kit | Studio Calico	Brooklyn Flea Kit | Studio Calico	PapertreyInk Label Basics
Basic Grey Picadilly Glazed Brads	Pink Paislee Clam Chowder PP	Crate Paper Farmer's Market Patterned Paper	Crate Paper Farmhouse Buttons
Papertreyink Classic Kraft Inkpad	Jenni Bowlin Tab Punch by Fiskars	It's Ok Stamp by Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday)	Sizzix Bigz 1" Hexagon Die
Sizzix Bigz 3.75" Hexagon Die

InLinkz.com

Cards & Journal Pages

While working on January & February's digi kit I had printed out some extra pages by mistake. So I wanted to share a few projects on how to use these pages for something other than the monthly journal.

Last year I was bitten BIG TIME by the "Smash" bug. I think I have bought all the accessories and all of the books created by K&Co. This is the Red Smash book and its theme is "all about me", so I decided to fill it with things that make me happy.

Journal Page

This man started making me happy in 1985. I love that we can be silly together after being together for 27 years. On Valentine's day my husband and I spotted a photo booth when we came out of a movie. I think they are perfect photos for "smashing". I used the beautiful rose motif lined notebook paper that was February Day 29's insert as my background paper. The side was punched with a border punch from Martha Stewart. For the photo mat, I used Day 14's insert.

Another challenge I have for this journal is to use one of my favorite stamps on every page in the journal. On this page I used the new Prima Songbird collection. The tickets are so small and perfect since one says "best friends" - and he truly is my best friend. The same stamp set has the birds (love them!). The bird's nest and Love stamp are both Inkadinkadoo.

Card

When gathering up my supplies, I spoted a torn hymnal page on my desk that said "sowing the precious seeds" which made it a perfect match for this extra sheet of the January Day 23 paper. I wanted this to have a rugged/distressed look so I used some paint on corrugated board for the background paper. I also dry brushed some of the paint onto the music paper and patterned journal pages. I dipped butterflies from 2 different Martha Stewart punches in melted UTEE to give them a glass finished.

Are you using Marion's downloads for something other than the Journal pages? If so share some of your projects on the Artsy Addicts Facebook page. Be sure to tag me in the post so that I don't miss it.

Thanks for stopping in today.

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomoms.com

My Valentine

So I'm sitting in my craft room the other day finishing a project and my Son walks in, puts his arms around me and says "Mommy will you be my Valentine?" without blinking or even the slightest hesitation I said "YES - OF COURSE - FOREVER!" About 10 mins later, I get a notification of a note on my Facebook wall - He had posted the sweetest note about me being the only true love of his life! HELLO - I don't need to tell any of you how I felt, but after I quit crying all over my keyboard - I was floating on air!

The next day - Valentine's Day - he walks in with this paper heart that he had written in Spanish class. Before the details of the past few days escaped me - I wanted to create a layout.

Bazzil Cardstock: maroon; My Mind's Eye: patterned paper; Glimmer Mist: Poppy Seed & Antique Brass; Marion Smith Designs: Dital Paper - Jan day 29 & Envelope - February Day 7; Webster's Pages: Pink Bloomers; Maya Road: Love & Heart chipboard pieces; Karls001: Butterfly Kisses Flowers (Crystal), wheat flowers in pink; Prima: Mask - Floral Frenzy, Cabbage Rosebuds, and Miniature Roses; Crocheted Lace, Pearls.

The background paper says I Love You all over it and is vintage My Mind's Eye. I decided to dress it up a bit with my Glimmer sprays and the Floral Frenzy screen from Prima.

A closer look shows that I used Marion's digital downloads on my layout. In Spot 1, I used the January Day 29 download to mat the image, and in Spot 2, I used February's Day 7 envelope to house the note off my Facebook Wall.


Here is a closer look at the collage of embellies flanking the bottom of the picture. I love how the crystal flowers fill the space, but still allow the pattern of the paper and sprays to filter through.



I know one thing - this boy sure has my heart in the palm of his hand. No matter how old you get - your Momma will always be your Valentine!

I don't know about you - but I think you can never have too many paper hearts!

Thanks for stopping in today,
Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomoms.com

Gratefulness

This weekend we are celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States, and I know our friends abroad have a similar day in their countries. For me, Thanksgiving is a time to slow down, reflect on my life and give thanks for the blessings that God has given me.

I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a strong family unit. My kids and husband are the BEST! We are all so close. Do we argue and fuss? Absolutely, we are "Real, but we also laugh and play together. My husband Kenny and I have been together since high school. We married 21 years ago, and have two AMAZING children, Brittany 17 and Brighton 15.

I wanted to create a layout that shows my gratitude to them and reflect how blessed I feel. Webster's Pages' Sweet Cherry Pie Fly A Kite Paper was the perfect setting for this layout.



Scattered around the paper are quotes that depict family. Like "The Secret Ingredient to good living is Family", "Fine Feathers Make Fine Birds" and "Embrace Time with the People That You Love"



I accented the photo with layers of lace and trims from some of my favorite companys, Prima and Maya Road. I scattered lots of mulberry flowers in Sunflowers, Roses and some fabric roses too. I aslo included some Prima packaging for a photo matt, Doilees, Antique book pages, Tim Holtz caged bird die from Sizzix, felt birds, and Maya Road Chipboard pieces.

I hope you have an amazing weekend and you find time to be with the people you love!

Thanks for stopping in today,

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomoms.com