Happy Easter! 12 Tags of 2013- March

If you are here for the ScrapThat!
April Kit Reveal and Blog Hop, click here. 

Happy Easter scrappy friends! I hope you're enjoying a wonderful Easter weekend! I've made it a scrappy goal this year to play along with all of Tim Holtz's 12 Tags of 2013 and I just finished my March tag in time (to see my January/February tags, go here). I followed Tim's design fairly closely this time - but as I didn't have the dies he used, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the shapes. (Have I mentioned how much I love my Silhouette Cameo?) Here is my tag and some close-ups - hope you like it!

I went with brown ribbon for the top of the tag because I thought it had a nice chocolate colour.  I didn't have crinkle ribbon (though definitely plan on acquiring some), so I used twine to wrap around the bunny cut-out and added an extra twine bow at the top. And, since I didn't have any of Tim's tinsel, I used flowersoft for the bunny cut-out - love how that turned out - a nice fluffy white bunny. I cut the bunny cut-out in more of an egg shape than Tim's design and also embossed it with my cuttlebug.

I decided to use a fussy-cut word in place of the banner element - so I cut this adorable Easter egg title and chicks from Tim's seasonal paper stash.

Finally, I added some flowers and a leaf from my stash as the floral element.

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog - and Happy Easter!

ScrapThat! April Kit Reveal and Blog Hop

Welcome to the ScrapThat! 

April Kit Reveal and Blog Hop!! 

If you came here from

Tracey Gregory

you are on the right track!

If you want to start at the beginning 

or lose your way, here is the Blog Hop order:

Scrap That!

Lynn Shokoples

Donna Salazar

Tracey Sabella

Sandi Clarkson

Laura Gilhully

ScrapThat! Facebook Page

Amarilys Doria

Tracey Gregory

Sarah Routledge

Scrap That!!

We are so excited to share the details about our newest kit featuring brand new papers

created by Donna Salazar for GCD Studios.

The Queen of Girlie Grunge herself, Donna Salazar, will also be joining our hop!

When you get to her blog, scroll down and you will see a familiar face - our own fabulously talented DT Leader, Tracey S., is one of 5 artists chosen to be on the 2013 Donna Salazar Guest Design Team! We are so proud of her !!

We are so thrilled to welcome the beautiful and creative artist

Lynn Shokoples

as our April Guest Designer!!!

Hi everyone! My name is Lynn Shokoples and I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I've also been blessed to join the Bo Bunny and Quick Quotes design teams this year. When I'm not scrapbooking I'm a wife, and a mom to two wonderful young adults, Nicole who's 25 and Ryan who is 20 and my new son-in-law Christopher. I'm so thrilled and honored to be a Guest Designer this month with such a group of talented artists here at ScrapThat. I love to blog and love to meet fellow scrappers, so please feel free to stop by anytime. 

Stop by and visit Lynn's blog at http://scrappyhappymom.blogspot.ca/

Now, without further ado,

introducing our fabulous April Kit, "Within Nature"

Featuring the GCD/Donna Salazar collection, "Natural Beauty." Opening the box to this kit feels like opening your closet and finding your most favorite, comfortable clothes packed with a little bling! The colors are rich and vintage and range from elegant pale neutrals to muted pinks, to deep denim blues and sages. These are paired with textured blooms from Prima, Petaloo and more!

Take a look:

Main Kit

Embellishment Add-On

Flower Add-On

Paper Add-On

More details on this Collection can be seen here: ScrapThat! Store

We are currently accepting new Kit Club Members.

For more information, complete the form on the link below:

New Subscriber

Look at the beautiful sketch Amarilys has created for April:

See details about the challenge here: Sketch Challenges

Be sure to also check out the details of our monthly DT challenge

hosted in April by Tracey S. here: DT Challenge

Everyone is welcome to participate.

All entries for both challenges are due by April 24th.

Something new! All winners of our challenges, including Layout of the Week, will be eligible to receive 10% off any 2012 Kits-includes Add-ons!

Our Blog Hop features 11 fabulous hop sites including our Design Team blogs. 

We have been scrapping away and are so excited to show you our creations! 

Two Prizes are up for grabs this month!

Donna Salazar will be drawing a winner from hoppers who comment on her blog for this amazing prize package including some of her new products from the Family Jeans collection and one of her brand new stencils.

Be sure to check out her blog for additional details.

Next up is our SPECTACULAR April Blog Hop Prize

-- a ScrapThat! Main Kit,"Serendipity".

This kit is chock FULL of fabulous scrapbooking products including the amazing Sweet Nothings Collection from Kaiser Craft. With rich warm colors, and rustic embellishments like wooden gates and bronze cord, this kit lends itself beautifully to heritage layouts layouts. We have included a white pen for you to use when creating a faux stitching effect.

To qualify for this month's FABULOUS Prize, 

you must complete the following:

* Visit each blog listed on the hop to see what each designer has created using this month's kit and sketch(comments are very much appreciated).

* Each designer's blog hop post will feature a word to make up a secret sentence,

collect these words along the way.

* You must become a FOLLOWER of each blog along the way 

and LIKE us on our Facebook Page!

* Post the ScrapThat! Blinkie on your blog.

* For your last stop on our Blog Hop return to the ScrapThat! Chat Blog.

Leave a comment letting us know you have

completed the hop.

(Please do NOT include the secret sentence in your comments.)

*Email the secret sentence to Tracey Sabella:tracey@scrapthat.ca

The Blog Hop ends Sunday, March 31 at Midnight EST

The prize MUST be claimed within 3 days of the forum announcement which will also be made on the ScrapThat! Blog.

~ If left unclaimed a NEW winner will be chosen ~

**Winner will pay actual shipping costs for sending the kit from Canada.**

Shipping costs will be invoiced via PayPal unless you are a kit member,

then your prize will be shipped with your monthly kit.

Prizes won during the month will be mailed out the first week of the following month.

Due to Customs clearance, International mailings sometimes take 30-75 days to receive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here are my creations with this month's gorgeous kit! Be sure to check my blog later in the month for details and close-ups of all my layouts!

Good Old Boy

Based on this month's sketch

MK, EAO, FAO

Sweet Puppy

MK, FAO

Shattered

MK, Mixed Media Supplies from Personal Stash
*Based on the March Sketch at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My secret word is: 

Richard Hovey

Next hop over to :

the ScrapThat! Blog 

to let us know you have completed the hop.

Remember ~ only send the secret sentence to tracey@scrapthat.ca

Happy Hopping!

Once Upon a Springtime Tussie Mussie - Imaginarium Designs

Today, I'm sharing my second project this month for Imaginarium Designs - a Victorian-inspired Tussie Mussie created using Graphic 45's Once Upon a Springtime collection. I've seen these gorgeous embellished cones on Pinterest and decided I just had to create one of my own. And with Easter just around the corner, what could be more perfect than a Spring/Easter themed project?

I cut the cone shape using my Silhouette Cameo and used a Martha Stewart Edge punch to create the handle. I added some lace around the top of the cone, just under the scallops and added a bead from an old necklace as the jewel at the bottom of the cone. The embellishing on the cone runs bottom to top, left to right and is a combination of paper/fabric flowers, fussy cut paper elements, chipboard, and gems.

The 'anchor' of the embellishing on the cone is a section of the Imaginarium Designs "Spade Top Picket Fence". I started by sponging some Gesso on the fence to get a nice textured finish. Then I added Shimmerz paint in Green Olive, which I diluted by putting water on my finger and spreading the paint with my finger. I then inked the fence with Distress Ink in Weathered Wood. I really like the slightly shimmery blue-green tone this gave the fence (the shimmer is much more visible in real life). I added in the fussy-cut bunnies behind the fence using 3D foam adhesive and also added a fussy cut fairy to the left of the fence.

I added some Imaginarium Designs mini Vine Flourish chipboard pieces to the flower clusters. I treated the vines with two tones of Faber-Castell Gelatos - Green Tea and Boysenberry, I spread these with a damp finger and then sponged some extra colour onto them with a damp sponge. 

The final chipboard element I used was the mini bird cages. I did a simple sponged-gesso treatment on the cages since I wanted them to really stand out against the coloured flowers. I added a fussy-cut pixie on a bird to one of the birdcages and a fussy-cut Fairy Queen just above the other birdcage.

And here are just a few more photos of the tussie mussie!

Imaginarium Designs Chipboard Used

Spade Top Picket Fence - IDB0004

Vine Flourish (Tiny) - IDT0027

Bird Cage Small - IDT0019

Other Products Used: Patterned Paper - Graphic 45 Once Upon a Springtime collection; Recollections Cardstock - Pink, Blue, Yellow; Wilton - Small Doilies; Flowers - A Bride's Wish, and miscellaneous from stash; Lace/Gems - stash; Tim Holtz Distress Ink -  Tattered Rose and  Weathered Wood;  Ranger Claudine Hellmuth Studio Gesso - White; Faber Castell Gelatos - Green Tea and Boysenberry; Shimmerz Paint - Green Olive; Martha Stewart Edge Punch; Aleene's Tacky Glue; 3D Foam Adhesive; Glue Dots - Craft and Mini.

ScrapThat! April Kit Sneak Peeks!

Oh my goodness! It is almost Reveal Day at the ScrapThat! Kit Club and we can't wait! 

The Design Team has been having so much FUN with the April Kit "Within Nature." It is simply amazing ... and one that you will not want to miss! While we wish we could share the whole thing with you today, a few tantalizing sneaks will have to suffice for now. 

Stay tuned for our Blog Hop and April Kit Reveal on Friday, March 29th at 6:30 AM EST. You will want to visit all the designer's blogs to see their fabulous projects with this month's kit... 

and for a chance to win our Grand Prize this month, the "Serendipity" Main Kit. Doesn't this look gorgeous? 

See you Friday!

Remember - Imaginarium Designs

Today, I'm sharing with you one of two projects I created this month for Imaginarium Designs (check back later in the week for my second project).

This layout, entitled "Remember", is based on one of this month's Kaisercraft Saturday Sketches. I've used Kaisercraft's Base Coat and 75 Cents collections, along with some fantastic Imaginarium Designs Chipboard to create this layout. The photo is of me and my son and was taken last December when we took a trip on the "Santa Train". I just love the sweet look on my son's face in this photo.

The base page of the layout is from the Base Coat collection ("Bark"). The other patterned papers are all from the 75 Cents 6.5 in. paper pad - I haven't been able to get my hands on the 12 in. papers from the 75 Cents collection - but I just love it, so grabbed the smaller papers when I had the chance. I tore the patterned papers to create the layering and then splattered the layout with black acrylic craft paint.

Here is a close-up of the photo/layering portion of the layout.  You can see the combination of Kaisercraft, Prima and Recollections Flowers as well as the butterflies - which are from the 75 Cents Collectables.

The photo is framed with the Imaginarium Designs "Swirly Frame" chipboard frame. I started by covering the frame with a generous coat of Memento Dye Ink in Tuxedo Black to make sure I had a nice dark base for the next step. I then added Ranger Black Enamel Accents to get the gorgeous, glossy black finish on the frame.

For the embellishments and title, I used a combination of two colours of Faber-Castell gelatos - Pistachio and Spearmint; I blended the gelatos using a damp sponge. I then covered the embellishments and title with a generous coat of Ranger Crackle Accents.

Imaginarium Designs Chipboard Used

Swirly Frame - IDFR0004

Embellishment 4 - IDS0013

Remember Forever Together - IDW0007

Other Products Used:  Patterned Paper - Kaisercraft Basecoat and 75 Cents collections; Kaisercraft 75 Cents Collectables; Folk Art Acrylic Paint - Pure Black; Flowers - Kaisercraft, Prima Marketing, Recollections; Memento Dye Ink - Tuxedo Black; Ranger Enamel Accents - Black; Faber-Castell Gelatos - Pistachio and  Spearmint; Ranger Crackle Accents; Aleene's Tacky Glue; Termoweb Memory Tape Runner XL; Xyron Sticker Maker; 3D Foam Adhesive.

Photoshop Elements Photo-Editing Tutorial

Today I'm sharing a photo-editing tutorial with you about how to convert a photo to black and white but then re-reveal a certain colour element from the photo. I used this technique on the photo that I used in my "Those Eyes" layout, created using the ScrapThat! March Kit.  I converted this photo of my son to black and white, but then revealed his beautiful blue eyes!

Here is the step-by-step procedure to create this photo effect using Photoshop Elements.

1. Open the picture you want to edit in Photoshop Elements.
2. Crop the photo to the size/shape you want. For this I chose a 5x5 crop to get a square photo.

3. Under the “Layer” tab, choose “New Adjustment Layer” and then “Gradient Map”. This will create a black and white layer over your original picture, converting the image to black and white. 

Note: If your image isn’t black and white, check the Gradient Map options in the Layers palette on the right side toolbar and ensure the correct (i.e. black and white) colour profile is selected.

4. We’re now going to restore the colour to the eyes of the photograph. On your layers palette, the gradient map layer has two thumbnail icons. The thumbnail on the right is the layer mask, which lets you alter your adjustment by painting on it. White will reveal the adjustment, while black will block it. Zoom in on the eyes in the photo so they fill your workspace. 

5. Choose the brush tool from the left hand toolbar, adjust the brush size (top toolbar), and set the opacity to 100%. Set the foreground color to black (shortcut to do this is to press D, then X). Now click on the layer mask thumbnail in the layers palette and then begin painting over the eyes in the photo.

6. If you’ve coloured outside the "lines", you can fix it easily. Switch the foreground color back to white (press D then X), undo the colouring in the areas you want. In this photo I fixed some of the skin colour that was showing on the right eyelid.

7. You can set your zoom back to 100% (or fit screen) to see the result of the revealed eye colour.

8. As a final finishing touch, we’re going to add some graininess to the photo to make it look a bit more “vintage”. Under the “Filter” menu, choose “Noise” and then “Add Noise”. 

9. Set the noise amount between 3-5%, and make sure “Gaussian” and “Monochromatic” are checked.

That’s it – you’re done your photo editing - here is the final photo!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful! Please leave a comment and a link if you decide to give this a try!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!