April Blog Hop with the Lori Whitlock Creative Team

Welcome to Artsy Albums and your next stop on Lori Whitlock's April Blog Hop!  If you're starting here, be sure to head over to Lori's site to start from the beginning!  You won't want to miss the creative ideas at each stop!

For my project, I created a Summer Scrapbook Box with several of Lori's fabulous files, including her new file folders.

Lori's new file folders are all so cute, and worked perfectly to create the pages for my "scrap box".  I also added several summer themed files to the outside of my box, and included all of the links for these here on my blog today.  The paper line was also designed by Lori for Echo Park and is called "Summer Bliss".

Lori's Cutting Files:

File Folders

Summer Fun Title

Palm Trees & Sun

Lock and Key

In addition to all of the fun creative projects on today's hop, Lori is giving away a $25 gift card to her site, and I'm giving away a $10 Silhouette download card here at my site!!

  I just LOVE giveaways....so here are the entry forms for both:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lori is also having a sale on her site so be sure to 

visit Lori Whitlock 

and use this code to get 30% off!

Wow!  So much fun! ....now back to the blog hop!

Corri http://www.buglvr.blogspot.com
Mendi http://www.snippets-of-mendi.blogspot.com
Brigit http://www.brigitsscraps.com
Traci http://www.artsyalbums.com >>> You are here
Lorrie http://www.lorriesstory.com >>> Next Stop 
Natalie http://www.mygrahamcrackers.blogspot.com
Chrissy scraparonidigipages.blogspot.com
Stephanie http://beetreestudios.com
Ashley http://nacook.blogspot.com
Mary http://www.marymoseley.com
Lisa Bell http://www.lisabelldesigns.blogspot.com

Card Ideas Using Hip Hip Hooray

As promised, I'm back today with a few cards that I did for an upcoming Create & Craft show for We R Memory Keepers.  The Hip Hip Hooray collection is perfect for birthday cards .... and if you combine the collection with the Mini 8 and 2-edge Raindrop punches....you'll be able to whip these cards out in no time!  Have fun!

Hip Hip Hooray Projects with We R Memory Keepers

Hi everyone,
Today I wanted to share a few projects I did recently for We R Memory Keepers and the Create & Craft show.  Hip Hip Hooray is a fun new birthday collection that I paired up with a few of We R's awesome punches.  I used the Mini 8 Raindrop and 2-edge punches for these layouts.  Check back in here tomorrow and I will have a few cards from the collection to share with you!

Thanks for stopping by!

New Mini Album Kits at Artsy Albums

Hi everyone!
Just a quick post this morning to let you know about lots of new kits that are being added to the shop!  First, I have two new baby journals available as kits or pre made.  They are 6x8" and include 16 pages for photos and journaling.  These album make documenting those first days and weeks easy and fun, especially since the new mommy and daddy will be too tired to remember all of this fun stuff later!

Planning a vacation any time soon?  Did you recently go somewhere fun for spring break?  Well this little travel journal is packed full of cuteness and ready to become a cherished keepsake from your trip!  The album includes 12 scrapbook pages for photos or memorabilia and 10 journaling pages for trip notes.

I also have new 12x12 page kits in the shop, and kits for Mother's Day and Spring coming very soon! Be sure to visit Artsy Albums today, and don't let those important photos just live in your computer.  Get them into an album and share them!

Shop Now: www.artsyalbums.etsy.com

Stay up-to-date on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/artsyalbums

A Gift for Glenn Beck

A few weeks ago, I had a wonderful opportunity to create a really meaningful scrapbook album for Glenn Beck.  Over 50 friends, colleagues, and family members sent letters and photos wishing Glenn the best on his 50th birthday, and I compiled these wonderful memories into a scrapbook for him. 

I love the mini albums and kits that I create, but it's albums like this that remind me why I scrapbook and why I started a business to do it -- the pictures and the stories.  I believe that scrapbooking is part of God's plan for my life, but sometimes I question why.  Last night, a friend reminded me that the word "remember" is used over 150 times in the Bible. God wants us to remember Him and His Word, but I also believe He wants us to remember the people and experiences that make our lives meaningful.  Scrapbooks are a wonderful way to remember what truly matters.

I am so thankful that Liz found me, and gave me the opportunity to create such a wonderful album for Glenn.  I hope he loved it...and I hope that each time he sees it, he remembers....

Hi everyone.  I love using photos in my Silhouette software so I thought I would share a few tips on this fun technique with you today.   For this layout, I cut a title out of a photo that I dropped into the software.

First, create a shape in your software that you want to drop your photo into.  Any shape will work, but for the purposes of this tutorial, I just created a 4 x 6 box so that it would be the same size as the photo on my layout.

Find a photo that you want to use and drop it into the Silhouette Designer Edition software.

Next, use the text tool to type your title over the photo.  I used a font called ‘Impact’ because I wanted the letters to be chunky.

Now, with both the shape (my 4 x 6), and the letters (SUNSET) highlighted, click on ‘modify’ (little icon with an M on it) and then hit ‘Crop’.

Now you will have your letters to do a print and cut.  Before printing, remember to resize your mat to 8.5 x 11 and hit ‘show registration marks’.  I used Silhouette’s white adhesive-backed card stock for my print & cut — I love the texture!

Since I wanted the texture to be the same on my photo, I printed my photo out using the same paper.  Then, using small pop dots, I layered my title over my photo to give the title a 3d effect.

Here is another example of a layout I did using this technique.  For this one, I cut out the banners from a fall leaves photo, and a tag out of a picture of my son.

You can have a lot of fun cutting shapes out of your photos!  Have fun with this technique!  Thanks for letting me share with you today!

Shapes from Sunset layout:

Starburst Square

Decorative Tab

Zig Zag Border

Banners

Font: Impact

Shapes from the Fall Layout:

Banners

Elegant Gift Tag

Leaves

Getting Creative with Name Tags

Hi everyone! I have a fun tutorial to share with you.  A few weeks ago, a friend asked me to make some name tags and a guest book for a baby shower she is having for a friend.  The colors for the shower are grey and yellow, and they are using daisies and the chevron pattern for decorations.  Today I'd like to show you how I made her name tags so that next time you are having a party, you can 'wow' the guests with your creativity!  The Silhouette cutting files are all by Lori Whitlock and are linked at the bottom of this post.

I apologize for the photo -- it started raining before I could get any decent shots.  I used Silhouette's white, printable sticker paper for these so that the guests can write their name on the tag and then peel them right off the sheet.

To start, open your Silhouette software, set your mat to 8 1/2 x 11, and click on 'show registration marks'.  You want to do this because your name tags will be a print and cut, and your paper will probably need to be 8 1/2 x 11 to go through your printer.  Next, find the label shape you want to use and size it appropriately.  Mine are approximately 2x3".

Since I'm using Lori's cute bracket labels that have a shadow behind them, I was able to color fill the back shape with grey, and the inside shape with white.  To do this, highlight the individual shape and click on the fill color bucket (1st icon on the top right toolbar).  Do the same to color fill each shape.  

Now the fun part.  Add some cute details to your name tag that go with the theme of the party or meeting.  Since the baby shower theme was daisies, I chose Lori's adorable daisy file. 

I resized and ungrouped the daisy so that I could change the color.  I wanted the daisy to be white, but show up well on the white background so I changed the 'Line Color' (6th icon on the top right toolbar) to grey.  

Now here's a tip -- if I changed the line color and then printed it, the line would not show up well.  Before printing,  I had to change the thickness of the line (7th icon on the top right toolbar).  I changed my grey line around the petals to .75.  

I then color filled the center of my flower with yellow, grouped the whole flower (by right-clicking and choosing 'group') and moved it into position on my name tag.

The other theme of the baby shower is the popular chevron pattern.  I found one of Lori's zig zag borders, resized it, and duplicated it a few times to create an extra little accent.

Once my name tag looked the way I wanted, I highlighted the inside shapes and went to the "cut window" and clicked 'no cut'.  I only wanted to see the red cut line around the outside of the grey label.  

I then went to the duplicate icon (the one that looks like a little flower) and duplicated right and below until I had a whole page of cute tags.  Another tip -- after printing your name tags, be sure to set the cut settings on your machine appropriately.  Since I was using printable sticker paper, and wanted the page to peel off the mat without leaving the tags behind so I set my blade to a 2.  The tags were cut, but the backing of the sticker paper wasn't.

I also created a cute guest "Little Nuggets of Wisdom" for the guest to leave notes at the shower.  Here are a couple pictures -- loving the themes the hostess chose :)

Have fun creating cute stuff for your next party or event!

Bracket Label

Daisy

Zig Zag Border

Blog Hop with Lori Whitlock Designs

Welcome to Artsy Albums and your next stop on Lori Whitlock's March Blog Hop!  If you're starting here, be sure to head over to Lori's site to start from the beginning!  You won't want to miss the creative ideas at each stop!

For my project, I created a few of Lori's adorable 

cards for some upcoming baby gifts. 

Lori's new pop-up box cards are all so cute, and fit perfectly into an A2 envelope when they fold down.  The baby bottle card is also super cute and can be combined with any sentiment on the front.  I found a cute label with the word 'congrats' to add to mine, and I've included all of the links 

for these here on my blog today.

In addition to all of the fun creative projects on today's hop, Lori is also giving away a great freebie at each stop.  The freebie here on my site is a wonderful "My Blessings" graphic that can be layered over any photo before printing.  

As you can see from my photo, I easily added the graphic to my photo in photoshop, changed the color to white, and then adjusted the opacity a bit.   

These two boys truly are my blessings...I'm one proud mama 

To download this free graphic, follow this link:

"My Blessings"

Lori is also having a sale on her site so be sure to 

visit Lori Whitlock 

and use this code to get 30% off!

And how about a giveaway??  I would like to give one lucky Lori fan a $10 download card to the Silhouette online store :)

Enter here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wow!  So much fun stuff....now back to the blog hop!

Lori Whitlock

Brigit Mann 
Corri Garza 
Mendi Yoshikawa 
Natalie Graham 
Traci Penrod  (You Are Here)
Chrissy Guido >>> Next Stop :)
Ashley Cook
Lorrie Nunemaker 
Smitha Katti
Stephanie Chavers

Lisa Bell

By the way....when you have time, come back to Artsy Albums to check out all the brand new page and album kits we added to the online shop last week!

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/artsyalbums
Online Shop:  www.artsyalbums.etsy.com