Author: The Digital Press

Tutorial Tuesday | Sharing Layouts in the Forum

Hi Scrappers, and welcome to another edition of our Tutorial Tuesday series here on The Digital Press blog!

With Digital Scrapbooking Day (DSD) just around the corner, I am looking forward to seeing a lot of amazing layouts shared in our DSD forum posts! So, this seems like a perfect time to review how to share layouts — linking them up from the TDP gallery into posts within the forums. It’s really very simple, once you do it a few times!

Follow these steps and you’ll be a layout-sharing expert…

  1. Locate the layout that you would like to share in the gallery.
  2. Click on the layout.
  3. To the lower-right (below your layout) and you will see a box that says “Additional Info” (see header image example, above).
  4. In that “Additional Info” box, locate the BB Code and copy it (on a PC… click-highlight + Ctrl-C; on a Mac it will be Command-C).
  5. Go to the forum and find the entry box where you would like to add the layout.
  6. Add any text that you would like to appear before the layout in your post.
  7. Paste in the BB Code.
  8. Add any additional text that you would like to have appear below your layout
  9. Click “Preview” to check your post to make sure it looks just right.
  10. Click “Post Reply” once you are happy with your post.
  11. Admire the amazing job you just did sharing your layout in the forums! 🙂

See? I told you it was simple! That’s seriously all there is to it.

I hope that this quick tutorial will inspire you to share a lot of layouts in the forum (it comes in especially handy to participate in our monthly challenge system, etc.)!

Now — we invite you to come get more involved in The Digital Press’s forum! A great place to start is in our RAVE REVIEWS thread; each month, we have a thread in which we share layouts that inspire us. Anyone is welcome to post on that thread, so head over there now to practice sharing a layout in the forums! You can find the RAVE REVIEWS thread in the ADVICE COLUMNS section of our forum.

About the Author  Katie is a member of the creative team here at The Digital Press. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and their four sweet but crazy boys. When she’s not dodging Nerf bullets or trying to dig out from under the never-ending pile of laundry, she enjoys photography, cooking, going to Disney World with her family, and, of course, digital scrapbooking.

Foodie Friday | LJS Designs

Welcome to another edition of Foodie Friday here on The Digital Press blog!

Continuing with our new series on “what’s cooking on the homes of our design team and creative team members”…I had fun chatting with Lorie Starcher of LJS Designs to see what she has going on in her kitchen! Lorie is currently on a journey to better health and is following the ketogenic (or keto) food program, so we thought it might be fun to show you some of her favorite recipes. If you’re not sure what keto is… basically, you eliminate all sugars and you really (and I mean really!) reduce carbohydrates. If you like bacon and cheese, however, you’re definitely in for a treat!

Check out the following photos. Doesn’t this all look yummy? I think even if I made this and it didn’t look quite as pretty as the photo… well …did I say bacon and cheese?!

photo credits: [1] Pinterest, [2] Pinterest, [3] The Grass Fed Girl

So, what is all of this deliciousness you see above?

  • Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Bacon Cream Sauce
  • Loaded Cauliflower
  • Pumpkin Spice Keto Fat Bombs

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with Bacon Cream Sauce

Says Lorie: “Crispy bacon, creamy sauce, and juicy chicken will make you sing keto praises!” I’m thinking to myself, cheese, bacon and cream …how could this possibly be “diet” food?! There are a few versions of this recipe, and a lot of keto recipes on the internet (just do a Google search, or head over to Pinterest — but do so on a full stomach, otherwise you’ll end up hungry!), but this is the version that Lorie loves…

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

—1 lb chicken breasts
—1 tablespoon avocado oil mayonnaise
—4 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
—3 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled; reserve the fat)
—1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
—1 tablespoon cream cheese
—1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
—salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

—Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Using a basting brush, coat the top of each chicken breast with the mayonnaise. Top the chicken with 3 tablespoons of the parmesan cheese (reserve 1 tablespoon – you’ll need it later).
—Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes. Using a meat thermometer, you’ll be looking for an internal temperature of 160 degrees, and the juices should run clear.
—When the chicken has about 10-15 minutes to go, start making your sauce.
—In a skillet, warm up the reserved bacon fat, but be careful to not overheat – the fat should not be sizzling or bubbling. Whisk in the heavy cream until well combined, and continue whisking until it starts to foam up on the edges of the skillet.
—Add the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Add the remaining parmesan cheese and garlic powder. Whisk. Add some bacon crumbles, but reserve some for garnishing.
—To plate, drizzle the cream cheese sauce over the chicken, and top with bacon crumbles.

[ recipe adapted from Keto in Pearls ]

Loaded Cauliflower

Says Lorie: “I usually pair this with a cheeseburger patty with relish and mayo. Made with butter, sour cream, chives, cheddar cheese and bacon, it’s the ultimate in low-carb comfort food.”

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

—1 lb cauliflower florettes
—4 oz sour cream
—1 cup grated cheddar cheese
—2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
—2 tablespoons snipped chives
—3 tablespoons butter
—1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
—salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

—Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces and add them to a microwave safe bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover and microwave for 5-8 minutes until completely tender. Drain the excess water and let sit uncovered for a minute or two.
—Add the cauliflower to a food processor and process until fluffy. Add the butter, garlic powder, and sour cream and process until it resembles the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove the mashed cauliflower to a bowl and add most of the chives, saving some to add to the top later. Add half of the cheddar cheese and mix by hand. Season with salt and pepper.
—Top the loaded cauliflower with the remaining cheese, remaining chives and bacon. Put back into the microwave to melt the cheese or place the cauliflower under the broiler for a few minutes.

[ recipe adapted from Low Carb Maven ]

Now, after your fill of cheese and bacon, you may ask “What’s for dessert?” Many times, we’ll reach for something sweet — but how do you do that on a keto program when you’ve eliminated all sugars and processed foods? You have a “fat bomb.” I know! I thought the same thing! How is that a dessert?! (that name scares me!) Although sugar is a no-no, snacks or treats that are high in good fats are allowed; they help fuel your body. Lorie hasn’t tried any fat bombs yet, but we both love pumpkin… so I went in search of a pumpkin recipe, which we both thought would be appropriate as we head into the fall season. These look so easy to make…

Pumpkin Spice Keto Fat Bombs

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
—1/2 cup coconut oil
—3/4 cup pumpkin puree
—1/3 cup golden flax
—1 teaspoon cinnamon
—1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
—1/4 teaspoon sea salt
—1/3 teaspoon Stevia

INSTRUCTIONS

—Mix all ingredients in a bowl and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
—Roll into balls and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before eating.

[recipe adapted from The Grass Fed Girl ]

I’d love to hear what you think of the pumpkin spice fat bombs! 🙂 If you make them, leave a comment here and let us know what you think!

Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be a designer feature week without a fantastic sale and a special Free-with-Purchase offer… so you’ll be excited to see what Lorie of LJS Designs has in store for you! Not only is her entire shop marked down 30% OFF throughout her entire feature week (sale prices will be valid through 11:59pm ET on Thurs 9/28)… but she also has this awesome deal in her shop all week long, as well! Spend $10+ in the LJS Designs shop, and get the following brand-new product that just landed in the shop today — completely FREE!

KatAbout the Author Kat Hansen is a creative team member here at The Digital Press. A Director of Human Resources by day, she loves the opportunity to spend a few hours each evening being creative. Vacation memories feature pretty heavily in Kat’s scrapbooking pages, as do her son and “daughter” (of the four-legged furry kind). Kat has quite the sense of humor (she “blames” her father for this), which she incorporates into her journaling and memory-keeping.

Hybrid How-To | Custom Canning Labels

Hello everyone! Kate here, bringing you another edition of our Hybrid How-To series on The Digital Press blog!

Today I want to show you how easy it is to make custom labels for all of your jars. 🙂 August and September are canning months where I live. I mostly can tomatoes (I have 48 tomato plants this year!), but I love doing relishes and pickled vegetables as well. It really helps stretch the budget for our big family.

Supplies

  • digital scrapbooking kit of your choice (I used Homemade by Anita Designs)
  • cardstock OR printable sticker paper
  • cutting machine or scissors
  • hot glue (if not using printable sticker paper)

Instructions

First, you’ll design your labels in a photo-editing program like Photoshop (PS) or Photoshop Elements (PSE). For regular-mouth jars, start with a 2″ circle as a template. If you’re just doing the labels (not the extra decorative tags), I recommend sticker paper. It’s so easy to copy the design for however many jars you have and fill the page with your labels, with no other adhesive necessary.

Next, you’ll print and cut your labels…

After that, you simply need to adhere the labels to your jars (and/or create hang-tags to tie onto jars with string, etc.). If you’re not using sticker paper — I have found hot glue to be the best choice for adhering the labels straight to the lid.

Here’s a look at a finished batch of my jars with labels…

Aren’t those cute? And so easy!

I hope you’ll give these a try! If you’re interested in earning points in The Digital Press’s challenge system (good toward earning everything from discounts to free kits!)… come to the forum and jump into this month’s hybrid challenge!

Kate About the Author  Kate is on the hybrid team here at The Digital Press. She lives on the Utah/Colorado border with her husband, 5 kids, 10 chickens, and a dog named Gracie. She’s a city-born girl who found she’s really a country girl at heart. She can be found outside, barefoot, and probably in her garden.

Foodie Friday | Dawn by Design

Happy Friday, all… and welcome to the most recent edition of Foodie Friday here on The Digital Press blog!

As you have likely already caught on throughout the month so far.. this is a new series based on the amazing response we had to the “Mess Hall” activities during TDP’s Summer Camp back in July. As such, every Friday throughout the rest of the year, we will be combining this fun feature with our weekly designer feature series — and having some fun in the kitchen! Every week you will get the chance to peak into the lives (and kitchens) of your favourite TDP designers and creative team members.

This week, I have joined forces with the always-fun Dawn of Dawn by Design — and we’re sharing two recipes from her kitchen and one from mine! My recipe is an easy salad (a recipe garnered from my oldest son’s fiancee)… and Dawn has added a scrumptious chicken pasta dish along with a blueberry cream cheesecake to finish everything off sweetly!

Food

So, what are these delicious things you see pictured above?

  • Strawberry and Feta Salad
  • Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
  • Blueberry Cream Cheesecake

Strawberry and Feta Salad

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

—2-3 cups (250–400g) strawberries, washed and quartered
—1/2 tub (or 2 rounds) of feta cheese, drained and cubed
—1 small head of lettuce (cos, romaine, or rocket/arugula all work nicely)
—pumpkin seeds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

—Tear the washed lettuce into bite-sized pieces and layer into the salad bowl
—Add the strawberries and cubed feta cheese and sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top
—Add dressing of your choice. That’s it! I, myself, have served this with a strawberry-based vinaigrette (yum!)

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

—1 – 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (sliced into cutlets)
—2 tablespoons olive oil
—salt and pepper (to taste)
—1 cup heavy cream
—1/2 cup chicken broth
—1 teaspoon garlic powder
—1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
—1/2 cup parmesan cheese
—1 cup spinach, chopped
—1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

—Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then saute in a large skillet on medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side (until browned and thoroughly cooked). Set chicken aside on a plate.
—Bring the heat down to medium. In the same skillet, whisk in the heavy cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese for a few minutes (until mixture thickens slightly).
—Add spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer for a minute or two, until spinach wilts. Return chicken to pan and flip a few times, so that it is thoroughly coated in sauce.

[recipe adapted from Cooking Panda]

Blueberry Cream Cheese Danish

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

DOUGH
—1/2 cup almond flour
—1/4 cup coconut flour
—1/4 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
—6 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
—5 tablespoons butter
—1 large egg

FILLING
—4 ounces cream cheese
—1/4 cup whipping cream (at room temperature)
—2 tablespoons white sugar (granulated)
—1 teaspoon lemon zest
—1 cup blueberries
TOPPING
—3 tablespoons sliced almonds
—1 tablespoon white sugar (granulated)

INSTRUCTIONS

DOUGH
—Preheat oven to 350F degrees and line a large baking mat with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
—In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, sugar, and baking powder. In a large saucepan, melt cheese and butter over low heat until it can be stirred together.
—Add egg and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Stir in almond flour mixture until dough comes together (keep heat on low). It will still have some large streaks of cheese. Turn out dough onto a silicone mat or directly onto a kitchen counter and knead until uniform (this only takes a little kneading).
—Cover with parchment paper and roll out to about a 14×8 inch rectangle. On the diagonal, cut 1 inch wide, 1 ½ inch long strips along both sides, leaving a solid rectangle of dough in the center.

FILLING
—In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, cream, sugar, and lemon zest until well combined. Spread down the center of the dough, leaving about ½ inch all around. Sprinkle with blueberries.
—Fold the strips of dough over the filling so that the ends overlap. Pinch the dough at the ends to seal.

TOPPING
—Sprinkle with sliced almonds and granulated sugar and press gently to adhere.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely, then slice into strips to serve. Serves 8 to 10.

[recipe adapted from Carolyn Ketchum]

We’re betting that you’re hungry just reading through these recipes, and that you can’t wait to try them out!

Well, if you’re up for a challenge… come to the forum and check out our Recipe Book challenge, which launched this month and is designed to help you create a quick-&-simple book of your favorite recipes — get this — in time to print it up and give it to friends and family members as a holiday gift later this year(!). Sound like fun? Come check it out HERE.

Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be a designer feature week without a fantastic sale and a special Free-with-Purchase offer… so you’ll be excited to see what Dawn of Dawn by Design has in store for you! Not only is her entire shop marked down 30% OFF throughout her entire feature week (sale prices will be valid through 11:59pm ET on Thurs 9/21)… but she also has this awesome deal in her shop all week long, as well! Spend $10+ in the Dawn by Design digital Scrapbooking shop, and get the following brand-new / just-released full kit, Trick or Treat, completely FREE!

Stefanie

About the author Stefanie is a member of The Digital Press creative team and a stay at home mother of three older children living in Cape Town, South Africa with her hubby of 29 years, two of their three children and 2 cats. She loves photography, travel and digital scrapbooking the good and the ordinary everyday.

Tutorial Tuesday | The “Little Planet” Effect

Hi everyone! I’m happy to present another edition of our Tutorial Tuesday series here on The Digital Press blog! This week, we will learn how to create a “little planet” with our pictures — also known as a “polar panorama.”

I’ll go through the process of doing this in Photoshop (PS), but there’s probably a similar procedure in other photo editing software programs, as well.

The first step is to create or find a panorama, ideally one that is 360 degrees. If you take the pictures yourself, try to stay constant in all your pictures — or in other words, stay at the same spot, use the same settings and same focal length (don’t zoom in or out), and stay level (have the horizon horizontal and about at the same place in your pictures). It’s easier to do with a tripod, but not mandatory. My example pictures, below, were taken in a handheld fashion.

Here are the images I used to create my panorama…

To create the panorama in Photoshop, try using the “photomerge” feature — which can do it automatically. This feature is located in File > Automate > Photomerge. You can either browse through your files, or use images that are already open. Here’s a look…

Here’s the result of the photomerge process for my example photos. As you can see, it’s pretty good as-is! I just had a little spot to correct (the water/sky line wasn’t properly aligned), but it was easy to do because each picture is on its own layer with masks (i.e. independent from the others).

Next, I cropped the image to get a long rectangle. Because my photos were about 180 degrees and not a full 360 degree panorama, I made sure to try and align the left and right sides of the pictures. Those will get “connected” when we create the circle (below), so I wanted to make my job easier by making sure that the cliffs are cropped at about the same height…

Now we finally start the real “little planet” effect. First, shrink the photo to create a square image. I know, I know, we should never distort an image… but this is actually a case in which you don’t want to respect the original proportions. Use the Image > Image size from the menu… or else use the Alt+Ctrl+I  keystroke function. Unlock the proportions, and then type the same number in the width as in the height.

Here’s the result of that last step (it looks super weird right now, but it’ll get better, I promise!)…

Next, turn the image upside down by using Image > Rotate > 180 degrees (and now it looks even weirder)…

Next, you’ll create your “little planet” by using Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates. Make sure the “Rectangle to Polar” box is checked, and then click OK.

And… tada(!), your little planet is born!

You can now edit the junction and blend the two sides of the image together. This is why I cropped a few pixels away to help match the sides, I just had to use the “patch” tool and it was easily done. I also chose to turn the photo upside down again (with the Rotate > 180 degrees tool) because it made more sense to me, but it’s optional.

And you’re done!

I think this special edit can produce really unique images, perfect to represent how your world revolves around someone, or how somewhere is the center of the world for you, etc.

With my example. I wanted to scrap about how little I feel in front of the sea… how magnificient this view is(!)… etc. I used Jaunt by Sahin Designs and the Lanky and Stamped alphabets by Dawn by Designs to create the following scrapbook page…

 

I hope you’ll give this fun technique a try! You could also experiment with a person in the frame? I haven’t done it yet, but it’s on my photography “to-try” list. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you have (in the comments, below), and I’ll do my best to help!

ChloéAbout the author  Chloé is in charge of PR and communication for her small town by day, is a digiscrapper “by night,” and a photographer whenever the light is beautiful. She lives with her man and fur-babies in a small town of Alsace (in the northeast of France), where she loves to read, watch good TV shows (TWD being her absolute favorite), and just hang out with her friends — no matter if they are close by, online, or away in her Swiss hometown. She recently became quite obsessed with Bullet Journaling, FLyLady and Zero Waste.

Foodie Friday | Sahin Designs

Happy Friday, everyone… and welcome to the second edition of Foodie Friday here on The Digital Press blog!

As you likely read last week — this is a new series that is based on the amazing response we had to our “Mess Hall” activities during TDP’s Summer Camp back in July (everyone loves food! haha). As such, each Friday for the rest of the year we’ll be combining our weekly designer features with some fun in the kitchen! Every week, you’ll get the chance to peek into the lives (and kitchens!) of your favorite TDP designers and creative team members.

This week, we are featuring a few yummy recipes from the kitchen of both Elif Sahin of Sahin Designs and TDP creative team member La’Shawn (that’s me!). This is Elif’s third feature on The Digital Press blog (you can find her first feature article from July 2016 HERE, and her second feature from March 2017 HERE, if you want to learn even more about her).

Today, we have three delicious recipes for you: we will start with a easy main dish that will taste like you spent hours in the kitchen, and then we will end with a nice cold coffee drink and a sweet dessert. You wont be disappointed!

photo credits to [1] freerecipebox [2] TDP creative team member La’Shawn Castings [3] TDP designer Elif Sahin

So, what are these delicious things you see pictured above?

  • Crock Pot Lasagna
  • Homemade Iced Coffee
  • Tiramisu Truffles

Crock Pot Lasagna

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

—1 lb lean ground beef
—1 onion, chopped
—2 garlic cloves, smashed
—1 (28 ounce) can of tomato sauce
—1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
—1-1/2 tsp salt
—1 tsp dried oregano
—12 ounces cottage cheese
—1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or 1/2 cup asiago cheese
—12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
—16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

—Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic in a frying pan
—Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano
—Cook long enough to get it warm
—Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker
—Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles (break to fit) and top with cheeses
—Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up
—Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours

*Note* You can replace the hamburger meat with italian sausage or a mixture of both. I also mix half ricotta and cottage cheese. This recipe is so easy to make. It will taste like you spent 4 to 5 hours slaving over the stove and oven, instead of it cooking away in the slow cooker. My husband is not a pasta eater… but he loves and requests this often.

Homemade Iced Coffee

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

—1 pound ground coffee (good-quality rich roast)
—8 quarts cold water
—fine mesh strainer
—cheesecloth

INSTRUCTIONS

—In a large container (tea pitcher will work) mix the ground coffee with the water
—Cover and sit at room temperature for 8 hours (I let it sit overnight)
—Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth (you can use coffee filters, but I find the cheesecloth works best)
—Pour the coffee and water mixture through the strainer & allow all the liquid to run through (it can take some time)
—Discard the grounds
—Place the coffee in the fridge to cool
—Add your favorite dairy/sweetener
—Pour over ice; drink and enjoy!

Tiramisu Truffles

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

—200gr ladyfingers
—200gr labneh cheese
—2 table spoon powdered sugar
—5gr powdered vanilla
—3 desert spoons of granule coffee
—5 table spoon hot water
—Cocoa powder and/or ground pistachio

INSTRUCTIONS

—Crush the ladyfingers into fine crumbs with blender
—Mix labneh cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl
—Dissolve coffee in hot water
—Mix it well with crushed ladyfingers until you have homogeneous mix
—Let both mixes cool in the fridge for 10 minutes
—Mix together labneh and ladyfinger mixes together
—Make small balls from this paste
—Roll the balls in cocoa or pistachio to serve

We’re betting that you’re hungry just reading through these recipes, and that you can’t wait to try them out!

Well, if you’re up for a challenge… come to the forum and check out our Recipe Book challenge, which launched this month and is designed to help you create a quick-&-simple book of your favorite recipes — get this — in time to print it up and give it to friends and family members as a holiday gift later this year (!). Sound like fun? Come check it out HERE.

Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be a designer feature week without a fantastic sale and a special Free-with-Purchase offer… so you’ll be excited to see what Elif of Sahin Designs has in store for you! Not only is her entire shop marked down 30% OFF throughout her entire feature week (sale prices will be valid through 11:59pm ET on Thurs 9/14)… but she also has this awesome deal in her shop all week long, as well! Spend $10+ in the Sahin Designs shop at The Digital Press, and get her full “Grace” Collection completely FREE!

IMG_20160814_144851_e

About the Author  La’Shawn Castings is a creative team member here at The Digital Press. She is a 30-something, full-time working, nerdy, somewhat lazy, digi-scrapping, photo taking, college football loving, panda obsessed, yellow wearing, Harry Potter nerding, Doctor Who watching, historical fiction reading, southern wife & mom.