Tutorial Tuesday | Titles Matter

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Welcome to another edition of Tutorial Tuesday here on The Digital Press blog! Today I’m going to talk about using titles in your digital or hybrid scrapbook pages. Titles actually do matter. Why, you ask? The title gives your page a clear and concise connection between your photos and your journaling. Basically, it ties together the ingredients in your memory-keeping. It can often create balance in your layout, and it can even be the focal point of your project.

Titling my projects is something that I sometimes struggle with, but as I learn more about the elements of a balanced scrapbook page, I realize it’s an important piece of the whole and not to be ignored. In that spirit, I have for you a few tips and techniques that can assist you in creating a unique and clever title.

  1. Keep it short. A long, wordy title can easily dominate a page or project without intention. Remember, you want to create balance… so the title should be just a few words to let the viewer know at a glance what to expect from the project. Your journaling will then explain in more detail what the story is and how it connects to the photos.
  2. Keep it simple. This goes hand in hand with number 1. You want to keep it simple so the title doesn’t monopolize the entire page. One way to do this is to use the technique of ‘word mining’. This is basically making a list of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs describing your photo. You can be as specific or generic as you want, or you could start more general and get more specific. Here’s a simple example so you can see what I mean. After jotting down your words, you can come up with a title using any combination, like “Hairy Hubby” or “Kooky Duo”… 
  3. Use the tools available. Pinterest has countless pins that can be used for title inspiration. When I mean countless, I mean it. There are so many ideas and themes and quotes, the mind boggles. The other valuable tool that I absolutely treasure and use all the time is an online thesaurus. It’s literally as simple as typing in a word and hitting enter. You will get loads of synonyms for that particular word. Word of advice, though… maybe don’t use it on every word (like Joey… high five to those that got that without watching the video!).

Once you have figured out what your title is going to be, you just need to figure out how you are going to incorporate it into your project. Speaking for myself, as I start to plan my layout I often use a ‘place holder’ for my title. In other words, I typically just type ‘title here’ on my draft page, and as my layout evolves I can move it and size it to create balance. You can use alpha sets or fonts to create titles (for more on mixing fonts for titles, check out Tutorial Tuesday | Combining Fonts). Titles can even be shadowed or distressed to look like stamps. They can be very large or small depending on how many photos you have on your project. You can even use word art or pre-designed titles. The possibilities are truly endless.

I’m going to show you two examples today. The first uses a large stamped title…

[ credits: Purfect Tales by Anita Designs and ninigoesdigi – Kit and Cards and Alpha Stash No. 5 by Tracie Stroud ]

The second example uses a cutout technique inside my title (if you want to learn more about creating a cutout, please check out TDP CT member Corrin’s Tutorial Tuesday | Creating a Cut-Out)…

[ credits: Tender Little Moments | Digital Kit by Dawn by Design ]

As you can see, the title in each layout becomes part of the layout… which creates a complete, balanced, design that is easy on the eye.

My hope is that using these tips and examples will inspire you to create a catchy title for your next digital project! Maybe you are a rock star and you always title your layouts, but if you are anything like me… it will take a little bit of effort (and trial and error) to create a beautifully-titled page. Either way, we can learn from one another and inspire each other… and with that, I hope to “see you” in the gallery at TDP!

About the Author:  Heidi Nicole is happily married to an amazing man, a step mama to 2 wonderful kiddos, and mama to 3 sweet and sassy furbabies.  She’s a radiation therapist by day and creator of pretty things by night (she’s pretty confident that she’s hit super hero status, but refuses to wear a cape.)  She loves cats and huskies, coffee, audio books, FRIENDS reruns, St. Louis Blues hockey, cooking, baking, and traveling.  Oh, and wine… she really likes wine.  She lives a normal and happy life, and enjoys all the absolutely extraordinary people she gets to share it with on a daily basis!

Hybrid How-To | Using Journal Cards to Design Hybrid Layouts

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Hello everyone! It’s the third Saturday of the month, and therefore it’s time for another edition of our Hybrid How-To series here on The Digital Press blog!

Today, I’m going to show you how to use digital journal cards in a fun way — to help create non-pocket-style hybrid layouts!

Supplies Needed

  • 12×12 white cardstock (or any other color and size, as you prefer)
  • Any physical supplies/embellishments you might want to add (I used enamel stickers, gold foam stickers, and little gold stars)
  • Stamps and spray paints
  • Digital kit of your choice (I used Limited Edition By Sahin Designs)

Instructions

First, I always start my project in Photoshop. I opened a new document in Photoshop and used a canvas that was the same size (12×12) as my eventual physical layout.

Next, I chose to work with a grid design for my page. By dragging different cards and elements from my digital kit onto my canvas in Photoshop, I made a digital version of the layout. I love to work this way; it’s easy and quick, and a great way to see the final result before I actually glue things together.

Here is a screenshot of my workspace in Photoshop…

I had so much fun arranging my cards, photos and elements until I became happy with the result. I really love this process. But when the digital version is done, the even more fun part starts. It’s time to cut and paste!

At this point, we will have to use different adhesives and try to give dimension to our project. It really brings interest to the page. For some elements I used regular double sided tape, and for others, I used foam tape (raised/dimensional). I also used foam tape for the journal cards. I think it helps them to pop up on the page and have more focus.

Here is a close-up look, showing these different dimensions in the layout as I worked…

Here’s another look…

Once all things are glued, it’s time to bring our page to life and give it texture with some physical elements, stamps and paint splatters.

I love to use small stamps and use the ghosting technique which consists in stamp more than one time without put more ink on the stamp. It brings a lovely texture to the project. I also like to add contrast to the page by adding some paint splatters in black.

All these add-ons and the physical embellishments give more interest to the page. I really love this part of the process.

In order to embellish my page, I used some gold foam tickers for my title, an epoxi speech bubble, and some little gold stars.

Here is another close-ups view (note the stamps and paint)…

And here’s a good look at the pretty gold star embellishments I added…

_1020908

I chose to write my journalling along the cards to ensure that my page will be cohesive. Here is a look at the final result…

As you can see, using digital journal cards is a fun and easy way to make a beautiful, quick, and cohesive layout.

If you’d like to give this a try, too, don’t forget that you can earn challenge points at The Digital Press! Come visit the CROSSWORD SECTION in The Digital Press forum, and you’ll find this month’s Hybrid Challenge thread (*NOTE* for each month’s Hybrid Challenge at TDP, you get to choose one of the two (2) “Hybrid How-To” tutorial posts from here on the blog for that month, and then you get to make your own version of that chosen project). If you choose to give today’s project a try… all you have to do is make a hybrid layout using digital journal cards and elements that have been printed and cut into a physical format (similar to mine, but it doesn’t have to be identical in size or format — you can do what works for you!).

Give it a shot, and share your final results with us! We can’t wait to see what you come up with. 🙂 Have a great weekend… and happy scrapping!

About the Author  Andrea Albuquerque is part of the Hybrid Creative Team here at Digital Press. Andrea has been a scrapper since 2010 and a photographer since 2012. Although she adores the flexibility and creativity of digital, she can’t resist playing with paper, paint, and embellishments… so hybrid scrapping is the perfect medium for her! She lives in Brazil with her hubby.

Foodie Friday | Jen C Designs

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Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of our Foodie Friday series here on The Digital Press blog!

Foodie Friday is our newest blog series… based on the amazing response we had to the “Mess Hall” activities during TDP’s Summer Camp back in July. As such, most 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 with members of our team! Each week you will get to peek into the lives (and kitchens) of your favorite TDP designers and creative team members.

This week, you get to join Jen Cairns from Jen C Designs and TDP creative team member Astrid in the kitchen, where we’re cooking up a few delicious autumn-inspired recipes from Jen’s recipe books!

[ photo credits to Jen Cairns and tasteandtellblog.com (scones) ]

Here is the lineup of delicious recipes Jen put together this week (shown above):

  • Pancakes
  • Cheddar Biscuits
  • Yorkshire Puddings

Pancakes

About this recipe, Jen says… “they’re really simple and my kids love them! My 7 year old now makes her own pancakes!”

INGREDIENTS NEEDED*
—1 cup self rising flour
—1 cup milk
—1/4 cup white sugar
—1 egg

INSTRUCTIONS
—Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.
—Heat a pan and melt some butter in the pan; pour desired amount of batter into the pan (depending on the size pancake you want to make).
—Wait until bubbles form across the top of the pancake, and then flip over. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes.
—Serve with topping of choice; we use syrup (and/or more sugar on top for extra sweetness!).

*makes 2 large or 4 small pancakes

Cheddar Scones

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
—200g self-raising flour (plus a little more for dusting)
—50g butter (chilled)
—75g grated cheese (plus extra for topping; optional)
—150ml milk

INSTRUCTIONS
—Preheat oven to 220 C (about 425 F)
—Place the flour in a large bowl, and then grate in the butter.
—Stir in the cheese, then the milk. If it feels like it might be too dry, add a touch more milk… then bring together to make a soft dough.
—Lightly dust your work surface with a little flour. Roll out the dough no thinner than 2cm. Using a 4cm plain cutter, cut out the scones.
—Transfer to a non-stick baking sheet, dust with a little more flour (and/or grated cheese topping), and then bake for 12-15 mins until well-risen and golden.

Yorkshire Puddings

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
—140g plain flour (this is about 200ml/7 oz)
—4 eggs
—200ml milk
—sunflower oil

INSTRUCTIONS
—Preheat oven to 230 C (about 450 F).
—Drizzle approx 1-2 TBSP sunflower oil evenly into 2 x 4-hole Yorkshire pudding tins or a 12-hole non-stick muffin tin and place in the oven to heat through.
—To make the batter, add 140g plain flour into a bowl and beat in four eggs until smooth.
—Gradually add 200ml milk and carry on beating until the mix is completely lump-free. Season with salt and pepper.
—Pour the batter into a jug, then remove the hot tins from the oven. Carefully and evenly pour the batter into the holes.
—Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned. Serve immediately with lots of gravy!

Here’s a fun photo Jen provided of her two kids eating the Yorkshire Puddings (left) and pancakes (right)… two of their favorites!

Doesn’t that all look delicious?!

If you’re up for a challenge… come to the forum and check out the latest edition of 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 Jen 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 10/26)… but she also has this awesome deal in her shop all week long, as well! Spend $5+ in the Jen C Designs, and get the following BRAND NEW template set that just launched in her shop today — completely FREE!

blogfotoAbout the author Astrid is a member of the creative team here at The Digital Press. She lives with her husbandand her 2 teenage/adult kids in Germany. As a mini-jobber with only 10 hours/week, she has plenty of time for her digital scrapbooking hobby. She has Netflix and Amazon Prime, and is addicted to nearly all series. Vampires, zombies, vikings… it doesn’t matter; she likes everything. She loves the ocean and the summer heat, but lives in the opposite: mountains. Therefore, she loves visiting her family in Algeria or the south of France.

Tutorial Tuesday | Transforming Templates

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BlogHeaderTemplate

Welcome to another edition of Tutorial Tuesday here on The Digital Press blog! Today, I thought it would be helpful if I shared a few ways that you can creatively transform templates to fit your scrapbooking needs! These tips and tricks will help you get the most bang for your buck when purchasing and using templates!

More often than not I find I have more photos that I want to scrapbook, than the template allows for. To remedy this I often add in more photos in places on the template that are suggested to be papers. For this layout I use Anita Designs Quick Scraps Vol. 17:

ad_quickscraps17_preview

I altered the bottom left template by rotating & adding a photo to the spot that could have been background paper. I love the look of the larger unframed bottom photo behind the three framed photos. It gives the layout more dimension, helps tell the story & visually leads your eye across the page.

wicked-awesome_webJH

For this layout I used another template from the same pack (the top right template) and added a large photo underneath the layers of the template. Large photos help showcase the subject of a page and  are a a great way to catch the eye of the reader.

young-wild-and-free_web

Another way to use templates is to break up your single photo to fit multiple spots. For this layout I used another template by Anita Designs A December Story Captured (template 21)

ad_adecstorycapt2016_tp21

I placed a single photo in the three photo slots in the template. To get this look I merged the three photo layers (Command +E) in the template and then placed my photo on top of that layout and clipped it (Command +G) to the frames.  A super easy and unique look to make a template work to tell your story!

crazy_webJH

You can also rotate and delete parts of a template to make them work for your layout. I did exactly that with the bottom left template by Dunia Designs:_dunia_soco_springdays_templates

Again a large photo takes center stage of the layout. I rotated the entire template and moved everything to the bottom quarter to make more room to showcase the large photo. You can always move and tweak a template to make it work. Start with the end in mind and you can make your vision come to life with a few little changes!

candid-photograph_web

Remember just because a template is set up one way by a designer, it doesn’t mean you have to keep it that way! Change those templates up and make them work for you and your personal style! Happy Scrapbooking!

JenniferHigniteJennifer Hignite is a mom of three boys and new homeowner with her fiance in the mitten state of Michigan. When she is not scrapbooking, she enjoys photography, watching her boys play sports, decorating, and shopping at Target.

Foodie Friday | Little Lamm & Co.

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Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of our Foodie Friday series here at The Digital Press!

Foodie Friday is our newest blog series, and is based on the amazing response we had to the “Mess Hall” activities during TDP’s Summer Camp, back in July. As such, most 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 peek into the lives (and kitchens) of your favorite TDP designers and creative team members.

This week… we have the awesome Amie from Little Lamm & Co. joining me (Sabrina, from the creative team here at TDP)… and we’re cooking up a few delicious autumn-inspired recipes from Amie’s kitchen!

[all photo credits to Amie Lamm of Little Lamm & Co.]

Amie loves to cook and photograph her yummy food. She said that if she had more time on her hands, she would definitely be a food blogger. Amie is also a big fan of autumn… and had the followoing to say about her recipes: “I cannot wait for autumn each year — just for all the soups! I have a bucket list of soups and stews to make each season.”

Here is the line up of delicious recipes Amie put together this week (shown above):

  • Sunday Night Roast Loin of Pork with Fall Vegetables
  • ‘Autumn is Here’ French Onion Soup
  • Mini Carrot Cupcakes

Sunday Night Roast Loin of Pork with Fall Vegetables

Amie says: “There is something about how the mustard, wine and herbs in this dish meld together to make the most delicious sauce. If your sauce ends up a bit lacking, because roast times can lengthen depending on the size of your loin, you can add low sodium chicken broth to thin it out. I do make this dish on a week night occasionally, only because once you put it in the oven, there isn’t anything to do until it’s ready. I just have to be home at least two hours prior to dinner to start preparing.”

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
—2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
—1 tablespoon olive oil
—1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
—1 tablespoon fresh sage (finely chopped)
—1-1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
—1-1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme (finely chopped)
—1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt + 1/2 tsp black pepper(for meat)
—4 medium carrots (washed and peeled, cut on the bias into slices 1/4-inch thick)
—2 medium yellow onions (large diced)
—1 fennel bulb, stems removed (rough cut into large pieces)
—2 tablespoons olive oil
—1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt + 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (for vegetables)
—1 cup dry white wine

INSTRUCTIONS
—Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
—In a small bowl, combine the finely chopped sage, rosemary, and thyme with salt and pepper and set aside.
—Heat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, brown the pork on all sides until golden brown all over, about 2 minutes per side with a little extra time on the top layer. Set aside to cool for a couple of minutes.
—Brush the top of the roast with an even layer of Dijon mustard, and follow that with an even coating of the fresh herb mixture.
—In a separate frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and then saute the carrots, onions and fennel until slightly brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and toss to coat.
—Place the roast in the center of a roasting pan or baking dish and surround with the sautéed vegetables. Pour one cup of dry white wine over the vegetables and bake in a 400-degree oven for about 50 minutes, until golden brown with an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
—Let pork rest for 3 to 5 minutes (maximum), and then cut into half-inch thick slices and serve.

[serves 4 to 6]

‘Autumn Is Here’ French Onion Soup

About this soup recipe, Amie says: “This recipe today is by far my favorite. Probably because we don’t make it super often (it’s a tad labor intensive). My second favorite, though, is Zuppa Toscana. It’s the only way I get my boys to eat kale!”

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
—3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
—6 large yellow onions (about 4 pounds, halved and cut pole to pole into 1/4 inch-thick slices)
—table salt
—2 cups water (plus extra for de-glazing)
—1/2 cup dry sherry
—4 cups low sodium chicken broth
—2 cups beef broth
—6 sprigs fresh thyme (tied with kitchen twine)
—1 bay leaf
—ground black pepper

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR CROUTONS
—1 small baguette (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
—8 ounces shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2 1/2 cups)

INSTRUCTIONS

—Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
—Generously spray inside of heavy-bottomed large (at least 7-quart) Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray.
—Place butter in pot and add onions and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, covered, 1 hour (onions will be moist and slightly reduced in volume).
—Remove pot from oven and stir onions, scraping bottom and sides of pot.
—Return pot to oven with lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until onions are very soft and golden brown, 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours longer, stirring onions and scraping bottom and sides of pot after 1 hour.
—Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Using oven mitts to handle pot, cook onions, stirring frequently and scraping bottom and sides of pot, until liquid evaporates and onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat to medium if onions are browning too quickly.
—Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until pot bottom is coated with dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary (scrape any fond that collects on spoon back into onions).
—Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping pot bottom to loosen crust, and cook until water evaporates and pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes.
—Repeat process of de-glazing 2 or 3 more times, until onions are very dark brown.
—Stir in sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until sherry evaporates (about 5 minutes)
—Stir in broths, 2 cups water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on bottom and sides of pot.
—Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
—Remove and discard herbs, then season with salt and pepper.
—For the croutons: while soup simmers, arrange baguette slices in single layer on baking sheet and bake in 400-degree oven until bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
—To serve: adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on baking sheet and fill each with about 1-3/4 cups soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

[serves 6]

Mini Carrot Cupcakes

About this recipe, Amie says, “I am all about vegetables in my desserts. I love pumpkin everything! But because you might be sick of PSLs by now, here is my favorite carrot cake recipe. And I always try to do dessert in miniature. It makes portion control so much easier! Until you eat 6 at a time.”

INGREDIENTS NEEDED
—1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
—1/2 cup chopped walnuts
—1 teaspoon baking powder
—1/2 teaspoon baking soda
—1/2 teaspoon salt
—1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
—1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
—1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
—1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
—1 1/2 cups grated carrots
—2/3 cup vegetable oil
—1 cup granulated sugar
—3 large eggs
—1 teaspoon vanilla extract

ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR FROSTING
—2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
—8 ounces cream cheese, softened
—2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
—1 teaspoon lemon juice
—1/4 teaspoon almond extract
—1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS
—Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
—Line two 24-cup mini-muffin pans with paper liners.
—Put the flour, walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in the food processor and pulse until the nuts are finely ground.
—Whisk the grated carrots, vegetable oil, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.
—Stir in the flour mixture until just combined.
—Divide amoung the muffin cups, filling each three-quarters of the way.
—Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 10-15 minutes.
—Transfer to a rack and let cool 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pans to cool completely.
—Meanwhile, for the frosting: beat the confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese, unsalted butter with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in the lemon juice and almond extract.
—Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cupcakes and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

[makes 48 mini cupcakes]

Does’t that all look delicious?!

If you’re up for a challenge… come to the forum and check out the latest edition of 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 Amie 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 10/19)… but she also has this awesome deal in her shop all week long, as well! Spend $10+ in the Little Lamm & Co. shop, and get the following BRAND NEW KIT that just launched in her shop today — completely FREE!

my head shot

About the Author  Sabrina is married to a hard-working man and has two rambunctious kids, nicknamed Captain and Sunshine. She spends every free minute creating at her crafty space. Digital layouts, hybrid layouts, project life and just anything memory keeping. She also loves to read, kickbox and go a bike ride.

 

 

Tutorial Tuesday | Customizing Your Workspace

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Welcome to another edition of Tutorial Tuesday here on The Digital Press blog! Today, I thought it would be helpful if I shared a few ways that you can streamline your work flow by customizing settings/etc. in your Photoshop workspace.

I have set up my own Photoshop workspace (in Photoshop CC) panels & shortcuts… in order to help me spend less time working, so I can scrap faster! Faster is always better in my busy life! Once you customize your own workspace, you will love how much faster and easier you can whip out those beautiful works of art!

Rather than try to explain this in a wordy block of text… I thought it would be helpful, instead, to spend a few minutes walking your through my process (and my workspace) in a handy video format, instead! 🙂

*NOTE* in the video, above, when talking about the “Warp SHORTCUT” – I said “shadow” instead! Whoops! (so wordy this video was!) 😉

Amie About the Author  Amie is a craft-loving dental hygienist who lives in Washington state. She loves her husband, her two kids (ages 9 & 6), and her English Bulldog… as well as coffee, baking cupcakes, daffodils, glitter & sprinkles, reading a good book, and lip gloss — not necessarily in that order.