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""Dabling" in Digital" - 5 new articles

1. New Creative Memories Digital Center
2. New Creative Memories Digital Scrapbook Calendar
3. How to Create Your Own Embellishment Files in SBC+ 3
4. "How did they do that?"
5. Creative Memories has a BLOG!!!
6. More Recent Articles
7. Search "Dabling" in Digital

New Creative Memories Digital Center

Starting Nov 1 the photo center was replaced with the NEW, Revamped, and totally awesome Digital Center!!

Click here to go to the New Digital Center

This is a beautiful website!!! BTW November is a great month for Savings from the Digital Center.  Click Here to see Special Offers!!!

New Creative Memories Digital Scrapbook Calendar

Tech Tips, New Product Review

 

I am so excited about this NEW product! You can download free templates for this from my site HERE

 

These are available for purchase through the CM photo center available November 1, 2009 for 20.99! What you need to know is that this is a 12x18 Calendar with the image area being 12x12. Now the really cool part about it is that the calendar tears off and then you have a 12x12 scrapbook print!!!

Dr. Mark Mizen Blogged about this calendar and you can read his post HERE

And this is a great Tech Tip Post from the Creative Memories blog too. Here is the LINK but it is also copied below.

 

Calendar Templates: Defining your time

tem•plate: A pattern or gauge, such as a thin metal plate with a cut pattern, used as a guide in making something accurately.

Wow. I made my first calendar pages this week. At first thought it was going to be cool to show you how you can drop in 12 x 12 pages or Page Prints you've already done into the calendar templates. However, that doesn't even begin to scratch at the surface of what you can do with the new calendar templates.

You can:
• import completed pages as photos and just drag and drop (or, you can copy/paste from another SBC+ file if you still have items you want to change)
• start from scratch and create something new
• make any photo or paper the background of the calendar
• change the calendar style
• change any month to a new month (switch January to July without starting over)
• change the color of anything in the calendar, change the fonts
• add photos, embellishments or text to any cell on the calendar

I discovered all kinds of versatility within the template. Check out the screen shots below to see some of the great things you can do with calendars.

cal•en•dar tem•plates: a starting point, a guide to making your calendars just the way you want.

Insert your already completed pages

1. If you haven't already, save your pages as 300 dpi jpgs. From your calendar project, click on Get Photos. Import pages you want to use as photos.

2. Drag and drop on to calendar template. Size to fit the upper portion of the template.

Change the style of the calendars & adding a photo as your background

1. It doesn't get much easier than this. Right click on the calendar grid to see the pop up menu. Go to "Use a different Calendar Style", choose your favorite from the pop up window.

2. Adding the photo as a background is amazingly simple too. From the content menu, choose your photo, right click and choose "Make background". That's it. (You can do this with paper too!)

3. Just like any StoryBook page you create, you can add any embellishments or type you like.

Personalize the calendar grid

1. Right click the calendar grid, choose "properties" from the pop up menu. From this menu, you can change colors, fonts, spacing and more as it applies to the calendar grid. (see screen shot below)

Cells within the calendar

1. Drag and drop an image or an element into any cell within the calendar. Or, right click the calendar grid and choose "Edit Calendar Cells" to add text or make other changes to the individual days of the month.

When you're all done creating your own unique and fabulous calendar grid, you can sample the grid and apply the same features to any other grid in your project.

Posted by Corinne Skoog on 10/13/2009 at 07:39 PM in Software Tips & Tricks, StoryBook Creator Plus Software | Permalink

How to Create Your Own Embellishment Files in SBC+ 3

Tech Tips

This  tip came from the project center...

From the Welcome screen click on the Manage my content Icon.

1. The Content Ribbon displays.
2. Select the folder where the new content will be stored.
3. Next create a new package in the folder to import your content to.

Packages
You can create your own personal library of favorite elements, including papers, embellishments, shapes, edges, corners and colors. You can save free art, art you personally created, or single elements saved from your projects or created elsewhere. All of your saved and created items need to be stored in a package.

To create a new package, click Create on the Content panel. Then from the pop-up menu, select Create user content package. The Create a new package dialog displays. Enter a name for your new package and choose a folder to put it in. Your new package is now displayed under the My Stuff folder. To import items into your new package click on it then select the embellishments Icon in the Get from file section. The Get Images from folders dialog box displays. Browse to the appropriate folder. Next select the images you wish to import. For this example we are choosing two images and will then click on Get selected images. The images are now imported and display in the Content manager section ready for you to use

"How did they do that?"

Tech Tips

Have you seen the new Fall/Winter Catalog? They have beautiful layouts in there! If you want step by step instructions they have them on the Project Center! 

Also check out the freebie section for little embellishments used on some of the layouts

Here are some of my favorite layouts...

 

Ingredients:

• StoryBook Creator Plus 3 Software
• Cottage Garden Digital Kit
• Digital Freebie Cottage Garden Flower Border (click here to download)
• Font - Clingy 26 pt.

How to Create:

1. Create a new 12x12 project.
2. Add photo to background.
3. Add second photo to page and use the custom cutter to cut out around the person. Use the blur feature to blur the edges and make them blend with the background photo.
4. Add ribbon 1 to each edge of the page leaving just the blue scallop edge showing on page.
5. Add digital freebie Cottage Garden Flower Border to bottom of page.
6. Add corner 1 to each corner of page.
7. Create text box and journal.

Ingredients:

• StoryBook Plus Digital Software
• Cottage Garden Kit
• Digital Embellishments Cottage Garden
• Fonts used: Georgia Ref

How to Create:

1. Create a new 12x12 project.
2. Add Paper15 to background.
3. Next add GreenButterflyCard to the background and expand it to it is much wider and stretches across the page as shown. Give it a heavy shadow.
4. Place two photographs onto the layout, both with a red mat with the width of three next to one another.
5. Add FlowerPaperClip to the left top corner of the green card as shown. Give it a heavy shadow and using the green circle when you right click on it, tilt it a bit.
6. Add the EpoxyTag to the page and resize it to 1.79.
7. Copy and past the tag 6 more times.
8. Place each tag at the top of the layout with half of the circle off of the page to make a scallop border as shown.
9. Give each a heavy shadow.
10. Add FlowerSwirl above photographs. Tilt it so that it is level and give it a heavy shadow.
11. Add Ribbon1 across the layout just below the photographs as shown. Give it a heavy shadow.
12. Create a text box inside the ribbon and add journaling.
13. Add LiveLaughLove embellishment to the right of the photographs. Give it a heavy shadow.
14. Add flower embellishments to the right bottom corner of the photographs. Give them a heavy shadow and layer them.
15. Add StitchButterfly1 to the bottom of the layout three times in three different sizes. Give them all a heavy shadow and tilt them so that it looks like they are flying around the flowers.
16. Add eyelet embellishments to the centers of some of the flowers as shown.
17. Add Button1 to a couple of the flower middles as shown.
18. Add Ribbon2 to the bottom of the layout, letting half of the ribbon extend off of the page. Give it a heavy shadow.

Ingredients:

• StoryBook Creator Plus 3 Software
• Black & White Digital Power Palette
• Font Used - Mia's Scribblings (dafont.com)

How to Create:
Drop paper #4 in the Background.

Drop in Photo and enlarge.

Under the "Format Photos" Ribbon Apply the Soft Edge (note: be sure to use the drop down menu, there you will locate two options - frames and cutouts.  The Soft Edge is found under "Cutouts".

To further the softness of the photo go to the Format Ribbon and under Filters select the "Soften Edge" filter you can slide it all the way to 100% if you still find you need to soften more go back in to the same filter and apply it for a second time and it will apply even more softness.
(this will allow the background paper to appear as though it is penetrating through the photo!

The next step is to draw portions of the background paper to the forefront...
To achieve this look you will go to the "Cut and Fill Ribbon" and select the background paper.
(be sure to unlock the background paper first or it will not allow you to select it)

Once you have the paper selected and opened the cut and fill ribbon you will select the "Wand Tool"
(you can leave both of the sliders at 50%)
Then start selecting portions of the paper in the white border (if you click on the black it will select too much and it will not work) just keep clicking on the white swirl etc... and then click on "COPY the selected area".

Now you will have a portion of the background paper that you can "overlay on top of the photo"

TIP:  if you happened to select a little too much and it is conflicting with the image in your photo just select the "overlay" you have just created and go BACK to the cut and fill ribbon - click on an Oval or Rectangle shape and cut away the portion that is covering your photo!!  works like a charm!

The bursts were cut out from Paper #1.  I used the wand tool once again... zoomed up on one of the bursts and began wanding it out.  Once you have one burst you can change size, color, copy, paste etc... so all you need is one.  In this case I made one larger and changed the color to white and one black which is small and sits in the center of the white burst.  I have one in the upper right corner and one attatched to the piece of ribbon at the bottom close to the center of the layout.

For the snippet of ribbon I used Ribbon #7 I shrunk it down quite small and applied the Soften Edge Filter to it so that it faded out on both sides (under the "Format Ribbon" you will locate Filters and in that category you will find Soften Edge).

For the title "Beautiful" go to the "Insert Ribbon" and select the "FANCY" text, use your drop down menu, choose "Select a different alpha set" and locate your Black and White Alpha Set!  Then type your title!

To change the size and color of the individual letters just select the title - right click and choose "ungroup".  Now your letters will be individual elements... you can then adjust size, color etc... I adjusted the color to take on a brown/taupe color and the applied a "Cord" surface to them (find "Surfaces" under the Format ribbon next to FIlters.

Tip:  You will NOTICE under SURFACES that YOU NOW HAVE two options "Scale Texture" and "Amplification".  Play with the NEW ampification feature as it will "amplifty" the appearance of the textures quite considerably if you desire!

Beneath the Word "Beautiful" I added the "Black Flower" and then placed a tiny version of the "White Flower" inside and then scattered a few more around. 

The eyelet in the center of the Flowers were created with a small black circle shape filled with a two tone (black and white) gradient (found under the "Cut and Fill Ribbon").

One other embellishment I added that is barely noticeable is the "Black Text Flower" - it is hovering in the bottom left corner beneath the snippet of ribbon and the "Beautiful" Title... on top of the photo.

All I did was add the flower on to the layout, enlarge it quite significantly so that the writing across the flower would appear quite large and then apply the "Soften Edge" Filter to it so that all you are left with is the writing angled across the bottom left hand side of the photo!

Ingredients:

• StoryBook Creator Plus 3 Software
• Discover Baby Boy First Year Additions
• Discover Baby Boy Arrival Additions
• Black & White Digital Power Palette
• Digital Freebie - Circle and Flowers overlay (click here to download)
• Digital Freebie - Wavy Frame (click here to download)
• Font - Jane Austen 14 pt.

How to Create:

1. Create a new 12x12 project.
2. Add paper 3 from Discover Baby Boy First Year Additions to background and enlarge paper so the stars do not show.
3. Add black digital freebie circle and flowers overlay to page and then add the red overlay on top and align the flowers so they match up.
4. Add ribbon 8 from Black & White PP to middle of page and enlarge ribbon so it is wide enough to journal on.
5. Place red digital freebie wavy frame to page and then add your photo on top of the frame. Add white wavy frame on top of the picture and give both frames a heavy shadow.
6. Add flourish from Discover Baby Boy Arrival to page and use the custom cutter to cut away the stars. Copy and past three times to have a total of four flourishes. Change two to black and two to red and then place two under the upper left corner of the wavy frame and two under the lower right corner of the wavy frame.
7. Add title "Welcome Baby" from Discover Baby Boy Arrival to the upper right corner and change the color to black.
8. Add text box on top of the ribbon and journal.

This one is my most favorite!!!

 

Ingredients:

• Storybook Creator Plus 3 Software
• Cottage Garden Digital Kit
• Digital Embellishments - Cottage Garden
• Digital Overlays - Discover Youth
• Digital Emb.- Office Supplies - Gold
• Swirly Digital Alpha Set
• Pet Digital Kit
• Freebies: Scalloped Paper (click here to download)
• Digital Emb - Sewing Room Stitches
• Fonts: Aswell, Impact Label

How to Create page 1:

1. Start with a new 12x12 project.
2. From the Cottage Garden Kit select Paper18 as background.
3. Add the freebie Scalloped Paper as shown and fill with paper8, approximately 4.25 inches from left hand side of your page.
4. Now we need to create a rectangle using the shapes cutter.  This rectangle is 6.45 wide X 8.71 high.  Place on page as shown, approximately 1.5 inches from left hand side of your page.  Change to desired color and add the Block Surface that can be found under the Format tab.
5. Add Ribbon1 from the Cottage Garden Kit Emb. as shown, approximately 2.25 inches from the top of the page.
6. From the Digital Emb-Sewing Room Stitches add four 2_StraightStitches as shown on your blue rectangle.
7. Add DelightYouthOverlay3 from the Digital Overlays-Digital Youth Emb. as shown to your page.  I added extra flowers to my overlay by cutting, copying and pasting some of the flowers from the overlay.
8. From the Digital Emb-Cottage Garden kit add the yellowflower to the upper right hand corner of your photo.
9. To the top of the flower you just added also add EpoxyBrad2, this is found in the Cottage Garden Digital Kit Emb.
10. Using the Swirly Digital Alpha set add your title as shown, flatten the title and fill with Paper11 from the Cottage Garden Kit.
11. You may also add two black rectangles using your shapes cutter and add text boxes, adding journaling using Impact Label. Place on page as shown.
12. Now you can add your photo as shown, this photo measures 6.28 wide X 5.62 high.
13. From the Cottage Garden Embellishments add Corner1 to all four corners of your photo.
14. Add three SilverBrads to page as shown, these are found in the Cottage Garden Emb.
15. Lastly add text box and journaling as shown, for the text use Aswell as the font!!

How to create page 2:

1. You can copy and paste most of the elements from page one to page two and arrange as shown.
2. The top photo is 5.88 wide X 4.41 high.
3. Add eight GoldStaples to the edges of your first photo.
4. Add your second photo, 4.26 wide X 3.19 high.
5. From the Cottage Garden Kit right click on Paper5 and select cut out a new shape.  Using the rectangle cutter cut a piece 4.55 wide X 3.45 high and place behind the second photo you added to your page.
6. Use four more SilverBrads to the corners of your second photo as shown.
7. You may add the Crown to your title, this may be found in the Pet Digital Kit.
8. Lastly add the blueprong from the Digital Emb.-Cottage Garden to the upper right hand corner of your blue box.

Creative Memories has a BLOG!!!

News

I can't believe it!! I haven't been on Facebook in weeks. I thought tonight I would go and see what was going on and WHAM....I see a post from Mark Mizen with a link and so of course I love links....So I clicked and the Heavens opened up and this site http://blogs.creativememories.com/ and I thought had died and gone to heaven. It looks like this is new this week and it will be amazing!!! I am so excited, I have been preaching blogs to Creative Memories for a year and a half now....(even though my blog is less than a great example) and here I am looking at it on my screen! I cannot contain myself and I knew this was blog worthy asap!! So check it out and keep your eye on it! Great info and such a great platform for us to get even more personal with the staff at Creative Memories home office.

 

Yippee!!!

 

Shannon

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