What is the Best Software for Digital Scrapbooking?

The image is the blog post featured image for the tutorial Digiscrap 1040 "What is the best software for Digital Scrapbooking?" in the Learn Digital Scrapbooking: Start Here with the FAQs series.

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The image is the blog post introduction image for the tutorial Digiscrap 1040 "What is the best software for Digital Scrapbooking?" in the Learn Digital Scrapbooking: Start Here with the FAQs series.The question about what the best software is for Digital Scrapbooking is one that comes up often, especially when you are just starting out. The crucial requirement is that the software supports layers enabling the various papers and elements to be layered, aka stacked, within the layout being created. But, today there are numerous options for choice of software, so where do you start? In this post we take a brief look at a number of the options to help you choose which is best for you, ranging from closed system through to multi-versatile, and why I think that Adobe® Photoshop® Elements (PSE) is always the best option when starting out.
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The Best Software Choice for Digital Scrapbooking

Typically Adobe® Photoshop® Elements (PSE) imaging software is the most commonly used to create layouts by seasoned digiscrappers.

The image is an Adobe authorized promotional image demonstrating how Adobe Photoshop Elements may be used to expertly process and make adjustments on photographs for digital scrapbooking.
As an Adobe Authorized Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad

One of the things I loved most about Photoshop® Elements when I was first starting is the ease of using editable layer masks that enable cropping that can be changed if needed. That is a big bonus for getting layouts just right and for fixing mistakes without having to redo everything. Elements also has some pretty cool built in styles to create different effects on various page elements and can be extended with Actions that have been designed in the full version of Photoshop and then customised to work in PSE.

However, there are also many die-hard digiscrappers who use other software options, for instance Corel® PaintShop Pro® (PSP) or Corel® PaintShop Pro® Ultimate (PSP Ultimate) or GIMP free open source or iPhoto® for Apple Mac®, to create their pages. Recently there has been an explosion of apps hitting the stores that are capable of supporting layers so many digiscrappers are now able to scrap on the go.

Whilst I have not used GIMP or iPhoto® myself, I have heard good things about them. Also PSP, with many staunch PSP digiscrappers swearing by it above all comers.

Other Software Alternatives

Less often pages are created in word processing or desktop publishing software, for instance Microsoft® Word or Publisher. However, flexibility and the ability to modify images as desired is not generally available with this option. That’s not to say that the pages created using word processing software are substandard, just that it provides the digiscrapper with a more tightly focused challenge on writing beautiful, compelling journaling.

Journaling, aka the feelings, the memories and the who, what, when, where, how, why of the page’s focus, is generally written within the imaging software to accompany the selected photographs and images. However, I have heard of some digiscrappers creating their journaling in a word processor and then adding it as a screenshot image to the page.

 

What does a typical Digital Scrapbook layout created in Photoshop look like?

The following layout was created in Photoshop® and looks like a typical, basic layout with a slightly grunged, yet clean and simple magazine quality to the composition.

It is a wonderful experience to create a page and then look back on it later recalling all the subtle nuances of the photographs, not to mention the creativity that went into producing the page.

New Specs x2 - A Digital Scrapbook Layout recollection of the day my sons collected their first respective pair of spectacles.
Digital Scrapbook Layout: New Specs x2

New Specs x 2

Capturing the day to day minutiae of Life is one of the aspects of Digital Scrapbooking that I love most.

On this day, my sons were both quite excited to finally be fitted with their first pair of spectacles … me too … except … I also distinctly remember cringing at the overall price tag! Youch!

They both looked so mature all of sudden with their glasses on … and pretty cool too IMHO.

And for me this page celebrates the achievement of paying for the blessed things with zero help from anyone else. That was a bloody big achievement indeed!

Big shout out and thank you to Vision West for their generous assistance with these essential optical acquisitions; it would never have been possible without you!

 

Price Point Comparison

In terms of price point to get up and running with digiscrapping … there are various pay-for programs available ranging from $29 upwards, to well in excess of $800 per year at the very top end of the range.

Personally I used Adobe® Photoshop® Elements (PSE) when I was first getting started as it fitted my digiscrapping needs perfectly. It was only once I started getting full swing into designing commercially that I upgraded to the full Adobe® Photoshop® Creative Cloud (PSCC). Nonetheless, I highly recommend and can say from personal experience that Photoshop® Elements is definitely worth investing in.

 

Dedicated Software for Digital Scrapbooking

On another note, if you are just starting out, a dedicated, albeit limited, scrapbooking program might be a good choice for you. Sometimes these packages also come with a few kits built-in to get started:

Online Options for Digital Scrapbooking

Also, there are a number online options that include starter kits. These sites are often for the purpose of creating photobooks and other printed items, for example custom designed photo Christmas cards:

 

The image is the blog post main text image for the tutorial Digiscrap 1040 "What is the best software for Digital Scrapbooking?" in the Learn Digital Scrapbooking: Start Here with the FAQs series.Imaging Software
(Best Options)

Having said that, if you would prefer to retain flexibility over the creation of your layouts and maintain the ability to use kits from a variety of designers and sources, then photo imaging software that supports layers is the way to go.

Imaging software, of course, always has the added key advantage of giving you greater control over your photo editing options.


Start your Digital Scrapbooking journey on the right foot. Download your FREE TRIAL of Adobe Photoshop Elements, TODAY!

 

Digital Scrapbooking on the Go

DigiScrapping on the go is also a thing now-a-days with both web-based and mobile applications for smart phones and tablets available making digital scrapbooking a truly mobile experience with full portability capabilities. A few apps that may be used on smart mobile devices include:

Some of the options above have a steep learning curve that puts a few people off. So if you are worried about spending a bucket of cash and then not being able to use your program, just make sure that you select the free trial first!

Most software providers have some type of a try before you buy service to let you get your feet wet before you plunge in by committing to a purchase.

 

 

The image is the blog post recommendation image for the tutorial Digiscrap 1040 "What is the best software for Digital Scrapbooking?" in the Learn Digital Scrapbooking: Start Here with the FAQs series.Bottom Line:
If you were to ask me which software I would choose if I were starting out in digital scrapbooking for the first time, my answer would be Adobe® Photoshop® Elements (PSE), EVERY TIME.

Whichever option you decide to go with remember this … you can always make a change or upgrade to something else!

 

The image is the product preview for the textPATHS product, Hearts'n'Roses, available in the Anita Richards Designs digital scrapbooking shop.

As a little thank you for Learn Digital Scrapbooking course subscribers reading this post please be sure to grab a copy of this set of decorated text on a path hearts that are suitable for use in both Photoshop® Creative Cloud as well as in Photoshop® Elements, with my compliments. Your coupon code is included in the email for this session. Coming soon.


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So there we have it: a brief explanation of some of the imaging software options for Digital Scrapbooking. Which program are you leaning towards? Have you already chosen / purchased / downloaded your software? What program is it and what made you choose that one instead of one of the alternatives? Post a comment below or drop me a line through the Contact page.

Learn to Digiscrap Podcast:

What is the Best Software for Digital Scrapbooking?

 

 

This post is part of our Learn Digital Scrapbooking FAQ Series, the complete index for which can be found on the Learn Digital Scrapbooking: Start Here with the FAQs page.

Enjoy!

____

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sketchPLATE Saturday 0011

sketchPLATE Saturday Show: Episode 0011 Transcript and Resources page cover image. Also, the featured image for the blog post discussing the inspiration and creative process behind sketchPLATE 0011 including the finished digital scrapbooking layout called "Lucky 13" and the finished template.

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The blog post introduction image for sketchPLATE 0011 includes a photo of the hand-drawn layout sketch, done in pencil on art journal parchment and a photo of the finished digital scrapbook layout that evolved from that initial concept drawing.Hello again one and all! Welcome to sketchPLATE Saturday 0011! This project was initially inspired by a super high contrast monochromatic image. At first blush, it seemed like it would be a straightforward process… or so I thought! Amidst all the work involved in learning and trying to get my head around website SEO, implementing all that SEO jazz and image optimisation and working on getting the cart software to work properly … I actually hit scrapper’s block at least a dozen if not more times as I was creating the layout for this project. I couldn’t believe it!!! Scrapper’s block! It took a while but I finally beat the scrapper’s block. The finished layout that formed the base of this week’s template is a complex page the makes crafty use of out-of-bounds photo manipulations against a backdrop of ink stamped elements, flourished with shiny chrome accents and firey-reds tones. The design process behind this project was fraught with obstacles. Nonetheless, I finally got there with it and the SEO and designing a new kit and image optimisation and the cart … it is all starting to gel. And I think that that is what was holding me up; I was simply trying to implement too many things, learn too many things, master too many things simultaneously and floundering as a result. Despite that, the sketchPLATE is complete and the coordinating digital scrapbooking kit Lucky 13 is also done and I managed a two-page layout as part of the whole process. #Winning This sketchPLATE has a very special place in my heart; I love how it turned out and I hope that you love it as much as I do.

For the folks who prefer listening to podcasts rather than reading blog posts, the sound byte has been included here especially for you. Please click here or scroll to the bottom of the page to listen in. Sound Byte

…ooOoo…

Today’s sketchPLATE offering is available now in the Design Shop. We still have still some wrinkles to iron out in the checkout process so please bear with us with the new shopping cart software. If it is not working correctly for you, please reach out and let us know immediately.

sketchPLATE Saturday templates are available for FREE by coupon code for subscribers only, so please be sure to subscribe now if you haven’t already done so. The email will be going out shortly.

…ooOoo…

The image, featuring a poster by Tyler Spangler originally found via Pinterest, that was the basis for the pencil sketch forming the starting point of sketchPLATE 0011, and clearly demonstrating the design elements of contract and pattern, together with out-of-bounds photo manipulation.

Who said that out-of-bounds images are passé?

Quite some time ago as I was browsing through a bunch of pins, this poster by Tyler Spangler (originally found via Pinterest) really jumped out and caught my eye with it’s dramatic use of line, combined with the perpendicular juxtaposition of a circular cutout.

At first, I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to use the inspiration, all I knew was that I was definitely going to create something with lines like this AND especially retain the concept of the out-of-bounds photograph treatment.

Flourishing in Simplicity

Because the inspiration piece is classic in line and texture with a simple monochrome colour palette, I wanted to retain as much of the character of that simplicity as possible. That was actually a far more difficult task than initially envisioned. More about that later.

Creating Depth and Texture

Furthermore, because the inspiration piece has a very highly graphic magazine quality to it, I also wanted to break that up a bit and soften it out. That actually drove me a little nuts and was far more difficult than I had hoped. More about that later, also.

What Happened in My Art Journal

The photo of my art journal page with the finished hand-drawn pencil sketch draft concept for the digital scrapbook layout, Lucky 13.January 2022, several months down the track after finding the pin, I finally opened my Art Journal to try and coalesce some of the early ideas that came to mind when I first saw the original poster.

Initially I thought that I would add stitching and an inked border on top of a curled edge torn cardstock piece on top of a plain cardstock backing, topped with a lined patterned paper.

Once I put that idea on paper, together with the cutout and circular photo, it became apparent that the lines would end up being too visually heavy and, as you can see from the notes I made, I decided that the finished sketchPLATE would have a more pastel tone to the lined element.

In an effort to start adding softening elements I threw on the ubiquitous flower accent and then decided to experiment with designing flourish accents.

The Completed Pencil Draft

So, once all those thoughts were traced out, I trimmed the penciled work from my Art Journal to use in the creation of my layout:

The image is of the trimmed hand-drawn pencil sketch for the sketchPLATE Saturday layout design project, showing the intricate design concept for the layout to be created.

 

The Scrapping of a Layout

Usually when I create a layout, the various elements are designed as I go along. Which is opposite to how I design .. I usually design a kit and then try and scrap with it. Then, if I feel something is missing as I’m scrapping, I design and add to the kit. Now, after completing several of these sketchPLATE Saturday projects, now I think the second method is much much easier! Funny how we learn new ways as we start to do things differently.

The first session that I started working on the layout I hit a brick wall with the flourish. I totally hated how it looked on the page! I had actually forgotten that the lines on the top layer of paper were mean to be pastel toned. I was trying to create a dark stamped flourish to go on top of a high contrast patterned background and I just couldn’t get it to work.

It was ages before I finally cottoned on that I had diverged a little too far from the noted ideas I had added to right of my original hand drawn art journal version. (Note to self: look at the art journal version too, from time to time.)

I worked for a looong time on getting the background papers just right.

In the end I dropped the curled edge torn cardstock idea ~ there was already a lot happening on the page and the curl/torn edge combination just did not look right. It also meant an additional layer of cardstock which further complicated the look of the framing plus the additional drop shadows … it was too much!

It looks a lot better without out the curl to be honest.

Photo Manipulations: Using Layer Masks

The photograph is of my older son, Logan, on his thirteenth birthday looking at his chocolate mud-cake with 13 candles all lit ready and waiting for him to blow out, as he makes his special secret birthday wishes.With only the one special birthday photo that I wanted to use on this page, for this layout I had already decided to craft an out-of-bounds effect with the photograph, which was totally in keeping with the inspiration poster. I have used out-of-bounds design elements before, but not often, so I was keen to get started working on that particular aspect of this project.

To achieve the effect I duplicated the main photo which was initially a little dull and grainy due to the lighting … and the limited lens on my phone camera! I then created a clipping mask around the birthday cake, duplicated it several times, added more clipping masks on the candle flames and added layer styles to emphasise the fire glow on the candle tips as well as added a pop-out style drop shadow on the base layer with the original clipping mask to give additional depth to the cake on the cake stand.

Phew! that was pretty easy really, but took a little bit of work and some tweaking to get it looking just right.

Building and Rebuilding Flourishes

The flourishes were still plagueing me though. I just could not get them to work properly! I think that if I had Adobe Illustrator on my machine I would have been able to pull them off but my darling old laptop is just not capable of running it … still dreaming of the day that I finally get my dream machine.

Nonetheless, not to be totally deterred, I finally settled on a commercial use flourish and after a little bit of work manipulating it I finished it up by styling it with a bright and shiny chrome effect. A very nice finish.

Working with Typography: The Title, Number 13, wordART

The next thing I spent a fair bit of time working on was the positioning of the title and the number accent. This required the creation of a new chrome alphabet set so that I could place a number 13 on the page. This type of design work is my forte and works so beautifully on this page.

After that was completed I worked on a title; initially I used straight text style title but in the end I opted for a more ornate and decorative approach. That resulted in a chrome wire title…

Totally Wired

As I have mentioned before, I really enjoy working with typography as a design element and so as I was working on the layout and ditched the straight text title, I created a chrome wire style wordART piece using the word lucky as the focus word. I have created chrome wire wordART before (see sketchPLATE 0007) and love designing them.

These wire wordART pieces that I create are fairly straightforward but actually quite intricate to execute well. Attention to design details is always the key focus when I design any of my digital scrapbook items and products ~ if I don’t love it it just doesn’t make the cut.

Also, 13 is a lucky number for my family of origin so it was a lovely word to add to the number element that I had already added.

I adore how this one turned out.

Background Elements: Stamps, Stamps, Stamps and more Stamps!

I had soooo much fun designing all the different stamps that are featured on this layout! There are literally heaps of them. Take a look at the Lucky 13 Petite Collection in the Shop for an idea of how many are actually on the page!

Doing this type of brush work is one of my favourite ways of embellishing layouts … I may end up creating a brush set with even more brushes because I created a bunch of others as I was scrapping/designing that didn’t end up on the finished page but I love. Stay tuned.

Clustering for Depth and Balance

Finally, the focal point of the page, aka the out-of-bounds photo, was looking out of place where it was originally positioned after I did away with the original idea of a flourish in the bottom left hand corner. To create additional depth and balance the composition I clustered a bunch of arrow tags and word bits together with some stamps and a cute little cardstock heart. I also added the date to give time context to the page. Overall, that little cluster has an almost vintage envelope postmark esthetic to it. Love it!

Tweaking the Stamps

Once I had all the elements on the page, I started deleting items. Yes, deleting them!

There were too many stamps and it had started to feel a little overcrowded. Over the years I have found that I tend to do that a lot and there is a saying that a design is not finished until you can’t remove any more parts from it.

Location, Location, Location: Final Positions

In the final phase, I spent a fair amount of time resizing and repositioning the lucky wordART title and the #13. Finally, balance had won the page! and as I am often wont to do, I added the running spray of chrome brads in the bottom left corner to complete the layout in style:

The digital scrapbook layout, Lucky 13, pictorially documenting some of my memories from my older son's, Logan's, thirteenth birthday, intricately designed with optimal use of filled negative space using out-of-bounds photo effect and shiny chrome pieces together with monochrome backgrounds and flaming orange-red spot colour for emphasis.

Shop This Look

Lucky 13

Aaaaaah! Birthdays! My son, Logan, he was so happy on that day. He was finally a teenager! 

On that day we had gone to the movies to see one of the totally awesome movies that were screening at that time … a convoluted way of saying that I can’t specifically remember which one we saw … I’m sure that it was totally awesome especially because it was Logan’s choice as part of his birthday celebrations.

When we returned home it was time for cake and I must say at this point that I completely approve of Logan’s choice of chocolate mud cake for his birthday cakes, they are his favourite and he has extremely good taste in that regard. 

With only one photo that I wanted to use on this page, for this layout I decided to use an “out-of-bounds” effect with the photograph. To achieve the effect I duplicated the main photo and then created a clipping mask around the birthday cake and added layer styles to emphasise the glow of the candles as well as adding a pop-out style drop shadow to give additional depth the the cake on the cake stand.

As an aside: My sons and I have a family tradition of drinking non-alcoholic Prosecco (a traditional Italian sparkling red wine) on every birthday, for Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and for every celebration really. We always do this, but the glassware that I currently have is not great and my cake stand is just a cheap porcelain one. I used to have a large selection of beautiful Luigi Bormioli glasses from my Wedding Gift Registry. But, alas, glass and hard floors just don’t mix well together when you have young children, so over the years you can imagine that not much survived from my previous sets. Now that my sons are young adults, perhaps I can start buying some beautiful glassware again and teach my sons a little about wine etiquette while serving genuine Prosecco together with some delectable cake on a gorgeous cake stand … Thank goodness for Amazon Wish Lists!

 

Celebration Ideas: Present the Cake Fancy & Give ’em Bubbles
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad

Photo of a beautiful farmhouse style cake stand with glass bell-dome. Photo of a bottle of the Lyres brand Classico Non-alchoholic Wine, Prosecco style. Photo of one of the Luigi Bormioli white wine glasses from their classic Aero range.

Not quite what you are looking for?
See more from Gracious Goods, Lyre’s Spirit Co & Luigi Bormioli.
Need party décor inspiration?
Check out the Balloon Garlands on Amazon. #ad

 

Two Weeks Later …

Stepping back and looking again after a couple of weeks, I must say that the page gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. I love that the candles seem as though they are burning right in front of me.

The memories of that day with my new teenager and my darling 11 year older are vivid in my mind’s eye; I almost feel as though I could just reach out and give them both a hug.

After finishing the Lucky 13 Petite Collection, which was the decorative base of this project, and looking at this layout again I actually started creating a second page with multiple photos. As at the time of publishing this post, the second page design is actually finished and is just awaiting arrangement of the photographs.

 

The sketchPLATE

Converting the layout to the sketchPLATE was pretty straightforward, however, because this project was created from a new Collection, this time most of the accents and embellishments in the template are “blanks” so that you can customise to your heart’s content.

Created with you in mind, I give you sketchPLATE 0011 for your enjoyment.

 

The image is a standalone preview of the digital scrapbook layered template, sketchPLATE 0011 converted from the composition created in the digital scrapbook layout, Lucky 13.

 

Download Information

The sketchPLATE is licensed for Personal Use Only; all the files are combined into one convenient .ZIP file for you, including:

  • the .TIF file version of the layered template;
  • the .PSD file version of the layered template; and,
  • the separated, untrimmed .PNGs files on 12×12 transparent backgrounds.

 

The image is a preview of the digital scrapbook layered template, sketchPLATE 0011, and includes a cameo size image of the digital scrapbook layout, Lucky 13.

Please be my guest and grab sketchPLATE No.0011 in the Design Shop now.

 

Exclusive Coupon Code for Subscribers

Subscribe for Coupon Code

Freebie downloads of this sketchPLATE are for newsletter subscribers only, so please be sure to sign up today for the next one!

 

The sketchPLATE Saturday Show

See the Show Notes for the transcript and resources list.

 

Already used this set in a layout? Link me up to your layout on Facebook or Instagram so that I may see it too by tagging the credits with @anitarichardsdesigns. I will go look and leave some digi love especially for you!

Lastly, and certainly not leastly, thank you! Thank you for participating in today’s sketchPLATE Saturday, part of our ongoing Digital Scrapbooking Projects & Inspiration series. The complete index for previous sketchPLATE Saturday Projects can be found on the sketchPLATE Saturdays home page.

Enjoy!

Explore this Pin and follow us on Pinterest:The image is a promotional Pin image for the Anita Richards Designs Board on the Pinterest platform and includes a preview of the digital scrapbook layered template, sketchPLATE 0011 available at https://anitarichards.com.au, as well as a cameo image of the digital scrapbook layout, Lucky 13.

View this Tweet and follow us on Twitter:The image is a promotional Tweet image for Anita Richards Designs on the Twitter platform and includes a preview of the digital scrapbook layered template, sketchPLATE 0011 available at https://anitarichards.com.au, as well as a cameo image of the digital scrapbook layout, Lucky 13.

Join the discussion and follow us on Facebook:The image is a promotional post image for the Anita Richards Designs Page on the Facebook platform and includes a preview of the digital scrapbook layered template, sketchPLATE 0011 available at https://anitarichards.com.au, as well as a cameo image of the digital scrapbook layout, Lucky 13.

Add to the conversation and follow us on LinkedIN:The image is a promotional post image for Anita Richards Designs on the LinkedIn platform and includes a preview of the digital scrapbook layered template, sketchPLATE 0011, available at https://anitarichards.com.au, as well as a cameo image of the digital scrapbook layout, Lucky 13.

Listen to the sketchPLATE Saturday Show podcast and follow us on Soundcloud:The image is a podcast cover image for the sketchPLATE Saturday Show Episode 0011 on the Soundcloud platform.

 

How exactly do I create a Digital Scrapbook layout?

Anita Richards Designs | Featured Image | Digiscrap 1050 | How do you create a digital scrapbook layout?

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

A visual queue card type image demonstrating a collection of digital scrapbook images and the same when arranged in a completed layout.

Creating your first Digital Scrapbooking page may seem like a daunting task at first blush. However, the good news is that it is actually much simpler than it seems. The key is layers. Once you understand how to use layers it becomes the proverbial piece of cake. In this blog post we will talk about the basics of getting started with your first digital scrapbooking layout project and work on a simple step-by-step walk through of the canvas file creation and design process commencing with a bunch of random files through to completed layout.

 

~~~ Full tutorial coming soon ~~~

 

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sketchPLATE Saturday 0010

Anita Richards Designs | Featured Image | sketchPLATE 0010

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

Good morning DigiScrappers! Today it is my great pleasure to present you with the first of the brand new range of sketchPLATES for 2022. After last year’s hodge podge of mixed blessings, so far this year is shaping up to be pretty awesome. The Design Shop is on track to reopen on Monday, 1 February, and a new kit will be gracing the shelves very soon. #FutureGoals Spotlighting this sketchPLATE Saturday offering, the idea for this page was originally sparked by those awesome ampersands that were so popular a little while ago. Having spotted a few on Pinterest I decided to try my hand at designing one using a shiny epoxy layer style used in a page composition inspired by an artsy poster. The result has turned out better than I thought and I hope that you love it as much as I do.

 

First … a little housekeeping

 

From Artsy Poster to First Draft

Back to the sketchPLATE … the artsy poster that caught my attention for this sketchPLATE is this one by Xavier Esclusa, found on Pinterest:

That vintage floral image growing though the typographic element, against the deep darkness of the background … very cool!

Typography is a bit of a side interest and, over the years, I have used decorative fonts in my design work a lot! So it was quite natural to incorporate the ampersand in the design in place of the original “S”. The pencil draft is quite sleek looking, almost magazine style, which for me is not my usual style, thus creating a bit of a design challenge to retain the timeless simplicity of lines in the background.

Furthermore, looking at the poster, I kind of wholesale borrowed the beautiful incision of the negative use of the serif letter “I” that so cunningly creates depth in the background behind the decorative floral and typography pieces. To finish off, I capped it by adding my own take on the classic juxtaposition of vintage and modern aesthetic!

 

The “On Paper” Version

The penciled work in my art journal turned out like this:

 

Getting the Lighting Just Right

Referring to the sketch often, the background was the obvious place to start. The basic structure was easy enough to create but for some reason I found working with dark colours in the foreground of the paper layers was just not working. I think that that was partly due to the papers I used which came from a very old kit of mine, called Little Black Christmas Dress (to be remastered). Changing the papers to lighten the page looked much better in the end.

Once I had settled on the basic structure I needed to build the ampersand. After much tweaking and more than a few different approaches to the styling, finally the element came to life. It was so curvy that I was just about bursting with satisfaction.

Originally, this sketch was intended to boast an oversized daisy as the floral accent. However, by the time that I finally got stuck into working on the page it was leading up to Christmas and I knew that I wanted to use a poinsettia in the design instead once the layout was completed. So plonk! On it went.

The next thing I spent a fair bit of time working on was the positioning of the title and the journaling. The balance was a little off since I was working on a square canvas with a lot of white space running down the right hand side of the page. Actually, to be honest, it took an embarrassingly long time to get that right. I think I need to scrap more pages more often to sort that out.

Adding the photos was simple enough although as I was working I changed from a single round photo, to two rectangular photos and then swapped back to round again. The 90° angles just felt a little harsh against the rounded corners of the background and the curvy lines in the ampersand.

 

Creating a Cohesive Canvas

Pulling everything together I decided to run a spray of small paint splatters from the top left corner through to the bottom right hand corner, right where a nice little tag cluster now sits. The page was still feeling a little off balance until those design elements were added. I considered using glitter but opted against it because I felt that glitter might introduce too much texture to the finished page.

Finally, the focal point of the page at the ampersand and the flower desperately needed to have more depth and variation. Adding a simple black tassel and a few leaves under the poinsettia, combined with two round tags underneath the ampersand brought exactly the right amount of depth without overpowering the photographs.

 

Christmas Memories Layout Finished!

Punctuating the page with some simple, shiny brads finished the project in style:

Shop This Look

The Great Unboxing

Vividly do I remember that Christmas Day; the temperature was in the high 30°C’s and humid! Bleh!

Having said that, I think that the journaling for this page perfectly tells the story:

”’Twas the First Christmas for our Taran & Logan was so excited helping him to unwrap all his presents. I think that he secretly knew he would get to play with most of the gifts too & so he figured why not be part of the Great Unboxing. After all … how many times does a Big Brother get to help his Little Brother to celebrate his First Christmas?”

As an aside: I simply adore beautiful Christmas ornaments and have a small collection of simply stunning fine quality glass baubles. My favorites are the ones commemorating my sons’ respective Baby’s First Christmases. One Christmas unfortunately, my first baby’s bauble was accidentally shattered. I kept all the pieces and placed them inside another bauble, but … Swarovski have gorgeous ornaments that they have been creating for decades … I located one for sale for 2003 and one for 2005. #wishlist

Christmas Gift Ideas: SWAROVSKI® Crystal Ornaments
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad

A beautiful, fragile and intricately created Swarovski Crystal Christmas Star ornament with year date 2021. An intricate and stunningly crafted Swarovksi Crystal Christmas Star ornament. A very cute and delicate precious Swarovski Crystal Christmas Reindeer ornament.

Not quite what you are looking for?
See more SWAROVSKI® Crystal Ornament gift ideas on Amazon.
#ad

 

… Two Weeks Later

Stepping back and looking again after a couple of weeks, I must say that I really like the subtle sense of motion that the ampersand gives to the page. The page feels almost gentle if that can be said of a digital image. It certainly has heart.

 

sketchPLATE FREEbie Just For You

Created with you in mind, I give you sketchPLATE 0010 for your enjoyment.

 

In the download, all the files are combined into one convenient .ZIP file for you, including:

  • the .TIF file version of the layered template;
  • the .PSD file version of the layered template;
  • the separated, untrimmed .PNGs files on 12×12 transparent backgrounds.

 

Please be my guest and grab sketchPLATE No.0010 now in the Design Shop now and please remember to use coupon code:

Future free downloads will be for newsletter subscribers only, so please be sure to sign up today for the next one.

 

Bringing Down the Curtain

That’s all folks for this edition of sketchPLATE Saturday.

Please remember to share a link to your layout so that I may see it too. Tag me in the credits on your publicly viewable layout if you post on Facebook or Instagram @anitarichardsdesigns and I promise that I will take a look.

Lastly, and certainly not leastly, thank you! Thank you for participating in today’s sketchPLATE Saturday, part of our ongoing Digital Scrapbooking Projects & Inspiration series. The complete index for previous sketchPLATE Saturday Projects can be found on the sketchPLATE Saturdays home page.

Enjoy!

Anita Richards Designs | Featured Image | sketchPLATE 0010
Featured Image | sketchPLATE 0010
Presenting the first of the sketchPLATES for 2022. The idea for this sketchPLATE was sparked by those awesome ampersands so popular a little while ago.

 

Open Call: Cheerleaders, Proofreaders, Creatives

Anita Richards Designs | Featured Image | Team Anita Richards

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

Super quick post to let you know that Anita Richards Designs has an Open Call in progress for Cheerleaders, Proofreaders & Creatives.

Cheerleaders will keep an eye on forums and social media, posting links to our products whenever you spot an “in search of” or “enable me” type thread or other discussion about kit and product suggestions as well as generally promote our brand.

Proofreaders will help with ensuring that our written content is grammatically correct and that what I have written makes sense including making suggestions if my wording doesn’t make sense. So if you have lifetime membership of the Grammar Police Force then WE NEED YOU!

eye Lashes - A Digital Scrapbook Layout dwelling upon my older son’s very long eye lashes when he was very young.
Digital Scrapbook Layout: eye Lashes

 

Layout Creatives will of course scrap pages, minimum of 1 per week, posting to your blog, social media and gallery sites, and write a short blog post describing your creative process.

Let’s talk. If we are a good fit to work together … let’s celebrate! Face-to-face if we can, but across the internet if we are in different parts of the world from one another.

Once you become a Team Member you will have lifetime access to ALL of the digital scrapbooking products in the Design Shop with exclusive Scrap For Hire / Scrap For Others Creative Team Member Licensing … more about that later.

Apply today and let’s talk!

sketchPLATE Saturday 0009

Anita Richards Designs | Featured Image | sketchPLATE Saturday 0009

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

From a Plate of Carrots to a Page that Bubbles!

The blog post introduction image for sketchPLATE 0009 includes a photo of the hand-drawn layout sketch, done in pencil on art journal parchment, and a photo of the finished digital scrapbook layout that evolved from that initial concept drawing.Hey hey hey! Can you believe that January is almost done and dusted already? I have been full on getting things accomplished and, weirdly, I am feeling a teensy bit sad that most of the month is already marked off. Nonetheless, today I have a new sketchPLATE for you and true to the name sketchPLATE the inspiration for this template comes from a haute cuisine plating photograph would you believe!?! I love the fine art of haute cuisine and have tried a few plating experiments of my own over the years … lots of practice still ahead.

…ooOoo…

Slight detour for a moment: for today’s sketchPLATE offering, I have temporarily done away with the store coupons and reverted to the download via email link; the store had a glitch and downloads are deactivated while I decide whether or not to renew the license (preferred option) or go with another e-commerce option (unknown app to me and I feel nervous about starting with another option right now) … stay tuned.

…ooOoo…

The photo shows the inspiration source for the digital scrapbook layout So back to the sketchPLATE … the plating photo that I chose to work with for this sketchPLATE is this one, originally found on Pinterest, by Signe Birck:

Now come on!

I reckon that that plate of carrots has gotta be the best darned plate of carrots ever seen!

Given that I am a total carrot lover (I eat at least two whole fresh carrots each day on most days!) I just couldn’t resist! Which of course resulted in this slightly quirky penciled draft … a bit messy but I really like it especially given it’s odd origin in terms of what most digiscrappers would expect to see for an inspiration piece.

Looking at the photo I kind of leaned into those gorgeous circles and the curved positioning around the arc of the plate as I was sketching, adding design elements on the fly … although the Chef would be horrified to hear that particular word I am sure!

 

Here’s what happened on paper:

The photo shows the hand-drawn pencil sketch done on art journal parchment; the focal point of the composition is repetition of circular elements.

The conversion process of turning it into a sketchPLATE was an interesting challenge as I focused on retaining circular shapes as the main design element. Usually I use square or rectangular shapes, so circles was a nice departure from the norm.

Still, I felt that I needed to clean it up a little from my initial smudged “brush” ideas and so I grabbed an element from my old Floriade Collection (originally a collaboration kit with a fellow designer, Amy Teets) and morphed it into a bold backdrop image statement. I also created the stitched circle especially for this template … I didn’t count how many stitches I painstakingly hand-placed as I was going along, but there’s a lot of ’em! If you want to count ’em up, please, be my guest!!!

Adding some confetti as nodding recognition of the sauces that the Chef added to the plate, as well as to attain cohesion, was a nice way of drawing the composition together.

Once I had the basic structure sorted and started scrapping, initially I wanted to and was actually working on retaining orange as the main pop of colour on the page. However, that just didn’t work for some reason. Sometimes I struggle with using orange effectively, so I messed around with different colours for a while before settling on the purple and pink paisley colours as I built the tiny flowers, little leaf sprays, and shiny heart elements.

 

Presenting the page that was born from a photo of an artsy plate of carrots:

Family Memories

During our Great Australian Road Trip in 2017-2018 we visited many National Parks; Minnamurra National Park was one of the more memorable ones. As we were walking the boardwalk trail I came across a bunch of berries strewn across the walkway grill; they reminded me very much of the berries that we had seen in Wolemi National Park although these were a little larger and slightly less purple. I have a passion for learning about Australian flora and bush foods and have sampled many as well as foraged when appropriate.

This photo holds a very special place in my heart as it was amongst some of the first photos that I took of my sons and I using the selfie stick that I had bought a few weeks beforehand but not really used much up to that point. Sometimes I am embarrassingly so slow to keep up with the new gizmos that hit the market!

And so, this photo, even though you can’t see the berries that I am talking about, remind me very much of being in that place with my sons and talking with the rangers who were there that day and in particular the one who also has a keen interest in Australian flora. Unfortunately he could not identify what the berry was although he said he was going to follow up on it.

The atmosphere there that day was muggy, which is perfect for the sub-tropical rainforest that it is, and very beautiful being a stunning example of the very few remaining pristine sub-tropical rainforests that still exist here in Australia as, sadly, nearly all of it has been lost to either farming, housing, mining, logging or other destructive actions.

Because we were on a hike that day, the bold background statement image is a compass on this page, a pointer of true north for me to what is most important in my life, and the triangle tag is evocative of a basic location tag.

I decided to go with muted colour behind the photograph so that the main focus would remain on the photo and the “berries”, and the photo I cranked up the contrast and made the colours rich and deep, paying homage to the forest.

As an aside: Speaking of plates, when I became engaged, my fiancé and I held our Engagement Party at a fabulous Greek restaurant. We did this because my then future husband’s step-father is from that region of the world and his Mother and extended family is widely known in the Community here in Perth. And, as was custom … we broke plates! My fiancé smashed them all over the dance floor and then jumped up on a table and danced for me. Well, when we got married I had a beautiful Mikasa dinnerware set on my Bridal Register and the Community blessed us with the whole collection! The set is now long gone, as is my husband. Rest in Peace. However, my wish is to be able to get a new, even more beautiful Mikasa set. Sighing. Praying that my wish comes true.

 

Wedding Gift Ideas: Mikasa® Fine Dinnerware & Accessories
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad

The photo is of the Mikasa Italian Countryside® 16 Piece Dinnerware Set available for sale on Amazon. The photo is of the Mikasa Italian Countryside® 5 Piece Pasta Set available for sale on Amazon. The photo is of the Mikasa Italian Countryside® 20-Piece Stainless Steel Flatware Set available for sale on Amazon.

Not quite what you are looking for?
See more Mikasa® & Homeware gift ideas on Amazon.
#ad

 

Overall, the page kind of bubbles with so many circles! and I love the subtle sense of flow that engenders.

 

Presenting sketchPLATE 0009 for your scrapping pleasure:

 

For the downloads, I have simplified this sketchPLATE somewhat from previous offerings, combining all the files into the one convenient download for you, including:

  • the .TIF file version of the layered template;
  • the .PSD file version of the layered template;
  • the separated .PNGs files on 12×12 transparent backgrounds.

 

So, without any further ado, here ’tis …

 

Free downloads for this products are now finished, however, you can now add it to your cart together with this week’s shopping.

 

So whaddya reckon? Nice page coming up, wot? Please link us up to your Facebook or Instagram post with the credit tag @anitarichardsdesigns so that we can take a look!

Lastly, and certainly not leastly, thank you! Thank you for participating in today’s sketchPLATE Saturday, part of our ongoing Digital Scrapbooking Projects & Inspiration series. The complete index for previous sketchPLATE Saturday Projects can be found on the sketchPLATE Saturdays home page.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

sketchPLATE Saturday 0008

The featured image for the blog post discussing the inspiration and creative process behind sketchPLATE 0008

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

sketchPLATE Saturday 0008 blog post introductory image demonstrating use of this layered digital scrapbook template in a finished layout.Wow! I blinked! and somehow September slipped away before I could find my feet for the sketchPLATE. I’m scoring it up as an “its 2020, just roll with it” month. Still and all, the extra time gifted an opportunity to step back for a moment to reassess where these sketchPLATES are heading. All in all… quite chuffed with how they are unfolding as a creative project that is uniquely mine.

So, to October’s sketchPLATE Saturday AND the all new sketchPLATE Saturday podcasts.

For the folks who prefer listening to podcasts rather than reading blog posts, the sound byte has been included here especially for you. Please click here or scroll to the bottom of the page to listen in. Sound Byte

This project started life as a scrap lift sketch inspired by one of my layouts from a number years ago that I focused on to create the pencil sketch for this month’s template. I LOVED the long frame portrait photos in my original layout and wanted to rework a few ideas that bloomed when I created the page the first time around.

Overall, this page is carefully crafted to be a florist’s dream come true; the finished page positively bubbles and froths with flowers!

Supporting the full show of flowers, the background in this month’s pencil sketch is a little less “busy” than last month’s as there is less border inking / distressing. Nonetheless, the solid background base combined with the paint smear and brushwork adds a lovely dimension of depth to the page.

Interestingly, as I was scrapping this page, I ended up doing away with most of the brushwork originally included in the pencil sketch.

Photograph of the art journal penciling results in sketchPLATE 0008.

 

No doilies this month either, although I did borrow the naive style heart pattern from them, incorporating it into the decorative Memories coaster disks; a nodding recognition of part of my sons’ family of origin heritage.

The paint smear and ink splatters on this page were given extra special attention during the creation process, and I gotta say in all honesty, working on the techniques for making them realistic was loads of fun. Loving how they turned out and looking forward to creating the next batch of inked and painted goodies.

Apart from the background paper (from the Just Me Petite Collection), everything on this layout is original and unique. The flowers have all been custom created especially for this project and will become available in the Design Shop in due course.

 

So here it is, the page that is reborn:

Stilt Walking - A Digital Scrapbook Layout about my sons learning to stilt walk during their circus training class

Stilt Walking

My sons did circus training for kids for several years when we were homeschooling. They had an amazing time and learned so many fun skills, not to mention thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of being involved in circus performances.
There was also a deeper reason for getting them to do circus; both of my sons had issues with tight tendons in their legs and this was a way of incorporating a robust dimension of stretching and bodywork (their teacher was actually a fully qualified OT) to their physical education routine.
The photographs as the main focus of the page, of course, necessitated the use of long yet narrow portrait frames.
Once the photographs were positioned, the page was then lavishly loaded with flowers on and around them as a tribute to the setting where their circus classes were held. Their circus classes were held in a facility surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens, filled with water features, flowers and fruit trees, thus the layout mirrors that memory.
DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS.
Logan and Taran were supervised the whole time by a trained spotter; those were professional circus stilts that my sons were strapped into. A fall could have resulted in a serious injury.

 

As an aside: if you are at all interested in circus toys and activities for the children in your life, here are a few simple, safe suggestions for you to explore on Amazon. My sons used the Firetoys brand when they were homeschooling and I can absolutely vouch for their long lasting quality.

Christmas Gift Ideas: Firetoys & Circus Training
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. #ad

Photo of a set of three Firetoys Juggling Clubs. Photo of a set of two glowing Firetoys LED Glow Poi taken in a darkened room. Photo of a set of five Firetoys Juggling Balls

Not quite what you are looking for?
See more Firetoys & Circus Training gear on Amazon.
#ad

 

The compositional character of this page invokes a cascading visual triangle. The waterfall flow of flowers carries the eye from the strong, trellis-like horizontal brushes along the right hand side of the page, beginning the floral flood in the top corner, then down and across the photographs, finally arriving in the bottom left hand corner before the eye pops back to focus on the photographs.

The two Memories coaster disks add grounding to the page, hinting at the idea of water wheels and the concept of the wheels of life turning. The page makes a strong, albeit feminine statement, supported by the addition of white leaf sprays as a light hearted notion, harmonising and bringing all the embellishments together.

Lastly, the photographs are solidly backed with a simple sheet of notepaper, representing family history documented, thereby concluding this month’s sketchPLATE offering.

 

Rolling out sketchPLATE 0008:

The preview shows the completed layered digital scrapbook template, sketchPLATE 0008.

 

As shown in the preview, this sketchPLATE comes with the press tape style word label, the notepaper piece as well as the Memories coaster disks. Also included are custom warped shadows behind the photographs.

The layered .TIF and .PSD template files have basic drop shadows, ready for you to customise, applied to all the flower and leaf layers. Overall the template also includes the ink splats, paint smear and trellis-style brush worked lines.

From the get-go, this page was intended as a delightful expression of family memory keeping; the infusion of the soft, deep and warm colour choices of the layout add a sense of pride and satisfaction as viewed from a mother’s perspective.

Arguably, in today’s world, pink flowers are often not considered very masculine.

However, I am standing by the fact that, during the Victorian era, pink was for boys, recognition of yet another part of my sons’ family of origin heritage … I’m a little old fashioned that way.

 

The final product image of sketchPLATE 0008 as it is displayed in the Design Shop.

 

Ok, enough of the back story … FREEbie downloads for this sketchPLATE are now available through the Design Shop. To grab your free copy please use the coupon code GIMMEsP008 during checkout (there’s a screen display glitch, you won’t be charged the GST if you’re not in Australia, keep clicking all the way through), valid until Saturday 24 October 2020.

So, what are you waiting for? Go on. Go get it now!

Promotional coupon code for sketchPLATE freebie download.

The sketchPLATE Saturday Show

Aaaaand that‘s all for today. Please credit your post on Facebook or Instgram with the tag @anitarichardsdesigns so that we can see how your layout turned out.

Lastly, and certainly not leastly, thank you! Thank you for participating in today’s sketchPLATE Saturday, part of our ongoing Digital Scrapbooking Projects & Inspiration series. The complete index for previous sketchPLATE Saturday Projects can be found on the sketchPLATE Saturdays home page.

Enjoy!

The image, for posting on the Facebook and Instagram platforms, showcases the finished layout from sketchPLATE 0008.

The image, featuring sketchPLATE 0008 and a finished layout, was created for promotion on the Twitter and LinkedIN platforms.

A promotional image for publication on the Pinterest platform featuring sketchPLATE 0008 and a finished layout.
sketchPLATE Saturday 0008
Today’s #sketchPLATEsaturday FREE #template is every florist’s dream come true! boasting a veritable cascade of flowers framing two photos.
Visit the blog to download your complimentary copy NOW!
https://anitarichards.com.au/sketchplate-saturday-0008/
#AnitaRichardsDesigns #LearnToDigiscrap #DigitalScrapbooking #freedownload #inspiration #digitalscrapbook #layoutscrapbook #layouts #layoutdesign #scrapbooklayout #layoutsketch #digitaltemplate #circus #homeschool #ad

sketchPLATE Saturday 0007

Anita Richards Designs | Featured Image | sketchPLATE 0007

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

It almost feels as though August pounced upon us yesterday and yet it is, incredibly and for all intents and purposes, over. Which leads us directly to another sketchPLATE Saturday. Time for a brand new, completely unique digital scrapbooking template!

In many ways, the sketchPLATE for August is all about that glitter! I adore glitter! and am thankful every time that I use it on one of my layouts that I use digital scrapbooking glitter and not the real stuff. Although I must confess that I love the real stuff too because, well, glitter is gorgeous and sparkly and awesome and jazzy, but sadly it always makes too much of a mess.

After last month’s doilies I decided to create another mini, a circular one this time, adding a few more refinements to the overall design. Liking these little pretties more and more.

In this month’s penciled sketch page I focused on combining round doilies with flowers and large leaf sprays backed with a bunch of white grunge and stamped elements. The overall look is a little cleaner than my previous penciled sketches … a work in progress though.

The original art journal penciling concept of sketchPLATE 0007

 

Interestingly this ended up being another All About Me page … that’s two now within the space of a single week! Again this layout took me hours to complete … and again I’m chalking that up to the fact that I was designing a whole bunch of elements on the fly which was loads of fun to be honest.

Apart from the file strip backing the date on this page (from the Just Me Petite Collection, slightly modified), everything here on this layout is new and original, eventually to become items in a new collection coming soon. So here we go, the page that was aborn:

The finished layout, titled Precious Princess, that provided the creative structure of sketchPLATE 0007

Precious Princess

Creating this page after starting with a randomly hand drawn sketch to get started was a fascinating journey down memory lane. I tried to incorporate a Slavic naïve artsy type feel to the page with the hearts on the doilies and the page has resulted in sketchPLATE No.0007.

This photo holds a very special place in my heart as the little feet on the side of the photo belonged to my little brother. Despite being a mere 18 months old at the time, I actually remember sitting for my mother to take this photo which was shot on black and white film.

The photo, of course, being a vintage black and white one, was the main inspiration for going with a monotone style, adding just a hint of a pop of spot colour in the embellishment choices to breathe some character into the page.

The overall flow of the page is a visual triangle, with an emphasis on the photo as the main focal point. The two element clusters add a strong yet feminine characteristic softened out with the white grunge stamping and colour smudging in the background, thus laying the foundations for this month’s sketchPLATE offering.

Presenting sketchPLATE 0007!

A preview page displaying the sketchPLATE 0007 product

 

As shown in the preview, this sketchPLATE also includes a bonus alphabet set composed of glittered uppercase letters. The layered template also comes with custom warped shadowing for the leaves and leaf sprays. The layered .TIF and .PSD have basic drop shadows applied ready for you to customise as applied to the mini doilies. Overall the template also comes packaged with the background grunge, the glittered photo frame and glitter ink princess stamp.

From a designing perspective, I have again achieved a whole ‘nother learning experience … always a good thing … and the new Collection that is a work in progress behind the scenes right now will features the new goodies.

The more of these exercises I complete now, the more I am liking the process. The drunk chicken scrawls are becoming more refined and the eraser marks are becoming fewer.

The fully packaged design shop product preview of sketchPLATE 0007

 

Ok, enough of the back story … FREEbie downloads for this sketchPLATE are now available through the Design Shop. To grab your free copy please use the coupon code sP007freebie during checkout (there’s a screen display glitch, you won’t be charged the GST if you’re not in Australia, keep clicking all the way through, more…), valid until Friday 11 September 2020.

coupon sketchPLATE 0007

 

So, what are you waiting for? Go on. Go get it now!

Finito! Remember to add a tag (@anitarichardsdesigns) in your credits on Facebook or Instagram if you post your finished page online so that I may check it out and leave some digi love for you.

Lastly, and certainly not leastly, thank you! Thank you for participating in today’s sketchPLATE Saturday, part of our ongoing Digital Scrapbooking Projects & Inspiration series. The complete index for previous sketchPLATE Saturday Projects can be found on the sketchPLATE Saturdays home page.

Enjoy!

See sketchPLATE 0007 and follow our boards on Pinterest.

 

Join the conversation about sketchPLATE 0007 and follow our page on Facebook.

 

See sketchPLATE 0007 and follow us on Twitter.

 

NEW Release :: A Circle of Friends Monograms

Anita Richards Designs | Featured Image | News Release: A Circle of Friends

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

Following on from yesterday’s post … if you’ve been into the Design Shop over the last month you will have noticed that there is a new release out. The A Circle of Friends Alphabet Ensemble hit the store on a lovely day when I was feeling all warm and fuzzy about family and having friends. I am seriously in love with this set!

Here’s a short history behind this set’s creation:

In the early days of my design journey I was fortunate enough to be part of the Digital Store Designer Team at ACherryOnTop.com.

Sadly they closed the digital store there some time ago.

However, one of the collaboration kits that I worked on while everything was up and running over there, was a super sweet kit called A Circle of Friends. The original palette for that kit was so beautiful that I just couldn’t resist having a go at using the colour scheme again.

This monogram alphabet set and coordinated embellishments is the result of that revamp of the original monogram alphabet … lucky thirteen years down the track and I adore how this has turned out! I hope that you do too.

 

preview a circle of friends

 

 

Aaaaaand … In order for you to see this set in action, I threw together a super quick and slightly quirky All About Me page for you to view.

It has been absolutely ages since I last scrapped an AAM layout so creating this page was sheer delight … although I must admit that after looking at my selfies I have realised its high time for a new haircut and a makeover!

 

Digital Scrapbook Layout: Remembering Me

Remembering Me

Having been on the road for over 3 years now, #vanlife, it’s almost become a habit to ignore the so called creature comforts of modern life. Things like “hot showers”, washing clothes in my own “laundry room”, cooking in a “kitchen” with a “sink” and doing “Sunday roasts”, not to mention simple necessities like sleeping in a comfortable “bed” at night.

Some days when I see posts on social media from people complaining about how hard their life is during the COVID-19 lockdown … … … I can’t help it! I am literally PMSL! I am sorry, I know that it is hard for everyone, I just find it funny from my perspective.

Peace.

Taking things one day at a time as the stuck in a broken down vehicle situation I have been trapped in for nearly a year is now finally close to being resolved and I remember that I am worth all the effort that I put into myself; I am worth loving and taking care of me too.

Thus, on this page I opted to keep the focus simple. With an almost but not quite minimalist feel to the page, I combined muted brown tones with reds, a combination that I particularly love, creating a wistful page that is beautifully rounded out with the soft colours of the A Circle of Friends :: Alphabet Ensemble teamed with the One Day at a Time :: Petite Collection.

 

So without further ado, please grab it in the Design Shop today.

Happy scrappin’!

Need to discuss something? Post a comment here and let’s talk.

This post is a Design Shop new product release announcement; please visit the Shop today to see more great Anita Richards Designs products.

Enjoy!

 

pinterest image a circle of friends

facebook image a circle of friends

 

twitter image a circle of friends

 

New Release :: One Day at a Time Petite Collection II

Anita Richards Designs | Featured Image | News Release: One Day at a Time 2

This post may contain links through which we may earn a commission. #ad

If you’ve been into the Design Shop over the last couple of weeks you will have noticed that there is a new release out. The One Day at a Time Petite Collection 2 hit the store on a lovely weekend when there was a teensy little bit of sunshine outside and I gotta say that I am pretty chuffed with it.

Designed to coordinate with and extend the iconic One Day at a Time :: Petite Collection, this follow-up Collection is in part inspired by the life changing events and experiences of the year 2020 thus far.

As with the first set, this collection is intended to call upon the imagery and evoke the essence of bygone eras. Indeed many of us are still taking things one day at a time around the world as we slowly but surely strive to attain triumph in adversity over the minuscule microorganism that has caused so much havoc and disruption to all our lives.

Here ‘tis …

preview one day at a time 2

 

 

The complete One Day at a Time range also coordinates with templates in the sketchPLATE series; indeed, in part, these specific sketchPLATES spurred and inspired the creation of this latest addition to the One Day at a Time Collection. Be sure to check them out in the Design Shop:

 

Preview: sketchPLATE 0006

Preview: sketchPLATE 0003

 

On a side note, I am still grappling with maintaining a steady power supply although that is now improving somewhat as we reach the end of winter and start moving into spring again. So …

Let’s celebrate this steady change in the seasons and the return of sun-shiny days: get the kit at the new release special discount saving of 50% off until Sunday 31 August 2020.

coupon code one day at a time 2

With my compliments and best wishes. i Heart u

Need to discuss something? Post a comment here or send me a private message via the Contact page and I promise that I will follow up with you.

This post is a Design Shop new product release announcement; please visit the Shop today to see more great Anita Richards Designs products.

pinteerest image one day at a time

 

facebook image one day at a time

 

twitter image one day at a time