{i}NSD Challenge No. 1 - Today

{inter}National Scrapbook Day is officially on Saturday, May 1st but the festivities are starting a little early over at the Spraground! It began tonight (Apr 29) with a LO challenge by LiveE - creative brilliance extraordinaire :)  The challenge was based on a quote Liv has on the wall of her studio/guest room; it reads, "Every day holds the possibility of a miracle."

Here is an excerpt from Liv's post and the challenge requirements:

Our theme for our challenge today is... TODAY's miracles.

Here are our requirements (all must be satisfied):

1. take your camera and take a fresh new photo (one or as many as you want) within the next 24 hours. i truly believe that the extraordinary lies within every ordinary thing, if one only seeks well. so as you go through the next 24 hours, pay special attention to the little miracles that lie hidden in the ordinary everyday things, and record them with your camera.

2. create a layout using the photos you took.

3. your title should contain the words "today" and "miracle/s" (you can create any title, as long as those two words are in there). you may opt to journal a little or to journal a lot.

4. [b]pay attention, my dears, this is essential: set your timer to 1 hour before you sit down to create your layout.[b] work... nay, play... with gusto for the next 60 minutes. you need to complete your layout within 1 hour. only. don't worry, this doesn't include the time you spent taking photos or choosing what kit or items to work with on your layout. so make sure you've got your photo/s ready and your kit / papers / elements at hand before you turn the dial on the timer. (trust me, you'll LOVE it when you discover that you can actually scrap within an hour! i mean, think of the possibilities! lol )

So... I managed to fulfill all of the requirements except the 60-minute time frame part.  I was already partway through the assembly of my LO when I remembered I was supposed to set the timer -- but it probably wouldn't have made a difference, as I kept hopping up and down to do other things - laundry, putting clean sheets on the beds, taking the dog out, etc. 


Oh well.  Here's my LO --

I chose to use the theme of the challenge - "Today, Miracle" to show rebirth, which is represented in the budding and blooming of flowers and greenery throughout spring. I also chose to focus on spiritual "rebirth" through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.


Credits --

Purple & green papers: my own designs
Button Tag: Linda Roos, In the Making Design
Clipping Masks: Anna Aspnes, Designer Digitals, FotoBlendz 7
Fonts: Beyond Wonderland (Miracle); Garamond (text)
Photo: taken by me (4/29/10) & used a sketch technique by Anita (kimikreations.blogspot.com)

~ klb

Wheeee! Come Play!

We're gonna have us a FUN weekend!  Y'all come now - ya heah!!

~ klb

New Class @ the Spraground!

"This Old Photo: Restoring Vintage Snapshots" is the newest class at jessicasprague.com and it began today (Monday, Apr 26). Because I live in Alaska, I get the lessons the night before those in the midwest and east coast do (and before those in other countries like the UK and Australia). Just one of the many perks of living where I do :)

So, Monday's lesson was about how to scan our vintage photos at the best possible size so the edits we make will go smoothly and look great. Tuesday's lesson is called "Global Restoration" and is about making some general edits that will apply to nearly every photo - straightening the scanned image if necessary and tweaking/adjusting the color, contrast and levels of lightness/darkness of the photo.

This is the result of using the global restoration technique on a scanned photo of my maternal grandmother. Really made a big difference, don't you think?!  This original photo was taken in the Phillipines sometime in 1947 or 48 when my grandmother was about 29 years old.

I can tell this is going to be a GREAT CLASS and look forward to all the neat tips and tricks we'll be learning in the next couple of weeks :)

~ klb

Homemade Paper (Digi-style)

So, my sis-in-law and I are planning to open our own digi-related website, with things to offer digi-scrappers.  I'm trying to come up with some ideas people might be interested in and designed this background paper over the weekend.  This sample is one of 7 pages in a set - all identical to this one, but in different colors.  I also made a set of the same papers, but without the text - just a grungey look.

What do you think?

~ klb

Newest Layout...

This is the LO I made in response to my own challenge -- to make a page using the free mini-kit Jessica Sprague gave those of us who participated in her digital survey yesterday.

Photo is of my friend and sister-in-Christ, Kathy Neal, her son, Jason and me and my two oldest sons, Chris and Jamie.  Taken in May 1984, when Kathy and her family moved from Alaska to Washington state. The journaling is about how Kathy introduced me to Jesus Christ and how, because of her friendship, I asked Him into my heart 26 years ago (Apr 19, 1984).

Credits --
Papers & Embellishments: Jessica Sprague, InAWord kit
Border Die Cut: Katie Pertiet, Designer Digitals - Medium Wave
Brush: Designfruit.com, Sampled Brush 80
Overlay: Anna Aspnes, Designer Digitals - FotoBlendz No 7
Fonts: Century Gothic, Beyond Wonderland (Divine), Gaggers (Friendship)
Photographer: unknown

~ klb

Took a survey sent by Jessica Sprague

All about digi-scrapbooking.  At the end of the survey, she blessed us with this sweet digital kit!  Now that the CT call is over for this year, and with the emotional tension of the past several hours (waiting for the winners list to be posted), I'm going to put my creative energy to work and make something cute with this new kit :)

Will be back later to share what I've made!

~ klb

CT Winners Announced!

And I wasn't one of them...

BUT, I congratulate all who did make the team and want to express how proud I am of all of us who even entered this call.  It took a lot of courage for many of us, to step out of our comfort zones and put our heart & soul out in public for all to see and judge.  In my estimation, we are all winners for that very reason! 

I learned a few things as a result of this experience -- first of all, my not making the CT in no way negates the Lord's gift of creativity He has placed in me. I still have talent; I am still creative and my work still blesses others and brings glory to His Name.  Second, we have an AMAZING lot of talented members at the Jessica Sprague site -- I was blown away by the beauty of design, color and journaling in the LOs that were submitted.  And the photos -- don't get me started :)

Finally, I discovered that I really do enjoy keeping up this creative blog and hope that I will continue to be as diligent, now that it is not a "requirement" I need to meet.  Even if no one reads my blog - and I know there are at least three of you who do! - just being able to share my joy when I create a LO brings me even more joy :)  Silly, huh?!

Anyway - I want to share the lovely post that accompanied the winner list at the JS site - along with the names of the winners -- CONGRATULATIONS, everyone -- Ya done good!

~ klb
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Written by Kristen Creech



Monday, 19 April 2010 18:40


I am so excited to announce the winners of our Creative Team Search! I'm sure each of you that has perused the jaw-dropping entries in the gallery know choosing would be no small feat. I must confess, I'm rocking a huge migraine right now. I am not simply trying to be kind (you know, the way you tell a mother her baby is beautiful, but on the inside you are thinking, "not so much"). These layouts and projects are amazing. I'm getting a little choked up here, but I was just moved by all the talent we have here in our community.

Now you can feel free to skip ahead to see who the winners are, but I feel I need to share a story. It's a very personal one and it's not one I speak of very often. So be gentle with me here. I love to sing. Always have. But I've always been too shy to sing in public. When I was in high school, I wanted nothing more than to join the school's group of singers. (Imagine Glee and you'll just about have it). It took every ounce of gumption and courage I had to muster, to get on that stage before the judges and perform. I couldn't sleep the night before the results were posted. My heart was in my chest as I walked up to see the list of the singers who made it. And my sweet little name, I'm sad to say was not on the list. I was heartbroken. My mom had to come and get me at school (and I had to get a Frosty to drown my sorrows in). And I have not sung since (the shower and car excepted). What's my point? Why should I have stopped singing just because I didn't make the team? I loved it. What I didn't understand then was, just because I didn't make it, didn't mean I didn't have talent. There was a set number of slots available and they were looking for specific types of singers for the type of songs they performed. And in all honesty, as hard as that experience was, I would have regretted not auditioning.

With that in mind, I want each of you who submitted an entry to understand, we literally could have chosen over 50 team members. Your work is that good. But we too have limited slots available, and we looked for members whose style would best highlight and showcase the work and style of our designers. So please know, just cause you're not singing in our choir, doesn't mean you don't have mad talent. Cause let me tell you sisters, you do.



Now, may I have a drum roll... Please join me in congratulating our newest JS Creative Team Members:

•2girlsandapoodle
•artmidget
•erins
•Leenorific
•gilmoregirl
•kellymobley
•jsamuels
•linny6
•cammie1971
•JackieT
•shmoop
•completelyrandom
•jennmccabe
•champsarahjoy
•Cayla73
•boopsnro
•Heather Prins
•THESCRAPGIRL
•cholita41
•elseepe
•bren_55
•echeney


Woo Hoo! Thank you to each of you for having the courage to submit. And to anyone that had their heart broken, let's go get a Frosty. My treat.