Hi Everyone! I have really enjoyed reading through the comments on the challenge posts and seeing that you have been inspired by Ella’s sketch challenge. It has been a lot of fun for me too and I can’t believe we are already at week three! Oh, and talk about an amazing grand prize –
a Cricut Expression! I wish I were eligible to win! Unfortunately I’m not, but what I can do is present you with this week’s sketch.

As for the 8.5 x11 version of this sketch, it pretty closely resembles the original design. I decided to adapt it to the landscape orientation (so it’s actually 11x8.5) and the photo sizes have been decreased in order to maintain the overall feel of the 12x12 sketch. Sometimes when converting sketches that have a lot of photos I like to break them up into two pages but since this design is asymmetric I decided to keep it to one page.

(By the way, you can see examples of how to convert a one page design into two pages in Angie’s article Stretch your Sketches in this month’s issue of Scrapbook Ellaments.)

Finally, here is the layout I made using this sketch. I documented one of our family’s weekly activities – our visit to Trader Joe’s. Usually I go by myself with Gabe and Nathan, but sometimes we all go as a family. What can I say? We really do love TJ’s! I kept my page fairly simple since I had a lot of photos on my page. And, notice the wording on the top left-hand corner? In the sketch, I included a space for additional journaling in that spot but you can always place some word stickers or an embellishment there instead.

Have fun with these, can't wait to see what you do. Post a link to your layout in the comments of this post by Thursday, February 4 to enter this week's contest! Three winners will each receive a free eBook. And everyone who participates this week will get another entry into our grand-prize drawing for a Cricut Expression (a $349 value)!

(And remember to check out my new eBook, Stretch your Sketches)

Congrats and thanks for participating. Check out the weekly winners below:

The innovative use of the journaling block caught our eye, and we like the decorative elements behind the photos. Great job Maya from Wisconsin!

This was a great way to customize the sketch to work for the designer's photos, since she had one horizontal and four square pics. Congratulations to Valerie from New Jersey!

And this happy yellow layout caught our eye with the minimal products and innovative use of paper. Designed by Donna H., Perth, Australia.

Each of these winners will receive a coupon code for a free eBook! Many thanks for participating; we can't wait to see what the next five weeks have in store.

(Click on each layout to view where it was originally posted.)

My husband and I have started a bi-weekly date night, during which he invariably pulls out his Blackberry and snaps a shot of us. I thought it would be fun to put together a mini book to document all our dates. I created four templates, each with a different marriage quote at the bottom. (My favourite is "I have gaps, you have gaps. We fill each others' gaps." from the movie Rocky.)

Since every date is different, I picked out a bunch of different papers from my scrap pile to use as the background for each page. (Boy, was THAT satisfying to clear 20 pieces out of my scrap drawer!) A quick title, a few binder rings and I'm done!

A few notes:
- The photo size is really small, but for a Blackberry photo is was big enough for me. If you think you will have nicer shots, just put a 4X6 on the facing page, and perhaps use the 2.5X2.5 spot for some ephemera. This could be the business card of the restaurant, movie tickets, or receipts.( I think I'm going to put an envelope on the back page for my ephemera.) You could also use that space for an embellishment or punch.
- This photo is pretty crappy quality, right? Do I care? No! Our two big heads are in the picture, and that's all that matters. Our my kids aren't going to care 20 years ago about the quality of the photo. They'll just want to see Mom and Dad on a date.
-One more thing I plan to attach is a list of ideas for future dates. That way whenever we're told about a good restaurant, or a good show, we can add it to the list.

Supplies: Chipboard (DCWV), Patterned Paper (Collage Press, October Afternoon), Letters (Collage Press, Harmonie, Jenni Bowlin Studios), Stickers (Making Memories)

To see more of guest bloger Lisa Kisch's work, visit her blog!

Do you know what I love about fonts? They all have their own personalities--and they're not afraid to show them. Some are simple, clean, and no nonsense. Others are complicated, messy, and falling apart. There's a font for every occasion and every emotion--you just have to find it. And that's the fun part! Here are a few tips to make choosing fonts simpler and faster.

Tip #1: Choose one hero and one sidekick.
Some fonts (the heroes) have a special talent for stealing the spotlight. They're good at drawing attention and making a big splash. Others (the sidekicks) are more subtle, doing the work without making a scene (most serif and sans-serif fonts fall into this category). Hero fonts don't like to share the spotlight, but they do play nice with sidekick fonts. When you're choosing fonts for layouts, it's best to call on hero fonts in special circumstances--for example, when you want to draw attention to a specific word or phrase in a tile or journaling. Use sidekick fonts for large blocks of text or in conjunction with a hero font.

For this layout, I used two fonts that came preinstalled on my computer. The bulk of the text is in Gill Sans Light, a great sidekick font. Since the theme of this page isn't obvious from the photos, I decided to use Brush Script MT to spotlight the word "ChapStick." I wanted the font to look a bit like the official ChapStick font, and this was as close as I could get without investing a ridiculous amount of time in the search (sometimes pretty close is good enough). By using my hero font for just one word, I ensured that it would receive the most attention, making my page topic more obvious.

Tip #2: Match your hero font to your page's mood or theme.
Just because a font is cool or clever doesn't mean it's right for a layout. As you're choosing your font (or fonts), think about what message you're trying to convey. Is your subject feminine or masculine? Peaceful or chaotic? Joyful or melancholy? What story are you trying to tell? When you look at a font, does it inspire the right emotion? Does it clarify or confuse your theme? Look for fonts that will help you tell your story.

There are thousands of free fonts online. Just type "free fonts" into your web browser, and you'll have your pick of dozens of great resources. But keep in mind, not all free fonts are created equally. Some may be incomplete, including only upper- or lowercase letters. Some may require special spacing adjustments to look right. Some may look great at large font sizes but terrible at small font sizes. Be sure you preview and test fonts (when possible) before downloading, and please use virus-detection software to protect your computer. 

Personally, I like fonts from dafont.com. I've found dozens of useful fonts on this website. Here's a little list of some of my favorites:

Tip #3: Search and download efficiently.
Most free font websites group fonts by styles or themes. Use these categories to speed up your search. Or, if you're looking for something specific, like a movie-inspired font, try typing a keyword into the search field. These tricks will make your hunt a lot simpler. If you stumble upon fonts you like--even if they aren't right for the current project--consider downloading them anyway. You'll build your font library and save yourself search time in the future. 

Most importantly, have fun! The best font is the one that inspires you!

Hi Everyone!  I’m so excited about the upcoming release of my eBook Stretch your Sketches. I had so much fun working on this book with Angie and the Ella team!

I’m here to host the first sketch challenge here on the Ella blog. Come back every Friday for the next six weeks to enjoy a new sketch and to see our winners from the previous week. Here is this week's sketch:

This sketch features two 4x6 photos in the center of the page with the journaling and title lined up along the right-hand side of the page. Some of the journaling is featured above the photo and some just below the title.

A little bit about the inspiration behind this sketch: I have an obsession with two- and three-photo layouts. In particular, if you could peek into my sketch notebook you would see that I am constantly playing with different ways to place two 4x6 photos on a scrapbook canvas. This just happens to be one of the variations.

And now, I know what you’re thinking: this sketch is really simple. In the weeks ahead, you’ll see that all of my sketches are very basic - I prefer this. It allows me a lot of freedom to be creative later on. For me, sketches simply set the foundation for my page; they give me an idea of where I will place my photos, title and journaling. From there I let the photos and the story be my guide when choosing papers, embellishments and their placement.

Which brings me to the next step, creating! One of the reasons I love sketches so much is because I tend to take a long time selecting products. For me that is the real fun of scrapbooking. I save time by having a design in mind beforehand, which allows me a little more time to play with different papers and embellishments during the creative process.

In the layout above, I decided to use a die-cut circle in the background. I already knew that I wanted the photos to be in the center of the page. I also knew that I wanted the journaling to be both on top and below the photos. But after choosing this background I decided to shift the journaling on the bottom of the layout to fit within the circle. So instead of placing it underneath the title I shifted it to the side of the title. I layered some strips of patterned paper horizontally across the page and I backed the titled with a die-cut sticker so that it would really stand-off from the page. The finishing touches include poinsettia flowers, buttons and twine.
 
I hope you all will participate with me and make a layout based on this sketch. I know the Ella readers are a talented bunch. I can’t wait to see your interpretations!

Just leave me a comment with a link to your layout, and we'll pick three winners by Thursday, January 21 who will each receive a coupon code for a free eBook. (AND, they'll be entered into our Grand Prize drawing six weeks from now. And this is no ordinary prize. It's a GOOD one!)

Winners will be posted on Friday, January 22. If you don't have a blog, just post your layout to this Flickr gallery.

Our new author's name is

DONNA JANNUZZI

and she is an ENGINEER

Winners of the word scramble contest and winners of the digi classes will be announced tomorrow, Friday.
(the digi class contest runs until end of day)

Join us tomorrow as we introduce you to our new author, Donna, and as she hosts the first ever Ella challenge.
How fun does that sound?

See you tomorrow.

We are going to have some fun today. As we at Ella are getting ready to release our eighth e-book (I know so exciting!) we thought it would be fun to see if anyone could guess some information about this first time author. She is relatively unknown in the industry and we are thrilled to be the first to have discovered her many talents as a scrapbooker.

(by the way, one of the goals of Ella Pub was to discover brand new talent and share with the scrapbooking world)

Two questions for you today

1. What is the author's profession?

2. What is the author's last name?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The letters to our eighth author's last name are pictured below.

Good luck and have fun.

Oh and of course you will have a chance to win a goody. Post your guess in the comments by midnight (MST) Wednesday, January 13 to be entered to win a free ebook of your choosing.

It's that time again! Time for a behind-the-scenes peek of our newest Scrapbook Ellaments issue. Here are five little background tidbits, just for fun:

1. Buh-Bye Beta
Did you notice that the Ella logo in the top left corner of your screen has shed a little bit of weight? That's right, her orange "beta" tag has disappeared. After four months being live, we now feel comfortable being out there without the protection of the beta tag, which in effect says "don't blame us if this site is a mess, we're still in the beta development stage!" Knock on wood. We really hope this won't be one of those occasions where the minute you pay off the car loan, you get rear-ended in your own driveway.

2. Blog Hop Barb
The very day Scrapbook Ellaments went live, we heard from a reader who was inspired by Barb's "Shop Your Stash" article to start a blog hop on her own site. If you were as inspired as Liberty Cottage was, head on over and join the fun. Way to inspire the world, Barb!

3. Apple of Elizabeth's Eye
We heard from a reader who was intrigued by Elizabeth Dillow's timeline layout in "Ten Years Later." (This was Elizabeth's first digi layout ever, by the way.) This reader wanted to know more about the program Elizabeth used to assemble the page, but unfortunately there was no e-mail address included in the comment, so we couldn't respond directly. Instead, we'll respond to everyone! Elizabeth used Apple's Pages software, which is a word-processing and desktop-publishing program. Here's a link to a short video overview of the program. The lesson? You don't have to be a Photoshop expert to try digital scrapbooking; you can use any program that will help you accomplish your goals.

4. The Rise of Valerie
With this latest issue, we discovered a new scrapbooking (and cookie-baking) talent! Without even realizing it, we requested three different submissions from scrapbooker Valerie Mangan all in the same week. We love it when that happens! She had three layouts featured in a pre-Christmas blog post, then we requested layouts for the "Editors' Corner" and "Stretch a Sketch" articles too. We have a feeling you might be seeing more great work from this up-and-comer in the scrapbooking world at large. What do you think?

5. Cover Calls
For our January issue, we limited our monthly cover contest to the members of the Write. Click. Scrapbook. collective, because we wanted to reward them for their hard work writing the awesome Year in the Life eBook, and we wanted to celebrate this fun new eBook's release. Our winner? Aly Dosdall. Read all about her here. And check out their eBook as soon as humanly possible, if you haven't yet.

And now for your chance to be a Scrapbook Ellaments cover girl:
We hereby announce our cover contest for our February issue of Scrapbook Ellaments! If your layout is chosen, you'll be profiled in our eZine, including a link to your blog if you'd like, and you'll receive a coupon code for the free eBook of your choice. Here's what we're looking for:

Love layouts. Share layouts you've created about love and romance. Your page might list all your favorite things about the love of your life, it could take a "he said, she said" angle, it could highlight a new flame, it could focus on your wedding or a memorable anniversary, it could spotlight your favorite couple (your parents, for example), or it could cover any other angle you choose! Read our submissions guidelines for complete details, and send in your layouts by Wednesday, January 13. Good luck!

Yesterday, we sent a special coupon code to all the members of our e-mail list, inviting them to save 10 percent on their entire purchase at Ella Publishing Co. What a great way to celebrate the arrival of 2010!

Did YOU get the e-mail?

If not, click here to add your name to the list! Then come back and leave a comment on this blog post TODAY (Tuesday) to let me know that you've just signed up, and I'll send you the code directly. Now you may have come across this code already on Twitter or FaceBook, and that's just fine by me, but if you want ME to give it to you, I'm going to make you work for it.

This exclusive sale ends Wednesday, so now's the time to buy that eBook you've had your eye on for a while.

Happy 2010!

(We can't emphasize enough how happy we are that 2009 is over. It just feels like the time is ripe for a fresh start. Are you feeling it too? Potential, possibilities, hope, exciting new eBooks...bring 'em on!)