I wanted to share with you some design ideas for creating a unique foundation on your page for your photos to reside.  It's a great way to begin a page because it gives your photos a "home"  and gives them a solid layer on which to build upon.  Obviously, a square of cardstock or patterned paper is the simplest way to create this base. I'm going to give you some out-of-the-box ideas using supplies you may not have thought of before.

Try LEFTOVERS as your foundation:

These tags were made for journaling, but grouped together in a rectangle, they make a wonderful base for these photos of my daughter.  You could create similar base with patterned paper, but this set of die-cut tags were quick and easy because they were already cut and color coordinated!

supplies:  die cut tags (Collage Press) + metal photos corners (Making Memories) + scissors (Fiskars) + font (Typeslab Serif) + brads

Used alone, these perforated tickets could make a cute accent to your page.  But grouped together, they make a colorful and textural matte for my photos.  The rough edges of the perforations add a rustic feel that works well with the pumpkin patch scene and the wooden letters.

supplies:  tickets (SEI) + letters (K & COmpany) + flowers (MAking Memories) + font (Veteran Typewriter) + buttons

Hope you enjoyed this series as much as I. if you missed my previous weeks check them out .

Week 1 PAINT

Week 2 STAMPS

Week 3 PATTERNED PAPER STRIPS

To learn how to make layouts like ones shown here pick up a copy of Design Workshop for $5.99, authored by me, Lisa.

Week 3 winner is Lisa Kisch

I wanted to share with you some design ideas for creating a unique foundation on your page for your photos to reside.  It's a great way to begin a page because it gives your photos a "home"  and gives them a solid layer on which to build upon.  Obviously, a square of cardstock or patterned paper is the simplest way to create this base. I'm going to give you some out-of-the-box ideas using supplies you may not have thought of before.

Try PATTERNED PAPER STRIPS as your foundation:

To create a sense of motion on this page about my kids tubing, I used various widths of patterned paper staggered across the page.  It makes a visually interesting platform for the photos and gives the mostly-white photos a nice colored background to contrast against.

supplies:  patterned paper (Studio Calico, October Afternoon, Jenni Bowlin Studio, vintage) + stickers (Studio Calico) + pearl (Basic Grey) + flower

I could have used a square of kraft cardstock to matte my photos and journaling on this page, but by weaving several 1/2" strips together, I've added much more texture and interest to the foundation.  I purposely trimmed the edges unevenly to keep the base from feeling too blocky and square.

supplies:  patterned paper, journal card, stickers, label (Jenni Bowlin Studio) + flower (Prima) + button

Come back next week to see what other foundation ideas I share. if you missed my previous weeks check them out .

Week 1 PAINT

Week 2 STAMPS

To learn how to make layouts like ones shown here pick up a copy of Design Workshop for $5.99, authored by me, Lisa.

week 2 winner is goldnuggt

I wanted to share with you some design ideas for creating a unique foundation on your page for your photos to reside.  It's a great way to begin a page because it gives your photos a "home"  and gives them a solid layer on which to build upon.  Obviously, a square of cardstock or patterned paper is the simplest way to create this base, but for the next few Fridays I'm going to give you some out-of-the-box ideas using supplies you may not have thought of before.

Use your STAMPS as a Foundation:

A border stamp can make a great photo matte!  On this holiday page, I used a scalloped border stamp to make a box that neatly holds my photos and title.  A few snowflake embellishments soften the corners and add a festive feel.

Supplies: patterned paper (Making Memories) + stamps (Studio Calico) + ink (Stampin' Up) + letter stickers (Making Memories) + sticker (Fontwerks) + brads (Making Memories) + machine stitching

Come back next week to see what other foundation ideas I share. if you missed last week, check it out here. To learn how to make layouts like ones shown here pick up a copy of Design Workshop for $5.99, authored by me, Lisa.

Week 1 winner is MEganKlaur

 

At my house, it is my youngest son's birthday. He is turning 10 on the tenth in 2010. Pretty cool! As we have been getting ready, it reminded me that everyone celebrates birthdays differently. I think it would be fun to know what you do at your house. At the Smedley house, the birthday child:

And that is what we do. It gets exhausting to do this over and over again (five times a year!), but hey, kids need to feel special.

Share what it is your family does.

How do you make birthdays special?

What do you do that no one else does?

It was been a busy month for Ella with all the blog tours, giveaways, and exciting MISA announcements. Expecting us to take a break? No sir, no way, we have awesome stuff planned for the blog this August. What is it you ask?

1. New challenge series starting on Friday based on Design Workshop.
2. Awesome guest bloggers that will share their card making secrets with us.
3. A few CHA-Summer giveaways
4. Behind the scenes look at the August eBook and August eZine
5. A product showcase

It will be exciting and educational. So while you are running around getting ready for back to school or enjoying the rest of the summer take a few minutes to visit us this month because we are jam packed with good stuff for our Ella blog readers.

In the meantime check out just a few of Ella's favorite CHA-Summer 2010 products

Hambly is a trend setter and this pen and ink transperency is sure to be used over and over again with all those vintage inspired pages.

American Crafts did not disappoint with their releases. Looking forward to their Valentine line, Love.

As a fan of Halloween, I think the Toil and Trouble line by Girls Paperie is going to be fun.

For great home decor projects 7Gypsies did not disappoint and Tim Holtz introduced a cool shadow box. These would make such great gifts.

And there is so much more to look forward to!

Hello all my Ella loves out there in blog land! I sort the layout submissions here at Ella Publishing Co., and once a month I guest blog to share my favorites from the month.

Without further ado, this month's Loves are: Andrea MacDonald, with her layout "Magic Garden"; Katie Squires, with her mini-album; Jennifer Alfonso, with her layout "Sweet Summer"; Reyanna Klein, with her layout "Joy and Me"; and Mindy Miller, with her layout "iwonder".

*First: I loved how Andrea added so many textures and layers to her layout! I love the feeling of a picnic table with the cloth and the cute little smiles of the fruits. Oh, and that frayed paper edge in red is just perfect. If you want to see more of Andrea (and I know you will) check her out at andreasmetta.blogspot.com.

 

*Second: I found Katie's mini truly inspiring!! The handmade burlap cover is genius...and as she said in her submission, "I had made a little pile of strawberry themed scrap supplies for when we would go strawberry picking this summer. We went this past Monday only to discover that the season was closed.  We picked raspberries instead. I still made the mini book that I had been planning, filled with strawberry embellishments. I like it, kind of cheeky." Cheeky indeed...and when life gives you, um, berries, make a mini. You can see more of Katie at katarooskitchen.blogspot.com.



 

*Third: I thought that Jennifer's page was so innovative using the pennants in her flower! Finding a new way to use a very popular item takes some serious outside the box thinking. I also really love that color combo, so summery! You can find more inspiration from Jennifer at jenniferalfonso.blogspot.com/.

*Fourth: I was instantly smitten with Reyanna's layout! I love the colors and I am anticipating big time stealing her envelope technique; you never know when you're going to need to hide a love note on a page! She states, "To spruce up the envelope a bit, I opened it up and added patterned paper under the flap. I punched small circles and then used a hole punch to punch them again, so they'd fit perfectly over the clasp circles. I made sure that the words 'child' and 'memory' were visible when I punched the circles. Then I just added buttons (with Glue Dots) and some journal strips!" Wonderful, really. I love new ways to use old ordinary things! You can find Reyanna at sunshineandwonder.blogspot.com.

*Fifth: You could say it was love at first sight with Mindy's page! Look at that scotch tape! Who knew an office staple could pack such a punch? I seriously *heart* the circles as a background with her main photo in the corner; it makes me want to know the story behind the hat! You can see more amazing layouts from Mindy at mysecretheart.typepad.com.

 

And Now for a Few Words About August
I decided I'd like to issue a fun and exciting challenge for our August Liz's Loves! To help you understand the reasons behind the challenge, I want you to escape with me into one of the most popular love stories of our day. So, indulge me if you will for a minute. (Twilight fans, you're going to love this! Non-Twilight fans, stay with me because there will still be an incentive for you at the end!)

"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him, and I didn't know how potent that part might be, that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

"You are my life. You're the only thing it would hurt me to lose."

"Isn't it supposed to be like this? The glory of first love, and all that. It’s incredible, isn't it, the difference between reading about something, seeing it in the pictures, and experiencing it?"

"For almost ninety years I've walked among my kind, and yours...all the time thinking I was complete in myself, not realizing what I was seeking. And not finding anything, because you weren't alive yet."

I've read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer and was enthralled by it, like millions of other readers worldwide. I loved her ability to put in to words how her characters were feeling. I loved how smitten Bella was with Edward, even though she knew she shouldn't be, and I could feel Edward's pain in knowing she was untouchable! However, even as enthralled as I was after I read the books, I put them on the back burner of my mind. (I still haven't even seen the third movie yet!)

But, while I was at the library a couple of days ago, I picked up a Stephenie Meyer novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, and I was enthralled all over again. It tells the backstory of a very minor character from the second book in the series, Eclipse. This then inspired me to finally read Meyer's partially finished fifth book in the series, Midnight Sun, which was leaked online and so it's never been officially released. It tells the story of the original Twilight book, but from Edward's perspective instead of Bella's. (I struggled with wanting to read this one because I wouldn't be able to finish and that drives me bonkers!)

Fortunately though, as I was reading, inspiration struck me... Do I ever scrapbook from someone else's perspective? Stephenie Meyer has now been able to recreate the same story through three different characters' perspectives. And she turned it into even more than a he said/she said exercise. It captivated me each time—truly amazing!

Okay, now that you've indulged me, I'm sure you're wondering how this plays into Liz's Loves. Well, here's the scoop: for this upcoming month of Liz's Loves, I want to see pages that are told from a different perspective other than your own. Or you could even go a little Stephenie Meyer on me and show a couple different perspectives on one page. Most of all, I want you all to have fun and try something new to spice up your scrapbooking life!

Of those submissions, I will pick my three favorites, as well as my two other loves for the month. All five loves will be featured on next month's blog post and will receive a discount for some Ella gear. Just email your submissions to submissions@ellapublishing.com, with "Perspective" in the subject line so I'll identify it right away. Deadline: August 16.

I hope this post and my amazing loves have left you inspired! I can't wait to be inspired by all of your challenge pages. You know you just might be my next crush of the month (along with my favorite Twilight hottie)!

XOXO
~Liz


 

Guest blogger Audrey Neal writes:

I've been a book lover for as long as I can remember; in fact, I'm lucky enough to say that some of my earliest memories involve books. And while I consider myself a gadget girl in many ways, switching to an e-reader has been one technological advance I'm not willing to take. Not only would I miss the familiar heft of a book in my hands, but I'd miss out on the amazing cover art that accompanies some of my favorite books.

Those same book covers have served as inspiration for my scrapbook pages time and again. Whenever I'm feeling uninspired, I browse my bookshelves and come away with so many great ideas. Let's take a peek at a couple of my favorite books and I'll show you what I mean.



Design style: This cover features a playful look with hand-drawn illustrations. You could easily achieve the same look with doodles -- either digital, stamped, or hand-drawn.

Technique: The cover artist created a neat effect by using negative space on the hillside to create the outline of a man. Punches give you the same look on your layouts, and clipping masks help you achieve the look with digital layouts.



Photo treatment: Get the same vibrant look for your photos with photo actions, or play around with overlays and textures to mimic the blurred background on the main image.

Typography: This funky font would look great handcut from cardstock or printed onto a subtly patterned paper. Create a block of color to back your title.

The opportunities for inspiration are endless. In fact, I've found that some of my most meaningful layouts have been strongly inspired by the books I'm currently reading and their covers. Here's one of my favorites:



I had just finished The Help and was moved so strongly by this story; I couldn't stop thinking about it, even as I moved on to other books. There was so much about the book that resonated so strongly with me, and in part I knew it was because of the relationship I had formed as a small girl with three older black women who worked at the restaurant my grandparents owned when I was younger. It wasn't long before I knew the story I wanted to tell, but I was having trouble coming up with the layout and style. That's when I turned to the book cover for help.



Color scheme: I pulled patterned papers from some of my favorite designers in the same purples and yellows of the book's cover. (Being able to recolor just about anything makes this really easy with digital scrapbooking!)

Visual element: The birds and birdcages helped me to think more symbolically about the story I was telling; while I never really discusss the idea of being caged by society's ideas about class and race, those ideas are hinted at with the images I chose.

After participating in a circle journal based on books and reading with a number of scrappers this past year, I wanted to continue and expand this idea of getting scrapbooking inspiration from the books I was reading. That's when The Open Book Challenges were born. Every other Monday, seven talented scrappers and I take turns offering up our latest reads for your scrapbooking inspiration. We offer a short review and then include a variety of challenges, both inspired by both the content and the design of the book. To play along, all you have to do is create a layout (digi, hybrid, or traditional), card, or other paper project of your choice (any style, any format) and post a link to it in the comments. That's it -- though we do welcome comments and discussion about the book as well.

Click here to see the current challenges we have posted, as well as short bios of our challenge team.

We've got a new challenge going live on Monday, July 12 -- we hope you'll stop by, check it out, and play along!

Hey all you Ella readers out there! I am so excited to announce my Love's of the month!

There were so many great submissions, how was a girl to choose? I finally narrowed it down to fuve loves...(even though I do secretly love you all): Keshet Shenkar, with her layout "Sunny Disposition"; Autumn Nguyen, with her layout "Hat Fetish"; Diane Herman, with her layout "Sofa"; Nathalie Leonelli, with her Mini-album "10 Favorites";  and Monika Wright, with her altered information book.

#1


I was completely drawn to Keshet Shankar's page from the moment I saw it, you could say it was love at first sight-haha! I love how Keshet used those funky new and trendy flowers to make a little cluster with a huge punch on her page! I especially love the little yellow flower and her use of yellow in general, which is great for adding a big pop in a subtle way and it speaks to the title of her page so well!

#2

My title love and layout sketch love for the month were found in the same layout, by Autumn Nguyen. Wow! That bright title totally caught my eye! I also love that she was able to get so many photos on 1 page without losing any style or making it cluttered.

#3

Diane Herman spoke to me with her layout "Sofa" because of her heartfelt and to-the-point journaling, but also check out that angle she used for her photo! Ella has been doing Friday photo lessons over the last few weeks, and with this photo Diane nailed it! The angle of the photo makes you want to know what it is all about, and then she knocked it out of the park with her journaling style. (BTW isn't her TV stand to die for?...I promise I don't have wandering eyes...I was really focusing on the layout-swear!)

#4

I love this innovative new idea from Monika Wright! She took an old album that she wasn't using and turned it into a treasure. It makes me so sad to think that I just threw one like this out; maybe I will have to go buy another just to make this. I love the simplicity and the paper! A one-stop-shop to write all her notes down = one fabulous idea.



#5


Last but not least, I love that Nathalie Leonelli took up my last challenge to create a mini-album, and man-she did it with style! I love the shape of the album that she made for her son, it makes it so inviting that I want to stop by her house and peruse through the pages! It is so boy with the colors and repeated sprocket shape, well done lady love number 5!



Great job ladies...you've had me swooning all month long. Make sure you check out their work by clicking on their blog links...you might just fall in love!

Until next month...
Liz

PS...make sure you submit this month-you might just put me under your love spell!

Layers are a key element in many types of design.

Professional decorator and TV host Christopher Lowell has authored  a handful of books and done numerous episodes espousing the concept of using layers to decorate your home.


Fashionistas layer clothes in ways never imagined and receive acclaim for their style.


In the world of professional cake decorators, building and decorating the cake in layers allows them to execute the most mind blowing designs.

What about layers and scrapbooking? eBook author Lisa Dickinson is the queen of using layers effectively in her scrapbooking projects. She makes mixing colors, textures, lines, photos, words, and accents look effortless. She shares her secrets behind her design in her eBook, Design Workshop, and on her blog. While all of these help me incorporate her secrets into my scrapbooking I like to think of other tricks to help me remember her secrets. One of those tricks is to think of a layout like a banana split. No really.


They both have lots of color, different textures, and flavors which work together to deliver an appealing image. 

First you start with a foundation, your banana
background

Then you add color and textures with three different flavors of ice cream
patterns and photos

Next you add a a little rich hot fudge sauce
shape and color

Then you cover with the delicious foamy whip cream
words in your title and journaling

Last you sprinkle with nuts and add the cherry
embellishments

There's no one better than Lisa Dickinson to show us how layers can work together to tell an oh-so-sweet story. Here are two of her lovely, layered creations:




Ahh perfection.
Now go scoop the ice cream and get scrapbooking!

(Oh yeah, and buy Lisa's eBook, too. It's 100 percent calorie free!)

Summertime is here at my house. All my kids are out of school and they are ready to hurry up and relax. Ever feel like that? You need to hurry up and make a memory or do something significant? As scrapbookers we pay attention to those big expected moments like graduations, birthdays, recitals, and holidays; how good are we at paying attention to the little things? I would say pretty good. As a reminder to all of us, take photos of those little things, take time to make homemade lemonade, sit outside with the kids and play games or read. Make time for the little things in life.

A memorable tradition at our house is making summer food. Each child picks something they want to make and then we get the ingredients and have at it. A few of the favorites over the years are blueberry smoothies, ice cream in a bag, lemonade, breakfast muffins, and blond brownies. Funny thing about this tradition... I have never scrapbooked or even photographed it. That will change this year! Make a commitment with me to photograph your family's little things this summer.