Wow, these were some amazing layouts!  Did you find a layout that should have been in our gallery standouts?  Anyone can post a layout to our gallery standouts.  If you find a layout that you love, go add it to the lovely layouts!  It can be any layout that is posted for the week given!  Now for our Layout of the Week.  Sometimes I end up picking a layout that hasn’t been listed.  This one is about Random Thoughts, which I love:

Congrats Karla 1970!

Be sure to check out the matching clusters too.

What? No hot breakfast photos to scrap? Well, what are you waiting for . . .go make some breakfast and some memories then come back and scrap them. (Do finish reading this post first though.) Not sold on making a hot breakfast yet? How about some encouragement then? Complete a hot-breakfast themed layout by the end of February and I will give you up to three bonus wrappers which you can use to earn a $5 gift certificate toward the product of your choice in the Plain Digital Wrapper Shop. You can read all about how our challenge system works here.

Blog Spotlight Challenge Details:

Complete a hot-breakfast themed layout by February 28 that. . .

. . .uses only Over Easy by ArtGal Style – Earn 3 Bonus Wrappers (Note: use of Over Easy Spotlight Quickpages will only earn you 2 points. To earn 3 points, it must be a layout you create.)

. . . uses any other PDW products (must use 100 percent PDW Products) – Earn 2 Bonus Wrappers

. . .uses non-PDW products – Earn 1 Bonus Wrapper

Post your completed layout in the Plain Digital Wrapper Gallery and in your February Wrapper Thread here (create a new one if you don’t already have one).

Now how about some inspiration to get your creative juice flowing?

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by mrscwooddell.

Layout by scrpncrzy.

Layout by Atusia.

Below is a little gift from our Unwrapped Team using Over Easy by Artgal Style. (Stop by out our forum and Facebook Page for additional gifts too.)

I have a sweet tip for you today!  Just a quick way to zoom into your page.  If you don’t have a mouse with a scroll wheel, or if you use a tablet, the keyboard shortcut helps you zoom in and out with ease.

To zoom in press Ctrl = (Mac: Cmd =)

To zoom out press Ctrl – (Mac: Cmd -)

Next week I will show you how to set up your configuration so you can zoom in and out with your scroll wheel on the mouse.

Now on with our New Releases, and can I say…. Thank Goodness it’s Friday!

Everyday Damask Papers

Nature's Beauty Kit

Nature's Beauty Masks

Nature's Beauty Clusters

We also have a call going on right now. It is for our Gallery Girls Team.

nterested in earning free scrapbooking kits without the commitment of doing a layout?
*GASP* could it be?

Our Gallery Girls team might be for you!
We are currently looking for 4 ladies to join our
gallery commenting team. Think this is something you might want to try?

Send an e-mail to creativeteam (at) plaindigitalwrapper (dot) com for more information.

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

      Have you been counting your wrappers this month?  I have seen several ladies that have completed all of this month’s challenges.  Way to go!!!!  You ladies rock!!! In addition to being fabulous, they are also almost half way to earning a gift card worth $5.00 to the PDW store. 

     Wouldn’t you want one too?  It is super easy-peasy!!!  Just participate in our 3 monthly and 2 bi-monthly challenges found in the forum.  You get one wrapper for each challenge and a bonus wrapper if you use 100% PDW product.  Once you get 20 wrappers we send you a gift card worth $5.00 to the PDW store. 

     With the end of the month so near, I wanted to remind you of the current challenges that are still running. 

          Piece wrapper:  Hosted by Lisa (Southern Creek Designs).  Use her stunning mini kit to create a layout to showcase in the gallery.  A quick 2 wrappers.  The kit is a stunning  mini kit called Breaking dawn that includes 5 papers and several elements.  You must use all of the kit for the challenge. 

          Journal me this:  Hosted by Claudette.  Inspiration can often come in the form of journal prompting.  Here are the choices for this month: 

1. The best present I got for Christmas/Hannakuh/my birthday was:…{I got a snuggie from my husband and I LOVE it. I always freeze in our house so that was the perfect gift for me…}
2. For the year 2011:…{Fill in with any thing that you want to remember for 2011}{For the year of 2011 I started Creative Teams for Plain Digital Wrapper and I love it!}
3. My New Years Resolutions are:…{donating goods to the Charity for the victims of all the fires in the state,}
4. One wish for the New Year is:….{To get caught up on all my scrapping goals and my life goals as well.}

          White space:  Show off your creativity with a minimalist approach.  Linda A. leads us in exploring the use of less on a layout.  Stunning concept, but sometimes it’s the hardest thing to do.  Allow Linda to take you on a journey of learning to love scrapping with less.  This month she focuses on a White background and a list of random thoughts. 

      The second variety challenge is also still open.  This last mini challenge for January was to wrap your Facebook timeline.  ScrapsofCandy provided a basic template and scrpncrzy provided an additional mini template to wrap your FB timeline.  It is super easy and really a great way to incorporate scrapbooking into you facebook account. 

        You have until the last day of the month to complete these challenges and get them posted into the correct forums.  Next month we will return with  more fun and exciting challenges.

Also joining us this month is SKrapper Digitals. Sherah, the talent behind SKrapper Digitals, has been designing for four and half years and designs using Photoshop CS3, Inkscape and Artrage. Sherah told us she was not a paper scrapbooker or digital scrapbooker before becoming a designer. But said that she got started with the idea of scrapbooking when she was pregnant with her first daughter (who turned five-years old last week).  “The idea of scrapbooking seemed like something I should look into for a book for her. I searched the Internet to see if I could find printable paper, etc. and stumbled into the digiscrap world. Having dabbled in graphic design for years it seemed like a perfect fit and it wasn’t long before I was staying up all night tinkering in Photoshop! Shortly after that, I entered a design contest, while I didn’t win, I learned a lot. From there, I was invited to join the store I’ve sold my products at since then.”

Sherah says she is self-taught in her profession. “I had always dreamed of going to school for graphic design but couldn’t afford it so instead I taught myself as much as I could through books and research.”

Here are few things Sherah shared with us in her interview:

What one thing would you want on a deserted island? Other than my family, my Bible.

Were you named after anyone? My Dad is a pastor so my eight siblings and I were all named after Biblical characters. I’m named after the Sherah from 1 Chronicles 7:24. I’ve always thought that was cool because it says she built three cities (Yay girl power! Lol! )

What would you do with a million dollars? Tithe, pay off my parents debt and buy them a nice place to live comfortably, pay off my in-laws debt and help them finish the much needed repairs on their small cabin, help my siblings with any of their financial needs and buy a home for my little family.

Do you sing in the shower/car? I sing at home all the time (but am far too nervous to do so in public).

Where do you get your inspiration from? Hmm. Pretty much anything can spark inspiration with me. A walk outside, a tv commercial, a photograph.

What one thing is essential for putting you in a creative mood? Time to myself really helps (which is rare these days with a preschooler and eight month old). Usually, I end up staying up really late after my family is asleep or I design in the parking lot of my daughter’s preschool while the baby naps.

What is your least favorite part of designing? Trying to keep my kit sizes down usually! I tend towards getting swept up in the design process and over create, making huge kits even when I originally planned on only making a mini kit! Lol!

What is your favorite part of designing? I really enjoy it all, the whole process from initial inspiration to reality.

What was the hardest part about starting out as a designer? For me it was the floundering around not knowing what I was doing for sure and having no one to ask about it. This feeling is what inspired me to start the Digi Design Academy.

Sherah currently has three unique products and some coordinating add-ons in her store at Plain Digital Wrapper.

The first product is an interactive design course she been teaching for a few years called Digi Design Academy. It is a beginner to advanced design class for those interested in creating their own designs for themselves or to sell to others. The course was recently revised, expanded and updated this past summer and contains a great deal of detailed written material, 50+ video tutorials, 50+ CU permitted freebies and a monthly live two hour video class teaching a lesson in Photoshop (with video instructions from the lesson added to the video library afterwards for those unable to attend.).  New content is added monthly and if needed, one on one tutoring or guidance is also available via e-mail or chat. “Ive really enjoyed teaching the class and the students seem to love it as well. Many of the students choose to stay on past the initial 10 week course period ( by paying a separate annual or semi-annual fee). It’s been a great experience so far and I’m thankful for the chance to share any knowledge I can and make such wonderful friends.” The Digi Design Academy is currently on a special limited time price for Plain Digital Wrapper customers for only $50, a savings of 33 percent off the regular price.

SKrapper Digital’s second product for her guest store are a yummy cupcake element pack that is the introductory product in a new  product line she has coming out call “Bakery SKraps”.  Add these sweet cupcakes to any cake or party themed photos to instantly create and customize your own cake themed layouts using any kit in your collection. The 12 high quality cupcakes are created in a variety of cake and frosting combinations for you to choose from.

Layout by Sandie03.

Skrapper Digitals third product is a collab kit with Feli Designs (whom you may recognize from the PDW Gallery as MissParker). Masquerade is the perfect combination for you to scrap everything from masquerade balls to carnival photos; anything with and behind the mask and all those golden moments when life is a never ending party. The kit includes 22 gorgeous papers and 89 unique elements as well as seven pieces of word art.

Masquerade is also available as a bundle which includes the kit, six clusters and eight quickpages. You can also purchase the clusters or QuickPages separately.

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by Sandie03.

Layout by Jean Ann.

Layout by MissParker.

Here is a little gift from Masquerade for you.

You can keep up with from SKrapper Digitals in the future on her Facebook Page and/or on her blog.

Take a closer look at this pretty kit in the layouts below by our Creative Team.

Layout by GlitterQueen.

Layout by Autsia.

Layout by scrpncrzy.

Layout by franlk.

Layout by Atusia.

Layout by demma_b13.

Layout by demma_b13.

Layout by sandie03.

Layout by cla.

Layout by mrscwoodell.

You can take an even closer look at this kit by picking up the samplers that are available on our Facebook Page, in the Happy Place in our forum and the one below.

Download: Shabby Snow Quickpages (144)

Happy Scrapping!

We are back for another quick shortcut. This one is about brushes. Do you use brushes? I love using different brushes. I do not like taking the time to change the size of the brush. That is easily resolved with a quick keyboard shortcut.

I have a super cute layout I was working on. I used ScrapDZines new kit, Programmed to Play. I wanted to add some emphasis behind the photo.

I brought up the Brush tool, by pressing B on the keyboard. (Do you now see the Brush tool selected?)

I loaded a new brush set, Northern Stars Design Acrylic Brushes 1 and 2.

After I selected the brush I wanted, I saw it was too big. By pressing the [ key, on the keyboard, I was able to make my brush smaller.

If I wanted to increase the size of the brush, I would press the ] key.

Using these two keys, I was quickly able to size the brushes and add a quick splash of color to the background.

Credit: layout and tutorial by Lisa Hanks

Kit: Programmed to Play by ScrapDZines,

Brush: Acrylic Brushes 1 and 2 by Northern Star Designs