Nikki Epperson Designs

Friday Find!!

2011-09-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

MelissaVt here with another Friday Find! I think I’ve survived the first week of school have you?? I found this FABULOUS blog called Meet the Dubiens! You so have to check it out!! I’ll give ya some teasers that will surely make you head straight there!!

Aren’t those some FABULOUS Ideas!! Head on over to Meet the Dubiens Blog!!

Have a great weekend!!

New release

2011-09-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

Nikki isn't releasing anything at The Digichick, but she released a new kit yesterday at her guest store Polka Dot Plum! Isn't this kit adorable?

Simply Happy QP Freebie

2011-09-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, Di here, with my first blog post for Nikki.

One of my very favourite of Nikki's kits is Simply Happy, a new release at her guest spot at Polka Dot Plum.

I loved the way my layout turned out, and so I've turned my layout into a Quick Page. You can click here, or click the image to download.

I hope you enjoy!
Till next time,
Di

New Release, Re-Releases and a guest spot!

2011-09-01T05:46:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's September, already? That means it's time for a new Chick Fix at The Digichick! Check out what Nikki has for you:

CT Inpsiration

Nikki is also re-releasing her templates from the Grab Bag with Cluster Queen Creations!

And finally, Nikki is guesting at Polka Dot Plum this month!!!

PDP has such a special place in her heart and when she was asked to guest for
September, she couldn't say no to visiting the amazing team of Lauren and Amy!

Here's what she did for PDP this week!

View Nikki's PDP shop here.

Win It Winner!

2011-08-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

Kat here again to announce the winner of yesterday's Win It Wednesday! Thank you so much to everyone for your comments! <3

The winner is.....

Congratulations, andastra! Please email Nikki at nepperson.wiw@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Win It Wednesday!

2011-08-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Nikki Fans! Nikki isn't releasing a new kit this week, but how about a chance to win one of her OLD kits?! One of my favorite kits of hers is Boy Wonder. I love boy kits, and Nikki did an amazing job on this one!

I've showed you mine, now show me yours! Head on over to Nikki's store and tell me what kit you would love to win {no collabs, please}.

Would you like an extra chance (or chances!) to win? Simply do one or more of the following and be sure to leave each entry in a separate comment for more chances.

1. Follow this blog.

2. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook.

3. Subscribe to my newsletter.

4. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter

5. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.

6. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

You can get up to 7 entries!!!!

Also, don't forget about Nikki's retirement sale!

Tuesday Tip!

2011-08-23T12:16:00.001-07:00

MelissaVT here with another Tuesday tip! Here’s another great article from Beth Nixon's Blog about focal points.

Bethy's Tutorials: Focal Point

This time we're talking about focal points.

Simply put, divide your layout into thirds both vertically and horizontally. Where those lines intersect (at the red dots) those are your focal points. Those are where the eyes naturally rest. When you are placing the focal point of your layout, remember those dots.

And yes, with a few exceptions, every layout *should* have a focal point. That focal point should be bigger than everything else, it should jump and yell "LOOK AT ME". It could be the title, an embellishment, the journaling. But, most often, it's one of your photos. So, should you center your photo right on those focal points?? Nope! Center the focal point of your focal point on them!! Did you get that?? LOL

If it's a close-up of your darling granddaughter, make sure her eyes are near that point. Is it a photo of your husband holding your baby boy's hand? Put those hands on one of those red dots!

Let's touch VERY quickly on flow. The natural way your eye flows through a layout is that dotted line in my sample. Starts at the top left and Z's through to the bottom right. Flowing through each of those dots. That's key when you are placing elements. You can use those elements to enhance the natural way our eyes go through a layout. Have the help the viewer go to the focal point.

And hey, have you every noticed those fantastic negative space layouts? The ones with a cluster of elements and lots of empty space. Did you ever notice that *most* of them tend to weight to the bottom right? Well, that's because of flow. Your eye ends up there. I've tried to do layouts that aren't there and they always feel off to me. Why? Because that's they way the eye flows!

Now, when I first started reading all these "design rules" I started to feel overwhelmed. I started to think too much. But, these things are what your eye does naturally!! It's just understanding that. So, when you are designing your layout, if your fussing with it and it feels off, remember these natural design rules! It just may help you fuss that layout to a composition that makes you happy!!

And, again, I would highly recommend the Non-Designer's Design Book by Robin Williams. Although she doesn't talk about Focal Points, she touches on so many other areas that really make you realize how to put together all the basic thoughts on design together in a pleasing way!

{taken from Beth Nixon’s Blog}

Have a great week everyone and see you next Tuesday!!

CT Spotlight: Tanyia

2011-08-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

My name is Tanyia. I am 36 years old. I am married to Marc, my high school sweetheart. We have been together for 19 years, married for 13. We have 3 beautiful girls together. Kayla is 18 and just graduated high school. Samantha is 13 and will be going in to the 8th grade soon. Rebecca is 10 now and heading into 5th grade! My family is my life and I am pretty much a homebody. I blog incessantly at my blog http://xsurvivingmotherhoodx.blogspot.com/ I also love to cook and bake, sew, quilt, and of course scrapbook! I have been scrapping for about 8 years now, almost 4 in digi land! I am working for Nikki as a blogger, which is a lot of fun! I also am on the Creative Team for 9th & Bloom, FruitLoop Sally, Secret Stash, and I do hybrid for WendyBird Designs and Traci Reed! I am a great multi- tasker and delegator lol. I love all kinds of stupid reality show tv, I still penpal (can you tell I babble in my letters, too?!) and most days I still act as if I am about 16 yrs old. :P

Fun Friday Find, August 19th: Shoedazzle!

2011-08-19T12:02:00.000-07:00

Hi ladies! I had to jump in and share a super duper awesome amazing wonderful site with you all that I am kinda sorta addicted to!

SHOEDAZZLE!

Basically it is a monthly club you can join, though you do not have to pay every month if you choose not to, and you can get really great deals on amazing shoes, purses, and jewelry!

Now, for myself I do not do heels anymore, maybe if I were skinny I would! lol But I may possibly have a slight purse addiction! I love them. Here are some that I have bought already and I am actually waiting for one in the mail now! lol

So, if you would like to check it out and see what it is all about, check it out here!

Have a great Friday and enjoy your weekend!!! See you next Friday!

Tuesday’s Tip

2011-08-16T10:15:00.001-07:00

MelissaVt here with another Tuesday’s Tip! We’re headed back to Beth Nixon’s blog to learn how to as she put’s it “sticker- ize” and element.

Learn how to go from this:

to this:

{all photos from Beth Nixon blog}

I hope you get a lot of use out of this tip!!

September Desktop Freebie!

2011-08-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday, Everyone! I know, Mondays suck, but I have a freebie for you today to help make your day a little better. :) I have created a desktop for you, using Nikki's newest kit, Denim Princess.

Click the preview to download!

Fun Friday Find, August 12th: Pinterest Inspires!

2011-08-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

If you are not part of the Pinterest movement, you might want to consider taking the plunge! I happen to be addicted to pinterest. I may not always pin my own unique things, but I do definitely use it as a source of daily inspiration. I am not sure if Pinterest is still in Beta and doing by invitation only, but all you need to do is post on facebook or a forum and ask someone for an invite. People love having you join them, trust me!

Basically the premise of Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. you "pin" things to it, in different categories you create and then use that as inspiration for whatever you choose. I have several pin boards including: MUST cook (I love to cook and bake), Color Schemes, Wise Words, crafts to do, etc.

Let me share with you a few examples of inspiration I gain:

I want to make one of these wreaths next year for July 4th, it is so ruffly and adorable!

One of my favorite sayings!

super cute necklace I want to buy myself!

Delicious cake, which by the way, I made! :)

You can pin scrapbook kits you want to wishlist, you can pin scrapbook layouts you want to lift, etc. There is really no limit to how many ways you can use pinterest! Check it out! Pinterest.com

And if you join, follow me! :) See ya there!

-Tanyia

New Release Thursday!

2011-08-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

Good morning all, Kara here with some good news for 1 of our fans who took the chance at winning Nikki's new kit! So let's start off with showing this beautiful kit Denim Princess

our lucky winner is...........

#15 Daydreamer is our lucky winner, all you have to do is email Nikki @ neppersonwiw@gmail.com and she will send you your coupon to get this beautiful kit! Congratulations to you and remember if you did not win this time, you will always have a chance next Wednesday! Stop by TDC to pick up Denim Princess for just $4.79 that's a 20% savings! Now, let's show off some great layouts from our awesome CT members!

By Kat

and one from Tanyia

Kelley

and one from Jennifer

Hope y'all have a great day, and enjoy your time scrapping with this oh so wonderful kit!

Win It Wednesday

2011-08-10T06:36:00.000-07:00

Nikki has this gorgeous kit releasing tomorrow! Would you like the chance to win it? Leave a comment in this post!

Would you like an extra chance (or chances!) to win? Simply do one or more of the following and be sure to leave each entry in a separate comment for more chances.

1. Follow this blog.
2. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook.

3. Subscribe to my newsletter.

4. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter

5. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.

6. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

You can get up to 7 entries!!!!

Tuesday Tip!!

2011-08-09T05:25:00.001-07:00

MelissaVT here with another Tuesday Tip. Have you ever wondered what you do with styles??? I always wondered when I was using my old software. So, when I switched over to PSE8 I found this FABULOUS tutorial on Studio Flergs’s Blog! Check it out HERE!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Product Spotlight: Summer Lovin'

2011-08-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this kit by Nikki, yet? I absolutely adore it! The colors, different elements, everything about this kit is fabulous. I especially love the alpha.

Also, don't forget about Nikki's fabulous retiring products sale!

Fun Friday Find, August 5th: Did You Know?

2011-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! Tanyia here with a fun Friday Find. I ran across this website that I wanted to share with you all. It is something great to peruse when you are bored and need something to do, but want something that is purely fluffy and fun. The Website is called, "Did You Know?"

There are all kinds of interesting facts and information that you may never even have thought to think about lol. Here are a couple of food facts I discovered, for you to ponder:

1. Did you know that if you drop a raw egg on the floor, simply cover it in salt and come back in 20 minutes...it will wipe right up! No more messy gooey egg slime!

2. An espresso has less caffeine than a cup of coffee!

3. White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes...who knew? lol

4. People use pigs to dig up Truffles, but did you know that poodles are the best truffle hound hunter?

5. 27% of all food produced ends up in the trash! ... that is sad.

Well, that is just a few food facts, but there is all kinds of interesting little articles over there, go check it out at didyouknow.org you are going to enjoy it!

Until next week... happy scrappin'!
-Tanyia

Win It Wednesday Winner!

2011-08-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

It's Kat again with the winner from yesterday's giveaway! I had random.org choose the winner:

Congratulations! Please email Nikki at nepperson.wiw@gmail.com to claim your prize. :)

Win It Wednesday!

2011-08-03T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Peeps! Kat here with this week's Win It Wednesday post! Wow, it's August already -- is everyone ready for school to start soon? I'm homeschooling my 5-year old this year for the first time, so I'm a bit nervous, but excited as well.

Nikki doesn't have a new release this week, so I want everyone to leave a comment, telling me what your absolute FAVORITE Nikki kit is {no collabs, please}! One lucky winner will WIN your favorite kit -- so get those thinking caps on!

My favorite Nikki kit is always the newest one she creates!

So.....what's YOUR favorite?

Would you like an extra chance (or chances!) to win? Simply do one or more of the following and be sure to leave each entry in a separate comment for more chances.

1. Follow this blog.

2. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook.

3. Subscribe to my newsletter.

4. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter

5. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.

6. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

You can get up to 7 entries!!!!

Tuesday Tip!

2011-08-02T06:44:00.001-07:00

MelissaVT here with Tuesday’s tip! I’m still fairly new to PSE8. I had been using Creative Memories Storybook Creator. I’ll share some of my “tips” I’ve learned in my journey in learning PSE!

This week is selective color. I found Beth Nixon's Blog. She has a different tips for scrapping. Follow this LINK to learn how to do this AWESOME process!!

{photos from Beth Nixon’s Blog}

Isn’t that just the coolest thing ever??

Pink Lemons Freebie!

2011-08-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

Have you had the chance to pick up Nikki's latest collab {with Cluster Queen Creations}?

I have created a FREE cluster frame for you, using the coordinating add-on:

I hope you like it!

Click the preview to download.

Fun Friday Find July 29

2011-07-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll! I'm soo sorry I totally dropped the ball last week. I've been so out of sorts these last few weeks with getting ready to move, I don't even know what day it is! Now my parents came up late Wednesday night so I'm even more out of sorts!
In light of what I'm going through & what many people do in the summer..let's take a look at a few helpful pointers for moving! Have you ever heard of FLYLady? This site absolutely rocks. I use FLYLady on a daily basis. It helps me keep the cleaning on a manageable schedule & not try to do everything at once. Then there's Cozi. We'll get into Cozi on another day. But FLYLady.net has helped save my sanity on more than one occasion. This time, it's for moving. Their moving tips have helped SOOO much! And the cleaning tools are simply amazing. Check them out. It has seriously helped keep CHAOS at bay!

Win It Wednesday WINNER!

2011-07-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

Good morning ladies! I am excited to bring you a lucky winner this morning. :) Let's see what Mr. Random Number Generator has to say, shall we?

That means that, Chocochoco wins! chocochoco said...

Shared on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/chocochocochics/status/96222745221799936 ;)

Congrats on winning! All you need to do is e-mail Nikki at nepperson.wiw@gmail.com and you will be able to snag your favorite kit from her. Enjoy!

-Tanyia

Win It Wednesday

2011-07-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!! MelissaVT here with another Win It Wednesday! Can you believe it’s the last week of July?? My boys are just starting football practice which means our summer is almost over! But, I love watching them play. Ok, on with the good stuff!!

Since Nikki doesn’t have a new release, in the comments section tell us what your FAVORITE solo product is. On LUCKY poster will win their FAV kit!!

Here’s one my FAV kits of Nikki’s~

or maybe this one~

Head over to Nikki's Shop and pick out your FAV solo product and tell us in the comment section!

Would you like an extra chance (or chances!) to win? Simply do one or more of the following and be sure to leave each entry in a separate comment for more chances.

1. Follow this blog.

2. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook.

3. Subscribe to my newsletter.

4. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter

5. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.

6. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

You can get up to 7 entries!!!!

Tuesday Tips: Credits

2011-07-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

Do you credit the designers when posting layouts in galleries? Designers really appreciate when you do, as well as other scrappers. If a scrapper is looking at your layout and loves the kit you used, they don't have to go searching for it all over the internet if they can just look in your credits.

How do you credit? Well, you can just post the name of the kit and the designer. Or {and this is especially important if the layout you're posting is for a creative team}, you can link the kit to the store. All you need to do is imput this code: [url = LINK TO KIT IN STORE HERE] NAME OF KIT [/ url] by NAME OF DESIGNER {of course, without the spaces}.

If you do link the products in your credits, make sure the gallery is open, meaning that you can upload and link products in your credits. Here is a list of open galleries:

Cool Scrap Digital
DigishopTalk
DigiDesigns Resort
Just Digi Layouts
Digiscrapaganza
Digi Scap Addicts
The Digi Chick
Me So Scrappy
The Daily Scrapper
Log Your Memory
Digi Scrap Connect
DSA Guild

If you know of more, please link us up in a comment!

CT Spotlight!!

2011-07-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hello all, Kara here, today is the day that we are going to spotlight one of our awesome CT members! These ladies do such a wonderful job, and they deserve to be in the spotlight for the day! First up is Di :)

Here is some info on Di, and some of her favorite layout's using Nikki's kits. Congrats Di, and thank you for all that you do!

I’m Di, from Sydney. I work part-time for Qantas Airways, calculating what the airfares should be between Europe and Africa and Australia. I’ve been married to my best friend for 20 years this year, and we have a 10yr old daughter Emma, and 2 fur babies....a 3 legged cat Tigger, and a white Maltese dog Cody. I’ve been a scrapper for around 11 years, and fell into digi about 2 years ago after doing some Jessica Sprague classes to find out a little bit about photoshop! Little did I know how much it would take over my creative life...LOL! I still do a bit of hybrid, but am pretty much 100% digi these days. As well as creating for Nikki, I am the CT Lead for Lyndsay Riches, and on the CT for Amy Stoffel & Litabells Designs. I pretty much love all crafts, and over the years have done knitting, crochet, folk art, cross stitch and needlecraft.....but scrapping is by far my greatest love. I just love the thought that I am leaving a legacy for my daughter and future extended family.

Be sure to stop by Di's GALLERY to leave her some love!

July 21st: New Release Life Gave Me Lemons

2011-07-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Happy Thursday! I have a bunch of great stuff to share with you all today! I am so excited!

First let's start this party off with a winner or Nikki's new collab! Take a look at the collab as well as the add-on, then cross your fingers in case you won!

And lets so who the lucky winner is:

#46 Heather said...Newsletter subscriber

Congrats Heather! All you need to do is e-mail Nikki at nepperson.wiw@gmail.com and she will send you your coupon code to snag this sweet and sour collab!

If you are not the lucky winner, if you purchase the kit this week only (7/21-7/27), you will receive the coordinating add-on, which is really a full kit itself, Life Gave Me {Pink} Lemons, absolutely free!

Now to share a bit of lovliness from Nikki's CT with you, just look at what we did with this beautiful collab!

Aren't they gorgeous!? Now, on last thing... and you are going to love this, I promise! Nikki and

Melissa came together to give you two adorable co-ordinating freebies! Here is Nikki's:

*link expired*

And the lovely Cluster Queen Creations Freebie can be found on her blog, check it out HERE!

Happy Thursday and have a wonderful upcoming weekend! I hear it is going to be a hot one, so it is a perfect weekend to stay inside and scrap, scrap, scrap!

-Tanyia

Sneak Peek and Win It Wednesday!!

2011-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

It’s Wednesday and it’s time for a sneak peek and a chance to win Nikki’s newest kit!! It’s another FABULOUS collab with Melissa from Cluster Queen Creations!!

Now here’s how you can win it!!

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Follow this blog.
3. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook.
4. Subscribe to Nikki's newsletter.
5. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter.
6. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.
7. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each chance! That's 7 chances to win!

Good Luck!! Be sure to check back for the full reveal on Thursday and maybe a surprise too!!

Tuesday Tips: Back Up!

2011-07-19T07:16:00.000-07:00

Be honest: when was the last time you backed up your files? If it's been more than a week, it's time to do it again! After losing countless photos and scrap supplies with three computer crashes, I can't stress enough how important it is to back up your files. I am here to tell you about different ways to do this.

1. External hard drive: I just got a Lacie 2tb, and I love it! It's so easy to use, and I only use it for a back up. I don't take my stuff off the computer anymore.....this way, if the ehd would happen to fail {as they sometimes do}, my stuff would still be on my computer, and I wouldn't lose anything.

2. CDs/DVDs: I used to put all of my photos and scrap stuff on CDs but I really didn't like this option. Photos especially take a lot of space, so I would have about 100 CDs full of my stuff. Ugh. Plus, no one really knows how long CDs actually last, since they haven't been around too long.

3. Thumb drive {aka flash drive}: I thought this was a great way to back up files, until my computer stopped reading my flash drive. I took it to a computer store and was told that, since the files weren't actually ON the flash drive {really, it was just an "imprint" of the files}, there was nothing that could be done to get the files off. Really? Wow, I knew the flash drive was too good to be true.

4. Online back-up: There are different online back-up sites, like Carbonite that automatically backs up your files for you, for only $59 a year. The downfall is that your files may look like they're being backed up, but if something happens and they don't, then if {when?} your computer crashes, you've lost all of your data, AND you're out that money. Nothing is foolproof.

I'm sure there are other options for backing up files, but these are the ones I've tried or heard of. What method{s} do YOU use? And remember, if you haven't backed up your files in over a week, take time out today to do that!

How about a freebie??

2011-07-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Good morning all, Kara here on this hot Monday to bring you a cute freebie from one on my favorite kit's Nikki's. Forever Summer You can get this great kit for just $5.99 at TDC.

Here is your freebie, hope you enjoy it!

you can download it here

Fun Friday Find July 15

2011-07-15T01:46:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! Kari here with this week's Fun Friday Find. Do you like those websites that have user submitted content? I love some of them. One of the ones I could literally spend hours on is: It Made My Day - Funny Win Stories. I just love this site. A word of caution, there's a whole bunch of other similar sites linked at the bottom of the page, & they could just pull you in & keep you from getting anything at all done! At least that's what happens to me every time I visit that page. Go on, check it out (and be prepared to lose a few hours). Let me know what you think!

July 14th New Release: A Little Of Me and A Little Of You Grab Bag Collab

2011-07-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, Tanyia here!

This product this week is SUCH an awesome grab bag! You really need to check out all the previews of the layouts we CT girls did to see what great templates there are in here! And holy smokes are there a lot o' 'em!

Before I share that, though, I guess you wanna know who wins this awesome little bag??? Ok ok, Mr. Random Number Generator saysssss:

That means that AJ is our winner!!! "AJ said...I'm a facebook fan!" Congrats AJ, all you need to do is e-mail Nikki at nepperson.wiw@gmail.com and she will send you a coupon code to grab this baby!

Here is another peek at the bag:

If you really need to see what is in the bag, click the image to go to the store and look through the previews! I know you will love what you see.

and some layouts done by Nikki's team! They are really some beautiful layouts here! Wow!

I will be back again, next Thursday, so until then have a scrap happy weekend!
-Tanyia

Win It Wednesday!

2011-07-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

MelissaVT here with another FABULOUS sneak peek!!
Be sure you’re sitting down for this one!!

All I have to say is WOW!!

Would you like to win? Just read on for your chance, er... chances to win!

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Follow this blog.
3. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nikki-Epperson-Designs/103575336369857)
4. Subscribe to Nikki's newsletter. (http://bit.ly/miSuGm)
5. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter. (http://twitter.com/nikkiepperson)
6. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.
7. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each chance! That's 7 chances to win!

Tuesday Tip: Creating Shadows

2011-07-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Shadows are a very important factor in making digital scrapbooking layouts. They create realism. One of the first things I notice when looking at a beginner scrapper's pages is that they either don't have any shadows {so their pages tend to look flat}, or the shadows they have are too big and dark {so the papers and elements look like they are floating above the background paper}.

If you aren't sure how to create a shadow, or how to get your shadow "just right" -- don't worry! There are shadow styles for you to use and tweak the way you want.

Here are some places you can get shadow styles at:

Shadows Perfected by K Studio

Get Real Drop Shadow Styles by Jenn Barrette

Shadow Styles Pro by Studio Miki

Fabulous Shadows Made Easy by Wyld Web Designs

*FREE* Drop Shadows by Studio Flergs

Once you have your style installed and applied, you can tweak it the way you want. Here I am using Flergs' style:

Now, you notice that the shadow is really big and dark, due to the fact that the element is fairly small. There is a way to change that! Double click on your element layer in the layers palette:

Once you have the blending options window opened up, you are now able to click on Drop Shadow and change the numbers of the size and distance {and even opacity} to fit what you want.

Here, you can see how I adjusted the distance, size and opacity. I also changed the angle slightly.

And here is what my element looks like after tweaking the shadow:

I hope you enjoyed this little shadow tip! Stay tuned tomorrow for a sneak peek of Nikki's new release and a chance to win it!

Product Spotlight

2011-07-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, here it is Monday again, why must the weekends go so fast? Kara here with a fabulous product spotlight for ya. Nikki recently released That's My Boy I love this kit so much because for 1, I have a boy and any boy kit just pleases me :) Visit The Digichick to scoop up this fabulous kit. Here's some inspiration
from some of are awesome CT ladies.

By Heather

By Juno

By Kelley

By Kara

Now see what a great kit this is?? I say it is a must have! Be sure to check out Nikki's Gallery for more inspiration! Hope everyone has a fantastic day =)

Fun Friday Find July 8

2011-07-08T00:34:00.000-07:00

Kari here with an interesting find for today. I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for ways to save money. I found this little tidbit on yahoo:

Household spending is a complicated aspect of nearly every budget. If only there were a way to use products already in the pantry to help alleviate this monthly strain. Well, good news: There is! Many items you currently have in your home can serve more than their original purpose. The following are a few I use regularly.
-- The mesh bags onions and potatoes come in from the grocery store generally end up in the garbage can. Instead of tossing them, I save a few and use their naturally abrasive texture to scrub pots and pans. The bags are far more gentle on hands than S.O.S pads filled with chemicals.
-- Paper towels are ridiculously expensive. Many people have moved to cleaning with old washcloths or a sponge, and that is certainly a great alternative. However, I am one of those people who prefer to throw away things I have used to wipe the toilet. If you are like me, try using cheap coffee filters. They clean better than paper towels (especially mirrors), and are way cheaper.
-- Speaking of cleaning, "going green" is in these days, so why not hop on that bandwagon for some of your kitchen and bathroom cleansers? Simple ingredients like baking soda splashed with vinegar are terrific for cleaning showers and toilets, and they're especially great at opening drains. If your bathtub drains are clogged with hair, replace the Drano with a few shakes of baking soda, a splash or three of vinegar, and a kettleful of boiling water. These products are generally in the pantry already, and when combined they make amazing cleaning agents.
-- I love baking soda. It has so many uses. Another of my favorite tips is to pour about half a cup of baking soda into a small dish, add 12 drops of essential oil (or your favorite scented oil from Bath & Body Works), and place the dish wherever a little freshening is needed. I like to put a dish in the car after I've forgotten to bring in a cup of coffee and the spoiled cream has left a distasteful odor.
-- While I'm discussing cleaning, I would be remiss in not bringing attention to the most amazing corn cleaner ever. I love corn on the cob, but I hate the corn silk that can seem impossible to remove. Now I just use an unused toothbrush to brush the corn. The bristles do a great job of cleaning out all the silk, and I don't have to spend half an hour per ear of corn.
-- Finally, the easiest of them all. Outdoor activities like concerts or picnics can be less comfortable if you are sitting on a blanket in soggy grass. I like to keep a cheap shower curtain liner with my picnic blanket for these occasions. The liner keeps the blanket dry, and my family and I no longer have to worry about wet bottoms after our picnic.

Now I knew about using baking soda for deodorizing, but I had never thought of using it with essential oils! Be careful with the oils so as not to get it in your mouth & keep it out of the hands of kids & away from pets.
Do you have any tips to share? We'd love to hear them!

July 7th New Release: About to Snap

2011-07-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Tanyia here with an absolutely adorable new release from Nikki! Not only do I love the concept of this kit but I am so in love with the pretty colors! Gray, white, and yellow is such a hot combination right now, and that touch of pink is perfect in my opinion! I love that it enables us to scrap some of our silly out takes as well!

BUT... before I show it to you let me announce this week's Win It Wednesday winner, so that he or she has the chance to scrap with this as well!!!

Well, that is pretty cool! The first commenter doesn't win very often, but wahoo!!! Congrats to Vickilyn! E-mail Nikki at nepperson.wiw@gmail.com for the coupon code so you can "snap" this up! hehe

Here is the full preview of this beauty! The image is linked if you would like to go snatch it up A.S.A.P!

And here is some inspiration from Nikki's Creative Team! I just love the layouts that have come out of this kit!

Hope you enjoy Nikki's new kit! I will be back next week with another winner and hopefully some new goodies as well! Until then, keep scrappin'!

-Tanyia

Win It Wednesday!!

2011-07-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Nikki has a fabulous NEW RELEASE coming out tomorrow! How would you like to WIN it????

Would you like to win? Just read on for your chance, er... chances to win!
1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Follow this blog.
3. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook.
4. Subscribe to Nikki's Newsletter.
5. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter.
6. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.
7. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

Be sure to leave a separate comment {linking to your fb/twitter post if that's what you did} for each chance! That's 7 chances to win! We’ll announce the winner Thursday!

Tuesday Tips: Organizing Your Stash

2011-07-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Kat here with your Tuesday Tip. I don't know about you, but I have TONS of downloaded products I use for digiscrapping -- and not just kits, either! So, how do you organize? Here's what I do. With my kits, I divide them into folders: Unused {everything goes there until I've used it on at least one page}, CT Kits, and then individual stores. In the CT Kits and individual stores folders, I have subfolders for each designer. There I put the actual kits.

Since I am a designer, I also have a CU {commercial use} folder. I divide that into the different categories {templates, overlays, ribbons and bows, etc. It makes it so much easier when I am looking for something for a kit I am working on!

The last thing I have is a miscellaneous folder. In that, are alphas {that don't belong with a kit}, templates, stitches, etc.

I go through my folders every few weeks and delete things that I will not use. Organizing my stash makes it so much easier for me....and gives my Search feature a break!

Some people even go so far as to organize and tag their fonts {using AMP Font Viewer, or another program}. I'm not that motivated, yet, though! ;)

I'd love to hear how you organize your stash -- feel free to leave me a comment!

Fun Friday Find July 1

2011-07-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! Kari here with today's Fun Friday Find!! I figured with it being Canada Day for our Canadian followers & 4th of July weekend for our American followers, I thought it would be great to focus on those holidays.

Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada), formerly Dominion Day (French: Le Jour de la Confédération), is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day, the name was changed in 1982, the year that Canada gained full independence from the United Kingdom. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as internationally.

Commemoration

Frequently referred to as "Canada's birthday", particularly in the popular press,the occasion marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces (the Province of Canada being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec) on July 1, 1867. Canada became a kingdom in its own right on that date, but the British Parliament kept limited rights of political control over the new country that were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were surrendered in 1982 when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution^.

Under the federal Holidays Act, Canada Day is observed on July 1 unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case July 2 is the statutory holiday, although celebratory events generally take place on July 1 even though it is not the legal holiday.If it falls on a Saturday, the following Monday is generally also a day off for those businesses ordinarily closed on Saturdays.

History

On June 20, 1868, Governor General the Viscount Monck issued a royal proclamation asking for Canadians to celebrate the anniversary of the confederation. However, the holiday was not established statutorily until 1879, when it was designated as Dominion Day, in reference to the designation of the country as a Dominion in the British North America Act. The holiday was initially not dominant in the national calendar; up to the early 20th century, Canadians thought themselves to be primarily British, being thus less interested in celebrating distinctly Canadian forms of patriotism. No official celebrations were therefore held until 1917—the golden anniversary of Confederation—and then none again for a further decade.

In 1946, Philéas Côté, a Quebec member of the House of Commons, introduced a private member's bill to rename Dominion Day as Canada Day. His bill was passed quickly by the House of Commons but was stalled by the Senate, which returned the bill to the Commons with the recommendation that the holiday be renamed The National Holiday of Canada, an amendment that effectively killed the bill.

Beginning in 1958, the Canadian government began to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations, usually consisting of Trooping the Colour ceremonies on Parliament Hill in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display. Canada's centennial in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian patriotism, and in Canada's maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians. Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in Ottawa were added, and the fête became known as Festival Canada; after 1980 the Canadian government began to promote the celebrating of Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities.

With only twelve Members of Parliament present, eight less than a quorum, the private member's bill that proposed to change the name to Canada Day was passed in the House of Commons in five minutes, without debate. With the granting of Royal Assent, the name was officially changed to Canada Day on October 27, 1982, a move largely inspired by the adoption of the Canada Act, earlier in the year. Although the proposal caused some controversy, many Canadians had already been informally referring to the holiday as Canada Day for a number of years before the official name change occurred. Columnist Andrew Cohen called Canada Day a term of "crushing banality" and criticized the change from Dominion Day as being "a renunciation of the past [and] a misreading of history, laden with political correctness and historical ignorance”. For Cohen, the change is an example of systemic denial of Canadian history by the Canadian government.

As the anniversary of Confederation, Dominion Day, and later Canada Day, was the date set for a number of important events, such as the first national radio network hookup by the Canadian National Railway (1927), the inauguration of the CBC's cross-country television broadcast (1958), the flooding of the Saint Lawrence Seaway (1958), the first colour television transmission in Canada (1966), the inauguration of the Order of Canada (1967), and the establishment of "O Canada" as the country's national anthem (1980). Other events fell on the same day coincidentally, such as the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916—shortly after which Newfoundland recognized July 1 as Memorial Day to commemorate the Newfoundland Regiment's heavy losses during the battle—and the enactment of the Chinese Immigration Act in 1923—leading Chinese-Canadians to refer to July 1 as Humiliation Day and boycott Dominion Day celebrations until the act was repealed in 1947.

(info from Wikipedia)

Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.

Background

During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. A day earlier, John Adams had written to his wife Abigail:

The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.

Adams's prediction was off by two days. From the outset, Americans celebrated independence on July 4, the date shown on the much-publicized Declaration of Independence, rather than on July 2, the date the resolution of independence was approved in a closed session of Congress.

Historians have long disputed whether Congress actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, even though Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin all later wrote that they had signed it on that day. Most historians have concluded that the Declaration was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2, 1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.

In a remarkable coincidence, both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not a signer of the Declaration of Independence, James Monroe, the Fifth President of the United States, died on July 4, 1831. Calvin Coolidge, the Thirtieth President, was born on July 4, 1872, and thus was the only President to be born on Independence Day.

Observance

In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting.
In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France.
In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5.
In 1781, the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held a celebration of July 4 with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled "The Psalm of Joy".
In 1791 the first recorded use of the name "Independence Day" occurred.
In 1820 the first Fourth of July celebration was held in Eastport, Maine which remains the largest in the state.
In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.

(info from Wikipedia)

Wherever you are, I hope you have a fabulous weekend!!

New Release for June 30 & winner!

2011-06-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Kari here with this week's new release & the Win It Wednesday winner! Thanks so much to everyone who entered. This week's winner is......

LifeAsDINKers (Ava-J) said...: I'm a follower, yay!; June 30, 2011 4:57 AM

Congratulations!!! If you could email us at NEpperson.WIW@gmail.com for your coupon code, that would be great!

Want to see what LifeAsDINKers (Ava-J) won?

That's My Boy How much fun, boyish goodness is in here? A TON! But it's not just for boy pages...Take a look at some pages by the fabulous Lovies.

Simply gorgeous, right? Swing by Nikki's store today to get this bit of fun goodness for yourself!

Win It Wednesday!

2011-06-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

Nikki has another adorable kit releasing tomorrow, and you can win it!

Would you like to win? Just read on for your chance, er... chances to win!

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Follow this blog.
3. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook
4. Subscribe to Nikki's newsletter.
5. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter.
6. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.
7. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

Be sure to leave a separate comment {linking to your fb/twitter post if that's what you did} for each chance! That's 7 chances to win!

Tuesday Tip

2011-06-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! My name is Tanyia, and I am a new blogger here for Nikki! I am really excited to be here and sharing some posts. Today I get to bring you a tip! Well, that is really a broad subject to have to narrow down and blog about, I must admit! lol So I decided to talk about Templates! I happen to be a huge template lover and Nikki happens to have some amazing templates that are really great and easy to work with.

I did want to point out though, how many different things you can do with templates. One helpful tip, when using templates, is to make it your own! Now, this does not necessarily mean you need to go to great lengths to switch it all up, you can make some simple additions or changes and it becomes a whole new look. This also help because you can re use templates and they will not all come out looking like the same template each time you use it.

Here are just a couple of ideas of how you can switch it up a bit!

I am using this kit, Remember These Days from Nikki:

*image linked*

and this pack of lovely templates, Sweet Starts Mini Vol. 5:

*image linked*

Now, here is the first layout that I did, using the template as is:

Now, in this second view, I merged all the layers except for the background and tilted them slightly as well as lowered them farther down the page. I think with this silly photo, it just adds another little playful touch!

Now, I happen to be a big cluster lover, lol, so in this next take I also merged all the layers, except I deleted the word strips, journaling, and photo. I then shrunk it by 50% and used the different edges to bring a little clustering to the edges of the layout as well.

So, my Tuesday tip is to take a template, switch it up somehow, make it your own, use it as a spring board for your own creativity! The ways you can use templates are endless! Definitely, have some fun with it though!

Until next time... happy scrappin'!
-Tanyia

Friday Find!!

2011-06-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

MelissaVT here with another Friday Find! This week I discovered Wordle! OMG! I am in LOVE!! At wordle you can create “word clouds”. Here’s the description straight from the website ~

“Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.”

How fun is that??? Here’s one I created~

There are options to change colors, fonts, and directions. The most important thing to remember before you click go is to copy the words in case you need to start over! Just follow the directions in the FAQ and you’re all set!!

Go have some fun!! It becomes addicting!!

Have a great weekend!!

New Release for June 23 & winner!

2011-06-23T08:02:00.000-07:00

Kari here with this week's new release & the Win It Wednesday winner! Thanks so much to everyone who entered. This week's winner is......

lmjrocko said...: Thanks for the chance!; June 22, 2011 5:11 PM

Congratulations!!! If you could email us at NEpperson.WIW@gmail.com for your coupon code, that would be great!

Want to see what lmjrocko won?

it's Forever Summer. How much beautiful summery goodness is in here? A TON! Take a look at some pages by the fabulous Lovies.

Simply gorgeous, right? Swing by Nikki's store today to get this bit of Summery goodness for yourself!

Win It Wednesday

2011-06-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Nikki has another gorgeous release this week -- and you could win it!

Would you like to win? Just read on for your chance, er... chances to win!

Product Spotlight: Remember These Days

2011-06-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

This is Amber and I have a fabulous product spotlight for you- Remember These Days! This is an older kit but its just too cute not to share with you guys.

I just adore the fun colors of this kit! Just look at the delicious papers and yummy elements Nikki has in this one. If the preview doesn't convince you then let's look at some other inspiration.

Here are some fabulous LO's using this kit:

Head on over to Nikki's store to pick up this fabulous kit! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

New Release for June 16 & winner!

2011-06-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

First off, I want a say a huge thank you to all those that entered our very first Win It Wednesday!! We had 17 comments & I went to random.org to find our winner.

Soooo Melissa, expect an email from me, Kari!

Ready to see the gorgeous newness??

Summer Afternoon kit

Summer Afternoon {Alphas}

Summer Afternoon {Templates}

Stunning, right? I tell ya, I can smell Summer in the air!! Take a look at some pages the super talented Lovies did:

Head on over to Nikki's store to pick up your kit today!!

Win It Wednesday!

2011-06-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

Nikki has some amazing stuff releasing this week, just in time for summer! Check out this fabulous sneak peek and be sure to read how you can win one of the products!

Would you like to win? Just read on for your chance, er... chances to win!

Friday Find!!

2011-06-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Everyone!! MelissaVT here with another Friday Find! I know I posted about Tip Junkie and Craft Gossip before. I saw these posts and couldn’t help but share!!

Check out this AWESOME idea!!

Check out the post HERE!

I’m always trying to find ways to help save money around the house. I seem to forget about all the uses for BAKING SODA!! Check the following links for some AWESOME uses: 60 Uses for Baking Soda and 15 Beauty and Health uses for Baking Soda.

Have a great weekend!!

New Release for June 9

2011-06-09T00:34:00.000-07:00

Nikki has a wonderful & versatile new template set out today! Sweet Starts Mini Vol 5 is now available!

How great do these look! Now for inspiration from the always awesome Lovies:

Don't you just love them!? Check them out (along with Nikki's other fab products) in her store!

Sneak Peek

2011-06-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so so glad Nikki is back designing! I've missed seeing what she's going to create next.

Check out what's coming to Nikki's store tomorrow -- you don't want to miss it!

Check back tomorrow for the full reveal and ct inspiration!

Friday Find!!

2011-06-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

MelissaVT here with another Friday Find! First off, can YOU BELIEVE IT’S JUNE ALREADY?!?! Today is my kids’ last day of school so let summer begin!!

Here’s my find: SCRABBLE TILE NECKLACES! These are soooo stinkin cute and easy to make. Just follow Creations by Julie’s Tutorial and you’ll be addicted!! For the ones I have made I get the supplies (and for other supplies) from Annie Howes Etsy Store. Be sure to check all of her ideas!!

Have a great week!!

New Release for June 2

2011-06-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

WOW, how is it June already?! Seems like we just rang in the new year! Then again, we had a very long winter and the majority of our Spring here in Michigan has been cold and rainy. But now the weather is finally getting straightened out, the rains have stopped (somewhat) & we're not needing jackets anymore! (we wore jackets up to the end of May...go figure!) So I'm super excited about this gorgeous new kit from Nikki, Summer Lovin'.

Can't you just feel the warm sun? Her Lovies have done a beautiful job with this kit, too! Take a look at a few pages by our girls:

by Amanda:

by Jill:

(Jill also used Sweet Starts Vol.19 and the alpha from You Make Me Happy)

by Kat:

Hop on over to Nikki's store & grab this kit today, while it's on sale!! And as always, we'd love to see what you create, so link us up!!

We're baaaack!

2011-06-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

*knocks cobwebs away* Yeah, it's been a little while. Computer issues & sometimes life happens. But Nikki's back with a fabulous new kit you're going to love!! Here's a peek at it..it releases tomorrow at the digichick.

Can't wait, right? Well, here's a couple pages done with this bright, sunshiny kit:

by scrappy*di (also using Sweet Starts 17)

by Peaches

See you tomorrow for the full preview!!

Friday Find!!

2011-05-26T21:50:00.000-07:00

MelissaVT here with another Friday find! Can you believe it’s already the end of May?? This year is flying by! Here’s my Friday find: Annie Howe's Etsy Shop! I love making the scrabble tile necklaces! They are so stinkin’ easy and cute! In the shop she has kits and everything you need to make a whole assortment of jewelry. Head on over and visit Annie’s shop!

Have a great weekend and Happy Memorial Day to those who celebrate it!!

You Make Me Happy

2011-05-26T06:44:00.000-07:00

After an unwanted hiatus, Nikki is back! She has released her You Make Me Happy kit, and this kit definitely DOES make me happy! I love the colors in it and, being an alpha junkie, the alpha that is included is fabulous!

Here are a couple of layouts using this kit:

By Kat

By Di

By Jill

Nikki also released her templates from her grab bag with Cluster Queen Creations!

By Ella

By Crystal

Friday Find!

2011-05-19T21:00:00.000-07:00

MelissaVT here wih another Friday Find! Check out Ana White's website for some AWESOME ideas!! Be sure you have time because there is soooo much too see! This is what I had made for my birthday and LOVE it!!

This picture is from her website. I never thought about one in the bedroom! I think I need another!! Mine is in our back entryway to hold the kid’s backpack and the rest of their stuff!

Have a great weekend!!

Friday Find!!

2011-05-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

MelissaVT here with another Friday Find. Can you believe it is Finally iNSD?? I am so excited! The only bad thing is we’re going camping and there is {GASP} wifi!! I will somehow make it through and I know my wallet will thank me! My find is: is head over to DSA and DST to check out the festivities for the weekend! Make sure to check out The Digichick to see Nikki’s store!!

Have a great iNSD weekend!!

Friday Find!

2011-04-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hey! Hey! MelissaVT here with another Friday find. I apologize for the lateness of the post! I had typed it last night and set to post and it’s no where to be found! Just gotta love it!! Here’s my find - Stacy Molter Designs! This is an awesome shoppe for hybrid goodies! Here’s just few:

Be sure to stop over and check out the rest of Stacy’s awesome goodies!!

Here's the link since my computer isn't agreeing with me http://stacymolter.com/shoppe/

Tuesday Tip: Are You Exercising Correctly?

2011-04-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Crystal here with this week's Tuesday Tip. I have recently started Weight Watchers because I want to lose around 20 lbs. before swim suit time! I am also "planning" to start exercising. I have planning in quotations because I always "plan to" but never do lol. I hate to exercise but I know it will help me to lose the weight faster. I hope that I can come up with an exercise plan that I can stick with.

I read an article today that was very interesting to me. When I do exercise...I usually do the cardio first and then the strength training. This article suggested reversing the two. It says that you burn more calories if you work your muscles first! Who knew?? Check out the article below. I found it very helpful.

http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/training-day/201104/warm-cardio-then-go-weights-right-wrong

Freebie Monday!

2011-04-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Nikki fans! I hope you had a fabulous Easter weekend! I'm here today to give you a freebie -- a cluster frame I made using Nikki's kit, Boy Wonder. If you don't have this kit yet, you don't know what you're missing!

And here is your frame -- enjoy!

Click the preview to download from Mediafire.

Friday Find!!

2011-04-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! MelissaVT here with another Friday Find. I’m not sure about you but I LOVE fonts! I’m not sure how I found this site but I LOVE it!! 100+ Tv and Movie fonts has some amazing fonts! Be sure to check out Fonts for Peas and Miss Tiina Fonts for some awesome hand written fonts. Now, go on download some fonts!!

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it!!

Tuesday Tips: Photo Printing

2011-04-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hello! Crystal here again with a Tuesday Tip for you. I don't know about you but not only do I love scrapping...I also love photography. I wanted to share with you the company that I use to print my photos. They are an awesome company with great prices and great customer service. The company is called Mpix and they are a division of the professional photography printing lab, Miller's. They do fantastic work and shipping is only $5 no matter how much you order! Check it out...I bet you will love it as much as me!

Product Spotlight: Tracker Keeper

2011-04-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

Have you seen Nikki's collab with the fabulous Heather Hess? This is an older kit, but I absolutely adore it!

I love the bright colors, and the elements are so much fun! This kit is perfect for all kinds of layouts. Check out some inspiration:

Are these layouts gorgeous? If you don't have this kit in your collection yet, don't walk -- RUN -- to Nikki's store to pick it up! You will be able to create many gorgeous layouts with this kit.

Friday Find!!

2011-04-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!! MelissaVT here again with another Friday Find! This week I found Tip Junkie. This AWESOME site has everything!! From crafts, decorating, FREE printables, recipes, and sooooo much more!! Head over and check out Tip Junkie!!

Tuesday Tip: Creating Plaid Papers

2011-04-11T21:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! It's Crystal again with a Tuesday Tip. I don't know about you but I just LOVE plaid papers. A friend taught me how to make them and I want to share that knowledge with you today. I mostly use PSP or PSE but this should work close to the same in any program.

~ Open a blank document that is 600 x 600 pixels and 300 dpi.
~ Draw your lines vertically, however big you want them and fill them with the colors you want.
~ Change the transparency to 75%.
~ Save as a pattern in the pattern folder of your program and close.
~ Open a new blank document that is 6000 x 6000 and 300 dpi.
~ Flood fill the document with your new pattern.
~ Rotate left 45 degrees.
~ Create a new layer on top of that one.
~ Flood fill the new layer with your new pattern.
~ Rotate that layer 45 degrees to the right.
~ Your document should now look like plaid.
~ Crop your document to 12" x 12" and save.

You now have plaid paper. It's that simple! Have a great week and see you next Tuesday!

Freebie Time!

2011-04-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Kat here, offering a freebie to all of Nikki's fans! The freebie I have for you is a cluster frame that goes with Nikki's collab with Jennifer Fox In the Air.

And here is your freebie! Enjoy!

Click the image to download the frame.

Friday Find!

2011-04-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

MelissaVT here for the month of April’s Friday Finds!

I came across Ask Anna’s blogspot. Here is how she describes her blog: “Ask Anna is a blog that is for you, the reader. Readers email me questions: whether it be cleaning, organizing, decorating, etc. and I answer the questions. I also post lots of helpful tips, look around you might find an answer to something you've been wondering about.” I thought this would be a good find for the beginning of April for all of us starting our spring cleaning!

Be sure to check it out Ask Anna and have a great weekend!!

Tuesday Tip: Photography Tutorials

2011-04-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! This is Crystal and today's Tuesday Tip is about photography. I don't know about you but I love taking photos. Especially photos of my son. I have a Canon Rebel DSLR camera and I'm just beginning to learn how to take photos outside of auto mode. I found a free digital photography tutorial site (geofflawrence.com) which has great tutorials on using the manual settings of your camera. Check it out! You might find it useful. See you next Tuesday!

CT Spotlight: Lori

2011-04-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm here this week to tell you about one of Nikki's fabulous Promo girls, Lori. Sit back and relax, while you get to know her better.

My name is Lori and I have been scrapping for around 22 years.. I made the switch to digital in 2006 when my daughter was born, and I haven't looked back! I live with my husband of 8 years, Matt and our 4 year old daughter Evie. We also have two dogs (who I love like they were my kids) Bailey (Border Collie) and Izzy (Golden Retriever).
I work from home full time as a Project Manager for a computer company, and when I am not working or spending time with my family, I am scrapping! :-)

Here are some layouts made by Lori with Nikki's products.

Made with Wonderland:

Made with In the Air:

Made with A Girl Named Trouble:

Friday Find

2011-04-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I can't believe it is April 1st! We have already gotten our April Fool's joke out of the way as I woke up to a lot of snow this morning! Crazy! I just want spring.

Anyway, it is Friday and I am here for today with your Friday find. Maybe I am a little behind the times, but we just bought my 3 year old daughter, Sophia, the new Disney Tangled movie. When we opened it last night, there was a movie rewards code in there. I had never heard of them, so I went online and looked in to it. It is pretty awesome! When you buy a new Disney movie, you enter the code and you can add them up to get other Disney related items. It is kind of like Swagbucks, but for Disney things! I was so excited as my daughter is CRAZY in to Disney stuff. Anyway, it was something interesting for today - www.disneymovierewards.com - check it out!

New Release Thursday

2011-03-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to show off a template grab bag that Nikki has done -- and it's a collab, too! She teamed up with the fabulous Melissa of Cluster Queen Creations. These templates are amazing; if you're a template user {and even if you aren't!}, you don't want to pass these up.

Check out some of the amazing layouts the creative team has done with these templates.

By Melissa

By Keisha

By Lindsay

By Kat

By Di

By Ella

Wednesday SNEAK PEEK!!

2011-03-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone MelissaVT here with another SNEAK PEEK!!!!! I don’t know about you about Wednesdays are almost as exciting as Thursday new releases!! This week is AWESOME!! Here’s a peek and that’s all I’m gonna say!

That’s right 4 template packs!! Be sure to check them out on Thursday!!

Tuesday Tip: Installing Styles in Photo Shop Elements 7.0

2011-03-29T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hello! Crystal here with a Tuesday Tip on the proper way to install styles in Photo Shop Elements 7. I actually just figured this out with the help of a friend and a great tutorial from the Scrapper's Guide.

First, make sure that Elements is not open.

Next, you will want to paste your style in one of the following places:

In Vista the path is:
Start > Computer > Local Disk (C:) > ProgramData > Adobe > Photoshop Elements > 7.0 > Photo Creations > layer styles

In Windows XP the path is:
Start > Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Documents and Settings > All Users > Application Data > Adobe > Photoshop Elements > 7.0 > Photo Creations > layer styles

After pasting your style into that folder, hit the back button twice until you see the ThumbDatabase.db3 file. Delete this file. Close the window.

Now you can start Photo Shop Elements 7. After the program is open click on edit. You will now see a pop up box that says "Building Content and Effects." This could take 5 minutes or longer. When it is finished the box disappears. You should now be able to open the "Layer Styles" menu and see the style you installed in the list.

This tip helped me so much and I hope it helps you too! Have a great week!

Monday Freebie

2011-03-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Nikki teamed up with Kat of Kat's Creations to bring you a beautiful kit called "Who Needs Sleep?" The kit is great for all of those fun sleepover pictures you may have. It can be found at The DigiChick.

Today, I am giving away a freebie Alpha that matches this kit! Click on the preview below to download the alpha! I hope you enjoy it!

Friday Find for 3/25

2011-03-25T00:34:00.000-07:00

Kari here with this week's Friday Find. I'm feeling very much in love with my hubby, who also happens to be an active duty US Marine, so that also makes me feel very patriotic. So I chose Independent by Nikki & Shawn Clingerman.

Isn't it great? And it's not just for US scrappers, these colors are great for any page!! Here's a page I did with this kit (which happens to be one of my favorites):

Thanks for looking. And remember, we always love seeing pages you've done using Nikki's products. So link us up!!

New Release!

2011-03-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Nikki has an amazing bundle that she is releasing this week called Celebrate, It's the perfect kit to scrap those everyday moments. This bundle includes the full kit, two alphas, a set of templates, and a set of dates.

Check out some CT gorgeousness:

By Kat

By Melissa

By Lindsay

By Lisa

By Ella

By Lori

Sneak Peek Wednesday!!

2011-03-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

MelissaVT here with an AWESOME SNEAK PEEK and it’s BUNDLE style!!

Nikki has out done herself with this Bundle!! So, I’m not going to give it all away! This is an AWESOME bundle be sure to check it out Thursday!!

Useful Tip for Paint Shop Pro Xi

2011-03-22T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, Crystal here with my very first blog post for Nikki! I am so excited to be a part of this blog team. I am a digiscrapper who uses Paint Shop Pro Xi. I actually have Photo Shop Elements but I haven't figured it out yet lol. Today I want to give you a useful tip for making sticker like elements in PSPXi. I only recently found this out myself and I was super excited to use it!

First thing to do, of course, is open up a new document and open the element you would like to turn into a sticker. Next you want to use your magic wand tool to select the element (you should now have the marching ants around your element). See below.

Next, make sure your element layer is selected and go to the menu at the top and choose "Selections", then "Modify", then "Expand". Choose how big of a border you want for your sticker in the "Number of pixels" box. I usually use around 10 pixels. Then choose ok. You will notice the marching ants have expanded around your element.

Don't miss this next step because it makes a world of difference. Make sure you are still on your element layer and that your marching ants are still marching. Then, go back to "Selections" at the top, then "Modify", then "Smooth". This makes your new lines smooth and not jagged. I normally use 10 for "Smoothing Amount" and 10 for "Corner Scale (pixels)". Make sure anti-alias & preserve corners boxes are both checked.

If you do not already have another layer under your element you will need to create a new raster layer and place that layer under your element. Your marching ants should still be marching. Next choose a fill color and flood fill the layer under your element. This will create the sticker border. I normally use a white, but I am using a yellow today just so you can see the border better.

Last, all you have to do is merge invisible layers and do "Ctrl D" to remove the marching ants. You now have a sticker element! It's really easy to do. Once you've done it a few times you won't even need to look at the instructions. Just make sure you don't leave out the smoothing step! I hope this is as useful for you as it has been for me!

Product Spotlight

2011-03-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

Nikki always creates amazing templates. BUT, I have to say...her latest template set is by far my favorite. I love the little cut-outs and how you can have a background paper "peek" out from behind the top paper, or how you can make an element come out of the cut-out. These templates allow for endless interpretation and they always come out different! Here is the preview, linked to her store in case you have not seen them yet....

And here is a layout I created with Nikki's "A Girl Named Trouble" kit. As you can see, I have the bottom paper as her orange one with hearts! I think the cut-outs add so much to the layout....

Check back next Monday for a fun freebie with this kit - A Girl Named Trouble!

Friday Find for 3/18

2011-03-18T01:16:00.000-07:00

Kari here with this week's Friday Find. How's the weather where you are? It's been kind of hit or miss here, some days are cold, some cool. Today was absolutely beautiful!! We got up almost into the 60's (F) & I had the windows & doors open. I'm so ready for Spring. It's coming. Slowly but surely. With that in mind, the kit I'm finding today is Beautiful You. It's so pretty & full of bright Springy colors.

Can't you just feel the spring in the air? Here's a page I did with this awesome kit:

Hope you have a wonderful weekend & the weather is cooperative wherever you are!

Monday CT Spotlight

2011-03-14T02:36:00.000-07:00

We have decided to start a new thing here on the blog! Every other Monday, we will be spotlighting a member of Nikki's CT team! Aren't you excited to meet all of us and find out more about us? These spotlights will be in no special order....so, first up is Kari, a member of our Blog Team.

My name is Kari & I'm a scrapaholic. I've been married to the love of my life, Nick, since June 2003. We have 3 boys, Shane is 16, Sean will be 9 in April & Justin is 7 on February 4 & a miniature Dachshund named Abby. I started paper scrapping soon after Justin was born in 2004 and made the move to digi when my DH bought me a scrap program for Christmas in 2006 (I forgot the program he bought me) that I quickly outgrew. I was a PSP scrapper for a long time until I found PSE in December 2008. In March 2010 I went to PSCS4 & haven't looked back. So I guess technically it's all my hubby's fault for getting me hooked. It's pretty simple, really. I’m a SAHM of boys, wife to a US Marine, a Dixie girl at heart, a scrapper, a Disney fan, a Mickey Mouse fanatic, a NASCAR nut & a Dachshund lover. I see life thru the viewfinder of my camera. Life is a page, waiting to be scrapped! And if there's no page, it never happened. ;)

Here are three layouts made by Kari with Nikki's products:

Made with Truly Deeply:

Made with Beautiful You:

With Loud and Proud:

Friday Find for 3/11

2011-03-11T00:34:00.000-08:00

Hey ya'll! Are you sick of winter like I am? We're counting down the days til we leave for Florida. 18 days. :) So for today's Friday Find, I wanted a bright, fun kit that reminded me of summer days.

I chose Boy Crazy.

Don't you love those bright fun colors? I know I do. I used this fabulous kit to do a page of my younger boys playing in the pop jets at the outside mall near our house.

We'd love to see what you do!!

Tuesday Tip

2011-03-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning!

I am always looking for some good tips for Photoshop Elements. Yesterday I was searching for a shortcut and I came across this list!!! I think I am going to print it out and stick it somewhere close to where I work when I am scrapping....this list is GREAT. It divides it by the different options and shows you each shortcut! Hope this helps some of you!

File Menu

New (Apple Key + N)
Open (Apple Key + O)
Browse (Shift Key + Apple Key + O)
Close (Apple Key + W)
Save As (Shift Key + Apple Key + S)
Save For Web (Option Key + Shift Key + Apple Key + S)
Page Setup (Shift Key + Apple Key + P)
Print Preview (Apple Key + P)
Print (Option Key + Apple Key + P)

Edit Menu

Undo (Option Key + Apple Key + Z)
Step Forward (Apple Key + Y)
Step Backward (Apple Key + Z)
Cut (Apple Key + X)
Copy (Apple Key + C)
Copy Merged (Shift Key + Apple Key + C)
Paste (Apple Key + P)
Paste Into (Shift Key + Apple Key + C)

Enhance Menu

Auto Levels (Shift Key + Apple Key + L)
Auto Contrast (Option Key + Shift Key + Apple Key + L)
Auto Color Correction (Shift Key + Apple Key + B)
Fill Flash (Shift Key + Apple Key + F)
Hue/Saturation (Apple Key + U)
Remove Color (Shift Key + Apple Key + U)

Layer Menu

New Layer (Shift Key + Apple Key + N)
Group With Previous (Apple Key + G)
Ungroup (Shift Key + Apple Key + G)
Merge Layers (Apple Key + E)
Merge Visible (Shift Key + Apple Key + E)

Select Menu

All (Apple + A)
Deselect (Apple Key + D)
Reselect (Shift Key + Apple Key + D)
Inverse (Shift Key + Apple Key + I)
Feather (Option Key + Apple Key + D)

Filter Menu

Last Filter (Apple Key + F)

View Menu

Zoom In (Apple Key+)
Zoom Out (Apple Key-)
Fit on Screen (Apple Key + 0)
Actual Pixels (Option Key + Apple Key + 0)
Selection (Apple Key + H)
Rulers (Apple Key + R)

Photoshop Elements Menu

Color Settings (Shift Key + Apple Key + K)
Hide Photoshop Elements (Control Key + Apple Key + H)
Hide Others (Option Key + Apple Key + H)
Quit Photoshop Elements (Apple Key + Q)

Who Needs Sleep QP Freebie

2011-03-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

Kat's Creations and Nikki Epperson Designs created a collab that released last week called "Who Needs Sleep" It is an adorable kit that is great for any fun sleepovers or girls days. I created a QP for you! I have included the PSD and TIF versions, so that hopefully everyone can use it! Here is a preview of the kit, linked to the store AND a preview of the QP, linked to the download! Enjoy!

Click on the image to download:

Friday Find for 3/4

2011-03-04T01:16:00.000-08:00

Hey ya'll! Kari here with a Friday Find. I decided to go with with one of Nikki's older kits, but it's one of my FAVES. I chose Loud and Proud.

Here's a page I did using this fun kit:

I love it so much, I begged Nikki to allow me to use it for my blog design! Check that out here: MamaofBoys

New Release!

2011-03-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

I am so excited about this week's new release, not only because it's a super fun kit, but because I was the lucky person who collaborated with Nikki! Who Needs Sleep is all about slumber parties, perfect for the little girls in your life -- and even the bigger girls!

Check out some of the fabulous layouts the ct has created.

by Carrie Ann

by Kari

by Ella

by Lori

And, for the winner of this kit......I used Random.org to choose a winner, and the winner is......

Denise Umlauf!

Please email Nikki at nikkieppersonATgmailDOTcom for your coupon. Congratulations, and thanks so much to everyone for the comments!

Sneak Peek and Win It!

2011-03-02T07:14:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy about this new collab and I hope you will all

love it too!

If you'd like to win this fun kit before you can buy it, simply leave me a comment!

Would you like an extra chance (or chances!) to win? Simply do one or more of the following and be sure to leave each entry in a separate comment for more chances.

1. Follow this blog.

2. Become a fan of Nikki Epperson Designs on Facebook.

3. Subscribe to my newsletter.

4. Follow nikkiepperson on Twitter

5. Post about this giveaway on your Facebook page.

6. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.

You can get up to 7 entries to win this fabulous kit!!! How fun! This giveaway will close at MIDNIGHT EST on tonight (Feb. 3). Be sure to check back tomorrow to see if you've won. Good luck!

Happy Last Friday of February!!

2011-02-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Melissavt here with the last Friday of February’s Friday’s find! I came across this awesome website. Craft Gossip is a crafters dream! I have so many ideas that I would love to make. There are many different craft idea categories: Sewing, scrapbooking, crocheting, bath and body, edible crafts and so many more!

Here’s a couple of goodies I’d love to try!

There’s just a few to get you started!

Have a great weekend!!

Thursday's New Releases!

2011-02-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Nikki has a new set of templates out this week. They are Sweet Starts Volume 17 and they are square cuts. I love the little cut out holes and how the background paper can peek through the tiny squares. I think these are my favorite templates that Nikki has done.

And look at what Nikki's amazing team came up with:

Nikki also has this amazing collab with Genia Benia as a new release this week. It is full of all kinds of fun elements for those goofy, crazy boys!

Here are some great layouts by the CT:

And some amazing Hybrid goodness:

Wednesday Sneaks

2011-02-23T00:34:00.000-08:00

Kari here with some peeks of Nikki's awesomeness coming tomorrow!!

How fun, right? Don't forget, new releases are 20% off!!

Here's a couple pages I did using these for my cousin who is currently deployed.

pretty pages 2/17

2011-02-17T06:51:00.000-08:00

Nikki doesn't have new releases for this week, so let's see a few pages from last week's fab releases!

from Ella using Sweet Starts Mini 4 & Remember These Days:

from Kat using Sweet Starts 16 & Boy Wonder:

from Kat using Sweet Starts Mini 4 & Picture This:

from Lori using Sweet Starts 16 & Winterland:

A little tip

2011-02-17T03:57:00.000-08:00

Nikki does not have any new releases for me to show you this week, so I thought instead that I would show you something I just found out that PSE can do! Maybe I have been hiding behind a rock, but I know a few other people who didn't know this as well! Did you know that PSE can align an alpha for you?? I hate lining up all those tiny little letters, especially the ones that are the little skittle alphas. On the top of your screen, there is an align button.

You can even choose how you want to align your selected layers - by top, by bottom, or by middle! I was so excited! This has helped tremendously with creating titles!

Make sure you come back next week to see Nikki's new releases!

Tuesday Tips: Using Alphas

2011-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Kat again with your Tuesday Tips. This week's topic is using alphas. I personally love alphas and use them every chance I get. A good alpha can make or break my decision to buy a kit. If an alpha isn't included, chances are, I won't be buying that kit.

There are so many ways to use alphas. I have learned so much about how to use them, and am still learning, but here are some ways I've seen and love.

Spreading the letters across the whole page

{using In the Air and Boy Wonder}

Sideways

{using Tracker Keeper}

Straight, overlapping

Alphas are great! I challenge you to try using them in some of your layouts......you may find out that they're just what you need to complete your layout.

Friday Find!

2011-02-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday Everyone! Melissavt here with another Friday Find. I came across Log Your Memory’s website at the end of last year. I’m sure most of you have seen this awesome site. I’m usually lagging behind on all the cool stuff! For those of you who haven’t heard of Log Your Memory here’s a quick into straight from their website! “The busier & more full the life, the more there is to scrapbook … and the less time to get it done. Rather than hoping stories will be remembered or relying on an unorganized collection of calendars, notes & memorabilia, Log Your Memory offers a system for ensuring memories get documented – easily and consistently.”

I haven’t had enough time to check out the entire site but I did get a log book from Santa and I am in LOVE!! It has both monthly and daily calendars. It also has a bunch of challenges in the back. You can get either the hard copy or downloadable copies. The books and downloads are customizable to what YOU want!!

Be sure to head over and check Log Your Memory out!!

Have a great weekend and see you next Friday!

New Releases!

2011-02-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

Nikki has two new releases for you this week! We all need help and inspiration sometimes which is why she has put these templates together! Her first new release is Sweet Starts Volume 16...a pack of 4 amazing layered templates! I love how Nikki layers everything, but still has a neat and clean layout! Here is the preview, linked to her store, and a few amazing layouts by the CT.
By Di

By Jill

By Ella

By Tricia

By Lori

By Kat

Nikki's other new release is Sweet Starts Mini Volume 4, which is an awesome set of two templates! Click on the preview to go to her store!

And here are a few amazing layouts by Nikki's team!

By Christine

By Kat

By Ella

By Tricia

Wednesday Sneaks

2011-02-09T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! Sorry I'm late with the post today. I have no idea where my head has been the last few days. I think I've lost my mind because of all this snow we've gotten here in Michigan.

Nikki's got a couple of great new template packs coming out tomorrow! Take a peek here:

I just adore Nikki's templates, don't you? Come on by her store tomorrow to pick these up 20% off regular price Thursday & Friday!

Tuesday Tips: Templates

2011-02-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

I used to love using templates, when I started digiscrapping. I thought "wow, this is easy. Put the photos and elements where the template says, and you're done." Then I learned to make the template my own. There are so many ways to do this. You can flip it, shrink it, add stuff, take stuff away, and so much more. Take a look at a layout I've done with Nikki's template from her Sweet Starts: Vol 15 collection.

Here is the template I used:

This template is fantastic as it is, isn't it? Many people can use the template exactly the way it was created and come up with some outstanding layouts, like these from Nikki's team.

I wanted to come up with something a little bit different, though. The first thing I did was flip the canvas horizontally.

Then I could get started adding my papers, elements and photos. Here's what my finished layout looks like.

There are so many ways to use templates, so next time you want to use one when making your layout, flip it, shrink it, make it your own.

Time for a freebie!

2011-02-07T05:43:00.000-08:00

It's Monday and my kids have been out of school for almost one full week. I really need to get some scrapping done, but it's so hard with the "Mom, can I" and the "Mom, will you"!!!!

Today I have a little freebie for you to help you get a page done quickly if you're kids are home, or if you just love templates, lol!!!!

Click the image or here to grab your free template!

Also, are you a fan on my Facebook Page?

There is now an EXCLUSIVE FREEBIE just for fans!

I hope you had a fabulous weekend and you're ready for this new week!