Dream Team Member, Laina Lamb

School is out and summer is finally here in Ohio! I have three boys who play lots and lots of baseball. The next six weeks will be filled with practices, games and tournaments. My husband coaches while I provide food, rides and the occasional cheer as #1 Fan.

If you are as busy as me, sporting event photos from spring and summer are probably piling up and waiting to be scrapped. To help you jump start your sports pages, I created a free printable quote sheet for you. The quotes are sized to fit full pages or to tuck into pocket pages. You can even add the smaller one to the negative space of 4×6 photos!

Tip – Using cream based pattern paper?  Print your page on cream cardstock to make the printable match.

Here is a page I created using one of the quotes. By adding the quote to an 8×12 photo, I already had a page started and near complete.  I filled in the bottom with a 3×4 journaling block and some pattern paper. After the addition of accent strips, embellishments and some hand journaling, I was done. Quick and easy! 8×12 photos are ideal for scrapbookers because of how easily they can be added to albums. The 8×12 format is the same proportion as a 4×6 so none of your photo image is cropped off like it is with an 8×10 photo. I purchase my 8×12 prints at Costco Photo Center for $1.49! You can also order them from Persnickety Prints and Ritz Camera.

Ability by Laina Lamb

Remember to enjoy summer and take lots of photos so you can document those precious moments!

Megan Hoeppner, creative editor

Today’s update is twice as nice. You see, we’re getting a peek at both Fern & Forest Girl and Fern & Forest Boy by Little Yellow Bicycle. In addition to that fun, I’ll be announcing winners for two of our previous Late & Great Update posts. Yes, twice as nice indeed.

To start this party for two, let’s enjoy some of the whimsical patterns available in the Fern & Forest paper lines.

On to the amazing embellishments, and the Fern & Forest collections are full of ‘em. Here’s just a small sampling of what it has to offer.

Win, Win
Want to win a chicken bucket full of products from both the boy and the girl Fern & Forest collections? Entering is easy. Simply leave a comment on this post anytime between now and Monday, June 24 for your chance. We’ll select a winner randomly from the comments received to take these finger lickin’ good elements home. Good luck!

Congratulations!
To conclude today’s fun, I’m delighted to congratulate not one, but two winners. The Heidi Swapp prize pack is on its way to Angel S., and the My Mind’s Eye bundle is happy to make its home with allimci. Thanks to all who entered. Congratulations to our winners!

Cheers!
Megan Hoeppner, creative editor

Natalie McConnell, Senior Editor

Whether you are scrapbooking an adventure around the corner or halfway around the world, these fabulous travel products featured in the July/August 2013 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine are sure to inspire you! Enter our sweepstakes to win these amazing products worth over $70 from manufactures like 7gypsies, Carta Bella Paper, Close To My Heart, Docrafts, Fancy Pants Designs, Farmhouse Paper Company, Hero Arts, Kaisercraft, Little Yellow Bicycle, SEI, Stampin’ Up!, Studio Calico, and Teresa Collins Designs. Enter to win at creatingkeepsakes.com/contests.

Good luck!

Joannie McBride, online editor

In the July/August 2013 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine, Iris Uy shows readers three 10-Minute tricks for using transparencies on scrapbook layouts.

Tip 1

Spray white cardstock with several colored inks and let dry. Adhere patterned transparency over the cardstock, pattern up, using glue dots along the edges of the transparency. For a finished look, place decorative tape over adhesive spots.

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Tip 2

Choose patterned or clear transparencies and cut out shapes. Paint non-patterned side of transparency with acrylic paint and let dry before adhering to layout. Use patterned transparencies for a dimensional look.

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Tip 3

For transparent texture, layer a transparency sentiment over burlap and let the natural fiber show through.

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Try one or all three of these quick transparency tricks on your next layout!

Be sure to check out all the scrapbooking tips and techniques in the July/August 2013 issue of Creating Keepsakes, on sale now!

Jennifer Schaerer, Editor in Chief

It’s a big day around here, because the July/August issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine is here. And among all the scrapbook layouts, downloads and how-to instructions you can find in every issue, we tucked a little surprise in this one that has us very excited. Within its 140 pages (yes – 140 pages!), you’ll see the return of Digital Scrapbooking magazine, which we’ve included within the full issue of Creating Keepsakes.

We’re so excited, we want to share it with you – no strings attached – via free and easy access!

Visit www.creatingkeepsakes.com/augustdigital, and once you enter your email address you’ll be directed right to the full issue, including Digital Scrapbooking. Check out the blog posts here, here and here for some tips and tricks to fully enjoy the digital edition.

The July/August 2013 issue is double the inspiration and includes the return of Digital Scrapbooking magazine!

Many readers have asked why we’ve shifted our focus to a full digital issue, and the explanation is short and sweet: we’re keeping up with the evolution of magazine publishing. We live in a connected and immediate age of information, and our digital magazine means you’re able to collect, organize, save, and even share your inspiration in ways that aren’t possible in print:

• Post pages on Facebook and Twitter
• Pin directly to Pinterest
• Send page links or even the entire issue via email
• Print any or all pages
• Electronically bookmark techniques or product information (even add notes!)
• Download the entire issue to your computer for future reference

And although we’re really excited about the additional inspiration within our full issue now that it’s published digitally, we know the feel of ink on paper is something that many of you still enjoy so you’ll continue to see 68 pages in our print issue.

Go ahead and give it a try – visit www.creatingkeepsakes.com/augustdigital for your free and easy access to the full July/August issue!

Stacy Croninger - Digital Managing Editor

Hi scrappers!

I hope your Father’s Day celebrations were memorable and you snapped lots of photos to scrapbook. To get you started on those scrapbook layouts, here are a few downloads that are perfect for family photos.

Family Quote collection from Laina Lamb found in Creating Keepsakes May/June 2012

These quotes are a free download in either PDF or PSD format. Print, cut, and adhere – an easy way to express your feelings on your next family themed scrapbook layout.

Have fun creating!

Joannie McBride, online editor

Happy Friday everyone! It’s been a busy week here so what do you say we get the weekend started off right with some free scrapbook products from Echo Park Paper Co., Fiskars Americas, and Stampin’ Up!?

Just leave a comment here between now and next Friday, June 21, 2013. A winner will randomly be selected to receive this prize package.

Important contest note: We apologize, but due to increased shipping costs Creating Keepsakes is no longer shipping prizes outside the US. But we definitely don’t want our international winners to walk away empty handed. If your shipping address is outside the US and your comment is selected, you’ll receive a one-year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine. If you’re an existing subscriber, your subscription will extend. Thank you for your understanding.

Download this week’s free scrapbook font: CK Thick Brush!

Available from noon (MST) today, June 14, 2013 – noon (MST), Friday, June 21, 2013.

For instructions on how to download fonts and for trouble shooting, read this.

To read the Terms of Use for the CK fonts, read here.

Enjoy!

Stacy Croninger - Digital Managing Editor

Hi friends,

I have loved dogs as long as I can remember. Big dogs, little dogs, puppies, or old dogs it really doesn’t matter. They make me happy. I’m a sucker for a wet nose, pathetically droopy eyes, and scrapbook products and layouts with dogs/pets on them.

As you can imagine, I have oodles of photos of our hounds. But I haven’t completed many scrapbook pages about them lately. So I went on the hunt for scrapbook products and downloads that I could use to capture my love of my pups.

Echo Park

Appropriately named, the Woof Collection is a mini theme that is bark worthy. The cute sayings will make titles a snap on layouts and the earthy colors match the hounds perfectly.

Woof Journaling paper from Echo Park's Woof Collection

Imaginisce

The bright, happy colors in the Good Dog line will make scrapbooking my pups fun as I record my memories on these cute journaling cards. The line includes a variety of papers, stickers, journaling cards, and more.

Doggy Mail paper from Imaginisce's Good Dog line

Karen Foster Designs

The Furry Friends Scrapbook Kit has paper, stickers, and alphabets that capture a dog’s life including food bowls, dog houses, paw prints, and common phrases. Great papers for recording the hound’s antics.

Furry Friends Scrapbooking Kit from Karen Foster Designs

Queen & Co.

I love my pups but I also love washi tape and this Paw Prints Trendy Tape will find its way onto my layouts, cards, and other doggie projects. They also have fun zig zag and pet icon Trendy Tapes too.

Trendy Tape Dog Paws from Queen & Co.

Downloadable Dog Printables

To round out the options, I found these cute quotes that you can download for free and are perfect titles or accents on scrapbook layouts or use them to decorate your home when printed and framed.

Dog printables from Simplyvonne

And finally, one of my all time favorite downloads from Paper Crafts magazine – I think it’s the big, floppy ears and pathetic eyes.

Miss You sentiment from Paper Crafts magazine

I hope the dog lover in you is inspired to scrapbook your fur babies or your grand fur babies. Or maybe you’re now heading out to get a dog. It’s all good! I’m leaving you with a frame I made a few years ago that incorporated a few scrapbooking products and one of my favorite pictures of Cleo and Mabel (Cleo has since passed away). I have it in my office and it still makes me smile.

Cleo and Mabel watching out the window.

Have fun creating and I’d love to see your pet layouts in a comment or hear fun stories about the fur babies in your life. I’m off to grab a sketch or two and record my memories of the hounds.

Joannie McBride, online editor

With Father’s day less than a week away, I’ve found some delightful quotes on Pinterest to use on masculine scrapbook pages, cards, and gifts.

Celebrate the special men in your life this Father’s Day! Download these free Father’s Day quotes via Pinterest and create a special scrapbook layout or card for a beloved friend, father, husband, or grandfather.

Image courtesy of Simplifiedbee.com

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Image courtesy of doodle-art-alley.com

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Image courtesy of simplymontessori.blogspot.com

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Image courtesy of crazyfordesign.blogspot.com

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Image courtesy of tipjunkie.com

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and for the mom’s who are pulling double duty…

Image courtesy of someecards.com

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Be sure to check out our Pinterest boards for ideas for scrapbook layouts, how to’s, and free downloads.