Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog

A Monday reader's challenge...playing with ombre!

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving to our Canadian friends!  It's a time to be thankful and a time to put your turkey pants on (who is remembering Joey from "Friends" right now?)!  May you all enjoy the goodness this weekend brings!

Did you check out all our World Cardmaking Day fun on the blog on Saturday?  With hourly posts spanning 14 hours we had a great time showcasing inspiration from our designers, offering up some challenges and of course there were prizes too!  Our designers did some fabulous work and our sponsors offered up some amazing prizes.  If you missed it, just start here! 

This morning we would love to offer up another challenge...playing with ombre.  Ombre means shaded or graduated in tone.  It has been seen in hair, fashion, home decor and is now showing up in papercrafting!  Here is a sweet example (heehee!) of ombre...

So today we have a great Monday challenge for you!  Use ombre in either a card or layout and share it with us by either linking it here or by sending it to us at ideas@scrapbookandcards.com!  If you send it to us by Wednesday morning at 8:00 a.m. EST we'll share a few right here!  Oh and our design team has played along too so we'll showcase their cards on Wednesday as well. 

Have a great Monday friends!   Please don't forget that our Winter call ends today.  To learn more about our call, click here.  We would love to see your work in our next issue!

~ Catherine

Reader's Submission Thursday...and our winter call is up!

We love when our readers take part in our challenges!  Cindy Stevens recently took on Summer Fullerton's August Colour Suite challenge and we just had to show it!

and here is Cindy's take on the challenge...

We would love to see your take on our challenges so be sure to send them to us at ideas@scrapbookandcards.com.  Don't forget on our website we have Kelly Goree's Old, New, Borrowed, Cool challenge HERE and PageMaps from Becky Fleck HERE!

Also on our website, we have just announced our "Wonderful Winter" call for submissions!  You can see all the details right here!

Join us tomorrow for a "royal" treat!  Any guesses? 

~  Catherine

 

 

Summer call for submissions just announced!

 

 

2011 summer call

Scrapbook & Cards Today is pleased to announce its “fun summer 2011” call.  Scrapbook & Cards Today is a beautiful, seasonally-inspired free publication that can be found in both Canadian and US independent scrapbook stores.  It can also be downloaded internationally, in its entirety and for free, by visiting www.scrapbookandcards.com.

Scrapbook & Cards Today would love to see your artwork—including layouts, cards, and altered projects with the following themes: 

wedding

We are looking for pages that showcase this ultimate celebration of love! Send in your pages reflecting any part of this special day—from the planning and the preparation, to the parties and showers, and of course, to the day itself.

page maps

 

Becky Fleck’s sketches are always inspiring and this one is no exception.  Download the sketch here, use it to create a scrapbook page and then submit it to us for possible publication. Pages that simplify the sketch will definitely catch our eye!  

summer cards

We are looking for your most inspiring cards that use a summer colour palette. Cards can be of any theme (graduation, birthday, thank-you, get well, etc) and can reflect your own personal style—be it simple, or a little more intricate.

organization

Are you perfectly organized, or, have you found a way that helps curb your messy ways? Share your tips and tricks with us so that you can help others in the same situation—most of us have had disastrous scrap areas at one point or other, haven’t we?  Photos, as well as written tips or submissions, are welcome.

summer pages

Do you love the colours of summer? We are searching for the freshest scrapbook pages that showcase all that is wonderful about summer. These can include, but not be limited by:

• time at the beach
• summer celebrations
• graduation
• poolside fun
• camping
• Canada Day or 4^th of July celebrations
• vacation and more

something special

We are always on the lookout for a “special” project to feature in our “something special” column. If you have created something outstanding, be sure to submit it for us to see!

Scrapbook & Cards Today is always looking for:

• well-balanced, double page layouts
• multi-photo, single page layouts
• unique paper crafted gift ideas

Submissions can be sent to us at ideas@scrapbookandcards.com.  Please have SUMMER CALL in your reference line.  Compensation includes a fabulous goodie box from our sponsors, plus two copies of Scrapbook & Cards Today!  Please include your name, address, phone number, email address, and supply list.  Please ensure that all files sent are under 500KB. This call ends April 5th, 2011. We look forward to seeing your work! 

~ Becky Fleck, Editor-in-Chief

As the snow flies...the spring call releases!

The amazing part about publishing is that it is like fashion, you are always working months ahead of schedule.  As we watch the snow start to fly here in Toronto (and many inches on the ground where Becky is in Montana), we are moving on to spring and would LOVE to see your work!  Here is our "spectacular spring" call for submissions:

Scrapbook & Cards Today is pleased to announce its “spectacular spring 2011” call.  Scrapbook & Cards Today would love to see your artwork—including layouts, cards, and altered projects with the following themes:

spring pages
Do you love the freshness of spring?  We are searching for the freshest scrapbook pages that showcase all that is wonderful about spring.  This could include spring flowers and festivities, Easter holidays, spring break, families, and more. 

PageMaps call
Becky Fleck’s sketches are always inspiring and this one is no exception.  Download the sketch, use it to create a scrapbook page and then submit it to us for possible publication. Pages that flip or rotate the sketch will definitely catch our eye!

 

spring cards
We are looking for your most inspiring cards that use a spring colour palette. Cards can be any theme (Easter, birthdays, thank-you, get well, etc) and can be fancy or simple. 

invitations
You’re invited...to submit your most creative party invitations that is!  Themes can include, but are not limited to, weddings, BBQs, girl’s night out, baby showers, birthdays, and more.

organization
Are you perfectly organized or have you found a way that helps reign in all of your scrapbooking supplies?  Share your tips and tricks with us so that we can share them with our readers.  Photos and written submissions are welcome.

mom’s & dad’s
We are on the lookout for ways to celebrate moms and dads.  This can be through a card, scrapbook page or even an altered art piece.  Show us what makes your parents special or what parenthood means to you.  Pieces can be from the viewpoint of a child or an adult.

something special
We are always on the lookout for a “special” project to feature in our “something special” column.  If you have created something outstanding, be sure to submit it for us to see.
Scrapbook & Cards Today is also looking for:

• well-balanced, double page layouts  (we love these!)
• multi-photo, single page layouts
• unique teacher gifts

Submissions can be made at http://www.scrapbookandcards.com/submission-form or to ideas@scrapbookandcards.com. Compensation includes a fabulous goodie box from our sponsors (it is always great!) plus two copies of Scrapbook & Cards Today!  Please include your name, address, phone number, email address and supply list. Please ensure that all files sent are under 500KB. This call ends January 12th, 2011.  We look forward to seeing your work! 

Don't forget to join us tomorrow for the official "2010 winter issue " launch!  We have got some great surprises in store!  And, if you would like the opportunity to win a free issue, you have until 6:00 tonight to leave a comment on last Friday's post. 

See you bright and early tomorrow! 

Call for Fall 2009

We have a special announcement today! Our fall call is officially out! Here are the dates, the particulars, and what we’re looking for:

call for fall

Scrapbook & Cards Today is pleased to announce its “call for fall.” Scrapbook & Cards Today is a beautiful, seasonally inspired free publication that can be found in both Canadian and US independent scrapbook stores. It can also be downloaded internationally, in its entirety and for free, by visiting
www.scrapbookandcards.com.

Scrapbook & Cards Today would love to see your artwork—including layouts, cards, and altered projects with the following themes: 

•    Back to School
•    Halloween Haunt
•    A walk in the park
•    Giving Thanks
•    Celebrating Grandparents

Scrapbook & Cards Today is also looking for:

•    fall cards
•    layouts that incorporate children’s artwork
•    well-balanced, double page layouts
•    projects that feature fall foliage
•    altered projects that integrate seasonal photos

We are always looking for innovative designs, ideas and techniques to share with our readers.  Be a part of the fastest growing scrapbook publication!  Submissions can be made at www.scrapbookandcards.com/submission1.html or at ideas@scrapbookandcards.com. Please include your name, address, phone number, email address and supply list. Please ensure that all files sent are under 500KB. This call ends July 6th, 2009.  We look forward to seeing your work! 

And, as a little bonus, we have just a few helpful “publication” hints for you! Here is a list of some of the things we look for in the layouts we publish:

As we frequently tell people whom we meet at shows and various events, there are no hard and fast rules in scrapbooking—nothing is set in stone! However, there are some basic guidelines and principles that can make the process a lot easier. And, these are some of the same principles that we look at when picking the layouts for our reader’s gallery. Remember, this list is meant to help, not hinder, your creative process. If a certain technique or methodology makes you happy, then that means it is right for you!

•    Balance is key—start with strong photos, a large, visible title, and a spot for journaling. Look at the weight of these three variables and place them accordingly. If using multiple photos; try clustering them together (or else they will appear as if they are “floating”)
•    Allow room for white space (NOTE: white space does not necessarily have to be white—it can be any colour as long as it is “empty” or restful space)—white space should occupy approximately 1/3 of your layout 
•    Create a visual triangle on your page and a strong focal point—the eye should lead from the focal point (usually a photo) and move through the rest of the visual triangle (usually the title and journaling) 
•    Repeat elements on your page—if choosing a flower theme, for example, integrate flowers in more than one place on the layout
•    Knowing when enough is enough is key—don’t add so much to your page that it loses balance, white space, or a clear focal point—embellishments should add to, not take away from, your overall design
•    Add some visual interest to your layout—try adding a sub-title (in a different font or colour); choose dimensional adhesive to accent one or more things on your layout; ink edges of photos, journaling blocks, embellishments, even the page itself
•    Add embellishments in clusters of 3 or 5—again pay attention to the rule of thirds and try to create smaller visual triangles

Happy scrapping everyone! And, don’t forget to submit your beautiful creations to us—we can’t wait to see them!