I'm still here!

I'm having technical difficulties! The program I use has suddenly stopped opening for me. I tried uninstalling it and then reinstalling it with no success. I also downloaded some patches for it with no luck. So, I've purchased another program that is more popular but I don't like as much. Now I need to learn how to use it and still find time to try to figure out what the problem with my first program is! I have a brother in law who knows computers so maybe a visit to him is needed to get some help! :)
--Rachel

Some new backgrounds

Those who know me in real life know that I went through some tough junk these past few weeks. I'm feeling much better and have completed a few more designs. You can get the codes at my website at http://www.princessladybug.com/

Enjoy!

website (in the early stages)

I got a VERY basic website up at www.princessladybug.com for the blog backgrounds that I've done so far. Check it out!
--Rachel

More designs

Blog Designs

Well, I've completed a handful of blog page designs. If you go to my family blog you can see one of the designs in use. I'll be doing more and more as time allows. I'm also working on my first digital scrapbook kit so I go back and forth between the two. So, here are some of the pages I've done so far.







I'm also looking for a few more people to let me design their blogs based on some of their ideas (colors, patterns, bling, etc). If you are interested, let me know.
--Rachel

More challenges completed with Scrapmatters!

The first challenge here was a "choose your own adventure" type challenge where you started out the same and then you had a choice of one way to finish or another. I chose to go with 1. Choose 2 pictures
2. Choose 4 bold papers - 2 pattern and 2 solid
3. Use at least one button
4. Frame your photos
5. Add stitches
6. Use at least one staple
7. Add a title and no journaling
8. Place your date in a creative spot.
Here is what I came up with:

Then, the next challenge was a "SWIM" challenge where we had to use:
Scallops. Somewhere there must be scallops on your page.
White. Something white, a paper, an element, (it can NOT be something in your photo)
Inked edges.
Multiple Photos. Must have more than 1 photo.
I came up with this:

Then the next one was one of my favorites to do. This was a "go for the gold" challenge and for this one we had to scrap an amazing moment. I came up with this one:

Finally, the last one was an Extreme Makeover challenge. In this one we had to take a layout that we had done before and redo it. I picked this one:

I wasn't thrilled with it because I didn't have many supplies to choose from yet. I think it was my 2nd page I ever did!!! So, I did my page over and came up with this:

The challenges have been fun. I have 2 more to do tomorrow!
--Rachel

LOTS of great freebies and challenges at scrapmatters!

Scrapmatters.com (http://www.scrapmatters.com/) is having their grand re-opening. Their new site design is beautiful.
In addition there are LOTS of great freebies and challenges going on this week. Check out their forum and looking for "opening events and challenges."
I've been scrapping away completing challenges and having a blast.
Here are a few pages I created so far:
One was a scrap it in a day challenge and the them was habits. We got a word art kit for participating and a winner will be chosen later this week.
Here is what I did:

Credit to Britt-ish Designs and Fluffy Bunny Feet Designs

Another one was an "Opening ceremonies" challenge and you had a list of guidelines and you had to follow two. I picked
- use the official colors of your country in your layout
and
- use the name of your country in your title
Here is what my homesick self came up with:

Credits to Graphics Girl and Britt-ish Designs

For the triathalon challenge we had to use
3 Papers
3 Photos
3 buttons
3 word title
We also had 3 days to complete it.
Here is what I did:

Credits to Britt-ish Designs

There is also an "Eye Spy" treasure hunt game where you use clues to
find particular products in the store.
Needless to say, it's been fun and a GREAT stress relief to work on pages. :)

Go check it out for some great freebies and challenges!
--Rachel

Sample page using Prom Letters Set

Here is a sample page using the Prom letters set as well as some items from Seebee's Freebies and Britt-ish designs. Enjoy!

For the curious, this is my neice before going to her cotillion ball.
--Rachel

My first creations

For my senior prom I wore a royal blue dress with sparkles and sequins. The glitter in this creation reminded me of that dress.
These are free downloads. Hope you can use them for your creations. Feel free to e-mail me links to your creations with these.
Here they are:

The alpha can be downloaded here: http://www.4shared.com/file/58030033/df71badf/Prom_Alpha.html

The numbers can be downloaded here: http://www.4shared.com/file/58030297/21774222/Prom_Numbers.html



The symbols can be downloaded here: http://www.4shared.com/file/58031052/46904aaa/Prom_Symbols.html
Hope you enjoy!
--Rachel

Printing

Although it is fun to do digital layouts, it's always nice if you eventually print it out. There are a few options that I've discovered:
1) Print them out yourself. This is especially useful if you scrap in 8.5x11 or smaller. There ARE printers that are designed to print 12x12 layouts. However, the price of ink can add up so I do not prefer this route.
2) www.shutterfly.com - I've had great success with shutterfly with the drag and drop scrapbooks (where you simply put your pictures into the pre-made layouts), calendars, Christmas cards, etc. They have the plain scrapbooks where you design EVERYTHING including the cover. They come in all sizes including 12x12. I plan to take this route. When my Disney album is done, I'll have shutterfly print it and decide if they'll print my future albums.
3) Search for other sites that will print for you. I'm sure they're out there. Go to any digital scrapbooking discussion board and either search for posts about this or start a new one.
4) Never print them out. Store them on CD-Rom or other storage device - sadly, I think this is where MOST pages and pictures end up. I just think there is something magical about watching a family member flip through the scrapbook and and smiling. My 6 year old son LOVES looking at his baby album and comparing himself to his sisters (age 10 months). He can't believe that he was just as small and was a messy eater as well! :) For me the printing process is the reward for all that hard work! Get those pages printed!!! Who knows what storage device will be around in the future? Remember the 3.5x5" floppy discs? Can you imagine if you would have stored something important on there?
Everyone has their own preference. I'm not really sure if one is truly better than the other. It all comes down to personal preference.
--Rachel

My latest creation

I made my daughters' birthday invitations. Part of it I created, part of it is from a scrapbook kit from Britt-ish designs and part is from SeeBee's Freebies. I whited out the details since it's online but I think you can get the idea. :)
I especially enjoyed mastering the clothespins so it looks like it's holding the ribbon and paper instead of sitting on top of the ribbon and paper.
I used kits from Seebee's Freebies and Britt-ish Designs.

--Rachel

Freebies

Free is always a nice word. :) I have found that it is nice to look for free things and then if you discover you really like a particular designer's style then you can purchase some of their things.
Free is also a good way to try this whole digital scrapbook thing out before you spend an arm and a leg only to discover that you don't like it after all. So I thought I'd share some places that I get free stuff. This list is in no way compehensive. There are free things everywhere it seems!
So, here goes:
www.google.com - that's right! Google is a good place to look for free stuff for your digital scrapbook. I try to be as specific as possible. For example, I was working on a Luau page and I tried Free Hawaii Digital Scrapbook kit, Free Luau digital Scrapbook kit, etc.
www.scrapmatters.com - This is becoming one of my favorite sites. In their forum they have a section titled "Scrapmatters' freebies". Inside are thread discussions of freebies being offered.

digifree.blogspot.com - is a search engine for free digital kits. Lots of neat stuff for all different tastes.

http://www.digiscrapdepot.com/freebies/ - More freebies than you'll know what to do with!



Here is a tip: Only download things you think you will use. Otherwise you'll fill up your hard drive in no time.
Happy searching!
--Rachel

Speed Scrap

I was visiting the blog of one of my favorite designers and she mentioned how http://www.scrapmatters.com/ has speed scraps. I decided to go over and check the forum for more information. I got to paricipate in one tonight and it was so much fun! I ended up converting the time wrong so I got in over 1/2 hour late so I didn't have as long to prepare. I had planned to scrap something from our Disney trip using some new items I was downloading but the download wasn't finished and I had to jump in fast.

So, I used some pictures of my girls that were on my desktop. First I came up with this by the deadline:

I wasn't 100% happy with it but considering the time limit and the limited supplies that I have, it was a start. I tweaked it a bit more but I'm not sure if I'm finished. Here is the 2nd take:

Recommended Software and Books

Software

Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2

http://www.amazon.com/Paint-Shop-Pro-Photo-X2/dp/B000VJTL1Y/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1214412899&sr=8-1
Amazon has it for $69.99. This is a one time purchase to make ALL of your books.
I like Corel the best and there are quite a few tutorials for free on the web for them but the most popular one is:

Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-29230727-Photoshop-Elements-6/dp/B000UKBIEC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=software&qid=1214412990&sr=1-1
Amazon has it for $76.49. Again a one time purchase to make ALL of your books.
Think of it as buying some papers and embellishments to make your first scrapbook but you get to re-use it all again and again and again!

Books
Although there are a lot of free tutorials o
n the web, I wanted a book that I could thumb through as well. I liked

Picture Yourself Learning Corel Paint Shop Pro X2 by Diane Koers

and it’s on Amazon for $19.79.
http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Yourself-Learning-Corel-Paint/dp/1598634259/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214413186&sr=8-2
I have a few more books that I ordered through Amazon today and I'll review them after I get a chance to look at them.

--Rachel

My plans for this blog

I am totally in love with digital scrapbooking! Although I think the scrapbooks with one picture on each page with beautiful details to the pages are beautiful, I am more of a fan of pages with multiple pictures and journaling. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. I think it depends on the individual's preference and taste. Some people like chocolate ice cream, some like vanilla, but it's all ice cream. :)
So, I want to share some resources I've found useful with digital scrapbooking. I also want to share some pages I've completed and I'd like to share some kits I make. Some kits will be free and some will possibly be for sale. We'll see.
I'd also like to share about the name Princess Ladybug for the curious. :) Princess was my nickname that my paternal grandmother gave me. Ladybug is what my dad called me until one day when I was all grown up (around 6th grade :) ) and told him that he couldn't call me that anymore. I made the ladybug and the tiara in Paint Shop Pro. I had fun doing it.
--Rachel