Digital Candy’s Design team has done it again! They have created a kit that is OUT OF THIS WORLD!

The Rocket left launch Pad Digital Candy at “T-minus midnight” and has now reached my docking station.

You just joined me from Docking Station Jenn http://scrapsbyjenn.blogspot.com.

To make sure you have completed the full mission you can head on over to Ground Control - Digital Candy - to find a complete list of all of the Docking Stations.

After completing your mission you will have a complete space themed kit and matching quick page album which is great for any space enthusiast.

Here’s a peek at the entire kit

**Sorry Link has EXPIRED**

If you missed the kit and would still like to have it, you can pick up the full kit over at our Digital Candy Shoppe

Just for fun, here is a layout I made using the kit and the layout template:

All downloads on the blog hop will only be active until March 28th @ midnight EST and then this kit will be added to the Digital Candy Shoppe.

Interested in more fun & super SWEET treats? Head on over to Digital Candy and check out all of the out of this world challenges, freebies & of course the designers in the Shoppe!

I’ve just posted two fun challenges at various sites - would love for you to play along.

First, at www.digitalcandy.us I’m hosting a progressive layout challenge this week.  Each day you get new instructions to add to a layout and at the end of the week you have a gorgeous layout completed!  You can follow along with it here:

http://www.digitalcandy.us/forum/showthread.php?t=11796

Next, I have a technique challenge at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking.

You can play along here: http://www.ndisb.com/forums/showthread.php?p=126846#post126846
For March, I’m going to start with something very simple, but stunning. I want you to use a photo for your background paper. Don’t fade it into the paper or anything, just enlarge the picture until it fills the whole background.

Tips:

*Add the picture to your layout and first enlarge it to 110%. Click ok or a check mark or whatever in your program. Then enlarge it to 110% again. Continue doing this until it fills the whole space. This will help to keep the quality of the photo better than just enlarging it the whole way at once.

*If your photos just are not high resolution enough to do this and they just look awful blown up so large, you can use multiple photos to fill the whole background. But push them right next to each other so that they cover the whole background.

*You don’t have to do a full 12×12 page. It can be a bracket, CD, brag book or any sized layout.

Sounds fun and simple, right?!
Here is mine:

Credits: Winter Wonderland by Creations by Rachel

And for a posting bonus, I will give you all my newest flower templates that are not yet in the store:

I can’t wait to see your layouts!

Because we love our customers we are celebrating Valentine’s Day by offering you fantastic savings! For all eligible purchases you will receive a coupon for free products from your favorite designers equal to the amount of your purchase. Spend $5, get a $5 coupon; spend $10, get a $10 coupon. Spend any amount and get a coupon for that amount.  Coupons will be sent out on Monday, February 16, 2009, for the cumulative amount of your purchases from the participating designers.  Coupons will be good in that designers store. Items purchased with points are not included in this offer.

Offer is good only in the stores of participating designers.

I was browsing around some online sites and check out the Valentine goodies I found!

I’m always looking for fun ways to make my photos pop off the page on the layouts I create.  That was part of the inspiration for our Fun with Photos class that is being taught this month.  I was browsing through the gallery at Elemental Scraps and found some fun layouts I wanted to share with you.  They have photos that pop out of frames on the page.  How do you do this?  Well, you extract part of the photo while leaving some.  Here is the way I like to do it.

1. Duplicate your photo layer and make only one visible.

2. Extract the part of the photo that you want to pop out of the frame.  Exrtact a little more of the photo than just the part you want to go off the frame.  So if you want to make a head stick out of the photo, extract the head and the top part of the body.

3. Hide that layer and make visible the other photo layer.

4. Crop that photo to the part you want still in the photo frame.  So if you are wanting the head to stick out of the photo, then crop the photo so that you cut away the head.

5. Now make both photo layers visible.  Link or merge them.  And there you have it!  Cool huh?!

And let me plug our class again.  lol  If you don’t know how to do extractions, you can learn in our Fun with Photos class this month.

Now here are the inspirational layouts I have for you:

Created by muffelchen79, kit landofdragon by chriscrap

Layout by Netty, cold Musik by Sev available at SCrapmalin

Layout by Callista, Kit - aufwolkesieben by JanaM Designs - TDC.com, Wordart - Playing with Wordart 04 by Natali Design - SBG.com

I used a random number generator to pick our winners.  Post #2 wins the 8×8 photo book and post #1 wins the coasters.  Congrats ladies!  I’ve e-mailed you with details. 

In my scrapping recently I’ve been facinated with alphas.  I really never got excited by them until recently.  Now I just can’t get enough of them.  So I’ve done a little research and found some great alphas.  Now I want to share them with you:
By Karen Lewis

By Theresa Hernandez

By Sarah J

By Darcy Baldwin

By Jamie Young

So what do you think?  Aren’t they great?

And to further inspire you, here is one of my favorite latouts I’ve done with an alpha I’m always reusing again and again by Sherri Tierney.

Everything by Sherri Tierney (mostly from Garden Party and paper bag alpha)
Pictures by Kristine Kisky

Thanks for letting me share!

I have been facinated by layering recently - the piling on of elements on top of elements.  It is a great way to add color and depth to your layout.  Take a look at these layouts I found.  Watch how they aranged things - what they put under and over.  And study the way they used shadows to really make the layering work.

Layout by mummytothree, Bumble Bee Mine by Lauren Grier and Mandabean (SSD), Font: KarabinE and Sidewalk

Layout by Linz, Just a Girl by Danielle Corbitt

Layout by Scapa, CAMILA DESIGNS @ AfterFive Designs ::New Beginning::, Birgit @ Catscrap
::Slimmed and Trimmed Alpha::

Layout by Armina, relaxing mood by lorieM designs at digitalcandy.us, fancy hearts club alpha by lliella designs at FPD

Welcome to 2009!  Can you believe it?!  I don’t know about you, but every year I look back and see what I got accomplished and what I didn’t and use that to prioritize my new year.

This year, one of my goals is to really improve this site and make it an excellent place for beginner and seasoned scrappers to learn more about our craft.  And you can help!

Here is the contest:

*Head over to our FAQ page.

*Look around and come up with either a NEW QUESTION that could be listed or something that could be added to one of the ANSWERS.

*Post a comment here with your suggestion.  (Don’t forget to leave a valid e-mail so I can contact you if you win.)

It’s that easy!!

And the prize:

In two weeks, on Jan 19, I will pick two random winners.

*The runner up will get a set of 4 free rubber coasters from ArtsCow.com.  These 3.5″ x 3.5″ square rubber coaster are made of a durable heat-resistant polyester fabric top, backed with a neoprene rubber non-slip backing, keeps things from sliding. The rubber coaster is 1/8″ thick. It will not discolor or fade, machine washable. You just get me the layouts you want printed on them by Jan 25.

*The winner will get a free 20 page 8″x8″ photo book also from ArtsCow.com.

Both prizes are completely free (shipping and handling included)!

So what are you waiting for?!  :)  Check the FAQ page and post a comment here!  With your help we can make this a great digiscrap resource center!