Scrapbooking Product Reviews
Card Making the Easy Way – A Review of 50 Card Making Sketches | 
“Card making sketches are the secret to card making success.” – Jen Gormly Scrapbooking and card making are two hobbies that naturally go together. Not only do they use many of the same supplies and tools, but the design concepts are very similar. However, you also end up having the same obstacles to getting started and finishing a project. Just like with scrapbooking templates, card making sketches can make all the difference in completing your greeting card projects. I was given a copy of 50 Card Making Sketches along with three bonus ebooks to review. Jen Gormly is the author of all four of these books. She has a very easy –to-follow style of teaching, and I really like how concise and to the point all of the ebooks are. She lays out the basics first, and then gives you ways to expand your skills as well. That makes these ebooks great for crafters of all levels, beginner through advanced. The first thing I noticed when I started reading is that 50 Card Making Sketches isn’t just a collection of sketches. Jen first outlines how to use a sketch, how to personalize a sketch and how to vary a sketch. Just like with scrapbooking templates, you can vary a card making sketch to create many different sketches from a single card template. In fact, Jen will show you how to make 8 different sketches from just one sketch. You can even use these same tips with your scrapbooking page layouts. Before you even get started reading, I’d first suggest that you go to the very last pages of the book and print out the card summaries. Have these beside you as you read through the book, and when you are done they will make a great reference to have as you are making cards. Once you get into the actual card making sketches, you will see that 50 Card Making Sketches includes:
The sketches are grouped in these categories, square, horizontal rectangle and vertical rectangle. You’ll see each sketch with a beautiful picture of an example using that sketch (along with the actual supplies used to create that card). Jen gives you step-by-step instructions for using each card sketch. It’s important to note that the instructions state the exact product she used for that card example, but you can use any coordinating products for your card. Your Card Making Toolbox is provided as a bonus to 50 Card Making Sketches. Jen does a great job of getting right to the basic tools that you need to make cards. She tells you three essentials you must have and then gives suggestions for recommended extras. She tells you what brands she uses to help make your shopping easier. You will find that you will already have many of these things in your scrapbooking tools. Stick It Together is a guide for choosing the right adhesive for card making. Jen narrows it down to her two favorite adhesive products. She considers these the essential glues for cards. One of them is my all time favorite adhesive for scrapbooking, too. I like that she gives you advice and product recommendations for specific types of objects, like ribbon, vellum and three dimensional embellishments. She tells you the brand names she uses for her adhesives which will eliminate trial and error with different manufacturers. 81 Birthday Quotes is an additional bonus. I would use these quotes on the cards as part of the embellishment, but I would still recommend a book that contains card greetings for the inside of your cards. The quotes vary from serious to funny, and there is a nice selection. These also would be great on scrapbooking pages. 50 Card Making Sketches is an excellent resource for crafters who want to easily and quickly make their own greeting cards. These sketches can be used for any holiday, occasion or event. Making cards is another economical way to use your scrapbooking scraps as well. Don’t forget how much money you will save on buying greeting cards. Jen is offering 50 Card Making Sketches at a reduced price for a limited time only. She hasn’t given a specific date for when the pricing will increase. This is a perfect time to purchase these card sketches and get started on your holiday cards. Thank you to Jen for the opportunity to review 50 Card Making Sketches. |
Learn Digital Scrapbooking with Jessica Sprague |
A Review of Up and Running with Photoshop with Jessica Sprague
Don't worry that you have to learn and memorize everything in the lessons the first time you watch them either. Not only can you go back and watch the videos as many times as you like, the videos are available to you forever. When you go to the course page, there is a class trailer that you can watch to see if this class is right for you. I loved this class so much I signed up for 2 more digital scrapbooking classes with Jessica Sprague, Now We're Rockin With Photoshop and Digi: In Deep, intermediate and advanced digital scrapbooking classes. I'm so glad I found Jessica Sprague's digital scrapbooking classes online. Go to Up and Running with Photoshop with Jessica Sprague to see the class video preview.
Other Reviews of Jessica Sprague Digital Scrapbooking Classes: Photo Editing: Good-to-Great Workflow
Don't worry that you have to learn and memorize everything in the lessons the first time you watch them either. Not only can you go back and watch the videos as many times as you like, the videos are available to you forever. When you go to the course page, there is a class trailer that you can watch to see if this class is right for you. I loved this class so much I signed up for 2 more digital scrapbooking classes with Jessica Sprague, Now We're Rockin With Photoshop and Digi: In Deep, intermediate and advanced digital scrapbooking classes. I'm so glad I found Jessica Sprague's digital scrapbooking classes online. Go to Up and Running with Photoshop with Jessica Sprague to see the class video preview. Learn Digital Photo Editing from Jessica Sprague : A Review |
After taking the online digital photo editing class, Photo Editing: Good-to-Great Workflow, I may never print another photograph without first editing it in photoshop. This class taught me how to take photos that I think turned out pretty good to editing them into great photos! Photo Editing: Good-to-Great Workflow Other Reviews of Jessica Sprague Digital Scrapbooking Classes: |
Cricut Design Studio : The Missing Manual - Get the Most from Your Cricut |
It can be so frustrating to invest in a new scrapbooking tool only to find out the learning curve is a bit steeper than you thought. The Cricut Design Studio can be a challenge to master. Not only do you want to learn the basics of this software, but you also want to learn how to use it to its full potential. You definitely want to get the most from it and get busy creating beautiful elements for your scrapbooking pages. Cricut Design Studio: The Missing Manual is just what you need. Brandi Gore, the author, is not only an experienced scrapbooker, she teaches scrapbooking as well. She can guide you through the steps to designing beautiful elements for your scrapbooking layouts. Don’t waste your valuable and limited scrapbooking time trying to learn by trial and error. Brandi’s product can get you on your way with your Cricut machine in no time at all. How much paper have you already wasted trying to figure out the software for your machine? The author, Brandi Gore, realized that scrappers could save countless hours and paper if she took what she had learned about the Cricut software and put it into a format that everyone could understand. That is where the Missing Manual comes in. This manual is not going to tell what is already in the instructions that came with the Design Studio. It is going to show you step by step how to accomplish the results that you want. Is welding a challenge for you? Brandi will show you how to weld images and letters together to form one cutting, and she’ll show you how to weld an image inside a frame. She’ll help you use your Cricut Design Studio more efficiently by showing you how to find the exact shape you need quickly. She gives you tips like why you need to update your firmware, and she shows you how. This is a complete guide to getting the most from your Cricut and becoming a proficient Cricut Design Studio user. When you purchase Cricut Design Studio: The Missing Manual, you not only get Brandi’s ebook with tutorials that include screenshots and detailed instructions, you also receive a full hour of video tutorials. You can follow right along with the videos while you use your own Cricut Design Studio. This product gives you everything you need to learn the designing and cutting process. As a special bonus, Brandi includes a shortcuts and tips Quick Reference Guide. I love to have a shortcuts guide right next to me when I’m using software. There’s no need to memorize the instructions and stop what you are doing to go back and read the ebook or watch the videos. The reference guide will be there whenever you are ready to scrapbook with your cricut. This video-enhanced ebook is a must for every Cricut Design Studio owner. Check out Brandi Gore’s Cricut Design Studio: The Missing Manual Are you looking for: Making Memories Slice Review : The Slice Cordless Design Cutter is Here! |
What is Making Memories Slice? Slice was designed as the first cordless cutting system for scrapbookers. This scrapbooking tool is going to be on every scrappers' wish list. Ever since this new handheld cordless die cutter hit national craft stores and local scrapbooking stores, scrapbookers have been anxious to give it a try. What Makes Slice by Making Memories So Unique? Besides being small, portable and cordless, Slice by Making Memories can cut any media, anywhere on your page. Most personal die cutters can't do this. They can only cut from the outside edges of a paper. Slice is simple and easy to use. It also has exclusive designs. You won't find their design collections anywhere else. Just like digital camera pictures, they are stored on tiny SD cards. Design collections include basic shapes, holidays like Halloween and Christmas, and themes like back to school and weddings. The Slice Design Cards also offer exclusive designer collection like Noteworthy and Animal Crackers. Keep an eye out for upcoming releases of design card collections in spring, sports, fonts, travel and words and expressions themes. From the very first time you try it, the Making Memories Slice will become your favorite scrapbooking tool. You'll never want to scrapbook without it. And because it's a handheld cutter, it can be positioned anywhere that you want on the page allowing you to cut accurately in the center of a page layout. The Slice Digital Design Cutter is able to cut in 1/2 inch increments from 1 to 4 inches. Slice by Making Memories is already in huge demand by scrapbookers of every skill level. You don't have to be an advanced scrapbooker to appreciate what the Slice can do for your scrapbooking page designs. You can find the Slice Cordless Design Cutter Starter Kit at Scrapbook.com. They also offer all of the design collections that have been released and the storage accessories. The Slice Cordless Design Cutter Starter Kit includes:
Here is a list of some of the accessories currently available as well:
Making Memories Slice is just 5 inches square. You can easily store it along with the design collection. It takes up very little of your valuable scrapbooking storage space. Simply charge it, and now it's portable and cordless as well. The Slice Cordless Design Cutter is the perfect scrapbooking companion! Take it to your next crop or scrapbooking workshop and be the envy of your scrapbooking friends. |