{we are} storytellers

{black friday special {wst} collab kit}

Simple Abundance, a brand new, unique {wst} collab mega kit is just waiting for you to use to tell all your special stories. Pick it up this weekend for a special price of only $5 plus you'll be able to gobble up an additional favorite for 50% off. Happy Holidays!!

There are also a ton of new products waiting for you as well. Enjoy!

take care,

{storyteller} deann

{page turner tuesday - $1 goodies}

yep - no typo here...

don't forget to pick up Safari and Inbe{TWEEN}, two mega kits that will be retired tonight. (and they are only $1 each as well!)

take care,

{storyteller} deann

{focus friday}

Happy Focus Friday all! {storyteller} Trude back again with another edition! This time I’d like to shine the spotlight on another incredibly flexible set of products, Emily Merritt’s Paper Block and Paper Strip Templates. I’ll be the first to raise my hand and profess addiction for these awesome items! Not only are they an effortless way to squeeze a ton of photos into your page without it looking cluttered, they’re also a great way to use as many as possible of those gorgeous patterned papers we all love! They come in both PNG and PSD formats, so you can play and rearrange to your heart’s content. I’ve seen them used in a myriad of ways, so without further ado here’s some eye candy/inspiration I found in the gallery:

 

By Laura:

 

 By Valorie:

By Kris:

And one by me! :)

If you’ve used these too, please link us up – we’d love to see! Have a great weekend!

{storyteller} trude

{writer's notebook} journaling giveaway!!!

I'm a sucker for idea books. Love love love them -- love flipping through them, love seeing them on my bookshelves, love seeing all the gorgeous ideas, love the feeling of inspiration that always fills me after I look at one. I'm guessing that some of you may share this addiction. If so, then today's blog post is going to make you all very happy!

(photo from Michele's blog)

Michele Skinner, an '07 Memory Makers Master, was kind enough to donate a copy of her new book, Your Words, Your Story: Add Meaningful Journaling to Your Layouts to us for a blog giveaway. Michele has a true talent for authentic, honest journaling, and the book is full of great prompts and journaling tips. It's also filled with some gorgeous layouts from a great group of contributors -- all in all, it's something you don't want to miss!

Here's what you have to do to win. Since {writer's notebook} is about journaling, we want to hear YOUR best tips for journaling on your layouts. Maybe it's a prompt that never fails to motivate you, or a technique that you've found to be especially helpful, or an idea for including more journaling on your layouts. Whatever it is, share it with us! We've seen your talent in the galleries and read your stories -- we know you've got great ideas when it comes to journaling, so we want to hear them. Post your journaling tip (and your email address) in the comments section by 12:00 EST on Wednesday, 11/26/08, and we'll choose one random winner to receive a copy of Michele's new book!

Don't forget to check out this week's Book Fair too -- Kathryn has created such a fun holiday kit for us!

{new page turner tuesday - free gift!}

You never know what Tuesdays are gonna bring to {wst}!

Remember, offer ends at 11:59 pm (est) 11/18! 

We've also opened our Holly Jolly Shoppe today. Check back often for new products to help you tell your wonderful holiday stories and create delightful gifts for your family and friends.

take care,

{storyteller} deann

{storyteller} spotlight: Dixi aka 2bg

I am a 26 year old stay at home mom. I have 3 wonderful children ages 5, 3 and 3 months. They keep me very busy, but I really enjoy the gift of being able to stay home with them and experience each and every "first".

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi? I have been digiscrapping since Oct 2006. I did briefly paper scrap before that but I really hated all the mess. I found digiscrapping after buying my first version of Photoshop Elements. Inside there was a coupon for a CD about how to scrapbook with PSE, and from there I just started Googling and downloading freebies and the rest is history!

Q: Why do you scrap? I guess what really sticks out in my mind is the fact that I don't have a lot of photos from my childhood. I used to love getting together with family and hearing all the stories about my mom growing up, or stuff about my sister and I when we were younger. I always wished I had these memories to cherish forever. When I finally had my own family I wanted to take pictures of everything, but I realized I needed to tell the stories too before I forgot them. So I guess the reason why I scrap is partly for me so that I remember those special moments and partly for my children because I hope that they will love their albums someday.

Q: What do you do while scrapping (listen to music, watch tv, enjoy the silence, etc)? Actually I enjoy a mix of all of these things. Sometimes I'm in the mood for music, other times I'm watching my favorite tv show and with three kids to contend with all day sometimes silence is so appealing.

Q: What program to you use? I use Photoshop Elements 5 most of the time although I do own Photoshop CS3. I really like the tray in PSE so sometimes I do part of a layout in PSE and then finish it off in PSCS3.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout? It usually takes me at least 2-3 hours. I really wish I could speed this up since I have so many photos that need their stories told.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it? After completing a layout I flatten it and save it and put it in a folder. I have to say I'm really ashamed that my layouts aren't more organized...I wish they were. I have a few layouts printed out, but sadly most of them are still sitting on my EHD.

Q: What is your favorite digi item? Oh this is a tough one. Hmmmm. I'm mostly just a sucker for really unique elements.

Q: What is your process for completing a layout? This is something I have been thinking about lately. I really want to define what my process will be because right now it's always something different. I think that's okay sometimes and that it's important to think outside the box, but I think I could save myself a lot of time by sticking to one method most of the time. So I guess I'll have to get back to you one this one...lol.

Q: Show us your favorite layout of YOURS at WST.

Q: You've probably heard the expression: "They couldn't pay me enough to do that job."  What job would that be for you?
Well I watch "Dirty Jobs" on the Discovery Channel enough to know that there are tonnes of jobs that would fit this description for me. If I had to pick just one I'd say an exterminator.

Q: What camera do you use? I have a Canon 30D with a 50mm and 28-135mm lens.

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use? Again this is something I need to learn more about. If I have a photo that needs some kind of fix I usually import it into lightroom and just play around. Real helpful eh? Sorry about that.

Q: If you could take a boat cruise on any river in the world, which river would you choose? Yikes....Geography and History are the two subjects I hated the most in school. It's a miracle I know the name of the river that runs right through the middle of my town. So is there such a thing as the Amazon River? If not please don't laugh......honestly I'd take a cruise anywhere if you paid for it. haha

I love this layout of Dixi's: the perfect combination of simple, gorgeous art and storytelling.

For more inspiration, check out Dixi's gallery. 

Thanks for sharing your creativity with us, Dixi! And I hope you get to take that cruise on the Amazon one day! ;) 

{storyteller} laura

{focus friday}

Good morning, and welcome our newest blog feature, {focus friday}, where we'll be highlighting a different product or group of products each week to show just how much you can do with them!

This week the focus is on Lightroom presets, and in particular I wanted to show just how much you can do with Kathryn's newest edition, the Urban Love set.

I myself am a professed Lightroom addict, and I don't know what I did before it came into my life! For me, the best part is getting my photo editing done as quickly and easily as possible. I love Photoshop too, don't get me wrong, but to really blaze through a batch of your latest and greatest photos, I haven't found a quicker product! And when I really want to look like I know what I'm doing (haha), I'll often turn to presets, which are basically one-click actions you can apply to your photos, while still maintaining the option to tweak the final product.

So, to show just what Kathryn's awesome presets can do to an amateur's photos like mine, here's the original photo of my mom, brother and his fiancee while we were at the Getty Museum a few months ago.

I just love this photo because it's so "us", but before I print and frame it I want to give it some "oomph". So here's the same photo with each of the Urban Love presets applied...

Denim & Caramel:

Dirty Magic:

Indie Beautiful:

On Acid:

The Darkness:

Vintage Sunshine:

Washed Up:

So now all I have to do is decide which one. Hmm...

For more information about Lightroom, you can check out our forum all about photography, inside the photographer's studio, where many of the tips and articles come straight from Kathryn herself! Also, you can check out the program yourself by going to Adobe's website for a 30-day trial.

Have a great weekend!

{storyteller} trude

{writer's notebook} let your voice be heard

We're right in the middle of our first big class at {we are} storytellers -- "Listmania: Scrapping the Nouns in Your Life" -- and things are moving along beautifully! I've already seen some incredibly layouts from our participants, and I'm so excited to see them really digging in and focusing on HOW they tell their stories.
It's not too late to sign up, either -- we're accepting registrants until the 15th, so why not come on in and join us? All class materials will stay in the forum indefinitely, so you'll have access for as long as you need it. Plus, you'll be able to work at your own pace once you download the materials, so it's a great chance!

One of our recent lessons talked about voice, so I thought I'd put a fun spin on the topic and challenge you to create a layout this week that gives voice to an object in your household. This can be any object: maybe it's your oft-neglected exercise equipment, or your daughter's favorite blanket, or the recliner your cat prefers to his scratching post... you get the point. Find an item that's an essential part of your daily life and write your journaling from that item's perspective. It's a great experiment in writing, and it's a fun way to shake up your normal journaling habits.

Speaking of shaking things up, we've got some fun changes in store with our Book Fair promotion!
Starting today, buy Angela Powers' fun kit, {Winter Wonder} for $2.00 and receive 35% off 2 additional
products of your choice! That's a fantastic deal -- and a fantastic kit too!

Don't forget to post your challenge layouts in our gallery, and head over to the forum to share the link.

write on,
{storyteller} aud

{storytime}

I seriously can't help myself this week. There are so many layouts in the gallery this week that deserved to be highlighted. So instead of my usual 2 or 3, I chose 5! Like I said, I couldn't help myself :)

These first two are just so amazing to me. I have a thing with vertical clusters these days and these highlight this design style so well. 

Grateful for You by Nikki:

and Spirit of Christmas by Kikon:

These next three are actually the first three layouts that I saw in the gallery today. Beautiful composition and journaling on all of them; they really caught my eye.  All were made using the new collab Thankful For You by Emily Powers and Aja Abney, they show off the versatility of the  kit so well!

Family by Aja:

Tony and Aurele  by Alice:

and Roots by Gabi: 

{storyteller} kelly

{if it's tuesday, it must be a page turner!}

what a great opportunity to pick up your favorite alphas and wordart to help you tell wonderful stories...

take care!

{storyteller} deann