{we are} storytellers

{storytime}

It's the last day of 2008!  That means these are the last {storytime} layouts of the year. :D  If I had been thinking ahead I would have done a compilation of this year's most fabulous pages - but that idea just hit me about a half hour ago.  Maybe next year!  Ha ha.

There are so many fresh changes in the works for {we are} storytellers in 2009 - one of which is opening up the gallery to include layouts featuring products from all around digiland.  Our gallery already sees a lot of action with pages featuring primarily {we are} storyteller products, so it will be awe-inspiring to see how active it will be once our members are able to post their full galleries here. 

Without further ado, here are some pages that jumped out at me this week:

same kid, different years by misskim

so free by emilie ahern

Six Years Old by soblessed

That rounds it out for our last {storytime} post of the year!  Tomorrow marks a fresh start, a new year and (for most of us) a list of new goals - some of which are scrapbooking related, I'm sure.  I'll see you next year!

{storyteller} peppermint

{please welcome our new storytellers}

take care,

{storyteller} deann

{Store-Wide End of the Year Sale}

Wow! Can anyone else believe that Christmas 2008 is now added to our collection of Christmas' Past - where is the time going! Now we are in the last days of the year, with many of us looking forward to the dawn of a new year, full of wonderful possibilities and a true spirit of hope. But wait, let's not say good-bye to 2008 too quickly - how 'bout sending it out out with a bang and 50% off most everything in our shoppe!

Even our individual Artists-in-Residence have special plans to say good-bye to 2008 and welcome 2009!

take care,

{storyteller} deann

omg, it's really here. Merry Christmas Eve! This month has blown by, but with the exception of some much needed stocking stuffers that I will pick up today, I'm done with all my holiday prep and ready to sit back and enjoy my family and the Christmas mood.

For your viewing pleasure this week, I've picked out gads of fabulous Christmas layouts. Different kits, different holiday traditions, some with templates, some not, but all most certainly made with love. From window shopping to tree picking to family traditions, they are all beautifully made and very insightful into how each enjoys this wonderful holiday season.

by Jennifer C

by gonewiththewind


by lizzyworks


by Jane (soblessed)


by cbsplace



Angela Powers

I hope to see many more holiday layouts uploaded in the next week or so. I enjoy them :)

Merry Christmas!

{storyteller} kelly

{focus friday}

Hello all, and welcome back to another edition of {focus Friday}! This week I’d like to take a look at a kit that I think is more than just for scrapbooking – Emily Merritt’s Project Memories. Not only is it super cute for layouts about your love of photography (something that seems to go hand-in-hand with scrapbookers!), but this kit can also serve as a year-long launch point for those of you that participate in Project 365. Or even those of you who challenge yourselves to do a photo-a-week, or a photo-a-month! Anything to get that camera out and practice, practice, practice is great, right? I haven't had the guts to try this yet, but I think it's definitely in the cards for me in 2009!

Not only does this kit come fully equipped with papers and elements, but Emily has also included a page template as well as frames in PNG and PSD format with space ready for your copyright and day, so you can use them throughout the year to display your hard work!

To get the creative juices flowing, here’s some pages our awesome CT made using this kit...

By Kris:

By Valorie:

And by Peppermint:

As for me, I used it to create a gift certificate as part of my small-budget Christmas. :)

My goal for next year is to really work on my photography skills more than I ever did this year, so maybe someday I can grow up to be a real photographer, and to that end I’m giving several of my family members and friends free sessions and photos.

Hope this helps to inspire you! Please share anything you do with this kit, we always love to see!

{storyteller} trude

{writer's notebook} mission statements

Right now I'm working with a number of middle and high school students who are participating in the Youth Venture program, which is an international organization that helps fund youth-led community improvement programs and activities. Part of the development process includes creating an action plan, and I've spent the better part of the past week talking to students about marketing and what Youth Venture terms "elevator speeches." Essentially, this a 60-second rundown of what a group's venture idea is all about -- you need to be able to reveal the 5 Ws in a minute or less. Not only does this help you quickly spread the word about your venture, but during the planning process, it also helps the students to get to the true core of what their venture is all about, which is really important during the planning phase. It's also important to come back to that idea and revisit it often, to use it as a way to gauge the work that's being done and evaluate if that work is on the right track or not. As I was explaining this to one group, their vice-principal spoke up and said, "That's like our school mission statement. It's what we're all about..." and the kids nodded in agreement.

Elevator speeches, mission statements, mottos, personal credos -- it's all the same concept. And right now is a time that these types of ideas start to flutter around in people's heads. A new year is rapidly approaching, and that means that many of us will develop resolutions for the new year. Things we vow we are going to do or not do -- habits to break, habits to begin, goals to set and achieve, hobbies to practice. As you think about all the things you want to do (or not) this year, I also encourage you to take some time to think about scrapbooking -- not just the how but the why of it as well. With the economy in rough shape, many of us lack the expendable income we might have had. However, I think that telling your family stories is still one of the most important things you can continue to do. I encourage you, over the course of the next few weeks, to spend some time thinking about and creating a scrapbooking mission statement for yourself. We've started building quite an active forum here at {wst}, and there's a great thread about 2009 Scrapbooking Goals -- stop by, share your thoughts, and put together a layout for our gallery. We'd love to see it. Even better, we'd love to see you become an active member of the {wst} family as you continue to create family memories and preserve them in whatever way you choose.

Here's a layout I did focusing on some of the things I'd like to do in the upcoming year, created with my new kit, be {re}solved, which is this week's Book Fair kit. Purchase it for just $2.00, and get 35% off two additional products of your choice.

Don't forget about our Creative Team call either -- you can get more information here. There's still time to apply, so if you're passionate about telling your stories and inspiring others to do the same, this is an opportunity you really don't want to miss.

We've also got a great promo going on right now, for our self-paced journaling classes. Sign up for one of these classes and have a chance to win back your tuition. 2 lucky students will have their tuition reimbursed. Enroll in either "Christmas Captured" or "Listmania" before midnight on Dec 25 and you'll be entered into a random drawing to win back your tuition. Remember, each of these classes are self paced, so sign up today, have a chance to take the class for free, and take your time going through the course content - its' the perfect way to go to school; at your own pace, and possibly even free!

write on,
{storyteller} aud

{storytime}

This week's going to be a "hit and run" with some standouts from the gallery. I love this time of year, but it always feels like the to do list gets longer and longer, doesn't it?  I have to hit the ground running every morning.  I hope it's not just me!

Seven Years Old by Stacey Jewell Stahl

Photobug by mimsmom

November Freedom by MissPotts

I hope everyone has a enjoys the holidays, I'll be seeing you all back here with my gallery favs on New Year's Eve!  The last {storytime} of the year, I guess :D  I can't wait to see all the goodies that everyone creates with their Holiday photos and their new "gadgets" - cameras, computers, software  :: rubbing hands together :: 

Until then!
{storyteller} peppermint

{page turner tuesday - letters and words}

take care,

{storyteller} deann

{storyteller} spotlight: Kelly aka kellbuckley

I'm 31 years old, married and the mom of a five year old little boy. I work outside the home as an Assitant Manager. My family and I live outside of Houston, Texas.

Q: How long have you been scrapping and how did you discover digi? I started digital scrapbooking in Jan 2006. I never was a paper scrapper. I stumbled upon digiscrapping while I was researching tutorials for my PSPX, which I got for the main purpose of editing my photos.

Q: Why do you scrap? Scrapping is mostly a creative outlet for me with the added bonus of being able to record the stories of my family's life. Gage is growing up so quick, and I hope when he gets older he will enjoy looking back on his childhood through my pages.

Q: What do you do while scrapping? My scrapping corner is off the kitchen so I mostly listen to background noise (i.e tv and xbox games) from the living room. I also listen a lot to yahoo radio late at night while I'm scrapping.

Q: What program to you use? Paint Shop Pro X. I've tried out a few other programs but I always come back to my faithful PSPX.

Q: How long does it take you to complete a layout? Some layouts seem to make themselves and I can get those done within an hour. Most, though, I spend several hours on and it's not unusual for me to step away and come back a couple of days later to move this and that til I love what I see.

Q: Once you’ve completed a layout, what do you do with it? I save two copies. A full size jpeg and also a smaller copy for the web. I upload to a few galleries and have recently started printing my layouts out as 12x12s. I've printed out several books but I've found that I love printing them out singly so that I can arrange them how I want in a scrapbook.

Q: What is your favorite digi item? As in one thing? haha. I have several things that I don't think I could live without. Wordart, brushes, and patterned paper top the list though.

Q: What is your process for completing a layout? I really don't have a process except that the photo always goes on the page first
Show us your favorite layout of YOURS at WST. well the gallery only goes back to August now, so since August this is my favorite:

Q:If you could change or eliminate one wedding tradition, what would it be?
I'm not a very traditional type person, but when I got married I wanted all the trappings of a traditional wedding. I really don't think I would change a thing, well except maybe some of the wording from the ceremony; I don't obey very well. haha

Q: What camera do you use? I have a Canon s5 is.

Q: Do you have any favorite post- processing tips or actions that you use?
Most of my photo editing is done using Virtual Photographer; I don't think I could live without the Hollywood (b/w) preset. I also love to use textures. I find a lot of great ones at Flickr but also love to use papers from different kits to achieve the look I want.

Q: What is the one item you own that you really should throw away, but probably never will? I'm a glorified pack rat so this is a hard one. The one my husband would want me to throw away is my old quilt. I slept with the poor thing for almost 12 years as a child and it's a raggedy mess. But, wow, I love it still and have it tucked away in my hope chest.

I just love this layout of Kelly's. She's fabulous at creating powerful layouts with a small photo, white space, and a few elements.

See more inspiring layouts from Kelly here.

Thanks for sharing Kelly! You have a beautiful style!

{storyteller} laura

{focus friday}

Greetings, storytellers, and happy Friday! I’m back again this week with another installment of {focus Friday}. This week we’re turning the spotlight on one of my favorite types of supplies, word art. And it just so happens one of our resident designers, Audrey Neal (aka be Audacious Designs) is one of the queens of word art!

 

What I really love about her sets is not only her gorgeous formatting, but she also includes lovely colored versions of the word art along with a plain black version so that you can color it to match your layout. If you’re wondering how to do this in Photoshop or Elements, all you have to do is use the Color Picker (the little dropper icon) to choose the color you want to use, make sure the word art layer is selected in the layers tray, and then choose to insert a new layer – Solid Color. Then you make sure the new solid color layer is selected, and type Ctrl/Cmd + G to “clip” it to the word art layer (Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + G in Photoshop). And voila! Custom-colored word art! :)

 

Here are some examples of what the lovely CT here has done with Audrey’s word art, and as you can see many of them have custom colored theirs too!

 

By Laura:

 

 

By Diane:

 

 

By Valorie:

 

 

By Steph:

 

 

By Kell:

 

 

By Peppermint:

 

 

Hopefully that gives you some inspiration! Have a wonderful weekend!

 

{storyteller} trude