{we are} storytellers

{focus friday}

Lately I've really been turning to kraft paper as a universal background, and it looks like I'm not the only one around here feeling the krafty goodness! :) There's something so appealing about layering bright colors over a basic kraft paper, right? It just seems so right for summer.

There's a ton of kits in the boutique that include some kind of kraft or paper bag paper, and if you're looking for a great investment for your scrappy arsenal look no further than this set by the two Emilys, or this one by Angela.

And of course, what would a {focus friday} be without inspiration? The storytellers have really been blowing me away lately! Enjoy!

Kristy (aka gandcsmama) used touches of white and bright pink that really make everything pop:

Erica's (aka pne123) page makes me want to head to the beach right now!

Love Courtney's (aka cbsplace) page about her pregnancy:

Amanda (aka gracielou) writes honestly about an experience we all have - getting antsy on long car rides!

And Kristine captures a great moment her family had at the beach:

Are you ready to bust out that kraft paper yet? Hope this leaves you inspired! Until next time...

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

In honor of Independence Day weekend here in the States, I thought I'd focus the spotlight on a few kits in the store that will lend a hand when you need to scrap all the photos I'm sure you'll be taking this weekend! :) Keep in mind that the USA isn't the only one that uses red, white and blue - it also works for the UK, Norway, Iceland, France, Panama, the Netherlands, Australia, Chile, New Zealand and Thailand!

Emily's I Am Free mini kit is just adorable and uses alternative colors to the traditional red, white and blue combo.

Also, the Anchors Away collab kit by the two Emilys and Tiff Brady is themed on ships but definitely works color-wise.

Unfortunately since we lost our gallery late last summer, I don't have any fireworks pages to show you, but here's a selection of some pages using these awesome kits:

This one from Andrea (aka estir_bune) is just so sweet and simple!

I love Julie Ann's extraction work and layering here - so fun!

The way Lisamars spotlights that awesome photo is just perfect!

And this week, here's one from me. :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend!

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

It's cool to be square! At least that's what I try to tell myself. And glancing through the recent {inspiration} in the gallery, I'm not the only one who thinks so. :)

As digiscrappers, we find it easy to really push the limits with what shapes we use when scrapping, but that doesn't mean getting "back to basics" with squares isn't still a great way to go. The constancy of the lines is something our brains naturally find restful to look at. As with a great little black dress, it's all in the accessories (or embellishments)!

This week's pages from our {storytellers} showcase just how wonderful using squares can look.

Erica (aka pne123) used repeating squares to frame and elements on either side to draw attention straight to that stunning photo:

Jennifer (aka scarlett1977) used Emily's Paper Block Templates to frame out her adorable family photos:

Carolee used repeating squares and rectangles too, but the scribbles behind really shake things up:

Kristy (aka gandcsmama) shows you how little you really need to communicate volumes. Don't you just want to run outside right now?

Well, I know I'm set in the inspiration department. How about you? Sold on the squares idea?

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

You may have noticed some especially touching stories flooding the public library this week, and this is mostly due to the absolutely stunning iHope Collaborative Benefit Kit that Two Sisters have put out. It features contributions from some awesome well-known artists, including our own Emily Merritt, Gina Miller, Rachel Young, Jacque Larsen, Amber Clegg and Paislee Press.

Gorg, right? I'm so excited that they've done this, especially considering this:

100% of the proceeds from this kit (minus paypal fees) will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. We're so thankful to our friends for donating their time and creativity to this worthy cause. Thank you Emily, Gina, Rachel, Jacque, Amber and Liz! Deann, thank you so much for encouraging us in our efforts and insisting that {WST} host iHOPE.

Having lost my aunt to breast cancer five years ago almost exactly, I'm so proud of their efforts and I hope they meet and exceed their fundraising goals!

Of course, our {storytellers} have gone above and beyond with their creations, and also show that this giant kit can serve for all kinds of different stories. Here's a sampling...

By Kristine:

From Lisa:

From Valorie:

From Carolee:

And Donna shared her amazing story - go leave her some love!

I hope (sorry, no pun intended) that this leaves you in an inspired and charitable mood for the weekend! Looking forward to see what y'all come up with!

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

With the arrival of June this week (I know, already!!), I've noticed an increasing amount of summer-themed pages around here. Looks like everybody is anxious for time in the sun - and I'm no exception! With kits like Val's Summer's Kiss or Angela's Beach Bum, it's easy to pull together pages like the stunners from our CT below. Or find those bright papers you've been hoarding since last summer and play around! :)

Lisa's page demands your attention with that bright yellow - and how cute is that photo?

Kristy shows that you don't have to use bright colors to make a page feel sunny!

Love how Kristine effortlessly puts together different patterns and colors and still makes it cohesive!

And I couldn't help but include Val's gorg page - she's a master!

Well, I'm ready for summer...now if only this June Gloom would clear up...

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

Happy Friday storytellers! I'm back again, and this time the spotlight is shining on Kathryn Wilson's lovely new series of kits, Life From A-Z. Can you believe she's doing the entire alphabet? I think I'd balk at that task, but of course Kathryn is churning them out beautifully. She's currently up to E, and you can find the series in her corner of the boutique.

I think the best part may be that you can really mix-and-match pieces from the different kits. They're all themed differently, but overall they really work together! Check out what our team has whipped up...

Amanda really rocked the pink with these adorable photos:

I love how Erica really brought out her boy's baby blues!

You gotta love Kristine's use of patterned paper in capturing this sweet moment:

Jennifer C's photo from Mother's Day is too funny!

And hooray for Diane putting herself in a page. What a keepsake for her kids!

Hope you're inspired! Please come back and share if you create anything with this series!

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

Maybe it's because I really want to get out in the sun this weekend, but for some reason right now all I'm seeing are circles! I definitely get stuck in the square-and-rectangle rut myself, so it's been great inspiration to see such fab examples of how to use circles. But I might still go the template route to get the hang of it!

Jennifer used this awesome template:

And Kelly used this one:

Lisamars played off one huge circle (with such a cute photo, I would've made it huge too!):

And it's so cool how Courtney did a row of circles and then circular bubble wrap stamps to tie it together:

For all you in the States, have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Come back and share if you get inspired!

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

Going vertical. For anyone in the construction industry, this is a familiar phrase. For scrapbooking, it's something I've noticed in our stories lately. Stacking your photos and elements in a vertical line on the page can be extremely pleasing to the eye, especially when you consider the rule of thirds. So next time you're wanting to do something different, look no further than below for some scrappy inspiration! :) Or check our our template section for some great starting points, including this one, this one and this one.

I love what Kristy did with patterned paper on this:

Doesn't Lisa's page make you want to go to the beach?

Carolee's repeating circles work perfectly here:

Ms. Merritt also used repeating circles, but as frames for her cute photos!

And Kelly's messier approach still keeps your eye moving nicely from top to bottom:

Hope you've gotten some inspiration! Have a wonderful weekend!

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

Happy Friday everyone! Hope your week has been good to you. :)

This week the spotlight is shining in the direction of Valorie's (aka Spotted Dog Designs) All About Me paper strips. We all know how important it is to write about yourself and your own feelings, so that future generations know about who we are, but sometimes it can be really hard to do! These can definitely help get the journaling juices flowing! The coolest part is they come as individual files, so you can use all of them or only a couple. Make everyone in your family answer the questions and do a series of pages with their answers!

As always, here's some CT inspiration using this set:

By Melanie:

By Jennifer:

Have a great weekend all!

{storyteller} trude

{focus friday}

One of the things I love best about digiscrapping as compared to paper scrapping is I don't have to sew. I love the look of stitching on a page, but heaven help me if I can get anything resembling the line or shape that I wanted! There's something about adding stitching to a page that gives it extra dimension. It's a design element that adds a lot without adding bulk, y'know? Plus there's no need to get multiple colors - with digital, recoloring to match your page is a cinch! :)

Here at {wst} you can find plain 'ol straight stitches, stitched alphas, stitched shapes and even stitched art pieces! Not to mention the stitches that come in kits.

Can you tell I've been inspired by the pages that creatively use stitching? ;) Here's a few I'm admiring right now:

Lost Tooth by Carolee

Silly Faces by Courtney

Easter by Lisa

Pyrex at the Playground by Ms. Potts

Have a wonderful May Day weekend, everyone!

{storyteller} trude