Hello there!  Ready to jumpstart some creative time with this week's challenges?  They are some good ones!  Remember each challenge gives you a chance to win a $5 gift certificate, as well as earns you a badge for your Two Peas profile page.  Just click on the title of each challenge for details on how to enter, and scroll down to see last week's winners!

Photography Challenge: (Out of) Focus with Wilna

From Wilna, "In photography one's aim is always tack sharpness... or is it? Sometimes an out of focus picture can help tell a story. So, this week, tell a story with a picture even if it's not tack sharp...don't you think it will be fun? "

Weekly Scrap Challenge: Scrap a series of photos with Jill

From Jill, "When it comes to taking photos, it's a rare person who just snaps a single photo and walks away. In fact, I'm willing to bet that your photo files are a lot like mine -- full of multiple shots of a single moment, and packed with outtakes generated in the attempt to capture one decent photo. I say, SCRAP 'EM! Put those sequential photos or a series of outtakes to use on a layout. 

That is exactly what I did here with a series of photos taken of my daughter and her fur-buddy Mazie. No single photo turned out the way I had hoped, but all together, they're kind of perfect, capturing the sweet and silly dynamic between these two."

Saturday Card Sketch with Kimber: Birthday Wishes

From Kimber, "This week's sketch was built to use repetitive embellishments or images across a tag. I finally gave in and used the rest of my layered butterfly embellishments. I LOVE these so it was hard to use them up. I may just have to keep this card for myself. ;)"

Congrats howdyheidi, texaschic and debst; we'll be in touch with you shortly on how to access your gift certificate!  And thanks to everyone who played along!

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Looking for more challenges?  We've got you covered!  Each weekly project video invites you to play along, and we've partnered up with our vendors to bring you amazing prize opportunities!  Of course, you can see them all in one place all the time from our Challenge homepage.

Welcome to the weekend, Peas!  Each Friday we take a look back on what classes + videos went live on Two Peas this week.  Enjoy!

Memory Keeping Mondays: "Life" with Jen Gallacher

From Jen, "Welcome to another "Memory Keeping Monday" project! This week I'm focusing on how you can stamp and emboss on vellum. To do this you will need vellum, a stamp image, Versamark or embossing ink, white embossing powder, and a heat gun. 

To see how I completed this tutorial, be sure to watch this video on creating the layout start-to-finish.  Challenge: Create a layout with stamping. You can use embossing or simply stamp your image on cardstock (or even vellum). When uploading your project, be sure to mark the correct challenge box to participate."

The Adventures of Glitter Girl: Episode 013 Multiphoto Mayhem

From Shimelle, "This week Glitter Girl takes on a multiphoto challenge - something currently being discussed here on the General Scrapping message board at Two Peas. With the specifics of travel scrapbooking in mind, her adventure takes her through a work-in-progress album and the creation of a layout with four 4x6 photos on a single 12x12 page. 

 

If you're working with multiple photos, there are several resources right here at Two Peas that can save you lots of time and lead to great layouts! Have a look at... 4x6 Photo Love, Stretch your Sketch, and Super Sketches.  Or for something quite different but relevant to the travel theme, you might be interested in the Here, There & Everywhere workshop. 

But come along for the adventure, won't you?"

Finally Friday: Rolled Flower Friend Card by Kandis Smith

From Kandis, "Rolled flowers are so much fun! My Little Shoebox has diecut rolled flowers ready for you to make cards, layouts, or altered items. They are so easy to use!  * excuse my sniffles--I didn't even realize I was doing it until I watched the video! ;) 

Your Challenge: Create a card or layout using rolled flowers!"

I love learning new things from the Garden Girls and hope you enjoyed these videos as well!  Have a great weekend, Peas!

Today at Two Peas 3/30/2012:

* Reminder: You have through the end of March to enter to win this Spring-themed prize pack when you leave a product review in the Two Peas store!  Look for the announcement of the winner on Monday.

* Deal of the Day: 50% off Ink + Wit stamps 

* Finally Friday Card + Video: Rolled Flower Friend Card by Kandis Smith

Rolled flowers are so much fun! My Little Shoebox has diecut rolled flowers ready for you to make cards, layouts, or altered items. They are so easy to use!

* excuse my sniffles--I didn't even realize I was doing it until I watched the video! ;)

Your Challenge: Create a card or layout using rolled flowers!

Congrats breezestg - we'll be in touch with you shortly on getting your prize to you!  Thanks everyone for hopping along with us for the Garden Girl monthly blog hop, "Gardener's Digest."  We'll see you in April on the 22nd for another hop!

Just a few snapshots from a very fun afternoon for the Two Peas gang.  Jeff and Kristina treated us to some seriously yummy junk food and a few games of fun at the bowling alley.  Feeling very lucky to work for people who let us know how very appreciated we are.  And, um, I had the best game of my life and tied with one of the guys on our team.  He was not as thrilled as I was. ;)

Today at Two Peas:

* Deal of the Day: 50% off Russell + Hazel products

* A new Personal Shopper is going up!  See it this afternoon here for my Easter product picks.

We're seeing Instagrams spill over into scrapbook pages more and more; and we love how this shoot-edit-and-share app not only gives cool effects for our photos, but helps us capture the everyday moments of life.  Let's take a look at how we're spotting Garden Girls and members using these photos in their projects!

The Love List by Amy Tangerine

Amy used a special printing service and had her photos printed into stickers measuring about 1"x1".  I don't think we'll ever tire of stickers as crafters - how much more fun are stickers in the form of photos?!

In Just a Year by Jaime Warren

Here is a cool idea: printing your Instagram photos at home on white paper will allow you flexibility when trimming your photo.  Why not give extra space below the photo and make it look like a polaroid?!

Garden Girls by Jen Jockisch

Jen Jockisch strung her teeny tiny Instagrams across her page, attaching them with a mix of clips and clothespins.  Love it!

You don't have to go small with Instagrams; Shannon Tidwell combined her photo with die cuts in a similar size and created a strip as a focal point in the center of her page.  Notice the Crate Paper background sheet she's used? It looks like an Instagram frame!

Don't miss these other projects we spied in the gallery, many of them mini album projects!

Instagram Mini Album tutorial by Marcy Penner

Via Text by Nicole Harper

Instagram <3 by fleursbydesign

A Week In My Life Mini Album by Allison Waken

Instagram by mrsski07

Happy snapping and scrapping your Instagrams!

Today at Two Peas:

* Another The Adventures of Glitter Girl episode will be going up!  Look for it this afternoon from the video series page as Glitter Girl tackles another problem in the crafting world!

* Deal of the Day: 50% off Studio Calico Mister Hueys 

Hey there! I'm Garden Girl Jen Gallacher, and today I get to share one of my favorite products trends with you: wooden embellishments. There are so many exciting products on the market right now that are made from wood. I wanted to share a few of them with you, as well as, share a few completed projects using these amazing embellishments.

One of my favorite wooden products are the "Vintage Chunky Wooden Spools" from Maya Road. I've used these a few times as I've strung banners across my pages (example): 

Another of my favorite wooden products are the "Living Wood Die Cut Shapes" from My Mind's Eye. I plan on misting and stamping on these shapes before adding them to my projects:

And I've already been playing with these darling "Wood Veneer Houses" by Studio Calico. They come in three different sizes and two styles. They can be re-colored with ink or painted with a paint dauber. These just make me happy:

There are even more choices for wooden products within the 2Peas store, including buttons, banners, and die cut shapes. You can find them all here!

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I thought it would be fun to share a few projects from the 2Peas Gallery using these amazing wooden embellishments. I love this card created by Danni Reid using the My Mind's Eye "Living Wood Butterfly Die Cut" embellishment. She added additional embellishments to the butterfly to make it the focal point of her card:

Wooden elements are a great neutral element to add to your projects. I love how Garden Girl Lisa Truesdell added one single wooden asterisk to her layout. It's a perfect subtle touch to her project:

And finally, I loved how papermama distressed the Maya Road wooden ruler embellishment with distressing ink and spray mist to match the feel of her layout:

There are so many things you can do with wooden embellishments. Do you have something you've created you'd like to share? Simply upload your project to the 2Peas Gallery. Then add the link to the comments section below so we can be inspired by your ideas!

- Jen

Don't forget our Garden Girl blog hop giveaway is still open.  Hop on through for more inspiration from the GG's!

Today at Two Peas:

*  Every Tuesday means a new batch of digital kits are released in the store after 10 am CST.

*  We'll be sending out our weekly newsletter!  Look for it later today here, or subscribe from the 'My: Account' section to get updates on coupon codes, new products and events in the community!

*  Kitty's filming her Weekly Warehouse Walk video.  Look for it this afternoon on her video series page!

* Deal of the Day:  50% off Select Lily Bee Collection Kits 

Good Monday morning, Peas!  We've got a fun announcement for you.  How does winning a prize pack full of $50 worth of goodies sound?!  We've teamed up with Echo Park and Fancy Pants to bring you these challenges with chances to win!  Just click the links below for details.

Echo Park Note to Self Project Challenge

Fancy Pants Project Challenge

And don't forget we have the Dear Lizzy and Elle's Studio challenges going on now as well.  We've now got a photo for you of the Elle's Studio prize and we think it's a good one! :)

Have fun creating!

Today at Two Peas:

* It's Monday!  That means there's a new batch of Garden Girl projects in the Design Team Garden.  Get ready to pin and bookmark your favorites!

* Get ready for another Memory Keeping Monday episode!  This week Jen Gallacher shares how she creates a custom embellishment piece for her layout, "Life."

* Deal of the Day: 50% off Tim Holtz Alpha Parts!

In doing a bit of gallery browsing for Easter inspiration, I came across this sweet Easter gift set by Two Peas member Misty.  I'm loving the bright pinks and lemonade yellows!

Inspired to create your own set?  Here's how one might get Misty's look:

1.  All in a Row paper  2.  Kissing Booth Stickers  3.  Flutter By Doodlepop Sticker 4.  Pink Posie Doodlepop Sticker  5.  Buttercup Doodlepop Sticker  6.  Summer Days Alpha Stickers  7.  Bumblebee Doodle Twine  8.  With Love Ribbon Card  9.  Neon Alphas

Hope you enjoyed this edition of Get the Look!  See you tomorrow!

Don't forget our Garden Girl blog hop giveaway is still open.  Hop on through for more inspiration from the GG's!

Ready for this week's challenges?  We have a new batch of creative ways to help you step outside the box and try something new!  Remember each challenge gives you a chance to win a $5 gift certificate, as well as earns you a badge for your Two Peas profile page.  Just click on the title of each challenge for details on how to enter, and scroll down to see last week's winners!

Photography Challenge: Hobbies by Jen Gallacher

From Jen, "All of my children love art, but my daughter has been spending a lot of time on her craft lately. One day I sat beside her and just snapped away as she worked.   When taking photos of your (or others') hobbies, make sure you get horizontal, vertical, close-up shots, and product shots. Then you'll have lots more images to choose from when you document the story."  Read more...

Weekly Challenge: Scraplift a Garden Girl by Wendy Anderson

From Wendy, "I am so excited to share today's challenge with you! I've long been a fan of the "garden girls" and I've been gleaning inspiration from then since I joined Two Peas way back in 1999. I've been inspired by so many of them over the years...and I can find inspiration in the projects shared by each and every one of them today. 

As I looked through the design team section, I was really struck by this layout ]by Jennifer Gallacher. I just love the color-blocked columns and the fun design - and I knew I wanted to scraplift her design...so I did!"  Read more...

Saturday Card Sketch with Kimber McGray

From Kimber, "This week's sketch can be used as I did with stamped images running along the one side of the card or you could substitute embellishments or a pattern paper that has a design that runs along one edge.  Everything on this layout is stamped except the staples and the foam square under the butterfly."  Read more... 

Congrats wrholley and jettegad; we'll be in touch with you shortly on how to access your gift certificate!  And thanks to everyone who played along!

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Looking for more challenges?  We've got you covered!  Each weekly project video invites you to play along, and we've partnered up with our vendors to bring you amazing prize opportunities!  Of course, you can see them all in one place all the time from our Challenge homepage.

Don't forget our Garden Girl blog hop giveaway is still open.  Hop on through for more inspiration from the GG's!

We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Happy Friday!  Each Friday we take a look back at the week's class lessons and videos from the Garden Girls.  There are a lot of great ideas and helpful tidbits we think you're going to love.  Enjoy!

Memory Keeping Mondays: "Takeoff" by Lisa Truesdell

From Lisa, "Hi Peas! It's time for another Memory Keeping Monday. This week, I went a little out of my comfort zone and used my Cameo to cut a few paper airplanes to "fly" from my main photo to my title. I'm also sharing a few tips on narrowing down photos and stamping on the background of your page. 

Here's a little look at how this project came together.  For this week's challenge, I want you to break out your stamps and use them on the background of your page. =)"

The Adventures of Glitter Girl: Episode 012 Three Scrap Strategies

From Shimelle, "This week Glitter Girl shares three strategies for scrapbooking with just 'scraps' - the leftovers from other papercrafting projects. We're currently discussing this here on the general scrapbooking message board. Her adventure takes her through three layouts with techniques that can be used time and time again and always look unique by the papers and detail you choose. 

For some variations on a theme... The first strategy can be adapted to a freer style for a layout like this. For another take on the second layout, check out this example. This example shows the third technique, but mixes ribbons and trims with the paper scraps..."  Read on for more examples...

Finally Friday: "This Book Belongs To" by Julie Campbell

From Julie, "In this Finally Friday video tutorial, I'll show you how to create a card and a gift all in one! Learn how to make a removable bookmark that is sure to brighten any book-lover's day! My challenge for you is to create a bookmark/card as well. Follow along with my video for this easy to do project."

Inspired yet?  I thought so!  Have a great weekend crafters!

Don't forget our Garden Girl blog hop giveaway is still open.  Hop on through for more inspiration from the GG's!

Today at Two Peas:

* Deal of the Day: 75% off Studio Calico Journals

* Finally Friday Card & Video: "This Book Belongs To" by Julie Campbell

Hello and Happy Thursday!  Each month on the 22nd the Garden Girls host a blog hop.  Fun, right?!  In the Gardener's Digest hop you'll find upcoming project sneaks, as well as inspiration and product favorites.  And you may just find a few giveaways along the way too!

We're kicking off the party right here on the new Two Peas blog with some new product peeks from our warehouse.  Scroll down for a giveaway as well as links for the hop!

New SMASH, Love My Tapes, Heidi Swapp, Maya Road, more washi tapes, Glitz Numbers

(see new warehouse photos in real time from our buyer - kristinaw on Instagram) 

Now on to the giveaway!  New products are coming in every day which means we have some purging to do!  We're giving away this embellishment-packed prize full of Glitz cardstock stickers, Technique Tuesday/Ali Edwards stamps and Basic Grey die cuts and stickers.

Leave a comment here with your Two Peas username for your chance to win!  Giveaway is open for comments through next Wednesday, the 28th at 11:59 pm CST.  One comment per person please.  If you're viewing this on Two Peas, you'll need to comment on our Typepad post.

Your next stop on the hop is Becky Novacek!  Here is a list of links in case you get lost along the way.  Enjoy!

Becky

Jaime

Kimber

Lynn

Laura

Amy Heller

Nancy

Shimelle

Jill

Amy Tan

Jen Gallacher

Wilna

Lisa

Wendy

Shannon

Julie

Yesterday we looked at layouts all about birthdays; today's focus is birthday cards!  Let's take a peek at what the Garden Girls did with this theme.

Let's Party & Happy Birthday by Julie Campbell

Julie Campbell says birthday cards are always great to have on hand, and here she's made a masculine and feminine version of a similar style card.  In her "Happy Birthday" greeting, she's created her own custom rosette embellishments, while she used a shortcut for "Let's Party" by using pre-made rosettes.

Happy Birthday by Kimber McGray

Here is a twist on the banner trend: Kimber has layered varying sizes of flags on top of each other.  She's able to mix several patterns and colors while grounding the focal point on a subtle denim background.  The result gives interest and depth!

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday by Kimber McGray

Stretch your supply of inks by using a rainbow of colors for a cheerful greeting.   Kimber says this about the sketch for her card, "... this sketch would be great to use with blocks of cardstock, pattern paper, stamped images or a repetitive embellishment. Then just slide in a sentiment between the blocks and you've got a great, simple card."

Birthday Girl by Kimber McGray

Reaching for supplies to make a birthday card, but finding your stash is low?  Kimber suggests using a collection made for a different theme and modifying it to work for your sentiment.  A Valentines collection for a birthday girl card?  Why not!

Bring on the Cake! by Laura Craigie

When you have an embellishment you just love, why not make it center stage?  Laura did this for the fringed flower by placing it behind a window.  The glitter striped pattern helps to add an extra sparkly touch!

Sweet Sixteen by Laura Craigie

The red and aqua color combo, paired with a simple floral pattern, makes for an extra sweet greeting.  Don't be shy to dip into other "craft" supplies for your cards.  While these Elle's Sudio number cards may remind one of Project Life or label them as a scrapbooking embellishment, they work super well for cards too!

Birthday Girl by Laura Craigie

The Doodlepops collection makes great additions to cards if you're looking for easy accents to jazz up a sentiment, and quickly too!   Laura says she just couldn't resist using this cute little strawberry, and we don't blame her!

 Hooray Card Set by Kandis Smith

Here is an example of using the same stamp multiple ways.  Kandis adds a "Hooray!" to each of these festive cards, each one very different and unique!  She makes the embellishments one of a kind by adding her own pieces like rhinestones and buttons with string.

Birthday Card Pocket by Shannon Tidwell

Shannon shares a clever concept for a card to give to someone you'd like to spoil.   She says, "Help someone celebrate their birthday all month long! Or change it to a Christmas theme for the holidays. The idea is to fill out the calendar with things to do to celebrate and then fill the pocket with gift cards/cash/tickets for each event!"

That concludes today's post for birthday cards.  I hope you've enjoyed looking at what the Garden Girls came up with for this theme!  Swing by and visit tomorrow as we'll be doing our monthly Garden Girl blog hop!

Today at Two Peas:

* It's Wednesday and Glitter Girl has another adventure for us!  See what problem she's tackling this week in her project and video from the series page here (look for it this afternoon).

* Deal of the Day: 50% off select Inkadinkado stamps!

Each month the Garden Girls take on a seasonal theme as well as any other fun topics they decide to sign up for.  We've got a batch of birthday layouts to share with you!  Stop back later this week as we share birthday card ideas.

A Birthday Suprise by Jaime Warren

Jaime Warren sprinkles doilies, handcut elements and other delicious details over a layer of polka dots, making sure not one feminine detail is left out of this page about her little girl's birthday.

Fourteenth by Wendy Anderson

Birthdays are special days and because of that we often take a lot of photos!  Wendy Anderson shares a composition idea for a title, eight photos, and a journaling block on her two-page spread.  The subdued color palette reflects the theme of maturity in her journaling, while the wooden embellishments compliment the soft feel.

Her Birthday by Jen Gallacher

Sometimes a simple sentence and a portrait freezing our subject in time is all we need to encapsulate a birthday.  Jen Gallacher repeats the number 15, reinforcing her amazement at how fast her teenage daughter is growing up.  Jen comments, "...because Simple Stories products are often intended for Project Life albums, it was easy to design a grid with their paper elements."

 Birthday by Kandis Smith

Kandis Smith has narrowed down the photos on her layout to two great shots from her son's turtle-themed party: the classic blowing-out-the-candles shot, as well as a priceless expression as he opens a gift.  A primary color scheme suits the youthfulness of her subject, while festive details like twine and sparkly rhinestones help give the viewer a sense of the celebratory day.

One! by Jen Jockisch

Jen Jockisch could be named the queen of layering; here she creates a sweet photo mat by combining polka dots, stars, hearts, ruffles, and shades of pastels.  While the look is very eclectic, she's thoughtfully chosen the items for her page.  Notice her daughter's initials, the repetition of her age and the date, and a strip of ice cream cones beneath the photos of her indulging in her special treat?  Everything ties together nicely!

Happy One Year by Becky Novacek

The elements and patterns on Becky's page are not necessarily birthday-themed, but she's worked them together to create a playful and sweet birthday layout.  The two larger sections she's made create a home for her accents while giving the composition a sense of balance.

Happy Birthday by Jill Sprott

From the misted numbers to the twine made into a loopy border, this layout by Jill Sprott provides plenty of interest for one's eye to explore.  She's brought focus to the photo by matting it with a strong vertical rectangle lined with punched circles.

 And that's a wrap for our recent birthday layouts!  Be sure to check back as we'll share card ideas, and cover more Garden themes in the future.

Today at Two Peas:

*  There's a new batch of digital kits in the store!

*  We'll be sending out our weekly newsletter!  Look for it later today here, or subscribe from the 'My: Account' section to get updates on coupon codes, new products and events in the community!

*  Kitty's filming her Weekly Warehouse Walk video.  Look for it this afternoon on her video series page!

* Deal of the Day: 50% off Cosmo Cricket's Clementine collection

Happy Monday, Peas!  Welcome to a brand new week on the blog.  We're kicking it off with a spotlight on Two Peas member scrappyJedi; we think you're going to love her work!  Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post for the announcement of last week's Launch Party giveaway winners.

How Geeks Do Breakfast

ScrappyJedi's unique username makes us smile, and her style is equally distinct and fun.  We love that she's combined two of her loves - scrapping and Star Wars - on this page.  October Afternoon's Rocket Age collection worked perfectly for her subject!

Scraproom

Browse scrappyJedi's gallery and you'll find small bits of paper and embellishments, simple titles, smaller photos, and lots of different patterns.  She will typically group together photos and papers, "grounding" the focus of her page.  

A Family Affair

Cherry Blossoms

Cozy

If you're like me, you may just be pinning and bookmarking away when looking at her gallery!

Now on to last week's giveaway winners!  These were randomly selected via random.org.

1) The 5 collection pack giveaway goes to:

2)  The $10 giveaway gift certificate goes: 

3) The "trends watch" bright color prize pack goes to:

4) The digikit giveaway goes to:

I will be in touch with you on getting your prize to you!  IMPORTANT:  If you did not include your Two Peas username with your comment, please email me, Jamie, at ggsubATtwopeasinabucketDOTcom to claim your prize.    Thanks so much for celebrating our new blog with us during Launch Party week!

Have a great day, Peas!  We'll see you again tomorrow!

Today at Two Peas:

* A new batch of Design Team Garden projects have bloomed!

* Lisa has a new Memory Keeping Monday video up.  Learn how she steps out of her comfort zone, as well as her tips on narrowing down photos and stamping on backgrounds.

* Deal of the Day: 75% off Smooch products!

Without You by ngreshik

When I stumbled upon this page in the gallery, I instantly had to tweet it (after collecting the melted pieces of my hopeless romantic heart, that is).   A sweet page and a sweet color palette.  What's not to love?  Here's how you can get ngreshik's "look:"

1.  Teal/Yellow Paper  2. Black Glitter Foam Thickers  3.  Butterfly Punch  4. Black Writer Set  5.  Mr. Huey's Custard Misting Spray  6.  Kraft Paper  7.  Alphabet Stamps  8.  This & That Alpha Sticker Set

And a reminder, giveaways 1, 2, 3 and 4 are still open through tonight at 11:59 pm CST from this week's Launch Party.  Thank you for celebrating the new blog with us!

Hope you're having a great weekend, Peas!

Happy Saturday, Peas!  And Happy St. Patrick's Day!  We hope you're able to carve in some creative time this weekend.  One way we love to jumpstart a project is with a challenge, right?  Let's review what challenges we currently have going on this week!  Just click on the title of each challenge for details on how to enter.

Photography Challenge: All in a Row by Lisa Truesdell

From Lisa, "Spices lined up in the kitchen. Shoes lined up by the front door. Pencils lined up on a desk. Kids lined up at school. Putting things in a row is a natural way to bring order - and my challenge to you this week is to look around and take a photo that captures that. 

i've got 4 photos as examples: 
1) my son and his friend playing with legos in the background, and in the foreground, there's a line of lego soldiers, ready to march.  2) an instagram shot of hot wheels cars lined up on the windowsill.  3) my boys lined up on the edge of lake michigan  4) little leaguers on the bench."

Weekly Scrap Challenge: Stamp on a layout by Kandis Smith

From Kandis, "This week's challenge is to use some stamping on a layout... my favorite!! 

There is soooo much that stamping can do for your page. Use it to add journaling, create titles, design backgrounds, etc. On my layout, I repeated a Chevron stamp down my page. I love the extra interest it creates on my page."

Saturday Card Sketch with Kimber McGray: Thank You

"For this card I wanted to work with a patchwork style background and then have a large area for a sentiment and some fun little embellishments.   I used a lot of little bits of pattern paper I had saved from past projects and tucked back into my 6x6 paper pad. :)   I hope you will play along with the Saturday Card Sketch Challenge this week! "

Looking for more challenges?  We've got you covered!  Each weekly project video invites you to play along, and we've partnered up with our vendors to bring you amazing prize opportunities!  Of course, you can see them all in one place all the time from our Challenge homepage.

A note about challenges:  Before we launched the new blog we had posted challenges on different days of the week, and the winners of those challenges on that same day.  To simplify things, we'll be posting our weekly challenges on ONE day all at once (photo, scrap & card).  Find new weekly challenges and the winners from the previous week here on the blog every Saturday.  Any recent challenges posted that would end before a week from today have been extended to next Friday at 11:59 pm CST.  Thanks for working with us as we aim to simplify things for you!

And a reminder, giveaways 1, 2, 3 and 4 are still open through Sunday from this week's Launch Party.  Thank you for celebrating the new blog with us!

Hello again, Peas and happy Friday!  Thanks so much for joining us for another day of our launch party as we celebrate our new blog here on Typepad!

Each Friday we'll be looking back at the class lessons and videos that went live that week.  I can't think of a better way to jumpstart a weekend of creativity!  Let's get started.

Be sure to scroll down for another giveaway!

Memory Keeping Mondays: "Under This Roof" by Nancy Damiano:

From Nancy, "...I created a page about my family and what we do at home. I mixed a bunch of photos, both color and black & white for an electic look. The film strip photo perfectly depicts our family - SILLY! The journaling focuses on the things we love to do at home - what we play, eat, fight over, rooms we love, etc. 

I layered lots of different patterns and embellishments while still keeping a clean, linear look. The washi tape adds a pop of color and leads the eye right to the photos. And that little house in the center - it's the theme of the page! I added Flair from 2 different lines to complete the page. You can customize the Flair to your very home or theme. 

Join me while I create this layout step-by-step. 

The Adventures of Glitter Girl:  Episode 011: Sewing Machine Solution  

From Glitter Girl, "This week Glitter Girl tries her best to find the sewing machine solution - something currently being discussed here on the message board at Two Peas in a Bucket. Her adventure takes her through the basics of getting ready to use your sewing machine on a scrapbook page plus three scrapbook pages - one with stitching at the beginning, one as you go and one at the very end. 

Come along for the adventure, won't you?"

Finally Friday: Got Luck with Lynn Ghahary

From Lynn, "...For this card I created a shamrock using my heart punch just in time for St. Patrick's Day this weekend. I also used a fun paper piecing technique to create the rainbow on the card. I used products from several different Pebbles collections to create my rainbow; however, the brand new Echo Park Dots & Stripes collections would be perfect to use for this type of project as well. I hope you enjoy the video. Thanks for watching!"

And on the 15th of every month Lisa Truesdell has a new lesson added to her 2012: Captured series as she shares her journey creating a Project Life album.

From Lisa, "Welcome to the March version of 2012 : Captured. This month, I'm sharing some fun ways to use the wide array of digital journaling cards that are available here at Two Peas. I'll also be covering the topic of adding other voices into your album - which, to be honest, is one of my very favorites part of this project! "  Read more and see the lesson here.

That's a wrap for this week's classes and project videos!  Now on to the giveaway: Lisa mentions the versatility and fun of digital journaling cards in her lesson.  We'd love to give one of our digikits away!  You have through this Sunday the 18th at 11:59 pm CST to leave your comment.  One comment per person please.  Please include your Two Peas username with your comment.  

We'll draw and announce the winner next Monday.  IF you're viewing this on Two Peas, you'll want to be sure to comment here on our Typepad post.  Don't forget the giveaways for Day 1, Day 2 and Day 4 are still open through Sunday.  Good luck!

Today at Two Peas:

* Deal of the Day: 50% off select Jenni Bowlin Studios

* A new weekly challenge went up!  Kandis Smith invites you to stamp on a layout with her!  Congrats to last week's winner Lerato87, who played along in Amy's sketch challenge.  A $5 credit to the Two Peas store will be placed in your account shortly!

* It's Friday!  Our weekly card and video series has a new lesson from Lynn.  This one is just in time for St. Patrick's Day!

Welcome to another day of our Launch Party week as we celebrate our new blog here on Typepad!  Today we're sharing a mood board we've curated based on the hot neon colors we're seeing everywhere.  We'll be posting more of these product picks in the future!

And if you like a bright color palette, scroll down for today's giveaway!

1.  Modern Albums  2.  Lauderdale Stitched Brads  3. Hello Sunshine Vinyl Details  4. Sunshine Acrylic Paint Dabber  5.  Hip Hip Hooray Clothespins   6.  Ladybug Small Dots Paper  7.  Glitter Cardstock  8.  Margarita Striped Paper  9.  Digital Paint Stroke Brushes  10.  Mixed Media Brush Sets

Now on to today's giveaway:

We'll be giving away this prize pack made up of a rainbow of colors to one lucky commenter!  You have through next Sunday the 18th at 11:59 pm CST to leave your comment.  One comment per person please.  We'll draw and announce the winner next Monday.  IF you're viewing this on Two Peas, you'll want to be sure to comment here on our Typepad post.  Don't forget the giveaways for Day 1 and Day 2 are still open through Sunday.  Good luck!

Today at Two Peas:

* A new Personal Shopper video is up!  Today I'm sharing my recent favorites from all the new products pouring into the warehouse.

* Deal of the Day: 50% off Faber Castell/Design Memory Craft Products

* Reminder: There's still time to enter the Dear Lizzy Project challenge for your chance to win one of 3 $50 prize packs!

* Reminder: There's still time to leave a product review in the store for your chance to win a generous prize pack made up of Spring-themed goodies!

Welcome back to another day of our Launch Party week celebrating our new blog here on Typepad!  Today Garden Girl Lisa Truesdell has a helpful tutorial for you that's bound to help you become a little more digi savvy.  Enjoy!

Don't forget the giveaways for Day 1 and Day 2 are still open through Sunday!

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Hi Peas! One of the themes for my 2012 : Captured class in March is going to be digital journaling cards - and I'll be visiting the blog a few times this month to share some tips on using the digital kits found here in the 2peas shop. I love the possibilites that digital journaling cards offer, and can't wait to share more about working with them!

You'll get a popup window that asks where you want to save the extracted files - use the browse button if you have a specific place you'd like to store them.

Wait while it extracts the files, then open the folder with the extracted files.

Most kits come with the items grouped into several folders. This kit by Erica Hernandez has seperate folders for the journaling cards in color, the cards in gray, printable PDFs and .png files for creating your own cards. For now, we're just going to find the PDF folder and open it.

Double click the PDF you want to open.

Once you're in Adobe Reader, click the print icon.

When the print window opens, make sure to set page scaling to none - this will ensure that your file prints at the correct size. I print all of my journaling cards onto 65lb white cardstock from the office supply store. It's inexpensive and runs through my printer easily. Once your cards are printed, just use your trimmer to seperate them and get to work!

There are a lot of digi kits at 2peas that include journaling cards - but they may not be sized perfectly for your page protectors. I'm also going to walk you through the steps of resizing these cards and arranging them on an 8.5x11in document so that you can print them. You'll need Photoshop Elements for this - I'm working with PSE 7.0. It's not the current version, but it's more than enough to get the job done!

Once you've downloaded your kit (the steps are the same as above), open the folder with the digi files in it. Find the journaling cards you want to use.

Highlight those journaling cards, then drag them over to PSE.

These journaling cards are sized at 5x7in - and I'd like to use them in pockets sized at 3x4. You'll find the resize option under the "image" menu in PSE.

This is where you'll enter the new size. I chose to go slightly smaller than my pockets. You'll want to make sure "constrain proportions" is checked - otherwise the design of the card can be stretched or look funny once it's resized.

Once you've resized all of your cards, you'll need to open a blank file. Go to the 'file" menu, then find "blank file" under "new."

Set your new document to be 8.5x11in and 300dpi.

Drag each of your journaling cards onto the blank document. Since many of the journaling cards don't have defined edges, I like to add a thin border to each one. Find "edit stroke selection" under the "edit" menu.

It will prompt you to select the size and color. I choose 1 pixel (VERY thin!) and set the color to black or dark gray.

6 3x4ish journaling cards will fit on an 8.5x11 page. I find it's easiest to cut them out if I take the time to line them up nicely at this point.

We're almost done! You'll find the "print" option under the "file" menu.

In the print menu, make sure to leave "scale to fit media" unchecked - this will keep your print out true to size.

Here are a couple of FREE kits from 2peas - both would be perfect for giving these tips a try!

Colorblast 1 - Celebrate Freebie - by Jen Martakis

Action kit 2012 - by Erica Hernandez

We'll see you tomorrow with another Launch Day post!  :)

Today at Two Peas:

* Happy Wednesday!  Wednesday's mean another video and project in the popular series The Adventures of Glitter Girl.  Check here for when it goes live later today!

* Clearance Sale: Up to 75% off!

* Each day we are getting brand new product in the store!  Keep up on all the new arrivals here.

"Then & Now" layouts can be doubly interesting in that they give us a chance to reflect on the past while processing the present.  And who doesn't enjoy seeing older photos side by side with newer ones?  These kinds of pages give us a chance to compare and contrast, and to tell a deeper part of our stories.  Today we'll take a look at a batch of pages created with this theme; be sure to scroll to the bottom for Day 2's giveaway as well!

Shannon, Jill and Amy Heller took on the "Then & Now" topic this month.  We love the pages they came up with!

 From Shannon:

 See Supplies & Coordinating Video

"A 'Then & Now' layout doesn't have to span a huge amount of time. With kids big changes happen in just a few short years....or even months. I know we will get a laugh out of this layout when he's 18...what a comparison layout I'll be able to do then!"

Shannon goes on to give some ideas should you decide to scrap this kind of layout too.  She says it could be "...a picture from waaaaay back, or just recent enough to notice a change. Maybe you could do a layout about your weight loss, a child's vocabulary improvements, from dating to married life, or from married to single, hair styles of past & present, or maybe you have a piece of clothing or furniture that is still being used 'then & now'!"

From Jill:

See Supplies

 "Then and Now" layouts, combining photos from the past with those from the present, offer us a chance to reflect on change over time (and sometimes, on what remains the same). For this layout, I paired a wedding photo with our most recent family photo, and as I looked at the two photos side by side, I thought about all that has happened over the last fourteen years, and how much the love in my life has not just endured, but has also grown.

 I selected the accents on the page to mirror the "Then and Now" theme, combining neutral papers and accents that had an aged, vintage, "then" feel, with brighter, more vibrant, "now" colors. I also incorporated items with a homey feel." 

From Amy:

See Supplies 

"This is a project that I created for my beautiful daughter. It's a play on the theme of Then and Now.

I see a lot of myself in my little girl when I was her age. When things don't go according to plan, or as she believes they should go, she gets very frustrated. This was much more of an issue when she was younger, but there are days, for instance on this one, when we went sledding, when everything falls apart for her in an instant.

I tend to scrap as a method of writing love letters in a sense, to my kids. I used this opportunity with my pictures and journaling to let her know that she can miss out on so much if she lets things bother her to such a degree that she gives up. I wanted to show her that I know how hard it is to "let go" of having things perfect and just go with the flow. My husband and son are much better at this. While the focus is on her in the center of my page, I took an image where she and her brother were having a ball sledding, getting along and having fun, to illustrate how much more fun she would have if she chose to decide to let some things go. It's a bit of a sideways twist on Then and Now, but it was something I really want her to visualize for herself in years to come. :) "

The Garden Girls are not the only ones scrapping this theme!  We took a peek through the gallery and found these other awesome examples:

See Supplies

The journaling in this layout by Kelly Goree emphasizes the changes in her son.  She begins every sentence about her "little" boy with "then," and uses "now" when describing the present for her growing son.

See Supplies 

We can't tell if Jody planned this, but how amazing that she captured her daughter in the exact same pose?  By converting her kindergarten and middle school graduation photos to black and white, she further reinforces the similarities between the two photos.  Lovely!

See Supplies 

The enlarged black and white photo next to a smaller one in color adds additional interest to this clean and elegant page by beszteri.

  See Supplies 

Sheri Mae compares her ninth month of pregnancy with a photo of her and her nine month old.  Could this page be any more precious?!

This theme doesn't have to apply only to our scrapbook albums.  Why not try recreating a photo by directing your subjects to pose in the same way?  Including the original print like Stacey Sattler did here makes it extra fun!

We hope you enjoyed today's post on themes!  Each month the Garden Girls take on a seasonal theme as well as any other fun topics they decide to sign up for.  Keep checking back for more!

Now on to today's giveaway, we'll be giving away a $10 gift certificate to the Two Peas store to one lucky commenter!  You have through next Sunday the 18th at 11:59 pm CST to leave your comment.  One comment per person please.  We'll draw and announce the winner next Monday.  IF you're viewing this on Two Peas, you'll want to be sure to comment here on our Typepad post.  And don't forget yesterday's giveaway is open through Sunday as well.  Good luck!

Today at Two Peas:

* It's Tuesday!  Each week on this day the Two Peas digital designers release a new batch of digital kits.  See the 17 new kits here!

* Kitty shares what products are new and hot in her Weekly Warehouse Walk video.  Her video is being filmed this morning and will be posted later this afternoon on her video series page here.

* Deal of the Day: 50% off Tim Holtz stamps

Hello Peas and Happy Monday!  We are very excited to be launching a new blog for Two Peas here on Typepad.  Here on the blog we'll be pooling together some very fun and helpful material we hope will inspire you daily.   We can't wait to get started!

You may be wondering why we made the switch.  Great question!  We decided that an outside service would suit our needs best and furthermore; we didn't want to have you go hunting for content from different blogs on Two Peas.  Now it's nice and easy - all in one place!  Even better?  This blog will be connected to blogs on Two Peas through an RSS feed if you'd prefer to keep following them there.

We're kicking it all off with a FABULOUS giveaway!  How would you like to win 5, that's right - FIVE - collection packs?  All you need to do to enter to win these collection packs from Echo Park, October Afternoon, Crate Paper and Webster's Pages is leave a comment here on our Typepad blog letting us know what you'd like to see us blog about.   Please mention your Two Peas username with your comment when you do!

 

You have through next Sunday the 18th at 11:59 pm CST to leave your comment.  One comment per person please.  We'll draw and announce the winner next Monday. 

Good luck and thanks for swinging by!  Be sure to stop in tomorrow as we continue the launch party!

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Today at Two Peas:

* It's Monday!  You'll find a new crop of Garden Girl projects have bloomed in the Design Team section here.

* A new Memory Keeping Monday video went live: "Under this Roof" by Nancy Damiano

* New photography challenge: "All in a Row" by Lisa Truesdell.  Congrats to celerystix, you are our winner from last week and will be contacted shortly about your $5 gift certificate to Two Peas!

* Deal of the Day: 60% off select American Crafts products

It's Friday, and my turn for this weeks Finally Friday Video! 

I love, love, LOVE the cotton tapes by Prima, and I used them to create the base of my card. I layered them on the card front until it was covered then I inked the edges with some Distress Ink for additional interest. 

Then I went with some of my favourite go-to things, polkadot papers, and florals! 

I hope you enjoy the video this week, let me know what you think!! 

I also want to challenge you to do use tapes on a card. Have fun with it :)

Congrats to alc99999 the winner of last week's challenge to be inspired by Pinterest.  A $5 credit to the Two Peas store has been applied to your account and will automatically apply itself against your next order on the third check-out page!

Amy Heller has a sketch challenge for you this week!  Check it out here!

Congrats to klebefinger the winner of last week's photo challenge, "White balance" with Wilna.  A $5 credit to the Two Peas store has been applied to your account and will automatically apply itself against your next order on the third check-out page!

This week's challenge? Macro shots with Shimelle!

Congrats to jennimoc the winner of last week's challenge to scrap a candid photo.  A $5 credit to the Two Peas store has been applied to your account and will automatically apply itself against your next order on the third check-out page!

This week's challenge?  Find a source outside of scrapbooking that inspires you and create a page from it!  See Wilna's take on it here.

I love cards that can be used for a man or a woman. This is one of those! In this Finally Friday video I'll show you how to use a collection pack to create a wonderful layered card!

Your challenge is to create a card using a collection!