Rebecca :::  “Oh I could SO use this!!!  Please, please pick me!!  .  Okay all pleading aside, thanks for the chance and I love what you have shared here on your blog and newsletters. I saw your retirement sale ad and I’m so going to miss seeing your updates and inspiration in my inbox.”

& Melinda! :::  “I definitely would love to win this class! Finding Photo Flow is what I need to get organized! And love those photos, she is too cute! Thanks”

Thanks so much for entering the contest!!  I’ll see you in class

Kayla will be emailing with the details on how to access the classroom.

haha so fun!

Giveaway

The newest round of Finding Photo Flow started last Friday 10/07/11 and registration is closed.  However, I’ve got TWO seats to giveaway to this awesome class!  And don’t worry, the lessons are all up and you can jump right in and start without feeling like you’re behind (it’s only been 3 days since class started).  To enter please leave a comment below by Wednesday 10/12/11.  The winners will be announced on Thursday.

Oh yeah, you don’t have to be a lightroom user either – Kayla teaches her organizing class using all different platforms.

We also created a set of templates based on our epic layouts.

Newsletter subscribers can get the template set free when they purchase Epic.  Are you a subscriber?  You can sign up here.

Epic is on sale for 20% off thru Tuesday October 11th.

creative team inspiration

[Show as slideshow]

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Below is a roundup of a few simple projects that you can pull together with minimal supplies and in no time at all, create countless hours of fun and learning for you and your pre-school aged kids.

Coloring Books

Making your own coloring books filled with photos from your latest trip to the park or even your child’s favorite dinosaurs can be a great way to entertain your kids.  The only thing my little guy loves more than coloring, is coloring pictures of himself!

To make your own coloring books you’ll need:

• Your Favorite Photos
• Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
• Eyelets and Setter
• Printer and Paper

I used Biograffiti’s Coloring Book Action to turn my favorite photos into the perfect pages for my son’s coloring books with a simple click of a button. I then printed out the pages on Crayola Doodle pad paper to give my pages the  same texture my son is used to with his other coloring books.  And I bind them using eyelets, but you could also use a stapler, sewing machine or countless other binding methods.

Magnets

I don’t know about your kids, but my son loves to play with magnets.  He could spend hours arranging them, naming them and moving them about the fridge.  That is why I love making my own magnets…its so simple and you can personalize them too!

To make your own magnets you’ll need:

• Your Favorite Digital Elements
• Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
• Clear Acrylic or Glass Pebbles
• Disc Magnets
• Printer and Paper
• Clear Gel Medium
• Hot Glue Gun

I used Biograffiti’s Happy Camper Kit to make the magnets above because I I love the colors and fun theme of this kit.  After I printed and cut out the elements from this kit I adhered them to the clear pebbles by spreading a thin layer of clear gel medium over the the back of the pebble and adhering the right side of my image to it.  I then used my hot glue gun to attach the disc magnets to  the backs and then up on the fridge they went!

Paper Dolls

Even as a mother of two boys, I like to have some things around the house that my niece can play with when she’s over and she just loves this DIY paper doll kit!  I am constantly adding to the wardrobe and digital papers make it very easy and fun to do so.

To make your own paper dolls you’ll need:

• Your Favorite Digital Papers
• A Paper Doll Template like this FREE one from Family Fun
• Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
• Cardstock
• Printer and Paper
• Scissors

I just love the hip patterns and beautiful colors in Biograffiti’s Crush Paper Pack.  They are perfect for creating a fun and fashionable wardrobe for your paper dolls.  You may be able to find digital paper doll templates that come with clipping masks–which will really make this project easy–but instead I used a free template and created my own clipping masks by using the magic wand tool in Photoshop. First I created a selection around the inside of each article of clothing, that I then filled that selection on a separate layer and then clipped my favorite papers to the newly filled layer to add the color and style I was looking for in each piece.

Flashcards

My oldest son loves flashcards.  He enjoys showing off how smart he is and I enjoy providing him with new sets from time to time to give him the opportunity to expand hi vocabulary.  I also think that the use of real life pictures makes it easier for him to apply what he has learned.

To make your own set of flashcards you’ll need:

• Your Favorite Photos
• Photoshop or Photoshop Elements
• Cardstock
• Printer
• Corner Rounder

Biograffiti’s Give Thanks Hybrid Mini Album made for the perfect template set for my flashcards.  All I had to do was add my photos and the names of each object represented and print!  Then I rounded the corners and laminated for added durability. I also store each set on a book ring to help keep track of them.

I hope that Molly and her family are having a blast right now in beautiful, sunny California and I hope that you’ll all have some fun trying out a few of these simple, yet fun ideas with your children at home!

Amy Kingsford is a happy wife and blessed mother from Northern Utah.  She teaches at Get It Scrapped and Masterful Scrapbook Design and is also a creative team member for SEI and fellow Oscraps designer Danielle Young. Check out her work on her blog, Scrappydoo.

We’re heading to Disneyland in a few days and I am getting so excited!  I’ve heard about the autograph books kids bring and wanted to make one for Ashleigh.  I kept coming back to the idea of incorporating a travel type scrapbook in with the autograph book.  All the talk this summer about smash books and the like, I just wanted to create a hodge-podge type little keepsake album.  So the plan for this album is to use the plain white pages as the autograph pages and to stick in photos and “stuff” from our trip.  I’ll also write notes about what we did, maybe jot down some exact times + locations while we’re there and of course some of the fun things Ashleigh says and does.  I’m really wanting to pick up a Fuji Instax Mini 7 camera before we go but not so sure I can splurge on it.  Although those little polaroids would be so perfect in this album!  We’ll see what happens between now and then.

Here’s how I created the album

1.  I grabbed a bunch of paper supplies from my stash.  I picked up the tinkerbell sticker and several princess stickers at 50% off awhile back.  I’d been saving them for something special.  I decided on a 6″ x 6″ sized album and cut some plain white cardstock and a handful of colored cardstock to 6×6.  I grabbed some stick-on gems, some envelopes and a few other things.  I didn’t end up using everything.

2. I used a couple of 12×12 double sided cardstock (pattern on both sides) to create some pocket pages.  I first trimmed 3″ off one end of the cardstock so it was 9×12.  Then I used a scoring blade and lightly scored at 3″.

3. I folded that 3″ up to create the pocket.  Then used the scoring blade again to lightly score at 6″ before folding in half to create the pocket pages.

4. I created the album cover digital style.  I used some patterned paper from Cinzia Loosemore’s (Life is Beautiful) as the background.  I added the Disneyland text using a font called “started by a mouse“.  Then included the month + year (since I like to document with dates).  The back cover is just the background paper.  I printed the covers on 8.5×11 then trimmed to 6×6.

5.  To assemble the album I used my Levinger Circa punch and Circa discs.  I’ve had this punch for awhile thinking it would be perfect for these travel style albums.  You could also use a three ring system, spiral or cinch style binding.  The thing I love about the Levinger punch is how easy it is to swap around pages.  I punched the white autograph pages, the colored cardstock, the pocket pages I just made, some scrap paper, a few envelopes, and some little tabbed notecards I picked up.

6.  I mismatched pages and sizes to give it that hodge-podge feel.  I even threw in some lined yellow notebook paper.  I bought some mixed tape by American Crafts and I’m going to use that to smash my photos and stuff into the book.  I think the colors coordinate just perfectly.  When we get home from our trip I’ll accent more with the princess and other disney stickers I have.