Wow where has the year gone? December will be here soon, so I’m here to give you a little gift to decorate your desktop for Christmas. This desktop wallpaper is using SuzyQ Scraps fun Christmas kit, Jolly Holiday! There are 3 sizes of the PNG available in the download

DOWNLOAD HERE

Enjoy your freebie and have a great December!!

I’m a bit late posting this — oops! I was absolutely overwhelmed with the number of applications I received from digi scrappers and hybrid gals who wanted to join my team. WOW! I’m so excited to have so many fabulous artists joining my team and providing you with inspiring layouts and hybrid projects.

I have so many exciting things coming up — more tips & tricks, info about new digi sites, new products (including new stuff for Project 365 — coming mid-December!), my design-iversary (mark the week of December 14th on your calendars), and so much more! December is going to be BUSY! (Oh, and you won’t want to miss my HALF OFF SALE on December 19th — that’s right, nearly everything in my store 50% off for one whole day!)

All right, that’s enough rambling from me today — lots to do! Leave me a comment about your weekend — what was your favorite part of the weekend? Mine was spending some time with my sweet husband (and eating pumpkin pie!).

Just a little snippet from me today, about gratitude. We just celebrated Thanksgiving here in the US. I’ve been thinking a lot about all that I’ve been blessed with — a loving husband, a fun 2-year-old boy, a warm home, a supportive extended family on both sides, good health … I could go on and on. I feel especially grateful for the opportunity I have at this time in my life to pursue some of my dreams — it is so fulfilling to be creating. I love it!

So a big Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there! I’d love to hear what you’re grateful for — leave me a comment! Let’s count those blessings!

So, if you’re a regular visitor to SuzyQ Scraps blog for her digital scrapbooking products then you know that the Farmer’s Market is currently open at Scrap Orchard! SuzyQ has LOADS of products for just $1 each & there’s something for everyone – kits, element packs, alphas & templates! You can’t get better than that! To see exactly what’s on offer you can check out the store at Scrap Orchard.

Here are some pages that the QT’s have made using the goodies on sale…

Using From the Sticks: All in the Family

Using Pic Attack Templates #1

Using Roughin’ It

Using Laugh Out Loud Alpha

How’s that for some inspiration! You can click on each image to see the full credits. If you still want some more inspiration from the fabulous QT’s then go take a look at SuzyQ’s Designer Gallery

So let us know if you’ve grabbed any of SuzyQ’s products in the sale or what’s your favourite thing in her store at the moment? Remember this month comments may = a coupon for you in the monthly draw – only a few more days to enter by leaving a comment!!

Hello all! Amanda here to bring you a little fall flashback!

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate! I cannot wait to dive in to some yummy turkey and fixings! I hope that whatever your plans are, you are safe, happy, and stuffed!!

Today I thought we could highlight some of the fall kits SuzyQ Scraps has in her store at Scrap Orchard! I know I still have quite a few fall pictures I need to scrap!

Check out this fun kit called Fallin’ Into Fun:

And this kit, Thankful Hearts, is perfect for all those moments we are so thankful for:

Perhaps you still have those Halloween pictures you want to scrap? Then you’ll definately want to check out Too Cute To Spook!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for some deals you wont want to miss!!

What’s the Farmer’s Market? It’s a $1 sale at Scrap Orchard that only comes around twice a year! AND, in the spirit of Black Friday and holiday specials, I have some special deals going on during the sale.

Shop anytime during the sale, and if you spend at least $10, I’ll enter you into a drawing to win all my new releases for 1 month! (excludes collab kits)

AND, if you’re one of the first 25 customers to shop today, I’ll send you a coupon for double your invoice. If you’re customer #26 – #50, I’ll send you a coupon for the amount of your invoice (coupons to be redeemed at a later date and not valid with any other offer)

Check out the products I have in the market, each only $1! (Products are linked.)

Have yourself a very happy Thanksgiving celebration, and enjoy your digi and “real world” shopping! Be safe!

Have you ever bought an alpha that only comes in one color (like green) and wanted to change the color to match your layout? Well now you can! As promised, this week I have a little tut for you on one of my favorite tools for recoloring — the color replacement too. All the screenshots are from PSCS4. This tool is available in PSE as well.

Please keep in mind: The color replacement tool paints in the same shade as the original color. So if the element is light blue, and you choose a dark purple, the color replacement tool will color it a lighter shade of the purple you selected. Don’t worry, though — you can adjust this shade by using Levels. (By the way, this method works best with an element that has color — not an element that is white or black.)

Let’s get started! I’ll be using a letter from my Shrink-Wrapped Alpha to illustrate this technique.

The color replacement tool is grouped with your brush tool.

After you select the color replacement tool, look at your options in the top bar — select a larger size for your brush (for recoloring the whole letter, you can use a really large one, like 600 or something cause you don’t need to precise). Leave the mode on Color. Choose the eyedropper that has the black/white color chips. Change the tolerance to 100%. (Note: If I’m recoloring the entire element, I will sometimes choose discontiguous, as it seems to brush faster.)

Now, select your background chip and select anywhere on the letter so you get a green color. Now click on your foreground color and choose the color you want it to be.

Paint your brush all over the letter.

Remember, this tool paints in the same shade. After you’ve painted the entire letter, you can adjust the shade of the color by adjusting the Levels — CTRL+L will open Levels. If you want a lighter color, slide the middle arrow toward the left. If you want it darker, slide it to the right.

If you’re only wanting to recolor part of an element, select a smaller brush and zoom in. You can also adjust the tolerance when you’re trying to paint a particular area a new color. But I pretty much leave it at 100%.

This method works really well on TONS of different elements. Quite honestly, it’s one of the methods I use when I’m creating elements for a kit. It doesn’t work so well on stitches, though, as it changes the stitch hole from gray to whatever shade you picked. So with stitches, I tend to find one that’s closest to the color I want, and then I adjust the hue/saturation.

Let me know what you think of this tip!

Is everyone enjoying the new SuzyQ Scraps Store at Scrap Orchard?! Isn’t it so much fun?!

Anyway, today I’m joining in on the fun with a spotlight of our very own, Bre! Take a look…

BRE

1. Your screen name? Your real name? bre11414, Breanne (though I go by bre)

2. Are you married/children/pets? I have been married for 4.5 years (holy cow that’s forever!) No kiddos yet…hopefully someday (not necessarily SOON, just someday! haha) and no pets either…lol

3. Where is home for you? Though I’m currently in Utah, home will always be Wyoming

4. Snacks…Salty or Sweet? hmmm..I need a good balance of both. Depends on my mood too. Sometimes I want salt, sometimes I want sweet, sometimes I need both!

5. Beverage of choice? hmm…water usually, but if I’m feeling risky…I’ll go with Dr. Pepper

6. PC or Mac? What program do you use? Mac all the way. It’s my baby!!! (though I think I may need to upgrade to a new one…hehe…) and I also use an ancient version of Photoshop (7.0)

7. How long have you been digi-scrapping? How did you get started? I’ve been digi-scrapping since February of 2009. I have seen digi scrapping everywhere over the past few years, and I have downloaded freebies to TRY scrapping, but just couldn’t get into it. Then I saw on a friend’s blog that she was getting into it, so I thought…I’ll give it another try. This time I actually went and looked in galleries, got some ideas, and set to it. That was it. I was hooked! I have learned SO much over the past few months. There is just so much to scrapbooking, so many ideas and styles. It’s amazing to me!

8. Do you have any other hobbies besides digi-scrapping (are there other hobbies)? Lol! I own my own photography business, as well as a design business (wedding/graduation/birth etc. announcements/invitations/cards) lol. Outside of all that, I also love playing volleyball, and playing the xbox (way too much!) with my hubby!

9. What is the most challenging part of scrapbooking for you? hmmm….I guess I try too much to be like everyone else. I see so many amazing LOs I think, I want to do that, and I lose my own personal touch. So the most challenging part is being myself in my scrapbooking..lol (if that made ANY sense!)

10. What are your favorite movies/TV shows? Oh my heck…do you really want me to list them? Alright..movies: Chick Flicks!!! How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 13 Going on 30, Legally Blonde (1 & 2)…I also love any good comedy: Napoleon Dynamite, Employee of the Month…oh gosh there are too many to list! DH and I watch a LOT of movies! (Though I have YET to see New Moon! I know…it’s been like a day!) TV shows I have a lot too. I pretty much love the CW. One Tree Hill is my fave and America’s Next Top Model. I also watch (and love) the Disney Channel…(don’t laugh!) iCarly (yes I’m pretty much a 13 year old!) and this is random, but I love Around the Horn on ESPN. (I laugh at it daily) There are a lot more. I probably watch way too much TV!

11. What is something unique about you? hmm…I can never think of these on the spot…I played college volleyball, and have been playing volleyball since I was about 5 years old. (My dad was a coach so i practically grew up in the gym!

And here are some amazing layouts from Bre. She has such an eye for color and composition.

click for credits

click for credits

click for credits

Thanks for being such an inspiration, Bre! You rock!

Hey all! QT Bre here to remind you about the Scrap Mix Challenge we’ve got going this month. It runs from November 1-November 30 11:59 PM EST, so you still have plenty of time to place your entry for your chance to win a $10 GC to SuzyQ Scraps store at Scrap Orchard.

How does it work, you ask? Well all of the information you’ll need is in the original November Scrap Mix Challenge post, but here are the guidelines you’ll need to create your LO.

Looks like fun, doesn’t it?? So get out there, create your LO, and link us to it by commenting on the original post. Who doesn’t want a chance to win a GC to Suzy’s store?!? Go out and get creating!!

Anyway, just a random tidbit, but it’s Thanksgiving this Thursday here in the U.S. My husband and I have a HUGE meal planned for all two of us. hehe. I can’t wait! We always have the most delicious Thanksgiving meals, and we end up with SO much food! It’s nice to not have to travel on Thanksgiving, plus, my hubby gets to stay home and watch his Cowboys play! lol…

So, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?

Today I’m going to tell you about a little site I love that gives you cash back on purchases, but FIRST, I thought I’d get you all excited for next week.

Sweet deal! I’m so excited — I love dollar deals. And Scrap Orchard only does this TWICE each year, so you won’t want to miss this!

Okay, back to our regular program — this week I wanted to introduce you to a fabulous site called Ebates. If you do any online shopping, you’ll love this site. But even if you don’t do online shopping, you may as well sign up — you’ll receive a $10 gift card just for registering. Yep, just like that, no strings attached. (Back when I signed up you could only get a Target gift card, but I think they give you options now.)

Once you’re signed up, it’s fairly simple. Just go to Ebates whenever you’re ready to shop, click on the store, and then Ebates will forward you to the store’s site. Then if you buy anything, Ebates keeps track of how much cash back you earned (this amount varies depending on store and current promotions). And then 4 times a year they mail you a “Big Fat Check.” (Apparently you can also have that put into your Paypal versus having a physical check mailed — I’ll have to look into that option.)

We love it, ’cause we do quite a bit of online shopping out here in the middle of nowhere, lolol. So give Ebates a try if you haven’t yet … and when you sign up, tell them I referred you and we’ll BOTH get some extra cash. Gotta love it!