The sassy scrapper

CraftSassy Holiday Discount!

2009-12-15T10:31:00.000-08:00

CraftSassy is offering you 50% off retail and 10% off all wholsale orders through January 31st 2010! Click HERE for details!

Quick Holiday Layouts for Family and Friends

2009-11-01T21:33:00.000-08:00

Tutorial #9 By Victoria Warren-Mears

We are going to talk about a quick way to do a gift album for your family or friends at Craft Sassy.
I want to show you how to make some hybrid layouts using the color scheme of your precious photos.
These layouts can be quickly replicated to make multiple albums for your family and friends.

Select your photographs.
Open your photo editing program. For my example I used Photoshop elements 5.0. The techniques will work similarly in other photo editing programs.
Open a blank 12 x 12 inch file in PSE
FILE > new > 12 inch by 12 inch > resolution at least 350 pixels per inch.
Go back to your photo and sample the color that you want to coordinate.
To do this you will click on the eyedropper tool and click on the area of the photo you which to match.
Your “paint bucket” is now filled with this matching color.
Select new again, open a blank 12 x 3 inch file
Sample another color in the photo
Fill with paint bucket
Added craquelure texture
Add a grungy border and text.
I had this LO printed at Craft Sassy and then did some dimensional embellishments for a unique gift!

Harold
For the Harold LO I used the "Poetique Piquture" by Lorie Davison of scrapbookgraphics.com kit and specifically chose the Faerily Moonlit Night Paper Collection 2, which I dearly love. Harold owns two of my friends, Bridget and Dan. They are his humans. The humans recently took obedience classes with the newly arrived Harold and they are all best of friends. I printed the Harold LO 8 x 8 inches at Craft Sassy and then embellished with dimensional letters (Thickers and MME), felt and chipboard embellishments.
Harold has a Facebook page, Harold Dogini, and facilitates the Portland Dog Page too!
I hope that you will take the opportunity to think of quick albums that you can develop for great personalized gift giving!

"Put Me In Coach"

2009-10-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

Our very first (and one of our very best) customers, Kathy Gleason of Scrappin' Sports Stuff, recently designed this great sheet of custom paper from CratSassy. For details and to check out her fantastic niche site, please click HERE

Boo! Mini Album

2009-10-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

By Victoria Warren - Mears

I love this mini album that Victoria put together for us for the Scrapbooking & Beyond article. I was sad that it wasn't chosen for print but thrilled that I can share it with you now.

Boo Mini
Supply List:

PP: Looking Up by Victoria Warren-Mears (Photo Paper) Printed at craftsassy.com
BWScrapbooking.com Amber Amore Printed at craftsassy.comCorrugated Cardboard - unknown
Ink: Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Olive Vine, Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Spiced Marmalade
Alphas: Scrapworks Shimmer Shapes Jane Alphabet - Black
Ribbon: Offray
Embellishments: Jolees by You - Spooky Decor, Ghost, Witch ACC, and Jolee's Boutique - fall leaves
Adhesives - Duck Brand, Zots Small Clear Adhesive Dots and Aleene's Tacky Glue
Crop a Dile

Combine Photos With Digital Patterns

2009-10-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

Tutorial #8 for CraftSassy
By Kristen Carter

This month's tutorial focuses on combining your photos with digital patterned papers to create your own personalized look. I'm using Photoshop Elements, but you can duplicate these steps in any advanced photo editing program.

You'll need a photo:

A piece of digital patterned paper (mine is from Lyndsay Riches' Project 365 Kit) --www.lyndsayriches.blogspot.com--

First, open up a new project sized 12"X12" at 300 dpi. Then drag your digital paper into your new project. Next drag your photo into your project as well. Adjust sizing to fit and place photo where you'd like it.
Next, I used a shape to give my photo a torn edge look. Simply go to your shape tool (for me, it looks like a heart), click and hold until a box appears and you can select the custom shape tool. Once that has opened, you can select any shape to fit your photo. Position your shape layer below your photo layer and hit CTRL-G to group them and cause your photo to "fit" the shape.

Next, I added a new layer and used my paintbrush with a shade of brown to create a burned edge look to my entire 12X12 paper. I adjusted the opacity of each of my layers to blend them together more and soften my look, creating a vintage looking piece of newspaper featuring my beautiful sister on her wedding day. Keep an eye out for the finished page! Happy scrapping.

For another example of using this technique, I used my daughter's photo and some more shapes to create this piece of paper as well.

:) Kristen

Scrapbooking & Beyond Article!

2009-09-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

We were THRILLED to be included in the Fall 09 issue of Scrapbooking & Beyond Magazine! 3 FULL Pages! Judi Kauffman once again did an amazing job representing CraftSassy. Click HERE to view the full article complete with photo credit corrections. YAY!

Making Paper Using Royalty Free Images

2009-09-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

Tutorial #7 For CraftSassy
By: Victora Warren-Mears

You can easily use royalty free images to create your own unique patterned paper. I was looking for a vacation themed paper to use following my vacation. As you know, I love papers with a vintage feel. In Photoshop Elements you can create new patterns to use as scrapbook designs to print at CraftSassy. I have Photoshop 2.0 on one computer and Photoshop 7.0 on another. But this technique works equally well in either edition. The process explained here also easily adapts to a variety of sizes, 8 ½ x 11, 12 x 12, etc. All you need to do is start with a different size background.

First, open PSE and click on File > NEW
Select CUSTOM SIZE > enter your chosen height and width (in my case 12 x 12)
> Enter your resolution (I used 350 pixels/inch)
> Enter your color mode (I always use RGB color)
> Enter your background color (I used white for this LO)
Second, open your clip art. The images I used come from Dover Publications (http://store.doverpublications.com/). I chose images from Old-Time Travel Posters and Luggage Labels CD-ROM and Book.
Open each chosen image.
For each image select LAYER> duplicate layer and send to your document (listed as Untitled -1, unless you have titled it)
Once this duplication is done, you are free to resize and move images around on your paper using the cursor.
When I had completed my layering, I chose to MERGE VISIBLE LAYERS under the layer function tab.
Finally, I wanted a lighter image so I changed the opacity of the entire image to ~89%. Play around to see what you like best. On the white background you will still have good color.
Then I uploaded my image and had it printed 12 x 12 inches.

Wee Me

2009-08-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

Layout by Victoria Warren Mears
Using Paper made from her tutorial "Making Good Use Of Your Ephemera", Tutorial #5 For CarftSassy

PP: Craft Sassy made with vintage (uh retro?!?) baby cards, Die Cuts With A View
Letters: Scrabble Tiles, Thickers
Flowers: Prima
Brads: Unknown
Liquid Pearls Raspberry pink and lavender.

Altering Digital Kits Using Text

2009-07-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Tutorial #6 For CraftSassy
By Kristen Carter

Hi there! I'm Kristen and I'm very excited to be a new DT member for CraftSassy; I had a great time putting together this month's tutorial. We're gonna be working with digital kits for this one. (You know you've downloaded some just because it was free, and now you're thinking, "Hmmm... Ok, what do I do from here?") I'm going to show you how to alter a kit to fit your layout, by adding text to it. This can be done on any paper, but I'm going to use one that has stripes because it's easy & it adds another dimension to the paper once it's printed.

Step 1: Open your digital paper (Mine is from Jady Day Studios Bloomin' Friendship line available here) into your photo editing program (I'm using Photoshop Elements 6.0). Open a new file, sized 12X12 at 300 ppi (pixels per inch). The ppi is important when printing. You'll want to have a nice crisp image, and 300 ppi will give you that.

Step 2: Make a text box the size of the stripe on your paper. In PSE, click the text button, and using the text tool click and drag your cursor the size you want your box. Don't worry if it's not perfect, you can resize later if you need to.

Step 3: Choose your text color & size. You'll want to choose your font type as well, but all these options can be changed later if you're not satisfied with the final result. For now, I'm using a size 18 font, in a teal about 3 shades darker than my paper color. (TIP: When using PSE, take advantage of that eye dropper tool. Use it to locate a color you like, then feel free to adjust your shade by sliding the bar on the right up or down accordingly. This way, you'll get the correct temperature & color, but change your shade to fit your design)

Step 4: Start typing. I'm repeating the word "FRIENDS". I actually only typed the word about 5 times before I just started highlighting text & using copy (CTRL + C) and paste (CTRL + V). Once I've copied it enough times to fill up the box, I go back through and add extra spaces here & there to create a more random look to the words, so my top text row is not directly lined up with my bottom text row.

***Now is a good time to play with font types, sizes & colors. Maybe yours is too formal, try adding an italic or switching to a sans serif to add a more modern feel. Just play until you like the look. I have over 500 fonts loaded in my computer. (TIP: For some awesome free fonts check out http://www.kevinandamanda.com/ or http://www.1001freefonts.com/ .) ***

Step 6: Once you are satisfied with the look of this stripe, it's time to do the rest! And no, you do not have to repeat steps 1-5. Here's the easy way to do it. Click on your bin (right hand side of the screen) and simply duplicate your layer. Once you've duplicated, move your text into place on the next stripe. You can repeat this for as many stripes as you have. Or, if your text is going to be evenly spaced, like mine. Simply select your new layer & your first layer, and again duplicate. This will create 2 new layers directly on top of your previous ones. Move to the correct positions, and repeat as necessary. You may be finished here and this is what your paper would look like:

Or you can go on... And do a little more!

Step 7: For my paper, I also wanted to add another word, "BUDDIES" to my pink stripes. So I simply repeated steps 1-6 on the pink stripes selecting my pink shade with my eyedropper tool but instead of going 2 shades darker, I chose a few shades lighter creating contrast on my paper between the text lines.

Step 8: Save your file as whatever you want to call it. I chose to call my Jady Day Studios Text Edit. So that way I can still save it in my digi files, but know that it has been changed from the original design. Log in to your account at CraftSassy and simply upload your file. I chose to make mine double sided with one of the solids in the line, as I tend to cut up my paper, but of course that is all up to you!

For another tutorial (just a warning, it's a little more advanced) on altering digital papers and a giveaway, log on to my blog at http://scrapnerdiness.blogspot.com/. Thanks for following us and can't wait to see what creations you make with CraftSassy!!

Finished Layout using the above tutorial

Space Walk

2009-07-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

By Victoria Warren- Mears

This LO, entitled Space Walk, is of my DS at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.
I made the patterned paper with photos for the NASA Space Photo CD-ROM and book from Dover Publications.

Patterned paper Craft Sassy
Die Cuts with a View Latte Cardstock Stack (1 Piece of cardstock for photo mat and flower shadows)
My Little Shoebox My Neighborhood Journal Spot
Forerver in Time Fashion Buttons
AC Thickers
Ranger Stickles - Waterfall

Make Good Use of Your Ephemera

2009-06-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

Tutorial #5 for CraftSassy
By Victoria Warren-Mears

I have a lot of stuff, I have saved over the years. Some of it qualifies for vintage, some antique, and some simply lovable retro. For this example, I chose to use cards that were sent to me and my parents when I was born. I will use this paper to scrap some baby pictures of me for my heritage album.

The first step is to gather your vintage ephemera or new stuff that you think would make a fun patterned paper.

I scanned each image individually and saved them as jpg files. You can however scan your images as a pleasing collage that you arrange on your scanner bed. My scanner only accommodates a width of 10 inches, so I find it easier to design 12 x 12 inch paper with individual images that I manipulate in Photoshop Elements.

Open the images in your photo editing program. You will need to crop them each to the desired shape.

Save them as the cropped image. I use the same file name as the scanned image to save space on my computer. I don’t really need to save the original scans for any reason.

Open a new custom file, I use a 12 inch by 12 inch file, at 350 pixels/inch. For this layout I chose a white background.

For layer one, I chose a photograph of a rose. I copied it by using layer, duplicate, and send to untitled – 1. I manipulated this layer and made it 40% opaque to preserve the coloring of the rose, yet not make it a focal point. It appears as a wash of color in the background.

Next copy each image you would like to use by using layer, duplicate, and send to untitled – 1. I do them one at a time, so I can manipulate and place them as desired. On this paper I added a low drop shadow to each card to give some depth to my image. You can also adjust the saturation and opacity of each layer to give the retro look you desire.

Once you are satisfied with you arrangement, you are ready to save and upload in the CraftSassy Storefront.

CraftSassy News!

2009-06-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

We have been very fortunate to have some great press and other going-
ons, and I would like to share some of the recent highlights.

Look for the “Country Lanes” profile written by Judi Kauffman in the
June 2009 Create & Decorate Magazine! It's a great two page profile
that features some fantastic papers by some of our best customers.
Regrettably, the credits were accidentally left out, but lucky for us,
our friend Angie at Scrapcene posted THIS recently.

Thanks to Judi Kauffman, again, we were featured in the “Check It Out”
section of the Summer 2009 Scrapbooking & Beyond Magazine, and we are
thrilled to tell you that there will also be an extensive article on
us in the Fall 2009 issue. So many of our friends and partners are
helping us by designing paper and creating projects…all of which are
so cool I don't know how they will decide what will go to print. Once
it's released we will post everything here because it truly all needs
to be seen!

We are so excited for our friends at BWScrapbooking, a digi scrapbook
site that recently started offering some of their digi papers in
"real" paper packs printed by CraftSassy. The papers are so beautiful
that the online show Scraptime recently featured them. To view the
episode, please click HERE.

For you digi scrappers, CraftSassy is a great way to print your
layouts on real acid/lignin free paper for your photo books and
hybrid, or as Jeff at BWScrapbooking calls it "tridigi" projects.
Check out THIS project Jeff did a few months ago.

We are also very grateful that Victoria Warren-Mears and Cher Lashley
have both written fantastic tutorials on different techniques that you
can use to make your own unique custom paper. To view them, just click
TUTORIAL #1, Tutorial #2, TUTORIAL #3 & Tutorial # 4.
We've been getting rave reviews on them! In fact, Scrapscene posted
THIS recently.

We are also looking forward to the fact that Scrap 'N Art will be
using several of our papers in an upcoming issue. I will be writing
more about that, and a special offer we will be giving to Scrap 'N
Arts subscribers in an upcoming post.

In case you missed it, CraftSassy is in the process of putting
together a Design Team. Our focus is tutorials both simple and complex
to inspire you to “make your own darn scrapbook paper!” Why not check
out the requirements HERE and apply? We are very open to all skill
levels and techniques. The commitment is very reasonable (one tutorial
every-other-month), and every application will be considered. Why not
apply today?!

We want you to see how great our quality is before you buy! If you haven't requested paper swatches yet please do so HERE.
Last but not least, we'd love to see what you make with our papers,
and we might even post them on the site or the blog, so if you made
something great, please share with us by emailing us HERE.

Thanks for taking the time to read all of our news! We hope you will
visit us often, and thank you for choosing CraftSassy!

Maura Perry*
CraftSassy
Maura@craftsassy.com

CraftSassy Design Team Call!

2009-05-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

CraftSassy is thrilled to announce that we are accepting applications for our design team!

Our Design Team goal: To provide meaningful and easy to follow, step-by-step tutorials that will inspire the average customer with ideas to “Make their own darn scrapbook paper” with CraftSassy.com, and to promote the CraftSassy.com brand.
Design team members’ tutorials, complete with a finished layout, altered or hybrid project, will be featured on the CraftSassy blog,The Sassy Scrapper. Design team members should also be excited about the Craftsassy brand, and willing to “talk up” CraftSassy custom paper services in various forums, as appropriate to forum guidelines.
If you are chosen as a CraftSassy design team member, you will be responsible for:
• Designing at least one unique custom paper that you will use in your tutorial and finished product, every-other-month to be printed by CraftSassy.
• Creating an easy step-by-step tutorial on how you created that paper (with accompanying screen shots or photos preferably).
• One finished project using said paper(s) every-other-month. (note; CraftSassy paper should be featured prominently in the finished piece)
• Posting projects using CraftSassy papers and/or promoting the CraftSassy brand when appropriate on various message boards and galleries you frequent.
In return, CraftSassy will provide you with the following:
• 10 free sheets of custom paper (your choice of size and paper weight) per month shipped to you at no charge.
• A 40% discount off retail pricing on additional CraftSassy paper for the length of your contract (regular shipping prices will apply).
• Full writing/design credit and appropriate links for all of your posts.
• Bio and photo in the CraftSassy blog.

Design Team commitment will be 1 Tutorial with completed project every-other-month for a total of 8 months (4 tutorials with project total). There will be a total of 8 DT members chosen to ensure the flow of weekly tutorials for the blog.

Upon selection, a contract will be sent for you to sign and return. Due dates and other information about submission procedure will be detailed in the contract.

New members will be chosen by CraftSassy owners, Maura and Scott Perry.

You may apply for the CraftSassy design team by submitting the following by June 20th 2009. The first submission group will have a due date of June 27, 2009 for the first round of submissions:

• 3 unique layouts and 2 altered projects. Hybrid projects (the combination of traditional and digital elements) are of particular interest to us. Pictures should be clear, and in jpg or PDF format.
• One example of a mock tutorial, outlining a technique for designing custom paper.
• A short essay (two to three paragraphs) as to why you feel you are a prime candidate for our Design Team. Please Include what you can contribute to our team, including;

* Your preferred email address and full contact information.
* Any technical skills that you can use for designing custom paper, including but not limited to: Photoshop, scanning, graphics programs, etc.
* 3 ideas you have for designing custom paper (this can include your mock tutorial idea).
* A listing of all of your current DT commitments and a list of message boards you actively participate in.

Submissions should be sent directly to me at the address below. Please use the phrase “Design Team Submission” in the subject line of your email.

We look forward to your submission!

Kind Regards,
Maura Perry*
maura@craftsassy.com
http://www.craftsassy.com

Using Brush Images As A Design Tool

2009-05-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

Tutorial #4 for CraftSassy
By Cher Lashley
Love Flower Scrapbook Paper Step-By-Step Guide

If you have read the Making a Brush tutorial, I thought you might like to see how the design process would work by employing the brush images onto a working scrapbook paper. Again, this will be a very simplistic design and tutorial using a lot of photos so that even the first time designer will have a good understanding of what is involved. To focus strictly on the design elements and give a short introduction to the color Swatches palette, the colors have been left monochromatic.

Process:
Open a new document:
Click File in tool bar menu
New: from pop-up menu:
Type in title of your new paper
12 inches x 12 inches for dimensions

Transparent background
Pull border around new checker board (transparent) document to surround in gray as a means of increasing your design area (this way if you move your brush partway off of the document, you can still see the entire brush image)

Adding color:
In Swatches palette choose a grouping of colors to fit your design
Cursor will change to an eyedropper: click eyedropper onto the mid-tone of color choice (The foreground color box under the tool palette will change to the chosen color)
Click on Paint Bucket tool in tool palette
Position tool inside checkerboard area and click: color will fill entire area

Adding Imagery:
In Swatches palette, click onto darker tone of chosen color
Click on Layer in tool bar
New or click on new layer icon on bottom of layer palette
Click on Brush tool from tool palette

From drop down menu, move slider until appropriate brush image is visible, then, click: in this case the flower
Move slider to the right at the top of the drop down menu to increase the size of the brush
Position brush image (flower) in the center of the document and click

Click on Edit in tool bar
Free Transform: Move image around and play with size until placement appeals to your design – in this case the flower was enlarged and brought off the lower right hand corner

Enter or double click to set design
In Swatches palette, click onto lighter or lightest tone of chosen color
Click on Layer in tool bar or layer palette
Click on Brush tool from tool palette
From drop down menu, move slider until appropriate brush image is visible, then, click: in this case the text ‘Love’ and

continue the rest of the steps above
Click on Layer in tool bar
Click on Brush tool from tool palette
From drop down menu, move slider until appropriate brush image is visible, then, click: in this case the checkerboard and continue with the rest of the steps above - This brush was only used in pieces as follows:
The first checkerboard stamp was positioned to the left of the text and off of the canvas, then, double clicked (or Enter)to set in design
Another Layer was added and this time the checkerboard was positioned off of the left side of the canvas with the exception of the last three squares, then, clicked to set.

Edit/Free Transform (if you need to re size) or click on the Move tool from the tool palette to move the three checks into place on the right side of the text stamp
Keep repeating the above steps until you have achieved the design you desire

Cher Lashley is a freelance Graphic Artist,Scrapbook enthusiast and designer for Scrapbooking.com based in Tucson, Arizona. If you would like to contact her. please email CraftSassy HERE and we will put you in touch.

MAKING A BRUSH IN PHOTOSHOP A Step-by-Step Guide

2009-04-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Tutorial #3 for CraftSassy
Guest written by: Cher Lashley
One of the easiest, yet most versatile tools that you can create, then, employ in designing your own papers in most creative software packages is the brush image, which is not to be confused with the pixel counterpart of the tool for applying paint, though these are available as well. The brush image I speak of is basically an image that can be applied to a background much like an inked stamp to paper, but with more versatility. You have probably already seen or read about designs using brushes demonstrated, which is why you are reading this tutorial right now, so I won’t go into any lengthy discussions regarding the myriad of design concepts that you can employ. Instead, we will just cut right to the chase and I will show you, both in print and through photos, one of the ways that you can design your own brushes. Other tutorials will follow that will show you ways to use your new brushes. This tutorial is going to be kept very simplistic so that even someone who has never designed anything in creative software can follow along and get good results. I am using Photoshop 7 for this demonstration, so I know that all the versions following, including Elements, should employ the same principles and possibly have shortcuts not available in this version that you can try on your own. Other programs may have different names for the steps, but the process should be the same.
There are a number of venues where you can seek images to create into brushes; copyright free images, clip art, drawings, simple photos, etc, but for this tutorial we are going to use stamped images. One of the reasons that I like using the brush image as opposed to importing or dragging an image into my document from another source is not worrying about having to extract from a background when I am ready to use it. For the most part, when defining a brush in the Edit mode, you do not have to extract the image from a background beforehand, but since I want this tutorial to cover as many problems as you might encounter at any time, we will be extracting the stamped image from the white paper background. The only size limit that I encountered in making a brush is that the image could be no larger than 2500 ppi in any direction.
PROCESS:
Using a good quality black inkpad (I use Versafine as it will stamp even the most detailed image with a crisp clarity), stamp some of your favorite images onto a bright white copy paper. This will be your Master Image Sheet.
TIP: Since it doesn’t hurt to practice, you might as well stamp more than one image, maybe even filling up the sheet, so you have more to choose from when it is time to design. Don’t forget that text stamps, especially one word text, make good design elements.
- Scan your Master Image Sheet into your creative program at 300 dpi. This

will become your Background Layer in the Layer Palette.
Change the Background Layer to a Layer:
Click onto Layer in the tool bar

New Layer From Background
In pop-up menu, check NONE in background color

and name if desired: Click OK
Extract White Background:
Click on Magic Wand from tool palette
Position onto any area of white background and click once: ‘running ants’ will appear around images and parameter.

Click Edit on tool bar
Click Cut: background will now appear as checkerboard indicating that it is transparent

Click File, then, Save As so that if anything should happen before you finish or need to quit your session, you will have a copy of your Master Image Sheet without the white background ready for future use
Image to Brush:
Make a copy of the Master Image Sheet before cropping out an image
Click on Image from tool bar

Duplicate Image
Crop an image from Master Image Sheet:
Click on Crop Tool from tool palette

Drag guide lines to surround image, then, click inside
Strengthen blackness of image so your design will be as crisp as possible:
Click on Image from tool bar
Adjustments

Auto Contrast or Brightness/Contrast: move slider under Contrast to desired depth, then, OK
TIP: If your image is not solid, this is the time to remove any of the ‘white’ spaces that may be within the black design to be replaced by transparent spaces by following the same procedure as removing the white background: Click within each white space with the Magic Wand from the tool palette: Edit/Cut from the tool bar
Should the wand touch on a black space and the running ants are not within the parameters you desire:
Edit from the tool bar
Undo Magic Wand or Drag the Magic Wand Action to the trash barrel in the History palette (above the Layer’s palette)
Should the space be too small for the wand, move the slider in the Navigation palette on the top right hand side of the screen to zoom in or View/Zoom from the tool bar
Creating the Brush:

Click Edit from the tool bar

Define Brush: type brush name in the pop-up menu, then, OK
Should you desire to have two aspects of an image, such as a right and left aspect of a flourish:
Click on Image from tool bar
Rotate Canvas

Flip Canvas Horizontally
Click Edit from the tool bar
Define Brush, then, as above

Click on the Brush tool in the tool palette
Move the slider down to the bottom of the drop down menu to view or choose your new brushes

Look for Cher's follow up tutorial, Using Brush Images as a Design Tool next week!

Cher Lashley is a freelance Graphic Artist,Scrapbook enthusiast and designer for Scrapbooking.com based in Tucson, Arizona. If you would like to contact her. please email CraftSassy HERE and we will put you in touch.

Custom Paper Makes Every Project Special

2009-04-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Here Victoria Warren-Mers has used her own patterned Paper designs that she had printed by CraftSassy to create this beautiful Sheer album! To see what Victoria had to write about this project please CLICK HERE To view Victoria's patterned paper tutorial so you can design your own patterned paper please CLICK HERE

Amazing And Easy Patterns With Photoshop; Tutorial

2009-04-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Tutorial #2 For CraftSassy

Written by Victoria Warren-Mears

In Photoshop Elements you can create new patterns to use as scrapbook designs to print at CraftSassy. I have Photoshop 2.0 on one computer and Photoshop 7.0 on another. I know, update the 2.0 already. But this technique works equally well in either edition.

I will walk you through the process step by step and show you some vintage looking papers I created as well.

First, open PSE and click on File > NEW
Name your document on the window that pops up
Select CUSTOM and set the size to 2 inches by 2 inches
• This will give you a small square that can be repeated many times (6 x 6) on a 12 inch piece of scrapbook paper. You can also set the size to3 x 3 inches, 4 x 4 inches or 6 x 6 inches, depending on the number of repetitions you like and the size of the image you wish to design.
Set the PIXELS to 300 pixels/inch
Set the BACKGROUND to white or transparent, depending on your needs.
Click OK

Now comes the fun part! You have a new “square” to create a new pattern.
For my examples, I used “royalty free clip art” that I purchased on CD-Rom from Dover Publications.
SELECT YOUR IMAGES AND OPEN THEM
Select LAYER>DUPLICATE
Send your new Layer to whatever name you gave the small 2 x 2 inch square.
RESIZE YOUR IMAGES, keeping the scale the same and arrange on the pattern square.
REPEAT this until you have your desired pattern look.
When you are satisfied save your pattern.

EDIT > DEFINE PATTERN
You will be asked to name your pattern and it then shows up in the pattern list.

To make your 12 inch by 12 inch patterned paper, create a new 12 x 12 inch document, with the pixels set to 300 pixels/inch.
Choose the PAINT BUCKET
Select FILL PATTERN
Select your pattern from the DROP DOWN LIST OF PATTERNS
CLICK THE BUCKET ON YOUR 12 X 12 INCH DOCUMENT.
Wait patiently and soon your paper will emerge.

I have created several vintage examples:
Vintage Postcard

Vintage Flapper

They remind me a bit of the style of Graphic 45. Remember you can create all sorts of patterns. You can even select a pattern from another photo or LO and repeat the process I described to get fantastic papers that are uniquely yours.

Making simple papers from your own photos; Tutorial

2009-03-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

Tutorial #1 for CraftSassy

Guest written by; Victoria Warren-Mears

Follow the simple instructions below which uses Photoshop Elements to turn your photos into unique, professional, one of of a kind custom paper as seen in this layout.

In Photoshop Elements open a new custom file of 12 inches by 12 inches and at least a resolution of 300 dpi.

Open the photograph you would like to convert to scrapbook paper. I used a 6 x 4 color picture of my butterfly boots for this example.
Using the magic wand tool, select unwanted areas of the photograph. Fill using the paint bucket icon with a neutral color. In this case, I chose white.

Continue selecting and filling as mentioned above until the background appears as you wish.
Still working on the photo, select the filter menu. Chose pencil sketch. This renders your photograph into a sketch.

Select Layer, and duplicate to your 12 x 12 blank file. Size the picture so it is in the appropriate location and of a visually pleasing size.
Select with the eye dropper the new background color from the picture.
Use the magic want tool and select the “blank” section of paper.
Fill using the paint bucket tool, so that all of the background matches.

Select photographic effects, filter. Choose your filter. Here I chose sepia for one example and purple for another. If you wish to avoid distressing and hand inking, you could add a grunge border. However, for my examples, I prefer to control the inking and distressing by hand.

Save your file as a PNG, in case you wish to edit further.
Save your 12 x 12 file as a jpg. You can then go to CraftSassy and upload it for printing.

I HEART Hybrid!

2009-03-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

Another great example of hybrid scrapbooking; Victoria Warren-Mears had digital paper from the Amber Amour collection by BWScrapbooing printed at CraftSassy to create this touching and amusing layout.

Through the eyes of a child

2009-03-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

When you have a special child in your life, there is little more precious and worth treasuring forever then their artwork. Children's art is a favorite custom paper medium for me so I was thrilled when this was recently printed and now to see the final layout...WOW!

For the paper shown here Victoria Warren-Mears chose the repeating image on color background "product" in the craftsassy print shop,to make her own very special paper using her son's artwork.

The repeating image feature option allows you to choose the number of times the image repeats on the page from 4 to 64 as well as play with various shades of color saturation for the color background, or as seen here, leave it white.

Feel free to play around with the repeating image and other uploads in the CraftSassy print shop; you can preview your own custom paper with no obligation or sign up necessary.

How to get 20% off your CraftSassy order!

2009-03-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

CraftSassy is proud to be taking part in Scrapbooking Roads Spring Fling Shuffle Shop Hop! Sign up HERE for your chance to go on a scavenger hunt for this rain boot image at participating retailers and you will be included in an email blast with codes and information about tons of great deals and PRIZES including a limited time code for 20% off of your CraftSassy order starting March 11th! For more information about the shop hop and participating retailers please click HERE and happy hunting!

**Offer valid for retail customers only. For wholesale inquiries please contact us HERE

Get your kids into the act!

2009-02-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

If you have been following this blog, you have seen some of the paper I have made using my DSD's baby footprints and drawing.

Recently, I printed paper for my friend Nicole Amsler. Here are a few examples of what she created using her kids artwork, blankets and events as inspiration for her own unique custom paper from CraftSassy.

The papers here are paintings by her kids, a photo from her local children's museum and a scan of her daughter's blanket. I will be publishing Nicole's completed projects in an upcoming post so stay tuned!

Victoria does it again

2009-02-26T13:18:00.000-08:00

What can I say?! Stunning examples of hybrid scrapping once again by Victoria Warren-Mears featuring paper we printed from Digi by BWScrapbooking

CraftSassy + Scrappy Links = One fantastic review!

2009-02-23T15:48:00.000-08:00

Please stop by Scrappy links to check out the great review they wrote about CraftSassy! While you are there check out all of the great links and information, what a wonderful resource!

Print your digital scrapbook pages

2009-02-19T10:08:00.000-08:00

Turn your digital scrapbook page layouts into paper without having to pay for printer ink! At Craftsassy we can print your pages for you so you can create high quality acid and lignin free photo books that you can customize and embellish yourself. Turn your digital scrapbook pages into beautiful hybrid projects to make them truly unique and personal.

The featured layout uses the Puddle Jumper-Rainy Day Themed Scrapbooking Kit by BWScrapooking.com

Turn your handwriting into a font; FREE!

2009-02-10T21:13:00.000-08:00

Because I love all things unique and custom, I was thrilled to find out about this site; YourFonts is an easy and best of all free way to turn your handwriting into your own unique font. Imagine journaling in your own handwriting and best of all if you print it with CraftSassy, 100% acid and lignin free so it will last a lifetime!

Imagine, you can create recipe cards in your own hand writing, turn your child's handwriting into a font for preserving special moments, school work and art projects (while you are at it turn the whole thing into custom paper). Have fun and get creative!

Digi + traditional = unique layouts

2009-02-09T12:25:00.000-08:00

Victoria Warren-Mears once again shows a stunning example of hybrid scrapbooking

This beautiful layout features Grateful Bounty digi papers by BWScrapbooking

It is simple to upload your digital "paper packs" or full digital layouts in the CraftSassy printshop to create you own special hybrid project.

How about a Photo Valentine ?

2009-02-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

High resolution photographs translate beautifully onto CraftSassy custom papers

Nationally-known designer, writer and product review columnist Judi Kauffman included vellum and cardstock from CraftSassy.com in the February 2009 installment of her series "Square One" (Scrapbooking.com on-line magazine). Judi's Photo Valentines, one of which is shown here, will remain in the magazine's archive. A direct link to the article, projects and instructions can be found HERE.

Be Mine; Hybrid Valentine Pillowboxes

2009-02-02T22:58:00.000-08:00

As featured in the February edition of the PSRO newsletter; these hybrid valentine pillow boxes are easy to create for a fun and personal gift!

For complete details and instructions click HERE

photo courtesy of theimagearea.net

Hybrid Projects

2009-02-01T01:12:00.000-08:00

"Handcut Hybrid Flower"

I was fortunate enough to have been introduced to a very talented local scrapper, Victoria Warren-Mears by way of my friends from BWScrapbooking. Victoria crafted all of the amazing projects you see here. Using digi products from BWScrapbooking and uploading them in the CraftSassy printshop. Click on the tittle of each image to see more details about how they were created.

"46 Unique"

"Attitude Buzz"

I will be posting more great hybrid projects by Victoria soon!

Are you going to CHA?

2009-01-21T12:19:00.000-08:00

If you are I wanted to be sure to tell you about a couple of things that CraftSassy will be featured in;

1st, Midnight Oil Scrapbook Designs Inc. (MOSD) will be there and they will be featuring paper that they designed that was printed by Craftsassy in their "make and take" projects. Also look for a cool new product from them that I'm not at liberty to mention yet,that will also feature printing by craftsassy. Be sure to ask for the promo that we printed for them, it's an 8X8 on 65# cover that really shows off our quality and lists all of our pertinent info! They will be in booth # 2801 and I have been told that they will have some very unique and fun things going on, so do check them out!

2nd, Nancy Nally from Scrapbook update asked me for information for her seminar; The Best of Both Worlds: A Step by Step Guide to Introduce Hybrid Scrapbooking in Your Store Business Seminar S118! Since I can't be there I'd love to hear from you if you attend! You can email me HERE

Today on Scrap Scene!

2009-01-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

The images on this post were designed by Angie from Scrap Scene. For the full Scrap Scene review of Craftsassy and even more fabulous images please click HERE

Unsure about our quality?

2009-01-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

At CraftSassy we want you to feel confident that your custom scrapbook paper is of the highest quality. We will be glad to send you paper swatches free of charge in each of the four basic paper weights simply contact us HERE,with your name and address. Please write "Paper swatches" in the subject line for the most efficient service. We will send the swatches usually within a few days so you can see and feel the texture and detail for yourself!

Service options and custom orders

2008-12-19T18:12:00.000-08:00

We want your experience of creating custom scrapbook and craft paper to be a good one. Which is why at Craft Sassy we are set up to take your orders in a couple of different ways. You can "do it yourself" by uploading your images in the printshop, or if you feel that is a hassle or need help with your images, you can order directly through us by contacting us HERE. Pick the method that works for you. We stand behind our quality and service and are here for any questions or support you may have/need.

We can also do custom orders as well as cards, die cuts, assorted sizes and paper weights. We can even bind your paper and create a book. Let us know what your vision is and we can help you turn it into a reality. For custom orders contact us HERE. We will work with you and provide you a "custom quote" with no obligation and no minimum order for retail customers (wholesalers note that there is a 10 item minimum).

Did you know?

2008-12-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

In our PRINT SHOP you can play around with your images with no obligation to buy. Upload your pictures and art and hit the “preview” button to view your custom paper. You can do all this without registering any personal information.

We are also available to answer your questions and assist you with every step to ensure your custom paper is perfect for you. Just e-mail us at info@craftsassy.com

So go play and let us know what we can do to make your experience with CRAFT SASSY custom paper fun and rewarding!

Resources for creating custom scrapbook paper

2008-12-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

You want to create your own unique custom scrapbook or craft paper using Craft Sassy but are at a loss as to where to start? Check out some the links below for information, inspiration and advice;

First and foremost you want to make sure that your images will look their very best once they are turned into custom scrapbook paper, they should be at least 300 DPI. Scans of your child’s art work and other items should have a high resolution. If you are using photographs, using a camera with a high mega pixel and downloading them straight to your computer will give you the best results.

If you are wanting unique images for your scrapbook paper and aren’t a graphics specialist, check out I-stock photo, or Dreamstime. Or do a search engine search for “stock images” there are quite a few other stock image sites. Once you are on those sites you can search by photo or illustration. You can also search by type of image; for example, scrapbook, Christmas, etc. If you choose to use a stock image be sure that you read all of the terms and conditions for use and read my November blog on the "rules of the game". Most sites have a fairly minimal cost for “personal use”, resellers licensing is more expensive and there are limits, look over any contract for reselling very carefully. Once you decide on an image, ensure that you choose the high resolution option. Low res is better for things like screen savers and websites and won’t print as well. THIS site is another fun site to check out for inspiration and allows you to play with patterns.

If you love technology, try doing a digital scrapbook layout and then upload that to make your paper. You can leave it “as is” or scrap on top of it to give it a more mixed media look. Check out my friends at BW Scrapbooking for some great digital scrapbooking layouts and embellishments.

Once you get your paper there are tons of resources out there for sketches and ideas, a few of my favorites are; Scrap Scene, Craft Gossip and Scrapbook dimensions. I’d love to hear what some of yours are too! Please feel free to leave a comment.
Look for more technical information and ideas in upcoming installments.

Happy scrapping!

As cute as a button

2008-12-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

To make both the scrapbook page layout and shadowbox I used;
Craft Sassy custom paper; baby foot print paper (see blog entry below)
Mixed in some pretty “K & Company" paper
Added “Cute World” buttons, stickers and embellishments and some ribbon

For the buttons; I sewed them onto the ribbon with triple embroidery thread and then to get the effect of them being sewn onto the paper I simply used my needle to loop the thread through the buttons and tied them off on the underside. I then used glue dots to adhere them to the page

To get a more dimensional look to the shadowbox I used “dimensionsSQUARES” by “Generations” on the heart and a few of the flowers

Scrap Scene press release

2008-11-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

CraftSassy was featured on the ScrapScene blog today! Look for ScrapScene to review CraftSassy custom paper in an upcoming installment!

Beautiful Baby!

2008-11-19T20:52:00.001-08:00

Look at the cute baby footprint paper I made! These are my DSD's actual baby footprints, now I can scrap her baby pictures, make a shadow box, or whatever I want and it's really her footprint!No more generic baby paper, wooo hoo! It is super easy to create personalized papers like these...

For these images all I did was;

1. Scan the item and save it to my computer
2. In the craftsassy printshop, I chose the 12"X12" repeating pattern with color background option (3rd option from the top).
3. Uploaded image
4. chose "repeated amount" (in this case 9 & 36)
5. Chose background color (pink)
6. Color density (medium is the lighter one and solid is the darker)
7. Hit "refresh" and you are done!

The single image is single sided 6"X6" uploaded from the same scan

Imagine the possibilities, birth announcements, special gifts for Grandparents, you name it, there are no limits to what you can create!

So you don’t scrapbook….what else can you use us for?

2008-11-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

I had the good fortune recently to “meet”(via e-mail), Mike Hartnett from Creative Leisure News; Mike has been very supportive of my endeavor and has given me some fantastic advice, and with 30 some years of experience, of course I’m listening…

One of the things that really got me thinking was something that I have thought about a bit, but hadn’t really acted on was what he said to me about limiting craftsassy to scrapbook paper, stating that there would be a lot of business and individuals that would be interested in custom paper… and he gave some great examples.

So with that in mind, I started thinking about all the great things you could do with our paper that aren’t necessarily directly related to scrapbooking;

Church, social group or similar newsletter (Mike's idea)

Custom Stationery

Card making

Altered projects and vision boards

Wedding programs

I know I haven’t even scratched the surface….

I’d love to hear what you think and even see examples of your ideas and projects. E-mail me at examples@craftsassy.com, I would love to share some of your ideas and creations...

Rules of the Game

2008-11-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

When planning to print your own scrapbook paper at Craft Sassy, you need to first consider what you CAN and CAN NOT legally reprint. This quick primer should answer most of your questions related to licensed images and copyright law.

Items You CAN Print
You CAN use any photos you took, images you’ve drawn or words you wrote. This also applies to those who have given you permission such as family or friends.
You CAN use images, fonts or clipart you legally purchased. For example, you can reprint a photo you bought online from stock photo library.
You CAN use images from Flickr if their copyright license is logged under Public Domain or Non-Commercial.

Items You CAN NOT Print
You can NOT use any corporate logos, taglines, team mascots, phrases, etc. Basically if it is followed with a copyright, registered or trademark symbol it is off limits.
You can NOT use any licensed characters.
You can NOT use any words verbatim unless they are your own.

Play it safe by using your own images, words and/or drawings. This is what makes your scrapbook pages unique in the first place!

Disclaimer: Craft Sassy places the responsibility of printing only legally available images and words on our customer. We will cancel any job which is blatantly in violation but we assume all other printing jobs are fall within the legal copyright laws.

Great CraftSassy review by ScrapBiz founder!

2008-11-13T15:14:00.000-08:00

Kim Guymon, founder of ScrapBiz had some great things to say about CraftSassy in her Blog today. You can view it here.

Craftsassy mention in PMA newletter!

2008-11-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

For full article click here and scroll down.

Adding value to your memory preservation business

2008-11-08T17:25:00.001-08:00

I love seeing what our customers design. Here are some examples of how my friends at scrappin’ stuff utilized craftsassy create exclusive scrapbook paper for their highly specialized, sports focused website. If you are a scrapbook retailer how do you add value to your selection? Do you want exclusive scrapbook paper for your kit club or crop? How about paper with local school mascots? What is your niche and how can you add value to your memory preservation business? What is the emotional layer that your client is looking for when they are shopping with you? How can custom scrapbook paper enhance your business?

"Make your own darn scrapbook paper"

2008-11-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

What would you make if you could design your own custom scrapbook paper? When I started this venture, it was out of frustration. I had a difficult time finding unusual or diverse products for my memory preservation projects, after further research, it seemed to me that there were some opportunities in the industry to appeal to people of different interests, faiths and ethnic backgrounds and reach out to a whole new demographic of paper crafters while still appealing to people that were already in love with this hobby. As my plan formed, it evolved and the idea and means to offer people the opportunity to “make their own darn scrapbook paper” based on their own lives became a reality. I presented my idea to several experts in the industry through my relationship with scrapbiz, the response to the idea of being able to produce affordable, high quality custom scrapbook paper at both the wholesale and retail levels was overwhelming the conversation evolved and craftsassy was born.

The example above was created simply by

scaning my DSD's drawing and uploading it onto the

12X12 single sided product in the craftsassyprintshop