DSM Summer Getaway

Ok hold onto your hats, this is going to be a big one!!!! DSM (aka Digi Scrapbook Mania) is have a Summer Getaway, with lots of great workshops and challenges, and the winner will get something like $500 in prizes. But believe it or not I didn't do it for the prizes, not that I wouldn't love to win, I just want to learn more. They started with 10 workshops where you had 24 hours to do them and post, and we are now on our third challenge out of four. So today I'm going to show you the 10 workshop layouts I did.

Workshop one was on shadowing. Ok I admit I often put the same shadow on everything, but this workshop showed me how to make it look so much better by varying the depth, size and angle of the shadows. The picture is Zoey and the kit used is Girlie Girl by Mandy Made Digi Bits.

Workshop 2 is on blending. I don't use a lot of blending. I think it is cool, but for some reason, I just haven't done a lot of it. I used a couple of pictures from our vacation in 2000, one of the lighthouse and one of the kids in front of it. The kit used is Beach Bound by Modern June.

Workshop three covered extractions...sort of a bummer for me since I extracted the lighthouse on workshop two, but I went with the flow. Another technique I wish I was better about using, but I learned from the workshop. The photos are Cole when he was the Puppet Master in Pinocchio. He did a great job and he had the most evil laugh. The I used is Limelight by Connie Prince.

Workshop 4 covered clustering...yes I do love clustering. Sometimes it is easy for me and other times it isn't, so this was a great way to practice some on mine. The photo is Callie, Cole, and Mecca on Mother's Day and the kit is Loopty Loo by Connie Prince.

Workshop 5 covered composition, one technique that I do really try to think about. This workshop explained the rule of thirds and triangle composition. It was a great lesson to over again, because it really does make a difference on the layouts. I used the rule of thirds for this layout. The picture is my Tucker Joe and the kit is the CT Appreciation kit 2010. The great thing about this layout is I entered it into the "Best Pet Layout" for CT Appreciation Week and it won!!!! Yeah me!!!

Workshop 6 focused on templates and boy did I learn a lot in this one. Not because it was anything really new, but the template we were given wouldn't work in PSE 7 or 8, so I had to use the png files and recreate it. Which it was a good thing, I learned so much more than if I would have just taken the template and used it. The whole point of the lesson was to take templates and shift, rotate, etc to make them your own. The photos are Zoey and the kit is The Best Days of Your Life by Connie Prince.

Still hanging in with me???? We're over half way home. Workshop 7 covered selective coloring. This is the coolest technique and can really make the photos pop on the page. I've used it before, but again it is always good to have a refresher. I used photos of Tucker in the reindeer suit so I could leave the nose red. The kit is Holly Jolly by Just So Scrappy.

Workshop 8 was my favorite because it covered white space layouts and I love those. That is my scrapping style. In fact I did one of the examples for the leader because I'm on her CT team. I tried to use it as my layout, but they were real meanies and said no...just kidding they just laughed at me. The example is using the Summer Getaway kit and the photo are the kids on the beach at Nags head.

And my actual layout for the workshop is this one of Sharla and Cole using the kit Inspire by Designs by Christi. Yes I've already shown you that one when I showcased her kit, I had to do some work during these workshops so I just combine this one.

Workshop 9 covered journaling. I thought this would be my least favorite workshop because I suck at jounaling. I understand why it is important, and it is a great way to tell a story, but I still struggle with it. They told us to take a layout we'd already done and add journaling to it. But we had to do it in two ways. At the top were were to list the who, what, where and why of it and then on the layout do the normal journaling. I took my layout from workshop 4 and added journaling to it.

Workshop 10, turned out to be my least favorite workshop. I think lots of great layouts came out of it, but it was so hard for me. It covered collages and that is so total opposite of my style. I played with it and finally came up with one that I liked, but not loved. But then I'm not sure I would love any of this style. The photos are Tucker, Cooper and Zoey and the kit used is the June BAK from DSM.

Did I fool you? Did you catch that I showed you eleven layouts not ten (hehehe). I've completed 3 of the challenges, but I think those will have to wait to another day, because I know I'm tired of typing and your eyes have to be tired of looking about now.