TaylorMade Designs

New Release... sort of

2011-11-03T12:31:00.000-05:00

Remember like a year ago when I did a featured kit for DST? Well at last the time has come where I get to bring that kit home to the O!!!! I'm so happy to bring you sense + sensability...

ENJOY!

chatterbox no.1 and no.2

2011-08-11T08:32:00.000-05:00

I have some new templates for you!! These are the perfect way to record all of those little quotes and conversations! Just start a list... write them on anything (note pad, napkins, gum wrappers, just whatever is in your purse!)... as soon as you hear it so you don't forget. Then compile your list and record it all in one place to preserve forever!! Both template sets are 20% off in my shop today thru SUNDAY only!!

chatterbox no.1

chatterbox no. 2

here is some inspiration from the team...

by amanda...

by dunia...

by manuela...

by marina...

by denise...

by yoshiko...

by therese...

by lisa...

ENJOY!!!!

new word art + CU patterns/textures

2011-04-28T12:49:00.000-05:00

i have some new word art for you! nothing fancy... just those little key words that seem to always come up in titles, journaling, and everyday life. :)

key words hanwritten word art

here's some inspiration from me and the team! be sure to keep your eye on the oscraps gallery for more inspiration!

by amanda

by nini

by therese

by nicole

i also have something new from my designer line. 2 [layered] patterns and 2 clean textures to use in making your OWN papers!!

shape.form.fashion.SIX

i hope you like everything!! have a great weekend!!

-amanda

taylormade... in the designer spotlight

2010-10-11T15:57:00.000-05:00

taylormade is in the spotlight...

I'm so happy this week is finally here! I have so much in store for you!! An amazing challenge, prizes galore, a TON of inspiration, and a huge SALE through the entire week! Join me here in the oscraps forum... your challenge starts NOW!

take me to...
- the taylormade spotlight
- the taylormade shop

in moderation...
Life... in moderation. It can sometimes feel nearly unattainable. But we are scrappers! That being said, we know how theraputic a page about life's twists and turns and what we learned from them can be. This kit will help you get those experiences and your newfound wisdom down on paper to pass along to those who just may need to hear it someday... even if that someone is you!

in moderation - the full kit...

in moderation - ADD ON kit...

You can get the FULL KIT this week in my shop for 30% OFF... plus the ADD ON kit for FREE if you play along in the challenge. But even better... as an Insider... you guessed it!! You get additional savings... not just on my latest kit, but my entire shop... this week only! Not an Insider yet... you can still get the additional savings! Simply click HERE and subscribe!!

here is some inspiration from the team...

by amanda...

by therese...

by kat...

by nidia...

by phoebe...

Hope to see you at my spotlight!! Enjoy!
-amanda

NEW taylormade CT!!!

2010-10-06T11:01:00.007-05:00

Thank you SO much to those who applied for my creative team!! The response was... well... humbling, to say the least. After 2 weeks of agonizing (and a few tantrums because I just wanted to say yes to EVERYONE! lol), I have finally chosen our new artists... 15 of them!!!! So without further delay...

I am SO excited to introduce to you the newest additions to the taylormade creative team!! Please help me give them lots of congrats and a HUGE welcome!!

(click on image to view larger)

Be sure to stop by their galleries and prepare to be inspired!!!

phoebe.................................... (aka PhoebeJo)

elisa....................................... (aka EHStudios)

yoshiko.......................................... (aka osaru)

manuela.................................... (aka flohbock)

cintia..................................... (aka cintiascrap)

sarah........................................ (aka sascedar)

che........................................ (aka pajhnubhlis)

denise............................................ (aka deca7)

dunia..................................... (aka duniascrap)

beth......................................... (aka kewl_jive)

nicole...................................... (aka nicleblanc)

lisa............................................. (aka dlhoffer)

bianka........................................... (aka Topsi)

lilja................................................ (aka liljatr)

nidia.......................................... (aka nininano)

a taylormade album...

2010-09-28T15:08:00.004-05:00

coming soon...
I have a new album for you this week! It offers an easy way to preserve the memories and moments of those you love. It features a cohesive graphic feel and allows for a ton of your favorite photos. It also includes more than 20 bonus word arts! See details below! Here's a sample page...

This album will not be released to the public until Thrusday, September 30th. But the good news is that you can get yours TODAY! Simply subscribe to my newsletter HERE (if you aren't already) to bypass the wait! AND as an Insider, you'll get an exclusive discount of 30% OFF! (The layered template album (only) comes with more than 20 bonus word arts!)

taylormade CT call...
Thank you SO much to everyone who applied for my creative team!! I am THRILLED with the response and I'm feeling SO inspired from looking through all of the galleries! I have several more applications to look through, but will be announcing the new additions this weekend! Keep your eye on my blog!

taylormade spotlight...
I am so excited to announce that taylormade designs will be in the spotlight at oscraps starting on Monday, October 11th!! I have a TON of fun stuff planned for you, as well as lots of freebies, challenges, a chat, and all the inspiration you can stand! So mark your calendars and keep your eye on my blog for upcoming details!

creative team call!!

2010-09-20T15:24:00.001-05:00

It's time for a taylormade CT CALL! I'm specifically looking for 6-8 new artists who scrap on a regular basis to make my team complete!

My creative team requirements are as follows:

*create a minimum of one layout per kit you download prior to release date (I usually give the team 3 to 5 days to work with product)
*upload your layout to three galleries (Oscraps being the only mandatory one)
*You will not be required to work with every product I release, just the ones that inspire you to scrap!

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, please submit the following:

1.your name
2.a link to your most complete online gallery
3.a list of your current CT commitments (if any)
4.a short bio about yourself

Submit inquiries to amanda.taylormadedesigns@gmail.com with "CT Call" as the subject by Monday, September 27th, 2010. I will respond to all submissions to confirm receipt of your email. CT selections will be announced here after September 30th.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

-amanda

we have a winner!!!

2010-09-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

thank you, everyone for you comments and excitement about the collab!!! i'm THRILLED to announce our winner!!

CONGRATULATIONS sue!!!!! did the plumber ever get there to fix your boiler??? teehee. i'll send your prize via Oscraps private message!!!! :)

i'm about to go live with the kit as we speak AND there's a special offer with it too!!! i hope you enjoy it!!

new collaboration!!

2010-09-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

This is a sneak peek from my new collab with Ange from Ange Designs at MScraps!!! I am so glad we were finally able to collab together... we've been trying to forEVER!!!!

This is a kit designed around "time"... well... more like "lack of time"... hahahha. It will be available on Friday... exclusively at MScraps for the rest of September! But in the meantime, how about a chance to win it! As always, just leave a comment on this blog post and you'll be entered into a random drawing for the prize!! You will have until tomorrow night at 7pm (CST) to post your comment(s) and the winner will be announced ASAP after that! ;)

Don’t forget to stop by Ange’s blog for yet another chance to win our collab!!

winner + guesting at MScraps

2010-09-06T11:37:00.000-05:00

winner...
This has been an exciting week for TaylorMade... I have SO much in store for you coming up!! But for today, just wanted to stop in and say... we have a winner!!

Congratulations girl!!!! You have won the Painted On VOL 2 Layered Template Album!! You can email me HERE to redeem your prize!!

guest designer at mscraps...
It's finally here! I am the guest designer at MScraps for the month of September! In honor of this priveledge, I designed this kit... late september... and it will be exclusive to MScraps for the entire month!!

late september...

I have several other things in store for you during my stay at MScraps, so keep an eye on my blog, and my Guest Shop for new goodies!!

new template...

Formally only available at Artisan Notebook, I have brought Taylored Page No. 9 home to the O... and at a special re-introductory price of 25% OFF!

taylored page no. 9

and a closer look at the layout that inspired the template...

I can't wait to come back and share more new projects and events coming up!!! Stay tuned... :)

new taylormade+fei-fei's stuff collab + CONTEST!

2010-08-30T20:27:00.000-05:00

painted on vol. 2...
Today's the day! It's finally here!!! I am so excited to release this project!!!! Introducing "Painted On VOL 2"... another collaboration project by taylormade + fei-fei's stuff!!! This may have been the single most "FUN" project I've ever worked on (next to Painted On VOL 1, of course! hahaha) . These swirls just give me such a feeling of freedom and inspiration and ENERGY! (Spoken like a true scrapper, huh? hahahahah!) So without further rambling (*blushing*)...

Painted On VOL 2

This album comes in a "Quick Page" version (flattened .png files) perfect for the ease of popping in a photo and calling it done. It also comes in a "Layered Template" version for maximum versatility that allows you to move things around, change the colors, customize the background, and more!

introductory price...

Enjoy a SPECIAL introductory price of 20% OFF now thru Wednesday, September 1st only!!

painted on contest...

Want a chance to WIN this album?!?! You know the drill! hahahha. Simply leave a comment on THIS BLOG POST to be entered into a random drawing for the Layered Template version of the album! Want more chances of winning? Come back and leave a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th or 5th!) comment with a link to where you have told someone about the contest OR the album via twitter/facebook/blog! The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

But WAIT! Want even MORE chances to win?! Shaui (of fei-fei's stuff) is hosting the same contest on her blog for a chance to win the Quick Page version of the album! Feel free to enter BOTH contests!!! You will have until Thursday, Sept 3rd to leave your comments. Winners will be announced ASAP following that date! :)

inspiration...

Here is some inspiration from our creative teams!!! Just look at the versatility this album has!!!

by amanda...

by shaui...

by sarah...

by therese...

by suzanne...

by phoebe...

by diana...

by krista...

by bexy...

by georgia...

by tracy...

winners + SALE + a sneak peak!!

2010-08-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

cleaning-house SALE!
I'm prepping for a huge makeover and that means a bit of cleaning house! Take advantage of OVER 75 PRODUCTS priced to sell... up to 60% OFF!! But hurry... after Sunday, August 29th most of these products will be taken off the shelves forever, so stock up while supplies last!

>>> take me to the SALE! <<<

winners...
We have a few winners to announce!! Thank you to everyone who left comments and tweeted about everything I threw at you a couple of weeks ago! It was so fun seeing all of you using the tutorial, loving the templates, and hanging out at the chat last night! So... our winners are...

CONGRATULATIONS ladies!!!!! you can email me at taylormade8330 at yahoo dot com for your prizes!!!

sneak peak...

I'm OVERLY excited about this upcoming project!!! As you all know, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE working with shaui of fei-fei's stuff, so I just couldn't wait to TELL someone that I got to work with her AGAIN! Here's a sneak peak of what we're working on...

OH!!! And be sure you're subscribed to my newsletter and you might just get your hands on this BEFORE the general public!!

maintenance stuff...

I am so sorry for all of the recent issues with my blog!!!! Remember to bookmark my new blog address so you don't miss anything!

>>> http://www.taylormadedigidesigns.blogspot.com/ <<<

Also, if you were already subscribed to my blog feed under the old address, you will need to delete that one and re-subscribe using the new address. I'm pretty sure that all the kinks have been worked out so that it picks up the new feed. I apologize for all of the confusion!! You can still feel free to email me if things aren't working properly for you and we will get you all fixed up, ok? I'm also working on correcting all of the tutorial links on the sidebar so that they don't take you to the golf site!! hahaha. Thank you so much for your patience!

wow! where do i start??

2010-08-12T21:33:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone!! I have lots in store for you tonight!! I'm not even sure where to begin!! So let's break it down, shall we? Here's a "quick summary guide" so you don't get overwhelmed with the plethera of information I'm about to lay on you. hahaha.

A TaylorMade Tutorial
3 new TaylorMade Templates (4 if you include the freebie in The Artisan Notebook!)
A TaylorMade Feature in The Artisan Notebook
This week's Digi Dare
A contest, complete with prizes
Maintenance Stuff

a taylormade tutorial...
Do you like the look and feel of "sketched" photos?? Well join me as I take you step by visual step of the process!!

... take me to this tutorial ...

taylormade templates...
I have 3 new templates for you this week! Save 20% now thru sunday!!!

taylored page no. 10

taylored page no 11

taylored page no. 12

this week's digidare...

I LOVE when it's my turn to host the dare!!!! This week's dare is a little more "light-hearted" than most of my dares. (and the end result of my layout is what inspired this week's tutorial!!) It's based on what I call "Famous Last Words". This includes your favorite quotes from movies, friends, and yes... even quotes from your parents growing up that have stuck with you over the years. Here's the page I created for the dare... I hope you'll join us!!!

famous last words

... take me to this week's dare ...

featured in the artisan notebook...

I have had the amazing privilege of being featured in this month's issue of The Artisan Notebook!

Be sure to join the Guild and subscribe so you can get your copy! There's a full TaylorMade article, a free template ready for download, and on Tuesday, August 24 at 7pm (CST) I'll be hosting a chat! There will be a Q&A, trivia questions, and a TON of prizes up for grabs. So mark your calendars and meet me there!!! (more details coming soon!)

a taylormade contest...

Now it's time for the good stuff! Want a chance to win a taylormade shopping spree?? All you have to do is leave a comment ON THIS BLOG POST and you could win up to $25 to my shop!!! It really is that simple.

One comment enters you into a random drawing to win $10, $15, or $25 to my shop! For even more chances to win, come back and leave a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) comment with a link to where you have told someone about it via twitter... facebook... your blog... all of the above! You could tweet about the tutorial, the new templates, the feature + upcoming chat with The Artisan Notebook, or this contest. Leave as many comments as you wish... play to WIN!
(*some collaboration projects not valid with coupon)

maintenance stuff...
I'm sure most of you have noticed that I've had some serious issues with my blog lately. The domain expired while I wasn't looking!! As a temporary solution, I have changed the web address back to the original "blogspot" address. ( http://www.taylormadedigidesigns.blogspot.com/ ) There are a few "glitches" this seemed to have created, but I assure you I am working diligently to get them all resolved. Thank you so much for your patience!

Sketchy Photos - How To

2010-08-12T19:23:00.001-05:00

This is such a fun technique! Now, keep in mind that I am a self-taught Photoshop user. Therefore, there may be an easier way to achieve this look. It's certianly not difficult by any means, but there may be some double-secret button somewhere that does this automatically that I don't know about. hahaha. But never-the-less, I'll take you step by step through my process. I used Photoshop CS5 to create this page, so CS2, 3, or 4 should be strikingly similar. However, if you use Photoshop Elements, some of the navigation (and features) may be different. I used to be able to guide others through it based on memory from my PSE days, but the last version of PSE I used was PSE4! It has come a long way since then and looks completely different, so unfortunately, I may not be of much help there. At any rate... let's dive in, shall we?

***click on any image for a larger view***

1.) Open a new document in Photoshop and place your desired photo on the canvas. Make sure your photo layer is active.

2.) Desaturate your photo. (Otherwise, the image will not be black, but bright yellow and orange. You can leave it like that if you wish, but I liked the look and feel of the black much better for my page.)

3.) Now let's add a Layer Mask to our photo layer. (I do this instead of erasing to keep the image in tact in case I mess up... which is a lot.)

4.) Choose your Brush tool and settings as follows to prepare for using your layer mask.

5.) Now we need to change our foreground color to black. (Remember... with layer masks, if you paint "black" onto the mask, it hides that part of the photo... if you paint "white" onto the mask, it brings it back.)

6.) Before we begin covering up part of our photo, make sure you click on the white square on your photo layer. Otherwise, you'll end up with a bunch of black paint on your photo.

7.) Now begin "painting" over the parts of your photo that you want to hide (ie, the background). There's no need to be "perfect"... you just want the majority of the background gone. Just be sure not to erase any of the "person" in your photo. :)

8.) Now let's duplicate our layer...

9.) Change the Blending Mode of your duplicated layer to "Hard Mix".

10.) This is where our image begins to transform. There is still some work needed, but it gives us our starting point.

11.) Choose your Brush Tool from your tools palette and then click on the layer mask on your original photo layer.

12.) Now let's change our foreground color to a medium grey. (The lighter the grey, the "less" of the photo it will hide... the darker, the more it will hide.)

13.) Now choose a soft, round brush by right-clicking anywhere on your canvas.

14.) Now begin brushing away on your photo to let some of the highlights shine through.

15.) If you need more highlights showing through on your photo, let's do some work on the duplicated layer. Start by right-clicking on the layer mask and choosing Apply Layer Mask. (This will allow your photo to now take the shape of your layer mask.)

16.) Once you've merged your photo with its layer mask, choose your Dodge Tool from your tools palette and adjust your settings as follows:

17.) Now that we're happy with the amount of highlights showing through, let's get rid of these sharp lines and corners on our photo. Start by applying the layer mask on your original photo layer. (i know... it seems a little tedious... i just sort of "documented" the steps as i went. hahaha)

18.) Now we'll add a NEW layer mask to our photo layer and choose black as our foreground color.

19.) Making sure your Brush Tool is still activated, adjust your settings as follows and begin brushing away the sharp edges.

20.) Once you're happy with the results, let's link our layers. I would have thought I could just merge the 2 layers into one layer, but apparently, Photoshop has a quirk about merging layers that have blending modes on them. So when I tried to merge them, this is what I got...

Ewww. Yeah... no... not the look I was going for. Now, I did find a way around it, but I'm certain there's a lower maintenance way to do it. But for now... we'll just do it the long "taylormade" way. hahahaha!)

So, as I was saying... let's "LINK" our layers. :)

21.) Now go to File and open a New Document.

22.) Just for sake of good habit, let's set the size to 12x12, 300dpi.

23.) Now go to Window, Arrange, Tile. This allows us to see both documents at the same time.

24.) Now just drag your photo onto your new document.

25.) Make sure you are on your NEW document by clicking on it. Then, go to Layers, Flatten Image. (For some reason, flattening an image allows it to keep it's blending modes in tact. yaay!)

26.) Still on your NEW document, right-click on your one flattened layer and choose "Layer From Background". (This simply unlocks your "background" layer so you can edit it.)

27.) Now go to Select and choose Color Range.

28.) We want to take out all of the white from our image now so that we're left with only our "sketched" photo. So now just click any where on the "white" on your canvas. You should then see your image in the little preview window for color range.

29.) Once you click OK, you will then see "marching ants" around your entire canvas and outlining your image.

30.) Now simply hit Delete on your keyboard and all of the white should disappear, leaving you with just your sketched image.

31.) Now drag the image from your new document back over to your original canvas. (My GOODNESS I feel like I'm talking in circles! hahaha)

32.) Now you can close your "new" document. You can save it if you wish... juuuussssst in case. :)

33.) Now you can delete the 2 linked layers... you won't be needing those anymore. :)

34.) You are now left with your sketched image. Want to change the color of it? It's super easy... just click on your Layer Styles icon at the bottom of your layers palette.

35.) Choose Color Overlay...

36.) Click on the color square to choose your color...

37.) Choose your color here...

38.) I chose a dark grey for mine, but you can choose any color you wish.

39.) Now move onto scrapping your image. I kept going and did one for everyone in the family. :) Here is finished layout...

I would love to hear what you think of this tutorial! Feel free to leave comments! :) I would also love to SEE what you create using these techniques, so leave us a link in your comment if you like! :)

And as always, please feel free to email me if you have any questions or if you get stuck, ok?

NEW TAYLORMADE BLOG ADDRESS!!

2010-08-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

My domain expired when i wasn't looking!!! YIKES!!! So for now, you can access my blog using the following address...

http://www.taylormadedigidesigns.blogspot.com/

I'm so sorry for the confusion! I'm all traumatized. hahahaha. Anyway... be sure and bookmark the new address (and tell all your friends, ok?) :)

-a.

a new template + a SALE!

2010-07-27T00:03:00.002-05:00

All TaylorMade Designs are 30% off now thru Sunday... including my latest template, Magazine Stand. Enjoy!

magazine stand 1

see original layout here

lemonade stand by taylormade + paislee press

2010-07-06T02:04:00.000-05:00

lemonade stand...

For those of you who were unable to attend Tiffany Tilman's Summer Templates class last month, I am so excited to announce that you too can now get the collaboration kit that Liz (of paislee press) and I designed for it!! We had so much fun with this project and we could hardly stand the wait, but at last... Lemonade Stand is coming home to the O! And be sure you're subscribed to my newsletter for exclusive savings!

lemonade stand...

I hope you enjoy it!!

dare #184... come join us!!

2010-06-23T02:16:00.002-05:00

I'm hosting this week's dare over at digidares.com. It's a tough one, now. You know me... I can't just challenge you to use a cool staple or a certain color. I have to get all emotional and sappy about the whole thing. hahaha. But seriously... even if you just come and see everyone else's layouts, you are sure to be inspired. And you never know... you may even be so inspired that you give it a try!! :) Come on... you can do it!!! You still have 2 whole days left to submit a layout! Here is the layout I created for the challenge...

love isn't...

Come on over to digidares.com to see more layouts by our AMAZING team of darers, as well as the entries already there!!

we have a winner!!!

2010-06-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

WOW! Thank you for the AMAZING response!!! We have a winner!!!!!

Congratulations Penny!!!

You can email me HERE to claim your Painted On Album!!! Be sure to specify whether you would like the Quick Page Album or the Layered Template Album! :)

painted on - a collab with fei-fei's stuff

2010-06-10T18:12:00.002-05:00

You have NO idea how excited I am about this project!! First of all... I had the honor of working with these AMAAAAZING photos taken by Phillip of PWR Photography. When Miriam first called me and asked me to do this album for her, I immediately jumped at the chance... not only because she's a friend of mine (not to mention GORGEOUS which always makes for a great subject to scrap), but because I was DYING to get my hands on these photos!!!! And just as I suspected, they made this album one of the most inspiring projects I've worked on in a long time!

Second... when I first began working on the project, I knew I wanted it to be all splattered and messy and stuff, but everything I designed to use for the album looked remarkably similar (only not NEAR as good! lol) to the Different Strokes series by Shaui (of Fei-fei's Stuff). So it occurred to me to just use the BRILLIANCE of Shaui's brushes! hahaha. Once I put those brushes together with these photos... WWWWOOOWW! I couldn't put this thing DOWN! The end result??? Painted On... a 20-page Quick Page Album and Layered Template Album with a perfect balance of brush strokes and white space designed to let your photos shine!

Painted On 12x12 Quick Page Album

Painted On 12x12 Layered Template Album

Here is the album I created...

>>>> painted on - completed album <<<<

And here is some inspiration from our creative teams!

I hope you enjoy this album as much as I did! I've already started on a 2nd album with it... one of the family!

giveaway...

Want a chance to WIN this album???? You know the drill! hahaha. Just leave a comment on this blog post to be entered into a random drawing! And be sure to come back and leave a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) comment if you tweet/blog/facebook the contest!!! The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!!!! You will have until Sunday, June 13th at 10pm (CST) to post your comment. The winner will be announced as soon as possible after that. :)

OH!... and as always... if you just don't want to wait for the contest to run its course, no worries. You can go ahead and grab it up now (at an introductory price of 20% off now thru Sunday!) and if you win the contest, I'll just give you a gift certificate to my shop for the same amount you purchased the album for! That way, you get the album now and STILL get prizes for spreading the word! :)

Looking forward to hearing from you!!!

-amanda

winner

2010-06-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! We have a winner!

You can email me HERE to redeem your prize! Congratulations!! I hope you enjoy your new kit!

Thank you everyone for participating and for your donations!!!!

winners + the gift of giving w/ Songbird Avenue

2010-05-10T13:05:00.004-05:00

last week's winners...
WWWWOW! What an AMAZING response!!!!! I am beyond words at the moment. But I can say that since the number of comments is DOUBLE what I expected... I've decided to DOUBLE the number of winners!! I have chosen 6 winners instead of 3!! Here are our lucky winners!!

Congratulations, ladies!!! You can email me HERE to redeem your prize! :) Thank you SO much for participating!!! **Edited to add Steffi, our 6th winner. THANK YOU Jana for letting me know that!!**

collab with songbird avenue...

I have had the extreme honor of being a guest at Songbird Avenue for the month of May! If you've never been to this site, you HAVE to go! What an AMAZING ministry that Jan Crowley (co-founder of songbird avenue) has created with this site! She pours her soul into this website and I am so humbled by her dedication and by how much of herself she gives to ensure that others benefit. What a huge inspiration she is.

As a guest designer there this month, I got the opportunity to work with her and her incredibly talented team to create this collaboration project... Metro.

Here's my contribution...

And here is the kit in it's full glory...

You can purchase this kit *exclusively* at Songbird Avenue for the entire month of May!

I also got the honor of choosing the charity that all of the proceeds from this collaboration will be contributed to for the month of May. I have chosen Committed to Freedom Ministries, a ministry that provides people with spiritual tools to move beyond abuse. This ministry... their mission... the difference (directly and indirectly) they have made in my life makes this opportunity of giving extremely significant to me. It is a huge honor for me to give back to them for the impact they have made on my daily life.

this week's giveaway...

Want a chance to win this kit?? You guessed it! Simply leave a comment on this blog post to be entered into a drawing. There will be 1 lucky winner.

Be sure to come back and leave a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) comment if you share the news about this contest via twitter/facebook/blog! You can also leave a comment telling us where YOU heard about this contest! The more comments you post, the more chances you have to win!! You will have until Thursday, May 13th at 10pm (CST) to post your comments. Our winner will be announced Friday morning.

one more thing...

Although this contest only runs until Thursday, the gift of giving does not have to stop along with it. If you would love to win/purchase this kit, but would also love the opportunity to donate above and beyond that to either Songbird Avenue and/or Committed to Freedom Ministries, TaylorMade Designs will MATCH the amount of your donation(s) to one or both of these ministries for the entire month of May! Simply email me HERE with your contribution receipt(s) and I will send you a Gift Certificate to my shop for the same amount of your donation(s). That's right... if you make a donation of $5, you will receive a taylormade gift certificate for $5. If you donate $50, you will receive a taylormade gift certificate for $50!! I hope you will join me in supporting these two amazing ministries!!

:: take me to Songbird Avenue's donation page ::

:: take me to Committed to Freedom Ministries donation page ::

Looking forward to hearing from you!!!

-amanda

a pre-release giveaway

2010-05-06T22:20:00.001-05:00

Well, so i said on my last post that this week's giveaway was coming up. Low and behold... as SOON as I say something like that, my day... my week... my MONTH gets jam-packed! hahaha. But... I'm here now... and with a giveaway just as promised. :) A *pre-release* giveaway!

taylored page no. 7

This is my latest template. It will not go live to the public until this coming Monday evening. However... you can win it before then just by leaving a comment on this blog post!! You will have until Sunday at 10pm (CST) to post your comment to be entered into a random drawing. There will be 3 lucky winners!!

Be sure to come back and leave a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) comment if you share the news about this contest via twitter/facebook/blog!! The more comments you post, the more chances you have to win!!! :)

WINNER + another giveaway

2010-05-03T10:47:00.001-05:00

winner...
We have a winner! Congratulations, Amelia!!! You have WON a spot in Tiffany Tillman's 25 Days of Templates - Summer Templates 2010 class!!!!

Thank you SO much to those who left comments and helped spread the word about the class!!! Amelia... you can email HERE to redeem your prize!! :)

this week's giveaway...
coming up...

25 Days of Templates + giveaway

2010-04-26T09:39:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've really enjoyed this whole giveaway thing! :) So, let's continue, shall we? :)

winners...
OH! But first... let's see who our winners are from our last giveaway...

CONGRATULATIONS ladies!! You have each won my latest template collection, [squared]!! You can email me HERE to redeem your prize!!

this week...
So, I'm REALLY excited about this week's giveaway! It's HUGE!!

I got to team up with Tiffany Tillman to work on a project for her 25 Days of Templates class coming in June!

And guess who I got to work with in the creative process?? One of my dearest friends Liz (of Paislee Press)! I KNOW! It's huge, right!! LOVE doing ANY project with Liz!! So here is what Tiffany commissioned us to create:

If you enjoyed Tiffany Tillman’s December edition of 25 Days of Templates then you’re going to love this class!

Registration is at ReneePearson.com for the next series in 25 Days of Templates: Summer Templates 2010. Some details about the class:

class begins June 1 and wraps up June 25
class features one EXCLUSIVE, summer-inspired, AMAZING mega kit by TaylorMade Designs (that's me!) and Paislee Press and
class kit includes the cutest, creative mini kits by One Little Bird and Karla Dudley Designs plus
class kit also includes a brand new set of 25 fun and funky templates created in my favorite and best styles
class features 25 brand new videos that will teach you how to create visually stunning layouts in your own definitive style using any template

Discover the secrets to making changes to templates, learn how to design your own, and find new ways to create beautiful, stunning layouts in this next workshop. By the end, you will have crafted amazing, template-based layouts that document your favorite summer memories and showcase your definitive, scrapbooking style. Simply put, you’ll fall in love with templates all over again.

To give you an idea of the kind of layouts you will be able to create from this class, here are a few layouts from our creative teams featuring Tiffany's template No. 12 and our Lemonade Stand kit:

25 days of templates giveaway...

Tiffany is giving away a spot in her class to one lucky taylormade reader! To enter for your chance to win simply leave a comment below. You have until Wednesday, April 28th at 10:00 pm (CST) to enter. You can get an extra chance to win if you tweet/facebook/blog this. Be sure to come back and post links to your tweet/facebook/or blog as a new comment entry. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!!! ONE winner will be drawn at random and announced by Thursday, April 29th.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

-amanda

new releases, winners, + another giveaway!

2010-04-22T23:31:00.045-05:00

I have a TON of stuff for you tonight, but first thing's first. Thank you SOOOO much for those of you who helped spread the word about this past week's dare!! I hope everyone is enjoying their free template! If you left your comment with the link to where you communicated the dare and you haven't received your template, you can email me here.

winner...
Thank you also to those who participated in the dare!!! Remember that big prize I was talking about last week? Well, it's time for the reveal... and the WINNER! I did a random drawing of the participants (well, my son Gage did the actual "drawing". hahaha.) and the winner is... Rebecca! Click HERE to see Rebecca's layout and leave her some love! :)

Rebecca... congratulations! Want to know what you've won? (Wow... I sound like I'm on The Price is Right or something. hahahahaha!) You've won my newest release [squared]... it's an entire template collection inspired by the template given away last week! It has just been released literally moments ago! You can email me here to redeem your prize! :) So with that... let's move right on into my new releases!

new release (+ a giveaway)...
The template I released last week got me feeling all inspired. So I made a whole collection of them. AND, since I had to "scrap" it in order to design it (because that's just how my mind works), I also included the papers I made for my own album, along with the word art I used throughout the book! :) Oh, and did I mention yet that you have a chance to WIN the entire collection... just like Rebecca did? For those of you who are up for more commenting, read more about this week's contest below. For those of you who don't want to wait for the contest, please enjoy a special release price of 20% OFF now thru Sunday!

[squared] - a template collection

the giveaway...

I was really inspired by the design process of these templates. The separated squares just seem to paint such a perfect picture of how life (well, my life anyway. hahaha) sometimes feels so divided and scattered around. But the visual of the photo taking up most of the blocks helps remind me to keep the things that matter most to me in clear sight and to not let them fall through the cracks. Then it occured to me that one of the very things that contributes to that division in my life (my work) is the same thing that brought upon the inspiration and the clear reminder of priorities... therefore becoming a priority itself. Wow. Life is good. :)

So that got me all wanting to share. :) So let's do something similar to last week (which was SO fun, by the way!). Simply leave a comment on this blog post with a link to where you've told someone about this contest and you'll be instantly entered in a random drawing. 3 lucky winners will walk away with the template collection for FREE! It's that simple! :) It can be communicated through Twitter, Facebook, your blog, digital scrapbooking forums and galleries (where appropriate, of course)... anywhere! :) As long as I can see where you've communicated the contest, it counts! You will have until Sunday, April 25th at 10 CST to post your comment. (OH! And if you leave a comment and win, but have already purchased the collection, no worries!! I'll give you a coupon in the amount of your purchase to spend on anything in my shop!)

Here are some inspiration pages from my creative team...

by me...

by larissa...

by angela...

by tracy...

by som...

a taylormade first...

As some of you know, I have been toying with the idea for a while now of starting a designer-friendly commercial-use series of products. Well, at long last that idea has been born! I'm so excited to finally present to you taylormade: designer line. It's not really a "seperate" entity from TaylorMade, I just wanted to give it a name. hahaha. As with all of my other designs, these will be sold exclusively at Oscraps.com. I did, however create a special packaging for them, just to make them easier to identify while browsing in my shop. :) I have just tonight released the first items from the designer line... and at a special introductory price o 20% OFF now thru Sunday!

shape.form.fashion.ONE

shape.form.fashion.TWO

shape.form.fashion.THREE

shape.form.fashion.FOUR

Ok, I think that's it for tonight! hhahaha. Can't wait to hear from you!!!

-amanda

dare #176 + a giveaway

2010-04-16T02:25:00.001-05:00

I'm hosting this week's dare at The Digidares! I would LOVE to have you to join me for this one... it's a challenge for sure! Here's the layout I created... (and it went through several drafts!)

divided by...

Want to help me spread the word about the dare? Want a prize for doing so? :) How about my latest template...

taylored page no. 5

Simply leave a comment below with the following information...
- a link to where you have told someone about this week's dare (twitter, facebook, your blog)
- your username at Oscraps (so I can send you your prize!) (I will need the username you use in the forum and gallery, not the one to the shop.) :)
**your comment must have BOTH of these to be eligible

It's as easy as that! You will get my latest template for FREE!! I will be checking for your comments and sending the rewards (via Oscraps private message) randomly throughout each day this week.

Want to win MORE?? Come back with a 2nd comment that includes a link to the layout that YOU created for the dare!! There's a BIG taylormade prize up for grabs for that... but more on that later. Just be sure to also post a link to your layout at The Digidares for your chance to win the amazing prizes over there!

You will have until Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 10pm EST to post your comments! I'm looking forward to hearing from you!!

dare # 174...

2010-04-02T03:46:00.000-05:00

this week's dare is about scrapping differences in personalities. wow... i've needed to do this layout for a long time, so i was thrilled to see this as the challenge. hope to see you there!!! here's the layout i created...

{in}difference

journaling:

{in}difference…
her: *everything has to fit together exactly the same way… no matter what. *wants what she wants and wants it now, and doesn’t mind saying it over and over. *does not respond well to forceful discipline, thrives in one-on-one situations. *very outspoken and will not think twice about engaging in conflict. (well, except with “daddy”… loves her daddy! *is often completely and utterly indifferent to the fact that he’s a 9-year-old rough and tough boy and will play with him for hours.

his: *loves to break things apart just to see what they’re made of. *very compliant, loves to keep the peace, and thrives in order. *responds well to swift and concise discipline tactics. *somewhat low-key and will sometimes go to great lengths to avoid conflict. quite the appeaser, this one. *is often completely and utterly indifferent to the fact that she’s a 4-year-old girly-girl and will play with her for hours.

join us at digidares.com and play along! i can't wait to see what you create!

we have a winner!! :)

2010-03-18T12:56:00.000-05:00

thank you SO much for all of your sweet comments! here is our winner!! :)

congratulations jen!!!! you can email me at mytaylormade[at]gmail[dot]com for your prize!!

oh! and take a look at liz's blog too. in addition to announcing her winner, she has posted some more inspiration for the album from our creative teams!

now i'm off to the park with the kiddos to enjoy this AMAZING sunshine-y weather we're having today... (aka... a photo shoot... teehee!) have a great day everyone! :)

-amanda

love is + a giveaway

2010-03-16T00:54:00.002-05:00

So, ANY time I get to work with Liz (of paislee press), you KNOW I get all excited! hahaha. She is such an incredibly talented designer, as well as one of my dearest friends. We've been working on this project on and off since October of last year and it feels GREAT finally be able to release it. Liz is the mastermind behind this thing... it's design is inspired by the very first album she ever made (and had printed). I'm so honored that she allowed me to do this project with her!!!

This album is modern, with lots of white space for you to show off your favorite photos + lots of room for you to add journaling (if you choose to go that route). It's flexible and will suit your needs whether you are a person of few words, or lots of words to share. It's striking simplicity is simply amazing to me!!!

The quick album is perfect if you're in need of something fast and easy - just slip your photos in, add your journaling and you're done!

love is quick page album

The layered template album is perfect for those of you that want more design control - the ability to change background color or customize with patterned papers, etc. The layered template album kit also includes 3 sheets of solid papers.

love is layered template album

We also have a professional use version available for photographers + scrap-4-hires.

love is layered template album (professional use)

All versions of the album are on sale - 33% off thru Friday, March 19th.

The greatest thing about this album is its versatility. It can be used to document any life moment - big or small.

| baby |

by larrisa

by tali

by dunia

(a huge congrats to dunia for recent birth of her twin daughters. they are precious!)

| everyday moments |

by sarah

by tracy

love is album giveaway
It's giveaway time! To enter for your chance to win your choice of the quick album or the layered template album, simply post a comment below. You have until Wednesday, March 17th at 8:00 pm (PST) to enter. You can get an extra chance to win if you tweet this. Be sure to come back and post a link to your tweet in the comments section. Be sure to come back and post links to your tweet/facebook/or blog as a new comment entry. One winner will be drawn at random and announced here on thursday, March 18th.

Liz is hosting a giveaway as well so be sure to head on over to her blog to double your chances of winning!

collab with emily powers + new word art!

2010-02-18T22:28:00.001-06:00

Collab with Emily Powers
I am SO happy to announce that I have finally gotten to collab with THE emily powers!!! Her designs, scrapping, and ESPECIALLY her photography is something I have admired for years. Her blog is a place I visit regularly for inspiration and incredibly fun projects and challenges. I just love her!

a beautiful mess

***SPECIAL OFFER FOR A LIMITED TIME***

Get this template set for FREE w/ your purchase of A Beautiful Mess - The Kit for the first 48 HOURS! (Offer is valid thru Saturday, February 20, 2010 at midnight CST) Just add this kit to your cart and your Template Set will AUTOMATICALLY be added to your cart for FREE!

Also... be SURE you're subscribed to the TaylorMade Insider because there are EXTRA savings in addition to the free template set!!

one word for the year?? hmmmm...

2010-02-10T21:28:00.000-06:00

this past week's dare at digidares.com was to scrap our "one word for 2010". well... at first i wasn't going to have a word... then when i saw this dare, i thought "well... maybe i should." but the more i thought about last year and how hard it was and how the dynamics of my life fluctuated all OVER the place on a weekly basis, the more i thought that having "one word" to focus on at any given time would just simply stress me out if it didn't apply to what i might be going through. hahaha. then it hit me... "TODAY". ***that's*** the word i need to be focused on... "today." it reminds me that life is happening "today" and that clinging to a past or worrying about the future will not help me get through "today". i know... right? pretty dramatic. lol. whatever. sigh... scrapping is such therapy. thank goodness... i apparently need it. hahahaha. so here is my layout about focusing on "today"...

today

you still have one more day to participate in this challenge! so head on over to http://www.digidares.com/ and scrap your dare! there's even prizes up for grabs!!

also... i'll be hosting next week's dare. so once you're done with this one, be sure to head back over there on friday to see what i have in store for you! hope everyone is looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend with lots of scrap therapy! :)

2 new templates

2010-01-31T01:41:00.000-06:00

I put some new templates in the shop tonight! :) Enjoy 20% off of both, now thru Wednesday, February 3! :)

taylored page no. 3

taylored page no. 4

new word art!!

2010-01-28T23:22:00.000-06:00

I am SO excited to have something new for you! I've taken the past couple of months off while we moved into our new home and completed a few "must tackle now" renovation projects. I was feeling a little nervous finding myself unable to switch gears from interior design back to digital design. But low and behold... as I've proved to myself time and time again... it was scrapping that brought the inspiration back. I was working on a page the other night and once i had my title work complete, I decided I liked it!! "Hey!!! That needs to be a word art pack!" hahaha. So may I present to you (in it's MANY forms)...

offset vol. 1

Be sure you're subscribed to the TaylorMade Insider for an ADDITIONAL savings!!! I hope you like them and I can't WAIT to see what you create with them!!

digi dare #164 (plus last week's winners!)

2010-01-25T00:11:00.002-06:00

We had SUCH a GREAT time and a GREAT response with last week's dare!! Thank you all SO much for participating and sharing your stories and creating such amazingly inspiring pages!!

Posted and waiting for you is this week's dare (along with the winner's from last week's dare). And let me say that it is an AMAZING dare by Sandra! So fresh and really gets you thinking!!! It actually turned into a bit of therapy for me because the night I worked on my layout, I had just finished an EXHAUSTING day with my 4-year-old. There was whining, temper tantrums, back talk, and a very long day of "but i don't wannnnt tooooo's". hahahaha. so here is the layout that this dare pulled out of me... it somehow created a path that lead me full circle back to what's important. LOVE when that happens!!

what do i do

Credits:

clearly stuck scotch tape by taylormade

scattered buttons: summer’s dawn collab by taylormade + michelle filo

envelope: family tree storytelling kit by joanne brisebois

everything else : est kit by taylormade + paislee press

(*all available at oscraps)

journaling:

what do i do with her???????

you love her through it all. you show her patience. you show her that nothing

she can ever do can make you not love her. you hug her when she needs it. you

tell her everyday that she is the light of your life. you tell her everyday
that she is beautiful. you forgive yourself for the mistakes you make and you

move forward. you tell her you’re sorry when you take your frustrations out on

her. you take her reality seriously, even when it seems so trivial to you. you

remember that this strong spirit of her’s will protect her someday. you get out of

bed everyday. you remember to breath in and out everyday. you remember to thank

god for what and *who* he has trusted you with. he must think you are way

stronger than you do. listen to him. believe him. follow him so that she will too.

there's still time to participate!!!

2010-01-20T14:09:00.000-06:00

There's still time to participate in this week's DARE!!!! But the deadline is tomorrow night at 10pm EST, so hurry!!!! We are having sooooo much fun with this dare, and I can't tell you how inspiring all of these layouts are! The expression of art, the photos, the JOURNALING, and of course the therapy!!! hahaha. It has been an amazing week!!! So come join us... there's even prizes up for grabs!!!

DigiDare #163

2010-01-16T11:48:00.001-06:00

Hi!!! Yes... I'm alive! hahaha. It's been a long process with moving and renovations and christmas and... well, the list goes on and on. But I'm slowly buy surely getting back into the digiworld and I was so excited to have this particular project to jump right back in with both feet!

I am SO excited to announce that I have just this month joined the Darer Team at digidare.com!!! I LOVE this site and I can't tell you how honored I am to be a part of this incredibly talented team!!!!! So this week was my first dare and it could not have come at a better time! It allowed me to express something that I am going through right this very moment... and a lot of it! CHANGE!!!! hahahaha. Here is the layout I made for this week's dare...

transition

Come on over and join us for a wonderfully fulfilling challenge!! But hurry! Deadline for layout submission is Thursday, January 21 2010 at 10pm EST! Hope to see you there!

the latest scoop (+ a taylormade sale!)

2009-12-15T09:06:00.002-06:00

Leora Sanford is hosting a "25 Days of Christmas" giveaway on her blog this month and today there are gifts up for grabs from me! :) I was so excited when she asked me to be a part of it! So head over to her blog today and see how EASY it is to get in on the prizes! And be sure to return each day until Christmas...she has had some AMAZING prizes so far!!!

>>> Take Me to Leora Sanford's Blog <<<

In other news...
Thank you SO much to everyone for your emails and little notes checking in. November and December are my husband's absolute BUSIEST time of year. He does Outdoor Lighting so around this time of year... guess what that means?? Christmas lights, Christmas lights, and MORE Christmas lights!! hahaha. In addition to his clients that book a year in advance, he starts getting calls for it usually after Halloween. So by Thanksgiving, he's working "sun up to sun ~~down~~ up". hahaha. He usually continues that schedule until the week of Christmas... poor guy. But he also usually takes several days off surrounding Christmas, so at least we always get to look forward to lots of family time over the holiday. But in the meantime, with hubby working like a crazy person, plus the prep for the holidays (for home *and* TaylorMade), plus all of the breaks the kids have from school... WHEW! I *seriously* cannot believe it is the 15th already! OH... and for extra fun this year... we're moving! hahaha. We found a house last week and will be moving in on the 1st of January. So that means lots of cleaning, painting, packing, and lots of "back and forth" trips to get all of the little stuff out of here and in place at the new house so come moving day, all we will have to do is move big furniture... errr... and Christmas presents. hahaha.

Anyway... I'm looking forward to January and getting back to a normal schedule! :) But for now... please enjoy *20% off in my shop... just because! :)

I'll see you all soon! :)

-a.

*discount does not apply to collaboration projects or professional-use items.

black friday sale + new collab

2009-11-27T00:26:00.008-06:00

It's Thanksgiving Weekend here in the states, and that means Black Friday!! The BIGGEST shopping day of the year. And I have huge, HUGE savings for you this weekend!!

Latest TaylorMade Collaboration

I'm SO excited to announce Ashalee Wall and I have teamed up again!! And this time, we couldn't just stop at the kit! We also created Clipping Masks, a 20-page Quick Page Album, a set of 8 Holiday Cards, and a set of 8 Glitter Styles!! And while you can purchase them individually at a special untroductory price of 20% off, we have also put them together in one big BUNDLE PACK that will save you over 30%!!!

But WAIT! Are you a TaylorMade Insider?? If not, subscribe today because there are EXTRA savings for subscribers! But hurry!! Offer ends this Sunday!!!

Be Merry by TaylorMade + Ashalee Wall

All TaylorMade Products

In the spirit of Black Friday, all TaylorMade Designs are 25% off starting now and going through Sunday, November 29th. Remember... there are EXTRA savings for Insiders, so subscribe today! Offer ends Sunday!

Other Special Black Friday Savings!!!

All TaylorMade + Paislee Press collaboration projects are 20% off now through Sunday!
All TaylorMade + Fei-Fei's Stuff collaboration projects are 30% off now through Sunday!
All TaylorMade + Vicki Stegall collaboration projects are 30% off now through Sunday!
Other selected TaylorMade Collaboration Projects are 25% off now through Sunday!

I hope you enjoy all of the HUGE sales that are going on this weekend! Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Shopping!!!!

-amanda

.......................................

taylormade designs

New Element Pack - The Christmas Collection

2009-11-07T13:17:00.004-06:00

Just finished this up last night and they are in the shop today!! These elements are great for adding excitement and energy to your holiday cards and scrapbook pages! And don't forget that these (and all TaylorMade Designs) are 30% off with a $10 purchase through Sunday, November 8 (midnight CST)!! So don't miss out!!!

The Christmas Collection

New Word Art

2009-11-05T20:53:00.004-06:00

I just put these in my shop tonight! More to come soon!! :) I hope everyone is having a good DSD week so far!! :)

And here is some inspiration from my creative team....

by lorraine

by nichole

by angela

by tracy

DSD Sale!!

2009-11-03T08:07:00.005-06:00

Digital Scrapbook Day is just around the corner, but I couldn't wait to start celebrating! I have several things planned for this week, so be sure to keep an eye on my blog and my shop for exciting new releases and a new tutorial! As for my Insiders... well of COURSE I have something special in mind just for you!! So be sure you're subscribed!!!!

New Collab + A Scrap Challenge

2009-10-12T11:56:00.027-05:00

It's finally here! My new collaboration project with Fei-Fei's Stuff!! We have teamed up to bring you a kit designed with communication in mind. It's called Small Talk, and it is packed with papers and elements that are sure to inspire conversations... on a layout!!

Small Talk Digital Kit

Are you subscribed to the TaylorMade Insider or Fei-Fei's Stuff Mailing List??? GREAT!! Because all subscribers get the add-on Small Talk Word Art pack for FREE with your purchase of the kit!!! If you aren't subscribed... no worries! Just subscribe before you purchase the kit and you will get the word art for free too!!!

>>> Subscribe to the TaylorMade Insider <<< >>> Subscribe to Fei-Fei's Stuff Mailing List <<<

Small Talk Word Art

But wait!! There's MORE!!! Join us in the Oscraps forum for a scrap challenge! Just for participating in our challenge, you will get this FREE template (and a little BONUS prize from TaylorMade Designs AND Fei-Fei's Stuff)!! Click HERE to go to the challenge!!

MORE??? Yes!! There is actually MORE!! We have also designed this Small Talk 5x7 Quick Page Album!! It can be yours FREE for participating in our challenge! The more layouts you do, the more chances you have to win! For each layout you do, your name will be entered into a drawing to win this album for FREE!! The winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the challenge. All submissions for the challenge must be entered no later than Sunday, October 18, 2009 (midnight CST). The winner will be announced on Monday, October 19, 2009. (Don't want to wait for the Quick Page Album? You can get yours NOW for 20% off, now thru Sunday, October 18, 2009!)

Small Talk 5x7 Quick Page Album

Collab with paislee press!

2009-09-10T00:39:00.003-05:00

I am SO excited about this project! I have had the extreme privilege of teaming up with Paislee Press once again! I absolutely LOVE collabing with Liz. We always seem to be in sync with each other and everything always falls into place seamlessly! Our lastest collaboration project, est., is about love. finding it. celebrating it. everyone has a love story worth documenting.

we also made a coordinating alphas+numbers set
which we are offering for FREE w/purchase of the kit to our newsletter subscribers

not yet a subscriber? sign up HERE.

inspiration from the paislee press and taylormade creative teams:

Save a BUNCH of photos all at once!

2009-08-18T13:19:00.020-05:00

If you are anything like me, you take a couple of hundred pictures PER photo shoot. I know for me, it's hard enough to find time to sit and weed through to find the good ones, delete the bad ones, and then edit them all. After all of that, I'm too worn out to share any of them! Since it's so much more common now to simply take photos with your digital camera and share them with friends and family through the Facebooks of the world, there is now a need to have a separate set of low resolution copies of your photos. Most online sharing sites have limitations as to how large your files can be. Even if they don't, thousands of people uploading tons of huge files can slow a website waaaay down. But the thought of going through hundreds of photos one by one, changing the size and saving them to a different folder, and THEN still having to go through the process of uploading to your share site of choice is enough to throw me over the edge. But there IS an easier way... and it can LITERALLY take under 2 minutes.

(**This tutorial was created using Photoshop CS4. Most of the instructions should be very similar in CS2 and 3 and most versions of Photoshop. If you are using Photoshop Elements, these steps will not be the same. I did Google "batch-saving in Photoshop Elements" and found a couple of links that may be helpful, they are listed at the bottom of this tutorial.)

(click on images to see screenshots larger)

We can actually save a "Batch" of photos all at once!!! You will be blown away at how easy this is and how much time it will save you! Now before we start on our batch, we need to do a bit of set up. You will only have to do this once. After you go through this tutorial, you will have everything you need to press a few buttons and quickly save your batch of photos from now on.

The first thing we need is a Photoshop Action that will take our high resolution photos and reduce the size of them for us. Since images also tend to lose color and become a bit blurred when posting them to the internet, we will go ahead and create our action to take care of that too. If you are already familiar with creating Actions or if you already have an Action that will do this, feel free to skip the first 1/2 of this tutorial. If you are not familiar with creating Actions, don't be alarmed. I assure you it is waaaay less intimidating than it seems. So don't think about it... just jump right in here with me!

1.) Open a photo in Photoshop. Any photo will do. This is just our "bait" photo to create our action. Just make sure it is a high resolution photo (300dpi).

2. Make sure your Actions Palette is visible. If you do not see your Actions Palette, go to Window and choose Actions.

3. Once you see your Actions Palette, click on the folder icon to create a new action set.

4. Name your new action set (in this case, I'm calling this set "Resizing Tools") and then click OK.

5. Now on your Actions Palette, click the New Action icon . When your New Action window comes up, simply name your action (in this case, I've called it "Prep for Web") and make sure it is going to the Action Set you just created. Then set the other settings as desired and press Record.

6. Photoshop will now begin recording your steps. You will know it's recording by the red button on your Actions palette being activated... much like a VCR.

7. The first step we want is to duplicate our image. (This avoids accidentally saving over our high resolution photo.) So go to Image and then choose Duplicate.

8. When the title box comes up, there's no need to change the name. I always just leave it as is.

9. Now let's resize our photo. Go to Image and choose Image Size.

10. Now change the settings as follows. Be certain to choose Bicubic Sharpener (best for reduction). This is what will sharpen our image so it doesn't appear all blurry on the web. Then click OK.

11. Now let's tweak the saturation to keep it from looking bland once it's posted on the web. Go to Image and choose Adjustments and then Hue/Saturation.

12. Now simply give the saturation a little boost. Be subtle. Between +6 and +10 should work for most photos. Then click OK.

12. Now we want to tell our action to save our new image. (*NOTE:So that we will be able to use our "Prep for Web" action for saving individual items as well (such as scrapbook pages or previews), you will want to save it to the same folder as your high res photo. For our purposes here, you can go back into that folder and delete the low res copy once you are finished creating your action. But by saving it to the same folder as your high res image while you are recording, this will tell your action that normally (when you are not saving things in bulk) that you want to save your new low res image in the same folder as your high res image... it will make it very easy to locate. Does that make sense?)

14. Now simply close both of your open photos. If you are asked if you want to save your changes, click No.

15. That's it. Our action is created. Now simply press Stop.

16. If desired, you can activate your options and choose Button Mode.

Button Mode is a preference. I like it because instead of having to find the action set, then click on the desired action, and then press play, all you have to do is scroll down to find your action and press it. (Hey... those fractions of a second it takes for those extra steps can reallllly add up! hahaha). But also in Button Mode, you can assign your action a color that will make it stand out. For actions you use quite often, this is a DREEEEAM!

Now for our Batch...

Once you have your action created, all you have to do is run your batch.

1. Click on your Bridge icon to launch. (Or you can go to File and choose Browse Bridge)

2. Once your Bridge is open, choose Pictures and then double-click on the folder of pictures desired.

3. Now just click on any one of the photos in that folder.

4. Now choose Tools, then Photoshop, then Batch.

5. The top section is labeled Play. This is where you tell your batch what action you want it to perform on each photo. So you will choose the Resizing Tools set, and within that set you would choose the Prep for Web action.

Under the section labeled Source, you will be telling your batch which photos you wish to run your action on. So choose Folder (or Bridge, whichever you choose to pull from), and then click the Choose... button. Now choose the folder from your computer in which these photos are located and click OK.

6. The bottom 1/2 of the window is your Destination section. This is where you will tell your batch what to do with the photos after it runs the action on them. I usually create a folder within my photos folder called low res. So the destination of your low res photos will be that folder. Go ahead and check "Override Action 'Save As' Commands, even though we didn't create a 'Save As' step in our action. There may be 'Save As' steps in other actions and after your first batch, it should remember it's settings.

Then under File Naming, this is of course where you tell your batch how to name and organize your photos within their new folder. Here is how I named mine and the function of each field: goku+z (this tells me what the pictures are of) _ (an underscore sets the file name up for the next reference, which will be serial number) 3 Digit Serial Number (which I have chosen below to start at 1) - (sets the file name up for the next reference) low res (this is so I won't ever get the low res mixed up with the high res) extension (of course, this will be .jpg or .png or whatever.)

(*NOTE: In the example they provide, when you choose "extension" it defaults the example to show it as a .gif file. This threw me at first. I thought it was trying to make MY file a .gif file. It took me forEVER to realize that it just pops an extension in there to show how it looks. Yeah... i felt kind of silly. It will know which kind of extension to place on your file. hahaha. Anyway... now the fun part... once you're done with the file naming, click OK and then sit back and watch as Photoshop does allllll the work. You don't have to touch another button until it's time to upload them to the web! Whether it's 10 photos or 200!

Now, you have a nice folder with your high resolution photos for printing, that contains a sub-folder with low resolution photos for posting to the web! That is an OBSCENE amount of time saved everytime you sit down to resize your photos!!

That's it... you're done. :) I would love to know what you think of this tutorial. Please feel free to leave comments!

Photoshop Elements Users:

http://www.kyrene.k12.az.us/EdTech/class_res/elements/batch.htm

http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/digitalphotography/l/blps_batch.htm

Collaboration with Michelle Filo!!!!

2009-08-10T23:23:00.003-05:00

Collaboration with Michelle Filo!

I know! You barely hear from me all summer and now all of a sudden, TWO insiders in one week??? hahahaha. But yes, summer is coming to an end around here (at least so the schools tell us), and I am SO excited to be able to sit down and create again. This week, I have the priviledge of being able to present to you Summer's Dawn, a collaboration project with Michelle Filo (of With Love by Mushy). This kit is relaxing and soft and pulls all the emotion of reflecting on your summer memories right to the surface! The colors and the feel of the kit came straight from Michelle's talent... and I was so honored that she allowed me to create this with her!!

Summer's Dawn Collaboration Kit

Right now, this kit is in my shop at Oscraps (AND in Michelle's shop at Little Dreamer Designs!) for 20% off thru Sunday!! AND, if you aren't subscribed to the TaylorMade Insider, be SURE you do that before you purchase your kit for EXTRA exclusive savings!!! Existing Insiders... you coupond code is on its way!! :)

Don't forget to stop by Michelle's shop at Little Dreamer Designs to see all of her creations! She was SUCH a pleasure to work with and she has amazing talent!

>>> Take Me Straight to the Summer's Dawn Collaboration Kit to Use My Coupon <<<

>>> Take Me to the TaylorMade Shop at Oscraps <<<

>>> Take Me to the With Love by Mushy Shop at Little Dreamer Designs <<<

I hope you enjoy your new goodies. And THANK you to everyone who participated in last week's Challenge!! It was a great success and I will be passing out prizes tomorrow!! :) Yaay!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Sunny Disposition Kit + a challenge!!!

2009-08-06T15:24:00.005-05:00

I'm so excited to bring you my newest kit, Sunny Disposition! As well as EXCLUSIVE Insider savings, AND a challenge!!!

Sunny Disposition Kit

Already have the papers?? Just grab the elements!

Sunny Disposition Elements

Be SURE you subscribe to the TaylorMade Insider BEFORE you purchase your kit for a 30% savings!!!!

A TaylorMade Challenge!
I thought I would present you with a little challenge using this kit.

Your Challenge:
Use this kit to scrap a page about your favorite summer activity, scenery, vacation, or even just your favorite moment from this summer! And don't stop with just one layout... the more memories you scrap, the more you win!!!

The Rules:
- You can use other products on your page, but at least 50% must be from the Sunny Disposition kit.
- All pages must be newly created for this challenge.
- Post your layout to your favorite gallery and then post a comment here that includes a link so I can make sure you're credited for your layout.
- All layouts must be submitted no later than Monday, August 10 2009 at midnight (CST).
- Don't forget to leave your contact information!! All prizes will be sent via email or oscraps private message. So be sure I have your email address or your oscraps username!
- HAVE FUN with it!!!

The Prizes:
- Each participant will receive a $3 coupon to the TaylorMade shop
- For each additional layout you complete and submit, you will recieve an extra $1 added to your coupon! The more you scrap, the more you win!!

Have fun and I can't wait to see what you create!!!

NEW this week: "Date Noted" Word Art

2009-07-28T03:46:00.004-05:00

Just released some date stamps and word art! :) Enjoy! :)

Date Noted Word Art

TaylorMade Spotlight at The Daily Digi!!

2009-07-17T04:36:00.007-05:00

I have the incredible honor of being a sponsoring designer at The Daily Digi and today, TaylorMade Designs is in the spotlight!! There are lots of TaylorMade coupons up for grabs this month, AND in honor of my spotlight day, everything in my shop is 30% off!!!

The Digi Files #6

As a sponsoring designer, I have the privilege of contributing to The Digi Files for the month. This is an AMAZING grab bag (for only $5!!) full of goodies by each of the sponsoring designers for July. Here's the paper pack I made...

Sunny Disposition Paper Pack

And here is a sneak peak of some of the other fabulous designs you will find in this grab bag!

Just look at this list of AMAAAZING designers that have contributed to this incredible kit!!

Dianne Rigdon from Scrapartist
Zoe Pearn from Sweet Shoppe Designs
Gina Miller from Gina Miller Designs and Scrapartist
MGL Scraps from Scrapbook Graphics
K Studio (Kristin Rice) from After 5 Designs
Sugarplum Paperie from The Digichick
and Scrapbook Graphics as their monthly store sponsor!
…PLUS you get a free Summer 2009 mini album template set by Janet Phillips

THE DIGI FILES 6 are available from July 1 - 31. After that, the individual products go into the designers shops for full market value!

From the TaylorMade Creative Team

Here are a few inspiration pieces from the TaylorMade CT featuring the Sunny Disposition Paper Pack...

I hope to see you there and I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!!!

-amanda

Altering Bad Coloring in Photos

2009-06-21T02:18:00.029-05:00

Don't you HATE that?? When you get a GREAT shot of your kids in a pool or a lake, but the water looks all gross? (Or maybe they're on some horrific-colored carpet or wearing a crazy colored shirt... this can work for that too!) In this particular case, it had just rained like crazy for 3 days (including a tornado that tore through my friend's neighborhood and dropped a tree right into this pool). Once the tree and debris were cleared... although the water was "safe" to swim in, it was this **lovely** shade of aqua-green. (eww.) But if any of you have seen the photos on Facebook that I was able to get of the kids in this pool, you can see why there was NO way I was letting those go to waste because of some green water. So I dove into Photoshop determined to make that water blue. I was so excited that I managed to save these photos, I just had to share with you how easy it was! So let's get started.

(*NOTE: This tutorial was created using Photoshop CS4. The steps should be virtually identical in CS2 and CS3. I'm pretty sure they are at least similar to earlier vesions of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, but I'm not positive.)

**Edited to say: One of my CT members who uses Photoshop Elements 5 sent me alternative instructions for PSE. You can find them at the bottom of this tutorial.**

So, let's start with getting a closer look at our original photo. (*shudder*... it just makes me cringe. hahaha.)

1.) The first thing you want to do is refer to your layers palette and click on the Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom.

2.) Now choose Selective Color... from the list of options.

Below is what your screen should look like now (or at least similar to this). Your Selective Color dialogue box will pop up. The Colors field will be defaulted to Reds. If you refer to your Layers Palette, you will see that a new layer has been created. It will have the little Selective Color icon on the left, as well as a white square to the right of that. The Selective Color icon is there so that you may go back later and edit your colors further if needed by double-clicking on the icon. The white square is your Layer Mask, which allows you to personalize your color changes to a specific area of your photo. (We will talk more about your Layer Mask shortly.)

4.) Now, starting with your Selective Color dialogue box. Click on the Colors drop-down menu and choose the color that seems to be out of place in your photo. In this case, the water seemed more "aqua" than it did "primary green", so I started there. I chose Cyan.

It will give you an option of "Relative" or "Absolute". In this case, with a photograph, I chose Relative. This will take all surrounding colors that are similar to the one you chose and evenly alter them as well. This creates a beautiful blend so that it doesn't appear fake. The Absolute feature will only alter the hues of the exact color you chose. In photographs like this, that will simply appear blotchy, but it would be great for graphics.

5.) Within each color from the drop down box, you will have 4 different hue options to alter.

Cyan
Magenta
Yellow
Black

Simply slide the levers back and forth on each hue to begin working toward a color that works better. Obviously, since blue + yellow make green, the first thing I did was rush to the yellow and drop it way down. I also boosted the Magenta way up to take the "warmness" out of the offending color, and I altered the Cyan and the Black sort of blindly until I liked it.

As you can see, just that one step made a DRASTIC difference in this photo. (I forgot to add this on the screen shot, but to get rid of your Selective Color dialogue box, simply press the bold double-arrow icon at the top right corner of the box. This doesn't close the window, it simply hides it.)

Anyway... so the water looks better. But... if any of you are like me when it comes to photo editing, (and I *know* some of you are!!) I get totally obsessive about it. So I took a few more steps to make some subtle differences that (to me) just make it all better. :)

6.) After altering the Cyan in my photo, the areas that are more green really stand out to me. So I altered the green as well. You can go about this a couple of ways:

- You can simply pull the Colors drop down menu again and choose Green and begin altering it. This would keep all of your color alterations together in one handy layer. And actually, at first... that's what I did.

- However, I found (as you will see further on down in the tutorial), that there may be colors that you need to alter in only *specific* areas of your photo as opposed to the entire photo. For instance, you may want to tone down a vibrant red colored slide at a park, yet keep the vibrant red in the pretty bow in your daughter's hair. (This is where your layer mask will come in.) But for now, instead of altering all of my colors in one layer, I named that layer "Cyan" and then added a 2nd adjustment layer and named that layer "Green".

Then just as before, I slid the levers back and forth until the green appeared less noticable.

I know, I know... the difference is subtle, but it made ALL the difference in the world to me. hahaha.

Now... because the reflection of the water on his skin (in real life) was reflecting the "aqua green" water, the splashes that are coming up around his face were much more of a yellowish-green. So the yellow "hues" that I altered within the Cyan and Green "colors" did not change this. I had to actually go into the main Yellow Color and adjust those hues to make the refllection on his face match the new blue of the water.

So, I repeated Step #6 and added a new Selective Color adjustment layer, renamed it to show the color I was now altering, and then slid the levers as needed.

Now... in doing so, it totally took out that yellowish tinge from his face and it looks great. But it also did one other thing... it took all of the yellowish warm tones out of ALL of his skin. Now, he looks all pinkish and weird. I didn't want him to look like someone had just rubbed him down with sandpaper. So THIS is where your layer "mask" comes into play. (This is also why I named each layer according to color.)

*****WE BRIEFLY INTERRUPT THIS TUTORIAL TO EXPLAIN THE BASICS OF HOW LAYER MASKS WORK. IF YOU ARE ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH LAYER MASKS, FEEL FREE TO SKIP THIS PART AND MOVE ONTO STEP 8.*****

Layer Masks:

A Layer Mask is exactly what it sounds like. It is a "mask" that you put on a layer to hide certain parts of it... just as a mask you would wear on your face. There are really only 2 things you need to know in order to understand layers masks...

1.) White = visible

2.) Black = hidden

Think of it like this. (It's kind of silly, but it's how I finally made it click for myself. hahaha.) White is bright like a light and black is dark. If your layer mask is white (as ours is above) then everything is visible. If your layer mask is black, then everything is hidden. So imagine walking into a dark room. If you turn the overhead light on (white), everything in the room becomes visible. If you turn the overhead light off (black), then you can't see anything in the room. That being said... if you only want to see one object in the room, you could leave the light off and simply shine a flashlight on that object. Oh my gosh... does that make sense? (I know the scenario doesn't really work if you wanted to see everything in the room except that object, but i don't know... maybe you could get some track lighting or something... either way, it helped my weird "I-need-a-visual" thought process to grasp the concept... I hope it hasn't simply confused you more. hahaha.)

Anyway... let's put that all into Photoshop language, shall we? If your layer mask is white, you would choose your Brush Tool and then set black as your foreground color. Then, simply paint black *onto* your white layer mask to "hide" whatever it is that you don't want to see. You can also Invert your layer mask from white to black... then you would simply use your brush to paint white over the object that you *do* want to see. (If I have lost you, don't worry... the next few steps and screenshots should help it make sense.)

*****NOW BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED TUTORIAL******

7.) Refer to your layers palette and actually click *on* your Layer Mask (the white square) within the layer. **NOTE: Since we are working with an Adjustment Layer, the mask on this layer will only hide/reveal the adjustment that layer is making. In other words... my layer mask adjusted the yellow tones in the photo. Therefore, what I'm hiding and revealing in this layer mask is the adjusted color, not the photo itself. Make sense?

8.) Now in this particular photo, I only want to see the adjusted yellow on that small portion of his face where that splash is. Since that is such a small area, I'm going to Invert my layer mask from white to black. To do this, just hit Ctrl+i on your keyboard. (**NOTE: make sure you have clicked on your layer mask and not the layer itself. You must click *on* the layer mask in order to make any changes to it. That [embarrassingly enough] was the SOLE reason I did not get layer masks for so long. hahaha. I chose my brush, I changed my foreground color... but all I got was a white or black streak along my photo. Talk about frustrating. lol.)

9.) Now that your layer mask is black, choose your Brush Tool from your tools palette and then change your foreground color to white.

10.) Now choose a small round brush and set the hardness to around 50%. Then run the brush over the area that you want the adjusted color to be visible. (If you refer to your layers palette, you will be able to see on your layer mask the white that you are "painting" on.)

So now looking at his skin, it has gone back to the original color, but the splash around his face still matches the blue of our water.

11.) Once I am satisfied with my image, I choose all of my layers, then right-click and merge them together. (You can certainly save a layered copy if you need to.)

12.) The last step I took on this photo was to brighten it up and define it a bit with one of my most common used actions in the whole wide world... Pioneer Woman's Boost action. I use it on some level in almost all of my photos. (and it's FREE!!)

Here is my final photo in the end. Yay. :)

BEFORE + AFTER

***********************************************************************************
Alternative Instructions for PSE:

You go to Layer> New Adjustment Layer> Hue/Saturation

Then click OK

Then click where it says Master at the top and change it to any other color doesn't matter. Once you change the color you will be able to use the droppers at the bottom. Click on the first dropper and click on whatever color you want to change. Then just start playing with the sliders.
Masking works the same as in your tutorial.
***********************************************************************************

I would love to know what you think of this tutorial. I hope it was helpful. As always, please feel free to email me with any questions you may have.

A TON of STUFF!!!

2009-06-19T04:22:00.026-05:00

I am finally getting myself adjusted to the new "non-stop" schedule that this summer has brought with it. It has been really great to take a bit of time off, but it didn't take long before this computer started calling my name. hahaha. I'm feeling more and more inspired and I'm attempting to pace myself throughout the day so that I have some energy left after the kids are in bed for playing with photos, designing, and of course, scrapping!

So, I've taken advantage of the little pockets of time I've had and crammed this all into one big release. hahaha. So grab a cup of coffee and get comfy... we have a lot to cover! :)

Digi Dares Sponsorship Spotlight
I have had the honor of being invited to be a Sponsor at Digi Dares for the month of June!

This is such a priviledge for me! They have some of the most fun and inspiring challenges every week, as well as one of the most talented Creative Teams (the Darers) out there! For this week's dare, TaylorMade Designs is in the spotlight! Everyone who participates in this week's dare will receive a 30% off coupon to my shop!! Each participant will also be entered into a drawing to receive the grand prize of a $10 coupon to each of this month's sponsors!

The dare that Sandra has come up for this week is fabulous and it is my kind of challenge! You definitely don't want to miss it!! I can't WAIT to sit and scrap this one *and* to see what you all create!! I hope to see you there!!

Featured Designer in the Flourish Newsletter

I have also had the priveledge of being the featured designer in this month's issue of Flourish at myscrapbookart.com!!

This website *and* their monthly publication of Flourish is absolutely amazing! This month's issue is [as always] packed FULL of creativity and inspiration. And... in honor of being the featured designer this month, I have created this kit that is yours FREE just for subscribing to Flourish! But you have to hurry! This kit is only free through the end of June! Then it goes on sale in my shop at regular price!!

Here is some inspiration using the kit from my creative team...

>>> Take Me to Subscribe to Flourish for FREE! <<<

>>> THEN... Take Me to Download Revive for FREE! <<<

And don't forget to stop by the galleries at myscrapbookart.com and Oscraps to post your layout using the kit!! I'd LOVE to see what you create with it!

NEW RELEASES...

I've started a new series of templates. I'm calling them the Taylored Pages... they will simply be layered templates of the personal scrapbook layouts I create. I have actually had these two packaged up and ready to go for about 3 weeks now, but literally could not seem to find the time to sit down and put them in the shop! hahahha. But they're there now, so head on over to Oscraps and grab yours! :)

Taylored Pages No. 1

Taylored Pages No. 2

I also have a new kit for you!!! Well, it's not "new", but it's new to my shop at Oscraps. It was originally designed for a feature I did for Bella Scraps Magazine back in April. When that expired, I moved it to Catscrap for my Guest Spot there in May. And now, finally... I've brought it home to the O and it will remain exclusive there from now on. :)

Heartstrings

And here's some inspiration from me and my creative team...

FREEBIES!!!

I also have several freebies for you!! These were previously only available at catscrap.com for my Guest Spot over there in May. But they are now in my shop at Oscraps... and guess what... they're STILL FREE!! :) Just thought I'd give you a few "happies" since I've been MIA lately! :) I hope you enjoy them!

ComposurePLUS

Creative Outlet No. 1

Creative Outlet No. 2

UPCOMING EVENTS....

The Daily Digi

I have been invited to be a Sponsor at The Daily Digi for the month of July. So be sure to keep your eyes on my blog (and their site) for all the details... *including* a new TaylorMade freebie! :)

A TaylorMade Tutorial

I am putting the finishing touches on a new tutorial! I know!!! hahahaha. I haven't done one in forever and I'm SO excited to share some new techniques with you! I will post it here on my blog as *soon* as I get it all finished up! :)

Extreme Heat Wave...

Also coming up is a HUGE heat wave here in Memphis. hahaha. Well... actually, it's already here. It was 93 degrees farenheit here today with a heat index of 102... and not a cloud in the sky to offer even a moments break from the sun. hahahaha. And it doesn't look like the heat is going anywhere anytime soon. So, of course this means more swimming and non-stop summer activities with the kids. And *that* in turn means random, sporatic, and of course limited computer time. But I promise I'm here!! So if you need me and I don't respond right away, just know that I'm not slacking. hahahaha. Serioulsy, thank you all SO much for your encouraging words and understanding. OH! and great news!!! Alyssa is now officially potty-trained!!!! YAAAYYY. It took about 6 or 8 LONG days, but we finally got through it. I am a MUCH happier mom these days! :) Thanks to everyone for your wonderful ideas and positive words... they helped me get through that week WAY more than you know. :)

I hope everyone is having a great summer (or a great winter for my friends down under... hehe). I'll see y'all soon! :)

-amanda

I'm here, I promise! :)

2009-06-09T10:15:00.003-05:00

Well, I thought I would pop in really quick to say that I **am** still alive and that I haven't vanished into thin air. hahahaha. Thank you all SO much for your sweet emails!!

The summer transition has been VERY crazy, but not quite as hard for me this year as it has been the past couple of years. Although, I think that's because we have all gone non-stop since the bell rang on the last day of school, hahahah. We go out for pizza, we know several people who own a pool so we've been swimming A LOT, we've bought slip 'n slides and water balloons and (my personal favorite) Rock Band. We've had more FUN on that game! Gage sings (um... sort of, lol), Will plays guitar, and I'm the drummer. Oh, and Alyssa... well, she either dances or just whines. hahaha. I've also taken another BIG leap in the world of potty training with Alyssa and that is certainly no easy task. As with most things she does, she is insisting on going at her OWN pace and cannot be rushed. It's pretty tiring to say the least, but we're making progress. :)

So that is the rollercoaster that is my life these days. hahahaha. Needless to say, my computer time has been cut to little or none each day. And my normal "hours of operation" of 9pm to 4am have been cut out becuase the non-stop action during the day is leaving me EXHAUSTED at night. I've been in bed *asleep* by 10pm several times over the past couple of weeks. hahaha.

I just wanted everyone to know that I haven't deserted you and if I'm not answering emails right away, please know that I am here and I will get back with you as soon as I can. Thank you all so much for understanding and for all of your sweet words! :) I'll be in touch soon. I hope everyone is having a great summer!!

Sincerely,
-amanda

2009-05-22T08:07:00.002-05:00

Don't forget about the TaylorMade Chat over at catscrap.com today!!! I hope to see you there!!

(click HERE to see what time this is for you!)

a TaylorMade Challenge!!!

2009-05-18T09:36:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited this week has finally arrived!!! My Guest "Spotlight" Challenge at CatScrap.com has officially started!!! Head over to the challenge thread to get ALL the details, the goodies, and to see what your challenge is!!

>>> Take Me STRAIGHT to the TaylorMade Challenge! <<<

Here's a closer look at the goodies that are yours for FREE just for participating in the challenge!

composurePLUS [an add-on kit]

creative outlet no. 1 [a layered template]

some INSPIRATION: by the TaylorMade and CatScrap Creative Teams:

the CHAT: Friday, May 22 at 12 noon (CST)
>>> What time is that for me? <<<

Come join me in all the fun!!! I hope to see you there!!!

Guest "Spotlight" Week at CatScrap!!

2009-05-16T00:37:00.004-05:00

Be sure to be watching the forum at CatScrap.com this coming week!!! I'll be hosting a scrap challenge, giving away some freebies to get you started, hosting a chat, and of course, giving lots of prizes!! The fun starts on Monday, May 18th!!! I'll be back with more details and information on exactly where to go to join in. :) I hope to see you there!!!!

(click image to view larger detail)

Charmed :: Metal Word Art

2009-05-03T01:25:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone has had a WONDERFUL National Scrapbook Day!!

I put some new word art in my shop at Oscraps tonight! :) Don't forget that everything is still on sale for NSD through Sunday night!!! :)

Charmed :: Metal Word Art

Have fun with the rest of your shopping and I hope you enjoy all of your new goodies!! I can't wait to see your creations with them in the galleries!!!

>>> Take Me to the TaylorMade Shop at Oscraps <<<

>>> Take Me to the TaylorMade Guest Shop at CatScrap <<<

>>> I want to subscribe to the TaylorMade Insider <<<

Collab with Ida+Scarletheels and New Word Art with Vicki!

2009-05-02T02:43:00.005-05:00

Awakening - A Collaboration Project

TaylorMade Designs + Ida Designs + Scarletheels

Be sure to keep a CLOSE eye on the shop over at CatScrap!! The collaboration kit I did with Ida Designs and Scarletheels will be release in a few hours! ;) These two ladies were WONDERFUL to work with and I'm SO happy to have this kit ready and headed for the shelves! It's called Awakening and will be available EXCLUSIVELY at CatScrap. And since we are releasing it on National Scrapbook Day, you can get it for 30% off until May 3rd!! Here's a peek at the kit along with some more sample layouts that are certain to inspire you!!!

Awakening

by krista

by maria

by amanda

by therese

by kelly

by jessica

by therese

by christelle

More of your Favorite Word Art from Me and Vicki Stegall!!!

Yes, we have teamed up again and brought you 2 more volumes of your favorite word arts! And... we also took ALL 6 volumes and bundled them up and packaged them altogether for incredible savings!! All just in time for NSD!!! Here's a peek... they're in the shop now!! :)

[this___] word art

[this___] no. 2

word art bundle

Happy National Scrapbook Day, happy shopping... and happy scrapping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My First Day as a Guest at CatScrap!!

2009-05-01T13:10:00.003-05:00

What better way to celebrate National Scrapbook Day!! New releases, being a Guest Designer at CatScrap.com, and of COURSE lots of sales!!! Composure has hit the shelves at CatScrap. It will be available there EXCLUSIVELY for the entire month of May!! In honor of NSD, today through May 3rd, you can grab it up for 30% off! (And if you're a TaylorMade Insider... you can get even MORE savings!!! (*EDITED TO SAY: Guest Spot has expired... you can now find the Composure kit HERE)Here's a close-up view along with lots of sample layouts from myCreative Team and the CatScrap Creative Team...

Composure - The Papers...

Composure - The Elements...

Composure - The Possibilities...

I also have another project in the works and it will hit the shelves tomorrow!!! I've had the honor of working in collaboration with CatScrap's Ida Designs and Scarletheels! Just WAIT until you see this thing!!! I can't show you jusssst yet, but here's a layout I did that features just a few elements from the kit... just enough for a little peek. :)

National Scrapbook Day @ Oscraps!!

That's right... I'm having a sale at Oscraps as well!! Today through May 3rd, save 20% on all TaylorMade Designs (excluding collaboration projects... although, those will come with their *own* savings!!). But **remember**... if you are a TaylorMade Insider, you get even MORE savings, so be sure to subscribe today!

>>> Take Me to the TaylorMade Guest Shop at CatScrap <<< (guest spot expired)

>>> Take Me to the TaylorMade Shop at Oscraps <<<

>>> Take Me to the TaylorMade Insider <<<

See you tomorrow!! :)

-amanda

EXCITING News for MAY!!!

2009-04-28T14:22:00.000-05:00

Ok... so my exciting news is that I was invited to be a Guest Designer at CATSCRAP for the month of May!!!! I am so excited!!! I have lots of plans in the works for my stay there. I have designed a brand new kit just for the occasion, I have a challenge planned complete with freebies and prizes, I have a collaboration in the works with 2 of CatScrap's INCREDIBLY talented designers, Ida and Scarletheels... and much, MUCH more!!! Here's a bit of a "sneak peek" of the kit I designed.

This kit will be available at CatScrap on May 1st... JUST in time for National Scrapbook Day... so be expecting a nice savings!! :) In fact, be expecting a nice savings on ALL TaylorMade Designs for National Scrapbook Day!!

As for my Insiders... be watching for a special edition of the TaylorMade Insider that will give you all of the details!! You can also be expecting even MORE savings!! You will of course receive savings above and beyond any sale prices on all of my designs at Oscraps, AS WELL as any designs available at CatScrap during the month of May! :)

If you aren't subscribed to the Insider... SUBSCRIBE TODAY!!!! Your subscription will come with exclusive (and immediate) savings, as well as all of the details on the exciting upcoming TaylorMade events!!!

Spotlight Bundle Kit + New CT Member!!!

2009-04-17T22:30:00.001-05:00

My spotlight week has ended now and the freebies are no longer "free", but it's not too late! You can still grab them from my shop!! I have packaged them all up together for only $2.99!! Get yours HERE!!!

>>> Take Me to the Spotlight Bundle Kit! <<<

New Creative Team Member!

In other news, please help me in welcoming the newest addition to the TaylorMade Creative Team, Jamie Choi!!! I ran across some of her layouts recently in the gallery and they *literally* sang to me!!!! Although I have a full team after my recent CT call, I simply could not resist!! Hahaha. I am SO excited that she has accepted my invitation to join!!! Here is a little more about her, as well as a link to her amazing and inspiring gallery! WELCOME, JAIME!!!!

Jaime Choi - CT Member
known as jaimechoi in the Oscraps gallery

I've been married for 5 years to the only person that can make me laugh every single day, and I'm a mom to a loving toddler who continuously teaches me new things about life. I've been a third grade teacher for the past 10 years and I love to inspire creativity in my students. Art has always been a part of my life, and takes on many different forms, from scrapbooking to cupcake baking. I love spending time with family, trying new foods, having marathon craft sessions with friends, and (of course) sitting in front of the computer!

Exciting News for May

I have some exciting news for May, but I can't share just yet. But, I will be back VERY soon with all the details and a few new goodies for you!!!! So be looking for me!!!!

The Spotlight Winners

2009-04-12T11:25:00.002-05:00

Please help me congratulate all of the winners of the TaylorMade Spotlight Challenges!!! Here are the Personal Touch Winners! Each of these ladies won a $40 gift certificate to TaylorMade Designs!!

(click on the image to see the winning layout up close!)

Busy Body Award:

This participant was chosen based on how many layouts she completed and posted during the week of the TaylorMade Spotlight.

Nadia2270

Nadia complete an INCREDIBLE 31 layouts in less than 6 days!! Her prize?? 1/2 off of all TaylorMade Designs for the next 6 months!!!!!

The runner-ups included:

wolbi5447 with 30 layouts!!!

NicosMommy with 29 layouts!!!

sascedar, also with 29 layouts!!!

Now, these ladies may not have finished out the week with the "most" layouts posted, but let me tell you... they stayed absolutely faithful in their pursuit for first place and I wasn't ABOUT to let all that hard work and dedication be all for nothing!! These ladies each won 40% off of all TaylorMade Designs for the next 3 months!!

Luck of the Draw Awards:

This random drawing consisting of anyone and everyone who participated in any part of the challenge, no matter how many layouts they did! ;) Using Random.org, everyone was entered into a raffle and with one push of a "randomize" button, the top 5 were given an award. Their prize? They each received a coupon to TaylorMade in the amount of $2 per layout submitted!

hilde - she won a $6 gift certificate.

jenvc - she won a $4 gift certificate.

tishawj - she won a $14 gift certificate.

stephie - she won a $6 gift certificate.

aveziur - she won a $6 gift certificate.

Media-Man (errr... woman) Awards:

There were only supposed to the 3 winners for this award (again chosen by Random.org). Each participant who wore my Spotlight Blinkie in their forum signature during the week of my spotlight was entered into the drawing. The winners would receive a $5 gift certificate to TaylorMade for helping me promote my spotlight. But, it took me so long to get all of the winners announced, I decided to just give one to EVERY person who wore my Spotlight Blinkie who hadn't already won a prize! Here are the wonderful and amazing scrappers who helped spread the word about TaylorMade!!!
.

anaflor
bobbie
bumbletee
bush girl
carola
CindyW
cmnb
csiga
danenan
dlhoffer
dumpty
esk
franbvm
gram2three
hv2605
hybridgal
IDarrahU
jlwilliams
kiki00star
MaBi
Marilyne
mcx10
Mei74
MissD
mrstoa
muss
nadine
nolwenn
opanasko
penelope
penkitten
petey111
Quirkyk
schneeflocke
sf_gal
shellsurfer
snappy2003
stephie
sue.falstaff
taxed4ever
TessieB
timounette
val
veer
vixen
vlindertje
winkasheart
yam
Zenobia
zibr1
.
Congratulations to ALL of the winners!! We had a BLAST during this spotlight!! If you want to see what a TaylorMade spotlight is like... stop by the following forum threads to see all of them. You will hopefully not ONLY be inspired by the amazing scrappers that participate in the challenges, but eagar to join in the fun in the next!!!
.

TaylorMade Spotlight November 2007
TaylorMade Spotlight June 2008
TaylorMade Spotlight March 2009

TaylorMade Designs :: DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT

2009-03-31T13:35:00.001-05:00

Designer Spotlight (March 30th - April 5th)

Modern; Expressive; TimelessWhen I think of scrapbooking, a few words that come to mind are modern, expressive, and timeless. These few words have shaped my "style" of scrapping and designing alike since day one. There are many ways to incorporate these things into your layouts, and this week... I challenge you to look at each of them closely and see what you can make of them.

This challenge will have 3 different moving parts and pieces. Each one will come complete with the tools you will need to create your layouts... in other words... LOTS of freebies!! (These items will only be free during the week of my spotlight (March 30 - April 5 2009). (**EDITED TO SAY: You can still get these items, though! I have packaged them all up together in one big bundle kit for only $2.99!! Get them all HERE!) I have also provided some sample layouts done by the TaylorMade Creative Team for each part. These will give you some ideas and inspiration to help you not only create lots of layouts, but will also allow you to express yourself and create pieces of you to be passed down to those you love.

I encourage you to approach each part of this challenge with an open mind and a desire to define who you are and the things that are most important to you. This is, after all, the best reward in this incredible hobby of ours.

Part I :: MODERN
When I say modern, i think of artsy and bold; sophisticated and sleek; striking and edgy. There are many ways that a "modern" style can be defined... what does it say to you? Here's one way to help define it. This is an Add-On to my latest kit Mere Modesty that you can use to help create a more modern style layout. It offers 3 coordinating papers, 1 artsy frame, and 2 word arts. These will make a perfect addition if you already have the full kit!! If you don't have the full kit yet, you can grab it HERE. Either way... this Add On kit is yours for FREE, just for participation in this challenge!! (offer expired)

ADD-ON kit

Sample Layouts

Part II :: EXPRESSIVE
By “expressive”, I mean journaling. I know, I know... this isn't necessarily a favorite among scrappers. But it can be so beneficial in so many ways. Taking something in your life that means something to you and getting it out there. Whether it's your feelings about your kids, your pets, your favorite Sunday afternoon activity or your worst day ever... as long as it's close to your heart and you are affected by it. Write about it... describe it, talk about how it makes you feel, tell the story... in detail. Hold nothing back. And it doesn't have to read like poetry or a juicy novel. It certainly can if you like, but if that's not “you” then it almost defeats the purpose. It can be a letter to someone, it can come in the form of bullet points, it can be a bunch of “one-word” phrases that target how you feel... again, the goal is to express yourSELF. That might be different for everyone... and that's ok!

I have designed a series of word art that will help get your inspiration flowing. There are 2 different sets!!

Sample Layouts

Part III :: TIMELESSCreating layouts that are timeless is something that will be appreciated 20 years down the road when you're sifting through your memories and you come across them. They are never “out of style”. They weren't focused on that month's trend or how many of your favorite elements can be placed on a page. Those layouts are fun too, but sometimes... keeping it simple and the focus on your subject just says more. But don't think that timeless has to be boring!! There are lots of ways to make a timeless layout, yet give it details that make it just as much art as any other layout you do. For instance, a simple “empty space” template is a perfect way to create a timeless look. But here are a few small things you could do that will still give it an edge.

Find a photo that you love. Focus on your favorite part of that photo... the eyes, the hands, the cool logo on a t-shirt... whatever it is. Now use the clipping masks on the template to zero in on that part of the photo only. (For instructions on clipping masks, refer to STEPS 5 thru 9 in my Layered Templates in Photoshop tutorial). And you don't have to simply repeat the photo exactly. In each clipping mask, let a different angle or crop show through, Zoom in on the photo differently in each... and perhaps change the coloring and tones of them to set each one apart. Put your title or journaling right over the photos for a nice twist to the normal placement of underneath the photo. And don't be so inclined to add a ton of stuff to it. Layer a few elements around your photo and maybe a hint of something at the bottom to balance it out. Leave the rest as empty space!! Leave the background white, or add a nice simple paper for a dash of texture. And there you have it... timeless with an edge.

Sample Layouts

..................................................................................................................

Here are the rules:

-When posting your layouts - in the Oscraps Gallery - be sure to put "TaylorMade Challenge-Part 1, 2, or 3" in the layout title.

- You must post a link to your layout in this Spotlight thread (challenge has expired)- so people can leave you some praise.

-All layouts submitted must be newly created for this challenge.

-With each submitted page you earn one point which will count towards the drawing for the GRAND PRIZES. You can submit as many pages as you wish, in whatever order you wish.

- Layouts must contain 100% Oscraps products
..................................................................................................................

Here are the prizes:

BUSY BODY AWARD

There will be one winner for this prize... and that is the participant with the most layouts submitted. This person will receive 50% OFF of ALL TaylorMade Designs for the next 6 months!!!

THE PERSONAL TOUCH AWARDS

There will be 3 winners for this prize (one winner for each technique category)... each will receive a $25 gift certificate to TaylorMade Designs. Layouts will be judged by myself and my creative team. This is not about who is the best scrapper... it is about creating something that means something to you.... and believe me... it SHOWS when what you're scrapping means something to you. So even though you can submit as many layouts as you wish... take your time... and SCRAP REAL LIFE!!!!

LUCK OF THE DRAW AWARD

Once the Personal Touch Awards have been selected and the participant with the most layouts has been determined, all other names will go into a huge raffle. I will use random.org to randomly draw a name. This person will receive $1 off of any TaylorMade Designs for EACH layout submitted. So if you submit 5 layouts, and your name is drawn, you will win a $5 gift certificate.

MEDIA-MAN (errr... woman) AWARD

There will also be a random drawing for all those who showed off my SPOTLIGHT blinkie... in your signature OR on your blog... OR BOTH!! There will be 3 winners for this award. They will each receive a $5 gift certificate to the TaylorMade Shop! **Be sure you pop in this O So Happy thread to say "I'm blinking!". This will ensure that I account for everyone that's "wearing" it.

(Collaborations and Professional-Use Licenses not valid with prize coupons)(All prize codes will be sent after spotlight via Private Message at oscraps.com)

That's it!! I hope to see you all there!

**EDITED TO SAY: Want to see the winners??? Look HERE!!!

Mere Modesty Kit

2009-03-26T14:23:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to bring you my latest release, Mere Modesty. Be SURE that you are subscribed to the TaylorMade Insider for a SPECIAL introductory price!!!

Mere Modesty papers

Mere Modesty elements

TaylorMade is in the Designer Spotlight!
Did you notice the refreshed new look of TaylorMade? I decided to spruce things up a bit in time to shine in Designer Spotlight at Oscraps next week!! I am so excited and I have a HUGE week planned!! I will have a 3-part challenge to get you inspired to scrap, a TON of freebies for you so that you'll have plenty of fun new goodies to scrap with, and a TON of prizes to give away throughout the week. You DON'T want to miss it!! I'll be sending out a SPECIAL Insider this Sunday to give you all the details, so make sure you're subscribed!!!! I hope to see you all there!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! :)

Photo Editing - Super Quick and Easy!

2009-03-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

Here are a few things that you can do to just about any photo and make it look 10 times better... AND, it's super quick and so very easy. I will go step by step through these few easy steps using this photo. It doesn't seem like a bad photo really, but it can be so much better with a few clicks here and there. Let's get started. Here is the photo straight out of the camera...

Vibrance and Depth
There are many different way to brighten up your photos. But this is the quickest and easiest way I have found... and it almost always works.

1) First, click on your photo layer to activate it. Then right-click anywhere on the blue strip and choose Duplicate Layer from the fly-out menu.

2) You can name your layer if you wish, but it isn't necessary. Click OK.

3) Click on your duplicate layer to activate it. Then, click on the Blending Mode options and choose Soft Light.

4.) If you photo appears to dark or too saturated, simply lower the opacity of the Soft Light layer. (My photo was really light, so I left mine at 100%, but on more photos than not, I usually reduce the opacity to between 40% and 60%.)

See the difference?? :) I love how evenly this quick method boosts the vibrance and depth of your photo.

5) Now, choose each layer by clicking on the first layer, and then press and hold your SHIFT key while clicking on the last layer. Then right-click anywhere on the blue and choose Merge Layers from the fly-out menu.

Eyes and Teeth

Now lets work on the eyes. There is a more complex way to do the eyes in a photo, and i actually like it better, however... this way is GREAT when you're either in a hurry or the program you use doesn't have the features that the more complex way uses.

1) First, go ahead and zoom in on the eyes at 100%.

2) Choose your Dodge tool from your tools palette. Choose a circle brush, make it small and set the Hardness to "0". Your range should be Midtones and set your exposure to between 30% and 50%. Now run your brush over the whites of the eyes.

3) Now make your brush a little smaller and run it over the catchlights in the iris and the pupil.

4) Now make your brush a bit larger (and you may need to reduce the exposure a tad) and then in one soft motion, run your brush around the iris (in between the pupil and the darker edges of the iris.)

5) While you still have your dodge tool activated, go ahead and move down the photo and focus on the teeth. Simply adjust the size of your brush accordingly and subtly brush over each individual tooth. Sublte is the key.

6) Now to define the eyes futher, choose your Burn tool from your tools palette. Choose a circle brush, make it very small, and set the Hardness to "0". Choose Midtones for your range and lower the exposure to somewhere between 8% and 15%. Then, brush around the outter-most edges of the iris.

7) In a lot of photos (not necessarily this one), but sometimes the eyes tend to get lost a little. A great way to bring definition to the eye is to make the lash line stand out a little more. Your burn tool is perfect for this. Again, keeping your brush circular, small, and soft, with a low exposure, simply brush along the lash line. Once or twice is usually enough to do it. Sort of like putting on eyeliner or mascara when our own eyes don't seem to stand out enough. :) But again... be subtle.

8) Now choose your Sharpen tool from your tools palette. Set the strength to between 40% and 60%. Then brush over the pupil and iris only. (Don't sharpen the whites of the eyes.)

Cleaning Up

Now let's focus on the rest of the face. Dirt, flaws, blemishes...chocolate... they can all be easily fixed. :)

1) Choose your Spot Healing tool from your tools palette. Now simply place your brush over a spot and click.

2) Now, since the Spot Healing tool "pulls" from surrounding areas to cover what you're trying to get rid of, sometimes it gets confused. If there is a spot right next to a shadow or someone's hair, when you click it will sometimes "pull" an area from the shadow or from the hair. There is a simple solution to this.

3) Choose your Clone Stamp from your tools palette. Again, your brush should be circle in shape, small, and the hardness set to "0". Now the trick here, i've found is to lower the opacity way down, to somewhere between 20% and 30%. This way, it subtly pulls from your desired area a little at a time. This gives you much more control when working with the clone stamp. So now, place your brush over a similar colored area.

4) Press your ALT key (your cursor should change from a circle to a target shape) and click that area.

5) Now, release your ALT key and move your cursor over the spot you wish to correct and click until the spot starts to disappear. Be sure to click one at a time so you don't end up clicking too many times and having the spot look fake.

6) The same method works GREAT for shiney areas as well. Great for us when our face is shiney, great for kids with runny noses or messy mouths from eating or drinking before a picture. So simply repeat the steps outlined above and cover up that shine. :)

7) This works for yet another issue you see alot in photos. The discoloration under our eyes. Great for us adults who tend to simply carry dark circles or wrinkles, also great for kids... as in this photo, my daughter was kind of sickly and hadn't slept very well. She was therefore carry a bit of dark under her eyes for a day or so. Again, follow the steps above... only for this purpose, you will probably need a somewhat larger brush size.

That should do it. Our photo is now significantly improved... as you can see below.

BEFORE

AFTER

These few steps should work to improve just about any photo.

I would love to know what you think about this tutorial. Please feel free to leave comments. And if you have any questions, feel free to email me at taylormade8330@yahoo.com. :)

The NEW TaylorMade Creative Team!

2009-03-12T17:10:00.000-05:00

Please help me in welcoming the NEW TaylorMade Creative Team!!

Their talent is absolutely incredible and I am so very honored to have them join my team!! Please be sure to stop by the Meet the Team page to learn a little more about each of them, as well as see their AMAZING scrapbook galleries!!

WELCOME LADIES!!!!!!!!!!

The response was INCREDIBLE and the decision was soooo very hard!!! Thank you so much to EVERYONE who applied!!!

Unscripted Word Art + A few Announcements

2009-03-09T22:42:00.002-05:00

I have been working on a new word art series for quite some time now. I have finished the first 2 volumes! I am so happy to bring you Unscripted No.'s 1 & 2!!

Unscripted No. 1 - The Good Life
Features the nice light side of life... all positive and can brighten any layout.

Unscripted No. 2 - Not So Great
Features a more honest and brave way to describe your emotions. You've got to scrap those hard times too! No sugar-coating here...

BUY TOGETHER AND SAVE!!!!
I'm currently running a promotion where you purchase these 2 word art packs together and save 25%.

FURTHER savings for Insiders!!
Be certain you are subscribed to the TaylorMade Insider because now thru March 15th, all Insiders get ADDITIONAL discounts on these items!!!!

Insider Announcements

TaylorMade Creative Team...
I have almost finished making all of the final decisions on the newest additions to my Creative Team! I will be sending out acceptance letters, as well as officially announcing the new TaylorMade CTs tomorrow!! Thank you SO much to those of you who applied! The response was INCREDIBLE and I am extremely honored to have read some of the amazingly kind words so many of you wrote to me this week! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Oscraps is turning 3!!!
We are celebrating Oscraps 3rd birthday starting on March 15th and going thru March 22nd!!! You will not BELIEVE the things we have planned for you! Chats, challenges, tutorials (wink, wink), and an outstanding amount of prizes up for grabs!!!! You do NOT want to miss this!!! I hope to see you there!!!

Designer Spotlight :: TaylorMade Designs...
That's right!!! I will be in the Spotlight at Oscraps starting on March 29th for the entire week! It's going to be a huge event... a big challenge of my own, and of course... in all the Insider spirit... a TON of prizes and discounts!!! I'll bring you more information as the date gets closer, but for now be SURE to put it on your calendar!!!

I hope everyone has a great week!!!!! Let me know if you have any questions!!

Creative Team Call + Latest Releases!!

2009-02-26T11:50:00.001-06:00

I have some EXCITING news!!! I'm having my first *official* Creative Team Call!!

I'm looking to add several new faces to my creative team!!

My creative team requirements are super simple!

**Create when you are inspired to scrap.
**Make at least one project/layout per item you download from my shop.
**Post your projects/layouts to a minimum of 3 online galleries (oscraps being the only mandatory one)

There are no forum/gallery participation requirements. No % of my products per layout requirement. No xyz number of layouts per month requirement.

I've set up my ct requirements this way because I believe that scrapping/creating should always be a fun process and not feel like work. If you're interested, read on!

To apply, submit the following to taylormade8330 at yahoo dot com (with CT Call in your subject line) by March 1st:

**your favorite layout using TaylorMade products (the layout can be newly created just for this call or an oldie but goodie. whatever the case, make sure it is representative of your BEST work!)
**a link to your most current and complete gallery
**a list of your current CT commitments (if any)
**a few random facts about yourself

I look forward to hearing from you!

On to my latest releases!!
I have lots of new goodies in the shop. If you aren't a TaylorMade Insider, be SURE to subscribe TODAY for exclusive savings on these new releases!!!

Be sure to look for another special edition of the TaylorMade Insider soon with MORE exciting announcements and savings!!!!