You’ve heard the saying “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.” Well, at After Five Designs, it’s always after 5! Come relax during our Happy Hour specials.

Come by and check out all of the new kits and quick page albums in the shoppe today.  We are also releasing various professional tools and templates.

And, don’t forget that June’s issue of Digital Artist Magazine is also available at After Five Designs.

Please stop by our shoppe to see all of the excitement.

Let’s all toast our memories!

The spotlight is back this week and shining on Katrina Oldfield aka twentytinytoes. From the first time I saw her pages I was a fan and I know you will be, too! Read on to learn all about her and stop by her gallery to be totally inspired.

Give us the Cliff Notes version of you.

Married to my high school sweet heart at 19, had our first baby 9 months later. When he was 3 months old found out we were having number 2. She came along and we had a perfect little family. Mom, Dad, boy and a girl who were 12 months apart and everyone thinks are twins. Lots of love all around, discovers scrapping and a couple years later decide 1 more baby will complete the family. He was born in May!

How did you get into scrapping?

I had a friend who did it and always showed me her pages and I loved them, so I finally decided to take the plunge.

What program do you use to scrap?

I use pscs2

What is your favorite NSBR thing to do?

Spending time with my family doing fun things, or fishing. I would fish every day if I could!

What are the top 5 songs on your list right now?

Its really always different when i scrap i usually open windows media player, put it on shuffle and go.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

My family, I couldn’t have wished to get a better husband or kids and I Love being a wife and mother.

Are you musically inclined?

Not at all! I would love to be able to sing but sadly I can’t. My husband agree’s LOL

What is a typical day like for you?

Get up, have breakfast the kids will watch a cartoon and I will check my email, shower. Activities with the kids always different, lunch, quiet time, make supper. Family time, bed time… pretty boring but i love it.

What inspires you?

Depends, it could really be anything.

What are your top 5 layouts you’ve ever done?

Oh gosh I could never pick…

How do you start a layout?

Its 99.9% of the time a ct layout so I always start with the kit and i go through and pick my fav paper and go from there.

What made you want to apply for your first CT?

The same friend who got me scrapping was on some ct’s and prompted me to try it so I did, never looked back!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I used to want to be a marine biologist…

How long does it take you to create a layout?

it really depends it can take me from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Usually picking the photo takes forever!

Who are your scrapping/designing heros?

Oh thats tough, there are seriously so many in the digi world I can’t possible pick just a few I would be here for days!

Do you have a specific style?

I don’t think so, its just whatever speaks to me at the moment.

Do you have a vision of what a layout will look like when you start it?

Not usually, unless its going to be for a challenge or something and that’s when it takes me longer when I try to do something I want to do instead of just letting it flow.

What would be your dream vacation?

Probably something like disney world with the kids, I love watching them have fun! And it would really be a dream if it were free LOL

And no After 5 interview would be complete without this question…What is your favorite after hours drink?

Oooh tough! I love a frozen bellini on a hot summer day
2 oz peach nectar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 oz peach schnapps
3 oz chilled, dry Champagne
1/2 cup crushed ice
Mix the peach nectar, lemon juice and schnapps in a chilled glass. Add half a cup (or more) of crushed ice, stir, and add the champagne.
prepare in a blender to produce a frozen drink.

But don’t remind me I haven’t had a drink in so long and wont be able to have one this summer.

Happy Tuesday morning to all your wonderful After Five Design Blog readers. Hope all of you had a wonderful last weekend in June. Can you believe it’s almost July?  We have six months until Christmas. Wow!!!! Time sure is flying.   Ok, so enough of my rambling let’s move on to the Tuesday Gallery Standouts for June 23- June 30th.   The 1st layout is by Yossarian called “24”:

She used Camila Designs kit called “Little World”. I love the pop of colors against the grey background and her use of white space is just amazing. Way to go Yossarian.

The second layout that made the Gallery Standouts is by Etrala called “Rak for Angels2003”.

This layout is just gorgeous. I love that the focus is centered around the gorgeous picture. Etrala used Martencja Designs kit called “ Silver Story” and “Antoine de Saint Exupery Quotes” along with a template by Dido Designs.

Congratulations ladies. Don’t forget to click on the links and leave these ladies some love.

And now a drum roll……..for June’s GSO WINNER………………

Yossarian with “24”:

CONGRATS on being June’s winner!!!! You will be pmed with a $10.00 gift certificate.

Thank you all for sharing your gorgeous work and filling up the After 5 Gallery! Now July is just around the corner, so look for the new GSO thread on July 1 and nominate your favorites. A new month, means new GSO blog postings and a new winner. Keep posting in the gallery, and it could be YOU!

Hey All!
Its my turn for your Tips and Tricks and this week and I thought it would be fun to focus on journaling. I was never really big into journaling on my pages when I first came on the scrapping scene. Now I have a hard time not journaling. My pages don’t feel as finished without it. I think there’s a misconception that journaling takes away from the design aesthetic of a page, but I whole heartedly disagree. Actually, I have fun experimenting with different journaling placement and figuring out how it can help play up the design. Journaling also adds something special to cherished photos and helps me remember exactly what I was thinking when I took that particular photo. Whether you think so or not, there will most likely come a time you look back and don’t remember. You can journal on the paper, on paper strips, journal tabs, embellishments, or even on the photo itself. The possibilities are endless.

To help get you going, I thought it would be fun to share some of the awesome font resources out there. Places to get the funnest fonts and most are free sites!! Who can pass up free fonts.
Free Sites
http://kevinandamanda.com/fonts/fontsforpeas/
http://www.urbanfonts.com/
http://simplythebest.net/fonts/
http://www.dafont.com/
http://www.fontspace.com/
http://www.scrapvillage.com/fonts.htm
Pay Sites
http://www.scrapnfonts.com/
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/shop/fonts/
http://www.letteringdelights.com/searchprod.php?showingonly=Font

I also found an amazing and fun resource where you can make your own font! You need to have your own account but once you do, you are free to play. If you follow the on-site instructions, making yoru own font is extremely simple. They also have some cool fonts you can purchase on their site. You can check that out at:
http://fontstruct.fontshop.com/

I hope this tips and tricks helped in some way or another! I am so glad to share a little bit of my favorite resources with you all. Have a wonderful day!

You’ve heard the saying “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.” Well, at After Five Designs, it’s always after 5! Come relax during our Happy Hour specials.

Come by and check out all of the new kits and quick page albums in the shoppe today.  We are also releasing various alpha and element packs, professional tools and blog templates.

And, don’t forget that June’s issue of Digital Artist Magazine is also available at After Five Designs.

Please stop by our shoppe to see all of the excitement.

Let’s all toast our memories!

Wow!!! It’s sure is hot here in Oklahoma. How about where you our? Well, just in case you may not have noticed, the Gallery @ After Five Designs is smoking hot with tons of amazing layouts. I would like to bring you two GSO that really jumped out to me when I was going through the GSO thread.
First I would like to show you this amazing design called Sisterhood by Cherry:

I really love how Cherry has used ah! Designs newly re-designed Strung Ribbons Combo along with Pop’ Art by Cre@-bisontine.I love how she has tucked the pic’s underneath her design and her titling is just awesome.

And the second layout that just really stood out to me was by Subtle Love by FabianeRubria

FabianeRubria did an amazing job with her white space and the use of the Subtlety Mini Kit by Kirsten Rice. I love the way the layout main focus is on the adorable baby picture.

Congratulations ladies. You are now entered into the GSO monthly contest. If your layout is chosen for the month, you will win $10.00! Don’t forget to click on the links and leave these ladies some love. But most of all don’t forget to nominate your favorites from our gallery in the weekly GSO thread. And keep filling our gallery with your gorgeous work. Who knows you might see your design on the Blog next Tuesday.

Actions 101

This 101 tutorial is written with the beginning user in mind. We know that many of our customers are brand new to digital scrapbooking and want to be sure that we offer a little something for everyone!

1. If you already know what actions are and how to load them in your program, consider this your free pass to skip this little tutorial. If you don’t, read on. Photoshop actions are simply a series of pre-programmed steps for your program to follow. They are timesavers! There are actions for everything from applying a certain color effect to your photograph to resizing your files. Photoshop actions are recognizable by their .atn extension.

2. As long as the .atn files are on your computer, you can load them in Photoshop. You may want to keep them all in one convenient location for ease of reference and information storage. Adobe has created a folder for you which can be found at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop CS\Presets\Photoshop Actions. This is a handy place to keep them all.

3. Open Photoshop and the image that you would like to work with. On the right side of the screen, you will find the History window. Click on the Actions tab.

There are preset actions that are installed along with Photoshop. These are found in the top folder titled “Default Actions.”

4. To load your own actions, click on the small black triangle in the upper right corner of the History window.

This will bring up a fly out window. On this window, select Load Action. This will bring up another window allowing you to navigate to the action on your computer.

5. Once this is done, highlight the action in the History window, and click Play to start. The Play button is the solid filled triangle at the bottom of the History window.

Once the action is done playing, you can save the results to your computer. In this case, I have selected an action called Coffee B&W by Holly McCaig to recolor my photograph with this soft black and white effect.

It’s that easy! You can even create and save your own actions to speed up tasks that you find yourself performing over and over again.

You’ve heard the saying “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.” Well, at After Five Designs, it’s always after 5! Come relax during our Happy Hour specials.

Come by and check out all of the new kits and templates in the shoppe today, including Pop Art by our guest, cre@ bisontine.  We are also releasing various alpha and element packs, professional tools and blog templates.

On a sad note, our very own Emiko Designs is retiring.  Don’t miss her 50% retirement sale!  Get her incredible products while they last.

And, don’t forget that June’s issue of Digital Artist Magazine is also available at After Five Designs.

Please stop by our shoppe to see all of the excitement.

Let’s all toast our memories!

There was probably no one as excited as me when I learned that Cath was going to be designing! I was always such a fan of her as a scrapper that it was only natural that I would love her designs. Today we shine the spotlight on her as the fabulous designer she is.You can check our her products in the shoppe and even browse her gorgeous gallery.

Give us the Cliff Notes version of you.

I am French, born in England and live currently in Finland! I have moved quite often during my life and I think I have lived in 10 different countries on three continents! I have a wonderful husband and 3 fabulous children aged 12 to 19. My 2 oldest are currently studying in Canada
In France, I was a teacher in a primary school, now I am teaching French in an international school in Helsinki but only for a few hours per week.

How did you get into designing?

As many designers, I started first as a scrapbooker, became totally addicted and when Amy asked me if I would be interested to join her new store ( I was in her CT) as a designer, this was just the push I needed to start designing! So I owe a big thanks to Amy.

What program do you use to scrap/design?

Photoshop CS2

What is your favorite NSBR thing to do?

Reading and spending time with family and friends

What are the top 5 songs on your list right now?

Coldplay Nova Vida
Francis Cabrel Bonne Nouvelle
Crosby Still and Nash, Helplessly hoping
Jack Johnson Never know
John Mayer Gravity

Are you musically inclined?

I wish I could play a musical instrument, I love to sing but my kids don’t like it!

What is a typical day like for you?

I am not sure I have a typical day, as it depends if I am teaching or not. My children are all grown up now so I have more freetime than before. I do spend a lot of time in front of the computer though.. and drink too much tea!

What inspires you?

I am inspired by everything I see: ads, the colors of a flower, color combinations , fashion, decoration magazines … everywhere you look there is inspiration. I am also inspired by the layouts made by my CT members and the ones I see in the galleries.

What are your top 5 designs and/or layouts you’ve ever done?

5 designs : I love all my kits but more especially the Pêle Mêle serie and Winter Retreat that is special to me.
5 Layouts :
Cousins
19 years old
You Color my World
A Boy’s World
Romance in Paris
My secret

How do you start a layout?

I rarely start with a photo, most of the time with an idea of a page I have already in mind or a kit I wish to use. Then I dig through my photos to find the perfect one, scan them since most of the photos I scrap are from the pre-digital age! From there my process is trial and error, I open all kinds of different papers and elements I think I might want to use on my layout and play around with them until it makes sense. I am a very slow scrapper who follow no rules, sometimes ‘accidents’ happen which makes me change my mind, like the way blending different papers or a photo may look. So along the way my layouts change in many directions, sometimes I can even change the photo I started with or decide to extract part of it just because I love the overall composition or color combination that developed but feel the photo I chose is not a perfect match. I always end up with the title or font work and last the shadow work.

What made you want to jump from extraordinary scrapper to extraordinary designer?

As I said before, it is Amy who gave me the push to become a designer and I just love being at A5D surrounded by so many extraordinary scrappers and designers. I also owe a lot to my fabulous CT members and my wonderful customers .

What did you want to be when you grew up?

As a child and a teenager, I always wanted to become a Physical Education (PE) teacher. I was doing a lot of track and field and my dream was just to pursue my passion as a teacher!

How long does it take you to design a kit?

Between a week and 2 weeks, I am a slow designer and a perfectionist and can go over and over details until they are just right

Who are your scrapping/designing heros?

I am a big fan of my CT team as scrappers and I have many designing heroes, too many to list here.

Do you have a specific style?

I wish for high quality, beautiful and elegant designs. I am above all a scrapper who loves to scrap pages with lots of realistic embellishments, so this is also what you’ll find in my kits!

Do you have a vision of what a kit will look like when you start it?

Most of the time yes, but the kit can evolve.

What would be your dream vacation?

Like Nikki, I would love one day to go to Australia.

And no After 5 interview would be complete without this question…What is your favorite after hours drink?

A glass of good white wine.

Did you think we forgot?! No way!! How could we possibly forget some of the most gorgeous works of art posted at After 5!! So not a minute longer -
Dream by Karen Perry

I love her amazing use of white space here. Doesn’t she make it look easy? But it is so not!!

and

Walking Your Baby by Annyes59

I love all the happy fun photos mixed with the word art.

Congratulations ladies. You are now entered into the GSO monthly contest. If your layout is chosen for the month, you will win $10.00!

Don’t forget to click on the links and leave these ladies some love. But most of all don’t forget to nominate your favorites from our gallery in the weekly GSO Thread. And keep filling our gallery with your gorgeous work. Who knows you might see your design on the blog next Tuesday.