This week, your challenge is to take your favorite layout from either of their galleries and create a layout featuring our theme: love and friendship. (Scraplifting your choice along the way!)

Challenge Details
-- Visit Cora or Maya's galleries. (Click on their name to go their galleries)

-- Pick out a layout that strikes your fancy. (Pst...you may find it hard to choose just one layout!)

-- Create a layout "scraplifting" the layout you choose, using ANYTHING from the Oscraps stash/Store.....don't forget the freebies in the Oscraps Store (...with all these freebies, we're sure you'll have no problem meeting the usual 100 percent Oscraps requirements!)

-- Upload your layout to the designer spotlight gallery. Don't forget to list your credits in the layout information section! Enable your fellow O-scrapers!

-- Come back to the challenge thread and post a link/photo of your layout there.

-- -- Post a layout here by midnight EST, Sunday, Feb. 14, in this thread

-- Remember to HAVE FUN!

Your Reward.....
Everyone who participates will receive an entry into a random drawing for three prizes - coupons/gift codes to the Oscraps store....

1st place - $15 coupon
2nd place - $10 coupon
3rd place - $5 coupon

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for joining me for this month's Creative Technique challenge. If you haven't done so already, please make sure to read the this thread that explains just what these challenges will be about.

This month we are going to be working with ACTIONS.

For those that don't know what an action is, its simply a series of programmed steps to edit your photo/picture. Various actions do various things, for example, you take a photo and find that it is over-exposed. To fix this problem you can try running an action that has been programmed to adjust over exposure. Or you can use an action to turn a colour photo to black and white, or to give it a soft pastel appearance or then again to sharpen and brighten the colour a bit.

While actions can be run in Adobe Photoshop Elements, they can not be created in Elements. To create an action you will need its bigger sister, Adobe Photoshop. Also, be aware that to run actions in PSE they will need to have been written for PSE ie. You can't run a Photoshop action in Elements as Elements may not have all the features that are included in that particular action.

ACTION CHALLENGE:
1 Create a layout using one (or more) actions.
2 There is no specific theme for this challenge, your photos/actions will no doubt dictate what your page will be about
3 Layout will need to be scrapped with at least 80% of Oscrap goodies
4 Make sure to give due credit for the action(s) you use (plus WE want to know so we can get them too!!)
5 Post your LO in the Challenge gallery and leave a link in the thread by midnight Sunday 28 February

All entries will be eligible for a gift coupon selected by Mr Random.

ABOVE ALL, please use this as an opportunity to discuss any problems you are experiencing with your actions or perhaps any experiments that have really worked out well for you! I would really like this thread to be about sharing information with each other, and YES! If you know of a site that has some great actions please tell us!!!

To learn more about downloading, installing and running actions - not to mention a great challenge - please GO HERE!

Do you have a layout that needs a little something extra? Maybe its not quite finished yet, but anything you add just doesn't look right? If any of that sounds familiar, then this challenge is for you. There are only 2 requirements for you to play along:

1. Post your layout in the challenge thread (Don't know how? This thread explains it.)

2. Be willing to give AND receive a little advice. This does not mean you have to follow every piece of advice that you are given. However, it does mean that advice given here is given out of respect and a genuine desire to help - so it is not to be taken as a personally.


This month's Box Breaker:

Is your mojo on vacation? Are all of your layouts starting to look the same? Sometimes we need a little boost to get our creative juices flowing again. I know not everyone scraps to preserve memories, but many of us do. This month, give your journaling a little extra pizazz! Highlight words. Mix fonts. Use cute little doodles to help tell the story. You might incorporate some word art into your story. Come on now, it'll be fun!

Remember, you are not required to use the Box Breaker - it is only intended as a starting place for those who feel that they are stuck in a rut and need a little help making a change.

Okay...let's see those layouts! We'll work together to make them shine!

Can you believe it's time for a new month? And with a new month comes a new challenge.



Don't forget that there will be a gift card for one lucky participant at the end of the month.

And for some inspiration, take a look at these layouts from our CheeryO's!!

Your Challenge This Week!

This week, for our style challenge, we want you to think outside of the box and create a layout featuring something (or somethings) that make you laugh!

The Challenge:

-- Create a layout with this month's theme using ANYTHING from the Oscraps stash/Store.....don't forget the freebies in the Oscraps Store (...with all these freebies, we're sure you'll have no problem meeting the usual 100 percent Oscraps requirements!)

-- Upload your layout to the designer spotlight gallery. Don't forget to list your credits in the layout information section! Enable your fellow O-scrapers!

-- Come back to this thread and post a link/photo of your layout in the challenge thread.

-- Post a layout by midnight EST, Sunday, Feb. 7, in this thread

-- Remember to HAVE FUN!

Your Reward.....
Everyone who participates will receive an entry into a random drawing for three prizes - coupons/gift codes to the Oscraps store....

1st place - $15 coupon
2nd place - $10 coupon
3rd place - $5 coupon


Mojo Inspiration:
Check out these layouts created by our Cheery-O Team. You're sure to find some inspiration here!

TAKE ME TO THE CHALLENGE

It's here! Do you have a layout that needs a little something extra? Maybe its not quite finished yet, but anything you add just doesn't look right? If any of that sounds familiar, then this challenge is for you. There are only 2 requirements for you to play along:

1. Post your layout in this thread (Don't know how? This thread explains it.)

2. Be willing to give AND receive a little advice. This does not mean you have to follow every piece of advice that you are given. However, it does mean that advice given here is given out of respect and a genuine desire to help - so it is not to be taken as a personally.

This month's Featured Technique:

Is your mojo on vacation? Are all of your layouts starting to look the same? Sometimes we need a little boost to get our creative juices flowing again. This month, explore the world of templates. There are those who don't use templates because they don't want their layouts to look like everyone else. It doesn't have to be that way. Don't just use the template as is - try to truly use it as a starting point. Take the template and give your own spin to it. You may only use part of it. You may flip it. You may add a whole bunch to it. Check out the Template Section of the store - you are sure to find something you like there!

Remember, you are not required to use the Featured Technique - it is only intended as a starting place for those who feel that they are stuck in a rut and need a little help making a change.

Okay...let's see those layouts! We'll work together to make them shine!

Your Challenge This Week!
In honor of our "Member spotlight" the cheery-o team has a unique idea cooked up for you!

We're spotlighting AnaFlor this week!

Your challenge, should you take it, is to scraplift a layout of AnaFlor with our challenge theme - Winter (for the northern hemisphere) or Summer (for the southern hemisphere). - It's a double challenge!

--- Visit AnaFlor's gallery

--- Pick out a layout that strikes your fancy. (Pst...you may find it hard to choose just one layout!)

--- Create a layout with our theme, "scraplifting" what you choose, using ANYTHING from the Oscraps stash/Store.....don't forget the freebies in the Oscraps Store (...with all these freebies, we're sure you'll have no problem meeting the usual 100 percent Oscraps requirements!)

--- Upload your layout to the designer spotlight gallery. Don't forget to list your credits in the layout information section!

--- Come back to this thread and post a link/photo of your layout here.

--- Post a layout by midnight, EST, Sunday Jan. 31

--- Remember to HAVE FUN!

Your Reward.....
Everyone who participates will receive an entry into a random drawing for three prizes - coupons/gift codes to the Oscraps store....

1st place - $15 coupon
2nd place - $10 coupon
3rd place - $5 coupon


Before You Go....Get To Know AnaFlor a bit more!
Who are you? Tell more about you & your family!
My name is Ana Claudia,I live in Brazil, I am 40 years old and have been married for six years. We have a boy, Gabriel, 3 years and 8 months. I am a biologist, working with research in ecology and taught for many years, but not anymore.

How did you get your Oscraps Screenname?
This is a very funny story ...it was my nickname on match.com 7 years ago, where I met my husband.

It's all about the Scrapping....

What Camera do you currently use? What is your dream camera?
How would you describe your photography style?
I have a Nikon D80 and this is sufficient for my interests. I did a quick course in photography to learn the basics and now I have trained a lot with Gabriel. This is my challenge, to get good pictures with him, since he does not like a lot of work, lol. I think this is a good workout.
But I'm very interested in macro photography, where I have the opportunity I'm trying to get a good picture.

Mojo-loss or scrappers block is a common thing among scrappers - how do you deal with this when it happens to you?
I take a look at the gallery, using a template and look for colors that please me.

What's the strangest thing you've ever scrapped? Why scrap?
I scrapped a picture of my pregnancy test. I would forever mark the date when I knew that I was pregnant with Gabriel.

Are you a template and/or sketch girl? If so why? If not, why not?
I love a template, always used and still use them. When they are well designed they give good ideas of how to position elements and text, which I admittedly am not very good at.

Where do you get your scrapbooking inspiration?
Needless to say that Gabriel is it!

What are your favorite colors to scrap with?
I like a lot of neutral colors like beige, brown and light green.

How long have you been hanging out at the big o? How did you get involved in digi-scrappinging?
I have been at Oscraps since 2008, some months after I met Scrap Digital, that I was looking for something different to assemble the album for 1 year of Gabriel

What is your favorite tool to use while scrapping?
I love masks!!

Hello Ladies Happy New Year!!!! Marie is away at the moment, so I am filling in for her. My first Web Inspiration Challenge - hope you enjoy! 

While I was surfing through the internet this week this fabulous ad caught my eye and I am reminded of how amazing it is that there is inspiration all around us if we just open our selves. What I loved about this ad was the clean lines, the colors and the touch of selective coloring. Can't wait to see what inspiration you find!

Here is the Ad for January:


Here is the sample layout I made using Kitty Designs Love Sounds Kit




A little giftie for you! I converted the Ad to a .PSD template in case you want
to re-create the look!! It is NOT a requirement to use the template to participate in the challenge.

Rules to be included in the Random Prize Drawing at the End of the Month:

* Please include a quick note in your credits what inspired you from the Ad
* Must use 80% of Oscraps products
* Please post your LO into the web inspiration gallery
* Please post a link to your layout here in the challenge thread, so we
can all leave you some love.

Enjoy ladies....can't wait to see what you come up with!!!