Sunday, December 7, 2014

SOME CHANGES IN THE AIR!


There will be some massive changes happening here in the new year!

As of
JANUARY 2015
we will no longer be sharing our page drafts releases here!

For all the important details please scoot over the the new website by clicking
 THE NIFTY PIXEL LOGO below and read all about our new adventure. 


We really hope you will continue to support us and stay on this ride to watch Page Drafts evolve into
a resource that is accessible to everyone in the scrapbooking community!

Waving excitedly at you &
with warm regards,
Em and the Nifty Crew.

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Monday, December 1, 2014

WISHING YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Well its that time of the year...its time to get the tinsel out, trim the tree, deck the halls with holly and fill the house with festive cheer. I love Christmas its when I feel the most relaxed after a long busy year and at the same time really excited with anticipation of a bright and happy new year ahead.

Given its Christmas we thought this months Tips and Tricks should be all about Festive Family Traditions. They can be as diverse as the culture and religious practices. Kissing under the Mistletoe or putting up the Christmas tree together. Its all about tradition something which has enough meaning for us to repeat every year. How does this time of the year make you feel? What family traditions do you and your loved ones cherish and how do you celebrate (if you like a right of passage into) the Christmas season and or new year?

 This time of the year for me symbolises summery days and balmy nights, BBQ left overs and fresh salads. Swimming, badminton and loud music with a few cool ones shared amongst friends and family. Its also about remembering our loved ones that are no longer with us. So we light a candle for them in remembrance and toast in their memory with a sparkling vino, nothing like a glass of bubbly to help cement the sentiment! I also try to make or if that fails buy, an annual bauble with the current years date on it. I keep imagining in a generation or two how this will be received...imagine the grandies oohing and ahhing about those old baubles from all those years ago!

So....lets check our
DECEMBER NIFTY
CELEBRATING THE FESTIVE SEASON WITH FAMILY TRADITIONS.

Tip 1: Lighting Up the Tree.
This is the fun part of christmas but can also be a bit tricky especially when it comes to adding those lights, I mean its easy enough to pop them on but when it comes to dismantling your tree do you end up in a laborious tug-o-war resulting with you pulling your hair out and ending up in a big stress ball on the floor along with a tangled mess?

Well, you are going to love this tip. After years as a visual marketer for David Jones I have a very handy tip for dressing your tree with lights. The first step is to buy yourself 3 to 4 X 200 light strands. A tree never looks glorious when sparsely lit, so go all out and as a rule of thumb a tree should have 100 lights per foot of tree. So I have a 6 foot tree and add just that extra 200 lights for good measure.

Now imagine your tree in quarters, each quarter will be filled with lights. Ensuring you leave enough length in the cord so it can be plugged into a power board start looping the lights from the bottom in  a snake like fashion until you reach the top. Make sure you tuck the strand well into the bough  There is nothing worse than actually seeing the strand itself, all we want to be able to see is the lights glowing and sparkling like they are droplets of water from the snow and rain. Repeat this until all 4 quarter segments of the tree are filled with glistening lights.  When it comes to removing them you will be pleasanlty surprised at how easy it'll be!

NB: I recommend using LED lights as they don't heat up and remember to always test your lights first
before installing them just to make sure all the globes work.

Tip 2: Trimming the Tree
Dressing the tree on mass with all your beautiful baubles and decorations is when it begins to really shine! Start with garlands because its easier to wrap the tree without the baubles on. You can try looping around the entire girth of the tree or go a little bit left of centre and drap them. This is where you can really play around with creating a really striking point of interest.

Now its time to add the pretty baubles.  Select one type or colour until they are evenly distributed on the tree before moving onto the next style. That way you are able to create an even symmetrical look and really helps keep the tree from becoming over crowded with the same style of baubles in one area. 

Lastly fill any gaps or bare patches with christmas picks! Oh these are awesome little filler decorations and are well worth the investment at the very beginning as they really dress a tree perfectly when you are just starting out and only have a small collection of decorations. They come in so many different designs and hey you could even make your own customised styles to suit your taste.

NB: When selecting baubles think about the colour and theme. Stick to one whether it be traditional, Bright, Vintage, whimsical or a monochromatic scheme. If you select one colour like white for example, you can easily change it up by buying one box of blue or pink baubles to change the look and feel each year

Tip 3: Counting down with Advent Calendars.
There are so many novel ways to do this fun little tradition and is a great way to involve the kids. You could string each day up or dress your book case with 24 pigeon holes. Another fun idea and easy peasy to create is a small forest of trees each one hiding a gift underneath. Simply form a cone out of cardboard and staple the edges together then dress each one with a number. They look so cute on a mantle or on the dining table.

Tip 4: The Elf on the Shelf.
This is a great way to involve the whole family.  All you have to do is adopt one of Santa's little helpers and see the antics he gets up too. You can even take photos of all this adventures, the kids will love searching for him to see where he is perched and what he's been up too! 

Tip 5: Baking Christmas Goodies Together.
Christmas pudding is on top of the list and generally Grandma or your great Aunt has that covered, so why not try your hand at baking a Gingerbread house and a Gingerbread family to live in it! Some other popular choices would be Shortbread, Mince Pies and a popular dessert here in Australia is the decadent Christmas Trifle, a layered delight of brandy soaked sponge cake, custard, cream, jelly and marshmallow. Oh only a few weeks to go and that trifle will be in my tummy! ha ha

So these are just a few ideas, but with a little trawl through Pinterest or Google you'll find tonnes of inspiration to start your own family traditions!

So now that we have covered the basics on Family festive traditions lets check out this years Christmas Cheer sketches!


'Christmas 2013'
by Lizzy crust
Page Drafts Sketch #37.1 by The Nifty Pixel

'Eternal Moments'
by Marie Johannson
Page Drafts Sketch #37.1 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "We personally deliver the Christmas cards to friends and family that live nearby. We do this together with my partners best friend and it's a tradition since over 20 years now!"

'Eternal Moments'
by Barbara Sokee
Page Drafts Sketch #37.1 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "Every single Christmas me and my mom get together to make prune tarts, we do make a few apricot too. But my favourite is prune as it brings me back to eating the ones my grandfather mage for Christmas Eve."

'My Little Gift'
by Zeneva Kovic
Page Drafts Sketch #37.1 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "For the last few years we spend the later part of the day building Lego. Later in the day, after a late lunch of prawns and pavalova, we usually go for a stroll along the beach (or a paddle in the waves). A Perfect day."

'Dear Santa'
by Allie-Marie
Page Drafts Sketch #37.1 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "EAT Lots!! We make Christmas slices for our family. I have fond memories of mum and I (and my siblings when they wanted too) spending a day making all these yummy slices...now my son and I have carried the tradition on and we spend a day or two making Christmas slices (great teachers gift!!).

Because my son loves to cook, being able to share the same with my boy like I had with my mum is really special to me...although I have to watch the Quality Control he he he"

Created by Ludmila Kodymskaya
Page Drafts Sketch #37.1 by The Nifty Pixel


'Treasured Memories'
by Lizzy Crust
Page Drafts Sketch #37.2 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "We always take a family portrait. So far I have been blessed to have my kids come home for Christmas, but now I realise that as they have partners they may go to their inlays for Christmas day...so photos from the day are always treasured by me."

'Let's Be Merry'
by Zeneva Kovic
Page Drafts Sketch #37.2 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "On the last day of school, the children put the Christmas Tree up at my mothers. Thsi is a tradition that carries on from when I was a young girl."



'Piparitalo'
by Sanna Lippert
Page Drafts Sketch #37.3 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "One of our Christmas traditions is to bake a gingerbread house together and decorate it. When the kids were really small, I used to do the baking and decorating and now they have taken over. It is nice to see them continue this little tradition and to see theor commitment and passion towards it. I hope they will pay it forward to their children one day."

'Christmas 2013'
by Lee-Anne Thornton
Page Drafts Sketch #37.3 by The Nifty Pixel

'Frozen Okotoks'
by Lee-Anne Thornton
Page Drafts Sketch #37.3 by The Nifty Pixel

'Our Story Begins with Us'
by Wendy Bennett
Page Drafts Sketch #37.3 by The Nifty Pixel
Family Tradition: "Its all about getting the annual family photo!"

'Silly Robot'
by Christy Strickler
Page Drafts Sketch #37.3 by The Nifty Pixel


'A Merry Little Christmas'
by Zeneva Kovic 
Page Drafts Sketch #37.4 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "On Christmas Day, the children and I go to church in the morning, have brunch at my mother's, then open the presents."

'Christmas Pajamas'
by Paula Calavinco 
Page Drafts Sketch #37.4 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Christmas Tradition: "Each year for the last 10 or so years we've been taking pictures of all the nieces and nephews on Christmas Eve in their Christmas Pajamas. It's something that the kids look forward to even though some of them are in their late 20's! To see how they have grown, and the addition of boyfriends and husbands is a wonderful tradition. Even family visiting from out of town has been included. This is what the holidays are all about. Traditions that make your family special and unique."

'There is Magic in Believing'
by Natascha Broers
Page Drafts Sketch #37.4 by The Nifty Pixel


'Meryy & Bright'
by Brynn-Marie Dukes
Page Drafts Sketch #37.5 by The Nifty Pixel

'Baby's First Christmas'
by Debbie Standard
Page Drafts Sketch #37.5 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Family Tradition: "Traditionally we have always tried to go to Christmas Eve services and then come home to let the kids open one present each. Then the kids put out cookies for Santa. When all the kiddos have gone to bed we'd fill the stockings and pull out the hidden presents from Santa. The next morning is a paper nightmare-oohs and ahhhs and screams of excitement. We loved it when they reached the age of getting phones and would have them hidden and then make them start ringing. My mom always bakes cookies for Christmas gifts and so breakfast usually consisted of cookies and milk and of course what candy they found in their stockings. We aren't big turkey fans so after having Thanksgiving Turkey we usually plan a steak dinner for Christmas either at our house or my sisters. I love having all of them together...thats the best gift of all!"

How fantastic were everyones festive traditions and their amazing pages! Thank you so much ladies for your wonderful works of art you have really made this release shine!

Merry Christmas everyone, hope you enjoy the sketches and find some inspiration in them. Have fun over the festive season and stay safe well into the New Year!
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas
Em and the Team xox


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Sunday, November 16, 2014

GET READY FOR SOME SLEUTHING CASEFILE #147 IS NOW OPEN!

This weeks Casefile #147 over at C.S.I is a fantastic challenge. This one is a goodie for those of you that love to mix pattern in your projects, also there are plenty of opportunities to add stamping techniques and to use up some of those Rub-onz gathering dust in your stash! The testimony idea to write your story like an advice column is such a fun way to share your innermost thoughts and feelings. So why not pop your creative thinking hat on and try something a little different with these fun prompts!


'The Day Will Come'
by Wendy Bennett
Page Drafts Sketch for CSI #147 by The Nifty Pixel

The main sponsors this month are ...

STUDIO TEXTUREK


So to be in the running for some fabulous prizes head over to C.S.I 
and get all the challenge details there.

Just a quick reminder Casefile #147 ends 27th November 2014. Good luck everyone, hope you enjoy the challenge and I look forward to seeing all your amazing projects so don't forget to share a link here or post your project on our Facebook Pagewe'd love to see them!

Hope you enjoy the sketch and remember to,
Let your imagination do the rest!
Happy Scrapping.
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Saturday, November 15, 2014

BE DAZZLED BY JEAN MARMO!

Our amazingly talented guest artist exposé this month is this sweet and fun lovin' gal...


SO LETS LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HER....
Jean is a mother of two adult children. Its been a busy year for Jean with two engagements and one wedding and the second one next year, so its all systems go! Jean has been scrapbooking since 1993. It was during this time that she made lots of albums from her daughters sports teams and dance class activities. Those albums consisted of card stock, stickers and decorative scissors! Over time Jean's style evolved along with the kids growing up and with that the themes changed too.
HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SCRAPBOOK STYLE?
Until recently, my scrapbook style was clean and simple. A few years ago I discovered mixed media and that has been incorporated into my scrapping. Now I love to add modeling paste and paint to my layouts! It adds a whole new dimension.
HOW DO YOU USE SKETCHES?
I love sketches and in particular, Page Drafts sketches.
Did you know you can rotate and flip sketches? I love to do that too especially if my photo orientation is different than the sketch. Page Drafts sketches are always so dynamic. There are interesting shapes and design elements, a unique use of photos and clusters of embellies! All of these really help me pull a layout together!

'Snow Much Fun'
by Jean Marmo
Credits:

'1 Coat, 2 Coat'
by Jean Marmo
Credits:

CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE TIP OR TRICK WITH US?
Adding layeres of texture to a page is a fun way to create some tactile elements. Incorporating items into your designs that aren't traditional scrapbook products is a unique way to customising your projects. Looking around your house or even trawling through you local hardware store can be a great resources for finding unusual materials to incorporate into your scrapbook pages.



Grab some plasterers tape from your local hardware store. This is a fabulous way to adhere texture as it is self adhesive backed. You can colour it using paint & mists and looks great all grunged up with thick layers of paint when roughly applied.

'P is for Pumpkin'
by Jean Marmo
Credits: 
Page Drafts Template #1.4 by The Nifty Pixel

So there you have it guys, our final Guest Artist for 2014! Its been a pleasure having you onboard this month Jean. Thank you for sharing your gorgeous creative pages and tips with us here at Page Drafts
and your sensational page in Release #36 is stunning too!

Thank you again from
 Em and the Nifty Gals!
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Saturday, November 1, 2014

RELEASE #36 'HEARTS A FLUTTER Vol.3' IS NOW LIVE!

Here is the November release 'Hearts a Flutter Vol.3'. They are clean and simple designs leaning more toward having lots of white space.  These designs are perfect for adding extra texture or image transfers into the background to create some very unique and personalised pages. Check out this months Tips and Tricks section for some fun helpful tips in creating some extra special backgrounds using wet mediums.

This month we have a new Nifty Gal join our Creative Team! Please welcome the fabulous Barbara Sokee. Barbs is a rocking digital scrapper and we are sure you'll love her amazingly beautiful white space pages. Also please extend your welcome to our fabulous November Guest Artist... the lovely Jean Marmo. Jean has been a great supporter of Page Drafts, often creating beautiful pages using our sketches so we thought it would be fun to highlight her and her scrapbooking process.
Keep an eye out for Jean's feature on the 15th November.

Okay so lets check out our
NOVEMBER NIFTY
GETTING CREATIVE WITH WET MEDIUMS
This months tips and tricks include fun ways to add some unique visual content to your backgrounds using wet mediums. Playing around with effects and experimenting with your stash of inks, paints and other cool liquid products is a fun way to unleash your inner creative. All too often we tend to get bogged down with making sure everything is just so in our pages. No element is out of place, every paper carefully considered but why not add a little of the unexpected into your projects. 

This is where your wet mediums will come into play and shine and well to be honest so will you! Mediums like watercolour, masking fluid and dimensional magic are so much fun and can be as unpredictable as you let them be. The extra cool part about them is the randomness of their outcome. So next time why not give it a go!

Here are some fun tips and tricks to get you started. Oooh and the creative team will also be sharing some of their own pearlers so check those out under their pages below.

Tip 1: Grab your Gelli Plate and start making mono prints! Gelli prints make some really cool textures and striations on your paper with one easy glide of your brayer.

Tip 2: Squeeze some random patterns onto your paper base using your dimensional magic. Set it aside to completely dry and then ink over the surface to see some awesome resist type patterns appear. This can be as controlled or as random as you want, it all comes down to what effect you want to achieve.

Tip 3: Stamp some designs to your paper and then watercolour within the stamped areas. Set aside to dry then in a well ventilated space use a small fine brush and bleach to remove areas in turn creating highlights in the stamped/coloured design. 

Tip 4: Gelatos and watered down mists are a fun way to add washes and or handpainted repeat patterns to your paper. You are only limited by your imagination!

Now that we have covered some fun ideas using wet mediums lets check out this months sketches!


'Be Happy, Be Yourself'
by Coralie Lizzy Crust
Page Drafts Sketch #36.1 by The Nifty Pixel

'Sweet Memory'
by Zeneva Kovic
Page Drafts Sketch #36.1 by The Nifty Pixel


'DIY'
by Sanna Lippert 
Page Drafts Sketch #36.2 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: Try painting watercolours to a piece of card stock. Then stamp details over the top to create some texture. Now try cutting out elements like buntings, banners and clouds to add to your design. Watercolouring chipboards is also a great way to dressed them up.

'Blah, Blah, Blah'
by Barbara Sokee 
Page Drafts Sketch #36.2 by The Nifty Pixel

 'Natural Beauty'
by Ludmila Kodymskaya
Page Drafts Sketch #36.2 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: Adding several different layers of stamping, stencilling, masking and spritz is a fun way to build up dimensional texture and layers of coloured pattern to white backgrounds.

 'Yay I'm 6'
by Marie Joahnsson
Page Drafts Sketch #36.2 by The Nifty Pixel

 '6 Today'
by Zeneva Kovic
Page Drafts Sketch #36.2 by The Nifty Pixel
 Artist Tip: Most digital stores stock gesso styles. Grab one they will become your go to tool or pack every time.

'Little Artist'
by Zeneva Kovic 
Page Drafts Sketch #36.2 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: Build up different layers of brush tools overlapping each other to create interesting textured effects on your background.

'Catch of The Day'
by Em Stafrace
Page Drafts Sketch #36.2 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: Lots of digital designers create packs of painterly overlays. Simply drag and drop into your work space to create layered texture on your backgrounds.


'150 Favors'
by Jean Marmo 
Page Drafts Sketch #36.3 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: I love to add dimension to my backgrounds using Gesso but I don;t always want it to be white. Try adding another medium to colour it like Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals. This will add pigment to the gesso creating a coloured variation.

'Friends'
by Coralie Lizzy Crust 
Page Drafts Sketch #36.3 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: Apply texture onto your background using a sea sponge and some acrylic paint.

'This Dress'
by Zeneva Kovic
Page Drafts Sketch #36.3 by The Nifty Pixel

'Smart Dresser'
by Em Stafrace
Page Drafts Sketch #36.3 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: An easy way to add realistic texture to your page is to use a Gesso style overlay or action to create your own designs.


'Free Spirit'
by Stephanie Brower Czosnek 
Page Drafts Sketch #36.4 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: Digital brush sets are a fantastic way to add watercolor or other paint effects to your digital pages. You can easily recolour the brush impressions to suit your project.

'I Love You Daddy!'
by Em Stafrace
Page Drafts Sketch #36.4 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: There are tonnes of great digital brush sets available. Download a few and see how much fun it is to digitally paint bokeh style stamps and watercolour washes on your projects.


'Happy Birthday'
by Zeneva Kovic 
Page Drafts Sketch #36.5 by The Nifty Pixel
Artist Tip: In digital scrapbooking you can also create interesting spritz stencil patterns to your backgrounds simply by using the magic tool to select and area and on a new layer use a spritz/splatter brush tool to render a stencilled like effect.

Fall Run'
by Stephanie Brower Czosnek 
Page Drafts Sketch #36.5 by The Nifty Pixel

Hope you like these sketches and the fabulous examples from the team. Don't forget to share your creations with us over at our Facebook Page or here in the comments below. We are always on the look out for your amazing creations to showcase in both the GSO and Customer Creations galleries.

Have fun scrapping with the sketches and remember to
'Let Your Imagination Do the Rest!'

Em & The Nifty Crew.
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