I totally slacked yesterday on getting the Gallery standout up here on the blog so for this week it will be a Tuesday Gallery Standout and then hopefully next week we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled program.

Our gallery standout for this Monday comes from scribler with her layout, “7th Anniversary.” Her layering is artfully arranged, and I love her choice of love birds that skillfully highlights the colors in her photograph. Oh, and Happy Anniversary, scribler!

If you haven’t stopped by to leave some love for this beautiful page, make sure to click on the image to go to scribler’s gallery (the image is linked).

Remember to post your layouts using Christina Renee Designs in the gallery this week ~ and you could be featured on the Authentic Artistry Blog next Monday!

This week’s gallery standout comes from LilacLady and is titled “A Feature Wall.” I am totally in love with the idea of a feature wall, probably because my own childhood home sported one until I was in my teens when, thankfully, it was replaced. It was a rain forest scene, and while quite lovely, it didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the decor. Alas, we have no pictures of the beautiful wall! So I really love that this moment in time was captured ~ you just never know when you are snapping pictures, what is going to be remembered.

The background paper and torn paper edges are perfect for this period picture. I also love the bits of strings and how she has journaled on the music paper.

If you haven’t stopped by the gallery and left LilacLady a comment, please do so. The image is linked.

Thanks for your inspiration!! Be sure to check back next time to see if your layout is in the spotlight! Have a great week!

Hey everyone! Andrea C. checking back in here on the ole blog to give you today’s CRD gallery standout. This week we’re featuring a little magic mixed in with a touch of cuteness and lots of FABULOUS greenery. Check out this GORGEOUS page from bsp2232 titled “So Soph”

I linked it up so that you can go and give that beauty a little loving! I just fell in love with the whole magical feel to it and I can’t resist a page full of beautiful flowers and greenery, just feels appropriate at this time of year! Thanks so much for providing this week’s inspiration!!

After posting my quick note yesterday on hybrid, I thought it might be nice to create a small freebie to get you started on your way. Don’t you agree?! I created four simple templates that are all sized perfectly to fit the Basic Grey scalloped albums, check them out in this preview:

I know that different people like to have their templates in different ways so today I’m providing two links for you to pick from. You can choose between .tiff files or .psd files to play with :) Here are your linkies for you:

Templates in .psd format here!!

Templates in .tiff format here!!

These would be a great start to creating a little hybrid album. I left plenty of room for you to doll them up a bit with plenty of digital or “real” embellishments. I’m hoping to get some free time to create this week on my own and I’ll be sure to share if that happens and I hope you’ll do the same. PLEASE share with us if you are able to use them!!

I’m off to work on a mountain of laundry that has been building while I’ve been doing online busy work and doing my “real” job too. Sadly, I’m out of socks and I can no longer avoid it, LOL. Anyhow, hope you enjoy the templates and hope you have a great week!! Check back later this week for some more fun!

Have you always wanted to create hybrid projects but wasn’t sure where to start? Not even sure of what hybrid scrapbooking is? Then you’ve came to the right place!! We are in the planning stages of bringing you some awesome hybrid projects and tutorials on a regular basis here on AA but thought that we might want to start out helping you figure out the basics first.

Just what in the world does “hybrid scrapping” mean? It’s simple really! Hybrid scrapbooking is bringing together the best of both worlds - digital and paper scrapbooking. It seems that no matter who you talk to you’ll find varying answers as to what qualifies, some think that printing out your journaling on the computer and adding it to a paper scrapped page is enough to call it hybrid while others think you need to print out a digital page in it’s entirety and then add on some flowers for it to be considered hybrid. Honestly, I think both would fit the definition…..hybrid is simply using techniques of paper scrapbooking and then using your computer and printer to add in some flair and pizazz. When I first heard of “hybrid” I assumed it meant that people were printing out digital papers and using them for altered art projects and then I really started exploring and discovered that it included so much more. Check out some of these fabulous hybrid projects found in the gallery here at CRD:

Soldered Charms by mendytexas:

Hybrid Layout by Lexicam:

Hybrid Card by Jess Gordon:

Birthday Set by vivie:

Botanical Happiness Layout by Julie Ann Shahin:

Aren’t they all awesome and so unique and different in their own way? It opens your eyes to all the different things that you can do with hybrid!! When I think of people that have influenced hybrid scrapbooking, one that comes to mind is Jessica Sprague who not only does write ups about hybrid for Creating Keepsakes in her column titled “Papers + Pixels” but she also has a very informative blog to help you along the way as well. Another huge influence on the hybrid field was the introduction of Scrapbook Dimensions Magazine which puts the main focus of their pages onto hybrid ideas and products and is a fabulous resource to get your hands on if you’re interested in learning more.

Of course to begin hybrid scrapping there are a few basics that you will need.

* A computer (naturally)
* A photo editing or graphics program - Photoshop Elements is fabulous for beginners and really easy to learn too; but there are lots of alternatives as well.
* A good photo quality printer - You’ll be doing plenty of printing in hybrid and you need to make sure that your printer is a good one to print out photos and to print out those digital products you’ll be using.
* Paper Supplies - Depending on your approach to hybrid this may vary. For me….cardstock, flowers, ribbons and brads are a MUST! You can find these at a local craft store or in a local scrapbook store. You can also find many scrapbook shoppes online to do your shopping if you prefer.
* Digital Products - You can find some great freebies to start out with (there are lots of freebies here on AA) and of course you can always purchase items here in the shoppe.
* Sealant/Adhesive - You are going to want to invest in a good sealant/adhesive to stick your projects together. I am a lover of Modge Podge but I know that Diamond Glaze is also very popular as well. Look around your local stores and try out a few until you find the one that works for you, each individual person likes different things so just test a couple out.

Those are your main items that are must haves! Of course there are lots of things out there that you can buy to add more life to your pages but those are just your basics.

Those few things will get you started and we will be coming at you with some fun projects soon along with tutorials so that you can follow along and create your own fabulous hybrid projects. Before I leave I wanted to leave you with a few resources to be reading through before those tuts begin so check out these links below. Some were linked above but I just wanted to make sure you didn’t miss them! Happy Scrapping!

Resources:

Jessica Sprague’s Blog
Jessica Sprague’s Hybrid Scrapbooking Beginners Tutorial
“Papers + Pixels” Column at Creating Keepsakes
Scrapbook Dimensions Magazine
ScrapJazz Hybrid Article
Prima Hybrid
DigiShopTalk Hybrid Gallery - Full of inspiration

This week’s Gallery Standout is from CerysCrow. What’s NOT to love about this layout? Her choice of quote to use on the page that she successfully carried through into a complete theme . . . with the hourglass butterflies, the horses looking behind as if they see how fleeting time is . . . sigh! Such a beautiful expression of seizing life!

Stop by and take a close look at the layout in the gallery, and make sure you leave a comment for her outstanding page!