Studio J Album - Animal Cookies

I gave my sis-in-law a full album for Christmas of her only child, who graduates from high school this year. I knew she really wanted one and although she is one of the craftiest gals I know - and amazing at everything she touches - I also knew she didn't have time to make one before his graduation. I started collecting photos in the summer, but I didn't really start on the layouts until October. I was able to scrapbook ALL of the photos I was able to get with no problem in less than 10 days, just working a little here and there. In fact, I was able to get as many as 4 double layouts completed in just 2 hours! (With journaling, embellishments, photos, and titles!) So until I get some more "blog fodder" at my retreat next weekend, I'm going to start showing the pages in my nephew's book to give you an idea of the amazing tool that Studio J offers.

OH, and this month - February 2011 - Studio J members can get a free layout when they purchase 9 others! Considering that the doubles are only about $6.50 for members, it is a GREAT deal!

With photos in such color, the perfect paper pack is the Animal Cookies set! The pictures that I had for this weren't the best of quality, but the photo spots were small so the quality worked out fine! And take a look at the metal photo clips! Don't they look real??? Unless I'm running my fingers over the embellishments, they look just like the real thing, 3-dimensional with shadows and light glares just like they would if they were actual metal accents.

This little snippet of the layout shows several important details. First is the stickease. You can even layer stickease, like putting letters over an open frame. This picture also shows the torn white edge of the "paper." Again, looking totally real. The paper in this case is set up like the "backside" of the actual paper. See, the actual Background & Texture paper has a backside that repeats the print only in a solid color. The extra bonus you get in doing it online is that you can CHOOSE the color you want for the print. I love that, because sometimes the backside color just doesn't go with the way I've worked the rest of the layout.

Not only do the metal accents look realistic, but the ribbon accents look like real ribbon. With the program, I have the options of adding ribbons wherever I wish. There are also options to widen the ribbon or make it thinner. I can turn the ribbon accents in any direction. I can also add knots, ties, and loops. I can connect it to photo loops like shown, or through ribbon slides. I can have a slant or flat cut to it and I can crop it so it ends where I want it to. This picture also shows the torn paper. This particular layout uses a lot of torn paper.

The titling available in Studio J is so easy to use. There are probably two dozen different fonts and they can be added on a mat of any color - including vellum. But my favorite way of adding titles is just across whatever is already there, like I did with this title. It can even show up across the photos themselves if necessary.

This design is from the Imagine book (page 58) and is called "Dialogue."

Studio J Layouts - Animal Cookies

I'm a big fan of Studio J and will be showing you numerous layouts that I've made recently with this fabulous new tool!!! I have so many favorite things about this program that it is hard to narrow it down to one, but I think the best thing of all is that I can use it for free!!! I don't have to pay a penny until I decide I want to purchase a layout. That means I can play around with all sorts of options before I settle on one.

Another thing I love about the program is that I don't have to print off pictures. That's a big plus, because I enjoy using a variety of sizes in my photos and this really saves me money since I don't have to print out the more expensive 8 x 10 or 5 x 7 pictures. I can also get sizes like these 2 x 2 which are impossible to print. Its not such a big deal if I can cut down a 4 x 6 print to the size I want, but, as in the case of these pictures, cutting the original down to a 2 x 2 would cut out so much of the action, it would be impossible to tell what was going on at all.

There are a variety of embellishments available with Studio J in any of the Close to My Heart 60 colors. I can also use the colors in titles and journaling, not to mention the fun fonts I have to choose from. And in the title of the layout, I used the Alphabet that came with the Stickease. Of course it wasn't this big originally, but it is easy to adjust the size.

This layout is call "Dialogue." I'm not sure if it is from the Cherish or the Imagine book, but I like the way it has paper tearing throughout.

I don't have to buy ANYTHING I don't want to use!

I really like the new Animal Cookies paper set. The papers shown in the layout are awesome for all sorts of events, but the others in the set would be a little harder for me to use. Cartoon animals, Number paper, and a variety of red hearts are great for little kids (and maybe years ahead of me when my girls are all teenagers), but unless just the right situation comes up, it will be unlikely that I would use them anytime soon. But since I'm using them on Studio J, I don't have to waste the rest of the kit or find a place to store the odds and ends. I also LOVE the fact that the stickease is available for all the kits online - ALL of the Stickease and I can use them more than once! Hurrah!