So it’s true: time really does FLY when you’re having fun. What an adventure this year has been. Peppermint Creative has more than doubled in popularity since last year and I can’t wait to see what happens in the year to come. LOTS of great things will be coming in 2008 as the site expands to accommodate growing interest. Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to its success. It thrills me to know that my designs are being enjoyed and used to create precious keepsakes for your family to enjoy. I hope everyone has a safe, happy and healthy new year and I’ll see you all in 2008!

Hey fellow addicts, it’s Shanta here with a quick tip for making sure you get the most out of your frames & elements! Many people try to rotate elements using TRANSFORM and end up with an upside down element with a drop shadow at the top because they did a 180 degree ROTATE and not a true flip. Follow these easy steps when you want to an element, frame (or even a photo) to be facing the opposite direction.

INSTRUCTIONS USING PHOTOSHOP:
1. Open the element you wish to use.
2. Go to Image>Rotate Canvas>Flip Horizontal. (or Flip Vertical if needed)

-OR- To flip a single element that’s ALREADY placed
on your layout instead of the ENTIRE canvas:
1. Click on the element you want to flip in the Layers Palette.
2. Press CNTRL+T to activate the TRANSFORM tool.
3. Right click anywhere on the layout to bring up a menu.
4. Select Flip Horizonal. (or Flip Vertical)

Happy Scrapping!

I promised you a little sneaky peaky so here it is…

I am SO excited to debut the new SCRAP IN A SNAP Templates next week. I’ve wanted to do some for a really long time but didn’t have a chance until now. There are actually FOUR sets coming, so you’ll have to wait to see the other two, but I will tell you that one is Christmas themed – for all those pictures you just took and have no idea what to do with! LOL.

Anywho..I’m sure most of you are familiar with layered templates as they’ve been making their way around digi-land for a while now, but if you’ve never seen or used them before, allow me to explain.

They are basically pre-designed blank layouts. All you have to do is fill them in with your own papers, photos, elements and journaling! They come as layered .psd (photoshop) files and as layered .tifs so you will need either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to use them. When you open the file all the layers are there for you to play with. You can cover all the layers with your favorite papers and elements, add or delete existing layers, make your own drop shadows or use the ones already there. The best part is, you can use them again and again! Don’t be fooled into thinking that you can’t be creative or original while using a template. Au contraire my friends! You’d be surprised how many different ways a single template can be used! In fact, Mint Chick SUPREME, Kirstie came up with a sneaky little trick to using the templates in a creative way,

I will share her trick as well as a bunch of layouts completed with the templates when they debut. And don’t worry – they come with instructions and a link to an online tutorial I created on how to use them – complete with screenshots! You’re in good hands.

Off to work on that freebie! Ciao for now ;)

The BOXING DAY BLOWOUT is over and wow did you guys make off like little bandits! LOL! You completely cleaned me out of the 5×5 board books but I hope to be getting more in shortly. I made one big trip to the post office in the afternoon with a massive sack of packages piled high into two huge bags. I literally felt like Santa Claus. I *WISH* I could have taken a picture of the clerk’s face when I lifted the bags onto the counter. Sheer HORROR. Luckily, there was no one else in line when I arrived. Three people came in soon after and one guy actually left. Men. So impatient.

I must confess that I’ve been slacking a little bit this month. Now that I’m 100% healed from the surgery I had in October and feeling better than I have in YEARS I’ve been anxious to get out more that usual and enjoy the things I haven’t been able to do for a while. That plus the holidays equals a significant decrease in computer time. Nonetheless, I still have a fun new scrappy set of products coming up. What is it you ask? Oooh but I cannot tell you just yet! Tune in tomorrow for a little preview.

While I’m confessing things, I should tell you that I haven’t even STARTED the January freebie yet. To tell you the truth, I prefer to leave things to the last minute. It’s just more exciting that way – don’t you think? LOL. More stressful, but definitely more exciting. Stay up late, work like a dog. Sleep in. Complain about how tired you are. LOL. There is really only one major pitfall to sleeping the day away (see story below).

Last night I went to bed at 4am, woke up at 7am but went back to bed at 9:30 and slept till 2pm. OOPS. By that time the dog had tipped over my office garbage bin, eaten half a chocolate almond bar (he’s ok) and pooped it out all over the front door mat. Mr. Mint, who was up at least an hour or two before me (he won’t confess to how long he was up), decided to leave the mess and destruction as it was until I woke up so that I could fully appreciate the disaster that is our dog for myself. I guess he felt that just TELLING me about it would not suffice. How thoughtful.

Thanks honey. You shouldn’t have.

Nothing like scrubbing dog diarrhea off your doormat first thing in the morning…or in this case, afternoon.

Sigh.

But enough about dog poop. Let’s talk about you. How was your holiday? I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with joy and cheer, lots of presents, good food, annoying in-laws and as little fruit cake as possible.;)

Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for a lookie loo at what’s coming up!

Wow! I’m so excited by your enthusiastic response to the new board books. It looks like you guys are just as addicted to these little books as I am. I’ve been crafting all day long! So much fun! I’ve received so many emails requesting more information about the books and how to use them that I’ve decided to post it all on the blog. Be sure to order soon if you’d like your books to arrive before Christmas and don’t forget that they are 20% off ONLY until Friday Dec. 14 so be sure to pick them up before then.

So…what should you do with your board book? I’m happy to tell you that there are no rules or regulations, no right’s or wrong’s. You can create anything you think up! I used the 5×5 book for this Christmas album. It was designed using the new Jingle Bell Rock kit. I couldn’t resist sticking a few rhinestones over some of the buttons on the wreath to give the cover a little three dimensional bling!

Most scrapper’s tend to go this route. But don’t feel obligated. Try something different like using a simple clean design to show off your favorite photos as I did in the second album shown below. I don’t think any grandparent could resist a book like this of their little ones. Speaking of little ones, Tricia (StarWarsFans) emailed me with her great plan for the board books. Her 18 month old son LOVES books and just adores looking at pictures of himself and the family but gets frusterated ’cause Mom won’t let him play with her fancy Shutterfly keepsake album. LOL! So she wants to make a picture book just for him. The thick chipboard pages are just perfect for little hands and with a proper sealant, it will last for years to come. Now he can have his very own album to enjoy anytime he wants. What a GREAT idea.

So now that you’ve seen ‘em you wanna know how to make ‘em right?
Here are my tricks of the trade…

Consider your album size
There is a considerable difference in size between the 5×5″ and 8×8″ albums so think about what you might create before you make your purchase. The 5×5 books are best suited for showcasing layouts and photos that do not contain too much journaling. Really long journaling will have to be quite small to fit alongside a photo or two however you could use one side of the page to write about the photo on the opposite page.
The 8×8 books are big enough that you are can include photos and journaling with ease. I resize all my 12×12 layouts to 8×8 for printing and I’ve never had a problem reading my journaling. If you intend to have your pages professionally printed, it’s a good idea to print a greyscale draft on regular paper just to check the size of your journaling before you send them off.

Print your pages slightly smaller than your album
Size your pages slightly smaller than the size of the actual album to make assembly easy and foolproof. If you’re using the 5×5 album, size your pages at 4.75 x 4.75″. If you’re using the 8×8 album, size your pages at 7.75 x 7.75″. This is how I’ve done my pages in the photos above and as you can see, you get a nice white border around your page. I personally like how it looks but if you don’t you can try to size your pages slightly larger – but be warned, test them before having all your pages printed – or if you’re feeling really ambitious you can paint the entire books with acrylic paint in a coordinating color beforehand.

Paper selection is a matter of personal preference
There is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing the type of paper to you for your album. It’s just a matter of personal preference. Many people love matte paper but I personally prefer a semi-gloss or glossy paper. But keep you audience in mind. A matte paper will probably be the most fingerprint/ smudge resistant but if you get a good quality glossy paper you should be fine. I used Kodak Premium Photo Paper Gloss.

OPTIONAL: Round your corners for a polished look
Cutting your pages to match the album’s rounded corners will give your album a clean professional look. You can do this easily using a corner rounder paper punch. You can round all four corners or just the outer two. If you choose to only punch the outer two, be sure to decide what order your pages will be assembled in your book before you start punching as pages on the right will be punched on the right and pages on the left are punched on the left. Corner punches are available online or at your local scrapbook store. I found mine at Michael’s.

Choose your adhesive wisely
Choosing the right adhesive can be the difference between a clean and easy to assemble album and a sticky, messy nightmare. Dry glues are the popular choice for board book assembly. They are easy to work with, create less mess, leave a much smoother finish and dry instantly. There’s virtually no risk of glue “gunk” getting on the front of your freshly printed pages or accidentally getting them stuck together. The best of the best when it comes to dry glue is the Xyron Cheetah. Just drag it across your paper to apply a strip of acid free, permanent adhesive. The EK Success Dotto Dispenser is another good choice. It’s small size is great for edges and corners.

I also really like working with the Zig 2 Way Glue Pen. While I would generally recommend that you stay away from any type of wet glue, this one gets a Minty thumbs up. It changes color when wet and dry so you can see where you’ve applied it, plus it can be used as either a permanent or temporary adhesive. I used the Zig 2 Way Glue Pen to adhere my album pages AND the rhinestone embellishments and trust me they are stuck for a lifetime. Application was a snap and I really liked that since the glue is a little wet, I was able to slide my pages into the perfect position when I put them down. You have to be pretty precise when using dry glue. That being said, the Zig Pens ONLY work well with a heavy weight paper like photo paper. If you use it on regular printer paper or notepaper you will get bumps and wrinkles in your pages. The Xyron Cheetah and Zig 2 Way Glue Pen are widely available online or at your local craft/scrapbook store. I got mine at Michael’s.

OPTIONAL: Use a sealer to protect your project
If choose to seal your pages for added protection, be sure to test the sealant first on a copy of a page from your album. Don’t test it on a blank page – it has to be a printed page to be sure the ink won’t run. Be sure your prints are very dry before sealing. Apply the sealant before you add any embellishments. Do one page at a time and let it dry completely before touching it or moving on. I tried both Mod Podge and Americana Sealer Spray on my glossy Kodak prints. I preferred the spray sealer which left my pages nice, light and glossy but the Mod Podge worked well too and gave my page a better more durable seal. I use the classic Mod Podge but I noticed they now have one specifically for paper projects and it’s advertised as being acid free so you might want to give that one a whirl. Be sure to apply thin coats with a foam brush. A paint brush will leave stroke marks. No matter what you use, let it dry page by page somewhere completely out of reach. Do not touch it until it is 120% dry. Both products are available at Michael’s and probably even Staples.

OPTIONAL: Add embellishments to the cover
While there are no rules, my advice is to limit additional embellishments to the front and back cover. Filling the inner pages with bulky buttons and bows will make your album impossible to close. Adding some funky embellishments to the cover on the other hand, is a fun way to add some dimension or sparkle to your project.

And in case you’re all confused, here is what you should look for when you head to the store!

Now it’s your turn to leave your best board book ideas, tips and tricks in the comments below. This is just the tip of the iceberg baby! The possibilities are truly endless. I can’t wait to hear some great ideas! Enjoy your books and feel free to let me know if you have anymore questions. Enjoy and get creative!