Meet Maya!

Our Design Team call was every bit as exciting to judge AND difficult to decide as our initial call was last year - except that we only had ONE spot open for a new designer this year!  After much deliberation, we are thrilled to be  able to introduce you to our newest DT member, Maya Oren-Dahan.  

Maya lives in Wisconsin with her husband Ofir and thee children - two girls, 10 and 7.5 years old, and a 7-month-old baby boy. They moved to the US from Israel six years ago. Her family speaks Hebrew at home, and tries to preserve their Israeli culture while living in a completely non-Jewish environment.
 
Maya wrote us, "Since I was a little girl I loved looking at the pictures and decorating picture albums. I finished my own baby album when I was in high school. Later I made travel scrapbooks to document our trips. The only tools I have were the scissors and markers. Little did I know that few thousands miles away there is a huge industry called scrapbooking :)
 
Maya calls herself a "simple scrapbooker with some artistic touches". She adds, "I always like to try new ideas and techniques, but they have to be reasonable. I am not going to spend 1 hour to stamp, emboss, distress and stamp again just to make one little tag :) It is just not me. I think my strengths are in working with the pictures. I always think that the picture is the star of the layout and everything else is just to help the picture shine."

We got a preview of her beautiful style with her design team application, and can't wait to see her working with our sponsor products in upcoming months!

    

    

 

online crop at a friendly site

I've been doing an online crop this weekend at www.croppinparadise.com - I need to get some serious scrapping done, so of course I've been most enamored of the altered projects, lol! If anyone wants to do some challenges tomorrow stop by -- I only signed up 2 days ago for the crop but they seem like a friendly crew :)

Enter our April Layout Contest

from http://www.jewish-scrapbooking.com
Due April 30 2009.

Win a ScraPerfect Strap-n-Tap Perfect Printing Pouch by entering our easy April layout contest!



ScraPerfect Printing Pouches are used to prevent smearing, resisting and bleeding on vellum and other challenging surfaces, whether you're computer printing with an ink-jet printer (think journaling OR hybrid projects!) OR rubber stamping. They also speed drying time to stop those 'I thought it was dry by now' smudges. The Perfect Printing Pouch works by releasing a fine coating of powder that bonds the ink to the paper, and the powders contain a drying agent so that ink dries almost instantly. The strap-n-tap design (valued at $10.99) makes treating whole sheets of paper easy. Perfect Printing Pouches last forever.

For a chance to win one, create a scrapbook layout that incorporates one of the following:

1 - computer printing (images or text/journaling) onto a surface other than standard paper or cardstock (vellum, transparency, glossy paper...cork? mulberry paper? Whatever you can dream up, we'd love to see!)

OR

2 - heat embossing

The layout can be any size 4x4" on up, and must be uploaded to the contest gallery here: http://www.jewish-scrapbooking.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=89 on or before April 30, 2009.

One winner will be chosen immediately following the close of the contest, and announced in the contest thread in our forums. Entrants will need to register for the forums in order to be able to upload into the contest gallery.

Have fun, and good luck!

Just in time for Passover!

JUST in time to scrapbook photos of this year's Passover celebration:

Barbara Speck Designs has released "Celebration of Passover."



This digital kit includes

5 Papers
9 Wordart Pieces
1 Happy Passover Decorative Egg
1 Kippah
1 Matzah cover with the requisite 3 matzahs inside
1 Sedar Plate
2 Blank Tags
1 Circle Matzah Mat
1 Ribbon Stitched Bracket Mat

and is available at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking .

Last Updated ( Saturday, 11 April 2009 )

Design Team Call: Jewish-scrapbooking.com

Jewish-Scrapbooking.com Design Team Call

From http://www.jewish-scrapbooking.com

Jewish-scrapbooking.com is the only site of its kind on the internet, dedicated to providing ideas, information, resources and community for Jewish papercrafters and anyone in need of inspiration for Jewish projects (such as gifts for the Jewish branch of the family, or a Chanukah card for that one Jewish co-worker!)

We are currently searching to fill one position on our Design Team. Submissions will be due April 22, 2009. All applicants welcomed, including International.

You may apply for the Jewish-Scrapbooking.com Design Team by submitting the following to admin@jewish-scrapbooking.com :


PROJECT IMAGES
Submit images of 3 recent projects that represent your best design work. Most of our sponsors are 'traditional' scrapbooking companies, so please don't submit digital-only works at this time. Please do mention if you're digi-capable, though. It comes in handy!

We would love to see at least one project using Jewish themes or supplies, but this is not a hard and fast requirement.

INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

1. Please describe your experience with papercrafting, and what kinds of crafts you enjoy most. Are you a straight paper scrapbooker? Mostly a card maker or stamper? Can you use both mounted and unmounted or acrylic stamps? Can you do digital or hybrid projects in addition to paper projects? Are you eager to give new mediums and techniques a shot, or do you prefer to stay with your tried-and-true techniques? Let us know what you feel your strengths are.

2. Tell us about your connection with Judaism or Jewish papercrafts. It is not absolutely mandatory that you be Jewish yourself, but we should see a clear motivation for you to be applying for this team, and be certain that you have sufficient knowledge of Judaism and/or Jewish culture and community to be able to create Jewish themed papercrafts on a monthly basis.

3. If you are currently on one or more design teams, perform moderating duties at another site, or have a papercrafting resume, online gallery or blog, please let us know where (or send links) and what kinds of experience/responsibilities you have elsewhere. Previous DT experience is not necessary. We are open to a variety of styles and experience levels. Passion for and commitment to Jewish crafting are what’s most essential.

4. Tell us a little about yourself and your family – where you live, who you love, what you enjoy, what subjects you scrap the most. Send the above with your name, email address & full contact information to admin@jewish-scrapbooking.com

* Applicants who are not currently members of our community are strongly encouraged to register at http://www.jewish-scrapbooking.com and begin participating in the forums and gallery as soon as possible, so that we can get to know you!*

If chosen as a Jewish-Scrapbooking.com Design Team member you will be required to:

1. Create 2-3 papercrafting projects (could be layouts, cards, or other items) each month on deadline, generally with sponsor materials sent to you. Specifics will be sent to those invited to join the DT. Not *all* projects will need to have a Jewish or religious theme or use Jewish themed supplies, but be prepared to present a majority of projects that do. We are most eager to fill our site with Jewish crafting inspiration, but most of us don’t have religion or religious symbols on EVERY layout.

2. Actively participate in our member forums and gallery (starting threads, responding to posts, commenting on layouts), including moderating a forum.

3. Help create & host forum challenges and/or contests on a rotating basis with other DT members; contribute other content to the site such as tips, techniques, project instructions and resources on an as-needed basis.

DT duties will begin on May 1st, 2009 and continue for one year.

Questions about this call or DT requirements may be asked on the DT call thread in our forums, or via pm at the site. We look forward to seeing your work and getting to know you!

Preserving Memories: Jewish Scrapbooking

Preserving Memories: Jewish Scrapbooking
Written by Rachel Simon, Shalom Scrapper

Scrapbooking - a hobby where women of all generations lay out their photographs and memories in a creative fashion - is an enormously popular hobby today.

In fact, there are 32 million scrapbookers in the United States alone (there are more scrapbookers than golfers!). People who scrapbook preserve all of the events of their lives – their weddings, children’s lives, interests, etc. I have been a scrapbooker for nine years now, and my pages come alive with memories (in pictures and text) of my family’s experiences: the day my husband proposed to me…the day my daughter Abby walked her first steps…the day my son Ethan had his first zoo trip. Many of my scrapbook pages also capture ordinary events: goofy faces, relaxing on the couch, playing a board game…my scrapbooks truly transport me back in time as I flip through the pages of our lives.


Not surprisingly, there have been basically no scrapbook products that cater to the growing Jewish segment of scrapbookers. And when there have been products, they have all been for Hannukah, which the world must believe is our only holiday! This is ironic, because our culture is rich in life cycle events that we gather as families and communities to celebrate. From B’rit Milah and Baby Naming Ceremonies to Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, to the abundant traditions of our Jewish weddings – and all of the Passover Seders and latke parties in between - Jews never miss an opportunity to gather as one family and rejoice. And we always take pictures – especially of the food! Now more than ever, it is important that those memories be documented, preserved, and passed down for future generations. Because of the large gap in the under-served Jewish market, we decided to fill this void and start Shalom Scrapper.

Why Jewish scrapbooking?

Beyond the business aspect, there really is a noble intent behind our decision to start Shalom Scrapper. With more and more Jews marrying outside the faith, Jewish children being pulled away from engagement with their local temples by competing priorities, and increasing emphasis on commercialization of the holiday season, Jewish families need a vehicle to document, preserve, and pass down the values of our Jewish faith. Scrapbooking allows families to do that. Our papers give the perfect instrument to journal the meaning of the holiday, the traditions the family has established, and more. We believe in our hearts that when Jewish children see their Jewish upbringing documented before their eyes, it will have a profound impact on shaping their Jewish identity as they get older.

Not sure how to get started?

I was once a new scrapbooker, too – a little overwhelmed at my pile of pictures and not sure how to get my creative juices flowing. Here are my recommendations:

Sort your pictures – first by year, then by month, then by event. Put them in labeled boxes so that they are organized and accessible.
Buy some supplies – ease yourself in since there are so many choices. Take a visit to your local scrapbook store (look in the Yellow Pages), an online store (such as www.scrapyourtrip.com), or a big craft chain store like Michaels or JoAnns. They all have a nice selections of albums, adhesives, and paper. Make sure your supplies are acid-free and lignin-free, as these will ensure that your photos will not fade over time.
Start scrapbooking with an event that you are excited about – your wedding (this was my first project), your pregnancy, your last birthday party, your last vacation, etc. Buy themed paper and stickers to create the look you are after. For instance, if you are scrapbooking a birthday party, buy some cute 12x12 paper that has balloons on it. Add some stickers that say “Happy Birthday!”
Search on-line galleries for inspiration and ideas. Ready to scrapbook a Jewish event? Check out the gallery on www.shalomscrapper.com for ideas.
Don’t forget to journal. This is an important part of scrapbooking. What happened that day? What do you want to remember? Put in your own words your thoughts on the event.
Don’t be critical of your first endeavors. When I look back at my first couple of albums, it is neat to see how my scrapbooking style has progressed.
Have fun! I often like to scrap with my sisters and other friends – it is a fun way to bounce ideas off of each other and have a good time while preserving our memories.

I hope you enjoy scrapbooking as much as I do!


By Rachel Simon


[This article was reprinted with permission by the author from http://www.modernjewishmom.com]

opinions, anyone?

I stumbled upon a post which should be interesting to Jewish Scrapbookers - an Israeli scrapbooker looking to start a new Jewish/Israel themed scrapbooking line…who is looking for input as to what to include! Share your thoughts by commenting here: http://thescrapbooker.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/finding-the-israel-theme-in-scrapbooking/#comment-198

Jewish Scrapbooking in the Digital Age

Jewish Scrapbooking in the Digital Age PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator
Saturday, 28 March 2009

Jewish-Scrapbooking.com is pleased-as-punch to be able to introduce you this month to two fabulous digital designers who offer beautiful Jewish kits, papers and embellishments for digital or 'hybrid' scrapbooking and cardmaking. Since many of our members have never tried digital scrapbooking (and it's pretty intimidating until you get started - believe me, I know!), we'll be offering tips and tricks throughout the month for incorporating digital designs into the projects you already love to create. Once you see the beautiful variety of images available for the Jewish scrapbooker, you'll want to try using them - and we'll be here when you need us!

First up for introductions, designer BARBARA SPECK!

It feels a *little* odd to be welcoming Barb Speck to Jewish-scrapbooking.com, since she's been a member here for quite some while and has shared some of her designs AND some of her own projects...but now she's on board as one of our sponsors for this month's Jewish DIGITAL scrapbooking emphasis. And, she is arguably the most prolific producer of Judaic designs for digital crafting out there.

Digital scrapbookers on this site are pretty outnumbered by 'traditional' scrapbookers, who adhere our embellishments with glue dots and cut papers and photos literally instead of using a computer program Smiley. But there's no saying you have to be a 'digital scrapbooker' only, or a 'traditional' scrapbooker only. Once you take a digital image - think of clip art, if you're more familiar with that - and print it out and use it as an embellishment on a card or a layout..you've made a 'hybrid' project! Barb knows all about hybrid - tucked into her shop you'll find she's created digital templates to use with Cosmo Cricket's shaped albums! (Click READ MORE below to see more!)

In paper-and-scissors world, it can take a long time in between one Judaic themed paper or embellishment release and the next...but Barb has put out several new Judaic releases just in the past year (in addition to all her other new kits!) It was the my (constant) search for new Jewish stuff for scrapbooking that first led me to try out digital scrapbooking, and I've been enjoying the flexibility of moving back and forth with traditional, digital and hybrid projects ever since.

Check out Barb's beautiful Judaic designs in her shop at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking.

Here is a direct link to Barb's latest Judaic release, celebrating Jewish weddings "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is Mine".

Barb's 2008 Hanukkah release, "A Hanukkah Happening," can be found here:

Kit: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4117
Card Kit: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4130
Combo Pack: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4131


And here are some of my favorites, Barb's Designer Resources Judaic Glass Charms!
Charms: http://www.ndisb.com/store/images/Bspeck_judaicglasscharms.jpg


And here's a collection of Judaic brushes, shapes and .pngs, as well as some tiny dottie shapes:
Shapes collection: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3426
Tiny Dotty Judaic Doodles: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1008

And for embellishing, try Judaic word circles, offered in foil or template formats:
foil: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2146
templates: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2145

Admit it...it's NICE to be overwhelmed by the amount of JEWISH scrapbooking products available?? Check them out and enjoy! Later in the month you'll see what our designers have created using Barb's kits as well.
Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 March 2009 )