February Blog Train Details

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February Blog Train Details

The theme is "Retro Kitchen" and here's the palette:

The Details

  1. Anyone is eligible to join and no sign up is required.
  2. You may create what ever you would like for this blog train. It's mostly an exercise to get people designing, with the option of sharing what they've made at the end.
  3. Please clearly mark on the preview whether your part is PU or CU. (Find a DigitalScrapbook.com logo here if you'd like.)
  4. Please put all your designs in a folder and name the folder PSFeb13_DesignerName.
  5. Zip the folder and upload it to a file sharing service (some info here.)
  6. At the end of January I will post a special thread just for previews and links for the blog train.
  7. The blog train will go live on Feb 1 and pieces should be available for the entire month.

If you're looking for some inspiration, check out here.

Hopefully I got everything! Feel free to leave any questions or chatter below.

eek! i cant wait lol

Oooh, I love this...reminds me of my mama's tableclothes when I was a kid. I am going to try to participate this time. FUN FUN FUN!

I´m in XD. My husband will help this time, and we will try to make some CU stuff smiley

I'm in! I've already been designing, and I'm so excited to see what every one creates!

I haven't worked with a color palette before. I use PSE. Would I just use the eyedropper tool on the colors or is there a specific way to match them?

Yes, you do and if I remember correctly you can make a palette and save it. For instance you could select all colors you want and save that as february-blogtrain
Go to the adobe website and scroll down to this subject header: Choose a color using the Color Swatches panel the text further down explains how to add swatches (the color squares) to the palette and how to save it.

I choose PSE 11, that's what I use if you use a different number I can try to find it's help files for you. Or you can do it yourself by typing in the search bar your PSE + the number and for instance save color swatches.

Hope this is makes sense smiley I also know of another way to easily use a color palette. Say you want to use 6 colors. Than I draw 6 small a square or rectangles in a new file, doesn't have to be big. I fill each little square with the color that I want and save it as psd file. I open it in my work bin and use the eye drop tool whenever I want a color.

Hope this helps.

I didn't see your last bit of the question how to match them. I use software called Art Directors Toolkit. It has a tool to match colors. But there are also online colorwheels where you can easily see how colors compliment each other. This website Tigercolor, explains how this works and which colors can be used with which and not fight each other.
And here is a tool where you can fill out your colors and match them. Color Scheme You can easily just copy the numbers that are in the color swatches above. And than you select that circle in the tool bar that says Compliment and you'll get matches.

I hope this is what you meant.

@Christine: Thanks for sharing such great and helpful information! smiley

So excited!!!!

So I've been thinking... I would love to have someone else look over my submission to the blog train before I post it, to do a little quality control. Would anyone else be interested in the idea of buddying up into pairs who can look over each others' designs (maybe using the QC manual Marisa linked us to) and give feedback not on the designs aesthetically but just in terms of quality?

Oh! I doooooo like this idea, I have been trying to design papers, but to be given something new to try, yes please.

Love this palette and theme! Can't wait to see everyone's submissions! I don't think I'm ready to start designing things but I am definitely starting to get that itch!

thanks for the info.

@Violet I love that idea~

I can try making an alpha for this nice idea.Let's see smiley

Just wanted to let you all know the Retro Kitchen Inspiration board has been updated with tons of new pins. I went on a bit of a tear today looking for vintage patterns in tablecloths and wallpaper.

The pin board looks great! Thanks for sharing all that inspiration!

I started making papers with these colors and couldn't stop! What a great palette and theme. smiley

I have a feeling this blog train in February is going to be massive with all you participants hoping to try their hand at it. Good Luck Ladies! smiley Looking forward to seeing everyone's creations. smiley

Love this theme and the colors. The pinterest board is like a walk through my mother's kitchen. Thanks.

YES! I just finished my portion for the blogtrain, and made myself a logo in the process smiley Now all that's left is to set up a blog...

But first, sleep smiley

Gratz Melouise! I am planning to make a new blog for me too, and start it in the blog train, in a way that, when I want to post in English, I use the other blog, as I´m writting more in English (and feeling more confident on it) since I started on this site smiley

I just realized that this was here - I'm going to try to get something done so I can participate too!

Just a couple of days and I'll post the sign up thread. How are things going? I'm debating between locking the sign up thread once Feb 1 comes, this means:

1. No one can accidentally post comments on the sign up thread where they will have to be deleted.
2. No one can sign up late for the blog train.

I'm open to which ever people think is the better idea...

That's a good idea, Marisa. Makes things less confusing and easier to navigate.

Can threads that you lock be unlocked by you? Maybe you could allow folks who missed the deadline (life gets in the way sometime) but still want to be part of the blog train to let you know that in the comments thread and you could include a post in the locked sign-up thread that updated with those links? I agree that it will be much easier having comments confined to the comments thread so locking seems like a good idea, but I am sad at the thought that if someone misses the deadline for some reason they won't be able to contribute.

@Emily Silverman - do you want to be QC buddies? I can send you what I have and take a look at what you've made if you like. I already came across some jaggies that I hadn't noticed somehow. SIGH.

I'm ready to go whenever. smiley

I'm a horrible procrastinator. I started a couple of days ago and am hoping that you'll leave it open, even if it's only for a few days after the actual deadline. I'm thinking that I'll finish in time...but it will be a crunch. I have quite a bit done but still have quite a few more things I'd like to add.

Ahhh! I didn't even see this until today, LOL! I'm going to try and bang something out, though(I think, smiley)

Quick question - should the theme "Retro Kitchen" be taken very literally, in the sense that there should be kitchen related designs somehow incorporated into anything submitted for the blog train? I think I have some CU "breakfast time" templates kicking around on my EHD, but that's about it LOL!

@ Emily: I think that theme is a "tad" loose maybe stick to your creative idea of it... I would imagine you could just do more everyday items for a kit verses exact kitchen items, if that helps you. But I'm sure the kitchen items would be much appreciated! Feel free to try your hand at it. There IS a color scheme though that they want everyone to follow... Did you find that? Let us know if you need more help. Good Luck!

@ Everyone: I'm so looking forward to all you designer types showing us what you got... to us mere lowly layout makers. smiley hee hee
I really wish I had y'alls creative talents! smiley