Instead of a Scraptorial per se, the next few weeks I will be hosting a "Make-A-Kit" Challenge with daily prompts and Scraptorials now and then along the way. This challenge is open to absolutely anyone who wants to join us and make a kit--mini or monster! It doesn't matter if this will be your very first kit, or if you have made a bazillion kits already. You are free to do whatever you wish with what you create, of course. Save it for your own personal use, share it at your blog or store, or in the comments when we do our final wrap-up or maybe you would like to join the Commons here at Digital Scrapbook, and start sharing your goodies there. It is totally up to you.
I will try very hard to keep everything pretty basic this first time. (Yes, I am already dreaming of this being a more-than-one-time thing that we do!) And I will do my best to explain all prompts so even someone completely new to Photoshop can follow along. If I miss something vital in my instructions, please do not hesitate to ask questions. My expertise, such as it is, is in Photoshop, but you are welcome to use any graphics software you are comfortable with or that you have at your disposal. Gimp is said to be a really good substitute for Photoshop, and it is FREE if you are not wanting to invest any money just yet. Adobe also offers a limited-time free trial and their monthly subscription for PS, starts at $9.99. Plus, there are a ton of other really good graphics programs that will work for this venture and I am really good at Googling up answers if you need help figuring out something beyond PS. Always happy to try to help if I can!
If this isn't your first kit-making rodeo, then feel free to bend the prompts to your skill level and know that you are welcome to share your fancy advanced techniques with us. Everyone loves learning new things (myself included) and I really think the main point of this exercise should be that we are doing it together and supporting each other and learning as much as possible. I say, if you are having fun and getting some stuff done, then you are doing it right!
A friendly reminder: if you intend to share your finished results, please make sure you are using commercial-use items and please credit your designing resources as much as possible or as required. (I get the best ideas from you guys about what new things I might need to gather for my stash when you do that!)
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I didn't make a zip of the instructions this time as there were no additional files to share. Just right-click save each page after they open in a new tab, if you wish to have a copy to work from or save them for later.
Where to Find Pre-Made Palettes
- Right here on DigitalScrapbook.com
- Try a browser search using the term "color palette ideas." Or search for the same on Pinterest.
- Maybe grab a past or future blog train ACO (Elizabeth Minkus always provides them--bless her--in the working forum for each BT) or snag a palette from one of Bina's Color Qi Challenges in this same forum.
Where to Find Palette Templates
Of course, you can make your own from scratch or use one of the ones offered at DS or in the Commons, or you could just grab one that is already made and has the right number of spaces for your palette, and use the paint bucket tool to change it to your colors. Don't forget to add the kit name if you've dreamed that up and your designer name. It's nice to include the hex number on each swatch if you can and *BONUS* give each color a fun, themed color name!
As always, there is no due date for the completion of this challenge. You are free to do each day's challenge, or just the ones that interest you or that you have time for. This month-long Make-A-Kit Challenge (From Palette to Preview) will remain open and active for whenever you find time to do it, or however many times you want to do it. But I will mention that I did a similar challenge that Marisa hosted, and for me, at least half of the fun was working through the daily challenges with other participants, and all of us sharing our results as we went along. And of course, it was fantastic to get daily encouragement and feedback on those results, so I encourage everyone to post in the daily thread as they complete each challenge so we can applaud your efforts. Don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have about each day's prompt or technique. I might be feverishly working on the next day's post and not get back to you right away, but most likely some kind person will answer you very quickly.
Day One Challenge: Pick a palette of colors for your kit, and decide on a general theme. Start thinking about what kind of elements you would like to include and appropriate word art quotes or titles. If you make a palette graphic and/or ACO file, please share it in the comments, as well as the theme you are considering. The theme doesn't have to be written in stone just yet as we will start with making some general types of paper first. You have time to scheme on that for a few days if you need to. If you are using a palette created by someone else, credit is always nice, if you can.
If you are new to posting pictures in a forum, may I suggest making an Imgur account to host your pictures? It's free and really easy to use. Once you have your pictures uploaded there, here is a wonderful post explaining exactly how to get those pictures to show up in your post by our very own Robyn Denton. (Don't forget there are "preview" and "edit" buttons to let you see if your coding worked and/or to try again if you need to. And please remember, we were all forum newbies once and perhaps struggled. No worries.)
I am so excited to be making a kit with you and I can't wait to see all your color choices and the themes you think you might be working with!
Hi, I am Annette and I design in the Commons as "Made by Annette Marie." I have been dabbling in scrapbooking kit design since 2013, but have been using Photoshop for about 20 years. (It still regularly bends my arm up behind my back until I say "uncle" but I do enjoy wrestling around and trying to make it do what I want.)
I've made quite a few kits, but I am really excited to be doing it in a group, and getting feedback on my creations as we progress, and giving encouragement to others.
The palette I have picked to use for this challenge is this one:
And I have had some fun coming up with themed names for all the colors. Yup, Christmas. You can never have too many Christmas kits, right?
The site I got this palette from doesn't seem to be around anymore, but if you do a browser search for "Photo Card Boutique Palette" or look on Pinterest, there are still a ton of them online.
If anyone wants to use this palette, you are most welcome to do so. You can grab the ACO file for it here.
Gorgeous palette Annette, and fun names!!
I was thinking of doing a Desert/Southwest Christmas kit:
Thanks to Gayle for naming the colors!
No color names LOL...but, your colors are great as well. Can I join you in those colors instead? Or maybe do both???
Thanks for hosting the scraptorials!!
Beautiful palette, Tricia. And a SW Christmas kit sounds like a hoot-and-a-half. I am picturing that adorable cactus you created from shapes for another challenge, with your glowing light string technique from the Christmas word art! Of course, you are also most welcome to use the Christmas palette I am going to be using.
I intended to get an ACO done to share so peeps could do just that, but I haven't gotten it done yet.Uploaded and in the original post now.But YES--of course, of course. Or combine the two palettes or make two kits. (You are so speedy you could easily do that.) Whatever sparkles your tinsel, m'dear. I am very flexible! If we used the same palette, it could be our second collaboration, but no pressure. Whatever option you pick will be perfectly fine.
You are so kind and you are so very welcome!
Oooo, a collab sounds like fun! Your Rudolph red is such an appealing color and the rest of the colors are great as well. They look so fun to work with. I could still make a cactus with the spruce color and Latte thorns...with the bright colors for lights.
Downloaded the colors...thank you!!!
Sounds like a bunch of fun! Maybe some others will join us and we can have a big ol' Christmas Collab Kit to share at the end of the month!
I am looking forward to that cactus, Tricia. Gonna be AMAZING!
I tried to do this last October with Marisa but dropped out. October is usually one super busy month at work, so I am not sure if I'll end up dropping out again or get hit by a truck.
If I may go in on the colors that Annette Marie has put into that convenient aco? Then my theme (not really being a big theme girl and probably more of a photo journaler than a scrapbooker at this point) is Christmas/winter.
I was initially thinking of just posting the palette I made for the other Scraptorials that I’ve been able to do so far, but a big Christmas collaboration sounds like fun! I love the rich colors you picked, Annette!
Hi Annette. Thanks for this. I have always been tempted to make my own kit, but never had the confidence. I am going to try this time with the help of all the helpful ladies and your tuts..
I will post my color palette and theme soon.
Played around over lunch and made this mood board kind of thing. I used a bunch of goodies by Marisa, Elif, Sheila and Janet. Item numbers: 157819, 28474, 123523, 142098
Here is my color palette. I am going to try and do a motor bike themed kit. The motorbike club that I ride for colors are blue, grey black & white. That is why I chose this palette.
Thanks..Can't wait!
What a nice idea
...& what pretty colours 
in your palette, Annette!
I'm not sure if I will have time to participate, but I had previously put together a PDF about Color Sites and Palette Generators, and have made Mini Palettes to make it easier for me to select colours. If anyone wants to download them, here are the links:
Color Sites and Palette Generators PDF
Mini Colour Palettes by Dancing Tiger Designs
[These are in PNG format, and have been Gamut Checked in Photopea]
Oh, and when you're checking out palettes here on DigitalScrapbook, don't forget that you can go through the palettes from previous blog trains.
Moved to day 2
Since I'm slow and probably need the boost of already having finished 3 papers, I decided to go with the autumn palette anyway. The idea of naming the colors was too fun to resist, though I haven't come up with a name for the actual kit yet. I'm open to suggestions.
Egads, don't get hit by a truck! I wouldn't have nearly as much fun here at DS if my Goddess of Design were way-laid in the hospital!
Bina, I hope October is kind to you, and you find some little pockets of time to play with us. You are free to join in when you can, but please don't drop out entirely. Work at whatever pace your busy life allows and we will be happy to see you (and your efforts) whenever you can drop in.
Of course you are welcome to use the colors I shared in that oh-so-convenient ACO file! I am thrilled you like them. No-theme is a theme, am I right? You can make general items and/or use Christmas/Winter for inspiration. I am really flexible and I want this to be a fun, no-pressure, do it however works best for you kinda thing.
And I know that whatever you come up with will be absolutely fantastic, as always!
Becky, either palette will be fine. Maybe the time-gods will smile down upon you and you will have time to do both before Christmas is upon us! (Hey, a girl can dream!) That Christmas palette isn't going anywhere, and even if it is next holiday season before you get to it, your kit will still match up with the other kits shared in the Commons using that palette. Still a collab, just perhaps delayed a bit. I am so happy you like the colors and want to play with them!
Helloooooooo, Gail. You are so welcome, m'dear. Always. And I promise you that you CAN make a kit. I saw your pattern results and I can see that you have the talent and the eye to make a perfectly lovely kit that people will be clamoring to get their hands on. (And you have enough community points to join the Commons now! YAY!) I am so tickled you want to join in and make that first kit a reality, and I am honored and excited to be along for the ride. Anything I can help you with, just reach out. You can site mail me or post here in the comments and I will do my best to help.
I am looking forward to your palette and theme, Gail. Just so, so happy you are taking the plunge!
Okay, guys . . . I really want to answer all your comments, but my eyes are drooping and if I keep going, I will make even less sense than I usually do. Promise to respond as soon as possible after some shut-eye.
Oh, LOOK! Bina, you found (or should I say "made?") time to play. I am so honored that you worked through lunch to make this to share. I love mood boards. Yours looks like a professional magazine spread. Just so nifty! I haven't checked out your DS resources yet, but man--I love that tree. Is it an outline doodle with a style applied to it? So stinkin' CUTE! That has to be one of your kit elements. I adore it. The background pink paper is lovely, too. You've got a great group of ideas together and I thank you for showing us this part of the process. I thought about assigning mood boards as part of kit preparation but had gotten such a late start on this, I didn't end up mentioning it, so thank you as well for presenting this idea to the group. Gonna go check out your resources to see if I neeeeeeeeeeeeed them for my stash!
So happy you found time to create and share today, and I hope you didn't skip lunch and spend the whole afternoon with a grumbling tummy just to do so.
Your palette is so VIBRANT, Gail! That will be a lot of fun to work with and I am so stoked you are planning a motorcycle theme. My husband has a bike and we enjoy riding it, so it will be especially fun for me to see what you come up with.
Excellent start, my friend!
Oh, GOOD, Sarah is here!
I was hoping you would find your way to this challenge since we have been talking about doing it for several months now. YAY--it is gonna be so much fun and I am so happy you are going to dive in and make a kit with us. Your palette is so cheerful and will be perfect for your board game theme. I am now having fond memories of my sister getting "The Game of Life" board game for Christmas one year and spending our entire break from school playing game after game. Those little pink and blue blobby people and their boxy car that was the main game pieces will be fun to make for elements if you are inclined. I can't quite remember what the game board looked like, but I bet there are other elements you could create (or find) that would be super cute themed pages or a set of elements to include. Wonderful idea, Sarah, and I am looking forward to what all you come up with to put your kit together for this. (For some reason when I hear board game, I see word art that is done in all the symbols on the keyboard to represent cussing. Maybe that was just how my family acted when we played board games. LOL)
Hi, Chitra! So nice to see your smiling face in the comments. I just have to mention that I find it no coincidence that we are making kits annnnnnnnnd you just got promoted in the Commons so you can post kits! Hmmmmmmmm? Just sayin'.
Would love to have you join in if you are of a mind to. Please feel free to snag the palette I shared if it appeals to you, m'dear and do with it whatever strikes your fancy. Thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind comment. Much appreciated.
Hello, Robyn. How are the new living arrangements working out for you and your family? I hope things are starting to settle down a bit and you will soon find time in your schedule to create like crazy again. Please feel free to dip into these daily challenges whenever you find the time to do so. You don't have to do it every day, or you can catch-up at any time. I am very flexible, so no pressure at all, but please know we would love to have you join us and share your beautiful creations when and if you have time.
Bless your generous heart for sharing the awesome links to your PDF with all the color sites and palette generators. That is such a cool asset and I am so happy you shared it with us. I have downloaded it and I am looking forward to checking out all those sites! WOO HOO!
Your mini palettes are very cool, too. What a neat idea to make a monochromatic palette for all the different colors. Very useful and I appreciate all the time and effort you put into making those and for so generously sharing them with us. Cheerfully, gratefully snagged and added to my stash of Designing Resources and I am thanking you again for your generosity.
Yes, the past Blog Trains and Bina's Color Qi challenges are both wonderful places to find sets of pre-made palettes geared towards scrapbooking kits. Elizabeth Minkus always shares ACO files for the blog train palettes that make getting to the designing part especially quick.
I hope to see you around again soon--schedule allowing--Robyn and was so happy to see you had a minute to drop by today. Always nice to see you!
Wait--are you reading my mind, Tricia?
Your enthusiasm and industry are so delightful! I want to be just like you when I grow up! (Although at this stage in my life, I probably am doomed to never mature past scatterbrained-13 or so mentally, but I can DREAM!) 
Becky, I can't even begin to articulate how tickled I am that you did the *BONUS* and named your colors!!! You rock so hard, my friend! I absolutely love this Autumnal palette of yours, and I love it even more now that it comes with fancy color names.
I adore every single one of them that you came up with . . . so cute, and so appropriate. I am suggesting "First Frost" for the name of your kit, as well as the name for your almost-white neutral color. That has such a nice ring to it. I always like alliteration and it just brings up images immediately of frost crystals on fall leaves and moody skies and crisp temps. Just my two cents for what it might be worth to you. Oh, I also like "Sweater Weather" but that would be dependent on maybe using some knitted textures or sweater elements to tie it in. Lisel, used a really cool sweater-y texture she found here at DS for some cool textured papers in her blog train this month. Maybe that might be an option for you to modify if you like that sort of thing. Let me grab the item number for you so you can check it out, and see if it appeals at all. From her post, "The cable knit is using item 91293 knit overlay from Violet Irisovna." I know you are super-busy educating your children, so here is a handy-dandy link: 91293.
I'm gonna try to join in here.
There's a lot of traumatic stuff happening here in my life right now.
Not gonna sugar coat it, my husband has grade 4 glioblastoma of the brain.
It was found only 2 weeks ago.
They've given him between 2 months and 2 years to live.
He had brain surgery 2 days after they found the massive tumor (if you split the brain into 4 sections, the tumor took up one whole section in size), and they were only able to get about 90% of it.
It's got fingers everywhere in his brain.
So, needless to say, I'm an emotional wreck.
But apart from trying to figure out how I'm going to work and take care of him and my 20 yr old Asperger son and everything, digital design is something I need to do for myself.
I have to create something, especially now.
So I'm making time for it.
Please, know that I'm not looking for sympathy, just being real.
I do have a wonderful network of support around me, and I'm very thankful for that.
But you all here are part of my world and I appreciate you, love reading your comments and seeing what you create, etc.
Thank you for being here!
Your family is in our thoughts and prayers.
Oh Lisel, ((HUGS)) and prayers. Medical trauma is real and I do hope you find a way to take care of yourself during this challenging time. I didn't do so well when our 18 year old died and am just beginning to recover 2.5 years later.
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