MDS Friday: Outside the Box with DSP!

It's time for another My Digital Studio Friday Challenge & Blog Hop!!!

This week was my turn to pick the challenge…. I choose "Outside the Box Designer Series Paper!" The goal was to use DSP packs for something OTHER than what they are attended for!

I choose to use FALL and HEIRLOOM Designer Paper for a Christmas Photo Card! Here's what I came up with:

Unfortunately, I can't get a very large photo posted because of the nature of the card — but it's a 9 1/4" x 4" photo card. The background paper is the "Autumn Traditions" Paper — a fall paper that can be easily transformed into Christmas by combining it with the right colors and accessories!

Here's a look at this download (item code #127600)

Then the black and vanilla print and the vanilla and sand polka dot print both come from the "Timeless Portrait" Paper. This paper is a vintage, heirloom style paper – but again, pair it with the right combination of accessories and voila – Christmas!

Here's a look at this download (item code #123416)

The main words are a stamp brush that is part of the "Very Merry Twenty-Five" Designer Tags Kit. One of the things I LOVE about Designer Kits like this, is that often times — you get SO MUCH MORE than just the templates!! While the tags in this kit are cute, you get SO MUCH MORE out of the kit because you get a beautiful stamp brush set to go with it, that you can use for anything!

Here's a look at that download (item code #127756) — you get all of the WORDS in Stamp Brush form, not just the tags! See the middle curly label shaped one? That's where the stamp brush that I used came from:

You don't always have to have a paper pack designed just for the holiday you're working with — try to mix and match! It's so much fun!!! Now head on over and see what the other girls have come up with!

I hope you're enjoying today's hop (or if you're just getting started that you're excited about checking out the rest of the projects!)

MDS Friday – Get Ready for Thanksgiving!

Hooray for MDS Friday!!!! This week's challenge was Fall & Thanksgiving. I had just done a Thanksgiving layout not too long ago, so took advantage of the opportunity to make a Home Decor Piece!

When this download came out a couple of weeks ago (Grateful Hearts Thanksgiving Kit) I just fell in LOVE with the color combination and couldn't wait to use it.

For this Home Decor piece, I want to show you the BEAUTY of these kits!!!!!!!! I know a lot of you probably think "Gosh – I just don't have the time to design digitally" — well, with these kits… you don't HAVE to!

Here is a look at how this banner comes ready to go — it's a 3 page 8 1/2 x 11 template:

You could totally just print that and be done with it! But what I did this week, was use it as a starting point, and went in and added stamp brush images and embellishments to jazz it up. Here's what the banner ended up being:

I want this to be a really nice quality piece – so it's been sent off to Stampin' Up!'s professional printer with our NEW heavy weight individual page print option!!! I can't wait for it to come in so I can cut out the pennants, string them from some ribbon, and add it to the mantel!

Don't have My Digital Studio yet? The My Digital Studio Starter Kit is a FABULOUS option right now!!!! For $175 — you can get My Digital Studio along with ALL SORTS of other products up to about a $440 value!! Of that amount, you could choose to select $100 in Digital Downloads! It's a crazy awesome deal, you can learn more about it here – it's an awesome way to get into Digital Crafting!

I hope you're enjoying today's hop (or if you're just getting started that you're excited about checking out the rest of the projects!)

MDS Blog Hop… Wanna Cupcake!?

It's Friday! Which means it's time for another round of MDS Blog Hoppin'! As you're all reading this… I'm actually on the road heading to Washington DC! It's Brad's first full week vacation since he started his job this time last year… and we are SO in need of get away and some time together WORK FREE! Of course, you can expect lots of great scrapbooking when I return (smile). I may even take a break from my 2009 album so that I can get some page done….

It was super funny because when I got the e-mail that today's challenge was "Cupcakes!" I was SO excited because one of the things we're doing is going to Georgetown Cupcakes!!! (From the TLC Show DC Cupcakes!) But then I calmed down and remembered that I would have to post the challenge BEFORE we went on the trip and had pictures….. I have some photos of Landon eating cupcakes on more than one occasion (he's a tad obsessed and calls them "Happy Cakes"!) — but none of the photos are from 2009 (he was still a baby!) and I didn't have them uploaded to a disc for my MDS computer….. And with the Crazies that is packing for a big trip, I have to be honest, I just didn't have the time to dig for them!
 

Plus, I just couldn't get Georgetown Cupcakes out of my head….. and I NEVER get to make girly pages….. so instead of a Scrapbook Page this month, I made an invitation….. the invitation is inviting myself to eat cupcakes with myself!! LOL!!

So this' lil invite was a no frills, need to do something quick so I can finish packing type thing….. But… that's real life, right!? So I'm showing you how to use My Digital Studio in a pinch to whip something off that isn't half bad (don't-cha like how I can spin something!?)

(In addition to the My Digital Studio software and content that comes with it, I also used the following downloads: Springtime Vintage DSP, 2010 In Color DSP, Cupcake Punch,Vintage Flower Adornments, Jewel Pearls and Crochet Trim)

Now "Hop" on over and see what cupcake themed, digitally created things the other girls have done!

On a My Digital Studio Kick!

May is National Scrapbooking Month! So it is only appropriate that I decided to get ADDICTED to My Digital Studio this month!!! This software is just amazing – it's so user friendly and the quality of the graphics is "just so Stampin' Up!" — QUALITY! I have to admit, when Stampin' Up! annouced that they were entering into Digital Paper Crafting a few years back – I was dubious. The only Digital Paper Crafting products that I had seen left me less than impressed – to me, the artwork felt sort of "cheesy" and the finished print products didn't posess the quality that I would want for my own albums.

But My Digital Studio is NOTHING but FABULOUS!!!! The quality of everything is outstanding – from Digital Papers, Stamp Brush Images, Accessories to the finished professional print products. And I don't have to make any sacrafices to use it! I love texture and dimension – and believe it or not – I can have BOTH of these things with this software!

My goal is to FINISH an album for all of 2009 by the end of May….. Why? Because Stampin' Up! is celebrating National Scrapbooking Month by offering 30% off Professional Print Albums!! So I'm pushing myself to get an album done to take advantage of this awesome savings.

That means that I'm going to have LOTS of fabulous Digital Design Artwork to share with all of you here on my blog!!

To Celebrate National Scrapbooking Month….. I'm posting MY DIGITAL STUDIO PROJECTS TO MY BLOG EVERY SINGLE DAY FROM NOW UNTIL THE END OF MAY!!!!!!!!!

So be sure to check back daily for inspiration!!

Here we go! This is the cover of the album. One of the things I love is that you have the option of designing your own album covers with the Hard Cover and Soft Cover Albums! I like to keep them simple, still, and not get too carried away with designing them. Here is the cover for this album, it's a 8 1/2 x 11 Landscape Album:

(Most of the digital content I used for the cover came with the Software, except for the Designer Paper – that is the Christmas Cocoa Download)

Then here is a 2-page spread from inside — I like my pages that are facing each other to coordinate when you open the album…

(For these pages, I used some components from the Rock-A-Bye Baby Kit that comes with the software, but I paired it with some additional downloads – the Nursery Accents and the Nursery Desginer Paper along with the Baby Steps Brush Stamp Set, Neutral Buttons and Taffeta Ribbon Downloads. The light swirl in the background came from the Sale-A-Bration Digital Content CD.)

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Do you love Stampin' Up! products–especially the My Digital Studio software, downloads, and professional printing?  If so, this is the month to join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator.  Not only is the kit a great value (62% off retail!!!), but also, you get an additional 20% off the other sale items–that's approximately 50% off several products in May!!! My Digital Studio is $79.95 – instead of just purchasing it itself, purchase it with this kit and pay only $40 more for an additional $250+ worth of products! NOW IS THE TIME TO JOIN, ESPECIALLY IF YOU LOVE DIGITAL CRAFTING!!!!!

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New Images for My Digital Studio!

I've been playing a lot lately with My Digital Studio in preparation for a Hybrid Class I'm teaching to Spring Retreat Attendees, and am so excited about some of these new downloads that are available for the program!

I'm most excited about the "Vintage Overlay" Stamp Brush set – the wheels are turning for this one! Here's a peak at it:

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don't Forget!

• To order your April Card Kit of the Month!! Click Here for more details!