January 2015 Diva Blog Hop--Theme: NEW

Happy NEW Year, Everyone!!

If you're joining me from Amy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today.  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from the beginning to hop thru all the sites!  I hope you're enjoying the fact that we're back for another year as much as we enjoy coming up with projects and ideas to share with you!

Today's theme is:  'New'.  Each of us got to pick what our definition of 'new' was for the post, so you've seen lots of different ideas!!  We have Sell-A-Bration happening now, as well as a brand NEW Occasion Catalog.  There's a New Year, with New Possibilities, and there's always the potential for New Arrivals.

I was SUPER excited when I saw that Stampin' Up! released the digital version of Zoo Babies at the beginning of January, and with that being a 'new digital set' to use in My Digital Studio, that's what I'm going to share/show today!

138140--Zoo Babies Digital Stamp Brush Set

So, for my initial inspiration, I decided to CASE (Copy And Share Everything) the designs showcased in the Annual Catalog on Page 78.  Totally loving this card, and the Crisp Cantaloupe/Hello Honey combo on it!

A few other fun things to note: I used the digital Lullaby DSP, and I re-colored the wooden heart embellishment (new thought just as I'm posting--I could have just added a drop shadow to keep the wooden heart look more 'wooden', with just a splash of color beneath).  I cropped a piece of the paper doily and added white baker's twine.  Really quick/easy to put together!!

Now, the other design on Page 78 was actually showing a framed name.  I decided to change it into a card, and it was fun to come up with my options for turning a 3D item into a card-front!

My first challenge on this one was figuring out the frame to use.  Initially, I tried the Whisper White Fancy Frames Embellishment, but it was just too much.  So then I tried the Basic Gray frame, recolored it to Whisper White, and it was PERFECT!! I used the Circle Punch, size down to about 3/4" and the Mini Flag Banner Punch that were filled with either color or digital Lullaby DSP (all with drop shadows).  For the stitching I used a Freeform Circle that I changed the line style to 'stitching', and colored it to white.  This card just makes me smile every time I look at it.  And I have a friend due in a month or so--I think I know what card will be getting attached to the gift there!!

And here are two other cards that I decided to have fun and design using the digital version of Zoo Babies:

A couple cool things on this card. . . . the background on the card I saw designed was made using the Alphabet Press Embossing Folder, but there currently isn't a digital version of that one available, so I used a piece of the 'Soho Subway' paper that I inserted into a photo box and then re-colored it to Smoky Slate.  The other fun step was adding the ribbon.  I added the Knots and Ties Trim 2 in Whisper White and then cropped the image so that just the bow was visible.  Then I copied and duplicated that piece two more times.  I turned one of the pieces 15 degrees to the right, and another 15 degrees to the left.  Brought the one I had not rotated at all to the front of the three pieces, then centered and grouped them before placing on the front (turned 90 degrees) of the card and adding a button on the middle of the grouping.  

This card also makes me smile.  Pretty simple, and really, could be just about any color combination--here I'm using Smoky Slate, Melon Mambo & Pool Party (with Basic Black & Whisper White, of course).  I used the coloring tool to add just a touch of black to the toucan's beak, feet, legs & eye.  Going back, I think I might add a small circle of black on the eyes of the other two animals, too--but it's even cute just like this!!

So, there you have it, a couple fun New card ideas for the New Arrivals in your life!!

I hope you've enjoyed the Blog Hop stops along the way today!  For quick reference, here are the links to everyone's sites:

• Sue
• Denise
• Sandy
• Autumn
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!
Pam