Documenting My Life-Question #1

Hey, Everyone!!

Those that are wondering about the mid-month Diva Blog hop--have no fear--it'll be back again next month--there were some technical upgrades happening on the sites a few of the Divas use at the time we usually post, so rather than risk broken links we opted to skip this month!!

I have been busy researching family history lately, and scored BIG time this past week--I was able to find my grandmother and her siblings Marriage Certificates/records from Massachusetts!!  I had known the years my great-aunts & great-uncles were married, but hadn't had the actual date(s) until now, and it's so fun to uncover more information bit-by-bit!!

My grandparent's Marriage Certificate

Doing the family history research got me thinking about what sort of information I should be thinking about sharing with future generations.  If you're anything like me, it's easy to document/share things about OTHER people, but when it's about yourself, it's like pulling teeth to be able to tell your own story!!

Over on the My Memories Blog, Diane with ADB Designs started a blog series a couple weeks ago--the challenge, to Document YOUR Life, and each post has a SUPER simple question/prompt to help jumpstart the journaling creativity!!  At the time it first posted, I read thru it and thought it was cool, and filed it away in the back of my mind as a 'future project'.  Two weeks later she posted the second question/prompt, and I decided that I just needed to 'start' the project, rather than to keep thinking about doing it.

It's going to be a work-in-progress, and that's O.K. with me.  I also like that if you're not a scrapbooker (doesn't matter if your're a traditional or digital memory-keeper), these questions/prompts are still great catalyst to use to record your answers in a simple journal.  AND, it's information that future generations will love to have--especially in your own handwriting!!

So, Question/Prompt #1 is:  What is your full name? Why were you given that name? Do you like your name?

I think I had initially filed this project away as a 'future project' because I didn't have a really good answer for the second question of the three.  BUT, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that even that answer was acceptable, and did not mean I couldn't document 'my' story.

I haven't quite migrated over to using the My Memories 6 scrapbooking software full-time, but I have been playing around with some of the available downloads, and I created my page for Question/Prompt #1 using downloads that are (currently) ALL FREE!!

Here's the list of kits that I used product from:
Summer Fairy Mini Kit  (background--opacity reduced to 75%)
English Tea Garden Alpha (alphabet--upper & lower--re-colored)
June 2015 Blog Train Gift (beads--opacity reduced to 51%)
Summer Fun Sampler (frame)
June Sampler (green flower)
June Mini 2015 (pink rose)
Candy Things (flourish--recolored)

I had a flash of inspiration earlier today for what to make my page for the second question look like, so am already looking forward to working on that one.  I'll post that one in the future and will continue to share my 'life' with you!!  I hope you'll join me in documenting YOUR life!!

Happy Crafting!!

Pam

May 2015 Diva Blog Hop--FLOWERS!

Hello, All!!

While I could do without all of the rain we've had this week, I am LOVING the fact that my flowers are looking awesome (and I'm eagerly awaiting a few to burst into bloom), so what better theme for today than 'flowers'?!  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 am so sad that My Digital Studio will no longer be supported by Stampin' Up! at the end of this month, so decided to stay strictly 'digital' with my offerings today--I'll still post digital projects on my blog, just not on the Blog Hop days! 


Back when I started to get into digital creating, I was loving all of the home decor wall art that I came across, and here are two that I copied/designed and fell in love with:

I think I had a whole series of these I wanted to design, so I just need to sit down and find the time to do that!!


The paper daisies are another favorite embellishment of mine for cards--and before the days of having the tool to 're-color' images, a few of these used drop shadows to create the colored petals!

They work GREAT to camouflage images, too!!  When my niece got married in 2012, I only managed to get one good photo of the wedding party--unfortunately, my nephew was also taking a photo from the same angle and I managed to get him in the photo, too!  So, a layered paper daisy was PERFECT to hide him and still be able to use the photo in my album!!

Another of my favorite digital flower embellishments is the Blooms.  And they work great to camouflage, too!!  With the same niece's wedding (as the above photo), I really wasn't liking how I looked in the photo, so was able to strategically place them to hide a few things!!

For this page, I selected the blooms based off of Miss Em's outfit:

And here are a couple fun cards that are in keeping with the flower theme for today, too!!
Did you know that you could create the 'rock-n-roll' technique digitally?!

 For this one, I used the freeform layering tool to color in behind each of the flowers, AND recolored the washi-tape.

This positive/negative idea is very popular to create 'in real life', so it was fun to do digitally, too. 

Have you ever done the 'kissing' technique?  Here's a digital version of it on the raised flower!

So, that's a few digital floral idea for you for today!!  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
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

April 2015 Diva Blog Hop--April Showers!!

Well, after a yucky winter, it seems that Spring is finally arriving, which fits right in with today's theme: April Showers &/or Mother's Day!!   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!

So I decided to play with the 'April Showers/Water' end of the theme today.  There is a card technique using hair gel, that gives the look of water on your card, and I decided I just HAD to try it!!  I went online and Googled 'hair gel card tutorial' and just went from there.  One of the cool 'tips' I saw was to get the hair gel from the Dollar Store, as oftentimes, there are more 'water-like' bubbles in the gel.

So, for this card, I used the 'By the Tide' stamp set, along with Night of Navy, Mossy Meadow & Cherry Cobbler ink, ribbon and cardstock.

I picked up some resealable 3"x4" bags at the local craft store and trimmed down a little bit of the 'lip/flap' of the bag and filled it with about a half-tablespoon of the hair gel.  I would have LOVED to add lots, but all of the tutorials I read cautioned against overfilling, so I decided to listen to their recommendations.  As another layer of protection, I also used scotch tape to seal the end of the bag that is able to be opened.

I used my Oval Framelits dies on a piece of 8"x 5 1/4" cardstock to cut out the 'window' and then folded it in half and stamped the coral, fish and seahorses around the opening (both 'inside' and 'outside').  I also stamped the lobster on a separate piece of Whisper White cardstock that I then cut out using my Paper Snips (I got a cool new tool that I'm hoping to use for this task in the future, but just did it the 'old-fashioned' way today!!).  I popped the lobster up on some dimensionals, attached the hair gel-filled bag to the card using Sticky Strip, and sealed the front of the card closed also using Sticky Strip.  I attached the 'pouch' to the front of the folded Night of Navy cardstock using SNAIL adhesive, wrapped a ribbon around the front and added the punched-out anchor image to complete the card.

I couldn't stop at just one card using this technique, so decided to do a second one featuring the Wetlands stamp set.  Now, I WILL admit to 'cheating' a little on this card--I actually created/printed the images using My Digital Studio (still sad that the program will no longer be supported after May 31, 2015), then followed the same steps as I described above to complete the card.  I added the Lovely Labels tag (and punch) and Apothecary Art Framelit, some narrow Bermuda Bay ribbon and linen thread, and DONE!!

So to continue with today's 'water' theme, here are a couple of scrapbook pages I've completed that also fit in. . . .

This was among some of the first pages that I ever made.  Creating the 'starburst-like' background was such a fun thing to learn, and turned out to be the perfect backdrop for the photos of the ocean that I took on my trip!

I may have shown this fish page before, but it's also one of my favorites, and another technique that I don't use nearly enough--four photoboxes grouped, then photo inserted to span all four boxes.

I can't leave today without sharing a fun Wall Art image that I made a while ago as well.  I still need to play around with this one a bit, I LOVE the saying, and overall, it's not bad, but it doesn't give me the 'Done!' feeling I'm looking for on it quite yet.  I'm not afraid to share 'works in progress', and you shouldn't be, either!  If you have any ideas/suggestions on ways to improve the piece, I'm open to hear them!!

Well, that's it for today!!  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
• Amy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

March 2015 Diva Blog Hop--Spring!!

Hello, Everyone!!

Wow!!  I know I haven't been blogging, but I've had a BUSY month.  My basement is getting ever closer to turning back in to my craft area, and it's been exciting to see the baby steps turn into something more!!  But enough about me!  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!

Today's theme is Spring/Easter/Animals.  You're going to get 'mostly' digital offerings from me today, because when I'm in a pinch and can't 'get' to my supplies to create, I turn to My Digital Studio to create.

At Diva Day last Sunday, I thought that two of the cards we got to make in our Shoebox Swap (made by Cyndi & Julianne) would make GREAT Spring/Easter cards.  It helps that Stampin' Up! offered the 'Butterfly Basics' as a digital set, too!!  So first up, Julianne's card:

Julianne's Shoebox Swap card

I love the monochromatic look (hey, it could fit our blog hop theme from LAST month!!) with the Wisteria Wonder and Whisper White, so here's my digital take on the card:

It's not exact, and I decided to change it up a little and used a greeting from Easter Blooms, to fit in a bit more with today's 'Spring' theme.  Also,  when I added a 'drop shadow' behind the butterfly, it still seemed to get a little lost with everything being the same color, so I went into the color palette and made the butterfly just a little 'darker'.  Fun, and so easy!!

Cyndi' Shoebox Swap card

This card is really striking with the Coastal Cabana and Mossy Meadow colors--and a little silver 'bling' for the small butterfly.  Here's my digital take on the card:

LOVE how this one come together.  To get the 'stamp off' look, I simply reduced the opacity on the images!  And I again added a greeting from Easter Blooms.

Speaking of Easter, here's a fun card I made up using the Easter Blooms and the Be Yourself Digital Designer Paper:

The watercolor looking paper on this one just says 'Spring!' to me.

BUT, we can't leave out the Easter Bunny.  . . . how about this fun card:

Cool thing here?  You could make your own version of this one using punches!!

Or how about this bunny??

Love how she's (a pink bow in her hair, I'm making an assumption) just peeking out from the corner of the card!! 

So don't let digital scare you.  When you need a creative 'fix' and can't make it to your craft room for whatever reason, it's a great way to unleash your creativity!!

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

February 2015 Diva Blog Hop--Ombre It!

Hey, Folks!!

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!

Today our Hop Theme is 'Monochromatic', or another 'fancier' word might be Ombre.  Gorgeous cards and projects can be created using JUST a single color in various shades, and ONE of the goals of the hop today is to show you that you don't need to have EVERY color under the rainbow (but let's face it, most of still want to anyway!) to creating stunning projects!!

I had been playing around with ideas of what to show you today, and then earlier this week I opened up my March/April copy of "Stampin' Sucess", which is a magazine Stampin' Up! puts together and sends out to all of their demonstrators, and one of the projects in there screamed at me that it was PERFECT for today's post!!   It's a free-flowing paper moblie.

And it's SUPER easy to do!!  Here are the steps as explained in the magazine (and somewhat edited with my trial/error!!):  

First up, gather your supplies:

So, initially when I read the instructions, it stated that I need to spray paint an embroidery hoop and allow it to dry.  I had the bright idea of trying to take three pieces of 1/4" x 11" cardstock, and staple them together to create the hoop instead.  That didn't seem 'quite' strong enough, so I added another three pieces around the outside of that to add a bit more stability.

What I did NOT account for was that the weight of the strands really would be pulling on the hoop, and I really needed something with firm structure, so I resorted instead to an 8" metal ring.  I didn't want to take the time to spray paint it and wait for it to dry--I rummaged thru my Washi Tape, and found a roll of blue that coordinated with Lost Lagoon & Soft Sky and wrapped the ring with that!!  Perfect!  Then I used White Baker's Twine and cut two pieces that I looped together and tied to the ring in four spots.

For the mobile, you will  need white cardstock, and two tones of colored cardstock.  I used Lost Lagoon and Soft Sky, and you'll also need those same two colors of Classic Ink Pads as well.  Your options are really endless as far as what color to pick, but if you're feeling overwhelmed, checking out one of the Dynamic Duo options that Stampin' Up! suggests could be a good place to start!!  I'm kinda drawn to the Wild Wasabi/Garden Green duo myself, but often get accused of using 'green' ALL the time, so thought I'd work outside of my color comfort zone for this project!!

I decided to use the floral image from "Thoughts & Prayers" for my stamp image, but there are SO MANY great options out there--background stamps are another great idea for using on a project like this!  You'll want to stamp both sides of the cardstock--using the Lost Lagoon pad on the same colored cardstock, and the Soft Sky pad on the Soft Sky & Whisper White cardstock.

I picked five sizes of circles to punch out for my mobile--1 3/4", 1 3/8", 1 1/4", 1" & 3/4".  You could start bigger, or go smaller if you want, but I don't think you'd want to go less than a 1/2" size for your smallest punch.  AND if you have your Big Shot, with the Circles Collection dies, you could always use those instead of your punches.  Honestly, I think the punches will make the project come together faster, but depending on the tools you have at your disposal, there's more than one way to get the look you're going for.  You're also not limited to circles.  I think flower shapes could be a really fun look, as could squares, triangles, etc.!  The only limit is really your imagination &/or available supplies!!

Out of the Lost Lagoon Cardstock, I punched out 1 3/4" & 1 3/8" circles.  I think I used at least two sheets of cardstock with these punch sizes.  I decided to make sixteen (16) strands, so cut out 1-3 of each size circle per strand.

From the Soft Sky Cardstock, I used the 1 3/8", 1 1/4" & 1" circle punches, and probably used at least 1 1/2 sheets of cardstock. Finally from the Whisper White cardstock I punched out the 1" and 3/4" circles.  I arranged each of the piles of circles from largest to smallest and sat down at my sewing machine (using white thread and the longest stitch length I could set), and sewed down the middle of each circle.  There's no real rule here, other than leaving a bit of a tail on the top and bottom, but you can place the circles as close together or as far apart as you want!

When I got each strand sewn, I took the thread and double-knotted at the top and bottom of each, and also created another 'knot' at the bottom before trimming the excess thread.  I decided to add my own 'touch' to the mobile, and placed two large rhinestones at the bottom of each strand, just above the additional knot I had made.

Finally, it was a simple matter of tying each strand to the metal ring, and trimming the ends of the thread.  I didn't do this, but the instructions I read also suggested adding a dab of Crystal Effects to the top of each strand to hold it in place on the ring.

This really is a cool fun project and the color options could go SO many different directions!!

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

Coordinating Projects in My Digital Studio

I hope you've all had a GREAT weekend!!  I'm back in to work tonight after a fun weekend off from my job at the college!  Thought I'd take a few minutes today and share a coordinating project idea for you!  I've had this thought in the back of my mind for a while, but this is the first time I actually got around to executing it!!

First of all, my 2014 Christmas Card.  I actually had this card designed in early 2013--I had initially created it as a card idea for my mom to use for her 2013 Christmas cards, but when she passed away, this card design got placed on the back burner.  The technique on this card is called 'brayering', and you can find a video tutorial on how to do it on mydigitalstudio.net here.  I loved the card and decided to use the completed design for my 2014 card.  With a busy year, it was nice to just spend a couple minutes/tweaking it and be able to send it off to Stampin' Up!s print services!

Christmas Card 2014 Card Front

Christmas Card 2014 Card Inside

 My idea is not anything new, but I frequently look at the celebration/holiday cards I create, and think how cool it would be to create 'notecard' sized 'thank you' notes using the same basic card layout to just follow the theme thru for the season or event.  I was FINALLY able to do just that this year for my holiday thank you notes!!  Now, a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card doesn't quite scale down 'exactly' to fit the 3 1/2" x 5" Notecard, but I simply duplicated the front of my Christmas Card, removed the wording, and exported the full image as a jpeg  Then I placed it into a photobox on an opened Notecard design screen, and adjusted it to fit.  Finally, I found a sentiment that I liked and replicated the 'snow' idea on the words and saved the image.  I was able to print the note cards out (two to a page) on my home printer!  

Coordinated Holiday Thank You Note

I left the inside on the cards blank for me to be able to hand-write my notes.  I really love how easy it was for me to create coordinating thank you notes using my Christmas Card design in My Digital Studio.  You can try it out for FREE for thirty (30) day by visiting my online store and downloading it there!!

Happy Stamping!

Pam

Digital Painted Petals

I am enjoying my first 'real' weekend off since about November (I've had days off in there, but with the holidays, etc., I have been on-the-go, and not had a lot of time to just relax and be at home!), so it's been fun to play in My Digital Studio and create some fun projects!!

Painted Petals Stamp Brush Set
138139
$8.95

One of the new digital sets that came out at the start of January is Painted Petals--which is also featured in the new Occasions Catalog (available in Wood, Clear & Photopolymer), so I decided to have some fun and replicate the notecard samples shown on page 18 of the Occasions Catalog.  Here's what I came up with:

Sample #1

Sample #2

Sample #3

Sample #4

Sample #5

Aren't these fun?!  I've been enjoying my time using My Digital Studio, and remember, you can try it out for FREE for thirty (30) day by visiting my online store and downloading it there!!


Happy Stamping!





Pam