November Diva Blog Hop--Fall

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!

My post is going to be super short today (I'm off to a Craft Fair for the day), but it's SUCH a cute/fun project.  It's made using our Curvy Keepsakes framelit that is in the Holiday Catalog, and could be a perfect place card holder for Thanksgiving!  If you check out project ideas online, you'll see that there are SO many creative folks out there that have come up with a lot of other fun ideas using this framelit as well!  The possibilities appear to be endless!!

On the body of the pumpkin, I used the stripe from 'Work of Art' and stamped in Pumpkin Pie Ink.  I stamped the 'so thankful' (from Holiday Cheer set) in Early Espresso Ink on Very Vanilla framelit feathers, and took a 11" x 1/4" strip of Wild Wasabi that I wrapped around a marker and curved it.  Then, pierced the feathers and 'stem' and strung a piece of Baker's Twine thru and tied a bow (after closing up the pumpkin and filling it with chocolate, of course!) around the handle!!  I have totally fallen in love with making these little guys, and would have a whole patch of them on my table if I had the time!!

For quick reference, here are the sites that are hopping today:

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

Happy Hopping!!

Pam 

Election Day & MDS

Hey, Folks!!

You know, sometimes life just seems to happen and unfortunately, things like my blog here just don't get done!!  Today is Election Day in the United States, and after I got home, I happened to change my personal Facebook Cover Photo to indicate as much, and it reminded me of how great My Digital Studio (MDS) software is to create things like this!!  I had created the image a couple years ago, and just re-post it on Election Days since then!

In my opinion, one of the best things about MDS is that you can use images (as long as they're in the correct forms) within the program that are not JUST from Stampin' Up!!  This completely opens up a new realm of possibilities.  I've spent a fair amount of time searching out 'free' downloads to use with MDS, so was super excited when I came across a 'free' patriotic download (just do a web search for free digital scrapbooking downloads--you'll come up with lots of options!!) a few years ago.  I LOVE the fact that it had a ballot box embellishment, as well as the 'I Voted' badge/ribbon, as well as coordinating backgrounds!!

So, think outside the MDS box.  While I absolutely LOVE all of the great downloads that Stampin' Up! offers, you are NOT limited to use JUST those downloads in this program, so if you come across a download from another (*gasp!*) company that you fall in love with, as long as the images are in .png, .jpg & .svg formats, you CAN use them in your MDS program!!  Exciting, isn't it?!

Now, remember, you can always try out My Digital Studio for FREE (for 30 days) by visiting my online store, so why not download it and start creating today?!

Happy Stamping!

Pam

October Diva Blog Hop--Halloween

How is it possible that it's already Diva Blog Hop time for the month?!  If you're joining me from Sandy's Blog, I'm the last stop for today (We're a small group this month!).  If you just started here, feel free to head to Sue's Blog and start from there!

Today's theme is 'Halloween'!!  And it just HAPPENS to be my favorite holiday of the year!!

So, to start off, I want to share some Chalkboard art I saw demonstrated at Convention this summer.  For non-Stampin' Up! supplies, you'll need a chalkboard, chalk, a 'pencil' sharpener & aerosol hair spray (Aqua Net was suggested for use, but I was unsuccessful in tracking any down, so just used a different brand--BUT it DOES need to be an aerosol can).  To create the design, I used My Digital Studio (MDS) and created the image I wanted to transfer on to the chalkboard.

Design created using My Digital Studio

Next up, I exported the jpeg then re-inserted it into a new page/photo in MDS and then MIRRORED the image, which I printed out on my home printer through the program.

Mirrored image

I found this next part of the process to be a tad 'putzy', so I HIGHLY recommend for your first project that you pick an image that does not have too much detail, so you don't get frustrated as you work!!  So, now you'll need to sharpen the chalk stick to a sharp point and begin to draw on top of all of the printed lines on the paper.  You'll frequently need to stop and re-sharpen the chalk.  I think I went thru almost two full sticks for this entire project.  For lack of a better explanation, you're basically creating a 'chalk carbon' of the image to use in the next step.

When you get the design fully traced, you'll want to lay it carefully on top of the chalkboard and rub to 'transfer' the image to the chalkboard.  BUT, you're not done yet!!  Now comes the fun part.  To re-draw over the transferred image lines to darken them!!

You can see part of the trace still remaining to be filled in on the word 'Halloween'

And here's the completed image:

Now, obviously chalk on a chalkboard is NOT meant to be permanent, which is where the hair spray comes in.  The hair spray allows the chalk to 'set'.  Either way, it's still not completely permanent--to do that you'd need to use a sealant of some sort.  So if you want to clean off the chalkboard after the holiday and create a new design, you can do so using a little soap and water!

Chalk image with hair spray applied

O.K.  Do NOT freak out when you hit the design with hairspray.  It will 'look' like it's disappeared, but as it dries, the image will re-appear.  I found on mine, however, that some of my images did not stay as dark, so I reapplied some of the chalk and hit it a second time with hair spray, which helped.

Completed design next to mirrored transfer image

AND here it is on display in my living room:

MDS is SUCH a great tool for holiday (Halloween) decorating.  If you check out my Diva Blog Post from last month, there is the great coffin download for Halloween treats, and this week, one of the Weekly Deals is the 'Spooky Treats Designer Template Download'.  I already own it, but for those of you who don't, it's a GREAT deal to check out!

 The kids in your neighborhood will be flocking to your door when they hear about your irresistible Spooky Treats. With this digital-exclusive kit, you’ll have designed candy wrappers, lollipop collars, and a soda wrapper along with additional elements to make coordinating projects. Kit includes a 15-piece stamp brush set, seven Designer Series Paper patterns, four embellishments, one punch, and a three-page 8-1/2" x 11" treat template. Coordinating colors include Basic Black, Lucky Limeade, Pumpkin Pie, and Whisper White.

So, you know I can't talk about MDS without sharing some scrapbook pages, and I happen to have a 'few' that fit today's theme perfectly!!

These first two pages are template pages that came with some of the MDS downloads I did:

And a few more designs I CASEd (copied and 'stole' everything) to highlight some of my adorable great-nephews:

I have a couple other pages I created a few years ago that I'm still waiting for the perfect photos to put into the pages--also ideas that I copied from other talented folks!

I really do NOT spend a lot of time putting photos of me into pages, but I do have a few.  First of all, my best friend Sera and I.  Our mom's made each of our costumes.

And a few different looks of me over the years:

And finally, a couple photos of my college roommates and I on the holiday (over 20 years ago--YIKES!!)!  I created these two pages as a two-page spread.

I hope you've enjoyed our Halloween Diva Blog hop today, and that you have a few ideas to get ready to have a Spook-tacular holiday yourself!!

For quick reference, here are the sites that are hopping today:

• Sue
• Sandy
• Pam (You're here!!)

Happy Hopping!!

Pam  

September Diva Blog Hop--Holiday Catalog

How is it possible that it's already Diva Blog Hop time for the month?!  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 the Holiday Catalog.  I LOVE all of the catalogs that Stampin' Up! publishes, and there are SOOOOOO many things that I fell in love with from this one when it was revealed at Convention this past summer!!  Today, though, I'm going to 'mainly' focus on the My Digital Studio Downloads that were featured in it!!

I think it's safe to say that when the Nordic Village Designer Templates were shown up on the screen at Convention, I got a little excited.  As SOON as they became available for me to order, I had them purchased/downloaded and was printing them off.  I did have to adjust a couple little things in order to print the items on my printer at home, but they were super easy to cut out!  I then used Sticky Strip to attach the sides/bottom of each 'house'.  Because they're paper, I'm not going to use 'real' tea lights in them, but will place an LED light in each one when I display them!!

Now, as soon as I got these houses done--I KNEW I needed to create a 'Halloween' version of the village (basically just changed colors, and added, a ghost, bat & cat), and am looking forward to having these out in a couple of weeks:

Moving on to the Halloween Bites Designer Templates, I had a lot of fun making the vampire-wrapped candy bar and coffin, or even just the simple 'bat wrap'.  I added some green neon shredded paper for the vampire to lay in, which was the 'perfect' final touch!!

I LOVE the All Is Calm Party Ensemble--and you can use it to decorate for your Christmas or New Year's parties (or both!).  This ensemble includes a banner, favors (LOVE the crackers--I haven't made them yet, but am looking forward to doing so!!), invitations, thank you notes & more!

And finally, the Annual Report Postcard Template.  This download is PERFECT for letting everyone know the highlights of your year and a quick/easy double-sided layout to just drop in your photos and add your text!

But wait!!  Those 'might' be the only items that were specifically highlighted in the Holiday Catalog, but there are a few more digital downloads that came out at the beginning of the month that happen to be the digital versions of some of the other items in the Holiday Catalog.  Who doesn't already love the For All Things Stamp Brush set, and the coordinating Color Me Autumn Designer Series Paper?!

The Holiday Home stamp brush set can cover all of your fall/winter holidays (or even new home congratulations!).

And for the Project Life lovers, there is the Holiday Cheer stamp brush set and the Seasonal Snapshot Digital Project Life Cards!

I hope you've enjoyed checking out all of the great posts about the Holiday Catalog that the ladies shared today!!  And for quick reference, here are the sites that are hopping today:

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

Happy Hopping!!

Pam  

August Diva Blog Hop--Favorite Accessory

Well, folks, it's that time of the month again--Diva Blog Hop 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!

Today's theme challenged each of the Diva's to share their favorite stamping accessory with you.  And really, I had a HECK of a time trying to narrow down WHICH accessory to show.  My initial thought was to go with My Digital Studio, BUT really, that doesn't qualify (in my mind) as an 'accessory' by the definition of today's theme, no matter how much I want to justify it!  So then, do I say 'Big Shot', but if I do, what do I show?  The Bigz & Original Dies, Framelits, Edgelits & Thinlits, Embossing Folders, or Embosslits??  Or, what about the awesome Punches that Stampin' Up! offers?!  Heck, I even consider the adhesives that we use an accessory.  Really, who can go without Glue Dots or Dimensionals, let alone SNAIL (just to name a few) when paper crafting?!  I am in LOVE with our Scoring and Piercing tools, as well as bone folder, paper trimmers and scissors.  How is a Diva to choose?!

BUT, when it's all said and done, I decided that I wanted to talk about one of the first paper crafting tools/accessories I ever bought/used.  In the interest of full-disclosure, this item is something that I bought before I even realized that Stampin' Up! sold it, so while both work EXACTLY the same way, my purplish-pink one that you'll see in the following photos is NOT the color that Stampin' Up!'s sleek unit comes in!  So what, exactly am I going to talk about?!  Why the Stamp-a-ma-jig, of course!!

Truthfully the Stamp-a-ma-jig scared and confused me when I first saw it.  BUT, once I got over that, I realized how much of a life saver this little gadget is, it's now something that is always sitting and ready for me to use when I need it!!  Basically (and according to the product description on the Stampin' Up! web site), the Stamp-a-ma-jig help you place stamp images exactly where you want them every time.  It has a nonskid base and a sturdy plastic construction.  It comes with a washable plastic sheet and instructions for use.

The Stamp-a-ma-jig is really a life-saver when you're doing two-step stamping.  I have found that I don't pull it out QUITE as much with my clear blocks as I used to, but it still comes in handy for even the clear-mount and photopolymer sets--especially when I just need to 'make sure' things are lined up properly. 

I even learned something I didn't know when researching the Stamp-a-ma-jig for today's blog post.  Did you know that there is a purpose to the two different textured sides to the imaging sheets?!  The smooth side is supposed to be used for Classic Ink, and the rough side is for Craft Ink!!  Cool, huh?!

I have heard from a lot of 'seasoned' demonstrators that they just don't 'get' the Stamp-a-ma-jig, so for today's post, I'm going to show you a brief tutorial for using this product!

Most instructions say that you're supposed to lay it down like a 'T', and then place the imaging sheet into the corner on either the right or left side of the 'T' (as shown below). The imaging sheet is a little hard to see in the photo, but hopefully you get the gist.

For me, however, I found that it works best if I have the Stamp-a-ma-jig 'upside down' and bring the imaging sheet into the bottom left corner instead of the top left:

I highlighted around the imaging sheet in the photo to help you see it a little better, but basically, you see where that arrow is pointing?  That's where you want one corner of the imaging sheet to securely fit into the Stamp-a-ma-jig. 

So, once the imaging sheet is in place, you're going to want to ink up your image and stamp it on to the imaging sheet, making sure to line up the stamp in the corner of the Stamp-a-ma-jig.

And now when you take the stamp away, you'll be left with the zig zag on the imaging sheet!

Now we're ready to stamp on the cardstock!!  I used a piece of Whisper White cardstock (I'm using Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink), and I actually came across another cool tip/trick.  It was suggest that to help your paper stay in place and not move, to add a small piece of SNAIL adhesive to the center/back of it!  Works pretty slick, I found!

O.K.  So next up is to line up the imaging sheet on the cardstock.   Once the imaging sheet is in place, bring the Stamp-a-ma-jig over and line it up to the corner of the imaging sheet.  You'll notice that there's a little vertical space between the cardstock and the Stamp-a-ma-jig.  THIS IS JUST FINE!!  You want the image lined up correctly on the cardstock, so having just a corner of the Stamp-a-ma-jig catching the cardstock is completely normal!

Once you have everything in place, hold down the Stamp-a-ma-jig and remove the imaging sheet.  Then ink up your stamp and line it up with the corner of the Stamp-a-ma-jig and stamp on the cardstock!

Ta-da!!

I want to repeat the image below the first zig zag, so bring back the imaging sheet (but lighter, so I'm "stamping off" as I go each time).  Now you can see where the first image is, and you can line up the imaging sheet to where you want the next zig zag to go, and again place the Stamp-a-ma-jig in the corner.

Repeat the process and continue down the cardstock until the image is stamped as much as you'd like!

O.K.  So I'm using the stamp set 'Work of Art' for this card, and once I get the zig zags done, I want to add my greeting to the image.  So, I pull out my Jet Black Staz-On, and turn my imaging sheet a quarter turn (no worries if the other inks have dried--use some Stampin' Mist, or I've even found dish soap with an old toothbrush works, to clean off the sheet and it will be good as new to use again and again!), and line up my imaging sheet and Stamp-a-ma-jig for the word 'you'.

Then, place the imaging sheet over the zig-zagged Blackberry Bliss image, and decide where you want the 'you' to be inked.  Once that's decided, bring the Stamp-a-ma-jig over and line it up with the corner of your imaging sheet. 

Remove the imaging sheet, ink up your image and line up the stamp in the corner of the Stamp-a-ma-jig and stamp it on the cardstock.  Then, repeat for the word 'THANK'.

And there you have it!!

Now all that's left is to finish up!

I used the new embossing folder (appropriately named 'Zig Zag'!) to add texture to the Rich Razzleberry Cardstock that was mounted on Blackberry Bliss.  Also a little 1/8" Silver Ribbon, and a few rhinestones complete the card.

One other thing to note for the Stamp-a-ma-jig--you can really place it on the right/left/top/bottom of the imaging sheet, so it works well for right-handed or left-handed folks!  And the Stamp-a-ma-jig can be placed vertical or horizontal to the imaging sheet as well.  Check out these examples:

Make sense?!  I only showed the bottom placement of the Stamp-a-ma-jig in these four photos, but just imaging turning the photos upside down and you get the other placement options as well!!  The biggest thing is that the corner of the imaging sheet needs to go into the corner of the Stamp-a-ma-jig 'T', and from there, everything else falls into place!!

I hope you've enjoyed checking out one of my favorite accessories, the Stamp-a-ma-jig, as well as checking out all of the great idea the ladies here have shared today!!  And for quick reference, here are the sites that are hopping today:

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

Happy Hopping!!

Pam

Little Cutie!

Whew!!!  I can't believe it's almost the middle of August already!!  The sports teams on campus start arriving back today, and we'll be welcoming the new Freshman class in a little over two weeks!  Getting time to create for 'fun' hasn't been happening as often as I like this summer, but when I was at Convention last month, one of the Stampin' Up! Artisans (Cindy Schuster) mentioned to me a MDS Virtual Digital Crop (on Facebook!) that she and another demonstrator (Monika Davis) put on.  I just happened to notice in my News Feed the other night that they were doing a crop Tuesday night (August 12), and I wasn't working that night (I know!  Shocker, right?!) so I was lucky enough to join in!!

It's a pretty low-key crop, and it was really the PERFECT avenue for me to do some creating using My Digital Studio!!  Cindy & Monika each posted a challenge during the evening, and folks had until the next night to post their creations in the album on Facebook group page!!  There were some CUTE pages and projects posted, but somehow, I lucked out and the page I had done (for Cindy's challenge) was selected as one of the 'Picks of the Crop' for the night!!  I will admit whole-heartedly that I picked a totally adorable subject matter (my great-nephew Liam), so there is a good chance that part of the 'awwww' factor on the page was simply due to his cuteness!!

So it started out with Cindy posting a sketch to base the page off of (I absolutely LOVE using sketches to design pages--it's SUCH a great tool, and if I'm hitting a creative wall, it helps to jump-start my creativity, too!!). Here's the sketch:

Image courtesy of MDS Virtual Digital Crop

In addition to the sketch, Cindy posted her sample as well as adding a couple additional guidelines:
#1 Use only one download. It can be a digital kit or ensemble kit. (basically, the kit should have BOTH Designer Series Papers and stamp brush sets in them, and possibly embellishments)
#2 Use a punch filled with a photo--any shape.
#3 Use one font type in your text boxes that are the Title and Journaling.
And here's my completed page:

I think my biggest challenge initially was deciding which photos I wanted to use for the page!  But once I figured that out, everything else just seemed to fall into place!  I decided to use the Oh Baby Photobook Template (129350) kit (it was a weekly deal a couple weeks back--while the kit has been available since January 2012, I just got it, so it's a 'new to me' kit in my library).  I seemed to luck out in that the designer series papers in the kit seemed to compliment the photos I had decided to use perfectly!!  

So Guideline #1 met.  As for the shape of the photos, I decided to go with the 'Friendship Preserves - frame'.  Loved how they looked, and added a Sahara Sand border and a drop shadow on each photo (LOVE that I can insert photos in punches and aren't limited to the circle/square photo box shapes!).  Guideline #2 met.  

And finally, the text.  The word 'Cutie' is actually from the Oh Baby stamp brush set.  BUT, if you go looking for that word, you won't find it!!  The stamp is actually the word 'CUTE' which I copied/pasted twice.  

On the first, I cropped the 'E'down to turn it into an 'I', so the image reads "CUTI".

And on the second image, I cropped away the 'CUT', leaving just the 'E'.

Putting them together and after getting them aligned the way I wanted, I proceeded to group the two images together to create 'CUTIE', and then I could also move them around on my page and place them where I wanted! For the text boxes, I added the word 'Little' above 'Cutie', and then did my journaling (and the date) towards the bottom of the page.  I love the font 'CK Journaling'--it tends to be the one I gravitate to frequently! Guideline #3 complete!!

Before I forget, here's a list of what I used on my page.  In the interest of space, if something is on the page more than once, I don't have it listed multiple times:

Supply List:

Background
     Oh Baby - 3
Embellishments
    Mis-Stitched - espresso 6b
    Antique Brads - brad 2
    Mis-Stitched - crumb 6a 
Stamps
    Oh Baby - cloud 1, Color = 230,WATERMARK 255,255,255
    Oh Baby - flourish, Color = PEAR PIZZAZ 171,173,89
    Oh Baby - cute, Color = BAJA BREEZE 141,189,193
    Oh Baby - heart, Color = PEAR PIZZAZ 171,173,89
Punches
    1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Oh Baby - 5
    1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Oh Baby - 8
    1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Oh Baby - 9
    1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Oh Baby - 2
    1.25 Square Punch,  Filled with: Oh Baby - 7
    Friendship Preserves – frame (photo filled)
    Mini Flag Banner Punch,  Filled with: Oh Baby - 6
    Mini Flag Banner Punch,  Filled with: Oh Baby - 1

Another little tip on the page--the Mini Flag Banner Punches that are DSP-filled:  the paper is actually white/vanilla in the middle with color/texture on the outer edges, so on the Pear Pizzaz and Baja Breeze flags, I just moved the punch image around on the page to the various corners (also to make sure that not EVERY banner looked the same!) of the paper to get the DSP to look the way I wanted on them! I added drop shadows to each banner as well.  I anchored the ends of the banner with a couple of Antique Brads.

For some additional interest, I added the cloud image in white, then lowered the opacity to about 40% and place that behind the title.  I guess I didn't 'have' to add the flourish, but having seen Cindy's sample, she had added something in that area, so I decided to do the same.  And finally, I added one small Pear Pizzaz heart with a drop shadow to the 'E' on 'Cutie'.

I probably should confess about an 'oops!' I made on the page.  When I added the stitching, my intent was to recolor both pieces. BUT, I posted it to the group, then realized I had forgotten to do the re-color!!  Truthfully, it looks fine, even with me forgetting to do that, but it's nice that it's also a simple matter for me to go back in to my page in My Digital Studio and make any changes that I deem necessary.  LOVE that about digital creating!!

This challenge was also a good reminder for me that you don't always have to use multiple downloads, stamp brush sets, embellishments, etc. to create a page, and that sometimes, keeping it simple is even better!!  Don't get me wrong, pages with LOTS of stuff can be LOTS of fun, too, but it's not always necessary.  When it come to MDS, I freely admit that I always am game for getting the newest downloads as soon as they're out, but I also realize that I have a LOT of options already in my program, so sometimes, stopping and exploring what's already there is good for me (not to mention good for my pocketbook!)!

Remember, you can always try My Digital Studio for FREE for 30 days (or even purchase it), by visiting my online store and downloading it there!!

Happy Stamping!

Pam

P.S.  Don't forget to stop back tomorrow and check out the Diva Blog Hop!