MDS Hybrid Anniversary Projects

Yesterday was our 15th anniversary! I spent the day creating these projects for my husband (he contributed the roses). The first thing I noticed in the new catalogue was the gorgeous framed digital project on page 6. When I saw that the template was available for download, it went to the top of my download wish list. Then I noticed that I already had almost all the downloads needed to recreate it myself, so I went ahead and copied it. After all, great ideas are meant to be copied, right? The template would definitely have been quicker, but I had fun playing. I had a different frame picked out, but I couldn't fit the mat and I needed it to accommodate the popped up butterflies and pearls.

Here's what my page looked like before I added the butterflies (Beautiful Wings Embosslit 118138) and  Basic Pearls (119247).

The template can be downloaded here for only $2.50 Canadian and can be customized to suite the colors of your decor.

My Digital Sunday - New In Colors!

New In Colors are Coming!



Best of all last year's in-colors are staying for one more year, so beginning July 1st there will be even more colors to play with! The new line is bold and bright and, judging from my weekend shopping trip, very trendy. As I was hanging my new purchases in my closet, I discovered that I have purchased a shirt that contains every one of these five colours this spring (although thankfully not all on the same shirt).Here is a chart to show how these new colors compare to both the current colors available and some of the retired colors (keep in mind that your monitor may show the colors differently than they appear in real life).

 

The first thing I thought of when I saw these new colors was the colours we saw on our recent Caribbean Cruise. I couldn't wait to play with them in My Digital Studio, so I cheated a little! Did you know that you can match any color that you find on the internet or in a photo? I used the "match color" tool in MDS to match each of these colors and create a scrapbook page showcasing my daughter in St. Thomas. To create your own colored cardstock, punch out a square and drag it to cover your page. Insert the photo that you want to select the color from and select your punch. Click on the "match color" tool and select the color in the photo that you want to match. You can even save these new colors into your favorites to use later. Stampin' UP! will release the digital version of the new colors in an update after July first, but in the meantime, check out what I created!

Easter Blessings

 Happy Easter! Here are a couple of quick pages I created in MDS. The photos were taken at Memorial Hill close to our cabin. I took them several years ago, but haven't had a chance to do anything with them until now. The second page isn't quite finished - I'll add a layer of journalling later (when I decide what I want to do with the finished page - print in an album, or save it for later).

My Digital Studio Easter Page

I hope you had a wonderful Easter. I have certainly been enjoying my week off work. Easter Egg Decorating has been a tradition in our house for years, so I quickly made this page in My Digital Studio to add to my calendar for next year. My apologies - the white smear at the top is my journalling, which must have gotten "lost in translation" during the posting process! Are you looking for a great deal on My Digital Studio? It is included in a new packaged starter kit - a $385 value for only $239 (plus no GST or shipping!).

Plus join Stampin' UP now and receive two free Workshop Wow DVD's full of great projects and techniques ($52.95 value). This offer is good until May 31, or while supplies last. As a Stampin' UP demonstrator, you will receive a 20% discount on all your purchases plus monthly volume rebates on your sales. Now is a great time to join the Stampin' UP family.

The Digital + Starter Kit includes:
My Digital Studio software
Party Hearty and Petal Pizzazz stamp sets

Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")

Earth Elements assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")

Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, and Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pads

Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Real Red Stampin' Write markers

Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Real Red 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon

Button Latte Designer buttons

Stampin' Dimensionals

Mini Glue Dots

SNAIL Adhesive

Business supplies (product catalogues, order forms, training DVD, and other supplies)

Best of all, with the exception of the last three items and the software, all items can be substituted for alternate colours or stamp sets (of equal or lesser value). Contact me today to join my team or simply purchase the starter kit as a hobby demonstrator!

My Digital Studio Photo Collage

I am loving My Digital Studio! I found this "love" frame in the Christmas section at Michaels and I knew it would be perfect for Valentine's Day as well as Christmas. I played around with My Digital Studio to create a 5x7 collage to add to the frame. I plan on using the template I created to change the photo every month. At the end of the year, I will mount the 5x7's on cardstock and use them to create a calendar for 2011. Maybe that way I'll actually have my calendar finished and ready to use before the end of January (yes, I'm still working on my 2010 calendar - stay tuned for that project!). Here's how to create your own collage using Stampin' UP!'s MDS.

I began by opening a blank 11x8.5 page. Select punches and choose a square punch. I made mine gray and used the ruler to resize it to approximately 7x5".

Next select photos from the design center on the right of the screen. I added a photo box, resizing it to fit along the left side of my rectangle.

Continue adding and resizing photo boxes until the entire rectangle is covered. I used four for my collage.

Click the camera icon on the left side of the screen in the resource palette. Browse until you find the folder with the photos you want to use. Then drag and drop your photos into the photo boxes leaving one open for embellishment. If you need to change the placement of your photo, double click it, or use the nudge photo and zoom in tools in the design center on the right.

Once your photos are added, click on the background paper icon in the Resource Palette. Browse to select the category that contains the paper you'd like to use. Here I used the real red polka dot in the Christmas Jingle section. Drag and drop your paper into your photo box. Before adding my paper, I added a black rectangle and stretched it along the bottom portion of my page and added a couple of stamps in white.

Embellish as desired. I selected punches again and added a whisper white heart. To create more dimension, I also selected a drop shadow from the Design Center.

The last step was to add a final stamp. To add stamps to your page, click on the stamp icon in the Resource Palette and browse until you find the stamp set that you'd like. The color can be changed by selecting choose color in the Resource Palette. You may also add stamps through the Design Center.

The final step is to save your project for professional printing. I was in a hurry, so I had my photo printed in one hour at Costco. To do this, select Share Project and click on Export to jpeg. Follow the instructions to save your image. Make sure to save a copy within your projects as well. That way you can use the same template over and over again.

My Digital Studio - Loved Page

A couple of months ago I completed my certification for My Digital Studio. There was never any doubt that I would order the program - after all, I love to spend money on new toys, but I wasn't convinced that I would enjoy digital scrapbooking at all. I had tinkered with digital photo greeting cards in the past and even have a whole folder of digital paper and embellishments that I downloaded, but it just wasn't the same as sitting down with paper and embellishments. While it still isn't the same, I think I've found a place for digital crafting in my life. I can create a page in a lot less time than it takes for me to pull out my supplies, let alone glue anything down. Plus I can bring My Digital Studio with me anywhere I can bring my laptop. This page was inspired by this months cover of Canadian Scrapbooker and was created in less than half an hour while I was at the lake over the Christmas holidays. Best of all, I had no mess to clean up!