MDS Monday Challenge -- Black & White

Good morning, and welcome to UDI’s MDS Monday Challenge. This week our challenge was to create a Black & White project. I chose pictures from my Mediterranean Cruise. These pictures are from the hotel bar, our first night in Barcelona. I wanted a sleek, modern feel to the layout since that’s how the bar was decorated.

I started with a background from the Night and Day DSP. It’s a textured black background with a slight swirl pattern. I added another layer in white, then changed the opacity to 20% to make it more muted. Next, I added some black stamps from For All You Do and Pocket Silhouettes. I finished with my journaling in white.

Now it’s time to check out the other inspiring creations from the Design Team members at Utah Diva’s International. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by!

MDS Page Recipe: Stamps- For All You Do, Pocket Silhouettes; Paper- Night and Day DSP, Whisper White; Ink- Basic Black, Whisper White; Accessories- Square Punch; Fonts= CK Journaling; Pea Aimee

MDS Monday Challenge -- Valentine Project

Good morning, and welcome to UDI’s MDS Monday Challenge. This week our challenge was to create a Valentine project. I’ve already made all my Valentine cards, and I wanted to try something different. I needed a new subject, say hello to Chelsea. This is my BFF Janet’s 5-month old daughter Chelsea Grace. I asked Janet if she had a recent picture of Chelsea. And Janet took the time to play dress-up with her daughter and take Chelsea’s picture in her Valentine outfit – perfect for me!  (Thanks Janet !!!)

Now about my project: I saw this quote and picture idea somewhere on the internet and I thought it’d be perfect for a little girl's picture. First, I sized my picture just larger than 5x7. Then I added some swirl stamps from Baroque Motifs and Elements of Style. Next, I started working on the quote. It’s just a bunch of text blocks arranged to fit the picture. Finally, I added a couple Vintage Overlays to soften the edges of the photo. And that’s it. The picture’s ready to print and put in a 5x7 frame.

In case the image is hard to read, the quote says, "For Beautiful eyes, look for the GOOD in others; for Beautiful lips, speak only words of KINDNESS; and for Poise, walk with the knowledge that you are NEVER ALONE. -- Audrey Hepburn."

Now it’s time to check out the other inspiring creations from the Design Team members at Utah Diva’s International. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by!

MDS Page Recipe: Stamps- Baroque Motifs, Elements of Style; Paper- none; Ink- Whisper White; Accessories- none; Fonts= Arial, AR Decode, Juice ITC

FREE My Digital Studio trial offer

Are you interested in digital software for cards, scrapbooking and more? Start designing with My Digital Studio (MDS) today for FREE!

Stampin' Up! is offering a FREE 30-day trial of My Digital Studio Express. GOOD NEWS! This offer is on-going and not a limited time offer.

With the FREE 30-Day Trial, you'll get:

• Full access to the software at NO COST.
• Full design functionality.
• Exclusive artwork that comes with My Digital Studio Express, click for details.
• The opportunity to purchase additional downloads, from designer templates to stamp brush sets to punches--and everything in between. Here’s a link to the complete MDS Catalog.
• Access to Stampin' Up! professional print services.

Getting started is simple – Just download the My Digital Studio Express Free Trial (item 129600) from my Stampin' Up! On-Line Store.

And don’t forget, you earn a FREE Sale-a-bration Gift for every $50 you order – this includes digital downloads you purchase from my store.

Be sure to check out mydigitalstudio.net to learn more about MDS, get tips for using the software, and see tons of samples.

Finally, here's a few quick FAQ's for you--

Q: Is the trial version of the software different from the paid version of My Digital Studio Express?
A: No. When you order the My Digital Studio Express Trial, you will receive the full version of My Digital Studio Express. The software will function exactly the same as if you had purchased the software--you can design, purchase downloads, and print. The only difference is that you can only use the trial version for 30 days.

Q: Can I place a print order with the trial version?
A: Yes. You have full access to everything you can do in My Digital Studio for a full 30 days. This includes full designing functionality, printing, and the ability to purchase downloads.

Q: Do my 30 days start as soon as I download My Digital Studio?
A: Your 30 day trial period starts as soon as you launch the program. It does not matter when you download the program, your 30 days will start as soon as you actually launch (open) the program.

Q: Will the trial still last 30 days even if I order it in the middle or end of the month?
A: You can order the My Digital Studio Trial at any time. The trial period is not tied to the calendar. The trial period will begin as soon as you launch the program, and you will be able to use it for the next 30 days.

Q: What happens after the 30 day trial period is over?
A: When you launch the software after the 30 day trial period is over, you will be prompted to enter a product key. You will not be able to use the software again until you have entered a product key. You can get a product key by purchasing My Digital Studio or My Digital Studio Express.

Q: How do I purchase My Digital Studio after the trial period is over?
A: Simply add My Digital Studio (item 118108) or My Digital Studio Express (item 124483) to your next order. If you order My Digital Studio Express, you will not need to reinstall the software. A product key will be e-mailed to you; after you complete your purchase, just enter that product key when the program prompts you to. If you purchase the disc version of My Digital Studio, you will need to use the installation discs in order to access the included digital content. The installation wizard will walk you through the process, including entering the product key (which you’ll receive with your shipped discs). You will not lose any downloads or projects from your 30-day trial period.

Q: What happens to digital downloads I purchase during the 30 day trial period?
A: You will have continued access to any downloads you purchase during the trial period. If you choose to purchase the software, you will simply need to enter a product key, and you will be able to use all your downloads like normal. If you do not purchase the software, you will still have access to your downloads through your download manager, and you will be able to load them to the digital design software of your choice.

Q: Can I use My Digital Studio digital downloads in other design programs?
A: Yes. The My Digital Studio digital downloads will work with any digital design program.

Q: Will my saved projects be lost when the free trial ends?
A: You will not be able to edit any of your projects through My Digital Studio after the trial period has ended unless you purchase the software. If you do chose to purchase the software, you will be able to access all your projects. If you don’t choose to purchase the software, we recommend you save your projects as jpg files. You will then be able to use them like you use any of your jpg (picture) files.

Q: Can I have two free trials?
A: No. The My Digital Studio Express Trial will only work once. After your 30 days are over, you need to purchase the software to continue using the program.

Q: What if I don’t want to purchase the software at the end of the trial period?
A: You can uninstall the software at any time.

Q: How do I use My Digital Studio?
A: We have several videos and resources available for you on the training section of MyDigitalStudio.net that will help you learn how to use the program.

MDS Monday Challenge -- Holiday project

Good morning, and welcome to UDI’s MDS Monday Challenge. This week our challenge was to create a Christmas or Holiday project. I’m showing you a page from my 2012 Calendar. This is April’s page featuring some pictures from last year’s Easter weekend.

This is a really simple page. I started with a Crumb Cake (Kraft) base and added a piece of the Night and Day DSP. I love the texture in this pattern. I use it all the time! Next I added some Melon Mambo and Bravo Burgundy flowers from the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set. I embellished a little with the button and baker’s twine. Then I finished with a great springtime Bible verse that I saw somewhere.

Now it’s time to check out the other inspiring creations from the Design Team members at Utah Diva’s International. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by!

Framed MDS Layout

Good morning! First, if there’s anybody out there still reading my blog, I appreciate you sticking with me. I’m sorry for the long absence. I struggled through the holidays last year and didn’t feel up to any crafting until after the new year. Then work got in the way! Hopefully, everything is back to an even keel, and I’ll be crafting and posting more regularly.

Now, let’s talk about today’s project, or Monday’s project revisited. Do you ever feel like you just need to walk away from a project to figure out what’s missing? That happens to me a lot when I’m scrapbooking. I liked Monday’s layout of my dogs, but it just didn’t feel “finished”. So I modified it slightly, and I LOVE it. I printed it on a color printer, put it in a frame, and now it sits on my buffet for everyone to see.

Here’s what I modified: I changed the DSP pattern on my long strip of paper. This pattern is more subtle. So that I could add the Riding Hood Red Pleated Satin ribbon peaking out from under the DSP. I love how this ribbon looks in digital form. It’s beautiful. In fact, the whole Twitterpated Kit is great. I highly recommend it.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and thanks for stopping by!

MDS Page Recipe: Stamps- Baroque Motifs; Paper- Twitterpated DSP, Kraft (crumb cake) Textured CS, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red; Ink- Sahara Sand, Basic Black; Accessories- Square Punch, Flag Punch, Circle Punch, Twitterpated Embellishments (button and pleated satin ribbon), Basic Jewels, Bakers Twine, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Full Heart Punch, Heart To Heart Punch, ; Fonts= Pea Bitt Bitt, CK Journaling

Sale-a-bration starts Today!

Good morning! It’s gloomy and cloudy here today. So, here’s a card to brighten the day! And I used papers and embellishments that you can get for FREE starting today. Sale-a-bration starts today and continues through March 31st. You get a free product from the Sale-a-bration catalog for every $50 you spend (before Tax & Shipping) – no limits, 1 FREE product for every $50, spend and earn as much as you want!

For this card, I started with a Lucky Limeade base and added three different patterns from the Everyday Enchantment DSP. I added a Very Vanilla “flagged” piece that was stamped with a stamp from Elementary Elegance. Next, came the Pool Party Curly Label piece that has the greeting stamped in Poppy Parade. And I finished with the Everyday Enchantment ribbon and brad.  (My inspiration came from a sample in the Sale-a-bration catalog.)

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by!

MDS Card Recipe: Stamps- Elementary Elegance; Paper- Everyday Enchantment DSP, Very Vanilla Textured CS, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party; Ink- Soft Suede, Poppy Parade; Accessories- Square Punch, Flag Punch, Curly Label Punch, Everyday Enchantment Embellishments (ribbon and brad); Fonts= none

MDS Monday Challenge -- Featuring Hearts

Good morning, and welcome to UDI’s MDS Monday Challenge. This week our challenge was to create a project using hearts in honor of Valentine’s Day. Last year, I needed a new MasterCard for an international vacation, and I wanted to use a picture of my dogs. That meant a photo session with my puppies. And I actually got a picture I love.

I chose to create a page featuring that picture of my dogs. I’m re-doing my home décor and this page is perfect to put in an 8x10 frame and display on my new shelves. I’m really focusing on creating scrapbook pages that I can frame (in all sizes) and display or hang on the walls. It’s feels great to look at these treasured memories. (I much prefer that over posed studio portraits-- Just my personal preference.)

This page came together quickly using the Twitterpated Kit download. I love the papers, stamps, and embellishments that come with this kit. For this page, I combined the Twitterpated Papers with some older downloads. I started with a Crumb Cake base. Then stamped with Baroque Motifs in Sahara Sand for a watermark look to the page. I added some heart punches and embellished them. Next, I wanted to mimic the outline heart from “I {heart} Hearts”, so I punched the Full Heart and enlarged it. Then I added small circle punches to create the outline and deleted the original punch. Finally, I added some Twitterpated DSP and more embellishments. (*** I have a white strip along the left edge to mark where my design needs to end for the 8x10 frame.)

Now it’s time to check out the other inspiring creations from the Design Team members at Utah Diva’s International. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for stopping by!

MDS Page Recipe: Stamps- Baroque Motifs; Paper- Twitterpated DSP, Kraft (crumb cake) Textured CS, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red; Ink- Sahara Sand, Basic Black; Accessories- Square Punch, Flag Punch, Circle Punch, Twitterpated Embellishments (button), Basic Jewels, Bakers Twine, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Full Heart Punch, Heart To Heart Punch; Fonts= Pea Bitt Bitt, CK Journaling