Artful Avocations

Big Day for My Digital Studio & Boo! Treat w/Big Shot

Today's the Big Day!  My Digital Studio is now available for purchase.  Don't forget you get your choice of three of my available retired stamp sets if you order your MDS from me.

This is another Halloween treat I made during the summer and have been saving to post closer to Halloween.  I was thinking of using the Bigz Movers and Shapers dies to make something other than cards and came up with another way to make tent style treat holders.  Super easy, so I made a few different styles which I will post another time.

To make this project, I used the circle die from Holiday Windows die set and centered it on the metal portion of the A2 card Movers and Shapers die (comes with the Curly Label die).  Then I placed my 4-1/4 x 11 piece of card stock on the die and ran it through the Big Shot to cut and score.  Next, I added two more score lines.  One at 4" from the end with the hole and one at 1-1/2" from the other end (so your card stock is scored at 1-1/2", 5-1/2", and 7" along the 11" side).  

Next, I stamped the background with Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamps, scalloped the edge of the flap with the Scallop Edge Punch, added the layers of Cast a Spell DSP and some black grosgrain ribbon on the flap, added a piece of Velcro to close, decorated the front with the letter B cut with the Serif Essentials die, added an O punched out with the Wide Oval Punch, and added a stamped pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch stamp set.  To finish the treat, I added some orange slices (candy) in a 4x6 Cello Bag and adhered it to the inside of the package.

Hope you like it!

Mini Halloween Milk Carton Treats

According to the calendar, fall is officially here!  My favorite time of year.  :)  It doesn't really look or feel like fall yet here in Southern California, although it wasn't so hot today and certainly nice and cool this evening.  (My computer says it's 64.)  We actually have the windows open and the A/C off!

Hard to believe it will be Halloween in the blink of an eye, so I'm gearing up to teach my after school paper crafting classes for the fall season starting this Thursday.

On the list of projects will be these simple, but cute milk cartons that I actually made during the summer.  These are made just like a 2-4-6-8 box, only they are smaller.  You can get two from one sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 card stock.

Here are the directions for the box:

Cut card stock to 5 x 6-1/2. Score according to diagram.  Cut on bold lines.  Cut off gray area.  Fold all score lines and assemble with Sticky Tape, using the 1/2" section as the glue tab.  You can click on the diagram to enlarge it {and actually be able to read it!!}.

I used last year's Halloween DSP, the Batty for You stamp set, and the 1-1/4 and 1-3/8 circle punches for the focal points to decorate these mini cartons.  To open and close the cartons easily, I opted to use mini binder clips covered with DSP and a bit of ribbon.

I hope you like these darling mini cartons!  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be back tomorrow with more Halloween!

It's Almost Here!!

The long anticipated wait is almost over!  Thursday is the BIG day when You can order My Digital Studio from my online Stampin' Up! store.  If you order your My Digital Studio from me, I will send you THREE free retired Stampin' Up! stamp sets of your choice from my available list (first-come basis).  Here is the current list of available retired sets: Download Retired SU! Sets - As of 9-26-09

Plus, if you host a workshop with a total of at least $400, you can get your copy of My Digital Studio for $39.97 (that's 50% off the retail price of $79.95.) when you use your free hostess dollars!  Not to mention you would also get any one item from the 2009 Holiday Mini for only $10, in addition to all the other hostess benefits.  Contact me today if you'd like to book a workshop!

I just know you are going to love this new software from Stampin' Up!  Just think, you can make scrapbook pages and books, cards, calendars, movies, DVDs, and you can save your projects as jpeg images for all kinds of other digital applications!!!  Check out this informational video from Stampin' Up!  Hope you're having a great Sunday!  Thanks for stopping by!

Free Stamps!

Who doesn't want FREE stamps?  I would like to give away some of my retired Stampin' Up! stamp sets to good homes.  My retired sets have been gently used and there are some that have never been used.  Most sets that are mounted have been cut out with a precision saw.  : )

Here's what you can do to get one or more of these free sets:  Place an order totaling $50.00 or more before shipping and tax through my online store before 12:00 noon PST on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.  Plus, for every $50 you spend (before shipping and tax) you can pick another free retired set!  If your order totals $150 or more, you are also eligible to receive all the free hostess benefits!  This offer is on a first-come basis and is only available to United States residents.  Please visit my online store, check out the current promotions Stampin' Up! is offering, click the "Shop Now" button in the upper right corner and place your order.  Then watch for an e-mail from me asking you to choose your free set(s) from my list of sets still available.  As soon as you return your choice to me, I will ship it to you via the USPS at no cost to you as my way of saying "Thanks" for shopping at my online Stampin' Up! store.  Here is my retired list:   Download Retired SU! Sets - As of 9-26-09

I hope you can take advantage of this SUPER OFFER!  Thanks for stopping by!

MDS Thanksgiving Card

Here is another card I made with My Digital Studio when I first got the software a couple of weeks ago.  The card has a white background and was hard to see on the screen, so I added the rust under layer in Photoshop so it would show up better here.

There is no pumpkin (yet) in MDS and I wanted a pumpkin, so I used the punch tools and made my own pumpkin with the oval punch.  The stem is the modern label punch.  I made the two punches in the back Tangerine Tango and the front oval punch is Pumpkin Pie.  I added a drop shadow to each to give them dimension.  Fun!

You'll be able to get your own My Digital Studio on October 1st in my Stampin' Up! online store in just 10 more days!!  I will have a special for you if you order your My Digital Studio from me, so don't forget to check back to see what it is!!

I hope you had a great weekend and you have a great week ahead!  Thanks for stopping by!

New Blog Banner & First MDS Book!

Well, how do you like it?  Just thought I'd play around with My Digital Studio this evening and make a new banner for my blog.  I drew my last banner and a few for some friends with my Adobe Illustrator.  Granted, MDS does not have drawing tools, but who needs them when you have the fabulous stamp designs from Stampin' Up!?  This program is SO much fun!

Speaking of MDS, I received my first professionally printed scrapbook from the SU! printer service and boy is it NICE!!!  I had a little 5 x 5 Grandma's Brag Book made for my friend with pictures from her son's first Father's Day.  I can't wait until I get my next book ready to go to print!

I love to read your comments and appreciate the feedback!

Thanks for visiting!  Here are some of the pages from the brag book.

I Just Might Get Some Scrapbooks Finished!

I am really behind on scrapbooking, but I am hoping that will be changing soon.  Now that I have My Digital Studio, I think I might be able to get the last 30 years or so caught up.  Big plans, I know.  Here's a start...I found a few baseball pictures of Jesse when he was 8 years old.  I made this page in a matter of minutes.  So easy too!

Don't forget you can order your own copy of My Digital Studio on October 1st.  Just click on SHOP in the upper right corner of my online store.  (United States orders only.)

Well, I've got to get back to My Digital Studio!  Thanks for stopping by!

More My Digital Studio

Edited 9-09-09:  I am now having these posters printed by a professional printer on 8 x 10 photo paper - perfect for framing.  The results are AWESOME!  Click on the Buy Now button to get yours!

I just can't stop playing with My Digital Studio!  I made this poster last night and I am in love with the way it turned out.  I printed it out on a full sheet of 8-1/2 x 11 card stock and chose the borderless option on my printer so it would print all the way to the edges.  I plan on getting a nice kind of copper colored frame to put it in and hang in my craft area.

Make sure to click on the image to enlarge it and get a better look at the detail.

Images are copyright Stampin' Up!

If you would like one of these posters (sans my watermark) printed on photo paper by a professional printer, I will have one made for you for $5.00 US, shipping to US included.  Just click on the Buy Now button below.  Outside of the US, please e-mail me for shipping costs.  Thanks for stopping by!

My Digital Studio is HERE!

 I absolutely LOVE drawing my own digital images and background papers, so I knew I would not be able to wait to get my hands on Stampin' Up!'s new My Digital Studio!  I received my copy yesterday (FINALLY...I was like a little kid trying to wait for it!!) and installed it right away...that was about 5:00 p.m.  The next thing I knew it was 2:50 A.M.!!!!  WOW!  Sooo much fun!  I had NO idea it was that late.  I wasn't completely on the computer that entire time as I did stop to have dinner with Jamie and my friend, Sue, stopped by to pick up a tack cloth (she's sanding some new shelves for her stamp room).  Other than that though, I was playing with My Digital Studio!!!

Here are a few Christmas cards I made...all digital!!  I also made a card for my cousin who is having her baby baptized tomorrow.

This program is nothing less than awesome!  Maybe you've made some digital scrapbooks with some of the online programs that don't let you change anything, you're forced to use their template and just add your photos.  My Digital Studio allows you to change everything on the pre-made templates or you can start with a blank page and totally make your own design.
 That's what I did to make my cards - start with a blank page.

This second card has a white background at the top, so it's a little hard to see, but there are Bashful Blue snowflakes on the white background.  I set the opacity to 60% on the snowflakes because I wanted them lighter than the usual Bashful Blue would be once printed out.  Yep...you can change the opacity on everything too which can creat some cool overlay effects.

If you have played around with digi scrapping and card making, then you know to make the elements look real when printed you must put a drop shadow on them.  My Digital Studio allows you to do add drop shadows with your specs and colors.  = )

 This baptism card has lots of layers and was really fun to make.  Even though there is no "cross" in My Digital Studio, don't let that stop you from making one.  I used the square punch tool, added Chocolate Chip color, and then simply resized the square to a very think rectangle by dragging on the corner and side and then added a drop shadow.  Then I copied and pasted that rectangle and rotated it 90 degrees and shortened it up a bit by again, dragging on the corner and moved it onto the other rectangle to make a cross.

My Digital Studio is very, very, very simple to use.  I do have a lot of experience using graphics programs, but I'm confidant anyone will find it a very user friendly program.  I didn't require any training to just start creating with it.  When I saw the demonstrations at Convention, I could see I already knew how to use it without needing any training because it's so similar to other applications I already use!  This is something you really need to get.

My Digital Studio will be available for order on October 1, 2009, in my online Stampin' Up! store.

I would be honored to have you purchase your copy of this awesome new software program from me and happy to help you use it...but, you probably won't need too much help because it's super easy to use.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!