Technique Tuesday – Direct to Rubber Sponging

Welcome back to Technique Tuesday! I don’t know if I’ll try to go back to doing these EVERY Tuesday, but whenever I use a cool technique, I’ll definitely be sure to share!

For this technique, you use sponges (or sponge daubers) to apply the ink directly to your stamp. The key is to use more than one color to get a cool graduated color effect.

The Medallion stamp just screamed at me to use it for this technique. I first sponged on my lighter color, then added the darker color around the edges and in the very center. Super simple, yet so very pretty!

Just another note…I cut the round Stamping Sponges into 4’s, that way you get more for your money, they’re easier to handle, and you can apply color more precisely.

All Supplies Stampin’ Up unless otherwise noted:
Stamps – Medallion, Thank You Kindly
Colors -Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink, Rich Razzleberry
Paper – Whisper White Cardstock
Accessories – Rhinestone brad from the Pretties Kit, Stamping Sponges

MDS Monday – Picture Frame insert

I know, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here. The past week has been tough – there was a death in the family that we had to deal with. Saying goodbye is never easy, but we know that she’s in a better place now and no longer in pain, and for that, we’re grateful.

I made the insert for this Longaberger frame using My Digital Studio. The frame was part of the raffle basket I discussed in my last post HERE.

This was quick and easy to put together. I used the Brocade Designer Series Paper as the background. On top of that, I typed out the word HOPE, then added little flowers from the Happy Birthday Designer Kit. Some scallop border punches completed the layout.

One point of note – my frame is 4×6, which is not a standard size in My Digital Studio. To work around that, I created the document as a 5×7 1 page card, making sure my word was well within the 4×6 area. When I printed it, I just cut it down to size using my Tabletop Cutter.

To jazz up the frame, I added 2 ribbon loops held with brads to the frame using glue dots. I was going to use a more permanent adhesive, but stuck with the dots in case who ever won it wanted to remove them. As it turns out, the girl that won it loved the frame and planned to keep them on!

Here’s the completed frame:

All digital supplies by Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted:
Designer Paper – Brocade
Colors – Pretty in Pink, Whisper White
Embellishments – Happy Bday Designer Kit, Scallop Border Punch

Traditional Supplies by Stampin’ Up!:
Embellishments: Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, Soft Subtles Brads

 

Melon Thanks

This card has so many things I love. First being, the color pink! I can’t get enough of it. I have  a pink phone, a pink iPod, and I would have a pink computer if it were available in that color when I bought it! I’ll have to dress it up with some of Stampin’ Up!’s Decor Elements soon…to be continued on that!

Anyway, back to the card…I needed some Thank You’s to include in the aforementioned Breast Cancer Dinner/Fundraiser that I took part in. This was one of them. Pretty simple layout using that yummy Razzleberry Lemonade paper and the Kind and Caring Thoughts Hostess set. The sentiment framed with the Scalloped Oval punch really makes it! I really like how this card turned out. I’ll have to make more in all different colors to have on hand!

All Supplies Stampin’ Up unless otherwise noted:
Stamps – Kind and Caring Thoughts, Thank You Kindly
Colors -Melon Mambo, Old Olive
Paper – Razzleberry Lemonade
Accessories – Scallop Oval Punch, Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

Breast Cancer Awareness Dinner & Fundraiser

For the past week, I’ve been working on putting together items for a Breast Cancer Awareness Dinner & Fundraiser I am participating in on Saturday. My Longaberger Branch Leader is sponsoring this for Longaberger’s Horizon of Hope campaign. All proceeds are going to be donated to the American Cancer Society.

To help out, I filled the new Longaberger Newspaper Basket with lots of Stampin’ Up! goodies to be raffled off. My two favorites – Longaberger and Stampin’ Up! Be still my heart!

Here’s the basket in all its filled glory:

Included in the Longaberger Newspaper Basket is:

• Three cards made by yours truly (I will feature those as later posts!)
• Two stamp packs – each has two incentive stamps, and a Stampin’ Spot inkpad
• A roll of Whisper White Taffeta ribbon
• A roll of Silver Elastic Cord
• Stampin’ Up! Idea Book
• Longaberger Picture Frame – Inside the frame is a “HOPE” picture that I made using My Digital Studio! That will also be featured in a future post here.
• Longaberger Shower gel and Lotion

I made the tie on for the basket using a square scalloped chipbaord frame from SU!’s Onboard Essentials. I covered it with some retired Designer Series paper and lots and lots of Dazzling Diamonds glitter. In the middle, I added the pink ribbon.

Close up of the tie on:

I can’t wait for the dinner on Saturday. I hope we do well and raise lots of money to donate to the American Cancer Society!

Saturday only, I will donating the comission from all of my Longaberger sales to the American Cancer Society. If you are interested in purchasing Longaberger, and donating to this worthy cause, click here to shop online —> SHOP LONGABERGER WITH ME!

How to import other content into My Digital Studio

I’ve seen a lot of questions about whether or not you can use other graphic content in My Digital Studio, and how to do it.

Yes you can, and it’s super easy! Here’s how:

Go to the Design Center menu. Click Add Embellishment.On the window that opens, Click Browse Other at the bottom.
In the Add Embellishment window, simply browse to the folder where your other content lives. Click the file you want to add, then click OK.
The embellishment will then open in your project! You can then reposition and resize it.

Hopefully this will help you make the best use of your My Digital Studio Design Software!

I’m back!

I know I’ve been quiet the past week or so…that’s because I was on vacation! A much needed one, no less. But I’m back now and you can expect some new posts coming up!!

Make a wish!

Most of the My Digital Studio posts here focus on scrapbooking – but just so you know, this software is MORE than just scrapbooking! You can make a host of other digital projects – including cards!

I made this card here in 4 minutes (yes- I timed myself) !

I started with a pre-designed template. The one I selected uses elements from the Summer Home Digital kit. I liked the card just fine as it was, but I wanted to change the sentiment to be a birthday one. I deleted the existed sentiment, and stamped in a new one from the A Little Birthday Cheer set. The card still needed a little something, so I added in a couple buttons from the Button Bouquet set. Lastly, I made a Kiwi Kiss border around the edge….mostly so it would show up correctly here on my blog

How cute did this card turn out?

All digital supplies by Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted:
Stamps – A Little Birthday Cheer
Colors – Kiwi Kiss, Whisper White
Embellishments – Summer Home digital kit, Button Bouquet

MDS Monday

For this week’s MDS Monday, I’m featuring a layout made from scratch. This may be really intimidating at first – but have no fear! My Digital Studio makes it easy as 1-2-3!

When making my own layout, the first thing I do is decide what pictures I will use. I then base my whole page on them.

The two pictures I chose of my puppy dog have a lot of tans and greens in them. Because of that I selected Kraft cardstock to use as my background. I chose the flowery paper from the Sunny Day kit, and added some embellishments from that same kit. Lastly, I placed the flower stamp from the Baroque Motifs set and added my text. This entire page was done in no time!

All digital supplies by Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted:
Stamps – Baroque Motifs
Designer Paper – Sunny Day kit
Colors – Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Embellishments – Sunny Day kit, Brads

The Best of Christmas Past – Longaberger Sale!

Starting Today, the Longaberger Factory Store Online will begin their Best Of Christmas Past Sale!

Shop now for never-before-seen savings on select holiday baskets, fabric, and pottery! Shop early for the best selection – and cross those items are your Christmas list!

Click HERE to place your order today!

MDS Monday

For today’s My Digital Studio feature, I wanted to show how easy it is to take a Designer template and really make it your own.

I chose this Designer template from the Rock A Bye – Girl album. I liked the single photo layout, as well as the embellishments used.

Before – Designer Template:

I selected the picture I wanted to use on this page, and decided I wasn’t liking the Designer Series paper being used.  To change it, I just clicked on it, then over in the right-hand Design Center menu, I selected “Paper Fill” and chose a new paper.

I then decided the star wasn’t really working – so I just deleted it! To balance the ribbon at the bottom- I added a scallop punch of chocolate chip at the top. I then moved the bow over to the left, and added Miss Rylee’s name to the bottom.  Of course it still needed a little “something something” so I placed the Swirl Flourish stamp – colored in Pretty in Pink to the bottom.

As a final touch I added 3 hearts from the Punches to the corner of the picture.

I know it sounds like I did a lot here – but this honestly took less than 10 minutes to do! That’s what I love about MDS- you don’t need to be creative all on your own- it can help! A blank page can be so intimidating, but by using the Designer templates to start with, you can really personalize your pages and cards to be your own.

After – My personalized page:

All digital supplies by Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted:
Stamps – Torn Edges – swirl flourish
Designer Paper – Pretty in Pink Blooms
Colors – Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron
Embellishments – Scallop Punch, Heart punches
Fonts – Peas Scrapbook, Typo Upright