Get Creative With MDS2 Templates

Already Wednesday?  How time flies.  I've been on the go all week.  Monday I played bridge (and got high score!), then met Sonny at Discount Tire so they could repair my flat tire.  We shopped around a bit for a new TV for his room.  There was a 32" Magnavox advertised at Target at a good price.  But of course, we get there and they don't have any in stock.  The ad just came out on Sunday - good old "bait and switch!"  Tuesday I went to the dentist for my cleaning.  Ugh, I need 2 small fillings.  I'll be going back again next week for that.  After meeting a friend to give her Stampin' Up order, I headed over to the Huntersville Target.  They had one tv in stock but one was all I needed so now Sonny isn't having to watch tv with a magnifying glass tonight.  After a quick lunch, I headed to the body shop to get my bumper fixed and to WalMart. 

So are you anxious to see my creation this week?  Here is the sketch we had to work with:



And here is my card:

I created this card using MDS2 and worked from a template. If you are new to My Digital Studio, I suggest you start with a template and just change things around. This particular template is from the Smitten Alphabet and is for a 8x8 page (I think). Here is what the template looked like before I started altering it:

So give it a try - find a template you like on MDS2 and play around with it.  There are probably a lot of templates you don't even know you have.  That is the case with me.  I spent some time the other day just looking at all the templates and jotting down some of my favorites that I want to play around with.

Check out the rest of the cards from the Paper Craft Crew HERE.

Chalkboard Thanks

I think I am hooked!  I just love this chalkboard technique.  I have been seeing it a lot so I decided to give it a try this weekend.  Love it!!  And thought it really went well with this designer paper I found in my stash (non SU).

Here's how to do it:


Card Stock:  Basic Black (or use Garden Green or Not Quite Navy for the look of old green and blue chalkboards)

Ink: VersaMark, Whisper White Craft ink, ink matching the colour of your card stock

Other: Heat Tool, White Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Embossing Buddy, Watercolor Pencils (White Pencil), Stamping Sponges, ruler (clear is best)

Step 1: Rub card stock with Embossing Buddy. Stamp images with VersaMark ink. Heat emboss with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder.
 
Step 2: Sponge edges of card stock with matching color to create contrast. Wipe off excess ink with tissue. Lightly sponge around embossed images and in blank areas with Whisper White Craft ink. Sponge some areas darker and some lighter to create the look of chalk dust.

Step 3: Use a ruler or freehand, draw lines through or above and below stamped images with the White Watercolor Pencil.  Draw a border 1/4″ from each edge of the card stock with the White Watercolor Pencil to create a frame around the chalkboard. Remember this is all “chalk” drawing on a board so being perfectly neat isn’t necessary!

OPTIONAL: If desired go back and shadow stamp over embossed images with Whisper White Craft ink. By stamping over, but slightly off center of the original image you create a blurred shadow effect. Allow craft ink to dry

Swallowtail Beauties

I guess I've complained about the cold enough!  We are starting to warm up.  Sunday, noon and it is 30 degrees with the sun shining.  By Tuesday or Wednesday, it is supposed to be in the 60s!!  Whoooo Whooo!!  Sonny is obsessed since our trip to Alaska with their weather this time of year.  Every day he tells me what the temps are going to be in Fairbanks.  Today I think he told me the high was supposed to be something like minus 40 degrees. I can't even imagine what that feels like.  Guess I won't complain about NC's highs and lows!

Despite the cold outside, I have been warm inside and working away with my new toys!  One of the stamp sets I didn't think I would get was the huge Swallowtail Butterfly single stamp.  I kept seeing some really pretty samples using it so I caved.  I am so glad I did.  I just love the cards I made with it this weekend.  What do you think?  Which one is your favorite? 

This one I stamped the butterfly on Whisper White card stock with Versamark and then sprinkled Melon Mambo embossing folder all over and heated it up.  Just gorgeous!  The little "thank you" uses the stamp, Pretty Petites and the small Label Punch (both items FREE in the Sale-a-bration catalog!

This butterfly was stamped on Naturals Ivory card stock with Versamark.  I sprinkled Classy Copper (retired) embossing powder over the little guy and heated him up.  Then I used my daubers to daub Baja Breeze and More Mustard on the wings.  Just daub the ink on lightly - you can always go back and add more.  Very lightly, in the background, I stamped the swirl stamp from Everything Eleanor.  (I'm not sure if "daub" is a word but you know what I mean!)

My final beauty is this black and white Swallowtail.  Make sure you remember to wipe the cardstock with the Embossing Buddy before stamping!!  I stamped the butterfly with Whisper White Craft ink (which is now retired BUT you can use Versamark and get the same effect.)  Next I sprinkled White embossing powder all over and heat set it.  I don't know if you can see it, but I used the Needlepoint Border embossing folder from the Spring Mini (pg. 5) on the Pool Party card stock.  The sentiment comes from one of my favorite sets, Word Play.

Last night Sonny and I went to the movies.  You've probably figured out by now that going to the movies is one of our favorite things to do.  Sonny had not seen Lincoln and I have been wanting to see Silver Lining Playbook and knew that was not his kind of movie.  So my movie stated at 7:05 and his at 7:15 so it worked out completely - except we couldn't share popcorn, which we don't do anyway!!  Truth be told, I usually pop my popcorn at home and take it in with me in my purse - much less calories!!  I really enjoyed my movie.  I wasn't too sure at first - it started rather slow and was kind of bizarre at first, but by the end I had a big smile on my face and was rooting for Bradley Cooper.  I don't think it will win the Academy Award but it was entertaining. 

.Big Shot Info

I guess we made the right decision last night to cancel the MDS training in Kernersville because Wow - did we have some COLD weather today!!   Our high was about 27 degrees!  I got dressed this morning to go play Hand & Foot and was just fixing my lunch to take with me when I got the phone call that it had been canceled.  I truthfully think they panicked and "jumped the gun" a bit.  It didn't even start doing any precipitation until around 1 pm and even then, it wasn't much.  The craziest thing to me was the school dismissal.  The schools in our county was dismissed at 8:45!!  What a waste of money in my opinion.  Why did they even go to school?   Charlotte schools did it smart - they dismissed 2 hours early.  That makes sense.   We didn't get anything to speak of where I live.  The worst of the sleet and freezing rain moved through Charlotte around 3:30 p.m. and cleared the area two hours later. Precipitation from the storm system was relatively light, as meteorologists had expected.  But with temperatures in the mid-20s throughout the day – about 25 degrees below the average high for the date – the light sleet and freezing rain quickly coated roads with a sheet of ice and causing numerous traffic accidents.
The high temperature of 27 degrees Friday was the coldest in Charlotte since 2004, according to the National Weather Service.

I know sometimes it get confusing using the Big Shot and trying to decide on the "sandwiches" to use.  So, hopefully this will solve all your problems!  Print it out and put it handy so the next time you use your Big Shot, you will know what to do.

Also, I have a good tip for you.  I bought a pack of square Post-It notes at Staples that have the sticky on the whole square.  They are about 3" square.  They work great in holding the framelits and edgelits in place on your paper and you can reuse them several times.

  Embossing Folders  paper only, one piece at a time (although I have done multiple pieces before)

platform, both tabs open

cutting pad

folder w/paper in it, open end goes in machine first

cutting pad

Tips: Some folders make very deep impressions and might "crack" your paper; over time they thin down with use so you might not notice cracking after many uses; in the meantime, try adding a piece of vellum or extra piece of thin card stock (whisper white or DSP) on top of the other piece of paper INSIDE the folder; this additional piece will take some of the brunt of the pressure. Also, experiment with different weights of paper; designer paper, whisper white and very vanilla are the thinnest ones we have; confetti, naturals, etc., are heavier and should crack less. I get best results by lightly spritzing water on my card stock before embossing it--the water softens the paper to help prevent cracking and it dries quickly.

Edgelits  (long thin metal borders) paper only, one piece at a time

platform, both tabs closed

cutting pad

paper

edgelit, bump side down, placed horizontally across the width of the cutting pad (cutting with it lengthwise can cause it to bend out of shape); use tape or Post-Its to hold in place

cutting pad

Framelits  (thin metal shapes)  paper only, one piece at a time

platform, both tabs closed

cutting pad

paper

framelit, bump side down; use tape of Post-Its to hold in place

cutting pad

Sizzlits and Clearlits  (thin dies)  paper only, one piece at a time

platform, one tab open

cutting pad

sizzlit, face up

paper

cutting pad

Embosslits  (thin hinged dies)  paper only, one piece at a time; these cut and emboss your images

platform, one tab open

cutting pad

embosslit (pay attention to the side that says "this side down"); open end goes in machine first

paper

cutting pad

Bigz Dies w/o score lines  (inch thick dies)  cuts a variety of materials (metal, chipboard, fabric, paper, etc.); cut multiple pieces at a time

cutting pad

die, face up

paper

cutting pad

Bigz Dies w/score lines  (inch thick dies)  cut one piece at a time

cutting pad

die, face up

paper

crease pad

add a shim of card stock if needed (if your cut lines don't go all the way through, add a shim; if your score lines are cut through, remove the shim)

What You Can Create With MDS2

When we went to Ashley's for Christmas, she asked to use my computer and My Digital Studio so she could create a couple of gifts for two of her friends.  I was thrilled because I had bought her MDS2 for her birthday (Dec 22) and wasn't sure if it was actually something she wanted or would use.  Well, I'm happy to say I was wrong and she is enjoying MDS2.  These are the two gifts she made for her friends. They are quotes from songs (I think!)  Ashley designed them and then took them to an office supply store and had them printed on white card stock.  After framing them, they were ready to go.  They really turned out great!

Wouldn't this look cute in a baby's room?

I designed a date frame for Jeff and Darcie.  Instead of framing it (and risk it getting broken in the mail), I just sent them a gift certificate so they could purchase a frame in the color they wanted.  I love it!  It lists all the dates of importance to them and their family.  It was so easy to create with MDS2.  Now I need to do one for myself.  Don't you think this would make a great anniversary gift for someone special?

 Here is another page I created.  This is Stampin' Up's Statement of the Heart.  I found something similar to this on Pinterest and went from there with it.  There are so many great ideas on that site!  You could spend hours "surfing."  I get a lot of my inspiration from there.

Our weather is supposed to be wicked on Friday.  So much so that we have decided to cancel the MDS2 class I was doing in Kernersville and reschedule later in February.  The schools in my county are dismissing at 10:00 .... why they are even bothering, I don't know!!  The bad weather is supposed to hit around 4:00 - freezing rain and ice.  The temps are not supposed to be above freezing all day with the lows hoving in the teens.  But, on Saturday, a high of 40 so who knows!  Guess I will be bundling up and doing some stamping for fun for a change.  I am expecting a SU box of goodies Friday afternoon so that should do the trick!   I just hope the weather holds out until AFTER I play Hand & Foot tomorrow!!

Paper Craft Color/Sketch Challenge #26

The Sketch Challenge for this week also included a color challenge.  The colors remind me of spring so I decided to do a pinwheel card with MDS2.

Here is the sketch for this week:

And here is my card which is loose translation of the sketch:

I used all elements and stamps from the Pinwheel Parade Kit.  Love this kit - especially for spring!

Download Tuesday is Here along with SALE-A-BRATON!!

Tuesday = Downloads!  AND Sale-A-Bration!!

Today is Tuesday which means new downloads for My Digital Studio.  Plus .... I get a free download for winning the challenge last week.  I will be picking the Family History Photobook but I will also be purchasing some of the other downloads.  What about you?

Simply Serif Alphabet

Linen Thread

Family History Photobook

So Sorry Stamp Set

Label This Designer Template

 

The excitement has been leading up to this very day-

 Sale-a-Bration!  

Spending $50 on your favorite Stampin' Up! products = A FREE exclusive product from our Sale-a-Bration brochure.  

This year our Sale-a-Bration products are amazing. From fresh Designer Series Paper, incredible new stamp images , Beautiful Digital Artwork & even F*U*N accessories.  There is something special waiting just for YOU. 

Are you looking for a quick cards to send out? Look no further!

 One of our Sale-a-Bration products will make card making very easy with our Happy Hello Simply Sent Card Kit.  

The cards have the fresh Chevron design  and die cut stickers to embellish.  

Even better, they come with a designer envelope to match.  

If you have more time to create you can dress them up with just a few more embellishments:

Do you Like the Blog?

I'm still working on improving the look of my blog.  How do you like these colors?  I keep tweaking it to make sure it is easy for you to read so let me know if it is not.

We had a pretty cold weekend but that was ok.  Marianne came over Saturday and we worked on our swap cards to take to Kernersville this weekend.  I am doing a beginners class for the NC demonstrators on My Digital Studio and after lunch, we are going to do a card swap using products from the new mini catalog and the Sale-a-Bration catalog.  I will be sharing those cards with you next week.  Here is a sneak peek of mine -

 I actually used the whole spool of this ribbon so now I need to order more.  

On Sunday I spent all day on the computer working on my projects and presentation for next week's class.  There is so much I want to share and teach but only so much time to do it!  I hope the ladies come away with a better understanding of everything My Digital Studio2 can do!

I also spent the day Sunday watching football.  I was quite happy with the results although, truth be told, I didn't really care if Atlanta or San Francisco won except for the fact that I had chosen San Fran. in our Football Pool.  Since I chose both games correctly, I really moved up in the standings!!  Don't think it will put me in the money, but Sonny might have a chance - he's in 3rd place right now.  I've done pretty good and I'm only about 5 games back.

 Here is a card I made last week using some retired items - the DSP and the ribbon.  But I like the simplicity of the card.  It could be used for Valentine or any occasion actually.  

Have a good day.  We are heading to the Y in just a bit.  And this afternoon, we are going to the movies with the Golden Boys movie group to see Dark Thirty (I think that's the name).

January Stamp Club Cards

Brrrr - it's sure turned cold here today!  I was hoping to wake up to a yard full of snow, but no such luck.  There is a dusting on our back deck and schools were delayed 3 hours this morning but that's about it.  We went over to Horsefeathers last night to grab a burger and beer and coming home, a "wintry mix" was really coming down.  It has been raining non stop since Monday and our yard looks like a swamp!  But today the sun is out finally and the temperatures are supposed to reach the mid 40s!!  Good day for making cards and drinking hot chocolate by the fire!

I had Stamp Club this week - and am actually having it again next Wednesday since 4 of the girls could not make it for one reason or another.  These are a few of the cards we made this week along with the cards from THIS POST.  They picked one of the Valentines to make and chose either the pink or turquoise birthday card.

 This card used the new Hearts A Flutter bundle - stamp and framelits.  Also the ribbon is the new Two-Tone Ribbon.  I like the ribbon although it is not what I had pictured in my mind.  I thought it was going to be 2 different colors but what it is is a blend of the two colors - Rose Red and Pink Pirouette.  I had to go back to the catalog and read the description to figure it out.  It is nice and silky and makes a very pretty bow.  The "I Love You" is from the Bitty Banners stamp and framelit.  The large heart was cut using the Hearts Framelits.

This is just a fun card!  I recently bought this Patterned Party birthday set during one of SU's sales.  It is such a great birthday set!  It also has gifts and cake in the set but I just couldn't fit any more stamps on the card.  On this card, I stamped the balloons separately, cut them out, and popped each one up.  If you notice on the blue card below, I stamped all the balloons separately on the card using markers to color them - much easier!!

This card uses Papillion Potpourri (butterflies) and the Elegant Butterfly Punch - makes it super easy to cut out those butterflies!!  I made a mask using the Labels Framelits and stamped the French background stamp on the Vanilla card stock.  Next I stamped the "thanks" from the Vintage Verses Sale-a-bration set in Rich Razzleberry.  After the stamping, I ran the piece through the Big Shot using the Houndstooth embossing folder.  The butterfly was stamped onto Pretty in Pink and punched out.  Super easy card!!

Paper Craft Crew Challenge #25

The challenge for the Paper Craft Crew this week also includes a color challenge.  We are challenged to use Basic Gray, Melon Mambo and Old Olive.  So, I turned to my trusty MDS2 and created this card.

Supplies used:
Card Stock\Old Olive
Embellishments: Taffeta Trimmings\Taffeta Trimmings - ripple melon mambo (re-colored)
A to Z Woodpress - embellishments\A to Z Woodpress - uppercase l (re-colored)
A to Z Woodpress - embellishments\A to Z Woodpress - uppercase o (re-colored)
A to Z Woodpress - embellishments\A to Z Woodpress - uppercase v (re-colored)
A to Z Woodpress - embellishments\A to Z Woodpress - uppercase e (re-colored)
Taffeta Trimmings\Taffeta Trimmings - short bow melon mambo (re-colored)

Stamps:  Presto Patterns Overlays\Presto Patterns Overlays - script, Color = WHISPER WHITE 
Punches:  Basics\1.25 Square Punch, Filled with: Designer Series Paper\Small Polka Dot\Basic Gray Small Polka Dot

Photo Box filled w/Card Stock\Old Olive, Card Stock\Melon Mambo, Card Stock\Basic Gray

 I got carried away and decided to create another card using the same criteria.  What do you think?

Designer Series Paper\Designer Kits\Days to Remember - designer series paper\Days to Remember - 2
Embellishments:  Taffeta Trimmings\Taffeta Trimmings - ripple melon mambo
Designer Kits\Love Birds - elements\Love Birds - patterned heart 1 (re-colored)
Designer Kits\Love Birds - elements\Love Birds - patterned heart 1 (re-colored)
Designer Kits\Love Birds - elements\Love Birds - patterned heart 1 (re-colored)
Designer Kits\Love Birds - elements\Love Birds - patterned heart 1 (re-colored)
Taffeta Trimmings\Taffeta Trimmings - short bow melon mambo
Stamps: Designer Kits\Days to Remember\Days to Remember - heart group, Color = MELON MAMBO / Valentine Defined - love

Card Stock\Textured Card Stock - Basic Gray
Designer Series Paper\Small Polka Dot\Melon Mambo Small Polka Dot
Card Stock\Old Olive
Card Stock\Whisper White