Tag Archives: “My Digital Studio”

MDS 2 to the rescue

Dec 13, 2012

Have I mentioned lately how much I love, love, LOVE MDS 2?  Because my living situation is still pretty much in limbo until I have a place of my own, it has been quite impossible to stamp…… which is, of course, the usual way I create cards & projects – and scratch that creativity itch.

But thankfully I've had MDS 2 to play with a bit in the meantime.  It's not a total substitute for actually getting hands in the ink, but has certainly been a lifesaver when I've needed to produce SOMETHING unique!

Take, for instance, the invitation I needed for this crazy Open House I'm doing today.  I'll be featuring products from the upcoming Stampin' Up! Spring Catalog & Sale-a-Bration, but the time and setting will be smack in the middle of the Christmas season – surrounded by Christmas decorations!  So I've dubbed it my "Scrambled-up Seasons" Open House, and had to come up with an appropriate – and obviously unique – invitation!  (I've invited my entire Whidbey Island-area customer  & downline-demonstrator mailing lists, so it was impractical to invite by snail-mailed or hand-stamped invitation anyway.)  So here's the invitation they received by email….

Open House invite-001
One of the new features of MDS 2 is that the program can choose coordinating colors for you.  I was facing a bit of a mental block as to color-selection (you know, what colors DO you do Christmas, Valentines, St. Patricks, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduation, and wedding in, anyway?)….. so I chose the "Surprise Me" feature, and it came up with 5 colors that went together nicely.  "Nope, not those", I thought of its first option, so I clicked again. And a few more times until it found just the right combo of 5 colors, and voila!, the color quandry was resolved!  Totally easy, and totally what I was looking for! 

Oh, in case you're wondering, the colors are Regal Rose, So Saffron, Island Indigo, Tempting Turquoise, and Wild Wasabi.

The frame in the center is actually an embellishment that initially came in bright green with red berries.  I knew the design was what I was looking for, but the color was definitely not.  So (once again, thanks to a new feature in MDS 2), I recolored it in a flash – to the Wild Wasabi I was using elsewhere.  And I'm pretty pleased with how the whole thing turned out.  (What do YOU think?  I'd love if you left me a comment!  Hint, hint…)

Ok, now off to frost those red velvet cupcakes….. and decide whether they'll get "Christmas" or "Spring" decorations on top!  Hmmm…… Christmas tree bulbs, or butterflies?  "Scrambled-up Seasons" sure leaves room for plenty of options!  😉

Siggy-11-09-200

Contemplating snow

Jan 18, 2012

So I'm sitting here with cabin fever yet again, watching as the gentle breeze dislodges clumps of snow from high up in the cedar boughs, which then in turn rain down, gathering more snow along the way until it all arrives at window level as a curtain of white.  Quite fascinating to watch, actually.  Wish it was possible to capture and share in a picture or video, but never knowing at what moment it might happen, or from which tree, it's not too practical to try.

But with snow covering the trees and across the landscape for as far as the eye can see, my thoughts turn to snowmen.  Not that I'm actually going to go outside and MAKE one (what?!?  and spoil the sweet purity of that undisturbed white expanse across the lawn?!?), but at least I can post a card I made with My Digital Studio and sent to about 1/3 of the list I'd *intended* to send Christmas cards to this year, lol. (BTW, getting cards out to 1/3 of the list was really GOOD, compared to the last 3 years!)

Anyway, full credit for the design inspiration and techniques instruction go to Rochelle Gould, from whom I cased much of this design.  Her explanation of how to color line art images (and her original award-winning version of this card) are here.

Snowmen-card-001

Thank you, Rochelle, for giving me the courage and confidence to attempt this project.  It's just about up there at the TOP of anything I've tried in MDS to date!

 

       

When is a punch really a stamp?

Jan 17, 2012

Thank-you--Jan-2012---web

I had some fun with "My Digital Studio" over the weekend.  I'd decided that my January thank-you cards would use images from the upcoming free Sale-a-Bration CD:  "One Big Sale-a-Bration", which will become available when Sale-a-Bration begins one week from today.

But as I worked on my design I just couldn't seem to get the bird image to look like I wanted. Sure, I could make it any color I wanted, and change its size and angle, and mat it and/or drop shadow it – or not.  But no matter what I tried, it just seemed soooo…… so BIG…..and so flat.  Definitely not the pretty, delicate look I was after with that bird.  

So as I struggled with that for a while it occured to me that it sure would be wonderful if that bird was actually a punch, because then I'd be able to fill it with Designer Series Paper of my choice, or a photo, or whatever.  And suddenly I was struck with an inspiration!

I knew that a whole lot of amazing, talented digital designers hang out over at www.MyDigitalStudio.net, and they're always coming up with unbelievably awesome techniques and sharing them.  So I tripped on over there, did a little searching around, and sure enough came up with a forum thread that led to another, and then another…… and eventually how to transform a stamp image into a punch image!

So once past the learning curve, here's the card I came up with.  Pretty sweet technique, don't you think?!?  Can't wait to use it again with another digital stamp! 

It’s FAIR time!

Aug 18, 2011

Hello Island County!!! 

Just checkin' in here with a quick update.  You may have noticed my relative silence recently; that's because I've been spending every waking moment of the past several weeks laser-focused on getting our booth ready to open on time this morning. (And we "almost" made it, lol!)

Are you excited for the Fair?!?  Or are you just dragging yourself and the kids HOME from there with tired and aching feet?  Either way, I sure hope we either had a chance to chat – or will soon!

If you HAVEN'T already been there, I wanted to let you know I'll be in our booth every day from mid-afternoon through closing, and all day on Sunday.  Yep, that's over half the hours the Fair is open!  You can find us in our usual place in the Turner Building; just look UP above the tops of the booths for the familiar Stampin' Up! logo!

This is what our booth looked like Monday morning (the photo is actually of our next-door-neighbor booth, but ours looked exactly the same); come see how Michele and I've transformed the place this week!  🙂

P8150001

And a couple other things you might like to know…..

If you have picked up a 2-for-1 coupon, you can read more about my Card Classes here.

And if you've been wanting to view that My Digital Studio Overview video again, we'll be streaming it from time to time throughout the run of the Fair.  You can catch that at:

http://www.gvolive.com/conference,stamptherock

Just sign in with your full name (and leave the password area blank), and then you may have to wait several minutes for the video to start.  (Unfortunately it will probably begin wherever the master video is running, rather than from the beginning, but technology is not yet totally perfect, lol.)

If, after several minutes, the video does not begin, then go ahead and sign out and try again later.  The PLAN is to have it looping throughout the weekend, but of course technological gremlins may do their best to interfer with that……

Added Sunday morning:

THANK YOU to all of you coming to meet me this weekend!  I've met so many fun, enthusiastic crafters and crafter-wannabees this weekend, and look forward to working with you in the future!

 If you haven't yet had a chance to drop in, today is the final day at the fair.  I'll be doing my drawing on Monday – from everyone who has given me their email & phone info since Thursday. 

So that means if you've filled out a form to join my email list, you're IN. 

If you join my list before the end of today (just click on the green button at the top of the next column to the right) – you're IN. 

Or if you email me with your info before the end of today – you're IN, too!!!

And if had asked about My Digital Studio, please be sure to watch that video at the link above.  Today is the final day I'll be streaming it online.

Now scroll down for my other recent posts, and…….

I'll see you at the FAIR!!!!

Scrap Camp is coming to Whidbey Island!

Apr 28, 2011

Attention Beginning Scrappers!  Experienced Scrappers!

 And even Wannabee Scrappers!  

I'm so excited to be able to announce today that plans for our first Whidbey Island Scrap Camp in many years are coming together – and YOU'RE invited!  Come celebrate National Scrapbooking Month at this fun, productive event – co-hosted by local Stampin' Up!® demonstrators.

Just LOOK at what you'll get at this day-long event in Oak Harbor on Saturday, May 21st!

  • A full day (9:00 am – 5:00 pm) of scrapping focus to work on your custom pages – the way YOU want them. You'll have half of a 6-foot table to work on, as well as the space to the side of it for your "stuff"
  • Lots of samples to view
  • 4 "mini classes" during the day offering you tips for layouts, color selection, and creative embellishments……. as well as an introduction/overview of "My Digital Studio", Stampin' Up!'s awesome digital crafting software
  • A "grab bag" of mystery products
  • A credit for up to $30 in Stampin' Up! products of your choice (your order can be placed either that day or at time of registration if you'd like it delivered at Scrap Camp so you can work with it on that day; more details when you register)
  • Up to 12 sheets of Stampin' Up! 12" x 12" cardstock in the colors of your choice (more details will be provided about this when you register)
  • A take-home packet of layout templates you can use over and over again
  • The use of a huge selection of punches, big shot dies, and alphabet stamps – and Stampin' Up!'s Tabletop Paper Cutter
  • The use of all colors of Stampin' Up!'s Classic inks (but please bring your own Craft inks if you prefer working with those)
  • Optional catered lunch
  • Awards at the end of the day to reinforce & showcase how well you've be able to incorporate what you learned that day
  • And most of all, the assistance of your hosts and other class attendees for suggestions & feedback – if you want it

ALL THIS for only $67!  (Optional lunch will be additional, but exact price has not been determined yet.)

So whether you've never, ever scrapped before – or have years of experience behind you, this day is for you to move forward in your scrapping….. from wherever you are at this point!  

Bring the photos that you want to scrap that day; guidance for selecting your photos will be provided upon registration.  Also bring along any designer papers, cardstock, stamps, or other basic tools you will need that day (other than what is listed above) – and come join us for a day full of fun, learning, and progress and accomplishment!  

Registration will be open through May 11th – unless capacity is reached earlier.  So don't wait; grab your scrappin' girlfriends and claim your spaces quickly.  We're sorry, but no refunds can be given after May 11th – unless someone is able to take your place. (But of course you'll still get your supplies if a refund cannot be given.)

Two ways to register:

  1. Call me at the number at the top of this page to get your name on the list and to let me know if you'd prefer to preorder your $30 of included product right away or wait until the event to order it……and then follow that up with your check for $67 (payable to Lynda Glassmoyer).
  2. Call me at the number at the top of this page to get your name on the list and to let me know if you'd prefer to preorder your $30 of included product right away or wait until the event to order it……and then submit your payment by PayPal -filling in your info below & then clicking the green button.  Please note that a $3 processing fee will be included if paying via PayPal.

Telephone – in case of changes
Name(s) of attendee(s)

And then we'll see you on May 21st!

 

Sale-a-Bration 2011 – final 2 weeks

Mar 16, 2011

P3130014 Just two more weeks remaining of Sale-a-Bration 2011!  I am always astonished how quickly 2+ months can fly by……. but yep, it's true; SAB is winding down.  Thank you to all who've shared in the ride so far, but it's not too late to still take advantage of its perks (i.e. FREE stamps & stuff) if you still want to.  You can still order directly through me (via email or phone) or 24/7 at my online store.

These are some cards I've made that showcase some of the free stamps & accessories available with each $50 order you place. 

Workshop-invite-owls-001The owl-family card was created with images from the My Digital Studio images CD that is one of the SAB freebies. (The CD actually includes ALL the images designed for this year's SAB – and shown in the brochure, so it's a super-great value – especially when you get it FREE, lol!)  Anyway, I created this owl-family design for a SAB workshop invitation.

Don't you just love the bright, vivid colors of this year's SAB accessories?!?  After this dreary, dreary winter (that still continues to this day), I have had so much fun working with these colors!

So as we wind down to our final 2 weeks, I'm curious about something.  What has been your favorite Sale-a-Bration reward item this year?  Would you please leave me a comment and let me know?  Simply click on the "comment" link right below this article and share your thoughts, ok? Thanks!

House warming card

Sep 19, 2010

Well I'm a little gun-shy typing this post today.  Typepad (the service I use for this blog) is going through some kind of "upgrade", and in the cyber world, that's not generally a happy thing.  And a whole bunch of bloggers are spitting nails these days trying to get their posts published the way they want them to appear.  So I'm sure that's why my post of earlier this past week vanished into thin air (according to comments on Typepad's own blog, it appears to be happening to others, too), and I'm sure the fact that it took me half a day to add just one sentence to my demonstrator benefits page the other day had something to do with their "new and improved" editor, too!  Geesh!

So here goes another attempt at posting….. and if things end up looking totally goofy, please understand why.  Sometimes what we type doesn't end up being what actually publishes….. and oftentimes we don't have control over where the pictures ultimately end up.

P9190002 Today I want to share a card I made for some friends' house warming.  The front features our oh-so-popular "Two-step Owl" punch, along with the Scallop Edge Border, and Heart-to-Heart punches.  The colors are Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake (eyes), Pear Pizzaz, Early Espresso, and either Tangerine Tango or Pumpkin Pie (I confess I forgot).  Notice where the knot ended up?  It was a little tricky finding room to tie and place that knot over there and still be able to center the top vanilla layer, so I had an inspiration to take a bite out of the Very Vanilla layer with the end of the Modern Label punch!  (Oh yeah, I guess that means I used THAT punch, too.)

The Pear Pizzazz Designer paper comes from the current hostess gift set (Level 1), and the tangerine/pumpkin were scraps I had lying around from a while back.

Now, this two-step owl punch is adorable, but a lot of people are having trouble dealing with those itty-bitty, teeny-tiny circles that punch out for the eyes.  And I agree it is IMPOSSIBLE to handle them with your fingers.  But here's what I do:  I add a tiny little spot of Two-Way Glue Pen to the dot and then pick it up (glue side up) by touching the sharp pointy tip of the Paper Snips to it.  Then I roll the scissors over (so glue side is pointed down), and then I can just about hit the exact landing spot where I want to place that pesky dot!  And truth be told, I used the exact same technique to place those small hearts, too.  Probably didn't HAVE to, but it sure made it a lot easier!

Now, for the inside of this card I used "My Digital Studio" to create something totally custom….. and I had a lot of fun with this, too!  Check it out – although because it's on a white background you can't really tell where the edges would be.  So just imagine this printed on a 5-1/4" x 4" piece of Whisper White cardstock…… : Love-Nest-House-Warming

 Remember you can usually click on a picture to see it larger, if you want.  (Well, operative word being "usually"; don't know WHAT might happen these days, lol!)

So whadaya think?!?  Leave me a comment if you feel inspired!  (And if Typepad will let you!)

Hurray for Stampin’ Up!®’s printing service!

Jun 29, 2010

I'm so excited today!  Mr. UPS man has been bringing me all kinds of fun packages recently:  orders from my recent workshops, backorders that have now been cleared out, several cases of brand-new 2010/2011 catalogs, and  then today…… this card that I've been so anxious to see that I've hardly been able to concentrate on anything else!

Ok, I guess you'll have to understand the background before appreciating how anxiously I've been waiting to see this card.  Here goes:

My son and his wife became new parents this spring.  Unfortunately, they live a whole day's drive away – over the mountains and in another state – so I am destined to not be able to watch this special little boy grow up day-to-day.  But they visited here over Memorial Day weekend and I snapped some adorable pictures that looked just fine in the view window of my camera.  Unfortunately, after they all headed home and I hurried to download my precious pictures, I discovered quite to my dismay that most of them were out of focus.  Oh NO!!! How in the world that happened still remains a mystery, as the camera was set on auto-focus.  But at any rate I was sorely disappointed with these once-in-a-lifetime shots.

Well, I went to work on the photos with my several-years-old version of Photoshop Elements, and while I wasn't able to make great pictures out of poor ones, I eventually decided they were improved "a bit".  Or at least as long as they're kept small, they look better anyway. And so *I* felt a little bit better. 

Ok, fast-forward to Father's Day.  My son works in the sports world, MDS-card-5x7 so I was totally tickled when Stampin' Up! released some sports-oriented digital downloads recently.  I had quickly scooped up the alphabet and numbers images that suggested sports themes, and figured I'd combine those together with some of the recent pictures I'd taken – to make him a custom "1st Father's Day" card with Stampin' Up!'s awesome "My Digital Studio" digital crafting program that I just adore. 

So I carefully worked to create the strong masculine look I was after – pulling colors from the photos I was using, as well as generally thinking in terms of the sports team for which he works.  I had a blast fiddling around with the simple, but strong design…..  until it was time to print it.

The size I'd chosen for my card is a 5 x 7.  Nice and big for a masculine card. I was happy enough with its look on my monitor screen, but alas, my printer had other ideas. It absolutely *refused* to reproduce the details of what I'd just designed.  When printed on my home printer (only 1 year old, btw), all the fine details of the photos as well as the graphics images were simply not there – and I was again mighty disappointed.  Finally I realized that time was growing short, and I was going to HAVE to submit my design to Stampin' Up!'s printer – but that would take a lot longer than I'd allowed. 

Luckily, there's a feature in My Digital Studio where you can export your artwork to a jpg format.  I make use of that option fairly regularly, and so I pressed it into service that day, too – and was able to fashion an "ecard" of sorts, adding a message and got that emailed in time for Father's Day - while I uploaded the full artwork to our online printer.  I told my son his "real card" would come later; quite a bit later.  And then I began to wait…………..

Until today…… when I finally received the "official" printed card!  Mds-card2-5x7 And let me tell you I am OVER THE MOON happy I decided to do that!  And at the last minute I also had had the idea to have TWO copies printed – one to mail and one to keep for myself.  And boy, am I ever glad I made that decision, too!  'Cuz I just can't stop looking at it.  Mostly because the guys in the pictures are both mighty special to me, of course….. but also because it just looks so darn good!  The detail that was completely absent when printed on my own machine is all there, the colors are a perfect match to what I'd chosen, and the skintone is as good as can be expected given that I'd started the whole thing with less than perfect photos to begin with. 

Now of course there's never a substitute for the real thing, so next time you're here, I hope you'll ask to see this card in real life. (Along with samples of other MDS cards that I've had printed through Stampin' Up!, too.)  But in the meantime, I just had to scan and upload – and share it here. 

AND give a great big thumbs-up to Stampin' Up!'s printing service!  They came through with flying "colors" – and saved the whole project! 

Important message for “My Digital Studio” owners

Apr 27, 2010

If you own Stampin' Up!®'s My Digital Studio software, it is important to keep it up-to-date with updates as they are released.  (For purposes of this article I'm using the term "update" to mean "software updates" (which are free, and recommended for best performance) – and I'm NOT referring to downloadable images which are released monthly and which can be purchased through my online store - and are optional, of course.)

So – let's talk about "SOFTWARE UPDATES".  Just like with any other piece of software, updates are an integral part of maintaining best performance.  And thankfully, My Digital Studio updates are free.  There have been 2 updates released so far, but Stampin' Up! has informed us that too many software owners have not yet downloaded and installed their updates.  So Stampin' Up! has just announced to us a 2-part plan:

Part 1)  We (demonstrators) have been urged to remind our customers of the need to keep their software up-to-date, and

Part 2) Today, Stampin' Up! will begin sending reminder emails to all owners of the software who have either a) registered their software directly with Stampin' Up!, or b) ordered through Stampin' Up!'s online ordering system, or c) worked with a demonstrator who has input their customers' email addresses into her online Customer Manager system.  (Which I do, unless you specifically ask me not to.)

I am pleased that Stampin' Up! is being diligent in their attempts to reach out to owners of My Digital Studio to inform of the importance of keeping their software updated.  If you receive an email from Stampin' Up! about this, I expect it will include instructions for how to apply your updates.  (They must be done sequentially, so if you have not installed either one yet, you'll need to apply both in two separate actions.)

But in case you don't get that email, here are instructions for updating your software:

  • Begin by identifying the version of My Digital Studio (MDS) you currently have installed.  You can determine this by opening your software and clicking HELP, then choose "About My Digital Studio".  If your version is below 1.0.2, you need to update your software.  Continue with the following instructions:
  • To perform your first update, (to version 1.0.1), click here to get started.  (Or to find this page yourself, go to www.Stampinup.com, then choose:  Our Products > Product Lines > My Digital Studio > Updates.)  Choose the appropriate option (PC or MAC), and install that update.
  • After you have installed this initial update you'll be able to update your software to subsequent versions (currently 1.0.2) by click the Help option from inside your software and selecting Check for Updates option.  Don't forget to install the current 1.0.2 version if your version is earlier than that one!

Don't forget to update all your copies of MDS (in case you have installed it on the 2 computers in the same home that the license permits), and don't forget to go to the Help option periodically to check for further updates in the future!

New digital downloads for My Digital Studio

Apr 7, 2010

Are ya ready to freshen up your My Digital Studio?!?  Stampin' Up!® has released their monthly digital download images; take a look at them in the chart below!

And don't forget that if you use a different software program (such as Photoshop Elements) you can use these images, too.

Click on each name to view the images, and then order your favorites at my online store. (Look for the category for Digital Crafting/My Digital Downloads/Newest Downloads.)  And notice how some of these are priced as low as $.95 each?!?  With no minimum size order required and no shipping/handling added to digital downloads, yes, you can even order just ONE item if that's what you want!  

So why not take this opportunity to treat yourself to some fresh, new images for your digital crafting!

121061    Vintage Overlay Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download $5.95
121062    Vintage Vogue Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download    $3.95
121064    Well Scripted Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download    $3.95
121066    Rough Type Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download    $9.95
122131    Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch – Digital Download    $0.95
122132    Extra
Large Fancy Flower punch – Digital Download   		 $0.95
122133    Medium Jewelry Tag punch – Digital Download    $0.95
122134    Pinking Hearts Border punch – Digital Download    $0.95
122135    Pinking Hearts Corner punch – Digital Download    $0.95
122136    Scallop Trim Border punch – Digital Download    $0.95
122137    Scallop Trim Corner punch – Digital Download    $0.95