Meant to Be Graduation Invitation

Graduation season is just around the corner, so I've been working on some graduation invitations and announcements using My Digital Studio. This party invitation is actually one that I made a couple of years ago, but never got around to posting. It is sized to fit a standard business-size envelope, which I personally think is a nice change from a 5x7 card. The design on the left is from the Designer Kit Meant to Be. Although this kit was designed for weddings, it can be used for other projects, which is not uncommon. Whenever I'm working on a project, I always look through pretty much everything in my program to see what might work because sometimes I find an element in the least likely place! Please note that ALL of the supplies listed below are digital. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Meant to Be Designer Kit (Flourish 1)
Ink: Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, & Whisper White
Paper: Baja Breeze & Whisper White Card Stock
Accessories & Tools: My Digital Studio

Pink Elephant Birth Announcement

I realize that I haven't been so great at this blogging thing, but I really do have good intentions. Life sometimes (okay, frequently) gets in the way of my good intentions. We've all been there. I've been working on lots of new My Digital Studio projects, as well as some traditional rubber stamping projects, so I'll do my best to get them posted. Although I love scrapbook pages and I will be posting some samples of digital scrapbook pages, I understand that scrapbooking isn't for everyone. With that in mind, I try to create a variety of other items using My Digital Studio in order to show how versatile it is. This birth announcement is one of the many items that can be created with this amazing design tool. Please note that ALL of the supplies listed below are digital. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Baby Steps
Ink: Blushing Bride & Whisper White
Paper: 2010 In Color Patterns DSP (Blushing Bride Stripes), Early Espresso Card Stock
Accessories & Tools: My Digital Studio, Basics Wide Oval, Half Circle, and 1.25 Circle Punches.

A Little Something to Keep Away the Winter Chill

Because we live in New England, hot cocoa is one of those things that we HAVE to keep on hand in our home. It just makes you feel cozy and warm when the temps are in the teens and the winter wind is howling. This particular hot cocoa set was given as part of a gift, and although the contents of the cups can't be seen, there is cocoa hiding under those mini marshmallows (chocolate chips too!). Most of the supplies that I used for this project are now retired, but the Simple Seasonal Thanks stamp was one of those retired items that I had to keep for myself because I have this snowman thing and because it's really cute. The blue ribbon that is on the bags is actually white that I dyed using the Not Quite Navy ink. Thanks for visiting!
  
Stamps: Simple Seasonal Thanks (retired), Serene Snowflakes (retired)

Inks: Black StazOn, Not Quite Navy, Pretty in Pink, & Bordering Blue
Paper: Bella Bleu DSP, Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Bordering Blue & Kraft (renamed Crumb Cake) Cardstock

Accessories & Tools: Pearls, Soft Suede Polka-Dot Ribbon, White Organdy Ribbon, Pumpkin Pie & Soft Suede Markers, 1 1/4" Circle, 1 3/8" Circle, Scallop Circle, & Large Oval Punches, Paper Snips, Large Cellophane Bags, SNAIL Adhesive, Sticky Strip, Sponge Daubers, 2-Way Glue Pen, Stampin' Dimensionals, White Hot Cups (non-Stampin' Up!)

Summer Scrapbook Page

I have to confess that this scrapbook page is actually one that I did a few years ago. Although I've been working on traditional projects, I haven't had time to photograph those projects yet and I haven't worked with My Digital Studio for a while. Consequently, I haven't had any projects to post here, but I really wanted to post SOMETHING. I went through some older project images and I found this...perfect! I can't recall for certain, but I think this is one of the earliest digital projects that I did, which really shows how easy it is to use. It's not as involved as some of my more recent projects, but it's pretty darn good. I still cannot say enough good things about the the My Digital Studio software; if you don't have it, you need to buy it. Now. If you're not familiar with it, just take a look through some of my past projects and you'll be convinced. I've done my best to label my projects for certain categories, so if you do a search on my blog for My Digital Studio or "MDS" you should be able to locate them. I hope you'll give My Digital Studio a try! Thanks for visiting!

Paper Pumpkin Special

Would you like to be able to create craft projects every month without having to spend hours searching for project ideas or buying more craft items than you really need? Would you like to have these projects delivered right to your front door? If you answered "yes" to these questions then Paper Pumpkin is for you! Join Paper Pumpkin and every month you'll receive a surprise delivery containing a craft project-in-a-box. Although the actual project will be a surprise until you open the box, don't panic! ~ With the exception of adhesives, each delivery will have the supplies that you need to create that month's project. You'll get everything that you need to create your project: paper, stamps, ink, and MORE! (Except for that adhesive.)
Join Paper Pumpkin now and save! New subscribers who join by August 31, 2013 will pay only $10 a month (plus tax) for each of their first two months. After receiving two month's worth, the price for each kit will go to the regular price of $19.95. To join Paper Pumpkin, just click the image above or the one in the right sidebar and you'll be taken to the Paper Pumpkin website. When you sign up, you will need to click "Add Promo Code" and enter the code PUMPKINDEAL to take advantage of this promotion. Please note that this promotion does not include the Paper Pumpkin Try-It Kit (Item #132600), which is available for $16.95. With a deal like this and virtually everything that you need all in one box, what have you got to lose? Visit the website, check out the FAQs, and join today! Thanks for visiting!

Introducing Thinlits Card Dies!

Today marks the release of a what I think is a fabulous new product: Thinlits Card Dies. These dies allow you to cut and score at the same time to create fun, interactive cards! There are two dies being released today and each one is actually a set of 10 dies (one main die to create the card base and 9 accent dies) and at $32.95 US/$40.95 CAN, they're a great value. In addition to being able to customize your cards using the various accent dies, they also work well with some of the current stamp sets, including:

Label Card Thinlits Die (item 133479):

• Happy Day Stamp Set (item 130294 W item 130297 C)

Circle Card Thinlits Die (item 133480):

• Worth the Wait Stamp (item 131094 W)
• Five-Way Flower Stamp (item 131088 W)

Both card dies pair well with:

• Oh, Hello Stamp Set (item 131931 W item 130733 C)
• Yippee-Skippee! Stamp Set (item 131341 W item 131344 C)
• Really Good Greetings Stamp Set (item 130330 W item 130333 C)
• Regarding Dahlias Stamp Set (item 130324 W item 130327 C)

These dies also work well with the new magnetic platform (item 130658), enabling you to place them exactly where you want them. Thanks for visiting!

Holiday Inspiration

I realize that it's only August 1st, but before you know it, the kids will be going back to school and the holiday season will be upon us. Translation: it's time to start thinking about holiday projects. Just in time to help with holiday planning, the Holiday Mini Catalog sales period begins today. Not only is it jam-packed with ideas and inspiration, but new to this catalog is a really cool interactive feature which allows you to view product videos on your mobile device. Download the free Layar app to your device and whenever you see this symbol in the catalog...

simply open the app and scan the page. Don't have a mobile device? No problem! You can view the videos here http://www.stampinup.com/home/show-me-how.
I'll be posting some projects with items from the new catalog soon, so be sure to check back. Thanks for visiting!