Graduation Party Invitation; 2 Ways

May and June are the months for graduations and these graduation invitation samples are something that I created for one of my customers. The one with the black and white photo happened purely by accident, but it presented the perfect opportunity to compare the two versions. Black and white photography is very popular and these samples show how the same invitation can be made with either a color photo or black and white photo without having to make any changes to the design and colors (note: for the background, I chose my own color by using the Color Picker option in My Digital Studio). The invitation is a very simple design, which allows the focus to be on the photo. I hope to get some additional graduation samples posted soon. Please note that ALL supplies listed below are digital. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Meant to Be (Flourish 6)
Paper: Whisper White Cardstock

Beauty Page

I actually made this digital scrapbook page over a year ago, but shortly after I made it we had some computer damage due to a storm in our area. By the time the computer repairs were finished, I had completely forgotten about this page so it was kind of a bonus when I found it. I'm pretty sure that I based this on a scrapbook sketch, although I can't recall for certain. Whenever I need a little inspiration to get me started on a project, I go for a sketch because it's what works for me, whether it's a scrapbook page or a card. For me, a sketch is sort of a cross between a blank canvas and a paint-by-number because the basic design is there, but I can choose my own color palette, papers, and embellishments. What do you use when you have difficulty starting a project? Please note that ALL supplies listed below are digital. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: All Scallops
Paper: Raspberry Tart & Mocha Morning DSP, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, & Pink Pirouette Cardstock
Accessories: Taffeta Trimmings (Short Bow), Dahlias, Decorative Label, Round Tab, Flag, and Scallop Edge Punches

For the Love of Soccer

I wish that there were more hours in the day to do the things I enjoy doing. It's been ages since I've done any scrapbooking, aside from the one or two digital pages that I've created here and there. I recently created this two-page scrapbook layout using My Digital Studio. One of the things that I love about this program is that I can make so many different types of projects (I've probably said this before, but it's true!). If you check out the projects here on my blog, you'll see that I have made graduation announcements, birth announcements, Christmas cards, invitations, various party favors, scrapbook pages, and more, all using My Digital Studio. In a very short time (sometimes in a matter of minutes), I can create something that with traditional papercrafting would take me much longer to do and would leave my studio a complete disaster area. Trust me on this! I realize that digital scrapbooking isn't for everyone. Some people like the feel of the paper, buttons, ribbons, clips, and multitude of other fun supplies that are used on traditional scrapbook pages. I'm one of those people. But because digital scrapbooking (and digital crafting in general) is such a speedy process, it's great for making books as gifts for grandparents, graduates, teachers, etc. It's also a great design tool. If you're not certain whether or not you'll like a scrapbook layout that you have in your head, you can use My Digital Studio to create a digital page first. If you like it, you can then make a traditional page. When I created these pages, I did so because I wanted additional samples to show my customers and blog readers, but doing so has inspired me to make traditional versions of these pages, something that I haven't done in a very long time. I hope that they inspire you as well. Please note that ALL supplies listed below are digital. Thanks for visiting!

Stamps: Extreme Elements, Torn Edges, Vintage Overlays, Athletic Department, Great Sport, and Sporting

Ink: Whisper White, Basic Black

Paper: Grad Party DSP, Basic Black, Garden Green, and Whisper White Cardstock
Accessories & Tools: Half Circle, Large Photo Corner, Flag, and 1.25 Circle Punches

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!