My Digital Studio

I have been playing around with My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! I have to say I am really impressed. I am almost done with my Puerto Rico album. But you ever work so much on a project that you just have to take a break? Well that is me. I needed a break from my PR album and just have fun with MDS.


Well this past weekend I went to a Close To My Heart Party and bought a few things. I was looking through their catalog and I noticed a layout that I liked so I used to to make this layout in MDS. I am happy with the look of it, considering it is my first one a la carte. I need to play with it some more.

Paparrazi! Paparrazi!

Believe it or not I have been busy. A new year, a new...well, uh year. I am kidding. After my trip to Puerto Rico, I have decided that I need to take a class on photography. You see, last year my dear husband bought me a camera...a SLR camera. I wanted one for years and years and years. Then on a whim, he bought it for me. I was so excited...for two days. Then I was just scared of it.
I mean, sure I could shoot in manual mode but what good is an SLR if all you really are going to do is point and shoot? That was my delimma. When I used my P&S, I felt justified in just, well, pointing and shooting. But now I had as SLR and I just felt like a "fake" when I pulled it out to use it. It implied that I knew how to take a picture. And I don't. So instead of embracing my new camera, I just hid it away or asked my hubby to take pictures for me. Thank goodness, he loves photography as much as I do, because he loved taking pictures. But I was feeling left out.

Then I came across this class at TwoPeasinaBucket and it was for free! And you know how I love free. Ok, let me back up. I found the class about a year before I received my SLR (mental note: I really need to give her a name...well at least I have established it's gender). And after I found the class, I kept saying, under my breath, "Ya know, I really want to take this class but I don't have the right equipment...blah blah blah." So I get the camera and never take the class...until now.

I love the gals at 2peas message board. I love all the encouragement and everyone has great questions but most importantly, someone has the answer! So I thought I would share my pictures as I take the class.

Week 1 Aperture setting F-stop. Ok so this is what I remember. The smaller the F stop, the less that is in focus and the larger the F stop, the more that is in focus. But get this, the larger the F stop number the smaller the hole opening. Ok, now my head is spinning.

So the one above was done at a low F stop. My next was middle range so more is in focus.

Now at this point, it isn't about composition or lighting, just playing with your camera. Same as Week 2 (ISO and Shutter Speed). But Iwill post that tomorrow.

We are in the middle of week two so there is still time to join. Click HERE if you want to join. This is the 2peas photography forum.

Baby's First year

I can't believe I am almost to a resting point. I have done so many projects and really no time to relax and enjoy them. Well now I am R-E-L-A-X-I-N-G.

First up:
My Baby's first year album I took a class several years ago from Scrap-a-faire, hosted by Scrapbooks etc. Jana Wilson was the teacher. I could not find it at SBE site but I did find mention of it at Jana Wilson's website. I loved the class and have made several baby albums for friends and family. The concept is simple. Create a 12 month album that tracks a Baby's first year. And to make it simple, you have three templates that you repeat four times (3x4=12). You end up with twelve two page layouts.

This is the first album that I made for a stranger. A friend, that received one as a gift, requested one for her friend. So this is my first requested album and my first boy album. I am so much into bling, pink and ruffle that I really had to change my thinking to make this album. No matter, I still enjoyed making it.

Above is the front cover. A close up is available on the video below.

Above is just one of the three templates used to create this album. I used the following items to make this album. most were bought at Joann's and on sale.

• DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Boy
• Core'dinations Cardstock
• 8x8 Bind It All covers
• Binder rings from Office Supply Store
• Animal buttons from Michaels
• Transparency from Office Supply store
• Thread from Joanns
• Cartridges: Nursery Tails (Cricut Imagine), Plantin Schoolbook and Gypsy Wanderings
• Jolees Hotfix Crystals

Here is the video with a page by page look at the album.

Menus....done

Can I just say I love my Irock? I bought one a couple of weeks ago because I saw it on the Cricut boards. I love bling so something that lets me add bling quickly and permanently was perfect for me. At the time that I bought it, I was not thinking of the menus that I needed to create for my friends wedding.

But after googling thousands and thousands of pictures of menus and getting the template from my friend...the bling just seemed natural. We had bling and ribbon on the invitations and we are trying to make everything cohesive. I took the pictures with my IPhone because...well because..I am just tired and didn't want to go downstairs and grab my camera. I am in my last week of training for my 60 mile walk and I am just plain tired.

Next up....Programs

Weekly Challenge Circle Blog

So I have a million things to do before my walk and my trip to Puerto Rico. But I can't keep away from the Weekly Challenges at the Cricut Circle Blog. This week's challenge was to use at least two cuts, must be an original project (not something you made before)and must use some transparent element.







I used a window from Christmas Noel. I cut it in shadow, regular and blackout. I actually cut the transparency in blackout and sandwiched it between two regular cuts. I took this and put it on the shadow, done in black and then pop dotted the whole thing on a white blackout. On the white black out, I used my cuttlebug to give it a look of wallpaper then added a table and chandelier from French Manor. You can't see it (bad placement on my part) but I used yellow stickles on the chandelier for the candles...man I wish you could see it.

I Walk

I did this layout for the Cricut Circle Blog challenge. I am so excited that they are giving away a Pink Expression with Pink Journey cartridge and an additional four cartridges! Can you believe it?!

So the challenge was to create a new project that used three of six elements (pink, flourishes, scallops, glitter, jewels or ruffles). I knew I wanted to do something about breast cancer because hello....this is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I am a survivor and this year I am participating in the 6o mile Walk for the Cure in Dallas. So I did a page on why I walk.

I really had to MacGyver this one. Because I waited to the last minute, I had to make do with what I had on hand. And guess what I didn't have on hand? pink ribbon. So I took beige ribbon and used one of my Ranger Dabbers and turned it pink. I really liked how it came out and I loved the added benefit of the ribbon stiffening up.

I aged my paper some by inking the edges with Tim Holtz Distressing inks. I used Tattered Rose on the 7x11 printed paper on the background. I also used it on the journal tag that I made with the Imagine More cartridge.

I used Adirondack Lights Shell Pink Dabber on the embellishment. I then went over it with Adirondack Lights Sandal Dabber.

I felt the glitter paper "for you" was a bit too bright for my page so I spritz it with Tattered Angels Chalkboard in Strawberry Shortcake. However, it just seemed to make it brighter. Oh, well, I was on a time crunch so I stuck with it.

I cut my letters for Walk in Bazzill paper and then distressed it with tattered rose also. I cut it twice and overlapped the layers.

I don't think I have ever scrapbooked this fast in my whole life.

Weekly Challenge 2

Well it is down to the wire so I am just going to post this and tomorrow I will post more pictures. I used a flourish that I made on my Gypsy, the word walk is the font from Don Juan, For you is from SweetHearts and the journalling tag is from the Imagine More cartridge. I used a pink ribbon for "I" . The for you is done in glitter paper, pink and beige.