TBT My Great Uncle or Grand Uncle, Your Pick

I am a Guest Creative Team Member at Designer Digitals for a couple of months and this was the easiest layout to do so far. I love almost anything Heritage but don't always use the subtle colors.This Vintage Mini Mix Kit No 07 called out to me and I was so glad I had scanned a bunch of images from one of my mother's old albums. Old, as the photos go back to the 1930s. I don't have a lot but I'm so grateful for what I do have.

Uncle Pete, as I called him, definitely did not want to go down the mines as so many of his male relatives did. How was it that he had the get up and go to go to New York and stay there for the rest of his days? I think there's always one in the family like that. Even though I'm an only child, I was one like that. I wish I had known more of the whys and wherefores of Uncle Pete's story while he was alive. But that's life, isn't it.

So here's Uncle Pete and his story or as much as I know of it.

click here for credits

Hip Hip Hooray!

Straight from Designer Digitals

Apps....You are Addictive

This week my dh and I talked about how many apps we have on our phones that we don't use that much or even at all any more. I don't know if he did any clearing out but I did. Then my dear enablers at Designer Digitals had to mention a few one might like. aaaargh!  The only one I succumbed to was Mobile Monet. I think I'll like this one. I really only just gave it a second or two on this image but was happy enough to scrap it. I'm so bad about taking the time to practice with these apps and have to go back and forth to remember what you do in which one.  We need NIST standards for app techniques!

Anyhow ....try this one. It's fun but it's also one you can use and modify for some interesting results. Only $1.99.

Pretty Memory

Lots of digital supply stores have monthly challenges so you can learn new techniques,  get up to 30% off coupons, and just have the fun of a challenge. Designer Digitals has now jumped on that monthly bandwagon and their first challenge was a MashUp of two templates. Since I already had both of these templates I decided to do that challenge. I was also glad to pull some images from last year's Danube cruise. Time to get back into the mood for working on those photos? We'll see...

So here are some pretties from our time in Budapest. This city deserves a whole trip on its own, and I highly recommend it. So many places, so little time. Such a wonderful 'problem'.!

AAM - Playing With the iPhone Camera

There was a chat at Designer Digitals over the weekend that was all about using the iPhone as a camera. Now, I don't use any other camera, other than my iPhone 4. I've debating getting the iPhone 5 or just the 4S as my contract is up for renewal. The camera is the big draw on the phone for me. I'm quite serious that I carry a camera that also receives phone calls. Seriously.

But this is the layout I made for the challenge. Free template that day that was just right for the challenge.

Tuesday Tutorial: Frames and How to Keep Photos Inside

This is a subject that used to give me grief when I first started scrapping and the subject tends to come up every so often on scrapping forums. Maybe you are one of those people wondering how to do this.

If I am using the same frame a lot on a page, I am more likely to make and use a clipping mask and then even save MY masked version in the original file. Of course it didn't always occur to me to save my own edited version til I realized I was making the same clipping masks on the same frames over and over...Some of us learn more slowly than others!

Here is another method or two from the Designer Digitals team. It's worth learning the Magic Wand tool method because the concept is so useful for other things as well. Try it out! Erase is always a good basic method but be sure to save a copy of the photo etc you are erasing. Erasers do slip at inopportune moments and sometimes something is saved before someone notices that ...Ooops! I erased a good part! Yes, I am Someone. How did you guess?!?!

Technique Tuesday: Making Word Art Even Prettier

Now some word art is very fancy on its own, but some word art is very simple, very graphic.  I like the graphic a lot  but some days you just want to tart it up a bit, don't you.  Are we ever satisfied with things or do we always look for new ways to tweak things... I think you know that both answers are yes for me and I suspect both answers are true for you also.

Here's a video from Designer Digitals which takes some of Ali Edwards' great word art and adds patterned paper or a color to it. You can also do this with some of the various fonts out there that are similar to what Ali draws herself.  Have a go with it and have fun!

Tuesday Tutorials - Subway Art

Designer Digitals has had a great selection of videos to help you have even more fun playing with your digital scrapbooking. Subway art is everywhere. If you've thought about making your own, here's  a tutorial to get you going.

365 keeps on Keeping On

I had never done the 365 project, and wondered how long I would do it or be able to stick to it.  Well, I've surprised myself by hanging in there.  Here is week 32, which means that there are only 20 weeks left in this year's 365. I haven't made any decision now about next year. I mean it's August! I see no reason to think about what I will or won't do then. What I can say is that I'm still enjoying it and that's all that matters to me right now.

btw, I am loving this background paper from Lynn Grieveson over at Designer Digitals. It's called  Hansel. I don't usually buy kits but this one won me over!

Scrapping Weekend

I love when Designer Digitals have their quarterly sales and chats. The sales are 30% off and the chat day is a long long great one.

The sale is still on through Tuesday but the chat day was Saturday. I love it when I have the house to myself and can sit (or stand) and chat and play all day. This year I decided to try and go down to the kitchen and stand at my Macbook. I did the funny leg exercises my former boss did while standing to talk on the phone. Alternate bringing each foot back to your butt while you stand. The chat started at 8am and the last one started at 11pm. I almost never make the 11pm one and didn't even try this year! Why would you do all these chats? Well, each hour there is a Designer Digital freebie in addition to lots of advice and lots of chatter.

After a good bunch of these chats I have learned not to try and scrap AND chat tho I could do it more easily than my earlier chats. Then I was just trying to get a handle on PSE (really I was pretty clueless) and would get frustrated to tears. I knew I had a learning curve to get over but like so many negative things, I wondered if it would ever end. It did.

Saturday I had loads of fun, got most of the day's free products, and went to be tired and happy. Here's what I made. This first one was for a 30minute challenge. Phew! In 'the old days' I should have known better to try and attempt a 30minute one. But what did I know then!! (I'm talking about 2+ years ago...)

This one only required that you use the black tag.

This one had you use a text freebie and I used that "This much I know is true" wordart, which I also used later on the image you see on top.

So that was my Saturday along with some batches of weeding! Hello Monday.Remember, that 30% sale is still on until Tuesday midnight! [ETA - Actually the sale continues until Wednesday May 25th at 3am EST (Midnight California time on Tuesday)]Over 9,000 products on sale! Designer Digital Products .

Phew!

Yesterday was one of the Quarterly Chat Days at Designer Digitals . The chats started at 8am and were hourly up to and including 11pm! This was the first chat that I made it through to the end and that's a lot of eyeball to screen time!

Each chat has a challenge, and a freebie to use. The most difficult one is always Cassie Jones' chat which is a 30MM (30 Minute Masterpiece). You can just feel your heart rate go up!! Cassie has marvelous tutorials which really take you step by step through the digital process. However, for this challenge she stuck to the Valentine's Day theme and her love wasn't as tough as usual! The rules were easier I think! Oh yes, the winner of each challenge wins an 8" Shutterfly Book. How 'bout that!

I managed to get three challenges done, and fortunately many have deadlines for today. That's good because a beginner can be overwhelmed trying to watch the chat screen and scrap. What am I saying...it's still pretty impossible for me! I guess I am still in digital grade school which is fine.

Here are the ones I got done yesterday, and the first is that 30MM. ok, so maybe it's not a Masterpiece but it did get done in 30minutes!

Next one was for an iTunes challenge where the cover art had a split torn image. I used photos of me and my son, both at around 10 years of age.

The last one I managed was for Cathy Zielske's Type Challenge. Use just one font on a page. Word art allowed.

I know I won't get all the challenges done today, or even at all, but it really was a lot of fun, I have about $50 worth of free digital supplies, and lots of great advice and info from the chat leaders and fellow chatters.It was a really good day!

Designer Digital Key Lines

How Cool is This??

No not a way to beat hot weather but a great little web app. It's the best kind, the free kind! Shape Collage can give you collages of shapes, outlines of shapes and so much more. I was playing with it a bit and did a freehand mask that I then expanded and decided to save my work for my own reference.


Many thinks to tlrowley on Designer Digitals