This past weekend I had a lot of family in town including my beautiful sister in law, my niece, her Mom and my niece's friend and we all made a DVD notepad case. It was fun watching the girls get into MyDigitalStudio. They had no trouble jumping right in and designing. In fact, they asked to make more than one and quickly came up with multiple designs.

I completely CASED (copy and share everything) this idea from Patty Bennett, a Stampin' Up! demonstrator out of the bay area.  She gave away these DVD cases as Christmas presents last year and actually topped each notepad with Designer Series Paper that matched her cover design.

Stampin' Up! now sells the DVD cases  and they are a great deal.  These little DVD notepad cases are perfect for the car or to keep by the phone at home. 

Use MyDigitalStudio or stamp an 7 1/2 x 10 1/2 piece of paper and slide into the case.  Add a pen and a pad and you've got an unique gift that is quick easy and very useful!

This is an example of how well Stampin' Up! coordinates their stamps and embellishments and gives you a quick and darling card.

Start with the Button Buddies Stamp set.  It's got some incredibly cute stamps for a number of occasions.

Then get a set of the coordinating buttons.  You can get them in each of the color pallets.  The ones we used here were Regals.  Each container of buttons has six colors and three designs.  The various sizes work great with the stamp set.

Finally, add your sentiment.  Thank you, thinking of you, hello, wecome baby, take your pick!  Match your inks to your button colors and you've got a really pulled together look.  Many of my customers love the Stamp and Mark pens, a great value and a great way to get a set of colors.   You can make them in 3 3/4 x 3 3/4 square to fit in a standard size envelope if you want to mail them.  Or make them 3 x 3 and slip them into the mini envelopes as gift cards.

We've found that Mini Glue Dots are the best adhesive for the buttons.  So simply to use.  Just press your button to the glue dot while its still on the roll.  That will lift the glue dot from the roll to the button, then press to your card.  Presto!

Use a little white twine in the holes of your button for a really polished look. Or tie a bow for some whimsy.

The new Occasions mini has a fabulous nautical series, paper, stamps, accessories. We used them together for Father's Day Cards.
The steps were easy. First we took white card stock and folded into a standard card size. Lined Designer Series paper was cut to match the card front and stuck with SNAIL adhesive.
A small piece of Designer Series Paper was crumbled to add texture, then we stamped liberally on it from the "The Open Sea" stamp set. By stamping after crumbling the paper, the stamped images had a faded look and were perfect for this project. Stamp at least two, or try three!
We all loved the ledger stamp and added it to a torn piece of plain cardstock. It was attached with a grommet, added a brad to the center of one of our stamped images, then wrapped the layers with twine.
In our workshop, some stamped "Happy Father's Day" and others stamped "Happy Birthday". It is a great card to use for any "masculine" occasion.

A variety of punches were used to punch out the photos or embellishments. The paper and such was from Sale-a-bration, Ice Cream Parlor and the coordinating colors and die-cuts made it a snap to pull everything together.

In fact these books are so easy, I put a second book together for a girlfriend who sent me some photos of her grand daughter. I hope she'll enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it. Just seeing these cute pictures with such cheery decorationsmade me smile.

A couple of tips... you'll want to use Tombo glue on the chip board. Remember, when its dry, it's permanent. You can cut the patterned paper and chipboard at the same time with the Big Shot. That way it's very easy to line up the edges of the scallop.

Journaling (writting notes to accompany the pictures) is a great way to personalize your pages. We used the "Notes" stamp lines and then hand wrote our tidbits. They looked great in Pacific Point blue.

We want to thank everyone who helped, as well as The Office Boss for their donation of envelopes.  A special thanks go out to Jim and Debbie Webster of American Home Inspection, for coming into our office on Monday to help with the final assembly and envelop stuffing. 

After consulting with the Operation Write Home folks, we decided to make a birthday card suitable for kids or adults and a 'thinking of you' card.  Both are in high demand.  We used the Stampin' Up cupcake stamp and punch sets to make the cupcakes.  For the window 'thinking of you' cards, we used the Movers & Shapers Big Shot die and matching punch in alternating colors underneath the punched squares for some pretty layering.  The small flowers were done with one of the Itty-Bitty punches and dressed up with a silver brad.  The neutral colors were suitable for men or women.

The cards looked so wonderful in their stacks getting ready to be mailed.  All the bright colors and varied papers were so cheerful and the cupcakes were so very cute.  It was hard to put them into boxes to send them off.  We filled two large U.S. Postal Service flat rate boxes and they were completely stuffed and very heavy.

We joined many, many other stampers to ship a total of 18,118 cards.  That's amazing!  Here is the blog entry from Operation Write Home where we were listed.  You'll have to scroll to the bottom of the post, as we're listed under Veronica, Auntie Joan from Truckee, CA.

We're very proud and thankful to all our helpers for allowing us to send so many handmade cards to our troops.  We hope you'll join us next year. We'll close this post with a video short from the New York Times on how important mail is to our troops.  Although this story isn't specifically about the cards we sent, you'll see how important it is to keep in touch with our service men and women serving overseas.

Will you take the challenge of designing a Valentine's Day card without red? I couldn't quite manage it but I do like the alternate color scheme of Rose Red, Crumb Cake and Bashful Blue. I love the mini envelopes created by the Big Shot. Can't you just imagine a bunch of them decorated as Valentines? I think I'll try that next. The hearts in the envelope in the card are textured to match the designer paper patter.

We were having so much fine we went on and did a Christmas card with the same set to demonstrate the versatility.  You can use almost any leaf stamp to make a Christmas wreath card.  In this case, we used a stamp off technique to get variation in the coloring and then casually masked the blotch stamp to make the berries.  I choose Olive Olive and Cherry Cobbler for the colors.  They are so vibrant and energized they make me happy and are fun for Christmas.

We used the clear mount version of French Foliage and found the clear blocks made it easier to design our wreath.  The trick, according to Ali! is to keep the stamp in one position and move your paper to form the circle.    You can use the more round leaf stamp for a wreath too, daisy-chaining the leaves together.  You can see there are a number of different elements in this stamp set.  I know I'll use the small, romantic French script on a number of projects. 

I really love my Big Shot.  In case you don't know, it's a die cut machine extraordinary!  From textured paper to vinyl stickers, it does all kinds of things.  One of my favorite things are chipboard letters and numbers.  I love how they look and how they add dimension to projects.

With my Big Shot, I can make whatever letters or numbers I need.  In this case, it's the number '10' for a 10th wedding anniversary gift.  The traditional gift is "tin" so I covered a Stampin' Up! tin with some fun shapes and items.  The tins are available from the "Shop Online" link above, in the clearance rack.  They are perfect for gift cards!

You can dress up your tin like I did.  I simply used a couple sheets of clipboard and designer series paper scraps and Tombo glue.  Then a couple punch shapes and buttons.  I did mine in Old Olive and Chocolate Chip, a classic combination.  Let's see yours!

With My Digital Studio, I can preview two different looks for the same page, without wasting anything!

It also gives me the chance to get some feedback from my 'subjects' since I can simply generate a picture (.jpg) of my page before printing or even stamping.

So, which design do you prefer?

I fell in love with Bitty Buttons as soon as I saw them.  Small little buttons with coordinating stamps and punches that make for such delicate, cute designs.    They are clear so they work with any project.  I have to admit, I've just left them on my work table and they get added to all sorts of projects.

In the birthday card for my sister in law, they added a little whimsy and for the thank you card, they added dimension.

Don't you love these colors too?  All from the new colors. 

It was so easy... I bought a couple of chip board journals, laid out some supplies including ribbon scraps, then let my niece run with her imagination.  She really had fun revealing the hidden designs on the paper and adding her own initial and embellishments.

107065 Art Journal $9.50
108495 5" x 5" Art Journal $6.95

117175 Presto Patterns Specialty (12) $11.95

Once I had the card printed, I simply added a brad and a bit of ribbon.  Cute and quick.

Our scrapbooking workshop is perfect for beginning scrapbookers.  It is held like a formal class, with instructions on the basic steps and most importantly, how to get started.  Let us know if you'd like to hold one for you and your friends.

This page uses the new Specialty Designer Series Paper out of the Summer Mini Catalog.  It's so cool!  You use the new Spritz sprays or in this example, a brayer, to layer on color for a truly vintage look.  The paper comes in many different designs and it's like magic when the pattern is revealed. 

Log Cabin Spritz spray was used for the splatter and the Friends kit from the Reno Regional is the stamp set for the flowers and butterfly.  Rough type was used for the small circles with tags, again from the Summer Mini Catalog.  Pearls and brads were from the Pretties Kit.  Thank you again Alisha!

I fell in love with the colors. The Rich Razzleberry is so dense and lovely, it almost looks like velvet when you stamp with it. Crushed Curry lives up to its namesake and is so happy and warm.

All of these projects were made with one stamp set -- Vintage Vogue from the Occassions Mini. I have to admit, I wasn't impressed with the set when I saw it in the cataloge but in my hands, I found it to be one of the most versatile sets I've ever used.

With scroll images, flower images and two sentiments, this set is great for cards and scrapbooking. I can hardly wait to make a scrapbook page with this set!

We finished putting each of the cards in envelopes so they'd be ready to send off once they are received. They went off in two large boxes. Yay!

Both cards are using stamps from the All Holidays stamp set, 114916. This is a great set for any stamper as it covers all the holidays, wedding and thank you stamps.

We went with bright primary colors for the Father's Day cards, as we were tired of dark browns and such as would be more traditional. We used:

Seeing Stars Stamp Set, 115352
Real Red
Not Quite Navy
Summer Sun

The Mother's Day cards use the pretty Tea Party Designer Series paper from Stampin' Up. So bright and happy, we love it. This is one of those times when we really appreciate how all Stampin' Up! products color coordinate. We made an infinite number of variations on the Mother's Day card all with four colors:

Almost Amethyst
Certainly Celery
Pretty in Pink
So Saffron

Just the colors alone made us feel like spring was coming. Hope to see you next weekend!

The acrylic blocks are beautiful and feel comfortable in your hand. The clear Mount Stamps are easy to use -- note the positioning of the Easter Blessings in the card below.

Stop by to get a demonstration or join us for our 'Aha on Saturday.

You can make this card in any color cardstock and Designer Paper. I used Bordering Blue and the Designer Card Stock hostess level I. To match the paper, I used Real Red ink and a little bit of pink to match the poka-dots.

104401 1-3/8" Circle Punch
104403 1-1/4" Circle Punch
109043 Scallop Circle Punch

116630 Modern Label Punch

I used older Stampin' Up stamp sets for this card, but you'll find a cute alternative in the Sale-a-bration catalog!

118392 Vintage Labels

She used My Digital Studio and made her own pages, selecting colors that complimented the frame she had selected. We printed them on our 12x12 printer and she used the matting that came with the frame. What a special gift!

You can create your own letterhead in just seconds and then type your letter with fun fonts and perfectly coordinated colors. Add your own pictures to send special memories with your update.

Here is a quick, quick sample... come play at our 'Aha and make your own!

We'll order the items for them and have them delivered to our office. We'll also wrap them up all festive. All your "santas" have to do is pick 'em up -- our wish list gifts will be ready to place under the tree. Payment can be by check, cash or credit card.

Click on our Product Price Guide to get a helpful list of items sorted by price, starting under $10.00.

Good job Kevin!

I pulled out my Big Shot and used the Movers & and Shapers die and put together 10 cards in less than an hour.

1.) Take 8.5 x 11 paper and cut it in half the long way. Any color is fine. Thank goodness for Stampin' Up coordinating colors, papers and inks.

2.) Position Movers & Shapers Bigz Die before you, the long way, and put the open panel on your right. Align the shape die upside down (i.e. heart pointing down) in the top right corner.

3.) Run your strip of card stock through the Big Shot and you're half way there.

4.) Round up your stamps (I used Thank You stamps in my example) and grab some of your scatter stamps such as small flowers, stars, dots.

5.) Stamp on Whisper White paper and punch out with the coordinating shape punches in your choice of inks.

6.) On a piece of scrap paper, open your card and stamp around the shape. Use the same color ink used in Step 5. Don't forget to dress up the envelope too.

You'll have a stack of cards in no time at all. Wrap them in a ribbon and you have a great gift too!

So I turned to My Digital Studio to put together a 'good luck' card. My Digital Studio (MDS) allows you to save your projects as pictures (.jpgs) in a variety of sizes all ready to email.

Even though he'll be away from home on race day, he'll be able to get my good wishes on his phone. I love the flexibility of MDS and how I can now deliver my cards electronically when mailing just won't do.

Of course, I used my BigShot and the bigz Top Note die to produce the bag topper. It's such a versatile shape. Turn it one way to top the small cellophane bags, turn it the other way, and it's perfect for the medium bags.

Basic Black Card Stock, 8-1/2" x 11", 102851

Cellophane Bags, Small Flat (3" x 5"), 103104

Big Shot Die Cut Machine, 113439

Big Shot Bigz Die Stampin' Up! Top Note, 113463

Spooky Treats Rub-ons, 115729

House of Haunts Stamp Set, 111574

Whisper White Craft Ink, 101731

Trick or treat!

I used the Summer Home Designer Template as the base for my photo book and for this page just added my photos of (arguably) the best dog in the universe. For other pages, I made changes to the layout or the embellishments. If you'd like to try My Digital Studio, just give us a call or email. You'll be hooked too!

I've got an HP OfficeJet 7000 which prints 12 x 12 scrapbook pages and borderless photos. My challenge was how to print greeting cards from My Digital Studio. I love the design of the card but was hoping for a hybrid card -- one where I can design and lay it out digitally then print it on cardstock and add my own 'real' embellishments.

Here's how to print your My Digital Studio greeting cards on your own printer using standard 8 1/2 x 11 inch cardstock:

1. Create a new project and select a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 landscape card size.

2. Pick one of the designer templates (I chose Summer Home Card 2), accept the default Page Arrangement and select Pick and Click to insert photos individually.

3. Name your project. You can of course, change or embellish the Designer card or add your own photos.

4. When you're ready to proceed, use the page bar at the bottom to duplicate your designed page.

5. Add two blank pages to your project, then arrange your pages so the two blank pages are first (1 and 2) , and the two designed pages are last (3 and 4).

6. Check your project for errors then save and print.

7. At the print screen, pick your printer first. Click the printer properties and select 8 1/2 x 11 borderless paper. (This is critical.)

8. Click Page Setup, match the same paper selection, set the layout to landscape and set the margins to 0.

9. Select all the pages to print and click on Advanced. Set the Image Adjustment to Center on Page with zero margins and change the Number of Images per Sheet to 4.

10. Preview and print. You'll have two cards printed on a standard cardstock page. Just cut, score and fold.

For a hybrid card, add your own embellishments such as buttons or brads or ribbons. The quality of the print is stunning and with the texture of your own embellishment, it's a beautiful greeting card.

These scrapbook pages have been put together with Stampin' Up! Simply Scrapping kits. In this case, we used Sunshine Garden from the Summer 2009 catalog. I love how the colors coordinate so well with outdoor summer photos. Simply Scrapping kits are easy because they have coordinated designer papers, texture papers and self-adhesive die cuts. Basically everything you need to make a scrapbook page!

We have a couple of kits available to make these pages. If you'd like one, just give us a call or send an email. You can also purchase a Simply Scrappin' kit from the current catalog as well. There are some great combinations for weddings and Christmas.

I have been trying to keep up the tradition and with my brother's wedding aniversary coming up, I needed to create a wedding anniversary card. When making a personalized card, I usually recommend to start by picking the envelop first.

Right now, my favorite envelopes are the medium square. I love the dimensions and the compact, balanced palate. Note: They require extra postage when mailing.

My pretty sister-in-law often pairs browns and blues in her attire and that gave me inspiration for colour. Kraft cardstock is another favorite of mine and I decided to use it as the base of the card.

When I looked in my ribbon remants and found this beautiful blue strip, I knew I had a match. I paired it with Bordering Blue ink and a swirly pattern from the Patterns Pack III. Of course, any ribbon and patterned paper would work, especially with the Kraft cardstock.

The sentiment took a little more work. I settled on Congratulations and "on another year of happy togetherness" inside in Bordering Blue. Once again, any appropriate sentiment would work.

I had used dry embossing on another project recently and this card called out for that elegance as well. It was a good accent for the basic colors. I used the Priceless template for the dry embossing and the Priceless stamp for the envelope. I think Priceless is one of our most used sets!

We just got the Butterfly punch and it made a perfect embellishment highlighted with a medium pearl from the Pretties kit. I dry embossed the butterfly for a little more texture. Using the Scallop punch, I added some flair to the top of the Whisper White cardstock.

Assembly is easy. I recommend StickyStrip for attaching the ribbon and I used simple glue for the pearl. Here is a list of supplies, all from Stampin' Up!
Medium Square Envelopes, 107289
Kraft cardstock, 107070
Whisper White cardstock, 106529
Bordering Blue Stamp Pad, 102265
Patterns Pack Designer Series Paper III (Hostess Level I), 116234
1/2" Stripped Grosgrain Ribbon (substitute), 110717
Stick Strip, 104294
Fundamental Phrases (substitute), 114968
Priceless Class Brass Templates, 109541
Butterfly Punch, 116629
Scallop Edge Punch, 112091
Pretties Kit, 109114