Faux Mixed Media

I loved the look of the mixed media projects that were shown at the Stampin' Up! convention last year.  They were so fun and I really wanted to make a version of my own.  I never did though :(  They required paint and canvas and I just never got around to getting those supplies and other projects always came first.  Well, the other day I was thinking about them again and as I am living through the very cold winter days, I did not want to go to the hobby store for paints or a canvas.  I decided to see what I could do in MDS.  
Once you look though this post, I hope you stick around to the end, because I want to show you how you can use this background template again and again with just a few changes.  If my kids quiet down, I hope to make a video :)
I started with a newsprint background.  There are several available in MDS.  This project uses Mixed Medley.  Next I looked for stamps that looked like a color wash.  I decided to go with Happy Watercolor.

I applied the two different stamps to the page several times each.  Next I enlarged them and rotated them and mirrored and flipped them so they looked different from each other, then i recolored them all Pool Party.   I then added the dot stamp, also from Happy Watercolor, to the center of the page. 
Next I looked through my stamp brush sets using the search feature. I put "Flower" into the search box and scrolled through until I found a doodle looking flower.

Next I added the stamps to the page, playing around with the sizes until I liked the way it looked.  I also searched for a heart outline, because I wanted it to anchor my daughters name.  I added the heart stamp, then reduced the opacity to 75%.

 

Nexted I played around with how to print it out.  I first printed my page out on Whisper White paper, which turned out really good.  I also tried printing it out on watercolor paper, which also worked nicely and gave my page some nice texture.  

But then, I was sort of afraid to add the color.   I really liked the way it looked and I didn't want to mess it up.  I decided to make it smaller so I could fit 4 on a page, to use as practice.  I exported the page to my photo folder.  Next I opened a new blank page and added 4 photo boxes, 4 x 4 each, and added the page I had created as if it were a photo.  

I printed this page out and started to color in the stamps with my aqua painters.  I intentionally painted the stamps in pretty fast because I wanted them to look really hand painted and whimsical.  

 Once I liked how it looked I did the same with my large page, and I had four smalled pieced that I thought would make really nice cards.   I then went back to my MDS program to make the text blocks.  I opened a new page and added text boxes, filling them in with various texts in several sizes because I wasn't sure exactly what would fit or how much to add.  I printed the page out and started to cut out the words so that they were all separate pieces. 

 Here are my finished cards. 

I mounted them onto 4 1/4 by 8 1/2 Pool Party cardstock, folded in half.  I only pictured three because I already sent one of the birthday cards to my friend Charlotte.  I hope she liked it :)  

Year in Review ~ Update

At the beginning of the year I mentioned that I was going to do a Year In Review book, trying to take a photo a day to sort of document what we've done.  We'll, its almost March and I have been doing a pretty good job keeping up with the photo a day! Of course I still have ten months to go, but its a start.  I thought I would share January with you, since its a finished month. 
I am using the "Year in Review" photo book templates.  This kit comes with a two page spread for each month.  I added duplicate pages and just switched around the stamps and added more photo boxes so that I had a page for each week and a photo box for each day.
Some events will get their own separate pages eventually.  This is just a review, and I plan to print it out as a bound book.  I usually print my pages separately and add them to page protectors.  I do this because i scrap events from all over the past decade or so, and in no particular order.   By printing separate pages I can add the pages into the book where they fit and not worry about scrapping in order. 
If you wanted to so something like this, don't let the fact that it's February stop you.  You probably have taken quite a few photos so far this year if you are looking at a digital scrapbooking blog. So even if you don't have a photo a day, you can still highlight the months.  Maybe do a two page spread for each month?  Whatever fits you.  There are no rules in scrapbooking because its your story, you can do it how ever you like!






check out that serious donut!  The store was calling it a cronut and that cream filling was heavenly!  I need to stay away from that for sure!!

Thanks for stopping by!  As always, contact me with any questions you may have!

MDS Monday #55

Hi everyone!  Its Monday at that means a new challenge at MDS Monday!  This week Cindy is hosting with a fun sketch using State or Province shapes and wooden elements on our page.   The Fifty Nifty kit contains punches and stamps for all 50 states.  You can fill the punch with some fun map paper or just use the stamped outline.  There is a version of Canadian Provinces as well for my Canadian friends.  These are fun for travel pages or to send a note to a loved one in a different state.  Here I used the Florida shape on my page about David's plane trip to Disney.  He was just so cute in the airport with his wheeled Nemo backpack.  He just loved being in the plane too, especially when we were in the clouds!  
Here is the sketch....

Here are some fun downloads for travel pages....

 Fifty Nifty Kit  #130059   $9.95

Providence Of Provinces Kit #131227   $7.95

Sent with Love kit # 132914  $ 9.95

Tickets and Tokens II kit # 125757  $ 7.95

Travel Journal kit # 121071  $9.95
















Head on over to the MDS Monday site and see what the rest of the design team has come up with. Then, show us your travel page!!

MDS Monday #54

Hi everyone!  It's MDS Monday time!  and this time I am actually posting on monday, unlike last week :)  This is a card for MDS Monday # 54!  Can you believe there have been 54 challenges so far?  If you are new to the MDS Monday challenges, you can go back and look at the past challenges and give them a try.  I think sketches and challenges are a great way to start a project.  This week Tara has a card sketch for us.  You can use the sketch to make a scrapbook page as well. This week we are trying to focus on using the Align feature in MDS.  This is really a feature I use all the time.  I use it to line up photo boxes or embellishments, just about anything.  In this case I wanted to be sure my pennants were evenly spaced and the same length.  Once I had them perfect, I clicked on the one at the far right and tilted it a bit.  There are quite a few video tutorials at MyDigitalStudio.net to help you get to know this great tool. 

Here is the sketch.  Now head on over to the MDS Monday site to see what the rest of the team has come up with. 

Super Duper Fast Valentine

I needed just three more Valentine's Day treats at the last minute and so Of course I went straight to the computer and MDS!  My daughter Jillian received a similar Valentine from her Art teacher and so I decided to copy the idea.  I looked in my stamps for "birds" and found one that I thought was cute.  Once I had decide on a stamp I looked for a background paper and that is what guided my birds color.  I just added some text and printed them out.  Can't get any faster than that.  I think from the time I turned on the computer to the time I had them printed and photographed was less than 30 minutes. Yea!

 here is the back!

And here they are all printed out with a candy heart stuck to the front.  YEA! MDS to the Rescue again!

MDS Monday on a Thursday!

Wow, I didn't realize that I hadn't scheduled my posts this week!! I use MDS all the time, it is on at least once a day, so I usually have my posts for my digital blog up in advance.  But, I am all out of whack this week.  My knee injury has me all backwards.  My husband has been getting kids to and from school and giving me a break from running around so I've just been playing this week.  So, while I have been playing around with MDS, I haven't been turning those projects into actual posts! Silly me!  So, here is my MDS Monday post on a Thursday! I can't wait for winter to be over this year, so it was fun to make a page with photos from last summer.  I normally enjoy winter, but this year it has just been too cold for too long, and with my knee hurt, I can't do the fun stuff like sledding or making snowmen!  So come on Spring!
here was the sketch...

Hope you join us an make a page as well!  We would love to see what you can do with MDS!  Head on over to the MDS Monday site and see what the rest of the team did with the sketch!
Thanks for stopping by!

Soccer

I totally hurt my knee last week and I have been forced to sit on my couch for several days now.   I actually initially hurt my knee just before Christmas it hadn't felt quite right since.  Then Thursday as I took my daughter to Art class something snapped and I have been forced to the couch.  I can't even sit comfortably in my craft room!  I need my leg straight.  :(  Luckily I have a lap top and MDS to help me with my need to make something!! Holly and Jeanna, who are in the MDS Blog Hop with me, hosted a MDS Super Bowl challenge, with a new challenge during each quarter.
  I didn't learn about it until the 4th quarter, but I decided to play along with the final challenge any way.   If you have read my blog before you know I love a challenge to help me get started on a page.   This challenge was to use the number four for inspiration.  I went with four photos for my page.  Holly had a couple of sketches too, so I used one of them as a starting point.  This page features my daughter Jillian at her first day of winter soccer.  She was so excited to start.  The coaches had the kids line up as they explained the different things they would be doing, and Jillian was just jumping up and down , unable to stand still.  Too cute.  When ever a coach asked who wanted to go first or volunteer for something, Jillian's hand went up and she would jump up and down even more.  It was so much fun to watch her.  I had to use one of the photos of her jumping up and down on my page.  I used to think I could only use perfect pictures on my page, but I am learning to not worry about that.  The more important thing is the story and this story was Jillian's enthusiasm, so the blurry photo had to be on the page. 
Hope you like it and are inspired to create a page too!

MDS Monday #52

It's Monday! That means MDS Monday for me!  This week Heidi has a sketch for us, as well as a challenge to use some music on our projects.  You could use some lyrics or musical images, what ever you like.   I went a little simple with my card.  I am thinking of using it for Teacher Appreciation for my oldest sons band director and younger son's music teacher.  

Here is the sketch.  Head on over to the MDS Monday site and see what the rest of the team has come up with, then give the sketch a try of your own.  We would love to see what you come up with.