The Stamp Doc

Happy New Year!

The new year signifies a fresh start for many of us.  I've had to take some time away from my blogging and stamping to bring balance into my life.  People have often asked me how I am able to do all the things that I do......wife, mother, chiropractor, and stamper.  And the answer is that I've always had a lot of help.  My husband is very supportive and is wonderful about helping around the house and with the children.  He is truly my partner in life.  I've been blessed with excellent staff at my office, a fabulous housekeeper, and a childcare provider that is amazing. 

However, the demands of my real job have increased dramatically within the last year and I've realized that my priorities would have to change.  I hit the wall in October and it took me almost 6 weeks to recover from bronchitis.  I often tell my patients that if you don't listen to the signals your body sends, then your body will eventually fail you.

I seriously considered giving up my stamping business.  Don't worry!  I only considered it for a short time before my husband talked some sense into me.  I will simply have to budget my stamping time more this year.  This should be a good thing for my blog readers, too.  I am sure that many of you have busy lives and I am going to focus on providing you with quick, easy projects throughout the year.

 
And today's project is FAST!!!!  I wanted to create a calendar for my office.  My patients always ask about my kids and I thought this would be a great way to showcase some family pictures.  I purchased the 2011 Notable Desktop Calendar Digital Kit which features templates for all 12 months plus a cover page for a 5-1/2" x 6-1/2" destktop calendar.  The cover page is at the top of this post.  I simply inserted a family photo from our recent Disney World trip and the page was done!

The pages for January are below and they were just as easy.  All the formatting is there and you can always change the elements if you prefer a different look.  I just kept all the templates as is, added my photos, and was completely finished in 30 minutes.  It only cost $19.95 to have the calendar printed and I can't wait to see the finished product.  I'll share it with you when it arrives.

 

 
 

I will be hosting a series of classes on My Digital Studio in January & February.  You can find complete details about this and other upcoming events on my Stampin' Up! website.

Making it User-Friendly

I've spent the better part of the weekend working behind the scenes on my blog.  There are a few new features that I want to make you aware of:

• Easier to subscribe to blog updates--sign up in left column under my picture
• Previous posts have been sorted into categories in right column
• Still can't find what you are looking for?  Try the lijit search button under the categories list
• Have a question?  You can always email me, but you can also use the chat box at the bottom of the right column

Now I know that none of these features are jaw-dropping, mouth-watering, or exciting.  However, I think you'll find them useful at some point.

Every year around this time, I start receiving emails asking about craft fairs--pricing, projects, displays, etc.  I spend a good amount of time answering each of the emails in detail, trying to help as much as I can.  I don't mind doing this at all, but I think I could save myself and you some time by putting all of this information in one place.

So, starting on Wednesday of this week, I'll be starting a series of posts about craft fairs.  Some of the topics I'll cover include:

• Types of craft fairs
• Where to find craft fairs
• What to make
• How to market your business
• How to budget 
• Setting up an attractive display
• Determining prices of handmade items
• And more!

At the end of each post, I'll be sharing with you a Craft Fair project....something that I will be making for this year's craft fairs. 

This information will be geared toward Stampin' Up! demonstrators, but anyone wanting to participate in craft fairs should find the posts useful.

Remember those improvements to my blog I told you about earlier?  Well, here is where they come into play.......

If you don't already receive my blog updates, be sure to subscribe to the blog feed so that you don't miss any of the craft fair info.

I've already got some craft fair projects and ideas sorted into categories.  If you are anxious to see some of my previous ideas, be sure to check these out.

And finally, if you have a burning question for me, add it to the chat box and I'll certainly cover it in one of my posts.

P.S.--Don't you just love my new signature?  It was made using My Digital Studio!  Check out the newest downloads on my new blog devoted to My Digital Studio.

Scrapbooking with Sweet Pea--Traditional & Digital Layouts

As promised, today I am sharing the scrapbook pages that coordinate with the cards from this post.

The layout may look familiar.....I used it on my St. Patrick's Day scrapbook layout last month.  You can use the same paper measurements to create this page.

The colors are the same as the card--Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, and Taken with Teal.  Below is a close-up of the journaling block.  I used one of the Hugs Sending Love notes, a few die-cut butterflies made with the Beautiful Wings embosslit, and another rub-on from the Chat Room Rub-Ons.

This next layout was created using My Digital Studio.  Did you know that you can add on a Sweet Pea download and it includes:

ALL of the Sweet Pea Designer Series papers

AND

ALL of the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt elements

AND

the Sweet Pea stamped images--the stamp set is not even available in the U.S. yet!

The page tells the story of my daughter and her wubby.  We used cloth diapers as burp cloths when she was a baby, and she has to have one with her at all times---even at 3-1/2 years old, we don't leave the house without a wubby.

One day after I had finished the laundry (folding & putting away at least a dozen or so wubbies), I found her in her room as you can see in the top right picture.  She was gathering wubbies to use as blankets for her baby dolls.  I think she was worried when I caught her that I might be mad (notice the uh-oh look in the bottom right pic).....but I just helped her gather them up so she could take them to the living room.  It's hard to tell, but there is a big smile behind the wubbies in the main picture.

If you would like to order My Digital Studio or any of the additional downloads, you can SHOP NOW on my Stampin' Up! website. 

Happy Stampin'

 

 

Going Digital

WARNING:  My Digital Studio may cause you to ignore your family, responsibilities, and personal hygiene. 

Perhaps that warning is a little harsh, but I would seriously like to stay in my pajamas for a weekend and do nothing but play around with this program.  I have YEARS & YEARS of digital photos stored on my computers that have never seen the light of day.  My digital studio is helping me bring them out for everyone to see. 

Stampin' UP! has already released a few additional downloads for purchase on the website, including a Pumpkin Patch stamp brush set.  I loved this stamp set from the Holiday Mini catalog, but I had already spent too much and one more set was not in the budget.  However, I was able to load it onto MDS for just $5.95.  They also have the Cast-a-Spell DSP, which from my previous postings this week, you can probably tell that I like this paper.  Now I can use both anytime!

And did you know that you can purchase the downloads to use with your existing software, such as photoshop?  Check out my websitefor all the downloads available.

So, here is what I created with my new downloads....

 
  
These pages took me less than one hour to complete, and get this.......my stamp area isn't a mess!!!  Now, I think that is a great bonus.

The top page I made from scratch and the bottom page was based on a template.  I just had to change the colors and DSP, then add the pumpkin stamp and journaling.  So simple!

I have one more Halloween project to share with you this week and it's a goodie.  Check back tomorrow for your final treat!

My Digital Studio Card

Here is the first card that I made with the new My Digital Studio program.  I'm currently working on the certification program and playing around with the program to learn as much as I can.  There is definitely a bit of a learning curve with this program, but I do find it more user-friendly than Photoshop.

I think the best thing about this program is that is comes with nearly 60 stamp sets pre-loaded, as well as lots of designer paper, embellishments, and more.  I would not have been able to make this card as shown with the materials I have on hand---I don't own this stamp set and I definitely don't "sew".

My Digital Studio is available on my Stampin' Up! website for $79.95.  I will be offering training classes soon and I'll keep you posted on those.

Tomorrow, I'll be featuring a hand-stamped card using the adorable Twick or Tweet stamp set.