Month: July 2011

I love Eva Kipler’s bold and shabby flair that comes through in her designs.  I love looking at her patterned papers and how they play off each other when put together; the patterns and colors always flow so well and include an unexpected little pop in the collection.  Her theming based on sentiments is perfect for a “moment scrapper” like myself.  I’m thrilled to have Eva back with us this month!  Let’s take a closer look at “Always There” that is included in The Digi Files this month:

Here are some layouts created using Eva’s contribution:

Layout by Aaron. Supplies: “Always There” by Eva Kipler and included in The Digi Files #31; Font: JenLin.

Layout by Karen. Supplies: “Always There” by Eva Kipler and included in The Digi Files #31; Font: FO Giggles and FO Printer Primer.

Supplies: “Always There” by Eva Kipler and included in The Digi Files #31; Template by Kimberly Lund (The Daily Digi Newseltter Freebie); Font: Century Gothic; Lightroom Presets: Matt’s Nostalgic Effect (free at LightroomKillerTips).

Layout by Kimberly. Supplies: “Always There” by Eva Kipler and included in The Digi Files #31; July Digifiles by Emily Merritt (template); Stitching by Pixel Cafe; Fonts: CK Ali, Hero.

Layout by Tara. Supplies: “Always There” by Eva Kipler and included in The Digi Files #31; Modern Master 011 Simply Tiffany Studios (template).

I discovered digital scrapbooking after returning from a family vacation to Washington, DC in 2005. I had tons of photos and I wanted to make a scrapbook. I am not naturally a “crafty” person so I knew that traditional scrapbooking was not really an option, but I am very good with a computer. I did a few Google searches and found so much information about digital scrapbooking and I was immediately hooked! I was already very familiar with Paint Shop Pro so I didn’t have the obstacle of learning a graphics program. I scrapped with freebies at first (especially loving Shabby Princess’ freebies), but there were times that I wanted a specific element or paper that wasn’t part of the kit, so I started making my own. It didn’t take me very long to realize that I was a much better designer than I was a scrapper and I started selling my designs in August of 2005. I have sold my designs at Digital Freebies, Scrapbook Bytes, The Digi Chick, and I now call Sweet Shoppe Designs my home. I have been a designer at Sweet Shoppe Designs for going on four years now and love it there!

So many things inspire me! I would have to say that I am probably inspired the most by colors and patterns I see in everyday life. I have taken photos of my bedroom because I loved the colors in my comforter. I also remember taking a photo of a gift bag that I bought for my daughter because the colors were so whimsical and fun. I “pulled” colors from these photos to make color schemes for kits. The color scheme of my blog was inspired from that same super cute gift bag!

I am all about making templates of commonly used elements (such as stitching or journal blocks). It saves me a tremendous amount of time when I am designing – and since I have been designing for five years now I have a TON of different templates! I save them in layered format and then can easily change the colors to match the kit I am currently working on. I also love preset shapes. The possibilities for them are endless. I can mess around with them in vector format and make new original shapes or I can use them as is. I can make elements with them as well as using colored in shapes to make unique paper patterns.

I primarily design on my laptop, but I also have a desktop computer as well. All of my computers are Dell PCs and I have never used a Mac. I use a Spyder to calibrate my monitors on a regular basis to make sure that what I am seeing on my screen is going to print just as beautifully.

I do the majority of my designing in Photoshop CS3, but I have a true love for Paint Shop Pro since it was my first graphic program. I still use PSPXI on a regular basis when designing. I also use Illustrator CS5 when working with doodles, swirls, and clipart, but my 18 year old son has a love of Illustrator and tends to “borrow” my Intuos 3 Tablet without telling me. When I notice that my tablet is missing I will often try to talk him into drawing elements for me. He is actually much better at drawing than I am! I am also a lover of fonts and find that I can’t live without a font organizing program. I have been using Suitcase Fusion for years and would be lost without it!

Don’t be afraid to use or try multiple programs when designing or scrapping. While I do the majority of my designing in Photoshop CS3, I also love to use Paint Shop Pro as well as Illustrator. Each program has their own strengths and weaknesses, but by using and learning different programs you expand your design knowledge and become a more rounded graphic artist.

For more tips, visit Eva’s blog where her Creative Team hosts Tip Thursdays.

My favorite kit varies on a regular basis. LOL One day I will love one kit and the next day a different kit of mine will be my favorite. Right at this moment my favorite kit is probably “All the Little Things.” I love all of the kraft paper elements in this kit especially the date elements.

I have quite a few kits that are very close in sales. One of my best sellers is “Love My Daddy.” This kit has special meaning for me since I designed it when my Daddy was very ill and in the hospital. I put all of my heart and soul into that kit and I adore it (and it appears my customers do, too!). My Daddy has since recovered and I was always Daddy’s Little Girl. I really do Love My Daddy!

Here are some of my favorite products by Eva:

Here are some more inspirational layouts using Eva’s products. All of the layouts are linked to the originals with credits.

Go have a look in Eva Kipler’s store! We will randomly select a winner from the comments to win $10.00 in product from her store! (Comments must be posted before midnight EST to qualify)!

I’m excited to welcome back Creashens to The Digi Files this month! Shen is an extremely talented designer that very rarely uses CU products in her designs. Her designs are spunky, fun, and full of personality. I love her doodles and the many, many unique patterns and elements! Let’s take a closer look at “Daydreamer” that is included in The Digi Files this month:

Here are some layouts created using Creashens’ contribution:

Layout by Heddy. Supplies: “Daydreamer” by Creashens and included in The Digi Files #31; Preserved by Sara Gleason; Font: JenLin.

Layout by Lauren. Supplies: “Daydreamer” by Creashens and included in The Digi Files #31; Font: Orator.

Layout by Kimberly. Supplies: “Daydreamer” by Creashens and included in The Digi Files #31; Field Trip by Sahlin Studio (staple) and included in The Digi Files #31; My Wonderland Kit by Karen Lewis (glitter drops); Font: CK Ali’s Hand.

Layout by Jacki. Supplies: “Daydreamer” by Creashens and included in The Digi Files #31; Font: Smartypants by Darcy Baldwin..

Layout by Karen. Supplies: “Daydreamer” by Creashens and included in The Digi Files #31; Template by Jenn Lindsey; Font:1942 Report.

I always think that my life isn’t really interesting at all to anyone else other than myself, but I always learn something new about myself with each page and each product I design. I like to think my creations help you learn more about yourself by finding yourself and creating yourself. Then, those who see and read what you’ve created, will be inspired and do the same for themselves. Thank you so much for letting me share my life and little design world with you here at The Daily Digi. I hope you like my Daydreamer kit created for this month’s The Digi Files. Everything is hand-created by me (except the nature stuff of course, but I did grow them!) and 100% CU-free. Enjoy!

STORE
BLOG
FACEBOOK

SUPPLIES: Bliss

SUPPLIES: Since

It all started when I was about eight months pregnant. I was huge, sore, and waddling around like a duck. I went to a local craft shop and had the most difficult time bending down to reach for a piece of scrap paper at the bottom of the racks. Frustrated with not being as mobile as I’d like, I began to look online for supplies that could be shipped to me. It took me a while to figure out what these ‘digital download’ terms meant on the sites that came up in the search, but I looked around in galleries, and it all came clear. The first shop I discovered was CatScrap, and that was the start of a beautiful relationship… First as a loyal customer shopping like a kid in a candy shop, now as a loyal designer creating and administering for my favorite shop.

My daughter inspires me to create. She exudes all the wonders of and simple things in life. She inspires me to be creative. I am a sucker for anything in the craft shop. Anything that looks like I could have fun with, it ends up in my cart. And shopping with a little girl just adds twice the amount I would normally purchase. How can I say no when she wants to create, right?

I work on a PC platform. It’s not as purdy as a Mac, although I am fully capable of working on a Mac as well, but a PC is what I am most comfortable with.

The programs I design in are all Adobe products: InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat, Lightroom, and Photoshop. I just worship the entire Adobe line.

I work with a mouse and a Wacom Intuos, my best friend. And I also have tons of drawing/painting pads for my doodles and drawings for my kits and elements. I am actually more comfortable with a pen/pencil in my hand than the Wacom pen!

I currently shoot with my Canon Rebel, but I’m on my way to a Nikon due to my brother’s persistent “just go buy a Nikon” answer everytime I ask him for photography advice. (He’s a professional portrait and documentary photographer in the Los Angeles area shooting for magazines.)

Gosh, I don’t know if I have a great tip… As much as I wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, I feel like I’m terrible at giving instructions. Or maybe I just need practice. But here is a little something about how I shadow my layouts. I shadow in the direction the light/sun shines on the subject in the photo, mostly my daughter. For example, if the light sources comes from top left, then I will shadow anywhere between 115-125 degrees. If it comes from top right, then I will shadow 45-70 degrees. That way, my shadows on supplies I use match the direction of the light source in the photo. That’s my little OCD tidbit on shadows.

My own favorite product would probably be my Bliss kit… Everything just fell so perfectly in to place… My hand-made elements and absolutely no CU products were used in its creation… I just love everything about it.

If I had to guess, my most popular products are my Torn Bits. Good thing they are digital, cause they just fly off the shelf! But they are also the most time-consuming. For realism, I create them by hand, then they are scanned, and extracted. And we all know extraction is good times! (Not!) Due to popular demand, I better get going on some new packs!

Here are some of my favorite products by Creashens:

Here are some more inspirational layouts using Creashens’ products. All of the layouts are linked to the originals with credits.

Go have a look in Creashens’ store! We will randomly select a winner from the comments to win $10.00 in product from her store! (Comments must be posted before midnight EST to qualify)!

Receive 35% off Creashens’ Catscrap store through August 1, 2011, so hurry over!