When it comes to hybrid projects, I (Katie) tend to brush them off as too much effort. That’s why I like to keep an eye out for easy and doable hybrid ideas. All of these are very practical for all skill levels and will add some more fun tricks to help you enjoy your digital supplies even more!

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What a fabulous idea! Persnickety Prints has a template for you to make your own water bottle labels. These would be great to customize bottles for bridal/baby showers, birthday parties, family reunions, and more.

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These “Nuts About You!” cans on the Sweet Shoppe blog would make a great gift!

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A fun little hybrid banner tutorial on Jennifer Fox’s blog. I love banners!

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Personalized travel mug from The Hybrid Chick. What a great way to keep memories with you all the time! This would also make a fun gift for kids and grownups alike.

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I’ve heard a lot about Copic markers so I was excited to see this tutorial on The Sweet Shoppe blog about how to color with them. What a fun way to use digital stamps!

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If you have dismissed hybrid as not being “your thing”, take a fresh look at some of these great projects. You don’t have to create albums or boxes to be working in “hybrid”. Simply using digital scrapbooking products in new ways will make you a hybrid artist!

We’d love to see your hybrid projects in our flickr group. Be sure to add the tag “hybrid” so we can be inspired by your creations!

Cindy from Skip To My Lou and I teamed up again to bring you a fun holiday project! I really enjoy working with Cindy on these little projects and I think you probably like them too.  Now, before I go on, please remember that these always come with a printable version AND layered templates, so if you aren’t in the U.S., you can customize these for any holiday you want!  I’m planning on using them for an upcoming birthday party!

In this download, we have some really fun tags for your straws, tags for some sparklers (think party favors), and a design for you to print out on goodie bags.  The bag is designed for a bag sized roughly 5”x8”, but will work on many different sizes.  Each download includes a printable PDF, jpeg, as well as a layered psd file that you can customize to your liking.

If you want some white paper bags, Cindy has some and if you order by 4pm CST, they will ship TODAY (not an affiliate link).

I hope you enjoy this little gift from Cindy and I and enjoy your holiday!!

Hybrid projects are so creative and fun, but I (Katie) often feel stumped for ideas when it comes to actually putting one together. This is one of those areas where I really need to SEE completed projects so I can get a feel for how they will come together. I can look at a digital template and imagine a layout, but for some reason I can’t do that with hybrid products. That is why I love browsing the galleries and our flick group for inspiration.

I thought it would be fun to share all the fun hybrid ideas I have found lately. (All images are linked)

Hybrid candy bar wrapper project from kpcphotography (via our flickr group pool)

Cupcake Boxes by Chrismaris Mommy

Recipe Box on The Shabby Shoppe blog

Worms and Ladders game by livelys

Matchbook album & bag from Sunghee

Mini Tag album from The Hybrid Chick

Baseball treats from Shabby Miss Jenn’s blog

Hybrid soapbox from Scrappy Donna

Book log notebook from laurabeanct (via our flickr group pool)

Critter Cupcake Toppers from Kathy Martin

Treasure boxes on the Hybrid Chick

Thank you card by wildblueeyez

Mini Album by ScrappyDonna

Gift Boxes from The Hybrid Chick

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I’m totally in the mood to rev up my printer now! We’d love to see your hybrid projects in our flickr group. Be sure to add the tag “hybrid” so we can be inspired by your creations!

I am thrilled and honored to be doing a guest post on Ali’s blog today.  In the post, you will learn a little bit more about me, learn how to create this album, and get some downloads to help you along in the creating process (including prompts and templates).

If you are stopping in here from Ali’s blog, WELCOME!  Be sure to scroll down to yesterday’s post where we have an awesome giveaway going on!  There are some other past posts that I’m sure you will find interesting no matter what kind of scrapbooking you enjoy the most!

P.S. I (Katie) plan to take on Steph’s challenge from her post on Ali’s blog and make my own mini album.  I was so excited that she is encouraging us to upload them to the flickr group with the tag “Moment”. That will make it easy for us to find your projects so we can be inspired by you as well. And you never know…we may even feature some of them here on The Daily Digi sometime! We are actually planning to do a lot more of that and by using certain tags on flickr and hashtags on twitter it will be easy to find your creations.

We would like to encourage you to use tags on flickr such as TDF15 for layouts using products from that set of Digi Files (The Digi Files 15) or use the designer’s full name as a tag when uploading a layout from a certain designer that we are featuring (such as onelittlebird).  This is not a requirement or anything, just useful for those of you that like to use the tagging feature on flickr. Remember to make your tags all one word so instead of TDF 15 being the tag, it should be TDF15.

If you follow The Daily Digi on twitter you have probably noticed the use of hashtags such as #digiscrap. This is simply a way to categorize the post and help encourage conversations on certain topics. Again, you don’t have to use these – but if you are a tweeter we hope you will consider adding hashtags such as #TDF15 to your tweets about that particular set of Digi Files (The Digi Files 15).

Watch our future posts for tips on using these types of tags. Just like in the post about using ribbons on your layouts, we will encourage those who are going to upload to the flickr group to use the tag of “ribbon” so we can find them in the group.

We LOVE our readers here at The Daily Digi, so we thought we thought it would be fun to share a Valentine inspired gift with you today! This free download will only be available through February 14th so hurry and grab it before it’s gone!

This layered template is sized at 2.5 inches by 3 inches which is the standard size for Artist Trading Cards. I (Katie) thought they would also be the perfect size to make Valentine’s Cards and Love Notes with, so I am excited to share a few fun ideas with you!

I often had to buy 2 boxes of little valentine cards for each of my children to give their classmates, and then I would end up with a few extra ones to discard. If I had been a digital scrapbooker back in those days I could have easily customized my own cards using a template like this one and printed out as many as I needed. If you want to print your own cards, you might enjoy this post how to party with digital scrapbook supplies for some tips on paper and printing.

Beyond printing needs, the nice thing about making your own little Valentines is that they are much more meaningful to give away. You can customize this template using the included papers, or any fun digital kit you want to get more use out of.

I made a few sweet “Love Notes” for my own children.

Additional credits: Darcy Baldwin Tracy Script font

I like to call these “Love Notes” because they really are like miniature love letters to my children telling them something special that I cherish about them. I love the idea of printing up sweet notes like this throughout the year. No need to limit sharing love to Valentine’s Day only!

This is also a fun way to be creative with your photos.

Additional credits: Fontologie Haphazard Font

I love taking pictures of (and eating!) yummy cookies and it was very easy to turn this photo into a unique valentine card.

The great thing about using a photo is that you can create your own theme. Take a picture of your child’s favorite toy and turn it into something special!

Additional credits: Fontologie Haphazard Font

Additional credits: Shabby Princess Sweetie Pie kit

Once Valentine’s Day is over, use this template to create Love Notes or gift tags throughout the year. I think you will be amazed at how much you can do with this nifty little template!

For even more fun, you might enjoy creating your very own Artist Trading Cards. Here are a few links to give you ideas:

• Artist Trading Cards tips from 2Peas Designer Garden
• Original home of Artist Trading Cards in Zurich, Switzerland
• ATCs Exploring Art in Miniature from Squidoo

Enjoy!

I (Katie) will be the first to admit that I get a little nervous when it comes to hybrid projects. I found this post by Janet so comforting and I loved her idea of sketching out a hybrid idea on the computer first. Once I realized that was an option, I had an entirely new outlook on the world of hybrid projects. I guess that is why iron on transfer projects appeal to me so much – the canvas (a shirt, a bag, etc), is very similar to a blank scrapbook page. I can actually visualize the finished project.

I spent some time browsing through the galleries and I found some amazing inspiration from several different artists that made me WANT to get out my iron out!

I just love these darling little onesies and that “chick magnet” shirt is making me giggle! These were created by Mturnridge and she even gives details about the process she used and links to the products she used.

I absolutely adore this little bag! Amber1279 used a kit by Traci Reed as her inspiration to create this bag and bought a dress to go with it!

One of the best things about using digital scrapbook supplies for iron on transfer projects is that you can totally customize an entire gift pack. I love how Jen Tapler used the papers and elements to create a gift box and tag!

Aprons are another fun thing to customize with iron on transfers. I love the way hollyrh included names on these sweet aprons.

It’s nice to see a “manly” project for iron on transfers as well. Don’t feel like you are limited if you don’t have girls and babies in your life, there are plenty of ways to create something cool for a guy as well. This project by livelys is a great example and she links up to the kit she used in the credits.

Ideas for Iron On Transfer Projects:

• t-shirts
• onesies (baby shirts)
• aprons
• canvas bags
• cloth napkins
• cloth placemats
• cloth tablecloths
• denim jackets
• denim jumpers and dresses
• denim shirts
• denim jeans (especially the pockets)
• pillowcase borders
• bedsheet borders

Some important tips to remember:

• Print your image in reverse so when you iron it on it will be correctly positioned (unless products instructs otherwise)
• There are several iron on transfer paper packs out there so check out some of these project links to see what these artists recommend. You might want to consider a product specifically for dark color fabrics if that is what you choose to work with. Also pay attention to what kind of paper your printer requires. There are different transfer papers for ink jet printers vs. laser printers.
• White won’t print out on a design so look for colorful or dark options instead.
• Practice first! Make sure you know what side of the transfer paper to print on. You also might want to consider doing a small test project on on older piece of fabric so you get the hang out of ironing the transfers.
• Follow the directions on the package of transfer paper for best results.

Now I can’t wait to grab some plain t-shirts and have some fun of my own! If you create an iron on transfer project feel free to send us a link so we can be inspired by YOU!

P.S. The winner in the random drawing for the Casual Blogger Conference pass is Debbie who said: “Great ideas for the start ups and newbies. Good post! I’d love to go to the conference.”

P.S.S Our random GIFTaway goes to Tracie who left a comment in the SSD post yesterday and said this: “I love SSD! They are one of my favorite places to hang out and to shop!”  Tracie, you won a $10 GC to Sweet Shoppe, check your inbox!

Celebrate doodle by Stephanie2, Paper from Reach the Stars by Stephanie2, Fontologie Giggles font. All at The Daily Digi store.

Since January is our birthday month, we thought it would be fun to share with you some ideas for using your digital supplies in your birthday party planning.  First, every great party needs an invitation…

It is so easy to make a digital invitation to go with the party theme of your choice. You might even want to consider some ready made templates to save time.

Remember the post on digital greeting cards the other day? Several of our readers asked for help with finding greeting card templates (which would also work perfectly for invitations!) These would make wonderful thank you cards as well.

Brag book templates also work wonderfully for making cards, thank you notes, and invitations!

Several of our readers also asked for some advice on printing cards. I (Katie) rarely print at home except for cards. They are an easy project to print yourself and in small batches they don’t use up too much ink. I simply size my front card image at 5.50 inches wide and 4.25 inches tall (for landscape orientation) or the opposite for portrait orientation (5.50 inches tall by 4.25 inches wide). Then I can fit 2 full cards on a standard size piece of paper to print.

see previous post for card credits

You can also fill the entire page with 4 images to print and then trim the images and mount them on pre-made blank cards, or your own folded cardstock cards. Another great way to do this is to simply print the images as photos (I use Costco for this) and then adhere them to cards.

When I print my own cards I have always used white cardstock, but Steph shared her secret weapon when it comes to printing: “I always use HP premium presentation paper.  The colors turn out great, the images look really good, and I have found if I let it dry completely, I can even Mod Podge it without it running.”

The great thing about designing party invitations digitally is that you can either print them out, or you can send them electronically in emails to the people you are inviting!

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Of course the invitation is only the beginning. Look at all the fun things you can do with digital scrapbooking supplies to make the most amazing party ever!

If you want to minimize your work load, there are some wonderful party kits available that have everything in them you might need from invitations to party decor and favor ideas. The nice thing is that you can print as many as you need, whenever you need them!

or you can completely customize your own party using any digital scrapbooking kit(s) that fit your theme and some hybrid helpers like these:

Create your own party hats

Print out a special party banner

Make your own cupcake wrappers with this free download from The Daily Digi and Skip to My Lou. You can fill them with any type of digital paper to customize them for your party!

Create customized party favor bags

There are plenty of fun projects to make your party special in this pack. The water bottles would be fun for a spa party!

You can even create the entertainment using your digital scrapbooking supplies!

It would be a blast to make a memory matching game to play at the party. This isn’t only for little kids, I recently went to a 40 year old’s birthday party where his wife arranged a photo matching game that told stories about the birthday “boy” – it was so much fun!

How about making your very own Bingo game for some entertainment? Bingo is fun for all ages and a great party game!

There are a lot of advantages to using digital techniques and supplies for your party planning. You can control the number of hats you make, or invitations you print. Even with printing costs, you will find that this is a very economical way to make a party festive and fun (and you can reuse templates over and over in the coming years!) My favorite reason is the creativity of being able to turn any theme into a fabulous party!

For my daughter’s 13th birthday we threw her an outdoor camping theme party. I created everything we needed for the party using digital scrapbooking materials. If you want to see how it turned out you can read my personal blog post here.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and have your parties go digital!  I hope these ideas are helpful, have fun planning your next big event!

P.S. Today’s GIFTaway goes to Diana who was randomly selected form those that have purchased THE DIGI FILES so far this month.  THANKS to Diana and all of our readers who are showing your support by purchasing the files (and getting some really GREAT scrapping supplies too ).  Diana won a $10 GC to Sweet Shoppe Designs who have over 3 dozen new products on sale today for 20% off.

Birthday magic word art and kit by Kitty Designs

Why go out buy a birthday card when you have all the ingredients to make a customized card in minutes? If you are a digital scrapbooker, you most likely have kits, fonts, alphas, and even templates that can easily be used to create memorable birthday greetings to send by mail or on the web.

Digital kits can be reused over and over. This is great for layouts (read Janet’s great post on reusing kits here), but you can also extend the life of these same kits by finding other projects for them such as cards and gift tags.

Birthday kits can be use in a variety of ways to create one of a kind cards to print or share online. I (Katie) love this Little Mr. Big Man kit from Traci Reed because it has so many fun and bright birthday theme elements.

I know I can come up with several cards from the designs in this kit. Here’s one I created for my sweet nephew.

Additional supplies: card template by Bree Clarkson , font is Christy by Darcy Baldwin at Sweet Shoppe Designs

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Another favorite birthday kit that I have used several times is Occasions by Shabby Princess.

I love to personalize a card by including a picture of the recipient in the design. It doesn’t have to be a recent picture, this is the perfect excuse to dig out some baby or youthful photos to use.

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This Birthday Magic kit by Kitty Designs will also provide plenty of designs to use on special cards.

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Of course you don’t have to limit yourself to using birthday theme kits, any kit can make a great card! The Embrace kit by Paislee Press and Fei Fei’s Stuff is perfect for elegant card designs. Feel free to use (and reuse) any kit that you want to to make your own special creations for friends and family.

If you print out your card creation, be sure to sign and date the card on the back for an extra special touch!

P.S. Our GIFTaway for today goes to Carey who was randomly selected from our registered customers in the store and won a $10 Gift Certificate to Traci Reed’s store. CONGRATULATIONS CAREY!!

Remember to look through our Birthday post to see all of the ways you can win.  There will be LOTS of good stuff given away at the end of the month to some random winners from those that purchased THE DIGI FILES this month!!

** this article is a repost from our

CHRISTMAS IN JULY series **

for more up-to-date on December Daily, be sure to check out Ali’s blog for her December Daily Q&A 2009

I am sure many of you are familiar with Ali Edwards’ DECEMBER DAILY ALBUM.  Over the last two years I have been inspired as I have seen her create — in advance — an album that will chronicle the busy and oh-so-fun month of December.  The idea behind it is by getting the time-consuming part of the project done with ahead of time, it is easy to print out photos and add some journaling and end up with one amazing album.   The amazingly talented Ali gives some great information on creating an album of your own HERE and HERE. She also has a list of FAQ that you can read HERE and if you want to see the Flickr pool of gorgeous pages created by others, you can look HERE.

As I thought about my own documentation of Christmas, I realized that while I may feel like I “have it scrapped,” I have never really taken the time to chronicle the entire season.  I have never looked closely at each individual day, written about the magic of the time of year, or spend time journaling about how I feel during this amazing holiday time.  And so, as I thought about it, I knew that a DECEMBER DAILY album would be an amazing project to take part in.

One problem.  I never have time in November or December to do anything like this.  And so, I figured, “why not do it now?”  And so I did.

It was pretty simple to put together and I LOVE the way it turned out.  I am so excited to use it this year!

I started my choosing one main kit to work with.  I am a kit scrapper, and for a project of this size I knew I would want to stick to one color scheme.  I decided on a great, versatile Christmas kit of Shabby Miss Jenn’s — XMAS MARKET. I love that it was 1) big, 2) contained holiday colors and non-holiday colors, and 3) is “my style” — warm and comfy.

After choosing my main kit, I had my eye on a few other things that I wanted to incorporate.

It only made sense that I would use Ali’s 25 Days of December brushes.  They were perfect for making journaling cards!

And I just ADORE the Presslines by Paislee Press and knew they would make perfect accents for my pages!

I created a template for myself for the pages.  I wanted a half bracket page shape, so after creating the template I clipped on various papers from the kit.  I then printed and cut out.

I wanted the jorunaling cards to be separate so that they could be moved around as needed.  I have no idea what will happen each day and which page might work best, so by keeping the journaling (and dates) separate, I have a ton of freedom.

After coloring the journaling cards with colors from the kit, I printed them out (reducing the size so that I could get four on a page).  I then rounded the corners to mimic the rounded edges of the bracket pages.

I added a pocket to some of the pages so that if there are things I want to save — programs, invitations, cards, etc. — I have a place to put them.

I created the cover by cutting out the word “December” from Ali’s brushes, and then adding the “this is” part of the title.  I also cut out the circle element from her brushes, removed the number, and added the date 2009 using Amber Clegg’s Date Stamps.  I added one of the word art pieces from Paislee Press and with a little double sided foam tape,  voila, my cover was done.

Here are some more of the inside pages.  Note that they are all left blank at this point.  I want to be able to add photos, dates, etc. to the pages when the time comes and therfore all the pages are interchangeable.  LOVE that!

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When December rolls around, I plan to take photos (of course!) and journal a bit every day.  It will be neat to have my Project 365 and December Daily collide. Some days I may use just one photo — other days I may use a lot.  I don’t want to limit myself.  I will keep a running document with journaling prompts and hopefully can print photos and journaling every couple of days.  The idea, of course, is to have  finished album at the end of the month and not feel like it kept me from enjoying all that I am trying to capture.  We’ll see how I do!

So how about you?  Have you ever done a DECEMBER DAILY album?  Do you want to?  Is there a month other than December that you would love to capture in this way?  Do you have time now to put an album together so that when the holiday season is here you are prepared?  We’ve love to hear your stories, see your albums, and read your ideas for how to make this project work for you!

I (Steph) teamed up with Dani M. (Design by Dani) and Cindy from Skip To My Lou to bring you some cupcake wrappers, so head on over to Skip to My Lou and grab them!  Here’s a post Cindy did yesterday with some printing/cutting/pasting directions for them.