I am very excited to welcome SuzyQ Scraps here with us this month! I have really enjoyed getting to know Suzy AND her designs over the past few months since she applied to be a contributor. I love her color combinations and how she pulls together a kit with a complete look and feel. Here’s a closer look at Suzy’s contribution to THE DIGI FILES this month:
You get this bright, happy kit along with 6 other amazing contributions by our awesome designers for ONLY $5. Profits from THE DIGI FILES is what keeps THE DAILY DIGI running and allows us to do what we do! Also, there will be SEVEN random customers chosen from those that purchase TDF12 that will each WIN TWO $10 GC’s to our contributor’s stores! So, what are you waiting for??
Here’s what our team did with this fun kit:
Layout by Rachael, additional supplies: Art Notes Alpha by CD Muckosky, Template Collection #37 by Janet Phillips
Layout by Katie, additional supplies: template by Janet Phillips (collection 33), font is calibri
Layout by Karen, additional supplies: Font is Fontologie Textura
Layout by Amy, additional supplies: fonts-pea jennifer, pea mee mee
Layout by Janet, additional supplies: paper cut templates by Emily Merritt, fonts are Typewriter Scribbled and DJB Gimme Space
And a fun hybrid project:
Hybrid card by Kim
I’m Suzy, SAHM to one rambunctious 2-year-old boy and wife to my fabulous husband of 4 years. We live in the middle-of-nowhere, Utah — what my husband calls “the sticks.” Definitely rural — if the power goes out we lose electricity AND water, since our water is pumped from a spring. But I love the solitude and peace. 
I graduated with a BS in biology (go figure!) and now I find myself on the opposite spectrum of science. I love creating and I’m absolutely having a BLAST as a digital scrapbook designer.
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![clip_image001[5]](http://thedailydigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/clip_image00152.jpg "clip_image001[5]")
I read The Daily Digi for tips, lolol! But, since you asked, I’ll share one.
For scrappers who use PS: Here’s a trick for getting your text to “follow” the folds or crinkles on your tags or papers, or to kinda blend with the texture, so it looks like you actually wrote on it. (Does that make sense?)
Make sure your text layer is directly above the paper layer it’s “written” on, and make sure the text layer is active. Click on the fx icon (bottom of the layers palette) and choose Blending Options.
Towards the bottom there’s a section called Blend If with a couple of sliders. The black arrow focuses on the dark colors of the layer underneath your text; the white arrow does the opposite. Slide the black arrow under Underlying Layer towards the right until the text starts to disappear. Then hold down ALT and slide the left half of the black slider back to the left so some of the text reappears. Now do the same with the white arrow, first sliding it to the left until some of the text disappears, and then holding ALT and sliding to the right until a little bit reappears. It takes some playing around at first to get the effect you’re seeking.
I love using this when my text is on a folded tag or heavily textured paper, so that my text becomes more lifelike — like a pen was actually rubbing across a surface. Try it with paint strokes too!
If you use PSE, you don’t have this option, but you can try changing the color of your text and play with the blending modes. For example, on a kraft tag you could make your text the color of the tag, and then change the blending mode to multiply, and then adjust the opacity until you reach your desired effect.
![clip_image001[7]](http://thedailydigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/clip_image00173.jpg "clip_image001[7]")
Let’s see … I started paper scrapbooking as a teenager — you know, cropping all the pictures and plastering stickers everywhere. That evolved into simply sticking on the photos with a few stickers (yes, still stickers) and calling it done. By 2007 I was tired of all the time (and space!) it took to set up to scrap, and then all the mess I had to clean up after. So I started looking for a way to use my computer to scrapbook without using some dorky clipart program. I stumbled across digital scrapbooking and I’ve been hooked ever since. I wanted to design from the beginning — I looked at the kits available and thought, “Hey, I can do that!” I was confident I could learn to do it and do well at it — I just really, really wanted to create. I spent nearly 2 years learning all I could from tutorials and playing around with my program before the timing was right for me and my family. I gave away my first freebie in December 2008 and started selling my designs in January 2009.
![clip_image001[9]](http://thedailydigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/clip_image00193.jpg "clip_image001[9]")
Anything … everything. I’m inspired by food, my little boy, nature, magazines, little characters in my head, wacky dreams, computer games, color … yep, everything.
![clip_image001[11]](http://thedailydigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/clip_image001113.jpg "clip_image001[11]")
I am the proud owner of a BRAND NEW HP Pavilion 180t (desktop PC), so I actually know all the specs on it, lol. It has a 23″ monitor (yeah baby!), Intel Core i7 processor (3.0 GHz), 750 GB hard drive, 8 GB RAM (she’s smokin’!), and 1.8 GB NVIDIA graphics card. I’m running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. Sigh. I love this computer. The poor motherboard on my old computer was maxed out on upgrades, so it was time for a new one. Now if only it came in a yummy color …
Programs…
Photoshop CS4 Extended, Illustrator CS4, occasionally Inkscape (’cause I’m more familiar with it on some things), sometimes PSE 6.
Camera…
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 … it’s an SLR-like camera and I LOVE it! You just can’t beat 10.1 MP and 18x zoom … especially for the steal of a deal we snagged when we bought it. I mostly shoot in automatic mode, but it does have some manual options, and even a couple of additional lens options.
I also use a Wacom Bamboo tablet (small). Oh, and a sketch book and lots of No.2 pencils.
![clip_image001[13]](http://thedailydigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/clip_image001133.jpg "clip_image001[13]")
My favorite product to date would have to be Love Monsters. I just love the cute little monsters and all the bright colors. But my favorite tends to change monthly, lol! So I’m sure I’ll have a new favorite soon.
![clip_image001[15]](http://thedailydigi.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/clip_image001153.jpg "clip_image001[15]")
Hmm … well, my stitch packs are my most popular line of products.
I wanted to share some of my favorite SuzyQ products:
And some fun inspiration layouts using SuzyQ products (layouts without credits are linked to originals):
Layout by Karen, supplies: SuzyQ Scraps Love Monsters kit, Storytellers 2 template; Font is Pea Jokilyn
Layout by Katie, supplies: SuzyQ Scraps Roughin It and Not so Roughin It kits. Template by Janet Phillips, CK journaling font
Suzy, thanks so much for joining us in THE DIGI FILES and at THE DAILY DIGI this month! We appreciate you sharing your talents!
Go have a look in SuzyQ’s store and come back and tell her about a product you like, we will randomly select a winner from those comments to win a $10 GC to her store! (Comments must be posted before midnight EST and must include a product name to qualify)!
As a THANK YOU to our readers, SuzyQ has this coupon for us:
Thank you so much for all your sweet compliments!
Here’s a LO I made with this kit- such fun colors!
http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=930924&cat=500
I’m already familiar with SuzyQ’s work. I’m a Facebook fan and also get her newsletter. I love all her kits but to narrow it down to one, I would say I like this one.
http://scraporchard.com/market/product.php?productid=19440&cat=0&page=1
Very cute kit, Suzy!!
My favorite is Love Monsters…the colors are just fab and the little monster guys are too, too cute!!
Love the Olympic Dreams kit….the stitches are awesome too! Love the bright, bold colors she uses!
Ouchies and Ickies is my favorite! It is so cute!
Journey 365 has so many great elements and papers, I love that one. Thanks!
I like the stitch hiccups 1 & 2. Olympic Dreams is way cute, but my fav would have to be Love Monsters.
I love her stitch hiccups
I love these colors after all of the pink of Valentine’s
I really like her big picture templates.
The stitch hiccups are great and I really like the roughin it pack.
I think Sunshine is my favourite kit so far by SuzyQ. Love the colours and that alpha. Not surprised though, Suzy’s alphas are always awesome.
I love the Ouchies and Ichies
and sunshine…oh heck I like them all
Journey 365 Jumbo is my pick. Wonderful kits in the store!
I love everything Suzy does! But my favorites are Olympic Dreams because I watch all of the olympics and I haven’t seen anyone else do an olympic kit. I also like Love Monsters.
Fun! Love the ouchies, the rainbow, and the love monsters!! Her kit for the Digi Files pushed me over the edge today and I bought Digi Files 12…LOVE IT!
Lullaby Girl is so fun…so is Ouchies and Ichies…so hard to chose just one:)
After the stitche packs and the Journey 365 jumbo kit, I like the “Go for goal” Word art and the “colors of Desert Sunset” kits. I enjoyed hearing about her and also the tips sounded great – can’t wait to try them.
I’m a Christmas junky – I could have Christmas 24-7-365! Love her Heavenly Peace and Heavenly Peace add on. I also like her Journey 365 Jumbo.
Thanks for the opportunity.
Thank you so much for the discount coupon; however, I’m trying to purchase Stitch Hiccups #1 and #3, and it reads that “The coupon code entered is expired or not valid.” I’m logged in and entered the lettering exactly as it appears above. I’ll try again tomorrow to use the code and see if it is working then.
Ouchies and Ickies… yup that is the top of the list for me!
My current favorite is Rainbow of Flavor. I love the bright colors!
Forgot to mention Lullaby Girl!
I love all your stuff Suzy! Cannot wait to play with this newest in the Digi Files!
I too love the Stitch Hiccups – especially #3 & #4. Also, the Date Me {Neutrals} would be great for my 365 layouts!
Fun Stuff!
The Stitch Hiccups series is my fave! I love stitching, and these are great!
My favorites are Ouchies and Ickies and Lullaby Girl. Suzy is an amazing designer.
I love Suzy’s stuff. Her Stitch Hiccups are a “must have!”
my faves right now are ouchies & ickies and olympic dreams! all her kits are fabulous but those are at the top of my wishlist.
What an amazing contribution to the digi files. I’ll be getting this one! Desert Sunset is definitely my favorite. The colors in it–wow! And such cute embellishments, too!
Ouchies & Ickies and Rainbow of Flavor. Really…everything, but these two especially right now.
I think Rainbow of Flavor is my favorite. All of her kits have such cute papers!
I have had my eye on “Olympic Dreams” since it came out, but even more so, since my 4 year old, tried come of the figure skating lifts with Daddy! Thanks for the chance to win a coupon
Hugs
Kerri
Olympic Dreams is very timely, but since we have an active grandson I would have to say Outchies & Ickies would be my fav! Thanks for the chance to win!
Thanks for introducing me to SuzyQ. Great contribution to the Digi Files. I love her Sunshine kit-great colors and fun elements. I really enjoyed browsing her store. Dino-Rawr 2 is up our alley!
I love Journey 365. Great colors and everything coordinates beautifully!
THe Olympic Dreams is so stinkin cute!!!! And I’m a sucker for Monsters!!!!! Thanks for the tip on the “natural” writing…
Can’t wait to try it!!!! Yeah!!!!
I like Lullaby Girl and the Storyteller Templates. Thanks for the giveaway!
I’ve had my eye on Ouchies and Ickies since it was released!
I also LOVE the Ouchies and Ickies kit. It’s at the top of my wish list.
I love the kit ‘Ouchies and Ickies’! It is just so darn cute and with 2 of my 4 being ‘real’ boys it would come in handy for some great scrap pages! Lol.
Suzy is a new to me designer so I really enjoyed reading more about her and touring her shop. Love her fun, playful designs. I really like her Too Cute to Spook kit and Fallin Into Fun (I’m a sucker for fall kits) oh and I’ve already wishlisted her Krafty Stash #1!!
The first thing that caught my eye was that great LO of the two kids and look here’s the template!
http://scraporchard.com/market/product.php?productid=19514&cat=0&page=1
I love the bright colors in this one!
http://scraporchard.com/market/product.php?productid=19440&cat=0&page=1
I need to come home today and play with this kit!