Digi Pick of the Day

Digi Picks 7/31/07

I actually had an amazing day today at work.  Yesterday a client went off on me like a madman.  It was really, really ugly.  I tried so hard to stay calm, but in the end I did raise my voice at him.  I cannot remember another time that I have been that angry and upset at work.  About an hour ago my boss told me that she and her boss went to our area VP and they are essentially kicking the client out!  They will not stand for what happened yesterday!   I'm so stunned!  Maybe, just maybe, now that the IT problems are fixed and one of my crazy clients is leaving I can do my job!!!! 

Kit of the Day
Just got my e-newsletter from Cottage Arts and I totally fell in love with Butterfly Wings 2 Page Pak .  The softness of this kit reminds me of the later days of summer.  I am a huge fan of peach and pink together so this one is a must have for me.  This preview even looks like a work of art to me!!!  I don't think you could make a bad page with this kit.  Check out those stitched flowers and that little bit of unfinished stitching.  That's what it looks like when I really try to sew on a paper page so I'm totally digging that bit.

Absolutely Awesome Hybrid Pick of the Day

When I saw Melinda Staley's Photo Cube this morning I was blown away!  I had seen some cubes for sale at one of the expos recently and I just couldn't wrap my mind around, well, around the cube I guess.  Now that I see how totally cool this can be I need to make one!  I have had the chipboard tiles from Mootsie for quite a while now and it never even occurred to me to assemble them into a cool cube.  The holes are already there, you just need to join them up with adorable ribbon like Melinda did.  Please note, while this uses products for sale at our store, I'd still be freaking out if it didn't.  My mom had something like this when I was a kid, but it just had our pictures in a plexi-glass cube.  It was one of my favorite things in her living room so that might explain why I am so in love with this.  Melinda rocks!!!!!  Cute kids don't hurt either ;-)

Digi Picks 7/30/07

Kit of the Day
I hope you all had a great weekend.  I did quite a bit of nothing!  I love weekends like that and I desperately needed one!  Get ready for some serious cuteness....check out Pattie Knox's Hoppy Birthday Page Kit .  I am in love with that little froggy dude!  The stitched felt elements are so well done and the denim is gorgeous.  Notice the little buttons on the wheels of the train.  Details like that are the mark of a great design.  This isn't  just a birthday kit, this is great for all the little ones in your life, especially the boys.  Great job!!!

Layout of the Day
Documenting the things you love is, in my opinion, a very important part of scrapping.  Documenting the sharing of the things you love is a definite bonus.  I hope that someday mizamigo's grandson looks back at The Art of Crafting with warmth and love in his heart.  I know I would if I were him.  My favorite part of this layout, other than the journaling, is the magnifying glass focused on the quilt fabric on the machine.  Very nice touch.  Have you taken pictures of yourself sharing your loves with others?  Even if you haven't you can always combine some meaningful journaling with elements and some stock photos that tell the story.  The people you love will appreciate it!
 

Digi Picks 7/27/07

I'm so happy that it is Friday.  Another horrible week at work almost behind me.  Unfortunately I'll be staying late for an IT installation that has to be done after hours.  Ugh ;-( 

Kit of the Day
I was out and about online searching for cheerful colors to brighten my mood.  I happened upon a really adorable kit by Traci Reed called Unbound .  The papers are so perfect for summer but what I'm really digging are the notebook paper elements.  Check it out!  There's a flower, some frames and an actual notebook!  Totally fun and it makes my eyes smile.  So please excuse me while I go click on "add to cart" ;-)

Hybrid Project Ideas
Sorry gang.  I have been woefully negligent in my gallery visits this week.  I miss seeing everyone's cool layouts and all the cute kids ;-)  I've also been really bad about promoting our new shop so....if you are looking for some cool hybrid inspiration go checkout the Chicks at Play section of Altered Art Chicks.  Krista and Audrey have posted many of their very cool projects.   I love the clock Krista made for me!!!  She's just so darned good at this stuff.  So go, look and enjoy!!!!  Have a great weekend ;-)

Digi Picks 7/24/07

Where the heck have I been?????  Oh it's such a long story.  Let's just say a problem that our crack IT department kept insisting was in my head was finally escalated and it turns out that it was a major hardware malfunction!!!!!!!  Our new T1 was mis-configured.  They are still working on fixing it today, and while I feel somewhat vindicated I have more angry clients than you can imagine.  In the meantime I spent the weekend worshiping over the porcelain goddess thanks to a stomach flu.  So how've you all been?  So enough about me, how about some picks!!!

Kit & Album of the Day
Dani Mogstad never fails to impress me and her latest kit MVP is no exception.  I might have to buy this and hang on to it until Gracie starts playing some sports ;-)  Totally digging the fun gender neutral colors.  I love the "win or go home" dymo tape.  That has always been one of my favorite sports sayings.  It's so painfully final.  There is also a companion to this, which comes in the form of an MVP Trading Card Album with pages designed by Traci Reed.  How incredibly cute is this?  It is sized to fit in trading card sleeves, but you could probably print these out, laminate them and join them up with a binder ring or metal chain and create a darling brag book for the grandparents!!!

Hybrid of the Day

I must be in a Dani Mogstad frame of mind today.  I didn't realize until I read the description for Perpetual Cookie Sheet that Libby Weifenbach had used Dani's kit.  In any event I think this is an adorable project!  It could be a great learning tool for youngsters who are just starting to understand calendars.  The instructions are available on the Dani's Girl's blog and my favorite line is "too much modge podge is not a good thing".  I've so been there Libby!!!!!   Awesome project ;-)

Digi Picks 7/18/07

Booooorrrrrrinnnnnngggggg!!!!!  I am on the most boring conference call.  People keep asking really obvious questions and it is just dragging and dragging....ugh....so let's do some cool picks!!!!

Element of the Day
I'm totally digging frames right now and I'm collecting them like a fool.  I really like the look of Dawn Wilson's Going Postal Frames and Clusters . The stamp-like edge has such a cool look to it and she gives you shadowed and un-shadowed versions of the single frames so you can be in control or work in a hurry.  I love the long cluster.  That is a really nice effect along the bottom of a page.  Very cool stuff!!!

Layout of the Day
Be prepared to say "awwwwwww...." when you look at nikkiARNGwife's  Peeking. Isn't he just the cutest little guy???  I guess because I have a girl I am fascinated with little boys, but they just crack me up.  They have none of that  bravado they will later develop and they  are so comfortable in their own skin and love to be silly.  I want to jump into these pictures and play peek-a-boo with him!!  I love the extracted photo set on an angle on the left corner.  It feels like he's popping up and peeking at us ;-)  Note that this layout is very balanced despite the number of images and elements.  The photos create that much needed visual triangle leading us to the journaling and the Elements up in the left corner balance out the title and arrow along the bottom quite nicely.

My moment of inspiration....

I just want to share something that is very much on my heart this week.  Maybe it will help someone out there who is in the same place.

I've been a big believer in the concept that when one door closes another door opens.  About 12 years ago I worked for a company and we were notified that we were being shut down. That day I made a little sign and hung it on my cube that said the above adage with a picture of a door (yup digi scrapping way back then too!).  Anyway, two weeks later my husband Billy died suddenly of a heart attack.  When I came back to work the first thing I saw was that sign.  I burst into tears.  What possible door could be opening for me through something so horrible?  12 years later I know the answer.  Although I miss Billy terribly and will always love him, God did not desert me.  He had another plan and today I joy in that plan.  I have a wonderful husband, also named Bill, and an amazing daughter. 

Where am I going with this you may wonder?   I recently got offered a really great opportunity that was not scrapbook related.  It would be a new job with some old friends in a really exciting environment.  I was so stoked about this job you would not believe it.  On Monday I was told that they were pulling the offer due to budget reasons.  I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach.  I was devastated.  I went home in such a funk and I told my family that I just felt so lost.  I had prayed on it and I had "expected" it and believed it was mine just like the Bible and our friends at The Secret tell us and it didn't work.  My mom reminded me that God always has a plan, and that, while I might not understand now, I will later.  That night as I prayed I asked for peace and for understanding because I was really hurting.   Well, God doesn't usually answer quickly, as you may have noticed, but this time he did.  By the end of yesterday another more amazing opportunity came into view and if it really happens it would be a dream come true.  If I had taken that other position with my friends there would be no way I could go through the exploration of this new opportunity.  I wouldn't have any vacation time and I wouldn't have the little bit of flexibility that my current position offers.  I would have been in the very difficult position of having to choose between a dream opportunity and having to desert some good friends who had taken a chance on me and were counting on me.  Now I don't have to worry about that happening.  Even if this other opportunity never fully materializes, even having the chance to work on it is going to be very exciting. 

So.....I guess it is true, when one door closes another door opens.  Have a great night!!!

Digi Picks 7/17/07

Good afternoon.  I am sitting here in my new temporary office while our old suite is being renovated and I am enjoying some tortellini alfredo and XM Radio. I have to say it is cool to have my own space with a window again, even if it is only for a few months.  In other news my mother has been a VERY good girl since her last foray to the emergency room.  She has been resting and eating well and she is starting to look more like the lively woman I know and love.  Thank you all for your words of encouragement and your stern warnings to her to slow down!!! 

Blog Carnival
Don't forget that Digi Pick is the host for the 4th edition of the Digi Scrap Blog Carnival.  Stop by and check out all of the great info your fellow digi scrappers are sharing.  If you have a cool blog post you've come across or one you have written yourself just hop on over to that little widget on the left side of my blog to submit it to the August 1st edition to be hosted by SkyeScrapz.

Kit of the Day
I think I need to adopt a dog!  Maybe I could just borrow one for a bit so that I can take pix and scrap them with Mindy Terasawa's Dog Gone Cute kit.  Attention paper scrapbooking companies....you need to license these little critters she has been creating.  They are just too adorable!!!!   The stamps are so cute and I love that not all of the papers are do specific so you can multi-task with this one.  You know what would be really cute???  Making a card for friends or family who have adopted a new dog!!!  Maybe I can convince Krista to head to the shelter, LOL. 

Layout of the Day
I absolutely love it when a scrapper kit or elements choice is totally dead on for capturing the spirit of an event.  In Tonya's Super Model Sister I can totally feel the laughter and frivolity that doesn't necessarily show in all the photos.  The bright and cheerful colors combined with the crazy riot of flower elements gets me giddy and giggling just looking at it.  Add the journaling in and she has captured the essence of this day completely.  She's right, by the way, her sister is one pretty lady!!!

It's Blog Carnival Time

Yup it's my turn to host the Digital Scrapbooking Blog Carnival!  Thanks for all of the submissions!!!!  Huge thanks to Hummie and Monique for the multiple submissions.  A host blog is still needed for the August 15th Carnival.  I cannot tell you how easy it is to collect the submissions.  It's a great service to offer the community and you learn so much in the process.  So if you want to be the the August 15th host contact Hummie.  Blog Carnival 4 will be hosted by my buddy Krista Mettler at SkyeScrapz beginning August 1.

Connie & Heidi at DigiScrapInfo.com posted a link to a Scrapbooking Software Review by Scrapbooks Etc

If your friends use a variety of IM services, Connie tells how Meebo can make things easier

Maria uses a fascinating way to find freebies to post on her blog.  She has technology search & find them each day!

Connie says that Windows Live Writer is a MUST have for bloggers.  It simplifies so many things like posting photos & people say that they're going to blog more because of it! 

Heidi has created digital scrapbooking How-tos that can be installed directly into ACDSee Photo Editor!  They make learning to digiscrap easy & straightforward.

Monique Patry found Organizing Actions in Photoshop posted at Digi Scrap Mac Great info for anyone using a Mac computer and wanting to digiscrap! Lots of links and tutorials to help get you started or to help keep you organized while scrapping!.

Jasia presents Digital Scrapbooking With Your Coat of Arms posted at Creative Genealogy.

Monique Patry tells us about  Windows Live Writer makes blogging easier posted at Digital Scrapbooking Info."This program that they talk about is an amazing tool for bloggers! And it's ease of adding images and doing a few effects with them is great for displaying layouts on your blog! I never would have found out about this great free program if it wasn't for this wonderful blog post!"

Monique also found Challenge 411 ~ Everyday Wonderful posted at Monique's Scrappin' Blog!. "This post has 5 great suggestions for scrapping everyday moments."

SengAun Ong sent in  Tipskey - Unlock Practicality No School Is Teaching posted at Tipskey - Unlock Practicality. A thought on how articles should be written in the webspace.

Hummie discovered  Formatting Camera Memory Cards posted at Life of Scraps."I continue to read more and more about not deleting photos on a camera from the PC. This is my practice and I have never had problems with it, but it is not recommended. Scrapgeek provides some links to interesting articles."  Oh, I better read that one!!!

Kayla Lamoreaux found this really cool post  The Legacy Lady: Dragonfly Dreams & Interactive PDF & more! posted at The Legacy Lady. Shows a digital layout with interactive hidden journaling.  What a great idea!

Hummie also found us Paper Moons » Blog Archive » photo clusters tutorial posted at Paper Moons "This is a great tutorial on how to use only one photo in the photoclusters than can be purchased."

Hummie continues her streak with  Page Curl Tutorial posted at Snap and Scrap.

Then she found this totally cool  Color Scheme Generator (Just Too Cool!!) posted at fresh brewed coffee. A suggested color schemer with tutorial!

Yes, Hummie spends way too much time online, LOL.  She also found  Clever Clips posted at Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking Blog."I wish I had thought of this! Love this idea!"

and  Word Art Tutorial posted at Misty Cato Designs."Fun word art tutorial...many people need improvement in this area, including me!"

Kayla Lamoreaux sent in  The Legacy Lady: Ooh La La - Layer Masks... posted at The Legacy Lady.Tutorial on using layer masks in CS2.

and another great post,  The Legacy Lady: Post Number 101 - A Quick Tip posted at The Legacy Lady.Quick Tip for CS2!

Thank you so much for all these great submissions!  Let's keep the carnival going.  Sign up to be the host for Carnival 5 and be sure to send all the cool posts you find to Krista for the August 1st edition.  It's so easy.  Just hop on over to that widget box on the right side of the screen and follow the directions!!!

Digi Picks 7/13/07

Happy Friday the 13th!!!!!! 

Kit of the Day
It's really good to have friends.  It's even better when you have friends that also happen to be really awesome digi designers!!!  I got something really cool to play with and I am carving out some "me" time tomorrow morning to dive into Little Darlin Part 1 from Krista Mettler and Part 2 from Jessica Bolton.  I can't wait!!!  I started unzipping and the papers alone made me all giddy.  I want to do some about me pages with it first and then maybe some Gracie stuff.  It's funny, the girls created this in honor of Tania Cordova's new baby girl, but except for some word art it's really not that baby-centric.  The grungy plaids in Jessica's half are going to be awesome for pages about my hubby and the old computer punch card is going to fit perfectly into pages for both my brothers.  There are so many unique items in here like the bead alpha....I used to love to make bracelets with alpha beads as a kid...there's another about me page I  can make!!!  Yup it's really good to have such talented friends ;-)

Totally NSBR - Cool Handbags

Not that I could ever afford one of these...yet...but I happened up on this website somehow and had such a blast playing with it.  You can customize a purse and  Freddy & Ma Customer Handbags This is just the most fun.  It would be  a really cool mother's day gift or birthday gift.  Someone could give you a gift certificate for the store.  This is just so cool!!! I loved some of the goth patterns they had.  I have  a secret goth side to me, but I'm just too damned perky to pull it off, LOL. 

Digi Picks 7/12/07

Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by our new emporium Altered Art Chicks yesterday.  I saw so many new folks signing in so I'm guessing that means you like what you see.  There is so much more to come.  We met last night to review our launch plans and I had the hardest time falling asleep because I was so excited about what we're putting together!  Thanks again for all of your support ;-)  How about some picks?

Kit of the Day
I'm a total sucker for the colors red and black.  Unfortunately most of the scrap kits I find in both the digi and paper world just totally miss the mark.  Not so with Amy Teets Noteable  kit.  This is a great combination with a very elegant yet fun look.  Totally digging the little quilted elements.  My favorite paper is the black one with all the circles.  That could be sooooo much fun to play with! 

Layout of the Day
If a picture is worth a thousand words, what can you do with three pictures and some journaling????  Paisley has captured a really fun family memory in Green Velvet.  The whole idea of making green velvet cupcakes because the store was out of red is great.  Using the green tongue picture as the focal point really solidifies the whimsy of the project. It looks to me like they really had a great time!  So glad that Paisley didn't over-embellish and let these great photos be the stars!!!!

Digi Picks 7/11/07

Kit Pick of the Day
I meant to make this pick about 100 years ago or at least before mom got sick, LOL.  Anyway, as soon as I saw Scrap Artist's latest collaboration kit Reverie I knew I had to have it.  I just fell in love with the concept as well as the kit.  The dream word art alone is awesome!  The combination of the softness of the backgrounds with the bolder elements totally gets my creative juices flowing.  So if you are one of the 3 people who haven't picked this one up yet, I highly recommend you do!  I know you'll be thrilled at the way your layouts turn out, especially if you use the bonus sketches included with the kit ;-)

Project Pick of the Day

I have been working on some hybrid projects lately so I have been looking for inspiration.  I saw this absolutely gorgeous clipboard by Melinda Staley and I think I need to break into her house and steal it!!!!  I love, love, love that butterfly!  These clipboards are actually really simple to make and they are a great way to display photos that you want to change often or even a to do list on your fridge ;-)  If you are interested in doing some altered projects of your own, read on....

News of the Day

Krista and I are moving DigiScrapZ to a new location and giving it a new name! We have started working with our friend Audrey, owner of the very cool Mootsie Inc., and we have put together an online emporium that includes all of the digi goodness of DigiScrapZ with way-cool, hybrid-friendly mini-books, chipboard products, paper crafting supplies, ephemera, trinkets, rubber stamps and more!  Basically it's DigiScrapZ with a whole lot more goodies! So Altered Art Chicks was born!

Even though we'll have a new name, Altered Art Chicks will offer the same great products and service you've come to know and expect from DigiScrapZ. In fact, we've named the section in the store that features digital scrapbooking supplies "DigiScrapZ" so you'll know where to go for your favorite stuff. We've officially disabled the store at DigiScrapZ, but if you have any questions about past orders, we're keeping the site active until the end of July.

FYI, AAC will be doing a big launch in September, so look for info on that coming up soon. Until then, we're continuing to stock the emporium, load product-in-use examples into the studio gallery, and we'll be rolling with our blog soon. The store at AAC (aka the emporium) is open and ready to shop in now! Can't wait to hear what you think of it!