[Series] 8 Great Reasons to Use My Digital Studio: 1 & 2

I’m excited to be starting a new blog series for you today; I’ve come up with my 8 favorite reasons to use My Digital Studio for scrapbooking and other crafts. Today I’m sharing reasons 1 & 2 for you. You’ll have to come back for more!

Great Reason to Use My Digital Studio #1: Using My Digital Studio Can Be Less Expensive

If you are a traditional scrapbooker, you know how quickly costs can add up. Think about all of the great papers and embellishments you just had to have. If you are like me, you’ve used a fraction of your “had to have” supplies! Perhaps you needed one flower trinket, but it came in a package of 10.

For $19.95 for My Digital Studio, loaded with lots of content, you’ll never have to feel like you’ve spent too much money again. Every single piece of content included in the software can be used over and over and over again! Included in the software: stamp brush sets, designer series papers & card stock in exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors, punch & die shapes, and many already designed templates so you can hit the ground running!

Great Reason to Use My Digital Studio #2: Using My Digital Studio Is Less Messy / Easier to Clean Up

“I’m just going to work on this simple scrapbook page for a while.” An hour later, and your work area looks like a scrapbook store exploded! I know you know what I’m talking about! When I want to do some crafting, I frequently have to spend a fair amount of time straightening up my craft area first. It can be frustrating!

My Digital Studio to the rescue! When I’m working on an MDS project, do you know what’s on my desk? My computer, a note pad, and a pen. I use the pad and pen to make notes (on some projects) but most everything I need is on my computer. And clean up is simple; I close the program when I’m done!

Save the date and plan to attend my FREE “Getting Started with MDS” class on Friday, November 7th. If you are local to me and plan to attend, email me to RSVP by November 4th. The sooner you RSVP the better, however. I’m closing registration at 8 attendees! If you aren’t local but are interested in learning about MDS, send me an email. I’ll plan to do an online version of the class (without the fabulous make & take projects) if enough of you are interested!

My First Day – MDS printable from Stampin’ Up!

My First Day MDS download printable for first day of school!

My baby started Kindergarten!

One week ago, my son Liam started kindergarten! Of course I took a ton of pictures, including some with this sign! I used the My First Day printable from Stampin’ Up! (MDS download) just like last year. I just changed the school, the grade, and his teacher’s name. I printed this one at home, so the sign colors aren’t as good as if I had them printed online. I didn’t find out his teacher’s name in time to send this off for printing!

To try out MDS for digital crafting FREE for 30 days, click the tab for digital crafting above. It’s SO fun!

[MDS Digital] Play Date Scrapbook Page

This is a really quick, but really cute, digital scrapbook page made using My Digital Studio (MDS). The hardest part will be selecting your photos! This page sketch would be just as simple to create using your favorite non-digital designer papers & some circle punches.

MDS digital scrapbook page play date

SUPPLIES:

My Digital Studio (130647 disk, 130646 download 130910 30-day free trial), Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper (123138), So Typefelt stamp brush set (128884), Get It Done Kit (129924)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Open a new 12 x 12 blank page in MDS
  2. Add the background paper – pattern 12 from the Big Top Birthday DSP
  3. Choose a photo layout – if you don’t have the one with the 9 circles, you can create it by making one circle photo box and copying/pasting until you have all 9. Use the “align” tool to line them all up in a square.
  4. Fill the photo boxes with photos, journaling, or other embellishments. In the sample I put the Big Top Birthday DSP in the bottom right circle – pattern 2.
  5. Add a Real Red “mat” to all 9 photo boxes.
  6. Add the “work hard play hard” stamp brush image from So Typefelt and size how you’d like it. Color each of the individual words by using your “coloring tool.” It’s the digital version of using Stampin’ Write Markers!
  7. Use a text box to add the word “play” and the date of your event. Use the stamp brush word “date” from the Get It Done kit. Layer the words until they are placed how you like. Color them to coordinate with your project.
  8. Add a “drop shadow” to all of the words & stamps on the page and you’re done!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this MDS Digital scrapbook sample. Contact me with any questions!

My Recent Digital Projects with MDS2

Digital Fans! If you haven’t tried Stampin’ Up!’s MDS2 program, then what are you waiting for? I am fairly new to digital and I love it! I wanted to share a couple of recent projects with all of you.

If you are on my mailing list, then you will recognize this 12×12 scrapbook page from our visit to the State Fair of Texas last fall. This is one of the pages for my Ford Family 2012 Album, which is still very much in progress!

State Fair Digital Scrapbook Page MDS2

This adorable swatchbook project was one of my Christmas Gifts to Liam’s grandmothers! I downloaded the Life Celebrated swatchbook template, popped in my photos, added just a little journaling and embellishments and I was done! The trickiest part was choosing the photos! There are 26 pages (including the front and back covers) so I am just showing a few here today. Click for a bigger picture:

LifeCelebratedSwatchbook2012-001  LifeCelebratedSwatchbook2012-010  LifeCelebratedSwatchbook2012-011

LifeCelebratedSwatchbook2012-023  LifeCelebratedSwatchbook2012-022  LifeCelebratedSwatchbook2012-025

Stampin’ Up! offers a FREE 30-Day Trial of MDS2 – so you can “try it before you buy it,” as they say. The program has full functionality, but a limited supply of content to sample. But you definitely have enough included in the trial to know if purchasing the full software package is for you! In addition, you can ask me any questions you might have during your trial – I know quite a bit about MDS2 — I’m even CERTIFIED!

Happy (Digital) Crafting!