PrintCut'NCreate

Friday Freebie!

2012-03-30T19:05:00.000+01:00

Here is today's FREEBIE!

Don't be fooled by ther Preview!!! There are more than 6 papers in today's freebie...oh yeah....I have made this Fine Plaid paper pack into 35 different printer tested shades to give you so much choice when creating your paper projects. I am showing you a few of the colours in the preview above.

Want to see all the other 29 colours it comes in? Then click either HERE or the Colour Chart link at the top of my blog. This takes you to a PDF that you can save and print using your own printer. This way you can see how my colours print and also help you colour match any craft or scrap project you make. If you look at the Colour Chart it has Brights, Pastels, Neutrals, Vintage and Miscellaneous colors, I did my best to cover all sort colours and give you a good deal of choice such as 4 shades of purple and 5 of pink, 4 of blue, etc.

I also try to make my patterns in a way that are meant to be Ink Savers. Printer ink is expensive! I like to conserve the best I can and I know you do too so I do my best to make prints that will save you ink, printing time and money.

I love my colours so much I've already made 3 different pattern set in all the colours already! I sure hope you love them as well. Drop me a comment and let me know what you think. Also if you are having any problem with the colours looking nice with your brand of printer, TELL ME PLEASE! I will be more than happy to adjust the colurs to suit the most.

Here are your downloads:

DOWNLOAD 12" x 12" Digital Scrapbooking Size

DOWNLOAD A4 World Size

Download US Letter Size

CDACPC 14 Oopsie Card

2012-03-29T20:27:00.000+01:00

Here is a card I finally made with this one of this round's digital stamps. Please check out the digi stamp challenge over at the CDACPC 14 Progressive Challenge page.

The oopsie part came in when I tried colouring the digi stamp with watercolour pencils. The pencil part turned out fine but when it came time to use my water brush, the ink bled and the paper warped terribly. UGH! Since it's the end of the month I didn't have time to print off another one I tired to doctor it up the best I could so there is all kinds of stuff on this stamp...lol. I used chalks, ink daubers, Copics and regular coloured pencils. The final result is the above which turned out looking more Autumnal so I chose paper and cardstock with those colours as well.

Of course I used Distress Ink in Old Paper all around the edges of everything on the card to get the colours to blend together. The 2 paper prints I used were created by me in Photoshop. One is a large damask pattern and the other is a fine plaid. (Keep an eye out for these plaid papers tomorrow which will be a nice freebie for you...in 35 different colours....more to come on that as well!)

The scalloped card and the inner scallop frame were cut out on my Silouette machine, finishing with a raffia bow, flower coloured to match with a mix of ink to get the right shade and a sentiment that came with a set freebie from a craft magazine which of course was coloured in my me to match using the pencils. I have a card ready to give this coming Fall...lol.

SUPPLY LIST

Digital Stamp - Ike's Art
Tannish brown and burgundy cardstock from DCWV Naturals Stack (12"x12")
Plaid & Damask papers in beige tones designed by me and printed on my Inkjet printer.
Distress Ink in Old Paper
Raffia (from my stash)
Paper flower - Mulberry Crafts UK
Sentiment - freebie from crafting magazine
Silouette SD Cutting Machine and scallop shape create by me.
Derwent Watercolour Pencils
Dovecraft Chalks
Cheap kids coloured pencil set
Copic Markers

YEAH...Pinterest - New Terms!

2012-03-24T12:10:00.000+00:00

Well they did it! I know many are glad they did....I know I sure am! Pinterest has updated their terms of use/service. Go have a look here:

Pinterest NEW Terms of Service

There were many things in it that many people were up in arms about and caused me some concern also regarding copyrights. So what I did was write a Pinterest Terms page which says that I allow pinning of my own images and will only pin image that I know allow it as well. You can read my Pinterest Terms Page HERE. While there you can find out much more info on what the big deal is all about.

I'm glad Pinterest changed their terms but to be honest with you there are still a few concerns. I am going to KEEP my own Pinterest Terms page because I still think it's important for us all to be vigilant on the content we spread around the internet. I want to be copyright safe and want YOU, my beautiful reader, to be safe as well. This is why I'm going to be my own "copyright police." You can rest assure that I will do my best to keep my blog a safe place for pinning. Don't forget to read my Pinterest Terms page!

Have a craft happy day, you beautiful reader you...lol.

Hugs, Dorothy

Free Printable Mother's Day Photocard

2012-03-15T16:12:00.002+00:00

Mother's Day is this coming Sunday here in the UK and their may be some of you who got caught out for a card. Maybe I can help you out with today's freebie! (Yep the photo on the card in the above preview is me and my daughter Aurora when she was 8 yrs old. My photo is NOT included with this freebie...whew aren't cha glad? lol.)

I created a printable Mother's Day cardfront sheet here with decoupage layers and sentiments. The best part is it's a Photo Card! Just place a photo of your choice inside the frame to personalise it just for your own Mum. It's so easy to make a quick card,

I have the download for you here in a few ways.

1. You can download JPG sheets in A4 world or US Letter sizes so you can print straight from Windows Picture Viewer.

2. If you would like to add your photo to your card using your own Cardmaking Program such as Serif's Craft Artist, My Craft Studio, etc or using a graphics program like Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop Elements, then download the ZIP file that contains everything on the sheet as individual PNG files with transparent backgrounds.

It's your choice...then just PRINT, CUT and CREATE your card!

First here is the ZIP file of PNGs: DOWNLOAD PNGs

Download A4 WORLD Sheet HERE

Download US LETTER Sheet HERE

Just for Fun - What Do You Need?

2012-03-14T20:56:00.001+00:00

I saw this over on a blog post on Living Life Creatively and thought it looked like a bit of fun to pass a few idle minutes before going off to make dinner tonight. Why not give it a try and see what YOU need today.

Open a Google Search then enter Your Name then NEEDS, hit on that ENTER key and see what you need! Here is what I need today in the exact order in which they came up, of course I had to add a comment after each one...lol:

Dorothy needs... Someone Special (awwww of course)
Dorothy needs... Marijuana (what?? lol)
Dorothy needs... Lotion (yeah I feel a tad dry today)
Dorothy needs...Her Scarecrow (hardy har har so funny I forgot to laugh)
Dorothy needs...Your Help (I always could use a hand)
Dorothy needs...a Live-In Job (I already have one of those thank you)
Dorothy needs... Help Fast! (help I've fallen and I can't get up...lol)
Dorothy needs...Prayer (always and forever AMEN)

Have a fab a liscious day!

Hugs, Dorothy

Sick? Then SHOP Online!

2012-03-12T13:00:00.000+00:00

When you've been as sick as I've been the last couple of months, you can get a bit stir crazy. I didn't go out much except to the doctors. Even though I was weak and didn't do too much, I was still stir crazy, especially as I getting better. I also needed some inspiration. I wanted a few new crafty items to add to my stash that would inspire me and also be quick and easy to add to any project. The photo above was my results from a few hours of surfing.

It all started with me blog hopping, you know..as you do...I went through my Google Reader to see what was new and I landed on a blog with cards covered in tons these flowers. Lucky for me she had a link to the site. So I followed the link and found alllll kinds of beaituful flowers at a VERY good price with really great postage costs. And that site was Mulberry Crafts UK. As I looked over all the pretty flowers in all kinds of colours I got a bit confused on the sizes of the flowers but I didn't care too much. They were so pretty! Since my budget was limited I ended up with a selection of flowers in white, cream and ivory. My idea was that I could colourise the flowers myself using my Copic Markers, Distress Inks and watercolours. There were a few exceptions though. I ordered light purple Lilac a bag ofyellow centred daisies and on the sale page was a set of black large roses. Last but not least I also got a bag of cream organza bows which I will also dye myself.

Then I got it in my mind that I wanted to try Washi Tape. This is a big thing now in America and I was seeing it used on all kinds of crafter's blogs. If you don't know what it is....Washi Tape is a Japanese Masking tape that comes in lots of colours, designs and widths. They are easy to use since they are a sticky backed tape go great for borders and such. Another thing is Washi Tape is also a bit transparent. So off on a Google search for Washi Tape. I found a few places but I ended up on my tried and true Amazon.co.uk. I found some at a shop called Object&Line that sold through Amazon. While looking through their shop I also found this really cool twine set by Nutscene. I wanted Bakers Twice which I will get later but I like this twine too. Nutscene twine is Gardener's Twine so it's a bit rougher and more like jute. I like as it's a bit more country...lol.

So that's the results of me being bored of being sick and having a crafty itch. I've used some of these in projects already and I really liked using them. I just ordered some more stuff I found really cheap and as soon as I get them I'll let you see 'em!

Hugs & Blessings, Dorothy

Another CDACPC 13 Project

2012-03-11T20:02:00.000+00:00

Here I am with another CDACPC 13 project made with a really cute flower digital stamp provided by Glitterbabe. Here is a notecard with a matching envelope which is a perfect giftie for Mother's Day...or a great gift just because! I actually made this set for a bookmark exchange, I hope my swap partner doesn't read my blog before she receives them...lol. For the bookmark I opened the flower digi stamp in Photoshop and copied the flower into a line first. On the card I printed out 2 of the flower in a larger size. I know it's hard to tell on the photo but I cut into the petals on one of them and curled every other petal to get a more dimensional look. When I glued the top flower on, I rotated it a bit so it looked like a flower with more petals.

Here is a photo of the finished inside of the card and back of the bookmark. Those were made in Photoshop as well and printed out. I decided to leave them back and white. Actually I lowered the opacity on everything so the sentiments would stand out. Underneath is my supply list of what I used to make this set. Thanks for looking and have a craft happy day!

SUPPLY LIST

Flower Digital Stamp - Glitterbabe

Light Yellow Card base from an A6 card pack. (no brand)

Light Yellow Pearlised Cardstock (no brand)

Pink Textured Cardstock - Gemstones Card Stack (12" x 12")

Ribbon (top of bookmark) - Yellow from Pound Store Ribbon Set, Pink from Ribbon Oasis

Pink Gingham Sticky Back Ribbon - Hobbycraft brand

A CDACPC 13 Card

2012-03-10T17:00:00.000+00:00

I think I am done being sick for awhile. It's been a rough couple of months but I am finally making some card and craft projects that I would like to show off. I am also making some plans for my blog here so keep your eyes peeled.

I would like to show my new card made for the new CDAC Progressive Challenge 13.
If you go there you can see all the digital stamps we had to chose from. I actually printed all of them off and so far have created something with 2 of them. Today I am showing you my first one created with a cute girl stamp by Lia Stampz. It's a generic card but I like how it turned out. Below I have listed the supplies used in creating my card. Thanks for looking and join me tomorrow for another challenge card!

Products Used:
Digital Stamp - Lia Stampz
Copic Ciao Markers
Green Card Base - DCWV Naturals Card Stack (12" x 12")
Papers - WeRMemoryKeepers Travel Light 6" x 6" Paper Stack
Black Super Shiny Cardstock (generic)
Twine - Nutscene Twine
Flowers - Mulberry Crafts UK
Flowers were colourised uisng the following:
Large Flower - Copic Ciao marker YR23 Yellow Ochre
Small Flowers - Ranger Distress Ink Bundled Sage.

I've Been So Sick

2012-02-01T14:35:00.003+00:00

Here I am! Gosh I cannot tell you how sick I've been the last few weeks. I got a bad cold that over 2 weeks turned into a sinus and chest infection. I went to the doctor and received antibiotics but late that night my stomach and intestines rumbled and grumbled. Next thing you know I spent over a week in bed with severe intestinal problem. I could barely move plus I was coughing constantly due to the anitibiotics not working on my chest infection. At first it was thought that I became allergic to penicillin, now they are thinking it was just a bad batch of pills I was taking. No matter, I felt like death warmed up.

I have not been up in my wheelchair more than a few hours at a time but I am slowly getting better. I've been on a couple new antibiotics and this second one finally worked. I still get tired more quickly and I have a lingering cough. I have been thinking healing thoughts and each day I a getting better! Since I've have been feeling better, I've been wanting to get my designing and blogging back on track. I don't want to waste any more time this year nad my poor Resolutions need to be put back in place. I signed up for a few courses that start this week and you will be reading more about them as I progress. I will give you more detail about them tomorrow and will show you what I've done so far. I hope you'll join me!

Have yourself a really fab day...do a little something for yourself.

Hugs, Dorothy

Digiscrapapalooza 2012 Retreat

2012-01-10T13:31:00.003+00:00

Every year the staff over at Scrap Orchard meet in Las Vegas for a retreat of a weekend full of digital scrapping, learning and fun. Meet your favourite designers, learn a new technique, take photography classes! People come from all over the World so check it out and book your trip today. Find out more information here (IMAGE LINKED):

Use code: WendySentMe and get $20 off Digiscrapapalooza Retreat Ticket A, Ticket B or Digiscrapapalooza Payment Plan: Initial Payment

*Expires: 3/20/2012 - 1 per user. Must be logged in to use coupon. Can not be combined with any other discount or coupon.

You can also get a Refer-A-Friend Bonus! Just get your frineds to sign up for the retreat and you can earn cedit towards classes at the event! Find out more about it here (IMAGE LINKED):

I sure wish I could go! It sounds like so much fun! Digital scrapbooking can be a lonely affair with just you and your computer...this gives you the atmosphere of a real scrapping crop in a digital format with lots of other people. One day maybe...I've never been to Vegas baby! LOL

2012 Resolution #5 - Spend Less Save More

2012-01-09T13:46:00.004+00:00

Here I am at the last of my 2012 New YEars REsolutions! Ths last one is another one of those things that everyone sticks on their list with high hopes and great expectations. Even more so more in this World's economy.

I noticed that a trend that is growing in America is clipping coupons. There is even a TV show caleed Extreme Couponing that I see every once in awhile shown here in the UK. My daughter Aurora and I love it. People buying hundreds of dollars worth of stuff for under a tenner. WOW! Here in the UK there isn't much in the way of coupon clipping but there are ways to hunt out bargains... such as Groupon and Wowcher.

But all that is fine if you actuall BUY stuff. I love buying stuff...I have more stuff than I need really...so along with the spend less I want to buy less AND get rid of the clutter. My hubby loves this idea but he spends as much as I do. We are in our mid 40s and for the first time in our lives we have the income to buy what we want when we want it without having to scrape up for it. But just because we have the money doesn't mean we should always spend it. I also want to direct any extra spending on my crafting and ink for my printer.

Things I'm doing to curb spending is:
For gorcery shopping - Don't we all LOVE grocery shopping? (eye roll) Well here in the UK we are so lucky to have home delivery available from all our big name grocery stores, Tesco, ASDA, Sainsburies, Waitrose (Ocada). I cannot tell you how much I love this. I don't have to wheel around busy stores on weekends, don't have people smashing their trollies into me, no bag packing and no impulse purchases. Another perk is, because it does take a bit of time to do, I end up buying less food. What we also do is create a meal plan for one to two weeks and buy only what we need for those meals. On my frig is a notepad for a shopping list to write things we run out of or stuff my daughter needs. It all works.

Banking - To stop my online buying so much, I am leaving very little money in my personal bank account that is joined to my PayPal account and has a debit card. That is so I cut down on spending there. I move the money over into a savings account, I happen to be pretty good at saving money so I leave it in there and don't move it back. I have credit cards but not lots of them...if fact I've always been pretty good with those as well. I just have one Visa that I use and mostly use it for large purchases only or for places that do not take my debit card. To be honest, I am not really that bad, my hubby does like to spend money too and he's not as good at keeping track as I am. This is why he gives money to me to take care of for him...lol.

Saving - This is where I want to concentrate our money on. We own our house and it's gets to a point where things start breaking down. Big things....like the boiler, roof, garden, house painting, etc. One day we will need new windows and doors (all ours are less than a year old but ya never know.) We also haven't had a proper holiday in a couple of years and that would be nice. Since I'm in a wheelchair, we can't do those cheap all inclusives, we have to drive places and stay in hotels as there are few disabled access places to stay other than that.

Thank you for joining me for this year's list of resolutions. I hope it inspired you or at least made you want to check in with me every once in awhile to see how I'm doing...lol. That was alll I could think of for this year...although most of these resolutions should be kept all year every year, I know I will do better at some of them than others. I've already slacked a bit on the exercises...ugh. I've been pretty sick this week so didn't do them. I couldn't breathe so I figured to give myself a break. Tomorrow though...back to work...lol. Please let me know what you think andif you've made any progress in your resolutions. Heck I'd just love to know if you've made any breakthroughs in your life..so if you have any good news, drop me a comment anytime!

Here are two cool coupon organisers I found online, some are paper and some are sewn. they all are pretty...lol:

This is an Etsy shop where she sells sewing patterns and other fabric crafts. She has lots of coupon organisers here (image linked):

Here is a tutorial to make your own our of cardboard and your fave papers (image linked):

2012 Resolution #4 - Do What You Love

2012-01-07T22:36:00.002+00:00

My 4th Resolution for this year is to spend more time doing the things that I love. I look back on 2011 and I see that I was really lost....and I wasted a lot of time doing things that I really didn't want to do or felt obligated to do. Mostly I was my normal dumb self and procrastinated way too much and NOT do things I a really love doing.

Of course there are a few things I love to do but alas I cannot do them anymore due to my wheelchair. The thing I love most to do in the world is dance. I took dance lessons from the age of about 8 until the age of 28. When I was a kid I took your standard tap, jaz and ballet. When I was 21 I was introduced to belly dancing! OK I love to belly dance call me weird but I took to it right away and took lessons, went to seminars, traveled to classes, etc. Once I settled down with a fiancee, I changed over to taking dance classes locally and I found a Hawaiian/Tahitian teacher who was lovely to learn from. I ordered costumes directly from Hawaii. I danced in reviews and in group dance competitions. My last show was a Regional Dance Competition in Philadelphia, PA, USA and I was month pregnant with my daughter. We were one of the many troupes dancing in the adult division and WE WON! The other thing was I loved Aerobic classes. I had built up to a one and a half hour power class...loved it. Those things were in the past though.

In the last 15 yrs I've developed other things that I love to do. Mainly this is designing graphics. I was so proud of myself when I took up Photoshop. I am self taught, it took me 2 years and I still don't all there is to know. This year I'm planning to go to Illustrator as I told you. I am really excited about this...I love to create pretties...lol. This one of the things I love to do that I'm going to spend more time doing. I also love to be in my craft room. It's not completely set up exactly how I want it but little by little its coming together. I love making cards...I love designing graphics for making cards. I love that I can take my own ideas put them on the computer, print them out and them create a real craft project with them. This is why I love hybrid crafting and scrapping so much!

So this is what I'm going to spend more time doing...designing and crafting! What do you love to do? Think of how to spend more time doing it. It will calm you down, make your happier and all those around you will reap the benefit of you being happier...that is for sure! Drop me a comment...I'd love to know what you love to do...lol.

2012 Resolution #3 - Learn Something New

2012-01-06T10:59:00.002+00:00

I'm very sorry I didn't get this post out yesterday. I woke up yesterday morning with a really bad head cold and I felt lousy so I went to bed. I feel a bit better today thank goodness...hope it wasn't a problem!

My 3rd resolution is to learn something new this year. I've been wanting to learn how to use Illustrator better so I am planning on taking an online class. I joined up over at Vector Diary and their training tutorials. I also am thinking about taking a class at Jessica Sprague.com. I've always did my best to use my own images and doing as much of my own creating as possible and I think using Illustrator will help so much. I also have another program I bought last year that I really want to get to grips with...more on this one later. hee hee hee.

I also want to take a few crafting classes. It's hard for me to get to them sometimes and in my area there aren't many around to begin with but I have a few feelers out. I might even just do a make and take at a craft show which I've never done before. There are a few craft techniques I want to get more into as well such as using alcohol inks and stains. I love messy crafting...lol. I also received a mini sewing machine for Christmas. It's just a cheap one but it should be perfect for sewing on craft projects. I cannot use most sewing machines due to the fact I cannot use my feet to work the pedal (I'm paralysed remember.) This craft one also can be run by a button so I need to get it out of the box and give it a go.

So you can see I have quite a few new things I want to try. How about you? Is there something you've been wanting to find out more about? It doens't have to be taught in a classroom, just reading about or researching a new topic that you know nothing about is learning. Using your brain is the best way to stay younger longer. Hey we could all use some of that...lol! Leave me a comment and tell me what you would like to learn this year.

No images today...just text....horrors of horrors! Me, not use graphics???? AHHHHHH....lol.

Hugs, Dorothy

2012 Resolution #2 - Get Organised/Make Money

2012-01-04T22:05:00.002+00:00

Here is another one of those pesky resolutions that everyone seems to put on their list each year. We all want to make more money and along with that in my life that goes hand in hand with being more organised. I am a scatterbrain sometimes. I'm not dumb, I just misplace things, forget appointments...and its getting worse the older I get.

As for the getting organised part, I've always been a big fan of daily planners or diaries. I also love TO DO lists. But are you like me...you LOSE the to do list under a pile of junk? I have 2 ways that I am keeping my lists, one is hanging a daily list on the corkboard here in my office. I also keep one on my Google homepage that I look at every time I go online.

As for the make more money part, I want to revamp Print Cut N Create again. I desperately need to move to a new host as the one I have now is awesome...but expensive. Since I've not made much money the last year at PCNC, I'll be branching out in other shops. I'm also toying with another business idea but that won't get going until at least March. But they are planned...it's a good start.

Have you been wanting to start a new business? Do what the Nike ads say...JUST DO IT. The worst that can happen is you have an epic fail. I know, I've been there 3 times! I have failed at 3 businesses that I loved. I may fail at a few more but I know one day I will succeed...even if I don't, I had a wonderful ride along the way.

Here are some ideas for you on how to craft your way to better organisation and more money:

Kitty CD Calender by Sugar Plum Paperie
Green & Checks CD Calender Tutorial by Scrap Girls

The first planner is just of the many handmade ones you can find over at Etsy.
The coupon book was made by Spotted Canary

Lastly, here is my Google homepage. I have 2 different apps with TO DO lists on it. Just sign into your Google account and customise your homepage with one of the many to do list apps.

2012 Resolution #1 - Lose Weight Get Healthy

2012-01-03T20:46:00.004+00:00

2012 Resolution #1 - Lose Weight Get Healthy

I know I know...borrrrring! EVERYONE chooses this as a resolution...what's the big deal. Well thsi is a big one for me as the last 2 years I've been getting bigger and bigger. I've also been more and more senditary. Many would say I have a good reason for this..I'm a paraplegic. I am confined to a wheelchair and I don't get to leave the house very often. Since I'm at home most of time I spend most of my time sitting at the computer...not a very healthy lifestyle at the present. Add to the fact I am overweight to start with and have Type II Diabetes. UGH!

Thing is...even though I am overweight, I do eat very healthy. I have eliminated dairy , limit meat to 3-4 times per week, eat many vegetables, fruit and grains. I eat a lot of beans and lentils to to make up my protein. I take lots of vitamins as well. I've been eating this way for over years. Trouble is.... I LOVE cake. I do like my sweets but another of my problems is I just eat too much. I am an over eater. I love all food, healthy food but even too much of a good thing will make you gain weight if you aren't able to move around very much or control your portions. Years ago before I became paralysed, I used to go to the gym 3 to 4 times a week, did aerobics, pilates and took dance lessons. I was active..now I'm not and I have to change. Since I cannot stand or walk I've had to come up with my own exercises. I am playing Tennis on the Wii and my hope is that it helps my balance as I am paralysed kind of high up. I'm also doing stomach crunches in bed. If anyone out there has any other suggestions for exercises for the disabled...give me a shout!

One thing I started yesterday was a Food Journal. I am doing it in Excel at the moment but I want to create a pretty album to place my charts it. I will print out each day and place it in the album so I can look back on what I've been eating and I will also add my exercise log to it as well. Another book on my list is a Recipe Book. This will help me with meal plans and give me ideas on good things to eat.

I really could write a book on this...lol. I hope I gave you some ideas. Below are images and ideas to help you with your own weight loss resolution...hope I've inspired you!

===============================================================

Here are some examples of food journals you can make yourself. Below the image are links to the blogs of each journal's creator so you can check them out yourself:

1. Prairie Paper & Ink

2. Karen Spaiches Get Scrappy

3. Ramadhan Planner Blog

If you love your mobile (cell) phone, then these cool Apps might help you with your meal plan and weight loss. I've not used either so I don't know how good they are:

For iPhone (image linked):

For Android phones (image linked):

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

2012-01-01T23:37:00.003+00:00

I hope you all had a very good start to 2012. Mine has started off a bit sad but I know things will get better. I received the news that my Mom is in the hospital. She has been sick for a very long time with her heart. So far she seems to be stable..thank you Lord!

I was reading one of my feeds yesterday and I received a post in my inbox by SuzyQ Scraps, a designer over at Scrap Orchard. It's about a habit she started by choosing a word to guide her throughout the year. I thought this was a fab idea so I am going to name a word to claim for 2012. If you read her post (linked on her name above) you see she chose the word "connect" as her focus this year.

For 2012, my focus word is going to be "ENERGY." This is so that I can get focused on not only increasing my energy in all I do but to also manage my energy wisely and not go off on tangents as I'm way too easily distracted. I have a cheap glass frame so today I am going to make a nice graphic of my 2012 Focus Word and hang it on my wall by my desk. It will be there to remind me to put more energy in all I do and think.

I also did New Year's Resolutions this year. I used to do them when I was younger then stopped for many years. I decided to start again because of a report that was announced here in the UK the other day. It said that people who make New Years Resolutions accomplish more than those who do not. It also said that even though most people did not fulfil their resolutions, it was the goal orientation of the poeple who made them that determined more success. Well I am a huge list maker and I very seldom do everything on my lists but if I put more "ENERGY" into my goals, then I will be more successful of getting things done. Even a tiny bit of positive is good thing right?

I made 5 of them and since I want to explain a bit about them, I am going to post one a day here on the blogeroni starting tomorrow. Most of my Resolutions are ones you've probably made in the past and may not be that exciting but hopefully my reasons behind them will spur you into at least thinking about making some New Years Resolutions of your own. I will also be suggesting some hybrid projects or other activities to help with each of my resolutions. Enjoy your day....have a great 2012 and hope you will follow me this week. Just enter your email address on the right and my posts will come straight to your inbox.

Peace & Blessings!
Dorothy

Frosty - The Kit by WM[squared] Designs

2011-12-12T14:41:00.002+00:00

WM[squared] Designs has released her Christmas kit for you all over at her home at Scrap Orchard!

It' called: Frosty - The Kit

Go check it out...it's so adorable!

CDACPC 7 Bracket Card

2011-11-28T15:00:00.005+00:00

I've made yet another card for the CDAC Progressive Challenge. I hope you go over and take a look at all the images and entries. There are so many great projects done using the stamps.

This is a bracket card I made using a word art digital stamp and papers from a digital scrap kit...you know me, gotta be hybrid...lol. On this card I opened the word art in Photoshop and changed the colours to suit the papers I used.

Here's a view of the card opened:

Here are the supplies I used in creating this card:

Birthday Word Art Stamp by Sending Treasures

Digital Papers, key and blue bracket topper from Happy Together Free Add on kit by Gina Cabrera

Epson Stylus Photo Printer

Thin white cardstock

Blue card base from DCWV Naturals Card Stack

Distress Ink in Vintage Photo and Crushed Olive

Green & Beige ribbon from Let's Grown Pack by Hobbycraft

Leaf and roses from stash

Thanks for looking!

Hugs, Dorothy

I'm on a Hybrid CT!!

2011-11-26T20:48:00.002+00:00

I have a new job! I applied to be on a Hybrid Creative Team and I was accepted! I will be creating hybrid craft projects for WM[squared] aka Wendy. She is exclusively at Scrap Orchard so why not go check out the awesomeness that I will be working with: http://bit.ly/ul82Ko.

I'm very excited as I've never been on a CT before but I'm really looking forwards to it. I'm also going to be writing some tutorials on using her digital kits to create projects so keep your eye out here. A big THANK YOU to Wendy for accepting me and congratulations to eveyrone else that made the LO CT and Hybrid CT! I'm honoured to be among you talented ladies!

Hugs, Dorothy

Another CDACPC 7 Project

2011-11-24T11:48:00.008+00:00

I'm new at entering challenges...but dummy me enterd a backdated posted card to a challenge over at DYSU Challenge Blog, it was only by a day or so but that's what I get for not reading the rules as thoroughly as I should have. They were very nice about it so I will enter another one of their challenges!

I have a couple of other projects I finished. I've created another profect, a card, for the CDAC Progressive Challenge. We got such great images to use so I made another entry. This time I used a cute apple stamp. To see all the images and also all the other projects made with them, visit HERE.

This is just a simple card using the digital stamp, coloured with Copic Ciao markers and digital papers.

Green card base from stash
Apple Digital Stamp by Heart Song Designs
Paper from Fancy Summer Free Kit by Janka
Lime Green Dotted Ribbon from Hobbycraft
Copic Ciao Markers
Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo (on dark brown border paper on strip and sentiment)
Sentiment created by me in Photoshop
ATC Tape Gun
3D Foam pads

Thanks so much for having a peek!

CDAC Progressive challenge, cdacpc7

2011-11-18T22:14:00.006+00:00

It's a new Progressive Challenge over at CDAC! Here's my project using the free images for phase 7 of the CDAC Progressive Challenge. To see all the images and also all the other projects made with them, visit HERE.

I created a birthday party table menu using digital stamps and digital papers:

Here are my supplies:

Bull Digital Stamp by Crafting with Jack
Chicken Digital Stamp by Sugar Creek Hollow
Digital Papers from Super Dad Free Kit by Jenasis Designs, printed on thin cardstock.
Letters were created by me in Photoshop, then printed and cut out.
Copic Ciao markers
ATC Tape Gun
3D foam pads
Pinflair Glue

Thanks for having a peek.....comments are appreciated. :)

Hugs, Dorothy

A Christmas Wish Card

2011-11-18T16:39:00.005+00:00

Here is a new Christmas card I made this week. I'm new at entering challenges so I am going to enter into a few with this one..wish me luck!

I entered this card into the following CHALLENGES:

Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge

The Paper Shelter

Creatalicious Challenges

Fab n Funky Challenges

Here's my supplies list:

DCWV Naturals 12 x 12 pad: cardstock in green for card base
All papers, leaves & small sentiment tag were designed by me in PS and printed out
Spellbinders Large Oval Nestie
Digital Stamp: Mum's Coat by Beccy's Place
Copic Ciao Markers (I coloured to coat only)
Distress Ink in Tattered Rose, Crushed Olive and Antique Linen
Prima Flowers (colour changed with Copics)
Plastic snowflakes from stash
Dark Red ribbon from stash
Stickles glitter

Merry Christmas Card & Treat Box

2011-11-16T16:04:00.007+00:00

It's getting to be that time of year....Christmas time! The last month or so has been a bit of a downer for me. I haven't accomplish very much but the fog is lifting and I'm finding that I really LOVE being in my craft room making things. I got really inspired when I went up to Birmingham a few weeks back to the big Craft Show at the NEC. I bought lots of new craft goodies and look forwards to using them.

Since I am an avid Hybrid Crafter, my printer has been getting a work out printing designs for Christmas projects. I have a few to work on tonight but I've finished 2 here and wanted to show them to you all. I took a digital scrapbook kit and created a gate fold Christmas card and a treat box with it. Here are my list of supplies I used:

Merry and Bright Kit by Designs by Kat (Scrap Orchard)
Treat Box Template by Krisi's Kreations (newsletter sign-up free gift)
Dark Red cardstock (no name brand)
Dark Red ribbon by Laura Ashley crafts
Ranger Distress Inks in Tattered Rose, Crushed Olive & Old Paper.
Also: Fiskars Paper Trimmer, edging scissors, decoupage scissors, ATC Tape Gun, foam pads and Pinflair Glue.

Here are the photos. The first is the card front and box, then the inside of the card and lastly the front and back of the box:

I have entered this card into the following CHALLENGES:

C.R.A.F.T Challenge

DYSU Challenge Blog

First thing I did was open Photoshop CS3 and create the topper for the front of the card and the large inside panel. I arranged the kit's elements to get the designs. I opened an A4 blank image and put the items I designed on there along with other elements from the kit that I knew I wanted to use. I resized them all smaller to fit on my card which I knew would be A5 in size. I also printed out the papers I wanted. I made sure I had enough for both the box and card.

I cut everything out with decoupage scissors, regular scissors, paper trimmer and edging scissors. I used the ~Distress inks all over the edges of the papers and all the little cut out pieces as well...this kit was really distress in design to it all work perfectly. Then I assembled the card and box, adding 3D elements with foam pads and Pinflair glue, adding the ribbon.

This was so fun to do! I bought this kit and I have a couple more ideas I like to make with it as it's so cute and has so much I didn't use. I hope you enjoyed my hybrid projects.....thanks for having a peek!

Poor Puppy!

2011-10-12T20:34:00.003+01:00

Today was the day that Paris, our little Lab fur baby, went to the vet to get spayed. She was such a good girl. The surgery vet said she didn’t even need to wear a collar because she is leaving her stitches alone. But she was so pathetic when she got home. We put a blanket on the sofa for her to rest on…we call her Lounging Diva and here she is, true to her knickname…lol. Can we all say “AWWWWWWWWWW?” LOL

This is the shot that got me…see her little bandage?

Hybrid Humpday - Pyramage Photos

2011-09-15T20:20:00.003+01:00

Finally here with this week's video. YouTube was slower than molassess to upload to today. It took over an hour and a half! It turned out nice though...lol.

SO this video is showing you on the computer how to turn your photos and images into Pyramage (also known as pyramid or stackers.) So open your favouite graphics program and follow along!

Here is what I made. I made a mini album page of my daughter, Aurora. One day I hope to finish the book with more of her photos.

After the video, I have posted the keyboard shortcuts I used in making this in Photoshop so you can make note of them. Then I list the items I used in making the mini album page.

Photoshop Keyboard Shortcuts:

V - Move Tool
Ctrl + A - Select All
M - Marquee Tool
U - Custom Shapes Tool
Ctrl +T - Transform and move
Ctrl + Enter - turn Path into Selection
Alt, Ctrl + Z - Step Backward (Undo)

Supplies used for making Mini Album Page:

DCWV Naturals Cardstock in greyish blue.
Red & white dotted paper from stash
Paisley paper - free gift with a cardmaking magazine
Purple sheer ribbon from Ribbon oasis
Plastic white flowers from stash
Letter A printed out and traced
Prima flower
Papermania flower eyelet
Inksentials white gel pen