I was so surprised to see an unexpected package awaiting me on the porch when I returned home last night; it was my first printed album (created with My Digital Studio, of course) - and I had only uploaded it 4 days earlier! 

In a nutshell, I'm very, very pleased with the results.  But I'm not going to include a complete review here, as I just spent 2 hours typing up a review for my downline (a perk of being a member of my Sea to Sea Stampers team).  But if you'd like to see my book yourself, let's get together; I'd be delighted to show you!  Afterall, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and these books are meant to be seen…… not written about for 2 hours, lol!

BTW, if you missed my recent My Digital Studio Q & A article you'll find it here.

And don't forget you can get this awesome software for 1/2-price during October & November with a workshop order (or Club order or catalog-party order) of $400!  Ask me for details!

I've been receiving some questions about our new My Digital Studio™ software, and I thought I'd answer a couple of the more common ones here.  But before I do that I have to offer up a big "Woo Hoo!" because I just wrote my first book!  :-) 

Actually, I just uploaded my very first (completed) book to the printers and of course I can hardly WAIT to see it in printed form now!  You already know about the wedding album I'm working on; well, that had to take a back seat to all my class prep of recent weeks.  But over the weekend I was suddenly inspired to create a sampler book showcasing some of the features of My Digital Studio, and I set about to focus on that diligently.  Since it's not quite as special (er, "artistic") as a wedding album it came together much more quickly, and I completed the final half-dozen pages this morning and sent it on its merry way to the printers!  I hope you'll come see it once it finally arrives!

Oh, and have I mentioned how much I LOVE this software?!?!?  (I do think I may have said that once or twice somewhere along the way, lol.)  But I really can't say it enough; I'm having a BLAST with this!  And as I learn more and more (which comes from just *using* it and discovering little tidbits as I go along) – well, I am more and more tickled with it!

Ok, so that's all the gushing about My Digital Studio for today……. but stay tuned; I'm sure there'll be more, lol!

And in the meantime, enjoy the cover of my very first book…..

and now to those Q & A's:

Q:  I have some digital images I've already purchased from other companies for use in other software; can I use them with My Digital Studio?

A:  If you can find your images on your hard drive and they are in either JPG or PNG format, then yes, you may use them.

Q:  Is My Digital Studio a replacement for a photo editting program?

A:  Um, depending on the extent to which you wish to edit your photos, perhaps not.  It does have a rather slick cropping and positioning capability, and it can make some minor adjustments to your photo (like changing it to B&W or sepia, lightening it up, fixing red eye, and modest things like that).  But if you're looking for dodging and burning or completely removing or replacing a background, or stitching multiple photos together, then you'll still need a photo editting program for that.  

But one of the features I particularly appreciate about My Digital Studio is that any changes it does make to your photo are internal to My Digital Studio; your original photo remains intact so there's no risk of messing up your original.

Q:  Is there very much flexibility with My Digital Studio?

A:  Well, to answer that honestly, there's *almost* enough for me, and if you know me, you'll know I'm used to a LOT of "stuff" to work with, lol!  Actually, there's a lot MORE in My Digital Studio than I ever dreamed there'd be.  So from my experience so far, it has *more* than met my expecations.  The only things I've missed so far are things I'm sure will appear as future downloads:  the few remaining Stampin' Up! exclusive colors that are not considered part of the "core" collection for some of the elements, and – MORE STAMP IMAGES!  (As if nearly 2000 images for under $80 wasn't already a pretty cool deal, right?)  But as I've said for 13-1/2 years now, I NEED more stamps! (Tongue planted firmly in cheek, I'm sure you realize!)

So be sure to come see my album when it gets printed, or if you can't wait for that, come see it in slideshow format on my computer!  I even tried out that feature of My Digital Studio this morning!

Woo Hoo!  3 new Deals of the Week have been unveiled – and one of 'em is even something I've had on my wish list! 

This week the 3 special deals are all dies for your Big Shot! 

See them here, and then add your favorite(s) to your order – either online at my website or by contacting me directly.  But remember these "Deals of the Week" are only available for just one week!

I'm going to keep this message at the top of my postings throughout this week, so scroll down to view  more recent stuff as I add it.

 
Mom's been working on a project for one of her ladies' organizations recently; she's giving a presentation today on the days (of yester-year) when she and Dad used to be avid hot air balloon aficianados – following and hanging around, crewing for, and sometimes even riding in them!  Given that the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival is in full swing this week, it seemed a particularly appropriate time to deliver her talk on this theme!

And behind the scenes I've been helping her prepare some of her "props".  We've put together a couple of fun display boards, and have made favors for the ladies to enjoy.  Balloon-themed, of course!

We have 30 of these, which feature the Sweet Treat Cups from Stampin' Up!®'s Holiday Mini Catalog, as well as the coordinating stamp set called Sweet Centers.  They're filled with custom-printed M & M's (to find out more about those, scroll down the right-hand column of this page to locate the link; if you're reading this by subscription you'll need to visit my blog to see that). 

I surely hope everyone enjoys learning what Mom has to share about hot air ballooning today, as well as snacking on their colorful balloon treats!

And thanks to Mom & Dad for staging and shooting these pix!

Well, I've been typing and typing for 3 days, and have finally got my upcoming classes posted and ready to sign up for. Check them out here!  But be prepared to keep scrolling down; it's a VERY long post!

Returning this October: New "deals" to be announced every week this month!  Deals begin today (Oct. 1), and will change every Monday morning beginning Oct. 12.  Check out what's current by clicking this link or the button over in the right hand column.  (Email subscribers, you'll need to visit my blog to see the button.) 

Don't miss your chance to pick up some popular (current) goodies at special "deal-of-the-week" prices!

BTW, if you're perusing these items in my online store, the discounted price will appear when you add the item to your shopping bag.

A "digital papercrafting solution" (techno-speak for digital design software), "My Digital Studio" from Stampin' Up! is here at long LAST!  (We've only been waiting impatiently since January, lol!) 

As you probably already know, I've been testing out my preordered copy during the month of September and I am totally in love!  I've featured some of my projects here over the past couple weeks (album pages and letterhead), but I've also designed several cards – one of which I'm showing here.  (Actually, this one was a "hybrid" card; I added glitter over the entire frosting area, and it really stood out!)

So what all can you do with this software?  Um, almost the limit of your imagination, I think!  Digital scrappers will set to work immediately, but it's so much more than just digital scrapping.  The initial package comes with templates for album pages, cards and calendars, too – and you can create multi-media presentations, as well.  But going a little bit out-of-the-box, I've already designed letterhead, and I've heard from others who've created gift certificates, invitations, and even blog headers and other digital art with it!

"My Digital Studio" comes loaded initially with a ton of Stampin' Up!'s images and colors, and there'll be more downloadable images released regularly in the future.   

So how much is it, you ask?  Only $79.95 to purchase outright…… OR only HALF of that if you host a workshop (or catalog party) of $400 or more during October or November…… OR it's included in a brand-new Demonstrator Starter Kit option beginning today!  So basically, you can just about choose your own price! 

But as awesome as this entire package is, if you've already got a design program you enjoy working with, you can still purchase the Stampin' Up! images for use with your other program.  It's as easy as going to my online store and choosing your elements for immediate purchase and download!

So – are you ready to see "My Digital Studio" in action?  Check out this video!
 (Email subscribers, you'll probably need to visit my blog to view the video.)

Got questions?  Please ask!

If you've forgotten to order this fun Growth Chart from Stampin' Up!® you've still got just a few more hours!  Today's the last day it'll be available, so you can still hop over and pick up one (or more) for your kids or grandkids.  (Psst:  Christmas is coming, and they make great baby gifts, too!)

Attention bargain hunting crafters! 

Don't miss this brand-new feature of my online store:  a Clearance Rack! 

From time to time Stampin' Up! will make available some retired/discontinued products in this section, sometimes at deep discounts from their original prices.  They'll only be available while supplies last, of course, and the items available there will change over time.  So be sure to check back frequently and of course every time you're placing an online order anyway. 

This morning I noticed several sets of retired Designer Series Papers, among other things, so if you're up for a bargain head over this direction and check it out!

The very first thing I figured I'd make once My Digital Studio became available was design myself some letterhead.  Well, as it turned out it wasn't the *first* project I undertook, but rather *among* the first!  So here's my first letterhead design. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this new digital papercrafting program?!?

You'll be able to begin ordering your own My Digital Studio on Thursday, October 1st.  OR – host a workshop of $400 and get yours for half-price during October!