Feature Friday | Anita Designs

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Happy Friday everybody! You know what happens on Friday at The Digital Press… time for a new Featured Designer! Today I am excited to feature a “fellow Dutchie” (we both live in The Netherlands) — the sweet Anita of Anita Designs — as our newest focus in the Feature Friday series. Personally, I love her designs and I am thrilled to help you get to know her better… while also showcasing my favorites from her store at The Digital Press with you.

Anita creates digital products that have a clean and simple style, and are very versatile and easy to work with when you’re scrapping your memories. She doesn’t only create kits; she is also an amazing template designer, and I love her extra add-on packs like masks, washi tape sets, & pocket cards. All of her designs are easy to mix & match, which I love.

Here are a few of my favorite designs from the Anita Designs shop at The Digital Press…

To get to know Anita a little bit better, I asked her a few questions… and here’s what she had to say…

Where do you live?
The Netherlands

When you’re not designing, what do you do with your time?
I love spending time with my family, and I love to go out and just enjoy nature.

What are 5 tidbits of trivia we might not know about you?
— I am addicted to coffee.
— My favorite series on TV are Greys Anatomy, Little House On the Prairie, and Kitchen Nightmares.
— I don’t get enough sleep.
— I am a family person.
— My favorite scented candle is patchouli.

Which of your products is your favorite?
I actually have two. One is Wanderlust…

…and the other is Snowkissed…

While writing this blog post, I spent some time looking through the Anita Designs gallery here at The Digital Press… and here are some of my favorite layouts and projects that use products from her shop…

Thank you so much for joining me here today on the blog, and getting to know Anita a little bit better! Now that you’re surely coveting her gorgeous products, I have good news! This coming week, you can take advantage of a 30% OFF SALE in her store (the sale will end at 11:59 pm ET on Thurs 11/10).

Even better news… I have another fantastic surprise for you! Anita has created a full kit this week that is brand-new and will be FREE with any $10+ purchase in her shop (FWP). The kit is called Fallin’ For You (I think those little hedgehogs are just the cutest!). This fantastic deal will be available throughout her entire feature week (11/4 -thru- 11/10)… and again, you will get this awesome kit for FREE with a $10+ purchase in her shop.

 

Enjoy this week’s sale, and happy scrapping! 🙂

 

bianckaAbout the Author: Biancka loves scrapping and has been doing so since 2007 but also enjoys reading books (thrillers being her favorite genre), baking (cupcakes are the best!!), photography, looking for recipes on Pinterest and browsing the world wide web for gorgeous fonts (yes, she is a fontaholic!!). She lives in The Netherlands together with her husband and 12yr old son.

November 2016 at The Digital Press | Gratitude

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Well, it’s happened… it’s November, and the beginning of the holiday season is officially upon us. Here in the United States, Thanksgiving is a mere 3 weeks away (this is true; don’t faint). Rather than fight it… I’ve determined that we need to embrace it. And thus, it’s time to really dive into the month of November and all that it will be bringing our way!

For the month of November 2016, we will be focusing on a new Word of the Month… GRATITUDE. It’s an obvious choice, given the holiday that dominates the landscape of November each year… but in truth, it’s more than just a “word that happens to match a holiday.” If embraced, this concept of gratitude can represent a shift in our approach to life… in our way of thinking… in our way of acting and reacting to the things that happen in our life… and more. Gratitude is about appreciation, and about recognizing and celebrating the blessings in our lives.

Here’s a look at just a few visual representations of our new Word of the Month — GRATITUDE…

 

image credits [1] [2] [3] [4]

 

Looking for ways to incorporate this idea of GRATITUDE into your scrapping and crafting this month? Come join us at TDP! We’re jumping into another month of our popular Challenge System for November, and there are so many fun new things in store for you throughout the upcoming month — including a challenge that specifically calls upon our new word of the month — GRATITUDE. 🙂

We have 9 new challenges waiting for you in THE CROSSWORD SECTION — a.k.a. our forum’s challenge section — a fun play on words that we love because (a) #WeAreNerdyThatWay, (b) our challenges have always been loosely connected to our Word of the Month at TDP (get it? “crossword” haha)… and (c) it fits nicely into TDP’s news/press theme.

Here’s a peek at the challenges you’ll find throughout November 2016…

 

 

Get more information about our monthly challenge system HERE.

Meanwhile, make sure you check out our newest TDP collaborative collection, Blessed, which launched yesterday in the shop. It’s a gorgeous, luxurious collection filled with 42 papers, 89 elements, 16+ pocket cards, 1 full alpha set, layered templates, cutting files, and more! Come check out the inspiration that you’ll find in the shop listing for this beautiful collection… you won’t believe how versatile and gorgeous this kit is in action!

 

 

As always, you’ll be able to grab this monthly designer collaboration collection for just $4 for the first 4 days of the month (after which time it goes back to regular price… so grab it while the 4-for-$4 deal is on!).

Come check it all out! We look forward to spending November with you at The Digital Press.

Laura Passage

About the Author  Laura Passage is the owner of The Digital Press, and also the designer behind Wishing Well Creations by Laura Passage (WWC). She works now as a graphic designer in both the digital and paper scrapbooking industries, but previously spent over a decade working as a college soccer coach. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two young sons (affectionately referred to as The Tiny Terrorists), and will rationalize eating coffee ice cream for breakfast to anyone who questions it.

Tutorial Tuesday | Alternative Uses for Themed Products

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Have you ever seen a themed kit that was just plain gorgeous — or hilariously awesome — and you just had to have it? The only problem being… you really didn’t have any photos to use with it? Or maybe the theme wasn’t one that was applicable to your life and/or the memories you were trying to document, etc.? This happens to me all. the. time.

If you’ve ever found yourself in this situation — I’m here to help. Today’s tutorial is designed to help you figure out some ways to use those must-have products you see in the shop and can’t stop yourself from buying (and/or how to use an old kit you’ve had on your hard drive forever, but haven’t ever been able to find a use for)!

I’m going to show you a few ways you can use a hilariously awesome kit (like Filibuster by Laura Passage, which released a couple of weeks ago)… even if you don’t have any election/voting photos. First, here’s a look at the kit…

 

One of the options you always have when trying to use a themed kit… is to simply match the color scheme. TDP creative team member Erin took this super cute photo of her son eating a snow cone (see below) and was able to build a fantastic layout around the colors of his outfit…

 

 

Another trick — she also used themed items in a way that our eye doesn’t notice. For example, you can see that she used the “VOTE” journal card as a mat for her photo. While this trick draws your eye to the photo — you don’t really even notice the election theme, and the fact that it doesn’t match the theme of her layout. Lastly — blue & red can be considered to be “boy” colors. The color scheme, used with a photo of her son, emphasizes her boy-centered layout.

A second option that I often like to use in order to use a themed-product for a non-themed project — is finding an alternative theme within the kit. For example, while Laura’s kit is obviously “election/voting” in its theme… the colors & the stars & stripes can easily lend themselves to a simple patriotic theme, as well. I used her kit to make this next layout, which documents a 4th of July day at the lake house…

 

 

Again, I hid the word “VOTE” on the journal card by using it as a mat (and all you can see is the stars). I also used the typewritten phrase paper, but left the portion that’s peeking out to read mostly “land of the free” — again, in support of my patriotic theme. You’ll find that in the majority of themed kits, there is usually an alternate theme you can work with!

Finally, TDP creative team member Kimberlee shows off a third option for using a themed-kit if you don’t have photos to go with it, but you really want to use the product… a photoless page! If you don’t have any photos to match, but you still love the theme — just do it!

 

 

As you can see, you can still use a themed-kit to document a moment in your life — even without photos — by capturing what you were feeling, thinking, etc. in the journaling you include. Kimberlee used this fun kit to document her feelings about this year’s election (which can often be a controversial topic!). It is a time in our history that memory-keepers like us may want to document/record for future generations, who may enjoy looking back and remembering this crazy election year in 2016!

In closing… I hope that I have inspired you to either use those themed kits you’ve already got on your hard drive but haven’t figured out a use for. Additionally, the next time you see a themed kit that you love — I hope these ideas will provide you with the inspiration you need to go ahead and look for alternative uses!

Amie

About the Author  Amie is a craft-loving dental hygienist who lives in Washington state. She loves her husband, her two kids (ages 8 & 5), and her English Bulldog… as well as coffee, baking cupcakes, daffodils, glitter & sprinkles, reading a good book, and lip gloss — not necessarily in that order.

Feature Friday | creashens

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Happy Friday! I’m so excited to be here today to introduce you to our next Feature Friday designer… Shen of creashens! Her design style is so fun and whimsical!

If you haven’t used her products before, you will definitely want to check them out. She has a fabulous sense of color, and her kits really showcase some of the most beautiful papers and elements you’ll find in digiland! She offers a variety of items — coordinated kits, hand-drawn journaling cards, alphas, and a variety of unique element packs. The hand-drawn elements within her kits are fantastic, and will add the perfect whimsical touch to all of your pages and projects. There is truly something in her TDP shop for everyone. 🙂

Here is a look at just a few of my favorite of items from the creashens shop here at The Digital Press…

 

As you will see, Shen is also a hilarious, fun, loving, and goofy soul. 🙂 In order for us to get to know Shen a little bit better, we asked her a few questions — and here’s what she had to say…

Where do you live?
I live in sunny Orange County, in southern California.

When you’re not designing, what do you do with your time?
I’m a full-time corporate graphic designer… a full-time ninja… and also love to spend time with my daughter (pictured above). We love to do everything from going to Disneyland, to just chilling out at home with old classic movies because she loves them just as much as I do. And when I have extra time, I enjoy illustrating and painting… and teaching her along the way.

What are 5 tidbits of trivia we might not know about you?
— Fave Quote: “Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.” ~Pablo Picasso
— I love rain.
— Chick-Fil-A advertisements make me cringe because of the purposely misspelled words.
— My favorite dessert is flan.
— I love my daughter more than anything in the whole wide world.

Which of your products is your favorite?
Goodness…

…and here are some beautiful pages created using Shen’s beautiful products…

Thank you so much for joining today and getting to know Shen a little bit better! Now that you’re coveting her gorgeous products, I have good news… if you check out her shop this coming week, you can take advantage of the 30% OFF SALE in her store (the sale will end at 11:59 pm ET on Thurs 11/3). Enjoy the sale, and happy scrapping!

Amy

About the Author  Amy lives in Richmond, VA with her husband of almost 15 years and their 11 year old boy/girl twins. Their 20 year old daughter will soon finish her final year at West Virginia University in December!  Amy has been scrapbooking since the early 1990s but discovered digital scrapbooking in 2005 when her twins were born and has primarily scrapped digitally since that time. She is passionate about telling her family’s stories and documenting their life together! Amy is a huge reader (mostly literary fiction) and is a pop culture junkie! She also LOVES all things beauty & makeup!

Tutorial Tuesday | New Uses For Planner Kits

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Hey everyone! I hope you are enjoying the various shades of Autumn wherever you are. I certainly am waiting for the leaves to turn a rich autumnal colour and take some leaf jumping pics of the kids. 🙂

Today I am here to share some ideas about ways to use all of the lovely planner kits you can find in The Digital Press’s shop — but for traditional digital layouts. Not everyone has jumped aboard the planner craze this past year, but there are so many cute products. Why not use them in other ways? Today I am here to show you how.

I have always wondered about all these gorgeous planner stuff in the shop. Because I don’t do hybrid or paper scrapping, I have always sort of believed that these items are just not for me. But then curiosity got the cat (or rather, me!), and I looked into the idea of using these items on my digital layouts. At first glance, you may think there is not much one can do with planners except, yes, make a planner/record-keeping kind of page. But the many possibilities may just surprise you, yet!

My first attempt involved using planners and printables in my usual way — I treated these as I would any other digital element. I clipped them to shapes and used them as paper pieces in their own right. I found that I really liked the end result; they add to the look of the layout, which is about a snapshot of a fun day…

[see link here for credits]

In my second attempt, however, I used multiple planner pages and layered them to create a focal point of paper mats. Not only do I think that it enhances the interest of the page… but it also adds a depth that looks almost real! This one’s definitely a keeper for me…

 

[see link here for credits]

But planner kits contain more than just papers. What about those cute little stickers, tags and other embellishments? You could use them individually, of course, but here I wanted to showcase how to use them purely as design elements. So I have used them to form leading lines on the page… arranging them in a flower or any other interesting shape. The possibilities, again, are endless…

 

[see link here for credits]

And how could I not also create a traditional planner page?! As you can see, this is messy, colourful, and random… but that’s the beauty of it. To mimic my own physical daily planner/journal, I tried couple of things here. I have focused on the shadowing a bit more, again to give that realistic look. For example, when I was placing those planner pages as though they were attached to the journal, I used clipping masks to reveal the binder holes beneath selectively and then added a large shadow. I won’t lie — that took some time, but I like the end result!

 

[see link here for credits]

So there it is… my little venture into the world of planners, and using these great digital planner products for other purposes! As you can see, there are no rules here or right/wrong ways of using them; you can experiment and find a style that works for you. Hope this post has given you some ideas and more importantly piqued your curiosity! If you do try some of the above styles or come up with your own, please share with us in the gallery. I would love to see them!

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About the Author Shivani Sohal is a donner of many alter-egos. A finance professional by day in busy London, she morphs into a seemingly normal mum of two in the evenings and weekends. She is constantly found with her fingers in too many pies and juggling the metaphorical balls. That is living on the edge for her; aided by the two ankle biters and a darling hubby who define the warm and mushy for her. She is ferociously dedicated to memory keeping — almost immune to any nay-sayers (or equally-disruptive crying children or annoying house fires!); keeping her head down and forging ahead at all times.

Feature Friday | Jimbo Jambo Designs

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Once again, it’s Feature Friday… and this week, we are super excited to introduce you to Jimbo Jambo Designs! The designer behind Jimbo Jambo Designs is my dear Aga, whom I’ve known for the past few years. When I first saw her designs, I was blown away! Her templates are so unique and they have always stood out; I can always recognize her work, no matter which gallery I am viewing. After falling in love with her work, I reached out to her to declare my digi crush on her designs(!)… and sweet as she is, she took pity on me 😉 and offered me a role on her creative team. We’ve been friends ever since, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that!

I’m proud to showcase just a few of my favorite products from the Jimbo Jambo Designs product catalog —

To get to know Aga a little better, I asked her a few questions. Here is what she had to say…

Where do you live?
I live in Spain but I’m leaving it next month to travel around. I will not be staying in one place for too long!

When you’re not designing, what do you do with your time?
Designing is not my full-time job, so actually I design in my free time. I’m also fond of photography, reading books, and sports.

What are 5 tidbits of trivia we might not know about you?
— I come from Poland.
— I love traveling and I’m always planning new trips.
— I haven’t studied anything connected with art but economy.
— I love action movies — the ones that usually men love.
— I can’t stand pastel colours (now you know why I normally use the strong colours in my templates)! 🙂

Which of your products is your favorite?
I think my favorite one at this point is Tickety Boo…

And now, here are a selection of gorgeous pages made with Aga’s unique and versatile templates…

I am so glad to have had the opportunity to help you get to know Jimbo Jambo Designs a little better today! Now that I have you drooling over all of the digi loveliness she creates… your next step will be to go check out her shop here at The Digital Press and take advantage of the 30% OFF SALE IN HER STORE throughout this entire week (the sale will end at 11:59pm ET on Thurs 10/27). Enjoy, and happy scrapping!

Pallavi

About the Author  Pallavi resides in Mexico City with her husband and her ever-growing little son, Rajveer. She has previously lived in Calcutta, Pune, San Francisco, Chicago, and London. She reflects all these places in her pages as she captures her everyday stories. She is an alumnus of Northwestern University. Currently, she is learning photography and working towards getting to a healthy weight. Her days are full and she loves it that way!