1. Let’s start with everybody’s favourite- theDesign 365 Challenge, hosted by Gennifer Bursett. It’s only February so if you haven’t started yet, there is still time! It’s such a fun way to document your year and have a great book ready to go by December.

2. Crystal’s hosting her monthly Journaling Challenge. This month she has you look back into the past for Valentine’s day. A fun idea and one that often gets overlooked!

3. Next up is our Inspiration Challenge hosted by Tiffany Bodily.

4. It’s onto Missy Backues and our monthly Photography Challenge. This month is of course LOVE photos!

5. Janell’s here with another Scraplift Challenge. It’s gorgeous one to lift too!

6. The swatch challenges are another fave around here. Agnes has some lovely colors that are sure to inspire you this February. Check it out!

7. And what about Liz and our Blueprint Challenge? She’s got the template all ready for you to download and get started asap!

8.Last, but not least, don’t forget to check out our Technique Challenge, hosted by Jen Flaherty. Selective recoloring is a lot of fun and not as hard as you think. Give it a go!

Take your pick, try one, try ‘em all! And remember, we’ll be giving away a Design House Digital gift certificate for each challenge! The more you play, the better your chances to win! Don’t forget to post your layouts/photos to the correct galleries. We look forward to checking out all of your hardwork!

Hi Everybody! I’m excited to be bringing you another edition of the DHD 4 Play. As I was picking the kits I found myself drawn to orange – it is such a happy color and our designers gave me some fun kits to pick from. I’ve been wanting to use Tiffany’s kit, so I was excited that Deena’s great paper kit coordinated so well. I love masks and was excited to use Celeste’s tape masks to customize tape pieces. I love Lori’s masking shapes, they work great for all kinds of things. I hope you can play along with us this week!

Here are the kits:

Lori Whitlock – Masking Shapes 1
Celeste Knight – Happy Tape
Tiffany Tillman – Baby Dinos
Deena Rutter – Woodsong Papers

Our first layout is from Celeste Smith.

Celeste shares:  ”Mandi chose the perfect mix of kits! I used Lori’s Masking Shapes to create a rounded corner background for the main part of may page. Then used the solids in Tiffany’s kit as a mat for my page. Deena’s paper pack has such a great assortment of colors for each piece it was hard to choose how to fill my paper blocks! I couldn’t find any dinosaur photos, but decided to use the more generic parts of the element pack to embellish my page. I finished off the photo with a piece of Deena’s paper clipped to Celeste’s masking tape masks.”

Our second is Jen Flaherty:

Jen says, “When I first signed up for this challenge, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, because I didn’t have any dinosaur pictures. But once I went through the Woodsong paper pack, I was inspired by that theme instead. Lori’s masks made easy work of creating clipping shapes that I would usually do in several steps. And Celeste’s tape and the elements in the Baby Dinosaur kit are so versatile, the layout actually came together really quickly.”

Next we have Aria Andrus:

Aria shared, “It was so much fun to work with the kits Mandi chose. I’m always looking for fun papers and elements to use on little boy pages and this was perfect for me since our son absolutely loves dinosaurs. Lori’s masks and Celeste’s tape are great elements to add to any page. I love clipping and reclipping different papers to the masks to find just the right paper to blend with the layout. The colors of the papers all worked so well together and there were so many fun dinosaur related elements that I tried to limit myself to not overburden the page.”

We also have a page from Liz Jutila:

Liz added, “Tiffany’s dino kit is packed with a surprising number of embellishments! I had such fun excavating through her kit (that’s a pun, get it?!) to find just the right dino accessories to tell my story. This is a rare example of a real conversation with one of my granddaughters, so I wanted to get in every word. Lori’s mask gave me a nice, big area to house photos, embellishments and text too. Celeste’s tape is the big bonus of this week’s 4play — these are incredibly versatile. Try different blending modes with these tape embellishments. Deena never disappoints with her whimsical pp’s, and she made it easy to give this lo just the right tone.”

Last, we have mine:

I loved the colors in these kits!  I used Deena’s papers to clip to Celeste’s tape brushes and Tiffany’s star mists.  Lori’s mask worked perfectly as both a photo mask and a frame mask.  The baby dinos in Tiffany’s kit were the perfect addition to my page about how BIG my little boy is getting!!

I hope you are inspired to play along this week. Don’t forget that today only (ends Monday at midnight PST), you can get each of these kits for only a dollar, and one is even FREE! So go grab them, and then play along. Upload a layout using these four kits to the DHD gallery by Sunday, then come back here and post a link to it. Not only will you learn to stretch your kits, but you could win a gift certificate to DHD!

There were so many AMAZING layouts submitted last week!  Thanks for playing!  Congratulations to Judy in SD the winner of last week’s 4 Play Challenge!

Did you know that every year Pantone – THE color authority – releases their “Color of the Year” prediction? It’s the color they believe will most heavily influence many things in the design industry from fashion to home interiors, and scrapbooking is no exception. Sometimes the color saturates the market, like 2010′s Turquoise, which is still going strong. Sometimes it’s less prevalent, but still visible, like 2011′s Honeysuckle, a personal favorite.

The color they think will be big this year is Tangerine Tango, which they describe as a spirited reddish orange.

I love this color, but I’ll admit that orange is a tricky color to work with, and probably not one of the first ones you reach for when you’re scrapbooking! I’d love to show you some great color schemes to get your ideas flowing.

One thing you might notice… I’ve put an awful lot of blue in these. There’s a reason for that: If you think back to your art class, orange and blue are complementary colors on the color wheel, meaning they are across from each other. With a bold color like Tangerine Tango, blue (being its’ opposite) is the best way to bring it out that gorgeous hue.

Ready to jump in? Feel more like dipping your toe? Check out these great kits available here at Design House Digital, perfect for adding in this fun and trendy color.

• A Life Recorded by Audrey Neal and Karla Dudley (grid in top graphic)
• Rocketman by Deena Rutter
• Scarborough Fair Open Air by Deena Rutter (floral in top graphic)
• Ever After by Gennifer Bursett (stripe in top graphic)
• Sunny Days by Karen Funk
• Kraft – Brightsv1 by Robyn Meierotto
• Sunlight’s Delight by Tiffany Tillman (distressed solid in top graphic)

Do you see yourself using Tangerine Tango? Will you wear it? Decorate with it? Stay far away from it? I’d love to know what you think about Pantone’s choice, and what you would pick for 2012′s color of the year.

Man, it has been forever since we’ve done one of these… literally! If you’ve never seen one before, it’s simple! Jen and I take a peek at the new releases in the store and let you know which products we’re especially excited about, and why! Of course, with new releases every day in February (instead of just on Thursdays!) we’ve got loads to choose from, so let’s get started!

My first choice this week is not to be missed: At only one buck, Shannon’s Ephemera Alphabet is a total steal! It’s so hard sometimes to find a truly versatile alpha, and this clean, ephemera style is pretty much perfect.

I’m also really loving Karla’s Edge Labels. I love the look of things going off the edge, and these will be perfect to add bits of journaling to (like she did in her example) or just leave blank. They’ll also work great to tuck in behind other elements, giving a little dimension.

My third choice for today is Audrey’s Dates: Cutout tags. How cool is it that you can modify them to match any project? Pretty darn cool, that’s what I say! Love the flexibility she’s given us here, and the peekaboo cutout is a fun twist.

Jen here! This is my favorite feature, so I’m glad we’re back! I just love looking at the new releases it’s one of my favorite parts of the week!

Hello! How could I not pick this gorgeous kit Ever After by Gennifer?? She just didn’t pick it because she made it, but it is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, who doesn’t like kraft with that gorgeous orange. yum-o.

I don’t know what it is about these cute little 2012′s but I just love them! Pick up Basics: Dated by Kate Teague and add just a little cool to your layouts.

And last but not least is the beautiful In This Life Mini Kit by Karen Funk. The colors are beautiful and the sweet little elements are the perfect compliment. Best of all, it’s only $1 because it’s a February Daily Dollar Deal! Yay for february!

Well thanks for checking out the new releases. They are 30% off today (Feb 2nd) and will be 25% off through Monday because of the Super Gallery Bowl this week. Enter a layout or two or three in our bowl challenges in the Play Room for a chance to win PSE10!

Layout by Aria Andrus

Name: Aria Andrus

What camera do you use? Nikon D80

What program do you create in? Photoshop CS4

How long have you been digital scrapbooking? I only converted to digital this past year when I started dabbling around November 2010. My step-mom introduced me to paper scrapbooking about ten years ago and I switched to digital because it is so much easier to do with small children around!

How would you describe your scrapbook style? Usually, it’s been clean and simple but I’ve begun trying to use a lot more embellishments and brushes in my work.

Where do you create, and when? I have a Toshiba laptop that weighs about 10 lbs! It doesn’t go very many places with me, but I usually break it out in the evening after my son is in bed.

What’s your ‘go-to’ technique or trick? I almost always create a template for any layout I am doing. Usually, I try to save the template as a template before adding my layout elements and papers so I can use it again later if I want. I find it is just so easy to clip different papers and photos to the template and seems like my creations come together faster.

What’s your favorite color combination? Lately, I’ve been using a lot of blues, yellows, and oranges together. I think I need to branch out and get into the pinks, greens, and purples more!

Do you start your layouts with pictures, a story, or products? I usually start with pictures and then try to remember the story that went with the pictures.

Where do you find your inspiration? All over the place! Magazines, advertisements, online scrapbook galleries, & online newsletters. I love to get inspiration from other works of art and translate them into my own style.

Do you prefer movies or books? Books, although I love a good movie, I’m definitely a bookworm.

What’s your favorite snack? I’d love to say cottage cheese and blueberries but I’m going to be honest…chocolate.

What type of music do you like? I love all types of music but my favorite is Indie Rock.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Abroad. Okay…probably somewhere in Western Europe. Is that specific enough?  J I dearly love the U.S. but I constantly have this itch to see more of the world.

What five adjectives describe you best? Loyal, happy, blessed, driven, and diplomatic.

This week’s Layout of the Week is the super cute Happy layout by Sokee.  It is such a fun, carefree layout, I thought it was the perfect LOTW for this last week  in January.  I love the fun vertical element of the banners and how she ties all the whimsical elements together.

Congratulations to Sokee, this week’s winner of layout of the week! You have won a $5 DHD gift certificate!

Would you like to see your page featured as our Layout of the Week? It’s easy…upload your pages (using at least 50% DHD product) to our member gallery. We’ll choose a new Layout of the Week each Tuesday!

Layout by Janell Nugent

Name: Janell Nugent

What camera do you use? Nikon D60

What program do you create in? Adobe Photoshop Elements

How long have you been digital scrapbooking? I started in November of 2005.

How would you describe your scrapbook style? My style is very mixed and has a lot to do with the photos or product I am working with. I tend to always create multi photo layouts.

Where do you create, and when? I create at my computer which is now in our new kitchen! I scrap whenever I get the chance, but the bulk of my work happens very early or very late in the day.

What’s your ‘go-to’ technique or trick? Layering papers. I look at my gallery and I have so many layouts with layers of papers and usually a border that goes all the way around

What’s your favorite color combination? I love anything bold and bright. Nothing over saturated, but I love clean, crisp citrus colors

Do you start your layouts with pictures, a story, or products? Pictures

Do you prefer movies or books? I love them both, I feel like they are separate forms of entertainment and it just depends on my mood. If it’s a book made into a movie I usually always prefer the book.

What’s your favorite snack? I love seasonal fruits. I love that there’s always something to look forward to with the changes in season. My favorite is fresh pineapple.

What type of music do you like? I’m very eclectic when it comes to my music. I love anything that “moves” me whether that’s literal or on an emotional level. I love anything with a good beat, nothing dark or heavy though. Here’s an example of my range…I love John Denver but can also bust a move with the Black Eyed Peas

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? I’ve moved around so many times that I feel like my heart is in so many places. I know it’s cliche, but truly it’s the people that make the place. I do wish that we lived closer to family since *most* of my family and my husband’s live on the west-side

What five adjectives describe you best? happy, passionate, animated, thoughtful, and friendly

What camera do you use? Canon 400D

How long have you been digital scrapbooking? Since 2007. I take a lot of photos, and I was looking on the net for ways to organize these into albums, that’s how I found digital scrapbooking.

How would you describe your scrapbook style?I was thinking about this a lot in the past, but I found out that this is impossible and I gave up. I make all kinds of pages from minimal design to art journal style. Scrapbooking is an endless adventure for me, I would like to explore all of its areas.

Where do you create, and when? I’m usually getting up very early (4-5 o’clock in the morning), I like the calmness and silence in the house at that time. I have a corner with my PC, I cover myself with a nice warm blanket and sipping my coffee, these are my secret hours, just the scrapbook and me.

What’s your go-to technique or trick? I like those pages which have a nice composition. I’m always after a nice overall effect. I’m always searching for new techniques to try them out on my pages. I change the blending mode for the layers many times, and I like to use alphabets and numbers as decoration.

What’s your favorite color combination? I think that changes all the time. At the moment I’m really into the red-blue combination, with a little bit of black or white.

Do you prefer movies or books? I prefer books, but I do like movies as well. My all time favorite is The Lord of the Rings, I read it every year.

What’s your favorite snack? I’m in trouble, because I live here in Hungary, Europe, and trying to say something everyone is familiar with.:) I love pancakes with sour cherry jam, made by my mother!

What type of music do you like? I had favorites in the past, but now, since I have a 10 year old daughter,!!  I’m up-to-date about the recent hits of the divas’, e.g. Rihanna, Beyonce, Adele. But what I’m secretly fond of is Muse.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? I think my all time favorite is New-Zealand, where all the beautiful landscapes of Earth are to be found in one place, from snowy mountains to beautiful seashores. I would gladly live in Ireland as well, oh those greens everywhere!

What five adjectives describe you best? Tenacious, faithful, dreaming, a little crazy and sometimes impatient. (sorry…)

I asked Ilona to share one of her favorite layouts with me. Here’s what she had to say about Unforgettable Moment, “Above all, I like to capture the everyday moments, feelings with my scrapbook pages. We will remember big happenings for a long time anyway, but we may forget the mood of a summer afternoon quickly. The wind snapping at my daughter’s skirt and the glint of the setting sun on her hair, that’s what I never want to forget!!!”

Congratulations Ilona! Thanks for sharing your talent and enthusiasm with us here at DHD!

Would you like to be an Artist of the Month? It’s simple… post your pages, using DHD products, in the gallery and you could be next!

Layout by Mandi Buchanan

Name: Mandi Buchanan

What camera do you use? Canon Rebel XTi

What program do you create in? Photoshop Elements 9

How long have you been digital scrapbooking? I resisted digi for a long time (i love paper), but once I started learning about 2 years ago I was hooked!

How would you describe your scrapbook style? My style is not too busy, with my focus generally on the photos.

Where do you create, and when? I change stuff around a lot, so I create wherever my computer is at the time. I used to scrap only at night, but as my kids are growing I find I can usually squeeze some time in during the day too!

What’s your ‘go-to’ technique or trick? I use the burn tool on practically every page!

What’s your favorite color combination? I’ve noticed that I’m using a lot of white and grey lately.

Do you prefer movies or books? Books!

What’s your favorite snack? An apple if I’m being good, peanut butter M&Ms if I’m not!

What type of music do you like? Country.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Since I hate driving in the snow, I’d be happy anywhere with milder weather!

What five adjectives describe you best? creative, blessed, quiet, kind, thoughtful.

Layout by Christy Carlson

Name: Christy Carlson

What camera do you use? Nikon Coolpix  S3100

What program do you create in? Photoshop Elements 8

How long have you been digital scrapbooking? I have been digitally scrapbooking for about a year. I paper scrapped since high school and did both for a few months before I switched solely to digital.

How would you describe your scrapbook style? My pages are pretty clean and minimalist and I like to use patterned paper and clusters of elements on a solid background. I definitely prefer the more realistic elements/pages that are similar to physical scrapbooking supplies.

Where do you create, and when? I create at home in the evenings when my husband is busy working outside or watching sports on TV. Currently, I’m on my HP desktop but I would love to get a laptop someday so that I can scrap while we watch TV together rather than being on my own in the office.

What’s your ‘go-to’ technique or trick? I love shadows. I use Gennifer Bursett’s Toolbox Shadows V.1 on almost every page.

What’s your favorite color combination? I don’t necessarily have a favorite color combo. I use neutrals, grays and blues a lot though.

Do you start your layouts with pictures, a story, or products? I usually have my pictures and a story in mind before I pick out a kit.

Where do you find your inspiration? Online galleries, challenges and Pinterest

Do you prefer movies or books? I love both. I could read all day long but I also love to relax and watch a movie with other people as well.

What’s your favorite snack? I love cheese…a lot! Cheese and crackers, nachos, cheese dip, etc.

What type of music do you like? Country but I like a variety of popular music too

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Colorado. My husband and I would both love to live there in a log home/cabin so we could hike and ski. It’s so beautiful there and the weather is great!

What five adjectives describe you best? Independent, organized, creative, caring, ambitious