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Posts Tagged ‘Audrey Neal’

Top in the Shop

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

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!

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Posted in Blog, Sales And News | No Comments »

1 Kit, 4 Ways: A Life Recorded

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

You know, I am SO loving these collab kits… each one is my new favorite! This week, I’ve got the amazing A Life Recorded collaboration by Audrey Neal and Karla Dudley:

I know, right? It’s beautiful color scheme, amazing papers, and plethora of fabulous elements are seriously SO versatile! Boy? Check. Girl? Check. Check, check, check. (Honestly, I’m trying to think of an occasion this wouldn’t work for, and I’m stumped!) So, let’s take a look at some layouts!

Layout by Jen Papadimitriou

Jen says: “I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for earth tones and word strips, so I was so excited to see this collab! The patterns and elements work so well together! I decided to use the stitched frame as a template where I pieced patterns to it. I outlined my photo with the word art frame and added elements throughout then used the tiny alpha tabs to finish off my title!” (Additional credits: Toolbox – Shadows V.1 by Gennifer Bursett)

Layout by Missy Backues

Missy says: “I was excited to see all the graphic patterns and modern colors in the papers that Audrey created for this collaboration, and then was also “wowed” by Karla’s elements and brushes. They are just perfect together. I used the stitched frame to add several patterned papers to my layout. I first started with a neutral background which looked great but the dark charcoal background seemed to make things show up even better. I repeated the same photo in both black & white and in color for interest. I finished the layout by adding in those fun elements. I know I will be reaching for this collaboration again and again because I’m sure that my layouts will have a great look and feel to them when I do.” (Additional credits: Toolbox – Mists Vol.4 and Toolbox – Shadows V.1 by Gennifer Bursett, Hockey is Life font)

Layout by Jennifer Hignite

Jennifer says: “The colors of this kit are simply amazing. As soon as I saw them I was in love. The mix of patterns and solids make putting together a layout a breeze. The hardest part is picking which one to use, they are all wonderful! For this layout, I clipped 12 photos to Karla’s month stickers to showcase a years worth of photos easily. By grouping together the word stickers, I find they almost look like a patterned paper underneath the chipboard shape.” (Additional credits: Oh Joy Template no. 14 by Tiffany Tillman)

Layout by Jennifer Valencia

Jennifer says: “I chose a gorgeous dark brown paper (it looks so soft and velvety, like cake or a royal robe) from this kit to make my photos pop, and added in a few choice embellies from Karla’s stash. I colored the embellies to pick up themes from the photos so they would enhance, not clash with them. It was SO difficult to pick just a few, but my style (as always for me) is minimal-on-embellies so that the photos take center stage. This kit is so awesome that I know I’ll be making many more layouts with it, so that I can use up all of the goodies and pretty papers. One thing I love about the embellishments in this kit is the word art. I love mixing word strips with text of my own to make interesting titles. Here, I cut part of a word strip off (ouch! So mean, didn’t even give it a band-aid!) to leave just the word “LIFE” for my title. I also love the circles of word-art, because circles are perfect for adding visual interest to pages and breaking up the blocky square-ness of my typical layouts. Enjoy, ladies! (Additional credits: Toolbox – Shadows V.1 by Gennifer Bursett)

See? Seriously nice eye candy, huh? Now, just imagine what you could do with it! Want to win Part 1 and Part 2 for your collection? Comment here, and answer this:

What is the last thing you recorded?

My husband recorded our son’s performance at a school program a few weeks ago for me, because I was home with a sick kid… and I was so glad to see it! Can’t wait? Karla and Audrey’s entire stores will be on sale this weekend, plus you can get free and dollar kits, too! Also, be sure to stop by on Friday at 9 PM (MST) for a chat with both of our lovely designers… there just might be prizes in store! ;)

(Congrats to Dawn M. who wins last week’s kits. Have fun!)

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Posted in 1 Kit 4 Ways, Blog | 24 Comments »

4 Play!

Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Hey there!  I’m thrilled to be bringing you another edition of the DHD 4 Play.  My goal this week was bright and colorful since it’s been so drab and wintery gray here. I think these kits really delivered! I have to say the process of choosing four different kits from four different designers is so much fun. You should give it a shot – it really is challenging in a good way!

Sara Schmutz’s Recollect Alpha

Robin Meierotto’s Beach Ball Papers

Gennifer Bursett’s Grandma’s Easter Basket Solids

Audrey Neal’s Just My Type Elements

Our first layout is from Audrey Neal.

Audrey says, “The patterns on Robyn’s papers are so flexible. For this layout, I pulled the chevron pattern from one paper and clipped it to the small polkadotted paper. I also repeated the textual heart element with a blend mode set to overlay to add an extra bit of visual interest. A bit of recoloring helped Sara’s alphabets fit right in, picking up the color of Gen’s background paper. “

Second is from Mandi Buchanan.

Mandi says, “I love how fun Audrey’s elements are. They really got my layout started. Gen & Robyn’s papers provided a nice base & frame. I used Sara’s alpha to finish off a grouping of elements. I’ve been waiting to scrap this pic a long time – these kits made it easy and I’m really happy with how it turned out!! Happy scrappin’!!”

Next up is Jennifer Hignite.

Jennifer says, “These kits all worked so easily together, it made putting together this layout a joy! I knew as soon as I saw Audreys elements I had to use that typewriter somehow and it set the theme for the whole layout! I layered a few of Robyn’s patterned papers over one of Gen’s solid papers, keeping the focus of the layout on the photos and journaling.”

And last, one from me.

“I love that Audrey’s element pack includes such a great variety of elements. I layered the text from the heart over the pieces of my homemade banner to create a dictionary page effect. I could not resist that yellow typewriter! I took one of Sara’s alphabets and turned it into a chipboard piece using a style I had on my computer.”

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!

Congratulations to SandyH the winner of last week’s 4 Play Challenge.

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Posted in 4 Play, Blog | 10 Comments »

January Artist of the Month

Sunday, January 15th, 2012

January’s Artist of the Month is Becca Dickson, whose username is BeccaNicole05. Her gallery is filled with layouts featuring gorgeous photos, stunning color combinations, and fabulous details. Let’s find out a little more about her.

What camera do you use? I use a Canon PowerShot ELPH SD1000 and my iPhone/Instagram (I know, I know!) … I’m still dreaming of owning a Canon Digital Rebel xTi.

How long have you been digital scrapbooking? While I’ve been a scrapbooker for probably 15 years now (I picked up scrapbooking when I was 10); I have only done digital scrapbooking for the last six months. I decided to give digital scrapbooking a go when I started my daughter Selah’s first year scrapbook since I figured it would be faster and more convenient than traditional scrapbooking. I just sent her book off to be printed and 120 pages later (whew!) I am still completely sold on digital scrapbooking. Now if I could only remember to post my layouts to the gallery…

How would you describe your scrapbook style? Clean, lots of white space, embellishment clusters, with a strong focus on the photos and story.

Where do you create, and when? What I love about digital scrapbooking is that it’s portable. I can work at the kitchen table, on the couch, wherever.  I usually create in the evenings and weekends while my daughter is sleeping. I use my Macbook and Photoshop CS5 for my layouts.

What’s your go-to technique or trick? The first thing I do when starting a layout is create my own template. Once the blueprint is created and I have an idea of what the final result will look like, the process goes faster from there. It’s so easy to clip papers and photos to the template, then add elements as a finishing touch. And I can go back to the template later and tweak if I want to use it for another page. I’m a sucker for kraft paper, and frequently use shadowing on elements and stitch strips of paper down! I also am a huge fan of typewriter fonts for journaling- I tend to use those a lot.

What’s your favorite color combination? I got so excited when I saw the colors for the January Swatch Challenge … those are my exact favorite colors! I love blue/turquoise, lime green, light green, and a bright purple. I also use a lot of gray with pastels like pink and blue.

Do you prefer movies or books? I’d rather read books, preferably the old, torn ones with the musty library smell :) But when I don’t have the time to read, I pop in a movie while I’m crafting instead.

What’s your favorite snack? Harvest Cheddar Sunchips, Peanut Butter M&Ms, Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked Ice Cream. Don’t get me wrong, I am an unusually healthy eater; but I love my fair share of comfort foods every once in a while too!

What type of music do you like? I listen to mostly alternative/indie and folk music; sometimes a few oldies – my husband Caleb and I have a record player and a collection of vinyl! My current favorites are Mumford & Sons, Florence + The Machine and Foster the People. Although, my guilty listening pleasure is Lady Gaga. I have 2 of her albums on vinyl. Ha!

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? My husband and I always joke about moving to Florida where the weather is nice and we could hang out by the beach all day. I’m all for it!

What five adjectives describe you best? Creative. Dependable. Motivated. Dedicated. Trustworthy.

I asked Becca to share one of her favorite layouts with me. Here’s what she had to say about Pretty Girl: “I chose this layout because I just adore the bright colors and textures and how they make the photos really pop! The blue circles on the paper and the flower element complement Selah’s eyes and headband so well. I love the elements and photos clustered around the large photo to make it stand out. My friend Heather took the photo and it is one of my favorites – the contrast of Caleb’s tattoo and Selah’s sweet little girl smile are the perfect combination. ”

Congratulations Becca! 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!

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Posted in Blog, DHD Artist of the Month | 4 Comments »

4play

Sunday, December 18th, 2011

I’m so excited to be bringing you this week’s 4 Play feature! And since I’m smack in the middle of “Christmas craziness” I’m sure that is why the kits I picked were so easy to work with. Hopefully your pages come together as fast as ours did!!

The kits I chose are:

Here are a few layouts that my Design House Decorator friends and I created!

Layout by Janell Nugent

Janell said: “For this 4Play I was immediately drawn to the dainty elements and cherry wordart in Celeste Knight’s Homespun Holiday kit combined with the beautifully rich patterned papers in Katie Teague’s Holiday Lovin’ papers. Sara’s basic tags are easy to use on ANY layout. Audrey Neal’s Mod Flower papers are so fun–I did lighten the background paper a little to blend with my other color choices”.

Layout by Jennifer Valencia

Jennifer said: “I loved the bright hues in Audrey’s kit and matched them with some photos that screamed “We need bright colors, please!” One of Celeste’s embellies was a perfect addition to make the color pop. I used some of Sarah’s tags and clipped other papers to them, so I could use their shapes but add my own flair. One of Kate’s papers was a perfect addition to balance out the bright colors on my tag. I love cheerful, bright colors at Christmas (well, if you know me, you know that I actually love cheerful bright colors ALL THE TIME.) The kits came together perfectly for me to make this holiday page”.

Layout by Missy Backues

Missy shared: “At first these four kits were a little bit of a challenge for me because the colors weren’t matchy-matchy, but in the end I was happy with my layout. I used one of Sara’s tag as a photo mat behind a picture of one of our cat’s expressions, and went with the classic red/green paper combination for a holiday layout. I added white and brown elements to add a little decoration. Credits: The 4Play kits listed, Template by Amy Martin, font is Courier New”.

Layout by Celeste Smith

Celeste shared, “I loved the patterns in Kate’s Holiday Lovin paper pack and really had a hard time choosing. So I designed a page that allowed me to use all ten papers. The papers pop on the white border and look lovely against Audrey’s brown background paper from the Mod Flowers solids kit. A tag from Sara, a little word art from Celeste (I love her name!), and my page was finished”.

Layout by Mandi Buchanan

I loved Celeste’s elements and the fun pop of color that Kate’s papers added. I used Sara’s tags as masks for Audrey’s papers. I ended up changing the opacity on Audrey’s papers and actually layering red and green together to get the tone I wanted. The snowflake from Celeste’s kit added the perfect pop of fun after I made them more transparent.

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!

(congrats to Janfrn, last week’s winner!)

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Posted in Blog | 6 Comments »

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