Boxer Projects

Just a calendar page for February using the Boxer Calendars, stickers, and calendar papers. This is a VERY old photo of me and Bob, probably taken the first year we met back in 1991! Plus it was taken in a photo booth!! Just scanned into my computer and now available forever!

Supplies: Calendar, Stickers, Papers, alpha: Boxer Scrapbooks; Fabric label: Colorbok; Photo corner: 3L;

Di

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February Desktop!

Can you believe January is almost over? I swear time is FLYING by so far for 2009! As always the change of the month means a new computer desktop freebie for everyone! I created this one using the "sweet embrace" kit I made for Scrapwow for February, so sneak peeks for the Scrapwow crew of what's to come for your free kit for next month! :)

As always the download includes both 1280x88 and 1024x768 versions of the desktop, with a transparent window for you to add your photo. You can find the download in my stores at Di Hickman Designs, a cherry on top and scrapwow.

Stay tuned for more products coming with this kit soon!

Di

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Card Sketch January #4

New card sketch this week! This week sees something a little different and some of the girls struggled (as did I) and some made this sketch seem like the most natural thing ever! That's the thing with sketches, some you love, some make you tear your hair out! lol!

Remember the digital template is available in my store for a limited time, grab it while you can!

I tried to like this sketch I really did. When I drew it out, then made the template in photoshop it seemed to flow, different but it flowed. Well after pushing paper and embellishments about for about 45 minutes and failing miserably to actually MAKE anything I figured shake it off and try digital. So I did, and this one came together in about 5 minutes! Go figure! I used my kit for Febrary "sweet embrace" which is a subsriber exclusive kit at Scrapwow, so this is your first sneak peek here!

"Sweetheart" card by Di Hickman
Credits: "sweet embrace" kit by Di Hickman (scrapwow subscriber kit for February); font: Bickham Script pro; Brads: Unknown; Ribbon: Prima;

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"Light my fire" card by Jan Tatomir
Cardstock: Stampin' Up; Letters: Sticker King; Rubs: Doodlebug; Glitter Heart: Darice; Heart Brads: Making Memories; Matchbook: D.D. Bean & Son

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"xoxo" card by Pearl Liu
supply list : Core'dinations cardstock, Fancy Pants Splendid pps, Making Memories Shimmer Stickers, Stickles ,Heidi Swapp ribbon , Glossy Accents.

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"Thank You" card by Louise Connell
Supplies: Papers – Making Memories Garden Party; Flowers – prima; Rub on sentiment – Pebbles inc; Ribbon & pearls from stash

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"So this is love" card by Chrys Rose
Supplies: Bazzill cardstock; My Mind's Eye pattern paper; Cosmo Cricket pattern paper; Bella blvd. sticker; Heidi Swapp chipboard and ghost heart

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"Happy Birthday" card by Ruth Trice
Supplies: Paper by Basic Grey, Stamps by Magnolia and Inkadinkado, flowers by Prima. Brads, eyelets, beaded trim and ribbon from stash.

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"Welcome Baby" card by Raechelle Bellus
supplies- cs: Bazzill; pp: Sasafrass lass; buttons: Fancy Pants Designs and Basic Grey; rub ons: Doodlebug; ribbon; ink; Martha Stewart snowflake punch; DMC Floss

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"Thanks a million" card by Linda Flinders

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"Celebrate" card by Jo Willis
Supplies: Papermill card, HOTP paper, Miss Elizabeth’s chipboard, various ribbons, Creative Cafe sentiment rub-on, Marvy pen.

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"Together Forever" card by Kristin Schulz
Materials used: Basic Grey Stella Ruby Patterned Paper, Making Memories Epoky flowers, Kaiser pearl, Daisy D's rubs, vellum, Colorbox and StazOn inks

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Have fun with the sketch! Di

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Design Teams 303

If you are going to copy and paste this for other website remember to credit me, the original author Di Hickman! I have had numerous people copy and pasting this into various forums with no credit, and some blatantly claiming the work as their own. This is highly unprofessional. Give credit where it is due with my name and I would appreciate a link back to my blog, thank you. Di

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So we've covered the DT intro, the types of teams and their pro's/cons so maybe it's time to discuss: Where to find design team calls?

Where to find calls?
One thing I learned early on in this industry is that not all calls are created equal. I mentioned previously that calls can happen in a variety of ways, some are public, some are private, and some places just solicit individuals who they would prefer on their team. So I'll address each one individually.

The public calls can be found all over the internet, on message boards, on store/kit websites, blogs etc but the biggest place for kits/stores is the Pub Calls blog and calendar. I personally subscribe to the blog via RSS feed (bloglines) and I'd suggest anyone interested in the latest DT information does the same! I will say right now, it's not as good as it used to be. IMO too many contests and competition information on there rather than DT and publication calls. It's kind of lost it's way from what it was first created for, but most kit clubs, and online stores etc advertise their calls there so it's a good place to look for those.

If digital is your scrapbooking medium then I suggest the calls forum at Digi Shop Talk. That really has TONS of designers and stores looking for people to create with their kits. From one kit calls, guest spots to long term commitments. Another place for digital DTs is the Just Digital Calls site, which is ONLY for digital (hence the name). Great resource site!

For manufacturers it's mostly a case of stalking blogs and websites! Sometimes the info gets posted on pubcalls, but quite often not. What I do is again subscribe to my favorite manufacturer blogs in RSS reader, which most likely if you love the papers etc you are doing anyway :)

Private Calls, these happen occasionally where a select group ONLY is invited to apply for a DT call. Say perhaps you've sent an email to a manufacturer asking about a DT call, you'll probably be put on a list and then invited to apply once they are looking for a new team. One thing to remember though, is just because you've been asked to apply, it's just that, an APPLICATION, it's NOT a done deal! I've had friends who have been asked to apply for a private call, and been heartbroken when not selected as they'd been expecting to be one of the chosen few. Just because the call is private don't assume that it's a done deal! They probably asked 50 other designers too for a coveted team of 5! Remember my motto, submit and forget!

Solicited teams, not as pervy as it sounds honest :) This is when the client emails the designer asking them to be on their team. Trust me it's the best kind of situation! This is where no application is neccessary afterall they are coming to you, and it IS a done deal! That said it's a rare situation! This can happen for kits/stores but mostly this is the practice of manufacturers.

Miscellaneous
I also want to address one more issue that doesn't fall into these categories but is well worth noting in this article. Sometimes if you build a relationship with a store owner, kit owner, or manufacturer etc and they say in conversation "oh you should apply for the DT, you're a shoo-in" or occassionally they may blatently say that you are a definite for the team! So the designer applies because afterall the job is there's, all they have to do is apply. The end result is they don't get the position. Unfortunately owners can lie for whatever reason I'm not sure. Whether it's to create interest in a call, or just because they say that to everyone? Who knows? I've got one friend in particular who has had this happen with a store, and a manufacturer. Be aware that until you have an offer in WRITING nothing is a done deal!

Eeek I hope that hasn't scared you off! Really when the call is good, and the company reputable everything goes so smoothly and is thoroughly enjoyable! IMO some of my best creating has been for DT work. Next week we'll discuss the next step, after you've found the call and decided that the terms are right for you it's time to send in an application for the DT call! More on that next week!

Di

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Manufacturer Challenge - Crate Paper (4)

Last week of the Crate paper challenge, and I really hoped to have more to share this week. However as usual things just got busy here and well I only managed one layout and a card. I am leaving out the remnants at the side of my table in the hopes I get around to using them up on other projects in the next week or so. Afterall I need to make February's sketch cards soon!

First up is a layout. The greens and browns in these papers really make me think of nature, and well 2008 was a big nature year for me as I went back to my roots and got into gardening again. I used to grow my own vegetables in England and have started the same here in California. Just something so natural about growing your own, the excitement of starting from seed, nurturing the plants and watching them grow.

Supplies: Papers: Crate Paper; brads: JoAnns; Photo Corner: 3L; Foam letters: Miss Elizabeths;

For those wondering the foam letters on the layout above are from Dollartree. I picked them up on a whim (like most Dollartree purchases, lol!) but they work really well, so if you want cheap 'thickers' then head to dollar tree. Or grab your sizzix and cut your own!

My stash of "man cards" is dwindling so I whipped up a quickie this weekend. This features one of my current favorite stamp sets from CTMH. It's a seasonal set featuring all the holidays and sentiments you could want for the whole year! Awesome set! If you buy one set from CTMH imo this one should be it, it's called "thoughtful seasons".

Supplies: Papers: Crate Paper; Buttons: Misc; Stamp & Ink: CTMH;

And so back to work for me. I'm currently writing an article for Scrapbooking.com for March, already done the projects just need to get some tip-tapping on the keyboard done! Oh and take the pics, resize etc!

Oh and incase anyone is interested I hit my first fitness goal of the year! I ran 2 miles on Friday :) Boy was I tired after (still fighting Bobs icky sickie germs) but I did it! Whoohoo! I felt great too! Today was a Medium run of 1 1/2 miles. I've been thinking a lot about the mini book I started at the beginning of the month and decided to go with something else. There just isn't enough room for the journaling in this one. Guess as usual I had more to say than I thought about the whole experience! So I'm working on something else. Something to document the whole year! It's a work in progress, and something a little different for me (which I hope I can pull off, lol) anyway I hope to share it soon!

Di

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Digital store news - Grab Bag!

I mentioned in my newsletter that I'd been on a digital designing streak lately and the fruits of my labor are going to be shared! I've decided to a grab bag! Haven't done one of these since Summer 2007! I don't know why I waited so long they are so fun!

For those not in the know, grab bags are a fun assortment of digital products at a reduced price, for a limited time. The catch? You don't really know what you're getting! lol! Though you can see some sneak peeks popping out the bag!

Available in my stores at Di Hickman Designs, Scrapwow and A Cherry on Top priced at just $2, and available for a limited time! And just for blog readers here's a sneaky list of what is in the grab bag: Template Pack #9, card templates set #4, Printable Box #1, Journal stamps #4

hehehehehe

Enjoy!

Di

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Thank You stamps and Transparencies

I've been playing with the Boxer transparencies this week! Love these for great card accents, they really bring that extra "oomph" to cards I think. I know some people are wary of using the transparencies but they really are super easy to use, easy to cut and there are so many ways to attach them to your projects! My favorite method is to hide the adhesive! On this card I hid the adhesive behind the photo corners and under the pink cardstock, more than enough to hold the transparency on this card!

Thank You stamps; Yellow Grosgrain; Thanks Transparency; Yellow Dot Paper; All by Boxer Scrapbooks; Cardstock: WorldWin; Photo Corners: 3L;

On my card below I hid the adhesive under the rick rack and the white cardstock! I also love how the stamps from the Thank You limited edition set are a perfect match for this transparency! The folks at Boxer really coordinate their stuff well, and give us lots of options!

Boxer Products: Thank You stamps; white rick rack; Thanks Transparency; Yellow Dot Paper; Pink Button;

As you can see the transparencies really are super easy to use and adhere to projects! Give them a try!

Di

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Prima Hybrid Card - with love

Prima decided that for 2009 they would merge the two teams for hybrid and Prima, picking 5 of the existing Prima Hybrid design team to continue on for the 2009 period. I haven't mentioned this yet, but I am VERY thankful and lucky to have been chosen for a 2nd year to be on the Prima Hybrid Design Team, along with Amy Martin, Jess Gordon, Julie Ann Shahin, and Melinda Staley (such a great team, these ladies do fantastic work!). Looking forward to the year ahead with the Prima Hybrid kits and all the great things they have to offer in the upcoming year!

Part of our new responsiblities involves us creating each month for sharing on the Prima Blog, we've had our introductions, and this week saw our first blog feature, which is on the Prima Hybrid "parcel post" mini albumkit. We were asked to show uses for the kit in ways other than for Christmas, like the upcoming Valentines day or mothers day. Obviously for me this screamed CARDS!!! So I set about making a card for that special someone using the steps below.

Digital products used:

• IOD parcel post (label and paper)
• IOD Rue 88 coordinates (red paper)
• Font: Bickham script pro

Physical products used:

• Chipmates sticker sheet
• Chipmates acrylic overlays
• Say it in crystals swirls
• flowers (PH tea and silk kit)
• Center kisses
• Elysee Ribbon

First open the label sheet from the parcel post digital kit. Highlight the label you want to use, and hide the rest or simply fill with white (remember DO NOT save over this file!). Add text greeting, and print onto the die cut Sticker sheet, then set aside to dry. Full instructions on using the Chipmates are included in the downloads :)

Create a new document 5"x5", and drag the red paper from the IOD Rue 88 coordinates onto the document. This paper coordinates really well with the parcel post kit! Open a quickpage from the parcel post kit, and resize to fit the design shown below. "Cut" out the label we used earlier and position it on the card, add text. This really gives you a feel of how the card will look later. Next print this out onto cardstock or photo paper. I chose not to hide the label layer, as I liked the scallopy edge and wanted to use it in the final design. For a cleaner look to the card, this layer could be hidden prior to printing.

Once all the printed mediums are dry we can assemble the card! I cut the card base out to 5" x 10", scored the middle, and folded it over to create the base for the card. I added the swirl crystals and lace. The printed label I wanted a 3D effect to, so I stuck onto cardstock and cut around so I could use dimensional foam adhesive underneath. I added the chipmates epoxy overlay, flowers and some center kisses gems for the finishing touches!

I'm sure you'll agree it's not my usual clean and simple design! lol! But I LOVE it! One thing I mentioned about Design Teams this week was that sometimes working with different product pushes you creatively, and I love that!

Di

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Card Sketch January #3

Something a little different this week for the sketch :) Again another that I think I'll use a lot, even though I know I say that most weeks. The circle can be tricky but remember it doesn't have to be a circle! Think outside the box. I actually busted out some old templates and used those for my circle, talk about blast from the past!

I actually liked this one a lot when I used it, though I changed it up a little bit. After debating for ages on the flower i decided to leave it off. It seemed to overpower my card, maybe I just didn't find the right flower (hard to believe in my stash!)? Maybe it needs something else, but I decided I like it fine just the way it is.

"Congratulations" card by Di Hickman
Supplies: Papers: MME; Ribbon: Unknown; Stamp: Fiskars

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"Hello" card by Chrys Rose
Supplies: Bazzill cardstock; Boxer Scrapbook pattern paper, pearl pins and rick rack; chipboard unknown; Doodlebug stickers; Fancy Pants pattern paper

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"be yourself" card by Raechelle Bellus
supplies- cs: Bazzill Bling; Making Memories journaming spot; ribbon: Michael's; flowers; epoxy: Making Memories; chipboard: Chatterbox

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"celebrate 21" card by Kelli Seeman-Smith
supply list: Best Creation Inn paper, maya road chipboard circle, paper studio stamp and blue stazon ink

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"Mum" card by Lizzy Davidson
Suipplies: Pink pearl paper from crafters companion, pick circle from paper mania, mum tag paper mania, lace lakeland plastics and ribbon from offray

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"Thinking of You" card by Kristin Schulz
Supplies: MME diecut card, unknown cardstock, Kaiser pearls, $1 bin stamp, Colorbox ink

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"Pink Flower" card by Louise Connell
Supplies: Papers – Making Memories Noteworthy; Ribbon - Prima; Crochet blossom - imaginisce

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"Lots of Love" card by Pearl Liu
supply list : Fancy Pants Splendid pp & die cut , Prima Peaches Journaling Spot , Heidi Swapp Ghost wing , Making Memories Shimmer stickers & ribbon , Creative Cafe velvet brad, Queen & Co Heart brad , Sakura Aqua Glaze Pen, Inkessential White Gel Pen , Tattered Rose Crackled Paint

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"For You" card by Linda Flinders

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"Be Mine" card by Celeste Brodnik
Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Pattern Paper, Paper Ribbon, Jewels: K & Company; Rubon: Making Memories; Punch: Martha Stewart; Flowers: Craft Supply; Stitching

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"Quick Note" card by Jo Willis
Supplies: Papermill card, Making Memories paper, Fancy Pants trim and ribbon, Prima ribbon, Prima flowers, vintage button, Stickles, Versamagic chalk ink, Creative Cafe rub-on sentiment.

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"Hello" card by Annette Taylor
Supplies List: Prima Flowers, PaperMania brad & pearls, Tecnique Tuesday clear stamps, Lace from local haberdashers, Patterned paper – Crafters Companion, Cardstock Bazzill

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"I love you dearly" card by Ruth Trice
Supplies: Anna Griffin paper and stamp, Prima flower, button, lace, thread and ribbon from stash.

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"Cozy" card by Jan Tatomir
Supplies: Paper: Basic Grey; Cardstock: Bazzill; Punch: Fiskars; Doily: Dainty Doily; Snowflake: Michaels; Glitter Snowflake button: Favorite Findings; Transparency: Office Max; Rubs: Making Memories; Trim: JoAnns

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Enjoy!

Di

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Scrapbooking.com January

Haven't finished up the next installment of the Design Teams article so thought I'd share some published work today. Hopefully get around to Designs Teams pt 3 next week!

My article this month for Scrapbooking.com is all about pens. A staple of any crafters arsenal, pens have so many uses, and so much to offer when creating! You can read my article at the Scrapbooking.com site, remember each photo in the article is clickable for a full step by step tutorial in creating the project.

My projects for the article are the following altered album. Those who shop at Target will recognize this album from the dollarspot many months ago. Love these for coffee table books.

Album: Target; Art Pens: stardust, pink (Sakura); Stickers: Tropical Icon Sticker (Reminisce); Template: Fiskars

Adhesive: Adhesive Roller (3L); Art Pens: glaze, orange (Sakura); Cardstock: orange & white textured cardstock (DCWV); Flower: Prima Marketing; Papers: Blue, Stripes, Dots (Making Memories); Stickers: (Miss Elizabeths); Template: Regal Flourish (Crafters Workshop)Tools: Scor-it Board (Hammonds)

Lots more articles and eye candy to enjoy in the January issue of Scrapbooking.com so make sure to check it out!

Di

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Manufacturer Challenge - Crate Paper (3)

Some more cards this week for the manufacturer challenge, using Crate Paper! I am happy to say that all this particular line is USED. Yay, go me! That means I should be getting on with the other two lines of Crate Paper I have, lol. Really love this floral paper though!

Supplies: Papers: Crate Paper; Ribbon: KI; stamp: Kim Hughes (CHF); Ink: CTMH;

By this time I only had a few scraps of the papers left, but eeking out supplies is something I pride myself on, so I whipped up a couple of cards using one of my favorite designs/sketches of mine. Perfect for those little leftover peices!

Supplies: Papers: Crate Paper; stamp: Kim Hughes (CHF); Ink: CTMH; flower: Prima; Brad; Doodlebug;

Managed to get two of these cards done before I called this line finished and trashed the tiny scraps leftover. I think hands down this is one of my very favorite card designs.

Supplies: Papers: Crate Paper; stamp: Fiskars; Ink: CTMH; flower: Prima;

So hopefully I'll be moving onto GREEN and browns/blues next week! Plus the remainder of the black and white papers! Sheesh who knew I had so much patterned paper! lol!

Di

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Digital update - new layout templates!!!

New in my digital store this week is Template Bundle #8! DiAGRAM Singles #43 - 48 feature room for 1 -5 photo's. Each single DiAGRAM contains 3 templates in 12x12, 8.5x11 and 11x8.5 sizes. PSD and PNG files are included. Digital products available at Di Hickman Designs, Scrapwow or A Cherry On Top

Also remember that each template included in the bundle is available to purchase individually. The bundle is better value but I understand that sometimes people prefer to purchase one or two per pack rather than the whole set. I know I do! Again these individual templates are available at Di Hickman Designs, Scrapwow or A Cherry On Top

More new digital products each week!

Di

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Boxer Projects

Thought I'd share some Boxer projects I've been working on recently. My computer screen had this weeks sketch up on it and I decided to use that for a Boxer card and I think it worked out great.

Supplies: Stamps, ribbon, paper: Boxer Scrapbooks; Ink: Tsukineko

Also wanted to share these calendar pages from the Dec/Jan issue of Ready Set Create ezine. I'm slowly working on the 6x6 calendar and half page calendar.

Enjoy the weekend!

Di

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Project 12

Ok so it hasn't quite got the same ring to it as project 365, or project 52, but my plan this year is to document MY life right NOW every month with photo's and journaling. I know it doesn't sound much but I really struggle to document the ME in my scrapbooks.

My plan is to use a digital template (I used my own template 27 and flipped it for a double pager) which has room for a few smaller photo's, journaling and most importantly is something that I could add to as and when needed as the month progressed. I decided on digital/hybrid for this album as this is something that I plan on doing EVERY MONTH and I like to use the same format for those kinds of albums. Plus keeping it basic keeps the focus on the photo's and journaling which is what I wanted.


Now I know what you're thinking "but Di, January isn't over!" well for me it is. By that I mean my own deadline, rather than being the calendar month start/finish my deadline is my birthdate. So each month on the 16th I have a goal to document the previous months photo's and events in just one layout. The detailed layouts can come later :)

Another factor in this is I don't consider the monthly goal finished UNLESS the layout is printed, embellished and in my album. I just printed these pages off and embellished with real brads, flower and button. I also ended up mounting the pages on green cardstock as I didn't change printer settings and the first one ended up having 1/2" white border, but rather than waste photo paper I'd prefer to waste cardstock, so printed the 2nd sheet the same and just mounted on green cardstock. I actually prefer it now! One of those happy accidents! Here's a scan, though not a very good one as the page ended up being a bit lumpy with the flower and button, it looks TONS better IRL.


I have another long term project I'll be starting in March that will be running consecutively with this but more of an event thing, and I need to get the project together, work on the album and the details, so more info on that soon!

More project 12 on the 16th February!

Di

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2 year layout sketch anniversary - January sketch

This month marks TWO YEARS of doing layout sketches on the blog! As such something a little different that I haven't done in those two years... a double page card sketch. I started doing these a few months ago as digi templates and I love them. When I started scrapbooking I did a LOT of double pagers and I still them occasionally now. There is something about double pagers though that I like designing. Maybe it's the fact that there are more options, more variety? So here is the sketch for January 2009!

The digital template is available for sale in my digital stores.

One thing I like about double pagers is LOTS OF PHOTO'S. Perfect for documenting events. These photo's are from my birthday in December 2008, remember I said we went snowboarding, well I scrapped those pics! Go me! Anyone who knows me, knows that usually new pics sit on the hardrive for at least 6 months before they get scrapbooked, but I'm trying to actually scrapbook more. Oh and for those wondering no my coat doesn't match the kit perfectly, I altered it in photoshop :) I'd like one this color (or a bit lighter) to match my snowboard, but till my current one wears out, or I see a the perfect one on sale, I'm stuck with red. I chose to use the 8.5x11 version of the template.

"Snowboarding" digital layout by Di Hickman
credits: Double template #5 & January Freeze by Di Hickman

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"Papa's Snow Hill" digital layout by Renee' Morris-Dezember
Credits: Elements Used: Everything by PamelaDonnisDesigns and "Going Dotty" Alpha by Vicky Parker

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"xmas carols" digital layout by Brigitte v.Tienhoven
Credits: Kit Constanze by Lauraskathi

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"Let it shine" digital layout by Dawn Inskip
Supply List: All kits by Dawn Inskip, Tinsel Town Alpha, Expressions Love, Passion, Spirit, My Gift

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"Sledding Fun" layout by Jackie Price
Materials used: Fancy Pants – Arctic Chill; KI Snowflake Lace; Misc buttons; Chipboard letters

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"Walk this way" layout by Celeste Brodnik
Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Pattern Paper: Reminisce, Pebbles Inc.; Stickers: Reminisce; Glitter Snowflake Die Cuts: Me & My Big Ideas; Letter Stickers: American Crafts

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Di

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