Create Something Today

design food for thought

http://antonpeck.com/journal/article/anti-inspiration

I have been there totally. Have you? I know of others who have. I suppose I'm still searching for that 'peace' in my work flow that I once had in the beginning. Look around his site for some for some more 'food' :)

But his way is not the only way to be productive. What do you do when you are in a creative rut? Maybe looking at galleries helps you. We are all so diverse. What gets your creative juices flowing? Comment below and there will be a winner of a goody :)

So yes, very refreshing. Hit my nail on my head for sure and brought to you on a just-in-case-you're-interested basis ^_^

-out

Kit Release Thursday!!!

It's Thursday. It's Thanksgiving day and it's a colorful day over at my shop! The new Pamela papers are now available and EVERYTHING in my shop is 20% off all day today!!!  as well as many other store offers at The Digichick!!!

 
  

  

  

[Pages by Anilu using the Pamela paper pack and the Open Book Square Template.]

 .....................................................................................................................................................................

Registration for Tiffany Tillman's online digital class- 25 Days of Templates: Holidays 2009 is still open! What a fun and stress free way to get your Christmas album done this year! You can find out more about it in this

post.

Also, with the Holidays coming up I'm getting ready for Christmas Joy! I will be offering everything I make for Tiffany's class, last year's Christmas kit and new holiday papers next Thursday! It's all about wishes next week so I'm super exited! 

So until then...

 
-peace

layouts, tip, sneak peek + a fire

Well hello guys! So everything has been so much fun since everyone has been well. It really makes a difference when you don't have to quarentine half of the house lol! So yes, Kody had his school performance on Thursday. Didn't get to see it last year so I was determined to get a front row seat this year. Well, it didn't go quite as planned. Let's just say he walked on stage during the performance (from the crowd mind you); took his spot. Sang a song. Then it was over! But you guys...he spotted me in the crowd and started waving and jumping up and down. I was so happy I was there even if it was only like 10 minuets or so ^_^ O my GOSH I love him....

Then there was the fire. I'm cooking breakfast and I think I'm Martha Stewart right? Like scrambled eggs and sausage are advanced or something. So I'm at the stove and I go to Flip one of those sausages over and the stove lit up on fire. It wasn't too big but big enough of a flame and it wasn't going out. Now you would think I would refer back to the "How to Put Out a Stove Fire" manual in my brain but when I saw the flames I drew a blank. All I could say was O S**T! ...O S**T! Seriously, all decorum and lady like manners were out the door. Reflex told me to cuss so that was exactly what I did. It sure helps when you stub a toe and it helped me then too! And then there were the kids. As I'm doing my potty mouth dance the smoke alarm goes off. I'm like O S********T! The girls cover there ears and run like the dickens screaming to their room. I quickly get a towel, fan the smoke detector and it stops. I look behind me and Kody is crawling on the floor. He tells me as calm as can be while he's crawling, "When there is a fire you need to stop-drop-and crawl on the ground because smoke rises." I'm like hu? The girls sound louder than the smoke detector, I'm cussing like a sailor and running around like a chicken with no head, the house is smokier than Snoops car and Kody's crawling on the floor shooting out tips on fire safety. There had to be one of us who was sane lol...

Then DerRick asked me to do a insignia for his online gaming guild. He always liked the wolf logo from Bloody Roar and wanted something similar. So I came up with this

Oh they were very specific too. You know us scrap gals...we want to add bling, dimension and a bow if we can right? lol...they wanted flames (not the realistic kind either), gold wolf, black backround, all man and no fluff ^_^ So There ya go.

Those were the highlights of the past week for sure :)

So on a more scrappy note; I wanted to show you all a peek at a new paper pack coming Thursday to my shop.

 

There are 16 papers, a border rub-on and a brush. I custom made the design and it was so cute + I really liked the colors so I switched re-invented the design for the papers. They ended up being the same design done in totally different ways. I just think they're super adorable with the houndstooth undertones ^_^

I also have been having fun with the Book Templates. I did one using the Pamela kit here

Anilu is also having fun with the templates ^_^

Her situation is interesting because she doesn't have access to her paper stash because of a move so all she has is her computer and digi. She's really having fun :) It comes in handy too because once you get the hang of it, digital can really save you time. I know it's right on time for me right now with being more busy than I used to be. But don't think I've put away my scissors and glue. NEVER!!!!! ^_^

So many of you have wondered how to use templates. As you can see above, the book is a template and all the decorative edge pages are templates as well as the pictures. Well the pictures used to be anyway. For example. Take the third layout there. The one with the circles. That template comes in the kit and it looks like this:

 
And she added her pictures and the clock decoration to it. It can be daunting trying to figure out how to do it so I have a little video so you can get a better idea.

 

It's basically this sequence here:

Load Selection, Fill Layer, Select Inverse, Delete or Erase.

In a nutshell, you should make sure you know how to Load a Shape as a Selection and then your ready to do your thang! Here are the steps, in text, on how to load a selection withing Photoshop. 

1. Mac: Hold down the APPLE key and click on the picture icon of that layer. Windows: Hold down the CTRL key and click on the picture icon of that layer.
2. Mac: Hold down APPLE key and click on the name of the layer. Windows: Hold down the CTRL key and click on the name if the layer.
3. Any computer:Go to SELECT > LOAD SELECTION.

It really does get easier I promise ^_^ Once you got the hang of it it's super neat-o.!

 

If you do not have Photoshop then you can download a free 30 Trial of CS4 and the new Elements 8 here. You can get a LOT done in 30 days so if you have any questions you can email me and I will get right back with you. Also, my newsletter is coming soon so if your interested to know what I'm up to and in receiving special 'delights' then make sure to sign up!

Until next time; Enjoy the Holidays!!!!

-Peace

workshop delight

It's almost Monday and that means week 2 is going to start! I'm exited about it! Everyone is super sweet and are eager to learn. I wanted to show you some pics of one of the journals that have been made

This album is by lasmanitasdevinnie she made a stunning keepsake. I loved how she punched out my paper designs with the circle punch! And those feet......seriously adorable!!!!

Thanks for sharing L!

-out

bitter sweetness

How can I simply put this past week. Interesting? Yes. Frustrating? yes. Blessed? Yes. Shocking? Yes. Exiting . Yes. Eye Opening? Yes. Sad? Yes. I would say just about every emotion was felt lately and It's all part of this crazy life we live.

To pick a few things and to start off. My workshop opened up Monday. I was SO exited the days before. Nervous as heck but exited just the same. I just wanted everyone to get at least one thing from each week that they can hold on to forever. So I was constantly really not knowing what would happen. I had a good turn out and everyone has been gems! I'm looking forward to doing another workshop and it's only week one!!! Of course it didn't go down with out some bumps in the road. All I have to say about that is...

 

So...as I'm thinking of that I had to think about the family and sickness. again {groan} First it was Chloe'. She got a fever 103.8. She got better. Then DerRick starts showing signs that he want to get sick but no biggie. Then Kennedy gets pink eye in both eyes. They prescribed her eye drops over the phone. I keep her from school. Then here comes Chloe' not to be outdone. I caught her itching her stomach. It was so quick but a momma is a momma and I knew something was up. She had a rash all on her stomach and back. O Lordy...So I take her in and she's fine. Then I wake up ad check my emial. I'm half sleep looking at the screen and DerRick is beside me on his computer. I ask how he slept. No answer. Without thinking, I ask him again. "How did you sleep honey?" No answer. I look at him and ask him if he heard me. All he could do was point to his throat and he looked like crap.

o man...

SO...I guess it's the boys and me for the long haul lol! This season and school do not mix. And having an army of kids passing ickies between eachother is a full-time job to try and control.

Alright, so next...I'm super eager to make changes to my logo and blog. I wish I could but haven't the time. So I wait. And am still waiting for the time I can change things up a little. I'm so darn fickle lol!

On a high note...I'M ON JESSICA SPRAGUE'S SITE!!!!!!! ....well....sorta of lol! Check it out

here

That is a cute box made by Linda (aka linstamps) with the use of my Capture + Record kit. It looks super cute and I LOVE how she worked the hybrid!!!!!

Then, sadly, One Little Word is no longer. It was time to shut it down. It ran its course and ...well...yeah. Um...if you would like to visit one last time and read Ronda's exit post then you can view it

here

until next time. Keep on creating. Thanks for all your love and willingness to share you. We have seen some truly amazing works and I can't thank you enough. WE can't thank you enough. Visit the team in the future. We are all branching off and doing other things. Growing. I'm doing my own growing. It's a process but one that I love. 

 

[Photo by Rachel Speed]

Chat soon lovelies,

❤ Karla

the joy of the sketch

I never sketch my digital layouts. Rarely do I sketch my paper layouts. But I love to sketch out paper designs. It's a trial and error thing for me I must admit. I'm still a newbie at it but I really enjoy the process.

It's actually a fresh thing or me. I've always sketch drawings out on paper and anything digital I create on the computer from start to finish. But I find sketching out designs gives me for flexibility. This weekend I'm working on a some designs + a logo for a friend. It's been a long time since I worked on a freelance project of such a nature. My last one was a gift to a fellow dt member and she really liked it! You can view it

here

she wanted me to make a little logo to print on a T-Shirt. She was going to an scrapbooking event and wanted to show her pride for the DT. That was some years ago. I look back on it and I wonder how I decided to arrange the flowers the way that I did. I do that sometimes. Look back at my galleries and it's a cool walk down memory lane. So yeah, the sketch I did a couple of days ago is evolving quite nicely...

 

Interesting lol!

I'm going to get going. Just thought I would stop in and share what I've been up to. I think I'm going to eat a cupcake! Hi Kate!!!!

-out

new kits + a tip

Hello everyone. It's Thursday and that means new release day over at The Digi Chick. Come out out my shop. I have some of my older kits and 3 new paper packs! Everything is 20% of today only so come check it out! Here some previews of the new paper packs that are up in the shop.

I love circles and lines so why not lol! Here are some pages from the DT using the new papers.

pages by Anilu Magloire

page by  Essensevibez

ooo...love them. And such different styles too! I hope you all enjoy :)

Since last post, I have been getting some emails inquiring about decorative borders. Like in this layout here

I have put this little video together for you so that you can see how I do it. There are probably other ways but this is the process that I use to make decorative borders in Photoshop.

You can download the brush I used here:

Download Kd_HoledScalled_br

I included the.png file just in case you don't have PS. And just my luck if the download is wonky! I'm always having technical issues in some way or another so if it's not downloading right for you then please email me.

I hope you guys are having a relaxing day thus far! I will be back in a bit

-out

olw + digital chat

It's my Word Up over at One Little Word! I chose the word OPEN.

I feel like miracles have been happening all around me. Some smack me in the face and some are subtle and when I look back on them I am amazed. Like the boys. They are miracles. They are lucky to be here. I'm lucky to be here. With all the events that were trying to get in the way, somehow a miracle happened and now we are all here safe and sound. Be open to all possibilities. Be open to good no matter how low you are. I mean just being here typing on this blog is crazy. I would have never thought ALL this would be happening. My family, my online family. This place where I am making a difference in peoples lives. Thinking back to times when I thought I would never get out of bed again. My shyness...almost crippling in the past and now I reach out. I just called one of my sons good friends' mother for a play date. Yeah that may seem like normal to some but I was all freaky about that kind of thing. Always a worry wart for no reason. But I've grown so much and I love where I am at right now. I can honestly say that I am happy. Who woulda thought? I'm open to miracles alright. Two sets of twins back-to-back? Yeah...I'm open to miracles in deed.

This word up is sponsored by The Paper Niche.  They are offering up their beautiful September kit, School Rocks, for the selected winner. AND...they will receive a free invite to my online workshop: Journals 3 ways!!!

I hope you join in! I decided to do this page of the boys...

[credits- pp, letter sticker, staples, tag, brad, stitches, circles word brush: Karla Dudley Designs; Printer block letters (open): Kim Hill.]

Kayson is on the let and Chris is right. (they are total opposites yet identicle...crazy!) This is all digital using some of my new papers!!!! I also have some old kit stuff thrown in there like the staples, the number 2 sticker, circles word brush and stitches...So exited because these kits will be available tomorrow over at The Digi Chicks! Yep some old and some new! It feels good to be back! Will post more details tomorrow! But in the meantime...here are some more sneak peeks of some papers:)

(page by Anilu M.)

(page by me.)

I'm super exited to create kits again! It's been a challenge like no other just to create anything. I've most definitely had to re-work my creative processes since my family has grown um?....exponentially. lol! But yeah, I've taken a good while off from creating digital kits and have done some thinking about where I wanted to go from here.

I always loved the idea of merging traditional scrapbooking with digital scrapbooking. Whether it be hybrid or creating kits that simulate paper products. All-in-all I love making kits that can mingle with each other. I think I was successful with that in the past and I will work to continue to keep my kits that way. I LOVE using different manufacturers on my paper layouts and I love that same whimsy on my digital layouts as well.

So, what's new with Karla Dudley Designs?

Sharing. I want to share with you tips on how to achieve neat-o digital and hybrid results on your layouts + projects. I want to share with you techniques that I come to love. I hope to share your ideas too! I want to share you! Put work up from you guys so that everyone can see how cool you are! No but really, I'm so inspired by fellow artisans and I want you all to get that same 'fuzzy' feeling that I get looking at all the goodness around the web :)

Design. I am evolving as we all do. I'm finding myself exploring new avenues in my designs. I'm working on bringing them to life. I have always loved graphic design and typography so be ready to see a lot of that ^_^  I'm into hybrid as well. O the places we can go with hybrid! I can honestly say that I never really know how my designs will end up looking like. But I love pleasant surprises! I do know that I will strive to make kits that are universal and look pretty cool too ^_^

Interaction. I want to be able to share ideas with you all in the best way possible when I can. Visual/audio tutorials can achieve this in a way that pictures can not. I hope that this approach will be very helpful and super informative for you all. I want to keep you informed in-between posts as well. I will be starting up a newsletter again. This one will be a lot different. It will be more informative and not just about digital design but about scrapbooking as a whole. I promise I won't bug you with one every single day lol! It will be sent to give you the heads up on whats going on with my shop, blog, inspirations etc.

Purpose. I have a passion for scrapbooking. When I wasn't doing it I was missing it. I love both digital, traditional + hybrid. I believe each have there time and place. I also think that to have the option to choose is so cool. Overall I want to share a bit of myself. Right now, for example. I find myself short of time. So I need to get my creations done in a flash. Digital is perfect for that & so now I want to share this journey with you.

....of course this is all a process. It won't happen over night but this is where I'm at and right now I'm super happy and super exited just to be an artist!

I will be back tomorrow!,

-out

coming soon and the first day + kit news

hello everyone! Man o the freak man...it been super hectic. A good hectic but if you call not being able to eat anything but an 11 pm dinner a good hectic then yeah. That's my life right now lol! Today was the first day I actually felt exhausted. Not even kidding you. Check this out. Ok...so like the boys wake up at the same time right? I go to to make them each a bottle. I shake them up. Then I take the top off of one of the bottles and go to feed it to Chris. Um? Hello? Milk spilled all over the little dude!!!! I looked at him. Delayed and stunned for a few seconds like holy mac...I need a nap lol! But yeah, he didn't mind one bit. Speaking of...the boys got a HEP-B shot yesterday.

 

They were both asleep when they were given the shot Both whimpered for like 3 seconds (with their eyes closed) and then fell back asleep. Aw...gotta love the way of the baby! 

These past couple of days have been all about that doctor visit and school.

Yeah, Chloe' would NOT smile for the life of her lol! But that's ok :) They were so exited to go. They are super independent. I just know they will be running the joint in no time ha haaaa!

 

Kody got to back to his old school. All that calling worked! They didn't forget us hu? lol!!!! But yeah, he was ready too. His main thing was making new friends and reading. This boy LOVES to read :)

 

Always have to have that 'back shot' lol

 

Kody went right to his seat and started coloring.

 

The girls sat down on the carpet and played with blocks. I said "see you later" to Kody and I got a kiss :) I said "see you later" to the girls and I got nothing. They could care less if I left or not lol! You just never know ^_^

I've been up to something...

Yay! I will be starting Online Workshops in October! I'm really exited about this because I'm eager to show you all in depth how I put things together! I hope you guys enjoy! More information about my workshops to come. If you would like to put this badge on your blog then cool!  I know it's a little while off but the more the merrier! The code is:

<a href="http://karlastudio5.typepad.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l71/karlastudio5/workshopblinkie.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

For some more cool news...I will have my older digital kits up over at The Digi Chicks super soon!!!! All I need to do is get them ready for transfer. Right now over on their hybrid site is a project using Mini Envelope Album Kit. Here is a peak:

These little treasures are from Nicole Seitlerand her and daughter. You can view and get more information

here

And here is another album

here

So neat to see the different takes in this template!

Whew...I'm about to go take a well needed nap. Yeah...that sounds mighty spiffy.

-out

inspiration from the www: 01

There are so many things to look at on the web. I think we all kind of gravitate towards certain things more that others. And often times find whole 'new worlds' that we find interesting and commit to explore from that moment on.

Wait...teee heeee.....ok what in the world did I just say? lol! I was half paying attention to this post and partly watching DerRick and the girls play way to close to my computer.....

Alrighty so yes, I'm inspired by so many different things on the WWW. I never went to designs school or art school but I'm super into graphic designs. I love the effort, the steps it takes to make something super neat-o, and the uniqueness of the artists. Digital/graphic design encompasses a lot of different things. Like text, photos + the manipulation there of, handmade design, logo design...... So I've got some art that popped out at me and I hope you like them as much as I do :)

                                                 Art: by tutcandy

This graphic reminds me of an extra juicy Fall day :) It's super fun. The colors and the way it flips upside down but not...I love it! 

                                                A Very Long Journey Part1: by Zutto

Wow...now this is so neat! It tells a clear story of this girl in the middle about to go on a journey through, what looks to me, like the most awesome other world ever ^_^ I love everything about this. So well done and such vision.

So ...tonight I just thought I would play a bit. And started on making the word 'play' a little more interesting...

Play by me :)

 

Well, yeah...this was just play. I was going to finish it but don't think I will. I was wanting to do a little something with one color. I chose green because of the vines. I really like making things look outrageous. I mean think about it...what if you could make anything in your mind come to life through art? ....anything....

I will be back soon with more of my inspirations from around the web :)

-out