December 31, 2010

PCS Earlybird Special





The new year is beginning and with it a new year of the Paper Crafters Sampler.   Another year filled with creative ideas to get your monthly paper crafting projects off to a great start.

The January issue, "With Love..." kicks off with projects for the season of Love for those special people in your life.

Be sure to take advantage of the Earlybird special and get the full year of 2011 for special savings.

December 21, 2010

Dynasty Ornament ~ Paris

Sharing another Dynasty Ornament.


December 19, 2010

Dynasty Ornament ~ Poinsettia

A few days late with the directions for the Dynasty Ornament, but here they are.  It was more difficult to put into words than I thought.  Hopefully the directions and shapes I created will be easy enough to follow.

There are several ways to recreate the ornament.  Cut the template shapes and layer them one on top of the other, using the smaller layers as a guide to create your side 'strips'.  Then push them up a bit (gently) and adhere to the base.

You can find the template (along with a few others) in the "Freebie Template" group on the PocketsOfInspiration.NING  (POI.NING) site.  Like most NING's you must first sign up for the site.

Here's another sample to get you going.   If you happen to try it be sure to post your samples to the POI.NING.



December 14, 2010

Dynasty Ornament

Here's something I've been working on.  A different kind of ornament. I call it the Dynasty ornament.  After a week of tweaking it, I'm ready to share.

I'll be posting directions and a template towards the end of the week for those who'd like to recreate their own.


I really love how it came out!  That large flourish is from the Presto Patterns digital downlaod.  It's one of four BEAUTIFUL designs you can print as many times as you want and whatever size you need. 


December 3, 2010

Holiday Wreaths

Found these creative Holiday wreaths while browsing online and just thought I'd share. 

Origami Wreath from Dolloar Store Crafts



Doily Wreath from Dujor Mag




Check out this yellow doily wreath.  Thinking outside the box here; this would look great for a Baby Shower or Spring.


December 1, 2010

Ornament Hop

A few of the design team members of the Paper Crafters Sampler have put together a mini-hop.  Below I've createad a paper ornament to showcase the 3D ornament template provided by our fellow DT member Cherie Franklin. The template can be found on the Pockets Of Inspiration.NING.com site under the "Freebie Template" group.

The original template has square cut-outs, but I change mine up a bit to have circles.  Take a look.





Now it's time to see what the other design team members have created.




Cherie Franklin ~ STAMPCRAVE.BLOGSPOT
and



November 27, 2010

Winter's Tale

Winter is here, and with it lots of snow and bitter cold.  Many find themselves occuping their time indoors, catching up on projects and finding ways to keep warm.   That's what the Design Team of the Paper Crafters Sampler kept in mind when preparing for "Winter's Tale", The December 2010 issue of Paper Crafters Sampler.

Inside the Winter issue, you'll find the projects useful for before and after the Holiday season.

Here's a preview:


Winter's Tale ~ PCS December 2010 from Melanie Schulenberg on Vimeo.
With the arrival of winter comes glistening snowflakes, the holiday and time with family and friends....

Read more about "Winter's Tale at: PaperCraftersSampler.com


November 24, 2010

Online Spectacular

Sweet potatos in the oven since 5:30am.  Working on the carrot souffle now.  I'm hoping to do enough today so there's only heating required tomorrow.

The spouse is taking the kiddos out to Henderson swamp for a kayaking trip.  That'll keep them occupied for a while until I get the house cleaned, at least to enjoy our Thanksgiving meal.


Now, for the online spectacular.  A one week event that allows you to save 20% - 50% on paper crafting supplies.  Enjoy shopping online from the computer of your home, avoiding that holiday traffic and over crowded stores.

What's even more spectacular than ordering from your home is FREE S&H with any $150 order or more, which also includes hostess benefits!  Now THAT'S a deal!

I've created a PDF showcasing images of all the products available.  Check it out HERE.

Remember, to receive the discounted prices and benefits, make sure you use my name as your demo, Melanie Schulenberg

A few of the items up for sale:

My Digital Studio ~ 50% OFF (reg. $79.95, sale: $39.98 )



Various Bigz dies:


Onilne Digital images (compaitable with other PSE, & Photoshop, Paint and other photo editing software).


Medallion Digital Image



Deck the Halls Digital image.  These elegant black and white images can be printed over and over.  Use them to design your own holiday cards.  Color the images using dye pads, watercolor pencils or chalk.




Presto Patterns Digi image



Funky Four stamp set and accessories.  Available in Wood or Clear Mount.





Designer Fabric ` 50% off!




Basket and Blooms Bigz



Pony Party Bundle stamp set and accessories.  Available in Wood and Clear Mount.


November 14, 2010

Happy Annivesary

We sent the kiddos away for the weekend as it was our 17th anniversary (which was officially Friday).  Well, we only sent them away Saturday night, enough for us to spend quality time together without having to get juice listen to the Wii.

These were sent to the office on Friday.  Spending the rest of the weekend enjoying them.


and the vase they came in....



November 9, 2010

The Winner and Sneak Peek

Thanks to all those who participated in the drawing for copy of the November issue of the Paper Crafters Sampler.  The winner was selected through a random generator, and they are:

Congrats to Ruby!  Send me your email address and I'll make sure you're on board to receive your copy of the November issue when it goes live to subscribers November 10th.

Thanks again to all those who played. Here's another sneak peek of what's in store for the November issue:



November 7, 2010

Merry Makings.....

The November issue of the Paper Crafters Sampler, "Merry Makings" is just 3 days away.

This month the design team members are offering a free issue of the November sampler to one lucky reader.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post sharing one of your favorite holiday traditions.  Baking cookies, visiting neighbors or sitting by the fire opening gifts.  All entries must be posted by 5pm tomorrow (Monday evening) to be eligible. 

Want to double your chances?  Join PocketsOfInspiration.NING and post a sample of your latest project in the Photo Gallery.  Once again,  you must post a photo on the Pockets Of Inspiration.NING site by 5pm tomorrow evening.

Check out the video below for a little sneak peek of what the November has in store.




Merry Makings from Melanie Schulenberg on Vimeo.
Preview of the November issue of the Paper Crafters Sampler.

November 2, 2010

Holiday Helper 2010

Well, it's finally here. The 2010 Holiday Helper.


The holidays are just around the corner, and I have a wonderful opportunity for you.

Starting November 8th, I will be sending out project ideas to put you in the holiday mood and help you enjoy a handcrafted holiday season. With each mailing, you will receive a picture of the finished project, and a complete supply list with a step-by-step tutorial.

Interested?  Great.  All you need to do is make sure you've joined my mailing list.  Simply select the "Sign up for Inspiration" on the left side bar.

October 31, 2010

Ponsettia Treat Box Card



A tutorial showing how to assemble the treat box card template.

Try it out and feel free to post your results to the gallery.




Treat Box Card from Melanie Schulenberg on Vimeo.
An all-in-one paper template for creating a treat box and card.


October 29, 2010

Mystic Moon

Here's a photo I nsapped the other night.  Night time photos really aren't suited for a point and shoot camera, or long range, but even at this great distance the details are still visible. 

The only thing missing from this golden glow would be the silhouette of a werewolf or better yet, a little witch on a broom.


Here's the same photo modified with My Digital Studio.  What cha think?


October 24, 2010

Spirits of the Dead

Spent the bulk of the day typing up art notes.  There were occasional breaks to play with Shakespeare, which I might add is very frisky.  She's getting along well with her own kind.

At the end of the day I had to do something creative and focused on Halloween (only 7 days away)!

This image is from the "Night Owl" digital download.  I printed out several of the designer paper black and white images on cardstock and proceeded to cut them out.

The downloads are designed to work with My Digital studio but will work just as well with any other software that supports JPEG, PNG and layers such as: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Jasc Paint Shop Pro (PSP), Microsoft Digital Image Pro (DIP), Ulead Photo Impact (PI), Corel Draw. My Digital Studio designer templates are exclusive to My Digital Studio and are not compatible with other programs.

One of the biggest advantages of using the digital images is being able to size them up and down to fit your specific needs.

Here's my card:






October 19, 2010

Pumpkin Patch

Here's the reamining images from our Pumpkin Patch visit.  To see the FULL size image (these are cropped), simply select on the image.








Check out these gooseneck gourds.




Mushrooms gourds.  How knew?





October 17, 2010

A Southern Pumpkin Patch

A spur of the moment trek to Trinity Lutheran Church for a photo op in the pumpkin patch with the boys today.

There were only 3 images altered/cropped. The lighting was perfect. It's nearly impossible to take an unworthy photo with so many brightly colored gourds in one place.

Below are a few images from our journey, and through the power of blogging you'll get to join us.  Let's go.


First up...the entrance (partial view of the full patch).  I took this through the front window while driving in.


The Warty gourd....


The REALLY Warty gourd.....


Shade, sun, oak trees and gourds.  This photo should give you a feeling of what the weather was like today.
A perfect fall day!


THIS is my FAVORITE image.  Isn't this woody stem amazing??  Great contrast against the bright orange color and ripples on the pumpkin.


An orange mass beneath a shady Southern oak.  This was my second favorite image. 


Sunny pumpkins.


A few off-color gourds.  Just as beautiful as the orange ones.




It's interesting how some interpret the word "Smile"....




That's it for now.  I'll have the remaining images tomorrow.