Updates to My Library for My Digital Studio™

Further to my post from a few weeks ago about the new iPad App to keep track of your MDS purchases, you can now download the app for Android tablets and Kindle Fire.

Remember that you can't actually link your copy of MDS to the app, so you will have to manually search and add your purchases to your own list - what a great way to review and revisit your past purchases :-)

Digital Scrapbooking Days 2013

Okay, I'm a little late with this one, sorry - November caught me unawares this time around.  Stampin' Up! are currently running Digital Scrapbooking Days - each day until the 8th you can grab a Daily Deal on a digital download.

The deals are as follows:

• November 5 Be Brave Pocket Cards
• November 6 Nobody’s Business Photobook Template
• November 7 Autumn Traditions Kit
• November 8 Afternoon Daydream Kit

And if you create a project using the Daily Deals, you have a chance to win free downloads - see MyDigitalStudio.net for more information.

NEW! My Library for My Digital Studio™

Those of you who are now using My Digital Studio™ would know it can be tricky to keep track of what you've bought, not to mention all the great downloads you want in the future.

Well, there is now a solution!  Stampin' Up! has released an app (currently only for the iPad and iPad Mini, although I am told that a version for other devices is in the works) where you can keep track of your purchases, make a wish list, browse downloads and see the latest releases.  You can even link directly to the Online Store to shop for new downloads!

I downloaded the app the other night to have a play, and found it easy to use and very attractively designed as well :-)

You can't actually link your copy of MDS to the app, so you will have to manually search and add your purchases to your own list, but it's not at all difficult and is actually kind of fun to see what you already own - I found myself seeing my older downloads as if for the first time and thinking of ideas to use them as I went through the catalogue.

The app is free, too, so what's stopping you from downloading it today?  Even if you don't have MDS, you can get the app and browse the great digital content - many of the files available can be used in any graphics program.

As always, contact me if you want more information about My Digital Studio™, the My Library for My Digital Studio app or anything Stampin' Up!, just drop me an email.

Another MDS project

I have been playing around a lot with My Digital Studio (MDS) recently, although most of the time I am just fiddling about seeing what I can do with it (answer:  a LOT).

Here is one of my earlier, finished projects (my Dad's 80th birthday last year).  Now bear in mind I am not a scrapbooker, not in the traditional sense.  I have always enjoyed "dressing up" my photographs with the many digital scrapbooking elements available out there on the web, and am having some fun doing the same thing with purely Stampin' Up! digital paper, stamps, accessories and colours.

Because the elements within MDS are all digital, in most cases they are scalable - so a stamp image can be shrunk or enlarged (to a point) to suit your project.  The swirls shown on this page (from Autumn Elements) have been reduced slightly, and I also reduced the opacity a little so they weren't so "stark" in their original black.  I could have recoloured them, but liked the contrast.

My next challenge with MDS will be to take some of my finished projects to Big W or Harvey Norman or somewhere similar to get them printed up in proper scrapbook page size :-)  I'm looking forward to seeing how they come out.  I am even thinking about t-shirts, or printed canvases, not to mention the flexibility of "hybrid" projects using both digital and physical elements - there is so much I want to do with this product!

Most of the content on this scrap page is made with elements which come with your initial purchase.  You can see a full list of what comes with the "full version" of MDS here, and the 30 day trial version here.

Images © 1990-2013 Stampin' Up!®

My Digital Studio - a report from a new user

Well, I have been having a play with Stampin' Up's digital scrapbooking software (My Digital Studio, known as MDS), and have to say that it's pretty good!

I have been using graphics software in one form or another for over ten years, and while MDS isn't going to replace your Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro when it comes to editting photographcs, it certainly does the job when it comes to making digital scrapping easy and fun.  The initial program comes with lots of free digital paper, digital stamps, digital punches and so on, with the options to use the exclusive Stampin' Up! colours and images in a variety of ways.

There are also a few additional downloads available free through my shop (see that "Shop Now" button there?  Click it to be taken directly to my online shop), as well as tons of other digital content available for very reasonable prices.  Even if you don't have MDS, much of the content is in JPG or PNG format, which can be used in most photo editting programs (there is a bit of content which can only be used with the MDS, but not enough to make it restrictive).

Now, I am not really much of a scrapbooker - you can probably tell that from the content of this blog - but I have digi-scrapped in the past.  Mostly I have created small "pages", the size of a regular photograph, and have it printed then to put in my regular photo albums.  But since downloading MDS over the Easter break, I have actually made three layouts!  Yes, a whole three!

I also made a new blog header - which is why everything is very orange today :-).  I have no idea why it's orange, it just ended up being the background "paper" I liked the best at the time (late last night - that might explain things) and it kind of went on from there.

Here's one of the layouts I did (my dog looking festive and very confused last December.  I think the hat lasted approximately 5 seconds on her head before she scraped it off):

You can find a lot of useful information on how to use MDS over at mydigitalstudio.net, a site Stampin' Up! has set up specifically for this software.  There is a forum, plus loads of instructional videos.

Feel free to download the MDS Free 30 Day Trial to give it a go (via my shop).  If you like it, it will only cost you $24.95 (Preferred Price) to upgrade to the full version.