Free for a Limited Time - A Genealogist's Stay-cation

It's week 3 of the Next Designer Contest at the DigitalScrapbookingStudio and I once again entered with another mini-kit. This is the round where no commercial use products are allowed. In other words, the kit needs to be created from scratch with just the standard features of your software program(s) and your photos. This year CU4CU products (brushes, patterns, etc) were allowed as well, But I don't own these (at least not ones that would be applicable to the theme I chose). So I wound up using my own brushes, patterns, textures and layer styles in combination with the standard brushs, shapes, patterns, textures, filters and tools built into the software.

The theme for this round had to center around a "Stay-cation." I chose to create a kit suitable for genealogist/family historians with a focus on scrapping cemetery gravestones. But I think it is versatile enough for any type of heritage page and possibly even baptism/christening, confirmation, etc.

There are 8 papers and 16 elements. The elements are: 2 frames (one with "glass"), a ribbon, a bow, 3 balls, an ornamental stone disk, a stone cross, a tombstone, a flower, 2 foliage sprigs, chalk lines, a stack of old books and a journal card. The frames, journal card, chalk, and metal button on the ribbon were all computer-generated with some using scanned textures. The other elements were scanned and/or photographed and extracted. The graphics programs I used were Photoshop, ArtRage and LiveBrush - but primarily Photoshop.

The kit is pictured below and is free for a limited time.

Download links are available at the DSS gallery here: [link].  Sorry, link expired.

Thanks for looking and don't forget to check out the other great kits while you are there!

Free For a Limited Time - By the Sea Mini Kit

I was absolutely thrilled to do so well in the last week's NDC at the DigitalScrapbookingStudio, and entered again this week. The theme for this week was beach getaway and the requirements were to make a mini kit with 8 papers, 17 elements and 3 clusters. We also had to chose a beach photo for inspiration and the creation of a palette.

I had a hard time getting started with this because I didn't want it to be a re-hash of my "Sailor's Moon" kit from last year. So I really did my best to avoid using the same or very similar elements - which was a little hard to do as I was looking through my beach-y photos and stash!

My inspiration photo of the Salty Dog is one that I took when we were at Hilton Head, South Carolina back in the summer of 2008. In keeping with that, I was going for slightly shabby and weather-worn -- but still a little sparkly!

There are 8 papers, 5 painterly/patterned and 3 in coordinating solids. The 17 elements are: 2 frames, 3 flowers, a grass sprout, a foliage sprig, a tag, intertwined ropes, a ribbon, a nest, a shell, driftwood, a letter in a bottle, dangling shell charms, a glitter spray and a sand splat.

There are also 2 frame clusters and a driftwood cluster. All are pre-shadowed.

If you like it the download links are in my description on the gallery page at DSS [link].  Sorry, link expired.

Grab it soon because it will only be available for a short time. You can also grab some of the other great kits while you are there!

Thanks for looking and enjoy!

Free For a Limited Time - Back Road Treasures Mini-Kit

Yes, I haven't posted here since the beginning of the year... But I'm back now with a new free-for-a-limited time mini!

This is another one for the next designer contest at the DigitalScrapbookingStudio. A color palette was provided plus the theme of "Road Trip." Also required exactly 12 elements and 5 papers (3 patterned and 2 solid).

My take on this was a leisurely drive on a Sunday afternoon. No highways, staying on the back country roads where there are more farms and fields than houses. And you just never know what treasures you may find! Thus the kit: Back Road Treasures.

What you get is five papers, 2 "painterly" and one more traditionally patterned and 2 textured solids.

The 12 elements are a battered wood frame, a green grill, a car, a berry sprig cluster, a paper flower cluster, a battered road sign, a cluster of 2 glass bottles, a butterfly, a mulberry paper tag, a stitched and pleated ribbon, a strip of washi tape and a "textury" paint smear.

The paint smear was created in ArtRage, the other papers and elements were made using Photoshop CS5. My biggest challenge with this kit was the transparency on the glass bottles. Hopefully I achieved something close to realism! And without further ado, here's a preview of the kit.

To download, you will need to go to the gallery at the studio [link] where download links for skydrive are provided.  Sorry, link expired.

Grab it quick if you like it!

Thanks for looking!