designs by jmdt

Creating "Art Paper" from Photographs

2012-01-29T20:02:00.000-05:00

Teri Hanson of DigiZines by Teri has (for one more day) an Art Paper challenge on her blog [here]. Basically, she has posted a short tutorial on creating "art paper" starting with a photograph and overlaying texture and digi-scrap papers and elements. I gave it a try, and came up with this:

If you like it, check back in a few days. I am planning to incorporate it into a free mini kit. In the meantime, hop on over to Teri's blog and join in the challenge.

Blog Facelift and New Facebook Page

2011-12-18T21:33:00.000-05:00

Well it seems like forever since I last posted to this blog, so I thought an update was in order. Since winning the Second Chance Contest at theStudio I've been plugging away going through the tutorials and videos at the digi design academy. It's been a lot of fun and extremely valuable watching Sherah. She not only demonstrates the mechanics of designing various kit components, but the videos also give insight into her design philosophy, digital organization and work flow and processes. I've definitely picked up some new ideas and techniques which I've incorporated into a new kit that I'll be posting here very soon -- so check back for that.

In the meantime, I've implemented some of the "marketing-type" changes -- including the redesign of my blog header to add clickable buttons as well as the creation of a facebook page for designs by jmdt. I'm working on getting the facebook page integrated with my blog postings, so hopefully that will happen beginning with this post. (Next on my list is integration with google+)

That's about it for now -- I'll be back soon with a blog freebie!

Great news plus Just for Fun Mini - Free for a Limited Time

2011-10-01T20:11:00.003-04:00

First of all, I have to say that I am totally thrilled about winning the Second Chance Contest at DSS! I thought all five of the designers in the final round created awesome kits so it was quite an honor to be selected. The prize is a scholarship to their Digital Design Academy. I am hoping that what I learn from the Academy combined with the skills I've been acquiring from the ps4all learning group and various online photoshop tutorials will enable me to really kick my designs up a couple of notches!

With the contest being over, I have deactivated the links for the three kits I created: Summer Afternoon, The Way it Was and Dancing Under the Stars. So if you have come here from a freebie engine and are looking for one of those kits, I apologize for the inconvenience. However, for the next month or so I have a new blog freebie - Just for Fun. It's one of my standard minis consisting of 5 papers and 10 elements.

I created Just for Fun to try out some new techniques and actions. It's a bit of a departure from my usual style, but I'm actually very happy with how it turned out. It's got the look and feel of paper scrapping. The elements are: a frame, a clip, a bow, rickrack, a stencil, a curly ribbon, a paper bird, a rolled paper flower, a paper leaf and a button. The papers are 12 x 12. All elements and papers are 300 ppi so that completed layouts are print-quality. And here's the preview:

If you like it, it's available on my skydrive account: [link]

Dancing Under the Stars - Free for a Limited Time

2011-09-27T07:19:00.003-04:00

Here is my entry in the final round of the Second Chance Contest at DSS. The requirements for this round were to tie into a theme of midnight, include an alpha and create a kit of with a maximum of 14 papers and 40 elements. Other than that, it was a free-for-all. This round was particularly hard for me because it takes me much longer than 4-5 days to create a kit of this size. I also had several other commitments this past weekend, so time was a very limiting factor.

My midnight theme was "Dancing Under the Stars." I recently read F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Beautiful and the Damned" and "Bright Young Things" by Anna Godberson. Both are set in New York City in the jazz age of the 1920s. So I was thinking of speakeasys and flappers and cigarette girls as inspiration. The kit mixes glamour and romance with a little bit of shabby.

You get 12 full size papers, 28 elements and alpha (upper case, lower case and numbers). The elements include: 3 bows, 2 button bows, 2 curled ribbons, a disco ball, 2 dress forms (one plain, one with a dress), 3 flowers, 3 frames, a glitter border, the moon, stars, iron flourish border, 2 pins, ribbon lace strip, pleated ribbon lace, a pocket watch, a 6-pointed star, a tag and a candle. I created several of the elements (including the dress and dress form, the moon, stars, candle and disco ball) entirely in photoshop. And here's the preview.

~~Download links are in the DDS gallery here: [link]~~ Sorry - this freebie has been retired

Enjoy and download soon as it will only be available for a short time!

The Way It Was -- Free for a limited time

2011-09-17T08:50:00.003-04:00

Yeah! I made it to the next level in the Second Chance Contest at DigitalScrapbookingStudio! As a result, I needed to make a mini-kit of 4 papers and 10 elements with no CU at all - no brushes, actions or stock photos for elements and textures. Also the theme was to be "evening news" and the style vintage. So here's what I came up with:

Here's the description:

Famous news anchor Walter Chronkite used to sign off his broadcasts with the phrase, "That's the way it is." As a take off on that, I decided to call my mini-kit "The Way it Was." It's a vintage kit with a news/media theme.

In keeping with the contest rules, no CU was used in the creation of the kit or the packaging (including my designer button).

The kit contains four textured papers, 2 with subtle patterns. For the elements, I tried to do a mix of photoshop generated and extracted from my own photos.

The elements are:

- flower w/ button center (flower and button extracted, thread generated)

- film frame and square frame (both generated)

- journal stack (newspaper, flower, leaf extracted, note paper generated but distressed with overlay

that was created from a photo)

- foliage (extracted)

- postcard (extrated; curl added in ps)

- radio (extracted)

- ribbon (generated)

- rivet/brad (generated)

- tag cluster (key, string extracted; tag generated)

~~The download link is available in the kit description in the dss gallery [link]~~. (Sorry - this freebie has been retired) While you're there, check out the other free minis -- there is some gorgeous stuff to be had!!

Hope you enjoy! (if you like it, download soon it will only be available for a short time)

Summer Afternoon - Free for a Limited Time

2011-09-10T13:18:00.003-04:00

Over at the Digital Scrapbooking Studio they are celebrating their Birthday Bash during the month of September with many special activities. And, of course, one of those activities is the annual next studio designer contest. There are some absolutely gorgeous kits being offered for free -- check them out in the studio gallery [link].

I didn't get around to entering the contest -- not a great time with school starting and hurricane Irene followed by a week of rain and flooding in our area. But they are allowing designers who missed the start of the contest, as well as those eliminated in round one, to enter the Second Chance Challenge. So I entered that for a chance at free enrollment in their design classes. And so all that is a very long introduction to my latest freebie - Summer Afternoon. For this challenge we needed to create a kit with 6 papers and 20 elements - including a cluster element. The kit name and theme (Summer Afternoon) as well as a kit preview template was provided. The designers could chose their own color palette and needed to make an "eye-catching" product name/label for the preview.

My kit has the required 6 papers - all 12x12 at 300 ppi. The elements include a rectangular frame, a perspective triple stamp frame, a double circle frame, a vine, a leaf spray, 2 flowers, a wooden butterfly, a wooden canary, a wooden teapot, a wooden button/brad, a lacy mat, a long curled ribbon, a short curled ribbon, a bow, an iron flourish, a rope with beads, a wooden sign/plaque, a line of cross stitches and a cluster frame (based on the double circle frame). So here is the preview:

~~Download links are provided in the gallery posting: [link]. Grab it soon as it will only be available for a short time.~~ (Sorry - this freebie has been retired.)

Summer Afternoon was inspired by the rustic elegance of my Aunt and Uncle's "cabin" on the lake. I spent many summer afternoons there over the years. Here's a layout I created with the kit that shows some of outdoor scenes at the lake:

That's about it for now... thanks for stopping by my blog and hope you enjoy the kit!

Summer Dayz Mini-Kit (Free for a limited time)

2011-07-28T16:10:00.006-04:00

Here's my latest free mini-kit. It's called Summer Dayz and was created for the color challenge at DSS [link]. It consists of the usual 5 papers and 10 elements, all created at 300 ppi. Papers are full-sized (12x12 inches). The elements include: a pleated ribbon and matching bow, a button, a fabric flower, a frayed fabric heart, a flower, an iron frame, 2 seashells and a stapled string. The color palette is soft greens, blues and a pop of yellow. It reminded me of a lazy summer day - hence the kit name and the "themed" elements. Here's the preview:

~~download from skydrive [link]. (Please let me know if there are any problems with this link - thx.)~~ Sorry - this freebie has been retired.

American Patriot Part 2 - Free For a Limited Time

2011-07-05T14:11:00.003-04:00

Well I promised a part 2 for my American Patriot Mini Kit series on or around July 4th. It's a little late, but it's here now! It uses the same color palette as part 1. (If you want part 1 and haven't downloaded it yet, do it soon as I will be removing the link shortly.) Part 2 has 5 papers and 10 elements: two bows, one folded ribbon, 2 frames, a stitched border of paper stars, a star circle, 2 flowers and a wooden fan. The papers are full sized (12x12 inch) and all elements and papers were created at 300 ppi, so resulting layouts are suitable for printing.
Here's the preview:

~~If you want the mini kit, download here: [skydrive-link]~~ Sorry - this freebie has been retired

And to all of you in the USA - hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday!!

Whimsy Mini-Kit - Free for a Limited Time

2011-06-15T19:34:00.003-04:00

I have another free mini-kit. This one was made for the color challenge at DSS. It contains 5 full-sized 12 x 12 inch papers and 10 elements. They include a circular frame, a string of pennants, a pinwheel, a fabric flower, a plastic flower, a crimped ribbon bow, a torn paper strip, a stitched rick-rack strip, a dragon fly and a balloon. I called it Whimsy because it's meant to be light and playful. For the most part the papers have sort of a water-color feel and the elements are meant to be, well, whimsical! And here's the preview:

~~If you like it, it's available for a limited time here on skydrive.~~ (Sorry - this freebie has been retired.)

Tropical Vintage Mini-Kit - Free for a Limited Time

2011-06-08T14:36:00.004-04:00

DigiDes came up with another great color palette for the color challenge at IvyScraps again this month, so I decided to join in. This kit has a vintage style with a tropical twist - hence the name Tropical Vintage! You get 5 full-sized 12x12 inch papers and 10 elements. The elements include: 2 frames, 2 rosettes, an iron grill, a brad, a curled two-tone ribbon, a tag, a lace mat and a hydrangea bloom. The elements and papers were all created at 300 ppi and so the resulting layouts are suitable for printing.

I am trying something a little new with the download. Instead of 4shared, I am giving skydrive a try. If you have any problems, please leave a comment and let me know. If this doesn't seem to work, I'll go back to using 4shared.

~~download-from-skydrive~~ (Sorry - this freebie has been retired)

Thanks for looking!!

American Patriot Part 1 - Free For a Limited Time

2011-05-30T19:56:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone in the United States enjoyed the Memorial Day long weekend. It is now (unofficially) summer in the northern hemisphere!! Originally called Decoration Day, the purpose of Memorial Day is to honor those men and women who died while serving in the military. In that spirit I am working on a kit called American Patriot. Part 1 of American Patriot is now available as a free mini-kit. (Look for part 2 on or about July 4th). What you get are 5 full sized (12x12 inch) papers and 10 elements: a frame, a ribbon, a length of ric-rac, a bow, a leaf group, a flower, a puffed star, a folded paper butterfly, a wooden cross and a star scatter. The kit was created at 300 ppi so that any layouts made with it are suitable for printing. And here is the preview.

~~If you like the kit, you can download here from 4shared.~~ (Sorry - freebie retired)

Enjoy!!

Timeless Mini - Free For a Limited Time

2011-05-05T08:41:00.004-04:00

Recently digides posted a color palette on her blog for a challenge at IvyScraps. (Check out her blog posting for a preview of the gorgeous starter kit she has available for the challenge.) The color combination is very trendy with shades of grays and gray-brown and a pop of yellow. Now I actually have 2 nieces who are getting married this summer, so I immediately thought the palette would be perfect for creating a classic, elegant kit that I could use to scrap some of the awesome wedding photos that I am hoping to take! But my vintage/ancestor photos are never far from my thoughts either. So I am trying to create a kit that is suitable for both. So far I have this mini that I decided to call TImeless. With iNSD ( inter-National Scrapbooking Day) coming up, I decided to post the mini as a freebie. What you get is 5 full-sized papers (12in x 12in) and 10 elements: a frame, an iron bird cage, a clock, a curled ribbon, a bow, a flower, a eucalyptus branch, a wire swirl, a button and a brad. As always, everything is created at 300 dpi and is suitable for printing. And here's the preview:

~~Download here from 4shared.~~ (Sorry - freebie retired)

Hope you like it and Happy iNSD everyone!!

Secret Garden Mini -- Free For a Limited Time

2011-04-17T19:30:00.003-04:00

Here's my latest free mini-kit, once again made for the color challenge at DSS. This kit contains three 12X12 inch papers and seven elements - all created at 300 ppi so they are suitable for printing. The papers are highly textured with lots of layers of overlays and brushes - and I love the way they turned out!! The papers (along with the color palette) reminded me of garden paintings and were the inspiration for the kit title and the elements. The included elements are: the iron grill, the ribbon (these are separate, NOT intertwined as shown on the preview), the cluster frame, the flourish/swirl, the butterfly, the vine and the tag. And here's the preview.

~~If you like it, it is available for download at~~
~~4shared~~ (Sorry - freebie retired)

Shabby Valentine Mini-Kit - Free for a Limited Time

2011-02-06T16:39:00.003-05:00

I just finished a new mini kit called Shabby Valentine. It has five papers and ten elements. It combines glitter and glitz with shabby and distressed. The elements include a large oval frame with inlaid heart shaped gemstones, a glitter border, a folded and curled ribbon, a curled strip of lace, a flower, a folded heart, a Love tag, a leaf, a gemstone brad and a flower with stem. The papers are 12x12 inches and all elements and papers were created at 300 ppi so they are suitable for printing. I used the color palette for the Color Challenge at DigitalScrapbookingStudio so hop on over there and check the other minis for coordinating kits.

~~If you like it, here's the download link:~~
~~4shared~~ (Sorry - freebie retired)

Thanks for looking and Happy Valentine's Day!

January Blues Mini-Kit - Free for A Limited Time

2011-01-18T01:00:00.005-05:00

First, I wanted to thank NanaScraps for letting me know about the designer contest at StuffToScrap. I really appreciate that you let me know about it, but I decided to pass on it because I've got some major projects that I have to finish up. I don't think I have the time right now to tackle a designer contest. (maybe the next one :) ). That being said, I still want to do some designing, so I decided to make a mini for the color challenge over at DigitalScrapbookingStudio. So here it is -- 5 papers and 10 elements. It's called January Blues. I started out thinking a wintery kit, but wound up adding in some vintage! The elements are a string of beads, a line of stitching, a torn paper frame, a ribbon curl, a tag, a flower, flowers on a stem, a knotted ribbon, a vintage pin (hanging by a safety pin) and a double staple. The papers are 12x12 inches. Both the papers and elements were created at 300 ppi so that layouts made with the kit are suitable for printing.

~~It can be downloaded from~~
~~4shared here.~~ Sorry - this freebie has been retired.

Also, don't forget to hop on over to DSS and check out the mini-kits from the other designers.

Take care (and stay warm if you're in the Northern Hemisphere) and enjoy the freebie!

Long Over-Due Update

2011-01-14T16:01:00.000-05:00

It's a little belated, but I hope everyone out there in cyberland had a great Christmas/New Year holiday!

Now for an update that is really long overdue -- but better late than never :)! Anyway, the digital scrapbooking store at which I was selling closed in November of last year. My original plan was to apply to another store right away, but then things got a little crazy. The bottom line is that I am currently taking some time off, but plan to get back into designing soon. I'll probably start posting a few freebies, and then start looking for a new store to sell.

Hope to be back soon!

~jmdt

November Blog Train - The Orient

2010-11-01T00:01:00.003-04:00

I have another freebie - this one for the November Blog Train. The theme for this train is "The Orient." Once again, there are about 100 designers and the freebies are really amazing! My piece contains 3 papers and 5 elements: a frame, a folding screen, a chop stick, a bow and a crab. It is pictured below. (Click on the preview for the download - it will be available until at least 12/13/10).

In case you run into any problems, the home site of the blog train is here.

And this is a snapshot of where you are now:
65. Scraps by Mara
66. designs by jmdt <-- you are here
67. Scrappin Wright

Enjoy the train and all the great kits!

Fall Carnival Blog Train

2010-09-01T00:01:00.003-04:00

I am very excited to be part of the September 2010 Blog Train Fall Carnival! Once again, there are just over 100 participating designers offering some awesome freebies! My contribution is pictured below. It has 3 papers and 5 elements all at 300 ppi. The papers are 12x12 inches. (Cick on the preview to download.)

Here'a a snapshot of where you are with links to the sites before and after mine.

47. Scraps by Mara: Scraps by Mara
48. designs by jmdt: <--- you are here
49. AliSarah Designs: Scrappin' Cuteness!

You can access the home page of the blog train here: Blog Train Home

Enjoy the freebies!!

On the Road Again - AMS Collab Kit

2010-07-01T18:05:00.001-04:00

Several of the designers at AMS (myself included!) have gotten together to create a Collab kit called "On the Road Again." While it's obviously a great kit for scrapping summer road-trips and vacations, it's also very versatile and can be used for many different types of layouts. And the best news is that the entire store (including the collab kit) is on sale for 50% off July 1st and 2nd. Be sure to check it out!! Here is a preview of the collab:

And here are some layouts that I created using the collab kit. I also used a template from LissaE Designs for the first one.

Thanks for looking!!

New Kit Sneak Peek and Picnic in the Park Blog Train Freebie

2010-07-01T00:01:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been a really crazy month, but I finally got another kit finished! It is called A Walk in the Park and it coordinates with my contribution to the Picnic in the Park blog train. It will be available in my store at A Moment In Scrap on Monday, July 5th and will be on sale for 1 week. I will also be offering a free set of quick pages, so check for that also. And here is a preview of the kit:

And now for the blog train and freebie. I am very excited to be part of the Picnic In the Park Blog Train!! This is a huge blog train with just over 100 designers participating, and there are some absolutely amazing freebies!!

The home page for the blog train is HERE. That site contains the complete list of all participants as well as a slide show of the previews.

Here is my part. Click on the preview to go to the download link. (The link will be active at least until August 31st.)

And here is a snapshot of where you are:
94. Memorie Creations: http://bothmadandgenius.blogspot.com
95. designs by jmdt http://designsbyjmdt.blogspot.com <--- you are here
96. Albina's secrets: http://albina-s-secrets.blogspot.com

Enjoy the blog train and if you like my contribution, please check out my coordinating kit at AMS!!

Sweet Memories MiniKit - Free for a Limited Time

2010-05-25T09:09:00.004-04:00

I have a free mini-kit called Sweet Memories that I made for the "Gift of Design" contest at DigitalScrapbookingStudio. Per the guidelines, there are 5 papers and 7 elements. I used minimal CU on this kit. The flowers and the ribbon on the tag were extracted from my own photos. The mat backing on the frame was also extracted from one of my scans of an old envelope and then I added the torn edges digitally. The other elements were made from standard preset shapes in PS with various papers, textures and styles added. The papers were made with patterns and overlays that I created. So where's the CU? Well, I used some brushes (by obsidian dawn) and also some online photos to create the the paper overlays and the textures.

Here's the preview. The elements are: 2 flowers, 1 fern, 1 cluster frame, 1 folded paper bird (with and without shadow), 1 tag and 1 staple. If you like it, it is available to download on 4shared. ~~Please go to the DSS gallery here for the link.~~ Sorry - freebie retired. (You can check out and download the other entries while you are there!!)

Hope you like it and thanks for looking!!

UPDATE: If you would like this mini, grab it now as I will be deactivating the link on June 2nd.

Color Challenge Mini Kit - Free for a Limited Time

2010-05-10T07:50:00.002-04:00

I have another free mini kit available in my store at A Moment in Scrap. It was made for the May Color Challenge there. It contains three papers and six elements: a frame, a fern, a stalk, a rope, a flower stamp and a flower. The preview is below.

~~Here is the store link where you can download.~~ (Sorry - freebie retired)

And here is a layout I made with the mini:

Thanks for looking!

Element Challenge at A Moment In Scrap

2010-05-06T12:20:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! I wanted to let you know that I am again hosting the Elements Challenge at A Moment in Scrap. This challenge is super-easy. All you need to do is create a layout with whatever element is specified and, in this case, the element is flowers. Just create and post a layout with one or more flower elements in the challenge gallery and post a link in the challenge forum. What could be easier!!?? Participation in any challenge at A Moment in Scrap earns you points toward a store gift certificate. (Check the challenge forum for specifics.) And..... (drum roll, please) as an added bonus for participating in the Element challenge, I am giving everyone the posting bonus previewed below. It is made with the same color palette as the May build-a-collab, For There's No Other, so be sure to check that out too!!

And here is the layout I made for the challenge. I used the kit you will receive as the posting bonus.

Thanks for looking!!

New Build-a-Collab - For There's No Other

2010-05-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

This month, in honor of Mother's Day, many of the designers at A Moment in Scrap have gotten together to create a build-a-collab kit. We have created paper packs and element packs that can be mixed together to build the kit of your choice! My contributions are previewed below.

You can find them at my store here.

Be sure to check out the other contributions while you are there!!

And here are some layouts I made with my part:

That's it for now. Thanks for looking!!

The Summer Surprises Blog Train is Here!!

2010-05-01T00:01:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone! I am very excited to be part of the Summer Surprises Blog Train!! This is a huge blog train with just over 100 designers participating, and there are some absolutely amazing freebies!!

The home page for the blog train is HERE. That site contains the complete list of all participants as well as a slide show of the previews.

Here is my part. Click on the preview to go to the download link. (The link will be active at least until May 31st.)

And here's a snapshot of where you are:
54. Designs by jmdt: designs by jmdt <<-- you are here
55. Z Pink Boudoir Designs: http://www.zpinkboudoir.info

If you like my part, I have a coordinating kit in my store at A Moment in Scrap. It is on sale until May 15th. And if you are reading this on May 1st, my entire store, including this kit, is 50% off for one day only!!! (click on the preview)

Thanks for stopping by!

Upcoming Sale at A Moment in Scrap

2010-04-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

In celebration of inter-National Scrapbooking Day on May 1st, I have a one day only sale of 50% off all the products in my store at A Moment in Scrap. Many of the other designers there are also running sales and specials. Click on the ad below to check it out!!

Thanks for looking!

Layouts with my New Kit - At the Beach

2010-04-28T17:43:00.001-04:00

I just finished making some layouts with by new kit, At the Beach, available here.

And here they are:

Deactivating Old Freebies

2010-04-28T13:39:00.001-04:00

I have recently been thinking about removing my old freebie links. The oldest of the kits are now a year old and since then I've learned quite a bit. Even some of the newer ones are probably not up to par with the kits I'm making now quality-wise, since I have only recently purchased some quality control PS actions.

So as I've been thinking about this, I was on my 4shared account today and it turns out that they have reset the download link counter for all of my freebies to zero. Geeze!! Oddly enough, though, the comments are still there! Anyway, I am thinking that maybe this is a sign that it's time to retire those old freebies. I may leave some of the more recent ones around for a while, but slowly they will be coming down. Just wanted to let you all know.

New Kit and Free Mini

2010-04-27T18:36:00.003-04:00

I just finished a new kit called "At the Beach." The kit is done in shades of pink and blue with some green and cream. It is a beach/lake/summer themed kit with 15 papers and 30 elements. Several of the elements are clusters. The kit is available in my store at A Moment in Scrap. It is on sale for 20% off till May 15th. The preview is below.

I made a free add-on for this kit which will be offered on a blog train starting May 1st, so be sure to check back for that.

I also have a free mini kit available today. It was made for the color challenge at A Moment in Scrap. The mini kit contains 3 papers and 6 elements: 2 double ribbons, 1 frame, 1 flower, 1 pearl and 1 bead scatter. If you like, you can download it for free from my store. ~~Just click on the preview.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.

Well, that's it for now, but be sure to check back soon!!

Till later,
~jmdt

New Kit - Shades of Spring

2010-04-09T15:29:00.002-04:00

Well, I finally finished my new kit! It features shades of pink, peach and green. I'm calling it Shades of Spring. It's my largest kit yet with 18 highly textured papers and 46 elements! Check out the preview below:

The kit contains the following:
18 12X12 inch papers
2 pieced paper birds
5 buttons
4 circle frames
1 double circle frame cluster
2 round tags
2 double rectangular tags
3 curly ribbons
3 doodle swirls (one with metallic finish)
2 double strip frames
2 double wire frames
3 fabric flowers
3 beveled flowers
3 straight ribbons with rope accent
4 sprinkles (one multi-colored)
1 staple
3 curly rope bows
3 rope bows

All papers and elements were created at 300 ppi and are suitable for printing. The kit is available in my store at A Moment in Scrap and is 20% off for the month of April. And as a special bonus, I have also put my WindSong Bundle kit on sale for 20% off for the rest of April.

And now here are some layouts made with the Shades of Spring:

Thanks for looking!!

A Free Mini Kit and a Sale

2010-03-18T09:42:00.005-04:00

I have two things today. First is information about my debut kit WindSong. I wanted to let you know that I have added a WindSong Cluster Element set to my store at A Moment in Scrap. See the preview below:

I have also put together a WindSong Bundle which includes the kit, clusters and bonus set of 2 quickpages. It is on sale for 20% off until March 31.

And the second thing is that I made another free mini kit!! This one is called Irish Eyes and contains 3 papers and 8 elements: 1 frame, 1 curled ribbon, 1 straight ribbon, 1 text block, 1 bead scatter, 1 brad, 1 shamrock and 1 double staple.

~~If you like it, you can downloaded it from A Moment In Scrap.~~
~~OR from 4shared.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.

Also, feel free to check out my gallery for layouts made with these kits.

Thanks for looking and enjoy the freebie!!

I Joined a Store... and I have a New Kit!!

2010-03-12T20:26:00.005-05:00

I have huge news -- I am now designing for a store called A Moment in Scrap!! It's a fairly new store and it's off to a great start. The team there is really friendly and the store is already starting to fill up with some great products! It's definitely worth checking out. And that, of course, gets me to the next part of this post -- I have a new page kit for sale in the store!! It's called WindSong and the preview is below. There are 15 papers and 30 elements. It would be great for heritage/vintage pages, but it's also versatile enough for other styles. If you like it, click on the preview to get to the store.

Till later,
~J

Grandma's Parlor - A Free Mini-Kit

2010-01-16T12:05:00.011-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone!! I have a new min-kit available. It was made for the color challenge at Digital Scrapbooking Studio (formerly StoneAccentsStudio).Yes, SAS has changed their name and is in the process of moving servers. Most things are working, but as of the time of this post there were still some issues with the gallery. In any case, this is the mini-kit I made for the color challenge. I went with a vintage theme and decided to call it Grandma's Parlor since some of the papers reminded me of wallpaper in a Victorian parlor. I tried to make elements in keeping with the theme. There are six papers and eight elements: 2 ribbons, 2 frames, 2 flower clusters, a scalloped mat and scatter of hearts. As usual, drop shadows are only on the preview.

Hope you like the kit. Note that the colors coordinate with the kit I made for the SAS color challenge in September, so the two should go together nicely!

Here are the download links:

~~4shared (Note: There were some problems downloading from 4shared, but I have re-uploaded the zip file, so hopefully it will now download ok. Please let me know if there are still problems.)~~
OR
~~mediafire~~ (Sorry - freebie retired)

Enjoy!!

UPDATE: I am so sorry but I found a problem with the frame elements after the files were uploaded. I have corrected it and re-uploaded the zips.

Vintage Christmas - Free Mini Kit

2009-12-31T16:28:00.002-05:00

I know the Christmas season is coming to a close, but I decided to create a kit for the RAK Member Mega challenge this month. The theme was retro Christmas, so I came up with this Vintage Christmas Mini. It includes 6 papers and 10 elements: 2 frames, 2 Christmas balls, a fabric tree, a star, a snowflake, a cluster and 2 bows.

~~If you like it, it can be downloaded from~~

~~4shared~~
OR
~~mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

Happy New Year and all the best in 2010!!

~jmdt

Blue Christmas - New Free Mini-kit

2009-12-08T09:27:00.001-05:00

I know it's been a while, but here is my latest mini-kit. I am really happy with how this one turned out and hope you like it too! It was made for the December color challenge at SAS. It has 5 papers and 9 elements: a rectangular frame, a string frame, a snowflake scatter, a greens cluster, two Christmas balls, a ribbon, a tag, and a stylized Christmas tree with a star. You can see the preview below. I did not post a close up this time because it seems to confuse the freebie search engines.

~~If you like it, you can download from the following:~~
~~4shared~~
OR
~~mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

Well, that's it for now.

~J

Fall in Pastels - Free Mini Kit

2009-11-09T11:07:00.002-05:00

I made a mini kit for the SAS Color Challenge this month. The kit has four papers and 9 elements: a multi-frame, a Thanksgiving frame, a plain frame, a wire mesh, a paper flower, a staple, a brad, a curled and folded ribbon and an etched tag. As usual, the papers and elements were created in PSP. I tried out a couple of new techniques and filters to make these, so I hope you like them. And here is the preview:

~~If you like it, you can download from 4shared or mediafire.~~ Sorry - freebie retired

And here is a close-up preview so you can see the details:

Hope you enjoy the kit and hop on over to the SAS gallery to check out the other challenge kits!

Autumn Days - A mini-kit Freebie

2009-10-20T22:19:00.002-04:00

Well, I was hoping to get this posted sooner, but time got away. Anyway, here is the mini-kit I made for the Oct Member Mega Challenge at RAK. The theme this month was "Mum is the Word." I went with more of a generic autumn kit, but I did add in a few extra flowers for the theme. The kit has 5 papers and 10 elements. There are 2 cluster frames, a bird house, 2 spiky flowers, a flower spray, another flower, a pumpkin and 2 curled ribbons. All items were created in PSP12, using the standard software and some add-on filters. Here is the preview:

~~If you like it, here are the download links:~~

~~4shared~~

~~mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

And here is a close-up to get a better look at the details:

Check back soon, I am also working on some color challenge minis for this month.

Think Pink - a breast cancer awareness freebie

2009-10-05T19:30:00.042-04:00

One of the scrapbooking groups I belong to suggested making a breast cancer awareness kit. Since I have two very close friends who are breast cancer survivors, I really wanted to give this a try. Here is what I came up with. The kit has 9 papers and 20 elements. I included some extracted elements, but mostly the papers and elements were made in PSP with standard preset-shapes, brushes, tubes and fonts. I also used some add-on photoshop filters. If you like the kit, feel free to download with the links below.

~~Papers - 4shared~~
~~Elements - 4shared~~

OR

~~Papers - mediafire~~
~~Elements - mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

And here is a close-up so you can check out the details:

Enjoy the kit. I would love to see any layouts you make with it. (FYI - the cancer ribbon is the "-" character of the webdings font.)

Autumnal Mist - SAS September Color Challenge

2009-09-21T22:09:00.004-04:00

I really liked the colors for the SAS Color Challenge this month and decided to go ahead and make another small kit. This one has 6 papers and 15 elements. There are a cluster frame, a wrapped frame, 2 extracted flowers, a paper flower, a bow flower, a bead dangle, two tags, a bead scatter, a strip of ric-rac, a ribbon, a ribbon with flowers, a stitch flourish, and a staple. As always, I have really tried to minimize the use of CU items, however, the stitched flourish was based on a dingbat font. Other than that, it was all made by me in PSP XII, using the native capability as well as some photoshop filters. The real flowers, leaf and berry stem were extracted from my own photos. Below you can see a preview.

~~Here are the download links:~~

~~4shared~~
OR
~~mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

And here is a closeup so you can see some of the details better.

Enjoy the kit!!

Grungy Girl Graffiti Freebie

2009-09-17T09:28:00.001-04:00

I have a new freebie mini-kit. This one is called Grungy Graffiti Girl and was created for the September RAK Member Mega Challenge at RAKScraps. The color palette and the graffiti theme were supplied by RAK. To me, the color palette seemed kind of feminine, so I tried to create a kit that incorporated a little urban blight, along with leather, lace and bling. The kit has 6 papers and 12 elements: 2 leather-look frames, trash can and lid, wire mesh, a lace ribbon, a lace flower, 3 charms, a dangle, a staple, and a grungy journal pad. The papers and elements were created by me in PSP XII. The preview and a close-up are below:

~~I have the download links for this kit below. You can choose to download from mediafire or 4shared.~~

~~mediafire~~
OR
~~4shared~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

New Blog

2009-09-13T19:21:00.000-04:00

Hi and welcome to my new blog. This is actually the first post to this blog as the ones listed previously were imported from my older blog. I have started this new one because the last few months I have been using the design name of "designs by jmdt" for the free kits and element packs that I have been offering. I have been thinking that it would make more sense for my design name and blog name to match, so I have started this new blog. At this point, it's still looking pretty plain, but over the next couple of weeks I plan to dress it up and add in more gadgets. Hope you enjoy my freebies and will continue to visit my new blog!!

Kit for SAS Birthday Bash

2009-09-03T16:10:00.002-04:00

Over at Stone Accents Studio they are celebrating their birthday -- I think it's their second birthday. They are having a lot of games and challenges and also a big contest for new designers. I did not join in the contest, but the ladies that have are posting some awesome mini-kits. You can go on over to the gallery at SAS and check them out and snag them for free.

In addition to the designer contest, they are having a Member's Mega Kit challenge. I decided to make a mini-kit for that. So far there aren't many contributions to the Member's Mega Kit, but I expect more people will contribute as the month goes on.

~~If you would like my mini-kit, download here.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.

Hope you like it and don't forget that you can hop over to SAS for lots more goodies!

Art Studio - A mini-kit Freebie

2009-08-23T15:35:00.002-04:00

Here is another free kit -- this one was made for this month's RAK Member Mega Kit challenge. The theme this month was Art / Art supplies. I decided to do something a little different and make elements that you might find in an art gallery or art studio. There are 8 papers and 20 elements - all made in PSP. The preview is below. By the way, if you go to the RAK Scrapbook site, you can join for free. Each month they have a free Mega Kit. After the Mega Kit is released, they post the color palette and theme so that members (like me) can make and post additional coordinating kits.

In order to keep the zip file size down, I had to upload the kit in three parts: elements1, elements2, and papers. They can be downloaded with the links below. You can choose to download from 4shared or mediafire.

~~elements1 - 4shared~~
~~elements2 - 4shared~~
~~papers - 4 shared~~

OR

~~elements1 - mediafire~~
~~elements2 - mediafire~~
~~elements3 - mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

As always, please let me know if any of the links are broken. Also, I guess I have never mentioned this before, but if you create a layout with this kit or any of my other freebies, I would love to see what you've made. If you post to a gallery, feel free to email me a link.

Enjoy the kit!

A Day At the Beach -- Freebie Mini-Kit and QP

2009-07-24T19:02:00.002-04:00

I noticed that over at RAKScraps their theme this month is beach/ocean breeze/etc, so I decided to participate in their Member MegaKit Challenge. At first I wasn't sure about the color palette, but I must say that it really grew on me!! The kit I made is pictured below.

~~Download from 4shared~~
~~OR Download from mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

Whenever I make a kit, I always like to give it a "test drive" to check it out -- make sure the elements aren't too small, see how things go together, etc. And so here is the quickpage that I made with the kit. There is plenty of space for journaling and personalization.

~~Download from 4shared~~
~~OR Download from mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

Hope you like it!

Dusty Rose - My SAS May Color Challenge Mini-Kit

2009-05-10T21:59:00.002-04:00

I've been busy working on another mini-kit. This one is called Dusty Rose. I made it for the May Color Challenge at SAS. I just loved the colors Boo (the challenge coordinator) chose! This kit has lots of lace, lacy bows and ribbons. There are also 2 frames, several flowers, a flower cluster and other elements, as well as 6 papers. Hope you enjoy it!!

~~Download from 4shared or mediafire.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.

Asian Inspired Mini Kit

2009-04-21T18:00:00.002-04:00

I didn't think I would have it ready this soon, but here is my Asian Inspired Kit which I created for the RAK member's kit challenge for April/May. It is another mini-kit with 4 papers and 10 elements. ~~You can download it from mediafire OR 4shared.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.

The DWR Happy Spring Blog Train is Here!

2009-04-20T18:37:00.002-04:00

Well guys, it's here! (Well almost, the actual date is April 21, but I'm posting a few hours early.) The DesignWithRene group has put together a Spring themed blog train. My part is pictured above and can be downloaded with the links below. There are 8 papers and 20 elements, so they have separate download links.

~~elements/4shared OR elements/mediafire~~
~~papers/4shared OR papers/mediafire~~

Sorry - freebie retired.

And here are the links for the other blogs. BTW, I've seen some of the previews and they are awesome!

Bateau-Maison Creations
Digi Cyber Scraps
LD's This 'n That
My Digital Diversion - You are Here
Starfire Designs
VanJo Designs

Hope you enjoy the Happy Spring kit. I am working on an Asian Inspired mini-kit that should be ready in a few days. Be sure to stop back and check that one out too!

Filigree Frame Pack - Freebie

2009-04-12T00:01:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter to everyone that stops by! Here is a little Easter gift. I needed an antique-looking filigree frame for a page I was working on and came up with these. There is one miniature circle, one regular circle, two rectangles and a square. Unfortunately, the preview doesn't really do them justice. The rectangular and square frames are quite a bit larger than shown.

~~If you like them feel free to download from 4shared or mediafire.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.

Fairies in Blue - Mini Kit

2009-04-11T11:03:00.003-04:00

I know I haven't posted for a while, but hopefully that will get better. The school project I was working on is almost done, and I should have more time for scrapbooking now. In the meantime, I have participated in a few challenges and posts at some of the sites I belong to. I made the mini kit shown below for the March-April RAK members challenge. I also haven't forgotten about the award I need to pass on and will be doing that soon also.

~~If you would like you can download it from 4shared or mediafire.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.

My First Mini Kit Freebie!!

2009-03-22T21:31:00.002-04:00

Wow!! I can't believe it! I have made a mini-kit called Easter Egg Hunt for the March Color Challenge at SAS - StoneAccentsStudio. They provided a color palette and the challenge was to make a mini-kit or elements using those colors. And I actually gave it a try! There are 6 papers, 2 mats, and 5 each ribbons and bows. Also, there are some buttons and a glass stone circular frame. The kit is 300 dpi and the papers are full-size (12x12).

~~You can download it here.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.

As a bonus, I also made a quickpage using the mini-kit. The quick page is 12x12 and can easily be sized to 8x8. Here is the quick page preview.

~~The quick page can be downloaded here.~~ Sorry - freebie retired.