Here’s a easy 7 minute tutorial if you want to see how to use any of the quick albums. My quick pages and albums can be found at Design House Digital. This tutorial shows you how to drag and drop photos on pre-made quickpages, how to size and crop photos, and shows you some general use instructions for using albums. The video is 7 minutes long and is demonstrated in Photoshop CS3. If you are interested in the products used in this tutorial, the links are here:

The Ultimate Album-Mocha

Distressed Collection-Pastels

I hope this tutorial helps you so that you can make pages quickly when you are in a pinch! Want to watch it bigger? Go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3VGn8Jlxow

If you haven’t checked out the $1 Sale going at DHD, you are missing out! There are some fabulous things that are only $1 for the month of February. They will all go off sale to their original prices on March 1st. My very cool, super neutral Grungy Grid Papers are over there for $1 (normally $3.99). I’ll also have several things coming out a couple times a week so check it out (here’s the link to all the $1 items).

It’s also release day and I’ve got a new goodie to make my life easier: The Ultimate Album. It’s currently sold in two colors (blue and mocha) and have matching mask sets. I’m a mom who knows something about crazy busy and I made for myself some super simple layouts to reach for to scrap with when things are just too busy. For me, I’d rather get those photos into books (I can see myself doing a lot of back tracking with these albums…like all of 2008 and 2009!) so I have them then continue to leave them on the computer where no one can see them.

Today, I’m going to be finishing up decluttering my house and making cards for my upcoming Annual Chinese New Year Party. Oh, and hopefully get that red chandelier hung in my studio (the photo is of my office desk that I painted to turquoise and distressed over the weekend). The studio also got a rearrangement so that my kids can now easily scooter into the studio without hitting anything from the hall.

I haven’t had a giveaway for a while so here’s one that only lasts a day! It starts NOW and ends Thursday morning at 9am Mountain Standard Time. It’s from my popular Design 365 Color Kit Series (yum, yum!) and is normally $9.99 in the store (but will be 30% off this Thursday only). I’m giving away Design 365 Color Kit #2 (see to the right) to someone who makes a comment on this post on their favorite fabric from my Coquette fabric line, which is will hit quilting stores this June OR their favorite digital kit of mine from Design House Digital.

I just started making layouts from this kit tonight and I’m pretty happy with how versatile it is. Here’s a layout made with only products from this kit I made of my daughter Flissa.

So just make a comment in this thread and I’ll do a happy random dance to tell you all the winner on Thursday morning.

Happy Scrapping! XOXOXO

I’m a sucker for Valentine’s Day. And while we are still three weeks away, I’ve got some great little projects put together for this very pink holiday. If you haven’t picked it up yet, the Love Nest glitter book is available at Hobby Lobby, and I’ll be doing a few projects with those papers and my new Affectionate papers at Design House Digital.

First up, getting my daughter’s Valentine’s Day Cards together. And you can download them too! These sweet little cards ar 3″ x 4″ and I’ve even already assembled them onto a 8.5″ x 11″ sizes paper for you. So all you have to do is print! I’ve made the boxes “chubby” for my kindergartner’s fat letters. We’ll cut them out and let her write on them in advanced.

You can also check out my Valentine’s Day Kiddie cards from 2009 (also a free download!) if you want lots of different cards (and birdies:). Those cards are also set up on a 8.5″ x 11″ paper so all you have to do is cut! Easy-peasy!

Just wanted to give you a quick peek at the new Valentine’s Day line at DHD! It will 30% off tomorrow only. There are 5 packs and one mega pack. I’m just dreaming up all the neat hbrid projects I plan on doing with these papers and accessories (can anyone say Valentine’s Day Cards?).

I finally finished a full week of photos! I’m really liking the Project 365 challenge because I am starting to get a sense of what kind of album I’m going to end up with this year. You can sort of see it in this layout—an album full of details, not just the big events and some real insight into what we do as a family.

The one thing that is going to be tricky is keeping the layouts neutral so that the photos shine. I’m using my Distressed White on White papers here. And just to make my life easier, I went ahead and finished out all my layouts ahead of time for the entire month of January so all I have to do is insert the photos and journaling.

One thing I’m noticing is that along with the 365, I want to do pullouts of events. So I created myself 4 layouts for multiple photos that are just for those events (siri’s birthday party, ice skating, and sledding). I wanted them to match my 365 layouts, so I used the Distressed White on White papers for them as well.

And if life is crazy, busy (when isn’t it?), you can just pick up my new January album (released today at 30% off) and insert your own photos without the hassle of actually making the layout. How easy was that?

I’m just glad that for the rest of January all I’ll be doing is snapping photos!

Want to check out my 365 challenge at DHD? Go here.

As for me, I’m working on getting together a new instruction pdf for you on how to make my easy-to-make octopus costume. Sounds silly? My six year old does have some silly demands and sometimes her mama gives in. Keep you posted!

I’m just getting around to posting my New Year’s Resolutions. Not that they aren’t the same as most of yours…get in shape, give more time to myself, my family, document our lives (I’m hosting a 365 at DHD)…yada, yada, yada. Mostly, I just wanted to post because I am so EXCITED for 2010. It’s going to be a fun year. I can feel it. And I hope it will be for you too.

Here’s what’s on the horizon for designwork this year:

* Two fabric lines will hit quilting shops this year. Coquette will arrive in quilting stores in June (call your quilt shops this month to ask if they will be stocking this beautiful line from Northcott!) and Love Nest will come out later in the year. All of the fabric samples are up for your viewing pleasure!

* A brand new Carina Gardner™ Shop will be opening up! We will be offering limited quantites and fat quarters of the new fabric line and will also eventually carry all kinds of goods from my designs in scrapbooking and fabric. The Shop is set to open in June 2010. I’ll have more information on it as it gets closer.

* I’m at a new digital shop! This has already happened but it is such an exciting venture for me as I get to participate in Jen Allyson’s newest venture! She’s a pleasure to know and a fabulous designer! I think you’ll see that Design House Digital will be the fastest growing digital shop in 2010. It already has had some astonding traffic! I’m just proud to be apart of such a wonderful group.

* I’m pleased to be teaching again. It’s been two years since I stopped teaching at the University of Minnesota. I never thought that teaching would happen to fast for me again. You can find my newest adventure with Jessica Sprague teaching a self paced course—Illustrator 101.

* Keep checking back for my Paper Lines with My Mind’s Eye. I’m sure we’ll have several in the works this year.

And while there might now be a bullet point on this one, if you know me, there will be plenty of other good things happening in 2010 on this blog. I’m already working on a great craft project for my daughter that I’m excited to share with you (give me a week to finish it up!)! And with all the fabric hitting my studio in May, you know we will be sewing like MAD around here!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend and may you be happy in 2010!

Which is what we have been singing at our house for the last couple of days. First, because I think a spick-n-span house for Christmas is nice and second because my girl Jen (aka: the project girl) is coming into town tomorrow! I even bought some fantastic green boxes from IKEA and got my studio organized (quite a task since I have had a dozen projects all over the floor and desk). We have a tradition of going to the Cheesecake factory when she comes into town for some girl time.

I’m doing the happy dance right now because I’m so excited to see her!

The cleaning hasn’t stopped at our house…you should check out my studio site as it is completely updated with all my new ventures coming in 2010. I will be getting up the fabric samples for the line Coquette in a couple of weeks and you’ll see all my secret digital stashes coming out at Design House Digital in just 2 weeks!

Today the girls and I will be putting together our neighbor gifts and will have the download and photos of our project up tomorrow (yes, I’m sharing my download with you!:)). It’s all about easy elegance this year.

Hope you are enjoying your holiday season! Can you believe Christmas is around the bend?

It’s a season of change around my house. Josh started work with a new law firm, Siri has lost tooth number 2, Felicity has been trying out her new potty, and I’ve got some great new projects in the works. The first is this brand new online class for Illustrator, which goes on sale TODAY at Jessica Sprague.com! After teaching Illustrator at DSE, this last September, I was overwhelmed by the number of people asking for an online course. So here it is folks! A four week long Illustrator course that is completely self-paced and easy to use. The videos are broken into smaller tasks so it’s easy to go back to a tutorial. I’ve also included 3 Bonus lessons, digital scrapbooking kits, and vectors in the course.

While I created this course initially for digital scrapbookers, I would recommend it to anyone who is even thinking about getting into design. I’ve incorporated everything I would teach on Illustrator in a university-level introductory graphic design course.

So want to see what the class is going to be all about? Go straight to the Jessica Sprague site to see the introduction video, purchasing information, and the Lesson break downs. You can also go to YouTube to see the video. I recommend watching the video because it will show you a short tutorial of a class lesson along with everything you will need (aka technology requirements) to take the course.

With all change, there is also some sad news. I have decided to move my digital scrapbooking store from Two Peas. You will still be able to find all of my 2008-2009 digital designs there, but I will be moving to a new store come January 1st, 2010.

I’m pretty excited to have been asked to come to the new store (which isn’t even open yet) because it will be site with designers that are so amazing! The name of the site is Design House Digital (http://www.designhousedigital.com/) and the list of designers going there is UNBELIEVABLE! I can’t spill anything yet, but you ought to check out the place holder blog to grab the newsletter freebie (it’s FABULOUS!). And while you are at it, sign up for twitter https://twitter.com/designhousedigi since I was told that people will get updated with the new freebies and store updates there.

Well, that’s it for now. I’m working away at a christmas line for fabric and paper and enjoying my little ones during this holiday season. Hope you are having a happy December too!

I can’t believe it is the week of Thanksgiving! My, how time flys! I have two events to report. The first is that my 2 year old and 5 year old officially started fighting over who got what cereal box to look at as they ate breakfast this morning. Do you remember doing that as a kid? I mean, what was so GREAT that we all had to stare at the back of the cereal box at 7:00am in the morning?

The other big event is that Siri has her first loose tooth! I officially feel old (although it may just be the impending 30th birthday that is one week away).

In celebration of just, well, life…my digital scrapbooking store at 2peas is having a 25% off sale all this week. Yep, all 213 products. Not a bad deal.

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I’m planning on lounging in pjs for the parades and then an early family dinner. Oh, and I have a great Christmas project I am working on this week that I will post over the break! Yes, that means some free goodies for you! So stop by between your shopping schedule for a great download.

Happy Thanksgiving!