Guest Blogger: Yvette Kreb

I am so honored to be asked to write a blog post for Stampin Up! If you have followed my personal blog, then you already know how much I LOVE My Digital Studio!! My favorite saying is that I can put a page together in the time it takes my kids to find their shoes!

One of the easiest ways to get great results with My Digital Studio is to use the layer and drop shadow effects. If you look at photographs of scrapbook pages and cards, you will notice that they all have drop shadows and layers. By reproducing this look, you will create digital pages and cards that can fool almost anyone.

When I design digitally, I always think about how I would add elements if I were making the page on paper. I put the Designer Series Paper on the bottom (with minimal drop shadow) since I would add this to a page using SNAIL Adhesive (which is very thin). The photos may be layered or bumped up in real life, so they receive a medium (or standard) drop shadow. Lastly, the Designer Label Punch (above) is placed on a pop dot—so the drop shadow is very big. Elements such as the antique brads are thicker, so they would naturally leave a larger shadow. Stamps, of course, would go directly on the paper—so, for the most part, they have no shadow.

Layering comes in two forms: A) regular layering of paper, elements, and photographs and B) hiding portions of elements. This is a totally new way of thinking, but it works great in digital scrapbooking. My penguin (above) was made using the Two Step Owl Punch, but what to do with his . . . um ears? Easy! I used the Ticket Corner Punch in Crumb Cake and "erased" them! Works like a charm!

Hopefully this helps—and soon you, too, will quietly giggle when someone looks at your page and instinctively reaches out to feel it!

Happy Crafting,

Yvette