Mina’s Place

Hehehe! I made it in Eidou’s newsletter and am being featured this month on the site for my layouts. How cool. Thanks Louise! Just go upload your layouts to their gallery and you might be selected - you just never know.

Scrapbooking Top 50 Australia is hosting a hoot! This should be a lot of fun! And Kiwi’s can enter!

Other games include a Forum Hunt, and a Random Number Draw. Go take a peek at what the yummy prizes are!

Based on the ATC stuff I’ve been getting ready for Mina’s Cottage Challenges @ DigiScrapStation and other stuff.

Really trying to make a concerted effort to do layouts this year. So far, so good, but we’ll see how it goes as the year goes by. Hope I can keep up with stuff. If not it’ll be just too bad.

I printed out a brag book for my mate & my daughter and they were SO chuffed! I’ll be making more of them for sure.

All for now, Mina

The ‘arty’ side of scrapbooking is beginning to emerge with people wondering how to achieve collage and art styles digitally. Scrapbookers have ‘begun’ to achieve this look with the popularity of the grunge, Victorian and heritage styles. I encourage people from both camps to try the other. There is lots to gain by learning something new. Here are some digital ATCs I’ve been working on:

There is a ‘kind’ sort of artmaking that is soulful and is about self expression and making art for yourself with no judgement. Its about exploring ways of artmaking. Do you have to be able to draw? No. Do you have to have all the bells and whistles - fancy paints & the latest pens? No.

Here are some ATCs backgrounds for you to download and work your magic on. If they are well recieved, I’ll be doing more. They are without dropshadows. Click the pic to go get yours. I would love to see what you make!

The single pic is so you can see the detail:

Have a good day and cuddle someone you love.

All for now, Mina

Got a nice write up in the Maori In Oz Panui 8th Edition for The Corner - thank you darlings! AND you’re welcome! Latest layouts:

made with mini-kit ‘The Brightness of My Dreams’ by July Designs

Sometimes you look at your kids and wonder ‘What are they thinking?’ As they get older you know they have secrets and they’ll probably tell you of them when they’re grown. This layout is from a Mother’s perspective.

Bkg paper ‘Waiting to Happen’ kit by mglscraps. My favourite pic of the boy.

All for now, Mina

I hope you’ll join me on this one! We’ll be building an ATC (Artist Trading Card) over a number of weeks. (In the hope there is more participation). These babies are 2 and a half inches by 3 and a half inches when finished. The small format means they can be quite quick to achieve.

ATCs are meant to be traded, not sold so you can dedicate your finished card to someone.

This is the posting gift (needed for next week). Click the pic for more info.

All for now, Mina

Here’s a QP for the Journal Series:

Click on it to go grab yours.

All for now, Mina

I’ve got atopic excema on my hands, driving me nuts! Typing with two fingers, lol - everything going SOOOO slowly. Haven’t had excema since I was a kid - hope that doesn’t mean I’m into my second childhood.

Yeah, I’ve been at it again. This one’s from a kit called ‘New’ by DitaB.

This kit is really quite dainty and sparkly. You could emphasise the bling factor by using some sparkle brushes. I’d say this kit was about ‘refined’ bling. A couple of pics to see them in action:

you can check by DitaB’s blog to see what she’s got for you.

All for now, Mina

I have never known a store like DigiScrapStation, where all the designers are in love with the boss… and each other! Been thinking about it (yeah, I know - my head hurts) and I’ve put it down to the following things:

* the boss is very open about store business. We are informed of every tiny thing from when she has an idea - the development of it - and the implication of it.

* the boss is very open to receiving ideas.

* the boss never assumes ‘ill-feeling’. For example: when I’m writing emails, I tend to talk bluntly. This is because I haven’t time to waste, so I cut to the chase pretty quickly. Some of what I say might be considered ‘rude’ because, as you know - there is no tone when you write.

* the boss is big on a ‘no-stress’ policy. If something happens - it does. Work can wait. There is absolutely no pressure to contribute or do anything you don’t want. There is no minimum for product per month.

* the boss is big on reward. From organised incentives to surprise ones. She is not afraid to delegate. All designers know of every sale that happens. No secret stuff here.

That’s enough about the boss. What about the girls?

* the girls have taken the boss’s lead and support each other - no holds barred. From something misfortunate in the family to learning new tricks of the trade. The support is phenomenal. To receive such acknowledgment on the scale we do at DSS is great for the soul.

All of the above has made everyone want to work harder than they intended, I’m sure.

There is a ‘Designer Focus’ series on the DSS blog - Mondays and Thursdays. I’ve just been reading through them, and in particular - the things instore designers have to say about being at DSS. It is pretty amazing stuff.

Something must be going right because DSS continues to grow - no mean feat in these troubled times.

Yeah, just thought I’d tell you.

M