MKC Digitals - Designer's Choice 11th December 2018

My Designer's Choice for December is "Sunflower Mug".  I decided to make a thank you card for a teacher with this beautiful image.

I those pink shades for the sunflowers, using a simple background paper and a doily.  Unfortunately, our website is still down for maintenance, so keep an eye in the group for when it re-opens so you can grab this digi.  It is so versatile you could use it for anything.

MKC Digitals - "Poinsettia Jar"

MKC Digitals December Release is filled with fun images for Christmas.  Today I am focussing on "Poinsettia Jar".  I have made a folded gift card, seen here with the envelope.  I have cut out the image and placed it on the cardstock with foam tape.  The chipboard words are from Make It Crafty, my favourite Australian chipboard supplier, who ships all over the world.  Actually Zoe's website is in US$ to make it easier for overseas purchasers.

Unfortunately MKC Digitals shop is down for maintenance at the moment, but keep checking.  Don't forget Christmas/Winter images will be 40% off for the entire month of December, so you still have time to grab a bargain or two.

Here is another gift card I made before my blog went live.

Our Facebook group will keep you up to date with what is happening in MKC Digitals Land, see you there.

MKC Digitals - Black Friday Freebie with purchase

Wow look at this great deal from MKC Digitals

This is the image you get when you spend $5.00 or more.  Here is my inspiration for this digi.

Get into the shop before this deal ends on Cyber Monday.  You won't get a better deal than this - don't forget the code - you will save heaps and spend over $5.00 and get Foxy's Christmas Trees as a bonus.

MKC Digitals - Digi Stamp Week 18-23 November 2018

Mari asked the Design Team to create a project showcasing what we love about digital stamps or something you can do with digital stamps that you can’t do with traditional stamps. So that is what we will be doing this week, showcasing the versatility of digital stamps.

I am first cab off the rank, so here goes. When I first heard of digital stamps on Facebook, I thought no not for me, I am too old for this technical stuff. Self-taught on the computer, managed to hold down quite a few jobs using the computer but this digital stuff; you've got to be kidding.

Well I can't remember just when or what changed by mind, but I am hooked. I love how you can resize, twist, crop, but my most favourite is merging and recently paper piecing using digital paper.

When I play with my digis I always use Publisher, I know - why, when you can just do it in Word. Well I have always used Publisher for newsletters for various groups over the years, and I only ever used Word for letters, documents etc.

Well enough of that, OK, merging is fun. I am no expert on it but as long as you put down a .jpg image and then a .png image and merge the two as if they were meant to be together, you've got a scene. This can also be done with 2 .png images as long as the .png images are not transparent behind the actual image. From what I have found the image has to be solid but the background is transparent. I could be wrong, you can correct me, I am only a beginner.

I have just looked through my folder for examples. Here is a good example of 3 single images before Mari's relaunch, merged together to make a scene. When you have the images on your working page you can use the send backward or bring forward feature to get the scene to your liking.

Paper Piecing with digital papers I have only recently played with. I have bought digital papers and even found freebies in the past to use as backgrounds and just printed them off separately, until I discovered I could place the paper down and then the image over it, not needing to print separately unless I wanted the image foam taped over the paper. Now I know that is technically merging, but here is where the paper piecing comes into it. As I said before, some .png have transparent backgrounds only, but others can have another portion transparent in it, or you can even use a photo editing program and make parts of the .png image transparent to be able to paper piece. If you go to your purchased images and move your mouse over them, there might be some there already. I have just done it with mine and found one example. Little Snowman with Cocoa, has a transparent part in the inside of the cup; this part can be paper pieced and I did it recently on my "Old is New Again" post. In my following examples, I have changed parts of Mari's image to be transparent so I can paper piece. Whatever photo editing program you have, you can Google for help if you can't find it in the program. Sometimes I prefer to Google it because the instructions are easier to understand when other people have done it, rather than rely on your photo-editing program to tell it simply. That is what I did for the free program I use - GIMP2. I don't understand much of it, but I use it to add my watermarks and now for paper piecing. I am learning a bit more technology through digital stamps. I just have to find the bits of paper I write on when working out these revelations, so I can do it again.

Flower 1 (top right) has transparent leaves already, so I placed some digital paper under the leaves. Pumpkin and Flower (top left) I modified in GIMP2 to be able to put some digital paper behind the pumpkin. Fall Floral Jar (bottom right) has been modified to put digital paper behind the vase and of course last but not least, Fall Floral Jar and Fall Floral Arrangement have been MERGED over the top of some digital paper with an added sentiment from the Fall Sentiment Collection. This can be done because the background around the images is transparent.

Here is my finished card with the last example, coloured using the Colour Palette for our Facebook Challenge in our Group page.

Now here is Flower 1 with the leaves paper pieced. It is a small gift card with the flower lifted by foam tape.

Some more examples using digital paper under images are shown below using Pumpkin Spice. In the first one I have paper pieced and in the second one, I have paper pieced and added the sunflower from Fall Floral Arrangement. I inserted the image, cropped it and resized it to hide the pumpkin, printed, coloured and cut around the petals, placing it over the finished coffee cup with foam tape.

I do think merging and paper piecing is easier with digital stamps than what it is with traditional stamping; do you agree?

Thank you reading my blog about my experience with the digital stamp world. This must be the longest post I have ever done.

I hope you will continue reading the other MKC Digitals DTs' posts on why they like digital stamps.

The list of the DT links and dates are below.

19th - Tania

20th - Charlotte

21st - Jane

22nd - Claudia

23rd -K M Meena

See you next time and enjoy your digital stamps!

MKC Digitals November 2018 Facebook Challenge "Colour Palette"

This month MKC Digitals is using this colour palette for our Facebook Challenge.

Lovely Autumn/Fall colours, hope you join us in our Facebook Group for this challenge.

This is my inspiration for this challenge. I have used three images from the shop to create this card.

The images are Fall Floral Jar, Fall Floral Arrangement and Fall Sentiments.

 I will also talk about this card in my blog post next week as it is also one of my creations for our Digi Stamp week.  Hope you can catch up with us for that too.  There will be posts from our DT telling you why they enjoy working with digital stamps.  See you over in our Facebook Group

MKC Digitals - November Release

It is that time again, a new release for MKC Digitals!  How exciting!  This month we have a mixture of images to showcase - Autumn/Fall, Christmas and lots of sentiments to  use with the images.  I hope you like them.  To see the full range, make sure you join our Facebook Group.  Mari is such a talented artist and colourist, you will be amazed how easy it is to create with her images.

Here are some of mine from the November release.  They will all be available in our MKC Digitals shop and will be showcased throughout the next week in our Group.  Hope to see you at our Group and in our Shop and don't forget new releases are always discounted until the next release comes out.

Foxy Santa Hat and Poinsettia, plus Holiday Sentiments

Candy Cane Gingerbread Man and Holiday Sentiments

Poinsettia and Holiday Sentiments

As you can see it is so easy to create with MKC Digitals, why don't you check out the Group and Shop now!

MKC Digitals "Old is New Again"

Mari has re-introduced some of her images to the new shop and I am showcasing "Little Snowman's Hot Cocoa" available here.  I have made a gift bag along with a tag for Christmas.  I hope you like it.

Don't forget we are still looking for members in our Facebook Group, here is the link https://www.facebook.com/groups/109728339790268/

Hope you join us, we have challenges and new releases every month and the new releases are always at a special price until the next release comes out.  See you there.

MKC Digitals - 15th October Facebook Challenge

The theme for our October Facebook Challenge is HALLOWEEN of course!

I have made a treat bag using "Maddy Pumpkin Costume" which is available in the MKC Digitals Shop.

Here is the link for MKC Digitals Facebook Group, see you there!

MKC Digitals 5th October Release

Well you have been waiting for it and here it is - MKC Digitals' new release.  Twelve new releases for October just in time for Halloween and at the moment you can grab these images at a special price.  Here a few of my creations with these new stamps.  I hope you like them.

A Fatty Batty ATC

                                                                 

                                                                  3 Treat Bags


I hope you enjoy Mari's new release and will check out all of the images in her shop. This is a great buy, all the Fatty Batty characters in one bundle.

Don't forget to check out our website for lots of inspiration and if you haven't joined our Facebook Group head over there now and click join, so you don't miss out on all the latest information about MKC Digitals.  Here is the link https://www.facebook.com/groups/109728339790268/
See you there!

MKC Digitals September 2018 Release

After a short break Mari Ko Creations has been revamped to become MKC Digitals and I am proud to still be on Mari's Design Team.  Here are a few links for you to check out:

Facebook Group (if you join now you can get the 400 member freebie).  At the moment we have a Facebook Challenge using the freebie, Thanks a Latte.

Shop (and if you are quick, you will find we have a 30% discount on the new shop until 10th September 2018).  This link isn't just a shop!  You will find some great tabs to check out on the home page, some are direct links back to the blog, a project gallery which has some fantastic inspiration and of course a link to our monthly challenge when that starts.

You Tube - Mari has been busy and already has 2 videos

Blog - Mari is a great blogger, so you will find lots of info there too and of course a link back to the shop.  Stay tuned for information on our challenges here too.

Today I am going to showcase some of my creations with the September release.  Mari has concentrated on school inspired digis this month.  You will find them in the shop under the NEW Collection or the SCHOOL Collection. 

These are bookmarks I have coloured with Copics and laminated.  I have given them to two of my grandchildren to give to their teachers as they are leaving their current school.

This is a Planner Band I am giving to a crafty friend who I could not be without on this  papercraft journey, and believe it or not, we haven't even met in person yet.  As much as I said I don't go much on social media, it is what brought us together and I am so grateful for her friendship.

I have also made some planner clips and reminder pencils.  I hope I have inspired you to use your digital stamps for other projects.  Don't forget all the stamps I have used are available in the MKC Digitals Shop.