Sarah Hurley Digital at Snap Click Supply / Jessica Sprague!

Today I get to share some super exciting news, you can now find my designs over at Snap Click Supply, the home of Jessica Sprague digital!

You can read more about this over on the Snap Click Supply blog or check out all of the available designs over on the Snap Click Supply website!

Thank you for dropping by today
Sarah x

DaisyTrail Steampunk Scrapbook Page

Just a quick post for me today, as usual I'm juggling eleventy billion things and I daren't drop even one! lol. But I wanted to quickly post up my very first layout made with my own Steampunk digi kit in Craft Artist...

You can get hold of the Steampunk kit here on the DaisyTrail website

I used the ledger paper (swoon!) made lots of layers and was even brave enough to break out the distress tool on the hot air balloon one. Of course I sneaked in a moustache as well - had to be done!

Thank you to everyone who has sent me messages in the last 24 hours telling me you've bought one or all of the kits, I so look forward to seeing your makes, I hope you'll share on the DaisyTrail website or my Facebook page, or both!

This afternoon I've been working on my Ancestry project and have made a bit of a breakthrough - I'll have an update for you soon!. This weekend I'm planning on some studio time, I have some magazine commissions to finish off, some samples to finish and I want to just colour in for the sake of it for a bit! lol.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Thanks for dropping by today 

Sarah x

Exciting News! Sarah Hurley Designs comes to Serif DaisyTrail!

Today I'm thrilled to be able to share some news I have been keeping a secret for literally MONTHS! I should be used to secret keeping by now, but each one still makes me want to burst until I can tell!

So today I can tell you, that for the last few months I have been secretly designing new digi scrapbooking kits to use with the fabulous Serif Craft Artist software! These are now available through the DaisyTrail online shop (joining the likes of American Crafts I might add - woo!)

For those of you who are DaisyTrail members, there is a fab special offer for my first three kits - pop over and check it out now!!!!!

** Edited to add - if you don't have a copy of Craft Artist you can download the compact version for free here **

Here is a sneak peek at one of the three kits currently available, more are coming very soon!

 

You can see the other kits here, and as always, everything coordinates perfectly with all of my other products.

I can't wait to hear your feedback and see your projects!

Thank you for popping by to share my excitement today :o)
Sarah x

Jubilee themed Digi Scrapping

I hope you're having a lovely bank holiday (if you're here in the UK) or enjoyed watching the Jubilee celebrations elsewhere in the world. I didn't get to see much as I've been working but I saw lots of pics this morning!

Today I'm sharing a page made with my new Britannia digi kit...

Supply List - Britannia Digi Kit by Sarah Hurley

The picture is one my sister took - as I live quite close to London and visit often I don't really take touristy pics, my sister lives further away though, so she does! I thought this one was great and she said I could borrow it for this project - yay! I think it matches perfectly with the new kit...

Now I'm off to try cooking Chinese food, Char Sui Pork & Special fried Rice - wish me luck, it's my first try!

Thanks so much for popping by today

Sarah x

*NEW* Digital Scrapbooking Kits

After the great launch of Scrap Basics a few weeks ago I've been hard at work coming up with some accessory kits and my very first full kits with papers, embellishments and alphabets, perfect for digi scrappers! I hope you like them! Here is my first layout with one of the kits 'Say Cheese'...

I put this layout together in Serif Craft Artist (its the program I find the easiest to work with!) so I could add text and 3D effects etc... but you can achieve the same with Photoshop, Gimp or whatever graphics program you have (all the files are JPEG and PNG files so can be imported easily)

You can get hold of the 'Say Cheese' kit here, which has a vintage camera / photography theme and my other kits Britannia (great for the upcoming Jubilee celebrations!) and New Directions.

There are also 3 new additions to the Scrap Basics range with the addition of these accessory kits - including my absolute favourite - digital Washi Tape!!!!

Check out all the kits and other bits here and if you pop over to my Facebook page you will find a code for a 10% discount on everything in my shop!

Thanks so much for dropping by today, I hope you love these digi kits as much as I do and I look forward to seeing your creations with them. Now I'm off to bake some chocolate chip cookies ready for a whole night of digi scrapping with these! :o)

Sarah x

My Tips & Tricks - Using Craft CD's

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about Craft CD's - what to expect if you've never used one and some additional tips for those of you that have. Craft CD's seem to be like Marmite, some love them, some hate them but they are incredibly useful and great value for all levels of crafters. They are also a fantastic way to boost your crafting supply very quickly without taking up lots of space!

First, to clear up some common misconceptions that I've seen and heard regarding craft CD's

You have to be incredibly tech savvy to use a craft CD - not true at all! while some craft CD's do have a user interface or software programme built in, this is usually very easy to navigate. Some CD's (including my own) have no in built software, you simply click and print - it couldn't be easier!

You can't use a craft CD if you have a Mac computer - you should check the specific information for the CD that you are interested in but most (if not all) CD's can be used on a Mac, while some of the software may not work, you can usually access the image folder (which is the good bit!)

Craft CD's are for beginners and you can't be very creative with them - One of the biggest misconceptions and not true at ALL! While its true that there are elements of most CD's that are great for beginners (as there are paper products and kits) - pre made toppers etc... at the end of the day you are printing off papers and embellishments, the same as you would buy in a craft shop and what you do with them and how advanced you get with your crafting is totally down to you. I've seen fantastic projects made from beginners and advanced crafters alike with my CD's including cards, scrapbook layouts, 3D projects, altered art and art journaling- for instance, check out this birdhouse made by Claireliz made from my latest CD - fabulous!

Tthe only difference to buying the physical papers and embellishments from the shop is that you get an awful lot more for your money!

You use lots of ink printing things out so it isn't good value - Firstly, craft CD's give you excellent value (for instance, my latest CD has hundreds of pounds worth of papers and stamps on if you were to buy the actual products in the shop - 120 designer papers at approx 99p per sheet + 90 digi stamps at approx £3.00 each is over £380 and thats before adding in all of the embellishments and sentiments!!) it will of course depend on your printer how much you can get from one set of cartridges, I have an HP Deskjet printer and use compatible inks which cost me about £8 each, I can print off a whole CD on one set of cartridges and still have enough ink left for doubles of bits and pieces - so even if you only use the CD once you will be getting hundreds of pounds worth of papers and stamps for just over £30 - thats less than 10% - bargain!!!

And now on to how to get started with craft CD's

Firstly, have a look around and find one that suits your style, if you aren't sure most designers have separate mini kits or digi stamps that you can buy initially to try out and see the quality of the work etc... When you get your CD have a good look round it - you'll usually find inspiration starts flowing as soon as you see all the lovely bits and pieces!

Print your papers and  embellishments onto good quality card or paper - if you print them onto copier paper they will look and feel cheap and you will be put off using them. I use my Rymans coated paper for everything as its great for scoring and folding and I can print my digi stamps onto it for bleedproof colouring with my markers. Using copier paper also uses up more ink as it soaks more up - using a good quality smooth or coated paper will make your papers and embellishments look better and save you lots on ink costs.

Make sure to print your digi stamps onto the appropriate paper for the media you will use to colour them with, I usually print a set onto bleedproof paper and one onto watercolour paper (which I also use for colouring pencils as I like the texture!)

If you plan on selling your work, be sure to check out the angel policy of the designer of the CD, most let you sell handmade cards and projects with the papers and images but please remember how much work a designer puts into making one CD (personally I spend between 40 and 150 hours on each one depending on the size of CD!) and respect their copyright by not reselling or sharing your CD (including anything printed from it) or digistamps, it's very rare that this happens but when it does its very upsetting to have your work stolen and devalued in this way. 

My Tips for using Craft CD's

Like most crafters, I'm obsessed with paper and can spend hours just looking through my crafty stash getting inspired, so I like to print off lots of my CD at once, I keep my craft supplies organised in boxes by brand and I have a 'Sarah Hurley' box for the things printed off my CDs, then it becomes part of your "real" craft stash as opposed to a CD on the shelf.

As I use things up I keep a list of what I need to print out and replace so I never run out, I usually keep extras of neutral patterns such as polka dots which are always running out.

If I'm printing lots of embellishments that need cutting out I make a big pile, get myself a nice cup of Earl Grey and a good film and curl up on the sofa to cut it all out at once, then when you come to use it, it's all ready for you!

Don't be afraid to use things digitally, the files on the CD can be used in digital scrapbooking projects etc... also, it may add a new dimension to your crafting!

Mix and match, use your papers with brands of paper and stamps that you buy, add ribbons, buttons and gems, distress and ink your edges, spray it, emboss it, die cut it, use it as part of your crafty stash and don't keep it separate, you'll get much more out of it this way!

Most of all experiment -  the best thing is, that unlike things you buy in a craft shop, if you mess it up, you can just print out another one!

If you have any other questions about using craft CD's please feel free to leave them here for me in the comments and I will answer them in a future post. You can check out my range of craft CD's, kits and Digi Stamps here in my shop.

Thanks for dropping by today :o)
Sarah x