Before the Year Ends

Before the year 2010 ends I wanted to reflect on some of the highlights for the year. I started blogging in the middle of April as a way to share some of the ATC’s (Artist Trading Cards) and digital scrapbooking layouts that I have created. In my second post I ever did, I was creating and sharing digitals with fellow bloggers and as it was Easter time I put together a cute little bunny with flowers and an egg template.

It wasn’t long before I discovered just how generous the blogging community is with so many different types of ‘Blog Candy’ up for grabs. While trying to establish a network of like minded blog sites, it was always a bonus to find sites that not only shared their ideas but offered gifts for following their site and I am always happy to promote their candy on my own site. I even won a couple throughout the year.

Within my first month I had written and shared my first tutorial with a step by step 3d ATC. I was busy researching the wonderful world of digital stamps and was heading in this direction with my own artwork. At the end of May I released my first digital stamp called ‘Nana Vic Cowgirl’ and my new range of digital stamps called ‘Nana Vic’s’ was born. With the support and encouragement of my followers and customers throughout the year I am so proud to share with you now a total of 13 digitals that feature ‘Nana Vic’, 1 digital that introduced ‘Mr Jones’, 5 miscellaneous digitals and 13 word art sheets on various topics. Let allow me to personally thank you all for your continued interest in my digitals.

In July I created a sister blog site called ‘Nana Vic’s Digitals’ to host my digitals in a place that is dedicated to them alone. I wanted to keep within the blog community and decided that a blog site could act and feel just like a shopping cart and still allow the freedom of allowing customers to see updates, comment and share digitals that they liked with others. I also used ‘Nana Vic’s Digitals’ as a place to host my free digitals and I happily give away 22 individual designs.

To help me promote my digitals I am very fortunate to have 2 of the best ladies on my design team. Carol from ‘Craftn Granny’s Card Shack’ has never failed to delight and impress me with her amazing creations throughout the year. Beccy from ‘Beccy’s Bits’ has created stunning and beautiful projects that have been truly inspirational. If you’d like to check out some of their gorgeous creations please pop over to their site. I have some exciting news with where we will be heading with new challenges starting in the new year.

In June I stumbled upon one of the most exciting sites for me for the year. ‘Crafters Digital Arts Center’ has been an amazing community and I proudly host one of the groups there. With nearly 250 members in my own group ‘Nana Vic’s Digitals’ and with close to 5000 members on the site, this site is bursting with ideas and is by far one of the fastest growing communities. There really is so much to do with 6 fresh challenges each fortnight hosted by various groups, a massive gallery, free craft projects, tutorials and videos. Each individual group has it’s own unique style of forum and discussions as each host has their own style of digital art that they share with their group. Please consider joining my group as we have an exciting year planned ahead. If you are already apart of my group I would like to encourage you to share the link with your friends so they can join us. I have made some very special friends through my group and I can not express deeply enough just how important some of you have become to my life. *Special Hugs* to all the ladies of ‘Nana Vic’s Digitals’ group. My direct link http://priscillastyles.ning.com/group/nanavicsdigitals

My highlight medium for the year was my purchase of the fantastic copic pens. These alcohol ink based pens can only be described as shear magic. With the use of special papers to print the digitals out on and going back to basics with colouring I’ve been delighted with the results that can be achieved. I did have to use You Tube to help me with the basics on how to use these pens but with a little practice I’ve had so much fun venturing into the world of card making. Zoe from ‘Make it Crafty’ has been wonderful with amazing videos and her own inspirational site with digitals and of course her very handy online store.

The rest of my year pretty well continued in a pattern of producing digitals, keeping up to date with the ladies of my forum, creating ATC’s monthly and creating cards where time permitted.

I am looking forward to an exciting 2011 with some new changes happening to this site and the start of challenges. So until then, I want to wish each of you a safe holiday season filled with special memories shared with loved ones. May the New Year find you inspired and your creative juices overflowing with ideas and projects.

Below is the card that I made for my grandson Mason. (Bear digital will be available soon)

Inside (New Birthday Word Art available soon)

I made each of my 3 year old grandsons their own colouring in book. I used a spiral A5 sketch book. I used pliers to remove the wire spiral binding and printed out 35 of the digitals that I had created this year onto the paper. Where possible I did add a little sentence to the digital. They also recieved a travelling colouring in set to go with the colouring in books. I know that they will have fun with these little books and it was my way of sharing my artwork with the families.