Du Willie Design

Simplify

2009-06-16T13:35:00.001-06:00

I've decided to simplify my life. This isn't a small change, it is actually a really big change. I'm taking it one step at a time though. I want to live more simply. I want my sons to live more simply. I want our family to be more focused on, well, family.

I've started with decluttering our home. I want to surround myself with things that I love, and will be loved by and bless my family. I don't want to be controlled by the clutter in my home.

I'm also decluttering my online life. All of my blogs have been neglected lately, and since I don't actually have any readers, I don't feel to badly about it. I will be retiring Du Willie Design, or at least putting it on an extended sabbatical. Many Small Changes will be my blog. I'll continue to post about my weight-loss journey. But I'll also post about my life, my family, my hobbies, and what ever else I find interesting.

Shamrock Shirt

2009-03-15T14:58:00.006-06:00

The boys are going to daycare on Tuesday -- which also happens to be St. Patrick's Day. I really wanted them to have something festive to wear, seeing how they missed every single Boise State Friday during the football season. So I made them each a Shamrock T-Shirt. I had hoped to find white t-shirts for them at a thrift store. After not having any luck, I figured that not many little boys' white t-shirts end up at thrift stores. At least not if they look anything like my boys' white shirts by time they outgrow them (which is why I think we don't have any that fit right now.) I ended up going to Walmart, and buying a 5 pack of 18 month onsies. We need more onsies any ways -- our biggest right now are 9 monthers.

What you need:

White T-Shirt
Green Fabric Paint
Old Sponge
Heavy Duty Scissors
Card stock
Big Safety Pin

First, using your heavy duty scissors, cut your sponge into the shape of a heart. Optional: Put the safety pin on the back of your heart, this provides a handle for your stamp, and helps keep fingers clean.Practice using your heart stamp to make a shamrock on a piece of paper. I used a piece of the remnant sponge for the stem. This is a good time to check that the shamrock created with your heart will fit on your t-shirt. This was a recommendation from my very smart husband -- my first shamrock was too big for my little boys' shirts.

Next, place the card stock into the shirt. This will prevent the paint from soaking through to the backside of the shirt.
Finally, stamp a shamrock onto the shirt and let dry.

Saturday Snapshot: Icy Berries

2009-02-14T08:40:00.002-07:00

We went to the McCall Winter Carnival a couple of weekends ago. I think my boys froze, but they had fun. The snow and ice sculptures were amazing. I snapped this shot of some frozen berries.

Freebie: Be Mine Element Pack

2009-02-12T22:30:00.004-07:00

Here is an element pack to go along with the Be Mine Paper Pack.

Freebie: Be Mine Paper Pack

2009-02-07T23:09:00.009-07:00

In honor of Valentine's Day and American Heart Month I've created this Valentine Themed Paper Pack.

Commercial Use Okay -- Please see my Terms of Use.

Please leave me a note if you download the kit.

A Character Flaw

2009-01-26T09:43:00.005-07:00

I have a flaw, of course it is not my only flaw. But it is one that bothers me a lot.

I like to learn new things. Which is good. So I start projects, lots of projects. Once I figure out what I need to know, I don't finish my project. Which is bad.

Here is a list of some of my unfinished projects:

Halloween quilt, lap sized. Just needs to be bound
Flower quilt, twin size. One more row, tied & bound. I 'gave' this to my sister for Christmas about 8 years ago.
Sampler Quilt -- only have like 5 squares done
Rag quilt -- the edges need to be cut so that it is 'raggy'
Rag quilt that still needs to be assembled
Crocheted throw that I have been working on since high school
Blue & Orange scarf still on the 'long loom'. I made several scarves, but now I can't remember how to finish.
A stack of homemade paper, which are supposed to be cards. Along with these are rolls of window screen and hardware cloth to make screens, and several pieces of felt.
A roll of cording to make rag baskets.
Several paper scrapbook pages
Several digital scrapbook kits

I don't seem to have the attention span to finish projects, which is partly why DuWillie Design has been neglected for so long. I'm working on it.

I'm also spending some time working on myself. You can see what I'm working on at my new blog Many Small Changes.

In the mean time, please be patient with me. I'll post some new digital creations, or maybe some real life ones, soon.

Blog Backgrounds

2009-01-12T11:17:00.007-07:00

I've made a couple of blog backgrounds. They work the best with Blogger's Minima template.

Please credit my blog if you use them.

Flower brush by Obsidian Dawn

Busy Holiday Season

2008-12-17T20:46:00.002-07:00

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving, and are ready for the upcoming holidays. I've had a busy month. We traveled to visit my family in Alaska over Thanksgiving. I have tons of scrapbooking to do for our trip. Work has been hectic, and I've been working at home every night to meet a tight deadline that is looming. The good part is that my company is closing down for two weeks at Christmas, and I hope to get a lot of scrapbooking and designing done. So check back soon! Merry Christmas!

Saturday Snapshot: Starfish

2008-11-22T10:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday Snapshot: Pirate Crab

2008-11-15T14:45:00.003-07:00

This dungeness crab had a barnacle grow in an unfortunate location -- right on top of his eye. He was pretty tasty any ways.

Freebie: Template 01

2008-11-11T20:17:00.007-07:00

I've created a template! The zip file contains both PSD and XCF (GIMP) formats. I only use the GIMP, so I hope the psd file works for you. I really like the GIMP, and find that I can figure out how to do most things with it. It even supports the PSD format. I've never really used photoshop, but the one think I think it probably does better is layer masking -- or I haven't really figured it out in the GIMP. My simple 'how to use' is this:
1.) Choose a layer labeled 'photo'
2.) Size and move your photo to fit in that layer.
3.) Select the 'photo' layer and right click on it and choose 'alpha to selection'.
2.) Select your picture layer.
5.) Invert the selection (Ctrl+I)
6.) Cut (Ctrl+X)
Please let me know if you have any problems using the template. Thanks in advance for leaving a comment when you download. My inspiration for this template was the layout I did for our engagement pictures.

Freebie: Child's Play

2008-11-09T09:54:00.005-07:00

We recently purchased alphabet blocks for my boys. Those blocks are the inspiration for this kit. I'm trying something new, this kit is password protected. The password is freebiefun. Be on the look out for some add-ons to this kit, more papers, elements and maybe even an alpha! Please leave me a comment if you download the kit. Thanks!

Saturday Snapshot: Mendendhall Beaver Dam

2008-11-08T21:55:00.005-07:00

I've had a pretty busy week, and I had to dig into my photo archives for today's snapshot. I've always enjoyed this photo of a beaver dam near the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. It was taken around Thanksgiving in 2004. It was a cool autumn day and was just barely raining.

Internet Safety and Privacy

2008-11-05T20:06:00.007-07:00

I love digital scrapbooking. I love making pages of my twins' special moments. I love looking at others layouts in online galleries. However, I have concerns over the safety of posting such personal pictures and information in public forums.

Internet safety experts warn teens to protect their personal information on social networking sites. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in Blog Beware, warns children and teens to "Think before posting your photos. Personal photos should not have revealing information, such as school names or locations. Look at the backgrounds of the pictures to make sure you are not giving out any identifying information without realizing it. The name of a mall, the license plate of your car, signs, or the name of your sports team on your jersey or clothing all contain information that can be used to determine your location."

We warn our kids to be aware of what they post, but as digital scrapbookers we frequently post photos of our kids at school, at the park, and in front of our homes. Do your scrapbook layouts contain personally identifiable information? Could someone with ill-intent find you or your family based on what they learn in your online gallery?

I would encourage you to think about the issues, consult internet safety resources, and make the best decision for you and your family.

I will not post identifiable pictures of my boys on my public blog or in layout galleries. I will provide some information & photos of myself. I will try to find a healthy balance between extremely paranoid and completely ignorant of the dangers. Mostly, I'll try to always "think before I post."

Favorite: Gunhild

2008-11-04T21:52:00.006-07:00

I've decided to occasionally feature a favorite of mine. My first favorite is Gunhild. She has some of the best elements. I created this page using her "Postage Stamp QP". It is of my boys' first Halloween. Check her out at http://www.storeide.se/gunhild/index.htm.

Saturday Snapshot: Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T19:57:00.007-06:00

I hope everyone's halloween was filled with treats and not tricks! This week's snapshot is of one of our holiday pumpkins.

Freebie: Mostly Sunny

2008-10-27T21:05:00.005-06:00

Here's my newest creations. It took forever to upload to 4shared, hopefully it downloads quicker for you. Please leave me a comment if you download it. I'm also looking for constructive criticism, so let me know what you think. Thanks for looking.

Saturday Snapshot: One Red Rose

2008-10-25T20:32:00.003-06:00

You can probably tell from the Saturday Snapshots that I've been practicing macro photography. This one is of the roses my husband gave me on our 3rd anniversary.

Saturday Snapshot: Burning Bush

2008-10-18T08:00:00.002-06:00

My burning bush had a very sad year. She never seemed very healthy, and I just wasn't sure what to do with her. She was never really bright green, as she had been in the past, and she started to yellow early this year, so I was a little bit worried about how her fall foliage would be. She is a brilliant color, though her leaves are kinda sad.

Freebie: Halloween Glitter Stickers

2008-10-15T20:32:00.002-06:00

I really enjoyed making these freebie Halloween Glitter Stickers. I hope you enjoy them too. Please leave me a comment if you download them. Click on the preview for the download link.

Saturday Snapshot: Finally Fall

2008-10-11T19:55:00.002-06:00

I love the fall. I love the crisp air. I love the crunch of the leaves under foot. I love the brilliant colors. The leaves are mostly all off the trees now, but I took this picture of my crab apple on the first of October. I love how the bright berries contrast with the changing leaves.

Freebie: Laugh Word Art

2008-10-10T21:29:00.002-06:00

I so love to hear my boys laugh, it warms my soul and I can't help but smile.
I heard this saying once, though I'm not sure who to credit it to. If you know, I'll be happy to give credit where it is due. To download, right click and "Save picture as..."

Updated -- I hope I've spelled everything correctly now.

Freebie: Blue Green Mini Kit

2008-10-10T20:50:00.003-06:00

I've got my first mini kit put together (yay me). This is the first thing I made when I started designing back in August -- mostly I've been designing for myself, but hope to get better at creating kits. I hope you enjoy it. It has 4 12x12 papers, 2 buttons and 2 frames, all at 300dpi. Click on the preview to download. Please leave me a comment if you download the kit.

I found a bunch of fun spider web brushes, and I'm working on a Halloween kit. Hopefully I'll have it out in time for the holdiay.

Terms of Use

2008-10-10T16:48:00.003-06:00

Updated: March 15, 2009

I respect the 'Terms of Use' of others. Doing so prohibits me from releaseing some of my kits with unrestricted terms. Therefore, each kit or download will be subject to the terms included with that download. The terms will be based on the terms of the supplies that were used. As much as possible, I try to use CU supplies in my designs. When possible, my kits will be commercial use as well.

Thank you for respecting the terms of use.

All content, graphics and images Copyright 2009, Du Willie Design.

Open Source Scrapbooking

2008-10-10T08:49:00.001-06:00

One of my new favorite sites is Burda Style. It is a site dedicated to Open Source Sewing. It is modeled after the Open Source Software movement. As a computer science student, I became interested in open source. So, I'm intrigued by how to apply this concept to other 'arts'.

On Burda Style, all patterns and designs are free -- an often used term in open source is, "Free as in speech, not free as in beer." There is a fee for some patterns, but they pass on to you the license to create work using the patterns and/or modify the patterns. You are allowed to distribute (for a fee, if you wish) your creations (both items using the original pattern and modified patterns) , as long as you pass the same license onto the recipients.

I'm interested in applying the open source concept to my digital scrapbook kits, so I plan on licensing them under the spirit of the GNU General Public License. So, I will be copylefting my digital designs. Please see this wiki on Copyleft for a simplified description. For now, all my kits are free (no fee) and free (open).

I still have some questions about how to completely comply with the Open Source Initive. I'm looking for people of like minds to help me define Open Source Scrapbooking.

Freebie: Holiday Cards

2008-10-09T21:27:00.002-06:00

As much as I've tried, I haven't been able to put together an entire kit yet. I have several bits and pieces for a few kits, but nothing cohesive yet. I really wanted to post some creations, so here are a couple of holiday cards. They are free for personal use. Later, I'll come up with more detailed terms of use for future designs. Just click on the images for full size version, then right click and 'Save picture as'. Please comment if you download them.

Welcome!

2008-09-08T12:50:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Du Willie Design!
As the mother of young twin boys, I decided I didn't have enough room to continue my 'traditional' scrapbook. There are just too many little hands to help and too many little pieces to keep out of little mouths.

So, I ventured into the world of digital scrapbooking. And I really love it. But what I love more is figuring out how all those cool kits are made. Since my favorite hobby is learning new things, I've taken it on myself to figure out how to create digi scrap kits. I'll post my creations here from time to time. I'll also try to create some tutorials, to share what I've learned.