psst...it's 5 dollar friday>>>>

HERE.
just think...spend $9.99 & it's like Janet, Heidi & I just hand you an extra $5! free!

yea. i love Fridays, too!
have a happy one!
R

blog couture=twitter backgrounds

i just tweeted about how i love changing up my twitter background....and... wanted to share that you can use a lot of the House of 3 Blog Couture backgrounds on there!

The one above on my twitter home page is the Vintage Ledger one...as you can see, it doesn't fit all the way, but with a few adjustments, you can make it work. I also added some text on there to customize it!
**note: like i said above:::not all of the backgrounds will work...you either have to choose a very plain one or you have to adjust it/resize it in Photoshop or something.

And...be watching for some more custom ones! It's just what we call it: couture...fashion for your blog and now: twitter!

busy day tomorrow..or today...
gotta get to bed so i'll have some energy!
have a fabulous weekend!
R

road trip with poppytalk!

I love Poppytalk....my daily dose of design goodness. And when Jan asked me to be a part of Poppytalk's Road Trip '09, I was so excited...she's always got some fabulous ideas & this is no exception. She's got a virtual 'road trip' going on & today it's my hometown....Orem, Utah!
You can go check out all of the images, but I wanted to share a few of my faves: Utah is so incredibly beautiful...we live right around the base of Mt. Timpanogos; home of Sundance. So, we hike, bike & enjoy this area all summer long!
And...one of my fave things about our hometown is all of the little 'mom & pop' icecream joints around the valley. I love them! Thick shakes, icecream cones, & my fave...an icey diet pepsi/coke! hee!

Don't forget the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point...it's a family fave, too! We haven't been there for a few years & just went in June...wow! It's so cool!
So...a huge thanks to Jan for letting me be a part of the virtual Road Trip...come & visit anytime!
and...for your Rhonna DESIGNS souvenir...first 100 people to download get this Label Love printable sheet!
enjoy!
R

love quotes? love altered projects? look....

at the Soul Happy book! I love this book by Compendium! It's simple & powerful. I am a total quote lover & this book is just FAB....

So, it's a perfect canvas to start with...I love altered projects & I just designed a NEW House of 3 kit that is perfect for any inspirational altering of books, projects, anything! It's a perfect challenge for my daily 'creativity exercises'.


The front of the book is a gorgeous linen fabric. And I altered the front with the replacement jewels from the House of 3 Wall Art! & the OooLaLa tags printed out on clear & white Sticker Paper from Avery!
One of my favorite things to do is treat these gorgeous quote books like an art journal...adding my own handwriting, feelings, art & doodles like I would in any other art journal.
Above: the 'choose to be positive' sticker is in the Inspiration Printables kit & printed out on the white sticker paper, while the graphic border is printed out on ink jet transparency & just adhered on the page of the book. I added a tag from the printables kit as well that I printed on white cardstock & cut out with a scalloped circle punch!
The kit is also offered in a Digital file format here. Each design is offered as a PNG file so you have the capabilities of using them on your blogs, blog design, photos, scrapbook pages, cards, etc!




The kit comes with ledger tags in various shapes: rectangle, square & circle. I love these flourished banner designs....they can be printed out for any project. Think:
other Compendium books
scrapbooks
cards
so....as promised, I have 2 Soul Happy books to give away...


Hope & Kerry! email me your addy & I'll get them sent out! Can't wait to see what you do with them!

Enjoy!
R

mom power, inspiration & a give a way

I've had many emails asking what Jefra & I talked about at yesterday's Moms Who Make It Conference. Our portion of the conference was about creativity.
We talked about:

• Embracing your inner artist.
• Getting the inspiration to get started on your goals & dream big.
• Being brave & following your heart.
• Learning new things & working hard.
• Remembering your goals & not selling yourself short.

I have to say...this movie trailer got me totally pumped! Love this quote from it! totally inspiring to me!
We combined Jefra's amazing photography with my art for a slideshow. So fun to work as a team! Jefra is so amazing & it was such an honor to present with her. I had a hunch people would LOVE to hear Jefra's amazing insights & perspective, so I cut my part a little short cuz I really really wanted to have Jefra fill everyone with her goodness...& my hunch was right. She truly filled everyone up with creative inspiration! A*mazing...she is!
We gave away some House of 3 goodies (wall art & one of the bags) & a mini session with Jefra....lucky winners!

The entire conference was amazing on sooo many levels:
* meeting new & inspiring moms. locals & others that flew in just for the conference...
Josh & Rebecca from MomFaves were so fabulous to listen to & really emphasized the impact moms have on the world!

Sugar Jones is not only a sassy, fabulous speaker, but she's such a fantastic writer. I loved her latest entry! Read here: It was so fun to meet her & get to know her a little more!

* hearing amazing speakers that totally uplifted & inspired...Carrie Greer was a*mazing to listen to. She is such a strong, inspirational person & her story of 'Seeking the rainbow during the storm' had me in tears!

Laura Biswas was a great closing speaker...totally brought it all together. Thank you!

* learning new things....
&...the backstage bloggers were so FUN! So amazing how they do what they do! We had a crazy dance party at the end up on the patio of Noah's & oh my...I haven't laughed that hard for a few days! LOL! Thanks, dancing queens...you made it so fun!

check out all of these amazing women:
Crazi Beautiful
Cheeky & Swank
Raw Melissa
Project SAHM
Olive Juice & Co.

I could go on & on with every attendee I met ...every speaker I met & the 2 power moms for their vision & hard work: Quinn & Emily! Each person contributed such a wonderful part of the whole conference to make it one-of-a-kind! Quinn & Emily....a job well done..thank you!

And to the sponsors: a HUGE thank you! We KNOW these kinds of events couldn't be done without you! And as an attendee & speaker, I will be a life long patron! thank you!

so, be watching for info on next year's conference...I'm sure it will NOT disappoint!

In honor of all the inspiration & one of my favorite companies/sponsors...I want to share this book with you:
Soul Happy from Compendium.

It goes right along with everything we talked about at the conference. The book is filled with fantastic quotes that will certainly help your SOUL be HAPPY!
Compendium is one of my fave companies..dedicated to uplifting others. And they have graciously given me a few books to do a give*away!!!! So, leave a comment here on What makes YOUR soul happy & on Monday I'll give away some books...AND show you a fun way to use them creatively!

have a fab weekend!
R

moms....come & meet me today!

Today Jefra & I are among many other amazing women who are speaking at an inspiring event: Moms who make it!
Totally excited to meet many of you local women who are coming! We will be speaking at 6:55-7:40pm tonight, but the event goes all day long! If you are like me & live life cutting it close to the deadline...t's not too late to get tickets! Come on over to Noah's in S. Jordan & partake of the goodness! I'm sure it will be fabulous! We've got all sorts of eye candy planned & hoping it will inspire all who are in attendance!
have a fabulous day!
R

Tuesday Tip:: House of 3 Collage Storyboards

New kits over at House of 3= fun!!!!
Check out the new Collage Storyboard Kits!

This kit is filled with 9 different collage designs ranging from 2-11 photos per page; different sizes & different looks! Each template comes in a .PSD or Layered Photoshop File, numbered & has instructions on it!
**It also includes each design in high resolution for printing and low resolution for web use.

The whole concept behind this kit is to add a Clipping Mask to each numbered layer, delete the text layer of instructions & either keep it plain or add embellishments. So, to create the top image storyboard...it's super easy!

To create this one below, I simply used House of 3 brushes:
Background: Damask Brushes (to create the background...& I evenly spaced them/flipped them to create the pattern.)
Decorative Edges: House Edges & Rhonna Botanical Swirls. (simply stamped them in different colors)
Butterfly: Easter Brush Kit

I also added the text with one of our new fonts: House Rules. & for depth, added Drop Shadows to each of the layers....& for more step by step on How To use these Collage Templates...go to our InspiRation House!
So much versatility! Think: Christmas cards, photographer portfolio, blogs, invitations, baby announcements...heck! wedding announcements, even! LOVE these!
&....remember, there's Personal, Photographer's & Limited Commercial Licenses available!
enjoy!
R
*ETA: These templates can be used with Photoshop Elements as well. It's called Group with Previous, but does the same thing. Here's a great tutorial!

Mo Q & A>>>flipping brushes

Q: Diane said...

How do you flip a brush? Like your botanical swirl brushes, I would like one on one side of my document and then flip it over to go on the other side of the documents. Appreciate any help. Just downloaded 7 of your digi files and having a blast. Plan on using the "July 4" on little bags of cookies to sell at our carnival this weekend (Would that be alright?)It is for a school fundraiser. Love your work!

A: Rhonna said:
#1. How cool is THAT to use the July 4 kit for bags of cookies! WTG! Yes, if you purchase a kit with a Personal License, then you can use them for any personal use that is for non-profit. This fundraiser sounds great. Of course, any time there is the opportunity for you to link or share where you got the art, we'd love it! Thanks

#2. Brushes. Yes...you can flip brushes, but it all depends on your program. The newer versions of Photoshop & Photoshop Elements allows you to go into a Brush Tab & flip, space, rotate, etc! But, older versions of the programs don't have this handy dandy palette. One HUGE reason to keep updated on your versions of software...they make life easier!

Ok, so on to the little tutorial on how to flip your brushes!
1. Go to: Window>Brushes. This will bring up a Brush Palette that looks like this:
Note: I keep my Brush Tab docked just because I use them all the time!

2. By Default it may look different than above, so make sure you have to click on Brush Tip Shape to see this window. (Make sure all other categories are un-checked, too.)

• Flip: Notice the Flip X & Flip Y boxes. This is where you will flip your brush Axis. So helpful. & so fun! The top image of the flowers was done with the House of 3 Rhonna Botanical Swirls & I flipped the axis until I liked it. But, I also wanted to rotate the brush a bit.
  
• Rotate: Notice the circle with the arrow & dots. You can rotate your brush with your mouse by clickin on that arrow & simply turning/rotating it how you want it. OR you can go directly into the box at the left that says Angle & type in the degrees.
• Spacing: Notice the Spacing box. This is the place to space your brushes. So, say you want an evenly spaced dotted line. This is where you'd do it. Simply select a round brush, go into this Brush Tab & adjust the Spacing slider until you get the desired effect. **TIP: To get a straight dotted line, hold down your Shift Key while dragging your round, spaced brush.
  
• Diameter: This is also a great place to adjust the diameter (size) of your brush on the Diameter slider. **TIP: a short cut to make your brushes smaller is: With your brush selected, hit your [ key & to get your brushes bigger, hit your ] key.
  

Ok, hope that answers your questions on the flipping of the brush!
enjoy!
R

Friday happiness....& a winner!

Happy Friday!
and...random counter said it was Kerry (scrappinchic) who's the winner of some House of 3 goodies! Congrats, girl! All of you are seriously doing a fab job with Jessica's class! Love seeing the Hof3 Sample kit being used in so many ways! WTG! Be on the look out for more House of 3 specials with Jessica!

busy time. Lots to do for next week:

• Prep time: I'm enjoying getting our presentation finished for this week's Moms Who Make it Conference. For all you locals, get your tickets. It's going to SERIOUSLY be a very inspiring day! I'm so excited!
• Exercise Time: As promised, I'll be talking more about cReativity, ruts & how-to get out of them this next week. Still tweaking & getting it all right.
• inspiRation Time: Getting a fun inspiRation project ready! complete with giveaways! Check back next week!
  
• It's Time: ...for a new laptop. I'm so excited to caress &cuddle with my new Macbook Pro! yes...i do love me some new technology! & I'm in desperate need of a faster machine!

happy weekend, everyone!
R

new fonts & a smiley face>>>

um. ok. can i drool over this new House of 3 font? House Rules.
Yes. it does. it rules.
I've been using it & loving it.
**insert big smiley face on me**
It's a bit grungy, but sassy. Funky and distressed. Adds flair & funk to any project! Remember: House of 3 offers personal, photography, limited commercial licensing & even hooks you up if you own a store...so, grab it now! I promise you'll love it!
And...House Magnet was only available through our Magnet Board kit before. But, with our new Font section launching...we're offering it as a single font now. pure stamped, distressed antiquity! Upper & lower case are different sizes, so you can mix & match...oh so fun! The numbers are Heidi's handwriting for some ecclectic goodness!
love it. kick it. own it. flaunt it. Design District font was our first. We had it exclusively in our Valentine Book kit. And we've used it on soooo many of our projects. It's mismatched & ecclectic: sans serif & serif for a very cool & funky font! Now available as a single font! enjoy!
And another new one! This one, House Dingbats, is a dingbat font. ...fabulous, fun, whimsical notions. Upper case is handwritten, graffiti type of art with Heidi's words & drawings. Lower case is my art with swirls, birds, a chair, flowers & flourishes! The image above was all created with most of the 56 images in the font...even more you don't even see! It's a fun image font!
And...by popular demand...the new Brush Strokes font! Ever since this alphabet has been offered in stores as acrylic stamps I've had people asking if I would ever make it available as a font! I finally did it (3 years later)...& I'm excited to offer it as a House of 3 font!

also...we released a Chic Card Kit that is oh so cool as well as the new Summer Book kits. Both are offered as hybrid printable kits in PDF format AND digital kits with brushes & pngs! Check out the cool ideas for these kits here at the Inspiration House!
Love what Janet & Heidi did with the kits! mmm... if only I had 10 more hours in the day! LOL!
enjoy!
R

Q & A: **digital bRushes**

First of all. I love digital brushes. I remember the first time I discovered them. It was about 6 years ago & I stayed up all night. playing. with my jaw on the floor.
i
couldn't
stop.

6 years later & I have learned a ton about brushes. I use them every day. I make them. I share them. I save them. I download them. I am a brush addict!
so...
Today's Q & A is about brushes....this time it's a question from an email:
Stacy asked:
I love your Rhonna Designs brushes! I have Photoshop 7 & so  your brushes don't work. I hate to miss out. Is there anything I can do?

Good news, Stacy! YES>>>>you can still use my Rhonna Designs brushes! You will just need to open up the PNG files & create your own brushes. Then, you can use them just as she shows you in the class!

Creating Brushes:

1. Open your PNG image to create your brush.
2. Go to SELECT>ALL.

3. Go to EDIT>DEFINE BRUSH. Name your brush when the box prompts you.
Voila! You've created a brush!

**This doesn’t mean your brush is saved. You may still lose it unless you save it.

Saving Brushes:

1. Select your Brush Palette. Notice the arrow.

Select the arrow & you will see the drop down menu.

2. Here, you will see where you can Reset, Load, Save, & Replace your brushes.

Hit Save & you’ve saved your brush.

There’s tons more to the world of brushes, but this is a start.

**for another little video tutorial; check out this!

&...speaking of brushes...one of my daily blog stops, Besotted, gave a shout out HERE!
I love her brushes & love that she has the 'i'm very NICE' badge on her blog. She is. Very nice. She said some very kind things HERE!
So...the above image is one of her free flourish brushes along with some of mine. See how many cool, wonderfully fabulously scrumptious things you can do with brushes?
It will blow.
your.
mind!
enjoy!
R

Tuesday Q & A::Frames

First question comes from Jen...

Q: jen said...

Yes! First! Alright first, you are just too darn creative! That july kit is just amazing!
Secondly my question is: When you post pictures on your blog, you have great framing overlays for them. Are you creating them from scratch, getting them from Hof3, etc? Details! :D Especially the one on "Monday's goodness" post. Thanks!

A: rhonna said...
Most of my blog frames already exist...I use House of 3 frames! Here are some of my faves:
Negatives Kit.
Rounded Corners Kit.
Rounded White Corner Kit
Ornate Frames Kit
Round in Circles Frame Kit
House of 3 Frames Kit
& if I don't want a full frame border...these House Edges are so fab. I like to stamp just 1 or 2 sides for added interest!

But, the one I used for Monday's Goodness was created from scratch. Meaning..I simply used a bunch of brushes I have created & pieced them together.

Details: It's a lot faster to use the pre-made frames & very rarely do I make them from scratch! When they are brushes, simply refer to this tutorial for guidance. When you have colored or black PNG files, go here!

More help:

Here's a tutorial on how to use the Rounded Corners Kit!

>>>>Tips on Brushes.

more answers to come....
R

unplugged....

no internet.
no email.
no nothin.
up in the mountains of Colorado...with family.
sheer bliss.
It was so amazingly beautiful & we hiked, laughed, biked, ate, swam, laughed, bungee jumped, rode a buckin' bronco, slid (I crashed) down the alpine slide & enjoyed bonding as a family. 25 grandkids = a bit of crazy (& we missed 2 of them greatly...but, Jeff & Cherie were occupied! congrats, guys!)
My sister has an amazing eye & she brought fab, colorful props for taking pics! We had too much fun with all of the girl cousins...the photo shoots were fun memory makers!

Amazingly beautiful bailey....these 2 girls melt my heart!

fun hats. umbrellas. out in the woods...it was so gorgeous...then, it poured! good thing we had the umbrellas!

We found these cool trucks lined up along someone's fence. they were out having their 4th of July bbq & I stopped & asked if we could take pics. 25 grand kids poured out of cars & we shot fast & furious as they just played on them!fudge, fireworks, old towne goodness....even the Hof3 4th of July Tees we made were a huge hit! Even the little stubborn ones loved & wore theirs! *wink*

Family is what it's all about for me...spending time, making memories, bonding with each other & the kids....our week was one filled with gratitude, love & FUN!

We missed Cherie greatly, but loved being together as moms, women, wives, sisters...family! They are all amazing & truly inspire me to want to be my best self!
**they wore their 4th of July shirts, too! :)***elbow still bandaged 3 days after I left most of it on the alpine slide track...i have GOT to slow down!**
(frames on photos: House of 3 Rounded White Corner Kit, Rounded Corner Frames & Negative Frame Set.)

Also...to learn more about using frames & such to make your photos *pop*...Jessica Sprague just started a FREE online workshop including an exclusive House of 3 kit! Go check it out!

R

let fReedom ring.....