forget not....

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Twice a year, our Church has a General Conference where we get to be uplifted & inspiRed by our Leaders! Saturday night we had the General Relief Society meeting where all the women across the globe can tune in to watch & listen...it was sooo wonderfully inspiRing!

Julie B. Beck is the world wide President of this amazing organization of women....she has 2 counselors, Sylvia Allred & Barbara Thompson who all spoke....They are amazing women..it was the kind of Conference that you left wanting to be your best...ya know?

This quote was from Deiter F. Uchtdorf...one of my favorite people to listen to....He is the one that delivered this amazing message about Creativity a few years ago...

& he did not disappoint....This message was so wonderful....about not forgetting the important things in life.  His words spoke to my soul...go listen to it....it will make you happy! I promise!

Happy Monday!

How Do You Do That? ---->Silhouette Brush Tricks

Let's learn HOW to do some tricks with our digital brushes.  The NEW Grateful Glam kits will be released later today. (after our newsletter goes out with a *special coupon*).... and the brushes for this collection are some of my fave! But...you might be wondering what to do with the 'silhouette's digital brushes.  

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When you download these fabulous brushes...you will notice that the 2 floral collages come in 2 parts: 

-->1 solid brush that looks like the silhouette of the image. 

-->Another brush that is the lined art.  

Now...you can use both of these individually...which looks cool depending on your project. OR...

I wanted to show you HOW to achieve the effect above.

it's as easy as. 1. 2. 3.

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1. Following our Digital Brushes Tutorial here, select your color you want the background to be.  Stamp the silhouette brush as shown above. 
2. Create a New Layer & select a contrasting color to stamp the lined art.  
3. Voila! Cool effect, huh?  


This is one of my favorite design techniques. 2 brushes can create 3 different looks.
Now, THAT is something to be grateful for!


Be sure to sign up for the Newsletter on Rhonna Designs...you will NOT want to miss it! *wink*
enjoy your pRocess!

maRathon Recap...

4 days later...

& I'm alive & kicking after running my first marathon! 

It has been quite a journey....

& it went great! 

I'm not even sore today! 

Can you believe it?

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It was raining the morning of the marathon.  We woke up super early, got all of our stuff & kissed the kiddos goodbye....& took off. I was a bundle of nerves. 

excited. skeered. nauseous.

I'd been super sick the 2 days before & when I talked to my mom the night before the marathon, I asked her to pray for me...I was worried I'd still be sick in the morning...but, prayer works! I felt great!

rain. dark. busses. lines.

it was fun.

Jeff & I got on the bus....& headed up the canyon with all of the other runners. crazy to think that the whole time we were driving (it was about a 45 min. bus ride) we would be RUNNING that! oy vey!

I tweeted & instagrammed as long as I could...but, once we got up the canyon....I didn't have any service.

for a while.

hence, no touting. tweeting. or instagrams. sad, but hey....ya gotta roll with the punches.

so...it was still rainy & COLD at the starting line. I kissed Jeff goodbye & he took off.

I ran slowly, pacing myself the whole time...careful to NOT give in to my adrenaline that was egging me on to sprint! It was so exciting!

Pretty soon, it started to rain harder.

mile 6. raining. i'm wet. still have my jacket on & had been planning on leaving it at one of the aid stations early on in the race. 

no. go.

pouring.

 mile 10. still feeling great, even though I was getting wetter & wetter.

each aid station I took some gatorade. I ended up stopping 3xs to use the bathrooms. oy!

mile 13. felt amazing. sooo excited. loved the scenery...loved my music. happy.

hail. yup...it hailed so hard that it was actually HURTING me! LOL! but... i went on.

sometime around 10AM, my dear friend Sande picked up my kids at the hotel. (her hubby was running, too) So, they could be at the finish line to see us. Thanks, sweet friend...you'll never know how much I appreciate that! 

mile 16. I got the text that Jeff had finished 21 miles. I was giddy for him! giddy. i think i giggled out loud!

still rained. 

mile 19. I felt great, but could NOT believe how hard it was raining. It was going sideways & I was drenched...still left my jacket on cuz it was COLD rain! LOVED the great volunteers at the aid stations...they were troopers in that weather!

mile 20. got the text that Jeff had finished. I'm not gonna lie. I cried a little bit. I was so sooo proud of him! 3:25!!!! He is amazing.

raining.

mile 24. I lost it. I mentally had a break down & started bawling. miles 20-24 were tough for me. I seriously was wiping the tears off my face, & started panicking cuz I couldn't breathe....my lungs started closing cuz of the emotions....

I had to calm down.

I started to talk myself down...pumping myself up...& then this song came on my playlist: 

Press to Play's Let's Dance.

all I heard was: Let's RUN.

it.

was.

just.

what.

i.

needed.

I pulled it together & kept my eye up on the Logan Temple...seriously.....it's what I kept looking at to keep my focus. 

the sun started shining.

I blew through the mile 25 aid station cuz I could feel that if I even slowed down, my legs would freeze up....

so. I ran.

strong & hard til I hit the finish line.


26.2 miles.

the sun shone bright.

I was soo excited, I ran through fist pumping & hollerin'....

some guy was there & held out both hands...I slapped them & jumped up & down.

it felt.

a.mazing.

sadly....my chip didn't warn my family with a text at mile 21, so they weren't prepared & only got the text that I'd finished...& they were at the car.

It was OK. I cheered for myself & frankly....it was celebration with them later. so no worries.

We brought a huge cooler full of ice in the back of our car so we could ice immediately after.  and...the sun felt amazing! 

Stretched out...& was in heaven.

felt sooo great.

amazing, really.

I learned so much from this entire journey... Here goes:

if I worked hard enough & was consistent with my training...i got stronger.

when I had ANY negative thoughts come in like:

i'm too tired.

i don't feel like it.

i'm fat.

i don't like this.

i'm not fast.

i hurt.

i'm sick.

i can't do this.

then, i was right.  

But, if I didn't give in to any of those feelings, I came out stronger. happier.

training for a marathon does NOT help you lose weight! LOL! 

music put a spring in my step.

it was a mental game as well as a physical game. no joke.

i had to fuel up & sleep well & drink up. or my body no likey.

I have to talk to myself whilst I run. really. it's part of my mental game.

running quotes REALLY inspire me.

Support means *everything* to me. I'm so thankful. for family. friends. bloggers.

a heartfelt thank you to everyone!

my body is a miracle. seriously. it amazed me. grateful to have been ABLE to run.

Jeff is my hero. 

Nature is so beautiful, it makes me want to run!

Hail, buckets of rain & temporary melt downs only make the journey more interesting!

I really & truly CAN do anything I put my mind to....it's true.

I believe.

I do.

and...4 days later..I'm already planning on my next half marathon & trying to decide on my next full marathon.

yea.

i got the bug.

cReative Team Tuesday. hybrid crafting.

Look at these amazing hybrid crafting ideas! With your computer, digital designs, paper & even fabric....you can cReate amazing projects! So, let's sprinkle a little cReativity around on this cReative Team Tuesday!

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I'm in LOVE with this work in progress. Melissa Mortenson is working on this pillow! Can you believe it? She's used some of the Spring Mix pieces along with the Honeycomb Pieces to create this amazing design.  You can see she's embroidering, too...sooo inpsiRing!!!

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And how about this darling hybrid to-do list? I'm in love with how Rosemary Watson has created the border with the Honeycomb Background kit & added some flair around with the Honeycomb Pieces kit! Notice how the honeycomb brushes from the 6 Week Brush kit coordinate, too! Love this so much! It makes me want to get my to-do list going!

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Creating a digital scrapbook layout with the Uplifting Kites kit is gorgeous...but, I LOVED how Susan Weckesser also created the border with the bonus Brush set that comes in the Uplifting Kites kit..brilliant! And of course, loving the re-colored Quatrefoil tag and the bits of Washi Tape sprinkeld around.  Great job! 

So...on this Tuesday, what is inspiRing and uplifting YOU? We want to hear!  

I've been a bit on the down-low...recovering from my marathon on Saturday...but, I'm also excited to share my experience with you this week! So...until then...

How Do You Do That? ---->Digital Brushes

What are digital brushes?

Ever wonder how to load, use, rotate &  digital brushes?

Think of Brushes as Virtual Stamps.  

You can  stamp in various colors, sizes, alter them & get a variety of looks with these brushes. 

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 Digital Brush kits usually include black PNG files &1 ABR brush file that has the actual brushes in it.  I usually include the black PNG files for those that do not have Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.  You can actually use the PNG files similarly to the brush; drag & drop them onto your canvas, change colors, rotate, etc.  You can also use the black PNG files as Clip Art...so, if you can not live w/o those designs but don't have PS or PSE, you can still enjoy!

OK.

I’ll show you how to load the brushes, recolor/stamp in color, & turn & rotate the brush.

LOAD BRUSHES:

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1. After you’ve unzipped your Brush kit,  go into Photoshop, select the Brush Tool in the Tool Bar as seen above. 

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2. Now look above on your Menu Bar. You will see the above Brush Palette. You can change the Master Diameter...size. And select which brush you want to stamp when the brushes are loaded.

To LOAD: Click on the arrow to bring up the Drop Down Menu

 as shown here.  **Mac users; double click on the ABR brush icon & it will automatically load the brushes in your brush palette.

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3.  Select>Load Brush (Here, in this Drop Down Menu, you’ll notice a bunch of options. This is where you’ll organize, name, save your brushes later.) 

NOTE: I like to view my brushes with Large Thumbnail selected. But, figure out what you like...it's personal preference. 

The Load Window will come up & you’ll find your Rhonna Designs Spooky Junque Brush kit.  Select the ABR folder & you will click on the ABR brush icon.  Load.

**Note: See the Black PNG file folder? These are NOT the brushes..if you are trying to load & it's grey or you can't 'access' it...chances are you have somehow clicked into this folder instead. Key: You can ONLY load the ABR brush icon as seen below.

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4.  Now they are loaded in  Brush Tool Palette, and you will see the Spooky Junque brushes are there. 

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COLOR/STAMP:

Now, let’s use these brushes.  Rule #1. Always create a New Layer when you brush/stamp.  Never stamp directly on another Layer. This will make it easy to delete the Brush layer instead of damaging the photo or paper.

1. Go to: LAYER>NEW. Select your Color you’d like to stamp/brush.

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I have pink for this layout.  And, I’ve created a New Layer on top of my frame so I my stamp can be a soft background of my image.

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2.  Simply click/stamp the Spooky Junque Brushes where you want. If you ever want to delete what you just did, simply hit: apple+z or ctrl+z.  You can change the colors anytime you want...I just liked the pink background! LOL!

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TURN/ROTATE:

Now, to change the rotation, spacing or even size of your brush go up to your Menu Bar & click on the Brush Tab.

This window will pop up & click on the Brush Tip Shape. This window allows you to control your world of brushes.

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A. Diameter: much like the Master Diameter in the other window you can use the slider to adjust the size of your brush.

B. Rotation: You can flip the X&Y Axis by clicking on each of those little boxes.  You can also rotate the Angle Degree by either typing in the degree in the Angle box OR simply rotating the arrow in the circle to turn your brush how you’d like it.

C. Spacing: Here you can use the slider to space out your brushes. I.e. for the Spooky Junque brush, if you want a perfect line of BOO on a strip or border,  you would adjust the slider until you see the brushes spaced at about 442%.  Voila!  Perfectly spaced Brush!

I could do an entire class on Brushes because there are so many things you can do with them. For now, this is a great beginner tutorial, but here are a couple of tips!

Straight Line: Select a default brush, hard, round & about 5px.  Hit your Shift Key while you drag your brush & you’ll have a perfectly straight line.

Dotted Line: With your default hard, round brush (any size) go into your Spacing& drag the slider until you have a good dotted line.  Now, use the technique above & you’ve got a perfect dotted straight line.

Scalloped Line: Again, with a default hard, round brush (any size) go into your Spacing & drag the slider until you have a scalloped line. Now, use this technique above & you've got a perfect scalloped line!

Practice, practice, practice.  

Once you get the hang of these, you will be amazed at what YOU can design!  Seriously, Digital Brushes will rock your world whether you are a digital scrapbooker, mixed media artist, blogger, photographer or even a traditional scrapbooker!  The world of brushes is a*mazing!

2 days....

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 In 2 days I'll be on the course, running my first marathon.

 It's the home stretch...I'm getting ready. All thoughts are consumed by my marathon prep. I have so many thoughts. fears. self doubts....it's hard not to.

Have I trained enough?

Will I be fueled & hydrated enough to perform?

What if I bonk? hit the wall?

Will the weather cooperate?

What if I forget something?

What if I get injured?

What if..

what if...

oy. vey.

Needless to say. I've got butterflies.

And...when it comes down to it...18 weeks ago, there is no way I could have done this. But, I trained & enjoyed every minute of it. Seriously. 

Those runs have become one of my favorite things.

And the support I've gotten from YOU! Wow...

I'm so thankful for all of your emails, texts, messages...

tons of support from you! 

thank you! 

You've been uplifting and inspiring me with your personal stories..how you've started running, or walking, or exercising, or doing something else that was difficult for you. 

YOU GO!

I'm really looking forward to it...and will set aside those self doubts...because, from what I've heard from other marathoners...you have got to be as mentally prepared as physically prepared.

I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing...

follow me on Twitter 

or Instagram 

& you can run right along with me! 

And, if it works..

I'll be TOUTing, too! 

(short video clips to document life's moments)

...my sister & I were joking that I'd be TOUTing during the race...showing my feet, my progress, etc...& at the end...all you'd see are my feet on a stretcher being taken away...Yes. this might get too raw & real...but, I want this to document my journey...

I have LOVED the visual journey I've got with my Instagrams...& am making a book with all of them printed out by PostalPix...

but, think it would be cool to have video clips during the marathon, too.  So, no promises...we'll see how I'm feeling as I'm running. I might not be able to..LOL.

So...tomorrow I've got another "How Do You Do That?" feature on digital brushes...& then Saturday is IT! I might be MIA for a while after that...hee hee.

Until then...

cReative Team Tuesday. eye candy.

Ok...sit down.

Close your mouth...cuz your jaw is going to drop....

I.

am.

in.

LOVE.

with.

these.

get ready for cReative Team Tuesday...

Each cReative Team member is so unique. so cReative in their own realm...I just love it...totally uplifts and inspiRes me... be sure to visit their sites & blogs...because they are using Rhonna Designs all over...& I'm loving it!

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Love how Amy used the Washi Tape elements for these amazing pictures! Isn't she amazing?

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and gorgeous?

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And...LOVE her digital layout using the Honeycomb Pieces, FrameWorks & Washi Tape kits to document her haircut...she's so darling! Love her!

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And...Susan has totally created these cool kraft goodie bags out of the NEW Spooky Junque Label kits & the darling Banner Kit...LOVE this...I want candy now! LOL! Hybrid goodness.....LOVE!

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And..one of the things that always just knocks my socks off is how Susan uses Photoshop, Photos and digtial kits to cReate...LOVE how she used the Numbers kit & the Honeycomb Kit here...sheer deliciousness. LOVE her cReativity!

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And it's SO fun to see Jing's cReations! I LOVE how she puts things together...her style is unique & sophisticated...love these digital layouts where she uses the Washi Tape, Spring Mix & Simple Photo Frame kits. Delightful! no?

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Isn't she gorgeous? Love this one. Love the words inside the Honeycomb kit pieces...mmm...LOVE!

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And...Notice how the fab Kirsty Wiseman created this entire layout with the Spooky Junque kits? She's created the background with the 6 Week Brushes (dots & stars) & the Spooky Junque Brushes...then added the Spooky Junque Labels, Borders & Simple Photos Frames kit...sheer brilliance! LOVE it!

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And...Rosemary, Rosemary, Rosemary...how I love these photos! I adore her photography and her daughter Olivia is a cutie, isn't she? LOVE how she used the Spooky Junque Frame kit here...perfection.

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Here, she's got the Spooky Junque Borders...darling!

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And...a Spooky Junque Brush on the background with a Spooky Label on top to accent this a*mazing photo.

Lovin' these Spooky Juqnue Candy Cones. mmmmm....makes me so excited to cReate! Look how cute this is from Rosemary...You rock, girl! amazing!

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Who wouldn't want to go to THIS party? I LOVE how Nancy decorated every little detail of her party with the Honeycomb Pieces & Background kits...seriously? I die. it's sheer gorgeous-ness!

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Really? Those honeycomb pieces on the table? brill!  And the Menu? perfection...but, can you even believe those darling name tags, silverware pockets & mason jar embellishments with the burlap? GAH>>>I am in LOVE!

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And is this chair backer just the cutest? She used the Honeycomb Pieces here, too! LOVEY!

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See? Don't you just want to run out & cReate? right. this. minute?

yea...me, too.

see ya!