My Friend "Hello" Card

I made today's card for my "Mailing a Card a Week" promise!  I vowed to send out one card a week to a friend to let them know that I'm thinking of them.  A different friend each week.  This is week two.  It's great to be on track, isn't it?? LOL  I'd hate to think I wasn't on track so early in the project/promise!  

Ok, onto this card.  I did not buy the "My Friend" stamp set.  I purchased the download.  I played with it a bit on my computer to get the image to print out to exact or near exact same size as the image in the catalog.  I did set my printer to print at the lowest quality while I worked on the size. It only took a few tries and I got it.  SO when I was done I did save it so I can print it out another time in different colors.  I won't have to mess with the size thing anymore!!  And I did the same with the wording.

The butterflies are the "Beautiful Butterflies" Sizzlet.  I LOVE that little Sizzlet!!  

The background paper is from the "Spice Cake" decorative papers but once again, mine is from the download.  I not only downloaded the image for the "My Digital Studio" (MDS) software but I also downloaded it for the "other" software.  My "other" software is Print Artist.  I use that program when I want to print out the papers.  The MDS doesn't print out the way I want it to an I really can't play around with it.  SO I use Print Artist and I can enlarge the background to get it to fit 12" x 12". On the paper image on the screen I see 8-1/2" x 11" and I just stretch the image to go beyond that paper size to the 12" x 12" size.  Stretching it out makes image the same size as it is printed on a 12" x 12" page but I only get a portion of it printed. But that portion is in proportion and that was what I was looking for.  Though I have had times were I did like the image printed out smaller.  It all depends on what I'm working on at the time.

Anyway, back to the card. The base of the card is a half sheet of Very Vanilla folded in half on the long side.  My layers are the new "Pool Party" card stock and the ink color I chose was also Pool Party.  Printing these out makes for a quick card.  I don't make too many like this because printing them through the MDS wastes a lot of card stock.  It only prints out one at a time and it prints it in the middle of the card stock.  I have not played with the software enough to know if I can have it make the image on a full sheet of card stock and do a copy over 4 times so I can get 4 images on one sheet.  It's something I plan to play with more in the future.  

Playing with the MDS is fun and using the downloads saves a lot of money in stamps!  I don't have room for more stamps!!!

Thank you SO much for visiting today,
Wanda