A Little Something For You! :)

Yeah! I finally had some time to play with my new kit tonight! [I've been working on other stuff all day!]

I am still finishing up my layout(I will post it here in a bit!); but I thought I would share this little quick page with you! It's very generic and needs some embellishing.. Maybe some journaling..



So. I thought I would hold a little contest..
(Yeah! Come and play with me!)

Snag this quick page..

Download it here..

Pop your photos in behind the cutouts.
(this QP is saved in .png format)

And then mark it up and make it yours.. Post your QP in my Altered Quick Page gallery.. The most original layout using this QP wins a $10 GC to the ScrapArtist Shoppe.

Also, five runners up will win my newest kit; Clair De Lune.

So. Show me how you can make this QP yours! Contest starts now, and will end on Monday Night (July 3rd)at Midnight Eastern Standard Time.

You are welcome to share your links here if you'd like to; but you have to upload to my gallery for your entree to count.

Good luck! I can't wait to see what you can come up with! The Sky is the limit! Ready. Set. Go!! :)

New Kit: Clair De Lune

I put a new kit up to the shoppe this morning :) Now, I have to say that every new kit or creation is my favorite when it very first comes out; but this one.. Well, This one will be hard to top! ;) Maybe because it uses all of my very most favorite colors?? At any rate; I adore it!



It's in the shoppe now.

I can't wait to scrap with it, hopefully later today.. Got to go to the gym today, I am trying to trim up for CHA! Eeks, It's only 22 Days away! Got to get moving! :)

I also just wanted to remind you. Today is the very last day that you can purchase our Soulful Father Kit. It goes off the shelves tomorrow, This kit is fantastic, Don't miss out on it! Same with Anna's SoNo Summer Collections. They are wonderful! :)

Glitter Kiss :)

K. I just had to scrap these.. They were calling to me..



I made this really cute little glitter kiss. I thought I would share it with you :)Maybe it will end up in a kit; but if not.. You can grab it now.

Glitter Kiss

Layout Credits:
Cream Paper from my Birthday Boy, Birthday Girl Paperset
Journaling Stamp from Lisa's Awesome Summer Sunset Collection
Checkered Ribbon from Gina's Shabby Shack Mega Kit
(still on sale if you snag it today!)
All other paper & Elements from an Upcoming Combo kit with Nan :)

Free Handwriting fonts!

Having a hard time getting it in gear today.. I've spent too much time blog hopping and gallery surfing :) But I just had to share this link!

Am I the only person who didn't know about this??

Fonts For Peas

This website will turn your handwriting into a font for free and they have a TON of AWESOME handwriting fonts that they have already made, and you can download them for free. Too Cool.

Eeks! I just had to answer my door in my pajamas. (Did I mention I am having a hard time getting going this morning?? Oh. Scratch that, this afternoon..) It was only the fed-ex guy.. Hoping he is used to seeing worse ;) Just had another hard drive delivered today.. It's a day early. Sweet. Maybe that will motivate me?

Ugh. Time for some Hard Drive Cleaning..



Hee. Hee. I Will just leave you with this image.. We broke out with a case of the kissies today.. Aren't girls fun?? :) I think some of Brenna's kisses were self inflicted; And I had to help Lorynn out a bit to even up the score, but I thought they were still cute!

Candy Coated Mini Kit :)

K. So It's time for another freebie! :) These papers have been sitting on my computer for way too long. They need to be used! So, have at them. As Always. It is NOT OK to hotlink or share these freebies in any way. You may always share the link to my blog; and that is all.



Download this Mini Kit Here, Have a great Sunday!

Do You Tri?

K. I HAD to post this LO of my hubby. I am SO PROUD OF HIM!!



He completed his very first Triathlon today.
And he has worked so hard to get where he is. He started training in January. When he told me he wanted to do a Tri; I thought he was insane. Not being athletic myself; I had a hard time truly understanding his drive. But he was SO DETERMINED.

Through his training he has lost 45 pounds. And today, he went out there, and well, he just did it. He Swam 750 Meters. Biked 20K and Ran a 5K. I think he did awesome!

*ETA:
This layout was created with some simple black paper. I filled my document with black then added a pattern overlay with some great texture on it. I changed the blending mode to linear dodge and lowered the opacity a bit.

I grunged up the main photo with some grungy brushes;

The photo of my DH running, was actually a REALLY BAD PICTURE. So it required a ton of editing. I started by selecting him completely with my magnetic lasso tool. I then copied that layer (control J) so he was cutout on top of my photo. Then I applied a motion blur to the background, and then blended him back into the photo using my blur tool. It made for a really cool effect; and my DH loved it because he thought it made him look faster ;)

The only other elements that I added were Nancie's Shmootzy Frames around the photo of him running and My Graphic Brushes around my journaling.

The red swirly thing in my word art is actually the logo from the race. It was created by scanning in my DH's T-shirt and making a brush out of it.

The fonts used here are: Base 02, Appendix3, & Book Antiqua.

Friends Coming together for a good cause :)

Oh So much to blog about today! :)

First, I have to tell you about this gorgeous collection of kits and a wonderful cause..

Part 1 sponsored by www.e-scapeandscrap.net

Part 2 sponsored by ScrapArtist

Part 3 sponsored by www.e-scapeandscrap.net

Part 4 sponsored by www.matterofscrap.com

So what's all this about? My Friend, Laura, has recently been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, and many (amazing!) designers have gotten together and created these amazing kits as a fund raiser for her. They are simply breathtaking, and not to be missed!

We are also holding a digital raffle in Laura's honor.

I am so excited about this, So many fantastic prizes from:

April Anderton, Maya, Ange Barton, Karen Aicken, Lori Barnhurst, Rhonna Farrer, Gina Cabrera, Kay Eflin, Dena Simoneaux, Clara Wallace, Mirranda Reinhardt, Anna Aspnes, Kristie David, Wendy Morales, Julie Mead and myself :)

You can buy as many raffle tickets as you would like and you are not limited to winning just one prize. However each ticket needs to be in its own order because we will be going by order numbers. If your order/ticket number is drawn than you win :)

It is all for a good cause, and I am so honored to be able to help.

K. One more thing before I sign off. Don't forget about our one day sale! Technically it starts tomorrow, but I always feel bad for those people that buy the night before the sale starts! ;) So it is in effect now! Woohoo! Everything in the shoppe is 25% off.

And, have you seen Nancie's latest kit?? OMG! It's GORGEOUS!! Don't miss them!

Feeling Refreshed :)

Ahhh.. Feeling refreshed;

Just woke up from an afternoon nap. MAN; I LOVE THOSE!! Hardly ever let myself take them, it has been my philosophy (since Brenna was born!) that when I am lucky enough to get my girls down for a nap, that I should be playing (or working). Uninterrupted time creating is just too golden not to take it! :)

But today, I really needed one, and it was pure YUM! :)

SO I thought I would post this LO of the fam (yes, I do realize I am suspiciously missing from the photos; but there is just something about posting photos of myself in a bathing suit that just doesn't sit well with me..)

We had so much fun, just hanging out at the pool..

Paper and elements from this LO are from my Copacabana paper and element sets. FUN!

So I made my Dad A father's day card today; I just had to scraplift this fabulous one from Lauren; I just LOVED her Design!



(I used papers from my copacabana and our Soulful Father Kit at SA. I also used a frame from Nancie's Quiet Love; and the cool heart is from Meredith Fenwick..)

But I put the barcode font on the back of it. And Brenna thought that was the coolest thing ever..

She has this little play cash register that will scan barcodes, She goes, Mom I am going to scan this and see how much love costs! She grabs the card runs into her bedroom and I hear the little beep of her toy. Then she comes running back into the living room.. Wow, mom. Love's cheap; It only costs $30 Bucks.

Hee Hee.. It made me laugh.

At The Copa.. Copacabana..

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl..With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there..She would merengue and do the cha-cha.. Whoo!



I just had to post this happy little number ;) In the shoppe now; Some fun little elements also to come in the next few days..

At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana (Copacabana)
The hottest spot north of Havana (here)
At the Copa (CO!), Copacabana
Music and passion were always the fashion
At the Copa....they fell in love..

K. I realize that now you will be singing this song for the rest of today! :)
Sorry, I just couldn't help it..

His name was Rico, he wore a diamond..

Drum Roll Please! ;)

Ok! After going over all of the MANY FANTASTIC name submissions; (Whew! That was a job!) I have found the PERFECT name for my kit! Thanks to everyone who has participated in this! I loved seeing everyone's creativity!

So I have to say that there was one name that just fit perfectly for this kit. It was submitted by Bev, She wrote me a note about her daughter growing up and going off to college; and her name submission was: Chelsey's Dream. I loved it!



It fit well with the elements to :)

There were so many other awesome names! I have chosen 15 Runner's up :)

1. Laurel's Wishes: Sonja
2. Blowing Dandelions: JennyJ
3. Katia's Tea Party: Kristy
4. Summers Tranquility: Renee
5. Amelia's Charm: RiordM
6. Boho Meadow: Sharon
7. Shabby Daisies: Bernadette
8. Softly Spoken: Shayna
9. Softly Spoken: Jonnie
10.Love Notes to a Soldier: Mandy
11.Cotton Blossoms: Andrea
12.Cotton Blossoms: Sandy
13.Jessica's Special Day: Becky
14. Cottage Romance: Jen Harr
15. Sunkissed and Sandwashed: Beth Davis

If your name is listed above and you haven't heard from me; it's because I don't have your email; Drop me a line at michelleatScrapArtist.com and I will hook you up with the kit! :)

Thanks again to everyone who participated in this!! I have a special coupon code for you! :) Take 30% off Chelsey's Dream by entering : BLOG30 at checkout. This coupon code will be good now through Friday :)

And I even scrapped with this! Woohoo, On A Roll tonight!



One of my favorite beach shots of Brenna, I can't believe how fast she is growing!

**Yes, I scrapped! But dinner's dishes are still in the sink! Yuck! Oh, Well, They will still be there in the morning! ;)

WOW!!

Thanks for playing my naming contest!! I am in awe over all your fabulous naming and element ideas!! I am so impressed! I am sorting through all these names now and will contact the winners later today. Hope to have this kit up in the shoppe tomorrow! Thank you all so much for playing!! I cannot BELIEVE how many awesome names there are here!! WOW!!

Name This Kit And Win II!

Are you ready to play again? I had SO much fun a couple of months ago when I ran the naming contest for my Emma's Sundress kit. And I was so impressed with everyone's creativity!! So, Today I finished up the paper for another kit; and I am TOTALLY suck on a name again.. SO.. Do you want to help me?? Please? :)

You can enter as many times as you like. Contest starts right now and ends Monday Night (The 12th of June) at Midnight (Mountain Standard Time) The person that submits the winning name will win $10 to the ScrapArtist Shoppe and the new kit. 10 Runners up will also be selected to recieve the finished kit for free.



Now I haven't started yet on the elements for this kit. So you can also send in ideas for elements that you would like to see included if you would like to. Maybe even tie some elements into your name?? I'll leave that part up to you!

Please post your name ideas here so everyone can read them.

I cannot wait to see what you come up with! Let the naming begin!! :)

Good Friends :)

So I spent yesterday afternoon with one of my best friends from High School. I've kept in touch with exactly 3 people from High School. My two best friends, Nikki and Kristie; and my husband, Paul. Yep.. High School sweethearts :) We met in Drama class; I was Cinderella and he was my Prince Charming.. (Still is!!) [awww, mushy!]

Anyway. Nikk and Kris are the kind of friends where you don't talk at all for six months and then we get together and pick right back up where we left off. I love them! :) So I spent yesterday afternoon teaching Nikk some of the ins and outs of Photoshop. She is so excited to start her journey into digital scrapbooking, and I am thrilled to share my craft with her! I snapped some pictures of Lorynn and her new baby Katia. So cute!



Lorynn was just too adorable with her. Holding her head up, giving her the softest kisses.. She just LOVED her! I made this layout for Nikk with my newest paper and element set:
My Gypsy Rose, In the shoppe now :)

New Goodies in the Shoppe :)

So I know I said I was taking a break from designing, but organizing my house just didn't prove to be very much fun! :) I have actually tried to scale my design hours back, and for the most part I am getting better at finding that balance between designing and all that other stuff ;) There are times though when I just cannot turn the ideas off, and my hands are more than happy to follow where my mind leads them.

My creativity used to come in spurts, so it was easier to walk away when the ideas were not flowing right, but like any muscle; regular exercise trims away the fat. So, now when I sit down to design, my mind works like a well oiled machine.. Now if I could just get the rest of my body to follow suit..But that of course would require me to actually get on my treadmill more than once a week.. (One thing at a time!)

Does anyone else have a hard time finding balance?? For me, it seems I can only handle so many things at a time.. I can either be a really creative individual, but my physical body is out of shape, or I can focus on being physically healthy and by the end of the day, my mind is too tired to perform. Maybe I am too extreme? I think that for me, I have a hard time being 'mediocre' at anything. I am an 'all or nothing' kind of gal. I've tried to kick my habit of habitual perfectionism, but it really is a lost cause.

Sorry, I am babbling. I'm tired. We threw Brenna a Kindergarten graduation party today. It was Brenna and 10 of her closest friends ;) They had a blast. It was REALLY hot today. So we had a quick little ceremony with the Music, Grad Caps, Diplomas and of course.. Lots of photos! Then we broke out the water toys, to try and cool off. We had a big obstacle course/relay race, water balloon fight, we turned on the sprinklers and let them take turns jumping on our trampoline. I think any time you mix cake and ice cream with water games, you have an instant success :) Well, it works for me anyways..



What a bunch of cuties :)

Anyhow.

I put up a new element and paper set today :) (As per the aforementioned title)
I actually had a customer request a birthday kit and it got me thinking.. And these little ditties were the result:





I adore the papers in this set! (Can I say that about my own papers??) I created them so you could use them with the birthday elements for awesome BDay layouts; or use the papers for anything seprately. I made this layout tonight of my girls, our first official photos of summer:



Everything from this layout is from my new kit except I used my Brush Stroke Brushes.

I am also offering 20% off these two new items; plus my Day at the Zoo kit :)

Enter in coupon code: MCO20

This coupon will be in effect now through Saturday :) Enjoy!

Whew!!

I may have spoke too soon about karma! The last couple of days have been CRAZY!!
Our shopping cart broke and it took us two days to fix it, We tried EVERYTHING!! Finally got it back up and running smoothly late last night. (THANK YOU JASON!!) So now we are holding a semi-private sale! :) You can take 25% off every order today only. (Woohoo! I love sales!!)

Just use coupon code: SAVE25 in your cart at checkout.

But remember, it is for today only!! We've got lots of fun new goodies in the shoppe so stop by and check it out!

I took some time out last night and gave myself a little scrap therapy. (And Boy! Did I EVER need it!)




I adore the way this layout turned out! Most everything here is from Di and I's, Joshua's Day in the Sun kit (Great kit!) But this photo of Lorynn is so special to me. The personality that it captures just takes my breath away. Man, this girl is cute!