My Second Mile

I've MOVED! :)

2007-08-23T00:54:00.001-06:00

Hey all! :) I've moved! Check out my new blog at:

mysecondmile.squarespace.com

THANK YOU!!! :)

2007-07-30T12:05:00.000-06:00

Thank you for all your fabulous suggestions, I absolutely loved reading them!!

I have chosen my random winners and they are as follows:

Kristy B
Denali
Ericka (pne123)
Carrie Krotine
Lisa Marie
Laurie
(I chose 6!)

Congratulations ladies!! :)
You all have won both brush sets for free :)

I am in the process of contacting everyone, so if your name is listed and you haven't heard from me yet, it means I am having trouble contacting you. Please drop me a line at: michelle at littledreamerdesigns dot com and I will send you your prize!

To sweeten the deal for everyone else, I am offering a 25% Discount on these two brush sets :)

Use Coupon Code: defined

Coupon expires on August 4th :)

THANK YOU ALL!!
I will be working on a new defined brush set here in the next few days :)

Enjoy your Monday! :)

Some New Goodies for you + a CONTEST!!

2007-07-28T23:46:00.000-06:00

So, I haven't taken the weekend to just sit and scrap.. Seems as though my deadlines for Fancy Pants won ;)

But I did manage to squeeze in some time today to create two new brush sets for you! :)
I was in the mood for some doodling, and well, I am pretty happy with the results!

Blooming Brushes

These brushes are so fun, I am thinking I need to use them to create a paperset or something.. But they are even funner to use, the vines and flowers are all separate from each other so that you can use as many colors as you want to create your own unique designs with them. Gotta love that!! :)

Anyway.. Hoping you enjoy them!

Also created some fun definition brushes. These were requested by several of my customers a few months ago and I am FINALLY getting to them! :)

Defined Brushes

And I think it's about time to hold some kind of contest for my faithful blog readers! :) Man my blog has gotten boring! ;) Hee hee.

Send me a list of five more words that you would like to see defined. Make sure you read the product description
so you know which words I've already defined ;) I will pick 5 random winners to receive both of my new brush sets for free! :)

Contest starts now, and closes on Monday July 30th at 11AM MDT :)

Have fun and good luck!

~M

Budding Photographer..

2007-07-26T10:27:00.000-06:00

So last weekend, we had Brenna help us take our pictures. We figured it would be easier than trying to use the timer ;) We set up the shot for her and then all she had to do was push the button.

But it was so funny how serious she took our little project.

She kept directing us to tilt our heads or lean into each other. It was so cute.
You'd think that she had some experience before, because she was so professional :)

Here are a few of our snap shots:

Not bad, eh?

So now I've just got to find some time to get these scrapped! I already have it all laid out in my mind, but I've been so busy with other deadlines, that I haven't been able to scrap. Maybe I will sneak in some time today :)
I've still got to scrap some layouts with my new baby line from FancyPants :)

Ah.. I just need a whole day with nothing else to do, but scrap! :)

I am looking forward to moving. More like getting it over with actually. August 4th is the big day..

It's going to be strange, saying good-bye to our little house. This house was our first home purchase, and we've been here for almost 4 years. I look at our lives, and how they have changed in this house.. It makes me nostalgic.

I am going to create a book for my girls about this house. I want to include photos of each room, Photos of the important events in our lives that occurred in this house. A keepsake for them to remember. I am going to have it bound and printed at Shutterfly. I've been wanting to try out their quality. Of course, I haven't even started yet ;) But it's on the list of things to do! :) Maybe I will block out the weekend and focus my attention on just scrapping.

Deadlines, Shmedlines ;)

Finally coming up for air! :)

2007-07-19T09:57:00.000-06:00

AAAAHHH..

Deep cleansing breaths :)

I've been working on a project for the past couple of weeks, and I am FINALLY FINISHED! :)

Have you seen Fancy Pants new website??
We went live with it last night! Technically early morning ;)
And just in time to see previews for the new CHA releases! :)

I feel like I have been working NON STOP getting it completed. So LDD, and my blog have been a bit neglected.. But we are working on an event at Little Dreamer that is going to knock your socks off!! :) I am so excited about it, I can't give any details yet, but we'll spill the beans as soon as we can :)

So now that I have finished one deadline; I've got several others in the mix, but we are also moving in a few weeks. So life is still.. Packed full :)

And today is my anniversary! :) TEN YEARS today. I can hardly believe it. We are not really celebrating until the weekend. We were going to be going to Italy this year, but with the new house we've decided to put that off until next year. Plus, it's so hard for me to leave my girls. And two weeks away from them kind of freaks me out..

So I thought that an anniversary layout was in order, but when I went looking through my pictures, I couldn't find ANYTHING resent of us together.. HOW SAD IS THAT??

So, my goal today is to take a self portrait of Paul and I. I will post my results later, Wish me luck! :)

My Mac Daddy is a SUPER HERO! :)

2007-06-29T19:47:00.000-06:00

First, I have to say THANK YOU!! For all your kind words of encouragement. There is NOTHING like that feeling in the pit of your stomach, when you KNOW you SHOULD HAVE BEEN ARCHIVING.. And haven't been.. OH.. My PC Was a terrible mess!

And your suggestions were wonderful, so THANK YOU for talking me down from the ledge ;)

Thankfully, I was able to save my pictures and layouts (HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF!!)
But I still need to take it in to get some of my other design files. And my Tax records! (oy!) Do you think the IRS will understand? ;)

So.. The PC still has some work to be done on it.. But I am too busy playing with my NEW MAC!! OMG.. My Mac is a SUPER POWER! I am LOVING it! I upgraded to CS3, and everything runs LIGHTNING Fast! I think I may have THE MOST understanding husband in the world.. I called him at work (in tears!) panicking, I thought I could probably save my pictures.. but I didn't know when I would be able to actually WORK again..

And I have Fancy Pants Deadlines coming up, plus about a million other projects here and there I have signed up for ;)
So.. On his way home from work, he called me from the Apple store.. 'What do you want in your new Mac?' WHAT???

He already had it built and ordered, but he was calling to double check to see if he had gotten it right.. And he built me the Mac of MY DREAMS!! "Happy 10th Anniversary,"he said.

Seriously?? I am one LUCKY GIRL! :)

And because of my new beautiful machine; I was able to finish our first ever edition of the Creative Voice! I am so happy with how it turned out!
The dream team at LDD, is AMAZING!! There are so many wonderful layouts, tutorials, and eye-candy sprinkled through out! It's a great read! We've sent it out to subscribers, so drop us a line if you haven't gotten yours yet.

Thanks again for all your support!! It is so very appreciated! :)
Have a great weekend!

Terrible News..

2007-06-23T14:33:00.000-06:00

Today, my desktop PC decided it has had enough. Currently the only way I can even get it to start is in 'safemode'.

And.. The terrible news?? I haven't backed everything up.. All my photos and Layouts from 2007.. Not Backed up.
Somewhere I have back up copies of my pictures from 2003 and 2004, but with moving I am not 100 % sure where those are right now..

Oh, I am sick! I think I have backed up my pictures from 2005 and 2006, but, honestly, I am not 100% sure..

I am currently in 'safemode' trying to copy files to DVD and my only external drive that I can get my PC to read.. PRAY FOR ME!!

Not to mention all the goodies that I have been working on.. A July 4th Combo kit with Jackie and Lori; Our 1st edition of 'The Creative Voice'.. New Fancy Pants Goodies..

Oh.. Today is not a good day for technology.

You just take these kinds of things for granted.. At least I did..

I'll keep you updated.. Please send me all your positive thoughts, I am going to need every last one..

Better to be busy than bored, RIGHT?? :)

2007-06-18T01:31:00.000-06:00

LOL. Jackie sent me that title in an email the other day; and I would have to say that she is undoubtedly right :) Much better to be busy...

I do have to say though, that keeping my house clean and show-able is truly kicking my butt. Isn't it funny that when you decide to sell your house, you finally make it a point to fix all the things that have broken over the years? Our house has NEVER looked better! :)

And Brenna and Lorynn are true champs. We've made it a game to see who can pick up more toys/items belonging to the other person. All I have to say is; "Oh, I see someone's shoes by the door!" and they both RUN to see who can put them away faster :) Hee Hee..

SO.. I have to share my exciting news with you!!! Oh, I am so THRILLED!!
I have been offered a position with Memory Makers Magazine as a contributing editor :) I will be writing for their digital design column each issue.. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? Oh, I am SO DANG EXCITED!! It is truly a wonderful opportunity, and I am just beside myself! I believe my first article will be in the January 2008 issue :)

And I have been able to complete a kit this week too :)
It's called Sweet June.. And I just LOVE the feeling of summer it has!

Sweet June

I thought that these photos of Lorynn matched the papers beautifully :) Don't you just LOVE this bubble wand??

Hee Hee; what a cutie! :)

One of those weekends..

2007-06-02T11:45:00.000-06:00

Ahhh.. Coming up for air :)

It has been one of those weekends, Crazy things a happenin' over here..
First the LDD Grand Opening Celebration, has been a SMASHING Success!!

Even with the server slowing, Paypal Crashing :) We've managed to stay afloat through it all!! (and that was no small feat!) If you have had trouble at LDD, we are on the upside of it all, so if you need anything, drop Lori and I a note :)

Our sale goes through Monday, and we've got some more fun little contests and such up our sleeve so be sure to check the LDD Blog here :)

Amidst all the things LDD, we are meeting with our Realtor today.. I am so excited about moving.. Not so much the process mind you, but the end result is going to be glorious!! So I am just trying to focus on that end reward ;)

And I have been trying to scrap ALL DAY today.. I have this COVER WORTHY photo of Lorynn that I snapped the other day.. It almost seems too perfect to scrap ;)

But then too perfect not too ;)

Do you ever have that problem? You want to scrap it, because the photo takes your breath away, but doing it justice, not overdoing the layout.. It's sometimes a hard balance to achieve.. I have trouble doing simple ;) and many times I tend to over-scrap something... But I am determined..

Wish me luck!

Thank You!!!

2007-05-19T19:43:00.000-06:00

Big ol' thanks to everyone who helped me 'tweek' my first Photoshop Action.
I've got the action in the shoppe now, and no further testing is required ;)

And THANK YOU Miss Lauren! :)

You are the bestest!

Lauren, was so kind to help me make the action compatible with Elements and older versions of Photoshop. She even wrote out instructions on how to install the action in PSE!
Woot! Woot!!

Couldn't have done it with out you chicka! THANK YOU! :)

Any Volunteers??

2007-05-18T19:16:00.000-06:00

**ETA: Thank you!! I appreciate all your replies, and your help! I have received enough testers in every program :) **

So, I made my first photoshop action today :)

Man, those are testy little buggers.

I've created a stylized action to create your photo on some antique paper.
It takes your photo from this:

To this:

Yes, I've been playing :)

But what I need are some volunteers to test this action in all versions of photoshop and elements.

Any takers?

Email me which version of photoshop you are using and If I haven't already found a tester for that version, then I will email you back a link.

Thanks in advance! :)

**ETA**
Doh! My email addy ;)
Michelle(at)littledreamerdesigns(dot)com ;)

Bad Blogger! :)

2007-05-17T19:07:00.000-06:00

Oh, I've been neglecting you! :)

We are still trying to get things situated with Little Dreamer.. Working out all those inevitable new site kinks ;)

We finally have a date for our grand opening celebration!! And oh, it's going to be a DOOZY!

I AM SO EXCITED!! :)
We have some fabulous news to share, and we will be spilling the beans for our grand opening, June 1st :)
And we promise that this grand opening will knock your socks off!! :)
So stay tuned for more details on that! :)

Lori and I have also been going through all the fabulous creative team applications today. We thought we would have our team selected by tomorrow, but it looks like we are going to need to take the weekend as well. Everyone should be contacted by Monday the 21st :)

Hmm. What else..

Oh. I've got a few new goodies out in the shoppe.
A new kit: Island Adventurers.
Made this kit for my friend, Rebecca to go with her fabulous photos of her little boys. I think it turned out pretty good!

Island Adventurers

It was so fun making this collection, I hope you enjoy it!

I also have some fun Photo Overlays out!

Photo Alchemy Vol 1

Plus I have another collection:

The Story of Us

So. I guess while I haven't been blogging. I have been designing, and well, maybe that is more important?? :)

Hoping to get some time to scrap this weekend! :) I've got some fantastic photos -alm our vacation that I have been dying to scrap!!

But for now, I am off to watch the season finale of Grey's. Woohoo!! :)

Server Needs a little downtime :)

2007-05-03T14:40:00.000-06:00

Just got off the phone with our server company.. UG.
Seems that we may have a bad memory stick, seriously!

They are going to take us offline tonight so they can test it
And hopefully it will only take a couple of hours.

YUCKIE!

We will certainly keep you posted here on the blog :)
Gotta love those new server quirks ;)

Digi Scrapping without a computer ;)

2007-05-03T09:47:00.000-06:00

So this last weekend, I had the PLEASURE of meeting up with some gals in Park City to do some Scrapping! Oh, an entire weekend sans children, with nothing else to do but SCRAP! Ahhh..

So, We got up there Friday night. I laid out all my goodies, Laptop, external drive, I even brought my tablet incase the urge to design something struck.. Turned on my laptop, checked my email first ;) But my computer was so stinkin' slow! So I rebooted.

Oh.

My screen comes back on with a grey folder with a question mark.. It just flashes..

OMG.

We tried everything, rebooting, taking out the battery and rebooting, resetting the P-Ram, My friend was on her computer checking out all the tech support online (Thanks Bec!) NOTHING WORKED!!

I was starting to think I was the only person in the world that could break a Mac ;)
It is less than a year old!!

So, I had to deal with NOT having a computer while everyone else was happy scrapping.. (OUCH!!) And calling Tech support in the morning was NO BETTER.

Had to take it to the Apple Store. Turns out the hard drive DIED..

So, they juiced me back up, and now I have to install all my programs back on, and THANKFULLY! we had archived all the files on it! That would have hurt WAY WORSE!

I still had a great time with the girls. I couldn't scrap, so I did some retail therapy ;) Spent WAAAAY to much at the outlet stores! (how can you NOT splurge at Gap and Gymboree when it's outlet prices??, Seriously!)

And I really enjoyed just chatting with everyone. Hoping we can do it again in August! This time though, hoping I can actually scrap something ;)

Here is a photo of the girls ;)

I finished up a new kit yesterday! :) :)
Check out the LDD blog to take a peak!

And while you are there, check out our blinkie contest!! For a chance to win $50 to the LDD Shoppe! :)

Drum Roll PLEASE!!

2007-04-30T12:25:00.000-06:00

I have been DYING to spill this news!! :)

Lori and I are THRILLED to announce our new site :)

Little Dreamer Designs

Pop on over and check it out! :)

Sign up for our newsletter; The Creative Voice and you will receive this free kit.

Once you confirm your subscription you will receive a download link :)

And if you are interested. We are looking for new creative team members!
Drop in and apply! Deadline to apply for our CT is May 15th :)

We are also kicking off our new store blog with a fun little contest :) So be sure to check that out too!! :)

WHEW! :)

Where in the World are Lori and Michelle??

2007-04-26T20:01:00.000-06:00

Hee Hee :)

Some of you may have noticed..

We are slightly ahead of schedule ;)

Lori and I are no longer going to be selling our wares at ScrapArtist.

I know, it's kind of a shock, isn't it?

I have immensely enjoyed my time working with all the fabulous gals at ScrapArtist. Sooo many amazing ladies over there!! But I have come to a cross-roads in my life, and I have decided that the time has come for me to leave SA.

Nancie and I are, of course, parting on wonderful terms. She is and will forever be the older (and wiser ;) sister that I have always wanted ;) And I do think that ScrapArtist will continue to be the fabulous place that it has become :)

Change is still hard though, and there is always that awkward adjustment period ;) But I really feel that this change is for the best.

I am hoping that my new home will allow for me to prioritize my life a bit better. I need to be able to spend more time with my girls during the day. And I am hoping that this will also give me more free time to just design.. I am starting to miss that ;)

So, where are we going?? Hmm. That bit of news will be coming in the next couple of days. May 1st, to be exact, still tying up a few straggly ends, but I will post all the juicy details here as soon as I am able to :)

Thank you for all your sweet comments so far, I've already received quite a few notes from my fabulous digi-customers :) Rest assured, Lori and I will be back in a few days, rested and better than ever ;)

Oh my!

2007-04-20T13:49:00.000-06:00

Where have I been? :)

Life has been crazy around here. Getting our house ready to sell, hoping to put it on the market in May, this is slightly delayed from our original deadline of March ;) But since that deadline was self-in posed I guess it's all good!

We are doing some restructuring at ScrapArtist. We will be making some very important announcements here in the next few weeks. Specifically on May 1st :) You won't want to miss this news so be sure to stay tuned for it!

Other than that ;) Things are pretty much the same. I am very excited for next weekend. A bunch of a Utah gals are getting together for a two day retreat in Park City. Oh, I SOOO need this break away! We will just be scrappin and chatting and having a great time sans children.. YIPPEE!!

Well, I have NO New goodies to show you today.. Haven't been able to design as much lately. It's KILLING me!! I've got so many ideas and I am just waiting for a moment to be able to create them.. I have finally finished all my Fancy Pants designs so I am hoping to have some new goodies out next week.

Thanks for hanging in there! I will be sure to reward you for it ;)
Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!!

Where did MARCH GO??

2007-03-22T22:21:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness!! I have been so busy this month! I looked at the calendar and realized that yesterday was the first day of spring! Oh MY!

I've been slammed with Fancy Pants stuff this month, so my blogging has been pretty slow ;) But I am SOOO excited about this new stuff from FP, I think it's my favorite work to date! I can't wait to show you all.

And today, I picked up the latest edition of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion ( I LOVE THIS MAG!) and I was SO Thrilled to see my Fancy Pants ad!

Hee Hee. I was so proud! This is a photo of a wall in my foyer. Brenna was so excited when I showed her the mag. She thought we were famous! ;) (Sorry Brenna, NOT QUITE!)

Anyway. I also wanted to share with you my latest and greatest at ScrapArtist.
Lori and I have been working on this amazing digital starter kit!

Digital Starter Kit: Color My World

It's in the shoppe now, and it's on sale (15% off!) Until March 27th :)

It's jammed packed FULL of goodness! 860 MB to be exact, (I KNOW!)

I will be giving out 5 copies of this fabulous kit at my DST featured designer chat on Monday Night (March 26th at 10 PM EST) So be sure to join me!! :)

Congratulations Ladies! :)

2007-03-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

Wow you gals are fast! :)

Big Congratulations to:

JACQ
Tonya
Dixi
AmberLV
Brooke
and
Becky

Check your PMs and get me your email addy's so I can send you your prize! :)

And if you were not as fast as lightning (like these 6 were!)
You can take 25% off these doodles for the next 3 days :)

(woohoo a semi-private sale!)

Just enter coupon code : PAINTED
(all caps)
In the first redemption box at checkout :)

I am working on my LO too, but even I am not as fast as these guys! I will post it here in a bit :)

If you create a LO with these doodles, I'd still love to get a link!! :)
Have a great night!

A little something for you! :)

2007-03-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

So I have been in my studio painting all day! :) I couldn't stop.. I made some cute little goodies and thought I would share with you.

Painted Art Vol#1

These were SO MUCH FUN to create! Honestly, I haven't had this much fun painting since Kindergarten Art Class. This 10 piece set is volume one, and I guarantee that there is more where this came from ;) But you really have to see these guys close up to appreciate them, so I've got a little freebie for you!

Flourish Freebie

The first 5 layouts or cards I see using this freebie will win my new Painted Art Doodles, send me a link to your image and I will send you your prize! :)

Gina Alexander.. Be still my Heart ;)

2007-03-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, I fell in love today with a hand bag! Seriously.

Maybe it was more of the thought of what my handbag could be ;)

You might think I am crazy, maybe I am! But have you seen these??

These are Photo Bags by Gina Alexander.

And while they are pricey, I've talked Paul into letting me design one for Mother's day! :) WOOHOO!! (Oh I am SUCH A BAG HAG!!)

And now I am just dying trying to figure out what to do!! I want something timeless.. Oh, this is going to be TOUGH! And once it's submitted you can't change it, so I have to LOVE it the first time ;) Tall order??

I borrowed my neighbor's studio last week. And took these photos of the girls.. I am trying to decide if they are 'the ones' for my purse..

I love these photos, but I am not sure if they are right, too prop-y? And I am not 100% sold on the conversion.. (I used Photoblast Midnight Color Pro) (oh the pressure!) It was late at night when we borrowed the studio and Lorynn was obviously less than cooperative.. But she is still cute in her little pout..

I know I am totally over thinking this! (That is my downfall sometimes!!) I am off to seek out inspiration.. I will let you know what I find!

A Downer of a Day and A Treasure Hunt..

2007-02-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today has been one of those days..
Nothing is seeming to go together just right. It's probably because I am getting over ANOTHER bought with the flu.. (ICK!) But, I've just been down today.

I've been trying to work all day on Fancy Pants stuff and it's just not coming together like I want it to.. And I probably should have just walked away from the computer a long time ago.. But, Brenna was at school, Lorynn was at a play date and I was supposed to be working.. This was to be my uninterrupted time!! Why was I having such trouble??

So, I started digging.. Digging into the depths of my hard drive.. Un-earthing ancient treasures. Man, You wouldn't believe what I've got in there! :)

First off, I found this fantastic photo of my girls. Ahhh.. I miss this age.

I remember this moment exactly. Lorynn kept planting big slimy kisses on Brenna's mouth and they both thought it was the funniest thing ever... It wasn't really that long ago.. But it's still seems like a lifetime away..

Then I started surfing.. Oh, the treasures I uncovered!! :)

I found this AWESOME layout from Leora :
Amazing journaling, Seriously gorgeous stuff.. And I am IN LOVE with Jen's Tulle Flower! How cute is that??

Then I saw this one by Dagmar:

WOW!! It's so beautiful!! I love the orange of Lynn's paper, and Anna's Plumes, and all of Jackie's and Katie's beautiful elements and the perfect way that Dagmar has brought them all together in this breathtaking masterpiece.

Looking at all this goodness, kind of left me feeling a bit unworthy, you know? Do you ever get that way?? It was almost overwhelming.. There are so many beautiful digital products out there!! And on a day where NOTHING I did was working.. It left me feeling down..

Yes, I started turning into that melodramatic artist.. "OH, I am not good enough!!" Was all I could think. So I stopped surfing and started digging again.. I went to parts of my computer that haven't been seen in years! :) and guess what I found..

Vintage Anna, Vintage Holly, Vintage Maya, even Vintage Nan and Michelle where in there;) Old kits and papers that I had collected from back in the day when I first started digital scrapping. And as I looked at all these 'old' treasures, I could see the progression of digital design right before my eyes. And I was amazed..

Amazed at how far we have come. Amazed at the quality and standards of products that we have developed. I remember seeing one of the very first digital 'twisted ribbons'.. And I remember looking at it and just being 'awed' by it. "How did she do that??" Now, if you were to compare that ribbon to the likes of Natalie's Trinkets of goodness.. Well, they can't even be compared.. They exist on almost two different realms.

Seeing our progression of skills and art, makes me so excited. Designer's and scrappers a like are working so hard to hone their amazing skills.. What is digital going to hold in just another short year?? Because in the two years I have been doing this.. we have all come so far. It makes me feel proud. And honored to be a part of it all..

So after my downer of day.. Browsing through my archives helped me to put it all into perspective again..

And All I can say is keep up the great work ladies!! YOU ALL ROCK! :)

Just Scrappin..

2007-02-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided I needed a new blog header.. I've used the same header ever since I started my blog in May 2005?? Could it have been that long ago?? (Yeah. Just checked the archives.. Seriously that long!!)

I always have a hard time designing logos and header's for myself.. For other people, it's a snap.. But when it comes to doing them for myself.. I freeze.. But I do think I like this new header.. Will have to take it for a spin for a while and see how it grows on me ;)

Thank you all for your sweet comments about my freebie!! It's so nice hearing from you! I keep thinking that one day I will stitch to Typepad so that I can actually reply to you.. It's the WORST when someone asks a question and I have NO WAY of getting back to them.. It makes it seem like I don't read my replies (which I always do!!)

So, if you DO want to hear back from me, make sure your email addy is in your blogger account.. And if you don't have a blogger account, then you can send me an email.. Those I CAN ACTUALLY reply to! :)

I still think that there is a few more downloads left on this freebie, but you do have to sign into yousendit to be able to download.. You can create an account for free if you do not already have one :)

So, tonight,I am just scrapping.. I should be down in my basement cleaning out my scraproom, but I don't wanna! :) Man Moving SUCKS!

We went and looked at a few houses yesterday. Note to self: DO NOT bring seven-year-old next time..
We wanted to get Brenna excited about moving because she has been a little anxious about it. But she fell in love with every house we saw! She actually cried when I told her that we weren't going to buy her baby-sitter's house.. She loved Sarah's room and was starting to plan out the rest of her life in it ;)

Yes. Moving Sucks..

Well. I am off to find out what is happening with my friends on Wisteria Lane (does that sound totally pathetic??) :)

I'll leave you with my latest layouts of my DDs. Night!

Author / Illustrator Extraordinaire

Mama's Little RockStar :)

Freebie as Promised!! :)

2007-02-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's not Valentines-y, but I figured that ship had sailed ;)
But I do have a LIMITED TIME freebie for you though!

*******************
Spare Parts:Flowers
*******************

You can download it now via Yousendit, there are only 200 downloads so be sure to grab it quick! :) After this link expires, this little trinket will be available in the store :)

Enjoy!! :)

Happy Valentines Day!! :)

2007-02-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Oh, I've become the WORST blogger!! It's been TWO WEEKS! YIKES!

The reason for my bad blogging?

We've decided to sell our house.. OY.

We are putting our house on the market the end of this month.. So We are in the process of de-junking.. It's amazing how much stuff you collect.. We've only been in our house for a little over 3 years, and WOW. Our junk is starting to out grow our space..
And I am not really a pack rat.. I actually like getting rid of the stuff we don't use/ have out grown.. BUT man!! We've got some work to do!

Our basement is unfinished, so we've been trying to decide if we should just finish it.. But then we decide that we just want to move, but then I think of all the work that takes.. We've been having this great basement debate for almost a year now, but we've finally decided that we just need a bigger house with more bedrooms all together.. So we are moving..

I am excited, a little nervous about how we will make it all work.. But, in the end it will all be fine! :) It's all good! ;)

So, I wanted to make a cute little valentines freebie for you all.. But instead I spent the day making Valentines with Brenna.. I thought it would just be a couple of hours, but we decided to make these little mini heart cakes.. (Which turned out adorable!!) Then we went and delivered them to all our fam and friends.. Then by the time we got home it was time for dinner and American Idol (of course!)

So I am JUST NOW getting on my computer.. Maybe I will work on a little trinket for you tonight and post it tomorrow :) It's about time for a freebie dangit! :)

Hope everyone had a terriffic V-day!!

Watch for that freebie! :)

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Back from CHA!

2007-02-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Oh, so I think I have started recovering from CHA ;) I had such a blast!!
And I think our papers with Fancy Pants were a hit!

And check out this shadow box made with some of my Clair De Lune goodies..

Is that not the coolest thing you have ever seen! I think I am going to have to make one for myself.

But I have to say that my favorite part of the trip was meeting all those fabulous digi ladies!! I miss them already ;)

And there were so many gals that I didn't get photos of! I am hoping that they will send those to me ;)

SO I had a FABULOUS time, and now all I can think about is when I get to see everyone again! I am thinking that it's time to start planning some kind of digital retreat..
TOO FUN!

Have you heard the news?? As of Feb 1st (TODAY!) all those fabulous interviews over at Disc Talk Radio are completely free! How cool is that?? They will be listed on the site tomorrow I believe?
And there will still be some very cool things on the site for subscribers only, like the designer kits ;) And other fun prizes and contests. So if you haven't checked them out yet, now's your chance! As for myself, I am already completely addicted ;)

One last thing!
We have our first Designer Spotlight for the new year starting today, Heather Ann Melzer!
I just LOVE Heather, she is so sweet, and obviously very talented ;) Our combo kit with her is just amazing!! I love how it came out! And I cannot wait to use it!

It's in the shoppe now! This fabulous combo kit will only be available for the month of February Only! Be sure to snag it!

Now I am off to look through that amazing Princess Purse Gallery to help choose the winners for our QP contest. There were so many amazing entrees, it's going to be hard!! We will be posting those tomorrow as well as hosting some fabulous free quickpages for these purses, I can't wait! :)

Fancy Pants Sneak Peaks!!

2007-01-22T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I have FINALLY gotten permission from Jodi to post some yummy sneak peaks of our new Fancy Pants collections WOOHOO!

I've been dying to share these!!

And these are just my papers ;)

Nancie has two lines as well, and the big news..

We have some new Clear Acrylic STAMPS! Two 12x12 Sheets and four 6x6 sheets.. Oh, they are YUMMY!

Woot Woot!!

I am actually using them right now! I am recreating a digitial LO for the Fancy Pants booth..

I will post it later tonight (once it has dried and been properly scanned in!)

I just had to share!

Antique Garden..

2007-01-20T22:16:00.000-07:00

I finished up a new paper set last night. I am truly LOVING the colors in it.. (Do I say that every time??) I couldn't wait to scrap with it, but, I am just now getting around to posting it because Brenna has had the stomach flu all day.

FUN STUFF! :)

Antique Garden

The paper set is in the shoppe now, and I will be working on an element pack to coordinate with this, but there is no telling when it will be finished because I leave for CHA next week and I have several projects that I am supposed to be finishing before I leave.. Like, for instance, actually scrapping with my new papers ;) I promised Jodi 2 paper layouts for the Fancy Pants booth, and I have to keep my word ;)

The plan was to do those two layouts today, but with Brenna sick it just wasn't happening.. Pulling out all my paper supplies just wasn't feasable, but I did do a digi
layout with my new paper set ;) (What can I say? Digi is just faster!)

Man, is she cute or what?? And growing up so fast.. But she still let's me take photos of her while, Brenna is starting to not like it as much.. I have to bribe Brenna with extra privileges or something ;) I think that is why lately all my layouts have been of Lorynn, or older photos of Brenna.. I've got to start putting on my paparazzi hat and stalking her I guess ;) Maybe that will be my goal for this next week.. Scrap-able photos of Brenna..

But I digress :)

Getting ready for CHA this next week :)
I have been DYING to post some sneak peaks of our new Fancy Pants Stuff.
(But you have to wait until Monday!)

I adore them!! I've made 4? digi layouts using my goodies and I can't wait to post those either!

So, I am hoping that you've seen the new ScrapArtist Blog :) Oh we are going to have a lot of fun! We will be having regular posts from all the SA designers as well as our CT memebers. It will be a perpetual party! :) Our regular challenges will start on Feb. 1st, but we are kicking it off with a fabulous contest to win a Princess Purse!
(Man I love these!)

Pop on over and check it out! :)

Princess Purses..

2007-01-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

OMG, Have you seen these??

You probably have since I hear they are all the rage. But just in case ;) you can find them over at Paper Princess. When I saw them, I bought them out, but I think they have two more in stock now :), They go fast! :) I purchased one for myself, one for my sis, Lori, and I am giving one to my Mom for her birthday.. (Got to round up pics of all her grand babies now..)

I ordered them just a few days ago and I actually received them TODAY!! (Talk about FAST Shipping!!) And it was packaged up so cute! Oh, I just can't say enough good things about these purses..

I created my first set of inserts (many more to come I am sure!!)

I am loving these colors lately ;) I think this turned out pretty good! Anyway. I have decided to turn these into Princess Purse Quick Pages ;) If you have one of these babies and you want these inserts you can download them here

Princess Purse Inserts

The awesome transparent tape is brought to you by the fabulous Iron Orchid Designs.
(Thanks Sal & Jos!)

Now, I do think that half the fun of owning these purses is creating the inserts to go in them.. But if you want a ScrapArtist insert.. Well then here you go! I posted these over at DST and Lauren Barden gave me the idea of using this as a template. (thanks Lauren!)

Now I am just waiting for their smaller 5x7 purses to be stocked again.. I guess I will have to stalk them so I can buy them out ;)

Yes. You guessed it. I am unabashedly proclaiming myself as a bag hag ;)

Corrected Link :)

2007-01-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, So I fixed the link below for Disc Talk Radio, I had it linked wrong.. And please also note, that the free kit is for subscribers only :) You have to be a subscription member to download it :)

ETA: Just a quick note! :)

2007-01-01T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I just realized that today is January 1st.. Ok, I am a little slow ;) But my interview with Disc Talk Radio was released today, I just downloaded it, and it's not as terrible as I thought it was going to be! ;)

At any rate, if you don't want to hear me ramble, if you are a subscriber, you can at least download the free kit !! :)

The interview itself was such a fun experience, (Deann, you ROCK!) Pop on over and check it out!

Happy 2007!!

2007-01-01T02:31:00.000-07:00

Well, 2006 has officially come and gone, what a great year we had!!

Our festivities last night kind of fizzled out a little early, because Paul wasn't feeling well, and couldn't make it past 10 PM :)

But the girls, both had naps so we stayed up and watched the ball drop together. We had a nice (semi-quiet)family time. It was nice! And today, we are trying to reclaim our house from all the holiday fluff.. I am bound and determinded to clean out my pantry, organize, THROW AWAY, and make room for all the nice goodies that Santa brought me ;)

I had a little yummy goodie I wanted to share with everyone:

Just a little freebie for you, some sparkly felt. You can download it here:

Sparkly Felt 2007

Fun! :)

Also, I have my first kit of the year:

All you need is Love

Oh, I loved making this kit!! It was so fun, I can't wait to scrap with it, but I am holding out unitl I finish my chores today.. Hopefully tonight though..

I hope you enjoy it!!

Happy New Year everyone!! :)

Where did December go??

2006-12-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

Well, December has been crazy as it always tends to be ;) I've been down with bronchitis for the past three weeks, and thankfully I was able to kick it just right before Christmas. And Christmas was WONDERFUL! Santa really spoiled us this year :)

We had a relaxing holiday with NO TRAVELING! YES! We stayed in our P.J's all day and just snacked on yummy food while we played with all our Christmas loot. It was heaven!

Our 12 Days of Christmas Sale at ScrapArtist went off without a hitch, Our server was actually able to keep up with everyone, (Thank heavens for small miracles!) It was all pretty smooth sailing..

I've been working on several projects outside of ScrapArtist. There is of course my new lines with Fancy Pants that will be released at CHA in Jan :) (So excited!!) I went to the Press check just before Christmas and the papers just look so YUMMY! I can't wait to see them up at CHA! As soon as I get the go-ahead from Jodi at FP I will post some sneak peeks :)They are really bright and fun designs, I can't wait to show them to you! :)

Then I had the pleasure of talking with deann McDaniel from Disc Talk Radio. They are spotlighting me for the month of January. I so enjoyed talking to deann, apparently I can talk about this amazing hobby of mine for hours on end ;) I also created an exclusive kit for Disc Talk Radio subscribers:

The colors are so fun, and bright :) I had to scrap with it, I loved the layout so much that I decided to include it as a quick page :)

Oh, these photos of Lorynn make me laugh! :)

Have another quick layout to add here too. I took these photos of my adorable nephew on Thanksgiving day; I wanted to scrap something for my brother that he could frame and hang on his wall so I kept the layout very simple:

Oh what a cutie he is! :) Papers in this layout are from another project I have been working on outside of ScrapArtist ;)

So, I am gearing up for January. I am always willing and ready to make those new years resolutions. I have been completely inspired by my husband to get my rear in gear and start living a more healthy lifestyle. For those of you who don't know; Paul, has recently lost 52 pounds and has started running, biking and swimming his way through triathlons and marathons, he has even climbed to the tippy top of Grand Teton. (WOW!) Being the competitive person that I am, I cannot let him show me up. SO I am making it my new years resolution to get to the gym 4 times a week. NO EXCUSES!! :)

Scrapping my little heart out..

2006-12-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

Oh, I have missed being able to scrapbook!! I've had a little dry spell with all my deadlines and such, that my layouts have had to take a back seat.. But I've finished up my elements for my Glow Paper Set.. And I actually had time to scrap two layouts!

Both of these are using my Glow papers and elements :) I've been taking TONS of pictures lately.. So I have PLENTY to scrap.. I swear just about everything is photo worthy at Christmas time! I've got some pictures of my tree that are on my list next ;) Oh, then there are the ones where we are seeing the Christmas Lights in the park too, and the photos of the girls with santa.. Hey, I am just getting started here!! It's no wonder that I had to create 3 separate Christmas Kits ;) Hmm.. If you count Glow I guess it's four..

But. I just have to post here.. I am SO PROUD of my daughter, Brenna!! My little first grader.. She entered reflections, and WON! She wrote and illustrated a book. It is adorable! Now she moves onto district; I am so stinkin' proud of her!!

Off to scrap some more! :)

Free At Last!! :)

2006-11-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

AAAHH.. A HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF!!

I am FINALLY done with all my Fancy Pants Deadlines!! WOOHOO!! Man! I felt like I almost fell off the face of the earth for a minute there ;) I have been so busy with deadlines, that I haven't had time for anything else.. I haven't been scrappin (or blogging for that matter) And I am ACHING to do both! :) So.. Blogging first..

My birthday was AWESOME! Thank you for all the well wishes! Our Park City get-a-way was such a blast!! The first night was a get-a-way from our kids (YES!) My mom volunteered to stay over night with the girls. Paul and I really enjoyed ourselves.. We did some shopping,(Yes, my hubby likes to shop!) had a lovely dinner together, and I not once did I have to yell at Lorynn for standing up on the seat and bugging the people behind us. (YES!)

Then as we were about to leave for our movie, I called the girls to say good night, and Brenna answered the phone in tears.. She is sobbing.. "Mom, I am so worried!".. And I am thinking.. Oh God, what happened.. Then my mom gets on the phone.. "Lorynn has stuck a bead up her nose and we can't get it out!" (insert dramatic sigh here) After a little bit of a chuckle.. I hear Lorynn screaming from the other room.. DRAT! Our one night away from the girls in what seems like since the day they came home from the hospital, and THIS?? DANGIT!!

So I start thinking of our options.. 1. We have to come home and take Lorynn to the ER for a bead extraction..(not exactly my idea of fun!) 2. I let my mom prod and poke and we pray that she can remove it.. We tried #2 for a while, and I quickly realized we needed reinforcements.. LUCKILY, one of our neighbors is a paramedic and he was actually home.. So.. After about another half hour of him trying, and Lori coming over to hold Lorynn's head still..(Thanks Lori!) The offending bead was removed.. WHEW! Needless to say we didn't feel like going out to the show after that ;)

The next day was Brenna's birthday..

Side Note:(Paul's b-day is the 18th, Brenna's is the 19th, and mine is the 21st.. Lorynn was supposed to be born on the 20th, but the little bugger came early)

So because it was Brenna's birthday we picked up the girls and stayed another night in PC. We really had a wonderful time! Our resort had all these children's activites, and Brenna and I tye-dyed some T-shirts, we swam and just played together. The resort had just opened for skiing, but we didn't go because me and ski's are just not a pretty picture.. Paul is a skier, and he snowboards too.. But I haven't been able to master it, or even just get the hang of it.. Ok.. I can't even snow plow! ;) Yes. Not a pretty picture at all.. Maybe Brenna and I should both take lessons this year..

Anyway... I am off to scrap some yummy photos, I am finishing up my Glow Element pack and should have it up to the store soon! :)

Happy Birthday To Me!! :)

2006-11-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

"Today it is my birthday, and I sing to let you know, that I will be queen for the day; whatever I say goes!"

Hee.Hee.. Lorynn's new favorite show is the 12 Dancing Princess; so if you have seen the movie (over and over and over again) like me, then you know what I am singing about ;)

But today is my birthday and I have a little treat for you!!

I've got a new paper set in the shoppe today, but that's not the treat! ;) The treat is, that for today only, you can get this paper set free!

Glow Paper Set

I hope you enjoy them!! Element pack coming later next week :D Woohoo, Happy Birthday to me!!

We just got back from our Birthday Weekend Celebration!! We have spent the last three days up in Park City, UT. It's SO beautiful up there!! Oh, And do I have some stories to tell ya! ;) But I am walking out the door right now, I am on the search for a fabulous tree topper today, I've got my tree up and will be posting some photos later!!

WOOHOO!!!

2006-11-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

Well I've just checked the total for our ThinkPink Kit and we are at $1025!! Woohoo!! We Did it, We Did it, We Did it, HOORAY!! (Sorry, I've been watching too many episodes of Dora the Explorer..)

But I am SO EXCITED that we were able to reach our goal!! Thank you to everyone who has contributed and helped that number to grow! :)

I've got another little Christmas goodie for you :)
I wanted to share this holiday label with everyone,

It's taken from my new Holiday Mini Cards.

Download it here :)

These cards are so adorable! They make the perfect little gift tags; But I am going to use them as place holders on my table for Thanksgiving! :)

This set is so much fun! It includes an envelope template (thank you Lori for trying it out for me!) and some Holiday Greeting Brushes. Plus a bonus Thanksgiving Card :)

I know I am in the Christmas Spirit a little bit early this year. Maybe it has something to do with all the fabulous Christmas Collections in the ScrapArtist Shoppe?? So much goodness there!
But I think it also has something to do with the fact that I just bought a beautiful new pre-lit Christmas Tree! :) And I went ALL OUT with new decorations. I am using the same colors as my Clair De Lune Kit; and I am going to use my papers to create a few ornaments to match.. I will be sure to take some pictures and post them here!!

We are hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year, and Brenna and I have decided to put up our new tree early. I have never put my tree up before Thanksgiving, and always laughed at people who did ;) (Oh no! I am crossing over!) But I will at the very least promise to not turn on my Christmas lights until after Thanksgiving ;)

A freebie and a coupon for you! :)

2006-11-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

So I realized today that it was about time that I offer some kind of goodie on my blog, I haven't done it for a while! I have been so busy with deadlines and other projects, the thought hasn't even occurred to me, But I finished another Christmas kit the other day and I decided I wanted to share a coupon for it!

I think this is my favorite Holiday collection of all time ;) The papers are just so delicious, I want to decorate my walls with them! (Hmm. Maybe I will!) Christmas time is my favorite time of year, and Christmas papers are one of my most favorite things to make!! I could create them for hours and hours if I had the time, Maybe that is why I have 4 Christmas kits in the shoppe! OY!

But anyway.. The coupon ; ) It is good today through Saturday, November 11th.

Use code: XMAS25

at checkout to take 25% off this special Christmas kit :)Woohoo!!

And a cute little freebie for you ;)

I've made you some glitter stockings:

You can download it here, And I am thinking about some kind of fun promotion or contest this month for my birthday! Not sure what I will do, maybe give away a free kit? Hmm.. Better start thinking! :)

It's a beautiful day here today, I think the high is 65! So I am going to see if I can find a perfect autumn leaves spot for some photos of the girls, hope everyone has a great day! :)

Happy Halloween!!

2006-10-31T10:26:00.000-07:00

Today my baby turns 3. I can hardly stand it. THREE? Three is so OLD! :) We had a fabulous Halloween/birthday costume party planed yesterday with family and friends, but we had to cancel it (reschedule it) because we are all still sick!! Oh, it has been three weeks now of some serious yuck.

I am starting to feel better, but Lorynn is full fledge sick.. What a bummer to be sick on your birthday and on Halloween. She is handling it like a champ though. Unlike her older sister, she doesn't get whiney when she is sick, she still likes to play and cuddle and she takes her sickness in stride. So I am at least thankful for that :)

So tonight we will do minimum trick-or-treating with all of us together. Paul as Sponge Bob Square pants (Yes! Pictures to follow!! ) myself as little red riding hood and both my girls as cute little witches.. Then Paul and Brenna will go out and do some more treating.. We do have to stop by our favorite house in the neighborhood, the scary house..

Fun, fun, fun! This layout was made with our collab kit with Kristie David. Today is the last day to pick up the kit, and it's even on sale!! So don't miss this fabulous creation!!

In other news ;)

I thought I would share my newest creations with you, and if you are really on the ball you can pick them up today at 30% off. Our sale ends tomorrow!

First, I've got some fun decorative edges:

These are really easy to use and include instructions in your download. I used them here in my Think Pink Layout:

Paper here is from my Think Pink Paper set, and I also used my new Boho Flourishes

I also have two holiday collections in the shoppe with another more traditional/winter one on the way, I should the new one out next week and it is my favorite collection of all time, so I am very excited about it!! :)

So lots of fun goodies to play with! :)

Our fundraising efforts for the Susan G. Komen foundation have been phenomenal!! Wow, we are almost at our goal! We are at $915!! Woohoo!! And we have had some fabulous layouts added to our Think Pink Gallery, it has been a lot of fun and a great big success, so thank you to everyone who has participated and contributed!!

Freebie, Coupon and SA News :)

2006-10-25T11:32:00.000-06:00

So we still haven't gotten all the kinks worked out with the server move, DANGIT!! It is so FRUSTRATING when things do not work like they are supposed to! I sent through an email last night and I think half of our subscribers didn't get it!! So, if you didn't get it; and you want it ;) Check this thread here.

There is a nice little freebie in it for you; as well as a coupon code ;)

So let's talk about our Day of Pink Celebration! It is this Sunday, October 29th.
We have decided to have a layout contest, everyone who enters will win a little somethin' somethin'. And three random winners will be selected to recieve a $10 GC to the SA Shoppe. (SWEET!) The Think Pink Gallery will be available on Sunday, and the winners will be selected on November 1st. This is all to bring more awareness to our efforts to raise $1000 for the Susan G. Komen foundation. We are already half way there!! It has been so exciting watching that number grow higher and higher. You can veiw our team efforts here. So far we have raised $510! Woohoo!! That is just terrific!! :)

I have created everyone a digital Think Pink Ribbon :) You can download the high res version for layouts and cards here:

You can also pick up the this little blinkie I made :)

If your site allows you to link your blinkies,(ScrapArtist Does!) you can link it to the Susan G. Komen foundation or our team's fundraising website here.

You can read more about our Think Pink Layout Contest here!
Hope everyone has a fabulous day!

2006-10-17T09:41:00.000-06:00

I am recovering nicely from ScrapArtist's downward spiral last week ;) Of course all the problems came when we had left for Memory Trends and we didn't have reliable internet access to fix the problems. So after more than a week of various areas of our site being down; we are back up and running better than new.

Our bandwidth on the new server is MUCH better. No more corrupt downloads (that was a nightmare!) So, things should be running much smoother.. AAAHHH. What a relief :)

I finished up a new Halloween Mini Kit. I strategically used the colors in Lorynn's little witchie-poo costume; and I am vying for some adorable photos to match the kit!
(of course!) I may have to get her all dressed up in her digs before the big day to ensure some quality photos. We always do a big Halloween party with family because Lorynn's birthday is on Halloween. (Our little spook!)I can't believe she is going to be three!! MY BABY! Man, how the time does fly..

Hocus Pocus

So Memory Trends was a blast! I got to visit with some great peeps! And I think our papers did pretty well :) Which I guess is the point! Nancie and I have been feverishly working on our Winter releases with Fancy Pants for the January show. So I have been super busy!

I am working on putting together all my homeless goodies though. These are papers and elements that were either in a previous collection that are no longer being sold; or homeless papers that didn't quite work with a kit because of color or theme.
I can't believe how much I have just sitting dormant on my computer! I could fill an entire CD. Seriously.. So that should be up to the shoppe here in a bit too; Plus I am pulling together a few things for a freebie :) I will post that later as well..

Thank you for all your donations to the Susan G. Komen foundation! I love watching that number grow!! Keep it up ladies; you ROCK!!

Passionately Pink for a Cure..

2006-10-09T12:34:00.000-06:00

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month and the Susan G. Komen's newest campaign, Passionately Pink for a Cure, I have put together this paper set where 100% of the profits will be donated to support the fight against breast cancer.

This is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart as my Grandmother lost her battle with breast cancer several years ago. And I have a few friends whom are survivors. I really hope that everyone will join us in raising funds for this wonderful cause.

If you would like to participate you can either purchase the paperset in the shoppe, or you can join our team directly by clicking here and just donating as little as $5 to help us reach our goal. My little contribution is looking very much alone on this page! Please help me get that number higher!!

It will be fun to track our efforts by viewing the team page and watching our contributions grow.

Then, to sweeten the deal!:) join us at ScrapArtist, Sunday, October 29th as we celebrate our day of pink! I will post more info about this a little later, but we are going to have some fun festivities, and I hope that you can all join us!
(more info to come!)

I've got to get off this computer for a bit; I've yet to pack for Vegas (still doing piles of laundry!) But I just wanted to officially announce the names of the apprentice round 2 finalists. (since our gallery and forums are still down!) I have be SOOO impressed with all the talent that has submitted entrees for our little challenge. And getting to this list of names has been AGONIZING!

**Now just a side note before I announce the names!**

I honestly don't want anyone to think that they were not good enough to make it onto the next round; Every entry was just wonderful, I know that we will be seeing MUCH MORE from them in the future!

Nancie and I have tried to keep this contest more of a learning experience for everyone involved, with one of our main goals being to instill confidence and empower designers to enrich their talents.. So that said :) Here are the names of those designers moving onto the 3rd round.

Andrews, Poppy
Carvalho, Joana
Clegg, Amber
Comelab, Nancy
Dozier, Lisa
Ekanayake, Buddhini
England, Robyn
Gil Billdal, Linda
Haskell, Christine
Honsinger, Christine
Howell, Lisa
James, Chandra
Lahur, Agnes
Long, Susan
Miller, Donna
Miner, Angela
Murphy, Traci
Ogren, Stephanie
Rafferty, Donna
Reid, Lauren
Rivera, Tracy
Springman, Penny
Whitney, Lisa
Wiley, Lori
Wolff, Amy

Big Huge Congrats Ladies!! Good luck on the 3rd Round!!

Memory Trends.. & ScrapArtist Gallery : )

2006-10-08T13:39:00.000-06:00

So I am getting ready for Memory Trends this week. It's in VEGAS! Woohoo! :)
Nancie, Lori and I are going; And we are going to have a BLAST! I am excited because we are not tied down to the Fancy Pants booth. We can walk around the show; maybe take some classes; Just have fun! It' will be GREAT!

Nancie and I are each releasing a new line with FP. 6 Double sided papers, rub-ons, Tags, and ribbon. I was going to work up a preview, and I just haven't had the time. Paper lines require MUCH more advanced planning then the digital counter part. I am in the process now of working on my Winter releases for FP. And I just have to say that we are tripling our product lines! OH MY! So I have been super busy with that and pretty much all other things have had to take a back seat..

With the exception, of course, of ScrapArtist! : )

We are working to get the gallery and forums moved over to our new server. That is why they are currently turned off. It's such a bummer because we just moved. But the server that we are on now has terrible bandwidth issues. And so many people are having trouble with downloads, it a royal mess! So we have decided to keep the gallery and forums off until we open on our new (newest) server. It is taking FOREVER!! Our site is so stinkin huge that each time we think we are FINALLY all moved over, we realize that in fact we are not.. SO. I don't really have a date to give you yet. Hopefully sometime next week!

We were able to visit the pumpkin patch last week. Oh how I love AUTUMN!! The girls picked some ginormous pumpkins! We are going to paint some faces on them when I get back from Vegas. I HATE carving! Brenna always wants to carve them, and she is very enthusiastic at the beginning our of project, but then I ALWAYS end up finishing them on my own. So, we are just going to paint faces this year.. Well, Maybe I will cave in, and carve just one..

I am working on a Halloween Mini kit. I've had a ton of requests for it! I will try to get it out ASAP. But if not, then maybe it will be a yummy freebie for you on Halloween. (it's about time for another yummy freebie!)

So, did you see that Scrapbook Answers Magazine is GONE! I was so sad to hear about this! They are a wonderful publication, and they were so digi-friendly! There aren't many scrappin' mags out there that really cater to digital. And SBA's included goody disk was always such a pleasure to receive! I have had the opportunity to work with the gals at SBA, and they are all so sweet and talented, Scrapbook Answers; You will be missed..

Have you seen the latest issue of Digital Artist Magazine? Beautiful! Can you tell that I am a magazine junkie?? Oh, I have issues with my issues ;) DAM is a wonderful digital publication, the layouts are beautiful and the articles are inspiring. If you haven't seen it yet, Check it out! :) You will LOVE it!

Wha' SUP??

2006-09-28T21:52:00.000-06:00

K. You know that you have become a bad blogger when you have to re-login to your account (because your cookie expired!) And you can't remember:

A. Your Password
B. Your Login Name! (OY!)

So, I have been REALLY REALLY Busy.. It seems that life never slows down around here.
I came home from my very enjoyable trip with Nancie and had to hit the ground running! Getting some new product done for Fancy Pants. We are completely expanding our product lines with them, it's so exciting but a ton of work!

Then, We've had nothing but problems with our new server. (Oh, the luck!!)
So. We are have to move AGAIN!!

OH, my poor head.

I know that people have been having trouble with the apprentice gallery downloads; and we are working to get everything fixed. We will most likely leave the downloads up longer so everyone can grab them, so don't stress! There will be plenty of time to download, I promise!!

So, we are moving our server over again in the next couple of days, so there will be times that our site will be unavailable.. I will try to keep my blog updated with the most current site news :)

And speaking of the apprentice gallery.. Have you seen this?? I mean seriously?? I was BLOWN AWAY by the fantastic entrees we got! They were simply amazing! We had over 90 entrees for the first round and we had to select 40 to continue on to the second round. That was TOUGH! I am continually impressed by these talented ladies, so if you haven't checked it out yet, please do! :)

SO here is my layout done with my Newest Fancy Pants Papers that are being released at Memory Trends in a couple of weeks!

Does anything here look familiar? :)
Yes, You may have been wondering where my Clair De Lune kit went.. Well, They are no longer available digitally, They are being printed through Fancy Pants. I added several new designs as well to the collection. I am so excited because I think this is one of my all time favorite sets! I haven't seen the printed product yet, but I am sure they look yummy! Can't wait!

Vegas (Memory Trends) is going to be so much fun, Lori is flying out with me, and we will be meeting up with Nancie :) Woohoo!! Party in Vegas!

So I have also managed to finish up a new set of digital goodies for the shoppe.
I know it's a little early for Christmas but, I was afraid I would get too busy and not be able to finish a holiday set, and since Christmas kits are my specialty; I just couldn't resist! I am also going to try and work up some Christmas Cards with these; so I needed the papers! LOL!

These are all up in the shoppe now:

Sweet Evangeline : Holiday Flair Paper Set

Sweet Evangeline : Holiday Flair Element Set

Snowflake Brush Set

I think I will make at least one more Holiday Paperset; Something with blues and purples in it.. Oh YUM!

So I am SO EXCITED for tomorrow! My dear sweet friends at ScrapArtist all pitched in and got me the most amazing spa package ever!! OMG! Nancie sent me an email Wednesday saying that I just HAD to go and look at this gallery here. So I braced myself, wondering what I was going to find (you'd be surprised) and when I got to the gallery, I was in complete shock! I had NO IDEA that they had arranged this for me. It is seriously the sweetest thing ever, and I can't wait until tomorrow!! How lucky am I??

How Have You Been?

2006-09-17T07:26:00.000-06:00

Ok, So I haven't been posting as regularly as I should be. Life gets busy and my blog is the first thing to go :)
I am in Michigan visiting Nancie! Been having so much fun, I arrived here on Thursday, I got to meet Nancie's beautiful family and they are just as wonderful as Nan is. We hung out on her back patio sipping wine and eating cheese and crackers. It was lovely.

Friday we went to the most amazing photoshop conference taught by Bert Monroy. Man this guy is talented!! I was blown away! Just fantastic information and I cannot wait to start using it in my own work.

Saturday, Nan and I hit the Ann Arbor Antiques Fair. WOW! I picked up some antique buttons and some antique marbles, (I am going to teach my girls how to play) And I would have picked up this fantastic stained glass window had I a place to carry it on the plane ;)

Snapped a few photos:

I also found some wonderful old postcards. They were originally purchased from a 103 year-old woman in Louisiana who was forced to sell her home only because she was not able to find someone trustworthy to keep up her lawn and yard for her.
She was still as sharp as a tack. But there was an entire hat box filled with old letters and postcards that documented this women's entire life. I have no earthly idea why the family did not keep these treasures, but I was so completely drawn to them. I am going to incorporate some of the postcards into my up coming Christmas kit. They are just fantastic.

After the antiques fair, Nan and I met up with Susan for some yummy lunch and some shopping at Hollander's. Susan is such a doll, I just love her! And Hollander's. Wow. I dropped a pretty penny there!! When it comes to art papers, I just cannot help myself.. Hope it all fits in my suitcase!

Today Nan and I are going to have a full day of designing and creativity. We are going to share all our design secrets with each other.. And I think I will finish up a new paper set, I still need to finish my Written in the Stars element pack. I know I promised it was coming :), And I assure you it still is..

I leave tomorrow evening. I miss my family, but this little trip has been very rejuvenating for me. I've spent my nights with my own thoughts, (which is a rarity in my life). I needed time to be alone. To think. To dream. To wonder. Nan and I have been able to set the wheels in motion for some exciting new features at ScrapArtist. And I just feel that I am on track to where I am supposed to be. It's a good feeling.

Update on ScrapArtist :)

2006-09-12T09:14:00.000-06:00

Have you missed us? :)

We are completing a long over due server move today. Our new host will give us better site performance and will enable us to grow, (YEAH!)

Our move has not come without it's glitches (DANGIT!)
We are still trying to fix the gallery and the shoppe as we speak.

I will update you as soon as I can.

Thank you for your patience! :)

Moon Party and the good 'ol state fair..

2006-09-06T13:25:00.000-06:00

Sharing with you my latest creations..

A new paper set; called Written in the Stars; I am working on the element set, but I haven't had much time to finish it; maybe next week!

We are planning a moon party this Friday night. It's nothing too extravagant. I let the girls each pick out a special treat at the store, then they get to stay up past their bedtime; which is the part that they LOVE! When it's dark enough outside, we gather up warm blankets and lay out on our trampoline.

We study the constellations and try to spell our names in the sky by connecting the stars together. And sometimes when we are extra lucky, we make wishes on shooting stars..

It's always a lot of fun, and this Friday is the full moon, so it works out perfectly.
I always try and get photos. But it's nearly impossible to get anything good when I am shooting in the dark.. My girls never want to hold still long enough for a slow shutter speed ;) But, it will not stop me from trying..

This Friday evening we will also be attending our state fair. Brenna is BEYOND THRILLED because she gets to see Raven Symone in concert. The rest of us are not quite as excited as Brenna at the idea of attending the concert. And if you have ever seen 'Raven' on the Disney Channel, then you dully know what I am talking about. But the fair should at least be some good clean fun :) And I am sure there will be many photo opportunities :)

Also have two new brush sets:

My constellation Brushes

And My Flourish Frames and Overlays

And I even took some time this week to create some layouts! I have been trying to do that more and more lately..

This red paper is one of my favorites from an upcoming Christmas collection..
It won't be available for a bit; I am currently working on a fall combo kit with my sister Lori.. So probably some time after that!

**AND thank you for all your fab suggestions on what to do with my homeless paper collection! :) I think I will arrange them into smaller kits but then give you the option to purchase them all at a lower price :) I appreciate your suggestions!

Have a great day everyone!

Happy Birthday Nancie!!

2006-09-01T10:45:00.000-06:00

Join me today in wishing, Nancie, a happy birthday!! Pop on over to her blog and wish her a very happy day!

In other news.. ;)
September's guest designer at ScrapArtist is the fabulous Gina Miller. And we have just put up our limited edition combo kit for the month. It's FANTASTIC!! I can't wait to use it! I already have several layouts planned out.. Now if I can just find the time..

Remember, this kit is ONLY available during the month of September, don't miss it!

Speaking of limited edition collections.. ;)
I have been faced with a dilemma, and I need your opinion! We've been doing these designer spotlights for about a year now.. And with each collection, the goodies are only available for one month. After the month, each designer can take her papers and elements and distribute them however they want to.. And for the entire year, I have just left these items to sit ever so lonely on my hard drive.

Some papers I have repacked and put on my freebies blog.. But for the most part these goodies have just remained untouched.. And I guess that would be fine to just leave them that way.. But, some of these papers are some of my most favorite designs and I feel a little bit like I have left my babies sitting alone in the car..

They need to get outside and breathe!! :)

So now I am faced with not knowing what to do with all these creations.
I have been thinking about putting all of these homeless papers into one great big collection.. I calculated that I have roughly around 700MB of various goodies.

Can you believe it?? 700MB! That is a complete CD all on it's own..

So, sound off.. What do you think I should do with these little gems?

My only point of concern is that I wouldn't want people to purchase the set if they have already purchased the combo kits.. But I also think that there are many people out there that may have missed the limited edition kits..

So, what do you think? :)

One Day Feel the Love Sale at SA Tomorrow! :)

2006-08-24T21:22:00.000-06:00

First, THANK YOU!! for all your wonderful comments; they have really made my night! :) I so appreciate everyone's support; and I truly, truly feel blessed. So Thank You all very much!

Tomorrow we will be having our one day 30% off sale!

Everything in our shoppe will be 30% off! We want to send a HUGE GIGANTIC WELCOME to Kim Christensen. We are thrilled to offer her fabulous designs exclusively now at ScrapArtist. All of her goodies will be included in the sale; so stop on in and check them out!

And amidst all the craziness of today; I managed to get my element pack all finished up! It will also be included in tomorrow's sale :)

Woohoo!! Feeling good! :)

Infamous Alpha Brushes : )

2006-08-24T08:56:00.000-06:00

So, everyone is asking me about these. They want to know where they are, and if they will ever be available again; So, Here is the deal. I wasn't going to sell them anymore because of a not so nice thread over in the DST designer's forum. Apparently; They look too much like the real thing, and that was making other designers question my methods.. It was hurtful, and I deleted the brushes from my shoppe out of anger.

I don't think anyone was trying to be particularly mean, and honestly, I felt like they were just wanting me to divulge how I created them. So. I have decided not to sell them anymore; because I don't have the energy to deal with the false implications. Honestly, I have enough drama in my personal life; and I do not need any more added to it. So, hopefully, this isn't too much information! And I am NOT trying to be snarky, I am trying to take the higher road; :0)

So; the alphas are no longer for sale; However; That does not mean I can't just give them away :) Infamous Alpha Brushes

So, here they are in all their hand painted glory :)

Enjoy them, Use them, Party On.

Where is the LOVE? :)

2006-08-21T21:23:00.000-06:00

I've been having a series of bad days. It's really been bumming me out. I haven't even felt like working on my element pack for my 'Feeling Groovy' Paper set. I am more than half way done with it; but I just don't feel like working..
Thought that maybe blogging will help?

I did however take a moment to scrap last night :)

Man, I love scrapping! I need to keep reminding myself that it is the reason why I got into this business in the first place.. It's easy to lose track of that.. So I am trying my hardest to take more time to scrap. Heaven knows I will NEVER have a lack of photos.. My problem is always choosing which ones are my favorites.. I have only been scrapping my favorite photos.. And I have yet to scrap birthdays or holidays.. I scrapped both of my DD's 1st birthdays; but that is pretty much it..

But I have NEVER been a chronological scrapper.. I have only ever just scrapped what moves me to scrap it; KWIM?

But I do have to ask; has anyone else noticed the lack of layout love in the galleries?? Do you think the problem is too many galleries?? Everyone is posting the same layouts in every gallery so comments are spread thin?? Or are less and less people commenting and more and more people posting?? What's up with that.. Just wondering really. I know that for myself; when ever I upload a new layout; I spend ten minutes or so commenting on other layouts.. And whenever I see a layout that just WOWs me; I always send off a quick comment..

I know that comments are not why we scrap.. But I think they are certainly why we upload to a million galleries :) And I know that for myself.. Those galleries that I upload to and only ever get one or two comments, I stop frequenting.. Just my two cents..

Hmm.. Maybe our digital community is starting to lose that homey small town feeling?
Gasp! I hope that is not the case.. Maybe everyone is just out getting ready for the kiddies to go back to school.. I guess only time will tell..

Costume Shopping..And other crazy ramblings..

2006-08-15T21:55:00.000-06:00

So I did a little Halloween shopping today; I picked up the CUTEST little Witchie Costume for Lorynn. Oh she is going to look SO ADORABLE!! I always shop early for Halloween because I HATE having to pick through costumes at the store. And with Lorynn's birthday actually on Halloween, we always go all-out with a huge costume party for friends and family.

Gasp! Oh, my baby is going to be THREE!! YIKES! Where did that time go?? Hmm, maybe it's time to start thinking about baby number 3??

OMG. Did I just say that out loud? No. I am NOT making any kind of announcement. Lori, if you are reading this; put down the phone.. You DO NOT need to form an intervention.. I'm OK. I was just saying..)

Anyway..I still haven't decided what I am going to be this year.. Last year I waited too long to decide and ended up being a not so creative Angel; But at the last minute I threw on my 'Creative Goddess' T-shirt and proclaimed myself a creative goddess with wings.. Yeah. Well.. It worked ;)

But I think I will be a bit more enthusiastic this year.. So I am starting to put those wheels in motion :) But, I am at least HAPPY TO SAY, that I have FINALLY!! talked Brenna out of being another Disney Princess. YEAH!! (Nothing against Disney, or Princess!) She has just been a different Disney Princess for 4 years running now! And I'd like to see her be something else!

Now, if I can just keep her away from the costume aisle at Costco.. We will be in good shape! :)

Savoir Faire :)

2006-08-11T23:30:00.000-06:00

I just finished up my paper and element set; Savoir Faire. I am loving these colors!

There are in the shoppe now, and all of you Muse Subscribers; Don't forget to use your 20% off coupon, good until August 16th! :)

YEAH!!

I am SO glad that the weekend is here! I am ready to just veg-out. Brenna is now off track and we have three weeks of no school or anything.. Aaahhh.. I love having nowhere to go, and I have missed having Brenna home.

These last three weeks of having her in school all day have been such a hard transition for all of us. She comes home completely wound up; and has a hard time grounding herself again. Everything is drama..

So I am looking forward to these next three weeks as we finish out our summer. We are just going to RELAX.. And enjoy each other.

I am off to watch; 'Everything is Illuminated' with my hubby!
(I love late-night movie watchin'!) ~Night!

So What's the Good News??

2006-08-10T15:48:00.000-06:00

I have the official 'green light' to tell you the good news at ScrapArtist! :)

Starting next week, Kim Christensen will be selling her wonderful designs EXCLUSIVELY at ScrapArtist!

YEAH!

We are so excited to have her! Kim's ubber talented designs and fun personality make her the perfect fit for us!

Pop on over to her blog and give her a great big Welcome!! :)

COOL BEANS!!

Still tweeking my new kit. Should have it up in the shoppe in the next couple of days, but I wanted to share this layout with you! These are some of my favorite Photos of Brenna; I took them over 3 years ago; I cannot believe how much she has grown since then!

Exciting New Things at ScrapArtist :)

2006-08-08T15:40:00.000-06:00

K. So I can't officially tell you yet; but I just wanted to post that we've got some exciting new things a happenin' at ScrapArtist!! :) Hoping to make the announcement here in a few days :)

We have also THANKFULLY recovered from our server troubles, and things are looking up with our new server move in the works.. SO glad.. Tech troubles really ZAP your creative juices ;) KWIM??

I have been SUPER BUSY with Fancy Pants stuff; we've got some new goodies coming out for Memory Trends; but I have managed to squeeze out a new paper set as well. The colors are all really dark and vogue, and I think it's looking pretty good; I haven't decided yet if I will turn it into a kit or not; so I guess we will just have to see how it all flows.. I have to scrap with it first and see how it strikes me ;)

Whew!!

2006-07-30T08:31:00.000-06:00

Ok. So we are back online; YEAH!!
Basically what happened; when I contacted our hosting company yesterday about slow site speeds; they ran a program to check speeds for us; but the guy doing the test made a HUGE mistake and it started dumping our files.

Yeah. That's bad.

So; we have suffered some data loss; but for the most part everything is back where it should be. Please let us know though if you notice anything acting wonky.

Also, all emails sent to ScrapArtist yesterday where lost. SO if you emailed us and we haven't relpied; please email us again :)

Thank you for being so patient with all this!! It couldn't have been timed any worse!

ETA: Not sure why we have gone down again. I am not able to access anything. I know our host was trying to replace some more of our lost files; but I am not sure why they had to take us down to do so..

Please know that we are working on this..
OY! Is it too early for a stiff drink??

More info on our poor little site..

2006-07-29T22:30:00.000-06:00

Just wanted everyone to know, the site will be down for the rest of the night. We are currently updating files tring to bring all the most recent posts and layouts online again.

Hoping nothing is lost! (This is where nightly backups come in handy!) But it will take us most of the night to get everything put back together again.

SO.. Our party is delayed until tomorrow!! Cross your fingers and your toes!!

I'll keep you updated! :)

One more update

2006-07-29T19:55:00.000-06:00

Ok. Here is the status; Our server was corrupted; Our hosting company is in the process right now of moving us to a different machine; (It's taking them forever! But they are working on it)

Right now we cannot access any of our scrapArtist email accounts so if you are sending us email we probably won't be able to get these until tommorrow..

But on a good note; The store is working (Yeah for small miracles!)

If you have been trying to post to our gallery to get the password for our Summer Splash kit. Please check the site tomorrow. If we are still having trouble we will just post the password for everyone to use :)

We're still going to party!! Even when technology doesn't want to help you out! :)

I'll post here again soon as everything is back to normal; Thanks for being so paitent!

DANGIT!!

2006-07-29T14:52:00.000-06:00

So today is the first day of our Anniversary Bash at ScrapArtist. And we are getting off to a rocky start!! Just wanted to post here that we are working on the problem right now; hoping to have all issues resolved in just a bit!

Thank you for your support!! If we need to extend our event a couple more days then we certainly will! :) We've still got some fun things planned for you! :)

Still In Recovery!

2006-07-24T14:05:00.000-06:00

Oh My..

CHA kicked my butt! :) Our booth was by an AC vent and so it was FREEZING; Now I've got a cold that I just can't kick! But CHA was SUCH a blast!!

This being my first CHA experience, I wasn't sure what quite to expect; Man there is so much talent out there! It was like I was on overload from all the creativity!

And I got to meet some fabulous ladies!!

We really did have a blast!!

Hmm. But now back to the 'real world'.

< bummer >

Brenna started school on Tuesday. 1st grade. It's so strange to have her gone all day. Lorynn isn't adjusting to it very well either, she misses her terribly.

We are gearing up for our anniversary bash at ScrapArtist. Our WONDERFUL creative team has planed some fabulous challenges for you! Hope everyone can drop in for a bit during our four day event to participate and have some fun!! Can't wait!

Official Fancy Pants Sneak Peak :)

2006-07-15T23:18:00.000-06:00

Oh, I have been neglecting you! :)

I've been so busy this week. Getting Brenna ready to go back to school, Getting ready for CHA, Getting ready for our Anniversary Celebration at ScrapArtist :), Trying to finish up a new kit too!
So, I am late in posting these 'official sneak peaks' of Nan and I's new paper line with Fancy Pants.

Wild Heart Collection by: Nancie Rowe Janitz

Free Spirit Collection by: Michelle Coleman

Now, unfortunately these will not be sold in the digital form, (Maybe someday these two worlds will be more simpatico?) But don't worry Digi-scrappers! I've totally got your back! ;) I am working on a new kit right now and if all goes well; I am hoping to have it up in the shoppe before I leave for CHA. Cross your fingers and your tosies for me!

We did all our back to school shopping for Brenna last week. Her school is starting year-round this year; She starts on the 25th, and now she is beyond excited to wear her new digs. Not sure if all six year olds are as passionate about fashion as she is?? She has several notebooks were she draws sketches of dresses. She LOVES designing them, and she draws all the fashionable accessories to match them as well. And they are not half bad either! I will have to scan some of them in one of these days and make a LO.

Brenna's idea of heaven is playing store with me where I come to her shoppe and buy her dresses. She could play for HOURS. And now she is trying to save up her allowance to buy her own sewing machine; and she doesn't want a kid one.. She wants an ADULT one, or so she tells me. Yes, I think fashion design may be in her future.

And speaking of which! :) (like my segway?)
I just saw 'The Devil Wears Prada' Tonight. LOVED IT!
Although I have two beefs with the plot:

(***This is where you should stop reading if you haven't already seen the show!!***)

Don't want to ruin it for ya! ;) I have this friend, and I LOVE her to death!! But she is one of those people that when you ask her if she has seen any good movies lately; she will then proceed to tell you EVERYTHING about a show whether you have seen it or not; OY!

K. So first beef: Anne Hathaway's Character, (Andy) She breaks up with her Boyfriend and two days later she is sleeping with another guy; then a few days after that she is just magically back together with her boyfriend and they never address this other guy?? What??
Hmm.. Maybe that is just the high fashion world?? Oy!

Then; Her boyfriend gets a job in Boston, they say they are going to go live there together; but then she still goes to a job interview for an agency in New York?? Did I miss something??

Now, I am not the kind of person that always needs my movies wrapped up in a pretty little package then placed nicely in my lap.. But it just bugged me that they didn't tie up those unseemly ends.. But; regardless.. I still really like the movie; so I guess it's all good! :)

K. 'nough yapping from me.. Night!

CHA Here we COME!

2006-07-10T21:57:00.000-06:00

So I have been getting ready for CHA! I am so excited to see everyone there! Going to hook up with some wonderful ladies!!

Nan and I have our new lines out with Fancy Pants. They look good! I am really excited to see what everyone has been up to!

So, you want a little sneak peak? :)

These are my FreeSpirit Papers:

Tag Set:

& Rub Ons:

I need to scrounge up Nan's preview's too! Love her line! I'll find those and post them here tomorrow :)

I also wanted to share my new Quick Page pack with you! These are all saved in the same format as my free QP here.

There are 8 Coordinating Quick Pages all together for $8. They are in the shoppe now :)
Tried and True QPs

And I have a cute little Companion Paper Pack for you :)

Oh, does this preview hurt your eyes too? So Many Dots! :) But they look great with some solid colors thrown in there! I made them to coordinate with my Paisley's and Panache Paper Set. (Still one of my favorite Paper Packs!)

You can download these dots here :)

K. I will Post more about CHA tomorrow. Thanks for taking a peak! :)

Altered Quick Page Winners :)

2006-07-06T07:21:00.000-06:00

Wow, I have been having quite the time choosing winners in my Altered Quick Page Contest. You guys have really made me work for it this time! :) I have been blown away (once again!) by everyone's creativity! There were so many awesome layouts that I have decided to double the prizes! :)

So, I have chosen two winners to receive a $10 GC to the shoppe and a free copy of Clair De Lune:

Tiff's entry was so original. She really made this QP her own. She flipped the QP horizontally then added a photo to the left side to create an 8.5x 11 layout. What a great idea Tiff! :)

Tillie's entree was completely original too. She flipped the layout vertically, changed all the colors, added a sanded overlay and tons of brushwork, if you didn't know it; you wouldn't even think she had used a QP, Awesome job!! Not to mention that it was her very first digital layout too! Wow!

It was really cool to see how everyone made this QP their own. Looking through the gallery of layouts was too fun. So much Creativity! :)

I have also chosen ten Runners up to receive a free copy of my kit,
Clair De Lune:

DigiKitty
JulieAB
Jodo
Digigal
Tara18
Salrosselli
Buddhini
Michelle Pearson
GingerSnaps
Lumpyscrapbooks

Congratulations Ladies! Thank you all for playing, this has been really fun! If you haven't seen the Altered Quick Page Gallery yet. Pop on over and check it out! :)

Happy 4th of July!!

2006-07-04T14:12:00.000-06:00

Just a quick note..
I am out today parading; and BBQ-ing.. Yeah for holidays! :)

Just wanted to let you know that I will post the winners here tomorrow for my Altered quick page contest.. I am having a hard time choosing winners!! All of the layouts are simply amazing! :) So thank you for playing!!

Oh, And I thought I would share my USA fireworks glitter! It's a little gaudy, but fun!!:) Enjoy!

Gaudy Glitter

Two Day Sale At ScrapArtist :)

2006-07-02T22:17:00.000-06:00

Wow. First I just have to say; I am LOVING all the entrees for my Altered Quick Page Contest! I am so impressed! I am going to have a hard time deciding winners on this, they are all amazing! Keep them coming, you have until Monday at Midnight to get them in!

And Second.

Nan and I are gearing up for our HUGE One Year Anniversary Bash Next Month.. Oh, It's going to ROCK! We have some FUN STUFF planned for you!! (Oh, I am already so excited!!) No hints yet.. But you will LOVE IT TOO!!

So. This next bit of info; requires some history.. :)
Some of you may or may not already know this; but when I first started designing; I had my own site.. Second Mile Designs. That's why some of my older product in the shoppe starts with the first three initials SMD instead of MCO ;) (Were you wondering who in the world was SMD??) Hee Hee. (Hmm. Maybe my blog title was a hint?)

Anyway.. Nancie and I met online, we started chatting and just hit it off. We did a little collaborative kit together called Independence Collection. And we enjoyed working with each other so much that on August 1st I closed down Second Mile and we joined forces for good. And we haven't looked back. Honestly, I couldn't imagine working without Nancie. She is like the older sister I never had ;) I just love her! And now we both have the pleasure of working closely with Lisa. She is so wonderful too, I feel very lucky to have such amazing digi friends! It just makes everything that much sweeter!

OK. History lesson over :)
But I wanted to share with you that we have brought back our independence Collection, as well as one of my other favorite kits; Americana. They are available in our shoppe now during our two day sale. So, if you haven't had a chance to check them out, head on over to the shoppe!

A Little Something For You! :)

2006-06-30T23:36:00.000-06:00

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

2006-06-30T08:50:00.000-06:00

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 :)

2006-06-27T16:29:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-06-27T11:47:00.000-06:00

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 :)

2006-06-25T11:20:00.000-06:00

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?

2006-06-24T19:01:00.000-06:00

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 :)

2006-06-20T22:50:00.000-06:00

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 :)

2006-06-17T16:00:00.000-06:00

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..

2006-06-15T00:48:00.000-06:00

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! ;)

2006-06-13T21:24:00.000-06:00

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!!

2006-06-13T09:24:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-06-10T17:07:00.000-06:00

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 :)

2006-06-10T12:18:00.000-06:00

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 :)

2006-06-05T23:20:00.000-06:00

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!!

2006-06-01T09:00:00.000-06:00

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!

Why I Scrap Contest Kit!!

2006-05-28T19:17:00.000-06:00

First I just have to say thank you for all your many good wishes! I appreciate them!:) And I've had a great (and productive!) weekend! I got my house cleaned, yeah! and Dianne and I finished up our combo kit for our 'Why I Scrap' Contest! Woohoo! It turned out great too! It's in the shoppe now!

It's whimsical and so fun! Becky (Sparklymommy) posted some great inspiration for us of her adorable son, Joshua;

I am sending out download links tonight for everyone that participated in our contest; So watch for them! :)

Freakishly Bad Day.. And other goodies!

2006-05-26T08:31:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had those days when EVERYTHING just seems off?? So I think that all the planets were properly aligned yesterday just to give me stress! If it could go wrong yesterday, well, IT DID!! OY!

It started out with me over-sleeping (which normally isn't a problem!) So Brenna was late for school. Then, I went to iron my favorite khaki pants and my cruddy iron melted gobbly-gook all over them.. Yes, They were ruined!! So after chucking my iron, I ran over to the mall hoping to replace my favorite pants, (when all else fails go shopping??) and of course everything was either too big; too small or too long. So I gave myself a consolation prize and bought some new lotions at Bath and Body Works, which when I applied them at home made me break out in a rash. So, jump in the shower, wash it all off.. I step out of the shower onto the cold tile floor and slip! Big old bruise on my shin because earlier that morning, Lorynn was trying to use the potty and she pee'd all over the rug!

Then, I had to call Brenna's school because they are going year-round next year and track assignments when out and we got our VERY LAST choice. I was told yesterday that we were NOT even given a choice of tracks because we were one day late turning in the form. (ONE DAY LATE??!! WAS I LATE??) So we got the least desirable track and there is NOTHING that they will do for us!! It seriously IS The worst schedule! Oh, it makes me so MAD!

So amid all this craziness of my day, I was also trying to do the final prep work for my advanced class at Layton High. I had most everything ready, just needed to get copies made of my handouts, I was running late and forgot to change the light settings on the copier and so some of the handout photos were completely illegible.
No time to correct them.. So I get to my class; everything is going as planned and then the projector konks out on me right in the middle of my lecture on how to brush patterns onto your paper.. Oh, the pain!! I just wanted the day to be OVER!

So this morning, I am thinking to myself that maybe I just need to build up some good karma? So I've decided to share this new paper set I've been working on:

Download this paperset here!

K. Now I've done something nice for you; so spread the love and go do something nice for someone else! :)

**And on a brighter note!
Today is looking much better!:) Brenna was visited by the tooth fairy again last night. And she woke up so excited that she cleaned her bedroom (Without me ASKING!!) AND she sorted the laundry before I even got out of bed, Man, that girl is a GEM!!

Here's to some GOOD KARMA!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Tonight Was JUMPING!!

2006-05-20T23:22:00.000-06:00

Tonight's chat was fabulous!! We had over 200 people attending; Man those things get crazy! Words flying back and forth, but it was a lot of fun! If you missed the chat, we are scheduling a Second Chance Chat; I am thinking Probably Monday at 2 or 3 PM EST; But I will get back to you on those dates as soon as I am Sure!!

I was playing around tonight with some more of my beach photos. (Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE the ocean??) My idea of heaven is relaxing on the beach, (Of course camera in hand!) No where to go, nothing to do, Just listening to the calming sound of the waves crashing on the sand...

Ok. I digress. Really, I just wanted to show you this photo.

Now I have to admit that the original coloring and lighting in this photo was NOT this good! I've filtered this quite a bit using some of my favorite filters! NIK color EFex Pro. I used the brilliance/Warmth Filter as well as the Darken/Lighten Center.
I ADORE these filters!! And yes, This is another beach shot taken of my girls from behind.. But (in my humble opinion) shots like this are so prolific, & they are just so magical to me. Can't WAIT to scrap this one!! I need to get ON IT!!

I have been so busy lately that I have not been able to scrap as much as I'd like to. And I still haven't organized my house!! UG, I hate house work!! Today, my husband told me that he was going to go around and take pictures of our piles of laundry; our not so clean kitchen; our white trash garage; etc. etc. and then he was going to create a layout about what happens when your wife becomes a digital scrapbooker and designer.

OY!

First, I was really proud of him for using the word 'layout' in a sentence. And Secondly, I am the VERY FIRST to admit that I am by NO MEANS a domestic diva of any kind! But Pictures?? Honestly I would NOT wish that upon you! :)

And the winners are...

2006-05-20T00:54:00.000-06:00

Well, we received some fabulous entrees to our "Why I Scrap" Contest. Thanks to all who played along! Everyone who entered will receive a copy of our custom kit (yet to be created!) After the kit is completed (In about 2 weeks) We will send out those download links.

It was tough to choose a winner, as there were so many great stories, layouts and images. And I truly enjoyed reading everyone's responses. After careful consideration, Becky was chosen as the grand prize winner.

I loved the adorable, expressive photos of her son Joshua and her included color swatch ;) Becky has won a $20 GC to the ScrapArtist Shoppe as well as a custom kit created specially for her and Joshua, she will be given access to a private gallery where she will be able to watch her developing kit and will have input on the final product. I imagine her photos will inspire a fabulous, playful little boy kit!

We also choose 4 runners up; and they are as follows:

I loved how Mandy's photo was taken from behind, and her selective coloring and blending were wonderful, then of course there is her journaling!

Kari's entry was phenomenal! She included an awesome swatch, textures, and her photo of her son was perfect!

This layout from Buddhini was breathtaking, The colors, the journaling, everything, WOW!!

Donna's photo just called to me, it has such a magical quality. And her story, amazing!!

So there you have it! Thanks again for everyone who participated! :)

ScrapArtist Creative Team Crop

2006-05-19T18:51:00.000-06:00

Join us Saturday, May 20th (tomorrow!!) at 9PM EST in the ScrapArtist Chat Room for a FABULOUS CT Crop!!

I am SO PROUD of my Creative team! They have made this GORGEOUS kit for our CT crop tomorrow, they are all so talented! I am getting the downloads for it right now; they will start tonight, passwords to unzip these files will be given out at the crop.

I'll post again when the links are ready to go! :)

Greetings from Sunny San Diego!!

2006-05-18T19:17:00.000-06:00

We're home from Beautiful California. Man, I NEVER tire of visiting there! We had a blast! We visited Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Wild Adventure Park, and the beach (of course!) Spent a lot of time swimming, and just hanging out with the fam.

I took 713 pictures!! (I kid you not!) So I guess I've got some scrapping to do! :)Beach shots are the best. I don't think it's possible to take a bad photo with the beach as your backdrop. I just love them!

Now that I am home though, I am wading through piles of laundry and I just discovered that TIVO didn't record the second half of the Grey's Anatomy Season Finale.. OOOOOHHHH.. And I hear it was GOOD!! K. So, WHAT HAPPENED!! EEKKS!! :)

Also, Dianne and I are just finishing up choosing the contest winners for our "Why I Scrap" Contest. So many great entrees! Hope to have the winners posted tomorrow!

I am So Bummed!!

2006-05-10T22:39:00.000-06:00

Well, I have to start this post by first expressing my disappointment that Chris was voted off American Idol. He was my favorite!! I can only hope that he will follow suit as other runners up in the past and get a record deal anyway. HE ROCKS!! I was so suprised!!

Moving on....(Oh, Poor Chris!!)
I've got some new goodies in the shoppe! I made my Father's Day kit early because I needed the papers for a project I've been working on.. So Even though Mother's Day isn't quite here yet.. I've got some yummy guy papers in the shoppe!

I made these papers to use in a book for my Dad, then I ending up turning it into an entire kit :) So of course there is an element pack to match!

Lots of yummy goodies in these! And I am running a special for all my blog readers :)
You can take 25% off these brand new items by entering coupon code:

25OFF

in your shopping cart at checkout. And I will include my newest Graphic Brushes in the 25% off deal too! :) This Coupon will only be good until May 17th! So snag it while you can!

Woohoo, Guy Stuff! :) Doesn't happen very often that I make Guy Specific goodies because I've only got girls.. But I have also been wanting to scrap some pics of my hubby.. He just got back from a guys only backpacking adventure, So I've got some good ones to work with! Not sure when exactly I will get to it though because we are taking a family vacation to Sea World. Brenna is so stoked!!She keeps asking me when it will be time to pack..

I am getting excited too, This will be a MUCH needed break for me too! I will be bringing my piece of junk laptop with me so I can check email, but It's too ancient to run all of my programs on it.. So no designing or layout creations for a while..

Then, When we get home, I am going to do a complete over haul on my house. I've got to clean out the pantry and organize the girls games and art supplies.. Both of my daughters are REALLY big into art, and their supplies are always everywhere!! I am determined to get organized once and for all!! So, we shall see how that all goes! Plus I am Praying that Paul cleans out the garage.. It's starting to look a little white trashy (hee hee) We have our old couch and part of our old entertainment center in there, so now he has to park his truck in the drive way. I can still fit my car in there, but it requires some skillful maneuvering for sure!!

So, now that you have WAY TOO much info ;) Long story short, I am taking a little bit of a break from designing so I can de-clutter my life.. My break probably won't last too long though.. Because I can guarantee that in a few days I will be itching to get back to it!!

'Why I Scrap' Contest Re-clarified :)

2006-05-10T09:18:00.000-06:00

So I guess Dianne and I were not specific enough with our contest ;) What we are looking for on this is images, not necessarily layouts. (Although layouts will not be disqualified) We also want a story. Why you scrap.. What moves you to record your life and your family? And the images that you submit are what we are going to base our kit on. So we want to see color, texture, Maybe a picture of your son playing soccer, and a color swatch of his team colors? Or your daughter having a tea party, Or a picture of your favorite blanket which represents comfort, etc.. etc.. You get the idea, right?

SO why you scrap needs to be tied in to images that we can base a kit on. Whew. Is that a tall order? I hope not!!

And we are extending the deadline because I will be out of town this weekend. So now you have until the 17th!!
We've had some terrific entrees so far, But we would LOVE to see more!! So we are adding the perk of the winner being involved in our kit making process. The winner will have access to a special private gallery, will get to help choose the final color swatch.

Also, everyone who enters will receive our kit for free, so you can't really lose!!

So, sit down, write us a blurb on why you scrap and tie it into images that you would like to have a custom kit inspired from. I can't wait to see what you can come up with :)

"Why I scrap" Contest at ScrapArtist

2006-05-06T13:57:00.000-06:00

So Dianne and I concocted a fun little contest for everyone! I've gotten several requests for custom kits; and I thought it would be fun to collaborate on one with the VERY TALENTED ScrapArtist Designers. So let me spin it for you:

"Tell us why you scrap! Show us what inspires you! Post an inspirational image and story in our special Why I Scrap gallery that explains how scrapping has changed your life. One winning entry will be chosen by the Scrap Artist Designers to be the inspiration for a fabulous new collaboration kit. The winner will receive a complimentary copy of the kit as well as a $20 dollar gift certificate to the Scrap Artist Shoppe.(Woohoo!) Three runners up will also receive a $10 gift certificate to the Scrap Artist Shoppe!

Posting deadline: Wednesay May 10th at 12pm eastern.

Winners will be announced on Friday, May 12th in this forum. The kit will be finished in a few weeks' time and made available for purchase in the shop by the end of May.

Go forth and inspire!"

Can't wait to see what you all come up with!!

Free Kit At ScrapArtist, Tomorrow ONLY!!

2006-05-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

So I haven't blogged in a bit. My DH has been out of town on a boys only photo trip. He and his buddy were backpacking through Olympic National Park for a week. He came back with some AMAZING photos!! I'll post some here tomorrow ;) So my PRECIOUS computer time was cut down completely this week. (I DON'T KNOW HOW SINGLE PARENTS EVER SURVIVE A DAY!!) My hat goes off to them! And honestly, having my DH gone for over a week makes me realize how much I depend on him! I couldn't design and do what I do with out him, So I feel VERY GRATEFUL that he is such a supportive, loving force in my life..

Ok, I digress.. I actually wanted to make a quick post today about this AMAZING FREE kit tomorrow only in the ScrapArtist Shoppe.

This gorgeous kit is our little Thank You to all our AMAZING Members for National Scrapbooking Day; You have to get it Saturday though because after that it will no longer be free! So don't miss it!! It will be in the shoppe on Saturday Morning..
(Actually, It will be in the shoppe Friday night before I go to bed!) :) So be sure to stop by for a bit and snag it!!

I am SO EXCITED to use this kit! We will going on vacation to the Cali coast in a week and a half and this kit will be PERFECTION for my photos! So excited!! Both for the trip and the eventual smashing beach photos that will be sure to be scrapped again and again!! :)

And the winners are...

2006-04-24T21:21:00.000-06:00

I was so excited by the participation in my color challenge! We had 86 gorgeous layout entrees. And trust me! The competition was TOUGH!! :) I decided to pick four winners instead of 3; just couldn't narrow it down any more than that! So without further ado; here are the four winning layouts. Pop on over to the gallery and leave them some feedback! They deserve it!:)

I was so impressed with Christie's layout. Her journaling was so raw and true. The mood she created here with the purple was almost volatile; I can feel her emotion (Because I have been there too!!)

Mary chose soft warm colors to represent the anticipation of the birth of her baby.The filtering on her photo (with that gorgeous tummy!) perfectly matches her papers. With her journaling and fantastic composition; her layout really shines!

Neva's colors in both her photography and her papers just blew me away! So rich and completely amazing! Her photo is breathtaking as well as her journaling. Her layout, simply astounding!

I loved this layout of Buddhini's! The golden yellows and oranges of her paper and embellishments matched the tones of her daughter's beautiful skin perfectly! The richness and warmth she created with this layout is fantastic!

I was honestly SO impressed with everyone's layouts! Thanks so much for participating in my challenge! :)

PS. Emails have already gone out for your participation bonus; so if you haven't received yours drop me a line! :)

~Night!

Challenge Freebie: Eye Catching Color

2006-04-21T15:42:00.000-06:00

I am posting the preview (as promised) for my color challenge freebie. This paper pack will be sent to everyone who participates in the challenge.. Such yummy colors!!

You still have time to post your layout!! Contest doesn't end until Sunday night..
Remember, the top three layouts (As judged by the ScrapArtist Creative Team) will receive $10 to spend in the SA Shoppe; so really you cannot lose on this one!! :)

I created another layout last night using this paper; plus some yummy stuff of Gina's, Heather's, and Rhonna's. You can click on the layout if you want to see the credits..

So get your layouts in!! Upload them to the Color Challenge Gallery at ScrapArtist.
We've had some yummy layouts already entered; so stop on in for some inspiration!!

Tooth Fairy & Easter Bunny All In One Night..

2006-04-20T15:15:00.000-06:00

Well, it's finally official. Brenna has lost her very first tooth. The girl has been wiggling it for almost two months now!! It fell out on Saturday, and much to Brenna's delight she was visited by the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny both in the same night!
Before Brenna went to sleep; she asked me if I thought that the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny would hang out together for a while, because they probably didn't get to see each other very often.. Tee Hee; the imagination of a six year old..
But she did have a valid point..

Anyway.. Not much else here to report.. Still working on making you guys a fabulous freebie for participating in my color challenge.. (Will post a preview soon!) It's been so fun checking out the gallery and seeing all the awesome layouts!! Man, I love color!! :)

I did another color layout last night. (I am having way to much fun here!) This is a photo of Lorynn that I took last night, she was blowing bubbles with Brenna and having a blast! I chose orange because it is bright and well, bubbly! I think it turned out pretty good, I used my new Art Papers (recolored) and some papers and stickers from Rhonna's New Peachy Keen Kit (I LOVE THIS KIT!!) I also used one of my Flourish Brushes and Paper and word art from Gina and Heather's Sweet and Spicy Spring.

TTYL!

Color Your World

2006-04-17T22:40:00.000-06:00

I have recently been enjoying the book; Colors for your every mood. The book talks about color, and how it can change your mood so easily; it also talks about what your favorite colors reveal about you and your personality.. Anyway.. Fun book! It also includes some great color swatches at the end of the book that help you communicate with color.

I've created some nifty art papers, each one representing a different mood/feeling and color (it's up in the shoppe now!)And it got me thinking that it would be fun to host a color challenge!

SO, here's the challenge :)

Pick your favorite color; and create a layout using that color. You can use any papers you'd like. But your goal is to evoke emotion using color. Contest Begins right now!! And will end on Sunday Night, April 23rd at 12 p.m. EST.

The top three layouts (as judged by the SA Creative Team) will each receive a $10 Gift Certificate to the ScrapArtist Shoppe.

You can enter as many times as you would like; but can only win once. I've created a special gallery at ScrapArtist where you can upload your layouts for viewing/judging.

Everyone who participates will receive a special little freebie at the end of the contest; so what do you have to lose?? I am working on my layout now to post for some inspiration/examples.. I can't wait to see what you come up with!! :)

ETA:

Ok, Here are my layouts I have been working on:
(follow the links to view the credit info)Both are some of my favorite photos of Brenna, This first one I was going for Whimsical, magical, but still slightly regal so I chose to use purple. The second one I wanted to show warm, green is a very restful yet warm color. I ended up using a lot of brown in it to, But I think the overall effect is still warmth.. Can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with, there have already been some really fantastic layouts!! :) Now I am off to work on a really yummy freebie for everyone who participates!!

Bound Books are COOL!

2006-04-11T22:31:00.000-06:00

Yes, I have another layout in my 'series' of layouts featuring my two daughters being cute together.. (hee hee!) But I took A TON of photos so I have LOTS to work with! :) But actually I have decided to make each of my daughters a printed and bound art book. I haven't decided 100% which direction I am going to go. There are some great options out there.. I might go with Art Leather, They do a FANTASTIC little printed and bound board book. It is REALLY beautiful!

Or maybe with Asuka Book; I could do a 7x7 with 12 pages.. Hmm.. The possibilities are ENDLESS!!

So, Invariably you will see more layouts like this! And I will definitely show you LOTS of pics of the finished product..

Got Spring??

2006-04-07T10:09:00.000-06:00

I think spring has decided to skip my part of the world this year! It snowed all day yesterday; it was practically a blizzard; then when we woke up this morning there was still tons of snow covering the ground and my newly sprouted tulips.

Oh, I am so longing for spring!! My girls want to play outside at the park without freezing!! And I want to wear my sandals!! COME ON!!

Whew; Ok.. Had to vent.. But I guess I should be happy because I got a great photo of my flowers in the snow.. But Still...

So it is officially spring break at our house.. And I am sad to say that as of today we have absolutely nothing planned at all.. But then, we are the type of family that just decides one day to take a few days off and drive up to Canada.. I guess it's our way of living dangerously, hee hee.. So, who knows.. Maybe we will go to Vegas or something.. Hmm.. Nan is gong to Vegas next week.. Hmmm...

So to celebrate spring break; we are going to be having a sale at ScrapArtist. Woohoo! I am ALWAYS such a sucker for sales! Monday April 10 - 14th; Select Items will be on sale 25% off! Yeah!! What Items?? Hmmm.. Not 100 % decided yet; but I will be sure to mark down some of my yummy new items, so be sure to check it out!

Made another layout yesterday.. I am starting to scrap more, which is always a good thing.. I just get so busy, that when all is said and done, I don't have any thing left to give to my layouts.. SO I have re-prioritized things.. Rescheduled things a bit better and I have been doing more and more layouts; and I have found more time to design as well!

I am also finishing up my paper line for Fancy Pants Designs. I am so excited about this one!! It will be released at the summer show in Chicago; and Nan and I are actually planning on going this time!! SO I am pretty excited about that.. No hints yet.. You will have to wait until it's released; but both lines from Nan and I are just so pretty!

So, anyhow.. Here are my latest layouts..

I wanted to journal some of my thoughts about my goals in motherhood.. I took these great pics of Brenna a couple of weeks ago when we did our spring photo shoot. And I thought that this journaling really fit the pictures..

Then, there is this one of Lorynn..

Had to document just how difficult it is to get good pictures of that girl. She is such a monkey! :)

Both Layouts were made with paper from my Tutti Frutti Paper pack, some elements from my Boho Chic kit and the upcomming element pack for TuttiFrutti.. You can pick up the paper pack for free if you join us at SBB for my Chat! :)

Inside the Designer's Studio Chat at SBB

2006-04-03T21:40:00.000-06:00

I will be hosting a chat at SBB this weekend! I am a little nervous about it because chats kind of freak me out!
But this one should be lots of fun and I hope that everyone can join me!
I've got a great freebie to give out just for coming plus we'll have some prizes to give out as well!

My freebie is this fun little paper set; I am LOVING these great, bright colors! I think I will turn this into a kit; add some fun elements to it.. But you can pick up the papers if you stop by the chat and say hello! :)

Also..

Just want to wish Lisa a very happy 31st birthday!! Pop on over to her blog and wish her a happy birthday! :)

Whew! You guys are FAST!!

2006-04-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to: Terry Montgomery, JoAnn, Michele Duffy and Becky Pipes. You guys are the Fastest scrappers in the west! Or east, or where ever you may happen to be! :) Thanks for sending me your lovely layouts! I am sending you some ScrapArtist Cash right now! :) Thanks for playing!!

Free Mini Kit to A Good Home :)

2006-04-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

When ever I am creating a new kit or paperset; there is always one or two papers that stray from the pack.. They end up being the wrong color or too similar or for whatever reason, they just don't fit with my current project:)
Well, these homeless papers have been sitting dormant on my computer for far too long, and they are looking for someone to love them..
Will you take them in? Pretty Please??

Yes, I could have probably just put these up to the shoppe; but sometimes it much more fun to just give them away..

And with that said :)

The first 3 people to send me a link with their layout using this Mini Kit will recieve a $5 gift certificate to the ScrapArtist Shoppe.. Oh there are some yummy new goodies there too! :)

Yeah! I love giving prizes!

So what else is new.. My Basic Digi Scrapping Class started again Last Thursday.
I am so excited about my students! They are all so eager to learn, I just love it!
I know we will be able to get really deep into the good stuff with them.. My last class we were able to touch a little bit on creating papers, but I am hoping that this class will move much faster so we can get even deeper. It's only a six week class, but I try to take them as advanced as they can handle! :)

Other exciting news; I am getting a new couch! Woohoo!! I currently suffer from hodge podge hand me down couches. They aren't horrible. But they certainly wouldn't have been my first choice! ;) I am going to get a sleek new sectional with lots of big comfy pillows and room to stretch out on! I can hardly wait! We are going to go shopping tonight and will HOPEFULLY find the perfect one. I will update with some pictures soon!

So, that's it I guess. Just wanted to leave you with my latest layout. Yes! I know a two pager! Woohoo! My two DDs, I adore this main photo of them! I was trying to get a photo of both of them looking at me and smiling.. (Really hard with a two year old!) I did end up getting some pics of both of them smiling; but this one was still my favorite one of all.. Layout made with my new paper set; Paisley's and Panache..

As always; Thanks so much for visiting me!! :)

Paisleys and Panache

2006-03-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hee. Hee. Guess I better go buy these blankets now! :) Paper set is up and in the shoppe! Did I tell you how much I LOVE Potterybarn?! :)