Sunday, December 21, 2008

Lots to share

I did it again. I have been creating away and have been neglecting this blog. I have to tell you about what's coming soon and I have lots of LO's to share.

This past week Bannerwoman and Mega-Doodle Inspired have been keeping me busy with some product testing. I am so excited about the products they have been creating.

First of all, Bannerwoman has some awesome Glitter Foam that will be coming out in 2009. There's so many styles and I fell more in love with each now style. Here's a sneak peek. LOL!

bannw_PSStyle_GlitterFoamBundle

Then I tested a really interesting but super fun style from Mega-Doodle Inspired. This is a Stuffing Layer style and it includes instructions to Fuzz your edges if you use PS brush paths. It's super easy and adds so much. Here's the style and a preview of what I tested.

megadoodle_stuffing

MDITest-Stuffingstylereg

I hope to have a freebie to share soon but until then I'll share my most recent LO's.

First of all, I have to give a shout out to Sine of Designs by Sine. The first four layouts here were created using just a few of her fantastic templates. They are so super easy to work with and create fabulous results. I have really enjoyed being a guest creative team member for her this month.

SOMakeItSnappy121908

This was for the Scrap Orchard Make it Snappy on 12/19/08.

Credits:
Template - Photo Gazeuse 2 - Designs by Sine
Kit and elements - Grab Bag - Pineapple Plantation Designs

bySine_Alittleedgy_1

Credits:
Template - A Little Edgy 1 by Designs by Sine
Kit - 10 Little Monkeys by Ziggle Designs

SOTemplateChallenge6

This was for the December Template Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
Template - Template Challenge 6 Designs by Sine
Kit - Peppermint Twist Freebie by Pineapple Plantation Designs
Paper Clip - Office Romance by Pineapple Plantation Designs

Journaling:
After our visit to Candy Cane Lane we stopped to see Santa and tell him what we wanted for Christmas. Jazmine and Ali both wanted Littlest Pet Shop toys. Jazmine also asked for Princess toys and Ali asked for a baby.

JazminesOrnaments

These will be a gift for my oldest classmates.

Credits:
Papers and Elements from the Pineapple Plantation Designs Grab Bag
Template - variation of SO Memorable 02 by Designs by Sine

copychrissyw_templatefreebi

This was for ChrissyW's template challenge 11.

Credits:
Template - ChrissyW Template Challenge 11
Kit - 10 Little Monkeys by Ziggle Designs

GDWIPaper2Digi121508

This was for the Paper 2 Digi challenge at Get Digi With It.

Credits:
Summer Lovin' kit by Pineapple Plantation and ellie lash designs
Alpha from Grandma's Lap by Pineapple Plantation Designs

Journaling:
I love you more today than yesterday but only half as much as tomorrow.

SOMakeitsnappy120608

This was for another Make it Snappy Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
Scrap Orchard December Mystery Mega

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Another Old Fashioned Freebie

So, I haven't got a way with words. I don't have a catchy title for my posts but that's not why you came here anyhow. I know you would love another freebie. Am I right?

Today I have a chipboard alpha with some bonus ornaments. Once again this freebie was created with some awesome styles from Bannerwoman. I love being a product tester and I especially love these awesome styles. They are so easy to work with and there is such a variety. I just knew that her new chipboard styles and glitter styles would create a perfect alpha to go with the mini kit I offered earlier.

Here are the new styles she is offering:

bannw_PSStyle_Chipboard

bannw_PSStyle_GlitterThick

bannw_PSStyle_ThickGlitter2

Click on the images to see them in her store. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Now on to the freebie. This is a pretty big file. It comes with a full apha including both upper and lower, numbers, punctuation and a few different ornaments. I hope you enjoy these!

DDD-OFH-AlphaPreview

Download Here

I can't forget to tell you about the awesome alpha cutter that I used. The cutter is by Brandy at Mega-Doodle Inspired. You won't believe what a time saver it is. It practically does all the work for you. So if you want to try your hand at creating your own alpha or smaller elements, consider the Mega Alpha cutter.

megadoodle_alphacutter2_action

Friday, December 12, 2008

Awesome templates

I have so many projects going on this weekend that I think my head is spinning. Before I got too far into it I thought I better start sharing some of my pages with you. I have already gotten behind but I'll catch up before the weekend is done.

So, if you remember, a while ago I applied as a guest CT member for Designs by Sine. I was picked as a guest for the month of December. Sine's templates are awesome. They are really versatile. She just released an awesome set of calendar templates. There are all different sizes included in this set plus the calendars are individual .png files so you can use the pages without them too.

Here's a page I did for March 2009:

bySine_SOMemorable_12x12_03

Credits:
SO Memorable templates by Designs by Sine
Kit - Emily by Pineapple Plantation Designs

Earlier this month I did this page for a Speed Scrap at Get Digi With It:

GDWISpeedScrap120608

Credits:
Que Sera, Sera by Polka Dot Plum
Template - A Little Edgy 2 by Designs by Sine
Journaling:
You really love anything that has to do with a princess or a bride. You have now found a way to bring your two loves together. Your princess dresses have this mesh hoop to go under them to make them poofy. I heard you call me and say look I am a bride now. You had taken the hoop and made it into the perfect veil. You were a beautiful princess bride dressed in your snow white costume with the veil over your head.

For the Journaling challenge at color line design I did this page:

CLDJournalChallenge1208

Credits:
Template - A Little Edgy 3 by Designs by Sine
Kit - The Hamptons by Pineapple Plantation Designs
Journaling:
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails.
~Mark Twain
There were lots of things to explore in Shawano.
Jazmine discovered that driving the boat with Grandpa Bruce was a lot of fun.

And just because I had to capture an awesome memory for my girls, I did this page:

112908TwinkleToes

Credits:
Template - SO Stacked 3 by Designs by Sine
Kit - Topsy Curvy by Ziggle Designs
Stitches - Sparkilicious Stitches by Ziggle Designs
Journaling:
Ali and Jazmine’s favorite reward is getting their fingers and toes painted. It always has to be some shade of pink. The brighter the better. In the Summer the nails usually match the outfit for the day. They can’t wait until they are old enough to go to the salon and have them done by a professional but until then they are satisfied with getting them done by Mommy.

Have a great weekend!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Old Fashioned Holiday

It's taken me far too long to get you another freebie but today is your lucky day. I found some seriously inspiration from the color challenge at color line design. I also recently had the opportunity to test a few new products from both Mega-Doodle Inspired and Bannerwoman Designs.

First of all here was the swatch from the color challenge:

CLDColorChallenge

I used this with a few things including the Mega Argyle Template from the Mega-Pattern Set 03-Argyle by Mega-Doodle Inspired and the PS Cork Styles from Bannerwoman. The template and styles are awesome. They are really easy to use and you can create some fun papers and elements for yourself. Click on the images below to go check out the products.

megadoodle_patternset03_argyle bannw_PSStyle_Cork

And, now you get an awesome freebie! This reminded me of an old fashioned Christmas with a modern twist. So I present to you Old Fashioned Holiday.

DDD-OFH-Preview

Download Here:

Papers

Elements

I hope you love it as much as I do. I just love how this turned out. If you download, please leave me a comment here. I can't wait to see your creations with this. Don't be afraid to show me your layouts. Just leave me a comment or send me an email so I can check them out.

Enjoy!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Keep on Rollin'

I absolutely love the weekends. I especially love long weekends like this. I can spend hours getting lost creating different layouts. This weekend I have been catching up on some challenges I have been meaning to do. I am really on a roll. Rather than show you too many pages at once I figured I would show you what I have created so far. All but one of these pages was created in the last few days.

SOMakeItSnappy1121

This was for a Make it Snappy Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
Sweet Shoppe Designs and Scrap Orchard Collab Sweet Orchard
Photo Clips and frame from Scrap Orchard November Mega
I put my own spin on a template freebie by Mrs.Wresh

CLD-Template-Challenge-11-1

This was for a Template Challenge at color line design.

Credits:
Kit used - Two Turtle Doves by Ziggle Designs

SOFruitSaladChallenge1108

This was for a Fruit Salad Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
Stitches from the Scrap Orchard and Sweet Shoppe Designs Collab Sweet Orchard
Template - Photos Gazeuse - Designs by Sine
Everything else is from the December Scrap Orchard Mystery Mega

SOElementChallenge1108

This was for an Element Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
Scrap Orchard December Mystery Mega

SOScrapThatTune7

This was for a Scrap That Tune Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
Template - So Stacked - Designs by Sine
Efflorescence by Ziggle Designs

SOInspirationChallenge3

This was for an Inspiration Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
Pineapple Plantations Inspiration Challenge #3 Free"bee"

Journaling: Since Mommy has off every Friday, this has become Mommy and Ali’s special days together. We try to do something extra special for Ali since she is away from her sister all day. We go shopping, other times we play games and sometimes we go for a walk and explore our neighborhood. No matter what we do it’s special because it’s time for us to be together.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Photo Swap Thank you's

Some new challenges have been popping up and they are super fun. In these challenges you swap photos with another digiscrapper and you scrap a page with their photo(s). I participated in two of these swaps this month and had some fabulous pages created for me.

At Scrap Orchard it is called a RAK Challenge. In this swap you post your photo for someone to grab. It ended up that me at Charmaine (charmedeebob) grabbed each others photos.

Here's the beautiful page she created for me:

SORAKchallengeJazmine1108

You can click on the photo for credits. This is one of my favorite Christmas photos and I just couldn't find a way to do it justice. I absolutely love what Charmaine did with it.

In turn, here is the page I created for her:

SOPhotoSwap

Her son Casey is just the most handsome little boy. Aren't you just drawn into those gorgeous eyes?

Credits:

Ziggle Designs - Feisty Kit
Ziggle Designs - Tag Alpha
Template by ChrissyW

At color line design we were paired up with the person we would swap photos with. Petra (Sugar 'n Spice) and I swapped photos of our little girls. I gave her a lot of photos so she would have lots of choices. She ended up scrapping three pages and used all of my photos!

Aren't these pages gorgeous:

CLDPhotoSwapGirls1108-1

CLDPhotoSwapGirls1108-2

CLDPhotoSwapGirls1108-3

You can also click on these photos to get the credits. Petra also has a beautiful blog where you can check out all of her beautiful pages and get lots of scrapping inspiration.

In turn, here is the page I scrapped of her beautiful little girl.

CLDPhotoSwap1108

I couldn't help but make a play on Petra's user name-Sugar 'n Spice.
Credits:
Sweet Shoppe Designs and Scrap Orchard - Sweet Orchard Collab Kit.
Template by ChrissyW

So here is a great big THANK YOU! You ladies did a great job and I had a ton of fun participating in these swaps.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Lots to Share - Part 2

As you can probably tell by a lot of my previous posts, I get a lot of my scrapping done by participating in challenges.  I have a few favorite sites to visit for challenges.  Once in a while I will find a challenge posted by a different site and I soon become hooked.  Within the last few months I stumbled upon the Scrap Orchard site.  I was hooked almost immediately.  The members there are fabulous, the products in the store are amazing and they have some of the best challenges around.  You might even see that a lot of my recent pages are made with designs by many of the fabulous designers at Scrap Orchard.  I really found a place I love and I visit there quite often.  If you haven't visited the Orchard lately you really should check it out.

 

Here are a few pages from recent challenges.

 

SOBringItChallenge1108

This was for a Scrap Orchard Bring It Challenge.

Credits:
Kit used - Topsy Curvy by Ziggle Designs
Photo mask by Gunhild
Journaling:
Miracles happen when you least expect them. That’s what happened the day you came to live with us. Our story is not that of a typical family. We knew the day may come that you needed a place to live but I don’t think we ever really expected it. We had no children and suddenly we had Ali who was one and a half and Jazmine who was two and a half. We didn’t have anything in our home for a child let alone for two active toddlers. We had a room for you and a big bed for you to share. Eventually we got all the other things you needed. Some people gave us clothes. Others gave us toys and books. Even though this was supposed to be temporary, you started to take over our home. By the time we knew this would be permanent, this was your home too and not just a place for you to live. You now have more toys than a lot of little girls, more books than you will ever be able to read and lots of clothes to keep you warm. We can’t imagine you not being our family and we are happy that you call us Mommy and Daddy. You will always know your “story” and what makes our family so special. You will always have a home, we will love you forever and ever and we will be your Mommy and Daddy as long as you will let us.

 

SOScrapThatTuneNo8

This was for a Scrap Orchard Scrap That Tune Challenge.

Credits:
Kit Used Ziggle Designs Reindeer Games
Journaling:
This cold cold Saturday morning in November, we went to the annual Milwaukee Holiday parade. This was the first time Summer and Sierra had been to the parade but we have been every year. Jazmine and Ali didn't remember ever going before. I think they were pretty excited. We had to park about 5 blocks away and walk to our spot. Did I mention that it was very cold? After we found our spot we settled in and got ready for the parade to start. Ali had a great time and enjoyed everything. Jazmine spent the entire time crying because she was cold. We ended up back at the car while everyone else enjoyed the rest and waited to see Santa Claus. Next year we will be better prepared for the cold and we will all get to see Santa Claus. 11/22/08

 

SOScrapliftChallenge1108

This was for a Scrap Orchard Scraplift Challenge.

Credits:
Kit Used - Scrap Orchard and Sweet Shoppe Designs Sweet Orchard Collab Kit
Journaling:
Buscia came to visit us for the first time. We loved spending time with her and she really spoiled us. She took us shopping, bought us fancy new clothes and took us out to dinner. We can’t wait to get to see her again. Maybe next time we can go to California to see her.

 

2008ChristmasCard

This was for a Scrap Orchard Font Challenge.

Credits:
Reindeer Games kit by Ziggle Designs

 

SOAppleCartChallenge-Nov

This was for a Scrap Orchard Apple Cart Challenge and a color line design Font Challenge.

Credits:
Just So Mini Kit by Irene Alexeeva
Template by ChrissyW

 

SOScrapThatTuneChallenge100

This was for a Scrap Orchard Scrap That Tune Challenge.

Credits:

Free"bee" kit by Irene Alexeeva
Template by ChrissyW

 

SOAppleCartChallenge-Oct

This was for a Scrap Orchard Apple Cart Challenge.

Credits:

Chocolate Swirl Free'Bee by Polka Dot Plum
Journaling: We may not be a traditional family but we are still a loving family. Our many pieces make us unique. Someday these little girls will know how much it takes to make this family work. Until then, we will continue to love them as our very own.

 

SOCaretakerChallenge-Oct

This was for a Scrap Orchard Bring It Challenge.

Credits:
Alpha - Free"bee" by Ziggle Designs
Papers and elements - Free"bee" by Polka Dot Plum

Lots to Share - Part 1

I have been neglecting this blog for too long.  I have had some projects going on that have taken quite a bit of my time.  When I wasn't working on that project I was creating layouts.  I really need to get into a habit of sharing my layouts here as soon as I have them finished.  Plus I want to start putting up some freebies that I have been promising for too long. 

 

I decided to do this post in 2 parts because I have way too many layouts to share.   I hope you like them and I would definitely appreciate any comments you leave.  Some of these are pages I made within the last few months.  It seems that I may have missed a few in the past.  If I duplicate any, please forgive me.

 

Joe-Cool

Credits:
Template by ChrissyW Sample Pack Two
Kit used - Collab by ChrissyW and Angie Kovacs

 

Playing-in-the-leaves

Credits:
Template by ChrissyW
All papers and elements from Lauraskathi from the following kits - Atalami, Gabriella and Sabrina

 

GDWI-Speed-Scrap-1025

This was for a Speed Scrap at Get Digi With It

Credits:
Template by ChrissyW
Kit used - Lakehouse from Collab by ChrissyW and Angie Kovacs

 

GDWI-Speed-Scrap-1115

This was for a Speed Scrap at Get Digi With It

Credits:
Variation of a template by ChrissyW from sample pack two
Paper and Elements from Angie Kovacs Playtime kit

 

chrissyw_templatechallenge7

This was for a template challenge by ChrissyW.

Credits:
Template by ChrissyW
Kit used - August Collab from Color Line Design

 

DrPumpkinMumpkin

This was for a font challenge at color line design.

Credits:
Metal Clips by Franette
All other items created with commercial use items by the following:
Overlay and Stitches by Gunhild
Custom Shapes by Obsidian Dawn
Folded Ribbon by The Scrappin Cop
Journaling:
As soon as Ali saw this costume she really wanted to be a doctor for Halloween. The costume came with a name tag and I had a feeling that she already knew what she wanted her name to be. For the last few weeks she has had this little nickname that she has been calling all of us. “Pumpkin Mumpkin” When she was asked what kind of doctor she was she said that she was a doctor that helps babies. She said she helps them keep all their blood in. I think she really picked this costume just so she could play doctor at home with her dolls.

 

Jazmine-Halloween

This was for a font challenge at color line design.

Credits:
Template by ChrissyW from the ChrissyW and Angie Kovacs Collab.
Paper and Elements by Lauraskathi Julia Kit
Journaling:
Jazmine wanted to be a witch for Halloween and I think she pulled it off pretty well. When she put on her costume she had this cute pouty face which really worked for this costume. We told her how good she looked when she wasn’t smiling so for the longest time she wouldn’t smile. It was so not like her so we kept thinking there was something wrong with her. After we figured out that she was playing with us she got a good laugh. As you can see, by the time she started trick-or-treating she was back to her “normal” self. This picture is a pretty good shot of how she looked the rest of the time. She was flying around the neighborhood.

 

GDWIPaper2Digi1031

This was for a Paper 2 Digi Challenge at Get Digi With It and a Word Art Wednesday Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
All Worn Out overlays by Penny Springmann
Crumpled Paper overlay by Cindy Doerksen Designs
Folded Paper overlay by The Scrappin Cop
Word Art by Elegant WordArt by Bethany
Papers and Elements from Add on au Kit Cherish for love by Franette

 

bySine_TempChlng_05-copy

This was for a Template Challenge at Scrap Orchard and a Title Works Challenge at color line design.

Credits:
Summer Lovin' Collaboration kit by Pineapple Plantation and ellie lash designs
Template by Designs by Sine
Paperhearts Alpha by Pineapple Plantation

 

CLDArtistChallenge1108

This was for an Artist Challenge at color line design and a Word Art Wednesday Challenge at Scrap Orchard.

Credits:
Kit used - Welcome to the Orchard by Pineapple Plantation Designs and Irene Alexeeva
Word Art - Elegant WordArt by Bethany

Frame - Feisty Kit by Ziggle Designs