5.15.2009

i'm a SYTYCD drop out

Simply put - deadlines and I do not get along. In my opinion, all deadlines should have a grace period, you know... like utility bills and mortgage payments.

When I signed up for the SYTYCD contest it was about more than winning the prizes at the end. It was more of a personal challenge to see if I was ready to get back into designing. Releasing new products consistently was never one of my strong points and something I wanted to improve upon before I began selling again, so I figured if I could make myself keep up with the challenges then I could most definitely fall into the routine of designing and putting out new products on a regular basis. But I digress...

I don't want to be a whiner and make a bunch of excuses for not finishing my week 2 entry in time, but this has been a horrible week! To make a long story short(er) - it started off with my oldest son coming down with a fever and cold like symptoms on Saturday night. The poor guy, he spent most of Mother's Day in the bed, but fortunately he bounced back quickly and went to school late on Monday. Unfortunately, that afternoon I started coming down with the cold, too. I spent most of Tuesday in the bed. To be honest, I would have stayed there all day long if I'd been able to. I've always had a high tolerance for pain, but give me a fever with body aches and I'm a big ol' baby! Wednesday I felt well enough to start working on my contest entry. I had this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I'd never finish it in time, after all... I am a s-l-o-w designer, but I worked on it every spare minute for two days (can you say carpal tunnel syndrome? LOL) and finally finished it up 30 minutes before what I thought was the deadline (thought it was 11:59 pm CST) and tried uploading it. My internet connection at home is horrible these days, but I never thought it'd take 2 hours to upload! If it'd been earlier in the day I could have gone to find a wifi connection or over to the shop, but at that point I was too stressed and tired to move. The really funny thing is that because I had the time zone mixed up, I got all mad at 4shared for nothing. I would have been an hour late even if my zip had uploaded at a normal rate of speed! LOL Ahhhhhhrrrgggg!!! Although it is embarrassing that I had to drop out, now that it has sunk in, I am feeling a bit of relief. The deadlines can kiss it! ;)

So here it is (please excuse the sloppy preview - I could have done better, but I'm too lazy to go back and do it again now that I'm not stressing to meet a deadline). If you have my previous Delight in Photographs kits, then you might recognize a couple of the patterns in this kit. I can never get enough of these colors together, and since I didn't have time to create quite a few designs that I'd sketched out... there just might be a number four, or an add-on pack at the very least, coming out in the near future.



If you like this kit and want to share it with your friends, please send them here to pick it up. No file sharing. Thanks for your cooperation!!

[free download has expired. thank you]

There's a ton of laundry and housework to be done this weekend, but I am hoping to send the kids off, kick my feet up, and actually do some scrapbookin' with this kit SOON. If you create anything using this, I'd love to see it! Thanks!

55 comments:

LovelyMissKait said...

Hi Jessica,
I am sorry to hear that your son and you were sick. I hope that all of you are on the mend now.

I am also sorry to see you drop out of the competition. But you know what? You are still a butt-kicking fabulous designer and don't need this competition to prove it.

The kit looks wonderful and I'll take it anyway you want to dish it out, bad preview or not. :)

Things can only improve now. Wishing you all the best.
Kait

Melinda said...

mwah! thank you, Jess. It's gorgeous. I certainly hope next week is better, and you do know that we are going to keep harrassing you for a part 4 now, don't you?? Good to have you back in the saddle again, even if the horse moves at its own pace! :)

Tania said...

I'm loving Melinda's comment there. You know I love you lady, to death. and yes, Deadlines can kiss it! FOR SURE!

I love this, it's awesome! The little flowers, stinkin' cute, the patterns, you know they rock, everything is fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing and I hope you know how much you mean to me, and us BBB ladies, your old CT, etc. Guessing from the comments on your first kit, SBG is missing you too!

Hope to see more!

T

Anonymous said...

Aw, Jess, I'm so sorry you had such a rough week and that things didn't work out with the contest! That had to have been incredibly frustrating! I hope you can relax and have a a nice weekend now that that stuff is behind you. The kit is just beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing it!

CathyRose said...

Sorry that things got so chaotic for you that you missed the deadline. It's so sweet of you to share the kit anyway. It is fabulous, as always and so are you!

Tara said...

Sorry you missed the deadline, but this kit is FANTASTIC! :) I'm just now starting my project 365 and you can bet I'll be using this one quite a bit!

RealRach said...

Well phewy...That's not good. Ironic that it was a 365 project for a busy mom. Too bad it wasn't a leap year! LOL
Sorry! Gotta laugh or else we'd cry. Love your work!

Tracy Blankenship said...

thank you my friend. this is freaking wonderful and you rock my world! you were one of my first designer "crushes". So glad that I have gotten to know what an awesome person you are to boot. come to think of it. you kind of piss me off. pretty, talented, kind, great mom, understanding helpful wife...sheesh...make the rest of us look bad why don't ya!!! ;). love ya girl!

Jenni said...

Sorry things went the way they did with the contest :( You entry is awesome, thanks :)

Cupcake said...

God bless you dear Jessica. May you have a wonderful weekend. You don't need any designer scrap contest. Thanks bunches for sharing. Hope you and your family stay healthy & happy this weekend. :)

Trish said...

This is so wonderful! Don't be to hard on yourself as a mother and a woman we have to be a little easier on ourselves! You were sick and your baby was sick, nothing else needs to be said. You are talented and no time constraint can be the reason you can't create on your time! Thanks for sharing your talent with us, it is truly appreciated! {{HUGS}}

twinsmomflor said...

Sorry that you were sick and miss the deadline.... The kit is fabulous... thanks for your generosity. But, as everyone said, you are an incredible designer and a winner to me..... Your kits are always a wow.... We miss you at SBG..
Flor

Kendra aka The Meanest Momma said...

thanks for sharing your kit anyway - it's really cute and I look forward to using it!

Karin said...

I didn't even read the whole post before I scrolled through to the preview and I thought (without looking at properly), wow, that looks like Delight in Photographs! Geez, the things I remember, LOL. Sorry you've been sick and I hope you feel a ton better soon.

I had to laugh at the deadlines comment, hee hee, been there and done that and I remember you and deadlines too!

PS: I've been trying to find you all over the net since you left SBG, I'm so glad I finally found you again.

Anonymous said...

Thank you! Your blog post will be advertised on the DigiFree Digital Scrapbooking Freebie search engine today (look for timestamp: 15 May [LA 07:18pm, NY 09:18pm] - 16 May [UK 02:18am, OZ 12:18pm] ).

Amy said...

WOW! This is fantastic! I love it and miss you since you left SBG - you were/are one of my FAVS!

Mommy Spice said...

thank you for the most awesomest kit ever. Please come back to designing now. Thank you. :D :D

WendyW said...

I was so excited to see you designing again! I hope you keep it up, regardless of the deadlines, lol! Because I love your designs!

Jan said...

Fabulous kit, Jessica! I had a problem of meeting deadlines when I
designed also. It just took the fun
right out of it for me. Sorry you had
to drop out, but you are a wonderful
designer. I have always loved your
designs. :) thank you.

Anonymous said...

Well, poo! This is an awesome kit, and I know it would have done well in the competition...of course, then there would just be another deadline and all that stress...you are better off, if you ask me. Thanks for posting it, though, that was awful nice! ~Suzy

Cassie said...

Jess, you are always a legend to me, and ANY of your kits is worth waiting for!!

Love ya to bits girl!

Anonymous said...

Wow! gorgeous kit, Jess, so sorry that you missed the deadline):
Raji

Kate Hadfield said...

I've always been a big fan of your work and was excited to see you design again for the contest! Thanks for giving away this kit, I hope you and your family are feeling much better now!

Angela Toucan said...

so sorry you didn't manage to get your kit into the contest. Thank you for uploading it to your blog for us. I really like the flower wheels

Mara said...

i guess everything has a reason and I am glad, that you feel more relaxed now, designing should be fun without stress. I am sure, you will find the right time for you to come back to designing as it is a time-manangement problem.
everybody can see by this kit, that you are designprofessional
thank you for sharing

SugarKitties said...

Well this kit is freaking awesome! I have always loved your work, and miss it!!

Lois B said...

Awesome, awesome kit! I really am so sorry you missed the deadline. I hate deadlines myself. I did write in the forum that I wished they would allow you back in but I guess rules are rules.

In any event you don't need the contest to show the world you ARE a designer. Your talent is very evident and I thank you for sharing your kit with us.

Now that you are not stressed I know you will have a wonderful week :) Keep up the super designing!

mary said...

I am sooo sorry you were unable to make the deadline - your kit rocks and your name would have been up there for week 3 for sure! I miss your designs and hope to see you in a digi shop soon!

Reba said...

Jess you are better off, if you ask me. Thanks for the other part of the kit. Hope you and yours are all better soon.

marieta said...

thank you so much!!! oh please come back to designing! your stuff is awesome :)

Nancy said...

This is awesome!! I'm so sorry about all the difficulties you had with illness and internet. Hope everyone has recovered by now. Your designs are fabulous and I do hope you get back into designing. Thanks for sharing this beautiful kit!

Melissa said...

Ah jess, what rotten luck :o( It's a fabulous kit though, so thanks for making it available for us to download! Hope you'll be back at SBG soon, I really miss your designs!

Anonymous said...

Great design!!! Sorry about the deadline thing but you're health is now improving and that's important too!!! HUGS!

Shari said...

Listen, your work is awesome, and I'm just glad you share it with us! Hope you're feeling better and THANK YOU for sharing the kit!

just Patty Anne said...

Well - I put you in my SYTYCDwk2 folder - and I vote for you to move to round 3.

Don't let the life stuff get you down. You have done & are doing what you set out to do. Even though you didn't get your submission in on time - continue on personally with the rest of the challenges. It will be good practice if nothing else.

I'm a sloooooooow scrapper - sooooooo what? Keep at it! I love the colors SO MUCH, love your elements, love your style... and I look forward to seeing more.

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this Freebie. I want to let you know that I posted a link to your blog in Creative Busy Hands Scrapbook Freebies Search List, under the Kit(s) post on May. 16, 2009. Thanks again.

Unknown said...

Love your kit Jessica. Sorry you had a rough week! HOpe everyone gets better soon.

Karen Maggie

blessedmama said...

very beautiful kit. i'm so sorry you weren't able to get it in to be counted.
God bless!!

Karen Bowers said...

i'm so sorry you didn't make the deadline. really i am. i was the first person to tell the SBG crew you didn't have an entry there.

and i love this kit! the very first kit i scrapped as crew was your Delight in Photos kit, so it's wonderful to have its companion. :)

thank you.

Abby said...

Really nice kit! Thank you for sharing it!

webchyck said...

Oh, Jess, this is fab! So sorry the deadline got away from you! You rock! AND YES...YOU CAN DESIGN!!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much!

Jenni said...

Awww, too bad you dropped out-this is an awesome kit! Thanks so much for sharing it & I love your pages below, great work!

AlaskaMoffitts said...

Very fun kit. I think I have the same crud so I am sympathizing with you. You may not be able to stick to deadlines (can imagine why with 3 boys!) but you can design! Thanks for sharing and I hope you get feeling much better!

DoodleBop said...

Thank you sweetie! I sure am sorry you didn't get to make it in and the deadline got away from you. Hope you and your son feel better now. And you don't need that contest to tell you...YOU CAN DESIGN girlfriend! You rock!

TifLyn said...

Thank you for posting this great kit. So sorry you didn't make the deadline. I know how that feels. Well, not having the kit finished, but I miss deadlines all the time! Something with the dead in the word maybe??? I dunno.
Your kit is fabulous! I love the colors and the frames are wonderful. So, where do us that just discovered you - where may we find kits 1 and 2??? I mean I can't just have #3???
Anyways, I am amazed you can even design and creat such wonderful kits and that you have any spare time at all. 4 boys? OMG, I just have my big boy (my hubby) and I can't get time to creat much. I wouldn't say I am a designer by any means, I play and would love to learn. But even finding time to create LOs is difficult most days.
Again, thank you for your kit (and week one was wonderful). Too bad you couldn't stay in the competition. But don't stop designing! I hope to see more kits soon!
Hugs, Tif

Jana said...

I've always loved your designs Jessica. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Love it!
Hope this next week is goes much better for you and you get some wonderful pages done.

P. Lea said...

its gorgeous!
too bad you couldnt upload on time for the challenge :(

Kari~RDG said...

I agree, deadlines suck rocks. This is simply beautiful! I hope your lil bit is feeling better & I hope you are feeling better as well. I hope this week is MUCH better for you!!! *huggles*

shelly said...

This is a gorgeous kit, Jessica, and I love it! It's wonderful of you to share your beautiful designs with us even though you couldn't make it before the deadline, thank you!

Karen said...

I am really sorry that you've had such a bad week and didn't make it on time for the deadline. But thanks so much for sharing your kit anyways. It is gorgeous - especially your papers.

Amanda said...

Thank you! Your kit is beautiful! I am so sorry about the internet troubles. You are an amazing designer.

cherylzyx said...

Thank you!

Michelle said...

Thank you, Jessica!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

I was so thrilled to see you back designing at FPD! I already went over today and bought a couple things. Everything else there I'd already bought when you were at SBG! *lol*

I'd love to CT for you if you end up wanting to have one again. :)

LeeAndra
leeandragayle AT yahoo DOT com