toot! toot! here comes the SBG blog train!

{chugga-chugga-chugga-toot-toot}

Finally, it's the day for SBG's "Santa Brings Goodies" Blog Train to stop on my blog. You should be arriving here from the blog of Doodelle Designs, or if you just happened upon this post, go back and check out the wonderful goodies she has to share with you!

I've been having a little trouble finding my Christmas spirit this year, but my boys have plenty, and I have to say... it is kind of contagious! This may be the last year my younger two actually believe in Santa Claus. They are 8 and 7 years old and in the 3rd and 2nd grades. Needless to say, plenty of their classmates are all too eager to tell them that Santa isn't real. But both Jace and Joey claim to still believe in him though, and while there are lots of questions and comments that make me think they are starting to doubt Santa's existence, it is also obvious that both of them still really want to believe regardless of what their common sense (and those obnoxious kids) is telling them. Sometimes I think it'd be easier if they knew the whole truth, but I don't want to spoil the fun for them just yet! Here's a quickie layout I created using a couple of photos from yesterday.

 
Credits: Santa Brings Goodies Blog Train Freebies by myself, Charlize Creations, Em-Ka Designs, and Flergs

---
And here is what I know you've come here for, my GOODIE for the blog train...

 

download via 4shared
---
download via mediafire

Hope you enjoy!

The next stop on the blog train is Anna's blog...

If you get lost, just go back to the Blog Train Stops posted on the SBG blog!

Hope you all enjoy the "Santa Brings Goodies" goodies, and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone!!!

in hiding

Well geez, it's been a while since my last post. Although I've popped in here and there,  played in Photoshop a bit... "in hiding" best describes my recent behavior; avoiding the internet world as must as possible over the past month. It's hard to explain why. Not only have we been busy as a family, but I've just been overwhelmed. When I'm not busy or rushed and finally get a chance to sit down, there's so much I want to do that I don't know where to start. Ugh. So it is easier just to hide. Where is the fast-forward button? I think everything will be alright if I can just survive Christmas. And Winter.  

Here are some of the layouts I've completed since my last blog post... (lots of images, hold tight!) The images are linked to the layout in one of my galleries.

 
Credits: Srsly Stoked collaborative kit by Kim Jensen and Kate Hadfield
---

 
Credits: Impressions of Time by the Studio Girls; CF-OUAT; The Stitches by Redju
---

The next two layouts were done for the font challenge I host each month at ScrapbookGraphics. This months font is Rickles. There's still plenty of time to come and join us. It's a super cute font this month, huh?

 
Credits: Tickle by Studio Doodelle; papers from Impressions of Adventure by the StudioGirls used as overlays; font is Rickles

A card front... that I never printed. At this point, I think I may be better off focusing on sending out Happy New Year cards instead.

 
Credits: Home of My Heart by Studio Gypsy; Little Buddies (ribbon) by Dianne Rigdon; Font is Rickles by Font Diner
---

This one was done for one of the weekly PlayDays at SBG. I love when a PlayDay gives me reason to pick out something I wouldn't ordinarily choose. I can't look at this layout, or my silly little dog for that matter, without smiling. So very fresh, if I say so myself!


Credits: Tickle by Doodelle
---

The one thing I absolutely love about Christmas is Christmas morning. Boys looking cute in their new jammies, opening each gift with excitement, snacking on treats, playing new games, etc... We never have enough time before we have to get up and go again!


---

I suppose this is a good place to stop for today, as I'm nearly out of time. But on the Christmas note, I have to tell you that you should stop back soon to catch my stop on the 2010 Santa Brings Goodies Blog Train!

My contribution to the Santa Brings Goodies Blog Train will be posted on December 23! Check the Blog Train Stops posted on the SBG blog if you are lost or just now hearing about the train.

every little bit counts

The season of giving, gratitude and joy upon us. It is also often a very busy and hectic time of the year, creating a challenge for those of us with lengthy To-Do lists. However, no matter how busy we all get, it really is important to remember that when it comes to charity, Every Little Bit Counts.

To demonstrate this simple truth, a call went out across the digital community to designers everywhere inviting them each to contribute only one element to a charity collaboration for the Sick Kids Foundation.

The end result is an eclectic collection of unique elements, ranging from classic to quirky and everything in between.



The Every Little Bit Counts collection will only be available until the last week of December. 100% of the profits will then be donated to the Sick Kids Hospital Foundation.

Find out how you can receive this very special collection for only $5 and let your little bit count towards this very worthy cause.

still just a boy (and the font challenge)

This is the layout I created for November's 'I Can Use That Font' Challenge at ScrapbookGraphics. (click the layout to go to the gallery)
 
(Almost every used from the Born to Be Bad kit by Studio Rosey Posey)

Please come join me in this month's font challenge for a chance to win a $10 coupon to the Studio Collective! 

scary stuff: impressions of fright

This kit contains some frightening stuff, but this is one sweet deal! (click image to see bigger previews in the shop).

 

I used this freaky, fun kit to create this layout...

Everything used is from Impressions of Fright, except for the vortex, which I created (download at the end of post).

Journaling
Halloween 2008: This was the last year that Jace and Joey dressed up as something “safe”. Both were too freaked  out by the idea of being some kind of scary character so after a lot of brainstorming, Jace decided that he wanted to be a boxer and Joey was Alvin the Chipmunk. So, I lovingly created both costumes for them, and they were just as cute as could be! Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep the goblins from coming to our door, so by the time we left for a Halloween bon-fire they were both frightened and on edge, but at the same time a little excited about what kind of monsters they’d see next! 

I have always loved making the kids costumes, even if I am not technically making them, but pulling random things together to create some kind of character. I have always felt like we were cheating when we used a store bought costume. They always seem so expensive for what you get. Plus, who wants to be one of one thousand Spongebob's roaming the streets on Halloween night? 

Last year, Halloween of 2009... we didn't have any room in our budget to spend on Halloween costumes. Fortunately, with only two that really wanted to dress up, it wasn't quite as stressful as having to outfit all four boys. The morning of Halloween we started weighing our options, which were very few because everything the boys thought up... would have required a trip to the store. Ahhhhh! Eventually I raided the bathroom closet and found an unused package of Halloween make-up and one white sheet. I came out and said "OK, you two are going to have to decide who wants to be a ghost and who wants to be a zombie-slash-ghoul-slash-something that has a painted face." They both sort of whined and moaned and acted like the very idea of dressing up as a ghost or zombie was actually going to turn them into a monster. I gave them some time to think about it, and eventually they gave in to the idea. After all, they weren't going to go trick-or-treating without being dressed up as something. So I cut up my favorite white sheet and made a ghost costume for Joey. And then we found some old clothes for Jace to wear and ripped them up to shreds, dripped fake blood all over his clothes, and applied the make-up to make him look like "the walking dead". They were a pretty hilarious sight by the time we were done, but I was a proud Mama for having dressed them up without spending a dime. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of them in their costumes last year. I can't remember why. I assume either my camera battery was dead or it was one of those times that I decided to stay completely in the moment. Nevertheless, it was a fun Halloween for them and one I will always remember.

It's October 5th as I am writing this, and still no word of what anyone wants to be for Halloween this year. Bless their hearts, I think maybe they're afraid to bring the topic up!

=======

In my last post, I said that my next post would be something besides layouts. Because I try to be a woman of my word,  I want to give you the vortex that I used in the layout above.  Play with blending modes to get different effects.  I know.... I know. It's pretty simple, but I'm working my way up (maybe) to sharing more freebies from my blog. But anyway, I think this would look neat with some words or rambling thoughts being sucked into the center of the vortex... if you do something like that with this or a vortex of your own creation, I'd love to see how you worked it into a layout!
FYI: created @ 300dpi & overall size is under 2000px X 2000px
Download HERE (link updated Nov. 10, 2010)

october challenge layouts & more

So it seems like I came down with whatever the boys had a few days ago - it went beyond just a "funky feeling" to say the least. Fortunately, hopefully, the worst of it has past because the belly is already starting to feel a bit better tonight. Twelve hours of sleep last night (with a few interruptions), lots of rest today (and lots of scrapping haha...) seemed to be the best medicine. 

The blog makeover is still on hold (mostly because I just don't know what I want - just that I want to change the look). Hopefully I will find the direction I want to go soon. So to fulfill my creative urges, LOL, I've done a bit of scrapping the past few days instead. Two are for challenges at SBG, and one was just for fun.

First up, my favorite, is one that I did for the October Frameworthy Challenge Part 1 @ SBG. This was my first time participating in the Frameworthy challenge, but I had a lot of fun trying out a new medium, forgetting some of the rules I always try to adhere to when scrapping, and just having fun doing something a little more quirky. 

People don't realize how much drama happens in a house full of boys... (click for full credits)

Next up is the layout I did for October's I Can Use That Font Challenge @ SBG. My favorite fonts seem to be those that are big, chunky and suited more towards titles, so this month I mixed things up and went with a handwriting style font for the challenge. Come and play with us!! Please???

Scrapping for Inky gives me a chance to use things I ordinarily wouldn't be able to use...

Other than the font, everything here is from Studio Manu's Harmony Page Kit. It's so beautiful and elegant.

Next up is the layout I created just because I wanted to scrap these pictures that I took of Jace while we were waiting for Jared's cross country race to start. Sometimes he is a good sport for photos, and doesn't act too totally goofy! LOL (click for full credits)


=======

Thanks for looking! My next blog post will be something besides layouts, I promise! :)

doodling + scrapping

Today the Studio Wendy Playday was featured over on the Studio Matters blog. I'd already helped test Wendy's ACTION: AI Doodle Tracer, but didn't have a lot of time to play around with it so was eager to put it to the test again and see what I could come up with for her Playday. I am completely aware of the fact that I am not really artistic in the least when it comes to drawing or even doodling (so please be kind! LOL), but my younger boys especially appreciate my attempts so I thought it would be neat to include some of my own personal doodles in their layouts (one day we can all look back and laugh together! LOL) Wendy's AI Doodle Tracer makes the process of transferring my doodles to something I can use in PS especially easy and quick, so I know this won't be the first time I use the action to create doodles/elements for my personal use. I can't imagine what the results would be for someone who is actually a talented artist!

First, here's an example of my original doodles and the finished results once extracted and finished out to create usable scrapbook elements. My good, black Sharpie marker has mysteriously disappeared so these were done with a blue Sharpie and changed to grayscale before running the action in Illustrator.

  

Below is my finished layout using my doodles (click to go to the gallery and see full credits):




On one hand, it's a little embarrassing to show how bad I am at drawing, but on the other I am quite proud of the finished results. The doodle elements are 100% clean and crisp. If I'd used my old method of tracing/extracting, I wouldn't be so confident in making that statement. Once I have more time to really sit down and try a little harder I'm going to see what else I can come up with, and I think it would be neat to have the boys draw some things for me to run the action on, just to see what happens. Once I do, I will be sure to share the results here. With a two week fall break fast approaching, we will have plenty of time on our hands to be crafty and do artistic things :)

Thanks for reading! I am off to scrap for a few minutes before hitting the sack.

september's "I can use that font" challenge

I should have blogged this earlier in the month, but as everyone who reads this blog knows... I am a complete scatterbrain and failure at blog authoring. Although, I suppose it's better to do something late, rather than never. *sigh*

With that said, there are still a few days left to get in one the font challenge that I'm hosting at SBG so PLEASE come join us for a chance to win a $10 coupon to the Studio Collective. You know you wanna! :) 

Below are the layouts I've created using this month's challenge font, Sway:

My little Jace, last year. He's like a mini version of his Dad sometimes, but a whole lot more sensitive and sweet! LOL I've actually already shared this layout on the blog, but I failed to mention it was for the challenge. I love it so much though, so it's worth sharing again! Click to see it in the gallery, and a full credit list.

"Just a few of the things I love about you..."
Journaling:
Your gentle touches
(you often touch my arm, my nose, my hair
when we are having a conversation)
Your sense of humor
(You’re kinda silly! Here you are
pretending to eat a bunch of leaves)
You are creative, artistic,
and inventive!
You talk a LOT!
(everyone always says you are so quiet!
You actually talk a lot when you are home)
journaled bits around photos...
-love the dimples in your hands
-I love your sparkly hazel eyes!
-I love your freckles

=======
My second for the font challenge is also not brand new, but this is the first time I'm showing it on the blog. This is layout for my cute little mess of a nephew's first birthday. I can't believe he will actually be TWO soon. Time flies by much too fast! Click to see it in the gallery and for the full credit list.

That's all for now! Hopefully there will be more to come later! Don't forget to come and play along in this month's font challenge for a chance to win a $10 GC! Just visit the challenge thread for even more inspiration using this month's font, Sway.

Thanks for reading!

my guest gig is almost over... last call!

EDITED TO REMOVE INVALID LINKS: I wrongly assumed my guest shop would be open through the end of the day. Two hours after I wrote this I was informed that my links aren't working. Apologies to those who clicked and didn't get where they wanted to go. Guess I should of done the last call yesterday or sooner. 

My Guest Studio at Scrapbook Graphics will be closing at the end of the day, or as soon as the switch is flipped off, so if you are interested in purchasing any of these designs before they are gone for good, hop on over and pick 'em up! Not that I will never sell my designs again, but I don't have a permanent home for my designs - real life is just too crazy/busy/stressful for me to make the necessary commitment to being a full-time designer at this time. I totally looooved being a Guest Designer at SBG though! Felt a little nostalgic to be back at my first digital scrapbooking store, getting reacquainted with old friends, and making some new ones, too! I want to be just like all of them when I grow up! Heehee! Fortunately though, when the month is over I won't be going far. I'm lucky enough to still a part of the ever fabulous SBG CREW.

Here is what I had in the shop this month...

The Long Haul was my totally brand new kit for the month. Don't let the camper and canopy fool you. Despite a couple of theme-y elements, this kit is completely versatile! It's on sale, 31% off! Example layouts and additional (and larger) previews can be seen in the product description. (image is click-able and will open in a new window) 

  

These products are from last year - I added them for the Oldies but Goodies week, but decided to let them hang around for the rest of the month. The are on sale from 44%-54% off regular prices. (all images are click-able and will open in a new window)







I would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all my long time friends, supporters, cheer-leaders, and to my customers. Your faith and support over the years means more to me than you could ever know. Thank YOU!
====

If you hung around Scrapbookgraphics throughout the past month, you are aware of all the fun that was had during the Summer Soiree celebration. Who went to the all day scrap chat? LOL *raising hand* I did! I did! I spent most of the day there. What a blast! But the party isn't over just yet! You still have most of the day to get in on some fun challenges for chances to win prizes! Prizes range in size from total store access to adorable posting bonuses for playing along. The challenges are EASY, too. The best part is that you have pages done to add to your family album or pieces of funky artwork to add to your portfolio.
====

Now on a more personal note... all I can say is WOW. I can't believe it's the last day in August already! I am attending the first set of parent-teacher conferences for my boys this afternoon. Already?! Yes. The month has flown right on by, and although I have a lot of half-finished and barely started projects leftover (which make me sort of feel like an unaccomplished slacker), I am excited for what September will bring: a family get together or two in honor of Labor Day, the beginning of cross country for my younger teen, fall baseball for my two youngest boys, cooler weather (or so we hope), my baby's 7th birthday, my older teenager will start a new after school job (fingers crossed!), and hopefully more good things! I want to keep it simple. No real life drama, please! I don't want to make empty promises, but if I can get my act together I will attempt to wrap up some of these half finished projects that are digi-scrap related and possibly add them here as freebies. Not much else I can do with them, eh? ;) Just need the TIME and motivation to finish those.
====

Last, but not least, if you are the praying sort my family could use your prayers. My Aunt Sherry (Dad's sister), who never smoked, was recently diagnosed with lung cancer after going to the emergency room for chest pains, they discovered blood clots in her lungs which led to the discovery of a tumor. The tumor is too close to her aorta for operation, so she has begun chemotherapy. Her PET scan last week revealed that the cancer has metastasized to her liver and bones so she is in stage IV. Aunt Sherry is seriously one of the toughest women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and loving, so she will fight this with everything she's got, but she could certainly use your prayers, wishes, and good thoughts. Thank you very much! 

guest designer @ sbg, new designs, and old designs

I am a huge slacker. Can't believe is is August 13th, and I haven't gotten around to blogging about this yet, but I have some kinda big news folks! If you are an active member of the digi-scrap-o-sphere then you have probably, no doubt, already heard about the recent activities @ ScrapbookGraphics. If not, then check this out... (image is clickable)



I have to smile every time I see my name on the list! Right there squeezed in between all those talented, creative souls. The festivities will last all month long, and even though the party has already started it isn't too late to jump into the mix. Join one of the games or challenges. You have a chance to win cool prizes! There are also some great giveaways coming soon, so keep watching SBG on Facebook and/or Twitter to stay informed.

====
I've just added my first guest kit to the shop @ SBG!

 
 
 
====
A little about how The Long Haul came to be...before Maya  even invited me to be a guest for August, I saw this post on Etsy's blog. Something about the campers stirred something up inside my head, and it immediately crossed my mind that I needed to open Illustrator and see if I could make my very own lil' camper. A few days went by and then Maya invited me to be a guest for August. I knew right away what direction I would be heading in with my first kit. To tell the truth, in the beginning it was going to be a full camping kit, but I changed directions after I was a few elements into creating it. I only wish it hadn't taken me so long to pull it all together. In my defense, we have had quite a lot of other things going on which kept me from being able to devote much time to design. But my boys are off to a good start at school and things are flowing somewhere smoothly for the time being.

*If you like what you see and are interested in purchasing The Long Haul, better hurry up and pick it up before the month is over, because it won't be available afterwards. I am not ready to jump back into being a full-time designer, and therefore I don't have a permanent home for my digital goods.

Now to inspire you, here are a few layouts created by my wonderful scrapping friends.


Model Camper? by Kim


Journey Together by Melinda


Memorable Moment by Melinda

 
in it for the long haul by Melissa C.


Memorable Moments by Raji



Long haul by Tania


Photography by Flor

====

What else is going on over at ScrapbookGraphics? Check out this amazing sale... so many wonderful deals in there!


Click the image or HERE to go straight to the Golden Oldies sale category. Look for my three Golden Oldies, too! I put up Unamused Boys V2.0, Primarily Educational 2, and Freestylin' Fall. And once you're done shopping you can go HERE to read everything else that is going on at SBG right now. In addition to Twitter and Facebook mentioned above, the SBG Studio Matters blog is another place to go for current, up-to-date info on our Summer Soiree.

====

That's all for today! Happy Friday the 13th!

i'm hosting a font challenge!

I almost forgot, and it is technically not Thursday anymore, but I am back with another post... as I promised to myself. ;) It'll be a short one!

This month I am hosting the "I Can Use That Font" challenge over at ScrapbookGraphics. I went with something with a little bit of a funky western flare. Here's the layout I created for the challenge:

(credits here)

Come play along for a chance to win a great prize ($10 GC to the Studio Girls Collective)!

Here's another recent layout of mine. All this white space is sort of out of the box for me. I always feel as though I have to fill up the page with stuff. Sooo happy with this one though!


(credits here)

Now, it is time for some much needed sleep.

monday again and news to share

Well, it's Monday again, and I have some news to share!

I'm now happy to announce that I am on the Studio Crew for Scrapbookgraphics. I was surprised (and so very honored) to be asked to join the team last week, and of course I couldn't turn down the opportunity. I have missed the SBG people since I left the site as a designer in 2008 (wow, it's really been that long, huh?). It feels good to be back home and working on the crew side this time. I'm totally looking forward to getting reacquainted with the old timers and getting to know the newer CT folk.

This is my first layout, done for the Wendyzine Scraps Play Day, which will be up on the blog later today.


[credits: Spotlight It by Wendyzine Scraps, Shadow It by Wendyzine Scraps, Splatter Graffiti (black) by Tangie Baxter, Robokit by Ztampf, Fonts are Bramley Std, Doodolonomy Fred, Malgecito <--- my new current favorite title font, find it here]

Quickest layout I have done all year! Normally I use my own shadow styles, tweek them as needed. So often, I spend far too much time on shadows when I just want to be done with the layout. Wendy's Shadow It actions were fun, easy to use and the shadows came out awesome without any tweaking at all. Nice change of pace, and I know I'll be using these often! Also, even though I have fallen off the 365 bandwagon and have yet to get back on, one huge advantage to taking a photo every day and adding a caption, however lengthy it may be, makes for instant journaling for your scrapbook layout. What a time saver. I love that. Another reason for me to work the 365 Project back into my life.

The allergy/cold thing I had going on on Friday has nearly subsided. Since no one else has been sick, and I very rarely come down with a cold that I haven't caught from one of the boys, I'm leaning towards an allergy flair-up of sorts that may have progressed into bronchitis. That's my self-diagnosis. Ha! Still have the cough keeping me up all night long, and every time I have to run up and down the stairs I start hacking, but otherwise feeling a lot better. It's nice to be able to breathe through my nose. I'm having my first coffee since Friday morning, which has cured the splitting headache and lethargy, thank goodness!

Such a busy day we are going to have today. As usual, on Monday there is laundry to be done, cleaning to do, groceries to be bought, dinner to think about putting together, and the list of other stuff I probably won't be able to tackle goes on. Also today, if the rain doesn't hit us too hard, Joey will have T-ball practice tonight and immediately following his practice, Jace has to be at the ballpark for a game. Ack! When to have dinner?!

OK. Time to move my rear end!