Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes in store

In November it was decided that my digi design home, ScrapDish, where I have been selling my products for the past 5½ years, would close its doors at the end of this year. After the closing was announced, a wonderful, amazing thing happened and a buyer stepped forward. I’m so thrilled that ScrapDish will be staying open! I’m sure the new owner will do an absolutely fabulous job, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what she has in store. (No pun intended.) But after my head stopped spinning from that emotional rollercoaster, I decided the time was right to go forward with the closing of my store. It’s so hard to believe that happy ScrapDish logo won’t be a part of my daily life anymore.

I wish I had taken screenshots of all of the different site layouts over the years. I do have this one of the main page from when I first joined the store. Unfortunately, I shrunk it way down for my blog configuration at the time, and I don’t seem to have the original size.

I still remember how excited I was to be invited to join the store. If you dig way back through the history on this blog (which I don’t advise, unless you want read lots of rambling about my issues with minor illnesses, computer viruses, and laundry), you’ll find that my designing began as one portion of my duties on the RAKScraps creative team. I didn’t have aspirations to design when I applied to the team, much less sell my designs; it was just part of the gig, which back then was an all-in-one everyone-did-everything kind of a deal. I just loved the community at RAKS and wanted so much to be a part of the team… as well as getting my hands on all of those amazing sponsor kits they got to scrap with! :)

How awesome it was for me that the owner of the site at the time also owned ScrapDish and eventually invited me to join! She’d actually been trying to convince me for a while that I needed to find a place to sell my designs, but I wasn’t interested enough, and didn’t have enough confidence in my designs, to pursue it until the opportunity was thrown in my lap. :)

Designing has become such an integral part of my life now that it’s hard for me to imagine what I would be doing with my time if I hadn’t found it. I still get a rush from being inspired by some random object or photograph and seeing it turn into something to be used to help capture memories or express the feelings of a moment. I love seeing my designs used on a layout and going “that’s exactly how I pictured that being used” or “wow, I never would have thought to use that piece in that way”! The creativity never ceases to amaze me. :)

So all that said, I do plan to keep designing, but for now, I’m having a closing sale to say goodbye to my home at ScrapDish…

I've placed everything in my store (except collabs) on sale at 50-75% off! Many of these products may never be sold again, so if there's something you've had your eye on, make sure you grab it now!

My first two collabs with Kate Hadfield, Srsly Stoked and Audaciously Awesome, are also on sale at 30% off, so this is a great time to pick those up as well! Hurry over to ScrapDish and shop now! My store closes December 31st!

Layouts: Sugar Geek Genius

Studio 68 is guesting at CatScrap this month, and she has some fabulous new products there! I scrapped some shots of Kaylee with “The List”. Gorgeous kit, I barely scratched the surface of it!

That’s my Kaylee... sugar & spice, a little bit naughty, a whole lotta nice. :)
kit: The List by Studio 68, December guest at CatScrap.
fonts: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Baskerville Old Face

Then I have two layouts using “IQ”, a series of collaborative products between Studio 68 and Lynne-Marie. First up is a look back at my college photos…

Journaling: My friends in college were almost all engineering students, although in a wide variety of specific majors - electrical (aka "double E", like me), aeronautical, computer, chemical, mechanical, industrial, ceramic, nuclear, and civil. My roommates, classmates, and even the members of the fraternity where I was a little sister were all engineers in the making. Looking through my photo albums from those days, you'd never know just how hard we all worked to get our degrees. None of the hours of classes and lectures and labs, group study sessions at the fraternity, last-minute papers, or cramming for exams are captured on film. In those pre-digital days, the cameras mainly came out only for the parties (especially the costume parties - there were lots of those!), football games, and general craziness. The standard joke around campus was that you couldn't spell 'geek' without 'double-E', but obviously spelling wasn't our main concern. ;) I'm glad I have all the fun photos that I do, but I wish I had more than a transcript and a diploma to prove that I actually did crack open a book now and then. Journaled 12/14/11
kit: IQ collab by Studio 68 and Lynne-Marie, available at CatScrap
fonts: A Little Pot (ge0rgia), Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Verdana (Microsoft)

And then a simple blended page featuring a favorite photo of Matthew from last year…

IQ collab by Studio 68 and Lynne-Marie, IQ wordart by Lynne-Marie, Border Madness {IQ} by Studio 68, all available at CatScrap.
font (date): Letter Gothic Std (Adobe)

That’s it for today! :)

Decked Out for Christmas with Kate Hadfield!

Kate and I have teamed up once again – this time with a fun Christmas kit! When I asked Kate what colors she wanted to work with, she said "bright and lots of them".  I think we've accomplished that! :)  Deck the Halls is a super colorful collab, packed with beautiful papers, handmade elements and doodles, and LOADS of festive cheer!

Check out these wonderful layouts from our creative teams!

And here’s a closer look at mine. :)

Journaling: You won’t find an elegant, coordinated, carefully arranged display of magazine-ready ornaments on our Christmas tree. Ever. Instead, you will be assaulted by an explosion of color and mismatched styles, with baubles and trinkets and keepsakes stuffed into every possible crevice of every inch of our sturdy 9-foot artificial tree. Mark says that we don’t have to hang every ornament every single year, but I just can’t bear to leave any of them off. There is the set of almost neon-colored plastic sugarplums that my parents bought me for my first Christmas. There are the crudely crafted school projects made lovingly by our children each year, with handprints, or photos, or just lots of glitter and glue. There are the dozens of winged creatures that represent my days of obsessively collecting anything angel related. There are ornaments that were gifts from friends we have long since lost touch with. There are adorable, beautifully crafted felt creations, carefully stitched by my mom, replicating the ones that always adorned our tree as I was growing up. There is the set of oversized stuffed versions of the animated characters from the classic Rankin Bass Rudolph TV special that Mark and I have probably both watched every year since it came out (well for me, every year since I was born). There is the glass Green Bay Packer ball, given to us by my dad, which hangs bravely in this blatantly Dallas Cowboys household. There is the assortment of ornaments bought on clearance after one of our first Christmases as a couple, just because we liked them. Each and every one of these is a memory that brings a smile and a reminder and a connection to the past. This is one of the most wonderful parts of Christmas for me. Ornament overload? No way. There’s always room for more joy.
kit: Deck the Halls by Kate Hadfield and Kim Jensen
fonts: Rockwell (Monotype), Dirty Ego (Misprinted Type), Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

This weekend only, Deck the Halls is on sale 25% off! The sale ends this Monday, November 28th, so hurry over now and save!

Thanks for reading! Happy scrapping!

Layouts: Breathe Dino Days

Studio 68 has been on a collaborative roll, with three new wonderful kits!

First up, I have a layout using “Reflections” with SherrieJD.

Journaling is just a random stream of consciousness about some of the things that have been on my mind the last few weeks – an attempt to maintain my perspective and remind myself to just breathe. :)
Kit: Reflections collaboration by Studio 68 and SherrieJD, available at Zig Zap Scrap, Pickleberrypop, and Scrapbookgraphics.
font: Highland Perk

Next up is a collab with Creations by Tinamarie, “Quietude”.

title work: There may be days when you're just going along, minding your own business, and life decides to drop a flute case on your eye. Be glad it wasn’t a tuba.
journaling: Poor Matthew with an ice pack on his eye after school. As he was packing up to come home, the locker above his had gotten jammed. When the kid was finally able to yank it open, his flute case flew out and hit Matthew in the eye. 9.9.11
kit: Quietude by Studio 68 and Creations by Tinamarie available at Zig Zag Scrap, Pickleberrypop, Oscraps, and MScraps.
alphas: Just Black Alpha, Painted Up Alphas, and Messy Stamped On Alpha by Studio 68
fonts: Dirty Ego by Misprinted Type, CK Ali’s Hand Official by CK Media, Pea Cari by Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas, LD Remington Portable by Lettering Delights

Finally, a fun “Bloopers” kit grab bag with Pink Reptile Designs. The grab bag will be split out soon, so grab it now for the best deal!

Journaling: Aug. 28, 2010 – Kaylee took a picture of me with this little toy “camera” today. I knew I’d been feeling older lately...
kit: Bloopers grab bag by Studio 68 & Pink Reptile Designs, available at Zig Zag Scrap, Pickleberrypop, and Digiscrappers Brasil.
fonts: Pea Cari by Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas, Dirty Ego by Eduardo Recife.

That’s it for tonight! Thanks for stopping by!

DSD Sale!!

It's Digital Scrapbooking Day! Well, almost! :)  I started a little early and placed EVERYTHING in my store on SALE at up to 60% off!

Sale runs through Monday! Hurry over and grab some bargains now! :)

Have a fabulous DSD weekend! Happy scrapping!

New! Appabet!

I've got a new alpha set in my store today! "Appabet" is inspired by the app icons on all our favorite techno gadgets. This fun set of 7 alphas will add a pop of color to any layout. Each of the colors – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and black – includes the full set of letters, numbers, symbols, punctuation, and international characters. The character positions within the "icon" vary randomly from color to color for even more mix-and-match fun.

I scrapped with it too! :)

Journaling: The kids and I took the afternoon to go check out Maize Days for the first time. There were tons of vendors set up in front of City Hall, and the karaoke contest was broadcast all over the grounds. Matthew and Kaylee had a great time playing in the "Kidz Zone". There were lots of free inflatables, including a bounce house, an obstacle course, a giant King Kong slide, and people-sized hamster balls, After all that playing in the sun, some delicious icees were the perfect way to cool off on this hot afternoon. 9-24-11
- by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish –
alpha: Appabet; kit: Srsly Stoked (with Kate Hadfield)
- other –
font: Pea Cari by Kevin & Amanda’s Fonts for Peas

"Appabet" is on sale 25% off now! Hurry over and get your "Appabet" today!

Layouts: Blessed Sunny Love

A little layout catch-up! First, after a nice long break, Misty Mareda is back with a wonderful new kit! I have two layouts using “On a Wire”.

My wonderful kids and dh. I am blessed. :)
kit: On a Wire by Misty Mareda at MScraps

Journaling: Matthew and Kaylee have a pretty great relationship most of the time. Sure, they fight a bit sometimes, but even then you can tell they still really care about each other. Lately, there's been an issue with Matthew wanting to be the doting big brother and treat Kaylee like she's little, at the same time that she's starting to feel more grown up and not wanting to be put into that role. It leads to some strange conflicts. I can see Kaylee's side of it, but it seems odd to tell Matthew not to be so nice to his sister. 9/1/11

- by Misty Mareda at MScraps -
kit: On a Wire; alphas: Clipped Alpha, Bad Temp Alpha
- other –
font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

Over at Zig Zag Scrap the new Zig Zag Lines are up, and Studio 68 has five fun coordinating “Lazy Afternoon” products! I used two of them for this page using a favorite picture of Kaylee from this past spring. :)

Journaling: It's become a bit of a ritual this spring. You love these days when the weather lets you grab a few minutes at the park after school, before your brother gets home and the grind of homework begins. The park is usually deserted at this time of day, and after being cooped up all day with a bunch of other kids, just you and me and the sun and the wind and the swings is the perfect way to unwind and enjoy a little freedom. 3/21/11

Lazy Afternoon Papers and Elements by Studio 68 at Zig Zag Scrap.
font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

That’s it for today! TFL! :)

October Blog Train! And the Pumpkin Patch at ScrapDish!

Welcome to all those following the October Blog Train! This is my first time participating. I hope you enjoy my contribution and will take a peek in my shop or sign up for my newsletter if you like what you see. :)  (Subscribers get exclusive discounts on new releases!)

Here is my contribution:

You can download the mini-kit here or by clicking on the image above.

[Note: The October Blog Train posts on the blogs below were not yet active at the time of this writing. If they are not up yet, please check again later.]
The previous stop on the train was Digital Paper Press.
Your next stop is The Urban Fairy.
If you’re lost, you can find the entire list on the Blog Train Blog.

The first of October also means that the new Bits & Bytes are up at ScrapDish! This month’s theme is “pumpkin patch” and I have two new products! “Pick a Pumpkin” includes a fun assortment of pumpkin elements for your pumpkin patch, Halloween, autumn, or any other pumpkin-y pages!

There is also a set of coordinating “Pumpkin Kraft” papers!

My CT member, Melinda, put together this fun page. :)

Both products are on sale 25% off! Hurry over now!

Layouts: One Good Apple of My Eye

Had some fun with Studio 68’s newest kit… so versatile!

Journaling: Kaylee came home from school sadly proclaiming that she had been sent to the principal's office. She wasn't able to maintain the facade for long before she admitted the reason was that she had gotten to sign the "Good Book" again, this time in recognition of her "quiet leadership". 8-29-11
kit: Hootie Cute by Studio 68 available at Zig Zag Scrap or Pickleberrypop
template (modified): Kickstarters 4 by Studio 68 available at Zig Zag Scrap or Pickleberrypop
- other -
fonts: LD Remington Portable, Poplar Std

Just a shot I took of Kaylee while she was leaning up against me. :)
kit: Hootie Cute by Studio 68 available at Zig Zag Scrap or Pickleberrypop
font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

That’s it for today! :)

This Doesn’t Happen Nearly Often Enough

I was chit-chatting with the sweet and talented Sandra Cheng of Studio 68 the other day, and she invited me to join her creative team! I love Sandra's artsy funky style, so of course I said yes! :) I picked a favorite shot from a recent trip to Houston to scrap my first layout for her. :)

Journaling: There are so many factors that seem to get in the way of you seeing your cousins – distance and busy schedules being the biggest ones. You look so forward to every visit, wondering how everyone has changed since you last saw them, and just being excited to have the chance to spend time together. And, of course, the trampoline at Aunt Jill's house is always an added bonus. [Kaylee (9) takes her turn catching some air while Madison (4), Josh (6), and Matthew (12) pretend to be eggs waiting to hatch. 8-6-11]
- by Studio 68 at Zig Zag Scrap –
kit: Azul {The Collection}
additional alphas: Just Black Alpha, Painted Up Alphas
- other –
fonts: CK Ali’s Hand Official, LD Remington Portable

I’m so excited to be joining Sandra’s team and am looking forward to scrapping lots more pages with her wonderful designs! :)

New! This Face! :)

I have some fun new elements in my shop today! Inspired by bookplates used to claim ownership of books, these fun... um... "face-plates" will let you assign an owner to all of those happy (and not so happy) faces in your life. :)

"This Face" is available in two different styles - doodled and stamped! Each set includes a fun assortment of 16 word art phrases (each in singular and plural, and each in two versions), 6 frames (with clipping masks), 13 face doodles (with clipping mask), and 2 versions each of "me", "you", and "us" to sign on the line. :)

Love doodles AND stamps? The "This Face – Combo" pack gives you both sets at an extra savings!

I had tons of fun scrapping with these. :)
 

Journaling: About six months ago Matthew picked up a new catch phrase - whenever he's minorly disappointed by something, he quickly responds by saying “sad face”, even if the expression on his face isn’t sad at all. The catch phrase, which he claims full ownership of, has not lost any steam, and hardly a day goes by that he doesn’t say it. This time he decided to add an illustration to demonstrate just how sad he was. Today’s crisis? No tacos for lunch. Oh, the humanity!

- By Kim Jensen at ScrapDish –
word art, face doodle: This Face - Doodled
papers, staples: Garden Pop {Exploded} Combo
hook: Spell It! Plastic Beads
date beads, braid: Date It! Plastic Beads
paint: Srsly Stoked (with Kate Hadfield)
- other –
inked edges: Atomic Cupcake
fonts: Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda’s Fonts for Peas), Plastique (Jeff Vorzimmer)

Journaling: Kaylee, about to get a long overdue haircut. When we pulled the sides back and combed her bangs forward, I noted that she bore an amazing resemblance to a sheepdog. So she went into full puppy-dog mode. :) 4/6/11

- by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish –
word art: This Face - Stamped
papers: Garden Pop {Exploded} Combo, Audaciously Awesome (with Kate Hadfield)
alphas: Shameless Felt Alpha Pack, Garden Pop {Exploded} Button Dot Alpha, Girlfriends Alpha , The Three R's Alpha, Burst My Bubble Alpha, Pinned Purple Paper Alpha Tags
elements: Garden Pop {Exploded} Combo (eyelets, flower, straight ribbon), Random Moments Full Kit (ricrac), Damaged Goods (curled ribbon), Cardboard Bits - Sproingy (curl), Girlfriends Micro-Mini (flower), Audaciously Awesome (with Kate Hadfield) (ribbon tab), School Zone Elements (stitching)
-other-
font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

All three "This Face" products are 25% off right now! Hurry over now!

Thanks for reading! Happy scrapping!

New! Alpha and Notebooks and Papers & Elements!

The August Bits & Bytes are up and this time we're going Back to School! I have FOUR new products this week!

First up, a whimsical, chunky, hand-drawn alpha!

Next up is a versatile set of notebooks! Fabulous for all kinds of layouts!

Then I have a fun set of back to school themed papers and elements. Welcome to the School Zone!

A few layouts...

Two from me. First, one of Matthew working on his summer math…

Journaling: The school had some recommended math workbooks for summer to help keep things fresh. We weren't sure which book to get for you, since you were in advanced class in 6th grade and the books were supposed to be for the previous year's material. We decided to go ahead and get you the 7th grade book, figuring you could skip any material that was too advanced, but so far there hasn't been much that you needed to skip. We ordered the books a bit late, so instead of the suggested 3 days per week, you've been doing 5 to get "caught up". I was worried that you and Kaylee might find the worksheets to be a drag and that it would be a battle to get you to do them, but it's actually one of your favorite "chores" this summer.
- Products by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish –
papers: School Zone Papers; notebook: The Notebooks; alpha: The Three R's Alpha; all other elements: School Zone Elements
- other -
fonts: Pea Anderson and Pea Swimmy Script by Kevin & Amanda’s Fonts for Peas

And then mixing it up a little with these shots of Kaylee at the park this past spring.

Journaling: I love the excitement with which you explore your world, intently searching for four-leaf clovers or enthusiastically chasing butterflies – having absolutely no idea what you'd do if you ever caught one.
- by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish –
papers: School Zone Papers; notebook: The Notebooks; butterflies: Butterfly Fields - Paper Butterflies;
staples: School Zone Elements; ribbon: Damaged Goods
- other –
fonts: Dirty Ego by Misprinted Type, CK Ali's Hand Official by CK Media

Melinda scrapped her family’s back to school shopping!

And Robin did this cute page featuring her 8th Grade Yearbook!

All my new Bits & Bytes products, along with other coordinating products from the ScrapDish designers, are on sale 25% off right now! Hurry over now and SAVE! :)

Have a wonderful week!

July Dollar Days at ScrapDish!

Just a quick note to let you know about the fun little sale ScrapDish is having to help heat up your July!

ScrapDish Team kits and Select Designer Products are on sale now!
Get any of my products shown above for just $1!! Save 50% – 67%!
Sale ends Saturday! Hurry over now!

New! Pink Lemonade Papers & Alpha! And a little SALE!

The July Bits & Bytes are up, and I have some new hand-painted items! I had so much fun breaking out the watercolors to do these! Pink Lemonade Painted Papers and Pink Lemonade Alpha are 25% off now through July 8th!

And I did a layout. :)

Journaling: Kaylee, Kaylee, quite contrary. Sometimes I think we should have named you Mary, since that line of the poem fits you so well. You will dig your heels in at any suggestion that you should do a particular chore, procrastinating and complaining until it takes you four times longer than it should have to complete the task. You openly admit that when given two options (like what we should make for lunch), you instantly prefer the opposite of whatever we settle on, and nothing will convince you to change your mind. Sometimes I get so very frustrated by it all. And then, just when I'm not quite sure I can take it anymore, you will turn around and have a day where you are cooperative and helpful and enthusiastic. You definitely know how to keep me on my toes! June 2011

- Products by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish -
papers: Pink Lemonade Painted Papers
alpha: Pink Lemonade Alpha
staples: Garden Pop {Exploded}
- other -
stitching: Essential Stitches #1 by Syrin
font: Pea Anderson by Kevin & Amanda’s Fonts for Peas

Also, my collabs with the srsly awesome Kate Hadfield are 30% off this weekend only!
Now is a great time to save on Audaciously Awesome and Srsly Stoked !!

Thanks for reading! Happy scrapping!

New! Daisies & Dandelions!

I'm so excited to show you my newest product! Daisies & Dandelions is full of fun funky blooms in bright summer colors for your layouts! And they're 25% off right now!

Layout by Melinda...

and one from Robin…

and 2 layouts from me. :)

Matthew at age 8 (seems so little compared to 12!) blowing a dandelion after getting off the school bus. :)
- by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish -
dandelions: Daisies & Dandelions
date: Pinned Purple Paper Date Tags
stitching: Srsly Stoked
journaling strip: Random Moments
papers: Emotional Grunge & Garden Pop {Exploded} (blended)
- other -
fonts: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Misproject (Misprinted Type)

Kaylee last fall. She loves to climb all over the playground equipment at the park across the street. :)
- by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish -
elements: Daisies & Dandelions
alphas: Burst My Bubble, Random Moments, Audaciously Awesome
papers: Garden Pop {Exploded}
- other –
font: Pea Anderson by Kevin & Amanda’s Fonts for Peas

Sale ends Monday, June 27. Hurry and grab it now!!

Thanks for reading! Happy scrapping!