Kim, Etc. - the blog

New Shop & New Products! In Stitches Alpha & Bloomin’ Sweet!

2012-02-02T21:27:00.001-06:00

I’m so excited to announce that I am guest designing at The-Lilypad this month!! It’s always been a favorite digistore of mine, full of such amazingly talented designers and scrappers, so I’m over the moon to get to be a part of it! :)

Today is the release of the February BYOC (Build Your Own Collab)! The store is overflowing with absolutely gorgeous coordinating products! Everything is 20% off this weekend, and there are tiered extra discounts. The more you buy, the more you save! :)

I have joined in the fun with two new elements packs… fabric flowers and a stitched paper alpha, all handcrafted by me!

Just a small sample of the BYOC layout awesomeness from my CT and the Lilypad CT…

How fabulous are these colors?! Hop on over to The-Lilypad now! :)

Layout: Monday

2012-01-27T08:51:00.001-06:00

Just a fun everyday layout with Studio 68’s newest very cool alpha. :)

For some reason, even though you have more honors classes this year, most nights have been lighter on homework than they were last year. It's not unusual right now for your only homework to be sax practice. With your sax needing some pad replacements, after a quick trip with Dad to drop it off at the shop, you were free the rest of the evening to grab the laptop and play a little Dragon Fable, a weekday rarity. Gotta love a Monday with no homework.
January 23, 2012

- by Studio 68 at Zig Zag Scrap -
alphas: Wired Up Alpha, Messy Stamped On Alpha
kit: Azul
- fonts –
CK Ali’s Hand Official, Misproject, Libel Suit, Georgia

That’s it! Short and sweet! TFL! :)

Layout: State Fair of Texas

2012-01-03T12:36:00.001-06:00

Hope you had a wonderful holiday season and your new year is off to terrific start! We had a lovely visit with family over Christmas, and then a not-so-lovely round of stomach flu to end 2011. :b We seem to be on the mend though, so fingers crossed for a better 2012! :)

Studio 68 is hanging out for another month of guesting at CatScrap, and has a fun new set of multi-photo templates. I used the most loaded one to put together this fun page with shots from our trip to the State Fair this past October… Big Tex, the bottomless barker, cotton candy, fun houses, swan paddle boats, the giant ferris wheel, and bumper cars. But I think the kids had the most fun just playing in the fountain. :)

- by Studio 68, guest at CatScrap -
template: Kickstarters 13 by Studio 68
kit (partially recolored): IQ collab by Studio 68 and Lynne-Marie, Border Madness {IQ} by Studio 68
- other –
font: Dirty Ego by Misprinted Type

That’s it for today. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes in store

2011-12-19T09:44:00.000-06:00

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

2011-12-18T10:13:00.001-06:00

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!

2011-11-24T23:00:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-06T19:22:00.001-06:00

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!!

2011-11-04T22:00:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-10-22T14:09:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-20T10:16:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-10-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

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

2011-09-22T20:40:00.001-05:00

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

2011-08-31T09:30:00.001-05:00

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! :)

2011-08-22T21:44:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-08-01T11:23:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-07-17T10:40:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-07-01T11:52:00.001-05:00

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!

2011-06-25T17:40:00.001-05:00

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!

New June Bits & Bytes! Tiki Beach & Postcard Titles!

2011-05-31T21:48:00.001-05:00

The June Bits & Bytes are up at ScrapDish! This time we’re celebrating summer vacations! First up I have a paper pack with a fun beachy tropical vibe and a bonus set of coordinating “stickers”… it’s time to hit the waves at “Tiki Beach”!

And then I have a set of chunky Jumbo Postcard inspired word art Titles! I’ve set these up not only as PNG’s, but also as layered templates so that you can easily customize the color combinations, or even fill them with a photo!

These and all the other awesome June Bits & Bytes products are 25% off right now! Hurry – sale ends June 6!

Audaciously Awesome!!! A New Collab with Kate Hadfield!

2011-05-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

I’m so excited to introduce my latest collaboration with the Audaciously Awesome Kate Hadfield! The perfect companion to our Srsly Stoked kit, it’s packed with hand-made elements and funky colours [as Kate would say ;) ] that are just perfect for cool girls! Whether they are skateboarders, roller girls or rock chicks, this kit has something for all the Audaciously Awesome teen and tween girls out there (along with the young-at-heart grown-up girls too!)

Here are just a few of the fun and fabulous layouts our CT’s have done…

You can get a closer look at these layouts and more in a little gallery I’ve set up here.

The kit is 20% off this weekend only! Hurry and grab it now!!

SALE! And Product Catch-Up!

2011-05-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

ScrapDish is having a storewide sale in honor of {inter}National Scrapbooking Day! iNSD isn’t actually until Saturday, but we’re celebrating all week long! Save up to 40% on my designs now thru May 8! I even went a little crazy and marked my Dollar Bin items, which I almost never put on sale, 25% off! Hurry over and save now!

I also realized that I have a few Bits & Bytes items that I somehow never blogged! So I wanted to take a moment and give you a peek at those while they’re on sale. :)

From January, I have these really cool textured grungy papers…

and also my first ever layout template, which I did based on my Marble-ous Imagination layout.

And from April, I have two fun floral-istic element packs!

That’s it for now! Happy {inter}National Scrapbooking ~~Day~~ Week!!

Rubdown 3 Ways!

2011-03-16T19:55:00.001-05:00

What?! More new stuff from me?! Craziness! :)

I've always loved the look of crayon rubbings... the imperfections of the uneven texture and the surprise of never knowing exactly how it would turn out. I went a little crazy rubbing almost every random object I could get my hands on to put together these 3 sets of fun and funky brushes/overlays! Rubdown {Eclectic}, {Alphabetic}, and {Geometric} are just perfect for adding a slightly grungy handmade touch to your layouts or art journal pages.

http://www.scrapdish.com/store/product.php?productid=5657

http://www.scrapdish.com/store/product.php?productid=5658

http://www.scrapdish.com/store/product.php?productid=5659

I've even included a set of layer styles so that you can easily get a slightly raised "rubbed" effect as I did in my layout below! :)

Journaling: Earnestness. It doesn’t sound like a typical 12-year-old boy characteristic, but it’s one of those defining things that makes you who you are. You are direct and thoughtful and sincere. You do have a silly side, of course, often being deliberately goofy or bursting out with a witty observation completely out of left field. But at times you didn’t actually mean to make a joke, and plead to know what’s so funny about something you just said or did. Even after all this time, I am often caught off guard by the depth of resolution with which you approach so many situations. It’s an endearing quality that has me proud of the young man you are right now and looking forward to seeing the amazing man you will someday be. photo 2.20.11 journaled 3.15.11

- Products by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish -
alpha: Rubdown {Alphabetic}
brushes: Rubdown {Geometric} and {Eclectic}
papers: Emotional Grunge
- other –
fonts: Pea BethC (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), LD Remington Portable (Lettering Delights)

All three sets are on sale! Hurry over now! Sale ends March 23rd!

Happy scrapping!

New! Butterfly Fields!

2011-03-05T11:33:00.001-06:00

The March Bits & Bytes coordinating products have fluttered in at ScrapDish! I have three new butterfly-themed items ... papers, word art, and a fun little pack of hand cut paper butterflies! All of them are 25% off through Monday!

http://www.scrapdish.com/store/product.php?productid=5612

http://www.scrapdish.com/store/product.php?productid=5613

http://www.scrapdish.com/store/product.php?productid=5611

I even scrapped a couple of layouts with these! The first one is going way back to 2006 and a few shots of Kaylee while we were waiting for Matthew’s bus to bring him home from school. She was 4. Seems like forever ago.

- Products by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish -
papers: Butterfly Fields Paper Pack
butterflies: Butterfly Fields Paper Butterflies
word art: Butterfly Fields Word Art
staples: Random Moments
- other -
journaling font: Pea Anderson by Kevin & Amanda’s Fonts for Peas

Next up is one with a shot of her over at the pond on a very windy afternoon last month.

- Products by Kim Jensen at ScrapDish -
papers: Butterfly Fields Paper Pack
butterflies: Butterfly Fields Paper Butterflies
word art: Butterfly Fields Word Art
frame, staples: Garden Pop {Exploded} Elements
- other -
journaling font: Pea Anderson by Kevin & Amanda’s Fonts for Peas

Hurry over and grab these now before the introductory SALE flits away!!

PixelWorks is Retiring! Layouts…

2011-01-22T10:33:00.001-06:00

So sad that one of my favorite designers, Michelle Godin of PixelWorks, is retiring. :( I’m going to miss her designs so much! Hope you have a fabulous year, Michelle!! :) She’s having a sale until her store closes at the end of the month.

Here are the two most recent layouts I did with her wonderful stuff…

Journaling: Cinde’s 50th brunch bash at White Rock Lake. Cinde works as a clown and her husband, Dal, is a magician, so there was an interesting group of people in attendance. The couple’s musically inclined sons performed after the meal. Someone showed Matthew a trick of sorts involving two wine corks. Matthew figured it out almost instantly, which apparently is very unusual. He spent most of the rest of the time there playing with the corks and impressing the adults with his new trick.

- by PixelWorks at The Lilypad –
word art: What Holidays Mean To Me
papers: Giving Thanks
alpha (50): Big Stampy Alpha
ribbons (recolored): Happy Birthday (retired)
- other –
template: December Template Challenge Freebie by Amy Martin at The Lilypad
action: Folded Tear by Atomic Cupcake
fonts: CA Misfit by Stefanie Koerner at Cape Arcona Type Foundry, LD Underwood 5 by Lettering Delights

Journaling: Kaylee still loves to spend time drawing on her MagnaDoodle. I was very impressed with this intricate web/ flower design she doodled on Halloween. 10-31-10

Scraplift of Krista Sahlin’s “falling leaves” for the Lilypad January 2011 Scraplift Challenge.
- by PixelWorks at The Lilypad –
Funky Girl Papers and Elements;
Tiny Dymo Alpha.
Font: Pea Jenny (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

And just for fun, here’s a collage of the other layouts I’ve done as a part of Michelle’s team over the past year and a half…

Thanks for all the amazing inspiration, Michelle! :D

Srsly Stoked – a new collab with Kate Hadfield & a SALE!

2010-11-25T22:13:00.001-06:00

'Seriously stoked' in an understatement when it comes to describing how I felt about the opportunity to work with the wonderful Kate Hadfield! She is such a sweetheart and so terrific to work with! Inspired by our teen and pre-teen boys and their love of music, skateboarding, gaming, bikes and general boyish grunge, we had a blast creating this rockin’ kit packed with hand-made elements and cool colors.

Here are the awesome layouts my fabulous creative team did!

To see them closer, along with layouts by Kate’s team and The Lilypad team, you can check out this little gallery I’ve set up here. :)

The kit is 20% off this weekend only!! Hurry and grab it now!!

AND, in honor of Black Friday, ScrapDish is having a Storewide Sale through Sunday!! Save up to 40% on my designs!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!! :D

Layouts: Speak Marble-ous

2010-11-17T14:33:00.001-06:00

I love that not only does PixelWorks continue to create fabulous funky eye candy, but she also comes up with such unique inspiring products that spur stories in themselves. I couldn’t help but ask the kids to pose for me and answer the prompts in “Hear Me Out”. They had a blast coming up with their answers. :D

Matthew’s list:
My honest opinion: I like math more than any other subject.
Believe me when I say: Pie is the best food in the world, and I mean the BEST... if it is apple.
This I know is true: I’m displaying great amounts of knowledge, but I don’t know the answers to any simple problems.
This is what I think: Wizard 101 is awesome! Why am I wasting my time here?
I want you to know: I like the subjects in school; I just don’t like school because there’s too much work.
Kaylee’s list:
My honest opinion: That shirt’s ugly. Just kidding.
Believe me when I say: Pigs fly!!!
This I know is true: You are a monkey!
This is what I think: If I was a cupcake I would be scared and extra sweet!
I want you to know: Never hire a fish as an employee and pay it! EAT IT!!!!!
Border journaling:
I love the kids’ responses when asked to complete these prompts. Such a fabulous snapshot of each of their unique senses of humor and what they had on their minds. As usual, Kaylee was all about being as silly as possible, and it’s fairly obvious that Matthew’s state of mind was heavily influenced by an all-too-typical rather long evening of homework. November 3, 2010. Matthew, 11, 6th grade. Kaylee, 8, 3rd grade.

Random and Retro papers and Hear Me Out elements by PixelWorks at The Lilypad.
fonts: Blackout Serif Px (Pixilate) , Dirty Ego (Misprinted Type), Pea Jenny & Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), LD Remington Portable (Lettering Delights)

This collab with the cool paper-piecing queen, Jacque Larsen, was perfect to scrap this example of Matthew’s creativity last month. :)

Journaling: Matthew often plays with his toys in creative and somewhat unconventional ways. On this particular occasion, he spent the morning recreating the battlefields of the Wizard 101 online game using marbles, coasters, dice, and small action figures. Oct. 10, 2010

kit: Jack of All Toys by PixelWorks and Jacque Larsen at The Lilypad
font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

That’s it for today! Have a terrific week! :)

Layouts: Salted Fabulosity

2010-11-17T14:07:00.001-06:00

Now for a couple of layouts of Kaylee featuring kits from the ever-fabulous Misty Mareda! :)

I love the non-traditional colors in this fall kit of Misty’s, and I jumped on the opportunity to use it for a non-fall-themed layout!

Journaling: Kaylee has a new spelling class this year. The homework consists of activities that are supposed to make practicing the words more fun. This particular assignment was to “write” each of the spelling words two times with her finger in a tray of salt. It turned out to be a lot more labor intensive than it sounded, taking her nearly two hours to finish the list of 24 words. Needless to say, she did NOT choose that activity the next time it was available. 9/14/10
kit: Frolic by Misty Mareda at MScraps
template: Vanilla Bees Freebie by Crystal Livesay
fonts: Pea Jenny (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), LD Remington Portable (Lettering Delights)

I think I might have actually squealed when I saw this kit that Misty put together for her feature at the Daily Digi this month. I love the colors (the kit actually has orange too – such a cool combination) and the fun funky flowers! It was perfect to show off Kaylee in all her glorious fabulosity!

Journaling: Kaylee, running into the room: “Mom, Mom, Mom! Take a picture!”
Me: “Why”
Kaylee: “Because I look FAB-ulous!!!”
Yes, Sweetie, indeed you do. :) 9-6-10

- by Misty Mareda –
kit: Little Zoie in The Digi Files #23 at The Daily Digi
alpha: Long Legged Alpha at MScraps
stitching: Frolic at MScraps
- other –
font: Century Gothic

Layouts: Moment White Fluffy

2010-11-17T13:54:00.001-06:00

Michelle Coleman continues to create such beautiful products! I love this funky tree art, and I paired it with some of her amazing photo overlays. This was a shot from a beautiful morning that resulted in an unfortunately very drab photo, but the overlays totally transformed it to capture the spirit of the moment.

- all by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs –
paper tree: Happy Little Trees – Autumn
photo textures: Limelight Photo Textures Vol 1 – Illuminate
papers: Fall Delight Kit and Sample
alpha: Letter Press Brushes
stitching (recolored): Bohemian Summer Kit
- other –
fonts: CK Ali’s Hand official, LD Remington Portable

I used this fun Christmas kit to scrap the kids out enjoying our rare white Christmas last year. :)

Journaling: It’s unusual for us to get any snow at all, so it was a rare treat when we received about an inch of snow on Christmas morning. The kids had a blast out playing in it during the short time it lasted. 12/25/09
Countdown to Christmas Kit and Sample by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs.
fonts: LD Remington Portable, CK Cursive

And I used this adorable collab with Wish Bliss Studios to have some fun with a photo from February of Mark and Kaylee with their snow creation. :)

Journaling: Mark and Kaylee built a snow-person with a plastic egg face and shrub branches for hair. Kaylee named her Mrs. Fluffy.
2/12/10
kit: Winter Garden by Michelle Coleman and Danielle Donaldson of Wish Bliss Studio at Little Dreamer Designs.
font: Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Layouts: Road Magic First

2010-11-17T13:35:00.001-06:00

Yikes! Another month flies by! Time for another layout-palooza. :)

First up, fun with designs by Aja! I had a blast playing with her Ultimate Word Art Snips to put together this layout about our summer road trips.

Journaling: It’s become a bit of a tradition, the summer road trip to visit the far-flung family members we see far too little of the rest of the year. It may not seem like a dream vacation, but we have a lot of fun making memories along the way. Even a new hotel room seems like a grand adventure. And the amazing invention of the built-in DVD player in the van makes the hours on the road more bearable and means we have to endure far fewer exasperated refrains of “are we there yet?” The days spent with the people we love fly by quickly, and before we know it, we are once again homeward bound, blessed to have had so many wonderful moments that we will remember forever.

- All by Aja Abney, available at Oscraps and Scrapbook-Bytes -
word strips: Ultimate Word Art Snips
alpha: Educated Alpha
papers and elements: New Day collab with Danielle Young (recolored)
- other –
font: CK Ali’s Hand Official

I went back in time to work with two fun collabs that Aja has released this month for her guest spot at CatScrap. The tricycle in “Imagine Childhood” just demanded that I play with this old photo of my cousin and I. :)

kit: Imagine Childhood by Aja Abney and Fiddlette Designs at Catscrap
worn overlay: Something Blue Studios
fonts: CK Ali’s Hand Official, LD Underwood Pica

And the sparkly vintage vibe of “Sugarplums” was perfect for these shots of my first Christmas. :)

Journaling: I love these snapshots from my first Christmas Eve. Opening gifts with Mom, Grandma Draeger, Aunt Judy, and BJ at Grandma’s in La Crosse. I imagine Dad is the one who took these, and I’m sure Uncle Barry and Grandpa were around there somewhere too.

kit: Sugarplums by Aja Abney and Nancie Rowe Janitz at CatScrap.
font: Beyond Wonderland by Christopher Hansen

Layouts: Thankful New Day

2010-10-10T13:54:00.001-05:00

Final post today, featuring two layouts with products from my newest creative team, the wonderful Aja Abney! She sells her fabulous designs at Oscraps and Scrapbook-Bytes. :)

Counting my blessings right now. Thankful for the little things... sunny days and a park across the street for the kids to play in. :)

Kit: Thankful Collaboration Kit by Aja Abney & Anne DeJong, available at Oscraps and Scrapbook-Bytes.
Font: Pea Jenny (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

Kaylee jumping with excess excited energy while waiting for the bus on the first day of school. :)

Kit: New Day by Aja Abney and Danielle Young. Available at Scrapbook-Bytes and Oscraps.
Font: LD Olympia Portable by Lettering Delights

That's it for today! I’ve been busy, busy, busy with a web design project for a friend of Mark’s. Add to that being sick last weekend, and then Kaylee getting sick this week, and it’s been a little crazy around here. I’ve still got another week to go on the project, but everyone seems to be relatively healthy now, so hopefully things will get back to normal soon!

Layouts: Clowning Picnic Science

2010-10-10T13:36:00.001-05:00

Time for fun with felt with Pamela Donnis!! Such totally cute and playful pieces!

First up is a spread I did with her Backyard BBQ set using shots from a picnic with Mark’s side of the family last year.

And a closer view of each side…

- by Pamela Donnis –
felt and ants: Backyard BBQ at LDD • alpha: Doodley-Do (not currently available) • stitching: Learning to Sew • kraft paper: Out Came the Sun at LDD • gingham paper: Berry Blossom (not currently available)
- other –
grunge brushes: Brush Stroke by Michelle Coleman (retired)
font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

The science felts in Pam’s Back to School were perfect for this layout about Kaylee’s crazy “experiments”.

Journaling: Kaylee loves to conduct what she calls “smell experiments”. She will mix all kinds of odds and ends together to see what it smells like. She’ll then stick the resulting concoction in the freezer, pulling it out months later to see how it has changed. She was delighted to find ice crystals on this one, which was comprised of leftover Valentine candy dissolved in water. Other experiments have included juice, fruit-flavored miniature marshmallows, and even metal pop top tabs. 1/31/10
- by Pamela Donnis –
felt and symbols: Back To School at Little Dreamer designs • papers: School Stuff at Little Dreamer designs • doodled alpha: Doodley-Do (not currently available)
- other –
felt alpha: Felpha by Kaye Winiecki
stitching: Bad Sewing Machine – Don’t Be Square by Traci Reed

And finally we have one of my silly kids last year having a contest to see who can be the silliest. :)

Kit: Tickets, Please! by Pamela Donnis and Juliana Kneipp, available at Little Dreamer Designs.
Font: Pea Lacy (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

Layouts: Bloom M September Sister

2010-10-10T12:56:00.001-05:00

PixelWorks has really been rocking my scrapping world, as usual! :)

Love Blooms Here is such a gorgeous, homey kit. I was inspired to use it to scrap this page about our house. :)

Journaling: We had this house built just for us over 15 years ago. It’s the only home Matthew and Kaylee have ever known. This house has seen laughter and tears, struggles and triumphs. It has sheltered family and friends, and even acquaintances. This house holds memories and expectations and much more “stuff” than should ever be contained in this much space. While the exterior makes it very apparent that we have an unfortunate lack of talent for cultivating plant life, there is always plenty of nurturing for those who dwell inside. 9/5/10
kit: Love Blooms Here by PixelWorks at The Lilypad
sketch action: MCP Actions
font: CK Ali’s Hand Official

Big Stampy Alpha was just perfect for a monogram on a layout of this favorite picture of Matthew.

Journaling: Matthew was in a particularly good mood this morning, telling me how happy he was to have his new game and how he was looking forward to spending the day with a friend and so on. So sweet. 7/30/10
- All by PixelWorks at The Lilypad -
Monogram: Big Stampy Alpha
Papers and elements from Paint the Town Pink, Teen Scene, Everyday Awesome, Love Blooms Here, and Rain On My Parade.
font: Pea Jessica (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

Then I was getting into a fall frame of mind with the adorable Kitschy Fall.

Just a couple of shots of Matthew hanging out at the park. :)
– by PixelWorks at The Lilypad –
papers: Kitschy Fall Papers • doodles: Kitschy Stitchy Fall • alpha: Big Stampy Alpha • stitching (recolored): Paint the Town Pink, Rain On My Parade
- other -
font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

PixelWorks has such a flair with all things vintage. I’m so loving this “Generations” product line and used a few pieces from it to scrap this old pic of me and my brother. :)

Journaling: I love this shot of me holding my brother; I suspect it was probably the first time. I love the burrito bundled blanket and his tiny newborn fingers and squidgy little face. I love my sailor dress, matched right down to the white knee socks and navy sneakers, and the awkward way my feet are dangling over the edge of the giant brown couch. Mostly, I love how happy I look, so proud to be a big sister.
- by PixelWorks at The Lilypad –
papers: {Her}story • frames and paper elements: Vintage Papers and Frames • alpha: Vintage Ransom Alpha
- other –
template: September ’10 Template Challenge Freebie by Amy Martin at The Lilypad
font: LD Underwood 5 by Lettering Delights

Layouts: Bunny No Coffee

2010-10-10T12:18:00.001-05:00

And another month flies by! Is 11 layouts too many for one post? LOL I think so, so I’m going to catch up by team. :)

First up are a couple I’ve done for Michelle Coleman. Her store is just full of gorgeous autumn colors!

I’d been doing a little walking in the mornings after the kids are in school. I took this shot of the pond at Bunny Run at a little park near our house.
- By Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs – Fall Delight Kit and Sample Letter Press Brushes (pond) Distressed Alpha font (Bunny Run) - other – font: Pea Lacey (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

Michelle has a really fun new kit with all kinds of fabulous coffee-related graphics. I just had to use it to document my non-love of java. :D

Journaling: As much as I want to love coffee, I just don’t. I don’t even like it a little. I can tolerate the smell, but the taste – ugh. I have a major sweet tooth, but I can’t stand desserts that have even the slightest hint of a coffee flavor. There are so many times I would love to be able to revel in that super-caffeinated coffee buzz, or be one of the cool crowd obsessing over the latest craze at Starbuck’s, but I just can’t get past that taste. I guess me and coffee just weren’t meant to be.
Credits: I Heart Coffee Kit and Sample by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs.
Free Spirit Alphabet by CD Muckosky at Little Dreamer Designs.
font: Bookman Old Style.

Layouts: Toy Lockers

2010-09-08T10:17:00.000-05:00

PixelWorks is all settled into her new home at The Lilypad!! She’ll be bringing back some favorite kits along with loads of fun new designs! I had so much fun playing with her pieces of the September BYOC!

First up is Matthew mastering his new locker. :)

Journaling: Matthew got his locker number and combination at his middle school schedule pick-up. Sixth grade is the first time the kids get lockers that actually lock, so learning how to use them is a big deal. He practiced a bunch of times until he got the hang of it, and then he practiced again the night of orientation. By the time school actually started, he was an old pro. August 2010

- September BYOC by PixelWorks at The Lilypad –
The Teen Scene – Boy Papers, Papers & Frames, Doodles n’ Things. Varsity Chip Alpha.
- other –
font: Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

And then we have a little trip down memory lane with me and “my” first car. :)

Photo: July 1985, journaled Aug. 2010
The Toy Story: That’s me at 17, leaning proudly against the car I drove in high school – a 1977 Toyota Corolla. It wasn’t fancy, but I was very lucky in that my folks bought it and paid all the gas and insurance. The black vinyl interior wasn’t ideal in the summer, but it did have air conditioning, and orange and black were my school colors, so that was fun. I called it “The Toy” because of its size, and because it had sort of an un-sturdy toy-like feel to it... and, of course, because it was short for “Toyota”. :)
For the most part, it was a good little car. It got me back and forth to school and work. There was the one time a piece of plastic somehow wound up in the fuel line, and the car suddenly decided at random intervals to not go more than about 2 mph. And I just happened to be on a country road in the middle of nowhere at the time, but that can hardly be blamed on the car. I drove it for two years, until I went off to college, and then later my brother drove it when he got his license. The Toy served us well.

- September BYOC by PixelWorks at The Lilypad –
The Teen Scene – Boy Papers, Girl Papers, Papers & Frames, Doodles n’ Things. .
- other –
fonts: Pea Cari, Pea Swimmy Script (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

That’s it for now! I’m just sitting here on a dreary rainy day, trying to stay awake and take advantage of my kid-free time before the after school homework chaos sets in! :)

SALE! And 2 New Old Products!

2010-09-02T10:58:00.001-05:00

ScrapDish is having a storewide Back To School Sale!!
I’ve put everything over a $1 at 50% off!!

Included in that sale are 2 NEW OLD PRODUCTS! :) I’ve re-released my portions of the gigantic 8-designer Girlfriends Collaboration. If you missed out on that mega-kit, now is your chance to grab my little parts of it! The Alpha and Micro-Mini are now available in my store at rock bottom prices!! :)

Hurry over now and save!! Sale ends Sept. 15!

Layouts: Protracted Roses Piggy School Siblings

2010-09-02T10:11:00.001-05:00

Back again with more layouts to share! :)

Pamela Donnis is back from her summer off and is getting all settled in over at her new home at Little Dreamer. I’ve got two very different layouts using some of her latest additions! First up is one with a few shots of Matthew hard at play earlier ~~this~~ last month. (How did it get to be September already?)

Journaling: Matthew asked for a refresher on how to use a protractor, so that he could measure out angles to divide up an area of a game field he was drawing. He took his time figuring everything out and was very meticulous. I love watching him work on something like this… the shoulders and brow go up… or the bottom lip disappears. It’s Serious Business. He spent hours working on the drawing, perfecting every detail. Yep, the kid definitely has “engineer” in his blood. August 8, 2010.

- by Pamela Donnis at Little Dreamer Designs –
kit: School Stuff alpha: Fridge Fun
- other –
stitching: Learning to Sew by Pamela Donnis
fonts: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Misproject (Misprinted Type), Blackout Sans Px (Pixilate)

Then we have a much softer antique-y vibe one. I had fun playing with some of my shots of the neighbor’s roses from this spring. :)

- By Pamela Donnis at Little Dreamer Designs –
Rosebuds and Lace Element Pack (frame, mat, embroidery, stamp, lace, flowers, torn paper)
Rosebuds and Lace Add-On (paint, leaves, white paper)
Out Came the Sun (kraft paper)
Learning to Sew (stitching)
- other –
font: CK Ali’s Hand Official

Next is one using Michelle Coleman’s latest kit, “Wonderful”. This is such a versatile kit. You could easily do Independence Day layouts with it, but there are also some terrific greens in it that can take it in a totally different direction. I used it with this fun shot of the kids. :)

Journaling: Matthew and Kaylee definitely have their moments of not getting along. At all. But in between those times, they are wonderful friends. I love the way they play together and support each other. This shot of Matthew giving Kaylee a random drive-by hug for the camera cracks me up. You can see from her face that she’s pretending to hate it, but she really does adore her big brother. 8/5/10

Kit: Wonderful by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Now we’re on to some Misty Mareda goodies! I used this cute doodled frame to showcase a pic of Kaylee’s adorable little toes. I had fun playing with the title work on this one, and the layout was spotlighted on the Gallery Standouts blog!

Journaling: Kaylee came down with a bit of a flu bug and spent the day camped out on the couch, missing school. She consented only to a picture of her toes. 5/24/10

- by Misty Mareda at MScraps –
frame: Photo Wraps
pink paper: Cool It Now
button: Brighter Days
- other –
fonts: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Hotel Coral Essex (Pennyzine)

And, finally, one with Misty’s latest kit, “First Day”, a fun twist on the traditional back to school kits… and it just happened to perfectly match the kids’ choice of outfits for their first day! One of the comments I got most on this layout around in the galleries was how much they look like me. Must have something to do with the way I’m always walking around with my thumbs up. ;)

Journaling: The kids pose for our traditional first day of school shot by the front door.
Kaylee - 3rd grade. Matthew - 6th grade. Aug. 23, 2010.

- By Misty Mareda at MScraps –
Kit: First Day
Alpha (back): Clipped Alpha
Tag: Summer Flies
- other –
Fonts: LD Letterpress (Lettering Delights), Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

So that’s the layout round up for now! With the closing of ScrapArtist, PixelWorks is in the process of relocating to a new shop. I’ll be back with layouts with some fab new goodies from her soon though!!

Oh, I also wanted to mention that the “Model Camper” layout I posted last time also got chosen for the GSO blog! Woo hoo!! :) So bummed that Jess’ little foray back into designing is over for now. :( Getting to work with her designs again reminded me just how much I miss them!!

Have a great day everyone! :)

Layouts: Camper Butterfly Heart Blush

2010-08-13T10:43:00.001-05:00

I’m so excited! The amazing Jessica Bolton has popped back into designing, guesting at Scrapbookgraphics this month to help them celebrate their big 7th birthday!! Along with three old favorite kits, she’s got a brand new one – “The Long Haul”. It has some absolutely adorable camping themed elements, but is also loaded with wonderful any occasion goodness in that unique Jess style that I miss so much.

I had so much fun using the new kit to scrap some fun pics of Kaylee from this spring, adapting a P365 post and adding a couple of extra pics. :)

Journaling: Kaylee LOVES the school’s theme weeks with dress-up days – the more elaborate or “out there”, the better. This time, as part of a reading themed week in conjunction with their book fair, it was “Camping Out” … “hike into a good book”. Her outfit was thrown together in the morning right before school… one of my old flannel shirts (with the sleeves rolled up about eight times), my bandana tied in her hair, and Matthew’s canteen slung across her shoulder. This pose she struck while we were out waiting for the bus cracks me up. I’d say she’d make a good model, but she doesn’t take direction well. In fact, if I suggest anything, she usually does the opposite just to be stubborn. 3/10/10

Credits: The Long Haul by Jessica Bolton, August guest at Scrapbookgraphics.
Fonts: LD Remington Portable (Lettering Delights), Pea Swimmy Script (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

I’ve also got a layout with Misty’s newest kit, “Summer Flies”. Such a fab color combination in this, and the doodled elements and flowers rock!

Journaling: Mark did a few magic shows at the Kiwanis Butterfly Festival at a local mall. Directly across from where he was performing, there was a face painter. Kaylee thought that was the coolest thing ever, and just had to have hers done. She chose a colorful butterfly design, which she happily showed off for the rest of the weekend. She was disappointed when I insisted we scrub off what was left of it before she went back to school. 5.15.10

Kit: Summer Flies by Misty Mareda at MScraps.
Fonts: LD Remington Portable (Lettering Delights), Dirty Ego (Misprinted Type), Pea Swimmy Script (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

And two with Michelle Coleman scrumptiousness. This first one actually uses a gorgeous (and huge) wedding themed kit. So much more in it than the little bit I’ve used here. If I did hybrid at all, I’d totally be whipping up some amazing cards with it!

Some favorite snaps of Mark and the kids. :) Photos 1/18/10 - scrapped 8/10/10.

Vintage Wedding Collection by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs.
Font: Pea Swimmy Script (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

And, finally, one with Michelle’s luscious “Bohemian Summer" Kit and {Sample Pack}. Just amazing color and texture.

Journaling: You’ve always been very sensitive to the heat. At this time of year it doesn’t take much time outside for your cheeks to turn bright pink. 7/12/10

Bohemian Summer Kit and Bohemian Summer {Sample Pack} by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs.
Fonts: LD Remington Portable, PegsannaHMK.

That’s it for today! Off to do some pre guest magician cleaning and back-to-school paperwork! Only one more week of summer break left! Where did summer go?!

Layouts: Summer SprinkBrella Shark

2010-08-05T21:13:00.001-05:00

So I mentioned in my last post that I was accepted to two teams. The second was none other than the amazing Michelle Coleman. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I got the news. Michelle is a bit of an icon in the digital scrapbooking world. And me? Well, I’m just… me. LOL I am so honored to have been selected!

Michelle’s products are wonderfully unique, and she has an amazing eye for color. Her papers have rich depth and a subtle sophistication, and her elements are creative and fun and funky. :)

I got to play with her “Get Wet” series, and I couldn’t stop until I’d done three layouts! The first two are featuring photos from the kids’ sprinkler session the other day.

Journaling: Mark picked up a new Buzz Lightyear sprinkler for the kids, and they couldn’t wait to try it out. They can use the handle on the controller to adjust the water level and launch the rocket. If it’s lined up right, it goes up pretty high! But mostly they just played in the water. They had a terrific time playing in the water, keeping cool, and just enjoying a summer afternoon. Friday, July 23, 2010.

Kit: “Get Wet | Girl” by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

I can’t put my finger on why I like the photo below so much, but it’s one of my favorites, even (especially?) after I pushed the processing on the colors to a slightly surreal level. I just adored the way the colors looked with it. And, yes, I made up the word “SprinkBrella”. LOL

Kit: “Get Wet | Boy” by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs.
Font: Misproject (Misprinted Type).

This last one is of Matthew, with photos from our summer road trip last year.

Journaling: The summer of 2009 was when Matthew finally conquered his fear of the water. A minor incident in a swimming class about 5 years earlier had magnified in his mind into a near-drowning, making him extremely anxious. A few private swimming lessons, along with some time to play in the hotel pools on our trip, gave him the confidence to get past his fear and enjoy being in the water. Way to go, Matthew! :) Photos July 11, 2009 - Webster City, IA. Journaled Aug. 4, 2010.

Credits: “Get Wet | Boy”, “Get Wet | Girl”, and “Get Wet | Alpha” by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Phew! That’s it for today! Four posts in one day! I’m not sure if it was any less overwhelming than one giant post, but it sounded easier in the beginning. LOL Hopefully, my days will stop flying by quite so quickly soon, so that I can take a breath and do shorter posts more often. :)

Layouts: 11½ Silly Boredom

2010-08-05T17:46:00.001-05:00

Even though I totally love scrapping, I find that I really have a hard time making myself do it if I don’t “have to”. So in late June I started looking around for calls from designers I really love, wanting to add another team. Competition is pretty fierce for some of these calls, so while I was hopeful, I wasn’t really was expecting to be chosen. Imagine my shock and delighted surprise when I was asked to join not just one, but TWO wonderful teams! :D

The first to make my day was Misty Mareda. Misty has a really fun, whimsical style, without being too young for me to use with all my current pics of the kids. She does a lot of hand-drawn elements and uses bright, happy colors that just make me smile. :) I’ve done three layouts for her so far…

This first one is a mish-mash of several of Misty’s products. Matthew officially turned 11½ last month, and I've never done one of these list layouts for him, so I thought it was about time. :)

Statistics - • grade: going into 6th • height: 5’ 1” • weight: 78 lbs. • shoe size: 5.
Favorites - • color: aqua • foods: salad, hot dogs, pizza, ice cream • restaurants: Olive Garden, On The Border, Fuddrucker’s • family games: In A Pickle, Train, Skip-Bo • video games: Halo, Transformers (DS/X-Box), Mario Kart • books: Halo series • sport: 4-square, 2-square, basketball, karate • school subjects: Math, Reading • best friends: Terry, Matthew O, Sado, Matthew S, Jared, Derek, Hunter.
Dislikes - • food: peanut butter • school subject: writing • sport: soccer.
Goals - • learn to play sax • continue learning karate • become a karate instructor or scientist when he grows up • save up to buy his own laptop computer • complete the entire series of Halo video games.

- By Misty Mareda at MScraps -
alpha (Matthew): Clipped Alpha
photo border, stitching, cards, paper (blended), bubble stamp: Go Cat Go
circles, ricrac, papers: Play Outside
tabs, staples: Address Book Alpha
ribbon bit: Cool It Now

- other -
numbers: Micheline Martin, Dawn Inkskip, Krystal Hartley, Creative Confusion
fonts: Pea Anderson & Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Dirty Ego (Misprinted Type)

Next up is a scraplift. Vanilla Bees ran a challenge to scraplift someone you love in the scrap community. I immediately knew I wanted to lift my friend Tania Shaw (lunafaerie). I love everything about her pages… the wonderful shots of her adorable kids, her heartfelt journaling, the happy way she uses color, her fabulous composition. And the girl can ROCK patterned paper! I get inspired every time I look at her gallery! :) Her original layout is the adorable “I Love You So”. And here is my lift using one of Kaylee’s infamous insulation day self-portraits. :)

Journaling: This is just one of a dozen sweet and silly self-portraits I found on the camera after I’d given it to you to help keep you occupied while we were blowing insulation into the attic. I love that you’re not afraid to be goofy. I love that you love looking at yourself in pictures. I love that you are always happy just being you. Kaylee, age 8, July 2010.

- By Misty Mareda at MScraps -
kit: Brighter Days
alpha: Long Legged Alpha

- other -
stitching: Learning to Sew by Pamela Donnis.
font: Onder Px by Kemie Guaida.

And lastly (is that a word?), a simple page featuring one of Misty’s latest alphas. I used a shot of Matthew from the Day he Surrendered to Boredom. :)

Journaling: Most days if you have some downtime, you find all kinds of creative ways to entertain yourself. On this particular day, however, you were bound and determined to immerse yourself in total boredom, rejecting all suggestions of activities and offers to play games. You just sprawled out on the floor and moped most of the afternoon. 7/24/10

- By Misty Mareda at MScraps -
alpha: Scooter Alpha
paper, colored squares (partially recolored): Sassafras

- other -
fonts: Misproject (Eduardo Recife), Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

Layouts: Dog Dreams Outside

2010-08-05T15:02:00.001-05:00

Next up, my few most recent layouts for PixelWorks!

Even though we don’t have any “real” pets, this dog themed kit was just too adorable for me to resist playing with. So I scrapped our pet alternatives. LOL

Journaling: All the pets in our home are of the toy variety. They’re quiet, don’t eat much, and don’t chew the furniture or leave stains on the rug. And they are the paws down champs at “sit” and “stay”. 7/18/10

Who Let The Dog Out? Papers and Elements by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Stitching by Syrin. Font: Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

And then I have a couple with PixelWorks’ latest Artist-to-Artist pieces. Here’s a sweet dreamy one of Kaylee using my June 8 photo. The border is an excerpt from the lyrics of a song that’s in an Amazon Kindle commercial. The ad came on while I was working on the layout, and it seemed to be a perfect fit. :)

Kaylee 6.8.10. Lyrics excerpt from Annie Little's “Fly Me Away”: Silver Moons and paper chains, Faded maps and shiny things. You're my favorite one-man show. A million different ways to go. Will you fly me away? Take me away with you, My love. Painted scenes, I'm up all night. Slaying monsters, flying kites. Speak to me in foreign tongues. Share your secrets one by one. Now I can't think what life was like Before I had you by my side. Can’t say what I'd do without you, Knowing what it's like to have you.

Some Kind of Wonderful Dreamer Doodles, Dreamer Mini, and Papers by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Fonts: A Little Pot, Misproject.

Going the exact opposite of the peaceful dreamer, we have half a dozen random shots of my kids being... themselves? LOL

Photos June 2009 - July 2010. Scrapped 8/1/10.

Some Kind of Wonderful Dreamer Doodles, Dreamer Mini, and Papers by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Alpha (“outside” - recovered): Old Skool by Kate Hadfield.
Fonts: “think” - Blackout Sans Px (Kemie Guaida); “the box” (extruded in Eye Candy) – Ravie (Ken O’Brien); journaling – Pea BethC (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Layouts: Peace Together

2010-08-05T14:18:00.000-05:00

I think I might possibly have scrapped a record number of layouts (for me) in the past few weeks, so I’m going to split it up and do a post for each creative team. :)

First up are my ScrapDish layouts for July. I started off with Correen’s gorgeous “Rainy Saturday”. It has all kinds of fun rainy day elements, but I kept being pulled back to this gorgeous worn paper, so I went in a little different direction. :)

Kaylee in a moment of quiet contemplation. 4/6/10

Credits: Rainy Saturday Kit and Grunge Papers by Correen Silke at ScrapDish.
Hand Stamped Alpha by Michelle Coleman.
Pea Anderson font by Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas.

And then I played with this more masculine kit from GallimaufryUK for a fun layout of Matthew “Putting It All Together”.

Journaling: Matthew at the computer, trying to figure out yet one more online battle game. You can almost hear the wheels turning. 4/25/10.
Thought bubble (Matthew wrote this part): Let’s see... if I put this guy on my team, will I win or will I fail? Ooo, ooo, I’ve got it! What if I use this move? Yes! Perfect victory!

Credits: All Torn Up - a Fathers Day page kit by GallimaufryUK at ScrapDish. Fonts: LD Remington Portable (Lettering Delights), Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Diva In The House

2010-07-20T20:40:00.001-05:00

PixelWorks has an absolutely fabulous new collection out called “Paint The Town Pink”. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it to scrap some pictures of my dramatic, imaginative daughter. She consented to do a fun little photo shoot for me to show off her diva side! I had so many great shots to choose from that I ended up doing two layouts.

Credits for both layouts: Paint The Town Pink Collection by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

I have to say that she nailed it! I love how these layouts turned out! The designer even picked them to feature on her blog. AND the first one was also spotlighted on the Gallery Standouts blog! Kaylee is so excited that she’s getting so much attention… hopefully, the fame won’t go to her head! ;)

And, just for fun, here are a few more favorite pics from that shoot. I wanted to scrap them all, but I restrained myself. Don’t be surprised if you see them turn up again later though. LOL

Apparently the diva has had enough of the paparazzi! In the words of the star herself… “Peace Out!” :)

Layouts: Why the Storm?

2010-07-14T11:51:00.001-05:00

I’m happy to report that I finally shook whatever nasty cold or whatever it was I had. Only now I’m dealing with the fact that I’ve screwed up my sleep schedule to the point that I’m considering just becoming nocturnal. :b

On to the layouts! PixelWorks’ newest kit, “Don’t Rain On My Parade”, is full of her artsy, quirky style that I just love. First layout up is a story that is a huge memory for me.

Credits: Don't Rain On My Parade Papers and Elements by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Fonts: title - Blackout Serif Px (Kemie Guaida), journaling - LD Remington Portable (Lettering Delights), Mississippi - Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

The Journaling reads:

I used to absolutely love thunderstorms... eagerly watching for the brilliant blinding flashes of light and gleefully absorbing the tremendous resounding booms that reverberated though my bones.

Then there was that one particular storm that changed everything. The lightning strike... sparks flying from the speaker wires... the eerie sound of the musical toy in the next room playing all on its own. The neighbor I’d never met knocking on my door... telling me the building was on fire. Standing in the parking lot in the pouring rain, waiting for Mark to get home... helplessly watching the firemen work. The apartment adjoining ours being devoured by a mass of black smoke and giant angry flames.

Now when a storm comes, I just close my eyes and count the seconds between the flash and the boom... anxiously waiting for it to pass us by and return our safe, peaceful skies.

Storm - 1994. Scrapped - July 6, 2010.

In the end, other than a little smoke, our apartment was fine, thanks to excellent fire walls. We just had to replace the answering machine and VCR, which were damaged by the lightning, and rehang a very overloaded storage shelf in our closet that the firefighters accidentally knocked down when checking our attic. Oh, and we spent the night on some friends' incredibly uncomfortable futon, since our power was out, but, fortunately, that was it. It’s been over 15 years since that fire, but every major thunderstorm still takes me right back to that day.

Next up is one about Matthew…

Credits: Don't Rain On My Parade Papers and Elements by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Worn overlay by Something Blue Studios. Font: Pea BethC (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Journaling:

Sometimes it’s hard being a kid. You don’t always get to do what you want, and the rules can seem a bit arbitrary and unfair. You don’t like it when I tell you no, and often I really don’t like saying it, especially when it would be easier to just give in. But usually you do understand... or at least accept it... eventually. And you bounce back and handle the disappointment pretty well. I’m very proud of the mature young man you are becoming. Photo 6/9/10, Journaling 7/5/10.

When Matthew saw me working on this layout, he didn’t say anything about the sad photo or ask to read the journaling. He just wanted to know why I scribbled all over him. LOL [It was partly to use the cool scribble in the kit, but mostly because it helped put the focus on his face. :) ]

That’s it for today! Thanks for looking! :)

Layout: 42

2010-07-01T23:07:00.001-05:00

Somehow the last half of May and all of June has zipped by in a big frenetic blur. And somewhere in all of that mess, I turned 42! How can that possibly be? Surely, I can’t be a day over 26. But, then that would have meant I became a parent before the age of 15, which is most definitely not the case. LOL So I guess I must accept reality. :)

It’s odd – when I was younger, I always knew off the top of my head exactly how old I was, and it felt as if that was an intrinsic part of who I was. Now age just seems to be some abstract number floating around in my peripheral vision, flitting out of view if I turn towards it. These days, if someone asks me how old I am, I often actually have to stop and think about it and do the math. The other day I even had a hard time summoning up what the actual current year was, giving me no starting point from which to calculate. Perhaps the first stages of senility? LOL Nah, more likely just a result of too much chaos, mixed in with a little fatigue. :)

Anyway, the layout below includes a quick self-portrait I snapped on said 42nd birthday. :) It’s using PixelWorks’ latest fabulousness, a yummy little vampire-inspired kit called “Irrevocably In Love”. As you can see, it can be used for much more though! :)

Irrevocably In Love Papers, Elements, and Alpha by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Font: Misproject by Misprinted Type.

If you want to know more of what I’ve been up to over the last month or so, you can check out my P365 blog. I’m still a couple of weeks behind, but I’m working on it. I picked up a nasty head cold or something that has fairly effectively sidelined me for the last week or so, leading to many extra hours in bed, and a very mushy brain and non-existent energy level when I’m actually vertical. Hopefully, I’ll be able to shake this nonsense and get back up to speed soon!

Assisted Serene Popsicle Production Expressions in Disguise?

2010-05-12T09:53:00.001-05:00

Playing ketchup… er, I mean catch up! My six latest layouts…

PixelWorks has a fun collab with Aja Abney called “Everyday Awesome”. This is such a versatile kit that could be used to scrap so many different things. Here are two layouts from me…

These photos may look familiar. :)

Journaling: It never ceases to amaze me… the ways my kids will entertain themselves when they’re “bored”. Who knew that plastic hangers made good mustaches? Or horns? [Matthew 3-13-10]

Kit: Everyday Awesome by Aja Abney & PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Fonts: Acoustic Bass (Design 76 Type - Bradford Cox), Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

And this one uses several more shots from Kaylee’s little acting demonstration.

Journaling: Kaylee 4-14-10 – Our little drama queen shows her range for the camera.
Kit: Everyday Awesome by Aja Abney & PixelWorks at ScrapArtist. Font: Bradley Hand ITC.

Next up is one with Carola Mondini’s jam-packed kit “Monday” at ScrapDish using a few more shots from Kaylee’s little theater.

Journaling: "Kaylee decided to put on a series of three princess plays for Mark one afternoon over spring break. These photos were taken during the first one, entitled “Princess Runaway”. Her costume involved pinning a butterfly wall decoration (which my mom had made as part of Kaylee’s room decor) to the back of her shirt. Since I was otherwise occupied, I never caught the significance in relation to the story.
The second show was “The Princess Magician”, in which she wore the top half of her Jasmine costume with a pink satin skirt. And the final show was “Kung-Fu Princess”, in which she wore one of Matthew’s old karate uniform tops and a pink belt with a rhinestone butterfly buckle. This one may have been strongly influenced by the fact that we had watched “Kung-Fu Panda” the night before.
Unfortunately, I was a bad reporter and didn’t get any shots of those last two productions, and I have no idea what the plots of any of them were. I hope they don’t dock my pay. ;) 3-15-10"

Kit: Monday by Carola Mondini at ScrapDish (blue paper blended) Stitching: Essential Stitches #1 by Syrin. Fonts: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Bradley Hand ITC

Back to PixelWorks… she has been on fire! The ScrapArtist May Artist-to-Artist products are out, and I’m in love with the happy colors! Again, everything is so versatile! PixelWorks has a bright whimsical element pack and coordinating papers that I used to put together these two very different layouts…

First is just a sweet shot of Kaylee one day after school…

[4/23/10 Kaylee, almost 8]
- by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist -
Sunshine On My Shoulders papers and elements. Alpha: Tiny Dymo Alpha.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

And then this vibrant popper I call “Popsicle in the Sun”. :)

Journaling: "At the Miller Family Fun Fair. Upon arrival, we were immediately met by someone with a huge basket passing out free Icee push pops. You and Matthew dug through a bit and each chose one. You instantly had flavor remorse and pleaded with your brother to trade his Cherry for your Blue Raspberry. He finally agreed, and you both happily made sticky, drippy messes of yourselves while we checked out all the activity.

The sun was low and blindingly bright. I couldn’t see what I was shooting at all, or I would have gotten more of your face in this shot. But I still love the way it shows the sun on your cheeks and the wind in your hair... a wonderful representation of an easy, breezy evening, enjoying the music and the energy of the crowd as you slurped on your sweet treat. 5/7/10"

Credits: Sunshine On My Shoulders papers and elements by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist. button: Everyday Awesome by Aja Abney & PixelWorks at ScrapArtist. stitching by Micheline Martin. Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

And finally… PixelWorks had a really fun grab bag over iNSD, and now she’s started releasing the individual parts. Out today are the first two… cool versatile neutrals! (Have I mentioned how versatile I think PixelWorks’ products are? I have? Ok, good, I’m glad I covered that! LOL)

This layout is really more about the shenanigans that Mark pulls than what is actually in the picture. ;)

Journaling: This is what you get when you try to get the kids to pose for a nice sweet photo together (requested for a family project), and Dad comes up behind the photographer (Mom) and pretends he’s going to pour water on her head. Fun reaction shot, but not quite what we’re going for, and things go downhill from there. Tell me again, exactly how many children do I have? (And, no, I never got the shot I originally wanted.) ... [Wed., May 5, 2010. Just another day in the Jensen house.]

- All by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist -
Papers: Graphic Patterns 2. Arrows: Clear Directions. Crayon circle: Crayon Scribbles. Title alpha: Tiny Dymo Alpha. Title punctuation: Crayon Alpha.

Font: Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

AND… ScrapArtist is having their big 5th Birthday Sale right now!! Run over now to get PixelWorks’ fabulous products at an amazing 35% off!!!

Whew! That’s it for now! The kids have a half-day of school today, so I need to go take advantage of my remaining two hours of peace! LOL Have a great day!! :D

NSD – Biggest SALE Ever!!

2010-04-27T14:01:00.001-05:00

I’m having my Biggest Sale Ever in honor of National Scrapbooking Day!!

Now through May 2, 2010 all “individual packs” are just $1
and full kits, combos, and bundles are just $2!!

Hurry over now… prices like these won’t come again anytime soon!!

The Band Boy & Neverland

2010-04-20T21:59:00.001-05:00

I posted a bit on my P365 blog about Matthew’s band instrument selection meeting back when it happened. We got the happy news last week that he was approved for his first choice – saxophone!!! Matthew was thrilled! I’m sure it would have been interesting for him to learn trombone, but he just really loved the sax and was way more excited about the possibility of playing it, so we were very glad that worked out. And, of course, since that’s what Mark played when he was in school band, he’s pumped that Matthew is following in his footsteps. :) Now we just have to go about finding Matthew a sax and all the little stuff to go with it, and figure out if we are going to be able to do the private lessons they recommend.

Next up is a layout. PixelWorks has an awesome new kit out called “Where Are We?”. (If I tell you we have no idea where we are, can you guess what TV show inspired it? LOL) It has a sort of pirate-y/island type of theme, and when I saw a challenge at Log Your Memory to do a layout inspired by a children’s book, I just knew I had to scrap this super-cool Peter Pan pop-up book that Matthew got for Christmas! :D

Journaling: Matthew received this elaborate pop-up book version of Peter Pan this past Christmas. 4/17/10
The book is by Robert Sabuda. The Amazon listing has photos and a video of the pages. :)
Credits: Where Are We? - Full Kit by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist. Font: LD Remington Portable.

That’s it for here for right now! I’m running behind posting on my P365 blog, so I’m going to see if I can get a few of those up before I run out of steam tonight! :)

Layouts: Sweet & Silly, Kickin’ Back

2010-04-09T21:27:00.001-05:00

Pam is at it again! Not only does she have another new release for her guest spot at The Lilypad, but she also has a fun coordinating freebie in the Little Dreamer Designs Apprentice competition!

This layout of Kaylee uses both! Here she is four years ago at almost 4, making the same faces she makes when I try to take her picture now. LOL

Scraplift for the Creative Inspiration Blog Copy Cat Challenge #51
By Pamela Donnis: Berry Blossom - April guest @ The Lilypad, Juicy - LDD Apprentice Freebie Round One Submission.
Font: Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

And then we have one of my P365 shots of Matthew using mostly the Lilypad release and Pam's fun Collage Cuts Alpha!

Journaling: Matthew relaxing at the end of the day, watching a stop-motion animation version of “Peter and the Wolf”. He was not impressed and proclaimed it to be really bad. At least it was only a 30-minute short. 3-18-10
By Pamela Donnis: Berry Blossom - April guest @ The Lilypad, Juicy - LDD Apprentice Freebie Round One Submission, Collage Cuts Alphabet at The Digichick, Pinching Pennies (paint stamp - recolored) at The Digichick (not currently available).
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

That’s it for tonight! Mark and I went out and tackled phase one of our severely neglected ~~weed field~~ lawn this afternoon and I’m beat! So sad that it still looks so bad after all that work. LOL We don’t even get to sleep in tomorrow, since Matthew has his middle school band instrument selection meeting first thing in the morning. :-b

Have a great weekend! :)

Layouts: Little Spitfire, Summer Breeze

2010-04-02T11:21:00.001-05:00

Pamela Donnis is guesting at The Lilypad this month! I’m loving the BYOC spring colors and themes, and Pam’s stuff is just so darn cute! :D And everything is 20% off this weekend!

I did two layouts of Kaylee using photos from last June. :)

First a shot of classic Kaylee attitude. LOL

Journaling: kaylee has always been very emotional. she’s easily upset and quick to anger, and she will definitely make sure everyone knows exactly how she’s feeling. sometimes her attitude drives me up the wall. but the flipside is that she’s also just as quick to give a hug when needed and tell you just how much she loves you. photo 6.21.09 - journaled 3.30.10

Out Came The Sun papers and elements by Pamela Donnis - April guest at The Lilypad
brad: The Ol' Switcheroo by Karah Fredricks at The Lilypad
hole: CU Holes by Amanda Rockwell at ScrapArtist
font: Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

And then a shot from the park. Once I decided on the title, I couldn’t get the song out of my head, so I added the first part of the lyrics as an overlay in the background of the photo. :)

Journaling: Kaylee, age 7, at City Park on Father’s Day 6/21/09
Summer Breeze lyrics (overlay on photo) by Jim Seals and Dash Crofts.

Out Came The Sun papers and elements by Pamela Donnis - April guest at The Lilypad.
By Pamela Donnis at The Digichick - Stitching: Learning To Sew; Alpha: Magic Marker.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Thanks it for today! Have a great weekend! :)

Going, going, gone! Girlfriends is Retiring!

2010-03-30T11:35:00.001-05:00

The Girlfriends Collab is retiring!! It’s on SALE at 50% off through tomorrow (3/31), and then it’s GONE! Grab it now!!

The whole shebang…

Just the papers…
Just the elements…
Just the alphas…
Or just the templates…
Why are you still here?!? Go buy it now!! LOL :D

Can U Hear Me Now, Beary Sweet?

2010-03-29T11:21:00.001-05:00

Such fun products I got to work with for my ScrapDish layouts this month! :)

First up is one with one of my photos from the 24th, along with a couple more taken at the same time. I loved the gorgeous textures and colors of these papers, and the swirls, hearts and tags are just so cute! I could see all of these as being go-to products that I could use in all kinds of layouts.

Journaling: Kaylee has such a fun imagination. One day when she got off the school bus, she claimed she couldn’t hear me because she was listening to music on the paper iPod she had drawn. Today she paced around the family room having an extensive conversation on her “phone”. When we asked her who she was talking to, there was a mischievous gleam in her eye as she answered with an emphatic “none of your business” and went back to ignoring us in favor of whoever was on the other end of the imaginary line. Oh, yeah. Really looking forward to those teenage years. LOL [captured on 3/24/10]

Credits: Available at ScrapDish: Color-Washed Canvases and Skinny Strokes, Swirls, and Squiggles by Jill D-Zines. All My Hearts by MerCas Designs. Tag It by Ju Oliveira.
Other: Title alphas - punctuation: Oh Happy Day by CD Muckosky; can: Hand Stamped Alpha by Michelle Coleman; u: Doodley Do (recolored) by Pamela Donnis; hear: Free Spirit by CD Muckosky; me: Scribbled Alphabet by Miss Mint; now: Crackled Alpha by Aja Abney. Fonts: Pea Cari (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Dirty Ego (Eduardo Recife).

Next is one with a shot from a movie night last month (the opposite view from the one I chose to share on my P365 blog). :) Kaylee was curled up next to me with her freshly washed Doodle Bear to watch the movie (Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs). I especially loved this gorgeous damask paper from the kit, and there was a great mix of pretty and whimsical elements to choose from. :)

Journaling: Kaylee and Doodle Bear watch a movie. 2/26/10

Kit: Beary Sweet by ScrapShana at ScrapDish. Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Thanks for looking! :)

Wear a Flower in Your Hair layouts

2010-03-23T13:34:00.001-05:00

I had so much fun playing with PixelWorks’ latest kit!

First up is Kaylee addressing her Valentines…

Journaling: Kaylee addresses her class Valentine cards. 2-6-10
Kit: Wear a Flower in Your Hair - Elements, Papers, and Alphas by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin and Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Next up is one using several shots from our park outing in January. :)

Journaling: We took advantage of an unusually warm sunny January day to hit the park. Mark and the kids had a blast running race after race... everything from straight out sprints to hopping to dancing. Mark, Matthew & Kaylee. Martin Luther King Day at Murphy City Park. Monday, January 18, 2010
by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist - Kit: Wear a Flower in Your Hair - Elements, Papers, and Alphas. Staples: Geekazoid.
Font is Pea Anderson (Kevin and Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

And my favorite… I had some fun with this pic of DD trying to retrieve her balloon from the ceiling. :)

Kaylee 1/10/2010
Kit: Wear a Flower in Your Hair - Elements, Papers, and Alphas by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist.
Fonts: Pea Anderson (Kevin and Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Bayern Handschrift NF (Nick Curtis).

Thanks for looking! :)

Chalk Alphas!

2010-03-10T14:26:00.001-06:00

I have a fun set of Chalk Alphas to show you today! I've reworked one that was originally included in the "ScrapDish Basics Collection" (now retired). I've always liked it and have used the original version several times myself, so I thought it could do with a fresh face and re-release on its own. :)

There are four variations, in different color combinations (and also a brush file), available individually or as a bundle... and they're on SALE now at 50% off!! (Images linked to the store.)

Thanks for looking! :)

Layouts: White World, Just Be

2010-03-10T13:26:00.001-06:00

Just sharing my ScrapDish layouts for February before March gets away from me! LOL

First up is a 2-pager using a couple of scenery shots from our big snow. The kit and template are both by Three Hearts Digital Designs. They were just calling out for something serene and elegant. :) The full spread…

and a closer look…

Journaling: The view from our front door. The extreme snowfall of February 11-12, 2010 goes down as THE snowiest 24-hour period in the history DFW weather records, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). An amazing 12.5" was measured, 11.2" of which fell on the 11th. This also sets the new one calendar day record. The tally also pushes the winter of 2009-2010 into second place, just behind 1977-78 for all time snowiest, and second snowiest February (also behind 1978). - stats quoted from the Dallas Examiner

Credits: The Everything Kit and Double Template set 2 by Three Hearts Digital Designs at ScrapDish. Fonts: Castellar, Orator Std, Myriad Pro, LD Remington Portable.

And one with a sweet shot of Kaylee from a year ago. :) The kit is by Melissa Daniel, and it also has a really great turquoise that I didn’t use for this layout. So many fun color combination possibilities! :)

Kaylee 2-12-09 age 6
Kit: I Heart You by Melissa Daniel at ScrapDish. Inked Edge action by Atomic Cupcake. Font: CK Ali's Hand Official.

That’s it for now! Back soon with my latest product release! :)

Snow Picture-Palooza :)

2010-02-24T22:32:00.001-06:00

I finally sat down and went through my excessively shutter-happy pics from our snow on the 12th and narrowed it down to way too many to post… but here they are anyway. ;)

This was the view out our front door that morning…

And a couple of shots at the park…

Mark and Kaylee built a snowman…

Meanwhile, Matthew was building a fort…

So Mark and Kaylee built one too.

Mark, being the more experienced fort builder, did help Matthew a bit with his too.

And then the battle was on!

Finally, Mark got in a lucky shot that knocked over a big part of Matthew’s fort, so Matthew retaliated by tackling Mark and Kaylee’s fort…

Chaos ensued. LOL

Kaylee and Matthew teamed up against Mark.

In other random fun…

Kaylee built herself a snow horse.

An action shot of Kaylee jumping into the snow…

Good-lookin’ kids. :)

Whew! That’s all folks! :)

Yakety Theatrical Valentine Donut Smile?

2010-02-19T16:27:00.000-06:00

Yep… that bizarre title means it’s CT layout time! LOL

First up is a just for fun one with Pamela Donnis’ February Grab Bag! I started playing with all the cute goodies and couldn’t get this song out of my head. :)

Lyrics from "Yakety Yak", written for The Coasters by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
By Pamela Donnis at The Digichick: Felt & paper: February Grab Bag; Paper alpha: Doodley Do Alphabet; Black alpha: Magic Marker. Font is Pea BethC (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

Next up is one with Tania Shaw’s cute new mini-kit. Her whole store is 40% off (shows up in cart), so it’s a great time to go stock up!

Journaling: Kaylee with the evidence on her lips. 1/30/10 :)
My One True Love by Tania Shaw at Funky Playground Designs. Font: CK Ali's Hand Official

And finally, PixelWorks has a new collab with Rachel Young. I loved all the colors and there is such a cool variety of elements that I couldn’t stop at just one layout… all three below use “My Beloved” at ScrapArtist. (Font is CK Ali's Hand Official.)

That’s it for now! I have a bunch of snow pics from last week that I was hoping to share, but I haven’t sat down and picked out which of the 500+ shots to post yet. LOL

Thanks for looking! Have a great weekend! :)

Free February Desktops!

2010-01-29T20:35:00.001-06:00

I have a fun freebie to share! I put together two different February desktops using a mix of my products! Here are samples with some of my recent pics (obviously not included in the download LOL).

I also included versions of each without the frames/openings, so you can use them “as is” or layer stuff on top. :)

Choose your size to download below. (1280 x 960 is what I use, so that’s what I started with. It’s actually the same proportion as the standard 1024 x 768.)

1024 x 768 | 1280 x 800 | 1280 x 960

Enjoy! :)

P.S. This is also your last chance to grab my Cord Crazy series at Recession Buster prices! I’ll be rotating them out of the category and returning them to their regular prices sometime this weekend!

Layouts! Prize-Winning Expressions of MJ Love :)

2010-01-25T22:25:00.001-06:00

Time to share some layouts! :)

First up is one using one of Tania’s newest templates and my January 7 photo of the day. I just love Tania’s sleek scrapping style, and her templates are a wonderful way for me to clean up my act! :)

Journaling: Kaylee won this little cow from a crane machine while waiting in line at Rip’s during our visit with Grandpa and Grandma J. last summer. He is her current favorite stuffed companion. Here he sits on the kitchen table after she had him join her for breakfast one morning before school. 1-7-10

by Tania Shaw at Funky Playground Designs –
• Template: Layered Up Page Templates Vol. 5
• Papers: Just 4 Fun Paper Pack 1
Fonts: Garamond Premier Pro, Myriad Pro

And then my ScrapDish layouts for this month…

A fun layout showing off some of Matthew’s wide variety of facial expressions on Christmas morning. Another fun template, this time from Daniela Austen, and a cute kit from ScrapDesafios that is a super bargain at just $1!! I used only a small fraction of the adorable elements included.

Journaling: These are just a few of Matthew’s many facial expressions we saw Christmas morning while opening gifts.
Kit: Sweet Christmas by ScrapDesafios at ScrapDish
Template: Nifty Templates 6 by Daniela Austen at ScrapDish
Fonts: Pea BethC, Broken 15.

And a colorful one with some random shots of Matthew and a fabulous boy kit from Carola Mondini.

Kit: Crazy Machines by Carola Mondini at ScrapDish
Font: Pea BethC

And finally, using PixelWorks’ new intense, edgy, fabulously grungy, Valentine-sy kit, “Set My Soul on Fire”, we do a long flashback to some photo booth shots of Mark and I back in the day... 20 years ago! :O

Credits: Set My Soul on Fire by PixelWorks at ScrapArtist
Font: Pea BethC

That’s it for tonight! Thanks for looking! :)

Another blur of a week gone by

2010-01-21T12:06:00.001-06:00

What did I do this past week? It’s all one big blur. This is one advantage of keeping up with my P365 blog… I can look to it for a little memory jogging help. LOL

One thing not pictured is a lot of cleaning. LOL It had been quite a while since we had a guest lecturing magician here. We were supposed to have one over Halloween, but we didn’t feel it was safe to expose anyone to Kaylee’s mysterious rash, so he ended up staying in a hotel closer to his next lecture. We didn’t have any company over the holidays this year either. So things had kind of gotten a little… overripe. LOL We managed to get everything put in order and cleaned up though just in time, in spite of the kids’ toilet breaking the morning of the lecture. It only took Mark 3 trips to the hardware store to get it fixed. :-b

Anyway we had a nice visit from Geoff Williams Sunday evening/Monday morning. He was great with the kids and has a really off the wall sense of humor. My face hurt from smiling by the time he left. :) Here’s our “guest book shot” of him and Mark.

There was some apparent significance to why they posed in front of this Ricky Jay poster (Geoff’s suggestion), which hangs in the arch between Mark’s magic room and our family room, but it was lost on me. LOL

The kids were off school on Monday for Martin Luther King Day. We spent most of that afternoon doing yet more cleaning, since Matthew is having friends over this coming weekend. While Mark directed efforts in Kaylee’s room, which had once again exploded into complete turmoil (her room seems to be the subject of some random mysterious destructive magical forces LOL), I helped Matthew tackle one of the most chaotic areas of his room. There was a lot of sorting stuff, and throwing stuff away, and way more dust than I was expecting. :-b

Then we headed over to the park. The basic story of that afternoon and my favorite shot are on the P365 blog here, but here are a few (ok, several) more favorite shots.

Tuesday was Matthew’s birthday! He’s 11! And just to see if I can set a record for the most photos in one post, here are a bunch from our little mini-party Tuesday night…

Mark helping Matthew with reading the handwriting on one of his cards…

Kaylee was so excited to give Matthew the gift she had picked out Monday afternoon. It was 26 hours of pure torture for her waiting for him to open it. LOL

He was suitably impressed and appreciative. :)

We got Matthew a Star Wars card that plays the theme song when you open it.

I love the look on Kaylee’s face. :)

And another great reaction shot from Matthew checking out his new Magic The Gathering add-on pack.

I have no idea what the look below was about. I suspect Mark said something to get that response. LOL

Pics of him actually blowing out his candle(s) on the P365 blog. :)

Now that I’ve made you dizzy from scrolling through all those pictures, that’s probably enough for today. LOL

Coming soon… layouts! :)

Party Photos and Layouts :)

2010-01-14T14:34:00.002-06:00

If you follow my P365 blog, you may have seen my mention on the 10th of a party we attended that I forgot to take my camera to. The honoree, Cinde, turned 50, and she and her family threw a brunch bash at a reception hall. Cinde works as a clown and her husband, Dal, is a magician, which is how Mark knows them. As I’m sure you can imagine, there was quite an interesting group of people in attendance. LOL Here are some shots from Mark’s and my cell phones. His takes a million times better photos. LOL

The couple’s sons are musically inclined and performed after the meal. Here’s a shot of Mark and the kids watching the stage…

And then Kaylee turned around to see what I was doing…

Here’s is me showing her a picture on my phone…

This is what I was showing her…

Which of course led to more Intentional Blurriness Special Effects attempts from Matthew.

Not quite the same effect without the long hair. LOL

One of the magicians who was there showed Matthew a trick of sorts involving two wine corks. Matthew figured it out almost instantly, which apparently is very unusual. He spent most of the rest of the time there playing with the corks and impressing the adults with his new trick.

And that’s the best of my/Mark’s exciting pictures from Sunday afternoon. LOL

Now some layouts…

Tania Shaw came out with a new kit this week called “Dancing By Myself”. I immediately fell in love with one of the papers, and did this one with some shots of Kaylee from last fall…

Kit: Dancing By Myself by Tania Shaw at Funky Playground Designs. Font: CK Ali's Hand Official

And after hours of deliberation and experimentation, I narrowed down a rather huge group of photos of Kaylee dancing to a few favorites for this spread…

Journaling: While Kaylee can be quite shy around people she doesn’t know well, when it’s just us at home, she is often a bit of a wild child. On this particular day I had cranked some dance music up on my pc and she was in full ham mode, dancing and posing and mugging for the camera like she was the star of a big Hollywood production showing off for the paparazzi. - 1/3/10, age 7
Kit: Dancing By Myself by Tania Shaw at Funky Playground Designs. Font: Bradley hand ITC

Pamela Donnis also came out with a really cute kit this week called “Santa’s Workshop”, which I used to scrap a pic of the kids in their new pajamas Christmas Eve.

Journaling: Kaylee & Matthew in their new Christmas Eve pajamas. 12/24/09. Credits: Santa's Workshop by Pamela Donnis at The Digichick. Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).

That’s is for now. It’s almost time for the kids to get home from school, and then we’re headed out for some long overdue flu shots for them. Oh, boy! LOL

New blog & Layouts!

2010-01-07T21:05:00.002-06:00

Besides switching things up here, I also set up a new separate blog! I’m taking a crack at doing Project 365 (photo a day) again this year. I tried last year, but bombed out after a few months. I haven’t decided yet what I’ll do with the photos besides posting them on the blog, but for now, hopefully there will be a photo up there for each day, along with a little explanation. I just did a quick hack on one of the basic templates to allow me to post larger pics, so a few things are a little wonky still, but I plan to keep it simple so that the focus is just on the photos. Anyway, after that rambling introduction, the blog is here (also linked in the gallery section of my sidebar).
On to the layouts…
PixelWorks came out with a bunch of new coordinating products for the January Artist-to-Artist at ScrapArtist. I am in love with all the fun, vibrant colors! I did two very different layouts. The first is a blendy one of Kaylee from Christmas…

Journaling: Kaylee, I loved watching you run and play with complete abandon in the magic of our Christmas snow. You were so excited and enthusiastic and free. I hope you are able to hold on to that joy and wonder throughout your life… able to appreciate the moment and just… soar. Dec. ‘09
Credits: all from PixelWorks' Artist to Artist: January at ScrapArtist - A Beautiful Mess {Watercolor Solids} and {Elements}, Crayon Scribbles.
Font: Pea Anderson
Next up, I just couldn’t resist playing around with some of the more “unique” elements, and my first ever true “quirk” emerged. It’s just for fun… the mix of the fish, crown, and tape measure was just too cute. :) Presenting… “Identity Crisis”. :)

Credits: all from PixelWorks' Artist to Artist: January at ScrapArtist - A Beautiful Mess {Watercolor Solids}, {Patterns}, {Elements}, and {Finishing Touches}; Crayon Scribbles; Crayon Alpha.
Then I dug into Pamela Donnis’ store for all kinds of delicious goodies to scrap my P365 photo from the 1st. :)

Journaling: Matthew had his New Year’s Day mug of “hot” cocoa after it had cooled. It left him with an unusual chocolate... beard? 1/1/10
Credits: By Pamela Donnis at The Digichick –
Papers, mug, labels: Homemade Happiness {Collab with Danielle Engebretson};
Stitching: Learning To Sew;
Paint: Smudged and Smeared;
Steam: Curly Whirly;
Alphas: Nearly Neutral, Magic Marker, and Cardboard Cuts.
Brads by Karah Fredricks, doodle border by Emily Merritt.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas).
That’s it for tonight! :)

Pardon My Dust

2010-01-07T14:07:00.002-06:00

I'm playing with a new layout. Things may be a little wonky for a bit. :)

Edit: Ok, I think I'm done! Let me know if you see anything missing, or anything that looks weird or wrong. :)

New Kit! Random Moments!

2010-01-06T13:53:00.001-06:00

I have a new kit out this week! I decided to play along with the current DSA Enabler Designer Challenge, and came up with a warm, eclectic kit to celebrate all the Random Moments in life!

It’s available as a full kit, and also in separate pieces (Papers, Elements, Alpha).

And I have a special 30% off Subscriber Only coupon for members of my Yahoo group! The coupon code (which expires January 10) is in the Welcome Letter or you can grab it from the Message Archives, so this would be a great time to JOIN if you haven’t already! :)

White Christmas!

2009-12-30T22:24:00.012-06:00

We actually had a white Christmas!! I think it's the first time since Mark and I have lived here. We've only had actual snow accumulation a few times over those last 18 years, and it's usually in January or February. This time it started coming down on the afternoon of the 24th mixed with rain, and then it was all snow, but there was a wicked wind. At first the snow was all melting right away, but it kept up through the night, and by morning there was an inch or so on the ground.

So Christmas morning after gifts and breakfast, we went outside and let the kids play in it. It wasn't good packing snow, so about all they could do was pick it up and throw it... mostly at Mark; I was safe since I had the camera. LOL

Once again, I was more than a bit shutter-happy. Basically, I kept shooting until I filled the card. We were outside about 40 minutes, and took 329 pics. (Ok, a few of them are from when I slipped a bit on the snow and accidentally fired. LOL) I have lots of action shots (the kids were running around almost non-stop the entire time), but the main thing that made it hard for me to choose which to post was just how much fun they were having in all of them. :)

Excuse the slightly weird colors in some of these. There was bright sunlight, but the part of the yard we were in was mostly in shade, so I did a quick and dirty edit on some of the deeper shadows.

The snow starts flying...

Kaylee decided to make snow angels.

Matthew winds up to launch at an unsuspecting Mark.

Look at that snow fly!

After the snow angel thing, Mark teased Kaylee about having snow all over her butt. She decided to get even by deliberately sitting in the snow and then rubbing it off on Mark. This scene was repeated several times. Crazy girl's backside must have been completely frozen. LOL

Loading up with a good handful...

I think Kaylee was on the receiving end of a snowball to the back in this one. LOL

I love how Mark plays along with all the kids' antics. Here's a shot of him dramatically over-reacting to Kaylee's attack.

I shot this one from across the yard, but I believe Mark was daring her to throw it in his face. Yeah, sometimes it's like I have one extra really big kid. LOL

The snow was mostly all melted by early to mid-afternoon, but it was cool to be able to say we had a white Christmas. :)

That's it for tonight! We were out all afternoon/evening, and now the kids are in bed and Mark is over at a friends' house, so I think I'll grab the rare opportunity to snag some TiVo time! :D G'night! :)

Christmas Morning

2009-12-30T20:47:00.006-06:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was very nice – in spite of Mark and I only getting 4 hours of sleep. We were up 'til 1a.m. getting everything ready, and then about 2a.m. an overly-excited Kaylee started waking up every hour or so and wanting to get up. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! LOL We finally caved and let her (all of us) get up at around 6 o'clock. I think those movies that show the kids streaming out of their rooms excitedly in full morning light are a pretty big stretch of fiction. We've never managed to make it to dawn on either Christmas or Easter. Everything's pretty much over by the time the sun is up around here. Makes for horrible pictures. LOL

Speaking of pictures, I went a little crazy snapping them. Here are a few random favorites out of the 272 I took that "morning"! (Can you call it morning if it's still pitch dark out?) LOL

The kids, fresh out of bed, Matthew still a bit sleepy, checking out what Santa left...

Kaylee, excitedly pointing out that Santa ate the chocolate and cookies we left him...

Matthew digging into his stocking...

I love his reaction to getting this game...

Kaylee was excited that she got a note from Santa explaining that he'd given her not one, but TWO of the Barbie Three Muskateers dolls, since she'd had a hard time deciding which to put on her list.

Another great reaction shot from Matthew as Kaylee shows him the Pez collection she got. I love how expressive Matthew's face is. There are several more pics like this. I may just do a layout entitled "The Many Faces of Matthew on Christmas Morning". LOL

All in all, it was a wonderful morning. I just love seeing how excited the kids get by it all. :)

Next up, Christmas Morning Part 2! :)

Layouts!!

2009-12-30T20:19:00.004-06:00

I'm so behind posting here again! I decided that instead of one ginormous post, I'm going to do a bunch of small ones, so I should have at least 2 more post either tonight or tomorrow. I'm sure there will still be stuff I'm skipping over. Maybe I can be a better blogger in 2010. :)

So the layouts... first up is my other ScrapDish layout for December. I got to play with Correen's from my Scrap Drawer: Collection # 1 and Crafty Colored Papers for this one! There was so much to choose from in the elements collection! I will definitely be using more later. :)

Kaylee loves to make silly faces when I take her picture. I love this shot of her with her eyes squeezed shut and her nose all scrunched up. :)

Credits: from my Scrap Drawer: Collection # 1 and Crafty Colored Papers by Correen Silke at ScrapDish.
Fonts: Pea Anderson, Broken 15.

I have one other CT layout that I can show you tonight. Unfortunately, Jessica Bolton is taking a design break, so without more of her wonderful inspirational designs (hint, hint, Jess) to keep me going, I decided to go ahead and take a shot at another CT, and was accepted! I'm thrilled to be creating for Pamela Donnis!! She has a fun, whimsical style that just makes me smile every time I see her products. :) I just got the news right before Christmas, and have had time so far to put together one layout. I can't wait to dig into more of her shop! :)

Here's a little page I did detailing our adventures in Christmas cookies last week. :)

Journaling: We always try to leave some fresh cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve. We’re not big bakers, so normally we do something super easy, like slice-and-bake holiday themed cookies, but this year we got brave and cut out shaped cookies (still using store-bought dough). It took a bit of trial and error to get the dough rolled out and the cut out cookies transferred to the pan (Mark actually ended up taking over that part), but eventually we got the hang of it, and the kids had a blast cutting and decorating them... and, of course, being able to gobble up the extra cookies was a nice reward too.

Kit: Homemade Happiness {Collab with Danielle Engebretson} in Pamela Donnis' shop @ The Digichick.
Fonts: LD Remington Portable, Pea Anderson, Dirty Ego.

That's it for now. Next up... Christmas morning! :)

Layouts!!

2009-12-04T20:39:00.010-06:00

I have a bunch of CT layouts to show you tonight. :)

First up are a couple with PixelWorks' latest releases for the new Artist to Artist coordinating products at ScrapArtist. I loved the snowy, wintry look of some of the pieces, so I went back to these pics of Matthew from 2004... the last time we had any appreciable snow. LOL

PixelWorks' Artist to Artist: December at ScrapArtist - Blustery Day Mini-kit, All the Trimmings, Fa-la-la Frames, Bits & Baubles, Wintry Alpha.
Fonts: Century Gothic, Calisto MT

And then a layout using the pic of the kids that we put in our Christmas newsletter last year.

PixelWorks' Artist to Artist: December at ScrapArtist - Elegant Holiday, Fa-la-la Frames, Bits & Baubles, Clip-tionary: Holidays. (title work cut from Clip-tionary pieces)
Font (date): Pea Swimmy Script

My friend Tania Shaw is guesting at The Digichick this month! I was thrilled to get to use her fun new Christmas kit, Krafty Xmas, to do these next two. :) The first uses a photo from the same shoot as the layout just above. :)

Journaling: Kaylee and Matthew wearing Christmas hats and their very best smiles during our annual newsletter photo shoot.
Kit: Krafty Xmas by Tania Shaw, December Guest @ The Digichick.
Fonts: LD Remington Portable, Dirty Ego.

This one uses a shot of our mantle after Santa filled the stockings last year.

Journaling: We found these adorable stockings at a little shop in the mall when Matthew was just a baby. Knowing we eventually hoped to have another child, and that we wanted to have the stockings all coordinate, we bought four. We took three of them down to the embroidery shop to have the names put on, and brought the fourth back three years later, after Kaylee was born. The stockings have hung on our mantle every year since, just waiting for Santa to fill them with goodies.
Kit: Krafty Xmas by Tania Shaw, December Guest @ The Digichick.
Fonts: Elegance, Times and Times again.

Finally, here's one I did today with one of my kits for ScrapDish this month. I was looking through some of my photos from this fall that I hadn't scrapped yet and knew this kit by Candice Wong would be perfect for this shot of Kaylee. :)

Journaling: Kaylee, in spite of your recent claim that you don’t like drawing very much, you still often become engrossed in it, spending long stretches of time with your Magnadoodle or paper and pencil or crayons. You create such fun, unique, and detailed drawings. I’m always delighted to see what you come up with and get a peek into your imagination. Photo 9/5/09, journaled 12/4/09
Kit: My love never expires by Candice Wong at ScrapDish
Font: Pea Anderson

That's about it for now. We're just trying to stay warm (it's 34°F here now, anything below 60°F is cold to me LOL) and get ready for Christmas. We rearranged furniture today to make room for the tree and pulled all the boxes out of the attic. We're hoping to get the bulk of the decorating done tomorrow. :)

Have a great weekend! :)

Catching up... layouts, pics, products

2009-11-21T17:08:00.011-06:00

The past month completely got away from me! So settle in for a good long catch up post! :)

Lets go with new products first, so if you're just here for that stuff, you'll be able skip the rest. ;)

I have a huge collab out that I'd been working on with a bunch of friends for quite a while. It was so fun to see everyone's styles come together. We finally got everything organized and into the store. I love the way it turned out!

Girlfriends is brought to you with love by Amy Knepper, Jessica Bolton, Kim Jensen, Melinda Staley, Robin Cabana, our friend Rose, Tania Shaw, and Tracy Blankenship. It's available in my shop in several options - papers, elements, templates, alphas, or full collection. There are some great sample layouts by Robin, Jess, and Raji there too. :)

Next up is a fun new alpha! Burst My Bubble is hand cut with a knife from a bubble-lined kraft envelope. It was quite a challenge to get this extracted, but I wanted something with a realistic edge to it. I'm so jazzed with the way it turned out!

It's on sale now through Monday, November 23rd at 40% off! And if you are a member of my Yahoo group, you can grab a coupon for an extra 25% off!!

Now on to layouts and stuff! :)

My second ScrapDish layout for October was using Caroline B's Earth Angel. I went waaay back and pulled a pic of Kaylee at about 11½ months old and just had fun playing. :)

Fonts: Hotel Coral Essex, Pea BethC

For November, I got to work with this fun kit by Shelly, Wintry Daze, and a template by our newest designer, Daniela.

Journaling: Just a sweet shot of Matthew when he was actually being cooperative and wanted his picture taken. 2/18/09
Fonts: Pea BethC, LD Letterpress

For my second November ScrapDish layout, you'll need to read all my rambling below and see it in context. LOL

PixelWorks came out with an awesome new kit that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on. Rebel Rock was so much fun to play with that I just had to do two layouts!

Journaling: Kaylee rockin' out in her Hannah Montana hair color. Age 6, 8/17/08
Credits: Rebel Rock by PixelWorks at Scrap Artist. Font: Pea BethC

DD was bright blue from her teeth to her chin after eating a ring pop from her Easter basket. :)
Credits: Rebel Rock by PixelWorks at Scrap Artist.
Font: VNI-HLThuphap
Ring pop doodle by me, based on image from ringpop site.

Now general stuff...

A few more shots of Kaylee from the previously mentioned red ribbon week. October 27 was pajama day and just also happened to be the day Kaylee got called to the principal's office. She had no idea why and was quite nervous, but it turned out that she was asked to down there to sign her name in the "Good Book" as recognition for a little "Stick Man" comic book she had drawn and written all on her own as a gift for her teacher. The teacher loved it, they read it to the class, and then she sent it on down for the principal to see.

The names of the kids who sign the "Good Book" are drawn at random to get to have pizza with the principal, and Kaylee was lucky enough to be drawn, so it was another nice treat for her. In my day, I don't think eating with the principal would have been considered a reward, but these kids love it. :)

October 30 was Kaylee's class' "Wacky Day". Here's the look we ended up putting together for her. :)

And a close up of the back of her hair, along with proof that she had her shirt on backwards, since the buttons are really the only way to tell. LOL

Now on to Halloween... first, the bad news in the form of my other ScrapDish November layout...

Journaling: Poor Kaylee broke out quite suddenly in a very mysterious, painfully itchy rash on Halloween afternoon. It started on her back and spread from there. She was terribly disappointed that she was unable to go trick-or-treating. As a bit of a consolation, Mommy went with Matthew and filled Kaylee’s bucket for her while she stayed home with Daddy. Photo 11/1/09
Kit: Spooky Mini kit by Red Leaf DigiScrapping at ScrapDish
Fonts: Pea Anderson, Bernard MT Condensed

We never did figure out exactly what caused the rash/hives. Our best guess is a contact allergy from concentrated detergent that didn't get rinsed well enough from her clothes. (I've been double rinsing everything since.) She never ran a fever, but the hives kept changing, moving from one spot to another. She'd get about two hours of relief out of every four-hour dose of Benedryl, and was so very miserable in between. The hives were still making random appearances on Monday, and there were a few minor flare-ups on Tuesday, but she was able to finally return to school on Wednesday.

Back to Halloween night, here is Matthew as Megatron defending his haul of candy...

Since Kaylee was unable to go trick-or-treating, we had little mini-party for her the following weekend. We had Bagel Bite pizzas and brownies with Halloween sprinkles, and then we all got dressed up and played games.

Here are Mummy Mark and the Glinda and Megatron in full Halloween gear...

And here I am with the kids, looking our most ferocious. ;)

I have some old costumes buried somewhere in my closet, but it's quite a mess, and by the time I found one, the party would have been over, so I just put on some creepy dark lipstick and grabbed a spooky old t-shirt from my brother's high school garage band. (I did say it was old. LOL) The kids were more interested in the lipstick, since I never wear makeup of any sort, let alone something that... um... blatant. :-b

The game of the night was In a Pickle. My folks had picked it up for us a while back, but we thought Kaylee was too young for it, so we just opened it for the first time that night. Kaylee still needed some help with a few of the words and strategy, but it was a lot of fun, and we played several more times after that. :)

I guess that's it for now. I'm sure I've skipped over a lot of stuff that's happened in the past month, but this post is more than long enough! I'll try not to wait so long next time. :)

Popu-lei-rity

2009-10-21T09:20:00.004-05:00

The kids' school is having Red Ribbon Week this week. Each day they have a different fun theme to emphasize making good choices and living drug-free. Monday's theme was...

(This is the sticker they gave all the kids.)

Kaylee was insistent that she needed to have a brightly colored lei to wear. Rather than drive across town to buy her a lei at one of the party or toy stores, Mark decided we (meaning mainly me) could make her one using some paper flowers he had as extra refills for a magic trick. Turned out to be waaaaay easier said than done. After much experimentation, I finally managed to attach the flowers to one of Kaylee's bead necklaces, and the result was this...

It turned out pretty cute and was a big hit at school. She got lots of compliments on it, and her PE coaches at the end of the day told her it was the best lei they had seen all day. Kaylee was grinning and so excited talking about it. I completely cracked up when she told me... "It hurt my neck, but I couldn't take it off, because I didn't want to give up my popularity!" I guess all the hassle for me and discomfort for her was worth it. ROTFL

Finally she had enough of me taking pictures of her...

But she was back begging for more a few minutes later, when I took her hair down and she saw the crazy waves that had resulted from it being put up damp in a "circle pony tail". LOL

And then, just because she was being cooperative, a couple more gratuitous shots...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday Kaylee brought home an art project from school that she was especially proud of. Introducing, straight from the door of our refrigerator, Mrs. Scull! (Kaylee's spelling. ;) )

She said the legs were bent because she ran out of room on the paper, but I thought it was fun because it looks like it's jumping. The whole project is so cute, but I think my favorite part is Mrs. Scull's bow and eyelashes. :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow, after all those photos, I'll have to do a mega-Matthew photo post sometime soon! He's been keeping busy mostly with schoolwork. He has a major history fair project due soon, and has just had lots of other homework in general.

Last night we spent a couple of hours studying state names, abbreviations, and capitols for the southeastern states for a quiz today. The previous region they studied was the southwest, and he only had four states to memorize, so the 12 states on this week's list was a big jump. Poor kid was so discouraraged when we started practicing, thinking he was never going to get them, especially having to also spell them all correctly. But this morning when I quizzed him, he pretty much rattled them all off instantly, only getting stuck for a moment on one of them. He was so proud! It was so great to see him conquer that. :) I hope the quiz goes smoothly for him!

October Storm

2009-10-03T22:32:00.007-05:00

I can't believe it's October already. September flew past in the blink of an eye. Our month started out with one heck of a storm.

Journaling: A ferocious storm moved in very suddenly just as Matthew’s karate class was ending. There was lots of thunder and lightning, and the rain was coming down in great white sheets. We waited out the worst of it inside the building, then made it home just in time for Kaylee to spot a rainbow as she looked out our back windows. 10/1/09

All papers and elements by Red Leaf DigiScrapping at ScrapDish -
Papers: Fun Times Paper Pack
Alpha: Dress Me Up Alphabets - Oversized Chipboard
Stitches: In Stitches
Frame: Sliced Up Photo Frames

Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

Other random happenings:

I took Matthew to pick out his Halloween costume yesterday. He is going to be Megatron from the Transformers. Granted, Kaylee and I had brought home a costume catalog for him to look through in advance, but it's amazing how much more painless it was for him to make his decision than it was for his sister.
We do the computer hand-me-down cycle here. Whenever I get a new machine, Mark gets my old one, and the kids then get his old one. The kids have been computerless for about a year and a half, since theirs had died and we were unable to get it fully working again. I finally got a new machine this past spring. I had a ton of files and applications to deal with getting transferred, and then Mark also had loads of files to sort through, so just yesterday we finally got around to getting his old one reformatted and set up for the kids. Thanks to an extra un-needed flat screen monitor from my mom & dad (thanks, Grandma Karyl & Grandpa Jim!) we were able to set the third pc up on our little kitchen desk much more easily than we had in the past with those ginormous CRT's. The kids are thrilled to have their own computer again, and I'm thrilled to not have to share with them as much anymore! LOL
Mark had some friends over for gaming today, and one of them brought along his newly adopted almost 13-year-old son so that he and Matthew could hang out together. I was worried that the age difference might be a problem (2½ years can be a lot at that age), but they had a great time playing video games. We relaxed the rules and let them play all afternoon/evening, while Kaylee played on the "new" computer. My head is still ringing with all the battle action and Hannah Montana music. I think you can guess which noises came from which activity. ;) Unfortunately for my poor head, my desk is right in the middle of it all. LOL

Crazy Freestyle Mischief

2009-09-29T16:41:00.003-05:00

Jess has a new kit out called Freestylin' Fall. It's loads of fun and so versatile! Here are two layouts I did with it, and I'm hoping to find time to do at least one more, since I'm itching to use the other pieces too. :)

First up is one with the kids just being their normal goofy selves a few weeks ago. :)

Kit: Freestylin' Fall by Jessica Bolton at Funky Playground Designs.
Fonts: Blackout Serif Px and Onder Px

Next is a shot of Kaylee taken that same day. I love the sparkle of fun in her eyes. :)

Journaling: Kaylee with mischief in her eyes. 9/6/09
Kit: Freestylin' Fall by Jessica Bolton at Funky Playground Designs.
Font: Bayern Handschrift NF

The kit is on sale this week, PLUS Jess has a coupon on her blog for an additional 15% off! Such a great deal!

In other news around here... well, there really isn't much news. LOL Kaylee and Mark are still suffering from allergies, but other than that, we're healthy for the moment. The kids' homework load has picked up quite a bit now that we're getting deeper into the school year, so it feels like that's all we're doing lately.

The kids, especially Kaylee, are getting really excited about Halloween already. We went and picked out Kaylee's costume this weekend. She's going to be Glinda from The Wizard of Oz. The kids saw the movie for the first time recently and loved it, so it seemed like an appropriate choice. She actually had her heart set on being a princess from the Mario Kart video game, but they don't sell pre-made costumes as far as we know (except custom-made, which was not in our budget), and she was less than confident in my ability to sew one for her. ROTFL Can't say that I blame her. It's been a long time since I sewed, and my cheap old machine is not the best, so I'm sure it would have been an exercise in frustration for both of us. I'll admit to being a bit relieved that she didn't take me up on my offer. LOL

Layouts again

2009-09-23T11:33:00.001-05:00

I really need to think of some more interesting post titles for when I just have layouts to post. LOL

I did my ScrapDish layouts this week. First up is one featuring Matthew doing his homework inside his "bed tent" last year. He had SO MUCH homework almost all of the time last year, and of course Kaylee would be finished with hers way before he was done with his. Since he's easily distracted, and it's nearly impossible to keep Kaylee quietly occupied for too long, he would often retreat to his room to work.

Journaling: 4th grade was a heavy homework year for Matthew, so he would often retreat to his bed to stay focused and avoid distractions (which usually came in the form of his little sister).

Papers: Radient Gradients by Connie Prince
Frame & stars: Cluster Date Frames by Connie Prince
Beads: Bead Buddies by Melinda Staley
Alpha: Stamped Alpha 1 by Melinda Staley
Staples: ScrapDish Designers Basics Collaborative Kit
All of the above from ScrapDish.
Font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

My other layout this month is quite different from my normal style, but the kit just pulled me in that direction. So I came up with this pretty little thing showing off a couple of shots of Kaylee this summer.

Tag: Kaylee, 6/24/09, age 7.
Background text: you are my sunshine, my only sunshine. you make me happy when skies are gray.

Kit: Day of Sun by Carola Mondini at ScrapDish
Fonts: LD Remington Portable, Pea BethC

Thanks for looking!

First Day layout, Camp, Star Student

2009-09-18T16:33:00.005-05:00

Howdy! I'm back with another layout! I had lots of fun scrapping a couple of the pics from the kids' first day of school with some of Jess' new goodies!

Journaling: We only had a semi-traditional 1st day of school this year. Flu the week before had meant no new clothes and no riding the bus the first morning (so Daddy could show Kaylee where her class was). But we did get our customary smiles at the front door.
All by Jessica Bolton at Funky Playground Designs.
Kit: Primarily Educational
Alpha: Basically Shadowed Alpha
Fonts: Onder Px, LD Remington Portable

Update on us... Matthew's fever and cough knocked him out for the rest of last week. He was well enough to go to his 5th grade camp this week though. They spent 2 nights at a facility about an hour northeast of here. He had a terrific time in spite of a lot of rain, with archery being his favorite part. He also went canoeing and fishing, played games, and had lots of nature lessons. He's just full of information on the prairies and plants and such now. :)

Kaylee ended up getting sick last week too. She missed school Thursday and Friday with a fever, but thankfully never developed much of a cough. She's doing fine this week, and as you may have guessed from the post title, she was selected to be her class Star Student today!! She gets all kinds of special privileges next week and just generally gets to be the center of attention. :)

I took a few quick shots of her with her certificates and let her pick which one to use. She chose this one because she thought it was funny that her eyes were so big. LOL She was trying not to blink, a tendency she inherited from her dad. ;)

We're mostly likely just going to keep the next couple of days low-key and hang out at home, especially since Matthew's still a bit drained from being sick/camp. I could do with some extra nap time myself. ;) Have a great weekend!

Sale!!!

2009-09-17T14:13:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know that ScrapDish is having a storewide sale this week! Everything in my store (excluding Dollar items) is 50% off right now!!

Also, my entire Cardboard Bits series is currently in the Recession Busters section, marked at just $1 each. So while not technically on "sale", they are also marked at 50% off their regular price!

Thanks for looking! Ill be back with a "regular" update soon! :)

Geekin' out!

2009-09-08T09:28:00.002-05:00

PixelWorks has a new kit out today called Geekazoid, and I squealed when I saw it! So packed full of delicious geekitude! First I just had to do a layout about how, in spite of my deep down geekiness, I used to absolutely hate computers. LOL

Journaling: I’ve always had more than a bit of a geeky side, and I was a major perfectionist and full-fledged bookworm by the age of six. As time went by, I also developed a strong interest in math, art, journalism, and architecture, among other things. I had a tough time deciding what field to go into when I entered college, but I finally settled on electrical engineering, since it seemed the most likely to provide a solid income. But while my liberal arts classes were fun and easy for me, and math and physics were an interesting challenge, I really struggled with my engineering classes. Eventually I got the hang of the complex theories and equations involved in circuit design and signal modulation, but at that time computers were still relatively uncommon in everyday life and very foreign to me. The fun I’d had learning a little BASIC in junior high and high school turned into frustration as I tried to decipher more complex programming languages, leading me to decide that I HATED computers. As I moved out into the working world, and computers got more user-friendly, I got more comfortable with them, but I still just viewed them as a tool. It wasn’t until several years later, when I discovered digital photography, building web pages, the magic of Photoshop, and eventually digiscrapping, that I truly came around. And today I can honestly say... [Hello. My name is Kim and I am addicted to my computer!]

Then I just had to come back and do a purely for fun layout using this super-cool TV! Don't the kids look cute in cyber-glasses? LOL

Text on computer: "Subjects: Matthew, Kaylee. Date: 05/18/09"
Text on walls: "Scrapped 9.6.09"

Hope you had a good Labor Day weekend! The kids and I just hung out and home and relaxed, while Mark went down to Houston for the annual state magic convention. Poor Matthew woke up yesterday with a cough though, and he had a fever by noon. Fortunately, he feels reasonably ok when the ibuprofen is working. But he's disappointed about having to miss school. Keeping my fingers crossed that this will be a quick thing, and he'll be able to go back in a couple of days.

Yet another layout...

2009-09-02T14:07:00.004-05:00

Yep, another one! :)

This is with PixelWorks' latest collab, this time with HGD by Laurie Ann. This kit is jam packed and works for a huge variety of layout subject and styles.

Journaling: Kaylee, playing with the hat Matthew had worn to school for “dress as your favorite book character” day. 4/3/09, almost 7, 1st grade

Kit: No Place Like Home by PixelWorks and HGD by Laurie Ann at ScrapArtist.
Font: LD Remington Portable

Not much else to report for today. I'm feeling somewhat better, so hopefully that trend will continue! :)

Back to School and More Layouts

2009-08-30T15:40:00.008-05:00

Well, unfortunately, Kaylee's fever was not just a 24-hour thing – it was a 36-hour thing, followed by a few days of stomach flu symptoms. And poor me, who also ended up sick, although with somewhat different symptoms, had to deal with most of it on my own while Mark was out of town at a magic convention. So Kaylee did miss meet-the-teacher day, but she was completely better in time to go to school on Monday. I did not bounce back so quickly, being majorly sidelined with fatigue and aches and upset stomach for several days after. And now that my body is slowly recovering from that, I have a sore throat moving in. The fun never ends. :-b

Anyway, although the illness completely disrupted our normal back-to-school prep routine, we did manage our traditional pics at the front door Monday morning. Here are a few of the best shots.

The kids, Kaylee especially, seem to have a problem maintaining eye contact. Her eyes were everywhere. And she keeps brushing her bangs "out of the way" even though they're nowhere near being in her eyes when they're down. LOL And Matthew now does this thing where he unconsciously slouches and/or tilts his head when posing, added to the existing cheesy fake smile. But at least I had two happy, healthy kids headed off to a good first day of school. :)

So we've gotten through the first week, although it doesn't quite feel "natural" again yet. The kids seem to be enjoying it so far. I haven't even seen Kaylee's teacher yet, since I was sick, so that feels really odd to me. I was well enough to go sit through the rambley 2-hour 5th grade parent orientation meeting Thursday night, so at least I've seen Matthew's teacher.

Because of the age difference, this will be the last year the kids both go to the same school. It's going to seem really odd next year to be sending them off at different times (the middle school schedule runs 45 minutes later) to different places!

On to the layouts...

First up is another ScrapDish layout. I went way back to Kaylee's earlier princess-y days (age 3½) to use this fun fairytale kit by Melissa Daniel.

Kit: Once Upon a Dream by Melissa Daniel at ScrapDish
Font: LD Remington Portable

Here's another one of Kaylee I did with Jessica Bolton's gorgeous "Glenda". I love the colors in this one and had used bits of it before, but this was the first time I used it as a whole.

Kit: Glenda by Jessica Bolton at Funky Playground Designs
Sketch action by MCP Actions.
Font: Bayern Handschrift NF

And finally, I don't normally even really look at CT calls, but I accidentally stumbled upon one for PixelWorks at ScrapArtist. I've always loved her style, so I applied on a whim and was over the moon when I got accepted! Here's my first layout for her, using an amazing collab with two other fab designers - Kate Hadfield and Rachel Young. This is the kids getting off the bus on their last day of school this past spring. It seems like it was just last week. Where did the summer go?!?!

Kit: Funky Junky Old School by PixelWorks, Kate Hadfield and Rachel Young at ScrapArtist
Font: Onder Px

That's it for now! Hopefully, I'll be back healthy next time!! :)

Flying on the Merry-Go-Round

2009-08-18T11:45:00.002-05:00

Just popping in with another layout! :) I did this one with Kristmess' Al D'ant'e Page Kit. It's got loads of fun picnic and grilling themed items, but I just loved the tree and the sunny sky paper, and thought they'd be perfect with this pic of Kaylee from her great-grandfather's birthday picnic this summer. She's such a spinny girl (just like me when I was a kid), so she loved the merry-go-round. :)

Poor kiddo is running a fever right now. It started yesterday afternoon, and spiked up during the night when her ibuprofen wore off. It's quite a bit lower so far today, so fingers crossed that it's just a 24-hour thing, and that Matthew doesn't get it! The kids have their "meet the teacher" on Friday and start back to school on Monday. I'd hate for this to drag out into something that made them miss any of it!

BOTCT Round 4 Layout!

2009-08-06T20:30:00.007-05:00

The voting for round 4 is not open yet, but I finished my layout way early, so I thought I'd go ahead and post it. :)

For this round we had to make a layout "lifting" features of other layouts by two of our teammates. I lifted Robin's (rmcabana) "Good Girl" (camera angle, toes popping out, lacing inspired by stitching on mat) and Melinda's (mmbstaley) "Rainbow Row" (title work, general composition). I love the way the layout turned out, especially the title and photo. And the models worked cheap... just a little extra dessert! LOL

(Click on it to see it bigger.)

Journaling: The older you two get, the more you seem to fight. Maybe it’s the gender difference, maybe it’s the age difference, maybe it’s just normal sibling rivalry. I don’t know, but whatever it is, it drives me up the wall. And then there are occasions when you are so sweet to each other and get along perfectly, and no one would guess that you ever have even the slightest flash of conflict. It’s those moments that make all the rest bearable. Thank goodness for those moments.

Credits -
Kit: Eclectic Scraps by Jessica Bolton's "Pastiche for the Boys | Full Collection" at Funky Playground Designs.
Fonts: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas), Broken 15 (Misprinted Type)

Not too much else going on around here right now. We've had a lot of storms lately. It seems unusual for this time of year. One moved in pretty quickly yesterday, and I didn't think to pick up the stuff in the yard. Kaylee and I sat and watched through the windows as the wind turned our little yard umbrella inside-out. It looked like a giant black and white striped flower. Eventually it turned right-side out again, and then just as we thought the storm was over the wind started up again and pulled the umbrella out of the ground and tossed it over the fence into the neighbors' yard. It was crazy! Apparently it landed upside-down just over the fence, so Mark was able to get a step stool and retrieve it this morning.

We've got 2½ weeks left until the kids go back to school. I think this summer has gone by faster than any I can remember. It's so hard to believe this will be Matthew's last year of middle school! Where did the time go?!?!?

BOTCT Round 3 Layout!

2009-08-03T13:51:00.002-05:00

It's another BOTCT layout!! This time our team had to come up with a formula for the number of items we would use according to a countdown type format. Our formula was:
10-flowers
9-buttons
8-stitches
7-journaling strips
6-staples
5-arrows
4-papers
3-photos
2-alphas
1-font

Here's my layout with a few pics I snapped of Kaylee at a park in Iowa on our road trip last month.

Journaling: Kaylee was so very proud and excited as she mastered the playground. July 11, 2009

Credits: All from Eclectic Scraps by Jessica Bolton at Funky Playground Designs (some items not currently available).
10-flowers: Delight in Photographs Part 3 (3), Delight in Photographs Part 2 (2), Little Darlin' (1), Thrifty Blooms (3), Brighten Up Winter (1)
9-buttons: Outnumbered Girl (1), Whatever Mama! (1), Eclectic Needs Variety Designer Variety (2), Eclectic Needs Variety Neutral Colors (5)
8-stitches: Eclectic Needs Variety Basic-n-More Stitches (6), Delight in Photographs Part 3 (1), Home Life Eclectic Kit (1)
7-journaling strips: Little Darlin' (7)
6-staples: Teeny-Tiny Torn Tags (6)
5-arrows: Delight in Photographs Part 2 (1), Painted Arrows (4)
4-papers: Delight in Photographs Part 3 (1), Delight in Photographs Part 2 (1), Thrifty Solid Pack No. 1 (2)
3-photos
2-alphas: Teeny-Tiny Torn Tag Alphabet, Thrifty Stamped Alpha
1-font: Pea Anderson (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

And the Round 3 voting is on! You can see all of my team's layouts here and go vote for Jessie's Girls here. And it looks like the voting glitch from last round has been fixed! At least I haven't seen any complaints yet! LOL

Just one more round to go! it will be interesting to see if I can keep my scrapping momentum going once the contest is over! LOL

Introducing Pinned Purple Paper!

2009-07-30T10:53:00.005-05:00

I finally took some time to design again this week!! And I've got 2 new coordinating products to show you!

I don't know exactly why, but I've always loved these little purple tags that come home pinned to our dry cleaning, and I thought they would make a really fun touch for a layout. So I created a Pinned Purple Paper alpha!

I also created a matching date set!

AND I have a special offer!! Buy BOTH and save 25% off your entire order from my store!! See details here!

But, WAIT, there's MORE! LOL I also have a coupon just for my Yahoo Group subscribers to save an ADDITIONAL 15% off their order! So if you haven't joined yet, now's the time! The code will be in the welcome letter, or you can check the message archives. :)

That's it for now! gotta get back to working on my layout for the next round of BOTCT! :)

Two more layouts!

2009-07-27T11:33:00.003-05:00

Just popping in with a couple more layouts!

First up is one I created with one of Tracy's fab new templates, and a bunch of stuff from the ever-awesome Jess. Even though Matthew has had these sunglasses for ages, he still insists on leaving the price sticker on. LOL

Matthew @ City Park, Father's Day, 6-21-09.

Tracy Blankenship at Funky Playground Designs -
Template: Templates w/Attitude Trios Set 8
Circle stitching: Stitched Bonus (no longer available)

Jessica Bolton at Funky Playground Designs -
Thrifty Bubbly Acrylic Alphabet: clear bracket
Thrifty Stamped Alpha: stamped bracket, title alpha
Homegirl's Gettin' Frilly: notebook paper
Pastiche for the Boys: folded paper (blended), staples
Home Life: splatters, arrows
Thrifty Graph Paper Cut Outs: paper strips
PooChi: red paper behind photos
Peddler's Pants (not currently available): black paper
Thrifty Solids (not currently available): all other papers

Font: Pea BethC (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)

Next up is this week's entry for the DSA Battle of the CT's. We had to use music to choose a theme for our layouts. Our theme is the Five for Fighting song "100 Years". We each chose an age from the lyrics and created a layout inspired by the song.

Journaling: Me... at twenty-two. Looking back, it seems like another lifetime. It was quite a year for me. Being engaged to Mark and planning our wedding. Graduating from college. Spending the summer in Champaign, unsuccessfully job hunting. Moving back home, delivering pizza. Getting the call to come to Dallas for an interview... the interview that would play such a huge part in the course of my future. Suddenly moving across the country on my own. Mark visiting for the holidays on his school breaks. Traveling for my job to lots of interesting (and somewhat less interesting) places. Meeting new people from all over the world. Learning new things... about telephone switches... and people... and myself. Spreading my wings. Taking on new responsibilities. Life was scary... and exciting... and stressful... and exhilarating. I was so young, and yet so sure of myself. Looking back, I’m blown away at how well I handled it all. 22 was truly amazing. Photos 1990-1991, Journaled 7-23-09.

Credits: All from Eclectic Scraps by Jessica Bolton.
At Funky Playground Designs -
Whatever Mama: "t" alpha
Unamused Boys v2: "o" alpha, heart, wire, stitching
Pastiche for the Boys: staples, "M" alpha, light blue flower, leaves, background paper
Thrifty Graph Paper Cut Outs: doodled flower, circle, arrow
Authentic Vintage Mats: frames
Teeny-Tiny Torn Tag Alphabet: "e" alpha
Teeny-Tiny Torn Tags: clear tape
Summertime Potentialities: pinned ribbon
Outnumbered Girl: "m" alpha, wood button, aqua-brown flower, clipped ribbon, striped ribbon
Delight in Photographs Part 2: "n" alpha, turquoise & green 4-petal flowers, masking tape

Not currently available -
¬Not Quite Men: ricrac, leaf, frayed fabric, journaling strip
Brighten Up Winter: white "2"
Cornfed: dark "2", teal flower
Eclectic Needs Variety: metal buttons
Make Me Eclectic: open pin with tag
Folded Ribbon Blooms: green ribbon flower

Font: Pea BethC (Kevin & Amanda's Fonts for Peas)
Photo credits: graduation and building - my dad, Halloween - my brother-in-law, Royal Gorge - a coworker, all others - my dh.

You can see the other layouts from my team here. They turned out really cool! And, of course, your vote for Jessie's Girls would be greatly appreciated! :D (If you voted last week, you need to either clear your cookies first, use a different browser, or use a different pc. It should say "Thank you for voting!" if it worked right.)

Um, yeah, 6 more months...

2009-07-20T17:09:00.015-05:00

Sigh. Time flies too fast!

I've been putting off blogging, because I've been working on a nifty new blog template, actually more like a total overhaul, but I keep changing my mind about what features I want to use and what I want the layout to look like. At this rate, who knows when I will finish. LOL

So I decided to pop in here and say hi anyway! :D

We just got back from our summer road trip, and the kids are driving me up the wall again already. LOL I've been distracting myself by doing lots of scrapping this week. I actually have several other layouts from before that I haven't shown you either, but I'll save those for another day, or you can go check out my DST gallery if you're really interested.)

First up is a spread I did of July 4th... three years ago! LOL I actually forgot to take my camera with me this year. Mark got a few shots with his iPhone, but I haven't gotten them from him yet.

Here it is tiny; click on it to see it huge!)

Journaling: Matthew and Kaylee had a wonderful time at the small town parade that Great Grandpa Mervin took us to in Williams, Iowa. Grandma Jan helped them pass time waiting for things to start by showing them how to braid clover stems. The parade was full of local kids on bikes and tractors and horses and wagons. We even spotted one with my maiden name painted on the side! Of course, the kids’ favorite part was all the candy they collected!

Kit: Freedom Star by Candace Duffy Jones at ScrapDish
Template: Double Up Template 1 by Red Leaf DigiScrapping at ScrapDish
Bead alpha, bow: ScrapDish Designers Basics Collaborative Kit
Fonts: LD Letterpress, Bradley Hand ITC

Next up is one of Kaylee I did for the current Hodge Podge challenge! This one was very different for me and loads of fun to do!

(Yes, I know the K is backwards. it looked better that way. LOL)
Kit: Momma Joe by TotallyD Designs at ScrapDish.
Worn edge overlays by SomethingBlueStudios and Amy Wolff.
Pristine Chipboard Action by Atomic Cupcake.
Fonts: Bookman Old Style, Pea Anderson.

Finally, DigiscrapAddicts is having a Battle of the Creative Teams, and I'm entered along with 4 of my fellow Jessica Bolton CTMs as team Jessie's Girls! The first challenge was to scrap white space layout, coordinating our colors (and optionally theme) as a team. We decided on blue, red and brown (with a little black and white thrown in for good measure), and a theme of "Favorite ______". Here's what I came up with:

Credits: All from Eclectic Scraps by Jessica Bolton.
At Funky Playground Designs -
PooChi|full collection: brown ribbon with hardware, red ribbon, acrylic "favorite" alpha (including staples)
Trixi Pix: frame and overlay on photo
pastiche for the boys: staples on ribbons
Thrifty Doodled Alpha: "distraction"
Little Darlin' Eclectic Mini: ribbon on tag, heart, ricrac
Eclectic Needs Variety Basic-n-More Stitches: cross stitch
Bohemian Peddler Eclectic Mini: button, tag
Not currently available - Thrifty Solids Pack No. 3: background paper
Fonts: Broken 15 from Misprinted Type (date on tag), LD Remington Portable by Lettering Delights (journaling).

You can see the rest of my team's awesome layouts here, and if you'd like to vote for us (hint, hint), you can do that here!

I think that's it for today! You'll at least see me back here next week, when the voting opens for the next round! LOL

And a decade went whoosh...

2009-01-19T22:23:00.005-06:00

January 1999...

And then suddenly one morning he was coming down the hall from his room, arms raised triumphantly in the air, declaring "I'm ten!!!"

(deliberate artistic angle by Kaylee)

He opted for cash instead of a big party, but had one of his best friends over today to help him celebrate with lots of video game time, worm and dirt cupcakes (Matthew's request after recently seeing pictures from his 5th birthday), and a few gifts. He was happy and content, and had a wonderful day. :)

Yep, ten candles make a heck of a lot of smoke (which is what he is laughing at), and 10 years seem to have disappeared almost as quickly as that smoke.

Happy Birthday, my dear son. :)

DSD Sale and FWP Mega Kit!

2008-11-01T10:42:00.002-05:00

I'm have a BIG sale all week long to celebrate Digital Scrapbooking Day! Everything in my shop (except dollar bin items) is 40% off now through Nov. 7!!!

AND the ScrapDish designers have put together an amazing and HUGE kit, which you can get FREE with a $9.99 purchase from any designer this Saturday and Sunday only, Nov. 1-2!!!

This kit regularly sells for $14.99 and is a steal even at that price! See store for details. Hurry over now!!

Happy shopping and scrapping!! :D

More layouts! :)

2008-10-07T19:33:00.014-05:00

The last two weeks have whizzed right by! We've just been keeping busy with the usual stuff. We all had some pretty major allergies (I even had to take Matthew in to see the doctor for his), but that seems to have passed now.

The kids had picture day at school last week, so we had to go get haircuts and new shirts for that. If it goes like usual, it will probably be another month at least before we get the actual photos back. We decided to order a small package of prints this year, along with a CD that we can use to print our own. I think it's the first time they've offered that option at a reasonable price, and I think it will work out much better for us.

I got a few layouts done for various things. First up is one I did for a challenge at Peppermint Creative. The challenge was to use a photo of yourself with Totally Rad's sample actions, and Peppermint Creative stuff to scrap it. The photo of me is from about 3 or 4 years ago, and I had no idea what I was going to do with it until I started playing. I just kind of let the kit take the lead. :) I didn't win the random draw for the prize, but it was chosen as one of their "Mintspirational Monday" layouts so that was pretty cool!

Journaling: Nerd. Chick. Rock star - NOT. Creative. Wannabe computer geek. Sweet girl. Hot mama.... Whatever. Just me.
Totally Rad Photography Actions: Slice Like a Ninja, Lux (hard), Troy, Boutwell Magic Glasses (overlay), Bitchin B&W (50%).
Font: Typical Writer by Carl Johanson.
Everything else by Miss Mint at Peppermint Creative -- Papers: Rebel One, Recycling Bin (blended). Most elements: Rebel One. Notepaper alpha, staple, ripped cardboard: Recycling Bin Bits. Doodled line: Frozen Slush. String: Lilac Garden. "Sweet": Candy Fairway. Brad: Cinnamon Tea. Measure stamp, doodle circle on heart: Little Bug. "Hot mama": Foxy Lady (recolored). Heart: Pop Rock Graffiti. Stitching: Casual Friday. Circle alpha: Skid Sticker Alphabet

Next up is one I did with SBG's latest collab, "Impressions of Comfort" for Jess' CT. The pics are from ones I took to do calendar magnets for the grandparents last year. We used the top left small one, but I thought the others were cute as well. :)

Journaling: Kaylee and Matthew posing for a calendar pic for our Christmas gifts for the grandparents. 11/25/07
Credits: Impressions of Comfort by Scrapbookgraphics Studiogirls
Fonts: LD Remington Portable, the King & Queen font, and CK Ali's Hand Official

Finally, one I did for a blog challenge Meredith Fenwick ran as part of SBG's big birthday party last weekend. Only three people entered, so Meredith, being the amazingly generous person that she is, awarded all of us the prize!!!! I got a bunch more of her fabulous goodies that I'm hoping to scrap with soon!

Journaling: I love the sparkle in your eyes. Kaylee 1-29-08.
Credits: Meredith Fenwick – Make It Yours contest template; Papers, brad: September Afternoon; Jeweled ornaments, staples, photo corners: Everyday Inspiration Elements.
other: Totally Rad photo actions; fonts - LD Remington Portable, Hyrule.

SBG is such a fun place to hang out and so inspirational. They went all out for the birthday celebration with prizes and chats and challenges. I didn't have time to do any other challenges, but I did win Maya's Anniversary Collection by answering a trivia question at a chat and a gift certificate to Baers Garten's shop for making a lucky guess in "Battleship". LOL More yummy stuff I need to try to use soon!

In other non-scrappy news, Kaylee was chosen as a Citizen of the Month for September! They choose one student from each class who has best demonstrated whatever the quality is for that month. September was respect. She got one last spring too, but I can't remember what the quality was. They had an assembly at the school for the "citizens" and then a little breakfast thing that the parents could come to and take pictures when they presented them their certificates. Matthew had never gotten Citizen of the Month, so he was really jealous, especially that she got to have donuts at the breakfast (a whole 3 donut holes LOL). Here she is with the principal and assistant principal getting her certificate.

On a totally unrelated note, tomorrow just happens to be the 3-year anniversary of this blog!! My first full post was about our trip to the state fair, which I later turned into journaling for a 5-page spread! LOL I haven't always been the best blogger, but I still think that's kind of cool. I enjoy going back and looking at the old entries, remembering all the little things I would have completely forgotten otherwise. :)

That's it for now! Hope you're having a great week! :)

Garden Pop is back in a big way! Another layout! :)

2008-09-23T12:06:00.005-05:00

Hooray! I finally finished the full kit version of my Garden Pop. Since it got so much bigger, it's now called Garden Pop {Exploded}! LOL It's all 30% off this week! And if you haven't joined my Yahoo Group, this would be a great time to do that, since you can grab a coupon for an additional 25% off anything in my shop! (Just check the message archive.)

So here it is! Click on images to go to store!

See what I mean? It exploded!! LOL

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And here's the new layout. Another one with a Tracy template. She has been in a creative frenzy lately! I can't even make a dent in the amount of new product she's put out lately! You need to go check out her store!

Lables: Kaylee as Princess Jasmine from Disney's Aladdin, Matthew as Darth Vader from Star Wars

Template: Toolbox 12 - Spookie Cutie by Tracy Blankenship at FPD
Kit: Spooky Bucket of Fun (recolored/blended) by Corina Nielsen at FPD
Fonts: Swingdancer by Chank, Acoustic Bass by Design 76 Type - Bradford Cox

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On the homefront, we're having our kitchen floor replaced again this week. We had a new engineered wood floor put in this spring to replace the absolutely destroyed original 13-year-old vinyl (think curling seams and duct tape). Turned out we got a bad run of product. The finish started coming up in spots. So after the contractors went round and round with the distributor and manufacturer, we're finally there. They ripped out the old floor yesterday (which was glued down to last a lifetime), and started installation on the new one today. Woo hoo!

That's about it for now. Just business as usual on everything else! Have a great week! :)