Happy Scrappy

End of Summer

2007-09-20T06:16:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged most of the summer. It's been really busy, spending time with my new niece and goddaughter, relaxing, going for hikes, reading a lot and finding a new author I absolutely love. I wish I could say that I've been designing too, but I haven't though I do have some ideas running through my head now. Hopefully, I'll have something for you in the next couple of weeks or so.

Fall is my favorite time of year - not too hot, not too cold, football, hockey, curling, cool nights with a fire and mulled cider or hot cocoa. And it inspires me as no other season does with its profusion of color and texture and scent.

Happy Canada Day!

2007-07-01T17:13:00.001-05:00

July 1st already? I don't know where this year has gone. But, today is a day of celebration. It's Canada Day or, as it used to be called, Dominion Day. So if you are Canadian, have a wonderful day and enjoy the fireworks tonight.

Summer Fun Doodles & Brushes

2007-06-04T22:06:00.000-05:00

It has been a long, very long, time since I have had a free*bie for you on my blog. I had drawn these last year, sometime in the fall. But, then I got busy making other things and never offered them. These doodles were all hand-drawn and scanned in, cleaned up somewhat. They come with a Photoshop brush set. It was done in CS2. Here they are:

To download them, just click on the preview. If you do download them, please leave me a comment. Thanks!

Make a Wish(List) Contest Over

2007-06-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

The Make a Wish(List) Contest is now over. Though I know people were aware of it, I only had 2 entrants. As a result, I have decided to give both something from their wishlists. Congratulations Erin-Joi and Sharon. I will be emailing you in the next couple of days with your gifts. Thank you so much for participating!

Make a Wish(List) Contest

2007-05-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

The Make a Wish(List) Contest is inspired by Doris Castle's generosity, see 2 posts down for more on that. I'd like to respond to her generosity by making someone else's wish come true.

So, from now until May 31 at midnight eastern time, comment with your email and a link to your digiscrap Kaboodle wishlist or any wishlist you may have at any digiscrap store (please post all lists in one comment). On June 1, I will ask my DH to randomly pick a number (from 1 to however many responses I get). Then, I'll look at that person's wishlist(s) and pick something (or maybe more than one something) that I will purchase for that person. Designers are welcome to enter this contest too, btw. :) Please know that while the winner will be announced June 1, it may take a day or two for the item(s) to reach them.

I hope that this will inspire someone else to host a Make a Wish(List) Contest of their own, and so on...

Good luck, everyone.

Feeling Kinda Out of the Loop

2007-05-26T09:11:00.000-05:00

So, I'm sitting here trying to figure out how it is I missed Carrie Stephens' wonderful style. I've seen (and even downloaded) some of her freebies over the years, but with the release of her Vivacious kit (currently on sale at Fishscraps), I am reawakened to her as a designer. In an industry where I often don't buy kits because they are so similar in color and theme to kits I already own, I actually added 3 or 4 kits as well as the entire Vivacious kit (kit and 2 add ons) to my Kaboodle. Her style is fresh and different, fun but not too girly.

If you haven't checked out her stuff in detail before, check her out at Fishscraps and Scrapbook Graphics because I really think that you'll like her.

Can I Say Thank You Enough?

2007-05-11T20:19:00.001-05:00

I don't really think so. I just want to say thank you again to Doris Castle who noticed my Kaboodle wish list contained her Groupies sets and who very generously granted my wish. If you get the chance, if you have something in your own "to buy" list that's Doris's, I encourage you to visit her blog and her store.

More Sales

2007-05-08T06:36:00.001-05:00

I knew I'd be doing more shopping and indeed, I have. Some Elemental Scraps designers have sales and coupons that run either though the middle of this month or the end of this month and their March mega it is seriously on sale. This kit is gorgeous!! So, of course I had to buy it. Well, off for now.

Wow! What a weekend

2007-05-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

So Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day and the digi community was all abuzz. I literally spent all of Saturday in one chat room or another and let me tell you, they were fantastic!! I can't say that I spent much (though I am planning to spend some today and in the middle of the month). Chats at DST and the Sweet Shoppe probably were some of the best I have ever attended and of course, I enjoyed RAKScraps 8 pm chat. And even better (LOL) were the chat prizes and gifts. There was literally something for everyone!

I want to thank especially Ashley Bailey at Digital Divas Designs (www.digitaldivasdesigns.com), Grace Bennett at DST (www.digishoptalk,com), Melanie Colosimo at Elemental Scraps (www.elementalscraps.com). Ladies, you are the best and may I say that I absolutely love everything I bought. Oh, and Ashley, you are so right, once I took a good look at your Pepper Grass kit I fell in love.

I didn't get a lick of scrapping in during the weekend, but hey... there's plenty of time for that after the sales. And speaking of sales, I am very much looking forward to the upcoming Shabby Princess and ScrapArtist sales.

And here she is...

2007-04-04T19:50:00.000-05:00

... my new niece. This is my second LO of her. The first was with a quickpage which is gorgeous, but not my own design. This layout just flowed and oh, I am soooo in love. :)

Credits: Papers are from Laurie Garza's Soft and Serene paper pack and Bad Candy's Sky kit (Polka Dot Potato); flowers from Misty Cato; jewels from Holly McCaig's Bling Fastener's; swirly frame from Cottage Arts; I can't figure out who's journaling strip this is ; and font is Scrap Sweetness.

Bad, Bad Blogger

2007-03-28T16:02:00.000-05:00

OK - so that just totally was wrong!! For ages, I couldn't get into my Blogger account. Now that I am finally back, I have wonderful news. My sister had her first child a week and a half ago. I used Rina Kroes' Tread Softly freebie quickpage to make her first ever layout and it was perfect! Unfortunately, I can't post it right now, but I will later with full credits.

Oh wow! It's here!

2007-01-16T16:00:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday I told you that I had something cool, but it was with someone else. And now, it's here. I know it may seem like something small to some, but I am really excited. Krista Mettler, one of my favorite designers, let me make a quick page to offer to you all with a paper pack she offered on her blog last fall. I added a couple of embellishments I had designed on my own. If you've been reading my blog since it started, you'll recognize it right away. You can get the quick page here or at her blog. In either case, you should definitely check her out if you haven't already. Below is the preview. I'd love to see any layouts you do with this and I'm sure Krista would too. Oh, and if you leave a comment for me, please also leave a comment for Krista.

Until later...

Bad Blogger - That Would be Me, Not the Service

2007-01-15T17:21:00.000-05:00

I have been highly remiss in blogging lately. Chalk it up to the holidays and not being home. But, I am here and there is stuff in the works. Actually, one thing pretty cool but since it involves someone else too, I can't say at this time.

Also, I am about to take down all the free*bies I have offered so far. After this, when I start selling, they will be available for sale only. I had a great time making them and I am still growing as a designer, so keep coming back; there will be new designs available.

Well, gotta head out, my foot is better (still going to physical therapy though) and I am getting myself ready for curling so until next time...

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Yule, Seasons Greetings

2006-12-23T23:06:00.000-05:00

And so Christmas is upon us. It has been fun looking for gifts for those I love. I even managed to sneak in a little something special for my DH. While this has meant my time has not been my own, so to speak, I managed to finish up the Shimmering Snowflakes kit with the last papers which you can download here. There's no preview on the blog, but if you have been following and downloading the pieces you now have a complete kit. Included in this last zip file is a preview of the complete kit.

Let me wish you the very best of holidays no matter what you celebrate at this time of year.

Edit: This kit is no longer available.

Woo Hoo! Great foot news and a Free*bie

2006-12-03T12:08:00.000-05:00

I am so excited! The doctor says I won't need surgery. I have a walking boot and I'll be in it for the next month, then have a bit of physical therapy. It looks like I'll be curling for the second half of the season. So, that's my good news.

And now for the free*bie. It's a small add-on to the Shimmering Snowflakes Mini Kit. Preview is below. As always, I'd love to hear from you if you download them and also love to hear from you if you post online somewhere using one of my designs.

Download

Until next week...

Edit: This kit is no longer available.

Happy American Thanksgiving!

2006-11-22T16:15:00.000-05:00

I don't have a free*bie for this post... I know boo! hiss! If you want a Thanksgiving free*bie you can look several posts down where there is one though. I just want to wish everyone who is about to celebrate Thanksgiving a safe and happy holiday. With food, football, family, and lots of naps what could be better? Well, I'm off now... gotta get ready to head out - going to Mom's for turkey.

Later...

Ankle Sprain News and Finally, the Free*bie

2006-11-19T23:10:00.000-05:00

So, apparently it isn't just an ankle sprain. No, it just could not be that easy. The preliminary diagnosis is a ruptured plantar facia and torn tendons on the top of my foot as well along with the difficulty with the ankle. My curling half season is truly officially over! I am so not happy about that, especially since if the MRI shows that the diagnosis is right I will probably need surgery to fix the damage. Ugh!

But, because I missed last week's freebie and this one is so late, this is a mini kit called Shimmering Snowflakes. Preview is below. As always, I'd love to hear from you if you download them and also love to hear from you if you post online somewhere using one of my designs.

Download

If you are having trouble with the download, after you click download here, please make sure that you scroll to the bottom of the page. It will direct you to wait 18 seconds and then the download button will appear. Click there and the download dialog box will pop up.

Until next week...

Edit: This kit is no longer available.

Severe Ankle Sprain, Out 4 to 6 Weeks

2006-11-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

OK - so this is what you might see on the injury report if I were a pro athlete. I'm not, and it's still the injury report. It's also why I had no freebie for you last week. I'm sorry. Saturday night I landed in the ER with a severely swollen ankle that was bruised and extremely painful to the touch. And now, I'm on crutches, my curling half season is over, and I have an appointment with the orthopedist tomorrow. While the fewer curling hours I log should in theory give me more time to create, my DH is putting me in the recliner with no hope of early parole when I get home at night to keep my foot elevated. Hence, no curling and less computer time. ARGH! I need that computer. I need to get DH to take some photos so I can scrap this fun as a memento of my first ever serious injury. Well, better get to working. I will get out a freebie this week, so head back over later.

Too tired to curl so here's a free*bie

2006-11-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

First, let me say how much all your feedback and encouragement has meant to me. I was awed by your comments. Thank you.

OK - so I have officially curled too much in one week, but it was so much fun. We lost our second straight game... not that I curled all that well myself. Ah well, it's really just for fun.

But, what you really came here for is previewed below. These photo corners are this week's gift. As always, I'd love to hear from you if you download them and also love to hear from you if you post online somewhere using one of my designs.

Download

Until next week...

Edit: This kit is no longer available.

A week of curling & a free*bie

2006-10-28T20:19:00.000-05:00

OK - so too many days at the curling club leaves limited time to do other things, like make these bead strands and stickpins, but it is soooo much fun! I'll be curling 4 days (5 draws) a week and I'll be at the club 5 days a week. But I love curling and once I'm on the ice, the world and all its annoyances and frustrations just disappear which is great.

But, I still want to be sending out freebies at least once a week. So, here is this week's freebie for you. Four strings of beads in autumn colors and three matching stickpins. They're great for any autumn, Halloween, or Thanksgiving layouts. Hope you enjoy. And please, if you use them and post your LO somewhere, let me know so I can leave you some luvin. As always, I ask that if you do download the freebie, you leave me a comment.


Download

Until later...

Edit: This kit is no longer available.

Disappointing Weekend

2006-10-23T08:05:00.000-05:00

So, dh got the flu over the weekend... what a bummer! It meant we didn't get to do our big Skyline Drive hike and consequently no photos. So, I am hoping that a bit closer to home this coming weekend will still get me some good photos. I *am* doing that layout! I don't have anything else really except that the curling season is starting this week and we are very excited about that. When dh gets over the flu we'll be in good shape. I'm planning to have a blog gift this week so stay tuned.

A Thanksgiving Word Art

2006-10-16T10:11:00.000-05:00

With Thanksgiving just around the corner (in the U.S.) and just over (in Canada), I thought a little something was in order. The preview and download link are below. Since Blogger shrinks the pictures, you might want to click on the preview to see it better. The paper isn't included in the download. If you download it, please leave me a comment. Thanks!

Download
I'm looking forward to picture taking this Sunday so I can finally make the layout I though of when I made the fall word art. I'll post some of the photos and the layout. Gotta shout out an early thank you to Krista Mettler because her latest blog freebie paper pack is going to be used in the layout. If you haven't been to her blog (Skye Scrapz), you *have* to visit. There's a link to the right for her blog.

Until next week...

Edit: This kit is no longer available.

A hockey night and wordart

2006-10-08T18:59:00.000-05:00

So, my dh & I drove to Columbus Friday so I could see "my" hockey team (Vancouver Canucks) play live for the only time this season. Columbus was the closest to us that they would play. The drive up was beautiful, the fall foliage really beginning to look lovely. As so often happens, I got a vision of a layout I knew I would make. I don't have the photos yet; I'll take them on the 22nd. But I made the word art that I "saw" and you can download it for free. The preview and download link are below. The paper is not included. If you download it, please leave me a comment. Thanks!

Download

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the hockey game was fantastic, not only did my team win, my favorite player (not on the Canucks) had a fantastic start on his new team.

Edit: This kit is no longer available.

Night Photos

2006-10-05T20:14:00.000-05:00

I'm not a photographer of any note; the running joke is how many photos I need to take to get a good one, mostly because my hands aren't very steady. But, last month I learned a valuable lesson in night photography. September 10 and 11 the Pentagon lit up the sky, one light for each person who died there on 9/11. I was determined to get photos of the light display so went up to our roof (I live a mile from the Pentagon) to get some. As usual in the dark, I turned on the flash. I snapped a couple of shots but behind me were a couple talking about turning off the flash. So, I decided to try it. Wow! What a difference turning off the flash made. My early shots were terrible and you could barely see any light at all, but all the shots without the flash came out bright and great. From now on when I take night photos of a lit area I am not using my flash. You can see the difference between the flash (top) photo and the non-flash (bottom) photo.

You can see the memorial layout I did with this photo here.

Autumn Treat: Apple Cider Kit

2006-10-04T15:23:00.000-05:00

In September I got really excited about the ScrapArtist Apprentice challenge and thought I'd give it a go. I'm looking to start selling my designs and figured I'll never do it if I don't put myself and my work out there. So, I created a mini kit and submitted it. I knew when I designed it that it didn't fit with the overall style at ScrapArtist, but hey, it's my current design style. I didn't make it out of the first round but that's ok. Afterward, I added to the kit - some new papers (with a technique I picked up after I had entered) and a few extra embellishments (some of which I had decided not to include in the challenge mini kit) and offered it as a RAK at RAKscraps. The preview of the kit is below and you can go to RAKScraps to get it.

Keep checking back; I'll be adding new stuff and redoing older stuff that will be available here.

Edit: This kit is no longer available.

Testing date & time

2006-10-03T10:44:00.000-05:00

This is just another test.