New Freebie & Contest

It's a new month & I actually have a new freebie up in time!! LOL
One night Savannah & I were playing Scrabble & one of the words she had was 'dots'. Just goofing around I said "Dots of love Sweetie!" Then I thought, "Hey! That'd be a cool name for a kit!" So this month's freebie is what I've decided to call "Dots of Love Micro Mini". It's got fewer elements than my usual minis, but it's not just a paper pack.

I'm also having a contest. I've made a new kit, but am stumped for a name. So, I'm asking all of you to give me some help. In return the winner will recieve the kit FREE!! I love to name my kits with names that are a bit off beat, so give me your best, I'm counting on you to give me something not so boring & usual!!! Post a comment with your suggestion (don't forget to include your email adress!!) and on October 8th I will announce the winner. I can't wait to see what you come up with! Good luck!!! Here is a preview of the kit ~

Just in Time for Halloween

I just uploaded the latest kit to the Emporium called 'Mummy's Little Ghouls'. I have 3 girls, & have always thought it'd be cute for us all to dress up for Halloween ~ me as the 'Mummy' & them as my little 'Ghouls'. I never got around to doing it , and now that they're 13, 10, & 8 they just think it's corny. But it's a perfect name for a Halloween kit!! And this kit is not so "Halloweenie", so it's great for fall layouts, too. I'm also working on a new kit that so far has no name and I'm not even sure when it'll get to the Emporium!! LOL Maybe a "Name This Kit" contest will be in order. Will keep you updated. I'm also working on a new freebie for the month of October so b sure to check back on that. In the meanwhile here's a preview of 'Mummys Little Ghouls' ~

Another LO ~ Finally!

These challenges over at We Digi Dares Ya have got me moving on getting some pics scrapped! This week's challenge was definitely a hard one for me. I love how some people use lyrics to express the feeling of their LO, but I was never very good at it. Part of the problem was finding just the right lyrics. Well, I think I finally got it! LOL I love this pic of the girls I took last year, & the song "Yellow" by Cold Play just fit. Plus it's both Savannah's & mine favorite songs! Check it out

Papers, button & arrow by Carrie Stephens; flower doodle by Rhonna Farrer (recolored); flower template & stitches by Christine Nash; string & tags by Peppermint Creative; flower button centers by me ~ Fonts typewriter rough & vaguely repulsive

A Fun New Blog

I just discovered a cool fun Blog!! I can't reember how I stumbled upon it, but it's called We Digi-Dare You, and their first Digi-Dare is a fun one ~ you should check it out. Here is my LO for the dare from 2 years back when I took my 3 girls back East to the small town I grew up in. My brother still lives there with his wife & 3 kids, so we stayed with them & it was a very new experience for the girls. They were first very amazed at the number of trees the amount of grass. Then they couldn't believe the roads have no sidewalks or gutters & the houses are set back so far from the road! I hated growing up in such a small town (& most likely will not live in one again ~ I'm definately a city gal!) but seeing it with my girls, and their awe at how different I grew up from them, was priceless. So on to the LO for the Digi-Dare You challenge ~ "A Summer of Firsts"

Papers & elemens from Summer Call by NDS Design Team

Journaling reads ~ !st *time in Massachusett for the girls *time playing in a river *frog Savnnah ever caugh w/ her bare hands *time experiencing humidity & frizzy hair *ride on a four-wheeler *time east-coast cousins meet west coast cousins

Latest in the Emporium

I've just hired another CTM ~ Anni. She's from Germany & creates wonderful layouts! (Just 2 LOs to date for me, but boy do they look good!) I wasn't looking for a new CTM (I'm so slow lately in getting kits out with everything going on in my life!!) but Leslie has stepped down from her position as CTM to concentrate on her pregnancy. She's been trying to start a family for some time now & is going to have twins!! (Congrats to her!!) Anni contacted me, saying she'd love to join the team, so she's now filling Leslie's spot. If you'd like to read a bit more about Anni check out my About page. And check out her Gallery here.
I'm also working on a new kit. But who knows when that'll get done!! LOL!!! Be on the lookout for it ~ since it's so hot today & the girls have decided to "park it" (my Mother's term! LOL) on the couch & watch DVDs, I have a day to create!! YEAH!!!!!
So catcha later Dudettes!!

A Layout ~ Finally

It seems like forever since I've created a layout! I just never have enough time for everything. Now I know I never could've worked while the girls were babies. But anyway, on to my layout. I got some pics of the girls by Grandma's pool the end of July. Naturally there are a bunch of posed pics, but I did manage to snap one of Darien that wasn't! She thought I was adjusting the camera when I snapped this shot. It's the ones where they have no idea I'm shooting I like best. So here it is, I used my newest kit ~ Bandana Pajamas in the Emporium now. (Word tags not included in kit. I made those just for this LO)

Bugged...

I have to get this out ~ I've noticed many designers now giving away more and more freebies on their Blogs. This I think is a great idea; doesn't bother me at all. In fact a couple were giving away whole kits, a download a day. Again, this doesn't really bug me. What bothers me is them "begging" for praise. Each time they put up a link for their Blog freebie they also add a "please give me some love if you download". Please. Sorry if I offend anyone, but isn't the fact they're downloading the freebie & posting layouts in galleries (crediting the Designer) praise enough? Now I'm not saying I don't want those who download my freebies (or buy a kit) to send me their thanks and appreciation, I enjoy reading them, but I'm not going to stoop to begging for it either. I want those who comment to do so because they are kind enough to let me know how they feel about my post or kit, not because I've guilted them into leaving "some love".
So, I'm done crabbing about begging for complements, now on to the good stuff....
This Sunday I'm having a 30% off sale on everything, including the new kit, Bandana Pajamas. And I'm adding a new freebie ~ Pity Party. Oh, and I've added some older kits to the Sale Rack at a huge discounted price. So stop by on Sunday, check things out, maybe buy a kit or 2, and grab the freebie. (And you don't have to leave me "some love" unless you want to!!)
Geeze, should give you a look at them, right??!! Here is Bandana Pajamas & the freebie, Pity Party ~

Bandana Pajamas

OK, Blogger is being fickle & won't let me upload the preview of Pity Party. :( Guess you'll have to check it out on Sunday, unless later today it let's me upload....

Bad Blogger!

OK. We are now officially moved, mostly settled in & I'm now back online. YEAH!!! :) I was actually online last week, but neglected my Blog to fiddle around with a new kit. Which is surprising I had time to do considering I spent the past few weeks working 9 hour days, then coming home to finish unpacking & putting a house together! LOL! And I'm sure you're all wondering what the new kit looks like, right?? Well, I suppose I could give you a little peek at a bit of it! Take a look ~



I'm finishing up on some of the elements and will have it in the Emporium next week. And I'm also working on a new freebie. Be on the look-out for that to hit the Emporium next week also! Adios until next time.....

Moving...

We are moving and I will be offline for a few days. It has been a crazy week, between work & the move. I am sooooo tired. I have just enough energy to post this quick update, then get to packing before I head off to work. Then back home to move all the boxes & such....
And just a quick reminder... "Miss Independent" freebie download link has expired. I will have uploaded to the Emporium's Sale Rack when I get back on line in a few days.

TOE-tal Spirit!

Savannah really got into the spirit this year! She painted everyone's toe nails in red, white & blue ~ including the dog's!! Then she wanted to get a pic like the one I did for our "Signs of Summer" layout. So, naturally, it had to be scrapped, and what better kit to use than my very own Blog freebie "Miss Independent"!

Hope all those who celebrate have a safe & fun 4th of July!!

Limited Time Freebie...

So, I was thinking that since it's the 4th of July weekend & I've got to pack up an entire house for a move, I'd offer another Freebie!! Called Miss Independent (yes, I know, not very original, but hey, I've been packing, dealing with diffucult customers at work & crabby kids @ home, so this was all my frazzled mind could come up with!!) This is a limited time only freebie ~ available only until July 5th. So hurry & grab it while you've got the chance. Drop me a little note, tell me what you think of it. Enjoythe freebie & the Holiday!!

Popping In

Making a quick pit stop to post a LO using my newest kit Whine & Cheesey. This was when Darien was only 3 yrs old. Now my "baby" wants to be a zooligist, so we're watching Nature on PBS. She loves that show & looks forward to it every week. It's our special time together & she learns quite a bit! Anyway here is the LO ~

Back by Popular Demand!!!

FernLili's freebies! It's been so hot here in AZ, so I created a "cool" new kit ~ Summer Ice. Check it out. And while you're there downloading, drop me a little "hello" in my chatter box. I love hearing from everyone.

{Click image to be taken to the DL page}

A New LO

Back in March, I wanted to get another round of pictures of the girls to send off to family. Well, Riley was off at a sleepover with their cousin Lacey, so I figured I'd get some shots of Savannah & Darien. That turned out to be a bust! Neither of them wanted their picture taken, and were being very un-cooperative. I did manage to capture an awesome shot of Savannah, though. She was giving me her "I don't want to do this, so lets get it over with" attitude when I snapped away. I think this pic looks like a magazine ad. The way she's standing (not a pose this time!), & the attitude in the shot, just screamed fashion mag ad. I played a bit with the blending mode in PSP9 to lighten & soften the photo a bit. Here is the photo ~

Here is a layout I did with it using my new kit Whine & Cheesey ~

Paper torn flowers & leaves from Steph.

I'd love to hear what you think. Off now to take the Princess to a birthday sleepover, later dudettes!!

Whine & Cheesey

It has been such a madhouse at work these past few weeks, I thought I'd never get anything new into the Emporium! But, alas, I was given the gift of a weekend free of bothers. (Hubby was off playing disc golf & the girls were at cousins last weekend.) I got a new kit made ~ Whine & Cheesey. I love the citrusy (is that even a word???) color scheme. And this kit is packed full of fun elements ~ so many they didn't all fit in the preview!! It will be in the Emporium this Sunday, but in the meantime, check out the preview ~

Freebies, Freebies, Freebies!! (Again!)

I was having so much fun playing & learning with my new Wacom table, I created some doodle freebies. If you're a member of my Yahoo Group, you've probably grabbed the first batch by now, (and if you're not a member, sign up at my website to get the first batch) now here is your chance to grab the second batch. Six fun doodles in PNG form for all graphics programs. There is a small catch, though ~ I've uploaded the file to YouSendIt, which only allows 50 downloads, so hurry & get them before they're gone! Here is a peek ~

{Download Doodles II Here}

Gag Gifts

Ever get a gag gift, (& not the kind that make you want to throw up!) and just laugh about it for ages? I did. I've been without a car for the last 4 1/2 yrs and it bacame a family joke. I never really needed one. I was a SAHM and literaly everything is in walking distance ~ the girls schools, grocery store, bank, pet store, several fast food places, even a Circle K. So last year Mom bought me the "perfect car" and I finally got around to scrapping it.
Take a look ~ whatcha think?

Doodle bracket by me. Fonts ~ 2 Peas Hot Chocolate, AL Cleanliness, Blackout, 2 Peas Gimme Coffee, Pea Jane, Stamp Act Jumbled.

We still laugh about it even though I now have a car! We also laugh about my sister Janice's "Grow Your Own Boyfriend" mostly because she still doesn't have a real one!!

Joy

A quick LO of Savannah from the other day. She was doing handstands in the front yard & begged me to takes pictures. She was having so much fun even when she didn't quite get the handstand!

Paper, "O" heart, ribbon & flower from Metabolize by Valerie Fowler; swirly doodle by Rhonna Farrer; "J" from Sugar Pie by Eve Recinella; "Y" from Missy Anne by Kimberly Garrusso; doodle frame & hearts Pea Bethany's Doodles font. Fonts ~ The Worst & Tiffany

New Stuff

Since all my paper packs are hostages in my hard drive gone bad, I've been on a frenzie to get new ones made. I managed to get 3 new pack made up this weekend which will be in the Emporium this Sunday. Check them out ~

And here's a layout I did using Olive Juice ~

Olive Juice paper pack, stitching from Laura's Pocket by Debbie Fisher, Fonts ~ 2 Peas Ditzy, LD Red Hatters Hand, AL Cleanliness

Interesting...

I received a very interesting comment to my last post. Apparently someone out there (who is too afraid to leave a name 'cause they signed in anonymously!) felt I was whining & preaching (???) about dishonest people and piracy. Here is the direct comment ~

"Oh please stop whining! This sort of thing happens and always will!! Those who realize human nature don't give up and continue whatever it is so others can still benefit. So please stop preaching and whining, it won't change anything."

I think someone out there in cyber-land needs the reality check! I was never whining OR preaching about what has been happening. Just venting my frustrations & letting those who enjoy my work know what's been going on & why the changes. And I'm a firm believer that if enough of us stand up & let our voices be heard, we CAN change things. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, or even next month, but eventually we will change it. I just laughed at this. I never said I'm giving up either. (I even posted to check back here for future freebies. Not what I'd call giving up!). Makes me think this person is one of the pirates, giving designers creations out to all in every & any Yahoo group she can get into that'll allow it, hence the lack of a name attached to the comment. Who ever it was, I guess I should thank them for a good laugh for the day!!
You all have a wonderful weekend. I'm off to treasure hunt over at the Digi Chick. (Hopefully they're back up!!)

Last Chance

This week will be your last chance to get my freebies; Left Shoe, Bubba & Shugga, and Yoga Mat. After this Friday (5/12), they will no longer be available. I'm planning on another one soon, so stay tuned, and check back here because I may not advertise. And a big thank you goes out to all of you who were so supportive and sent encouraging words while I went through the whole ordeal of Pirates stealing my stuff and hard drives holding the rest hostage. It's been one crazy month!! Think how boring our lives would be without craziness!! You all have a wonderful day. TTFN....

New Kit & Layouts

OK. For those who have been patiently waiting; here is a preview of the entire new kit ~ "Moxie" ~ which will be in the Emporium this Monday...

I also included a free Qwick Stik!

And, I got 2 layouts done! Last weekend my SIL had a garage sale & my MIL came down from Las Vegas to visit & sell some of her stuff. After the sale she took us all out to lunch at Del Taco. She said the older kids (my neice, who is 14 & my nephew, who is 12) did not behave well enough at the sale to deserve a lunch at a nicer restaurant, so Del Taco it was! While the adults were finishing up their meal, the kids took the cameras and started taking candid shots of each other (and a few "butt" shots, which are actually the crook of someone's arm!). Some were REALLY bad, some were pretty good. Like the 2 I scrapped today. Check 'em out ~

They both hate these pics of themselves, but I think it's nice to get one where they haven't posed & shows a little more of who they are everyday. Well, that's it for now. I'm off to scrap some more!!

Freebies, Freebies, Freebies!!

**PLEASE NOTE***

These freebies are no longer available. Check back later for a new one. Thanks.

I've had so many requests for the past freebies ~ Left Shoe, Bubba & Shugga, & Yoga Mat ~ that I've decided to bring them back. But there is a catch. Anyone who reads this Blog, & would like one, two, or all three just have to do one simple thing ~ Ask for them!! Send me an email with "I Want the Freebies" in the subject line & I will send you the download link(s). {Please remember to tell me what freebie(s) you would like.} And just incase you forgot what they were (or didn't get the chance to see them before the Pirats hit) here are previews ~

Also, my 40% off sale will be ending this weekend, so if there is a kit you've been eyeing, better grab it now the bargan price! And here's a teaser of my newest kit, coming soon to the Emporium ~

Thank You

I have to say a big "Thank You" to all you supporters who have bared with me, brightened the day when it seemed it was all going wrong & even lent a hand. Jennifer Alexander, (a wonderful gal who I think has all my freebies), was able to snag Bubba & Shugga before my hard drive gone bad decided to hold them hostage and pirates decided to give to them to all their friends. So now they are back home and have been given to those who requested them. Enjoy!! :)

I also have to thank some of the designers/site owners ~
*Lianne @ 3 Scrapateers
*Robin @ Sweet Shoppe Designs
*Laura @ The Digi Chick
*Mirranda @ Yesterday Remembered
*Brenda @ Addicted to Digital and
*Raechel @ SBB
They were all very helpful in re-activating links to recent orders that also got held hostage. I was amazed at the quick responses I received. I sent out a request to re-activate links to hostage kits last Sunday, and had them re-activated by Monday from every designer but one. I still have yet to hear from her, even though I sent a second email. :( I'm hoping it's because she's very busy with her everyday life and not just ignoring a customer request. I love her work, but honestly, whether or not I get a reply will depend on if I buy from her again.

As for the Dell, I got it working (YEAH!!). It's so nice to have a faster computer. I was getting so frustrated every time I opened up PSP & began working on a paper. I had to work in 200 dpi, because 300 was too big & made the old one run extremely slow. Not anymore!!

Well, the kids are with their Grandma for the weekend, hubby is off playing disc golf with his buddies & I have a few hours of uninterrupted scrapping to do!

Have a good one....

Just My Luck

This has been one heck of a week!
On Monday & Tuesday I had been backing up all my junk on my hard drive; burning it all on CD's when I ran out of CD's. Wednesday my mother gave me her old Dell (which isn't all that old, maybe 3 or 4 yrs), and I tried hooking up my hard drive. It didn't work. The computer wasn't recognizing it. Thursday I took the computer in to the computer guy who has a shop in the same complex where I work & has done work on our company computers. The computer guy needed more time to run the diagnostics, and said come back Friday.
Friday morning before work I sit down to send an add to P4D & CS yahoo groups. I offered my freebies again, all that had to be done was to send me an email asking for them. I then went to my back-up hard drive, which has EVERYTHING on it & the drive I didn't get everything onto CD's, and it wasn't there!! Now the computer it's been in for the past year or so, is telling me the hard drive is no longer in existence! So I take that out to bring to the computer guy to check out. Friday afternoon he tells me the hard drive for the Dell is all set & ready to have Windows loaded (Yeah!!), but the second hard drive (the one with EVERYTHING on it that didn't get all backed up to CD's), is blitzed. Apparently there is a problem where is isn't getting power & if you can't get power to your hard drive, your computer can't read it. So, all the stuff I didn't get to burn, kits I've recently bought, digital photos of the girls, & my Bubba & Shugga freebie paper pack are trapped inside the hard drive that isn't getting power so my computer will know it's there & let me get at these things.
Geeze Louise!
And to end the week with a bang, the hard drive in the Dell, (which is suppose to be OK & ready for me to load Windows onto) isn't. I keep getting a "system disk" error. So on Monday, it's back to the computer guy to figure out why the heck things aren't working.
But the really frustrating thing is all the junk on that hard drive I need is just stuck in there. It's not damaged or gone (I hope!), just not accessible. I can have it messed with for an additional $100+, but I just don't have the money for it right now.
Damn computers!

Think, think, think....

I've been feeling a bit like Winnie the Pooh lately ~ Trying to think of a way to let all those who appreciate my freebies, (and have no problem popping on over to my web site to get them) to download them. I've had some good suggestions ~ all those who want the freebies must join my Yahoo newsletter; offer the download, but make it password protected & you must email me for the password, and a few others I can't think of right now. All great ideas. They give me an idea of who is getting the kits, but I don't know who of these might be a member of one of the many yahoo Groups popping up that steal kits. It's so easy to sign up for my Yahoo newsletter under one user name; get the kit & password, then join another under another user name and offer my freebie to that group. It doesn't really take much brains to repackage a kit & redistribute it. I've felt kinda dirty these days thinking like a criminal to find a way to bypass them!! I really want you all to have the Left Shoe freebie & Bubba & Shugga is an awesome paper pack (if I don't say so myself!!) I don't want anyone to miss out.
So, I go back to tapping my head and pacing back in forth ~ "Think, think, think...."

PS ~ Any other suggestions to offering the freebies are greatly appreciated! :O)

Not Again!!

All right. I'm going to be blunt ~ I'm pissed off!! I was just informed that another Yahoo group, 2divasgraphics, are now stealing my Left Shoe freebie. I thought putting up a Rapid Share link would discourage it since it is a bit of work getting to the download from there. But apparently not. They had the gall to send an email out to their members that basically was my web page with the graphics & links. They were even so kind as to inform their members that the links were Rapid Share links! I realize these are free. I'm giving them away. But the point of me giving them away on my web site is to get you there. To also browse through my shop and hopefully buy something (especially now that the entire store is 40% off!!). Is it really so hard to mention that FernLili has a great freebie and you can get it at her site and here is the URL to it??? Pinheads!
So for now there are again no freebies. I appoligize for my ranting. Please continue on with your day & don't let this bum you out...

New Design Team Member (kinda)

Announcing a new designer at FernLili's! Savannah has officially joined me in designing some of my awesome kits & freebies. (She doesn't know it yet!) I have a new freebie paper pac (coming this Saturday to the Emporium), and was stuck on a name, so I went to my very reliable source ~ Savannah. She came up with the name "Bubba & Shugga". Which I thought was pretty catchy. So after making the preview, looking at the papers and the name I thought she should become an official designer at FernLili's! She's has a huge influence on the names, colors & designs of my last few kits & the current freebie "Left Shoe". So, tomorrow morning I will inform her she is now an official designer (or would co-designer be more like it??) in the Emporium. And without much further ado, here is a peek at the newest freebie Bubba & Shugga ~

A Day to Scrap

I spent all day yesterday scrapping. And got only 2 layouts done!! This blasted computer is soooo slow, it took forever to get them done. Some day I'll be able to upgrade, but until then...
These are pictures of the girls when they were babies. I've been trying to work on getting as much of them scrapped as I can before they reach their 20's!! At the rate I'm going though, it'll be close! LOL. So here they are for your viewing pleasure ~

*Rustic Charm freebie by Shelle Pukas *frame from Arboretum Guide freebie by Sara Batdorf *bow & flower (recolored) from Shabby Secrets by Eve Recinella

*Jelly Babies by Mari K

And incase you haven't heard, I have the entire store on sale for the month of April. All kits, elements, minis & paper packs will be 40% off until the end of the month. A perfect time to stock up!

A New LO

I have this wonderful pic of Savannah when she was 2 years old. I just love it. Her big blue eyes just draw you in, and if I don't say so myself, she's so darn cute!! I used my new Pop.U.lar kit. I was going to do a white space LO, but thought black would be more dramatic. Check it out ~

Making Things Prettier Around Here

I finally got around to making my Blog look more like, well ~ Me!! I used my newest kit called Pop.U.lar (The ripped paper edge is from Steph's paper tearing, and if you get lazy like me, she's done all the work, you just plop the PNG file into your paper & do a little deleting. Easy peasy.) This was another kit Savannah helped me with. She picked out the name & colors and approved the paper designs. Except for the paisley paper. She HATES paisley, and I LOVE it!! And because I'm the designer, the paisley stayed. Check it out in the Emporium.
I'm working on a layout using it, but this flippin' computer is so slow, I can only get a little bit done at a time before I get completely frustrated. So go buy, buy, buy so I can upgrade to a faster computer!! LOL
In the mean time, I'm going to throw in a load of laundry then get back to that layout I'm hoping to get done today. So later Dudettes!!

STEAMED!!

I've got some venting to do, so here goes....
As usual, I put up a freebie for the month. Downloads were, as usual, heavy the first week, then became steady the following week. I went over my traffic limit a bit that second week, and thought "Great! They're really loving this goodie." I paid for the overage, and had a bit of a swollen head thinking so many more people like my creations. Then last week, my bandwidth went through the roof!! It seemed like every other day I was paying for overages & buying more bandwidth!! After spending over $50.00 in exceeded bandwidth, 2 very kind fellow scrappers emailed me telling me a Yahoo group, ScrappersParadise, was "hotlinking" to my downloads. Now, I'm not living in a box, I've read about this happening to other designers, but was lucky enough to avoid it ~ until now. And not only are these members of ScrappersParadise stealing bandwidth from us, but they have actually had the nerve to give away kits that were for sale!! They don't give a hoot that what they are doing is wrong. They've actually stopped accepting new members unless you have a referral from a current member. And if you've signed up in the past month & have not participated, they will unsub you! They know we're on to them, but also know it is very difficult for us to stop them.
So, as a designer who has been "burned", I beg all who read this & who may be a member of this group, to unsubscribe and put a stop to the piracy so that we may continue to give you the freebies you love & not be forced to raise our prices to cover the losses.

This concludes my ranting & raving for the day. Hope you all have a better day that I've had :)

Rain, Rain, Rain and More Rain

I woke up late this morning (7:10), to the sound of rain. Now for some this might not be a big deal, but when you live in AZ & haven't had any for, like, 146 days, rain is a HUGE deal! So after snuggling with Darien ('cause it was the perfect snuggling type morning with the rain & cold & all), I got a bit (just a tiny bit! LOL) of a cleaning bug. I swept & mopped the kitchen floor (which was an embarrassment), threw in some laundry, then sat down & scrapped the rest of the day away. You don't even want to know what the kitchen counter looks like!! Dishes were not on the priorty list today!! So, I've found this great new designer, or maybe I sould say she found me! She emailed me asking to be on my Creative Team and after viewing her gallery I said "YES!!" Then I saw an ad she sent through a Yahoo group for kits she's selling at Addicted to Digital. Her name is Faith True & if you haven't seen her kits, then you should run on over to ATD & check them out. Her kits are so versitile, and awesome you'd never know she's been doing this for just a couple of months!! And they're having a sale this weekend!! So I got one ~ Little Girl Anna ~ and pumped out 2 layouts. Had I not had to stop to switch & fold laundry, feed kids, and go pee a few times, I might have got 1 or 2 more done!! Also, it didn't help that PSP kept freezing when I tried to do a text on a path :( So, enough of the babbling, check out pictires of my oldest, Savannah (who is now 12 1/2!) when she was just a itty babe ~

Treasure Hunting

Well, this weekend I was going to work on my newest kit. But that just never happened. Why? You ask. Because I got totally caught up in hunting for hidden links to an awesome kit over at The Digi Chick. I spend practically the entire weekend on the hunt for those sneaky little links! I made the girls get themselves sandwiches for dinner on Saturday because I didn't want to take time out from my hunting to fix anything!! Then I was up at 6 AM Sunday morning to find the last of my links. I'm not usually this obsessive, and I'm not a big treasure hunter, but Laura made the hunt so much fun & the insentive of an awesome kit helped, too. I also did just a little shopping. Not much, I'm trying to not spend so much, which is sooooo hard with all the great sales popping up everywhere! I grabbed 2 cute kits at The Digi Chick by Mari K. I've been drooling over Jellie Babies for ages now & just had to get it since it was 50% off!! Now I can't wait to play, but have to wait until after work :( Bummer.

I also grabbed her Simple Things kit. It is soooo cute! I have no idea what pics I'm going to use with these kits, but with 3 girls, I pretty sure I'll find something!!

Procrastinating

Yes, I'm procrastinating on getting the new freebie made ~ much less uploaded! But I feel this evening I have a good excuse for not getting anything done. The girls wanted to "put on some tunes" and dance in the livingroom. My mom used to do this when I was a kid & I loved it! She would put her old 45's on the turntable & teach us dances like the twist, monkey, and mashed potato. It was such a blast to watch mom dance those "corny dances". So I loaded up the CD player with the latest hip tunes & taught the girls the twist, monkey and mashed potato!! And they had a blast watching mom dancing those "corny dances"!! So, I think I'll be up a bit later than usual wrapping up the freebie to be delivered for the weekend. Now, off to work....

Natural Talent

Tomorrow is the 1st of March, and I usually have a new freebie up by the first of the month. But I have been running behind all month & haven't yet caught up. Right now my attitude is "I'll get to it when I get to it." Plus, tonight I decided to scrap a terrific picture Savannah (my oldest) took last week or so. I have to admit, I'm jealous of her natural talent. I have always wanted to be a good photographer and have tried to learn what I can to improve my skills. And here is my 12 year old, running out in the yard, pointing & shooting & getting the most incredible photos with nearly no effort! She claims she can't take good pictures of people, just scenery, but I have some great pics she has taken of her sisters. And so, along with immense pride, comes my small bit of green jealousy for a natural talent I, too, wish I had.

{Neighborhood Sunset}

Ronnie McCray's Earth's Breadbasket.

Silver brads & staples from my American Pride & Be Cool kits.

A Day to Myself

The girls went to their cousins' for the day & hubby was off playing disc golf. So I had an entire day to myself. And what did I do with a whole day to myself you ask? LAUNDRY!! That's right, I spent the entire day getting every single bit of laundry done & off the laundryroom floor. (And since our washer & dryer are in the garage, our laundryroom floor is very big!!) But don't despair, in between loads I was able to make a preview of my new kit, upload it to the website & zip up all the contents. You wouldn't think that would take a whole day, but my computer crapped out on me awhile ago, so I took over the girls', which is a bit slow. And I did take a nap for an hour!! I was going to scrap wedding pics of hubby & me (our 13th anniversary is March 13!!!), but felt too lazy. Maybe next time. So... if the suspense of what the entire new kit looks like has been killing you, here is a preview of 'What-eVer' ~ (haven't those of us with pre-teens & teens heard that more times that we care to remember??)

Late Milestones

My girls have all been late on certian 'growing up' milestones. Such as getting hair. They were virtually bald until the age of one. First hair cut to put in the baby books?? That never happened until they were 6 or 7 & had hair to cut! They were also about a year old before they got their first baby tooth. As a result, they lost their first baby tooth at about age 6. Except the youngest, Darien. She is 7, never had a "first hair cut" (not that she'd let me cut it anyway!), or lost her first tooth. Many kids in her 2nd grade class have lost as many as 10! So now she's convinced she has a loose tooth. It's not really. But I play along, 'cause, Hey I don't want to burst her loose tooth bubble! :) One of the milestones she's also late on is riding a 2 wheeler. And I can completely understand. I didn't want to let go of my training wheels either until I was 7. But the other Hubby took her out & helped her ride her new bike solo. And SHE DID IT!! She was so proud of herself & proudly posed while I tried to get a good shot of the event. Unfortunately, I got only 2 pictures that actually had her in them & they're not all that great. So, she has to take Daddy & the bike out of the backyard & give it another try so I can get some better pics! So here she is; my "baby" riding solo ~

Another Peek

I thought I'd tease everyone just a bit more with the new kit! Here is just a small dose of the elements that will be in it. You can get a look at the entire kit when it arrives in the Emporium Monday (2/27), so be sure to look for it!

So....

I've had this terrific kit ~ Wild Child Paisley from Melany Violette ~ for a while now & didn't know what to scrap with it. I just loved to pull it up on the computer and look at the awesome papers & elements, then try to think of what pictures would do it justice. Well, since I've been working on scrapping hubby & me, I decided these (again old) pics from a mall photo booth would look great with the kit. I was such a funky little thing. Sadly, I'm no longer little and much less funky :( Having kids can do that to a gal! Now my focus is on the girls having decent up-to-date styles, while I get whatever fits & doesn't look like Mrs. Roper would wear it!! Actually, I'm now a basic jeans & tee-shirt or blouse kinda gal. Luck for me I work in a very relaxed office & don't have to wear the "office" attire! YUCK!! Well, enough of my rambling. I'm off to watch House & my favorite ~ 24!
Until next time....

A Little Teaser

I had a bit of time to scrap a layout using a bit of my upcoming new kit, just to tease a bit! I also dug up a photo of hubby & me. So it's from 15 years ago, but hey, I've got to start somewhere!!

A Quick Note

Hubby is taking the girls to school today, so I have a few minutes to upload a layout I did a few weeks ago. I had a comment on a previous post that there are no layouts of hubby & I. How true! I was just thinking about how I have so few of them. And none that are recent. I think the last photo of us was over a year ago!! So I'm going to work on getting out from behind the camera & get more pics of the two of us. And I'm working on scrapping our wedding photos. But until then, enjoy another layout of the girls ~

{A Perfect Shot}

All papers & elements from Mo Jackson.

Check it Out ~ A Sneak Peek!

As slow as things have been going lately, I've finally completed a new kit!! Yeah!!! But I'm not letting you see it all ~ yet. I thought I'd tease you all by previewing some of the papers. Although it took me for, like, eVer to get it done, I had fun making this kit. Check it out, and maybe I'll tease you with a peek at a bit more of the kit a little bit later. :)

So Much to Do, So Little Time

Boy, when I made the decision to go back to working outside the home, I knew it would be a big adjustment, but it has been eating up all my time to scrap & create!! I've been working on a new kit for February (I started it mid Jan.!), have been trying to get some pictures scrapped, and wanted to "pretty up" my Blog. So far I've failed on 2 of these tasks (I managed to scrap 2 pics). I just don't have the time any more to pump out new kits. Just the other day Riley (my 9 yr old) told me that I spend more time "playing "on the computer than with them. Talk about a huge guilt trip!! So I've been trying to cut down on my computer time & increase my "girl time". I was lucky enough to be able to spend their "baby" years at home with them, & in a way they've been spoiled knowing I was always there & available to do things like volunteer at their school. I'd show you my 2 newest layouts, but I'm having trouble uploading pics! They'll have for the next post!