The Sweetest Season of All!

How are your holidays shaping up?  Is your to-do list getting shorter or (like mine) longer?  We've finally gotten around to doing some shopping for the bug, but now it's on to the hand-made gifts for the exchange with the in-laws.. Then we're off to my parents' for a week, followed by time in Arizona with DH's family.  I'm so excited for the time away.. I love this season!  It's the sweetest season of all.. *wink, wink*
 

I'm thrilled to finally be releasing a kit, and I'm hoping that it captures everything wonderful about this time of year.. and I'm not talking about the gifts and the decorations and the lights.  I'm talking about the magic of newly fallen snow, quality time with loved ones, and the way my little one's eyes light up with a million stars at the very mention of Christmastime.

Here are a few CT pages to get your creative juices flowing..

by Andrea


by Cheryl


by Sara


by Leandi


by MiMontiero


by Jordan


As always, new releases are 20% thru Sunday, and if you use the code Sweetest-blogFB you'll get an extra 10% off - expires Dec. 18.

Happy Holidays and until next time... Happy Scrapping!

Spotlighting Juli

Hey all, Jewelle here popping in with a guest spotlight!  I'm super excited about introducing you to this lady because I know her personally.  We are friends in real life, and it is always fun to be on a team with someone you know.  Let me introduce you to...

Juli
(aka julijewelz)

My name is Juli and I am 27 years old. I have been married to my best friend for almost 5 years now and we have a 9 month old baby boy named Joshua. This is my 5th year teaching science in a middle school. I am struggling to find a balance between being a teacher and a mom this year, but I do love my job. Hobbies other than scrapping include reading, hiking, white water rafting, playing games like Pinochle, Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, etc.

1. How long have you been scrapping?  Have you ever paper scrapped?  When did you make the switch to digi and why? I have been scrapping since October of 2008. So 3 years. I paper scrapped for several years. I made the switch to digi because I like that there is no mess, I don't have to print out pictures, I can redo things, and I can share the pages with people. 
2. What do you feel is your strongest scrapping skill?  Your weakest?  Strongest scrapping skill? Yikes, I have no idea! I know that my weakest is clustering by far! I also could work on making my pictures look better. I am still not familiar enough with all that photoshop can do. There is SOOOO much to learn! 
3. What advice would you give someone just starting out digi-scrapping?  My advice is to read about organizing your materials and start off with a good system. You will soon have so many supplies that making it better will be daunting. Also, read tutorials and don't be afraid to try new techniques. Learn from criticism!
4. Describe your scrapping "system"... What program do you use?  Where do you start first - photos, papers, elements, journaling?  Do you always have something in mind when you start, or do you let your creativity guide you?  How long does it take you to complete a layout?  I use Photoshop to scrap. I start with the photos first and usually get them all situated on my page. I will look at frames in the kit first to see if I want to use them. Then I go with papers and get them all situated. Elements come next and then title and journaling. I usually have some kind of idea how I want the LO to look. If I don't, they usually don't turn out as well. I have definitely started over many times because I didn't have a clear vision to begin with. It usually takes me about 2-3 hours to complete a LO. 
5. On average, how much time do you spend scrapping each week?  I used to spend about 9 hours a week scrapping, but since I had my baby that has changed dramatically. I am lucky if I get to spend 2-4 hours a week. 
6. Describe your perfect scrapping environment - coffee? soda?  music?  snacks?  I sit on the couch. Usually my husband has something on the TV, but I don't pay attention. When I am alone, I will sometimes play music, but not often. I get into the zone and don't really pay attention to anything around me. I am loving scrapping to the Christmas tree lights right now :)
7. What's your favorite thing to do BESIDES scrapping?  Favorite thing to do besides scrapping is play with my baby boy! Besides that, play Pinochle.
8. What is one thing you would love to do, just so you could scrap it?  One thing I would love to do just so I can scrap it....put my baby in a big pile of leaves! I haven't done that yet because it has been too cold, or rainy, or I am too tired! There is always next year right? I am also regretting not getting newborn professional pictures done, so I am excited to have another one to do that with.  
9. Who inspires you in the scrapping community?  Any person or site in particular that you look to for inspiration?  I don't have one particular person I follow in the scrapping community. There are SO many talented scrappers out there! I usually look in the Scrap Orchard or Scrap Matters galleries for inspiration. Those are both great communities and have some fabulous scrappers. 
10. If you could have Amber create a kit just for you, what colors, theme, etc would it be and why? Wow, hard question. I think she already created my kit! For the Love of Boys. I just love that color combo and the theme is perfect for me. I've had other designers ask this question and I can never come up with a good answer. I just don't think like that I guess! 

First Layout

Celebrate Life's Moments.

It was fun to find this LO. It definitely needs some help! It only has like 10 layers total! Maybe I will redo it sometime. Anyway, I remember deciding I was going to try out this digi scrapping stuff after seeing some digi layouts on a friends blog. I opened up Photoshop and couldn't figure out how to do anything! I couldn't even move the photo around. I think I actually cried for a bit before enlisting my sister's help. After that frustration, I knew I needed some more help. So I decided to take some lessons. I took 3 or so classes from Jessica Sprague and learned TONS! She really helped me learn the program and some of the basics of digi scrapping. I am thankful I spent the money on the classes as it is a hobby that I still love to this day.

Favorite LO

SOOO hard to choose!! I think this one is it for now.  Probably because it represents the last hurrah of ours before our lives changed forever with the birth of our beautiful baby boy. The pictures were taken on our 4th wedding anniversary. 

Most Recent Layout

My most recent LO is this one that I created with one of Amber's products I have been eyeing for awhile. It is also a favorite LO for me now. I would have chosen it for my favorite except it fit this category too! :) I am doing much better with layers and clustering. I feel that I did a pretty good job adding the fabulous elements to this LO. 

 

To catch more of Juli's amazing and inspiring layouts be sure and stop by her GALLERY

December Mix a Kit!

We've only had one real snow storm this season, and it's all melted since (and now I know I'm jinxing things) but the December Mix a Kit has been unveiled at ScrapMatters, and the color palette is just so crisp and cool, it immediately made me think of the bone-chilling winds and icicles and flurries of snow that make winter so magical to me... So here is my own little take on it...
 

Contains 7 delicate and delightful "snow flurries" to help accentuate all your winter pages.. In a cool and crisp color palette, it coordinates perfectly with the December '11 Mix A Kit, but also with so many other winter kits, you're sure to go back to it time and time again!

As always, the entire December Mix a Kit category is 20% off the full first week of release.

Oh!  And how could I forget??!  The new ScrapMatters challenge system is being revealed today, so don't forget to hop on over to the forum and take a peek - I'm sure you'll just love it!  :)

Until next time... Happy Scrapping!

Nightfall Collab Grab Bag

Okay - this release has been so long in coming, and I couldn't be more thrilled with it!  A few months ago, Andrea (from my CT) asked if I'd be interested in doing a collab grab bag with her.. You see, she is an incredibly talented template designer and sells under the name Little Green Frog Designs. Of course I couldn't turn that down, and she's waited ever so patiently while my real life kept getting in the way of our little project.. But it's finally here and I think you're going to just LOVE it!  :)  Okay - enough gushing already - on to the goods... ;)



Inside the Nightfall Collab Grab Bag, you'll find a full kit, 2 incredible template packs and a handwritten font.  There's a full reveal in the store, so for now, I'll just leave you with pages from our amazing teams..

Happy Scrapping!

August Guests!

It's that time again!  Two wonderful scrappers will be guesting this month for Stolen Moments.  Let's all give a hearty welcome to...

Christine

and

Trish

Keep an eye out for their layouts with Amber's new releases!

Someone's Turning 4....

... and it's not me or my DS.. It's ScrapMatters, of course!  :)  And to celebrate, we've got a rocking sale going on - 30% off PU and 20% off CU, plus the forum is just hopping with all kinds of games, contests and other good fun.. And what would a birthday be without a blog train, of course?!  And this time we've got almost 50 people who've put together some gorgeous goodies for you using the latest SM collab, Garden Party.

Stunning, no?  And what's even better, it's FREE with a $20 purchase clear up until August 11th!  So go empty your wish lists and get scrapping!  :)

Now - you should have just come from Jennifer Labre's blog, and next up is Angie aka Down This Road Designs.  Before you move on, though, go ahead and grab this sweet little page border I've put together for you.. 

As you're riding the rails, if you ever lose your way, head over to the ScrapMatters blog for a full listing of all the stops.. Oh!  And as an extra bonus, some of the downloads along the way include a piece of a photo puzzle.  Once you collect all ten pieces, put them together, upload to your favorite photo hosting site and post a link to the image in THIS thread of the SM forum for a chance to win some extra goodies!  The pieces are scattered randomly throughout the train, so be sure you collect everything to ensure you get all the pieces..

And with that, I'm out.... but have a great weekend, enjoy all the goodies, and most of all - happy scrapping!  :)

Something for the Girls...

I am SO excited about my releases for this week!  I got to work with two amazing ladies, and I just couldn't be happier about the result!  First up, is a super fun collab with the incredibly talented Jennifer Barrette.  We nailed colors and a theme quite quickly then everything else just fell into place.. The result: a perfectly pink and moderately muddy kit made to scrap all the adventures of your tomboy princess.

 

Sometimes girls can be just as rough and tumble as the boys!  Playing in the dirt, climbing trees, and just having fun.  Just One of the Boys reminds us that girls like things other than pink and dolls - sometimes they just wanna play in the dirt!

In conjunction with this kit, I also worked with Emma, from my CT, to create a font out of her 8yo DD's handwriting.. Now tell me - is this not just the cutest!?!

Perfectly imperfect, containing all the charm, sass, spirit and complexity of a young girl, this font is the ideal match for this kit, and any others you may be using to scrap the youngsters in your life.  Let them tell the story from their point of view for a change!  This True Type font contains a full upper and lower case alphabet, as well as all the numbers and symbols shown in the preview.

I also have a special offer for these two releases.. If you purchase them both together, you'll get an additional 30% off the font - how sweet is that?!?  There are no codes to enter, just be sure you've selected the kit from MY store at ScrapMatters and not Jenn's guest store at SM, otherwise the discount won't work - and don't forget, new releases are always 20% off thru Sunday.. Now, I'll leave you with some inspiration from my team, Jenn's team, and the girls at SM...

 

 

Have a great weekend, and for those of you enjoying a little Harry Potter - like myself - don't cry too hard.. ;)  Happy scrapping!  :)

keep your eyes out...

I've got a new kit coming out tomorrow, and I think I also heard rumblings of a sale.. Just to let you know.. ;)

A New Font, Courtesy of Kim!

I've got a short and sweet post for you this week, as I'm actually headed to a family reunion on the lake this weekend, and I couldn't be more excited!  Good food [the main attraction, really], good company, and lots of GREAT opportunities for snapping some pics to scrap later.. What could be better?  :)  Anyway, on to the goods...

SMD Kim is a true type font with full alphabet, numbers and symbols.  As always, all of my fonts are CU OK, and new releases are 20% off thru Sunday!

Happy Scrapping!

A Day to Play and MORE!

So, apparently this failed to post as scheduled and I'm just now noticing - yes, I'm just that cool.. ;)  Anywhoooo... here's my release from last week, and I'll be back tomorrow (scheduling cooperation provided) with my newest release for this week.

Happy July, all!  Hard to believe the year is more than half over, but I suppose time does march on, so what can you do?  Scrap about it, of course!  ;)  Today I have 2 fantabulous new products to show you, but first I wanted to officially announce my new CT...

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Now, on to the goods... I had the wonderful chance this week to work with one of my longest-standing collab partners re-vamping one of our very first kits.. Those of you who have been with me for a while may remember Play All Day with Jen Balding from about 2 years ago.. Well, we've decided to revisit the concept, update the palette and put together an entirely new and improved kit - perfect for any kind of "play" you're in need of scrapping.. As always, new releases are 20% off thru Sunday.



It's also the 1st of the month again, so it's time for the Mix A Kit - where all the ScrapMatters designers put together small packs using the same color palette that you can mix and match to create just the perfect kit for you! And this month you're in for a real treat, as we were all super inspired by this fun color combo.. Take a peek..



Inspired by vintage candy striper uniforms, and that hard candy your grandma always has in a bowl on her table, these alphas are bringing a modern twist to a classic favorite.  With a fun shape and versatile patterns you'll find so many great uses for them.. and they mix and match like a dream, too!  As always, all MAK items are 20% off the entire first week of release!

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And here is some stellar CT inspiration using both of my newest products..

by Alli


by Cara


by Andrea




by Jordan


by Fiona


by navaja77


by Emma


Have a great weekend, and a wonderful and safe 4th of July to all my American friends, and most of all... Happy Scrapping!