More Designing and CT fun!!

Okay, it has been a little bit, so I thought you due an update!! I am excited to announce the newest item in my store...Life Events Gift Card Holders! The idea credit must go to my friend Heather (from Spraground).


This is a pack of 7 Card Holders, with 300ppi layered templates for the outsides and for the insides. So that makes a total of 14 templates! This set covers baby, birthday, graduation, wedding, housewarming, teacher appreciation/school, and condolances. Here is what one looks like when completed:
This is a hybrid project so you will have to find your own ribbon, but everything else (except adhesive) can be printed out. I am planning another set to include holidays, and seasons...which should be in the store within the next 2 weeks as well! And I have a special surprise kit and alpha that I will be releasing this next week...but that is another post altogether!!

And great news, our store has been given ad space in digishoptalk.com 's newsletter...and it comes complete with a coupon for digiscrapstation (us)!! So, if you like a bargain...go check it out! Now for LO's, as I was a scrapper (and still am) before I was a designer. Here are my latest LO's for my CT's:

Credits: Autumn Days Kit from DesignsBySassy.

I am still on the CT for her...and loving it! She is so fun to work with, and just had a new little baby boy...CONGRATS! You can check out here designs at www.designsbysassy.com. This LO was of a trip we made to a tried and true pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins a few years ago. The baby in the picture is now 3!! Hard to believe! Here is another LO, a really long overdue one:

Credits: The 2 of Us Kit from NatalieBirdDesigns.

This is of my wedding night...I was crazy enough to sing to my best friend and husband at our wedding reception. And while I can carry a tune, nerves and emotions got the better of me and my vocal cords that night! Our poor guests...but all in all it was a beautiful day and night, and I am shamed to admit I would probably do it (sing at my wedding reception) all again in a minute if I were to go back in time and do our day over again. Now for another almost equally overdue LO:

Credits: Spring Magic Kit from NatalieBirdDesigns.

This is of my son that is turning 8 this next week. He was thrilled to see so many bright colored eggs, but so VERY disappointed when he couldn't eat them! And he wasn't too excited to see the Easter Bunny either. He still has the bunny that was as big as him he got that day! Can my baby really be turning 8?? Okay, well, I have to go hug him some more...before grows up to much to want me to do that anymore!!

First in-Store Kit-The Vineyard

I hope you all like this! I am planning a word art add-on, but wanted to get this in the store! So it is up and able to be bought!

Click on picture to visit where it is in the store.

I hope you all like this! I am planning a word art add-on, but wanted to get this in the store! So it is up and able to be bought! It is on sale until Sunday at 40% off, which makes it $2.10 right now! I also have about 5 other kits in the works, but I don't know if they will get done this weekend. Real life is calling often! LOL!

Secret Revealed!! YAY!!

Okay, time for the secret reveal! I was asked by Nancy Wilkins of DigiScrapStation.com to join their design team!! YAY! I have been very busy getting myself familiar with the new information on how to set up my store. I don't have much in it, but plan on spending a LOT of time on designing in the next few weeks to get more in there...so please stop in to see from time to time all the new things I will be adding.

I want to stop here and thank all of my friends both on the Spraground and here that have been so supportive in my designing and playing...I couldn't be at this point without all of you and a VERY supportive family. And THANK YOU JESSICA!! I didn't move on in the SYTYCD challenge at Scrap Orchard, but this is SO much better!

Now for the real FUN! DigiScrapStation is having it's grand opening starting Tomorrow until Sunday!! May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Day, and we have been busy making the most of this! We have put together a kit, but in order to get all the pieces you must visit places on our site...so stop by the forum and see the Welcome Gifts area for more info on this! But here is a sneak preview of what my part is:



We are going to be making you hungry with this kit...so you might want to either buy or make some cookies and have a glass of milk on hand to help with this! Have a LOT of fun...there are some great sales going on as well, so shop if you like! There might be other freebies during the next week too!

Like I said, I don't have much up in my area yet, but in the next few days I am hoping to add a few things...so be patient with me and enjoy the other designers in the meantime! I am so EXCITED!!

I have a little secret!!

HAHA! LOL! But it is my turn to torture...I am not going to tell yet! It is still being set up, but is already looking great! I am SO excited, but I am still not going to tell...maybe next week it will be ready! All I will say, is I am finding a really great friend in Nancy! Maybe I gave away too much...hmmmm! Time will tell, but I won't! LOL!

UPDATED my Submission Kit...needed some little tweaks!

OK...after some very useful tips, and a lot of wishing I could afford CS, and a lot of brainstorming with those on the forums at Scrap Orchard...I have updated my buttons in my kit! And a very AMAZING lady (NancyWilkins @digiscrapstation) informed me of a VERY sneaky little devil of a pixel that had gone astray in my daisy die cut! So, those that already have the kit I have an add on with the updated buttons and die cut for you and to those that haven't yet downloaded it...I have a whole new link for you and will be disabling the old one so there is no confusion! Here is a look at the difference.

The bevel shadow is no longer black on my buttons, but more the actual color the shadow would be. This is something easy to correct in Photoshop CS...and with some figuring slightly less easy to correct in Photoshop Elements. (Which is what I own!) Please let me know if you have any trouble with these links!

TEMPLATE!! YAY! I did IT!!

I got the template for the SYTYCD challenge done! I got so frustrated, until Jessica Sprague's words of wisdom in the steps she takes came back to mind from DID class!! THANKS AGAIN JESSICA!! Gotta remember all the wonderful things you teach me! Anyway, here is the preview:It can be found in the gallery at Scrap Orchard, and also here. The challenge was a two page Layout using whitespace. I included a dividing line in the preview so that you can see where one Template ends and the other begins! This is of course a layered template.

Scrap Orchards SYTYCD Kit Challenge 1

Ok...to those anxiously waiting, or simply waiting...I have finished my mini kit submission for the designing challenge. Here is the preview, I have named it "Eye of a Daisy":
You can find this lovely freebie, along with the others that the "contestants" are submitting, link in the forums at www.ScrapOrchard.com be sure to leave some love, and have LOTS of fun playing! I did go ahead and put the link in the gallery with my preview, that way it is easier for all to find that are looking! I will check and see if I can place it here also...but at this point don't know if that is okay or not!
The shadows are for the preview only, and I did use 2 CU textures from Shauna with Pineapple Plantation that can be found with the Grunge Overlays 2 set at Scrap Orchard. I used these on the Die Cut Daisy, the Tag, and the 2 solid papers. Everything else is my own creations come to life!

Edit: We got the go ahead to put them in our blogs as well!! Here is the link: Disabled...Read post above!! Please, if you do a LO with my kit could you post it in their gallery. I would love to see what you have done with it! And PLEASE leave me a comment if you download...it is just good manners to say thank you!

I am trying to do the template challenge also...but white space isn't my strong suite and that is the first challenge! AHHH! So, it will be interesting to see if I can come up with something that I like between now and then. Send me your prayers for inspiration...since I whole-heartedly believe that is where all of mine comes from!
Oh, and to those doing a photo a day in May...I have taken photos, just haven't had time to post them yet!! Maybe once the template submission is done! Or maybe for a creative break...we will see.

Photo a Day for May, and SYTYCD Challenge...curious??

Well, the "cat is out of the bag" so to speak. Thanks for the reminder that I haven't yet updated my blog with my latest ventures, Heather. I probably should have done it sooner!! LOL! Anyway, Jessica Sprague has placed a "Photo a day for May" challenge on her site. I decided that I would do this with them, sounds like some real fun! So, here is my photo for May 1st:

SUCCESS!

This is of my oldest child, L.J.! He has really struggled to learn how to read, but yesterday for some reason felt the need to do so...without any prompting from me...for at least 6 hours!! He is the reason that I have homeschooled my little ones this year, to get him past last years struggles. At the beginning of this school year he wouldn't sit down and read by himself without the threat of loosing privileges...and now after months of fighting tooth and nail to get him to do it...HE HAS MADE IT!! This makes all the struggles, battles, and the overwhelming frustration from homeschooling my children, which has never been my plan and doesn't come natural to me, TOTALLY worth it! I will post today's later...I need to take it first! LOL!

Now for the next BIG venture! www.scraporchard.com is hosting a "So You Think You Can Design" Challenge. A play off of the reality TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. Starting late Sunday night they will be posting a challenge for those who want to participate, and we have until Wednesday to submit either a mini kit or a template based on the challenge. I haven't yet decided whether I am doing the template, the mini kit, or if I am ambitious enough to try to do both! I LOVE making templates, and it isn't a difficult thing for me to do (other than come up with the idea), but I really want to test my kit making skills.

They are willing to offer Constructive Criticizism (sp?) or CC before we submitt our final submission, so even if I don't make it to the end, it should be really helpful and informative! Whoever makes it through the last cut is going to be offered a 2 month guest designer spot on their site to sell their kits/templates. So, ready or not...I guess I will find out! LOL! I already have a LOT of friends from the Spraground routing for me, but now I have to wait until they post their first challenge.

Now, for the icing on the cake...so to speak!! All of the submissions will be offered as freebies on their site!! And they are holding a layout contest each week for a $10 store gift certificate, they have some cool things! I am using one of their kits to make a Mother's day gift for both of our Mothers! (I will tell which one after Mother's Day...shhhh!) And at the end of the month they will pick one of the "layout submitters" to join their Creative Team! This means that you can make layouts of their things, post them to galleries online, and the best part is you get the kits you use for free!! I have had a lot of fun on both of the CT's I am on. And speaking of which...I will have to post some of the more recent ones! I think I am behind on that too! Well, I have to go be a Mom now...but I will have to do that later!