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!

DID class and Templates!!

This was the LO that started the ride. I copied Jessica completely, except for the title, journaling, and of course, my own pictures. These were taken a few years back when I was playing with taking more professional looking photos from home.

Credits: This was done using course materials from Jessica Spragues DID class, some were donated by designers at DesignerDigital. The Fonts are One Fell Swoop and Texas Hero, both can be found at dafont.com.

Our second assignment for the first week was to take what we had learned and put it to use in a second LO. About this time my kids decided that the computer was taking up too much of Mommy and that they were going to get my attention (or that is how I took it)!! And to remember the lesson, I turned it into a LO!

Credits: I made the spice paper from a photo I took of the mess, and the brown "vellum" journaling block. I used an overlay from Trish Jones for the grungy edges, and the other 2 papers-background and strip, are from a Grateful4U Kit that was given as CT Appreciation Week.

This was Week 2's LO!! WOW!! We learned how to make our own patterned papers, our own brushes, customize stitching, and a whole slue of other completely amazing things!! Have I said how VERY HIGHLY I recommend HER classes?? If not...HINT HINT HINT!! LOL! I came across these photos, searching for Then and Now photos, and have decided I need to make this a traditional LO for all of my kids when they are turning 8!!

Credits: Materials from Jessica Sprague's DID class, some made during class, and some from designers at DesignerDigitals.

OK, now has it been fabulous so far or what!! Now, on top of that we were challenged during one of the midweek activities to design some templates using some smaller ones she had designed as a jump off point! I have 3 that I have made so far jumping off from hers, and one that is completely me (except for one shape I lifted off of an item in Natalie Bird's Kit I used for my LO that I made the template from). I am SO excited to share these with you, so here they are:


This last one has a LO it was designed from I was so excited with how it turned out that I had to share!! This is of my oldest when he was only 8 days old!!

Credits: I did this using the Little Boy Blue Kit from Natalie Bird Designs! The title font is Night Sky, which I found through google. I had so much fun with this!!

If you like the templates you have seen...then you will love knowing that I am going to share them with all of you!! You can download them here.

WOW...Have I been busy!!

Sorry to not have posted for almost a month, but I have some goodies for you! But that is getting ahead of myself. I have looked over the latest posts on here, and realized that you are missing out on a LOT of what I have done, both the last part of Jessica Sprague's U&R class, and the one that has kept me hopping this month "Digi: In Deep". I will be calling it DID for short. I also haven't put the CT Layouts for April or the challenges I have been hosting. So...Here goes:

This is the LO that put my posting on hold. It turned out to be a much more deeply emotional thing then I expected. It is too personal to fully share here, but the short version is: My oldest brother went missing for 7 years, he was of course found at that point, and this LO is about seeing him again! I am now working on an album for him based on the years he missed out on.

Credits: This was put together using the Kind Outdoors Kit from Designs By Sassy, and a Template we got for our U&R class designed by Jen Caputo.

This is the final lesson LO we did with our U&R class. Jessica Sprague is the best teacher of Digi Scrapping I know of! I HIGHLY recommend her classes, her Photoshop Friday Tutorials on her blog, and visiting the general forum at her site. This LO was taken at my Grandma's 90th this past summer, while we were all cleaning...

Credits: Most of the supplies were class materials, but I did use 4 papers, the ribbon and the buttons all from the Kind Outdoors Kit from Designs By Sassy.

Speaking of my Grandma's 90th, here is a LO I did on a part of the activities. It was so FUN to see so many cousins, aunts, and uncles there. And to see how the family was continuing to grow! It was fun to watch all of the Great-grandchildren sing to her.

Credits: This was put together using a Collaboration Kit that included Designs By Sassy, called "Sassy Summer, Dude" and can be found at her site.

Here is another LO I just did for the Designs By Sassy CT. This one was taken back in 2006, "Grandma" is a librarian and has been one at schools for years. It is always so wonderful to see the kids sit and listen to her read, especially knowing how much she loves to read to them!!

Credits: Autumn Days Kit from Designs By Sassy, as well as a Template from her first Template Set of 3 she has on her site. The Title I did myself.

One of the Challenges at the General Forum on www.jessicasprague.com was a blending challenge. We were also challenged at one point to take a picture of something we REALLY wanted to remember and scrap about it. This is the LO I did for both. They are both in my front yard and tell stories of their own. Here are the stories:

Credits: I did this using the Open Arms Kit from Natalie Bird Designs. I did add the stamp background and vellum of my own creations. I am really enjoying Natalie Bird's Kits...check them out!

OK...sigh of relief...this gets you caught up to the start of DID class!! Now hang on to your hats, and take a seat, because that class has been a HUGE ride!! I will do them in a second post!!