Mel's Place

A bike for the holidays?

2011-12-20T07:07:00.000-05:00

There is nothing better than the excitement of getting a new bike for Christmas as a child. I love seeing the look in J's eyes when he gets a new bike or scooter. I made this kit just for scrapping my little guy learning to ride his bike. Grab Kids on the Go for just $.99 today only!!

I'm dreaming of a Cozy Christmas...

2011-12-19T08:56:00.000-05:00

In reality we will probably be in shorts and flip flops this year. Its been a warm autumn in Florida and when winter officially starts in a few days I think its going to be an equally warm winter. There is something about 80 degrees that just doesn't quite feel like Christmas. But we have lots of family coming to visit from Ohio that will appreciate the sun and warm weather!

In honor of wishing I could snuggle up with some hot chocolate and a good book here is Cozy Christmas. $.99 today only!

Eeeek!! I goofed up my sale!

2011-12-17T21:41:00.003-05:00

In every way possible :)

So to make it up to you I have 2 products on sale NOW!

Mint Plum

and Jake

We are racing around like mad getting ready for Princess B's first birthday party so I'm off to finish cupcakes and try to make my house a little more presentable!! Hope y'all have a great Saturday night!!

Who wants a Skateboard for Christmas?

2011-12-16T06:48:00.002-05:00

Today's sale is Sk8r Punx! Remember each special is good for just 1 day so grab it quick :)

Dec 15th- Do you have Letters For Santa?

2011-12-15T07:01:00.000-05:00

Remember writing letters to Santa when you were a kid? My sisters and I used to flip through the Sears Wish Book and make our lists and dream of what Santa might bring us. The wish book seemed like it must have every toy in the world- like maybe Santa himself was behind it.

Now, I get to see the magic of Christmas through the eyes of my kids. For B Santa is just a scary stranger in a red suit- she was NOT thrilled to sit in his lap this year! J still believes in the magic of Christmas. Last year, he was so worried about what would happen if we had B on Christmas that Santa wrote him a letter explaining that he makes special trips for things like new baby sisters. That made him so happy- and we ended up getting home just in time for Christmas with the best present ever!

Today's special sale is my alpha set Letters for Santa. Maybe you can use it for your own letter to Santa!

Pick up a Sweet Deal!

2011-12-14T06:37:00.001-05:00

As in Sweet Neapolitan for just $.99!! But you have to get it today- because tomorrow it goes back to full price!

Here is a LO of my hubby- the photo was taken by J. Our little man is a great photog when he slows down and tries to get a good shot!

Dec 13 Flash Sale

2011-12-13T07:25:00.001-05:00

Today's $.99 item is Simple Pleasures!

I love how peaceful the colors in this kit make me feel. This is a time of year when its good to sit back and remember that sometimes the best things are the simple things... like snuggling up hot chocolate or baking cookies together. Sometimes the best things are the things you cannot buy. I hope you will each take a moment or two to appreciate the simple moments this season!

Here is one of our recent simple moments...J is mod podging some tiles to make into drink coasters. He has made 4 sets of them to give as gifts. I love that he is in his Home Depot apron- he wears is for all our projects!

And another of my favorite simple moments - though this one is almost 2 years old- my sister's status update on Facebook while in the early weeks of her pregnancy. I still laugh every time I look at this layout!

What's New? and a Flash Sale

2011-12-12T14:02:00.007-05:00

I cannot believe I havent blogged since September! That must be a new record in slackiness!! Things have been hectic on the homefront. Princess B is growing like crazy and J played fall ball. I miss having him in soccer but he is a much better baseball player than he was at soccer and he seems to enjoy it more. Just before Thanksgiving we took a trip to Helen, GA to spend some time playing in the autumn leaves. You just dont get those amazing colors in Florida. Now we are getting ready for our second Christmas with the princess- though the first one she was only 3 days old- and her first birthday! Its amazing how much more stuff we have to cram into December now that she is in our lives!

I have been busy designing too. I just released Holy Night into the shop at Divine Digital and it should be available at My Memories very soon.

If you like what you see, you might want to hit up the blog at scrappingartistry.com. Shanna has an awesome freebie there using Holy Night!

Every day from now until Christmas, I will be having a $.99 sale on one item in my My Memories store! Today's sale is Flannel PJs:

It will be $.99 until tomorrow and then you will have a new item on sale!! Happy Shopping!

2 Freebies!!

2011-09-04T23:03:00.003-04:00

As you can tell by my very active and busy blog (insert sarcastic snort here) I have had a little trouble with design mojo lately! So, to get myself out of my slump I decided to enter the design competition at The Studio. A challenge is always a good way to push through a creative block. This weeks challenge was to create 5 papers and 12 elements using a pastel palette. I love soft colors so much more than bright ones so I found this one fun to complete. And now you get to go grab the freebie!!

Head on over to The Studio to download this one:

This little add on is available on my facebook page:

I hope you enjoy both parts and would love to see any layouts you create with them :)

A Messy Subject...

2011-08-09T07:52:00.002-04:00

I'm talking diapers here. And a daughter who seems to be allergic. We first realized Princess B was allergic to Huggies when she was about 6 weeks old. I am a couponer so I bought whatever brand had the best price after coupons- and Huggies has great coupons! But after dealing with chronic diaper rash, we switched to Pampers and the rash went away. For a while. Now she is 7 months old and we have chronic diaper rash again. So I brought up the subject with the husband. Again.

I try to be good. I try to reuse and recycle-go green yada yada. But my husband was vehemently opposed to cloth diapers. I brought them up when pregnant with both my son and daughter and he said no-way! I bought some cheap folded ones because they make great burp clothes and I swear he went cross eyed for a week! But cloth diapers breathe better. They are better for baby's bottom and they are environmentally friendly. (Please don't email me lecturing me about water and electricity use- most disposable diapers do not decompose. No matter how you slice it, that's not good). So I started researching. I knew we had to do an all-in-one because if it wasn't easy there was NO way he would participate. I knew we would have to do disposable liners to make getting rid of #2 cleaner. And I knew I would still be fighting an uphill battle.

So, I ordered Kushies Diapers and liners from Amazon. They were the most affordable all in one I could find with the best reviews. We got them in and I showed my husband the easy-peasy Velcro. I played show and tell and did my best sales pitch. And to my surprise- he didn't go cross eyed. He didn't even argue. It was almost disappointing to not have to use all my arguments! He was actually receptive to the idea- mostly. Our first night using them went well. And since he has put her in them with out me having to ask or nag and even #2 has been okay because of the handy dandy liners. He still wants her in disposables over night and she has to be in them for day care. But just going cloth part time has helped her poor little bottom so much. And I know that even using them part time will save us a ton of money over the long run- for me that's a win-win.

Getting Settled In...

2011-07-13T21:04:00.006-04:00

I am finally starting to feel like I am getting settled at Divine. I have about a third of my goodies up and have put up some new overlays as well. I created these a long time ago and have used them many, many times in my kits. With the new shop coming together, I decided its time to share!!

I hope y'all like them as much as I do!! My whole Divine shop is still 40% off until the end of the month!

In the real world, we just celebrated our son's 7th birthday. I don't feel old enough to have a seven year old! July is always super rainy in Florida and it never fails to pour on whatever day we try to have a party for him. We wanted this year to be a little bit special for him because he is still adjusting to not being the only child but the wonky weather limited our options. We decided to have a party at our local roller rink. It was sort of surreal to be at my childhood hangout with my childhood friends and their kids- especially since the place hasn't changed a bit! Seriously, I think its still the same paint and carpet from 15 years ago. And its still just $.75 to rent skates! Of course, I suspect the skates are the same too! Here are some pics from the big day:

B and Grandma dancing- Miss B is proving to be quite the music lover!

This is the face of serious concentration

J was good sport about falling down

My hubs (white shirt) and his brother got in on the fun.

My two guys are so cute! I love them both!

I didn't do skates this time- and I look exactly like I got stuck in a downpour picking up the cake (I did- we got about 6 inches that afternoon and I think I was outside for 5 of them!) so no pics of me will be seeing the light of day. I have to thank my friend Jackie for getting most of the photos from the party! It pays to have girlfriends who take even more photos than you do!

Oh, and when we got home J declared it the best birthday ever! What more can a momma ask for?

What a week!

2011-07-08T20:39:00.004-04:00

I don't know about you, but sometimes I feel like a short week just isn't worth it. Don't get me wrong- I love having three day weekends- but I am so behind at work that I am going in tomorrow just to get caught up! But, you don't come here to listen to me whine LOL

My cousin found the coolest photo online, and I just have to share! I love old family photos. Its interesting to see who we come from, I think. This photo is of my Great-Grandfather Clete and the Norwood Fire Dept. I never knew him and I didnt get to spend a lot of time with my Great-Grandmother either so its especially interesting to me.

Grandpa Cletus is under the third door from the left, between the 1st and 2nd window, 2nd row. See the guy wearing his hat with attitude...

Now I know where I get it from ;)

Drumroll please!!!!

2011-07-05T08:26:00.003-04:00

I am excited to announce that I am officially a Divine Digital Designer!! My new shop will be 40% off all month long as I get things loaded (discount will show at checkout). Look for some new releases too!!

My digi BFF Sugar Moon is also at Divine and to celebrate our new shops we have an awesome new collab for you! And its FREE!!! We are doing a download-a-day from today until July 26. Visit the Scrapping Artistry Blog to pick up the first part today!

My newest addiction...

2011-06-30T10:31:00.004-04:00

I LOVE Groupon! I check every Florida city every day and I have scored some great deals! Last week I got a year of Sunday delivery of the St. Pete Times for $10. SCORE!! Then I got a pass to the Pier Aquarium in St. Pete for our family for $25. What's really great about this deal is that they reciprocate with a ton of other aquariums and museums. So we have a year's worth of visits planned and our admission is basically free!

Our first visit to the Pier aquarium was a ton of fun! I couldnt get good pics inside the aquarium because they don't want you to use a flash, but we got great pics outside and managed to beat the rain!

The St. Pete Pier. I love the retro look of the building. I hadnt been to the pier since a high school field trip. My son and his cousin had never been. They are talking about tearing it down, so I am glad we got to visit.

The weather we were trying to beat. It looks like evening but it was about 11am.Jake and Justin enjoying the view

Princess B didn't care about the view...she just wanted to eat her dress! Like the stroller? It was Jake's :)

Yeah...I really need to work on that baby belly!This guy was posing for me! They usually don't let you get so close but the people fishing off the pier were feeding him. I guess he was hoping for more hand outs.The view of St. Pete from atop the pier.

Coming out of the closet....

2011-06-17T11:16:00.006-04:00

I am a couponer. There I said it. Lately, we have gotten a bad rap from that TV show. You know the one...I don't want to even say the name to give them any more publicity. People using fraudulent coupons and clearing shelves so there is nothing left for anyone else. Using their kids as their little couponing slaves and hoarding so much food they can't possibly use it before it expires.

Okay, rant over. I am not that kind of couponer. I'm the one who is happy to save $15 or $20 off groceries so my husband can have the brand of expensive pickles he likes and we can have some extra treats in the pantry. And I am fortunate to be able to donate to our local homeless shelter the things on their wish list.

I wanted to share with you a couple of places that I go to to find the best deals on stuff:

Vocal Point- they have coupons, samples, and special offers. This morning they sent me coupons for Motts for Tots. http://www.vocalpoint.com/mottsfortots

There are tons of deals to be found on Facebook too! One page I follow is Deal Wise Mommy. Another is Coupon Geek. Both share coupons and great deals to be found around the web and in stores. I know there are tons more- you could make a full time job out of clipping coupons and shopping around. But thats when you fall into that area of being a little bit extreme ;)

Big Big Day!

2011-06-14T22:17:00.004-04:00

My beautiful Princess B tried to crawl tonight! She has been scooting herself backwards for a while now so I knew it was coming, but its so exciting to see her learn and grow! She pushed up onto all fours and took that first little crawley step...and promptly fell down! But she got back up and tried again!

Of course I had to grab the camera! I just love her pudge!

Some News

2011-06-13T12:35:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone! I am sad to share that Enchanted Studio Scraps has decided to close their doors forever. This came about suddenly and unexpectly as a result of technical issues. I am so sad to see my digital home close its doors, but I am looking forward to new opportunities.

In the meantime, my blog is in serious need of a facelift! Please excuse my dust as I move things around and figure them out. I am determined to learn all of this css and html stuff so I don't want to have someone do it for me this time. It might get pretty ugly around here while I am learning!

Now for a creepy-funny story;

My daughter's daycare keeps the infants in a separate little building. The baby cottage is an adorable little log cabin style cottage and the babies are protected from all the big kid germs. Its one of the many reasons I love the school so much. We are usually the first arrivals each morning and they open the cottage when we get there.

This morning a moth flew in behind Ms. Ashley. I scooped it out the door and turned to go back inside. As I stepped in the door, I felt something on the back of my neck and brushed it off thinking the moth had found its way back inside. I was holding my daughter talking to Ashley and I felt something crawling on my arm. I looked down to see a 2 inch scorpion running down my arm. EEEK! I don't do things that sting. I jumped and screemed and brushed it off my arm and stomped on it so fast that I don't think Princess B knew what to think. She was laughing though, so I didnt scare her. I'm just so glad that neither one of us was stung.

I have decided that since my heart rate climbed so high this morning, I am excused from exercising later, right?

Fairy Finds and More!

2011-04-05T05:34:00.007-04:00

I cannot believe its been 2 weeks since I blogged! I've been a bad bad blogger! But I have lots to share with you so I am just going to dive right in!

Princess B is already 3 months old! Can you believe it? And she had her first photo shoot at my mom's house last week. I love the photos and will happily recommend Happily Ever After Photography for those of you in Central Florida that may need a photographer. Here are a few of the photos:

She is so precious!! And her big brother loves her so much!

On the scrapbooking side of things, today is once again Fairy Finds day at Enchanted Studio Scraps and I have lots for you from my personal shop and from the Scrapping Artistry Shop!

And lastly, its a new month so I have a new free mini kit for you in the forums at ESS! Remember if you play along with the challenge you earn points to get free stuff from the shop at ESS! All you have to do is make a layout with the mini kit- easy peasy!

Fairy Finds and a Sweet New Release!

2011-03-23T08:36:00.005-04:00

Its Wednesday again! And that means I have lots of goodness for you today! First, I have a new release in the shop at Enchanted Studio Scraps! Sweet Neapolitan and the add-on are each 30% off through Friday.

And here are a few layouts by my fabulous CT:

Amy Jo
Me :)

Angelrat

Kara

Kathryn

And Wednesday also means I have $1 Fairy Finds for you today! Remember each of these goodies will be just $1 for today only!

Fairy Finds Day!

2011-03-16T08:44:00.005-04:00

Its time once again for Fairy Finds! Remember these goodies are $1 for just one day!

Also I have an exclusive freebie on my facebook page! Just "Like" my page and then click on the exclusive tab on the left side bar. And remember...Its always nice to share :)

Going off Topic for a minute...

2011-03-15T13:07:00.004-04:00

Anyone who has read this blog for a while (and pretty much anyone who knows my family and me) knows that our son is an avid dirt bike rider. In fact, as I type this my husband and J are riding at Croom Motorcycle Area. We had promised J that he would get to spend a day there with dad over spring break and today is that day! He was so excited this morning he was up early and volunteering to brush his teeth and comb his hair. Usually we only have to make him do these things! Here is a recent pic of J with his wheels!

A few years ago the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) instituted a piece of legislation called Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. This law was designed to protect our children from the harms of lead in the products they use. The problem with this law is that it is so broadly written that it also affects dirt bikes, ATVs, skateboards, and bicycles. I don't know about you, but I have never seen a kid sitting on the side of the road sucking on his skateboard!

The implications Of this act are huge! ATV and dirt bike dealers will no longer be able to sell smaller models. My son's little pw50 that he learned to ride on would be illegal for me to sell or pass on to someone else. Because of the public outcry the CPSC placed a temporary stay of enforcement on dirt bike and ATV dealers so that the issues with the act could be straightened out. That stay is set to expire soon and at this time there is no resolution in place.

Representative Danny Rehberg of Montana has proposed a bill called Kids Just Want to Ride Act, H.R. 412. The purpose of this act is to undo some of the broadness of the CPSC. No matter how you feel about kids on bikes, please take a moment to consider the economic implications of this act. Do we really need yet another industry crippled NOW??? Dealers don't just sell small bikes to families with children. Smaller dirt bikes and ATVs are also used by small adults. I am petite and the size bike I would choose for myself will be eliminated if this law is not rectified. Please take a moment to contact your state representative and support this bill!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming ;)

Wild Wednesday!

2011-03-09T07:21:00.000-05:00

Today I get to go with J's class to chaperone their field trip to Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. I wonder who will be wilder- the kids or the animals?! Just kidding...sort of! Actually, most of the kids in J's class are pretty cool. And I really like his teacher so it should be a fun day. Parents arent allowed to ride the bus down with the kids but we can sign our kids out and stay after the other kids leave so we will be able to have some J & mommy time too. I know he misses being an only child sometimes even though he really loves his baby sister.

But don't worry! I wouldnt skip town without making sure Fairy Finds were taken care of! Here are the goodies I have for just $1 today!Scrapping Artistry has a little something for you too!

While you are at ESS don't forget to pick up this month's mini kit, Spring Splash, for the mini kit challenge and play along with us!

Wowie Wow!

2011-03-02T07:21:00.000-05:00

What a great first two weeks at Enchanted! It has gone by so fast! If you havent re-registered yet I hope you will get over there and hang out with us!

Its Wednesday and that means that I have Fairy Finds for you! Scrapping Artistry will also have some goodies for you this week! Remember Fairy Finds are $1 for just one day so get them quickly!

Fairy Finds

2011-02-23T07:02:00.000-05:00

$1 goodies today only :) Don't forget the rest of my shop is 40% off!!

Back in Business!

2011-02-22T18:32:00.004-05:00

The shop and forums at Enchanted Studio Scraps are back up and running! Sadly, the shop, gallery and the forums were lost in the server move so you will have to reregister to play along. But I promise it will be worth it! In fact, ESS is giving double points on challenges this month so be sure to check those out before the month is up! My shop there is about half way reloaded and I have added some kits and commercial use sets that were not previously available there.

But I do have some good news for you too! As of now, all of the designers at ESS are exclusive! And my partner in crime...I mean scrap... Sugar Moon Designs and I have now opened a collab shop: Scrapping Artistry! Our first kit together, Mad Hatter Tea Party, is available there for you to snag!

We also have a newsletter! And when you sign up for it you get a free mini kit!

Last but not least, I have this months Pixie Pouch freebie! Love Bug was inspired by my new little princess! I hope you like it and use it to scrap the princesses in your life!

All Grown Up and Fairy Finds

2011-01-26T08:53:00.000-05:00

Well, its official- My little boy is all grown up! He has graduated from his little pw50 to a Suzuki 70- in other words he has gotten a bigger dirtbike. Now my husband is talking about taking him riding at a state park that hubby had previously said he was too little to ride at. And J is saying he wants to learn how to race! What's a momma to do? He does look so cute when he gets all his gear on and heads out to the back yard to ride! And maybe someday he will race but for now he will just have to settle for being the fastest kid in the family!

I also have Fairy Finds for you today! Remember these are goodies that are $1 for today only!

New Releases 30% off today at ESS!

2011-01-14T07:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! I hope you all have had an awesome week and have fun things planned for the weekend! We will be at J's soccer game Saturday and Sunday one of J's friends is having a birthday party at the park.

Today is a sad day for me. Princess B and I are going to the daycare to get her paperwork squared away. Its hard to believe that she is already 3 weeks old and I will be going back to work soon. I wish it were possible for her to come with me at least for a couple of months but I know that she will be in very good hands. The daycare we have chosen for her was the same one we used for J until he started school. The owner and her husband are wonderful people and thankfully many of the staff are still the same so I feel like I am leaving her with friends and not strangers.

But enough of the depressing stuff! I have revamped my All Dirty Overlays and reloaded them into the shop at ESS. They will be 30% off through the weekend!

Fairy Finds and a Freebie!

2011-01-12T06:41:00.000-05:00

I have a few Fairy Finds for you again this week! Remember Fairy Finds are $1 for one day only so get them quickly!

Also, while I have been out getting to know Princess B, my fabulous CT member Memi has been hostessing my challenge at ESS. This month's pixie pouch freebie, Sweet Neapolitan, is only available until January 15th. Visit ESS to grab it and play along with us in the forums!

All Seasons Blog Train!

2011-01-09T07:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday ESS!! Did you know that Enchanted Studio Scraps turns 2 this month? As part of the birthday celebration we are having a blog train! Be sure to stop by the ESS forums this month for other fun birthday challenges!

Here is my part: All Seasons- Summer (click on image to download)

The next stop on the blog train is: Knittinjen Designs. If you need a complete list of all the stops on the train visit the ESS blog.

Fairy Finds and an Announcement

2011-01-05T13:26:00.005-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Once again I have some Fairy Finds for you for just $1 but before we get to that I have an announcement to make:

I am officially exclusive to Enchanted Studio Scraps! While I am very excited about the change I am also a little sad. Designs In Digital was my first real home in digi-land and I have been there since Lisa and Tink bought the site. But with the birth of Princess B I realized that some things had to be cut out and I had to choose just one site. The choice was not easy but change is good and hopefully this one will free up some more time to just design and scrap.

Now...on to the sale :)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T20:44:00.004-05:00

Wow, what a crazy couple of weeks this has been! The last time I posted, I was being induced to have our daughter. She was born that afternoon (Dec. 22nd) and she is absolutely perfect! I forgot how much you can instantly love a new little person and how much they change your life. The hospital was more than happy to let us go the next afternoon so we were home in time for dinner on Thursday. She did have her days and nights confused but I think we are mostly getting that straightened out- aside from that things have gone pretty smoothly for all of us. J is adjusting pretty well to being the big brother. He wants to hold her all the time and gives her tons of kisses!

Here are a few pics from the big day...

Me looking not-so-fabulous in my couture gown with my ice chips for breakfast. You can see by the smile that nothing too exciting is happening yet.

Here is all 7lbs 3 oz of Princess B.

Here I am with the princess...still rocking the fabulous hospital couture!

He missed his mama!

Little man meeting his little sis for the first time. He kept saying "she's so cute!" I wonder if he will still feel that way in a couple of years?

And this one...well lets just say that my two BFFs were involved!

Since we brought Princess B home we have celebrated Christmas and New Years. We also had umpteen house guests for their annual visit and my hubby's birthday. It really has been a whirlwind. But tomorrow hubby goes back to work and on Wednesday J goes back to school and it will be just B and me snuggling and getting to know each other better. That is as scary as it is exciting!

Update and Fairy Finds

2010-12-22T07:11:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the beauty of delayed publishing, I will be in the hospital when you read this! As I type it is Tuesday morning and I am having contractions (yay!) but they arent really painful or consistent yet (boo!). But no matter what happens today, I am scheduled to be induced at 5 am on Wednesday morning. But before I set out to walk laps around the neighborhood, I wanted to get organized for the week!

Wednesday is Fairy Finds day and I couldn't leave you without a few $1 goodies! In honor of Christmas, each of my holiday goodies will be just $1. Normally, the sale is just for one day but I plan to leave them each at $1 through the weekend!

Friday is new release day at ESS and since I may or may not be home yet, I wanted to share this weeks release with you. Blooms is a pack of tiny CU flowers that I scanned and extracted. They have been at DID for a while but I decided to put them in the shop at ESS too!

Hopefully the next time I post it will be with lots of pics of my new little bundle :) Until then have a safe and wonderful Christmas!!

Happy Fairy Finds Day!

2010-12-08T06:33:00.000-05:00

Good morning from Chilly Florida! We are experiencing a rare December cold snap here- we are about 27 degrees this morning which for us is pretty extreme. Of course, we may be in shorts for Christmas. Florida is crazy like that.

Well, its Wednesday which means that once again I have goodies for you for just $1.

Hope you have an awesome Wednesday :)

Hope for a New Season~ A very special Collab!

2010-12-07T06:08:00.000-05:00

My personal CT member Kara has a disease called Cystic Fibrosis. Before I met Kara, I really didnt know anything at all about this disease. As she and I have become friends and I have watched her deal with the day to day impact of living with an illness like this one, I can tell you that she is truly a special person. This is not an easy disease. It affects about 70,000 people world wide and the majority of them are diagnosed as children. It used to be that people with CF were not expected to live until adulthood. Now, with good medical care, many grow to live full lives. However, many do not. Through Kara, I have been blessed to read about others with this illness and their lives and sometimes their deaths. This is a challenging disease, but one that I hope someday soon science will find a cure for.

Kara also CTs and does a lot for Designs In Digital. As a team, we decided to dedicate our December collab to Kara and the quest to find a cure for CF. We have created a beautiful charity collab called Hope For A New Season. The proceeds from the collab will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. This amazing collab contains 50 papers and 78 elements. Also included are CU glitter styles (with glitter sheets for non photoshop users), a template, and an alpha (with upper and lower case letters and bonus strings). I hope you will consider picking this kit up for your scrapping stash and help us to help others this holiday season. If you choose not to pick up the collab, I hope that you will consider donating to help fund CF reasearch- even if its just a couple of dollars.

December Pixie Pouch

2010-12-06T15:59:00.003-05:00

I was super excited about this month's pixie pouch and then spent the weekend with no internet service to blog about it. Luckily I have service at work- and about 2.2 seconds to spare to do a quick post!

This month's pixie pouch is called Winter Dreams and I hope you like it! Remember its free until December 15th! If you play along with the challenge in the forums you can earn points towards goodies in the ESS shop! Be sure to check out the other challenges while you are there!

$1 Fairy Finds!

2010-12-01T06:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I just have to share that I am 36 weeks pregnant today! Only 4 weeks left until that magic due date. Of course who knows when my little stinker will actually arrive? Maybe we should do a baby pool LOL

Once again its Fairy Finds day! That means I have 3 goodies that are just $1 today!

Happy Black Friday!

2010-11-26T07:57:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has ever had the joy of working in retail knows how appropriate the name Black Friday really is! I do not miss waking up at 4am to get to the mall to open up the store for the myriads of shoppers intent on getting the best possible deal! I prefer to do my shopping online these days! And that is why I volunteered for babysitting duty today! I will be with my brand new baby nephew- just 2 months old and super adorable- and 5 other kids ages 4-10 all day. And I am looking forward to getting them all together to play soccer in the back yard and do some other fun projects!

In the meantime I am having a sale all weekend so you can take advantage of some online deals. So even if you are a die-hard black friday marathoner you won't miss anything!

Today through Monday my shops at Designs in Digital and Enchanted Studio Scraps will be 50% off!

For those of you brave enough to be out and about today- be safe and get lots of great deals! I'll be in the backyard painting projects and playing soccer!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2010-11-24T06:31:00.002-05:00

Wow...where has the year gone? I can't believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow! We are celebrating this evening with my mother in law and tomorrow will be spent at my mom's house. Having gestational diabetes is putting a damper on my spirits a little bit- I think pecan pie is probably out of the question this year- but I am hoping that if I take a couple of long walks we can keep my sugar in check and I can indulge a little!

I do have this weeks Fairy Finds for you! Remember these goodies are $1 just for today!

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving! May your bellies be full and your heart be filled with gratitude for all of life's blessings!

$1 Fairy Finds

2010-11-17T06:15:00.001-05:00

Its Wednesday! And you know what that means~ I have goodies for you for just $1!

Letters For Santa

2010-11-11T18:39:00.003-05:00

Happy Friday! I have a little new release for you today!

I have to thank my partner in design Crystal of Sugar Moon Designs for helping me come up with the name of this alpha pack! She is awesome!

Letters for Santa is a complete alpha (upper and lower case letters, numbers and punctuation) in red and green. This pack will be 30% off all weekend and is available at Designs In Digital and Enchanted Studio Scraps.

Santa is coming to Designs In Digital!

2010-11-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

It is time once again for Santa's Digi Express to pull into the station at Designs in Digital! Get ready for challenges, sales and fun! To play along you must purchase the SDE grab bag. The grab bag includes 5 collab kits- worth it even if you might not be able to play along! Its just $3.50 for right now, but it won't stay that price forever!

Fairy Finds and Pixie Pouch!

2010-11-10T03:15:00.000-05:00

How did I not blog the Pixie Pouch this month?? They say pregnancy makes you forgetful- I say I get dopier the bigger my belly gets!

This month's Pixie Pouch Freebie is called Outdoors and will be available until Nov. 15th for download. Don't forget to play along with the challenge in the forums at ESS and earn points to use in the shop!

Here is a Layout by ESS ct member Christie!

We also have this weeks Fairy Finds! Don't forget that Fairy Finds are just $1 for one day only! (images are linked)

Early Happy DSD!!

2010-11-05T11:26:00.002-04:00

I love how Digital Scrapbook Day has turned into such a huge weekend for sales and fun! I love all the chats and events that happen each year!

And of course I have a sale for you too! My shops at Designs In Digital and Enchanted Studio Scraps are both on sale for 50% off today and Saturday and 30% off on Sunday! (discount at ESS shows at checkout)

Fairy Finds Day at ESS!

2010-11-03T14:25:00.005-04:00

Its Wednesday once again- and that means its Fairy Finds Day at ESS! Take a peak at what I have for you for just $1!

Christmas Already?!

2010-10-29T06:14:00.001-04:00

Its not even Halloween yet and I am knee deep in Christmas! Each year I chair an event through our local builders association where we provide Christmas toys for needy kids. We partner with Toys for Tots and take donations and applications beginning in mid-October. Its a ton of fun and a lot of work but in the end you know that you have helped make Christmas brighter for a lot of kids.

In the middle of all of this, I still have to think about Christmas for the family and friends! Thankfully, just as I was stewing over teacher gifts, Heather Manning posted a coupon code to Arts Cow on her Facebook page! Thanks Heather :) I gave teachers these mini coin bags last year and they were a huge hit! You can get 2 of them for just $4 including shipping if you use coupon code 2PURSE44 (expires 11/15) at checkout.

Its been a while since I did a blog freebie so I thought I'd share a de-personalized version of the one I made for DS's teachers this year. I used my kit Cozy Christmas which is available at Designs In Digital and Enchanted Studio Scraps. The design of the bag is a lift of the one Heather made for her kid's teachers last year. I lifted last year's design and used that as a template for this year's bag too.

You may upload this to order your own coin purse or use it as a small greeting card.

Spooky Sale!

2010-10-28T14:04:00.004-04:00

Happy Halloween! Its just a few days early! My ESS shop will be 31% off through the weekend to celebrate! The discount will show at checkout!

Special thanks to CT member Kara for creating this ad :) You rock darlin'!

Fairy Finds!! $1 Goodies today!

2010-10-27T08:34:00.003-04:00

Somebody forgot to tell the weatherman that we arent supposed to be 90 degrees in October so work is CRAZY this morning!! The air conditioners are revolting!! So today's post will be short and sweet!

Its Fairy Finds Day at ESS today so I have goodies for you for just $1.

Hope y'all have a great Wednesday :)

Fairy Finds at ESS!

2010-10-20T06:29:00.000-04:00

Its that time again! Here is what we have on sale for just $1 today only!

12 Days of Halloween!

2010-10-18T16:51:00.003-04:00

The ESS Designers have gotten together to create an awesome Halloween collab that you can download for FREE!! Just visit the ESS Blog everyday starting Wednesday October 20th and grab each days part until halloween!

Real Life Excitement and a New Release!

2010-10-15T07:35:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing one of my oldest friends get married. We were very close in high school and lost touch after graduation. Through the magic of social networking we were able to reconnect a few years ago. Its funny how some bonds are not affected by time or distance! She is wonderful and I am soooo happy to see her so happy!

Here is a pic of us together

And I have to share this one of my wonderful Hubby and DS. I just love his wink!

Speaking of my hubby, we celebrated 10 years of marriage this Thursday! Hard to believe he has put up with me for so long!

On to the new release! I have a new set of CU overlays at ESS. The All Grungy Overlays will be 30% off all weekend! I had so much fun making these! Any time I get to get out paint and get messy, its fun! These are transparent and can be used to add a distressed look to your papers or they can be recolored and used to add a messy painted look.

Haunting Halloween Fun at ESS!

2010-10-08T11:11:00.004-04:00

I love October! This is perhaps my favorite time of year to live in Florida! We don't see much in the way of falling leaves here until December or January and we don't get the beautiful fall folliage but we do get some absolutely awesome weather! I sat outside reading with my son yesterday afternoon under the bluest sky with a perfect breeze and it was maybe 82 degrees. Most days we have what I consider perfect weather- about 85 and sunny!

Of course, October also brings us Halloween and all the fall festivities that go with it! And the digi scrap world is no exception! Enchanted Studio Scraps has been redecorated for halloween and we have tons of fun challenges lined up this month to go with our new look! First up is my Pixie Pouch challenge! If you havent already grabbed my freebie to play along, I hope you will!

Also, is our fun new siggie challenge where you can win a free kit from Kathy Winters Designs! Just create a spooky siggie and post it in the forum to win Hauntingly Cute from Kathy!

There will be lots more excitement coming over the next couple of weeks so keep checking in to the Fall Festival forum at ESS for details.

Happy Wednesday! $1 Fairy Finds!

2010-10-06T09:13:00.005-04:00

Its Hump Day! That means I have some goodies for $1 today only!

Its Spooktacular! A new freebie for you!

2010-10-05T10:50:00.001-04:00

October is here and that means that I have a new Pixie Pouch for you at ESS! Spooktacular will be available for a very limited time so be sure to grab it before October 15th!

Happy Wednesday! $1 Fairy Finds!

2010-09-29T00:13:00.001-04:00

Another Wednesday is upon us! That means that the fairy has visited ESS once again and set select items at just $1! Here is what I have for you this week!

ESS is having two calls!

2010-09-28T11:42:00.004-04:00

ESS is looking for new CTs and Guest Designers! Interested? See the ads below!

DID is having a CT call!

2010-09-20T09:05:00.003-04:00

Want to be a part of an awesome site CT and get to work with a different designer each month? DID is having a site CT call!

If you are interested apply here.

Sweet Deal on a Sweet kit!

2010-09-20T08:30:00.004-04:00

Earlier this month I teamed up with Crystal of Sugar Moon Designs to bring you this month's designing duo at DID, Mad Hatter Tea Party. Now we have teamed up again to bring you an adorable coordinating brag book! For the rest of this month if you buy the kit you will get the brag book FREE! Or, you can purchase the brag book by itself!

Home Sweet Home!

2010-09-15T00:30:00.000-04:00

We just got back from a long weekend at the beach in Lido Key! If you are ever in Florida, I highly recommend visiting this quiet little corner of Sarasota! The beach there is beautiful, not at all crowded and perfect for little ones. The waves tend to be very calm and there are beautiful shells everywhere! This is a pic of my hubby pulling my son down the beach on a body board- who needs waves to body surf when you have daddy?

Now its time to get back into the swing of things! We are kicking it off with Fairy Finds at ESS! Each Wednesday you can find goodies on sale for just $1! And this week I have a couple of things on sale!

Voting is NOW!!

2010-09-01T13:19:00.003-04:00

Please take a moment to help me win this week's immunity challenge at Brownie Scraps! Vote for Rockstar! by Missy's Bits here. Voting is super simple and you don't have to register or anything! You can only vote one time per IP address and voting will close at noon tomorrow.

Here is my entry (In case you missed it!). Go grab it for FREE!

Its Time for the Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

2010-09-01T07:09:00.001-04:00

Don't be late for this very important date - it's the Mad Hatter Tea Party and you must come be part of it!

This fantastical kit was created by the design team of Missy's Bits and Sugar Moon Designs. We have put together a magical kit full of sparkles and flowers and tea cups and JAMMED PACKED with whimsy and merriment! Perfect for all your fun and madcap layouts!

And it is just $3 today only!!!

Fairy Finds Day!

2010-08-31T23:20:00.002-04:00

Its Wednesday and that means its Fairy Finds day at ESS! Come see what you can get for just $1

Do you wanna be a Rockstar?

2010-08-31T11:11:00.003-04:00

I do! Except cats cry when I sing and I can't play any instruments- so I guess that career field is out! But I do have a fun Rockstar freebie for you this week as part of the Designer Survivor competition at Brownie Scraps! Voting starts Wedensday and I hope you will check in and vote for my mini!

I have lots of other goodies coming for you in the next couple of days so check back often!

Don't forget to Vote! And Serenity!

2010-08-25T21:18:00.004-04:00

There is still time to vote for me to help me win immunity in this weeks Designer Survivor! Just go here and choose Tickled Pink by Missy's Bits! Then see my previous post to grab the adorble mini that is Tickled Pink!

Now for that Serenity I promised you! This weeks survivor challenge was to complete a monochromatic kit. I loved making simplicity- which was mostly blue- and wanted to make a green companion kit. With the input of my awesome CT, Serenity was born! You can click on the image to get it for free from the gallery at Brownie Scraps- but only for a little while :)

Tickled Pink!

2010-08-25T12:33:00.000-04:00

Wow! Week 4 of Designer Survivor is almost over already! This competition is making the weeks fly! I am hard at work on my week 4 kit and I have to tell you that I am loving it! Want a sneak peak? Here is a LO I did with it.

The font for the journalling is CK Ali's hand and the photo was taken by my wonderful DS. He is so excited to be a big brother- as long as he gets a little brother LOL!

The Week4 Immunity challenge is also done! This week we were given a magazine cover to use as our inspiration. I love pink and brown together and so we have been Tickled Pink! this week. You can download the kit at Brownie Scraps and please vote for Tickled Pink by Missy's Bits to help me win immunity! If I win I get an awesome prize that I can use in the competition and I get to share the immunity with another designer in the competition!

Fairy Finds at ESS!

2010-08-25T02:26:00.000-04:00

The fairy has decided to start visiting ESS weekly instead of monthly for a little while! That means that each Wednesday there will be things throughout the shop marked down to $1 for just 1 day!

Here is what I have for you this week:

Be sure to check back a little later today! I will have my voting sample for week 4 of Designer Survivor for you to snag and help me try to win immunity!!

Creative Clusters!

2010-08-18T12:58:00.002-04:00

The week 3 immunity challenge has been posted for you to download at Brownie Scraps! Team Screws pulled together to create some adorable clusters for you this week.So go download and don't forget to VOTE FOR TEAM SCREWS!!!

New Release and Fairy Finds!

2010-08-17T23:44:00.000-04:00

Wow...things have been busy-busy-busy! Designer Survivor has me working my designing mojo more than I have in a long time! Which is tons of fun and worth every minute!

And thanks to Designer Survivor I have some new CU overlays in the shop at ESS and DID this week. Crumples CU Overlays are 50% off today (Wednesday) and will be 30% off through Saturday.

Wednesday is also Fairy Finds Day at ESS! That means you can find lots of goodies for just $1. Here are the things that I have for you this month:

Keep your eyes here for another exciting Designer Survivor Freebie very soon! We will be posting our immunity challenge for the week for you to download for free! See you then :)

Bold Blooms

2010-08-11T12:33:00.005-04:00

Week 2 of Designer Survivior is underway! This week I am on Team String and we have just posted our immunity challenge. We were challenged by Circle of Life Scraps to create a variety pack of flowers using a combination of doodles and realistic flowers. On top of that we were to enhance our creations with brushes. I think Team String did an awesome job of pulling together a very bold and versatile flower pack for you.

I hope that you enjoy this flower pack and help Team String win immunity from this week's tribal council by voting here.

Go here to download

Summer Rain Anyone?

2010-08-05T13:31:00.003-04:00

Normally at this time of year in Florida we get an afternoon shower at about 3 or 4. The rain cools things off inside and makes them feel like an oven outside. The roads steam and the grass turns instantly brighter. I actually look forward to those summer showers! This summer has been different. Its been HOT and while we have had rain, we havent had our daily showers.

With the summer weather in mind, my team for designer survivor (Team Yellow!) has created an awesome free mini kit for you! You can download it at Brownie Scraps along with several other adorable kits! Each team member had very specific instructions on what to create and we were allowed NO commercial use! I hope you enjoy :)

Speed Scraps are Back!

2010-08-04T06:59:00.000-04:00

Speed Scraps are back at Designs In Digital! Join Crystal in the chatroom at 9pm EST or visit the forum to play along!

Vote for Team Yellow!

2010-08-03T12:04:00.002-04:00

The first immunity challenge has been posted for Designer Survivior! We had to create a logo that will be used for the competition and Melly on Team Yellow did an awesome job creating a logo for our team!

Now we need your help! Please vote for our logo and help us win immunity from this weeks eliminations! You do not have to register at Brownie Scraps to vote. Just visit their forum here and click on the link to vote.

Here is what team yellow's logo looks like:

Thanks in advance for your support!

Happy August!

2010-08-01T06:02:00.000-04:00

Another month means another Pixie Pouch at Enchanted Studio Scraps! I hope you grabbed June's kit because this month's kit coordinates with it.

Grab For Dad- part2 from the Gallery at ESS and play along with our challenge in the forums! For each challenge you complete you earn points to spend in the shop!

Designer Survivor- Catch the Ship Challenge

2010-07-29T19:27:00.002-04:00

The first challenge for Designer Survivor is to create a template- so here ya go! It will be available at Brownie Scraps through the weekend.

Sweet Baby

2010-07-28T19:09:00.003-04:00

AliSarah Designs and I have released Sweet Baby into the shop at Enchanted Studio Scraps! This collab is HUGE with 45 papers, 155 elements and 3 comeplete alphas!
(shhhhh! there might be a coupon on my Facebook page to save 25% on this awesome collab!!)

Designs In Digital is having a Designer Call!

2010-07-06T08:20:00.000-04:00

Designs In Digital is my first real home in digital scrapbooking. I found the site through a RAK at DST back in 2008 and fell right in!

Now, DID is holding a designer call! You can apply by sending an email to admin@designsindigital.com with a link to your current shop/blog and a sample of your designs.

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I can't wait to see who joins the team!!

July Pixie Pouch

2010-07-05T19:11:00.003-04:00

I cannot believe its been a month since I have posted here! Wow, what a slacker!

Actually, I havent been designing much. Between work craziness and this pregnancy I havent had the mojo. Lately its been a little better and I have started reworking an old kit called Sweet Baby. This month's Pixie Pouch freebie coordinates with Sweet Baby and will be available only until July 15th.
Download Here You can play along with the challenge here and earn points towards free goodies in the ESS shop!

For Dad

2010-06-04T06:21:00.003-04:00

June is here and that means that its time for a new Pixie Pouch. This month's mini is masculine in honor of Father's Day. I made For Dad thinking of my father in law. I know he would have liked it and I hope that you do too!

You can download this freebie here. And if you would like to play along with the Pixie Pouch challenge you can see that here.

I hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day and happy June :)

Happenings....

2010-05-21T13:53:00.004-04:00

Things have been super busy in our household over the last couple of weeks. We found out at the end of April that we will be having a new addition to the family sometime around Jan. 1, 2011.

To say this was a shock in an understatement, but we are adjusting to the news and are now very excited! We have an office that will have to be converted into a bedroom but first we have to find a home for all of the stuff in the office. And then there is painting and cleaning and all the fun stuff that goes with it.

This pregnancy so far has been very very different from my first. I have had much stronger symptoms this time. The worst has been the morning-afternoon-all-blessed-day sickness! I have tried everything I can think of to feel better. Ginger ale just grosses me out (it was always fine before). I did find some ginger-lemon tea that is helpful. And of course saltines or Ritz crackers can help. The worst thing I tried was some ginger gum. They sell it in the motion sickness aisle at Walgreens. It tastes a lot like cinnamon gum and it burns my mouth.

The best thing was Sea Bands. They work by using pressure points inside your wrists. I look like I am rocking some 1982 sweat bands on my wrists and I still feel nauseated but I am not bowing to the porcelain god nearly as often! They do bother my wrists after a bit so I have to take them off and on as the day goes on but the relief is worth the irritation on my wrists!

Here are some pics. I took them using my phone at work so they arent the best.

My 1980's wristbands- bring on the legwarmers! Oh wait- that stuff is in style again!

After a few hours...

Fairy Finds Time again!

2010-05-18T19:47:00.004-04:00

Can you believe its been a month already? Time just flies! Once again this month I have 3 goodies for just $1.

New Goodies at Enchanted Studio Scraps

2010-05-03T18:39:00.005-04:00

May is here and that means its time for a new Create-A-Collab kit at ESS. This month's theme was Retro Summer and I created some new page starters (or embellished photomasks). Retro Summer Pagestarters will be just $1 until Saturday! Also out this week is the newest Pixie Pouch- Rock On! Grab this free mini and play along with us in the forums at ESS to earn points towards free products!

iNSD and More

2010-04-29T09:15:00.005-04:00

Well things have been so crazy at work and at home I haven't had much time to get online at all. I work for an AC company and we have been super busy! Which, considering the doom and gloom from the media about the economy, is a wonderful problem to have. But it also puts my stress level to overload!

I loved all of the wonderful comments and emails I got the last time I posted about reading and books! Thank you all so much! I finished the First Wives Club and I loved it! Olivia Goldsmith really had a way of capturing the lives of women- and she did a great job with girl power! The book was so different from the movie, as usual, but I love the movie too! At first the book was a little depressing because you are meeting each of the characters at such a low point in their lives but the way they each overcome their obstacles and work together to bring their cheating rotten husbands is great reading!

So iNSD is this weekend- that's International Scrapbook Day- and I am so excited! Saturday is the official day but digital and paper scrap shops celebrate all weekend long! I am having a sale at Designs In Digital and at Enchanted Studio Scraps.

And at Designs In Digital I am hosting our first ever NSD Bingo game! Just download the free template, decorate it and post it in the Bingo gallery at DID. Then join me at 1 pm est. in the chat room at Designs In Digital and one lucky winner will walk away with a $50 DID gift certificate! But you have to hurry- the cards must be in the gallery by 10 am est. on Saturday to be eligible to win! Can't wait to see you there!

$1 today only at ESS!

2010-04-21T09:24:00.002-04:00

Its Fairy Finds time again at Enchanted Studio Scraps! And that means that I have 3 goodies that are just $1 today only!

New Releases 50% off Wednesday Only!

2010-04-20T18:39:00.003-04:00

I have a new CU release this week- Krafty Papers and Overlays. They will be 50% off Wednesday and then 30% off through Saturday at Designs In Digital and Enchanted Studio Scraps!

Bookworms are Awesome =)

2010-04-13T23:50:00.001-04:00

Lately I have realized that this blog is becoming less and less personal and more and more just about designing...I love designing and scrapping but its not the only thing I wanted to talk about when I started blogging. Hopefully, going forward there will be more real life mixed in with the designing goodies!

I am also an avid reader- the pile of books to read on the nightstand never gets any smaller because I keep adding to it! It runs in the family- pretty much my entire family has always read. My mom was hard pressed to keep my sisters and me in books when we were kids. Luckily we are all pretty close in age and had similar interests. Remember Sweet Valley High? My sister still has almost the entire series from when we were kids. We also read the not-too-scary Christopher Pike books and mysteries- I think I had almost every Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden book ever written.

Since finding the Twilight series have I begun reading more and more of the fantasy genre. I have the Vampire Chronicles but have had a hard time getting into the second book. But the OCD in me has to read the entire series in order LOL. In the meantime I picked up a book called Need and the sequel, Captivate. These books were written from the perspective of a 16 year old girl and they are definitely written like I am talking to my 15 year old nieces and nephews! The story is cute and the second one left me hanging so I'm sure the OCD will kick in and I will pick up the 3rd when it comes out.

The next book in the pile is by Olivia Goldsmith and couldn't be more different! Ever since the First Wives Club movie came out its been on my favorites list- you gotta love Girl Power! I finally picked up the book and will let you know if its better than the movie.

What books are on your Have to Read list? I would love to know what you loved so I can check them out!

New CU and a very exciting event!

2010-04-08T19:10:00.005-04:00

All Grungy 3 is now available at Designs In Digital and Enchanted Studio Scraps and is discounted through Saturday at both shops!

Now for the really fun stuff!!! The designers at Enchanted Studio Scraps have teamed up to create a fun spin on the old-fashioned blog train! The Facebook Fairy Frolic begins tomorrow. The catch is that you have to be a fan of each designer on the list to get her part of the collab. the links will be sent out 2 a day until the train is done. The links will be sent out as updates- you can see them under your messages options- so they will only be viewable by fans.
Participating designers:

Robin (Mad Scrapper Designs) - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mad-Scrapper-Designs/70590393314
Laura (LauraMarie Scraps) - http://www.facebook.com/pages/LauraMarie-Scraps/272599302818
Trish (Trish H. Designs) - http://www.facebook.com/TrishH.Designs
Missy (Missy's Bits) - http://www.facebook.com/MissysBits
Rach (My4Princesses Designs) - http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-4-Princesses-Designs/120786333290
Jen (Purely Pixels) - http://www.facebook.com/PurelyPixels
JaniceW (JW-DigiScraps) - http://www.facebook.com/jwdigiscraps
Manda (Manda's Scrappin Creations) - http://www.facebook.com/MandasScrappinCreations
Bre (BTA Designs) - http://www.facebook.com/btadesigns.scraps
Kathy (Kathy Winters Designs)- http://www.facebook.com/KathyWintersDesigns
Chris (Chris Greiser) = http://www.facebook.com/ChrisGreiserDesigns
AliSarah Designs -
http://www.facebook.com/pages/AliSar...4792788?
Katherine (Platinum Butterfly) - http://www.facebook.com/FlutterExpressions

And here is a Sneek Peak of my part:

Feeling Whimsical?

2010-04-01T18:53:00.003-04:00

Remember that sneak peek I showed you a few days ago? Well, Garden Whimsy has arrived at Designs In Digital and is on sale for 30% off through Saturday!
And my CT member Memi has created these 2 awesome April Desktops just for you! There are 2 desktops in 2 sizes that will be free for a very limited time!

The Pixie has opened her pouch once again!

2010-03-31T19:07:00.002-04:00

Its time for the Pixie Pouch at Enchanted Studio Scraps again! You can grab Easter Bits for the next couple of weeks for free from the ESS Gallery! I hope you will play along with the challenge in the forum also!

Happy Sunday!

2010-03-28T17:33:00.004-04:00

I know things have been quiet here the last few weeks. Designs In Digital has been keeping me pretty busy with the Next Designs In Digital Design Star competition. Week 3's entries are due tonight at midnight and the contestants have been hard at work. Stop by the gallery and pick up some freebies and leave our aspiring designers some love!

I have also been working on a collab with Michelle of Shelly Marie Scraps! Garden Whimsy will be released on Wednesday at Designs In Digital, but here is a sneak peek!

Last, but not least, make sure you are a fan on my Facebook page. Something very exciting is brewing for April but you MUST be a facebook fan to get it! Just click on the Facebook widget to become a fan!

$1 Fairy Finds today only at ESS!

2010-03-17T00:14:00.000-04:00

For one day only at Enchanted Studio Scraps the fairy is spinkling her fairy dust all over the store! Special items are $1 dollar...but you have to hurry, the fairy dust only lasts for a day and then the prices go back to normal!

LOTW - Lets Meet Memi

2010-03-07T00:06:00.000-05:00

Wow, it seems like only yesterday I did a LOTW post for Missys Blog and yet, here I am once again over a week late! This weeks layout designer is one of my favorites from our Creative Team. Her name is Memi and I actually get the pleasure of working with her on a variety of projects and websites.

My favorite layout of hers, is one of her most recent designs using the new kit Girls 2 Ride.

This layout has such great dimension and depth and yes, I am jealous of the fun they are having in the pictures too. What a lucky girl!!

When I asked Memi to give me a brief description of her and her life, she gave me the most positive answer I have seen in a long time:

I'm at the best point of my life (so far). I'm retired, Jay and I are healthy, we have wonderful children and exceptional grandsons living nearby, and I discovered digi scrapping when I have time to be obsessed. It doesn't get better than that!

I love her honesty passion and joy.... So of course I had to challenge her with some of my crazy questions... Just to see what her response would be of course.

In the song Yankee Doodle, is he calling the horse or the feather "macaroni"?
The feather- horses don't curl, do they?

When Atheists go to court, do they have to swear on the bible?
OK, had to research this since I had never thought about it before! Apparently one can "declare and affirm" with no Bible involved.

How can something be "new" and "improved"? if it's new, what was it improving on?
That reminds me of George Carlin. ("I mean, it's like Military Intelligence - the words don't go together, man.")

Why does the Easter bunny carry eggs? Rabbits don't lay eggs.
Because he was low bidder?

To end this post, I will provide a Couple of Memi's favorite products (she has a lot).

Don't forget to pop over and join us for the fun of NDIDDS at Designs in Digital.. Who do you think will be our next design star. Thanks for visiting.

Lots of news...and a freebie!

2010-03-03T00:11:00.000-05:00

Girls Ride 2 has been revamped and reloaded into the shop at Designs In Digital and Enchanted Studio Scraps. With the kit we also have a collection of 5 quickpages created by myself and my CT.

Here are a few layouts from my amazing CT!

Also, I am hosting the speed scrap at Designs In Digital tonight! Come hang out with us at 9pm in the chat room or in the forum and get a layout done!

Also at Designs In Digital- The Next Designs In Digital Design Star competition is accepting sign ups! Are you the next Design Star? If so, sign up in the forum and get ready for the warm up challenge coming on March 9th! In addition to possibly getting a spot in the shop as a designer you could win a tablet from Wacom and a subscription to Amanda Rockwells Inside the Scrap Artist Studio! We have other amazing prizes too! For more information go here!

Finally (whew!) here is the freebie I promised you! This free quickpage is in the shop at Designs In Digital.

March Pixie Pouch- Believe!

2010-03-01T01:37:00.000-05:00

Here it is- the first of the month and a new Pixie Pouch! Believe was inspired by CTM TJ and her recent trip to the Olympics.

Pick up the pouch at Enchanted Studio Scraps and be sure to play along with the Pixie Pouch challenge! While you are there check out the other challenges in the forum! There are some awesome challenges and you get points for playing along that you can use to shop!

March Desktop Freebie

2010-02-26T19:51:00.003-05:00

Wow...March already! This year is just flying by. The great thing about turning that page on the calendar is that we are getting closer and closer to spring! Normally, spring isn't a very big deal because Florida has such mild winters but after seeing sleet, snow and record cold temps this winter spring is welcome to show up any time!

This month's desktop comes to you from CT member Tinkay2. She used Simplicity and I have to say that I am loving it! As soon as she sent it to me I put it up! There is no calendar on this one so you can use it anytime!

Download Here

Romance Bundle and a freebie!

2010-02-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

Did you miss the Romance Mini when it was in the Pixie Pouch? If so you can now grab it from the shop at ESS! Or you can get the bundle and save!

Along with the Romance bundle I have a Quickpage created for you by CT Kara! She did a great job! Thanks Kara! Download Here

Wild Wednesday at Designs In Digital

2010-02-24T01:02:00.001-05:00

Another Wednesday is here and that means its time for another Speed Scrap at Designs In Digital! This one is hosted by Michelle of Shelly Marie Scraps! Hope you can make it!

Also coming to Designs In Digital- The Next Designs In Digital Design Star competition! This is an awesome opportunity to find out if you have what it takes to become a designer. Its also an awesome way for established designers to stretch their skills!

LOTW - Lets Meet Christina

2010-02-23T20:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I have decided to give up on creating a specific schedule for these things, I am just not that organized! To change the pace a bit, I decided to choose a really fun layout. This layout is designed by one of our newest members Christina.

This layout is made using one of Missy's older kits. Sk8tr Punk, which we have seen a pleasant revival of its usuage, as spring draws around.

Christina has been married for 15 years. She has two boys, 12 and 11, 4 nephews and 3 neices, 2 are twins. She has always wanted to do scrapbooking to preserve memories. And at one point had even got supplies but she still hasn't done a layout. Finding it too over whelming. Recently, she joined cafemom and that is how she found out about digital scrap booking and has been hooked ever since. It has been about 2 years now. Being currently hooked, she just loves how she can manipulate the layouts the way she wants them. Though now that she has been working in digital she has been getting ideals on paper layouts:)

As with all my LOTWs.. I have to ask the designer some interesting questions to get to know them further. So with no further ado....

Do prison buses have emergency exits?
Yes but only the guards or someone outside can open them. Wouldn't want them to escape. Actually I though about that and looked that one up.

If parents say, "Never take candy from strangers" then why do we celebrate Halloween?
That is a good question, never really thought of it that way. I always take mine to the same subdivision every year.

Did Noah have woodpeckers on the ark? If he did, where did he keep them?
I am sure he did for he was to take two of every kind. I would assume that they just stayed with the ark or he had a special spot for them with lots of metal.

When sign makers go on strike, is anything written on their signs?

Oh I am sure there is:) but then I guess they would not really be on strike.

Christina says she is just not quite sure of her favorite Missys Bits products yet but is willing to recommend the two most recent kits she has used. Here they are (images are linked). I am sure they will soon be your favorites too!

Have a great week, enjoy the end of the Olympics!! Do you Believe???

Fab Freebie from my CT!

2010-02-22T13:46:00.003-05:00

CT member Craftutee has created an adorable QP for you using Podge Hodge! You have to visit her blog to get it- but it will be worth the trip! She has ton's of awesome goodies for you to grab!

New Releases are 30% off today at Designs In Digital

2010-02-18T01:54:00.000-05:00

Grab All Grungy 2 today through Saturday at Designs In Digital for 30% off!

These CU brushes also include grayscale .png versions so even if you don't have Photoshop you can use them! Created at 300 ppi, these were handpainted and scanned by me.

Fairy Finds at ESS!

2010-02-17T01:38:00.000-05:00

Its that time again- come see what the fairy has marked down to $1 for one day only at

Enchanted Studio Scraps!

LOTW - This one is Special

2010-02-14T22:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I am finally back on schedule and I got a special layout of the week! This one was designed by our own KATHRYN using Missy's most recent creations.. The ROMANCE page starters!!

Kathryn made this layout using a special image she had previously created a watercolor painting from, thinking the pagestarter was a perfect compliment she decided to use it here! We are so lucky she did!!

Kathryn lives in Tampa, Florida with her long-time husband. She is a mother of five children and grandmother of two.She was blessed to be able to be a stay-at-home for most of her children's growing up years. More recently, she has worked as a project admin as a contractor. Her passion, however, is Photoshop, Flash and photography, current events and politics. She creates some incredibly moving layouts and has been a wonderful and enthusiastic member to our Creative Team.

As with all my LOTWs.. I have to ask the designer some interesting questions to get to know them further. So with no further ado....

Doesn't a lightning rod on top of church show a lack of faith?

No, it is prudence in preparation for possibilities of providence.

If there's an exception to every rule, is there an exception to that rule?

Let's see, "Nothing is certain except for death and taxes." (Daniel Defoe). No exception there.

Can you "stare off into space" when you're in space?

Why, certainly, since Space is always 'out there.' There will always be more of "Space, the final frontier, where no man has gone before." Or something like that.

If you put a chameleon in a room full of mirrors, what color would it turn?

Actually, he would stay the same, unless there were a temperature or light variation, for those are what makes a chameleon change colors.

Kathryn has also told me her favorite Missys Bits products and here they are (images are linked). I am sure they will soon be your favorites too!

Have a great week, enjoy the Olympics!!!