Hurry Up and Get Here Spring collab

Happy (almost) March 1st to you! (This being posted a couple hours early...)

Yep, it's the first of the month, so you know what that means: A new collab from the ADSDesigners. I love the palette that was chosen for this month's collab. It's soft and pretty. I think you'll be able to get a lot of use out of it.

The theme of this month's collab is "Hurry Up and Get Here Spring" After the 6 inches of snow we got here on Thursday, spring can't get here soon enough!

My contribution is smaller than usual this month. With everything going on in my life (full-time job search, half-marathon training, and--at least this past week--a head cold), it's a miracle I got this finished at all. Some of the stuff I normally include in my kits (like solid paper), I chose to omit because I saw that several other designers had created those. I did include some elements (like ricrac, bug brads, journal tag, and a frame) to make it a more complete kit. I can tell you that from the previews I saw in the ADSD forum, there is a TON of great stuff coming your way in this collab.

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The kit will be available from each designer for FREE for the entire month of March, so you've got plenty of time to get the entire kit. If a designer's portion isn't posted yet, be patient. We're spread out across the entire globe so it may not quite be March 1st in someone's part of the world. And when you download, please be sure to leave some love for the designer--we love your comments!

Mags
DesignsByAmilyn

Gina

Jen
Aubrey's Mom
Donna
Foxy
Debbie
Becky
Linda
Candy
Joyful Moments Designs
Shel <--YOU ARE HERE
Joni
Lei
BlueVelvet DeZigns
AllieKat Creations
Lynn
EmCeeScraps
Buzybee Designs
Deanna at Flower Scraps
Anne
Bits N Bobs
Willow Grace Designs
Cyndi, Wetfish Designs
Bonnie/The Maltese Scrapper
Mardesia
Catt
Gail
Morgaine Creations©
VanJo Designs
beckmoore(Debbie)
Elemental Pixie
Isabella
Wendy & Sarah
WillowRaven @ Purple Dragonfly Creations
Lynn
Blind Sight Designs
Bhe Lacson
Cottage Stella
Mandy
Jessi
SnapScrapCreate
Panda Bear Designs
My Sweet Tater
Lois AKA Ladye
Mary
Stacy @ Kalo Designs
Dawne at Desert Bloom Designs
ScrapperGirl Designs
Erika {aka PinkuPixie}
by God's design
Creative Digital Scraps by Chiara
Digital Scrap Fun
Heather

White Chocolate alpha

Wow--lots going on today, better get this posted now before I forget. It doesn't help that I think I'm coming down with another cold and have a TON of stuff weighing on my mind. I have to have faith that things will get better.

Is anyone else giving up anything for Lent? My church doesn't require or even ask you to give up anything but I've always wanted to do it and never quite make it to Easter. This year will be different! I decided that my Coca-Cola habit cost me too much in terms of money and calories so I've decided to give that up for Lent. I'll keep you posted.

Here's another layout with the kit from Ginger. She has some additional layouts using this kit on her blog, be sure to head over there to see those.

And here is today's portion of the kit, the alpha. You'll see that it includes both upper and lower case letters. It also includes punctuation and numbers. The font I used is called Rundfunk and can be found here on Search Free Fonts. I hope you like it. I think it goes well with this kit and is versatile enough to go with a lot of other stuff as well.

Kit is no longer available. Look for a revamped version of it in my Stuff to Scrap store soon!

See you tomorrow with White Chocolate BB pages from Sandy (a.k.a. Louisiana Lady). Have a good one!

White Chocolate papers file moved

Hi all!

Just a quick note: I've changed the hyperlink for the White Chocolate papers so that instead of being taken to 4shared you are taken to FileSavr. I scanned the file with AVG and MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware before I uploaded it the other day but too many people are being hit with viruses when downloading from 4shared. I've not been hit--so far--but I'm not taking any chances.

I plan to continue to upload files to FileSavr as, at least at this time, it's a safer, faster, and more convenient way for users to download my work.

Have a good Tuesday!

White Chocolate elements, part II

Happy Tuesday to you!

I'm glad to hear that no one's had trouble downloading the files from FileSavr. I don't know if the problem is coming from 4shared, if 4shared knows about it, or if it's been fixed, but in the meantime, I'm going to continue to upload my files to FileSavr. It's nice because you don't have to wait for downloads AND people can still leave comments.

Speaking of comments, I've been reading through some of the comments you've left for me (both here and on 4shared). Marcia suggested adding "grandma" and "grandma" wordart for the Crayon Box kit. I'll have that for you next week. I'm going to do both words in different languages as well, so if you could leave those for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. (If you missed that kit, you can click on the "Crayon Box" label on the right for those posts.)

Brit suggested that I do some cars, trucks, or trains as an add-on to the "For the Boys" kit. (You can also find that kit by clicking on the "For the Boys" label on the right side of the page.) I'm working on those and should have them ready sometime in March. I downloaded a custom shape set from Adobe Exchange. It's great in that it gives me various shapes--boats, trucks, trains, cars, etc., but it's not so great in that the shapes aren't as smooth as I'd like them to be. So I'm having to spend some time going through and cleaning up the shapes and getting them to the quality they should be. Once I get the shapes to the quality they should be, I'll be doing the various shapes in a couple of different styles (sticker, felt, etc.) so that you'll have some options when it comes to using them.

OK, now on to today's portion of White Chocolate: the second half of the elements. You're getting another pewter butterfly and some additional journal tags and ribbon today. You're also getting a pewter frame that is in the same shape as the retro rectangle on the cream paper. I liked the shape and it works well for a frame. Hopefully you'll get some use out of it.

Kit is no longer available. Look for a revamped version of it in my Stuff to Scrap store soon!

I'll be back tomorrow with the alpha--upper and lower case plus numbers and punctuation!

White Chocolate elements, part I

Happy Monday!

Did you watch the Oscars? I wasn't able to watch the entire show. The Gophers had a Sunday night basketball game and we watched that so I missed the first 30-45 minutes of the Oscars. I do have to say, I loved Hugh Jackman as the host. There were only two outfits I did not like (Reese Witherspoon, who usually looks fantastic, and Mickey Rourke).

One quick note before I bring you the first part of the elements: I've learned from a number of designers that there is reason to suspect people are getting hit with various viruses, trojans, and worms by downloading files from 4shared. I have not been hit but I know of a number of people who have. I'm very vigilant about protecting my computer; I got hit once with a virus and it took a lot of work to get rid of it. I do scan each zip file before I upload it to 4shared. In the meantime, I'm going to be posting my kit links on File Savr instead of 4shared. You can leave comments there and there is no waiting for downloads--and no ads on the site (which, it has been speculated is part of the problem on 4shared). In the meantime, make sure your anti-virus and firewall software is up-to-date and scan your computers just to be on the safe side!

I wanted to share another layout from Ginger with you:

And here is today's download: the first part of the elements. The metal elements are all done in pewter (as is the alpha you'll get on Wednesday). I thought that finish fit in well with the rest of the kit.

Kit is no longer available. Look for a revamped version of it in my Stuff to Scrap store soon!

Be back tomorrow with the second half of the elements. Have a great Monday!

White Chocolate papers & recipe

Happy Sunday to you all! Are you ready for the Oscars tonight? I'm planning on watching but only because I love checking out the fashions people wear. Oh, and that lovely Australian chap Hugh Jackman is hosting. Love him!

So, this kit is a little bit different than what you normally see from me. Instead of using 5-6 bright colors, I used three rather muted colors. I called the colors white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate because that's what they reminded me of. I decided to challenge myself and see if I could (1) stick to just three colors and (2) still do the fun style I usually use. I *think* I succeeded, but I'll let you be the judge. I think this kit is really, really versatile and could be used for a lot of different types of photos and layouts.

Once again, I am blown away by the creativity of my CT. They did a phenomenal job this week with the kit. Here are some of their layouts (I'll bring you more layouts from them as the week progresses):

Michele

Juli

Ginger

Mary

Sandy (a.k.a. Louisiana Lady)

And my layout is a recipe brought to you by Rosemary. When I mentioned that the next kit was called "White Chocolate", she e-mailed me this recipe. Things have been really busy around here this past week, so I haven't had time to try this out yet, but it sounds wonderful!

I used M Originals template #35 and fonts from Amanda (Pea Lacy and Pea Lacy Chunky).

And here's a view of the full kit. Be sure to stop by each day this week to pick up another part of it.

And here is today's portion of the kit, the papers.

Kit is no longer available. Look for a revamped version of it in my Stuff to Scrap store soon!

Have a great Sunday and I'll see you tomorrow with the first set of elements.

Sneak peek: White Chocolate

Happy Friday! I hope you've all been having a good week.

I wanted to give you a sneak peek at next week's kit, White Chocolate. It's a rich kit made up of three colors: cream, dark tan, and dark brown. Or, as I was calling them, white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate! :)

Be sure to stop by starting on Sunday afternoon to start collecting this nummy kit!

Celebrate Love alpha

Quick post today because I have lots to do before I head out for the day.
I tried to design another alpha that was fit with the feel of this kit but that you could also use with other kits. Hopefully I succeeded. The font used is called Gentle Redhead and can be found here on SearchFreeFonts.com.

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I'll be back tomorrow with BB pages for the kit. Have a good Wednesday!

Celebrate Love elements, part II

Happy Tuesday to you!

I hope you all had a good Monday. Mine was good--busy, but good. Thanks again, for your continued prayers and good thoughts about my grandfather. He's doing remarkably well. They plan on moving him from the ICU to the regular hospital room today. The hope is that he'll be able to go home by the end of the week.

For my friends in Australia, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I can only imagine how devastating the wildfires must be.

From your comments, you really like this kit! I'm so glad. Like I've said before, I'm always nervous that no one will like a kit but me. That doesn't seem to be the case with this kit!

Today you get the second half of the elements. (All of the elements are shown in the preview below.) I'm always taking suggestions about what you'd like to see in kits in terms of elements, themes, colors, papers, etc. So if you have any suggestions, please let me know. There is a comment box on the right-hand side of the page, my e-mail address is on the left-hand side of the page, or you can leave me a comment in the post. (Blogger sends me an e-mail each time someone leaves a comment.)

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Back tomorrow with the alpha. Have a good Tuesday!

P.S. Don't forget to vote in the poll (right-hand side of the page).

Celebrate Love elements, part I

Happy Monday to you!
Thanks to all who sent their wishes and prayers for my grandfather. They're working--he's doing much better and they were able to remove the intubation early yesterday afternoon. He was even feeling well enough to call us and say hi! I swear, I've never heard such a great sound in my life. He'll be in the hospital for a few more days and then be at home before returning to Minnesota. (He and my grandmother are "snowbirds" and winter in Arizona.) Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers; we appreciate it and can't thank you enough for them.
I promised you a layout with the new kit and here it is! This is of our dog, Teddy, on the day we brought him home. He's a great dog and has brought us so much joy. He was born on the day we had to put our previous dog to sleep, so in some ways, it's as though our old dog was looking out for us. He has such personality and loves belly rubs, going for rides, and the occasional plain hamburger from McDonald's. (Yeah, we spoil him a little bit.)
I used M Originals template #40 for the page and the Pea Gemini Jen font from Amanda for the writing.
Now, on to today's portion of the kit. Today, you're getting the first set of elements for the kit, including a funky pewter frame (done in the same pattern as the heart paper) and some metallic ricrac. The ricrac was something I scanned, extracted, and desaturated. If there's interest, I can offer it as a CU item for you. Answer the poll on the right side of the page to let me know.

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Have a good day and I'll see you tomorrow with the other set of elements.

Celebrate Love papers

Hello! Have you had a good weekend? Mine's been OK--very busy though. My grandfather's in the hospital in Arizona and I've been busy helping out around the house and keeping family and friends informed with the latest news. His blood oxygen levels were sinking fast on Friday (he's got COPD) which necessitated hospitalization. It became necessary to sedate and intubate him to treat him. The good news is that he's had a couple of really good days and nights in the hospital and they've been able to get his levels closer and closer to where they should be. He'll likely be in the hospital a few more days. If you wouldn't mind, please keep him and our family in your prayers.

Today is the first part of my newest kit, Celebrate Love. The colors were inspired by a purse I saw in the dollar bin at Target. (I *love* Target!) I really liked that the colors were somewhat traditional with some non-traditional ones thrown in for good measure. I wanted to do something that was in my "style" (funky/retro/fun) and found a great heart custom shape set on Adobe Exchange. Once I found that, this kit came together pretty quickly.

I also did something different this week: I created embossed papers. The red and pink solid papers are embossed with the heart pattern for some added dimension. I thought it was fun. You'll have to let me know what you think. If you like them, I may do some embossed papers in future kits, too. :)

The Shel Belle Scraps CT did a great job with the kit this week--I love what they came up with for their layouts. (I'll have my layout for you tomorrow. With everything going on this weekend, I just didn't get time to finish it.) Don't you love what they created?

Michele

Mary

Juli

Ginger

Sandy (a.k.a. Louisiana Lady)

Here's a full preview of the kit. You'll want to stop by over the next few days to pick up each part.
And here is today's part, the papers (nine in all).

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Have a good Sunday and see you tomorrow with the first set of elements.

100 Days of School alpha

Good morning all!

Yep--this post is super-early today. I've got a really full day ahead of me today and will be away from my computer most of the day so I wanted to get this posted now so you could enjoy it and (nearly) complete your 100 Days of School kit. (There are BB pages for you tomorrow.)

Today's download is the alpha. I used the font Felt (one of my faves) for it. The alpha includes upper and lower case letters, numbers, and some punctuation.

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Lifting Hope collab kit

A few weeks ago, I read about a collaborative effort to help raise money for the National Foundation for Ectodermal Dysplasias. Lady V dZine coordinated this and I was really excited to be accepted to take part in the collaboration.

The kit is now on sale at Pretty Scrappy and can be found here. Thirty-one designers contributed to this wonderful kit. The preview shown below doesn't do it justice. If you click on the kit at Pretty Scrappy, there are nineteen previews in all--it's that big.

This hope-filled kit contains:

• 140 papers
• 7 alphas
• 30+ frames
• 4 frame wraps (1 recolored)
• 1 corner
• 15 birds (2 recolored)
• 35 things that fly (balloons, hot air balloons, planes, helicopters, insects, kites, and more)
• 6 hot air balloons
• 3 airplanes
• 1 helicopter
• 1 rocket
• 8 single balloons (6 recolored)
• 2 bunches balloons
• 2 kites
• 6 butterflies
• 3 dragonflies
• 1 fly
• 21 journal mats/tags
• 1 set date markers
• 11 bows
• 29 fasteners (brads, buttons, prongs, staples, pins, etc)
• 32 ribbons/trim (4 recolored)
• 14 unique word-arts
• 50+ miscellaneous must haves (including brackets, winged hearts, hearts, stars, doodles, ragdoll, jean pocket, and ballcap

All for only $10!!!

This collab also contains coupons from some of the designers that contributed to it, so you can buy this kit, help out a charitable cause AND get a coupon save money on your next online digiscrap purchase

100 Days of School elements, part II

Did you have a good Monday? Mine was great: I got a good workout in, got some resumes off, finished the previews for next week (you'll get a sneak peek on Thursday), and had a good online conversation with some of my design friends and mentors. Plus, Big Bang Theory was really funny. I love that show. I have to say though, I'm looking forward to tonight episode of American Idol. You just know there's going to be drama (some real, some self-created); I'll be especially interested to see who they send on to the next round of 32.

Today is the day that marks the inspiration behind this kit: Ginger's 100th Day of School! She did some really cute stuff with this kit--including making candy bar and water bottle wrappers. To see what they look like, head on over to her blog. (The wrappers are in today's post.) I also wanted to share with you the other layout she created using this kit. Isn't it cute?


And, today's portion of the kit, the second set of elements.

Download is expired.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to get the alphabet for this kit (includes upper and lower case letters, numbers, and punctuation).

I'll be back in a few with an announcement about a special kit.

100 Days of School elements, part I

Was it just me, or were the Super Bowl ads not very memorable this year? The only one I really remember was a Budweiser one (where the horse goes to the circus to see the love of his life, Daisy). The rest of the commercials? Not very memorable and none of them really made me want to go out and buy any of the products or services that were advertised.

The party we went to was nice. Everyone brought at least one food item to share and we wound up with four different types of layered taco dip! I didn't realize how popular that was until yesterday afternoon. Lots of great food all around including, teriyaki wings, buffalo wings, jambalaya (mine), chocolate fudge cupcakes, meatballs, veggies-n-dip, and chips. Definitely a good variety for everyone.

Quick thing: Be sure to check out the new poll on the right-hand side of the page. You can vote for more than one choice.

From the comments, people are really liking this kit. I'm glad! Today, you get the first set of elements for it (they're shown below with the papers). If, after you've collected both sets of elements, there are items you'd like to see me create for an add-on, please let me know. (Either in the comments, my c-box, or via e-mail.) The drops shadows shown below are only included in the preview.

Download is expired.

See you tomorrow with the second half of the elements.

100 Days of School papers

Happy February 1st! It's really hard to believe that one whole month of the year is gone already.

Just a quick note today, I'm still fighting a cold, was out late last night, and have about 800 things to do--like make jambalaya--before I head to the neighbor's house for a Super Bowl party later this afternoon. I don't really care who wins, although I did take a class with Neil Rackers (kicker for the Arizona Cardinals) when I attended the University of Illinois and Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is from Minneapolis.

This week's kit is called "100 Days of School" and was inspired by CT member Ginger's 100th day of school (which will be Tuesday). I initially really struggled with this kit because I had an entirely different color scheme--bright primary colors. Then I went to ColourLovers and found this palette. I was so inspired that the entire kit came together in just a few short hours--woo-hoo! I hope you'll like it as much as I do. And, as always, I'd love to see whatever layouts you create with it--put them in the slideshow on the bottom or send me a link (my e-mail address is on the left).

I continue to be amazed and inspired by the great layouts my CT puts together each week. They always come up with great stuff and get me to look at the papers and elements in entirely new ways.

Michele

Juli

Sandy (a.k.a. Louisiana Lady)

Ginger

I'll have more layouts (and my own) from CT members to share with you as the week progresses.

Here is a preview of the entire kit; be sure to check back each day to get another portion of it.

And here is today's portion of the kit, the papers (5 solid, 6 patterned):

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I'll be back tomorrow with the first set of elements. Enjoy the rest of your day!