i know i just posted....(ETA: Andie you won the RAK)

but i have a new layout to share:



plus, Jamie came home from his D&D game with a bag full of Cadbury mini-eggs. so I guess I'm a little high on sugar.

Plus, I'm in a RAK-ing mood.
I have two K & Co/Brenda Walton vellum quote books to give away... I bought them a few years ago and have only used a few of the pages. maybe 1 or 2? I don't see myself using them anytime soon so why not give them away? Easier than Ebay.

First person to comment will receive it.

And now I should really go to bed....

ETA: Andie, you were the first poster. Please send me your address (cayla73@yahoo.com). Congrats!

New books/Fast and Furious



Look what we got in the mail! I had ordered these a while ago, but we just received it yesterday...I was given a slow cooker for Christmas but have only used it once....This book should motivate me to use it again... they even have a recipe for chicken adobo! And Korean ribs. Yum!

And I've been continuing on my fast and furious streak of making layouts. I've come to see scrapbooking as my job these days...and I have to create at least a page (sometimes 2, 3, 4 pages) every day.

Here are my latest:












And I finished a layout for this class, but waiting til daylight to photograph it...

However, tomorrow night at least, I'll be taking a little break from scrapping. Jamie made reservations for Nishino - we're getting the exclusive omakase special that you have to order 24 hours in advance. Should be good.

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In Sofi news, today we went to story hour at the local library. I got the times mixed up so we only caught the last 10 minutes. But we stayed in the library a good while, playing with that bead/ball/wire contraption that Sofi likes, playing with the plastic letters, doing puzzles, playing on the computer. Then we were off to the mall (for the 5th time in a row this week!) for some beef chow fun. And a trip to Target for various doodads including a pair of safety scissors for Sofi...to be explained next.

We discovered these neat books by Kumon. The first one was great. It was a sticker and paste book. Sofi was all over the sticker part, but this was the first time she ever used glue. She was an old pro! Then we went back to get the "Let's Cut and Paste" book. But it wasn't at our local target, so we settled for the "Let's Color" book. Then on yet another trip to the mall we checked at the B. Dalton and lo and behold there it was. Man, Sofi squealed with delight when she spotted the book! She dropped the Happy Feet book she was holding like a hot potato. *And* they had a sequel to the Let's Sticker and Paste book so we were happy. anyway, today we got some safety scissors, but I don't think Sofi has the dexterity for it yet. The book says 2 and older, but the scissors say 5 and over. Hmmm... Are there scissors for 2 year olds? We'll probably save it for later....

I'll try to take some photos of her work and post. The pages have such a cute graphic design. I wish I had books like these back when I was a kid! Note to self: I have to do a scrapbook page about this!

get your scrap on!

I had a busy weekend scrapping wise.

*I got an unexpected e-mail asking for two digital pages for an upcoming article, so I had to create two pages within 48 hours! I'll let you know when it comes out! This is the first time I've been "commissioned" - if that's the right term here.

*My page for Scrapbooks Etc. was approved (yay!) so I had to submit all my final files etc.

*Jessica Sprague posted a challenge at CK - it was to create a hybrid page with text on your photo so I had to do it. I ended up also making a digital too.




I also completed the Scrapjack challenge - to lift Amber's super-cute layout:




*And the weekend's not over yet. I want to make a page for a the contest Holly McCaig is having at My Digital Muse. The great thing is: she is giving you entire kit for FREE to make your page. So head on over there for your freebie!

*And while visiting MDM, I just noticed my Sofi bubbles photo is on the home page! How cool is that?

*And the next HMITM Challenge was posted and more challenges up at Designer Digitals with 3 new freebies!

*And unfortunately, I didn't make the Scrapologie DT, but congrats to the winners! Can't wait to see what they create with Ranjini's gorgeous kits....

*And lastly I'm waiting to hear for another DT call....(fingers crossed).

Happy Sunday!

another cupcake page

Click on image for larger view.

Credits:
Paper, tag, brads, flourished stamp, staple: Jen Wilson Designs
Polaroid frame: Nancy Comelab
Frame, photo corners: Audacious Designs by Audrey Neal
Tag string (altered): Corina Nielson
Fonts: missed your exit, a little pot

This was for a Designer Digitals challenge to pick one word and add several synonyms as journaling. I immediately thought of my birthday cupcakes. man, I have to go back to cupcake royale. Soon. Very soon.

And I'm not the only one with cupcakes on the brain....

And if you missed my first cupcake layout (teehee), click here or just scroll down.

Now, go out and get a cupcake!

sunny seattle



had some wonderfully sunny days this past week...
blue skies and fluffy clouds.
perfect for kicking a ball around the backyard.


and I posted some new layouts...paper for a change!

That's It Baby

I took tons of photos over the last two days.
Lots of material for future layouts!

Here's one using another cluster frame and Audrey's Hello Dotty kit.



Other credits:
Tag (recolored to white): Paislee Press, Cherry Blossom
Fonts: AL Uncle Charles, Missed Your Exit
Photo actions: actionsbybrenda.blogspot.com

Today (or Yesterday now) I turned the big 3-4!

I had a great day....started with a surprise breakfast of buttermilk pancakes. It was a surprise because when we went to bed the night before there was no buttermilk in the house. Jamie was able to get Sofi dressed, drive to the store and pick up not only buttermilk, but an African violet plant, and 2 filet mignons for dinner without me waking up.



For lunch, I suggested we go out to a cupcake place in Madrona. Yes, we had a cupcake lunch! I got the lavender on yellow cake, jamie got the MoFro (or mocha frosting on choco cake) and Sofi got a cute little mini-cake of choco on chocolate. I also got a chai tea and Jamie got a latte with a some "foam art" on top.



Right before we went to Cupcake Royale, we stopped by Madrona Park - just across the street from the cafe. Sofi loved it as she loves any opportunity to go to the park. She didn't spend too much time on the swing surprisingly, but wanted to explore the other areas. The slide, a small jungle gym with a blue wheel to turn. And there was a big sand pit. Sofi's first sand pit experience! At first it was full of rowdy boys (all brothers, I think) but as it cleared out, Sofi got in and pushed some sand around for a bit with a big red shovel. Of course I got photos...



Afterward we stopped by a cute little kids' shop. Lots of wooden toys, knit stuffed animals etc. We ended up getting Sofi to heart hair clips. And with purchase, we got a free purple balloon! Sofi was very happy about that.

Then after Sofi's nap, we had an early dinner of filet mignon. And Jamie even made TWO side dishes. This is big, because he hardly ever makes sides. We had sauteed onions and carrots and bean salad. And some La Brea Bakery Bread with butter.

Oh, and did I mention we took home another round of cupcakes for dessert?

And so today, I was inspired by cupcakes...here's my layout of "a cupcake to remember."






*****
And in scrappy news....
one of my photos was pick of the week at My Digital Muse!
I think I'm getting a goodie via e-mail. A nice little birthday surprise!

Plus, I was approached by a digital scrapbooking site owner to be on her creative team. Don't know the details yet, so I'll refrain from naming the site just yet.

So all in all a good day!

*****
p.s. Jenny, I haven't sent your RAK yet. I hope to do it tomorrow!

for the birds


Credits:
Paper, ribbon, birds (some recolored): Mindy Terasawa, Spring Feast, Designer Digitals.
Photo Frame: Nancy Comelab, Grungy Frames, My Digital Muse.
Title Frame: Holly McCaig, Pop Frames, My Digital Muse.

Fonts: My Own Topher, Doodolonomy Fred

Now, it's time for bed!

On a roll with templates....

I woke up this morning to this challenge at Designer Digitals....

The template was perfect for the bubble photos I took at Christmas:

And then I did another layout using Audrey's template (QuickStrips3) and Holly McCaig's Posh Kit.

For credits, please visit my DST gallery.

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And I made a little more progress on my paper page...but I'm much slower with paper pages so it might be a few days! Part of the problem is that all my supplies are scattered around the house. Compare that to my digital supplies all saved in one location and accessible at the touch of my fingers! I guess that's score one for the digi scrapper in me!

2 more layouts....and RAK Winner

Finished another digital layout and another hybrid using Audrey's papers and elements....I have so many products to work with and want to at use one from each pack at least once...this could take a while!


Click on images to see larger view.



For credits visit DST my gallery.


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Sofi and I went to the park this afternoon. Haven't been to this particular park in a while and I noticed that she has definitely grown since the fall. She was able to ride the see-saw, climb the jungle gym and ride the "rocking sheep" - things she couldn't do the last time.

We also watched the ducks and walked around the pond, stopping for an apple and cheese snack mid-way. It was a pretty sunny day - lots of people and dogs at the park.

*****
And on that note, I think I'll turn in. Have a happy Sunday!

****
ETA: Forgot to draw the winner of the RAK!

I used a random number generator at random.org and it picked...........#1!

So Jenny, you will be receiving another goodie envelope from me soon....

I think I still have your address, but please let me know if it has changed.

Thanks everyone for playing!

Another late night....

I couldn't wait to play with Audrey's new stuff.

Here's one I did using:

12 x 12 Template: Blockbuster 1
Dotty blocks
Notebook Paper Shipshapes Vol. 2
Everything else is from Hello Dotty Papers and Elements

Finish what you start....

I had several layouts both digi and paper that needed finishing.
And today I was able to put to rest:
(1) paper - will photograph tomorrow and (3) digital!





For credits, visit my digishoptalk gallery.

*****
Happy mail day.
Received both Poppy Ink kit (already started, but did not finish a layout) and Story of My Own (will not open this one til after my birthday).

And Sofi got her High Five magazine. It's Highlights for the 2-5 year-olds....Had a cute tear-out mini book that we put together today.

*****
Happy download day.

I got a couple new things at My Digital Muse.
2 grab bags of stuff for $2 each (Holly and Nancy's*)
and some cute doodled frames by Holly.

Nancy's bag was soooo full of stuff! And because I used my gift certificate that I won for her Fun Little Contest, it was FREE. Even better.

And....Audrey unveiled a brand-new kit tonight called Hello Dotty.
It's definitely a beauty. I love blues and red these days. Just happy colors. You can see it here. Here. And here.

A patterned paper set. A solid paper set with overlays. And an element pack.
I will be doing some layouts using this new kit, so stay tuned :)

*****
And for the RAK, I'll be printing out the comments tomorrow and pick a winner! So there's still time! Scroll down and find the entry I posted Sunday if you want to enter.

I gave you my heart


For Valentine's we all exchanged gifts. Sofi got Boyd's bear in a heart-shaped glittery box. The bear is still in the box. Don't think it was big hit...But I did this layout of her opening the box...

It came together pretty quick because I used Nancy Comelab's gorgeous photocluster that came in the MDM Sampler I mentioned last post...

For credits, click here.

As for me, I had Jamie wrap up the Basic Grey Phoebe Collection I bought on HSN last week. So pretty. I think this is my favorite line of BG. In addition to the paper set, it came with a matchbook, bookplates, rub-ons, tags, monograms and letter stickers! A pretty good deal for a brand-new line. For Jamie I wrapped up a new DS to replace the one he lost on the plane last month. Plus, I made an 8 x 10 print of this year's Valentine card. Will probably frame it. And Jamie also got me this book.
At first glance, I thought he had published my blog!



Jamie and I also got to go out last night. We even had the babysitter put Sofi to sleep! First time someone other than one of us has put Sofi to sleep - if you can believe that. She cried for a little bit, but in the end she was okay. We went out to see Pan's Labyrinth - a gory, but enchanting movie. Then we had dessert at an Italian restaurant. Our original plans was to go back to Nishino for sushi but we tried making reservations too late. We will do that next date night for sure....

Hope you had a good day too!

p.s. I think I'll leave the RAK drawing open a few more days. So comment on the "Happy Sunday" post" if you want to be entered in the drawing :)

ETA: I also forgot to post the hybrid mini-book I finished....
used both digital (Audacious Designs Word Art printed on transparency film and other digital papers by Jen Wilson and Holly McCaig) and traditional supplies...

The covers (one side has fave photos - the other is fave quotes)....




The inside pages:

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!

I made this year's card digitally as you can see.

I was late this year so I didn't send out as many as I wanted. I actually sent them sight unseen through Kodak Photogallery's website. You can upload a card (or use one of their pre-made designs) and then have them direct-mailed to your list of recipients. The ones I did send out may be a little late, but here's a sneak peek!

Credits:

Rhonna Farrer's old stamps brushes

Jason Gaylor fresh foliage brushes

Paper (red) and wooden hearts - Heather Melzer Designs

Doodled Frame - Audacious Designs by Audrey Neal

BTW, the brushes used in this card are by Jason Gaylor. He is very popular in the digi world for his FREE brushes. In fact, he has some Valentine-themed brushes available here for a limited time. Run, don't walk to download these!

Speaking of freebies, Jessica Sprague created her own freebie (using Jason's brushes). And it's available on her blog.

In Sofi news....
We had a full morning of activity.
First, story time at the library. Sofi was brave and stood in line with her hand outstretched for her reward stamp at the end of the hour.

Then, we went to Starbucks. We were out of milk and Sofi wanted some...so before we went to the grocery store next door we made a beeline to the coffee shop. One small milk with a lid and a straw poked through the hole for the Sof-ster and one tall green tea latte for me and a piece of banana loaf to share. We snagged a place by the fire. Sofi sat in an oversized arm-chair and I sat next to her in one of the regular wooden chairs. She looked really cute drinking her Starbucks milk and stuffing her face with cake. Her feet weren't even long enough to dangle over the edge. They lay parallel to the ground, if you can picture that.

Then, we went next door for food shopping. Sofi read her "Parent Map" magazine with the hearts on the cover while I walked up and down the aisles.

Then, after briefly looking at the two doggies in the window at the pet store, we stopped by our favorite neighborhood Sanrio store for some Hello Kitty shtuff: stickers, flashlight, notebook, magnets and more stickers. Who do you think loves this stuff more? Me or Sofi?

Lastly, we didn't want to go straight home so we made a detour to the park. Nothing needed immediate refrigeration so our groceries were fine while we played for a while: jungle gym and swing and bells. The slides were too wet for use. One interesting tidbit (to me anyway): There are some bells built into the jungle gym. You can access them from outside the structure (if tall enough to reach) and inside if you climb up to the second level. Sofi, unprompted by me, said: "I can't reach it." One of the first times I've heard her use a full sentence unprompted me other than: "I don't want it."

*****
Last night and tonight, Sofi requested to sleep on the "bed" (a foam mattress pad we have folded over) instead of her crib. We were afraid she would wake up in the middle of the night and bang on the door, but didn't hear a peep until after 8 AM. Let's see how that goes. Time to get a toddler bed? I heard the marker for getting one was if the said toddler could crawl out of the crib. Sofi's far, far from that point.

*****
And getting back to scrap business...I got another digital layout requested! This time for Scrapbooks Etc. My all-time favorite magazine. Super-excited. Not only do they want the layout, they want me to write out a step by step instructions with screenshots! So as you can see, I'm procrastinating and writing this blog entry. But I'll get it done. Soon. I hope.
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I decided to enter Making Memories Idol. It's a simple app: Just upload two layouts and a project. Then they pick their 50 picks. Then the madness begins. So now it's just the waiting game....

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I almost finished my submissions for the Scrapologie DT. Actually, I thought I had finished already, but apparently I need to submit an altered project too. So I'm working on that.

So that's my Tuesday!

p.s. I'm still accepting comments for my RAK drawing. Post here to enter to win.

pps. I almost forgot I also finished a layout for this. If you participate and use some of My Digital Muse products you get a free sampler of even more products. Create and you will receive!

I already got the sampler and it's some CUTE stuff from all the designers at MDM.



For credits, click here.