The Boss Is Away, So...

20% off everything: tutorials, kits, the whole shebang! Have a great weekend everybody!

New In The Shop: Unforgotten (Pixel Canvas)

Up a bit early this week:



Kit Includes:

- 10 textured arty papers
- 2 large masks (preview shows them much smaller)
- 2 frames, one in copper verdigris, another made of stitching holes with a few straggly stitches
- 3 different metal tags
- 2 ribbon elements: one bow (with and without shadow), and one ribbon & bow full page border
- 3 separate floral elements, one of which also comes as a brush
- 2 pieces of word art, one decorated with a spray of forget-me-nots
- a quill and ink pot sticker
- a broom, one decorated with ribbon and ivy, the other plain
- a heart locket with a little gem
- a painted owl

And some layouts:

My "Hidden Beauties":



Fonts: Bickham Script Pro and Goudy Old Style. Journaling reads: "We usually see this pond from the perspective of the inset photo, but this day we
explored on the path from the house to the beach, and suddenly found a blue stillness graced by a young family of mallard ducks."

By Timounette, "So Quiet":



Photo mask by Vinnie Pearce, Border by Timounette

By Kim, "First Dog":



And a beautiful tribute to her parents, by Tracy Little (5angels), "Never Forgotten":



And finally, another one of mine, a bit more personal and intense, "Never, Ever Forget {That I Love You}:



Some back story: Allen has never slept well, and to this day he still sleeps in our bed or else his nightmares would awake him enough so that he would stay awake all night (trust me on this). And if he takes a nap, he wakes up feeling some combination of mad/sad--he still is incapable of verbalizing what goes on for him. Anyway, a couple of days ago he fell asleep in the living room after a really long bike ride with his dad, and when we went to carry him into bed, he woke up... and we ended up with a 2-hour screaming fit on our hands. *sigh* Being the parent of a super-bright child is not often easy. Anyway, the next day it was as if it never had happened--for him.

Credits: Everything from my Unforgotten kit (Pixel Canvas), except for the feather which is from the EcoFabulous Collab kit. Fonts: Butterbrotpapier, Telegraphem, and Harting.

Thanks for looking!! New kit coming out tomorrow/Friday at Get Digi With It, too... *pant, pant*

Layout Catch-Up

New kit coming out this Friday, and lots of school going on as we near the end of the year! So I've been quite busy, though last night we had time for a great nachos & Jackie Chan movie night. Boom! Badaboom! That Jackie sure has the moves... =)

So, oldest to newest--the first one was a response to a challenge on Pixel Canvas (Vinnie has the best challenges!), to frame the focal subject with embellishments. Check. The Year of the Pink Shoes:



This one even made the Gallery Standouts! Credits: Everything by Vinnie Pearce at Pixel Canvas, from the following kits: Classy Chic, Little Fireman, Time Out, My Drama Queen, The Rose Garden, Young Beauty, Pieces of Me II, and Purple Phase. Font: Handscript Upright. Journaling reads: "Once upon a time there was a little boy who had a pair of pink crocs. The little boy also liked to mix and match impossible colors and patterns, and his Daddy found this immensely amusing. So one year, his Daddy decided to dress up as the little boy for Halloween at the
office. Not having planned his costume ahead of time, however, he could only find a pair of pink crocs about 3 sizes too small, which he suffered through for a day. Whereupon the little boy’s mother, hating to throw anything out, felt she had to wear the crocs (which did fit her) despite the fact that
she
HATED
pink.
Note the black socks.
THE END
(whenever they wear out)"

Next, a movement-oriented layout, Running & Jumping:



Everything by Vinnie Pearce @ Pixel Canvas, from her Running And Jumping kit except for a mask from Artistic Page Overlays - Set 02.

Then, 500:



For the Friday Scraplift @ Pixel Canvas of Buge's Nature Love.

Credits: Everything by Ashley Kennedy Designs @ Pixel Canvas. Wood paper, bark mat, and "discover" tag from her A Walk In The Woods. Everything else from Funky Blossoms (coming today!), except for the branch (Retro Vintage). Fonts: Problem Secretary, Sidewalk, and Trajan Pro. Journaling reads: "It took 500 years for the nurse log this tree grew from to crumble into dirt and make a hole my six-year-old can climb through. 500 years of coastal winds and rain, 500 years of solitude."

This is a Sitka Spruce--they only grow close to the ocean, in the Pacific Northwest of the North American continent.

Seal Rock (the weather has been so fantastic, lately--temps in the 50-60's, beautiful sun, just enough breeze to keep things fresh--I am so loving where I live!):



Papers from Brief Elegance and Faery Lights (Heather T., Pixel Canvas). Fonts: School Broadway and Switzerland Narrow. Journaling reads: "Seal Rock... is really all about birds. The pelagic birds -- mostly sea gulls of different varieties and Pigeon Guillemots -- all nest on this vast craggy face. We watched as the Pigeon Guillemots came in to their nests, rearing back as they approached so that their bodies became vertical, and their bright red feet found purchase on the rock.

And finally, for another challenge, this time a white space one: Make a layout, and then, group everything together, make the layout smaller, and reframe it. My original layout was the lighter square one. Time Moves On:



Credits: Everything from Pixel Canvas. Background is two papers from Brief Elegance (Heather T.), one of which is overlaid on an Artistic Page Overlay (Vinnie Pearce). Central paper stripe from Art Corner II (Vinnie Pearce), overlaid with tags from Brief Elegance. Central square is another paper from Art Corner II, over a slightly modified Page Clipping Masks Set 02. Blue strips are made with another page mask overlaid with a paper from Always Time (Heather T.). And that's decorated with a tree from the EcoFabulous Collab, overlaid with a paper from Brief Elegance. The clock is from Timeout (Vinnie Pearce), and the swirls are from Decorative Grunge Swirls 02 (Vinnie Pearce). *pant, pant* Font is Butterbrotpapier. Journaling reads:

"Time moves on.
Tomorrow you will hardly have changed,
or the day after; a couple of months
do not show on your face.
When is it that change takes place, then?
Your face is not so different.
Perhaps the nose is longer.
The hands, yes--your chubby, faltering fists
have turned into deft hands and long fingers--
clearly not from my side of the family.
But still your gaze is full of questions,
demanding answers that only you will discover
in time."

Another Freebie & A New Tutorial

So, besides my new kit By The Sea, a more extensive tutorial on drop shadows is out too:



And finally, freebie alert! No longer Available at Pixel Canvas, 3 variations on a Love Bird (sorry!):



Go forth and have a most creative weekend!! =)

New In The Shop: By The Sea & FREEBIE

It's out! My new kit By The Sea, at Pixel Canvas:



And here's a layout I made with it:



And! Here's a little freebie to go along with the kit:



Enjoy! =)

Busy Scrapping Evening!

DH & DS being out of town gave me a chance to engage in some mad scrapping last night, and this is what it produced:

A Child's Power



Everything at Pixel Canvas. Vinnie Pearce's Summer Papers for the overlay on the background (blended with something of mine), her butterfly paper from Naturals, and her glitter splat on the left. Butterfly is from my Faery Lights, and stitching and heart are from my Brief Elegance kit. Font: Kevinandamanda. Journaling reads:

"When you are a boy, there is little you can do to influence others except perhaps make the gulls fly."

Sisyphus, Revisited:



This child cracks me up...

Everything from my Pause-Café kit @ GDWI (and one paper from the Add On). Font: Auburn. Journaling reads: "It's time to go, so of course you MUST sweep all the footprints off the beach."

Sweet Baby Boy:



Allen @ 9 months... and in the original picture, riding on a tiny toy pony!

Everything by Cheeky Monkey Creative @ Pixel Canvas, mostly from her "Sweet Baby Boy" kit--except for the cream button, which is from the "Lovely" kit.

Our Massive, Quiet Friends:



(Our massive, quiet friend would be that huge tree hanging off the side of the trail)

Everything from Pixel Canvas, mostly from Ashley Kennedy Designs, A Walk In The Park. Little tree is from her Trees in the Park. Font: Diggs My Hart. Journaling reads: "finally it is dry enough for us to go exploring again, to revisit our massive, quiet friends and see how they’ve survived the winds of winter."

Speed Scrap!

Tomorrow night--as always--is the speed scrap at Get Digi With It. It's tons of fun! It starts at 10PM EST/7PM PST, and usually runs about an hour (but you have 2+ to finish if you need it). I give an instruction every 10 minutes (7 in all), and you post what you've done to the gallery, and link it to the thread! Here's a tiny hint of what you'll get as a FREEBIE participation prize:



Don't forget to register on the forum a little ahead of time so you can participate, if you're not registered yet!

New In The Shop: Pause-Café (@ Get Digi With It)

You don't have to scrap coffee, of course. This is a great kit for older boys and men, too--deep, rich colors and not too much frou-frou. And it's only $1.00 through Friday! Kit contains:

-10 patterned and textured papers
-3 frames (one is without the words)
-3 ribbons
-1 coffee bean and wire flower
-1 coffee flower group, as well as a coffee pea group (and a single bean too)
-1 vintage painted sticker-type thing
-3 coffee cups/tags/frames
-1 button
-1 coffee stains mask
-1 heart traced in coffee grounds (can be used as a mask or an overlay)



And, I have a layout to share that I made with Vinnie's wonderful Walkthrough Tutorial on Page Overlays:

Reflection



Built using Vinnie Pearce's Walkthrough 01 .pdf file. Lots of layers in the background, but present are papers from the EcoFabulous Collab Kit (in particular by Cheeky Monkey Creative and Heather T.), and my Always Time and Brief Elegance kits. Also used Vinnie's gorgeous Artistic Page Masks Set 01. Lower word art is by ViVa Artistry Reflections Kit @ Pixel Canvas), top one is simply the You Are Loved font. Feather mine from EcoFabulous, rose by CMC (Lovely kit), and diamond heart from Brief Elegance.

New: Faery Lights (Pixel Canvas)

This is such a fun kit... Remember the layouts I did a while back? Well, this is what came of them...

Mermaid Evolution

*sigh* I have a mermaid--even a couple of them--and I have no clue what to do with them.



I'm sure I'll figure it out. =)

The Greatest Gift

Everything by Vinnie Pearce @ Pixel Canvas. Background is a blend of papers from The Rose Garden, Woodlands Park - Boys, and the photo at a larger size. Heart on a ribbon is from Pieces of Me II, and the branch is from the recent NSD Chat Freebie. Heart is from Drama Queen, and button from Timeout. Fonts are Butterbrotpapier, VT Remington, and Soul Misson. Journaling reads:

"today, on mother's day,
i think of you
and how i always rediscover
discovery itself
the brightness of the mind
fired by imagination
where a few rocks
on the beach
become an island surrounded
by dangerous waters
and there's no way to get off
when it's time to go
you were late in my life
i never conceived of how a child
would launch me into the unknown
all those years i fought
to establish stability
and along you came to prove to me
that orderliness and rules
are not comfort for everyone
and that perhaps i should rethink
what i have been calling freedom
you, the laughter of my soul, are in fact
my greatest gift of all"

Dollar Day Deal: Luxuriant!

This beautiful kit:



$1.00!! All Friday! So, happy weekend to you... =)

New In The Shop: Brief Elegance (Pixel Canvas)

I really like this one =) The papers are so much fun to play with!



And a couple of layouts:



Scraplift of nininano's This Moment for the Friday lift @ Pixel Canvas.


Everything with my Brief Elegance kit (Pixel Canvas).
Fonts: Pegsanna, VT Remington, and Reprobate. Journaling reads: "Without a record, these moments fade..." -- I'd never remember these beautiful scenes without these pages. I'm so grateful that I learned how to do this scrapbooking stuff--it means so much more to me this way than just with a photo!

And this one by Sara (moltac):



Credits: Everything from Pixel Canvas. Heather T: Brief elegance ***NEW*** released today and Always time Vinnie Pearce: Preserve it Wordart

So What Am I Selling Already??

I'm kind of a ditz, I haven't even shown you what my stuff is at Pixel Canvas! (well, except for the EcoFabulous kit, which is SO much fun to play with!)

Last week two kits came out, Baby Cowslip,



and Always Time.



And this Thursday/Friday (8am New Zealand time, wherever you are) is another kit that I'm really in love with, called Brief Elegance. =)

And now for a bunch of layouts:

Always Time:



Everything from the Always Time kit.

Precious Moments:



Just a quiet sunset play... For a scraplift of Zwyck's beautiful "For Sara" layout.

Credits: Everything Pixel Canvas. Background (which you can barely see, heh) is a blend of papers from Always Time (Heather T.), as is the strip of paper down the side. Yellow flower and sunburst is from Contemplation (ViVa Artistry). Word art is from Preserve It (Vinnie Pearce, Fei-Fei's Stuff, and Catherine Designs charity Collab), with an extra word overlay (Time and Time Again font). Little jeweled flower from Baby Cowslip (Heather T.).

The Beat Of The World



Here's Allen with his new Carhart jacket, digging a hole in the sand with his foot--but it sure looks like he's dancing, doesn't it?

Credits: Everything from the EcoFabulous Collaborative Kit (by the listed designers, plus Ashley Kennedy) at Pixel Canvas with stuff by Tracy Little (background paper), Cheeky Monkey Creative (butterfly, string), Vinnie Pearce (world), and me (leaf swirl, patterned paper). Fonts: Destruction and Pegsanna HMK. Journaling reads: "Be still, and listen to the beat of the world, where play is a dance of joy."

And finally, mostly for fun, Oh?:



A nice construction site at the beach...

Credits: Everything at Pixel Canvas. Template by Vinnie Pearce (for Pencil Lines). Background is a blend of Ashley Kennedy Designs (A Walk In The Park) and ViVa Artistries (Contemplation). Stitching and light photo background by Heather T. (Always Time), leaf and staple by Vinnie Pearce (Decorative Page Prompts). Dark photo mat by Vinnie Pearce (Pieces of Me II). Truck by Vinnie Pearce (Bucket Full of Sunshine), and heart from the Preserve It Collab (Vinnie Pearce, Fei-Fei's Stuff, and Catherine Designs). Fonts: Sidewalk and Report 1942. Allen promised: "I'm not getting dirty!". Uh huh.

We're UP Again!

Oh man, I didn't realize how much I would miss Pixel Canvas, but I did, especially over interNational Scrapping Day! But it's back, and Vinnie has released the FABULOUS collaboration kit we all participated in: EcoFabulous! Check it out:



It is sooooo full of surprising and fun elements, and really gorgeous and luscious papers. YUM! Plus, all the proceeds will go towards helping Vinnie with the new server for the site, which costs twice as much... =/

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Come Chat!

Yep, the Pixel Canvas site was down ALL DAY--depressing. But, there was a chat scheduled, and by golly, I'll be there! Just click here: DST Chat Room, and come on it! It's supposed to start at 9pm PST, 4PM (May 2nd) NZ...

Edit: Ok, that was the best chat EVER. My stomach still hurts from so much laughing! I'm sorry to report that the Pixel Canvas site will be down till Monday, though. *grumble, grumble*