The Scrappy Times

I’m so insanely geeked that I finally had a freebie listed on Ikea Goddess’s list.  It’s not for lack of trying on my part. I send her links for all my templates, but this is the first one she put on her blog.  Ikea Goddess only posts what she herself wants to download (kind of like me), so this was such an honor for me. 

Today’s the last day of the month.  I’ve been so busy with Stone Accents Studio that I haven’t had much of a chance to participate in challenges and most are due today. I did manage to get three completed last night.  I’m going to show off just two right now, because there’s a LO that comes before the last one I did, and I’d rather post them in order.  Besides, I don’t want to overwhelm you.

This first LO is done using Divine Digital’s DAD, A Kid’s Life.  Specifically, the paper is by Royanna Fritschmann and the labels are by Wolf Randolph. The other elements (photo prong and bubble frame) are by Amy Watson and they were for the grab bag challenge at Happy Scrapz (see challenge list on side if you’re interested in participating).  If you didn’t snag this daily download kit as it was available, you’re too late to get it for free.  I do think it’s still available for purchase. Don’t forget to check back here tomorrow to see all the new DAD kits available around the web.

The kit in this second LO is by Acorn Designs.  It’s for the starter kit for the September Color Challenge at Digi by Design.  The photo in the picture came out a bit dark on the right side and super bright on the left.  To even things out a bit, I used a great effect called Duochrome by Xero Graphics.  You may need to click on the image to see the larger version to really appreciate this cool effect.  I had a hard time deciding between Duochrome and Nostalgia, but in the end went with this one, because Nostalgia turned the grass this odd fluorescent green.  Oh, I nearly forgot. The stamp on the bottom is from A Kid’s Life and it’s by Wolf Randolph.

Get SAS-y:

Pamela has a Darling new kit available at SAS, and she’s made a little Free Add-On for you to sample her product.  Click on the images to go to her blog for the freebie, or to visit the store to buy the whole kit.  The kit is on sale this week only.  The add-on is not in the kit, so make sure you get that too.

Elizabeth of Pillowgirl’s Scraps and Sherah of SKrapper Digitals have been working on an awesome kit together. Want to see a sneak peek?  They also have some blog freebies for you, so make sure you click on the images to visit their blogs.

Terrell has more QPs for you:

Other Good Stuff:

Amy W. has a Jumpstarts for you.	Amelie has part 3 of Pink Paradise	DerekM has part 3 of his Cast Iron Set – Halloween
You can get more of Caro’s Shabby Kitchen at the DSSA blog.	Head over to KimB.’s blog for a L’il Romance.	Pam Lefors has Odds & Ends part 3.

How long has it been since I’ve offered a free template from me?  I don’t think I have since my 100th Layout Celebration.  I’m up to 126 now, by the way.  This template is based on a layout I made using Anita Designs’ Tropical Flowers kit.  I couldn’t give you Anita’s frame though, so I had to make my own.  Even though my frame is a traditional flower, I have the song, Sunshine Day going through my head, so that’s what I’ve called it.  lol  Here’s my LO. Scroll down to get to the template.

SAS-y Stuff:

Wow, we have something really exciting going on at Stone Accents Studio.  Every designer has donated a $10 coupon for a drawing.  Everyone who spends at least $15 in the store in a single purchase will be eligible to win a $10 coupon to a certain designer’s store.  Now this is an even better deal than you realize, because you can also receive Brown Baggin’ It by Pillowgirl’s Scraps and Petals by Digitreats free with a $15 purchase (add them to your cart and use coupon code GIFTWPURCHASE).  This is a $10 value, yours free.  So let’s do the math, shall we?

It’s a bit of a no-brainer, don’t you think?  Even if you don’t win, you’re getting two great kits for free. If you want to see more about the free with purchase offer, check out our newest newsletter. Sssh, it’s supposed to be for subscribers only, so don’t tell anyone I gave you a sneak peek again.  I can’t help myself.  I spend a lot of time putting the newsletters together and I’m really proud of how they come out.  I can’t keep doing this for you though, so make sure you get over to the forum and sign up to keep getting the latest SAS-y news and goodies.  Oh, and to be eligible for the gift certificates purchases must be made by midnight central time on October 2nd.

You can win another $10 coupon just by using this FREE kit by Elizabeth aka Pillowgirl’s Scraps.  Follow the link to her blog for more information.

JulieO. has the last part of Feelin’ SAS-y available for download on her blog. The four previous downloads are still available, so don’t forget to scroll down and get them.

Other Goodies:

Boo is a CT at Stone Accents, so I consider her pretty SAS-y too. She has a new coordinated kit that she’s releasing a bit at a time.  Part 1, Gentle Breeze, is available this week.

And here’s the template.  I’ve got two sizes for you:  6×6 and 12×12.

Why does everything have to be on at the same time?  The kids are already hooked on that new show, Kid Nation, but it’s up against Back to You, which everyone says is awesome.  Last week I caught Gossip Girl, and I have to admit, I was pretty drawn in.  I’m not watching it tonight though, because of course I have to watch Private Practice, the new Grey’s Anatomy spin-off. Addison was my favorite Grey’s character.  I had wanted to catch the new Bionic Woman, but it’s on at 9 too.  So is the new Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi.  Fortunately, that I can catch later, because I love Ghost Hunters. I’ll happily watch a Ghost Hunters rerun over new TV any day.  Oh, and the Top Chef finale is on tonight too!  I really need to get TiVo or DVR or something.

Wow, the SAS-y Ladies have been busy!

Pamela has a bright, colorful For the Boys paper pack.	Here’s you can get the For the Boys Add-On.
CT member Claudia made this QP for you with Pamela’s Little Missy Kit..	Lisa West has this add-on for her Travis kit for free on her blog. You can this entire kit on sale this week at SAS for just $2.50.  Oh, and Lisa has a CT call out.  Stop by her blog for more information.
Oh, my gosh, how awesome is this cluster frame that matches Candee’s new Adorable Kitten kit?  I’m so into cluster frames right now, lol.	Elizabeth has a set of Office Basics for you.  This is great for those times when you want an element, like a staple, but can’t remember which kit had one.  Make sure you check out her awesome new Color Foundations kit while you’re on her blog. It’s on sale this week for $10, and it’s jam packed with goodies, so that’s a real bargain.
Sherah has an acrylic butterfly sticker for you.	Terrell has QP set #8.

Here are other goodies for you:

These Little Dragons by Nikolette are so sweet.	Scrappassi has this wonderful mini-kit to celebrate her daughter, Monika’s, birthday.  Happy Birthday, Monika!	Krista has Autumn Beauty on her blog for you.
Kim B. has Sweet Silvia on her blog.	Lindsay Jane has a Glitter Pumpkin element.	Anita has a Whisper of Fall sampler.
Kris Myers has a 100,000 Visits paper pack.	Here are the Havana Nights elements that match the papers Susan released at Raspberry Road a few days ago.	Sir Scrapalot has the last download for his Year Round Brag Book templates.
	These fun, funky, Pretty Pumpkins can be found on Lisa Whitney’s blog.

The phone rang and the caller ID showed it was the number of a friend of mine.  This friend also has a son in Emily’s class, a boy that she’s been friends with since kindergarten.  A boy that, might, in the future, become more than a friend if I’m reading the signs right.  Can you see where this is going?  So I see my friend’s number and answer, “hey!”  The voice on the other end says, “hey”.  Just that, not enough to realize I’m not talking to who I think I am.  A long pause follows.  It’s getting awkward.  Finally, a timid voice says, “is Emily there?”  Oops, not my friend.  So I call her and she comes to the phone in her own sweet time.  She asks who it is and I tell her.  DH overhears.  Now he’s saying stuff like, “where’s that shotgun?” loudly and obnoxiously. Thank God we don’t have a shotgun or I’d have been tempted to club him over the head with it. What an idiot.  Oh, and the poor kid was just calling because he forgot his science book and needed the vocabulary words from it.

I did some scrapping yesterday.  These are probably the last LOs I’ll have for you for a few days.  I need to get working on the Stone Accents Studio weekly newsletter due to go out on Wednesday.  Did you get around to signing up for the newsletter?  You really need to, because we fixed our glitch and in order to see what’s going on and get any goodies, you need to be registered at the forum and select “receive email from administrators”.  We’ve got some great fun stuff planned, including a Halloween LO call for our October monthly newsletter and a Halloween party challenge that’s sure to send shivers of delight up your spine.

Oh yeah, my LOs.  This one is done with TerrellS.’s Girly Denim Kit.  The font used is Geeoh Hmk Bold.

These next two are made with Pillowgirl’s Earlybirds kit.  The first one is a scraplift from Lillypug34’s LO Say Cheese. It’s for the Gallery Spotlight Challenge at Stone Accents Studio.

SAS-y Goodness:

Pillowgirl’s CT Dinphy created this QP from the Softer Side for you.	Dinphy also created this one from Patterned Elegance.

Other goodies:

Danielle has these fun Witch’s Brew stickers.	The girls at Acorn Designs have part 7 of Dogwood for you.	You can find Serenity Now at OScraps.
Direction Arrows can be such a great scrapping tool.  This set by Carolina is so fun.	Derek has the second part of his cast iron set, Skeleton Keys up on his blog.	I’m not sure yet what I want to do with this kit by Caro on the DSSA blog, but I know when I figure it out, it’ll be perfect.  I just love the wooden spoon.
Pam Lefors has these extras from her Katie’s Wilderness kit and she’s offering them to you.	You don’t have to be of Cuban heritage to love Susan’s Havana Nights papers.	Redju has adorable Halloween felties.
	Mrs. Miles has this great doodle element and brush.

Don’t forget the Heroes premiere is tonight. I can’t wait!

I scrapped three, count ‘em, three LOs yesterday.  Hooray for me.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I make the page using a kit, and other times the kit makes the page using me. All three of these LOs practically made themselves and all three are designed by SAS-y ladies.  And lest you say I’m promoting these kits because I have to, I don’t.  Unlike when you’re a CT, I have no obligation to use any of the kits at Stone Accents and I don’t have to show off anything I do with them.  So the fact that I’m raving about them, means they’re really that good.

The first LO is done using Maia’s Garden by Pillowgirl’s Scraps. The second LO uses Petals by Digitreats. The third LO is the September Mega Kit by the Stone Accents Studio Design Team, and believe me, there’s a ton more to use in that kit.

The SAS-y ladies are making it hard to decide which Halloween kit to use for scrapping my photos this year.  A few days ago, I showed you the great one Pamela made. Today, I have to show you this one by Lisa West.  You can get it at the Stone Accents Studio Boutique for just $3.99.  And don’t forget to snag her free QP in the SAS-y Freebie section below.

SAS-y Freebies:

Has the stress of trying to open a new store and moving gotten to Pamela?  I’m not sure, but creating a paper pack inspired by her New Broom was certainly different.  I think they came out really cute though.	I just love Halloween, so I’m really enjoying all these great Halloween kits.  Lisa has a new kit available at SAS, and she made a free QP from it just for you.
	Heather is looking for a CT.  If you’re interested, visit her blog for more information.

Other Freebies:

Danielle Corbitt has a surprise gift for you and a CT call.	Since cluster frames have become my new best scrapping friend, these frames from Lindsay Jane are right up my alley.	Sir Scrapalot has part 2 of his Brag Book QP set ready for download.
Daniela Austin is feeling Sassy at Digital Freebies.	You can get All Torn Up with this kit at Digital Scrapbooking Freebies.	Holli Hobbi has a pretty new sampler kit for you at Digital Candy.  You must be registered to access the freebie.

So this LO only took me until 1:30 this morning.  I think I need to start scrapping earlier.  The kit is In Vogue again. The papers I used are by Robyn England, Amber Clegg, Lisa Whitney, and Jomi Van Bekkum.  For the elements, I used the rick-rack from In Vogue (by Jomi Van Bekkum), the Doodle Swirl Alpha is by Kara Perrien, and the frame, popcorn and movie clapper elements are by Barbara Speck.  Oh and I nearly forgot, this is a scraplift on In Love by Katjie.  I’m using this LO for the challenge at Happy Scrapz.

Goodies with lots of SAS:

Pamela at Digitreats has this great template on her blog.Get both goodies HERE.	She also has this lovely add-on to her Abby kit. And if you stop by her blog, you can get a coupon for $2 off her store at Stone Accents Studio.
KoriB. has this elegant mini-kit for you.	Candee has this Letters from Grandma bonus that was supposed to be for a chat at DxD, so technically not SAS-y.  But we love Candee anyway.
Heather has these sparkly, beady numbers on her blog.	Elizabeth has a not girly QP for you.
	Terrell has two QPs for you.

Other treats:

Babette has a Halloween Fever sampler.	Amelie has part 2 of Pink Paradise.	Cora has a surprise goodie for you.
Pam Lefors has a sampler from her new Peaches & Dreams kit.	I love multi-photo templates and this one by Sharon is awesome.	Denise Liemert has this cute sampler from her Lil Bird kit.
There are three great goodies to snag at Raspberry Road.  Moving Day papers.	Moving Day elements, and	Tomato Soup Collection papers.

I really did plan to go to bed earlier last night.  The LO I created wasn’t even particularly complicated, but it still took until nearly 3 a.m.  PSP was being excruciatingly slow last night.  It’s been a while since I’ve run my various maintenance programs, other than my regular anti-virus check, so I set those to run after I went to bed. Hopefully that’ll do the trick.  I’m so pleased to tell you that I did this one without a template.  I always feel like I’m cheating when I use a template, but my scrapping mojo has left me lately.  I’m fine with templates, but have a hard time getting the vision of the LO on my own. Kara’s great cluster frame inspired me this time.  Plus I loved the opportunity to use the old acronym for Epcot, which is referred to now only in Disney trivia questions.  The kit is Tweety-Tweet by Kara Perrien Designs and it’s available at Stone Accents Studio.  I hope you took the opportunity to grab it at 50% off last week. That wonderful cluster frame is one of the newsletter freebies you could have gotten.  Did you get the newsletter and collect all the great freebies?  If you didn’t, you can still get it here. Make sure you sign up for the forum and check, receive email from administrators though, because we fixed our email glitch, and you won’t be able to access any future newsletters and corresponding freebies without being on the mailing list.  The scalloped edge template is, coincidentally also by Kara Perrien. I snagged that a while back when it was a blog freebie.  The font is Quiggley-Wiggly.  By the way, if you don’t recognize any of the characters in these recent LOs, it’s because my sister mailed me a CD of pictures from HER Disney trip.  My kids and I weren’t even there.  My mother will enjoy having some LOs of her other grandchildren in the book I’m making her for Christmas though, so here I scrap.  Maybe that’s why my mojo has disappeared. Do you think?

Here are some SAS-y Goodies for You:

Pamela at Digitreats continues giving away her wonderfully generous freebies. You can get Little Missy on her blog.	Look at these sweet papers Elizabeth has for you at Pillowgirl’s Scraps, just because she likes you.
Sir Scrapalot isn’t a SAS-y Lady (nor is he a lady), but he’s on Elizabeth’s CT, and he has this great brag book template set on his blog.  You can get part 1 today.	The colors in this lovely Juicy Fruit kit from Terrell are so bright and fun, which is great because the weather here today is anything but bright or fun.

That’s what time I finally went to bed. I watched some schmaltzy woman in distress movie on LMN (one advantage to dh being out of town, I can watch what I want, lol), and then came on my computer to do one little layout. That was around 11:30-ish.  I finally finished it up nearly 4 hours later!  I couldn’t believe that’s how long I took. And I used a template too!  I had to change it around a bit to fit my pictures, but this great template is by Michelle Swadling.  It was for a challenge at Gotta Pixel back a while ago, and I never got around to completing the challenge.  Is four months late really that bad?  I created my first set of stitches here. The template called for a filled in, wider band around the circle, but I thought some stitches would fit the theme well.  I know I have some stitched circles somewhere, but heck if I can locate the file when I need it.  So, I found a great tutorial by Angela Cable on the internet and I managed to follow it without any serious complications, except one, and it was my own fault.  Do not decide, after you’ve made all your “holes” in the paper to move either your paper or the stitching.  It seems logical, right?  I had to learn the hard way.  I have to tell you a bit about the kit I used too.  It’s called In Vogue, and a few months back it was a freebie given away by Scrap Artist to celebrate their 2 year anniversary.  I tried to go back and find it in the store last night, and it’s gone, you can’t even buy it.  The reason I needed to find it is one of the papers I used (the mat on the left photo) was created by an H. W., but H. W. didn’t include a TOU in the downloads and I can’t find a designer in the store with the initials H. W. either.  If anyone knows who H. W. is, please let me know.  In addition to H. W., the papers I used were created by Nancie Rowe Janitz, Christine Honsinger, and Amber Clegg.  The elements are by Robyn England, Linda Gill Billdal, Amber Clegg, Christine Honsinger, and Lisa Whitney.  The pictures are from Disney MGM Studios, which is supposed to portray the glamour of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s, hence my choice of kits.  After all this build up, are you ready to see the LO? Without further ado, here’s what I spent 4 hours doing when I should have been sleeping ….

I need to show this to you because I’m absolutely in love with it. Normally, I’d show it off in a LO, but I can’t wait long enough to go hunt down some Halloween pictures. Pamela from Digitreats just uploaded this awesome Halloween kit to the Stone Accents Studio boutique and it’s just $3.99!

No tricks, these treats are SAS-y:

Pamela has two versions of an October desktop (with and without the ghost) for you on her blog.	Elizabeth of Pillowgirl’s Scraps has a sampler from her new Heirlooms kits, which she so brilliantly previewed in the frame. You can pick up both kits at SAS.
	We’ve got another great new kit at SAS, Sherah’s Zoo Kit.  I know I’ll have plenty of use for this one.  You can grab it in the boutique.  And just for you, her CT member, Tradgedy Anne has made this Brag Book page from the kit.

Other great goodies:

Part 6 of Dogwood is available for a short time at Acorn Designs.	Danielle Corbitt has Little Rascal for you.	This vintage Coffee House kit at Raspberry Road is so cool, don’t ‘ya think?