Darlene Designs

Template Freebie for You!

2011-12-27T12:08:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year brings you many blessings. I have a new template freebie for you. Take a look at this sample layout I made using the template. I used my Time Stands Still collab kit (with Digilicious Designs). This is my son and his girlfriend. I love these photos and had to play with them!

Here is the template - the download link is just below the preview. Please don't share my freebies - instead, send your friends to my blog to download.

DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE HERE

The Studio Christmas Blog Hop is over, but if you missed snagging my Angels We Have Heard mini-kit and still want it, it's only $1.50 in the DSS store. You can find it HERE.

Thought I'd show you a layout page I made using Angels:

Happy Scrapping!
~ Darlene

Christmas Fun and Our Annual Christmas Carol Blog Hop Freebies!

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

I want to let you know about all the fun events happenings at the Studio. There is a special forum set up for Christmas Fun and you won't want to miss the challenges, freebies, prizes, and inspiration!

I'm so excited for our Annual DSS Christmas Carol Blog Hop. This is our gift to you from the designers at DSS. We hope you enjoy your freebies are blessed this Christmas season.

I chose to make a kit using Angels We Have Heard on High for my theme. This kit has 8 beautiful papers and 16 lovely elements. It's available as a freebie through Christmas, so make sure to grab it while you can. (Please do not share the download link - send your friends to my blog instead.)

DOWNLOAD ELEMENTS HERE (expired)

DOWNLOAD PAPERS HERE (expired)

Here is a complete list of the participating designers. Please keep in mind we're an international team located in different time zones, so if someone's kit isn't up yet, just make a note and come back in a little bit.

Aimee Harrison Designs

Snickerdoodle Designs

Darlene Designs ~ you are here

I'm off to do some blog-hopping myself. ;) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

~Darlene

DSS Advent Calendar and a Freebie!

2011-12-01T07:55:00.000-08:00

The annual Advent Calendar is up at the Studio! This means a freebie for you every day through Christmas. It's a lovely holiday-themed kit with a beautiful color palette. Come back every day to get more pieces of this collection. Just head to the Studio, and under "Categories" select Advent Calendar, and you'll go right to the daily download.

I have a new kit in my stores called Up All Night. It's a great kit for anything coffee-related... office meeting, college "all-nighters," or anything sweet-related. The collection includes 14 papers and 22 unique elements, and it's on sale for a limited time at $2.99. Special BONUS: two frame clusters are included with the purchase of the kit!

I have posted the new Clutter It Challenge at the Studio. If you participate in the challenge, you'll get 10% off all your purchases at the Studio next month, including sale prices! In either case, feel free to grab the basic starter page. Follow the link HERE:

Happy Scrapping ~

Darlene

New Challenge and a Freebie!

2011-11-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

The beginning of a new month means a new Clutter It Challenge at the Studio. If you're not familiar with how the Studio challenges run - this one in particular - you can grab this "basic starter page" for free. Your challenge is to clutter it / alter it - you can recolor, add elements and journaling, rotate or flip it - whatever you like but you must change it somehow, not just simply add one photo in the frame. You may use any designers' products but when you post in the gallery, you need to give proper credit.

As a participation reward, we offer a 10% discount on ALL of your purchases for the following month! So, if you participate this month and get a layout posted, you will receive 10% off of every purchase made next month! No coupons required, the discount will automatically apply to your purchase(s), including any sale prices in effect at the time of purchse.

In either case, whether you choose to participate in the challenge or not, you can pick up this free starter page at the Studio - HERE is the link.

Happy Scrapping!
~ Darlene

October Blog Train Freebie and Some Bundled Savings!

2011-09-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to October's Blog Train! I'm happy to be participating again, and really love the color swatch we were given to work with. It made me think of soft and vintage, so I created this mini-kit called Vintage Memories.

This freebie will be available through all the month of October so get it while the gettin's good. The download links are below the preview. Please remember, even though these are freebies, do not share the actual links - send your friends here to download. :)

DOWNLOAD PAPERS HERE

DOWNLOAD ELEMENTS HERE

You probably arrived here from Mandy King's blog and your next stop will be Sherwood Studio Digital Designs. If you derailed from the train at any time, head over to the Blog Train Blog to find the entire list of participating designers.

The list of designers on this blog train is world-wide, and we're all in different time zones, so if you come across a blog that doesn't have the posting up yet, just make a note of it and come back in a while.

I want to share my Designed to Save Bundles with you. Packaged by theme, these deals include some of my older kits. These bundles are a fantastic savings - 70% - 75% off the original price! You can find them in my Digital Scrapbooking Studio store. A couple of them are shown below, along with some sample layouts created with these kits.

Designed to Save Bundle - Travel Time

Designed to Save Bundle - For the Kids

Happy Scrapping!

~ Darlene

New Release - Apple Picking - and a Free Frame Cluster!

2011-08-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the cool, crisp days of Fall, which are quickly approaching, and the sweet scent of apples, Apple Picking is the perfect choice to scrap those memories from the orchard. Kimberkatt Scraps and I joined together to create this kit that captures those family moments together, harvesting those bright red globes, happily munching their sweetness. Surrounded by shades of green, gold & brown, acorns & chestnuts, gingham & plaid, this kit includes 24 beautifully textured & patterned papers, 62 fabulously fall elements and a full A-Z upper and lower Alpha with Numbers & some Punctuation.

**BONUS**
With the purchase of the Apple Picking Kit you will receive the Apple Picking Scenic Papers and the Apple Picking Cardstock absolutely free!

Right now the entire collection is 25% off! And to save even more, make sure to check out the Bundle Package. Included in the Bundle: Apple Picking Kit, Apple Picking Alpha, Apple Picking Scenic Papers, Apple Picking Cardstock, Apple Picking Photoshop Styles and the Apple Picking Quickpages.

These two layouts were created using the Apple Picking Quick Page set:

I have a coordinating freebie for you made with Apple Picking. It's a lovely frame cluster. Enjoy - but please don't redistribute. Send your friends here to download.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Happy Scrapping!

~ Darlene

Time Stands Still ~ and TWO New Freebies!

2011-06-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

I am really excited to tell you about a new collab kit I created with the fabulous Christine of Digilicious Designs. This kit, called Time Stands Still, is really soft and lovely - vintage style with a hint of shabby chic. The central theme is about “time” and it’s also a perfect collection for everyday layouts. Check out the previews for Time Stands Still and the coordinating Quick Pages. Best of all, it’s on sale at 25% off but hurry because the sale won’t last long!

Kimberkatt made this beautiful page using Time Stands Still:

Here’s a sample layout I made using one of the Quick Pages. This is my dad and one of my uncles, when they first immigrated from Italy to the U.S.

I have revamped my My Guy kit, just in time for Father’s Day. It has more papers and elements and it’s a steal right now for only $2.00!

You can grab this FREE My Guy Quick Page, but you have to snag it in my DSS store.

I want to mention, also, that there are a LOT of my products on sale right now in my DSS store. Several kits will be retiring so they’re only available for a limited time.

Today’s freebie is a pretty frame cluster created using Time Stands Still. Please enjoy but do not share this link or the file itself. Just send your friends to my blog to download instead. :)

DOWNLOAD HERE

Happy Scrapping!

~ Darlene

Easter Egg Hunt, Faithbooking, and a new Template Freebie!

2011-04-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about Easter, one of my favorite holidays. For me, it's a weekend of remembering Christ's sacrifice, and how much He loves us. My extended family will all be coming to my house for Easter dinner, and there's nothing I enjoy more.

This brings me to a couple of things I want to tell you about. First, you won't want to miss the 2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Studio. This will be happening on Easter Sunday, and will extend over several international time zones.

Find any of the 14 decorated egg and click for an instant, downloadable surprise. Each egg will contain a small goodie for any & all finders. Each egg may also contain a super-duper-uber special surprise. Per feedback from last year, each egg will be restocked several times on Easter Sunday to give everyone in most time zones a fair chance at finding a super-duper-uber special surprise!

Eggs will be hidden in the New Products section of our Personal Use Store only. Super easy to find and I just gave you the link. ;)

Second, I want to tell you about a new collab kit. Susan Godfrey and I teamed up to create On My Knees. This is a beautiful kit in muted colors, perfect for a more "grown-

up" Easter, prayer journals, mini albums with scriptures, religious events - you get the idea. It's currently on sale at 40% off during our Easter sale, as is the coordinating On My Knees Album. And to get the most bang for your buck, check out the Bundle to get the entire collection at an even greater savings.

Take a look at the previews, and some sample layouts created by Nani, Kimberly, and me:

Toiny (aka Piggyscraps, owner of DSS) asked Susan and me some interview questions about "faithbooking" and what that means to us. You can find Susan's interview in the latest Studio newsletter, and my responses HERE on the Studio blog.

This week I have another template freebie for you:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Please don't share the freebie link - just send your friends to my blog to download.

Have a blessed Easter, and until next time...

Happy Scrapping!

Japan Charity Kit, New Bundle Packages, and a Freebie!

2011-03-28T07:35:00.001-07:00

The Studio designers got together to create a charity kit to help the relief efforts in Japan, and we are thrilled with how beautiful it is! This kit is really gorgeous and we're proud that we've already sold over $1,000 with this charity kit. ALL of the sales will be going to Samaritan's Purse. This is a mega kit - 77 papers and 160 unique elements - and the whole thing is only $5.00. You can find it at the Studio.

The Studio is getting ready for a big Spring Fling event and in keeping with cleaning up my store, I've decided to bundle several of my older kits to bring you some amazing savings. I mean you get some serious bang for your buck! Look for "Designed to Save" in the product title. Here's one of them, Designed to Save: For the Kids. This bundled collection will save you 75%! Individually priced, these items would be priced at $27, but with the bundle you get the whole package for only $7.00. There are FOUR full-size kits and TWO add-on kits in this bundle. Please check out the preview in the store, where you'll get a better look. I've also shown some layouts created with these kits, to give you some ideas.

Here's another bundle, Designed to Save: Travel Time. You get TWO full-size kits and ONE add-on for only $3.90! There are some sample layouts below, created with this bundle.

Finally, I have a template freebie for you. It's been a while since I gave away a template; hope you enjoy it!

Please don't share the freebie link. Just send your friends to my blog to download. ;)

DOWNLOAD HERE

Happy Scrapping!

Sales, New Products, and a New Freebie!

2011-02-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

I have a brand new kit that's a collab with Booland Designs, Deli Scraps by Min, Digilicious Designs, equAveziur, and Moon Designs. Our new Sleepy Time Collab kit is just gorgeous, perfect for your little ones' nap time and more! It's a MEGA collection and includes 61 papers, 92 elements, 1 alpha, and 1 glitter set. And it's on sale at 30% off for a limited time.

You won't want to miss the Sleep Time Quick Page Bundle Album includes 18 beautiful Quick Pages to make your scrapbooking fast and simple. This is also on sale at 30% off right now.

Kimberly of Kimberkatt Scraps snapped her daughter napping and made this adorable page using Sleepy Time:

I made this layout with one of the Quick Pages in the Bundle Album:

One more new product to tell you about... the DSS designers have done a "coordinating kit" called Honeysuckle, using Pantone's Color of the Year palette. This collection is sooooo pretty. ALL of the new Honeysuckle products are being introduced at 25% off. I made a mini-kit and Quick Page set for this collection. You can click on the previews to go right to the store.

If you missed snagging Grandma's Quilt during the blog hop, no worries - you can get it in my store. Right now it's only $1.00 and I even threw a bonus Quick Page in there for you. (Sidenote: a lot of the Studio mini-kits are on sale right now, so make sure to check them out HERE for some amazing deals!)

Here is a layout made using the BONUS Quick Page now included in Grandma's Quilt:

One final thing before I get to today's freebie. I wanted to let you know that February's Clutter It Challenge has been posted in the DSS forum. I don't always remember to talk about this, but I do host this challenge every month. You get a FREE basic starter page and if you complete the challenge, you get POINTS that equal MONEY to be spent in the DSS store! It's a win-win-win... You get a new Quick Page to play with, you complete a layout (so you've accomplished something :D), and even get points (store credit) for doing it! Read about my challenge HERE and take a look at this month's starter page. It's very pretty and perfect for Valentine's Day.

And finally... this week's freebie is a pretty frame cluster that coordinates with Sleepy Time. Please - do NOT share the download link. Send your friends to my blog to collect their goodie.

DOWNLOAD

Happy Scrapping!

New MEGA Blog Train - Grandma's Quilt

2011-01-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were blessed and the new year to come brings much happiness and prosperity to you.

I'm so excited about this month's Blog Train because I love vintage and heritage themes. Here's my part of Grandma's Quilt. Please enjoy it but please don't share or hotlink - just send your friends here to download. :) Click on the preview or the link below to grab your goodie.

DOWNLOAD

You probably came here from Munchkyn Scraps and your next stop on the train is Bon Scrapatit Designs. If you lose your way at any time, you can get the complete list of participating designers at The Blog Train Blog.

Happy Scrapping!

New Template Freebie

2010-12-12T19:40:00.001-08:00

The Christmas Carol Blog Hop is over but I do have a new freebie for you... a 2-page layout template. Before I show you the template, I do want to mention that my winter and holiday kits are on sale. These are just a few of the special deals you can find in my store right now:

One Winter Night

$3.50 for full-size kit!

Dear Santa

$3.30 for full-size kit

Dear Santa Quick Page Set

$2.10 for four 12x12" quick pages

Vintage New Year

$2.50 for full-size kit

Here is my new template freebie. Please remember that my freebies are only available for a limited time, so grab it while you can. If you don't want to miss any freebies, just sign up for email notifications (see sidebar on the right-hand side). Also, my freebies should not be shared or hot-linked.

Click on the download link right below the preview to get your goodie.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Check out this 2-page layout I made with the template. I used a Studio collab kit called Life at the Lake by Deli Scraps, Let Me Scrapbook, and Scrappy Cocoa. It's a fun kit to play with and you can find it HERE.

Happy Scrapping!

4th Annual Christmas Carol Blog Hop!

2010-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

We Studio designers are ready to host our 4th Annual Christmas Carol Blog Hop, but first I want to tell you about more great freebies you can collect. During the month of December, the Studio is giving out a Download-a-Day kit. We called it "Advent Calendar" and the theme is New Year's Celebration. Whichever designer is providing the freebie for the day is also having a Deal-a-Day special. The links are obvious once you get to the freebie - and you can collect some amazing kits at VERY low prices! I'm talking about full-size kits marked up to 70% off - but the specials are only good for one day and each day in December you'll find another great deal! My own Deal-of-the-Day will be on December 10, and I'm letting Toiny chose which kit to mark down. I'll be as surprised as you are! :D

For the Download-a-Day, just head to the DSS Store and click on the Advent Calendar for that particular day. Remember, the freebies are good for ONE day so you need to come back every day in December to collect all the pieces.

Now for the Blog Hop....

DSS is happy to present our Fourth Annual Christmas Carol Blog Hop! We have 17 mini-kits for you, each created around a Christmas carol theme. This is something we look forward to hosting every year, Hope you enjoy it.

Please note that we are a team of international designers, so if you come across a post that isn't "live" yet, just make a note of it and come back. This blog hop freebie will be available from December 5 - 12, so grab it while you can.

I chose "Let It Snow" for my theme this year and here's a preview. Click on the preview or the link right below it to grab your gift. (Please, no sharing or hot-linking - send your friends to my blog to download instead.)

DOWNLOAD HERE

Here's a list of all the participating designers. Just click their names to head to each blog.

Ambowife

Deli Scraps

Angel Hartline Designs

Digilicious Designs

Nibbles Skribbles

Let Me Scrapbook!

Booland Designs

Darlene Designs <<<>

LightningBug Creations

eqrAveziur Designs

Skrapper Digitals

Shelly Marie Scraps

Piggy Scraps Designs

The Studio Blog

Twin Mom Scraps

2 Girlz Designz

JulieC

Doorbuster Black Friday Sale at the Studio - and a Freebie!

2010-11-23T11:26:00.000-08:00

Big doorbuster deals are to be had at the Studio on Black Friday. Make sure to stop by between 6:00 - 10:00 a.m. EST for HUGE savings!

I can tell you what I'm offering, specifically. My full-size kit, Musical Memories will be available for only $1.00 - but only during the doorbuster hours. Click on the preview to go directly to the store.

My Commercial Use Ribbons Set 2 will be available during the doorbuster sale for only $1.00. Click on the preview to go directly to the CU store.

I'm so excited to tell you about my new kit - it's a collab I worked on with Shelly Marie Designs, Monika Designs, and Nibbles Skribbles. We are proudly announcing Authentic Life. I absolutely love this color palette and I'm sure you will, too. It's being offered at 25 % off for a limited time, so don't miss the savings!

My freebie is a frame cluster that coordinates with Authentic Life. Please do not share this freebie, or hotlink - just send your friends to my blog to download.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Please note that my freebies are available for a limited time, so don't delay - grab them while you can. Happy scrapping!

Designer Spotlight and Some Freebies

2010-11-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

This week I am in the Designer Spotlight at Scrapbird and that means a lovely mini-kit freebie for you. You can snag this autumn-themed mini for FREE but you have to get it through my Scrapbird store. CLICK HERE or on the preview to go directly to my store. This offer is good through November 20... after that, it will be available for sale in the store.

The Shabby Holiday Blog Train is over but good news - if you missed it and still want my mini-part of this mega, it's now available in my stores. In fact, ALL of the mini-kits at DSS are on sale right now for a limited time. Mini-kits are terrific because they are very low cost yet you still get plent of items to create several pages. CLICK HERE to go directly to the sale on DSS mini's.

I do have another freebie for you, a template for you to customize. Click on the preview to download. Please don't share the link directly - just send your friends to my blog instead.

Happy scrapping!

Celebrate DSD on the DSS Blog Hop (Freebies for You!)

2010-11-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

In honor of International Digital Scrapbooking Day, the Studio designers are hosting a blog hop, which means awesome freebies for YOU! Our theme is "shabby holiday" and we've created a lovely kit that's great for holiday layouts as well as winter and snow-themes. Here's a look at my part:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Edited 11/22/10 - this blog hop is over now but you can still grab my part of the Shabby Holiday kit in my DSS store HERE.

Don't forget to stop by all the participating designers' blogs to get the rest of your goodies. Please note, we are a team of international designers, which means we're all on different time zones. If you come across a link that's not active yet, just make a note and go back to it in a little while.

www.skrapperdigitals.blogspot.com
http://darlenedesigns.blogspot.com
http://shellymariescraps.blogspot.com
www.aveziur.com
http://www.lightningbugcreationskits.blogspot.com/
http://digilicious.typepad.com/digi_licious_designs/
http://twinmomscraps.blogspot.com
http://piggyscraps.blogspot.com
http://www.jwdigiscraps.com
http://angelhartline.com/blog/
http://www.nibblesskribbles.com
http://deliscraps.blogspot.com/
http://LetMeScrapbook.blogspot.com
http://kimberkattscraps.wordpress.com/

I hope you enjoy this kit as well as all the bargains, chats, and challenges you'll find all over digi-world this weekend!

Int'l Digital Scrapbooking Day ~ New Products ~ and a Freebie!

2010-11-02T10:33:00.000-07:00

Do you know that International Digital Scrapbooking Day is coming up this weekend? To celebrate, Scrapbird is having a weekend-long sale and giving away special freebies, including commercial use! Mark your calendar, stop by, and enjoy the special event. Don't forget to check out Digital Scrapbooking Studio as well, where there will be a big celebration, chats, and lot of fun in store.

I have a new product to announce, and it's on sale right now for only $2.93. Christel's Wedding was created for my "real life" friend, Christel. Congrats to Christel and Jerry who just tied the knot last Friday. Many blessings and love to both of you!

I made this layout using Christel's Wedding. Christel and Jerry are the subjects of this page.

Here's a preview of the kit. Not all elements are shown:

Take a peek at these lovely pages made by JeanAnn:

There's even more... I have made twelve quick pages that coordinate with Christel's Wedding, available in sets of four QPs or to save money, you can grab all twelve pages Christel's Wedding Quick Page Album:

Here's a sample layout I made using one of the Quick Pages:

My freebie for you coordinates with my One Autumn Evening kit, also on sale at DSS. Grab the entire kit for only $3.85!

Here is your freebie. Please, do not share or hotlink - just send your friends to my blog to download.

Click on the preview to download, or click HERE. Enjoy!

Memory Lane Freebie and Some New Commercial Use Products!

2010-10-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

I have a couple of new Commercial Use products in my stores. The first is a set of twigs, great for autumn and nature layouts. This was part of September's CU Grab Bag at DSS. You can find this product here.

These ribbons were part of August's CU Grab Bag and is now available for individual purchase here.

If you missed the Me Time Blog Train, my part of the train is on sale in both of my stores. And, I've included a BONUS Quick Page. Grab the whole mini, plus bonus quick page, for only $1.50 right here!

Take a cute look at the layout Nani made using this kit:

This week's freebie coordinates with my Memory Lane kit, currently on sale for only $2.80 for the entire kit!

Check out this layout made by Kimberly, using Memory Lane:

...and this lovely page by JeanAnn:

It's a great kit for family, vintage, and heritage layouts. Don't miss the savings!

Finally, here is the freebie I have for you. Please don't share or hotlink - just send your friends to my blog to download.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Happy Scrapping!

Fall Carnival Blog Train!

2010-08-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome aboard the Fall Carnival Blog Train! This month we have a wonderful mega kit for you and I have to say, I really enjoyed working with this palette - vibrant and "autumn-y" at the same time. But before I get to the freebies, I quickly want to mention that I have a number of summer (and back-to-school) kits on sale in my DSS store. Some of them will be retiring soon because, well frankly, I'm tired of looking at them, LOL. They'll only be available for a limited time - some are marked down to only $1.00 so check out the savings!

Okay, back to the blog train. You should have arrived here from Shel Belle Scraps.

Here's my part of this mega kit. My part will be available as a freebie for the month of September. It includes 8 papers and 11 elements. I do hope you enjoy it.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Next stop on the train is the very talented Jill DZines. If you lose your place, head back to The Blogtrain Blog for a list of all 100 participating designers.

Happy scrapping!

Annual DSS Designer Contest and the "Me Time" Blog Train!

2010-08-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about our Next Designer Contest at DSS. Each year we discover many gifted graphic artists, and this time around the top three will not only be awarded design contracts at The Studio, but will also receive Wacom Bamboo tablets. And the top ten will receive a 5-Action Pack by Atomic Cupcake. Those are some amazing prizes! Some great stuff here, people, so if you'd like to try your hand at designing you need to sign up by August 31. Click HERE to go directly to the link in the forum.

Along with our Next Designer Contest, we're hosting another Layout Designer contest. If you sign up, each week through September you'll be given a kit with which to create a layout. The object is to use as much of the kit as you can to promote the kit to the best of your ability. Each week the DSS members will vote on the contestants' layouts. Further details will be given out HERE but you must sign up by August 31 if you're interested. Top three winners will be given positions on the Studio Store Creative Team.

Now... you are all in for a treat! Some of The Studio designers have come together to create a "Me Time" blog train to show our appreciation to our customers, and...well, we just wanted to. :) Now you get to enjoy some lovely freebies.

This kit is called "Me Time" and I just love the different interpretations of what that means. To me, my "me time" is grabbing a good book or magazine with a nice cup of tea. To others, it's shopping or enjoying a day at the spa. Whatever you enjoy, I'm sure you'll find some goodies in the kits below that are just right for you.

Here's a layout I made using my portion of this collab:

And here's the preview for my part. Please note, my freebies are for personal use only and I'd really appreciate if you'd send your friends to my blog to download, rather than send them the link.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Follow the links below to snag the rest of this mega kit. Please note that this is an international team and we are all in different time zones. If you come across a blog that's not ready, just make a note and come back to it. My portion of this blog train will be available as a freebie for one week, so grab it before it goes into my store. :) Enjoy!

Darlene Designs <<<<<> you are here

NibblesScribbles

AnDi Designs

Twin Mom Scraps

Kimberkatt Scraps

Linda Cumberland Designs

Let Me Scrapbook

JW-DigiScraps

Digilicious Designs

Angel Hartline Designs

Deli Scraps by Min

New Month = New Challenges and a Freebie for You!

2010-07-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow begins the last full month of summer. My son Jason is returning from Ireland tomorrow, and Joseph has been in Argentina for a week now. David, of course, is still home but he travels in packs, so he's either gone with his friends, or they are all here. It's been an interesting time and kind of feels like we have a revolving front door, but I have to admit I do love it. I enjoy having the kids at the house, and they've informed me I'm not like "normal" adults. I think that was meant as a compliment...

I'm back to hosting the Clutter It Challenge at Digital Scrapbooking Studio. Many thanks to my dear friend Sherah of Skrapper Digitals for filling in for me during my leave of absence. She is such a sweetie-pie and a great designer, too.

Here's the layout I made for this month's Clutter It Challenge. I finally scrapped a few of the photos I took when my cousin Rocco came out for a visit, nearly a year ago.

And here's the starter page (which you can snag for free, even if you don't do the challenge). Get the download link and instructions HERE, which will direct you to the DSS forum.

This page was made using my Summer Vacation mini-kit, great for scrapping those photos of lazy summer days, ice cream and watermelon-eating fun, etc.

Because it's summer and many people are traveling and having some beach fun, I thought I'd make a Quick Page freebie for you using my California Dreamin' kit. Here's a preview:

I made this layout of the gorgeous Monterey Peninsula using California Dreamin':

And finally, here is your Quick Page freebie.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Please, no sharing or hotlinking. Send your friends to my blog to download. Feel free to drop me an email (info inside download) if you use this page. I always enjoy seeing what people come up with.

Happy Scrapping!

Buy My Store Sale and This Week's Freebie!

2010-07-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

I goofed! I didn't realize when I marked both of my stores 35% off for the entire month of July that my "Buy My Store" coupon was still active at Digital Scrapbooking Studio. It wasn't until I noticed a few sales that I saw it and also noticed that IT was also marked down 35%. I thought about taking it down, but then thought oh, what the heck... I'll leave it up until the end of July. So if you're seeing this, you can snag my ENTIRE store, including commercial use items, for only $13.00. This is a STEAL so hurry up and take advantage of this while you can! Simply click HERE to be directed to where to add this to your cart. After checkout you'll be given a download with a coupon code and instructions on how to download everything in my DSS store.

A very special thanks to my good friend Kimberly of Kimberkatt Scraps, who created this week's freebie for you using my Ciao Italia kit. It's a great kit for not only your travel photos, but for pizza night, spaghetti feeds, etc. And it's only $3.58 for the entire kit, through the month of July.

Click on the preview to download. Have fun but please do not share this freebie - send your friends to my blog to download. :)

Here's a layout Kimberly made using this Quick Page. Isn't it fun?

Another layout using Ciao Italia by Nani:

Happy scrapping, see you next week!

She's Baaaaacckkk...with a Freebie!

2010-07-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! I've been on leave from designing for a few months so I could prepare for several things going on in my personal life. First, I started a new job after leaving HP 10 years ago to be a stay(work)-at-home-mom. My boys are all "older" now, the youngest will be starting his senior year in high school this fall. I can hardly believe it! But my new job is going well and I think I have a pretty good handle on things.

Some other recent happenings... Jason left for a missions trip to Ireland. He'll be gone for 5 weeks. We're really proud of him, he raised all the funds (with the help of some awesome and generous friends and family) by soliciting donations and also working his tail off to earn money. I don't have a photo of him on his trip yet (they have very limited Internet access) but here's a recent photo of him.

David has been keeping us busy and entertained with all his summer concerts. He's enjoying a break from college studies for the summer but is busy earning money doing what he loves most, playing music. Isn't he cute?

The group he plays with is called Todd Morgan and the Emblems. They do mostly 50's and 60's rock but in the last couple of years have also included a lot of their original songs in their shows, and I've recently heard some Michael Jackson music... a very talented, versatile group! If you're interested in hearing some demos of their music, check out their Facebook fan page HERE.

My oldest son Joey just graduated from the University of the Pacific with a BA in Psychology. He was invited to join Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest Liberal Arts Honors Society in the US, dating back to 1776. Plus he was magna cum laude. So proud of him! He'll soon leave for Argentina to teach English for several months, then (hopefully) will be accepted into grad school once he returns.

Here's a photo of me squeezing the life out of him. Love the expression on his face, but he's used to me by now, really he is.

Okay, enough personal stuff... here's the latest on the digi-scrapping front. To kick-off my return, both my stores are on sale at 35% off for the entire month of July! You won't want to miss this great savings. (I noticed Scrapbird is not marked down yet as I type this, but it should be soon.) Find my goodies right here:

Digital Scrapbooking Studio Store

Scrapbird Store

My Terms of Use have expanded and now all my previous Personal Use products will be available as Scrap 4 Hire. (The exception - FREEBIES are still personal use only, please!) You can read my S4H and Commercial Use terms HERE.

I have a new vintage-themed kit called Memory Lane. It's really lovely for all your heritage photos.

I do have an exclusive Memory Lane sampler/freebie coming out in the next DSS newsletter. If you're not yet signed up to receive the newsletter, you can register HERE.

Here is a Quick Page freebie I made using Memory Lane. Please remember that freebies are for PERSONAL use and should not be shared or redistributed. Just send your friends to my blog to download. You can click on the preview to download.

This is a layout I made using this quick page. I used two papers in the kit and adjusted the blending modes, and I really like the background I came up with. Kind of hard to see the details on the preview, but it really is pretty. This is my uncle and my dad, respectively - the only two siblings in their family who immigrated from Italy to the United States, many years ago.

Have a great week, I'll be back soon!

Announcement... and a Freebie

2010-01-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since I posted and that's part of the reason I decided to make this announcement. I'm taking a little leave of absence from designing. I've gone back to work "in real life" and am working on finding some balance in my life. So, for a few months, I am going to take some time off (from designing) and focus on my job and my home life. I definitely plan on coming back in the summer because I do love this and it relaxes me. There just isn't enough time in the day!

By the way, if there's anything in my stores that you would like to get, you need to do so before Feb 1 because the stores will be deactivated for a while, and reactivated once I return.

I do have a freebie for you, a new template. Please don't share or hotlink. Click on the preview to download and enjoy!

Speed Scrapping and One More Christmas Freebie!

2009-12-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas celebration is in full-swing at Stone Accents Studio and you won't want to miss the progressive sale, along with all the other challenges and special events. I am happy to announce that I'm hosting the next Speed Scrap on Thursday morning at 7:00 a.m. (Pacific U.S. time). We were supposed to have our chat room up and running, but it's not quite ready so we'll be doing this in the forum. And because we're doing this in the forum, I'm going to be very loose on the one-hour limit. Basically, you have an entire day to create the layout and get it uploaded. You can read more about it HERE. Those who participate will get my Ooh-La-La mini-kit for free!

I have one more Christmas freebie for you, some pretty word art. Click on the preview to download and enjoy. Have a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'll see you in the new year, after I get back from Disney World. :)

Breaking News~~ 10 for $10 Deal!

2009-12-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! I was waiting for Toiny to activate my Holiday special and it's now available in the store for a very limited time. You can snag TEN of my products at SAS for only $10. Two of these items are for commercial use. Hurry, this fantastic savings won't be around for long!

Annual SAS Christmas Carol Blog Train ~~ Freebies!

2009-12-10T12:14:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again and it hardly seems possible! The Stone Accents Studio Designers have gotten together to present our 3rd Annual Christmas Carol Blog Train. That means sixteen mini-kit freebies for you, each theme based on a Christmas carol. What a great Christmas present! I have seen all the previews and they range from elegant to playful by our team of talented designers. So grab a cup of something hot and comforting - coffee, tea, cocoa, or whatever your pleasure is - and hop aboard this train for some downloading fun.

Please note - the design team comes from all over the world so we are all on different time zones. I'm posting mine a bit early because I'm on Pacific time in the states, behind nearly everyone else. So, if you click on a blog where it's not activated yet, just make a note of it and come back a little later. These links will be active for one week (from December 11).

This year I chose to do a mini-kit based on "Must Be Santa" ~ hope you like it!

DOWNLOAD MUST BE SANTA HERE

To collect the rest of the goodies, check the following blogs. Have a blessed Christmas!

Must be Santa - Darlene >>>>>> YOU ARE HERE
Away in a Manger - Heidi
Frosty the Snowman - Lightningbug Creations
Here Comes Santa Claus - Maurine
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - BooLandDesigns
Up on the Rooftop -EllenM
White Christmas - Monika Designs
Jingle Bell Rock - mITSYBELLE
O Christmas Tree - Veelana
Blue Christmas - ShellyMarie
Hark the Herald Angels Sing - Ambowife
Deck the Halls - Skrapper Digitals
O Holy Night -Brenda (CuddleBeez)
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - MoonDesigns
Christmas Alpha/Wordart-Kimberkatt
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree - Toiny
Christmas Word Art by Kimberkatt (SAS Blog)

New Commercial Use Store and This Week's Freebie!

2009-11-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to tell you that I've signed on with a commercial use store! Commercial-Creations has many unique items and designer tools that are licensed for personal, scrap-for-hire, and commercial use so you'll want to make sure and check it out. It's a great resource for both new and established designers.

Some of my new commercial use items (click on the previews to go right to the store):

My Mad About Christmas Overlays set is on sale for only $2.60, a great price for a CU license and you get EIGHT total overlays.

I have some other items in the store as well and you can find it all HERE.

Another great buy is my Happy Camper & S'mores Bundle Package. For only $6.00 you get an entire kit and it's accompanying mini-kit. Included: 23 papers, 1 alpha set including numbers and punctuation, 1 torn layered border, 4 frames, 3 word art pieces, 3 woodsy accents, 6 doodle characters/accents, 4 stickers, 1 marshmallow border, 1 journal mat, 1 photo corner (can be rotated for all 4 corners), 2 beaded acrylic accents, 1 butterfly, 5 leaves, 1 arrow accent, 3 brads, 3 tied ribbons, 1 straight grograin ribbon, 2 bows, 4 flowers, 1 tag, and 1 mat.

This week's freebie is a Quick Page made with Vintage Thanksgiving, currently on sale for $3.60. If you love vintage-style, make sure to check out my Vintage bundle package - you can save 30% on four full-size kits!

Here is your freebie - click on the preview to download. Please don't hotlink or share the download, just send your friends here to snag it. Happy scrapping!

SAS Blog Train Full of Freebies and a HUGE Retiring Sale

2009-10-28T12:39:00.001-07:00

I have placed many of my older kits in the retiring category in my Scrapbird store. They are all marked down to $1.00 and are only available for a few more weeks, before they are gone for good. And, almost all of them include a BONUS Quick Page. Check out these mark-downs for some fantastic deals:

Falling Into Autumn, Peaceful Thanks, All The Elements, All That Glitters, Dinner At 7, Taste of Winter, Taste of Spring, Taste of Summer, Taste of Autumn, Sunset at Sea, Lovey Dovey, Spring Clean, Friendship Brew, Mother's Brunch, Color My World, Chryssie, Apple Blossoms, Water Drops Alpha, Venezia Paper Pack, Gala Paper Pack

Here are a few examples of the Quick Pages included in these kits:

And our special treat for you... several of the SAS Designers got together and created a Friendship Around the World blog train for you, in honor of National Scrapbooking day. This download will be available for one week.

Here is my contribution to the SAS Friends Around the World Blog Hop. Click on the preview for the download link. Of course, the country I chose to do is Italy. In fact, I used the same swatch as my Ciao Italia kit so if you want even more, make sure to check it out. Click on the preview to download and make sure to follow the blog train (below) to snag more Friends Around the World kits. Keep in mind that many of our design team lives in different time zones, so if you come across a blog that doesn't have their part posted yet, just make a note of it and come back a little later.

NOTE: Download link expired 11/15/09

Here are the links to the rest of this blog train. Enjoy the goodies and keep scrapping those memories!

DarleneH - http://darlenedesigns.blogspot.com/ >>>>> YOU ARE HERE
mITSYBELLE - http://mitsybelle.com/blog/
Michelle - http://shellymariescraps.blogspot.com/
Ambowife Designs - http://ambowife.com/blog/
Janice's Scrap - http://janice-scrapbook.blogspot.com/
SKrapper Digitals - http://www.skrapperdigitals.blogspot.com/
Lightningbug Creations - http://lightningbugcreationskits.blogspot.com/
BooLanddesigns - http://boolanddesign.blogspot.com/
Moon Designs - http://moon7x4.blogspot.com/

Halloween Fun, New Templates on Sale and a QP Freebie!

2009-10-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Stone Accents Studio is in full-swing with it's Halloween games and contests going on. Make sure to stop by and check out the fun - and don't forget to watch for the coupon code for a chock-full grab bag full of digi-treats, downloadable from the store on October 30 and 31.

I want to show you my new template set. This is a color-blocking pack and so versatile. You can rotate each template for a total of 16 different layouts in just this one set! Super Simple Templates - Multi Photo Set 2 is available in both of my stores, and is being introduced at 20% off.

I have two sets of Christmas Card templates in my stores and on sale for only $1.50 each. These are great if you enjoy making your own cards. One set is specifically for photos, the other is for regular cards and even includes a free sample card.

Christmas Cards Set 1

Christmas Photo Cards Set 1

I used my new template set to create this week's freebie for you. I also used my Cinnabar Mini-Kit, with is my contribution to the SAS Halloween Grab Bag (see above to find out how to get your coupon for this treat!). Click on the preview to download and enjoy. Please don't share the download link, or hotlink. Have a safe and fun Halloween!

NOTE: Download link expired 11/15/09

New Bundle Package, Sales, and This Week's Freebie

2009-10-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

It's October and you're in for a real treat! The SAS designers have put together a special grab bag - FREE on October 30 and 31 only. Make sure to stay tuned to the Stone Accents Studio Forum to watch for the coupon code and snag this awesome goodie in the store. This grab bag includes plenty of mini-kits with all sorts of themes, not only autumn. I even saw some Christmas treats in there. Here's my contribution to this grab bag:

And a glimpse of the other goodies included...

Happy Camper is still on sale for 20% off, but hurry because the sale is almost over.

Here is another sample layout made using Happy Camper, created by Jean Ann. I love the determined look on the subject's face:

This week's freebie is a pretty frame cluster that coordinates with Vintage Thanksgiving. This kit is on sale for 20% off right now. It's also part of the Vintage Holidays Bundle, where you can purchase FOUR comple
te sets at a savings of over 30% off the regular price.

Click HERE to download. Please, no hotlinking or sharing the download link. Enjoy!

NOTE: Download link expired 11/15/09

Challenges, Sales, and This Week's Freebie!

2009-10-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Only a couple of weeks left to take the October challenges and get some free goodies! At Stone Accents Studio, don't miss the Clutter It Challenge. Every layout you complete earns you points, which can be used for products in the store. Here is the basic page for this month's Clutter It. The challenge is to download this page and ALTER it to make it your own - recolor, add stuff, rotate - whatever you'd like to do, but somehow change it and post it to the gallery to earn your points. Make sure you go back to the forum and provide the link to the gallery in order to receive your points! You can read more about it by clicking the link above.

At Scrapbird, I host the Quote Challenge. This month we're using autumn quotes for inspiration. Your posting bonus for this challenge is this Quick Page:

This week's freebie is a Quick Page that coordinates with Happy Camper. If you missed the free-with-purchase deal, it is now available at Stone Accents Studio and Scrapbird, on sale in both stores for a limited time.

Click on the preview to download and have fun! Please do not hotlink or share the download link.

This is a layout I made using the Quick Page. I recently had some girl time with my sister and one of my best friends at gorgeous Yosemite National Park.

Template Freebie and a New Kit!

2009-10-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

I got to make the Free-With-Purchase kit for SAS for this week, and I'm so excited with how it turned out. Happy Camper is yours FREE if you buy $5.00 worth of products in the store. Simply add it to your cart and use the coupon code CAMPER when you check out.

Included in this kit:16 papers, 1 alpha set including numbers and punctuation, 1 torn layered border, 3 frames, 3 word art accents, 3 woodsy elements, 6 doodle characters/accents, 1 journal mat, 1 photo corner (can be rotated for all 4 corners), 1 beaded acrylic accent, 1 butterfly, 3 leaves, 1 arrow accent, 3 brads, 3 tied ribbons, 4 flowers, and 1 tag.

Here are several layouts already made by my creative team. Aren't they fun?

By Kimberly

By DebBy Pam:

This week I have a template freebie for you. The download includes a .psd file and a .jpg file. Click on the preview and have fun downloading! If you use this template and upload to a gallery, drop me a note - I'd love to see how you use it. :)

Designer Contest, Sales, and This Week's Freebie

2009-09-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

The excitement continues at Stone Accents Studio... we're well into Round 3 of the Next Designer Contest. Winners of this round will be announced soon, with only one final round to go. Meanwhile, you can snag all of the wonderful mini-kits created by the contestants HERE but hurry before the links go away for good. It's a pretty autumn-themed kit and if you download all the goodies, you'll have plenty to play with many layouts.

If you are new to Stone Accents Studio, make sure you register and grab the awesome Lilypond Welcome Kit - a MEGA kit with 57 elements, 37 papers, and a full alpha/numbers/punctuation set. It's totally free, just our way of saying thank you for registering.

This week's freebie is a Quick Page I made that coordinates with my Everyday Moments kit, currently on sale in both of my stores for 30% off!

Check out these layouts made using Everyday Moments:

By Jan

By Brenda

By me

Here's this week's freebie - please don't share the download link or hotlink. Send your friends here to download. Click on the preview and enjoy!

Back To School QP Freebie and Special Offer

2009-09-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

It's back-to-school time for most people and my free-with-purchase Back to School mini is still being offered - get the entire mini-kit for free when you buy A Class Act. Both kits are terrific for this time of year.

This week's freebie is a Quick Page made by my CT Kimberly using Back to School. Thank you so much, Kimberly! Click on the preview to download and please do not share the download link. Happy scrapping!

Ooh-La-La! New Mini in My Store and a Freebie!

2009-09-02T14:40:00.001-07:00

My new mini-kit, Ooh-La-La, is in my SAS store and will soon be at Scrapbird. It even has a bonus Quick Page included, and is on sale for a limited time:

This is the Quick Page included in the kit:

This week's freebie is a lovely cluster mat that coordinates with One Autumn Evening, currently on sale at 40% off! The matching Quick Page set is also on sale - a fantastic deal to start scrapping your fall layouts. Here are the previews to these kits and some sample layouts made using One Autumn Evening:

By Nani:

By Marilyn:

To grab the freebie, click on the preview for the download link. Please don't share the link or hotlink.

New Mini-Kits in My Stores - and This Week's Freebie

2009-08-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

I have a few new mini-kits in both of my stores. These kits are being introduced at sale prices, and all of them have a Free BONUS Quick Page included. Take a look at these two:

Summer Vacation is now on sale at Scrapbird for only $1.50:

This fun Quick Page is included in the kit:

This mini is called All Together and is on sale at Stone Accents Studio for only $1.35:

Here is the Quick Page included:

This week I have a sampler that coordinates with Merry Sunshine, on sale right now for only $2.75 for the full-size kit. Click on the preview to download and please remember, no hotlinking or sharing the link. Have a great week!

Back to School Special and Another Template Freebie!

2009-08-20T11:02:00.001-07:00

Well I'm back from vacation and trying to get back into the swing of things. This weekend I'll be moving son #1 back to UOP for his senior year of college. How is it possible that he's in his fourth year of college already? So it's a busy time right now but starting next week I'll be back on track with my regular weekly freebies.

I do have a back to school special to tell you about. Right now if you purchase my A Class Act kit you will get my Back to School mini-kit for FREE! And to make the deal even sweeter, A Class Act is on sale for only $3.58 - for a FULL kit - for a limited time.

Back To School includes 7 fun papers, 1 apple accent, 1 pencil accent, 2 push pins, 2 bows, 1 binder clip, 1 colorful frame, 1 "#1 Student" label, and 1 tag. That's 7 bonus papers and 10 elements FREE.

Here are some pages I've made using A Class Act:

Lately I've been using a lot of templates since I've been working on scrapping my own vacation photos. I just love having the design work done, and how you can adapt them to your own needs. So, this week I have another template for you. This is a two-page spread. And when you think about how you can rotate each page for entirely different looks, you can actually get EIGHT layouts out of these two template pages.

Please don't hotlink or share the link - just send your friends to this blog to download. Click on the preview and have fun - if you use this template, feel free to send me a link to where you upload your pages to. I love to see what people do with my stuff. :)

Here is a sample layout I made using this week's template:

Enjoy!

Template Freebie This Week!

2009-08-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I'm leaving for vacation soon but wanted to make sure and get this freebie posted before I leave. But before I do I want to let you know that my Merry Sunshine kit and the coordinating Quick Page Set is marked down 50% for the entire month of August! It's a great bargain, and the kit is perfect for summertime and vacation layouts.

Some sample layouts made with this kit ~~~

This is one of the Quick Pages in the set:

By Brenda:

By me:

This week I have a template for you (in .tiff format). It's great for a multi-photo spread. To download the template, click on the preview. Please, no hotlinking or sharing the file. Enjoy!

I Got an Award ~ and This Week's Freebie

2009-07-21T08:45:00.001-07:00

Well, well, well... I must say a big "thank you" to my friend Kimberly of Kimberkatt Scraps, who is on my Creative Team and is also our Scrapbird and Stone Accents Studio advertising guru extraordinaire! I woke up this morning and was totally surprised - Kimberly nominated me for this blog award:

What a lovely surprise! Thanks so much, Kimberly. You know I love ya! :) Now I get to pass this on to seven people I think are deserving. Here are the rules:

1. Put the award on your blog.

2. Include a link to the person who gave you the award.

3. Nominate 7 or more blogs.

4. Leave a message on their blog letting them know they have an award on your blog.

Here are my nominees:

1. Sherah of Skrapper Digitals. I love Sherah because she's a down-home country girl, a great mom, and a wonderful designer. Make sure to check out her stuff!

2. Jill of Jill DZines. I first met Jill a few years ago and was on her CT for quite a while before I started designing. Jill is a fantastic designer and I know you'll love her products.

3. Toiny of Piggyscraps Designs. Toiny is the (relatively new) owner of Stone Accents Studio and she is a wonderful person who really cares about her designers. Toiny is in the midst of a huge move so she may be too busy to actually reply to this thread, but you should check out her stuff anyhow - she has some great goodies out there.

4. Charlie of Charlie's Digiscraps. This woman has some beautiful kits available, so hurry on over to her blog to read more!

5. Kristine of Designs by Kristine. What can I say about Kristine? She's a bundle of fun and wit and has some gorgeous products in her store. Oh - don't miss her recipe for Luscious Lemon Bars currently on her blog!

6. Bunny Cates of Digi-Scrap Obsession. Bunny is hilarious, always great for laughs and is also extremely crafty. You will definitely want to read her blog updates.

7. Mistybelle Designs. I love this woman for her seemingly endless energy and her positive attitude. She's an amazing part of the SAS team. She also gives out a LOT of freebies on her blog.

Congrats on the award, ladies - have fun with it. :)

I want to let you know about a couple of mini-kits now in my store. Both of these have a Bonus Quick Page thrown in, which you can see in my sample layout below. These kits are on sale for only 1.70 (including the free Quick Page) for about one more week.

The first one is Mother's Day:

The second new mini is called Baby of Mine:

This week's freebie coordinates with my Everyday Moments kit, currently on sale for 25% off. You can get the entire kit, including a full alpha, for only $3.75!

Here is a sample layout made by Jan of the SAS CT:

This pretty page is by Kimberly:

Great layouts, don't you think? Okay, here's your freebie. Click on the preview to download and please don't share this download link. Enjoy!

What a Feeling Freebie, New Challenges, and a New Designer Program

2009-07-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

SAS is running a New Designer Program. If you're interested in designing scrapbooking products, this is a great way to get your feet wet and get a taste of what is involved. You can read about the program HERE in the SAS forum.

Check out this month's new challenges at Scrapbird and Stone Accents Studio. The Quote Challenge at SB will provide inspiration with some summertime quotations, and here is the posting bonus:

Also, the Clutter It Challenge is up-and-running. The posting bonus is a cute mini-kit called Summer Vacation:

This week's freebie coordinates with What a Feeling, a bright, fun kit for summer layouts. Right now this kit is 50% off and you can get the whole thing - 18 papers and 40 elements - for only $2.75!

Here are some sample layouts made with this kit:

By Livia:

By me:

Here is your freebie for this week, a sampler of What a Feeling. Just click on the preview to download and please remember, no sharing the link ~ send your friends here to download. Have fun!

A Cute New Mini-Kit Freebie for Summer

2009-06-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well it's almost 100 degrees here, too hot for me, but at least California doesn't get the humidity of the east coast and the south. Thank God!

I have just placed about 18 older products in the Retiring category at SAS. Many of these are full-size kits and all of them are 60% off. It's a great deal and will only be available for a short time. Here are some previews of what's just been marked down:

Techie - only $2.20!

Shelle-Belle - only $1.80!

Lemon Sage - only $2.10!

This week I have a cute little mini-kit for your freebie, Berries and Cream. It includes 8 papers and 12 elements and has a bit of a country feel. Click on the preview to download. Please, no hotlinking or sharing the download... send your friends here instead. Have fun!

Father's Day Sale and This Week's Freebie

2009-06-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

First, I want to say that I added one more gal to my Creative Team. Penny is very talented and you'll be able to check out her lovely layouts very soon.

SAS is having a huge sale - 40% off everything, both personal and commercial use products - this weekend. Check it out here!

My summer and springtime kits are still on sale in my SAS store. Sale will one be for one more week, so don't miss out.

One Summer Day:

Here are some sample layouts made with this collection.

By Livia:

My layout:

Here is this week's freebie, a Quick Page made with One Summer Day. Please don't share the download link, or hotlink. Click on the preview to snag this and have fun!

New CT Members and This Week's Freebie

2009-06-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

I am super excited to announce that I have four new talented ladies joining my Creative Team! I'd like to welcome Kimberly, Brenda, Pam, and Debi and you'll be able to see some fabulous layouts of theirs in the galleries very soon.

I am having several sales on my spring and summer kits at SAS. Check these out:

So Sweet, 60% Off (Retiring soon - grab this mega for only $2.80)

One Summer Day, 30% Off

One Spring Morning, 30% Off

Flip Flop Summer, 33% Off (only $1.00 in the bargain bin!)

This week's freebie is a sampler that coordinates with my California Dreamin' kit, currently on sale in both of my stores for 30% off. Here is the preview for this kit, along with some sample layouts:

Livia:

Deb:

Me:

Here is this week's freebie. Please do not share the download link. Click on the preview to download, and happy scrapping!

New Month = New Challenges and Free Stuff

2009-06-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

The new challenges for this month are posted so don't miss out on the fun and inspiration! Check out SAS' Clutter It Challenge, where you'll get a FREE basic page to work with... all you need to do is alter it somehow, add to it, whatever you like, then post it to the gallery. You'll get this free posting bonus:

It's a cute little baby-themed kit because our very own Lara is having her baby in June. If you do more of the challenges, you'll get more minis made with the same palette and theme, ending up with a mega if you do them all.

At Scrapbird, check out this month's Quote Challenge. We're having some fun doing layouts with home-life quotes. Here's the posting bonus for this challenge. It's a Quick Page that Coordinates with One Spring Morning:

This week's freebie is a Quick Page that coordinates with my Ciao Italia collection. Please don't share the download link, or hotlink. Send your friends here to download.

Click on the preview to download and enjoy!

This Week's Freebie and My Latest Product

2009-05-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to remind you all about "Crazy Prices" Thursday at Scrapbird. Every Thursday, you can find a ton of items marked 50% off! This markdown often includes CU products, so make a note on your calendar to check out the Scrapbird Shop every Thursday.

This week's freebie is a Quick Page made by my CT member, Kay. She used my latest kit, Sweet Cream, for this lovely page. Thank you, Kay, for sharing your talent with all of us! Please do not hotlink or share this download link - send your friends here to download.

Happy scrapping and have a great week.

Retirement Sale - Save 60%

2009-05-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

There is a brand-new category in the SAS store for retiring items. You can save 60% on these products, before they are gone for good. What a great opportunity to stock up and save!

Dozens of items have been added, with more to come. But they will only be available for a short time, so check out the RETIRING category now. Hurry, hurry! :)

Drawing Winners, New Store, and This Week's Freebie

2009-05-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Lots of stuff going on this week. First and foremost, I'm so pleased to announce I have signed on with wescrap.com. This is a unique site where some members are paper scrappers and others are hybrid, and the digital part of the store is brand new. I'm excited about the opportunites there, and introducing the members to the wonderful world of digi-scrapping. Feel free to check my store out, but I'm still in the process of uploading products so come back and check often.

The DTS Blog Train is ended so the All Together freebie in the post below this one is no longer available. If you missed it but still want it, you can get it cheap in the SAS Bargain Bin (and soon in my other stores as well). I even included a FREE Quick Page in the kit. Here's what it looks like, and a page I put together with this QP:

The new Challenges for May are up-and-running, so make sure you check them out for inspiration, and get free posting bonuses! This is the Posting Bonus for Scrapbird's Quote Challenge. It's a Quick Page that coordinates with Merry Sunshine.

Don't miss the Clutter It Challenge at Stone Accents Studio. You get a free "basic page" to work with - download it then ALTER it some how to make it your own. Once it's posted to the Clutter It gallery, you will get this posting bonus, Mother's Day:

There were 11 comments on my post regarding my kit give-away, so that means TWO full-size kits will be handed out. I put the names in a box and the random winners are.... Sharpli, who chose Carmela, and angmag55, who chose Musical Memories. Congratulations, ladies!! I have sent you the download links via email.

I had fun with this kit give-away drawing, so keep checking back because I'm going to do another one soon. :)

Last but certainly not least, this week's freebie is brought to you courtesy of my CT gal, Kay. She made a gorgeous Quick Page to share using my One Spring Morning kit. Please take a moment to stop by Kay's blog and say thank you - these things take time to make and it's always nice to leave some love. Please don't share the download link and don't hotlink. Click on the preview to download and have fun!

Here is a layout Kay made using this QP of her cute little granddaughter:

Have a great week. :)

Win a FREE Digital Kit AND a New Blog Train!

2009-05-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

Two big items to mention this week. First, the Extreme SAS Makeover Contest has begun. There will be freebies and prizes given out along the way, but the Grand Prize is an entire year's worth of (personal use) scrapbooking items! I've never heard of such a fantastic giveaway, and it's not too late to enter, but you have to do it soon - by Thursday, May 8. Here's the scoop:

ROUND 1: Palettes/Color Swatch
The fun & games are starting at Stone Accents Studio. The whole month of May is dedicated to finding a new Look & Feel to our fabulous store, forum & gallery. We are inviting you to help us. This week we are kicking it off with sign-ups for those of you interested in helping design the header, footer & buttons for our website. (All submissions will be anonymous - you'll be assigned a number to submit your designs.) You can find the sign-up list and more info HERE.

ABSOLUTELY NO HTML CODING EXPERIENCE NEEDED! IF YOU CAN SCRAP A LAYOUT, YOU CAN DESIGN OUR SITE! HURRY, ONLY A COUPLE OF DAYS LEFT TO SIGN-UP!

Our Design Team has also come up with a list of palettes to determine the colors for our site. We need everyone to come vote and choose the most important part of our new look. You can vote HERE.

Round 2 begins on Friday, May 8th! If you've signed up in Round 1, you will be given FREE Commercial Use Products to design the sites Header, Footer, & Sidebar Buttons. These are yours to keep even if you don't win. So sign up for some FREE goodies & a chance to win a FREE year's worth of Personal Use Products (valued at over $200)!

Okay, the second contest I want to tell you about is my own personal give-away. I thought this would be more exciting and different from my usual weekly freebie. I've decided to have a random drawing next Wednesday and give away some of my full-size kits.

Here's how it will work:

Visit any of my stores at Stone Accents Studio, Scrapbird or Wescrap and choose your favorite kit. Come back here to this week's blog post and leave a comment telling me your choice, and why you chose that kit. If you don't have a blog profile yourself where I can look up your email, make sure you send an email to me at digitaldar@gmail.com so I can contact you if you win. But you MUST leave a comment here, not just send me an email.

Please enter only once but make sure to tell your friends, because the more people who enter, the more kits I'll give away. For every 5 people who leave comments, I'll give away one more kit. (So we'll start with one kit, then if we have a total of 10 comments (from different people) I'll increase it to 2 kit freebies, 15 comments = 3 kits, etc.) All comments/entries must be posted by midnight on Tuesday, May 12. I'll announce the winners in my post next Wednesday.

Lastly... here's exciting news about the Digi Town Square Blog Train:

Digi Town Square opened its doors on the 1st May 2009 as a place where designers from all sites and scrappers of all styles could come together to share their love of scrap, discuss new trends and advertise their latest and greatest - be it a kit or a layout. In the spirit of sharing, a bunch of members from many different sites have come together to bring you the "All Together" Blog Train for your scrapping enjoyment. Make sure to hit all the blogs listed below to collect all the pieces of this lovely kit.

Note: Everyone is on different time zones so if a part is not already up then please try again later. The kick-off is Friday, May 8 but I'm posting my part early because I'm on Pacific time which is behind nearly everyone else.

Here is my part of this mega:

All Together Papers

All Together Elements

Don't forget to leave some love for all the generous designers who contributed to this kit. Here are the links to the other participants:

Wimpychompers http://wimpychomperscreations.blogspot.com/

Helly http://designsbyhelly.blogspot.com/

Meegan http://scrapfusion.blogspot.com/

Trixie Scraps http://trixiescraps.blogspot.com/

geniaBeana http://geniabeanascraps.blogspot.com/

designs by laura http://designsbylaurajames.blogspot.com/

Chanin http://chaninscorner.blogspot.com/

Valerian70 http://artisticleanings.blogspot.com/

DarleneH http://darlenedesigns.blogspot.com/ <---------YOU ARE HERE

dylabel http://dylabeldesigns.blogspot.com/

TheMommason http://www.dramamama.org/blog/

juliesaddiction http://seejuliescrap.blogspot.com/

Christy http://christyhaig.blogspot.com/

Another Free Kit!

2009-04-28T16:07:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard yet, you can get this lovely kit created by Mamrotka just by registering and saying hello at Scrapbird. Simply register in the forum and and go to this thread to introduce yourself to fellow scrapbookers at the site. After that you'll be sent a link to download your free kit. Easy peasy, you don't even have to create a layout first. :)

The other exciting news at Scrapbird is Crazy Prices Thursday. Each week for one day only - Thursday - you can find terrific bargains for 50% off - but only on Thursdays! This week I'll have a number of products 50% off in my scrapbird store, including a commercial use item.

I still have a number of products on sale in my Stone Accents Studio store, plus the special offer on my One Summer Day Quick Pages that you can get free. There are too many specials to list so check out the bargains here.

This week I have a sampler that coordinates with my new One Spring Morning kit, on sale at 40% off. Please do not share this download link (or hotlink here) - send your friends to my blog to download.

Happy Scrapping!

Win an Entire Year's Worth of Scrapping Goodies!

2009-04-22T17:53:00.000-07:00

How would you like to win an entire year's worth of digital scrapbooking supplies? Pretty awesome, right? Stone Accents Studio is about to kick-off the SAS Extreme Makeover Event, beginning May 1. The GRAND prize is a year's worth of (personal use) goodies, and there will also be prizes given out along the way. Make sure to check out all the details here - more info to come soon!

I have a very special offer to tell you about. For a limited time, you can get this brand-new set of Quick Pages that coordinate with One Summer Day FREE when you purchase the kit. Best of all, it's on sale for 25% off! Hurry because this deal won't be around long.

You get all this for only $4.13:
16 papers, 4 colored tape pieces, 2 tags, 2 swirl accents, 2 frames, 1 frame cluster, 1 stacked notepaper element, 4 floral-shaped ribbons, 2 straight ribbons, 3 scalloped mats, 2 swirl accents, 3 butterfly accents, 4 bows, 4 corners, 4 buttons, 2 silk flowers, 3 other floral accents, and...
4 FREE Quick Pages!

For another great sale this week, check out Shelle-Belle. It's 40% off!

Kit includes: 12 papers, 1 transparent overlay, 2 beaded word art, 4 brads, 1 border cluster, 1 buckle, 1 clear heart accent, 4 corners, 2 silk flowers, 4 charms, 2 decorated frames, 5 ribbons, 1 journal notepaper, 1 staple, and 2 tags.

This is a sample layout I made using Shelle-Belle.

This week's freebie is a Quick Page that coordinates with SAS's March Download-a-Day kit, Feeling Lucky. You can download it here - please do not hotlink or share the download link.

Enjoy!

Sales and a New Freebie!

2009-04-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

I'm excited to tell you about my new spring kit, called One Spring Morning. It's being introduced at 40% off.

Papers included in the kit:

I made this page using One Spring Morning. This is my cute little niece... quite a few years ago!

The SAS Designers have put together a special treat for you. You can get this MEGA kit for free right now in the SAS shop! It's not only our welcome gift to new members, but also a huge thank you for those loyal customers who stuck with us through the ownership transition. It's gorgeous, so hurry and grab it while you can.

This week's freebie coordinates with Everyday Moments, currently on sale at 35% off.

No hotlinking or sharing the download link, please. Click on the preview to snag this Quick Page.

Here's a layout I made using this Quick Page. Until next week... happy scrapping!

Where Did Spring Go?

2009-04-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

Just as I was getting ready to put all my winter clothes and whip out my summer garb, the sun went away and it started raining again. Sigh. I was getting spoiled, too. Guess we have a couple more weeks of winter left. BUT... I am getting ready for spring, for sure! You'll see how at the end of this post.

I do want to let you know that Mysteria is on sale in all my stores. You can grab this whimsical little mini-kit for only $1.35 right now.

This week's freebie is a Quick Page that coordinates with my Taste of Spring mini-kit. Debbie, one of my fabulous Creative Team members, made this just for you. Please take a moment to stop by Debbie's blog and leave her some love. Please, no hotlinking or sharing the download link - send your friends here to download. Enjoy, and here's to spring coming soon!

Update on Stone Accents Studio

2009-04-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to address a situation about Stone Accents Studio. Earlier this week, it looked like SAS may shut its doors because JulieO, the site owner, had to step down for personal reasons. At the last possible minute, we heard from one of our fellow designers, Toiny (aka Piggyscraps), that she has taken over ownership of the site and SAS is going to stay open -woohoo!

I know there are a lot of loyal SAS customers, and the admin team along with the designers have worked hard over the past two years to build up the site and make it a strong, warm, helpful community. Many of us are happy to say we'll still be a part of this site. Please bear with us as we go through this transition. Toiny and the team are dedicated to make this site better than ever! I think by May 1, we should be back on track with all our challenges running, and more surprises.

If you'd like to read more about this from Toiny, click here to go to her blog.

New Month = New Challenges... and Freebies!

2009-04-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

This is no April Fool's joke... the new challenges have been posted at Scrapbird and Cottage Scrapbooks. Click on the links to read more about it and find out how you can get these posting bonuses for free!

Cute stuff, right? The Bella Mia Quick Page coordinates with the Bella Mia collection, on sale in all of my stores for 40% off right now.

Speaking of the Bella Mia collection, my blog freebie for you this week is a sampler of this lovely kit. I also made another coordinating sampler that you can pick up in any of my stores - click on the blinkies in the sidebar to get there. Please, do not hotlink or share this download link. Send your friends to my blog to download. Click on the preview and have fun!

I'm Baaaack....

2009-03-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

Phew! I know I haven't updated in a while, but that's because I had no internet access (or laptop) while traipsing all over Italy. I had such a wonderful time with my son. He's doing great and is on Spring Break this week. He decided to spend the week in Greece. Lucky guy! Here are a few photos from my vacation:

My son riding my cousin's horse in the Tuscan hills

Florence

In Rome on the Sant'Angelo Bridge

Siena

It's been so much fun, but it's back to my normal routine now. I think I've finally caught up on sleep. Easter is just around the corner and I want to let you know that my Easter Morning kit is marked down 50% for a limited time. Here's a preview:

The freebie I have for you this week was created by my CT member Kay, using my Ciao Italia kit. It's a cute quick page, great for not only travel photos but even pizza night with the kids! Thanks so much, Kay, for sharing this gift with us. Here's a sample of the page that Kay put together.

To download the freebie, click here - please do not hotlink or share the download link. Send your friends to my blog to enjoy.

Blog Party at the Cottage!

2009-02-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

March is here and spring is near... and the Cottage designers and creatives have prepared an awesome Blog Hop party for you!

Here's the preview of my contribution. Click here to download, and when you're done make sure to visit the rest of the blogs below to collect all the parts of this mega kit! We're all in different time zones, so if someone doesn't have their part posted, just come back in a bit and grab it then. Happy scrapping!

Stellarific Creations:http://stellarificcreations.blogspot.com/

Scrapbooking In Australia:http://scrapbookinginaustralia.blogspot.com/

Cottage Scrapbooks blog:http://cottagescrapbooks.blogspot.com/

The Cottage Creatives:http://creatives4cottagescrapbooks.blogspot.com/

Stella's other blog:http://creativebystella.blogspot.com/

Stella's Cottage Blog ~ Meeting Place:http://cottagescrapbooks.com/forum/blog.php?u=4

mITSYBELLE:http://mitsybelle.blogspot.com/

KayC:http://grandmaspixels.blogspot.com/

Jean Ann:http://jacksscraps.blogspot.com/

DarleneH:http://darlenedesigns.blogspot.com/ >>>>> you are here

KDesigns:http://www.kdesignscreations.blogsot.com/

JessicasSweetNothings:http://jessicassweetnothings.blogspot.com/

Cadacee's Corner:http://cadaceescorner.blogspot.com/

Ozsuehttp://sue-scrapsoflife.blogspot.com/

Just for Fun...

2009-02-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by my friends Livia and Nani - this is just for fun. It's a "show me your photo" game, and here's how it works:

•Go to your photo folder in your computer

•Go to the 6th folder of photos

•Go to the sixth picture

•Put the picture on your blog and a description of it

•Invite six friends to join the challenge

•Link them in your blog.

I promised not to cheat... but I'm really organized and that means a lot of subfolders, so I went to my personal photos and kept counting six folders down until I reached the point where I could see my photos. Here's the sixth one.

This is my sister Debbie, my friend Tina, and me on the right. It was taken in 2003 at the Italian Festival in Reno, Nevada. Not too embarrassing, thank God - but I can't figure out why my sister is so much taller than me in this picture. Maybe she was on a step. We're actually both the same height, although she insists he has 1/2 inch over me. Whatever. :)

Here are the six people I'm tagging - come on, people, let's see your stuff!

1. Toiny
2. Kristine
3. Mistybelle
4. Tracy
5. Brenda
6. Charlie

This Week's Update...

2009-02-24T20:19:00.000-08:00

Some of you know that my eldest son is studying abroad in Florence, Italy right now. As it happens, my niece is also studying there. She's at a different school and they're on different schedules (Michelle will be coming home this weekend), but they had a few weeks overlapping during their stay, which I think is so cool. Here's a photo of Joey and Michelle with the Arno River and Florence's Duomo behind them:

This photo is really getting me excited about my upcoming trip to Italy - next week! But more about that later...

I want to show you the previews for SAS' new mega kit, Oriental Cherry Blossoms. It's really lovely and best of all it's on sale right now. For only $5.98, you get 60 papers, 101 elements, and even a bonus quick page.

So with Joey's stay in Italy and my upcoming trip there, naturally I needed an Italian-themed kit for our layouts. Hence, I created Ciao Italia.

This weeks freebie is an awesome Quick Page made with Ciao Italia, created by CT Kay. Please take a moment to stop by Kay's blog and leave her some love. We enjoy giving freebies and samplers away, but it always makes us feel really good to get comments from you guys. By the way, Kay also has some great Quick Pages on her blog that you can download, but hurry because I don't know how long they will be there.

Click on the preview below to download the Quick Page and please do not share the download link, or hotlink. Have fun - and if you use this page feel free to send me a link where you post it... I'd love to see what you make! My contact info is in the TOU included, or on my sidebar. Enjoy your freebie. :)

Here's a layout I made - quickly! - using this Quick Page:

It's Finally Here....

2009-02-10T21:25:00.001-08:00

Drumroll, please... announcing the SAS-y Valentine's Day Blog Hop Party! I hope you've cleared out some room on your hard drive because you're in for a downloading treat. Get comfy with a cup of tea and make sure to go to all the SAS-y Designers' blogs to snag all the wonderful treats.

My freebie for this party is called Lovey Dovey. It's fairly large so you have to download three zips to get it all. Enjoy!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Here are the rest of the designers' blogs to visit. Happy Valentine's Day!

Ambowife Designs - http://tazmanianshe-devil.blogspot.com/
AneczkaW- http://aneczkaw.blogspot.com/
Brenda -http://digitalcreat ionsfrommillstre amcottage. blogspot. com/
Cathy Cher Designs ScrapsatonalScraps- http://www.scrapsationalscraps.blogspot.com/
Charlie's Digiscraps- http://charliesdigiscraps.blogspot.com/
Darlene - http://darlenedesigns.blogspot.com/ --->>> you are here
EllenM Creations ScrapsatonalScraps- http://www.scrapsationalscraps.blogspot.com/
Enaideel Scraps - http://thescrappytimes.wordpress.com/
Jeanette B. http://acmommy28.blogspot.com/
Kristi W http://scrappindivaz.blogspot.com/
Mamrotka - http://mamrotka.blogspot.com/
mITSYBELLE - http://mitsybelle.blogspot.com/
Monika - http://monikadigitaldesigns.blogspot.com/
PiggyScraps - http://piggyscraps.blogspot.com/
SKrapper Digitals - http://skrapperdigitals.blogspot.com/

Carmela Sampler and 50% Off Featured Kit

2009-02-10T19:59:00.000-08:00

Today I have another sampler for you from my Carmela kit, which is currently one of the featured kits at Cottage Scrapbooks. That means it's marked down 50% - only $2.75 for the whole thing! This is a beautiful collection for any type of vintage, feminine, or romantic layout. There are plenty of blues, greens, and wooden elements for "guy" layouts as well.

A Carmela Bundle Quick Page Album is available, too. These sets are available individually, but you can save money buy getting the bundle package - and you'll have enough pages for an entire album very quickly!

Here is this week's freebie. Remember, no sharing or hotlinking, please. Click on the preview to download.

I have a coordinating Carmela Quick Page freebie that will only be in this week's Stone Accents Studio newsletter. To get this Quick Page, make sure to sign up here for the newsletter.

Don't forget to come back on Friday - the kick-off to our SAS-y Valentine's Blog Hop Party!

A Brand New Kit and Bargains Galore!

2009-02-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

It's the beginning of February and that means a new challenges in the forums! Check out this month's Quote Challenge at Scrapbird. This month we're doing a layout using a love quotation:

"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides."~ David Viscott

If you post a layout to the gallery using this quote and supplies from any Scrapbird designer (including freebies), you'll get this Quick Page posting bonus, just for playing along.

I am so excited to show you my brand new kit, Ciao Italia, (which means "Hello, Italy," now available at Scrapbird (and coming soon to my other stores). This collection is perfect for everything from travel layouts to pizza night with the kids. There are plenty of non-Italy-specific papers and embellishments included, so this kit is really versatile.

Here's a layout I made using Ciao Italia:

Do you love a bargain? I'm retiring a couple of my older kits from my SAS store, and you can pick them up CHEAP until the end of the month. After that they will be gone for good.

Today is only $1.35 for the whole thing, and includes 10 papers and 30 embellishments:

For My Mother is a huge kit that includes 18 papers, 1 full alpha set (upper and lower cases, numbers, and punctuation), and 35 embellishments. Pick it all up for only $1.99!

Bella Mia is on sale right now at SAS, only $2.93 - that's 35% off!

I made this layout using Bella Mia. These photos are of my dear friend Carmen, whom I've know since high school, and me.

Last but not least, my Carmela collection is being featured at Cottage Scrapbooks and that means a huge savings for you. Get the kit right now for 50% off - only $2.75 for this little pretty:

Don't forget to mark your calendars for February 13, for our SAS-y Blog Hop. There will be lots of yummy Valentine's treats for you, so start cleaning out your hard drives now.

This week I have a template to share with you. No hotlinking or sharing, please - just send your friends here to download. Click on the preview and enjoy!

Lots of News, Sales, and This Week's Freebie!

2009-01-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, I'm excited to let you know I've signed on to sell at Cottate Scrapbooks. I've worked with Stella, the site owner, in the past and she's such a sweetheart. I'm still in the process of upload my products, but there are a few items in there now, including some lovely Valentine's items. Vintage Valentine and Cross My Heart are on sale, so don't miss out. These products are great for making your own cards, too.

All of my Super Simple Templates sets are on sale at Scrapbird for 35% off. It's a great chance to stock up on some fun new templates great savings. I have both one and two-page templates, and here's a preview of one of the sets. Check out the store to see the rest.

Here's a 2-page spread I made I made using this Super Simple Template set and my friend Julie Cohen's kits, Animals At the Zoo: Chris the Crocodile and Zac and Zina Zebra. These photos were taken at a crocodile farm during my trip to Australia with my friends last summer.

News from SAS - you need to mark your calendars for our next blog hop party! We're celebrating Valentine's Day with some sweet freebies from February 13-20. I'll remind you again, but get ready for some downloading fun!

This week's freebie is a frame that coordinates with Taste of Winter. You can grab a coordinating free paper sampler pack, only available in the SAS newsletter this week. Make sure you sign up to receive your weekly copy delivered right to your email with exclusive freebies!

Click on the preview to download the frame and please do not share the link - send your friends to my blog to download.

Get this paper pack link on this week's SAS newsletter:

Lastly, here's a preview of the Taste of Winter mini-kit. Have a great week!

My Return From the Arctic...

2009-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

My return from Boston, actually... where it felt like the arctic to me. It's been unusually cold, even for the east coast. The temperature when we arrived was about 8 degrees and with the wind chill, it felt way below zero. Good thing I brought my snow boots, which I think I've worn only twice since I bought them years ago. What an entirely different way of life from what I'm used to, the way people have to shovel their driveways and walks, wait for the streets to be plowed... even church was cancelled on Sunday because of the storm that came in (we got close to 2 feet of snow!). But David had a really good audition at Berklee and I had a wonderful time staying toasty inside and walking down memory lane with my cousins. I took some pictures to share:

Here's David outside the audition room:

My son and I spent some time playing in the snow:

This photo was taken at Crescent Ridge Dairy. Yes, we actually went out for ice cream. I have two words to say about that: Farm Fresh! Who could resist? This is my aunt and my son:

Well, Kay has been at it again and has created another lovely Quick Page for you, using Vintage Valentine. This really is a gorgeous kit for all your Valentine's Day and even wedding and anniversary layouts, and it's on sale right now for 35% off in both of my stores. You can even make your own Valentine cards with this collection. The entire kit is only $3.58, for a limited time.

I made this layout of my son and his girlfriend using this kit. Aren't they cute?

Here's a preview of the kit and you can even pick up a free sampler in my SAS store:

Finally, here is the quick page that my CT member Kay made for you. Thanks again for sharing your talent with us, Kay! I really have an awesome creative team and I do so appreciate them. Click on the preview to download and no sharing the link, please - send your friends to my blog to download. Enjoy!

What's Going On This Week

2009-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Well, tomorrow this California girl and her son are heading to Boston, where David will be auditioning at Berklee College of Music and where I will be freezing. I'm a little nervous because the news says it's blizzard conditions in Chicago, where we will be stopping on the way. I've been stuck at Chicago's O'Hare airport before where all flights were grounded not once but three times because of the weather, so I'm praying that doesn't happen this week. But I'll get to spend some time with my cousins once we do get to Boston, so I'm also excited and also looking forward to David's audition, too.

This week my CT Kay made another Quick Page for you all using Musical Memories. Isn't that sweet of her? And the page is awesome! Click on the preview to download and no sharing the link or hotlinking, please.

This Week's Freebie and a New Challenge!

2009-01-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

I have posted the new Quote Challenge at Scrapbird for this month. We'll be using a Quote on a layout about the New Year:

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." ~ Benjamin Franklin

Here's a preview of the posting bonus for this challenge, yours for free if you use the quote on a layout and upload to the Scrapbird gallery.

I also want to let you know that my Vintage New Year's kit is on sale at Stone Accents Studio. marked down 35% for a limited time. Hurry, or you'll miss the sale!

This week I have a template freebie for you. It's a 2-page spread but I saved the pages in .psd format separately, so you can use either one, or both... lots of versatility! Please don't share or hotlink, just send your friends here to download. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-30T13:09:00.000-08:00

We're about ready to ring out the old and welcome the new year. I hope you all had a blessed Christmas. We certainly did, with my sister and her family coming over, and my in-laws as well (including sister-and-brother-in law). Our tummies full of Christmas ham, wassail, and all the other goodies that go along with it... presents opened, photos taken, and games played... we are so blessed to have a family that really does enjoy spending time with each other.

Hubby and I will welcome the New Year in at our good friends' party. The theme is Tapas, and we're really looking forward to a fun evening with great company, games, and bubbly stuff. Have we really reached the age when all three of our boys still at home have their own events to go to? Oh my gosh!

I have a fun kit to help you scrap your New Year's layouts. You can check out Vintage New Year here. This kit is currently on sale at 35% off.

This week's freebie is a Quick Page made by CT Kay, using my One Winter Night collection. Please take a moment to stop by Kay's Blog to thank her for sharing her talent with us. Click on the preview to download and remember, no sharing or hotlinking. Stay safe and have a Happy New Year!

Holiday Wishes

2008-12-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post before Christmas. Like everyone else, I need a little down time and want to enjoy the holidays with my family. The SAS Christmas Carol Blog Hop is officially over, and my O Christmas Tree mini has been placed in the Bargain Bin at SAS. (The links to the Christmas Around The World kit, however, will be active until December 31 so grab it while you can!)

Here's a layout I made using O Christmas Tree. This photo was taken in 2000 and was our first Christmas together as a blended family. I cannot believe how time has flown and how quickly our boys have grown.

I wish you all the merriest Christmas. Stay safe, healthy, and warm... I'll be back next week!

2nd Annual SAS Christmas Blog Hop!!

2008-12-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

Ready for even MORE Christmas goodies? Some of us gals were talking online - we're not sure we need any more Christmas stuff, and I have way more products now than I do holiday photos - but who can resist these fun freebies? Can we ever really have too much Christmas stuff, really?

Between the Christmas Around the World train (see post below this one) and this week's SAS blog hop, you're going to have plenty of goodies to take you into the New Year. Make sure to grab these right away, though, because these links will only be good until the 20th.

Like last year, the SAS designers each chose a Christmas Carol to use as a theme for our freebies. This year I chose O Christmas Tree, and here's the preview. You can click on the preview to download and remember, no sharing the link - send your friends here to download instead.

Don't forget to visit these designer's blogs to get even more holiday goodies!

Ambowife - http://tazmanianshe-devil.blogspot.com/
Aneczka - http://aneczkaw.blogspot.com/
Booland - http://boolanddesigns.blogspot.com/
Brenda - http://www.digitalcreationsfrommillstreamcottage.blogspot.com/
Candee - http://mermaidshaven.blogspot.com/
Cathy - http://www.scrapsationalscraps.blogspot.com/
Charlie - http://charliesdigiscraps.blogspot.com/
digiMom - http://digimomdesigns.com/
Ellen - http://www.scrapsationalscraps.blogspot.com/
Enaideel Scraps - http://thescrappytimes.wordpress.com/
Jeanette - http://www.acmommy28.blogspot.com/
JulieC - http://scrappinhappens.blogspot.com/
Mamrotka - http://www.mamrotka.blogspot.com/
mISTYBELLE - http://mitsybelle.blogspot.com/
Monika - http://monikadigitaldesigns.blogspot.com/
PiggyScraps - http://piggyscraps.blogspot.com/
Scrappin Diva - http://scrappindivaz.blogspot.com/
Skrapper Digitals - http://skrapperdigitals.blogspot.com/
Terrell - http://waititgetsbetter.blogspot.com/

Christmas Around The World

2008-12-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Here is my part of the Christmas Around the World collab kit. I would like to thank Kimberly of FishinMom Designs for putting all of this together - an amazing feat!

Click on the preview to download - please, no sharing or hotlinking. Send your friends to my blog to download. Head over to the CATW blog to get the rest of the participating designers. Have a very Merry Christmas (or Happy Christmas, as my British Mother-in-Law would say!).

Prepare To Be Spoiled...

2008-12-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

This week is all about Christmas presents - gifts for YOU, that is! I have a sampler of my Dear Santa kit today, which is currently on sale at 25% off (and so is the coordinating Quick Page Set).

In a few days, don't miss the Christmas Around the World blog hop! Dozens of designers have collaborated with the same color swatch and created our own freebies for you. This event will begin on December 12.

Then, as if that weren't enough, the SAS designers are hosting our 2nd Annual Christmas Blog Hop to the tune of Christmas Carols. The fun begins on December 14 so mark your calendars. I've seen all the previews and trust me, you want to collect them all!

Okay, a bit of news that may be of interest for you. Scrapbird is having a Store Creative Team Call:

If you're interested, send your info to the email on the ad.

All of my full-size Christmas kits are 25% off right now at SAS, and even the mini-kits in the bargain bin are marked down an additional 10%! What a great savings just in time for Christmas.

Make sure you check this weeks SAS newsletter to grab the coordinating Dear Santa freebie that I have for you this week. (Newsletter is published on Wednesday.) Click the preview below for this week's sampler - please, no sharing or hotlinking. Have fun and I'll see you in a few days for the CATW Blog Hop.

Exciting News!!

2008-12-03T09:39:00.001-08:00

My exciting news is, I have added a new store where I sell my designs. You won't want to miss checking out scrapbird.com! I'm still in the process of loading my products, slowly but surely, so keep checking back.

My One Winter Night kit is the focus of this month's Designer Give-Away Challenge at SAS. You can get this kit for 50% off for the entire month of December, but only if you sign up in the challenge forum here - AND, when you post the layout you made using this kit to the SAS gallery, you will get this EXCLUSIVE add-on! You can only get the add-on by completing the challenge - it won't be offered anywhere else.

The Christmas season is upon us and I have something fun to tell you. Mark your calendars for December 14 - the start of the annual SAS Designers Christmas Blog Hop Party! Last year, we had such fun making kits centered around Christmas Carol themes that we decided to do it again. Look for more details to come.

This week's freebie is brought to you by my CT member, Kay. She made this lovely Quick Page using my Vintage Thanksgiving kit. This will help you get those holidays photos scrapped very quickly - all the design work is done for you. Thank you, Kay, for sharing your talent with us. :

No hotlinking or sharing, please.

HUGE Black Friday Sales and This Weeks Freebie!

2008-11-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Yay, I can finally announce the huge sales coming up! Both SAS and DSO are having major sales this Thanksgiving weekend. At SAS, the entire store (not only my store) will be marked 50% off, excluding bargain bin items, Thursday-Sunday. The sales will vary a bit at DSO but nearly all of the designers will be having some type of sale, so be sure to stop by!

This week's freebie is a special treat for Thanksgiving. It's a sampler that coordinates with my Vintage Thanksgiving kit - which you can grab for 50% off this weekend! No sharing or hotlinking, please. Enjoy the freebie and see you next week - after I put on about 5 pounds on Thursday. :)

Make sure to check this week's SAS newsletter to grab the other part of this freebie, and other goodies, too!

Ready for Thanksgiving?

2008-11-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love the holidays and getting together with family. We're having Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house this year, and my in-laws will all be joining us, so it's going to be wonderful, having everyone together in one place. I'm really looking forward to it.

I have a couple of new Christmas Card Templates in my SAS store. They're in the Bargain Bin and I also marked them down 10% as an introductory offer. One set is made specifically for photos, and you can either fold the entire card and write a message (or insert a letter) inside, or simply cut in half and print them as standard photo cards. The other set is not necessarily made for photos, but of course you can alway add them - that's the beauty of digital designs! All of these fit into a regular business-size envelope, and because they are templates you can customize them with your favorite kits.

Christmas Photo Cards Templates - Set 1

Christmas Card Templates - Set 1

Check out the bargains at my DSO store and my SAS store this week - MANY items are on sale, too many to list here, in fact. So head on over and see for yourself!

This week's freebie coordinates with my Musical Memories kit, one of the items on sale at SAS. You can get this entire full-size kit for only $3.85.

Click on the preview to download this week's freebie. No sharing or hotlinking, please.

Happy Wednesday!

2008-11-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

Wow, November is a really busy time for our family. Not only is there Thanksgiving to plan for, but two of my boys have November birthdays. We had a big party for them last weekend. One turned 15 (the youngest kid) and the other turned 18 - the day after our election, in fact. When he realized sometime last year that he would miss getting to vote in the election by ONE day, he was not happy, and even called me from school to complain. Who knew my kid would turn out to be so civic-minded?

I have a new kit called Musical Memories in my SAS store. It's on sale at 30% off - only $3.85 for the entire kit!

This is a great collection for all your musical layouts - everything from your children's recitals to music festivals to karaoke night. It includes 18 papers 10 instrument accents (piano, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, violin, bow, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, and trumpet), 1 microphone accent, 1 curled 12" border, 1 musical staff accent, 3 bows, 1 button, 4 frames, 1 badge/frame, 1 journal mat cluster, 2 rose accents, 1 rose bouquet, 2 wraps, 1 lace trim, 1 word art, 1 tag, and 1 full alpha set (upper and lower cases, numbers, and commonly used punctuation).

I made this layout using Musical Memories with one of my favorite photos of David:

This week's freebie is a final sampler from my One Autumn Evening kit. This kit is also on sale for only $3.58 - a 35% savings!

Click on the preview below to download your freebie and remember, no hotlinking or sharing. Have a great week!

Friends-4-Food Project and More News

2008-11-04T20:07:00.000-08:00

The holidays are around the corner and here's our chance to help feed the hungry, especially this time of year. My friend Bunny had a wonderful idea to get people involved in donating to their local food banks. You can read all the details on the Friends-4-Food blog. It's simple to do and you will be entered to win a TON of fabulous prizes, most of them digital-scrapbooking products that you won't even have to download (you'll get DVD's sent to you) - and also some paper scrapping items. The prizes are listed on the website as well. Please consider helping out with this worthy cause.

If you missed grabbing my Color My World mini on Halloween but decided you just can't live without it, it's available now at DSO and on sale for only $1.35 - and I threw a bonus Quick Page in the deal. Here's a layout I made using the Quick Page:

My Commercial Use Overlays - Mad About Plaids Set 1 and Mad About Textures Set 2 - are also on sale at DSO, 25% off. Hurry, sale will end soon!

I want to let you know that my Autumn and Thanksgiving kits are on sale at SAS. The full-size kits are 35% off and the mini-kits are 25% off. Check out Vintage Thanksgiving, One Autumn Evening, Falling Into Autumn, and Peaceful Thanks.

I have two new winter kits in my SAS store. Taste of Winter is a mini that will give you plenty of items for layouts, and One Winter Night is terrific for all your snow-day fun. Both kits are also perfect for cardmaking, too!

For this week's freebie, I have a template for you. No sharing or hotlinking, please. Click on the preview and have fun!