New stuff and a Freebie

It’s been a while!  School starting back has kept me away.  I’m looking for that balance between teaching, motherhood, and a little time for preserving my family’s memories while also helping you do the same.

There has been so much going on the past few weeks that I barely know where to start.  Let me start off first showing you my new kit called Fun Lovin’.   It was inspired by my CTM Dj with bright fun colors and doodled elements.

There is also this coordinating set of cardstocks.

When my CT got a hold of this kit they rocked out these fabulous layouts!

This week Fun Lovin' is 25% off at Stuff to Scrap!

Yes, there is a freebie but keep reading a little bit further to get to it.  I want to share one more fantastic kit with you before you go.  I am so lucky to be on the CT of some great designers.  This week Scraps of Ellay has a gorgeous collab with Misty O’Brien that has an Oriental feel to it.

So much beauty!  I used one of Ellay’s Jump Right In Templates  to make this layout with Asian Beauty.  We went on a trip to Tennessee this summer and I’ve been wanting to scrap these photos ever since we got home. 

Asian Beauty is 25% off all week at Stuff to Scrap!

Now on to the freebie!

My CT and I decided Fun Lovin’ was so cute that we wanted to share the love and do a blog train.  At each stop along the way you can pick up one or two QP’s made by my awesome CT using Fun Lovin’.  Please leave love for each of my CTM’s as you go along for the ride.  We love to do things and give them away but it sure makes our days brighter to see a “thank you.”

Here is my Fun Lovin’ FREEBIE QP

DOWNLOAD THE Fun Lovin’ QP

Here is the full train list.  If you get lost along the way you can always return here to pick up where you left off.  My CTM’s are from all over the world so if their stop isn’t up when you stop by they should be within 24 hours.

Susan <<<----------You are here.
Ellay
Dj
Ophelia
Alessandra
Dana
Knittinjen
Misty

Psssttt……. before you go…… would you like even more goodies from me?  Sign up for my newsletter (over there on the right side of my blog) and you will receive exclusive freebies, coupons, and more!

Please Pardon the Dust

Things are going fast and furious around my world.  All summer we worked on home improvement stuff.  Then before I knew it we were getting ready for a new school year.  My classroom was ready to greet a whole new year of fabulous students and then things just went crazy.

I have barely come up for air for 2 weeks.  Things will settle down soon I hope. 

The dust I mentioned above is my blog reconstruction.  I’m going to be doing some work on it for the next few weeks.  Some of you have noticed the Blog Frog Community on the right.  Thank you to those that have already joined my community.   I plan on hosting at least one Speed Scrap a month over there as well as some other things.

My newsletter sign up is on the right too.  Sign up for product updates as well as exclusive freebies from IvoryKeys Digital Dreams.

You may see some broken links on the site as I redesign things.  I’ve also noticed that there are some missing graphics from time to time.  Some things that I post are to help my fellow designers.  If something fails on their end there may be a graphic error.  Sorry about that!

Come back tomorrow for a look at my new kit as well as a special BLOG TRAIN!!  I know it’s been a while.  I hope you enjoy it!

A few Creative Team Calls

Stuff to Scrap has several new designers on board and a couple of them are having Creative Team Calls that you might be interested in.   Take a look!

Speed Scrap at STS

Looking for a place to hang out and scrap this weekend?  Look no further!  Come join in on the fun at Stuff to Scrap!

And just for scrapping with us you’ll get this Add-On to an upcoming kit by IvoryKeys Digital Dreams!

What is that?

That box over there on the right hand side that says BlogFrog?  Susan you don’t even like bugs or frogs right?  Well frogs are cute as long as I don’t have to touch them.  And I do like to listen to them on a limited basis on vacations and in the spring and late summer if I can open the windows (which in Texas means March, April, and October maybe).

But BlogFrog is an opportunity to take my blog to the next level and turn it into an interactive community with all of you!  I’ve been playing along with SuzyQ Scraps in her community for a few months.  I tried to get this up and going last month but there was a glitch.  Tonight I figured it out.  The glitch was my typing!!  Yes, I made a typo in my blog address so my BlogFrog community was broken. :(  It’s all fixed now and everything it working perfectly!  Yipee!!!  So, click on the link, join my community and jump into the conversation.  I started one in there already and I’d love to hear your answers.

I think I’m going to try some new things out there over the next few months.  Yes, I’m all over the place.  My friend Robin said today she was following me around digiland.  She has no idea where I’ll take her next!  That’s what keeps us going, right?  The surprises?

See you soon!

Looking for Something to Do?

Well I have a few upcoming events that will give you some options.

First SuzyQ Scraps is hosting another Blog Party!  WOOT!  Her blog parties are a lot of fun.  Look below for details and the ad is linked to her blog so if you aren’t connected with her Blog Frog community get going and get connected!

Oh and do you see that Speed Scrap on 8/7?  Well, that one is being hosted by me.  Don’t make me hang all by myself in there!  Come keep me company and end up with a great layout and something from SuzyQ in the process.

Today I posted the challenge over there so be sure you swing by SuzyQ’s Blog to see what that is all about.  Trust me you’ll want to swing by there!

Still want something more to do?  How about another Speed Scrap?   Shel of Shel Belle Scraps is hosting a speed scrap this Saturday morning in the Stuff to Scrap forum. It's sure to be a great time! For participating, you get a set of Blossom QPs.

If you haven’t been to one of those you really ought to.  If you brave the chat room we always have a great time in there.  If you are looking for a little calmer environment you can always follow along in the forum and still earn points for scrapping with us as well as this wonderful participation prize.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the Stuff to Scrap Challenges while you are over there.  They are a great way to kick start your creativity not to mention a wonderful way to earn a gift certificate to the Stuff to Scrap store! 

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!  Oh and my Always and Forever Kit is still on sale for one more day.  So is the Always and Forever Bundle that will get both my kit and A+ Designs kit and 3 more add ons.  You can use my kit in the challenges at Stuff to Scrap and earn bonus points!

See you later!

Stuff to Scrap Happenings

I have a couple of special things going on at Stuff to Scrap to share with you.  First several designers are having a huge retirement sale for the month of August.  At the end of this sale all these wonderful kits will be gone.  Some of my favorites from Scraps of Ellay are in there so take a look and pick up a great deal!

Each month the Stuff to Scrap Designers come together to give you a huge Mega Collab and this month it was all about the ending of Summer. 

This kit includes 99 12x12 300 dpi papers, 137 embellishments and 2 full alphas.  One of the alphas is in 3 different colors so really it's 4 alphas all together!  All for under $7 – this Mega is a great deal!

And wait there’s more!  If you spend $10 in the store you get this set of  Quickpages made with the Mega Collab for free!

Always and Forever – New Collab!

I feel honored to have had the chance to create a collab kit with my dear friend and designer Mel of A+ Designs.  God has indeed brought some pretty wonderful people into my life through this world of digital scrapbooking and Mel is one of those wonderful people.  I have learned a lot from her and I appreciate her always being there for me.

If you have been looking for a elegant yet shabby and chic kit then this Collab is perfect for you!  Always and Forever has everything you need to create some stunning layouts and then some.  I think you'll be reaching back for this kit over and over again.

See stunning!!  And you can't beat that price either.  We've stuffed the collab full of goodies and can't wait to see what you come up with!  Be sure to upload your favorite layouts with Always and Forever to my Stuff to Scrap gallery.
 

My CT girls and Mel's CT girls have been busy with this new kit.  I hope their beautiful layouts inspire you as they have me this week.

And I did this layout with our collab for one of the inspiring challenges at Stuff to Scrap.

Mel and I both have fantastic ladies on our CT’s.  They are all so talented!

Thanks for stopping by today to check out the new kit.  Remember if you make something with any of my kits I would love to see it!  Just link me up on my blog in the comments or even better swing by Stuff to Scrap and put it in my designer gallery. 

Remember to keep a song in your heart because happiness is contagious!  Then while the people around you are affected by your happiness take some photos....they are the memories you'll want to keep! 

Where oh Where?

Wow this month has flown by!  My house is finally semi-back in order after almost a full month of home improvements that included lots and lots of painting.  Yes, I have to say it I only helped paint one room.  My wonderful husband painted the ceilings throughout the house, crown molding for the living room, 2 bathrooms and 2 bedrooms.  The rest of the house has been painted along the way over the past 2 years so all it needs is some touch ups here and here – like where Rachel decided walls make a great writing surface.  :(  Kids they all do that, right?  At least all 3 of mine have at some point.

We still have one piece of crown molding to paint and get put up.  We had help with getting the crown molding cut and put into place.  Unfortunately the living room has the odd angles and this one "window” that’s not a window…..you would have to see it to know what I’m talking about.  Anyway it made that one piece a pain to get right so the guy helping us decided he was going to have to come back and work on that one piece.

School starts back for my DH and I as teachers soon.  With the way things are planned out for my campus I actually need to spend some time the next 2 weeks getting my room ready.  Yay!  More cleaning and reorganizing.  PFFFFT!!  Yes, that was a raspberry.  Last year I cleaned for a week before I could even begin to organize.  Those rooms get so yucky during the summer!!  I would take a shower before leaving home and have to take one when I got back just to get the grime off of me.  Why then take one before going?  I can’t stand going out in public messy – it’s just something I can not do.

Now, I know this post started very differently than my others.  I decided that it was time for me to start to let you get to know the real me.  Why not?

Now on to the scrapping world.  I think you will want to know about this speed scrap going on at Stuff to Scrap because it’s TODAY!  Sorry for the late notice.  I went to bed before the info made it’s way to me.

And you get this cute participation prize to go along with it.

I’m going to be back in a little while to show off my mad scrapping skills.  I have been busy designing but I took time to work with some goodies from my FAVORITE designers that I want to share with you.  PLUS I have a new collab releasing tomorrow that I’m going to give you a sneak peek of.  I’m so excited about getting to work with a good friend and fantastic designer……but you’re going to have to wait just a bit to find out who.  I’ll give you a hint.  She is a teacher too.

Later!

Mark your calendar – Speed Scraps!

Come on over to the STS forum for a Speed Scrap this Saturday. The participation prize is a kit with coordinating cardstock and glitter from Scraps by Andrea. Dana aka danajscraps will be hosting and it's sure to be a great time!
Flyer is linked to the forum.

And then there’s going to be this one.

Come to a speed scrap Monday, August 2nd! The participation prize is a template pack. If you use one of the templates and upload it to SAHM Scrapper's gallery by the end of the week, you will be entered in to win a $5 gift card to her store!! See you there!

 Some of you had been asking me about when the next time I am going to host a speed scrap will be.  I will be doing two in August.  I’ll post a reminder but go ahead and mark your calendars for the first two Saturdays in August.  Both will be at 3pm Eastern time.  The first one will be part of SuzyQ Scraps blog party and the second one will be at Stuff to Scrap.

Oh!  That reminds me I have also started a Blog Frog Community from my blog.   Look off to the right sidebar on down the page to find it.  Sign up to be part of my community and be ready to jump into some conversations and other things.  I really want to get to know my fans better! 

OOPS! SAS FREEBIE redone!

I’m so sorry that the zip file was missing the most important part – THE FREEBIE!  Then I thought I had fixed it but apparently the place that hosts my files didn’t like me using the same file name so I started over with a fresh zip file and a new post.  The earlier post will redirect you to this post to get your freebie.  MY sincerest apologies to the 49 of you who downloaded and were disappointed.  I hope you’ve come back to get the correct file!

CLICK on the PREVIEW to get your FREEBIE QP DOWNLOAD
Your download will start automatically.

Seriously, I’m checking it myself as soon as I post this to make sure all is well.  Thank you to the kind ANONYMOUS poster who let me know about the problem.

Oh, and those of you who get my newsletter, this was accidentally in your zip file from the newsletter.  Consider it a bonus.  (That’s where the png file went!)  I didn’t want you to download this file and think I had totally lost my mind, though I sometimes question my sanity.  The other two newsletter goodies will only be given through the newsletter.  This was suppose to be my blog only one.  If you haven’t signed up for my newsletter you can up on my blog sidebar.  There will be exclusive freebies and coupons in my newsletters.

Happy Scrapping!
Susan

Stars and Stripes and a FREEBIE

I’ve been going through a dry spell creativity-wise and time-wise. Things this summer just got a lot more hectic than I ever envisioned! First there was our wonderful family vacation that went from being one week to nearly two weeks long. It was good to get away but we were ready to be home by the end. Then there have been workshops that both my husband and I have needed to attend (still not totally done with those either). Then in the wisdom of the ages that we have we’ve been tackling some much needed home improvement jobs. We’re into week three of painting. Can anyone say TIRED? My kids have been trying but there comes a time that everyone needs a break.

Finally last week I got into the zone and created a new kit called Stars and Stripes. I really like the way it turned out. I started off with Independence Day in mind but then as I worked I realized that I have several scrapping friends and CTM’s that are from other countries. So the kit stayed with the same theme but evolved to be more versatile so that it can be used for many other layouts. Like that layout? It’s using my new kit and a template from Scraps of Ellay’s new template set Start Me Up Templates.

Do you like the new detail previews? DigiOverdose has a new preview action called PreviewIt that makes that part so much easier for me.

My CT got busy creating some wonderful layouts with this kit.

Misty Ophelia Dana (2) Ellay(2)

These just blew me away!! I love my CT! If you click on my CT page link above you’ll be able to read their bios and also find links to their blogs. Leave them some love if you drop by because these ladies are fantastic layout artists!

Ready for your Freebie? It’s been a while hasn’t it? Sorry about that! If you sign up for my newsletter up top you’ll be able to get freebies and special coupons just for my newsletter subscribers only. Want even more goodies? Got to my FaceBook fan page and join there. I treat my fans good too! But I won’t forget my blog readers either. Becasue my blog is so much more than just to show off my kits. I love to share with you stories about my life, family, faith. I enjoy sharing goodies from all over digiland too.

So here’s a little something for all of you that still drop by my blog and especially to those of you who leave a comment here and there for me. :)

FREEBIE 12X12 Stars and Stripes Quickpage

******GO to this POST to get the download****
I was having technical difficulties with the new download. Sorry for the mix up! Just click on the *** link and you’ll be taken to the corrected post.

Whew! That’s all for now. I need to head off to bed. We’ve got lots to do again tomorrow and I’m dragging. Remember I love to see what you make with my kits. Leave me a link in the comments and I’ll swing by to leave you some love.

Stuff to Scrap News

If you go to Stuff to Scrap and you notice layouts missing or posts missing  you are not going crazy.  The host migrated the site to a new bigger server last night unexpectedly and in the process about 24 hours worth of things was lost.

If you did a layout for a challenge and it’s now missing please go back and re-upload (we want you to get full credit!).  At least we only lost about 24 hours of information and the webhost is trying to make us better and faster instead of allowing the site to crash before addressing our needs. 

In other news for the Stuff to Scrap store check out the new options for the store newsletter in this thread HERE.  I love the way you can choose the information sent to you.  Of course if you are like me you want it all. 

I’ll be back with some news about IvoryKeys Digital Dreams soon.  I’ve been working hard on some goodies and they are almost done.  I can’t hardly wait!

Speed Scrapping! STS style

This Little Missy is hosting a Speed Scrap Thursday in the Stuff to Scrap forum. Come on over to the forum or chat and receive a free template pack for playing along! Hope to see you there!

(images linked)

STS Designer Call

Stuff to Scrap is having a designer call.  I love working at STS!  I can’t wait to see who all comes to join our talented design team!

Vintage Independence – STS Mega Collab

The Stuff to Scrap designers have come together once again to create a beautiful vintage inspired Independence Day kit.  Packed full with 83 papers, 119 embellishments and 2 full alphabets with numbers and some punctuation it is sure to be a favorite in your stash!  On top of that it is priced at a steal! 

There is a set of coordinating Quickpages that is free with any purchase of $10 or more.