Damask Fun Freebie!

Well, I was inspired by a freebie I picked up the other day featuring papers using damask patterns. I decided to give it a try -- and try out the pattern making part of Serif software at the same time. Here are some fun papers in the purple/pink family that were fun to make and experiment with. There are 10 in the set, although the preview doesn't show them all. Please enjoy! Click the preview below to download!

And now for number two!

Here is the tree I made for Sis' album. I decided not to mirror the tree painting, so it gave it an off-center look, but I think I like it. Nothing wrong with doing things differently from time to time. I am planning to make a third layout for myself as well. I feel like I'm getting the hang of this.

Here are the best tips I can give for making a tree like this:

1. Decide how many generations you want to show.

2. Layout 1 side of the "tree" with all the generations you want and the connectors, then you can copy/paste it onto the other side & mirror it.

3. Go back and put in shadows if desired, if you do this before you copy/paste/mirror, you will have shadows going two different ways.

I will try to create a tree template -- or would it be a quick page?? -- to post for free. I'll get it uploaded soon, promise!

The First Family Tree is done!

This is the tree I designed for Lola. She's a princess, so I thought she deserved a pretty pink tree with cherry blossoms. I think it turned out okay. I am working right now on a layout for Sis and when I was copying names into Lola's tree, I realized the tree I wrote out for myself is messed up. I considered buying another 2 page set like I did last time, but I think I'll just make one on the computer. It gives me more freedom, although it is labor intensive.

I finally got my scrapbooking supplies in my office (or should I call it my studio?) organized. I don't have shelves to put all my boxes on, but I think it'll work for now. I even sorted all my metal jewelry pieces and odds and ends. I have some cool stuff, it's just a matter of knowing where it is when I need it.

I managed to get my big family page done as far as I can. My dearest friend sent me some dried flowers to use and I added the tiny playing cards I tea-stained. It's in the book and looks finished, but if my father-in-law ever finds his dad's tackle, I have places it can be added. I need to figure out a way to explain the significance of each item on the page, but there isn't room on the page itself....maybe some kind of pull card on the back??

New Services for Sale at the So Digital Shop!

Well, I've finally gotten around to adding a new service to the So Digital Shop. The new service is custom announcements. A dear friend of mine asked me to make her daughter's graduation announcements and we had a lot of fun throwing around ideas and trying things out. The reviews have been good, she tells me.

Here is my favorite layout, although the graduate chose to go with the black multi-picture layout, check them out at the shop!

Cavities??

Yesterday was so upsetting. I took Sis and Lola to the dentist for their annual cleanings. Sis went first and the hygenist told me she has 4 cavities! It makes me feel like such a cruddy mom. I am not the biggest enforcer of brushing at bedtime and poor Sis has to pay the price. She has to go in 4 seperate times to have them filled. The worst one is so bad the dentist has to remove part of the nerve in the tooth, fill the cavity and then cap the whole tooth with stainless steel. Lola's teeth are okay so far, but all our bad habits have to stop here.

Thank goodness for ways to make brushing fun. We bought some of that stuff that turns the plaque on their teeth blue, that's a big hit and so is the bubblegum flavored floss. I just wish I had enforced good habits from the beginning.

If anything good has come out of this, maybe I'll put together a free set about the tooth fairy or cavity-monsters....we'll have to see.

Rainbow Dreams Paper Freebie

Okay, I'm sorry I didn't get this done on Friday. I can clearly remember uploading the files to 4share on Thursday night and thinking, I'll post the blog tomorrow....

This is a two part download, folder 1 and folder 2.

The garage sale was a huge success though! We sold most of the big stuff on Friday and then did pretty well on Saturday. We made enough for Sis and Lola to each get a special toy and my share was enough to get a new digital camera!!! It is a 12 mega pixel with 5x zoom. I wanted more zoom, but for my price range, this is perfect. I am excited because I am going to start taking pictures to make some texture overlays. My first texture inspiration came last night when Lola was in the tub. I took pictures of the bubbles on the water, I wonder what it will look like as an overlay...I guess you'll know soon enough when I post a set of overlays.

Anyway, I hope it is warm and springy wherever you are!

Working hard to be healthy...

Yes, it's true, I'm really working at being healthy. Everyone knows I LOVE LOVE LOVE food, and that sometimes I don't have an "off-switch" when it comes to eating. So I'm working hard at making healthy choices -- dried fruit instead of crackers or sweets -- and portion control -- NO SECONDS!!! I also decided to try that new Coke Zero, since I love Coke and need the caffeine once in awhile but not the calories. It isn't bad, I mean I know it isn't the real thing, but it isn't bad.

When I told my hubby about this new committment to taking care of myself he was on board. We went to the store and bought a new Wii fitness program. This one is Jillian Michaels, the super tough trainer from The Biggest Loser. It's tough, but I've done 30 minutes two days in a row. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is. I even got up at 6am today, that's a big deal to me when I feel like I don't get enough sleep as it is. Of course my calves, thighs and butt are killing me!!! Maybe I should have him take a picture of me now so I'll have something to compare against when I get to my target weight....I could do a cool scrapbook layout...hmmm.

Thanks for all the support I've gotten so far and for all the support I know everyone will give me when things get tough to stick with. I'll try to post some free papers on Friday, so keep watching!

Time to take care of myself.

Okay, so I've been lazy about my physical health for about 9 months now. I've got to do something. I'm constantly exhausted and I ache and of course I've gained some weight. I don't want to admit it, but I need to excersize every day. So how to go about this??

Well I've had patrons at the library tell me that it works really well to listen to books on CD while they use the treadmill. I can do this while I use my elliptical. I'll have to committ to getting up at 6am each day, but if I'm listening to a good book I'd otherwise never have time to read, maybe it will work.

I should also be careful of how I eat. Mills has taught me that cutting down on my portions can be a big help. I'll do that, and I'll eat things like carrots for snacks. I also need to be careful with fatty fast foods. I can't afford to buy Alli anymore so I can't rely on it anymore.

*sigh* This is going to be tough, but I'm going to do my best. Wish me luck!

More love for moms! Freebie!

Okay, here is the wordart I promised. I have included 5 wordarts and a 12x12 overlay. The overlay is "mother" in many different languages. I hope to do something similar for father's day next month.

Click on the "packaged" preview to download, or click here.

Please enjoy them and remember all the moms in your life. I mentioned my mom, mother-in-law, grandma and grandma-in-law in my last post but here are some other moms I've looked to for guidance and inspiration throughout my life:

My 2 older sisters

My best friend's mom Sue

My friend Paula

My friend Raynette

My coworkers at the library

Happy Mothers Day!

Mother's Day Freebie

Okay, so instead of reading the new Charlaine Harris Dead and Gone, which I was the first to get at our library (and not because I work there), I decided to post the Mother's Day freebie I've been working on for a while now. I scanned the card with the trees and mother poem and built the set around it. The papers are 12x12 300dpi using colors in the card and the ribbons are 12" long. I even scanned my mother & child pendant for this set...so precious! Please enjoy and remember to tell your mom how much you love her!

Oh, and watch for another freebie in the next day or two of word art with quotes about mothers, I love my mom, my grandma, my mother-in-law and my grandma-in-law a whole bunch and it makes me happy to spread the love....oh and I'm pretty sure those little girls of mine love me too.

Who's going treasure hunting? We're going treasure hunting!

I thought of a fun activity for the girls and I to share this summer. We call it treasure hunting. We look for anything that might be interesting while we are walking to the park or in the yard or out on walks. Today we found pieces of wood, pieces of rusted metal, pieces of plastic and feathers (they blew away before we got home.)

We decided to save them up over the summer and make a scrapbook page at the end of the year. As you may have guessed, I'm not really very rigid about the whole "acid-free" thing. I hope when it's done I can post a picture. It'll be really great with journalling about our treasure hunting adventures.