Digi Pick of the Day

Digi Picks 7/24/08

Wishing a super happy birthday to my sister-in-law Tina today!  She will be going to her very first crop this weekend with Patti, Sue and I.  I don't know which one of us is more excited!!!  I already gave her a huge bag of the scrapbooking basics as a gift.  I cannot wait to spend the day with her sharing my love for memory keeping.  She's going to work on a book to commemorate her nephew's graduations from Navy Officer Training. 

Alpha of the Day
I'm a big fan of vintage yet edgy looking designs and Shelleyrae's Vintage Alpha is totally up my alley!  This alpha is so well thought out!  Check out the broken letters like the "v". This will give your project an amazing dose of realism and dimension!!!  I've got a bunch of projects in  mind that this will be perfect for.  Must go download right now!

Digi Picks 7/21/08

This just in...

Mary Fran has new stuff up at NitWit collections and my allowance for the week is gone!! I didn't grab All the Buzz yet, but I'm sure I'll be going back for it when I force Gracie to pose for pix with some ants on the deck this evening!!!!  I did pick up everything else that I didn't already have, though!!!!  The The Never Not Collection is just so Gracie y'know?

And now we return to our original blog post from earlier this morning, already in progress...

July 21st???  Really?  Wow.  This summer is flying by!  Last week flew as well.  Sorry about the lack of picks.  I was Plurking my brains out when I would normally be surfing the galleries.  I really am enjoying the conversation there.  I have found so many great writers and just some truly nice people.  Anyway, I did surf the galleries this morning and you'll be pleased to know that  there is a new....

Layout of the Day
If you are smile challenged today, I have the cure!  U Crazy Kid by Cindy732003 is sure to put an grin on your face that will stretch from ear to ear!  What a bold burst of color backed up by an adorable smiling boy!  I love her journaling, which will be fun to look back on in years to come.  It reminds me of pictures of my nephew Matthew shooting himself in the face with a water pistol because he was holding it the wrong way.  I am equally impressed by the list of credits on this layout.  Cindy sure can pull together a variety of sources!  I love how she combined three alphas to make this great looking title!  I've got to start doing that more.  I'm so boring!!!!

New Posts Up At:

Melissa Thinks Out Loud

Digi Picks7/11/08

I'm so glad it's Friday. Not like I worked that hard this week.  I was off on Monday and went to a Yankee game on Wednesday, check out my Jason Giambi mustache photo below ;-)  Anyway, I'm looking forward to a date night with my hubby and a nice weekend with family and friends.  In the meantime...

Kit of the Day
Sometimes cardboard can look a bit too masculine, but Kate Hatfield Designs and Designs by Lili have made it truly lovely and feminine with their Cirlcle of Friends collab. I love the colors which beautifully range from the delicate to the bold. This one is hopping right into my Kaboodle until payday ;-)

Okay, I've been plurking way too much. I've got work to do!  Have a great weekend!!!!!!

Oh, almost forgot.  My Jason Giambi mustache picture.  For you non-Yankee fans, there's been a big push to get Jason added to the All-Star team for Sunday.  He's been sporting a very cheesy mustache this year so at the game on Wednesday they gave out fake mustaches for the fans to wear.  I of course put mine on immediately and took a picture.

Plurking and Picks

I have something new to suck away my time ;-)

Plurk.com

Kit of the Day
I love it when theme kits are done really well.  Shabby Miss Jenn's Little Miss Kahuna makes me want to go to Hawaii just so I can scrap with this kit!  Maybe I can just dress Gracie up in a sarong with a plastic palm tree from a Dora toy instead?  Probably more cost effective ;-)  Seriously, though, this is a great kit to document those fun summer memories, especially if you have beach photos or even just pictures of yourself sipping a tropical drink on the roof of your building!!!  Love the colors and the details.  Check out the alpha....great detail there!!!

Layout of the Day
Remember my rant about multi-photo layouts?  Well here's a great way to jump on the bandwagon.  Find yourself a great template like mummytothree did for her Red, White and Blue Memories and get scrapping.  Just pick the photos that best represent the event and you can then get one of those cool albums I've been seeing where you can put a layout on one side and a photo sleeve on the other!  When I find a link I'll be sure to post it.  I think that might be my new favorite thing.  Saw it in a magazine, but I have no clue which one.  If you know, please comment here so we can all love you!!!!  MummytoThree...loving the layout and the top ten list was a great idea!  It looks like you had a great Fourth, except for that tick thing ;-)

New Post and New URL:
After much debate amongst me, myself and I , we have decided on MelissaThinksOutLoud.com as the url for our new inspirational blog.  I also have a new post up there about something really cool I've been playing with.  Go check it out and leave me some love!!!!!

Digi Picks 6/27/08

Gosh I am so glad it is Friday.  I've been covering for my old manager in my old center this week and it has been pure chaos!  I'm whipped.  I'm looking forward to a super cool pool party at my friend Patti's tomorrow!!!  For now I have a few things to share with you for your weekend scrapping pleasure ;-)

Kit of the Day
Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that Maria LaFrance answered a CT call at Digital Freebies, but it was actually several years ago and today she is the proud owner of this digi staple.  Maria has the cutest kit out called Beach Blanket Add-on  and I am just loving the colors.  This has more of a sunset fun on the beach kind of feel to me and it's not like any other I've seen so far this year as far as color palette goes.  I'm also totally digging the swimsuit paper!  This kit is an add-on to the Digital Freebies Club June 2008 Kit which looks pretty cool too!  Uh oh, I found Stickers too.  Very cute!!

Layout of the Day
m1218p's Grown Up puts the biggest smile on my face.  It is such a heartwarming layout that captures what so many of us have seen as the children in our lives grow up.  At one moment they can be remarkably mature and self-sufficient and the next they are still our little babies.  I love how the elements match Will's shirt!  Great little detail that pulls the whole page together. 

Digi Picks 6/24/08

Kit of the Day
I am now the proud parent of a pre-school graduate.  Yes, that's right, Gracie is starting Kindergarten in the fall.  Where does the time go?  To honor this major achievement, the first of many I hope, I have already scrapped quite a few pages and I haven't even gotten to the after party at Rainforest Cafe yet!  All of these pages are made using Melissa Bennett's L'il Grad , which even has a little red headed girl graduate in it!  Love this kit.  It has been so fun to work with and has everything I could look for to make great pages for a small album.  I haven't had to dig elsewhere in my stash, which is always cool. 





Element Designer of the Day
I have long been a fan of Kate Hatfield's gorgeous hand drawn art.  Not only does she come up with cute combinations, but the color and depth are gorgeous.  I have always wondered how she does it and today thanks to her blog I know.  Read this awesome post and get to know this amazingly talented lady!

Layout of the Day
You just have to check out Oh To be a Cat by Sorashell.  That is just the coolest darned thing I've ever seen. Okay, maybe bullet time in the Matrix was THE coolest, but this is close!  I just love the inventiveness of this. I've got to try it!  Adorable kitties don't hurt either.

Digi Picks 6/17/08

Element of the Day
I love it when I see something in a store that just makes me jump out of my seat and that is what happened this morning when I saw Kim De Smet's  It's All Jeans - Layered Corners .  There was Raisin Bran and milk all over the dining room table, LOL.  Seriously, though, this is the kind of element that can make a simple quick layout absolutely stunning.  It looks like you spent an hour putting all this cool stuff together, when it's actually Kim who did all the work.  In addition to the corners she also has Edges.  I think I'll be needing both sets!!  Knowing how we digi girls are about shadows she's got them in both shadowed and un-shadowed versions  in each set.  Love 'em!!!!!  Now I just have to wait for reimbursement checks from work and from my dependent care account.  You know it takes these people a minimum of three weeks to reimburse?  What's that about.  Don't they know I have shopping to do?????

Layout of the Day
You remember my big rant about multi-photo layouts?  Well I've been keeping a keen eye out for layouts that showcase the wonder that these babies can be.  Suvel's Summer Berries is a wonderful multi-page, multi-photo layout.  I am in love with the colors and the overall balance she has created with the blocks of photos and journaling.  I really love the way she takes us from the berries, to the picking, to the baking and finally the best part...the eating!!!  Great layout!

Digi Picks 6/13/08

Kit of the Day
Resistance is futile.  Rachel Young, Michelle Godin and Kate Hatfield are at it again and this time they've brought Sausan Designs along on the Funky Junky ride.  Funky Junky Summer Lovin' has just been released and like the first two Funky Junky kits it is beyond gorgeous and huge!  I love the palette of this kit as it will take us all the way from the brights of early summer into the deeper warmer colors of late August and early September (at least in my hemisphere).  They are even giving us and 11 page bracket album for free!  I have nothing left to say except that I have WAY overspent this month already!!!!

Layouts of the Day...uh, they're mine ;-)
I just wanted to share what I've been doing with some of my recent purchases.  TFL.

This first two-pager features backgrounds from Kathyrn and Velma Balint's Social Butterfly and elements from Velma's Bloomin Crazy Freestyle Collection.



This one is Social Butterfly again:


For the next two everything is from Her Royal Highness by Emily Merritt and Dani Mogstad except for the photo corner from Shabby Princess' Wild Love.

I wish you all a great weekend and for those celebrating Father's Day I wish you a very special day as well!!!

Digi Picks 6/6/08

Kit of the Day
I have got to get Kathryn Balint and Velma Balint's Social Butterfly Collection. I have been sitting here all day going back and forth with myself.  One part of me says "you already overspent on kits this week" while the other says "but it's so cute!!!!!"   The hand painted artwork is just amazing!!!  Those flowers and mushrooms are just to die for. When you're done drooling over them check out the punch label sayings...there's 16 of them ranging from cute to inspirational.  I'm really in a bad way here.   I know I'm going to crack any minute now.  So make sure I don't feel bad.  If you are over-budget go grab it too, LOL!!!!

Layout of the Day and a rant...
There is just no way that all the digi scrappers out there are printing out all of their layouts.  You know how I know that?  Because I just looked through at least 30 pages of layouts in various galleries and maybe found 10 layouts with more than 2 pictures.  I would say that I only found a dozen or so that did have two pictures.  Page, after page, after page I saw one photo layouts, lots of whitespace.  Now, while I get the aesthetic value of this style, I just can't imagine how many albums you would have to fill up to document events.  If I did one meaningful picture per page of Gracie's 4th birthday for instance I would probably have a 20-25 page album right there.  Instead I have about four pages of multi-photo layouts that fit into her 2007 album quite nicely.  Mind you I do a combination of hard cover shutterfly books and actual printing of layouts to put in an album along with paper scrapping pages I do throughout the year.  So, there you have it.  It's my rant.  Can you please tell me what you do?  Do you print them all?  Do you print them and put all of the other pictures from an event in a regular photo album?  What's up?  I need to know!!!  I have PMS and I need answers people!!!!!   

And now...the layout of the day and no, it is not a single photo layout ;-)  Mamma Trish demonstrates for us how to convey meaning, while being artistic and still managing to have some nice white space in a layout.  By combining a sweet focal shot with three small action shots on the netting (great touch),  we get a really good idea of how much Zachy loves to monkey around.  In addition generations to come get to see 4 pictures of him instead of just one, LOL.  Even better, there's a date!!!!! 

Digi Picks 6/2/08

Wow! It's June already!!!  Where is this year going?  I had a great weekend, just enjoying family time, hanging with Krista and her hubby and finally getting some gardening done.  I love weekends!!!!!

Kit Pick of the Day
I also did a little shopping this weekend.  Gracie and I picked up a bunch of Cosmo Cricket Paper at AC Moore and I picked up some digi kits.  I still have a few more I want to grab and Ship Mates by Manda Bean and Kay Miller is at the top of that list.  First off I have to tell you that our Rockband band is called Lake Pirates.  So this is a must have kit!  I really like how kid friendly this kit is.  I have seen many pirate themed products in the traditional scrapbooking arena and they are just a little too edgy for me to put pix of Gracie on them.  It's probably just me, but hey, that's the way I roll!  The little pirate boy and girl are too adorable for words!!!! Love this!!!!

Layout of the Day
Yes, I am a fan of extractions.  Can't help it at all.  I see a gorgeous layout using an extraction technique and it automatically goes in my favorites.  Why then do I hardly ever do extractions in my layouts?  It's a lot of work , that's why.  So I applaud Cherry for not only doing a gorgeous extraction but for doing it as a RAK for someone else!!!!  Wonder World should be framed and hung prominently in the recipient's home. This is so beautifully done and I love the far off look in this little girl's eyes.  She is looking to the future and it appears to be a very interesting one at that!