Moved on over..

Okay, I can't remember exactly where I posted this link to my blog, so I'll just a post a link here to my new home for the same blog--WordPress. I really loved how easy it is to customize your blog and the variety of looks available. I love Blogger--it was home to several blogs for me, but I have moved...

If you'd like to follow, click here.

scrapbook frenzy

i had a very productive scrap week thanks to my dsu 110 class, beginnings with bethy challenge (more on that later) & scrapgirls freebie challenge and saturday color challenge. all that scrapping has left me with little time to do much else lol. here are my most recent layouts:

"scrap me? why not?"
credits: scrapping me page kit by beth nixon; fonts:artistamp, blackladder itc, 1942 report, eminenz, bickham script pro

this one is for beginnings with bethy which is a monthly challenge at digitalscrapbookplace.com. every month she provides kits and if you make a layout using the kit you will earn a posting bonus which is usually an add-on to the kit for the challenge. i participated in the scrapping me challenge using the kit of the same name. it is a lovely kit with it's deep browns, teals, creams and blues. also, there are fun elements like the flowers and beads you see here along with a nice frame that can be used as more than a frame. (i used it as a brush for my background).

"point...shoot....click!"
plaid smoky pattern background (border on left) & swirl smoky background (small photo mat)
by emma powell for dsu; fonts: batik regular, eminenz, later on, browalia new

this layout is my homework for lesson 3 of dsu 110 which is making a paper-style page. it was full of wonderful info--like using textures to make your own custom backgrounds and other great tips. also learned some new ways to use the program which is what the class is all about.

"beware the ides of march"
credits: photo:syllabus of richard leach of indiana university (google image search); scrap simple paper template beautiful distress rough(background) by thao cosgrove; avalon circle corners by valerie randall (parentheses around 'ides' & cut small circles for brads on 'et tu' tag);avalon tan journaling tag by valerie randall (et tu brute tag);avalon nouveau pattern purple paper (ides); avalon green floral nouveau pattern paper (March); assemble your own avalon buff ribbon (tabs behind alphas;recolored green; done before I realized already had a green tab);layer your won worn seals date tag by brandie valenzuela freebie; avalon alphas by valerie randall (beware title); beautiful distress brush set edge grunge & scratches by thao cosgrove; fonts: popular, giddy up std, trajan pro, eras demi light, bookman old style

this layout is for 2 challenges over at scrapgirls.com: weekly freebie challenge & saturday color challenge. the freebie for this week was the save this date stamp & the color challenge was to use green &purple together in a layout in honor of st urho. i thought the ides of march was a great layout for this challenge. purple being the color of royalty &green associated w/the month of march &march 15 being a date to keep in mind (perfect for that brush). had a lot of fun with this one.

that's all for this week...now i'm off to do something else until inspiration strikes me again.

dsu 110

i'm taking a dsu 110:introduction to scrapping with adobe photoshop at digitalscrapbookplace.com. it's a 4 week class with a new lesson introduced every week. along with the lessons, you get some cool, basic kits. right now, we're on week 2 & so far it's going really well. i'm learning new and better ways to use cs3 the way i want to use it for scrapbooking. emma powell is the instructor and she's very good. the lessons are very detailed with lots of written, visual, and even video explanations. because i usually learn by reading instructions, i haven't checked out the videos but i heard they were great.

here are my layouts from the class so far:

lesson one
credits: dsu intro kit vines

lesson two
credits: dsu intro kit braided edges

i'm really enjoying scrapping. i even brought an idea journal and i actually plan to alter the cover. woo hooo--something to look forward to perhaps lol

Not by blood, but by God

credits: Sports Fan page kit by DSP designers/Lisa Carter; Fonts--title:century gothic, cooper standard, fiolex girls; journaling: segoe script; tiny date caption: Daun Penh; program: Adobe Photoshop CS3

using another IOTW kit at DSP, i created this layout in honor of jenelle's godfather will. it is also a very heavy scraplift of "2 months" by cheryl manz from the book find your groove: a guide to discovering your scrapbook style by Kitty Foster and Wendy McKeehan.

i really love the kit, which is sport's fan by dsp designers/lisa carter. it is really designed with sports in mind but as you can tell, it can be used for other purposes. i liked the masculinity of the sports theme and i had the idea for a page about will and jenelle for a very long time, so when i saw this kit, i knew i would use these photos. all in all, i'm really enjoying the IOTWs. again, you just cant beat the price at $0.99 and the kits can be used for so many different types of layouts. i'm sure you'll be seeing more layouts featuring the IOTW from me.

first layout!

well i am LOVING my new laptop! It definitely made creating this layout for digital scrapbook place's (dsp) item of the week (iotw) challenge!credits: Heart's Delight kit by Tina Chambers of DSP; fonts: segoe print, segoe script, &georgia

i haven't completed an actual layout in so long & i stayed up entirely too long last night working on this one. for this layout, i used heart's delight kit by tina chambers of dsp. it was a delight working with the nice papers &patterns with deep reds, creams &silver accents. amazingly, i only paid $0.99 for this kit because it was chosen to be the IOTW! when i first started scrapping i couldn't really afford to buy any scrapbooking materials &the beauty of digi-scrapping is that you don't have to pay for anything with the amazing world of freebies. but $1 a week for a new kit is not bad at all, in fact it's great. have i found a new addiction? i think so!

oh for some backstory on the actual LO. my boyfriend &i celebrated our 1st anniversary on valentine's day (he's so romantic)! i wanted to do something to commemorate our special milestone and when i saw tina's kit as IOTW i knew i'd found the perfect kit to go with what i had in mind!

ETA for the laptop!

okay, the excitement is almost too much to bear. LAPTOP ETA: wednesday 2.20.08 16:30 (that's 430pm for the non-military lol)!!

when i ordered the notebook on 02.08.08 HP told me my estimated build date was the 20th & with 2 day shipping, i assumed i'd get on fri the 22nd. but because i obnoxiously check my order status throughout the day, i found out my order shipped yesterday (well it's sitting in a fed ex facility in shanghai because hp sent it out too late to actually do more than give it to fed ex for shipping)

anyway, i'm excited. can't wait to get scrapping &simming!!

in love with my NeW digi-cam!

behold my new digital camera: SONY's Cybershot DSC W55 series.
no really, BEHOLD

i've already taken so many photos & i absolutely love the quality of the shots. the colors are rich & they are so crisp/sharp (whatever the photog term is). before this camera, i used a Kodak Easy Share C series & let's just say photo quality was an issue i didn't even realize i had until i got this camera & could see the difference. the camera was purchased about 5 years ago though so let's hope Kodak has made some improvements. sadly, the reviews for Kodak i read while deciding on which camera to buy still weren't stellar. anyway, i have my camera, i love it, & i use it everyday.