Sweet Maple Scrap Diary & Designs

A blog train from the Meagan's Creations CT!

2012-02-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hey scrappers! Today I've got an awesome little blog train of freebies from the CT of Meagan's Creations, on which I joyously serve. We've made freebs from her awesome new kit, Free Spirit, which is 50% off right now!

Remember the layout I showed you yesterday?

Here is my freebie! It's a paper stack that my layout was based upon :)

DOWNLOAD

Here are the rest of the stops on the train! Don't forget to leave these awesome girls some comment love!

Meagan's Creations
Dana
Kandice
Lindsay
Marlyn
Mary <-- YOU ARE HERE
Thao

Happy Scrapping!

A couple new layouts!

2012-02-15T16:23:00.000-08:00

I hope I can get back to regularly posting monthly Lifespirations soon! Yeesh! In the meantime, here is a post that is, amazingly, NOT really CT related! :)

Products: Paper Hearts Templates and Wild Thing by Meagan's Creations

Products: Free Spirit by Meagan's Creations

I'm currently working on Project 365 pages and detailed layouts about my bloodlines :) What are you scrapping?

Mary

Snow Daze by Two Cute Kids, and a freebie!

2012-02-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Heart Day, scrappers! It seems like every post I'm doing is either a CT post or a blog train, isn't it? O_O What are your plans for today? Any scrapping to do?

After much consideration, I decided not to go through with Round 2 of the Designer Darling competition. I received WONDERFUL advice and constructive crit by designers who have been in the business for years, and I will use that to improve my free kits in the future. I have so much going on right now in my life, including exploring lots of different craft and art options for extra income, and I've decided that the possibility of being a digiscrap store designer isn't one of those options at this time.

I just worked with a very cute kit by the lovely Two Cute Kids, an SNP designer who doesn't have many kits in her store yet, but what she does have are MUSTS for any scrapbooking stash's holiday and seasonal section! The kit I worked with is called Snow Daze. It contains 13 papers and 36 elements, all in an eye-catching combination of light blue, red, tan, beige, and white. I personally LOVE light blue and red together, especially for wintry layouts when photos are often washed out with white. Check out the adorable elements included, such as the mittens, skates, and hats!

Preview is linked to the store.

Here are a couple layouts from yours truly:

The contrast is surprising, isn't it? The photo in the second layout and the top left photo in the first layout are in the same spot and are just 3 weeks apart! Needless to say, it's been a REALLY weird winter here in southern Ontario. In the first layout, I had an adventure walking from work to pick up my husband's cousin in two different snow squalls with high winds and whiteout conditions. It had been virtually snow-free just before them, which explains my lack of snow boots there! In the second layout it reached 8*C that day and was absolutely gorgeous!

I've made you a cluster freebie that coordinates with this kit! I hope you like it :)

DOWNLOAD

Happy Scrapping!

Mary

A Good Read by AmyDane Designs... and a QP freebie!

2012-02-10T17:48:00.000-08:00

I just got done playing with a GREAT kit by AmyDane Designs with the adult reader in mind. It's called A Good Read and has 1 AWESOME Scrabble-letter alphabet, 24 papers, 6 cardstocks, and 82 elements plus word art! It has both masculine and feminine elements, and is wonderful for anything heritage-related, too!

Here are a couple heritage-themed layouts that I did...

The first house that my parents had together, circa 1972. As far as we know, this is the only photo in existence of the outside of the house, and is a realtor photo from when my paternal grandparents were looking to buy the place.

The historic mansion where I worked for six weeks this winter.

And, as always, I have a freebie for you! Here's a quickpage that my Manchester Street layout was based on:

DOWNLOAD

Happy scrapping!

Mary

Voting for Designer Darling Round 1!

2012-02-06T15:56:00.001-08:00

Hey guys!! Guess what! I entered Stuff to Scrap's Designer Darling competition and have completed round 1. I really had to swallow my terror to do this, yikes. I still don't think I'll get anywhere, but at least I'll have fun trying, right? :) Here's what my mini kit looks like (and woo, new preview graphic on previews!!):

You can download it in the challenge thread!

Voting is now open for anyone who is a member of the site! Please help me out, you guys, and vote for Sweet Maple Scraps!!

**VOTE HERE**

Every vote counts :) Thank you all so much! I can't wait to see what Round 2 brings!

February Blog Train!

2012-02-01T09:57:00.001-08:00

It's that time again! Here's a new Blog Train freebie from me :) The colours this month were absolutely gorgeous and the theme is love.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Here are the rest of the stops on the train in case you've gotten lost. Your next stop should be Junfunkie Designs!

DoubleTrouble Scraps
CutieFruity
Just For Fun Designs
Busy Crafting Mommy Designs
JMC Designs
Scrappin Serenity
Joyeuse Pagaille
The Digi Scrapping Mama
Flower Pot Designs
A Fish Design
SnickelsCorner Scraps
Ponytails Designs
Mommy Made This
Queen Wild Scraps
Cami Jo Designs
PizazzPixels
Lisa's Scraps
lmcdesigns
scraphannah
Growing Pains Scrapped
The Scrappy Kat
Saphira's Scraps
Kandiced
Sweet Maple <-- YOU ARE HERE
Junfunkie Designs
Let Me Scrapbook!
Note-able Scraps
Stuff to Scrap

Whoops... delayed post, but have a freebie!

2012-01-13T20:32:00.000-08:00

Oh dear. Sorry to have delayed this post, guys. My Photoshop kicked the bucket and I had a heck of a time getting it to work again. Uninstall, install, fail, uninstall, repeat. As soon as it started working again I was able to make the freebie for this great kit from By Christin on Scraps N Pieces!

I know it's mid-January now, but I'm sure you have LOTS of Christmas pictures to scrap! I just got to play with this beautiful kit called A Traditional Christmas, which has 52 festive elements, 20 papers, and a full alpha. Click the preview to see it in store!

This great kit also has matching glitter sheets...

And there's a set of quick pages!

Here's a layout I did of my cat, Spike.

AND, of course, I have a coordinating freebie for you! Since it's after the holidays, I thought I would make it a little more versatile so you can use it for non-Christmasy layouts :)

DOWNLOAD

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

SNP's January collab is here!! And so is a freebie!

2012-01-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! As the store CT, I was fortunate this month to get the newest store collab by the SNP designers! It's a sweet concoction of red and pink, and the theme is--you guessed it--love! Not only is it PERFECT for scrapping your V-Day pics, but you can scrap anything love-themed or even anything girly.

The collab includes a full alpha, 113 elements, 86 papers, 25 assorted word art pieces, and is only $7.99 right now. Click on the previews to go to the store!

Here's a great Valentines card collection!

You can also get everything altogether in this great bundle, which is only $10.99 right now! You CAN'T beat that price!

Here are some layouts I did with this collab.

I made a paper stack freebie that coordinates with this collab and bundle. I hope you like it! :)

DOWNLOAD

Tonight I'll be posting January's Lifespirations, and tomorrow I'm going to show off yet another kit I got to work with! We're going backwards from Valentines Day to Christmas, but I'm sure you guys have lots of holiday photos to scrap anyway ;)

It's My Party Mega!

2012-01-01T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hi guys and Happy New Year! Meagan's Creations has just released a HUGE collection with the talented Queen Wild Scraps and it's called It's my Party!

There's the boys' kit and the girls' kit.

Then you can get the combo of those two kits:

Meagan also made a boy-specific word art set to go along with the Birthday Diva pack she released a little over a month ago:

And then Lahni made some great invitation templates for you!

And then the whole collection!

Almost $20 worth of product for $12.99!

You can grab that mini by playing the Use it All challenge over at Scraps N' Pieces and I am giving away my part of the boys' kit for the Color Challenge at Stuff to Scrap!!!

Check out the amazing layouts by Meagan's CT!

Dana- using a template from Meagan's Template Volume 5 Set.

Dana-using a template from Queen Wild Scraps- All About the Photos

Kandice- using a template from Meagan's Cluster Me Set.

Kandice-

Kendra-

Lahni- co-designer!

Lindsay-

Lauren-

Marlyn-

Mary-

Stephanie-

And a couple from Meagan herself.

Template by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

Lauren and I both have freebies for you made with this collection! Click my preview to download a cluster frame :)

Here's Lauren's freebie... click the preview to go to her blog!

Be sure to grab this collection and save big and have fun with the challenges! and as always,

Happy Scrapping!

New FREE kit - a revamp!!

2011-12-19T10:38:00.001-08:00

Hi guys! Hope your holiday season is absolutely jolly. I have another free kit for you! It's a revamp of the second kit I ever made. Remember this?

Yeah. Here's the revamp!!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Happy Holidays, everyone!!
Mary

4 Seasons - Winter by Scraps N Pieces

2011-12-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

Hello scrappers! Today I have a stunning new kit from Scraps N Pieces to show you! It's part of her 4 Seasons series, and this one is so essential for holiday and winter scrapping. It has lots of elegant elements and gorgeous papers, plus a very pretty silver alpha!

Click here to go to the kit in the SNP store! It's currently 50% off!!

Here a couple layouts I did...

And here's a coordinating cluster freebie for you :)

DOWNLOAD

Happy Holidays!
Mary

December Lifespirations

2011-12-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

Hooray, I'm finally posting your Lifespirations for December! For those of you who are new to Lifespirations, they are monthly memory jogs designed to inspire your scrapping for your very own Book of Me. Many of us have trouble scrapping about ourselves, but there's nothing better than creating a visual book of your life, your memories, your dreams, and what makes you tick. It's a wonderful and ever-growing chronicle of your amazing life!

I've found scrapping my Book of Me to be very therapeutic as well, much like writing in a diary. You can choose whatever papers and elements come to mind, even if they don't necessarily match, and go as simple or as crazy as you want. Photos or journaling, your pages are reflections of your heart.

You can choose one memory jog below or all of them. You can also choose something else entirely if these jogs inspire you! So open your scrapping program and let your memories flow!

- What were the holidays like when you were growing up? Any special traditions? Can you recall the excitement, the hustle and bustle around and within you?

- What was your favourite holiday gift growing up? If you still have this object, take a picture of it to include in your layout. What did this gift mean to you?

- Make a list of exciting senses you experienced during December when you were little. They could be anything you think of, such as wrapping paper and tape, impending snow, cinnamon and berries, evergreens, etc. Are they any different now?

- As the year comes to a close, what are your wishes and hopes for the new year?

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

2011-12-07T23:04:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I can't believe that it's already almost mid-December (and I STILL haven't posted the December Lifespirations!!) It will be 2012 before you know it! Are you caught up on your scrapping for this year? Or, want to get a layout showing all the fun you had in 2011? You will love Meagan's Creations' "Year in Review Templates"

A set of four 12x12 layout templates, that come in PSD, TIFF and PNGs, that you can you for scrapping a year's worth of adventures! Show how much your baby has grown in a year, show the highlights from the year or memorable places you visited! The possibilities are endless! Check out the amazing layouts by Meagan's Creative Team:

Love this cute one by Kandi of her little boy through the year!

Layout features kits "Simplicity" and "Simply Blue", and "Simplicity Add-on Alpha" by Wendy Tunison Designs

Lahni did a page of her beautiful baby boy's first year! Her layout features Meagan's kit, "Boys will be Boys"

Lindsay had this fun layout about their adventures throughout the year! Layout features Meagan's kit "Those Were the Days"

The turkey is from Let's Talk Turkey and the santa is from Santa Baby, both by Just So Scrappy

Lauren has this great layout of a great fun day! This layout has lots of room for journaling.

Layout features "Shopping Fun" by Queen Wild Scraps.

Marlyn's got a great page with highlights from the year! using Meagan's Christmas kit, "A Christmas to Remember"

This super cute page by Mary features amazing photos she has taken through the year!

Kit used is Denim & Daisies bundle by Just So Scrappy

Love this fun travel layout by Stephanie! using Meagan's collab kit with Digital Harmony Designs, "Are We There Yet?"

Lastly, here is one from Meagan of her little Jonas and his first year! She used her kit "Outta Control"

Grab the templates for 30% until next Thursday!

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

I Have a Little Dreidel by Keystone Scraps... plus a freebie!

2011-12-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! I have to tell you about a great new kit by Keystone Scraps. It’s called I Have a Little Dreidel and it’s the most fun Hanukkah kit I’ve ever seen! It’s full of bright colours and fun elements (the driedels and candles look so happy!) and is perfect for scrapping all your Hanukkah memories.

Click the preview to be taken to the SNP store.

Here are a layout and a card I did...

And here is a free cluster frame for you as well! :)

DOWNLOAD HERE

Happy scrapping!
Mary

New templates by MDK Scraps!

2011-12-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

*CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY BLOG TRAIN/WORLDWIDE CHRISTMAS SCRAPBOOKING FREEBIES POST*

Hi guys! MDK Scraps has released a new set of holiday templates today, and they're so fun! The set comes with four templates, and not only are they S4H, but they're also limited CU! Isn't that awesome?? They're also 20% off right now, so grab them at that price while you can!

Clicking the preview will take you right to the STS store!

Here's my first layout. I used A Christmas to Remember by Meagan's Creations with this template.

I hope to see you tomorrow with a new Hanukkah kit by Keystone Scraps. I've made a cluster freebie to go along with it, and I also need to post the December Lifespirations and some new colour schemes! Yikes!!

Happy Scrapping
Mary

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!! 2 FREE KITS!

2011-11-30T21:49:00.001-08:00

It's December 1st, folks! That means the holiday season has kicked into high gear, and it also means that I've got two new free kits for you!

My first kit is my contribution to this year's Worldwide Christmas Scrapbooking Freebies.

DOWNLOAD PAPERS
DOWNLOAD ELEMENTS

Click the banner to be taken to the WWDSF blog! The full list will likely be posted in a few hours, and then you can grab all the beautiful kits that the designers have created just for you!

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My second kit for you today is part of the Country Christmas blog train at Stuff to Scrap. Here's a preview of everything you can snag in this festive train!

Here is my contribution this month!

DOWNLOAD

Here's the rest of the train in case you get lost! Your next stop should be Scrappin' Serenity.
JMC Designs
Sweet Maple <--- YOU ARE HERE
Scrappin Serenity
Growing Pains Scrapped
Let Me Scrapbook!
scraphannah
Tina Dell's Tags
Saphira's Scraps
Junfunkie Designs
Sweet Creations
Just For Fun Designs
Queen Bee Scraps
Seal Scraps
CutieFruity
Queen Wild Scraps
Monkey's Musings
The Digi Scrapping Mama
Mommy Made This
DoubleTrouble Scraps
The Scrappy Kat
Heni scrappel
Note-able Scraps
AZ Sweetheart Scraps
Scrappin Ninnie

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Have a wonderful week and weekend, friends! I hope you get some time to sit down and scrap :)

Happy Holidays!
Mary

A Christmas to Remember by Meagan's Creations

2011-11-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

Grunge meets elegance in this Christmas kit by Meagan's Creations. It's a collection with the kit, (which comes with a complete alpha in 4 colors), word art pack, template set and cluster set. With traditional Christmas colors but also some soft neutrals, it's a great kit for all those Christmas memories and for Christmas projects!

You can buy the packs separately for $12 or you can buy the whole collection for $7.99

Check out some gorgeous, jaw-dropping layouts by the lovely ladies of Meagan's Creative Team:

Dana: featuring a template from Meagan's Layered Templates Set.

Kandice: this one features a template from the collection.

This one features a template from Template Volume 3. by Meagan.

Kendra-this is a notebook cover she made! cool!

and here Kendra used a template from the collection set

another beauty from Kendra. Love the great use of the word art from the collection as well as the cluster hanging down from the top!

Lahni- Beautiful Christmas tree! probably a template coming soon from Queen Wild Scraps...

Love the blocking on this one and the large title!

Lauren- love the great circle shape to contrast all the straight edges and the fantastic title work!

Lindsay- love the glitter edges she added and great use of the sparkles! She used a template from the collection.

Mary- She used a template from the collection. Love her photo on the fireplace mantle and fun photo ornaments!

Stephanie- I love how she made this work for a photo that's not showing much signs of winter! but it works gorgeous to show off her adorable family! Title is a word art from the collection.

Stephanie used another template from the collection and added great flair with a tilt and beautiful clusters!

Love the photo blend on this layout by Stephanie!

Thao- gorgeous clustering and love the photos here!

Did I say freebie, I meant freebieS as Kandice has made a gorgeous December desktop! I can't wait to pick it up, check it out at her blog...Click on the preview to go there and download it.

And then Meagan's freebie for you, you can grab at the Stuff to Scrap Store! It's a freebie add-on with 3 additional papers and 8 elements that coordinate beautifully with the collection! Click on the preview to go to the store and grab it!

Happy Scrapping!

Thanksgiving Feast and Just So Wordy Word Art… plus a freebie!

2011-11-25T06:49:00.001-08:00

Hello friends! I hope you Americans reading this had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are being careful today with all the shopping craziness. You took photos yesterday, right? RIGHT??! Okay, even if you didn’t, you can use past Thanksgiving photos for this awesome kit by Lovely Creations! It’s called Thanksgiving Feast and it’s got some really cute elements. I also used a word art set by Memories by Digital Design and it’s called Just So Wordy. The word art is perfect for any layout, and I used two of them here in my two layouts.

Thanksgiving Feast includes 41 elements, 15 papers, and a full alpha.

Just So Wordy has 12 awesome word arts. Grab them and the kit for 50% off today! You don't want to miss them at this price!

Here are my layouts...

But don’t go yet! I also have a little freebie for you using both of these products.

You can download it HERE. I hope you enjoy!

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

Previous Release Features from Meagan's Creations!

2011-11-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

Every Tuesday Meagan is featuring one of her previous releases. What does this mean for you? This means that you will get the kit at a great price of $2 and you get a little freebie to go with it!!! This week she is featuring one of her newer kits, Rustic Autumn. Have you seen this kit??!! It is the perfect fall kit!!! Meagan has this kit in the $2 bin today and there is a freebie for you too!!!

Here is some creative inspiration:

wtunison

purplesparkly

tracyladle

LadySilver

kandiced

And now here is your freebie that coordinates with this awesome kit!!! It is a word art by kandiced, the same one in the layout above. You can download it HERE from Medifire or click on the image below to download from 4shared.

Thankful by MDK Scraps and a freebie!

2011-11-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Sorry I forgot to post my layouts! I completely forgot with the hustle and bustle of the past couple of days. I'm trying to get Christmas shopping-and-party-planning done before the holiday rush kicks into high gear!

I have a lovely new kit to show you, made by the equally lovely MDK Scraps! The kit is called Thankful, and as you can probably tell by the name, it's a Thanksgiving-themed kit. It has an adorable country look to it, with warm colours and sweet elements! It contains 22 papers, 1 pretty alpha, and 48 elements.

Click on the preview to be taken to the STS store.

Thankful is currently 40% off! Be sure to grab it now!

There's also a really nice set of quickpages made with this kit! Be sure to grab these too to further enrich your Thanksgiving scrapping experience :) The quickpages are currently on sale for 20% off!

Here are a couple layouts I've done so far with Thankful. This one shows just how perfect this kit is for those festive holiday photos...

And this one shows that you can even use this kit for non-Thanksgiving layouts!

I've made a cluster frame freebie for you to coordinate with the kit and quickpages. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD

Happy Scrapping! I will TRY to get some layouts up this weekend, but it's going to be a busy one! If I don't post this weekend, I will next week :)

Bond of Love by Meagan's Creations!

2011-11-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

Today I have a lovely, elegant but fun kit to show you, Bond of Love by Meagan's Creations. A little non-traditional family and friends kit with deep reds and bright yellows! We have some cute critters, hearts all over, lace, cut-out people figures and great clustering foliage and flowers! Here is the preview:

And her amazing Creative Team whipped up some awesome quick pages for you!

To inspire you, here are some breath-taking layouts done by her amazingly talented Creative Team:

Thao

Dana:

Kandice:

This layout features a template by Queen Wild Scraps

Kendra:

Lahni:

Lindsay:

A two-pager from Stephanie:

Marlyn: (featuring a layout from my Layered Templates set)

Mary:

Stephanie:

You can grab the kit and the quick page set for 30% through next Wednesday!

Lahni and Kandice have some awesome freebies to give you as well. Click on the previews to go to their blogs to download:

Happy scrapping everyone and in case you don't check by here again, I hope you have a marvelous Thanksgiving! I'll be back later today with more of my own layouts!

November Blog Train at Scraps 'N Pieces!

2011-11-15T09:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a great blog train from the fledgling forum Scraps 'N Pieces, on which I've become a member of their store CT!! Squee! There was a great colour scheme this month and the theme is "Thankful Hearts". Here's my contribution for you!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Here are the rest of the stops on the train! Have fun and happy scrapping with all these wonderful pieces!

Amy's Designs
Scraps N Pieces
scrapN2Nspire
MagicMomentsScrapped
Just For Fun Designs
LadybugPicsnScraps
Monkey'sMusings
As cores da borboleta
KatyBug Scraps
Lovely Creations
Adriana's Cafe
Lisa's Scraps
Keystone Scraps
Memories by Digital Design
Ponytails Designs
Sweet Maple <-- YOU ARE HERE
Flower Pot Designs
Queen Wild Scraps
Wendy Tunison
Rockingkscraps
DoubleTrouble Scraps
Sheri's Scraps
AmyDane Designs

New stuff from Meagan's Creations, plus a speed scrap tonight!

2011-11-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

LOOKING FOR MY NOVEMBER BLOG TRAIN POST? CLICK *HERE*

Calling all Canadians!!!

Meagan of Meagan's Creations and Lahni of Queen Wild Scraps have gotten together to create this fabulous collab all about Canada. It's called Our Home and Native Land (which in case you didn't know is part of the first line in the Canadian National Anthem.) Meagan has created a full sized kit, an add-on and a word art pack and Lahni has chipped in with a Canada inspired template pack. Check out these amazing products! You can buy the pieces separately or you can buy the whole bundle for only $9.99 - that's saving you $3.50! Also for the first week each of the pieces will be 20% off!

Now have a look at what Meagan's creative team and Lahni's Wild Princesses did with this beautiful bundle:

Here's one from Brooke:

And Sheri:

A couple from Henriett:

And Dana used the kit and one of Lahni's I'm a Journalist Templates:

Kandice used one of Lahni's templates for her first one:

And one with a template by Designer Girl Scraps:

And one more from Kandice:

Stephanie did a couple of layouts:

And Lahni created four layouts - this first is using one of her I'm a Journalist templates:

The second and third uses templates included in this bundle:

And the last without a template:

And one from me:

So what are you waiting for! Grab this beautiful collection today!!

Also check what else Meagan's got in her store! She got together with the talented Designs by Christi and created a set of coordinating word art from Christi's Nov BAK mini-kit.

Christi's mini:

Meagan's Word Art:

Word art comes layered in several cases so that you can customize it to fit your layout! Only overlapping drop shadows are included so you can make it match your drop shadowing preference! This word art set would go well with any kit in the BAK section this month as the CT can show you:

Kandice made this cute layout:

Kendra used Super Chef by Scraps N' Pieces for her layouts:

this one also features a template by Memories by Digital Design.

Lahni used the BAK portion by Scraps by Andrea and the Alpha by MDK Scrapper!

Lindsay used Cupcake Love by HD Creations

I used MDK Scraps' Yummy alpha and Just So Scrappy's Pinch and Dash kit.

Perfect for any set you decide to get in this month's BAK collection! And don't forget the special sale on the STS BAKS!!! Use code NOVBAK_BUY3_SAVEHALF to get a great deal!

And one more thing!! Lahni will be hosting a speed scrap sponsored by Meagan's Creations on Wednesday, November 2nd at 8pm MST. That's TODAY!! Participation prize is a Christmas Word Art Pack! Come have some fun and scrap an awesome layout!

See you there!

Happy Scrapping!

November Blog Train

2011-10-31T23:07:00.000-07:00

Wow, November already? I hope those of you who celebrate it had a fun and spooky Halloween, I know I did! :) It's now time for another blog train, folks! Here's the mini kit I have to offer. I hope you enjoy it!

DOWNLOAD

Don't forget to go to the next stop on the trip and pick up another coordinating freebie! Please leave some love for everyone's hard work :)

Scraps by Andrea
Dandelion Dust Designs
Junfunkie Designs
CutieFruity
The Digi Scrapping Mama
Shel Belle Scraps
Lovely Creations
DoubleTrouble Scraps
KatyBugScraps
PizazzPixels
Queen Wild Scraps
Scrappin Serenity
JMC Designs
Adriana's Cafe
Ladybug Pics n Scraps
Lindsey's Digital Scrapbook
MDK Scraps
Queen Bee Scraps
Daydreamer
The Scrappy Kat
scrapN2Nspire
Let Me Scrapbook!
Sweet Maple <--YOU ARE HERE
Note-able Scraps
scraphannah

Happy Scrapping!

New release by Meagan's Creations!

2011-10-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hey scrappers! I'm so excited to show you today's new word art set from Meagan's Creations! Birthday Diva is a great set for ladies of all ages, our little princesses, our teenaged-divas and our sophisticated women.

Check out the amazing layouts by the Creative Team:

Look at Dana's precious little princess! She used "It's a Girl Thing" kit and a template from the "Layered" set from Meagan's Creations.

Kendra shows how you can adapt the word art to coordinate with your kit since the word art comes in layers! This layout features Manda Lane Scraps' "Candy Kisses".

Love this sophisticated page by Lahni! Kit by Scraps by Ellay. I love the colors she chose for the word art!

This beautiful page by Kandice features the "As Wonderful As She" kit and a template from the "Layered" set. Love the placement of the word art and how her "queen" also has a gold crown!

This is a fun and bright layout by Marlyn. She is using a template from a set Queen Wild Scraps will be releasing on the 1st.

Mary used elegant iColor kits by Jenasis Designs (who is no longer designing at Stuff to Scrap) to set off her photo and word art!

Thao showed how well the word art coordinates with the "Curious Cutie" kit (which a lot of you were able to get free last month!). Layout also features a template from the "Layered" set.

Aren't these so fun! You can grab this word art pack for 30% off this first week of release!

Happy Scrapping! I'll be back tomorrow with November's Lifespirations (so sorry I didn't get any up for October!) :)

New kit by MDK Scraps and a Halloween freebie!

2011-10-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

Michele's got a cute kit out just in time for all those Halloween pictures you're going to take! It's called Spooktacular and is chock full of bright colours and fun elements!

Preview links to item in store. It's only $2 just for today, so grab it before midnight!!

Here's my layout with this cute kit! I wanted to show you how you can use Spooktacular for non-Halloween layouts. Here I've scrapped our four black foster kittens and our own black furbaby (Zeddy, in the top of the lower frame)...

Cute, huh? Michele did such a great job with this kit, as always!

I have a cluster freebie for you that coordinates with Spooktacular. I hope you enjoy! Click the preview to download.

Happy Scrapping and Happy Halloween!!

10/20 Speed Scrap hosted my MDK Scraps!

2011-10-19T16:44:00.001-07:00

Here's the adorable participation prize! Be sure to attend this speed scrap so you can snag this mini!

Winds of Change - A new kit by Kiki Halbert Designs

2011-10-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! So I've been scrapping for Kiki Halbert for several months now, and I simply adore all of her kits and everything that she releases. One of her newest kits is called Winds of Change, and it's great for scrapping that transitional early fall as well as personal change.

Click the preview to be taken to this kit in store!

Here's a layout I did with Winds of Change. It's a photoless one, but it's one that expresses my powerful transition that's been happening ever since I was placed on proper medication.

Special Saturday Sale at STS!

2011-10-14T10:53:00.001-07:00

Don't miss the Mystery Madness Sale this Saturday at Stuff To Scrap! Throughout the day, savings will mysteriously appear and disappear. What are you waiting for?!? Go browse the store now and get your cart filled up with all your favorites. On Saturday, keep your eye on the store and watch the savings appear. Once the savings seem irresistible, hurry and checkout before the savings mysteriously disappear again.

New FREE kit and CU template!

2011-10-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!! To celebrate, I've made a Thanksgiving kit for you guys plus my VERY FIRST CU-OK template!!

Here's the kit...

Click the preview or HERE to download.

**PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE AMENDED TOU FILE FOR THIS KIT HERE, THANK YOU**

And here's your free template!

Click the preview or HERE to download

Gobble gobble! Time to finish our Thanksgiving cooking so we can eat, drink, be merry... and most of all, be thankful for all we have.

Happy Scrapping!

Colour Snaps are back!

2011-10-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

Colour inspiration from everyday life. Feel free to use these for your scrap kits!

New release and freebies!

2011-09-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Hey scrappers! Meagan's Creations has a new release today, Rustic Autumn. You may have caught the preview earlier this week. Here is the full reveal:

And her amazing creative team also created 7 quick pages (12x12) which you can also purchase!

Both packs are on sale for 30% off this first week!

And check out these amazing layouts by her Creative Team (of which I am a part!):

Dana-

Isabella- she also used a template from the "Cluster Me Template Set" by Meagan's Creations

Kandice- this first one uses a template by Scrappy Cocoa available at The Studio.

(this one uses a freebie template by Meagan's Creations from last year)

this layout also uses the "Girls Word Art" by Meagan's Creations

Kendra- she used a template by Memories by Digital Design.

Lahni (aka Queen Wild Scraps) - she used a template from her Oct BAK (to be released on the 1st!) and also used "Inspirational Word Art" by Meagan's Creations

Lauren-

Lindsay- you should recognize this as the template for the STS September Template Challenge which Meagan's Creations hosted this month. If you haven't played with it yet you still have one more day to make a layout and get some points!

Lindsay also used a word art by Memories by Digital Design in this layout:

Marlyn-

Mary (me) -

I also used this awesome kit to make a layout for September's Template Challenge. Love Meagan's template!

Stephanie-

Thao-

The amazing creative team of Meagan's Creations has also made some gorgeous freebies for you! Click on each preview to go to that Creative Team Member's blog and grab their gorgeous freebie!

Isabella made a fun and colorful frame cluster freebie-

This gorgeous frame cluster was made by Kandice-

A fall-tastic word art cluster by Lindsay-

And a clean and elegant frame cluster by Thao-

Aaannndddd here is my freebie for you, a cluster! Click here or the preview to download.

(If the freebies aren't there yet, check back later during the day :)

Enjoy the freebies and don't forget to leave some love!

Meagan's Creations template bundle!!

2011-09-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Meagan's Creations has a new bundle available, Template Bundle #1. The latest templates are all packaged together in one money-saving bundle!

You'll get sixteen unique 12 x 12 layout templates in PSD, TIFF and PNG file format. The four template packs included are: Peek-a-Boo set, Cut-Out set, Diagonal Daze, and Cluster Me set.

Separately, these four packs would be $8 but in this bundle you get them for $5! Available now! And here is a reminder of some of the amazing layouts created using these templates:

Available exclusively at Stuff to Scrap.
Happy Scrapping!

Behind the Layout 9/7/11

2011-09-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm back to posting layout stacks. But I'd like to do something different now and describe what's going on in the photos, aka behind the layout!

I don't think I've posted any of these before, but forgive me if there are repeats!

One of my three best friends recently vacationed in Florida with her husband and their son. It was something they all desperately needed, especially her! I loved these sweet photos of she and her hubby and I just had to scrap them.

My best friend again, on the same Florida trip. I really liked how relaxed and content she looked, just standing there gazing at the Atlantic with the salt wind caressing her. She sure needed the serenity and fun from this trip!

In July of this year, my family went to a very popular lake in southwest Virginia to spend a hot summer day. This picture of my niece Gwendolyn I chose as the focal photo because it's such a great pic and it embodies everything about that day!

Here's page two of the At the Lake layouts. There were lots of photos from this day to choose from, but I picked these because they were my favourites. They all sure seemed to have fun, which is what summer should be about, after all.

I did this layout for the Quote Me challenge at DSP. Our beloved Zeddy came to us this past January, two months after our 18-year-old furbaby Zed passed away. We adopted him not long later because, frankly, we had no choice! He had picked us as his forever family right from the time my husband picked him up in his arms as a stray from outside our door! I kind of think Zed sent us a gift... :)

Is it just me, or is it common to feel what I call a "summer melancholy" right around the end of August and early September? It makes me sad and glum to see summer ending and the cold weather marching in, even though I absolutely love fall once it's actually here!

Speaking of fall, there's going to be a lot more scrapping of fall 2009, which I think was the single-most beautiful I've EVER experienced! This photo was taken at my sister's house in southwest Virginia; what a view she had from her front door! I stayed with her for several weekends that year and the autumn weekends were my favourites for obvious reasons.

Two of my favourite subjects to scrap are two of my family members, my niece Rebecca and my nephew Gage. I love how the colours of these photos of Gage match the kit colours, which doesn't often happen to me! Usually you see me desaturating photos if their colours clash with the kits I want to use. These pics were taken in spring of this year at my sister's house. Gage is such a cute little guy and he knows it!

I don't think I've ever really scrapped my niece (well, biological sister, but long story there) and her son Gage. If I have, it was quite a while ago! I love this photo because of the pure love radiating on both of their faces.

Here's Gage again, up a tree! He loves being outside and exploring, as most little boys do.

Book of Me Lifespirations

2011-09-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't done these in a whole year!! But they're back, and so is the challenge at DSP.

Here is this month's theme and some prompts to jog your memory. Scrap whatever you want about you and school, whether using lots of pictures or just words! Feel free to use one or even all of the prompts!

September's Theme: Back to School

PROMPTS:
- Remembering your first day of school
- What school was like for you
- Your favourite subjects and teachers, least favourite, your best friends, extracurricular activities, etc.
- How you felt when it was time for school to start up again after another summer of freedom
- How you felt when your child/children went to school for the first time
- If you're a teacher, scrap/journal about what it's like and what you love the most about your job

Like any layout in your Book of Me, this is YOUR layout to make the way YOU want it!

Click here for school-themed kits at Stuff to Scrap...

and click here for school-themed kits at DSP!

Happy Labor/Labour Day, everyone!! I'll be back this week with new Colour Snaps and some layouts to inspire!

STS September Blog Train

2011-08-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

CHOO-CHOO! ALL ABOARD THE STUFF TO SCRAP BLOG TRAIN!

Here's yet another blog train from STS! This month had a great colour scheme and the theme is "A Little Me Time", which I believe all of us need a little more of! There's a lot of great things made for this train and I think you're going to really love them.

I have a template for you this month; my very first! It's a great way to scrap what nice things One PSD and one TIF file are included. No individual PNG files, sorry!

DOWNLOAD

Now head on over to your next stop on the blog train and collect all the coordinating goodies!

Stuff To Scrap and Beautiful Earth Scrapping
AmyDane Designs
Scrappin Serenity
Adriana's Cafe
Inkin & Thinkin
YOU ARE HERE >>> Sweet Maple
NEXT >>> A Fish Design
Queen Bee Scraps
Growing Pains Scrapped
Leaving a Legacy
scraphannah
Saphira's Scraps
Pizazz Pixels
scrapN2Nspire
Amy's Designs
Memories by Digital Design
FamilyScrapper
Let Me Scrapbook!
The Scrappy Kat
Nanascraps
Timeless Memories by Hailstorm Creations
Note-able Scraps
The Digi Scrapping Mama
Jensen Motley Crew Designs
Princess Scraps
Scraps N Pieces
Queen Wild Scraps

Dreamer Combo kit by Kiki Halbert

2011-08-31T10:13:00.001-07:00

Hello scrappers! I have two gorgeous kits to show you today! But first... holy cow, I placed 2nd in DSP's Trendsetters contest! It was my first time entering and I was pretty intimidated, but each round was so much fun! Here are my layouts from all three rounds:

How exciting is that?? Plus I've gotten Layout of the Day TWICE within three days (August 23rd and 26th), one of which being my Round 3 layout. I'm so excited!

Now here are the kits I wanted to show you. Kiki Halbert's Boy You R a Dreamer and Girl You R a Dreamer are awesome for scrapping just about anything, from your loved ones to nature to your own dreams and aspirations. I love that the Girl dreamer kit is more summery, while Boy dreamer is great for fall!

Here's the preview... sorry, can't link to Funky Playground Designs today because the store is down for work! But grab the combo pack and save!!!

Here are my layouts, using my niece Becky as usual!

See you tonight with the links to the Stuff to Scrap September blog train! :)

Layout of the Day at DSP!

2011-08-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

Woohoo, what a great way to start my day! I logged onto DSP and found that my latest page has made Layout of the Day.

Title: Carving Day
Challenge? Yes, DSP's Sketch Challenge for August
Subjects: Becky and her boyfriend carving pumpkins last October
Products: A Fine Fall Afternoon by Carole Harden

Here's the link to DSP's blog: Layout of the Day: Carving Day

I've been fortunate enough to get LOTD twice before in my two years at the site, but it's always such a surprise and an honour for me :)

Also, I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I created a new header for this month's challenge and I won! So my header is now the first thing I see when I log onto DSP! Check it out here!

New kit by MDK Scraps and a freebie!

2011-08-22T16:46:00.001-07:00

You've got to see this fun new kit by MDK Scraps! It's called Remember When. I LOVE the rich colour scheme, which is perfect for summer and autumn photos, and is extremely versatile.

Remember When has 20 papers, a full alpha with upper and lower case, and 42 elements. Clicking the preview will take you to the store.

Here are a couple layouts I made with this kit. Both layouts are about this year's summer party, which my close friend Mike throws at his house every August!

And here's your freebie! I made a paper stack (one layer) for you guys! I hope you enjoy and remember that Remember When is in the $2 bin for Tuesday only!!! Go pick it up!

Click the preview to start your download.

Happy Scrapping!!

Sign up for the upcoming Digital Elite Team contest!

2011-08-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

Have an eye for layout design? Love to be creative? Want free digiscrap kits for 6 months??

Of course you do!

Sign up now for Digital Scrapbook Place's DET contest. The DET is Digital Scrapbook Place's Digital Elite Team, a group of scrappers who through this contest are deemed by the judges (designers and DET admin) to best showcase the gorgeous products created by DSP designers.

The contest is engaging, fun, and exciting. You learn SO much and can step outside your comfort zone, plus you get free stuff to create with in every round. You grow very close with your DET teamies, with whom you share a private forum. I entered the contest twice and made the team twice!!! It was an incredible experience and I made friends for life!

Interested? Foaming at the mouth? Then check this thread to read the official rules and sign up! There's still plenty of time to enter!

Cool finds & a new kit by Kiki Halbert Designs!

2011-08-17T13:24:00.001-07:00

One of the most exciting things about hunting for digital scrapbooking products is stumbling upon designers and shops that I absolutely fall in LOVE with!!

This store is CHOCK-FULL of awesome kits, word art, and more!! And the prices are pretty godo! Here's a few things that I'm itching to pick up:

Awesome, right?? I can never get enough word art, and that kit would be perfect for scrapping pages about the amazing people I met online (including my husband and all three of my best friends) years ago!

Look what else I found. A blog train blog!! Just what I need (that may or may not be a sarcastic declaration)!!

Blog Train Blog

Here's the 100+ contributions for this month. Go check them out, there are SO many awesome bits and bobs here! I wish I could participate next time, but this requires being part of the private Designer forum at DigiShopTalk, and I can't apply to enter there unless I'm an established designer with my own domain name. *Throws tantrum*

Be prepared to discover and fall in love with designers that you may have never seen before! It takes a while to go through the whole list, but it's worth it.

Now, onto a beautiful new kit by Kiki Halbert Designs, released just today!

Here's a layout I did of my niece's fancy garden party birthday in 2003...

Be sure to check out the rest of her new kits, which are re-releases and are all AWESOME!!

I'll be back with layouts soon, and I would REALLY like to start the Life-spirations and Colour Snaps again!! We'll see what happens!

Happy Scrapping =)

New release by MDK Scraps, & a freebie from me!

2011-08-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hello again, scrappies! Tonight I'm showing off a brand-new kit by MDK Scraps, plus a freebie that I made from it! Check it out...

Sun Shiny Day is bright, cheerful, and fun. Its colours are diverse, making it great for scrapping either girl or boy summer fun! There are so many ADORABLE elements in here, and I really wouldn't go the rest of the summer without having this kit. Plus it's S4H friendly for you Scrap 4 Hire folks out there!!

Sun Shiny Day has 45 elements, 16 papers, and a lower-case alpha with symbols! It's currently 50% off, so grab it while you can! (Preview is linked to store)

Here's a layout I created with this kit...

And here's what you guys scrolled right past that other stuff for, LOL! I hope you enjoy this fun cluster freebie! Click on the preview to start your download.

CIJ at DSP!

2011-08-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

Christmas in July at Digital Scrapbook Place is always incredibly fun. Not only is there a 24-hour chat with challenges, games, and prizes, but there's also great sales and Santa Claus peeking around to give surprise gifts! I had a great time and came away with LOTS of layouts! I want to make a huge Christmas album and this is just part of what will be the finished book.

For a scraplift challenge! I scrapped my niece, as usual.

For an art journal challenge. I really like this layout!

Then there was the Christmas album challenge, with several different prompts for layouts. I'm getting a bonus for completing this challenge; a cute Christmas kit!

In this layout, I had to scrap my most surprising gift. I'd definitely say it was the email I received from Canadian Immigration on November 15th, telling me that they were requesting my passport for processing. It meant that I could land as a permanent resident before Christmas, a gift which we'd been beginning to think wouldn't happen!

Here I had to scrap what Christmas means to me. I put all the words into a tree shape instead of just aimlessly setting them all over the page!

This prompt was "Scrap your favourite Christmas food". Naturally I could go with gingerbread, or any of the cookies that my mom and I made most years, but I went the savoury route instead and chose my two favourite dishes that two of my family members would make for every holiday gathering. Yum!

This prompt was Christmas at work. My last job was at the auto auction in Virginia, before all this immigration stuff began, so I scrapped about the party we would have in the office (and later out in the auction bay)!

Christmas with family. I was pretty lucky to experience the holidays with my nieces and nephews through most of the years growing up! We would always have family come over on Christmas Eve to eat, drink, open gifts and be merry, but when my niece's family grew and she moved into her own house, she held the annual party there the Saturday before Christmas. I have so many wonderful memories with them all!

My favourite Christmas drink is DEFINITELY egg nog! The holidays aren't the same without it. Sometimes I have random dreams about it being Christmas Eve and I don't have any egg nog... eek! The photo is from a Google search, so I don't claim to own it.

Scrapping a memorable Christmas outfit? Oh yes! This photo was during a time that I HATED dresses and girly things!

The "Christmas in your neighbourhood" prompt was a little difficult. Not much goes on here in Thornhill, a predominantly Jewish area. But there are some very pretty light displays on various houses, and I've always LOVED seeing holiday lights!

The prompt was "the day after Christmas". Throughout my American life, December 26th meant a day of utter contentment and peace, beginning to gently wind down from the chaos of the holidays. But now that I'm in Canada, December 26th means the fun (and additional chaos) of Boxing Day sales!

How in the world could I choose ONE favourite Christmas song?? Oh well, I did choose "White Christmas". The original by Bing Crosby is actually pretty meaningful to me :)

What I want most for Christmas. Hard prompt, really. But I decided that what I wanted most was either a Nintendo DS or the Turbo Fire exercise program!

I hope you enjoyed looking! Scrapping all these pages in the humid heat of July made me crave the holidays and remember wonderful memories. But for now I'll quite happily stick with warm weather, blue skies, and green trees! :)

(All kits are from DSP: Love's Promise, Pink Frost, Home for Christmas 1 and 2, Winter Bliss Value Collection, Violet Frost Value Collection, Sugarplum Dreams, Blingle Bells Hot Stuff Value Collection, Magical Blue Winter, Golden Holiday, Magical Dreams, Christmas to Remember, and various Christmas items from past CIJ and holiday events on the forum that can't be found in store)

July Layouts!

2011-08-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

Wow! Has it really been over a month since I last posted?? July was my busiest month yet, but I still scrapped a ton! I didn't do a bit of designing, although I'm sure that will pick back up with the STS colour challenge and blog train!

Here are my layouts from last month! I'll post all of my Christmas in July layouts tomorrow :D

My first Canada Day as a permanent resident was awesome and pretty emotional :)
Products: Canadian Eh? by Jen C Designs

My family trick-or-treating last year!
Products: Boo by Scraps 'N Pieces and Designs by Christi, and Cluster Me Templates by Meagan's Creations

My family trick-or-treating last year!
Products: Boo by Scraps 'N Pieces and Designs by Christi, and Cluster Me Templates by Meagan's Creations

My niece and her boyfriend. Don't they make an adorable couple? And wow, she looks SO much like me when I was 15!
Products: August 2011 Club Digital from Digital Scrapbook Place

Even though I wouldn't trade moving to Ontario for anything, I will admit that there's nothing quite like a Virginia sunset in the summer!!
Products: Summer Sunset mini kit by Meagan's Creations

My niece and her boyfriend again, enjoying a summer swim at his grandparents' place.
Products: Dreams Come True by Kiki Halbert Designs

This beautiful pond is located in a park very near our house. I am so blessed to live close to Canada's largest city and yet still be close to nature!
Products: My Garden and Beyond Value Collection and Beside the Pond by Lauren Bavin

My niece! She should be a model!
Products: August 2011 Club Digital by Digital Scrapbook Place

My gorgeous niece, who never fails to inspire me.
Products: Photographers' Essentials Mega Kit by the designers at Digital Scrapbook Place

Autumn 2009 was so beautiful!
Products: Gilded Journey by Lauren Bavin

The exciting beginning and the blessed finish in my journey on the road to Canada.
Products: Are We There Yet by Meagan's Creations

Thanks for visiting! Happy scrapping!

July BAK and one heck of a cute kit!

2011-07-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's that time of month again when a whole new set of Build-a-Kit stuff is released at Stuff to Scrap! This month's items are very down-home and sweet. If you love gardening and farming, you'll LOVE them!

I had the pleasure of working with MDK Scraps' adorable "Home Grown" papers and elements, and I just adore them! Here's what they look like (previews are linked to store):

Here's my layout:

It's about my first residence in Canada, the one I first came to and fell in love with when I was merely a visitor. This place holds some wonderful memories!

Don't forget this awesome deal!

Happy Scrapping and have a great long weekend, Americans and Canadians! <3

Outta Control, a new STS release by Meagan's Creations!

2011-06-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys, I meant to post this yesterday upon the kit's release. Meagan put this kit up on Scrapable several months ago, but now that she's leaving the site, she's just released it to Stuff to Scrap!! Outta Control is an adorable kit for scrapping the guys in your life (and the girls, too!). It's got some awesome elements including stars, gears, and funky stitches, and some seriously awesome papers. Check it out (preview links to the store):

Here's a layout I did with this kit. It's my nephew Gage:

Cute, eh?? Grab this kit now while it's 50% off! :D

New Kit by Meagan's Creations: For Better or Worse

2011-06-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Meagan's Creations has released a GORGEOUS new kit today called For Better or Worse. It's a great wedding kit full of blues, browns, and sweet elements. I LOVE the adorable dress and tux elements, the little photorealistic white bird, and the champagne glasses that I used in my layout. This kit is currently 50% off, so grab it now!

Here is my layout! I scrapped our 2009 wedding day. I incorporated the AWESOME alpha into our last name.

Happy Scrapping!

Say Goodbye to Meagan's Creations at Scrapable!

2011-06-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

That's right, Meagan's Creations is leaving Scrapable at the end of this month! Click the flyer to go score some deals...

Never fear!! Meagan will still be around at Stuff to Scrap! :)

Speaking of the lovely Meagan, she has a new kit releasing tomorrow that I am so excited to show you! :D

Happy Scrapping!

$2 Tuesday at Stuff to Scrap!

2011-06-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hey scrappers! This Tuesday Meagan's Creations has these deals in the $2 bin:

Click on the previews to go to the store!

New Stuff from Kiki Halbert & Meagan's Creations

2011-06-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is rather late in the day, but I spent the entire day--from morning until just a few minutes ago--with my friend and her sister at the Toronto Zoo :)

It's release day for new templates by both Meagan's Creations and Kiki Halbert! Plus, Kiki had a gorgeous kit release a few days ago and I'll show that off as well!

Tempting Starts: Mojo - Recherche by KH Designs
These templates are splendid, aren't they?? I've used one so far but will be using the others very soon!

My layout:

Here's the utterly sublime kit I used, also from Kiki:

And another layout I made with this kit:

Diagonal Daze Templates - Meagan's Creations
Even more amazing templates! They're so dynamic! These are available at both Stuff to Scrap and Scrapable!

My layout, also used with HD Creations' Totally Awesome kit:

I hope you go grab these templates (and that amazing kit) for your stash! You will NOT be disappointed!!

Happy Scrapping!

$2 Tuesday at Stuff to Scrap!

2011-06-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

t's Tuesday again! And that means another great $2 deal at Stuff to Scrap! Today Meagan's Creations and MDK Scraps have these kits available for you:

Enjoy 33% savings! You can check out other products in the $2 bin HERE.

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

P.S. Yes I know, I didn't post Layout Stack Sunday again. I was out all weekend with no internet access!!

June Build-a-Kit and TSGT at Stuff to Scrap!

2011-06-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

LOOKING FOR MY JUNE BLOG TRAIN POST? CLICK *HERE*

There are some REALLY cute kits this month, so grab them while they're hot! Here's two layouts I made with MDK Scraps' Lots of Giggles elements and papers:

Also, hurry and sign up for STS's This Scrapper's Got Talent! Sign-ups are limited to 100 participants, and there's already not much room left. It's going to be a blast and I can't wait to see the challenges!

Have a great weekend and happy scrapping!

June Blog Train at STS

2011-05-31T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hi! Sorry there was no Layout Stack Sunday! I had new layouts for CT work, but as the kits aren't released yet, I can't post them! So there will be a new post on Sunday with great new stuff. I hope you'll be inspired.

Now, onto the free stuff! Here is the latest blog train from Stuff to Scrap! This month's theme is "Bouncin' Beachballs" and has a great colour scheme. I've seen previews of many of the kits offered on this train, and they're absolutely perfect for summer!

My contribution...

Download Elements
Download Papers

-- Scroll down to find your next stop on the train! --
Memories by Digital Design
Farrah Smith Designs
Long's Life & Loki
Ányi + a digitális scrapbooking
Nanascraps
Queen Bee Scraps
Scrappin Ninnie
Growing Pains Scrapped
Saphira's Scrapdesign
Melissa's Scraps and More
The Digi Scrapping Mama
scraphannah
Scrappin Serenity
Let Me Scrapbook!
Mommy Me Time Scrapper
Digi-designs by Nicole
Adriana's Cafe
The Scrappy Kat
Scraps by Andrea
Lovely Creations
Note-able Scraps
Scraps N Pieces
MDK Scraps
Always Be Neighbors Designs
Designs by Snowlady
Shel Belle Scraps
HD Creations
Sweet Maple <-- YOU ARE HERE
Rainamoon Scraps
AmyDane Designs
danajscraps-a-lot
Jensen Motley Crew Designs
Lindsey's Digital Scrapbook
A Fish Design
-------

Happy Scrapping!

New Stuff from Kiki Halbert

2011-05-23T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hi there! Kiki Halbert's got some REALLY cute new products out at Funky Playground Designs. Check out this cute little kit, Princess Minuet, which is great for scrapping anything feminine!

Here's the layout I made with this sweet kit!

Also, check out Kiki's colourful Foiled You elements!

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

Layout Stack Sunday

2011-05-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

Used: Totally Awesome by HD Creations
The Story: My husband and I are the same age, and we didn't live far from each other when we were little. We had a lot of similarities as children of the 80's and early 90's.

Used: Spumoni Gardens FREE Sampler by JMC Designs
The Story: This is a cute pic of my niece Becky's and her friend's shadows.

Used: May 2011 Club Digital by the designers at Digital Scrapbook Place
The Story: This photo was taken in my sister's car before I was taken to the airport. It was the day that I was going home to Canada, to my husband!

Used: Hook and Needle by Flower Scraps
The Story: I took up crochet in 2010, and I LOVE it! The right-hand photo is a work in progress that I was creating for one of my nieces last Christmas.

Used: Enjoy Life and Hello Spring by MDK Scraps
The Story: I did this for a song lyric challenge at STS. These particular lyrics are very meaningful to me and the person I was when I first met my husband. I wasn't sure I could love again, if I even deserved to love again after the damage my previous relationship had dealt on me, but he showed me that I could.

Used: Rock Steady by Nicole Young
The Story: Yes, you are seeing double. I did scrap this photo twice for two different challenges! This challenge was at DSP.

Used: Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows and Tempting Starts 2 Templates by Kiki Halbert.
The Story: Last February, my youngest niece turned 6. To celebrate her birthday, she got taken to the city skating rink and had a really good time.

The following pages were all made with various (and no longer available) kits from the Stuff to Scrap October '10 Colour Challenge, as well as the kit Thankful from Delicious Scraps (which, thankfully, IS still available). The story behind them is my very last Thanksgiving in Virginia with my family, over a week after my immigration finished processing and just under a month before I landed in Canada as a permanent resident. It was an incredibly special day for me, to say the least, and very exciting not only because of the holiday but what was to come! The last layout is the mini dinner that my mom and I made the day after Thanksgiving, just so we could say we had leftovers. LOL

Enjoy Life by MDK Scraps

2011-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hi! I hope those of you Canadians are enjoying your long weekend; I know I am. I'm hoping to go to Kensington Market and maybe see some fireworks on Victoria Day! Those will be great scrap pages :)

I want to show you how awesome MDK Scraps' new Enjoy Life kit is, which came out just yesterday. Sweet warm weather elements combined with more vibrant colours? Just like Hello Spring, this kit is now one of my FAVOURITES for spring and summer scrapping, and really any theme.

Enjoy Life has 24 papers, 47 elements, and one full alpha. It's also S4O/S4H friendly! (Preview linked to store)

Here are my layouts that I did with this kit!

Here is your freebie! This time it's a quickpage. Click the preview or here to download.

Happy Scrapping!

Hello Spring by MDK Scraps

2011-05-17T13:16:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! I've just gotten to work with MDK Scraps' vibrant Hello Spring kit, and let me tell you about it!

This kit is SO much fun. You can't help but feel your spirits lifted when you look at it. I adore all of the flower elements, the birds, the tree, and the mushrooms. The colours are warm and bright and the brad-like alpha is just adorable! This is one of the most awesome spring kits I have ever owned!!

Hello Spring has 22 papers, 47 elements, and a cute upper-case alpha complete with numbers. It's also S4O/S4H friendly! (Previews linked to store)

There is also a free add-on that goes with the kit!

Here are a couple of layouts I did. I scrapped my niece Becky; the photos were taken in April 2002 in my backyard. Becky and I came to our house every day after school, so we had a lot of time to bond and play together despite that I'm 12 years older than her. You're never too old to play ;)

I really like the tan papers as backdrops against all of the bright elements!

And here is a cluster frame freebie just for you! Click the preview or here to download.

In other blog-related news, I PROMISE that Layout Stack Sunday will be returning as soon as possible. I have lots of layouts to show you now!!!

Happy Scrapping!

A Mother's Touch by MDK Scraps

2011-05-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! Guess what?? I am now a proud CT member for MDK Scraps! How exciting is this? I'm posting to introduce you to her latest kit: A Mother's Touch.

Mothers Day is now past, but I'm sure you have some brand-new photos to scrap from that special day! Or maybe you have older photos that you haven't scrapped yet. Well, look no further than this beautiful kit. It's great for scrapping a lot of other subjects, such as nature, children, pets, and so much more.

A Mother's Touch has 17 papers, 37 elements, and a lower-case alpha. It's also S4O/S4H friendly! (Previews linked to store)

Here's a QP set for you fans of quick pages!

Here are a couple of Mothers Day layouts I made for my mom with this kit. She was asking for layouts of me as a child.

And here is a cluster freebie for you! Click the image or here to download. Today is the LAST DAY of the 40% off sale at Stuff to Scrap, so grab this kit while it's hot!

Happy Scrapping!

STS May Blog Train

2011-04-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, it's time for another blog train from STS. Here is my contribution for this month. I love the colour scheme!

Download Here (41.71mb)

Hope you enjoy my kit! Scroll down to find your next stop on the train. Happy scrapping!

Sprouting Seeds Studio
Scraps by Andrea
Growing Pains Scrapped
Note-able Scraps
Just For Fun Designs
Flower Pot Designs
scraphannah
Sweet Maple <-- YOU ARE HERE
A Fish Design
Long's Life & Loki
Farrah Smith Designs
JMC Designs
AmyDane Designs
Christins Creations
CutieFruity
The Scrappy Kat
Saphira's Scrapdesign
The Queen of All Wild Things Scraps
Scrappin Serenity
Designs by Snowlady
Memories by Digital Design
Queen Bee Scraps
Let Me Scrapbook!
Lindsey's Digital Scrapbook
Brenian Designs
Always Be Neighbors Designs
Sweet Creations
Seal Scraps
Flower Scraps
Scraps N Pieces
Scrappin Ninnie
Purple Bokeh

Stuff to Scrap's 2nd Birthday is Coming!!

2011-04-29T18:35:00.001-07:00

Please join in on the fun! The more, the merrier! :)

Kiki Halbert's Promo Team Call

2011-04-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! I hope you all have been having a great April and any holidays that you celebrate. I had a really nice Easter dinner at home with family and one of my good friends. I totally stuffed myself on dinner and chocolate, and it was so worth it. I apologize for once again missing Layout Sunday... I'm so terrible!

I know I haven't blogged about this yet, but I am now a proud member of Kiki Halbert's CT!!! I've been working with a few of her gorgeous kits and I'm in love with her style. You can find her stores hereand here.

Here's the first kit I got to work with. It's for "The Fix" for April at Digiscrap Addicts.

My layout:

Another kit I've gotten to play with:

My layout:

I wanted to share with you guys that Kiki is having a promo team call right now! Check it out:

So get your emails in now to get the chance to work with her! She is a great lady :)

Happy Scrapping! Don't forget that the May Blog Train at STS is coming up soon and I have a pretty spring kit for your scrapping pleasure.

Mary

New products by Digi-designs by Nicole

2011-04-14T08:13:00.001-07:00

Nicole at Digi-designs by Nicole has a fabulous new kit called "Rainy Days & Rainbows". It's full of vibrant colours and adorable elements that are perfect for scrapping springtime photos, and it's versatile enough to scrap everyday pics as well! Check out her latest blog post about the collection and to get inspired by what her CT has done!

Here are the great products available at 30% off this week only:

Nicole is running a little contest, too. Blog about this great kit, link your blog in the comments of her latest entry, and you could win any of the above "Rainy Days & Rainbows" products above!

Happy scrapping!

Layout Sunday + Free Kit for April Only!

2011-04-10T06:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Sunday, everyone! It's been a busy week here, so I only have ONE layout to show for it. ONE. It was made with Lauren Bavin's Golden Horizons page kit, and the photo belongs to my friend Nicole who vacationed in Jamaica this past winter. Lauren even made this layout her Pick of the Pack this week, which is a first for me!

It feels really nice to be able to scrap at will now, but Layout Stack Sunday might just be called Layout Sunday sometimes, LOL.

Stuff to Scrap's April Colour Challenge is a vibrant scheme of red, turquoise, green, chocolate, and cream. Here is the kit I made for it! It is FREE until May 1, so hurry and grab it now!

Download (33.05mb)

I will soon be bringing you news about my Scrap 4 Hire business that I'll be starting here right on this blog. So stay tuned if you want to know more!

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

Layout Stack Sunday

2011-04-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

***LOOKING FOR MY BLOG TRAIN CONTRIBUTION? CLICK HERE***

State of Virginia Quick Click by Elizabeth Weaver; various DSP kits

Used: Blowing in the Wind 2 by Christine Gundersen (DSP)

Used: Fantasia's Charm by Nicole Young, All You Need is Love by Heidi Kuester (DSP)

Used: Rainbow Crossing Value Collection by Erica Belton (DSP)

Used: Ambience by Digi-designs by Nicole (STS)

Used: Club Digital April 2011 by the designers at DSP

Used: Love You a Latte by Tina Chambers (DSP)

I tried my hand at art journaling, which I LOVE. There are really no set rules to this but to simply express yourself. Used: various kits at DSP by Lauren Bavin, Erica Belton, and Nicole Young at Digital Scrapbook Place

My niece was a cheerleader from kindergarten to 4th grade. Used: Let's Go Cheer from Scraps of Fun - Sports CD from DSP.

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

DSP's 7th Birthday!

2011-04-01T16:55:00.001-07:00

***LOOKING FOR MY BLOG TRAIN CONTRIBUTION? CLICK HERE***

----

It's Digital Scrapbook Place's Scraptacular 7 Birthday Bash, and they want you to help celebrate it! Check here for all the challenges (especially my Layout of 3's challenge for Day 3 *wink*), and for updates to the amazing sales taking place every day this week!

Here's what's on sale today:

Kits that start with A
Kits that start with B
Groupies
Value Collections

AND there are five kits on sale for 99 cents, and these kits will be different every day this week!! Wow!

A 24 hour chat begins tonight at midnight. There will be lots of chatting, scrapping, and even prizes! Be sure to register and come join us. We won't bite, I promise! :)

April Blog Train

2011-03-31T08:04:00.001-07:00

Hi guys! Here's my contribution for the latest blog train at Stuff to Scrap. I love this month's because it's reading-themed, and one of my favourite things to do is read.

Download

Here are the rest of your stops on the blog train! Since I'm posting this several hours early, some of the links may not be up yet, so keep checking!

Shel Belle Scraps
Scrapalicious Cereal
Longs' Life & Loki
quiltifications
Pixiepics and Scraps
Queen Bee Scraps
Just For Fun Designs
Scraps N Pieces - Lori
Christin's Creations
Sweet Maple <-- YOU ARE HERE
Sweet Creations
Memories by Digital Design
The Scrappy Kat
Mommy and Wife
Lindsey's Digital Scrapbook
Saphira's Scrapdesign
Brenian Designs
Flower Pot Designs
MDK Scraps
The Queen of All Wild Things
3 Li'l Monsters Designs
Sprouting Seeds Studio
Let Me Scrapbook!
Designs By Snowlady
Scrappin Ninnie
Adriana's Cafe
A Fish Design
The Scrapping Sisters
Flower Scraps
AmyDane Designs

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

New FREE Kit - Storm Season

2011-03-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

I promised I would get this kit up for you today, and here it is! It's called Storm Season and is perfect if you love storms or have storm damage or storm cloud photos to scrap like I do. It has 8 papers and 16 elements and is S4H friendly!

Download

Hope you enjoy this freebie! Happy scrapping! :)

Layout Stack Sunday

2011-03-27T10:02:00.001-07:00

Hi guys! Sorry I didn't get my newest free kit up yesterday; my husband and I were really busy making food and getting ready for our close friend Kent's birthday potluck dinner, so I didn't have any time whatsoever. I promise that I will post it tomorrow. It's kind of an unusual kit in that I haven't really seen anything like it before, except for a kit that's about to retire at STS. If you love thunderstorms and/or have storm damage or storm cloud pictures to scrap, it will be the perfect kit for you!

Now onto the layouts!

A page for my Book of Me!
Used: Lakeside Value Collection by Erica Belton and Wishing Pool by Lauren Bavin

Used: Shades of Green Kit 1 by Meryl Bartho

Used: Sky Scape Quick Click, Snow Queen and Winter Woods Two, all by Carole Harden

Used: Imagene Doll kit and matching Add On Pack by Teresa Loman

I just realized that I only have one more page to go to complete my "things I love about the seasons" series :)
Used: Spring Blooms Value Collection by Lauren Bavin and Floral Page Borders by Robyn Gough

Used: Lavender Spring B by CarolAnn Gary

Used: Lift Off Groupie of Five Quick Click and Clean & Fresh Alpha by Meryl Bartho, Paper Butterflies by Robyn Gough, Floral Medley by Erica Belton

Used: A Peaceful Place by Heidi Kuester

Used: A La Pink Value Collection by Kim Liddiard

Used: Smoochy Doo by Nicole Young

Used: New Life by Flower Scraps @ STS (kit is retiring in a few days, so go grab it now!!)

Used: It's My Party by Flower Scraps @ STS (kit is retiring in a few days, so go grab it now!!)

Happy Scrapping!

Sale Reminder

2011-03-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to check out Stuff to Scrap's Retiring Soon sale if you haven't yet! All of these items, along with tons of others, disappear on the 31st!! Here's what I snagged, most of them for a dollar (some were 75 cents)...

Sunday is Layout Stack Sunday, and Monday I will have a new free kit for you! Then on April 1st will be my kit for the latest STS blog train.

Happy Scrapping!

CU Colour Schemes

2011-03-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Oops, looks like I forgot about Layout Stack Sunday again!! I think I need to set a reminder for myself, ugh! At least this Sunday I'll have even more layouts to post. IF I REMEMBER!!!

I'm still planning to show you all what I got in the Stuff to Scrap sales, especially all of the one-dollar kits that retire at the end of this month. I absolutely love everything I've gotten! I just wish I could have gotten it all :)

I've whipped up a set of ten colour schemes for your use. You can do whatever with them! Personal use, commercial use, scrap for hire, and virtually anything else. I hope you can get some use out of them! Click to go to the full-size image (they're all in one .png file) and download.

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

New Kit!

2011-03-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

If you're in the northern hemisphere, you're probably like me and are SO ready for spring! I made this kit for the STS March Colour Challenge. After the continuous white and grey and cold of winter, I was eager to hop on these springy colours. It is S4H friendly and drop shadows are on the preview only!

Download

Also, remember *this post*? I found out today that I won those three kits! HOORAY!!! I'm so excited to work with them! Thanks Nicole!

Hopefully tomorrow I'm going to show off everything I've gotten in Stuff to Scrap's latest sales. Head on over and check them out before they're over!

Since I forgot to show off my latest layouts last Sunday, I'll wait until this week. I've been so busy scrapping this month! I guess I kicked into high gear knowing that I have just a couple weeks left on the DET.

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

March Lifespirations

2011-03-08T18:51:00.001-08:00

I've been neglecting this for a while, but I'm getting back on track now!

March Lifespirations

What are Lifespirations? Well, when you're scrapping your personal Book of Me and creating a legacy for yourself and future generations, it can be a bit overwhelming at times to jog up all of your memories and feelings. Lifespirations are those helpful little jogs that often coincide with the month they're posted in. You can use one lifespiration or you can use them all to create special layouts for your book! And the best part is, you can just write about it if you don't have any photos on hand.

If you don't want to scrap right away, answer these on paper and write down all the little feelings and memories you experience, and then you can scrap them later!

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? If so, is there anything special you do or used to do to celebrate?

Do you have any Irish heritage? Whether you do or not, now's the time to scrap whatever heritage you have! This is a great mega kit to use for heritage scrapping.

What memories do you have of spring? What's your favourite thing about this season?

Happy scrapping in your Book of Me!

Layout Stack Sunday + New Free Kit

2011-03-06T15:46:00.000-08:00

LOOKING FOR MY MARCH BLOG TRAIN POST? CLICK **HERE**!
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Hi guys! How do you like my new blog look? I really like how it's less cluttered and hopefully takes less time to load up. I loved my last layout, but it was time for something new and fresh for springtime.

Here are my layouts for this week! I've been pretty busy, eh? All products are from Digital Scrapbook Place unless otherwise stated.

Winter in Thornhill can be a very beautiful, peaceful time. I'm not a fan of winter whatsoever, though!
Products: Dresden Blues Value Collection by Lauren Bavin

My mom and uncle when they were kids! They were living in an apartment over the restaurant that was run by my dad's family... Yep, my parents met when they were just children!!
Products: Genealogy Mega Kit by the DSP Designers

My Sweet 16 in July 2000. It seems so long ago, yet at the same time feels like yesterday!
Products: Just Plain Sweet by Teresa Loman

My husband's best friend and his girlfriend.
Products: Be My Valentine by Robyn Gough

My niece and her boyfriend! They're too cute to NOT scrap!
Products: Doodle Girl 2 by Nicole Young

A recent get-together we had with friends to play board games and celebrate a friend's birthday.
Products: March 2011 Club Digital by the DSP Designers

One of my greatest loves: the ocean. Pic taken in Virginia Beach, May 2004.
Products: Driftwood by Carole Harden

Bellydancing is one of my dearest passions that I intend upon rekindling now that I've settled in Canada.
Products: Exotic Delight Value Collection by CarolAnn Gary

A page about my infancy for my Book of Me.
Products: Minty Fresh by Christine Gundersen

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And here's my latest free kit, Shana, in honour of one of my dear friends that I met on DSP! Her favourite colour is purple :)

Download

Enjoy! :)

STS Retirement Sale!

2011-03-02T15:08:00.000-08:00

Stuff to Scrap is having a HUGE retirement sale! Woohoo!

Here's what I've decided to get so far:

I'm going to get two or three more, though I wish I could get the entire store! :)

In other Stuff to Scrap news, the site is also welcoming five new designers, all of whom won spots in the recent Designer Darling contest. I can't wait to see their products in store! Congrats, girls!

In DSP news, the Digital Elite Team contest to find Team 13 is in full swing. It's hard to believe that I was competing at this time last year! I can't believe a year has passed already and my last day is on the 31st of this month. Wow. It's truly been an amazing experience.

STS March Blog Train

2011-02-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! I found time to participate in a blog train again! This month the theme is "March of the Animals", and there's some really cute kits out there. I made some animal-print papers for you. They are 300ppi and are okay for both personal use and scrap for hire! :) Hope you have fun with these!

Download

Continue on the next stop on the blog train and collect all the cute stuff waiting just for you!

Stuff to Scrap
Memories by Digital Design
Scraps by Andrea
Brianna's Scrapper
Christin's Creations
Luna Rosa's Scraps
Designs by Snowlady
Sprouting Seeds Studio
Adriana's Cafe
Lindsey's Digital Scrapbook
Shel Belle Scraps
In The Small Things
Sweet Creations
Flower Pot Designs
Brenian Designs
Lily of the Field Designs
Seal Scraps
Scraps N Pieces
AmyDane Designs
Scrappin Serenity
The Queen of All Wild Things
Growing Pains Scrapped
B2N2 Scraps
Sweet Maple Designs <--YOU ARE HERE
The Scrappy Kat
Let Me Scrapbook!
Long's Life & Loki
Saphira's Scrapdesign
A Fish Design
Melissa's Scraps and More
Scrapalicious Cereal
Pixiepics and Scraps
The Scrapping Sisters

I want to win these!!

2011-02-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!

Nicole at Digi-Designs by Nicole is having a contest! To enter this contest, I had to pick three of my favourite kits from her store and blog about them. The blogging part is easy, but picking three of my faves isn't! Gah!! I finally narrowed it down to these.

Ambience

This kit is one of my faves because of the fab colour scheme and its great versatility. I LOVE those peaches and blues together! You can scrap just about anything with this kit and while I love themed products, I also love things that I can use over and over again with different themes, seasons, and photos.

Autumn Love

Like I don't have enough autumn kits, right? But I can't get enough of them! This one is gorgeous, done with the rich warm hues of the season mixed with a sweet light blue. I love the word art, the owl, and the heart tree the most! I can see myself scrapping many autumn memories that now come to mind.

Shake It

I cannot resist bright colours, so this kit just drew me right in with its funky rainbow and fun attitude. This is another fairly versatile kit, though perfect for weightloss or exercise photos! I'd be scrapping a multitude of stuff with this one.

Nicole's Store
Nicole's Blog
Nicole's Facebook Page

New Layouts

2011-02-14T16:48:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! I think life is starting to settle down just enough for me to feel like I can breathe and really start enjoying scrapping and creating again :) I have one full month left on the DET, and while it's been truly amazing and an honour to be on two consecutive teams, I'll be glad for the release.

I know I haven't done any colour palettes in ages, and I haven't done a couple months of the Lifespirations. I HOPE to get back to regularly updating with both again! I've also been creating quite a stash of CU products so I can make nicer kits and hopefully sell them.

I'll be changing my blog layout, so please forgive any weird bangs and crashes going on!

Here are some new layouts to inspire! All products used are from Digital Scrapbook Place unless otherwise stated.

Used: Pursuit of Silence 2 by Erica Belton

Used: Genevieve by Elizabeth Weaver

My niece and her boyfriend! Used: X's and O's by Christine Gundersen

Used: Winter Woods 2 by Carole Harden

Used: I'm in Love Mega Kit

Used: February 2011 Club Digital

Used: Remember the Year Value Collection by Tina Chambers

Happy Scrapping!
Mary

New Kit and Layouts!

2011-01-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

Hi there, scrapping friends!

Wow, long time no see, everyone! Yikes. December and January have truly been whirlwind months for me, which is why I've been absent from this blog. In December I officially immigrated to Canada and became a Permanent Resident, and I spent the remainder of the month catching up and celebrating being home. This month has been just as busy, but now I'm finally settling in and will be updating more frequently again!

What else is new? I'm being published in Somerset Digital Studio again, and I'm currently Featured Member over at Memory Makers! Wow! I'm so honoured about both :)

I have a new mini kit for you, created for the January Colour Challenge at STS. It's great for Valentine's Day scrapping! Drop shadows are not included.

Download at Mediafire

What's coming next? New kits, of course, with new and improved items :) I will also be releasing a few sets of templates in PNG and PSD form that will be PU/S4H/CU. And, of course, Lifespirations for your Book of You for February! Stay tuned!

-------

Here's a bunch of layouts that I did through December and this month for the Digital Elite Team. All products are from Digital Scrapbook Place unless specified otherwise.

Used: Dreaming of White Value Collection by Robyn Gough, What a Month - December Quick Click by Erica Belton

Used: Blingle Bells - Hot Stuff Value Collection by Meryl Bartho

Used: Travel Mega Kit

Used: January 2011 Club Digital

Used: Ginger Value Collection and Bokeh - Magic Places 12x12 Overlays by Elizabeth Weaver

Used: Funky Teenscape 1 by Nicole Young, King Me Stamps by Elizabeth Weaver

Used: Golden Holiday by Marcee Duggar

Used: Discombobulated by Teresa Loman, Kate Overlay by Elizabeth Weaver, Notepaper Alpha by Meryl Bartho

Used: My Teen Value Collection by Carole Harden

Used: Violet Frost by CarolAnn Gary

Used: Winter Prelude Value Collection by Erica Belton

Used: Magic in the Air by Tina Chambers, Wordee Christmas by Marcee Duggar

Used: Lightly Bright by Lauren Bavin

Happy Scrapping!

Update to My Previous Post

2010-12-06T18:34:00.000-08:00

It has come to my attention that my kits have been getting skipped because of 4shared's increasingly long download wait. I fully understand your frustration, because I've been there. Hoo boy, have I been there. The site is extremely annoying and the wait is getting longer and longer, and I apologize for its inconvenience. Unfortunately, as a non-professional designer, there are very few uploading options for me to use.

With that being said, I am now going to offer my designs on two different hosts. I'll continue to upload to 4shared, but I'm now going to upload to Mediafire as well. I'm aware that Mediafire has a lot of popups, but I have experienced very few when using Google Chrome. It might be a better option for you all than 4shared, but you'll have to pick your poison ;)

I have updated my last post, with the three Christmas-themed kits, with their brand-spankin'-new Mediafire links. I hope they're faster for you!!

-Mary

Happy Holidays! 3 New Free Kits!

2010-11-30T13:36:00.001-08:00

Ho ho ho, digiscrappers! It's that time again for holly, jolly times and hustling and bustling. Christmastime is my FAVOURITE time of the year, and so I have THREE free Christmas-themed kits for you.

My download links never expire. Kits are always free!

* December Blog Train at STS *

Download at 4Shared
Download at Mediafire
*Note: this kit has a slightly different name on Mediafire; it's because I forgot to fix the file name :) It's still the same Holiday Cheer kit!!

Now jump to the next stop on the blog train! Expect all posts to be up by mid-day on the 1st due to various time zones.
Luna Rosa's Scraps
Shel Belle Scraps
Tricia's Treasures
Memories by Digital Design
Sweet Maple Diary <--YOU ARE HERE
Scraps by Andrea
Scrappin Serenity
The Scrappy Kat
Pixiepics and Scraps
Dewdrop Scraps
Scraps N Pieces
Sheri's Scraps
Seal Scraps
Cami Jo Scraps
Let Me Scrapbook!
Giggly Polkadots
Flower Scraps
Nanascraps
Mommy Me Time Scrapper
Long's Life and Loki
MdK Scraps
Saphira's Scrapdesign
Sweet Creations
Designs by Snowlady
Digital Harmony Design Studio
Get 2 Scrappin'

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* Worldwide Christmas Scrapbooking Freebies *

Download at 4shared
Download at Mediafire

And don't forget to head back on over to the Worldwide Christmas Scrapbooking Freebies blog to grab up the rest of the beautiful kits being offered this year! The designers have all done a great job just from what I can tell from the previews!

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* STS November Colour Challenge *

Download at 4shared
Download at Mediafire

I hope you all enjoy! I might be scarce this coming month but I will do my best to post some layouts and hopefully some more freebies :)

Happy Scrapping!

Lifespirations for December & Layouts!

2010-11-29T18:59:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! I hope you all (Americans, anyway ;)) had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and weekend. I celebrated it at my sister's house. She had a TWENTY SEVEN POUND TURKEY because there were eighteen people there for dinner! It was a wonderful evening. The following day, Mom and I had our own little intimate dinner because Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without leftovers! LOL.

Here are your December "Book of Me" Lifespiration prompts!

Choose one, choose two, choose all three for your Book of Me, the personal book of your life! This is YOUR book to scrap your memories and your life, and you can scrap it however you please. Any kits, any colours, anything you choose. Whether you use all photos, all journaling, or a mix of both, you're creating layouts that will make up your life's legacy in words and pictures.

{option one} What holiday do you celebrate? How do you celebrate it? Hanukkah, Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, you name it! Find a coordinating kit and use lots of journaling.

{option two} What is your favourite holiday memory from your childhood?

{option three} What are some holiday traditions in your family? Are there any new ones you've begun or would like to begin with your own family?

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And now here are some layouts :)

Used: I'm Thankful For... kit by The Scrappy Kat for a National Scrapbooking Day brag book challenge this past month.

A layout about how neon nights make me feel alive when I felt so dead.
Used: Neon Nights by Erica Belton

Used: Fly South Element Pack by Scrapalicious Cereal; red paper is from Scraps by Andrea's Bountiful Blessings mini kit and the beige paper is from Jolly Kids Creations Indian Summer mini kit, both from the October Color Challenge at STS.

My lovely niece when she was only four years old. THAT WAS TEN YEARS AGO AAHHH where has the time gone??
Used: Daisy Mae by Heidi Kuester

Used: Winter Bliss VC by Marcee Duggar

Used: Tried and True VC by Kim Liddiard

My father's mother and her sisters, all three of whom I'm named after :)
Used: Red Threads VC by Lauren Bavin

Used: iColor Red by Jenesis Design

Happy Scrapping! Come back tomorrow evening for THREE new free kits, all of which are Christmas themed!

The Evolution of a Digital Element

2010-11-15T16:45:00.001-08:00

While creating elements for one of my Christmas-themed kits to be released next month, I thought it would be fun to show how a couple of the elements evolved in Photoshop!

Here's a Santa hat:

And here's a Christmas tree:

I hope you enjoyed :) I can't wait to post the three Christmas kits! I'm having so much fun with them!

Happy Scrapping!

Layout Stack Sunday

2010-11-07T10:32:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! I'm currently working on three--yes, THREE--Christmas items for your holiday scrapping pleasure. One is for the November Colour Challenge at STS, one is for the December Blog Train at the same, and the third is for the Worldwide Christmas Scrapbooking Freebies which will go live on December 1st. But in the meantime, here are a whole bunch of layouts!

Used: November 2010 Club Digital (DSP)
2010 has definitely been a year of me discovering my authenticity and finding myself. It hasn't been a spectacular year, but it's been one of reflection, discovery, and truth.

Used: I Have Many Blessings by Tina Chambers
I definitely have many blessings, whether they're disguised, tiny, or very obvious.

Used: Time and Season Collection by CarolAnn Gary and Urban Metal word art by Tina Chambers
I want the forever kind of happiness, the kind that is always soft and warm inside me, chasing away darkness, reveling in the simplicities as well as the big things in life.

Used: Scraps of Fun - Animal Friends CD
My sweet tabby, Spike. He's twenty five pounds of pure love!

Used: A Fine Fall VC by Carole Harden
I love this collection. And yes, I already used this photo in the Blessings layout above. But it was perfect for what I wanted to do!

Used: Orange Flip by Christine Gundersen and Fall for All Groupies by Heidi Kuester
My niece and my nephew doing some pumpkin hunting!

The following layouts for STS have kits that aren't linked simply because they were mini kits created for the October Colour Challenge and aren't in store (yet, anyway) :)

Used: Autumn Blessings by Flower Scraps
This is a page for my Book of Me. The quote is as follows:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” -- Marianne Williamson

Used: We Give Thanks by Scrappin' Serenity, Applelicious by Just So Scrappy, Indian Summer by Jolly Kids Creations, Bountiful Blessings by Scraps by Andrea, and Thankful by M.D.K. Scraps
My younger niece and her boyfriend carving silly things into the pumpkins the Saturday before Halloween.

Used: Baby It's Cold Outside Add-On for International Digital Scrapbooking Day festivities
My niece (biological sister, actually) and her adorable son having a special moment.

Used: Apple Spice (retired STS kit) and Thankful by M.D.K. Scraps
As soon as Apple Spice entered the Retired bin at only a dollar, I knew I had to grab it and scrap my favourite things about autumn, which in turn is my favourite season!