New “My Heart” Digital Scrapbooking Kit

I usually don’t particularly get into the whole Valentine’s Day “thing” but I have to admit it is really fun to play with hearts….and PINK! LOL! This is a kit I have been working on, and I must say this is my absolute favorite!

Here is the full kit available to purchase. Unfortunately I can’t get the darn PayPal cart working on here, so for now you can purchase at my ShopHandmade shop HERE

This is an add-on to the full kit, which you can download for free HERE!
And here is a QuickPage created with the kit that you can only get by participating in the January Digital Challenge at Ch{all}enge Masters. Entries must be in by midnight EST on Sunday, January 31st!

Lake Days 2009 layouts

I have been passing by these photos in my stack for months and I finally made myself get them scrapped! These were all done with sketches from the Sketch A Thon at Scrap-Friendzy. They have been helping me get SO much done this month, and have been getting me to scrap photos I have been putting off for ages! So, here are my 3 layouts that I got done of all our Lake Days photos….

This one was done using a sketch by Chelsea at Sketch Inspiration. While we were watching the parade the people from the Nanaimo bathtub race float came over and lifted their bathtub boat over Austin so that he was in the boat with the pirate. He thought this was pretty cool!!

This one was done using a sketch from Page Maps. Austin loves watching parades, he love to wave at everyone and have them wave back to him :)

This is a two-pager done using another sketch from Page Maps….I rotated it for the second page to fit the orientation of my photos. Austin had loads of fun playing all the games with grandma, and went home with a few little prizes.

Reminiscing

I have been thinking about my grandpa (papa) a lot lately, though I am not sure why. I sure do miss him :( So, I pulled out these photos and did a little scrap therapy….

This layout I did for Valerie’s title challenge at Sassy Scrappers….my papa was definitely full of life! I also used a sketch from Scrap-Friendzy’s Super Sketch A Thon (Sketch by Liz Chidester at The Scrappiest)

This one is a portrait photo of me, my grandma and my papa. I am not sure what year this was take, I have to double check with my mom, so I will replace the ? with a number eventually, lol!! This was done for the January Scraplift Challenge at Ch{all}enge Masters.

This last one is not about my papa, and does not go nearly as far back, but it goes back a couple of years, to some very happy and fun times that I really miss sometimes! The photos are of Austin and Stevie lying in bed reading bedtime stories. It was done for the January Sketch challenge at Ch{all}enge Masters.

Happiness

Happiness is a word that has been on my mind a lot lately, so I knew right away when I checked out the Altered Challenge at Ch{all}enge Masters that this was the word I would use!

Near the end of last year I came to the realization that if I was to be truly honest with myself, I would have to say that I was NOT happy. I had some unexpected and surprising help with this realization and I will be forever grateful to a certain someone for that help.  So, I started to make some changes, and to spend my time doing things, going places, seeing people that made ME happy! I have always been the person who puts themselves out to make someone else happy, and that is why I chose happiness as my word for 2010….this year I will take the time to make ME happy. The changes I made last year have been leading me down an adventurous, and mysterious path, and I am enjoying it, but I have to stop and remind myself at every fork in the road to take the path that will lead to my own happiness.  I hope the adventure continues!

Now, here is my altered frame with my word for the year: Happiness

The quote reads: Happiness is not something you postpone for the future, it is something you design for the present.  ~ Jim Rohn

While I was searching at ThinkExist for the “perfect” quote for my frame, I came across some other really great ones that struck a chord with me….

Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.
~ Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens

The greatest happiness is to transform one’s feelings into action.
~ Madame de Stael

Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of true happiness.
~ George Santayana

Of all forms of caution, caution in love is perhaps the most fatal to true happiness.
~ Bertrand Russell

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved.
~George Sand

I had SO much fun with this frame I think I might make another one, and maybe even another after that, to adorn my walls….my own personal motivational “posters” :)

Dance like no one’s watching!

I LOVE these photos of Austin almost as much as I loved witnessing the real deal! This kid loves to dance!! The children’s performers at the city square stage for Summer Festival last year were The Kerplunks and Austin had an absolute ball dancing around in front of the stage with all the other kids.

The layout was done for the Sketch-A-Thon at Scrap Friendzy (sketch by Liz Chidester of The Scrappiest)

January Digital Challenge

The first Ch{all}enge Masters Digital Challenge has been posted at Ch{all}enge Masters, so go on over and check it out! The color, recipe, art inspiration, blade masters, Book of We and Journaling challenges were also posted today so check those out as well!! Here are the three layouts I got done last night as examples for the challenge….

“Oh! So cute”
Overlay brush by Royanna Fritschman
Raspberry Ripple Kit & Alpha by stephster17designs (me)

“Barefoot in the park”
Mask and alpha by Royanna Fritschman
Background paper by stephster17designs

“Birthday”
Creative Chaos and Flea Market Couture kits by Royanna Fritschman

Another layout and another toot!

I got this layout done for another of the sketches at Scrap-Friendzy’s Sketch-A-Thon, (sketch by Alison Cope at Creative Scrappers) as well as the January Technique challenge at Ch{all}enge Masters to do some hand-stitching.

And speaking of Ch{all}enge Masters, I am so excited to be the new Digital Challenge Team Leader! Digital challenges will be posted every second Sunday of the month, starting tomorrow! Be sure to head on over and check out all of the new challenges being posted tomorrow!

Finally scrapping! And a toot!

I finally broke free of card & craft mode last night and created my first layout since I believe September! OMG, I think that is the longest I have ever gone without scrapping a layout, yikes! Not good. But, I’ve found all kinds of inspiration the last few days {with the help of my good friend Nessa ;) } and I am slowly workin’ back into my groove!

I created this layout for Valerie’s new Titles Challenge at Sassy Scrappers, and for a sketch challenge at Scrap-Friendzy’s Sketch-A-Thon that is going on all month long, with a new sketch posted every day! (this sketch by Pamela Young)

I’ve also been checking out the Ch{all}enge Masters site, after Janet pointed me in that direction, and can’t wait to get working on some of those challenges as well….first on my list is the word frame and OLW layout contest, I have just the word for me for this year!!

And now for my toot! I will be guest designing at My Sketch World for three months starting in February!! And I (stephster17designs) am the official “Graphic Designer” for MSW as well, they have a new look and I had such fun creating the new banner and blinkies for the site! I can’t wait to work with Lucy’s sketches and hang out with some of my old friends that I haven’t chatted with in ages!

Now, to get my monkey to bed and get back to scrappin’!!

On A Card-Making Roll!

I am finally getting some creativity accomplished! I have been on a card-making roll the last few nights, and am happy to say I have used up every last bit of some of my Christmas scraps…scraps I have had for three or four years! Here are some of the regular sized cards I have done…

This one was done for the “Bling It” Challenge at Stamp Something. I didn’t use much, but I did add a little rhinestone to the tip of her hat. The image is a digital stamp from Fred, She Said colored in with pencil crayons.

All of these cards were made with larger scraps that I had…and the ones below are where every last bit of the rest of those scraps went…3×3 mini cards…

New (old) Cards added to my shop!

I just finished moving all the cards from my ShopHandmade shop over to my artfire shop, and added a bunch more that I hadn’t got around to uploading yet. Not many Christmas cards yet, I’m saving those for my craft sales, so they should be up beginning of December.

Hoping to get my mini albums added on in the next few days…really hoping I figured out the shipping right!