Something Different

We're working hard at SBP to get our forum back up to speed. We've got lots of new challenges and a great kit is being offered free each month to everyone who completes 7 of the challenges.





This month, I'm doing the Something Different Challenge. Do you make digital ATCs? or have you ever wanted to try? This is the challenge for you then. I'm combining an ATC crop (held at 7pm EST Monday, January 14th in SBP's chatroom) with the challenge and an exchange. If you make one ATC and post it in the challenge gallery you've completed one of the 7 challenges needed to win the prize. Attend the crop to get some freebies to use in your ATCs (and keep me company). However, you don't have to attend the crop to play. I'm asking each participant who posts to the gallery to also send me a print quality (ie 300 dpi) version of the ATC you posted. At the end of the month, when the challenge is over, I'll put them all together, zip 'em up and send you the links so that you'll have a digital ATC collection started.





BTW - you don't have to use SBP kits to play (although we encourage it) - you can use any digital scrapbook kit or a digital kit made for ATCs like my Bits & Pieces _ Blue, which you can find here: http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&manufacturers_id=147&products_id=7536


Due to a glitch, the preview that should show large is actually the middle one below. Here's what you would find in the kit:

It includes 12 ATC sized backgrounds and 15 elements.

In the ad below, you will see 3 ATC's I made with the kit. Note: I used some additional items too.

Sure hope you will join me! After this, I'll host an ATC crop at 7pm the first Monday of evey month.

Layouts from last week

One of the things I did last week was create a set of 12 quickpages with my Happy Holly Days kit. Here's a preview of the set (just $3.50) which can be found at Scrapbookersplayground: http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&manufacturers_id=147&products_id=7693




This is an ATC I made with items from the kit:

Also made with Happy Holly Days is this LO featuring my nieces:

And this one with my grandson:

I've been doing a lot of scrapping with my nieces photos recently and while looking through the pics on a CD they gave me, I came across these old photos of my SIL's husband, Mark, and his brother David. I thought these photos, taken in 1865, were really cute so scrapped this page for thier mother using Exotic Prelude_Purple by Robin Ackler of SBP. (You can find her kit here:
http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&products_id=7004 )

I used the same kit to scrap this phot of Mark's second oldest daughter, Joanna, who is my husband's God-child.

I've had an opportunity to work with a lot of kits by the talented British hotelier/digital designer lately. The kit I used for the next two layouts is called "Marie" and is available to SBP:
http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&products_id=6975

Purple happened to be the favorite color of my MIL, Pauline, my SIL, Paula, and my niece, Joanna. Mama D doesn't like to have her photo taken much anymore but on the CD I was given, I found 2 photos I had to scrap and "Marie" was the perfect choice for them. In the first, below, you see Pauline in a natural, everyday pose. Don't you love those sweet floweer danglies Carol made?

Now the photo below was snapped by my nieces' paternal grandmother on a day when Pauline was clowning with her grand-daughters. I'm pretty sure the youngest two are responsible for the "hairdo." And yes, if you're wondering, my MIL is a real card. She has wonderful funny stories to tell about her and her sisters (&one brother) when they were growing up in Brooklyn.

Carol Burns' Rainbow_Green was used to scrap the two LOs below of my youngest niece, Kristina. If you look at this first photo, you'd assume Kristina is a little angel. Watch out though, because that sweet looking girl has a hot Sicilian temper!

Same kit, (found here:
http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&products_id=6997 ) & same niece. This was one of her birhtdays & that cake was created by my talented SIL who is a professional cake decorator.

Now a different look. These layouts were made from Carol Burns' "Black On White" kit founda at SBP: http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&products_id=7012

I call this one, "His Darling Daughters" and thhink Carol's kit sets off the vintage photo well.

I really like the curling leafy vine and the shape of these frames. Not quite sure yet what I'm going to put in this quickpage.

This is Black On White again used to set off some vintage postcards.

On the 12th day of Christmas . . .

Yes, I know - I have it wrong -- I'm a day off. Don't know what I was thinking when I started this a day early as it should end on Ephiphany, or Old Christmas as some people call it. But having started, I simply left my mis-timing alone and it's for the best since I need to take down the tree and decorations tomorrow.

For your Ephiphany gift, I made you a little mini kit that you can preview below:



Download here: http://www.4shared.com/file/34006328/30faaab0/AAOV_day12_Icy_mini.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

Hope you enjoy it.


Please note: 12 Days gifts will be removed on Saturday, so grab what you want now. Hugs!

Layouts from the last couple of weeks

Yes, I've scrapped a lot these last few weeks. Below are ATCs, card & layouts I didn't get a chance to post here because things were too hectic.

Left - ATC made with Wedding Story Part 2 by Sassy Designs (scrappbookersplayground)

Right: ATC made with Wedding Sotry 2 by Sassy Designs & vintage image from Bits & Pieces _ Yellow a series of digital ATC kits I'm making.

Above and below - page layouts made with Wedding Story 2 by Sassy Designs. You an find it here:
http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&manufacturers_id=66&products_id=6918

The layout below was made with Tranquil Breezes by Robin Ackler. Photos of my nephews, Bryan and Jason when they were much younger.

The layout below was also made with Tranquil Breezes and features a photo of my God-daughter, Rachel cropped from a photo that was otherwise uninteresting. I just loved her expression. Find Robins kit here:

http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&products_id=6957

I've been scrapping a lot of photos of my dear nieces. In the layout below, made with Cathie Alesia's Friendship 1, Kristina and Katherine examine the cake thier Mom created for their sister, Joanna's burthday. That's Joanna smiling below. You can find Cathie's kit here:

http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&products_id=6867

Same kit, used to scrap photos of my nieces' paternal grandparents.

Below is a layout for a vintage photo I really like. I used Carol Burns' Rainbow_Indigo to give it punch. You can find Carol's kit here:
http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=138
I really love how this page turned out. I used Carol's Indigo for neice Joanna since it looks very purple and that's her favorite color.


ATCs are such fun to make, no matter what medium you choose to use. Here's a digital one I made with Carol Burns' Faerieland kit:

And here's a page for a vintage photo made with the same kit:


Faerieland also made this cute invitation to a tea:

You can find the kit here:

http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.phpmain_page=product_scrapbook_info&manufacturers_id=138&products_id=6909

Here's another layout I'm especially pleased with. I used Robin Ackler's Perfectly Pink to create a layout that focuses attention on this sweet photo of my grandson's step-mother and her new-born daughter.

Using Perfectly Pink again, I made the layout below playing up what I thought of as a 70's look in the paper. I dug out old photos of myself from the 70's to scrap with it. You can find this kit here:
http://www.scrapbookersplayground.com/Cart/index.php?main_page=product_scrapbook_info&manufacturers_id=59&products_id=6955

Here are 2 ATCs I made with Perfectly Pink:

On the 11th day of Christmas . . .

SherryD of AAOV has a migraine! All I've got for you today are 11 curled ribbons (not all Christmas colors) like the one below. Hope you can use them.

Download here: http://www.4shared.com/file/33921245/1c6c1f23/day11.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

On the 9th & 10th days of Christmas, AAOV gave to me

All best plans can go astray. Sorry to be late with your gifts. Have been concerned about my brother who is in hospital (see post below if interested) and having a bout with insomnia and lower back pain.

Special thanks to the lovely artists of Ephemeral Victorian who provided the designer resources used to make these items (stocking and basic bow). I jazzed up some bows for you for day 9 and further embellished the lovely stocking from EV.

Download day nine here: http://www.4shared.com/file/33817808/a2b1d5e5/day9.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

I split day 10 into 2 previews for you as you see below:

Download the pretty stockings here: http://www.4shared.com/file/33817466/1a49a600/day10.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

Thinking of Thom

My brother, Thom, eight years my junior, is much on my mind today. He's been a chronic pain patient for over twenty years now as a result of an auto accident which injured his back. Multiple surgeries only complicated matters because the first couple were back when back surgery was much more invasive than it is today. As a result, he's had scar tissue buildup, nerve damage and so on.

He's been having pain in one of his leg with numbness in the foot of that leg for many months now. Each time he's complain, his doctors would remind him that it was nothing new - all a result of the original injury and surgeries. He insisted it was different. A few days before Christmas, he saw his orthopaedic and again complained that something was wrong. In fact, the pain and numbness had crept up his leg from his foot. Finally, he was sent for an MRI which showed that the shunt for the implanted pump which controls and distributes his pain medication had become calcified. The calcification needed to be removed and a new pump implanted. It needed to be done right away so was scheduled for Christmas Eve! The surgery would last about two hours, he was told.

Post surgery - Thom was told the surgery was over five hours long because the calcium deposit had attached itself to his spine. That, he was told, was the reason he'd been having leg trouble. There was sufficient damage that he would probably have to learn to walk again as he recovered. If that weren't enough, the hospital staff disagreed with the combination of medications he had been getting through the pump (for both pain and muscle spasms). His pain management doc was on a cruise and had left his PA (physician assistant) to check in with Thom every day and see to his needs. To make a long story short, it was days before he began to get correct meds. This meant more pain because his leg muscles spasmed so badly, he couldn't stand.

I spoke to him by phone last night and, surprisingly, was coherent (although he had to fight for words at times - result of extra meds) and in a reasonably good mood. He'll be in rehab for at least two more weeks.

Between Thom's problems and concerns over her mother's health possible lung cancer and either early Alzheimers' or cancer has gone to the brain), my SIL was holding up pretty well.
Mostly angry about the problem with getting Thom appropriate meds.

Extra prayers needed! My thanks to friends who have Thom on their prayer list. It all helps and is appreciated.

On the 8th day of Christmas AAOV gave to me

8 ornament frames.

Download here: http://www.4shared.com/file/33591536/cf793fb1/day8.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

Happy New Year!

I started the post with the tags just before midnight because we'd gone out for dinner and then just spent some time together. I completely forgot for a bit that I hadn't put the day's gift on the blog.

Now here it is 2008! I wish you all a year of good health, happiness, and prosperity.

And I'd like to thank Renderosity artists for their wonderful Christmas gifts. Special thanks to the two artists whose gifts I used to create my January blog header: Sandrez63 for the beautiful background and Fade Willow for the lovely snow fairy.