I've been tagged!

I was tagged by Caroline (CAZ)
http://www.aussiecazdesigns.blogspot.com/
It's funny, I've known of CAZ for some time and visited her blog to see her work but we just "met" recently on the Blush -n- Dusty group. Caroline is a sweetie and I admire her designs so I'll play tag.

TAGGED:Here are the rules:~ Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog~ Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.~ Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.~ Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog .

and here are 7 facts about me -

1. my favorite colors are blue-greens

2. I'm addicted to chocolate

3. just got diagnosed with diabetes (figures, doesn't it?)

4. Erica Jong's poem, "Housework," describes my attitude towards housekeeping perfectly

5. I love vintage buttons - especially mother-of-pearl and jet ones. Give me an old button box & I'm like a kid with new toys.


6. I've taken lessons in self-hypnosis to help with my sleep disorder

7. I have a cell phone but keep it turned off. Don't want to be answering calls when I'm out and about. Have it in case I need to make a call. People who walk around with their ears glued to cell phones . . . well, let's just say I thnk it's nuts. We souldn't try to fill every minute with something. Haven't those people ever heard og being still and listening for the voice of God? No, I'm not some fanatic, just think we all need some time for quiet, mediatation and/or prayer. Its' a good thing; really recharges you.

So, I'm tagging some of my favorite people, in no particular order:

1) Lisa of EAL Designs who just made some awsome albums using Cari Lopez's kits:
http://ealdesigns2.blogspot.com/

2) Echo of Echo's Scraps - great pal and wonderful designer:
http://echosscraps.blogspot.com/

3) Cindy of Cindy Ritter Designs - great designer & such fun to chat with:
http://cindyritterdigiscrap.blogspot.com/

4) Jessie aka ScrapKitten - another designer friend & one I do CT work for:
http://www.scrapkitten.com/

5) Marta of MIP Scraps - one sweet lady & owner of Scrapping Whispers:
http://mipscraps.blogspot.com/
PS - Marta is in Argentina but there is a Goggle translater on the right side of the blog so you can change the language

6) Sherah of Skrappers Digitals - another wonderful digital designer & one of the nicest people you could ever meet:
http://skrapperdigitals.blogspot.com/

7) Deb of Dapper Doxie - another great designer & a joy to know. Be sure you look at her kits!
http://www.dapperdoxie.com/

Something beautiful you will want to see

When I saw this ad from Blushbutter, I just had to pass it along to anyone who might drop by here. Blush creates such amazing scrapbooking kits and Donna is so talented in designing pages with them. I think of both as friends and wanted to celebrate their art by showing off this joint venture of theirs. Wishing them many, many sales! Make sure you go and get this album for your family.


20 Beautifully designed Heritage quickpages from a combination of blushbutter.com kits by Donna Handville

This is one album that is a must have! Have you ever struggled with putting a whole book together for the family and your not quite sure where to start, Donna has taken her experience from making her own scrapbooking pages and used them for your benefit by combining one page after another in two page matching sets for an incredibly sophisticated and elegant treasure keepsake with a Heritage feel for your heirloom photos of your families. Each page is more beautiful than the next with unique embellishment placements and design, all pages can be for any theme with masculine and feminine papers. Included in this set of 20 pages are also an added album cover in one combined size and with the sections of front,back and spine, ready for any book making publishers.

http://www.blushbutter.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=566

A few writing prompts

* Write about postcards.
What? you say. If you can't think of anything to wrote try freewriting for 10 minutes & see what you come up with.

*Write about someone you love to hate.
Sounds terrible, doesn't it? But most every one has someone who just rubs them wrong. Send thirty minutes writing about that someone. What is it about them that annoys you?

*Start a short story with this opening line:
So he can take the consequences of associating with me . . .
Go for about two pages and see what you get.

I'll leave you with this quote:
"Stories are light. Light is precious in a world so dark."
~Kate DiCamillo

Alexis' Fariytale - more layouts

These layouts are made from a kit called Alex' Fairytale by Echo's Scraps.
This first one is my favorite, although I'd best not show it to my son. I scrapped the background from Echo's kit then took Jeremy's baby photos and added wings by Diana Hlivia and a crown by Kirsty Wiseman to make him a fae prince, and added frames from Adriana Teixeira.



This layout features my grandson's step-sister. The frame is from another of Echo's kits, Vintage Frames 2.

Little Miss Retro

In an earlier post, I was saying how much I enjoy the work of Ashalee & Sweet. This is another kit, a collaborative one, called Little Miss Retro, that I have truly enjoyed. You can find it here:
http://ashaleeandsweet.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=618


"Just Chilling" is a casual pic of my son snapped some years ago while he was relaxing in the den of his home in Richmond. As you can see, the kit may be called Little Miss Retro but it works well for masculine layouts too.


Now this is me as Little Miss Retro - retro 1956 to be exact. I'm all dolled up and sitting on the brick wall in front of the greenhouse at Norfolk's Zoological Gardens on Easter weekend.


Now more fun with ATCs:
Isn't this a cute photo of the little girl rollerskating?


"Amy" is still done with Little Miss Retro but has a more elegant look, don't yo think?


and last, "20's Miss" looks right at home in this layout.


Go check this kit out; you are going to love it!

Retro Crush by Sweet Made

I love Ashalee & Sweet's kits because they combine elements of contemporary style and retro or vintage style beautifully. While I tend to be on the vintage nostalia plane, they flirt comfortably with modern and vintage, creating a very fresh look that challenges me. The page layouts and artist trading cards etc below were all made with Sweet's Retro Crush, which you can find here:
http://ashaleeandsweet.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=669
"Brooklyn Pinboys" is a vintage photo I've been holding onto, looking for just the right kit. I think this page shows I found it.


"Chairmen Of The Board" is another vintage photo I thought would work well with Retro Crush


Then I began to play with making some digital ATCs.
I re-sized Sweet's frame a bit, added the corner overlay and a piece of flower (all in the kit) and had a great frame for this "Dapper Gent."


This next piece is 4" x 6" and will be either a card front or a postcard to be sent to my friend, Sandy, in Richmond. The fashion figure is a vintage Erte.


And finally, the dapper gent needed a fashionable companion so I made "VIntage Beauty In Fur."

Layouts with Recycle

This past week I've been on a scrapping binge. The layouts below were all made with Recycle by Ashalee Wall. You can find it here:
http://ashaleeandsweet.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=676


This one, "Wondering" uses a vintage photo that seems right at home in Ashalee's box.


"Memories" recycles an old junior prom photo my parents had kept. I altered the reds in the photo to mauve to fit better. My mother made that dress.


"Heaven On Earth" uses a vintage photo of a family relaxing at home.

Candied Plum by Echo's Scraps

Have to show you a couple of layouts I made with my friend, Echo's new kit, Candied Plum. This is such a pretty kit and one you can't miss if you love purple! You can see the full kit here:
http://scraphead.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=362

And this weekend, Scraphead has a huge sale going on 'til Monday night. Everything is 45% off! So, if you like this kit, don't wait; this is the time to grab it.
This first layout uses a vintage image included in the kit:

This one was made with Monica McGill's wonderful template for a template challenge this month. The vintage image used here is one from my stash and not included in the kit.

Memorial Weekend Sale!

The ENTIRE store at Scraphead is on sale at 45% off until Monday night!



Go here: http://www.scraphead.com/

Happy Mother's Day & a freebie

Happy Mother's Day!
I made a little something for you:


Please go to my store at ScrappersZone to pick up this freebie:
http://scrapperszone.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_90&products_id=956

I've got a blinkie!

Many thanks to Roxanna of Moving Fearlessly for creating the lovely blinkie now on my blog!

Freebie - Last bragbook page

Hope you've enjoyed these bragbook pages. Here's the last one.



Download here: http://www.4shared.com/file/46943387/22a140a1/DAA_Paulines_Amethyst_Fancy_Bragbook_Pages_9.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

Some interesting articles about CFIDS

If you suffer from Chronic fatigue immune system disorder (CFIDS) like I do, I think you'll be interested in two articles I came across yesterday.

The first one is about a research hypothesis that suggests CFIDS might be the result of "a rare brain infection caused by a common, normally benign virus." You can read the article here:
www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2008/050702.asp?tr=y&auid=3640449

The other article is about exercise. I know, believe me, how difficult it is to exercise when you are exhausted and in pain. I also have fibromyalgia, so while I'm told I should exercise, it's a real battle to do so and I get conflicting advice from my doctors on how much and how often. One CFIDS sufferer, facing the same dilemnia, came up with some alternative ways to mobilize her bodily systems and thus help to avoid some of the health issues that arise from deconditioning. She uses something called the Feldenkrais Method which, the article states, "employs gentle
but focused movement to help facilitate reconditioning of the body." Sounds like something I'll be checking out. She also uses Qigong which I've heard of, but which I've never tried. It "utilizes concentrated breathing techniques to stimulate the
body’s internal systems." Based on other research on breathing techniques I've read, I've come to understand that getting good oxygenization isn't always as simple as just breathing without thought. There are methods that focus on proper breathing and which benefit the body not only by providing better oxygenization but also by calming the mind and body and thus reducing the effects of stress. Read this article here:
www.cfids.org/cfidslink/2008/050707.pdf?tr=y&auid=3640502
Seems to me that it's worth looking into.

Today's Freebie

Download here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/46825431/4c0e5303/DAA_Paulines_Amethyst_Fancy_Bragbook_Pages_8.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

Wednesday Freebie

I worked out in the pool for about an hour today doin gmy aqua therapy exercises. Felt good at the time but now my neck is acting up and my lower back is giving me a lot of pain. I'm exhausted so going to take my muscle relaxer and put on a lidocaine patch and go climb into bed. Looks like the technical problems at Scraphead are cleared up so tomorrow I need to get busy and re-load my products to ftp and then put them in the Zen cart.

Posting Wednesday freebie before I turn in. Here it is:


Download here: www.4shared.com/file/46701209/698182a2/DAA_Paulines_Amethyst_Fancy_Bragbook_Pages_7.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

This week's writing prompts

I can't really tell if anyone is using these as no one leaves a comment, but I'll continue to provide writing prompts a while longer. Drew 5 today and some are rather odd, but see what you can do with them.

* Listening to our shadows . . .
Freewrite on this on 10-15 minutes and see where it takes you.
* I really didn't know her (or him) until . . .
Another freewrite for 10-15 minutes.
* The last time . . .
USe this as a freewrite prompt or as the opening of a short story or poem.
* Halfway down a bystreet of one for our towns stands a rusty wooden house . . .
Clearly a story starter.

So, what have you written lately? Want to share with us?

The Button Queen! New Products

Guess you'll be calling me the button queen before long. I love vintage buttons and have scanned some of mine to make embellishment packs for digital scrapbooking and altered art. These packs are for both personal and commercial use and are going into my stores at ScrappersZone and Scraphead tonight or in the morning. These are not your basic everyday shirt type buttons. They are decorative vintage buttons cut from abalone shells and carved in various ways. Add them to ribbons, make clusters, embellish frames. They are a nice touch for heritage pages as people used to save buttons and pass them on to be used by other family members. Just $2.50 a package.

Today's Freebie - late

Sorry to be late loading this. Have been working on my store at Scraphead where, unfortunately, we are having some technical difficulties at the present. I'll upload tomorrow's brag bokk page tonight before going to bed.


Download here: http://www.4shared.com/file/46558091/4d3c0446/DAA_Paulines_Amethyst_Fancy_Bragbook_Pages_5.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

Today's Freebie

Download here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/46349658/cf5d2294/DAA_Paulines_Amethyst_Fancy_Bragbook_Pages_4.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

Don't forget - today everything black & white (we've included CU products in this) at ScrappersZone is 50% off!

A New Kit On Sale Today

This is Forget_Me_Not, my new Victorian themed kit. It includes 9 papers in soft blues and neutrals and 18 elements. In the elements pack are 4 frames, 5 florals, 3 Victorian images, 3 sets of ribbons and bows, and 2 pieces of wordart. Suitable for many occasions.

I forgot to add that for today only, it's $1.00 at ScrappersZone! In fact, all blue kits at ScrappersZone are just $1.00 today. Don't miss out on this great sale.

Saturday's freebie and a word about SZ

Today at Scrappers Zone all blue kits are on sale for $1.00! Isn't that wild? You'd better check it out.

Here's today's freebie:



Download here (copy and paste link in your browser):
http://www.4shared.com/file/46240566/b7da7e26/DAA_Paulines_Amethyst_Fancy_Bragbook_Pages_3.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

May 2008 Shop Hop

Yesterday I checked out the May 2008 Shop Hop and bought two of the many kits being offered for only $2.00 each.

The following two layouts were made from Blushbutter's Summer Dreams kit:






These two were made with Lara Peyton's Summer Dreams kit.

National Scrapbooking Celebration!

Celebrate National Scrapbooking Day with Scrapper's Zone!
SALES AND MORE SALES!

Win the Sales Grand Prize!
The store will be having sales everyday--a different one each day. And to take the sting out of having to come back each day for each sale, we have a lottery going with the winner to recieve a 2G Flash drive. Each time you make a sale, your name will be entered into the lottery!

Our Daily Sales for May 1-7

May 1 - All Items in the Red Category are 25% off
May 2 - All Items in the Purple Category are 50% off
May 3 - All Items in the Blue Category are $1
May 4 - All Items in the Black and White Category are 50% off
May 5 - All Items in the Yellow Category are 50% off
May 6 - All Items in the Orange Category are 25% off
May 7 - All Items in the Green Category are 75% off
SCAVENGER HUNT!

Scattered throughout the store are Download links in the side columns. Today there are three of them and each day we will be adding more. Find the image with the link and click on it to download a freebie with no need to go through checkout. See previews and more details in the Forum at Scrapper's Zone. Many of our designers have contributed to these freebies and they are awesome!
LAYOUT CHALLENGES

Check out the layout challenges in the forum. Each challenge you enter will earn you a $2 gift coupon from the designer sponsoring it. In addition, there will be Grand Prizes awared, one per challenge. Grand prizes include Gift Card to Amazon and Target, a 256mb Flash Drive, a 1G SDS Memory card, a 12 pack of DVD-R s and more.

Here are the challenges, read more about each one in the Forum at Scrapper's Zone.

Alpha Frenzy - each day a new alpha is posted for you to download and make a layout with. Earn a new $2 coupon each day
Element Challenge - download the three elements provided, recolor them and make a layout
Sketch Challenge - our template guru, Rose McD has provided an awesome sketch with a template of it too
Color Challenge - make a layout using the colors provided
Multi-Photo Challenge - create a layout using five or more photos
Circle Challenge - create a layout using circles of any kind
Journaling Challenge - create a layout with one third a page of journaling
BLOG PARADE

Our designers have also posted freebies on their blogs to celebrate. Each day links to participating designer blogs are posted in the forum.

You don't want to miss any of these events, so be sure to come on by to Scrappe's Zone and check it all out.

Quote for today & 2nd freebie

Be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. _ John Watson

I thought that was a good reminder for us all that we don't really know what others are dealing with.


Sorry to be running behind today. Here is the second brag book page



Blogspot won't take the link when I try to put it in so, I'm sorry, you'll have to copy and paste this into your browser:
Download here: http://www.4shared.com/file/46193394/b6706686/DAA_Paulines_Amethyst_Fancy_Bragbook_Pages_2.html?dirPwdVerified=4c81dd0f

I'm moving

That is, my store at Kudnkdlyskreations will be moving over to Scraphead since Michelle is taking over that site. You can find us here: www.scraphead.com. Everything is being set up right now. I beleive all - or most - of the designers at Kudnkdlyskreations will be joining the designers already at Scraphead giving Scraphead visitors more to choose from.

National Scrapbooking Celebration - freebie!

For the next nine days I'll be offering bragbook pages made from a kit I called Pauline's Amethyst Fancy. Preview to the first one is below. Be sure you check the second to next post for information about other National Scrapbooking Celebration doings and freebies.



Download here:
http://www.4shared.com/file/45993175/81cb3700/DAA_Paulines_Amethyst_Fancy_Bragbook_Pages_1.html?

Some recent layouts of the distant past

I'm scrapping baby photos of my son, Jeremy. Here he is, just learning to crawl. Scrapped with Digi Jango by ScrapKitten. You can find this cute kit here:
http://www.scrapkitten.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=104



While I'm scrapping my old photos, I'm doing a series of photos from the baby shower the ladies at the telephone company (where I worked at the time) and my aunts threw for me. Telephone company people know how to party! And my Aunt Dean was head caterer for a major grocery chain. Having been married seven years and been through two early miscarriages, these folks went all out to give me the best baby shower ever. It couldn't be just cake and punch - not for JK's Mama. I've always hated calling an unborn child "it" so early on my husband and I settled on names : Jeremy Ryan if a boy, Katrina Noelle if a girl. We always referred to our unborn child as JK and that's how shower invitations went out too: You are invited to a baby shower for JK Schupp who is expected December 6th . . .

This first photo shows my father trying to pin on my corsage. He was so tickled about my pregnancy the ladies couldn't bear to leave him out, so he came as serving assistant, dressed in a barbeque apron and the chef hat my aunt made for him.




Here is another photo from the baby shower. It is also scrapped with Digi Jango by Scrapkitten.

My mother made the cradle cake and created the decorated tulle ends.

National Scrapbooking Celebration at Scrapperszone

I've got to share the news about our celebration at ScrappersZone. We will be having challenges May 1-7 with some great prizes for you to win. Go here:
http://scrapperszone.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=54&sid=cd4797be6efecfcc3026cf34fb5c469c
for details on the various challenges which are still being posted as I write. Every participant will receive a challenge prize. Enter as many as you can to increase your chances of winning one of the grand prizes.

There is to be one Grand Prize awarded for each challenge. The winners will be randomly drawn from the participants. Here is a list of the prizes:

Gift Card to Target for $25 sponsored by MoveFearlessly

Gift Coupon To Amazon Sponsored by Cindy Ritter

256 MB Flash Drive – by Scrappy Cats

12 pack of DVD-R discs by Scrappy Cats

Snapfish Account with 20-Page 8x11 Classic Photo book and 4x6 flipbook

Snapfish Acount with 20-Page 8x11 Classic Photo book and 4x6 flipbook

1G SD Memory card

Each Challenge will have one grand prize winner. So the more challenges you enter the more chances you have to win.
Only one Grand Prize per person, CT members are eligible for these prizes. All layouts must be entered by May 7 to be eligible.

I'm hosting the Element Challenge:


Here's my example of what can be done with the elements: