"Embrace Happiness"

Oh yes, there's a lot of happiness to be embraced this week.

First things first. My new layout for the new template challenge at Digital Scrap Cafe. It's called (what else?) "Embrace Happiness."

Credits:
Template by Pure Creativity Designs

Kit Sea seulement Add-On by Pouyou Designs

Wordart Crazy Circus by Pouyou Designs

Paper butterfly and trail was done by me (from HPMixedStuff brush and CU Little Tags by Redju Designs)

And now, the good news! I won last week's template challenge at DSC for the layout "Free Like a Bird". Chelcee of Pure Creativity Designs informed me that I've received $5 coupon to her store! Yippee!!!!

But seriously, getting recognised and being welcomed into the scrapbooking community means much more to me than winning the challenge. Thank you so much, gals!!

"Meet the Knights"

First of all, I want to say thanks to Lisa of Aprilisa Design, for leaving such a glowing comment in my last post, and for putting me in her friend list. Well, now you just have to grit your teeth and be my friend too! :D I really love your designs and your layouts are wonderful. Thank you!

And now, another layout. (I'm on a roll, baby!)

This week's Tuesday Template Challenge at Scrapmatters features this gorgeous template by Stefanie:

I think this is a perfect one for a family picture, so I got busy last night and came up with a page.

Let me talk about this for a sec.. Everytime I tried to scrap a family picture, it's a challenge in itself. In almost every family picture (with 4 of us in it: my husband, myself, our son Neill, and my stepson Michael,) someone just had to be making a funny face for the camera. So I thought, instead of trying to find one smiley picture, why not scrap the one 'most screwed up', hence this layout. :)

Credits:

Tuesday Template August 25th by Stefanie

Everything else from Working Boy kit by Pouyou

Now, off to work!

"Free like a Bird"

I've been acting like a stalker lately. :) When I go blog hopping, I don't just read and look at what the blog owner put in there, I read the comments as well. Here's my theory: great scrapbooking designers also have great followers. Their comment posters all make gorgeous and creative layouts and also maintain beautiful and interesting blogs. This theory has never failed me yet.

Same thing for every comment in my last blog. If you left a message, rest assured that I have already visited your wonderful blog. What can I say, I feel so grateful that you took the time to drop by and leave a comment. Thank you.

One particular "thank you" goes to Aprilisa of Aprilisa Designs. Without her I wouldn't have known of the nice template they're giving away for this week's template challenge at Digital Scrap Cafe. Here's my layout using the template.

Credits:

Template by Pure Creativity Designs

Paper and all embellishments from Aprilisa's part in My Secret Garden collab kit

Wordart (be free like a bird) from Seni's Be Free add-on

This picture was from our last trip to the zoo. We had fun with the animal show and Neill couldn't wait to be photographed with a "star" of the show. Looking at the whole thing I think I probably shouldn't have done the extraction. At first I thought I was going to do just a little bit with the bird, but once I started, I just got carried away and ended up doing it all. :) Well, what's done is done. It was a fun scrapping, though.

(I just found out that Åsa even posted this layout in the August gallery standouts. Wow, what an honor. Thanks, Åsa)

"Unstoppable", challenges, and games

The links I put on the right side of this blogs are the ones I check almost everyday. Most of them are those of designers whose not only freebies and products I love, their layouts greatly inspire me as well.

The other day, Jaime of Three Paper Peonies asked us to scrap about hilights of our summer, in a challenge to win her wonderful new kit "School." And, as usual, she also gave us a free itty bitty kit to play with. You can read more about the challenge and go grab the sweet little kit from this post in her blog right now.

When I first read about the challenge, one particular picture came to mind. It's the one of Neill (my almost 6-year-old son) trying to run into the sea while being pulled back by his Papa and his Ouma (grandmother.) Too bad I wasn't able to photograph the subsequent shots of Neill stumbling over the waves and Ouma fell backwards on her bum and got wet all over. I was too stunned at first, and later couldn't stop laughing. What a shame. Those shots would've been fun to scrap!

Anyway, here's my challenge layout. It's called "Unstoppable."

Frame: Three Paper Peonies "Dream" frames

Stamps: Three Paper Peonies "California Itty Bitty Kit"

Brushes: Dear Diary Photoshop Brushes by ~in-vogue, GIMP splatters

Speaking of challenges, Rachelle of Doodelle by RachNess are also celebrating her birth month (Happy Birthday, Rach!) this whole August with series of games. If you just learned this from me now then it means you're too late for it, because you have to RSVP to be a party guest way before now. Even so, it's still fun to stop by just look at her beautiful and oh so creative products, and even enjoy yourself with Rachelle's cute games and her party guests' funny answers!

Alright! That's all for now, folks. Oh! And before I go, I just want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for everybody who left comments for my first post and first freebie, the 2010 calendar stamps. I read them over and over! Your words mean so much to me. Thanks again.

A new beginning and a freebie!

I've been making calendars for friends and family members every year since my son was born. This year I think it would be a good thing to share all the 2010 calendar stamps I made with all of you, as a thank-you gift for the digi-scrapbooking community and every designer out there who gives away freebies all the time. I even open this blog especially for this purpose!!

So, please enjoy the freebie: the 2010 calendar stamps. I hope it's useful for you. Please leave me something in the comment (here at the blog rather than at 4shared) if you like it. Thanks! :)




http://www.4shared.com/file/124976485/7a0a9362/Pom_2010calendar.html