Piccolina Designs

A little More Love for You

2012-01-21T20:07:00.002-07:00

I promised more of the Valentine's printables, so here is another one. The printable is a sheet of 9 of them.

A blast from the Past

2012-01-16T19:52:00.005-07:00

I have been seeing so many cute Valentine themed things all over the place. What are you up to for Valentine's? I know, I know, we still have a month, but I am just looking for some fun ideas. Hubby and I never go out for actual Valentine's Day, way too many people for our taste, but we do try to do something fun each year. I just thought I would bring back the Valentine card printables I did a few years ago. I hope you all like them.
I will post the rest of the Valentine's I made between now and February.

Here are some gift ideas to go along with each card:
"I think you're sweet"
I did a box of sugar, but any candy will do as well
"I'm your biggest fan"
One of those little personal fans from the $ store, or if you want to be generous, give him tickets to a team he is a fan of.
"My love for you cannot be measured"
a measuring tape, a ruler, a measuring cup, etc
"I'm stuck on you"
I gave super glue, but any glue or tape will work.
"I think you are 'scent'sational"
I gave car air freshener, any air freshener, candles, their
favorite cologne or aftershave, even deodorant :)
"I think you're hot"
Hot tamales, matches, candles, if you have a fire place, one of those starter logs.
"You still sweep me off my feet"
I gave a little broom and dustpan for the vehicle.
"You light up my world."
Light key chain, flash light, light bulbs
"We are mint to be together"
Thin mints, junior mints, mints, mint gum

Fotoshop by Adobe

2012-01-12T13:19:00.002-07:00

I just saw this video and wanted to share it. Something I try really hard to avoid when working on memory keeping is to "over-edit" photos. It is amazing what you can do in photoshop, but as this video points out (in a tongue-in-cheek manner) some of the amazing photoshoping has given society (us) and unrealistic idea of what we should look like to be considered beautiful. I hope you at least get a chuckle from the video.

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Type Tuesday - Matchbook Font

2011-12-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

I just stumbled across this font and I think it is great. I cannot wait to use it for journaling. I cannot decide which version I like more, the regular or the serif. What do you think?

Winner, Winner

2011-12-23T09:37:00.002-07:00

We have some winners!!!! I had so much fun reading through your responses. Please leave a comment in this post with your email so that I can send you your coupon code to grab this kit. Thank you to all that responded. I plan to do this again in the future.

Question #1: What random thing are you or have you been grateful?

RJMJ said... I am grateful for many things & blessings in my life but this week I am grateful for my newish computer...Mine broke down & I was all in a panic to get my Christmas Cards done & that is not possible without my computer!...My Dad came over to the rescue(again...) & fixed it...
Thanks Dad!

I am grateful for a new computer also and for a hubby (and dad) who knows his way around them to help me out when trouble hits.

Question #2: What is brings you joy when cleaning the house?

Natasha (alohacowgirl) said... I actually like cleaning, weird as that sounds. And it sure feels good when it's all done! My favorite thing is fresh sheets on the bed. Nothing beats the feeling of taking a hot bath and then slipping into a cozy bed with freshly washed sheets!

I like fresh sheets as well. I just bought a set at the Black Friday sales and I love having new, fresh sheets.

Random Question #3: What is a favorite Holiday Tradition?

Christina G said... My mom is from the Netherlands, so I still celebrate St. Nicholas Day by setting out my shoes with my husband each year. It's a fun "pre-Christmas Day" celebration to really get into the spirit!

I love sharing traditions from other places and implementing them into Christmas where you are. We celebrate Epiphany as well. I think it is mostly an excuse for me to leave all the decorations up longer J.

#4 What is something you wish you could do?

emeuser said... I wish that I could know what my kiddos are thinking... from my 1 year old that can't talk quite yet to know what exactly she wants to my 3 year old who just yesterday flushed the lid to the vicks container down the toilet (among the many other odd things he's done lately) to know just why he thinks he has to do that! That would be interesting to find out.

Oh, I so wish I had this ability as well. Sometimes when they have been mischievious I just sit there and wonder why they thought that was ok to try and do.

Type Tuesday - Christmas font #2

2011-12-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

Another Christmas type font for you. The stars on this font are great. I see it as a fun title font for some of your Christmas layouts.

Welcome Wednesday- A day early

2011-12-20T05:05:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to show you the actual kit, plus I wanted to give you a chance to answer the questions so that you have a chance to win this kit for free. I will be selecting winners this Thursday. That is why I am showing it off a day early.
So, the new kit.....Happy Christmas. My Little Lady has been singing Happy Christmas to us (to the tune of Happy Birthday, of course) and I am loving it. She also thinks that because it is snowing, then it is Christmas and therefore, she should be able to open her presents. So much fun.
This kit has 16 papers, 22 elements and an alpha in 4 colors. And of course, it is 25% off through Christmas day. Don't forget to go back and answer the questions to get a chance to win this kit.
For our last question:
#4 What is something you wish you could do? (have a little fun with this).
For me, it would be able to take a shower that actually steams up the mirror. What? Yeah, I have two little ones that follow me wherever I go, even to the shower. I have gotten them pretty well trained about not opening the shower curtain anymore, so the actual shower stays nice and warm and steamy. But, they come in and out and in and out of the bathroom and the door never stays shut, so the steam never gets a chance to build up. Then, when I am done and open the shower curtain, it is so dang cold (we have been between 12-29 degrees F for the last few weeks, with just a few highs of 40). So, I would like to take a shower where all my warm steam stays in the bathroom to warm it up so when I get out I do not freeze. Silly, I know, but it would be nice.

Master it Monday-- Save as TIFF

2011-12-19T14:59:00.005-07:00

If you are new to digital scrapbooking, all of the ways your can and should save your projects can be a little overwhelming. Not only on you, but on your hard disk space. PSD files (Adobe Photoshop Document) are very large files. The more layers you have, the larger the PSD file. But these type of files are so important to save because they preserve the layers and therefore, allow you to go back in and edit them if needed. So how do you save a layered project and not take up so much space? Take a look at the title of this post for a hint. Yup, TIFF files. Not that it will really affect your scrapbooking, but TIFF stand for Tagged Image File Format. What will affect your scrapbooking is that it is a way to save your layered projects using less space (sometimes up to 1/2 that of a PSD file).
Take a look at the screen shot below. I have the exact same layout saved as a PSD and a TIFF. The PSD is 124264KB while the TIFF is 83349KB. That is a considerable saving in disk space, which means you can do more layouts.Another thing I really like about saving as a TIFF is that the Windows Viewer will let me see the layout instead of just an icon for the file type. This makes it a lot easier when trying to find a specific layout.To get the benefit of the reduced file size, you need to save the image with certain settings. Let's get started. This is pretty simple. When you start you layout go to File>Save it will open the save window. Go to the file format drop down menu (click on the arrow to the right of the format option window). At the very bottom of the menu is the TIFF format. Select TIFF (1) and then click on the Save button (2).
A TIFF options window will open up. First, for image compression you are going to select LZW. Do not be concerned by the term compression, LZW is lossless compression. That means that your layout will not lose any of its quality or resolution. It will be as you designed it (12"x12" at 300dpi).
Second, for the Pixel Order, select Interleaved. It really is not too important which pixel order you choose, but Interleaved is recognized by more programs.
Third, the byte order is determined by your machine. Since I use a PC, I choose that. But again, this really does not matter much anymore, as either byte order can be read by either machine if you have program that uses TIFF.
Fourth, for layer compression I choose ZIP. This is for the smaller file size. When you have all of your options selected, click on OK.
You will most liked get a little pop up window that says " Including layers will increase file size". You can check the box next to "Don't Show Again" to avoid seeing the message in the future. and click Ok.
There, you go. You just saved your layout as a TIFF. Although most tutorials for learning digital scrapbook will teach you to save in PSD (mine does). I now only save my layouts in two formats: TIFF-with all the layers and the a flattened image as a JPEG.

A Peek at what you could get for Free!!!

2011-12-18T00:17:00.004-07:00

Have you been answering the random questions? I already know the answer ....NO!! I only have a few folks who have answered, but would love more. Remember, for each question I ask, I will choose a response to receive my next kit for FREE!!! Don't want to commit to answering these questions unless you know it might really be worth it? Well, here is a little peek and what you have a chance of getting (right now it is a VERY good chance).
It is coming out very soon.

Totally Inspired Thursday - Christmas

2011-12-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

How are you all doing? Are you ready for Christmas? Are you planning a big shopping trip this weekend? Or do you wait till Christmas Eve? My dad likes to do that.
I have a few more items to pick up this weekend, but mostly what I have left is projects and getting things actually in the mail.
Today's palette is a very traditional Christmas palette.

That brings me to another random question for you to answer. Remember, I will be drawing a winner from each question to receive my next kit for free. So please, take a moment and answer the question in the comments.
Random Question #3: What is a favorite Holiday Tradition?
For me, it is the Christmas Eve dinner my family does. Everyone picks and makes their favorite food. Our dinner table will have anything from jello jigglers to steak to won tons or whatever else. We enjoy the dinner, with the good china, and then we read the Christmas story. We then "beg" dad to let us open one gift. The begging usually falls on the youngest members of the family, with us rooting them on.
I am trying to start a tradition with my own little family. I served a mission for my church in Italy. The Italians celebrate The Epiphany, when the wise men visited Jesus, on January 7th. We have started having a true Italian dinner with a few friends and waiting for the visit from La Befana (a kindly witch who leaves gifts for the children on her journey to visit the Christ Child).
I look forward to establishing more holiday traditions with my family.

Welcome Wednesday- So fun

2011-12-14T08:07:00.003-07:00

I do not have my new kit ready for you yet. However, I wanted to show you something that we welcomed to our house this week.
I am part of a craft swap group called Seasonal Swaperoos. This is only my second swap, but oh so fun. Look at the fun stuff we got.
I am absolutely in love with the little girl reindeer. Love the printed fabrics inside their ears, and their antlers. Love their cute little noses. Love their cute little outfits and the buttons on them. Love, love, love the cute little tails. These are just darling and I lohttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=159034044236305907ve the fact that my swap partner made these little darlings with my little darlings in mind.
If you like to craft and would be interested in joining Seasonal Swaperoos, it is only $5 for the whole year. This allows you to be a participant in a minimum of 5 swaps. So fun. If you do join, let them know I sent you :) and hopefully we can be swap partners one day.

Type Tuesday - Christmas font #1

2011-12-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

Although the name of this one is a little iffy, I think it is a great/fun font. I love the way the letter swirl on the dot on the i. Don't forget to go answer the random questions for a chance to win my next kit for {FREE}.
Question 1
Question 2

Master it Monday- Save for Web

2011-12-12T01:05:00.005-07:00

Hello, hello. I hope all is going well as you get ready for Christmas. I had some really cute answers to the last question I posted for my 1st random question of the day.
Question #1: What random thing are you or have you been grateful?
Kristal said: My random thankful thought is for kid friendly scissors! My daughter LOVES to do art and I am so glad that there is a safe way for her to cut up and make her own inventions!
SouthernBelleAng said: Laundry, dishes and messes to clean up. Without my kids, I wouldn't have so much to clean. So the more dishes, laundry and messes I have clean up means the more kids I have to love. :)
Totally cute answers, right? Remember you can still answer the question for a chance to win a {FREE} copy of my next kit. Each question will have it's own winner.
So, for today's random question.....
Question #2: What is brings you joy when cleaning the house?
For me, it really isn't while cleaning, because to be honest, cleaning is not my favorite. Someday, when I am a millionaire :), I will be able to pay someone well to clean for me. But I do love a clean shower/tub. I love being one of the first people to take a shower in it right after it is cleaned.
I look forward to seeing your responses.

For today's Master it Monday, I wanted to just quickly show you how to save your layouts so that you can post them to galleries.
Go ahead and open your layout in PSE. Then go to File>Save For Web

It may give you a warning saying this image may be to large and ask if you wan to proceed, just click "yes".This will open a new window, do not worry if it takes a little while. There is an option for the type of file. Default is GIF. Go ahead and click on the arrow to get the drop down menu and select JPEG. Under that box is the quality (#1). I like to select at high or very high. Then in the new size box resize your image to 600 x 600 px (#2) and click on "Apply" (#3). Now you can see if it is the proper size (#4). Most galleries require 150KB or less.
If you need to adjust the size, you can use the slider and adjust the quality up or down. Just click on the drop down arrow next to the number and it will show the slider. When you have the image size where you want it, time to save. Click on "OK" on the top right of the Save For Web window and it will open the save window. Navigate to the folder you wish to save it. I like to identify my web size images with WEB right after the layout name. This makes it easier for me to grab the right size image when uploading them to galleries. After you have it named, click "Save" and you are done. Now go show off your layouts in the galleries.

Where did November go?!

2011-12-09T03:17:00.001-07:00

Hello, hello, hello. I am really back. I think. I was basically out of it for the end of October and the entire month of November. Mostly for good reasons, some not so good. My poor laptop decided it had had enough near the end of October and even with a brilliant hubby trying to coax it along, I ended up ordering another one. It took a little over a week to get it and then to set it all up so that I could function properly. Am I the only one that has to have everything in the right place on their computer to even feel like I can work? I admit to a small amount of OCD.
Anyways, with all of that I was without a computer (and my stuff) for about 3 weeks, but dear hubby was able to recover everything from my poor deceased laptop.

Now the good. Hubby surprised me with a trip for my birthday/our anniversary. The trip.....it was a week long, just us and it was through Idaho and Utah. Now I know that does not sound super exciting to most of you, but it was something we have been wanting to do for a long time. You see, Utah and Idaho have the highest concentration of temples for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). We have been talking about visiting all the temples in Utah and Idaho since before we were even married. He made it happen. Although we were not able to attend every temple in Utah/Idaho, we did attend 12 temples that week. It was fabulous. My mom and dad and sisters and brother were so kind to take my little ones during that time. We got home from that trip, I rested a day at home and then headed to my parents home in Kansas to spend the week and a half before Thanksgiving crafting and making Christmas gifts with my mom and two of my sisters. So much fun. My little ones had so much fun with their cousins and did not want to come home after Thanksgiving. But we did and now we are fully in the craziness (I love it) of the holidays.

Totally Inspired Thursday - Christmas Games

2011-12-08T15:04:00.005-07:00

Before I get to the color palette, I have something a little fun for you all. For the next week, I will post some question in my posts. From those that respond to the questions in the comments, I will draw a name for them to receive my next kit for {FREE}. I will draw a different name for each question I ask. So, If I end of asking 8 questions, then we will have 8 individual winners. I will do the drawing at the end of next week. That means that your chances of winning my kit are pretty darn good. So let's get started:
Question #1: What random thing are you or have you been grateful?
My answer: A Full Parking Lot
I know that most of the time we are not fans of full parking lots and having to park a ways away, but there is a specific time that I can recall being grateful for having to do just that, and it was even to get into my house. In college I lived with 7 other ladies in a house, we decided to have a fun Halloween Costume party that year, but since we were somewhat new in that area, were a little concerned that not very many people would come. Our house just happened to have a vacant parking lot next to it, which was nice when you had 8 girls in one house. A little before the party was starting I had to run to the grocery store for a last minute item. When I got back, the only spot left was at the end of the parking lot. I can remember sitting in my car for a little bit and just being so happy for a full parking lot. It meant that many of our friends had come to our little party (and they were on time :) ). I have had lots of many other "random" things to be grateful for since then, but just thought I would share that.
What is your random gratitude?

Today I have a fun and merry color palette for you. I hope you love the bright colors of it.

photo source: FreeDigitalPhotosnet Stuart Miles

Vote for me, please

2011-12-02T09:29:00.003-07:00

I have entered the Pen Scrappers layout contest again. I would love for you to go take a look and vote. This is my entry:

You can click on this button to take a look and vote:

Thank you.

A Little Help Please

2011-12-01T09:09:00.003-07:00

My sister and I would like to accept this challenge over at UCreate:
We have been making A LOT of hairbows lately and would like to know if any of you know of an organization that we could donate them to. Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Sneak Peek

2011-11-18T11:12:00.002-07:00

I have a new kit coming out next week and wanted to share a peek with you. I am really excited about this kit, the colors are taken from several of my Yellowstone color palettes.
I have been away from the blog for a little because my DH planned a surprise Birthday/anniversary trip for me and him. It was fabulous. We visited several temples for our church in Utah and Idaho, and I was able to get some great pictures of the temples. I will share more later.
While we were gone, my mom and sister watched the little ones. My sister and I decided to extend the time together and work on Christmas gifts together. We are working on some animal neck pillows and were getting this guy ready for going on the pillow. My sister cut him in half and set him down while working on something else. We both realized this was a very sad looking iguana now (but funny still). Hope it makes you smile some. I will post more later of what we have been up to.

National Digital Scrapbook Day 2011

2011-11-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Saturday, November 5th is National Digital Scrapbook Day. And I am celebrating in a huge way. Check it out.
This is a sale like no sale I have ever had before. If there is anything in my shop you have had your eye on, now is the time to grab it.
My entire shop is 25% November 4th-6th

But wait, there's more. If you spend $10 in my shop, you can get 35% off with the coupon code: MYOS35OFF

But, if you spend $15, then you get 42% off with the coupon code: MYOS42OFF

But that is not all, if you spend $20, then you get 42% off with the coupon code: MYOS50OFF

This is a pretty awesome sale and will not be repeated for some time, so take advatage of it.

Also, if you spend $10 in ANY shop at Ahhh Scrap (not just mine) then you will get the awesome kit, Mixed Fruit, for FREE. It so fun and the preview does not even come close to doing justice to it, especially the papers in it.

Fun Fresh Free Friday: Live in Thanksgiving

2011-11-04T03:54:00.000-06:00

I was totally inspired by Beck Higgins (who isn't) and her "Grateful" board that she did last year.
So simple yet such a perfect way to help the entire family keep in mind what is important. I decided to make my own using the "Live in Thanksgiving Daily". I found a great frame on clearance and the just cut some vinyl out and place in on some poster board and them placed it in the frame without the glass. I plan to bring it out each year and have a new poster board for each year. I think it will be lots of fun to see how the gratitude of my little family evolves.The Little Lady did most that art work before I had it in the frame. I was putting the letters on and I told it what it was. I then asked if she wanted to draw pictures of things she is grateful for. As you can see. I actually had to stop her so I could get it in the frame. I told her that she and daddy could do some more together this evening.
Now, I cannot offer cut vinyl to each of you to make this project yourself. But I can offer a free poster printable for you. These are 20x16 and I made sure to leave lots of white space for you to write in your blessings. Just click on the image of the poster you want to get the printable.

Totally Inspired Thursday - Thanksgiving

2011-11-03T06:34:00.002-06:00

I hope you all got a chance to watch the video I posted last week. It is just a great reminder for this this time of year, or any time of year for that matter. It has reminded me to look for things to be thankful for. There is always something. Little things that bring you joy. Today's layout is about one of those little things. I caught my Little Man trying to reach the faucet in the bathroom and I just loved his little feet stretching as far as they could to get him closer to the faucet. So cute those little feet. I used this ad as my layout inspiration:
I used the large text for inspiration for my title work and then the Metamucil description as placement inspiration for my journaling. This is my final layout:
I also have a palette for you this week. I just love this picture of the Little Lady from our day at the farm.

Please come back tomorrow. I have freebie for you that goes along with Living in Thanksgiving Daily.

Digi Scrap Connect Blog Train - Fresh Air

2011-11-01T00:27:00.003-06:00

I have spent most of the weekend on getting my computer back in order. Ok, not most of it, we had a really fun Trunk or Treat at the church on Saturday evening. The trunks were awesome. One mama actually sewed a blanket that covered her entire mini van and turned it into the body of giant spider. Pretty awesome.
I am not back put together enough yet (computer wise) to do the daily posts, but I have a fun little freebie for you all today. It is part of a little blog train for Digi Scrap Connect.The home station is Digi Scrap Connect.
The other participants are:
Ramona Memories
Kreations by Sparky
Scraps by Mara
Rosey Toes Designs
Silver Fox Studios
Snackpack Gu's Designs

Live in Thanksgiving-- Daily

2011-10-28T09:34:00.004-06:00

I am closer to being able to get back to designing and the regular blog posts.
Toady I really want to share something that has really touched my heart. I don't know if it is because of the season we are entering or if it is because this is something I really need to re-learn (probably both, but more of the later). If you will look at my header, my tag line is "Finding Joy Everyday in the Little Things". (Piccolina is a term of endearment meaning "little one"). I have not been feeling myself lately and just been sad about things and then I realized that it was because I was not looking for the joy in those everyday little things. Then last night, I came home from a girls night out, somewhat sadder then when I went there. Why? I really don't know why. I was checking some emails before going to bed and then decided to go to the website for my church. I stumbled on this video and found my answer to how I can find more joy in my life. To live in thanksgiving daily.

This video is great. I was struck by the part where it says, " Because we see things so often, we see them less and less." I have determined to stop and really take a look at the things around me (especially my little family) and to find the joy in them. I truly believe that true happiness is found when we have a grateful heart. When we realize, that even if we do not have all the things other do (money, friends, abilities, etc), we really are blessed, then there is the joy. There is a hymn we sing at church that says,
"When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed.
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessing; name them one by one,
and it will surprise you what the Lord has done."
( Count Your Blessings, LDS Hyms p241)
My goal is to remember this, when I am feeling discouraged or sad, to start living is thanksgiving. I am considering starting a gratitude journal to help me remeber and record things that are blessings, no matter how small. Do any of you keep gratitude journals? What are the small things that bring you joy?

If you would like to read the entire speeches that the text for this video came from, you can find it here: Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin~ Live in Thanksgiving Daily
President Thomas S. Monson~ The Divine Gift of Gratitude

Just soYou know

2011-10-22T17:28:00.002-06:00

You most likely will not be hearing from me for about a week. My laptop turned off by itself the other day and will not turn back on. We thought we had the solution but it appears it is far more serious (aka $$$) than we thought. Hubby is being kind enough to let me hijack his computer every once in a while, but all my templates and stuff for the blog posts are on the laptop. We are pretty sure we will be able to recover it all (prayers answered) but it will be some time. Do not worry, I am not returning to my old ways of blogging only every other month :)

Totally Inspired Thursday - More Wreath Love

2011-10-20T07:25:00.003-06:00

I saw this wreath and Etsy and thought it was stunning. I love all the moss in it and the paper flowers and brown polka dot bow. Just perfect colors together, in my opinion.Image from: Jilly Bean

Now for some layout inspiration. Inspiration can come from lots of places. I have been saving some inspiration from magazines for some while. Most of them are ads. I decided it was time to start using them for inspiration instead of just letting them pile up. So this is the ad:
Cute puppy right (BTW, our Little Lady keeps telling everyone we are getting a dog???? We have never even mentioned it, but yet she tells EVERYONE (complete strangers even) that we are getting a big dog). I love the clean lines of the add and the different layers. This is my interpretation of it:

Kit used: Blessed Mini Kit by One of a Kind Design Studio

What do you all think? I am very please with the layout.

Welcome Wednesday - CU Sampler

2011-10-19T07:34:00.001-06:00

I have a CU Sampler Pack in my shop. This is 4 layered patterned papers that come in PSD, TIFF and individual PNG files. This sampler is selling for only $2.50, which is a great deal for CU Layered papers. Plus, if you get my newsletter, you can use the coupon on this. Enjoy.

Tuesday Type- Albermale Swash

2011-10-18T08:06:00.000-06:00

I just stumbled across this font and thing it is just beautiful. I am currently working on a Thanksgiving poster and think I may make this the font of choice for it. Don't you just love the way the l and b swirls intertwine? So pretty.

Master It Monday -- Downloading Kits and Opening them

2011-10-17T07:40:00.006-06:00

I know this may be second nature for many of you, so bear with me. I was helping a friend with her very first digi layout last week (over the phone) and she was grabbing some things from my store to use. I just assumed that she knew how to get the products from the store and opened so that she could use them. I had forgotten that in the beginning of my digi scrapping, I had to learn how to download and unzip products so that I could use them. I do it almost every day now, so it is more than second nature. So it was an eye opener for me that she did not "just know" how to do this. That is is why I wanted to write this tutorial.
I will be showing how to download products from Ahhh Scraps (since it is my store :) ). But the steps will be similar for most shops. For this tutorial, I am using my free "Tutorial Template" (it includes a template and instructions on how to use templates). You can click on the title to be taken right to my shop to grab it. So go ahead and add it to your cart. To check out you with either need to log in or register with Ahhh Scraps (it is free). This will require an email and your name. It is best to use your real name and email so that if you have any issues with orders, the store administration can easily find your order history for you. Ahhh Scraps DOES NOT share your info with any others.
Once you complete the checkout process, you will see this screen. Click on the download button. If this screen does not come up, you can click on the "My Account" in the red bar and be taken to a record of your orders. If you have more than one product in your order, you will need to click on the download button for each item. Generally I only do three downloads at a time, just to make sure it downloads ok.When you click on the download button, it will open a download window. Make sure that "Save File" is selected and click ok.
In windows vista or 7 you will have a download window that will show you the progress of you download. The one pictured is complete. Windows will save the downloads directly to your "Downloads Folder."
If you are not familiar with where your download folder is you can generally find it here: C:\Users\USERNAME\Downloads (USERNAME is your personal username on your computer, in my case, Teri). The stack of books in the image is the zipped file of the product. Mine appears like this because I use WinRAR for zipping/unzipping. Vista and Windows 7 come with an unzip application. You icon of the zipped folder will look like a folder with a zipper. I like to right click on the zipped file, the choose extract files.
This opens an option window that allows me to choose where I save the unzipped folder to and what it is called (the dropdown arrow in the red circle). It also creates a new folder that it saves the products in so that you are sure they all stay together.

See, now I have an unzipped folder and my zipped folder. I always like to check my unzipped folder and be sure that all of the products are good before I move or get rid of my zipped folder. I also keep a folder on my desktop for saving/moving all of my downloaded and unzipped scrapbooking product in. This makes it easy to find when I am scrapbooking.If you do not have a third part unzipping software, then you can just double click on the file and unzip it. You can then move it to your scrapbooking folder.

Besides the unzip application that come with your computer and WinRAR, another popular application is 7-Zip.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.

Craft Room Weekend -- Halloween hair bows

2011-10-15T09:00:00.002-06:00

Once a month I host a hair bow day. It is an excuse to do a little crafting and to get together with friends. This month's hair bows were Halloween themed (of course, because I love Halloween). We made korker bows. You know the curly bows that are so cute. We made a multi-colored one with orange, purple, green and some cute polka sot ribbons. We also made some pumpkin ones. But my favorites were the little spiders.
I thought I would share with you how we made the pumpkins and then you can use what you learn from that to make the others.

Supplies
Dowels- 3/16" (2-3 are probably enough)
Ribbon- Orange 3/8"- about 4 yds (grosgrain and satin work best)
Ribbon- Green 1/8"- 6"
Needle
Thread
Masking tape
White paper
Hair Clip
Hot glue

I used 3/16" dowels that I got at the hardware store. I cut them in half (so it would fit in the oven). I use mini clothespins to hold the ribbon on the dowel when I wrapped it. Wrap the ribbon around the dowel with the edges close but not overlapping. Remember, how it looks (tightness/looseness/spacing) is how it will look when it comes off. Wrap both the orange and green (I used a wood kabob skewer for the green to make it smaller)When you have all your dowels wrapped, place them in a preheated oven at 250 degrees F. I place mine on the aluminum pan so that they do not get any transfer from the oven racks. Let them sit in there for 30 minutes.
When they have cooled completely, unwrap from the dowels. For the pumpkin I cute 18 pieces at 2.5". I cut the green at 1 in. Singe the edges of your ribbon so they do not fray. You can use a candle, lighter, or match to do it.
Thread a needle with about 18" thread. Tie ends in a knot. Tape the knot to the table with masking tape.
Thread need through your white paper. The paper is not necessary, but it makes it easier to see the placement of you korker pieces.Start threading your korker pieces onto the needle through the center of the piece. I like to put 4 0r 5 pieces on the needle and then sliding them down to the paper.Keep threading all your orange pieces, arranging them as you go so that you have a full, even circle of ribbon.One you have all of your orange pieces threaded, go back through all the ribbons and pull your thread away from the table and paper. Come back up through the ribbons.Attach your green stem, going through it and all of your ribbons several times and then tie off.
Hot glue it to your hair clip.

Now if you want to make the multi color, same technique just different ribbons.
For the spider you only need 4 pieces of black ribbon (4" each), a 3/4" pompom, 2 googlie eyes and little ribbon for the bow. Wind your ribbon (I think I used almost a yard), bake, cut, singe, sew. then glue the pom pom on. I found it easiest to attach the googlie eyes by making a glob of hot glue on some paper, the using a toothpick to grab some of it and dab it onto the back of the eyes. I did the same thing for the tiny bow.

I hope you all fun

Totall Inspired Thursday - Fall Perfect

2011-10-13T08:00:00.002-06:00

First, a thought/question. Would you all like to see some layout inspiration on Thursdays as well? I would still do a palette, because you know I love playing with color. But I thought maybe I could share some places to get inspiration for your layouts. Let me know.

Today's palette inspiration is from the great wreath I found on etsy. I have a thing for wreathes (as you will see in several more palettes). If I didn't hold myself back from making them, I would have more wreathes than there are holidays. Don't you just love this great fall wreathe? photo credit: Chic-Adee Shop

Tuesday Type - Prestige Elite

2011-10-11T10:58:00.001-06:00

Today's font is a standard one. I love good typewriter fonts, and I think this is one of those. Prestige is a great font for journaling. Give it a try.

Ahhh Scraps Designer Call

2011-10-10T21:47:00.003-06:00

I wanted to share this with you all, just in case any of you are interested. Just a note, Ahhh Scraps is totally welcoming to new designers. Ahhh Scraps currently has a few designer positions open.

If you would like to be part of an awesome designer family, please apply.
Requirements:
High Quality Designs
Participation in collab kits
At least 2 new products a month
Participate in Forum
Be self-promoting

Benefits:
Weekly advertising in store newsletter
Great Store CT
80% commission for exclusive designers
Sliding scale commissions for non-exclusive
Awesome designer family

To Apply:
email admin@ahhhscrap.com with:
Designer name, short bio, link to your blog,
link to stores you currently sale in
images for 3 latest products
a download link to one of those products

Another tutorial?? In the same day??

2011-10-08T22:26:00.002-06:00

Yeah, I know, I may be going crazy with all this blogging stuff. You get to hear from me twice today. Actually I just wanted to direct you all over to Seasonal Swaperoos where I was able to be a guest blogger today and shared a tutorial to make this fun baby food jar Halloween garland. Go check it out.

Craft Room Weekend-- Spell Books

2011-10-08T05:00:00.004-06:00

Last week I told you about a craft swap group I recently joined. It is called Seasonal Swaperoos. Several times a year you get a partner and are told a little bit about them. You then make some and buy some fun things for them and send them to your partner. The sweet lady who had me sent me lots of goodies in red, cause that is my favorite color. The lady I had liked pumpkins so I made these for her.
The book pumpkin was made using this tutorial at Creations By Kara
The wood pumpkins are something I first made several years ago and am not sure where to find the originals. It is 2x4' s and 1x2's, painted orange and sanded on the edges. Then glue a twig to the top for the stem and a bow with fabric or ribbon.
I also made these fun korker bows for her girls.

A fun part of the Swaperoos group is seeing what others are getting. Lyndsey got something from Malinda that I was totally wanting.
Aren't those spell books totally cute? Yeah, I wanted a set. So I asked Malinda if she had a tutorial for them. I think she is one of those creative people that see things and then can make her own version. This was her reply: I don't have a craft blog, I'm a bit of a blogging slacker, I can't even keep on my personal family blog! I will just give you some basic instructions. The books were really easy. Just get some old hardback books, or you can buy them at the dollar store. I used a power sander on the edges and the pages to give it a little bit of a worn look. Then I just cut my paper to size and glued it on. I lightly sanded and inked the edges. Then added my vinyl and twine! I hope that helps! I got the idea from a picture I saw somewhere online where someone had created Harry Potter-style books. I thought it would be fun to have some witches spell books for Halloween!

So I decided to take Malinda's comment and see what I could do. What do you think?
Totally cute right?! Do you want to make your own? You do? Well, you came to the right place. I made a little (ok, it is big because of all the pictures, but like Malinda said, these are easy).
Supplies:
Book
12x12 Scapbook paper (I used 1 sheet per book, but if you book is large you may need 2 sheets)
Sander (or sandpaper)
Spray adhesive
Sponge Paint brush
Brown ink
Twine
Vinyl Titles (you can print them on or use a marker instead)

First, get some hard back books. I got mine from the thrift store for less than $1 each. I tried to find books with a black or dark colored cover. But that is totally up to you.

Now, break out the sander (or sand paper). I used 220 grit. And just ran the sander on the edges, corners and along the binding to give the books a worn look.A close up after sanding

Now it is time to decide what size of papers you need to cover the book. If you book is small, you can swrap it with a single pieces, but since these are thicker books I needed three pieces. First I determine the size of paper I would need for the front and back cover. Measure from top to bottom of the cover. In my case I did it 8". I went just slightly longer, it is better to have a tiny extra.
Them measure from the edge of the cover, to about half way through the binding tape. See where I am pointing. In this case it will be about 5". So I cut 2 pieces of my paper at 5"x8". Next, we are going to measure around the binding. I went almoest from edge to edge of the binding tape. In this case it is 4 inches. This width is a little forgiving because of you front and back cover pieces, so if you do not have 4" of paper available, you can to it a little smaller.I actually cut the binding piece at 8"x4". Cut out your pieces.
This diagram show how I got all the pieces out of one 12x12" paper.
Now head outside with your books, paper and some spray adhesive. I put newspapers under where I am spraying and change papers in between sprays or else your next piece of paper will stick to the newspaper. Spray the entire backside of the sheet, starting with the binding piece. (My paper was double sided and this is the backside of it)

Then take it and wrap it around the binding, be sure to match the top of the paper with the top of the book and likewise with the bottom.
I then took the handle of my sponge paint brush and lightly pressed it along the paper where the binding and book board come together, into the indent. I liked the look of the crease. Do this lightly so as not to rip your paper.
Now take your front cover piece of paper and spray the back of it with adhesive. Place it on the front cover of you book, matching the edges and overlapping the binding piece of paper. Do the same with the back cover paper piece.
This what they will look like after putting the papers on.
Time to break out the sander again. Do the same as before, Sand the edges, the corners and binding. Also, if you paper is hanging over the book anywhere, you can sand it down. I also lightly sanded the front and back covers, just for a worn look.
Now for the final touch of antiquing. I use a brown ink pad and a sponge brush and just lightly went around all the edges and along the binding with it. I also went over where the front cover sheet meets the binding sheet. My Little Lady enjoyed helping with this part.

I used my Silhouette to cute out the titles in vinyl. You could try to print the title directly onto your paper of you can use a marker and put it on. For the titles I used these fonts:
Potions for Mummies - Cloister Black (hehe, that was my silly play on the "for Dummies" books)
Standard Spells Vol. 1 - Ornatique
Theory of Magic- Blood Omen

I then took some twine and tied them together. I am totally thrilled with the outcome and I hope you all have fun making a set for yourself.
Now, I have a little treat for you all. If your books are not any taller than 8" and the binding is 4" or less, than you can use these printables. The book title is included and the papers are from my most recent digital scrapbooking kit "A New Boo". Each in to be printed on an 8.5X11" paper. You can just print these out on some cardstock and cut them to size. Click on the preview image to get the download.
I made another book, this time using the free printable papers for the cover. It is the yellow, Potion Primer, book. I think it turned out great. Even better, I didn't have to go get a book for it. I found something in my recycling pile to use. Any guesses?

Yup, it is a phonebook. The only thing I did different between the phonebook and the hardback books, is that I did not sand it before I put the paper on it it. I did sand it once the paper was on.

This post was part of the Whipperberry Friday Flair Party

Fun, Fresh, Free - Check back tomorrow

2011-10-07T08:16:00.000-06:00

I really do have a little freebie for you, but it is a printable that goes with a fun tutorial I have for you tomorrow. So please come back tomorrow and take a look.
On another note, anyone have any suggestions for getting marker off of wood. I was cooking dinner last night and went into the front room to find marker (crayola, red) all over. At first I thought the Little Man had gotten one of his sister's markers and had a little fun. At first I only thought it was on the floor (laminate wood floor). I was wiping that up, and then I noticed it was on the side table, and then I noticed it was on some Halloween decorations, and then I noticed it was on a plate, and then I noticed....the table clothe, a seat cushion, both arms of the couch, the wall, the rocking chair, another spot on the floor, the arm of the side chair, more on the wall, the armoire, the windows (both windows), and the window sill. I think I found it all, and from the way it was done, I didn't believe it was the Little Man any more. I asked the Little Lady and she said she did it. Well, as she was standing in the corner, she said, all sad-like, "I just don't like coloring on paper." I was asking where else she had colored and my smart Little Lady said, "If you let me out of the corner I will show you." Oh my. I got it off of almost everything and think I can get it off of the rest, but the windowsill. It is wood, and not finished really well, so kind of bare wood and I cannot get it to even lighten up on there. If we owned the house , I would just use it as an excuse to re-finish them, but we rent, so I just need to get it off. Help. And you know full well the scrapbooker in me was wanting to stop and take pictures of it all, but I didn't, because the desire to get it all cleaned off was stronger.

Totally Inspired Thursday - Last of Yellowstone

2011-10-06T06:17:00.000-06:00

So today I have the last of the Yellowstone pallets for you. Hopefully I will be posting some layouts from Yellowstone soon, so I cannot say it is really the "last of Yellowstone" for you. But it is the last pallet inspired by Yellowstone. I really like the blues and greens in this photo. Hope you enjoy it.

Welcome Wednesday - A New Boo

2011-10-05T07:13:00.003-06:00

Yes, I really do still designs full size kits. It has been a long time since I have put together a full size kit, but I think good things come to those who wait. Hopefully though, I will not make you wait this long again. This kit is just a fun Halloween kit. It has 21 papers and 51 elements. And don't forget my new releases are 25% off through the first weekend of release.
Check out these fun layouts using this kit:

{mine}
{kristal}
template from Connie Prince Designs

{angie}

Type Tuesday- Ornatique

2011-10-04T07:10:00.000-06:00

I have been looking for some fonts to use for Halloween crafts. I stumbled on this one and I think it is just perfect. It just has that old, vampire castle feel to it. This font even includes numbers and punctuation. What are your favorite Halloween fonts?

Master it Monday - Photo Editing with Levels

2011-10-03T09:04:00.009-06:00

This is a little tip/trick that everyone using photoshop (both full and elements) should use on their photos. You will be amazed at the results this simple technique will give. Have you taken some pictures and they are totally cute, but the color or exposure is just off? Simply adjusting the levels can make a world of difference. This is a quick method for adjusting color and contrast in your photos.
First open you picture in PSE (or photoshop). I have one from my niece's senior picture photo shoot. With the picture open we are going to open the level's window. In PSE go to Enhance>Adjust Lighting>Levels (for PS it is Image>Adjustments>Levels) or ctrl+l for both programs. (from here, the steps are the same for both programs)
It will open the levels window. Take a look at the components of the window. If you want PSE to do the work for you, you can click on the auto but and it will adjust the levels for you. To do it manually we are going to take a look at the histogram. The histogram is the curve in the levels window. The curve represents the dark and light areas of your photo with the dark areas on the left of center and the light areas are on the right of center. So looking at my histogram for this photo, you can see it is dark because the histogram's curves are all to the left of center.
My favorite way to adjust levels is to drag on either the white or black point sliders (or both) until they are just where the pixels (the curve of the histogram) starts to increase. In the case, my dark point slider is already where it needs to be, but the white needs to be adjusted. Simply click on the point slider and drag it to the curve. I like to have the preview box selected so that I can see the changes as I am making them.
You can see what a difference it made. Go ahead and play with all the point sliders until you get the look you want. You can also use the eye dropper tools for adjusting the levels. To do this select one of the eye droppers. You can do any of the three:

Select the black eyedropper then click on an area of the photo that should be black.
Select the white eyedropper then click on an area of the photo that should be white.
Select the gray/midpoint eyedropper then click on an area of the photo that should be neutral gray.

I prefer to use either the white or black since it easier to determine what is supposed to be white/black in the photo. If you get a result that you do not like, you can hit the "reset" button right about the "Auto" button in your levels window and it will reset the levels to the original levels.
Take a look at the difference this quick fix can make. Go ahead, give it a try on those photos. I think you will be very happy with the results.

What tips/techniques would you all like to learn more about? Are you enjoying these? I would love any suggestions.

Craft Room Weekend -- ???

2011-10-01T20:24:00.002-06:00

Where is it? I have some really fun ones to show you, but I can't. Not yet. I am part of a craft swap group and I sent off some really fun things to my swap partner last Friday. They are supposed to post their goodies on the Swaperoos blog once they get them, but it hasn't been posted yet. I do not want to post them here just in case, by chance, might happen, possibly she could be a reader of this blog. I know it is a small chance, but turns out one of my lovely CT ladies is part of the swap group and I didn't even know until she said something. :) It is a small blog world. I will post the pics here as soon as I can. Until then, this is the sneak peek I posted for her. You all can take guesses at what it is. :)

Fun Fresh Free Friday - Week 2

2011-09-30T08:38:00.000-06:00

I have been quite busy working on the new kit I have coming out. But I took a little time to make a little freebie for you all. I hope you enjoy it.

Totally Inspired Thursday- More Yellowstone

2011-09-29T07:26:00.000-06:00

Are you all getting tired of the Yellowstone palette's yet? I hope not. Today's palette is from the Spasmodic Geyser, which was an appropriate name for it. We just sat there for awhile and watched it. You cannot see them in the picture, but there was a herd of buffalo out there in the grass making their way towards us. Kind of a perfect Yellowstone moment.
I think today's palette would make a very nice fall kit. .

Welcome Wednesday -Sneak Peek

2011-09-28T09:35:00.002-06:00

So, I do not have a new product today, but I do have a little peek into one that I will be releasing next week. Enjoy.

TypeTuesday - Lobster

2011-09-27T07:27:00.000-06:00

I am sure you are seeing this all over. I hope so. It makes me smile. It is just an awesome font and so useful. And plus, the name makes me smile. There are some pretty great font names out there. My font choice for this week is another that I rely on quite a bit right now. Just click on the image to be taken to the Lobster home for this great font.

Master It Monday - Keyboard Shortcuts

2011-09-26T09:07:00.000-06:00

You have probably noticed in my tutorials that I like keyboard shortcuts. I love them for photoshop and find myself trying to use the photoshop shortcuts in other programs and being upset when they do not work :). Anyways, for today's tips and hints I want to give you a few and challenge you to start using some. When I first started using them, I made myself only try one at a time instead of trying to do them all. Once that shortcut became second nature, then I would learn another one. So which one do I think you should learn first? Wow that is hard, but I think all photoshop (elements included) users should know ctrl+j. Now when I write that it means you will push the ctrl key and the j key at the same time. Ctrl+j is copy. So whatever layer you are currently on it will make a copy of that layer for you. This is great when wanting to use multiple copies of an element for clustering. Here are a few others that I find useful.
ctrl+n is new document
ctrl+u is opens up the hue/saturation window
ctrl+l is levels window (play with the slider to adjust photos, just a little adjustment can make a real difference)
when working in brushes or the eraser if you press the [ it will make you brush/eraser smaller and if you push the ] it will make the brush/eraser larger.

So, do any of you have any shortcuts that you rely on? Will you try to learn at least one of these this week? I know they can be tedious (mostly remembering to use them) at first, but I promise that you will love them. They really are shortcuts.

Craft Room Weekend - Ruffles and ruffles

2011-09-24T17:01:00.006-06:00

So, about a month ago, I gave in. I had kind of been fighting it for awhile, mostly because I knew that once I got started, I would be addicted and it would devour lots of my time. I was right, but I really have no regrets, I find it so useful and inspiring. What the heck am I talking about?! Pinterest. I gave in to Pinterest. For those of you that do not know what Pinterest is, it is a way to "bookmark" things you see on the internet that you want to remember. Whether for crafting, creating or just because it made you smile. I love the way it works because it bookmarks images. So much easier to look through a list of projects I want to do when it is all images instead of a list of blog addresses. In fact, I have actually accomplished more of the "to do" items on my craft and kid's activities list now that I am on Pinterest. So yes, I did become addicted to it. If you want to check out my "boards" on Pinterest, I added a link in my sidebar.
Anyways, how does this relate to Craft Room Weekend? Well, most of the things I am up to in my craft room are projects I have seen on the internet. There was one that I bookmarked well over a year ago to do and I finally accomplished it this week. It is a t-shirt refashion from Tea Rose Home. Isn't it beautiful?

Walmart had some clearance racks this last week and I grabbed 3 white shirts. This only took me about an hour to accomplish and I have already worn it a few times in the last week :) I love it and I plan to make one in black as well. I did make my ruffles go all the way to the bottom, but other than that, I followed her instructions. Not the best pic of me, but Little Lady is as cute as ever.

Totally Inspired Thursday - Yellowstone II

2011-09-22T05:08:00.000-06:00

Well, I did it. I kept to the schedule for a whole week!!!! Are you so proud of me? I have been having fun doing this and I hope you all are appreciating the content and finding it useful. First, I wanted to share a layout I just did. We were able to go to a pick-it-your self farm last Friday. It was a lot of fun to ride around on the tractor wagon and get to pick some veggies, especially since our poor garden is not producing so well after a terrible hail storm we had in July. The Little Lady was so fun to watch and she got right in there and picked things. A friend and I are getting together next week to use the produce we picked in some freezer meals.I wish I could claim the kit used on this layout as mine. It is from the very talented One of A Kind Design Studio. I love this kit. I also used the Spookalicous Template from Miss Tiina.

This weeks color swatch is made from another photo from our trip to Yellowstone. I was so in awe of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Absolutely beautiful. The photo does not even come close to doing it justice.

Welcome Wednesday - Paper Flowers

2011-09-21T05:01:00.001-06:00

I have a few new items in my shop this week. These paper flowers are cut from kraft paper and put together by yours truly (with a little help from the Little Lady of course). Then I photographed them and extracted them for you digi-scrapping pleasure. These flowers come with both a PU/S4O and a CU license. I used a few of them to make the fun little freebie I handed out last Friday. I have plans to make some more of these little cuties.
Don't forget that my items are 25% off the first week of their release.

Type Tuesday - Signal To Noise

2011-09-20T06:03:00.001-06:00

I have admitted to you all before that I have a font addiction problem. Actually, I recently had to restore my computer after my hard drive was failing and I decided I was not going to re-install all of my fonts. I went through and installed only the ones I use the most. No worries, I did not get rid of the others. They are in a folder on my computer and I use a font viewer to go through them and install them temporarily when I find myself in need of a different font than what is installed. With the re-do of my computer I also got windows 7 and I love that it shows me a preview of the fonts when I have large or extra large icon selected. Pretty cool.
Anyways, there is a font that I found about 2 months ago and I find myself using it constantly, especially for journaling. The uppercase letters are grungy, so I do not use them as often, but I love the lowercase. I think I love how compact it is. Check it out.

Master It Monday -Custom PSE Workspace

2011-09-19T06:24:00.007-06:00

Today I want to share a little bit with you about the workspace in Photoshop Elements. I use PSE 7 for my actual scrapbooking and some designing. I started out on PSE 4 with scrapbooking and then started designing in PSE6 and have stayed at 7 now. I do design now is CS5 as well. But for composing layouts, I always find myself going back to my PSE7. It just is so much more natural for me after working in it so much.
I am very particular about my workspace in PSE. I like to have things that I use often (undo history, effects, color swatches) easily accessible. Take a look.
Over on the left hand side of the workspace I have my "Undo History" Palette, my "Effects" Palette and my "Layers" Palette open. There is also a "Color Swatches" Palette there, but it is minimized so as to have more room for the other palettes.
Generally, PSE will have the Layers Palette over on the left and sometimes the Effects Palette. But you can add the others. That is what I want to share with you today.
First of all, if you are not seeing any palettes at all, make sure the palette window is expanded by clicking on the arrow (see the red circle) and dragging it out.
Once you have the palette window expanded we ready to customize it to your liking.
First, click Window (along the very top of your workspace) and choose the palette you would like to add to your workspace. I have removed Undo History from mine and will re-install it during this little tutorial.

Now, as you can see, it just dropped the palette in the middle of your workspace. This is not good for working on layouts. Now we are going to put in into the palettes window on the left. Next to the name of the palette you will see 8 tiny dots (check out the enlargement in the red circle). Click on those, and while holding that, drag you palette over to the palettes window and drop it on the line between two palettes. If you no to get it on the line, it will not stick into the palettes window. Don't worry, it may take you a few times (or maybe it was only me that had to try a few times). Now, I placed my Undo History after the Color Swatches palette in this example, but I actually prefer my Undo History to be at the top of my palettes. Re-ordering your palettes after they are stuck is simply. Click on the title of the the palette and either drag it up or down.
Pretty simple right? If you find that you don't like having a certain palette always available, you can either minimize it by clicking on the arrow next to its name, or you can completely remove it. To do that, click on the name and drag it to your main work space. It will un-stick it and have it as a separate window. You can then just close out the window.
I really hope you find this useful and helps you to customize your workspace so that your layout creating can flow easier for you.

Craft Room Weekend

2011-09-17T08:49:00.004-06:00

If you have been with me for awhile, then you know that I am kind of a Jack-Of-All-Trades and dabble in lots of things. I love to create. Whether it is sewing, crafting, crocheting, refinishing furniture, photography, or and so on, I like to create fun and beautiful things. I wanted a day of the week to share some of my non-digi doings with you. Hence, Craft Room Weekend. Most of the items for this day will probably be craft/sewing related, but you will also see some of the adventures I have with my little ones.
To get it started, I thought I would actually share my craft room with you. I am blessed to have a space to call my own (kind of, there are a lot of toys in there as well) to be able to sew and craft. I recently re-arranged/re-decorated my craft room. First, a little backstory. We rent, so I cannot do anything to serious. My craft room is in the semi-finished basement. The tenants before us were renting to own, and had started to finish the basement (framing and some dry wall). About a month ago, I told my DH I wanted to get a home gym. This was the conversation:
Me: I want a home gym.
DH: (rather enthusiastically, which is huge coming from him). Me too!
Me: (puzzled) Then why don't we already have one?
DH: We don't have room for one
Me: I could make some room in my sewing room/play room/exercise room (it already has an elliptical in it that I plan and getting rid of).
DH: I don't think there is room
So if you know me, you know I took that last statement as a challenge. I did some research on Craig's List of home gyms just to get an idea of how much space would be needed. Then I started to re-arrange. In the process, I decided to make my space more pleasing. This is the before picture (well, just after I started unloading and moving stuff, it really is cleaner than this most of the time). (I stitched together several pics, hence the wonkiness of them)
When we moved in, there were three sheets of drywall in the garage. The landlord said we could get rid of them if we wanted, but I hated to just get rid of them. Glad I did not. This is the after:DH helped me hang the drywall. I then covered it with.....wrapping paper. It is only taped on the edges. I didn't want to do anything permanent just in case the next want to finish the basement. I organized the ribbons and all those cute polka dot boxes on the shelf on the right, are just cardboard boxes covered with wrapping paper, I am excited about the transformation and with the photos did it better justice. I have already made a baby blanket, a play skirt, a skirt and a Family Home Evening board in it. And yes, on the other side of the room is space for a home gym. We are just watching Craig's List now to find one that fits our needs and our budget.

Fun, Fresh, Free Friday

2011-09-16T07:16:00.000-06:00

Now, admit, this is the one you were most excited about when you saw my list for daily post themes, right? And this is the one you hope I keep up with, right? That is ok, I like freebies to. Today, I have a paper and a couple of paper flowers for you. I hope you enjoy it. You will see more of the flowers very soon.

Totally Inspired Thursday

2011-09-15T06:19:00.001-06:00

We just got back from a trip to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons. It was incredible. That is really the only way to describe it. We are already planning a return trip. I wanted to share a little of that trip with you, so I decide to base the next few color palettes on a few of the photos I took (trust me, we took a lot, like 800+, gotta love digital cameras, I even bought 2 new memory cards just for this trip). Anyways, here is the very first edition of Totally Inspired Thursday and I hope you enjoy it.

I want to be better...

2011-09-14T21:06:00.005-06:00

....at blogging. Yes, I do. I feel terrible that I have not blogged for like 6 weeks, yeah....6 weeks. So I have decided that I am going to be better. I have come up with a plan ☻. Want to know what it is? I have topics for the days of the week. Now this being said, I probably will not be good enough to blog everyday, but hopefully this will get me inspired to blog a lot more. Here is the Daily Topics:

- Master It Monday-
tips and techniques for scrapping and a little designing

- Type Tuesday -
I will showcase a favorite font or some typography

- Welcome Wednesday -
New releases

- Totally Inspired Thursday -
I will share some color inspiration

- Fun Fresh Free -
freebie

- Craft Room Weekend -
I will share some non digi projects

What do you think? Are you excited? I am.

I Survived Design Factor

2011-07-30T22:16:00.003-06:00

I finished my kit for the final week of Design Factor. Whoo Hooo!!! This weeks kit had to have a food theme. This one was kind of iffy.....lots going on this week and then I have had a really sick Little Man and a really sick DH. But, things are getting better :) This kit was inspired by what I would say is probably the favorite snack for all members of our family. My daddy is the master at this and makes it on the stovetop. My littlest sister puts massive amounts of butter on it and ranch flavoring (it is good). My husband, who is not much of a snacker normally, has to get a bag (or 2) of it whenever we go to a game or a movie. My little ones (even the 16 month old) sit and watch our Stir Crazy and get all excited when they hear the first pop. We love popcorn. I actually have recipe for rosemary parmesan popcorn that is fantastic. So, as I was sitting with a large bowl of popcorn discussing with DH what my food for this weeks challenge should be, of course I was inspired. I hope you all enjoy it. Remember there are a lot of other YUMMY kits for free at the Design Factor gallery.

No one guessed the theme, so I randomly picked a winner and that winner is:
Christina who guessed Apples and Bananas(totally would have worked for these colors).
Go ahead and shoot me an email Christina and I will get you your GC.

Now I am off for some much needed sleep.

A Clue for You

2011-07-29T05:40:00.001-06:00

Remember, I am offering a $5 Gift Card to my shop to the person that guesses the food them for my Design Factor final mini kit. I posted about it a few days ago and wanted to give you a clue. Are you ready?......
The blue is for pop, it is not a color of the food, at least natural.

Here is my palette just for a reminder. Please leave me a comment with what you guess is.
This kit is coming together well and should be available Saturday evening.

Flowers, Ribbons and Strings, OH MY!!!

2011-07-28T04:45:00.000-06:00

For challenge 5 of Design Factor, we were required to use ALL commercial use items for an ellie pack. The challenge was to see how well we could re-color the items. Part of the requirement was the at least 50% of the items had to be from Scrap Matters, the challenge hosts. They had some awesome freebies for us to use, but it meant that 50+ designers would be using the same elements and one of three assigned color palettes to make their element packs. Several designers were worried that all the kits would look the same and also that it would be only elements for you all to grab (oh, yes, and alphas). We decided that we needed to make paper packs to add on and offer them to you all, hence was born the "Flowers, Ribbons, and Strings Oh My!" blog train. There are 25 fabulous designers participating. Each designer is offering an alpha, an ellie pack and a paper pack. Yes, there are lots of ribbons, flowers and strings, but there are some fabulous other elements as well. Be sure to grab them, as they will only be available for 1 week. If you get lost, head back to DigiScra Connect the Home Station.
Here is my ellie and alpha pack:And here is my paper pack:

Here is the list of participants:
DigiScrap Connect {Home Station}
Piccolina Designs
JDK Skrapz
Dancing Princess Designs
Inspired By Dominic Designs
Dana's Footprints Designs
Milly Dee Designs
Amanda and Millie Designs
Rose Thorn Designs
NanaScraps
Kim Hackworth Creations
Scraps by Mara
Digital Gator Designs
Snackpackgu's Designs
Rumki Designs
Designs by Angel
Scrapdragon Designs
ScrapN2Nspire
Rebecca Meyers Designs
Ramona Memories
Binty Designs
Lizard Dau Designs
Digital Harmony
Foosa Moon Creations
PamlaKlenczar
Midnight Owl

Who wants a 5 Dollar Gift Card to my shop?!

2011-07-27T15:15:00.005-06:00

This week for the final Design Factor Challenge, we have to do a mini-kit with a food them. So, I have my food picked out and my color palette. I decided to have a little fun with you all before I reveal the finished kit.
This is my color palette (don't any of you steal it :) ), can you guess what food I am using for my theme? The one who guesses will get a $5 GC to my shop, if no one guesses correctly, the I will just do a random drawing of everyone who guessed.Be sure to check back here tomorrow for the Design Factor Blog Train and this weekend for the kit made with this color palette.

No Design Factor kit for you......yet

2011-07-25T22:01:00.003-06:00

Yes, I did complete last week's challenge for Design Factor, so you are probably wondering where your goodies are..... Well, they are coming, along with 24 other designers' extra goodies for this challenge. Be sure to come back here on the 28th to get all the details.
Until then, I have just released some new CU Overlays in the shop. I am quite entranced with Quatrefoils right now. I have two sets so far (yes, I do plan on having at least two more to come). For those of you that prefer a photoshop pattern set (PAT file), there is one coming that will include the patters used to make ALL of the overlays. Here are the first two sets. Don't forget they are 25% off thru Sunday.

And of course I have a little sample for you in the shop. Enjoy.

Something Old, Something new

2011-07-15T10:38:00.006-06:00

No, I am not getting married. I already am very happily married. I want to share with you a little project I have been working in. First, you need the back story. :)
I was given a table with 6 chairs around 8 years ago. The previous owner had had it since the 80's. It was a well loved and used table and I was very grateful to get it, especially considering the only furniture I had at that time was a chair, a desk and a mattress set (yes, you read that right, a mattress set on the floor, no frame, no headboard). It was my first job out of grad-school, I was single and my first place that did not come pre-furnished. :) Ok, fast forward to about 2 years ago. The chairs for this table started to come apart, we glued them, they stayed together for a little and then came apart again. As time as gone on, the time between gluing became less and less. I have been waiting for one to fall apart completely on me. But one never did fall apart completely on me. Nope, instead it fell apart completely on a friend who was over making hairbows (so sorry Carlyn). Well, I knew the kind of work that would go into putting this good old table and chairs back to tip-top shape, but I didn't know if I had that in me (lots of sanding in hard to reach places and so on). So with that catastrophe, I asked DH if I could start looking on Craig's List for a new table and chairs that might not require so much work. In the process, I listed our table and chairs on there $25. The table was still in great shape, with just some wear and tear of 20+ years and I knew that someone with the right skills could repair the chairs (the one that collapsed just came apart, it didn't actually break). Guess what? Someone bought it the next day and he was so excited about the chairs, he said he loved the style of them and couldn't wait to re-finish them. That made me happy that someone was going to give new life to this good old table and chairs. This is the old set.So, looks like we need a new table :) I found a table on craig's list that I really liked the style of, but it needed refinishing. So I was looking for chairs to go with it. I stumbled on a post that had the same table and 6 chairs to go with it for less than just the table. I called and amazingly she still had it. We went and got it that night. The table had some water spots on the top and the seats were not my style. I also wanted black, not forest green. So the re-d0 started. This is the table right after I started sanding.
And these are the chairs in the beginning of the re-vamp.This is the table after about 3 hours of sanding. My hand is still vibrating :) It was so soft to the touch and I was tempted to just finish the wood as is and not stain, but stain I did.
I did 3 application applications of Miniwax Ebony Stain. After that was completely dry (24 hours) I flipped the table upside down (on a moving blanket covered with plastic so as not to scratch it) and removed the legs. I primed the base and legs with Krylon Black Primer, lightly sanded and then painted them with Krylon Black gloss spray paint. I did three coats. After they were allowed to dry for about 24 hours, I attached the legs, flipped her back over in preparation for the finish. I wiped her down really well and applied 3 coats of polyurethane semi-gloss. The hardest part for me was the light sanding in between coats. It seems so counter-intuitive to go and sand something you just worked so hard on and looks quite nice. But I am so pleased with the results. For the chairs, after I removed the seats, I sanded any really bad spots, washed them down with mineral spirits and then just a moist cloth. Then I primed with the black primer. After that was dry, I lightly sanded them (not fun, lots of curves) and wiped them down yet a third time. Then the fun part, spray painting. I did three coats of the black gloss paint from Krylon (I love that you can adjust the nozzle on the Krylon).
While everything was drying, I worked on re-covering the seats. I had seen this really fun upholstery fabric at Hobby Lobby several weeks ago, but resisted buying any because I really did not have a purpose for it. Thanks to a collapsed chair, I now did. But, not being sure if DH would approve, I went back and took pictures of it and several other fabrics (a little more toned down) for him to look at. Guess, what, he said I could use it!!!!! Isn't it awesome?!

I was just smiling the whole time I was recovering the seats. It is a bold print, but I figure if we can always change it in the future (and with little ones, it is guaranteed that they will need re-covering in the future). So are you ready for the big reveal? I wish I had better quality photos to show it off, but my dining room does not get the best natural light without causing harsh shadows and bright spots. The top looks pure black, but it actually had some warm brown in it and great wood texture. At the moment I have it covered with a table clothe to protect it from the kiddos (yeah, I am sure I will grow out of that, but right now I am quite protective of it)

Anyone want to guess how much this cost me? Supplies (primer, paint, drop clothes, stain, finish, brushes, and fabric) and table and chairs came to a grand total just around $90!!!! How cool is that

Design Factor Week 4

2011-07-14T07:37:00.004-06:00

Ok, so this week's challenge was a challenge. What we had do do is pick shape (the definition of shape is loose for this challenge). It could not be a circle or square and it could not be a pre-made/CU one. In other words, we had to make it ourselves, but could use a combination of pre-made shapes to do so. Then we had to make at least three pattern papers, all using that shape or a variation of it, at least 2 solids papers and at least 5 elements, which also all must use the shape is some way. Ok, so the first challenge was to pick a "shape". All of you know I love polka-dots, but those where not allowed, so back to the drawing board. Luckily, the CT captain over at Ahhh Scraps gave us all a large list of suggestions and I took one, the bandage. :) It was hard making sure the bandage showed up in every paper and element (except the solid papers of course), but I am pleased with the outcome. I hope you enjoy the Boo-boos Mini Kit. Remember that there will most likely be 70+ other mini kits available this week again. You can see them and details on how to grab them in the Design Factor Gallery.

Remember these freebies are only good for 2 weeks.The Freebie has Expired. You can grab this mini kit in my {shop}

Week 3 of Design Factor

2011-07-08T22:30:00.007-06:00

This week for Design Factor we had to use a monochromatic color scheme for the majority of the kit and then have some "pops" of color. I decided on a nice beige color palette with turquoise and green as my pops. I went with a beach theme. Not your laying out at the beach and beach balls, but walking along the beach and collecting sea shells kind of feel. I hope you like it. Don't forget to head on over to the Design Factor Galleries to see what else is available from some incredible designers.

Freebie is Expired, You can get this mini kit in my {SHOP}

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-03T00:30:00.002-06:00

First off, Happy 4th of July weekend. I hope all of my stateside readers are enjoying family and friends, and please be safe.

So, there was not specified theme for Challenge #2 of Design Factor. Our main restrictions were that we had to have 6 patterned papers, 6 solids and 10 ellies. The hard part? Every thing had to be made/drawn by us using PSE,PS, Illustrator, or similar programs or by hand drawing it and scanning it in. We were allowed to use commercial use styles and overlays, but other than that the kit had to be all made by us.
I knew right away what theme I wanted. I even had a color palette selected at the beginning of the week, but I just had a terrible time figuring out what direction I wanted to take it to make it unique. Then I caught myself singing "God Bless the USA" around the middle of this week. I really enjoy the 4th of July holiday and I had some friends over to make some patriotic hair bows, so I was singing several patriotic songs to myself :). Anyways, the line "I love this land" really stuck out to me and then I knew where I wanted to go with this kit. I hope you all like it. It will be a freebie for 2 weeks. Don't forget to check out the other fabulous kits from the other designers for week 2. Right now there are 68 kits!!!

Freebie is Expired, You can get this mini kit in my {SHOP}

Mmmm....ice cream

2011-07-01T15:15:00.002-06:00

No, I do not have a freebie for you in this post :) I will later this weekend as part of the Design Factor Challenge. I actually wanted to ask you all for some suggestions. I want to make some yummy homemade ice cream for the 4th of July. I am a fan of chocolate, hubby is a fan of vanilla and the little ones will eat any kind we will let them have. So the flavor can be about anything. I want to know if you all have some tried and true recipes that you would be willing to share. Who knows, there might even be a treat in it for the recipe I decide to use :)

I have a Little Model

2011-06-28T15:23:00.007-06:00

Do you recognize this little model? Isn't she adorable. Yup, that is my Little Lady. She is a model for AnnLynn Style on Etsy. So what is AnnLynn Style, well first it is owned and operated by on of my fabulous sisters (all of them are fabulous, but only one has an etsy shop). It is full of fun and beautiful accessories.
Take a look at some of them.
And these are just a handful. Aren't they fun?! You can even do custom orders. Think weddings or newborns. Best thing of all, AnnLynn is offering a coupon to all my bloggy friends. From now until the 7th of July you can get 15% off your entire purchase at AnnLynn Style. Just enter the coupon code: PiccolinasPeeps15
Shop happy.
I will be back the end of the week to share another freebie mini-kit for the Design Factor challenge.

mmmm.....Watermelon

2011-06-25T13:28:00.006-06:00

One of the designers over at Ahhh Scrap "convinced" me to join in another designer challenge. That means late nights for me again, but lots of freebies for you. The challenge is called Design Factor and can be found at Digiscrap Connect. This week we had to do a kit with a summer-time theme. Well, if you grew up in my family, you know that summer=watermelon. It is not uncommon to have watermelon for dinner, and we have numerous pics of little babys diving face first into a HUGE slice of watermelon. So I took watermelon as my inspiration for this kit. You can get this kit for free until the 11th of July. Also, you can check out the Design Factor Gallery and get the links to all the other incredible kits.

{THIS ITEM IS NOW AVAILABLE AT MY AHHH SCRAP SHOP}

To do, to do, to do

2011-06-11T13:22:00.003-06:00

Do your to do lists just keep getting longer and longer? Or is it just me? There are so many things I want to do. One thing I have really been slacking in "mommy school". For awhile I was really good and doing flashcards with the Little Lady everyday, and I was always amazed that she knew the difference between a pentagon and a hexagon without having to count the sides :) But I have been slacking and she just turned three and she is showing interest in reading, so we need to http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giflearn to recognize our letters and the sounds they make. Something I know that will make me do it is if the little lady reminds me to do it. I decided that a daily "To Do" list for her would help her remember to remind me :). I did a little search online for charts and found this really neat site, and even better it is free. You get to make customizable charts that use pictures for the task. Then you can either print it out or keep track online. They can also earn "moolah". It is points they earn for chores and then they can turn it them in for time on the computer, tv time, a book or whatever you want to set at the reward. The charts options are so cute. But it is not only for your little ones, they have charts for teens and also for us, grown ups. Because, even grown-ups need to set goals. The site is GoalForIt. I would love to hear how you all like it and what you think.

I am in no way endorsing GoalForIt for any kind of profit, I just think they are really cool and wanted to share it with you all. I am not cool enough yet to be asked to endorse products :)

It is Template Thursday over at Ahhh Scraps (Again)

2011-06-09T21:58:00.003-06:00

I know, I know, Template Thursday happens like every two weeks over at Ahhh Scraps....but I am not always the one who has a template to offer. This week I do. Check out this layout I did with the template:
I used my Freedom kit which is currently unavailable (undergoing quality control), but should be back soon. You can grab the template for {FREE} for two weeks over at Ahhh Scrap.

No Excuse Challenge

2011-05-16T23:45:00.002-06:00

Hopefully you all grabbed this kit from Ahhh Scraps while it was free for iNSD weekend. If not, it is only $3.99 right now and the coupons in it are good until the end of the month.
Ahhh Scrap is hosting a challenge using this kit.

So, since it was absolutely free, you have no excuse for not participating in this challenge.
The rules:
1. Use the iNSD 2011 Goodie Bag Kit (you may use other items, but this kit must account for at least 80% of the layout, besides photos)
2. Use 2 photos
3. Post the layout in the Challenge Gallery
4. Post either the layout in this thread or a link to the layout in the gallery
5. Have fun

The winner of this challenge will receive a coupon for June's Collaboration kit.

We have some awesome layouts entered into the challenge so far. Check out some of these:

There is still plenty of time to submit your layout. Remember, we are using the 2011 iNSD Goodie Bag kit for this challenge on the FORUM.

CU 4 U {even a freebie 4U}

2011-05-16T11:50:00.002-06:00

I warned you that I was getting into some more CU items. And I have. I am starting with patterns, stripes to be exact. I have three sets of stripe overlays. Each contains 6 layered patterned papers in PSD and TIFF files. There are also individual PNG files for each layer. I have also packaged all the Pattern files I used to make these layered pattern overlays, so if you want to use them create your own unique stripe papers, the possibilities are endless.
As usual, all new product is 25% off through the first weekend.

or your can grab the bundle of all three layered pattern sets

and yes, I do have a little sampler for you

50% off !!!

2011-05-06T20:50:00.003-06:00

Yup, you read that right. My entire shop will be 50% off tomorrow from 7-10am MST. If you cannot make it at that time, the shop is 25% off all weekend. As is most of Ahhh Scrap.
Now, check out this adorable kit. Awesome, isn't it. Even better, it is {FREE} this weekend to celebrate interNational Scrapbook Day. And even more betterer (to much time around toddlers, can you tell? :) ) is that there are several coupons from Ahhh Scrap Designers included in the download (and I just might be one of those designers). Go get it, you know you want to.
And I have added my first every CU OK product to the store. It is only $1 for this weekend.

Ahhh Scrap iNSD sale

2011-05-04T10:21:00.003-06:00

This Saturday is interNational Scrapbooking Day.....did you know that? Hopefully you did because a majority of the digi-scrap community is hosting events and sales. Ahhh Scrap is having some awesome sales.Yes, my shop will be 50% off during the early bird sale. Also, they will have lots of freebies and $1 kits for the weekend. This is just a peek at one of the freebies and there will be several coupons with the freebie. So be sure to mark your calendar for great deals and freebies.

LDS Blog Train---All Things Bright And Beautiful

2011-05-01T00:32:00.005-06:00

I am participating in the May LDS Blog Train, All Things Bright and Beautiful. It has been a long time since I have been involved in a blog train, so hopefully that does not mean I am out of practice. :) I hope you like my contribution.And here are all the stops:

Word Art World
Scraps N Pieces
Toddlers of Unusual Size
Steadfast and Immovable
The Latest Scoop, Too
My 4 Princesses
Cocoroo Scraps
Digidesigns by Em
Robyn Pali Designs
All LDS Freebies
Dancing Princess Designs
Pink Igloo Designs
WinksArt
Krisi's Kreations
Chelle's Creations
Let Me Scrapbook
Little Penguin Designs
Hot Pink Pansy
Plum Dumpling Designs
Scrappy Pilgrim
Psychozoe
DesignsZ by Dede
Alevtina Scrap
Meta Wulandari Design
Becoming Peculiar
The Adkins Family Blog

And if you get lost, you can go here:
LDS Blog Train Blog

Ahhh Scrap May Collab

2011-04-25T22:38:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to share the teaser for Ahhh Scrap's May Collaboration kit:This kit is so much fun. Do you want to get your hands on it for {FREE}? Of course you do :) Ahhh Scraps is hosting a layout challenge on their forum where you can win this collaboration kit or coupons. You can get the details {HERE}

A little Challenge

2011-04-12T08:40:00.003-06:00

Ahhh Scrap is hosting the Monthly Collaboration Challenge again. It is pretty simple, you just grab a copy of this month's collab, Leap into Spring, make a layout with it and then upload it to the forum {HERE} and the gallery {HERE}. You could win May's mega kit free or one of two $2 coupons for the store.
Check out these layouts (these are CT ones, so they are not eligible for the challenge, but still oh so cute)

and look at this adorable card (hybrid projects are eligible for the challenge):

Released (a day early)

2011-03-31T20:26:00.006-06:00

Ahhh Scrap released their April Collaboration a day early......because they are so excited about it, and I am too. This kit is soooooooo cute. This is the release info from the store's newsletter:

The April Collaboration is here. I realize I am a day early.....but I am so excited about this kit that I just could not wait another day to share it with you. Plus tomorrow is April's Fools Day and I didn't want you to think this amazing kit was a joke. It is far from it.

April is National Frog month...who knew. We decided to have some fun with the little guys and make a mega kit with lots of them and some of their other spring time friends. This kit is perfect for spring and is "leaping" with fun. There are worms, butterflies, bees, and other critters. The kit is also packed full of flowers.

All in all, the kit contains 115+ elements and 78 papers. What a incredible deal for only $5.99. It is an even better deal when you use the newsletter coupon: FROGGYFrog

and get $1 off the price. $4.99 for a Mega kit!!!
Check out these adorable previews for the kit....
There is also a coordinating alpha (in three colors) that is only $1.50 for the month of April.

Tuesday Treats at Ahhh Scrap

2011-03-29T10:04:00.004-06:00

Each Tuesday Ahhh Scrap has some great products on sale for $1. There are three great kits this week (of course I have to say that because one of them is mine).

Some Awesome new (to me) tools

2011-03-25T12:38:00.003-06:00

I am always looking for things that will help me accomplish things, but in an easier way. I want to share with you two today that I recently started using and am loving (and they both can be used for your scrapbooking). And the best part is that they are both FREE!!!

The first is Oh Life. So how many of you have the goal of writing in your journals, if not everyday, at least somewhat frequently? I do, but I am terrible at doing it, and then I try to do massive catch up sessions and end up forgetting details that I really wanted to remember. Well, Oh Life has solved that for me. What is Oh Life? If is an online journal....but don't worry it is totally private. But why is so cool? Because each day, Oh Life sends you and email asking about your day and you just respond. That simple, your response is your journal entry for that day and you can even attach 1 picture if you would like. It then stores all your journal entries for you. I have been using it for a little over a week now and I have already written more journal entries in the last week than I have in the last 6 months. I think I like it because when I get the email, it is so easy to quickly respond and send it off. It helps me remember to write and I do not have to go and open my journal (mine is now digital as well) and write. I am already in my email account several times a day, so this is perfect.

The second in a font viewer called AMP Font Viewer. Ok, so being being scrapbookers a lot of us are font hoarders. I am seriously addicted to fonts. I have way too many of them and find that I don't even use close to half of them. Why? They are sooooo hard to see as I scroll through the fonts in PSE and I often download new fonts but forget to load them before I open PSE and then I have to close down and load them and then open up PSE again. Arghhhhh..........pain in the neck. Well.....those days are over....I found AMP Font Viewer. The font viewer lets you view both installed and not installed fonts. Even better, if you have an un-installed font that you want to use in a program (even PSE and PS) you just tell AMP Font Viewer to temporarily install it and WHAM!!!! it is there for you to use, without having to shut down your program. Can you tell I am so excited about thin. I read the reviews on it, all good, and made sure it is safe (checked it with my Norton Security). I plan to actually just have a font folder on my computer of all uninstalled fonts (gonna clean out my actual font folder and only leave in the ones I use over and over and over). Then I can easily use AMP to view any of those fonts to see if it is one I want to use.
I hope you all find these tools useful. Please share any others that you use or want that can help us out with our scrapbooking and memory keeping

Ahhh Scrap went WHERE?!!

2011-03-22T22:04:00.003-06:00

So, they have resisted and resisted and resisted (so have I), but finally we did it and put ourselves on FaceBook. Each of the Ahhh Scrap designers have been working to get themselves on facebook and contributing to the Ahhh Scrap FB page. Although I do not have a Piccolina Designs' FB page (yet.......?) I will be posting often on the Ahhh Scrap one and will probably hand out a few coupons here and there as well. Ahhh Scrap is also trying to get 500 friends (did I use the right term?) and once they reach that, they are going to give away a mega kit for {FREE}. If you would like to be part of the fun, just click on the image below and become an Ahhh Friend.

A little Teaser

2011-03-22T08:08:00.003-06:00

Is this not sooooooooo cute? This is a little peek at Ahhh Scrap's April Collaboration kit. I am so excited about it. And yes, you still have time to enter the Collaboration Challenge over at their forum for a chance to win this kit {FREE} or a $2 coupon. PS. So far they only have 2 people enetered......there three prizes....so....do the math....yeah, the odds are in your favor. :)

It is Template Thursday over at Ahhh Scraps

2011-03-17T07:58:00.004-06:00

Every Thursday over at Ahhh Scrap, they provide either a free template or a tutorial. This week it is the template and yours truly is the designer. I had fun with this one. I have been seeing the stacked papers in a lot of layouts lately and decided to give it a try.

This is the layout I made using the template.
Yesterday, while the little man took a nap, the little lady and I painted our toes. We even put little heart and flower rhinestones on our big toes. It is a pretty rare day that I paint my toenails anymore (I think the last time was in the fall when the weather was still nice). I decided to take a picture. I can't believe I am showing my toes all over the internet :) Bet you want to know what kit I used for the layout.....this is a sneak peek at Ahhh Scrap's April Collaboration. (yeah, this is the same collaboration that you can win for FREE if you participate in this month's collaboration challenge)

You can get the template for free at the store.

Last minute deal

2011-03-15T21:03:00.004-06:00

I have been so busy today, that I nearly forgot. Hope this is not too late for those who really want it. (If so, let me know, I might be able to pull a few strings :) ) Anyways, each Tuesday, Ahhh Scrap has Tuesday Treats that they advertise in their newsletter. Tuesday Treats is a kit or kits that are priced at only $1 for Tuesday. Today's is truly a STEAL. It is a store collaboration from a few years back. I think it has 70+ papers and 100+ elements (For a DOLLAR, what?!) And it is all boy. The sale is only good until midnight tonight.

Over the Rainbow (plus a coupon)

2011-03-09T13:00:00.004-07:00

So, you remember this layout from a few posts ago, with the Layered Template Tutorial?
I made it using this months collaboration kit from Ahhh Scrap. And, I think you all should grab it :) Why? Well, first, look at it, is is adorable. 93 Papers and 92 elements and so full of color.But the second reason is that if you use this kit for a layout, you could win next's month's collaboration for {FREE} (it is already so cute, and not all the pieces are done).
Ahhh Scraps is hosting a challenge with this kit over at their new forum. All that you need to do is head over to the forum {HERE}, register and enter your layout by the 27th of March. Pretty easy, right. Then they will then choose an overall layout to win April's Collaboration kit for free and 2 randomly drawn entrants will receive $2 coupons for the store.
Sounds pretty good right, and you get some scrapbooking done in the process. The kit is a steal of a deal at only $5.99, but since I love you all so much :) I am going to pass along the coupon code so that you can get a $1 off of it. The code is: ColorMeLucky The coupon code makes it only $4.99 for this big kit.

ROCK March!!

2011-03-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy on this new kit of mine. It is quite a bit different that anything I have done yet. I wanted to do something for March, but not a typical St. Patrick's day kit. Then, like it often does, an idea came to me right before I drifted off to sleep. This time though, I wrote it down before I drifted off. I decided to make a grungy kit, something that is all boy (no ribbons, no flowers). I came up with a color palette that I just think is awesome, but I must say that I am most proud of myself for the name that I came up with for this grungy March kit. Are you ready for it? (ok, so it might not be as cool as I think it is, but humor me). Here it comes........introducing my newest kit ShamROCK!! This kit has a few shamrocks and a lot of green.
There are 20 papers. The patterns include checks, hounds-tooth, argyle, halftones, sunbursts, and plaid. And then there are 61 elements and an Alpha.
Don't forget that each new kit is 25% off for its first week in the store.

Look at these layouts using the kit.

{Mine}
(can you believe the little man will be 1 this month!!!)

{Lindsey}

{Karen}

{Kristal}

I am loving it. So unusual for me to do a kit without any red or pink or orange. But I am very happy with the outcome. I hope you all enjoy it.
Oh, and of course I have a " rockin' " freebie for you all. Enjoy these 4 rubons.

A New Tutorial

2011-02-24T08:27:00.002-07:00

Do you want to take a layered template like this:

And make it look like this:

(PS: this layout is a SNEAK PEEK at the March Ahhh Scrap Collaboration Kit that will be released next week. )

But you are unsure of how to use the template. Well......then I have the tutorial for you. This tutorial takes you step by step (with screen shots) through the process of using layered PSD or TIFF templates. Just click on the title of the tutorial to open a PDF version of the tutorial in a separate window: Using Layered Templates

You can also grab the layered template used in the tutorial for {FREE}. Head on over to my Ahhh Shop to get it.

Fonts

2011-02-22T16:48:00.003-07:00

So, I am pretty sure I am not the only one with a problem, but I may be. I have a truck-load of fonts. I seriously have hundreds of them, some of them have never actually been used. I find myself often going back to the same fonts and using them over and over again. And then I find a new one and I use it on everything for awhile. Want to see some of my favorites? (these are not in any particular order)What are some of your favorite fonts? Do you find that you have a "Go-To" font for your projects? Right now for journaling, I am using a lot of Prestige.
Where do you get your fonts from? I get most of mine from these places:
DaFont
MyFonts
Fonts for Peas
Free Scrapbook Fonts

So, is anyone else fond addicted?

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T06:10:00.002-07:00

Just wanted to share a layout of my little Valentine's. Aren't they just the cutest...I hope all of you are sharing love and feeling loved today (and every day for that matter)(but maybe, as in the case of my little man, you can get tooooo much loving from his big sister during our little photo shoot).

Addicted to Love

2011-02-07T20:56:00.008-07:00

A new kit!! This one is just perfect for any of you who cannot get enough hearts and flowers and pink and red for Valentine's Day. The kit has 18 papers and 42 elements. So much fun. Don't forget all new releases are 25% through the first weekend of their release.Check out the beautiful layouts my creative team has made with this kit.

{LINDSEY}
doesn't she make such a cute pregnant lady?
{ANGIE}
{KAREN}
{KRISTAL}
And of course I have a fun little freebie for you all to go along with this kit. (Speaking of freebies, did you already sign up for my newsletter? If not, look on the side bar and sign up. You get a FULL SIZE kit, Mulberry Meadow, just for signing up).

PS. Melissa, you won the naming contest for this kit and can get the entire Addicted to Love kit for FREE. Just let me know where to send the coupon :)

You Can Get This Kit FREE!!!

2011-02-04T15:17:00.002-07:00

Just sign up for Piccolina Design's Newsletter. Just click on the "Sign up Here" tab in the sidebar and follow the directions. Once you have signed up for the newsletter, you will get a confirmation with the link to this kit. The newsletters will notify you of all the latest kits and sales at Piccolina Designs, provide helpful scrapbooking tips, and there will be coupons as well. So what are you waiting for, go sign up :)

Just a little teaser

2011-02-02T09:19:00.002-07:00

I finished a kit. It is now being quality controlled and my CT is playing with it. You all will be able to get your hands on it this weekend, but here is a teaser.

January????

2011-01-31T09:59:00.003-07:00

I wonder if anyone else is feeling like me......that 2011 is already going to FAST! First, I need to apologize to all of you for not being very active this month. I have LOTS of excuses :) But hopefully, in a little bit I will be able to get everything new that is going on into a rhythm so that I can get back to what I love, designing for you all. I actually should have a new kit done here in just a few days. The bad weather we are getting today might actually be a blessing in disguise as it will force me to stay inside. It has been crazy to watch the temperatures drop this morning. At the moment we are at a blistering 12 degrees. They are predicting that tomorrow we will not get about 0, so I will not be heading out for a run or to run errands. Although I do not enjoy doing my cardio on the elliptical machine, it actually does take less time out of my day (mostly because I do not have to load the little ones into the jogging stroller along with all their paraphernalia).
To make it up to you for all my neglect of you all, I am re-opening the link for the CMW Brown alpha. You remember this one:I think these Chocolate letters would be perfect for your Valentine layouts and projects. Enjoy.

Did you notice?

2011-01-16T22:53:00.002-07:00

The new photos in my sidebar. Do you see those 5 beautiful ladies? That is my wonderful creative team and my quality control lady :) I am so grateful for them. My creative team has been amazing with their layouts and suggestions and help. I really do appreciate them.
Now let me introduce you to my Quality Control lady. Her name is Jo Ann, but you might know her as NanaScraps. She has been hanging around my blog for some time and has always been such an incredible support to me. As you all know, I have pledged that I will continue to grow and improve as a designer. Part of that improvement is to ensure that I am now providing you with only the highest quality designs. That is where the lovely Jo Ann comes in. She double checks all my work for me. She started with the Joyous Kit and is now in the process of going back and checking other kits (you may have noticed my shop inventory has dropped. I did this while she is checking the older kits and I fix any issues with them). This is A LOT of work. She has to make sure that items are not blurry, that they are at 300 dpi, that they have no missing pixels, that they have no stray pixels or jagged edges. Did I mention that she has to do this for EVERY single part of a kit?! Yeah, now you understand why I am so grateful to have her as part of my team.

We have a winner

2011-01-14T22:34:00.002-07:00

It looks like Swatch Number 1 won by a landslide. Now I have to get to work :) I have not picked a name yet, I think I will design a little and then see what names seems to fit well.
So, have you noticed some changes around here? I hope you like what I am doing with Piccolina Desings. I am trying to make the blog a little more user friendly and make my designs, tutorials and myself a little more accessible to you all. It has been a lot of work so far (and learning a lot more css code that I ever care to learn), but I am really happy with the results so far. I have just a few more tweeks to make to the old gal before she is finished.

A Swatch-Off

2011-01-11T20:35:00.003-07:00

I cannot believe how incredibly busy 2011 has been already. I have a lot going on and I will be sharing some of what is going on with you here pretty soon.

I am getting started on Valentine's Kit. I have a few color swatches in mind for it and wanted to see which one you all liked the best. So we are going to have a "Swatch-Off". You all get decide what color swatch becomes the Valentine one. Go ahead a leave me a comment with your favorite one and a title suggestion. I will choose the color swatch that gets the most votes AND if I pick your title, you will get the ENTIRE kit for FREE.

Some Really Neat Freebies

2011-01-06T14:38:00.004-07:00

My friend, Kelly, is doing a really neat set of freebies on her blog. It is for the 12 Days of Christmas. Now you may be thinking that the 12 Days of Christmas are over, but traditionally, the 12 days are the days between Christmas and Epiphany (Three Kings Day), which is Today. She had the links still turned on, but I am not sure how long they will be available, so head over and check out her awesome designs.
{Kelly just let me know that it is only available for free until the 10th}
I have to say the Partridge in a Pear Tree is probably my favorite. She also does an incredible job of explaining the meaning behind the Twelve Days of Christmas. Kelly's Digital Designs.

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-06T07:25:00.006-07:00

I realize I am almost a week late with wishing you a Happy New Year, but I have a good excuse, really. ☺ We got back from our trip to my parents home and found our internet not working. DH called the provider, walked through (again) all the troubleshooting things that he had already tried and then was told that a technician would have to pay us a visit. However, the first available appointment was not until yesterday. So yeah, no internet for a little while. That is a tough one for me. ☺ I use the internet for A LOT! Even looking up recipes for dinner. But, happy day, internet is back and running.

I have a little freebie for you all. Ahhh Scrap will be giving away a free template every other Thursday and a tutorial on the other Thursdays. We will also have some freebies every Friday. You can get all the info on our blog {HERE}. Today's template freebie was made by me, and will be available for free for 2 weeks. I hope you enjoy it.

Reflect

2010-12-19T23:20:00.005-07:00

I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season and being able to stop and reflect on this wonderful time of year. I have been so busy trying to get all the activities put together and completed, trying to get all the shopping done, trying to get all the gifts made and so on. As I was sewing the sock monkeys for my nieces this evening, I decided to listen to The First Presidency Christmas Devotional for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is an hour full of music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and devotions from the Presidency of the Church. I am so glad I took the time to listen to it. It helped me to refocus and to reflect on the true meaning of this wonderful time of the year. To celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The little girl has helped us to remember that this year. We set up one of the nativity scenes together as a family. We talked about each of the figures and let her set them up. I was so touched by the way she set it up. It was not the traditional way that you often see nativities, with the figures spread so that you can see them. Instead, she had every single figure, even the animals, crowded around the Baby Jesus. She put Christ at the center and reminded her mommy and daddy to put Christ back at the center. I hope that you may find a moment to reflect and feel of the immense love of our Father in Heaven who sent His Son to this earth for us. May you truly have a Merry Christmas.

We have a winner!!

2010-12-11T12:01:00.002-07:00


beulahmom said... 16: Since I'm from Michigan I suppose I should like Winter BUT...it gets so cold and there is soooooo much snow here!! So, I look forward to the Spring and Fall seasons more than Winter in Michigan!

Beulahmom, I hope winning this kit will make your Michigan winter a little more warm this year. Send me an email and I will get you the kit.
Don't forget that the kit is still 25% off until Sunday night.
Also, thank you for all of you kind comments on the last post. Sometimes it surprises me how much an anonymous, not so kind, comment can bring me down. But you guys were great at lifting my spirits right back up. I really do wonder if Anonymous took the time to look at the Joyous kit and the Ecru kit that this alpha goes with and also, if Anon noticed that this was only one of four alphas for the kit. Oh well, I have definitely learned that no matter how hard I try, I cannot please everyone (both is real life and in my design life). Like many of you, I am very happy with how the alpha turned out.

Anonymous Comment

2010-12-09T20:11:00.002-07:00

I got this comment about the Joyous Alpha and I am not really sure how to respond:

Anonymous said...
hum ..sadly , this alpha doesn't look at all " joyous " , no colors , flat .. sorry to say

What do you all think?

Do you Read the Entire Post?

2010-12-09T10:02:00.001-07:00

I don't think most of you all are reading the entire post, but are just grabbing the freebie and running :) If you did not read the last post, you might want to and make sure you leave a comment. There could be something fun in it for you.