Totally RawKin Designs

Ready to find your wings?

2011-11-08T20:33:00.001-05:00

I just discovered this FREE telesummit that runs through Nov 11 (replays are still up!). It looks amazing and I thought you'd like to know about it!

You should check it out now! http://www.FindYourWingsAndSoar.com

Day 01 - your favorite song

2011-05-13T21:09:00.001-04:00

I have so many it hard to pick but I know it definitely has to be a gospel song…those songs are so much more than songs…inspirational, comforting sometimes just listening and singing along to this song right here…got me through…

Standing In The Need of Prayer

Here are the lyrics

(Well it's not my sister and it's not my brother but it's me Lord
Well it's not my father and it's not my mother but it's me Lord)
Mhm it's me it's me oh Lord a standing in the need of prayer
It's me it's me oh Lord a standing in the need of prayer
Not my sister but it's me oh Lord a standing in the need of prayer
Not my brother but it's me oh Lord a standing in the need of prayer
(Well it's not my uncle and it's not my cousin but it's me Lord
Well it's not my grandma and it's not my grandpa but it's me Lord
It's me it's me oh Lord it's me it's me oh Lord
It's me it's me oh Lord...
Not my father but it's me oh Lord a standing in the need of prayer
(Not my mother) oh it's me oh Lord a standing in the need of prayer
Oh well it's not my doctor and it's not my lawyer it's just me Lord (it's me oh Lord)
And it's not my butcher and it's not my baker it's me Lord (it's me oh Lord)
It's me it's me oh Lord...
Well it's not my father and it's not my mother a standing in the need of prayer

it dont get no realer than that….

30 Day Song Challenge (Rules)

2011-05-13T20:35:00.001-04:00

for a music lover like myself..this challenge was one i cant resist. Here are the rules

day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

Day one entry to follow

Layouts and More

2011-05-08T13:17:00.001-04:00

Man iNSD sales, events and hoopla have worn me OUT. So many gorgeous goodies..I could hardly decide what to buy…and I got some great things from the awesome blog train – DSA Vacay Blog Train…featuring some of my fave designers…Traci Reed, Jen Yurko, and so many others….

I also got a new CT spot with the so talented Sandra of Dutsji Designs…check out her store at DigiscrapCafe or guest spot at Angels Scrap Shop…and here are my first two layouts with Healing Touch

My youngest son has cerebral palsy as a result of a stroke in utero that caused him to be born premature. He has for the last three years had to have botox injections in his arm and leg to loosen the muscles. Its very painful but he is such a trooper…immediately after he is smiling happily!Even Botox can’t get him down!

My baby girl has asthma that is mostly under control but every now and then she has a real bad flare up and we are off to childrens hospital!

lata peeps

I’m the magnificent…say what

2011-04-26T01:36:00.001-04:00

I love the new Jill Scott song, Shame….

It uses an interpolation of an old school rap song I’m the Magnificent by Special Ed. Looking absolutely gorgeous, glitzy and glamorous, Jilly from Philly proceeds to let some ignoramus how she has her self together and its a shame he is missing out….well thats how I feel now…Its been a rough couple of years…my cousin being murdered…my daughter’s father being executed, those ordeals being drug out in media for the longest tim…my grandma passing…those trials and all the other things have only made me stronger, more determined to do the things that bring me joy, enhance my life….one of my favorite Bible verses is John 10:10

The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Life….and more abundantly…thats what my Father promised…and I believe Him!

more on my return to designing….my new ventures…and much more ….soon!

My $10 tote

2011-01-16T17:23:00.001-05:00

You have a Picture Mail from Tiffani Keaton

Message:

View Entire Message

Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture Mail^SM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

Please be aware your friends can forward your picture, video, and album share invitations to others or post the unique Web link to your share invitation on any number of sources (e.g. blogs), through which others could also gain access to your online photos. If you have private or sensitive photos you are sharing, please share them only with those you trust.

2011-01-16T11:22:00.001-05:00

Fwd: http://www.dessy.com/dresses/lelarose/lx139xx/?color=mint&colorid=473

Off with her head….

2010-05-02T21:57:00.001-04:00

I’m late…I’m late for a very important date…..ok the mental image of me in a waistcoat, gold rimmed glasses with a pocket watch is too silly.

My life has been so hectic…i totally forgot about the blogtrain freebie due yesterday. But here it is without further delay.

click the image or here…. just a few things to coordinate with the other 113 designers….hope ya like it!

On a related note my downloads will only be lasting 45 days now. So if you want it, grab it now!

here are the previews for all of the other designers

You should have come here from

TMA Designs: The Mathematician’s Assistant

and your next stop is : Jassi’s Scrap und Fotoblog

and if you get off track, you can always start at the beginning here: The Blog Train Blog

So behind…

2010-04-26T23:21:00.001-04:00

lots of stuffies in this blog post…I am SUPER behind in all web and digi matters. but in my defense, I have only one four letter word to say…PROM!

View Full Album

My second eldest dd, Dee attended her senior prom on Saturday. It went great…she was beautiful…had a great time…and its over!On to graduation!

On to digi and web matters, check out this super cute mini album on JulieChats’ blog

I love how it looks. I am in total awe of her scrapping skills!Be sure to browse her blog to see more of her awesomeness. Happy All Year Birthday To Her!Margaritas in mexico sound Wonderful.

And more specifically in digiscrappin news, be sure to stop back for great things on May 1st….im talking about blog train, freebies, coupons, and prizes…

Trying to find my smile

2010-04-23T06:47:00.001-04:00

Another trying day….I am sure this will be par for the course for a while. Thanks to all my friends and family who have called or txted or imed. I don’t know what I would do with out yall. Thanks for sitting through the random bursts of tears. I will get it together.

I spent yesterday thinking on my part in breakdown of our marriage. There are things I could have done differently. Mistakes I made….circumstances where had I made another choice we might not be where we are today…..From talking with my folks one thing I would never do again is move into a house with ties to me. Living in this house that my mother owns and for all intents and purposes is mine made it MINE. Not ours, I can honestly say I never told him or even intimated that I held it over it his head….he felt like I did.

I am still angry…and it still hurts but I have cut off contact for me. I need time to smooth away the sharp edges ….a glass of pineapple rum and sunny d mango helps! Day by day..I get through. Now I am playing my theme song…Destiny’s Child Survivor

Now that you are out of my life,
I'm so much better
You thought that I'd be weak without ya,
but I'm stronger
You thought that I'd be broke without ya,
but I'm richer
You thought that I'd be sad without ya,
I laugh harder
You thought I wouldn't grow without ya,
now I'm wiser
You thought that I'd be helpless without ya,
but I'm smarter
You thought that I'd be stressed without ya,
but I'm chillin'
You thought I wouldn't sell without ya,
sold 9 million
I'm a survivor (what),
I'm not gonna give up (what)
I'm not gon' stop (what),
I'm gonna work harder (what)
I'm a survivor (what), I'm gonna make it
(what)
I'm a survivor (what), keep on survivin' (what)

thats what that is!

Earth Day Blog Hop

2010-04-22T06:46:00.001-04:00

April 22nd is Earth Day and I am proudly participating in the SaveTheGreen Earth Day Blog Hop! Digital scrapbooking is one great way to go green and preserve your memories. We hope you’ll enjoy all of the contributions that are going to be available to you for downloading. Please share your layouts in theSaveTheGreen Gallery, all of us designers would love to see them!

Here is my contribution to this great cause!

You can download it here

This is the list of all the participating designers with the Save The Green link at the top of the list.

http://savethegreen.net/blog/its-the-big-day.html

http://shellymariescraps.blogspot.com

http://rubylanedigifancies.blogspot.com
http://www.piggyscraps.blogspot.com/
http://kimberkattscraps.wordpress.com/
http://mitsybelle.com/blog/
http://dsd-pro.com
http://www.mahdigitaldesigns.blogspot.com/
http://nathandesign.blogspot.com/
http://scrappycocoa.blogspot.com
http://www.doitdigi.com/blog
http://dddesigns-diosa.blogspot.com/
http://digidesdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.nibblesskribbles.com
http://mommymetimescrapper.blogspot.com
http://skrapperdigitals.blogspot.com
http://creationcassel.com/blog
http://sassydesignz.blogspot.com/

Cutest lil felties

2010-04-07T08:35:00.001-04:00

I saw this adorable lil fella on on Bags By Melanie's Blog....she has some of the cutest handmade items. So of course I had to check out her Etsy store! I especially ♥ this wallet...

and at only 9 bucks its a steal! I also fell in love with this key fob pattern

and its in my favorite colors...I so need this!Unfortunately for me shopping for myself is not in budget right now...however Mothers Day is coming up...and Melanie has the PERFECT gift for an animal print loving mother like mine....

very reasonably priced and affordable shipping. Stop by...and have a look!Promise you won't regret it!

Ten On Tuesday

2010-04-06T14:45:00.001-04:00

Tiare, who is the awesome scrappy leader of us ladies at SOC have issued blog challenge, list ten facts about me!

I have 9 children...including 2 daughters in college.
I am planning to have a big birthday bash on my 40th birthday in two years
I am an amateur genealogist/family historian and have filled in my family tree for my direct antecedents for 6 generations on both sides.
I love digital scrapbooking and documenting my families memorable occasions
I have a degree in computer systems information
I just created my own website {shameless plug} Tiffani's Digi Concepts to incorporate the above three items and help others do the same.
I would like to open a restaurant named after my Great Grandma
I read voraciously....I stop counting once i reached 300 for books I read last year
I plan to finish my bachelors degree before I turn 40 in 2 years
I can wait a LONG time before becoming a grandma!

New Message

2010-03-17T11:20:00.001-04:00

You have a Picture Mail from Tiffani Keaton

Message:

View Entire Message

Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture Mail^SM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

Gettin My Scrap On

2010-03-16T17:33:00.001-04:00

I am totally getting my scrap on...I joined (and rejoined) a couple of sites to get some of these umpteen hundred pictures I have scrapped.

I am going to do the MLAS Mystery Scrap....sorta a speed scrap with out the speed.

Also going to join the Scrapbook-Bytes Page A Day Challenge...that means 31 pages by the end of March

Here is one of my page a day pages...its from The Daily Digi From the Files

my two youngest daughters who always managed to be in pictures together!

here is supply list:

File names of this month’s challenge ingredients:
Danielle Young – dy-herestoyou-pp8
Heather Roselli – hroselli-treasured-blue
MScraps – 4SBD-fortunate-negativeframe
One Little Bird – onelittlebird_forthebirds_watogether
Meredith Fenwick – mfen-sweetthing-brad-ivory
Krystal Hartley – khartley_birdsandbees_pp3
font: Freestyle Script

Im a blog neglecter!

2010-03-15T22:20:00.001-04:00

anyone else remember the commercials for Wheel of Fortune with someone singing I'm a wheel watcher...ah well I have tons of useless bits of knowledge stuck in my head.

Some of the reason I have been such a bad blogger is that I have been SCRAPPING!YAY...Its been so long since I actually had mojo to scrap.

Find more photos like this on Totally RawKin Designs

Part of the reason is of course the fabulous ADSR5. This is my third race and it always get my scrapping mojo going...what I find so funny is that so many of my layouts this time feature pink prominently...which is one of my least favorite colors.

I have also been doing Connie Prince's Friday nite Speed Scrap @ Gotta Pixel. She has great instructions/inspiration and I always LOVE what I end up with.

Design mojo is still missing....i would really like to find it...

My daughter finally got her $800 BJD...She is a combination 18th birthday & graduation present.

She is beautiful...now my third daughter has decided she wants one....this is an expensive hobby!

I am in somewhat of a quandary...I bought some CU items (spent quite a bit of money) and someone told me there had/have been piracy claims associated with this designer. Now what do I do....The person who told me does not know the exact circumstances but who do I go to find out...or should I even bother?Should I just use them and if it comes out later take them down???ARRGH!!!

What A Girl Needs

2010-01-15T22:57:00.001-05:00

Needs...big sigh...my needs are often the most neglected around my house. And I know its my own fault, I would never treat my kids the way I neglect myself. I am often ashamed of how long I let my health issues or buying myself the simplest necessities. But this year's theme of self improvement means this is a thing of the past.

The need I am focusing on today is organization..I so need to get my paperwork in order. First thing I am going to do is buy a file cabinet. Due to my frugalness, I have requested one on freecycle and am scouring our local thrift stores for one. I have also pitched out two garbage bags of unnecessary clutter. And I reorganized my pantry...well I supervised while kids did all the work!

So i have actually accomplished some of the things that were on my want list. YAY me...I feel great!!

in other news here is my latest layout....once again self improvement theme

linked to my gottapixel gallery if you wanna leave me love. (supplies listed there)

Journaling: Instead of resolutions in 2010, I decided to try one word theme for the year. Self-improvement is my word for this year. Each month I am committing to doing 3 things to improve myself...as person,as a woman, as a mom, as a Christian. -January 9, 2010

52 to Fabulous....Week 1 What A Girl Wants

2010-01-09T01:50:00.001-05:00

a long title but I wanted to make sure I got it all in. I love the idea of weekly challenges to help me realize my new years resolution of self improvement.

here is main link if anyone wants to check it out

http://52tofabulous.com/

Week 1 theme is what a girl wants...girl being ME....Knowing what I want is essential to improving myself....after all how can I improve if I do not know what I want to be.

Here is the schedule of Categories for the year by month

January – Fabulous Beginnings
February – Fabulous Organization
March – Fabulous Fitness
April – Fabulous Food
May – Fabulous Style
June – Fabulous Fun
July – Fabulous Hobbies
August – Fabulous Finances
September – Fabulous Family
October – Fabulous Health
November – Fabulous Home
December – Fabulous Blogging

I wanna improve so much in each one of these categories but I am going to focus on the top two or three things I want right now.

Fabulous Family.....the last couple years have been very traumatic for me....the sister of my heart was murdered, my grandmother whom I was extremely close to passed away...and my son was born with cerebral palsy. I have allowed these and other things to keep me from being the mom I want to be....2010 is time to change that. I want to do things with my kids....I want to enjoy time spent with them. I am making a commitment to that this year.
Fabulous Home & Fab Organization...these two go hand in hand. I have to seriously declutter and get my house organized. Fly lady never worked for me. I am gonna have to get something that does however.

New Message

2010-01-06T08:14:00.001-05:00

You have a Picture Mail from Tiffani Keaton

Message:

This morning

View Entire Message

Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture Mail^SM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

New Message

2010-01-05T08:22:00.001-05:00

You have a Picture Mail from Tiffani Keaton

Message:

Outside my house this morning...the church looks like a currier & ives print

View Entire Message

Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture Mail^SM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

New Message

2010-01-03T19:53:00.001-05:00

You have a Picture Mail from Tiffani Keaton

Message:

Out in the cold....

View Entire Message

Send and receive Pictures and Videos through Picture Mail^SM. For more information go to www.sprint.com/picturemail.

Self Improvement

2010-01-02T12:25:00.001-05:00

happy new year to everyone!I went to a Vivarant's chat @SBG and the theme was of course resolutions. The challenge was a one word resolution. I don't think I am gonna make the deadline for the layout but the theme resonated in my mind. After sitting back and thinking on what I wanted this year to be about...everything I listed could be pulled together under one word....self- improvement. As a mom, wife, etc my needs often get pushed to back if ever even addressed. I just had a tooth pulled. Its been bothering me forever...I kept putting off dental work even though I have two children in braces and 7 others who at dentist when necessary. When I finally went in, the dentist fussed at me since it had been TWO years since he told me to make an appt with oral surgeon to have this tooth pulled. All I could do was hang my head in shame. Thats just plain ridiculous. I am not one of those people who are afraid of the dentist so my only defense is I was so busy with everyone and everything else, I forgot about me. And looking over my life, that seems to be the norm.

It is my hope that my journey of self-improvement will lead me to the path of self- fulfillment!

Here some of the things that I have decided to do this year for me:

Taking a Illustrator Course to improve as a designer
Taking The Fulfilled Life Series to improve my ME
Straighten out my school enrollment so I can finally get my degree. Its been on back burner status entirely too long.
Stop putting time and effort into relationships that does not give me any positive feedback. I don't need anyone else's negativity...I have enough of my own.
Limit my facebook & pc time wasting. Cafe World & Plants VS Zombies are great fun...but I waste valuable time that I need for other things.

These are just my January Goals. They do not have to be finished in this month but I must do something about each one every day in January. I have set up calendar prompts and even have mobile alerts. Thats my resolution.....whats yours?

12 Days of Christmas -TRK Style Day 2

2009-12-13T10:40:00.001-05:00

On the SECOND day of Christmas....well I am not your true love but I do have a special sale for you...today and the next 10 days a different product for 50% off...

Today's special is

Christmas Doodles

5 adorable holiday doodles extra clean lines, 900x900 pixels, Christmas tree, reindeer, holly leaves, hanging bulbs! And on sale today for $2.19 be sure to grab this one! And check back tomorrow for the next half off item!

My Favorite Things: Sesame Street Moments

2009-11-06T15:48:00.002-05:00

Wow there are so many...how can I chose just a few...but I can!
Of course my favorite SS memory, involves my favorite character, Kermit.

Another favorite of mine was Patti Labelle's ode to X!

Roosevelt Franklin was also one of my favorite characters from old school Sesame Street. And this was one of my favorite songs he sang: I love the skin im in!

one more for the road Grover as the waiter...If I was this guy, I would have found somewhere else to eat!

Enjoy!

Shimelle Prompt 4

2009-11-06T10:25:00.002-05:00

Blogging about the ordinary is the prompt for today. And ofcourse my ordinary is I am BEHIND. We have 5 prompts...and I have only 2 and half (theres a draft I am NOT going to even publish).....why??? This is why..

I am seriously obsessed with these dang on farming games. I spend way to much time playing on FB or just on pc. I know some of it is avoidance. I have no mojo so I just mindlessly zone out playing the games. I can't even create a layout....without specific instructions. I know there is a deeper lesson in there (haven't done my morning pages in days. ) But I don't know where to start so I don't start anywhere. One day I guess...........

Shimelle's Class

2009-11-02T20:48:00.002-05:00

I am really looking forward to this class even though I was a last minute entry...
I would like to get more consistent with blogging. It doesnt have to be every day or every other day even. Just a couple days a week to document all of the cute stories and stuff I put in my status on facebook.

SCRAP MY PHOTOS...I have so many layouts in the making...I need to get them scrapped!

Enjoy company of fellow scrap artists! None of my offline friends are into scrapping...digi or otherwise. I really enjoy reading (sharing) the lives of other ladies who share my interests.

Finish what I start!I have a REAL issue with this. I am so gung ho and interested at the beginning....I would like to carry that through the entire course and finish!

Here is my messy desk....which I started cleaning...notice I said STARTED!

This is Halloween

2009-11-01T21:51:00.001-05:00

The sprint email pics from phone post didnt work so well. I am posting the individual post here...lol..

Finally got it workin

2009-10-10T02:27:00.001-04:00

I had been trying for months to get Windows Live Writer to work on my machine running 64 bit XP. In typical Microsoft fashion...the program works just fine with it....you just can't install it....crazy huh. I found a workaround and I am BACK. Expect much more blogging from me now that I can do it easily from my desktop! WOO HOO

Classy Closet Blog Swap

2009-08-05T08:40:00.003-04:00

HI!! I know you were expecting a Totally RawKin Design or a great story from Totally RawKin Designs today but today we are doing a blog swap from The Classy Closet with Keep It Classy Jen! Totally RawKin designs will be over at my site Faith, Hope & Love (if not today VERY soon) and I will be here at hers! How RawKin is that?

I wish that I could offer you a great scrapbooking design but alas I will have to have Totally RawKin Designs teach me how to scrapbook BEFORE she teaches me how to design those amazing designs! So instead I am going to tell you a little bit about me - share a picture or two (which I see Totally RawKin Designs does as well!) and hopefully do Totally RawKin Desgins some justice!

I will start with the basics....I am Carissa from Faith, Hope & Love! I started blogging when my husband Aaron and I started the adoption process in February of 2007 and just kept going when we brought our twins home from South Korea in October of 2008! Our daughter known as Little Princess and our Son known as Little Man will be TWO on Monday - so maybe now is as good a time as any to learn how to scrapbook! This is me and my family:

I stay home with Little Princess and Little Man but I like to do many other things! Currently I am working on sewing custom clothing for little boys and girls and designing hair bows for little girls! I sell these things with my partner at Cutest Baby on the Block! We actually just received the rights to make and sell the adorable designs from ModKids as well as sell the patterns and we are working on revamping the bow designs as well! So I guess that while I don't have any RawKin scrapbook designs or tools for you I do have something creative!

I am off to let my creative juices keep flowing to create the perfect Mickey and Minnie Mouse theme birthday party for Little Man and Little Princess! Thank you to Totally Rawkin Designs for letting me take over for the day! I hope you all enjoyed my post and hopefully later today I will have Totally Rawkins Designs post up at Faith, Hope & Love and if not watch for her to tell you when it is up and come over and leave her some comment love!

Back 2 School Freebie

2009-08-02T21:30:00.006-04:00

I was so caught up in my daughter's party I forgot ALL about my blog train post! Well...here it is...2 cardboard chipboard word arts, 3 construction kraft papers, 1 frame, 1 clippie...I made the word art neutral so it should match with pretty much anything...plus a bonus word art not pictured. Be sure to pick it up!

http://www.box.net/shared/ddp47ldd10

Next stop:

http://www.charliesdigiscraps.com/blog/

and if you get lost:

here is main stop on blog train blog

http://www.blogtrainblog.blogspot.com/

Azraelle's Bon Voyage Party

2009-08-02T17:30:00.003-04:00

The party is over and done with! Thanks goodness. It was so much work getting everything together...but it turned out beautiful. A few minor upsets....guest of honor was over an hour and half late. The pastor and his wife came and he wanted to bless her and the event and she was still getting dressed across town. The wind kept blowing at the decorations but they still looked gorgeous. I was a wee bit upset when I found that instead saying Grambling Bound.....the cake said Gambling bound and was decorated with playing cards and coins.....A lot of people who were supposed to come...did not...oh well. We had plenty of food...good music...and she had a great time. And my second eldest, Dee said she DEFINITELY does not want a party. She would rather have a gift. Here are a few pictures...more on flickr

Quickpages, Minikit and freebies!

2009-07-17T14:09:00.008-04:00

This will be SECOND time I have written today's blog entry. I keep getting sidetracked by FB...and those farming apps. I need Farm intervention yall!

I have been designing some inbetween getting my daughter ready to go off to college, planning her Au Revoir party, and adopting a new stray kitty named Meatball! He is such a cutie pie!

I used Microferk Mardi Gras kit to design my daughter's party invites...since she is going to school in LA..I thought it was a good fit.

Anywho back to design news....I have a set of Quickpages made from my latest kit, My Americana. Since my qp skills majorly suck, I bought some commercial use templates from Kissed Studios based on layouts by some of the most awesome layout artists in digiscrapping community. These gals create great pages. So if you are like me and have tons of 4th photos (from this year and past years) to scrap, you can jumpstart your scrapping. Single photo and multiphoto pages included. Exclusive to my SOTB store for only $4.99 and its 25% for the next week!.

I have new kit in my DoItDigi store: Bedazzle...based on my daughter's prom photo this kit is full of soft colors, gorgeous mauve, lush green, rich chocolate brown and ever elegant black are all present in this beautiful formal inspired kit. Gems, silky bows, shabby textured papers, clustered frames and other elements make this kit a joy to work with. $3.99 at DoItDigi.

I did say something about freebies right? well here are two qp's from both of my latest kits...This is not included in the QP set for sale so make sure you grab it as well as the set!

Win My Americana kit BEFORE

2009-06-28T00:32:00.004-04:00

it even hit the store! Leave a comment on this post and one random winner will be picked Sunday at 8 pm EST to win it. This kit is JAM PACKED with papers and elements perfect for all those 4th of July photos...this yea rand years gone past.....Vintage without being overwhelming this kit will definitely work for parade photos, military pics..any time you want to show your American Pride!
Textured Grungy Papers, beads, sequins, bows, cardboard elements, newsprint, glitter, polka dots, chipboard, stars, stripes...you name it and this kit probably has a bit of it. And all you have to do to win is post a comment! Good Deal huh???

RIP, Congrats, DigiNews and Freebies!

2009-06-28T00:04:00.008-04:00

AAARgh...I had a blog all written about the 80s Icons that died this week....and blogger ATE it...UGH...I am not rewriting it . On that note RIP Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett & King of Pop, Michael Jackson. You will be sorely missed.

On to other news..... She finally did it! My Precious First Born graduated from high school on June 11, 2009! WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

There she is recieving her diploma and here she is with me and my mom!

She received 60k scholarship to Grambling University....Go Tigers!!!!!

On to Digi News....

I am participating in SOTB Kuler Challenge.....My first kit will be released on Monday 6/29! Here is a sneak Peak...it will be on sale for $2.50...

there will be freebie sampler there...be sure to check it out and check out the other designers kits as well.

I also have a new release at DoItDigi: BEDAZZLE...based on my daughters prom pic

Gorgeous Mauve, Lush Green, Rich Chocolate Brown and ever Elegant Black hues are all present in this beautiful formal inspired kit. Based on my daughter and her date's prom pic, this kit is perfect for formal photos. Gems, silky bows, shabby textured papers, clustered frames and other elements make this kit a joy to work with. And its only 3.99 regularly priced!!! But as all new releases, it will be only 25%. Be sure to check out the July DoItDigi newsletter to get a Freebie QP made from this kit.

My Favorite Guy Blog Train Freebie

2009-06-01T09:00:00.002-04:00

Slide Show

This month, our blog Train will give you a fantastic mega kit.

My Favorite Guy!
Check Out All Those Awesome Previews in the Slide Show!

Here is my part:

3 Patterned Textured 12X12 papers

1 Chipboard Star

1 Star Sticker cluster

1 Wrapped Wooden Frame

1 Flat Ribbon

Download Here

You Came from:
JIC Creations http://jiccreations.blogspot.com/

Next Stop
Simple Girl Designs https://simplegirldesigns.squarespace.com/

Main Blog Train Link
http://www.blogtrainblog.blogspot.com/

Happy {early} Birthday Mommy

2009-05-16T00:29:00.001-04:00

My mom will be celebrating her 55th birthday in about five days. So I took her out for a just us girls dinner and a movie. We went to Carrabbas!Superyumaliciousness! I ate the most delicious shrimp scampi I have EVER tasted. I must look up the recipe. Mom had calamari…I have tried before and it was ok. But these were the actual shapes of little deep fried octopi…too gross for me!!! We both had drinks…she had a razzamatini and I had a pomegranate margarita. Both were WAY heavy on the alcohol. Then I had the Johnny which was

Sirloin Marsala
10 oz. USDA Choice center-cut sirloin grilled and topped with mushrooms, prosciutto and our Lombardo Marsala wine sauce

and

Chicken Bryan
Grilled chicken breast topped with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes and a basil lemon butter sauce

and

Mezzaluna
Delicate half moon ravioli stuffed with chicken, ricotta and spinach in a tomato cream sauce

I am not a ravioli fan so the Mezzaluna did not impress me but everything else was soooooo good!.

Then we went to see Wolverine…great movie. My mom is not really a big Marvel fan (unlike me) so I had to keep giving her back story. All in all we had a great time and it was a great day so we got to ride in her Mercedes Coupe with the top down.

in scrapping news, AliSarah Designs picked me for her one kit call for Brace Face (YAY me!)…I already did one LO…

Details (and if you wanna leave me love) can be found

Poor neglected blog

2009-05-14T03:47:00.001-04:00

I havent blogged in forever….many days I say I gotta do it today and time just gets away from me. My eldest dd is graduating this year. She turned 18 in February and each month gets closer to her leaving the nest. May 2 she went to her senior prom.

This is her and her date (and best friend) Lamar. They looked so gorgeous. Its a bittersweet feeling to see her growing older…what happened to my baby….

She always did look gorgeous in pink!

With all of that going on and my grandma passing away, I haven’t really been in mood to design. No creative spark at all. So I think I am just going to concentrate on forum participation at the sites I sell at and scrapping some of these gazillion pictures I have. Now if I could just stay off of FB

Been a while

2009-03-15T12:55:00.001-04:00

Since I last blogged…lots going on in my world. Eldest daughter got her first car! 2004 Olds Alero…her car is newer than MINE! LOL. But I wanted peace of mind when she goes all the way down to Louisiana that she will have reliable transportation! She of course is over the moon.

I entered the Design2Inspire contest at Inspiration-Lane.com. Here is my week one entry :

be sure to stop by the gallery to grab it! It’s Free which is always good right?

Here is my week 2 Entry:

You can grab it (also free) right here

I did make a layout for Elemental Scraps template challenge with it.

Zaniyah Easter 2008 you can go there and leave me love…if you like!

Serious Swag

2009-01-22T19:39:00.001-05:00

I love the ADSR…this is my second year and I love how it gets me in scrapping mode. The challenges encourage me to step outside the box and get my mojo flowing. I often forget one of the greatest things about the ADSR….the fabulous prizes. I feel like a celebrity grabbing all these great swag….here are just a few of the things I have picked up…

These are from Tangie Baxter’s SBG shoppe and just gorgeous!

I also picked up SherrieJD’s Curious Collection:

And this gorgeous ( I just cant stop using that word) goodie from Anita Stergiou Designs

I cant wait to play!

It’s A New Day

2009-01-20T09:36:00.001-05:00

Literally and figuratively….a new day in that we have never seen this day before. But also a new day in American History…history of the WORLD. And in words of the will.i.am, its been a long time coming…..Today President-Elect Barack Obama will be sworn in as 44th POTUS. WOW. It still gives me goosebumps. Not sure if I ever believed (before this year) that I would see it in my life time. And I am young (relatively). I guess it only took almost the total collapse of this country. Hopefully we the people can come together (once again) to form a more perfect union.!

In scrapping news…I been a scrap sensation. ADSR is always a big motivator and this years run is no different!Here are some of the challenges I have completed so far…

New look

2009-01-13T22:55:00.001-05:00

I decided to change my blog…if you stopped by yesterday..you might have noticed I had changed it to something other than how it looks now..due to technical difficulties and someone else using the same layout…I chose this!

I am a summer baby…love the sun…have always loved celestial decor and even have a tribal sun tattoo on my back. So it wasn’t hard to go with a theme that featured the sun. Especially since we are in dead of winter with temps in low teens daily…..

I have been revamping some old stuff I had done and hopefully will have some new kits in my stores soon.

Major Snow

2009-01-12T08:45:00.002-05:00

It was HORRIBLE this weekend. We had our first major snow of the winter. Every year at this time, I regret moving from Dallas back home to Ohio.

Isn’t that just YUCH??? Thats my little Skylark buried under about 9 inches of snow. Poor baby!

In other news, I have of course signed up for ADSR4 and worked well ahead. I had both challenges done before FRIDAY!!! Wooo Hoo! I also completed another layout. Here they are ….

Here are links if you want to see them close up or credits or both!

Azraelle (ADSR4 Challenge 1)

Cabin Fever Blues (ADSR4 Challenge 2)

SoBeautiful (ElementalScraps Template Challenge)

I have started working on Challenge #3…I am scraplifting one of my first layouts. And its one of my favorites.

This is my husband kissing our (then 1 minute old now 3 yr old) daughter. Its a beautiful picture and I can’t wait to scrap it again!

Happy 2009

2009-01-01T16:05:00.001-05:00

I saw midnite with my family as usual. We drank our sparkling cider and talked for a while longer. Talked about what our plans for this year might include. The Diva who is 17 and in her senior year of high school is chomping at bit to get out of Dodge. She is headed to Grambling in the fall. I look forward to it in a bittersweet way..hard to believe my lil baby is just about growed up..sniff sniff…but other times I am ready to strangle her!

I also did my daily mugshot. Here is today…check back for daily update

My daily mugshot is here

Daily Mugshot

I also started a frugal crafters yahoo groups…sometimes my craft hobbies can get expensive and I gotta work on that. The group is in its infancy but if you are frugal and crafty…feel free to join me…it will include picture shares, techniques, and of course chit chat.

FrugalCrafters

Days Gone By Blog Train Freebie

2008-12-16T13:42:00.003-05:00

Organized by the wonderful FruitLoOp Sally, this blog train collab freebie kit is going be a great one. We have set it up as a blogtrain, so what that means is that you need to go to the next blog to find the next piece of the kit! :) You will find the my piece in here and I'll give you the link to next blog! And that way you go, till you have got all 15 pieces! :)
This big kit has a vintage and retro feel to it and includes:
54 background papers!!!! :D
74 different elements and 1 alpha!!!

Here is my part…

Please stop & visit Creative Victorian Designs for the next piece

New Stores, New Products and more

2008-12-16T09:32:00.001-05:00

I am in two new stores and have released quite a few new products to celebrate that! I can now be found in Scrapbird and DigiByDesign! These are both direct links to my stores so be sure to check them out.

On to my new products, I have one new kit and four (yep FOUR) new commercial use items. The kit is Retro Vintage. It is a companion to a freebie blog train I am a part of (stay tuned more on that later today or tomorrow)..I liked working with the palette so much, it inspired a whole kit.

Its available @ Scrapbird, DigiByDesign, & Scraphead right now!

The Commercial Use tools are these:

Just So Journaling Mats – grayscaled journaling mats with lines on separate layer for ease of use.

5 Art Deco Stamps to dress up your designs or layouts

5 Christmas Doodles that will look great when used in your creations.

Borders Vol2 -5 border templates. Use as a trim on papers, create borders, or ribbons.

Hope we win

2008-12-12T07:01:00.001-05:00

Hp Stop Drop & Spread Holiday Magic

This package would mean that my family of technofiles could have a new pc for once. Every machine we have had has been cobbled together from bits and pieces of machines someone has donated. Nine children with six being school age means lots of term papers, research, college applications & essays that need to be done. The two laptops would go to my teens, one who is a graduating senior and off to college next year. The other attends high school and college simultaneously. Having their own pc’s would mean not having to stay up nights writing papers. Our family size often prevents my husband and I from giving the children all of the things they would like for Christmas or birthdays but this would definitely change that!

Many people have no idea what its like in a family as large as mine. The amount of sharing that we have to do for just basic stuff. And we do it graciously most of the time. One of the lessons I try hardest to instill is that we are all one unit and if one fails or falls, we all do. I think I do a decent job so far. I can’t imagine the joy on faces of my eldest two daughters to be able to have laptops of their own (and top notch ones not refurbished ones from geeks.com). To be able to play online without having to get up when the buzzer goes off (sometimes we have to do that). School work is important so there is always time for that but sometimes time to do fun stuff just isn't feasible.

Cadillac Records Review

2008-12-11T09:44:00.001-05:00

My mom and I had a girls nite out last nite. We have been eagerly awaiting this movie. We are both huge music fans…huge music movie fans and adore music history. So this movie was a must see for us. I have to admit that I went in prepared to like it. I am a huge fan of most of the lead actors. Jeffrey Wright is a genius. He is way underrated. Adrien Brody is also an excellent actor. Anyway this movie had me entranced from the opening scene. I have probably the weakest bladder in the world and a normal movie trip involves at least one trip to the ladies room. NOPE! I did not want to miss a scene. Columbus Short as Little Walter was brilliant. I have never really been a fan of his….but he really brought the character to life. Gabrielle Union’s portrayal of Muddy Water’s loving wife was her usual excellence. The most emotional scene in movie shows how moving she is as an actress. Beyonce was very good in this role. Many people have criticized her for continuing to play singers…but this role is like nothing she has ever done. When she is on screen, you do not see “Beyonce”, you see a woman who uses her tough exterior to hide her insecurities…a woman who uses drugs to fill the empty space inside her. My only complaint about Beyonce’s role was it wasn’t woven into the story as seamlessly as the other main characters. Eamon Walker’s “Howlin Wolf was a riot! He commanded the scene when ever he was present. And the music…..can’t forget the music. I have been playing the soundtrack for last week or so and its also a must have. I had already heard or listened to the original versions of most of the soundtrack and have to say I am very impressed with the actors choosing to sing instead of using the originals. All in all I give this a Thumbs Up!

Testing Testing….

2008-12-09T18:23:00.000-05:00

Testing a new service…I downloaded the new Windows Live Writer Beta. You can use to post your blogs from your desktop! I really like the format. Lots of time I do not want to open my browser while designing cause I get sidetracked. I will say I am only looking at one thing and next thing ya know I haven't designed a thing and got 20 tabs open in Firefox. I can see this will be a staple in my day! I didn’t realize that I also have the labels!!!! I am loving this!

What Archetypes Are Calling You?

2008-12-08T09:21:00.000-05:00

What Archetypes Are Calling You?
Carol S. Pearson

Scoring Methodology

Based on your answers, the following archetypes in red are those that are calling to you right now. You can use this information to make educated decisions about what the archetype really wants, and whether satisfying it requires you to purchase anything. Often, when we have the genuine experience the archetype craves, we find we do not have to buy so much.

A. 2 Innocent. .

B. 1 Explorer.

C. 3 Sage.

D. 4 Every person.

E. 4 Lover.

F. 5 Jester.

G. 3 Hero.

H. 2 Revolutionary.

I. 8 Magician. You have a strong desire to heal or transform people or situations. Now is the time to develop your power. Explore the art of changing your own consciousness in order to influence others. Be the future you want to see.

J. 7 Caregiver. You are drawn to being altruistic and helping others. Now is the time to identify who of the many needy people you most want to help. Donate some money. Volunteer. Spend time with children or the elderly or someone sick or otherwise in need. Lend a hand.

K. 6 Creator. You have a strong need now to express your creativity and imaginative potential. Find an art form and practice getting good at it. You may not be Picasso, but you do have a vision. Now is the time to encapsulate it in tangible form.

L. 2 Ruler.

This is interesting but not really news to me. Ihave always been a person who enjoys helping others, lots of people come to me for advice not because I am good at telling them what to do but because I am good at helping them figure out whats best for them to do. I guess a mother of 9 should have caregiver archetypal leanings...otherwise I would need a new job huh?And the creator aspect shows itself in my digital designs. I do enjoy it when I am not in a rut. I have been designing for the last couple days. Not really liking what I am doing but trying to push through.

Here is my Christmas Freebie

2008-12-01T12:14:00.000-05:00

Here is my WorldWide Christmas Scrapbooking Freebie Be sure to check the blog list to get the rest of these gorgeous freebies!

Insider

2008-11-23T11:34:00.001-05:00

Thats right....be sure to check for a special coupon in the DST December Issue of the Insider...it will be worth your time!!!
The coupon is good at both Scraphead & DoItDigi

Inspired

2008-11-16T13:59:00.000-05:00

Maybe its the season...or the request to join this year's Christmas Around The World blog train which has been renamed Worldwide Christmas Scrapbooking Freebies. Once again I will participating in this and I was up until 3 am designing last night...and I LOVE what I have come up with. Hope you guys like it as well. Also I will have a coupon in the upcoming holiday DST Insider so be on the look out for that..In keeping with that issue,I am going to try a hybrid project..if it works out well I will post results here & instructions AND a freebie to try it out!

National Pursuit of Happyness Week

2008-11-09T11:41:00.000-05:00

Some one sent me this lovely website to energize my blog...it has a 14 month calender to help when you don't know what to blog about. I have to admit that I am often blog entry challenged...I average about three - five posts a month. And this calender is supposed to help. The first entry for this week is that its National Pursuit of Happiness week. This couldn't have come at a better time. Its past time I pursued my happiness. I have been unhappy for some time in my life and its time I put me first. I know people always say that you have to put yourself first in order to be a good mom etc. But I have been so bad about following that advice.But no more.
And my first step is a doozy. I asked my husband for a divorce. I have been telling him that I am unhappy. I have tried to get him to go to counseling, to talk to our church minister...but of course he wouldnt. He doesn't see anything wrong..he gets all he wants out the marriage. He has someone to take care of him. He doesn't feel need to work, help out with kids, help out around house, help with our disabled sons therapy. He can watch cable tv and hang out with his buddies. Generally act like he is 19 years old. His reply when I told him I wanted a divorce was fine..do what you want. Please pray for me and my family. This is going to be a time of great upheaval.

2008-11-07T11:31:00.000-05:00

Inspiration for new projects sometimes comes
when we least expect it and this was one of those Inspiring moments.

This very special SHMILY Blog Train was Inspired by a
story on the internet you may read for yourselves HERE.
(Thank you Nicole & KC)

SHMILY (See How Much I Love You) is Truly Inspiring...
Please remember to show those in your life some SHMILY
when they least expect it.

MAMACAT SCRAPS
DMK DESIGNS
KISSED BY PIX
KISSED BY CARI
DESIGNS BY HELLY
KC'S SCRAPPIN SANCTUARY
LIV LUVS SCRAPS
HEAVENS DESIGNZ
MONKEY DOODLE DESIGNS
JUST ANOTHER SCRAP BY JUDITH
MYSTIC INC DESIGN
TOTALLY RAWKIN DESIGNS
FOXY LADY CREATIONS
LADY QUEEN'S CREATIONS
DESIGNS BY CINDI
WILLOW ART PRODUCTIONS

Here is my contribution to the blog train. Be sure to pick it up here

Change is coming

2008-11-05T16:18:00.000-05:00

At times it seems that the election dragged on interminably, however last night was a time for great tension. I had three separate electoral maps open (still not quite sure why all three had different numbers at same time) but Obama pulled way out in front early and kept a comfortable lead. I was not sure that a last minute upset or voting irregularity would change that though. As the seconds counted down to the closing polls on the West Coast, I literally was holding my breath..I had already told my husband & daughters all Obama had to get was CA (traditionally Dem territory), OR & WA and it was all over. No sooner than the polls closed then NBC called those three for Obama and announced him as the 44th President of the United States.....my arms immediately broke out in goosebumps and it was hard to see for the tears in my eyes. Second class citizens no more.....3/5ths of a person....not ever again. A Black man is the next president of this mighty nation of ours. A wall has been shattered....a barrier lifted...Yes We Can......Yes We DID!

Whats not to love

2008-11-04T07:31:00.000-05:00

about a tutu? Especially a free one??? Simple is having a giveaway for a tutu in your choice of black or red!
My elder daughters are tutu wearers from WAY back....Here are some of my favorite poses...

they are now 17, 16 & 12....so it was nice to look back when they were lil and cute!lol!

Love Is....

2008-10-25T08:33:00.000-04:00

I have lost three close family members to domestic violence. My aunt was murdered when I was 10 by her husband of one month. He stabbed her 28 times no one even knows what the dispute was about. She left a six year old son. My cousin who was like my older sister was murdered when she was 23 year old and I was 20. Three hours before her son's father shot her, my mom and I were at her house and were upset at the huge bruise on her arm. She smiled at us and said he SAID he was sorry.....she left two little girls and a 3 month old son. Two years ago another cousin of mines naked body was left in a wooded area, she was last seen arguing with her off and on long time boyfriend, there has been a couple of arrests but prosecutor seems to have little interest in taking this court to trial. She left two preteen daughters. All of these crimes were committed by men who purported to LOVE them. I always go back to (IMO) the authority on Love, who said:
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant (1 Cor. 13:4)...where in there does that leave room for abuse? where does it leave room for murdering the very one you claim to love? My heart goes out to Jennifer Hudson & her family. I am crying the same never ending tears. In one second, some idiot demolished your life as you knew it. And nothing can ever change it back. As time goes on, you build it into something new...something different. Something not quite as good as it was...after all those loved ones are no longer there with you. It never hurts any less...it's just not as close to the surface. But something will remind of that person and even now almost two decades later, the pain of my cousins passing can overwhelm me. I wish I could tell every woman who is with an abusive mate, not to allow him to do to her family what has been done to mine. I wish I could show them all the years of pain and tears that has been inflicted on children who are missing bright smiles and warm hugs of their murdered mothers. I wish I could tell all those abusers, hey we love her too, she doesn't BELONG to you. But I can't. I can only continue to pray for those whose pain I know all too well.

Mercury Retrograde...

2008-10-22T16:49:00.000-04:00

I admit i check my horoscope from time to time. I am not fanatical about but when I do I ALWAYS go to Susan Miller's Astrology Zone. She is usually has things that are so exact it is eerie. well this months forecast for me starts out like this,

"After a fairly stressful September, you are looking forward to October, and rightly so. Mercury, your ruler, will still be retrograde for the first three weeks of October. This time you may welcome the slower pace that Mercury retrograde brings. With two eclipses in August and a very difficult full moon in mid-September, you've been dealing with a lot of news and shifting situations." Ok cue the spooky music! Lady get outta my life and head...stressful September was an understatement..

here is another gem..."At work, if you are in the creative department, this month you'll find it easy to come up with ideas but a little harder to execute them properly."
Guess thats why my idea book is full but my upload queue is almost empty...execution seems to beyond my grasp right now....

but now that the retrograde has passed (Oct 20) i should be able to get back in the swing of things....right????

Mad About Plaid and a freebie

2008-10-22T01:21:00.000-04:00

I finally got a new product!!! I ran a bit behind on the preview templates I was working on because I got sidetracked by these...its my Mad About Plaid series. Six unique grayscale overlays to make creating plaid papers a snap!

The scrapper size set will be exclusive to DID for the next week as the promotional kit of the week..free when you spend at least $10 in one purchase! You can also purchase the tagger size set. Here is a freebie of both sizes to play with!

Work in Progress & freebie

2008-10-12T21:18:00.000-04:00

thats how I feel. My life has been so hectic...my eldest is graduating this year. She has decided on a college (go Grambling Tigers) but still has ACT to take, she made captain of the cheerleading squad and nominated to Homecoming Court...all of this means her extracurricular load is crazy...practice for this, practice for that, community appearances...whooo...busy busy busy. Here is Pixie in her uniform pic

my youngest son is seeing a new pediatric neurologist because the two previous ones moved out of the area. She is GREAT! i was really unhappy with the last one he had. He was good with my son but I just found him somewhat standoffish. My son will also be seeing a physiatrist...I had never heard of it either...its a rehabilitation doctor. Rehabilitation physicians are nerve, muscle, and bone experts who treat injuries or illnesses that affect how you move. Jorrell's official diagnosis is hemplegic cerebral palsy (resulting from stroke he suffered in utero) which means this doctor will use his expertise to oversee the physical & occupational therapy. Even with him getting it at school & outpatient once a week, we are noticing increased tone or difficulty with him doing the range of motion exercises. It makes me sad to see how he has to use his left arm turn his right arm in supine position.

But he is a real trooper and so sweet! The brace on his arm is to help with finger extension!
Those are just a few of the things that are keeping me busy. i also seem to have lost my mojo...i am working on a set of paper preview templates. A friend asked me to make her some so I obliged. This one supports 8 papers so here is a sample download here.
i am also working on my first tagger kit..I am part of the yahoo group Truly Inspired and next couple weeks, there will be a blog train based on this story SHIMILY (be sure to have your tissues ready). Stay tuned to for more info on that.

Nightmare at Scraphead Blog Train

2008-10-01T15:24:00.000-04:00

Its been forever since i updated but I am back with freebies!! Who doesn't like a freebie? As part of the Oct daily download at Scraphead.com, the designers are doing a blog train. Be sure to grab the brag book pages from all the designers. This is my first brag book page and it can be downloaded here:

Day One

Snowraven http://silversnowyraven.blogspot. Com

Michelle Powell http://scrapheadspot.blogspot.com

Renata http://www.serenebyrw.blogspot.com

Creations by Rachael http://www.creationsbyrachael.blogspot.com

By God's design http://digibygodsdesign.biz

Jennifer Wambach http://jennartdesign.blogspot.com/

MoveFearlessly Designs http://movefearlessly.com/blog/

Cathy Joes Designs http://cathyjoeskorner.blogspot.com/

Sherry D http://ambrosiaartsva.blogspot.com/

Cindy Ritter http://cindyritterdigiscrap.blogspot.com/

Tiffani http://totallyrawkindesigns.blogspot.com

Patricia - http://www.digiheaven.blogspot.com/

Be sure to check back for the new page!

Everything is only $2.50

2008-08-30T23:39:00.000-04:00

All my items are only $2.50!

That's a savings of 58-72%. This includes all my commercial use items. {excludes collab kits}

Here are just a few of my latest offerings:

This set includes 8 border templates. Use as a trim on papers, create borders, or ribbons.
Regularly $5.99 now only $2.50

This set includes 10 extra large swirls. Each one is at least 6 inches long on its side. I made these extra big so that they could easily be downsized. So many uses its impossible to name them all, stickers, patterned papers, overlays, you are only limited by your imagination. Regularly $8.99 now only $2.50

This volume includes five png autumn leaves and branches.
Regularly $5.99 now only $2.50

These are just a few of my products which can be found here!

where did all gigs go????

2008-07-09T23:40:00.000-04:00

I got this pc in February...it came with 320gb hard drive. I also purchased a 200gb external drive at same time. I also just got a Nikon 8700 system a couple months before hand. Between my designs (mostly unfinished), my gazillion pictures of my family members and my amateurish texture taking photos, I have less than 17GB. I was window shopping at one of my favorite site and saw this

Image Viewer

Original Price: $69.99

You Save: $20.00

$49.99

Free 3 Business Day Shipping

(Not available in HI, AK and PR)

In Stock

Hitachi 320GB SATA drive

only 50 bucks and FREE SHIPPING.....i heart free shipping. Unfortunately with back to school for 7 children fast approaching...one of which is a senior , I haven't got an extra 50 bucks. But I can still salivate, right????

In other news, I absolutely ADORE this new program! For designers who advertise in yahoo groups know what a pain it is to set up your lists, make sure its correct format and day for that list and then send out an ad...AND then do it all over again for your next ad. ...this program automates the entire process. You must have your own domain for this to work and the wonderful gentlemen who wrote this program for only ten bucks will install it for you if like me cron jobs are outside of your purview.
YAM Automailer

i am working on a new collabo kit with Jennifer {Tony's Mama Designs}..its gonna be SOOOOO cute.....here a few previews of some of the things I made..... this is a paper...close up so you can see the texture!

here is the cutest little cardboard car...its inked edges make it totally adorable!!!There are 4 in this set...more transportation methods perfect for those little boy layouts! i think some cardboard flames would be a good accent with this huh???

this is a glittered chipboard frame...several of these in different glitter colors and shapes...this is a circle!

I am having so much fun making stuff...this is going to be a HUGE kit....a great bargain for scrapping boys, girls, or both!

Weekend sale

2008-06-19T20:20:00.000-04:00

be sure to grab my grab bag which is only 2 bucks for 150 mb of goodies! $15 worth of great stuff to scrap your memories. all of my other products are 40% off including my newest kit, Beachy Scene;

DST Insider

2008-06-19T19:58:00.000-04:00

Be on the look out for the July issue of DST Insider...there will be a coupon inside for both my stores!

You can check out my shops here: Scraphead.com and DoItDigi

The coupon is good all month long (although it excludes all other sales and offers).

oooh guess what

2008-06-17T19:57:00.000-04:00

I have an additional digi home! My designs can now be found at Scraphead.com. And I will be offering my first grab bags!!! There will be a commercial use bag and one for personal use. Both bags will be over 100 mb of goodies to play with.The sale runs from June 20-22. Here is a sneak preview of my personal grab bag. You have to stay tuned if you want to see more clues. I will be posting them soon. The personal bag is worth over $ 12 once separated in the store but the bag will be only $2 and the commercial bag is valued at over $3 for the commercial use bag.

happy Birthday to me!

2008-06-10T07:27:00.000-04:00

It's my birthday and my store @ DoItDigi is on sale!!!! For the next 7 days, ,my entire store will be 36% of in honor of my 36th birthday! Be sure to check out my newest items, Burst of Sun overlays!
Here is my latest layout of my uncle's wedding photo using one of these sun bursts.

As a special gift, be sure to snag my freebie quickpage based on this layout. Click the layout to download.

Missing my family

2008-05-21T22:59:00.000-04:00

On May 1st the Reverend Dr. Sylvester Armour, after 80 years the last six in a paralytic state, passed from this life. Now that may not mean much to you but he was my Grandad and even though I had made peace ~or so I thought~ with his going, it knocked me for a loop. I could remember all the fun times when he took me and all the other grands to Geauga Lake. I remeber the rides on his home made motorcycle {it was the back of a VW Bug and the front wheel of a chopper}. It had five places for one of each of the grands to sit! I remember him giving us a weekly "allowance" just because. It makes me sad that my kids wont get to know that Grandaddy. They only know the sick man in the nursing home who they could hardly understand. I remember and thats the Grandad that I wasnt ready to let go. But I prayed for his soul and I prayed for ease of my grief. Granddaddy, I love and miss you....and I always will.

Some days I do ok. I go through the day caught up in the myriad details of caring for my family, house...life in general. And then some thing brings you to mind, an old school song, a place we used to go, something we used to do, and its like the last two and a half years have not gone by. I miss you JUST AS MUCH as the day I found out you had been taken from us. My heart is just as heavy as the day I stood over your coffin and begged God to give you back to us. My eyes are just as full of tears as the day I watched them lower the coffin in the cold November earth. Thanksgiving 2005 just wasnt the same and will NEVER EVER BE. I miss and love you Tahnee, sister of my heart, and I always will.

New Designs, New Product Promotion

2008-04-25T15:15:00.000-04:00

I have got some GREAT new things in my store...if you liked my kit from last week Dots A Plenty be sure to grab the (commercial use with no credit) Plain Dotty Overlays! 6 12X12 greyscale png files with a bonus black and white elegant Paper Pack included. These papers would be great for any formal occasion layout like prom or black tie wedding. As always the new products are 25% off for the next three days.

Congrats to Amanda (blog) She won my Dots A Plenty kit.

Here is my other new offerings. Two gorgeous paper packs perfect for those new baby layouts.
Precious Baby Boy & Precious Baby Girl are chock full of Set of 14 designer papers in soft, sweet pastels perfect for little princes & princesses Soft and sweet in the perfect shades of blue, green, yellow, pink and purple. Includes solids, stripes, plaids and polka dot patterned papers. This is the perfect set to scrap all those baby boy & girl photos you have been holding on to!

how stinkin' cute are they..

I am currently testing a program that may simplify ad posting for designers who advertise in yahoo groups. A relatively inexpensive solution would be a boon to many of us...at least I think so. I will post more as soon as I have run some test trials.

And lastly but not leastly (if you read down this far, I applaud you) here is the freebie. Made with items from my newest products here is an elegant quickpage. Snag it if ya like...and pm or email me if you use it.

Im so behind

2008-04-24T14:29:00.000-04:00

I have been working my hiney off trying to get caught up...I have been a designing, scrapping, ct applying fool lately. I am so sad the month of April is almost up...My guest spot with Digi Diva Designs is almost over. She is a dream to work with and I would love a permanent spot on her team! Anyways I just created this layout with her Simply Adored kit.I come from a family of sisters. The first two are my grandmother who is 70 and her 79 yr old sister Martha, then its my cousin, my mom and my two aunts, the next picture is my oldest two daughters,
The third row is my other four daughters in pics with their sisters.

edge journaling are these quotes about sisters

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life. Isadora James
An older sister is a friend and defender - a listener, conspirator, a counsellor and a sharer of delights. And sorrows too. ~Pam Brown
Our roots say we're sisters, our hearts say we're friends. ~Author Unknown
A sister shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams. ~Author Unknown
Sisters are blossoms in the garden of life. ~Author Unknown

I was picked to be on Eirene's CT. I am so excited. I love her designs and hope to be debuting some new layouts soon. I got a personalized blinkie and everything!!! Woohoo go me!

A good friend of mine who has oft been known to speak bluntly even when it hurts, Afridigidiva, has come under fire for her opinions. Agree or disagree, one thing I can say about her is that she is not afraid to attach her name to her opinions. If you feel that a person has right to have music on their blog, I do not see how you can feel she does not have the right to say she doesn't like blogs with music on them on her OWN blog. Come on now folks...thats a wee bit hypocritical. I am all for folks expressing themselves they way they want to on their blogs. But don't be mad if I do not choose to visit your blog if it plays music. I will pm you my comment and keep it moving. (FWIW one of the blogs in question I LOVE his playlist)...anywhoo...I just wanted to shout out my girl ADD and tell her to brush that dirt off her shoulders.

ok Sharia and ADD yall killing me with the hotties...gotta post my own boo...I fell in love with Christian Keyes watching the play, Madea Goes to Jail. And this pictures here show off his gorgeous smile, sexy eyes,.......his droolworthy physique...

all I can say is WOWZER....

New Kit, Freebie AND Weekly RAK

2008-04-20T23:23:00.000-04:00

New goodies in my DID store....its called Dots A Plenty...why??? Because its full of different size polka dots...in scrumptious candy colors of teal, pink, aqua and black...here is preview...

also I am giving it away FREE to a random commenter on my blog. Just tell me why you like it and post a link back when ya use it (that parts not required but I would love to leave you some love in your gallery.)

I am ruminating (love those word of the day emails) on having a CT call...I would just really like some nice scrappers who like my work to show what it can do. I do not want to get into the world of having folks pimpin for me....(hmmm would that make me a digiscrap madam if they did..).
anyways...I am still thinking about it....

Over at DID we are having a new giveaway every week...and its BRAND NEW stuff!!

Post the New Product that you would most like to have and why you like that particular product.

The designers will pick 3 random numbers and those posters will win the product they chose.

IF you have already purchased that product (to take advantage of the 25% off New Product Special), you can choose any product from the same designer and of the same value (regular price) or less from the DID shop !!!

There will be a new New Product RAK each week

So let's hear what New Product has got your eye this week!!
Be sure to post IN THE THREAD HERE which new product you want and why!!! Real simple way to scoop up some goodies.

Ok my new layouts....here is one of my preteen, Kailin. I kept it really simple cause I wanted her to be the focus of it. kit is Teen Angst by Dreamscape Designs, font toms new roman
journaling: Kailin is growing up so fast!I can hardly believe she is almost a teenager. Only one more year as a preteen but she will always be my lil Turkey Day Baby!

and here is me and the hubster on Easter...I love his smile...
kit is Aloha Sunrise by Dreamscape Designs, Fonts: Rosewood Std Regular, Poor Richard

I was trying to think if I forgot anything....nothing other than SPRING has finally sprung in NE Ohio. I have been walking for 30 minutes five days a week since the weather broke and taken lots of pictures....look forward to layouts!!!

2008-04-09T18:43:00.000-04:00

I have been busy busy busy....three ct teams (well two officially have started...still waiting on one)...feeling some of my designing mojo coming back the more I scrap...and picture taking...I am so loving my Nikon...(I saw someone had a cool I <3 My Nikon blinkies....I meant to snag it)....Dirt Lovin Kids by DigiDiva (Connie Prince) In other news...I am SO SO SO sad ADSR3 is over...I had a GREAT partner and had a ball. At some point I plan to put all my adsr layouts in one gallery...I got a real scrapping work out doing those challenges. Here is my final layout for challenge
the kit is Sweet Potato Pie by DigiDiva (Connie Prince), alpha by Gina Miller.

I wanted to leave yall with some pre-craziness Michael Jackson R&B but my ftp site is not working so just imagine you here him sing got me working...day and nite...got me working sunshine until midnight!

Happy Birthday Marcie

2008-04-07T07:12:00.000-04:00

Please join me (here) in wishing Marcie (Alabaster Box) at DID a Happy 50th Birthday AND grab a free kit!! Thats right,in honor of her birthday we are giving away an awesome mega collaboration kit. Lots and lots of goodies...also get 50% off all products by angelfaye, Templates N More and BrokenJar Creations for 1 day only!! As an extra special gift here is a quickpage freebie!click the image to download....

A New Month, a New Inspiration Kit

2008-03-30T14:07:00.001-04:00

A New Month, a New Inspiration Kit by the Do It Digi Designer Team!

Check it out here: www.doitdigi.com

A Beautiful selection of papers and elements in a beautiful colour pallette!
35 papers
2 alphas with caps, 1 with symbols
92 elements including:
flowers, ribbons, bows, doodles, flourishes, tags, butterflies, clustered border, frames, overlay, eyelets, brads, buttons, crown, heart cluster, brad backs, hinge, notepaper and journal boxes.

You can get this kit free using your Inspiration Points earned by participating in DID Challenges. You can read all about it here: http://www.digitalscrapp ing.com/foru...read.php?t=654

This kit is 20 Inspiration Points

So gorgeous...so be sure to stop by and check out our challenges.

in other news I have been in a layout frenzy trying to finish up my shutterfly books. I am making 3 of the same book and one different so I actually needed 40 layouts. in the last week I have created 28 layouts. Only 12 more to go....and whats making it SO super easy is the CT Appreciation kit. I am so loving the qp's, bracket album...even the cdalbum makes creating layouts in a flash...here are a few of them...

I got PICKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-29T20:54:00.000-04:00

I am so proud to announce that I am creating for two GREAT designers and have a guest CT spot of for April....
Amanda Dykan @ PurplePaperFlowers....her stuff is just great and I can't wait to work with it.

Dreamscape Designs@ Digital Candy .....absolutely gorgeous stuff and I already completed my first layout....This is my youngest daughter in her Easter dress
Kit is La Dee Dah by Dreamscape Designs
font is 2Peas Angel

and my third ct gig is with DigiDiva Designs @ DivineDigital or GottaPixel (link to her blog)
I am her guest for the month of April...I feel so........validated....lol...seriously though it is great to be picked to work with the wonderful designs of these talented ladies!!!

3/27 DSP Prompt

2008-03-27T15:31:00.000-04:00

Favorite Music

Wow...this is a hard one.....everything is my favorite...lol...seriously though I went to my lastfm to see what I had been playing most....here are some of my most played

Never Would Made It - Marvin Sapp
Honey - Erykah Badu
Love Like This - Natasha Bedingfield
I'm Grown - Tiffany Evans
I Wish You Loved Me - Tynisha Keli ft Sammie
Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
Brokenhearted - Kirk Franklin ft Rev Marvin Winans
Put You Up On Game - Aretha Franklin ft Fantasia
Work That - Mary J Blige
Heaven Sent - Keyshia Cole

Now of course some of these are due to my teens playing music on pc but I actually like all the ones listed. I also love the new Kelly Rowland featuring Travis McCoy song Daylights but I haven't checked for it on iTunes yet (they get almost as much of my dollars as digi community does!!!). As far as genres go I love all different kinds...from Tupac to Elton John, from Celine Dion to Enya...I can't pick just one. In fact I can probably pick a favorite artist from every type of music...the only thing I can say I really don't listen to is Electronica/Techno....

Tue 3/25 Blog Prompt

2008-03-25T03:43:00.000-04:00

DSP Prompt
various family shots and journaling about the pictures

All of these pictures are from my relatives in Cincinnati. Its been almost a year since I have seen them and boy do I miss them....but pictures do help some...
These are my lil cousins....their mom was murdered two years ago and it hurts me to see how grown up they are getting and how much I miss their mom. They both for different reasons remind me of her when we were growing up together.

These are two more of my lil cousins. Their mom took a 14 year break between children. We all thought that her daughter Bree would be the only child....and up pops lil Tyrin! He is an adorable sweet baby who looks just like his mommy and big sister when they were babies.

here is my lil cousin Quan...he was first great grandson born ...after 4 girls....so he was QUITE spoiled. I can't believe he is old enough for his voice to change!!

These three are the youngest of the cousins....Shayla, Shiya and DJ. Their daddy is my cousin and is 8 years younger than me. I can hardly believe he is the father of three!!! The youngest Shayla shares the same middle name Ylonne as my youngest daughter Zaniyah. They were both named for his sister Tahnee Ylonne Jackson. RIP dearest cousin and sister of my heart. Believe me when I say that you are loved and missed greatly.

Never would Have Made It

2008-03-15T15:21:00.000-04:00

I have been going through a hard time this week. I had to quit my job. I found out that three of the guys who started after me who have less experience AND less education got raises and I did not. I know that I did a better job than all three of them AND have better customer service skills. I felt very devalued for a while. I had to pray about it and finally just leave the company. I am stepping out on faith that the opportunity that is meant for me is right around the corner~ Any way during this difficult time, a good friend sent me this link and I just could not stop watching it. It is such a powerful performance and the song is one of my favorite gospel songs!

Marvin Sapp Never Would Have Made It

wooooh

here are excerpt from lyrics
I would have lost it all,
But I now I see how you were there for me and I can say
I'm stronger, I'm wiser, I'm better,
much better,

When I look back over all you brought me thru.
I can see that you were the one that I held on to
And I never
Chorus Never would have made it

I hope that sharing this will brighten someone's day like it did mine.

Vista's alright with me

2008-03-08T18:48:00.000-05:00

I am so loving my new pc with its 3 GB of ram...opening up ACDSee, PSP and PS all at once. I am slowly getting all my stuff organized in ACDSee and can't wait to get my new camera! Its not a dslr but its working its way up to there.

I have to say THANKS to two great ladies who gifted me this past week....Mikkel Paige @ Oscraps gave me this gorgeous paper pack!!!

Gorgeous isnt it!!! Thanks again!!!

And the wonderful Tracy Blankenship @ ScrapDish saw my lonely post at DST about needing 5X7 templates for my shutterfly book and RAK'd me with these ABSOLUTELY gorgeous Templates With Attitude....They are DA BOMB!!! I love the extras she has included...anyone looking to do shutterfly books I HIGHLY recommend them and I hope she will be making more in this size soon (hint hint) She has a permanent customer in me!!!

I am in the ADSR3 and have created my layouts.....here they are

These are challenges 1-4...I really like how they came out. I also have been working on my shutterfly layouts

You will recognize Tracy's gorgeous templates!!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

2008-02-18T21:50:00.000-05:00

I got a NEW pc...well its refurbished but its new to me and has tons of bells and whistles...3gb of ram...300 gb hard drive, front card reader (I so missed that on my old desktop) and more usb ports than even I with my 30zillion flash drives, external hard drives, and other misc usb devices can fill up. It has Vista Premium and it doesnt SEEM to bad so far...although having to give every program permission to run is irksome.
I also got a 19inch HP LCD monitor...its so swwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeet! The screen swivels and raises and lowers and the best best part of this I got ALL for less than 600 bucks!
Is that a DEAL or what!!!

I think my creating will take a big jump!

Freebie alert & Sale

2008-02-08T03:16:00.000-05:00

I released a new kit and two sets of V-Day Victorian textured stickers. OMG...I love these stickers..the kit is called Heart O Mine and its all yummy shades of pink, burgundy, milk chocolate and silver you can scrap way more
than just V-Day pictures.....Just in time for Valentines Day, this sweet kit has plenty of goodies.

It's on sale along with all the Valentines Day items at DoItDigi.com for
25% off!

http://www.digitalscrapping.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=576

Be sure to check out my Victorian Romance Textured Stickers! Two

different sets with 12 stickers in each set. Gorgeous textures on these make
them a great addition to any romantic, love themed or even heritage layout. Also
on sale this week at DoItDigi.com

and here is the freebie I promised ya....

Victorian Romance

Change is good!!!

2008-02-05T23:23:00.000-05:00

I am now exclusive at DoItDigi! Its a great site and the ladies there are all awesome!!! Other exciting news is I am in the ADSR3 with my partner Debbie (newtty). I am sure you have seen her around the digiscrapping world. i am super excited about that.....hmmm what else...oooh SALE...my newest kit, Jamba, is in the store and its 20% off until Friday...
I have really noticed a return of my creativity...I was up designing 4 hours the other night...been a long time since that happened.

I tried my hand at altered art.......You can also see this...and comment in my gallery at DoItDigi!

The Artist Way and the Smack Blogs

2008-01-30T23:57:00.000-05:00

I am currently reading The Artist Way by Julia Cameron for my book club and when I came to this part...I had an A HA moment and had to share it with y'all

This chapter with criticism "The most severe criticism when it fairly hits the mark is apt to be greeted an internal Ah-hah! if it shows the artist a new and valid path for work. The criticism that damages is that which disparages, dismisses, ridicules (can i tell you how i HATE the word FUGLY), or condemns. It is frequently vicious but vague and difficult to refute. This is the criticism that damages."

Those blogs are FULL Of this type of criticism. I have never been mentioned personally but it pains me when I see designers who obviously work hard on their creations savaged as if by ravening wolves.....

All criticism is not bad....but the source and timing are CRUCIAL...

New things....

2008-01-28T07:34:00.000-05:00

It's January 28 and I gots loads of stuff to tell...First things first...make sure you check out DoItDigi's Scraplift Challenge!I picked a great choice to "lift". The challenge runs for two weeks and this month's Inspiration Kit is absolutely GORGEOUS (if I do say so myself) :-) I will post a preview of it

Great huh? It includes 68 Papers, 100 elements ,2 alphas with numbers & punctuation and 4 layered templates (not shown)!

In other news, I got my domain name!!! YAY!! AND I actually updated it! Its just the index page for now but other pages will be forthcoming. Be sure to check it out! And in honor of my newest venture here is a FREEBIE for you, an layered template based on the template of my new website...Grab the (psp & psd format) template here

Be sure to link me if you grab it and use it! I love to see what people come up with when using my templates!

Be on the look out for some new things in the DoItDigi store from me soon. A new kit, a template series....I have a coordinating freebie coming with the new kit.....soon as it is in the store it will be here (and hopefully on the website as well)

Digi Cliques...

2008-01-10T13:15:00.000-05:00

As a mom of six daughters (two teens, two pre teens, and two toddlers), I have lots of past experience dealing with clique behavior/mentality and some to look forward to (NOT!) . It seems to be a fact of life that if more than 3 or so women are involved in ANY activity, cliques soon form. Bonding with like minded and similar interests individuals is a good thing, its only when it becomes a superiority exclusion thing that its a bad thing. And then it can become a bad bad BAD thing.

This is an excerpt from an article on workplace cliques...if you replace the word Company with digi community...well I bet you get the gist

"We all enjoy the camaraderie of people we share an interest or characteristic with, but when cliques become too exclusive, or destructive to those outside the group, the company suffers. ."

Depending on how entrenched the "clique culture" is, and how much influence you have on the environment and individuals involved, you may have a long, protracted battle on your hands to make your workplace as open, productive and objective as you'd like. It's been our experience, though, that anyone in the company who uses any one of these suggestions will improve the situation at least a little bit, and at least temporarily. Changing the situation permanently will take persistence and a more concerted effort.

It saddens me to see how firmly entrenched cliques are in the digital community. The two sets of standards that apply depending on who the person being talked about ...if she is in the 'IN" crowd, oh we must pity her, we must be understanding, we must make sure she is ok"...however she is NOT in the IN crowd....watch out poor thing....she is trashed, folks without any real knowledge of the situation make judgments, she is often shown the door and its clear she should never darken the step of the digi community again. And we (collective we) pat ourselves on the back and say it was for the good of the community.

But how often is our behavior JUST? Fair is not realistic. But we can and should always strive to be just in our dealings with others. Whether they are friends, customers or simply people we encounter in our journey through life. How often do we speak against injustice or do we close our eyes and shut our mouths for fear of ostracism and alienation? Is our behavior how we would like our children to behave because as all moms know...kids do what you do not what you say. I realize no one really cares what I think or how I feel but as a mom I want my kids to be able to look at my behavior and be proud of me.

Almost two weeks

2008-01-10T13:02:00.000-05:00

Since I blogged and I been busy, busy, busy. I started back in school on Monday. I also started the The Artist Way book club and I am SO enjoying it. Its a 12 week course in restoring creativity. This is really pre week and getting in to the swing of things.

http://paperartstudio.tripod.com/artistsway/index.html

this is a link to a website that has the whole book broken down by chapters.

I can't seem to finish any of my designs lately so I hope that this will help me find my inner artist/child and nurture her

I have a free template offered at Scrapbookers Playground for my template challenge...its a rectangle for all you non squares.

Its 2008

2008-01-02T01:04:00.000-05:00

and what do I plan to do with it? Things have changed a lot since this time in 2007. I am working full time outside the home...and my babies didn't have to go to daycare. I am so happy for that. Jorrell started preschool and is out of formal OT & PT. I am SO SO happy for that. I remember when his neurologist told dh & I that he had a stroke before he was born and had some physical damage, all I could do is cry. Now I am crying tears of joy. My baby boy goes to school on school bus...he is beginning potty training, he talks so good, walks so good. I am well and truly BLESSED.

On that note I am deciding to be more productive with my time. The Lord has given me so many blessings and opportunities. It is up to me to maximize them.
Here is one of my sites for helping me be a better me

Tools for Life

here is my

Day 1 Checklist --

Get Ready for Success!

1. Set clock for time.

2. Check clock.

3. Place clock in one spot (only turn on and off).

4. Turn clock off.

5. Clap hands and say, “I’m having a great day!”

6. Breathe in through your nose, deeply filling up your chest, then out through your mouth. Walk with confidence to the bathroom.

7. Splash your face with water.

8. Brush your teeth.

9. Look in mirror and smile at yourself.

10. Say: "The day is mine!"

Resolve whatever you do, you will bring your whole person to
it; that you will fling the whole weight of your being into it.
-Orison Swett Marden

----------------

2007-12-15T23:44:00.000-05:00

I loved this post as soon as I read it. With all the drama in digi community, its very easy to get caught up in negativity and lose your mojo...here is a wonderful article (not mine but borrowed) I left original links intact, if someone would like to go and leave comments.

Creativity and the Choke Factor

Dec. 14th, 2007 at 6:07 AM

rehuxley

Creativity and the Choke Factor

Have you ever been faced with a stressful situation where it is crucial how you perform, only to choke just when you need to be at your best? We all have! An article, by Scientific American journal, studied this experience and found some interesting insights.

The researchers found that negatively stereotyped social groups are some are at the greatest risk of choking under pressure. For example, if women are told that they are not as good as men at math, right before a math test, then they tend to do poorer on that test then if they were not told this statement.

One reason for the may be that the women are having to fight off the negative thoughts as they are trying to also person a complext task like solve math problems. This is what the researchers called increased Cognitive Load. Others studies suggest that a negative stereotype increases feelings of anxiety and stress which affect performance.

As an artist, I feel the pressure of creating a painting when someone asks me to do one or wants to commission a specific image or scene. I can do great art, when I follow my muse and don't worry about the outcome. That is because I am not worrying about whether someone will like it or question myself about my artistic abilities.

There is also the element of our identity. How we "see" ourselves or thing that other see us can affect our perfomances. Another researcher studied how positive stereotypes affect complex activities and found that this actually boosts ability to perform. Why don't positive intrusive thoughts cause people to choke like negative ones? Because positive thoughts don't focus on our feelings of worth as a member of a particular social group. As an artist, positive thoughts about my artistic skills increase my worth in this group of people. If I don't think I am as "good as" other artists, that negative thought will cause me choke my creativity energies.

Should we just pump ourselves up before a difficult task or pay others to tell us nice things about we are? Maybe so. As a psychotherapist, I tell my clients to explore their audiences of appreciation. Who values them? Who will be able to notice their efforts to change and will accept them unconditionally? A lot of emotional sufferers just don't have enough awareness of their audiences of appreciation. Maybe my role as psychotherapist is to be one of those audience members.

Find out who appreciates you and can build up your creative energy with positive encouragements today.

News You Can Use

2007-12-12T23:46:00.000-05:00

Ding Ding the freebie train rides again...be sure to stop by the Grand Opening of Do It Digi....along with the grand reopening of this great shop, you can pick up AWESOME freebies during the 12 days of Christmas giveaway. Each day goodies will be given away. Here is link http://www.digitalscrapping.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249

Be sure to check in!

I created a new set of templates for 4X6 Brag Book themed especially for Christmas....lots of presents, mini fir trees and other Christmas images. Here is a link to layout I did for my cousin and her son

Those papers are from my Christmas Around The World Freebie so feel free to grab those while you are here visiting.

CATW freebie news

2007-12-07T23:18:00.000-05:00

The day is almost upon us...tomorrow is the grand unveiling of the Christmas Around the World freebie kit.

http://christmasaroundtheworldkit.blogspot.com/

Here is a preview of my part! I had such fun making this and everything in the kit is NOT in the preview. This freebie will be available from 12/10-12/16. The link is not live until 12:01 EST.

http://tinyurl.com/2fmtre

Please leave me a comment here or on 4shared if you snag!

I also got my new blinkie! Once again I can not say how much I LOVE Amanda's work. Here are both of my new blinkies..one to show off my designs and one to say how full my hands AND my heart is with nine kids.

Still feeling blah

2007-12-05T23:13:00.000-05:00

I feel so stagnated. I know a lot of it has to do with missing family members who have passed away as well as those who have moved away. I can remember Christmas Holidays from long ago with the grandkids (me included) and my cousins from out of town came. We would play Monopoly with my aunts & uncles (My Uncle Rick always cheated) while Grandma cooked the best sweet potato pie (and I got my OWN pie)....My dad would be singing off key while we all laughed at him.

Twenty or more years later, those days are gone. My Aunts Tammy & Cristy as well as my cousin Tahnee have gone on to heaven. And they live in on my heart. My grandma has cataracts so bad she hasnt baked in years. And she lives all way in Cincinnati. I haven't seen her in two years almost.

Waiting for my blinkies

2007-12-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

I am having Blinkies custom made for me....The talented gal, Amanda, who is making them does a GREAT job. I have seen her work and its marvelous. Plus like me, she collects frogs! Of course thats a big plus in my book!

I am JUST about done with my CATW freebie. I (as usual) kinda got paper happy so expect lots of papers. Textures, patterns, grunge....some have texture, grunge AND pattern!! Don't worry there are other elements as well. Right now I have about 20 pieces....who knows what else I will come up with between now and when I actually make my preview and upload my file. After all who would complain cause they got a freebie with MORE stuff than was listed or shown on the preview.

I think I am going to go blog visiting and pick up some of the great freebies listed at DST...

Sarah Grimwood got a C U U U T E December desktop here
ScrappyCats has a gorgeous pin & ribbon and a journaling tag here
Flergs has an AWESOME GLITTERY goodies...PLEASE go check out her blog for details and goodies

My heart is heavy and eyes are full of tears

2007-12-01T21:45:00.000-05:00

I had followed this story praying desperately that Latasha would be found unharmed and returned to her family. Well that was not to be. I know the deep hurt that her family is going through as it has only been two years since my 29 year old cousin was found murdered in a wooded area. No one who has not experienced a tragedy of this magnitude can understand how this devastating this is.

Why do men feel they OWN women. Not just in this case or in my cousin's (her ex is a person of interest) but Scott Peterson, OJ Simpson (he got off on a technicality) , Drew Peterson, Rae Carruth, all murdered women they SUPPOSEDLY loved. Where do they get the idea that its is ok for them to murder these women. That these women are not entitled to breath air? What gives the the RIGHT to take away these mothers, daughters, sister, cousins, friends out of their family member's lives? Domestic violence makes me SO angry. I don't understand how you say you love someone and then hurt them in the worse way possible.

Please pray not only for her family but for me and mine.

Ex-boyfriend charged in JSU student’s killing

The Clarion-Ledger

Brian Albert Broom/The Clarion-Ledger

Jackson Police investigate the scene on Brown Street where a body has been discovered.

The ex-boyfriend of a JSU student missing since Nov. 13 has been charged with killing her, officials say.

Stanley Cole, 24, is suspected in the slaying of Latasha Norman.

A body found this afternoon off Brown Street in north Jackson is that of Norman, Jackson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jeffery Scott confirmed late today.

The remains were found around 2 p.m. in a wooded area on Brown Street near County Line Road.

Cole, a criminal justice major at JSU, was in a Pearl court early Thursday for a hearing into charges he struck Norman Oct. 9 at a restaurant in Pearl. He was later taken into custody for further questioning in Norman’s disappearance.

Cole, whom Scott had termed “a person of Interest” a few hours earlier, was formally charged with murder after Norman’s body was found.

Cole apparently led police to the body.

The university, which spearheaded vigils and other events to keep Norman’s disappearance in the news, has cancelled classes Friday in her honor.

“I want to extend my deepest and most profound sympathy to the Norman/Bolden family, Latasha’s friends and others who loved her,” JSU President Ronald Mason Jr. said. “There are simply no words that can take away the anguish felt in the face of such a heinous and senseless act.”

The Jackson State Department of Public Safety has been investigating Norman’s disappearance along with the FBI, Hinds County Sheriff’s Department and the Jackson Police Department.

“We all worked around the clock, hoping that we could bring Latasha back safely,” said Chief Rebecca Coleman, director of the Jackson State Department of Public Safety. “Now, our efforts must shift to seeking justice. We mourn with Latasha’s family and friends.”

A memorial service in memory of the junior accounting major is set for noon Monday in the Rose Embly McCoy Auditorium on the main campus.

Coroner Sharon Grisham Stewart said more testing would be needed for a positive identification of the body. It was badly decomposed, police said.

An autopsy is planned for tonight.

Norman, an accounting major from Greenville, had been the subject of a nationwide search.

Her story had been featured on CNN. Digital billboards leased by JSU for advertising purposes had for days flashed Norman’s picture and listed law enforcement contact numbers.

Producers of the popular TV show, America’s Most Wanted, were in Jackson on Wednesday, filming a segment on Norman.

Norman, 20, was described as a serious student who kept to herself.

All Sobe'd Out

2007-11-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

I think I have come to a crucial point in my life.....Sobe No Fear is no longer working as a pick me up.........WAAAAAAAAAH! What am I going to do on the long B O R I N G nights at work to stay awake. I can not abide the taste of any of the other energy drinks so whats a working mom/wife/student/designer supposed to do????

I am more than halfway through Eldest...its only taken me almost a year to read. Its a great story especially considering how young Christopher Paolini was when he started writing. The only thing that saddens me is that this year I seem to be finishing up all my favorite series with no new books in site. JD Robb's Eve Dallas series, Diana Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear series, Kim Harrison's the Hollows, and now this...what will I do...anyone have any good fantasy series?? Or crime series? Or even a cooking mystery series (I love the recipes in Mott-Davidson's books).

Oh no I've lost my....

2007-11-29T18:35:00.000-05:00

mojo!! has anyone seen it? I seem to have no creative spark whatsoever. I open up PSP and NOTHING......I have several swatches to choose from...but I don't feel inspired to create anything. I need to get cracking on my CATW items. As excited as I am to be participating, I cant muster up any playing spirit....maybe I will try scrapping. I have some pictures of my extended family that I would like to scrap and send to them as presents......I hate the winter blahs

I love holiday music and movies but this time of year is also very hard for me. Its been two years since Tahnee was murdered and no justice. I look at her daughters growing into beautiful young women and it breaks my heart that she is not here to see it. Here is an old layout I did of when she first died.

4Shared is DRIVING me INSANE

2007-11-28T10:06:00.000-05:00

For some reason 4 shared does not like me today. I can not access my account information. Its putting a password on my files and I can not remove the file OR the password. ARRRGH.

Anyone have any suggestions over a better file hosting place?

In happier news my Black friday deal (400GB HD) came and is installed in its external case. Now I have room for more STUFF!!!I still haven't decided if I really want the divx dvd player....decisions decisions.....

I will be participating in the Christmas Around The World Freebie Challenge...what is it you say? A bunch of great designers (and ME) will be giving out coordinating goodies so that lucky scrappers can end up with a HUGE mega Christmas kit just in time for all those Christmas pictures. Here is a link to FishinMom's blog http://fishinmom.blogspot.com/ where you can find out more about it.

Tropicana is now in the store! http://www.digitalscrapping.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=112

Be sure to check it out! For everyone who purchases it and post a layout in the DoIiDigi gallery, I will give ya a special gift! Be sure to pm so that I see your post!

Tagged from (Amy) ScrapHappy

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night.

My coworker sent me this link http://tinyurl.com/2u75oy

2.What were you doing at 0800?

reading my mail

3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?

wrassling with 4shared.com

4. What happened to you in 2006?

i enjoyed being preggo for the LAST time& welcoming Ziyah to the world

5. What was the last thing you said out loud?

be quiet(to DH)

6. How many beverages did you have today?

pepsi

7. What color is your hairbrush?

brown

8. What was the last thing you paid for?

pepsi

9. Where were you last night?

same place i am right now

10 What color is your front door?

brown

11. Where do you keep your change?

purse

12.What’s the weather like today?

chilly but sunny

13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?

Butter Pecan

14. What excites you?

visiting family, having company, actually finishing a LO

15. Do you want to cut your hair?

nah

16. Are you over the age of 25?

yes

17. Do you talk a lot?

sometimes if i'm really excited

19. Do you know anyone named Steven?

yes

20. Do you make up your own words?

sometimes

21. Are you a jealous person?

not so much

22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’.

Amy

23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’.

Kim

24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?

my mom

25. What does the last text message you received say?

we lost the game. from my cheerleader daughter

26. Do you chew on your straw?

mostly

27. Do you have curly hair?

ha.

28. Where’s the next place you’re going?

work

29. Who’s the rudest person in your life?

30. What was the last thing you ate?

double cheeseburger

31. Will you get married in the future?

since i am already married...I dont think my dh would be interested in a female Big Love situation

32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?

P2 is the only movie I have seen in three months

33. Is there anyone you like right now? hmmm Chris Brown...he is such a cutie patootie!

34. Did you cry today? nope.

35. Why did you answer and post this? why not? i responded because i enjoy sharing and enjoy reading about others (and hope someone out there will do the same!) :)

Stay Tuned

2007-11-27T11:42:00.000-05:00

Big things coming soon.....

First here is my first new kit that will be exclusive to the DID store

I just love the colors! Especially now that everything is all winter blah. This kit is perfect for scrapping all types of pictures and events, vacations, summer, just hanging out. Lots of grungy textures.

Also I will be putting up another freebie link soon...here is a preview....

Its a 4X8 Christmas Card. It has the verse Isaiah 6:9 on it and its to remind us exactly what the Christmas season is about.
edited to add link
http://www.4shared.com/dir/4747549/867b1f1a/sharing.html

In other news I will be participating in the Christmas Around The World Mega FREEBIE Kit (maybe it should be a Massively Multiple Mega kit!!!). I got the swatch today and I am EXCITED!!! Very inspired expect mucho goodies starting December 10!

News!!

2007-11-26T15:26:00.001-05:00

Soon my designs will be found in a new place: Do It Digi
Please check out all the great designers there and it shouldn't be too long before my designs are listed.

in other news I had two days off in a row for the first time in 2 months! It was beautiful! Me, my two baby girls and dh slept all morning! We didnt wake up until my 3 yr old son's preschool bus was blowing the horn!

Who I resemble?

2007-11-25T19:00:00.000-05:00

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

First post and a FREEBIE

2007-11-25T16:34:00.000-05:00

I'm back after a hiatus....real life took over...but I am ready to jump back in to designing and scrapping. I am about to start at a new store and will be offering all new products. I decided to leave my old blog @ scrappinhappy.blogspot.com and start here.

Just to give everyone a taste of my new and improving design skills here is a freebie to snag. Sweet Coco is the name of this sampler cause it reminded me of the cocoa I drink a lot of this time of year.

freebie link