Hit the Books and a Template

Digi Designs by Nicole has a new school kit in her store called "Hit the Books." It's a great kit for kids of all ages-toddlers through college! I didn't have any school pictures but I still made it work for pictures of my kids! Here's a look at this kit. There are so many pieces of this kit: quick pages, flairs, worn cardstocks!

You can use the coupon code HTBAddOn to get the flairs or worn cardstocks for FREE with purchase of the kit. There is a bundle for Hit the Books that includes everything. It's like buying the kit and the quick pages and getting everything else for free! Plus it includes a set of notebook papers that I don't think you can get separately!


Here's my layout.


I am hosting the template challenge at Stuff to Scrap this month. I used this layout to make the template for this month's challenge. Come on over and participate in the challenge!

Brownie Scraps Collabs

The Brownie Scraps Designers put together a collab each month that is just stunning. It includes 5 mini kits, 1 QP set, 1 hybrid template, 1 template and 1 CU collection. Each month there is a stunning new collab aout. The best part is that you get it FREE when you spend $10 at the store (with the coupon code listed on the front page of the store). Or you can buy the collab for $10. Right now ALL the collabs (with the exception of the current month's collab) are on sale for just $3 each because they are being retired! How fabulous is that? You can get 4 of them for $12 and then get this month's collab for free! Let me show you this month's collab. It's called "Everyday Moments."
Here are a couple layouts I made with the collab. The second one uses a template by Snuggle Berry Pie Designs that is this month's Semi Homemade Challenge at Brownie Scraps.


I also had the chance to work with one of the older collabs that is being retired and is on sale for $3. I'm a sucker for orange, blue and green together and that's what this kit is all about! It's called "A Fresh Start." Just as an FYI some of the older collabs don't include a hybrid template.

Here are a couple layouts I made using A Fresh Start.


Brownie Scraps is running a Designer Survivor later this month. Check out the flier for more details. You can check THIS BLOG for my details too.

New collab

The designers at Digital Scrap Cafe put together a great collab this month. It's called "Boyish" and is perfect for all those little boy pictures you have. Here's a preview of this collab.

If you spend $10 or more (and you do not need to buy the collab, you can buy anything in the store) you get the quickpages for Boyish free. Here are the QP preview. Mine is the first one and the one under it.

I loved working with it and I've had the opportunity to make another layout with this kit just today for the template challenge at DSC. They have a new template challenge every Friday! You should check it out if you like templates. This template was from Aprilisa Designs and I just love it because it has non rectangular paper pieces and that's not something I can do with Photoshop Elements. At least I haven't figured out how to do it yet! Here's the layout that I made.

New releases galore!

Oh my heavens, I have so many new kits to tell you about! It seems like half of the designers I CT for have new releases out today! I don't even know where to start! (It also appears like I'm addicted to exclamation marks). I'll start with the kit that I finished work with first.

Becky Young Designs has a brand new kit out called "My Mother." This kit is beautiful! The colors are perfect to scrap pictures of your mom or pretty much anything feminine. Here's what the kit looks like.

I actually made 3 layouts with this kit to show you. Two of them are using the template from Stuff To Scrap's Template Challenge. The template is from Digital Scrap Fun. These 2 layouts using the template is a double page spread showing pictures of my mom and my twins. The other layout is of my first mother's day.

Head on over to Becky Young's store to pick up this gorgeous kit!

The next layouts I completed were for a kit called "Happy Monsters" by Scraps by Andrea. This kit is so fun and whimsical. It is a perfect kit for any little kid! Andrea even has a small add on that includes some word arts and one of them says "Mommy's Little Monster." I so wanted to use that one but I didn't have the right picture. Instead I used "Daddy's Little Monster." I had so much fun playing with this kit! Here's a preview of this kit.

Here are the layouts I made. The first one I made during a speed scrap. One of the instructions was to use 4-6 flowers. Well, this kit has NO flowers! So I made a monster cluster instead. I have a freebie cluster frame for you using elements from this kit!

Here's a preview of your freebie. You'll have to keep reading to find the link to this freebie!

Go over to Scraps by Andrea's store to pick up this really fun kit!

Next, I have a new release for you from Digi Designs by Nicole. (I joined another CT! I know I said I was done but I could not pass up this opportunity!) Digi Designs by Nicole teamed up with Growing Pains Scrapped to create a baby kit called "Baby of Mine." The best thing (well actually there are tons of things I could say are the BEST thing) is that this kit works for both boys and girls. So if you are like me and have both a boy and a girl you can just buy 1 kit and scrap both their pictures! This kit has such cute baby elements and fun papers in it. Here's a preview.

I actually have 3 layouts to show you for this kit too. I just couldn't stop using it! I used it for 2 different challenges at Stuff to Scrap. One was the recipe challenge and the other one was for the theme challenge. The theme challenge was to scrap about beginnings. I kind of picked an obvious beginning! The recipe challenge called for 10 papers. That was a challenge!

This last layout used a template from Digi Designs by Nicole's Template Temptation Vol. 7. I love using templates when scrapping and these templates were so easy to use. Check out all the fun templates you'll get with this set.

Don't wait to grab this kit and the new templates from Digi Designs by Nicole's store!

Last but certainly not least is The Scrappy Kat. Earlier she released a kit called "Steampunk." Since this kit was so popular she decided to do an add on. I did not have the chance to work with either the main kit or the add on but I wanted to show you the preview of what is being released today.

Go over to The Scrappy Kat's store to pick up this add on and the full kit.

And now, without further ado, I have the link for you to the Happy Monsters cluster frame freebie. You can download it HERE. Thanks for taking the time to read all the way down to the bottom!

How many times can I use 1 kit?

There's a contest going on at Brownie Scraps to see how many LOs we can make with the April Addicts kit called Spri-ster by Marni Designs and Scrappin Daisies. I'm a sucker for contests and challenges. Right now I've created 4 LOs. Another person is ahead of me and has done 6. We have to the end of April so I have time to catch up and pull ahead. Although that also gives her time to get more done too! I thought I would show off what I have created so far.


The above LO was done for the Brownie Flip Challenge. This next one was done for the Single Brownie Challenge. Fun was the 1 word to use.

The above LO was done for the recipe challenge and the next one was done for the Sweet Inspiration Challenge. In that one they give you a theme to journal about. The theme was music. My kids LOVE to dance to music so I wrote about that.

I should get some pictures from my sister so I can scrapbook pictures of her daughter with this kit too!

Brownie Scraps also puts LOs from the gallery on their blog and has people vote for the best one. I've never had a LO on there before but this week I do. I don't think you win anything but I still want to win! So if you wouldn't mind voting for me, I'd appreciate it. This is the layout that's up for the vote. I made it for the Template challenge at Brownie Scraps and the font challenge at Stuff to Scrap. I won this kit which is called Little Whimsy by Jacabean Designs. I absolutely love everything by Jacabean Designs! The template is by Leenie Lou Designs.

You can vote HERE. Come back tomorrow because I have 4 brand new kits to show you!

Layouts from Defining Moments by Marni Designs

I'm exhausted! We had a first birthday party for our twins yesterday and I have a sinus infection so I'm worn out! The party went really well and I can't wait to scrap pictures of them with their cakes. Unfortunately I didn't get a great one of Noah so I'm going to ask around to see if anyone got a better one!

I just wanted to share a couple layouts that I did using Defining Moments by Marni Designs and Brandy Designs. This kit is so fun because it can be used for both boys or girls. There are so many different elements to play with. I had to restrain myself for using too many of them on one page! LOL This first one is one that I did for a Speed Scrap at Stuff to Scrap. (Yes, I'm addicted to speed scraps!) I really struggled with the paper strips but I think they turned out really well! Now I put paper strips on a lot of my layouts!

This second one was made using the template for the Template Challenge at Digital Scrap Cafe. The template is by Pure Creativity Designs. I actually made one of Natalie eating cookies and one of Noah eating cookies using the same template. I'll share Noah's another day. I'm kind of seeing a trend with my layouts here, my babies are messy eaters!!! Ha ha.

Now I'm going to relax today! My house has recovered from their party and now it's my turn!

Defining Moments

I recently started scrapping with a kit called Defining Moments by Marni Designs and Brandy Designs and it is just so much fun. The colors are gorgeous and work for both boys and girls plus a whole range of other photos. Since I have a boy and a girl I try to find kits that will work for both of them. I also try to find kits that have elements besides flowers because I have hard time putting flowers on a layout for my son! This kit was great to play with. So far I've only made one layout but I can't wait to make more. Here's what her kit looks like.

Here's what my page looks like. I scrapped pictures of my son, Noah, when he was 4 months old and started grabbing things. It really looked like he was hunting keys. I think these pictures turned out great! My favorite part of the kit (so far) is the loopy ribbons with the stitching that I put on the side of the top right picture. I just couldn't wait to use them the minute I saw them! Aren't they fabulous?

Oops! I forgot to mention that this was done for a template challenge at Brownie Scraps. Although over there all their challenges have names that have to do with brownies or baking. I can't keep which challenge is which straight! I think the template challenge is called Semi Homemade Challenge. The template is by Leenie Lou Designs.

Be back later with other layouts from a kit by Marni Designs that releases on February 5th. I will have a freebie for you too! I may also have other news to share but I'm waiting on some final details. Stay tuned.

Simplicity

I find that when I scrapping I like to add as many elements as possible. I saw two challenges over at Digital Scrap Cafe that made me make my layouts more simple. One of them was a template challenge and the other was a scraplift challenge. Scraplift means to take inspiration from someone's already completed layout and make a similar one. The template challenge used a template by Scooty's Designs. This is what I came up with.




My babies did NOT like leaves! But the colors were so beautiful so I tried to capture a photo. Gotta have some fussing pictures, don't you? I used papers and ribbon from Afternoon Delight a Stuff to Scrap Blog Train. I also used leaves, stitching, frame, alphabet and papers from October Road by The Scrappy Kat, Flower Scraps and Growing Pains Scrapped. The font is Pea Muggy's Girl. I love how it turned out and it's much cleaner than my other layouts.

I'll be back later to share my other simple layout. We're going to the in-laws for calzones!

A page for Noah and a page for Natalie

Having twins certainly makes scrapping different! I find that I scrap more pages of Natalie because I like girly kits and papers! I find that I have to force myself to scrap pages of Noah. So when I saw the template challenge at Stuff to Scrap I decided I was going to use the template for Noah. I don't have a lot of boy kits in soft colors and I thought that the pictures I had needed soft colors. Earlier I had done a Quick Page challenge using I {Heart} Primary by The Latest Scoop, Too and I made it boy colors. So I decided to use the same kit (but also including SAHM Scrapper's kit) to do the layout for Noah. The template is by Scrapping Rainbow Designs. Isn't he just so adorable???

After I did this page, I decided that I might as well make a very similar page for Natalie using the same 2 kits and the same template. I added a lot more elements because I find that the elements I like to use are mainly girly ones like flowers! Isn't she cute too?