Another Altered Art Challenge by me!!

I am always on the look out for a reason to make one of those fun 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch cards known as ATC's! Throw in some altered art and woo hoo..fun times. I was honored last month to hostess a challenge for Netta over at Creative Victorian Designs. The ladies that played were beyond fun, so why don't you join us this month, it's easy and painless, and you get a little prize!There isn't a right or wrong way, just fun ways!
So to help you get in the mood...how about inspiration??Make an aTc with monochromatic theme-one color, shade or hue. I used black and white, but you can use red, white, purple, green, whatever. Then upload it to the CVD gallery and post in the forum so we can all see and go leave some love!!

Remember, the most important part is to have fun! That is the goal!!

B&W kits - draw me...but...........

Netta sent the previews to this kit and I admit, I am drawn to b&w layouts, kits and just love the dark - lightness that captures my eyes. Her newest kit (she calls it a mini, I think it's a regular kit) Ebony is one of those that catches my eyes and I want it! But I battle making my own layout. I am not a saver of layouts that aren't "happening" to me. I click that red x and cry out in frustration. I wanted to use black background paper! My shadows were disappearing...so the elements looked flat and blah...
I told Netta of Creative Victorian Designs, my dilemma. She is so awesome. On black,you have to adjust the shadows to almost 100% opacity! That was the touch I needed. I finally got the layout I wanted:This is an older un-scrapped photo. My kids waiting for the little airplane to take them over the basin in Alamogordo, New Mexico. It was very early and the sun was just peekin' over the mountain. I love this pic because little Anna has her tiny little cast on, and the were so excited and scared at the same time. How little they look...makes me want to recreate the photo for a then and now!

Seems there are some UGLY situations happening!

I have received some feedback on aTc's that is very disturbing. One lady went on a tangent and did 4 aTc's in one sitting. Another felt the right side of her brain shutting down after a creative fight with her left side. Then, please sit and know this MAY HAVE happened to YOU: this touched me, because she is a friend and a co-team member, LouAnn has stopped cleaning her home. Her family does not understand. She asked me, with such concern and visible pain in her typed words, that I quickly took some of Sarah Barber's Designs, and made an official SCRAP CARD.This is for you, the scrapper who have friends and family that don't understand. They don't get it. Feel free to print as many as you need. Hand them silently to those who are struggling with your addiction. No words are needed. Then turn and walk to your computer and continue scrapping. If we unite, we are strong!
To help you keep scrapping try the kit from Sarah Barber I used to make this official card, called Dream Starts over at Digiridooooooooooooo Scraps.

aTc's-yes, you CAN do it!!! learn with FREE KIT!

I love energy, thrive on it actually, people moving and grooving! It totally gets me pumped up! Sarah Barber and her team have some incredible energy. It isn't all just hyped up energy, there is so much creative energy it just gets your mojo flowing! I love that! I am so excited to be a part of this team!!! We even have our own blog! That is like whoooooooooa, how cool!!
The blog is to show you all Sarah Barber's lovely goodies and (insert drum roll) hold challenges where you can get things FREE! Yes, free and learn about this wild and fun trend going on in digi-world right now: aTc's or Artist Trading Cards-
Now, don't shut down on me....with ew, I can't do those, that isn't my style. I want to tell you a little story. I did a challenge for Netta over at Creative Victorian to make aTc's and everyone who did it...was blown away how much fun they had doing it. It is just fun...rearranging and playing with blending and brushes! I use it to try new techniques. Trying new to me, means clicking buttons in my program I haven't done before! It is so wicked fun!!
Okay...I babble, here is the challenge!!

Make an aTc using this 80% of this kit. It is free! Pop over to our nifty keen-O Sarah Barber CTM blog for complete details on how to get it free (hint-coupon for her store). Complete the challenge and get an additional $2 coupon for finishing! Now, that is sooooooooo worth it! You do have 2 weeks to complete the challenge, so no worries about time!
Submissions must be posted on the CTM post by 11.59pm New York time on 15th March 2010.
I used a bit of Studio Em-ka on this one, Rose and stacked paper, this is my aTc for the challenge:


I so hope you give it a try! Just a blast!!

♥.♥.♥the rest of the story......

First off, I love my hubby so much. I am in awe that 20 years ago, I was chewing toast and having a friend pull my hair into a french braid tight enough to lift my eyes. My dad was so cute, renting a baby blue Lincoln Town Car to take me to the church. That was beyond sweet!
Our marriage has had some bumps and jostles, but I would do every bit of it all again! We have gone thru the pioneering and in our minds failing, years of bareness that brought us closer and watched our church home go thru pain of Pastor removals. Those are the bummers, but we gave them reluctantly to God, here you take this pain and we will hold to you for our joy.
These are the biggies in our book!
How faithful is our God. We are once again out in the ministry and loving it! We see the lives of people changed and we are enjoying it. The frustrations of performing are gone, it is doing it all for Jesus and that makes the difference. This change came about because God brought a man of God into our lives to the home church. Pastor Scarry. A man whose birthday is today. He turns 30! When he turned 10, we were promising our lives to each other and to God together. Amazing.
Barreness. Those who have experienced this know, others who have watched people they love do anything to become pregnant can tell of the pain. How I cried to God, daily, hear my cries oh Lord, as Hannah cried before you, oh Lord? where are you, do you hear?????
There are 4 children who call me mom and Tony dad, that if I had become pregnant, would not. We were able to adopt 4, four children who have changed our lives for the better! I look at them and know, God heard me and knew exactly what was NEEDED for our lives.
Our lives have grown together over the past 20 years. I love you Tony and thank God for being right there with us!

♥♥20 AWESOME years♥♥

This is the kit! Flirtation and Fidelity! Sarah Barber has done it! The bestest ever romantically funny kit ever! I love it...I love it. I made a 20 year anniversary layout and laughed all the way thru it!

For more about the ride over the past 20 years, please pop over to my real world blog.

One more freebie!!

I do enjoy giving away...even if it's other people's stuff I just got to rearrange. As the faithful few that read this blog know I was feeling a bit glum in the creative process last week. I wanted new things to open. I did a one kit call (OKC) over at DST for Dirty Feet Designs, because I liked her name. What a gorgeous kit! I've linked it to her store over at ScrapBirds.com
I had some fun pics of Gman on the trampoline. He was so funny, on it all by himself, practicing the double over the ball flip! I pulled open the kit and wowza..fun stuff in here. G-man saw I was gonna do a layout with him and got all happy, cause he looks rather cool in this shot! When I extracted the ball! Oh he was saying things like oh yeah, that is cool... since the blue and white ribbons were not really flowers they passed muster with him too!
I got everything arranged and then wanted to pop some shadows on them, and Netta over at Creative Victorian Designs just packaged up some wonderful actions for layouts. I love them...I had a few of them already, because Netta has been schooling me on the side. Helping me get the right feel to my shadows. I can't recommend these high enough.

A layout to me comes alive when the shadows are added. Getting that darn ball's shadow right was irritating and painful!Dirty Feet was kind enough to give me permission to give this QP away! She also has another freebie on her blog.

FREE DOWNLOAD LINK

Another Freebie!!

***all old links for freebies have been disabled***
*** links will last 2 weeks and then be deleted***

Yeah, I almost forgot! So sorry!
This is a frame from Julie. It is. ,
The kit is the same as yesterday's, Tomboy and available at Plain Digital Wrapper.
The kit is huge and Julie still has her freebie add-on available on her blog too.
Here is the frame and the link!
The preview will take you to Julie's store.

FREEBIE DOWNLOAD LINK

♥Freebie Time

***all old links for freebies have been disabled***
*** links will last 2 weeks and then be deleted***
Julie. It is. has given me permission to give some things away I made up! So here it is:

Freebie LINK

The kit is beautiful called Tomboy, and you can pick it up over at Plain Digital Wrapper.
This is a fun site, lots of laughs and good people. You might just want to register and play there!
I will have another frame cluster for tomorrow.
Julie. It is. also has an add-on for the kit over at her blog.

Sarah Barber Designs-I ♥ U

While waiting for Ruby's announcement.............very impatiently I might add. Perhaps others are as impatient as me? Tee hee, it is nice to know, but still hard to wait.

Sharon Dale, hybrid goddess of scrap in my book and friend thru the times of digiland, we used to battle over BINGO (me thru the night as those darn Aussie's time zones). We have jokingly sparred over the months. Then I got her in a siggy violation over at DST! We exchanged emails and talked about this new designer: Sarah Barber. Sharon is a very talented woman and doesn't just throw her recommendations out nonchalantly. I had remember the avatar of Sarah's and some of her work in the Art Journey Caravan. Very beautiful. I went to her store and looked at the layouts by her fun and upbeat creative team. (you know that is mucho important to me). I was sold, but now had to sell myself to Sarah! Now, I am wallowing in rejections emails lately, and pondering if I should just be happy with what has transpired. Nah! I wrote the most honest letter to Sarah. She likes me! I am on her team! I went last night and got this kit:
Dreams within a Dream! It has a coordinating Alpha available also and I grabbed it too!

This morning, I was up early, and sat at the computer with reheated (thick) coffee and cold pineapple and Canadian bacon pizza. It was a marvelous morning. I opened the kit, and just went thru slide show with the elements, and let it just simmer. I mistakenly thought the scripture on the card was the one...trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, I looked it up, and it wasn't that one, but one that touched my heart, it is the plan of salvation! Trust in, Delight yourself with, Commit your ways to and Rest in the Lord. I jumped up and ran to discuss with my hubby. It was just so way cool. The layout came together with a bit of a energy then! I so hope you like it!

Out of rejection-A friend comes through!

I do NOT get down with scrapping, I laugh and press on! I love scrapping and am not gonna have emotions of depression with it. I got yet another...thanks but no thanks email yesterday. I was really looking forward to being on this team...okay I admit, I had already uploaded her blinkie...
HUMBLED! ha ha ha.....but she did give a lovely parting gift! :)
Sooooooo...over at one of the strangest places Plain Digi Wrapper (PDW), I fell into a group of warp women (my favs) who have apparently been talking about a layout I did a year ago. The Dead Bird.
These woman are hilarious and began changing their avatars to be part of the dead bird fan club, or dead bird society. I laughed and laughed. This is my favorite part of scrapping digitally, the people!!
Julie. It is. and I had become blog followers during the time of above said layout challenge. We would leave comments and laugh. She is a designer and had asked me to be on her CT. At that time I was at the peak of my CT life, perhaps 13, and already looking down the road to homeschool my rugrats. I declined.
So now, I didn't want to ask her, hey you still want a CT? But she posts an ad on DST! I threw myself at her.She said YES! Then sent me this new kit to play with that came out this morning called TomBoy! I loved it and am so excited! Here is my dear Abby:So, I will be raiding her store all weekend!
I also picked up a one kit call for Dirty Feet designs and since we are going out to the lake today, I will have some bright fun pics to go with the kit!
Enjoy life, and don't let rejection get ya' down...laugh and keep scrapping!

at least 38th bha ha ha

I won't be sporting a Studio Crystal blinkie....lol, don't really know where I fell in the race, but since 37 folks were chosen before me...I will hold on to the little bit of self pride and believe I was at 38th! Honestly, I am new to using templates and have always been a bit in awe of Crystal(crystalbella) layouts and her templates blew me away. Just beautiful, and I can see myself buying them! They are that good! You know my cheapness!
I am still out applying trying to stay busy. I even applied for Shabby Pickle CT team, I have never done a store CT, but they were looking for fresh, I am very fresh. Well, once I take a shower I will be a bit fresher.
I find out today if dear Helly wants me....my ego can only stand so much rejection!

Yeah! She is Back!

Carolyn Rose Kite...one of the most talented designers who was so kind as to let me CT for way over a year ago...gosh...I think I have done a layout with almost every one of her kits! They are just fun and easy to work with. Carolyn also has mad cluster skills and makes these stacked papers that are just awesome. She has two new kits out...over at Pickle Berry Pop:
In order: Oh What a Night...for those New Year pictures!

I am not a big wild night person...I do stay up til midnight so my kids can light sparklers. But I wanted to do a resolution page. This kit worked perfect!

The next is One Love, made for those mushy pictures, but I loved it for Heritage photo's..this old picture..is my mom! ha ha and today is her birthday...she is officially old today! 68! woo hoo...I love you mumbly!


For those of you who actually read my ramblings, I have been out applying for CTs, and just received my first acceptance (that is a good thing), but I think it is a surprise. The other is for a QP artist for over with Kikki (the young girl who blew me away a year ago with her talent), she has her own store/forum/blog with designers and everything. She isn't playing she is a business woman who I enjoy her spirit for life! DigiScrapCafe.
I have been playing at some new forums lately. Scrap Book Bytes and Plain Digital Wrapper, fun and I don't know how I missed them. PDW has this crazy woman Julie. It is. and she can make me laugh so hard. She worships my ability to kill elements and my scrapping skills..bha ha
I like the gallery a lot at SBB, it's full of journalling and inspiration for me with getting my photo books together.
So....I have 2 more applications out.

having fun is the (with a long e) most important

How I love to play with digital kits! I recently asked over at DST...someone please explain templates? There were some awesome answers and the CT of Sine who is retired from Scrap Orchard now that gave me so much insight...I began collecting templates here and there. Enjoy them for those...aaaaaaaaaaaargh, I must scrap, but my brain is not cooperating times.
Then I saw a call for Crystalbella, or Studio Crystal. I stare in awe at 99.9% of this woman's regular layouts...and she makes templates...where do I sign up for this call?
I went to her blog and she had freebie (yeah, I'm cheap, but I know quality)..I made two layouts, one is over on my other blog...it is for homeschool..so yada yada..double posting is just too much, But you might like reading about my life outside of scrapping...ha ha..I do have one!!
I wanted to do more clusters for Helly (previous CT audition) with her amazing Gabriel kit. So I mixed them and did another for Crystal and another for Helly...
Don't you just love it??? I must say I am rather proud, and Goldi (another drool on myself scrapper) left an unsolicited (meaning didn't play praise game, she just gave me one) at SBG...that is like beyond cool to get a comment from someone you admire. I remember once...it was a blah day and I was needing some self gratification...and Lori Davidson left a comment on a layout I did...aaaaaaaaaaw....that was really a good thing.
Now I know designers are real people..oh boy do I know that...bha ha ha to all you designers out there! Your comments are very appreciated!

space...how far? what?

We are starting to finish alot of the books for the school year! What a great feeling of accomplishment! Fridays is for catching up! Ketchup Days! lol Then Park DAY!!
Eric had to do a mock up of the solar system with the distance. He made nifty papers with Planet titles and actual milage from the sun along with cones to represent the planets!
I am making a book of their adventures this first year of homeschool and this is one of the pages!

Audition for a CT! ♥

My CT commitments had dwindled with my homeschool adventure. I dropped almost all of them. Then the kids started being so darn independant, that I have more free time than I need!
I have applied for a couple teams, but this one is fun! Designs by Helly, well I had never been over to Scrap Book Bytes (SBB) and went and looked at Helly's designs. Cute and fun, and a kit named Gabriel (my youngest boy's name) and it is an all boy kit. Helly is sending kits to those who apply and will pick the winner...I sent her one of my babbling applications for Creative Team Member. She sent me the kit Gabriel and I loved it...I think I might have gone overboard and used everything in the kit! ha ha
So, go over to Helly's blog, tell her wonderful things about me and how much you love this layout! Go, now, click that blog...

old dog learning new tricks!!

One of the best parts of the Art Journal Caravan to me is the people on the journey with it! I can go thru the gallery of the fellow journeyers and gasp at the talent. One of the ladies Hollygtn had this layout and photo treatment that grabbed me!

Isn't just beautiful?!?! She was kind enough to explain how to do it on her blog; Scrapallier

I took this picture, one of the very first of my kids all together, taken by a dear friend named Liza!

And changed it into this layout!!! I love love it. I useD Ruby's kit, 8-field and as soon as we know where she is selling, I will let you know!

Another Free Template!

This is the template of the month.
Pop over and picked it up here!
You don't have to do the challenge, but it is a fun one.
If you do the challenge you pick up a free QP just for playing!! What is that????
A free template, use it, post it and then get more!
Craziness happens over at Creative Victorian!
I hope you enjoy the template!
This is my take on the template...isn't that baby cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute?
not mine, from a stock photo...lol...
Here is the participation prize that can be yours, just for playing along!!
Pretty huh? I made it! Woo Hoo for me!

I know you are wondering where did she get the kit for all these awesome works? Creative Victorian of course!!
If you want it and want it for a discount price...read the challenge threads and pick up a coupon for 40% off!!!