Stretching your Stash & a Thursday Freebie

What do you do to stretch your stash? I know I like to see a kit in a new way and get more mileage out of it.  

As I was working on organizing my photos, I found this one of my kids making their Gingerbread houses last year. Then I started to look for a Christmas themed kit- well, I just don't have that many and none of them were fitting my mood. 

Then I saw Sweet American Pie! It's red and green, and not really traditional- which fit my mood at the time perfectly.

So maybe every piece of the kit won't work for a holiday layout, but mush of it does work.

Check it out and pick it up:

@ Scrapbook Bytes

@ Gotta Pixel

 I also turned my page into a QP for you, it doesn't have to be for a christmas layout, just add your own title and journaling!

click image or here to download

What do you do to stretch your stash? I'd love to hear your tips- I'm always looking for a new technique.

Trick or Treat (Mostly Treats)

I'm back with a couple more freebies from Harvesting Hope. I made a layout featuring my Grandma- I love the warm and vintage feel that the kit gave my layout-

I used one of Mel's templates for my layout- you can't go wrong with any of her wonderful templates.

I know I've said before, but I think it bears repeating, the quality of the papers and elements are always top notch- I scrap with other designers products from time to time, and there are times when I have to clean up jagged edges, or there are odd pixels that need to be deleted. I have never had to do that with kits from A+ Designs! Do you know how much time that saves me? I also love that each kit has unique elements, not just re-colored items that I've seen before. 

Here are your treats for today:

click image to download

click image to download

Have a great week!

A little more Bahama Mama Love

I love the variety of the beautiful layouts i have seen with this fun kit. 

Don't be afraid to use a kit for other than its intended theme, this is a great way to get more bang for your buck and make your pages truly unique!

Here is another freebie for you made from Bahama Mama: a Paper Stax

Click image to download

Free Quickpage!

Hi! It's Olivia! I've made a cute little QP for you today. :)

I used She's All That Kit, She's All That Artistic Smears, and She's All That Worn Papers available at Gotta Pixel:

And here is your quickpage:

Download Here: 4Shared

It is based on my layout, Florida in Bloom:

I hope you enjoy it!
Happy Scrapping!
♥Olivia

Ingredient Challenge- Brag Book Freebie

The fun is still going strong! Today I have an Ingredient Challenge for you- Remember: everyone that completes the challenge and posts the links here will be in the running for a $5 Gift Certificate to Mel's Store! If you complete all the challenges, you will be entered into a second chance drawing to win a $5 GC.

I ran through a lot of different options for your challenge today, I took inspiration from the CT team and thought a challenge incorporating the number 37 would be fun! So, you will have 37 items on your page when we are done!

5 Paper layers-(Stack 'Em)

5 Flowers

5 Buttons

5 Ribbons/RicRac/Paper Strips

5 lines Journaling- (this may be just name, dates, places or more than that, just keep it to 5 lines)

2 Leaves or Foilage bits

2 Staples

1 String or Wire

1 Stitching Element

1 Tag

1 Smear

1 Frame

1 Photo (if your frame has more than one opening, go ahead and fill the openings with your photos, we'll call it your photo grouping. It still only counts as one that way, right?)

1 Title

1 Element of your choice  (Mel's kits have butterflies, topiaries, clouds, bows and so much more pick your favorite!)

Don't forget that you can tuck some of the items between your paper layers. You are also allowed to duplicate the following items- flowers, buttons, ribbons/ricrac.

Thanks for playing today- here is your freebie- A 4x6 Brag Book made using Busy Bee

Click Image to Download

Don't forget to link up your entries for the challenge in the comments to be entered to win a $5 Gift Card!! 

All Entries are due by 11:59 pm July 28th. 

Post your layouts in Mel's Gallery at Scrapbook Bytes or Gotta Pixel and leave a comment here with the links.

Birthday Bash - Cluster Challenge

Today I bring you the Cluster Challenge. I love clustering and my layouts always feel incomplete without it.

The challenge is pretty simple. Create a layout with cluster using any of Mel's kits. You can mix and match different kits if you want to. Upload your layout to A+ Designs' gallery and Scrapbook Byte or Gotta Pixel. Leave a comment in this thread with the link to your layout before 11:59pm on July 28th. Mel will randomly draw a lucky winner to one $5 GC to her shop. If you participate in all the challenges your name will be added to a separate drawing for a gift card from Mel.

The cluster could be small, medium, or big and you can have only 1 cluster or several clusters. Here are examples of layouts with cluster.

Big Cluster

This is very obviously one big cluster.

Layout created by me with The Beautiful Life.

Medium Cluster

Layout created by me with Essence. 

Small Cluster

The cluster consists of just 3 flowers and 2 leaves.

 

Layout created by Sharon Bertolino using Awakening and Revitalize.

Freebie of the Day

I made one of the cluster layout sample into a quickpage freebie for you all. Click on the image preview to download.

Friday Freebie!

Well it’s Friday again and I have another freebie for you. Since it is July (how the heck did that happen??) I made a desktop for you. I’m fairly bad about changing my desktop so I need to keep joining in Gotta Pixel’s Rock Your Desktop challenge. I used Forever Loved and made a 1440 x 900 desktop.

And here it is:

Thanks and enjoy your weekend. Have a great Fourth of July too – for those of us who celebrate it!

A Whimsy's Freebie

Can you believe it's almost June?? I have almost no summer plans, I want to get more scrapping in and maybe a small vacay or get away. Do you have big plans for the summer? Maybe a trip, or a Stay-cation? 

I will be working in the garden, I am getting a late start, I just bought my plants today!  

Check out the new goodies available from A+ Designs:

Flamboyant

I was cruising the gallery tonight and there are some amazing layouts featuring this fantastic kit.

I played with this beautiful Duo-Licious kit:

For Whimsy Sake

I made a Paper Stack and a cluster, so I thought I'd give you the stack today:

Download Expired

I left some space to add your own journaling, I was thinking maybe a file folder-like tab along the top. 

I'm trying a new download option- leave a note if it works (or doesn't)

She's All That Quickpage Freebie

Hi all,

Recently I bought a new sandal for my daughter and she simply fell in love with it. She refused to wear other sandals/shoes if she sees it. I find it quite funny and wanted to scrap about it, of course. I wanted to use a kit that has the color of the sandal and rummage through my stash. The kit I found was A+ Designs' She's All That. So I made my layout and somehow also created a quickpage freebie with it. So take a look at this gorgeous kit and the sandal layout I made, and don't forget to pick up the freebie.

My Sandal Layout

 

 Quickpage Freebie

Click on the image preview to download.

Beautiful Quotes and a Freebie!!

At times like this, being in the middle of a lot of crisis, troubles, and problems, we tend to forget that there are things to still love about life... Life may not be fair, but, hey, there are a lot more to appreciate about it.

Here are a few quotes to live by... If you feel like you're in the midst of all the hardships, read on, be inspired, and change that way how you view your life each single day.

Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.

Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

Buy a Tivo (DVR., tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, ‘Today my purpose is to________.’

Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last year.

Always make time to exercise.

Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

Dream more while you are awake.

Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.

Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

Try to make at least three people smile each day.

Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.

Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class …….but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

Make peace with your past so it won’t change the present.

Ladies – Go on and burn those ‘special’ scented candles, use the 600 thread count sheets, the good china and wear our fancy lingerie now. Stop waiting for a special occasion. Everyday is special.

No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’

Forgive everyone for everything.

What other people think of you is none of your business.

Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!

However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch with them.

Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

The best is yet to come.

No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

Do the right thing!

Call your family often.

Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: ‘I am thankful for __________.’ Today I accomplished _________.

Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

These quotes will fit a lot of pages and layouts in your scrapbook. I made one with them:


The kit I used was Mel's "The Beautiful Life" kit which you can find at her store in Gotta Pixel.


And, before I forget, I made a QP freebie for all to enjoy :) Just click on the image to download.


Hope you like it. Enjoy and start another day looking at brighter life ahead.

'Til next time!


Noemi

Easter Sunday Quickpage Freebie with Essence

Hi all,
 
Happy Easter Day! To celebrate this special day, I've created a Quick Page freebie for you using Essence. I'm sure you're going to need more than one page for all the photos that you've taken on Easter Day, so check out A+ Design's kit: Essence, which is perfect for scrapping Easter photos. The kit is available at A+ Design's Scrapbook Byte Store.

 Here is the freebie. Click on the image preview to download. I would love to hear what you think about it. Any comments, suggestions, requested are welcomed. A simple thanks is also greatly appreciated.

She's All That and a Quick Page

Have you picked up She's All That yet?  These fun bright colors make for some spunky spring pages.

I chose to use them for scrapping about my "baby" sister's graduation- These colors reallly reflect her personality.

 I made my page into a Quick Page for you if you'd like to pick it up, click on the image to head over to the download site.

I'd love to hear feedback on what kind of freebies you'd like to see more of: wallpapers, Quick Pages, Clusters, Stacked Papers, or something else entirely.

Totally Girly, Totally Livibug and a FREEBIE!

I've been browsing through Mel's kits and found this really pretty girly pack. Livibug Kit was inspired by one of her CTs and that's where it got it's name --- Livibug ;) The colors are just fantastic, sassy, pretty, sweet and very um... girly.

Here is a full preview of the kit:


It includes 10 papers colorful papers, 1 alpha sheet, 1 barette, 2 bows, 1 butterfly, 2 buttons, 1 cellphone, 1 curled ribbon, 1 curved paper strip, 5 flowers, 3 frames, 1 heart button, 1 lipstick, 1 page border, 3 paper flowers, 1 rainbow button, 2 ribbons, 1 splat, 1 stitch, 2 swirls, 1 tag, 1 trim, 5 wordarts, and 1 wire all at 300 dpi.

You can grab the kit at Mel's stores in GottaPixel.net and Scrapbook-bytes.com.

Here are some layouts that Mel's CT have came up with it:

by raniervu

by momedavid

by IntenseMagic

And one from Livibug herself:




Pretty, right?

I know you'll love the colors of the kit so, I'm leaving you a part of it, a pre-made LO for you to use, if you can't purchase it for now:





You can either click on the image to download or get it here.

Hope you'll enjoy scrapping!

Thanks for stopping by...

'Til next time!



Noemi D.

Nothing but (a) Sweet (quickpage)

Summer should be here soon, and Mel has so many kits to scrap those photos. 

Here is Nothing But Sweet, I was scrapping with some ladies from my church this weekend and together we whipped up this little QP for you. I also have it saved as a stacked paper, without the hole for the photo, if you'd like that, just drop me a line and I'll get it to you. (This is for those of you that would prefer to scrap in Picasa, it doesn't support the transparency of PNG files.)

We had fun putting this together, and then I just had to use one of my girls for the photo, because the colors match their suits! 

Here is the QuickPage: 

Click image to download

Looking forward to summer-

Sarah