Lifes Little Jewels

Sunrise Day One

2011-05-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Gulf Shores Alabama

2011-05-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Were staying in the big yellow house

Unchained

2011-01-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

I have always loved this song and this movie.. it makes you stop and think doesnt it?

Culture Club - Do You Really Want To Hurt Me

2011-01-17T14:08:00.000-08:00

scroll down and pause the music on the right before starting the video

Are Californians Just Plain Stupid?

2010-11-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

scroll down and mute the music before
you press play on the video

Could they have honestly forgotten Jerry Browns past? They voted down prop 19 , (legalization of marijuana) yet they voted "Moonbeam" back into office.

Heaven help us!

Orange beach Alabama

2010-09-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Firefly season? I dunno I just know it's hotter than hades

Sent from my iPhone

LAKE TAHOE

2010-09-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Early morning in the off season ( which only lasts about 2 months )

Morning View

2010-09-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

Taken from my bedroom deck

No one Like Bill

2010-08-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

Comedy like only Shatner can deliver....
I love it!
Controversy over the name? Come on people...
the fact that its "symbols" is part of the humor
it wouldn't be funny if they said the bleeping word

oh.. and read the shows inspiration.. Justin Halpren's blog

or find his book at Amazon

Funny stuff... maybe i should be keeping a blog
"BLEEPING Stuff My Husband Says!"
-giggles-
XD Love You Hon!

OMG - I'm embarrassed... Republican?

2010-07-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

This poor guy if you read his ideas http://politics.freesitenow.com/basilmarceauxforgovernor/ and really think about it (and you're going to have to, to understand it) you will see his thought process is sound, however; he would do well to find a speech coach and writer. Maybe i'm wrong becasue I'm hoping he's not as ignorant as he sounds and I'm not reading more into what he's saying.

I hope not...

um.... yea!

2010-05-15T20:27:00.001-07:00

'nuff said...

One July Evening

2009-07-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

I saw this beautiful rainbow.. well actually just the end of it, so i stopped and pulled out my camera. After i took rainbow pictures i looked around and was in awe of the beauty (I so miss my home town)so I took pictures facing various directions from where i stood. I got in the car a drove toward the rainbow but it disappeared in a patch of dark clouds. on the other side of the cloud patch there was the rainbow again further down the road and this time just both ends.. i stopped and took more pictures! LOL

Julie

2009-06-29T21:31:00.001-07:00

As American As Apple Pie

2009-06-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Manny Francisco - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Nate Beeler - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

I'm Excited

2009-06-18T16:56:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I was excited about a layout...
I think since the Flashback August 8, 1969 one I did over a month ago
This one I started for Rasmuth over at indie music works
Once I got started on this I couldn't stop! I call it
SLEEPY HEAD

credits: Dreaming Angels by Kasia Designs at Shabby Pickle Designs

New Music Stuff

2009-06-17T22:53:00.000-07:00

Working on new banners and Cover Art

Autumn Sky: Imagine no limits - Sacramento Entertainment - Sacramento Movie Theaters, Music | Sacramento Bee

2009-06-05T10:33:00.001-07:00

Autumn Sky: Imagine no limits - Sacramento Entertainment - Sacramento Movie Theaters, Music | Sacramento Bee

Posted using ShareThis

On The Road Again

2009-05-19T07:31:00.000-07:00

My Niece graduates from Kickapoo High School today so my mom and I flew out to Missouri from California last Thursday... yea I'm behind again! I had asked my niece to take me for a drive so i could take some photos. I saw some beautiful sights but she was going to fast to get any pics.... I did anticipate a shot and told her to stop right on the other side of the next hill... she did... i got out and snapped this

Color, Color Everywhere!

2009-05-08T23:59:00.000-07:00

I have really been struggling the past few months.. the doc has been playing with my meds and i have had it with the cold gloomy weather so i did what i usually do when life gets bleek, i took my camera and went out in search of my muse!
This is what I found -

Yes, I'm Alive!

2009-05-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

LOL.... it's been a month.. or more....

I've been keeping a secret...

I entered a 6 week Contest hosted and sponsored by The Shabby Pickle and After Five. It was an anonymous contest. we were all issued a number and had to register in the galleries with that number rather than using our regular gallery that is tied into our user names. The sites alternated weeks as far as issuing the topic of the week, judging, and creating a collab kit for that weeks theme. The collab kit didn't need to be used in the layout you submitted in the main round but if you did any BONUS layouts they had to be done with 100% of that weeks kit. Contestants got 50% off the kit... all six weeks kits seemed to use the same pallet (and not my favorite one i might add) Each week was judged by designers and ct members of that weeks shop plus some guest judges from other sites. No one got eliminated but you had to post in each weeks main event to be eligible for prizes. each week the top 10 layouts went up for a public vote... (a way for extra points) it was all about the points... I thought wow! of all the contests i have seen this one seems more fair than any!....

Week two I was disenchanted... not because my layout didn't make the top 10 for week one but because of a number of other things!

many people waited to post their layouts until the last minute and crashed the server

as a result they were given several extra days to post (5)

top 10 were never posted until almost the end of the following week

bonus round points were given by lottery and NOT per layout

judging criteria was NEVER posted

We NEVER knew where we stood point wise during the contest

people could vote as often as they wanted during each rounds public judging phase

so about mid week three I started referring to it as a challenge... how can you compete against the unknown??? I enjoyed the topics they really stretched me but to be honest, 6 weeks was a long time to do layouts and not be able to post them anywhere but the contest galleries... the final scores are not in but I am certain I didn't win anything, I never made a top 10, i never was drawn as a bonus round winner... but hey I finished and that was important to me... I was frustrated and i didn't quit!! hooray!!! LOL and I met a lot of nice people... err numbers LOL

So, here are my layouts... you'll notice i stared strong with the bonus round layouts and when i realized how that was working i backed off and then didn't do any LOL

Week One Topic - It's So Me...

something that shouts YOU.. a color an article of clothing, a place etc.. something that when people see it they will say that's so you!

MELLOW - I used a picture I had taken a few days earlier

Week One Bonus Round

Week Two Topic - FLASHBACK

Should transport you back to a time or a place

AUGUST 8, 1969 - Charlie Manson, The Manson Family and Sharon Tate

Week Two Bonus Round

Week Three Topic - A Moment In Time

Week Three Bonus Round

Week 4 Topic - Sing Me A Song

Use lyrics and/or title of a song that brings back memories or you just cant get out of your head

Elton John's Tiny Dancer - My daughters First Dance Recital age 4

Week Five Topic - Color My World

Use some type of photo treatment

Week Six Topic - It's a Bird, It's a Plane

inanimate object photos or no photos - i used a picture I took last year of the San Diego Temple

My First

2009-03-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

DIGI DARE

the dare ...

1. list 5 things that consume me right now

2. use only 2 sides of the layout for journaling etc.

3. include on photo or extraction of an item that consumes me

4. include the words "right now" somewhere in the layout

I listed what consumes me right nowbut couldnt bring myself to really journal it... maybe another time...

credits: I used Maya's new kit BLUE MOON from Scrapbook Graphics ribbon and frame from Hung Up On Love by Aneta Branch AKA Sweet Made at ashaleeandsweet Stamped Word Art from Lie Fhung's ARTiculate Soul Searching at Ztampf I used Lily Designs Dark Angel kit from After Five for the the layout within the layout and that layout can been seen here http://tinyurl.com/ccoxwz fonts: metalic avacodo malapropism

The Julz Special Treatment

2009-03-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

I think it started when I was in College and working in a small upscale boutique in downtown Napa during Christmas vacation. I believe it was reinforced when I spent so many years in a department store as an "exempt" employee.. I know over the years I have continue to add to and perfect my craft... I have even taught a class about it at church once.. It's a silly thing really... But it has come to be something I am known for... At gatherings of family and friends everyone knows which ones came from me...

the GIFT package!

While at the boutique I was embarrassed because my packages weren't as pretty as the others. At the department store, I spent many hours picking up slack in the gift wrap department.. Since then I have worked on perfecting the seamless wrap and mastered double sticky tape. It's well known that I can't just slap some wrap on and be finished, if I have multiple packages they have to coordinate... all the packages under my Christmas tree are color coordinated... just giving home baked cookies... yes those have to packed up pretty too... the smallest of gifts needs to have that extra touch or it just doesnt feel right to me...

recently I bought a gift... it came from England, Instead of having it shipped directly to the person i was gifting it to in Germany, I had it shipped to the USA so I could put my mark on it and ship it BACK over seas to Germany... The person I bought the gift from ask me what the Julz Special Treatment was...

Well here it is...

Struggling

2009-02-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

AS LONG AS I HAVE HOPE,
I'M STILL IN THE GAME!!
(looking for something to ground me in the here and now)

Reaching

2009-02-17T12:24:00.000-08:00

Trying desperately to shake the winter blues...
Reaching into the unfinished folder and finishing up some layouts in attempt to stay busy!
I started with my adorable Grandson.. this about 1/3 of those! Who knows how many total unfinished layouts I have....

all credits to follow

Stuff and Such

2009-02-10T16:14:00.000-08:00

Okay... I have been inspired by my OLD dj friend to change the play list.... sooo these next two songs are dedicated to all you old dj's crusin' the "J" on Thursday night... remember they no longer allow loitering at 7-11 or Mickey "D"'s and Fuller park is less friendly these days. So if you have to loiter, find yourself an old bridge and hang out!

And now... a quick peek at what I have been working on

TOP SECRET

2009-01-23T13:24:00.000-08:00

okay.. well part of it is a secret...
the who, and when... and well part of the what... lol
working with a cyber friend/ musican, I created this cover art for a new single which is set for release in the near future... that's all I can say right now... I still plan on a bit of tinkering but for now... this is what I have ...

Cyber Friends

2009-01-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

Sweet Janita, I think she was in high school when I first met her. She is now finishing up her time at university... When we first met she was making ps brushes and giving them away on her site Vanilla Design. He brushes became so popular she couldnt afford the bandwidth so she made the tough decission to create a club where paid membership would give you access to her brushes for a certain period of time depending on the tytpe of membership you bought...
At this time nobody was selling brushes in the digital scrap shops and I kept telling Janita she could probably earn enough to off set her school expenses if she would open a shop. I also told her she was under selling herself, that her product was worth much more than what she was charging.
Janita went about her buisness and I went about mine. As I did so I continued to use her brushes and tell everyone that would listen about Vanilla Design. Since that time Janita changed hte name of her site, Seishido, and opened a shop! It's not surprising to see a seishido blinky on someones sig tag in the digiscrap community or find seishido listed in artistic credits.
Janita lives in Germany and we have sent packages back and forth to each other, discovered we share similar taste in music and continue to stay in touch on line... Despite the fact that she is the same age as my daughter and whe have never "actually" met, I consider Janita to be among my friends...

This was done for Janita... special thanks to another cyber friend "Aneta" for creating this wonderful word art especially for me

7 months past due

2009-01-23T12:21:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you remember my aunt who came out to visit from Texas last summer... she spent the last of her 6 week stay with me. She was a wonderful house guest ans it was nice to have someone around during the day to talk to. One day we were looking t old pictures and she point out one each of her and my mom and ask me if i could put them together in a layout... which I started... but was never really excited about so i set it aside... a few months later i worked on it some more and set it aside again... the other day i pulled it out and decided to start over

this is the original layout

this is the redo

and a redo
of the redo LOL

Moving On

2009-01-18T19:36:00.000-08:00

skipping forward to the here and now for a bit... just finished this one... my grandson back in October. He was four and a half and as you can see full of attitude! LOL He was obviously not happy about something... boy oh boy... I can't wait for 16 to roll around!

credits
fonts:
drac
ld notebook
facelift

products from Ashalee and Sweet
Ashalee Wall Ashalee's Accouterments
circle elements
Ashalee Wall Books and Papers
Ashalee Wall Mehndi
Ashalee Wall Urban Boy

And With That

2009-01-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

I played a bit.. a little digital paint!
hmmm I had two others.... but between the new computer, the old computer, the laptop and two externals, I don't seem to be able to locate them.... another time I guess

Yes, More!

2009-01-15T16:30:00.000-08:00

as, I was saying... I've been doing...just not posting... so I continue my efforts at catch up... last week I took my husband and his carpool partner (gal lives in the next town over and works in his office) to the sac airport so they could fly off for meetings in SLC.. I figured this was a good opportunity to go out with my camera in search of my muse!
SO.. as I left the airport, I drove in the opposite direction from which I had arrived. (knowing i could make a circle and not go too far out of my way) I headed to woodland, then to knights landing. Once I crossed the draw bridge on the other side of Knights Landing, I decided to take a detour... and turned onto the levee road.
Almost immediately there were lots of great things to take pictures of... unfortunately, the road was too narrow to pull off and driving DH beloved Dodge Charger, I wasn't up for off-roading LOL... Pretty soon I came upon a turn in the river and a wide spot in the road, so I stopped. I pulled off at the edge of a gravel drive. I could see a house down a way and I could hear a dog barking.
I got out, walked up and down the road snapping photos and just as i was finishing up an elderly couple came walking up the drive. The gentleman engaged me in conversation as the lady crossed the road to retrieve their mail and then she came and joined us. Bob and Marty were a very interesting couple, originally from New York, she was 75 and he was 78. We talked about life and love, home and family, the US and the world, art and history, politics and religion... in all we talked up there on the levee road for more than 3 hours! I'd probably still be there if I didn't need to "pee" so bad! LOL

Here are some of the pictures I took

It's a Small Small World

2009-01-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

I think it was November Doris put out a CT call and the team got sizabley larger... While engaging in the usual meet and great, I discovered one of the new gals Anne
had recently moved to Northern California... so I inquired a bit more... seems Anne lives about two miles from me... and it didn't stop there! After a couple of lengthy emails we discovered we both grew up in Napa! WOW!
Well one thing led to another and Anne had mentioned she wanted to learn how to "blend" photos, so I offered to meet her at a nearby Starbucks and teach her. That was Friday, we had a lot of fun! We spent about 4 hours there.. I could have stayed all day, but that's beside the point! LOL Anne was a fabulous student and took right to the technique I showed her! I had pulled up a couple pictures and a paper for Anne to work with and her final product was so good it inspired me to go home and do some "blending" I started with a new kit from Doris and an old picture of Anna Nicole Smith I had kicking around and came up with this:

I kind of like it just like that, but I figured I should show more of Doris' beautiful kit... so I pulled out this wonderful groupie from the kit.. it made the layout so, so easy, Doris had pretty much done all the work! LOL I dropped in a couple more pictures of Anna Nicole and just like magic...

credits:
ForEverLasting by Doris Castleavailable here http://tinyurl.com/a7swj8 at SBG
Eerie Garden by Doris Castleavailable here http://tinyurl.com/3w69k3 at SBG
Fonts - Passions Conflict, MSReference

re: Anna Nicole.... I was never a big fan, but I certainly appreciated where she had been and what she had done.. and the deaths of both Anna and her son were terribly tragic... I was deeply affected when I heard the news...another fighter gone...

Behind Again!

2009-01-12T09:02:00.000-08:00

aack! I've been having a hard time shaking the blues...I've been creating, just not posting! I think I'll make these seperate posts and post them in the order they occured..
The first is a layout I did for Doris, but it says Lorrie Davison as much as it says Doris Castle. The three most important people in my like... my husband, my daughter and my grandson

credits
Let Me Count The Ways... Templates By Dorisavailable here: http://tinyurl.com/8dmw7u
The Beep Beep Bugs Kit By Lorieavailable here: http://tinyurl.com/9twlps
Twitterpated Passion Collection Kit By Lorieavailable here: http://tinyurl.com/7v3ngx
Edgy Edges - Bedazzled Curls By Birgitavailable here: http://tinyurl.com/8cpt8u

Lost in the Holiday Hussle

2009-01-01T00:32:00.000-08:00

just a few things that got forgotten during the holiday hussle

you've seen him before... I'd tell you his name but he'll probably change it tomorrow anyway.. he's a European fashion model and he takes a good picture... great for when i need something fresh to inspire me!

A kindred spirit... Stevie! Ya gotta love her... she has inspired me in so many ways over the past 35 years

Aneta Branch AKA SweetMade created these for a project she did for me and them put them in her shop! go see here! Notice the name... how cool is that???

thats all I can think of right now!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL!

Creative Beauty AKA Artsy Fartys Girl

2009-01-01T00:11:00.000-08:00

my cousins daughter, i found back her in june via myspace after about 20 years ... her photos are so artistic and fun, I really wanted to bring this feeling across in the layout

credits
SBG Collab kit Inspirations of Imagination
available... here Jan 1 2009
fonts
passions conflict
inked

Create Yourself

2008-12-31T23:59:00.001-08:00

Working beyond my download folder and reaching back into the past.... I started with the thought of doing something quirky.. I even extracted the photo... as we all know I rarely end up with anything that even resembles my initial vision LOL

This is Bray.. a San Francisco Musician (who spends more time touring Europe than playing the bay)find his music on itunes or go to his myspace page http://myspace.com/bray

credits:
Qirky Quotes - Existence
from Maya at SBG
http://tinyurl.com/8eqvgy
Sensual Kit
from Maya at SBG
http://tinyurl.com/98acpw
Worn Photo Overlays
by Vera Lim

One Dollar!!

2008-12-29T18:02:00.001-08:00

Have you seen what Vera Lim has in her shop for only $1.oo??? Don't miss out... This sale is for a limited time only!

Slide!

2008-12-29T13:41:00.000-08:00

Build your own Slide Skin!
I built this one from an upcoming Studio Girls Collaborative Kit (Impressions of Imagination) at Scrapbook Graphics
What a great way to personalize your slide show!

Soldier Boy

2008-12-09T23:03:00.000-08:00

ah... photos I snagged from my daughters myspace page... shhhh it's my adorable little grandson on halloween

Did I Say Christmas Card?

2008-11-25T10:09:00.000-08:00

well this is what I came up with... this is a full spread... obviously it gets folded in half to create a 5x7 "portait" card... If I upload to the lab today I will have them next week... just in time for mailing.... I think they'll look great on pearlized paper.. what do you think???

outside

inside

btw new playlist 4 songs... i know way past due

Sneak Peek

2008-11-24T09:53:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit over-whelmed with the holidays approaching and all... thought I'd give a sneak peek at what I'm working on.... Photo was taken at the Healdsberg Cemetery... I think it will be reworked into this years Christmas card!

WHAT THE HEY

2008-11-18T15:47:00.000-08:00

Okay... so what do you do when your house looks THIS

and one day you go outside to find your neighbors house now looks like

THIS!!!!!

WHAT THE HEY??????

how HEINOUS is this????

Jessica Mellott (again)

2008-11-16T08:20:00.000-08:00

The beautiful and talented Jessica Mellott...

Many thanks to Jessica for the use of her photo. You can find Jessica on my space... stop in and listen to her music, you won't be disappointed http://myspace.com/jessicamellott

credits:
snow drift by Doris Castle available
at SBG http://tinyurl.com/5fvm3v

font - passions conflict

Friendship

2008-11-16T06:58:00.001-08:00

i came across this word art while looking for something else on my computer.... i was instantly reminded of this photo my friend sent me many months ago.... it made me laugh , but I was at a loss as to what to do with it, until now... once i got going, the layout just fell together and the poem seemed to write its self

credits:
Paper'N'Niddle By Lotta_designs at SBG http://tinyurl.com/6htuxp
Mother Nature - Page Kit By Manuela at SBG http://tinyurl.com/6pl779
"Scrap" Apple Inspirations {Week 20 2007}
by Sue Cummings at OS http://tinyurl.com/6eexmj
Antique Paper Photoshop Actionby Michelle Coleman at LDD http://tinyurl.com/5vbk44
font - moms typwriter

Babies

2008-11-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

I remember 27 years ago as my due date came closer and closer I became more and more concerned about how I would interact with this baby... I had NEVER been around babies, I knew NOTHING about babies.... it didnt take long for me to figure it out though... and now... I just love babies,,, i think they are ALL adorable and take every chance i get to work with baby pictures! this is my cousins adorable new son

credits
Angelic by Sussie m Designs at Scrapbook Graphics http://tinyurl.com/6oxtog
Playing With Word Art Vol.3 By Natali at Scrapbook Graphics http://tinyurl.com/59whhj

Maybe Okay!

2008-11-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

hmmm... for feeling like i'm in a funk.... i'm thinking these didnt come out too bad....

my beautiful daughter.. long, long ago

credits:

White Chocolate by Lily Designs at After Five.... http://tinyurl.com/5t9nv2

Heart Strings Alpha By Lorie Davison at Scrapbook Graphics http://tinyurl.com/5ecmkq

font - moms typwriter

my cousins daughter

credits-

Rustic Chalet by Doris Castle available at scrapbook graphics http://tinyurl.com/56o7fa

Trick or Treat

2008-10-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

just thought I'd share one of my favorite recipies with you:

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the caldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and bling-worms sting,
Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.
Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good
William Shakespeare - Macbeth: IV.i 10-19; 35-38

and if that doen't do anything for you here's a bit of fun from webshots

to see more fun photos ------>Halloween

Still Searching

2008-10-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

for my mojo

what i found was this layout of a myspace friend

and this unfinished layout of my grandson

credits to follow

Mojo

2008-10-22T01:48:00.000-07:00

i dont know where my mojo is!

special thanks to Walt at http://www.myspace.com/wcwphotography for the use of his photo... this is again... that OLD friend of mine

ack... i just noticed i have the skier going the wrong way.... be fixin that another time

Talent

2008-10-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Great Quote from one of the General Authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:

Topic: Be Creative

"You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.

"What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.

"If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," General Relief Society Meeting, September 2008

********************
Loving can cost a lot but not loving
always costs more, and those who fear
to love often find that want of love
is an emptiness that robs the joy from
life. - Merle Shain

Quick Not Short

2008-10-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

not short but quick!?

lets see.. one of my beautiful cats is very ill and i think I am going to need to have her put down tomorrow,(she's 16) it makes me very sad and that will make 2 old fluffy friends that we lost this year... The poor rthing has a tumor on her jaw and its causing her teeth to be loose and fall out on that side and she's always drooling bloody spit and now something is making her eye on thaat side pop out and turn red... she cant close it... today she didnt even come down to eat...

One day last week one of my friends from church committed suicide... the funeral is thursday afternoon

Ive done a bit of scrapping while Kalleigh has been sick to keep my mind off her when I wasnt pushing her food up into mountains so she could eat it and wasing blood off her face, so i'll share some of those

my cousins son in the garden

3 versions of a funeral program

the grandson

The Prince of latvia... LOL (myspace friend)

former cat sitter now at the U of U

a birthday card for a friend

scrap therapy!

credits later... sorry (Doris Castle, Lorie Davison, Aneta Branch and Ivy)

Bella Scrap Magazine $25.00 Prize

2008-09-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal...
If you haven't subscribed do! it's a great magazine with excellent downloads and great tutorials and informative articles! Or.. if you haven't yet subscribed maybe you might want to wait until after Monday, because right now Holley VanDenBerg is hosting a give away. Here is the post from Holley's blog:

no fancy graphic. awesome prize.

It's time to award my blog readers with a giveaway. I'd like to give a $25 gift certificate for Bella Scraps MagazineTM to TWO lucky readers. All you need to do is leave a comment here in this post.

If you'd like to earn extra entries you may do so by:
1. Subscribing to my updates (in the right column)--leave a separate comment that you did.
2. Blogging about this giveaway and link me directly--leave a separate comment with link.

So you have 3 chances to win! I'll post the winners on Monday, September 29. Good luck!

Remember that's Holley's blog not mine! LOL... oh... the entire quote is linked to her blog!

Studio Doris

2008-09-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

Picture taken in Napa last year scrapped with the latest from Studio Doris

Whispers of Autumn elements and Papers
by Doris Castle available here at SBG:
http://tinyurl.com/453dsk
http://tinyurl.com/3eetrz

Leaf cluster Blog gift by Doris Castle:
http://tinyurl.com/3zwejj

Folded Ribbon from Eerie Garden by
Doris Castle Availabel here at SBG:
http://tinyurl.com/3w69k3

Stitching from Gathering Hearts by Doris Castle
Cucrrently retired

tiny tag from Little Darlings by Doris Castle
currently retired

Sequins From Bling It Baby by Traci Murphy
at Funky Playground Designs - currently retired

font: Angelina

ESCAPE

2008-09-24T02:22:00.000-07:00

My Adorable grandson early this summer at the beach

credits:
Blue Autumn and Twig It by Merkeley Designs
available here at Oscraps
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=20894&cat=0&page=1
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=20893&cat=326&page=2

also FREE Taylor-Made word art (spa getaway)
also available at Oscraps
http://www.oscraps.com/shop/product.php?productid=20344&cat=0&page=1

FREEBIE

2008-09-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

Would you like a gift from Doris Castle?
Receive this FREE Leaf Groupie as a FREE For All at Doris's Scraps of Life Blog.

This groupie coordinates beautifully with the Whispers of Autumn Backgrounds, Embellishments and Quick Page Album

Frustration? (or just Inept)

2008-09-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

i JUST DONT SEEM TO BE HAPPY WITH ANYTHING i DO LATELY!

I was suppose to do a layout for one of my designers to put in an ad and I just couldnt get it... so I tried a layout sans photo thinking the photo was distracting me... I still wasnt happy but shared it w ith the rest of the team.. they all said it was great and the artist told me just to drop some pictures in it... well... this is what I have... two different versions

still no photos

then I started playing with some of those pictures I took last time I was in Napa. I LOVE the boat picture... but alas... I thinkk I have scrapped and rescrapped it a dozen times and I still dont like it

and then there are the photos I took last October when I did a shoot for my daughter so she would have beach photos for her Christmas cards last year. At Bodega Bay I was intregued witih this boat... I like where it's going... I'm just not sure it's done... maybe some wordart about ships or seas or something salty

so thats what I got going right now... I sure could use some feedback!

Can't Cry Hard Enough

2008-09-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

How about a "wordle"

Going Home

2008-09-08T21:21:00.000-07:00

Friday was my moms birthday... I met my daughter in my home town and we took my mom to dinner... by the time it was all over we both we exhausted and spent the night. Saturday morning I got up early and went out on a photo shoot. After all these years I still get home sick.....

her are some of the photos I took

and a layout I'm working on

reworked... both still need journaling

OScraps Designer Spotlight Challenge Merkeley Designs

2008-09-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

Photos I took while on a road trip with my mom
last year.

LO created for the designer spotlight Sept 1 to Sept 7 2008
The challenge was harder that at first I thought...
I had to go back 2x and add things.
the challenge can be found here: available here at OScraps,
Fanciful Overlays
by Doris Castle. available at Scrapbook Graphics
http://tinyurl.com/5eyw9y

fonts:
Passions Conflict, Rosewood Std, Times New Roman

Sweet Sixteen

2008-09-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

I have recieved some wonderful news from Studio Doris! Doris is comming back to digi! YEAH!!!
And to start things off, she has a little number called "Peaceful Joy" she has done for The Story Tellers Club!
I used "Peaceful Joy" along with pieces of her "Exceptional" kit (previously at Scrapbook Graphics) and her new "Fancyful Overlays" available here: http://tinyurl.com/5eyw9y to scrap another photo I lifted from my nieces Facebook Page.

fonts: Mutlu, Rosewood Std., Times New Roman

NEWS!!

2008-08-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Well I've gone and done it! I have joined a new CT team... for Merkeley Designs she has her own shop And she sells at OScraps here's the announcement

I was a bit concerned when I saw the first kit but I think I pulled it off! The kit is Called "Feet are Funny" and for some reason I just drew a blank... here's what I finally came up with

credits:
Feet Are Funny" Available at OScraps and Merkeley Designs font-passions conflict

Traveling with Mom

2008-08-21T15:40:00.000-07:00

OK... so, every year now for the past 9 or so years, my mom and I have taken a vacation together.... just us girls...
Any way.... last year, we thought it would be fun to take the old route 66 from california to missouri, then go up to nebraska and take 80 home...
on the way we stopped in Flagstaff and met up with one of moms 1/2 sisters and her family (hi danielle), my moms home town Quannah texas to do some genealogy and a dallas suberb to visit with my moms full sister and some of her family (shouts out to Jamie, Sandi and Guy) ...
where was I going with this.... oh yea...
on day two we stoppoed in California City for gas, while we were there a dust storm kicked up. There was so much dirt in the air we couldnt see the road from the pump and the wind was so strong I thought it was going to blow the shirt right off this man! LOL
Oh and in case you were wondering what there is in California city.... as far as we could tell... a gas station with a mini mart and a whole lot of dirt!

credit
Digital Scrapbook Artisans Guild August 2008 Kit Woodland Wonders by Dee Bee Designs dirt brush by aneta branch aka sweet made at ashalee and sweet antique photo action by michelle coleman at little dreamer designs fonts, times new roman and New Style Embosses Layer Blended

aka The Prince of Latvia

2008-08-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Most who know me, know when I'm in a funk whether personal or creative, know that if I can bring myself to create I generally will do so with somebody-else's photos, or ones of nature that I have taken... this is one of a couple recently done with photos of an on-line friend... Thanks Kris for the photos!

credits
Urban Boy by Ashalee Wall at Ashalee and Sweet.com

Lost Family

2008-08-09T22:49:00.000-07:00

I found a cousin that I haven't seen for over 20 years. The last time I saws her she was just an adorable little girl... She is now a beautiful young mother. In typical Julie fashion, I lifted photos from her myspace page! LOL

credits
Romantic Glamour from Bluebell Scrap Design
Font Occidental
Swirl Brush by Aneta Branch aka Sweet Made at Ashalee and Sweet

Messin Around

2008-08-07T23:48:00.000-07:00

just messin around

R&R

2008-08-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

took a little trip to San Diego over the weekend.... slept the entire time! oops... LOL.. managed to snap these on the way back to the airport

Fun At The Beach

2008-07-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

OK... here's another one I'm not sure of....
I was working with a tutorial from the August/September issue of Digital Scrapbooking by Lisa Habisreutinger on her "one of a kind photo treatment" when I decided it wasn't going to work with the free form layout I had in mind or maybe it was the paper prints I was using...
Anyway, I ended up omitting the final clipping mask and just lowering the opacity of the b/w cutout that was left. In doing so I had to create a mask in the shape of the cutout for the greenery because I didn't like the leaves showing through.
(I'm not liking the "Fun" and am thinking about omitting it.)
To create the effect obtained on the words "at the beach", place word art (or lettering layer) on the picture, select the shape of the new layer and save the selection. Next delete the original word art or lettering layer. With the picture layer active, Load the saved selection, "copy" then "paste into" from the edit menu. At first you cant see what you have done, once you select drop shadow in the layer effects menu you will see the magic! (play with the distance, size and spread settings on the drop shadow until you like the way it looks)

credits:
"It's all About You" kit by Lotta at Bluebell Designs
Shells, raffia bow, feathers, bird stamp, alpha and word art
from "The Jersey Shore" kit by Krista Mettler and Jeanine Baechtold
formerly available at Scrapdish
"antique paper" action by Michelle Coleman at Little Dreamer Designs

Catch up...

2008-07-21T22:52:00.000-07:00

Catching up on my Rylie layouts so I will have enough for his christmas album. I sagged this picture from my daughters myspace page. Isn't it just adorable? I staryed scrapping it and just when I tought I should have been finished I decided I didnt like it and did it over... LOL I'm still not sure I like it...

credits: In The Sea by MimiLou at digital-crea.fr

Thief

2008-07-16T01:05:00.000-07:00

Yea, I've been lifting photos from other peoples myspace pages! This is the (step) daughter of a guy I went to school with in jr high and high school... I'd say "friend" but, uh...I'm not sure if he'd agree with that... (just kidding) anyway, she looks so sweet I just had to play with this picture

Pay it Forward

2008-07-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, I came across a young high school girl (janita) in Germany who made brushes for PS and gave them away on her site (vanilla trust) Since that time our fiendship has grown and her love for PS brushes has turned into a small thriving buisness. On the rare occasion when janita sees something online that she just has to have but it is in the US and the mfr wont ship overseas, Janita has had the merchandise shipped to me and I forward it on to her.Recently while preparing a package to ship to janita, I slipped a john Nathaniel cd in to the other item. I just knew she would fall in love with his music!

Now janita is ALWAYS sweet and very generous! In this case she sent me a thank you gift before she even received her package. AND that's not all! Much to my surprise I read the following in her latest newsletter for Seishido

[excerpt from newsletter]

This is a brushset I have done last night. Just something very simple and not available at Seishido. A rare item! To say thank you for all your love and support through the last year and hopefully next year and this also is an early bunny surprise! Baby Luna turns 2 years here in just a few days!!!

8 B R U S H E S

.... .... ... ... And I dedicate this set to Julz who will know by reading the setname how much I am enjoying her gift. This is exactly what I needed and what I always fall for. So yummy!!!

These are the news so far. New brushsets, new textures, new Seishido features, new shoes I have bought yesterday and well, new music given to me by Julz. Thank you for sharing! I am in love now :3

Cookiehugs and summersmoochies ~ Janita

Signs of Age... or not

2008-07-12T01:03:00.000-07:00

I had my eyes checked about ten years ago and the Doctor said i had perfect vision, but in a few years i would probably need reading glasses. I knew that time had come when i could no longer read the labels on the bottom of my cosmetic pots.

The first time my husband saw me with them on, he was comming in from work. i was on the sofa in the family room working on my laptop. it had been a very hot day (over 100f) so I had pulled my hair up in a clip. He said, "WOW, you look so smart in those glasses with your hair pulled up and those breasts... " SAY WHAT??? I guess not even the glasses can keep his eyes above my shoulders LOL

did i mention the eye doctor said i smelled good.... what a bizzare experience

Itunes

2008-07-10T11:32:00.001-07:00

I always get a chuckle when I get my Itunes recommendations... If ever there was any doubt that I have eclectic taste in music... (one time I had both Tony Bennett and Snoop Dog on the same list) here are the latest recommendations:

Jars of Clay
Jars of Clay
Closer - Single

The Temptations
Discoveries: The Temptations
Classics: The Temptations
Favorites: The Temptations
The Complete Collection: The Temptations

John Denver
John Denver Aerie

Marvin Gaye
The Complete Collection: Marvin Gaye
Classics: Marvin Gaye
Discoveries: Marvin Gaye

Imogen Heap
Imogen Heap
Not Now But Soon - Single

Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Hyman
Arista Heritage Series: Phyllis Hyman

Santana
Santana
The Ultimate Collection

Kiss
Discoveries: Kiss
Favorites: Kiss
The Complete Collection: Kiss

Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Live from Le Cabaret

OutKast
OutKast
Stankonia

Lifehouse
Lifehouse
Broken (New / Radio Version) - Single

The Box Tops
The Box Tops
The Letter / Neon Rainbow

Beck
Beck
Modern Guilt

More Jessica

2008-07-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

Jessica Mellott liked one of the (messing around) layouts I did with her picture, she requested that I tag it for her to use as a banner...

Super Star

2008-07-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

Digging photos out of the pile..... darn, I forgot my mother in law wanted a copy of this picture....

Game Time

2008-07-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

This is Rye playing a new Nick game on my computer. I loved the faces he made as he made his way to new worlds as well as the ones he made when he lost lives. He was so cute I just couldn't resist giving him an extra 30 minutes after the timer went off.

In this layout I adjusted the levels on ALL the papers and elements to the same specification to achieve the "brightness" I also Layered two papers for the background.

When I pulled this up today to post it. ( I put it away at 3am ) I noticed a couple things I wanted to change but I can't find the psd file... grrrr!

credits:
Impressions Of Laughter By Studiogirls at SBG
ScrapDrawers: Dictionary Definitions By Doris Castle at SBG
ScrapDrawers: Fasteners By Doris Castle at SBG
fonts: Passions Conflict / Times New Roman

Here's a preview of the kit so you can see the original colors

The French...

2008-06-30T10:38:00.000-07:00

When I first started digiscrapping a little over four years ago, it was a very small community with a couple mega stores and a couple independants... and just about every community had a place to download freebies! (and the price of a full kit was $3-$4)
Since that time the Mega shops chased off most of the best artists with their contractual demands and private boutiques started springing up all over the web. At this time the availability of freebies or "gifts" became scarce or too difficult to obtain.
Now we have a zillion "e-zines" all with gifts for the subscribers... as well as subscription sites... some of which don't even tell you when there is a new "gift" available (scrapwow).
One of the most unique things I have seen happen is the formation of geographically based groups. We see a lot of this in the US with regard to just about everything from school groups to church groups. First there was the Canadian sites, then the Australian sites and the German sites, then the Brazilian sites.. now I have found a French site!
Don't get me wrong... I think it's great! I just find it odd that nobody tries to create an American site... I say that with tongue in cheek because everyone knows that in the US we would not be allowed to create such a site as it would infringe upon somebodies civil liberties. I just don't understand why it's ok to have the Black actors awards the Latino actors awards the Black music awards the Latino music awards etc etc. when the major awards include ALL groups... heaven forbid someone should try to create the honky music awards LOL...
ah but I regress... the point of this post is to tell you a bout a great French site I found DIGITAL CREA
Not only do they have some very talented designers, they also have some fabulous Freebies! So yesterday I bought one and I accepted one! LOL

This is what I bought...
In The Sea

And this is what I got Free...
My Butterfly

Just to be clear, I didn't HAVE to buy ANYTHING to get the free gift. I just figure I have been doing this long enough that I don't need to go around and collect all the free samples anymore. (many of which aren't worth using anyway.. including my own)But since these are QUALITY gifts I should AT LEAST patronize the shop. BTW both these kits are created by Mimilou Designs

Beauty All Around

2008-06-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Evening I picked up my Aunt from Texas at the Sacramento airport and took her to my moms house in Napa where I stayed a couple of days.

At 5:30 Thursday morning I went out to one of my favorite "ME" spots and stayed for about an hour. I then drove over to the river font revitalization project to take a walk. While over there, I decided this would be a good place to play with the aperture and shutter speed settings on my digital SLR...

I was rather please with the results so I thought I would share them... These pictures are just as they came of the camera, no digital retouching or enhancing.... they were resized or the web.

I warn you now, If you don't like still lifes... don't bother looking you'll be bored to tears

Killing Time

2008-06-18T23:17:00.000-07:00

Sitting around at my moms. Working with what ever's on my laptop! This is one of those "boys" doing a hand drag... I have never seen this done and can't visualize how he pulls out of this when his body is so close to the ground. When I ask, the answer I got was that he comes out of it [skiing] backwards and that this photo doesnt do the move justice! I've been sitting on this photo for a couple of months trying to decide what to do with it, I think when I get home I might try something different.

Under the Weather?

2008-06-17T02:07:00.000-07:00

Yes I know... VERY ODD!

Forgotten

2008-06-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

sometimes when I'm not getting the results I was hoping for, I will close the layout and forget about it... then some months later i will stumble on it and wonder what it was I didn't like LOL.. here are a few I came across today...

a covered bridge i took pictures of... i think it could use some word art... maybe a poem

Regina... lifted photo from her myspace gallery... If you have seen my gallery, you may remember a hawaiian dancer... that was Regina... and the adorable little flower girll in the red dress... Regina's daughter

And well yes.. little mister charming... (my grandson) working it already!

Time for Beautiful Music

2008-06-02T23:34:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Amber for letting me play with her picture... this is version 3 LOL

(acck I see somethings I forgot!)

Amber McDaniel

2008-05-30T10:33:00.000-07:00

Meet Amber McDaniel, a beautiful local young lady with a big voice. You can learn more about Amber and her work on her MySpace page, AMBERMUSIC . In the mean time you might like to hear a couple of her songs... just go down one post and turn off the player for John Nathaniel! It's a tough call I know!

6-16-08 I have disabled the link to ambers player, if you would like to hear ambers music, visit www.myspacae.com/ambermusic in the mean i hope you enjoy the music paying on my bPod

Reason to Live

2008-05-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

Ah, John Nathaniel does it again! For a limited time he has posted a new song "Reason to Live" Johns songs are so "real life" it's almost scary! You can find John on MySpace and you can download his CD Shades of Gray from CDBaby and iTunes. Watch for his soon to be released EP

6-16-08 i have removed the link to johns player... if you would like to hear johns music visit www.myspace.com/johnnathanielmusic

Illusion

2008-05-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

Just playing with some quote brushes I found on my hard drive! I think the cocaine quote is funny... If you really know me you understand why!!!

Buds

2008-05-20T00:57:00.001-07:00

Dan (left) and Craig (right) have been friends since Junior High and I thought it would be fun to do a layout for them but the only picture I had of them together had a lady standing between them. Naturally I had to cut her out. LOL that's just me.. she was distracting from the purpose of the layout, Dan and Craig's friendship.

I admit I didn't do the best job... Because of their height difference I couldn't just slide them together and stitch the photo... I had to rebuild Dans entire side next to Craig (the lady was standing in front of Dan covering his entire shoulder upper arm as well as the edge and top of his ear.)

When I got that done I decided I didn't like the background... it was just white (snow)so I went through some other photos I had from events they were at together and found this one with trees in it. When I extracted the picture of the guys and lay-ed it on the new background, there was a skier doing a jump over Craig's head. No matter how much I tried I just didn't seem to be able to cover him up, So you got it... cloned him out! LOL THEN I noticed the new background was bright and sunny but the boys had snow flakes on them, so I cloned them out too!.

Once I got this made up picture of Dan and Craig it was time to lay it out... I love Doris Castle's Lost Mojo kit, not just because it was inspired MOI but because it's FUN! Can you believe even though I have three ever so slightly different versions here, I'm not really sure I like any of them? LOL!!! maybe I should go back to the original photo.... uh then..... maybe NOT! If you look at the picture long enough you will notice Dans chest is too broad and he has no upper arm, but other than that, maybe it's not so bad! LOL

STAY...

2008-05-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

John Nathaniel just posted this "naked" song (his words) on his myspace page.
I think it's beautiful... you might want to scroll down to my bPod and pause it so you can hear John. He says it will only be up for 48 hours... hope you get to hear it. Oh, John also posted the lyrics... i'm not sure why I'm hearing like john's singing rounds... john jacob jinglemeyersmith.... that's my name too...or sorry, I hope it plays correctly for you!

What should I do?
What should I say?
All that I know is that I want you here
The oceans won't flow
When you're not around
The silence won't fade
till I hear your voice

For all the moments that I needed you
For all the pain that you put me through
and for all those reasons you were part of me
I wish you could find a reason to stay

I wish you could feel
I wish you could see
God I wish you'd stay
for just one more day
The bridges will burn
The Angels won't sing
but the broken will see
what it's like to feel

For all the moments that I needed you
For all the pain that you put me through
and for all those reasons you were part of me
I wish you could find a reason to stay

Where are you now?
I just wanna believe
I've got nowhere to go ohhhh
I'm standing on the edge
I've got to nowhere to run
and no reason to stay

EXPIRED

Emotion

2008-05-15T10:03:00.000-07:00

Way back sometime last year it seemed everything I scrapped came out DARK and foreboding... I remember trying to do a layout with a beautiful Pink kit that Doris had made and it came out DARK... Then I started another layout and titled it "HAPPY" no matter how hard I tried to lighted it up, it just seemed "SAD" so I put it aside. Well, I came across it last week and played with it a bit... this is what I came up with

BTW new music on the play list... all by Morgan Clamp from his "I NEED YOU/YOU NEED ME" CD. Check out his music at MySpace or iTunes

The Fairy Prince

2008-05-09T00:59:00.000-07:00

and his Fairy Mother... not finished but I wanted to share

Facebook Friends

2008-05-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

I met this couple from Norway on Facebook when I was playing the game "owned" They are very cute and very fun loving people. I thought they look so in love in this picture I just had to scrap it!

credits:
"dancing Butterflies" by Sylvia Laupitz (Fotosusu) available at Funkyplayground
fonts - ck chemistry, passions conflict, times new roman

Finishing Up

2008-05-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

some unfinished layouts on my computer.. This photo was from Rylie's 4th birthday.

I love the rich colors Lori Wiley uses in her work!
In this layout I used elements and paper from
her "Moonlit" kit at Diamante Designs
as well as foliage brushes from Ashalee Wall's
"Swirlies" Brushes at ashaleeandsweet
fonts - Nasty, Passions Confllict, Times New Roman

New From Studio Doris!

2008-05-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

One day last month I took an impromptu trip to
DD house for a quick visit... just a couple of hours,
while looking at the pictures I took that day, I
realized why it is that I get so exhausted when I'm
with my grandson. These are just the things I took
pictures of.. he did lots more! I got pictures of him
painting, running through the sprinkler, taking
pictures with mommy's camera, bouncing in his
bounce house and resting... I know he also played
with the dog, played with the cats, ate,
played catch, Frisbee and batted with daddy...

Whew, I get tied just thinking bout it!

I used items From the collab project Chelsea's Garden
by Doris Castle and Diane Rigdon available at SBG
http://tinyurl.com/64fxov
http://tinyurl.com/6hnmvd
http://tinyurl.com/5dkj4j
http://tinyurl.com/5jc7s9
http://tinyurl.com/68fmsy
http://tinyurl.com/6x9q7x
http://tinyurl.com/5cvmwa

I also used swirl brushes by Aneta Branch (aka Sweet Made)
available at Ashalee and Sweet
curl template by Marcie Reckinger at funky playground
curl action by Tracy Murphy also at Funky Playground

Fonts: Passions Conflict, Times New Roman

Since his first finger painting, I have been
amazed at Rylie's painting skills, not because
of the realism, but because of his sense of
completion, He has a very minimalist style
to his work. This day he added just a touch
of glitter glue!

I used a close up of his art as the back with
a paper from the kit layer blended over it
to add a bit of color and texture

I used items from the collab project
Chelsea's Garden by Doris Castle and Diane Rigdon
available at SBG

http://tinyurl.com/64fxov
http://tinyurl.com/6hnmvd
http://tinyurl.com/5dkj4j
http://tinyurl.com/5jc7s9
http://tinyurl.com/68fmsy
http://tinyurl.com/6x9q7x
http://tinyurl.com/5cvmwa

font - passions conflict

Tune Crazy

2008-04-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

I really should make a better effort to buy music when life is going gang busters... I have a tendency to only buy music when I'm sad or melancholy... and yesterday was no exception... I bought 47 downloads from iTunes converted them to mp3 so I can share them here on my blog and renamed those mp3's so they would show properly on my little bPod over there in the right column. Then I uploaded them to my server and updated my iPod... yes.. it DID take up MOST of the day! I've found a couple a really good indy bands/artists over at myspace... yes I have updated my play list... 4 songs (I think) dedicated to my old DJ friend(s) So this is what I got...

I Love How You Love Me - Camera Obscura
I Can't Stay Mad At You - Camera Obscura
Keep It Clean - Camera Obscura
If You Remember Me - Chris Thompson
I Wish I Wasn't-Heather Headley
Crazy for You-Griffin House
I'm Yours -Jason Mraz
Shades of Gray - John Nathaniel
No One's Breathing -John Nathaniel
The Best of It-John Nathaniel
What I'm Looking For -John Nathaniel
Ever -John Nathaniel
Tribute to the Obscene -John Nathaniel
Down to You- John Nathaniel
Around and Round -Jonathan Clay
After All -Jonathan Clay
A Little Time- Jonathan Clay
Get You Out- Jonathan Clay
Back to Good -Jonathan Clay
She -Jonathan Clay
Everything- Jonathan Clay
More Than a Picture -Jonathan Clay
Cant Be That Crazy- Jonathan Clay
New Design -Jonathan Clay
December -Jonathan Clay
Sky (feat. Ingrid Michaelson) -Joshua Radin
Lovely Tonight -Joshua Radin
The Fear You Won't Fall -Joshua Radin
You Got Growin Up To Do (Demo Version)- Joshua Radin
Too Late for Goodbyes -Julian Lennon
Once In a While -k.d. lang
Bleeding Love- Leona Lewis
Like a Dream (Hello Album Version)- After Edmund
I'm Still In Love With You- New Edition
Misery- P!nk Duet with Steven Tyler
Oh Darling Supertramp
Suffer In Silence -Susan Ashton
Life Got in the Way -Sister Hazel
Where Do You Go- Sister Hazel
Come Around -Sister Hazel
Another Me- Sister Hazel
All About the Love -Sister Hazel
Keep on Smilin'- Wet Willie
If I'd Been the One- .38 Special
Caught Up In You -.38 Special
Innocence- Sarah Buxton
Think of What You've Done- Sarah Borges

Bridge Over Calm Waters

2008-04-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I decided I needed to go on a photo outing. I knew exactly where I wanted to go. On the river less than 40 miles from here (up the mountain)there is a state park with a 150 year old wood covered bridge and in the 15 years I have been here,I have never seen it! So Off I went... here are some of the photos!

I dunno the pictures are nice and clear on my computer.. but the slide looks fuzzy to me...

Hello Kitty

2008-04-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

I came across a template challenge being hosted by Kim Carothers at BHG for the scrap-a-faire. While reading about it on Kim's blog, I saw this photo of her daughter Kasy and thought it was too adorable NOT to scrap!

I used the Ashalee and Sweet Collab kit Karma from their shop Ashalee and Sweet. The kit is made with bright vibrant colors and I really wanted to show them off; but, alas, I succumbed to the urge to desat. On the doodle (from the kit) and the frame (from the template) I used Sweets party glitter style I then beveled added texture and drop shadow to give them the look of glitter glue. Font: HELTERSKEL TER I would LOVE it if you could stop buy the BHG Scrapbooks ETC. Scrap-a-faire designer challenge gallery to recommend and rate my layout. (and leave me love?) thanks!

Belle Jeune Femme

2008-04-05T03:04:00.000-07:00

Ok... I have spent enough time licking my wounds from the last scrapper standing competition... I have wonderful news! Studio Doris has returned to SBG! So stop on over and take a look at Doris' newest kit Eerie Garden. I used it to scrap this beautiful photo of my niece

credits:

Doris Castle's new kit Eerie Garden
available at SBG. http://tinyurl.com/6hdcd3

also, Bow by Vera Lim from the April DST
gold member kit Free Love

Elements from Lori Wiley's Blue Magic Element
set available at Lori Wiley Designs http://tinyurl.com/5ra35e

and Lori Wiley's collab kit with Melgen Designs,
Mountain Valley also at Lori Wiley Design's http://tinyurl.com/67j3l8

font: CKBoutique

People Actually Read This?

2008-03-11T02:15:00.001-07:00

I don't really know anymore... LOL.. But Jeanine Baechtold did tag me, So I'll do my best to follow through....
I have moved the questions to THIS LOCATION because it's so long it knocked all my pictures and layouts off the page.

I'm tagging Janna, Erica, Reggie and Lucy
and anyone else who wants to join in! Please post a link to your answers in the comment section. :)

Kung key fat choi

2008-03-09T00:34:00.000-08:00

Red light cameras, parades and festivals galore, that's what you find in Marysville, Ca. The annual Bok Kai festival is always a good old fashioned fun time! Today was no exception. The sun was shining, people were smiling and Lung Huang danced up a storm!

A Purple Heart

2008-03-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

According to one of those on line quizes I took, I have a purple heart.. but, then I also have a Northern American Accent... LOL... I'm as californian as they come!

You Have A Purple Heart

A person with a Purple Heart has a multi - faceted personality. Such people are usually full of desire and normally indulge in controlled passion. They make gentle drivers and show concern for others over self.

Votes are In... ... I am Out!

2008-02-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

I was #17 This poll will close on 02-24-2008 at 02:12 PM
Layout 4	15	6.28%
Layout 5	42	17.57%
Layout 6	3	1.26%
Layout 7	29	12.13%
Layout 11	13	5.44%
Layout 12	3	1.26%
Layout 13	15	6.28%
*Layout 17*	28	11.72%
Layout 22	11	4.60%
Layout 25	17	7.11%
Layout 26	10	4.18%
Layout 27	53	22.18%
Voters: 239. You have already voted on this poll

The End?

2008-02-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later... my layout wasn't picked by the judges this round and has gone on with 11 others for members vote, the two with the most votes get "saved" and are allowed on to the next round. I'm not holding my breath though.... there were several on the hit list going into the member vote that had more views and more comments than others that went on... I know I did a couple of things that the judges probably thought were questionable in this round.. but I went with it anyway... it's always a tough call when judging art...

here was this weeks criteria:

3 photos in a vertical row: photos of a seagull taken in Monterey curves adjusted so they would resemble doves. (in your mind draw a square around all three birds, divide it horizonally between the birds = three vertical birds... then I extracted the birds because I didn't like the extra sky and tweeked the angle of the birds a bit)
Color Blue: on overlay texture and bottom paper
2 fonts: Bethany’s Hand, GE Basalt Script
Hand: Royalty Free photo of Christ’s hand from Cross Daily.com
Frame - no photo: Journaling Spot from Sasha Jane’s Divine Details. Looks like and “eye” used to frame the word “care” for the title “EYE CARE”
Journaling min 50 words: 143

so this is what I came up with

my journaling could have used some fine tuning.. but this is what it says:
As children of our Heavenly Father we have a solemn responsibility to care for all of his creations. Yet to do this we must first care for ourselves both spiritually and temporally. If we are spiritually clean we will be able to discern the small still voice of the Holy Spirit as it guides us. We can care for the earth and her creatures as well as God’s children. These promptings may include hugging a friend, feeding someone less fortunate, recycling or donating to an animal shelter. Ours is not to question the magnitude of the service, but, simply to obey the promptings .
Charity is the “Pure Love of Christ”. That which is “Most Joyous” to the soul “The Greatest of all the gifts of God” “Perfect” and “Everlasting”. Let us give as Christ would give, not with boasting, but with humble anonymity.
(Last paragraph includes a quote by Gene R. Cook“Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love” Ensign May 200282)

Well that's it! I have some errands to run so I can go to Napa tonight. I have a date with my mom and my daughter tomorrow! A make-over will surely help me forget the contest! LOL