Resistance is Futile

25 Days of December - Days 24 and 25

2011-12-25T14:55:00.001-05:00

and it's done!

25 Days of December - Days 22 and 23

2011-12-24T14:45:00.002-05:00

25 Days of December - Day 21

2011-12-22T13:02:00.002-05:00

25 Days of December - Days 19 and 20

2011-12-20T21:18:00.002-05:00

25 Days of December - Days 17 and 18

2011-12-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

More inspired by Pinterest

2011-12-17T12:13:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite things about the holidays is all the crafty and bakey goodness that happens - both things I love to do. Here are another series of things I've made that were either copied from or inspired by things I found on Pinterest. Although I am usually a fanatic about credits, I have cookies in the oven and I'm going to be lazy - you can find the original pins if you follow me on Pinterest here.

Melted snowman cookies (a three day process and really a PITA - and don't even taste that good. Not worth it again).

Laundry sign. Super easy. I used digi elements from Backyard Crawlies and Backyard Cuties by Iliella Designs.

My version of important dates (framed this time).

Handprint snowman ornaments. Much harder than I expected. Even Alexa (a coordinated 7 year old) had a hard time making a good print with my help.

25 Days of December - Day 16

2011-12-16T21:51:00.001-05:00

25 Days of December - Day 15

2011-12-15T22:04:00.002-05:00

25 Days of December - Day 14

2011-12-14T18:01:00.000-05:00

25 Days of December - Days 12 and 13

2011-12-13T20:04:00.000-05:00

25 Days of December - Day 11

2011-12-11T19:06:00.002-05:00

My version of Santa Hat Brownies

2011-12-11T13:30:00.003-05:00

Seriously - so easy. Another yummy thing I pinned on Pinterest. Brownie mix, small round cutter, premade frosting, strawberries, piping bag/tip.

Important Dates - My Version

2011-12-11T10:22:00.003-05:00

I saw this pin on Pinterest - a framed version of the important dates in a family's history. I loved the idea and wanted to create my own, so I fired up Photoshop Elements and gave it a try! I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The background paper is from Sweet Songs by ViVa Artistry and the fonts are Impact (dates) and Aquarelle (script). There are two date layers, both in overlay blending mode - one at 100% and one at 60%. I'm going to print this out (it's 8x10) and mat and frame it! :)

25 Days of December - Day 10

2011-12-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

25 Days of December - Day 9

2011-12-09T22:09:00.001-05:00

25 Days of December - Day 8

2011-12-08T19:53:00.003-05:00

In addition to Danyale's great stuffs, I added Noel by Mari Koegelenberg to my supply list!

25 Days of December - Day 7

2011-12-07T20:37:00.001-05:00

Added All Stitched Up Volume 2 by Kimeric Kreations to the mix. I wish we had better lighting in the house - so much noise in these photos :(

25 Days of December - Days 5 and 6

2011-12-06T19:50:00.002-05:00

25 Days of December - Day 4

2011-12-04T18:08:00.002-05:00

Twenty-five Days of Christmas

2011-12-03T18:22:00.004-05:00

I blogged twice in one day. Someone get me a drink! I am doing a "Countdown to Christmas" mini this year and instead of doing it at the end of the month (like I did last year), I am doing a layout each day, again based around our Christmas activities from our countdown tree. I had two goals:
1. Keep it very simple
2. Focus on the photos and especially the journaling.

In keeping with these two goals, I decided to use a single kit for the entire mini, and I chose I Dream of Snow by Etc. by Danyale. I am also using the daily FREEBIE mini album pages by Roadside Designs that you can find on her blog. I'm also using two fonts consistently: Jellyka Delicious Cake (a freebie) and Mel's Type A Personality by Mel Wilson.

And...I'm already caught up (three days in)! Here's what I've done so far:

Handmade Holiday Gifts

2011-12-03T11:02:00.003-05:00

I've been super busy making a lot of holiday gifts this year....and thought I would share! The first one is my favorite (and also the most complicated) - I made four flavors of Skittles vodka (which is more time consuming than I expected - you can google and find the recipe) and packaged them up in a Starbucks Frappuccino four pack that I altered with some digi supplies from Ho Ho Ho by Chelle's Creations, fiber and fluid chalk.

The second was really easy - I packaged up a Tervis Tumbler with a hot lid and a cold lid and included several packets of Iced tea to go and several tea bags. This gift came in at just under $20 each (mostly due to the cost of the Tervis supplies - but I did get them at Bed Bath and Beyond and used my coupons). I topped them off with a cute tag that fit the "tea" theme using Holly Jolly Holiday by Chelle's Creations.

And finally, even easier - I packaged a Starbucks gift card, some chocolate nuggets and Starbucks Via (coffee to go) in a mug, finished off with a tag using 12 Days by Mari Koegelenberg (which is also available as a paper kit by My Mind's Eye).

Hope this gives you some good gift ideas!

What has sadly become a monthly post

2011-09-08T22:27:00.004-04:00

with my layouts from DST....I keep swearing I am going to get back to blogging, but I spend most of my online time on Facebook these days.....

Created using Natural Beauty by Trixie Scraps, DST's September 2011 Gold Member Kit

Created using Beautifully You by Daybreak Scraps, DST's September 2011 New To You Kit

Layouts!

2011-08-04T19:12:00.002-04:00

It's getting kind of sad that I'm only updating my blog once a month or so. I really do intend to get back to it sometime soon!

Created using My Own Backyard by Allison Pennington, August 2011's DST Gold Member Kit.
Created using Spring in the City by Snips and Snails Designs, August 2011's DST New to You kit.

Randomness

2011-07-06T19:33:00.003-04:00

My poor neglected blog....I really need to come back to you!

We lost our furbaby Raven this past weekend. The house is quiet and sad :(. More about her in an upcoming post.

Apparently I use the word "sweet" way too often in layout titles - here are a couple more!

Created using Daydreams and Jellybeans by Traci Reed, DST's July 2011 Gold Member Kit.

Created using Let Them Eat Cake by Irene Alexeeva, DST's July 2011 New to You Kit.

DST Layouts - one each for my kiddos

2011-06-04T09:57:00.002-04:00

My sweet girl - using DST's June 2011 Gold Member kit - Fresh Squeezed by Stolen Moments
My crazy boy - using DIY Dude by Sus Designs, DST's June 2011 New To You Kit

DST Cuteness

2011-05-06T20:19:00.002-04:00

I know I've been terrible about updating my blog, but I wanted to share a couple of my recent layouts. The first uses Girl's Night Out by Darlene Currie aka Studio4 Designworks, DST's May 2011 New to You kit:

And the second is with Huntington by Liz Tamanaha of Paislee Press, DST's May 2011 Gold Member Kit. It features one of my very favorite quotes by Brian Andreas.

Enjoy!

Lovin' the DST CT!!!

2011-04-06T14:47:00.003-04:00

Here are two layouts I recently created for the DST creative team. The first uses the April New to You kit - Looking Ahead by Flutter Expressions.

The second uses Sunny With Blue Skies by Sahlin Studio, DST's April 2011 Gold Member Kit

A few projects

2011-03-27T09:51:00.003-04:00

So busy.....but still scrappin'! Here are few projects I recently did for Jessica Sprague's creative team:

Credits: Oh Boy collection by Carina Gardner and Crystal Wilkerson, Essentials Stitches Volume 1 and 2 by Carina Gardner, Birdhouse Buttons by Carina Gardner.

Credits (both coming soon): It's A Start templates by In the Making Design, Sidewalk Chalk collection by Echo Park

Credits: Meet & Greet Card Templates and Sassy Season Paper Pack by In the Making Design.

Childhood Trauma

2011-03-07T21:40:00.001-05:00

Seriously. Layout uses papers and elements from Echo Park's new "For the Record" collection, available at Jessica Sprague.

Have I mentioned

2011-03-03T20:15:00.004-05:00

that I was asked to be on DST's Creative Team? So awesome!! Here are my first two layouts for the team...the first uses the March Gold Member Kit - Lucky in Love by Laura Banasiak (and you know I love me some Laura so I'm so glad she was the featured designer this month!)

and the second is with Timeless Keepsakes by Colleen Lynch, DST's March 2011 New to You kitBoth kits were terrific to work with!

Love Me Some Templates!

2011-02-27T12:13:00.002-05:00

One of the best things about being on the creative team at Jessica Sprague is having access to so many fantastic layout templates. They definitely make scrapping much quicker! A couple layouts I did recently using templates - credits under each!

Credits: Windsong kit and Circle of Life template, both by Live.E

Credits: Wanted by Cosmo Cricket, "The Story of" Template by In the Making Designs.

Another hybrid gift idea!

2011-02-12T11:36:00.003-05:00

I made this for Alexa to give her teacher for Valentine's Day - using the Perfect Packaging: Heart Cup Template by iKari Designs and papers and elements from the Affectionate collection by Carina Gardner. I'll wrap it up in plastic and tie it with ribbon! Cute and easy!

It's been way too long

2011-02-07T09:06:00.002-05:00

...I need to get back to Paris soon.....

Credits: 2011 Template Series 1 - By the Month and Gentle Morn Kit by live.edesign

Snow Tubing

2011-01-23T16:10:00.001-05:00

Credits: Thankful Template by In the Making Design, Jolly Golly Papers and Candy Candy by Cosmo Cricket

I finally chose my one little word

2011-01-23T10:08:00.002-05:00

The layout says it all....credits -
Fuss Free: Artisana Set 2 by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs
Stella Ruby Starter Kit by BasicGrey

Love me some kitschy-ness

2011-01-23T10:05:00.003-05:00

I love this awesome element kit by Kitschy Digitals - Thrift Store Grab Bag - coming soon to jessicasprague.com. I also used Chalkboard and Watercolor Doilies Papers by KD.

One little word?

2011-01-08T13:13:00.003-05:00

If you're a scrapbooker, you probably already know about the One Little Word initiative by Ali Edwards. In a nutshell, Ali and many of her fans each choose a single word each year to signify an areas of focus - words like organize, balance, serenity, peace are all commonly chosen.

I'm still trying to figure out my word for this year. I've been tossing around a lot of ideas and a lot of words, and I just haven't hit on the right one yet. Sigh.

But, that hasn't stopped me from getting some layouts done! Hope you enjoy.

Credits: Curated Album Kit by Kitschy Digitals and Paislee Press, Vintage Stacked Flowers by Kitschy Digitals

Credits: Good Times Template by In the Making Design, Life is Good collection by Echo Park

I know, it's not even Christmas yet

2010-12-23T16:42:00.003-05:00

but check out these cute Valentine's Goodie Bags by Elle's Studio, releasing Monday at jessicasprague.com:

Three "just for me" layouts

2010-12-23T16:25:00.004-05:00

So often, the layouts I do are to fulfill creative team requirements. These three are just for me :)

Credits:Kissin' Frogs by Nikki Epperson, Solo Act 2 by Fizzy Pop Designs

Credits: Ho Ho Ho by Chelles' Creations, Sweet Starts Volume 1 by Nikki Epperson

Credits: Friendship Collab Part 2 by Jaclyn Bernardo Designs, No Matter the Miles by Lauren Grier

No title needed! :)

2010-12-18T19:48:00.003-05:00

All items from the Daisy Jane collection by Carina Gardner, available at JessicaSprague.com.

Christmas trees and random attitude

2010-12-17T10:17:00.002-05:00

Some layouts from this week :)

Credits: Believe in the Magic by Danielle Engebretson
Credits: 12 Days - the Kit by Mari Koegelenberg
Credits: Crabby Kid by Laura Banasiak and Jennifer Fox

Hybrid makes it easy!

2010-12-15T16:35:00.003-05:00

I absolutely love printing my own gift bags, boxes and tags - it's so easy to perfectly customize them to look exactly the way you want them to look.

Here are a couple recent projects. The first uses Christmas Goodie Bags and Christmas Recipe Cards by Elle's Studio - the bags are the perfect size to slip in six small cookies and a gift card!

And the second project just adds a sparkly bow and Christmas Gift Tags (also by Elle's Studio) to locally made candles to make a simple gift!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-07T20:49:00.003-05:00

Family, food and fun! Layout uses a template by Jessica Sprague, a recolored button from Liv.E's Winter Breeze element pack, and Echo Park's Abundance Papers and Elements.

The photo says it all :)

2010-11-30T12:01:00.002-05:00

Credits: Yummers by Lauren Reid

Squeee!

2010-11-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

Here's dress 2! The chiffon has sparkles in it, which you can't really see in the photo but my princess loves!

I did it!

2010-11-21T11:55:00.004-05:00

First, I should tell you that I am NOT a seamstress. I can do straight stitches, pretty much - I'm good for hemming, mending and my short foray into quilting, when I did machine piecing. But I was reading one of my favorite blogs - Make It and Love It - and came across this tutorial for repurposing a t shirt into a dress. HAD to try it - Alexa has a bunch of these in her closet and I wanted to see if I could make one for cheapy cheapy.

It WAS cheapy cheapy! I found junior fit t shirts at AC Moore 2/$7 - these are terrific and the small fits my size 6x daughter. Alexa picked out the fabric, which was on clearance at Joann's for $4 a yard - I needed 3/4 of a yard - so the dress cost me a grand total of $6.50.

Because of the length of the shirt, I didn't need the fabric tube described in the tutorial - I just sewed the ruffles right onto the shirt. This means of course that the ruffles show over the top, rather than being under the shirt. I think the finished product is cute either way!

It's not 100% perfect - the ruffles on the top layer are a little uneven and the stitching isn't perfectly straight - but all in all, I think it turned out great. The layers are nice and even, even though you can't see it super well in the photo. Go me!!! :)

It's beginning to look a lot like

2010-11-19T21:42:00.003-05:00

winter! I have tons and tons of Christmas decorations, but I never know what to do with my house after the Christmas decorations have been put away and there are still a few months until spring and spring decorating. I decided to make a winter themed banner to hang above my fireplace. To create it, I used the easy-peasy template from Build a Banner: Rectangle by iKari Designs and gorgeous new papers (releasing at jessicasprague.com on Monday) by Splendid Fiins - Winter Wonderland Patterned Paper Pack. I added some transparent embossing powder over the letters, some stickles over the circle of dots, and some glittery dimensional snowflake stickers by Jolees. I wish you could see how glittery and sparkly the banner is in real life! Hopefully the closeup gives you at least a little idea. Enjoy!

Can you hear me screaming?

2010-11-18T08:17:00.004-05:00

First things first :) - it's new release day at The Digichick!! Since I've been out of scrapping commission for a while, it feels REALLY good to have a bunch of stuff for you to look at!

And the big news - BasicGrey digital products are now available at The Digichick!!!!! If you were at any point a paper scrapper, you know what huge news that is, and I am so thrilled to be able to work with their gorgeous digital yumminess.

So here's what I've been up to - credits under each!
Credits: Le Chayim by ViVa Artistry, Sweet Starts Vol 11 by Nikki Epperson

Credits: A Happy Place by A Joyful Heart and Designs by Jen Yurko

Credits: Urban Coutre by BasicGrey

Credits: Lollipop Shoppe by Basic Grey

We're back from Florida and some good stuff!

2010-11-15T13:37:00.005-05:00

Well, it's been an eventful couple weeks! Have I mentioned that the cat pulled a full glass of water over on my laptop and drying it out for two weeks did not work? Limping along with Gimp has been awful (especially on my tiny little netbook screen) and I'm still mostly laptopless. A new one is coming with a very long delivery wait (thank you, Dell), so I loaded PSE on Adam's computer yesterday and I'll be scrapping some over the next couple weeks, when I can squeeze time in between his poker tournaments! And I learned something really cool - did you know you can buy a "hard drive enclosure" for your internal hard drive, effectively making it an external drive? I can't tell you how comforting it is to have my hard drive accessible - even though I back up my files obsessively (I've posted about that a lot), I still have favorites and application preferences and all my PSE presets that are in application data folders that AREN'T backed up. But now I still have them!

In other news, we were in Florida last week visiting The Mouse, Adam's family (mom, grandma, aunt & uncle) and my parents. It was a really fun and relaxing week - except for the frantic call we received from the petsitter on Monday saying Archie would not or could not get up. He's 11 1/2, which is old for a German shepherd, so I had some not so nice thoughts about what that might mean. Thoughts I definitely DID NOT want to be facing while on vacation 1000 miles from home. Adam flew home Tuesday morning and thankfully my old guy (Archie, not Adam) has Lyme disease, which is treatable. He's much better but still wobbly. And Adam got a nice vacation away from the kids while I stayed with them at my mom and dad's. He ended up flying back down on Saturday, just in time for me to pick him up at the airport and continue the long drive home to Pennsylvania.

OOOOkkkay then. So that's the personal news. On the creative team front, I haven't been doing much (you know, no scrapping computer), but I definitely wanted to make sure you're aware of the upcoming FREE class at Jessica Sprague:

And, I was actually able to get another hybrid project done! I hate that I can't effectively edit images and the quality of the photo is so poor, but there you have it. This little bag was so much fun to make and would be perfect for little Christmas gifts. I used Perfect Packaging: Boxy Bag Curved by iKari Designs and the soon-to-be-released Dashes Through the Snow paper and elements packs by Echo Park.

And yes, Christmas is coming!!!

Grateful

2010-11-05T11:25:00.000-04:00

Credits: Season of Thankfulness by The Digichick Designers

A great gift for book lovers!

2010-11-04T11:09:00.004-04:00

I have a lot of book lovers in my life, so when I saw these brand new create-your-own bookplates by LivE (releasing at jessicasprague.com on Monday 11/8) I shouted out loud! What a super easy peasy gift idea! I coupled the bookplates with Perfect Packaging: Stationary Box Template by iKari Designs and Coquette: Damsel papers by Carina Gardner and made a super cute gift set. *NOTE: You will need to resize the box template to make it the appropriate size for your bookplates! :)

Hope this gives you some inspiration!

(Sorry about the photo quality. My cat pulled a glass of water over onto my scrapping laptop and I'm limping along on my netbook using Gimp rather than PSE.)

Trick or Treat 2010

2010-10-30T12:11:00.003-04:00

I've posted on Facebook and in a bunch of forums about the bizarre central PA practice of trick or treating the Thursday before Halloween, so I'll spare you the rant. It resulted in a cute layout, though! The layout showcases new products by Creativity by Crystal available at jessicasprague.com on Wednesday 11/3, as well as stitches from Sew Crafty: Messy Stitches Volume 1 by Splendid Fiins. Enjoy!

Before and After - One or Two?

2010-10-29T19:42:00.004-04:00

I'm hosting this week's challenge on The Digichick blog - it's a before and after challenge focusing on fonts as a design element. Come and play with me and you might win a $10 gift certificate to the store!

Credits: Little Rabble Rouser, Little Rabble Rouser Stackables and Little Rabble Rouser Page Edgers, all by Danielle Engebretson.

Easy peasy gift idea

2010-10-25T06:36:00.004-04:00

I'm always looking for hand-made holiday gift ideas, and this letter sized portrait template set by iKari: Create a Calendar: 2011 Simply Circles Portrait is perfect! It's so easy to get a few photos of each of my nephews and create a "grandchildren" calendar for my parents (and then it's easy to take those same photos and make a surprise gift for my brother and sister).

Because the templates are letter sized, they're easy to print on any home printer, or you can resize them to make a desktop-sized gift!

To finish mine off, I used Walk in the Park Paper Pack 1 and Walk in the Park Paper Pack 2 by Echo Park. Hope you enjoy!

Fall fun

2010-10-23T16:45:00.002-04:00

Credits: Stacked: Wonky and Midnight Crow by Chelle's Creations

A couple layouts and a FUN project!

2010-10-21T10:11:00.003-04:00

Ok, I gotta say - playing around with these mask templates (Masquerade by Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs) is one of the most fun hybrid projects I've done in a long time! Alexa and Owen both LOVE to play dress up and this template set has lots and lots of possible combos - from sweet to spooky! Alexa had a lot of fun helping me pick out digital papers (from Elise Hansen's kit Spooky) and other embellishments. Please excuse the crappy photo - the masks are super cute IRL and Alexa and I have a bunch of others planned!

And you all know how much I love Mari Koegelenberg - check out this beautiful, non-traditional fall kit - Falling for You:

And finally - check out my beautiful ballerina!! I just love this soft kit - Give - by Design by Heather T. The awesome frame is from Layered Frames by ViVa Artistry:
Enjoy!

Almost ready

2010-10-17T16:48:00.003-04:00

to hibernate!! I'm sure I've blogged about this before (probably like last week and my sieve of a mind has just forgotten), but there is something about fall that makes me want to cook, bake, and generally get ready to hibernate. Yesterday we went to our local farm stand (which is really more like a big farm store) and got our pumpkins, along with a bushel of apples. In case you don't know or you've forgotten (as I had - see the sieve comment), a bushel of apples is A LOT of apples.

We had a blast carving our pumpkins - although Owen really did not like the feel of the pumpkin guts. EWWWW!!! GROSS! was heard more than once. Here's a layout I did using Fall Whimsy by Jennifer Labre:

Then I made apple crisp, apple cake, apple pies and applesauce. Pies and sauce are in the freezer, but we're enjoying the crisp and cake! YUM!

Trick or Treat!!!!

2010-10-16T17:25:00.004-04:00

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of all manner of treat bags and boxes....and this gable box template by iKari Designs is FABULOUS!!! I paired it up with some yumminess by Echo Park Paper Company and voila!

Credits (all available at jessicasprague.com):
Perfect Packaging: Gable Box by iKari Designs
Happy Halloween Paper Packs #1 and #2 and Journal & Element Pack by Echo Park Paper Company.

Hope you enjoy!!

I really love Halloween (and fall)

2010-10-14T10:37:00.005-04:00

This time of year makes me so happy, especially now that we're back in the northeast and the leaves are turning. Here are a few projects I've done recently to celebrate! As always, credits under each.
Credits: Spookville by Mari Koegelenberg

Credits: Spooky by Elise Hansen

Credits: Frolic Thru Fall by Creations by Rachael

Creative Explosion!

2010-09-27T12:29:00.012-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm so behind on layout and project sharing! I've been creatively busy - too busy to write about it. There's something about fall that makes me feel homey - I like to cook and bake and decorate even more than at other times of year, so that's keeping me busy, too. But here's a taste of what I've been up to.

1. Photoless layouts. Sometimes I want to tell a story or say something but just don't have a photo to go with it...and I find these layouts to be a ton of fun, mostly because I don't have to remember to keep the design of the layout focused on a photo. Here are two I've done recently:

Credits: Transformers v9 and Road 2 Nowhere by Lauren Reid

Credits: Sign of the Times Collection: Zodiac Bundle by ViVa Artistry

2. "Event" layouts. Here are a couple of our recent afternoon trip to Paulus Farm.

Credits: Wild Oats by Chelle's Creations and Sarah Bennett

Credits: Terra Cotta by Elise's Pieces (also the kit I used to design my blog)

And here's one I did as part of a challenge at Ninth & Bloom. I'm especially proud of this layout because it took me HOURS to get the shadows on the intertwined ribbons right, and I normally don't have the patience for that kind of detail.

Credits: Ever+After by Lauren Reid and Micheline Martin

3. Altered items. I had SO MUCH FUN altering these clothespins with paint, rub-ons, ribbon, buttons and flowers. They're perfect to hold photos and notes.

4. "Moment" layouts that I do "just because."

Credits: Trademark by Lauren Reid and One Little Bird

Credits: Things That Matter by Kelley Mickus

Hope you enjoy! :)

A little blog revamp

2010-09-24T20:37:00.002-04:00

I know. I'm so behind on blogging. I have so many layouts to post....sigh. But I did redesign my blog tonight! Yay for me!

I'm trying to figure out why my sidebar tags have a white background. They were saved as .pngs with a transparent background and uploaded from my computer just the way I always do so I have no idea what happened. Any ideas?

School and soccer

2010-09-03T10:00:00.003-04:00

Well, school's in full swing again - Alexa loves first grade (although she did tell me this morning when I was asking her about her classmates that she didn't want to talk about school because it's boring) and for the first time, she is playing soccer in addition to her ongoing dance and horseback riding activities (although we are still looking for a new barn, which is a long story for another day). Wow that was a long sentence. And I used although twice.

But I digress - wanted to share a school layout and a soccer layout - here they are! Credits under each:

Credits: Kick It! and Kick It! Purple Team by Chelle's Creations

Credits: Back to School by Mari Koeglenberg and Melissa Wilson

Snapshots....

2010-08-17T20:06:00.002-04:00

Here are a few layouts I did this week. Credits under each!

Credits: Click by Kelley Mickus

Credits: Happy by Vera Lim

Credits: Destination by ViVa Artistry

My laptop crashed (and some layouts)

2010-08-12T10:06:00.003-04:00

I truly am obsessive backup girl. People (you know who you are) make fun of me because I am REALLY obsessive about it. HA! I have been vindicated! I lost my hard drive (actually I somehow lost the segment of my hard drive that contained the operating system) last Thursday and the ONLY items I didn’t have backed up were a couple layouts I had done between my Sunday backup and the crash. My super techno geeky husband was able to access those files through the DOS prompt and copy them over to my EHD, so I ended up losing nothing!

But…the saga continues. Not only was the hard drive shot, but the little connector thingy between the hard drive and the motherboard also needed to be replaced. This cheap but hard to come by wire thing had to be ordered from Dell and I got it yesterday, so I’m cookin’ with gas (BTW – I ADORE my laptop – a Dell Studio 1737 with a giant honkin’ screen and there is no way I wanted a new one. I know. Who am I and what have I done with Tracy?).

So anyhoo – here are a few layouts that I meant to post last week, plus one I did last night. As always, linked credits under each!

Enjoy!!

Credits: She's All That by Jennifer Labre

Credits: Chillin' & Grillin' by Chelle's Creations

Credits: Contemplation by Viva Artistry, August 2010 Grab Bag by Nikki Epperson

Credits: Daydreamer Kit, Dotty Papers and Necessary Neutrals Alpha, all by Danielle Engebretson

Credits: Bug Catcher, See Through You: Words, and Stitch Me Up: Frames, all by Chelle's Creations

So exciting!

2010-08-01T09:46:00.006-04:00

Four times a year, the Digichick designers release grab bags - a whole bunch of awesome goodies bundled together at great prices. August is one of those four times, and as you can see by the number of layouts I did using bags, I couldn't contain myself. SO MUCH GOODNESS and really, at great prices. Linked credits under each photo - hope you enjoy!
Credits: August 2010 Grab Bag - Summer Days: Noon Picnic and Carefree Afternoon by Mari Koegelenberg.

Credits: August 2010 Grab Bag by Kelleigh Ratzlaff, Celebrate! Brite by Chelle's Creations.

Credits: August 2o10 Classy Kid Grab Bag by Laura Banasiak.

Credits: August 2010 Template Grab Bag by Nikki Epperson, Lucky Scraps August Grab Bag by Karen Lewis

Credits: August 2010 Grab Bag by Susan Robinson, He Loves Me by Amanda Carlson

CHOO CHOO - it's a birthday blog train!

2010-07-27T07:00:00.007-04:00

Today is Chelle's birthday and her creative team decided to celebrate with a freebie blog train! Also, everything in Chelle's store is 27% off today!

My contribution is a set of 2 printable cards that can be printed either as you see it in the preview (just cut out the card front and you're ready to go), or as layers that you can cut out and assemble in order to make a hybrid card. You can download the cards HERE.

Here are the hybrid versions of both cards - I added some distressing, fluid chalk, pop dots and Stickles!

The rest of the train stops are below - ENJOY!
Chelle's Blog (Stacey's freebie): http://chelles-creations.blogspot.com/
Janine & Stacey: http://digitalscrappinrocks.blogspot.com
Carol: http://thepadgettwayoflife.blogspot.com/
Fran: http://franscraps.blogspot.com
Karen: http://merchimakesit.blogspot.com/
Kate & Megan: http://www.earleyfamily.com
Kayla: http://www.keepscrappin.blogspot.com
Tanya: http://www.tanyatumbles.com
Emma: http://www.scrappy-dappy-doo.blogspot.com
Juli: http://julifreshfish.blogspot.com/
Heather: http://heatherw25.blogspot.com/
YOU ARE HERE -------->Tracy: http://tracykosofsky.blogspot.com

Oh, and one more thing - if you're a fan of Chelle's, you won't want to miss this blog post. You have until Friday to show us one or more of your layouts using Chelle's products, and you'll get the as-yet-unreleased Summer Splash Alpha, plus have a chance to win a gift certificate to Chelle's store!!

One of my last Mexico pics

2010-07-19T08:34:00.002-04:00

I've been waiting for the perfect kit to scrap this photo because it is so totally Owen. Elise's Pieces and Ruby Lane released this awesome collab - Seaside - and I had to use it! Love the pops of red that make it perfect for my boy's boy.

Busy summer!

2010-07-15T18:40:00.003-04:00

We've been so busy lately! Doesn't it seem like I'm always saying that? I guess such is life with two little kids and a full time job! I'm so thankful I have scrapping to keep me sane! Here are a couple layouts I did this week with new releases at The Digichick.

This first uses the absolutely adorable Truly, Plaidly, Deeply by Geek Chic. I'm going to go back to this kit over and over!

And I love it when a kit inspires a layout I probably wouldn't have done otherwise. This kit - Won't You Tell Me Your Name by Jennifer Fox - did just that!

More Digichick Deliciousness

2010-07-08T18:47:00.003-04:00

I so love new release day at The Digichick!!! Here are a few layouts I created with new releases on sale in the store today and tomorrow. Credits with links under each.

Credits: A Beautiful Life by Mari Koegelenberg and Wendy Page

Credits: Peek a Boos Volume 1 by Pixel Gypsy and My Birthday Boy by Jennifer Fox

Credits: Independent by Nikki Epperson and Shawna Clingerman

Layouts galore!

2010-07-01T09:37:00.003-04:00

So many amazing new releases at The Digichick this week - I was able to play with several kits but there were a bunch more I didn't get to! Hope you enjoy these little snippets of our lives (and my attempt at an art journal page). Credits under each layout.

Credits: Art Stomp by Roben-Marie Designs and Tangie Baxter

Credits: Funky Munky by Pixel Gypsy, Studio 365 Rub-On Stitches by Karen Lewis and Painterly Brushes by Roben-Marie Designs.

Credits: Sweet Daydream by Geek Chic
Credits: Endless Summer by the Digichick Designers, Stacked and Layered by Nikki Epperson

We had such a fun weekend

2010-06-24T12:10:00.005-04:00

last weekend. Here are a couple layouts to prove it!

This first uses This Life by Elise's Pieces:
And the second is a layout I've been wanting to do for a while. I finally got a good current photo of the three girls and found the perfect kit - Berry Meadow by Quirky Twerp.

A layout just for me

2010-06-23T19:36:00.005-04:00

About 90% of the layouts I do are to fulfill creative team commitments - although I always try to use photos that really do need to be scrapped. This layout is just because, using a kit I picked up with a prize for winning a recent Digi Dare - the kit is Under the Sun by Juliana Kneipp. Hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

She sparked a frenzy

2010-06-18T15:14:00.005-04:00

When my fellow Digichick creative team member Heather found a "new" - new to us, anyway - scrapper to scraplift for today's Digichick blog challenge, we all went a bit crazy. Candice Greenway's gallery is gorgeous - but let me tell you - it is WAY far off from the scrapping style of most of the team members. We all went a bit nuts and created some amazing stuff that looks nothing like what you usually see in the digital galleries. You can see all our samples on the TDC blog (linked above).

I lifted Candice's Itty Bitty Kitty:and here's what I came up with using Nikki Epperson's Boy oh Boy:

Take a peek at Candice's gallery and if you like what you see, play along with us! You have a chance to win a great prize!

Contest Entry: Last Day of Kindergarten

2010-06-18T09:52:00.004-04:00

Becky Fleck's Pagemaps were the very first sketches I started using several years ago - and I still use them all the time. She often runs contests with awesome prizes on the Pagemaps blog, and I occasionally enter. I loved the sketch she currently has up (6/1/10 contest), so I decided to participate.

Here's my entry - nearly everything is from Spring in My Step by Roben-Marie Designs, and I also used an alpha by Roben-Marie and wave template by Eva Kipler. Font is sf Haven (Sugar Frog fonts). Hope you enjoy!

One fun, one serious

2010-06-17T08:23:00.002-04:00

I continue to be blown away every week by the talented designers at The Digichick. I always have such a hard time choosing just a few kits to play with! This week, I ended up with two layouts created with new releases - one serious and one fun. Credits under each!

Credits: Saturday in the Park by Elise's Pieces

Credits: Always Dream by Jan Hosford, Fuss Free: Square Pegs by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs, Designer Bundle 1 by Wendy Page Designs, and Quirky Park by Roben-Marie Designs.

A true story

2010-06-11T07:52:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I haven't scrapped this story before, because it's one I tell often. It was the perfect topic for today's Digichick Blog Challenge (get yourself over there and check it out - great prizes!!!!). I used the beautiful French Laundry kit by Pixel Gypsy.

Owen really is adorable

2010-06-10T18:49:00.004-04:00

and I have to keep telling myself that when he is into EVERYTHING!! I so love this photo I took of him last weekend when we were celebrating his birthday with all his cousins. I used the brand new Everyday:Boy by Elise's Pieces, on sale today and tomorrow at The Digichick!

Updating my blog today

2010-06-09T11:57:00.001-04:00

So please pardon my dust - it should look all pretty again by the end of the day!

Brother and Sister

2010-06-04T18:19:00.004-04:00

I know I've mentioned blog challenges at The Digichick in the past - but seriously, if you've not joined in any, you should definitely try it out! Today's challenge includes a fantastic freebie template by the amazing Heather T. This month we're celebrating Beginnings and Endings, and all the challenges will revolve around that theme. Lots of great prizes, too!! :)

Here's the layout I did for today's challenge. When I first saw this kit, Sunkissed: Sunset by Jenn Labre a couple weeks ago, I immediately fell in love with it, but I didn't have any photos that came to mind right away that would work with the kit. When I read today's challenge, it immediately clicked, and here's what I came up with:

Hope you like it!

Check out my adorable baby boy

2010-06-03T09:20:00.001-04:00

who turned 2 yesterday! This layout uses the adorable new kit Play by Mari Koegelenberg and Lil' Digi Bits by Jude:

And this second layout was created with the brand-new kit Tumbleweed by Kelley Mickus. It was the perfect kit for one of my favorite photos from our honeymoon.

A Productive Weeekend!

2010-05-31T20:59:00.004-04:00

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you so much to all the men and women who have fought to ensure our freedom.

I took Friday off from work and ended up having a really productive four day weekend - spending time with the kids (including a fun trip to Old Navy with Alexa), cleaning the whole house, and being crafty! Alexa and I made some really cute paper flowers and we set the kids up to fingerpaint on the deck - I definitely have some layouts to do - what a fun mess that was!

I did find some time for me and did these two hybrid projects using templates from Kelleigh Ratzlaff's May Grab Bag. The seed packet features the Tangled Twirls kit by Design by Heather T, and the soap box was made with a paper from Stenciled Papers - Two by Roben-Marie Designs. Oh, and one of our cute paper flowers! :)

Slices of life

2010-05-27T08:52:00.002-04:00

:)
Credits: She Sells Seashells by Jennifer Fox, Memories Preserved Templates 1-4 by Susan Robinson.

Credits: Primaeval Pathways by Quirky Twerp

A Serious Challenge!

2010-05-22T09:07:00.002-04:00

I have always been a big fan of The Daily Digi - they provide such fantastic scrapping information and inspiration. One of my favorite things about the site is "The Digi Files," which is a monthly huge package of kits and templates from both well-known and up-and-coming designers. Every month, TDD offers a challenge with products from that month's digi files. This month I decided to participate!

These are really difficult challenges for me because TDD provides a specific list of products (paper x from kit 1, element y from kit 2, etc.) and you can use those products and only those products, and you have to use each one at least once. The only other thing you can use is fonts. Talk about trying to be creative with very tight parameters!! Here's what I came up with this month!

Almost Summer

2010-05-20T12:32:00.003-04:00

And we're having a lot of fun in our little vegetable/berry garden! Here are a couple layouts I did this week featuring new products at The Digichick - credits under each :)

Credits: Take Me Away by Jennifer Fox, Blocky by Nikki Epperson, Edges by ViVa Artistry

Credits: What's Cooking by Mari Koegelenberg

Just a couple layouts for today!

2010-05-13T09:37:00.001-04:00

Remember - new release day at The Digichick means savings for you!!! Credits under each photo.
Credits: Citrus Tangerine by Danielle Engebretson

Credits: Girlfriends by Mari Koegelenberg and Sugarplum Paperie, Edges by ViVa Artistry, and Star Struck Templates Volume 3 by Trixie Scraps.

My Rite Aid score from this week!!

2010-05-07T19:08:00.002-04:00

Check out what I got at Rite Aid this week for 65 cents!! It's about $110 worth of products! Details under the photo:

Details - in two transactions - sorry I didn't separate them out all nice and neat :(
6 Covergirl cosmetics - BOGO free sale
Used 3 BOGO free coupons
OOP - FREE

1 Febreeze Fabric Refresher $4.99
Used 1-$1/1 coupon
OOP - $3.99

3 Synovium Pain Relief Gels 3/$15
Used 3-$2/1 coupons
OOP - $9.00

1 Soleil Disposable Razors (4 pack) $5.99
Used 1-$3/1 coupon
OOP - $2.99

1 Johnson's Detangler $2.99
Used 1-$1/1 In Ad coupon
OOP - $1.99

1 Nivea Body Wash $3.99
Used 1-$4/1 coupon
OOP - ($0.01)

1 Clairol Nice n' Easy Hair Color $7.49
Used 1-$2/1 coupon
Used 1 - $2.50/1 In Ad coupon
OOP - $2.99

2 Pure & Natural Hand Soaps $4.69 ea = $9.38
Used 2-$2/1 coupons
Used 2-$2/1 Video Values Coupons
OOP - $1.38 (this is a great price for this expensive stuff!!)

2 Lysol Disinfecting Wipes BOGO Free Sale = $3.49
Used 2-$1/1 coupons
OOP - $1.49

Used 2-$5 off when you spend $25 coupons
Total OOP = $14.65 including tax
Submitted for $14 in SCRs (#84, #38, #62)

TOTAL SPEND: $0.65 - which was all tax!!

Last weekend

2010-05-06T08:41:00.004-04:00

We had so much fun - including playing outside in the beautiful weather and visiting the Please Touch museum in Philly. Here are three layouts featuring some photos from last weekend!

Credits: Boy oh Boy by Nikki Epperson, Scrappers Block 5 by simply.scraps Designs

Credits: From Anotha Mista and Scrappers Block 5 by simply.scraps Designs.

Credits: May Grab Bag by Elise's Pieces and Paint Shapes 1 by Design by Heather T.

Sketchapalooza 6 has started!

2010-05-04T23:03:00.003-04:00

I have raved in the past about the awesome sketch classes - Sketchapaloozas - at Feeling Scrappy. We started a brand new class yesterday and I'm again doing digital templates for the awesome sketches created by the current design team. Here's the layout I did based on sketch 1 by Becky Rico:

Other credits: Atomic Cupcakes burned edges action, Cowboy Cool and Happy Camper, both by Elise Hansen.

And - I created a pre-class bonus sketch for class participants - here's the layout I based the sketch on:
Credits: Ready for Spring by Elise Hansen and Jude Toone.

Happy {inter}National Scrapbooking Day!!

2010-05-01T19:49:00.006-04:00

Can you believe it? It's {i}NSD and I spent the day in Philadelphia with the kids at the Please Touch Children's Museum instead of scrapping or shopping for scrapping supplies. We had a blast!! More photos to make more layouts :).

Never fear, though - I've had a very busy week creating. So much news in my digi-world -- first, Mari Koegelenberg is guesting at Miss Tiina and has loaded up a bunch of beautiful goodies in her store. In addition, The Digichick is celebrating their fifth anniversary and the designers have created a huge number of amazing birthday-themed kits that are all 50% off!!! And....it's my favorite time of the quarter at The Digichick - Grab Bag time! GBs are such a great way to get a ton of digital goodies for a great price. Here's some of what I've done this week!

Using The Beach House by Mari Koegelenberg:
Using Go Fish by Mari Koegelenberg:
Using Ready Set Blow by Danielle Engebretson and Karen Lewis:

Using Celebrate! by Elise Hansen:

Using Danielle Engebretson's May Sweetness Grab Bag for Girls:
Using Nikki Epperson's Hello Sunshine May Grab Bag:
Using Jennifer Fox's I've Got a Feeling May Grab Bag:

No Regrets!!

2010-04-23T19:19:00.003-04:00

Today's Digichick blog challenge really speaks to me - it's about what you would do differently if you had to do it all over again. Here's my take using Skin to Skin by ViVa Artistry. Come on over to the blog and join us for the challenge - the prizes are AWESOME!

Back to blogging!

2010-04-22T06:38:00.004-04:00

Lots going on - not much time to blog!! We had a great time on Sunday celebrating Alexa's sixth birthday (coming up at the end of the month) and my nephew Collin's fourth birthday (was at the beginning of the month). It's so wonderful to be able to get the cousins together pretty much any weekend! Here's a layout I created of the joint cake!

Credits: Party! by Design by Heather T.

And here's a layout I created of one of my favorite photos from our wedding, just because I'm feeling all sappy towards Adam lately:
Credits: Sweet Innocence by Edeline Marta and Charlize Creations, and A Little Chaotic by Nikki Epperson

You can snag all these items for 20% off today - they're Digichick new releases!

Return to Sender

2010-04-15T21:40:00.003-04:00

I'm sure many of you have been following the recent story of the woman who sent her 7 year old son, adopted from Russia, back to Russia because she alleges she was afraid for the safety of her family and herself. This story makes me really, really angry. Having adopted two children from Russia, I know how it can be done "right." My children are the biggest joy in my life, and I feel blessed every single day. But Adam and I were prepared for them - and although we are fortunate that neither of our children have behavioral or emotional issues, we were prepared that it could happen.

So, I'm angry with Ms. Hansen, for having unrealistic expectations about what adopting an older child who had been institutionalized for a good part of his life would be like. Every - EVERY - source we consulted before we decided to adopt internationally explained the potential issues with institutionalized children - developmental delays, attachments disorders, behavioral problems, even PTSD. I'm angry that Ms. Hansen apparently didn't obtain the counseling and medical help her family needed. I'm angry she didn't reach back out to her adoption agency for help.

I'm also angry with the agency, for not being aware of the problems in this family. Russia REQUIRES post-placement visits by a social worker, with a full report delivered back to Russia, immediately after placement, at 6 months and 1, 2 and 3 years. This woman and her child are either fantastic actors, or the agency didn't do enough to find out what was really going on in the household. I also have to wonder how this woman ever made it through the screening process, which for many Russian regions requires a battery of psychological tests. Was her screening rubber stamped the same way her post placement visits were?

We'll probably never know what really happened in this case. But in addition to being angry, I'm really sad for all the families - prepared families - who are likely to experience delays in getting their precious children home. Been there, done that - and it sucks.

Thursday already??

2010-04-01T11:45:00.003-04:00

So, we're in Mexico, and have been since last Friday. We've been having a blast at the beach and the pool, but having a 22 month old puts a bit of a cramp in our activities! I've had some time to scrap when we're in early for the evening. The first two layouts are of photos taken here, on vacation. Enjoy!

Credits: Gimme a Double by Nikki Epperson, Inspirational Collection - I Wish by Edeline Marta

Credits: Seasons of Change {Summer} by Karen Lewis and Carolyn Rose Kite

Credits: template by Jacinda @ The Digichick, Kelly Girl by Kelley Mickus, Kellie Mize and Kelleigh Ratzlaff

It's another blog hop-hop-hop!

2010-03-29T07:04:00.000-04:00

I love Kelleigh Ratzlaff's blog hops because her creative team is truly amazing and I always get so much inspiration from seeing a bunch of work using her templates all in one day!

Want to play along with us? Visit all the hop stops (list is below the photo) and then go to Kelleigh's site to cast your vote for your favorite project via the comments.

Here's my project using the Clover Box Template Set and digital papers from Sweet Shoppe Designs designer contributions to the January 2010 Digi Files.

You're here ----> Tracy - http://tracykosofsky.blogspot.com/
Sally - http://arainbowslife.blogspot.com/
Laura - http://www.lauras-little-corner.blogspot.com/
Juli - http://julifreshfish.blogspot.com/
Julie - http://mycrazylifeasamomandawife.blogspot.com/
Christy - http://scrapsofme.com/
LuAnn - http://livelaughcreate-luann.blogspot.com/
Jacinda - http://www.digikiwichick.blogspot.com/
Viva - http://vivaartistry.blogspot.com/
Dalis - http://www.stampergirl.com
Holly - http://lv2scrapnjp.blogspot.com
Sharyn - http://analteredlife.wordpress.com/
Karen Lewis - http://scrappingmum.blogspot.com/
Linda - http://www.yamstamps.com
Alice - http://aliceslittlewonderland.blogspot.com/
Mel - http://domesticatedlady.com
Sunghee - http://www.creativityinprogress.com/blog/
Carolina - http://creativepad.typepad.com
Debbie - http://www.debbieseyer.com/my_weblog/
Kim - http://paperrocksscissors.blogspot.com/

Have fun!

Yummy New Releases

2010-03-25T06:24:00.000-04:00

It's new release day again at The Digichick - 20% off all new releases! There's so much fantastic eye candy in the store today - unreal! Here are a few layouts I created - credits under each. Enjoy!
Credits: Fru Fru by Mari Koegelenberg and Jan Hosford

Credits: I Love the Music by Anja J.

Credits: Spring '10 by Karla Dudley Designs

A layout do-over

2010-03-19T19:58:00.003-04:00

Usually, you see do-overs of old layouts. I decided to do-over one I did just earlier this week!

Many people will tell you they scrapbook to preserve their family memories, or to give future generations a glimpse at what their lives were like "way back when." My reasons are much more selfish - creating layouts is my passion. It gives me an outlet for my artistic side that is chained behind a desk job all day. Given that, I tend to focus on the visual aspects of layouts and I often neglect to tell the story.

I was thinking today about what a difficult stage Alexa is going through - doing things that she has been told over and over not to do. We were actually getting really concerned but after a bunch of research, we think it's just an appropriate developmental stage. I wanted to get this down on paper, so I took a layout that I did for one of my creative teams (Mari Koegelenberg's), refreshed the photo with something more recent, and added a bunch of journaling. Here's the before and after:
Before:

After:
I'm really pleased with the change!

Creativity continues....

2010-03-18T20:06:00.003-04:00

Today is new release day at The Digichick with LOTS of yummy stuff!! :) Here are a couple layouts I created (credits under each):

Credits: Kelly Girl by Kelleigh Ratzlaff, Kelley Mickus and Kellie Mize and Fuss Free, Set 2 by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

Credits: I Luv U by Mari Koegelenberg Creations

The Rite Aid Score - including details!!

2010-03-12T12:33:00.004-05:00

Retail cost = $140.75

Total paid = $0.39 (OOP was $29.39 and I'll get a check back for $29.00)
Savings = 99.7%
Note: I did pay an additional $1.71 total in tax, but since PA charges tax AFTER coupons, if I hadn't used any my total tax would have been $6.54. More savings. WOO HOO!

Interested in the breakdown? It's under the (crappy, sorry) photo.

Transaction 1
2 John Frieda shampoos/1 conditioner @ 3/$15 = $15
used 3 - $3/1 coupons
used 1 - $1/1 Rite Aid Video Values coupon
used 1 - $3 off when you spend $15 Rite Aid coupon
OOP = $2.00, get back $5.00 single check rebate #41
Total for transaction = $3.00 money maker

Transaction 2
2 Biore pore strips and 2 Biore cleansers @ 3/$15 = $20
used 2 - buy pore strips get cleansers free coupons
used 1 - $1 Rite Aid Video Values coupon
used 1 - $5 off when you spend $20 Rite Aid Video Values coupon
OOP = $4.00, get back $5.00 single check rebate #41
Total for transaction = $1.00 money maker

Transaction 3
2 Gillette deodorants @2/$8
2 Gillette body washes @$4.99 ea = $9.98
used 2 - buy deodorant get body wash free coupons
used 2-$1/1 deodorant coupons
used 1 - $3 off when you spend $15 Rite Aid coupon
OOP = $3.00, get back $2.00 single check rebate #34
Total for transaction = $1.00

Transaction 4
6 Covergirl cosmetics B1G1 free @$6.99ea = $20.97 (3 free in Rite Aid sale)
1 Pampers jumbo pack @$9.99
2 Kashi cereals @2/$4.88
used 3 B1G1free Covergirl coupons
used 1-$2/1 Pampers coupon
used 1 - free Kashi coupon (Vocalpoint)
used 1 - $1.50/1 Kashi coupon
used 1 - $5 off when you spend $25 Rite Aid coupon
OOP = $3.93
Total for transaction = $3.93
(note - all the Covergirl was totally free, since PA charges tax AFTER coupons)

Transaction 5
1 Metamucil @$9.99
1 Vicks Nyquil @$4.99
1 Oral-B Cross Action Power Toothbrush @$5.99
1 Pampers jumbo pack @$9.99
used 1-$3/1 Metamucil coupon
used 1-$1.50/1 Vicks coupon
used 1-$3/1 Oral B coupon
used 1-$2/1 Pampers coupon
used 1 - $5 off when you spend $25 Rite Aid coupon
OOP = $16.46, get back single check rebates #13 for $5.00, #19 for $2.00, #18 for $10.00
Total for transaction = $0.54 money maker

WOO HOO!

My dirty little secret

2010-03-11T19:13:00.003-05:00

Ok, you hard core couponers. You're going to want to sit down for this one. Ready? I DON'T BUY THE SUNDAY PAPER. Not one copy.

For those of you new to couponing, most of the experts recommend that you buy 4-8 copies of the Sunday paper for the coupon inserts. Since I don't, you might be wondering how I am able to take advantage of many of the deals that are out there. It's simple - I use a coupon clipping service - basically I pay them to clip the coupons for me, and I only order the coupons I need.

I check out all the deals for the week on Saturday and Sunday, and I always place my order on Monday morning and plan to use those coupons to shop on Friday. I typically spend $4-$5 a week on the coupons, which is about what I would spend on the papers. In addition:
1. I don't have to take the time to cut the coupons myself.
2. I don't have to take the time to keep them all organized and filed.
3. I don't have to continue to sort through my filed coupons to remove those that are expired.
4. If there is a great stock up sale on, I don't have to hope that I bought enough papers to really take advantage of it!

Every service I've run across makes their revenue by charging a "clipping fee" for every coupon you order, usually based on the face value of the coupon. There is some "fine print" you need to be aware of when using a service. First, there is typically a minimum dollar order (usually around $4). In addition, there is sometimes a minimum or maximum of each coupon you need to buy (this actually doesn't happen very often, but I do occasionally run across a minimum of 2 or 3 of a coupon, and a maximum of 5 or 10). Shipping speeds vary, as does the selection of coupons available.

Two services I use regularly are The Coupon Clippers (fast shipping but selection is limited in some cases) and Coupon Clipping Crew (slower shipping but very wide selection). I've had great luck with both of them, but as always in couponing, YMMV (your mileage may vary)!

Really on a roll

2010-03-04T17:28:00.004-05:00

I've been scrapping a ton lately and I wanted to share these layouts with new releases from The Digichick! Credits under each.

Credits: Rough and Tumble by Jennifer Fox, and Stacked, Yo and Last Warning Alpha by simply.scraps

Credits: Daisy Crazy by Madame Wing and Trixie Scraps

Credits: Bella Parete #1 and a bazillion other things by Roben-Marie Designs

I've been scrapping a ton lately and I wanted to share these layouts with new releases from The Digichick! Credits under each.