DSD Scraplift Challenge & Chance To Win!!

Happy DSD looooong weekend!

It’s that time of year again to celebrate everything digi scrapbooking! Time for some fun and games, great sales and of course some chances to win awesome stuffs! Let’s kick off the fun with a challenge, shall we??? Let’s get some layout lifting done!

Are you psyched?  I know I am, I always love a good Scrap-lift Challenge.  Today, I have a Layout from the Amanda Yi Designs Gallery at PnCo created by Rae- titles “Painting the House” using “Home is Where We Are” by Amanda Yi (& an alpha and paper from Wishing Well Creations).

SCRAP-LIFT INSPIRATION:

Please scrap-lift this layout using 100% Amanda Yi Designs for the chance to randomly win a $15 off coupon code for your nest shopping experience at Amanda’s shop.  You must upload to the Amanda Yi Designs Gallery at P&CO and then copy & paste the link to your layout in Amanda’s gallery to a comment in this blog post.

Here is my Scrap-lift for this challenge using Amanda Yi Designs & Gennifer Bursett’s newest release “Now Trending”.  You have to have this kit – it’s full of unique and chic elements – and the papers seriously rock.

 

The random winner will be selected next week!

Good Luck & have a fabulous DSD Weekend!

DSD 2014 P&Co Blog Hop & Something fun just for DSD!

Holy cow! It’s that time of year again!! Happy DSD everyone! Amanda here, bringing you tons of fun to start off your DSD festivities!

Pixels and Company is starting off their DSD weekend events today with lovely new releases including the November Company Stash and other stuff created by yours truly and the other awesomeness designers at P&Co!

There is also a storewide sale going on! 35% off everything in the P&Co store 10/29 – 11/2! That’s not all! There is also a buy more save more sale going on! $25 orders get 40% off, $40 orders get 45% off AND $50 orders get 50% off!

On to the P&Co Blog Freebie Hop!

This years DSD Blog Freebie Hop is absolutely amazing! Participate by hopping through all of the stops (IN ORDER) to grab a part of the coupon code, which used together you can grab North of Ordinary FREE at the store!

Check out my contribution to this awesome MEGA collab!

 

Just in case you get lost or you need to start over here is the blog hop order! Be sure to go through the order below and gather all 20 letters/numbers to get the full coupon code!

Scooty’s Designs
Amanda Yi Designs <— Thats me!!!
Mari Koegelenberg
Dawn by Design
Digital Scrapbook Ingredients
creashens
Sabrina’s Creations
Scotty Girl Design
KimB’s Designs
Celeste Knight
Jen Allyson
Mommyish
Sugarplum Paperie
Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs
Robyn Meierotto
Wishing Well Creations by Laura Passage
Anita Designs
Deena Rutter
Karla Dudley
Gennifer Bursett

MY BLOG HOP LETTER IS THE LETTER ….. O

again, it’s the LETTER O

The next stop on the blog hop is Mari Koegelenberg

Now.. it’s freebie time!!

Let’s move on! I have something especially fun today just for those of you celebrating DSD! How does your daily routine look during this weekend? Eat, chat, play, scrap, NO SLEEP, ignore family, repeat? Well it sure feels like that, huh!? Try your best to manage your time this weekend, maybe by making a To Do List and organize yourself that way! I make TONS of them, sometimes more than one a day! But really, how do you go about getting through the weekend as smoothly as possible…. is it even possible!?!? Well, today I have a little something for you that will hopefully brighten up your day and get you pumped for the DSD festivities!

Enjoy this FREE DSD PRINTABLE on me! Just click on the preview below to grab the download 😉

 

That’s all from me for now!

Enjoy the fun and sales! Happy DSD! – Amanda

Make a difference

Sometimes I wonder what I am contributing to the world. So many people do things that impact huge numbers of people, but I don’t aim for that. That type of lofty goal is for politicians, the pope, rock stars. I’m talking about people like this young lady, who makes a difference in day to day life with those around her. Purposefully. Thoughtfully.

 

 

That is a far greater thing than any touch I leave, but I like to think I am still leaving a mark, and contributing something to those I love.

I preserve memories. (You likely do too, if you are reading this.)

That’s important.

My kids, my grandkids, and even friends and other family all benefit from my love of storybooking.

I’m working right now on a trip we made in September to the redwoods of California. My aunt thinks my grandmother saw redwoods. Back when she was in her early 20’s, she and some girlfriends took a road trip from Maine, and drove to CA. This wasn’t along the huge highways that stretch now from coast to coast. It certainly wasn’t the time of big chain hotels with some consistency of lodging choices. And it absolutely was not a time, back in the 1930’s, when young women did a trip like that in the usual scheme of things.

She was an adventurer, before she settled down to be a wife and mother.

                  My Mimi and me, 1965

How I would love to have photos, and the stories, of that time. Her trek. Why she went. The places she saw. I hear she saw Old Faithful. When I stood watching it erupt, I felt my Mimi there with me.

One day, in the far future, I won’t be here. My stories will. Scattered in dozens of albums, as I print hundreds of pages each year (yes, you read that right, I said HUNDREDS), my journey is organized, photographed and journaled, and bound.

I might not be making a huge contribution to the world at large, but I will make a difference to those I love.

Every one of us as scrappers give that legacy to our children, leave that legacy of our lives.

Have a wonderful week!

LBscraps

Sneak Peek::Halloween Magic

Your wait will soon be over, Scrappers!  Tomorrow is the release day for Amanda Yi Designs’ newest kit “Halloween Magic”.  Amanda never ceases to amaze me how she can combine so many artistic styles.  There are rustic woodsy items, charming patterns, and modern designs all in one kit. I drool, sorry, I’ll wait while you wipe your screens…LOL 😀

This kit is truly striking!  I can’t wait for you to see it tomorrow in all of its grandeur.  Make sure you stop by the Amanda Yi Designs shop at PnCo to snag this kit for your Halloween pics next Friday.  See you tomorrow!

Fall and fun and gorgeousness!

 

I had to drive between several locations in Michigan last week, and I found some color! Here in northern AL we have very little, and if we do happen to get some it is in pockets. Michigan was BLAZING in oranges and red and yellows!  I finally had to pull to the side of the road and snap this with my cell phone!

 

 

I came home in the mood to scrap. I ended up grabbing some downloads I just had to have – one excellent one that is FREE as a 2000 likes thank you from Simple Pleasure Designs. Even if Scrabble isn’t your game of choice, how much fun is this set???

I ended up using it right away.

 

And then I spent time downloading another kit that was put together by bunches of designers to assist Melissa of LissyKay Designs. She is undergoing her 14th back surgery today, and her family has staggering medical bills. She is always so positive, and her pain is insidious and debilitating. I gladly bought this amazing collab, and I am inspired to celebrate the important things in life with it.

 

Speaking of important things, Halloween is coming right up! Amanda Yi Designs has some trick or treat kits that will be available very soon – keep an eye out! I will have to scrap with them, as this rocking “Nanny” (what my grandsons call me) will be trick-or-treating with them this year! And *ahem* yes – I’m dressing up!  Stay tuned to my LBscraps fb page to see what the theme is, and to catch me in costume!

Have a good week, and enjoy the seasonal fun, wherever you might be!

LBscraps

Sneak Peek::Project Temps 3

Templates are a great way to start a scrapbook layout.  For many of us however, sometimes templates can be overwhelming with so many elements scattered throughout the page.  That’s what I love about Amanda Yi Designs’ Project Temps.  They are a great foundation for any scrap layout. These generic and simple templates are time savers and yet they’re not so overwhelming that you’ll have to delete a gazillion layers.  You can add elements to your hearts desire, or just keep it basic.  Either way, these are a must have staple for your scrap stash.  Stop on by tomorrow at the Amanda Yi Designs’ PnCo shop.

Write about it!

Good Monday morning! My daughter and her hubby got married a few months ago, but they just took off on their honeymoon today, as they couldn’t get vacation sooner. They had a tight connection, exacerbated by a late take off. Consequently, they are at a beach resort with no bathing suit, no change of clothes, no anything.

As a mother it hurts my heart knowing this isn’t going perfectly for her. I HATE when my kids – or grandkids – are upset. I know she’ll survive, and I’m pretty sure that even though they’ll have to go 24hr without their bags (only one Delta flight a day in) it won’t ruin their whole trip. I might seem like it at the moment, but hopefully it will be just a tiny blip in their memories later.

As a documenter, I have to write about it. Writing this out, in fact, helps me put it in perspective. They made the flight themselves. It could have been worse.

Where am I going with this? Well, there are a lot of things I could write about at any given point. But I’m never quite sure what to pull out and jot down, whether it be in a journal or on a page. Consequently I am drawn to anything that helps me get started.

 

This is a cool site, with all these astericks (***) that you can click on per day, and get a journaling prompt. I can see some pages coming out of this beginning!

 

Another interesting thing is the ‘list’ Facebook groups. I had no idea, until a friend joined 365/30 Lists: Philofaxers! and I did too, curious. There are nearly 4000 people there right now, with hundreds new in the last month! WOW!!!  A list per month, with a prompt every. single. day!  Not that I’d EVER have the time or inclination to do them all, but to have these readily available is awesome!!! Now that I belong to that one I get invites for several others – who knew?!?!

 

There are also places like this you can get instruction for building your story. StoryCoach is kind of cool, and I’ve used it – I just need to KEEP using things like this, to get the words down, as much as I get the photos onto the page!

 

If there are great sites or apps or recommendation you’d have for journaling and writing prompts, I’d love for you to share in the comments! I’m always looking for a new way to get everything into my layouts. Who’s with me!?

Have a great week!

LBscraps

2 Sneak Peeks – Just you wait!

Another Thursday has arrived, can you believe it?  The weather here is turning crisp in the mornings, and then hits the 80’s in the late afternoon.  I love this time of year, it’s all about the kids and playing outside in the colorful leaves, picking fruit from the tree’s.  We try to absorb as much sunlight here in the Pacific Northwest as we can, since Winter is around the corner and the sun hides away.  We try to spend as much time outdoors as we can, Indian Summer’s are so exhilarating.  I hope you’re enjoying your time with your family this fall too.

This week, Amanda Yi Designs has two glorious releases arriving in her shop at Pixels & Co.  First of all is “Just Pickin” a collab with Leah from Mommyish.  I smile every time these two sublime designers team up.  I mean, how can you not?  Here’s a Peek.

 

Last of all is the newest scrap kit in the “This Month” series for October.  Beautiful yellows & oranges with a splash of vibrant red and olive green.  I know I say it every time, but Amanda’s kits are some of my favorite designs.  Her attention to detail and modern simplistic design is extremely eye catching and I find my scrap style progressing and changing the more I use Amanda Yi Designs scrapbooking kits.  Stop on by the Amanda Yi Designs shop tomorrow to see the full reveal of both of these new releases.  See you next week 😀

Photographing lifetimes

I just read a post that I read last year. This is the 40th year updating the series, and a new photo was just posted. It is the type of series that you have to begin with the first, and go through them, before you get to the newest, the last. It is amazingly powerful.

FortyPortraits in FortyYears

Photographs by NICHOLAS NIXON

 

 

Why bring to your attention something that might make you cry (as I just did)?

It is a motivation to you to pick up your cameras. To get photos with you as the subject, as well as those you love. Make sure you are documenting the additional wisdom in your eyes, the endurance of the human spirit. You might not always like the photos of yourself taken today, but one day you will look back on a photo you might not have cared much for, and you will treasure it.

 

This isn’t the only such project, and I’m not suggesting you do the same, but I find it interesting, and arresting, even, to see the progression.

I just expressed this sentiment to a friend who is sad she doesn’t look 19 any more – twenty years later. In fact, here is exactly what I posted:

That’s the thing about time, isn’t it? We’ll never look as good as we did younger. And the sad thing is that when we were younger, mostly we wanted to ‘look better’ than we thought we did then, too.
A couple of years ago I made a decision in my own head. I realized that one day I would be 10-20-30 years older than I am right now, and I’ll look back on the photos from today, the ones where I’m not happy with my double chin, my stupid mole and skin spots, my hair when it has fallen from the wind or whatever – I’ll look back at those very photos, and I’ll think – I wish I looked like that now!
So, the decision was to try to look at those photos, the ones I’m too critical of RIGHT NOW, and to look at them through the eyes of my older self. What a difference that has made! Now I can focus on my big smile, my twinkling eyes, maybe just those two things, but that is what I do. My husband got some very unflattering OH MY GOD I LOOK SO FAT shots in the redwood trees. Well, I’ll still be using them. Because I’m going to choose to look at the TREES, and my face (not my stupid stomach) and I’m going to remember the trip, not tear myself apart.
Well, that is the goal, anyway. If I can hide or crop out my fatness, hallelujah!
Anyway, just saying what *I* am doing. But try it. And, I am telling you – YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Along that line, AmandaYi Designs has a great new kit, Home is Where We Are. Make sure you keep in mind that YOU are what makes a house a home, and having photos of YOU in your home will be what makes it real.

 

LBscraps

Sneak Peek::Kickin’ It

Hey Scrappers, How are you?

Soccer is in full swing at our house, how about yours?  Running everywhere dropping off, picking up, cheering & encouraging, and sometimes just being the taxi driver can literally cause us parents to go bonkers.  Why not sit and scrap about your soccer experiences?  “Kickin’ It” is a perfect kit for the soccer star in your life.  Stop on by the Amanda Yi Designs shop tomorrow to grab and scrap with this adorable kit.