Boo! and freebie too! (2)

Yep! As promised, another post with the same name, right after the previous one! LOL!

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And like the earlier entry, first we begin with the good news!

Rach (Designs by Doodelle) has an important gig next month being a guest designer at an exciting store!!! Apart from holding a Guess My Gig games at her Facebook fan page, she's also holding a RAK for new kits she has coming out at the guest store too! Head over to Facebook or DST for both games now! Or you can just go to Rach's blog to read the details about them. :)

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Now my news. And I'm sorry to say that it's a sad news. After almost a year working as a Creative Team Member of Digital Scrap Cafe, I have decided to step down. Yes, I'm leaving DSC.

It's such a hard decision to make, I lost quite a few nights' sleep over it. It feels like the end of an era for me!! I enjoyed being active and getting creative for the wonderful shop and this friendly forum so much, but I just don't have enough time to be as active anymore. It really breaks my heart (you know how much I love DSC) but you've gotta do what you've gotta do, right?

In any case, I'm hosting this one last challenge there and I hope you will be able to find time to play with me. It's a template challenge!! I made a new template out of an old layout of mine, then I used it with this new layout for the latest lovely collab kit from Aprilisa Designs and Pixelily Designs called Eek! I'm Scared!

Here's my layout with it:


Journaling reads:
*NOT counting down to October 31 !*
Papa has taken leave from work to visit us from the second week of October,
and he's due to be back in Lebanon on Oct 31.
That makes this year the worst Halloween ever!
We know we woud miss your funny faces so much!

There will be a little parting gift from me to all participants of the challenge as well. So please go to the challenge thread to find your download link and make a layout! Play with me! Please..... :) I hope you like the template!!

** There is a problem at DSC so the challenge is cancelled for now. You can click on the image to download. **

** Edited: Many thanks to @Ally S. who let me know that she couldn't download the template from DSC because there's a malware warning on the site. I heard the complaint earlier and the site were already working hard on it. Anyway, in the mean time, if you can't access DSC either, you may use this link to download the template directly.

And if you do have a chance to make a layout from the template and can't post the layout in DSC gallery due to malware warning, please leave the link to your page in the comment space here and I'll make sure to show it in the challenge thread and make you eligible for participating prize. :) Thanks!! **

Boo! and freebie too! (1)

Yep! This is post number one. There will be another entry with the same title, featuring another layout with (somewhat) the same name, from another kit with (somewhat) the same theme, and another coordinating freebie (fortunately not of the same kind) coming right after. Don't ask me why. It just has to be. I'm confused myself. LOL!

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Yesterday was Friday and it's the day of new releases! I just want to mention this one by Dunia quickly because it's so cool! It's a new template pack inspired by Camila Maria who always rocks her layouts with clustering style. I haven't got a chance to play with the templates yet but I'll show you the page I make with it soon.

I know it's only a day left but maybe you can still catch it! Dunia's Good-bye Sale at Zig Zag Scrap, 50% off her entire shop until October 31 only!!!

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Designs by Anita also has something out for the special day tomorrow! Halloween! Yayyy! We don't celebrate Halloween at home but Neill can't help getting excited with it. He even asked Papa to buy him a pirate costume - fully equipped with eye pad, ear rings, a sword, a cap, a head scarf! I'll snap some shots for you to see if he really gets to wear it somewhere. :D

Anyway, here's Anita's delicious Halloween kit called Trick or Treat! (Available at MScraps and Two Little Pixels) I so love the classic colors and cute elements. Very versatile and good for both boys and girls too!

Here's my page using this fabulous kit!

Journaling reads: April 24, 2010
For almost 10 years that Mama has been collecting pictures of Papa's 'Boo!' Faces,
This one is certainly a clear favorite,
Neill couldn't stop laughing when he saw this.

I made a 12x12" quickpage out of that layout for Anita to give away on her blog and she was so kind as to allow me to share it here as well. So, click on the preview below or just click here to download. Leave me a word or two if you like it please. And don't forget to go to Anita's blog to read all about the kit and see other awesome pages from other CT members too! Enjoy!

For Dunia: news, kits, and layouts!

A lot is going on for Dunia right now and I'm here to spread the words! :)

Dunia Designs is leaving Zig Zag Scraps (to become exclusive at DigiScrappersBrasil) so she's having a 50% sales for her whole store at ZZS. Grab the fabulous products before October 31!

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She's also having a few lovely kits out recently. This one, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a collaboration with Rubia of Studio Basic, so you can rest assured that the kit is certainly fun, funky, and fabulous! Templates and a set of alpha are also included!

For some reasons, I always find myself using Dunia's kits for my hubby's cute little grand niece Deandré's pictures. I feel that Dee's playful personality goes with Dunia's style so well. So here is Dee's fun day at the beach, scrapped with this great kit. I used Studio Basic's template (included in the kit) too!

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Another one is a relaunched kit for Christmas, Christmas Wishes collab kit by Dunia and Loreta Labarca (available at DigiScrappersBrasil and MScraps)!! Honestly, I love the kit so much and have loved it since I saw it last year. If you celebrate X'mas at home, this one is for you. It's so versatile and has so much to play and be creative with.

I made a page with this kit last year, using a picture of Yuri, Dunia's handsome son. He was such a perfect model for a perfect Christmas celebration!!

The quote in the layout belongs to Burton Hills. It says, 'The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.'

So true. Don't you agree? :)

What can you learn from little birds?

If the title sounds a little philosophical, then maybe that's because it's kinda is! Am I confusing you already? :) It's all about this page here.

Journaling reads: (October 27, 2002)

In Thailand we have a saying that can be translated as
"Little birds build nests according to their size."
This is based on a Buddhist belief that one should always
be aware of their own situation and live within their means.

I had this thought on my mind when Chris and I decided to host a small party
to let our friends know of our engagement
and my decision to leave Thailand to live with Chris in East Timor.
We sent out an informal invitation to friends with this photo on it.

The fact that it was taken at an instant photo booth in the old Bangkok airport
only a few minutes after Chris's flight had landed made it even more special.
No make-up, stiff hair, or beautiful suit and gown. Just us and the camera.
It became the first symbol of our lives together on the path of little birds.

* * * * *

Yes, I know. It's an old picture and an old story. But the moment I laid eyes on the Kissing Birds kit, I thought of both immediately. I wanted to tell the story and tell it right, because it means a lot to me. This kit helped me do just that.

But then again it's always like this between me and each one of Rachelle's (Designs by Doodelle's) kit. They make me feel the urge to tell a story. Sometimes, though, the right story doesn't show itself to me right away. When that happens I prefer to wait. I know that if I give it time and don't rush myself to "just finish it", it will pay off. Probably not very nice of me as a creative team member but I'm lucky that Rach is super sweet and understand her Creative Soulmates very well. Hehe...

Anyway, here's the ultra cute and super creative kit that inspires me so much, Kissing Birds:

You may pop in Rach's blog to see other stunning layouts that the MScraps CTs have created with the kit, and also a layout from Tammy and one from Indy -- my two creative soulmates on Rach's CT team!

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As usual, Rach lets me turn my layout in to a QP to give away here. I hope you woud enjoy it as much as I do. There's plenty of room on the layout to tell your own story or you can even add more of your own special photos onto it. Please consider leaving me a word or two if you like the page enough to download. You know how much I love to read. :) Here's your download link.


Indy has a quickpage from her layout to give away as well. Don't forget to tell her I send my best regards when you stop by her blog to catch the goodies! ;)

A Perfect Day to ...

It's a perfect day to ... insert your own verb there in the blank! :D For me, I guess I'll have to say it's a perfect day to write! I've been working on an article (IRL work) and now I'm making 2 back-to-back blog posts for Anita's kits and then Rachelle's while hubby is having his perfect snore in bed behind me. LOL

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Let's start with a good news about Anita! Designs by Anita is featured at The Daily Digi and I feel so excited for her. It is such a wonderful site where I learn a lot about graphic techniques and also about digiscrapbooking design business from. One thing you will get to learn more about today is Anita herself! This article, In the Designer's Studio with Anita, will give you an inside peek about who she is and how she works. I find it really interesting and fun to read!

Anita has created a new and exclusive kit to include in the Digi Files#22 along with products from other well-known designers. This kit by Anita is called "A Perfect Day" which is so perfectly stunning in everyway!

Here is what I made with it:

Journaling reads:
We found a cute little cafe near our holiday house in Rayong
so we decided to stop for snack and, of course, an inpromptu photo session.

We took turns taking pictures.
Then we set the camera on tripod to shoot us together.
The brief quality time was such a perfect moment for us.

* * * * *

Being such a totally efficient and hyper creative designer :) , Anita also has this very useful and cool set of Grungy Masks out this week at MScraps and Two Little Pixels!


And this is my layout using one of the Grungy Masks with a little bit of A Perfect Day!

I used a picture of Neill and Grandma over the Sirikit dam in Uttaradit, taken when Neill was participating in a sports tournament there last year. I like the shape and lines of the bridge and I like the depth of focus in this photo. It fits the masks perfectly and I'm really satisfied with the outcome. They really are "best friends"in a sense and I feel so blessed for that. :)

Digital Scrap Cafe October 2010 Blog train is here!

Uh... Well... Technically, the blog train is here but I am not, though. LOL! I'm actually on a beach somewhere sipping a mai tai (..more likely a cup of hot latte but it's more fun to think mai tai. Hehe) But since this is the 15th of the month, I just have to pop in here to welcome you on board the Digital Scrap Cafe October 2010 Blog Train.

This train is taking you to see the beauty of Autumn with the beautiful collab kit "Falling for You" by all the fabulous designers of Digital Scrap Cafe! Included in this gorgeous kit are 110 elements and 61 papers, more than enough to satisfy your scrapping needs all season long. :)


For this month, our talented and sweet Blog Train hostess, Alison of Milly Dee Designs, suggested that we make a hybrid tag as blog train freebies. What a fun idea! The tags can be printed out and used as is or you can of course use it as a part of your scrapbooking layouts.

Sadly, due to family business and out of town trips this month, I couldn't participate fully and wasn't able to make the tag for blog train. I still would love for you to visit all the participating blogs and collect the fantastic goodies our designers and CT members have waiting for you though. Here are all the blog train stops:

Digtal scrap Cafe
Tempusfugit
The Beale Five
tincancanoe
Kristen's Scrappy Life
Cage Bird Designs
Three Hearts Digital Designs
Milly Dee Designs

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Well, hybrid tag or not, I still can't let you leave this blog empty handed, especially on the DSC Blog Train day! My gift for you here is the 2011 Monthly Calendar Dates that I made to use with my own family calendars. The project is currently in printing process and I'm so excited about it!!!. I'll probably write another blog post to show you all the calendar pages soon. :D

Here's one sample of the calendar dates in use. (I modified my layouts to make the calendar. This page uses Designs by Doodelle's Creative Soul kit with a wire cupcake element by Three Paper Peonies, and my own calendar dates.)


Please click here or on the preview below for download link. I hope you enjoy it and have fun with your own calendar projects. And don't forget to check out the DSC blog train as well for a lot more freebies!! Talk later!

*Edited to add this: @suzielarose asked if the font I used for the calendar dates is my handwriting. I'm flattered but no, it's not. (I wish! LOL) It's a free font by Tom Murphy called One Constant. You can also find a link to his website [DIVIDE BY ZERO] in the TOU file of the calendar dates. ;)

Guess who made GSO again??

Me! Me! Me! (Gee, love yourself much??!! LOL) Oh well, I'm happy, what can I do? :D

One reason why this time it makes me more excited than before is because it's totally unexpected. I'll admit it, everytime I finish a layout I have a wee bit of hope it will get a GSO somewhere. A bit pathetic, yes, but it feels great to know that other people like my creations too. (Since I always scrap pictures of Neill, the term "my creations" means him as much as my layouts. LOL)


I finished the page in a hurry because it was going to be the last page - the backside of the back cover - of the family's 2011 calendar, which needs to be reformatted and zipped up and burnt to a disc and sent to the printer right away. At that point I had been working for 40 hours straight, hurrying to finish the project, and only managed to sneak in 3 hours of sleep in between those long hours. So, I was happy enough that the last page came out decent. LOL! The fact that it got mentioned in the GSO blog just blew me away! Thank you so much, Kate and GSO!!!

Of course, the page can't be half decent without Rachelle's kit Travelogue and Dunia's 2009 in Review Template. I salute you and am soooooo very grateful to be working with you, Rach and Dunia!!!


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Also just finished a new page for Caged Bird Designs' store grand opening at Digital Scrap Cafe!! (Her kits are now 40% off during this celebratory period. Go check it out quickly!!) This beautiful Fall kit, Bountiful Meadow, is so easy and fun to work with. I used it for the pictures of Neill in his grandma's garden. It was quite a funny moment for all of us.

Grandma's Garden
Journaling reads:
Neill wanted to help Khun Yai (grandma) in the garden
at our little holiday house in Rayong.
It took him the whole 20 minutes to properly put on
mosquito repellent lotion, long socks, and garden gloves.

He then confidently tackled the weeds, pulled out handful after handful of those,
never forgot to pause every half minute to pose for the camera.

After 5 minutes, he decided that he had enough,
claiming that an ant bit him somewhere and the leaves made him itchy.
It took another 20 minutes to remove all that he just put on to take a shower. :)

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Alright, just a few short notes before I have to go. Rachelle (Designs by Doodelle)'s CT Call is still going on until October 13. Send her your application fast if you're interested!

My What's in the Coffee Cup challenge at DSC is also running until the end of October. Already there are some amazingly creative layouts submitted. I hope to see a lot more, though. Remember, ALL participants get a little something at the end of the month too!! :)

Looking for some *Creative Soul*-mates :)

Pardon the silly attempt at word play for the title. It's late now and my own creative juice has already gone to bed without me tagging along. LOL

Speaking of creativity, I just finished a layout featuring my own creative little boy. It's in a style I never really tried before but have always wanted to. It came out just the way I imagined it, and got mentioned right away in MScraps' Gallery Standouts thread. Woohoo!!!

"Creative You"
Journaling reads:
You love singing. You love dancing.
You make your own music. You have fantastic imagination.
Okay, you don't draw all that well,
but you always have great stories behind all your drawings.
You asked, "Mama, can you teach me how to do digital scrapbooking?"
I sure can, and I definitely will, my love.

Kit used for the page is Creative Soul of Designs by Doodelle -- back when she still went by Rachness. I just love the kit and kept holding it until I could find what I really want to create with it. I'm glad I waited. :)


Anyway, does anybody get my title by now? :D Here's your deciphered message. Rachelle (Designs by Doodelle) is having a CT Call! If you are also a Creative Soul, this is your chance to work and play with Rach's fabulous products as her creative team member. I am already on her team, so if you make it to the team, wouldn't it mean we will be *Creative Soul*-mates? LOL

Alright, alright. I'll stop goofing around now. :D If you need more details on CT application, drop by Rach's blog. She has a really fun detailed explanation on it. And if you want to see more of Rach's fab stuff, to see how well you will fit in with the team, head over to her store. Apart from her infinite talent, Rach is also one of the sweetest persons I know in this business. You won't be disappointed.

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Well, naturally, I'll end this post with a little gift to you, from Rach and me. Enjoy the QP and hurry up with your CT application! Call ends Oct. 13!

A quick post for Anita's fans

So sorry it's gonna be a hit-and-run post again. I'm super busy these days and here's one of the reasons why:

Neill is studying hard for the semester final exam. All my fingers and toes are crossed that he gets some good grades!!! Please wish him luck too! :)

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Anita (Designs by Anita) is going crazy! LOL! Oh but you are going to love this. I mean, she is going crazy with give-aways, RAKs, and a whole lot of freebies!

She has a new gorgeous kit, a collaboration with Joyce Paul called Just Breathe, out this Friday. You have a chance to win this kit just by leaving comments on Anita's and Joyce's blogs or tweeting and FB'ing about it. RAK ends Thursday night (Dutch time) so don't forget to check your time difference first. :)

* * * * *

There's more! Anita also just started with Facebook and Twitter recently and she couldn't wait to get the party going.

So this Friday evening (again, Dutch time) she will be giving away coupons at her Twitter account. Some lucky followers (it will be a double digit number!!) will get a product for FREE! And.... everytime the follower count goes up to 100+, Anita said she will throw in a freebie or a huge coupon too. :D

What are you waiting for, then? Head over there immediately or go to Anita's blog to read the details now! :)

I'm turning back the clock at DSC! :D

Well, not really. LOL! It's just for this month's What's in the Coffee Cup Challenge!

For October 2010 I decided that we’ll revisit some of DSC’s discontinued challenges (the oldies but goodies.) :) Those who have been to the forum last year might remember that we used to have Quote, Color, and C&S Challenges. Now we will see the combination of all that!

I won't bore you with details here. You can go and read all about it from the DSC blog and the challenge thread. (And please do drop by because there will be a special gift for ALL participants of the challenge!!) I'm just gonna tell you how excited I am hosting it. I think it's a wonderful combination and I had such a great fun creating this example layout!

So here's my interpretation of this month's CCC:

Journaling reads:
You just started training for badminton recently
and already it has become your latest passion.
You are not really light on your feet yet but you have keen eyes and great reflexes.
We don't know yet if you'd make the school team in time
for the upcoming inter-school tournament, but you definitely gave it your all.
Even if it doesn't come out the way we want,
this will surely be the start of another great journey for you.
(September 30, 2010)

The kit used for this layout is Defiant by one of Digital Scrap Cafe's exciting new designers, Dream Big Designs!


It's such a perfect kit for boys, especially ones who love rock music and into all rebellous kinds of activities. It's totally made for my Neill! LOL!! I just love it so much and probably will create more LOs with it when I can find time.

The WA in the layout is from my own Journey Word Art set that was the September CCC participation prize.



You still have a chance to get the whole set, if you want to, just by joining in the October CCC Challenge. Click the preview below and pick up this one word art freebie to make the layout per the CCC directions and submit to the thread! I'll be waiting for you there. :)

Going on The Trails with Camp Giggle

Sorry! The blog was supposed to be updated at least half a day ago but we were enjoying my sister's birthday dinner I didn't get a chance to boot up the computer. That Japanese restaurant was fantastic, by the way. I really loved my tofu and grilled leeks! :)

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Got a new layout to show you again. The pictures were from our South Africa trip last year. Papa took us to the Pretoria zoo and it was so much fun! I actually took dozens of pictures there that I intended to scrap one day (mostly of animals and the zoo's fabulous signage design.) It's almost a year past though and I guess they still have to wait a little longer. LOL


Journaling reads:
October 9, 2009
Neill had such a wonderful day with Ouma and Oupa exploring the Pretoria zoo
which is known for being the largest zoo in South Africa.
Luckily there were golf carts available
or we wouldn't have made it through the whole 6km. of walkways around!!

The page is not really my usual scrapping style but it did feel nice to try it for a change. I love the outcome too, especially how much it looks like real paper scrapbooking. The lovely and fun kit used for the layout is Rachelle (Designs by Doodelle)'s latest addition to her store: Camp Giggle. (20% off at MScraps all this weekend!)

And, as usual. You can enjoy a taste of this creatively yummy kit of Rachelle as well! Rach lets me turn my layout into a QP freebie to give away here. Just click on the preview below to get your download link.

Don't forget to check Rach's blog and Indy's blog as well. They both have lovely stuff waiting for you to pick up! Oh, and why don't you check back here in a day or two? A little bird told me that there'd be another freebie here. See ya! :)