{simply.scraps}

LB's Gallery Standouts 2/9/12

2012-02-09T22:17:00.004-06:00

Hey, guys! Me again :) I love taking the time to peek at my designer gallery at Scrap Orchard when I have a few minutes to take it all in...not only is it awesome to see the products that I making being used by other people in such creative ways but it also gives me an idea of what products my customers really like and are using. Enough of my yip yapping, on to the standouts!

Love this page by ScrapKat. The multi patterned background rules, and I really love how she added doodled elements right on top of her picture.

This page by SugarPieScraps has some seriously awesome shadow work, as well as a super adorable photo at center stage :)

Last pick for this week is this fantastic white space layout by navaja77. Not only does the white background make the rest of the layout pop, but I'm a big fan of pages that mix products. It really tickled me that she pulled from her LB stash to create this awesome page!

Digiscrapapalooza 2012: Coming Up Fast!

2012-02-09T16:40:00.002-06:00

Use the code laurasentme to get $20 off your Digiscrap*apalooza registration fee!

Law of the Pack & Scout Belt Loops

2012-02-05T09:43:00.006-06:00

Believe it or not, I'm actually writing my own new release blog post this week! ;) My 8 year old recently started cub scouts, and we've enjoyed staying busy with that. If you have a little dude at home and are looking for ways to keep him active and INTERactive, I highly suggest you look into scouts.

He's built his own toolbox...

Made a pinewood derby car...

And even been to his first mommy/scout dance...haha!

Anyways! So that explains why I decided to make a scouts kit. I hope to make more coordinating products for higher ranks as I learn more about it all.

Law of the Pack

I also created a coordinating element pack that you'll get free with your purchase of the kit this week only.
Scout Belt Loops

I had a one kit call for this kit and got a lot of responses from talented scrappers all around digiland. I was only able to accept a handful of girls to make sample pages for me, and I'll share just a couple here on the blog. Be sure to check out my designer gallery at Scrap Orchard to see more sample pages!

Layout by Laura Banasiak
(also used Hooked by LB and Valorie Wibbens)

Layout by Laura Wilson

Layout by Jan MacLaury

Layout by Tara Swinford

Layout by Jenn Marione

Sneak Peek & Chance to Win!

2012-01-31T14:07:00.002-06:00

Think you can take a guess at the theme this week? ;)

Want a chance to win it?? Head on over to the Scrap Orchard forum to enter before Thursday morning :)

$40 In Savings for Digiscrapapalooza!

2012-01-29T21:22:00.004-06:00

Guys. Digiscrapapalooza is coming up SO QUICK. And trust me, you SO want to be there! I went last year and wouldn't miss it for anything! I'm flying in from Chicago, so you can't use the excuse that you're not close to Vegas. ;)

There's still time to register for Digiscrapapalooza 2012! And now you can bring a friend and you both save!

How it works:

You must be a registered Digiscrapapalooza 2012 Retreat Attendee.
Your friend must register for the Digiscrapapalooza 2012 Retreat.

Have your friend list you as their referral on their Digiscrapapalooza 2012 Registration Form. For every friend you refer we will give you a $20 credit* towards classes. Each friend will also receive a $20 credit*!!

You can earn up to $100 in credits* toward classes (max 5 referrals).

Deadline to refer a friend is February 15, 2012.

* Credits have no cash value and can only be used for Digiscrapapalooza 2012 classes, class bundles or the All-In-One Class Pass.

**Use the code laurasentme to receive $20 off your registration fee!**

Great creative starters!

2012-01-27T17:20:00.000-06:00

Laura's got some great creative jump start templates, call Page Fillers Duet Vol. 2 in store. These gorgeous templates are a great way to get started on a page, and they'd be amazing as Project Life or Project 365 templates to make an album from.

Take a look at how some of the creative team used them:

Kat used this page filler to show off all her wonderful pictures, and filled some space with papers as well. Great use of the template!

And Christine's layout is fun, pretty and a terrific variation. It doesn't need to be a list, but simply gorgeous photos you want to show off, and a great title.

Yolanda chose to list 5 favourite parts of her loved one. Cute idea if you are stuck for your P365 photo of the day.

Pick them up in store this week at Scrap Orchard!

LB's Gallery Standouts 1/22/12

2012-01-22T13:35:00.003-06:00

Hello there, scrappy friends! I've been so overwhelmed with work and kids' activities that I feel I haven't been as present here on the blog as I'd like to be, so I'm going to snag a few of my favorite uploads from the galleries around digiland to show off!

First up, this hybrid cutie from ~cindy~

How cool is this? I love the look of the doodled wings when cut out, perfection!

I love the soft feel of this page from Lorianne

Nikki Epperson stole my heart with this fab 80's page

Seriously. Bold, colorful. TOTALLY 80's, amiright?!

This stunner from calliclaire is just too much fun :)

The template is so fun, as is her photo series :)

Mommylaroo's boy page here is just breathtaking!

Pulling off a blended photo on a patterned background is no easy task! I love her clear photos as well, they drew me right in for a closer look :)

That's all for this week, I'll try to come back as often as I can to snag a couple standouts to feature on the blog! :)

Hey Laura! Looking Good!

2012-01-20T19:09:00.000-06:00

Laura's got a rad new kit out this week with a special free with purchase deal too. Looking Good is a bright splash of attitude with a capital "A"! Get it this week and you get the valentines, free!

Check out Kat's cutie pie!

I love the stacked papers with elements just peeking out of the corners! Go get this kit so you can start playing with all the yummy elements and amazing papers! You'll be glad you did, especially this week with the free valentines.

A sweet collab to swoon over!

2012-01-13T09:56:00.000-06:00

Laura and Emily have collaborated on the most adorable kit this week! It's full of sugary-sweet goodness for your valentines, date-nights or romantic pictures. This week if you get the kit, you get Emily's valentines for free!

Ready for some adorable layouts from the creative team?

I love Carrin's romantic layout. It's sweet and beautifully highlights the photo. Great couple!

Kat's new addition is already a charmer:

When I saw Jenn's layout, I started singing it...oh you know, come on sing it with me....And they called it puppy love...!

And wow, what a great example of how perfect white space can be. Laura's placement of the photo is perfect, along with just a few elements clustered around the photo.

Olivia's title caught me on this one. Did you also read the title and need to look more closely at the journaling? Smart layout and smart journaling. Me likes.

Get over to the store and show us how you used this collab! It's so easy to use and you'll pull off many fun layouts with it!

Not just rad - Way rad!

2012-01-07T22:21:00.000-06:00

Laura's collaborated with Micheline and they have got an amazing and bright kit out this week. You are going to love it. It's Way Rad!

One of those must have kits for taking you back to the games, mind benders and fun of the 80s. Get it this week and you get the Way Rad alpha add-on free:

Check these layouts by the creative team. Carrin's using the doodles to get the eye where she wants it:

And I love this bright happy layout from Yolanda:

Olivia's all about the cool:

I love Kat's use of patterned papers:

Get to the store this week to scrap some of those rad memories!

A Little Hybrid How-To

2011-12-24T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hello Readers!

It's been a while, but I'm back to bring you a cute little hybrid project using Laura's latest kit, Holiday Magic. For this project, I'm using a template from Kelleigh Ratzlaff, and you can grab that over at The DigiChick. The first thing you'll want to do is open up the template in your scrapping program. I clipped the papers I wanted to use to the parts of the template, and then grabbed some elements from the kit and placed and sized them the way I wanted them. For this project, I wanted to cut out and place the elements, so I hid those layers when I was printing the main template, and then went back and printed the elements separately.

After printing all of my parts, I start cutting them out. I like to cut out all of my pieces before I start assembling, that way once I start with glue and tape, I don't have to go back to the scissors.

After I have all the pieces cut out, take your scoring tool (in my case the back of an old butter knife) and score all the places marked on the template for scoring. For this project, the bottom of the canister had to be scored, along with the sides and top of the canister.

Once all of the fold lines are scored, fold and crease the top of the canister, and gently fold the sides of the canister so that you have a curved piece of cardstock. You don't want to actually crease these folds, just fold them so that you can form a circle. I'm using double sided tape for this project, and I went ahead and placed my tape on the flaps of the canister.

Next I removed the backing from the tape, and carefully lined up the edges of the flap and the other end of the canister, to form a loose circle.

Next I fold in all the tabs at the top of the canister, pushing them down as I go, to close the top of the canister.

Next I took the bottom of the canister, and folded and creased the scored lines. I placed tape on the inside of each of the "petals" formed from the fold.

Then I start with one petal, and remove the backing from the tape, adhering each petal to the corresponding side of the canister. When that's done, I attached a bow to the top of the canister, and added my elements where I wanted them.

And there you have it! A cute little canister to hold Santa's cookies on Christmas Eve! Hope you've enjoyed this little tutorial, I'll be back next month with something new for you!

Merry Christmas!!

Holiday Magic abounds!

2011-12-23T12:06:00.000-06:00

Laura's in the holiday spirit today with her colourful new release, Holiday Magic! A sweet kit full of doodled goodness to celebrate this holiday season. Gorgeous doodled ornaments and fun word art make this so easy to use to capture your holiday memories.

Here are some of the ways the creative team used it:

Laura W.'s trimmed her tree just right:

Christine's cuties look so ready for the big day!

Yolanda clustered some of the yummy papers with a perfect picture:

And I think the jury is still out for Melissa on whether this sweetie is naughty or nice:

Laura, an amazing scrapper in her own right, did an awesome job on her own layout here too!

From Laura and her creative team, we wish you all the best for this holiday season, and hope you have an exciting 2012 ahead!

New Holiday Kit Sneak Peek & Chance to Win!

2011-12-21T09:58:00.003-06:00

Did you really think I was going to let the holidays pass without making a doodly Christmas themed kit? ;)

Want to win it? Check HERE.

Scrap Orchard Advent Sale and Freebie!

2011-12-17T12:11:00.004-06:00

Hi scrappy friends! I'm the designer behind door #17 on our Scrap Orchard 2011 Advent Calendar, and you know what that means...

That's right! You will save 50% on any order in my store today!

********

Not only do you get to save 50% in my store today, but you also get to snag my FREE contribution to our 2011 Advent Mega!

Head over to the Scrap Orchard forum for your direct download! Make sure you come back each day to grab the entire kit!

All sales, specials and promotions are based on Eastern Time Zone. Coupons and sales cannot be combined.

The Advent Sale(s) and Freebie(s) are only available for 24 hours.

Any problems with downloading, unzipping or accessing the freebie should be addressed to Laura Banasiak
laura@simply-scraps.net

My Bestie With Litabells Now at Scrap Orchard!

2011-12-10T16:22:00.006-06:00

Hey, scrappy friends! I'm filling in for Kiki's weekly new release blog post, hope you don't mind. :)

This week, Lita and I worked together again to come up with something really cute for scrapping sister and friend pages.

My Bestie
20% off now at Scrap Orchard

Purchase the collab this week and you'll get this alpha from Lita FREE:

My team totally rocked it with this kit!

Yolanda scrapped an awesome page about her hubster:

Carrin shared an emotional page with us this week:

I scrapped a page about one of my good friends:

Kat journaled about her love for her online friends:

Laura W. rocked a clustery little girl page:

Christine showed off the patterns with this paper strip page:

And she even rocked out another one!

Hope you've enjoyed taking a look! Hurry and grab this one while it's one sale...and cuddle it until Lita and I collab again ;)

Peek From Myself & Litabells!

2011-12-07T16:41:00.001-06:00

And of course a chance to win it! :)

{Reply HERE by tomorrow morning}

Get ready for Laura to rock your world!

2011-12-02T11:13:00.005-06:00

There is just so much gorgeousness coming out of Laura's stores this week. Stores? Yes! She is guesting at MScraps this month and wait until you see the product she has pulled out. There's a cool, rockin', wicked kit at MScraps called Lookin' Good. And then there's no less than 3 new goodies at Scrap Orchard. Be sure to check out And it goes like, and the Bread Clip Alpha, as well as Just a Dot, Not a Lot glue elements. This week you'll get the alpha free with the purchase of the and it goes like kit.

Ready for some eye candy? Check out these beauties!

And then as usual, the amazing creative team got their scrap on this week and pulled out some amazing layouts using all the products.

Laura's cluster here blows me away. Love the glue splats all over as well:

Kat didn't let the lack of a photo stop her from documenting a great memory:

I think Melissa fit the entire kit and then some onto this layout. Amazing!

Melissa also pulled out a great page with Lookin' Good!

Yolanda's layout takes me back...

Check out Carrin's sweet little dancer!

Carrie's cutie has a crush! Look at that face! Priceless.

And a rad layout from Christine, but not for the faint of heart. Ouch.

Get over to MScraps or Scrap Orchard today to pick up these goodies this week! You know you can't pass up this awesomeness!

4 Winners Announced!

2011-12-01T08:59:00.004-06:00

Announcing this week's giveaway winners...

Check out what Amanda won:

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Sharon's winnings:

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Jessica's stuffs:

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Laura's goods:

Come back tomorrow for Kiki's official weekly release blog post :)

Winners: Please email me at laura@simply-scraps.net to claim your prizes!

This Week's Peeks and Giveaways!

2011-11-29T09:26:00.003-06:00

I've got a few really cool releases coming this week, and I'm going to give you the chance to win one! :) Not only will I have some stuff dropping in my Scrap Orchard shop, but I'll be adding a kit to my December guest shop. Want to win one of these bad boys?

All you need to do is leave a comment here on this blog post. Easy, yes? One comment per person and the drawing will be closed Thursday (12/1) morning at 8am Central.

I'll be choosing 4 random winners!

Farmer's Market Goodies for $1!

2011-11-25T08:11:00.007-06:00

Ready to save big with Laura at the Farmer's Market? Get your Paypal ready for these great $1 deals. But hurry, they don't last long. You can pick up some awesome templates, alphas, and even some of her jam-packed kits like Boogity Boo! and Boom for only a buck! Check out some of the items you'll find at the Farmer's Market this weekend!

The images are linked to make your shopping quicker. So get over to Scrap Orchard today to fill up your cart with Laura's fabulous Farmer's Market items. You'll find 15 items on sale for only $1, but it won't last long! Have a terrific holiday weekend!

Tuesday and Wednesday Persnickety Freebies!

2011-11-23T14:05:00.004-06:00

If you missed my posting about my Persnickety feature this week, you're in luck because I'm going to tell you all about it again, hehe. I'm the featured designer at Persnickety Prints this week, and will be giving away a new digital scrapbooking freebie each day.

Below, you'll find Monday's freebie...a holiday themed mini kit. You can check it out and download on Persnickety's blog HERE.

Tuesday's freebie was a really cute doodled alpha :) You can find that one HERE on the PP blog.

Now today, I'm giving away a 12x12 inch quickpage that I created using Monday's holiday themed mini kit. You can grab it HERE :)

Make sure you check back tomorrow and every day through Sunday for your daily download on the Persnickety Prints blog! :)

Week of Gratitude Daily Freebies: Monday - Mini Kit

2011-11-21T08:47:00.004-06:00

Most everyone knows that I love me some Persnickety Prints...they're affordable, fast and just all around fun people to do biz with! This week I'm being featured on their website and am offering up a holiday themed freebie EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

That's right, baybeh. Daily freebies all week long. Check out Monday's below!

Chari of Persnickety Prints sent me a a small questionnaire to fill out, you can read all my answers HERE and even enter to win $25 to my store!

Come back tomorrow to grab Tuesday's download, too! :)

Ooh, look who's in the spotlight now!

2011-11-18T07:20:00.002-06:00

Have you seen Laura's Facebook Fan Page lately? Laura's in the spotlight this coming week, but not as Scrap Orchard. She's being spotted at Persnickety Prints! Every day from November 21st to 27th, if you visit, you just might find yourself with a wonderful coordinating kit to use for some quick holiday cards or layouts to print there.

So make sure to add that to your calendar! You won't regret it!

Deals galore this week!

2011-11-11T09:12:00.004-06:00

Laura's got some amazing deals for you this week. Several free with purchase deals on some of her fave new items.

Buy the Boogity Boo Printables or Lucky Star Printables and get the Pinky Promise Printables free! Or buy the Page Fillers Quads Vol. 1 and get the Page Fillers Duets Vol. 1 free!

Take a look as some great layouts using these products, if you needed any more reason to head to the store:

Using the Page Filler Quads Vol. 1:

And the Page Fillers Duets Vol. 1:

Get over to Laura's store today to take advantage of these specials!

DSA Digital Scrapbooking Day Blog Train

2011-11-04T23:18:00.004-05:00

Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day, scrappy friends! Digiscrapaddicts has organized their annual DSD Freebie Blog Train, and I'm tickled to have been invited again to participate.

You've most likely arrived from Simply Kat Designs' blog.

You can grab my freebie below:

DOWNLOAD

The next stop on the train is Amy Stoffel. If you get lost along the way, there is a complete list of blog train participants HERE.

If you haven't finished shopping yet, my Scrap Orchard shop is 30% off in celebration of DSD! (price will show in check out)

Spunky Chicks! You need to see this!

2011-11-04T11:12:00.005-05:00

Are you excited about this weekend? Laura and team have been busy getting ready for Digital Scrapbooking Day! Laura's put the cutest kit in store, and the team have been loving it. It's perfect for layouts of those girls with attitude in spades. Spunky Chick is in store now and on sale!

I love all these layouts, and there are more that you can see in the store too.

Christine's cutie. Check out the moves!

Laura's youngest is so photogenic, and the layout says it all. Personality to spare!

I love how Olivia documents her own personality here. Definitely one for the All About Me scrapbook:

I love how Carrin blended the photo into the background. Gives a great impact to the layout.

So get to Laura's store this weekend to stock up on great go-to kits like Spunky Girl and have an amazing Digital Scrapbook Day!

Persnickety Prints Fall Sale!

2011-11-03T08:37:00.003-05:00

Persnickety Prints is having a Fall sale! I know I'll be ordering some prints...how about you?? If you haven't heard of Persnickety before, I wrote about them a couple of weeks ago HERE. Happy printing!

Spunky Sneak Peek & Chance to Win!

2011-11-02T10:18:00.004-05:00

Want to win it?? Check HERE :)

2011 Scrap Orchard Trick or Treat Blog Train!

2011-10-30T23:00:00.000-05:00

Hey! Happy Halloween to those who partake... and to those who don't, that's alright...I'll still let ya download the freebie ;) You're most likely coming from Lita's blog and already downloaded her spooky scrap goodness!

Knock on my door if you want a little somethin' somethin' from me :)

Next up is the fabulous Faith True!

Digiscrap*apalooza Epic Room Drawing & Discount Code!

2011-10-22T13:08:00.003-05:00

One lucky Digiscrapapalooza Attendee is going to get their hotel room* for free!

*Room comp for Thursday, March 22^nd, 2012 to Sunday, March 25^th, 2012- based on double-occupancy. Additional days and/or additional occupancy not included.

To enter:

Simply register** for Digiscrapapalooza 2012 and reserve a room under our room block at The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino by 11:59 pm on November 1, 2011. You may either book your reservation online or by calling 1-888-746-6955 and referring to group code SRSCR12.

If you are already registered and have already reserved your room, then you will be entered in to the drawing!

**To register- you must have at least the initial payment made on your Retreat Ticket. If you purchased the Group Coupon, you can apply that toward your initial payment and register.

It’s that easy! We will automatically receive a report from the hotel of all the reservations under our room block.

Winner will be announced on November 4^th in a chat at 9:00 pm Eastern/6:00 pm Pacific.

So get registered, grab a roomie and make your reservation today!!!

I've also got a little somethin' somethin' for you! Use the code LauraSentMe when you purchase your registration package and you'll get $20 off!

Laura's fans are so blessed this week it's scary!

2011-10-21T08:00:00.002-05:00

Image heavy post ahead folks. Tie yourselves down because Laura is not responsible for what happens when you get blown away by this week's new releases! It's such a gorgeous goodie week! Not one, but two amazing kits out this week, free with purchase specials and a free treat.

Check out the new beautiful goodness from Laura and Captivated Visions! These two ladies have put out this warm, soft, slightly shabby collaboration called Truly Blessed. This colour palette reminds me of a family heirloom quilt that you just want to wrap yourself in. No matter how cold the days become, or how gloomy, we all have something that we can consider a blessing. Why not challenge yourself to come up with some of your blessings and put them on a layout? This week if you buy the kit, you get the overlays free! Now that's a blessing!

The creative team layouts this week had me floored. So gorgeous! I could only choose a few to highlight here, but be sure to check out Laura's gallery at Scrap Orchard so that you can see the others.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure that most people would agree that if anyone could use about 75% of all the kit's pieces, and pull it off without looking like a hot mess, it's the queen of clusters, Melissa:

I love everything about this layout from Laura. The layered papers, the overlays used, the clustering and the fun photo of her girls.

Olivia's layout is just so pretty and feminine. So many fun clusters of elements with great papers and an amazing black and white photo:

Now, was I saying something about a free treat? Yes, I was, but I'll get to that in a bit. ha!

Onto the other amazing kit. It's been a while since I've seen such a fun and zany kit for kids, but this has got to be the topper. The name? Wait for it.... Boogity Boo! How cute is that? Yes, it is that time of year...the one filled with more candy that we care to imagine, and scary fun. But here's a kit that you can use year round too! And did I mention that there are clusters too, free with the purchase of the kit?

The creative team had a frightening good time with this kit.

I have a friend who's afraid of clowns. Carrie, I think I understand her point of view now. LOL

Don't you love Gemma's photoless layout. Love this cluster!

I had to include Leeandra's layout. This poor little cutie scared herself! Priceless!

Christine's got a future student for Hogwart's here I think:

Hmmm, now was I just trying to trick you or is there an actual treat? Yes there is! Enjoy this little freebie that coordinates with this week's collab, Truly Blessed.

You can get it HERE. Then get to the store and pick up this week's amazing pickings and get to scrapping those blessings of yours, and if you are lucky you can also scrap them while they are in costume.

Fall & Halloween Kit Winners Announced!

2011-10-20T16:53:00.001-05:00

Vicky said...

Both look amazing,but I love Halloween kits.Thanks for the chance to win!

October 18, 2011 9:05 AM

wahoolady said...

Both look great, but I'm really loving the fall one (first one).
Thanks for the chance

October 18, 2011 9:31 AM

Please email me at laura at simply-scraps. net for your coupon! Be on the look out for Kiki's weekly release blog post tomorrow, too! <3

Sneak Peek & Chances to Win!

2011-10-18T08:19:00.003-05:00

Hi friends! I've got 2 kits out this week...the first is a bit more subdued than you may be used to seeing from me...but it's a collab with an awesome Orchard Girl!

The second is my solo kit this week...I'm sure you can guess what the theme is ;)

Want to win them?? Post here to be entered into my random drawing...and tell me which kit you would like to win! Hint: don't say both, because then I have nowhere to enter you, there will be two drawings ;) I'll be back Thursday to choose TWO winners!

You are a lucky star this week!

2011-10-14T09:50:00.004-05:00

Just a quick Friday post this week. You'll love this new purple-blue wonder from Laura. Lucky Star is an adorable kit for all you sweethearts who endears us and give us hope for a bright future. Layouts using this kit can be as simple as a message to your young star to reach for their dreams. Or use the Quick Pages as a jumpstart. And you'll see other fabulous examples from the creative team below.

Christine's message to this little sweetie is a simple one.

Yolanda wants her sweetie to keep that attitude:

Laura's sweet picture says it all but her title nails it:

Kat's dreamer is a great layout that has a lot going on but still focuses on the picture:

Melissa - you just blow me away with your clusters:

Pick up the Lucky Star kit or Quick Pages this week on sale, and make a layout that tells your loved ones how much they mean to you.

Step by step you'll have an amazing layout!

2011-10-07T13:16:00.004-05:00

Laura's got the cutest kit out this week. Step by step is another awesome kit full of pieces that will help you pull together an amazing layout. I'm sure you've got pictures of your little builder that will look wonderful with these block elements, papers and word art. You can get the kit and stacks on sale this week too!

Now take a look at these great layouts by the creative team!

Yolanda's used a black background to draw the eye to the picture of her builder and his sculpture.

Laura's word art, title and journaling on an angle bring interest to this photoless layout.

Another photoless layout by Kat uses the blocked paper and simple cluster to highlight the journaling.

Carrie's using a series of pictures framed and clustered and highlighting it with the big title. The journal placement is perfect, because it doesn't get lost on the page.

And last but certainly not least, Laura shows off some great photos of her boys' creations with a great story to go along with it. Lots of photos here, included the photo blended into the background.

Get Step by step at Laura's store this week and start building your layout paper by paper, element by element and create an amazing layout!

Persnickety Prints

2011-10-06T14:07:00.005-05:00

Okay, so admittedly I don't print my digital scrapbooking pages as often as I should. BUT I had some pages printed during one of Persnickety Prints' sales a couple of months ago and have been meaning to blog about how happy I am with the results!

I had heard of Persnickety throughout digiland, and even cooler...they were one of the awesome sponsors of Digiscrap*apalooza 2011! So not only do we know that they're cool because they hang with the Orchard Girls, but their prints really are amazing :)

Take a gander! Here's a page I made using my kit, 8 Bit World. I love how the colors pop and the texture is all still there...makes you want to reach out and feel the page!

This layout made using my kit Inked Up is one of my favorites because it is totally 'my boys'. They had just gotten some Paper Jamz and we added temporary tattoos to complete their rockstar looks ;) I was really happy again with the coloring, very true to the kit and my shadowing turned out looking really great.

Next up is a page I made using my collab with Captivated Visions called Back Off. Lots of stuff going on in this page but it all came out looking really sharp! Even with the dark colors, I didn't lose any detail.

Lastly, here's a double shot of some pages made using Just Whip It and Hugging & Loving. Two totally different schemes, but both alive with color and POPping!

Here's a close up of some detail and shadow work on the Hugging and Loving page.

I ordered about 25 prints, but just picked my favorites to share with you today. You can find the cool peeps of Persnickety HERE. They've usually got some cool tutorials and freebies posted so check back often!

Sneak Peek & Your Chance to Win 10/5

2011-10-05T08:10:00.004-05:00

Hey, scrappy friends! I'm really excited about my release this week, and I'm giving you a chance to win it for free! Here's a peek:

I even scrapped a page already! This kit was actually mouse-crafted for some special photos that I was really pumped to get scrapped :)

Want to win the kit? Head over to the Scrap Orchard forum HERE and tell me about the coolest thing you or your child has made with Legos. You'll get 2 entries if you share a photo of the creation! The random winner will be drawn tomorrow (Thursday).

Not fit for public - check out this revamp!

2011-09-30T06:48:00.005-05:00

The most popular collaboration from Laura and Litabells Designs has been updated and is in store. You know those days when you just want to throw the covers over your head and tell people to get out of your face? Not every story in our lives is all happiness and rainbows. Sometimes we just aren't have a great day. Those days still need to be recorded. They are still a part of your history that should be told. And here's the kit to do that!

Not Fit for Public is full of word art that just says it all. But don't be fooled, you can still get a pretty happy page out of it, as you'll see from one of the creative team's layouts. And there are gorgeous coordinating stacked papers in store too!

Onto the eye candy from the creative team. Yolanda is showing off her attitude in this perfectly clustered layout:

Kat captures a moody day - a great all about me page that says it all.

Brynn Marie shows us that this kit works for happy days too:

Christine's cute photo is perfect for this kit too!

Laura's layout draws you in to read the journaling behind the title. This layout shows off the daily struggle for some.

So go ahead, be brave and scrap those days when you just want to tear your hair out, where you want to scream from the top of your lungs, where you want to run away. They are a part of your life, and they should still be documented because they are a part of what makes you who you are and makes you unique. Not Fit for Public and the stacked papers are on sale this week!

Win My Revamped Collab w/Litabells!

2011-09-26T18:50:00.003-05:00

Find out how right HERE! :)

2011 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer 10/2

2011-09-24T08:46:00.005-05:00

2011 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Joliet IL

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Date: Sunday, October 2, 2011
Location: Chicagoland Speedway
Time: Registration opens at 8am and walk begins at 9:00 am
Map: Link to Directions

I have signed up to walk and raise funds to support the American Cancer Society's efforts to fight breast cancer. I hope you will join my team or make a donation in support of my participation. Together, we can make strides to end breast cancer!

Please consider donating or even joining our team, if you're local! :)

Get K'Nected with Laura this weekend and save HUGE!

2011-09-23T09:57:00.006-05:00

It's a special weekend celebration for Laura and you definitely need to be in on it. Get connected with her and Traci Reed with this great collab, K'Nected and see what awesomeness you can put together with it. And get it with a great sale, celebrating Laura's 3 year designing anniversary. See the coupon details below to save up to 55% off!

Here's how Laura shows off the creativity in her family:

Kat shows off a photoless approach:

Carrin captures the creative side of her guy:

And what a great way to show off first drawings, Carrie:

So get to Laura's store this weekend to save! You can save 25%, 45% or 55% this weekend only!

Exclusive Freebie at Tonight's Scrap Orchard Speed Scrap!

2011-09-21T08:50:00.003-05:00

Come awn down to Scrap Orchard and hang with us tonight!

Shine On!

2011-09-16T10:20:00.004-05:00

Don't you just love kits full of sunshine and smiles? I adore this new beauty from Laura, My Little Sunshine! Beautiful bright sunny yellow elements with a classic polkadots and stripes just makes this the perfect happy kit. This week you can get this lovely kit with Sunshine Clusters as well, to help kick start your page.

Carrie's stacked pages and cluster here really shine:

And was the kit made for Christine's picture or the other way around? Lovely!

Don't save this kit for just your kids. It's perfect for the bigger kids too, as shown here by Brynn Marie:

I love how Kat used a simple background with gorgeous photographs and kept this simple, but dramatic.

Get My Little Sunshine on sale this week, and start scrapping your inspiration!

Want to win this week's kit at Scrap Orchard??

2011-09-13T22:48:00.002-05:00

Comment on the sneak peek image HERE on facebook and enter to win it! I'll be choosing a random winner on Thursday :)

Two great new releases

2011-09-09T10:45:00.006-05:00

Laura's two new releases are fab must haves! New staples for your stash and new siggy templates so that you can change things up on the forums. Both images are linked to the stores they are available in.

Here are some examples of how you can use these templates to make fabulous creative new signatures for the forums.

So get over to Scrap Orchard for your staples and 9th & Bloom for your siggy templates this week, and enjoy your new must haves!

Teamy Talk: Journal Me This!

2011-09-07T16:16:00.006-05:00

First up, I'd like to showcase our winner of the Who You Crushin' Awn Challenge, Angela! She chose to lift Olivia's Layout, and here was her entry:

For playing along, Angela snagged herself $10 to spend in my shop! :) This week, I'm challenging you to show me a NEW (as in, made after this post) page using LB product...that has a good amount of journaling on it.

If you know anything about me, I'm kind of a stickler for a heavily journaled page LOL! Even just more than a line or two can make such a huge difference in your digital scrapbook memory keeping. I like to think to myself...will my family remember this day? What if I'm not around to tell the story...will the photos alone tell everything that I wanted to show?

So do this for me, please. Create a new page using mostly my products (freebies are fine!) and post a link here in the blog comments. I'll be back in a week or so to choose a winner to receive $10 to my Scrap Orchard shop!

Need some inspiration? Check out these pages from my fab creative team members!

From Yolanda using To a T (retired)

From Carrin using Pawsitively

From Laura W. using Just Whip It

From Olivia using Pawsitively

From Kat using Back Off Collab w/Captivated Visions

From Laura using Martial Artist

From Laura using Cutiesaurus

From Gemma using Hooked Collab w/Valorie Wibbens

From LeeAndra using Boom!

From Melissa using Hugging and Loving

From Melissa using Hooked Collab w/Valorie Wibbens

From Carrie using Better Part of Me

From Holly Using Pinky Promise

And for all the Digiscrapapalooza 2012 attendees, I'll be teaching a class all about creative journaling techniques!

Happy scrapping!

Want to win Laura's Releases This Week?

2011-09-06T13:45:00.002-05:00

Head on over to the Facebook Fan Page to see how!

So much going on, it's insane!

2011-09-02T08:21:00.004-05:00

It's just one of those weeks...there's so much going on you just want to RUN to Laura's store! First off, Scrap Orchard is having a Summer Rewind Sale, which means that any products Laura has in the sale are offered at their original release price of 20% off! So if you missed some new releases, go get them now! And that's not all. Not even close!

Did you know that she has not one, but TWO new kits out this week? One collab with Lita Designs and a new kit at Ninth and Bloom, where she is guesting for September.

Lucky Star is just the most amazing deep purple kit I've seen in a long time. It's fun and exciting, full of Laura's awesome doodles!

Let me tell you, I can see so many ways I'm going to be using this collab! And it comes with free stacks this week too! Crazy!

I've only included some layouts from the team, but you have to visit the gallery to see all their amazing work. There were too many gorgeous layouts to choose from.

I love Gemma's clustered white space layout. It just drew my eyes straight into the photo. Lots of drama in this layout!

I look at Kat's layout and think "Man that's too darn adorable"! Remember when we used to sleep like that and NOT wake with a kink in our necks? I just love the use of the patterned background!

Laura's layout is just perfection. I love the photo treatment she used to soften the photos and the clustering is just amazing. There's a lot going on, but the page doesn't look messy.

Holly's repeated a square theme here with not only the paper/photo cuts, but also the frame! Love it!

No photo? No problem! Carrie's layout shows off how a simple message can be framed with this gorgeous kit!

And Coila's letter to her younger self is a great message for all of us!

So get over to Scrap Orchard and Ninth and Bloom so that you can start to play with these gorgeous kits this Labor Day weekend! Have a fun long weekend!

Back in Session - a new must-have!

2011-08-26T06:41:00.004-05:00

It's that time year again when most parents breathe a sigh of relief with kids going back to school. This time of year is always fun, with new clothes, school supplies, and bright fun colours. Be sure to check out Laura's latest, Back in Session, and you'll see why it's a new must-have!

These cute name tags are perfect for parties and preschoolers too!

And as always, the creative team got their mojo on with this kit and turned out some amazing eye candy.

Carrie's black and white is perfect with this page!

Laura's captured a mom's torn emotions at this time of year:

Yolanda, you always seem to have the camera ready to capture these great exciting pictures!

Melissa has cut out jigsaw pieces from her background and it totally makes this page!

So get over to the store today and start scrapping those back to school pictures!

Those of you on the east coast, please stay safe!

I am cute, hear me rawr!

2011-08-19T09:09:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Ever had pictures where your sweet, adorable child (or man child) is trying to show off how fierce they can be? Maybe you've got pictures where it's pretty obvious that the subject is a little tired of the mamarazzi? Well here's the perfect kit! Cutiesaurus is a kit just made for those pictures. It's full of sweet dinos and word art to show off those fierce moments that you just have to scrap. And there are some wonderful splatters you can get as a bonus free item this week:

Now take a look at these adorable layouts from the creative team. My heart just melts looking at Gemma's sweet guy:

And Yolanda's got quite the little man:

Olivia's play on her photo is priceless!

Laura's layout show off those great paparazzi moments that you just have to scrap:

And Kat! That dark photo against those patterns....awesome. Draws the eye right into that adorable face!

You know you have those pics that you thought you couldn't scrap with, but now you have the perfect kit! Go pick it up today and get the splatters for free, and have a great scrapping weekend!

Win Stuff FREE From LB 8/19

2011-08-15T16:11:00.002-05:00

Want to win it?? Check HERE.

Teamy Talk: August Week 2 {Who You Crushin' Awn?}

2011-08-14T16:14:00.001-05:00

I asked my team this week....

"Which LB team member are you crushin' on lately? Love their scrappin' style? Dig their shadows? Think they're just plain hawt? Show me one of their pages that you really love!"

The challenge this week will be to choose one of the following pages, scraplift it and link us here in the comments.

-You do not need to use the same kit as the original LB CTM.
-You DO need to use at least 50% LB product.

The winner (chosen by me!) will receive $10 to my shop! You have about a week to enter :)

LB's pick: Coila!
I really love Coila's cute little clusters and her awesome shadow work!

(using Hooked Collab w/Valorie Wibbens)

Olivia's Pick: Carrin!
I love this layout by Carrin! The huge photo is awesome and I love the layering at the top. It's a gorgeous layout!

(using Girlfriends Collab w/Boutique Cute Dolls)

Christine's Pick: Laura W.!
I am pretty much in love with everyone here but I guess I have to pick one so I choose Laura W. I have always had a girl crush on her anyway but her scrapping is always divine!! I am gonna pick this one that I like a lot!!!

(using The Better Part of Me)

Carrin's Pick: Laura W.!
I'm diggin' Laura lately...I've seen her using blends a lot and, well, I wanna blend like her!

Carrie's Pick: Yolanda!
It's Yo for me. Her pages always just look so complete.

(using The Better Part of Me)

Melissa's Pick: Yolanda!
I have a major crush on Yo right now....I mean she and her hubs are too cute for words and this LO, with all the white space and perfect composition, major love fest!

(using Hooked Collab w/Valorie Wibbens)

Yolanda's Pick: Melissa!
I have a crush on Mel. Her use of multiple photos and amazing clusters make me helly jelly. I wish I could easily scrap using more than 1 or 2 photos and that my clustering was as flawless as hers!

(using Hugging and Loving)

Holly's Pick: Heather!
Uh everyone knows I am in love with Heather!! I just love her simple photoless pages and how amazing they always turn out...

(using Crabby Kid Collab w/Jennifer Fox - retired)

Coila's Pick: Laura W.!
This is one of my favorite pages by Laura!!

(using Urban Attitude Collab w/AnnaBv)

Laura W's Pick: LeeAndra!
I love LA's stuffs. It's something I totally can NOT do and I'm always just awed by her pages. This is my latest fave.

(using Boom!)

LeeAndra's Pick: Laura W.!
I love that LW has lots of multiple photo layouts (which are such a PITA for me) and the composition is always different and cool and funky + she manages to work in lots of fun elements, too.

(using Little Miss)

So there you have it! Choose one of these pages, copy the photo arrangement, the composition, the colors, the theme....have at it!

Coupon winner!

2011-08-12T09:32:00.000-05:00

I had Random.org choose a winner for the coupon giveaway and, surprise surprise! Comment #1 was picked! Congratulations, Amber -- I will pm you at Scrap Orchard with the coupon code. :)

If you weren't chosen this time, remember that I hand out coupons on LB's facebook and twitter pages, as well, so be sure to like and follow her! If you were following LB's OLD twitter, be sure to switch to the new one, as her old one is no longer being used.

Win a $7 coupon to LB's shop!

2011-08-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

Would you like to win a $7 coupon to LB's shop? Pick your favorite layout you've done with one of her kits, and link us to it in the comments. I'll be back Friday to announce the winner!

Laura's a romantic - Who knew?

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Now don't go calling Laura a hopeless romantic now. But this kit shows us a softer side of Laura...take a look at The Better Part of Me. It's vibrant yet endearing, and really tells a story. About love, commitment, romance, acceptance, all rolled into one. You'll fall in love with this kit the moment you open it up to use it. Take a look at the great pages that the team put together below, and well, there isn't much more for me to say.

I lied. There is more to say. Ha ha! Grab the kit this week and you get these awesome clusters free!

Carrin's put together a page about seeing yourself in someone else, and pushing someone's buttons:

Carrie's put together an amazing photoless page (who says you have to have a photo to cluster elements?):

Coila's simply elegant page melts my heart:

And what a romantic Yolanda is:

Last but not least, Olivia pulls off the white space on a patterned background. Gorgeous!

Get to the store to pick it up and scrap a page about someone special in your life!

August Teamy Talk: Week 1 {Just Hangin' Out}

2011-08-04T21:35:00.000-05:00

Hi scrappy friends! This week's teamy talk is just for fun :) I have a lot of super fun girls on my team...and decided to toss this gem out there. I asked the team if they had the chance to hang out with all the LB CT girls...where would we go and what would we do?? Grab some popcorn, LOL!

Yo: We'd go to NYC, get a huge suite in some kick-ass hotel and party like the rockstars we all are! \m/

LeeAndra: Oh, it would definitely have to involve Vegas, the Strip, alcohol, cell phone pictures, killer cocktail dresses, and a hangover in the morning! *lol*

LB: owow! :)

Jamie: We'd all be on a beach in our cute bikinis, with handsome, tanned cabana boys taking care of our every wish. The hot sun, loud music, lots of drinks, tons of yummy food! We'd dance the night away!

Heather: i would go directly into holly's pants. i would not pass go. and i would not collect $200. ;) And LB's!!

Holly: Gosh I think no matter where we go, if this whole crew was together it would be EPIC. We for sure be kicked outta wherever we are. Especially if Heather jumped in my pants! ;)

LB: umm jamie. don't think the rest of us are hot in bikinis like you are, skinny bish. ;) heather, no comment! ;)

Melissa: Jamie will be in a bikini by herself is all I know, ha! But since I love the beach, even if I don't look good in a suit lol, I say we all go to LA, party like rock stars, and get matching tats! Woot!

Christine: ok so we meet up at a huge cabin on a lake and just talk and laugh and eat and drink and then in the morning have a huge breakfast with loads of coffee and pastries and bacon and then hang out on the lake all afternoon and then it is dinner time with more food and drinks and then maybe we all go to a place that has go karts and have a blast...I guess in reality it would not really matter where we were as long as we were all together :)

JennB: I don't think it would really matter where we went, there would be uncontrollable laughter, bodily fluids, and general fun/debauchery!

LB: Brynn, you had me at 'bacon'. Jenn, what. the.

Yo: And by "Brynn," LB really meant "Christine." LOL @ bodily fluids o.O

LB: dude, i wasn't even drunk when i typed that.

Yo: Just a brain fart. I get them more often than I care to admit. Pretty sure it's a sign of old age. Just sayin'

Holly: Love it!

Carrin: I'm gonna say Australia...we could hang out with dingos, wallabies and the like. Maybe we'll even find a nice, cute bushman to call our very own!

Coila: I'd say Disneyland! My favorite place with some of my favorite girls!!

Brynn: hahaha....I do love bacon though. In fact my new favorite way to cook it is first it has to be the thick kind...then line a baking sheet with foil....lay out the bacon...sprinkle it with brown sugar then pop it in the over...soooo yummy. Anyhow am I too late to answer...I thought I already did but I guess not. Since we have a yougin on the team (aka Livy) I would say maybe Disney...that way if we had to bring kids we could all hang out together during the day gettin our Disney on...then we would have a built in babysitter for the night :)

Holly: Brynn i like that idea... lol not sure if Livy would! LMAO!

LauraW: we should all meet in my backyard! :P

Hope you had fun reading ;) I know at least a handful of my girls are coming to Digiscrapapalooza next year, so we always have that! :)

***There was only one reply to July Week 3, so our winner is Intense Magic! Please email me at laura @ simply-scraps.net to claim your $10 coupon to my shop! :) ***

July Teamy Talk Week 3 {Double the Fun}

2011-07-29T19:59:00.005-05:00

Okay, so technically it's the fourth week of July, but we'll pretend ;)

Last week I asked what your favorite scrap subject is...the random winner is...

chocochoco said...: I always love to scrap about my family so I can preserve the memories. And recently I scrap my little cousins. They have unique attraction and remind me how's a life supposed to be; fill it with joy and laughter.

Please email me at laura @ simply-scraps .net for your $10 coupon!

This week's question is...which LB product do you love so much that you've used it more than once??

I answered my Vengeance Bundle because I have pictures for pretty much every super hero LOL!

Heather answered Crabby Kid w/Jennifer Fox (retired)

Christine answered Urban Attitude w/AnnaBv

Olivia answered Just Whip It

Yolanda answered Fangirl Scream (retired)

Carrin answered Mamarazzi (now retired)

Melissa answered Hugging and Loving

Brynn answered Boom!

Coila answered Leavin' on a Jetplane w/Jenn Barrette

So....have you ever used one of my products more than once? Post 2 links here in the comments and I'll be back in a day or two to choose a random winner of a $10 coupon to my shop at Scrap Orchard!

Little Miss has something in store!

2011-07-29T07:43:00.004-05:00

If you didn't get a chance to pick up Little Miss when it was for sale in May, now's your chance to get it on sale at Scrap Orchard! This beauty has the most gorgeous colour scheme and it's full of sweet elements that will compliment any pictures of your little princess getting herself dolled up for a play date, or just being her.

I love these layouts that the team has put together. Carrin's little miss has attitude in spades:

And Laura's youngest always has me in stitches with her expressions. Laura, I think you are going to have your hands full when she gets older.

And Melissa's little diva is set off so beautifully by her clusters.

So go pick it up today! It's the perfect summer kit for little girls!

Fish On!

2011-07-22T11:03:00.004-05:00

What a summer it's been here! Definitely time to hit the lake for some swimming and of course, some great fishing! Laura has the cutest collab out this week with Valorie Wibbens called Hooked! It's the perfect kit for those avid fishermen you have who cannot wait to get to the lake to yell "Fish on!", and great for the little tikes who've got your heart hooked as well. Check out how the creative team used this kit.

Did I mention that there's a brag book as well, so that you can quickly make a terrific gift?

Laura's girls seem to have a knack for getting something on their lines:

Carrin is hooked on her little one:

Melissa's showing off how you can make an awesome photoless layout with this kit, maybe about the one that got away?

And Brynn Marie sure has a born fisherman in her house:

Jennifer's hippie composter works for this kit too... the fish love those worms!

So get over to Scrap Orchard today to pick up this kit for those lake pictures you have sitting around. You'll never have to fish for the right kit again.

Catch this collab FREE!

2011-07-20T22:01:00.002-05:00

Wanna win it?? Check HERE :)

In the Spotlight: My Ad Chickie, Kat!

2011-07-19T17:47:00.000-05:00

Name: Kat

Age: 25

Location: WI

When you started digi-scrapping: May 2009

How long you've been on the team: less than a week :P

Fave LB kit: Smile, Sunshine

Fave non-LB designer: SuzyQ Scraps

Who else do you CT for: Spinky Dink Scraps, Nikki Epperson, summer guest for SuzyQ Scraps

Random fact or tidbit about yourself: I was adopted when I was five weeks old.

Now that we've gotten to know a little about my ad chickie, Kat...check out some of the pages she's made using LB product! :)

Using Pretty Much the Coolest

Using Little Miss...coming soon!

Using Thank You Notes

Using Smile, Sunshine

One Tough Cookie Charity Collab at 9th&B

2011-07-16T17:31:00.000-05:00

This collab was created with love for Keira Armstrong, daughter of long time digital scrap booker and friend, Vanessa Armstrong. Keira is currently undergoing treatment for cancerous tumors. She has Wilms' tumor or nephroblastoma. This is the second time Keira has been diagnosed with and treated for these tumors. The first time she was diagnosed with Wilms, she was treated and she was cleared. Then recently, they found more cancer so she is undergoing treatment once more. We believe the treatment will be a success once again and so far she is doing great! Keira is a vibrant happy girl and we wanted to create this kit to honor her. Being the little survivor and fighter she is! This kit is perfect for scrapping any and all happy occasions. Packed to the brim with happy thoughts and loving sentiments. This kit is our special spin on a fun and action packed girl super hero kit because we believe that is exactly what Keira is...a little superhero!

This collab includes: 66 papers, 126 elements, 2 full alphas with numbers + some special characters, 1 full custom font and 8 12x12 templates in PSD and TIF format

This kit is S4H Friendly and was created at 300 dpi for optimal printing quality. Elements are in png format and papers are in JPEG format.

The amazing Designers who contributed to this collab are (in no particular order):

Traci Reed Designs, Laura Banasiak Designs, Jenn Barrette Designs, Melissa Bennett Designs, Zoe Pearn Designs, Tracie Stroud Designs, Angie Kovacs Designs, Tickled Pink Studio, Valorie Wibbens Designs, Makita Studio, Flutter Expressions, Alissa Jones Designs, Christy Lyle Designs, Secret Stash Designs, Meredith Cardall Designs, Heather Hess, Fizzy Pop Designs, Zinnias and Swallowtails and Crystal Livesay Designs

The amazing scrapbookers who contributed designs:

maaike, newfiemountiewife, mummytothree, Lizzy257, Kelleanne, Gemma and ltarbox

This kit was created as a loving surprise for Vanessa, Keira and the Armstrong family. We know they will deeply appreciate your support of this charity collaboration. 100% of profits will be donated directly to the Armstrong family to help them with Medical bills they have incurred. A very special thank you to the amazing Designers who took their own personal time to be a part of this special collaboration.

(not all shown)

Here's a little peek at my contribution:

Just a few amazing pages submitted by our collective creative teams:

by Laura W.

by Aarron (Sir Scrapalot)

by Maaike

by Gemma

Make sure you use your digiscrap allowance this week to pick up this collab...not only is it for a great cause but it really is awesome!

July Teamy Talk: Week 2 {Favorite Subject}

2011-07-14T13:26:00.009-05:00

Hi all! First off, last week's random winner is...

Amber said:

"I'd have to say Back Off fits me pretty perfectly right now. I seem to be in a foul mood most of the time & just generally stressed out from caring for 2 small children 24 hours a day. I'd give just about anything for some quiet time alone!"

Please email me at laura @simply-scraps .net for your $10 coupon!

July Teamy Talk: Week 2

{What is your favorite subject or theme to scrap and why?}

Livy said, "Not trying to self-centered but... me. My mom said it the other day that it's okay that I take a ton of pics of myself and that nearly every page is of me because 10, 20 years from now, I'll want to look back and see what I looked like and what I was thinking."

Carrin said, "My kids. Pictures are one thing, but scrapping them tells their story. I want the kids to be able to look back on all the books I have and have fond memories of their childhood."

Melissa said, "My nieces are my favorite subject to scrap. I want to preserve their story and childhood for them."

Amber said, "My boys are definitely my favorite subject! I want them to be able to look back when they are adults and see what their childhood was all about!"

Laura W. said, "I love to scrap my girls. Not the 'important' milestones, but the everyday stupid stuff we do."

Coila said, "My sweeties <3 I don't remember much of my childhood. I want my boys to remember and be able to look back at the things we did and times we shared together!"

Yolanda said, "My children. My own childhood photos, along with the stories they told, have been lost over the years. I feel I'm able to help my boys remember the events in their lives with my scrapbooking and that makes me super happy."

Brynn said, "Our family time together....the silly stuff that probably doesn't matter right now but someday I want my kids to know about. My mom died a month and 3 days after I turned 21. Before I was married or had kids of my own. There are so many things now that I wish I could ask her about...like what we would do as a family when I was their age...but I can't. I don't want the little stuff, as trivial as it may be, to be lost."

Kat said, "My kids. I don't print off regular photos of them anymore because I love being able to read the story I journal on my scrap pages....I know they'll appreciate them when they're older. They already love looking at them!"

LeeAndra said, "I've always been a storyteller, and my favorite stories to tell are the ones that reveal my friends' and family's personalities and quirks, something that really defines them as 'them,' know what I mean? Even though this page has no picture, it has a story that I will giggle abt every time I tell my DD (and, hopefully, her children), and I <3 that."

Holly said, "My son... who for right now is the only child. I want him to remember how much fun we had just me and him. The goofy times and the rough times and for him to know that he always will be my lil man, even if there are siblings someday."

Jamie said, "My favorite subject to scrap is my kids, but more specifically, the every day moments that we capture!"

And finally, my favorite pages are the ones scrapped about special milestones or events. I haven't been much of an 'everyday photo' scrapper lately, it seems. I love pages that sort of reflect an 'old school' photo album, but with a very 'me' and modern feel.

Want to win $10 to my Scrap Orchard shop? Answer this week's Teamy Talk question to be entered in the random drawing, with the winner being announced in next week's post!

In the Spotlight: Jamie

2011-07-13T13:03:00.000-05:00

Name: Jamie

Age: 29 and holding!

Location: Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador

When you started digi-scrapping: 1997

How long you've been on the team: About 2 months!

Fave LB kit: Back Off

Fave non-LB designer: Captivated Visions

Who else do you CT for: Scrap Orchard

Random fact or tidbit about yourself: I can shake my eyeballs!

Check out these super cute pages by Jamie, she always has the best itty bitty clusters :)

Using Hugging and Loving

Using Boom!

Using Urban Attitude

Using Girlfriends

July Teamy Talk: Week 1 {If You Were an LB Kit}

2011-07-09T12:48:00.002-05:00

Want to win $10 to my Scrap Orchard shop? Reply to this post with which LB kit you would be (and why). I will choose one random winner to be announced in next week's post!

Hey Girlfriend! Over here!

2011-07-08T11:17:00.006-05:00

Hey girlfriends! Hope you are psyched up for a great weekend! I think everyone loves the weekends - time to relax, have a drink on the patio, get together with your BFFs. All the good stuff. Remember when weekends with your girlfriends meant sleepovers, painting your nails with funky colours that your mom would want you to take off the moment you got home? Remember the all-night movie marathon with the heart throb that made you think you would die if he wasn't in another movie? Yeah, those kind of weekends. The kind your daughter's having now? (Kinda scary, isn't it?) Well here's a kit for that. Laura's got a collab out this week with Boutique Cute Doll, called appropriately, Girlfriends! And if you get the kit this week, you get the word art free!

Check out this eye candy from the creative team. Melissa, aka the cluster queen, knows how to put it all together:

Coila's layout is all about keeping is simple (and beautiful):

I love how Jamie used the patterned backgrounds and tiny photos:

And Olivia always shows us her playful side:

Laura has an amazing eye for layering and keeping the eye focused on the picture:

And Carrin's large photo with the photo cluster just rocks!

Pick up the kit this weekend and scrap some of your sleepover pictures you have hanging around the house, or take the time to spend some time with your BFFs and scrap it!

***The winner of this release from this week's sneak peek is***

Jen said...

thanks for the chance to win! shared on facebook :)
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=603324107

July 6, 2011 2:22 PM

Email me at laura@simply-scraps.net to claim your prize!

Share & Win Stuff Free From LB! {Winner Chosen 7/8}

2011-07-06T09:30:00.004-05:00

All you need to do is leave a comment on THIS BLOG POST with a link to where you shared the sneak peek! That's it!

You can receive up to THREE (3) entries, each needs to contain a link or screenshot to where you shared.

Not sure where to share the sneak?

-Facebook
-Twitter
-Your blog
-Instagram
-and I'm sure many more that I haven't thought of yet :)

I'll be back Friday July 8th to choose ONE winner from all the entries :)

In the Spotlight: Laura W.

2011-07-05T15:22:00.004-05:00

Name: Laura Wilson

Age: 33 years young

Location: IL

When you started digi-scrapping: About 6 years ago now. My oldest was about 4 months old.

How long you've been on the team: I'm really not sure. i was on the first time about a year ago....and just recently returned. I'm so glad i did!

Fave LB kit: Smile, Sunshine. LOVE the colors

Fave non-LB designer: Oh gosh.I 'm addicted to so many awesome designers. Out of the people I'm not on a CT for, I'd have to say Captivated Visions.

Who else do you CT for: Darcy Baldwin, Fee Jardine, Heather Roselli, Kristin Cronin-Barrow, Lauren Grier, Meghan Mullens, Penny Springmann, Traci Reed, Zoe Pearn, Laura Banasiak, Queen of Hearts, Cluster Queen Creations, Litabells Designs and Amanda Heimann

Random fact or tidbit about yourself: Hmm, I don't know that anything that comes out of my mouth isn't random LOL I am adopted. I have 3 siblings and 2 out of the 3 are also adopted.

I'll add a little random for Laura, she and I took our kids on a playdate together for the first time about a year and a half ago...and now we try to meet up about once a month. Here's an awesome pic of the two of us, along with the kids, at Aidan's 4th birthday party :)

Do you love it? ;) On to the awesome pages Laura's made for me while on my team:

Using Hugging and Loving Bundle

Using Urban Attitude Collab

Using Fangirl Scream (retired)

Using Boom Bundle

Get ready for some fireworks!

2011-07-01T08:37:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Are you all ready for a terrific long weekend? Mine's already started and I've been looking forward to it for a long time! Laura's been looking forward to it as well, and she's got an amazing new kit ready to scrap your memories of this weekend, called Boom! This week, when you buy the bundle, you get the bottle caps free! I've got a preview of them at the bottom of this post. Take a look at all this red, white and blue goodness!

Holly's poignant layout. I love all these angled papers!

I love Brynn Marie's layout and her use of the painted fireworks.

Jamie's simple design with the text following the lines of the papers is perfect.

Melissa's layout has so much going on! I love her scatterings of elements over the photos.

What a great memory to scrap. Laura's layout of her little one's first fireworks:

So pick up this unique patriotic kit this week, and get the bottle caps for free. This weekend should be one you are proud to scrapbook!

Win Stuff Free From LB: Patriotic Edition! ;)

2011-06-29T11:25:00.003-05:00

Want to win the whole she-BANG?! ;)

Post a reply here in this thread and I'll be back Friday to choose a winner :)

In the Spotlight: Melissa

2011-06-27T08:44:00.002-05:00

Name: Melissa

Age: 34

Location: Texas Gulf Coast (near Houston)

When you started digi-scrapping: May 2009

How long you've been on the team: 2 months

Fave LB kit: Wow, that is hard, right now it is Just Whip It

Fave non-LB designer: Not counting anyone I CT for, because I can't play favorites between them, my favorite non-LB designer would have to be Kristin Cronin-Barrow

Who else do you CT for: I am the lead CTM for Captivated Visions, I also create for Flergs, Eva Kipler, Erica Zane, geniaBeana, Boutique Cute Doll, and I freelance for Nikki Epperson

Random fact or tidbit about yourself: Man I suck at these...is that random enough? No? Ok....how about I have a slight obsession with water photos. Sprinklers, hoses, pools, rivers, lakes, creeks, ditches, beaches, it doesn't matter...if it is water I want to take at least 100 photos. Disturbed yet?

Check out these fab pages by Melissa! :)

Using Hugging and Loving Bundle and Splatters

Using Just Whip It

Using Hugging and Loving

Using Hey Dude Bundle and Streaks

Hey Dude! Check out this release!

2011-06-24T08:51:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone! Hope you are geared up for an amazing weekend. Laura's got an amazing collection in store today and it's full of attitude. The colour palette blows me away! Purchase the Hey Dude bundle this week, and you get the streaks for free!

Laura's creative team clearly loves this collab, and I'm showcasing only a few of the amazing layouts they made with it.

Gemma lives with a rock star! Did you know that?

I love Olivia's quirky layouts! The chick's styling this kit!

Melissa's layouts are always full of awesome clusters and great depth:

Check out the streaks in action in Yolanda's layout:

I love Laura's layout. It's draws the eye straight to the picture:

So pick up the bundle this week, get the streaks for free, and start scrapping some awesome layouts of your dudes!

A Crazy gorgeous new collab!

2011-06-17T07:01:00.004-05:00

Got attitude? Like REAL attitude??? Check this kit out! It's perfect for kids and teens alike that sometimes make us a little bit crazy with their Urban Attitude. It's a grungy funky collab from Laura and AnnaBV Designs.

Love these examples from the rocking creative team!

Melissa once again rocks the cluster with this layout:

Laura's sweetie pie just ooozes personality.

Crazy? Olivia now why would you say you are crazy?

Amber, I love love LOVE how you went for the wild plaid background!

Carrin's layout is subtle but grabs the eye for attention with the pink and black.

Does Jamie's little blondie have her moments? Yep, and she captured them.

And last but not least (because Yolanda cannot be forgotten), here's Yolanda's wicked attitude layout:

Get it today while it's on sale!

Win Something Free From LB & Anna V!

2011-06-14T22:34:00.001-05:00

Skip on over to the Scrap Orchard forum by Thursday to see how you can win this grungry digital scrapbook collaboration kit!

In the Spotlight: Amber

2011-06-13T12:44:00.002-05:00

Name: Amber Kazmir

Age: 36 years old

Location: Austin, TX

When you started digi-scrapping: lets see....I believe I've been digi scrapping for over 7 years now.

How long you've been on the team: Um...I honestly can't remember. I think at least 6 months but could be longer.

Fave LB kit: 8 bit world - This kit just makes me happy. I always loved Mario brothers when I was growing up and now my 2 boys are really hooked on Super Mario Bros.

Fave non-LB designer: Its really hard to chose who my favorite non-LB designer is. I already CT for some pretty awesome ladies but if I had to chose it would be Meg Mullens and Traci Reed. They definitely get the majority of my moola.

Who else do you CT for: Heather Roselli, Tracey Howard, and Jennifer Fox

Random fact or tidbit about yourself: Laura and I have known each other online for over 4.5 ish years now. We met when we were both pregnant with our 4 year olds. I remember when Laura started out making her siggies for peeps in the different forums. I feel like such a proud mama to see how awesome a designer she has become! Rock on LB!

Check out these awesome pages from my babycenter buddy! ;)

Using Pawsitively

Using Martial Artist

Using Leaving on a Jetplane

Using Happy to You (retired)

How'd She Do That?! Siggified Templates Tutorial & Freebie

2011-06-11T21:37:00.009-05:00

I asked a few days ago on the new Facebook Fan Page if my customers were still loving the Siggified Templates...or if they were old news. It seemed like the majority of the fans really loved the templates and would like some new packs, and then a couple responses stated that they either had never seen them before or weren't sure how to use them.

For those of you not familiar, email or forum signatures are a fun way to help your fellow forum posters see and recognize your name...and sometimes even get a little taste of your personality, depending on how you decorate your 'siggy'.

Here is a step by step tutorial with screenshots to help you get over your siggy-making-slump! First, you can grab this free template I've made so you can follow along :)

(click the image to download)

First, I opened my siggy template. As you can see, all layers are clearly labeled.

I chose a photo to stick in the photo spot. I positioned it in the layer above the one labeled 'photo'.

I clipped my photo to the layer labeled photo. This can be done by selecting layer>create clipping mask or also by keying ctrl+alt+g on your keyboard. This essentially cuts the extra bits of photo off that you don't want showing.

I then resized my photo to my liking.

For this signature, I used my Pretty Much the Coolest digital scrapbooking kit. You can find this one and lots of others in my Scrap Orchard shop. :)

In this template, there are a couple of layers for clipping paper backgrounds to. I selected the paper I wanted and resized it to 72ppi or 'web size' since the siggy itself is 72 pixels per inch for web use.

I dragged the paper into my siggy canvas (you could also select layer>duplicate layer and select your siggy template .psd or .tif file as the file you'd like the paper to be copied to). Again I keyed ctrl+alt+g to 'clip' my paper to the shape provided.

I repeated this step for the other shape layer that was provided.

I chose a frame and resized it accordingly, repeating the drag & drop (or layer>duplicate layer to my siggy .psd or .tif file).

I positioned it above the layer marked 'frame' and resized until I was happy with the size and position of the frame. I then deleted the layer marked 'frame', since it is no longer needed.

I opened a doodled leaf element file and dragged it into my siggy workspace. I resized it and positioned it above one of the layers marked 'foliage'.

I then duplicated that branch layer twice for the other two foliage layers, and positioned them accordingly. You could use the same leaves or different ones, totally up to you! Delete the layers marked 'foliage', as you don't need them anymore.

I did the same with some doodle flowers for the layers marked 'flower'. I decided to use two different flowers. Again, I deleted the layers labeled 'flower' after I was finished using them as a guide.

For the layer marked 'button or brad', I decided to use a screw. The only screw available in the kit I was using was the centerpiece of a fabric flower. I used the elliptical marquee tool to select the screw and keyed ctrl+c to copy only the screw. You could also select edit>copy.

I then moved back into my siggy template workspace and keyed ctrl+v for paste. You could also select edit>paste. I repositioned and resized until I was happy with the placement of the screw in the center of one of my doodled flowers.

At the very bottom of the layers are two labeled 'paint or scribbles'. Instead of using paint splatters included in a kit, I decided to use the color overlay option in Photoshop to essentially recolor the paint shapes that were already provided in the template.

I used the eyedropper tool to click on a color from one of my papers. I repeated those steps on the other layer marked 'paint or scribbles' with another color from one of my flowers.

Lastly, we need a name, right? ;) I opened my alpha sheet and copy/pasted just the letters I needed to spell out my name. I made sure the alpha layers were placed above the ones marked 's' 'i' 'g' 'g' and 'y'. I provide these layers for a guide of where you should expect to place your alphabet or text in the spelling of your name or username.

After adding a drop shadow to my letters and moving them around a bit until I was happy with them, I selected image>trim to remove any excess space around my signature.

I also selected layer>merge visible to merge all of my layers together.

Many forums ask that you keep your signatures a certain size. For this siggy, I made sure it was no larger than 150 pixels tall. You can find these settings under image>image size.

I then saved my siggy as a .png file, keeping the transparency intact. Some forums have background colors other than white, so this promises that your siggy will still be lookin' hawt even if you're hangin' at a forum with a pink background.

Here is my finished siggy:

Comfortable with your siggy-making-abilities and wanting to change things up every once in a while? I've got five siggy template packs (each pack includes 4 templates) in my store...with more packs being added every month or two.

Loving this new bundle!

2011-06-10T09:13:00.005-05:00

Are you ready for a fun-loving bundle? Check out Laura's new Hugging and Loving Bundle this week! There are more goodies than you can shake a stick at! And for a limited time, buy the bundle and get the splatters free!

Here are just a couple examples of how you can use this great kit!

I'm loving what LeeAndra did with this - the cluster is simple but draws the eye to the photo!

And Carrin's layout is just stunning! Who would have thought that a small photo would have such an impact, but look at how the cluster draws the eye vertically to the photo!

Both great examples of how the right kit and design can make your photo stand out on you layout!

Get to Scrap Orchard today to pick up the bundle and start playing!

Win something FREE from LB! 6/9 Sneaks

2011-06-07T09:32:00.001-05:00

Wanna be the lucky guy or gal to get your mits on the collection for a grand total of $0.00???

All you have to do is show me a picture HERE of one female role model that has made a difference in your life <3 That's it!

Only entries with a photo will be considered <3

Draw will close Thursday.

In the Spotlight: Olivia

2011-06-05T21:34:00.004-05:00

Name: Olivia

Age: 14

Location: Florida

When you started digi-scrapping: June 2008

How long you've been on the team: Since May 2011

Fave LB kit: Just Whip It

Fave non-LB designer: Studio Lorie

Who else do you CT for: Studio Lorie, Newlife Dreams Designs, A+ Designs, Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs, The Digichick Site, BZB Designs, mle Card, DigiShopTalk Site

Random fact or tidbit about yourself: Other than scrapbooking I love to read and hang out with my friends!

Livy may be a young lil thang, but she knows her stuff! Check out some of the great things she's created in her short time on the team:

Using Leavin' on a Jet Plane w/Jenn Barrette

Using Hugging and Loving (Available soon!)

Using Pawsitively

Using Little Miss (Also available soon! From my May Polka Dot Plum Guest Spot)

Just in time for summer travel plans!

2011-06-03T06:53:00.004-05:00

I just love summer vacation. Almost as much fun is planning it. And this year I'm making a hybrid travel journal with this collab by Laura and Jenn Barrette, call Leaving on a Jet Plane. And of course there's a wonderful add-on available free for a limited time!

Yolanda's playful layout shows off everything having to do with flying!

I love a good photoless layout and Melissa's is just gorgeous full of amazing clusters.

I got tired just reading BrynneMarie's layout. Phew!

And Laura has to remind us once again that we need to go to Vegas at least once in our lifetimes. :)

Cheryl knows how to travel in style.

So get to the store. Later on this month I'll come back and show off my travel journal and link you up with a tutorial on how it's done. Get to the store to pick this up on sale!

Digiscrapapalooza Tell All Chat 6/1

2011-05-31T06:57:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day Sales 30%-50% Off Select Items

2011-05-29T08:13:00.001-05:00

Hybrid Activity Prompt Box + Free Template

2011-05-28T15:48:00.010-05:00

Hello there, crafty friends! It's been a while since I've posted non-release related stuff, so I figured it was about time... I'd been tossing this idea around for a few days before I finally got to it and executed my little plan. With school having just been let out, I know my guys are bound to be bored at least 1-27 times per day. The only thing that really holds their attention for longer than 15min is video games. I think kids 'these days' have so much information thrown at them that they have trouble using their imaginations. I thought I'd give them a little push in creative and pretend play.

Today we're making a hybrid activity prompt box/container! I have a little template you can grab for the label and card holder envelope...click the image to download.

The digital scrapbooking kit I chose is 8 Bit World.

Here's what you'll need:

I used the template to create a label and card holder envelope for my activity container. If you don't have the same container, that's totally fine! A small box or empty coffee container would work just as well.

You'll need to cut out your template. If you don't have a fancy paper cutter or your blade was dull like mine, you can use scissors. ;)

Score where needed on your envelope.

Use adhesive of some kind to adhere your envelope as shown below. Press firmly for a minute or so if you're using glue, making sure that your envelope has time to dry a bit.

Set aside and let it dry the rest of the way as we move on to the next step.

If you are using a container that still has a label on it, go ahead and pull the label or stickers off now.

Don't have a garbage can nearby but DO have a small child? Excellent! They think it's really funny when you stick all the label pieces on their finger. See?

Use your adhesive again to stick your label on the front of your container.

Repeat the last step with your envelope on the back of your container.

Grab some index cards or small pieces of paper. Write some fun play prompts on them and stick them in your activity container. Place some extra blank cards or papers in your idea envelope for anytime an adult in the house has a cool idea for a prompt. The key is to surprise the kids, so try to write your ideas when they're not around ;)

Some of mine included using paint and only your elbow to write your name, assigning each child a 'part' to 'play' and a scenario to act out, assigning a certain number of things around the house with which to build a fort in some random number of minutes...you get the idea.

That's it! Easy, right? Took me about an hour. Enjoy! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a reply to this post. :)

Come get some new goodies!

2011-05-27T07:56:00.007-05:00

Have you got someone in martial arts in your family? You need to get to the store this week then to pick up Laura's latest. Martial Artist gives you the chance to capture the kicks, karate moves and pride of your little grasshopper. And there's also an add-on to show off their achievements too.

I love all these ways that the team used this kit. Check out Holly's cutie here:

And Laura's got her own karate kid:

Amber's little guys love their Kung Fu Panda!

And check out the pride on this face! Priceless!

LeeAndra documented the last taekwondo class in the hopes that there will be more in the future:

Heather's take on the kit:

And you aren't just restricted to the martial arts....Coila's little one looks so cute in these mickey glasses:

Laura's also re-released her watercolor alpha in pngs and as a brush, so pick that up as well because it's so versatile.

You want them on sale? Sure thing! Just get to the store this week!

Coming this week to The Orchard...

2011-05-25T09:33:00.001-05:00

Want to be the lucky guy or gal that snags all three for FREE?
Check HERE!

My products are now S4H Friendly!

2011-05-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

In the Spotlight: Jenn B.

2011-05-23T08:09:00.006-05:00

Today I'm spotlighting one of my freelance layout artists and good friends, Jenn Barrette of Jenn Barrette Designs at Sweet Shoppe :)

Name: Jenn Barrette

Age: 28 years old

Location: Ontario, Canada

When you started digi-scrapping: I am an ol'timer, I have been doing it digi style since 2006.

How long you've been on the team: I have been chillin' with Laura for a few months, but I have been stalking her designs much longer :)

Fave LB kit: Scene Queen

Fave non-LB designer: All my CT teams rock my socks off. I refuse to play favorites!

Who else do you CT for: Valorie Wibbens, Emily Merritt, Lauren Grier, Sahlin Studio, Misty Cato, Lauren Reid, Fizzy Pop Designs and The Tattered Pear. I also freelance for Micheline Martin, and Ju Kneipp.

Random fact or tidbit about yourself: I like to add "-irrific" to random words. Ex. Laura is a fab-irrific designer. :)

Holla! Since Jenn is a freelancer (ahem ;) ), I was only able to find one layout to show you ;) I think we need to remedy this, Jenn! ;)

Using Scene Queen

I grabbed a few more layouts from Jenn's gallery at SSD to show you, they're linked for full credits so you can check them out for yourselves :)

Are you getting your five?

2011-05-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

If you've got a healthy appetite and need to get your five a day (your know, veggies?) in, then check this kit out. Faith True and Laura have collaborated to create 5 a Day. And if you get it this week, you get Faith's 5 a day word art free!

I love this little faces that Jaime's little one makes when eating veggies!

Laura's layout is a great photoless layout!

And Holly went for the same idea, but one loves her veggies, the other, not so much.

Heather loves her tomatoes, that for sure!

Melissa also has great eaters in her family.

Coila sure framed this picture in the cutest way!

And Carrin will be the talk of the mommy boards this week with this layout. How does she get her little guy to eat broccoli? On PIZZA!

Christine's all about the healthy green veg on this layout!

And what a sweet way to use this kit for a layout that's not about food at all!

Carrie's got a great colourful layout going on here, with her veggie loves!

So get your 5 a Day in and maybe try using this kit for a meal planner or a fun kitchen hybrid project!