…{the written word} and a new look

Well…the new blog header, footer, and sidebar elements are up and running! I just finished up the new signature badge to complete the transformation (all supplies from Sweet Shoppe Designs).  I’m still in love with the simple white background…I think it makes the blog look clean and uncluttered…just like me! LOL! Hope you like the new look as much as I do!

In my spare time {ahem}, I’ve also been doing a little reading. I’m totally addicted to books that are in a series…it’s hard for me to order (much less read) a book that is considered “over” once you’ve turned that last page…especially if I feel invested in the story and the characters. Then again, it’s also excruciating to wait a year (sometimes more) for that next installment in the series to be released, but becomes so worth it when you realize that the story isn’t over and may continue for several more publications! This is why you’ll see several pictures with more than one book included in the photo. Here are some of the books I’ve recently crossed off of my “to read” list: 

The Divergent series by Veronica Roth (Divergent, Insurgent, Book 3 coming fall 2013)

The Kane Chronicles series by Rick Riordan (The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, The Serpent’s Shadow)

Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, Book 2 TBA)

My Blood Approves series by Amanda Hocking (My Blood Approves, Fate, Flutter, Wisdom)

The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking (Switched, Torn, Ascend)

The Watersong series by Amanda Hocking (Wake, Lullaby, Tidal {6-4-13, Elegy {2014}

The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver, Linger, Forever)

That’s it for today! I hope to be back with a little review for all of the series that I’ve listed here on the blog sometime in the near future, so keep a lookout for that! Until later…

…I Heart You

Happy Thursday, everyone!  We’re expecting more snow here in Georgia, so I’m gearing up for the boys to be home for the rest of this week…that’s usually how it works around here!  LOL!  So needless to say I’ll be busy with them over the next couple of days, but I wanted to share this scrapbook page I made of my youngest son and his girlfriend.

This is actually a picture from last year, but after being friends for several years they made the decision to take the next step in their relationship.  Aren’t they the sweetness things??? :)  The elements used in this creation were from the For The Love of a Boy digital kit by Traci Reed and the Bad Sewing Machine XXIII: Doodle Me Square by Traci Reed.  Both of these kits are available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.  I ADORE their website, their designers, their kits, and their prices.  You should go check them out!

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you all back here soon!  Until then…

…Pieces of Me

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY MTSC102 FAVES FOR THIS WEEK

Happy Sunday, everyone!  Just wanted to stop in real quick to give you a little peek at some of digital scrapbook pages that I’ve created over the last month or so.  I have to admit that I am totally addicted…thanks to my enabling friend, Jen Tapler!  She introduced me to the crazy world of digital scrapbooking, and also led me to my favorite digi store, Sweet Shoppe Designs.  Jen has been such a HUGE help to me, and she’s always so encouraging and uplifting {and as I mentioned before…enabling!  LOL}  Thanks for all of your help and your fabulous friendship, Jen! :)

Now for the layouts:

(All elements from Sweet Shoppe Designs unless otherwise noted)
Digital SB Kits: Pieces of Me~Traci Reed, Simply Stamped Alpha~Zoe Pearn, Punchy Edges~Julie Billingsley, "WS Joyce" digi image (The Greeting Farm)
Fonts: DJB Angel Baby~Darcy Baldwin, Scriptina (Word Processor)

(All elements from Sweet Shoppe Designs unless otherwise noted)
Template: Susanna Boyd for Scrappy Sunday Challenge~November @ Paper Craft Planet
Digital SB Kits: Wondrous~Julie Billingsley, Simply Stamped Alpha~Zoe Pearn, Bad Sewing Machine I-The Basics~Traci Reed, Bliss~Fee Jardine
Fonts: DJB Angel Baby~Darcy Baldwin

That’s it for now!  Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with a card for By LORi Designs as one of their new design team members!  Until later…

…Farm Fresh Digi-Style

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MY SPARKLE CREATIONS RUBBER STAMPS’ PREVIEW FOR TODAY

Happy Friday, everyone!  It’s time for another Farm Fresh Friday Challenge over at The Greeting Farm Blog, and this week we have a SCRAPBOOK SKETCH CHALLENGE By Melyssa.  I’m not a huge fan of paper scrapbooking, but I absolutely LOVE digital scrapbooking.  So I begged Jessica to let me make some digital layouts using the TGF digital images to show how versatile they can be.  It is easy as pie to create simple outlined images, but it is also a cinch to color the images in Photoshop (I opted to leave mine outlines in this instance).  ***I will have a tutorial soon on how to create custom digital images.

I used “WS-Jeremy” and “WS-Odette” on this page beside the title.    I paired the photo of my son and his best friend with digi patterned papers from the Sweet Shoppe Design’s Day One SB Kit by Lauren Grier (the black frame around their names was also from this kit).  The torn spiral edges and scalloped strip were created using the Sweet Shoppe Designs’ Punchy Edges Kit by Julie Billingsley, and the stitching was from the Bad Sewing Machine I Kit by Traci Reed.  The star embellishments, folded paper medallion, and splattered Kraft paper were all from the Wondrous Kit by Julie Billingsley.  VIOLA…a digital scrapbook page using Melyssa’s sketch! :)

Now let's see what the other Farmers and Critter Crew have up their sleeves for today's challenge:

• Jessica Diedrich
• Melyssa Connolly
• Randi Wall
• Tammy Maxvill
• Emma Eads (November Guest Designer for TGF)

(Critter Crew)

• Shaela Odd
• Jacquie Nordaune
• Jennifer Royal
• Sammi Betbeder
• Kristine Reynolds
• Linda Muhr
• Tangii Crain
• Margie Cortina

That's it for now! Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to head over to the TGF Blog for the official challenge rules and to play along with us!  THIS WEEK’S WINNER WILL RECEIVE THE “I {HEART} SWEATERS” SET!  I'll see you back here tomorrow with an SCRS Release Day Post!  Until then…

…Team

Happy Saturday, everyone!  I have something a little different to share with you all today…a digital scrapbook layout that I created using one of Jen Tapler’s sketches for the Scrappy Sunday Challenge over at Paper Craft Planet.  All of the components are from the digital scrapbooking kit called “1st and 10” by Libby Weifenbach, except for the stitching which is from the kit “Bad Sewing Machine IV: Don’t Be A Square” by Traci Reed.  The journaling was done using the font DejaVu Sans Mono.

We are a football-loving household, and we really had fun going to our oldest son’s games.  He played on both the junior varsity and varsity teams, so we were at the ball field twice a week as a family.  Unfortunately, those days are over.  A month ago, Christian sustained a major concussion (his fourth one in four years) and can no longer be involved in any contact sports whatsoever.  It was quite a blow for him since he’s always been so athletic, and he has been suffering from horrible headaches and neck pain since the day of the injury.  He has been in and out of doctors’ offices.  He’s had x-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and C-spine films done, and we have an appointment with a neurologist in January (but I’m trying to get him in sooner).  Needless to say, it’s been a struggle watching him miss out on sports since it’s his junior year of high school…but it’s even worse seeing him in such physical pain.  Please lift him up in prayer as we wait to hear the neurologist’s conclusions and recommendations.

That’s it for today!  Thanks for stopping by, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with another Mercy’s Magnificent Musings post!  Until then…

…Scrappy Sunday August Challenges

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MERCY’S MAGNIFICENT MUSINGS FOR THIS WEEK!

It’s Sunday again…so that means church, dinner with the family, lazy afternoons, and Mercy’s Magnificent Musings.  Now it also means Digital Scrapbooking Day every now and then each month.  My sweet friend, Jen Tapler, has introduced me to the wonderful world of digital scrapbooking…and I’m totally addicted!  Every month Jen hosts a scrapbook sketch challenge as part of the Scrappy Sunday Challenge Group over at Papercraft Planet.  Each month you get 4 new sketches (4 FREE layered templates for digital scrappers) to play with, and at the end of the month a random winner is chosen from all of the participants who completed all 4 layouts before the end of the month to win a fabulous prize!

Here are my entries for the August Sketch Challenges (click on the images to see them larger and/or read the journaling):

Summer Days by Zoe Pearn (Sweet Shoppe Designs), Bad Sewing Machine I- The Basics by Traci Reed (Sweet Shoppe Designs), Punchy Edges by Julie Billingsley (Sweet Shoppe Designs); Template by Jen Tapler for August’s Scrappy Sunday Challenge (Papercraft Planet)

Splendid by Kristin Cronin-Barrow (Sweet Shoppe Designs), Bad Sewing Machine I-The Basics by Traci Reed (Sweet Shoppe Designs); Template by Jen Tapler for August’s Scrappy Sunday Challenge (Papercraft Planet)

We’re All Waiting For Something by Lauren Grear and Shawn Clingerman (Sweet Shoppe Designs); Template by Jen Tapler for August’s Scrappy Sunday Challenge (Papercraft Planet)

Bliss by Fee Jardine (Sweet Shoppe Designs); Template by Jen Tapler for August’s Scrappy Sunday Challenge (Papercraft Planet)

That’s it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of my “other” designs.  LOL!  I’ll see you all back here tomorrow with another TSG Monday Challenge, so until then…