almost Happy New Year and a freebie!

It's almost New Year, and I wanted to make a printable calendar:

I'm going through a rounded-corner phase, and I just like the simplicity of printing on 4x6" photo paper (I love to use matte photo paper for that kind of printing) so that I can print what I want and when I want.

I have a very hard time sticking to colour schemes, so having a calendar that you can tart up (or not) works for me.  :)

So, however you celebrate it, have a wonderful New Year (when it arrives)!  :)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas!

I try and fail with albums and they're expensive to import from the states... I just bought a Sn@p album and inserts and bits and pieces (over $100!!) and got it home and went... yeah, I don't know how I'll go with the odd sizes.

So I thought, well, I really love the style/concept of Cathy Zielske's 30 Days of Thankful album but don't have access to a 6x6 binder or anything that would be useful.  I ummed and aaahed about the whole shebang - I wanted to do a Days Til Christmas album for Tayli but wanted a super simple way to do it.  Then suddenly it's the evening of 1 December (yesterday) and I thought "Crap, if I don't do this now, I'll have lost the first day!".  So, I made up a 6wx4h template up to use, and snuck upstairs to take a photo of Tayli sleeping.

Once I made the template and set the whole album up (this is one of THE most fantastic things about scrapping with Lumapix Fotofusion - you can create a whole album in ONE document!!!) I went through everything in my stash to make the colour scheme.  I have a loooooooot of stuff, but I couldn't find anything that I loved until I went through some of the more recent bits and pieces I bought from The Lilypad in conjunction with my CT kits (Kate Hadfield & Michelle Godin)...

Finally settled on Pink Reptile Designs' Dear Santa papers, Kate Hadfield's December Doodads, Michelle Godin's Snarky Snippets: Christmas, and Valorie Wibbens Pocket Stuffers No.2.  Fonts are Buciebol Huomenna and Scrap Brother.  This, of course, may all change - I have difficulty sticking to an album-long colour scheme!!  ROFL. 

Now you're probably thinking, hey, she's a designer - why the heck didn't she use her own stuff?  Well... that would be because by the time I made something it would be a couple of days in to December and by that stage I would have lost the will to live and the album would never happen.  Besides, I'm a HUUUUUGE fan of tartan, and Pink Reptile Designs' Dear Santa papers have the coolest tartan paper I've seen in a while.  It didn't hurt that she also had a cute word search paper.

Anyway, I'm going pull all of it together and print it at home on Christmas Eve.  That way I can have it ready for Tayli on Christmas morning... okay, that's the theory so far!

I have released a brand new art journal mini kit in store - called, oddly enough, Art Journal Mini and is on sale for $1.50.

I'm the host of the December art journal challenge/chats at Deviant Scrap.  You can find my prompt here - you are welcome to join in!

Making a newsletter list...

I've been playing with mailchimp today to create a subscription/newsletter list.  Here's hoping it works okay!!

I'm hoping that if you click here, you should be able to subscribe.

Give it a shot, as I will be putting in special deals, sneak previews and freebie information in the upcoming newsletters.

Black Friday Sale

Firstly, Happy Thanksgiving to those of you that celebrate!

Secondly, Deviant Scrap is having it's annual Black Friday Sale - so leap on in and bag a bargain!

Happy Shopping!

Over for another year... see ya, DSD!

The sale may be over, but I have a new kit - which i've got on sale for 40%!

Here's my store - happy shopping!

And a big thank you to our respective Service folks, who put their lives on the line each day for us.  God bless you all.

iDSD Is HERE! 40% Sale at Deviant Scrap

It's always a wild weekend of activity during international Digi Scrapbooking Day!  Everyone stretches their dollar as far as they can, picking up bargains galore!  DeviantScrap is having a store-wide 40% sale, so run over and snag a deal!

My store is also 40%, with a couple of items thrown in at 50% off.  Remember, prices return to normal on Monday 5 November, so be quick!

The November Deviant Muse is out, too, with freebies and games and challenges!  Prizes to be won, people, grab your copy and join on in!!

We've also got a brand new Art Journaling section, including gallery and new challenges!  Be sure and check out JoAnn's first prompt!!

Happy scrapping SHOPPING!!!

Retiring Halloween Kits/Elements

I love this time of the year, and I also love a bargain.  

So... here is a pre-Halloween sale for you 

Halloween-celebrating sales-lovers: 

 All products that are marked down to 50%

will be retired on 1 November -

so bag a bargain before they're gone for good!

I'm a Bad Blogger...

... I probably need one of those signs that names and shames me - but I am sorry that I don't keep more up to date with what is happening in my store and with my amazing team of talented arteests.

Firstly, I have a new kit in store - Creepy Crafty.

It's currently on sale for $4.00, and will go up to RRP $5.50 next week.

Because we're ALL in shock that I've actually blogged, I'm going to end here.

OH!  The October Deviant Muse is out - RUN and grab your copy and your freebies - we have some excellent tutorials this month (as always).

Have a wonderful week!!

Deviant Scrap Birthday Sale - 30 Apr to 6 May

 

Yes, it's Deviant Scrap's Second Birthday!  The whole store will be on sale!

click here to be taken to my store!

Go, shop and have a great time!  There are coupons to be won by participating in games and challenges - you can find all the details in the May Muse (which is being released on 30 April to coincide with the store-wide birthday sale).

Kit for a Cause... for our Patty Anne and Zoey

What happens when 23 of the industries top designers come together?

Beautiful music is made.

We are paying it forward to help one of our own.

Bugs and Patty Anne Henderson are icons in the music industry when it comes to lending a helping hand to those that needed a little lift. Time and time again Bugs would don his guitar and play a set or two filled with music and love to lift the spirits and souls of those that needed it most for whatever reason. If someone was ill and needed help with medical bills, or a natural disaster hit and a community was devastated, Bugs, Patty Anne and their daughter Zoey, were there to share their love, hope and comfort with those in need. They gave freely of their time and talents to help raise money for some of the worthiest causes, no questions asked.

Last year Bugs was diagnosed with liver cancer, and on Friday, March 8th Bugs passed away. And just like Bugs and Patty Anne have done for all their lives, we would like to pay it forward and honor someone that has given so much to others.

Patty Anne has been a backbone to the digital community since day one. There is no one more dedicated to helping our community grow then her. She is generous, kind and supportive, in time, creativity and patronage. It is our privilege, at this time, to turn the tables and extend our hands to her. 100% of all proceeds from the sale of this kit will go directly to her and her daughter with all of our love.

"I'm With The Band" includes:
2 alphabets, over 75 papers and over 340 elements…that's over 1GB of amazing goodies!!!!!!!

A BIG thank you to the following designers for making this kit possible.

Altered Emporium
Art by January
Beth Rimmer
Clementine Design
Crowabout StudioB
CryztalRain
Eena’s Creation
Finecrafted Designs
Hidden Vintage Studios
Holliewood Studios
Marta Van Eck
Mr. Whiskers
Pink Lotty Designs
Priss Designs
Tumble Fish Studio
Rucola Designs
WendyP Designs
Fiddlette Designs
Julie Mead
Paula Kesselring
sherrieJD
Tangie Baxter
ViVa Artistry

This kit is for personal use only.

I made these four layouts with it:

We love you, Patty Anne and Zoey!

Finally: Finishing Touches - Fanciful is in store and on sale!

Yes, that's right - a new product from me! The broken wing is starting to heal after five weeks (three weeks to go til the next check-up but who's counting?), and I am finished with the February Muse and able to create again!

Finishing Touches: Fanciful -


And remember to snag my newest freebie if you haven't already!


Catch you later!

Let me explain - no, there is too much. Let me sum up:

So. Towards the end of last year, my world fell into a dark, dark hole. I got the phone call that every one dreads - my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Very rare. Very aggressive. So many questions, no answers forthcoming just a barrage of tests and no real details in sight. To get her as strong as possible for the fight ahead, she and I enrolled in the gym and three days a week til her surgery (9 Dec 11) she and I went to the gym. It wasn't much, in the grand scheme of things, but it was time with my mother whilst we waited out the storm that was brewing. She's had surgery and now is waiting to start her chemo and radiation treatments, which will kick off in the next week or two.

My American sister, Cherie, dropped everything and managed to squeeze several weeks off to help out over the Christmas/New Year period, and indeed just went home yesterday. What a blessing her visit was - one week after she arrived, I fell out of a door (long, embarrassing story right there) and fractured my right humerus (the greater tuberosity). Talk about painful AND debilitating - I can't drive, write, type (well, one-handed), sleep or eat properly. Her visit meant that my mother had 24/7 care during the worst of her post-surgery recovery, doubly important since I am now useless as an assistant.

I had finished uploading the January muse the night before the injury, so I am grateful that I was able to be up-to-date with The Muse as it would have just capped off my misery if that had gone to custard. But the time off with my own daughter during her school holidays has been crappy as all get out. Being 8, she gets cabin fever pretty easily, and all I can do is not a whole danged lot. She has done very well, and shortly it will be my husband's turn to care for her for two weeks... heh heh heh.

I have an image that I found on pinterest (oh, what a dangerously time-consuming place that is!) that pretty much sums up my feelings about 2011:


It is highly likely that you won't be seeing a whole lot of me til my wing is healed (approx 10 Feb) but at least you know why.