SOTB Store Scrap of the Week - Week Ending August 30

Simple, expressive and done with some of the new templates found in the store that are all the rage, javamama has this week's layout of the week.


Kit: Bloom by Katie Mann; Template: Totally Templates by Christine Nash

Want to be eligible for mention in my SOTB Store Scrap of the Week? Post a layout using only kit(s) available in the SOTB store in the SOTB Store Scraps gallery during the next 7 days and you will be "entered".

Snips and Snails

I have a new item in the store...after several weeks. This is Snips and Snails and it is all boy:

There are buttons galore in this kit. They come in png's all by themselves, in all of these colors and sizes:

They also come with a tan stitch. And, they come in evenly spaced rows, 17 inches long, both vertical and horizontal. Try those rows of buttons with some strategically placed drop shadows and you'll have a layout that looks like a shirt front. There are also button photo corners:

There are two alphas. One is a caps only alpha and number set on a button-like background. Check out how the characters are partially transparent:

The second alpha is made from one of my papers and then stitched around in dark brown:

There are stitches. Tan cross stitches in 17 inch rows, both vertical and horizontal. The stitches come with the right shading to make them looked stitched on top of whatever they are placed on:

And, of course, there are papers. Lots of them. Fourteen papers, all textured and in various different patterns and some nice solids.

This is now in my store for $5.75. Check it out today!

Yummy color

It's starting to look like fall in digi scrap land. People are turning their thoughts to fall kits and look what I stumbled upon this a.m. in Heidi Smith's store:

Crisp September has such great color to it. I would love to have my bedroom in these tones, in fact. I've always loved red and purple together and the additional colors here are perfect. The whole kit really feels rich and warm like the early days of fall.

Know what I love? Heidi has included every element in every color. You won't start cropping and be looking for a brad in a color that you want and not find it. Love it!

SOTB Store Scrap of the Week - Week Ending August 23

In digi scrap galleries, I mostly see pictures of the adorable children and grandchildren of the scrappers. So, when there is a layout like this one, it grabs my eye.


Kit: Heartfelt by Barb Speck

Here, sternrakete has featured a fabulous picture from her wedding day. The layout papers and elements are timeless. Perfect compliments to a wonderful photo. This layout would be a fabulous title page for her wedding album. Great layout to scraplift!

Want to be eligible for mention in my SOTB Store Scrap of the Week? Post a layout using only kit(s) available in the SOTB store in the SOTB Store Scraps gallery during the next 7 days and you will be "entered".

You HAVE to see this

Steph Broccolo has just put out a kit that is too amazing for you not to see it. It's called For Love of Aries. Maybe that is what caught my eye first...I'm an Aries...but the awesome stuff in this kit held my attention and made me want to tell everyone reading to get a look for themselves.

Check out the princess perfect colors. Look at those pretty curled ribbons. Look at the details:



Here are some layouts Steph did to show the kit in action:


Check it out for yourselves. It's a steal for just $3.99!

Last day of my big store sale

Today is the last day of my big store sale. Everything regularly priced at $3.00 or more is on sale for 50% off. This includes Dance: The Collection, regularly priced at $18, just $9 through the end of today. This collection includes 6 full kits and Dance: Alphas.

This collection includes 27 12X12 papers, 13 17 inch ribbons (including that fabulous marabou in A Little Jazzy), and a wide assortment of elements, dance word art and cute sillhouettes plus the four alphas from the alpha set. This collection is regularly priced at $6 off the total cost of the individual sets and the alpha. At 50% off, it is a savings of $15. Grab it today while it is this much of a deal!

SOTB Store Scrap of the Week - Week Ending August 16

WOW! Color, color, color! This layout by kelly4me just knocks me out with the bright colors.


Kit: Beachy by Jennifer M. Trippetti

The little inset with "hot tubbin' baby" around it is just too adorable and the colors! Oh, yeah. I already said that, didn't I?

Want to be eligible for mention in my SOTB Store Scrap of the Week? Post a layout using only kit(s) available in the SOTB store in the SOTB Store Scraps gallery during the next 7 days and you will be "entered".

Have you visited the Monkey Valley Coffee Shop

I fell in love with Starbuck's a few months ago and it's on my mind this week since one opened in our small hometown. I wondered if any of you reading had been to MY Coffee Shop?

I created this kit back in April and it is still one of my favorites. Here is a close up of some of the elements:

And, here is one of my layouts with the kit:

Come visit the shop while there is a half off sale! You never see that at Starbuck's!

Monkey Valley Challenge #2

For my second Monkey Valley challenge, I don't have a sketch, but a concept for you to work with. I got the idea from the layout I shared in the last post where I used two different kits to create a layout.

Here are the rules for this challenge:

--Create a layout using at least one element or paper from two different SOTB kits. The layout should use SOTB materials and SOTB only. It would thrill me no end to see my own work in use, but it's not required for this challenge. HOWEVER, as incentive for you to consider my kits, I am having a sale. Everything in my store regularly priced at $3.00 or more will be 1/2 off through Monday, August 21.

--Post your layout in the SOTB Store Scraps gallery by Monday, August 21, 2006 at midnight.

--Indicate in your description that your layout is for Monkey Valley #2 challenge.

--Be sure to give proper credit to the maker(s) of your scrap "supplies". Again, the layouts need to be made from things you bought (or won) from the SOTB stoe.

I will post the my freebie prize later this week so you can see what you are playing for. The freebie will contain at least two 12X12 papers and enough additional elements to make a layout from. If anyone has any color or other ideas for the freebie, I'm open to suggestion, so just leave me a comment!

Did some scrappin'

I actually spent some time doing layouts this weekend.


Kits: Beachy and Persian Influence by Jennifer M. Trippetti

My kids were almost 5 and almost 7 before I got them to the beach. Crazy, I know. We will definitely make the beach an annual trip after this.

The other scrappin' I did actually started with this layout that I did a while back:

Kit: For the Love of Violets by Alisha Hess

When I was picking up where I last left off in my scrapbook, this was the day to be captured. Turns out I only had about two pictures worth scrapping and this was one of them. But, I only had this page in 8X8 and my book is 12X12. So, I modified this page by adding the patchwork paper from the kit:


Then, I did the companion page to it:


This makes me realize that maybe this approach to creating a page is something I should do more often. I did this once before, but in that instance, the first thing created:


ended up being a very small part of the ultimate full size layout.

Kit: Cherry Blossom Full Set by Terri Milstead

SOTB Store Scrap of the Week - Week Ending August 9

DebsAngels23 started out her SOTB gallery with one fabulous layout.


Kit: Shabby Spring Garden by Jennifer M. Trippetti

I am never able to arrange things as artfully as she has on this layout. There are a lot of things here and it still isn't cluttered and nothing takes away from the great photo. See how one or two words on the piece of journalling paper are actually not completely in view? I love that. It looks like you are really looking through a book and you have pulled out a little note stuck behind the photo. A note from mom. How sweet!

Want to be eligible for mention in my SOTB Store Scrap of the Week? Post a layout using only kit(s) available in the SOTB store in the SOTB Store Scraps gallery during the next 7 days and you will be "entered".

Sketch Challenge 1: Freebie Preview

This is the freebie I am giving to anyone participating in the first Monkey Valley Sketch Challenge:

As you can see, I have babies on my mind!

I am extending the deadline to be eligible for this freebie to Thursday, August 10 at midnight.

My sketch subject is cuter than yours ;-)

I became an aunt this week...and I'm a little over the moon about it. I used the sketch from my first sketch challenge to do this layout:

You will probably be surprised to discover that the elements in this layout are from my dance kits. The details are listed in the description in the SOTB gallery where I posted this layout. The only thing that is not from a dance kit is the dark blue paper...that is part of a kit I'm working on now. A kit that will be boyish by design. But, see, any kit has possibilities outside of that which it may have originally been created for and this shows that.

Can't wait to see YOUR creations from my sketch!

Monkey Valley Sketch #1

Forgive how ugly this is, but here is a sketch for you to work with to do a layout. If you use this sketch and post a layout in the SOTB store scraps gallery by Sunday at midnight, I will private message a freebie to you via the SOTB forum. The freebie will contain at least one 12X12 paper, one 17 inch ribbon, and two other elements from which you could create layouts.

The sketch really is rough, but you get the idea...a round image is the focal point. Two equal sized square images (or elements??) below that. Lots of journalling and a title that catches the eye. You can tweak this sketch to fit any dimension layout you want...square, rectangle, (circle?).

Here are my requirements to be eligible for the freebie:

--Post your layout in the SOTB Store Scraps gallery by Sunday, August 5, 2006 at midnight.

--Indicate in your description that your layout is for Monkey Valley Sketch #1 challenge.

--Be sure to give proper credit to the maker(s) of your scrap "supplies". And, since it is to be in the SOTB Store Scraps Gallery that means you need use something you got from the SOTB store to make your layout.

SOTB Store Scrap of the Week - Week Ending August 2

There are a lot of nice scraps in the SOTB Store Scraps gallery for the last week, but this one by Tonje really caught my attention.



Kit: "Crop" Circles by Blythe Evans

The picture is adorable and the subject in it is just slightly off center, which is eye catching. The picture is cropped in a narrower rectangle than the eye is accustomed to, which also grabs attention. There is just enough embellishment which is reminiscent of a package, appropriate for a birthday layout. The journalling is clean and to the point...all that is needed for the purpose of the layout. Very festive all around! Nice work, Tonje!

Want to be eligible for mention in my SOTB Store Scrap of the Week? Post a layout using only kit(s) available in the SOTB store in the SOTB Store Scraps gallery during the next 7 days and you will be "entered".