He's My Valentine BLOG TRAIN!!

Welcome to the fourth stop on the Plum Dumpling Designs: He's My Valentine BLOG TRAIN!! If you've been riding the train, you should have arrived here from Janine's blog and picked up a freebie from both Janine and Cole featuring Plum Dumpling Designs' latest kit, He's My Valentine:



I've got a husband and two sons (we'll even things out a little bit with a baby girl coming in May), and this Valentine kit is just right for us! It's a great mix of tough and sweet, and while blue isn't your typical valentine color, it's the perfect manly touch and makes for some great, unique pages. I had a lot of fun playing with it -- the stamped alphas and elements were my favorite (though, as always, I loved Mary's papers, too)! Here's one layout I did; the blue totally went with my husband's shirt. :-)



inspired by nockosh's crocs
He's My Valentine by Plum Dumpling Designs
font: Century Gothic

I also made a super-cute Valentine card featuring my two boys. I had to bribe them with M&Ms to get them to wear their blue church shirts mid-week, but check out these pics -- wasn't it worth it?! Grandmas, you can expect these in your mailboxes soon; I just picked them at Costco yesterday (and they look SO good printed!)



He's My Valentine by Plum Dumpling Designs
font: Pea XOXO from Karen

And yes -- you've been waiting patiently for that freebie ... here it is! I turned my card into a 4x6 quickpage for you; just click on the image to download from 4shared:



There's still plenty more great freebies to pick up! Head over to Laura's blog next, or if you need to start from the beginning (or just want a list of all the blogs participating in the blog train), you can head on over to Mary's blog.

Latest Pages ...

Lots for Julianne ...



Family Game Night template by Plum Dumpling Designs (slightly altered)
papers from SO SUNny collab by Scrap Orchard and Sunshine Studio Scraps designers
Flair Freebie by Danielle Young Designs
My Ribbon Jar by Britt-ish Designs
staple from Sunshine in My Soul by Britt-ish Designs
Date Stamp: Classic by Britt-ish Designs
On the Dot alpha by Chelle's Creations
Dotty Numbers by Sarah Bennett
fonts: Century Gothic, smiley monster, American Typewriter

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Yin Template 148 by Yin Designs
Beachside by Megan Turnidge
sandy background paper from O Come Let Us Adore Him by Chelle's Creations
shells from Hawaiian Happy Hour by ScrapMatters designers
Summer Fun wordart by Sahlin Studio
fonts: Not His Angel, American Typewriter

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So Long to Summer by Andilynn Designs (alpha recolored)
fonts: Pea XOXO from Karen, American Typewriter

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Stacked Templates 2 by Britt-ish Designs
Spring Blooms by WM[squared] Designs
pink background paper from Birds of a Feather by WM[squared] Designs
blue background paper from Seriously Cute by Britt-ish Designs
green and blue paper from Color Wonder by Britt-ish Designs
purple paper from Monstrosity add-on by Britt-ish Designs
Watercolor spills by Misty Cato
Doodlie-do: page borders by Britt-ish Designs
Scribbly alpha by Sarah Bennett
fonts: Only By Request, American Typewriter

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...and one for me! This was for a speed scrap at ScrapMatters, and one of the instructions was to lift one of your previous layouts ... I lifted Crazy In Love (do if the design looks vaguely familiar, it's 'cause you saw it here last week!)



Loverly by Sahlin Studio (some things recolored)
pink and red papers and red brads from ScrapMatters Sweet Thing January Newsletter kit by Jeni Hopewell Chelle's Creations
buttons and silk flowers from Berry Merry by Golden Girls
red string and doodled hearts from Pop Goes the World by Dani Mogstad
fonts: CK_Ali's_Hand_Official, DJB Get Your Fix

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AND one more piece of news ... Plum Dumpling Designs has a fun new kit that's coming out tomorrow, and her creative team is doing a blog train to celebrate! That's right -- I'm hosting my first-ever freebie on this blog, so be sure to stop by again Friday morning!

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

I am all about having lots of versatile kits that will match with all kinds of photos, kits that you find yourself using pieces of again and again.

Plum Dumpling Designs just released just such a kit: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow! It's the perfect answer for P365 pages, for heritage pages, or for everyday memories. Check it out:



And here's a page I did with it:



Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow by Plum Dumpling Designs
fonts: Porcelain, Natalie

I had so much fun playing with the elements in this kit, especially! My favorite was the date sticker -- I just know I'm going to be pulling out that date sticker for other layouts, too.

AND there's a freebie add-on over on Mary's blog -- make sure you hop over there!

DigiFinds

A couple things I've come across this week I wanted to share with my digiscrapping friends:


FREEBIES:

Ikeagoddess used to be the place to grab quality freebies; she hand-picked the best the digiworld had to offer. She stopped freebie-hunting a few months ago, though, but I've found a blog that promises to fill the void: All Things Digital Scrapbooking. Definitely a site to add to your feed readers!


PRINTING:

Ready to print a book? Winkflash has a screaming deal going on right now! I hold off on my printing until their flat-rate book deal comes around (it seems to come up this time of year, and then every couple of months through the first part of the year). Last year I printed all my 2008 layouts with them as 8x8 albums -- they were cheap enough that I could print multiple copies to share with family and to save for my boys when they're older. The 12x12 albums are so reasonably priced, though, that I think I will print 12x12 for me!

If you aren't quite ready to print, keep working at it -- from what I've noticed, this deal pops up every month or two this time of year.


AND SPEAKING OF PRINTING:

I have always been hesitant to order a 12x12 just because it'll end up SO big ... and yet, I want my photos to really stand out; that's why I'm scrapping to begin with! Recently I came across a site that prints 11x11, Inkubook. What a difference that would make! It would actually fit on my bookshelf!! Plus, a book goes up to 120 pages -- again, twenty extra pages might make a world of difference!

I've read good reviews about the quality and it's pretty reasonably priced. It's not the screaming deal you can get at Winkflash, but you don't have to wait for a sale, either -- and hunt around for coupons; I've seen a 30% off one recently!


Seen any great sites or good deals in digiland lately?

Two Pages

What do these two pages have in common? They were both SO FUN to put together! Every once in awhile I have to take a break from "project-mode" and just create something.

So I think my husband and I should do more long-armed portraits of ourselves because they are always so fun to scrap. These pictures were taken as I was hurrying out the door to choir practice before church.

I had a great time with the bright, bold colors against all the black and white. I think it's very effective here! Those felt circles are freebies so make sure you don't scroll too fast through the credits; I linked 'em up for ya. :-)



Pop Goes the World by Dani Mogstad
orange paper from Wubulous by Amy Sumrall
rainbow paper from Children's Day by Amy Sumrall
Primary Felt: Circles by Pamela Donnis
Edge 2 Edge Songs by Britt-ish Designs
Detention Alpha by Krystal Hartley
fonts: Pea Stacy's Doodle Script, Century Gothic

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I was lucky enough to receive a gift card for Pamela Donnis's stuff (which was how I came across those freebie circles in the previous layout), and ever since downloading April Rain, I've been so excited to get to this page for Julianne! All the rainy-day, springy elements are so cute -- I just piled 'em on. I'd downloaded that doodly Kate Hadfield font ages ago (it must have been last spring!) and was glad I finally had a page where it seemed to match the theme.

I wasn't sure what to title it, though. I was just going to go with "Cool Umbrella Shots" -- Julianne's caption of the pictures -- when Nathan (who was watching me scrap while reading The Hunger Games) said he didn't like that so much.

"What do you suggest?" I asked.

"I don't know ... but you'll come up with something better, 'cause you're awesome like that."

Well, I don't know about that, but I do have access to Google. There's whole lists of scrapbooking page titles on the Internet, and every once in awhile I use that to come up with something.

"Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella" was one of the options that popped up, after an old Bing Crosby song (was it Bing Crosby? Maybe it was somebody else first ... I do know that Oscar the Grouch did a parody of it -- yes, I'm a Sesame Street kid -- and I only know the tune to the lyrics of "Let a Frown Be Your Umbrella.") Anyway, I thought it was perfect for these fun pictures!



lift of Super Messy by .megan.
April Rain by Pamela Donnis
green stitching from Everyday Thanks by Plum Dumpling Designs
Spring Green alpha by Kate Hadfield
fonts: Scrubble, American Typewriter

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I've got one more page I've scrapped this week, but you'll just have to come back tomorrow to see it ... it's using Plum Dumpling Designs' great new kit:

More Layouts (again)

It's been a little while since I posted layouts, so I thought I'd show you the latest:



All American Superhero by Plum Dumpling Designs
Super Villains by Plum Dumpling Designs
Barcode dates by Plum Dumpling Designs
fonts: The Doorman, Traveling Typewriter

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Tuesday Template 1/12/2010 by Designs by Stefanie
Hit the Road by Wild Dandelions
fonts: Pea Stacy's Doodle Script, American Typewriter

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Losing It by Andilynn Designs
Dates Matter by Andilynn Designs
fonts: Rage, American Typewriter

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A Father's Strength by Tracie Stroud
Give it to Me Straight by Amanda Heimann
Tabby Dates by Britt-ish Designs
Teeny Tiny Christmas Alpha by Britt-ish Designs
font: American Typewriter

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red background paper from Natural Wonders by ScrapMatters Designers (slightly recolored)
black paper and yellow dot paper from Way to Be by Andilynn Designs
yellow polka dot paper from Midnight Crow by Chelle's Creations
dark red damask paper from Old Time Christmas add-on by Sarah Bennett
plaid paper, glitter border, and gold ribbon from Holiday Magic by Kim Higueria
red striped-and-dotted paper and fancy gold trim from O Come Let Us Adore Him by Chelle's Creations
fonts: Harry P, Warnock Pro, American Typewriter

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paper strip template by Sahlin Studio
Natural Wonders by ScrapMatters Designers
Let's Camp S'more by Chelle's Creations
Midnight Crow by Chelle's Creations
O Come Let Us Adore Him by Chelle's Creations
My Ribbon Jar by Britt-ish Designs
Angels Bonus Alpha by Krystal Hartley
fonts: Blackjack, American Typewriter, Amy

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Thanks for looking!

I AM going to finish this project, by golly!

Still hard at work on Julianne's mission album! I did several pages this week, including three this afternoon. By golly, I am going to finish this project!! (It may take another few months, so don't hold your breath). ;-)

Here's one of my favorite two-pagers to date. Weird, since by the time I finish a two-pager, Photoshop is generally grinding and I'm sick of looking at my layout. I like how I did the journaling; I will have to use the technique again.



Template 165 (altered) by Yin Designs
Hawaiian Happy Hour by ScrapMatters Designers
Remember wordart (altered) from Everyday Thanks by Plum Dumpling Designs
Detention Alpha by Krystal Hartley
fonts: Glider Girls, American Typewriter

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This was a simple page, but I think it's effective -- I like the mix of fonts.



Sweet and Simple No. 1 template (altered) by Jude
Heartstrings by TaylorMade
In The City alpha by Sahlin Studio
fonts: Pea Mystie Caps, American Typewriter

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Originally I thought I'd make this layout totally match the previous one, turn it into a two-pager. It would be quick to just replace the pictures, maybe change it up just a little (different elements, etc.) but keep the same format. Then I realized I didn't have quite enough pictures. I decided to go a different route, then, but this template wasn't lending itself to the pics quite as ideally as I'd hoped (and besides, Photoshop crashed on me three times while I was working on it!) I did manage to get it done, though, and I think it turned out all right.



Freebie 35 template by Chrissy W
Rainy Afternoon by Kim Higueria
fonts: Rage, Rockwell Extra Bold, American Typewriter

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Here's a layout using a just-released mini-kit from Plum Dumpling Designs! I had a lot of fun playing with it and had to pull these two photos out of the "miscellaneous" pile since they matches the colors so perfectly. I typically don't scrap two-photo layouts with this project since it takes nearly as long to do a two-photo layout as a four- or six- or eight-photo one, but I couldn't resist!

I'm totally diggin' the nail-polish alpha -- what do you think??



Shopaholic by Plum Dumpling Designs
Shopaholic Add-on by Plum Dumpling Designs
font: American Typewriter, Boring Showers

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I took this template and tweaked it so much that the template-designer said she'd love to have a template of my layout! Haha! I switched this up from a two-photo design to a (just a sec; lemme count) seven-photo one.



ScrapMatters 1-5-10 Tuesday Template (altered) by Cyndi Price
Tyler by GG Digital Designs
fonts: Mr. and Mrs. Popsicle, American Typewriter

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I have loved every layout I've seen with this kit, and so I finally bought it during Sweet Shoppe's sale over NSD. And then ... I've hesitated to use it. I needed the perfect pictures.

Well, I'm not sure whether these were the perfect pictures or not, but with that bright red phone booth dominating the layout, I thought I'd give it a go.

And yes, once again -- I love this layout. This kit has magical powers, I'm telling you.



lift of Tanya666's Tinkerbell
Pop Goes the World by Dani Mogstad
fonts: Rebekah's Birthday, American Typewriter

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In contrast to the previous page, I needed some papers that were a little more drab (these pictures were from a foggy day) but still with red in it. Luckily I knew of just the minikit -- I downloaded this from ScrapMatters as part of their Christmas gift to their newsletter subscribers.



Template #17 (altered) by Moriginals
Chilled mini-kit by Jennifer Barrette
fonts: Garamond, American Typewriter

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One last one. I wanted the colors to match the "So Cute" page above, as I needed something to go on the opposing page ... and here's what I came up with. Britt's template was a perfect fit for the subject matter!



Pocket Full of Templates 3 by Britt-ish Designs
Totally Loving You by Jady Day Studio
green bg paper, dark pink paper, and leaves from Beautiful You by Plum Dumpling Designs
dark brown paper from Everyday Thanks by Plum Dumpling Designs
fonts: Scriptina, American Typewriter

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Thanks for looking!

More Pages!

I've got more pages to show you! A few for myself, and then I'm still plugging away on my sister-in-law's mission album. This was my last week as a creative team guest for Chelle's Creations, and I've loved working with her stuff -- I'm so glad I had the chance to be on her team! What a wonderful experience.

To get things going, here's a page using a combination of her two "Building Blocks" templates. I love these because they're just the blocks -- you can arrange them in so many different ways to make your actual layout -- and they come in inked and regular versions. These are so versatile; I know I'll be using them again!



Building Blocks Combo by Chelle's Creations
Space Case by Chelle's Creations
fonts: BlackJack, Boring Showers

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Would you ever guess this was a seafood kit?? I love the colors in it, and that patterned paper is unlike any I've seen -- very fun!



lift of Opening Presents by jendavey
Lob-STAH by Plum Dumpling Designs
stitching from On the Front Porch by Plum Dumpling Designs
fonts: Wish I Were Taller, Century Gothic, American Typewriter, Pea Carlisle

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I loved the titlework on the page I lifted; so clever and something I hadn't tried before. These little alphas (and the matching dates) were perfect for it!



lift of Captivated by you by skyezak
Beautiful You by Plum Dumpling Designs
Date Bits by Plum Dumpling Designs
Alpha-Bits by Plum Dumpling Designs
font: American Typewriter

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A combination of an Autumn kit with a Christmas kit ... I think it works! And hopefully doesn't look either autumnal nor Christmasy (since these pictures were taken in April!)



Tuesday Template 12-29-09 by WM[squared] designs
Midnight Crow by Chelle's Creations
starry background paper, brown papers clipped to waves, tan and blue buttons (tan recolored to off-white), and tan alpha from O Come Let Us Adore Him by Chelle's Creations
yellow ribbon from Let's Camp S'more by Chelle's Creations
font: American Typewriter

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Sometimes I scraplift to satisfy a challenge requirement (e.g. Grand Theft Layout at ScrapMatters), and other times I scraplift just because I happen across an AWESOME page. This one was the latter. I need to use this design again, in my own album.



lift of Eastern State by cnscrap
Yippee Skippee by Britt-ish Designs
branch and some leaves from Sunshine in My Soul by Britt-ish Designs
My Ribbon Jar by Britt-ish Designs
acrylic flowers from Funky Sampler by Sarah Bennett
fonts: Bickham Script Pro, American Typewriter

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I debated about whether I should blog this story or scrap it ... I finally decided to scrap it. I think it will be a fun addition to our family's album, even if I don't especially like that picture of me. I'm trying to make sure I take the time to record these little moments even while falling behind on the big vacations and such -- I know I'll come back and scrap the vacations eventually, but these are the kind of things that will be forgotten if I don't act now.



white bg paper from Sunshine in My Soul by Britt-ish Designs
Doodlie-Do: page borders by Britt-ish Designs
fonts: Year Supply of Fairy Cakes, Pea Stacy Elizabeth, Century Gothic

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I've been wanting to use this kit for its fun colors! Even though it's a holiday kit -- and a Hanukkah one at that (and I'm not Jewish) -- it's one I'll be going back to, just for the solid papers alone. It's on sale right now, too ... lots of stuff on sale over at ScrapMatters!



lift of Thanksgiving 2008 by AbAllen
Happy Hanukkah by Andilynn Designs
Date Stamped by Britt-ish Designs
fonts: Century Gothic, American Typewriter

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Thanks for looking!