Love is in the air...

It's February, and naturally the digiscrap world turns it's eye (and ear!) towards Valentine's Day. I'm not normally one to celebrate Valentine's Day, it's just not my thing. Never really has been. But, when I saw the Je T'aime Bundle from Aimee Harrison Design Studios...I kind of fell in love!

The colors spoke to me. There's red and pink in there, of course, but the dark blue, black, and grey really put a great spin on the traditional V Day colors. Once I got my hands on the bundle, I got to work!

One of my best girlfriends was having some fun on a rainy day with her youngest girl and the camera. I love it when they do this! It's hard being across country from them, but adorable pictures like this help!

This is a photo that Hubby and I snapped in October. For the past few years, we've gone tot he beach on our anniversary and snapped a picture while we're there. This one is from 2011, our 12th anniversary.
 

Last but not least, the kit has some really pretty pale colored elements and papers that have a rustic/vintage feel to them, in my opinion. So, I found this great old photo online and tried to tell their story. I have no idea who they are, or what their story is...but I thought they were adorable!

This kit really is fun and versatile. I can see it being used for lots of things other than Valentine's Day!

So. Since we're talking about the big V Day...what are your plans?

Got it!

I figured out what to do for my second LO with the Spectrum Collection!

Kit Conundrum...

Part of my duties as a Creative Team member over at The Digital Scrapbooking Studio, I get to pick a kit from a list to work with for that month. I was really excited when I saw this awesome bundle from Nibbles Skribbles called Spectrum! It was full of color, which is a BIG thing for me.

I. Love. Color. I mean, look at it! It's NOTHING but COLOR!

I was looking forward to creating all sorts of amazing LO's with this kit, inspired by its beautiful colors. But. I didn't. I floundered and stalled. I have NO idea why. But I did. Maybe my brain was burnt out from the Holidays? Maybe I was overwhelmed with all of the awesome colors?

Who knows.

So I let it sit for a while, then came back to it today.

This is my first LO with this kit. It seemed natural to use the concept of Chakras for this colorful kit. Colors are used to symbolize the 7 energy centers in the body. Each one with its own color.

The fonts I used are Samarkan and Old Typewriter.

We'll see what I can come up with for my second LO with this kit.

So, my question is....what you you other digi scrappers (or other creative types) DO when you're stuck?

A Thankful New Year

I'm making a point to count my blessings this year. Today I am happy for my feet that still work. They won't stay that way. 15+ years of untreated Rheumatoid Arthritis took a toll on them and they are already showing signs of degeneration. But they're OK now, and for that I am THANKFUL.

Created with the Count Your Blessings Kit from ViVa Artistry over at the digi chick.

What are YOU thankful for?

A bit of self...

As this year comes to an end, I've realized that I let myself get knocked off track with my goal to improve my health this year. In 2010 I lost 50lbs, and wanted to continue that trend this year. Unfortunately, I didn't. BUT I didn't gain it all back either, just 10lbs.

I need to get back on track.

In order to do that, I joined a group of ladies online who are trying to do the same thing. We all have different goals. My goal is to continue to lose weight, and keep myself moving.

As part of this group, we were all encouraged to share our starting "stats" and a photo if we wanted to. I was really petrified about taking that picture. In a brief moment of courage, I had Hubby take a picture of me wearing nothing but my sports bra and walking pants. I figured I might as well do it!

Of course, I hate the picture, but I shared it with the group. The ladies there are all wonderful and supportive. I didn't die from embarrassment. I'm still here.

I decided to take that picture, and turn it in to something that I LIKED. A little photoshop, some elements and papers from Tangie Baxter, and voila! A self portrait ATC. I call it "Cut It Out"

 The picture I took wasn't the best, and my face was half lit and partially cut off. So I grabbed a face shot from another image and worked it in to this one. I used the 'cutout' filter for everything because I liked the look of it. The elements that I used are all from a few different kits by Tangie Baxter, mostly from her Dia de los Muertos kits. I chose those because my birthday is on Nov 2nd, which is Dia de los Muertos. I'm not Mexican, but I love the thought behind that holiday. The skirt came from a clip art pack that I downloaded some time ago, and I can't remember where I found it.

I'd like to turn this in to a series of ATCs. Each one done at a different point in my journey to health. Sounds like a plan to me!

December's Turquoise

In my other creative pursuits I'm a beader/Jewelry Artist. One of the things I love most about making jewelry is using all of the amazing stones that come out of the dirt beneath our feet. I was excited when I discovered Aimee Harrison Design Studio's Birthstone Kits! Each month has its own birthstone themed mini kit. I was instantly in love!

December's birthstone is Turquoise. I created these two LO's with the December's Turquoise Kit! The first one features my lovely niece Kelsey Mae. The second one features a vintage photo that I scrounged from somewhere online, I can't remember exactly where. Oops!

 The font used on this LO is Old Typewriter from DaFont

I know I will find myself coming back to this kit. This particular spectrum of blues speak to me like no other. It's icy, or bright, or deep....so versatile!

I hope you're all staying warm this month and gearing up for the holidays!

Brighten Up!

With the recent rains and cooler weather here, things were starting to look a bit drab outside my window. So, I decided to play with a kit that was nice and bright. The kit I used is called Funky Friends from Ruby Lane Designs over at The Digital Scrapbooking Studio. It's bright, and, well, funky!

Of course, I had to use a picture of one of my best funky friends and her beautiful daughter!

And another LO using a photo of my adorable niece. She's such a cutie!

With Thanksgiving then Kiddo's 14th birthday having just passed, I'm in recovery mode here. Gotta take it easy so I don't over do it and end up making myself have a flare. I did a couple of layouts with the theme of thanks. For me, I'm thankful that I know some of the most amazing and beautiful women. They inspire me in so many ways.

For these two LOs I used the November Mega Kit - Give Thanks. I really liked the "non traditional" colors used in this kit. Lots of purples and warm oranges. It's a beautiful combo, and it suits my beautiful friends perfectly!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Now it's on to Winter and all of it's Holidays!