KristinCB Designs

Lunch Box Blessings

2011-09-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my Creative Team member Jacinda for doing up these little lunch box blessings!! Print them out and stick them in your child(s) lunchbox this school year! It is always nice for the kids (especially at the start of the school year!) To have that encouragement and to know just how much they are loved!!

Here is a link to download right click and save! http://i55.tinypic.com/wtes5j.jpg

Be sure to check out the other designers blogs from sweet shoppe to collect them all!

Got boys? Catch this collab by KCB and Penny!

2011-07-31T08:17:00.001-07:00

Are you ready to fall in love with Kristin's latest collab? Check out this wonderful kit, called Boys' Club!

This is perfect kit for those rambunctious, adventurous guys in your life. Whether they are young in age or young at heart, this kit is sure to please! This scrap kit is packed with 19 gorgeous papers (14 patterned and 5 solids) and over 70 elements! Check out what the creative team has done with it.

Head over to Kristin's store today to pick it up and scrap some of those boys will be boys moments.

Enchanted: New Release!

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! Kristin has an Enchanted new release this week, and you can get it for 20% off today only!

Here are a few layouts from the CT:

by Shannon (ZaCola3)

by Laura

by Heather

It's an awesome kit full of romantic touches perfect for documenting a love story or the fairy tale/dress up play of the children in your life, so run on over to the Sweet Shoppe and pick it up today!

New Release and a SALE!!!

2011-07-02T21:45:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the news? There's a sale at Sweet Shoppe Designs this weekend and you can save 25% on Kristin's kits through Monday!

The sale includes her newest collaboration with Traci Reed: Scrumdiddilyumptious! It's unbelievably delicious and perfect for satisfying that digital sweet tooth! Check out how wonderfully colorful this kit is!

It's chock full of gorgeous eye candy - lots of yummy papers and delicious elements!

Laura's sweet layout:

A layout from Stephanie:

One from Lex:

One more from Majda!

And here's my layout with it - my poor kiddos suffer from extensive food allergies and sensitivities to chemicals and dyes and this was the perfect kit for some scrap therapy.

Now back to that awesome sale - have you had your eye on one of Kristin's kits that's in Penny Candy? You can grab it for 40% off! And you know you have at least one of her kits in your wish list - do yourself a favor and whittle that wish list down by a kit or two at a discount!

What are you waiting for? Head on over to the Shoppe and start filling your cart!

Let's Play Mashup: In Bloom + Sweet Escape

2011-06-28T23:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! Lex here to show off the versatility and fun of mashing up two of Kristin's kits: Sweet Escape and a more recent release, In Bloom:

I love love LOVE the neutrals in both kits and thought they'd work well mixed together. So I used papers from Sweet Escape and added a few of the kit's leafy elements as well. Then for pops of color I went with In Bloom's gorgeous flowers (seriously, nothing beats Kristin's flowers!).

Actually, the more I think about it, I totally believe doing the opposite would also work--using the warm palette of In Bloom's papers and then keeping most of the neutral-colored elements. I should try that myself! :)

Anyhow, I hope I was able to show how awesomely versatile Kristin's kits can be mixed together, even if they have differing color palettes and moods. Happy scrapping! :)

Raindrops Keep Falling

2011-06-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

But we are so happy that they do! Looking for a happy, playing in the rain kit? Here's Kristin's latest, Raindrops Keep Falling, and it is adorable!

Rainy days don't have to get you down..and this kit proves it! A sweet little rainy kit from Kristin will keep your memories happy and dry as you create tons of gorgeous pages. Lots of patterned and solid papers come in a rich palette of blue, turquoise, yellow, red and green and feature patterns like rainbows, umbrellas, stripes and flowers. The array of happy elements includes clouds and raindrops, a rainbow, a musical staff, an umbrella, word art tags, flowers, a postage stamp frame, hearts, scatters, a full alpha and more. So relax, grab a moment to scrap and just remember, even when “raindrops keep falling” the sun can still shine!

Take a look at some of the gorgeous layouts done by the creative team.

by Glynis

by Sarah

by Laura

by Shannon

by Jacinda

by Stephanie

Get to the store today to pick up Raindrops Keep Falling on Saturday and you'll get it on sale! Have good clean, wet fun this summer!

Friday Sneak Peek!

2011-06-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, friends! Lex here bringing you the funnest (oh yeah, I'm claiming that word) sneakie peekie of a new KCB kit:

Have you ever seen such a cheerful palette for a rain-themed kit? Definitely makes me feel like splashing about in a puddle or two! :)

In the spotlight - KCB Gallery Standouts

2011-06-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

Hello digi fans! Happy longest day of the year for the northern hemisphere! I hope that you get to spend some of that time doing exactly what you love, whether it'd be just spending time with your family or getting some layouts done that you've been wanting to do for a while. :)

I'm Yari and speaking of layouts, today I am bringing you a little chunk of Kristin's awesome gallery at the Sweet Shoppe of some of the most awesome layouts I have found that are NOT made by us members of her creative team or by a babe. So, here it goes... images are linked if you want to leave them some love. :)

First up is My Mr. Fix-it by jessica31876: I love the simplicity of this layout. I tend to put a lot of embellishments on my pages but when I see something like this that focuses on the photo so well and the journaling, I just love it. simply beautiful. The graph background paper is perfect and the man in the picture looks very manly too haha. Great layout!

Next up is Italië 2011 by Leontine78: What a fantastic 2-page spread! I love the pop of color from all the flowers and foliage and the photos are all so beautiful and perfect! Great fun and really love it. I have a thing for 2-page layouts that are done so well like this one so thumbs up! The choice of kit (Tropical Hideaway) is a perfect choice also for these wonderful vacation photos. I swear I don't think that kit will ever go out of style, it is so gorgeous!

Next is So Sweet by SirScrapalot: Such a cutie! Just look at that main picture! That little grin and those dimples. Really cute picture and I think that the message that he was trying to portray was successfully done since he used a sweets/bakery kit from Kristin (Bake Me a Cake) to show off his little girl's sweetness. Really awesome layout and I love his use of ribbons especially and his use of embellishments.

Next up is 10 things by brooke22: Oh oh oh so very darling! You make any layout about you loving being a mom, and you got me. Motherhood is so special to me and I love the feeling that is portrayed, sensed in this layout just by looking at it, the love that she feels for her children. Very inspirational and sweet. I also love the colors that she pulled from the kit (A Bushel and A Peck) and her photos are stunning. Nothing is more beautiful to me than to see a mama with her children. :)

And finally, here's one that just blew my socks right off, Mallory & Reagan by farrijc: OK, can you think of any better kit for these photos than Kristin's Boho Chic kit?! No! Of course not. I look at this layout and I think perfection. I see all of the photos she was able to use on there and just how gorgeous those little girls are, and then how the outfits perfectly match the kit, and then, and then, well you get the point. I just absolutely love it!

Well there you have it! I hope you enjoyed looking at some of the gorgeousness some of Kristin's customers are able to do with her amazing kits! Because she rocks it every time with her designs, I know that you too will rock your layouts as you use her awesome designs. Keep having fun and keep scrapping! :)

Hybrid: Strawberry Notepad & Pen

2011-06-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I helped host a baby shower for a dear friend. I was in charge of games, so I decided to create a quick, easy, and inexpensive gift to use for the prizes.

I just LOVE Kristin's A Bushel and a Peck kit! The color palette is one of my favorites, and the papers are so unbelievably yummy!

This kit was the perfect choice for a sweet summer gift. I got the note pads in a package of 10 from an office supply store. I don't remember the exact cost, as they've been in my stash for a while now, but I know they weren't very expensive. The pen is a Pentel RSVP, but any pen that will allow you to remove the end and place a piece of paper inside will work.

I measured my notepad and then created a canvas in Photoshop that was an inch longer than the front so I would have extra paper to wrap around the top and back part of the notepad. I added a few papers and then selected a few elements from the kit to embellish the front. I could have printed these out separately, but since I was pressed for time, I chose to add shadows instead to provide some visual dimension to
the front.

I measured the barrel of my pen and created a canvas that was 3/4" wide and the height of the barrel. I added a matching stripe paper to that canvas.

I printed everything out onto matte presentation paper and then cut the pieces down to size using a Fiskars paper trimmer. I removed the pen end, rolled up the strip of paper, and placed it inside the barrel. I replaced the end of the pen. I added a couple of strips of red line tape to the top and top back of the notepad, and then placed the red portion of the printed cover on top of the tape.

I picked out some red ribbon and tied it around as a way to attach the pen to the notepad for giving.

It was a very quick little project and took me about 15 minutes from design time to completion. It's a great little gift for anyone!

Bake me a Cake!

2011-06-18T20:18:00.001-07:00

It's FRIDAY!!!

2011-06-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

TGIF!!! Seriously it has been a long week! I can't wait to show you a peek of Kristin's new kit set to release tomorrow!!!

Patty Cake, Patty Cake
Baker's Man....

As Fast as you can!!!!

Don'f forget to check out the Sneak Peek thread at SSD for some gorgeous Layouts made with this wonderful kit! And remember 20% off this New Release on Saturday!!!

Inspiration: Words words words

2011-06-15T02:24:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, Lex here :) Likely you've seen a gadzillion "inspired by" Pinterest blog posts--I have to admit that by far it is my favorite time-suck. For a change, I thought I'd share some pins from a pinboard of mine that's filled with words. I'm a freelance writer by trade, and words have always fascinated me. One of the best things I've ever done this year was get back into reading regularly. Devouring new books and escaping into the words of another is a joy unlike any other (much like how I'd describe digiscrapping!)

And George Gordon Byron said it best when he quipped, "Words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew, upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps, millions, think." So here are a few words that made me think and marvel :)

... and this last one is particularly beautiful to me because a few weeks ago, I'd just come home after getting disappointing news about a medical condition I have. I was crying, I was furious, and I was hurting so much. Then I read this--and cried harder. But it allowed me to find peace and to, in the words of Tim Gunn, "carry on." :)

What words have helped you, shaped you, and inspired you?

Source: all pins from this board

Quick Teacher Appreciation Gifts

2011-06-12T06:16:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. As school comes to a close very soon, I thought that I'd help you out with some ideas for teacher's gifts that you can make. So here's a list of some tutorials and ideas I found today while checking out Pinterest:

Kisses in a bottle:

Glass marble magnets

Straw toppers with lemonade packets:

And for any of these projects you could use this kit for your printable Teacher's Gifts:

Let's Make a List!

2011-06-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Crystal here to talk to you about journaling a little bit and give you some fun ideas! One of my favorite things to see pages about are lists. I just love them and there are so many ways you can scrap them. Often times when talking about journaling, people tell me that they don't exactly how to start or what POV to scrap from. When you are doing a list page those issues are almost resolved. Once you decide what kind of list to do you know from whose point of view to scrap from. Say you are doing a list of your childs favorite things...you could easily just do the page from the child's POV if you like to mix that up on your scrapbook pages. When I journal I just tell everything my POV. I am the one doing the pages and it's just easier for me. I decided to just stick with that so I didn't have to decide on each page I did.

Today I decided to make a list as an element on my page instead of as my main journaling. Having it as an element on my page allowed me to elaborate on the list a bit in my journaling. Here's what I came up with:

Kristin and Jenn's Take Note kit was perfect for what I had in mind with this listy page.

Some other ideas for list type page are--(I am linking a few to kits that I think work well with the theme)--

current favorite things of you or your children, spouse, etc.
things to do
resolutions
hopes and dreams
shopping lists
"reasons why I love you"
things to remember
important moments in time
instructions on how to do something
wish lists
baby names
"honey do" lists

The possibilities are totally endless and KCB has some gorgeous products to do some fab listy pages with...like THIS ONE for books and THIS ONE for movies. I hope you are inspired to go scrap a list! If you do please link me up so I can see it!!!

I'm looking for a Tropical Hideaway!

2011-06-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! I'm typing up this post during the third day we've been having steady, drizzling rain. It's the perfect bed weather and totally heralds the rainy season in our part of the world. So I'm crazy envious that in other parts, people are relaxing on chaise lounges sipping pinacoladas or even worse, digging their toes in the toasty sand of a beach.

So to make myself feel better, I thought I'd highlight one gorgeous, summery kit from Kristin :D Tropical Hideaway is perfect for any summer getaway or even a sweet staycation with his bold color palette and fun, detailed embellishments.

Here are some fun layouts I found in the gallery with this gorgeous kit:

summer samba by adrianka

splash by purple_colourz

captured moments by leontine

tranquil getaway by rochelle789

and this uber-cool two-pager, mountain hike by suladesign

Hope you were inspired as well to get to summer-related activities, whether it's planning that once-a-year getaway or relaxing right by the pool tomorrow. As for myself, I think I'll be treating myself to a mani-pedi and will maybe try a bright, ocean-blue hue for my toes :)

Father's Day Gift Ideas!

2011-06-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

It seems like just last week I was complaining about it being super-cold outside, and now we're in the high 90s in north Texas. I can't believe it's JUNE already! School is out, and already I don't know what day it is unless I consult my phone or computer!

Father's Day is a mere ten days away, so I thought I would highlight some fun and unique gift ideas for the dads in your life.

Kristin has this great 12-page album in the shoppe! Have your kids answer some of the journaling questions for a unique gift Dad's sure to treasure.

If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can put together an album using one of Kristin's fabulous masculine kits. Mr. Fix It is a fantastic choice!

I also really like My Wish for Him. It has a great masculine palette and is full of elements that are perfect for a Daddy album.

Looking to give something other than a digi-scrap gift? If you live in an area with a paint your own pottery place, you could put your child's fingerprints or handprints onto a tile square or coffee mug or plate. One year we purchased digital photo frames for all of the dads in our family and loaded photos onto the frames. You could go a step further and add digital layouts to the frames. One friend is photographing her son with the letters D and A and then putting the three photos into a frame that has three openings to spell out DAD.

Here are some other ideas I found while browsing Pinterest!

I love this stamped washer keychain tutorial.

On the more labor-intensive side, check out this fabulous Altoid-tin-turned-mini-tool-box! How cute would this be as a mini-album container?

I thought these stainless steel collar stays from Red Envelope were pretty cool.

And finally, this gel transfer puzzle would be a clever gift.

There were many, MANY more ideas out there. These were some of my favorites! What are you getting the dads in your life for Father's Day this year?

What inspires you?

2011-06-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

I recently came across a thread at SSD that was about pinterest. I have never heard of it before then but clicked on one of the links to see what it was all about, and let me tell you I was hooked!!! For those of you who don't know what it is...probably not many of you LOL!...it is a site FULL of inspirational things from decorating ideas, favorite quotes, photography poses, color pallets, recipes, you name it, its there!! I spent hours looking through some of the boards! And today I got an invitation to join!! I have been pinning all night LOL! But now I am curious...what inspires you? Not only creatively but in life, in thought?

For those of you who would also like to check out Pinterest here is a link!

Look at this gorgeous color pallet!!

Summer Journaling Prompts

2011-06-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Summer always seems to be a time when we spend lots of time outdoors with family and friends, or just relaxing by the pool with a good book but for some reason we don't scrapbook those fun summer memories as much as we do in the winter. So on this lazy Sunday I thought that I'd provide you with some summer journaling prompts to help give you a little bit of a mojo kick so that you actually scrapbook those summer activities, or scrapbook about your own summertime relaxation.

Why not scrapbook that family picnic by interviewing everyone and asking them what their favourite picnic food is? Take a picture of it and scrap it!

Got a favourite weekend activity? Why is it your favourite? How often do you do it?

Do you have a summer project that you are procrastinating on? Why? What are you doing instead?

What's your favourite summer outfit?

What's on your summer reading list?

Those are just a few summer journaling prompts to help you get started. Want some more prompts that will help you earn Kristin's new products at a discount? Then check out the Sweet Shoppe Designs Scrapper's Portfolio, where you get a monthly list of prompts and you earn points toward discounts the following month. June's just started, so why not get in on this and if you haven't picked it up yet, you could get A Bushel and A Peck at a discount in July!

So get scrapping and save twice....save those memories and save on great new products!

Boho Chic inspiration and a chance to win it...

2011-06-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new June portfolio at Sweet Shoppe Designs yet? Check out #4, the color inspiration! It's to scrap a page using this color scheme...

Well... Kristin was so inspired by this photo that she created a kit from it.
Boho Chic is one of my favorite kits right now! The colors are so yummy and the demim is the perfect touch! The layouts I've seen with it are absolutely stunning! Three members of Kristin's team even got gallery standouts with it!!! It's so full of yummy papers and elements.

Don't have this kit yet? Do you want a chance to win it? OK, leave a comment here and on Monday morning I will have random.org pick a winner of this kit.

Rainy Day crafts for families

2011-05-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. On this rainy weekend, I thought that I'd link you up with some sites that have rainy day activities for kids and Moms alike. Rainy days are when I like to pull out my paper scrapbook supplies and make something hybrid. But check these sites out for things that are easy and fun to keep your children using their imagination and crafting abilities:

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/snacktastic/rainy-day-boredom-busting-crafts-2487780

http://www.handmadenews.org/article/index.php?id=1525

http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/nesting/20-last-minute-crafts-rainy-days.html

http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2010/10/owl-family-play-set.html

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/holiday-seasonal-crafts/spring-crafts-backyard-gardening/spring-flower-crafts/garden-of-weavin-675519/

I hope that you find a few fun new projects from these sites!

What's your favorite photo action?

2011-05-25T11:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is edit my photos. I just love playing with them and especially love trying get them to match my photos. I quickly found that photo actions made this so much easier to do and now have an addiction to them. So, at the beginning of the month I asked Kristin's girls to link me up to their favorites. They even gave me some examples to share with you. I now have several more on my wishlist to get. :)

Kristin shared that her favorites are from Sarah of M4H Photography. One of the things I love most about Sarah's actions is that they are both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements friendly. So, while I'm saving up for CS5, I can still use them in PSE9 right now. There are quite a few of us that really love her actions. Kristin specifically really likes the Fable Action Set. I LOVE her Ultimate Photographer's Toolbox and here are some examples of what I've done with only a few of the actions in this set.

Original

and Laura loves the Spring Fling action set and she gave me a couple samples using it.

Original

w/ freshly picked

w/ birkenstock

A few of us really like Pioneer Woman's free photo actions. She also has some PSE compatible actions too HERE. My favorite of this set is the "boost" action. Rebecca has a few examples using some of her favorites.

Original

w/ Warmer

w/ Colorize

w/ Soft Fade

Lex's favorite are from Florabella, which I will admit are new to me and I can see myself picking up some of them. Her favorite is the Vintage Action set and she shared some examples with us too.

Leah has some examples using some of her favorites.

Original

w/ MCP Eye Doctor

w/ Paint The Moon Picture Perfect Mega Set: Pure Color Snap

w/ Florabella's Luxe II: B/W Blush

and here are some more actions we like but don't have examples of:

- CoffeeShop Blog has a whole bunch of actions, many of them can be used with both Photoshop and PSE and they are FREE!!! My favorites are S-Curve Pop and Perfect Portrait and here's a list of all the free actions and Lightroom presets they have.

- Kristin likes these Indie Actions for really rich/deep photos.

- Leah also likes Totally Rad Actions

We hope you found this inspirational in helping you edit your photos for scrapping. Do you like photoshop actions? Are there any that you like that we didn't mention? If so, link us up, we'd love to know!

Teacher gifts~Ideas please!!

2011-05-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone!
With the school year coming to end, i thought it would be fun to create a list of fun teacher gift ideas! My little girl will be graduating from playschool in June and will soon be beginning the next step in her life! Her playschool teacher is also moving away this year. She is very near and dear to us as she was also the first babysitter my children ever went to as I went back to work from my mat leaves. we will be giving her a few gifts and so far I have come up with only a few ideas, so ladies...help me out!!

Here is a little plant tag I made using Kristin's BEAUTIFUL kit In bloom:

which you can find here

Here is my project:

I look forward to hearing your ideas! Have a great week~Shannon

Lost and Found Sunday - A Fresh Start

2011-05-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend. Have you checked out Boho Chic yet? Isn't it amazing? I love everything about that kit and I know you will too.

I'm here to show off an older kit, one that I think would work really well with Boho Chic if you were planning on doing an album with that kit...that is A Fresh Start.

This is such a luscious kit. I can totally see how well the two kits would work together. Here are some layouts that have been created by the creative team and others, and a new one I did this weekend as well.

by ksbella:

by pomi:

by Paula:

by ajf9597:

and by me:

So you should get over to Kristin's store to pick up BOTH these gorgeous kits, Boho Chic, her latest release, and A Fresh Start, and see how well they work together!

Get Boho Chic!

2011-05-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! :) Kristin has a gorgeous new kit out, called Boho Chic! Touches of neutrals, oranges, greens, and more with sweet woven and natural details (and my personal favorite, an avalanche of flowers!) Highlight yours sweethearts, honor the important women in your life, and more with a little Boho Chic :)

Here are some layouts Kristin's CT did, rawkin' this kit:

By Jacinda

By Majda

By Laura

By Laurie

By Rochelle

By Lizzy

By Rebecca

By Stéphanie

By Yari

By Kay

By Sarah

By Kiki

By Leah

and by me (Lex)

Thanks for looking! Go check out with Boho Chic now, while it's 20% off!

Sneak Peek! :)

2011-05-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, everyone! And I'm thrilled to show off a peekie of Kristin's new kit, Boho Chic--coming to SSD tomorrow, May 21! A fun, feminine color palette coupled with denim and woven details, this kit's papers alone make me salivate :P This is perfect for those layouts that are just rarin' for some summer fun!

Check in tomorrow for full details on Boho Chic :) Thanks for peeking!

Hybrid Corner Bookmarks

2011-05-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited about this little project that the girls have been working on the past two weeks. Joana and I were chatting and we were talking about how different our scrapping styles are. We thought it would be cool to pick a project and a kit and see how different the outcome would be. Then I thought I'd invite everyone on Kristin's team who wanted to join us in the fun little project. Joana linked me up to this corner bookmark tutorial and we thought that Kristin's collaboration with Jenn Barrette, Me Time: Chick Lit, would be perfect for it. Check out these amazing projects, they really turned out so awesome and so different!

Here's the one that I made

and here's the one that Joana made

Shannon made this one

and here's Jacinda's

and Rebecca made this one

Aren't they all great? We all had so much fun with this that we're talking about doing this again on a regular basis. If you decide to join us in our fun little challenge, link us up, we'd love to leave you some gallery love!!!

Photographing Blooms Tips and Tricks

2011-05-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Have you recovered from National Scrapbooking Day? I am making a point of finally getting to scrap with the new products I picked up in the last couple weeks. One that I am so anxious to use is Kristin's In Bloom! I love taking pictures of flowers and this is the perfect kit to show them off I think. I also thought that I'd drop off some tips on how to take the best shots of your flowers.

The best thing that you can do first and foremost is prepare and plan your shot. Don't just whip out your camera, center your flower in the shot and press that shutter button. Do something creative. Try a different angle. One thing that I've done in the past is shoot the flowers from the ground up. It gives your photo a different angle and usually gives you an uncluttered background to highlight that beautiful bloom. This works especially well with tulips. And if you can't get that low, try to get as low as you can and find an interesting backdrop rather than clutter. Something that offsets the beauty of the blooms.

Think too about the lighting. Personally I have found that shooting flowers during cloudy days really gets the true colour of the flower in the photo, and you can often avoid harsh shadows that mask some of the textures of the flower petals.

If you haven't done it before, try using your macro setting on your camera to get in really tight and shoot details of the pollen inside the flower, or maybe a small insect that is enjoying some nectar.

Consider too your depth of field when you are shooting. That can really make a bloom pop in a photo.

I hope you've enjoyed these little tips, and my couple of example shots from my visits to the Tulip Festival here in Ottawa. Have a great weekend!

May Photo Prompt - photo that makes you laugh

2011-05-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun every month to have a photo prompt. I love taking pictures and sometimes I'm just stuck in a rut, so photo prompts help to get me out of that rut. I often find that these photos are my favorite for scrapping a page about too. So get out your camera and have some fun with these. This month's photo prompt is to take a photo that makes you laugh. I had the team get me some photos and well, I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. This was so much fun. I hope you join in on our fun little prompt, link us up we'd love to see them.

Here's the photos from the team...
from Lex

from Joana

from Rebecca

and she even did a layout with it :)

and this would be my family picture on Mother's Day... from the grumpy baby to the daydreamer looking off somewhere to the nose picking little boy.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

Some Activities for NSD Weekend!

2011-05-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

Are you all spent from NSD? Well your Paypal might be, as mine pretty much is, but it's Sunday and that means a little time to scrap. So why not participate in some of the special iNSD activities and challenges that Kristin has going on over at Sweet Shoppe Designs?

Check out this template challenge for example! Or maybe you'd love to have a custom-made KCB siggy for the forum?

Or participate in Kristin's Gallery Quiz challenge!

There's still lots going on and Kristin's store is still 30% off today! So head on over to have a little more fun, because you deserve to shine!

New Releases and DSA Blog Train! Happy NSD!

2011-05-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm so happy to show you the amazing new scoops from Kristin, with Jenn Barrette and Susan Bartolini! They are stunning and you will want to get them right away so that you can start scrapping with them today at some of the special events of the day. And Kristin's also participating in the DSA Blog Train this year, so keep reading.

Here are the previews for the new scoops. Unbelievable what the CT did with these! Get to the store so that you can get them on sale at 30% off Saturday and Sunday!

And here's the DSA blog train freebie for you all! You've probably arrived here from Michelle Batton's blog.

You can download it here. And your next blog stop is Mandy King's blog. If you want to start from the beginning of the blog train, visit this link. Have fun this NSD and be sure to check back here for contests and special treats!

Sneak Peek of what's coming for NSD!

2011-05-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Wait until you see what Kristin's got going on for NSD! Two scoops with Jenn Barrette! And as a special treat, rather than put a little preview of her third scoop...I thought I'd show you what an amazing scrapper she is, with her scoop with Susan Bartolini!

So save up some money and get to the store tomorrow first thing so you can spend the day scrapbooking!

Our Mother's Day Wishlist

2011-05-04T07:51:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day is just a few days away and I know many of us have a little wishlist of what we'd like, so I asked the girls to reveal their wishlist. Here's what they shared with me...

Our own Kristin would like one of those cute family rings or necklaces that are handmade from etsy

Lauren Grier aka La - "to be hooooooooooooome :p" - and we are so excited that after being in the hospital for almost a month that she was discharged yesterday and is recovering at home now! WOOT!!!

Laura would like a massage.

Joana would like a Nikon 35mm f/1.8 prime lens, and gift certificates to Papertrey Ink and Verve Stamps

Rebecca would like...

not to have to cook... Hoping for lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant.
chocolate... but not just any ol' chocolate... Wilmar's ...
Flowers or a handmade gift from my kid... since my hubby isn't crafty, it probably will be a purchased card and Jake will sign in... seeing "mama" in my son's hand writing just melts my heart...
To be able to buy a few kits from SSD (outside of Sweet Rewards time)... with NO grumbling from hubby about the number of kits I have and why do I need more kits?

Terra would like Project Life for Mother's Day. I'd love to use it to document my little guy's second year.

I would like this necklace, which is all three of my kiddos' birthstones.

So, what is it that you would like for Mother's Day? We would love to hear what's on your wishlist.

Gallery Lovelies! :)

2011-05-01T21:15:00.000-07:00

Happy new week! Here's my attempt to banish the usual Monday blues by showering y'all with some sweet eye candy I spotted in Kristin's designer gallery :)

Check out this gorgeous photoless one by Sonia

Some beautiful clustering by paperboutique

The cutest hybrid box by rach3975

and the cutest cupcake stand by Geordie Girl

Aren't they amazing? Hope you can stop by their galleries and leave some love :) And I hope you've started your Monday now on a cheerier note :)

Penny Candy

2011-04-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hello There Everyone! Crystal here to bring you a fun penny candy showcase! Today I wanted to showoff one of my all time favorite KCB kits! It's such a fun one to me because it has KCB's feminine touch yet it's still totally usable on little boy pages! And it's on sale so it's a steal you don't want to miss!!

And here are some pages for you to see Daydream Believer in action!

by Me (see a boy!)

by Terra

by Shannon

by Rochelle

by Rebecca

by Lizzy

by Kiki

by Kay

A Gorgeous card by Joana

by Jacinda

by Heather

They are all oh so pretty!! I love how unique and different they all are! It really is one of my most favorite kits and if you don't have it you definitely need it (go snag it here!) !! xoxo!

Kit Showcase: All About Her

2011-04-26T01:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Tuesday, everyone! While it's pretty much the height of a scorching summer where I am, a whole lot of the world is experiencing spring. I wanted to highlight one of my favorite KCB kits that is packed with all kinds of sweet springy goodness--among others. Here's All About Her:

This kit was one of my very first KCB purchases! One, I'm such a sucker for these colors--pretty and fresh! Second, it's packed with all kinds of yumminess that makes it perfect for AAM pages. Third, the varying pattern papers here allow for ALL KINDS of layering combinations and whatnot. Seriously--just check out these pages from the CT:

From Yari:

From Shannon:

From Kiki:

From Laura:

From Kjersti:

From Heather:

From Rebecca:

And here's my layout:

See what I mean about varying mixing and matching going on? LOL. There's just so much prettiness in this kit, and it lends itself to all kinds of different pages and styles. :) I hope you enjoyed this little showcase and if you DON'T have this kit yet--uuuum, hello. Go get it already! :)

Gorgeousness is blooming!

2011-04-23T07:54:00.001-07:00

Kristin has the most stunning spring-time kit in the shoppe today! You have to see it, just to see how beautiful it is. And take a look at what the CT did with it. I'm absolutely breathless when I look at these.

So get over to Kristin's store to get this on sale today.

Free BragBook!!!!

2011-04-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

The creative Team has come together to create a 10 page 4x6 bragbook using Kristins fabulous kit~ A Whimsical Garden!!

Click here to Download and Enjoy!!

Hybrid Showcase!

2011-04-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Lex here with fresh hybridy picks from spelunking in Kristin's Gallery--the talent and skill of these hybrid artists just blow me away! :) And just in time for Easter, here're some projects showcasing her adorable Hippity Hop kit:

CTM Laura whipped up these hybrid eggies

Check out this sweet Cupcake Box by sigmakap95--this is just as awesome as the little giftie inside!

Rocking the Hybrid Wall Art is apphotos with this:

Aaaaaaand just to mix things up a little, how about this Family Design Tray by Neverendingjen? She used Baby Boy for this one and it seriously blows my mind :)

Hope you enjoyed these and can pass by these artists' galleries to leave a little love! :)

Are you always On The Go?

2011-04-16T08:00:00.001-07:00

Are you ready for a fun scoop from Kristin and Misty Cato? This sweet kit is called On The Go and it's jam-packed with so many goodies for your vacation, travel, transportation layouts.

Also released this week is a very special collaboration from nearly 50 designers in support of a pillar of the Sweet Shoppe - Lauren Grier...but just call her La.

It's called A Little Help from my Friends, and it's only available in April. So pick up both these kits today to get them on sale and start some special layouts with On The Go and this awesome new collab!

"Renew" - Sweet Shoppe's Portfolio #13

2011-04-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to see what our creative team did with one of the portfolio challenges at the Sweet Shoppe. I chose #13 - One Little Word Challenge: Renew! Scrap a layout based on that word (use it as your title!), and this is what they came up with. They are all so different which is what I love about the portfolio challenges. I love seeing the different interpretations for each of them.

by Crystal, using Baby Girl
by Laura, using Baby Boy
and by myself, using Bookworm
We would love to see your layouts if you participate in this challenge... be sure to link us up so we can leave you some gallery love!

It's Not Just A Recycling Kit...

2011-04-11T07:47:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love so much about Kristin's kits is how versatile even her themed kits are. She has so many non-themed elements and papers in them so you can use it again and again and again. I was going through Kristin's gallery today and wanted to show you, the readers, that Kristin's new release "Go Green" is so much more than just a recycling kit! The colors and all the fun outdoorsy elements make for some really beautiful layouts and hybrid projects. Check out the amazing creations I found in the gallery using "Go Green".

This layout by Sheri just blows me away, seriously STUNNING!

another gorgeous page by Kay

and an adorable layout by Rebecca

and a gorgeous altered coaster by Joana

Go Green

2011-04-09T20:54:00.000-07:00

Here it is!!! Go Green ~Such a versatile, BEAUTIFUL kit!!! Love the colours and it was so easy to scrap with!! Get it this weekend while its 20% off!!

Jacinda has created this BEAUTIFUL quick page for you all!

which you can download here!

Sneaking a PEEK!!!!

2011-04-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Coming April 9th 2011.......

Spotlight on Lizzy!!

2011-04-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! Crystal here with my first blog post here! I am super excited to be able to spotlight on Lizzy! I so hope you enjoy getting to know her and make sure you stop by her gallery and check out her amazing pages! I am sure you will be as inspired as I am!

How long have you been digi-scrapping? And how did you get into it?
I first looked at digi-scrapping back in 2008. I downloaded a trial of Photoshop (I can't even remember why), and as I was searching the web for PS tutorials, I came across lots of scrapping blogs, and quickly got hooked! I was pregnant at the time and soon fell away from it as I got close to my due date, and my son was over 6 months old before I had the time to go back to it again in January 2009...and I haven't stopped since!

What program you use? and what camera?
I use Photoshop CS5, and a plain old Sony point and shoot. It's nothing special, but I'm happy with it, mostly because I'm too lazy to learn how to use a DSLR!

Do you print out your layouts? Have you made any photobooks?
I have hundreds, probably thousands of layouts sitting on my EHD waiting to be printed. I have printed some pages, but mostly just to see what they looked like in print! I do plan on printing my pages in photobooks, but as I don't always scrap chronologically, I have yet to complete a book for printing (but I'm almost there on my 4.5yr old's first year book!!).

What are your favourite layouts and why?
Tough question! These would probably change if you asked me again tomorrow, but right now it's these:

I love this one because it's one of my favourite kits, and we rarely get the weather for beach trips here, so I loved these photos!

This was a page that was a long time coming because I never could decide how I wanted to do it, but I love how it turned out.

I just love how this one turned out, the kit was just perfect for my photos.
What are your favourite KCB products?
I tend to lean towards girly kits, so anything with pink! But I love these ones:

And my favourite beach kit ever:
What's your favourite type of picture to scrap?
I love everyday photos. 99% of what I scrap is my kids, and I try to capture little details, their personalities, quirks, etc (things that will probably change over time) so that we'll always remember them. I also love scrapping themed photos, because then I don't struggle with trying to match the photo to a kit!

What inspires you?
I'm always inspired by photos of my kids, especially if I manage to catch them smiling! I'm a template user, so it's always a template that inspires the start of my page, and it goes from there!

Do you have any digital scrapbooking tips and tricks you want to share?
Um...not really! I have learned though, to only scrap what I want and in a style that I'm comfortable with, and not in a way that I think I should or that others do. My favourite pages are the ones that I scrapped how I really wanted to.

Hybrid Showcase

2011-04-05T04:22:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I'm here to show off some of the amazing hybrid projects that have been made recently using Kristin's kits! Take a look!

Jackie made this cute everyday card using A Wonderful World:

Next up Heather made this gorgeous card (I swoon for pink) using Baby Girl:

Paula made this gorgeous wall art using Reach for the Sky, A Mother's Love, Bad Day Blues, and Sweet Escape:

And Colleen makes me want to go back to Paris with this hybrid page using J'Adore:

And last but not least, Joana made this beautiful shadow box using Sweet Escape:

So get your glue and scissors out and see what you can make this week using Kristin's lovely new goodies!

New Release: Baby Boy and Baby Girl kits

2011-04-02T16:36:00.000-07:00

Heather here, to show off Kristin's new releases today. She's got two new baby kits packed full of gorgeous papers and fun elements, including month stickers and tons of word strips. Be sure to grab them while they are 20% off... If you want both kits, be sure to grab the value bundle for extra savings! Check them out!

Baby Boy

by Stephanie

by Terra

and myself

Baby Girl

by Rochelle

by Shannon

by Laura

and check out this adorable card by Jacinda

Naturally You~ Quick Page Freebie

2011-03-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

From Sally, aka KyRainbow:
Naturally You is one of my all time favorite of Kristin's kits. I've used it for several layouts since it's release, and I just love how soft and natural the kit is. It's one of my go-to kits in my stash. The qp you're getting today is based on a layout I just finished for the March SSD portfolio. I left my title off of the qp so that you can add your own or some journaling if you wish. I hope you enjoy!

Here's the original layout

and here's the qp

download it here

Thanks Sally, and here is a look at the whole kit!

Juicy~ A Cluster Freebie!

2011-03-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a little treat made for you by Pomi (aka Majda!)
Juicy is one of my favorite kits, because it's... well, juicy. Yummy color scheme, great variety of elements, gorgeous papers - simply everything you'd expect from a summer and/or make-me-happy KCB kit. Enjoy!

Download here!

Cluster Freebie!

2011-03-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Days of summer....oh I wish we were in the Days of Summer LOL! Glynis has made 2 beautiful Clusters from Kristin's GORGEOUS summer kit!!

Download Here!

Stay tunned for a few more freebies from the team, and with April right around the corner we will be introducing the new members of the Blog team!!

Another little treat from the Creative Team

2011-03-22T04:56:00.000-07:00

Today I'm bringing you some fun from Sally. She does the wonderful ads that you see on the weekends on the blog. Here's her contribution:

Naturally You is one of my all time favorite of Kristin's kits. I've used it for several layouts since it's release, and I just love how soft and natural the kit is. It's one of my go-to kits in my stash. The qp you're getting today is based on a layout I just finished for the March SSD portfolio. I left my title off of the qp so that you can add your own or some journaling if you wish. I hope you enjoy!

Here's the original layout:

and here's the qp

You can download it here.

Thanks so much Sally! This is gorgeous and I know I'll be using it! Have a great day everyone!

My Wish for her~ Sundays Freebie

2011-03-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Lets get back on ytrack with another Freebie!!! Thanks to Jacinda!!

My Wish For Her is a truly beautiful kit - perfect for all your girly layouts.

Have a look at what Lydia did with it:

And here's my layout, which is available as a quickpage in the link below:

Enjoy your freebie!

Download here!

New Release~ Hippity Hop!

2011-03-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Friday Freebies are the best!

2011-03-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today, creative team Sarah is brining you an awesome gift for you to enjoy! I'll let her tell you all about it:

Cloud 9 is a slightly older kit of Kristin's that you really don't want to miss out on!! The color scheme is so popular right now in the crafting world and it's super versatile.

My youngest recently turned 2 and I knew exactly what I wanted to do to incorporate these colors. I'm not a hybrid scrapper at ALL, but it worked... so don't be afraid!

I took Cloud 9 and made cupcake toppers and wrappers and wanted to share them with you! The download includes 12 different toppers and 2 wrappers. The toppers would look fabulous with a scallop punch (I don't own one) but they look great as circles too.

I hope some of you can use these--or at least be inspired! Now I have the perfect kit to scrap the birthday pictures too!

Download here

Love these Sarah! They are so adorable! Hope you all enjoy this little gift! Stay tuned again tomorrow for some more fun!

Thursdays Freebie~ wahoo!!! Happy St. Patty's day!

2011-03-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

This mornings freebie is brought to you by our wonderful member Lizzy!! She has made up 3 clusters for you from 3 of her beautiful Layouts!

A Fresh Start:

Download here

Sweet Caroline:

Download here

Splendid:

Download here

Hope you all have a great day!!!

Wednesday Freebie - Template from Jen

2011-03-16T04:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I have another new freebie for you today from one of the creative team members, Jen.

I don't know about you, but I know I love me a good themed kit. And one of the cutest ones I've seen is Scoop It Up - a delicious scoop (hehe) that Kristin did with Julie Billingsley! (Psst - it's in the penny candy section right now - making it 30% off!!!)

And here's a template I made from that layout.

Download here.

Stay tuned for more fun and goodies from the team this week!

Tuesday's Freebie~ Bookworm!

2011-03-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Another day in this fabulous week where Kristin's in the spotlight which means Another beautiful gift from our CT member Jacinda! Bookworm is a great kit for many different kinds of layouts. Dedicated to your love of reading, the whimsical primary colors and the adorable elements in this kit will capture that first trip to library or your child's favorite story. I totally agree!

I love this kit, and found it perfect for hybrid stuff too, as the colours printed beautifully.

Don't you just love the colours? Here's your quick page for today. Great for an All About Me layout, a statistics or interview layout....or whatever takes your fancy:

Download link

Thank you (again!) Jacinda for the wonderful gift! remember stay tunned all week long for fun freebies from Kristin's team!!!

It's a special week! Kristin's in the spotlight!

2011-03-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out Me So Scrappy yet? Have you seen that Kristin is in the spotlight there? Well check it out and learn all about your fave designer! To celebrate, we are having a special week of activity on the blog, with creative team member contributions for you to enjoy.

First up in Jacinda:
Have you seen Kristin's Sweet Escape kit yet? It's my absolute favourite of the many KCB kits I have. The colours are gorgeous, and the elements are just stunning. It makes me feel happy just to look at it
I've used it to for a couple of pages that are dear to my heart.

And as a special gift today, I thought I'd share a quickpage of the second layout just for you. Enjoy!

Download Link

Thanks for that contribution and lovely gift Jacinda! If you enjoyed this beautiful QP, be sure to let us know by posting in the comments! Check in tomorrow for another contribution from the creative team for Kristin!

QOTW time!

2011-03-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Kiki here again. So I thought that it might be interesting to have a question of the week occasionally! I was at my physio appointment on Tuesday and got talking about digital scrapbooking and how it differs from paper scrapbooking. And that started us down to a very interesting discussion about the digi world where scrapbooking is concerned. So it got me to thinking....why did "I" start scrapbooking digitally?

It's a good question to ponder now and then because it brings you back to what's most important, I think, and that is a sense of accomplishment in doing digital scrapbooking for the reasons that are most important to you. Oh, sure, some of us started out because it was fun, creative, and we were just fooling around with Photoshop or some other program. But when you think about it, if you've been scrapbooking digitally for any amount of time, you must have had a reason why you decided to stick with it.

I decided to stick with digital scrapbooking after I designed my own wedding invitations and thank you cards, because it was a creative outlet for me and a way for me to document our lives. You see, my husband moved here from across the country, leaving behind all his friends and family. And scrapbooking our time together doing the everyday, ordinary things, as well as special hikes and vacations, was important to me. It provided me with a way of documenting these things and not taking them for granted. It's something tangible that I can show his family when we visit together, so that they can feel that they've sort of experienced our lives too. So while we may not have children together that will have these pages as an inheritance, we are still leaving a legacy in the scrapbook pages. A living legacy that we can share with family from far away.

So why did you start digital scrapbooking? Why not scrapbook a page about that very question? Kristin has some amazing kits that are timeless for pages that don't really have a theme, but are perfect for scrapbooking your story. If you have already scrapbooked that question, or decide to now, be sure to leave a comment with a link to your layout so that we can leave you some love.

New Gorgeousness from Kristin and Jenn!

2011-03-05T08:49:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE this new scoop from Kristin and Jennifer Barrette! It's called Create and it's a grown-up's crafting kit, perfect for expressing your love of digital scrapbooking, painting, sewing, and more. Pick it up today to get it on sale!

Spotlight on Rebecca!

2011-03-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Kiki here, and this week I'm throwing the spotlight on Kristin's newest member of the team, Rebecca. You probably know her as MamaBee over as Sweet Shoppe Designs. I sent her some questions that I thought would help us get to know her a bit better. Very insightful... :)

How long have you been digi-scrapping? And how did you get into it?
I've been digi-scrapping since 2007 or so... I was a huge paper scrapper and never thought I would ever do digi!! Then the summer before I purchased a copy of Memory Mixer for my mom for her birthday... after six months of it sitting on the shelve, I decided to install and see what all the fuss was about. I wondered what else was out there for elements and paper and that is when I stumbled upon SSD and the rest, as they say... is history.

What program you use? and what camera?
I currently use PSElements 7... however I do have a copy of CS4 loaded on my laptop. I've been meaning to give it a go... however I always come back to Elements because I'm impatient and need to get my layouts done. I'm a Canon Girl... I have a Rebel DSLR and a Canon PowerShot that is my purse camera.

Do you print out your layouts? Have you made any photobooks?
I do print out my layouts in 8x8 format and they are put into D-ring binders. For special projects, such as Project 365, December Daily, and In the Week of; those are printed into hardcover photobooks.

What are your favourite layouts and why?
Oh my gosh... this is always the hardest question...This hybrid art just makes me happy every time I look at it. I had this pictured in my head for weeks before I sat down with put it all together... also my sweet 3 year old punched all those hearts for me.

My son simply adores this album about the little train ride we took at the zoo this past summer. Every time someone comes over, he has to bring out this book for them to "read" it with him.

This layout makes me a bit sad to see how my son has changed in the last 3 going on 4 years... but it also reconfirms why I scrapbook... it is my way to stop time because in a blink of an eye he will be out of the house with a family of his own...

What are your favourite KCB products?
Okay, I take back what I said earlier... this is the hardest question! Is there a link all button? Okay... I have to say that I love, LOVE, when KCB does a theme kit... those really are my favorites..

All Aboard - with a train obsessed little boy in the house, this kit has been used MANY times!!

Artist Canvas - hands down this has to be one of my top 5 favorite of any designer!

Bookworm - every time I look at this kit, I just want to curl up with a good book and become lost in it's pages!

What's your favourite type of picture to scrap?
Everyday photos... as much as my life seems to be the same day to day... they are the days I want to remember forever.

What inspires you?
My son inspires me... especially in hybrid... he has such a thirst to learn that I'm constantly thinking of ways that I can make learning fun... my list is getting longer and longer... now if I can just find those extra hours in a day...

Do you have any digital scrapbooking tips and tricks you want to share?
Think about why you partaken in this hobby (or in my case, obsession)... do you do it as a creative release or as a way to capture your family's story? Once you have the answer, always keep that on the forefront in your mind. Hopefully then you will continue to enjoy scrapping and avoid that dreaded runaway mojo!

Add more journaling to your scrapbook pages!

2011-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. I thought I'd throw some light on different ways that you can improve your journaling or add more journaling to your scrapbooks. When you think about it, for the most part, that's why most of us create layouts in the first place. To capture memories and document them. But how many times have you gone back to a layout you've done 6 months ago, and remember some of the smaller details, like a special conversation you might have had, or the emotions you felt when you took that picture? All too often we write our journaling last after we've designed the page, rather than make the page fit the journaling. Why not try some of these ideas to improve the quality of the pages that tell your story:

Keep a small note book with you to record the emotions you were feeling when you took particular pictures at certain events. Capture some of the small details or record that cute conversation you had so that it is fresh in mind when you scrap the picture.
Try journaling the five senses. What did you see, touch, taste, hear and smell?
Try writing a list for your journaling. For example, if you are scrapbooking something about a birthday, try writing a list as long as the person's age, about what you like about them
Maybe the photo has a hidden story - try journaling about what you DON'T see in the photo.
Type of the journaling of the story BEFORE you start your scrapbook page
Try explaining the story behind the picture using only adjectives or adverbs, but not sentences.
Write the journaling as if the actions or event in the photo is happening RIGHT NOW. Write in the active voice, in the present, rather than describing the past and you'll find your text is more alive.

I hope that you'll incorporate some of these ideas into your scrapbook pages. You'll find that when you make journaling your first thought, and not the last, your pages will have more meaning for you, and that's really what it's all about.

Gorgeous new goodies - a scoop and a single!!

2011-02-26T13:37:00.001-08:00

Check out the new gorgeous Life Lessons scoop from Kristin and Lauren! Share all those little life lessons with your loved ones with this beautiful kit.

And here's the cutest little kit for those little boys and big boys who love nothing but to play with their hammers, wrenches, and get out their toolbox. Mr. Fix It is great for renovation pictures.

I love what Shannon did with this kit. Take a look:

Get to the store today to get both of these on sale!

More recipe sharing!

2011-02-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

I must say, I looove scrapping my recipes! So I thought I'd share one of my recipes that was scrapped using one of KCB's kits. I think it very pretty, and yummy - oh and the recipe's pretty good too (hehehe).

Kit used is called Apple Blossom - a collab kit made by Kristin Cronin-Barrow and Meghan Mullens. Sorry but it looks like it's been retired :(

If you would like to share a recipe card with us, check out Shannon's post about our recipe swap!

Recipe swap!! Who's in?

2011-02-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

Hey there! Hope every one had a great family day long weekend! We stayed at home and painted, LOL, it was great!! I thought for todays post and it will be ongoing...we would try doing a recipe swap! So every tuesday I will post a new recipe and any others that I have received from any one who would like to participate! And in four weeks I will send out all links to the cards, sound fun?! This is a great way to get fun new recipes and they are already written out on a cute card! all you have to do is print them!
So here is the deal:

1. let us know in the comments that you would like to participate
2. make a 4x6 recipe card save and zip it up, please send the link to shannon along with your name and email address
3. in 4 weeks you will recieve the links in one big download of all the recipe cards that we will have collected! Its that simple!

Here is my first one:

(made with Kristin & Fee's new kit!)

and I also wanted to share the site that I actually got the recipe from...GREAT site with lots of GREAT recipes!!!

Lick the bowl good

Thanks in advance for all those who participate! This is gonna be fun! :)

Lovely new scoop from Kristin and Fee!

2011-02-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful sunny scoop from Kristin and Fee! Kristin and Fee have teamed up to create a kit bursting at the seams with delicious happiness! Inspired by Sweet Shoppe Designer Zoe Pearn and her amazing strength and spirit, I’ve got Sunshine is bright, bold and sure to inspire gorgeous cheery layouts.

These beautiful layouts show off just how cheery your layouts can be with this kit!

From Jacinda:

From Glynis:

From Lizzy:

From Stephanie:

Another from Lizzy:

Get to the store so that you can pick up this kit on sale today!

February's kit combo is...

2011-02-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

This month I picked 2 more KCB kits to combine, and got scrapping! Here's what I came up with:

Can you guess which 2 kits I combined? I used.....

J'Adore by Kristin Cronin-Barrow

Sugar and Spice by Kristin Cronin-Barrow

Speaking of combining - What designers would you combine with KCB to make the ultimate kit?

Gallery Standouts!

2011-02-15T20:55:00.000-08:00

Hope every one had a very romantic Valentines day yesterday! (*wink*)!! Today I though it would be fun to highlight some of the amazing layouts that have been posted in the SSD gallery using Kristins kits! So lets get started:

This layout is so cute!! I love the layering on the right hand side and her clustering around the journaling. And all I have to say is~ Its a phase! They do get back into taking photos!

Adorable by LeeAndra

LeeAndra used Kristins kit:

Next up is:

wow, This layout is gorgeous and the journaling is phenomenal!! I love the layered paper and the shadows on all the elements, very realistic!

What will our future be? by ayaandjudah

Ayaandjudah used Kristins kit:

And the last spotlight is:

Look at the use of elemets!! Absolutely love this! The photos are perfect and once again I am loving the shadows!!!

bookworm by sugirox

sugirox used Kristins kit:

Congrats ladies!! Please PM me to grab your coupon!!! or post a comment in the links so I can email you!

Beautiful You Inspiration

2011-02-10T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hi KCB fans! Monique here to show you some layouts the creative team have done using Kristin's last solo kit called Beautiful You. This kit is pure KCB feminine beauty and is a must have for anyone who has a little girly girl to scrap :)

A few more layouts:

by Yari:

by Rochelle789:

by KayM:

by Sarah8914:

by nanienamou:

by rainydays:

by Kjersti:

What Jelly Belly are you?

2011-02-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have to admit it. I'm on a Jelly Belly fix right now. Yes, thank you Costco, for selling me, Kiki Halbert a bulk size bag of 45 flavours of Jelly Belly jelly beans. I must say that besides Kristin's new releases, Goodnight Mr. Moon and Beautiful You, these have made my weekend. So with that, I give you the results of my What Jelly Belly Are You quiz and hopefully you'll take it and have fun with it too!

You Are a Cotton Candy Jelly Bean

You are fun loving and easy going. You are a total ham, and you like having a crowd’s attention. You have a hilarious sense of humor. You keep people cracking up with your goofy antics. You are playful, and you’re ready have fun with anyone. You are very light hearted. You are always ready to play hooky. You like leading a group, especially when you’re off to an amazing adventure together.

What Flavor Jelly Belly Are You?

2 New Kits this week!

2011-02-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

New this week:

Goodnight Mr Moon collab

And, Beautiful You

Monique's Fave Finds for Foodies!

2011-02-03T20:11:00.000-08:00

Hey KCB fans! I looooove to cook and bake. I loooove food. And I loooove scrapping my favourite recipes. So I'm here to share with you some of my favourite recipe loaded blogs! ;) Where do I go when I'm needing something new? Let me show you!

Crockpot 365 - the author spent a year using her crockpot every day! She's written a couple of cookbooks too.

Recipe Girl - the author has some very yummy recipes, I just loooove browsing through her blog.

Joy the Baker - the author has a huge list of yummy recipes too!

and the latest addition to my blogroll:

Our Best Bites - I'm on my way now to browse and print some new recipes to try from this blog!

So where do you like to go for new recipes?

Love is in the air~ Kit showcase

2011-02-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Hi there! Shannon here bringing you the kit showcase a day late! My house has been under a sickness curse since the turn of the New Year and the latest 'bug' is that my littlest has an ear and throat infection, sigh....dont you love this season! so needless to say instead of posting this last night, I was awake with keegan all night cause everytime he coughed he would start crying and say 'owie" Poor peanut!

Anyways! I wanted to show you all 3 of my FAVORITE Valentines/ lovey dovey kits! Lets start with Kristins newest ~ J'Adore

and a little inspiration:

hybrid spin the bottle by mamabee

special day by rochelle789

Daughters by Kjersti

Next up is Cloud 9~ I love this kit! So fun and the little clouds and cupcakes are adorable!

Sweet Treat by Kjersti

sweet by KayM

Our Love Story by ksbella

And last but not least is My everything...and this one is 35% off!!!

peek a boo by pomi

Sweetheart by mom2peanuts

my everything by emmasmommy

It's time to party!

2011-01-30T06:33:00.000-08:00

Did you know that not only does Kristin have an amazing new scoop with Lauren Grier this weekend, and that she was this week's Featured Staffer, but that it's also SSD's 5th anniversary party? And that means....you guessed it. A SALE!

That means that until Februrary 4th, you can save 35% off ALL of Kristin's products in store. Here are some of my favourites that I thought were worth a second look.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Be mine~All new today!

2011-01-29T11:38:00.001-08:00

J'adore desktop background

2011-01-27T17:37:00.000-08:00

Hello KCB fans! Monique here with a free desktop background for you all to customize your computers in February! There are 3 sizes in the zipped file, 2 that I find are popular and 1 that's sized for my laptop... lol... so I threw it in there for you :D It's also in png format so you can add a photo of your own.

Created using Kristin's beautiful J'Adore kit available in the Sweet Shoppe along with a hybrid printable set!

Here's the desktop background preview, the link to download it is just below the image.

Download HERE.

A welcome Announcement!

2011-01-25T20:34:00.000-08:00

Just wanting to Congratulate Kristin's newest CT member ~ Rebecca aka Mamabee!! Rebecca is an extremely talented scrapper! She is a member of many Creative Teams and her scrapping style and skills only continue to improve each and everyday. She is a wonderful wife to her husband and a very PROUD momma to her son, which is coincidentally the subject of most of her precious layouts! Kristin spotted her goregous projects in her gallery and invited her to join the team. Here is a link to her gallery at the sweet shoppe and here are some of her latest projects and layouts!

Please leave some love for Rebecca on her beautiful layouts! And help us in welcoming her to the team!

Congrats Rebecca!!!

Take a trip to Old Time Paris Romance!

2011-01-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

Kristin has done it again. She has come out with a new quintessential romantic kit that is a must have in your stash. It's called J'Adore, and it is divine. Don't believe me?

From Kiki

Now, need a bit of extra romance this February? Here are an idea for a great craft project using this kit (courtesy of Lil Luna):

So if you haven't bought the kit yet, go get it. You know you need it!

New Kit - J'adore

2011-01-23T07:56:00.000-08:00

So sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday!! You really need to see (and buy) this latest KCB kit - it's the perfect Valentine's kit for scrapping your loved one! I can't wait to play with it later today, it's so pretty! Here it is:

J'adore by KCB

A warm hybrid gift idea

2011-01-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hello KCB fans! Monique here with a quick and easy hybrid gift idea. Here's what I made:

By creating my own cup sleeve, adding it to a new paper cup and putting some hot cocoa mix in the cup - I now have a cute gift that perfect for almost anyone!

So here's what I had done tonight:

I already created a template by tracing a piece of paper over my cup. It would have been a lot easier if I could have gotten my hands on a premade one from a coffee house - but I can't. So I had to improvise. I then traced my template onto some pretty dotted brown paper from my local scrapbooking store. I glued it a few days ago and held it onto the cup with rubber bands so that it would stay together long enough to dry.

As you can see from the photo, I printed my label, tag and some extra decorations on a 4x6 mat photo (printed it at Walmart). Keeping your hybrid projects small and printable on a 4x6 image makes it pretty cheap.

Once the sleeve glue was dry, the label and tag were cut I finished it by gluing on the label (I like glue dots), punched a hole in the tag and tied it with ribbon to the cup rim.

Fill the cup with a cocoa powder pouch, maybe a baggy with some mini marshmallows and maybe even a chocolate dipped plastic spoon - and voila! You have a great (and super affordable) gift!

Here are a few close up photos:

I hope this inspires you to create some of your own gifts!

Here's the KCB kit I used to create the label and tag (minus the heart latte cup on the tag - that's credited to Kate Hadfield). I Love Cocoa.

Photo tips~ SNOW!

2011-01-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hey there!
With the latest dump of snow which was another foot...all that is on my mind is shoveling, making sure the kids are dressed when we go anywhere, what the roads are like, warming up the vehicle before we head out, more shoveling, and when is it going to get warm enough to go tobogganing!!??
The last chance we had to go out on the hill apart from Sunday was 2 weeks ago, I took my camera (as I always do!) but when I got home I realized that I had a lot of editing to do to all the pictures I took, the snow looked 'greyish' the colours didn't pop again the white and the shadows were so dark!

I did a little googling and experimenting with the info I gathered and I thought it might help some of you out as well!!
1. keep your camera as warm as you can! apparently your batteries last longer when they aren't cold!
2. set the white balance on your camera to HIGH! (this is what was causing the snow to look grey!)
3. use your flash!!! It will reduce the dark areas on your pictures!
4. use the action mode~ I should have thought of this the first time! would have reduced the blurry pictures i got!
Here are the pictures I took after I applied some of those tips! the only thing that was altered is a contrast boost on there jackets!

Hope those are helpful hints! And here are the kits that I am using in my layout!

Tis the Season for joy

and

The way you are

Have a great week!

CT Inspiration with Sweet Escape

2011-01-16T09:29:00.000-08:00

Kiki here this morning with a little more CT inspiration for you using Kristin's latest kit, Sweet Escape.

First off, check out this cool hybrid project that Joana did!

And Terra's layout just blows me away:

And I can't help it, but I always stare at Sasha's layouts to try and learn how to do better more realistic shadows:

There are so many more layouts in the gallery at SSD. You really need to go check out all the talented ladies on Kristin's team.

Kit Combining - Reach for the Sweet Escape?

2011-01-13T10:56:00.000-08:00

Hey KCB fans! Monique here with a new monthly series called Kit Combining! I'm going to show you how to combine 2 of Kristin's beautiful kits to make a beautiful layout :D Today I combined her new Sweet Escape kit with the Reach for the Sky kit:

A lot of Kristin's kits can be combined with at least one other kit which really helps to get that much more out of your stash. Here's my layout:

Which KCB kits do you think would combine nicely?

Chilly Tuesday gift!

2011-01-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

Hi there,
Sorry I am late, had a business convention to go to tonight after work, then it took us a little longer to get home as the temps are dipping way below -40C tonight! The vehicles are having a hard time! Anyways on our way home we stopped for some hot chocolate and it made me think of Kristin's kit: I love cocoa! Such a beautiful, warm kit! And thats just what hot chocolate is, LOL, beautiful and warm ;) I thought tonight I would make a little freebie for you! And for all the ladies at work as a gift tomorrow!

Click me to download!

Made with I love Cocoa which you can grab here!

Here's to staying warm!

Oh what a Sweet Escape it is!

2011-01-08T07:59:00.001-08:00

You know how it takes you a while after the holidays to get back into your routine and really consider that you felt like you got something done? Apparently that doesn't happen to Kristin! From the looks of things she can just pull out the stops whenever she wants to and blow us all away with the most amazing kit just days after the holiday season. Check out Sweet Escape! I don't know about you, but just one week back to work and I seriously feel like I need to escape to a spa or vacation. This kit is just luscious. It just exudes serenity, calm and a quiet sophistication.

Now if after that preview you really need some inspiration before getting this kit, (and if that's the case you just haven't had enough coffee in my opinion), check out these layouts from the team:

by Pomi

by Shannon

by Lita

And finally, by me.

So get over to the store today to get the kit on sale, because you know you need it, and then you'll have it for those winter retreats in the south or the spa days where you just need someone to pamper you. Have a great weekend everyone!

Monique's Fave Finds

2011-01-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Hello KCB fans! One of our new features here on the CT blog is sharing with you some of our favourite finds on the WWW. Right now I'm looking for inspiration for using Kristin's I Love Cocoa kit - my new favourite KCB kit. So here are a few things I've found that are inspiring me... I'll be back next week to show you what they have inspired me to make :D Click on the images to be redirected to some other great blogs full of inspiration and even some tutorials.

What have you or would you like to make using this delicious new kit from KCB?!

Feel free to link me up to your fave finds!

A little inspiration!

2011-01-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

Hey there! I know it is a new Year and there are many challenges and the galleries are full of wonderful inspiration but I thought it would be fun to post an inspiration challenge! Here is the ad:

This totally caught my eye while I was browsing the net! Whether it be the layout, colour, circles, swirls...let this inspire your next layout using Kristins products! And for added fun, entries will be placed in a random draw for a coupon to use in Kristins store!
Here is my layout:

So come play along and be sure to post your link to your layout here in the comment section! You will have till next tuesday to enter!

Are you ready for a contest? Make this one part of your Bucket List!

2011-01-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome everyone to 2011! What an awesome start to the year...have you seen the store today? Awesome new stuff from Kristin and Lauren!

http://www.sweetshoppedesigns.com/sw...cat=413&page=2

This kit is about making every moment count and taking charge of your life, not waiting for it to happen. Set goals, achieve them. What's on your Bucket List? Start making them happen!

What do you want to do with your life and how do you want to do it? This kit is perfect for scrapping all your hopes and goals - big or small! This kit is packed full of doodles and other elements to scrap your page. Don't have a bucket list? Make one now! Make one for your kids too - you never know what they will say!

La and Kristin decided to have a contest! Simply post a layout here or in the Sweet Shoppe Designs gallery made with this kit scrapping your bucket list (or your child's or spouse or even a friend) and you will be entered to win a coupon for a free kit from both la and I's stores. Post here between now and January 6th!

I can't wait to see what you make with this kit!

January Desktop

2010-12-31T22:11:00.000-08:00

Its me again! Wanted to bring you a little freebie: January Desktop made with Kristin & Meghan Mullens Scoop~ SnowySidekick....which by the way is retiring!!! :(

1280x1024

1024x768

Make it Count!

2010-12-31T22:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!! Here's to Health, Wealth and Happiness in 2011!! To kick off this year Kristin and Lauren Grier have teamed up to bring you this wonderful kit~ Make it count

Here are a few Layouts that the team has made:

by eranslow

by me- rainydays

And aslo check out this solo kit Kristin has released today! How sweet is that?!

by emmasmommy

by kiki

by rochelle789

Hope you all have a safe and happy New Years! Happy Shopping!!!

Product retirement sale!

2010-12-30T07:59:00.000-08:00

We're back! Sorry we've been gone so long - we needed a little break with all the crazyness of the holidays. But now we're back and we've done some brain storming and I think you're going to like the new things we're bringing you this year!

But first, a goodbye. It's that time of year again - the Going, Going, Gone sale at the Sweet Shoppe! Tons of kits are 50% off and being retired. So get on over to the Sweet Shoppe and pick up some of those kits that have been on your wishlist all year, because after January 1st - they're gone! :(

(Kits shown are being retired - but aren't the only ones! Go to the Sweet Shoppe now to see the full extent of this sale!)

Coupon Alert!

2010-12-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

Hey KCB fans! Did you hear? There's a coupon out there for 30% off Kristin's goodies at the Sweet Shoppe but it's only good for today and tomorrow!

Where is it?

It's at.... The Daily Digi!

YES! That's right! Kristin is being featured on The Daily Digi and has the prettiest kit ever available only in the Daily Digi Files!

So run... don't walk! And not only get the coupon code, but also for only $5 you can get her kit plus many others.

Have fun!!

December Desktop

2010-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Good Morning! Shannon here on this cool, snowy morning to bring you, on by the way, the LAST day in November...ACK...a December desktop! You know what that means right? Officially 25 shopping days left until Christmas!!! This Desktop was made with one of Kristin's new Christmas Collection kits that she released last weekend! I used Tis the Season: For family

Here you go!

in 1280x800 and 1024x768

Black Friday Madness!

2010-11-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Well, it's here! Black Friday is finally here! It's the best time of the year, don't you think? When families gather together, share amazing food and gifts, and SWEET SHOPPE DESIGNS HAS A 40% OFF SALE! Yes, you read that right. Kristin's shop is 40% off today so hurry and don't miss it. Imagine getting her new gorgeous kits at 40% off! Awesome stuffs. Take a look:

These kits are absolutely divine. Now of course you could get them at 40% off today, but why not just save yourself some more by buying the bundle! It comes with FIVE bonus alphas AND a brag book already made from the collection!

So go get shopping without leaving your house by checking out Kristin's store today!

Stretching your Stash!

2010-11-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today I am going to show you all how to stretch your stash! Many people are afraid to buy themed kits because they think that you can only use them for what they are made for, and today I am here to show that that is not the case! LOL For today's feature I have showcased Kristin's kit: Joy to the World from her Holiday Classics Collection:

Now of course the obvious is a Christmas themed layout and I have made many of those with this kit! But I have also made 2 others:

Sleep soundly: one of my gorgeous son sleeping in my husbands arms and

One of my spunky little girl!
And of course last year I made our Christmas card with this kit:

And I also made a Christmas 2009 brag book with this kit! It is versatile enough to use as an any occasion kit! Here are a few layouts I found in the SSD gallery:
Celebrate by Kiki

Christmas memories by Paula

memories by Kjersti

When your budget isn't allowing you to buy a new kit, make sure you revisit your stash and think of different ways to use different kits! Designers love to see just how versatile a kit is! Have a great week! And for those of you in Canada~ Stay warm!

3 new mini releases!

2010-11-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

Hey KCB fans! This week Kristin has a few new alpha sets for you... they are super versatile and are a a great staple to have in any scrapping stash. Here they are!

You can find all 3 of these great alphas (seperately or as a bundle!) at the Sweet Shoppe!

Recipe Challenge!

2010-11-19T14:41:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Kiki here with a fun recipe challenge for you! I think you'll enjoy it, just wait and see. This coming week is Thanksgiving in the United States, which means lots of cooking, family, shopping! Are you ready for it?

This week's challenge is based on the Thanksgiving date this year in the US. So this year Thanksgiving falls on November 25, 2010. So here's our numbers: 11, 25, 20, 10. So, to participate in the challenge here's what I need to see on your layout using Kristin's products:

November is the 11th month. So use 1 solid paper and 1 patterned paper (you thought I'd make you use 11 of something?)
2 photos
5 different flowers
20 words or more in your journalling
10 buttons (they can be the same button repeated 10 times)

So get to work, have fun with it, and come back here and post a link to your layout using Kristin's products (at least some of her products), and I'll select a winner at random on November 30th.

Hybrid Tuesday~ Christmas frame

2010-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning! I just wanted to share a quick and easy Christmas project with you all! Honestly it took me 20 minutes and cost very little! Here is the finished project:

And the supplies you will need:
~ frame from Micheals ($2.99)
~scissors
~mod podge or glue
~sand paper
~ pop up glue or cardboard
~digital kit (print out what you want to use!)

First thing I did was print out my background paper and elements that I wanted to use on the frame
Next I placed the frame face down on the face down paper and mod podged it in place! Next I sanded the edges of the frame and the interior to cut it off.

Then I simply cut out the cute little embellies and added them to the frame, if you want to add depth (like I did on the presents) just layer some cardboard underneath the element and glue in place! Voila, this took me 20 minutes and look how cute it turned out! For this cute little frame I used Kristins kit: From the Holiday Collection: Santa Baby

There you have it! If you give this easy little project a try, please link me to an image so I can leave you some love! Take Care!

Reach for the Sky! Layouts...

2010-11-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Hey KCB fans! I'm here to show off some of the team's layouts using Kristin's newest solo kit - Reach For The Sky. It's a beautiful kit that's very versatile for any photos boy or girl :)

by ksbella

2 New Releases and Happy DSD!!!

2010-11-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thats right Kristin was super busy this week and has come up with 2 new kits! The first one is called: Take Note, a beautiful scoop with Jenn Barrette! Take Note, the newest scoop from Kristin and Jenn is perfect for hybrid projects such as corkboard/bulletin boards, to do pads, eraseable calendars and to do lists. These beautiful soft tone and pretty patterns will help you get organized and document your every day. Beautiful journal mattes, word art, buttons and fasteners and gorgeous frames abound in this kit. We know you've got a lot on your plate. Document it and enjoy making pretty pages of your routines and schedule.

The second kit for release today is Called Reach for the sky~Here's a kit made to help you find those dreams and share them with the world. Blues and grays blend quietly for a calm color scheme while a pop of red in the accents shows your passion and intensity. And with hearts, flowers, stars and soaring balloons among the huge assortment of elements your dreams will be easy and fun to scrap. Soar beyond your imagination and 'Reach for the Sky'!

Both of these kits are 30% off this weekend only! Happy Scrapping and be sure to pop on over to the sweet shoppe where everthing is on sale!

Sneak Peek - Are you ready for a Scoop?

2010-11-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I'm Kiki and I'm here to give you the scoop! That's right, Kristin's got an amazing Scoop coming on Digital Scrapbook Day and you are not going to want to miss this. If you ever needed a reason to get into hybrid projects, you just found it. This kit will be quintessential for any hybrid projects having to do with getting organized, creating a bulletin board that's fun to use, or even creating some To Do list pads from some place like Artcows. Seriously, you need this kit.I can almost guarantee that this kit will be perfect for a project like this:

If you need instructions, you'll find them here.

Don't miss out on getting this kit on sale Saturday. I know it will be used over and over again for home projects and layouts about getting organized, redecorating, getting stuff done, etc.

And as if you needed any more incentive to pick it up, check out what Lita did with Take Note:

And here's Laura's layout:

See? Didn't I tell you that you needed this kit?