The Year of Projects

No resolutions for me this year, I always seem to break them. Instead, this year, I will have goals and projects. My One Little Word for the new year is finance. I've built up some bad credit in the past, and my goals this year are to eliminate most of my debt and to up my credit score. I also have a goal to find a stable job that I will stay at for at least a year. My goals for this year are based on preparing for the future: fixing my credit, getting rid of debt, finding a stable job, investing for the future, and going back to college, among others.

Other than that goal, I have a bunch of projects that I would like to complete this year. This year is gonna have a lot of reflections on my inner self. All of these projects will eventually end up in a scrapbook, but for now, most of them are about looking inside of my self and journaling, a lot. This year really is about me. I'm trying to leave the nest, for good this time. I don't have any kids, no husband, no boyfriend, no attachments. This is the perfect year to focus on me. I also know that I've been a horrible blogger. Hopefully all of these projects will keep my blog updated. Sorry if none of these posts are useful to you other than reading up on my life. This blog is really just going to be a reflection of my life. Here is a list of the projects that I will be joining this year - as of right now. Some are linked to homepages..

• Project 365 - not exactly sure where this started, so there's no link for it. I tried to start this for 2010, but lost interest by Feb. Hopefully this year will be different. I have simpler goals for this year for this project.
• Day Zero Project - I started this in the past, back in 2009. I want to re-start this challenge, with new goals and new dates. When I started this project my goals weren't really important and some of them I lost interest in.
• Live a Better Life in 30 Days Challenge (30DLBL) - I just going to start this is December, but I decided to wait for the new year.
• Project: Love, Me - This is my only project that will focus a lot of scrapbooking. But it would work for anybody, not just scrapbookers. I just choose to put more scrapbooking detail into this one than the rest.

Let's start this new year with a bang! :]

One Little Word 2010

I absolutely love visiting Ali Edwards' Blog. Her site gives me so much inspiration for my life, especially scrapping and projects. One thing I've decided to do is One Little Word. I won't go into much detail but Ali explains it perfectly here and here. The idea is to choose one word that you will stand by for the whole year. Even though I've only stumbled upon this with only two months left in the year, I decided to start anyway. I really didn't want to wait two months just so I can start something in the beginning of the year. So for the rest of this year, I've decided to choose the word Connect.

One thing I've seemed to be lacking lately is connection. This goes for online communities as well as in person. I hope to blog more, chat more, comment more, email more, talk more.. anything. I hope to once again Connect with the rest of the world. What is your word for this year?

It's Digital Scrapbooking Day!

Happy DSD everyone! I know I'm a little bit late to jumpstart the festivities but I just wanted to let everyone know about a ScrapMatters sale going on this weekend.. and even longer! Have fun shopping! :]

Date w/ Photoshop

I got to spend some quality time with Photoshop this weekend. I didn't create as many LOs as I would have wanted but I've managed to come out with two LOs. Lemme know what you think!

 

(credits here)

(credits here)

Fall Festival .. New Release!

Did I announce that I'm on a new CT? Well, just in case I didn't I want to announce that I'm on Misty O'Brien Designs' CT! She has a fabulous collab kit out this week and its awesome! Check it out below..

This kit is available at Funky Playground Designs. Here is a LO I made with the kit..

I will have some new stuff for you next week!

A Turned Leaf

After neglecting this blog, as well as my scrap blog, for almost a month now, I've decided to join the two. I find myself with plenty of time on my hands, but little time with motivation. That's soon to change. I will be pushing myself to be creative and always in the mood to blog or scrap. This blog also has a new name and will have a makeover as well. In case you are reading this post before the makeover, just stick tight, and please don't mind the dust. A lot of things will be changing on this blog and in my life. Like in the beginning, this blog will be about my journey through life. But now with more definition. It will showcase my scrapbooking hobby, my soon-to-be design skills, my travel adventures, and my learning experiences. Ohh, and can't forget the extra stuff that makes my life worthwhile, like: decorating, movies, tv shows, friends/family/relationships, and becoming a grown up. So stay tuned, and enjoy the ride! Thanks for reading! :]

Sneak Peek 9/10 Release

Trixie Scraps and Wimpychompers Creations have teamed up to bring you a super kit, which is versatile and perfect for busy moms on the go! But, if you want to be able to snag it this week (for a discount!) you must be a ScrapMatters Newsletter Subscriber! Check out the sneak peek below... and make sure you are subscribed to the ScrapMatters newsletter so you will be among the first to have the opportunity to check out this great kit. Don't forget to look for the exclusive coupon for this kit inside this month's newsletter, too!!

September Guest Teams!!

It's finally September (not that I want to leave summer...) and I have a couple of announcements to make! I have accepted a couple of guest spots from two awesome designers!! The first is Trixie Scraps! I was allowed into her CT forum a couple of days early and I've already made my first LO for her! But you will have to wait until Friday to see it! :] The second designer is Spinky dink Scraps! I can't wait to get started with her kits! There are so many great products and announcements for this week! :]

Other than announcements, today I have two layouts to show you. The first LO was for a ScrapMatters template challenge that I completed today (and at the last minute). The second one was for Graham Like the Cracker's new release templates from last week. Both LOs are linked to my DigishopTalk gallery for credit information.

Aren't they gorgeous?

New Layouts

Here are the layouts I've promised you!

They are all from 2004. I am trying to get 2004 and 2005 done since they are the easiest to work on right now. They are all linked to my DigiShopTalk gallery and the credits are listed there.

Graham Like the Cracker also has a new release coming out on Friday and I will post those links on Friday! Have a good day everyone!

Back to School Kit...and a new CT!

Did I tell you guys that I've joined a new CT? I've been admiring a certain designer's work for a while now and finally decided to ask when the next CT call would be. I got an email, and was accepted on the spot! It was pretty awesome. Wanna know who the designer is? It's Pixel Perfect Designs!

She has new kit out this week! It is a mini kit and it's perfect for back to school! The images are linked to the product at Polka Dot Plum. And there is a bundle too! I haven't had a chance to work with the rest of the bundle yet but it looks lovely!

Here is my layout:

Credits: Kit: Back to School by Pixel Perfect Designs, Template: Shortcake Template by JennCK Designs, Alpha: Now Playing Alpha freebie by SuzyQ Scraps, Font: Teletype

I scrapped some photos from my first day of high school. It was also my first year of school in Hawaii. Talk about nerve-racking! I also have some more layouts that I've been working on and I will post those tomorrow. Have a great day everyone!

Long Overdue Update

So I've finally merged my 101 challenge blog with this blog. All of the posts that were imported from the old blog have a disclaimer at the top that says it is from the old blog. Looks like this, **This post was part of my old 101 challenge blog, and was merged over. K?

It's been three long months since my last challenge update. And I hate to say this, but I haven't really done much. I plan to get back on track with writing down everything again. This upcoming September will be my one year anniversary of starting this challenge. August 5th was also my one year anniversary for this blog! As I complete each goal, I plan to post an individual post for the completed goals. The title might look something like "Completed: Goal 11" or something like that. I'm not sure yet. Each one of those posts will have a picture and a summary of how I completed the goal. I will do this with all future goals and I will also go through the already completed ones to update them. Once all the goals are finished, I plan to turn them into a scrapbook/blog book. I'm not sure on the size yet. I might just make them my normal 8x8 scrapbook size, or I might make them 5x7. What do you think?

Well, without further adieu, I present to you my list of updates...

Completed Goals:
003. Graduate college with an ATA in Business Management
064. See a movie at the drive inn
080. Earn $100 from blogging in one year

Progressed Goals:
056. Attend 2 Seattle sports games [1/2]
061. Watch 26 movies starting with each letter of the alphabet [17/26]
068. Watch 101 movies [18/101]

Yeah, I know. Not very much progress, huh? And that's three months worth too. Well I've gotten off track with my challenge the past three months so the good thing is that this goals were completed unknowingly. That is good right? And sorry, but no pictures are available at the moment. But I will come back and update the completed ones with their individual posts, including the photos. And I realized that I need to update some of my links my the old blog - so I will have to do that tonight.

I also need to update some of the goals. I need to change the ones that I was already planning to change, and I need to change other that I have no chance of completing, or I am just not interested anymore. That's the sucky thing about creating lists a year in advance - your interests always change! Anyways, I hope to have another update soon!

New Template Pack

This week, Jen aka Graham Like the Cracker is releasing a new template pack! Well, three actually. It is being released as grab bag. Grab it this week for only $3!

Available at ScrapMatters (8/6) and Gotta Pixel (8/7)

I used the complete me set to make the page on the right, with the Space Needle. Sorry, I forgot to save them together, so they are two separate photos. The kit I used is Jen's new release collab with Bella Gypsy "Love That Boy" from last week. It is a wonderful kit and I love the templates too! For full credits, click on the photos to take you to my gallery.

Available at ScrapMatters and Gotta Pixel

Love That Boy is available as a bundle and as individual pieces. The bundle is linked above.

And some news about me: I've been accepted for two CT guest spots for September! Can you guess who the designers are? Well, I guess you will just have to wait and see! :]

Designing is Not for Me

At least I can say that I've tried. I just don't have much passion in it to continue at this point. With everything else that's going on in my life, I don't think I would have enough time to scrap AND design, and do everything else. Maybe later on in the future I will try to continue this path. But for now, I'll leave it up to the experts. I did want to leave you with a freebie, my first mini kit that I created. I might also provide you with freebies in the future, if I find time to sit down and design, but that's just a maybe at this point. Well, here's my freebie:

Tell me what you think of it, and please leave me comments! Thanks!

Image is linked

or you can find it at 4Shared

This blog will, of course, stay open for my scrapbooking layouts and to promote my CTs. It is also the blog for my Scrap for Hire business. If anybody is interested in that, you can find the website links on my left sidebar.

Upcoming Blogoversary

My blogoversary is less than two weeks away! Any ideas on what I should do for it? I was thinking about creating one of those blog books. You ever heard of those? Kinda like this:

Have you ever done this before? Do you have any other ideas?

Making Waves - A NEW KIT!

Available at:

Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel (on 7/24)

Graham Like the Cracker's new kit this week is a collab with Jennifer Barrette and its called Making Waves. I love this new kit! It is perfect for beach photos and pool photos. It has 25 papers, 64 elements, six different alphas, and lots of wordart. You can buy the bundle for only $10 ($16 value). Hurry and buy it this week while its on sale for 30% off! Or you can buy the pieces separately. Links are below.

Bundle: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Alpha: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Extra Papers: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Wordart: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

And here's my LO. I scrapped some photos from when I first moved to Hawaii. This was about 3-4 days after we flew in, and it was my first time at Waikiki Beach. The photo in the background is of Diamond Head. A famous crater in Waikiki, which of course used to be a volcano many years ago. I never had a chance to hike to the top - I've heard it has a great view! But I would definitely hike up there if I ever had another chance.

Image is linked to Scrap Matters gallery

Graham Like the Cracker has another new product this week. It coordinates with her collab with Stolen Moments - (Carry My Heart). Its a beautiful set of six pre-shadowed clusters. This product was the participation prize for June's newsletter challenge at Scrap Matters. The full kit is also linked below.

Available at:

Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Available at: Scrap Matters

Thanks for reading - and have a great weekend!

Basic Tutorials For New Scrappers

New to digital scrapbooking? Have you ever wondered how to do something, but couldn't figure out how? Well, every week I will post 3-5 links to tutorials that I've found helpful. And this week's theme is the basics. Perfect for a new scrapper, or someone who needs to get back done to the basics. Need help with the tutorials? Just contact the writer and should be able to help you out!

I use PSE so I am constantly on the lookout for tutorials for PSE. However, I will post both version, if applicable. Some of these tutorials will be forum threads and some will be articles on other blogs.

Today's tutorials are brought to you by Scrap Orchard! I normally will try to cover more than one place, but didn't have much time to write this article this week.

My First Layout by mflott at Scrap Orchard
How to Use a Template (PSE) by britaneejean at Scrap Orchard
How to Use a Template (PS) by Ramona the Pest at Scrap Orchard
Selective Erasing by HeyJude at Scrap Orchard
Saving for Web (PS) by nzingha at Scrap Orchard

That's all for today, folks! I just might come back tomorrow to bring you more tutorials. Lemme know if you want em!

Little Princess Sighs: Newborn Kit!

Available at:

Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Graham Like the Cracker's new release this week is so beautiful! I love all the pinks and purples! This kit is perfect for all of those newborn pictures! This kit 48 elements and the layered elements come with a drop shadow version. It also contains 22 papers. There are three additional coordinating pieces, which you can purchase separately or as a bundle. Links are below.

Bundle: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

WordArt: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Alpha: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Glitter: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

I have one LO for you today. I scrapped a couple of pictures from my friend's bachelorette dinner party in 2007. I created the "dinner" part of the title using Graham Like the Cracker's ABC Basics: Button Alpha which is linked below. The rest of the kit uses the new kit: Little Princess Sighs.

Image is linked to Scrap Matters gallery

Available only at: Scrap Matters

Thanks for reading! I have a lot more stuff coming to you this upcoming week! Stay tuned! :]

A New Path

I've decided to take the leap into designing. Since making this decision, I've also decided to create a separate blog for all scrap-related items. This blog will be used for showcasing my personal LOs, my CT commitments, my (upcoming) scrap designs, and my portfolio. I also wanted to let you know that I am available for Scrap for Hire! I love to scrap for others. I've only made one other photobook for a client so far, so I am willing to offer discounts to potential clients to boost my portfolio. Just contact me, and ask about the discount, and I will let you know what I can do for you. I recommend filling out the order form, to make things easier for the both of us. If you are unsure of some items, go ahead and check it anyway. It is just a draft, to get us on the same page. You can also check out available packages here.

My other main reason for this blog is for my scrap designs. I was going to provide you with a welcome freebie for my first post, but I didn't have time to finish it in time. But I promise you will get it soon! I am in the process of looking for a store - please let me know if you know anyone who is looking for new designers! I would start out with opening my own store, but I don't want to deal with hassle of creating the store as well as learning how to create one. If you have ideas for that also, please let me know! As soon as I find a store, I will be in search of a creative team - stay tuned for that!

June 25th New Releases

A week has passed already? Sorry I haven't had time to blog, other than update new releases. I have one new release for you along with a coordinating alpha. You are going to love this release!

Another Candle on the Cake

Available at Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Another Candle on the Cake: Button Alpha

Available at Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

I've got a couple of gorgeous LOs for you!

These are both from my 16th birthday party. It was my first birthday after I moved to Hawaii. We went to the Ice Palace for a pizza and skating party and walked around Waikiki afterwards. It was my first time ice skating. It was fun, but I definitely DID fall! hahaha...definitely cold! Enjoy this new kit! It was very fun to work with. See you next week for more new releases...another gorgeous kit is coming!

June 18th New Releases

Sorry, I'm just about two days late! I need to get into the habit of posting these things early/on-time. Before we get to the new releases, I just wanted to say that I've been honored to have a layout in the Gallery Standouts for June 19th! Turns out two people actually loved the same LO, its really cool. Its not a big accomplishment but it was nice to know that my LO stood out to them. Here is the LO:

I used Graham Like the Cracker's Island Cruising collab with Ellie Lash. I also used the coordinating wordart for my title. The kit can also be bought as a bundle with the alpha, frames, and styles. There are also coordinating quick pages!

Onto the new releases! Graham Like the Cracker only has one new kit today, but there are two coordinating pieces! This was such a fun kit to scrap with, perfect for boys and sports!

Junior collab with Karen Lewis Designz

Junior: The Sporty Alpha

Junior: The Wordart

I created two LOs this time. Well, actually, one is a card. I made a card for my dad for father's day. I forgot to take a picture of the physical product, so I only have the digital copy.

Isn't it cute? My next one is about a Mariner's game that I went to on June 4th. It was train day! :]

Alright, that's all I have for you today. I hope you enjoyed the new releases! Oops, almost forgot. I graduated last weekend!! I have pictures but I won't post them up until I scrap them...if another week goes by without me being able to scrap them, then I will just make a post about them instead.

June 11th New Releases

I recently joined my first CT this past week. Its been very exciting, and I am proud to announce that I am a part of Graham Like the Cracker's CT! She sells at Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel. She just opened up her store at Gotta Pixel recently so she has a lot of new releases today!

When the Wind Blows Collab with Geek Chic

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

When the Wind Blows: The Button Alpha Pack

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

My layout using the kit and the alpha pack

The rest of her kits are already at Scrap Matters, but they are new to Gotta Pixel. Links to both stores are provided. Sorry, I don't have anymore LOs to show you, but I hope to have some up soon!

(Carry My Heart) Collab with Stolen Moments

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

(Carry My Heart) Formal Metal Alpha

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Quentin & Emma

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Quentin & Emma: The Gradient Papers

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Quentin & Emma: The Alpha

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Quentin & Emma: The Bundle

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Sweet Spontaneity Collab with Madame Wing

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Sweet Spontaneity: The Alpha

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Sweet Spontaneity: The Glitter

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Sweet Spontaneity: The Bundle

Available at: Scrap Matters and Gotta Pixel

Whew! What a long post! Thanks for sticking with me for my first CT post!