:GIVEAWAY: American Crafts Letterbox Collection (CONTEST CLOSED)

Have you been lucky enough to get your hands on the Letterbox collection by American Crafts?

It is just stunning and perfect for so many different papercrafting projects. Although you can't tell from a picture, several of the papers have wonderful embossed, glittered or epoxied textures.

GIVEAWAY:
Here's your chance to get a nice sampler! It doesn't include ALL the papers in the collection, but even better, it includes several coordinating embellishments to help you put together complete projects.

This AC Letterbox sampler includes:
10 sheets of patterned paper
2 packages of Thickers alphabets
1 package of Minimarks rubons
1 package of Elements buttons
1 package of Flair adhesive badges
1 package of Remarks journaling stickers

Leave a comment to this post answering the following question (in honor of the name of this beautiful collection) by Thursday, May 13th, 2010, 11:59 p.m for your chance to win.

What is your favorite thing to receive in your mailbox?

I bet none of you will say bills!! :-)

Random.org will choose the lucky winner and I will make the announcement on Friday! Be sure to check back to see if you are the lucky winner...

GOOD LUCK!!

:QUOTES: on MOTHERHOOD according to Churchill, Penland & Unknown

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mothers out there, especially those that read the AMOM blog. :-) I hope that you all have a wonderful day!!

JILL CHURCHILL:
"The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one."

MARILYN PENLAND:
"Sing out loud in the car even, or especially, if it embarrasses your children.”

AUTHOR UNKNOWN:
“Give advice to your children while they’re young enough to believe you know what you’re talking about.”

READER RESPONSE:
Vote for your favorite quote by Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 and I'll create a word art freebie with the 'winning' quote to share with you. In the meantime, check out my other word art downloads.

:GIVEAWAY WINNER: Picture Perfect from Ella Publishing Co.

Are you ready to get out there and start shooting??

I wasn't surprised when a lot of you listed your children as your favorite photography subjects, but we have some serious spouse, pet and nature lovers out there as well!

While Picture Perfect is focused more on animate objects (people and pets), there are certainly tips for everyone included.

And, I have one lucky commenter that has just won themselves a free download!

Congratulations go to Sammie!! Watch your inbox for further details on how to claim your prize!

If you'd still like to snag a copy of Picture Perfect for yourself, head on over to Ella! It's only $5.99!

Don't miss out on more great giveaways coming soon! Sign up for updates to the AMOM blog by email subscription or your favorite blog reader through the links in the left sidebar.

:LAYOUT: Spring

Yes, they are weeds, but still loved how these photos turned out!

I wanted to pull out the yellow of the weeds even more, so I framed the die-cut patterned paper with yellow cardstock.

I threw in a splash of red with the title, journaling spot and flower to add a little extra vibrancy and create a visual triangle. Each spot of red is backed by a cream rub on.

The red chipboard letters were actually meant to go with a winter or Christmas themed set - among the swirls on them are little snowflake shapes, but I actually thought that they resembled the yellow flowers on the weeds.

Journaling:
“May all your weeds be wildflowers.” ~Unknown

Supplies:
Adhesive: Duck
Cardstock: DCWV
Patterned Paper, Die Cuts: Pink Paislee
Rub Ons: Basic Grey
Chip Alpha: Cosmo Cricket
Brad: Making Memories
Ink: Colorbox
Pen: American Crafts

:FIVE FAVES: Sketches on the web...

Personally, I really love to use sketches when I scrapbook. I don't use them all the time, but they can be a HUGE resource to me if I'm in a bit of a rut or just want to maximize my scrapbooking time.

So, for this :FIVE FAVES: post, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite online resources for sketches.

#1 - PageMaps
Becky Fleck's PageMaps are my absolute fav when it comes to sketches! I religiously print out her PDF sketch downloads each and every month and organize them by type (page maps, card maps, etc) in a 3-ring binder. They are definitely a 'go-to' for me when I need a sketch!

#2 - Scrapbooks etc.
One of the few great remaining scrapbooking mags, Scrapbooks etc. also has a great collection of sketches in various sizes. They have a quick link to download if you find ones you especially like so that you can save them to your computer and/or print them out for future use.

#3 - Get It Scrapped!
Not only is Get It Scrapped! a great resource for scrapbooking instruction, but they also have a forum on their site dedicated to sketches...

#4 - Pencil Lines
I mentioned this one recently when I reviewed the Pencil Lines sketch book that was published earlier this year.  The thing that I love about this site is that they feature a sketch by a different artist every week and include numerous layout samples using the sketch, so it's a really great way to see the sketch in action and get further inspiration!

#5 - Got Sketch?
Valerie Salmon has to be my second favorite sketch artist (after Becky Fleck). She doesn't post sketches quite as often as Pencil Lines, but they are high quality and she also includes numerous samples with her sketches.

READER RESPONSE:
Which is your favorite sketch site from this list? Do you have other favorite sketch sites that you frequent that are not on this list? If so, please share a link!

:REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Picture Perfect from Ella Publishing Co. (CONTEST CLOSED)

Ella Publishing Co. has a great new release this month - Picture Perfect.

Authored by professional photographers (and scrapbookers) Becky Novacek, Elisha Snow and Kelly Noel, this 32 page eBook is jam packed with 129 expert tips to help you shoot beautiful pictures!

The book is organized into 3 chapters, all with a section written by each of the 3 authors.

Chapter 1: Children
Babies by Kelly
Toddlers by Elisha
Kids by Becky

Chapter 2: Non-children
Teens by Elisha
Pets by Becky
Adults by Kelly

Chapter 3: Groups
Duos by Becky
Trios by Elisha
Crowds by Kelly

Here are a couple of sneak peaks from inside the book...

You'll get expert, yet simple-to-execute, tips on how to:
     ...make your subjects - from babies to families - feel comfortable
     ...choose meaningful props
     ...find interesting locations and backdrops for your photos
     ...create successful indoor and outdoor photos
     ...get a wide range of expressions
     ...experiment with new and unique perspectives
     ...find the best light for the shot in any environment
     ...pose your subjects for the most natural and flattering portraits
     ...position yourself for eye-catching composition
     ...and much, much more!!

Arguably the best part of the book are the 57 stunning photo examples used by the authors to illustrate their tips in action! Even better, each photo comes with a complete set of specs including the camera and lens used as well as ISO, shutter speed and aperture settings.

If you're looking to improve your photography skills this year, Picture Perfect is a perfect read. It'll arm you with some amazing tips to try and have you out shooting better photos in no time!

GIVEAWAY:
Would you like to win a free copy of Picture Perfect? Leave a comment to this post answering the following questions by Thursday, May 6th, 11:59 p.m.

Who/what is your favorite photography subject?

Random.org will choose and I'll announce the lucky winner on Friday, May 7th! Be sure to come back to find out if you've won!!

GOOD LUCK!! 

:SPONSORS: May 2010 AMOM Sponsors

FEATURED SPONSORS:

NICOLE LOMBARDO
Nicole is an amazing artist and every month she's got some great new custom designed die-cuts in her etsy shop. She is always adding new designs and colors just perfect for the season and/or holidays ahead.

Here's one that caught my eye this month.

It's called Fly Away (in blue) and it is such a delicate scroll. It would add a beautiful touch to any layout...check out the link for additional views.

In addition to her wonderful scrapbooking items, she has also started offering a few pieces of handmade jewelry that are also quite stunning!

ELLA PUBLISHING CO.
As they've been publishing about one eBook per month since their start last year, Ella Publishing Co. is a great source for scrapbooking inspiration and learning.

Their newest release is called Picture Perfect and was written by three amazing scrapbookers/photographers - Becky Novaceck, Elisha Snow & Kelly Noel. It includes 129 great tips to help you achieve amazing photos!

Would you like to read a little more about this newest title and have a chance at a free copy of your own??

Perhaps you should come back and visit the AMOM blog tomorrow...hint, hint. :-)

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WOULD YOU LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BECOMING A SPONSOR OF THE AMOM BLOG? If so, please contact me and I would be happy to provide you with further details.