:LAYOUT: Backstage Pass

YCTC's production of The Jungle Book opens tonight and I've got one excited little bird/bumblebee on my hands!

It's been a lot of hours leading up to opening night (as always), but boy does she love the stage.

Here's some fun backstage pictures from Kaitlin's run as a Dixie Chicken is last years production of Wonderland.

I printed these photos in an 8x10 collage, but wanted something a little less boxy - and a little more bulletin board - for this layout so I cut them apart and arranged them in a random pile around the title strip.

I doodled a border around the outside of the photo grouping to give them a bit more definition.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey
Chipboard Alpha: American Crafts
Ink: Colorbox
Pen: Zig
Corner Rounder: Marvy
Photo Corner Punch: Marvy

:FIVE FAVES: A Bit O' Green - Part I

I can't lay any claim to Irish heritage, but my little girl sure has a little bit of that spunk in her (she gets that from her dad...both the heritage AND the spunk).

Even her name is of Irish origin.

Every holiday, scrapbookers are swarmed with themed-products of every variation and style, but, for me, St. Patrick's Day always seems to come up a little short.

Usually, St. Patrick's Day themed products just all end up looking a little too cheesy for me.

Is anybody with me??

However, there's an easy way around it if you have a desire to scrap your thoughts and memories surrounding this great holiday.

Don't think themes...

Think color!!

And what color do we all associate with St. Patrick's Day?

GREEN!!

There are no lack of beautiful green products out there to help you create the perfect St. Patty's Day layout.

Here's Part I of my Bit O' Green favorites:

Green Quatrefoil Paper from the Carmen Collection by Anna Griffin
Beautiful color and even the pattern seems to have a bit of a Celtic flair to me.

Green Glitter Mix Set from the Art-C Collection by Deja Views
Everything's better with a little glitter, right?

Leeks Paper from the Dutch Mustard Collection by Jillibean Soup
Again, lovely color, and if you look closely, the little flowers on the green almost resemble four-leaf clovers.

Green Jeweled Candies Mini Flowers from the Flora Doodles Collection by Petaloo
Love these little acrylic accents!!

Emerald Letterman Flocked Chipboard Thicker Stickers by American Crafts
Always a fan of Thickers!!

Stay tuned for Part II of my Bit O' Green favorites coming soon!

:REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: How to Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage from Ella Publishing [CONTEST CLOSED]

How to Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage is the newest eBook release from Ella Publishing and I have to say this was one that I was really looking forward to.

Due to the limited amount of time that I have to scrapbook, I'm lucky to keep up with the current, day-to-day of my daughter's life.

I do realize that I am largely missing from my creations and I always feel a need to go a little deeper, but never quite sure where to start and I hoped this eBook might give me a few ideas.

I was not disappointed.

You might think that this eBook is all about scrapbooking the lives of those that came before you...and you would be right, to a degree.

Aby Garvey and Wendy Smedley explained it this way in their author's note:

"...we both set out to scrapbook our family heritage, but we soon realized one thing: our heritage starts with us. We found ourselves taking a very broad view of the term 'heritage', focusing primarily on our own childhood memories, our memories of parents and grandparents, our personal connections to people who live before us, and our feelings about the values and traditions they passed on to us."

In this eBook, Wendy and Aby share 12 challenging to get us thinking about (and scrapbooking) our heritage in new and interesting ways. Ways that will have an infinitely greater value for those to come than a picture a couple on their wedding day, a couple of names and a date.

A couple of my favorite challenges were:
#3: Find and narrate a photo that's very nostalgic for you.
#7: Make a page about a childhood idol or hero.

I also appreciated the fact that Wendy and Aby expressed that there isn't always for a specific photo to go along with your memory. You can go photoless or find an image of an object or place online that might help to complement your story or memory.

If you're looking for ways to scrap your heritage in a more meaningful way for yourself and those you love, How to Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage might be just the ticket for you.

:GIVEAWAY:
To enter for your chance to win a free download of How to Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage, please leave a comment by 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, 2011 answering the following question:

Who was your childhood idol or hero?

Random.org will choose and I will announce the winner on Friday.

GOOD LUCK!!

:LAYOUT: Please don't call me Kaitlin P.

Did you know that this week is Celebrate Your Name Week?

It would be a great time for you to create a layout a name...yours or perhaps someone else close to you.

Here's one I created about a particular variation of Kaitlin's name used by her classmates last year that she didn't particularly care for and it was a story I wanted to remember.

I wanted to make the title a prominent part of the page, so I created it to look somewhat like a speech bubble. The hidden journaling tag tells the story behind the photo and the quirky title.

Journaling:
{ the story }

One of Kaitlin’s good friends is named Caitlin, also! It might be spelled differently, but it sounds just the same.

So, since they are in the same class, teachers and classmates have gotten into the habit of calling her friend Caitlin Jo and her Kaitlin P.

For reasons that you might imagine, she’s not thrilled about this tendency. Kids often make associations that aren’t always very nice and run with them.

In general, it’s not a huge problem, but whenever Kaitlin mentions that someone’s been making fun of her name, I just remind her to tell them, “Please don’t call my Kaitlin P. You may call me Kaitlin Rose.”

Her middle name comes from her great-grandma Marilyn’s middle name and she is quite proud of it.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Unknown, Bazzill
Patterned Paper, Letter Stickers: Fancy Pants
Scalloped Trimmer: Fiskars
Photo Corner Punch: EK Success
Corner Rounder: Marvy
Ink: Colorbox
Fonts: American Typewriter

:QUOTES: about HARD WORK according to Bradbury, Pavlina & Van Den Beld

RAY BRADBURY (1920-; author):
“I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true—hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it.”

STEVE PAVLINA (born 1971-; motivational speaker and entrepreneur):
“Hard work is painful when life is devoid of purpose. But when you live for something greater than yourself and the gratification of your own ego, then hard work becomes a labor of love.”

THEODORA VAN DEN BELD:
“The only thing you can control is your own effort.”

READER RESPONSE:
Vote for your favorite quote and I'll create a word art freebie with the 'winning' quote to share with you sometime next week. In the meantime, check out my other word art downloads.

:SALES: 10% off at Scrapbook.com...today only!

Shop for your favorite scrapbooking supplies at Scrapbook.com today!

This discount applies to sale and clearance prices, saving you an additional 10% off the lowest-marked price on all items in the Scrapbook.com Superstore.

Simply enter coupon code saveten3 in the coupon field at checkout and 10% will be automatically deducted from all items in your shopping cart.

Hurry - this offer expires at midnight PST!

:MEMORYWORKS EXPRESS: March 2011 Kit - "Farmers Market"

We are waiting and watching for any signs of spring here at MemoryWorks.

One of the best things to come with the warmer days is the "Farmers Market".

This month's kit is bursting with bright colors and retro styling. From vintage bottle caps and canvas flowers to bushels of home grown goodness, you are sure to find your own treasures inside this next kit.

Check out the inspiring projects created by the MemoryWorks Design Team with this beautiful kit in the March Idea Express!

The March 2011 MemoryWorks Express Kit Contains:

Patterned Paper
{1} 12x12 Fancy Floral - For the Record (Echo Park)
{1} 12x12 Table Cloth - For the Record (Echo Park)
{1} 12x12 Borders - For the Record (Echo Park)
{1} 12x12 Noteworthy - For the Record (Echo Park)
{1} 12x12 Market Menu - Spring Market (Webster's Pages)
{1} 12x12 Fresh Harvest - Spring Market (Webster's Pages)
{1} 12x12 Good Living - Spring Market (Webster's Pages)

Solid Cardstock
{1} 12x12 Crimson (American Crafts)
{1} 12x 12 Butter (American Crafts)
{1} 12x12 Vanilla (American Crafts)
{1} 12x12 Moss (American Crafts)
{1} 12x12 Black (American Crafts)

Embellishments
{1} 12x12 Sheet Red Corrugated Alphabets (Jillibean Soup) (Not Shown in Photo)
{1} 12x12 Sheet For the Record Element Stickers (Echo Park)
{1} 5x7 Number Flag Banner Cardstock Stickers (Jenni Bowlin)
{2} 2" Canvas & Button Flowers (Maya Road)
{5} Mini Shipping Tags (MemoryWorks)
{5} Red Raffle Tickets (MemoryWorks)
{1} Lime Soda Vintage Bottle Cap (Bottle Cap Co)
{1} Cream Soda Vintage Bottle Cap (Bottle Cap Co)
{1} Cherry Soda Vintage Bottle Cap (Bottle Cap Co)
{1} ½ Yard Jumbo Oatmeal Ric Rack (Creative Impressions)
{1} ½ Yard 3/8" Black & Cream Checked Ribbon (Creative Impressions)
{1} ½ Yard 1/2" Red Grosgrain Ribbon (Creative Impressions)

ALL FOR ONLY $29.95!! (plus $6.50 S&H)

Due to high demand, it is quite possible that this month's kit is already sold out! If you are interested in subscribing to the MemoryWorks Express Kit Program and guaranteeing you spot for next month, please contact me today for further details!