Amy Jaz Designs

Free Project Life Template

2012-01-26T01:37:00.003-07:00

I've had quite a few questions on my Project Life template that I created with the lines dividing the "pockets". I did alter the original Project Life design just a bit- I made the "pockets" smaller by just a smidge to give my page more of a border around the edge. It's more aesthetically pleasing to my eye, plus if I decide to print my layouts in a photobook, I'll need a little extra space for the binding. I also wanted to visually break up the pockets, so I added the dashed lines in between.

If you like my template, I'm offering it free here for my readers. Simply click the picture below to download:

In other news, I've been quite a busy little bee in my Etsy shop this week, and have a bunch of new products that have totally gotten me in the mood for valentine's day....

First up are new photo card designs- which are perfect to send out if you ran out of time at the holidays and never sent Christmas Cards!

click the images to visit the store

And I'm super excited to bring back greeting cards to the shop! These are printed on 100% recycled cardstock, and come with a 100% kraft recycled envelope.

And my new personal favorite:

I hope you enjoy the free template!

Instagram Tuesday

2012-01-24T13:13:00.002-07:00

Kind of a slow week around here, but I still managed to snap a few pics this week:

Lilly showing off her tongue:

A beautiful Arizona Sunset"

Brushing up on my Illustrator skills:

Picture that the Hubs took at the car show this weekend:

Mommy got some new boots:

Project Life | Week Three

2012-01-23T23:46:00.001-07:00

Holy cow- another week of Project Life, and I'm still caught up! Thank you DIGITAL Project Life! Each week reaffirms my decision to go digi, and I'm so happy I did.

So here's a peak at our life on the third week of 2012:

Did you notice the use of the new design D? I really wanted to show the Rock N Roll picture in vertical format, so I chose to try a new layout for the right side. To be honest, I don't totally love how it breaks up the uniformity of the spread, but I'm willing to live with it if I have pics that must be in vertical format. I think I'm going to find that my preference throughout the year is going to be good old Design A.

Close up of left side:

On the left side we have the title card, a black and white picture of the girls having lunch (a wonderful every day moment that I got to share with them on Martin Luther King Day), an instagram picture of our pizza and "The Bachelor" night, a quick little filler card I made, an iphone pic that the hubs took at a car show we went to this weekend, a quote from a conversation with Jules, and my favorite of this side- pics of Lilly climbing the stairs. I won't say it's the first time she showed interest in the stairs, but it was definitely the first time she quickly crawled to the landing in the blink of an eye. That meant it was time for the baby gate to go up. I absolutely love, love the expression that I caught on her face when I put the gate up.

The right side:

On the right side we have- a hilarious picture of Jules rocking out with her pink guitar while watching American Idol, a journaling card about our rock star, a journaling card about Jules getting invited to her first "friend from school" birthday party, two pics from the party (it was at a bounce house type place), two pics of Lilly and Jules in the trunk of Grandpa's car at the car show, and a little journaling about our visit with Grandpa Jim at the car show.

So you may all remember a few weeks back when I promised more designs of my project life map?? Well, I was going to do whip them up, when I realized Marcy Penner beat me to the punch. SO- if you're still on the look out for Project Life Maps in other designs, be sure to stop by Marcy's blog and pick them up in all the designs here.

I wanted to give you a little behind the scenes look at how I map out the week before I get started. I open up the jpegs of my maps, and map everything out (and yes- I even do THIS digitally!), and then I start pulling my pictures and placing everything.

It's still taking me several hours to complete the spread for the week, but a major portion of this time is spent editing photos. It's definitely on my radar screen to start editing more throughout the week so I just have to pop the pictures in when it comes time to do my layout.

How are you feeling with your Project Life? Are things getting easier or more overwhelming?

Supplies used this week:

Linking:

Hoppy 5th Birthday to TLP!

2012-01-20T11:07:00.002-07:00

It's a really fun weekend over at TLP! They are celebrating 5 years of digital scrapbooking awesomeness.

Enjoy 30% off the ENTIRE STORE, including all of my designs!

If you're on facebook, hop on over and "like" The Lilypad fan page to get this collaboration for FREE!

While you are at The Lilypad, join in on all of the fun and games going on in the forums (there are a TON!), including the Make a Wish Giveaways! Simply comment on each designer's thread your favorite product that you'd love to win, and you may be granted your wish! They will also be granting wishes on facebook all weekend long. Here is a link to my Make A Wish Thread- all products (except collabs and CU, but I have neither) are eligible for the giveaway.

Happy Birthday TLP! Hope to see you over there this weekend!

Inspiration Thursday

2012-01-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new series I like to call: Inspiration Thursday! Each week on Thursday, I will be sharing with you a little creative inspiration from my creative team, as well as layouts from around the web. If you have been scrapping with my products, please be sure to add them to my flickr group- you never know...you might see your layout featured here on my blog!

First up, a little Project Life inspiration:

From Jude:

From Anna:

Next up is more inspiration for my Candy Cane Lane Papers and Elements:

From Terri:

From Justine:

A few more project to feature with Fresh Start:

From Sarabeth:

From Terri:

From Justine:

And finally, a very cool hybrid album from Justine, using You+Me:

I also spent some time perusing the gallery at TLP today, and found this layout using A Very Vintage Christmas by 1girl1boy:

This one using Fresh Start by Simply-j-studio:

Instagram Tuesday- A Day Late

2012-01-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

I FORGOT INSTAGRAM TUESDAY YESTERDAY! Having MLK day off from work totally threw me off. So forgive me, and lets move on. ;-)

This week was not nearly as fun as last week with Disneyland pics, but really it shows our every day life a little better.

Lilly and me- taken by Juliana (not bad Jules!)

My sister and I at my brother's "Nerdy 30" birthday bash (he's an engineer and we thought Nerdy 30 was more fun than a Dirty 30).

On Sunday Lilly and I were hanging out at the house, and suddenly it got really quiet. I looked up from my computer to find her laying in the middle of the living room floor completely passed out.

The new purse. There's a story behind this one...I originally saw this purse over the summer when we were at Disneyland. I saw it at the Fossil store in Downtown Disney and loved it, but knew that Macy's and Dillards both carry Fossil, and those purses are always on sale. So I decided to wait. I watched it at Macy's, just waiting for the day that it went on sale (and I could be justified in buying yet ANOTHER purse!). Well the joke was on me because this thing sold out quickly- never to return. I was so sad. I checked Macy's, Dillards, the Fossil Store- all were sold out. I checked online and found a few on ebay, but didn't really want to go that route. So I chalked it up to "it was not meant to be" and moved on with my life. Then last weekend I just happened to walk by a clearance table at Macys with 1,000 purses on it, and something caught my eye... there buried beneath a bunch of other purses was this bag that I've wanted for so long. And guess what- it was on sale! 25% off, and then an additional 20% off, and then an additional 15% off when I used my Macys card. HECK YEAH! Now that is some good shopping karma.

Monday night: Pizza and The Bachelor night.

Project Life | Week Two

2012-01-16T19:08:00.001-07:00

A day off of work for me equals getting caught up on Project Life! I'm so happy to be caught up, and to be able to link up with everyone else on a timely basis!

Last week was very photo intense, and this week I was able to include a little more journaling. Since our Disney trip went until Monday of this week, I was able to throw in a few more vacation photos, and my favorite- the vacation review. Each family member was interviewed about their favorite parts of the trip and it is all documented here (okay so I made up Lilly's responses).

On the left:

This side includes a few more vacation pics, the vacation review, a little journaling about Jules' return to preschool after the long break, a picture of my iPad and wine (aka relaxation) at LAX this week (I flew in and out for a work meeting), movie night, and Lilly crawling.

On the right we have Jules helping me make meatballs, my new purse, Lilly passed out in the middle of the living room, a journaling card showing the girls' age and weight (I would have done height but I didn't measure it and I was too lazy to do it today), picture of me and Lilly that Jules took, a journaling card about throwing my brother a "Nerdy 30" birthday party (he's an engineer), my sister and I in our nerdy outfits, and a pic of the birthday boy.

Caught up- it's a good feeling.

PRODUCTS USED:

Linking Up:

Project Life 2012 | Week One

2012-01-16T13:50:00.003-07:00

Yes! Week One is done! This week was really challenging because it was very photo intense with our trip to Disneyland. It was really hard to narrow it down to just a handful of pics from our trip. I'm still struggling with how to document our Disney trips from this year- when I finally figure it out, I'll be sure to share!

On the left side we have the title card, two pics of Lilly emptying out my sock drawer, instagram pic of daddy's found keys in the dishwasher, my P52 picture from this week, an instagram pic documenting me trying Starbucks Via for the first time, Lilly completely passed out in her high chair at Grandma's house, and a family pic in front of the christmas tree at Disneyland.

On the right we have a picture that I LOVE of Jules on our trip, with a little quote from her that week, Lilly hanging out in Goofy's house, family pic with Mickey, a journaling card about our trip, me and Jules on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Jules and Pluto, a collage just some of the instagram pics from the trip, and Jules and Daddy.

I also have an insert this week- a holiday themed Disneyland map. It's an odd size, so I'm going to have to figure out how to incorporate that. I have a ton more Disneyland pics, so more on those to come.

PRODUCTS USED

Project Life 2011 | Week 52

2012-01-15T22:51:00.004-07:00

December is done! Yeah! I'm so excited to now get started on Project Life 2012. And as much as I love my Candy Cane Lane kit, I'm excited to use a new kit for the month of January. As I mentioned earlier, my kit of choice for my January layouts will be the Fresh Start kit.

And now the close ups:

On the left side I have the weekly review, an instagram pic of Jules and her bunny slippers, an instagram pic of Jules measuring 40 inches (just in time to go to Disneyland!), a journal card about getting to go on an impromptu day date with my husband, instagram pic of Lilly eating yogurt, a journal card about Jules giving herself a nap, saying goodbye to Ellie the Elf, and a pic of Jules' self-imposed nap.

The right side:

This side features two pictures from Game Night, the release of Fresh Start, instagram pic of Jules and her new My Little Pony, a random conversation with Jules, hot air balloon instagram pic, a picture of the hubs and I on New Years Eve, and a photo collage of random NYE pics.

I wish I could say that this closes out my 2011 Project Life album, but I still have some serious holes to fill (think September through November!). But I'm not going to let it get me down. I'm going to carry on with 2012, and hope that I find some time to go back and fill the holes at some point.

PRODUCTS USED:

Project 52 | Week 2 | Life

2012-01-15T19:24:00.001-07:00

This week's Project 52 prompt was "life", which could have beeninterpreted in so many ways! I had imagined all sorts of photo ops forthis week, and in the end, the week got away from me and all I wasleft with were some lack luster photos. I ended up choosing this photoof my littlest daughter. She was playing on the floor with Daddy, andwhen she saw me get out my camera, she booked it over to me with ahuge smile on her face.

Seeing my girls smile...that is the purpose inmy life.

Processed with M4H Just Love.

I am participating in a My Four Hens Photography Project 52. Each week M4H releases a photo prompt for the week, and our goal is to capture a photo with that theme in mind. For more information on M4H Project 52, visit here.

Instagram Tuesday

2012-01-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like we're in for another installment of Instagram Tuesday, since it's Tuesday and I have a bunch of pics that week took at disneyland this past week!

The girls ready for our first day at Disneyland:

The park in all of it's holiday glory:

Juliana's joy over us finally agreeing to let her have a balloon (those things are so annoying):

Lilly passed out in the stroller:

Jules and her "mickey make up"

Jules and Daddy snuggling, with Jules quickly passing out:

Lilly checking out the goods at a shop in Disneyland:

Of course not ALL the pics of the week were from Disneyland. Here are a few others:

Daddy's keys were missing for a couple of days, but we found them...in the dishwasher!

Tried Starbucks Via for the first time. Thumbs up!

Winter in Arizona means TONS of hot air balloons. Lots of sightings today:

Juliana taking a picture of Lilly:

Lilly saying hello as I worked from the couch:

Messy Lilly

2012-01-05T01:34:00.002-07:00

This kid loves to make a mess while I get ready.

Processed with M4H "Blended Actions".

Project Life Planning Maps- More to Come!

2012-01-04T21:28:00.001-07:00

Well it looks like I'm not alone in the "I'm-anal-and-I-need-to-have-a-plan-before-I-scrap" department, and I've had several people request that I create Maps of the other Project Life designs.

Well I'm here to report that YES- I will create those for you....just as soon as I get back from Disneyland. ;-) So please sit tight for a couple of days, and hold your breath in anticipation. I will be back next week with maps of the other designs.

Project 52 | Week One | Resolutions

2012-01-04T21:17:00.002-07:00

One of the exciting projects I am starting for 2012 is a Project 52. You probably have heard of the idea- take one photo a week. Hmm- I take a lot more than one photo a week (okay MOST are with my iPhone, but whatever), so I think I can handle this.

Well a particular photographer that I am fond of (My Four Hens Photography- LOVE her actions!) is hosting a P52 over on flickr and I'm joining in! The first week's prompt is Resolutions.

One of my resolutions for 2012 is to achieve better balance between work, play, family time, me time, and design time. "Balance" also happens to be my chosen "One Little Word" for 2012, but more on that later...

My original thought for this week's photo was to take a picture of my daughter looking like she's walking on a balance beam. Well.... our sidewalks have sloped curves, and getting my daughter to pose and cooperate with my artistic vision... uh yeah- not happening. In the end, this is the best shot I got and really it just looks like she's walking away, but use your imagination- she's balancing...see?

The week is not over, and technically I could probably take another picture, but we are heading out tomorrow for a weekend Disneyland trip, so I doubt I'll have the opportunity to take another one. So, here we have it- Project 52- Week One!

Project Life 2011- Week 51

2012-01-04T01:53:00.000-07:00

I tackled another Project Life spread tonight. I stayed digital and am still loving it! This week was actually tough to lay out because it was VERY photo intense! I ended up creating an 8.5x11 double spread to include in an extra page protector with just my Christmas morning photos.

On the left side I included: instagram pic of my Amazon.com shopping; picture of me and Jules cuddling; instagram pic of Jules showing me her "magic powers" as given to her by our Elf; picture of Lilly trying to color and journaling about finding Jules in Lilly's crib that morning; journaling about the day from hell when Jules projectile vomited all over the stroller and Lilly at the mall; pictures from Jules' Christmas program at preschool.

On the left side is photos of our Christmas Eve.

Here is the double page 8.5x11 spread I did of our Christmas morning pics. This will go in an 8.5x11 page protector as an insert for the week.

Close up of left:

Close up of right:

If you've been following me on facebook then you know I reached 100 fans and I'm due for a new freebie. I thought that there might be a lot of Christmas picture scrapping over the next few months, so I made the above Christmas morning spread available as a template and free download! To download, you need to "like" Amy Jaz Designs on facebook, and then click on the "Exclusive" tab to the left.

Enjoy!

Linking up:

Instagram Tuesday

2012-01-03T16:41:00.001-07:00

What's Instagram Tuesday you ask? Well I wanted to share some Instagram pics, and today is Tuesday, so.... there you have it. The magic is revealed. Will it become a weekly adventure? Who knows, let's fly by the seat of our pants, shall we?

I seriously love Instagram. I catch all the moments I would normally miss because my camera isn't handy. I slap on a filter, and bam! I have some cute pics.

Here are some good ones from the past week:

Jules showing her new My Little Pony that she bought with a target gift card that she got for Christmas.

Lilly savoring every little bit of yogurt from one of those squeezable yogurt things.

Jules excited that she has reached 40 inches, which means she can ride the "big" rides at Disneyland.

Jules declaring that she is no longer going to wear shoes...only bunny slippers.

Game night.

Jules giving herself a nap in my bed.

Project Life 2011- Week 50

2012-01-03T01:35:00.002-07:00

It may be a little weird to start sharing my Project Life layouts beginning on Week 50 of 2011, but this week was kind of a big deal for me- this was the week I went digi with my Project Life Layouts. I was getting behind (as usual), and I have been seeing a lot of inspirational PL digital layouts in blogland (including Jude's title page for 2012), so I decided to try it out for this week and see how I like it.

I REALLY liked it. It was SO much easier. And as I head into 2012, I know I want to commit to keeping up with this project, and easy is something that I need. I don't think I've mentioned it, but in addition to graphic design, I also work a full time job, and you all know by now that I have two small daughters, so time is not a luxury I come across often. I haven't formally decided, but I'm pretty sure at this point that I'm chucking my paper supplies and going digital for PL 2012. I will print my digi layouts and put them into 12x12 page protectors- this way I can still include my little "extras" each week. Including things like art projects, school work, etc is one reason I really wanted to go hybrid, and this approach will allow me to do both.

Anyway, back to Week 50, here is a close up of the left side:

On this side I included a quick recap of the week; a photo of our deflated Mickey Santa and some journaling about how Jules thought "Mickey Melted"; instagram pic of our rainy weather; journaling about a cute story of Jules in preschool; instagram pic of Jules watching Mickey cartoons on my iPhone; Jules kissing me; Lilly in her carseat, ready to pic up her sister from school; and a picture of our Elf- Ellie and a quote of a conversation Jules and I had about what Santa was going to bring me for Christmas.

Close up of the right:

On this side I included: pics of my girls getting their messages from Santa; instagram pic of some treats at Target; instagram pic of Lilly feeding herself and loving it; journaling card about Jules and her imaginary "brother" Alvin; a cute pic of Daddy and Jules shopping at the mall; a pic from Daddy's birthday; and some instragram pics of the girls in Johnny Rockets hats.

I used papers from my Candy Cane Lane paper pack, and created the journaling cards as I went.

Fresh Start Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-02T13:28:00.002-07:00

And now for the winner of the Fresh Start Giveaway....

Congratulations to Vanessa! Please contact me for your coupon code to download the Fresh Start kit!

Fresh Start Has Arrived!

2012-01-02T13:11:00.001-07:00

So I'm a little late posting this- blame it on the holiday crazies! But if you were paying attention (or if you get the TLP newsletter), you will already know that Fresh Start released on Friday! Here's the full look at this kit, plus the coordinating journaling cards.

And the journaling cards were designed to fit perfectly in your Project Life page protectors.

And now a little inspiration:

From Me:

From the team:

Anna:

From Justine:

From Jude:

From Cara:

From Macy:

Fresh Start- Arriving 12.30.11

2011-12-23T18:29:00.001-07:00

Happy Holidays everyone! I can't believe this happened, but yesterday I sat down to select a color scheme and find some inspiration for my next kit (that I planned to release in January) and the next thing I knew- the entire kit was designed! Talk about creative inspiration! I swear this kit designed itself.

Here's a little sneak peek of what's to come:

Enter to win!

To enter the giveaway to win "Fresh Start", simply leave a comment below. Extra entries can be earned by:
1. Like Amy Jaz Designs on facebook. Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you became a fan.
2. Tweet about the Giveaway, and leave a comment below with your link to your tweet.
3. Blog about the Giveaway, and leave a comment below with your link to the blog post.

The Giveaway will end and the winner will be selected on Thursday, December 29th at 9:00pm Pacific Time. Good Luck!

December Daily | Day Sixteen

2011-12-21T22:26:00.002-07:00

Hey look- I'm only five days behind! :-)

Today was an easy story to document- my Hubby's birthday! We had an entire five minute conversation the night before his big day about whether he was turning 33 or 34. He thought he was turning 34, but I reminded him that he is only 33. Sucks getting old. The mind is the first thing to go.

On the left I have a simple photo collage of pics from our dinner at The Outback and a gathering at my Mom's house later for a giant birthday cookie (it was really more for the kids- the hubs isn't a big fan of sweets). Notice the huge color difference between the actual jpeg (below) and the picture of the print (above)? Yeah. Me too. And I'm not happy about it, but I was low on ink when I printed this page, so I'm guessing that's the problem. Now that I'm actually using my printer, I'd like to spend some time getting to know it, and how it prints. So far it prints red- big time.

On the right I simply typed my journaling in a random pattern, print, and cut it into word strips. I used a kraft paper background, and added a striped paper from A Very Vintage Christmas to the bottom. I stapled a mini tag to the bottom, and used alphabet stickers to add the "16".

December Daily | Day Fifteen

2011-12-21T22:18:00.000-07:00

I took a page out of Ali's book, and decided to send my girl's their own video messages from Santa, courtesy of Portable North Pole. This was a really fun thing to do, and it was quick and easy. Of course, Lilly was more interested in pounding on my laptop than the message from Santa, but Jules got a total kick out of it.

On the left side, I have two close ups of the girls watching their videos. I wish I would have turned these Black and White because the color is pretty awful, but oh well. I printed these on photo paper and then added a word strip from my Candy Cane Lane Element Pack.

On the right, I have a picture of my screen while the video was playing, and I typed my journaling directly on the photo (font is geosans light). On the bottom, I added two paper strips using papers from A Very Vintage Christmas and Candy Cane Lane.

The tag is also from A Very Vintage Christmas, and I added the text "fifteen", and then print and cut.

Journaling reads:

"Tonight the girls received a very special treat.... they each received a video message from the one and only Santa Claus. Santa wanted to make sure they knew he was watching them from the North Pole, and that he had something really special planned for them for Christmas, so they needed to stay on their best behavior. Both girls were on the “nice” list, and we all want them to stay there! It was so cute watching their faces as they received their message from Santa. Lilly was more interested in pressing buttons on Mommy’s computer, but she still thought it was fun to sit on her sister’s lap and watch the video. Jules was relieved that she was on the nice list. "

December Daily | Day 14

2011-12-21T21:32:00.001-07:00

Hi friends! I bet you think I forgot about my DD album didn't you? Well I haven't! I'm still in the game and we're almost done (thank god)! Today I am bringing you Day 14 which was a relatively uneventful day, so I chose today to share our Christmas card for the year.

But before I go into the specifics of my page, I must first share with you a revelation....

So up until now I've been sending my photos off to a print lab every few days to print and put in my album. As I've mentioned several times, I am a print snob, and even though I have a nice photo printer- the prints weren't cutting it for me. Well, as much as I love the prints I have made, it's a pain in the butt and it slows me down to have to do this. As I am preparing for Project Life in 2012, I knew this was going to be a huge obstacle for me, so I decided to give my printer one more shot. So last night I ran to Office Max, and bought new ink and new printer paper for my Epson and gave it a whirl...

Wow. What a difference a little paper and ink can make. I realized the photo paper I've been using, although a good deal (it was free from my Dad), was not a good deal at all because it was old (or something!) and the prints looked terrible on the paper. But once I loaded my printer with some new photo paper, the difference was astonishing! And I have to tell you about the BEST deal I got at Office Max- they were running a sale on all HP photo papers, Buy One Get One Free, so I picked up TWO packs of 50 sheets for $36. On top of that, both boxes include a code for Snapfish for a free 8x8 photo book. So essentially I got 100 sheets of photo paper and two 8x8 custom photo books for $36. How's THAT for a good deal??!! Run, don't walk to Office Max!

So long story short, I am so happy to be back in business and printing from home. I started working on my Project Life album last night, and life will be A LOT easier if I am printing from home.

Anyway, back to Day 14...

On the left I have a simple page that I created using a solid grey background from my Candy Cane Lane Paper pack, and I stapled my 2012 Christmas card to the page.

On the right, I have a simple instagram shot of my cards (unfolded) with my christmas tree in the background. I printed this page on photo paper, and that's it!

Are you still hanging in there with your December Daily? We are SO close to done!

Preparing for Project Life 2012

2011-12-20T19:06:00.001-07:00

As we head into 2012, I've been doing a LOT of thinking about how I want to approach documenting our life this year. At first I wasn't going to go for Project Life since I couldn't get past the obstacle of printing my photos at home. Since I figured that out, I made the decision to give PL another go for 2012.

The thing that I really love about Project Life is the ability to include the bits and pieces from every day life. Having a toddler in preschool, I have a lot of art projects that I want to save!

If you've read my blog long, you probably already know that I'm a planner. I need a plan for everything, or I feel overwhelmed. So I've begun my planning and I'm gathering my supplies.

I'm still waiting for this binder to become available:

Please Becky- all I want for Christmas is my 2012 Project Life Binder! ;-)

As of right now, I'm sticking to Design A for my planner pages. This makes it easier on my planning, but I can see how I might get bored with the same layout for each week, so we'll see how it goes.

I will begin each month with a little 6x12 divider page.

Next I went to Joann's and stocked up on some Smash products, including almost all the Smash Pads they had, paper tape (a MUST- and I want more to choose from), a date stamp, and some other random goodies.

At this point you might be wondering which kit I am using- Clementine? Cobalt? Turquoise? Well....IF I was going to buy a kit I would definitely go for Clementine- it's yummy! However, I know myself, and I will be bored with just using one kit for an entire year. I won't make it past January without being bored!

So I have settled on this- I will incorporate my own kits (yes, you can expect journaling cards from me in the coming year!), and I will use one kit per month (to reduce a crazy amount of design time, and also to give each month a little cohesion). For January, I am definitely using my new "Fresh Start" kit! It's perfect for documenting the start of the new year.

Now for the execution of my album...

This year I found that once I started getting behind, it was really hard to remember what happened each week, and getting caught up was becoming impossible. So a few months ago I started using Oh Life, and have found it to be EXTREMELY helpful in remembering what happened when I get behind. I also love it that half my journaling is already done by the time I got to put my layout together.

However, I also needed help in mapping out what happened each week, and how I was going to get it all in my album, so I created a weekly planner:

click image to download

And a weekly map, so I can sketch it all out before I go to put it in my album:

click image to download

I have been using these two pages for my December layouts, and for ONCE in this process, I do not feel overwhelmed because my weeks are already planned out, and thanks to Oh Life, my journaling is half done. I keep my planner pages in 8.5x11 page protectors in my album as a place holder for that week. I made these planner pages a free printable. Just click on the image to download these PDFs.

So that's my plan for 2012! Are you ready? What materials are you using?

Big Lens- iPhone App

2011-12-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

If you are like me, you have more iPhone pics than you do regular pictures. It's just so dang convenient- always right there when you need it. The downside for me is that I'm a quality snob, and the quality of the pictures from the iphone just don't cut it for me. So I'm constantly on the look out for apps that improve the quality of your photos, or add vintage filters and such (like instagram) that makes it look like the grainy quality of the picture was intentional.

Today I ran across this post from Digiscrap101.com showcasing an app called Big Lens. The app is meant to mimic the look of using a lower aperture lens on a DSLR camera. Being the photography app junkie that I am, I had to give it a shot.

I downloaded the app, and in just a few minutes, I transformed one of the pics I took of Lilly over the weekend from drab to fab.

Original Image:

Image after using Big Lens (I used the Lomo 2 filter):

Much better! However, the grain is still killing me, so I ran it through my Photogene2 app, and ran a little de-noising. Here's the final image:

Now it's still not a DSLR quality image, but it's good enough for my Project Life, and it's a cute capture of my baby feeding herself (a relatively new trick), and that's the important part!

End thoughts- Big Lens is totally worth the $0.99. It's not perfect for every photo, but I have a feeling that I will playing with this one a lot.

December Daily | Day Thirteen

2011-12-19T01:12:00.001-07:00

EEK! I'm falling behind! But I'm not panicking- I have the pictures and the plan for each day. I just need to hammer it out. I was hoping to get caught up this weekend, but we were gone most of the weekend finishing up our Christmas shopping. Are you ready for Christmas? I'm still not. Most of the presents are bought, but we now have to wrap EVERYTHING!

In other news, it has been CHILLY here in Arizona. I know I can't complain, as the rest of the country deals with snow storms, but last week (and this weekend too), it was just cold and rainy. I made this the topic of my Day Thirteen, with a simple instagram photo, a hand cut snowflake, and some patterned papers.

Here's a close up of the left side:

My favorite part of this page is the hand cut snowflake. It's hard to tell in the photos, but it is cut from some really beautiful pearl metallic tissue paper that came in a package that I received. I didn't know what I was going to do with the tissue paper, but I knew I had to keep it because it was so pretty. Using this tutorial on TLP's blog, I grabbed my pretty tissue paper and cut the snowflake (yeah I needed a tutorial. It's been soooo many years since I cut out snowflakes).

The button is my next favorite part of the layout. I made it myself! Yeah- I have a button maker. I'm a big craft dork and I have a LOT of random craft supplies- including a button maker.

I made a little banner at the top of the page using papers from my Very Vintage Christmas kit, and punched them out with a 1 inch circle punch. I then folded the top part down and stapled them around some bakers twine using my tiny attacher (LOVE this new tool!) . The title "Baby it's cold outside" was created digitally using the font Luna Bar, and then glittered with Stickles. I actually do not love this part of the layout, but oh well. I had to carry on.

The right side:

An instagram photo backed on paper printed from my Very Vintage Christmas kit. No major journaling this time- just a little sentiment "rain, rain go away".

Hope you like Day Thirteen! Fingers crossed that I'm going to get caught up this week!

Take a Deep Breath- Keep Calm and Carry On

2011-12-15T20:26:00.001-07:00

So this week I have been in a bit of panic mode with my December Daily album. I was several days behind, with not many ideas on what to do this week for my album. I started freaking out that I wasn't going to finish, and I almost threw in the towel and said- forget it! I can't keep up. But then I decided to take the pressure off and just go digital for the rest of the album. Well it turns out that the problem wasn't hybrid/digital- it was a creative block that didn't want to come undone. So I took a few days off, looked around the web for creative inspiration, and today I'm happy to report that I'm back in the game! And not digi either- I'm back in the hybrid game!

We are almost halfway through this album process, and I imagine this about the point where people start giving up and getting behind. And it's understandable- it's crunch time! Christmas is in a week, and if you are like me, you have absolutely not one present wrapped, are not done Christmas shopping, and the clock is starting to tick loudly- kinda like a time bomb.

But taking a step back, realizing that it's okay to fall behind a little, giving myself a bit of a break- has gotten me back and track, and the layout (day 12) that I've done and redone, and done again is finally DONE done! And you know what- I think this is one of my favorite layouts yet! So without further ado, I give you- Day 12.

Day 12 is the story of "Mickey melting". On the first side, we have a simple patterned paper from A Very Vintage Christmas, a large number 12 (font is genuine), and of course- some Platinum Stickles glitter.

On the second page, we have a simple grid accented by some Stickles glitter. My original plan for this page was to stitch the dividing lines, but then I ~~got lazy~~ decided that I liked glitter better. Well can you blame me? What is more exciting? Glitter or thread? Sorry, but glitter will win every time.

But I digress.... the blocks are papers from A Very Vintage Christmas. The word art is my own (not yet released).

The journaling reads:
"So last night it rained and rained, and in the morning when I took Jules to preschool, she saw the deflated Mickey (because we turned him off for the night), and thought he “melted ”. She shouted “Oh No! Mommy, Mickey melted! Him melted in the rain!”. For some reason, I think we are going to remember this quote for many years to come."

Font for the journaling is myriad pro.

And I leave you with a terrible quality video, but one that is the cutest thing ever...Jules is cracking Lilly up, and her laughter is infectious.

December Daily- Day 11

2011-12-14T22:02:00.001-07:00

Today is one of those days that I'm fudging the date a little bit. Yesterday was such an eventful day with the 6K race, and my hubby's Christmas party, and today was pretty uneventful, so I split the day up and put my story of the christmas party on day eleven.

This layout is pretty simple and classic, with a large photo on the left, a smaller photo on the right, a large simple title, and a little journaling.

........................................................................................................................................................................

In other news...I am having a big sale on my facebook page for my jewelry line Modern Elements Jewelry. Here are just some of the goodies on sale- but pick them up quickly as there is only one of each!

December Daily- Day 10

2011-12-14T21:54:00.002-07:00

Today was a totally awesome kick butt day! Today was about personal accomplishment. This past September I set a goal for myself- to run a 5K by December. At the point that I set my goal, I couldn't run to the mail box. But I set a goal for myself and started training. Now I know in the world of runners, 5k is a big fat nothing, but for me- it was a huge deal. On Saturday I laced up my shoes, and ran my first 6K (it was the 12K's of Christmas race, and I did the 6K). My hubby and two girls were there to cheer me on at the finish line. Very proud of myself for achieving this goal, and happy to document this achievement as part of my December Daily!

Left page:

Right Page:

Products used include: Modern Merry Element Pack, Modern Merry Paper Pack, and Modern Merry Flag It- all by Amy Jaz Designs.

December Daily- Page 9

2011-12-14T10:14:00.001-07:00

Today's December Daily is very simple, and is all about taking a moment to be thankful for what you have. I heard a horrible story on the news about a little 4 year old boy that got hit in the parking lot of Walmart. I sat down and wrote about how thankful I am for the health and lives of my little family. On the left I included a coloring book page that my daughter colored for me. She calls presents "prizes".

Sweet and simple for day nine!

December Daily- Day 8

2011-12-13T22:53:00.004-07:00

Getting caught up! And since I'm getting so behind- hold your breath- I'm switching back to Digi! I am still going to print them out in the 8.5x5.5 format, but I need to get caught up, so these pages will just printed out and slipped in the page protectors. I love hybrid but with the pressure of Christmas headed our way, my hubby's bday on Friday, and because I'm a few days behind- I made the decision that I'd rather go digi than not finish.

My December Daily page for day 8 is all about what's on our Wish Lists!

The left side shows two instagram pics of what Mommy and Daddy would like for Christmas (yes that is a Silhouette Cameo you spy). The little banners and the green paper strip are papers from my Candy Cane Lane Paper Pack. The little tape is from my Very Vintage Christmas kit, and the red paper on the circle tag is from my Modern Merry Paper Pack. The frame was doodled by me.

On the right side, we have the what the girls would like. Candy for Jules (insert eye roll here), and Weebles for Lilly (even though we have no idea what she'd really like since she can't tell us yet). I then created the On My Wish List word art.

The journaling reads "Daddy | a diecast corvette car that is a replica of a Dale Earnhardt car. It's been on hi s wish list for a LONG time. Mommy | a Silhouette Cameo to make all my crafty dreams come true. Jules | candy. If you ask her what she wants for Christmas, every time hands down, she wil tell you candy. This kid. Lilly | Weebles. Well, okay we don't REALLY know if that is what Lilly wants because she can't tell us, but Mommy thinks she'd like a fun toy like this that is all her own. "

Font is Veteran Typewriter. I hope you are enjoying my December Daily posts! I'm trying to keep up!

Amy Jaz Designs Creative Team- Announced!

2011-12-11T22:04:00.001-07:00

You've all been so patient, and it's finally time to announce...the Amy Jaz Designs Creative Team! It's been a really fun process and I want to wholeheartedly thank everyone who applied! It was really tough to choose, but the decision had to be made, and I am so proud to welcome the following wonderful creative ladies to my team:

Sarabeth:

Check out Sarabeth's awesome hybird projects on her blog Chronicles of Sarita.

Anna:

Anna has a great blog titled- What Anna Loves, be sure to check it out!

Justine:

Visit Justine's robust gallery at Digishoptalk. You won't be disappointed as you scroll through the enormous albums of creative layouts and projects.

Jude:

Jude joins us from just the other side of the pond, and posts her beautiful layouts on her blog at Things I Made.

Stephanie:

Stephanie is building up her TLP gallery- she had a very unfortunate incident with a blog hacker and she's starting fresh!

Macy:

Macy has such an inspiring blog full of scrapping and photography inspiration. Check it out at The Goode Life.

These ladies join my existing Hybrid Crafters which were previously announced here.

Please join me in welcoming these ladies! Also, if you are a flickr user, be sure to join the group Amy Jaz Designs Creative Inspiration to view all of the creative inspiration from the team and to add your own!

Here comes Candy Cane Lane and a FREEBIE!

2011-12-08T23:54:00.001-07:00

It's here!! Candy Cane Lane has arrived and is now available in my shop! Save 20% until Monday on these new products. Click the images below to be taken to my shop at The-Lilypad.com for purchase!

Candy Cane Lane Elements- Brads, Twill Tapes, and Word Strips:

And if you still haven't gotten your Christmas cards done, here is a new quick card template- just pop in your photo and you're ready!

In celebration of the release of Candy Cane Lane, I have a FREEBIE for all my wonderful blog readers and iPhone users- Iphone background papers!

To get your iPhone background, simply right click on any of the images and save the image to your computer. Email the file to your self, and open the attachment on your iPhone. Click Save Image, and then set it as your wallpaper under the settings menu.

I am using the polka dot background on my phone and love it! It's so festive!

And now for the lucky winner of the Candy Cane Lane Elements and Paper Packs:

Congratulations Terri!

December Daily Day 7- Instagram

2011-12-08T17:01:00.001-07:00

We are officially one week into December Daily, and I'm still in the game! Woohoo! Seven days documented, 18 more to go! Everyone is getting into the spirit of December Daily around here- including my husband. You see, I have been getting my layouts done each night in the wee hours of the night, and I've been leaving them out on the counter over night (usually to let the glitter dry). I wasn't intentionally leaving them out for the hubby to see, but the other day he told me- "I've been enjoying reading your layouts (actually, I think he called them "things" but I knew what he meant) each morning. I've started looking forward to it every day." Aw! And that's why I'm excited to do this album- because I know we will ALL cherish these memories- it's not just "Mommy's Hobby".

And now for Day Seven. I was actually all prepared to document the story of my online shopping today, but as I picked up my girls from Grandma's house, I spotted Jules admiring the ornaments on Grandma's tree. Then Grandma (my mom) started showing her each ornament and telling a little story behind them. It was such a cute moment. I whipped out my iPhone and caught these pics with my camera and touched them up in instagram.

Close up of left side. Three instragram pics, plus a doodled border by me. Font for the {capture the moment} word art is Veteran Typewriter.

Close up of right side. This page was created from a paper from my Candy Cane Lane Paper Pack (released tommorrow). I then printed out a paper flag from my Modern Merry Flag It pack and stapled it to the top. I used another sheet of paper from the Modern Merry Paper Pack to create the background for my journaling strips. I typed directly onto the paper, printed, and then cut it into strips. Paper products used include a paper doily and a thick glitter number sticker (EK Success).

Again, don't forget to enter the Candy Cane Lane Giveaway! Winner will be drawn tonight!

December Daily- Day Six

2011-12-07T17:53:00.001-07:00

Hi friends. I'm back again with the next installment of December Daily. I just have to tell you that I've given up on trying to take pictures that do these pages justice, and I just decided to scan them! To heck with it all! I did manage one decent close up of today.

I sent my first batch of photos to the print lab, and I can't wait to replace the dark crappy photos on these pages with the real thing! My page protectors should arrive tomorrow, and before you know it, I will have a completed album on my hands! You don't even want to know how long it's been since I've had one of those.

Anyway, on to today.... Today Jules got her first time out in preschool (gasp!). That meant no advent calendar treats or cartoons before bed time. But I still managed to get these shots of her posing with my refrigerator (why? I really don't know).

On the left we have a full page black and white photo with a Naughty overlay I created. Font is abeatbyKai.

On the right I added another photo and created another overlay (same font). I then cut some strips from my A Very Vintage Christmas kit and stapled them to the page. I used thick cardboard letter stickers to create the six (stickers by EK Success).

Journaling font is Veteran Typewriter. The journaling reads:
You know the song- "He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sakes!" Jules definitely knows the song because they've practicing it for her Holiday Show at preschool. So it's quite ironic that Jules got her very first time out at preschool today WHILE singing this song! Apparently she insisted on jumping up and down while singing the song, and didn't stop when she was asked to. Miss Carrie said she asked twice and she thought that it was a bit of a power struggle. Ha- welcome to my world.

Since you are here, don't forget about the Giveaway for Candy Cane Lane! Ends tomorrow at 9pm Pacific.

Also, don't forget about my CT Call- deadline this Friday!

December Daily- Day 5

2011-12-06T19:26:00.001-07:00

Today's December Daily focuses on a not fun topic, but one that is undoubtedly bound to happen in the month of December....a sick kid! My poor little Lilly started running a really high fever out of nowhere. She was fine Sunday night, and Monday morning when I got her out of her crib, she was running a temp of 102.3. I hate when the kiddos get sick. :-(

Here's my layout:

The left side is a page from my Very Vintage Christmas kit. I added the number five to the center of the page (font: Stencil) and applied a gold glitter style and a thick stroke. After I printed it out, I applied a generous amount of platinum Stickles glitter (are you noticing a trend here?) to the five. I then outlined the page with brown bakers twine that I bought on Etsy. I just applied a thin line of glue around the edge of the page and laid down the twine.

On the right side, I have a simple photo of my poor little sick baby. It's an iPhone pic, so I applied a little vintage tinting to make the graininess of the photo look intentional (action Back in the Day by M4H). The picture isn't quite as blue as it looks here. I'm struggling with my camera right now- it doesn't like me. Anyway, I then added brown bakers twine at the bottom of the photo, and then traced each letter of my title with blue bakers twine (okay between glitter and twine, I think it's clear what I'm currently obsessed with). I then stapled a little paper flag to the bottom corner.

The title of this page is "Under the Weather". The journaling reads:

"The only bad thing about the holiday season is that coincides with another, not very fun season- flu season! Today Lilly woke up with a fever of 102.3. She hasn't been sick since she was three months old, and it just broke my heart to see her little droopy eyes. I kept her home with me today, and Jules too, so the three of us hung out. Jules was so attentive to Lilly- she was rocking her, trying to entertain her, and was by my side at all times while I took care of her. She kept saying "Probably her fever has gone down now." She was just itching to play with her sister. Lilly enjoyed the company too, and the few times she smiled today, she was smiling at her sister. I love how much they love each other."

I can't wait to send the photos for this album to the photo lab! I am struggling with the print quality of the photos right now. I also can't wait for my Amazon shipment to arrive with my page protectors.

Now I'm off to create Day 6- Naughty or Nice?

December Daily- Days 1-4 Revisited

2011-12-06T17:28:00.001-07:00

So just five measly days in to December Daily and I already decided to scrap my entire album and start over!! I originally decided to do this album digitally because I knew it would be faster than the hybrid album, and it would have a better chance of getting done. However, once I got into it, I kept looking at Ali's album, and I was so jealous. I really wanted to go hybrid. So, I took what I had, changed it up a bit, and am moving forward hybrid style!

Here's the basic design of my album: each day is a two page spread, with one large photo on the left, and journaling and a smaller photo on the right. This will vary from day to day, but that is the basic idea. I decided on the 8.5 x 5.5 album size, and chose this album from We R Memory Keepers in Real Red.

I will put each spread into these page protectors that I got on Amazon.com.

So before I share with you the re-made pages, I must first share a little caveat to what I'm about to show you. The pages shown here have been printed onto thick cardstock using my color laser jet printer. While I love the way my printer prints, I do not love photos printed by a laser jet. So I will be reprinting all of the photos by a photo lab, and then I will come back and replace the photos that are printed onto cardstock with the real thing. So basically I am printing these out onto cardstock just to show on my blog each day. But wait you say- Isn't that a huge waste of expensive color toner? Um- yes. Yes it is. But I really can't wait to share my pages with you, so oh well. ;-)

And now for my pages:

Day One:

On the right page, you will find a close up of my daughter and her Tootsie Roll (to be re-printed), some paper strips stapled to the layout, a popped up date stamp that I printed and punched out with my 1-inch circle punch, and the title "Advent" gussied up with Stickles Glitter. The papers and the date stamp are from my Very Vintage Christmas kit.

On the left side will be a picture of our advent calendar, with the title "The Countdown" printed directly onto the photo. See that dull I've-been-printed-on-cardstock look? Yeah- that will be going away. ;-)

Day Two:

Close up of the left side: I used the music sheet paper from my Very Vintage Christmas kit, and created the title with the font Carnivale Freakshow. I applied a red glitter style to the font in photoshop, and added a stroke to help the letters stand out from the page. After I printed the page, I used red Stickles glitter to add some real live sparkle to the page.

On the right side, I used a picture of my new favorite Christmas album, accented by some paper strips from my Very Vintage Christmas kit.

On the bottom, I created a little flag with the number two, and stapled it to the layout. Of course I enhanced the 2 with Stickles glitter (as a forewarning- you will probably see glitter on every single page I do for this album. I love glitter).

Day Three:

On the right side of the page, I kept it simple with just some journaling a paper strip, and a printed tag from my Very Vintage Christmas kit. I added some red bakers twine to the tag, and used dimensional stickers to pop it up off my page.

On the left side, I am focusing on a photo of my girls sitting with Santa. This entire page is actually going to be replaced by the professional photo that was taken that day, but I am still waiting for the full resolution photo from the photographer. Instead, in the meantime I am using a not-so-great iPhone shot from my husband's phone, but you get the idea. I created the photo overlay and added it to my page.

Day Four:

I'll be honest- this is not my favorite layout. I may change it up before I finish the album for the year. But, in the meantime, this page consists of more papers from my Very Vintage Christmas kit, a red glitter star from the same kit that I added the number 4 to in photoshop, applied a glitter style to the 4, and then added some real live glitter after I printed and cut out the star. I popped the star of the page with dimensional adhesive.

On the left side we have another full page photo of my and my girls in front of the tree after it was all done. I designed the photo overlay and added it to my page.

I also must apologize for the crappiness of these photos. I'm having a love/hate relationship with my DSLR right now. I feel like all my photos are grainy and flat. I keep switching the lens, switching between auto and manual, changing up the lighting- but I just can't seem to get it right. I'm frustrated with that thing.

December Daily- Day 4

2011-12-05T00:59:00.001-07:00

It's officially beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Today the day was spent trimming tree and putting up our Christmas lights, or as Jules calls them- our "celebrations". I had too many pics to choose from for today, so three pics made the cut for this page in my album. The first pic is a snapshot of our outdoor decorations, the middle pic is Daddy lifting Jules up to put the star on the tree, and the last pic is me and the girls in front of the tree after it was all decorated- a job well done. :-)

December Daily- Day Three

2011-12-05T00:54:00.001-07:00

What a fun weekend to be doing the December Daily project! On Saturday, we attended a Breakfast with Santa at a local restaurant for the second year in a row. We had a good time eating breakfast, and telling Santa what we'd like for Christmas. Jules' request was- candy! Really? ugh. She couldn't think of something better apparently.

So here is my page for the third day of December, but it comes with a slight caveat- I will be updating this page with a better pic of the girls. They had a photographer at the Breakfast taking pictures, and they are going to email me the picture but I don't have it yet. I still wanted to get my page done and shared, so I used this one from my husband's iPhone to fill in the photo spot until the "real" picture arrives. I will update and re-share when I get the new pic!

Creative Inspiration

2011-12-04T13:37:00.001-07:00

I'm back with some more Creative Inspiration from my wonderful Creative Team! Sit back, relax, and prepare to droll a little bit....

From Terri, using my A Very Vintage Christmas Kit:

How amazing is this banner? Seriously!! I absolutely adore it.

From Cara, using the Modern Merry Element Pack:

And using the Modern Merry Flag It and Modern Merry Paper Pack:

From Nat, and adorable Christmas Door Sign that she made for her son's teacher:

and this SUPER cute Christmas card! Oh how I wish I had the time do make something like this for the holidays.

Using my A Very Vintage Christmas Kit:

From Stephanie, a fabulous layout:

I hope you are inspired as I am!

Candy Cane Lane- A Sneek Peak

2011-12-04T13:14:00.001-07:00

I have a new release coming this Friday as part of the December BYOC (Build Your Own Collaboration). It's called Candy Cane Lane, and it consists of two packs- a paper pack and an element pack. Here's a sneak peek and a chance to win!

To enter this giveaway:

1. Leave a comment below

Earn extra entries by:

2. Liking Amy Jaz Designs on facebook- come back and leave a comment

3. Tweet about the giveaway- come back and leave a comment

Good luck!

December Daily- Day Two Documented

2011-12-03T01:01:00.001-07:00

Of course my December Daily album is going to have oodles of photos documenting fun moments throughout our December, but I also wanted to make sure I documented some of our favorite traditions as well. So today's December Daily layout is about the Christmas Music that we're listening to now to get us in the Christmas spirit!

December Daily- Day One Documented!

2011-12-01T23:42:00.001-07:00

December Daily- it's here and time to get started! If you aren't familiar with December Daily, check out Ali Edwards' Blog for all the details. It's a fantastic project focusing on documenting the days leading up to Christmas. This is my first year doing the project, and I'm really excited about it.

While I absolutely love Ali's hybrid albums for this project, I was really worried about being able to complete this project, so I chose to go Digi. I think I've decided to do an 8x11 photobook from Persnickety Prints. I've been wanting to get a photobook printed by them, and I've also been wanting to test out that size, so this project is the winner of that test.

So my first step in this process was to get organized. For Ali and other Hybrid scrappers, that meant building their foundation pages. For me, that meant two things: 1) picking out the kit I was going to use and 2) picking out the templates (because I am being lazy and am letting others do the work on this part).

For the kit decision- it wasn't that hard! I designed my A Very Vintage Christmas kit with this project in mind, so it was the winner!

Next I needed to decide on my template, and this was actually a TOUGH decision because there were so many great templates to choose from, but I ultimately decided on this (free) template by Scooty's Designs:

I liked that she offered the template in both 12x12 and 8.5x11, since I was still undecided at the time what size I was going to use.

So that's it! I am now ready to begin, and here is my first page:

The journaling reads:
"One of the best things about Christmas is the anticipation- the build up and the excitement of what’s to come at the end of the month. So what better way to build up that excitement than an advent calendar? This year I decided to do something really special, and I made an advent calendar for us. I loved how it turned out, and hope it becomes a tradition for us for many years to come. Since Lilly is still too little for treats, so I filled the little boxes with treats that I knew Jules would love. This kid loves Tootsie Rolls (random), so we have regular Tootsie Rolls, fruity Tootsie Rolls, Christmas themed erasers, and a few quarters spread out throughout the month. Our first night of the advent calendar was a bit of a challenge when Jules realized she could only open ONE box, but she’ll learn how this all works as we start to do it daily. "

Ugh- I will not even get into the ugly scene that came after the opening of that first box and ONLY the first box. Let's just say it was an early bed-time for Jules.

New Products and a New Home!

2011-11-27T20:27:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! It's been a little quiet around here as I was preparing for an exciting product launch at a new website. I've been hinting around about my big announcement, and the time has finally come... I am Guest Designing for... The-Lilypad.com!! How great is that? I am so excited to join this fabulous group of designers, and the GREAT community that it is! You can find me here at The-Lilypad.

Check out these new releases:

For Document Your December (or your December Daily or Journal Your Christmas Projects):

Modern Merry Paper Pack

Modern Merry Element Pack:

Modern Merry- Flag It

Or how about some card templates for your Christmas Cards?

Come visit me at The-Lilypad!

More Projects To Share

2011-11-15T09:59:00.001-07:00

My Hybrid team has been hard at work again, and I have a few more project to share using A Very Vintage Christmas.

From Terri:

From Cara:

AND the winner of the giveaway for this kit (bethieJ) has shared this adorable project:

Aren't these ladies the best? They are true masters of hybrid goodness!

Etsy Greetings Blog Hop:: Holiday Traditions

2011-11-14T00:07:00.001-07:00

This post is part of the EtsyGreetings Team Holiday Blog Hop.
Our theme is Handmade Holiday.
Happy reading!

= = = = =

So this week I am participating in a super fun Blog Hop sponsored by the Etsy Greetings Team! Our subject for the hop is sharing our Holiday Traditions...in true handmade fashion! I don't know about you, but for me, one of the best things about the Holidays is the anticipation...the build up, the count down.. the excitement of what's to come! In our family, advent calendars were always a part of the excitement of Christmas, whether it was the chocolate-a-day kind, or the little mouse calendar from Avon, that moves closer to the Christmas Tree each day.

Now that I have kids of my own, I am continuing the tradition of advent calendars to build up the excitement of Christmas. For the last few years, I have been looking for an advent calendar that has the little drawers or doors so I can fill each day with goodies of my own choosing. Each one I've found though has been expensive, and just not quite what I'm looking for. So, being the DIY crafter that I am, I decided to make my own this year! I thought I would easily find a DIY advent calendar at Michael's, but this beauty is the only one I could find:

Hmm. Not really my style, or what I was looking for. Luckily, I noticed that the santa frame was just glued to the box with the doors- and that's the part I really wanted! So.....bye bye Santa! And this is how I began the transformation:

Step 1: Rip off the Santa frame.

Step 2: Remove the knobs (will re-attach later)

Step 3: Spray paint the advent calendar a nice creamy white

Step 4: Give the knobs a blast of gold glitter spray paint ('cuz every Christmas project needs some glitter)

Step 5: Using your holiday papers (I used papers from my new digital kit A Very Vintage Christmas), plan your layout, and then bust out your Modge Podge Glue and glue your papers to each door.

Step 6: Using a paper piercer, I punched through the door frames to open the holes back up where the knobs go. However, the knobs didn't go back into their holes that well, so I ended up just hot gluing them back to the doors.

Step 7: Adhere glittered number stickers to each door

Step 8: Hot glue ribbon around the edge of box.

...and enjoy! Here is the finished result:

I can't wait to fill each little door with goodies, and see my daughters' anticipation build up for Christmas Day!

So that's my Holiday Tradition, but don't stop here, because there are LOTS more Holiday Traditions from my fellow Etsy Greetings Team Members, including holiday stories, yummy recipes, and some fabulous printables! Click on the arrows below to continue along our hop!

Tutorial:: Journaling Around An Embellishment

2011-11-11T19:48:00.001-07:00

Today I am bringing you a video tutorial (my first one!) showing you how to create journaling around an embellishment on your page (as seen in the this layout):

The tutorial is shown using photoshop CS4.

To enjoy the video at full size, after you click play, click on the little computer screen icon in the lower right corner. Otherwise, you won't be able to see what I'm doing. Oh- and please ignore the random sounds of my cranky one year old in the background. ;-) Enjoy!

Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

A Very Vintage Christmas- Now Available!

2011-11-10T23:55:00.001-07:00

Now it's really beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Introducing- A Very Vintage Christmas- the newest digital scrapbooking kit by Amy Jaz Designs. I would normally describe my design style as two parts modern, one part vintage (you know- if style were a martini), but for this kit I knew I had to switch it up and go two parts vintage, one part modern. There's something so delicious about vintage Christmas style. It's steeped in tradition and just takes you back to when you were a kid awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus (or as Juliana calls him- Christmas Claus).

Inspired by Ali Edwards to create a December Daily album this year, I set out to create a kit that I knew I would use to create my album with. Now that this kit is done, I can't wait to create my foundation pages for my album (stay tuned for that one).

This kit is ginormous- It contains 17 papers, over 40 elements, an entire month of date stamps for December, and a glittery alpha. It's the size of a collaboration kit, but it's just little old me behind this one. I hope you enjoy the kit! Click the add to cart button below, or click on the "shop" tab to purchase.

Some inspiration from me:

Some inspiration from my creative team:

Macy

Stephanie

Nat

Crap in a Crock Pot- and the Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-10T00:19:00.003-07:00

I've only recently discovered the magical little kitchen tool called the Crock Pot. Yeah- I know, I'm WAY behind the times on this! But for some reason, the crock pot recipes never appealed to me. I thought it was only for baking a big hunk of meat all day. But recently I've changed my tune and I've been using this magical little tool like twice a week. It's funny though- every time I put the ingredients in the crock pot, the thought runs through my mind...."you just put a bunch of crap in a crock pot, and a few hours later you have dinner!". So as I journey through trying all these new recipes out, I'll be sure to report back my thoughts in a blog series I will now affectionately call "Crap in A Crock Pot".

I found this crock pot recipe for Chicken Enchilada Soup on penniesonaplatter.com.

I will admit- I am so not a soup person. I never feel like it's really a meal- there's something so lunch-ish about it. But my husband loves soup, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. So here are my thoughts...

YUM! I totally loved this soup! And the hubby loved it too (he even packed up the leftovers for lunch). My three year old...well, she ended up eating spaghetti-o's because this was a little on the spicy side for her. Things I would do differently next time... the recipe calls for three chicken breasts, and my breasts were REALLY big. Next time I will use small breast fillets, or use only 2 large ones. There was a LOT of shredded chicken in my soup. There was an optional step to add some cornstarch to thicken the soup and I did not do that. I don't think it needed it- it was perfect as is.

So there you have it my friends- my first "Crap in a Crock Pot" review was a success! Carry forth and make yourself some Chicken Enchilada Soup!

In other news that I know you are all waiting for.... I have selected a winner for the A Very Vintage Christmas Kit!

One Night- 8 Lessons Learned

2011-11-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

My original title for this post was going to be "Epic Fail", but then I realized that tonight's activities were more of a learning lesson than a complete failure.... But let's back up a little and start at the beginning. My plan for tonight was to try out a new recipe for Pumpkin Mac and Cheese that promised to be the creamiest Mac and Cheese ever. Excited at the prospect of discovering a new recipe for some good comfort food, and excited about blogging about this fabulous new dish I discovered, I set out with my ingredients and my camera.....If you judge by the pics, this looks like a successful venture....

Yum? Looks good right? *sigh* Wrong. So while you scratch your head and wonder how this delicious looking dish could possibly be bad, I give you- The Lessons Learned:

*Lesson Number 1: Apparently I do not like pumpkin. Eating this actually made me nauseous afterward. It was creamy, but it also wasn't cheesy enough. The pumpkin was over powering and bland. Blech.

*Lesson Number 2: Don't dump out the noodles before you check that they are done. Because refilling the pot with water and waiting for it to boil a second time because the noodles are undercooked sucks.

*Lesson Number 3: Three year olds do not like pumpkin mac and cheese either. Juliana kept asking for "real" mac and cheese, followed by "I don't like this one. "

*Lesson Number 4: Even though your sweet husband eats his plate full of Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, the fact that he discreetly threw away the left overs and did not keep it for his lunch, followed by a "snack" of peanut butter and jelly crackers later on- are both good signs that he does not like it either.

*Lesson Number 5: One year olds love Pumpkin Mac and Cheese. Ironically, the only one of us who actually liked this dish, is the one who only has two teeth and eats most of her food out of a jar.

Hmm. Oh well.

In other news, I learned a few more lessons tonight that were good things! Over the weekend I took advantage of the Persnickety Prints fall sale, and I ordered over 35 layouts. I received my order today and I am impressed!! So here are those lessons learned:

*Lesson Number 6: I have a print lab crush on Persnickety Prints. I am such a print snob. I mean it. I refuse to print at Costco (too green), I refuse to print at Target (too red, and glossy- ick). So when I got my first order from Persnickety, I reviewed my layouts with a super critical eye... and I was not disappointed. I can't wait to print my first photo book with them!

*Lesson Number 7: I don't think I love putting my layouts in a 12x12 post bound album. I thought that with a hodge podge of layouts, I wouldn't like a photo book because it wouldn't flow. But I don't like the glare of the page protector, and how some of the pages buckle a little. I know that's super picky but there you have it- the real me. I think I'm going to try to just do a photo book for 2011.

*Lesson Number 8: I love white space! Out of all the layouts I printed, my absolute favorite ones were the ones with a lot of white space (or a light background).

So there you have it- one night, 8 lessons learned- some good, some bad.

While you are here, don't forget to enter the giveaway for A Very Vintage Christmas! It ends tomorrow night!

More Chances To Win!

2011-11-08T00:28:00.002-07:00

So I decided that for the A Very Vintage Christmas kit giveaway, I would host the giveaway on my facebook page. But then today I had the thought... "what if someone doesn't have a facebook account? They can't enter to win!" Well, this would not be very fair of me! So I decided to open the Giveaway for comments here on my blog as well! Take this opportunity to enter the Giveaway more than once, and leave a comment on the blog in addition to your comment on facebook. And just in case you forgot what the awesomeness that I'm giving away looks like, here's the sneak peek:

And in other news, my creative team is still creating amazing things from my You + Me kit! Check out this completely adorable baby card from Terri:

I love those paper pieced ears the most!

A Holiday Sale!

2011-11-07T21:29:00.001-07:00

It's the first ever Holiday Sale for Bean Sprout Studio! I am happy to say that I am participating in the Etsy Greetings Team Holiday Boutique! All christmas photo card sets are 10% off in my shop from now until November 14th. Use coupon code EGHOLIDAY to redeem your 10%. It's best if you hurry, because I will not be having another sale in my shop for the rest of the year! If you don't have your photos ready quite yet, you can still purchase your cards in advance, and then just send me your pics when ready. Here are a few of my favorite designs for this year:

Be sure to check out the other items on sale from my Etsy Greetings Team Members by using the search tag "egholiday"!

Free Template

2011-11-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Do you like free? Of course you do! In celebration of my new facebook fan page, and Digital Scrapbooking Day, I have uploaded this free template to my page.

To download the template, visit my facebook fan page, become a fan, and click on the "Exclusive" tab to download.

Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day!

2011-11-05T12:46:00.003-07:00

Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day everyone! I hope everyone is having a blast shopping, scrapping, and taking advantage of all the MASSIVE freebies out there in the blogiverse today. I was really really hoping to be releasing my new kit- A Very Vintage Christmas today, but it's just not quite ready and I want it to be perfect, so I am releasing it this Friday instead. BUT- I DO have a sneak peek of my new kit and the Giveaway that starts today over on my facebook page. Here are the deets:

To enter the giveaway you must:
1. Visit my facebook fan page and leave a comment on the giveaway photo
2. For an additional entry, share the photo link onto your facebook page. Make sure you are become a fan first because if you are not a fan, I won't be able to see your share!

The giveaway ends on Wednesday, November 9th at 9:00pm PST.

Good luck to everyone, and Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day!

Cards, Tags, and a Baby Buggy??

2011-11-03T23:10:00.001-07:00

Wow, my Hybrid Creative team has come up with some really great projects, but today's projects really take the cake. Check out this UH-MAZING little baby buggy by Terri. She created this adorable little shower favor using my You + Me kit. Check out her entire process on her blog.

Next up, Cara got creative (haha- I like how that sounds!) with two really fabulous cards. First she made this card for her hubby (aw!)

And then today, she came up with this card using a Mojo Monday sketch:

I have a really great group of talented ladies on my hybrid creative team, don't I?

Creative Team Call- Deadline Extended

2011-11-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

So you may have been wondering why no big announcement about my Creative Team right? Well, there has been a slight change in plans, due to a BIG EXCITING announcement coming in a few weeks (as in the day after Thanksgiving). :-) Because of this big exciting announcement, I am postponing the deadline to apply to my creative team to December 9th. I know that is a LONG time to hold open a creative team call, but it will all make sense when I am able to make my announcement. So for those of you have already applied (thank you!) and please hang in there. For those of you who haven't applied--- you have plenty of time to get your application in!

A Layout From Macy

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week, Macy won the giveaway for the You + Me digital kit. Well yesterday, Macy emailed me this fabulous layout that she created using the kit. Don't you just love it?

Be sure to stop by Macy's blog and tell her how much you love it! :-)

Wait- it's November?

2011-11-01T10:35:00.001-07:00

It's November?!! Seriously- how did that happen? Time is flying by this year, my littlest one is turning one in just a couple of weeks- crazy! In the midst of planning a small family gathering for her birthday, I hope to also get a few more kits designed this month before the craziness that is the Holidays hits me square in the face.

I realized that my blog has been all business lately, and not enough personal bits about me, so today I am sharing a pic of my girls at the Pumpkin Patch a few weekends ago.

Happy November everyone!

Hybrid Crafting Goodness

2011-10-31T23:45:00.000-07:00

I knew I had selected a darn good creative group to be my "Hybrid Creative Team", but what these ladies are coming up with is just amazing! Today I am sharing beautiful cards (and a gift tag too!) created by Nat of Adore By Nat. Check out the projects she made with my You + Me Digital Kit. See how many fabulous uses there are for a digital kit? It's not just for digital scrapbooking!

And then she made a slightly "manlier" version:

Then she made this adorable christmas gift tag! Do you spy the green circle paper from my kit?

To view these projects in greater detail, be sure to stop by Nat's blog!

You + Me:: Quick Pages

2011-10-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

If you are new to digital scrapbooking, or you just prefer a quick and easy way to get things done, then quick pages are for you! These pages are pre-designed using the Amy Jaz Designs You + Me kit and all you have to do is drag and drop your photos behind the quick page, and your journaling and presto- your layout is done. Pick up these quickpages now for only $1.99 for the set of four.

You + Me:: A New Release

2011-10-28T00:16:00.001-07:00

igital You've been waiting patiently all week while I teased and taunted, and now it's finally here! Introducing... You + Me a digital scrapbook kit by Amy Jaz Designs, featuring 13 textured papers and 40 elements!

Here are a few layouts I designed using this kit:

To purchase this kit, click the link below to add to your cart. Of course you can always click on the "SHOP" tab at the top of the page to be taken to my online store.

Drumroll Please...

2011-10-27T21:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Macy! You are the winner of the You+Me giveaway. I hope you enjoy your new kit! Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway, and don't forget the You+Me Digital Kit is being released TOMORROW!

Last Day for the Giveaway!

2011-10-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

Don't wait until it's too late! Today is the last day to sign up to win the You + Me kit before you can buy it! The giveaway closes tonight at 9:00pm Pacific time. Click Here for details on how to enter.

Slacker Moms Rejoice! A Last Minute Halloween Template and Printable

2011-10-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

And by slacker moms what I'm really referring to is moms-based-in-reality, where one weekend left to get something done is PLENTY of time! So for those moms (and yes I am one of those moms), I give you- the Batty Bag Template with printable tags for your Halloween pleasure. I used this template to put together little treat bags for my daughter to take to the kids in her preschool class. See below for the links to download the templates.

click images to download

Amy Jaz Designs- Creative Team Call

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Looking for some talented layout artists to join my team!

Creative Team- Hybrid Crafters Announced!

2011-10-24T21:34:00.001-07:00

As I embark on the journey of becoming a digital scrapbook designer, I knew one of the first things I had to do was recruit some really talented people to become part of my design team. As a member of the Etsy Greetings Team, the first thing I did was turn to this talented group of artists to find a few hybrid crafters to join my team. I was so pleased to have a great response (and always so supportive!), and had so many talented people to choose from. Well I am happy to announce the first members of my creative team- introducing:

Natalie from Adore by Nat:

Cara from Cara's Scrap N Stamp Art:

Terri from Life with Terri:

Looking forward to some Hybrid Craft Greatness coming from these ladies!

You + Me:: A Preview and Giveaway

2011-10-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

You + Me, the first digital scrapbook kit by Amy Jaz Designs is arriving this Friday! In anticipation of it's launch, I am hosting a Giveaway to "win it before you can buy it"! See details below...

To enter the giveaway to win "You + Me", simply leave a comment below. Extra entries can be earned by:
1. Like Amy Jaz Designs on facebook. Come back here and leave a comment letting me know you became a fan.
2. Tweet about the Giveaway, and leave a comment below with your link to your tweet.
3. Blog about the Giveaway, and leave a comment below with your link to the blog post.

The Giveaway will end and the winner will be selected on Thursday, October 27th at 9:00pm Pacific Time. Good Luck!

Big News!! New Products!

2011-10-21T17:00:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce that I am taking the plunge into the world of digital scrapbook design! I have been a digi scrapper for many years, and it is actually what got me into designing invitations. Well, I am coming full circle, and will be launching my very first full kit next week (stay tuned for the details!).

If you have been wanting to try Digital Scrapbooking, but have not taken the plunge because you do not have photoshop or a digital editing software, get excited because next week I will be offering a giveaway for the My Memories Software! Here's a little video tour of how easy the software is to use:

Welcome to the Family! from Lisa Jurrens on Vimeo.

See you back next week with an awesome giveaway and my new kit!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2011-09-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, that may not be true, especially when I'm in Arizona and it's still 100 degrees, but trust me- the Holidays are right around the corner! I just finished the first design for the 2011 Holiday Card season- the Simple Wishes Holiday Card from Bean Sprout Studio. Available in three color options:

Green:

Blue:

Toast:

And don't forget the matching return address labels!

More designs to come, but what a great way to kick off the season! All are available now at www.bean-sprout-studio.com!

New Giveaway From Paislee Press- Snapshots No 3 Album Template

2011-08-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

My Digital Scrapbbooking design hero- Paislee Press is doing a giveaway on her blog for her new album template- Snapshots No 3. I don't know about you, but I'd love to win this template. I need a swift quick in the rear to get me jump started on putting together a baby book for little Jazwinski #2, and I think this album template would provide the right amount of kicking-in-the-pantsing (do you enjoy making up words? Clearly I do).

While you are visiting the Paislee Press blog, check out the Sister Album that Liz made with this template. It is divine. I really want to put this on my to-do list for my girls when they are a wee bit bigger.

Good Luck!

Nursery Room Wall Art

2011-04-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

Have you checked out the new wall art available in the shop? I tend to design with little girls in mind, being that I have two cutie daughters for inspiration, but my friend is having twin boys and lately I've been bit by the "boy" bug. Check out these cute designs perfect for any animal, zoo, safari themed Nursery. Each are customizable in color and size!

Visit Bean Sprout Studio today!

Teacher Appreciation- Free Printable Project

2011-04-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

Did you know it's teacher appreciation week next week?? Well don't fret- Bean Sprout Studio has created an adorable teacher appreciation free printable project for you!

I created this printable treat bag, complete with party circles that can be used as thank you tags, cupcake toppers, paper cup decorations, and more! I put a Barnes and Noble gift card inside this little treat bag, and added a little yellow shred for some fun (and for something to do with all that left over easter shred). Simply download each of the printable files, print and follow the instructions.

Please send me pics if you put these to use!

Click the image below to download the party circles:

Click the image below to download the treat bag:

Giveaway from Paislee Press and Leora Sanford

2010-08-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

There are so many fabulous kits being released right now, that it's literally making my head spin! I absolutely adore anything put out by Paislee Press, and she's got another collab kit coming! "Correspondence" is a new collab kit coming from Paislee Press and Leora Sanford. Check out the preview below, and be sure to visit both the Paislee Press blog and Leora's blog to enter for your chance to win their new kit!

{52 Inspirations} Week 7- Learn Grow Discover

2010-08-20T00:13:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite photos from when we took Juliana to the Phoenix Children's Museum for her Second Birthday.

Here's the kit from this week:

Credits:
-Week 7 Kit of 52 Inspirations by Joanne Brisebois
-Flower and Heart Rub Ons- Katie Pertiet
-Rhinestones- Me

Another Giveaway from One Little Bird

2010-08-19T22:40:00.000-07:00

One Little Bird is on a roll! Peppermint is releasing another new kit! Check out the preview of Enlightened, and be sure to visit her blog to leave a comment and enter yourself into the giveaway for this new kit!

A New Collaboration Kit from Scooty's Designs and EH Studios

2010-08-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

Exciting news! Scooty's Designs and EH Studios have teamed up for a new collaboration kit, and are giving one away! All you have to do is visit Scooty's Blog, leave a comment, and you'll be entered to win. Can't wait to see the full kit! Here's the preview of Sounds of Laughter:

Template Giveaway

2010-08-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Looking for another chance to win? Head on over to the Persnickety Prints blog for a chance to win these great "story telling" templates by Biograffiti. I've already for my chance!

Another Giveaway!

2010-08-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well it must be the week of creation, because I just discovered ANOTHER giveaway and kit preview! This time the kit is a collab between Three Paper Peonies and Designs by Anita. Check out the sneak peek below, and visit the blog to comment and enter for a chance to win!

{52 Inspirations} Week 6- I Love You

2010-08-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

This Week's Kit:

I kept trying to add more to this page, but in the end- I went with simple is better.

Credits:
52 Inspirations:: Week 6- by Sally's Angelworks
Frame- Amy J Designs
Red Paper- Recolored from Week 5 by Sue Cummings

Another Preview- Stamp My Heart by Kitty Designs

2010-08-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

She's done it again! Kitty Designs just released a preview of her new kit- Stamp My Heart, so quickly after her release of Morning Breeze (which I JUST picked up and can't wait to scrap with!). Check out the preview and if you leave a comment on her blog, you'll be entered for a chance to win this beautiful new kit!

{52 Inspirations} Week Five

2010-08-14T00:44:00.001-07:00

I cheated a little bit on week 5, and scrapped a picture from week 6, but I had some really cute pics of Jules making a Build A Bear- a gift from Grandma and Grandpa for Valentine's Day. So here is the kit for this week:

Week Five- 52 Inspirations by Sue Cummings

And my layout:

Credits:
Week Five of 52 Inspirations by Sue Cummings
Ribbon- Morning Breeze Kit by Kitty Design
Rhinestone- Amy J Designs (aka. Me!)
Background Paper- Week 31 of 52 Inspirations by Vicki Stegall

Enter for a Chance to Wine One Little Bird's Newest Kid- Abide

2010-08-13T00:30:00.000-07:00

Check out this BEAUTIFUL new kit from One Little Bird! The Abide kit will be released on Oscraps.com on August 16th. You can enter for a chance to win this beauty by heading on over to One Little Bird's Blog and posting a comment.

{52 Inspirations} Week Thirty One

2010-08-13T00:22:00.000-07:00

So I started working backwards AND forwards this week on 52 Inspirations! I don't want to get further behind, so I'll be working on the current week's kits as well as working on the early kits to get caught up.

So Week 31 was designed my Vicki Stegall, and I have to admit- I couldn't resist re-coloring one of the papers to charcoal grey, because yellow and grey is one of my FAVORITE combinations! So without further ado....

The kit/inspiration:

My Layout:

{52 Inspirations} Week Four

2010-08-12T23:19:00.001-07:00

Week four of 52 inspirations is all about children. Well this wasn't a hard one for me to scrap! I chose to scrap three cute pics from my nephew's first birthday party.

Here's the inspiration kit:

Here is my layout:

Here are the other credits for this layout:
Background Paper- My own
Frames- Some Frames by Ange
Splatters, Word Art, and Lined Paper: Week 4- 52 Inspirations by Vicki Stegall
Paint Mask- Sue Cummings: Week 2- 52 Inspirations

A New Kit = Three New Layouts!

2010-08-11T22:47:00.000-07:00

I loved the soft color palette in the "On the Road" kit by Scooty's Designs over at TwoLittlePixels.com, so I picked it up and started scrapping pics from our recent trip to California.

Here's the kit:

And here are my layouts:

Coffee Cup Challenge by DigitalScrapCafe.com

2010-08-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

This month I participated in the "Coffee Cup" challenge from digitalscrapcafe.com. The challenge was to create a layout using 1) a math symbol 2) extraction and 3)journaling. I created two layouts for the challenge:

This one I did using the template provided:

This one I made up on my own:

Thanks for the great challenge! It was fun!

{Week 3} Messes= Life True and Real

2010-08-09T00:11:00.000-07:00

Week 3 of 52 Inspirations is about real life. Well when you have a two year old, messes are real life! This week's kit inspired me to showcase the pictures I took when Jules got into baby powder and made a huge mess in the bedroom.

This week's kit:

My Layout:

{52 Inspirations} Week Two

2010-08-08T16:16:00.001-07:00

This week's inspiration was about life inspired. I'm inspired to live a better life every day just by looking at Jules' sweet face. So I kept this week pure and simple.

Here's the kit:

And my layout:

{52 Inspirations} Week One

2010-08-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

So here is the kit from Week One:

And here's my layout using this kit:

52 Inspirations

2010-08-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend I stumbled across something called "52 Inspirations" from Oscraps.com.

It's basically a one year subscription where you receive a new digital mini kit full of inspiration for the scrapping a layout that week. I really needed this inspiration because it's August and I've done hardly ANY scrapping this year, which equals lost memories of Jules that I "think" I will remember, but 20 years from now I won't. So I signed up for the subscription, and will be working to get caught up! We are currently on week 31, and I'm just starting, but hey- who doesn't love a challenge? :-)

New Made 2 Match Collection- Sweet Safari

2010-02-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Jacana Collection by CoCaLo at Babies R Us? It is so super cute. It also happens to be the next coordinating collection to be added to my Made 2 Match Collection.

Introducing the Sweet Safari Collection by Bean Sprout Studio! So far, there's a baby shower invitation, a birth announcement, and adorable play date calling cards. Still to come is the birthday party invitation, printable party pack, and the nursery room print. Click the images below to check out the new products!

Peek A Boo Monkey Nursery Room Print

2010-02-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

If you're decorating your baby's nursery with the Mod Pod Pop Monkey Collection by KidsLine, then this Pesonalized Nursery Room Print is a must have! It measures 8x8 inches (other sizes also available), and is perfect for a cute square frame to hang on the nursery room wall.

Dr. Suess Printable Party Pack

2010-02-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

I've been busy in the design studio this week, and have several new designs that were launched! The Suess-ish birth announcement and birthday invitation have been a huge hit in my shop, so I decided to design a coordinating printable party pack! Check it out here:

:::NEW::: Plan Your Perfect Peek-A-Boo Monkey Party!

2010-02-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

This week I created a super cute new party theme- The Peek-A-Boo Monkey Collection! This collection is exciting for two reasons:

1) It's the first in my "Made 2 Match" series of party themes, where I am designing themes to coordinate with the hottest Nursery Room decor trends. After a reflection back on some of the custom design work I've done, I've realized that a lot of Moms are carrying the baby's nursery theme into the baby shower, the birth announcement, and even the first birthday party (I did it too, without even realizing it!). This collection is Made 2 Match the Mod Pod Pop Monkey Collection by Kids Line.

2) This new collection also features the first release of my Printable Party Packs! Now you can get a custom invitation, and all the theme decor- all in one place!

Here's a "peek" at the new Peek-A-Boo Monkey Collection by Bean Sprout Studio:

Looking for some fun ideas for your little monkey's next party? Check out these Real Party examples, and fun ideas:

Craft/Game Ideas:

Fruit Loop Necklaces- Fill a bowl with Fruit Loop cereal and have each child string the Loops onto a string or ribbon, for a quick and easy Fruit Loop "candy" necklace.

Monkey Dough- Grab some orange and brown play dough (or even better- make your own), and let the little monkey's play! Hasbro even has a "Coco Nutty" Play Dough set, perfect for thie occassion.

Build a Monkey Sets- Just like Build-A-Bear! You can get this cute stuff for your own monkey kit for just $8.95 each. Found at http://www.adollysworld.com/:

Monkey Pinata- What kid doesn't love swinging at a pinata? Let you little monkeys loose to wack at this one, found at www.orientaltrading.com

Food Ideas:

Animal Crackers- An easy treat!

Animal Chicken Nuggets- for a lunch that's sure to please.

Banana Pudding- A yummy dessert that's quick and easy!

Banana Bread- For a more grown-up atmosphere, like at a baby shower, fresh baked banana bread makes the perfect treat.

Banana Smoothies- If you're prepared to man the smoothie machine, this is a fun (and healthy) treat for the kiddos!

Banana Split Bar- A create-your-own banana split bar is fun for all! Gather your bananas, ice cream, and favorite toppings for a treat that's sure to please everyone!

Decoration Ideas:

Color Coordinating M&Ms- Use clear glass jars with orange, brown, and green colored M&M's. If there's a Michael's near you, they have started carrying bags of single colored M&Ms. Also check other party stores, like Party City.

Napkin Rings- Using the patterned papers and Party circles available in the Bean Sprout Studio Printable Party Kit, make your own napkin rings. Cut the patterned paper in 1.5 inch wide strips, cut in half, make a loop and use double sided tape to secure. Using a 2 inch circle punch or scallop circle punch, punch out the party cirles and adhere to top of ring. Slide in your folded napkin with silverware included, and voila!

Drink Cups- Visit your local dollar store for a supply of cheap color coordinating plates, cups, napkins, table cloths, and utensils. Get plain orange, green or brown drink cups and decorate with a punched out party circle. The easist way to do this, is to print the party circles on a solid sheet of sticker paper. Simply punch out the circles using your punch, and you'll have adorable matching cups and a fraction of the price.

Banana Bunches- Banana bunches are the perfect accessory for the party. Simply include them on your table setting or dessert bar. They are the perfect decoration, and after the party is over, you'll be stocked up on bananas!

A Barrel of Monkeys- Not just for playing with! These adorable tiny monkeys can be everywhere around your party! Hang them off the cupcake stand, the streamers, the M&M jars, or anywhere else!

Monkey Centerpieces- I found these adorable centerpieces for just $3.99 at OrientalTrading.com

Favor Ideas:

Monkey Treat Bags- Using the printable patterned papers from the Peek-A-Boo Monkey Printable Party Pack, cut squares wide enough to fit over a cello bag (sizes will vary depending on which size you buy). Fold the sqaures in half and staple to the top of the treat bag. Print out the "Thanks for Swinging By My Party" Gift Tag from the Printable Party Pack, punch out, and adhere to the middle of the bag topper. Fill the cello bag with Monkey inspired treats, like these cute Banana Treats or Monkey Pops from OrientalTrading.com:

Monkey Tote Bags- Another great find from Oriental Trading- Monkey Tote Bags! Just $5.99 per dozen. Honestly, how can you beat these prices?

If you've had a monkey themed party, or purchased the Peek-A-Boo Party Printables by Bean Sprout Studio, please share your links, photos, and ideas with us!!

Superbowl Cupcakes

2010-01-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

EEK! How cute are these? I will admit- now that my two favorite teams (the Bears and the Cardinals) are out of the Super Bowl contest, I don't really care who goes. But when I saw these cupcakes over at the Hostess With The Mostess Blog, I was inspired to actually care about a super bowl party! Now I want to attend a party just so I can make these cupcakes. And as if I don't already have enough on my plate, the wheels in my head are turning, thinking about creating a Super Bowl Party Pack! Hmmmm... how long do I have until the superbowl? Maybe there's time....

More New Holiday Card Designs!

2009-11-17T23:31:00.000-07:00

Christmas is almost here! I've been stocking up the shop on great holiday cards designs...

Custom Save the Date Bookmarks

2009-10-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

Custom designed Save the Date Bookmarks!

Now On Facebook! A Special Coupon

2009-10-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Bean Sprout Studio is now on Facebook!

Become one of the first 50 fans, and be entered to win a $10 coupon good towards any of my print packages!

Click HERE for the link!

My Disneyland Album

2009-10-10T01:44:00.000-07:00

Check out my digital scrapbooking album from my recent trip to Disneyland!

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Evan Jack Birth Announcement

2009-10-07T23:49:00.001-07:00

This was a fun announcement to do because this little baby is sooooo cute!