Weekly Digital Downloads – Gratitude Overlays

This week’s download is a set of overlays designed for A Million Memories. They are all gratitude themed:





You can download it here: gratitude overlay set download.


You are welcome to play with these as much as you want and use them anywhere you’d like. You are NOT allowed to sell them ever. You don’t have to but I’d appreciate a link back if you do use them.



This is part of a weekly digital download series. They are posted every Wednesday. You can find all of the ones that were posted here.

Daily Photos – October 21 2009



I can kiss those fingers forever.



This morning David was on the bed with Aurelia watching some TV and here’s how I found them.







And, mom, you said he was going to be jealous of the baby!







Let’s just say you were wrong!

Weekly Layouts – Remember This



Here’s another one from the A Million Memories Kit for October.



Journaling Reads:


i forget too often

how much fun bubbles can be

how much joy they bring to you

i always think

it will be too messy

but then when we start

you have so much fun with them

this is so i remember

how much you love them

and make sure

we blow bubbles

much more often



Weekly layouts is a weekly feature focusing on simple layouts with photos and journaling. It’s posted on Tuesdays.

Daily Photos – October 20 2009



Another one from the patch. I came home with these sunflowers. They make me happy.



Here’s how I work most days. Wouldn’t you love to have this little one with you while you work?







I am so thankful for my life.

Photoshop Videos – Adding Text inside A Shape

Today’s video shows how to add text inside a certain shape, for example to put text on a photo.

Photoshop videos are weekly videos that show you how to create digital elements and photography tips on Photoshop. They are posted every Monday. Click here for all of the archives.



If you have questions/feedback click on the “share” link on the bottom right of this post. Thanks!



If you have ideas/requests, please let me know, I am running out of easy ideas.



Sorry for the delay this week, YouTube was down when I tried last night.

Daily Photos – October 19 2009



Another shot from Saturday’s pumpkin patch trip.



I love this shot of Aurelia cause it shows you that he’s going to be a multi-tasker just like his mommy.







And those eyes. They’re not like his brother’s but they are pretty amazing.






Catalyst 84 – An American Citizen



Catalyst eighty-four is: What’s the best gift you ever gave?



This was simple for me. A few months after David was born, I became an American Citizen. It was the best gift I gave myself and the best gift I could ever give my kids.

Daily Photos – October 18 2009



Thanks to my amazing husband, I got to go to a Donna Downey class today, all the way in Berkeley. I loved seeing Donna’s beautiful books. I loved meeting her and seeing her quirky, fun, and delightful personality up close. I realized, once again, that I dislike taking classes where I take someone else’s art and copy it. So my book isn’t finished in any form. And it won’t be until I decide what I am going to do with it. However, I loved every minute of my class anyway.



And here’s today’s Aurelia.







Have I mentioned he’s got a tooth that’s broken through the gums? He’s not even six months old! Ready to crawl, already teething, this little boy is scaring me.

Weekly Books – Her Fearful Symmetry


I seem to have a lot of trouble beginning a book. It takes me a while to dive into it and the first fifty or so pages are always a challenge. For this reason, I used to make sure that I was in the middle of a book when I knew I was taking a long flight.



One of the rare exceptions to this was on a trip Jake and I took from NYC to Istanbul. I had checked out several books from the library and hadn’t begun any of them. The Time Traveler’s Wife was one of them. It was huge and I am not even sure why I thought it was a good idea to bring it in my carry-on. But I am so glad I did. I opened the first page when we took off and did not close the book until I was finished. And, if you’ve read it you might know that it’s quite a thick book. I could not put it down. It was amazing and incredibly unique.



So, when I heard the wonderful author had a new book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I’ll have to admit that this one was harder to get into. It might be because I wasn’t in a confined space. Or because I now have two kids. One of which needs to nurse quite often. Either way, I made it to the weekend having only read forty pages of the book.



Determined as I tend to be, I decided I would read the book this weekend. And I just finished it. All 704 pages. And I loved it. While the book wasn’t nearly as magnificent and as unique as the other one (it is really impossible to do that again I imagine) it was very interesting and worth the read. I liked the characters. I loved the descriptive narrative (which I am not usually fond of). I was interested in the characters though I would have liked a few of them to be a bit more three-dimensional. But honestly, I really loved the book and am still glowing from its dream world.



It was a splendid way to spend my weekend.

AMM Anniversary Crop Blog Hop & Scavenger Hunt

As part of AMM’s anniversary crop we’re having a blog hop and a scavenger hunt. Here is how this will work: each one of the AMM Design Team members will have a special post for the blog hop where you will have the chance to get to know them a little bit better. At the end of the post, there will be a question that will lead you on a hunt through the AMM site and/or AMM blog (the link to the AMM blog can be found on the left sidebar of the main store site). Be sure to check the anniversary crop forum for complete information on the Blog Hop Challenge.



Here’s a little interview for you to get to know me better:



1. What are your 3 must have scrapbooking products/tools? Computer for journaling and photos, glue, thickers.

2. What was the last scrapbook item you purchased? I bought the amazing Mistletoe line from Pink Paislee.

3. What was the last non-scrapbooking item you purchased? These awesome plates from pottery barn. I can’t wait to get them.
4. What scrapbooking item do you have way too much of? Thickers. And yet I never seem to have enough.

5. What scrapbooking embellishment or technique do you use on almost all of your pages? Journaling? If that doesn’t count, I don’t use this all the time but I love using stitching.

6. What was the last movie you saw in a movie theater? Oh wow, Twilight? I have a six-month-old baby. I don’t get out much.

7. What motivates you daily? My family. I love them.

8. What are your favorite scrap blogs? Well it’s not scrap but it’s art. I adore Rebecca Sower.



Now onto the scavenger hunt! Here is your question:



What are the names of the limited edition kits currently for sale in the AMM store?



Now head on over to Tonya’s blog for your next scavenger hunt question!

Daily Photos – October 17 2009



We went to the pumpkin patch today. Lots of shots coming, ignore this post if you don’t like tons of posts.



We went to Lemo’s Farm in Half Moon Bay. We rode the train.







We rode fake horses.







And real horses.







We played with fake pumpkins.







And real ones.







We even got a spider hat!







And here are a few cute ones just for fun.















I spent most of the rest of the day reading. I am not even halfway in my book this week. I will likely make some more progress tonight and tomorrow but I am not sure I can finish. Let’s see.

Daily Photos – October 16 2009



I love love LOVE love my family. I really adore them in every little way.







Good day today. And a pleasant, wonderful surprise at work. Nice way to end the week. Tomorrow’s the pumpkin patch!