The Creative Life

NSD Blog Challenge Winners...

Hey everybody! The CT got together and finally decided on the winners of the NSD blog challenge. The layouts were all fantastic, and truthfully, the CT was all over the place with this one. LOL! But we finally decided and the winners are...

THIRD PLACE ($10 Gift Card to Jen Wilson Designs): Serena

SECOND PLACE ($20 Gift Card to Jen Wilson Designs): Kim

And the FIRST PLACE Winner of a $50 Gift Card to Jen's shop is (drumroll please)... Felicia!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to all of you! They're all awesome layouts! April will be contacting all of you with your prizes. Thanks for joining in on the NSD fun, ladies! :)

Now go use your gift cards and make another layout for my Birthday Challenge posted down below. :)

Halfway to 70...

That's right ladies (and gentlemen?). It's Allison here (alienhard), and today I hit the mark of "halfway to 70". Sounds old, no? LOL! I've never been one to get hung up on my age (half the time I can't even remember how old I am... does that happen to anyone else?), so I'm just rolling with it. Unfortunately, I had to work late today, but now I'm enjoying an otherwise empty house while knocking back a few um, beverages. ;)

When Steve and the girls get home, we're getting some take-out hot wings, and I'm settling in for wings, beer, Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, and LOST. It doesn't really get much better than that. This weekend, Steve and I are heading out with a bunch of friends for (more) beverages, some karaoke, and a good time. I can't wait!

But enough about me. Let's talk about some fun you can all participate in. It's time for a birthday challenge! I have to be honest... I still haven't figured out what the challenge is. So I'm literally making this up as I type. Nothing like being spontaneous, right? LOL!

OK. So let's give this a whirl...

Challenge Guidelines

Theme:
Birthday... Run with it. I don't care if you scrap some birthday pictures of your or your kids, your favorite birthday you've had so far, what you plan to do on your next birthday, what three wishes you'd make on your birthday, how the Titanic sank on my brother's birthday (That's true actually... April 14th), etc. Do whatever you'd like, but it HAS to have something to do with birthdays.

Requirements:

• Must use the birthday theme mentioned above.
• Must use at least 50% Jen Wilson products.
• Must contain at least some journaling.

That's it. See? Easy. Pardon me? You want to know what's in it for you? Alrighty then. How about this....

Prizes:

• 1st Place: $10.00 gift card to Jen's shop.
   
• 2nd Place: $5.00 gift card to Jen's shop.

Deadline:
This Sunday, May 11th at midnight EST.

And because I'm feeling particularly generous this evening (thank the beverages for that), I will personally buy both winners a Maya Road chipboard album (haven't decided which ones yet). I'm making two really cool hybrid projects using some of their tabbed albums and Jen's digital stuff for my mom and mother-in-law for Mother's Day and I LOVE them. So I'm all about spreading the love. As soon as I finish them, I'll post pictures.

So c'mon ladies! Jump on in and give it a whirl! I'm excited to see your layouts! :)

Hey guys!

It's Allison (alienhard). I'm just popping in to say hi and to sort of apologize. I'm sorry we haven't been updating the blog much. It just seems like everyone on the CT has crazy stuff going on right now. Nothing earth-shattering. Just normal, everyday stuff that seriously cuts into computer time. Work deadlines... kids... extra-curricular activities... illnesses... etc. I swear, it hit everyone of us at the same time.

But don't lose hope. We'll be back on a regular basis soon. We'll certainly update here as often as we can, but don't be discouraged if it isn't daily. I'm totally confident though, that in the next few weeks, life will calm down a bit (or at least we'll all be adjusted to crazy spring/summer schedules a bit better) and we'll be back stronger than ever.

This isn't to say we won't be around at all right now. I just felt bad that we weren't updating here as often as we had intended. But we will again soon. I swear. :)

Check in this Thursday (May 8th) as a matter of fact. It's my birthday so I'm going to post a challenge. I have no idea yet what the challenge or prize will be, but in between a crazy, insane, no-way-on-god's-green-earth-it's-going-to-get-done work deadline, softball practice, t-ball practice, finishing hybrid Mother's Day gifts, cleaning my house, and trying to keep my two girls from beating the living tar out of each other, I should be able to think of something in the next 24 hours, right? Er... um... right? (Seriously, my brain is totally mush these days, but I'm pretty sure I'll think of something by then. LOL!)

Happy (Inter)National Scrapbooking Day!

Hey everyone, this is April!  In honor of (Inter)National Scrapbooking Day, I've put everything in the store up for 25% off (except a few already existing specials).

I'd also like to challenge everyone to create a layout about YOU and what you enjoy or appreciate about this amazing hobby of ours.  My husband complimented me to a friend the other day and said I was artistic, and I was so thrilled because I'd just always thought of myself as crafty.  Artistic!  That just sounds a whole lot better to me. :p  I've gotten so much out of digi-scrapping and so much from this community, and I'd love to hear other stories.  Maybe it's art therapy for you.  Maybe you're a clean and simple gal that's feverishly trying to catch up with a zillion years worth of photos and stories.  Maybe getting a ton of praise on a LO gives you the validation you feel you are lacking...whatever it is, it's a positive and beautiful and amazing experience. 

Post your LO (using at least one Jen product) in the Jen Wilson Designs gallery by 11:59 pm May 4th and be in the running for a few prizes!

Jen's not around so I'm going to get a little crazy here...

First prize is a $50 gift certificate to JWD
Second prize is $20
Third will be $10

I'm also going to make the CT pick the winners, bwaaahahahahahahaha!

So, enjoy the sale and get on those layouts!  I can't wait to learn more about our amazing Jen Wilson fans and see what you create.

Birthday Celebration!!!

Today's a special day for one of the members of Jen Wilson's Creative Team. Our dear friend, April, is celebrating her birthday today!!!! She doesn't even realize I know it's her birthday, so this is a little surprise post to celebrate her and her creative genius.

I browsed through her gallery and although I love ALL of her layouts for different reasons, I'm going to post 2 or 3 that are my extra special favorites. Then, I'm hoping that the other CT members will do the same. Let's fill the ol' blog up today with all of her wonderful creations. :)

April is the QUEEN of blending and extractions. A true expert and creative genius. I love to see what cool, creative thing she's going to do next on her layouts. So without further ado, here are some of my favorites (all of the images are clickable to take you to the complete credits)...

Layout of the Week

Wrapping up a very busy week over here for me- how's life been treating our readers?  The sun has been out in full force these past few days and while I LOVE it, my dh is already wishing for snow again...what to do with these guys, eh?  The kiddos in my neighborhood have been out playing football and tag and doing one of the things I always loved as a kid- riding bikes!  I remember vividly the first time I took off down the street on my yellow banana seat bike thinking my dad was still running behind me hanging on...and looking back to realize I was doing it all on my own!  Thyme4me's "Superstar" layout of her daughter's recent bike victory brought back so many memories- your page captures her excitement so vividly and I hope that you (and she) will be just as excited to be the Layout of the Week! 

Congratulations!  I'll be in touch with you over the weekend with a prize! 

Tuesday Template Challenge

We have a winner!  Congratulations go out to suzyjiverson for her LO "Roll Over".  And what a clever husband she has, too!  So, go give her some love you guys and check back here on Tuesdays to see if I've put another template up! 

Who's up for a new Template Challenge?  Go ahead and snag this template from the shop and post a link to your LO here for a chance to win a $5 gift certificate to Jen Wilson Designs!  Feel free to use any product you want on the template, Jen's or otherwise. :)  Just have fun!

And this is the template~

{How About a Little Lift?}

Hey ladies- it's time to liven up the place!  Let's get the party started in the gallery with a new scraplift challenge.  After looking through the gallery, I found this page "Alone" by Jayne (NellieRose) and knew it was just perfect!

Not only does it contain raw, heartfelt journaling, and lots of photos to tell her story, I love that she used the WHOLE page.  My challenge to you this week is to take some inspiration from Jayne's page and really use your space- create a page that really encompasses your WHOLE layout....tell a story...I mean use every ounce of your digi-scrapping power to put as much storytelling and detail into a page as possible.  When you're done, stop back over here and post a link to your page (contest ends at 11:59 EST on Sunday, April 20th).  You might just be this week's winner of a Jen Wilson gift card- and with those new goodies coming soon, you're gonna want this one!

Have a fabulous week!
Teresa

Layout of the Week

Hi there!  Lisa here with my pick for LOTW!  There are so many great layouts it was hard to choose!
This week i was captivated by Kim's layout my favourites

Her photos really draw me in, but then she always has her layouts set up with just the right elements and composition that makes them stand out be noticed.  Check out her gallery!

Trendy Thursday with Tay

Good morning trendsetters! This week's trend highlight is about the obvious: hybrids. They're hot right now. And I mean REALLY hot. Hybrid cards have always been a favorite but we're seeing more altered items as scrappers discover they've only scratched the surface of what can be made. Bracket albums, like Sara's, have taken off and chipboard books are on the rise. For anyone looking to join me on the cutting edge, home decor hybrids are up-and-coming and offer an incredibly low-cost way to customize your interior.

If you're new to hybriding or you've never done one before, I suggest starting with cards or gift tags. Every hybrider will need basic cardstock, good scissors with a fine-tip, dry adhesive (like glue dots or tape runners) and stamping inks. Most people find it easiest to print paper sheets resized to small squares and elements singly and then cut them out and assemble them together on a card. For the cost of 3 greeting cards, you can purchase enough supplies to make dozens of custom cards and gift tags!

Feeling a little more creative and daring? Try your hand at altering paper maché and wood items. For this you'll need unfinished items no longer in length than your printer can print, unless you are planning to have your digital supplies lab printed on larger paper. You'll also need Mod Podge Matte, sponge brushes, craft paint and sand paper. It's as simple as measuring your item, scrapping something to fit, printing, cutting and glueing over the painted piece! When you're done, be sure to photograph it for the gallery, we'd love to see how fabulous you are! (And in keeping with the sudden but raging hybrid trend, MSA has added a new hybrid gallery category to their site, giving you another place to show off all your creative work!)

If you're stuck, browse through Jen's Paper Packs and look for colors and designs that match your taste and current home color scheme. Find a quote you love and let your creativity flow from there. Happy Hybriding!