Last full day of fair

Well fairs almost over, just this last day before they have to clean up and move the animals. I can't believe how fast the week went! I took about 300 photo's again yesterday, just enough for some great layouts! Today are the awards, more photos!!

Here's todays freebie
Sorry link removed
There are 8 unique freebies, 1 for every day of fair. I just used the same preview because of limited net access. So, remember if you've missed a fair week freebie, go to the original fair week post to see how you can still get them

happy scrapping

maryanne

4H Dance today

Hi everyone,
Thanks for your great comments! Just wanna remind you I have very limited net use this week, so if you've asked me something I'll try to get back to you by the first of next week.
Today's the dance, more chances for photo's
Oh I forgot they want to do the club photo today, gotta run
Here's todays Freebie

Sorry link removed

MaryAnne

Auction day

Hi everyone,
It's 6:48 am, I can't believe how little sleep I get this week, lol.
But today is the day of the auction, so there's no time for a nap.
I can't wait to go back to my own bed!!!
I hope everyone is enjoying the freebies.
I saw only 59 downloads of yesterdays, so I'll leave it up a bit longer
Today's Freebie

Sorry link removed

MaryAnne

Wednesday...

Ride Day!

Got 500+ photo's of the pig show yesterday.
Don't forget tonight, Wednesday July 6th 9pm is DXD Mega Kit Chat
the kit will be on sale and there are freebies for everyone
today's Freebie

Sorry link removed

If you've missed a fair week freebie, see my note on the first day of fair for how you can still get it.
Happy Scrapping,
MaryAnne

show day

Hi everyone,
Whats worse than having insominia?
Having insomnina at the fair grounds, the animals wake up at like 4:30am!
Sorry link has been removed

Happy scrapping
maryanne

That time of year...

Hi everyone,
Well it's that time of year again. My girls have been gone for 4 days now over to their Aunt and Uncles for fair and I must go now too. (I just miss them so much! but don't tell them, lol)
Tomorrow, Tuesday is the day of the pig show so I'll be heading over to show my support and take lots of photo's, therefore my computer time is very very limited. So here's something for you.

Darn my poem isn't very readable, lol. Well here's what is says: I‘m off to the fair, where computer time is limited, but photo ops are found.I’ll post a template a day, which one I can’t say.Visit, download and then take a peak. show me your wonderful creations by then next time we speak. I’ll have another little surprise for you all, don’t know if it’s big, can’t say if it’s small. This offer is limited so please don’t delay, go and get your Simple Stacks Template Freebie today.
Like this ad says, this offer is limited! Since I am a nut about my freebies and my numbers, I will try to post 1 template a day, but I won't know which one it is and these will only be available for a short time! (just a day or so)

If you missed one that you just have to have, send me an email with a link to a Simple Stacks layout you've created and which day you've missed during fair week and I'll see what the freebie fairy can do when we get home early next week.
Don't forget the blog challenges on the right side of this page and DXD's Mega Kit Chat 9pm on Wednesday August 6th!
When I get back I hope to have a little more information on creating yearbooks with Simple Stacks for you.
Until then,
Happy Scrapping
MaryAnne


Oops, I almost forgot you can get today's sorry link has been removed

Edited to say: Thank you to all who collected my Fair Week Freebies. Sorry all Fair week freebie links have now been removed. mc 8/13/08

No power :( again!!

Hi everyone,

Sorry I'm late if you visited earlier.

We awoke at 6 am due to a power out!

No storms, no nothing, just nothing!

It was pretty frustrating, since dh made me go to bed early on Saturday after watching movies all evening. I'm starting to go through withdrawl, lol.

The good news is I waited them out! They said we wouldn't have power again until 11:36pm Sunday. I laid in the livingroom willing to doze if I would, but I didn't and the second the power was restored, 10:15pm, I checked the freezer and booted up my computer!

Now I don't have any layouts to share, that's the bad thing about digi scrapping. Unless you have a laptop and I'm in negotiations for one.

I just visited the DXD Store and you can now pick up your own copy of the DXD Mega Kit Country Foliage for the low sale price of $3.99 for a limited time.

This is a great deal, I loved playing with the collection this week. It has 80+ papers and over 100 elements, check it out

Even though I couldn't scrap, I had my Simple Stacks Templates ready to share.

So here is today's Simple Stacks Template Freebie

Download it here.

It's only 10:41pm, so I'm off to scrap!

Happy Scrapping,

maryanne

ps. be sure to check out my blog challenges in the right hand column, I'd love to send a Simple Stacks Prize pack to you!

Pss. I finished my layout for today, no more withdrawls, lol. Well ok I almost finished one. This one my dd has to finish for me. I'm going to have her do the journaling. I don't do that enough, it sure makes "completing" a layout easy for me, lol.

I used a hand stamped alpha created by Michelle Coleman and Phoebes Garden QP created by Lindsay Jane Designs (altered to fit in a Simple Stack Album)

ttyl

maryanne

Finished my work

Hi Everyone,

Yeah me!! I finished my DXD Mega Kit Quick Pages this morning. The Quick Pages are used on the first Wednesday of the month at 9pm during the Digi By Designs chat.The August 2008 Mega Kit is awesome! I don't see it in the store yet, but I'll let you know when it's on sale, in case you're interested.

So with my work done, I played! Only 8 more layouts for dd#1's 2006-2007 yearbook to go now. Here's the one from this morning.

I used Simple Stacks Template 109, so this will be todays Simple Stacks Template Freebie!

Download it Here

taking a break, dh asked how I can sit and do this so long, lol.

Happy Scrapping,

MaryAnne

Create a brag book, but stay away from an OMG moment, ok maybe 4 hours lol...

Hi everyone,
If you've visited me for a while now, then you probably know I work daily to create my daughters each a yearbook, using a standart 4x6 photo album. It's inexpensive and fun. While I do this, I post freebies for everyone and usually include some kind of layout both for an example and so I can brag about my girls.
Last night, actually really really early this morning, I began "dealing" with a computer situation that has been pestering me for about 2-3 weeks. Really I'm not a procrastinator. I just hate changing things on my system. If it's not broken why fix it, kwim? Well in the middle of "creating" I began working to get the program to stop pestering me. A short, or rather a long, time later, since it was 12am - 4am, I restarted my computer in every kind of way possible (safe mode, safe mode with networking, etc.) I really thought I had done it this time. I'm a software nut. I enjoy seeing what I can make software do. But I do not like virus or anti spyware programs. They ALWAYS mess my computer up for a great amout of time. Time I could be scrapping! It was so bad I had to complete my newest layout in safe mode, lol. By 4am I had had enough. I figured I'd have to ask dh for help tonight. So I went to bed. Needless to say it bothered my sleep. I went over the events multiple times. Questioning how I did this or why'd it do that. I'm happy to say I at least managed to uninstall the program in question! So I could get back to work, lol.
Ok then, I'm working!
In my comments yesterday, someone asked what an "electric guy" would want with a hog? (my sister would be so proud of me) here's where I get to "educate" in case you never knew.
4H offers a variety of agricultural opportunities to members. My girls are in the 4H club 2 hours to the east. My sister and bil are their leaders, great ones too. So every year my girls visit their aunt and uncle, or as dd#2 states "my summer house", multiple times during the summer to get everything ready for fair. They participate in multiple areas at fair, including livestock contests and indoor projects. Well one thing they do is "show pigs". My dh always asks, "what do they show them? lol" I never know if he's kidding or not. Anyway, they get in the ring and walk these almost 300 lbs animals around while a judge stands or walks around. The judge chooses 1-6 place of which child "shows" the animal best or in the case of Market Hogs, which animal is the most desirable based on multiple criteria. After the show, the kids choose 1 animal to put in the auction. Benefactors come to the auction and purchase these animals for anywhere from .60 cents a pound to $7.00 a pound. The benefactors buy the animals for multiple reasons - to support the children who are participating, to get meat to eat, etc. They will even buy an animal then send it back through the auction, so the kid can make more money from it. Basically giving a donation. Well my girls have been showing for 6 years now and they've never gotten over about .80/pound. But this doesn't bother them, because after it is all said and done my sister gives each girl a check for somewhere between $100.00 and $300.00, after taking "expenses" out of their fair checks. My girls use their "fair money" for mostly "educational opportunites" (saving a bit for college, taking a course, paying for education related expenses like playing volleyball, competitive cheer - since our school now has a pay to play policy and we just don't make enough to cover expeses) Like I said my sister and my brother in law are awesome leaders! They care so much about kids!! Anyway, if you ever have a chance to support a child in 4h, please consider doing so. If you have a business, you can even write it off your taxes!
Ok then, I have to show you how far I got on my layout.
If you'd like to leave the layout love please visit my gallery (it's so lonely, lol)
I used Simple Stacks Template 113, available
to download here (sorry to everyone who downloaded earlier this morning, I had a duh moment. This file includes the psd file of the template now. Three and a half hours of sleep is just not enough)
Cross your fingers for my ease in completing my computer corrections
Happy Scrapping,
MaryAnne

PS. I'm always on the look out for 4x6 quick pages. While browsing this morning I found a zoo quick page freebie and they've created some of them in a 4x6 portrait style. These could be used in your 4x6 album as individual pages!!

Here's a preview

Visit Creations By Rachael to pick them up.

maryanne

ok I think it's done :) full credits are in my Gallery

One more...

Hi everyone,

I finished Tyras 2006 fair layout!!! Yeah!

I used todays Simple Stacks Freebie

Download it Here

The girls left about 2 hours ago to get ready for this years fair. Funny how quiet the house gets, lol. Well I have somewhere near 123 layouts to do just to catch up the girls yearbooks and I have to complete DXD Mega Kit QP's before I head off to the fair.

ttyl

MaryAnne

Brag books have never been simplier...

Hi everyone,

I have this layout that I've been "thinking about" for a long time now, but I couldn't start. I'm not sure, maybe I didn't want to start, lol. After all if I didn't create a layout for it, did it really happen? I know one reason it was harder than it should have been, is because it was in 2007 and I didn't take as many photo's as I liked because I was in pain from my back then. My dd#2 figured out how to cope, she started taking her own photo's, lol. And man does she take them, here's one she took this week.I wish they had signed her up for photography class at the fair. This is priceless! She tries some amazine things with the camera.
So here I sat, limited photo's and no plan. But I never underestimate the "fly by the seat of your pants" technique. With a couple of odd elements from a variety of sources, it really is easy to make a Simple Stacks layout! Brag books have never been simplier.

Hey I was wondering do you all copy and save layouts you like in a special folder? So that way when you create a layout for yourself, you have some idea's to draw from. I've had a few friends say that's one thing they liked about my blogging about Simple Stacks. I have lots of layouts posted that are based on a Simple Stacks. If you pick up a Simple Stacks template and the layout I've posted using that template, you have a starting point and a concrete idea of ways to use the template. That said, here is the layout I finished last night

full credits and journaling are posted in my gallery

But I've done it again. This layout I didn't use any Simple Stacks, it just came out of my head while I was creating it.

I do have a Simple Stacks template freebie for you though,
Download it here

Going to pick up some photo's,
Happy Scrapping,
MaryAnne

You can't make a square peg fit into a round hole...

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I told you that you can use kits, Quick Pages, Word Art, etc., even if they are designed for 12x12's, along with Simple Stacks Templates. I should have realized this is probably new to most who are trying their hand at a 4x6 scrapbook. So in case you were one of 2 who asked more questions about this or you're wondering too, here's a quick little "tutorial".

Using something designed for a 12x12 layout with Simple Stacks:

When you're searching the net or your stash, for products you'd like to use in a scrapbook layout, you'll probably find a LOT designed for 12x12 layouts. Each kit, QP and Word Art will present it's own complications.

For Example with this 12x12 QP:

I notice:

the "window" where the photo will be is slightly to the left (so it won't have a page break directly in the center of the page split)

It's clear around the edges (so I won't be cutting off sections I like)

So to prepare this for my Simple Stacks layout, first I resize it to 8x8 or as close to it without going under (occassionally it will be 8.04 x 8.04, it all depends on the item, but when resizing it must be 8" or just above. If it's below 8" you will have a gap)

Then crop your new 8x8 to 8x6. You can crop between the 1 and 7 inch marks or anywhere on the vertical 8" side so the resulting 8x6 looks good.

Check where the 4" break will occur on the horizontal 8" side
You want to be careful the middle of your photo, journaling or title doesn't fall directly on the 4" crop line.

The result:

You can see the photo and it's not cut down the center. You can read the journaling and it's not broken akwardly in the text. You can read your title and it will not be cropped off.

Tricks to remember: You can always crop something smaller than 8x6 and put it on another background, even slightly askewed to make it look appealing in the smaller setting.

Clear as mud? If you have a specific item you are wondering about, please feel free to email me. Include either a screen shot of the item you are trying to use or link to where I can find a copy to check for you.

Well yesterday I got busy again!

Finished the "last" layout in Jessica's 2007-2008 book, just a few in the middle to do to go to catch up now, lol.

I used an incredible new kit "Not Boys, Just Girls", created by Sarah Kozul found here along with todays freebie. Full credits are included in the description found here.

Download it Here

Ok, here's the square peg part, lol. I used this template out of sequence. This is Simple Stacks Template 119, so there are a few between yesterday's template and today. Sorry if this causes any confusion, it just worked for my birthday layout.

Happy Scrapping,

MaryAnne

Simple Stacks make the best Brag Books...

Hi everyone,

Ok, so now I am officially 2 years behind in scrapping dd#1 and dd#3's yearbooks! But I've said that already. How am I going to fix it? I will be 2 years behind in dd#2's book by the 1st of October and dd#1 will graduate next spring, so I have to catch up soon. My plan is to catch up by October 1st!

Did you know Simple Stacks can be used with all kinds of kits, quick pages, word art, etc? That's one of the things I really enjoy about using them. All you have to crop or resize items to make them fit, if they are designed as 12x12's. Now not every design does work, but it's fun to try to see what you can make fit.

Today I found this beautiful 12x12 Quick Page Freebiecreated by Cinnamon Designs, found here.

After finding this QP, I went to look for a Simple Stacks that would work with it's design.

I found Simple Stacks Template 068, all I had to do was flip it horizontally.which was template freebie 9 found here, in case you haven't gotten it yet.

I put them together with a little word art found at Elegant word art by Bethany and another layout for my dd's yearbook is finished. Simple Stacks really do make the best Brag Books!

That said, I have a new Simple Stacks Template Freebie for you today

Download it Here

This weeks Blog Challenge:

Use a Simple Stacks Template from the last week until thursday of this week

along with a kit, quick page, word art, etc, either purchased or freebie

create a layout

post in any gallery of your choice

email me a link along with your name & email by Friday August 1st.

allow me to post on my blog with credits

and I'll send you a special prize.

Happy Scrapping,

MaryAnne

Sunday, sunday.... la la la la ....

Hi everyone,

Yesterday we had a great day. Jessica wanted to go see the new Disney movie Wall-e,so we drove to the city, visited with Grandma Peggy and went to the movies. Can't really say if the movie was good (I doozed off, lol). But she had fun anyway. We stopped at the market to pick up potatoes for dinner and she asked for a rose. She loves getting a flower when we go to that market. When she got into the car both her sisters complained, "Why does she get a rose? We've never gotten a rose!" "Because 1)it's her birthday and 2) she asked for it", lol. After the shopping it was time for dinner, cake, then the rest of her presents. For dinner it was steak, mashed potaotes and cucumbers. Then time for Sabrina to come over to help sing Happy Birthday and watch Jessica try to blow out the trick candles, just like Grandpa had. Finally dad got his present out, it was a pirate playmobile ship. That was a hit! Although she loved all the rest of her presents, dad playing with her was the best!

I took plenty of photos and set out bright and early to scrap some, since now I am officially 2 years behind on 2 of my dd's yearbooks, omg!

Here's one layout I finished, using a photo that jaime snapped of Jessica this morning:

I created about 10 new simple stacks today too! Oh yeah, Simple Stacks set 11 is now available at Digi by Design. But today I was working on blog freebies and blog challenge prizes.

Today's Simple Stacks Template Freebie

Download it Here

Thanks for visiting,

Gotta make dinner,

Happy Scrapping,

MaryAnne

Jessica's Birthday :)

Hi everyone,

Today is Jessica's Birthday, so even though I woke up at 7am, I'm running out of time quickly.

No time to scrap today, lol.

Now to answer Jody's Question/explain me, lol. Sorry if I've confused you Jody or anyone else. Have you ever started doing something one way and in the middle of doing it you change how you're doing it, want to seem to make it easier to keep track of? Well that's me. When I start something I think I've figured out the easiest way to keep track of it, but find I'm wrong, lol.

So I start doing something a little different. When I started giving away Simple Stacks Templates, I thought keeping track of them with freebie #'s would work. But then I started needing/wanting to keep track of how many photo's were on each Simple Stacks Template, both in my kits for sale and freebies. That way I have a variety. I know how many photo's on a template I may prefer is different from others. So in an attempt to be able to track that, I created a list of templates I've made. Well when I was trying to identify the templates the names kept mixing me up. So now I'm just creating templates, naming them sequentually, then deciding if they will become a kit for sale, a freebie, a blog prize, etc. So the numbering will skip around a bit, but they should continue to go up. For example the other day I found a way to make templates faster, so I made up 11 or 12. I looked at all I made and tried to put a balanced # of photo's in the set for sale. I had 2 templates with 1 photo, 2 templates with 2-3 photos and 2 templates with 4+ photos. Then the rest I marked for blog freebies and I'm posting them lowest # first until I run out again. Make sense to anyone else?

Like I said sorry if I've confused anyone.

Gotta run soon, I have a new Simple Stacks Template Freebie for you

Download it here

Happy Scrapping,

MaryAnne

oh, ps. the folders still have the freebie # on them in sequetial order, lol.

I'm so organzied, lol

Hi everyone,

well I'm still all the way across the state, visiting :)

We had a good day yesterday, Jessica selected a Scooby Doo and an Ice cream cone cake, lol.

She just wanted the ice cream cone filled with frosting!

I have a computer to visit, but this one is never going to create layouts it's too s l o w !!

And I did say I was organized, I may not be able to make any layouts or templates but I made some freebies and uploaded them and the previews before I left home so all I had to do was post them!

Here's Simple Stacks Template 099

Download it Here

Happy Scrapping,

MaryAnne

Freebie for the road...

Hi Everyone,

Well I'm on the road today to visit with my sister and celebrate Jessica's birthday with my family. I know this weekend will be swamped with her celebration so I got busy last night.

I created Simple Stacks Set 11 (available soon)

A layout

This one was tough for me, especially looking at this photo. I didn't see it then and it's all I can see now when I browse the photo's taken that day. The journaling was... just no words can describe it.

Journaling reads:

There's something about that vacant stare,

Things we didn't know when we were sitting there.

Now all we have are memories.

Instead of photo's of you and me.

I am thankful for you, then and now.

But would someone please tell me how?

How does the sun shine without you here?

How do the birds sing when you're not near?

How will I keep you in my heart?

That would be the place to start.

I will remember until I die.

I will remember and I will cry.

I loved you so very much.

I loved your smile, I loved your touch.

I will go on with just memories.

Because there's no more photo's of you and me.

~written by me

Moving on

I have Simple Stacks Template 097 for you today

Download it here

And there's more on their way :)

Happy Scrapping

Off to take pictures...

MaryAnne