New Half n Half Challenge at OSS!

Isn't this an adorable kit? Paula Duncan at onesingleseed.com has started the monthly challenge off, and you can read all about it HERE.

The rules are simple - purchase this darling FIRST half of the kit at an amazing price of $2.00, do a layout with it, post it in the gallery and put a link in the above thread to the layout (just so it doesn't get missed and we can all oooh and ahhhh) by July 31st. Paula will then send you the SECOND half FREE! A very fun challenge!

You can find the first half of the challenge kit HERE.

Sorry, but the links to the freebie quick pages made by the designers at One Single Seed have expired, but look for them as an ADD ON to this great July Mega Kit.

And my links to the My Favorite Guy blog train are still active...scroll on down to get it. FABULOUS huge kit, and if you haven't made all the stops, time is running out.

I am heading out tomorrow to pick up my third Australian Shepherd. I am so excited about him! He is Keno's littermate and he's a blue merle with one darling blue eye. Pictures coming soon! This is it, folks - NO MORE AUSSIES! LOL Although, they tell me Aussies are like potato chips, you can't have just one! All of the dogs - Izzy, Pearl and Keno, have been in obedience training and are doing well. We found an amazing instructor who uses operant conditioning methods. As soon as they hear the "click" of the clicker, we have their full attention. They see it all as one big game and get so excited when we all load in the car and head to Katherine's house. And best of all, Eric and I are learning right along with the dogs. I think we needed instruction more than they did. Enjoy your week!

All Aboard! OSS July Mega Kit Blog Train Freebie QPs!

Oh my! The designers at onesingleseed.com had such a good time with the YUMMY color palette this month! In fact, we had so much fun we decided to create quick pages to share with our blog readers.

Travel from blog to blog, get to know the designers at OSS, grab a couple of quick pages from each blog, and when you are finished you will have enough for a WHOLE album. How COOL is that?? Pretty cool, especially in this HOT month of July! But you need to hurry - they will only be available until July 6th as freebies. After that, they will go into the store at onesingleseed.com. Have a peek at the preview, but I have to tell you, the preview doesn't begin to show all the beautiful items in this mega kit. Hurry over here to check it out. http://digistore.onesingleseed.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33&products_id=2313

Here are my contributions - I hope you enjoy them!

LINK EXPIRED

Head on over to the other stops on this month's Blog Train and grab your beautiful goodies! p.s. Don't forget to leave some lovin' for the designers of these fab quick pages - I can promise you we LOVE your comments!















Flower Scraps - http://flowerscrap.blogspot.com
Paula Duncan - http://paulasessentials.blogspot.com/
Truly Scrap Designs - http://trulyscrapdesigns.blogspot.com/
Ambowife Designs - http://tazmanianshe-devil.blogspot.com/
Mad Scrapper Designs - http://madscrap.blogspot.com

Have a great week and I'll see you soon!

DST June Blog Train is leaving the station!!

Allll aboard! DST's June Blog Train is titled "My Favorite Guy", and it's FABULOUS! Here is my contribution:

DOWNLOAD HERE

The next stop on your journey is Mad genius Designs at http://bothmadandgenius.blogspot.com

Hurry on over and please don't forget to leave some lovin' for the many designers who have contributed to make this FABULOUS mega kit! For full details, and a list of ALL the designer's blogs, please visit http://www.blogtrainblog.blogspot.com

Have a peek at the goodies that await you on June's Blog Train!

Please remember that designers from all over the WORLD are participating, so if a blog on the list doesn't have their contribution up yet, just consider the possible time difference and check back a little later. Enjoy the blog train and I'll see you soon!

The Newest Addition to Our Aussie Family

Those of you that know me are aware of my love and fascination of Australian Shepherds, which started with my beloved JJ. JJ was with me for 11 years and went to the Rainbow Bridge last December at the age of 13. Since then, Riveroaks Traveln' on Route 66, better known as Izzy, came to live with us. And I'm proud to announce that two weeks ago, Meenzer's King High Ticket, aka Keno, has joined our family!

Although my heart has longed for another Blue Merle like JJ, fate has brought two beautiful Black Tri's to me, and I'm perfectly okay with that. To me, black tri's are elegant and and their coat patterns are interesting. And on the plus side, they usually don't carry as much coat as the merles which is a bonus for a working person like me! Less brushing, grooming and vacuuming! LOL

Keno is 14 weeks old now, and is a bundle of energy. He is SUCH a sweetheart! Gentle and absolutely fearless, thanks to the excellent start in life that Angela (the breeder) provided for the litter. I was amazed and impressed that Angela spent so much time and effort socializing these puppies - many breeders do not do that. But Angela's puppies go to their new homes as happy and confident puppies, ready for their new lives, whether it be as a pet or in the competition ring. THANK YOU, Angela, and thank you for trusting me with him!

Our plan is to show Keno, although it will be a new experience for me. I hope Keno will forgive me for the mistakes I am bound to make! LOL

Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check back tomorrow when we launch the June DST Blog Train. Oh my - the color palette is AWESOME, and with almost 100 designers participating, it is one huge mega kit! I promise you will love it! See you soon!

Burst of Spring Add-On Freebie!

Good morning! Dawn of Snowsmoon's Designs and I have had SO much fun with Burst of Spring that we just can't seem to quit on it! Today, I have a mini add-on for you as a sample of this beautiful kit. If you haven't picked it up yet, better hurry while it is still on sale at the outstanding price of $2.00 at onesingleseed.com. You can find it HERE and it will be on sale until April 15th. Check out the slide on the side bar to see previews and sample layouts done with Burst of Spring. We hope you love it as much as we do!



DOWNLOAD HERE

This add-on contains a paper, a ribbon, a decorated frame and two beautiful flowers. Thanks for stopping by, and please check back here AND at Snowsmoon Designs for MORE Burst of Spring freebies! We appreciate your support!

New Collab with Snowsmoon and DST Blog Train!

It's here! Dawn of Snowsmoon's Designs and I have a NEW collab available at onesingleseed.com! It's called Burst Of Spring, and it truly IS bursting with beautiful elements and papers to scrap all your springtime layouts! To celebrate our first adventure together, Burst of Spring is ON SALE for $2.00 until April 15th!
You can find it HERE I loved working with Dawn - WOW - what a TALENTED lady! heh heh, that gal has it all together, I tell ya! AND be sure to visit Snowsmoon's store at onesingleseed.com where she will be filling her store with ALL NEW, very exciting kits! YOU GO, girl!

Also, our FAB CT, Darlene aka Scrapee has not one, but TWO layouts in the running for Layout of the Month at One Single Seed. Please, while you are checking out Burst of Spring, stop by this thread and vote for your favorite. p.s. I like Layout #2 :)




















More exciting news! The Blog Train at DST starts today! Here is my contribution, and I hope you enjoy it! This one is HUGE, ladies and gents! At last count, over 90 designers have contributed this time, with hundreds of papers and elements. The train leaves the station at 12:00 PST, and since there are contributors from all over the WORLD, please allow 24 hours for all links to be active. You can read all about it here: http://www.blogtrainblog.blogspot.com/



Download my portion HERE

And then hop on over to the NEXT stop on the Blog Train to: http://kalodesigns.com/wordpress/

Once again, please allow a little time for everyone to get their links active. And please, while downloading each portion, take a few seconds to say THANK YOU to the designers who contributed and are sharing their lovelies with the digiscrapping world!

That's all for me today - I'll be back with some layouts to share using Burst of Spring, and maybe some freebies to kick start your spring scrapping! Have a great day!

What a week coming up!!

As my good friend Dawn of Snowsmoon's Designs said, Ladies - clear out your hard drives! Wow..this is going to be ONE exciting week! First of all, Dawn and I will be debuting our very first collab on April 1st at onesingleseed.com! I can tell you this, my friends, if you LOVE purple and peach and pink, you'll adore THIS one. Want a sneak peak?


Heh heh..that's not very fair is it? Well, just be sure to come back on April 1st for a full preview and lots more details PLUS the launch of the DST Blog Train! Oh my - this one is GORGEOUS! For those of you who have never been on a blog train, it works like this: A post at DST will list all the designers who are participating, with links to their blogs. You start at the first one and download the FABULOUS piece of the kit offered by that designer. There will be a link in that post to the NEXT designer's blog on the list. On and on you go, until you have all the pieces of a most wonderful kit! Linda at Bon Scrapatit Designs, Dawn at Snowsmoon's Designs, Sassy and I are all participating in the blog train this time, so be sure to visit our blogs for more updates! Have fun, and don't forget to leave some lovin' for the ones who have worked so hard on this beauty. Your comments keep us going, ya know :)

If you haven't visited Snowsmoon's Designs and Bon Scrapatit Designs, you are TRULY missing out on some STINKIN' CUTE freebie kits!! Linda and Dawn participated in KimB's color challenge, and YOU reap the benefits! But PLEASE HURRY! Dawn's portion will be up until April 1st, when it goes into her store. Grab it NOW!! This really is a case of "you snooze, you lose!" ROFL!

And speaking on Snowsmoon's Designs, there are only a couple of days left on her clearance sale at OSS! I cannot believe she is offering all her kits for $2.00! Wow, ladies..there are some beauties there at bargain basement prices. Be sure to check out her "Bugs" kit especially. Our super CT, Scrappee, won Layout of the Day using this kit, and it is sooooooo cute! Check 'em out HERE. Dawn is retiring all those kits April 1st when she launches ALL NEW items! I've seen some previews, and they are WONDERFUL! Exciting stuff, I tell ya!

Whew - What a week this will be for digiscrappers! Keep checking back for more updates as things are happening FAST! Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you soon!

Quick Page Freebie with Shimmerin' Shamrocks!

I had the extreme pleasure of getting to work with my good friend Linda Walton's beautiful Shimmerin' Shamrocks kit this past week! I finally got to scrap a photo of my own celtic beauty, my darling daughter Shauna. Linda's kit was PERFECT for the look I wanted, and we decided to share the quick page with you!

Linda has launched Shimmerin' Shamrocks at onesingleseed.com, and you can find it HERE



I think you'll love Shimmerin' Shamrocks for all sorts of layouts, not just for St. Patrick's Day! Please enjoy this little gift, and I'll be back in a day or so with another Quick Page freebie done with a kit by another good friend, Dawn of Snowsmoon's Designs! See you then!



DOWNLOAD HERE

Layout Share - Scrappee's Grammy & Me

My good friend Darlene aka Scrappee has been at it again! Her second layout using my kit Family Traditions has been chosen Layout of the Day at onesingleseed.com AND is in the running for Layout of The Week! The MOST PRECIOUS photo of herself and her grammy, as well as Darlene's impeccable layering, have made this a layout to remember. This is heritage scrapping at its best! I hope you'll drop by the forum over there and vote for YOUR favorite layout because there are some FABULOUS ones in the running this week. Of course, Darlene and I would dearly LOVE to have your vote! wink wink :)

Click on Darlene's beautiful layout to go VOTE!



Family Traditions is still on sale 50% off at onesingleseed.com where the Grand Opening is still in progress. It's been a fun, crazy week over there, and you still have time to get in on the fun! See you there!

Grand Opening at One Single Seed!

It's FINALLY here! Treasures to Scrap is now officially One Single Seed! And there is a week-long celebration going on! Everything in the store is AT LEAST 25%, with many things 50% off and more, including some VERY nice freebies! Click on the pic to be taken to the Forum where you can read all about the fun week ahead. I hope to see you there!

What an EXCITING week! a SALE and a FREEBIE!

This has been such a fun week for me! First of all, my good friend Darlene aka Scrapee, made a most BEAUTIFUL layout using my new kit, Family Traditions. She posted it at One Single Seed, and within hours it was chosen Layout of the Day! Wooo hooo! WAY TO GO, DARLENE!! AND her layout is in the running for Layout of the Week! The competition is VERY stiff as there are some FABULOUS layouts this week. Please, if you can - stop by One Single Seed and vote for Darlene's layout HERE.

This is Darlene's layout, and I am sure you will agree with me that it is FABULOUS!



And then, another very good friend, Dawn of Snowsmoon Designs made THIS awesome layout using Family Traditions! AND to make it even better, she is offering the Quick Page of this layout, minus the photo and text, as a FREEBIE on her blog! Dawn, THANK YOU!!! It's simply amazing, we so appreciate your generosity! Hurry over to Dawn's blog HERE and pick up this FAB FREEBIE!



I am so humbled that these extremely talented ladies chose Family Traditions to scrap their photos, and I am celebrating with a SALE! Family Traditions is available at One Single Seed 50% off! You can find it HERE

One Single Seed is a fast growing, new scrapbooking site! If you haven't visited lately, you will be thrilled with the new look and all the EXCITING things going on over there starting March 9th during the GRAND OPENING! Not only do they offer digi kits, but absolutely adorable paper kits as well. Check out the gallery to see layouts using these kits - you'll be amazed. AND..there are many genuinely NICE people there. :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

My Newest Kit - Family Traditions

Good morning, everyone! Busy weekend planned here with a visit from my father in law. He's such a NICE man and really enjoy having him. But before I start the cooking and panic housecleaning LOL I wanted to share a scraplet made with my newest kit, Family Traditions. Those of you that know me are aware that HERITAGE kits are my all-time favorites, and genealogy is my second love. Throughout the years, I have managed to trace my Watson side to my gggrandfather, James Watson. Family tradition says he "came from Scotland", but research leads us to believe it was actually HIS father that arrived here sometime around 1750. You know all those polls that say "Who would you like to have dinner with?" Well, for me it would be JAMES WATSON. Oh! The questions I would ask him, and I would savor every little piece of that conversation!

This is one reason I love scrapbooking. I am hoping future generations will enjoy my layouts made with our precious family photos. Some of the photos are not good quality, but they are my treasures anyway. Nothing gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes to come across one, or to find bits of information about my Watson line on the internet.

I created Family Traditions in rich shades of gold and red. I hope you find it useful for scrapping your heritage photos, and I would SO love to see any layouts you have done with it! To help you get started, here is my first layout done with it. This is my grandfather and grandmother, Audie and Agnes Watson. The partial photo is of their son, my father, Guy Watson. You can find Family Traditions HERE at One Single Seed.



And by the way, if you haven't visited Treasures to Scrap lately, you will find EVERYTHING is new, including the name! It is now One Single Seed. Mosey on over and check out the BEAUTIFUL new site. The Grand Opening will be coming up VERY soon with sales and fun challenges! It's all very exciting and you won't wanna miss it!

I hope you'll visit again next week when I have Scraplet #2 for your downloading pleasure! Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!



DOWNLOAD SCRAPLET #1 HERE

A Song for New Beginnings

Several years ago, when I married Eric, an old boyfriend sent this song to me. I was so touched by the lyrics that it became one of my favorite songs. Somewhat later, my darling second daughter moved to New Zealand, as far as she can get from me and still be on the same planet. My broken heart remembered this song, and how appropriate it is for a parent and child relationship, and I sent it to her. Recently, I sent it to a good friend to use in a slide show of his beloved niece. His niece is handicapped, and he is constantly reminded he won't always be there to wrap her in his love and care.

And now, some very dear friends of mine are embarking on a journey of their own. I am sending this to you, my friends - to tell you I'm happy for you, and excited, and that you can always count on me. I'll be here for you.

"When You Come Back Down" - by Nickel Creek, a song about New Beginnings, faithfulness and devotion for a friend, lover or beloved child. I hope you will take the time to listen to the lyrics. I'm going to leave this up for a bit, so I can listen, too..and be reminded how valuable old friends are to me.

I'll be back this weekend with an announcement of my newest kit, Family Traditions, and a scraplet or two to help you kick-start your heritage scrapping! For now, thank you to everyone for your support. You mean the world to me :)

Adorable layout!

I just had to share an adorable layout done by my good friend, Scrappee aka Darlene! She surprised me by emailing this cutie that she did of Izzy and Pearl. Thank you, Darlene, for making my day and putting smile on my face! You RAWK!

Updates on Izzy & Pearl

Wow - I'm just amazed at the progress these two girls are making! Izzy is now officially the love of my life. LOL She is my constant companion, always at my feet or by my side. It appears to me that everything an Aussie is, Izzy is DOUBLE it. I always knew JJ was smart, but I honestly think Izzy has her beat. Perhaps that is because she is young, and throughout the years I forgot how smart JJ was when she was a young dog. Izzy never takes her eyes off me, and watches every move I make. I think she would make a FABULOUS agility dog - so focused on me and what I want from her. When she plays in the backyard, she is POETRY in MOTION as she glides around at the speed of light!

Given that she lived her entire life in a kennel, she has learned so much in the past couple of months. She was never fearful, but confused by strange situations and people. Housebreaking was a breeze, leash training is coming along great (not her fault the weather has been so crappy that we don't have much practice time), she is actually now friends with one of the cats. This cat adored JJ, and is determined that Izzy is now going to be HER dog! Too funny.

She goes willingly to her crate when it's time for me to go to work - well, willingly for a little bite of cheese :) When I come home at lunch to give them potty breaks, or when I come home at night, she literally cannot stop WIGGLING for joy! She has a goofy nature, and laughs as only an Aussie can do.

I never thought I could love a dog as much as I do JJ. JJ will FOREVER be in my heart - I still burst into tears sometimes when I think of her. But I think Izzy is a gift to me - to heal my broken heart and to teach me even more about this incredible breed, the Australian Shepherd. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing her an injustice by making her my pet. She is so smart and so talented, I believe she could be a star with the right training. With me, she will live her life by my side, loved, enjoyed and adored. And she will grow old and fat, right along with me. LOL I hope it's enough.

Pearl is doing AMAZINGLY well! She is putting on weight and learning her place in our household. Eric simply ADORES that dog, and the feeling is mutual. I am trying hard to not bond with Pearl because she is supposed to be Eric's dog, which is okay with her. She prefers Eric! LOL Although we thought she was an Australian Shepherd mix, turns out she is Border Collie mixed with something that has COAT galore! She has a double coat - TONS of it. Haven't figured out what it is yet, but it really doesn't matter, does it? She's a wonderful little dog and we are thrilled that we found her. She is feeling good enough now that she plays with toys, throws balls up in the air and LEAPS to catch them with her front paws. She is SO cute!

On a sadder note, we have lost our 15 year old Red Heeler. Abby, you were a good dog. We adopted you 10 years ago after the Oklahoma City tornado, where you lost your previous people. You were on Death Row in the Yukon animal shelter. Pets For People rescued you, and we adopted you one Sunday afternoon in January for Eric's youngest son, Tristan. I will never forget your big, liquid brown eyes. You were such a sweet girl, and you taught everyone around you, humans and animals, many valuable lessons. I love you, Abbygirl. Rest in peace, tell JJ hi for me, and I will see you again someday. It's a promise.

Haven't gotten much scrapping done this week as Eric and I had a stomach virus that lasted ALL week. Man, it's a rough one and I sure hope all of you miss it. Hopefully, I'll be back soon with some goodies for you!

Sweet Thing - Scraplet #4

Good Sunday morning, everyone! Today is the fourth and final installment of the scraplet freebies for Sweet Thing. I hope you have enjoyed these little "boosts" to your Valentine layouts. And I'd like to take this opportunity to give a BIG thank you to Connie Prince for her layered templates. I have been a fan of Connie's for quite some time now, and am always eager to add her new template sets to my arsenal. Someday I hope to have them all! I have used others, but always go back to Connie's because of the detail and ease of use in her templates. Connie sells her templates at Gotta Pixel and Divine Digital, and I know you'll LOVE her templates if you choose to try them.

Here's a little tip - Sometimes you get a kit that you really, really love, but the mojo just is NOT working for you, or the photos are not at hand. Go ahead and make your own scraplets using templates or your own sketches. Having several pages in a draft state lets you see how they will look in your book or gallery. When the photos are ready, or the "Scrapping Muse" visits you again...LOL..your pages are there just waiting for your finishing touches. Instant scrapbook! Fun stuff, I tell ya.

Enjoy your week, and thanks again for all your kind comments! Hugs all around...and I'll see you NEXT week with updates on Izzy and Pearl!



DOWNLOAD HERE

Sweet Thing Scraplet #3

Good Scrappin' Sunday morning, everyone! It's my pleasure to offer you Scraplet #3 in the series made with my kit Sweet Thing. I hope you are enjoying these little bits of Valentine love, and they will give you a little boost in scrapping your SWEETEST layouts. btw..in case I haven't mentioned it lately, Sweet Thing is available HERE at Treasures to Scrap, and it's on SALE 50% off through Valentines Day.

I got a little early Valentine gift when Eric laid a WHOLE handful of Russell Stover candy hearts by my supper plate the other night. Wooo hoo! The man KNOWS how I adore chocolate, and so far the caramel one has been my favorite. Still have Butterfinger, strawberry and marshmallow to go, so I'll let you know which one WINS this taste test. Hmmm...now if only there was a TURTLE one, I think it would be a no-brainer! LOL Chocolate, caramel and pecans do belong to a food group, don't they? :)

Is everyone ready for the BIG GAME? I'm sure lots of you will be having bowl parties and lots of company! Here at Lainson Manor, the game will be going on in the background, but I plan to make GOOD use of this Sunday and get some scrapping done. Seems I'm waaaaaaaaaay behind, but isn't that always the case? More precious photos than TIME!

Enjoy your Sunday, and I'll be back later with Scraplet #4! See you then!



DOWNLOAD HERE

Sweet Thing Scraplet 2

Happy Sunday, everyone! Thank you for all your kind comments about Sweet Thing, and I hope you enjoy the scraplets I have created using it. Here is Scraplet #2, and I hope you'll visit again next Sunday for another installment.



DOWNLOAD HERE


Yesterday was an exciting day for us! As many of you know, we have been looking for another Australian Shepherd to join our family. Well, we found Pearl (as we named her) on Petfinder, less than an hour away from us. Pearl was on death row, and 5 minutes from euthanasia. Thanks to a VERY kind, compassionate lady she was saved from that. Pearl is at least 10 pounds underweight and was horribly matted. She's a little rough right now, so I'm not going to post a lot of pictures. I want her to have some good food, grooming and lots of love from us first so you can appreciate what a beautiful girl she is. She was obviously someone's pet because of her training, and we will never know how she wound up in such bad shape and on death row. What we DO know is that she is in her forever home with Izzy and our 15 year old Red Heeler, Abby.

My Newest Kit - Sweet Thing

Hi everyone! I've been busy this week creating a new valentine kit called "Sweet Thing". If you REALLY love hearts and red like I do, you'll like this one! The kit is done in shades of red, coral and pink with lots of satin flowers, hearts and ribbon knots to attach to the half page border, the journal block or the tag. Have fun adjusting the colors on them and layering them for your own special touch.

Sweet Thing is available now at Treasures to Scrap, and to celebrate its launch, it's on SALE for $2.50! What a DEAL!



I've made a gift for you to go along with Sweet Thing, too! It's a set of four scraplets, and I'll be uploading one every Sunday. I hope you enjoy them and come back to collect the whole set!



DOWNLOAD HERE

Special Offer!

I am slowly getting my feet wet at Treasures to Scrap and I must tell you - there are some EXCITING things in store over there! Hee hee... can't tell you just yet, but I can give you a little hint - everything will be NEW! I am terrible at keeping secrets, so that's all I'm gonna say for now! LOL

I have had several emails asking about my December Download A Day at ostenwilkinsdesigns.com and if it will be available. To answer your question - YES! It is now at Treasures To Scrap, and it's on SALE! Don't you just LOVE a sale? From now until the end of January, the kit along with ALL the bonuses previously offered are on sale for $2.00! Whooot! What a bargain!

You can find it HERE



Off to work now.... I owe, I owe, so it's off to work I go! LOL Have a GREAT FRIDAY everyone!