Summertime Designs

Got the kit! Thank you thank you!

2012-02-02T21:26:00.001-08:00

Thank you to Ashley Williams and Nicole Nechanicky for taking the time to get me the Autumn Blanket kit. It pays to serve others! I would be happy to make 2 new kits per your color/theme requests (I can't stress myself out with a deadline however). Please send me an email and when I get the time I will get to work on them. Thank you again!

~Summer

Still need the kit!

2012-02-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

Hola peeps! I still haven't gotten the kit. If it's simple enough for someone to do, then my email address is mamadriggs@yahoo.com

Thanks so much!

~Summer

HUGE FAVOR!!!!!

2012-01-30T17:23:00.000-08:00

There was a mix-up with someone who purchased my kits from Two Bucks That's All when I had it up and running. They weren't able to download the kits in time and now the links are no longer valid. I lost my Autumn Blanket kit from my hard-drive and it's gone forever. Is there anyone out there who purchased the Autumn Blanket kit that would be able to re-upload it to a website (like 4shared.com or yousendit.com) that could email me with the links so I can get them to this person? Please let me know! I will create my next kit out of whatever colors you choose! (I'm trying to find the time to do a Valentine's kit, so if I do, then yours will be the kit after that). Thanks so much!

~Summer

If you can sew, and you have a little free time, then can I ask a favor of you?

2012-01-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends! I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter-Day Saints. I wrote all about my faith in a post that you can read here. Anyways, you've probably seen our commercials on TV where people share a little about their life and then it ends with something like, "My name is Summer. I'm a digital scrapbook designer, and I'm a Mormon."

Something that I love about my religion is that we truly try to live as Christ would live if he were on the earth today. I am sure that you have found that when you do nice things for others, not only are the people you serve blessed, but YOU feel blessed and happy too.

We believe in the Bible, but we also believe in a second book called the Book of Mormon. (You can read the difference between the two here). In the Book of Mormon there is part of a verse that I love. In Alma chapter 37 verse 6, it says, "...by small and simple things are great things brought to pass."

That one little line is where I am coming to you with an opportunity for anyone who would like to do something small that would make a big impact.

Our church is constantly working on humanitarian projects all over the world, but there is one currently that we (here in a small corner of Tucson, AZ) are working on. This project is called, "Sew...it's Art!" It is for underfunded orphanages and institutions around the world. The website says, "Most often, the walls of these sites are bare and absent of brightly-colored artwork that adds to the quality of life and those living there. LDS Humanitarian Services seeks donations of wall hangings to enliven living areas and promote educational and visual development."

Our neighbor town, Oro Valley, donated lots of table linens to our church, and we had decided that this would be the best way to put the linens to good use. So, they have been distributed throughout our church buildings here where I live, and the women and teenage girls have gone to work creating some fun wall-hangings. You can click here to see some of them that have already been completed. They're so fun and beautiful!

But we need more! So, now that you've read that whole novel up above, I am FINALLY getting to the point of this post. If you would like to create a wall hanging, then there are instructions on the Sew It's Art website of how to do it. Our target date of finishing is March 1st. I would LOVE if you would be willing to participate! I am not that talented with a sewing machine, but I can do a basic stitch, so I am going to make one, as well as teach my 11 year old and 9 year old daughters how to so that we can contribute 3 wall hangings to the cause.

If you'd be willing to participate, please go to the website below, follow the instructions, and then you can mail it to me (I'd prefer not to post my address online, so you can email me with the subject line of "wall hanging" and I will gladly email you back my address so you can mail it to me.) Your name will be added to the contributor list. Please share the news!

www.sewitsart.com

Cheers to the New Year kit

2012-01-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a Happy New Year celebration. Can you believe 2012 is here? Where does the time go? I had heard a quote from someone that I thought was funny. It says, "A New Year's Resolution is something that goes in one YEAR and out the other." That has been completely true for me! For some reason I always set these totally dramatic and unattainable goals and basically set myself up for failure after about a week of trying.

This year I decided to simplify and make sure I can actually accomplish what I want to do. For instance, last year I might have said, "I am not going to eat any sugar for a month." Well, if you know me, my biggest passion in life is baking and even if I vowed to not eat whatever it was I baked for the fam, I also don't have will-power. Well, my new goal is that there's one day a week where I will bake whatever I want and eat however much I want to. Then the rest of the week I just try to eat healthy. I have the same goal for my family too. Today was my kids' first day going back to school from their winter break and at around 2:00 I had the itch to bake them some cookies. But then I remembered our goal and instead sliced them some apples and made them popcorn. We know that in 5 days we'll get something super yummy to eat...I can hold off for that long, right?! Time will tell!!!

Okay, wake up!!! I know I just bored you all to sleep. I just love the New Year because I love to start fresh. I love to set goals and be motivated and sometimes having a New Year is just what I need to get me out of that lurch. I hope you all can have something that will motivate you. I would love to read if you have set a resolution for yourself. Cheers to the New Year!!!!

Click below to download the FREE "Cheers to the New Year" kit

Cheers to the New Year - papers 1

Cheers to the New Year - papers 2

Cheers to the New Year - elements 1

Cheers to the New Year - elements2

Explanation of the Christmas Card

2011-12-23T22:52:00.000-08:00

Hey wonderful people! Apparently our Christmas card was pinned on Pinterest, and because of that I've had quite a number of people asking me if there's a template available. First of all, I am flattered that so many people have liked our card. Secondly, no, there is not a template. All we did was take our family picture in front of this warehouse garage. It already had the horizontal lines as you can see. I took my family's photo, left a space available for me, and then had my oldest daughter come trade places with me so I could stand in and take my photo. I Photoshopped myself in later and we obviously we switched Claire's head with the one below. Anyways, then with Photoshop I made it so the edges did not have the horizontal stripes so I could type in the numbers. (Oh, and I made my girls' shoes red, because I just thought it needed that extra punch!) Hopefully this will help those interested. Have a Merry Christmas...it's almost here!

Our Christmas Card

2011-12-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Driggs fam! Hope it is fabulous!!!

Simple Teacher Gift or Neighborhood Gift

2011-12-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

I saw this idea somewhere a few years back and stored it away. If you're looking for a simple neighborhood or teacher gift and don't have the time to bake or make something, just buy a two-liter of Sprite and attach this 4x6 tag* to it. Of course you'll need to type in your name or sign it at the bottom.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD TAG

*Whenever I develop photos, I always choose the "lustre" or "matte" finish and never the glossy because the glossy will get fingerprints on it.

A little 5x7 wordart print

2011-12-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

For those who would be interested, I just created this to put in a black frame at our house. It's for a 5x7 size. And I apologize that you have to go through 4shared to get it. I don't know how to make it so you can click on the image, and then the high resolution pops up. Not too internet savvy!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Holly Jolly Christmas kit

2011-11-29T12:00:00.001-08:00

The other day my 9-year-old daughter Annika asked me what my favorite holiday was. I told her it was Christmas. But then I said, "Actually, it's not just Christmas Day, but the entire Christmas season." When I was little and toys and presents were completely important to me, I would have said it was Christmas Day. But now, I just love the entire season. Spending time with family, delivering neighborhood gifts, the ambience of Christmas lights, making memories, seeing my kids smile, Christmas music. I just love it. I hope you all have a Holly Jolly Christmas!

Click here to download the FREE Holly Jolly Christmas kit:
Holly Jolly Christmas kit - Papers 1
Holly Jolly Christmas kit - Papers 2
Holly Jolly Christmas kit - Papers 3
Holly Jolly Christmas kit - Papers 4
Holly Jolly Christmas kit - Elements 1
Holly Jolly Christmas kit - Elements 2

*Please feel free to use these papers for your Christmas cards or blog backgrounds. If you need to use them as a source of making money (like if you design Christmas cards or blog backgrounds), then please purchase a Commercial License Agreement from me if you haven't already done so. Thanks!

The Best of Fall kit

2011-11-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

It seems that as of late, designing kits has become a seasonal thing. I appreciate the emails checking to see that I'm alive and ticking. I also apologize to the emails that I haven't been able to respond to. A lot of you have written to ask me how to get started with designing your own papers, and as much as I want to individually respond, I just can't. One day I hope to start doing tutorials to show some techniques I've figured out. But just to let you all know, I am perfectly healthy and well, just a busy mom of 4 little ones (I am now an official "soccer mom" of 3 of them) with a husband who travels a lot. Other things keep me busy, but I am not forgetting you!

Alright, today I woke up and the forecast said it would be 75 degrees. I instantly felt all chipper as I knew that PERHAPS this meant fall was FINALLY here in the desert. This week it had still been in the 90's (which I know to all of you who are already freezing, you're probably thinking I should be grateful for this warm weather)...but when it's hot for so long here, it gets to the point where I want to leave the windows open instead of run the air conditioning. (And guess what?!?!?! On Saturday it's going to be in the low 60's!!!!!!!!!)

Anyways, fall is my favorite season. I know I've said it before and you're probably tired of hearing it, but it just brings so many happy memories to me. Pumpkin bread, hot cocoa, high school football games, spice candles, family time, Thanksgiving, and the list goes on! I love this season, it is the best of FALL! (Get it?)

Best of Fall kit

Click here to download the FREE "The Best of Fall" kit:

The Best of Fall kit - Papers 1

The Best of Fall kit - Papers 2

The Best of Fall kit - Papers 3

The Best of Fall kit - Elements 1

The Best of Fall kit - Elements 2

P.S. The frame below is in the kit, but there are other colored frames in the kit as well as other colored flourish scrolls. Just place the scroll above the frame, size it the way you like it, and put a drop shadow behind the scroll to make it pop out more.

I am shutting down the Two Bucks That's All site

2011-08-24T13:58:00.001-07:00

Hey there. I am just writing to let you know that I am going to be shutting down the Two Bucks That's All site. I know we all have busy lives at times, and right now, I just have too much going on to spend extra time checking the emails through my other site. I will leave it open through the end of September and will do my best to check my emails nightly (I know I have failed many of you who have placed orders previously), but once October comes, it will be just a memory. Thank you to all who have ordered from there in the past. It was nice to make a little income for the time I put into kits, but with other stuff going on, it's just not worth it for me right now. Sorry if this is sounding like a downer post. Hopefully I'll get a creative urge to create a free kit on this site sometime soon. Thank you all!

Click here to go to Two Bucks That's All.

Flipflop-sicles Kit

2011-07-31T16:06:00.000-07:00

How are you all doing? I know it has been a very long time since I've posted. I've had a lot of things going on in life, and I have had to just change my priorities a bit. Unfortunately, that has put designing on the back burner. In fact, I started this kit in May and I just barely finished it! Better late then never!

I love the summertime. I love the simplicity of not setting alarm clocks and packing sack lunches and afterschool activities. Although we've still kept busy paying visits to family members and swim lessons, and other stuff, it has been fun to just be at home with the kids. Living in Arizona, we wear sandals (a.k.a. flip-flops) and eat popsicles. And combining those two you get the title of this kit: Flipflop-sicles.

I hope you've all enjoyed your summer and are looking forward to the turn of the season (my favorite of all...fall)! Enjoy!

Click below to download the FREE "Flipflop-sicles" kit:

Flipflop-sicles: Papers 1

Flipflop-sicles: Papers 2

Flipflop-sicles: Papers 3

Flipflop-sicles: Papers 4

Flipflop-sicles: Elements 1

Flipflop-sicles: Elements 2

P.S. Sometimes when there's a "traffic jam" with everyone downloading the kits at once, the downloading won't work...just try again later.

The final countdown!

2011-04-25T12:26:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I am feeling like a total nuisance about this, but you know what they say, "The squeeky wheel gets the oil!" So, in regards to my previous post, this is the last and final week for this competition that I really want to win! It really is down to me and my hubby and another couple. We sort of keep going back and forth with our votes and they are ahead by a few right now. If you haven't voted yet, please follow the instructions in the post below this one. It will only take a few minutes of your time, but it will be priceless to me if we could win! Just a few days left. Thanks so much to everyone already!!!

~Summer

P.S. I am hoping to have some free time next week to start working on a kit...sorry, life has been busy!

An itsy bitsy favor? Pretty pretty please?

2011-04-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! A couple of posts ago I mentioned at the bottom of it that my husband Cory and I have entered into a contest to win a free photo shoot of him and me.

Well, currently we are in 3rd place, which is not bad at all. In fact, I am pretty pleased with it considering the amount of couples who have submitted their photos. BUT, there's no prize for 3rd place...only 1st place and I would really love to win!

I wondered if you could take a few minutes of your time to vote for us if you haven't yet (for those of you who have already, THANK YOU!) My goal is to not only win, but to not feel nervous that it's a close race. The couple ahead of us now has over 100 more votes then us (yikes)! But, I know that if everyone of my followers does this little favor for me, then we could win! (I promise you a super cute kit out of it).

The contest ends April 30th. And, just to prove how serious I am about this, I even created a tutorial for you of how to do it, so hopefully that will help out. If you don't have a Facebook account, you can sign up for free, and then if you decide you don't want a Facebook account, then once it comes to May, you can cancel your account (if you cancel beforehand, then your vote gets cancelled too).

Alrighty, onto the voting tutorial!

Or you can click here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150173428574343.340607.65400534342

Thanks for your patience!

2011-03-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

I had emailed contact support at 4shared.com. She had me email her the links that weren't working. I don't know if she did anything about it because her email reply back to me said this:

Thank you for letting us know! I have tried to open the links on my end and they

work fine for me. Most probably, the issue was caused by a temporary

connection problem which has been already resolved. Please try to download the files again.

It looks like according to some of your responses that it seems to be working better now. So sorry!!! Have a great day!

A Little SPRING In Your Step kit

2011-03-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

I love the season of spring. I think it was named appropriately, because to me spring is a season of "waking up" and a season of energy. Just think about it. All winter long animals hibernate, and depending on where you live, you might hibernate a little as well (if you're like me and from Arizona, then winter is actually the time to enjoy the outdoors). Once winter is over, the animals "wake up", the plants and flowers start turning green and colorful again. It's such a beautiful time.

I love watching kids whenever they walk places. They don't just walk, they run. They skip. They jump. They SPRING! I hope that you can have a little youthfulness in your days this season and have "A Little SPRING In Your Step!"

Click here to download the FREE kit:

A Little Spring in your Step - papers 1

A Little Spring in your Step - papers 2

A Little Spring in your Step - papers 3

A Little Spring in your Step - elements 1

A Little Spring in your Step - elements 2

And while you're waiting on your downloads (sorry, I know how much you all LOVE waiting at 4shared.com), I would love if you would head on over to Facebook and "LIKE" a picture of my hubby and I. I have a friend who is (in my opinion) the GREATEST photographer out there (if you are looking for one, go to him), and he is having a Cutest Couple contest. Whichever couple gets the most votes on their picture, he will do a free photo shoot with them. I would love to have some photos taken of me and the hubs!

Here's what you do:

1) If you haven't already, you first need to "LIKE" Trevor Dayley's page. Click here to do that.

2) Once you've done that, CLICK HERE to go to mine and Cory's picture. Click the "LIKE" thumbs up icon.

And remember, Trevor doesn't count the comments...he counts the number of "LIKES". Feel free to leave a comment...but what we need are the "LIKES". Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fresh Start kit

2011-02-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

Click here to go and get my "Fresh Start" kit over at Two Bucks That's All.

Cute idea for a Valentine's card

2011-02-01T15:38:00.001-08:00

I cannot take credit for this in any way...I saw it on my cousin's blog last year and was so excited for Valentine's Day to come around this year so I could do it. Isn't this so cute? I recommend printing at Costco, choosing the "lustre" finish as well as the option of having a "white border." At 13 cents each, that can't be beat!

Dance with Me kit

2011-01-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

When I was a little girl, I have a very fond memory. It was the excitement of my dad coming home from work. How did I know he was on his way home? Well, my mom would go re-touch her lipstick and squirt on some yummy perfume. She was always so excited for him to come home. And when he walked in the door, as all 5 of us kids were hugging his leg excitedly, his eyes were on my mom. They would kiss each other as we embraced them. My dad would give my mom's buns a little squeeze and we would all say, "Ew Dad!" And then they would dance. It was the sweetest thing.

I am so lucky to be married to the man that I am. He brings so much laughter into our home. Cory always knows JUST the way to turn my day around. Sometimes I am in a "wo is me" state of mind, and he knows how to bring me out of my foolishness and laugh at myself. He always makes me feel beautiful and loved, even if I'm just in my pajamas.

I have been blessed with so much love in my life. I truly believe that the more love we give to others, the more we get back in return. Sometimes it might not be right away, and sometimes it might not be in the ways we'd expect. To me, Valentine's Day is not all about romancing, but it is about loving. We don't always have romance in our lives, but there can always be love. Love for our neighbors and friends, love for family members, love for strangers. Seriously, just think what this world would be like if all people ever did was gave love to each other. That would be the ultimate utopia!

So, for this Valentine's Day, I challenge all of you (and myself included) to make the simple things more meaningful. Just as my dad and my mom would dance a little each day. Or just like my husband makes me laugh each day. What is something you can do for someone else? The more you focus on doing things for others, the less you'll think about what ISN'T happening for you. I promise it will bring so much happiness! (I am not trying to tell you what to do...I am mainly reminding me of what I need to do better at.)

I hope you enjoy this kit: "Dance With Me"

Click here to download the "Dance With Me" kit for free:

Dance with Me - papers 1

Dance with Me - papers 2

Dance with Me - papers 3

Dance with Me - elements 1

Dance with Me - elements 2

P.S. There is an element in here that has the 2 birds kissing in a tree. When I created that, I envisioned that you could type the name of a couple at the top, for instance, I would type "Cory & Summer" just like the image below...Oh, and the frame used in this layout is my baroque frame brush.

Christmas Carol Game

2010-12-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am sort of excited, sort of embarrassed to do this post. I made these fun cards for my kids to hand out to their friends. But that was the audience that I created it for...elementary age kids....so I did not spend a lot of time on these. Also, I basically just snagged images off the internet since my main intent was just for my girls' friends....a lot of the pictures were not great quality, so I cannot promise that when they are printed that they will be the best quality either. Regardless, I think they are fun. I just did something similar to this with the 16 and 17 year old girls at our church and they thought it was fun (which is what gave me the idea to create my own), so I think all ages could like it.

Anyways, it's called the Christmas Carol Game and you basically just look at the cards and try to figure out which carol it is describing. Here are a few to give you an idea:

(O Holy Knight)

(Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland)

(Happy Holidays)

(Frosty the Snowman)

(Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree)

Anyways, cheesy but fun. And like I said, I did NOT do a lot of work on these, so please do not look too closely! They come with 30 different carols. There are 2 separate downloads. One of them has 5x7 images (which would be 39 cents each through Costco) and the other is 4x6 images (which is only 13 cents through Costco). Regardless of where you go to develop them, I would suggest that since people will be holding them with their hands that you NOT do glossy. Instead choose lustre or matte. And sorry but I am going to bed and was not able to log into megaupload.com for some reason, so they are downloadable through 4shared.com. Enjoy!

Christmas Carol Game - 4x6

Christmas Carol Game - 5x7

Update

2010-11-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

I have received a few emails from people complaining about 4shared.com (that's the site where I upload my kits to). So I just uploaded the Old Fashioned kit to a site called MegaUpload.com. Hopefully it will be faster. From what I understand, if you sign up for a free membership, the wait time to download is 25 seconds. If you do not sign up for the free membership, the wait time to download is 45 seconds. Regardless, it should be faster then 4shared's site which is over a minute. The links have been added to the bottom of the Old Fashioned Christmas kit post. Please let me know if MegaUpload.com is any better, and if so, I will use that site from now on. Thanks so much!

~Summer Driggs

Old Fashioned Christmas kit

2010-11-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Can you feel it? Winter is a comin'! Yesterday it was in the 70's here in Tucson. But today it was in the 60's. FINALLY it's feeling like winter is on it's way! (I know, 60 degrees probably feels like the summer time for many of you). I am so excited! Normally we wait until after Thanskgiving to decorate for Christmas. But, my older 2 girls just asked me if we could start decorating today. I thought, why not? So, guess what I'm doing once I finish this post?

When I think of Christmas, I really think of my own childhood memories of Christmas. Every year my grandma would make each of her grandkids something homemade. I remember one year Pound Puppies were the "in toy." Well, my grandma hand stitched us each our own Pound Puppy. She also would hand paint piggy banks. My grandpa was also gifted with wood. I remember him making us a baby crib for our dolls. I loved handmade gifts as a child. Sadly, I am not very gifted in the hand-made department (which is why I switched over from traditional scrapbooking to digital).

Every Christmas morning me and my 4 other siblings would line up in the hallway and wait for our parents to wake up. My oldest brother Adam would sometimes cheat and run down to the family room to sneak a peek and then run back. We never thought that was fair, but we were all too scared to try and do it ourselves. We continued to sit in the hallway when we were older. This picture was taken when I had already graduated from high school:

My mom would always make us Pillsbury pop-open Orange Rolls (the BEST, you've got to try them!) and eggs. We always had her famous hot cocoa as well. I have continued on this tradition with my own kids, as have my siblings with their families. Here was her hot cocoa recipe...only our family has changed it a little bit to be Hazelnut flavored (If you click here you can download this 4x6 image to print or be developed) :

I remember life being a lot slower back then. Now it seems to me that it's a lot busier, and fast-paced. I just hope that for my children, their memories are as happy as mine were. I know when I was a child my grandparents were always saying how when they were younger life moved at a slower pace. If it was slow for them as children, and fast for them when I was a child, and now I feel like it was slow for me as a child, but fast for my kids, I can only wonder what life will be like in 10 more years. (That was a lot of talking...I hope it made sense).

I hope you enjoy this kit, and that you can all have an Old Fashioned Christmas that is slow enough to enjoy the sweet little moments and make lots of memories!

Click here to download the free Old Fashioned Christmas kit:

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Papers 1

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Papers 2

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Papers 3

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Alpha & Numbers

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Elements 1

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Elements 2

I am trying this out. I've had lots of complaints using 4shared.com as my server for downloading the kits. I will try megaupload.com for those interested. Please let me know if it's any better. Below are the links for the kits at Megaupload (I think if you sign up for a free membership, you don't have to wait as long to download).

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Papers 1

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Papers 2

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Papers 3

Old Fashioned Christmas - Alpha & Numbers

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Elements 1

Old Fashioned Christmas kit - Elements 2

Christmas Card Templates

2010-11-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a wonderful fall and looking forward to the upcoming holidays. I am almost done with a Christmas kit for you all (just have someelements to finish up on). But I thought I'd throw together a few Christmas card templates that you are free to use if you'd like. I have designed each on as a 4x6, 5x7, and Costco's greeting card size which is a 6x7.5 (these come with free envelopes too). Some of them have a little area where you can add your own text. They are "png" files which means you just put your picture in behind the template and then save as a jpeg. And might I suggest that wherever you take them to be developed, that you choose the "matte" or "lustre" finish instead of the "glossy." Here are the samples of them using our family's picture from last year:

Click here to download the templates

Please! It will take 2 minutes tops!!!!

2010-10-30T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hello all! If you could read the post below and follow the instructions, it would be so great! The family that I wrote about is about 20 something points behind the leader, and the contest ends tomorrow. I would really love for them to win! Please please please follow the instructions. It won't take long, and I promise I'll make a great kit for you soon!!!!

(Yes, I am imploring).

~Summer

Give this family a vote!

2010-10-28T22:15:00.001-07:00

I feel like lately I have just been asking favors, and I apologize for that. My computer has crashed and we will hopefully be getting a new one his weekend. Once we do, I promise to make a new kit for this site!

The favor that I am asking of you is this: My photographer friend, Trevor Dayley is holding a contest on Facebook which ends ON HALLOWEEN (only 2 days away!) It is called Extreme Family Makeover and there have been 20 families who have entered the contest. Whoever gets the most votes, Trevor will come and do a free family photo shoot with them.

So, we have a family in our neighborhood that I would say is one of the most service-oriented families I know. In the 6 years that I have known them, they have taken care of so many different foster kids. They have a large family to begin with, but every single one of their kids helps out with the foster children that come into their home. All of the kids are hard workers, do well in school, play musical instruments, and have a fabulous sense of humor. The parents are both examples to me of how to raise excellent children, and how to keep the family together like glue!

I would love for them to win a photo session. If you could take 2 minutes and do these 3 steps, that would be GREAT!

1. Go to Facebook.com and search for Trevor Dayley Photography. Locate the word LIKE and click on it.
2. Next click on Trevor's photos and find (I believe on page 2) the Extreme Family Makeover pictures.
3. Find our dear friends, the Eberhard family (they are in the red and green Christmas colors making silly faces) and then click on he word LIKE under their picture.

That's all! Thank you so much to those who take the time to do this!

Summer

Two new kits!

2010-10-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ahh, did I get your attention with the title of this post? I am about to disappoint you though, my two new kits aren't for free. I am starting a separate blog called "Two Bucks That's All" so that I can start making a little profit from some digital kits. The name says it as it is, the kits are $2 a piece and instructions are on that site if you want to purchase them. Do not worry though, I will still be making free kits on this site!

For those interested, these are what the 2 new kits look like:

So head on over to Two Bucks That's All!

And to all of you who made donations for the Payne family, the amount has come to just over $1,190.00! And some have emailed saying they will still be donating. That is amazing!!! I will be so excited to write and mail them a check. That is more then I could have hoped for. Thank you so much!

Easton kit

2010-10-10T20:56:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone. I hope you are all doing well. My heart feels heavy for a mother out there that I met 9 years ago. Her name is Joy Payne. I always thought it was funny that her name was an oxymoron. But at this time, she does not feel the joy, only the pain. One of my dear friends (who is best friends with Joy) wrote this:

"Our best friends Tom and Joy Payne just had their 3rd child, Easton, who is now 3 months old. He was born with dwarfism, a mild case of Pierre Robin syndrome (where the lower jaw is too small and the tongue blocks the throat), and a cleft soft palette (which also causes airway obstruction). This baby has a tracheostomy and a feeding tube in his stomach. They feed him every 3 hours around the clock and must suction out the tracheostomy when he spits up—which is almost constantly. You can imagine that with this challenge, they get zero sleep. They are up around the clock managing him. At the time he was born they also had two other children to take care of.

This, of course, turned their lives upside down. They have been working with the state to be approved for 24-hour nursing care. This will not take effect until the middle of November, they are told.

However, to add to the trial that they are facing, when Easton was 11 weeks old, their 3-year old son Jaxon drowned.

They now face the overwhelming costs associated with her hospitalization from the pre-term birth of Easton, his immense medical bills, AND the ambulance, life-flight, hospital and burial costs from Jaxon’s death. …Along with the horrible pain, grief and guilt that comes with losing a child this way…

Their insurance covers no nursing costs. 4 days after the funeral of Jaxon, they woke in the night ready for one of Easton’s feedings as his emergency alarms started sounding. He was not breathing and had no pulse—Tom, his father had to revive him by doing infant chest compressions and CPR into the hole in his throat.

They cannot keep living this way until the red tape clears for their nursing care to kick in. Being this physically exhausted is extremely detrimental to their emotional healing and they are terrified that “another child will die on our watch”.

We’re asking for any donations you can give so that this family can pay for a night nurse for the next month until the state care begins. Prices can range from $3,000-5,000. We’d also like to help them cover all the other medical and funeral bills that are piling up. Please give whatever you can to this amazing family. They have been through so much hardship, and it tears us up to not be able to give them whatever money they need. PLEASE HELP US LIFT THEIR BURDEN SLIGHTLY AND GIVE THEM HOPE. Thank you."

I cannot imagine losing a son, and simultaneously trying to care for a newborn with such health concerns. I just cannot imagine the pain. It is tiresome enough to have a newborn. I am at a loss. So, I decided to throw together a quick kit called "Easton" in hopes of raising some money to help this amazing family. Please say prayers for them. And if you feel that you can donate some money, please feel free to do so using my donate button. I will accept donations until one week from now (Sunday, October 17th). When you pay through PayPal, please leave a note that says "Easton" so that I know that's what it's for. Thank you!

Here is a picture of sweet Easton:

And here is a picture of Joy and her family. The little boy Jaxon is the one who they lost from the drowning:

Click here to download the FREE "Easton" kit:
Easton kit - papers 1
Easton kit - papers 2
Easton kit - elements

"A BOO-tiful Night" kit

2010-09-30T22:53:00.001-07:00

Can you feel it? My favorite season is approaching! Even though it is still above 100 degrees here in Arizona, when I read on my calendar that September 23rd was the first day of Fall, the gears in my head switched over to the new season. I have already baked a batch of pumpkin bread this week, and our Halloween decorations are already up (I can proudly and embarrassingly say that I think we are the first and only in our neighborhood to have done so)!

This will be a busy month for me (we're celebrating 3 of our kids' birthdays tomorrow, and mine is this next Wednesday - yes, you may shower me with birthday wishes! :) (just kidding...you don't have to...but seriously, if you want to, it would make my day)! But, aside from the birthdays, the rest of the month will be busy, so I thought I'd throw together a Halloween kit a little bit early...I hope you don't mind!

Also, I kind of went a little slap-happy with my paint bucket tool, so there are a LOT of papers in here. So, sorry if it takes awhile to upload the whole kit, and sorry if it takes up too much space on your computer.

With all of that said, I hope you have a wonderful October and a "BOOTIFUL NIGHT" on Halloween!

Click here to download the FREE "A Boo-tiful Night" kit:

A Boo-tiful Night - papers 1
A Boo-tiful Night - papers 2
A Boo-tiful Night - papers 3
A Boo-tiful Night - papers 4
A Boo-tiful Night - papers 5
A Boo-tiful Night - elements
A Boo-tiful Night - alphabet

"Dryer Lint at Tiffany's" kit

2010-09-05T17:21:00.001-07:00

Over the summer when all the kids were home, it felt like there was ALWAYS laundry to do. Instead of waking up and wearing ONE outfit for the day, it seems my kids chose to wake up and put on their outfit for the day, then change to a swimsuit (which of course meant they needed towels), and then after they played in the water, they put on ANOTHER outfit. YIKES!!! (I know, I should be more strict and make sure they have one outfit only for the day, and we did sometimes, but other times I didn't think twice about it).

Anyways, with all this laundry, and having all the kids home all day, some things got put on the back burner (hopefully I am not alone with this issue). It got to a point where as I pulled the dryer lint out, rather than throwing it away, I had a little pile that I kept adding to. One day I looked at that little pile and decided that I LOVED the look of all the different tones of gray together. I knew once the kids were back in school and I had a little more time that I was going to create a new kit called "Dryer Lint" and it was going to be all shades of gray.

As I began it, it seemed too blah, too black and white. It needed one little splash of color. I love the color Tiffany blue (like from the store Tiffany's). So, that was where this inspiration came from! And instead of the movie title Breakfast at Tiffany's, I am calling this Dryer Lint at Tiffany's!

Click here to download the "Dryer Lint at Tiffany's" kit:
Dryer Lint at Tiffany's - papers 1
Dryer Lint at Tiffany's - papers 2
Dryer Lint at Tiffany's - papers 3
Dryer Lint at Tiffany's - elements 1
Dryer Lint at Tiffany's - elements 2

*The sequins and tags in this kit were created using the actions at scrappincop.com

A wedding in every state!

2010-07-29T13:29:00.001-07:00

Okay, I know you are all waiting for me to take the time to make a new kit, and I am so sorry that I haven't done it yet. I have another project I am working on for church, and then once my kids start school in just over a week, I will have some free time on my hands!

But I am writing because my good friend Trevor Dayley is wanting to accomplish an awesome task (I have taken a photography workshop from him, and I think he is the best photographer out there). His goal is in 2 years' time, he wants to photograph a wedding in all of the 50 states. So, that's why I am posting it on my blog, because I know that I have been blessed to have followers all over the country (as well as outside of the U.S.)...I love you all!

So, if you know of anyone getting married within the next couple of years, please consider using Trevor. You can click here to read more about it and check out his site:

Trevor Dayley: A Wedding in Every State

Playhouse Raffle for a Double Lung Transplant

2010-07-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

My friend Jen from high school is married to a man named Josh who has Cystic Fibrosis and is in need of a double lung transplant. They have the cutest little twin daughters too! For those who live in Arizona, the playhouse that is pictured below was built entirely with donations, and 100% of the proceeds will go to the lung transplant account. They are asking for us to "please get the word out to help raise money for Josh's double lung transplant."

You can buy tickets online at www.joshandjenwills.com. From THEIR website (not mine), click donations - add "playhouse" on Paypal comments and your ticket #'s will be emailed to you. The winning number will be drawn on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 12:00 noon at Streets of New York (542 W. Baseline Rd. Mesa, Arizona).

Call Heidi at (480) 279-4530 or Penny at (480) 789-0502 for more information.

Playhouse dimensions 10' 7" x 8' 9" (includes a 2 ft. porch)

And for those who do not live in the Arizona area, please feel free to donate anyways.

*Remember, do not donate through my website. Click here to go through Josh and Jen's site.

And sorry that I haven't made a kit recently. Life has been busy having all the kids home during the summertime. Hopefully I will have more free time coming up soon!

Freedom Ain't Free kit

2010-06-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

I hope you are all having a fabulous summer. Before I write about my kit, I wanted to let you know about a superb giveaway that I am doing. One of my best friends, Sarah Bisel, has written a book! Many of you may remember seeing the amazing quilts that she has made. She made one for my friend Kari (who's baby had cancer...you can click here and scroll down until you see the quilt she made). She is also the friend who made these little lunch box labels (click here). And she made this diaper clutch for a giveaway that you might remember (click here).

Anyways, I could keep posting because she has made me a quilt, as well as my sister and many friends. She is constantly doing things for others and never thinks about herself. She is seriously amazing. So amazing that a publishing company saw some of her work and wanted her to write a book! Well, I have bought one for myself and can't wait to make some quilts. I am a total beginner, but her tutorials are so precise and user-friendly, that I am excited to see what I will be able to make! You can click here at Amazon to look inside at the pages. (I snagged this picture of the cover off of Amazon.com)

Now, about the giveaway. I bought TWO EXTRA books to give away to TWO of my lucky readers. And of course, they will be signed by the author!

So, what do you have to do to be entered in the contest? Well, obviously the best way for me to help my friend sell her book is by word of mouth. So, I need you to:

1) Post about her book on your blog to advertise. If you don't have a blog, you'll need to advertise some other way, like Facebook or something...either way, let me know.
2) Write your email address in the comment line (or you can email it to me) so that way, if you are the winner, I can email you to get your address.

The drawing will be NEXT Friday, July 9th so you have until then. And if you are not one of the lucky winners, and you like to sew, I hope you will consider buying her book. Her designs are fresh and cheerful and I just LOVE them!!!

Okay, onto the kit.

As 4th of July comes around, I usually get excited for BBQ's and fireworks and festive desserts. But when I have a moment to myself, I think about my freedom and how grateful I am to have it. And then as I think even more, I think of a line in the song "I'm Proud to be an American". The line that brings tears to my eyes is "...where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me."

Yes, we may have our freedom, but it wasn't free. A price had to be paid for our freedom, and that price was the lives of so many brave men and women. I am humbled as I think about it, and so grateful and feel in debt to those people. To all of you who have loved ones currently serving for our country, or if you have loved ones who have died serving our country, my heart goes out to you. Let us all remember how our freedom was attained. I am proud to be an American!

Click here to download the "Freedom Ain't Free" kit:
Freedom Ain't Free: papers 1
Freedom Ain't Free: papers 2
Freedom Ain't Free: papers 3
Freedom Ain't Free: elements 1
Freedom Ain't Free: elements 2

P.S. Okay, I feel like I am a little bit greedy asking for a favor, but I have a friend named Trevor Dayley who is this awesome photographer and he is doing a contest. He's asked couples to send in a favorite picture of themselves, and whoever gets the most comments about their photo, or if you click on the "thumbs up" icon under the picture, then the winner will get a free photo shoot. I would love if Cory and I could have professional pics taken of us! So, if you want to, just go to this link and either leave a comment under our picture, or click on the picture of the "thumbs up" under it. Thanks so much! Oh, and if you are in the Arizona area and looking for an amazing photographer, Trevor Dayley is your guy!

If anyone is interested...

2010-05-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hello wonderful people. Many of you are have read or are followers of Nie Nie's blog (short for StephaNIE NIElson). She is a woman who has written inspiring blog posts for over 5 years now. In August of 2008 she and her husband were in a plane crash. She has suffered severely from burns covering her body and her blog continues on about her struggles through life, yet her faith that she has each day.

As I started writing this post, I hesitated and then stopped writing. But, then I felt that I needed to sit right back down and continue on. So here I am, sharing with you something that I hold most precious and dear to me....and that is my religion. Stephanie Nielson and I share the same faith. We are both members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I have been so blessed to be a member of this church. One of the greatest blessings that I have had in my life was to have the gift of the Holy Ghost. In our church, "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." The Holy Ghost is a spirit that prompts us to know right from wrong. He is also able to warn us of danger, or give us peace. Claire's brain surgeon happened to be a member of our church too. When he was taking out the tumor from her brain, there was one other area that he was about to remove. But, he decided against it. At her follow-up visit he shared with me, "You know that 'little voice' [the Holy Ghost] that we listen to? Well, I listened to that voice." Had he gone and removed the questionable area, Claire would be paralyzed right now.

After my mother died, I felt immediate peace and comfort from the Holy Ghost. Probably more than I had ever had in my life. Surprisingly, that week is actually one of my fondest memories of my life. Obviously I was heartbroken...words cannot express the pain I felt of losing my mother. BUT, the Holy Ghost brought me comfort that I could never dream about. I had never felt as close to my Heavenly Father as I did at that time.

Part of what brought me peace was the knowledge that I KNOW that families can be together forever. You see, in our church we have temples where sacred ordinances are performed. One of those ordinances is to be sealed together for time and ALL ETERNITY. My parents were both sealed together. And so when my siblings and I were all born to our parents, we became sealed to them. I KNOW that I will see my mother again. After her death, my father and my siblings went to the temple together. I felt the presence of my mom and I know exactly where she was in the room. My siblings have had similar experiences. And I feel so blessed to know that. My husband and I were sealed together in the temple, and so our children will be sealed to us. Death will not separate us.

This earth life is just a test to see what kind of a life we choose to live. It is to see what our choices will be and if we want to be good people. We have the opportunity of living with our Heavenly Father again as well as Jesus Christ. We will go through trials....many of them. It saddens me when people say, "How could God let this happen to me?" Before we came to earth we lived with God and we knew that when we came down to earth, times would be tough. But we wanted to come here anyways. Trials are to help us learn. Trials are there to humble us so that we can become closer to our Father in Heaven. I am strengthened as I hear about people and their trials and how they REACT to those trials. Kari Stock (the one who's husband died...I wrote about it a couple of posts ago), she is a member of the same church as well. If you could just sit in the same room as her, you would feel of her faith and happiness right now. Is she going through a hard time raising 3 young children and having lost her husband? Of course. But, she is relying on the Lord and you can see it in her eyes, you can feel it when you are with her. My other friend Kari Cook who's baby had cancer, she is a member of the same church as well. Throughout everything she went through with her baby, you could just feel the faith she had to get through that trial. She did not blame God, but rather turned to Him to receive comfort.

I am so grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. He died for me and suffered every pain imaginable so that when we are having our struggles, we can realize that there is someone who knows EXACTLY what we are going through. You see, even though my siblings and I all lost the same mother, none of them can know exactly what I feel. But, Jesus Christ does know, and I have felt strength from Him knowing that He completely understands. He gets it. He knows everything that I go through and it is so great to feel that I am not alone.

I apologize for my ramblings. Now you can see why I was hesitant, because I didn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable in everything I was writing. But, truthfully, it is because I feel a love towards all of you. And that is why I can't hold back sharing with you about something most important to me.

I hope that you can take about 8 minutes of your time to watch this video about Stephanie Nielson. In the video, you will see her signing some navy blue books. Those books are the Book of Mormon. This book has helped me throughout my life. It has answered so many questions. I try my best to read from it every day and we read with our children from it every night. On days when I don't read from it, I recognize that I am cranky. On days when we don't read from it as a family, I recognize that the kids get easily annoyed with each other. BUT, on the other hand, when I do read from it, my mind is enlightened. I have more patience. I am just happier altogether. And when we read as a family, there is love in our home. The kids want to share with each other. They want to be in the same room with each other! We read the Book of Mormon along with the bible. They go hand in hand.

If anyone is curious about the Book of Mormon and would like me to have a copy sent to them for free, please send me an email with your address. I will get it to you right away!

Thanks so much for reading this post. I hope that it touches someone....I feel that it will because I felt so impressed to write it. Please take a moment to watch this inspiring video.

My New Life

Sweet Cakes kit

2010-05-14T11:51:00.002-07:00

Last week as I was doing "Super baby" with Claire (you know, when you lay on your back and stick your feet up in the air while your toddler lays her tummy on the bottom of your feet like Superman...sorry, just giving you a visual), I was looking up at my sweet little girl and noticing the cute pajamas she was wearing. Of course that little light bulb popped into my head as I thought, "That would make a great digital kit!" So, even though I had just put those jammies on her, I needed to trade them for others so that I could get started on it after I put the kids to bed.

So, that's where the inspiration from this kit came from. Technically, the color palette choices as well as the cupcake ideas came from whoever made those fun pajamas, but for some reason, making this kit just made my day...or should I say a few days!

I hope you enjoy it!

Click here to download the FREE "Sweet Cakes" kit:
Sweet Cakes - papers 1
Sweet Cakes - papers 2
Sweet Cakes - papers 3
Sweet Cakes - elements 1
Sweet Cakes - elements 2
Sweet Cakes - elements 3

A heartwarming photo shoot

2010-05-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

This past Christmas I had done a kit to help raise money for one of my sister's dear friends. A young mother of 3 lost her husband while he had been camping with a friend. During a storm, a tree fell on him and killed him in his sleep. You can click here if you didn't get a chance to read that post.

Well, my sister just emailed me again and sent me this link. It is just beautiful. The young widow was able to have a special Mother's Day weekend. She was pampered (hair and make-up done) and then had her pictures taken professionally from one of her friends. I just wanted to share it with you:

http://ashleymadsenphotography.com/blog/?p=559

A cute giveaway from my friend

2010-05-10T22:42:00.001-07:00

So, we all love free giveaways, right? Well, my super talented friend Sarah made these love note labels to put in her kids' lunches everyday. She has 3 sheets to giveaway. Go to her blog and let her know you want one and you might get lucky! (She also offers the .psd file so you can print it out yourself)

http://milkandhoneydesigns.blogspot.com/2010/05/lunch-love-notes-give-away.html

Dreamsicle kit

2010-05-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

As Mother's Day has been approaching, I have been thinking a lot about my childhood and how happy I was because I was raised by the best mother (I know, I am biased...but I believe it to be true!). You know the common phrase, "You never know what you've got until it's gone." Well, I am happy to say that while my mom was alive, we lived each day to its fullest. I cherished my mother and loved our relationship and everything that she taught me. For me personally, I would change the words to that quote to say, "You always knew what you had...especially now that she's gone." I feel so lucky to have no regrets. I feel so lucky to know that when she unexpectedly passed just over 3 years ago, and I didn't have the chance to call her on that day, that she KNEW that I loved her, and that I only felt complete love from her. I remember the last time that I saw her before she died. We were saying goodbye at an airport and she was hugging me tightly. And she said, "Summer, I hope that I have always been a good mother to you." I only felt complete love. I expressed my love to her and let her know that she has always been the BEST mother and that I felt so lucky. I am so happy to have that lasting memory!

My mom always made life happier and more fun. She was full of adventure and life. Growing up, if I ever needed to have a one-on-one talk with her about anything, she'd say, "Let's go get an ice cream." She always claimed that she could eat her ice cream faster than anyone...and it was true, at least in our family. When we'd go on family vacations and we were bored driving in the Suburban for many hours, she'd buy Ritz crackers and then show us how you can roll down the window, and when you're driving fast you can see how many Ritz crackers you can put on your hand as it is going against the wind. It was fun for us to watch her do that and for us to try. I remember us laughing as she sang circus music while she "performed" and started to even have them go on her arm.

I could write forever of my memories of her. Now that she is gone, I can feel the void. She was the life of the party. I have felt myself change as I realize the roll she truly played in my life. It makes me grateful to be so close to my dad and siblings. When we get together, it is just like old times and that life and adventure come back out of us again. It has helped me to realize that I need to be a better mom...that I need to be that kind of a mom for my own kids...that I need to bring some fun energy into their lives.

A couple of weeks ago I did something that I would have never thought of doing....at least not since I've had kids. It was something that I would have done when I was in high school maybe. I took trapeze lessons. It was so much fun, and I was so glad I did it, because it made me feel like ME again. (You can see pictures and watch a video here).

For this Mother's Day, my challenge to you is to fulfill some dream. I am not saying to go take trapeze lessons...but I am saying, think of something that you wouldn't normally do...something that will get you out of the mundane things of life and just bring a little spark into your day. Fulfill your dreams! Life is too short to not have a fun time and be happy!!!

(Sorry, I realized as I added a little bit of black to this kit that it ended up looking like a Halloween kit!)

Download the FREE "Dreamsicle" kit here:
Dreamsicle kit - papers 1
Dreamsicle kit - papers 2
Dreamsicle kit - papers 3
Dreamsicle kit - elements

*And for those who missed it, check out the following post for the Baroque Frame Brush!

Baroque Frame Brush

2010-05-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hello my dear friends! Never fear...a new kit is on it's way (I'm just finishing up a few elements and it will be here in time for Mother's Day)!

I just love frames...and I love when they can be used for random purposes. So I created a Baroque frame that, as you can see, can be used with many different styles. I hope you enjoy it!

Click here to download the FREE Baroque Frame:
Summer Driggs Baroque Frame download

*For those who do not know how to use brushes, this website will offer some tutorials. In fact, when I was first learning to design, this website was helpful in many areas:

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/tutorials.shtml

A Prayer for my daughter

2010-04-20T23:17:00.001-07:00

Hello wonderful people. Many of you know of my daughter Claire and her Tuberous Sclerosis disease. For those who are newer to my blog, she started having face twitches (small seizures) when she was 1 month old. After testing and bloodwork we discovered her disease: a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes and lungs. At 5 months old she had a brain tumor removed and from then had been seizure-free for 1 1/2 years.

Starting about a month ago, her seizures have come back. I am asking for your prayers that this new medication that we will be starting her on will control the seizures. For those who want to read about it, here is a link to my family blog:

http://thedriggsfam.blogspot.com/2010/04/prayer-for-claire-seizures-are-back.html

"OWL Always Love Spring" kit

2010-04-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

How are you all? I feel like it's been awhile since we've interacted (then again...that's all my fault)! I hope you are all having a wonderful spring. I just love spring (however I feel like it is short-lived in Arizona). I have never experienced a TRUE spring - the one that I read about in books where the snow begins to melt and the animals come out of their warm homes. Because we live in the desert, the spring I experience is the sudden sound of crickets, or seeing ants on sidewalks, or warnings that the rattlesnakes are out again. But what I do love about spring is seeing the green leaves begin to grow on trees again. It is seeing green grass stems start growing from our lawn. And this year, we have a great supply of jasmine in my backyard planter box. I have enjoyed cutting it and putting some in vases throughout the house. And each morning it is so cute because Claire comes and sits by them and smells them.

Spring to me is symbolic of starting fresh...a new beginning...a new life. So, take advantage of this wonderful season. Enjoy the outdoors and nature around you. And I don't know about you, but I have not been a huge stickler with my New Year's Resolutions. I guess now is the perfect time to re-commit!

For my Spring kit I decided to jump on the bandwagon of the owl trend! I didn't think that I would finish it in time for Easter, but since I happened to be a night "OWL" last night, I threw in some Easter egg elements. Have a good Easter and enjoy your Spring!

Click here to download the FREE "Owl Always Love Spring" kit:
Owl Always Love Spring - papers 1
Owl Always Love Spring - papers 2
Owl Always Love Spring - papers 3
Owl Always Love Spring - elements 1
Owl Always Love Spring - elements 2
Owl Always Love Spring - Easter elements

"So This Is Love" kit

2010-02-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

I apologize for being late on this kit. Life has been more than busy, and I got food poisoning for Valentine's Day. Not my favorite!!!

My daughter Annika is a hopeless romantic. Her favorite color is pink. She loves to wear dresses. She loves to sing. She loves all the romance from the princess movies. I picture her playing the part of Giselle in the movie Enchanted.

I remember once when she was in preschool a boy had given her a kiss. She knows she's not allowed to kiss boys until she's WAY older, and when she came home she told me about it. With a "sour look" on her face, she said, "Mom, Zach kissed me." But then as she walked away her face turned into a dreamy smile, and I knew the sour face was all a facade. Later that day I heard her playing in her room and she was singing to herself the song from Cinderella:

So this is love, hmmmm, so this is love So this is what makes life divine....etc.

That little story right there sums up romance for me in a nutshell. Being in love brings a smile to my face. Being in love makes me sing silly love songs. Being in love brings purpose to my life. I love my husband Cory and am so lucky to have him. I also love my children and they make me who I am.

I know a lot of people don't celebrate Valentine's because it's marketed as being a "couple's holiday." But I think Valentine's is much more than that. It is about loving people. Sometimes it means loving a spouse. Sometimes it means your children or parents. Sometimes it's the neighbor next door. We all can give our love to others. So this is love!

Click here to download the FREE "So this is Love" kit:
So This Is Love: papers 1
So This Is Love: papers 2
So This Is Love: papers 3
So This Is Love: papers 4
So This Is Love: elements

"Ring It In" kit

2009-12-31T17:06:00.000-08:00

Can you believe the New Year is here? Seriously, where has 2009 gone?

As I thought about starting a new year, one thing came to mind: A New Beginning. Making resolutions is all about starting over. It's all about trying to be a better person. The concept of a new beginning is where I thought about the butterfly. A butterfly symbolizes new life...a new beginning.

This past week I had someone email me and ask me some questions about digital scrapbooking. I don't know this woman at all, but felt impressed to click on her blog that she had listed under her name. As I read on her blog, I was touched about her story about losing her baby boy Wyatt when he was only 6 months old. When she was in the hospital with her son, she recognized a butterfly displayed on the door. She later learned that the hospital puts butterflies on the doors of those who are on their way out of this world.

A couple months later she was swimming with her daughter when a large and beautiful butterfly came near them. She felt that it was Wyatt letting her know he was near. She said, "Since then I have noticed so many butterflies. Almost everyday there has been a butterfly fly by our car as we are driving, in our back yard or on our morning walks. I now call them my " Wyatt moments." So, the next time you see a butterfly take a second and have a 'Wyatt moment' to remember our sweet little boy."

Andrea, I am dedicating this kit to you. I hope that as we take part in this new year, that we notice all of those little simple things that are so beautiful for us to enjoy. Things like butterflies, and children, and laughter, and time. Our world is an amazing place and sometimes we just need to stop and recognize it. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year!

Download the FREE "Ring It In" kit here:
Ring It In: papers 1
Ring It In: papers 2
Ring It In: papers 3
Ring It In: elements 1
Ring It In: elements 2

Donations for Kari and her kids

2009-12-27T15:46:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to thank you all so much for your wonderful donations for Kari and her family. My sister was able to bring the money over to her before Christmas (and for those wanting to know, at that time we were able to raise $1,950.) And there have still been more donations since then, so thank you. I will accept those until this Thursday, December 31st.

I just received an email from Kari last night and would like to share it with you:

"I really don't know what to say. I cannot find the words to describe how grateful I am for your post and all of the money that has been raised from it. Such a simple act has made a huge difference in my life and my childrens lives. The money will eventually be gone, but the kindness and generosity will always stay with me. I really do feel the prayers of everyone and they give me great comfort. Thank you so very much.

Kari"

I also wanted to give a big thank you to a wonderful person named Sarah Quilter. Sarah is someone who I love to order necklace pendants from, and has always been so wonderful to work with. Well, for Christmas I had her create some pendants for a necklace for me as well as my mother-in-law and friend (which you can view further below). But what was so neat was that when I received my order, she had made this ornament for Kari and her family. I didn't ask her to do it, she just did it out of love and I wanted to thank her for that:

If you are interested in seeing the pendants she created for me, you can go here and scroll down to the third and fourth pictures:
http://lilylanecustompendants.blogspot.com/2009/12/some-more-ideas-for-orders.html

I also had her create these to hang from my sister-in-law's wedding bouquet:
http://lilylanecustompendants.blogspot.com/2009/10/new-twist.html

Anyways, she is so gifted, and if any of you are looking for a gift to give for someone you care about (including yourself!), then I suggest you go through Sarah. The prices are amazing and the quality can't be beat! Here are her two sites:

www.lilylane.com
http://lilylanecustompendants.blogspot.com/

Thank you again everyone. You have been wonderful!

~Summer

You are all so wonderful!!!

2009-12-17T19:07:00.001-08:00

I just want to thank you all for your donations, prayers and kind words. I have been amazed at all of your heartfelt messages, and many of you sharing stories of your own lost loved ones and having to cope with that. Everyone of us will lose people we love and people who are close to us...it is just a part of life. But all I know, was that when I lost my mom, one of the greatest things for me was to know that others were aware and that they cared. In fact, just last Sunday at church, the bishop of our ward came up to me and said, "I just want you to know that I am thinking about you during this time of the year. I know it is difficult for you." I couldn't believe it. It has been 3 years since my mom has died (December 22nd) and he remembered it. It brought to me a flood of memories, but at the exact same time, an overwhelming feeling of love to know that someone remembered.

If any of you noticed, Kari's sister commented on the post and this was what she said:

"Thank you so much for being so willing to help out my sister Kari and her family. I tear up at every act of service Kari has received. She is the most amazing person and I am honored to call her my sister. You are doing a wonderful service and will be greatly blessed. Thank you again from all of us.

Kendyl"

When I told my sister how much has been raised so far, she was very emotional. I realize Christmas is a difficult time financially for many, and it is hard to give away even more money, because usually there is not money to be given. But you have all been so selfless. I truly appreciate it and I know that Kari and her children will as well.

Some of you have asked if you could mail a check or cash. That is just fine with me, however, I don't want to put my address on my blog, so please email me and I would be happy to send you my address that way.

I will be bringing her the donation money sometime next week before Christmas. Please feel free to keep donating after Christmas if you feel inclined. I will continue to accept donations for their family through New Year's Eve.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Summer

Believe kit

2009-12-10T22:27:00.000-08:00

****Please read this entire post!

My sister and I were talking just two days ago on the phone. She was telling me about a tragic story that happened to one of her dear friends. Her friend is named Kari, and she and her husband Skyler, a fire fighter, have 3 young children (ages 4, 2, and 10 months). Skyler went elk hunting with his friend a few nights ago and while sleeping in a tent it was terribly stormy outside. Winds of 60 mph caused a tree to fall and it landed on Skyler, killing him instantly.

I don't even know this family personally, but I have been thinking about them ever since. How hard that must be to lose their father, and for Kari to lose her husband. And even worse that it happened so close to Christmas.My sister has been able to help Kari by going over to be with her and give her some support. But she said to me, "I just don't know how what she's going to do for money."

So I told her that although I hadn't planned on making my Christmas kit until next week (I've been busy doing other things and my brother gets married this weekend), that I would make it today and get it on my blog to hopefully start getting some donations for this sweet family.

My sister told Kari's sister that I would be doing this, and so her sister is the one who provided the pictures and she also wrote this to put on my blog:

"Skylar was the kind of guy who was never looking to receive credit for the countless acts of service he performed in his lifetime. It wasn't uncommon for the neighbors to come home to freshly manicured yards and he was always the first one to jump up after family dinner on Sunday and start washing the dishes. He loved being with his family more than anything. He was a dedicated father and husband, a genuine friend, and had a great love for all things outdoors. He was a great example to us all. Skylar is survived by his wife, Kari and three children Slade, Daisy and Maylee."
I had known I wanted my Christmas kit to be called "Believe." And the whole purpose in my mind for naming it was to believe in Santa Claus and the magic of Christmas. But now I have been creating this kit with a completely different purpose. And I must admit that as I created the papers, I was very emotional throughout the day, and I only thought about this sweet family and what they must be going through. I still tried to keep the kit a Christmas theme for you. But to me, the title BELIEVE now means for this sweet family to BELIEVE that they will see their father and husband again. To BELIEVE that they will be happy again. To BELIEVE that peace will come into their lives. I am a firm believer in a Heavenly Father who watches over us and is very aware of our lives, our emotions, our situations...of everything. I am a member of the LDS church and so is Kari and Skyler and their children, and we BELIEVE that families are forever. I lost my mother almost 3 years ago exactly, and I am so grateful to have this knowledge, to know that I will be with my own mother again and live with her one day. And I know that is a comfort to Kari right now.

Ever since my own mother passed, as Christmas has approached I think much more about her then I do about Christmas. I think it must be so difficult for this family...for Kari to have lost her husband, and especially for sweet Slade, Daisy and Maylee to have lost their father. Christmas will mean something very different to them from now on.
I find joy in creating kits. I offer them for free because it is a passion for me to create, and I enjoy that it makes others happy to receive them. I try not to ask much of you ever. But, if any of you are able to, please, I am asking of you, please donate to this family. My hopes would be to raise as much as possible before Christmas because I think it would be a nice gift for them to receive, however, I will continue to let donations come for them through the last day of the year. (To donate, click on the donate button on the top right-hand side of my blog).

Thank you all for being so wonderful. I hope your Christmas is full of happy memories and that you cling to those most precious to you. Never forget to tell them you love them.

Download the free "Believe" kit here

Believe kit - papers folder 1
Believe kit - papers folder 2
Believe kit - elements folder 1
Believe kit - elements folder 2

P.S. I realize that one of the elements I created in this kit looks like the cute candy cane circle design that Wal-Mart has right now on all of their price tags. I re-created it from scratch because I just loved it.

Thanks for Giving kit

2009-11-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love this time of year? I know I've said this in previous posts, but I just love the winter holidays! Thanksgiving is one of my favorites. My memories of Thanksgiving stem from when I was a little girl.

My dad had a turkey pit in the backyard which stayed covered all year long. But on Thanksgiving Eve he would take off the cover to light a huge fire and cook quite a few turkeys in the pit for our big feast the following day with our cousins and second cousins. My siblings and I used to love to be in the backyard with my dad late at night and visit with him around the "campfire" as he cooked the turkeys. We would generally stay up late watching movies, because cooking the turkeys was an all night event. I remember this being such an act of service that he would stay up all night to cook turkeys for everyone. And he still does it to this day! THANKS for GIVING of your precious time Dad!

On Thanksgiving Day we would go with all our extended family (we're talking in the hundreds here) to a place called South Mountain where there were many covered picnic tables reserved just for us! I remember a large concrete slab where the cousins would play volleyball. I remember another concrete slab and I would always bring my roller skates to skate on it. There was also a small mountain (more of a hill) for us to climb. The food was tremendous - a family full of people who LOVED to cook, meant LOTS of fantastic fattening food! THANKS for GIVING wonderful family of cooks!

Now that time has moved on, the memories are for my children. Thanksgiving Day is a busy one for us...and definitely a filling one! Both mine and my husband's families live 10 minutes from each other. So we go and feast at one house (at least we try to do 1/2 portions) and from there go to feast again! Even though sometimes it's tough fitting them both in, my kids are so lucky that they get to see both sets of grandparents, and all their uncles and aunts and cousins on the same day! I wouldn't have it any other way. THANKS for GIVING to my immediate family and my in-laws. You are making memories for my kids that will last a lifetime!

I just love Thanksgiving and the memories that I have and the memories that I am making. I love to think about how much people GIVE on Thanksgiving. So, THANKS for GIVING, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Download the FREE "Thanks for Giving" kit here:
Thanks for Giving: Folder 1
Thanks for Giving: Folder 2
Thanks for Giving: Elements 1
Thanks for Giving: Elements 2

Tutorial: Rounded Corners on Photos

2009-11-11T12:24:00.000-08:00

I've had a few of you email me and ask if I knew how to do rounded corners on photos. I have my own way that I've figured out....there is most likely an easier way to do this, so if it seems too difficult, or if you can't figure it out with the program you use (I use Adobe Photoshop CS2), then keep on searching because I know it's out there somewhere!

1. Open your image:

2. Select the Rounded Corner Tool:
3. Use the Rounded Corner Tool:
4. Rasterize the new shape (in this step, my box is white...it does not matter the color at all.)

5. Switch the layers' places:
6. Create a clipping mask:

7. Merge the layers:

8. ENJOY!

Practice this tutorial and have fun with it. It can be used in all sorts of ways. I use this tool to create all of my tags, ribbons, and if I ever take the time to do alpha letters then on those too!

***The 2 main fonts I used in the above design are as follows:
-Just Cruisin' - was written using the "Budmo Jiggler" font
-Love Boat - was written using "The King and Queen" font

*And thank you for all of your votes for my husband for the Grand Puba for ASU. He won and had a great time! You can watch him in all his glory here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/SparkyCentral#p/a/u/1/p_j5we_4HfA

Winter Wonderland Kit

2009-10-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

*Before you read the rest of this post, my husband asked that I ask for you to vote for him to help him win the "Grand Puba of Sun Devil nation"! Read at the very end of the post and follow the instructions. Thanks!

**Update to above statement. If any of you would be so willing, you are able to vote for him lots (however, you can only vote once a day). So, if you voted for him today, thank you! If you feel like voting for him again tomorrow, then doubly thank you! And if you continue to keep voting, then he'll win! (I know this just sounds so cheezy, but I love that he's such a die-hard football fan to the university he graduated from, and I will secretly say that he keeps peeking to see how he's doing in the competition!)

***More info about the above statements. First of all, thank you for all your voting for my hubby! He is in the lead!!! And for those of you who have emailed me and said that his page is not loading, you can click on this link, and click on "vote for a Grand Puba" and then find his name "Cory" as well as his logo that looks like this:
Thanks!

And onto the kit...

Brrr! There's a chill in the air! But here in AZ, it will most likely be short-lived. Two days ago it was in the mid-80's. Then yesterday it was 58. It will be back in the 80's again on Sunday. I feel like I am dressed for the snow and it is about 60 degrees outside. I am such a woose! But I LOVE it! I love any change in weather because it means something fun is just around the corner. And when it starts getting chilly, then it makes me think of the upcoming big holidays!

The winter brings happy memories for me. It means making foods that make you feel all warm inside. It means drinking hot cocoa before bed and having pumpkin bread for breakfast! It means homemade soups and homemade breads and rolls. It means burning yummy spice candles and dressing warm and cuddling together with blankets. Thanksgiving and Christmas bring our families together. I just love this time of year!

I hope you enjoy your upcoming winter, and that you are able to stay cozy warm. Until next time, have a fun time "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland!"

Download the FREE "Winter Wonderland" kit here:
Winter Wonderland - papers 1
Winter Wonderland - papers 2
Winter Wonderland - papers 3
Winter Wonderland - elements 1
Winter Wonderland - elements 2

*My wonderful husband is a die-hard Arizona State Sun Devil fan. We live where the Sun Devils are the arch enemy, and I get a lot of glares at me when I am driving around town with ASU memorabilia stuck to my car! Anyways, my husband has been nominated for the "Grand Puba" of Sun Devil nation! (This will mean nothing to you, but it means bunches to him!) Please click on this link and vote for him. Thanks!

http://attsparkycentral.com/#/grandpuba/52

Fangs for the Memories kit

2009-09-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

I realize this kit is a little early for Halloween, but this next month will be a busy one for me and I knew I wouldn't have as much time!

I love Halloween. When my kids were babies, it was fun to dress them up the way "I" wanted to. Now, that the 3 oldest are a little older, it is more fun to see what they want to be because I think it shows their character a little more. My oldest (who is very competitive) wants to be Wonder Woman. My second daughter (who is a romantic) wants to be a princess. My son (who plays with trains, and trains ONLY) wants to be a conductor. For our baby, we chose Cinderella, because she loves to try on our shoes...and she only wears them on her LEFT foot! She'll walk around the house all day with one shoe on and the other foot barefoot. So Cinderella just fit the part!

I hope you all enjoy the Halloween season. This kit has a lot in it because I've been working on it here and there and just couldn't stop! Here's "witching" you a Happy Halloween!

Click here to download the free "Fangs for the Memories" kit:
Fangs for the Memories: Papers 1
Fangs for the Memories: Papers 2
Fangs for the Memories: Papers 3
Fangs for the Memories: Elements 1
Fangs for the Memories: Elements 2
Fangs for the Memories: Alpha & Numbers

Falling For Fall kit

2009-09-15T23:36:00.001-07:00

I love this time of year! I've said it before and I will say it again - for FOREVER - that fall is my most favorite season of all. I just have so many happy memories of this season. Here in Arizona, you can just feel fall approaching. I realize that it is still in the high 90's here...however, there is definitely a difference in the air. This season reminds me of my mom making her pumpkin bread (I'll give you the recipe sometime soon). As a child I loved this season because October is my birthday month. In high school I loved this season because it reminds me of cheering at football games. And now that I am older and know what's really important, it reminds me of spending time together as a family. More pleasant weather means more walks in the neighborhood and more park days. It means baking and bringing goodies to neighbors . . . just because. Three of our four kids have birthdays in September and October. It means throwing together costumes for Halloween. And it means Thanksgiving is approaching. I just LOVE this season! I hope you do too and that you have an enjoyable time preparing for fall. I know I'm "Falling for Fall!"

Click here to download the free "Falling For Fall" kit:
Falling for Fall kit - part 1
Falling for Fall kit - part 2
Falling for Fall kit - part 3
Falling for Fall kit - elements

Kit Download Problem

2009-09-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

I've had a few people email me today to let me know they haven't been able to download my kits because the site that I'm using for downloads isn't working. Hopefully it will be working soon. Thanks for letting me know and we'll figure it out...I hope it's not too long! If the site is terminating (I sure hope not) then I will upload all of my kits to another server.

Thanks for your patience and have a good weekend.

Summer

Diaper Clutch Giveaway!

2009-09-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I was just browsing my way talented friend's blog who is so talented a quilting and sewing (to see some of her work, you can see CLICK HERE or you can CLICK HERE). Anyways, she is having her first book published for her quilting patterns. She is due any day with a baby and I just think she's fabulous. Anyways, on her quilting blog she teaches a tutorial on how to make a cute diaper clutch. She made one for me for Claire, and I love it! But she is having a give-away for this here cute diaper clutch:All you have to do is go to her website and leave a comment with your name and favorite movie, and she will do a random drawing for the winner. How easy is that? You have until September 9th. Click here to go to her site Milk and Honey Designs.

Good luck!

Golden Sunshine kit

2009-08-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

*I apologize to the few of you who sent me your "Christmas in July" emails a little bit later. I have just added them, and they are at the TOP of the Christmas in July post.

Hello everyone! I am so sorry for the drought. This summer has been busy with swimming in the pool, visiting grandparents and cousins, just chillin' at home, and my hubby and I went on a weeklong trip to Hawaii with no kids! You can read about it here if you have HOURS of free time.) But having all four kids home during the day definitely kept me away from the computer.

Now that the girls are back in school, I've had time a little extra free time. As I was designing my sister-in-law's wedding invitation, I fell in love with the colors she was wearing and it inspired me to make my next kit called "Golden Sunshine." I hope you all enjoyed your summertime and that you were able to be blessed by the beautiful golden sunshine!

Download the free "Golden Sunshine" kit here:
Golden Sunshine: Download 1
Golden Sunshine: Download 2
Golden Sunshine: Download 3

Christmas in July....important add-on

2009-08-23T06:40:00.001-07:00

*A woman named Adrian Johnson had replied to my Christmas in July post, and I COMPLETELY forgot to add it to the post. However, I feel it is important enough to be on it's own. Please read what she wrote:

Oh Summer!!

I feel your "Christmas in July" offer is an answer to my prayers!! I know you are really wanting to help businesses, but I'm hoping you'll be willing to help me out with something different. I have been trying to figure out a way to help some dear, sweet relatives of mine & I haven't known what to do. They are trying to raise money for 2 double transplants (liver & kidney) for their 2 kids. The estimated costs of the transplants are $50,000 each (above what insurance will cover.) Here's a little background information about them...I got this info from a post on their blog. This was written last September.

Skinner Update

Most of you already know about our family and the unique trials we face. But just to make sure we're all on the same page, I want to give a quick overview of what life is like in the Skinner household. I apologize in advance for the length of this post...there's a lot to say!!

Claire and Benson were both born with an extremely rare genetic mutation in their liver that produces an excess amount of oxalate in their bodies. This disease is called Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1. (PH1) Oxalate is normal in all of our bodies, but our liver only produces a small amount which then gets converted into whatever it needs to be. Their liver doesn't. Oxalate numbers in you and I is around 1.8. Claire's oxalate is around 64. Benson's is at 11.5. So what does excess oxalate do...it destroys.

The kidneys are the first to go because it is their job to filter waste from the body. In that filtering process, it can only handle the overload of oxalate for so long...until they've had enough and eventually fail. Claire has had kidney failure since she was 2 months old and has been on dialysis ever since. Significant oxalate deposits have also b een found in her eyes and bones and is inevitably in other organs as well.

Benson's condition has not progressed as fast as Claire's. His kidneys are still functioning normal. No one knows why kidney failure happens when it does...and in fact, we wouldn't have known about Benson condition had Claire's diagnosis not been made. There are no signs of this disease...kidney failure is usually the first sign anyone has to tell them there's a problem. Biopsy of the kidney then shows the kidney saturated in oxalate crystals and it is then linked to PH1. Close monitoring of Benson's kidney and oxalate levels along with high doses of B6 vitamin (thought to help remove oxalate from the body) is his current treatment. Keeping him well hydrated (2 liters a day) is also very important as that helps keeps his kidneys clean and flushed of the oxalate.

Claire's treatment is a different story. She is currently on hemodialysis (done at the Children's Hospital) 6 days a week for 3 hours each day. Sunday truly is our day of rest!! Along with that, we do a different kind of dialysis, called pertineal dialysis, at home. She gets that done every night of the week for 12 hours (while she's sleeping). Ultimately, dialysis 24/7 would be ideal for Claire to remove the oxalate that is constantly being built up in her body. Obviously, that is not possible...so we do as much as we can! Dialysis is the only wa y, besides the B6 vitamin, to remove oxalate.

The ultimate cure: transplant! For Claire, getting a new kidney or liver alone will not solve the problem. She needs both. A new liver will stop the excessive oxalate production and new kidneys will allow her to be done with dialysis! With Benson, we are hoping we can salvage his kidneys by monitoring his kidney and oxalate levels closely and transplanting his liver before it causes damage. When to transplant his liver is still a big question.

And that's how things go around here!! Many questions are still unanswered but we are simply doing ALL we can to keep our beautiful kids happy and healthy (aren't we all?!!)

Since then they've endured a LOT. Claire has endured several infections. When she has an infection their daily dialysis is bumped up from 3 hours to 4 or 4 1/2 hours a day at the hospital. I can't imagine how hard this would be! This is only one thing on a LONG list of trials they have faced in the last several months. Claire's Mom, Natalie (my husband's cousin) is the sweetest, most optimistic, AMAZING Mom I know!! She has unlimited patience & is always willing to do whatever is needed for her kids. Her husband wrote this swe et letter to Natalie "from" Claire: (again, I got this from their blog.)

Happy Mothers Day!!

Dear Mom,

Happy Mothers Day to you. Wow where do I start. How about here, your the most AMAZING mother I have ever seen in my short time here on earth. Every morning you wake up at 5:45 am to read your scriptures, pray and get ready to take me to the hospital for my daily dialysis. The great thing is you are always happy to see me when I wake up, you always put a smile on my face just seeing you.

At dialysis I always hear other mothers complaining about their issues with their kids and themselves. Its funny that your the happiest and most cheerful person in the hospital. I have never heard you say a negative thing about my health problems which always makes me feel good about myself. I am so grateful I get to spend 4 hours every day with just you and me, our together time. Thanks for teaching me so much during our t ime together at the hospital. No matter what happens to me at the hospital you are always there to make me feel safe and comfort me.

When we get home I love playing with you, Benson, and dad. You are always so happy no matter how long the day has been for us. After dinner I love getting ready for bed so you can read my favorite books, pray, and do sweet dreams. Sometimes I can't wait till the morning so I can spend another day with you. I am so grateful that you are my mom, I don't know what I would do without you. I hope you have the best mothers day ever.

P.S. Thank you mom for saving my life every single day. I really couldn't live without you.

Love Claire

Claire (age 21 months) will have her transplants in the next 3-4 months. She is currently on the transplant list at the Mayo Clinic. Here's a little more information that I received from Natalie's Mom recently:

"Claire Natalie Skinner" was born on September 8, 2007 weighing just over 5 pounds. Jared and Natalie were very excited to have their first daughter. The diagnosis she has is: Primary Type I Hyperoxaluria. This is a very rare (only about one in eve ry million people are diagnosed with this disease, or in other words-only about 350 people in the United States) but a serious genetic liver disorder that results in very high levels of oxalate crystals. Normal dialysis cannot remove enough oxalate to protect the kidneys and other organs from widespread calcium oxalate deposition-so the organs "crystallize". The result is high levels of glycolic and oxalic acid (the same acid which normally causes kidney stones), which readily convert to oxalate. This leads to eventual end-stage renal (kidney) failure, which is Claire's condition at this time. Claire receives 108 hours of dialysis every week, plus requires a blood transfusion about every three weeks to replace her blood loss during hemodialysis. The usual average age of initial symptoms related to hyperoxalu ri is 5 - 7 years. Claire may be the youngest to ever be diagnosed with this disease, at two months. Since the oxalate crystals attach to soft organ body tissues, the oxalate attacks first the kidneys, with additional deposition often occuring in other organs (bones, joints, eyes, heart). Curative treatment involves combined kidney and liver transplantation."

(My side notes and current update: Claire's diagnosis is that the oxalate crystals are already visible in the retina. The vision specialists are certain there is some vision loss, but they are also certain she can see better than they ever expected that she would be able to. They are amazed! The bone scans show deposits in her bones, and th e Mayo Clinic is astonished that she walks, runs, and does stairs without pain. They are amazed! She is on blood pressure medicine for her heart, but I'm not certain if there is any heart damage at this time since the dialysis also affects blood pressure. Claire is fed entirely from a G.I. (gastrointestinal) feeding tube, by which she also receives her daily medications - I loose count exactly but I'm sure she receives over 14 m eds daily. Following transplant it is expected that she will remain on hemodialysis for up to a year or so to help filter out the oxalate as it sluffs off, since it will no longer be produced in "hyper" amounts. There is no cure, (only transplantaion) however two medications taken by Benson and Claire help to reduce the amount of oxalate that builds up by binding the crystals together so they are not as likely to attach to other organs. Benson takes the meds three times daily and ALWAYS has a water bottle in his hands to help flush out the kidneys.)

I would absolutely LOVE it if you could help get the word out about this AMAZING family!! They really need help raising enough money to get th eir sweet kids the transplants that they need to survive!! They are currently in the process of selling their home to try to raise some money. I have a lot more info about them, but I didn't want to overload you. I wish I could send you to her blog to read about what they've been going through, but her blog is private. If you need/want more info about them let me know & I can get it for you. Below is the link for their page with the Children's Organ Transplant Association. People can donate directly from this site & ALL the money goes directly to Claire & Benson. So far they've raised a little over $5,000 of the $100,000 needed. I have also attached a couple things...one is a post about Claire describing what an incredible little girl Claire is! She is truly amazing! The other is is a collage page I have made for the m that will be taken around to businesses, ect. trying to help them raise money. As you will see, they are DARLING kids!!! Anything you could do to help ME help them would be absolutely WONDERFUL!!!!

http://cota.donorpages.com/PatientOnlineDonation/COTAforClaireS/

Thanks again for the wonderful offer to help others! I love your blog & am always so in awe at your giving spirit!! Thanks so much for EVERYTH ING!!

Kind regards,

Adrian Johnson

Seasons Greetings! It's Christmas in July!

2009-07-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

***Okay, you're all going to hate me. As far as creating digital kits, I am a PERFECTIONIST! I originally planned on categorizing everything and having it all organized for you. That ended up taking way too much time. Then I thought of alphabetizing it for you. Still too much time. (Hey, you want me to make a digital scrapbook kit, don't you?) Also, some people's sites have different fonts and colors, but I can't seem to change it in the post. So, it's a bit messy. Due to lack of time, I am just throwing everything in here as it comes. No order, no rhyme or reason, total chaos, but totally worth it. 

Thank you so much for everyone who has emailed me their links to their blogs and business sites. It has been fun for me to sneak a peek at all of your talents and I hope you all take the opportunity to see what amazing gifts everyone has.

For those who don't know what I am talking about, I am creating this post to let you all showcase what you have to offer as far as businesses go. I am just amazed at the skills of so many people out there and am so grateful that I have this blog to be able to come in contact with so many of you! For those who would still like to send me their links, please feel free to. Just follow the instructions from this post. (Click here).

So, let's go shopping!

****New Update! Jeanette from "Easy Custom Blogs" did something totally wonderful and organized all of the below sites (except for the newest additions that I just barely added at the top of this post). Click on this link to go check it out! http://easycustomblogs.blogspot.com/2009/07/christmas-in-july.html

http://cscards.blogspot.com/
CS Cards - I make Wedding announcements, baby announcements and much more! 

http://cutiebows.blogspot.com/
Cute bows for your little princesses!

www.cutiepoops.com
Quality cloth diapers at affordable prices that are made from only the best materials.  

http://www.wordartworld.blogspot.com/
I create unique "WORD ART" for digital scrapping or for personal use.  It is all downloadable for free for personal use!  

http://eastwindcreations.com/
"Eastwind Creations specializes in custom wedding announcement design. Each client works one-on-one with an Eastwind designer to create the perfect card for your occasion."

http://www.ourlegacyportraits.com
http://www.eddysaldivar.com
"Specializing in Portrait, Wedding, Event, and Commercial Photography and loving every minute of it!!!"

http://easycustomblogs.blogspot.com/
"A site where you can learn to scrap your blog!"

http://calhounink.blogspot.com/
"Where do we start... I fell in love with photography quite by accident. I wanted a better camera to record our family memories while our children were still young. That quickly led to a community college class to learn how to use my new camera, which very rapidly turned into a new love!"

http://www.kindraleeadoption.blogspot.com/
"I do not have a business to advertise only myself and my husband, as we are trying to adopt. I know this may not be what your looking for, but I thought it was worth a shot :)"

http://ldscreativitycorner.blogspot.com/
"This is basically a blog of (hopefully) helpful items I've created for various auxillaries for lessons, handouts, etc. Hope you like it."

joshandsavannahadopt.blogspot.com
"We are hoping our family will be able to grow through the miracle of adoption."

theblueberryvine.blogspot.com
"I paint murals (mostly kids), make frames, magnet boards, corkboards, aprons etc."  

http://thenameframebycheri.blogspot.com/
The one-of-a-kind gift for the person who has everything!

Scentsy Candles
"The hottest new thing in candles. We make perfect SCENTS."

www.thisthatandyourblog.blogspot.com
"I offer fresh, affordable custom blog designs that compliment each person's personality, lifestyle and blog!"

meandmyinsanity.blogspot.com
"An insane amount of ideas about parties, crafts, holidays, home decor, and anything else I spend too much time and energy on."


favorswithlove.blogspot.com
"Favors With Love is an online boutique, where you will find a  fantastic assortment favors and gifts for weddings, bridal and  baby. Helping you add that special touch to your special day."


wishywatchy.etsy.com
"Boutique- style interchangeable watch bands and faces for women and girls."


http://www.scrappingwithliz.com/
http://scrappingwithliz.albersoft.com/
"I mostly do templates but I also have a lot of CU  stuff. I give every one of my templates away as a freebie for a short period of  time."

ePLUSc.etsy.com
 ePLUSc.blogspot.com
"It is an etsy site for all sorts of things:  vinyl letters, binki clips, etched designs, baby headbands, baby jewelry, and more!"

http://gracefuldesigns1.blogspot.com/
"Hairbows and such for your little angels..."

pepperlane.blogspot.com
"We have bows and charms and the like."

http://nibblesskribbles.blogspot.com
"Digi-Designer specializing in templates. Freebies, Quickpages, Kits and more!"

lilylane.com
"Hand-crafted soldered pendant jewelry."

http://dmnphotography.blogspot.com
"I do photography in Cedar City, Utah" (Dawn-Marie and her husband Brad are also trying to adopt. You can read about their adoption blog here:  http://ouradoptionblogbdm.blogspot.com

fifephotography.com
fifephotography.blogspot.com
"Husband and wife team who love photography, capturing life in all stages. (Located in Oklahoma, available for travel)"

http://www.thescrapreview.com
"We are a scrapbooking product review site. We write honest and unbiased reviews of both traditional and digital scrapbooking tools and products with lots of give-aways included!"

http://addiedesigns.blogspot.com
"Addie Designs specializes in affordable custom blog makeovers.  I also have a collection of free ready-made blog layouts for the taking!"

http://adailydoseofdieting.blogspot.com/
"A simple, healthy tips web site."

www.peekaboobowtique.com
"I run a website with my mom. We are Peekaboo Bowtique!  We also have a blog to let everyone know about upcoming events, sales, new products etc. We sell unique one of a kind items including: hairbows, headbands, tutus, onesie dresses, little boy tie onesie sets, skirts, and pillowcase dresses.  Everything is high-quality but with the not so high boutique price! " (FYI: our site will be down the last week of June (Vacations & Site Maintenance) but will be up and ready on July 5th)

www.Remembered-Moments.com
"Professional Custom Made Scrapbooks, Portfolios, and Personalized Gifts all made to order"

www.krizzydesigns.com
"I do blog designs as well as cards (birth announcements, party invites, graduation cards, holiday cards, etc)."

http://greatgrabbiedesigns.blogspot.com
"I design custom blog designs and custom cards including: invitations, birth announcements, holiday cards, "We've moved" cards, and just about any other can of card you could need."

http://sodazzlingblogs.blogspot.com/
"So Dazzling blogs Is a  blog with fun funky free functionable layouts and buttons for every type of blogger."

http://digi-designs.blogspot.com
"Digital Scrapbooking Kits for FREE and for sale in my store."

www.stufftoscrap.com
"Our Motto is: Simply Scrapping Stuff"

asupercuteblog.blogspot.com
"Free super cute templates for your blog."

livielouboutique.blogspot.com
"I have a small tiny business that I started about a year and a half ago and have really enjoyed it ever since! I make handmade home decor blocks and necklaces."

http://joaniscardsmadebyhand.blogspot.com/
"Joani's Cards Made By Hand - and other notions and ramblings of a rubber and paper addicted housewife..."

tristascraftcorner.blogspot.com
"I make and sale Flower Hair clips, that can be worn a variety of ways."

www.pixelpatchwork.blogspot.com
"Custom photo announcements/invitations for all occasions."

www.profilerehab.com
"PROFILErehab.com has unique myspace layouts and features myspace layout scrapbook designs from Summer Driggs scrapbook kits."

www.RIPTapparel.com
"Unique, One-of-a-kind T-shirt designs only available for 24 hours, then they Rest In Peace Forever!

http://itsyourdayeventplanning.blogspot.com/
"It's Your Day Wedding & Event Planning."

http://babycakesbyjamie.blogspot.com/
"BabyCakes are chocolate covered cake bites in a variety of flavors and colors, made to look like tiny cupcakes.  They are perfect for parties and special occasions including baby shower's, bridal shower's, wedding receptions, and birthday parties.  They can be customized to match your theme."

fancyfree4ever.blogspot.com
"I display scrapbooking and card making arrangements."

www.bitsybling.com
I offer vintage flower cabochon earrings, baby bracelets, hair accessories for infants - adults; bow headbands, headbands and tons of different clips, tutus, and custom name onesies for infants.

www.rodeomosclub.com
"Rodeo Moms trying to help other Rodeo Moms."

www.lisasvinylcreations.com
"Designs and Sayings Created Especially For YOU!"

www.babybugcreationsllc.com
"Wonderful custom made items for moms & babes- anything you could want & so much more!"

www.hyenacart.com/madebymilitarywives - Made by Military Wives Congo
"Handmade items from the women who have the hardest job- being a military spouse."

www.hyenacart.com/kingkongo - King Kongo
"Anything & Everything for boys & their parents- from baby to adult!"

www.kendeewatches.blogspot.com
"We create Unique Interchangeable Bead Watches."

www.uniquestorybooks.com
http://uniquestorybooks.blogspot.com
"I can show you how to preserve your family's precious stories and photos in high quality hardbound books, canvas posters, and other products."

http://www.kaytebugboutique.com/
"We are a 2 mom team with a great business that all started from making bows for our own little girls. From there, we started getting together to let our kids play while we made bows and other baby items to sell."

www.Studio32Shoes.com
“Studio 32 Shoes, where no shoe is over $32”

www.wordsandwisdomvinyl.blogspot.com
"I create affordable and stylish custom made vinyl signs and lettering to give your home the perfect touch."

www.brandysbracelets.com
"Bracelets made from your personal photos, any theme, all custom made."

www.ashleeelizabethphoto.com
www.ashlee-elizabeth-photography.blogspot.com
"A fun and affordable wedding and family photographer based in Utah County, a CD and copyright release are always yours to keep!"

http://templatesbytenille.blogspot.com/
"I design free blog backgrounds and also just started doing custom designs as well!"

http://www.heavenonearthart.com/
"I am actually sending my moms watercolor website of all the Temples, she is on a mission to paint all of them.  My father passed away 5 years ago at the age of 53 to colon cancer and she is doing this to support herself financially."

www.daniellemoyersphotography.com
"East valley wedding, high school seniors, newborn and children's photographer."

http://halversenphotography.blogspot.com
http://ambersmodernphoto.com
"I am a modern portrait photographer, so I'm not a traditional, what you would find in the studios type of gal.  I do all of my photo shoots outdoors...no studio backgrounds here!  I think people are the most natural when they are outside in nature, especially kids.  I love to capture children the most and love to get WHO they are on film.  I shoot mainly in Graham county, AZ but am willing to travel if my expenses are paid."

http://www.squigglefly.com
"Squigglefly offers a wide variety of digital images perfect for card making and scrapbooking!"

kangacrafts.com
"Kanga Crafts is a collection of unique, handcrafted products, specializing in custom photo keepsakes, including blocks, ornaments, and decorative books."

http://www.yolandapralle.com/
Digital blog

jacabean.blogspot.com
"I started designing digital scrap kits in March. My blog focuses on my latest creations, and some layouts from my new creative team."

CiaraRichardson.squarespace.com
"Fancy Bred Photography blog is where you can check out my fun, innovative photography!"

www.maddieloubeanies.etsy.com
"I hand crochet beautiful beanies in every size from newborn to adult, they are perfect for those precious photo shoots."

http://grandmastemplates.blogspot.com/
"I don't have a site where I sell stuff but I do have a site where I give away free templates. I love making templates and people seem to enjoy them. I believe in making pages where the photos are the main focus."

http://ellmanimages.blogspot.com/
http://ellmanphotography.com/
"I am a wedding/portrait/event photographer in the DFW metroplex who specializes in capturing images in a journalistic style."

www.simplysweet-cakes.blogspot.com
"I have a culinary arts degree, and so make all kinds of cakes."

www.dreambigdigi.blogspot.com
"I love digi designing and sell my own scrap kits."

http://mountainhomequilts.etsy.com/
http://mountainhomequilts.blogspot.com
"I'm a wife and mother of 3 (almost 4) that creates handmade quilts from our small homestead in Northern California."

www.theiphonemom.com
"I'm a stay at home mom of three (with #4 arriving in 12 days) who reviews iPhone apps for moms and their kids."

http://lazydaisydesigns.blogspot.com
"Lazy Daisy Designs - a blog with LOTS of fun wordart freebies!!"

www.firstimpressionshandcasts.com
"We make 3-D stone replicas of hands and feet - any age, any pose! Located in the Gilbert, AZ area."

ImperfectlyBeautiful.etsy.com
"I have a fairly new Etsy shop ... ImperfectlyBeautiful.etsy.com ... that sells unique home decor and gifts."

imperfectlybeautifulms.blogspot.com
"Imperfectly Beautiful is a crafting and home decor blog."

www.thedeantriplets.blogspot.com
"Our blog is about the ups and downs of raising triplet girls."

VanderbeekImages.com
"My husband and I run our photography business from our home in Hyrum, Utah (Cache Valley), complete with a beautiful studio and pro lighting equipment but we also love being outdoors and prefer natural light. I love creating albums for weddings, families, and newborns as well.  We also sell a variety of specialized products such as gallery wrapped canvas, Senior Collages, and custom microfiber purses and totes. I will also be teaching at the Digital Scrapbook Experience for Creating Keepsakes in September so if any of you are there, come say hello! I will be teaching Better Photos for Storytelling and Photo Editing: Perfecting People"

www.laurenjeanphotography.blogspot.com
"It is journey through photography."

kenzidawndesigns.blogspot.com
"Check out my blog that is packed with absolutely free digital scrapbooking templates made with Photoshop!"

http://sketchingstamperdigi-stamps.blogspot.com/
"Sketching Stamper Digi-Stamps - very reasonably priced original artwork for you to download, print and colour."

www.designsbylei.blogspot.com
"I create unique and custom designed invitations and announcements for any occasion!"

trendy-totes.blogspot.com
"Cute and affordable handbags, diaper bags and purses!"

www.designsbycat.etsy.com
"Unique and original vinyl decals in the form of images and word art."

krissilus.blogspot.com
"Krissi Lu's: Specializing in unique and stylish handmade burp cloths, passi-clips, bows, and flower clips."

www.somewhereoutthereishere.blogspot.com
"Hoping you can help us to expand our family. Help us adopt! Visit us at www.somewhereoutthereishere.blogspot.com or look up Dan (husband)and Julianna (wife)under adoptive profiles at www.beta.itsaboutlove.org"

www.marykay.com/Julianna_Mortensen
"Your personal beauty consultant. Available 24/7 with Free shipping!"

www.letreschicboutique.com
"Reasonably priced creative and fun home decor"

http://www.shannonruddphotography.com
"What's your  story?  As a photographer, I try to focus on capturing the  special moments that will be able to tell your stories for generations to come!  I photograph infants, children, teens, families, weddings, and more!  Currently located in Portland, OR area, but I also serve many clients  in Phoenix, AZ."

http://www.pimpmyblogdesigns.blogspot.com
"FREE blog backgrounds to spice up your  blog!"

www.SignsbyJen.etsy.com
I make custom wood signs with vinyl sayings.

www.focusedfundraising.net
 Focused Fundraising. Providing personalized fundraising services to meet your specific goals. We are so confident in our abilities to raise money, we guarantee you will or our services are free!

card-making-magic.com 
join in the fun and make your own cards....no special skill is needed...just your imagination!

http://pixelrosedesigns.blogspot.com
Affordable one-of-a-kind backgrounds, banners & sets to make your blog stand out! 

tasteslikechikin.blogspot.com
Freebie digi kits, DYI how-to's, Recipes, Creative ideas, Restaurant critiques and other fun stuff.

www.picturethis9.blogspot.com
I've had a passion for photography my whole life, but have finally taken it to the next step.  Hope you enjoy!

Fathers and Fedoras kit

2009-06-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you to all of you who have sent me emails for the Christmas in July post. (If you don't know what I am talking about, read the post underneath this one). I have been amazed at all of your talents and stories, and it has been fun getting to know a little bit about you. I plan to post the Christmas in July post on the 1st of July, so if you wanted to send me an email, you still have a few days. And even if you don't get it to me in time I can always add yours on to the post anyways.

Okay, onto my next kit. It's a little late to be posting a Father's Day kit, but hey, the summertime gets busy and other things take the front stage!

When I think about being a father, I realize the important role a father can play in a family. I realize how lucky I was to have grown up with a father who gave me one of the greatest gifts...his time. He was a busy man with his work as well as duties at church, but when he came home he did not go sit on the couch and turn on the TV to watch sports or whatever. In fact, I rarely ever saw him watch sports, unless it was one of his own kids' sporting events. He was in so much love with my mother. My siblings and I were the type of kids to have said, "Ew Dad, stop kissing Mom in front of us!" However, we are all so grateful that they were willing to show us how much they loved each other.

My dad kept the mood light in the home. I remember on Sundays after church he would drive us around to look at model homes. We'd be gone for a couple of hours. Growing up these were such great memories for us. (We later learned that part of his reasoning of doing this was to let my mom have a moment of peace and quiet for a little while...there were 5 of us and the age gap between the oldest and youngest is 7 years). And although he was giving my mom a break, we also knew how much he loved to do this with us.

My mom used to accompany at the piano while my dad would sing silly songs (even with little dance motions now and then). He was always making us laugh. He always seemed so young to me because he was willing to just be silly and youthful (do not get me wrong, he was mature and responsible when he needed to be).

I love that he still has his youth and is still willing to have fun. The picture below is more of a family inside joke so I will not bore you with details, but as you can see he is very young at heart as we played ring around the roses (in a crazy way....my brother on the left is normally NOT that flamboyant!)

Because of the fun and youthfulness in my parents' marriage, all of us kids grew up with a sense of humor as well and an inner desire to remain young. When we get together, we are very immature and find ourselves laughing at everything. The picture below was taken at a family trip. At the condo we were staying at, there was a FOUR person jacuzzi. With the 5 of us kids, (4 of us are married), that adds up to NINE of us who were all wanting to be in the jacuzzi together. Let's just say that the water ended up with half of it all gone by the time we were out of there. But the below picture shows a little bit of our weirdness:
It's pictures like this that bring back memories for me and make me so grateful for my family. It makes me so grateful for my dad and how fun he helped our childhood to be. (By the way, my mom played a MASSIVE role in our humor, but since this post is about Father's Day, that's why I'm mentioning so much about him!) I love that we can laugh about things...and even enjoy our get togethers as we remember my mom on the anniversary of her death. Everything is joyful and I am so blessed.

My studly husband came home one day with a fedora hat. At first I thought to myself, "Oh my goodness, I am married to a teenager." But then as I thought about it, I thought how grateful I am that my husband wants to be young. (I love that in the reflection of his glasses you can see Caitlynn laughing at him).He makes me laugh, and when it comes to being a father, he makes my kids laugh and act silly and crazy. So often I think, "I am trying to calm them down to get them ready for bed", but then when I think that their dad works long hours and is sometimes gone for lots of days at a time, I am so lucky that he brings out that energy in them. They will have memories of having a fun dad and that is so important to me.

So, I called this kit "Fathers and Fedoras" because to me, it is so important to be young. I realize the wrinkles are going to come. I realize the energy won't always be there. I realize the gravity will drag us down. But I also know that we can still retain our youth in other ways. We need to laugh. We need to make memories. We need to spend more time with the ones we love. And for no reason at all, everyone should buy a fedora!

Click here to download the free "Fathers and Fedoras" kit:
Fathers and Fedoras: folder 1
Fathers and Fedoras: folder 2
Fathers and Fedoras: folder 3
Fathers and Fedoras: folder 4

Christmas in July

2009-06-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Wow, this summer has kept me busy. Having all the kiddos home with a husband who travels a lot makes it hard to make any kits. And I am sorry to say that I still do not have one ready for you. (However, a Father's Day one is in the works...unfortunately it won't be ready until AFTER Father's Day).

With all of my apologies out of the way, I thought this would be a fun opportunity to let you know that in the month of July, I will be doing a post that spotlights YOU! If any of you have any businesses that you want to advertise, then I will be making a post full of your website/blog links. I have been blessed to have quite a few viewers come through my blog, so this could be a great opportunity for you to show what you have to offer.

Here's what I need you to do from now until the last day of this month (June 30th):

1) Send me an email with the subject line being "Christmas in July". (My email is mamadriggs@yahoo.com)
2) In the email include your website/blog address
3) Also include a one sentence description about your site

I look forward to seeing all of your talents out there! I'll be back in a couple of weeks.

Summer

P.S. I won't be able to check my email for over a week, so please don't be offended if I don't reply.

Bree is in REMISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all my wonderful readers! I am writing some VERY happy and VERY wonderful news that Baby Bree is in remission!!!! This has been very surprising and unexpected news. I found out two days ago and have been waiting anxiously for my friend Kari to blog about it before I spread the news as well. She just posted today and if any of you would like to read about it, then you can click here:

http://www.famofcookies.blogspot.com

Thank you to all those who have donated, who have prayed, who have given words of support. You have all been wonderful, and I think Kari and Justin will appreciate every last drop of your love! For those who want, I am still accepting donations until next Saturday (June 6th), and I think whatever we are able to give to them will be that much more meaningful, and they will REALLY be able to enjoy it now.

Oh I am just so happy!!! Please feel free to post a comment on Kari's blog if you want. I know she would love it!

Summer

Easy Breezy kit

2009-05-22T07:57:00.001-07:00

Hello dear friends. I have felt helpless the past few days. Many of you remember Baby Bree. (You can click here to read about her story). She is just a few days younger than my sweet Claire.

Baby Bree has been fighting neuroblastoma cancer for over 6 months now.
Her mother, Kari (who is one of my best friends), and her father Justin (who is one of my husband's best friends) have been in and out of the hospital so many times. At the same time they are raising a 6 year old Down Syndrome boy as well as a 4 year old little boy.

Caleb & Gunner wearing the shirts/vests that were purchased using some of your donations:

For the past 6 months Bree has been going through chemotherapy, blood transfusions, plenty of IV pokes, feeding tubes, MRI tests, fevers gallore, bacterial infections, biopsies, sleepless nights at hospitals (YUCK!) and the list goes on. I cannot imagine what my friend Kari must be feeling. The couple of weeks that I was at the hospital with Claire were some of my most trying times.

Well, this past week they were going to find out if her cancer is in remission. But they found out that after this long struggle that there is still cancer in her bone marrow. Kari said that the doctors are puzzled and were confident that the cancer would be gone.

Bree goes in for surgery today to remove the tumor (which is in a dangerous spot; it is located in her abdomen next to her aorta and inferior vena cava [major arteries]). They are hoping to get it all out. They will then do a biopsy on the tumor to see if it has any active neuroblast cells. If it comes back "non-active" then they still won't know if the cancer is "non-active" as well in her bone marrow. They would have to do more scans and a bone marrow biopsy in another 3 months. What a long time to be carrying such a load!

Kari wrote:
"Tonight as I sat rocking Bree to sleep, I finally let the tears come. I have felt all day like I need to be strong. I need to have faith that Heavenly Father has a plan for Bree. That she is special to Him and that He has great things in store for her. But, as I let my mind wander and worry about what could possibly be in store for her future, my heart began to break. When you have a baby you never think that they will be dealing with cancer or chemo, multiple surgeries, blood transfusions, bone marrow biopsies, etc. She's been battling this cancer half of her life. I feel crushed in a way because when she was diagnosed they gave us this plan...8 rounds of chemo and she should be done with this cancer. Yes, her tumor has shrunk, yes, its out of her bones, but she's not totally clean. We are not talking about remission yet. At this point we are still confused, bewildered by these results. Justin and I are mentally drained. It's been a hard day. We had much different ideas about today. It was supposed to be a day of celebration and excitement. I was supposed to be planning a cancer-free party. Instead, we have to dig in our heels and move forward, walking blindly by faith and continuing to live, being grateful for the miracles we've seen, and truly enjoying more of the little moments."

(Kari and Bree still making the most out of a hospital stay on St. Patrick's Day):

That last sentence that she wrote was so powerful to me. She lists some very important things that we can all learn from and apply to whatever struggles we are going through: 1) Dig in our heels and move forward, 2) Walk blindly by faith, 3) Continue to live, 4) Be grateful for the miracles, and 5) Truly enjoy more of the little moments.

How profound.

Kari and I have been emailing the past couple of weeks. She is so drained. So tired. So ready to be done. Bree is still nursing from her and Kari truly has never had a break from all of this. If I was in this situation I would want to escape (to a beach perhaps). But Kari is the type of person who wouldn't want to escape, but would want to be with her children and husband always. She is such a good mother. However, I feel that she needs a break!

This is when I decided (once again) to do a kit. I realize that so many (SOOOOO MANY) of you had made donations (small and large) back in the fall when I created the "Gratitude kit". For those who are newer to my site, you can click here to read about wha t was purchased with the donations.

I realize that I cannot be asking for more. You have all been so generous in the past. But, for those of you who would like to make a donation, I would greatly appreciate it. (I even went above and beyond with this kit and made extra papers and elements....it's my biggest kit ever!) I will accept donations for the next couple of weeks (I'll do it until June 6th which is my brother's birthday [easier for me to remember that way]). Just click on the "donation tab" on the righthand side.

If you cannot make a monetary donation, then your prayers and words of encouragement would be wonderful as well. As before, I would love to give her any words and thoughts coming from you. Let me know if you have any ideas on things that could lift their spirits. I'm thinking along the lines of a spa day, movie tickets, restaurant gift cards, etc. But if you have something else in mind, please let me know.

We love you Easy Breezy!!!
Every time I think of Bree, I think of Claire and how grateful I am for her. When I made this kit I knew I needed it to be cheerful and uplifting. As I was with my own sweet Claire one day, I realized how happy she makes me. And as I looked at her I got my inspiration in the beautiful dress she was wearing.

Easy Breezy kit

Click here to download the free Easy Breezy kit:
Easy Breezy kit: part 1
Easy Breezy kit: part 2
Easy Breezy kit: part 3
Easy Breezy kit: elements 1
Easy Breezy kit: elements 2

To donate, you can click on the "Donate" button at the top of my blog on the righthand side. Thank you so much!

Tutorial: The Selective Color Tool

2009-05-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a scrapbook paper and thought, "Oh, I love everything about this paper, but I just wish there wasn't any pink in it!" Or, "I love this paper, but that one shade of blue doesn't quite match the shade of blue in my picture." This is where one of my favorite tools comes in handy. It is called the Selective Color Tool. Some of you have posted and asked me to change the pinks in some of my kits to blue so you could use them on your boys' layouts. Now you'll know how! (***When changing the colors of papers, always check the designer's Terms of Use to see if they've given permission for you to change their colors. You have my 100% permission on all of my kits).

(Keep in mind that I use Adobe Photoshop CS2, so I don't know how well this tutorial applies to other programs).

1) Open the paper you want to use. For this tutorial I will be using the Blossoms paper from my Happiness kit.
2) Click on Image, then Adjustments, and finally Selective Color.

3) Next you will want to choose which color it is that you are wanting to change. I have decided that for this tutorial I want to change my red color to be yellow. I will make sure the color "red" is highlighted and then I will click "OK".

4) Now you get to play around until you get the desired look you want.

5) Here is the before and after of the two. Notice the greens didn't change because I only selected the reds to change:

The Selective Color Tool works great with pictures as well. I use this tool for a natural way to whiten teeth. In this picture of me and my hubby, my teeth match nicely with my shirt (bad), however, I'd like them to match my hubby's bright white shirt!

There are a couple of things to do first, before we do the steps that I described above.

1) First, we need to let Photoshop know that the ONLY area we are wanting to work with is my teeth. We do this by using what's called the Polygonal Lasso Tool.

2) Next we need to use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to make a shape around my mouth. With the Polygonal Lasso Tool is selected, just click around the mouth. This does not need to be exact. You want to make sure that your final click is in the same place as your first click to form a complete circle. You will know you've done it correctly if the outline becomes the "marching ants" (moving dashed lines).

3) Copy (Ctrl C) and Paste (Ctrl V) the shape you just outlined. (You can also copy by clicking on "Edit" then click on "Copy" and then click on "Edit" then click on "Paste." Now you have a new layer which is the shape of my mouth. Make sure that layer is highlighted.

4) It's finally time to use the Selective Color Tool! Making sure the new mouth layer is highlighted, follow step 3 from the first tutorial (Image, Adjustments, Selective Color), and instead of choosing the "red" color to play with, we are now going to choose "white" because that's the main shade of my teeth. With the white color selected, take the tab above the word "yellow" and drag it all the way to the left. Sometimes I redo this step, only I start with the "yellow" color instead of white, and then take the yellow tab again and drag it to the left.
5) You'll want to flatten the image when you're all done to make it all one layer. (Click "layer" then "flatten image.") And voila! Here are the before and after pictures. Not too drastic, see? Just a nice, subtle change.
***Disclaimer: I am not proud of my skin! Please don't look at these pictures up close and say to me, "Summer, you should have also taught us how to cover up wrinkles and blemishes using your picture!" (We'll save that for another day!)

Angel Mother kit

2009-05-07T08:11:00.000-07:00

I remember growing up and Mother's Day was approaching all 5 of us kids would ask our mom what she wanted us to get her or do for her for Mother's Day. Each year it was always the same answer, "I would love it if you would clean your rooms." That never made sense to me...how could clean rooms be considered a Mother's Day gift? Now that I am a mother, I realize the importance of that gift and I'm pretty sure that if my kids ask me, I'll give them the same answer my mom gave to us!

I love my mom. I consider myself so lucky to have had her in my life and to teach me so much. I only felt love from her. Even if I was in trouble, she would always go about things in such a loving way, and I know my siblings felt the same. She had a way about making us each feel so important, and in fact, I know motherhood was one of the most important things to her.

She left behind 9 grandkids (3 more have been born since then and another one is due any day), and we are so glad that our oldest kids remember her. When I spray some of my mom's perfume on, Annika will say, "You smell like Grandy." Or if we walk into a boutique shop where they have their yummy potpourri lingering about, Caitlynn will say, "This smells like Grandy's house." We'll even be at a store, and we might walk by some toys and the girls will say, "Grandy had that doll!" or "Grandy read me that story!" And I am so grateful for that.

(This is my parents with their grandkids 2 months before my mom passed)

This will be my third Mother's Day without her. What a legacy she has left behind. All 5 of us kids are active in our Church and continue to live in a way that our mom would be proud of. We stay close as a family and know how important it is to cling together. We are parents who love our children and consider parenting to be a blessing and one of the most important things we can do. We consider marriage as something worth working hard at. My mom and dad loved each other so much and I loved that they would kiss in front of us. I have learned how to be a good listener and to not judge. I have learned how to pray and to have faith. I have learned how to serve. I am so grateful to have been raised by my mother. I will always remember her example, and will strive to live so good to be with her again one day.

One of my favorite quotations has always been one from Abraham Lincoln. It became even more dear to me after my mom had passed. The quote says, "All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

I love you Mom.

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have of being a mother. I love my four beautiful children and am so happy to be a stay-at-home Mom! I am so grateful to my husband and the hard worker that he is so that I have the privilege of being home with Brock and Claire during the day, and for being there when Caitlynn and Annika come home from school. I value my time with them and consider being a mom one of the best things that could ever happen to me. I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day. Even if you are not a mother, you can be an influence for good to those around you. And for those of you whose mothers are still alive, take the time to be with them or talk with them; you will never know how much time you will have with her. Happy Mother's Day!

Click here to download the free "Angel Mother" kit:
Angel Mother kit - part 1
Angel Mother kit - part 2
Angel Mother kit - part 3
Angel Mother kit - part 4

A great site for ideas...

2009-04-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

A lot of people have emailed me who are wanted to get started with learning how to do digital scrapbooking, and what program should they have, and how to actually make elements. I refer everyone to the same place, because it's the website where I went when I was first starting out. So I just thought I would post this link. It gives different tutorials based on different programs, and I think it's just a great source to at least get some ideas. So click below and start playing!

http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/tutorials/tutorials.shtml

Oh, and to answer one more question, I personally use Adobe Photoshop CS2. And one more thing: Two different people have told me that if you have children who are in school, then you can get a student discount on Photoshop. I haven't looked into it too much, so I don't know how to figure out how to do it (if someone does, then reply to this post and tell the rest of us), but I know you can save a HUGE amount of money on Photoshop this way when you purchase from Adobe's website.

To answer another question that was just left in the post by April, she wondered where I recommend going to print 12x12 pages. I personally use Costco. They cost $2.99 for a 12x12 print. Also, don't choose the "glossy" option because it dirties easily with fingerprints. I always choose "lustre."

Apples & Almonds kit

2009-04-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

I am still alive...I PROMISE!!! I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything. I have been totally greedy and am going through a life-changing experience right now. I have been doing this 30-day cleanse diet and am LOVING it! After just over 2 weeks I have lost over 9 pounds and over 17 inches off my body and I am feeling so much better! So, my reasoning for not doing a kit is that normally I create kits at nighttime when the kids are in bed. But now, due to this cleanse, I have had the energy to exercise, and so I have been.

I'm not going to go into too much detail about the products I'm using (if you are interested, you can read about it on my "Summer Time To Get Healthy" blog where I have started to journal my journey: www.summertimetogethealthy.blogspot.com). If you are interested after looking into it, then please contact me if you are wanting to get started. It is a side business opportunity for me, so if you order through me it will help me out (and it can become a side business for you too!)

Okay, so one day I was sitting at the table with my kids. They were munching on their popcorn and I was munching on my new favorite cravings: apples and almonds. (Keep in mind that my old favorite cravings were cookies and brownies, so I have come a long way!) As I sat there and looked at those apples and almonds I thought, "That's a really pretty color combination." And lo and behold I got straight to work on this new kit. I hope you enjoy it!

Download the free "Apples & Almonds" kit here:

Apples & Almonds kit: part 1
Apples & Almonds kit: part 2
Apples & Almonds kit: elements

A Worthy Cause

2009-04-07T22:20:00.001-07:00

My best friend here in Tucson named Sarah is asking for our help. Her dear friend's daughter, little Lauren, has Cystic Fibrosis. For those who don't know, they have not discovered a cure for this disease, and people with Cystic Fibrosis do not live past the age of 40.
Sarah is doing what she can to raise money to help find a cure. She has created a free digital scrapbook kit...her first ever, and might I say she is a complete natural. Sarah is the MOST TALENTED quilter I know (she's the one who created the quilt for baby Bree), and so she has a natural eye for colors and patterns and coordinating them well. She has a gift for making quilts for people. She made one for me for Claire, and she has made so many for other people...just out of love. They are beautiful. And now she has created a digital scrapbook kit and I just think it is awesome! I love this kit that she and she has appropriately named it "Just Breathe." You can click below to go to her blog to download it and to read more about little Lauren. And please, if you are able to, make a donation for the cause...I just did. Thanks!

Summer Driggs
http://biselfamily.blogspot.com/2009/04/just-breathe-digital-kit.html

Bubble Gum & Licorice kit

2009-03-31T23:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I feel like it's been awhile since I've posted. Life has been busy at our household, and I apologize to those of you who have sent me emails that I have not yet responded to. I hope each of you are doing well.

This next kit has no real significant meaning, aside from the fact that it is one of my favorite color combinations. I am a big fan of pink and black (which I know many of you are). My girls' room is this same color combo, however, theirs is a more girly pink. I wanted this kit to have a more romantic feel to it, so I went with a warmer shade of pink. I hope you have fun with it!

Download the free "Bubble Gum & Licorice" kit here:
Bubble Gum & Licorice: download 1
Bubble Gum & Licorice: download 2
Bubble Gum & Licorice: download 3

"Sweet Springtime" kit

2009-03-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it's already time for Spring? I just love the springtime. There's nothing like seeing new buds begin to grow or listen to the birds come out to sing in the morning. This is when the grass grows on its own. This is when the flowers' perfume can be smelled throughout the neighborhoods. I just love it. I love it because there are fun times to spend with my kids. Next week is Spring Break and they will be home from school. And then, of course there's Easter. And who could forget Mother's Day? It seems that in the fall everything is on fast forward, gearing up for the big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. But then when the hustle and bustle subsides, everything just settles down. I hope you have a relaxing and wonderful beginning of spring and that you enjoy it's sweetness.

Download the free "Sweet Springtime" kit here:

Sweet Springtime: part 1
Sweet Springtime: part 2
Sweet Springtime: part 3

The Springtime Chicks in this kit were designed using templates from Scrappin Cop.

Texture on Photographs

2009-03-05T18:50:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for your emails about my photographs. Many of you have wanted to know how I made Claire's pictures have that "texture" look on them. Since the technique is very similar to my previous post, I will do a quick tutorial about it; sorry that I am not returning each of your emails, this will just be faster for me. And a quick note, I think this tutorial works best if there is a big background and a small subject. For instance, you see Claire, and then there's a big wall.

Okay, so this tutorial is to teach how to get your pictures to make this transformation:

1. Start by opening your picture in Photoshop.

2. I always like to play with the levels of the photo to bring out the colors more vividly. To do this, make sure your picture is highlighted in the layers section. Then click "Image", "Adjustments", and finally "Levels." (Steps 2 & 3 you do not have to do; I just like to.)
3. Move the little buttons around like I've shown in the diagram. No one has ever taught me the correct way to do this, but I always start at the right with the white tab and I move it slightly to the left. Then I go all the way over to where the black tab is on the left, and I move it slightly to the right. And finally I play around with the middle gray tab. When you are done, if you want to you can "uncheck" the box next to the word "preview" and that will show you what your picture originally looked like. It amazes me how much gray my pictures always start out with.
4. The next part I am not going to type in detail because I already did it in my previous post, starting with step number 4. For this tutorial I am using an image that I found here: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/972210

Follow steps 4 through 9 from my previous post. I will post pictures here but will not go into detail:

5. We're almost finished. I personally don't like to texture on my baby's face and skin, so I want to erase that part of the texture.
6. I like to zoom in closely when I fine tune these details, so I will use my "Navigator" tool and slide the button to the right to zoom in to Claire's face. If your Navigator tool is not showing, then on your menu options click on "Window" and then "Navigator."
7. Erase the texture on her face and skin. On the smaller areas (like her legs) I changed my brush size from the "100" down to about "50." When you're done, slide the "Navigator" button (from step 6) back to the left so you can see your whole picture again.
8. The last step is to darken the edges. I do this by using the "burn tool" which is one of my all-time favorite tools in Photoshop. I use it when I create so many of my papers and I just love the look that it does. If you can envision taking a paper, lighting a match to it and watching the edges burn, that is exactly what this tool does. For this tutorial I will once again use that same soft round brush that we used for the "eraser" tool. But you can get creative with this and use other brush shapes as well. For instance, on this image I had done with her, I used a scroll brush at the bottom of the picture using the burn tool: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rujJJ-dR2BI/SZuPlrfSO_I/AAAAAAAAAPg/JaWY_REEhfE/s1600-h/Claire_PinkDress_Stairs.jpg

9. And now, just go around the edges of your picture. Hint: if you want to keep it going in a straigt line, then hold down the shift key at the same time.

I hope you have fun with this. Get creative. Try all sorts of different textures. Good luck!

Tutorial: Giving Paper a quick "Grunge" look

2009-03-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

I get asked a lot, "How do you get your papers to have 'that look'?" So I am going to give an easy tutorial on one of the ways I give my papers a "grungy feel." The program that I use is Adobe Photoshop CS2, and that is the only program I know how to use. I also use a PC so I don't know how different this tutorial will need to be changed for any Mac users. Hopefully, for those of you wanting to learn to create your own papers, you'll be able to bend and tweak my tutorial to work with whatever program you use if it is not Photoshop CS2.

1. Okay, so I start with a blank document and create it to be an 8 inch by 8 inch size with a Resolution of 300 and the Color Mode set to RGB. (By the way, whenever I create papers, this is ALWAYS the first step that I do).

2. Choose whatever color you want for your foreground, and then select the paint bucket tool.

3. When you click on your document area, it will fill up with that foreground color.

4. So now we want a quick way to make this background have a grungy look. An easy way to do this is to use a grungy texture to create an overlay. I like to look at a website called www.sxc.hu where they have stock photos that are free to use (you will want to look for ones where "standard restrictions apply", otherwise you will have to contact the original owner to ask permission). You will need to sign up for a free membership to use this site. For this tutorial, I am using an image that I found at this link: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1153191

5. I will take the image that I have saved into my computer and open it up in Photoshop. I like to be able to see both pieces I am working with at this point, so in the upper righthand corner next to that red box with the "x" in it, there should be a button with two small squares. Click on that so you can see both the grunge background as well as your original color background. You will want to click on the "Move Tool" for the next step.

6. Now we want to drag that grunge background over to our original document. If you can see both images (like pictured above), AND you have clicked on the "Move Tool", then all you need to do is click on the grunge background and drag it onto the red background. In your layers palette, your grunge background should be on top of the red background.

7. Next we will want to make sure that the grunge background is covering all of the red. We will need to move the edges of the grunge layer a bit. Currently, the grunge layer should have a dotted line border. When the border is like that, then it means if you move the grunge background around, it will stay in its original size. But if you click on the edge then that dotted line becomes a solid line. This helps you manipulate the heighth and width to whatever you want it to be. (Quick note: if you hold down the "shift" key, and drag at the corners, then the image will stay in it's original shape, but you will be able to make it bigger or smaller). When you get it to the size you like, hit "enter" on your keyboard so it will go back to having the dotted edge border.

8. You're almost done! Now the whole red background should be covered by the grunge background. You want to click on the grunge background the make sure it is selected. Under the layers palette you should see the word "normal" with a little arrow next to it. Click on that arrow.

9. Under the dropdown list, find the word "Overlay" and click on it.

10. Abbracadabra!

Have fun with this. Try all sorts of different textures and colors and backgrounds. If any of you use this tutorial, please feel free to email me what you do.

Let me know what else you want to learn so that way the next time I feel like it, I can do another tutorial.

"One Year Older" kit

2009-02-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

As promised I have created a birthday kit using the first runner up from the Color Combination Contest (great colors Moe!)I loved to make this kit because everything about it screamed fun! And that's how birthdays should be! (However, for some reason my birthdays seemed so much more fun as a little girl then they do now...now I do not WANT to get older! Does anyone feel the same?)

I have to give credit to an awesome designer that I just discovered and she calls herself Scrappin Cop. She has created some FREE actions that you are free to use for digital kits, and I used them to create the sequins, gift bows and curled ribbons in this kit. Here is her link: http://thescrappincop.blogspot.com

This kit is also to pay tribute to my sweet Claire. She is turning 1 in only 2 weeks and I cannot believe how fast the time has flown and how much this sweetie has been through. Since her brain tumor removal on August 11th, she has been seizure-free! That is over 6 months of perfection! No new tumors have shown up from her Tuberous Sclerosis disease, and at the moment, she is perfectly healthy and progressing right along with the milestones of where she should be. She will have an EEG next week to determine if we can take her off one of her medications. Thank you all for your prayers and support. We have been truly blessed! I love you sweet Claire Bear! (Here are some pictures I just took of her to use for her birthday announcement).

I hope you all enjoy this kit, and whenever it's time for you to celebrate your birthday then imagine me singing this song to you that my kids sing in their Primary Class at Church:

You've had a birthday, shout hooray!
We want to sing to you today,
One year older and wiser too,
Happy Birthday, to you!

Download the FREE "One Year Older" kit here:
"One Year Older" - part 1
"One Year Older" - part 2
"One Year Older" - part 3
"One Year Older" - Elements

14 Days of Valentine's kit

2009-01-31T20:12:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! As I was creating my Valentine's kit, I thought a lot about my parents and their relationship. My mom unexpectedly passed away just over 2 years ago. One thing that I was so grateful to have learned from her was how important it is to stay newlyweds. She and my dad had been happily married for over 35 years. And it was all the little things that kept them happy. They would write Post-It love notes to each other and hide them in places throughout the house. I remember every time my dad was on his way home from work, my mom would go to her room and spray perfume on and reapply lipstick. They went on weekly dates. They were in so much love.

One of her favorite holidays was Valentine's because she LOVED romance! She started a tradition called the "14 Days of Valentine's". (She snagged it from the 12 Days of Christmas). So starting on February 1st, all the way through to the 14th she would do little things for my dad each day. It might be a little candybar. Sometimes a simple back massage. I remember one year that one of the days she went and smooched lipstick kisses all over the windows of his car. It didn't take long for my dad to figure out that this should be reciprocated. So after that first year, they did the 14 Days of Valentine's each year of their marriage.

(I snagged this from my sister's blog)

My parents had 5 kids. Four of us are married, and we all carry on the tradition of the 14 Days of Valentine's in our own marriages.

So that is why this kit is called "14 Days of Valentine's," because when I think of Valentine's Day, I have never thought of just the one day. It has always been the 14 days leading up to it. I hope you enjoy this kit, and maybe start your own 14 Days of Valentine's tradition! (Oh, and sorry this isn't a "traditional" Valentine's kit. There are no hearts, and the colors are not just the reds and pinks. I felt like throwing in some other colors and go more with the rose theme.)

Download the free "14 Days of Valetine's" kit here:
14 Days of Valentine's: part 1
14 Days of Valentine's: part 2
14 Days of Valentine's: part 3
14 Days of Valentine's: elements

Baby Bree Update

2009-01-28T18:50:00.000-08:00

I have had quite a few of you ask about how Baby Bree is doing. (And for those of you who don't know about Baby Bree and want to, you can click here to read). This is from my friend Kari's post that she left just a couple of days ago:

Today we got the news that Bree’s cancer continues to be in her bone marrow. 75% of the cancer (in the bone marrow) was “killed” by the chemo but there still is a fight to be fought. There is 25% left to get rid of. Needless to say, I was disappointed because I really thought it would be cleared out of her bone marrow, that the docs would have said that she was clean of the cancer and that we could proceed with discussing surgery to remove her tumor and be rid of this whole process… but that’s not the case. It’s a little discouraging because after the doctors saw how much the tumor in her abdomen shrunk he was very optimistic it would be gone in her bone marrow. She will have to go through 4 more rounds of chemotherapy to kill off the rest of the cancer in her bone marrow, which will also continue to shrink the tumor in her abdomen. Since she will need more chemo anyway removing the rest of the tumor by surgery won’t be necessary at this time. In the beginning they expected to do 8 rounds and possible radiation treatments. But, when we discovered the news that her tumor had shrunk more than what was expected we really believed her bone marrow could be clean of this cancer. We wished we could be on our way to recovery ahead of schedule…instead we are just on track and will continue her protocol as expected. We are happy that she is on the road to recovery at any rate. :)

I hope I don’t seem ungrateful for all that we’ve been blessed with thus far. It is a HUGE blessing that her tumor has shrunk so much and so much of the cancer has died, I do just feel disappointed and a little heart broken that my baby will have to go through 3 more months of chemotherapy. 3 more months of hospital stays, antibiotics, blood tests, weekly doctor visits, blood transfusions, etc. I feel like the last 3 months have dragged on and they feel so long…like the time passed by so slowly. I want to have the strength to endure the next 3 months. I NEED to have the strength to endure it. I NEED to be strong for her.

Anyhow, that’s the update today. We are hoping to start her 5th round of chemo on Friday. It should be another 3-day treatment, so we get to watch the Super Bowl in the hospital☺. We’ve enjoyed our time at home being together as a family. Bree’s so happy at home. I’ve enjoyed doing the mundane Mommy chores and now its time to face the music and endure the next chapter of this journey. I want to say thanks for all the comments left here. It makes our family feel so loved, the many sweet things that are said buoy me up and help keep me going….however, I’m not as great as you all think I am… ha ha.

Here we are before her tests last Thursday. Bree loves to pose for the camera!

After her procedures and still smiling!

It is so sad for me to read this because Kari is truly one of the most optimistic people that I know. This is the first time that I have ever heard her feel sad or disappointed. And yet, she still tries to be happy about things.

For those who are wanting to send donations again (a few of you have contacted me about this), then please feel free to make a donation for her family using my donation link on the side of my blog. Also, if you do make a donation for them, please send me an email saying it is for them, so that I don't think the donation is for me. Thank you for your interest.

Courage kit

2009-01-23T16:38:00.000-08:00

As you know from the post below, the color scheme #1 was the winner. With this kit there were many requests for a boy kit. And many people suggested that these colors would be good for camouflage. So here is the equation that I got out of it:

Color scheme 1 + boy kit + camo papers = Courage kit

This was a challenge for me because 1) I am a girl, and 2) 3 out of my 4 kids are girls, so naturally it's easier for me to create more girl kits. But still, I had a great time creating a more boy-themed kit.

And I learned a new way to make camouflage paper! Here is a link to the tutorial.

I decided to name the kit "Courage" because that is the main word that comes to mind when I think about those people serving in the military. It takes courage to train. It takes courage to serve. It takes courage to leave your family behind. And for those families left behind, it takes courage to let your son or daughter, your husband or wife, your brother or sister, your father or mother, go. Entering the world of the unknown takes courage.

I am thankful for those serving in the military for your bravery, your courage and your love for our country and for our freedom. I hope you enjoy this kit.

Click here to download the free "Courage" kit:
Courage kit: part 1
Courage kit: part 2
Courage kit: part 3

And the winner is.....along with some answers to your questions....

2009-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for voting. It looks like my next kit will be a boy kit with the colors of number 1 with a total of 69 votes (thank you Jessica for submitting them).

Second place was only 6 votes behind and that was color scheme number 6 for a birthday kit (thank you Moe for submitting those).

So here is my plan: Create a boy kit using the winning colors, then create a Valentine's kit, and then create a birthday kit with the second place colors. The other colors I will hold onto for inspiration for future kits.

Now, to answer some questions that people have been emailing me lately:

1) What program do you use to create your kits? Adobe Photoshop CS2

2) How do you create your papers? This is a tough question to answer because there are SO MANY things involved. I would like to start teaching little tutorials on my blog in the future, but not right now. However, in the meantime the things that I use most are brushes (I actually have a picture of a fence that I've created into a brush and that is what I use most often to create the "grunge look" as an overlay), and I use the burn tool a lot. So, if you can find tutorials on how to do that, then those are kind of my finishing touches. And most of my papers just sort of evolve...I have no clue when I begin what they will look like when I end. I know this doesn't answer questions very well, but once I'm able to start doing some tutorials, hopefully I'll be able to answer it better!

3) Can you tell us how you did your new blog background? I have one answer for you. Her name is Jeanette from Easy Custom Blogs and she has a great website that will teach you how to do it. She was so kind to work with my and help me sort out some kinks that had gotten in my way before I discovered her. Here's the link with her instructions.

Oh, and this is a big thank you to all of you who have given me blog awards. I don't have the time in my life right now to go and reply or pass the award on to others, but I sincerely appreciate it. It really does brighten my day!

You'll hear from me soon!

Summer Driggs

Let's get down to business!

2009-01-14T22:23:00.001-08:00

Thank you everyone for your ideas for my next kit! It was so fun for me to see things that I would have never thought of and be like, "Ooh, I like that!"

I had quite a few requests for actual themes as well. So these were my favorites, and I am placing under the themes that I think they would work with. Leave a post and let me know which number is your favorite, and the majority will rule! (I will save the runners up for future kits when I am needing more inspiration.)

A boy kit:
#1

#2

#3

#4

A birthday kit:
#5

#6

#7

Citrus colors:
#8

#9

#10

Just because I liked these:
#11

#12

#13

Thanks again! I'll accepts votes until this next Sunday the 18th.

Summer

Color Choice Contest!

2009-01-09T23:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am in the mood to get started on a new kit, however, I cannot think of a color scheme. (I know Valentine's is just around the corner, but I wanted to be working on something before then).

So, I am interested to know what you are interested in! Anyone who wants to, I want you to go to this website and choose 3 colors that you would like to see as a combination in a kit. I need to know the name/codes of the colors. I will accept people's ideas until Tuesday the 13th. I will choose my top favorites, and then I will let YOU vote for which one is your favorite. The one with the most votes will be the colors that I use to create my next kit! (Hopefully this makes sense).

Click here to go to the website.

(Or you can tell me something like, "I like the brown, lime green and turquoise combination.") But it would be helpful to have the exact code/name.

Let's get our creative juices flowing!

Year to Shine kit

2008-12-31T19:36:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that everyone is healthy and well.

This kit that I created is for New Year's. Each year when we sit to write our resolutions, we are always trying to think of what we can do to become better people. Whether it be to eat healthier, spend more time with family, become more organized, be a better friend, etc., our goals are always to make us better people.

I came up with a catchy phrase that says, "Two thousand nine is the year to shine!" This kit, called "Year to Shine" is to remind each of us that this is the year we are going to shine! We are going to become better people. Imagine, if every single person on the earth actually tried to become a better person, and followed through with it, wouldn't this world be such a more lovely place to live?

I hope as you think about what you can do to better yourself, that you take a look around you and realize that the things you do will make the world a better place. 2009 is the year to shine!!!

Summer Driggs

Download the free "Year to Shine" kit here:
Year to Shine: download 1
Year to Shine: download 2
Year to Shine: download 3

Have a Happy Holidays!

2008-12-20T23:06:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no new kit yet. I hope to be able to have time to work on one once I get back from being with family for Christmas. We have a busy next few days. Tomorrow evening will be our get-together with my extended family on my dad's side. Monday is the 2nd year after my mom's passing so me and my siblings and dad will be spending time together. Tuesday is the Eve of Eve party (my friend creatively called it the Christmas Adam Party (because Adam came before Eve!), which is with my family. Then Wednesday night will be Christmas Eve with my husband's family. Then Christmas morning will be at my husband's grandmother's. Then Christmas afternoon will be lunch at my grandparents'. And then we will drive back home to have our own little Christmas. (And 4 days later is mine and my hubby's 10 year anniversary!!!)

YIKES!!!! Such busy times. But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for anything because everything we are doing is continuing traditions and creating memories.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and hope that you are able to enjoy the winter season. I will be back soon!

Summer Driggs

Two quick answers...

2008-11-27T07:05:00.000-08:00

The first answer is about the Giving kit. A few of you have asked if you can use it for your family Christmas card. Please feel free! And if you do, I would love to see what you create...it's fun to put faces to names!

The second answer is in regards to my baby Claire. She is doing SO GOOD!!! Since she had the tumor removed during brain surgery in August, she has been seizure free (that's 108 days to be exact...but who's counting?...um, me!!!) We've started cutting back on one of her medications, and she'll do another EEG in a couple weeks to see if we can completely eliminate one medication (they want her to stay on the other for a year).She's growing great, she's eating well, she's developing normally...it's truly a miracle. And we experienced one more miracle with her. If you want to read it, click here. Thank you for asking. We are just enjoying her perfection for the moment. For those who didn't know, with the Tuberous Sclerosis disease that she has, at any moment her body can grow tumors on organs such as brain, eyes, kidneys, heart. So far the brain was the only thing affected and after her surgery it looks like although she's got a larger then an egg hole in her brain, it is functioning perfectly and she is doing well. The fingers are crossed, the prayers never stop, and our love for her grows more and more each day.

Thank you for caring, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving kit

2008-11-25T19:55:00.000-08:00

You are all such examples to me. I cannot believe how many of you have given donations and prayers to my friend and her baby Bree...and the donations and words of encouragement just keep coming. This is what the holiday seasons are all about - GIVING. When I was a little girl it was all about receiving. But I have learned throughout the years that giving to others is what brings pure happiness. And during the holidays, giving just comes naturally. I hope that as you give of yourself to others, be it a prayer, a plate of goodies, a hug, your time, etc. that you will experience a feeling of warmth that a fireplace doesn't hold a candle to. Enjoy the holidays!

Summer Driggs

Download free "Giving" kit here:
Giving kit: Part 1
Giving kit: Part 2
Giving kit: Part 3
Giving kit: Elements

Summertime Designs

Got the kit! Thank you thank you!

Still need the kit!

HUGE FAVOR!!!!!

If you can sew, and you have a little free time, then can I ask a favor of you?

Cheers to the New Year kit

Explanation of the Christmas Card

Our Christmas Card

Simple Teacher Gift or Neighborhood Gift

A little 5x7 wordart print

Holly Jolly Christmas kit

The Best of Fall kit

I am shutting down the Two Bucks That's All site

Flipflop-sicles Kit

The final countdown!

An itsy bitsy favor? Pretty pretty please?

Thanks for your patience!

A Little SPRING In Your Step kit

Fresh Start kit

Cute idea for a Valentine's card

Dance with Me kit

Christmas Carol Game

***Update***

Old Fashioned Christmas kit

Christmas Card Templates

Please! It will take 2 minutes tops!!!!

Give this family a vote!

Two new kits!

Easton kit

"A BOO-tiful Night" kit

"Dryer Lint at Tiffany's" kit

A wedding in every state!

Playhouse Raffle for a Double Lung Transplant

Freedom Ain't Free kit

If anyone is interested...

Sweet Cakes kit

A heartwarming photo shoot

A cute giveaway from my friend

Dreamsicle kit

Baroque Frame Brush

A Prayer for my daughter

"OWL Always Love Spring" kit

"So This Is Love" kit

"Ring It In" kit

Donations for Kari and her kids

You are all so wonderful!!!

Believe kit

Thanks for Giving kit

Tutorial: Rounded Corners on Photos

Winter Wonderland Kit

Fangs for the Memories kit

Falling For Fall kit

Kit Download Problem

Diaper Clutch Giveaway!

Golden Sunshine kit

Christmas in July....important add-on

Skinner Update

Happy Mothers Day!!

Seasons Greetings! It's Christmas in July!

Fathers and Fedoras kit

Christmas in July

Bree is in REMISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Easy Breezy kit

Tutorial: The Selective Color Tool

Angel Mother kit

A great site for ideas...

Apples & Almonds kit

A Worthy Cause

Bubble Gum & Licorice kit

"Sweet Springtime" kit

Texture on Photographs

Tutorial: Giving Paper a quick "Grunge" look

"One Year Older" kit

14 Days of Valentine's kit

Baby Bree Update

Courage kit

And the winner is.....along with some answers to your questions....

Let's get down to business!

Color Choice Contest!

Year to Shine kit

Update