Kreating With Kim

I can't believe it's almost November...really?

2011-10-26T16:40:00.006-04:00

Wow, I am looking at my calendar and find it hard to believe that November is just around the corner. Where has this year gone? It feels like it's flown by so fast. How does that happen?? I've been busy working on my creative side, along with the usual chauffeuring of kids between activities. The girls are involved once again this fall with their favorite sports - soccer and volleyball. Two of them finish up their season this week and my third will have her last volleyball games next weekend - just in time for the holiday madness!

Have you guys discovered Pinterest yet??? Oh my goodness! What a fun place to get lost in! I discovered it not long ago when I was looking for some home organizing ideas...that lead to photo shoot ideas for teens and babies...then on to Christmas gift ideas...then on to creative spaces...the list grows each time I get on the website! Here's a link for you to follow me if you like: Kim's Pinterest Site.

And, in the last few months, I have finally gained the confidence to add my photography to a portfolio on Zenfolio. Here's a link to my gallery over there - Kim's Zenfolio Gallery. I'm slowly adding to my portfolio and will put more pictures there as I take them.

Ok and now for more fun...these are some things I've done lately. I volunteered to help with the high school volleyball team. They have a night for each team during the season to recognize the girls. I created these posters for each girl and we hung them outside the main gym on their night. They were such fun to create and the girls had a keepsake to take home and hang in their rooms.

I was also playing with some new techniques in Photoshop...how cool is this technique?? It's simply blending two photos...

I used this photo - taken on my trip to Savannah, GA this past July - and this vintage-y looking paper I created in photoshop. Fun, huh?

I'm hoping to get started on more fun things for the holidays. I enjoyed making the printable tags last year and hopefully, I can make more this season!

Gift Tags Printable just for you!

2010-12-01T16:32:00.009-05:00

I'm back from Thanksgiving break and ready to move along in my digital holiday gift creating. I had mentioned on Facebook that I planned to do some printable gift tags for you all. I finally got them done. I didn't have a printer at the lake house, so I had to wait until I got home to make sure they looked ok printed. I have uploaded them to Mediafire as a straight JPG file. This means anyone can open them and print them out. You don't have to have Photoshop! YAY! I would recommend printing them on a good, heavy cardstock. When you click the image, it will show you the full JPG file. You can just select print from your web browser to print.

I also updated the Merry Christmas Card. This is a 5x7 PSD (Photoshop) file. You do need photoshop for this one and you should have a little bit of photoshop knowledge. It involves using a clipping mask. It's easy to do and I have the instructions included below. At the request of a former MCC student, I have added a gold 2010 to the Merry Christmas card. Thanks for the idea Gwen! When you click on the images below (both the Merry Christmas Card and the Snowy Card), you will be taken to the download site. There will be a message "Processing Download" and when that it done, look for a yellowy/gold box that says "Click here to download" or something along those lines. That will be your link. The only problem with these download sites is they have A LOT of advertising and it can be confusing at times.

I also added this new little creation...a snowy card! This snowy card is the same dealio as the other...you need to have photoshop and a little photoshop knowledge because there is a clipping mask involved (see instructions below). I've tried these on both PSE and CS3 and they work in both.

Now if you are unsure of how to create a clipping mask, here is what I do. The photo will be in the grayed out area once you have done this.

First, open the photo you want to use (if you need to do a landscape, you can easily use your move tool and turn this gold frame around to fit your needs). Once you have the photo open and cropped to your liking, do the following:

1. Move the photo over onto your card layout using the drag/drop. Place your photo layer just above the layer marked Clipping Mask Layer (you'll see the gray icon on the layers palette).

2. When you have your photo layer over the Clipping Mask layer, hover the cursor in the middle of the two layers while holding down your ALT key. You'll see two intersecting circles with an arrow, still holding down your ALT key, left mouse click now. You should see a little bent arrow by your photo and the photo should fit perfectly within your gold frame.

I'm not sure what I'll create this week - if anything. I'm booked solid with all kinds of stuff and I'm not sure I'll get to be as creative as I would like.

Enjoy the downloads and if you have suggestions for future, let me know! I'm always open for suggestions!!

A little something I created today...

2010-11-23T16:05:00.011-05:00

So I've been slowly learning how to do digital kits for a few months now. Sometimes it's so easy and other times I struggle trying to get just the right look or trying to figure out the steps for an embellishment and find my darn brushes don't work in my CS3! I go back and revisit my notes and old digital magazines...I study others' designs and re-read my CS3 books but things don't always fall into place. I can't believe how long it can take me to absorb things sometimes.

Anyway, since Christmas is so close and many of you are starting to think about Christmas cards, I decided to try my hand at a card design. This is actually all of my own creating...I did the red and green papers myself (cool, huh??). The gold frame and swirlies are brushes with gold metallic styles applied to them.

To use this, you'll need to have a photo handy, crop it and then use a clipping mask for it to fit perfectly into the gold frame. Don't know how to use a clipping mask...piece of cake! I have instructions below.

I have a link to download the .PSD file (photoshop) - just click
HERE
I did test this in Elements 8.0 and of course, CS3. More than likely it works in other photoshop programs, but I can't promise.

Now if you are unsure of how to create a clipping mask, here is what I do. The photo will be in the grayed out area once you have done this.

First, open the photo you want to use (if you need to do a landscape, you can easily use your move tool and turn this gold frame around to fit your needs). Once you have the photo open and cropped to your liking, do the following:

1. Move the photo over onto your card layout using the drag/drop. Place your photo layer just above the layer marked Clipping Mask Layer (you'll see the gray icon on the layers palette).

2. When you have your photo layer over the Clipping Mask layer, hover the cursor in the middle of the two layers and hold down your ALT key. You'll see two intersecting circles with an arrow, holding down your ALT key, click now. You should see a little bent arrow by your photo and the photo should fit perfectly within your gold frame.

Here is my take on it:

Now, go have fun and be sure to show me what you have done!!

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

{Friday Photo Bliss}

2010-11-19T13:31:00.003-05:00

In my determination to keep this blog up to date, I'm getting back to posting the {Friday Photo Bliss} photos again. These were inspired by Rita at CoffeeShop, who got her inspiration from SouleMama.

This week was American Education Week and I visited my daughter's class. As always I had my camera attached to me...never leave home without it! I saw my friend visiting her son and couldn't resist snapping this photo. This is the sweetest little face ever! I just think she is beyond adorable. Sleeping children just beg to be photographed...so innocent, so angelic. Enjoy!!!

PS - I used CoffeeShop Faded Daydreams action along with Pioneer Woman's Quick Edge Burn action on this photo.

So, you wanna know what I've been up to??

2010-11-17T10:21:00.003-05:00

I think life has finally settled down a bit and I'm focusing on my fun stuff! Yay for me! I've been spending my evenings on a soccer field or volleyball court, my Saturdays running between schools for soccer or volleyball games...it's been completely chaotic. But, now, it's over and I am spending time at home, not in my car. I love that my kids are involved in activities and aren't couch potatoes, but I also love when it all comes to an end and I can really appreciate the relaxation that we sometimes take for granted - you know, the I'm bored thing...

So, I have kept up with some of my photography and photoshopping. I took photos for the girls' teams and created different pieces. I discovered how much I love the photographer's templates! Using clipping masks and some photos, I can put together templates in a jiffy. I found these templates on Rita's site - CoffeeTeaPhotography - she's awesome! Most of these templates are completely customizable.

Here are the most recent collages that I have done. I gave them to Kasey's volleyball coaches and Mikaela's soccer coach, framed. Nice little gifts that mean a lot to them. By the way, these are 4 different collages I did - 3 are 12x12 in size, the other is 8x10.

I've gotten so many compliments on these, I'm thinking I should go into business creating these for people. I can't decide...so help me...let me know what you think!! These don't have to be just for sports, they could be photos of anything. They could be any size or shape...endless possibilities!

On another note, I'm going to be teaching Using Photoshop 101 and Using Photoshop 102 again at My Creative Classroom. If you still haven't checked out the offerings, you need to go over and check it out! There are so many creative ladies that are instructors at MCC and they have so much to offer...Altered Items, Scrapbooking, Stamping, Cricut Specific classes, the list is endless. You can follow the link here or over in the sidebar. Sign up for the newsletter - it's free - that will keep you up to date on everything thats happening in the classroom!

I'm also planning a re-vamp on this blog...been planning it for a while, but haven't actually completed the process. I have so many ideas, it's hard to keep them all in one cohesive plan. I'm sure some of you know how that is!!

Photoshop classes are coming this week!!

2010-09-13T10:43:00.006-04:00

This week will be the launch of my fall semester of classes at My Creative Classroom! Yay! I have several classes coming up between now and mid-October. There's a little something for everyone. It's not too late to register!

First, beginning tomorrow, I have the basic Using Ph otoshop 101 starting. In this class we'll learn the basics of Photoshop - commands, tool bars - and will put what we learn about those to use by creating a couple of layouts. All you need is photos and a copy of Photoshop Elements. You can even download a free 30 day trial of Elements to try it before you buy it! Here is one layout we'll do:

If you are looking for something more than the basics, try the Using Photoshop 102 class! In this class, we'll learn some fun techniques to use in our layouts - torn edges, rounding corners, text from photos, and changing photo colors - we'll then do layouts using these great techniques! Here's an example of a layout we'll do from the class:

Still want to learn about Photoshop but you need it more for photo editing and not the scrapbooking? How about trying my Photo Editing class? This class begins September 21st and runs for 4 weeks. During your time in this class, we'll cover several techniques to edit your photos. These techniques include some fun stuff to enhance your photos, as well as some color adjusting techniques to turn those old faded photos into bright, colorful pictures!!

I hope to see you in the classroom!! Have a great week everyone!

First Day of School

2010-09-07T20:18:00.007-04:00

So, today was our first day back to school. I had two girls starting a new middle school and one still at the elementary school. They were all so excited to get back. I didn't even have to wake them this morning. All three made their way downstairs, bright eyed and bushy tailed! I enjoy mornings like this morning when there is no hassle and no grumpies. After getting everyone on the bus, I played (like all of my friends!) on facebook for a while. I just couldn't get motivated to do something productive. I guess after spending all summer with kids I deserved one day to just goof off, right? I couldn't really concentrate on any one task because I worried all day about my 6th grader. Sure I had two at a new middle school, but the 8th grader was a pro and had been to middle school before. I was totally thrilled to hear that they all had a good day.

You know I have to throw in a few first day photos, right?? I used a photoshop action on these to make them a little more fun. This action was downloaded from Scrap Orchard and created by Faith True. These are both done with her Candy Apple collection, Sweet Candy Apple action.

I like how these actions have a little burnt edging to them.

Just so I don't totally bore you with the back to school stuff, I did take other photos this weekend. These are of my girls, but girls of a different kind. On our mini-farm, we have two goats. I love them. They are so funny. They remind me of a toddler...very curious and always in the middle of everything. I have never really tried to take pictures of them in the past and can I just say, it isn't easy! I took a ton of pictures and only a very few actually turned out. I don't think they liked the sound of the camera. They wouldn't come near the fence. I ended up getting my zoom lens and capturing some shots that way. These photos I also ran actions on. I'm hooked...a total action junkie...I'll admit it! These actions are from Pioneer Woman, her Old West set from the Action Set 1. Notice how different they look...one photo was taken in full sun, the other was under a tree in our yard. Sooo, without further babbling from me, meet Nemo and Rose Petal (my girls were 2 and 4 when we got them...they named them after an episode of Arthur, their favorite show at the time!), two of my four legged fur babies.

This would be my girl Rose Petal. She was standing under the tree in my yard when I took this. She didn't care for the clicking of the camera at all. I could see the hairs on her neck and back stand up each time I snapped. She would get a crazed look and jump. It was funny to watch. Poor girl, I guess I shouldn't laugh.

This lovely little face belongs to Nemo. She and Rose Petal are sisters and look exactly alike. The only way I can tell them apart is Nemo's clipped ear. We got them when they were 2 months old from a local farm. Her ear somehow got clipped. I think they had seventy goats and couldn't take care of them all, so we took two. I would have loved to get more, but we weren't sure how well they would work out. We all just love these girls!

Happy Birthday to my baby!

2010-08-31T08:00:00.008-04:00

It's hard to believe that my last baby is now 7 years old. I still see her as my little tiny girl. I don't know if in my eyes she will be a big girl. She was so excited about her birthday party this year. She's only been planning for over a year now - actually before her last birthday she started planning. It was to be a Bunny Birthday Party. I let her do everything. She gave me the names of her friends to invite, she told me what she wanted to do and we searched the internet together for some ideas...she even decorated the cupcakes - well, with the help of her older sisters.

Here's the sweet little birthday girl. She was thrilled to see her classmates and soccer friends...it's been a long summer without them!

The first craft she had planned was a sock bunny. She is proudly holding her bunny. They were cute. The girls loved it!

Ahh, the pinata...she would not rest until we had the pinata. Since there wasn't a bunny pinata to be found, she settled for a butterfly.

And finally, time for the yummy bunny cupcakes! She and her sisters decorated these. I have to say, they did a fabulous job! I always get so stressed trying to do everything for these parties. The perfectionist in me has never been able to just relax and let whatever happens, happen. This year, Jordyn and Kasey took the ball and ran with it. They did the decorating. They did the cupcakes. They help each of the girls with the crafts. It was so wonderful. I think this was my first stress-free (is there such a thing???) party! Thanks Jordyn and Kasey for being such great big sisters!!

This is Mikaela's special bunny cupcake. She wanted to make sure her cupcake was just perfect.

Here is one of the other cupcakes. Some were made with coconut and others without. I prefer the coconut for both taste and looks, but not everyone does. I think they were the cutest! We used the fizzle Skittles to do the eyes and nose. Marshmallows for the ears and little bunny cheeks. Overall, they were very, very easy to do. If you want to see more stuff like this, go to Family Fun Magazine and do a search. That is where we found all of this!

Enjoy!!

{Friday Photo Bliss}

2010-08-27T09:33:00.003-04:00

Wow! It's Friday already! Time is flying by. I missed last Friday's posting, but told myself I wouldn't miss this week! Summer is almost over and we have just a little over a week before the kids are back in school. And, what a crazy week this will be...finishing back to school shopping, working, open houses, and the list goes on...I'll need a vacation from all of this hustle and bustle.

After spending much time looking through my photos from the last week, I finally found one that I just loved. Not that I didn't like them all, but this one is just sweet.

We had been out boating our last day at the lake and she was worn out. The rocking of the boat just knocks her out. Even though she isn't a baby anymore (she'll be 7 on Sunday!), I still love watching her sleep.

So, do you have a {Friday Photo Bliss} photo to share??

I have to admit, I'm an "Action" junkie...if there's a photoshop action out there, I've found it and used it. I used an action on this photo, Faded DayDreams from CoffeeShop. I thought it was somewhat appropriate, right?

Since getting back Monday, I've been non-stop trying to get back into the swing of things. I have almost finished putting the final touches on my classes over at My Creative Classroom. It's been slow and Jing hasn't been the most cooperative! I have my usual classes lined up for this fall: Using Photoshop 101, Using Photoshop 102 and Photo Editing. I've also added a Using Photoshop 103 to my list! That one is still in the works and will be open for enrollment soon.

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

{Friday Photo Bliss}

2010-08-13T09:38:00.004-04:00

So I subscribe to a blog - CoffeeTeaPhotography - I love what Rita has to offer over there. One thing she does that has inspired me is her {Friday Photo Bliss}. She takes a photo from her week that makes her happy and posts it. She encourages her followers to do the same on their blogs. So...my {Friday Photo Bliss} Photo is one of my girls...well two of my girls anyway.

We bought this pull behind tube for the kids (and adults!) to play on when we are here at the lake. This was their first go on the tube. I could hear them screaming and howling with laughter as they rode through the waves. They hung on for dear life as hubby tried to make them fall off. Do they look like they are having fun or what!? I wonder how much water they caught in their mouths...they never shut them while they were on the water!!

My long-time BFF from high school came down and brought her kids to spend a few days with us. We hung out on the back of the boat and laughed at all of the kids as they took turns on the tube. It has been ages since I laughed that hard. Each time I look at any of the photos from those days, I just giggle to myself. What a great time we all had! It truly made my week. So, this is my happy photo (well, there were many) for the week.

How about you? Do you have a happy photo that you would like to share?? Just add your link in my comments section!

Embellishments!!

2010-08-02T10:47:00.004-04:00

Wow - can you believe I've posted twice in a week?? I'm happy to say, I finished some embellishments for my Fall kit - the first digital kit I've designed! I'm slowly putting it all together. There's so many little details I'm afraid I'll forget. I may have to find some guinea pigs to help me make sure it's all good before I totally release it. I haven't tried to upload it to 4Shared yet and I need to test that too...so many things to do. I'm very nervous about the whole thing, but I keep telling myself that I have to start somewhere...right? Ok, so here's a sneak peek at the embellishments that go with the papers I showed you last week:

There are a few tweaks that I need to make on these and I think I might add more to it, but this is the beginning of the embellishments. The ribbons are hard to see, but there are some organdy mixed in there. Let me know what you think!! I welcome all comments...but be gentle...it's my first creation. ;o)

It's funny as I'm creating these, I call my girls over to show off my work. Well, my 11 year old wanted to learn to do papers...so here is what she created before I kicked her off my computer!! I think I have created a monster...LOL!!

Can you tell she's into the bright neon colors?? I'm surprised it wasn't all purple - she's a purple freak. I can't wait to see what she does next.

Enjoy your week and stay tuned for more to come!!

I finally have the courage...

2010-07-29T12:30:00.009-04:00

Well, I've been talking and talking about my hope to one day design digital kits. When I teach my classes at My Creative Classroom, I am always looking for kits that are neutral and free for my students to download. I hate having them download anything without running it by the designer first. I like the designers to know what I do and what we are using their kits for...it always makes me feel better knowing I have their approval. Anyway, after many, many hours of thinking and brainstorming and practicing and frustration, I finally have the courage to reveal some of my first kit. I have tons of practice stuff I've done, but this is the first I'm actually going 'public' with! So, here it is...a preview of just the papers. I still have to work on embellishments to go with these...

You can't really see a lot of the detail, but the solid colors have a tweed look and also a grungy look. Once I am done, I'll post better pictures of it all.

Since I've been at the lakehouse this summer, it's given me time to work on these and my photography. I have been working on using that zoom lens...it's not easy. It's heavy and makes my hands and arms shake when I use it. I have to literally rest it on my legs or something else while I'm taking pictures. Here's a couple of shots I've gotten using it...

Mikaela loves canoeing with her dad...she even knows what to do with the oars!

These are all photos that I ran some fun actions on of my girl! I love using actions on my photos...you can make them look so different with the click of a mouse!

I'll be back soon to post the rest of my Fall Kit! Stay tuned...

May is here!

2010-05-05T12:09:00.009-04:00

And let the craziness begin! Some people think December is their busiest time of year, but not me! Don't get me wrong, December can be killer with all the holiday hustling and bustling, but I think May is by far much crazier in my household! Kids are in the midst of spring soccer and this year I have one who is playing volleyball. Saturdays are a joy...3 different games to get to and 99% of the time, they are overlapping in different towns! YIKES! But, I enjoy the fact that my girls are active and have fun doing these things.

I finished my last photography class last week and learned a lot. I think I mentioned in my last post that this class made me think outside the box when taking photographs. I still have a long way to go and lots of practicing before I perfect any part of my photography skills, but that's ok...I'll enjoy every step of the journey!

I've also been playing around learning CS3 and CS5. Talk about tons to learn. I worked with my mentor last week and actually made a sheet of digital paper (YAY me!) and I made a few elements too (a fuzzy fiber string and a brad!). I get so caught up in the great downloads out there, that I forget to create! I found lot of cool patterns, masks and actions to use in editing. Check out these photos below. I took a photo of my daughter and my sister in law's niece and had fun running a few actions in CS5. See the different effects you can get on the same photo?? Fun stuff!!

How sweet is this little face!? I just love this little girl and she is the perfect model...I shot this photo and then ran actions from Pioneer Woman and the Coffee Shop.

This pretty face is my oldest daughter. She'll pose for me sometimes. This old barn is at the end of our driveway and every day as I pass by it, I think of how cool it is. I wanted to convince one of my girls to let me take their picture on the fence in front of it...I convinced her! YAY! In these photos I've used actions from Pioneer Woman and Coffee Shop again. They have so many and they are all great!

Hope you all have a great week!

Oh my goodness!

2010-04-27T11:36:00.009-04:00

Goodness! I can't believe that I am so far behind! I bet you all have thought I fell off the face of the earth, huh?? Well, I guess like everyone, life events have taken over and unfortunately, my blog has been pushed to the backburner. Things are somewhat settling down and I've had so many fun things going on, I'm ready to jump back in! You probably noticed I revamped the look of my blog. I found a new blog package that I liked and decided why not!

Over the last few months, I've been working on my digital scrapbooking skills, as well as my photography skills. I've been taking classes to fine tune my creative outlets! I'm beginning to design my own digital kits...something I've wanted to do since I discovered the digital side of scrapbooking. I'm excited and can't wait to get my first kit done. I have a mentor that I'm starting with this week and she's going to help me get going. I'll be sure to post once I have it complete! Not only that, I just finished beta-testing the new Adobe CS5!!! That was a thrill and I learned so much about Photoshop!! The product is now available for purchase at the Adobe site.

I'm still teaching photoshop classes on My Creative Classroom and plan to continue doing that each semester. Right now, we have a benefit for Haiti class open. Many instructors have created classes for this benefit. Great, great projects for everyone!! If you haven't checked it out, go do it now! For my part, we are doing this quick layout:

I'm finishing up a photography class this week. Just to show you the fun stuff I've worked on, here are a couple of my assignments. It was a great class to get me thinking outside the box when I'm out and about with my camera! I hope you enjoy!!

Sparkle of Spring

Ground Level (my daughter's wacky converse!)

Daily Rounds
(having 3 girls active in Soccer and Volleyball my life is filled with one of these 'rounds'!)

Morning Rituals

I hope you all have a great week!! Stop by and say hello...join my Flickr group and let me see what you are working on! I have one (link on the sidebar) for Digital Friends Fun and also one for Photography! Don't forget to check out My Creative Classroom for the great class offerings beginning this week!!

Mark Your Calendars!

2009-07-09T07:07:00.011-04:00

Some of you may have already received my recent email...some of you maybe not. I am working on the 2nd ScrapPink event to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. We had an awesome turnout last September when we held our first weekend crop for ScrapPink and we are hoping to do the same this year!! So, check your emails and mark those calendars for September 18-20, 2009!! If you aren't on my email list (or you didn't receive the email), leave a comment and I'll send one to you!

I've been busy working - both the regular day job and working hard on digital classes for My Creative Classroom! Many people have asked if I would teach them digital, so I decided that would be my focus for the Fall Semester at MCC. If you haven't been over there, you can visit the website at: www.mycreativeclassroom.com and check it out. There is also a place where you can sign up for a newsletter. This will keep you up to date on all the amazing classes that are offered. Summer is sort of quiet there, but we'll have TONs of great stuff for the Fall!

I've been fine-tuning my photography skills lately. I took a class at Better Photo.com and it was great. I learned quite a bit about my camera and how to use all the fun buttons on it. I've really been obssessed with my flowers and fun things like that. I plan to spend some time today going through the photos and picking out some of my favorites to enter in the 4H fair at the end of the month. How cool is this photo?? I thought the Butterflyweed was cool...the bonus of the bee was even cooler. I can believe how clear his face came out in the photo!

This gorgeous yellow lily is in my backyard...I have been snapping pictures like a crazy person. Each time a new bloom pops open, I have the camera in hand, snapping away. My plan is to do a digital scrapbook with all of the flowers around my yard. I have a pretty large list so far. This book will be huge!

I went to the Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour weekend and visited some amazing studios in my area!! It was a couple of weeks ago and it was a tour around the western portion of Loudoun County. These talented people opened their studios for two days to show the public what they have. I was so inspired. I learned how to make silver jewelry (the actual silver pieces!!) and I signed up for pottery classes!! I just received my jewelry supplies and can't wait to start making my own silver. My pottery class was awesome. I enjoyed the first one and can't wait to go back and do more fun stuff this weekend!! I'll be sure to post pictures when I get finished pieces of both pottery and jewelry!

I hope you all had a great 4th weekend! We had a wonderful time at the lake with our family. I wish we didn't have to come back to reality. I keep pointing out this run down little house that I think would make a great coffee shop. Can you believe Smith Mountain Lake doesn't have a coffee shop!? Mike hasn't taken me seriously yet...one day maybe he'll surprise me. I think it would be great to have a little coffee shop with a side room of kreative stuff.

Until next time, I'll leave with a few fun snapshots from the 4th weekend...of course they are of the kids...my favorite subjects for photos! The three blondies are mine, the little brown haired cutie and the baby are my brother in law's little people.

It's almost summer vacation!!

2009-06-16T17:51:00.005-04:00

Wow! I can't believe that summer vacation is just around the corner! The last day of school is quickly approaching...only 3 days! I am working on the teacher gifts...of course they are last minute things as they always are. I did decide to go digital with them though. I was fortunate enough to have two different events in the last two weeks where I could get great pictures of each child in both girls' classes. I found some cute little CD albums on Shabby Miss Jenn's site. I took the photos and just plugged them into these quick little albums. Unfortunately, I did overlook the size thing when I printed them. Imagine my surprise when I went to pick them up at Costco and they were 8x8 and not CD size like I expected. I did choose 8x8, but the ditz in me didn't think the actual image on the page would print that large! Live and learn. So, I scrambled to figure out what to do since the idea of using these old CDs and DVDs around here was scrapped! My talented friend Lorie gave me the idea of doing accordion albums. I was thrilled. I'm in the middle of assembling them now and will have to post pictures of the finished product later. But as a quick sneak peek...

The cute little one of Mikaela and her friend was from the "Back 2 School" CD album kit and for Kasey's class, I used the "Weeds N Daisies" CD album kit.

Many of you know that I had been working at the job that was horrible. I worked from home, but the stress and the horrible manager was a little too much for me. I finally got the nerve and quit! I feel so much better now. I can't believe how much this was dragging me down and making me simply miserable. I have missed out on so much because of the hours and the ridiculous stuff I put up with. I was constantly worried about what I would get 'yelled at' for next. I didn't enjoy anything because in the back of my mind, I knew that no matter how hard I tried, she would find something and I would be in trouble. It's unbelievable what it did to my self-esteem. I think that's finally coming back. I just feel like a totally different person right now.

Anyway, now that I am finally feeling up to it and I have the time, I have been working my way back into kreating! I did a big afternoon thing with my mom's Red Hat Society ladies. I set up stations and the ladies had a great time making cards! Most had never stamped before, so that was a challenge. But, we all had a great time.

Since I'm focusing on Kreating With Kim again, I wanted to find a fun stamp to help promote myself (who knows what I'm doing with the business, but shoot, I have to promote, right???). I found this site and they do custom stamps...how stinkin' cute is this (excuse the dark background - I didn't turn on enough lights, but you get the idea!):

If you like this, you can get one for yourself at The Stationary Studio. They have a TON of stuff and it's all very cute!!

OH and lastly, I am beginning the planning of ScrapPink 2! I have contacted the hotel and once I get the confirmation for my dates, I'll send an email to everyone! We had such a great time last year, I know this year will be just as fun!! Laura and I enjoy spending the weekend with everyone. You guys are such a great group! For those who haven't attended yet, you really have to. It's a blast!!!

Off to finish assembling these albums...I'll be sure to post the final product when I'm done.

Have a great week!!

Oh My Goodness!

2009-05-30T18:06:00.005-04:00

I can't believe that my last post was in January! Goodness! Time is flying by me. I have taken on more work and it's consumed a lot of my time - a lot more than I had thought it would. Even though I haven't posted, I have been kreating stuff. I'll post some pictures of things I have done.

Laura and I had our 2nd weekend crop in February and had a blast - as always! The ladies are always such fun to have. I have met some truly great people doing these crops. I'm already beginning the work for our 2nd annual ScrapPink crop at the end of September. Look for more information to come soon.

I'm also in the process of kreating a fan page on Facebook. If you are a "Facebooker" you can visit me there as well. I am slowly working on this, so keep checking for updates.

Kasey and I ran our annual Daisy Dash for Girls on the Run on May 16th. I haven't done layouts for those pictures yet - even though my husband only got 2 of us! I have included the layouts I did from last year's race below. It's such a great event and a wonderful program for girls. If you have a daughter that is 8 or older, you should check it out www.girlsontherun.org. Kasey has enjoyed it the last two years she has participated. We were happy that we beat last year's time - only by about 4 minutes, but I guess it's better than taking longer! Next year I told her we would do even better than this year. I suppose I need to keep going on this treadmill so I don't get too out of shape!

I am also thrilled that I finally got my new Photoshop program - CS3 Extended! I am learning how to use it because it is a tad different than PSE 5.0, but oh when I get it down, it's going to be soooo cool! This version does all kinds of great stuff. I'm really hoping that eventually - sooner rather than later - I can start doing some of my own designs for digital kits. We'll see. It's a big dream, but if I keep my focus, I'll get there.

OH yeah and I'm also working on a digital class for My Creative Classroom! MCC is sort of 'closed' for summer, but will be opening up in the Fall for a bunch of great classes! New instructors and new ideas...I'll keep you all posted when things start hopping over there.

Enjoy your gorgeous weekend everyone! I have loved this perfect weather today. I planted a bunch of new flowers in my pots on the deck. I'm so loving the color and cheer that's out there now. I cleaned off the deck furniture, put up the canopy and now the pretty flowers. Perfect for lounging on these cool spring evenings or coffee in the mornings...I love it!

Until next time - Keep on Kreating!!

A Snow Day - Finally!

2009-01-19T18:38:00.007-05:00

Seems like we've been waiting for ages to have some snow and today we got it! The last few weeks have been unbelievably cold. I think it was 0 (yes zero!) degrees here on Saturday morning. Cold, but no snow in sight. The girls had a great time outside playing in it today. Who knows when we'll see more, so they had to take advantage of what we had. There wasn't quite enough in the grass, so they resorted to making snow angels on the deck. Silly girls! They even tried to get the dog to lie down so they could make snow dog angels! That poor dog is so patient with these girls. She puts up with soooo much.

Anyway, now that the holiday craziness is behind me and we are settled into the new year, I'm back at my 'kreating'. Laura and I have been busy planning another weekend retreat for February. We are so excited and can't wait. We had so much fun the last time.
We still have a few seats left. If you are interested in attending, go to this link and register: http://kreatingwithkim.eventbrite.com. We would love to have you!

I just redid her blog - as she says, new year, new blog! She rolled it out today and we are both excited about how pretty it is. I still have to add some things to her upcoming events, but we're pretty much done. Check it out: www.memorylaneinc.blogspot.com.

I have a class coming up at her store on January 31st. We'll be learning dry embossing techniques. If you are available that day, come on over! I don't have samples yet, but will post when I have them.

I've also been working on some fun digital layouts. Here is one I did yesterday for a challenge on a digital site. I was supposed to use only the elements from the kit so I was a little limited with my 'kreativeness'. The two blondies are my daughters and the little cutie in the middle is my neice Jessica. We went to Disney in December with the family and had a blast!

I also downloaded several great kits during the "Christmas Around the World" Collaberation. There were great designers with awesome kits that participated. I enjoy all the freebies and the designers don't skimp with their work. Here are just a couple I did. One I used a QP - quick page, the other is simply two papers.

This is the one using the vintage papers. I just love the vintage look!

This one is just a QP. I love those for fast pages. Just slide your picture in the designated spot and you're all set!

By the way, if you are following my blog by just checking in here and there, I have added a subscribe button to the sidebar. You can just hit that button and you will receive an email when I update the blog.

Look for more fun layouts to come. I have finished up the girl scout calendar and had a blast with that one. I think the layouts turned out great. I just hope everyone likes them. Now I'm setting aside time each day to do more layouts for myself. I also found a place to get them all printed for pretty cheap. They have lots of great reviews from other customers. I want to use two or three different places to see which I like the best.

Ok, I'm off to kreate!!

Happy New Year!!

2008-12-31T15:54:00.002-05:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted! Sick kids, holidays and the stress of holiday shopping has me way behind. This year I plan to be on it again...every week an update!

As I'm sitting here watching the wind blow outside, worried a tree is going to fall on my house, I can't believe it's almost 2009!

This last year has been a very different kind of year for me. It wasn't one I want to remember so much and I'm looking forward to a new year to begin a fresh outlook on life.

I have been thinking of so many things I want to start fresh and new...focusing on my health is at the top of my list. It isn't bad now, but times a tickin' and I'm not getting any younger. As a mom I push aside so many things for myself to do for others - aka - KIDS and just don't make any time for me.

I also want to fine tune those digital scrapping skills I have been playing with. I subscribed to a site with lots of tutorials to teach me how to actually create digital elements for myself. That's one area I really, really want to explore...me, a designer...hmmm...sounds kind of cool, huh?? With all the madness this last month, I miss not creating and need to get back into it. I did some fun projects (not digital) for gifts, but it wasn't enough for me...I need a big kreative fix!

Laura and I are working on our second weekend scrapbooking retreat for February. Registration begins tomorrow and I can't wait. We had a great group of ladies at our last crop in September and I'm sure we'll have a great group at this one as well.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year Everyone!! I'll be back soon with some fun projects to share!!

Here's Hippo!

2008-11-07T10:01:00.003-05:00

Yeah, it's Friday at last! We have a great weekend ahead...nothing but Sunday school/church and that's it!!! Soccer was over last weekend - YIPPY! I love that Kasey plays. I think it's great for kids to participate in teams and such, but 3 days of soccer a week, I'm ready for it to end after 3 months! She loves it, so we support her and cheer her on.

Did you guys notice that I figured out how to do a playlist and add it to my blog?? I was so excited! These are just a couple of my favorites - my ipod has over 300 songs...I figured I didn't want to overload the blog with lots of music so I stuck with my man Chris Daughtry (YUM! did I just type that outloud??!! LOL!) and some others that I like.

This summer, Jordyn finally convinced Mike to let her get a rabbit and join the 4H rabbit club. It just happened to be around the time that our neighbor's bunny had babies. She was in the rabbit club so we got one from her. It was such a tough decision when we went to get the baby bunny. They were all SOOO cute! But, Jordyn finally decided on an all black baby named Hippo. Lyndsay (our neighbor) had named each baby as it was born and Hippo was named such because he was the largest of the group - a chunky little monkey!

The girls fell in love instantly and that poor bunny hasn't had a moments peace since he came to live with us! They keep him outside in their playhouse for now. The girls and Mike cleaned out the chicken coop (dumb chickens won't use it!) for him to live in, but he just hasn't been moved yet.

Here is a layout I did using Latte Dah Designs Nature's Beauty kit. You can see just how much Hippo is loved and how darn cute he is!! Enjoy!!!

By the way, my digital friends...go over to Tracy's site (Latte Dah Designs) and check out her newest kit. She created this kit for her friend who suddenly passed away this week. It's a gorgeous kit with lots of great colors and elements!

Election Day!!

2008-11-04T10:29:00.003-05:00

We are all watching history happen today! I am not a big political junkie or anything...could care less about the debates or who has the most commercials on TV, etc. But, today, no matter who wins or how you vote in this presidential election, it will be a first in our history! I keep telling my girls how cool this is, but they just give me that blank stare. We haven't gone to vote yet, but will later this afternoon after Mike gets home. I was watching the news this morning and I am amazed at how long the lines were in our area before the polls even opened! WOW - just WOW!

I haven't had the time to create any new layouts this week, but hope to over the next day. I'm also thinking of a new class to teach at MCC. I still have to think about the details and iron out how I'll teach a digital class, but hopefully it will all come together soon.

I was reading a blog of one of my favorite digital designers today. It was a post from the other day that I didn't get to see. If you get the chance, go to Summer's blog and read her latest entry. Her new kit is amazing - I just love her work. Not only that, she posted about her best friend and some very sad times for her friend's family. If you can help, I know that it will be greatly appreciated. http://summertimedesigns.blogspot.com/

Oh and how could I forget Halloween!? I took the girls to our usual spots - hit the community center for the Trunk or Treat festivities and then headed through our small town. We walked for almost 3 hours! The girls were thrilled at their loot! Me too...they got snickers bars!! I hope they don't notice that they all mysteriously disappeared!! Luckily, they didn't get too many of them...they are my favorites! I'll leave you with a picture of my girls - the 50's girl, the snow princess and Tinkerbell.

If you haven't yet - GO VOTE!

Another Monday...

2008-10-27T08:53:00.006-04:00

To most, Mondays are the worst days...they got to sleep in all weekend, relax and enjoy being home. Monday morning comes and the alarm clock goes off just too early and then they have to fight the traffic to get to work...for me, I love Mondays now! After what feels like a LONG weekend, the house is mine! After a weekend of kids arguing and messing up everything I tidy up, its so great to just sit and listen to the silence. I have to admit, it is a hassle at first to get the girls up and going some days, the end result is, I have time to actually sit in peace and quiet. Some days it doesn't quite work out this way, but I try hard to plan meetings and client work around these 3 hours of peace.

I did do some fun layouts recently - digital of course!! I'm getting better, but still have SO much to learn. There are so many great kits and tools out there...it's just crazy! When you can't get enough, like me, it gets overwhelming...I am starting to forget what I have! I better get these files organized before its too late.

Here is a layout I did last weekend, but forgot to post it. This was from last fall when we spent the week of Thanksgiving down at the lake. We took a field trip over to Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest. There is so much history down south, we always try to take a trip to somewhere historic while we're there.

This is another I did for Latte Dah Designs. This is using the eco-friendly kit. I'm working on making it a little better. There is something it needs, I just need to figure out what that is!! Anyway, this is just one layout of many that I will be doing for Tracy at Latte Dah Designs as well as one of many that I will be doing with pictures from the Alaskan Cruise that my mom and I took last June. That was an amazing trip and these photos are just a couple of the 600+ that I took that week! The Hubbard Glacier was our first stop on the cruise and it was simply incredible. You just have to see it to believe it...that's pretty much the case with all of the Alaskan scenery.

Let me know what you think!!

Have a great Monday!!

I miss summer!

2008-10-21T07:08:00.003-04:00

WOW! It was a cool, brisk 30 degrees here yesterday morning! I went to take the girls to the bus and my car thermometer said 30! YIKES! My youngest is really having issues wearing coats on these cold mornings. She actually got mad at me and was all out of sorts during school yesterday! I finally got it out of her and she said she was mad because I made her wear her coat...crazy!

Since I'm missing some of the fun and warmth of the summer months, I did a layout from the girl scout trip to Williamsburg this past August. We spent time in Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg. One day we went to Water Country USA and rode the water rides all day. The girls had a blast. These photos were taken at the wave pool...that was my place for the day. I used the Tropical Corkboard kit from Latte Dah Designs to do this layout. Enjoy!!

Wow! The leaves are falling...

2008-10-16T15:25:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it. Yesterday when we were waiting for the bus, there weren't any leaves in the driveway, but by the afternoon drop-off, the drive was covered. I love fall...there is a tree down the road from me that has to be the most gorgeous tree ever in the fall. The leaves are absolutely beautiful. I have seen many people pulled over on the side of the road in front of this house taking pictures of their tree. Its an amazing transformation of color...brilliant red and yellow leaves, its just picture perfect.

So, as I have mentioned in my previous posts, I have found digital scrapbooking! I am so obsessed. It's addicting. I have been referred to many forums to chat with others who have my addiction. I can't believe how much stuff is out there!! You know there's lots of stuff for the traditional scrapbooking, but most is made by the same manufacturers. With digital, there are tons of designers and I truly think there are even more digital products for us addicts than "regular" scrapping products. The really cool thing about this...you can use products over and over again. With Photoshop, I can change colors on papers and embellishments to make them look different...no one will know I used the same ribbon for 10 layouts! I have even gotten my stepmother Sandi hooked! We sat on Sunday and did a cute layout of their dog Doogie. She's been out searching for more kits to download so she can do layouts on her own.

I made a new friend, Tracy! Tracy has Latte Dah Designs (link is in my sidebar). She has some really fun designs. I downloaded a couple the other day and can't wait to use them in some layouts. When I do get a few done, I'll be sure to post them.

Here's a fun layout I did of Mikaela. It was one of my first layouts...she's just so cute, I couldn't resist doing this one. Mike had taken these pictures one day in the yard. They were so her that I just had to use them in something. He has such a way of getting these girls to pose. He definitely has an eye for backgrounds and good photo ops.

Enjoy!! Kim

It's the weekend!! YIPPY!

2008-10-10T15:25:00.004-04:00

Ahhh...Friday afternoon at last. I love the thoughts of lounging on Saturday mornings. Well, unless there is a morning soccer game. Getting up at 6:00 am on the weekdays to get kids ready for school gets old...I'm not much of a morning person!

I haven't done much this week in the way of creating layouts. I have been busy trying to get my house in some sort of order. I've done a lot of the VA work these last few weeks and the house has gotten a little out of control. I've been purging so many things...lots of clothes for the girl scout clothing drive, lots of scrapbooking stuff, just throwing out stuff that isn't necessary anymore. How do I accumulate so much stuff???

So, here is another layout I did real quick this weekend. I downloaded it from a site (I am sorry I can't remember who to give the credit to!) and just plugged Kasey's picture into it. I love this black and white photo of her. I was playing in my friend's studio one day with the girls and this was one of my favorites from that day!

This was actually already done, you just plug the picture into the spot. I like those - simple and easy! But, most of the others I have done are my layouts using the kits.

I hope I have more time this weekend to create more (girls are going to grandpa and grandma's for a sleepover!!! WOOHOO!).

Once I figure out how to do it in blogger, I'll upload a gallery of the projects I have completed.

Have a great weekend!!!

It's fall...

2008-10-06T09:48:00.004-04:00

Wow! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. The girls are all settled into school and loving it! Mikaela thinks kindergarten is great. Mondays and Tuesdays are her favorite days. Mondays because she has computer lab and Tuesdays because she has library! Kasey also loves Tuesdays. She goes over to Lucketts Elementary for the Futura program. She enjoys the program so much. Jordyn is just enjoying school...no favorite days like the others. Blue Ridge is treating her well, but she is tired. The days for her are long, but she's adjusting. She's making new friends and still keeps up with most of her old friends.

I have been trying to keep up with my class on My Creative Classroom and doing my regular
VA work too. I haven't scrapbooked much lately,
but did discover digital scrapbooking. I always loved
to look over the pages people make using the digital kits, but was afraid to just dive in and do it. I took several photoshop classes, but never used it. I finally got the nerve to redo my blog (this one...what do you think?) and it gave me the courage to just do a layout! I did one and now I've done several. It isn't hard at all, but I know there is so much more I can do to jazz up my layouts...I just haven't learned all there is about photoshop yet! Here's my first layout ever - the girls on the first day of school.

Keep an eye out for more layouts to come...I'm addicted!!! I've actually started purging my papers, embellishments and other items in my scrapbook room. I can't see myself giving up the "old fashioned" way of scrapbooking, but this way seems a lot less cluttered and doesn't take up nearly the space! I took my car the other day for an inspection and while I waited for the 45 minutes, I scrapbooked! Can I tell you how cool that was??? Just me and my laptop...piece of cake!!!

Enjoy your fall everyone...I will post more layouts and more fun classes and stuff soon. I have a bunch of ideas for holiday classes to teach on My Creative Classroom and at Memory Lane!

Many, Many Thanks!!

2008-09-28T09:00:00.006-04:00

Well, its Sunday morning of the Scrap Pink weekend crop and I have enjoyed every minute of this weekend! You ladies are awesome and I appreciate the support of you all!! Laura and I couldn't have done this without you. I hope you have enjoyed this scrapbook adventure as much as we have.

I wanted to give a special shout out to my girl Nancy - she was the most amazing "food woman" ever! She kept us filled to the rim with lots of goodies this weekend! Chocolate, brownies, cookies, cake, chocolate...oh and we did have some yummy lunch and dinners too! You are awesome Nancy!

For those of you who couldn't make this weekend scrapbook retreat, we are planning another weekend of fun in January or February.

Here are some pictures from the event. Enjoy!!

Welcome to my new blog!

2008-09-22T18:26:00.002-04:00

I have been really anxious to "pretty up" my blog, but found that the other service I was using just wasn't too terribly user-friendly. I found some great digital blog kits and just had to give them a try but it was just too difficult, so I switched to Blogger! I am so excited about the new look I have going here.

I am hoping to do more digital layouts in the near future. I'll be posting those here in the Project Gallery as soon as I get them done.

My term on the design team for Kits 2 Remember is almost over and now I've taken on another new role. I am a new instructor for My Creative Classroom. I have my first class posted on the website and eagerly planning the next one! If you haven't checked out My Creative Classroom yet, go and see what's there. There are a lot of very talented ladies there teaching a variety of crafting classes. I have a long list of classes that I want to take myself.

The big Scrap Pink weekend is finally here...well, almost. Our festivities kick off on Friday night at 6:00 and don't end until Sunday at 3:00. Laura and I are so excited that we have such a great turn out! We sold out within a week and are already making our plans for our second weekend event. Stay tuned for more details as we get them.

Enjoy the new blog! Thanks for reading!!