:PHOTOS: My little vampira...

Ever since last Halloween she's been saying that she wanted to be a vampira for this Halloween and she held fast.

So, here she is...

my little vampira!

This is the same location we took her witch photos at a couple years ago...it's a great spot for photos!

She sure knows how to get into character, doesn't she!?

We got the goblet at The Dollar Store - a cheap and very effective prop, don't you think?

I have a really hard time picking a favorite out of these, but I think my top two are the 1st and the 8th.

What do you think?

:HAPPY HALLOWEEN:

:FIVE FAVES: Are you ready to spook?

Halloween is tomorrow.

Are you prepared to scrap all your little ghouls and goblins?

Are you really prepared?

Here's a few of my favorite picks from all the spooky products out there to helps us commemorate this hallowed holiday.

#1 - BasicGrey - Eerie Collection - Halloween - Take Note Journaling Cards with Transparencies

Not just your plain old journaling cards, these spooky ones from Basic Grey also include transparency overlays to 'dress them up' even further!

#2 - Little Yellow Bicycle - Trick or Treat Collection - Halloween - Fabric Tags
Fabric is so hot right now in scrapbooking. Add one or two of these eerie tags to your layout for the perfect finishing touch.

#3 - Fancy Pants Designs - Trick or Treat Collection - Ghoul Talk

Who could refuse these googly-eyed monsters?

#4 - Making Memories - Spook Alley Collection - Halloween - 12 x 12 Die Cut Paper - Newsprint

I'm always a fan of a good die-cut and this one from Making Memories fits the bill for sure. I love the varied scallop pattern around the edge.

#5 - Pink Paislee - Twilight Collection - Press Ons
Pink Paislee's Twilight Collection is probably my overall favorite Halloween line this year. Look at these impressive rub ons!

See more Halloween product picks in the right sidebar!

:LAYOUT: Wicked?

Sorry I disappeared for a few days. I was traveling for work.

I have pictures of this year's costume coming soon, but right now I'm fondly remembering some from Halloweens past.

I LOVED Kaitlin's witch costume from a couple years ago. Ironically, it was one of the least expensive I'd ever gotten her!

The patterned paper frames the title and photo perfectly.

I decided to paint the edges of the acrylic letters to help them stand out against the background and the color coordinates with the details of her costume.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Bazzill

Patterned Paper: Rusty Pickles
Ghost Letters: Heidi Swapp
Chipboard: Basic Grey
Paint: Craft Smart
Font: Witched
Corner Rounder: Marvy

:PHOTOS: A trip to Garrity's...

Here's our pictures from the pumpkin patch last weekend...

Cut outs are always fun!

There's something very charming about these imperfect pumpkins!



The goats are always a key feature at Garrity's.



Goat slobber...not so much! :-)







On our way out, we picked up some homemade salsa to take home. Mmmm...

:GIVEAWAY: Ella Publishing Co. giveaway...

So who wants a free ebook from Ella Publishing Co. and learn 20 Simple Secrets of Happy Scrapbookers?

Yes...I know...you all do, but I could only pick one winner and since I couldn't choose, I let the True Random Number Generator at Random.org do it for me.

So, lucky commentor #2 is the winner this time!

CONGRATULATIONS, RACHEL!! Watch your email as I'll be contacting you soon with further details on how to claim your prize.

If you didn't win this time, don't be sad. Head on over to Ella Publishing Co. and do a little shopping. $5.99 isn't even enough to feel guilty about! :-)

:PHOTOS: One lonely little picture...

This was the last picture of the shoot on the same evening that we took these and this one.


Don't forget to enter for your chance to win a FREE copy of 20 Simple Secrets of Happy Scrapbookers from Ella Publishing Co. You can do so here.

:REVIEW: Quick & Creative Quizzes: 125 journaling questions to ask and answer

Quick and Creative Quizzes is one of the ebooks currently available at Ella Publishing Co.

As scrapbookers, we often put a lot of focus on our photos. For some of us, journaling can be the hardest part.

The authors of this ebook, Wendy Smedley and Angie Lucas, show us how to use quizzes to enhance our layouts and prove that adding words to our pages doesn't have to be painful.

In fact, it can be downright fun!

Quick and Creative Quizzes includes 13 quizzes to help you record everything from the details of your child's personality and a heart-to-heart with your spouse to the value of a dollar and the pop culture of your teenage years!

All of the sample layouts within the ebook are by the authors themselves. In total, there are 18 layouts and 2 mini books which help to showcase the quizzes.

Throughout the ebook, there are tips listed to help stretch the great ideas even further or simply add a slight variation to give your creation a unique application.

Wendy and Angie also offer some online resourses including their favorite sites for fonts and pre-printed journaling 'helpers'.

One of the quizzes is actually formatted and included right in the book - ready for you to print off, fill in and include on your next layout!

If you're looking for some fun and creative ways to add words to your layouts, this ebook is for you. It runs only $5.99 and you can download it here today!

If you love the quizzes included and want to make them even easier to use, purchase the companion ebook called Quiz Printables which includes 10 more quizzes ready for printing as well as 10 sketches that make putting them together with your photos even easier! It's available here for only $3.99.

GIVEAWAY:

One lucky reader will be the recipient of a code to download a free copy of 20 Simple Secrets of Happy Scrapbookers!

To enter, first go here and sign up for the Ella Publishing Co. Newsletter. You won't regret it! It's full of amazing (and FREE) scrapbooking inspiration.

Once you've registered, leave a comment to this post. I will do a random draw from all the comments to determine a winner. Be sure to enter your email (don't worry - it won't be visible with your comment) or I won't be able to contact you with the code if you win!

Leave your comment by Thursday, October 22, 2009, 11:59 PM (CST) in order to be considered to win.

I will announce and contact the random winner via email on Friday, October 23rd.

GOOD LUCK!

:LAYOUT: harvest days

We had a couple more days of fallish weather and made it to the pumpkin patch after all yesterday. Photos coming soon...

In the meantime, here's another fall layout I'd like to share.

The slight tilt to the page adds visual interest to the page and the grid on the background paper helped to line everything up on the same slant.

Four wallet-sized prints offer the perfect compliment to the main photo.

The patterned paper strips span the page and help to ground the photo grouping.

The two rub ons and the title treatment create a visual triangle on the page.

Supplies:
Adhesive: Duck
Patterned Paper, Rub ons: Fancy Pants
Wood Sign: Karen Foster
Ink: Colorbox
Circle Punch: Marvy
Deco Edge Trimmer: Fiskars
Pen: Zig

:REVIEW: Ella Publishing Co. publishing new ebooks for scrapbookers...

Like many, I was not a happy scrapper when Simple Scrapbooks magazine ceased publication in early 2009. I knew that I was really going to miss the style and philosophy of SS which, in my opinion, had not been tapped by any other publication currently on the market.

But a couple passionate SS staff members decided to make good on the old adage, "When a door closes, a window opens."

Angie Lucas and Lain Ehmann started what is now known as Ella Publishing Co. which specializes in the publication of ebooks for scrapbookers!

Since it's official grand opening, they've released several topic-specific ebooks which are ready for download now including Special Effects for Digital Photos, 40 Top Tips for Better Photos, Quick and Creative Quizzes, and Text Tricks for Scrapbookers.

Since the topics are very specific, these ebooks range from 20-30 pages and are beautifully designed. To match the mini-size of the book, the price is equally mini - only $4.99-$5.99 per ebook. That way you better focus on the areas in which you are most interested.

The ebooks can be simply downloaded and viewed on your computer screen or printed out on a standard color printer for greater portability.

So, why am I going into all this?

It's just a little preface for the review of one of the Ella Publishing Co. ebooks that will be going live this week...along with a great giveaway for a brand new ebook to be released this week!

Stay tuned for further information!

:PHOTOS: Beautiful fall sunset...

Here are a few more recent photos...




I think the one above is my favorite of this first set. What do you think?

On the next series of shots:
I've always seen the 'sun flare' shots (not sure if that's even the correct term - if not, and you know the correct one...please don't hesitate to leave me a comment) and really like the effect, but never really been in the right place at the right time when we've gone out on a shoot.

While they're most definitely not 'perfect', I do love them and we'll definitely have to go out again and give this type of shot another try.


I love the way the edge of her face and her hair are illuminated here...

READER RESPONSE:
Have you ever taken any of these type of backlite photos? How did you like the effect? If you have any examples of your own, please feel free to link us up in the comments!

:FIVE FAVES: Fabulous fall finds...

There's no lack of fabulous fall finds out there for you to grace your seasonal creations!

Here are a few of my favorites...

#1 - BasicGrey - Indian Summer Collection - 12 x 12 Paper - Cordovan
Pink may not be a typical 'fallish' color, but this particular rich shade is just the perfect unexpected touch when paired with the more tradition and rich shades of oranges and brown.

#2 - Little Yellow Bicycle - Autumn Bliss Collection - 12 x 12 Acetate Overlay with Foil - Grateful
I love everything about this transparancy overlay...the distressed edge, the delicate swirls and leaves along the left side and the multi-font title (Is that Porcelain? I LOVE Porcelain!) in a deep shade of brown. Just beautiful!

#3 - Dream Street Papers - Sam Collection - Rub Ons
Just LOOK at those cute little trees! 'Nough said.

#4 - BasicGrey - Bling It Collection - Rhinestones - Designer Pumpkin
What's more cute than a pumpkin with a little sparkle? Nothing, I'd say!

#5 - Prima - Gypsy Petals Collection - Flower Embellishments - Carmel
I'm actually not one to use a whole lot of flowers on my layouts, but I immediately fell in love when I saw these blooms by Prima. The layers, the texture, the variation of color, the decorative centers...stunning!!

READER RESPONSE:
So, what's your favorite fall product find?

Please leave us a link to it in the comments!!

:LAYOUT: hay ride to the patch

Another fall layout from last year...

I had a lot of photos that I wanted to include on this layout, so I decided to use four wallet-sized prints to compliment the main 5x7 photo.

The three cream elements (title letters, circle journaling spot, rectangle journaling spot) and three orange elements (photo mat, two photo corners) create visual triangles.

What your favorite fall activity?

Supplies:
Adhesive: Duck
Patterned Paper, Stickers: Creative Imaginations
Chipboard Letters: Making Memories
Ink: Colorbox
Photo Corner Punch: EK Success
Pen: Zig

:PHOTOS: What happened to fall??

Again, what in the world happened to FALL?

We woke up this morning with a blanket of snow and the temps today were about 40 degrees below the average for this time of year!

However, I did get some interesting fall/winter photos out of the deal.

I had the day off due to Native American Day and stopped at the park to take these pictures on the way to Kaitlin's school to watch her read to her class (she was Teacher's Helper today) and I also got to read a story to her class. I chose The Fierce Yellow Pumpkin which is my FAVORITE Halloween picture book...the kids loved it. I also had lunch with her and then went back home to do a little more scrapping before it was time to pick her up for the day.

All in all, a pretty good day off...

So, back to the photos. Here's my favorite six...which is your favorite??

#1...

#2...

#3...

#4...

#5...

or #6?

Please leave a comment to let me know and tell me how you spent your Native American Day...