:LAYOUT: Behind the Scenes

For the past few years, March has been a VERY busy month for Kaitlin.

She was in her first production with the Yankton Children's Theatre Company when she was only 5 years old and has been in the "big" show (the largest production of the year) held in March every year since.

It involves LOTS of hours of practice, some late nights and a lot of excitement for all the kids surrounding the 7 performances that they put on over two weekends.

It's always a little bitter sweet when it's over, too.

This March will be no different.

She is a bird and a bumble bee in the upcoming production of "The Jungle Book" which opens on March 10th and the excitement is definitely escalating.

For Kaitlin, part of the fun of her theatre experience is certainly the friends she's made...kids that she likely wouldn't even have had the chance to meet otherwise.

Backstage fun is always a huge part of every production, so I like to remember each show for this aspect as well.

Here's a layout a created from the 2009 show - School House Rock!

With so many photos to include, I created an 8x10 collages in Picasa to include 12 photos on this 12x12 layout.

The patterned paper with penmanship lines and red flourishes at the top and bottom support both the theatrical theme as well as the school-theme of the play itself.

The gems following the swirls at the top and bottom add the right bit of glitz. What's theatre without a little glitz!

Supplies:
Adhesive: Duck
Cardstock: Bazzill
Patterned Paper: Creative Imagination
Alpha Stickers: Making Memories
Gems: Paper Studio
Ink: Colorbox
Pen: Pilot

:SALES: Free Shipping at Scrapbook.com...today only!

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:GIVEAWAY WINNER: Material Girl Crafting Kit by Cosmo Cricket

Thank you to everyone that took the time to enter my giveaway for a free Material Girl Crafting Kit from Cosmo Cricket.

Sadly...I only have one to give away. I do wish I had more, but Random.org has chosen that one lucky commenter...

Congrats, Corrie!! Watch you inbox for details on how to claim your prize.

Don't miss out on more great giveaways coming soon! If you haven't already, sign up for updates to the AMOM blog by email subscription or your favorite blog reader through the links in the left sidebar.

:LAYOUT: 09 Pics

I always love creating a layout at the end of the year to include my favorite photos of my daughter from the year.

I just went through and ordered my favorites from 2010, so will be doing another favorites layout soon.

Here's one that I made last year with my 2009 favorites.

I printed all the photos in wallet size and then used a circle punch to shape them all into circles. I laid them out in a simple grid for a strong design.

Supplies:
Kraft: unknown
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey, My Mind’s Eye, Crate Paper, Jenni Bowlin, Rusty Pickle, Chatterbox, Pink Paislee
Rub ons: Fancy Pants, Hambly
Pearl Hearts: Basic Grey
Chipboard Numbers: Basic Grey
Letter Stickers: Making Memories
Ink: Colorbox
Corner Rounder: Marvy
Circle Punches: Marvy

:WORD ART: Sparkle & Shine Quote Word Art Freebie...

Everyone loves stained glass, I guess. (I do, too!)

Here's a word art freebie for you to enjoy...

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Be sure to check out my other word art downloads to make sure you haven't missed any.

:BOOKSHELF: 2010 Reading List...

As I've said earlier, I am going to start sharing the books I'm reading with you as I read them...partly to keep a better record of what I've read and partly to keep my motivation for reading going. I have always been a book lover, but there have been several long periods over the years where I lost my reading motivation.

I've got it back and want to keep it.

I've also discovered that many other scrapbookers tend to be big readers as well. After all, we do love a good story, don't we. So, who better to share my reads with but you!?

I so enjoyed sharing my 2009 reading list and the comments that stemmed from it. I also got a couple great recommendations that I've already added to my list.

So, to catch up, here's my reading list for 2010...

1. Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
2. The Good Mother: A Novel by Sue Miller
3. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See
4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
5. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
6. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
7. We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates
8. Say You're One of Them by Uwen Akpan
9. Where the River Ends by Charles Martin

Honestly, I have to say that I am not as 'in-love' with my list of 2010 reads as I was with those in 2009.

However, there are some definite standouts. My three favorites (and the ones that I did love) were Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel, The Good Mother: A Novel, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel.

I was especially disappointed with The Awakening and Where the River Ends. I thought I'd give Chopin's classic a go, but just couldn't get into it and I nearly didn't finish Where the River Ends at all.

The others fall somewhere in between.

LET'S TALK:
See any titles you recognize? What did you think? Do you have favorites among this list.

:GIVEAWAY: Material Girl Crafting Kit by Cosmo Cricket [CONTEST CLOSED]

I have a giveaway for you today...

...and it's an easy one!

If you'd like a chance to win this Material Girl Crafting Kit from Cosmo Cricket, just leave me a comment by 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 24th, 2011.

Random.org will choose and I'll announce the lucky winner on Friday!

GOOD LUCK!

Don't miss out on more great giveaways coming soon! If you haven't already, sign up for updates to the AMOM blog by email subscription or your favorite blog reader through the links in the left sidebar.

:QUOTES: on BEAUTY according to Aimee, Ellis & Kubler-Ross

ANOUK AIMEE:

“You can only percieve real beauty in a person as they get older.”

HAVELOCK ELLIS:

“The absence of flaw in beauty is itself a flaw.”

ELISABETH KUBLER-ROSS (1926-2004; psychiatrist, author):

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

READER RESPONSE:
Vote for your favorite quote and I'll create a word art freebie with the 'winning' quote to share with you sometime next week. In the meantime, check out my other word art downloads.

:LINKS: A few more Valentine's freebies...

Okay...one last Valentine's Day post. I just couldn't fit it all in ahead of time and didn't want to skip sharing these favorite freebies and downloads with you!

I hope you find a few you like, too!

Hearts Background Freebie from Friendly Scrap
Although I'm not a digi scrapper, I still love printing out digi designs from time to time to use as mats or for creating unique embellishments.

I Heart You Printables from Anna and Blue Paperie
Cute on cupcakes...cute on layouts, too, I'd bet.

Printable Valentines Day Tickets by Miss Cutiepie
These sweet tickets are just too sweet!

Printable Valentine Cards from How About Orange
Okay, I found these too late for Kaitlin to use this year. They're going in the vault for next year and I'm thinking they could make a layout embellishment also.

Valentine Printable from Bonjour!
Another amazing printable...available in a variety of color combinations also.

Valentine Printable Freebie from The Swell Life
Wow...this one inspires me in so many ways!! It just makes me want to create!

:GIVEAWAY WINNER: Creative Ideas for Events & Holidays from Ella Publishing

We all have certain topics or themes that we struggle to scrap.

If reoccurring events or holidays are that sore spot for you, Ella's latest eBook issue, Creative Ideas for Events & Holidays by Margaret Scarbrough and Sara Winnick, might be just the ticket to get you out of your rut.

Random.org has chosen the winner of a free copy!

Congrats, Love and Lollipops! Watch your inbox for further details on how to claim your prize!

Don't miss out on more great giveaways coming soon! If you haven't already, sign up for updates to the AMOM blog by email subscription or your favorite blog reader through the links in the left sidebar.

:PRODUCTS: Add a sweet touch to your Valentine's Day layouts...Part 2

Valentine's Day may be over, but I'm certainly not over all these adorable holiday-themed embellishments!

Kaisercraft - Love Notes Collection - Metallic Stickers - Envelope Seals
The color combination here - black, white and a bold pink - is lovely and dramatic!

Martha Stewart Crafts - Felt Die Cut Pieces with Lace Accents - Hearts
These felt and lace certainly have a homemade feel...perfect for adding a personal touch to any project.

My Little Shoebox - Mini Alphabet Stickers - Cherry Blossom
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE mini alphabets like these. They are a great way to add variety to your layout journaling and titles economically. I often use letters such as these for less-important words in titles like 'a', 'the', 'of', etc. to make my more expensive collection of Thickers go farther. They also work great to 'write' shorter journaling passages or to make key words in handwritten or typed journaling stand out from the rest; therefore, adding meaning and visual interest.

Petaloo - Chantilly Collection - Mixed Blooms Flowers - Red Burgundy
The rich red of these blooms is dramatic and stunning!

We R Memory Keepers - Be My Valentine Collection - Self Adhesive Layered Chipboard with Flocked Accents
I love these simple words...perfect to include as a stand-alone title, part of a larger title treatment or simply a word embellishment for a project.

LET'S TALK:
What embellishments have you seen celebrating the holiday of love that make your heart melt? Links are welcome and encouraged!!

:BOOKSHELF: The Girl in the Green Sweater by Krystyna Chiger

When we think of the Holocaust, we generally think concentration camps and senseless killing. However, we might too easily forget that even those that managed to slip through the Nazis fingers and avoided the atrocities of the camps had still other kinds of atrocities to endure before their suffering would end.

In The Girl in the Green Sweater, author Krystyna Chiger recounts the story of how her immediate family (including her father, mother, and younger brother) survived the Nazi occupation.

Chiger belonged to a rather prominent Jewish family. Her parents and grandparents owed their own businesses that did quite well. Her father was well-educated. Chiger remembers thinking she must be a princess...she wanted for nothing.

Then came the Russians...then the Nazis. Their position deteriorated quickly and, at a certain point, they only had one course of action to have any hope of avoiding capture and, likely, death.

They spent 14 months in the dark, dangerous and unsanitary sewer system of their hometown of Lvov, Poland.

Chiger was only 7 years old at the time.

What they endured is, at numerous times throughout this memoir, simply jaw-dropping. And while they suffered greatly - many other family and friends were lost along the way - their determination and strength of spirit is inspiring as well.

Still, they would have never survived had it not been for caring of a reformed thief, Leopold Socha, who happened to be Catholic. He put himself and his family at a huge risk to help the Chiger's and the others that became part of their underground family.

This is not your typical view of the Holocaust.

As you read, you get the feeling that you're sitting across from Chiger and she's simply telling you the story over tea from the perspective of her seven-year-old self.

Although there is ample foreshadowing of numerous events of the story, you still can't help but to want to read (hear) more of the story. The details are astounding.

One thing that I especially love is that Chiger included a section of photos in the center of the book. As this is a true story, it was amazing to put faces to the names of those immortalized within the pages of this memoir.

If you've enjoyed memoirs, or stories of the Holocaust, in the past, I would highly encourage you to pick up this book!

The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust's Shadow is currently available at Amazon for $10.23 in paperback or $18.58 in hardcover.

Up next...The True Memoirs of Little K: A Novel

LET'S TALK:
Have you read this memoir? If so, what did you think? Have you read other stories of the holocaust, nonfiction or fiction, that you've especially enjoyed?

:FIFTEEN ON THE FIFTEENTH: Top Two Peas picks from the past 30 days...

Although there is never any shortage of new scrapbooking items, this is the time of year - right after CHA - when new products literally flood into the stores.

While American Crafts and My Mind's Eye dominate my favorites this month, there is SO MUCH out there to love right now!

Lille Collection Papertape Printed by 7Gypsies

Caramel Candie Embossed Finish 12x12 Confetti Paper by American Crafts

Confetti Invitation Pinwheel Flower Delights by American Crafts

Grass Polka Dot 12X12 Patterned Glitter Paper by American Crafts

Squash Meadow Glossy Chipboard Campy Trails Thickers Stickers by American Crafts

The Classics Collection Aquatic Paperback Fabric Thickers Stickers by American Crafts

Apron Strings 12X12 For The Record Collection Paper by Echo Park Paper Co.

All Aboard! Animal Crackers Border Strips by Imaginisce

Orange Damask Flocked 12X12 Lush Collection Paper by My Minds Eye, LLC

Memories Woven Die-Cut 12X12 Stella Rose Collection Paper by My Minds Eye, LLC

Love Decorative Brads Stella Rose Collection by My Minds Eye, LLC

Girly Stamps Stella Rose Collection by My Minds Eye, LLC

Felt 1 Happy Go Lucky Collection Embellishments by Pebbles

Rose Print Birdsong Collection Birds by Prima Marketing

Heart Screen Printed 12X12 Canvas Sheet by Prima Marketing

:REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Creative Ideas for Events & Holidays from Ella Publishing [CONTEST CLOSED]

Here's Ella's first eBook edition for 2011 - Creative Ideas for Events & Holidays.

This eBook is co-authored by Margaret Scarbrough and Sara Winnick, both well known scrapbookers that have been on the scene for over 5 years.

Events and holidays can become challenging for many scrapbookers who end up with similar photos each year.

After a while, even the most creative scrapbooker can find themselves at a loss for how to scrap these important memories without their projects all looking and sounding the same.

In this 28 page eBook, these two veteran scrapbookers offer 12 challenges from a variety of areas such as design, journaling, photography and more and shows us how to adapt them for a fresh and unique take on our event and holiday layouts.

With each challenge, each of the authors shares one of their own layouts to further illustrate the technique behind the challenge.

GIVEAWAY:
I have a free download of Creative Ideas for Events & Holidays to give away to a lucky reader.

All you have to do to enter for your chance to win is answer the following question in a comment to this post by 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 18, 2011:

Do you ever find yourself skipping the recording of a special reoccurring family event or holiday because you can't think of a fresh way to commemorate it? Which family events or holidays have become the hardest for you to scrap?

Random.org will choose and I'll announce the winner on Friday.

GOOD LUCK!!