:QUOTES: on GROWING OLDER according to Quillen, West & Wisdom

ROBERT QUILLEN:
“As we grow older, our bodies get shorter and our anecdotes longer.”

MAE WEST:
“You’re never too old to become younger.”

SIR NORMAN WISDOM:
“As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two...”


(Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/algo/15791177/)

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.

:LAYOUT: Easter Art

Easter will be here before we know it!

Here's a layout to help you get in the spirit...

The bright colors, flag banner, and blinged butterflies all add to the excitement of this fun activity.

The strip of dotted patterned paper not only helps to ground the photo block, but also reinforces the theme as they have a similar shape as eggs from above.

I carried the colorful theme over to the journaling as well by printing each line in a different vibrant color.

Journaling:
There are just some things that never lose their magic - no matter how many times you experience them. Coloring eggs is just one of those things!

Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Echo Park, Bo Bunny
Stickers: Echo Park
Gems: Doodlebug
Butterfly Punch: EK Success
Font: Journaling Hand

PLEASE SHARE:
Do you have a layout or gallery where you share your creations? If so, and you've got a layout about coloring eggs, please leave a link in the comments below so we can check it out!

:MEMORYWORKS EXPRESS: April 2011 Sneak Peek - "Whimsy"

Watch for further details on this kit coming soon!

In the meantime, enjoy the details of a few past MemoryWorks Express Kits!

A MemoryWorks Express Kit subscription is ONLY $29.95 (plus $6.50 S&H) per month! They are chock full of the latest and greatest in the scrapbooking industry, the items are always timely in terms of the current season or holiday, and the price can't be beat!

The monthly kits are often sold out by the time the full details and contents are released, so if you are interested in subscribing or would simply like more information, please don't hesitate to contact me!

:WORD ART: Laugh Quote Word Art Freebie

Well, it was a 5-5 tie on the laugh quotes from last week...so, I had to break the tie.

It was a tough choice, but I went with Maxwell's quote.

Hope you like the word art...enjoy!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

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

:SALE: 12% OFF on everything SPRING at Scrapbook.com...TODAY only!

I don't know about you, but I sure am ready for spring!

Take 12% off the lowest marked price on ALL Spring-themed products*, today only, at Scrapbook.com!

No coupon code is required. The discount will appear automatically in your cart.

Do some Spring shopping!

Hurry - this offer expires at midnight PST!

*All products where theme includes "Spring" are eligible once they are added to your shopping cart.

:GIVEAWAY WINNER: Scrapbooking Travel Course from Debbie Hodge of Get it Scrapped!

I can't even begin to tell you just how jealous I am of each and every one of you!!

While I DREAM of traveling far and wide, so far I have only been to ten states...and even more pathetic...they're all connected.

So, so sad...

While I know Debbie's course, Scrapbooking Travel, will help me remember all my wonderful nearby weekend getaways, I do hope that one day I'll be able to use what I've learned to scrap adventures of a much wider nature.

In the meantime, one lucky reader is about to benefit from Debbie's instruction as well.

This time, Random.org liked lucky number 14...

Congrats, Christi! Please watch your inbox for further details on how to claim your prize.

For the rest of you, don't despair...be sure to visit the Get it Scrapped! classroom and you're sure to find a course that's just right for you!

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: Life is full of beauty

It was about this time last year that things finally started warming up and Kaitlin made our way out of photography hibernation (I'm not much of a winter shooter) to get a few shots in her Easter dress.

We just got her dress for this year, so hopefully we'll be able to do the same again soon.

I loved the chalkboard look of this background paper, so decided to keep it visible as much as possible.

I used adhesive foam dots to pop up the top left corner of the photo on the left to make it look as though it was layered over a real frame.

I cut slits in the paper at the ‘edge’ of the chalkboard and tucked the ends of my patterned paper strip and ribbon behind.

Supplies:
Patterned Paper, Title Card: Fancy Pants
Ribbon: Offray
Gems: Prima
Ink: Colorbox
Scallop Trimmer: Fiskars

:FIVE FAVES: Birds of a feather...

A favorite part of spring for many is the return of our feathered friends.

Here's a few products that will help you to carry over this springtime favorite into your scrapbooking as well.

Betty Bird Paper from the Little Girl Collection by Echo Park
How can you NOT love these sweet, colorful little birds?

Birds on a Wire Digikit by Hero Arts
Plain (and ready to customize if you wish) or adorably dotted, these simple little birds are a hit with me.

Patterned Birds Clear Acrylic Stamps by Inkadinkado
These lovely patterned birds are so elegant!

Green Birds Paper from the Nature Collection by K and Company
Green is one of my favorite colors and this paper has a beautiful ethereal quality.

Birds Fabric Stickers with Gem Accents from the Puffies Collection by KI Memories
These cute little birds are a great way to add a little dimension and some homespun stitching to your layout without any of the fuss.

LET'S TALK:
What are your favorite bird-themed products currently available? Links are welcome and encouraged - especially if you have a layout you can share showing how you used the item.

:QUOTES: about LAUGHTER according to Allen, Maxwell & Smirnoff

WOODY ALLEN:

“I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.”

ELSA MAXWELL:

“Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can.”

YAKOV SMIRNOFF (b. 1951; comedian, painter, teacher):

“Everybody laughs the same in every language because laughter is a universal connection. ”

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.

:REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Scrapbooking Travel with Debbie Hodge [CONTEST CLOSED]

 We all love getting away, but for scrapbookers, looking at that huge stack of pictures we bring back from our trips can be quite intimidating.

I must admit that I once deferred to making a Shutterfly photo book of a weekend getaway featuring trips to several different destinations in one city because I was intimidated by the overall task of scrapbooking the vast variety of photos with any semblance of continuity.

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with Shutterfly photo books, I do regret that my attempts came out a little impersonal considering it was one of our first trips as a family.

If I would have had access to Debbie's self-paced course, Scrapbooking Travel, at that time, all those apprehensions would have melted away.

Now that I have taken the course, I can assure you that I won't end up with another impersonal collection of travel layouts anytime soon!

Scrapbooking Travel includes three downloads - one 52-page PDF course document and, for digital scrapbookers, two zipped files including 31 scrapbook page templates that can be used in Photoshop Elements or Photoshop CS. For traditional paper scrapbookers, these templates are included in the form of sketches within the PDF document (including detailed measurements).

The course includes five lessons and a page planner document that can be copied and used again and again each time you have travel photos to scrap.

The five lessons include:

#1 - Weekend Getaway:

"A weekend getaway can be as much about the company as the destination and includes short trips to hang out with friends, find some romance, see an exhibit , or just take a break from your typical weekend routines." (Think visits to multiple locations within one larger city.)

#2 - Road Trip:

"A 'road-trip' type vacation is is one that take you to a series of what may be quite different locales over the course of one trip." (Think stops at multiple locations along a trip route of several hundred miles.)

#3 - Being There:

"There's limited sightseeing on this type of vacation, and it's more about enjoying place, people and activities." (Think a visit to a relatives home or a camping trip.)

#4 - On Tour:

"The 'On Tour' travel experience is one in which many of the details are decided ahead of time -- and, in fact, taken care of for you -- so that you can relax as well as experience the sights and experiences." (Think a cruise or an African safari.)

#5 - Themed Destinations:

"The 'themed' vacation is one that takes you into a created world where you are doing more than viewing, where you're entering into and experiencing a manufactured reality." (Think Disney or a historic settlement.)

In each lesson on Scrapbooking Travel, Debbie discusses whether that particular type of travel lends itself better to chronological or category scrapbooking...or some combination of the two.

Debbie also covers other important elements in each lesson for putting together successful travel layouts including design, color strategy, including memorabilia, cost-effective embellishment strategies, consistency in titling and journaling topics.

One thing that I am always impressed with is the DEPTH of Debbie's courses. 

She always includes several layout samples to illustrate the concepts she presents. While an idea book might rely on the samples to speak for themselves, Debbie is careful to explain the reasoning behind her choices in design, color, etc. 

By doing this, she is effectively teaching you how to carry those same concepts over into all of your future designs.

She is also always sure to include suggestions on how to alter or customize her suggestions so that the same concepts can be used again and again without going stale.

Whether your trip is an overnight camp at a nearby lake or a weeks-long trip to some international destination, Scrapbooking Travel will offer you the guidance you need to beautifully honor your vacation memories.

GIVEAWAY:

Debbie has been generous enough to offer up a free download of Scrapbooking Travel to one lucky reader of the AMOM blog! 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, March 24th, 2011:

What has been your all-time favorite vacation and why?

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

GOOD LUCK!!

:SALES: FREE SHIPPING @ Scrapbook.com...today only!

Place any order $50 or more at Scrapbook.com and get FREE SHIPPING!

Valid on standard shipping to the contiguous United States only. Excludes Alaska, Hawaii, and International orders.

Enter coupon code shipmarfree in the coupon field at checkout and your shipping will be automatically deducted from your order of $50 or more.

Hurry, this offer expires at midnight PST tonight!

SHOP NOW!

:JOURNALING HELPER: My Favorite Signs of Spring

I don't know about you, but I sure am glad to be enjoying warmer temps, longer days, and the return of green!!

So, here's a little gift for you to help us all celebrate the first day of spring.

I took these checklist ideas right from the comments to the American Crafts giveaway question posted last Monday: What is your favorite sign that spring is on the way?

So, a big THANK YOU goes to each and every one of you who shared your thoughts with us.

Now that we've got some warmer weather on our hands, it's the perfect time to take a photo walk to collect a few pictures to represent your spring favorites.

This journaling helper is a PDF document that will print nicely on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of cardstock.

Then all you need to do trim it down, check of your personal favorite signs of spring, add up to three that might be missing and it's ready to finish off a quick and simple layout.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

I hope you enjoy it and feel free to share with others (please remember to let them know where you found it).

Happy scrapping!

:LIFE: My little actress...

As I mentioned previously, Kaitlin is currently starring in the Yankton Children's Theatre Company production of The Jungle Book.

They have five productions down and two to go...tonight at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow at 2 p.m.

It always gets a little bittersweet when it nears the end. Everyone gets a little worn out by this point, but at the same time, it's sad to see another production come to an end.

I finally got a few pictures of her on stage in costume before the show the other night. She is both a bird and a bumblebee.

She says that her favorite part is the bumblebee. Although there are only five of them and they are on stage for probably no more than 90 seconds (they basically run down the center aisle and around the stage while chasing Mowgli who just tried his luck - unsuccessfully - at getting some honey, and then back out again), it has consistently been one of the biggest laughs from the crowd in the whole show.

What can I say...she likes to ham it up!

The director, Allison Spak, is with her in the bottom photo.

Allison's imagination, energy and patience never ceases to amaze me. 

We are so lucky to have her and this opportunity for our children in the Yankton area!!

:GIVEAWAY WINNER: American Crafts Hello Sunshine Prize Pack

Thanks again to American Crafts for sponsoring the AMOM blog for the month of March and also for offering up this wonderful prize package!!

Random.org picked lucky number 197!!

Congrats, Jenny! Watch your email 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.

:SALES: Save 17% on everything St. Patrick's at Scrapbook.com...TODAY ONLY...

Take 17% off the regular or sale price on ALL St. Patrick's Day products!

No coupon code is required. The discount will be applied to all eligible items in your cart and will appear at the bottom of your cart in green.

17% off applies to the lowest-marked sale and clearance prices, too! Hurry - this offer expires soon!

Shop St. Patrick's Day Products Today

*All products where theme includes "St. Patrick" are eligible once they are added to your shopping cart.

:FIVE FAVES: A Bit O' Green - Part II

Here's five more beautifully green choices for your St. Patrick's Day layouts!

Green Dots Butterfly Rub-Ons by Studio Calico
Butterflies, dots and green...what more can you want!?

Loverly Paper from the Vicki B Collection by Bo Bunny Press
Loverly is the perfect name for this beautiful pattern from Bo Bunny.

Green Sew Easy Floss by We R Memory Keepers
Stitch a shamrock or two...

Green/Green Solid Paper from the For The Record by Echo Park Paper Co.
Two beautiful shades of green on one sheet!

Green Bloomers Trim by Webster's Pages
Beautiful for fashion...beautiful for scrapbooking!

:LAYOUT: green eggs & ham

Here's an idea for you St. Patrick's Day crafting.

The background in the photos of my daughter enjoying the green eggs and ham this St. Patrick’s Day was distracting (i.e. messy living room), so I converted those photos to black and white.

The kitchen-themed papers were perfect for this theme and the layered tags made a great base for the title.

Since I didn’t have enough ‘g’s to complete the whole title, I decided to trace the chipboard letters for one word and filled the outlines with glitter glue close to the color of the chipboard letters.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Bazzill
Patterned Papers, Tags, Stickers: Cosmo Cricket
Chipboard Alpha: Pink Paislee
Glitter Glue: Ranger
Ink: Colorbox
Border Punch: Fiskars
Pen: American Crafts

:FIFTEEN ON THE FIFTEENTH: Top scrap product picks from the past 30 days...

With literally thousands of new items hitting the shelves, it wasn't hard to find fifteen favorites this month.

As I clicked away, I quickly found that my list is dominated by beautiful patterned papers this month.

Candy Bag Paper from the Life of the Party Collection by Basic Grey

Radish Paper from the Hello Luscious Collection by Basic Grey

Cardstock Stickers from the Sophisticates Collection by Bella Blvd 

Hoopla Paper from Ad Lib Collection by Bo Bunny

Flourish Paper from the Double Dot Designs Collection by Bo Bunny

Moments Paper from the Timepiece Collection by Bo Bunny

Sea Garden Paper from the Salt Air Collection by Cosmo Cricket

Repeat Paper from the Upcycle Collection by Cosmo Cricket

Ribbons and Trims from the Emma's Shoppe Collection by Crate Paper

The Green Tea Collection Stack by Die Cuts with a View

Its The Little Things Collection Kit by Fancy Pants

Blush Classic Fabric 8.5X11 Designer Paper by Hero Arts

Brown Kraft Mini Alphas by Jillibean Soup

Orange/Blue Hearts Pebbles Layered Embellishments by Pebbles

Phrase Rub Ons from the Countryside Collection by Studio Calico

LET'S TALK:

Do you share any favorites with me this month? What other items went straight into your wish list or shopping cart?

:SPONSOR GIVEAWAY: American Crafts Hello Sunshine Prize Pack [CONTENT CLOSED]

I am proud to welcome American Crafts as a sponsor of the AMOM blog for the month of March!

As I mentioned in my sponsorship post earlier this month, AC has generously offered some of their amazing new Hello Sunshine collection up for giveaway to one lucky AMOM reader.

This lovely prize pack includes:
12 patterned papers
1 set of chipboard thickers
1 stamp set
1 booklet of remarks stickers
1 package of layered embellishments
1 package of pearl brads
1 package of premium ribbon

TO ENTER:
All you need to do to enter is answer the following question in a comment to this post by 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 17th:

What is your favorite sign that spring is on the way?

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

GOOD LUCK!

:WORD ART: Hard Work Quote Word Art

A little hard work never hurt anybody, right?

Steve Pavlina's quote won the vote this time around, so here's the word art freebie.

Hope you like it!! Enjoy!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

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

:GIVEAWAY WINNER: How to Scrapbook Your Personal Heritage from Ella Publishing

What a collection of idols and heroes we all have!!

With that in mind, I think it could be quite interesting to expand upon her idea of scrapbooking our own childhood idol or hero to also including those of our spouse and/or parents.

All in all, it could be quite interesting to compare them and to see what stories they may tell about the ones we love.

On with the giveaway...

For this go round, Random.org thought number 20 sounded lucky...

Congrats, Melinda!! 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.