Clever Monkey Graphics

Taylor on TV

2012-02-02T11:17:00.000-08:00

'Merry' Wordart Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2011-12-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

I was asked to make the wordart 'Merry' to match the 'Christmas' in Christmas Giggle so naturally I wanted to supply you all with it....
Download Merry here.
You will find 2 versions in the folder. Here is a peek at one of them...

New Product Release: Christmas Giggle & Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2011-12-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

Introducing my new Christmas kit, Christmas Giggle!

Here's a few layouts created with Christmas Giggle...

I know you are looking for my freebee! Click Here to get your Christmas Giggle Freebee!
Here's a peek at what you'll be getting:

Thanksgiving done and store sale

2011-11-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was a little bit lonely for us this year. We big time missed having any family in town to share it with. So we decided to eat at a fancy buffet downtown. We all donned nice clothes and off we went. Some of the food was yummy - turkey, roast beef, - but they failed on a couple of major things - mushy shrimp (yuck) and stuffing that we all found truly disappointing. Stuffing is my favorite part of a Thanksgiving meal. But the dessert buffet - even though it seemed to be missing pumpkin pie, more than made up for a few disappointments in the rest of the meal. Chocolate in every form, apple crisp... so much rich tastiness! I hope those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, had great days.

Big sale and collab with purchase going on at MScraps right now!!! I've added lots more items including a revamped Oh Nutz back into my store. So click the link above and have a peek around. MScraps does some great collabs so this is a good time to add to your stash.

Weather Forecast

2011-11-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

I'm watching the morning new. Weather forecast comes on and the forecaster says...

"It's Portland, it's going to rain and it's not going to stop."

Sigh. LOL.

2 layouts

2011-11-13T21:14:00.000-08:00

I've started scrapping with Grateful for Turkey...

New Product Grateful for Turkey

2011-11-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

This week I am releasing a fun new kit in an autumn Thanksgiving theme... Grateful for Turkey

Perseverance

2011-11-08T07:36:00.000-08:00

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another." ~ Walter Elliot

I've had soooo many short races in my life and yet the goal line is farther away - what up with that? (think accent as I said that). Just the same, I like the quotation and it will help me get my body moving again after a recent ankle sprain.

This weeks physical goals:
1) Walk outside when it's not raining
2) Try out our elliptical again remembering that the first 2 weeks are the hardest.

I need some great workout music - suggestions?

And... here is Taylor with our pumpkin from halloween - this year she was a gnome on a toadstool.

New Store and DSD Coupon!

2011-11-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've joined a new store in digi-land. Clever Monkey Graphics has just opened in MScraps!

I have created a coupon for you to use in my store for an extra 10% off the already great 30% off DSD sale prices - this gives you a rare opportunity to be able to purchase my products at approximately 40% discount! You may use the coupon repeatedly until it expires at midnight on November 7th.

Use coupon code DSD2011-cmg when you check out of my store - be sure you are registered and signed in at the store for the coupon to work.

I will be continuing to load product into my store as I repackage it so please be sure to keep coming back or send me an email to clevermonkeygraphics in the land of hotmail to let me know if you are not seeing what you want.

New Product and a Digital Scrapbooking Freebee!

2011-10-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

I've been sidelined over the past week with a sprained ankle. Ouch. So much for my plans of getting lots of exercise to work on improving my overall health!!! It is however healing quickly - a mild sprain I suspect - and I've already been able to walk a bit on it. But it worked for all of you - I designed a new kit since I was pretty much stuck in a chair more than not this week.

Introducing: Autumn Bloom
Autumn Bloom is releasing in my store on Friday, October 21st. As always, our new releases are 20% off on Friday and Saturday.

This is a pretty autumn kit filled with lush colors, great texture & pattern, and just plain fun! I extracted some great glittered leaves, a squiggly ribbon, & some flowers, leaves, and branches from my own yard that were perfect colors and my inspiration for the kit. I even created an alphabet just for this kit. Brushed Wood Alpha is included or may be purchased separately here.

Here are some great layout examples with the kit... (lots more great ones to be seen at the store)

While I was creating, I also decided to add on a freebee! You can go here to download it. Hope you enjoy!

New Products at Ninth & Bloom

2011-10-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I can't believe how quickly Halloween is approaching. My daughter decided she wants to be a garden gnome. I'll be creating a costome that turns her into a garden gnome on a toadstool mostly with felt and hotglue! I turned her into a fantastic owl last year so I have a lot to live up to - yikes! Well, I've scoured local goodwill-type stores for some parts of the costume and picked up my felt on sale at the local fabric store so work will begin soon. I'll post pics when the costume is done.

We did have a little fun on a rainy day at the pumpkin patch last weekend...
Here's a pick of Taylor with some mighty big pumpkins using a kit by Dani Mogstadt.

and a video of one of the 2 pumpkin drops they did from huge cranes with some of the pumpkins that DID NOT WIN the biggest pumpkin contest:

All my CU will be on sale through the weekend!!!

Now onto the exciting releases at 9th & Bloom!

I chose to create some of the basics we all need in our pages. Here are my contributions:

I even made a page with just my own contributions!!

and here's more exicitement!

We're doing a blog hop at 9th & Bloom to go with the premiere of Mix & Bloom!

If you get lost along the blog hop way, go here

After you download my contribution, you'll want to go to:

Find Your Bliss Designs

You can download my mattes here, but please be sure to open the link in a new tab or a new window!!!

My download is actually found at the 9th & Bloom store but only with my special link. Please make sure you are signed in and registered at the store to download your freebee. Also note that I'm posting this Thursday afternoon, so it is best not to even try to find the blog train yet as most will not post the freebees until Friday. I figured I'd rather post now than forget later - LOL

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Here is a quick peek for you before you go to download

and don't forget to check out Googly Moogly 2011

and here is one of my layouts using Googly Moogly 2011

Sales and Special Events

2011-10-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

New Layouts

2011-09-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've been scrapping.

Credit links are below each layout.

credits

Kits Re-Releasing, New product and Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2011-09-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Kits from my The Lilypad guestspot are coming to my store in Ninth & Bloom on Friday, September 2nd! They will be 20% off on Friday and Saturday.

I know we're past 4th of July, so I decided to sweeten the deal on Salute the Flag. Purchase Salute the Flag during the month of September and get the matching Candy Coated Alpha for free! I'll place the alpha back in the store as a separate product in October. Of course, if you are behind on scrapbooking like so many of us are, then getting extras for purchasing your kit out of season are simply a big benefit!

Here's a layout I just did with it!

Love feltys? Salute the Flag has an addon Patriotic Feltys pack! Now lets sweeten their price... Use coupon code PatrioticFelty15 during their purchase for an extra 15% off the Patriotic Feltys. This coupon is good for one use per customer and expires the end of September.

Also re-releasing and with perfect timing since so many country fairs happen in August and over the American labor day weekend... Country Fair and Country Fair-Best of ShowAddon. I've been having so much fun scrapping with these kits.. I'll show off some of my own layouts after I show you the kits (and then watch for a freebee at end of post!)

Here are some pages I've done with these kits:

Here's what I released last week... Wrinkled Bookboard Alpha. You can see me using it in a layout above. I simply added a small colored stroke around it.

Here's another page I used it in that also uses items from Academic Overload

Okay, you've been patient and scanned down the whole page.

Get your Country Fair freebee HERE! And here is what it looks like... Special thanks to Jennifer J on my creative team for creating this wonderful cluster for me to give away!!!

We went to the Oregon Coast

2011-08-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Taylor needed a way to amuse herself for a 5 hour drive. Her nintendo helped for some of the time.

We started our trip in Bandon Oregon at the Sunset Motel. Rooms are right on the ocean! As you can see we got perfect weather!!!

We went to the Wild Game Park that is just south of Bandon. Spent time with a baby tiger, spotted leopard cub, and lots of other animals!

After attempting sand castles the day before, Taylor decided to bury herself in the sand today.

I guess I'll need to download the pics from Lincoln City to show you highlights of the 2nd part of our trip!

Guess what we've been doing.

2011-08-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here's my 1,000 words. But in addition I'll just say that Taylor is an excellent painter!!!

35% off Anniversary Sale, Digital Scrapbooking Freebee, and New Releases

2011-08-04T22:33:00.000-07:00

Lots to tell...
First, It's the 1st Anniversary of 9th & Bloom. I'm thrilled to still be selling at this wonderful store. We're celebrating in style with a massive sale, a bargain bin, and a fun little design challenge for us designers - we all created 'dueling kits'. Together Erin Tietz of Secret Stash and I created Baby Mine Girl and Baby Mine Boy. Lots of other fun dueling themes by the other designers too!!!

Here's a peek at our kits, and a coupon for this weekend only! If you like these kits, now is the time to buy.

Baby Mine Boy

Baby Mine Girl

Academic Overload has returned and we've added a number of new sets to it...

And a couple of hugely money-saving bundles! Be sure to visit the store to see all 56 kits!

Elementary School Bundle

High School Bundle

FREEBEE!!!

We have a football quickpage for you to show off the young sports heros in your life.

Click here to grab your page!

Coming Friday....

2011-08-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Sale at The Lilypad!

2011-07-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

My month of guesting at The Lilypad will be coming to a close soon so I decided to celebrate a fun month with a sale of at least 30% off all my kits available at The Lilypad. Be sure to visit soon as the sale ends July 31st and my kits go on a short hiatus before releasing again at 9th & Bloom.

Layouts

2011-07-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've been scrapping!

New Product Release and Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2011-07-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Colorful fun new kits released yesterday at The Lilypad.

Introducing Country Fair and the Best of Show Addon!

Here are a couple of layouts I've done so far using my kits:

A new alpha - Candy Coated Alpha released on Tuesday and it was made to coordinate with my Salute the Flag kits...

And here is the freebee...

An alpha created by my CT member Christy to match the Country Fair kits..

CLICK HERE to get your alpha

Digitial Scrapbooking Freebee and July Guesting at The Lilypad

2011-06-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

I get to enjoy being a guest at The Lilypad for the month of July. Next to my own 9th and Bloom, The Lilypad is my favorite store in digi-land. They design in a style I love. Their BYOC colors for July allowed me to make some fun 4th of July items...

Patriotic Feltys

Salute The Flag Elements

Salute The Flag Papers

Watch for a great alpha addon to come out on the following Tadpole Tuesday at The Lilypad!
Of course, don't forget the amazing 4th of July Doodle Pack I have available at 9th & Bloom or my Born on the 4th of July kit for the truly patriotic babies!!!

And lastly, I know, you saw freebee in the title of this post and here it is:

Just click this LINK to download and enjoy! Please leave me a comment or send me an email if you have download problems. But I hope you have no issues!

Enjoy.
Happy 4th of July to you all!

Win $100 to HomeGoods!

2011-05-31T12:13:00.000-07:00

Do you love HomeGoods? I do. Too many satisfying moments have been spent in this TJ Maxx offshoot enjoying all the possible purchases for my home. Reluctant Entertainer has a contest going that started today and you could win a $100 gift card to HomeGoods! So click here and read all about it!

Spider Patrol and the New "Kids"

2011-05-24T06:02:00.000-07:00

The robins are attacking the house again. Here's is hubby's latest attempt to ward them off. a Giant hanging spider right where the robin likes to land before it starts it's attacks. Can you imagine the faces of my poor neighbors when they realize what is hanging out there? The walkers will become joggers and the joggers will become runners. LOL LOL

Meet Marshmallow (on left) and Mazzie (on right). These are our new guinea pigs. Taylor is in a very happy place finally being able to have something past a frog as a pet. These 2 are sisters and about 4 months old.

Hubby made jokes about Taylor taking them for walks on leash. So I spotted a guinea pig leash at the store and we are testing it on them so they get used to the feel of it. Right now the girls are actually to small for it and can walk right out of it when they want. But how cute is this!!!

The Racoon

2011-05-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

I believe the Brits would refer to this raccoon as a cheeky little bugger! First time we've seen raccoons since we moved here almost 11 years ago.

New Release & Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2011-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah.... Blogger is back up so I can show you my new release and the freebee you can get too!!!
I'm known for doing some pretty cool dinosaur doodles... But I still have so many dino photos to scrap so I created a completely different style of kit. I hope you will like it...

Introducing DINOMANIA
You'll find lots of layouts examples at the store.

FREEBEE AT END OF POST!!!

Here is what released last week... a bit of stitchy heaven for designers!

CU FLOSS SITCHES BEIGE

CU FLOSS STITCHES - BLUE

CU BUTTON THREADS

and finally some great papers to overlay for texture based on some paper towels!

CU PAPER TOWELS NO.1

Okay, I know you've truly just been skimming to get to your freebee...

I created a bunch of fun extras to match my brand new Dinomania Kit (see top of this post!).

Click here to get them free at my store. Note that you will have to register at the store to download. I finally decided it was just easier to keep everything I do at the store - even the freebees. Registration is easy and you'll always be able to get my downloads once you do so without mediafire ads popping up or a 300 second countdown at 4shared!

And here is what your fun freebee looks like...

{i}NSD Sales starting in 4 days!

2011-05-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

Bedroom Redo

2011-04-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

I've been slowly redoing our master bedroom. I sewed a new duvet. Hated it. So I bought a gorgeous set from Pottery Barn instead and I'll sell my sewn one. These pictures show the before and after of having my room painted by Eye Candy Interiors. If you are local, I highly recommend them. They did a great job and were friendly and comfortable to have around the house. Diane and her daughter, Morgan only took one day to paint the room, some trim the ceiling, and spot paint another ceiling to cover a water stain. The new color choice is all mine - while it may not show well in the photo, the top is slightly lighter than the bottom and Diane did a great job at customizing my paint to get that color after the paint store messed up my paint.

Don't ya love it? I do!!!! I just lie on my bed and look around and smile. LOL LOL

Dang Robin

2011-04-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

He and She are at it again. My neighbor mentioned that the robin(s) was attacking his front windows this year. I laughed at his story as they had done it to ours a few years back... Then my neighbor taped plastic over his front windows.

Now the robins are attacking OUR windows!!! Dang. I shouldn't have laughed. Apparently a pair of robins have made a nest in a big blue spruce that sits between our homes. While not snacking on worms or picking up twigs for their nest, the robins spend their time either attacking the windshield of my husband's car or coming and attacking the window on our front door and the side front window. All day long, in intervals, I hear bang bang bang on our front door and window. Sigh. It wouldn't be that bad if their dirty little feet and tushies didn't make such a mess!!!

Bloomfest is here!

2011-04-14T21:50:00.000-07:00

Bloomfest starts Friday morning!! Be there for the amazing grab bag deals and stay for the fun games and challenges...

I have 3 grab bags - 2 are collaborations with Alissa Jones...

You'll find them all in my store

With everything at 35% off for the sale, I best show you my other new releases that came out last week. I don't always stay as up-to-date as I should with my blog...

First off were 2 new paper sets both for personal use and for commercial use. I made most of the papers in my grab bags with the help of these 2 sets of papers...

Newsprint Papers are available both PU and CU

Same with Sketchpad Papers, available as both PU or CU

I had a fun time one afternoon with my acrylic paints and loads of bubble wrap! Here are the results. I love putting bits of bubble wrap paint in a layout as texture or to balance other elements or to just throw in a punch of color.

I brought back some greenery, pulled out the items that no longer felt current and lowered the price!!!

and I also brought back my White Cardboard Alpha and Cluster Frames...

I hope everyone on my side of the globe is starting to see a little bit of spring time popping up here and there. We've had tons of rain in Oregon, but my tulips are starting to bloom and look great.

Bloomfest at Ninth & Bloom

2011-04-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

I'll be part of 3 different Grab Bags - 2 collabed with Alissa Jones and 1 of just my own. Deals not to be beat anywhere!!!

Be at 9th & Bloom this Friday!!!

Artists that Rock.

2011-03-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

I love art. I'd fill my house with art if I could afford to. Lucky for me I have wonderful artists within my own family whose work graces my walls. But I love to mix in the work from others too...

I was lucky recently when sweet hubby said yes to my purchasing a piece from Judy Paul. Don't you love this? It was even more gorgeous in person.

Now I've spotted another great artist... Rebecca Bennett
Here is a sample of her work...

Upcycling

2011-03-29T20:05:00.001-07:00

I love the whole concept of upcycling... found a great site filled with ideas
http://factorydirectcraft.com/factorydirectcraft_blog/tag/upcycling/

Easter Decor and the sign Spring has Come!

2011-03-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

I enjoy decorating a little for most of the holidays. It's fun for my daughter and an excuse to change things up a bit for myself. Hubby has taken to calling me 'Martha'. So here are the photos of this years decor:

Every year I blow out eggs as opposed to hard boiling them for Taylor to dye. Last year I found the perfect display method for them. A basket found at Home Goods. I think we can handle a few more years of eggs in this basket. It's sitting on the kitchen table.

A few fun Easter extras sit among the many pottery pieces Taylor has displayed on the shelf in the background.

This is in our front entry.

On the dining room table.

You may have guessed from lighting that dining room and living room are attached. Lots of little touches of Easter in here.

This cute chick came from Craft Warehouse this year!

The amazing egg tree on left is from Real Deals this year. That mossy bunny on a stick is from Pier 1 Imports. Rumor has it they have them again this year!

This fantastic bunny came from Real Deals too. But it journeyed into our home last year so it is no longer available there. My daughter wanted it in her room year-round so it only visits the living room now at Easter.

And finally, one last obvious sign it's spirng in our area...

Bunnymania & Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2011-03-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

Introducing my VERY REVAMPED Bunnymania Kit and a Bunnymania Addon and a Bunnymania Alpha.

There was so much Bunnymania goodness around that I have a freebee for you too!!! Click HERE to get the Bunnymania freebee shown below.

Here are some layouts created with these kits...

First up is a layout with my daughter from Easter last year.

and finally, an Easter card created with the kits:

And now a reminder that I have a CT call going...

Oopsy on Daily Digi coupon code

2011-03-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

Since the coupon code was missing today from the Daily Digi, I'm going to keep my Leaping Leprechauns kit on sale through Friday... because I know by then ya'all will have that code!

Digital Scrapbooking Freebee & The Daily Digi Spotlight

2011-03-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

The light is shining on me today... it's my turn at The Daily Digi so be sure to click over and check out my kit and my interview. You'll find a great coupon to use over there too!!!

Here's the kit I created to my month with The Daily Digi...

Now let's not forget it's St. Patrick's Day....
Just for today I've put my Lucky Leprechauns kit on sale for only $3.99!!! But tomorrow that sale will be over.

Here is a little freebee I created to match Lucky Leprechauns...

Get it here.

Here's a sneak peek at tomorrow's releases...

Finally, lets not forget I have a CT call going...

CT CALL

2011-03-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

Digital Scrapbooking Freebee & New Product Releases March 11th

2011-03-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

My new products will release Friday, March 11th...

School is about to release for Spring Break here in the States. I realized I hadn't scrapped many of my photos yet from last year's spring break trip when we had the opportunity to enjoy a day at SeaWorld in San Diego. Thus my Ocean World Doodles were born... And as you are about to see, I've been having lots of fun scrapping those photos now!

And then suddenly I remembered that I hadn't drawn up my daughter's favorite sea animal in the world, the manatee. So you get it as a freebee! Please enjoy!!
For the free manatee click here: Free Manatee (Be sure to comment if there are any download issues!)

I'm also on a painted alpha kick. So here is my second one, Mediterranean Blue Painted Alpha (named for it's paint color). It's shown in the manatee layout above and in a seal layout coming up below...

New Product Releases

2011-03-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

Lots of new products releasing Friday...

About a year or so ago I first released Narcissus... I redid it so thoroughly that even my CT didn't recognize the new and incredibly improved version. But everyone has been having a great time scrapping with this very versatile kit.

Here's some layouts by me...

and some layouts by others...

I love taking St. Patrick's Day photos. My hubbys family origins are Irish so I can claim the smallest connection to Ireland. This year's kit is named Lucky Leprechauns. It is a must have kit - so fun to work with - my CT and myself have been having so much for with this kit.

Here's some of what I've done with this kit so far...

(doodle cluster frames and painted alpha used too!!!)

and here's a few other layouts from CT or other designers...

More examples can be seen at the store.

While Narcissus contains an alpha, Lucky Leprechauns does not - so I painted one and I'm using this alpha on everything lately. So the final brand new product release today is my new Painted Alpha in Green.

You'll see examples of this alpha in use throughout the layouts posted here...

Lastly, freshly returned to 9th & Bloom from their guest spot premiere this past month are
Love Me True, Love Me True Alpha, and Doodle Cluster Frames.

Some of my layouts with these products...

(Those dolphins will be releasing very soon!)

Last week I brought out a brand new CU product: Spring Leaves No.1 which are expertly extracted leaves I photographed last spring and tucked away until this spring... and brought back a hit product from last year, Allelujia Easter Doodles.

Here are some layouts from recent releases Big Game Doodles and Winter Splash, my collab with Gina Miller...

Snow Day!

2011-02-24T08:44:00.001-08:00

Charity Kit

2011-02-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

Ninth & Bloom

video of taylor

2011-02-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

New Designers at 9th & Bloom and a blog hop

2011-02-19T07:37:00.000-08:00

NINTH & BLOOM welcomes 10 new permanent designers this month! To celebrate our latest 6 designers to open their stores we're having a blog hop...

Here is where to start: http://ninthandbloom.com/blog/archives/1644

So sorry I couldn't be part of the blog hop, other work kept me from designing anything in time to give you all for the blog hop. But no worries, keep your eyes on my blog for freebees associated with future kits or do a search for freebees that came with my past kits!

New Product Release: Doodle Frame Clusters No.1

2011-02-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

I have a cute new release over in my guest spot at Zig Zag! A set of cluster frames created in my own doodle style...
Just click my store link to see my designs that are available at Zig Zag Sraps.

Lots of new products and a guest spot

2011-02-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

First up... I'm guesting for February at Zig Zag Scraps...

Here is what I have there so far! Love Me True and Love Me True Alpha:

And here is what you'll find in my regular store, 9th & Bloom!

Big Game Doodles

Extreme Notebook Papers

Mini Bits Alpha is back

A collab with Gina Miller: Winter Splash

Soho Boy

Softball Princess is back with some great improvements!

and finally Hold My Photos!

Slow start...

2011-01-25T18:12:00.001-08:00

Gosh, I've actually got lots to say but haven't had time to say it... I'll catch you up soon on kits, birthdays, and Las Vegas. Maybe even later tonight!!!

A good quote

2010-12-30T19:44:00.000-08:00

Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.

New Layouts

2010-12-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

Taylor got Fun Straws in her Christmas Gifts. She's been building funny straws and spilling water every night since! I think I'll just reach for the towels the moment I see her reach for the box of straw components now! This was a fun layout to make; it started with one concept and completely changed over the course of creation. But I had fun just picking randomly from my digi-scrapping supplies from other designers.

(Credits: Large alpha by Kaye Winiecki, Flower button by Lizzy Reiber at Ninth & Bloom, Brackets by Jen Wilson, Other items by Summer Simmons, Natalie Design,Gina Miller and background paper by Michelle Coleman (mix of papers), Wordart by Kathryn Balint)

This layout comes from our San Diego trip early last spring. This was the burp'n toot'n camel that made us all laugh a great deal. All the products used are mine including my new"Hold My Photos".

Now that I've done some scrapping I hope it brings forth my designing mojo! LOL

Digital Scrapbooking Freebee and New Product Release

2010-12-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

Here's what is coming out tomorrow:

Hold My Photos!

And here is a freebee aimed at those of you born on Christmas Day!

Christmas Cake 1

Christmas Cake 2

And here's a peek at what is there...

New Products and Digital Scrapbooking Freebee (free link password fixed)

2010-12-21T13:59:00.000-08:00

Here's what's been added to the store this month...
Snowglobe Santa

Oh Hanukkah

Food Doodles 2

And here is a holiday freebee for you, created to coordinate with my Snowglobe Santa page set.
Get it here! Use password (FIXED!): holiday2010

Christmas Decorating 2010

2010-12-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

Our house is all decked out for the holiday season...

Come on in... here is what you see as you enter

This is my Hanukkah colored decor item on the dining room table.

The family room and part of kitchen.

Our living room, home to the tree.

Black Friday Sale

2010-11-23T15:18:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's been a rough few weeks around the homefront. Just as I was finishing recovering from surgery I caught the flu and at the same time had a bad allergic reaction to an antibiotic. And typically my back has been a nightmare and Mr. Chiropractor has not been able to make it behave. (and insurance ran out for Mr. Chiropractor! :( ) Well prednisone finally cured the allergic rash. Time cured the flu. But I had such exhaustion like I've never known before. Then my friend Saxon suggested that maybe my iron levels had dropped and told me to become very carnivorous of red meat and take extra iron twice a day. She was sooo right. I noticed a difference within 24 hours and 3 days later the extreme fatigue is gone. Tomorrow a.m. I meet with a physical therapist to see if they can be of help with the back issue. Keeping my fingers crossed because I don't even know if there is such a last resort as surgery for my issues and the last thing I want is yet another surgery!!!

We have some cold icey conditions in the Portland area yesterday and today. But luckily for us, the brundt of the snow missed us. Taylor did however make a lovely 3 inch high snowman on the back deck. LOL.

I've been keeping the birdfeeder right on my family room window full and now have the fun watching about 15 birds having an eating and chirping party. Love my feeder!

This past Friday I had some brand new and some returning fun in my store.

Here's pics of what I've added recently:

And now

for

BLACK FRIDAY SALE NEWS!

The ad says it all!

2010-11-04T13:37:00.000-07:00

A preview of Taylor's Halloween Costume

2010-10-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

Taylor is my biggest felty ever.... A giant owl costume for halloween made from felt!

New Products, Blog Hop, Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2010-10-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sign up for my newsletter ------------------------------------------------------->

Welcome to the Gimmie Candy Blog Hop... more info and your freebee at the bottom of this post!

Lots of new stuff in my store, both personal use and commercial use items!!!

I'm giving you just my straight out store link since there are so many new products today...
TRACEY MONETTE AT 9TH AND BLOOM!

And here are some pages I scrapped...

And here's what you've all been waiting for now. BLOG HOP FREEBEE CLICK HERE
And then click here to go to the next stop along the ghostly way... for a freebee from Damayantis Studio!
(Just check the store blog if you get lost along your way...)

Ghoulishly fun times ahead!!!!

2010-10-25T21:26:00.001-07:00

New Kit Release & Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2010-10-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

I completed some Boo! Feltys for you. (Okay - for me too! LOL) To make it even more fun I created 4 papers and 2 frames to add in to the mix. As always, new releases are 20% off on Fridays and Saturdays.
Get BOO FELTYS here!

My daughter loves candy corn. Personally, I've always hated candy corn, even as a kid! My favorite houses to trick and treat at always had good chocolate bars! But I've decided it's time for me to record Taylor's love of (disgusting, icky) candy corn. Thus I've extracted a few pieces to use in layouts. I think they'll go great with the candy corn felty above! Please enjoy my extracted candy corn as my Halloween Treat to you!
Get my CANDY CORN here.

New(ish) Product Releases - Digital Scrapbooking Freebee

2010-10-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

Today I am releasing again my Volleyball kit. However, I've added a bunch of new papers and removed a few old ones I wasn't thrilled with. If all you want are the new papers, I've made them available at an economical price here. To purchase the full Volleyball kit, click here.

Now that I've shown you the kit, let me show you some example layouts:

I'm also releasing today my Really Big Quotes. Get them here.

Now let's not forget a little freebee. This one goes with the Volleyball kit.

To get it click here.

Great Wolf Lodge AFR on Undercover Boss

2010-10-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hey did you watch the CEO of Great Wolf Lodge pick up poop from the bottom of a pool? I did. And the lack of further cleaning explanation during the show and reference to how often it happens greatly concerned me. So I decided to email them about this. I had a reply back within just a few hours. Check out the response. It explains things better especially if you click the links:

Tracey,

Thanks for your comments about the episode of Undercover Boss where our CEO had to deal with an Accidental Fecal Release in one of the pools. During the editing process many of the steps in our AFR response protocols were not shown. The process from start to finish wouldn’t make for “good TV” and was not aired in its entirety.

All Great Wolf Resorts follow protocols and guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and local health codes. You can see this online at www.healthyswimming.org or view comments from our Vice President of Risk Management regarding the topic at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZX5gD0EKy8 or view this video on our face book page under the videos tab.

Our Waterparks utilizes state-of-the art water purification equipment to ensure our water is as clean as possible for our guests. Great Wolf has developed industry-leading technology to balance effectiveness and guest comfort. All our pool systems are all monitored by computer and the chemical levels are tested and documented by our maintenance staff in accordance with State and CDC guidelines and regulations.

Here are six steps from the CDC that promote Healthy Swimming:

Three Steps for All Swimmers Keep germs from causing RWIs:

Please don't swim when you have diarrhea. You can spread germs in the water and make other people sick.

Please don't swallow the pool water. Avoid getting water in your mouth.

Please practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before swimming and wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers. Germs on your body end up in the water.

Three Steps for Parents of Young Kids Keep germs out of the pool:

Please take your kids on bathroom breaks or check diapers often. Waiting to hear "I have to go" may mean that it's too late.

Please change diapers in a bathroom or a diaper-changing area and not at poolside. Germs can spread in and around the pool.

Please wash your child thoroughly (especially the rear end) with soap and water before they go swimming. Invisible amounts of fecal matter can end up in the pool.

Thanks again for your comments,
Cody Butcher
Director of Aquatics

Great Wolf Lodge - Grand Mound

20500 Old Highway 99, SW
Centralia, WA 98531

Office: 360.273.7718 ext 4944
Fax: 360.273.8406

Digital Scrapbooking Freebee - School Kits

2010-10-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Recently I put all my 2010 school kits together in a special value price package.

Get School Kits Value Pack HERE

My friend and fellow designer Saxon Holt put together this totally cute "almost" quickpage and told me to give it away on my blog. So here it is!!! Click HERE to download.

Now let me remind you of some of my school kits from last year! They are part of the Academic Overload collection I created with Saxon Holt. You can still find the whole collection here at Scrapbook-Elements. Here's a sampling of some of the kits that are my part of the collection.

Coming soon into kits!

2010-10-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

Two more new CT members

2010-10-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm on a roll for selecting some wonderful new layout artists for my Creative Team.

I'd like to give a wonderful warm welcome to:

Cecile (ArumRose around the galleries and forums)
and
Alyssa (PaperPlanes around the galleries and forums)

I so appreciate creative team members. Firstly, I know if they are on my team, they enjoy my work. Secondly, they show me new ways to use my own kits. And finally, I think they work very hard to make beautiful pages with only a kit as payment - and lately I've been torturing my team with kits handed to them the night before they release. LOL. Honest team... I'll try to improve on that soon.

Links to the galleries of all my CT members can be found in the sidebar on the right hand side of the page!

Creative Team & New Release coming on Friday

2010-09-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've added 3 great new scrappers to my Creative Team in the last couple of days! Please welcome

Jenny Davey
Tricia Groenhoff
Farha Shaifful

Also a special welcome to recent new team member

Stephanie Gibson

These great ladies join my existing team, Alissa, Michelle, Jill, Jenni, Julie, Monica, Rachel, Kala, Jaime, and Saxon. You can link to any of their galleries over in my sidebar. Some of these dynamos also design. Check out Saxon's store here. Check out Alissa's store here!

New release day at 9th and Bloom has been switched to Fridays. Be sure to go to the store to see what I have for you. It involved the pumpkin patch and carving jack-o-lanterns! Plus more older products are slowly working their way back into the store.

I have surgery tomorrow and will probably be in hospital for a couple of nights. But I'd bet by weeks end I'll be back posting and online.

Loaded Dishwasher

2010-09-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Taylor loaded the dishwasher. She wasn't too pleased when I pointed out her error. But it sure gave me the giggles. Maybe it was my giggles over the matter she didn't like?

New Product Releases for Autumn!

2010-09-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

Lots of new product going into my store at 9th & Bloom tomorrow!

I've even made some value packs... Here's all the previews and some great layouts already made with Autumn Blaze. I'd have some for Oh Nutz but I told my CT that I wasn't releasing it until another week but then changed my mind so that I could create a great value pack for you with exclusive bonus extras!!!

I should be writing about first day of school, but I'm not. LOL

2010-09-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

Instead of telling you that I thought Taylor's new teacher, Mrs. Beirgarden seems real nice and how Taylor got all her best school friends in her class this year, I'm going to tell you a little trick I came up with for figuring out what type of lightbulbs are needed in ceiling fixtures...

It's getting harder for me to easily change my viewing focal length for just to the computer screen to several feet away quickly. Small print doesn't work so well for me. Bah Humbug. I don't like that. So my sweet hubby tells me the other day to be in charge of making sure we have lightbulbs around for the various types of fixtures in our house. Good excuse for a run to Home Depot to pick up fall mums and some lightbulbs. But I couldn't read the wattage from my 5 feet 4 inches to our extra tall ceilings in the downstairs of our house. And then a moment of brilliance hit me. I pulled out my camera and zoomed right in on the bulbs and finding out wattages was as easy as a click. There ya go, my hint of the day.

Digital Scrapbooking Freebee and NEW RELEASE WEDNESDAY!

2010-08-31T21:48:00.000-07:00

Lots of new releases coming out today, and several fab re-releases as I slowly start to add back some previously completed kits to my new exclusive store at Ninth and Bloom!

Here are previews for my threesome of new School kits! Just use my main Ninth and Bloom link to see them in the store.

And here is a freebee cluster frame created by my friend, designer Saxon Holt. Download it with this LINK.

Here are some of my great products coming back in store today!

I also have a freebee for my Here Today Back Tomorrow kit. Use this download LINK.

The House

2010-08-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

This is the house of an incredible artist along with a man with a passion for collecting and displaying amazing treasures. These are probably some of the first photos ever to be placed on the web of this amazing home. This home has been created with love, passion, and talent.

First up... my favorite room The Kitchen

Exquisite downstairs bathroom! The bathrooms are my next fav places! The artist has done excuisite finishes and work on redoing surfaces and furniture.

His Bath

Her Bath

His Wardrobe

The Yankees Room

Hallways and Entries

In the Bedroom Suite

Before Tiffanys was big... they created this lamp!

The Dining Room

The Family Room

The Living Room

The Pool

Would you expect it to be less than the house? The backyard is filled with wonderful little seating areas to enjoy the good weather in summer.

Trip: Day Done

2010-08-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

Finally home from our travels.
We've been to a wedding.
I enjoyed time out on a Michigan lake in a pontoon boat.
Found a few Michigan restaurants I wish were in Oregon.
Seen a variety of personalities of customs officials through the US/Canadian border.
Seen a 35 karat diamond on a very special person.
Enjoyed an amazing pool.
Toured an amazing home - owner is an amazing artist.
Watched my daughter feed ducks, pigeons, geese and swans at the top of Toronto on it's waterfront boardwalks.
Learned I don't talk wrong; it really IS my accent. (Canadian - American thing)
Did some design work for Dad.
Loved staying with and seeing my parents.
Been soaked going under Niagara Falls.
Been soaked going on the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls.
Accidentally walked way too much of Niagara Falls.
Flown Air Canada.
And drove way way way too much.
Brought home yummy Canadian chocolate, but this morning I'm back on my diet so I can't eat it! LOL. But daughter will be enjoying the taste of Canada.

Trip: Day 1

2010-08-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

Travelling on Friday the 13th.
The thought could bring chills.
But for us it all went well.
For the first time in 10 years we were able to take a direct flight to Toronto on Air Canada and that was sooooo easy.
Dinner with my best friend from childhood whom I haven't seen in 20 years! Fantastic!
Two times through border customs in one day; weird but no problems.
Ensconced in hotel with free wifi. Perfection.
A good day.

Tatertots and Jello and Giveaways

2010-08-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

Love the site Tatertots and Jello, and by the number of followers, so do lots of others.
Lots of cool crafty ideas that can leave you blog hopping for days!
Here is their latest giveaway:
Keefer Style Creations
It's for a lady who does great silver necklaces and her profits are going to help in Haiti. Cool idea. Cool jewelry.

New Layouts

2010-08-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

Used lots of my own kits and also work from Kasia, MK Designs, and Flergs amongst others. Almost everything here can be found at 9th & Bloom.

Ninth and Bloom

2010-08-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

I've been making you wait. The store is open and now I can tell you...
I am a designer at the new store 9th & Bloom.
This is a very exciting venture for me and I hope you'll come along for the ride.
Here is who else is there...

So, on to showing you my new goodies, and they're all on sale 35% off for the opening!
Click here to go to 9th and Bloom! If you have trouble getting into the site; it's because it is clogged with customers! But the servers are literally being upgraded as I type, so just check back in a little later.

Birthday kits! One of the boys... One for the girls... (and look around my shop to find one dedicated to those 4th of July Birthdays!!!)

Gotta love the little monsters in our lives! So here to celebrate them - and their fears of what's under the bed is Monstertude!

I created a whole new set of papers to work with The Dentist's Chair kit which I created

with Alissa Jones of Pick a Paper. See the whole kit in my store.

We scrappers always need a neutral alpha!

I discontinued my old zoo doodles. Introducing my new line of Zoodle Doodles. Lots of animals you won't find anywhere else.

My Distressed Sanded Overlays come as Commerical Use and Personal Use!

Here is a sampling of my kits that are immediately coming back in 9th and Bloom... I'd show you but blogger is going too slow today. More will follow later in August. I have previews to do and a trip to take before the rest arrive.

The Problem with Switching Stores

2010-08-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

Your designer gallery disappears and thus so do layouts in your blog that you took out of your designer galleries. Lesson learned (I hope - LOL LOL)

New store announcement almost here!!!!

The Problem with Updating a Blog

2010-07-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Oops. Deleted an large list of links I liked. Dang!

Will Your Older Kits be Coming to the New Store?

2010-07-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

I was asked in a comment about my older kits. Lots of my old kits will be coming to the new store. Although some older kits I might do a revamping on to modernize them first. When an old kit comes into the new store it will actually turn up behind my newer products. A few were retired during the month of July. But it takes lots of time to make new previews. A large group of kits will not come to the new store until towards the end of August. If someone wants something quicker, or there fav kit on their wishlist never turns up, simply email me at clevermonkeygraphics using my hotmail address. You know that.... the old @hotmail.com thing. (Enjoy my spam prevention there?) Just because a kit has been retired from stores, doesn't mean it still doesn't sit on one of my hard drives. Paypal makes it easy to do business one-on-one when necessary. Usually I'm a quick responder via email, sometimes even responding instantly since I am so often on my computer... or even if you comment on my blog as the comments go directly to my email. But note that I will be away on vacation at one point in August. So if you don't hear from me for more than 10 days, you may have caught me while I'm gone.

TWO DAYS UNTIL MY DEBUT IN MY NEW STORE!!!

Such an empty blog this month!

2010-07-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know. I have almost no posts this month. Nada. Zilch. Just one product release post. But it's because I've been preparing for really exciting things. If you watch my stores, you'll notice that I am no longer at Scrapbook-Elements. (But the Academic Overload series of school kits will remain there under Saxon Holt!). After tomorrow, you won't find me at Funky Playground either.

I'm moving to a completely different store. Exclusive. Keep your eye on my blog for the big announcement. It's coming very very soon now. And I have several brand new kits to open at the new store with!

I will do guest spots elsewhere... I'm already talking with another store that contacted me re that type of stuff.

And I'm finally figuring out how to do an official newsletter! I'm going to study mail chimp! LOL.

Gotta run right now... tucking my fav little cutie into bed.

New Product Release: 4th of July Doodles

2010-07-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

New - just released!

4th of July Doodles

Get them here while they're 40% off!!!

SALES SALES SALES

2010-07-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Almost everything in both my stores is on sale through Monday to celebrate the 4th of July Holiday here in the USA.

My store at Scrapbook-Elements
My store at Funky Playground

Recent additions to my stores include...

At Scrapbook Elements

And at Funky Playground

Digital Scrapbooking Freebee - Tooth Fairy Certificates

2010-06-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

Alissa Jones and I each created Tooth Fairy Certificates to give you for free to celebrate the release of our huge collaboration kit, The Dentist's Chair!!!

Get Tracey's Tooth Fairy Certificates here.
Go to Alissa's Blog and get hers here. Or go back tomorrow if she hasn't posted it yet!
Here's a preview of mine :)

New Kit Releases

2010-06-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to THE DENTIST'S CHAIR.

A fun collab by Tracey Monette and my good friend and designer, Alissa Jones. Get it here.

My daughter Taylor is the mastermind behind this fun set of child-like doodles. Introducing Taylor's Zoo. Who to go to but a kid when you want to draw something kidlike! This set makes for such fun and funky layouts! Get it here.

Layouts with some of the new kits...

Can you Guess?

2010-06-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

Guess what type of kit is about to release on Friday.... Let me show you
advance peeks of 3 layouts I just did with it...

We Only Do Quarters - Dipping Dots Diatribe

2010-06-01T22:14:00.000-07:00

I took Taylor to the mall after school today.

We stayed for some dinner in the food court.

Because Taylor REALLY wanted dipping dots ice cream.

And I couldn't give her dipping dots without giving her dinner first.

Taylor chose some chocolate mint dipping dots.

They cost a ridiculously high dollar amount of $3.50

I gave the sales clerk 3 dollar bills, a quarter, and 3 dimes

She looks at the money.

She looks at me.

And now stupidity leaves her mouth...

"We only do quarters." She says

"Well this is the money I have." I say

She looks at me blankly.

She implied she should keep the extra nickel.

I told her she wasn't getting an extra nickel and that if the ice cream stand didn't keep on hand proper change than they could take the nickel loss on their ice cream.

"So you want me to give you the dime?" she says

Resisting rolling my eyes, I say "yes." and then I tell her to explain later to her bosses why her till is a nickel short.

Because they only do quarters.

I walk away to where Taylor is sitting enjoying her dipping dots, a small smile spreading across my face at the ridiculous of paying for those dipping dots.

Monday Fun Day "Sew much fun!" Hairband tutorial

2010-05-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

Let's start with a little 'funny' I found here.

I've been doing a bit of sewing the last couple weeks. My dining room has temporarily become the sewing room (previously it was the green house to start my veggy seedings of which many died as soon as we transplanted them - but thats another story!!!) I working my sewing bravery up to creating a new duvet cover by sewing smaller projects. Taylor was at a friends home to play one day and came home with a cute sewn headband. She loved it and thought it was soooo comfortable. So I asked that mom how to make them and have been creating ever since. Pictured below is today's version - perfect for 4th of July in another month or so. Taylor has also been having me make them for her friends too! They see them on Taylor and Taylor tells them, no problem, I'll ask my mom to make you one. Should I tell her it actually takes work??? But I do end up with extra fabric from fat quarters I bought to create these. And the smile oh her face makes the extra work all worth it.

But how do you make them you ask??? Here are some basic instructions:

1. Cut one piece of fabric 6 1/4 inches by 14 1/2 inches. Double fold over the long edges, pressing, and then top sewing. Accordian fold on end to about 1/2 inch wide. Sew onto this end a 6 inch piece of elastic (up to 3/4 inch wide elastic). Accordian fold other end of fabric and put in a few stitches to hold.

2. Cut a 2nd piece of fabric 10 inches by 2 1/4 inches. This will cover your elastic. Press over the short ends and top sew if you want . It is not necessary though. Fold in half length wise and stitch together leaving as much room as you safely can for 'tube. Pull outside in.... or is that inside out???? Basically make the right side of your newly sewn tube be on the outside. I use the eraser end of a pencil to help push it through.

3. Pull tube over elastic you have sewn to large fabric piece. Attaching a safety pin to end of elastic will make this much easier. Pull tube just over ends of accordian folded fabric. Sew tightly in place.

4. Now sew other end of elastic to other accordian folded end of large fabric. Then pull tube over top and securely stitch in into place. This can be kind of messy since it really isn't seen under the hair.

5. And as my daughter likes to say "ta da!" Done. I try mine on my daughter next because I've discovered some elastic stretches a lot and some too little, so experimentation may be needed. If it is too large you can easily double fold a bit of the elastic & tube and then stitch. If it is too small, find a toodler to give it to! Sorry, haven't found a better alternative or easy fix for that.

Now have fun doing a sewing project that is really easy once you get the hang of it!

Memorial Day Sale

2010-05-30T07:41:00.001-07:00

Okay Mom, this is me today!

2010-05-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

Okay Mom, Taylor took this picture of me so I could show you what I look like today. What do YOU think of the red?

Taylor is tapping watermelons to find the one with the highest pitch since we were told this was one way you could make sure that at the very least the melon is not going bad.

Meet the Statue of Artichoke. Couldn't resist setting up this picture when we saw artichokes with stems so long! But we learned one bad tasting lesson, don't let your fingers go in your mouth after touching artichoke stems without washing them first because the taste is brutally bitter!

Saturday Simple Pleasure

2010-05-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

Cheese Blintzes

(not my photo!)

I grew up eating cheese blintzes with sour cream. A definite favorite of mine. They had just a bit of sweetness which was balanced so well with plump dollops of sour cream. I even have a recipe to create my own including the surprisingly easy crepe portion and did so many times in my life. Then I became lactose intolerant. No more cheese blintzes. They were one thing I missed very badly. I did eventually find some good tofu based blintzes with a tofu based sour cream - actually like them quite well. Well eventually, about 18 years after becoming lactose intolerant I've rediscovered sour cream and realize now that I can indeed eat it. However, my local grocers don't sell the type of cheese I would need to create my own blintzes. {sad face} But then I spotted these in the grocers frozen aisle!!!

They are good! I ate 3 of them this morning for breakfast. Not quite as sweet as I grew up with, but still the texture seems right and I can taste/texture of dry curd cottage cheese inside seems right to me. But I won't buy them too often, because they are best with mounds of fattening full fat sour cream which supplys full fat hips etc. LOL. And I'm working hard at reversing that trend. Although their calorie count without the sour cream was only 80 cals each I think! Truly not bad at all.

Here is my recipe for Cheese Blintzes. Can't remembe if it was first shown to my by my mother, Ina, or my Nana, Bebe. (I'm thinking Nana though!)

Cheese Blintzes - Ciglen Style

Ingredients for Filling

1 1/2 pounds dry curd cottage cheese

1 egg

3 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

Mix well together and set aside. If you cannot find dry curd cottage cheese in your area, try calling the stores in the Jewish area of town or even checking the freezer section of more gourmet grocery stores. Or try experiments with regular cottage cheese place in cheese cloth, wrapped tightly and placed in a collander sitting over a bowl overnight to try to let excess moisture drip out.

Ingredients for Crepe Batter

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup water

6 eggs

1 1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp sugar

Mix flour, salt, sugar, and water in large measuring cup. Beat with a dover beater until there are no lumps. Add the 6 eggs and beat again.

Line counter top with paper towels so you'll have a place to turn out your crepes quickly as you work and allow them to cool slightly.

Heat a crepe or omelet pan over medium high heat. Add butter (and keep adding as necessary to prevent crepe from sticking to pan). Pour a little of the crepe mix into the pan; quickly roll the pan around to get the mixture covering the bottom and pour excess back into your measuring cup. It should only take a short tme for the crepe to be cooked. You will not have to turn it over. When it's edges look like they'll be easy to lift, slightly loosen them and turn out crepe onto a paper towel. Put pan back on the stove and straighten out crepe to cool if necessary. Repeat until mixture is gone.

Now you get to decide how much you want to stuff your blintzes! Put a dollop of cheese mix in center of crepe. Pull one end of over it. Then one of the sides, the other side, and finally the top. Ideally you've made this into a bit of a rectangular shape as you've done it. Separate layers of filled blintzes with wax paper because they will stick to each other and tear otherwise.

I don't remember how many this makes, but I know it will certainly feed a small family a yummy Sunday brunch.

Now comes the part where you get to eat these.... yum.

Heat your pan again. Add a little butter. Fry blintzes on both sides just until they brown and bit and serve with dollops of sour cream.

Welcome to my bliss.

May Walk

2010-05-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Dealing with a Crabby Mommy

2010-05-24T06:50:00.000-07:00

I didn't feel great yesterday. I was on day 2 of starting back on my diet and it had been bothering my stomach. And I was tired to top it off. As I looked at the dinner dishes awaiting cleaning I became quite cranky. Well my sweet daugther has learned one special way of helping me through these grumpy moods; she does a quick search on the internet for things to make me laugh, so she began her work last night by showing me this. Her technique usually works quite well.

Friday Freebee (Digital Scrapbooking Freebee)

2010-05-21T18:40:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know I took on quite a challenge in helping out a mom-in-need (of design help that is!!!) create a digital scrapbook for her daughter covering K-6. The lucky young lady will be receiving her printed album at graduation. I have been so blessed by having several other scrappers help me make this happen after I placed a post at DST asking if anyone wanted to trade my kits for their created pages. And not all of them are even looking for the free kit payoffs. Some are just enjoying doing girly pages. So again to all of you helping me.... THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. I will pay this forward to someone else looking for help.

I created a quickpage from one of my pages that I am giving away to you all. It is created using the Academic Overload series of mini kits created as a collab with myself and Saxon Holt.

Here is a preview of the quickpage. Ignore that weird black stuff, I snagged the preview off my download page. Apparently it does not show quite correctly there.

And here is your download link. MY TEACHER QUICKPAGE

NEW RELEASE THURSDAY

2010-05-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

This has been sitting on my computer almost done for about 3 weeks. There was so much work to do the upper and lower case alpha that I stalled on the numbers and punctuation. But I don't think an alpha is complete without them. So I finally buckled down and finished it!

CUT BY HAND ALPHA is available in my Funky Playground Store. And it is on a new release sale right now!!!

Here's a peek at a not yet extracted item from my upcoming Birthday kit(s)

Can you say F-E-L-T? I'll be covering boys, girls, grownups, and even 4th of July birthdays!!!

New Layouts

2010-05-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

New Kit Releases

2010-05-14T22:20:00.000-07:00

First up, here are my most recent releases at Funky Playground Designs...

And re-released under new names...

Released last week at Scrapbook-Elements

Which conveniently works with recently released Growing Season Feltys over at Funky Playground:

And finally, releasing this weekend at Scrapbook-Elements: OLIVIA

Inspired

2010-05-04T06:44:00.000-07:00

I filled a dozen or more large pots with nutrient rich potting soil, set up my drip irrigation system in my raised bed, we brought out some of the summer porch furniture... and hopefully this weekend I can plant all the little seedlings growing in my dining room. Sunday felt filled with accomplishment - especially after being zombi-ized in front of the computer looking at {i}NSD sales and making purchases all day on Saturday. Monday poured rain more often than not and it will be a generally wet week.

Made oatmeal muffins with large sugar crystals on top with Taylor. Two days later she admits to me they taste like soap and butter and she doesn't like them. Mike doesn't like them because he thinks the yummy sugar crystals are too big. Yeesh. That's it - back on my diet for 2 days now and no more baking for a while!

Monday morning was spent in blogs which then led to more blogs and more blogs and fantastic art inspiration. About 3 hours more inspiration than I was planning on. But by after lunch I did start designing. Pretty things coming soon.