SweetNSassy Designs

So I actually scrapped...

2008-01-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

...fancy that! Truth is, I scrapped this page last weekend but something wasn't sitting quite right with me and the page and then when La and Mich's new Groove-Tro hit the shoppe today, I knew it would be perfect so I revised and now I just love this one. Check it out...

Awww isnt my lil bear the cutest? He's so much fun and all these goodies were perfect for his halloween pics. I tossed some stars and splats from Space Invaders into the mix and also used Micheline's new Dont Be Negative alpha too.

Speaking of NEW - when I updated my blog a couple of weeks ago, I also updated my Scrap Radio over there on the right. There are lots of great tunes playing, so check it out and let me know what you're listening to right now too. I love music and I'd love to check out some new tunes if you guys have suggestions!

Happy Saturday - hopefully I'll see you sooner than later!

WHOA...long time, no blog!

2007-12-26T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hey hey out there in blogland. I had an itchin to update my blog template today (if nothing else it's good practice right?) so I thought I would say Hi and let you know that I still know how to find this place and log in to post too! I'm really going to try and be a much better blogger in 2008 - so bookmark me and come back when ya can - you never know when I might be giving you the inside scoop on SSD!

I actually have a great little sneak peek for you today too - it's a brand new 2scoops with the Bean which will be debuting this Saturday (12/29) in the shoppe. I absolutely LOVE this sweet kit because I think it is perfect for ANY baby. It's feminine and sweet enough for your baby girl and has enough basics to make a darling page for your baby boy too. I have to say this is one of my favorite kits in recent memory and I really hope lots of you love it too - I think it's a MUST have. Check it out...

My incredible creative team has already started going to town with this kit and I am just blown away by the gorgeous pages they're coming up with. Not to mention the major baby fever I have after looking at all these sweet pics. There's tons of great baby news in the Sweet Shoppe community forum - so the timing on this one is perfect. Take a look at this awesome inspiration from my girls...

Layout by Tracey

Layout by Karen

Layout by Laura

Layout by Maria

Layout by Michelle

Layout by Jana

YUMMMM!! I cant wait for you guys to get your hands on this one!!

In other news - I dont often get really excited about movies before they come out, but has anyone seen the trailer for Cloverfield? The fact that Lost producer J.J. Abrams is bringing the US it's own monster movie has me giddy in anticipation. I'll see you in the theaters on 1/18/08!!
On that note - hope to see you sooner than 6 months from now - like tomorrow maybe : )

We've been swimming for a week...

2007-07-22T14:20:00.001-07:00

...and I am soooo thrilled to show off pics of our little oasis in the desert! We started filling up on Friday, July 13th and we were SOOOO excited to see water going in finally from the first trickle to the last drop is was just about the most exciting thing that's happened around here all summer! Take a look...

Of course we took the kids out to splash around while it was filling up and they absolutely loved it! It took about 8 hours to fill both the pool and spa and on Monday, July 16th they started up all of the equipment and added chemicals to start balancing the water. We went with an in-floor cleaning system along with a salt chlorine system and it really seems like it's going to be so easy to maintain.

Monday was also landscape day, so all of our outdoor lighting and plants were installed and we just love it! We got rid of the 2 live oak trees we have which means less leaves in the pool and opted instead for some pygmy date palms which we cant wait to see grow over time. There is also white and purple lantana and boxwood beauty natal plums back there so once they fill out, it should be really pretty and colorful around the pool!

So it's been just over a week and the water color looks amazing now that the water has had time to level out with the chlorine (it starts out with a twinge of green straight from the hose but gets bluer and bluer as the days pass). The pool is surfaced with Blue Granite Pebble Sheen and we love how it feels on our feet! Anyhow, enough of me rambling, take a look at the pics...

We've been out to swim every day since it was put in and everytime I get in, I think to myself that if you're going to spend a lot of money on something...this is it! It's only been 10 days or so and we think it is worth every penny because we know our family is going to enjoy this for years to come!

Hopefully I can get some photos of the kids swimming soon - I need Rocky home to do it because with the lil ones I have to be watching and close by constantly. Katie has quickly caught onto the whole swimming thing and can swim by herself without any floaties after just being in the pool for a week. Andy is coming right along too, being able to cruise around and keep himself balanced while wearing those floating speedo vests. Emily is getting more and more confident too but she's our timid one...so it may take her a little more time. I could go on and on...

In other news... I'm soooo excited to say that my paperlines for A2Z essentials debuted at CHA this week. Check it out...

I have a line shown called It's Elementary which is a spin on Baby You Can Drive and I also did the Essentials by Color Paper line which is shown in the layouts above. You can read & see more here, here and here. Lots more coming throughout the year!

Big congrats going out to my Sweet Shoppe Girls who also had products debut at CHA this week! Zoe for A2Z, Manda for Paper Salon and Susan for Bo Bunny! SOOO exciting!!

Okay so I think I've rambled on enough for now :) See you soon!

Woo! I'm back...

2007-06-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

... and our pool decking is in! I'm sooo excited because we are getting really close to this thing being finished. Check out the latest pic...

So let's see, Monday they'll be doing the waterline tile and all of the tile around the spa including the spillways (the cut outs you see on the surface of the spa wall). Then the flagstone bench will be going up around the top of the spa. Then clean up of the pool and yard, all of the fittings for the in floor cleaner will be installed, the decking overlay will be sprayed, the barrier fence hung and then the final pebblesheen finish will be applied and they'll start fillin her up! That 4th of July Pool Party and BBQ just may happen... Keep your fingers crossed, we're getting close!

Did ya know?

2007-06-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

We're having a pool built in our backyard! The kids are sooooo excited (we are too) and we can't wait for it to be done! We're hoping it will be ready in time for a 4th of July BBQ!!

Anyhow, I thought I would post a trio of pics of how the pool is doin up to this point...

Excavation

Plumbing / Electric / Steel

Shotcrete
Now that the concrete is in, they just did that this morning, we have to go out and water the silly thing 4 times a day so that it doesnt dry too fast. It's pretty gosh darn cool cuz we can finally SEE what all of it is gonna look like.

I have to tell you, our backyard is absolutely thrashed though, so I can't wait to see how they are going to pull it all together with the decking and all of the other finishing touches to make it look amazing! I'll keep ya posted with new pics as the stages progress!!

Since I apparently suck...

2007-06-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

...at blogging, I've decided to start a twitter. It's called microblogging and basically it's for those of us who dont have the attention span required to keep up with the demands of blogging on a regular basis (or those people who just want to have a bit of mindless fun while keeping in touch with the world).

To be honest with you, it takes me forever to come up with an intelligent sounding post that I think you'll be interested in reading so as a result I've shy'd away from blogging completely, but I want that to change! I'm hoping that perhaps my twitter will give me a quick and easy way to say what I'm up to as a designer, scrapper and mom in a less formal setting and that I'll do it more often because it's so casual.

I also love that I can add friends in a click and then just click my friends tab to see what all of my friends and I are doing each day in a timeline of the days posts. That is the coolest thing ever!!!

SOOO if you're interested in twittering with me, sign up and add me as a friend so I can see what you're doing too! Or you can just lurk and see what I am up to at http://twitter.com/robincarlton - I hope to see some people over there.

Real quick before I go, I actually scrapped a page last night for a brand new challenge I'm hosting at the Sweet Shoppe. Check it out...

Credits: Grass Stains by Shawna Clingerman, Vintage Frames & Tiny Tags with Tape by Jessica Bolton, Hand Stamped Alpha by Michelle Coleman.
Hope all of you are enjoying the kick-off to summer and that maybe this twittering will kick off an age without radio silence from me. TTYS!

It's only been 9 days...

2007-02-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

I mean that's an improvement over 4 months for sure but still not great! We're getting there tho dontcha think?

So anyhow, couple of quick Sweet Shoppe things...

First up, I'm workin it on the Sweet Shoppe Blog today and if you want a nice little freebie from me, I'd love for you to head over there to check it out. I've shared lots of GORGEOUS layouts using my recent kits over there, so you wont want to miss taking a peek for some extra inspiration! I think it's pretty SWEET!

Secondly, I'm REALLY excited to share that Manda and I are going to be hosting a new weekly challenge at SSD called POP Weekly and we made our official debut today! The two of just LOVE anything and everything to do with pop culture and we thought it would be a really fun twist on the average digital challenge. We think it's going to be an absolute blast, so let your hair down, dont take yourself too seriously and head over to the new POP Weekly challenge forum to jump right in!

Now I've been a busy bee working hard on my layouts for the March issue of DAM and I just love them. I took some pics using my new Rebel and WOW are they stunning! SOOO crisp and colorful, I am just thrilled!! Hopefully I'll have some time to scrap and share some non-confidential layouts with you very soon :)

In the meantime, I dont know if anyone would be interested, but my Canon 10D needs a new home! It's a great camera and in fabulous condition with original box, straps, manuals, etc. I'm looking to sell the body only as I love all of my lenses, so if you're interested and want to get started with a DSLR for a couple of hundred bucks, send me a mail with a serious offer k? I'm TOTALLY willing to consider any offer that you think is fair, so write me and lets talk about it :)

Completely unrelated to scrapping, LOST is back!! YAY! Last week was such a teaser if you ask me and EVERY episode has me dying for more... I seriously CANNOT wait for tonight's episode! So what did you guys think of Juliet's revelation last week? I sooo did not see that coming...dunno why, but just didnt. Also, if you watched the hour long special last week with the two producers catching us up on all that had happened, did anyone else notice the complete and deliberate omission of Walt and Michael's existance in the show? POOF! It's as if we never saw those two characters. Wonder what's up with that?

Anyhow, I think I've rambled on long enough between this post and the ssd blog post, so with that...Happy Valentine's Day! Go grab your freebie and leave me some love k?

Digital Artist Magazine...

2007-02-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Woo! I'm back already! Anyhow, I'm really excited because yesterday the February issue of Digital Artist Magazine hit the Sweet Shoppe shelves! It's such an incredible publication and I feel so proud to be selling it at SSD. We arent in any way involved with the production of the magazine, but since it is the premiere downloadable magazine for Digital Scrapbookers and it's only sold at the DAM site, Designer Digitals & Scrapbook-Elements, I am soo tickled that we're now one of the exclusive vendors for the mag! GO SSD!

Over the past couple of months, some really exciting scrapping stuff happened for me that I havent shared here on the blog. The big one for me was applying for and making the Digital Artist Magazine team of contributing artists. I am soo proud of this gig and just feel so excited seeing my layouts in the mag each month! While I cant share my layouts from the February issue, I am allowed to share my layouts from the January issue. I just love these two layouts and hope you do too. Take a peek...

Credits: Everything shown from Dani Mogstad's Fall Crush. Fonts used are LD Remington Portable and Dear Joe IV.

Credits: Everything shown from various kits at JenWilsonDesigns.com. Font used are Pea Kelly, Porcelain, Shortcut and Hotel Coral Essex.

Anyhow, thanks so much for all of your kind words on Emily and the speech thing. She's already making progress and honestly it's really interesting and amazing to watch just how much work she has to put into making certain sounds that we take for granted. We dont treat her like she's any different from anyone else, so she thinks meeting with the SLP (speech language pathologist) is a special treat just for her. It's all very cool and gonna be a great thing!

So before I go, let's talk TV, there are some really great shows on right now that I am just lovin! Grease: You're the One That I Want! is certainly a fave of mine and I think Top Design, which just premiered last Wednesday night on Bravo is gonna be hot too! Of course, the HUGE news this week is that LOST is back on Wednesday night and seriously, I cant wait!! I enjoy TV sooo much more now that we have a DVR through our cable company, it is just awesome to be able to record a show and then watch it late at night after the kids are in bed and things have settled down. LOVE LOVE it!

Anyhow, what are you guys lovin on TV?? I'd love to dish "must see TV" today!

A New Look For A New Year

2007-02-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

So okay...it's a month into 2007 and I'm still calling it the new year, but January was sort of a blur for me with everything going on over at the Sweet Shoppe. Our big anniversary celebration went off without a hitch and the response has been amazing. I am SOOO excited for our second year in business.

Now that things are starting to settle down tho, I really want to try and make a conscious effort to be more organized and start recording what's going on in our lives on a regular basis. I think it's important to have a spot to gather and save my thoughts on the little things that happen here and there from week to week. Soooo... I've given the blog here a fresh new look using goodies from one of my new mini kits called Rainbow Zerbert and I'm hoping to be here sharing my thoughts at least a few times each week.

January was an interesting month outside of the digital world for us. About a week and a half ago, we finally met with a speech therapist to discuss Emily's speech patterns. As a family, we can understand most of what she says to us, but we're well aware of the fact that most other people probably cant. With kindergarten being about a year and a half away, we finally took the plunge to see what a professional thought about it.

So on Friday 1/26, we had our first in home evaluation with a WONDERFUL speech pathologist and after a series of tests that Emily just LOVED taking and participating in, we were told that she has what is known as apraxia of speech. In short, she's very smart and above average in what she understands language wise, but unfortunately her brain has a hard time telling her mouth how to communicate with us properly. As a result, many of her words sound garbled and she substitutes letter sounds she's comfortable making in places they dont belong. She particularly likes the /p/ /k/ and /g/ sounds so we get puk instead of cup and things along those lines.

The speech therapist has told us that it's a long road of therapy but most apraxic kids end up sounding quite normal with work. We'll be working with Stacie twice each week over the next several months, so keep your fingers crossed that Emily makes great progress with this as we go through this process. We've had 2 therapy sessions here in our home so far and Emmie just LOVES when Stacie comes, so while it's pricey, we're really looking forward to the benefits of it.

In other fun news, Rocky bought me a Canon Digital Rebel XT-i for my birthday at the end of January and I am sooo excited to have a new DSLR. I've had the 10D since 2003 and while I love it, I was so ready for a new toy and I am excited about the upgrades they've made with the technology and I actually prefer the lighter camera body! I'm hoping to take some new pics and do a layout or two this weekend, so hopefully I'll be back soon to share!

On that note, I think I'll call this a post and leave a promise to be back soon to say hi!!

Back to Ramble :)

2006-10-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey :)

How's it goin out in blogland? I thought I'd check in and say Hi and ramble on for a bit.

First up. Lost.

Where the heck have I been for the last 2 years? I started watching Lost on DVD this week and WOWEE...I. Am. LOVING. It!

I remember watching the first 4-5 episodes when it first started and I really enjoyed it back then but then I lost track of time, missed some episodes and never caught up. So now I am LOVING the fact that I can sit back and watch the whole darn thing on DVD - that's the coolest thing EVER! I've been staying up entirely too late the last 3 nights because I HAD to have answers to my questions but Ive now realized that the thing that makes Lost fabulous is the fact that the questions never stop. One episode might answer a question, but it's also going to make you ask even more questions which is why you keep coming back for more. It's been a long time since a show has really captured my attention like this. It's great!

Next up... (and I cant believe I am going to admit this publicly on my blog)

I'm a HUGE Battlestar Gallactica fan on the sci-fi channel! This show ROCKS and the 3rd season kicked off 3 weeks ago and I am LOVIN it. This is another show that captivated me thanks to the series being released on DVD. Cylons, spaceships, good guys...cool. Rocky loves sci-fi stuff and I have to admit that I've kinda always liked this sorta stuff too.

I totally remember the original Battlestar Gallactica when I was kid - Starbuck and Apollo, etc, etc and Sci-Fi has TOTALLY revamped this classic and it's amazing, sexy, captivating, touching and FABULOUS. SOOOOO this begs to ask the question - is anyone else out there watching this show with me? Let me know!

Moving right along to digi-land...

I made myself a promise last February and it's time to come through on it... yes chicklets CK HOF is around the corner and I am gonna enter this year. SOOO I think the layouts around here are gonna be a little sparse as I am squirrelling most of them away so that I can pick and choose the very best of what I have to offer to enter the contest. I'm SUPER excited about it and nervous too but it's something I really want to follow through with, so I am doing it. Wish me luck and check out a couple of recent layouts that I CAN show ya...

First up is a really simple, sweet layout of my Princess Emily using one of Jen's One-Derful Wednesday kits, Katie...

She really is SOOOOO sweet - sometimes it's overwhelming how much you can love your kids if ya know what I mean. They just ROCK!

Next up is a layout I did as one of the guest darers for Dare #8 at the Digi-Dare Blog. I have to say I am really proud of this layout and think it ROCKS. I'm really stoked I was asked to be a guest darer on the blog and I hope I can do it again in the future!

I used some yummy stuff from Zoe Pearn and Gina Cabrera for this layout and think their goodies were PERFECT for that photo. This layout REALLY challenged me because the whole circle thing threw me off in a big way. A challenge is a GOOD thing tho - so thanks to the digi-dare team for the inspiration!

Anyhow...I think that's it for now. There's more on my mind, but I've probably rambled on enough for today. Hope all of you are doin well and that I get back here sooner rather than later. TTYS!

Surprised...

2006-10-03T22:24:00.000-07:00

...to see me back here so soon?

Well I really meant it when I said I would try to be better about blogging again, so I am gonna try to stick to it. So Rachael and Zoe tagged me on their blogs to do this 7 songs thing and since I LOOOOVE music, this is an easy one for me to play along with. Here are the instructions...

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions on your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

Here are my songs...
1) For You I Will - Teddy Geiger
2) Wiseman - James Blunt
3) When the Stars go Blue - Tim McGraw
4) My Wish - Rascal Flatts
5) It's Beginning to Get To Me - Snow Patrol (The whole new album kicks toosh!)
6) Hot Girls - INXS
7) High - James Blunt

And Uhmmm...since I dont get a chance to visit blogs much right now. How bout I say, if you're reading this and havent done this little tag yet, go post on your blog and then come back and give me a link so I can go check out what you're listening to.

In other news - there are TWO praying mantis on my back porch right now and they are just about the creepiest thing ever in this oddly "wow, Ive never seen one of those in real life" kind of ways. I know you're going EWWW...yucko! BUT I know you also wish you were here with me to see them. SOOOO lucky for you, I was brave enough to open the door and actually take a couple of photos. Check these babies out...

Now we've lived in Arizona since 2002 and we've never seen these guys, though I suppose we werent really looking either. They sure made a showing tonight. The one on the light actually caught a fly/moth/something with wings while I was taking the pics and sat there eating him right in front of my eyes. Emily thought it was fascinating and squealed with delight! Rocky tells me they are good because they eat bugs, so I guess I am okay with them staying for now. Know this tho...if one of those creepies ends up INSIDE...he's a goner!

Finally...I wanted to mention. Are you guys watching Heroes on NBC on Monday nights? If not, you should be. This show is so fun and we are so excited about where it is headed. I dont think I have been this excited about a scripted show since Lost. I'm a huge reality TV fan but there arent a lot of series that can get me to tune in. This is one of those shows!

Anyhow...I think that's it for tonight! Hope you guys have an awesome Wednesday. It's parent teacher conferences at school for me tomorrow afternoon, so I am looking forward to getting a teacher's insight into how Katie is doing at school. See you soon!

October 2nd...Over 2 months...

2006-10-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

...since I have posted here.

That's amazingly crazy dont you think? It's been a nutty couple of months at the Sweet Shoppe with new staffers coming and going and on and on. So I think I have just been digging into that and enjoying the chaos of owning and running a site on a day to day basis. It pretty much rocks!

Things are finally starting to settle down over at SSD with an AMAZING full line up of 14 designers and 14 SugarBabes. The vibe is just right if that makes sense and I am really stoked on where we are at 8 months later. WOO! In any case, I think from here out, I'm gonna try to keep this blog a lil more personal - what I am up to, what the kids are up to, what I've scrapped lately, etc. I'll save the Sweet Shoppe promoting for the Brand New SWEET SHOPPE BLOG - which if you havent visited and added to your blogroll, you HAVE to do. I am soo psyched on this blog and I know you guys are going to love it, so go check it out k?!

It's been a busy couple of months here... Katie started back to school on August 7th - she's a first grader and I have to tell you, getting up to get her to school by 7:35 everyday royally sucks. I am soo not a morning person and I'll be honest that I have felt like the worst mother in the whole world a couple of times now when we've missed the alarm clock and shown up late. I've been told tho, that I am not the first and only mom to have done this though and I certainly wont be the last, so I am a little relieved in that department. She is loving school and has lots of friends and I've actually caught her making Emily "pretend to be her friend so and so" when they play after school it's pretty funny.

Emily and Andy are enjoying their time together each day while Katie is at school. They are both kinda like Rocky and I in the schedule department and will sleep til noon if we let them and admittedly sometimes I come back from dropping Katie off, crawl back to bed and we do just that...it's a very nice way to spend the morning.

We spent a couple of weeks in September looking at model houses, trying to decide if now was the right time to move into a bigger space that we would be more comfortable in and WOWEE did we see some gorgeous options. We thought about it long and hard tho and have decided to stay where we are for a few more years and make it what we want it to be while we are here. SOOOO last thursday and friday we had all of the floors in our house upgraded. Brand new carpet and hard wood floors in our kitchen and home office. It looks amazing and has already given the house a face lift. I'll try to post some before and after pics soon - cuz WOW what a difference it has made. We plan on repainting all of the walls over the next few weeks and finally, we're putting in a pool!! We seriously cant wait...I'll be sure to do the pool in progress pics once we break ground on that project.

I've actually been able to scrap quite a bit over the last few weeks, so before I go, I thought I would show off a couple of pages I've done while I was away. Check these out...

I created the layout above using Meaning 1 from Jen Wilson - I adore these pics, I adore this kit and I absolutely love the layout that came about from Jen's Meaningful Contest Week 1. JWD has been down for a couple of weeks, but she's back up now and you wont want to miss the big 50% off sale she's having right now, so go give my girl Jen some love k?

This little layout of my Andy man was created using Lauren Grier's "It's All About You". You know, I think Lauren is one of the most overlooked designers around because she just ROCKS. Her stuff is dark and complex and interesting and when you get to looking at it close up, it's really great stuff. This is one of those pages that came together really quickly for me and it's certainly a recent fave and I think a big part of that is Lauren's VERY cool kit!

Finally, this blog post wouldnt be complete without showing off my sweet Katie on her first day of school. I'm really not a fan of the traditional back to school kits but Jen did it up right with her super classy Back To School kit called Suddenly Studious. It seriously couldnt have been more perfect!

Anyhow, thanks sooo much to all of you who have come to check in on me over the last week or so. I plan on getting to some of those tags and being here on a much regular basis yabbering away about who knows what, so I hope to see you here soon! Oh and you know, say hi today...because I would really love to know WHO is still out there checking this thing :D

Sweet Shoppe Update...

2006-07-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a quick note here to let you know that if you are trying to access the Sweet Shoppe and get a blue screen that says there is no site configured at this address, please try visiting again in a little bit. We've installed a SSL certificate on the site which will insure your privacy and security when you use credit cards on the site starting Tuesday, so it may wonk out the site for just a little bit. Some people may not be affected at all, but if you are one of the lucky ones who is, just be a bit patient. We'll be back to normal soon and the changes to the site are going to be so worth it! Thanks so much : )

I can't believe it's been a week!

2006-07-30T02:15:00.000-07:00

I swear I am THE worst blogger when I am working on big projects and BOY am I in the middle of something big! I've been hinting around at it for a couple of weeks now, but the Sweet Shoppe 6 month anniversary is going to be a HUGE event for us and I've been spending LOTS of time getting ready for it! Take a peek at the official invitation to our celebration...

As you can imagine from reading that, I have been knee deep in stylesheets and html giving the Sweet Shoppe a brand-new look! I am just thrilled with the results so far and I can't wait for the next 48 hours to go by for the big reveal.

Another HUGE part of our celebration is that we're going to accept credit cards independant of paypal transactions. I'm super stoked that our merchant account through cardservice international was approved this weekend - so it's official, you'll be able to play with your credit card starting on the 1st. We've had TONS of international buyers ask for this feature and we are so pleased to be giving you what you've asked for.

Anyhow, you'll have to bear with me for a few more days of scarce blog posts and lack of scrapbook pages and new kits because getting all of this ready to go live is a pretty big project!

So that's the future, but let's talk about now for a minute! I am super excited to be showing off a VERY special kit that was released at the Sweet Shoppe today. Many of you know that Manda's Mama was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this month - it was devastating news for their family but they are ready to begin their fight and TONS of designers from around the community have joined together to support them during that effort by creating a gorgeous kit for their family called Angel Eyes...

This is an absolutely fabulous deal because not only is the kit beautiful, not only does a SUPER incredible coupon book from some of your favorite designers come with it, but every penny of the sales from Angel Eyes will be going to Manda's mama, Doris to make the fight a little easier and life a little more comfortable. I really hope that all of you will take the time to visit the Sweet Shoppe and pick this one up. Buy It Here...

Also, I know I am running a little behind but in addition to Angel Eyes, we also had some super cute new kits released into the shoppe for Sweet Shoppe Saturday. Take a look...

There's only 5 of them, but BOY are they cute!! I have really been loving Amanda's Sweet Shoppe releases, she does some of the cutest embellishments and she really piles them into her kits and the TWO kits from her this week are no exception! Christy and Paula teamed up this week to bring you a dreamy summer treat in Tiki Bar - it so makes me think of licking an orange creamsicle by the pool. Ange is getting up there with her super fabulous new release Sixteen and she is another one who just piles on the unique embellishments so dont miss it! And last but not least is a fabulous kit from Melany that I just love....it has such a clean look to it and the slightly boyish color scheme with a bit of girlish whimsy is a perfect match in my book. SOOOO go check them out and pick a couple up with the coupon for SSD that you get in the Angel Eyes coupon book :D

Finally, I want to talk to all of you mommy's out there. Lately my lil guy has been soo crazy. He used to be sooo mellow and just completely happy and easy going. Well just about 2 weeks ago, he started going nutso when we tell him no or dont let him have what he wants. He will be standing and if you tell him no, he'll arch his back in rage and fall straight back to the floor hitting his head hard. Now I know head banging is pretty common and so are temper tantrums... but the girls never had fits of frustration like this. SOOOO mommies...do any of you have any advice for me in this department or even any comforting stories of your kids who have done the same and are now just fine, have grown out of the stage and didnt do any permanent damage to thier little heads by throwing themselves around so violently? I did some googling tonight and it seems like this happens pretty frequently and most doctors say to ignore it and not give them the attention they want - so I suppose I am just wanting to know I am not alone and all you scrappin mommies have had some rough spots with the kiddoes too. So let me hear from ya!

Anyhow...that was a long one and since it's almost 2:40 - I should head to bed. Thanks for sticking around and reading even when I am a slacker and thanks to the person who gave me a heads up on the typo on my Family 5 layout. TTYS :D

Sweet Shoppe Saturday 7/22

2006-07-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

A new week is here and with it some brand new goodies have hit the Sweet Shoppe shelves. Take a look...

Sooo much cute stuff this week - the girly kits from Mindy, Mel, Ange and Paula are absolutely darling and so are the new embellishment packs from Ange and Christy but I HAVE to show off Lauren's new boyish kit, Feelin' Dirty. That tiny preview up there just doesn't show off how completely cool it is when you take a closer look at it, so here is a nice good peek at her super grubby fun kit...

And if that doesnt convince you that you need this kit, take a look at this brilliant layout from her creative team member Melanie Carr...

I just LOVE it...gonna try to make some time later tonight or this week to scrap one of the little guy with this kit, I really think it's FABULOUS and those little lizards are tooo cute! Go buy it...OH OH OH and while you're at the shoppe be sure to pick up some of Tracy Ann's FABULOUS goodies at 35% off - she's revamping her Sweet Shoppe products soon and you may not see some of this stuff again, so dont miss out on this great deal!

Anyhow, the summer is nearly over and Katie goes back to school on August 7th...I'm pretty blue about it, I really love having all of the kids home with me and I am just not sure I'm ready to get back into the everyday routine of 1st grade. Nevertheless, it's coming soon and we have lots to do to get ready, so we're heading out this afternoon for new clothes and school supplies! I'll be back later to give you the school shopping update!

Super Duper Saturday to all of you! TTYS : )

SUPER...

2006-07-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

...that's how I am after this fabulous, relaxing week with my hubby and the kids. We've just been kicking back at home and I have been enjoying every second of being together. I know it sounds all gushy but I cant get enough of him - he rocks my world.

Anyhow, I've spent my downtime this week working on lots of fun projects for SSD which will all be revealed August 1st for our 6 Month Anniversary. I have 3 new kits in the works and am also doing a COMPLETE redesign of the site too...crazy crazy. I'm also SUPER excited about 2 new layouts I've done recently which I'd love to share. Check them out...

Yummmy!! I just love both of these and I'm so proud of them. I just think they are fun and sweet and totally me and our little family. SOO cute! The top one up there features Jen Wilson's Squiggle Fleurs which I just love - I even went so far as to turn one of the flowers into a little butterfly by cutting the petals apart, isn't it cute?! I wanted one to match the feel, so sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands, ya know? Anyhow Jen is just a genius - I cant say enough how much I LOVE working with her stuff and how lucky I feel to be on her team.

That second layout up there is my "Ultimate Jen Wilson Layout" - I started out with her fabulous Stitched and Squared Tags which I was instantly drawn to when I saw them and just kept building and building and building from all of my JW goodies. I used TONS of stuff from lots of kits and absolutely EVERYTHING shown in that layout is by Jen. I just had the best time playing with that page and it's one of those layouts that I just look at with a giddy excitment, I'm THAT excited and proud of it. Anyhow...I'm blathering, so I'll move on...

I wanted to mention piracy and the person who continues to comment here on my blog, anonymously I might add. I am NOT a pirate, my friends are not pirates, I dont know the people who you claim are pirates even though you continuously email and comment and so on and so forth insisting that I am "buddies" with these people. I have heard of Steph Krush of digital paper tearing - her son has brain cancer - some of the Sweet Shoppe Designers contributed to a charity kit to help her son out, myself included. I have never spoken with her personally, much less am I "buddies" with her and have ABSOLUTELY no idea if she is also Miss Mint or if she is ultimately a digital pirate. I've never even purchased a kit from Peppermint Creative and the fact you keep insinuating I am "buddies" with someone I know in name only is absurd.

I am completely 100% against digital piracy, however I believe my time is better spent taking care of my children, loving my husband, scrapbooking when I can, supporting the Sweet Shoppe Designers and on and on than it would be chasing anonymous tips and paranoid messages from someone who won't even contact me with her real name or a reasonable and sane message that doesnt make her sound like a lunatic. I will not reply to your messages here or in my email box from this point forward and I apologize to the normal people out there reading this nonsense but I couldnt continue to let this go on without saying "something"... anyone who knows me and reads my blog regularly, knows that I have NEVER gone off like this. But this has been going on since March via the Sweet Shoppe Admin addy and no matter how polite or professional I try to be with this person via email, they just wont let up and now it's on my blog too...it's just too annoying to ignore, so I am truly sorry for the rant.

Anyhoo...all of that said, I'm SUPER excited for tomorrow (Friday) night. We actually have a sitter and will be enjoying a night out together, just the two of us. Not sure where we'll be going, but I am sure that enjoying a quiet, kid-free meal is gonna ROCK! Enjoy your weekend - I'll be back soon to show off some of the FABULOUS first layouts my new SweetNSassy Chicklets have created this week! YAY!

The List...

2006-07-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

Okay WOWEE was it a LOOONG weekend of looking and relooking at applications - I so enjoy the process of a creative team call! It's crazy hard to make eliminations and decisions, but it is also so exciting to consider working with so many fabulous women and with 80 of you who applied, there was a lot of considering to do.

Seriously, this collection of applications was mindbogglingly AWESOME and I am soooo sorry I couldnt take more of you. I did the best I could though and I am sooo thrilled to introduce you to the 11 - yes ELEVEN - newest members of the SweetNSassy Team...

Amy Pearson
Audrey Neal
Cammy Plummer
Darla Vasquez
Diane Michael
Jen Hackworth
Jennifer Caputo
Kari Henzelt
Kelly Caravella
Sari Underwood
Yen Ollosa

The above ladies will be joining Shawna, Tracie, Gail, Tin, Tana, Rachael and Tiffany which brings the official count to a whopping 18 SweetNSassy Chicklets! I know, that's a crazy big team, but you know, I have to say, my creative team ladies are some of my favorite people in the whole wide digi-scrappin world and I think being surrounded by such talent and so many great personalities is such a HUGE bonus for me as a designer. So I went with my gut and am SUPER stoked on this GIGANTIC team! Congrats ladies!!!

Finally, thank you again to every single one of you who applied for this team - there was so much talent and personality in this field and I am just so grateful to each of you. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU - some of you may be hearing from me again soon : )

With that, I am out for an afternoon of lunch and target shopping with Rocky and the kids, so I'll talkatcha later...HUGS!

You guys made it tough...

2006-07-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

...so it's been a busy week as usual with lots of stuff going on. I'm super excited to say that Thursday, Rocky started a 12 day vacation and I'm just so excited to have him home for the next several days... I love spending time together and just being home and chillin is going to be soooo nice.

On Thursday, we cleaned our house from top to bottom and it looks soo great! If you're gonna chill at home, it's nice to have it spic and span so you can just relax and not worry about the messes of a busy work week and just life in general, so I feel like we got a really great start to it all. Then yesterday, we stocked up at Costco and the grocery store so we have lots of food to cook while he is here. He's a fabulous cook (works in a restaurant afterall) so I always look forward to when he cooks for us as a family because it's YUMMY!

So about that comment in the title of this post.... I cant believe the overwhelming response to my call...seriously! Last night at midnight was the official deadline for applications to be sent and when all was said and done exactly 80 fabulous women had put their names into the ring to fill the handful of spots I have available on the SweetNSassy Team. I looked through these applications throughout the week and I am just blown away by the talent...it's going to be so hard to make this decision. In any case, I'll be spending today and tomorrow really looking hard at every word in the applications and layouts in the galleries and on Monday morning, I'll be announcing the newest members of the SweetNSassy team right here on the blog...So stay tuned...I really have no idea who or how many, so I am excited about the whole thing myself.

Anyhow, today I sent out a thank you note to each of the ladies who applied with a link to a special EXCLUSIVE treat just for the SweetNSassy Applicants that Manda helped me with. I thought it would be a nice way to say thanks to everyone for putting themselves out there for me - I KNOW it's hard to apply sometimes and I just am so grateful that they did. Even the response to my thank you has been overwhelmingly sweet from this bunch of ladies, so seriously, I am enamoured and grateful for each one of you who applied! Take a look at their exclusive gift...

Finally, before I get going to dig into those apps in a hardcore kind of way, take a look at this weeks Sweet Shoppe Saturday New Releases...

SOOOO much yummy stuff this week!! Christy's lil Priceless Moments pricetags are too cute and so are Ange's Road Signs and dont even get me started on the kits...EVERY one of them are just FABULOUS!! Mindy's new Lovebirds kit is just darling and the new stuff from everyone else is sooo soo cool! Click on that ad up there to take a closer look at our new goodies. Nothing new from me this week unfortunately...but it's been a lil busy HAHA!

Okay, so I'm gonna get going. Hope to get some scrappin in while Rocky is home and maybe some designing too. I'm also hard at work on lots of new surprises for the Sweet Shoppe 6 Month Anniversary Celebration which kicks off August 1st! You wont want to miss that so stay tuned k? Have a super sweet Saturday night...I'll talk to you soon!

Congrats, Reality TV Tuesday & Other Schtuff...

2006-07-11T18:37:00.000-07:00

So it's been a couple of days since I have posted and I'm running a little behind on sharing the news with all of you guys but I wanted to give a big huge shout out to the three winners of our Expecting Sweet Stuff Layout Contest. We announced our winners on Sunday at the Sweet Shoppe, but I'd love to share their gorgeous pages with you here because I think they are SUPER FAB! Take a look...

1stPlace - You Steal My Heart Away - Karen Wong (Hom74)

2nd Place - Patricia - Mary-Ann Buchanan (maybeyousee)

3rd Place - Love Bug - Sari Underwood (Caridura)
Lordy! Seriously, I love these winning layouts and the other 15 pages which were entered into our contest were just brilliant as well. So a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated, we had such a good time looking through all of your layouts!

Speaking of looking through layouts....

My creative team call is going amazingly well...like beyond my wildest expectations well. Not only am I completely blown away by the sheer number of applicants, I'm also completely thrilled with how talented each one of you who has applied is. It's unreal! Add to that the completely sweet things you've said about me and my designs and well...it's just surreal. Choosing the newest members of the SweetNSassy team is going to be incredibly hard and yet so rewarding. Stay tuned : )

Finally, I love summertime for the simple fact that reality TV just rocks throughout the school break. Right now I am completely hooked on Hell's Kitchen and Treasure Hunters on Monday nights and of course Big Brother All Stars and Rock Star: Supernova on various nights throughout the week. Im not entirely convinced Supernova is a band I will be overly interested in as a final product like I was for Rock Star: INXS, but the talent they bring onto that show is undenyable and blows American Idol out of the water IMO. It's just a super entertaining show to watch!

Anyhow, my tuesday night shows kick off soon, so I better run. Rocky is picking up some PF Changs to go and I am looking forward to a super relaxing night of great take out and fun TV! Hope all of you are doing something you enjoy!

Sweet Shoppe Saturday!

2006-07-08T01:33:00.000-07:00

YAY...so the new items have been released into the Sweet Shoppe and I am LOVIN all of these goodies. Take a quick look at our at-a-glance preview of what hit the shelves for this week's Sweet Shoppe Saturday...

Such yummy, YUMMY stuff being released right now and I am more excited about the Sweet Shoppe than ever! You can take a closer look at all of our new goodies here. New from me this week is my brand new 2Scoops with Paula Duncan...it was so much fun to collaborate with her, especially since it was her very first time teaming up with another designer. We had a great time and I think it's safe to say that both of us are very proud of this effort and hope you like it too! Meet Crème de Menthe...

In other Sweet Shoppe NEWS several of the Sweet Shoppe Designers contributed pieces to the Guardian Peas Collaborative Charity Mega Kit - Kaleidoscope of Hope. We're very proud to be helping out these families in need and later this afternoon (Saturday) we'll be hosting an hour long Digital Community Trivia chat from 4-5PM EST (1-3PM PST) in the Guardian Peas Chat Room. We hope that you guys will stop by to chat it up with some of the Sweet Shoppe Designers and Sugarbabes. It is sure to be a blast and we'll be making it worth your while for sure!

Finally..I actually scrapped a page recently that I would love to share here. I begged Jen Wilson for her latest Baja Bliss kit before it was released and she generously obliged me and I just LOVE the page I did with it last week. It's been soooo busy lately that I have been lax in posting it up for everyone to see, but I think its so cute and I just love my little man. He makes me giddy just looking at him. Take a look...

Blue is one of my FAVORITE colors and I swear I cant get enough blue kits. Baja is just HOT, so I highly recommend you check it out ASAP! This is a really simple page but I think it plays nicely into the photo and subject. Hopefully I'll be scrappin more soon and when I do, you know I'll be sharing here!

With that...I think I am out : ) Hope all of you have a fantastic weekend and I really hope to see you at the Sweet Shoppe Chat tomorrow afternoon! Thanks for reading all of my ramblings, I'll ttys!

Lookin for you!

2006-07-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

YAY! I am so so excited about this post...

It's been forever since I have formally expanded my creative team and with all of the growth in the digi-community and with the feeling of coming into my own as a designer, I just think now is the perfect time for a creative team call. SOOOO...I want YOU!

If you cant read the details on this little version, feel free to click for a close-up view. I'm super excited to surround myself with even more talent and so is my already fabulous creative team. Tin, Peta, Tracy, Shawna, Rachael, Tana, Gail, Tiffany & I cant wait to see who applies to join our SweetNSassy lil family! We know you will have a blast with us, so take the plunge and apply!!

Lots more to tell you about...finished my new secret 2scoops and I am so proud of it..I know you guys will love it but I'm beat so I'll be back tomorrow to give you the goods!

A contest & other schtuff!

2006-07-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

Howdy! Howdy!

So things are really good here...everything is mellowing out and I'm relaxing into a good groove now that the busy weekend has passed. There is still TONS of stuff to do as our 6 month Sweet Shoppe Anniversary is August 1st and we have big plans - this month is gonna fly by I just know it.

Today, the fantabulous scrapper we've selected to be our Treat of the Month accepted our invite and she is just awesome! We know all of you know and love her and it's going to be so much fun to show her off on the site. I cant wait.

I also have a couple of collaborative projects in the works as well and I'm so excited because I've never worked with either of these designers on a collaboration before and I just cant wait to see the end results. I'm gonna keep it under wraps who I've teamed up with for now but it's going to be a lot of fun to share the projects when they are done! YAY!

So needless to say, lots and lots to come but let's talk about what's going on right now! As you guys know the ESS collection from Christy and I was released this weekend and so far it's doing really well, I'm soo soo excited! Anyhow, we're having a little layout contest that I thought you guys might like to know about...I'd love if my trusty blog readers entered and won, so give it a go!! Here are the details and you can click the ad below to enter...

And though it's not "tomorrow" like I promised on Saturday, here are some of the SUPER awesome layouts a handful of my creative team members have come up with using the girly kits in the collection. I LOVE em! Take a look...

Layout by Tana using ABC Baby

Layout by Peta using Her Day Out

Layout by Teresa using Her Nursery

Layout by Tiffany using Her Playtime
Anyhow, I think that's gonna be it from me for tonight. I have something else kinda big in the works in the back of my mind. Just need to talk with my peeps to see how they feel before I roll it out - so check back soon to see if I am giving away any details because I know some of you may want to know about this!!

So I hope all of you are super dooper well and ya know, I'd love to hear from ya if you're out there... Big BIG HUGS flying out to ya from my neck of the woods! I'll be talkin' atcha soon...

I'm exhausted...

2006-07-01T01:17:00.000-07:00

...but thrilled!

The Sweet Shoppe is JAM packed with absolutely AMAZING new goodies for everyone to enjoy AND we're having a one day 20% off sale. This week has been soo busy getting everything ready for our newest designers to debut but it has been soo soo worth it. There are 40 ... yes... FORTY new items that were released today and you are gonna love them. So be sure to head over and check them out TODAY!

My favorite product HAS to be the Expecting Sweet Stuff Collection from Christy and I (admittedly, I'm biased) - But seriously, I am so so excited and proud of this collection of kits. They are every bit as good as our previous 2scoops together and I'm so tickled to finally be able to share the whole collection with you guys. Take a look...

There are 3 boy kits and 3 girl kits and then 2 kits that are mostly neutral. We think they're sooo versatile though and our creative team has totally blown us away with the layouts they've created on so many subjects. Dont let the name fool you, it may have been inspired by baby, but you can do so much more with it!!

Anyhow, take a look at a couple of my favorite pages from my FABULOUS creative team members using these kits - I think I'll show off some boyish looks today and some girlish digs tomorrow...

Page by Rachael using His Nursery

Page by Tin using His Day Out

Page by Shawna using The Photo Shoot

Page by Tiffany using His Playtime
Anyhow, like I said, I LOVE this collection and I'm so proud of it. The kits are available as individuals but you'll save big when you buy the whole collection - so buy a little or buy a lot, I hope you'll check out some of Expecting Sweet Stuff!

Oh and one more thing, we're one of this month's featured products at SBB! So be sure to look for reviews and layouts from the Scrapbook-Bytes team showing off the collection in this months free-zine Tid-Bytes. They have mentioned that they loved working with our goodies, so I am so excited to see what they've done, it's a surprise even to me!

With that...I am off for the night - I feel like there is sooo much more to tell you about but I'm just too tired to do it. See you soon... R

A Sneak Peek...

2006-06-30T01:48:00.000-07:00

...so yesterday I showed you guys the preview for the Quarterly Assortment and today, I'm gonna give you a closer look at the little kit I contributed to this amazing collection of goodies! Take a look...

Now that's a pretty cute little diddy but what I'm really excited to share is the add-on pack that will be going up for sale on Saturday too! I just finished it and I think it's sooo cool. I totally love it, the colors were just so perfect for summer, so I decided I had keep going and I'm so glad I did because I think these extras are so much fun...

Dontcha love it?! Look for it in the Sweet Shoppe on Saturday when you pick up the Quarterly Assortment which is already a great deal and this one will be perfectly priced at $3.49too...so you cant go wrong! Well...unless you hate it of course...in which case, you wouldnt want to spend money on it at all :D Hoping that's not the case.

Anyhow, it's late and finishing this up wiped me out, so I am off to bed. As a side note...Heather Ann reads my blog...that's sooo crazy. Thanks for the comment Heather - nice to see you in these sweet parts and hope you enjoy some sweet goodies this weekend! Hugs goin out to everyone!

One SWEET deal is comin...

2006-06-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

WOW! That's all I'm sayin!! The Sweet Shoppe Designs Quarterly Assortment is hitting the Sweet Shoppe this Saturday, July 1st along with TONS of other new goodies! $2.49 for 12 gorgeous mini kits from our collection of amazing digital designers has got the be THE sweetest deal in the digital community. You wont want to miss it or anything else happening at the Sweet Shoppe this Saturday - so stay tuned!

As for me, I'm still enjoying my husband's two days off, but I was bursting with excitement to share a peek at this customer favorite so I had to stop by to show off this collection! Hope all of you are having a super week! See you soon!