Howdy ho everyone!

Thought it was time to stop in and say hi again. All is going pretty well...considering. We have just been holding each other close and trying to get over the last month. My mom has been staying here for a week....and as much as I love her and the boys love having her around....it was SOOOOO time for her to go, teeheee!! How awful is that for me to say?!? I so appreciate her help and her love...but I am not used to having my small house with an extra adult.

But...if anything good happened out of this last month...it is the realization that life is short, keep your loved ones close, take better care of your mind and body and enjoy the little things.

Went to the pumpkin farm yesterday for a birthday party...it was a lot of fun...boys had a wonderful time!! Lots of dirt, lots fo playing...train ride, animals etc.
Making some good friends again...that is good. I love my online friends...but it is nice to have people in real life to hang with and for the boys to play with. Since Missy and the boys moved...the boys and I weren't getting out too much. Now we are again.

On to scrapping news....haven't gotten too many layouts done....almost though. Hopefully tomorrow I will finish up a couple.

I DOOOO have some new creations done and they are on sale.

New at ScrappinDigiKreations


Autumn Blooms Papers only $1.50




Autumn Blooms Elements only $1.50



Autumn Blooms add-on only $2.25!!




and how about hearing from a couple of my guest CT's??? We are still behind...but that is ok...we are getting there.

So....here is Erin!!!

1) Name: Erin Casey

2) Where do you live?

Portland, Maine

3) How long have you been digi scrapping?

January 2006, so about 8 months!

4) What brought you to digi scrapping?

I belong to a baby/parenting website, and one of my online mommy friends,
had gotten started, and when I saw what she was doing, I instantly became
interested!!!

5) What do you like most about it?

That there is no mess, which is key with a 2.5 yr old boy around the house, lol. Then of course the fact that the money spent on kits, and such, is much less than paper scrapping. Whatever I buy, I can resuse over and over, and that is a huge selling point with me!

6) Do you have any other hobbies?

I also design brochures, invitation, announcements, candy bar wrappers. Photography is another hobby of mine, I am constantly with camera in hand.

7) How often do you get to scrap?

Probably 4-5 days a week, sometimes more, sometimes less.

8) What program do you use most to scrap?
Paint Shop Pro X

9) What are your fave elements to use while scrapping?
Right now I absolutely love doodles!!!

10) Do you have a fave snack to munch on while scrapping?
Just a cup of good coffee!!!

11) What is your fave layout you have done (provide link to it) and why?

I have two favorites – both are different really then my “normal” scrapping…..as they are both black and white layouts. I love both of these because they are of my son when he was a baby….they just hold so many special memories for me…..2.5yrs has flown by and I often wish I could go back in time and bottle those moments up so that I could take it out whenever I was feeling blue and relive them all over again. It seems every day that goes by, those early days are more just a fleeting memory and I wish they weren’t. I want to be able to just keep him little like he is now, but I know that I must let him grow up and become his own little person.


Trevor unwritten

Valuable and Loved

Short Bio: (This is a bio I have for another site, so I am just going to copy and paste it, and feel free to edit it as you see fit! J)

Hi, my name is Erin Casey and I am wife, mother, friend, sister, aunt….
First and foremost, I am married to Karl, we’ve been together a total of 12 yrs, married for 7 of those years. We have a 2.5 yr old son, Trevor, who is the absolute love of my life, my reason for being!!! Trevor is 150% boy…he has no fear….but tons of energy…put those two things together and you’ve got chaos! LOL!! Trevor is very “spirited”…he is super intense…determined…head strong….perceptive, etc. There is never a dull day, and I never know what to expect him to do or say from one minute to the next.
I am the youngest of 8 children, (7 girls and 1 boy). My siblings are 11-22 yrs older than I am. It was very different growing up with so many siblings, and having them so much older. In some ways I was like an only child because as I got older, they were all moving out and getting married, etc. I am an aunt to 14 nieces and nephews, and also a great aunt to one great niece.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, till I was 17, at which point my parents moved to Presque Isle, Maine. For those unfamiliar with Maine, let’s just say they moved me from the big city to a very small farming town in the middle of no-man’s land! LOL!! It was a culture shock and then some!!! After meeting my then boyfriend, (now husband), we moved down to the Portland (Maine) area, and have been here since. It’s the biggest city in the state, and much better compromise between big city life and farming life.
I’ve always loved to do “crafty/artsy” types of things. Some of my earliest memories I have are of days spent drawing anything and everything that came to mind. Over the years, I’ve tried so many different things, from the drawing, to helping my mother when she was doing a lot of wood crafts using the scroll saw, painting, making wreathes/swags, watercolor, designing brochures/invitations/candy wrappers/announcements on the computer, decorating cakes…I guess I’ve pretty much tried it all you could say. At the beginning of the year, I decided to try paper scrapping and I just didn’t like it….besides the cost, I just couldn’t get it on paper like how I saw it in my mind. Shortly thereafter, I decided to try digital scrapping, starting with a Scrapbooking program. Within no time, I had outgrown that, and began using my PSP program. I love digital scrapping…it combines so many of my favorite things…being creative….using the computer to put that creativity to use. A few months ago, I decided to start reading tutorials and trying to teach myself how to make my own papers and elements. I am the type of person who looks at something and thinks, “I can do that myself”….I am very head strong and determined, (hmmm, wonder where my son gets it? LOL)

And here are some layouts she has done for me!!

here are two done with Beach House:






Here are two done with Daddy's got the Blues





Thanks so much my dear!!!

and what about dear Michaele?!?!?



1) Name

Michaele Burkhart – Burkhart Scrapzone Designs


2) Where do you live?

Southern California – Mojave Desert


3) How long have you been digi scrapping?

10 Months

4) What brought you to digi scrapping?

Lack of time to paper scrap



5) What do you like most about it?

Everything…….the ease, the beauty and the vast variety that encompasses this wonderful world of digital scrapbooking

6) Do you have any other hobbies?

I love listening to music, cooking desserts, reading scrap magazines and shopping for sales and good deals. I also just recently discovered blogging!



7) How often do you get to scrap?

I scrap almost every day………I have also started to design, so some of my scrapping time has been taken away to create things for digital scrapping.


8) What program do you use most to scrap?

I use PSPX


9) What are your fave elements to use while scrapping?

I would have to say buttons and ribbons


10) Do you have a fave snack to munch on while scrapping?
I don't really eat snack when I am scrapping. Sometimes I have Goldfish or Wheat Thin crackers, if chocolate is in the house….then that is the snack of choice! J


11) What is your fave layout you have done (provide link to it) and why?

I love this layout! I love the playfulness and overall arrangement. Plus, I love the song journaling-it goes perfect with the pictures!

You can take a look at one of my galleries here: to see some of my other layouts!

Here are two done with my A Little Country Chic

Kindergarten Graduation(Font Used: Merkin)



4 weeks old (Font Used: Signboard & Spahrty Girl)



and with my new Autmn Blooms kit

Beauty (Font used: Sandy Text)



and Bison (Font Used: Ryan BT)



wow...what sweet people you are to read all the way to the bottom,lol.

how about a little goodie for you???? this month I will have a few freebies here to celebrate my favorite season and the new fall kits I have made. Here is number one.



Click here to download

hugs and love to you all!

and now...on to my next guest blogger. Much awaited Melc




1) Name: My name is Melanie (I prefer to go by Mel ) Chynoweth. My user name is Melc or Melchyn. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 5 1/2 years and together we have 5 wonderful children, four girls and one boy, ranging in age from 11 down to 2 and a 1/2 yo twins.

2) Where do you live?
I live in Canberra, which is the Capital city of Australia

3) How long have you been digi scrapping?
I have been digi scrapping since August of last year but didn't really get into it until February of this year, and have been hooked ever since.

4) What brought you to digi scrapping?
I had long been an admirer of my friends paper LO's, and just accidently came across digi scrapping one day while on the Internet, and the rest, as they Say, is history.

5) What do you like most about it?
I love digi scrapping, firstly because I have finally found something that gives me a bit a me time, and the fact that I love doing it is an added bonus! Also I love to create things that are (well at least I think so) pleasing to look at.

6) Do you have any other hobbies?
In my spare time (although with five kids there is not a lot of this! LOL!! ) I also enjoy spending time with my family( also gives me a great opportunity for more pics!), going to the movies, gardening and reading in bed ( although by the end of the day, once the kids are asleep, I barely make it to the end of one page!)

7) How often do you get to scrap?
I usually get the opportunity to scrap while the twins are having their afternoon nap, and the older kids are at school, also at night once they have all gone to bed (if I can keep my eyes open,) but this is where a good strong cup of coffee comes into it!!

8) What program do you use most to scrap?
I started out using PSP studio, but now have PSP X which I absolutely LOVE!

9) What are your fave elements to use while scrapping?
I don't really have a particular favourite element, but I LOVE clean, crisp LO's and I LOVE LO's using white space!
I am totally in awe of all the beautiful kits that designers put together. It is just awesome the realism that some designers can achieve in their work!

10) Do you have a fave snack to munch on while scrapping?
I don't have a particular favourite, but I quite often end up eating my lunch at the computer ( this is usually when the twins are asleep in bed), terrible I know!

11) What is your fave layout you have done (provide link to it) and why?
I have a few favorite layouts, but if I had to narrow it down to one (or maybe two) I would have to say 'Butterfly' seen here:
http://digitalfreebies.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/10697/cat/500/ppuser/1284
I love clean, simple LO's and I love these colours, they would have to be my favs! I also remember the great day we had had when this pic was taken.
My second favorite would have to be 'Cute kid' seen here:
http://digitalfreebies.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/12490/cat/500/ppuser/1284
This one just came together really quickly and easily, and I was really pleased with the result. The fact that I just LOVE that photo of my
son probably helps as well!!


here are some layouts she did with my kits:







Isn't she just great???? Go check out her gallery here:http://digitalfreebies.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=1284!!!

What a month it has been. I cannot even begin to tell you all everything that has happened and all I have felt....but I will give you a summary.

My grandmother has been a huge part of my life. When I was 8, my mom and I left my very abusive father and moved in with her, my grandpa and aunt. A few years later, we all moved to Folsom, CA together. My mom met my dad and they married...and we still all lived together. So...from the age of 8 until 16 I lived with them. Since then, we have remained very close...seeing each other all the time. She loved my boys so much. Well....along with being a wonderful woman, my grandmother had a few problems. One was cigarettes and the other was alcohol. She developed a lot of lung problems (after she quit smoking) and has been ill for years. Well...long story short...she got some stomach problems...went to the doc...they found a tumor. She went in for surgery (we were all there to wish her luck). They found tons of cancer and she really never came out of being sedated. She passed away last Sunday night. I sent my family to dinner at my cousins while I stayed.

I washed her, shaved her legs (heheh) repositioned her and then talked and talked to her. Then I cleaned up the room. Then I started to sing to her. I sang the songs I sing to the boys every night...in the same order. Twinkle twinkle little star, itsy bitsy spider, you are my sunshine, two songs I made up,zippity do da, silent night. Silent night has a special meaning to me. My mom had me at 20 and didn't know any lullabyes to sing. So she sang Silent night to me all my life. I have always sang it to my boys. So....I finished the first round and went through it again...the whole time holding her hand and rubbing her hair. The second time through silent night...she just stopped breathing. I hugged her and kissed her and told her it was ok. Then called the nurse in and my family to come back.

So...this last week I have been just trying to deal...to find my house....to be with my boys. My almost 5 year old didn't handle it too well.

It will be ok...I think.

I will be slowly getting back into things...no challenges this month...but there will be a freebie and some new kits released.

I will also resume spotlighting my guest cts.

so...hugs and love
be good to each other.