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Laurie Fairy

2012-01-28T18:44:00.000-06:00

2012-01-28T18:43:00.000-06:00

2008-06-12T21:59:00.003-05:00

I started summer school today. One week off was way too short of a break! It's fun to meet the new staff and kids though. I did have a great time at the scrapbook convention last Friday. Came home with some new ideas and a couple of tote bags of new products. My favorite was the Heartwarming Vintage Collection from Crafty Secrets . I was inspired by their great collection to rum age through my things to make up this new little kit that you can find at E-scape and Scrap:

2008-06-05T21:55:00.002-05:00

I'm out of school for the summer!!! Woo-hoo!!!!! and I'll add a few more!!!!!! I love my job, but all the excitement of the last day of school makes me feel like I'm 10 years old again. With summer comes my resolution to pay some attention to this poor blog. Maybe I can get in the habit of writing and keep at it once August comes.
Tomorrow I'm going to the Great American Scrapbook Convention with a Vicki and Jamie. We're not taking any formal classes just going to shop, shop, shop. I know I'll come home with lots of new ideas and motivation to design all summer.
Here's to summer! Have a great one!

Blogging For Bubbles

2007-07-11T22:24:00.000-05:00

There's a gift waiting for you over in the free download area at KB and Friends. All you need to do in click on the gallery and scroll down to downloads. You'll see this mini-kit along with some great samples from all of our designers:

Here's my bubble layout:

It's really amazing how much fun you can have with just a little soapy water.

A Wee Bit of Magic

2007-07-09T16:17:00.000-05:00

I made a new blog topper and switched over to the new template system last night. Still have some bugs to figure out though like how to add back in my blinkie links, clock, etc. My HTML comprehension is not at the same level as this template!

Blackberries Wanted

2007-05-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

Daily Blog Prompt from Sempson: What was the last food you craved?
The last three days I have been wanting fresh blackberries. One of my friends picks them in her neighbor's back yard and has been bringing them for her lunch. I guess she hasn't noticed me drooling on the other side of the table. Hmmm . . . think I might link her to my Blog tomorrow!

Today was a great day. It's my "baby's" birthday. He turned 23 and we had a wonderful dinner with him and my sweet daughter-in-law.

Ads From the Past

2007-03-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

I've been having fun looking through a couple of old, 1911 & 1908, magazines. The best part is the advertisements. It's amazing how many of the products are still around. There were ads for Jello, Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes, Heinz, Vaseline, & Domino Sugar among others. There are ads that make me wish I could still get the product. Beautiful lace and my favorite a set of gorgeous modular walnut bookcases for $25 each. Then there are the ads that make me glad that we've made progress since 1911. There's the Folding Bath Tub, the Magic Foot Drafts that promise to cure Rheumatism, and Baby's Rubber Outfit. Worst of all is The Natural Body Brace. It promises that it 'cures ailments peculiar to women' and believe me it looks anything but comfortable!
All that magazine browsing inspired this kit:

If you're not signed up yet for the newsletter at KB and Friends come on over. Almost every week features a new free gift for our subscribers. We are gearing up for a big birthday party all day March 31st so mark your calendar for chats, gifts, and fun!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

2007-03-16T22:38:00.000-05:00

Put on your green and have a very happy St. Patrick's Day! If you want this little blessing head on over to the free download area of KB and friends. Click here. Erin Go Bragh!

Tooting

2007-02-27T21:16:00.000-06:00

I was so happy today to see that Melissa G. featured my Peek Inside! kit as her Digi Pick of the Day! Thanks Melissa!

KB and Friends!

2007-02-16T20:56:00.000-06:00

Kathryn's site is now under a new domain name. It's KB and Friends and is located here. Come on over for a visit and change your bookmarks!

I've been having fun making a couple of element kits. One is called Loopy and was inspired by a certain little girls curls - lol! The second is Flower Frolics. I love these little blossoms and especially enjoyed making the quick page with a quote from J.M. Barrie.

Too Many Mondays!

2007-01-18T22:29:00.000-06:00

We had another day off of school yesterday due to ice. Now you would think that would make all the school staff happy, but the reality is we have to give up a day off somewhere else to make it up so it's not as great as it sounds. It has seemed like a week of Mondays! I was able to do some scrapping and finish up the Faerie Lore kit yesterday. There will be a free little sample gift in Kathryn's newsletter on Saturday. Sign up for it here.

Faerie Lore / Dawn to Dusk

Newsletter Gift:

2007-01-15T22:53:00.000-06:00

Wow, it was so nice to have a day off of school. It's still so cold here that I stayed in all day and that's fine with me! A little reading, a lot of design time make for a relaxing day.

"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering."
Pooh's Little Instruction Book

Nature's Wind Chimes

2007-01-13T15:53:00.000-06:00

I woke up this morning to a soft noise that sounded almost like distant wind chimes. When I looked out the window what I saw was that all of our trees and bushes where covered with a thin coat of ice. The chimes were the oak branches gently touching each other. Here's a photo of my holly with little ice jewels hanging on every branch. What a great day to stay home!

Another January 12th

2007-01-12T21:57:00.000-06:00

It's my birthday and that makes me happy. I used to grumble about getting older, but a few years ago my dad said to me, "It's a heck of a lot better than the alternative!" You can't argue with that! I've had a great day and I'm celebrating by giving out jewelry; the digi kind. This coordinates with the fairy alpha that will come out sometime this weekend. Enjoy! I'll leave it up for a week. Please leave me a note if the link needs to be renewed.

PARTY FAVORS HERE

Fairies On the Brain

2007-01-11T23:29:00.000-06:00

I'm having a great time working on a new kit, but the subject is fairies, again! This kit uses paintings from some of the great Victorian painters of the "realms of faerie". Here's an article if you are interested in the background of this art:
Art to Enchant: The Development of Victorian Fairy Painting

Welcome 2007

2007-01-07T17:50:00.000-06:00

In the blog world I have been very sick with a bad case of Blogitis, sometimes known as Bloggers Block or Blogger laziness. There is no known cure but the best treatment is to get on your blog and type not worrying about what comes up on the screen so here goes . . .

I can not believe I have not updated this since October. Since then I've had a great Thanksgiving, wonderful Christmas, and added a daughter-in-law to the family. We love you Rachel! My best Christmas present was having my daughter home for a week. We had a great time but it was hard to put her back on the plane again!

Design wise I've done several kits and am currently having fun doing a series called A Little Whimsy. Almost forget, I got a new computer too. Woo-hoo!!! It's fast, has lots of RAM, and a Core Duo processor. Before I could read a book and design at the same time because every step took so long to run and forget it if I wanted more than three or four layers in a paper. Now I can fly through steps and have as much depth in papers as I want. It's great. My husband is very sweet because it was his computer that needed to be replaced but he took my old one so that I could have an easier time designing - thanks Terry!

Updated Link for Tennyson

2006-10-27T19:48:00.000-05:00

My parents came from Illinois for a visit and just left yesterday. We had a great time. Those of you that live close to your parents are lucky. My dad's a night owl and mom's an early bird so between work and keeping up with both of them I'm worn out! Here's the new link for the Tennyson Add-On. Let me know if it runs out. Oh, and since my blogging is pretty sporadic - have a Happy Halloween!

Poet's Corner Sample

2006-10-20T00:50:00.000-05:00

I loved visiting the cathedrals of England & Scotland. One of my favorite spots was Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey, so it seemed to be the perfect name for these kits inspired by some of my favorite poets. At the bottom of this entry you'll find a link for a free sample that's an add-on to the Tennyson kit. If the yousendit runs out please let me know so I can renew the link.
Exciting things are happening over at Kathryn Balint Digital scrapbooking. Check out the contest coming up, the great page kits, new templates, and to top it all off Bette Duganitz has joined the team!

Here's a look at the Poet's Corner kit's, a sample layout and the free sample you can download:

Poet's Corner I / Emily Dickinson

My Cutie:

Poet's Corner II / Tennyson

Add-on:

Now click here for the Add-On download.
Thanks for visiting!!!

New Link For Castles Download

2006-09-20T23:20:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone is having a good week. I am very busy putting together a scrapbook for my grand daughter's first birthday. It really has been a year of miracles and change. I'll post the link for the album when I get it done.
The new link for the Castles & Kings download is here.

Free Add-On & Coupon

2006-09-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

I had such good intentions when I started blogging - write almost everyday, include links to all my favorite sites, and journal the interesting things that happen in my life. Needless to say, by my standards I've been a bad, bad blogger. Now I have to decide whether to change my blogging habits or my blogging standards. :-)
I do have a free add-on for you. After I finished the Castles & Kings kit I came across a couple more pictures that were perfect for it and also liked the results of some metal work I was experimenting with. At the bottom of the page is the link for the pack and it also includes a 40% off coupon for the kit that is available here.

Add-On

Castles & Kings

The Add-On link is here.

Fairy Wings & Flutterby Things

2006-09-04T14:47:00.000-05:00

I finally got a new kit done and ready for the store. It was fun to do because I love the pastel colors and vintage fairy illustrations. The kit ended up so large that I split it into two parts. To celebrate getting it done I'm going to give a 50% off coupon good on More Fairy Treasures to anyone who posts a layout using Fairy Wings & Flutterby Things between today and 9/12.
When I work on a kit it takes on a life of it's own. This one did not start out as pastel, sparkle, and lace, but that's how it ended up and I like it. I started work today on Castles & Kings. It's looking good so far in bright, primary colors. We'll see where it ends up!

Wonderful Challenge

2006-08-23T22:39:00.000-05:00

I can not believe the wonderful layouts that have been posted for the Book House Treasures challenge! The creativity and variety are amazing. If you have a minute hop on over to Kathryn Balint Digital Scrapbooking and check them out. Here's the link to the gallery:
Book House Treasures Gallery

Free Kit with Challenge!

2006-08-19T20:37:00.000-05:00

Sorry for being AWOL but we're back in school now and made it successfully through the first week. I'm hosting my first challenge ever over at Kathryn Balint Digital Scrapbooking. Go here to get all the information. There is a kit sample you can download now, and if you post a layout between the 19th and the 25th you get a coupon to get the rest of the kit free! Here's a look at the sample and the kit preview:

Ready For School?

2006-08-04T22:50:00.000-05:00

Can it really be time to go back to work? The summers seem to get shorter every year, but I still enjoy the excitement of going back to school. I'm as bad as the kids when it comes to wanting new school supplies and a new outfit to wear on the first day. I could spend hours looking at all the cool notebooks, pens, pencils, paper clips, markers, folders, etc. I might have to have these:

For all of you starting school on Monday, have fun!!!

Kits & Free Gift

2006-08-01T00:13:00.000-05:00

Finally finished my kits!!! You can read about My Mother's Garden and Mini Collage Frames by clicking on the kit previews. As promised there is also a free gift for you at the end of the post. Thanks for being so patient!

This is a set of 1" glass buttons. I called them Gabby Glass or is it Glassy Gab? Anyway, try saying either one of those ten times fast. I think that's why I didn't use 'Glassy Gab' - if you say it fast it always comes out gassy. They come with six different frames. You can load them up with any backgrounds or words that you want or try a few of the ones I included. Have Fun!

Angel Eyes

2006-07-29T20:04:00.000-05:00

Angel Eyes is a mega kit for a great cause. It is a joint effort of many designers and has been done to help the mother of MandaBean (Amanda) a designer at SweetShoppe. Amanda's mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. This is a beautiful kit with soft colors and tons of elements. It also comes with a coupon book good for 10% - 40% off from a long list of designers & shops. Click on the kit preview or here to take a look!

Stay Tuned!

2006-07-26T19:21:00.000-05:00

Still not done with those new kits. The next month is going to be very crazy with school starting. The first month is always the busiest. I'm working on a new freebie too. It's some little glass nuggets with interchangeable words. So stay tuned . . .

Working on . . .

2006-07-24T21:07:00.000-05:00

Wow, the weekend flew by! I love the charms that are made with microscope slides. They are perfect for photos and collages. I've been trying to make some, but I'm not very good with the soldering. The ones online aren't perfect either, in fact some people do messy, drippy solder on purpose. It's one of those things that you need three or four hands to do LOL! Anyway the purpose of this story (did you think I was just rambling) is to tell you that I decided to make some virtual microscope slide charms. It cuts down on the burned fingers! I'm making frames with & without glass, round, oval, & rectangle. Here's one:

The kit that I'm doing is going to be called Mothers Garden. It has glass nuggets made with pictures of my mom's flowers, a background with her iron gate, and even her little garden gnome. Here's a little looksie . . .

With any luck I'll have them on the site in a day or so!
BTW - this is the lady who got me interested in the charms. I love her stuff. In a round about way she also got me into digiscrapping because it was when I was searching for collage materiels that I found scrapbook sites. Of course, my favorite was this one!

Friday!

2006-07-21T23:19:00.000-05:00

If you're looking for the Vintage Princess she resides on Thursdays Blog.
I always love Fridays. Even though I don't work in the summer, it's still great to look forward to the weekend. I made the rounds of the Targets in our area today trying to fulfill my daughters request of a size small, blue, men's tee shirt with Mr. Rogers picture on it. The stores all have every size but small. I finally just bought the medium. I've been humming 'Won't you be my neighbor' all day long.
Katie Pertiet had a great Mr. Rogers quote last week for her quote challenge. You can pick it up over at Designer Digitals.
If you want you can visit Mr. Rogers here.

A Princess For You

2006-07-20T12:47:00.000-05:00

I put together this little vintage princess kit to thank you for visiting my blog. I would love to read your comments and if you use the kit send me a link so I can visit your gallery and leave comments for you! The original princess artwork is from a 1915 children's book and was done by Margaret Ely Webb. You can use the graphics as they are or overlay them for a different look. Here's the preview and a page I made using the kit. In my layout I also used flower petals by Holly McCraig and jewels & doodles from my Emma's Garden kit.
The download link is at the bottom of the page and should be good for 7 days.

Click Here to get 'Perfectly Content'.

Vintage Princess

2006-07-19T21:02:00.000-05:00

I worked today on making a freebie to post here on the blog. It's done, but I still have to figure out how to post so that it can be downloaded. It was a fun project. I found a wonderful princess picture in one of my old children's books. It was a labor of love to liberate it from it's page! Because of the print quality I couldn't just darken the lines and use the background eraser in PSP. I had to flood fill each line individually, but it was worth it. The late 1800's & early 1900's produced some of the most beautiful book art ever (IMHO). Surlalune Fairy Tale Illustrators Gallery has a huge collection you can browse through:
Surlalune Gallery

Time to Write

2006-07-18T15:53:00.000-05:00

Well, turns out setting up a blog is the easy part. After that you have to become a blogger! Right now I feel like someone standing on the stage of a huge empty auditorium. I have my microphone in hand but no audience - tap, tap, tap - is this thing on? I want to share scrapbooking ideas, favorite layouts, new kits, craft projects, movies, TV, books, shopping finds, and anything else that happens to cross my desk or my mind.

It's like 102 here today. You can't do much outside so I went with some friends to see A Prairie Home Companion. It's a great way to spend a hot summer afternoon, fun music & good acting. Meryl Streep had her Minnesooota accent just right. Woody Harrelson & John C. Reilly had a couple of funny songs & corny jokes.
Prairie Home Companion Previews

Look . . . a Blog!

2006-07-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Look at this . . . I have a Blog!