It's Been A While Since...

It's been a while since I did several things.

1. Posted on my blog.
2. Shared my annual vacation photos with anyone.
3. Participated in a water sport or recreational activity.
4. Introduced my kids to something new and outdoorsy.

Today, I am posting a couple of photos from our annual family trip to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. This year, my mom joined us on our adventure. Mom enjoyed a few great meals with us like those at Heidi's for great hamburgers and sandwiches, Forest Buffet for delicious food with a lake view, and breakfast at our hotel Monte Bleu.

This was my first time staying at a hotel casino in Lake Tahoe. My family might stay there again int he future because it was convenient. Having the indoor pool was especially convenient the first night we arrived during the thunder, lightening and rain storm outside! Grandma had easy access to the casino downstairs without having to walk around too far. The kids had a blast in the hotel arcade a couple times too.

Although Grandma did not go to the lake with us, our family of four had a blast. The temperature of the water felt refreshing at King's Beach. It was about 80 degrees outside at the beach near Incline Village. Gerry surprised us by renting a tandem, sit-on-top kayak so we could take turns teaching the kids how to row. The kids caught on after about two minutes and I was in heaven since it had been years since I had a chance to row around on the water!

There is not anything negative to speak of during this vacation! Not even Jasmine's icecream falling off her cone and onto her lap after leaving King's Beach area icecream shop! Jasmine just picked it back up and plopped it back onto the cone. Improvise and just go with the flow, which is what we did during most of our three day trip to Lake Tahoe. This is my favorite family Tahoe vacation yet.

What have you been doing with your summer?

Poppies

Click here to visit Scrap Matters.com and get your Poppies kit by Jeanine De Ore at Scrap Matters.com.

Newsletter, Freebies Galore & new release!

NEWSLETTER: Be informed....be the first...to sign up for Jeanine DeOre's e-mail newsletters. Exclusive freebies and exclusive discounts.

CLICK here to SIGN UP!!!! = FREEBIES GALORE

This layout was created by my awesome fellow creative team member Jennifer Draut. Jennifer used the new collaboration kit release this week Sunshine in Your Heart.

Get the free template Jennifer created (and used for the layout below) when you sign up for the newsletter!

NEW RELEASE: Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com and Plum Dumpling Designs have teamed up to create this unique kit called Sunshine in Your Heart (SIYH).

The kit is AMAZING! Beautiful! Versatile!

My layout below created with the SIYH kit

Jeanine DeOre's shop at ScrapMatters.com

 With the permission of Jeanine, I've created a freebie for your personal use. I hope you enjoy it!

Click below and enjoy your freebie.

Download the free SIYH coordinating photo mat. CLICK HERE DOWNLOAD NOW. Limited time link.

(Shadow set at 43 degrees, black)

The beautiful stacked papers photo mat is 6 inches x 8 inches. Or, use it as a journaling box.

I designed it for use on an "It's A Small World" layout or a layout to document what is happening in the world, including the devistation in Japan.

I am feeling one more freebie today...to add to the Disney theme or even a kindergarten theme....numbers zero through nine. Numbers are so universal!

These colors coordinate with Jeanine DeOre and Plum Dumpling Designs Collab SIYH.


Download Numbers Freebie Here

Have a wonderful weekend and let the sun shine in YOUR heart.

Easy Freebie! Become Our Facebook Friend. Happy St Patty's Day

Want this FREE? During the month of March 2011, become a Facebook Fan of Jeanine DeOre Design Studio and get a coupon to get this Charm Mini FREE! Yay!

Click here for layout credits.

Click here for the kit!

This mini kit is perfect for St Patrick's Day parties, parades and all things green! It includes 8 digital papers (5 patterned and 3 solids), beads, bling, a glittery border, a bow, 1 glittered butterfly, 2 buttons, a fringed paper mat, 3 shamrock stickers, wordart, a ribbon, circular string, and 3 tags.

PLEASE NOTE, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED:

- All papers are created at 300dpi and are 12x12 inches in JPG format;

- All elements are created at 300 dpi in PNG format;

- Drop shadows are for preview purposes only;

- All personal use products are S4H/S4O approved (limited to 5 unique projects per purchase BUT very flexible if you contact Jeanine DeOre- please see Terms of Use).

Click here to look at and or buy the kit. Why buy it when you can just go to Facebook, search Jeanine DeOre Designs and become her friend! BAM free kit!!!

Hope you join us.

First Newsletter EVER! Get yours too.

Are you a fan of Jeanine DeOre Designs? Do you like knowing when she has new releases? Then come join her newsletter and be the first to hear all about her new release. You might also pick up some great tutorials, freebies etc. There will also be a 10% off coupon! You don't want to miss this! Join her newsletter HERE...

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our

March: Delighted with Delight kit Disney layouts & March Grab Bag- PLUS LINK TO FREEBIE baby!

 

I inspired my fab designer Jeanine DeOre to create some white and black textured papers...a c ouple are breath takinglysimilar to canvas and materials. I love them!

Read more about how I inspired Jeanine and get a freebie at her blog (link at the end of this posting.)

White and black textured papers not included in Delight kit. Those are from the March Grab Bag for sa limited time...then those textured papers will be sold in other packages....all in Jeanine's ScrapMatters.com store!!!

This week only, Jeanine has marked down her kit Delight by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com.

Click here for the 40% off link to Jeanine De Ore's store at ScrapMatters.com!!! Hurry 40% off time is limited. 

I deliver what I promise.... a link to Jeanine's blog to grab your freebie and read the proof...I inspired someone today.

Grab your freebie....click here...

 Free tutorial on this blog, along with your FREEBIE. Grab your freebie,

create something for me,

 post a link to it here in these comments so

YOU can inspire ME today!

Ciao.

This is kit I am finding so perfect for my latest Disney pages!

Delight~The Kit by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com

diy project: Vintage Postcard Calendar Journal from Design*Sponge

Vintage Cards by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com

I think I could use these vintage printable cards by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com to make postcard dividers for a small daily journal file to place on my desk. I discovered this cute one at Design Sponge. Now, I just need strawberry  season to come along, so I can get one of those green square baskets and a pack of index cards at the Dollar Tree and I am ready to create my own.

Candy Bar Wrapper Freebie by Shabby Blogs

I fell in love with this candy bar wrapper I found here on Shabby Blogs Blog.

Here is the article from Shabby Blogs Blog (word for word. I did not write or design or promote any of these words or work. I just like it and want to share the freebie love. Besides, I want to Photoshop the teacher message out and use my own message to create birthday favors ).

There are two kinds of moms in this world. First, you've got the moms that dance around their empty houses like leprechauns when their kids go back to school. Then, there are the moms that create fictitious dentist appointments just so they can pick their kids up from school early because they miss them so much. As pathetic as it sounds all laid out in black and white like this...I'm the second kind of mom. (Shocker, I know.) I bought school supplies for my girls the other day and almost burst into tears. When I realized what a weenie I was being, I gave myself an imaginary glove slap on the cheek and decided to celebrate the impending...you know...school thing. It is in this spirit that I created a little freebie for you. It's a candy bar wrapper that you can totally customize and send to school with your child for their teacher! Sweet, right? It's sized for those extra large candy bars and all you have to do is add your own photo and text, print it out, cut it out, and hand it out. Now I know that everyone isn't a mom- so don't think I forgot about the rest of our Shabby Bloggers! I also created another candy bar wrapper that is perfect for any occasion. Customize it for a birthday, a girls night out, or just because! Let's face it. You never need a reason to give the gift of chocolate. :)

Experimenting With Grunge Edges & Textures and freebie

Check out Grunge It - BUNDLE {CU OK} by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com . The ease and simplicity of following the instructions below, and on Jeanine's blog, have left me pleasantly surprised after just 20 minutes of experimenting and creating in Photoshop Elements today. AND I feel like a wanna-be digital designer!

Jeanine De Ore at ScrapMatters.com has all of her designer secrets available in one great stash...includes 2 Edge 4-Packs (8 total) and 2 Texture 4-Packs (8 total) and 2 suggestion/tip sheets. Great for designers and fun for personal use / scrapbook projects too!

After you see these pages below I created, you would never guess that I have never used textures or edges to create papers before. You would also never guess each one took me less than five minutes to figure out!
Check these out and then the link to a freebie will magically appear.

I made this:

By using a texture (the one on the bottom right) from

Grunge It- Textures 2 by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com

Step 1: Open a new 12x12 page with Background Color, then change it to a tan color (e9e2b8).

Step 2: Drag the texture layer on top of the tan layer. Click on the texture layer. Change the blending mode from Normal to Overlay (leaving opacity

at 100%).

Step 3: Right click on one of the layers and select flatten image. Then save your creation and use it on any page or project.

I told you that was simple. Since I am a visual person and learn better from pictures and diagrams, and not just books of written instructions, I found Jeanine's directions to be the easiest.

  Click here to visit her blog for additional information and support.There is even a freebie here you can experiment with before buying your texture and edges kits!!!

Next item I created using the texture on the bottom left from Grunge It- Textures 2 by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com:

and then I added an edge to:

The patterned paper and all kits used by permission of Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com.
The patterned paper above is from Cirque Dimanche ~The Papers, by Jeanine at ScrapMatters.com
and an edge from Grunge It Edges Vol 2.

The additional two papers were created by Betty Holland, using colors taken from the french patterned paper above.

Thanks for hanging out! Here is the freebie, as promised :

Click HERE for your FREEBIE!!! Please stop by Jeanine's blog to thank her for the freebie too.

Freebies, Blog Hop, BABYPALOOZA!

Click here to visit Brittish Design blog for additional info!!

Click here to visit the Sahlin Studio Facebook page for important info.

Sneak Peek for Friday's New Release! Win it Win it too.

Sneak Peek for Friday's (January 28, 2011) New Release by Jeanine De Ore at ScrapMatters.com. I adore this kit which is by far my favorite kit by Jeanine De Ore.

Jeanine is snowed in and a little wild... so if you want to win the bundle, click here to visit the SM forum and post in this thread by Friday what the weather is like where you live! Jeanine will pick one lucky winner (picked randomly) will get the bundle free!

Grandpa, The Papers by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com

Enjoy this new set of papers by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com. The warm tones in the papers can accent almost any photos you mount on them!

Jeanine's papers also work beautifully for hybrid projects. The quality and detail of her creations is outstanding!

Get yours here.

I was searching for quotes to use on a Grandpa page and a card for Grandpa. Adding one of the quotes below to a couple of layers of papers from Jeanine's Grandpa The Papers, plus a heart-warming picture, makes a quick layout. Help yourself to one or more of these quotes!
Can you tell which one is my favorite?

The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy. ~Sam Levenson




Grandfathers are just antique little boys. ~Author Unknown



Perfect love sometimes does not come until the first grandchild. ~Welsh Proverb



A child needs a grandparent, anybody's grandparent, to grow a little more securely into an unfamiliar world. ~Charles and Ann Morse


When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window. ~Ogden Nash


Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation. ~Lois Wyse 



A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart. ~Author Unknown (how sweet!!!)


If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first. ~Lois Wyse



Grandfathers are for loving and fixing things. ~Author Unknown

$1.99 Sparkly Snow

For a short time, this newly released kit Sparkly Snow by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com is just $1.99 (at 20% off)! I have a lot of kits, though I can never own too many. This gorgeous mini kit enhances all kits with sparkling embellishments. My layout is at the bottom of this post.

Click here to go to the shop and a closer peek at the gorgeous mini kit!

Take a closer look at my layout in my Gallery (just click here). You KNOW you want to loooook!

Credits:

Peace On Earth and Sparkly Snow by Jeanine DeOre at ScrapMatters.com

I used the snowy frame to frame my whole page. It can be used, resized for photos too. Word art and snow flakes are from Sparkly Snow kit.

I hope you have a chance to visit and play in the snow this season (if you do not live in a climate with snow, that is!) Snow play photos are so fun to work with.

Happy New Year and stay warm!