Warm Weather

I was able to spend three sunny, California days outdoors this past weekend gardening and playing with my dogs. I was inspired to create a beach layout with a photo taken on the day of my wedding last June. I found an adorable kit, Ohana by Britt-ish Designs. I used the drop shadows kit (which I cannot live without) by Jennifer Barrette. I feel that the quality of my work improves so much with each layout I create. No wonder I am still awake at 1:00 am on a work night just finishing this layout!

Are you ready for permanent warmer weather like I am?!

The kit can be found at Scrap Matters

Happy Valentine's Day To My Two Princesses

I treated myself to Get Real Drop Shadows kit by Jennifer Barrette for Valentine's Day. I really love myself, so why not?! These drop shadow effects saved me a lot of time, plus gave my confidence to use a lot of embellishments. Typically, I would not use this many because I would put the same exact shadow on everything...which was not realistic enough for my eye. I hope you enjoy my princesses. If you would like to save time on your drop shadows, visit ScrapMatters.com to grab the kit! It was only a couple of dollars.

Here are instructions to set them up. (I use PSE 8 and these worked just fine!)

http://www.scrappersguide.com/forums...ead.php?t=3294

Everyday Essentials

This new kit by Stacy's Back Door Designs is perfect for those 365 days projects you may be working on or ANY digital layout! The neutral colors provide a great back drop for colorful photos. This layout makes my two girl scouts really stand out!

Currently, the kit is 20% off at the link below. Also, you receive a free mega kit with any purchase from Digiridoo Scraps. The free kit is listed below as well. Check out the word art and that queen of hearts. So, you will pay JUST $2.40 for both kits!!!

GRAB yours HERE!!!!!!

Live Your Dreams

This layout was made from my heart using  A Story of Friendship kit by Sahlin Studios, scrapmatters.com

This photo was the first one I ever had taken with my daughters (my hubby's from his first marriage. We raise them and have custody. I love them as my own! Aren't we just a little adorable?!)

Gotta Crop Digital Challenge

My friends and I started a Facebook group called Gotta Crop Digital. For the next two weeks, we have a challenge I'm hosting. What are you passionate about? Create a page using at least one item from Betsy Tuma's free Glitterazi- Cupid layout from Two Peas In A Bucket.
Grab your free Glitterazi- Cupid digital kit from 2ps!!!

Template by Audrey Neal, Design House Digital. Scroll down to my next post to view a whole different layout, same template. One template, two ways!

Memories of Grandparents

Don't you love seeing old photos? Look at the photo of my young grandmother in the center of this layout. She has a huge white bow in her hair. How sweet! This was created with a template by Audrey Neal and kit from Design House Digital. This was created for my Lifetime Story Challenge with Faith Sisters.

The journaling was an email my mother sent to me. I asked her some questions about her parents (my grandparents pictured in the layout). My plan is to make a separate page of each grandparent and enlarge the photos while adding personal information. Dates of birth and death, birthplace and other details I would like to preserve for future generations of my family. Have you scrapbooked your family tree?

Colors of Love

Okay, you know what to do with this color wheel don't you? These are the easiest color wheels I have found. The chart shows where on the color wheel to find the different color schemes.  I hope you find these useful!

Monochromatic Colors. A monochromatic color scheme uses one color, but 3 different shades of that color. Example: Light, Medium, and Dark Blue.

Triadic Colors. A triadic color combination comes from using 3 colors that are equally spaced (3 spaces) apart on the color wheel. This could be purple, green and orange or it could be blue, yellow and red etc.







Analogous Colors. You get an analogous grouping when you use three colors that are all next to each other on the color wheel. For example, blue, teal and green or green, yellow-green and yellow etc. This example was done using blue, green and teal-all colors next to each other on the color wheel.

(All information and color wheel content gathered from http://www.scrapmatters.com/.)

Design House Digital Dollar Day$

Check out the items at DHD

Each day for the month of February (2010), Design House Digital is practically giving away digital items. Okay, they are $1 a piece and these are not taxed. Just a buck. What a deal. These are four good examples below. The grid papers are becoming a current trend.  I hope you pick up something for yourself this month before the prices go back to normal. They have a great forum (message boards) as well. Check them out...stop by and chat. 

(I do not work for or promote DHD for any reason, other than I just want to).

Got Templates? What about a little November Rain?

I love templates as much as last fall's fashion loved purple. What am I talking about? I am unsure if I am making sense since I have been a little tired fighting of this season's cold, flu and allergies. However, I do know that as bad as I felt the day I received these templates and beautiful purple papers, I instantly perked up with happiness.

Last fall, purple was finally back in style. I have a many picture or two of me and friends wearing purple clothes, makeup etc....I can use them with these papers. After I make a few more, I will post them....for now here are the ones I was able to brew up when I was hopped up on Dayquil and Vick's Vaporub. I was not too creative feeling but allow me to share anyways!

I may never make a layout without a template again, that's for sure. These were super easy especially for many photos! You can flip them 90 degrees or 180 degrees in Photo Shop Elements for a different layout option.

The kits are just $2 each. Follow the links below for a closer look.

Grab Templates Here

November Rain ((click here. go for it!))

Template from the kit Heaps of Templates by Stacy's Back Door Designs, font Arial. Orange flower from Southern Christmas kit, Style frame from Totally Chic kit, and the rest of the layout created with Story Time kit all by Stacy's Back Door Designs

A New and Inspirational Kit Chuck Full of Goodies and Suprises!

     This Story Time kit is a collaboration from Stacy's Back Door Designs, designs by Sarah Bennett and Lil Digi Bits by Jude. Stacy is on the Scrap Matters creative team AND designs her own kits. Each time I get a new kit released by Stacy, I fall more in love with her items. The colors of this kit go with anything and everything!

     I plan to create one layout with each new kit, however, I made three with this one the first night I got it! Okay, I will share two of them with you! The tape and hand drawn black border on the layout below are two of my favorite items of the kit along with the metal clip and green rubberbands!!! There are some cute heart shaped lollipops too.

This is a fun, unique kit that has a special place in my digital collection.  This one is very unique as it has helped me grow to love hand drawn elements to use in my layouts. (Like the title below and that black lined border I mentioned.) 

Pick Up a Kit or Get a Closer Look Here ((Click me))

Job Dissatisfaction and Negative Prediction

This ground hog only has to work one day a year, yet he does not look happy!

(Photo Associated Press http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Punxsutawney-Phil/photo//100202/480/3f1f371e78234b3db500d12e9059c780//s:/ap/us_groundhog_day)

Punxsutawney Phil, a name nobody can pronounce correctly unless you are from the big PA, predicts six more weeks of winter! Bad news according to Yahoo.com.

Coming from my perspective, living in a city which averages 100 degrees a day during July and August, this is not bad news. Plus, it should be good news for digital scrapbookers... 42 more days of gloom to give us an excuse to sit indoors in front of our PCs and create layouts!

Way to go, Punxs.

Check out all of those people in the background witnessing Groundhog's Day events. I bet at least 15% of them are scrapbookers and 2% of them made a layout about it.

Bigger and Better Things! (Fashion)

Okay, so I know that this has nothing to do with digital scrapbooking.....well to me, fashion has everything to do with everything! If I am dressed nice and comfortably, I feel more free and creative! Hence, I can create better scrapbook layouts digitally?! Okay, that was a bit of a stretch!

I am not a small girl, yet I LOVE nice clothes. I am tired of searching high and low for current fashion trends and style tips. My new blog baby is a collection of fashion for sizes 12/14 and up! I do not work for these companies and I do not advertise on my blogs to make any money what so ever.

Come and take a look!

Click here for fashion inspiration- my new blog baby!

(this is from Torrid.com. Perez Hilton started his new blog cocoperez.com. If he can discuss fashion then why couldn't I? I do not claim to be fashionable, a fashionista, etc. If I did earn a bit more money, I may be able to look more put together and that's a fact!)

99 cent special of the week at Designer Digitals!

I really love this page which is just 99 cents today! What a great deal....No I do not work for or promote for this website or designer! Visit this site each Thursday and Sunday for super 25 and 99 cent deals!

I feel so inspired. Just look at it.

Gotta Crop Digital

Gotta Crop Scrapbooking Getaways and Gotta Crop Shop lives on digitally! Have you jumped onto the "hot tamale train" of digital scrapbooking? Whether you are a beginner or have been improving your digital skills for a while now, we would love to have you join us!

This is a Facebook public group open to anyone and everyone. You may view our digital layouts, post your own and leave tips. Or, just come on by to say hello! We are always up on the top digital scrapbooking trends and products and would love to have you become a part of our community.

The more the merrier! Click here to check out our Facebook page!

(Credits: Jen Allyson Apricot Avenue 2peas, digital brushes by Kate Teague Proud to be Digi kit 2peas, Sande Krieger, Carina Gardner Imprint v.6 Frame Brushes 2peas and Chicago House Trial font)

Please email me at misslocascio@gmail.com if you have any questions regarding Gotta Crop Digital. Or, you may contact the admins Marianne and Michelle through the Facebook home page.

Warning... we are known to be extremely fun!

Entryway Basket Rack with Martha Stewart-Craft of the Day

Need a quick spot to temporarily store papers, back packs, coats and winter weather items? You can create this entryway basket rack with fairly easy instructions from Martha Stewart's website today.  You can find baskets like this almost any place these days. I see them on clearance at Ross and Marshall's as well as Target and Ike at reasonable prices.

Click on the title of this blog above to see the featured craft today! She features a different craft everyday.

Our entryway could use a little help....and that dog needs a bath!

Digital Scrapbook Basics with Design House Digital Has Enhanced My Day

     Digital scrapbooking tutorial using Photoshop Elements to create a basic layout.: Design House Digital


"If you're new to Digital Scrapbooking and want to learn exactly where to start, learn the basics by watching this quick video tutorial on how to create a basic layout using Photoshop Elements." - Design House Digital

     Even if you are not so new to digital scrapbooking, like me, you can still get something out of this video! Jen Allyson shows you how to make custom drop shadows which are by far, better than the generic drop shadows built in PSE! It was helpful for me to compare my Photoshop Elements techniques with another persons.

     My friends and I are in the process of putting together our first digital crop with our laptops! I cannot wait. It should not be too difficult since my friends used to plan scrapbooking getaways for a living as Gotta Crop Scrapbook Getaways. Anyways, enjoy the video! Then visit Design House Digital's website for great digital kits, great ideas on their blog and useful tips.  My day is better now that I used a few of the tips in the video on some new creative team pages I created. (click the title of this blog above...a link directly to their site.)



     My little darlings are not at all ready for digital scrapbooking. Here they are, earlier today, scrapbooking with my embellishments I no longer really use! I sure collected a lot of stickers and things which are perfect to accent their pages.
        See what my kids were doing while I was on my laptop enjoying the heck out of my Sunday. If you have children, do they scrapbook? As Jasmine would say, the girls were "doing an art". Any time the girls would like to do something creative, such as coloring, cutting, stamping or card making, they ask if they can "do an art". Even though it does not make sense, I do not correct them because I feel like it is something special that just the three of us know about and do together. Nope, Dad does not "do art"!

     (Three photos above accented with PSE actions- free from Coffee Shop. Return back in a week or two for more instructions. I LOVE photoshop actions! Do you use actions?)

We Tied The Knot

Totally Chic kit by Stacy's Back Door Designs

I still have not ordered my coffee table photo book of my wedding photographs! I am going to hire someone to add bluer sky to a few more of the photos. After many hours of practicing that technique myself, I am still not satisfied with the outcome. I am satisfied with this layout above! I found a knot in the On The Move kit by Stacy too! LOVES IT!

Digiridoo Shop Link to the On The Move Kit

Beautiful Day in Sacramento (and California)

 

 Most of the state of California has been nothing but stormy for the last four or five days. The photo above was taken in Sacramento (I do not claim rights to any of these photos, nor did I take them).

The sun finally shines during the calm after the storm. Sacramento had a bit of flooding but nothing out of control at our house. I was prepared with our sand bags though! (I will post prior years storm damage photos here soon!)

The song 'Beautiful Day" by U2 is said to be about a man who lost almost everything, yet finds joy in what he still has left. We all experience personal storms which can last for a day or two and even longer. Do you notice that the issues do always get better? We are not promised that life would be simple, but we do have simple moments that we should appreciate to the fullest! We weather emotional storms. It is interesting to me how mother nature can teach us life lessons if we are paying attention. Storms do pass. We do get tired of seasons, like winter, and wait patiently for warmer weather. When you are in a   situation that you are 'tired' of, wait patiently for it to pass!

Here are some additional photos of Sacramento area this week.

This rainbow is right over downtown Sacramento. It appears that the rainbow ends someplace near my job. Now that I am in my 30's I no longer search for my personal 'pot of gold' at the end of rainbows. I know where my treasure is. Do you know where yours is?

This was taken in Elk Grove, a few miles south of Sacramento. The previous photos are all current and can be found at http://www.news10.net/. Normally, I would post my own photos but I was a bit under the weather (haha) for several days. I did not get out much.

One final picture of the Sacramento area. I found this photo which was actually taken last summer...

....a local water tower in Sacramento!  Zap zap zap! I hope you have an electrifying weekend!

Here are some of the words to one of my favorite songs, I previously mentioned, 'Beautiful Day' by U2.

"It's a beautiful day. Sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day. Don't let it get away.

You're on the road, but you've got no destination. You're in the mud, in the maze of her imagination.
You love this town, even if that doesn't ring true. You've been all over, and it's been all over you.
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth, after the flood all the colors came out."
(The bird is the dove, which is a symbol of peace, people!)
"Touch me, take me to that other place. Reach me, I know I'm not a hopeless case.
What you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't know you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now
Was a beautiful day"

My friends Lesley and Thomas, from Orcutt, California, really know how to enjoy their beautiful day! They had major rain, a seven hour power outage, and turned their bad weather into unique quality time. Here are some of their wet photos. I am happy that the Brown's have allowed me to post their photos!

The photos make me want to go outside singing in the rain like I used to when I was a kid. In fact, Lesley and I have been friends since we were five-years-old so we HAVE sung in the rain together in the past. Good memories and good times!

This is a pretty flower called the white nikeesis inmudissis. I especially love the check mark shaped leaf of this flower.

Now wasn't that a romantic adventure? Okay you have to know that there were some less than desireable moments to this hike. Take a looksie.....

Thanks to the Brown's for sharing their adventure and sense of humor with me and you. You and me? Oh, uh, um, Thomas is a teacher and I am a little extra concerned about my writing for this post. His wife will probably make him read it! I love your digital  memories and thanks again!

To check out the Brown's blog visit Six Diamonds (Yes, they have six children!)