MDS Monday Sketch

I've been working on my page for this week's MDS Monday challenge.  For some reason, I was really stumped this time!  In fact, I made three pages trying to decide.  But I think I like the last one I did the best so that is what I am submitting for the challenge.

I love the greens in the picture.  I made my background color to match the green in the flowers.  I used an overlay (love overlays!!) from Decorative Overlays - actually, I used two of them - one colored in white and one in green.  I really like the hazy look of the background.  I purchased about $65 in MDS downloads yesterday with my club order and had to use some of them on this page.

Embellishments used -

• Hello World Chalk Dots Overlay (recolored Pear Pizzaz)
• Everyday Enchantment Ribbon - Lucky Limeade (recolored to match)

Stamps used

• Decorative Overlays Flowers 
• Simple Snapshots - "the beauty of life" colored in white and green

Paper used:

• Whisper White background
• Hi There DSP #2

The font is a new one I just discovered also called EPIDEMIA.



There were new items added to the Clearance List today.  There are a couple of cute stamps from the Holiday Catalog that you might like!

If you decide to order from the Clearance .... or even some of the retired items, please use my Hostess Code 4CFDVMMK.

I also want to let you know that if you are tired of trying to read the teeny tiny print of the Retiring Stamps and Accessories List, if you will click above "SHOP ONLINE" and click on "SHOP NOW" button and then RETIRING PRODUCTS, the list will open with a picture, price, item code, etc. - everything you need to make your choice.

Have fun shopping and don't forget to use the Hostess Code please!

Sketch for Paper Craft Crew AND New Zealand layouts

This is my card for Paper Craft Crew challenge this week.  I used My Digital Studio to create it.







Check out the rest of the design team's cards HERE.

I've been so bummed about Stampin' Up discontinuing MDS.  I've been wanting to get my New Zealand scrapbook published and finished it last week.  It was going to be over $100 with Stampin' Up and I just couldn't justify that!  The book was 53 pages which is why the price was so high.  Today I checked with Shutterfly and was able to send my pages there PLUS I found a promotion code that took 50% off the order if it was $100+ and another code for Free Shipping!  So what was to be $122 turned out to be only $65. .. much more manageable!!

Here are a couple of the pages from the book:

I scanned our boarding passes to include on the page.

Another scan - the pass for the Hop on/Hop off bus.

MDS Monday - Spring Challenge!

I am going to do layouts for MDS Monday for as long as they keep the site going.  I'm sad that I think they may shut it down after Stampin' Up quits supporting MDS.  I have gotten so much inspiration on their site.  I really hope they decide to keep it going for us die-hards!

So the challenge this week was to focus on spring.  The sketch itself is pretty simple - the challenge to have something that grows (like a flower or plant) on your page.  Well, I think these flowers from the Botanical Garden at Christchurch, New Zealand fits the bill, don't you?  The flowers in New Zealand were just gorgeous!

I did a lot of color matching on this page.  I matched the colors in the orange day lily and the pink circle flower.  The background flowers are an overlay from Bunch of Backgrounds.  The doily started out green and I recolored it and lowered the opacity.  This page just makes you think SPRING!

Here is the sketch to follow:

Check out the designer's pages HERE.

MDS Monday Challenge

Here is my page for this week's MDS (My Digital Studio) Monday.  I'm enjoying being a guest designer!!

I love these pictures that were taken at a vineyard in New Zealand.  It was New Year's Eve - our first full day in New Zealand.  We took a ferry from Auckand to Waiheke Island where we found a nice gentleman who drove us around the island for the day - dropping us off at different wineries and coming back to fetch us an hour or so later.  He was a retired school teacher and was really knowlegable about the island.  As it turns out, New Year's Eve is the busiest day for Waiheke Island but he was great about knowing back roads to get us where we wanted to be.  Ashley and Courtney hike up the hill with their wine and got this great view.

MDS Monday Challenge

I decided to do another MDS sketch challenge using one of my New Zealand layouts.  At this rate, I may get my book put together by Christmas!!  I am hoping to concentrate more on my New Zealand scrapbook after convention and all that craziness is over.

The sketch on MDS Monday was a little challenging to me. Here it is:

 I started out scrapbooking  pictures from our Alabama cruise but didn't like what I came up with.  Plus, my computer froze up and I lost the pae I had been working on anyway!  So I started over and this time pulled up these pictures from New Zealand.  We stopped off in Otorohanga for a quick breakfast on our way to Rotorura so the girls could go Zorbing.  Their pastry case was a dream come true!  So many choices of so many different pastries and breakfast items.  I settled on a donut that was filled was delicious cream.  It was not round like our donuts but looked like an eclair.  It was heaven!

                                                                                                                                                                     For this page I used paper and elements from the Sweet Shoppe download except for the word bubble which is from Seriously Teen.  

Hope you like it!   Check out the rest of the sketches at MDS Monday.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

MDS Monday Challenge

Last week I discovered MDS Monday blog where a sketch and/or other challenges are given for you to follow by incorporating it into a scrapbook page using My Digital Studio.   Well, last week, I submitted this page and found out today when I checked for the newest challenge, that my page had been chosen as one of the featured picks (here) for the week.

Tonight I decided to do another page for this week's challenge.  The sketch this week was to use circles (or other shapes) and layering them.  I thought this was a great challenge for the zorbing pictures of Ashley and Courtney!!  At least this is getting me started on my New Zealand scrapbook!!

MDS Monday Challenge Take 2

I realized after I posted my last picture that I didn't follow all the rules for the challenge!  I was supposed to follow the sketch, add sequins, a frame, ink splats and overlays.  I think I only did the overlays - that's what I get for not reading thoroughly!!  Anyway .... here is my page following all the rules!!

This is another picture from New Zealand.  This one is from Lake Tekapo.  I had gotten up early in the morning to go to the bathroom and caught this picture real quick of the sun coming up over the lake.

MDS Challenge

I've been neglecting My Digital Studio lately!  I really need to get busy with my New Zealand scrapbook before I forget all the details!!  I have sooooo many pictures that I think it is intimidating me.  That is one of my biggest problems with scrapbooking - I want to include ALL the pictures and if I did, the book would be too heavy to sit on my table!!

In the meantime, I decided to do a MDS Monday challenge page using one of the pictures from New Zealand.  This picture was taken at Bruce Bay, which is on the west coast.  We were driving from Fox Glacier to Queenstown and it was a beautiful sunny day.  The drive was just gorgeous and we made many stops along the way.  My favorite was this stop where we walked along the beach a little bit collecting unique rocks and shells.  I couldn't resist getting my feet wet in the surf but, boy was it cold!!  The worst part of the beach was the sand knats!!  I didn't get bit but poor Taffy was sweet nectar to those knats!

Edited to add note:  Just realized that it was also a sketch challenge.  Oops!  Guess I'll have to do another one!!

 I used a couple of kits to create this page - mainly Be Awesome and Beautiful Today.

Ashley with a handful of the rocks we collected.

Rocks on the beach.

Merge Like a Zip!

Hope your weekend was a good one.  As I am typing this, I am watching the Beatles special.  Wow!  It is great.  Hard to believe it was 50 years ago that they made their American debut on Ed Sullivan.  I remember sitting on the floor at my grandmother's house watching them on tv.   The Beatles belong to our lives I think because not only do they mean so much to us now but they meant so much to us during our youth.  Tonight hearing so many great bands and singers sing their songs was just amazing.

Want to see a few more of my New Zealand pictures?  Here are a few of the signs we saw that were interesting.

We didn't drink many sodas while there!!

A trundler is the grocery cart!

Don't YIELD - GIVE WAY!!

These were the cutest signs.  They were all over the North Island.

Other highway signs with the owl that we saw were:

• Wise Drivers Drive Sober
• Speed Kills (in this one, the kiwi has his hand over his eye)
• Never Drive Tired
• Never Drive Drugged
• NVR Txt N Dvr
• Foggy?  Slow Down
• Wise Drivers Belt Up

Cowboy Kid

I actually did some stamping this weekend!  It has been a long time it seems since I have done anything in my stamp room.  I made a few cards and worked on a calendar that I have been commissioned to do.  One of the cards I made, I put aside to let the Crystal Effects dry.  But, do you think I can find that card this morning?  I have looked everywhere!  I must have put it in a safe place OR it has gotten mixed up with some paper or something and who knows where it is!  I'll give it a day or two and perhaps it will show up!  Maybe I had gremlins during the night and Sammie didn't catch them stealing the card!!

Here is one of the cards I made.  It is for my nephew's little boy, Jack IV - who they call IV.  He will be 2 next week and will be welcoming a baby brother soon.  Katrina is due any time now.  Hoping he won't be born on IV's birthday though!  They are hoping she won't go into labor until after IV's party on Sunday.

This card uses the Retired Stamp, Cowboy Kid.  This stamp has always been one of my favorites for little boys birthday cards.  Don't think I will ever get rid of it.  I just think the little cowboy is so stinkin' cute!!

I stamped the image onto a square of white card stock and sponged brown and yellow around the image.  Then I tore the edges of the square.  I used Copics to color the image (Can't wait for SU's Blendabilities!)  I mounted the stamped square on a piece of brown woodgrain paper and tore the edges of it.  I stamped a piece of red (5 1/4" x 4") with another retired stamp - Woodgrain Background using Crumb Cake ink.  I mounted the whole thing on Crumb Cake card stock.  The star is punched with a star punch (another retired punch).  I stamped "Howdy" on a piece of SU's Naturals DSP.

I have been steadily trying to identify my New Zealand pictures - using dates and what we wore in the pictures to catagorize them.  The hardest thing is all the lake pictures.  We visited several beautiful lakes either on our drive and stopping at roadside scenic vistas or when we actually stayed in a town with a lake.  The water is most of them was the bluest I have ever seen - actually turquoise from the glacier run-off.  Thought I'd share a few lake pictures.

Zorbing

While we were on the North Island, Courtney and Ashley went Zorbing in Rotorua!  Zorbing is a very unique experience.  You roll downhill in a large inflatble globe .... think hamster ball!!  Zorbing offers two rides - a wet ride and a dry ride.  The first time the girls did the wet ride and the next time they picked the dry one.  The only difference that I could see is they put water in the wet ride and not the dry ride and they roll down different tracks.  The girls liked them both and I think could have stayed there all day Zorbing!!  It was a beautiful sunny day so Taffy and I enjoyed sitting in the sunshine and watching them roll!

Later in the day, we had reservations at the Polynesian Spa and Hot Spring.  We were all looking forward to that!  Well, it was the greatest experience.  The brochure made it look very luxurious and even my pictures make it look that way.  But let me assure you, it was not.  There were  about 6-7 shallow outdoor pools filled with mineral water that was very green.  They were all very hot - 100 degrees or more - each one a different temp.  No where did we see any chaise lounges or chairs to relax in (probably would have had to rent them!)  We assumed they would provide towels and even maybe a nice terry robe to use while there.  No - we had to rent towels!  Plus, Taffy did not have a bathing suit so they rented her one.  Even if we had wanted to put our things in a locker, there was a fee.  Believe me, nothing in New Zealand is free!!

Weekly Deals and more pics

WEEKLY DEALS JAN 21-27

Ready for a few more New Zealand pictures?   We went to a Glow Worm cave on the North Island.  Ashley and Courtney enjoyed the caves while white water rafting while Taffy and I enjoyed a slower pace of riding in a rubber raft through the caves.  The glow worm is unique to New Zealand. Thousands of these tiny creatures radiate their luminescent light.  It was really cool to see all the hundreds of glow worms - looked like a million stars in the sky.  Unfortunately, it is so dark in the caves, pictures don't come out and you are not allowed to use a flash.

Taffy and I with our hard hats (with light) on ready to do some caveing.

These are spun by the glow worms and are hanging from the top of the caves.

This was our hotel for the night!

This was a real ship.  It is part of New Zealand's history as 12 were built for anti submarine patrol in the Islands during WWII and only a couple survived including this one, The Motunui, which is now renamed as The Waitanic.   Taffy and I were not too sure about the beds but it was the best sleep we had the whole trip I think!  So comfy!

This place also has an airplane and a hobbit house that you can sleep in. 



Enjoying a cool one after cave-ing