2.17.08 Grateful Papers Part 3

Ok, so this is the last part of the papers portion of "Grateful".  From the looks of the poll and according to the emails and posts it seems as though many of you are interested in some classes! I'm kind of excited! I did talk to dh last night and assured him that I could manage the extra "workload"!  The time consuming part is creating the "lesson plan" and the design elements! I'd like to start with an intro to digi scrapping, but I know that many of you are past that stage, I'll have to figure that one out.  

As for how to "sign" up, what will probably happen is that I will post a time for people to sign up and depending on the size of the class (balance between keeping it small & making it well worth my time) the first people who pay via paypal will be registered until the class fills and I close the "registration" down...

As for those saying that they aren't sure they'll have the time, or that the time difference would be a problem, I say NO PROBLEM!  The class will definitely be a work at your own pace kind of class.  I'll post the instructions and files for one week and will be available for email questions at any time that week.  Then the next week's files will be posted etc.  Not done with week one? no problem!  Just work at your own pace...you guys know I'll be here to answer your questions no matter when you finish! LOL  As for chats, we'll work around that and of course you can post emails and files at ANY time!

More on the classes later...enjoy the papers...the next post will be some elements!!

This post has been edited to remove the link

Click HERE to visit me at Digital Candy - you know you have a sweet tooth!! LOL

2.16.08 Grateful - 2nd Set of Papers

I'm so happy that so many of you not only accept the changes that I'm making to my blog, but wholeheartedly embrace them!

Also, I spent some time online last night with a blog reader helping her work through some "template issues"! LOL (Hi Donna!!)  But it made me think, despite my tutorials, there are many of us (myself included) that don't follow written directions as well as seeing pictures, or being able to ask one-on-one questions when you're stuck.  I'd like to say that I'm always available for your questions, but frankly I think I'd be overwhelmed if you all had questions about my tuts!!

So I'm thinking of offering INEXPENSIVE (I'd like to keep classes around 10-15 dollars each), well-put-together classes presented not just as classes, but as projects! So at the end of the class, you wouldn't have just learned things, but you'd have a completed project as well!

The lessons would have to be in photoshop or photoshop elements. But for those who are interested in taking the class but don't have either program, I'd provide a link for a free trial download of either program.

For the class, I would provide all the necessary files (design elements/kits, fonts, step by step tutorials in .pdf format, screenshots etc.) available for download in a password protected area. Each class would have access to a group forum (such as Yahoo) where we can all exchange questions, files, emails and tips for one another.

Here were some of the ideas that I had for classes:

Intro to digi scrapping

Creating and using overlays

Fun with fonts (creating word-art)

Quick Pages & Brag Books (learning to create and share your own as well as completing pre-

   designed projects)

Designing your own elements & papers (that will really tick 'em off won't it! he he he)

etc. etc. etc.

So what do you think?  I think it would be a blast really, I think it would be so much fun for there to be an open forum where you guys could get to know one another and swap layouts etc as well!

So tell me what you think!  If you are serious about wanting to do this please let me know so I can get a good gauge of numbers (I would want to keep classes relatively small so that it's more fun).  If there is serious interest, I'll start planning a class or two together and see what we come up with!

Much aloha!

Shauna

This post has been edited to remove the link

Click HERE to check out my NEW paper curls at Digital Candy!

12.15.08 - GRATEFUL! & Some Changes

Ok! I continue to start each blog post with thank you's for your words, support, advice and overall warm wishes...today is no different! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I hope I didn't mislead some of you into thinking that I wasn't going to post freebies anymore! That's not the case at all, but I have decided to make a few changes to leave me a bit more time for home, friends and family, especially before this big move in a few months.

So, I'll either be posting "smaller" freebies like a nice element or two, OR I'll continue with kits, but I'll post the papers one day, elements the next, alphabet the third etc. OR I'll post a tutorial AS the freebie (perhaps with an item or two to be used with the tutorial if it needs it.)

Then, I will leave the links for the freebies available for a specific period of time from the date of posting ( a few days as a rule, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, but I will always let you know) and then, if appropriate, I'll move the "freebies" to my store at digital candy. This was my compromise to my dh who would like me to be (and I quote) "better compensated for my time" LOL! Whatever... for you my faithful readers who visit my blog on a regular basis it actually might be better, as the kits will STILL be free and they'll probably be even bigger so that I can move them as full kits to the store!

Also, I've made the decision with my dh that perhaps EVERY day freebies are bit too much right now, but CERTAINLY more days a week than not is my plan!

Lastly, I also want to post my freebies a bit earlier each day so that it's posted and taken care of before the busiest time of my day starts (dinner, bath, homework, bedtime stories etc.!) It will still be late for most of you however with the time difference, but I just thought I'd mention it!

In the spirit of my new rules, here is today's freebie! It's the start of a mini kit that I am calling "Grateful" as in how grateful I feel to have such wonderful people in my little blogging life!

Enjoy!

This post has been edited to remove the active link. 

Click HERE to visit me at Digital Candy

p.s. I AM so grateful for you all!

1.07.08 Lumberjack Plaid Mini Kit + Plaid Pattern & CONTEST!

Well today I had a request from a reader for teaching her how to re-color or re-create plaid patterns and paper. As I sat down to write out a tutorial for her (I'm still working on it Tami - it's coming I promise!) I ended up creating a plaid that SO reminded me of my little boy (not that he would be caught dead in plaid - I can hear him now... "so not cool mom") but it's boyish and rough and it made me think, just like clothes in the stores, there is NOT enough stuff out there for little boys (in the scrapbooking world I mean...) so, I made a mini kit that can be used for some of your boy (and tomboy) layouts.

I included a tag and index card with plaid elements as well as a couple of grungy little boy .png stamps, I wanted to make some papers with them, but ran out of time. I also included a little file that you can use to recreate this plaid yourself (non-grunge...LOL). If you need help defining or using this pattern in PS or PSE check out my tutorial that you can find HERE It's a .jpg file so other programs may be able to use it as well, not sure...

I'd like to start a new little "thing" on my blog with contests/challenges. I'm not sure yet just how big it will get (I'd love for it to be HUGE! lol) and I'm creating a gallery for those who use my freebies (and stuff from Digital Candy soon!) I think that I'll start out with this:

CONTEST:
Complete a layout using my Lumberjack Plaid Mini Kit (as well as whatever else you'd like to use) and send me either the layout, or a link to your layout that I can download, copy and paste or link to my gallery, along with your email and name, and I will choose a favorite by next Sunday night. The winner will be posted on my blog Monday morning and as a thank you gift from me, get a Mini Kit designed just for you (you choose the theme, etc.). Maybe if it catches on I'll make it a regular thing! Don't forget, I'll also be looking for a creative team VERY shortly, so please send the layouts?? LOL Ok, so have the layouts to me by Saturday at midnight my time (I'm 5 hours behind EST) ... I'm SO excited!!

p.s. a special gift to the first 5 layouts that are submitted!!!

Can't wait to see your stuff ladies!!

Aloha -

Shauna

Download the Mini Kit HERE

12.24.07 My (Surprise) Christmas Gift to You!

Are you all crazy yet from shopping, wrapping, shipping, singing, eating, drinking and otherwise being merry?? Well, I hope you're not too tired to open one last freebie from me until after Christmas - I'm taking a couple of days off to spend with my family, but I wanted to wish you all a very merry Christmas with a little something from me. Its a few files, some that I meant to post for Christmas, but never did, some that I just put together today and one very special one.

You see, in my family, one of my most treasured Christmas traditions is to read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to my children every Christmas Eve. I know it by heart by now, but I still love our raggedy old book that I've held in my hands as my children have gathered around me each year on the night of December 24th. I love how even at 15, Brittany still gets excited to hang her stocking afterwards, lay out cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. I love reading by the light of the tree and wishing that they would never grow old. I made a special page this year to scrapbook this tradition with my family, and I want to share it with you as well. I hope you enjoy it, and your holidays...

See you soon -

Mele Kalikimaka my friends....

Shauna

Click HERE or on the title to dowload

12.20.07 More Dear Santa & Quick Page

Thank you all so much for your many kind words and Christmas cheer! There was such an overwhelming response to my little kit yesterday that I decided to do another quick page with it - I think I like this one even better! LOL I also included the red Santa overlay (same as yesterday, but with a red color overlay and turned in the other direction). Also included are the elements from yesterday's Happy Holiday book in the mini kit. I had a few people email me and ask me for them individually - so here they are! If you like the papers (background, and for the holly) feel free to head to designer digital...they're this week's ad challenge freebie!

Thank you again for all of your comments - if you really like my work, do me a favor and click on some of the links along the bottom of this page! They have some great freebies for you, and they help bump me up on their lists so that others can find my freebies too!

Much aloha -

Shauna

Sorry! This post has been edited to remove link

12.14.07 Merry & Bright Quick Page Layout + GREAT NEWS!!

So, great news first!! A few days ago I submitted the link to my little blog here to a great online store called Digital Candy to be on their creative team. (Click the name to check it out!) The owner of the site emailed me back to let me know that instead of being offered a position on their creative team, they wanted me to be an exclusive designer on their site! Can you believe that?? I haven't been doing this very long (less than 2 months) and then this!! So I signed the contract today and it's official! No worries though, I'll still have freebies for you every day, so please keep coming back! You guys have made this little blog a pretty big deal! Yesterday I had over 1000 unique hits to the site!

So anyway, what you want to know about...the freebie! LOL There's another great site out there owned by a really inspiring designer Katie Petiet called Designer Digitals. Every Sunday they give out Freebies and have challenges for you to use them and then post them in their gallery. I really liked the ones they had this past weekend, and I made a Quick Page out of them. If you want the original elements, feel free to check out their site and you can download them there. In the meantime the freebies that I have for you are: my QP and the elements that I created to go with it (the snowflake frame, a blank vine frame and the paper used for the background so that you can make a double page layout if you like!

Thanks again for all the comments and moments of shared laughter with my little 80's theme posts for the last two days!!

Oh! And here's the LO that I did with the QP (had to pick from the VERY few winter photos I have! this one is of my little Ethan's first snowball fight with Dad in Nebraska!

Much aloha -

Shauna

Click HERE or on the title to download

12.02.07 Frost Kit Papers

So here are my new papers. I think I was inspired to do these after my call home to Wisconsin on Thanksgiving, my grandmother telling me about their first snow of the season and my memories of how the trees looked when they were first covered in snow. I dearly miss living in the midwest and seeing the change of seasons this, and the layout I made with it brought a bit of that back to me here in Hawaii. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Check back tomorrow for the elements!

Aloha -

Shauna

Come Sail Away Kit Papers

MY FIRST REQUEST! One of the comments left after my last kit was posted was from JJStar and she said "Great job! If you're up for a challenge, I've been looking for a kit to go with beach pictures and can't seem to find it!" So... between spending the week at the beach and talking to my family back in Wisconsin who said that it was below freezing I figured, "what the heck"? Maybe people can bring out those summer pictures and warm themselves up a bit! So here it is, my small attempt at my next kit.

Come Sail Away... it's not really a sailing themed kit, although I do have a touch of it, but the nautical colors reminded me of sailing, so there it is! The kit started out with VERY different colors and a more tropical/Hawaiian theme, but I wasn't sure if that would fit JJStar's request - p.s. if you leave a request, leave your email address or email me directly - you can have more input that way! - So I changed it quite a bit and I have enough of the other papers and elements to make a second kit! LOL If you want to see a preview of that kit, take a look at my TOU Page Layout in both the papers and elements portion of this kit, I made a cute layout of my son, perhaps I'll post it later this week, and then changed the pictures for my TOU (Terms of Use) Layout. If there is enough demand for a second summer kit this winter I'll post it!

So here are my papers, I love the colors in this kit...come back tomorrow for the elements - I think you'll LOVE them!

Aloha!

Shauna

*Edited to remove Link*

'07 Christmas Kit Papers

Well, here they are! The papers were pretty simple to create (the plaid was interesting to learn, you'll see more of them in the future!) and it was certainly an education making the "wrap" for my papers and elements and then creating the zip files for you to download. But I have to tell you, I'm having a great time! I'm also trying to create some layouts with my kit, I'll be sure to post those as well and when I do if I create additional elements or papers, I'll be sure to add those for you to download as well.

So please check back often. If you like the kit, please let me know and again, if you have a request for a layout, kit or elements please feel free to post a comment or email me at PineapplePlantation@gmail.com and I would be happy to try and help!

Aloha!

Shauna