Meg here with the reminder that TODAY is the LAST day to grab THE DIGI FILES #12, which features Suzy’s fabulous kit, Sunshine.

Here’s some beautiful inspiration from the QTs:

The best part is that with a payment of just $5, you get this kit, and six more kits from some great designers!   That’s SEVEN kits for less than the retail value of ONE kit!

Make sure that while you’re there picking up this fantastic deal, you take the time to read a little more about Suzy, in a feature post they wrote about her!

Enjoy your goodies!

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I’ve only been married (almost) 4 years, but my understanding of love has grown in leaps and bounds in that short time. Mostly due to my wonderful sweet husband. He is so patient, so compassionate, so understanding, so forgiving, so loving … and sometimes I feel so undeserving of his unconditional love. He is the source, direct or indirect, of everything good in my life, and I am so thankful for him. So as we near the end of the month of love, I wanted to share with you some of what I’ve learned.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED ABOUT LOVE

1. Love is a choice.
2. Love takes work … a lot of work.
3. Love requires commitment.
4. Love is so worth it.

I am happier and my life is more complete when I am motivated by love. What have you learned about love?

Speaking of love — love for my fans and customers — I’m going to share a little tidbit with you that will be important Monday. Something totally fun is coming in March and I don’t want you to miss out … and I couldn’t wait until Monday. If you own one of Log Your Memory’s Logbooks, make sure you are registered for their Book Club.

I promise, I’ll have some more info about Log Your Memory for the Digi World Wednesday post. But in quick summary, the Memory Logbooks help you organize and “log” your memories to help you with your scrapbooking and memory perserving. The All-in-One Memory Logbook is a combination planner, idea book, journal, and sketchbook. The Real Life Challenges Memory Logbook is adapted from the All-in-One and includes journaling prompts to help you scrap real life. (This is the one I own.) You can also choose just the current month of the logbook if that suits your lifestyle better (probably a good option if you only want to buy one month … but you’ll get a sweeter deal if you purchase the All-in-One). Not sure which one? Compare your options.

So, if you don’t own one of their books, you may just want to wander over to Log Your Memory’s store and pick one up. Why? Well, it’s the only way to become a part of the Book Club, and you have to be part of the book club if you don’t want to miss out on an opportunity to maybe, just maybe, get this kit for free:

Kristin of Log Your Memory has been ever so kind and offered this fabulous coupon for you to save 20% off your purchase. (Note: This coupon is only valid at their on-site store, so it’s only valid on their download-able logbooks. If you absolutely prefer to buy the printed version, you can do so through their sister site, but this coupon won’t work there. Just so ya know.)

Now go share some love with someone! (And maybe pick up a logbook and register for the Book Club.) Enjoy your weekend!

YAY!! It’s Friday!! That means not only is the weekend here – finally, but also that it’s Fresh Fruit Friday and SuzyQ Scraps has a new digital scrapbooking release for you!!

This week Mommy’s Lil’ Monsters broke out of the vault and demanded to be released, so here they are with a fresh new look, ready to help you scrap about your lil’ monsters!

And here’s some inspiration from the wonderful QTs!

Now there’s also a special deal going on at Scrap Orchard all this week! Here’s the details:

Or you can…

There are some things that aren’t included though: Charity Products, Artisan Notebook Magazines, Grab Bags, Retiring Products & Services do not count toward the minimum purchase total. Cannot be combined with any coupons.

And finaly onto this weeks winner who commented on the blog yesterday & has won No Monsters Allowed!

The winner is…..ERIN! Congrats hun! Send an email to suzyqscrapsATgmailDOTcom to claim your prize!!

Don’t forget there will be another chance to win next Thursday, plus bunches of info from SuzyQ Scraps & the QTs in between! I’ll be back next Friday so until then – Happy Scrapping!

It’s Friday! Who’s ready for a sneak peek? SuzyQ has a perfect digi scrapbooking kit for every child!!!

Here are a few LOs created by the CT and a special note.

Don’t forget, when this releases on Friday, it is 20% off at SuzyQ Scraps’ store.

If you’re looking for a great place to learn how to digitally scrapbook, or if you’re looking to improve your skills, I think you should check out Scrapper’s Guide.

My mom decided she wanted to try digital scrapbooking, but she’ll be the first to admit that computers are not her forte. When she purchased Photoshop Elements from Costco, it came bundled with Linda Sattgast’s CD on how to digitally scrapbook. My mom was thrilled and found the video tutorials easy to follow. She also loved that she could print out tutorials, which she has in a binder and adds to as she learns new things. Scrapper’s Guide definitely empowered my mom, and it’s so fun to see how much she’s learned, not only about digital scrapbooking but also about computers. If you’ve been frustrated trying to learn digital scrapbooking, you might want to try their Beginner Training CDs. She teaches for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements, and you can buy the CD that matches the software version you have.

If you’re looking to improve your skills, their Premier Membership might be just the thing for you. Every month you get an exclusive kit, a set of quick pages, 4 training videos, a PDF manual for each video, and more! It’s $8.99 per month, so the kit and quick pages alone make it worth the deal … so it’s definitely a steal with all its other features. (If you sign up for 1 year, you get a discount … I think it’s 12 months for the price of 10.)

I love their Tip of the Week, a free little newsletter with a nifty tip for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. I’ve learned some great tricks from these little tidbits. I’d definitely recommend this newsletter.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

I remember when I first started digital scrapbooking that I was SO confused about brushes. Once I figured out that many of the brushes were like “stamps” I decided it was time to overcome my fear of brushes and try using them. Now I use them every day — both in scrapbooking and in designing. I decided that others may also be confused about brushes, so here are some great resources for you.

Photoshop Brushes (TaylorMade Designs)
Brush Basics (Steph at The Daily Digi)
Brushes — Beyond the Basics (Stepha at The Daily Digi)

I love these heart brushes from TaylorMade:

And these paint strokes from Lauren Reid are totally on my wish list:

I just love paint strokes and splatters, so now that I’ve overcome my fear of using brushes, I think it’s probably time for me to create some fun splatter brushes. What do you think?

I’d love to see your layouts using any kind of brushes!

Hey everyone! Amber here with a desktop freebie for the new month, but first an exciting announcement! SuzyQ Scraps is featured at The Daily Digi today! Suzy has a wonderful new kit in The Digi Files #12 that you do not want to miss. Be sure to pop on over to The Daily Digi Blog to see Suzy in the Sponsor Spotlight!

Can you believe March is just around the corner?? It seems to me like the New Year’s festivities were just a couple weeks ago! I’m betting there are quite a few people out there like me who are ready for spring to make an appearance. This winter has been pretty brutal for much of the United States, so I made a fun, bright, cheery desktop for everyone to enjoy. Just click the preview to download:

Hi!  It’s Susan back again.  I didn’t realize until Wednesday night just how much I have missed blogging with SuzyQ Scraps.  I’m so excited to be sharing some radom thoughts about digital scrapbooking with you.  As I was considering what to talk about today I had a wonderful conversation with a friend who is also a digital scrapbook layout artist.  She always comes up with unique subjects to create a layout about.  I asked where she gets her inspirations from and she said that she keeps a notebook next to her all the time and just writes down ideas as they come to her.  So in honor of DJ I’m going to share 10 layout ideas to help you get a jump start on your next set of layouts.

1. Amazing weather:  Just over a week ago my area of the USA saw a record snowfall.  Ten and half inches fell in a 24 hour period which was more snow than this area had had in 111 years.  So we had the snowfall of a century!

2. Things that make you say, “huh?”  Okay if you don’t say that, then try things that confuse you.

3. Love at first sight or love that grows eternal.

4. Growing Up is Hard to Do (or is highly over rated).

5. What’s for Dinner?  The very thought of that question causes me to have a headache.

6. The emotional side of music.  Favorite styles of music and how they affect your moods.

7. 10 ways to say I love you

8. Water puddles make great play areas.

9. Did you know that small cups make great toys?

10. Boys and the things you find in their pockets.

I tried to put a little something in there for everyone.  I hope you found at least one unusual/unique idea in there that you can use to create a wonderful layout!  Until next time keep scrapping and sharing!

Life is a journey, and I think most of us would agree that in some way, great or small (but usually small, at least for me), we are seeking to improve and become better than we are right now in this moment. That isn’t to say we can’t love ourselves for who we are RIGHT NOW — I may not be perfect, but I can reflect about me and come up with a list of things that I love about me. I can also list many more things I would like to change and improve upon. As I’ve mentioned before, my focus word for the year is SUNSHINE.

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Part of bringing sunshine into my life is making positive changes — actively CHOOSING sunshine in my life. I’ve set several goals for myself … some I hope to meet this year. Others will take much longer. As I’ve traveled on my personal journey in life, I have had (and continue to have) the privilege of interacting with some truly amazing people. I feel so blessed to have their influences in my life. Each possesses at least one quality that I admire and seek for in my own life. I thought I’d share a handful of those qualities with you –partly to remind myself of the goals I have set and to hold myself accountable, but also because maybe perhaps you’re seeking these qualities in your life too, and we can help each other.

4 Qualities I Admire

1. Balance — Have you ever known someone that just always seems to have it together? I don’t know quite how to describe it — it’s not just that their home is clean and orderly, or that they never forget a commitment, or that they seem to have time for everyone. They’re just … centered. Do you know what I mean? They just radiate balance and positive energy … and just by being near them you feel some of that rub off on you, that somehow just being with them has helped to straighten out some of the inner chaos you feel. Right now, I totally crave balance (maybe because my life sometimes feel so chaotic, which I suppose is normal with a 2-year-old, lol!) and I am actively working on some little things I can change to help me be more balanced. A few days in the last 2 weeks have, overall, felt more balanced, and let me tell you, I just basked in that beauty. Wow. I hope one day I will feel balanced more hours in the day (or even days in the week) than I feel chaotic.
2. Patience — Yes, patience is definitely a virtue. I have moments (rare, brief moments) of patience and I love the sense of control I feel in those moments. The rest of the time … well, let’s just say I don’t feel very virtuous, lol! I think a healthy dose of patience in my life could go a long way to strengthening my most important relationships. Becoming more patient helps us develop a greater love — for ourselves, our families, our friends … even perhaps those who are annoying or aggravating us.
3. Good listener — Anyone who knows me knows I jabber too much. I get caught up in the conversation and then it’s jabber jabber jabber … I catch myself doing it way too much. I would much rather be a listener than a talker — but not just a listener. A good listener. I want to be involved in the conversation — not jumping ahead or zoning out, but 100% there, listening and understanding. First, though, I think I better work on just keeping my mouth shut.
4. Self-Worth — I have known more than one person in my life who just seemed to know with every fiber of her being that she had value and was beautiful just as she was. I would like to reach a point where EVERY TIME I look in the mirror, my first thoughts (maybe even my only thoughts) are positive. I think increasing my own sense of self-worth will take me a long way on my journey to increase sunshine in my life. It’s one of the reasons I’m participating in the About Me challenges in Sweet Shoppe Designs’ monthly portfolios. I want to take time to reflect on me, scrapbook about me, learn about me.

And there you have it, just 4 of the many qualities I’d love to one day have. But I think for now, I’ll just stick with these. What qualities do you admire? What improvements are you making in your life? Do you love yourself more today than you did yesterday?

It’s that time again folks! It’s Friday which means I have another fabulous digital scrapbooking  new release to show you from SuzyQ Scraps! Oh I mustn’t forget – a winner too!

If you checked out the blog on Thursday then you would’ve seen the sneek peek of today’s new release by Susan – 28 of you left comments and one lucky person has won….this…

Here’s some inspiration from the wonderful QTs…

And finally, the winner is….

Post #25 – Juli! Congrats Juli! Please send an email to suzyqscraps AT gmail DOT com to claim your Stitch Hiccups #4!

And don’t worry if you didn’t win this week – there’ll be another chance on Thursday to win next weeks new release!

Don’t forget there’s also a color challenge running on here at the moment – you could win $10 to SuzyQ Scraps store! There aren’t any entries yet so you stand a good chance of winning!!! Using SuzyQ’s designs is NOT required, but appreciated Check out QT Meg’s post to find out more!

Well that’s all I have for you today so happy scrapping & I’ll be back to post next week!