Have you ever created a digital scrapbook layout and gotten stuck trying to come up with words that adequately describe what you are thinking?  Adding a quote to a layout is a fabulous way to share your feelings about the moment you have captured in a photo.  Sometimes when I’m looking for inspiration to get started on a layout I’ll look for a quote first and when one snags my attention then just the right photo or kit comes to mind.

Take a look at these layouts created by Suzy and the QTs that show you how easy it is to incorporate quotes into a layout.

Now that you’ve had some visual inspiration I have a challenge for you!  Create a layout using a quote and 100% SuzyQ Scraps’ designs, then come back and link us up to your layout before Saturday, Mar. 13th at 11:59 pm Eastern and earn a 25% off coupon to use in SuzyQ Scraps’ store.  That’s not all!  One participant will be randomly chosen to win a $5.00 gift certificate to Suzy’s store!

Don’t have any of SuzyQ’s designs?  Still want to play along?  I know of a way you can get a SuzyQ freebie to use!  Suzy has an add-on freebie available at Log Your Memory, where she’s the guest designer this month.

To make it even easier I am going to give you 10 of my favorite quotes.  You don’t have to use one of these quotes for the challenge but we can always use more inspiration!

Kids: they dance before they learn there is anything that isn’t music.  ~William Stafford

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it. ~Not Your Average Dictionary

The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child. ~Joe Houldsworth

Love unlocks doors and opens windows that weren’t even there before. ~Mignon McLaughlin

To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world. ~Author Unknown

Families are like fudge — mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

Remember, if you’re headed in the wrong direction, God allows U-turns! ~Allison Gappa Bottke

Giving up doesn’t always mean you are weak. Sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go. ~Author Unknown

Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending. ~Author Unknown

I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Until next time — Happy Scrapping!

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!

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!

Happy Valentine’s Day, SuzyQ Fans!!

In honor of today, I’d like to show you a few of the many wonderful Love themed pages made by SuzyQ’s lovely QTs. I’m always amazed at the talent this group possesses, and if you haven’t browsed the SuzyQ Scraps gallery at Scrap Orchard lately – you should!! There is a ton of great inspiration to be found!

Here are some great pages that I hope will inspire you to create some pages of the memories you make today. Most of these were made with SuzyQ Scraps digital scrapbooking kit “Love Monsters“.

What do you do to show your loved ones you appreciate them? I like to make little mini-albums for my husband, and do them a few times during the year. We also make a point to tell each other “I Love You” at least once a day! I’ve always thought it was cute when Mothers put little love notes in their kids lunch, so I’m planning to do that once my son is old enough to go to school. I hope you have a wonderful, love filled day!

In just a week from now, is a special holiday of love!!! In honor of Valentine’s Day, I have a special, EASY treat for you. This recipe I found years ago and we only make it at our house for Valentine’s Day. It is so fun to take to teachers too. It’s “Conversation Heart Fudge.”

First you need these ingredients:

Your favorite milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet), white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, salt and conversation hearts or nonpareils.

Take a 6″ square pan and line with either aluminum foil or my favorite, parchment paper.

Mix together 1 1/4 cups of milk chocolate chips, 1/2 c. of sweetened condensed milk, and a dash of salt. In a separate bowl, do the same 1 1/4 c. white chocolate chips, 1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk and a dash of salt.

Heat the milk chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir until smooth, usually 1 minute. Pour into prepared pan. Now melt the white chocolate chips and cook for 20 second intervals. White chocolate scorches easily so I even half my power but not necessary. Pour on top of the milk chocolate layer.

While it is still warm, sprinkle your nonpareils on it or make rows with the conversation hearts. Notice here, I did both.

You will be thinking, how much does this make? It is a small pan but you can get tons of little pieces of fudge. Pop in the refrigerator for two hours.

Take it out and cut it according to your heart rows.

Doesn’t this look yummy? Now it is up to you about presentation. My favorite is shown here from Family Fun Magazine.

Unfortunately today, the family ate it all!!! Enjoy! Download this recipe card to store in your recipe box. It was made using Love Monsters by SuzyQ Scraps.
Happy Early Valentine’s Day!

In the wake of what has happened in Haiti, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about purpose.  Whether you believe in a higher power or not, I think we all can agree in the power of doing good for others.  48 designers came together and made a gorgeous kit.  Now to some, that might not mean much, but to the people of Haiti, who will benefit from the proceeds of this kit, I’m sure it means the world.

This crisis has gotten a lot of attention in the media, but lately as I’ve been watching and reading coverage, I can’t help but think that there are people who are going through tough times every day.  This doesn’t minimize our attention to the plight of those in Haiti, but it helps us to become more aware of our world and our place in it.

Today I want to encourage you to start looking for ways to help others.  Whether its a financial, spiritual, emotional or basic need, if you’re in the position to help someone, do it!  Get involved with local charities and foundations.  Participate in events that raise awareness for causes that matter to you.  Help someone load groceries into a car.  Hug the people you love.

Helping others is contagious.  When you do it, others will want to help too.  Get your family and your kids involved.  And when you start on the local level, it will naturally spread, and you’ll want to spread some good to people across the world.

If you feel compelled to give to Haiti, do it.  Whether its a monetary donation or a care package, I guarantee you that the people on the receiving end will be forever grateful.  Every quarter, every dollar helps, and more importantly their spirits will be uplifted when they know that we are standing with them.

Purchasing the One Love kit is a fantastic start.  The profits from the sale of this kit will be donated to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.   The bonus is that you will have a beautiful kit (and I mean spectacular, these designers have outdone themselves!) but the reward is that you will have done something to help others.  Here are some examples of gorgeous pages that people have posted in the Scrap Orchard gallery, embodying this united spirit.

The journaling on this one by Nzingha really moved me.

Check out this gorgeous page from Ola.  What a beautiful message!

And this great one by Eressea, which features a fantastic song by TobyMac.  Check out the lyrics and credits for the page here.

I am sure that many of you like to read blogs. I’m sure you’ve even been to the blog I’m going to mention. “THE PIONEER WOMAN“. Really, need I say more?

I will admit, it’s been awhile since I have visited her blog. However, once you are there, you will be there awhile. She has so many things to offer there and especially give inspiration. She has a whole section on photography. Great tutorials. Great actions!!

Another confession…….I probably spend more time on the cooking section!! I love to sit and watch her step by step explain and describe her recipes. I will say, I step back and think “Wow, the colors of that photo or the crispness.” I know lame but it really is amazing.

So take a minute and get some inspiration from her blog today. Might be a dessert or it might inspire a layout, but relax and let the Pioneer Woman take you away!

Just a reminder, don’t forget to pick up One Love at Scrap Orchard.

Hey digiworld! How is everyone doing? I hope everyone is great! I just wanted to share a little bit information on one of my other passions! I love scrapbooking, who doesn’t? But my other joy is saving money for my family! The way that I have figured out how to do that is by taking advantage of sales and coupons! I’m sure there are tons of you out there doing this! And some may want to get involved but you really aren’t sure where to start. Well, then I have some really great news for you. I’m gonna help in giving you some awesome resources!

First off is my favorite web site for couponing. She compiles a list of coupons to print or clip out of the newspaper and then matches them up with sales! She is amazing! Her website is Hip2save.com. She even has a list of freebies! Who doesn’t love freebies?!? I know I do!

I wanted to share one of the deals with you. It happens to be with Artscow and is pretty sweet! Right now if you become a fan of Artscow on Facebook you can get a free personalized photo watch with free shipping after you get 3 friends to become fans too! Free photo watch?!? Count me in!

Another of my favorites is Myfrugaladventures.com. She is great at posting some amazing deals too!

If you are associated with the military then you need to check out Hip2serve.com She compiles a list of freebies for the military and also gives a list of Commissary and PX deals! How amazing is that?!?

I hope that if you are interested in couponing that you might learn something by checking out these sites. I know there are tons more sites out there, but these are the ones that I’ve found that I really enjoy! With the way the economy is, who can’t help but save a few bucks? Thanks for letting me ramble about one of my other passions!

I thought it would be a nice change of pace to share something today that is not related to digital scrapbooking! At the start of the new year many people make resolutions to lose weight or improve their health, so I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes to help with those goals. It’s delicious, but also is good for you! Now I can’t take credit for this recipe because I found it at the Whole Food’s Market website.

Italian Sausage with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Ingredients
6 links sweet italian sausage
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 to 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 lb. zucchini, cut into ½ inch pieces
¾ lb. mixed red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Prepare sausages according to package directions, either in a sauté pan or on the grill. If they are pre-cooked you can just slice them up now. While they are cooking, heat olive oil in a large heavy sauté pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and oregano, stir for a few seconds, then add zucchini and cook 3 to 5 minutes.

When sausages are cooked, cut into large bite-sized pieces and add to pan along with tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Continue to sauté until tomatoes are just softened, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a large platter and serve.

I made this for dinner last night and took some pictures along the way. This is a very easy recipe and takes about 30 minutes from start to serve!

Gather your ingredients. You’ll notice that I didn’t have any fresh herbs, so I used these fresh-like herbs in a tube. They taste just as good as real fresh herbs, and are great to have on hand for emergencies.

The recipe intends for you to use un-cooked sausages, but I prefer to get the pre-cooked kind. I find it makes the recipe even faster to prepare and that’s a good thing for me! More time for scrapping!! Since I can skip the step of cooking the sausages I cut up everything before I start. Also notice that gigantic pile of garlic! Don’t skimp on the garlic…it’s what really makes this recipe come alive! You can chop the garlic finely as the recipe calls for, but I find it quicker to use a microplane grater or even a regular grater that has a small tooth option.

Now you can start the recipe going. Be sure not to leave the garlic and oregano cooking in the oil too long. It will burn! Just a few second like the recipe says.

When you add a new ingredient into the pan, be sure to stir it well to get each piece coated in the garlic & oregano mixture. It will infuse the vegetables with a great flavor.

And here is the final product! So yummy, and it’s good for you. Most people thing healthier food options have to taste bland, but with the addition of some herbs you can get food that tastes good and is good for you.

I’ve created a 4×6 recipe card for you to download and print out. Click the image to see it full size and save it by right clicking and choosing Save File As…:

I hope you’ll give this recipe a try, and I’d love to hear what you think of it. I’m also always looking for great recipes that cook-up fast, so leave me a comment if you have a recipe to share.

Sunshine.

That is my “adopted” word for 2010.

I’ve never picked a word for the year, but I really liked the idea. Thanks Ali Edwards! Visit Ali Edwards’ blog to read about her word for 2010, and about taking action with your word (bottom of her post).

As I pondered what word to choose for my focus, I really wanted something that imbued optimism and moving forward in a positive direction — moving forward, moving upward. And I’ve really been drawn to the color yellow recently. Usually, I’m drawn to red colors — ripe strawberries, crimson towels, red markers. But the last few days, yellow has just been POPPING out at me.

I had almost decided on POSITIVE to be my word, but just really didn’t like the sound of it. (Silly, I know, but ‘positive’ wasn’t sending positive vibes, lol.) So I started searching through a thesaurus, first under the word positive, then under the word optimism, and for some reason the word sunshine wandered into my thoughts. It wasn’t one of the synonyms listed for optimism, but it was pulsing in my brain like a neon light.

Sunshine. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, sunshine brings the following words to my mind: cheerfulness, optimism, confidence, positivism, hope, and happiness. Sunshine is warm and bright and joyful. It’s like a hug from heaven. And I think that’s what I need right now — an embrace from above, some hope and optimism, some confidence, and definitely some cheerfulness. 2008 was dark. 2009 was chaotic. I want 2010 to be full of sunshine.

So now that I have my focus — SUNSHINE — how do I incorporate that word into my life? Well, first, I’m going to make sure I go outside EVERY SINGLE DAY and bask in the sunshine (or lack thereof, if the sun is not shining, lol). And, since I’m a digital scrapbooker, I have a scrapbook layout bouncing around in my mind. Maybe I’ll find time today to scrap about my word — then maybe I’ll print that layout and post it by my computer to remind myself. But until I scrap and print that layout, I’m going to stick my word to my computer and to my bathroom mirror. Because I NEED visual reminders.

And I think I’ll take a few moments to think about the actions I want to take to make my word meaningful, to help it become the focus of my 2010.

Do you have a word for 2010? What is it? What action are you going to take with it?