Digi Dares | My Spork

This week’s Digi Dare 345 is actually hosted by me!  It is also my last Digi Dares layout as part of the Digi Dares team.  This week we are scrapping about a small decision/change that has had a big impact!

My Spork:

Supplies: Good Eats, Digitally Smitten, Parker, and Wood Veneer Serif Alpha by Gina Cabrera @ digitaldesignessentials.com; Darkroom Collection: 1.0 Element Pack by Joanne Brisebois @ Oscraps; Fonts are DJB Smartypants & Populaire

Journaling:  My spork has saved 600 plastic forks + spoons.  Three years ago, I made the decision to purchase this titanium spork to use at work.  It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  Such a small change has led to big results.  I’ve saved over 600 plastic forks & spoons from the landfill.  Doing something small yet so big feels great.  I’m making a difference in the world that I live in!

For more details and to participate (I would love it if you would play along this week!), go here to the Digi Dare blog!

I’ve decided to step down from the Digi Dares team for now.  My life has been really busy and it will stay really busy until about end of January, especially at work.  I’m sad to step down from the team, since I’ve made 19 Digi Dares layouts over the last 9 months that I’m really proud of!  It has really challenged me to step out of my comfort zone in both my style and my scrapbooking topics.  It is everything it was to me when I was part of the Digi Dares a few years ago:  making challenging layouts while inspiring others.  I will miss it.

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Digi Dares | Obsessed

This week’s Digi Dare is all about something that we or our family is obsessed with.  Something that’s uniquely us.

Here’s my page.

Credits:  Beyond Measure, Stay Tuned, and So Major by One Little Bird, Star On Top by One Little Bird & Amy Martin, Be Yourself Word Art strips by Giny Scraps, fonts are Blackout and MTF My Name Is.

Journaling:  On special occasions we are totally obsessed with the jumping photo.  Give us a tripod and a beach, and we will take a few jumping shots!  Whether it’s Christmas or our anniversary, there must be a jumping photo!

What is something that is uniquely you and your family and that you do all the time?  What are you obsessed with?

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Digi Dare + WCS Nov Layout Sneak

I did a layout for this week’s Digi Dares.  It is all about what could have been!

Digi Dare #343 | I Was Going To Be…

Credits: At the Moment, Creator digital kits by One Little Bird, Star On Top by One Little Bird & Amy Martin, Splatterific 21 by Karah Fredricks, Lobster Two font, Collegiate Black font, and Collegiate Outline font.

Journaling: In 2004 I wanted to be a NFL cheerleader for the San Diego Chargers. I was a cheerleader in my teen years, and was in jazz dance for numerous years. I thought I had a chance at Charger Girl tryouts. So I showed up at the pre-tryouts to learn the routine. Wouldn’t you know it, it was a routine to a Britney Spears song. We only had an hour to learn the routine and then we had to perform it in groups of three in front of the judges. If I had more time to learn the routine, I could have done ok. But as it was, I was eliminated. I’m totally ok with it now, but back then i was disappointed. Oh what could have been!

The photo was a promo shot that I brought to the Charger Girl tryouts.  They wanted a full-body shot and a headshot.  What I forgot to mention in the journaling is that I had been taking an adult jazz dance class for a few months as a refresher, since I hadn’t danced on a team since high school.  The instructor of the class was a Charger Girl, as was the owner of the dance studio!  While I didn’t make the Charger Girls, I did get to dance in a recital that summer with the studio at the Escondido Performing Arts Center, so at least there was that.  :-)  I’m glad I tried out for the Charger Girls even though I didn’t make it.  My motto in life is always to try.  It is better than regretting not doing something, or always wondering what could have been.

It is almost November and I’ve got a sneak peek of my Write.Click.Scrapbook. November gallery layout for you!  Can you guess the theme?

Hope you had a nice weekend! 

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Digi Dares | Screen Time

This week’s Digi Dare #338 is all about technology!  We scrapped about our techno passion, following the dare rules here.

Screen Time

Credits:  Stay Tuned, Retrospective, & So Major digital kits by One Little Bird Designs; font is DJB Smartypants by Darcy Baldwin; social media icons downloaded from the internet.

Journaling: I love my iPad! Ever since I bought it back in November, I have stopped using my laptop and only use my iPad now besides by desktop. I use it to read, to watch videos, to get on social networking sites, to read the scrapbooking forums, to read blogs, and much much more! It was the best purchase I’ve ever made!

Play along with us!

Scrap a page following the rules above, and link it in the comment section in this week’s Dare to be eligible for prizes!

And by the way, with the new fall TV season upon us, you will want to check out One Little Bird’s Stay Tuned digital kit and journal cards to document all those TV-watching moments!  They are awesome!

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Digi Dares | Spontaneous Fun + Listgirl Around the Web

This week’s Digi Dare is about what we love the most about our summer.  There is much to love, but to me the best thing about summer is the long daylight hours, which allows for spontaneous fun after work!

Spontaneous Fun

Credits: Carson Park digital kit by One Little Bird; Pencil Brushes 1 by Paula Kesselring; fonts are Populaire, Listgirl Type.

Journaling: The best thing about summer is leaving work and having daylight to go out and have some spontaneous fun. Going to Balboa Park and seeing bike races at the Velodrome; bookstore dates, and meeting friends for wine tasting. Summer daylight rocks!

You can see other examples of this week’s Dare here, and participate by linking your digital layout in the comments section at the Digi Dares site.  There’s prizes every week!

Recently I’ve had a couple of layouts featured at other sites. 

First I was hopping along on the 2peas August Gardener’s Digest Blog Hop when I came upon Jill Sprott’s blog and saw that she had picked one of my layouts as inspiration this month!  I was floored and so honored!

This past Saturday, one of my Project Life spreads was featured on Michelle Bostinello’s Saturday Project Life Blog Hop.  So cool!

Then this morning I was just reading some blogs in Feedly when I happened upon the Creating Keepsake blog and saw one of my layouts there, about summer pages!  How fun!

Have a nice week!  :-)

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Simple Pleasures (Digi Dare #334)

I did a layout for this week's Digi Dare and it was not easy for me.  I'm not really an art journal type of person, not even digitally.  It took me 45 minutes just to find a background paper I liked.  But this is part of why I re-joined the Digi Dares earlier this year, to challenge myself to scrap some pages that I don't normally scrap.

Digi Dare #334 was about scrapping our simple pleasures using our five senses.

Digital supplies: Let's Go Fishing by Paula Kesselring; Sea Stories by Kasia Designs; Daily Bulletin by One Little Bird; Identity by One Little Bird; Jelly Bean Toes Alphas by CK Muckosky; Staples by Flergs; Effervescent by Pixel Gypsy; A Slice Of The Good Life by Juliana Kneipp; font is LD Hipster Child.  Photo by Tara Whitney.

It took me over two hours to do this page, but it turned out okay.  :-)  Like I said, art journaling is not my typical style, so I had some difficulty with it.

Speaking of simple pleasures... I had this thought yesterday and I thought I would share it with you.  When the normal things you do don't give you a lot of joy anymore, it's time to switch things up.  At the end of May, I was unhappy with how I was spending my time.  I felt like I was spending too much time on my computer (blogging, surfing the web, etc.).  I even felt like I was spending too much time in my craft studio, instead of outside enjoying the summer.  I had let my creative "obligations" (for lack of a better word) stress me out, instead of refreshing me and bringing me joy.  And I was unhappy with my weight gain the last two years and how my body looked and performed.

So I made some changes.  I took a blogging hiatus for a month and figured out what about blogging made me happy.  I stopped spending my evenings on my computer.  I did fun things outside after work.  I discovered new things I love about San Diego.  I started reading books again, which I love to do but thought I didn't have the time before.  I watched more movies and TV shows I liked.  I spent more time with friends.  I enjoyed a less hectic creative schedule, so that every page I made was enjoyable, rather than just meeting deadlines.  And I joined Weight Watchers to lose the extra 15 lbs.

Magically, the combination of these actions has brought a lot of joy & pleasure back into my life.  It has actually made me feel more creative as well.  And now when I run, my belly doesn't feel jiggly and uncomfortable.

So if you feel some dissatisfaction with how things are going in your life, take some time to evaluate what's robbing you of your joy, and make some plans to change things up.  Bring the simple pleasures back into your life. :-)

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Digi Dares | I Will Never Forget

Digi Dare #332 this week is to scrap about something that we will never forget.  I thought about it for a long while and it was our 10th anniversary party.  We chartered a boat and invited 30 of our family and closest friends to celebrate our 10 year anniversary with us.  This was in 2004, so the event has never been documented on my blog.

Here’s my layout for the Dare.

Supplies:  Identity digital scrapbook kit & journal cards by One Little Bird; Wood Veneer Alpha Essentials by Gina Cabrera; Swim Like A Fish by Kate Hadfield; fonts are Brush Script MT and Listgirl Type.

Journaling: Surrounded by our dearest family & friends, we cruised around San Diego Bay, enjoying cocktails and dinner. It was the best celebration ever! The night concluded with fireworks over the bay, which was a great highlight of the evening. But most of all, I treasure the memories of all of us together in one place. 

I won’t ever forget our 10 year anniversary party.  I’m also wistful because my mom and my friend Barbara has passed away since then, so we could never repeat this party again.  There are so many memories… I remember that the battery on my camera ran out, so almost all the photos from the event were taken by friends, and also disposable film cameras that were on the tables!

We got to dress up.

With a family photo shoot.  Everyone looked so much younger back then!

Arriving at the dock.

Embarking on our boat…

Group photo on the boat.

Our personalized buoy.

The two of us.  Married 10 years.

Cake eating.

And our family & friends who joined us, some from afar…

Todd’s Northstar Session band mates.

Sally & me.

Todd’s sister Amy and her now ex-husband Leo.

Having a toast.

Chatting with friends.

Views of San Diego from the bay.

And fireworks at the end of the night.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime party that I’ll never forget.  So many things have changed, yet many stayed the same.  Not sure what to do for our 20th anniversary next year!  :)

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Digi Dare #329

Happy post-July 4th to my US friends!  Hope you had a good holiday full of all the American things you love! 
This week’s Digi Dare is the first dare I’ve dreamed up since returning to the Digi Dares in March!  I think it’s a fun one! 

And here’s my page for the Dare.

Credits: Daily Bulletin digital kit by One Little Bird Designs; The Little Things Washi Tapes by ninigoesdigi; Jellybean Toes alpha stamps by CD Muckosky; font is Claire Hand.
Journaling:  On June 21, 2004, Meera and I hung out together on Summer Solstice.  We decided to go downtown and I made the impulse decision to get my belly button pierced!  She held my hand as it happened.  It didn’t really hurt.  I was so surprised at myself for doing this.  To this day I still have my belly ring and I love it.  Even though it was an impulsive decision, it has stayed with me for nine years!
I would love to see your take on my Digi Dare!  Please post a link to your layout on the Digi Dares blog here by 10pm US Eastern time on Thursday 7/11 to be entered to win one of this week’s prizes.  Good luck!  :)
PS – that photo is from 2004.  My belly is no longer that flat, ha!  Too many hamburgers, apparently.  :p

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Digi Dares | A Mother Is…

This week’s Digi Dare #322 is all about mothers.  Originally this dare was going live on Mother’s Day week, so the topic was very timely.  But the Dare got pushed back due to the site redesign and the Digi Dares 6th anniversary.  Click on over to the newly redesigned Digi Dares and join us this week to scrap about motherhood, your own mother, or being a mother!

Here is my page.

Supplies:  Stargazer kit and journal cards by One Little Bird; Splatterific 21 by Karah Fredricks; Three (x4) Stitched Frames by Amy Martin; Wood Veneer Alpha Essentials (free!) by Gina Cabrera; font is PT Sans Narrow.

Journaling:  When I was little, you were the world to me. You showed me unconditional love, which gave me the confidence to explore the world and be myself. Even when I grew up and flew the nest, you were still my champion and my biggest comforter and cheerleader. Now that you’re gone, you’ve left an empty space in my heart. Even as an adult, I still need my mom. You were the moon and the stars to me. You still are.

The photo is of me and my mom.  I think I was maybe three years old in the photo.  I found this photo in an old photo album that I went through, after my mom passed away.  I’m still in the process of going through old family albums and scanning them, and then putting the scanned photos into new acid-free albums.  The project has taken a long time and I’ll blog about it sometime. 

Here is the dare.  We would love it if you would join us this week!

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Digi Dare #320 | Music Nostalgia

This week at The Digi Dares we are scrapbooking about music!  Do you have a special song that transports you back to a specific time and place?  Does it invoke memories and feelings for you? 
For me, the song “Our House” by Crosby Stills & Nash always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling about my home and my little family.  In fact, the “two cats in the yard” part totally makes me want to go adopt a brother for Noodle!  :D

Here’s my layout about the song and what it means to me.

Credits:  These Walls & These Walls Moving Day Add-On by One Little Bird; A Slice Of The Good Life by Juliana Kneipp; Wood Veneer Serif Alpha by Digital Design Essentials; fonts are Just Another Hand and Blackout.

Play along with the Digi Dares this week to win some prizes from our sponsors and designers!  You can click over to the Digi Dares site and read this week’s dare in detail and submit your layout by linking it up in the comments section! 

And this song totally reminded me of our big kitchen renovation in 2009!  In fact, the total renovation started in April 2009, so it was exactly four years ago!  It took three months and lots of headaches and not having a kitchen, but we’ve been using our new kitchen for four years now and we absolutely love it!
Here’s the before photo of our old kitchen.  Our house was built in the late 1980’s, so there was the drop-down ceiling with flourescent lighting, tile counters with grout (yuck!), and old appliances.



And here’s the “after” photo.  Three months later. 


The entire kitchen was gutted.  Even the drywalls were ripped out so that we could re-plumb all the water pipes and re-do all the electrical outlets.  So how does this related to my Digi Dare layout?  I made a kitchen renovation process video using the “Our House” song by Crosby Stills & Nash.  Please excuse the small video.  I had tried uploading to Youtube back in 2009 and they wouldn’t let me do it because I didn’t have permission to use the song.  This is my own personal video and not a commercial video, so I don’t have any problems just sharing it on my blog.  Enjoy! :-)

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Digi Dare #317 | Spring Cleaning

This week’s Digi Dare is all about spring cleaning. This could be a physical spring cleaning or maybe just a de-cluttering of your mind. You can read the specifics of the dare here.

Here’s my take on the Dare.

Credits: How It Began by One Little Bird; Rainbow Joy Elements by Lauren Grier; Bebas and SNF Sunday fonts.

We were supposed to scraplift ourselves, so this is the page I scraplifted.

This happens to be Digi Dare #88, which was my very first Dare!

Join us this week and you can win prizes!
You have until 10:00pm (EST) next Thursday (04/04) to post a link to your layout in the comments here to be entered to win this week’s prizes!
Our Random Pick receives 2 $10 coupons from our darer/designers. And the Darer’s Choice will receive a $10 coupon from EACH of our sponsors for that month! Hope you play along! :)

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The Digi Dares | I’m Back At It

From August 2008 to February 2010, I was part of the digiscrap challenge blog The Digi Dares. (I think a few of my faithful blog readers go that far back!) During my time there, I created some of my very favorite pages ever.



I have missed creating pages like these that hold a lot of meaning for me. They are more topical and thought-provoking, and allow me to explorer the artsy side of my digital abilities. So… I’m so happy to announce that I am back with The Digi Dares! They say you can’t go home again, but in this case, I feel like I’m back where I belong. :)

I am joined by a group of uber-talented digi-designers and scrappers. We will be bringing you a new challenge every week on Fridays!


You can play along every week and submit and link up your layout for a chance to win some awesome prizes from our sponsoring designers. I can guarantee you that these challenges will have you scrapbooking outside of the box! :)

This week’s Dare #315 (on 3/15!) is all about weird coincidences. Click over to The Digi Dares site to see the full dare.

Here’s my take on it.

Credits: Spritzed Paper Pack by Digital Design Essentials; Paint It Up by Designs by Lili; Doodled Swirls by Anna Aspnes; Doodleville by Miss Tiina; Wish Upon A Star by Designs by Lili; Life 365 Stamp Sheet by Karla Dudley; Heavy Duty Staples by Kate Hadfield; Serendipity Alpha by CD Muckosky; Blackout font.

We would love it if you would join us this week to make a layout about a weird coincidence, following the Dare rules. Submit your layout here by next Thursday night at 11:59pm US Eastern Daylight time for a chance to win some prizes! :)

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