Plum Dumpling Designs

Sneakie Peek from Plum Dumpling Designs....

2012-02-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!! It's that time of the week again, I love sneak peeks! Mary has some really cute stuff coming to her store this week. Check it out!

And what's better than a sneak peek? Well a chance to win it, of course :) Leave a comment below and Mary will pick a random winner on Friday. Good luck!

You can see the full reveal in her shop tomorrow...see ya there!

My Funny Valentine Bundle

2012-02-01T08:32:00.002-06:00

February is here! And that means a new Playgroup at Funky Playground Designs! A Playgroup is when four designers create bundles based on a common color scheme. They also create a larger collab to work as the Free with Purchase kit of the month ($12 purchase minimum). I had the greatest time working with these designers: Amber Shaw, Ocean Wide Designs and Wimpychompers! Be sure to check out their amazing collections as well!

Our theme was love. I took a little liberty and created a valentine kit with comics on the brain!

Here's the collection: My Funny Valentine Bundle. This is the best deal (and it comes with bonus freebies too!?!). Be sure to check out the shop...these are on a cRaZy SaLe!! 50% OFF!!

Each part is for sale individually too!

For the Love of Comics

Background Blitz Templates

So In Love Word Art

If you purchase any of the bundles or kits from the Playgroup, you'll receive four freebies as well, one from each designer! This is my freebie. Also available for sale.

Lovey Alpha

And here's the Free With Purchase kit that you'll receive if you spend $12 in a single transaction at Funky Playground Designs!

I also decided this would be a perfect opportunity to release my old comic kits! A little recoloring and you'll have loads of possibilities!

All American Superhero

And Super Villains

Do we have room for a little inspiration?! Of course we do!

Here's one from me...

And from the CT...

Happy Valentine's a little bit early!!

Product Highlight

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hi! Lynett here with another look at our January Product Highlight: A Photo a Day!

This kit is so versatile. I have used it for Disney layouts, school band trips, and a host of other layouts. It is always a good place to start. Here are two layouts that I have finished in the last month using this wonderful kit.
First is my son at his school Veteran's Day celebration.

This next one might not look finished because it is not. I am trying to keep track of all the books I am reading this year and this is the layout that I will be adding to as the year progresses. As you can see, I have already read 8 books this year!

Heartbreaker & He's My Valentine!

2012-01-27T10:37:00.001-06:00

I can't believe February is right around the corner! That means Valentine's is all over the scrapping shops, Pinterest and more! I'm releasing my two older Valentine kits today and will have some more lovey goodies for you on February 1st!

Both re-released Valentine kits are on sale for 20% off this weekend, so grab then while they are on sale!

First up we have He's My Valentine. Such a fun boys Valentine kit!

And Heartbreaker, a little more edgy, but still fun and can create a lot of different looks!

Here's some valentine inspiration for you!

I even created a LO! This is the first once since NOVEMBER?!? Wow! This kit was perfect for Clark's Halloween costume this year as Ghost Rider!

And from the CT...

Have a great weekend!

The Pin It Button

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-06:00

Mary here with a little Pinterest tip. I am posting this on my family blog, and I thought you guys might like to know this tip too!

I know that in terms of reality TV, news headlines, music, movies, etc. I am WAY behind the times. I mean I just found out who the Kardashians are! And my brother had to tell me! Eek! (it was maybe 2 months ago!!)

But...I know the Internet. Not the news sites obviously, but the crafty ones. I've known about Pinterest for a long time. I didn't request an invite for a while, but now that I have, I really enjoy looking at all of the fun things and scrolling and scrolling and scrolling!

Some friends of mine have talked about how they pin things and I suddenly realized...they don't have the PIN IT button! It's so easy to pin things from websites and stores that you like using the Pin It Button. So...let's get that fixed right away.

1. Head on over to Pinterest.com and log in. At the top of the screen you'll see an "About" drop down menu. Click on that and you'll see the directions for the Pin It Button!

2. Don't worry if you don't use Chrome. The proper directions pop up for whatever browser you're using...talk about cool!!

3. Once the Pin It Button is installed, you can use it to pin things from blogs, shops, websites, etc. If you are on a blog, be sure to click the title of the post that you want to pin. This gives you a direct url to that post. It sure makes it easier for yourself and others to find what you've pinned! Otherwise it may just pin it to the general url of the blog. Not so helpful if it was a tutorial from 1 year ago or something!

So. Make sure there is a direct url and then click your Pin It Button.

4. A row of images will appear. Choose the one that you would like to pin. Click Pin This

5. Now you're familiar with these next steps...put it in the right category, add a description and click the Pin It Button and you're done!

If you'd like an invite, let me know and I'll get you one. If you'd like to follow me, click on the Pinterest button on the sidebar. Happy Scrolling and Pinning!

Sneak Peeks for you....

2012-01-26T17:56:00.000-06:00

Hi Guys! Lisa here to share a couple of Sneak Peeks with you...

That's right two for you this week! WooHoo

Be sure to stop by Plum Dumpling Designs tomorrow to see the full reveal and to snatch these fun kits up!

Happy Scrapping

Gallery Standouts

2012-01-24T18:11:00.000-06:00

Hello, Ophelia here to bring you the Gallery Standouts! I went browsing in Plum Dumpling Designs gallery at FPD and found lots of gorgeous layouts.

Here are my choices for gallery standouts.

I absolutely love the blending in this page. The design is minimalist but gorgeous!
PDD Tribute to Tyler Mini Kit by shaynesgirl

I love the unique way of using the cut out snowflakes in this awesome page!
Christmas 2010 by hoorah

I am a sucker for large photo layouts and this one is fabulous!
New Year Fireworks (left) by aballen

And that's the gallery standouts for January! Want to be a GSO! Then make sure to post your layouts using Plum Dumpling Designs products in the gallery at Funky Playground Designs! Please stop by the gallery and leave some love for these gorgeous pages!

January Product Highlight: A Photo A Day

2012-01-23T18:43:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Roxana here with the Product Highlight this week! This month we are featuring one of my favorite kits A Photo A Day, with lots of fabulous elements and papers, it's so versatile you can use it for many themes. I'm sure that like me, you will be using this kit again and again!!

(preview linked to the store)

Here are some layouts I've made with this fantastic kit:

(all images linked for full credits)

Right now the kit is on sale, so you can purchase it with 30% off, then make a layout, upload it to PDD gallery at Funky Playground, and link us back here in the comments, you will be entered to win a $10 gift certificate for Plum Dumpling store at Funky Playground! Isn't it amazing?

Hurry up! The winner will be announced February 1st!

Have a great day!

Funky Playground Designs' CT Call!

2012-01-23T12:03:00.002-06:00

Check out this post in the forum for details!

SURPRISE!!!!!!!

2012-01-21T10:24:00.000-06:00

Emilee here wishing you a happy Saturday! Did you have fun reading the Dating Diaries this past week? I had a blast. Don't be let down now the week is over--today I have a SURPRISE COUPON for you! Act quickly as this coupon is only good for today, January 21.

Use the coupon code: surprise-30jan at the Plum Dumpling Designs store at Funky Playground Designs TODAY ONLY! Mary has some fun new stuff and some re-releases you really should check out.

Happy Shopping!

Dear Diary, Love Mary & TWO new date elements!!

2012-01-20T08:37:00.000-06:00

Today's our last day of The Dating Diaries! I hope you've enjoyed sharing our date stories as well as picking up some fun date elements. Today I have TWO awesome new date elements!

Today's story is my own. I debated about whether or not I should tell a fun story with dh or if I should tell one of my craziest date stories ever...I'm going with the crazy!

There was a guy at my work during college who had a big crush on me. He would leave me little treats on my chair and use any excuse to walk by. He was nice enough, but I knew a relationship wouldn't last. After a couple of months of "treats" he did ask me out on a date. I accepted. I think everyone deserves a first date. Well, we doubled with his roommate and went out to dinner and then mini golf. I ordered a steak for dinner (yep, that's the kind of date I am!) and when it was brought out to me, he leaned over with HIS fork and knife and started to CUT MY MEAT FOR ME?!? Yikes! I had to yell at him to stop cutting my meat. Dinner continued. I asked him to pass me the ketchup later in the meal, and you guessed it, he tried to squirt it on my plate! Oh my...needless to say, there was not a second date!

Today's scrappin' goodies are BRAND NEW and very fun! First up we have Date Ticker. This is a fun little product to put your date on sort of like the ticker tape!

And the second product is a digital product, but can be easily converted to a hybrid project too! Here is Perpetual Calendar. It's got a great doodle feel with a lot of elements that would be great for sprucing up your journaling on other layouts too!

Both of these new releases are on sale for 30% off this weekend only! They will go back to regular price on Monday, so get them while they are on sale!

Congratulations to our winner DOLORES! You are winning both of these products! Email or PM me at Funky Playground for your code!

On to some dating inspiration! The CT has been super busy creating LOs with all of these date products! Let's have a look...

Check out this desktop calendar Abish created?!

And some digi LOs...

Have a great weekend!

Dear Diary, Love Lisa & Heidi

2012-01-19T08:58:00.001-06:00

We are coming to the end of our Dating Diaries! I hope you've had as much fun reading these stories as I have! We do have another new date set today and TWO BRAND NEW date elements coming out tomorrow - you're going to LOVE them! ...maybe even want to marry them...sorry...I couldn't resist!

Be sure to comment on the sneak peek post for a chance to win the two date elements tomorrow!

We have two stories again today! Two more good ones...two more happy endings.

Our first story is from Lisa.

How my husband and I met was all happenstance. Even after the disaster which almost ended our first date, we are still together! I was attending summer school at Texas Women’s University and met, who is now my sister-in-law. She happily set her brother and I up on a blind date. As he was driving from Dallas, Texas to Denton, Texas for our date, a semi-truck dumped a load of concrete mix all over the road making it impossible for him to pass. This was of course before cell phones! Needless to say I was getting pretty upset from being, what I thought was him standing me up. I did not really want to see this man again. However, when he did finally arrived, he spued this unbelievable story and I have to admit, I did not believe a word of it! He made up for it and we are still living our happily ever after 33 years!

Can you believe that? When it's meant to be, it's meant to be, right?!

Our second story is from Heidi.

When my DH and I were dating, just before we were engaged, we took a Dating and Marriage Prep. class together while we were at college. We went to the same exact class, studied the same exact material, and on the final, he came away with an A, and I got a C! I remember he wondered if he needed to be a little worried...if he needed to think twice. =) We made an appointment with our teacher and we went to talk with him. I don't remember exactly what advice he gave us, but we did still get married...and I guess after 15 years and 5 kids, I would have to say that on-the-job-training was more what I needed than the book-training!

My DH's comment on the story:
It was definatly a leap of faith on my part! How do you get a C in Dating and Marriage Prep?? All you have to do is show up!

I'm glad he stuck with me...the ride has been so worth it!

Isn't that hilarious?

Today's date element re-release is Create a Calendar! These are fun to use on LOs. You can layer them up or set them apart. The fun is in the creating!

Be sure to pick up Create a Calendar today while it's still on sale!

Wanna DATE sneak?

2012-01-19T06:30:00.000-06:00

We hope you've enjoyed the Plum Dumpling CT's Dating Diaries--and Mary's new releases!--this week! Here's your chance to win some brand-new date sets, perfect for your Project 365/52/12 pages, and of course for dating all your favorite layouts!

To get in the drawing for this week's prize, just share your favorite "date" story with us! It can be romantic, funny, crazy--we've all had 'em! :) When these awesome new sets release tomorrow, Mary will pick a winner to receive them.

Just post a favorite "date" memory in the comments below... and check back tomorrow to see if you're a winner!

Dear Diary, Love Lynett & Dawn

2012-01-18T07:11:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to the Dating Diaries! A fun promotion where we share some of the dates we've been on and release some old and new date elements!

Today we have two stories for you! The first is from Lynett about how a mismatched double date turned into years of dates!

Jason and I met in graduate school. We had one class together, Classical Mechanics. I was the only girl in the class and he was the only student who would really study with me. We spent the whole semester hanging out, doing physics and becoming great friends. Towards the end of the semester, we decided to go on a double date together. The catch is I went with my boyfriend Ed (yes that was he real name) and him with his girlfriend, BJ. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at my favorite Chinese restaurant. Jason told me years later that he realized that night that he did not want to be friends with me. He sat at the dinner feeling unhappy and jealous....

Not long after that date, he broke up with BJ and asked me out. We dated for almost 2 months and on Feb. 8 of this year we will have been married for 16 years.

What a great story! I'm glad they figured out who was supposed to be with whom!! Our next story is from Dawn and it also has a happy ending!

My husband, Jesse, knew he was going to marry me after just one date. It took me a little longer though! When the time came, that he was getting ready to propose to me, we decided he would go "old school" and ask my dad for my hand in marriage! We had it all planned. He came over for supper, and was going to ask my dad after dessert. Jesse was working up the courage to ask my dad, when my dad got up, left the room, and went to bed! We were shocked, and didn't know what to do! Finally I went into my parents bedroom and asked my dad if he would come watch some TV with us for a while! When he was finally settled back in his recliner, Jesse asked him for my hand in marriage! I think it made Jesse even more nervous knowing he had missed his first opportunity and we had to quickly rethink things! We have been happily married for 15 years this June!

Modern day fairy tales!

Today's scrappin' goodies are Year Round Dates. These are one of my favorite date elements because you can tuck them in practically anywhere! And they fit so many different styles of scrapping.

Be sure to pick up Year Round Dates today while they are 20% off! Come back tomorrow for two more stories and another date re-release!

Dear Diary, Love Emilee

2012-01-17T09:17:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to the Dating Diaries! A fun promotion where we share some of the dates we've been on and release some old and new date elements!

Today's story is from Emilee. It's a funny story about a cRaZy date which is totally appropriate for the date element we're releasing today!

Once someone asked my on a blind date after hearing me give a talk in church (#1 odd thing). I didn't know him as I had recently returned from teaching English in China. Anyway, he had just returned from an LDS mission (and was thus out of dating practice) and thought we should do some service for our date (#2 odd thing). So for this blind date we met up with some of his friends and went Christmas caroling at a nursing home. But the rest of the friends deserted us and we were left alone caroling from room to room. It was so awkward because we didn't know each other and at and couldn't really get to know each other while singing (do you sense a #3?). I thought after that the date would get better, but no. Then we went to one of his friend's houses where it was a big reunion of all friends I didn't know anyone and basically got ignored. After awhile he took me home and went back to the reunion! You probably guessed that I never saw him again--and that was fine with me.

I don't think I'd be sad that there wasn't a second date either!

Today's date element is my Crazy Date Stamps. They are perfect for adding some fun to your pages. They are easy to recolor and just fun to use!

Crazy Date Stamps are on sale for 20% off TODAY ONLY! Be sure to pick them up while they are on sale!

Dear Diary, Love Ophelia

2012-01-16T09:05:00.002-06:00

Welcome back to the Dating Diaries! A fun promotion where we share some of the dates we've been on and release some old and new date elements!

Today's story is from Ophelia. Another funny first date...this time about the dangers of sleep deprivation!

I had a great first date with my DH because we already got to know each other after being on a group project together. We went to dinner and movie. The funny part of the story was when we went to the movie. I chose City of Angels. I thought the movie was okay but felt bad for DH because he had a migraine headache. He spent most of the time with his head in his hands or rubbing his temple. Well, years later, it turns out he didn't have a headache! He was tired from only getting a couple of hours of sleep the night before (we were all sleep deprived in college). The movie was slow going on some scenes so that's when he was nodding off. He didn't want me to know when I saw him with his head in his hands, he told me he had a bad headache. He told that story to his mom and she said she would've walked out on the date if that happened to her! lol

Isn't that so funny! Would you have walked out or felt bad?!

Today we are re-releasing The Longest Date. It's a fun way to date your pages with the whole date written out!

The Longest Date will be on sale for 20% off for TODAY only! Be sure to pick it up before it goes back to regular price tomorrow. But never fear...we'll have another new date appear!!

Are You A Fan??

2012-01-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

Funky Playground Designs is having a Facebook train with lots of freebies and goodies to pick up! Hop on over to the Plum Dumpling Designs' Facebook fan page to get on board and get those goodies.

You'll find your freebie when you click on the Exclusive Fan Freebie tab on the left sidebar.

Click "like" for access to the download of my portion of this awesome kit...all of the pieces coordinate so you'll have a free kit when you're all done!

Dear Diary, Love Roxana

2012-01-13T08:35:00.002-06:00

Welcome to The Dating Diaries! It's a FUN promotion where we share stories of some of the dates we've been on and release some old (and new) date elements!

Today's story is from Roxana. A funny little quip about hamburgers!

When hubby and I were dating we always had hamburgers, he loves them but I hated them, anyway every time he asked "do you want a hamburger?" I said OK with my silly face. After we got married (years later and lots of hamburgers) he asked me "why did you always say yes if you didn't like them?" And I said "Cause we were dating and I was being nice". Now I choose the places we go LOL Guess I dont have to pretend being nice anymore hehe, but now I do like hamburgers too!

That's so funny! I don't think I could have stomached all those hamburgers if I didn't like them!

Today's scrappin' goodies!

Our date element today is Date-Bits. It a really versatile little date set that gives a hand clipped look to your pages. There are so many ways to put them together - and for this weekend only, they are 20% off!

I couldn't release Date-Bits without releasing it's coordinating alpha pack, Alpha-bits! Alpha-bits were actually the inspiration for Date-Bits. This is a fantastic alpha to use when you are layering alphas or to just sneak a little letter on a page somewhere. And they are also 20% off for this weekend!

Did I mention that both of these releases are 20% off for this weekend ONLY?! We'll be back on Monday with a new set of goodies on sale for our Dating Diaries!

I also have two mini kits to release today. They were both previously part of collabs, so check your stash to see if you have them!

Winter Vacation

Tribute to Tyler

Have a lovely day and maybe even go out on a date tonight! Dh and I are going to Home Depot...FUN!!

Dear Diary, Love Denise

2012-01-12T08:28:00.003-06:00

Welcome to The Dating Diaries! It's a FUN promotion where we share stories of some of the dates we've been on and release some old (and new) date elements!

Our first story is from Denise. And is about a first date no less...and one that didn't go so well!

First dates are never quite what you anticipate. I was in college and was introduced to a really cute fellow. After some conversation, he asked me to what sounded like a fun night out - dinner and the comedy club! After a nice meal, we headed to the club, where he proceeded to ask for a table in front... yes... right in front of the comedian?!

Unfortunately for us, the comedian was one that REALLY liked to involve his audience in the act. In front of a packed house, less than ten minutes into the show, the comedian proceeded to ask my date how long we had been together. My date responded, well, I just picked her up and here we are. EEK! He evidently realized how bad that sounded, so he then proceeded to say, well I did take her to dinner first. REALLY? Then he said, she really liked the dinner I think, looking at me, didn't you? He then looks at the comedian, and says, Its our first date you know. Ai yi yi. The comedian had his act made for him! As you can imagine, we were the butt of jokes for the next thirty minutes. By the time he took me home, my face was so red I wouldn't need blush for a week.

Isn't that hilarious?! I don't think there would be a second date for me!

On to some scrappin' goodies!

What fun is a series though without a kit re-release to go with it!! So today I'm re-releasing Family Gatherings. The fun color palette and fantastic elements are perfect for scrapping some of your favorite dates!

And our date element today is...Barcode Dates! I've pulled this one out of retirement and added some years to make it last a little longer! I really love this date set. My favorite part is the holidays and special occasions that you can use to customize your dates. Too fun!

Both of these releases are 20% off for TODAY ONLY! Tomorrow we'll have a new set of goodies on sale for our Dating Diaries and we'll have some other fun releases!

Have a lovely day!

Re-Releases and The Dating Diaries!

2012-01-12T08:25:00.004-06:00

I've released some oldies but goodies into the shop!

First up is A Photo A Day which is a great kit for P365, P52, Project Life and so much more! This month, it is part of our Product Highlight Challenge. Click here for details. On sale now for 30% off!

I've also re-released Hidden Messages - the companion word art to A Photo A Day. It's on sale for 20% off right now!

Last up is an awesome date element, Dating Around. It coordinates with so many kits and LOs! You'll love having this element in your stash! It's also on sale for 20% off!

Tomorrow (January 12, 2012) we are going to be starting a FUN little series called the Dating Diaries. Be sure to check back here for more details!

Have a wonderful day!

January Product Highlight - A Photo A Day!

2012-01-09T12:30:00.001-06:00

Happy January!

Are you scrapping your way into the new year? Working on P365, P52, or Project Life? Or are you just looking to catch up on all those pictures and get them documented in your albums? Mary has the perfect kit for all your needs!

A Photo A Day is available at Funky Playground Designs! Save 30% off on this fantastic and versatile kit for the entire month of January. That means it is only $4.19!

The colors, textures, and patterns including cork, red, bright yellow, black, kraft, and blue are wonderful for so many themes including Disney, school, and everyday photos. A Photo A Day is a huge kit for such a bargain price. You'll receive 12 - 12x12 Papers, 1 full alpha (upper, lower, numbers and some punctuation), 52 Number Circles + blank, months, days of the week, and over 50 elements!!!

You are going to find yourself turning to this kit again and again for a variety of themes. It is one of my favorite Plum Dumpling kits! Following are a few of my layouts with it:

May the new year bring you happiness, joy, and lots of wonderful memories to scrap!

We would love to see what you can do with this gorgeous kit. Just scrap a layout with it, post it in the Plum Dumpling Designs gallery and link us up in the comments of this post. One lucky random poster will win a $10 gift certificate to the Plum Dumpling Designs store at Funky Playground Designs!!

Happy New Year Freebie!

2012-01-05T09:04:00.000-06:00

Happy 2012! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your friends and family. I know that we really enjoyed our time together. And now I'm happy to be getting back into the swing of things!

I have a little freebie for you today to celebrate the new year. It can be a frame or word art. You can blend it into the background or clip your favorite papers to it! Have fun and get those New Year 2012 photos and resolutions scrapped!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Challenge Details: Each month we have a freebie challenge here on the blog. Complete the challenge with the freebie and 50% Plum Dumpling Designs products, post in my Designer Gallery at Funky Playground Designs and link us up here at this post. From those entries, we'll choose a random winner to receive a $5 coupon to my shop. There is a link on the sidebar so you can click back to this post easily when you finish your LO. I can't wait to see what you create!

January's Product Highlight

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone I hope you are having a wonderful New Year! Mary is about to make it a little more bright for you because I am here to introduce you to the kit we are highlighting this month....................

A Photo A Day

This is such a fabulous kit I know you will use again and again! As I said Mary will make your New Year bright by offering this huge kit for 20% off for a very short time so grab it up at this teriffic price!

Here is a layout I made using this very versitile kit:

Happy Scrapping! and Happy New Year!

Lisa

We would love to see what you can do with this gorgeous kit. Just scrap a layout with it, post it in the Plum Dumpling Designs gallery and link us up here in the comments. One lucky random poster will win a $10 gift certificate to the Plum Dumpling Designs store at Funky Playground Designs!!

Ring in the New Year with a Blog Train

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I love a new year and new beginnings! It always feels so good to have the clean slate that is January 1st! It also means lots of other new things...including a new Primary theme which is the theme for our January 2012 LDS Blog Train!!

As always, you can find the complete list of stops at the LDS Blog Train Blog. If you are following along, you should have arrived here from Let Me Scrapbook.

I've created an alpha with a bonus paper for you today!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Have a lovely January 1st and 2012!!

Next stop: Fran's Scraps

Happy Holidays to You!

2011-12-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

Gallery Stand Outs

2011-12-22T13:49:00.000-06:00

Hello! Roxana here, and I'm bringing you the Gallery Stand Outs this month. These are the layouts I picked from Plum Dumpling's gallery at Funky Playground.

First a page that makes me smile, Our Christmas List by Tomosia. Still Believing was the perfect choice for this layout. I love how she added her list in the negative space and the mats behind her cute pics are just fantastic!

Next is Xmas Reflections by Kayjay. I love her use of one of the Season's Greeting Borders word art and the ornaments hanging from it. The glitter corners add a perfect touch to her fantastic photo!

12 Months Title Page by Nikki. This template from Year in Review Templates is just awesome, makes the perfect cover for any year book. The idea of using the Mats of the Months Club in black and white is very creative and adds an elegant touch to the layout.

Last but not least Christmas Wishes by Shaynesgirl. Her Christmas Tree is just fabulous with the pics as the hanging ornaments, that is creativity! She used Still Believing the kit and Still Believing Templates.

All the images are linked so you can go and leave some love.

Keep uploading your pages to Mary's gallery, you could be the next GSO!!!

Have a great day!!!

Tutorial: Recoloring using Mat of the Month Club Papers

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

This tutorial will show you how to recolor the Mat of the Month papers to match your favorite kits! This tutorial is written for Photoshop Elements.

1. Open your file in Photoshop Elements. You may want to duplicate this file so you don't accidentally save over the original!

2. Insert a new layer (Shift+Ctrl+N) above your paper and fill it with the desired color.

3. Change the blend mode to color.

4. Your paper will now look like this. Look at the areas that were black. Are they the color you want them? Not yet...they are still too dark. So we have to lighten them. Don't worry about the rest of the paper. We'll worry about that in a minute...

5. Duplicate the color layer and change the blend mode to Screen. (If you want to darken the color, you would set the blend mode to Multiply.)

6. Now to take care of the background because It's quite green. Duplicate your original paper (Ctrl+J) and bring it to the front (top layer).

7. Change the blending mode of this layer to Overlay. Now the background isn't as green as it was!

8. I decided to duplicate the Overlay layer again to see what effects it would have and liked this version better. You can also adjust opacity and other blending modes to see what you like. All done!

9. Here is the same technique (same settings and everything) using the paper with the black background.

Happy recoloring!

Day 12: 12 Day of Templates (and a paper pack in a pear tree)

2011-12-20T09:08:00.001-06:00

Today is the last day of our 12 Days of Templates, so I have something special for you! My first release is a new set of Year in Review templates. I love this set! It really does have something for everyone! And you don't have to limit yourself to year in review pages. You can use them for birthdays, vacations, reunions, cover pages, the list goes on and on! I also have a new paper pack out today called Mat of the Month Club. It's a wonderful addition to your scrapping stash!

Year in Review is on sale for $2 today only! Mat of the Month Club Paper Pack is on sale for 20% off this week only! I'll be posting a tutorial tomorrow on how to recolor these awesome papers to match any LO!

Congratulations to CRAZY MOM OF 6 who has won both of these new releases! Email me or PM me at Funky Playground Designs to receive your coupon code!!

Here's some awesome inspiration from the CT!

Only a few more days to enter your LOs in our Freebie Challengeand our Product Highlight Challenge! Any easy way to earn Plum Dumpling Dollars!

Sneaky, Sneaky Peek!

2011-12-19T14:57:00.001-06:00

Hello there everyone!

I'm here to bring you a sneaky, sneak peek for TWO new releases tomorrow! Here's a LO by Denise that uses both releases. How would you like a chance to WIN both new releases?!

Just leave a comment on this post and you'll be entered to win! I'll announce the winners tomorrow morning!

Good luck!

Day 11: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-19T10:34:00.001-06:00

On the eleventh day of templates my true love gave me to me...2 pagers and template therapy!!!

We have a BIG day of releases today! I have my BIG set of 2 page templates, 30 Day has September and it is on sale for a BIG 67% off!! WOW! Today only! And there's a second set of templates re-releasing today...Group Therapy Templates! Add them to your cart now!

Pick these awesome template packs up for $2 today only! Tomorrow they will return to full price!

Product Highlight- Still Believing

2011-12-19T06:30:00.000-06:00

Hi! Dawn here! This month we are highlighting Still Believing! All during this month, different CT members will be posting layouts with this kit. It will be 30% off this month and at the end of the month, we will give one lucky winner a $10 gift card to Mary's new store at Funky Playground Designs. This kit is perfect for all those Christmas memories that still need to be scrapped (admit it, you know you have them!!! Those countless photos of the kids unwrapping their gifts, or the trips to 5 different relatives houses in one day?!). Check it out at Funky Playground Designs:

http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/store/product.php?productid=26239&cat=0&page=2

For your chance to win the kit, here is what you need to do:

--If it's not already in your stash, hop over to the Plum Dumpling Designs store, HERE, and snag Still Believing for 30% off.

--Create a layout with the kit, and upload it to the PDD gallery at Funky Playground Designs HERE.

-- leave us a comment with a link to your layout in the gallery, on the following blog post: http://plumdumplingdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/12/product-highlight-dont-stop-believing.html

--Watch the PDD blog on the first month in January (Jan. 2) to see if you've won!

Be sure to come back on Mondays throughout December to see different ways the PDD CT has played with Still Believing

Here are my layouts for a little added inspiration:

Happy shopping, and Merry Christmas!

Day 10: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-16T09:05:00.000-06:00

Today's release, Still Believing Templates, is a brand new set to coordinate with my Still Believing kit and word art!

Congrats to ALICIA who has won the Still Believing Template pack! Alicia, email me or PM me at Funky Playground for your coupon code!

Here's some cheery inspiration from the CT!

Be sure to check out our monthly challenges: December Freebie Challenge and our Product Highlight Challenge!

Have a lovely day!

Mary has something new heading your way!

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone Lisa here!! It's that time of the week again...to check out the sneak peek!

Mary has a really great item coming to her store this week. Check it out!

And Mary is giving you a chance to win this product ;) Leave a comment below and she will pick a random winner on Friday.

Good luck!

But wait- there's more!
Eve here with a suprise coupon for you! Today only- 30% off everything in the shop! Use the code pdd-winter30fun

Enjoy!

Day 9: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-15T08:55:00.001-06:00

On the ninth day of templates my true love gave me to me...fun for the entire family!!!

Today you'll find my Family Fun Templates in the shop for only $2! If you haven't noticed, I LOVE putting lots of photos on a page. It's the practical scrapper in me! I always have so many pics from an event and like to use a lot of them for my pages. Family Fun Templates are no exception! They have lots of photo options with clean lines and fun for everyone!

Stay tuned for a sneak peek on the blog and a chance to win my BRAND NEW template set out tomorrow!!

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

Day 8: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-14T08:14:00.001-06:00

On the eighth day of templates my true love gave me to me...more templates to tell my story!!!

Today you'll find Storytime Templates in the shop for only $2! Get those typing fingers out and get ready to tell stories with these templates!

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

Day 7: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-13T08:03:00.001-06:00

On the seventh day of templates my true love gave me to me...templates to use year-ly!!!

Today you'll find 12 Months of Fun Templates in the shop for only $2! If you like these templates, stay tuned because I'll be releasing a BRAND NEW set of Year in Review templates later during our celebration!

Year in Review templates are not only great for reviewing your year, but they are awesome for birthday parties, holidays, reunions...any time when you have oodles of photos you'd like to scrap!

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

Still Believing Spotlight

2011-12-12T16:13:00.002-06:00

Emilee here spotlighting Still Believing. Remember Still Believing is 30% off at Funky Playground Designs all month.

I love the versatility of this kit. The doodles are super fun, but did you also know there are also two different vintage postcards included in the kit? These make gift tags simple and fun. I made this tag to attach to some homemade bread by simply using the provided postcard and some other fun kit elements:

And since my mom is a collector of vintage Christmas cards I made her a gift tag as well. I put two tags on a 4x6 canvas to print, cut and paste onto her gift--which isn't wrapped quite yet.

I didn't even add any elements to this one--it was just perfect. Go grab this kit, make some fun Christmas creations and maybe you'll win the $10 gift card to Plum Dumpling's new store at Funky Playground Designs.

Day 6: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-12T08:09:00.001-06:00

On the sixth day of templates my true love gave me to me...four ways to tell my story!

In an effort to stock my new shop with goodies, I'm going to be having a 12 Days of Templates Sale!! Each day a new template set will be released. For that day only, it will be on sale for $2! You can't beat that! I'll also be releasing some BRAND NEW templates during the 12 Days, so stay tuned!

Today you'll find Tell Your Story Templates in the shop for only $2!

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

Day 5: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-09T08:51:00.001-06:00

On the fifth day of templates my true love gave me to me...five golden frames!

Today you'll find my Framed Templates in the shop!

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

Day 4: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-08T08:45:00.001-06:00

On the fourth day of templates my true love gave me to me...paper pieces going crazy!

Today I have my very first template set as a designer. And I still love it! I gave it a teeny facelift and now it's looking better than ever. Here are...Paper Pieces Templates!

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

Day 3: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-07T08:24:00.001-06:00

******WINNER****** We forgot to post a winner of our November Product Highlight! Congratulations to SHARI!! Email me or PM me at Funky Playground Designs to receive your code!

On the third day of templates my true love gave me to me...templates perfect for a quilt bee!

Today I have another of my favorite sets. This set is not your typical template set, but can really be used to make your scrapping stash sing...Patchwork Templates!

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

Day 2: 12 Days of Templates & FREEBIE

2011-12-06T10:23:00.001-06:00

On the second day of templates, my true love gave to me...a set that had me feeling grid-dy!

In an effort to stock my new shop with goodies, I'm going to be having a 12 Days of Templates Sale!! Each day a new template set will be released. For that day only, it will be on sale for $2! You can't beat that! I'll also be releasing some BRAND NEW templates during the 12 Days, so stay tuned!

Today's release is Feeling Griddy Templates. Embrace your love of grids with this handy template pack.

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

I also have a FREE template for our December Freebie Challenge! I figured while we were celebrating template style, our freebie should be a template as well!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Challenge Details: Each month we have a freebie challenge here on the blog. Complete the challenge with the freebie and 50% Plum Dumpling Designs products, post in my Designer Gallery at Funky Playground Designsand link us up here at this post. From those entries, we'll choose a random winner to receive a $5 coupon to my shop. There is a link on the sidebar so you can click back to this post easily when you finish your LO. I can't wait to see what you create!

Congratulations to ANNA who is our winner from last month! Email me or send me a PM at Funky Playground Designs to receive your $5 code!

Day 1: 12 Days of Templates

2011-12-05T08:16:00.001-06:00

Are you ready for some countdown fun?! In an effort to stock my new shop with goodies, I'm going to be having a 12 Days of Templates Sale!! Each day a new template set will be released. For that day only, it will be on sale for $2! You can't beat that! I'll also be releasing some BRAND NEW templates during the 12 Days, so stay tuned!

Today's template set is one of my all time favorites...Bracketed Templates!

Pick this awesome template pack up for $2 today only! Tomorrow it will return to full price!

Product Highlight - Still Believing

2011-12-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Today, I am going to introduce the kit we will be highlighting this month--Mary's new Still Believing. I fell in love with this kit the very first time I saw it. It is the perfect Christmas kit and since December is upon us, we all will be thinking about Christmas this month. I know if you are anything like me, you are running around trying to get cards ready, trees decorated, and last years Christmas photos scrapped. This kit is perfect for two out of the three!

All during this month, different CT members will be posting layouts with this kit. It will be 30% off this month and at the end of the month, we will give one lucky winner a $10 gift card to Mary's new store at Funky Playground Designs.

Here's what you need to do:

--If it's not already in your stash, hop over to the Plum Dumpling Designs store, HERE, and snag Still Believing for 30% off.

--Create a layout with the kit, and upload it to the PDD gallery at Funky Playground Designs HERE.

--Come back to this blog post and leave us a comment with a link to your layout in the gallery.

--Watch the PDD blog on the first month in January (Jan. 2) to see if you've won!

Be sure to come back on Mondays throughout December to see different ways the PDD CT has played with Still Believing

Here is a new layout that I completed with this wonderful kit and the matching word art!

New Release: Still Believing & FREEBIE!

2011-12-02T09:13:00.000-06:00

************My products can now be found at funkyplaygrounddesigns.com****************

Happy December! I love everything about this month! I love the hustle and bustle, celebrating, singing carols, baking goodies...I just can't get enough. And after three Christmas seasons of designing, I finally have a full size kit to scrap my own photos with!

Still Believing

And a coordinating word art pack...

Still Believing Word Art

Congratulations to Michelle! You've won a coupon for the Still Believing kit and word art! Email or PM me for your coupon code.

I've also added some of my older word art and element packs to my new shop! Check them out here in my shop.

How about some merry inspiration from the creative team...

DOWNLOAD HERE

If you haven't noticed...I'm at a new shop! I'm moving in over at funkyplaygrounddesigns! Stop on by, say hello and check out the fun that we're having over there!

Don't Stop Believin'...

2011-12-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

... 'cause you wouldn't want to miss Plum Dumpling Designs' very special delivery tomorrow at Funky Playground Designs!

Storytelling: Look for a story and you might just find it!

2011-11-22T18:00:00.000-06:00

How are you holiday preparations going so far? Things are in full swing here and I'm loving every carol-filled minute of it! I've often heard that scrapbooking holiday pages are very difficult for people. Usually it's the same old, same old year after year.

Well...this year that's all going to change!

OK, maybe not, but maybe you'll think differently about how you want to scrapbook your holidays. This year I want you to be open to a new story. While you are going about the same old, same old, try to look for a story to tell. Look for something different, something unique, something funny?! If you are looking for a story...you just might find one!

Looking back through some of my holiday LOs, I'm surprised at how often unexpected things happen! I hope you'll find some inspiration in some of these LOs.

Like the year we had a Boxing Day Christmas...

Or the Fourth of July when Great Grandpa passed away...

Finally documenting a tradition of Thanksgiving Breakfast...

Or the year we started a tradition of Homemade Christmas PJs...

I love this Easter LO to document what the kids are into and also share a little of my faith...

And the next year's Easter LO...

Maybe use a catch phrase as the inspiration for your page like this Ho Ho Ho LO...

And I still laugh every time I see this poor, poor pitiful tree! (Hey...that would have been a cute title...)

Hope you enjoyed a little holiday tour!

And remember, look for a story as you celebrate, and you just might find it!

November Product Highlight: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

2011-11-21T06:28:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Roxana here with the Product Highlight this week! This month we are featuring Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, a beautiful kit with lots of gorgeous elements and papers, and so versatile you can use it for many themes, I'm sure you will be using this kit again and again!!

(preview linked to the store)

Here´s a layout I made with this amazing kit:

(for credits visit my ScrapMatters gallery)

Right now the kit is on sale, so you can purchase it for only $3.85, then make a layout, upload it to PDD gallery at ScrapMatters, or any other gallery and link us back here, you will be enter to win a $10 gift certificate for Plum Dumpling store!! Isn't it amazing?

Hurry up! The winner will be announced December 1st!

Moving Sale!

2011-11-16T15:47:00.001-06:00

Hi all! Big news...Plum Dumpling Designs is closing shop at ScrapMatters! My shop will close on November 22nd. I'll be opening up a new shop at Funky Playground Designs on December 1st! Hooray! Enjoy 30% off my shop through the 22nd. Your discount will be applied in your cart.

A Holiday Trick!

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Hi Plum Dumpling fans! Nikki here with a quick tip for making the most of your template collection during the holidays! I love being able to resize templates for my non-12x12 projects, so I thought I'd show you a couple of ways I like to resize in PSE, and a bit of inspiration for resized-template projects.

First, I wanted to turn a 12x12 template into a 4x4 Thanksgiving dinner placecard. I love any project that can be printed cheaply at a 1-hour photo counter! To turn this big template little, I went to Image>Resize>Image Size and changed the dimensions to width 4 and height 4. This kept all the template's layers looking exactly the same, just smaller. (This is also a GREAT trick to make inexpensive 6x6 gift albums... just set the dimensions to 6x6 and make your pages as usual, then arrange four flattened pages on a 12x12 blank canvas to send them off to print!)

I then filled the layers with papers and elements from Pieces of Fall and Indian Summer, and used the Family Gatherings alpha to put a name at the bottom of the placecard. Keep in mind that your layer elements will be much smaller, so you may need to resize your papers as well. I love the "I'm thankful for" wordart/journaling strip, which makes these placecards interactive.... and would also make them a wonderful collection into a tiny mini thankfulness album when Thanksgiving Day is done!

For my second resizing project, I wanted to make a Christmasy card, using only a part of a template. I selected the Crop tool, and set the dimensions on it to 5x7, a standard card size. I clicked on the template and moved the crop box around until the area that I wanted to use was evenly centered in the crop box.

Once I clicked the green checkmark, all the excess of the template disappeared and I was left with a perfect Christmas-photocard-sized template. I used Modern Prairie Girl, Yesterday Today Tomorrow, a button from Black & Blue, and red berry-ish brads from The Open Road to make this merry card front.

I hope these simple tricks will inspire you to stretch your template stash, and help you to create some personalized accessories for the holiday season! Happy scrapping and happy celebrating!

November Product Highlight: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

2011-11-14T17:55:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday Everyone!!

Denise here with another installment of our monthly product highlight. In November we are featuring Plum Dumpling Designs' fantastic Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow kit! It is so gorgeous and incredibly versatile! With 13 beautiful papers, a full alpha, and lots of fun elements....hearts, flowers, butterflies, buttons, tags, scalloped borders, string and the list goes on....you can use it to scrap almost anything!

Adorable isn't it? I absolutely loved working with this kit. Here is one of my layouts with Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow:

The kit is on sale at ScrapMatters right now 30% off - so snag it for $3.85! As part of our product highlight, we are sponsoring a contest for one lucky random layout poster to win a $10 gift certificate to Plum Dumpling Designs!! Yep.. you read that right.. $10!!!

Just scrap a layout with Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, post it in the ScrapMatters design gallery and link us on the November 7th product highlight post on the Plum Dumpling Blog! We'll announce the winner on December 1, so hurry up and get scrappin!

Tutorial: Filling Acrylic Elements

2011-11-08T11:25:00.002-06:00

Looking for a way to stretch your scrapping stash and cash? How about filling acrylic pieces to create a completely different look?

This tutorial was from a request from my CT. When they used the grab bag, some of them filled their acrylic pieces with a paper instead of leaving it clear. I thought...what a FUN way to think outside the box.

Speaking of stretching cash...This example was created using the new alpha available in my grab bag. The grab bag is still on sale at ScrapMatters for only $4.50! hehe...shameless plug!

Let's get started...I've created this tutorial for PSE users. Other programs may have similar features and work arounds.

1. Open your Clearly Oversized Alpha letter (or any other acrylic element).

2. We'll use the Magic Wand Tool. Be sure that the box marked "Continuous" is checked. Click on an area on the outside of the letter.

3. We are going to add the middle of the letter to our selection. While the marching ants are still going around the outside, hold the shift key and click the inside of the "a". When you press the shift key, you should get a little plus sign next to your cursor. This means you are adding to your selection.

4. Create a new layer under your letter (Layer>New>Layer or Shift+Ctrl+N). Now select the Inverse by choosing Select>Inverse or Shift+Ctrl+I. Then fill the selection with any color. Edit>Fill Selection>Foreground Color

5. Your letter should now look like this.

6. Open a paper and clip it to your filled letter (Layer>Create Clipping Mask or Ctrl+G)

Now you have a perfectly filled letter to add to your LO! Sweet!

October Product Highlight Winner Announcement

2011-11-07T19:36:00.001-06:00

The winner from last month's product highlight is annamarieje. Please send us an email and we will get you your GC.

November Product Highlight: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow

2011-11-07T09:00:00.002-06:00

It is Tuesday and everyone here in the Dumpling Gang are totally stoked about this months product highlight! I am so excited to share Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow with you. I love the versitility of this kit. It is perfect for any occasion you are scrapping, and I know you will use it again and again!

We would love to see what you can do with this gorgeous kit. Just scrap a layout with it, post it in the ScrapMatters Design Gallery and link it right here on the November 7th post. One lucky random poster will win a $10 gift certificate to the Plum Dumpling Designs store at ScrapMatters!!

I made this layout using Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow as well as Dating Around

Of course we have a freebie for you........

Grab Bag RAK Winner

2011-11-04T12:29:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to andastra who has won my complete grab bag! Email me or PM me at ScrapMatters to receive your code!!

Happy DSD!!

DSD Grab Bag, Inspiration and Freebie!

2011-11-04T07:10:00.000-05:00

It's DSD weekend! Hip, hip hooray! I hope you've got your hard drives ready for some serious downloading! If you have a chance, check out the ScrapMatters' DSD forum for some fun games and lots of great prizes! There may even be a freebie surprise for you if you scroll down far enough.

Today I've got a grab bag for you! 4 brand new products for only $4.50! In the grab bag, you get a full kit, a date element, and AWESOME new alpha, and a set of templates (PSD, TIFF, PNG, and PAGE formats). Full reveal in the shop; simply click on the preview. Check it out!

Just look at the fun the CT had with the grab bag...

by abish

And let's not forget a little freebie?! Download here.

Have a fantastic DSD weekend!

November Freebie Challenge

2011-11-03T09:01:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for another freebie? I'm here to speed up your DSD scrapping with a template! Check out the end of this post for challenge details on how to win a $5 GC to my shop!

Check out the LO I made with the template. I'm only a year "behind" on my fall leaves scrapping, hehe! click image for full credits

Lisa has created another beautiful LO with the template using an oldie but a goodie!

Challenge Details: Each month we have a freebie challenge here on the blog. Complete the challenge with the freebie, post in my Designer Gallery and link us up here at this post and we'll choose a winner to receive a $5 coupon to my shop! There is a link on the sidebar so you can click back to this post easily when you finish your LO. I can't wait to see what you create!!

The winner from last month's challenge is...SueP1963...congrats and thanks to all who participated!! Sue, watch your ScrapMatters PM box for a coupon code for my shop.

Have a fantastic DSD weekend! I'll be back tomorrow with a grab bag!

Sneak Peak

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

DSD is right around the corner and Plum Dumplings Designs has great things in store for you! Here is a sneak peak of what is coming!

What's better the new goodies? A chance to win! Leave a comment here and Mary will be back on Friday to give one away!

New Releases: Simple Gifts

2011-11-01T10:05:00.002-05:00

**scroll down for blog train post**

November 1st means Mix A Kit at ScrapMatters! The colors were just beautiful and reminded me of the simple gifts that I have in my life that are the most important gifts. I've created a sweet little element pack and coordinating papers.

The CT has scrapped about some of their simple gifts as well.

Spend time enjoying your simple gifts today!

Walk with Gratitude: LDS Blog Train

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's November 1st! Can you believe it? I'm still in shock. Good thing I have a blog train to keep me sane, lol! For a complete list of stops, please visit the LDS Blog Train blog.

This month's theme for the LDS Blog Train is Walk With Gratitude. The color palette is just beautiful.

Here's the slideshow of what you'll be picking up on the train.

And my portion...click on the image to download

Check out what Lisa from my CT did with the mini...

And Eve's LO...I know I have had experiences like this one...

Wishing you much to be thankful for!

Your next stop is Word Art World.

New Release: Tell Your Story Templates

2011-10-28T09:13:00.000-05:00

Are you gearing up for Digital Scrapbooking Day? I know I am feverishly trying to finish up a grab bag, Halloween costumes and a few other thing I have in the works. So in an effort to make your scrapping next weekend a little faster, I've created an awesome set of journaling templates. Remember, they are 20% off through Sunday!

And now, Congrats to.....SHARONG.....you've won Tell Your Story Templates! Congrats! Email me or PM me at ScrapMatters to receive your coupon code!

And some journaled inspiration from the CT!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Coming soon..............

2011-10-26T19:15:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone Lisa here!! It's that time of the week again...to check out the sneak peek! Mary has a really great item coming to her store this week. Check it out!

And Mary is giving you a chance to win this product ;) Leave a comment below and she will pick a random winner on Friday.

Good luck!

Storytelling: Fontaholic

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Are you a fontaholic? I love finding and downloading all sorts of fonts in search of the "perfect" one. I've found though that there are certain fonts that I keep going back to for the journaling on my LOs. I find it's nice to have a few go-to fonts so I don't have to stress too much about which one to use.

I try to have a favorite font in each of the following categories: Sans Serif, Serif, Typewriter, and Handwriting. These few styles will go a long way in journaling just about any LO. I'm still on the hunt for my favorite script font...any suggestions?!

Here are some of my favorites...

1. Sans Serif (I have two favorites here)
Century Gothic - no fuss, no muss. Perfect for most any LO! (usually included in software)

Slim Sans Serif - I find this font is perfect for fitting journaling into tight spaces. Available for download here.

2. Serif - I like Georgia (usually included in software). Other nice serif fonts are Times New Roman, Perpetua, or Century Schoolbook.

3. Typewriter - One of my favorites is Traveling Typewriter available here. Other fun typewriter fonts are 1942 Report, Georg and My Own Topher.

4. Handwriting - If you don't have your own handwriting turned into a font, consider it!! I had mine made into a font a few years ago and use it quite often for LOs. I think I'd like to have it redone because the "y" looks a little silly (see below), but it was well worth the investment! I don't love my handwriting, but there is something fun about your own handwriting on a LO!!

If you don't have your own handwriting font, consider one of the many fonts from Fonts for Peas by Kevin and Amanda. You might even find one that is close to your own handwriting! Some of my favorite handwriting fonts are Pea Tara, Highland Perk, SMD CamiJo, and SMD Kimby.

I'd love to hear, what are your go-to fonts?

One more week to get SUPER!!!

2011-10-24T07:46:00.001-05:00

If you haven't yet put on your cape and leapt over a tall building to get to the Plum Dumpling Designs store, you have one more week to soar over and pick up All-American Superhero for 30% off!

Click here to ZOOM to the shop!

Here's a little inspiration for you; I used not-at-all-superhero-y pictures for a page about my two "super" boys. The pics were originally very autumny, so I turned them black and white to work a little better with this comic-colored kit.

Remember to upload your Super layouts to the PDD Gallery, then post a comment on the original Product Highlight blog post to be entered to win a PDD gift code at the end of the month. Now... UP, UP, and AWAY!!!

Gallery Stand Outs

2011-10-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

Starting this month, Mary's CT are going to highlight a few layouts from her gallery at ScrapMatters (here) on this blog every month. I am Eve and am so exited to pick my favorites for October!

Let's start with Ice Cream by Debbysrose
She uses one of my favorite kits- I Scream and I love the way she uses the big photo!

Next we have Pumpkin Patch by Colson (Cara)

She uses the new Haunted Hollow kit and the colors work beautiful with the pictures she used!

And I love Day 1 by Fonnetta

She is using the The Open Road kit and I love how she lays out her trip so well with the blocking! Wish I could remember to get all those pictures on trips!

There are lots more to pick from but I don't want to overwhelm you with all my favorites! Don't forget about the chance to win a $10 Plum Dumpling gift code for using this months featured kit- All American Superhero! Read all about it and link up your layout's here for the chance to win!

Storytelling: Revising Your Journaling - the easy way!

2011-10-19T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! I'm here to show you how I sneak some revisions into my journaling. I know that sounds an awful lot like an English assignment, but never fear! We'll take this one word at a time.

One thing I do know is that when I revise my journaling, I almost ALWAYS like it better the second, third, fourth, etc. time around.

1. I start by choosing my pictures and placing them on my LO.

2. The next thing I do is start with the first draft of my writing. I start writing some very basic things about the event. I try to include the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when, why. I DON'T worry about font or any other little details. I usually choose a basic, readable font in a decent point size (here: Century Gothic, 14pt.).

I give the text a home on the page...Have you ever created a super cute LO and then have to work the words in...this way the words are at home and the elements can complement them and not compete with them.

Journaling: Clark was in his first Primary Program at church on Sunday. He was really prepared and even memorized his part. He did such a wonderful job as he got up there to say, "Following Heavenly Father's plan will bring me happiness." We are so proud of him and the fine young boy he is becoming.

3. Now I start adding my papers and trying to get the bones of my LO created.

4. I keep adding elements and thinking about the story that I'm telling. I usually remember more details as I create my page. I add my shadows. I realize that I have more to say...so I make room!

5. I go back to my journaling and fill in some extra details. I like how the journaling now reflects the cute boy in the main photo and also captures the spirit of the boy in the rest of the photos! He is a funny kid! I decided here to leave the date in as part of the journaling so that it filled the line all the way to the right.

Journaling: Clark was in his first Primary Program at church on Sunday. He was really prepared and even memorized his part. On the way to church, we went over again how he needed to speak slowly and clearly. He said to me, "Mom, everybody wants to hear what I say." I don't think we have to worry about stage fright with this one! He did such a wonderful job as he got up there to say, "Following Heavenly Father's plan will bring me happiness." We gave him a little thumbs up from our seats in the back. He saw us and put his hands up like he just scored a touchdown. He spent the rest of the program picking his nose and squirming in his seat. Just to keep us humble, I suppose! We are so proud of him and the boy he is becoming. 10.16.11

6. I finish up the LO by pulling up the bottom row of pics, adding a title and giving the words a last look over. At the end of creating a LO, I try to remember to proofread for typos. There is nothing that I hate more than having to go back and fix a typo!! Ugh!

Full credits here

And that's it! I try to sneak in a few revisions of my journaling on each LO. I really think that as I go through and revise, the page always improves. Give it a try and see how your journaling improves!

Tip: Organizing Your To-Be-Scrapped Photos

2011-10-18T07:16:00.001-05:00

For today's tip I am going to show you how I organize my ever growing folder of to-be-scrapped photos. When I first started digi-scrapping I loved to do the Power Scrapbooking challenge over at Digital Scrapbook Place. You had to create 10 LOs in one week for the challenge. They don't have the challenge anymore (not that I can see anyway), but it really helped me set up my system for organizing those pages to be scrapped.

All of my photos are organized by date on my computer's hard drive. I keep all of my scrapping supplies on an external hard drive. So when I upload photos from my camera, I instantly create a folder or multiple folders in my Photos folder of my external hard drive as well. Each one holds the photos for a page that I'd like to create.

If I have a clever title already in mind, I'll title the folder with that creative title. When I get ready to do a LO, I check this folder for all pages that I need to create. At times, I include a notepad document with some journaling or kit and template ideas or other thoughts on creating the page.

When I create the page, I simply delete the folder...without any worry that I'm deleting the originals...those are stored safely three other places, lol!!

Right now there are 235 folders to be scrapped...yikes! I keep reminding myself that this is the time to make memories...I'll scrap them later when the kids are in school!

If you are interested in Power Scrapbooking, check out this awesome article on The Daily Digi.

How do you organize your to-be-scrapped photos?

October Product Highlight: All American Superhero

2011-10-17T07:00:00.087-05:00

Hello! Roxana here to bring you a reminder of the October Product Highlight. This month we are featuring All American Superhero, a fabulous kit for all the heroes in your life, and the palette is so versatile you can use it for many more themes!

(preview linked to the store)

And here´s the page I made using All American Superhero kit, the WA from Faded Columns: Single Sentiments and a template from Feeling Griddy, everything from Plum Dumpling Designs:

So what are you waiting for, head over to PDD store, grab All American Superhero kit 30% off this month, create a layout, upload it to the Plum Dumpling Designs gallery at ScrapMatters, come back and leave a comment on the October 3 blogpost, and you could win a $10 certificate for Plum Dumplings store!

Watch the PDD blog on November 7 (first Monday of each month) to see if you've won!

Cant wait to see your layouts!

New Releases: Kit, Alpha, Sale, Freebie?! WHOA!

2011-10-14T07:50:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited to show you this week's release! I've teamed up with Inspirations from Day to bring you a spooky Halloween kit: Haunted Hollow! It's perfect for those "less than cute" Halloween memories! And remember...new releases are 20% off Friday through Sunday!

And a great coordinating alpha: Nightmarish!

And now, Congrats to.....LINDA.....you've won Haunted Hollow and Nightmarish Alpha! Congrats! Email me or PM me at ScrapMatters to receive your coupon code!

My LO:

And some spooky inspiration from the CT!

CLEARANCE SALE! Be sure to check out the clearance category at ScrapMatters to find these great products and so much more...all at 50% off!

And if that's not enough...I have a FREEBIE for you too!!

DOWNLOAD HERE

Have a spooktacular weekend!

2 Sneak Peeks and a RAK!

2011-10-13T06:30:00.000-05:00

Plum Dumpling Designs and Inspirations from Day have teamed up to bring you an amazingly spooky kit! You won't believe all the goodies and ghouls in this kit! Take a peek:

I know you are all excited to see the fullness of this kit, but you will have to wait until Friday! Plum Dumpling Designs also has an alpha perfect for all your Halloween and trick or treating photos! Take a peek at this:

These goodies will be released on Friday at ScrapMatters, so make sure you stop back for the full reveals!

Also, leave a comment on this post, telling us what your biggest fear is, and you could be a lucky winner!!! Check back on Friday , when Mary will pick a winner! Your biggest fear can be anything from black cats, lightning, snakes (my husband's), or......B-A-T-S. That last one is mine! I can't stand them! Growing up, we would have them in our house, and I can still remember waking up in the middle of the night, feeling a breeze from their wings, as they flew over my face! Still gives me the chills! So, what is your biggest fear? Make sure to leave a comment here, and you might be the BIG winner! See you Friday!

Storytelling: Look for Another Story

2011-10-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've been going through my un-scrapped photos and organizing them into folders for easy scrapbooking. I came across these photos that I absolutely LOVE! Then I started thinking...what kind of story do they tell? In typical informative storytelling, you would include the who, what, where, when, why. So it might sound something like this:

"Clark and Kent enjoy a hammock ride on a warm October day. Kent kept trying to get Clark's toes through the ropes."

I've decided that these photos didn't need to tell that story. The story is so much deeper than that. I was able to capture with the camera some decent photos of both boys smiling and playing with each other. Thinking of this story, my journaling sounds like this:

"There are moments in my day when I think to myself that my referee days will never end. Some days when you boys are wrestling, I think...this is the least they will ever hurt themselves. You boys will only get bigger and stronger. And then there are moments like these when I see what great brothers you really are. You are the only ones who can make each other laugh the hardest. You light up when you see each other. You are brothers for sure. Being around boys is definitely different for me, but as long as it is you two that I am with, I'll try to love every bit of it! I love you boys...more than you'll ever know."

It's not perfect journaling, but it's better than the first version! Although...now that I look at my page...I should add their names on the page somewhere.

Look through your photos...if the 5W's story doesn't sound too interesting...see what other story your photos can tell!

full credits here

Clearance Sale at ScrapMatters!

2011-10-11T09:51:00.003-05:00

Get your paypal ready!!!

October Product Highlight: All American Superhero!

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday Everyone!!

Denise here with another installment of our monthly product highlight. In October we are featuring Plum Dumpling Designs' fantastic All American Superhero kit! Perfect for highlighting the super dad, mom, girl, boy, or trick or treater in your life!

Adorable isn't it? I absolutely loved working with this kit. Here is one of my layouts with All American Superhero and the Plum Dumpling Designs bracketed templates:

Even more exciting is that the kit is on sale for you right now at 30% off! Yep... for just $3.85 you can scrap the superstars in your life. Check it out by clicking here!

We would love to see what you can do with this gorgeous kit. Just scrap a layout with it, post it in the ScrapMatters design gallery and link us right here on the October 3 post. One lucky random poster will win a $10 gift certificate to the Plum Dumpling Designs store at ScrapMatters!!

To get you started, I have a little freebie using the kit that you can download using Mediafire by clicking right here. Enjoy and get scrappin! We can't wait to see your layouts!

New Release: Pieces of Fall

2011-10-07T18:09:00.001-05:00

More fall goodness coming up! It feels strange to be posting about fall when it is 80+ out here today. But we'll take all the sun we can get before the cold sets in! Today I have some fantastic fall goodies for you...

And now, Congrats to.....Anna.....you won both Pieces of Fall and Pieces of Fall Paper Pack! Congrats! Email me or PM me at ScrapMatters to receive your coupon code!

I'm kind of on a photoless LO kick. Here's one about one of my favorite fall traditions...

And some fabulous fall inspiration from the CT!

Have a fantastic weekend!

October FREEBIE: Candy Corn Alpha

2011-10-06T17:46:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for another FREEBIE?! It's time for the October Freebie Challenge! I've created an alpha to celebrate one my favorite guilty pleasures of October...Candy Corn!

Here's my LO to celebrate...

And some delicious inspiration from the CT!

Challenge Details: Each month we have a freebie challenge here on the blog. Complete the challenge with the freebie, post in my Designer Gallery and link us up here at this post and we'll choose a winner to receive a $5 coupon to my shop! There is a link on the sidebar so you can click back to this post easily when you finish your LO. I can't wait to see what you create!!

The winner from last month's challenge is...SHANELL...congrats and thanks to all who participated!! Shanell, watch your ScrapMatters PM box for a coupon code for my shop.

Enjoy some candy corn...digital or otherwise!

Sneak Peek

2011-10-05T20:13:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!! It's that time of the week again, I love sneak peeks! Mary has some really cute stuff coming to her store this week. Check it out!

And what's better than a sneak peek? Well a chance to win it, of course :) Leave a comment below and Mary will pick a random winner on Friday. Good luck!

Facebook Fan FREEBIE!

2011-10-05T13:59:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! I bring you FREE tidings!! Elise's Pieces and I teamed up to bring you a FAN ONLY freebie hosted on the ScrapMatters' Facebook Page.

You'll find the download listed under Featured Designer Freebie. You'll also have access to an exclusive coupon for fans only! Here's a screenshot for you to help you find it - it's along the left sidebar...

We created this sweet little mini for you - Modern Prairie Girl

Check out some inspiration from the CT!

(Plum Dumpling Designs)

Become a fan and enjoy your freebie!!

October Product Highlight: All American Superhero!

2011-10-03T07:48:00.002-05:00

Hello! Lynett here to introduce this month's highlight kit. I picked All American Superhero! Remember that each month Mary will be offering a kit for sale in her ScrapMatters shop, and here on the blog we'll be flexing our scrapping muscles with the selected kit, and inviting you to show us your creations.

And the REALLY good news is, at the end of each Highlight month, a $10 Plum Dumpling gift code will be awarded to one lucky kit-user!

Here's what you need to do:

--If it's not already in your stash, hop over to the Plum Dumpling Designs store, HERE, and snag All American Superhero for 30% off.

--Create a layout with the kit, and upload it to the PDD gallery at ScrapMatters HERE.

--Come back to this blog post and leave us a comment with a link to your layout in the gallery.

--Watch the PDD blog on November 7 (the first Monday) to see if you've won!

Be sure to come back on Mondays throughout September to see ways the PDD CT has played with All American Superhero.
Here are two layouts that I made in the past with All American Superhero

One more announcement, the winner of the $10 gift code from last months product highlight is:

Dolores

Drop us an email and we will get that gift code to you!

New Release: Wicked Words

2011-10-01T10:14:00.001-05:00

October First!! I am loving fall already. The leaves have just started to turn and I'm headed out on my annual shopping trip this weekend. I'm all stocked up on candy corn and ready to go!

Mix A Kit this month is just screaming with awesome goodies! I've created some Wicked Words that will be perfect for any Halloween LO!

The lucky winner of Wicked Words is Dolores!! Congratulations Dolores! Email me or PM me at ScrapMatters and I'll get you the code for Wicked Words!

Here's a LO I scrapped with Wicked Words and some other Mix A Kit goodies!

And some wicked Inspiration from the CT...

And another LO with Mix A Kit and Wicked Words!

One last thing! My new CT!! A huge thank you to all who applied!

Have a lovely October First!

Happy End-of-September!

2011-09-30T06:50:00.001-05:00

Good morning! Nikki here with a little fall freebie for you.... to help tide you over til the new Mix-a-Kit release tomorrow!

DOWNLOAD HERE

I love cute decorated journal spots! This one was made with elements from Plum Dumpling Designs' wonderful kit Indian Summer.

I hope you'll enjoy using the journal spot to record some favorite fall memories! Enjoy, and be sure to come back tomorrow for some Mix-a-Kit fun!

Teaser and RAK

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hey there! One day late, but that's because Plum Dumpling Designs has an amazing MAK product coming out on Saturday, October 1st!

But the fun doesn't stop there!! Just leave a comment on this post and Mary will pick a winner on Saturday morning when her product goes live in her ScrapMatters Store!

Good luck everyone!!

Storytelling: Living Life in the Plural

2011-09-28T07:45:00.002-05:00

Do you ever have those little moments in life when they make you think of BIG things? I had such an experience a few weeks ago and finally got around to putting the story on paper. I'm so glad I did.

As I was leaving the library (by myself), I almost bumped into someone. I backed up and said, "Excuse us." I meant me and the boys! I'm so used to having them with me. Hence...living life in the plural...

full credits here

Start looking for those little moments that make you think of BIG things. They'll make fantastic scrapbook pages that you'll treasure for years to come.

Surprise! It's a sale!!!

2011-09-27T11:27:00.000-05:00

It's a surprise sale!

All wordart is on sale for 30% off!! Use code: surprisesale_927. It's good for one day only - September 27.

Everything listed below is included in the sale.

Prehistoric Pals Word Art
Vintage Postcard Creator
Season's Greetings Borders
To Be Continued
July 4th Word Art
The Good Ol' Summertime Word Art
The Great Outdoors Word Art
Hidden Messages
Adoption Word Art
Gratitude Grunge
Family Fun Word Art
Cut It Out Word Art Templates
Chatter
Messy Christmas
Faded Columns: Single Sentiments
Faded Columns: Favorite Phrases

Head over to Mary's shop and take advantage of this ONE DAY ONLY sale!!

Happy Birthday to Me (last month)!

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Isn't she lovely? She's my new best friend! Sorry for the poor quality photo, but you see...I'm taking a picture of the good camera with the bad camera. Hmmmmm... DH suggested that we get this for me for my birthday (last month), and I decided to go with it...no brainer, right?!

It's been so fun to play around with. A few weeks ago, I came across a great deal on this friendly little ebook by Kristen Duke, Say No to Auto. I had read so many great reviews from different bloggers, so I decided to spend a little bit of money on the ebook even before I bought my new camera. I am so glad I did! I love this little ebook. It is formatted so that you can print it on 4x6 pics and then have it spiral bound to keep in your camera bag. The book covers 3 steps for unlocking the manual modes of your camera. So helpful. My favorite part is the handy ISO reference chart. Seriously...makes such a difference. Kristen is such a talented natural light photographer which is really where I'd like to focus my photography efforts with my own kids.

Check out the difference between auto and manual settings! I can't believe it! This is Clark's new Godzilla. Isn't it lovely? If you want details on the Great Godzilla Gala check out this post on my family blog. Hopefully I can help someone else out who has a child who wants a Godzilla party - eek!

So...if you have a DSLR (or are planning to get one), get yourself a copy of Say No to Auto!! You'll love being able to unlock the manual modes on your camera! My kids will thank me in years to come. I'm sure of it.

**NOTE: The above review is my own opinion on the Say No to Auto ebook that I purchased.

Product Highlight: Adventures in reading

2011-09-26T16:32:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! Just wanted to remind you of this month's product highlight challenge. There's only a few day left to enter the challenge. All you have to do is create a layout using Adventures in Reading, post a comment here with a link to your layout and you'll be enter into a drawing to win a $10 GC to Mary's store. Here's a preview of the kit, it's 30% off this month.

Here's a layout I did using the kit.

Good luck everyone!!!

New Release: Getting Dirty Alpha & Last Call for the CT Call!

2011-09-23T10:23:00.002-05:00

Dirt, dirt and more dirt! Everyone needs a little dirt, right? I know with two boys I'll be using my Getting Dirty Alpha a LOT!

Getting Dirty Alpha RAK Winner: Barbara! Congrats Barbara! Please contact me with your email or ScrapMatters username and I'll get you a coupon code for your free alpha!

These pictures were the inspiration for the alpha, but I know I have many more!!

And some more Inspiration from the CT...
Ophelia

Nikki

Heidi

Today's also the last day of my CT Call! Don't delay...get your app in NOW!

Happy Friday!

Call Ends Tomorrow!

2011-09-22T08:51:00.002-05:00

This week's sneak peek!

2011-09-22T06:27:00.000-05:00

Post a comment here for a chance to win this new product! Mary will pick a winner when the product is revealed on Friday... so be sure to come back then for all the "dirt"!

Hybrid for the Holidays

2011-09-21T19:49:00.003-05:00

Did you know there are only 13 weeks until Christmas?! Are you ready? I'm getting there and this Christmas Planner, using Doodle Me Christmas by Erica Zane, is going to be my constant companion until the big day arrives! At the end of the holidays last year, I created a Google Doc Spreadsheet of all the major things I needed to do for the 13 weeks leading up until Christmas and one week after. I created my list based on our own family traditions and lists from several different websites. Anyway...this year, on my list was to make it cute! Mission accomplished!

I created a cover, a page for each week, a wardrobe checklist and a photo checklist. The weekly pages have what week it is, things to do, items for the calendar, and ways to celebrate. The wardrobe checklist is to keep me organized for those big occasions and to make sure that everyone has coordinating outfits for the days when we will be taking photos. Maybe I should color coordinate them to the kit I want to use to scrap too, hehe!! My photo checklist is a list of photos that I usually take around the holidays. I love seeing the progression of our family and the boys at the same time each year. Too fun!

How do you keep organized for the holidays? Did I miss anything?

Storytelling: Reflections

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to be hosting one of my all-time favorite challenges at ScrapMatters this month: Word Up! I've been really focusing on how my scrapbook pages tell the story of the day, event, past 10 years, etc. I want my journaling to bring home more than just the who, what, where, when and why (though these things are very important). I want to pass on thoughts, feelings, how I've changed from an event. So today I challenge you to share some reflections on a LO. Try it, you'll be so glad you did!

Here's the LO I created for the ScrapMatters' challenge. I've been wanting to do a LO of September 11th for 10 years. I finally forced myself to sit down and write about it. Was it still hard? Yes. Was it worth it? Definitely.

full credits here

You still have time to enter the challenge at ScrapMatters too if you are interested. The challenge runs until the end of September.

Happy Reflecting!

Product Highlight

2011-09-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

Hi blog readers, just a friendly reminder of our featured product for the month! Adventure's in Reading:

http://shop.scrapmatters.com/adventures-in-reading.html

and add on:

http://shop.scrapmatters.com/adventures-in-reading-add-on.html

These kits are perfect for school layouts, or the adventurous reader in your life.

Here is a layout I created using this kit and add on:

Here are the details of our featured kit again. Don't forget, you have until the end of the month (you can read more about it here: http://plumdumplingdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/09/september-product-highlight-adventures.html ).

Here's what you need to do:

--If it's not already in your stash, hop over to the Plum Dumpling Designs store, HERE, and snag Adventures in Reading for 30% off.

--Create a layout with the kit, and upload it to the PDD gallery at ScrapMatters HERE.

--Come back to this blog post and leave us a comment with a link to your layout in the gallery.

--Watch the PDD blog on October 3 (the first Monday) to see if you've won!

Can't wait to see your layouts using this fun kit, in Mary's gallery!

New Release: Feeling Griddy Templates & a CT Call

2011-09-16T08:34:00.003-05:00

Time to get GRIDDY! I love using grids on my LOs because they allow me to fit so many photos on without looking too cluttered. I've created this awesome template pack so you can use grids too! They'll make scrapping those lots-o-photo occasions easy peasy. Think birthdays, holidays, zoo trips, vacations and so much more!

And some griddy CT work...

The winner of our Sneak Peek RAK was roxanamdm. Congrats Roxana! Your coupon code is in your ScrapMatters PM box.

But wait! There's more!

Happy Friday!

Gallery Stand Outs

2011-09-15T08:00:00.002-05:00

Starting this month, Mary's CT are going to highlight a few layouts from her gallery at ScrapMatters (here) on this blog every month. I was very excited to pick the layouts for September.

Our Wendy's Tradition by sporte91
I love the clean lines of this layout and the sprinkle-flower clusters are so cute!

Monsoons by shanellgambel
I am a big fan of blocking! and the photos on this layout are just so fun. The touches of metal just pull the layout all together.

Little Helicopter Pilot by tsmspt
Wonderful clean lines but what really made me smile was the happy dog. This layout uses my favorite alpha Basically Black Alpha by Plum Dumpling Designs I love how this alpha is so useful.

And I have one more layout to showcase.
CA Adventure 2010 by WenRob
She used the Vintage Postcard Maker! I have such a hard time using them and they always turn out so cool! Combine that with all the layers in the layouts, love it!

Sneak Peek and a Chance to win

2011-09-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm here to bring you a sneak peek at this week's new release and not only that, but you also get a chance to win it. Just leave a comment on this post and Mary will pick a winner on Friday morning. Good luck everyone!!

Brown Eyed Girl Collab - 20% off!

2011-09-12T14:24:00.002-05:00

Have you seen them? Three fantastic collabs at ScrapMatters with one fantastic color palette!

Isn't this gorgeous? You can pick it up here for 20% off! I'm hoping to get some time to play with it later today!! I just love the fun and funky patterns!

2011-09-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends! Heidi here to highlight Mary's Adventures in Reading kit...reminding you it's 30 % off this month!! I love that her kits are so versatile...they can always be used for boy LOs (which is important to me since I have 4 boys! lol). Don't forget to pick up her kit!

Happy Monday to YOU!!

Tuesday Tip: Twirl your Text

2011-09-06T06:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday all! Mary here with another little tip to stretch that Vintage Postcard Creator of yours! This trick works well for twirling any text, but this is how I created the curve for the states and provinces in the Vintage Postcard Creator.

Now you can create postcards with ANY destination or greeting! Awesome.

1. Start by opening a 12x12 canvas. This is important because the size/shape of the canvas will alter the way the twirl filter works. You can test a few out and see what you like!

2. Place all of your letters from the alpha in the middle of your canvas. This is also important because where you place your text will change the way the twirl filter works. Again...trial and error is FUN!! You can see I've placed mine a little right of center.

3. Select all of your layers and merge. (Layers>Merge Down or Ctrl+E)

4. Filter>Distort>Twirl

5. The setting I used was -25 degrees, but play around with it and see what you like!!

6. Now that you have curved text, let's fit it in the postcard. I placed the postcard in the layer above the greeting.

7. I like the longer, skinnier letters, so I squish it using the bounding boxes and NOT keeping proportions constrained. When it fits in the postcard, I click the green check.

8. Now you have a lovely postcard greeting that is ready for the filling!!

Enjoy! Now if only I had a vacation planned to Hawaii...

September Product Highlight: Adventures in Reading

2011-09-05T07:00:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! Nikki here with another new Plum Dumpling blog announcement: our first monthly Product Highlight, sale, and challenge! Each month Mary will be offering a kit for sale in her ScrapMatters shop, and here on the blog we'll be flexing our scrapping muscles with the selected kit, and inviting you to show us your creations.

And the REALLY good news is, at the end of each Highlight month, a $10 Plum Dumpling gift code will be awarded to one lucky kit-user!

Here's what you need to do:

--If it's not already in your stash, hop over to the Plum Dumpling Designs store, HERE, and snag Adventures in Reading for 30% off.

--Create a layout with the kit, and upload it to the PDD gallery at ScrapMatters HERE.

--Come back to this blog post and leave us a comment with a link to your layout in the gallery.

--Watch the PDD blog on October 3 (the first Monday) to see if you've won!

Be sure to come back on Mondays throughout September to see ways the PDD CT has played with Adventures in Reading. I went a little crazy with blending modes to achieve a whole different color scheme!

(also uses a Family Fun template)

Enjoy your new school year, your fall weather, and especially your Adventures in Reading! We can't wait to see where they take you!

And... one more item of business... our lucky winner of the One Amazing Summer RAK is...

JILL!!

Congratulations, Jill! Drop us a note with your email address and your gift code will be on the way!

New Release: Prehistoric Pals & a Freebie Challenge!

2011-09-01T09:32:00.001-05:00

September? Really? It's a little bit sad and a little bit wonderful all at the same time. I'm happily exhausted from a play-filled summer and ready to settle down and get back to work. This month we are changing things up here on the Plum Dumpling Designs Blog. Be sure to check back often. We'll be offering tutorials, inspiration, a freebie challenge, discounts, RAKs and so much more. You can even subscribe so you don't miss out!

And Mix A Kit is here! I always love Mix A Kits. It's so fun to see how differently everyone interpreted the colors. This month is NO exception. There is a fantastic array of products from all of the designers. Be sure to stop by the shop and check it out. This is my contribution. We are all about dinos around here and I love it. I had so many photos sitting on my hard drive waiting for a dinosaur kit, so I had to just sit down and draw it out! I give to you the Prehistoric Pals Collection!!

And I've scrapped a LO with it too! I have plenty of dino photos to scrap, so I'll be using these products again and again!

And some romping stomping CT work!

But wait! There's more! How about a freebie template?!?

Each month we'll have a freebie challenge here on the blog. Complete the challenge with the freebie, post in my Designer Gallery and link us up here at this post and we'll choose a winner to receive a $5 coupon to my shop! There is a link on the sidebar so you can click back to this post easily when you finish your LO. I can't wait to see what you create!!

OK - now go and enjoy your September!!