Easter layouts . . .

This is probably the quickest I've ever gotten holiday layouts done after the holiday! It was easy though, because I had MyLifeAndScrap's April Collab - Easter Parade to use . . . isn't this lovely?

I'm adoring the alphabet that's included and these colors are going to be so practical for all the upcoming spring layouts.

Then I had a chance to play with RebeccaPSP's kit In My Pocket . . . I knew immediately that this was the perfect kit for this new photo of Paige . . .

Off to finish up my Scrapping Survivor layout before the deadline . . . it requires camo papers and blending . . . oh my!

New Layouts . . . using Josie's photos and more!

I've been creating layouts all week . . . but not posting any . . . shame on me!

I've been using a lot of Dream Big Designs kits from MyLifeAndScrap . . . she uses such amazing color schemes that allow for really dramatic layouts . . .

This layout is from the new Delight kit by SAS Designs, also at MyLifeAndScrap . . . and because I know Sabrina will ask who she is . . . she's the daughter of one of the football players from Jeremy's team . . . she was running around after the game and her mom was so excited that I was trying to get her photo, so I thought I'd make a layout of her too!

I used Kate's template from MyLifeAndScrap's April 1-15 Template Challenge . . . it's FREE . . . grab it here!

And for this week's challenge at GingerScraps Scrapping Survivor contest, we had to create a layout about the food we miss the most while on the island . . . and the layout has to include journaling explaining why we miss it and hopefully make others drool too (grin) . . . so here was my layout that includes a love letter to these amazing chocolate cream cheese cupcakes . . .

Hope everyone's having a great weekend . . . I'm off to plant some veggies!

A Photo Challenge . . . a 30 thing list . . . FOCUS is here!

I'm so excited about this new month long photography challenge that Heather Hess and I have cooked up for PolkaDotPlum . . .

This has multiple components, a weekly lesson, tutorials, a list of fun things to shoot, a chance to win Focus: The Kit FREE and like minded scrappers! Here's a sneak peek at the April list:

So go here to learn more . . . the first person to complete HALF of this list will get the kit Focus FREE and then the person to complete the ENTIRE list will also get it FREE! Hurry up!

And to make it even better . . . Heather, Cara of Sweet Tomato Designs and I have collaborated on a themed kit called what else, but Focus! This is HUGE with over 35 papers, 66 elements and two alphabets . . . I KNOW!

My very own kit!

JustJaimee is an amazing designer who is Canadian, but currently lives in Germany . . . how cool is that?!! She designed a kit . . . based on my color choice and theme and named it . . . Just for Lori. How special do I feel right now?!!

Isn't it beautiful . . . I love the stamped alpha, the neutral color palette and the clever, clever elements!

Here are two layouts I created with it using photos of Jamie that we captured on Easter.

A photo shoot . . .

So yesterday I had the chance to shoot Josie again . . . you will recognize her from a lot of my layouts . . . this is the CUTEST girl on the planet . . . SERIOUSLY!! She is so much fun to photograph because she is so animated and loves the camera . . .

I have a LOT of photos to process, but I wanted to give a sneak peek for her mom!

Now that the contest is over . . .

at ScrapOrchard.com, I can share the layouts! We were playing anonymously, which is good but of course that meant that I couldn't share . . . since these were very, very specific challenges, I feel like I need to explain some of these layouts. This was seriously fun . . . and challenging.

Challenge #1: A famous Hollywood director is making a new movie and they are basing it on your life story (or a portion of your life). What song will be playing during the closing credits? What song sums up who you are, how you live or what you’ve learned? The rules: The only words on the page must be from your song. You can’t use any journaling to explain your song choice. You must use the song to tell us who you are.You can scrap portions of the lyrics, but not the entire song. Pick out the parts that speak the most to (or about) you.

Challenge 2: Take a moment and look deep within… what is the one thing, above all else, that is your biggest pet peeve? It may be something you find extremely annoying about people, places or things… even, possibly a ridiculous or unusual phobia. Let’s keep this light-hearted and fun!Scrap a layout about the one thing you find most annoying; tell us what is it about your pet peeve which you find absolutely irritating, what being faced with pet peeve does to you, or say nothing at all. The sky’s the limit… stretch your creative muscles.

Challenge 3: Challenge #3Scrap a layout using only one word... can you guess which word it is? You got it... Glee! You cannot use any other words, numbers, letters, punctuation... just Glee. No other restrictions... yay! (The photo is a freebie from Microsoft Clip Downloads.)

Challenge 4: We want you to scrap a list of things you love.. here's the catch, you have to have a certain number of items on your list and that special number is your age... bwhahhahahaahah!So let's say, I am.. umm.. 27, then I would write a list of 27 things I love. Simple, right?Well, there's another catch... no one ever said there could only be *one* catch!You have to use "YOUR AGE things I love" in your title or somewhere on the page.. for instance, using the example above, you know the one where I am 27 (heheheheh!), somewhere on my layout I would have to have 27 things I love.

So there you have it, my four layouts . . . I didn't win, but I had SOOOOO much fun with this and it really stretched my creativeness . . . I think I placed 4th and they only had three places (with a tie for third) . . . they were amazing layouts!

They have fantastic monthly challenges there, along with a coupon reward for participation. Their products are truly exceptional in the digi-industry, so if you haven't visited yet . . . YOU MUST! ScrapOrchard.com

Freebie from JustJaimee . . .

One of my new favorite designers . . . JustJaimee is offering a freebie kit on her new blog! Called Do What You Love . . . this is PERFECT for masculine pages, which I really don't do that often . . . I love the edgy, mixed media painterly feel to this kit . . . look what I did with it:

New Kits, New Layouts . . .

Ok, I think I've babbled enough about RebeccaPSP from MyLifeAndScrap.com . . . you know that I really like her kits . . . I think it's because they are chock full of great stuff to cluster with . . . and that's my new favorite technique! Here's a new one, Melancholic Bliss:

And then I found this one on sale Love Is Funky . . . I just love the pink and green color combination!

But before I got my scrapping fill . . . I had to use this one called Sunshine that I got as part of the DigiFile collection last month by SuzyQ Scraps and now available at ScrapOrchard.com.

While I was at ScrapOrchard.com, I grabbed this template from their template challenge and used Dani Alencar's kit Time to Rock to create this layout.

Pssst . . . I've been designing!

Check out my Page Frocks Design Blog to see what I created . . .

And ANOTHER competition!

This competition is at Gingerscraps.net . . . Gingerscraps Scrapping Survivor - Season Two . . . this one sounds intense, not sure what it's all about but with over $700 in prizes I'm game . . . I think it might get a little crazy?!!

Here's my first layout - there were some VERY SPECIFIC requirements on this layout . . .

I have one more week left of ScrapOrchard's competition . . . with no eliminations, I'm not sure how I'm doing, but I've won the first two weeks so I think that's good! I can't wait to share my layouts with you, but for now they are super anonymous!

Also . . . I took advantage of sales at MyLifeAndScrap.com and grabbed some great, colorful kits . . . here's some layouts for ya!