Just a few odds and ends to make sure get out there from the last week or so. These are things that don’t really need a full post, but I want to share with you anyways.

1. Look at my Punch Drunk Love Paper Pack getting some love over at The Daily Digi.

2. Arithmetic of Love also had some time in the sun!  It was featured in the New Release Highlights at Simple Scrapper.

3.  Check out my post about Beating the Winter Blues over at the Polka Dot Plum blog.

4.  I got FIVE layouts done over the course of the weekend!!!  Here’s a look at them.  You can see all the credits HERE.

5.  I will not have any New Releases this week.  I have been tying up some loose ends on a HUGE project, which I am *thisclose* to sharing with you.  In the meantime, you can check out all my Valentine kits and such HERE.

6.  A NEW newsletter went out earlier this week.  If you haven’t signed up for it, and would like to receive updates from me in your inbox, you can click the link on the side.  If you are signed up, and think that you’d rather not be at the time being, you can check out this link:

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7. Finally, the blog got a makeover last week!! I am looking to grow the blog and really talk about topics that are interesting to you, so that I can link them up in the sidebars. Look for a chance to share your ideas very very soon.

Well that’s all for now!! Watch for some new, interesting content this week!! With no new products to show, I’ll have to come up with something fun!!

Welcome to one of the new features on the Sir Scrapalot Designs Blog, My Layout Monday. My Layout Monday is going to be an opportunity for me to share my own scrapping with you, and let you know what has inspired me to create the layout, and what techniques I have used. So today, I wanted to share with you a layout I did over the weekend.

This layout had a few starting points. Many of you know, I spent last week taking the Jessica Sprague photo editing class, and this picture of my daughter, Keira, was a result of the class. I knew that I wanted to work with the photo again. I had also been inspired by the graphic look of some of the layouts I am seeing around lately, so I knew I wanted something graphic. When I went into my supply stash, I found this fantastic kit by Zoe Pearn C’est La Vie that I hadn’t used yet. It’s not often that a Zoe kit goes unused in my stash, so that would be the kit I would work with.

I started with the background, and there was a great ledger paper in the kit, it would give me a basic background, without being plain. Then I went in and picked two of the patterned papers that I really liked. I placed the photo on the layout, making sure to position it using the “Rule of Thirds.” I then used the custom shape tool in PS to create a rounded rectangle around the picture. I clipped the two patterned papers above and below the photo. I added an edge burn to each paper using the inner shadow setting.

After that, I knew that I needed a bit more on the layout. First, I would need a place for at least Keira’s name and a date. The kit had a great round journaling tag. I resized it a bit and place it at the top of the photo block. I had seen this great technique of cutting out the shape around the circular element on some layouts by Ali Edwards, so I used my selection tool, and gave it a shot. Love how it looks. Then I needed something underneath the photo, like for a title. I added a strip of the plain paper from the kit, and then set out for a title. I couldn’t decide on anything to add, so I turned to the word art from All You Need Overlays by Katie Pertiet. I changed the color, did a little clipping and some blending, and got the title that you see.

I thought that the layout was done at that point, but when I looked at it, something was missing. I needed something in the lower right corner to balance the look. So I grabbed a label from the kit, and positioned it so that it was hanging off the edge of the layout. I then searched for some quotes about children, and found the one you see by Richard L. Evans. The font I used was Ck Ali’s Hand. I went back, shadowed everything, and called it a day.

I hope you enjoyed our first My Layout Monday. Don’t forget to check out my post from yesterday. I am looking for YOUR imput!!

Hi guys, another week, and another FOBTY…this one is about what the flowers you pick say about you. I gotta say, this one made me feel especially girly, but I did it anyways..and it came out kinda true.

Your Daisies Say You’re Very Resilient

You have a spirt of pure optimism. Your view of the world is eternally cheerful. You are bold and vibrant. Incredibly striking, you always stand out in a crowd. You are adaptable and flexible. You can thrive in almost any situation. You are often under estimated. Your critics and enemies are in for a surprise.

So there it is. Other things going on….hmmm…I am scrapping like a fool these days, I have finished something like 35 layouts so far this year. That’s more than all of last year. The last one I did was this one of pictures of Natalie…check it out…

You can click on it for details, and it will bring you to my gallery, so you can check out some of my other work.

I am inching closer and closer to new product. You should see something by the end of the week. Keep checking in!