Archive for the ‘ScrapBooking’ Category

Such a busy week in the Cates household!  At least I can mark off boy child’s  school registration.  We got that taken care of today, and took a tour of his new school  Wow, that school is big.  Next we have to do girl child’s orientation, celebrate boy child’s birthday, and make a trip to Evansville to come up with new school clothes and shoes.  Plus it is the end/beginning of the month, and there is tons of busy web work that need done.  Web site backups, payroll, monthly reports, bah!  

Penny Pinching!

With weeks like this, when its so busy and money is so tight, proper planning is the key for us to get through.  So before we went grocery shopping (normally a $250+ ordeal) I planned out our food for the week and made the grocery list out with the MUSTS to make it happen.

Our menu for the week

• Sunday:  Roast w/potatos and carrots, Mac n Cheese, Rolls
• Monday: BarBQue
• Tuesday: Fend for Yourself night
• Wednesday: Soup w/cornbread
• Thursday: Oven Fried Chicken, mac n cheese, salad
• Friday: Sloppy Joes (or meatloaf) mashed potatoes, green beans
• Saturday: Pork Chops, steamed summer veggies

What I had to have from the store:

• milk
• butter
• rump roast
• potatoes (lrg bag)
• carrots (x 2 bags)
• onions (x3)
• scallions
• broccoli (2 heads)
• lettuce
• cucumbers (x2)
• tomato
• canned veggies (x2 homestyle cut)
• can of tomato juice
• 2 lbs ground beef

Items I will need, but already have on hand

• vinegar
• eggs
• seasonings (salt, pepper, chives, garlic salt)
• mac n cheese
• rolls
• brown sugar
• cornmeal
• flour
• sugar
• bread crumbs
• parmesan
• chicken breasts
• pork loin chops
• buns
• ketchup

For breakfast this week, its no big deal  We all get up at different times, so it will be cereal or toast through out the week.  I will make pancakes Sunday.  Lunches this week will be sandwiches, left overs, or ramen noodles.  Of course I needed “extra” items like dog food, trashbags, toilet paper etc.  But, with my planning we only spent $118 at the store this week.  Not to bad for a family of 4 (with 2 dogs).  Of course, this will make next week be a bigger week because we will be running low on stuff I like to keep on hand (like meat in the deep freezer).

a new month and a new PICK UR BITS kit @ DSO

this month the team at DSO have releases the Picnic Promenade.  It is so pretty!  A pickurbits kit is basically like a megakit like we used to do in the old days.  Remember those?  It was one huge kit where you had to pay $15 to get the whole thing, even if you didn’t want it all  Well now, instead of sticking it all together, each designers bits are seperate so you can pick out the bits you want.  You aren’t stuck paying a huge amount up front to get ANY of it.  This way you can buy only the parts you want.  If you did want it ALL, you wouldn’t have to buy it all in one whop, you could buy a few pieces at a time to get the full kit.  Anyway, this months is so light and sweet.

Papers

Elements

Minis

MORE

Be sure to grab up this fantastic kit!   See all the Bits in the store: HERE

Oh before I forget…
Kim has this new kit in the store.

Off Shore

and if you remember, I used it to make this card.

“Fun in the Sun” card by Bunny Cates
using Fold Em Template 1 by Bunny Cates (me) &
Off Shore – the kit by KimB

other supplies:
Utee, VersaMark, Spicca, Distress Inks, Dimensionals, GlueDots, Snail

Well, I asked Kim and she was ok with me handing out a printable of this card for you!  Guess what she said!  It’s a pdf file, You just print it cut it out and assemble.  Easy as pie!  Well kind of easy, those branches took for ever to cut out!  LOL

so here the link to download.
Please please do not share my files!
All of my freebies are only available for a limited time and then they go in the store
so sharing my files actually hurts my business.

I also have a new release this week over at DSO.

Cozy Carnations

5 handmade carnation bits, inked, photographed, and extracted by Bunny Cates.  Carnations are approximately 2.5-3 inches in width.  Extractions are 300 dpi and ok for commercial use.

Includes:
5 png files
    -4 Carnation
    -1 Bundle

ok, I need to go get the barbque going.  have a great day!!!!!!!!

Hi there!

Cant believe its been over a week since I posted.  Everything has just been kind of… well, I don’t know what word to use.  I’ve just been hangin’ out with the fam and enjoyin’ this little bit left of summer break.  We’ve done lots of swimming and just general hanging out.  I haven’t even taken many pictures!  I even almost have “back to school” shopping done already!  Just a few odds and ends left, and a trip to Old Navy yet, but other then that.  Whoot!

I’ve really been trying to set some “goals” for myself this past few weeks in terms of figuring out exactly what I want from this site.  As most of you guys have probably heard, I am closing the DigiScrapVault at the end of August.  There is no big drama involved in the decision to close that site, which everyone seems to find hard to believe.  LOL.   Seriously though, every site closure does not mean there is drama going on behind the scenes.  I simply need to consolidate some of my “online” duties because there are not enough hours in the day.    My plans are to drop a few of my responsibilities so I can even have time to think about what I WANT (and then do it) kwim?  I do know I want to put a little more effort into the reviews section of this site.  I am even toying with the idea of reviewing some digiscrap products.  ideas ideas ideas…..  Now to find some time

DSO NEWS:

DSO has taken on a new designer.  She goes by Flower Scraps, and you can meet her right here  She only has one kit in the store so far, but I am really looking forward to seeing what else she puts out.

On the side: DSO is looking to add one more designer in July, so if you know someone who is looking for a new place to call HOME and work with a fantastic TEAM then send them here.

New Releases @ DSO

I even have some new stuff out, AND some stuff fixing to be released so I’m kind of proud of myself.  (and if you’re my friend over on Facebook then you know there is a coupon code to get 40% off all my goodies thru next Sunday!)

Briliant Charms
This set contains 8 high quality bead & charm extractions, photographed and extracted by Bunny Cates. These metallic beads and charms are saved in a larger than life (approx 2 x 2) size to allow for easier designing. They are "natural", meaning they show true to life dings and scratches.  At 300 dpi, these metals are sure to accent your designs perfectly!

This purchase contains: 
8 assorted metallic charms & beads w/transparent backgrounds in PNG format

Brilliant Beads Set 1
This set contains 8 high quality bead extractions, photographed and extracted by Bunny Cates. These beads aren’t just your standard, round, smooth glass beads. They are intricate beads with "embossed" patterns on some of them.
This purchase contains:
8 Beads w/transparent backgrounds in PNG format

and…..

and some older stuff got released/re-released

man, Im tired today. LOL!

I got to feeling crafty last night around 10pm and at 5:30AM my idea was finally finished. LOL!

So what did I make – well, first I made this cute cute “wish you were here” type card.  Check back later this week, because I have something special coming for you from this card!

“Fun in the Sun” card by Bunny Cates
using Fold Em Template 1 by Bunny Cates (me) &
Offshore – the kit by KimB

other supplies:
Utee, VersaMark, Spicca, Distress Inks, Dimensionals, GlueDots, Snail

and then there is this:

you can download this lovely right HERE.  Please remember: DO NOT SHARE MY FREEBIES.  They are only available free for a limited time and then I put them in the store.  So sharing them, actually hurts my business.  Now, if you want your friends to have them you are more then welcome to send your friends to my blog to download this set for themselves.  Just be sure to mention they need to hurry!  For example: this set will be going in the store on Friday so guess how long they will be here for FREE. 

Thank you for swinging by.  And to those of you who do leave comments, THANK YOU. 

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Happy “Day After”!  Did you survive?  We did. Barely.  LOL!  We had such a good time yesterday that even the DOGS are wore out today!

as in, “please don’t make me get up.  I don’t want to MOVE”…  rofl!

how sweet is him’s wittle faceypoo…

Seems like so much has gone on since I last did a GOOD blog post, I’m not even sure what to write about today.  So I reckon we’ll start at today and work our way backwards until we run into ourselves.  Sounds like a plan to me. 

We had a great 4th of July.  My dad was in from Chicago and he and my Gran came over yesterday for some holiday grillin’ and family chillin.  LOL.  The hubs grilled us up some fantastic yumms, we ate a late lunch and then laid around watching tv until time for fireworks.  I can’t believe we didn’t take any photos yesterday!  Where was my brain?   I did do a video of the fireworks we set off.  I’m sure there is a way to do still photos of it, since I did it before but I have never really played with this new little Recorder so I don’t know all the tricks with it.  Will try to get some up in a week or two I reckon.  ETA: Ok, I just tried and quickly, this is what I got.  Will have to play with it some and see what stills I can come up with. LOL.

Did you make it to the Live Chat the other night?  If you didn’t come you sure missed out.  Look at all the goodies the DSO team gave away during the show! I can’t tell you in words how proud I am of my team!  They only had like 2-3 days notice to get me something if they wanted to participate.  I was really hoping for at least ONE person to kick in and WOW.  Just WOW.  *points to eye* look, a tear. rofl!  Did I ever mention how much I LOVE my team?

pssttt… all of this yummy scrapbooking goodness will be in the store soon!

The chat was REALLY fun!  I hope Hummie know’s how much I appreciate her letting me “go first” and be the guinea pig.  Easier to blame mistakes and general whackiness on “Its our first show”.  hehehe!  It really was fun getting to “meet” everyone in the chatroom!  We just might have to reinstall the chatroom at DSO.  Typing isn’t the same as TALKING though. I’d been thinking about some crop-nights via webcast, maybe we’ll test it out on Ustream!

ooo I’m back. Sorry!  I got sidetracked browsing a gallery. haha.  I know, what was only a second and an eyeblink for you was an hour of REAL LIFE time. LOL!!!!!!

I guess I need to get off here for today. 

I wanted to show you what I put new at DSO and then show you something else…

These…
I made like 2 years ago.  Somehow they never made it into the store.   Which is pretty funny because somehow Shannon had them, and has been using them up a storm.  In FACT, she’s the one that noticed they weren’t in the store!  How funny is that!

Template – Bracket Album
Price: $5.00 
hmm… those should be on sale, atleast this week.  Will have to fix that.

no, THIS is even more FUNNY…

I was looking for THIS product to “show off” during the chat the other day.  I knew exactly which one to feature because its my own poetry on there etc etc…  I looked and looked and I had never added IT to the store either!   BWAHAHA!

1st Toof – Page Transparency Overlay
Price: $2.50

Please, in the future, if YOU notice I haven’t put anything new in the store in a while… won’t cha just email me and ask me what Im holding out on ya for.  hahaha!

I put this little set out.  It was my portion of the 2008 Independence MEGA KIT.

Traditional Independence
Price: $3.00  <—well , that should be on sale too.  Shoot, Im not doing too good here am I? haha!

adding stuff to my TO DO list as we go. LOL!

If you missed the free template from the chat (and last week, here) its now in the store…

Template – 062410
Price: $2.50

and then these guys…
which should ALSO be on sale this week.  *sigh* 

Brilliant Beads Set 1
Price: $5.60

ok, Im almost done.
I wanted to give you THIS

you can download this lovely right HERE.  Please remember: DO NOT SHARE MY FREEBIES.  They are only available free for a limited time and then I put them in the store.  So sharing them, actually hurts my business.  Now, if you want your friends to have them you are more then welcome to send your friends to my blog to download this set for themselves.  Just be sure to mention they need to hurry!  For example: this set will be going in the store on Friday so guess how long they will be here for FREE. 

Thank you for swinging by.  And to those of you who do leave comments, THANK YOU.  I don’t like feeling like I am talking to myself.  Even though some days, the posts really are just a way for ME to remember the day and  have nothing to do with YOU. hahaha.   I’ve been very blessed to make some wonderful friends through blogging, if they had never commented… I would have never “met” them.

Here’s wishing you a fantastic week!
Will try to post again tomorrow, but my internet is not being so friendly.  More on THAT fiasco later.

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