Saturday Snapshot: Icy Berries

We went to the McCall Winter Carnival a couple of weekends ago. I think my boys froze, but they had fun. The snow and ice sculptures were amazing. I snapped this shot of some frozen berries.

Freebie: Be Mine Element Pack

Here is an element pack to go along with the Be Mine Paper Pack.

Freebie: Be Mine Paper Pack

In honor of Valentine's Day and American Heart Month I've created this Valentine Themed Paper Pack.



Commercial Use Okay -- Please see my Terms of Use.

Please leave me a note if you download the kit.

A Character Flaw

I have a flaw, of course it is not my only flaw. But it is one that bothers me a lot.

I like to learn new things. Which is good. So I start projects, lots of projects. Once I figure out what I need to know, I don't finish my project. Which is bad.

Here is a list of some of my unfinished projects:

• Halloween quilt, lap sized. Just needs to be bound
• Flower quilt, twin size. One more row, tied & bound. I 'gave' this to my sister for Christmas about 8 years ago.
• Sampler Quilt -- only have like 5 squares done
• Rag quilt -- the edges need to be cut so that it is 'raggy'
• Rag quilt that still needs to be assembled
• Crocheted throw that I have been working on since high school
• Blue & Orange scarf still on the 'long loom'. I made several scarves, but now I can't remember how to finish.
• A stack of homemade paper, which are supposed to be cards. Along with these are rolls of window screen and hardware cloth to make screens, and several pieces of felt.
• A roll of cording to make rag baskets.
• Several paper scrapbook pages
• Several digital scrapbook kits

I don't seem to have the attention span to finish projects, which is partly why DuWillie Design has been neglected for so long. I'm working on it.

I'm also spending some time working on myself. You can see what I'm working on at my new blog Many Small Changes.

In the mean time, please be patient with me. I'll post some new digital creations, or maybe some real life ones, soon.

Blog Backgrounds

I've made a couple of blog backgrounds. They work the best with Blogger's Minima template.

Please credit my blog if you use them.

Flower brush by Obsidian Dawn

Busy Holiday Season

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving, and are ready for the upcoming holidays. I've had a busy month. We traveled to visit my family in Alaska over Thanksgiving. I have tons of scrapbooking to do for our trip. Work has been hectic, and I've been working at home every night to meet a tight deadline that is looming. The good part is that my company is closing down for two weeks at Christmas, and I hope to get a lot of scrapbooking and designing done. So check back soon! Merry Christmas!

Saturday Snapshot: Starfish

Saturday Snapshot: Pirate Crab

This dungeness crab had a barnacle grow in an unfortunate location -- right on top of his eye. He was pretty tasty any ways.

Freebie: Template 01

I've created a template! The zip file contains both PSD and XCF (GIMP) formats. I only use the GIMP, so I hope the psd file works for you. I really like the GIMP, and find that I can figure out how to do most things with it. It even supports the PSD format. I've never really used photoshop, but the one think I think it probably does better is layer masking -- or I haven't really figured it out in the GIMP. My simple 'how to use' is this:
1.) Choose a layer labeled 'photo'
2.) Size and move your photo to fit in that layer.
3.) Select the 'photo' layer and right click on it and choose 'alpha to selection'.
2.) Select your picture layer.
5.) Invert the selection (Ctrl+I)
6.) Cut (Ctrl+X)
Please let me know if you have any problems using the template. Thanks in advance for leaving a comment when you download. My inspiration for this template was the layout I did for our engagement pictures.

Freebie: Child's Play

We recently purchased alphabet blocks for my boys. Those blocks are the inspiration for this kit. I'm trying something new, this kit is password protected. The password is freebiefun. Be on the look out for some add-ons to this kit, more papers, elements and maybe even an alpha! Please leave me a comment if you download the kit. Thanks!

Saturday Snapshot: Mendendhall Beaver Dam

I've had a pretty busy week, and I had to dig into my photo archives for today's snapshot. I've always enjoyed this photo of a beaver dam near the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska. It was taken around Thanksgiving in 2004. It was a cool autumn day and was just barely raining.

Internet Safety and Privacy

I love digital scrapbooking. I love making pages of my twins' special moments. I love looking at others layouts in online galleries. However, I have concerns over the safety of posting such personal pictures and information in public forums.

Internet safety experts warn teens to protect their personal information on social networking sites. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, in Blog Beware, warns children and teens to "Think before posting your photos. Personal photos should not have revealing information, such as school names or locations. Look at the backgrounds of the pictures to make sure you are not giving out any identifying information without realizing it. The name of a mall, the license plate of your car, signs, or the name of your sports team on your jersey or clothing all contain information that can be used to determine your location."

We warn our kids to be aware of what they post, but as digital scrapbookers we frequently post photos of our kids at school, at the park, and in front of our homes. Do your scrapbook layouts contain personally identifiable information? Could someone with ill-intent find you or your family based on what they learn in your online gallery?

I would encourage you to think about the issues, consult internet safety resources, and make the best decision for you and your family.

I will not post identifiable pictures of my boys on my public blog or in layout galleries. I will provide some information & photos of myself. I will try to find a healthy balance between extremely paranoid and completely ignorant of the dangers. Mostly, I'll try to always "think before I post."

Favorite: Gunhild

I've decided to occasionally feature a favorite of mine. My first favorite is Gunhild. She has some of the best elements. I created this page using her "Postage Stamp QP". It is of my boys' first Halloween. Check her out at http://www.storeide.se/gunhild/index.htm.

Saturday Snapshot: Happy Halloween

I hope everyone's halloween was filled with treats and not tricks! This week's snapshot is of one of our holiday pumpkins.

Freebie: Mostly Sunny

Here's my newest creations. It took forever to upload to 4shared, hopefully it downloads quicker for you. Please leave me a comment if you download it. I'm also looking for constructive criticism, so let me know what you think. Thanks for looking.

Saturday Snapshot: One Red Rose

You can probably tell from the Saturday Snapshots that I've been practicing macro photography. This one is of the roses my husband gave me on our 3rd anniversary.

Saturday Snapshot: Burning Bush

My burning bush had a very sad year. She never seemed very healthy, and I just wasn't sure what to do with her. She was never really bright green, as she had been in the past, and she started to yellow early this year, so I was a little bit worried about how her fall foliage would be. She is a brilliant color, though her leaves are kinda sad.

Freebie: Halloween Glitter Stickers

I really enjoyed making these freebie Halloween Glitter Stickers. I hope you enjoy them too. Please leave me a comment if you download them. Click on the preview for the download link.

Saturday Snapshot: Finally Fall

I love the fall. I love the crisp air. I love the crunch of the leaves under foot. I love the brilliant colors. The leaves are mostly all off the trees now, but I took this picture of my crab apple on the first of October. I love how the bright berries contrast with the changing leaves.

Freebie: Laugh Word Art

I so love to hear my boys laugh, it warms my soul and I can't help but smile.
I heard this saying once, though I'm not sure who to credit it to. If you know, I'll be happy to give credit where it is due. To download, right click and "Save picture as..."


Updated -- I hope I've spelled everything correctly now.