Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Newness from Nikki Epperson!

Good evening!  I'm sneaking in here early (shhhh!) to show you what Nikki's releasing at The DigiChick tomorrow!  I have a really good excuse this time, tho, honest!  hehe!  Tomorrow's the first and I have to work on assigning my PDP CTMs to their designers, and I don't want to be late with it OR with showing you Nikki's yummies!  So you get an early sneaky look, woot!

So!  This week you get two gorgeous new template packs (I'm talking serious awesomeness here!) AND a kit!! The kit is beautiful, I love the colors!  It's perfect for boys or girls, everyday or special layouts, especially summery ones!  :D

First, the template packs:

and
And the drool-worthy kit:
These will be 20% off in her shoppe at The DigiChick tomorrow, but if you're an instant-gratification sorta girl like me, you can always nab them early!  ;)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

PDP News

In case you are noticing any 'wonkiness' at Polka Dot Plum (now, or in the near future), I wanted to let you know that we're in the process of moving server hosts.  UCWebhosting (or whatever their name is now, it's the same joint), being known for jacking with people when they move, isn't likely to be happy about us leaving as well.  So hold onto your shorts and prepare for a wild ride, just in case!

We do have lots to look forward to, though, including... Collabracadabra! coming July 1st!

What is it?






collabracadabra is a celebration of the magic of digital scrapping.  the polka dot plum designers, want to give you a big surprise every month, with a plum designer collab!  you can grab it for FREE, the first week of the month, from our exclusive blog train.  follow the train, collect the freebies, and at the end of your journey, you will have a beautiful full collaboration, magically created, just for you.  when the week is over, the collab will only be available in the shop, but will be free with a purchase of $10.00 or more. 

this month's collab is child's play.  a huge collection of beautiful background papers and elements that celebrate the joy and wonder of being a kid.  here is a preview of all that you can collect, if you visit every blog.





as a fun added bonus...we would love for you to submit your layouts made with the new collab by the end of the month, in this thread, and on the last day of the month, we will vote on a winner that will be presented with a gift certificate to the polka dot plum shoppe!!   

AND THAT'S NOT ALL.........

there is also a full kit, selected especially for you, by one of the plum designers, for you to enjoy for FREE, if you are able to collect our special plums along the way, during your visits to our blog list.  put the plums together to form a code, and use that code at check out to receive your free featured kit.   our featured designer for july is victoria feemster!!  don't miss out on her beautiful free kit!!!

we hope that you enjoy your freebies and celebrate the magic of scrapping with us!!

to begin the journey this month, visit Emily's blog at http://polkadotpixels.blogspot.com there you will find your next stop, a portion of the free collab, and more exciting news about collabracadabra.  ENJOY!!!  can't wait to see your beautiful creations with this beautiful new kit!!

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Perfect summertime kits

First, I have to show you this absolutely gorgeous kit by Polka Dot Plum's very own Lauren and Amy, called Sweet Summertime.  It is seriously beautiful, and the colors are so perfect for my summertime photos!  I foresee MANY layouts with this amazing kit, it's full of beauty!
Here is the first (of many, I am sure!) layout I created with it:

Yes, there will likely be many pool pictures over the course of the summer!  (Don't worry, I won't put up any of me in a swimsuit, heeheee!)

I'm also really excited about this gorgeous offering from Victoria Feemster Designs called Unordinary Girl.  I LOVE the colors, and they suit my daughter perfectly!  Check it out:
Using a template from one of our challenges at Polka Dot Plum (made by Sugar Plum Jadelyn), this is the layout I created:

You're going to want this one in your stash!  :D

Friday, June 25, 2010

Season of Change

I've been contemplating my hair for months now.  I changed the color.  That helped, but it wasn't really *it*.  So yesterday, on half-a-whim, I got it cut.  A lot.  *hehe*


Not the greatest quality (cell phone pic) but you get the idea.  I'll get better photos soon!

Then, last night, I got a new baby fuzzie!



Some of you know the circumstances of my pet situation, most of you probably don't.  Suffice it to say that this is a big step for me, putting my heart on the line again, but I saw a photo of this little guy and I just could NOT resist!

I named him 'Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs'.  *rofl*

If you don't watch NCIS, that won't make any sense to you.  Google it!  :D

So, that's my season of change!

Monday, June 21, 2010

How was your Father's Day?

Yesterday was hard for me, and the kiddos.  Even though their dad and I are no longer together, I try so hard to keep things happy and positive for them.  I think it's absolutely vital to a child to have a good opinion of their parents, even if they learn later in life that maybe their parents were not the 'best' people, you know?  Anyway, despite the 1200+ miles, I arranged for them to spend some time together... bless the internet!  I set them up on the laptop with a webcam and mic, and via Skype, they got to have some fun together!

Today, I felt inspired to do a 'Daddy' page.  I had a photo that was just begging for a wide crop, and I loved this kit by Kalo Designs for it (called My Daddy and Me).  There is just so much going on in the photo that the sort-of muted blues and tans were *perfect*.  And this kit, let me tell you, is full of amazing bits.  I had to fight myself not to try to put them ALL on the page!  hehe!
And here's my layout... what do you think?

I wish things were different.  I wish my kids could have their daddy in their home, and in their daily lives.  This photo sorta breaks my heart because at the time it was taken, we had no idea that a few short months later things would crumble.  I hope that by scrapping pages of them with their father, they will retain and later cherish all of the memories, of the special days (like this one) as well as the everday love they had.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Buggie Summer, 20% off today!

Good morning, happy Thursday!  Do I ever have an adorable kit for you today!  Perfect for summer pages, girly pages, and everyday layouts alike!  Just look at these gorgeous papers and adorable elements!
I know, adorable, right?  Nikki's always got such fantastic stuff.  Pick up Buggie Summer today for 20% off at The DigiChick!
Here's the page I made using it (and one of Nikki's AWESOME templates!) and I just love how it came out!

...are you still here?  Go shopping already!  :D

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Normalcy returns, along with awesomeness!

We are working so hard to rebuild from the latest server crash over at Polka Dot Plum.  It's pretty daunting, we lost about 5 weeks' worth of data.  We're not giving up, though!  This week we started the process of rebuilding and moving ahead.  Things are starting to look 'right' again!  :D

One of the things I am most excited about is, of course, New Release Wednesday!  I have the most *delicious* kit to share with you, from Polka Dot Pixels.  Called Sugar and Spice, it is really appealing.  Have a peek:
Right?!  It's beautiful, the colors are amazing, the elements are fantastic, and look at those papers!!
One of my darling sisters-in-law is a huge cupcake fan (her kitchen is decorated in them!) so immediately I thought of her for this kit.  Here is a page I made from that inspiration, called Our Sweetie:

Isn't she a doll?  :)  If you go pick this one up today, you get it for 20% off!!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Unofficially, here's the scoop on PDP

As you are probably aware, we have been down due to some beyond-our-control, behind-the-scenes things that the hosting site was working on.  They’ve really been trying very hard to put everything back to rights, but at this point it really looks like we might have to rebuild from its current point (which was about 5 weeks ago).  Do not despair, though, we will get things back to ‘normal’ in 3 shakes of a lamb’s tail!  And sincerest apologies for all of the lost information, but please feel free to start re-uploading to the galleries, etc.  We will be putting the ever popular Challenges back up, so make sure you stop in and check them out!  Thank you so much for your patience, and for sticking with us through this mess!!  We will be working to make it up to you!  :D

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

PDP goes back in time?

I wanted to mention, in case you are wondering what is going on at Polka Dot Plum... there are behind-the-scenes issues with the server host (again) that will take an unknown amount of time to set to rights.  It's been stated that since PDP is such a 'big site' the transferring will take some time.  Meanwhile, everything has gone back to late April.  Please don't despair, the information is en route (moving, not missing!) and here's hoping this is the LAST outage we have to deal with from this server host for a long time!  :D

Monday, June 7, 2010

Brand New to PDP

Good Monday morning!  I have been dying to share with you the delightful new designer joining the PDP family! NBK joins us and her shoppe is open!  Go have a peek, her products are just absolutely beautiful! (They're also 40% off for her Grand Opening, starting today!!) A few of us had the chance to work with her kit Cloud Dancing, and this is one of those kits that is so gorgeous, I don't think it's *possible* to create an ugly layout with it!
Really elegant, right?  Here is my layout using it (you can see the rest in her detailed product images HERE.)

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Love Versatility!

Polka Dot Pixels always has beautiful kits, and this week's release is one of my favorites so far!  Dubbed 'brown paper bag', it is far from plain, and super versatile!  I LOVE when I can come back to a kit many times, and this one seems perfect for that!  Check it out:
Very gender-neutral, it can go plain or it can go fancy!  I used it to scrap a layout of my now-1-month-old niece (can you believe it's been a month already?!)  She is such a little doll-faced monkey!  I almost can't stand the cuteness!  Squeee!  Lookie!

If you pick up this yummy kit today, you get it for 20% off.  While you're there, check out this month's Plum Pickins, so summery and gorgeous!