I started a Yahoo Group so that we can plan a time for everyone to use the #digiscrap hash tag so that we can make it to the top of the trends!

This is especially important now that Twitter has them in the sidebar!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digiscraptwitter/

New Digital Scrapbooking Ad Yahoo Groups

I made two new ad Yahoo Group.
I've wanted to do this for years and have things the way I like and want them.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/newdigi/


A group to share new digital scrapbooking products.
These strict rules will be enforced.
New posts are moderated. Post once and show you know the rules and you will be taken off moderation. Mess up, I'll zap ya with no questions asked. I don't have the time.

1. New products only.
2. Post each product only ONE time.
3. Preview of product must be at the top of the e-mail.
4. Preview must be embedded (no attachments).
6. Preview must be large enough, but not too large.
5. One product per e-mail.
6. Subject line must be as follows only: Designer Name/Kit Name
7. Freebies allowed. Subject line must be: FREE/Designer Name/Kit (so that messages can be sorted and mass deleted if someone doesn't want free things)


*******************************

Here's one to announce challenges and chats:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digiannounce/

. Post each challenge or chat once.
2. One challenge or chat per e-mail (unless the chat is associated with the challenge directly).
3. Follow this format (copy and paste it, erase where inapplicable):
Name of Event:
Date and Time of Event:
Due Date of Challenge:
Link:
Prize:
Details:

Two Class Guides Beginning May 1

I was so excited with how well the first class guides went! The individuals participating in the first round were so awesome! They took it so seriously and I feel they really got a lot out of the courses.

I am excited to say that I will beginning two more e-mail guides on May 1 in the Subscriber Area -- one for Course 1, and one for Course 2.

I will be starting some others soon also, but these are the sign-ups available at this time.

These classes are NOT live online. They merely are e-mails that direct you to a tutorial or a challenge already within the forums to complete.

I ask that if you sign up for the guides that you make a serious commitment to yourself to follow them. No lurking allowed. The others in your class want to see what you are doing too as part of the "class" experience of doing it with someone else. You must post in the forums for each lesson as I do check to see who has completed which lessons. The e-mail guides are not for everyone. You are still welcome to go through the lessons at your own pace.

The gallery is an open gallery to those participating, so you may use any products. There is no excuse for not joining in!

FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscriptions are only $5.50 a month. You may read the instructions on how to subscribe on this page.

This course is great for new scrapbookers as well as seasoned! I have read many remarks over the past year indicating that one was hesitant to do this course because one felt that they already new the basics of scrapbooking in Photoshop Elements, only to find that they learned so much more! I always get warm fuzzies when I read that.

This Course follows the lessson plan on this index page. This course includes both the written tutorials and the video tutorials.

With this guide you will receive one e-mail a day for 20 days. This is a commitment for an intense pace, but is also flexible as you should feel free to do two or three within one day to catch up should you get behind.

After subscribing, sign up in this thread.

This course is an awesome way to scrap! This is my favorite way to scrap and learn. Consider this course as "technique challenges." There is a layout assignment with each class. This class is a great follow-up to Course 1.

This course will pull from various lessons in no specific order on this index page. Some lessons include a written tutorial, but all lessons include a video tutorial.

You may sign up for this guide, after subscribing, in this thread here.

MacGyver

Okay, this movie makes me all flushed! Wooo..la...la!

Richard Dean Anderson played MacGyver and what a hot one he is! Back when everyone else was drooling over Robert Redford, I was drooling over MacGyver. I never did see anything in Redford. As a teen, I sure was wishing for a poster of Anderson for my room!

I don't get into his new science fiction shows though, so that's a shame. Sigh.

Hubby should get me a collection of MacGyver shows for my birthay. He might just want me to watch a few before we retire for the evening. Anyone else feeling it's a bit hot in here right now?

Graduation Invitation Insert Template

I am busy getting graduation announcements out! Our school offers the graduation announcment, but I needed an insert to invite everyone back to the house following the commencement.

I thought I might just share my template with you. You can always recolor the gradient layer and the border. Replace the graphics with your school mascot or other icons. I used graphics from Obsidian Dawn.

I saved my file as a .jpg and then printed them on regular paper with 4 to a page, trimmed with scissors, and inserted into the announcement. Now, to hand address all the envelopes! Maybe I will finally get something done today!

Did you miss me?

Can you believe it's been a week since I last blogged? I'm shocked myself.

I had one regular reader write to ask me what was wrong with the e-mail service that sends out my posts here. There was nothing wrong. I just didn't write anything. It was good to be missed by her.

I've been working late so many nights at work that it is cutting down on my time for this site.

In addition, the new e-mail class guides are really keeping me busy. We had such AWESOME classes full of awesome people going on! However, each morning I would check to see who did the assignments and send out the new assignments. It takes up all of my morning time which was previously valuable time for putting up new stuff for the site. I only have so many hours in the day and cannot do it all. Which is more valuable? New stuff or teaching and encouraging? It's a hard choice.

Also, we had a garage sale yesterday. We have needed to do one for 3 or 4 years, but just could not fit it in. The weather was beautiful and my face is sunburned or windburned today. Preparing for the sale was VERY hard in the little time we had in the evenings, but it is over and we are glad it is done.

This time we did not take anything back down to the basement as we don't want to have another sale for a long time, if ever. Instead, we packed it up (filled all of my vehicle--every seat--and the whole truck) and took it to charity. It is so nice to actually have some space in our basement.

We also went through the house and cleaned out closets, drawers, and all hiding places for junk! It feels SO good to be a bit cleaner! We did things as in to take out everything from the closet floor and then mopped it (we have hard wood floors). Now, if I can just get hubby to stop taking all the shoes his brother finds for him at garage sales to give him and then to stop throwing them in the closet, maybe I will be able to vacuum and mop it more regularly!

However, we stirred up so much dust that now its all settling again and creating more work! I ate WAAAAY too much dust while preparing for the sale.

We made $250, but the ad was $28 (which was totally ridiculous!). I am just going to use it to pay down on the dental bills we have (after giving some to church). With two son's recently having their wisdom teeth out and then one of them having two crowns, we are a bit in pocketbook stress (even with insurance).

I've also been experience parenting issues which have been taking up my time. I just feel so overwhelmed. I'm only one person, but yet I'm pulled into so many places. I'm getting behind on church obligations again. I'm just behind. I'm behind everywhere. I get stressed when I get behind.

So, now that the garage sale is done, next we have two weeks to prepare for graduation and a big party with all the relatives from both sides are our tiny house. Weather permitting, most guests will stay in the garden (you've seen photos of it). However, we have to weed it and plant it first! I've got to do invitations and gifts and food and more cleaning and ...and...and...oh, I've so much to do!

Then the week after graduation, my oldest is bringing his (girl)friend to stay with us for a week! I am TOTALLY excited about this! However, I have to think about bedding and towels and food for her stay and...and...and....oh....just praying for God's help. I need energy, organization, and wisdom right now to be able to get all I need to get done these next two weeks done.

So, bottom line is that by the last week of May my life should be back to normal. My summer actually looks pretty clear. At that time, please look for more activity from me around the site! Meanwhile, I won't be totally gone, so stay tuned!

I know it's wrong, but hubby just left to get me a bottle of wine. I'm going to use it to de-stress and relax tonight so that I can attack tomorrow head on. God doesn't give me more than I can handle. I trust Him.

Another great Use It! challenge by DigiVickie!

DigiVickie has given us another UseIt! Challenge in the forums! I am so thankful that she is doing these for us! This one has been up since Tuesday and so far no one has done it. I'm shocked! Her last one in the forum was SO well attended. Help us let Vickie know we love her challenges here by doing this one so she'll come back again!

You can find the UseIt! Challenge in the forums here.

She's got a prize for you too! Hurry on over to the thread and see!

I'm lov'n the flowers for the UseIt! I've got my thinking cap on!

Pearls of Wisdom (Video)

I found this video to be very thought provoking and wanted to pass it on to you.
I remember this guy on Cheers, don't you?

Pearls Of Wisdom And Thoughts From Within by Woody Harrelson




I sometimes feel like an alien creature
for which there is no earthly explanation

Sure I have human form,
walking erect and opposing digits,
but my mind is upside down.

I feel like a run-on sentence
in a punctuation crazy world.

And I see the world around me
like a mad collective dream.

An endless stream of people
move like ants from the freeway
cell phones, pc’s, and digital displays

“In Money We Trust,”
we’ll find happiness
the prevailing attitude;
like a genetically modified irradiated Big Mac
is somehow symbolic of food.

Morality is legislated
prisons over-populated
religion is incorporated
the profit-motive has permeated all activity
we pay our government to let us park on the street

And war is the biggest money-maker of all
we all know missile envy only comes from being small.
Politicians and prostitutes
are comfortable together

I wonder if they talk about the strange change in the weather.

This government was founded by, of, and for the people
but everybody feels it
like a giant open sore
they don’t represent us anymore

And blaming the President for the country’s woes
is like yelling at a puppet
for the way it sings

Who’s the man behind the curtain pulling the strings?

A billion people sitting watching their TV
in the room that they call living
but as for me

I see living as loving
and since there is no loving room

I sit on the grass under a tree
dreaming of the way things used to be

Pre-Industrial Revolution
which of course is before the rivers and oceans, and skies were polluted
before Parkinson’s, and mad cows
and all the convoluted cacophony of bad ideas
like skyscrapers, and tree paper, and earth rapers
like Monsanto and Dupont had their way
as they continue to today.

This was Pre-us
back when the buffalo roamed
and the Indian’s home
was the forest, and God was nature
and heaven was here and now

Can you imagine clean water, food, and air
living in community with animals and people who care?

Do you dare to feel responsible for every dollar you lay down
are you going to make the rich man richer
or are you going to stand your ground

You say you want a revolution
a communal evolution
to be a part of the solution
maybe I’ll be seeing you around.

—Woody Harrelson

New Title Game is Up!

Dawn choose hubby's submission for a title as the winner, so it is our turn to submit photos for title suggestions!

So! Go to this thread and think up a title for this photo (or more) and post it.

Hubby and I will choose a winning title, I will scrap it, and we will announce whose turn it is to submit the next photos for title suggestions!

Tap, tap, tap -- I'm waiting for some suggested titles! Tap, Tap, Tap

I worked 12 long, hard hours on site restructure yesterday! That was after I sent out the e-mail guides and commented on two days worth of layouts.

I've been procrastinating doing it for at least 6 months because I knew it would be hard to do. I had to do a lot of learning and just testing this and that to get it to work. Goodness, did I learn a TON!

Ever since I won the full version of Photoshop from Pioneer Woman, I knew that I could build stuff in it to make a website, but I had to learn how first! That took a while. Then I had to actually build it. I wanted something fancier, but this will work for now, now that I have the skills it won't be so hard.

I like the way the header works, don't you? Have you ever seen sideways links?

I knew the drop down menus were not always working right, even for me. I felt that many people were missing many of the pages here. So I wanted to do the sidebar menu on most of the pages, except the ones that needed wide (forum, gallery, chatroom). Of course, getting the template to work right for the new sidebar was not easy to do! I had to test and test and test it! First this thing didn't work right and then that thing!

I also worked hard to get my Twitter status at the top of every page. That was difficult to write the CSS for it to make it work with the site. I like that those visiting the forum often can catch all the links I share in this way or just know where I am and what I'm up to.

FINALLY, it all came together after I'd worked on it 12 hours!

The only page not working is the homepage. For some reason the middle column won't change its background. It is in my program, but not when viewed. So I have to fix it yet today, but that won't be hard. Also today I am going to work on the content of the pages to help clarify things, but content is easier to do than techy stuff!

I want to change some of the pages to share more what is in the Subscriber Area, so I will be working on some content today! Then I will have this behind me!

So, while I"m not getting much else done, I'm getting this off my to-do list! That feels good!

Really cool stop animation

Okay, we figured out who done it to the car! Wanna know?

Meanwhile, watch this really cool stop animation of the wolf and pig.
Wow, think of all the ink to print out these photos and the time to put this all together, taking photos of every photo!

#followfriday this week (a Twitter thing)

Here is this week's #followfriday pick!

Juliana Gordon


Please read this page. You can also add your twitter address there for others to find you and also so that I may choose you for a future week.

This is a collaborative effort each week to get one digital scrapbooker noticed on Twitter.

PS: Gail, you left a comment, but did not leave your Twitter name so I could choose you.

New Photos Done Many Ways Challenge

Sue has been chosen for the next Photos Done Many Ways Challenge. Join us in the forums here.

She has chosen photos of her adorable dog, Martha to scrap!

There are more details in the forums about how this challenge works, but in a nutshell, once you scrap 3 layouts of other scrapper's photos, you will have an opportunity to be chosen to submit your photos for others to scrap.

We do not generally share the original layout with the other person due to copyright, but if you make the entire layout with your own designs, you may share the full size original privately with the person. Otherwise, just share your web-saved version in the gallery and post it in the forum!

As always, if you are doing challenges at Hummie's World, you may use any products, so there are no excuses for you to not join in!

Speed Crop Chat Friday Night!

Join us Friday night, April 16, 2009, in the chatroom for a Speed Crop Chat! The time is 9 PM EST (or 8 PM my time at Central time zone).

You will be scrapping while you chat. Every 10 minutes or so you will receive another set of instructions for your layout. You must put on your layout what your instruction gives you in the order that they come, no more, no less. At the conclusion of all of the instructions, you may add anything else you wish.

Then you will add your layout to the gallery and visit others to comment! It is great fun! If you miss an instruction while in your program and not in the chatroom, you will also find them updated in a forum post as you scrap.

If you are doing the challenges here at Hummie's World, you may use any products, so there is no excuse not to join us!

Blogger - Post by Cell Phone

I noticed yesterday some new icons on the dashboard of Blogger. I already was aware that I could post by e-mail. You can choose what e-mail address you want to send a message to by e-mail and it will post to your blog. However, it does not work with photos, only text.

Now there is an option to post by using your cell phone too! I have done this with Twitter using texting, but not on my Blogger. I like the idea!

Just go to the Settings tab in Blogger and then the Email & Mobile subtab to set up these options.

In this area, you can also utilize the option to have your posts e-mailed to an e-mail whenever they are posted. I know some people utilize this to forward their posts to Yahoo Group e-mail address and others use this option to save a back-up of every post on their blog in their inbox.

UseIt! Challenge #10

I met DigiVickie on Twitter and fell in love with her freebies! I'm so excited to have her utilizing my forum for challenges. Just as the ScrappinCop deserves to see her stuff in use, so does Vickie! I think you will love this challenge!

The challenge is to use her freebie with the them "Dream" in your layout. Any other products may be used. Isn't the word art cute?!


Upload your layout to the gallery and come back to the forum thread to share and she will PM you this prize! Aren't they creative frames that will make some artistic layouts? What are you waiting for? Come join us!

The Great Mystery

As many of the readers know, my sons are always dropping surprises for me! Sometimes they are fun and sometimes they are not so fun.

As I pulled down the driveway this morning to go to work, I was confronted with this surprise! The paint (I'm assuming it was paint) was on three sides of the car.

The questions are: Which son was this message for and was it an invitation or a confirmation and who wrote it?

I want to know the rest of the story! Oh, isn't it fun being a mom sometimes?

New ScanIt! Challenge - Desk Drawer

Join us for a fun new challenge in the forums! Click here.

Open your desk drawer (if you do not have a desk drawer, what about your children's drawer?) and choose one item. Scan it in and use it in a layout!


I thought I would start a new type of challenge called the ScanIt! Challenge.

This is similar to the UseIt! Challenge, but you are providing the element!

1. Each challenge will provide a different location. Find something in that location to scan and then use it in a layout. If you need to, extract the element.

2. Feel free to share your scan with others in this thread. The link to download must be in this thread (but you can put it on your blog or other location also).

3. Make additional layouts using other's contributions.

New Custom Drop Shadows Video Tutorial

I recorded a 42 minute video tutorial for creating custom drop shadows. It goes with the written one that is available for free to all.

It is in the Subscriber Area (here). There are now 203 videos in the Subscriber Area! There are 143 downloads (about 50 of which are templates and 5 full kits) in the Subscriber Area! Just a few of the latest statistics, but there is so much more for only $5.50 a month. That's less than the average cost of a kit!

I am anxious to see what everyone does with this tutorial!

The guided classes are going so well! I am excited at the activity they have brought to the site. I extend a big thank you to all who are actively participating in challenges at the site. It is very encouraging for me.

UseIt! Challenge by ScrappnCop & a freebie

When I met ScrappinCop at the St. Louis Digi-Gathering, I mentioned to her how sad it was that she was not able to see much of what everyone did with her freebies and invited her to utilize my forum (as I allow anyone to do) to create a UseIt! Challenge.

You can find her first challenge in the forums utilizing her Doodle Alphabet (here). You can use any products for this challenge, just use her alpha in your layout! Isn't it about time we all started giving back to her by sharing what we do with her kind, generous contributions to the digi-world?

Here is my layout using the alpha. I wanted to make some papers to match my new glasses and was surprised to find just what I needed on ScrappinCop's blog! The paisley brushes worked perfectly!

I decided to share the things I made while making my layout with you. The paper is a rectangle piece as I was not thinking ahead as I normally do! Square scrappers can still use it as a cut piece of paper. Then there are the two mats and the quick page in this download.


PS. Now who read that layout? Reader glasses? Me? Sigh. I'm getting old.

#follow friday this week (a Twitter thing)

Here is this week's #followfriday pick!

KaloDesigns


Please read this page. You can also add your twitter address there for others to find you and also so that I may choose you for a future week.

This is a collaborative effort each week to get one digital scrapbooker noticed on Twitter.

Bible Bits - Week 22

Download the printable Bible Bits, print it, post it where your family gathers, talk about it, and pray about it with your family. Use it as a screen saver for the week.

**********
I realize it has been a while since I've put one of these up and I apologize. I know so many look forward to them each week as I've been receiving e-mails. However, March was a very busy month for me. In addition, sometimes I just have to wait for God to send me new material to write about. I have to feel moved, so this is sometimes in God's timing, not mine.

When this one was coming together for me last night, it all just seemed to fall into place. First, the message came through the personal situation to me and then when I opened my e-Sword Bible program, it opened up to this verse (the last one I had viewed weeks ago) and it was perfect! Then I realized that the ocean photos I took on vacation in March also fit perfectly. It all could not have fallen together so well without God's timing. Hopefully, someone out there reading this is in need of this message at this moment and that is why I've felt inspired to write it today. PS. It is not Saturday. Today is Good Friday and this message is not theme specific to the Holy Day, but because this is where I felt lead.
**********


Isa 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

A fellow church member came to me recently needing help. She was all in a tizzy about the project at hand. Nervous and confused due to her lack of knowledge, she was even becoming agitated at others for no reason. In her eyes there was a reason.

I understood everything she said to me about her situation and it was very easy for me to see that she had nothing to worry about and that the others were doing no wrong. However, I could also easily see how she had come to the conclusions and the nervous state she was in. It was really weird to me to feel all-knowing about the situation which was so uncertain to her.

Then I could see myself in her shoes in other situations in the past. As I've tried to figure out something, asking many questions so that I could understand, worrying unnecessarily because of what I did not know, I am sure that I have come across the same way as her to others.

Then I began to think about how God must see all of us similarly. There are so many unknown things to us. In all perspective, we know very little of all the knowledge God possesses. We become agitated about others unnecessarily because are minds are going 50 miles an hour trying to figure things out and coming to conclusions that seem to fit yet are not truth.

We worry about things that God, who is omniscient, all-knowing, can see right through the trees and to the forest. Oh my, this God of ours who has unlimited knowledge and perceives all things must look down on us and just smile because he understands how we have come to our conclusions and our worried state of mind, but yet knows that we have nothing to worry about.

And yet, this God of ours who can measure the width and depth of the waters, the distance of the heavens, and the weight of all the earth loves us and cares for each and every one of us personally. We have this almighty God in all of his power right here as our best friend.

And yet we forget to come to Him when we are tackling this life full of uncertainties. We forget He is there with us, ready to comfort us with his complete knowledge.

I was able to comfort my friend and assure her that I could help her and teach her what she needed to know to complete her task. She trusted me and my knowledge. Why do we not go to God in the same way? God wants to comfort us and calm us. God wants to help us achieve our tasks. God wants to teach us.

God loves us so much. We should trust in Him and call on Him when we are stressed and having trouble understanding. What better person could we go to than the person who knows all.

TwitterGadget

I have found myself using TwitterGadget a lot and wanted to share with you a little video of how it works.

I am hopeful that this video may also help those who do not Twitter understand a bit more about how it works and why it is so addictive.

As you can see in this video, it is as if I am carrying on a conversation with many people all over the world at the same time!

This program has some pluses for me. First, I do not have to install anything on my computer. I have enough installed! Second, one shortcut, Control Y, will shorten a url. Third, one shortcut, Control Q, will quickly search anything. Fourth, it automatically refreshes. And so much more...more than I could show you in 10 minutes on Youtube!

http://www.twitter.com/hummieisme

St. Louis Digi-Gathering

I thought I would blog a bit about the St. Louis Digi-gathering last weekend on a more personal note here on my blog. I have been trying to get this post written for a week now! Why is it that I do not have any time any more?

You can see so much more on the St. Louis Digi-Gathering blog, including photos and videos. Be sure to check out the Flickr group also!

The Friday before the gathering I took a vacation day from work and hubby and I worked hard literally ALL day preparing. I had gotten down about the numbers that were coming and the numbers that were telling me they were no longer coming even though registered and I just could not get myself motivated to plan until in came down to crunch time. I could never have gotten it all ready without hubby helping me. He did a lot of crafty stuff some guys would never do, so I had to give him credit.

Around 5:30 p.m. we called it a day and headed to McDonald's to eat for the first time that day as we headed out of town. When we arrived at the hotel we found it to be a very nice hotel. The room was very quiet and peaceful. After unpacking and, of course, blogging and twittering a photo of our room, I began reviewing plans once again. We sat in our room and wondered where everyone else was that was coming in on Friday night. I followed ScrappinCop on Twitter though and knew exactly where she was at all times. It made me a bit jealous that I did not have that same connection with people close to me.

As I was winding down for the night I was testing a video I had intended to play on YouTube (but it was one of the things I'd planned that we did not have time for). I realized my sound was not working. I began to stress. I pushed my tired self until about 1 a.m. deleting drivers and reinstalling them until my speakers finally worked. (When I returned home I discovered my headphones would not work and had to do the whole process again. Apparently my laptop only likes to be configured to one type of external equipment at a time). As I went to bed at 1 a.m. I saw ScrappinCop was flying in the air.

Just like the ScrappinCop who worked hard to come to the reunion by leaving her family alone as the drove back from vacation in a half-working vehicle to fly in in the middle of the night, I found that most of the ladies who attended traveled long distances to come to this event. I was quiet shocked at the efforts and lengths to come to get together with a bunch of scrapbookers. I had it in my mind that I needed to make this an awesome event for them since they had gone to such efforts. Would I succeed? I was afraid of failure and nervous.

What was formerly a quiet hotel became not so quiet. The noise into the night and the street lights coming through my window kept me awake until about 3 a.m.

Around 7:30 a.m. hubby and I loaded up the stuff and went down to the conference room. He helped me unload the boxes and then I encouraged him to go get himself breakfast. I did not need breakfast. Two workers were there and they had not yet set up the room. It was still a huge mess from the night before. They gave me a bit of a scare when they told me they were only going to put in one power strip because that was all there were. Goodness! That is why we came there to begin with because I was ensured we could all be hooked up and online. I exclaimed that to the workers and they did find a few more strips, but I was worried there still would not be enough.




After setting up all of my table decorations, displays, and equipment, my computer started fine and everything looked good. However, I discovered that my EHD would not be recognized. Oh, stress. This has happened before though and a restart of my computer seems to fix it. So, I clicked to restart.

Just as the laptop should have been coming back up, Bunchie arrived early. My laptop caused us to have a unique greeting as I began to panic and stress out. The laptop had shut down, but for NO reason would it restart! Oh no! Stress! All of my stuff for the day was on the laptop! Was this Murphy's law? It was not even on the EHD to be plugged into someone else's laptop. What would I do! For a good 15 minutes Bunchie and I looked at everything we could to see if we could tell what was possibly wrong. It appeared to have power, but would not come on! Oh no! Panic! Finally, after I removed everything plugged into the laptop and the battery and the power plug, put only the power plug back in, the laptop started. Whew! Bunchie immediately said "Praise the Lord!" and which time I said "Why weren't we praying to begin with!" I would have never made it through that panic attack with her support by my side.


As more people arrived, nerves kicked up. Many had said they would be running late, and they were indeed late. So, we started the day with everyone introducing themselves. It took up a lot of time, but I felt it was important since I believed many of us were there to meet other digital scrapbookers. However, from the start I found many of the ladies very talkative. I did not know how to politely move things along, so I just stayed calm and decided that we would get to whatever we got to during the day and all would be well. We did not get to a lot of the things I had planned, but that was okay. It is always better to have more planned than not enough.

I made my presentation on Color and Emotions and provided them with a challenge. We all had our laptops and I was sure they all wanted to scrap! I had planned on doing another layout in the afternoon, but never got to my second presentation. I was glad we got one layout done together.

For lunch everyone decided to just hit the restaurant in the hotel, especially since it was yucky outside. The waitress was slow and lunch took an hour and a half instead of an hour which put my day behind further! Oh well. Everyone seemed to be having fun.

In the afternoon I had to get my other speakers in as they had prepared for it. I was stressing over time, but I don't think they knew that. Virginia did a wonderful work at sharing about terms of use. She has some great speaking abilities. We randomly matched digi-buddies and spread out to meet each other. We snuck in Penny to share her calendars. Deb (ScrappinCop) gave her presentation on creating an action which I enjoyed as I've never seen it done before as a PSE user. Then we played the presentation on shadows by the Red Leaf Designs and it was very well done also. Everyone seemed to be very intently watching during the video. We squeezed in Angie sharing about her books during the last few minutes of the day as we pulled her books as the last door prizes of the day.

Whew. I could breath now.




The workers were there pushing us out so they could prepare the room for a wedding reception that night.

For those that were staying, we agreed to meet in my room to decide what to do for dinner. Everyone was not in agreement, so I indicated that we would just let everyone part into groups to eat as they choose. Some had traveled far and wanted to see more of the town and go out to eat and I certainly understood that.

Most thought it was too early to eat, so we began the evening in the hotel room sharing our scrapbooks. Eventually, people began to drift in and out as they decided to eat. Some stayed in the room with us and we ordered pizza. We were entertained as the wedding crashers did what wedding crashers do. Some of us were drinking and some were not, but everyone was having fun. The wedding crashers shared an amaretto sour with me and Deb/ScrappinCop bought me several margaritas at the restaurant.

Angie was twittering the entire day and even into the evening and I got a kick out of watching her twitters from my laptop. What a techy world we live in and I so enjoyed meeting others who were just like me! However, I denied that I was "famous" while Angie opened stated that she was "famous." It was cool having someone famous in my room. Angie gave me this cute "H" as a gift and I've got plans to buy a small shelf for it in my bedroom. Isn't it adorable?

The next morning hubby and I did not want to leave until we had experienced the hot tub. Upon arriving, we were very disappointed that it was down for repair. We got into the pool instead, but after a while the repairman came and took down the sign and we were allowed to get into the hot tub to relax.

After arriving home, I was so physically exhausted I as useless the rest of the day.

I received many requests to do it again next year and that everyone would certainly come again. I have received online requests from people who did not come to hold it again. I am not sure what I will be doing. Even with fewer people, it felt as if there were enough people. However, the stress of the possibility of being out of pocket a lot of money was great. I'm not sure I want to go through that again.

I know I stated a few too many times how worried I was that everyone's opinions were changing of me now that they met me in person. I'm sure they got tired of hearing me say that. I'm still worried a bit about that.

I'm still not sure if I will ever hold another one. I'm giving it time. If I don't do it, who will? I do have a little better feel for how much time to fill and the set-up in order to prepare better next time, but I'm just not sure.

I love Spring

I am not feeling well today and hope to be better tomorrow. I had a rough night.

Regardless, I could not hold myself back from going out and enjoying the beautiful sunshine today and working on the garden. There were so many dead leaves and dead branches everywhere that it took a lot of time. It looks SO much better now! Next we can start attacking the weeds and trimming things back before the warmer weather takes over on us, but that is another day. The helicopters are also ready to come down from the Maple trees and they are a lot of work to clean up too!

I've missed photos this year of so many of the things blooming in my yard. I need to get with it as I know many of my readers enjoy these photos.



I sat in my garden and imagined myself a soon to be empty nester. Soon it will be my garden that keeps me company. I must keep on giving it love.

This tulip was beautiful with the sun coming through its petals.



The hyacinth are my favorite because of their smell! I like the bright pink ones best, but this white one seemed to be showing off.



This tulip with the red tips on the yellow petals was so sophisticated like a rose would be. It seems to be out of its class.

Guided Classes Beginning Now!

After testing and working with many autoresponders within the last six months, I have finally given in and have decided to just do the class guides manually.

I am excited to see how many are already signed up! I am going to be starting five of the guides immediately and will be adding more after these get going. The first e-mails are going out today, but if you hurry and sign up within the next few days, I will forward to you any that have already gone out.

At the conclusion of each guided class, I will begin it again, so if you are busy right now, you can always join in later.

These classes are NOT live online. They merely are e-mails that direct you to a tutorial or a challenge already within the forums to complete. Therefore, you can read the e-mail and do the assignment as you have time during that day or week.

They are a great way to get yourself organized and motivated to JUST SCRAP and JUST LEARN!

Here are the first 5 that are beginning immediately. Some are for both Subscribers and Non-subscribers and some are for Subscribers only.

I ask that if you sign up for the guides that you make a serious commitment to yourself to follow them. No lurking allowed. The others in your class want to see what you are doing too as part of the "class" experience of doing it with someone else.

The gallery is an open gallery to those participating, so you may use any products. There is no excuse for not joining in!

TWO GUIDES OPEN TO ALL PEOPLE FREE OF CHARGE

It was brought to my attention that there are just SO many good things in the forums that people do not know where to start! All challenges are always open and may be dug up and done, but where do you begin?

Therefore, these challenges are not new challenges, but ones that already exist in the forum.

This guide will consist of 20 e-mails, all a week apart in order to allow you to get the layout done.

Sign up in this thread by leaving your e-mail address. Once I grab your e-mail address, I will edit your post to remove the e-mail.

The Themed Thursday challenges are also already in the forum. These challenges consist of one word inspiration. Each Thursday you will receive an e-mail with the theme and will be given one week to create a layout using that theme.

I have always been amazed how inspiring one little word can be! I always enjoyed this challenge.

This guide will run for 20 weeks and when it is completed you will have the option to begin the next set of 20. At that time, the first set will also run again for any new that want to participate.

Sign up in this thread by leaving your e-mail address. Once I grab your e-mail address, I will edit your post to remove the e-mail.

THREE E-MAIL GUIDES FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

Subscriptions are only $5.50 a month. You may read the instructions on how to subscribe on this page.

This course is great for new scrapbookers as well as seasoned! I have read many remarks over the past year indicating that one was hesitant to do this course because one felt that they already new the basics of scrapbooking in Photoshop Elements, only to find that they learned so much more! I always get warm fuzzies when I read that.

This Course follows the lesson plan on this index page. This course includes both the written tutorials and the video tutorials.

With this guide you will receive one e-mail a day for 20 days. This is a commitment for an intense pace, but is also flexible as you should feel free to do two or three within one day to catch up should you get behind.

After subscribing, sign up in this thread.

This guide is a brand new guide which I have not previously written. I will be writing it as I send them out.

This course is an awesome way to scrap! This is my favorite way to scrap and learn.

This course will pull from various lessons in no specific order on this index page (which needs updating to add more that are available already). Some lessons include a written tutorial, but all lessons include a video tutorial.

You may consider each of the lessons as a way to complete a challenge using a new technique for your pages. There is SO much available in this area that after these 20 I will begin a second set with an additional 20 and possibly a third set of 20!

You may sign up for this guide, after subscribing, in this thread here.

This guide is a HUGE commitment and you must be very serious about making it!

However, this is a great way to get one layout done a day! If you just need to catch up on pages, what better commitment could you make?

There are currently 50 templates in the Subscriber Area. Each guide will consist of 20 templates. I intend to be putting up quickly another 60 templates so that in all, you will be able to complete 3 sets of guides in 60 days to get 60 layouts done! Each guide will continuously restart, so you will be able to join any of them at any time.

After subscribing, you may sign up for this guide in this thread.

Two Hybrid Challenges at the PhotoCraft SchoolHouse

KathyJ visits the forums here at Hummie's World often and partipates in challenges from time to time. She is also active at the PhotoCraft Schoolhouse. This is a fairly new site, but my impressions have always been very nice of the ladies there.

It is another site to learn about digital scrapbooking, but what I like about it is that it offers a different perspective on teaching from my style and unique ideas that seem something that you can learn in addition to what you can learn at my site. I actually think our two sites seem to work together very well in making a complete roundness of learning.

Kathy shared two of the lastest challenges in their forum. You can find her links in my forum thread (here).

First, they are offering a card challenge. I think this is a great "hybrid" application to our digital scrapbooking skills. Here is a sneak peak of what the download looks like.
Next, another new challenge for making a bracket album, which is also another hybrid challenge, is being offered.

For those who do not know what the term "hybrid" means, please know that it references a skill which emcompasses both traditional paper scrapbooking skills and digital scrapbooking skills together.

Here is a sneak peak of the downloads for the bracket album challenge.

New Quote Challenge with Prize!

Candy has teamed up with Tahera this month to bring you an awesome quote challenge with a prize! Join us in the forums (here) by making a layout with a BIRTHDAY quote of your choice and sharing it in the gallery and thread.

#followfriday pick this week

Here is this week's #followfriday pick!

http://twitter.com/karyn_c

For details regarding our goals and what #followfriday is, please read this page. You can also add your twitter address there for others to find you and also so that I may choose you for a future week.

This is a collaborative effort each week to get one digital scrapbooker noticed on Twitter.

All of my tutorials are copyrighted

I received this Pingbox message tonight while I was away from my computer watching television.

No one has permission to utilize my tutorials except for personal use without expression permission from me.

As in copyright law, an originator retains copyright, even without displaying the copyright, unless that copyright is specifically given away. "Creating a book" with my material to give away to others is violation of copyright.

I am getting frustrated with not only people copying my material, but in so many other ways. If things continue the way there are, all of my tutorials and material, including the forums, will only be available to subscribers.

I enjoy sharing for free, but abuse of my courtesies is going to mess it up for everyone.

All of my written tutorials have always been available to all (since the inception of my site in 2005), but I am very close to taking them down.

No April Fools Joke

It feels good to scrap just to scrap and get that artistic satisfaction in me!

I thought this one up (all the text, that is) while I was mowing the lawn because, well, what else is a scrapper to think about while mindlessly pushing a mower about?

My favorite style here -- no elements -- simple and effective.

You may need to click on it to make the image larger to read it (or see it in the gallery here).