Hello, hello! Kylie here! :o) This is a quick post to share the FREE OCTOBER desktop! I enjoyed putting this one together for you all and designed it with a touch of fall sweetness in mind! Scrapping with GRACIE (our newest addition to the Shoppe!) was an automatic choice! Well, she is the flavor of the month, after all! ;o)…and a bit like chocolate or vanilla, to me, she’s destined to be an eternal favorite!! As always, the text (except for the calendar dates and the october title) and the cute piccies are on my example only – yours will be blank :o) That way – you can add your own photos/names/sayings/message/etc. Have fun working with this one…here ya go:

CLICK HERE to download the 1024×768 desktop

CLICK HERE to download the 1280×800 desktop

And remember that you can always find our latest free desktop by clicking the FREE DESKTOPS category located on the right side of the blog!

If you are interested in our free desktops, but have no idea how to insert your own photos – please visit our TUTORIALS page and refer to the USING THE PIECE-A-CAKE .PNG FILES TO CREATE AN ALBUM titles :o) We offer this tutorial in both screen shot and video format, for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. And, while the tutorial is not specifically for the desktops – the concepts are very much the same…and should help out a lot!

THANKS SO MUCH for stopping by the blog :o) Have a great day/night…I’ll see ya back here tomorrow for a super-gorgeous Gallery Girls post!

and, P.S. Just a quick reminder that the Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge 16 deadline is this SUNDAY, 2nd of October, for those still wishing to join in the FUN and have the chance to win a $25 gift card to the Shabby Shoppe! Don’t forget to add your comment/link to the original blog post after you upload your layout too! :o)

KylieFree Desktops, Uncategorized 16 Comments

Hello Shabby Shoppe Blog Readers and welcome to another edition of Layout of the Week.

It’s Anna here, and lately, I haven’t spent nearly as much time looking through the gallery as I would like to.  It was so refreshing to peruse all of your beautiful layouts as I was choosing this week’s winner.

Each weekend, someone from the team has the honor of choosing a layout posted from last week. That means l looked at every layout posted, and in all, there were more than 50! Now, we won’t pick from every layout posted…template challenges have their own chance to win a gift card, and, of course, we wouldn’t choose a layout posted by someone on the Shabby Artists team. So that narrows my choices down a bit. Where am I going with this? What I am trying to point out is that YOU have great odds of winning a $10 Shabby Shoppe gift card just by posting in the inspiration gallery. So remember to keep uploading all your lovely creations!

And our winner this week is graciewollf with her beautiful layout Stars.

There is something so magical about this page! This is what graciewollf had to say about her layout,“‘Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy’ Eskimo Proverb. This Proverb got me through alot when my little sister past away in 2003- 5 short years later, I had Aurora who had the same sparkle, spirit, and eyes. Aurora at 2 months old.”

Congratulations graciewollf  and thank you for sharing this bittersweet layout! Enjoy your Shabby Shoppe $10 gift card …sent via email (be sure to check your SPAM folders!)

This week is very exciting for everyone at the Shabby Shoppe, on Thursday we launch our very first Fast & Fabulous speed scrap…so come and join in the FUN!!! You can find out more about it by clicking HERE!! :o) And be sure to drop by tomorrow to pick up your FREE October desktop from Kylie! 

AnnaLayout of the Week, Uncategorized 3 Comments

Hello everyone…Happy Friday!!! Hope you’ve all had a fabulous week and are set to have an even better weekend! :o) Kylie here with a little treat…Apple Cupcakes with Maple Buttercream…YUM! Apple, cinnamon, and a little maple syrup – can’t you just smell the start of Fall!! (I’m about six months too early, but hey, I ‘ve got a good nose – LOL!) And by the way, these cupcakes smell absolutely delicious while they are baking!

This recipe makes approximately 24 standard cupcakes and you can choose to use either red or green apples, or even a combination of both…whatever you have on hand. Just remember, the sweeter the apple, the sweeter the cupcake. I added a little ground cinnamon to both the cupcake mixture and the buttercream but why not be adventurous and add your favorite autumn spice mix ~ cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, clove, cardamon ~ mmmm, spicy!! ;o) I also mixed up a little cinnamon sugar (2 tablespoons of caster/superfine sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon) to sprinkle over the top of the buttercream for an extra zing…plus it looks pretty too! Both recipes are seriously no-fuss, but an electric mixer (preferably hands-free) is mighty helpful! And if you have a fan-forced oven lower your cooking temperature to 160C or 325F.

~*~APPLE CUPCAKES~*~

Ingredients

• 250g (8oz) butter (softened)
• 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
• 2 cups of plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 3 eggs
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup of grated apple
• ½ cup hot water

Directions

• Preheat oven to 180ºC/350-375ºF.
• Line cupcake pans with paper cases.
• Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Beat in eggs, one at a time.
• Stir in syrup.
• Stir in sifted dry ingredients, then apple and then add water as required – mix well.
• Divide mixture among cases.
• Bake for approx. 20-25 mins.
• Cool on cake rack and then decorate with maple buttercream.

~*~MAPLE BUTTERCREAM~*~ 

Ingredients

• 125g (4oz) butter (softened)
• 240g (1 ½ cups) icing/confectioners sugar (sifted)
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• ground cinnamon – optional

Directions

• Beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until as white as possible (see pic below).
• Gradually beat in half of the icing sugar and one tablespoon of maple syrup.
• Mix well and then add second half of icing sugar and remaining maple syrup (and optional ground cinnamon) until buttercream is at the desired consistency.
• Decorate cupcakes free-hand with a small butter knife or spatula OR add to piping bag and decorate as desired.

I also created two 4×6 recipe cards that you can download for free for both recipes. To jump-start my creativity I used some recipe card templates from the French Toast and Made from Scratch sets ~ found HERE at the Shabby Shoppe! And I loved using the new GRACIE collection to scrap with too – it was PERFECT!! Especially when paired with the Teacher’s Pet Apple – very cute!

Just click on the image to download (or click HERE)!

We’ll see you back here on Monday with our LOTW… Have a wonderfully “sweet” weekend! Enjoy!! :o)

KylieFood Stuff, Free (not desktops), Uncategorized 18 Comments

Hey girls! :o) Kylie here with the new SEPTEMBER templates (two separate templates to create a ’spread’) for project SCRAP 2011! I hope everyone is up-to-date with taking their photos…because it’s almost time to SCRAP, lol! And September is such a lovely month to scrap, don’t ya think?! Well, I know I LOVE IT…and for so many reasons!! ;o) Plus, with all the beautiful August inspiration SP shared with us yesterday, it just makes me even more excited to scrap my September pages…can’t wait to get started! I hope you join in with all the excitement too!!

You can click on the image above…or, CLICK HERE to download the SEPTEMBER templates!

Project SCRAP ~ bundle ONE is now available for purchase at the Shabby Shoppe…CLICKING HERE will take you straight there!

PLEASE NOTE: if you participated in project SCRAP 2011 right here at the Shabby Shoppe’s BLOG…you do not need to purchase this product. Be sure to check your hard drive before purchasing :o)

New to project SCRAP? …well then, if you are not familiar with our little scrap project (if you ARE familiar with it, skip this paragraph, as always, lol)… THIS POST is a great place to learn more! Also, if you click on the PROJECT SCRAP 2011 category (on the right side of the blog)…you can ALWAYS easily find ALL posts related to the subject! It’s your go-to place if you want to keep up with everything! But, as a quick little reminder… here is the project in a nutshell:::

Be sure to post your completed September pages in the project scrap GALLERY! We really LOVE to see how you work with our project SCRAP templates and all the wonderful Shabby Shoppe products! :o) As always, we’ll be doing a September ‘check-in’ soon… and will, of course, be sure to include some beautiful gallery inspiration with the latest templates! Until then, have fun scrapping (and photographing)!

Goodbye…just for today! I’ll be back again tomorrow with a delicious FOOD FRIDAY post!! See you then! :o)

KylieFree (not desktops), project Scrap 2011, Uncategorized 10 Comments

hey guys :o)  SP here with you today…and so happy the blog is BACK, lol!  the ‘break’ (ha…is there ever really a break? lol) was great…but just like you guys – I miss the team AND all of the fabulous inspiration :o)

So…I’m here with our AUGUST check-in for project SCRAP :o)  If you haven’t scrapped your August pages yet…it’s time to get started!  Remember, our goal is to never get too far behind…and SOON, it will be time to start working on your September layouts…so let’s keep moving forward!  I’m so excited to complete the year and have my album printed, lol!  Though, I am NOT rushing time…trust me :o)  I hope to actually enjoy the holiday season…but still, I will be happy to see the finished product!  Speaking of which…the templates for the remainder of the year are AWESOME…I think you will LOVE them all!  We’ll also be working on album/book cover templates to share…probably in December (well, we’ll be working on them before that, lolol…but sharing them in December)!  Then…I’ll have my album printed and share photos and info and all that fun stuff in January (or early February – depending on schedule – WAY too early to try and predict, lol)!  So…keep scrapping along with us…and I CANNOT wait to see pics of everyone’s albums next year!

Alright…back on track SP, lol (I tend to get ahead of myself) :o)  August was yet another busy month here…lots of fun little events and activities and moments (that might not have been scrapped if it wasn’t for project SCRAP)!  I really enjoyed these templates…and couldn’t help but work with GRACIE (mostly) on them, lol!  There is so much COLOR in the kit…so it really lends itself to these multi-photo pages, kwim? :o)

As always…I LOVE to share more inspiration with you…and there was so much of it in the project SCRAP gallery - YAY!  I could have added lots and lots…but I hope that you will all visit the gallery to see all of the fabulous August pages AND more!

Kim’s (Five17Creations) pages were so cute I just couldn’t stand it, lol!  She rocked the little GABBY birdies…and her numbering is genius!  Not to mention…HELLO – look at all of those precious smiles…and ahhhhh, little Samuel…he’s growing so much already :o)  FABULOUS page, Kim - THANKS for sharing with us!

 Next, we have these ADORABLE and CHEERY pages from mama2emlj :o)  I adore all of the little details and ‘bits and pieces’ she added!  You just have to take a closer look at these layouts…they will truly make you SMILE!  FUN FUN FUN!

 Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper project SCRAP check-in post without fabulous pages from jessg26 :o)  Seriously…always LOVE the pages she shares with us, and these are NO exception!   I love all of the color here…and especially the addition of PINK…it really POPS and goes perfectly with all of these precious, girlie pics!  THANK YOU :o)

Last, but never, ever least…we have Kylie’s layouts!   As always, she totally rocked the Darling Paper Collection :o)  GORGEOUS photos…wow, just look at that main photo!  Oh, and YUMMY photos, too – lol!  So pretty and inspiring (and who doesn’t LOVE the combo of pink and brown/chocolate?!)!  Perfect…thanks, Kylie!

 Alrighty, I think that wraps up this latest project SCRAP check-in! Keep up the great work…and please remember to upload your layouts so we can all see!  Remember, we’re all in this project TOGETHER :o)

Enjoy the rest of your week…and HAVE FUN SCRAPPING!! Oh…and don’t forget to stop back by tomorrow as Kylie shares our new SEPTEMBER project SCRAP templates :o)  XOXO — SP

Shabby Princessproject Scrap 2011, Uncategorized 5 Comments