hey guys :o)  Kylie here with a super QUICK post to share our FREE May DESKTOP !  I had a lot of fun working with SP on this one…it has a bright, happy glow about it!  Hope you enjoy it too!!

CLICK HERE to download the 1024 x 768 version

CLICK HERE to download the 1280 x 800 version

NEW to desktops?? 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!

As always – THANK YOU so much for stopping by…and for enjoying our desktops :o)  We plan to keep them coming…but I’m wondering if it isn’t about time we review our resolution sizes??  Last year we added a poll to our blog sidebar and I would love to know if you’d like us to add it again to find out the top TWO sizes.  I know many of you wish we could design EVERY size each month (we do, too, lol) – but I’m sure you understand that that is just not possible.  To get the ball rolling, we’d be grateful if you could add a comment on this post should you like to see it put to the VOTE once again!  THANKS!!

KylieFree Desktops, Uncategorized 18 Comments

Hello everyone…Happy Weekend! :o)  Kylie here to finish off a busy week!  Today is just a little post to let you know that our blog is taking a small VACATION over the next two weeks.  Our spring break, perhaps?!! ;o)

We’ll be back before you’ve had time to miss us, promise!  The team will officially return on May 7th…all refreshed and ready to rock the BLOG again!  The girls and I will be returning with all your favorites, starting with a super-sized LOTW post…so don’t stop uploading your stunning layouts to the gallery.  Also, the first week back will be jam-packed with celebrations…so please join us for a special Mother’s Day free download, our BIG BIRTHDAY BASH (yay!!), a STOREWIDE SALE (even bigger yay!!), the next Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge and bunches of other fun stuff!!!

During our lil’ break I will still drop by to share the FREE MAY DESKTOP - on the 27th of April, to be exact.  I’d love you to stop by too and pick it up!

And don’t forget to take advantage of the Spring and Easter SALE still running over at the Shoppe!  Lots of lovely Mother’s Day gift-giving options too!

HAVE A WONDERFUL TWO WEEKS!  (We’ll miss you!!)  As always – thanks soooooo much for being with us…and for being a part of the Shabby Shoppe community!  Bye for now and HAPPY SCRAPPING! xoxo

Oh, and HAPPY EARTH DAY, for tomorrow! ;o)

KylieShoppe News, Uncategorized No Comments

Hi y’all!  It’s Casharina bringing you another easy dish; can you tell those are my favorites?  Today I’m sharing a recipe that I got from my cousin/bff,  that my family ended up really liking, so I thought I’d share it today…and did I mention it was pretty easy too? Lol!  I even got my itty bitty to help me out with it!  Give it a try and let me know what you think! 

Ingredients:

• 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 large can of spaghetti sauce
• 1 box jumbo pasta shells
• 1-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 package Frozen spinach
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tsp salt

 Directions:

• Cook pasta shells according to directions on the box, drain and rinse in cold water.
• Thaw spinach and dry. (Tip: I used a dish towel to help soak up the excess water and it worked pretty well!)
• Brown your ground beef and let cool.
• Add the meat, half of the shredded cheese, and the remaining ingredients to a large dish.
•  Stir well.
• Stuff pasta shells with mixture and place into a 9x13in baking pan. (Get your kiddos to join in on this part if they are willing! ;) It gets a little messy but just think of the wonderful memories you’ll have.)
• Continue until your pan is full.
• Pour the remaining mixture (if any) on top and then add the rest of the shredded cheese.
• Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 350 F (180C) for 25 minutes, uncover and bake a few more minutes to brown the cheese.
• Eat and enjoy!!

Also check out this receipe card I made to share…I hope you like it.  Just CLICK HERE or on the below image to download!

I just love how the deep colors of the Gracie Kit worked so well to create to these images today!  And I used one of the new Baked with Love Recipe Card Templates too!

Thanks for dropping by the blog today!  Kylie will be back tomorrow with a little blog news :) 

CasharinaFood Stuff, Free (not desktops), Uncategorized 3 Comments

Hi everyone!  Kylie here! :o)  And it’s lovely to be with you today…& sharing the next set of project SCRAP templates.  I always find it really exciting to unveil the latest set!  It’s like, YIPEE!…brand new templates to play with!  Personally, I can’t wait to get started scrapping all my April pics.  I’ve still got a bit over a week to take a few more snapshots to reach my monthly “quota”, though.  How are you going?  Are you keeping up?  C’mon, LET’S HAVE SOME FUN and get those memories scrapped together :o)

You can click on the image below…or, CLICK HERE to download your NEW templates!!

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 2012 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 in 2012! But, as a quick little reminder… here is the project in a nutshell:::

Hope you enjoy playing with this month’s two-page spread…filling it with your precious pics & memories, in combination with your Shabby Shoppe goodies…doesn’t get any better than that?!! ;o)  And…of course, do not forget to upload YOUR pages in the new 2012 project scrap GALLERY for all of us to see!  That’s what project SCRAP is all about…inspiring and motivating each other to get the year SCRAPPED!  SP will be posting her APRIL ‘check-in’ in a few weeks time…and will, of course, be sure to include some gorgeous gallery inspiration using the latest templates!  Looking forward to that!

Thanks for joining us today and be sure to stop by tomorrow!  Casharina will be sharing a yummy family recipe for Food Friday!!! :o)

KylieFree (not desktops), project Scrap 2012, Uncategorized 19 Comments

Hello everyone.  It’s Jenelle here today with an inspiration post that is sure to get you reminiscing!!  I was recently browsing through some of my layouts on my computer’s hard drive and came across some of the very first digital layouts I had created. “Whoah” was my immediate response on opening them up to view full size…  Not a ‘whoah’ in a good sense either, it was actually more of an embarrassed ‘whoah’!!  I guess I had never realised how much I had grown as a digi-scrapper until I saw some of my very first creations.  Then I fully embraced my ‘whoah’ (LOL!) and thought to myself, isn’t it great that I can literally see how my skills, techniques and scrapping style have grown over these past few years.  And what a great journey it has been!  Have you ever looked back at some of your first attempts at digi-scrapping?  How has your style evolved?  What new techniques have you learned along the way?

I asked myself these very questions (and also our gorgeous team here at the Shabby Shoppe) and we then set about re-creating some of our very first digital layouts, just to prove how much we’d all grown as a digi-scrappers.  You’ll love seeing our ‘before’ and ‘after’ pages.  I guess you could call it a digi-makeover!!!

Ok, so here’s one of my first attempts back in 2008, using a freebie kit from Shabby Princess and Carrie Stephens called Spontaneous Delight.  I really liked the idea of blending photos on a layout, but I think I may have taken it a bit too far in one of my first attempts!!!

So after looking at this in more detail (basically I critiqued my whole layout) I’ve realised that I have now learned the following things:-

• That I’m not afraid to leave a bit of white space on a layout these days!!  Creating a border around a page also makes it more visually appealing (plus I don’t lose part of my design when it is cropped at the print shop!)
• To use drop shadows accordingly.  I think I just added the default drop shadow settings for every element (and font) on my page back then (that was if I actually remembered to use a drop shadow).
• To make sure the text/font is clear and readable.  Now I make my titles/headings bigger and try to make them stand out more on my pages.  Mixing up fonts adds more interest to a layout too.
• That a simple edit on my photos can make a big improvement (lighten images, get rid of shadows on faces, crop them, play around with levels/colour balance etc).  Running a photo treatment over my images can also make a big difference and produces a really pleasing effect.
• To not stick with the one bold colour on a layout.  I think I’ve used WAY too much green on this one and it is also probably the wrong shade of green for my photos.  In re-doing this layout, I’ve focused more on the browns and tried to make my colours a little softer.
• That mixing photographs up a little creates an interesting layout.  Instead of a whole page of blended photos, I’ve gone with a mix of  one blended image and a series of framed images on my digi-makeover below.  Having a mixture of colour and black and white photographs is another good effect I’ve learned.

So here is my new version of this layout.  And I have to say that I am much happier with this one!

JenelleInspiration, Uncategorized 13 Comments