If you have been following the blog…you probably know that we (the blog) recently had our 2nd birthday…and our beloved Shabby Shoppe celebrated its SEVENTH birthday!  hip-hip-Hooray!!  So, to help us celebrate we invited one and all to play a couple of  ‘party’ games.  Whooo hooo!! ;o)  Well…sooooo many of you joined in the fun & games…and that of course made our birthday all the more special - THANK YOU, THANK YOU for being part of our special month-long birthday celebrations!!  It just wouldn’t have been the same without you! :o)

The time has come to finish up our two games…but not before I hand out some PRIZES!!!

There were bunches and bunches of fabulously sweet comments and favorite blog posts linked-up for our little Link-A-Post game…and here are our three random ‘WINNERS’ using our friend Mr Random:

• Comment 6: abyhunter linked her favorite blog post ~ “Stripes to Plaid”
• Comment 4: Kimberly linked her favorite blog post ~ “Scrapping Imperfect Photos”
• Comment 34: Candice S. linked her favorite blog post ~ “Project Scrap 2012″

CONGRATULATIONS, girls :o)  You should have each received a $10 gift card to the Shabby Shoppe (be sure to check your SPAM folders) via email – & have fun shoppe-ing :o)  AGAIN, thank you SO much, to everyone, for taking the time to play Link-A-Post!  It was lovely to see which blog posts have been your faves and your reasons why…you’re all sooo sweet!  And if you are interested…here is a lil’ Link-A-Post trivia! LOL!

• So many of you said it was too hard to choose…because you love them all (well, I totally agree!!!)
• Jenelle’s fantabulous Scrapping Imperfect Photos was your fave favorite!!
• You absolutely love all the tips and tricks posts…especially Casharina’s cool Re-coloring tips, Rosy’s neat little Stripes to Plaid and Kim’s top 10 tips for organized memory keeping!
• You are all big fans of Beckie’s awesome photography posts…especially this all-time favorite!
• There have been exactly 500 blogs posts (yes…Jenelle’s Thursday Thievery post yesterday was lucky number 500!!) published since May 2010!
• 24 different posts were linked as favorites…across all the different categories – learning new things with tips & tricks, focus on photos, food stuff, hybrid projects…being inspired and motivated to scrap your heart out as a result of a variety of inspiration posts, our special guests, amazing LOTW’s, gallery girls, template challenges, projectSCRAP…and fun freebies!! ;o)  The Shabby Shoppe Blog is here to inspire and it’s beyond awesome to know that we are doing just that!

I want to also take this opportunity to THANK all those that played Shabby Squiz…our second party game!!  Y’all are SQUIZ-STARS!!! :o)  I received heaps of emails - WOW, it was hard to keep up with the demand! LOL!!  I replied to every single email received within 24 hours…so if it appears that you have not yet received your Easy-As-Pie Invitation templates please check your spam and/or junk folders - it may be hiding out there.  And if you still can’t locate my reply please let me know and I’d be happy to resend it! …here’s my email address again: kylie@theshabbyshoppe.com  …just wanna make sure that you all got your templates! :o)

I hope you had bunches of FUN taking this little trip down “blog” memory lane with the Shabby Squiz questions…and are enjoying your new little birthday bash gift!

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Wishing everyone a fabulously happy and safe weekend.  We’ll be back on Monday with Layout of the Week…until then, Happy Scrapping!! :o)

…and, P.S.  Just a quick reminder that the Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge 23 deadline is SUNDAY night (12 midnight US EDT), for all 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 gorgeous layout to the Gallery! :o)

Hey everyone…Kylie here again!  During the recent ‘vacation’ our beloved blog celebrated its second birthday! ~ on May 1st ~ YAY!!  Now that we’ve returned to our usual “scheduled-programming” we just couldn’t wait any longer to kick off this year’s birthday bash!

Any great birthday celebration must, of course, include a fun party game or two…and to help us celebrate all month long…we are inviting everyone to come & play!  It’s going to prove a lil’ difficult for us ALL to sit down and play pass the parcel, musical chairs or even pin the tail on the donkey (or should that be pin the element on the scrapbook layout – lol!!)…so I have detailed below TWO ‘not-too-shabby’ games that you might like to take part in.  And where there are games…there are sure to be PRIZES!! YAY! :o)  You can opt to play just one of the birthday games or both…either way I hope you enjoy them!

Link-A-Post is as easy as one, two, three!

1. Find your favorite Shabby Shoppe Blog Post published over the last two years

2. Grab the link to your favorite post (by copying the http: address from your internet browser).  Then add a comment here on today’s Blog Birthday Bash post.  The comment just needs to include the LINK…but if you’d like to tell us why it’s your favorite, then that would be really great – but not essential!!

3. All comments must be added by MIDNIGHT (US eastern time) on Thursday, May 31st.  The very next day we will select THREE ‘WINNERS’, at random, and announce them on the Blog.  Each ‘winner’ will receive a $10 Shabby Shoppe Gift Card!

(UPDATE:  It appears that our SPAM guard system is loving almost all your “linked” comments and wants to keep them for itself - LOL (well – not really LOL!!)!!  If you add a comment and don’t see it straight away it has unfortunately been directed to our spam queue, awaiting approval. I check this queue daily, SO DON’T WORRY, I will catch it and add it back to this post so everyone can see it, and more importantly so that you have a game one entry.  Apologies if this causes any confusion! …and THANKS for commenting in the first instance!!) 

Roll up, Roll up!!  It’s Shabby Squiz time!  Every correct entry gets a prize, folks!! :o)

Quiz…Squiz – oh it’s fun to play with words! LOL!  And if you haven’t heard the word squiz before here is a little info – squiz (noun) [ skwiz ]  quick look, a quick inquisitive look at something (Australia, NZ) – informal.  (gotta love Aussie slang!)

GAME TWO quiz rules:

• answer each of these 10 questions…

Question 1. The “new (and much improved)” Shabby Shoppe blog started out on May 1, 2010.  We kicked things off with a lovely chat with the amazing Shabby Princess herself…can you tell us what three desserts SP said she has trouble resisting?

Question 2. Which digital kit did we have fun product spotlight’ing on March 8, 2011?

Question 3. Which beautiful kit did SP use to design the NOVEMBER 2010 free desktop?  She mentions three…but what’s the main one?

Question 4. Name four of our talented team contributors (Shabby Artists)?

Question 5. Who was our random winner for Easy-As-Pie Template Challenge 20? (answer with their username)

Question 6. How many eggs in Kylie’s Choc-Cherry brownie recipe?

Question 7. In the blog post “Kim’s TOP 10 for organized memory-keeping”, what was Kim’s number 1 tip on her list?

Question 8. What hybrid project did Lu make for National Game & Puzzle Week, November 2010?

Question 9. Take a trip to the Shabby Shoppe by clicking on the “SHOPPE” link at the top of this page.  Can you tell us “What’s the latest at the Shabby Shoppe’s Blog?”  (Once you’ve written down the answer stay right there on the Shoppe homepage for the next Squiz question…or feel free to have a look around while you’re there!)

Question 10. Take a short trip to the ShabbyPrincess.com website via the free kits short cut (here’s a tip for you – click the little aqua heart that says “free kits” in the top right-hand corner).  Once you get there, name any two of Shabby Princess’ free kits? (here is another tip – click on “downloads” to view all)

• Once you have collected all ten answers, email your list to kylie@theshabbyshoppe.com with the subject heading: Shabby Squiz Answers
• I will then check off your answers and if all correct will send you a sweet little gift to say thank-you for participating in our Shabby Squiz adventure!!
• Your email must be received by MIDNIGHT (US eastern time) on Thursday, May 31st…this is a firm deadline and we won’t be accepting game two emails after this time.  Please understand that the quiz is only open for a limited time and to be fair to everyone there will be no exceptions. 

…sooooo, what’s the gift?

How cool is this Easy-As-Pie Invitations layered template set?! I just love it!!! …and it’s exclusive to those that complete the Shabby Squiz! (…it is not currently available in the Shabby Shoppe, just in case you were wondering?!)  So if you’re planning a party…well, with these templates in your stash you’ll be able to create invitations FAST…but still be as creative as you like and tailor them to your party theme!  Plus I’m sure you’ll find other fun ways to use these goodies…and not just for party time :o)

This gift package will be zipped down to an approximate 2.8MB file and emailed directly to you.  Generally, this size file is fine, but please let me know in your Shabby Squiz Answers Email if the current zipped file is over your email limit and I’ll happily break it down to smaller (separate) emails so that you can receive it all successfully.

So what does your gift include?

• [1] 5×5 layered invitation template
• [3] 4×6 and 5×7 layered invitation templates included in both sizes (for a total of 6)
• [3] layered label templates
• [2] present digi stamps (.png format)
• [4] please join us wordart stamps (each a different font style)
• [4] you are invited wordart stamps (each a different font style)

You have three whole weeks (plenty of time!) to complete this Squiz challenge should you dare to take it! ;o)  Come on, it will be lots of FUN!  If you are new to the Blog then this is your chance to have a look around & discover some older posts and other Shabby Shoppe ‘treasures’.  And if you’ve been with us from the very start well, you may just re-discover a few gems you may have missed, as you complete your Shabby Squiz journey.

Need a little help completing Game Two??

I really don’t expect you to go through every single post looking for the answers to my questions…we’ve nearly reached 500 posts, so it would take A SERIOUS amount of time, and then some!! LOL!!  There are ways to narrow down your search:

• Don’t forget to glance over at all the sidebar information on the right-hand side – there’s categories, contributors and monthly archives.  Clicking on these will also narrow down your search time!  So for example if you are looking for a Product Spotlight in March 2011 – you could choose to click on Product Spotlight (categories section) or March 2011 (in the monthly archives section) and then scroll through the results until you find the answer to the Squiz question!

Good Luck and HAVE FUN!!!  Feel free to play both games or just the one…totally up to you! :o)

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Not only is May the blog’s birthday…but it just so happens that it is the Shoppe’s birthday month as well :o)  …so along with the fun and games (and gifts!!) today…I also want to let you know that we are having a SALE at the Shoppe!  When it comes to store-wide sales, we generally only have a couple each year…and love when we can celebrate both the Shoppe’s birthday AND the Blog’s birthday with one :o)  EVERYTHING (excluding gift cards and professional/photographer use products) is on SALE for at least 25% off…so head over to the Shoppe and have FUN!

Phew!!! …that’s it for today!  Enjoy our 2nd BLOG Birthday Bash and be sure to read the game requirements carefully – however if you are unsure about anything just leave a comment here and I’ll do my best to answer it! :o)  I’ll see you again tomorrow for TEMPLATE CHALLENGE 23 – and to announce the lucky winner of # 22! – yay!

Now…onto the goodies :o)  CLICK HERE to download…or you can simply click the preview image below!  As our final ‘share’ for this year’s BLOG BIRTHDAY (the BLOG recently had its first birthday!) – we have two FANTABULOUS cluster frames AND a wonderful easy-as-pie layered template…all FREE!  Kylie and I (mostly Kylie, lol) had a blast working on these and we sincerely hope you enjoy them!  Remember…we also shared the beautiful word whimsy and the paper pack in previous weeks/posts!  All of these items coordinate together to give you a perfect scrapbook page!  And…everything also coordinates with the AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER kit in the Shoppe…so mix and match and have fun SCRAPPING!  Of course, you can scrap just about any event…not just birthdays :o)

Here’s a layout that I put together to show you how FUN these items are!  I think this might be the FASTEST layout I have ever worked on, lol!  Seriously…I just put two of the free papers on my canvas…added the word whimsy and a cluster frame…popped in my photo – and I was DONE :o) but, even though it was so super quick and simple – it looks awesome – loooove that!

And, as I mentioned…don’t miss the SALE at the SHOPPE!  We generally only have a couple each year…and love when we can celebrate both the Shoppe’s birthday AND the Blog’s birthday with one :o)

Alright – I think that’s all for today :o)  Be sure to check in tomorrow as Kylie brings us TEMPLATE CHALLENGE THIRTEEN – yay!  She did a GREAT job and I LOVED working with the template…I just know you will, too :o)  xoxo — SP

Hey guys…SP here :o)  So, if you have been following the blog…you probably know that we (the blog) recently had our FIRST birthday!  The Shoppe’s birthday is in May as well (though the Shabby Shoppe is turning SIX lol)!  Anyhoo – we kicked off our BIRTHDAY BASH last week with a gorgeous and free bit of word whimsy :o)  As I mentioned then…we will be sharing more fun and free goodies with you over the next couple of weeks…and today I am super happy to bring you installment two of our birthday bash ‘gifts’ :o)  Remember…we will be sharing special little gifts to help you create the perfect BIRTHDAY layout when all is said and done!

So, you already have the super fun word whimsy…now – you get the new (and free) PAPER PACK!  I put together five new papers to coordinate with the AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER collection (currently on SALE until the end of the month)…and you can either use them now – or wait until the end of the month (maybe a little into June as well) when we have shared the rest of the goodies!  I really wanted to give you something that would extend the life of the An Affair to Remember kit!  As I’ve said many times…even though it is a ‘birthday/celebration’ kit…I use it ALL THE TIME in my everyday layouts!  I find it to be soooooo versatile and practical!  But, since it does have plenty of birthday-themed items in it already…I thought it would be fun to share some papers that give you lots of options for non-celebration layouts, too!  So, I truly hope you enjoy these papers!  Here’s another look at the collection of five papers…

 CLICK HERE to download…or simply click on one of the preview images above!

Again…ENJOY, and check back next Wednesday for our next BIRTHDAY BASH share :o)

Have a super happy day/night!  Be sure to stop back by tomorrow as I share the MAY templates for project SCRAP :o)  XOXO — sp

Hey guys…SP here :o)  As you may or may not know…the BLOG turned ONE on May 1st – YAY!  And, we have been looking forward to kicking off the birthday celebration…but had to delay it a bit as I was out of town!  We’re ready now though, lol!  Throughout the remainder of the month – you’ll find special birthday posts sprinkled in with our usuals!  I won’t tell you about all of them now…but be sure to check back to see what’s happening!  As part of the celebration…we will be sharing special little gifts to help you create the perfect BIRTHDAY layout!  And, I’m happy to share one of those little gifts with you today :o)  Kylie and I created this SUPER FUN and cool word whimsy (if you like the concept of our word whimsy…we have a FAMILY collection and an AUTUMN collection in the Shoppe)  for you and we truly hope you enjoy it!  It coordinates with the AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER collection which is currently on SALE (until the end of the month)…and you can either use it now – or wait until the end of the month when we have shared more to go with it!

CLICK HERE to download…or simply click on the graphic above!

Not only is May the blog’s birthday…but it just so happens that it is the Shoppe’s birthday month as well :o)  I guess you could say that May is just a special month for SP, lol!  So again, I hope you will join us as we celebrate…and enjoy our shares over the next couple of weeks!

Have a wonderful day/night!  Be sure to stop back by tomorrow as Kylie issues a yummy birthday challenge…complete with prizes :o)  XOXO — sp