Kung Hei Fat Choy

That means "Happy Chinese New Year!". I used to love this time of year in Asia - the whole town would be decorated in bright, exciting colors and lights. Small orange trees (symbolizing wealth) adorned every shop, and I would spend hours preparing lai see packets for the office staff and building security guards.

I've created a crazy-bright kit to celebrate the coming Year of the Ox. The colors and whimsical feel remind me of all the wonderful decorations in Hong Kong. I've even given you a freebie to commemorate the trusty Ox. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Oxen know they will succeed through hard work and sustained effort and find no truth or benefit in concocting get-rich-quick schemes.

This fun kit contains six papers, two frames, eight tassles, one stamp/brush, one tag and nine embellishments. Each comes in its own high resolution file - png, jpeg and abr.

I hope you enjoy the kit and that 2009 brings you wealth and happiness!

Crazy Azian Kit
6 papers, 2 frames, 8 tassles, 1 stamp/brush, 1 tag, 9 embellishments
300 dpi

$5.99

Grab your freebie here.

Cookies for Santa

I really, really love this time of year. Especially as the kids get older and they appreciate the meaning of the holidays more and more. Our family traditions are really taking root - the advent calendar, the gingerbread house, cherry pie and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve.

We have a long and ongoing debate with my daughter's best friend about what snack Santa likes best. He swears Santa prefers chocolate chips (his mom's favorite), while my daughter steadfastly declares that, no, Santa prefers homemade cherry pie (a hand-me-down tradition from my Pappap, to my Dad, to me and now to her). We've reached a tenuous agreement that, perhaps, Santa likes a little variety on his travels round the world. And, apparently, he does, because he consumes all the snacks at both houses quick happily.

So, in honor of Merry Old St. Nick's impending journey, I've created a yummy Sugar Cookie alpha that will make your holiday layouts just a little sweeter. I've also added a quickpage freebie for you as an early Christmas gift. Enjoy!





Sugar Cookie Alpha
Letters and Symbols
300 dpi, PNG format
$3.50






Grab your freebie here.

Ho Ho Ho - Happy Holidays

Well, the tree is up and trimmed. In fact, the kids and the DH have already denuded it of the THREE packages of candy canes with which I had adorned it. The stocking are hung by the chimney with care, and the advent calendar has been counting down the days. I finished all my holiday shopping yesterday - gah! I know, I know, my friends are always the first to give me grief about my overwhelming organziation and ability to get things done before other people have started! But, regardless of my anal retentive preparations, it really is starting to feel like Christmas. This week we got our first real snow, and it dipped into the teens for a couple of days. We're getting ready for school choir concerts and class parties and before we know it, it will be Christmas Eve and we'll all be waiting for the pitter patter of little hooves on the rooftops.

In honor of the upcoming yuletide celebrations, I created this elegant and lovely set of holiday brushes. You get all five in both ABR and PNG formats, so you can use them any way you'd like. I also added a little Ho Ho Ho freebie, I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Holidays Brush Set
$3.00

Grab your freebie here.

Sweet Little Baby

Most of my good friends are past the childbearing years - although we haven't ruled out anyone having a "surprise"! So, I don't get to ooh and ahh over babies much anymore. But a fellow gymnastics mom just had her second and she is precious. At two weeks old, she just sleeps quietly while the older siblings twirl and jump and us moms sit and gossip. She is sweet, sweet, sweet! Almost (but not quite) makes me want just one more...then I wrangle my five-year-old for a while and realize that that is just not going to happen!

So, in honor of Miss Emery's birth, I offer you this sweet chipboard alpha, coordinating papers and freebie frame. I hope you can use them to create a darling layout! Remember to laugh a little today. And, please, leave me some love if you like what you see!

Giggles Alpha, $3.00
Letters, numbers and symbols
PNG, 300 dpi

Giggles Papers, $3.00

5 papers, 12 x 12

JPEG, 300 dpi

Grab your freebie here:

Create Something Beautiful Today

I was incredibly stressed this morning - the kids were ornery, I was rushing around, didn't have time for breakfast, etc., etc. Sped off to school, sped home.

But the house is quiet now that everyone is at school, and my husband is tucked away in his basement office. My iPod is playing my favorite playlist. And I am about to spend a couple of hours being creative. I'm feeling incredibly peaceful all of a sudden and I can literally feel the tension leaving my shoulders. It's a wonderful feeling.

So, to celebrate this rare state of bliss, I thought I'd share my favorite word art. It seemed fitting to my state of mind this morning and I hope it inspires you to create something beautiful today. And, please, remember to laugh a little today!

Grab your freebie here.

Calling All Divas!

Today my daughter's school took their annual trip to the Denver Symphony. This is a BIG deal - as the kids are all encouraged to dress up. The boys generally wear and clean shirt and tie with their standard sneakers and jeans, but the girls go all out. My daughter left the house in a gold taffeta dress with pearl details (originally purchased for a relative's wedding), a black velvet jacket with leopard fur collar, gold sparkly ballet slippers, and her beaded pink purse. My, was she stylin'. It got me thinking about how much fun it is to be a girl and get all dressed up for a special occasion. I was inspired to create some "dress up clothes" for your layouts! So, here's my version of a super-girly alpha and papers, and a little freebie for you divas out there! Each letter/number/symbol is edged in hot pink glitter. The leopard print is an homage to my beautiful girl who went off this morning all shiny and sparkly and ready to take on the world!

Diva Alpha
$3.00
Uppercase, numbers 0-9, symbols
.png format, 300 dpi

Little Diva Alpha
$3.00
lowercase only
.png format, 300 dpi

Diva Papers
$2.50
Five papers, 12 x 12
.jpeg format, 300 dpi

Grab your freebie here.

Grab your freebie here.

Sheriff's Badge Frame/Charm Freebie

Grab your freebie here.

Welcome to Scrap Buddha!

The Laughing Buddha, also known as "Hotei", has a special place in my heart. As the Hotei traveled the lands, he spread happiness and peace. When he entered a town, he would head straight to the market, the busiest place around. Once there, he dropped his sack at his feet, raised his hands above his head and began laughing. His infectious mirth and happy countenance would draw a crowd, who began laughing right along with him.

Today we know that laughter releases endorphins, those feel good chemicals in our brain that create a sense of peace and well-being. What the Buddha knew was that laughter meditation brought both a feeling of happiness and tranquility, and it was his life's work to spread that message to all the people in the land.

When I was first told the story of the Hotei, I immediately felt a kinship to this chubby, happy guy. Maybe it's because I'm quite chubby myself ;o) Or more likely, it was because I my own philosophy is to find joy in everything I do - whether it be parenting, work or pleasure. Sometimes life is tough - like when your five-year-old dumps an entire gallon of sticky apple juice on the kitchen floor (it's happened!). But, I really believe there is joy in absolutely every situation, even the most dire and depressing. So, when the apple juice went everywhere - I chose to laugh at the look on my little guy's face rather than rage at the work ahead of me. See, peace and tranquility CAN reign if you just remember to look for it!

So, in the spirit of spreading a little happiness today, I'm offering a freebie to kick off my blogging adventure. The following word art from the Buddha is a gift to you. And remember, laugh a little today!

Download the freebie here.