I can't keep quiet another minute!

I'm so excited to let you know that I have accepted a position as a designer for Elemental Scraps! YAY!! I'll still be at Natural Designs, of course, but I wanted my designs to reach a broader audience and I think ES is the perfect place for that. Plus, everybody there is SUPER nice...when I broke the store earlier today (yes, I really did) they only gave me ten lashes...and the noodles were wet. So to celebrate, I have two brand spankin new products and the SALE OF THE YEAR! The "Rebecca" page kit is, of course, in honor of my sweet daughter who will be turning 8 at Disney World on Tuesday...yes, we are taking a much-needed vacation to the Magic Kingdom and won't be around until March 5th. I'm sure I'll have a lot of design inspiration when I return! Anyway, the Frameworks: Stitchery set is created from a real hardanger (that's a kind of needlework) coaster that I stitched myself a few years ago. I realized it would make a really nice frame if I cut out the center. In addition, there are a few of my older products uploaded to the new ES store as well. And best of all, everything is 40% percent off until we return from Florida (3/5/07)! But you know I have something special for my blog readers, right? Of course! If you spend more than $4 at my ES store, you can take an ADDITIONAL 15% off using this code: CS-happynews Here are the new product previews. Click them to go straight there in the store, or click here to visit my entire store.

Some exciting news!

I have a little secret that I can't tell you quite yet, but I believe it will be tomorrow that the formal announcement will be made and I can spill the beans. I'm very excited about it, and it does involve some new products. But I hate to be such a tease, so let me give you a little sneak peek. Please tune back in tomorrow to see the full preview and find out my wonderful news!

Happy Valentimes!!!

That post title is for the benefit of anyone else who watches 30 Rock, lol. So, I hope you're having a day full of love and sweetness. I myself am having a day full of disappointment and ice. The big storm they were predicting dumped a piddly 1/2 inch of snow on us, but that was followed by a whole lot of rain and ice. Now it's all slushy and gross out there. The kids' school started 2 hours late and I was just sure they were going to send them home early, but it looks like they're going to stay the whole day. The rain seems to have stopped, and as long as the temperatures don't drop we should be okay for the evening commute. Sadly, we lost several large branches out of an evergreen in our side yard. The ice was just too heavy, coupled with the wind. We're lucky nothing hit the house. I also had some water coming in through the kitchen ceiling, don't know where from, but it seems to have stopped too. But nothing was as disappointing for me as the call from my husband saying that he couldn't get out of Orlando because all the NY airports were closed. He's going to have to stay another night, and on Valentine's Day of all nights. I don't care much about the holiday, but he's been gone since Sunday and I just miss him. The tiny upside: I won't have to put off watching tonight's Lost to hang out with him. On the digi scrapping front, there seem to be a lot of wonderful sales out there today so enjoy shopping. Please drop by Natural Designs and see what new things we have in the store this week. I just put up a new set called Frameworks: Wuv Stuff that contains four lovey dovey layered frames that you can use for your Valentine and love pages. Only 2.99, check it out: Also, if you'd like a Simon Says Scrap blinkie you're welcome to pick up this non-blinking one I made today:

A sweet treat...FREE! and a 56 cent kit!

First, have you heard about my special Doo Wop promotion? Well, you know it's introductory priced at 30% off until Tuesday, right? And below you know there's that cool coupon code that'll get you an EXTRA 15% off, right? Well guess what? If you buy the Doo Wop kit and email me a link to your layout at csimon01 at gmail dot com, I'll send you a coupon for $3 off your next purchase in my store! That means in essence, the Doo Wop kit costs you only 56 CENTS!!! Not a bad deal, if I do say so. Also, there's a new collection up over at NDISB, from many of your favorite designers there, and it's VERY SWEET! It's Valentine candy wrappers and bag toppers, created from our gorgeous January mega kit, To You With Love. In it are six candy bar wrappers and six bag toppers, plus a full set of beautiful Valentine pins. You know what I love about it? Well, yeah, it's FREE with a $5 purchase, but also the toppers are made to fit a standard zip-top sandwich or snack bag. Now I don't have to go out and buy special cellophane bags for the kids' school Valentine exchange! Yay!!! They're very cute. The code to get them free is: NDISB-VT-ad8f09bd75 Just put the Valentine Treats collection plus $5 more worth of product in your cart, then use the code at checkout to get the Treats for free! YAY!! Click the image below to go straight there.

Doo Wop layout

Here's a little sample of how I used my new Doo Wop page kit. It's really fun to work with, and remember it's on sale for 30% off PLUS you can get an EXTRA 15% off with the coupon code below. Isn't he the funniest? He loves to cram as much food into his mouth as he can, even when we try and stop him. We tell him, "It's not going anywhere, slow down!" LOL. He's just such a BOY. We came up with this waffle sandwich concoction last summer, and now he asks for it all the time.

Doo Wop is in the store

Yeah, I was going to wait until Wednesday to give my CT at least a little time to get some layouts done. But you know me! You can see the kit below, but I have some really nice closeup views in the store, so click HERE to see all the details. The kit is marked 30% off today through Tuesday, Feb 13. But as a bonus for my blog readers, you can enter this coupon code at checkout to take an additional 15% off! Love my blog readers!! CS-c3baa05721 (expires Feb 28, 2007) I regularly check the galleries at NDISB and DST for layouts done with my products, but if you post elsewhere please be sure to send me a link so I can leave you some love. I adore seeing my products being used to help you capture your memories. Well that's about it from here today, except that the Amazing Digiscrapping Race has reached its conclusion (sob) and I had to pick my dd up from school because she threw up. Guess she wasn't faking this morning when she told me her stomach hurt. What a horrible mom to send her off to school anyway!! So send me lots of patience vibes since I have *two* sickies at home today with different symptoms, so I have to keep them from infecting each other! Sheesh!

New kit sneak peek!

I'm very excited to tell you I've got a new kit coming on later this week. It's called "Doo Wop," and just looking at it makes me happy. I'm so proud that I used only my own digitally-created graphics instead of clip art, and I believe these are probably the best ribbons and fibers I've ever made. It feels like a trip back in time to the style of my very first kit, Manhattan Loft, only Doo Wop incorporates the unreal amount I've learned about design in the past year. I truly hope you'll enjoy it! And of course I'll have an introductory sale and maybe even an extra coupon for special blog reader savings. :) I just love taking care of my blog readers. :)

Life

Life has been very weird these past few days. My 5yo son has been sick and home...my, you never realize how you come to rely on those hours they're in school until one of them has to stay home! So while one bathroom is pretty yucky and the dishes have piled up, I just can't seem to motivate out of this chair to get them cleaned up. It's just easier to sit here while he watches television. Fortunately, the fever seems to be gone and he's had a lot more energy today. He ran around a little when we went to the bus stop to pick up dd7. He still hasn't eaten much, though. A pop-tart and a chocolate chip cookie! Also, the Amazing Digiscrapping Race is coming to its conclusion. At times it's been infuriating, but for the most part it's been SO much fun. And I'm more sad than relieved. I think the racers have enjoyed themselves; after all, they really racked up the prizes! I hope the challenges resulted in some meaningful layouts for them. I hate creating a layout just for a challenge, and realize afterward that I don't even like it. The upside is that maybe I can do some more designing than I've been able to. February is going to be a busy and exciting month. Valentine's Day, my parents driving up from North Carolina, mid-winter school break, a Disney World vacation for the first time since I was a child, and my daughter's 8th birthday. How will we cram so much fun into such a short month? I don't know, but we'll manage somehow. The challenge will be preventing dd from jumping out of her skin as she waits for the Disney trip. She's already beside herself; I can't imagine what she'll be like as the month progresses. DH is at a business dinner tonight. I'm off to try and find a clean counter spot to make some sandwiches, then I'll bustle everyone off to bed so I can watch The Office in peace.