What's Cookin'?

That is the title of my new paper pack for the Design Star competition at Scrapmatters. The assignment was to create a paper pack with 3 solids and 5 patterned papers. We were supposed to have theme and we could choose our own color pallet. My inspiration came from one of the ScrapMatter's challenges called "A Matter of Taste" Recipe Exchange challenge. They scrap recipes to print off so that you end up with a beautiful keepsake recipe book. What a fun idea, don't you think?

Well, I love to cook and I have a huge collection of wonderful recipes, so I wanted to create a kit that I could use in that challenge. I also have new pictures of Aurora making pancakes. The girl has made it into an art form by making them into shapes of little men and hearts and Mickey Mouse heads, etc. It's adorable! I also have some cute pictures of Serenity covered in spaghetti, and this kit is going to be perfect for that as well!

I really can't wait to get started on the matching elements. The papers were fun, but I think I really shine when it comes to making elements. I have some terrific ideas! So, I hope you'll come back next week and look for those.

Meanwhile, you can download my paper pack at ScrapMatters.com as well as all of the great paper packs made by the other contestants. Let me tell you, those ladies make for some stiff competition. They're so talented! But you're all rooting for me right? ;o)

Well, this week is not an elimination round. More cuts will come after we make our element packs next week. I still need you all to keep all your crossables crossed for me, because I really want that design position. Thanks for your support!

- Ro

I'm in!!!

Woo hoo!!!! I was so nervous and excited waiting for the results yesterday that I about thought I would throw up. I am beyond thrilled that I made it to round 2 of the Scrapmatter's Design Star competition!

Also, my layout (the one I posted in my last entry) was picked for "layout of the week" at ScapMatters! What an awesome day!

Now that round 1 is over, I can show you which kit was mine. Here it is. It's still available on the ScrapMatter's site along with the 89 others.

There will be 2 more elimination rounds in this contest, so I'll still be sweating it for a while longer. I'll be matched up with a mentor now and I'm sure I will learn a lot. It's so exciting!

Anyway, thanks for looking and letting me share my good news!

- Ro

Still waiting...

I guess 3 of the 9 judges have made their decisions in the ScrapMatter's Design Star contest. I'm sure it takes time to go through the kits of 90 contestants. They must be taking the job pretty seriously too and giving everything careful consideration. I'm getting nervous! I've lost 3 lbs this week burning off my nervous energy. I guess if nothing else, the contest has been worth it for that! LOL!

Meanwhile, I scrapped a LO using 5 of the contestant's kits. This made it into the gallery stand-outs too! Yay!!! I have to say that I really love this one. These are my favorite pics that I've ever taken of my little Serenity.

I used pieces from:

DS102
DS62
DS13
DS61
DS104

The heart ribbon is something that I made.
The fonts are Summertime and Porcelain.

I'm telling you, you've gotta get over there and grab up those beautiful kits while the grabbin' is good. They won't be offered as freebies forever.

- Ro

My long overdue update

I can't believe my last post was on Halloween. I had actually forgotten my password here! LOL!

So, where have I been? Well, I didn't stop designing. Shortly after my last post, I made this kit:



I didn't offer it as a freebie cuz I had applied to 2 stores for a position as a designer. I was hoping to sell this one. Unfortunately, I was rejected at both stores. :o( So, I had to take a little time to lick my wounds and nurse my bruised ego. LOL!

I did get some constructive criticism from a wonderful designer and owner of a great store. She said that she thought that I had talent, but that my designs might be too cutesy to be marketable. So, I put aside the Christmas kit that I had been working on -- the one with the gingerbread boy, and went in a new direction. I made this Christmas card entirely out of papers and elements that I made. Nothing cutesy about it!


It was also suggested to me that I try to scrap with my own kits to see how "scrapable" they are. That really should have been a no-brainer, but at that point I had never scrapped a page in life -- not with my kits nor anyone else's. Kinda silly of me to think that I could design kits without knowing how to scrap, huh? But I had been using digital scrapbook kits to design signatures for myself and others in an online community. Little did I know that there's a big difference between what works well for "siggies" (as we call them) and scrapbook layouts.

So, I have been lurking in various scrapbooking communities and getting an idea of what's popular. I had always thought since people mostly scrapped kids, that cutesy, cartoon stuff would be what people wanted. Boy, were my eyes opened! The LOs that people are doing are so beautiful and elegant! They look like pages from magazines! I never realized the possibilities. Now that's what I want to do!

I also started scrapping my own LOs. I hate to toot my own horn, but I must be somewhat of a quick study because I've done exactly 7 LOs and 2 of them have already ended up in the "gallery stand-outs" thread at ScrapMatters, which has become my little scrapping home. :o) I was so honored! Here they are:

I Hope You Get Your Dreams

Most of this was made from the kit "Sunny Cove", Designs By Kawolette
The frame is from "Endless Love" by Bellisae
The font is Milk & Cereal

My Inspiration
I scraplifted "Dolly" by alamama at ScrapMatters
Credits: I used 4 kits from the ScrapMatters Design Star Contest.
"you... my inspiration" by DS43
DS21 untitled
"In my little forest" by DS 13
and "Meadow in the Morning" by DS61

I'll wrap this up by telling you what I'm doing now. I have entered this competition:


It's a 6 week competition. The first week is already over and the judges will soon announce who will be eliminated and who will move on to the next round. This first week is a blind contest to keep things fair. I can't tell you which entry is mine. I can tell you that you probably won't recognize my style from my previous kits, though.

You really should stop by ScrapMatters and check it out. There are a lot of beautiful freebies that you can get if your a registered member! Each participant is giving away a mini kit and they all coordinate, so what you're really getting is one huge mega-kit! And there are 88 contestants!!!! Wowsers!

That's a little more competition that I bargained for! A spot at ScrapMatters is quite the coveted position, huh? I know how badly I want it! There are some incredibly talented designers vying for that position, though. I don't know if I will make it past the first round. However, my skin has grown a little thicker since my last rejections. This is a tough business to be in, but designing really makes me happy so I won't give up no matter what happens!

I will update as soon as I know if I made it through! Wish me luck!

- Ro