Poof! Where'd my post go? And a contest...

Well, I thought I updated last week, but my post isn't here! So let's see...

I've had 2 sick little girls over the past couple of weeks. Both ended up with ear infections. We just had Kinsey's first birthday party this weekend. I'll get pictures up sometime!

I've really just been busy with the retreat house, and the girls. I made a new website for the retreat house which you can check out here---------------> The Hamburg Hideaway

Make sure you book mark the new site and sign up for the newsletter!

And now, I'm having a little contest. I ran one of these when I opened my retreat house and it was a great success! I just have to add more because the wall is huge!

Here are the details:
*Create a 12 x 12 layout with inspiration as the theme (the winning layouts will be chosen to hang at my retreat house in the crop room) (create, dream, inspire, wish, etc.)
*Your layouts can have photos if you want, but they don't have too.
*You must be willing to mail me your layout to hang up!
*Winners will receive a scrapbooking kit, or some scrappy supplies with a retail value of $18.00!
*Contest ends Jan. 31st!
*Email your entries to me at thehamburghideaway@yahoo.com with Layout Contest in the subject line.

Scrapbook Sussies November Layouts!

This kit was AWESOME! I got right to work as soon as I received the kit. This first layout is from the Sussies sketch. Be sure to check out the site for more designs with the kit. There is some great inspiration there!

Addicted Scrappers Family Tree Projects!

Here are some projects I created with the Addicted Scrappers November Family Tree kit.

Addicted Scrappers November Sneak Peeks!

Here are the GORGEOUS sneak peeks for Addicted Scrappers November kits! I am so honored, and lucky to be a guest designer for them. I will be creating with the Family Tree kit, but also purchased the Mia kit cause it's so darn cute! I can never have enough purple, and it's a rare color in kits.

Some sneak peeks from Scrapbook Sussies!

I am so excited to be guest designing for Scrapbook Sussies for the month of November!
Here are some sneak peeks that Lara just put up today:






And here is the add on to go with the kit:

November Add-On Includes:

One Sheet Rusty Pickle Pop Star Flower Sheet

One Package Midwest Designs Butterflies

One Yard Cosmo Cricket Velvet Ribbon

One Package Glitz Bling - Flowers PARTIAL (may vary from picture) package

Fancy Pants Daily Grind Chipboard

One Package K&Co Glitter Word Stickers

Some info about the club straight from the website:

Scrapbook Sussies is now an auto-ship / no-commitment club!
This means that, once you sign up, your kits will be automatically shipped to you each month until you tell us to stop sending them. You can skip whatever months you would like to skip. There will be deadlines - you will have to tell me by the end of the previous month if you want to skip, but you'll have control over which kits you get!
The add-ons will work the same way. You will be able to sign up for them as autoship as well. There will most likely be leftovers for you to purchase separately, too, but if you want them to come every month automatically, you got it! (And it will be at a set price no matter how much the add-on - obviously cheaper than the add-on purchased separately...)

A few little toots!

I have a few exciting things coming up!

First, I have been chosen as a guest designer for the month of November for a kit club. (I haven't seen it posted anywhere, so I dont' know if I can say yet who it is!) Let me say though, that I am very excited about this, as I've had my eye on this club! I also have met the owner in person and she's a hoot!

Next, I have been chosen as a guest designer for the month of November for another kit club! ADDICTED SCRAPPERS!!! I am so psyched about this! I am a subber at this club and just love the kits Susannah puts together. I can't wait to see what goodies I will be getting to work with!

And finally, I am finally a friend of Pagemaps! I have an 8 x 8 layout in her minimaps section for the month of October. Of course I don't have the layout on this computer, but will post it later. It's of my darling little Kinsey! I just love Becky's sketches, and it's usually the first place I go when I need some inspiration.

Inspiration Crop Layouts

I know these are WAY overdue, and I don't really have a good excuse! These layouts were all completed during Scrapdango's Inspiration Crop.

They are all scraplifts or completed from sketches provided from the design team there. I used a lot of stash!

This first one was completed using a Transparent Touches and Tags kit. I just love this Prima paper!
This next one was also done using a Transparent Touches and Tags kit!
This bright and fun one was completed using an Addicted Scrappers kit. It was the perfect colors for these pictures!

Another bright and fun one done using another Addicted Scrappers kit!

Love that I was able to finally scrap this HUGE photo I had of my girl!

Another one completed using a Transparent Touches and Tags kit! (I love Monica's kits, as you can see, I have no problem actually USING them!)

I used a Scrapdango kit for this layout. Love these colors!

A Blog Party and an Inspiration Crop!

If you need some motivation, or some inspiration, I have two great opportunities for you!
The first is an Inspiration Crop at Scrapdango. You still have until Sunday to participate in the challenges. There are some awesome prizes up for grabs! There are scraplifting, sketch, and ad challenges posted! Check them out!

Next is a BLOG PARTY! One of my favorite kit clubs, Transparent Touches and Tags, just started a blog, and to help kick it off they are having challenges, games and best of all...PRIZES! Here are the details:

TTT's Blog Party
Wednesday, August 27th - Wednesday, September 3rd

TTT is excited that we have joined the blogging world! We decided to have a BLOG PARTY to celebrate and have a week of scrapping fun with challenges, games and of course...PRIZES!!!

There will be several opportunities to win prizes throughout the week. Here's a quick look at what we will have during this party:

Drawings
1) signing in! Go to the Sign in Post for the party and tell us who you are, where you're from...and what you're bringing to the party! (you will get entered into drawing #1...you only need to sign in once, even if you're here more than one day)

2) adding TTT's blog! We will be having a drawing for those of you who add TTT's website and/or blog to your blog!! Don't have a blog, or want more opportunities to get in the drawing? Add it to your signature somewhere else besides the TTT message board. (you will get one entry per link that you add to your blog or siggy)

3) posting a comment on the blog! As you check out what we have so far on our blog, please feel free to leave a comment. There will be a drawing with names of those who leave comments....if you've already left a comment, your name will go in the hat! (you can earn mulitple chances in the drawing by posting comments on more than one post)

4) subscribing to the blog via email! There is a sign up area on the right hand side of the blog where you can put your email and then you'll be notified whenever there is a new post added to our blog. This is a great way to stay informed and inspired with what TTT posts each week. (you will be added to drawing #4 by signing up)

GAMES

**Picture Pieces Game: hosted by Nathalie...check back on Saturday for this game!

**TTT Blog Scavenger Hunt/Questions Game: hosted by Jen....check back on Thursday for this game!

~~~each game will have a TTT prize pack for the winner!~~~

SCRAPPY CHALLENGES
Check back throughout the first day of the party for the challenges to be posted! There will be a couple different layout challenges and also a fun card challenge! Each challenge will have a TTT prize pack for the winner.

**WE ALSO HAVE A THREAD ON THE MESSAGE BOARD WHERE YOU CAN CHIT CHAT ABOUT THE PARTY AND POST YOUR PROJECTS TO LINK BACK HERE FOR THE CHALLENGE POSTS. JUST GO TO: http://www.transparenttouches.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=30

They also are having some specials if you sign up for a subscription...

OFFER #1

*New* customers who sign up during the Blog Party for a 6 month TTT Kit Subscription will receive a FREE GOODIE BAG with fun scrapping things from past kits! (value $10-15) You can specify if you'd like things for girls, boys or both.

*customers must be new to TTT and have never had a subscription with TTT before
*this offer cannot be combined with offer #2
*offer good until Wednesday, Sept. 3rd at midnight PST

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OFFER #2
If you are a current TTT Kit Member with a subscription and you refer a friend to TTT and they sign up during the Blog Party, YOU WILL BOTH receive a FREE GOODIE BAG with fun scrapping things from past kits! (value $10-15) You can specify if you'd like things for girls, boys or both.

*the person you refer must be new to TTT and have never had a subscription with TTT before
*offer good until Wednesday, Sept. 3rd at midnight PST
*there is no limit on how many friends you can refer--the more you refer, the more you'll get!

So if you sign up, tell her Taryn sent ya!

OMG! It's been a month!

Yikes! I can't believe I haven't updated in a month. It seems like it's been a whirlwind since we came home from the beach with getting the retreat house ready.

First, let me tell you a little bit about the kids...Devon is getting ready to start preschool and we are both excited. I got her a little backpack and we've gotten some new clothes for school. She's a busy little lady during the day playing, playing, playing, and waiting for daddy to come home. Kinsey is 8 months old already! She is a little bugger. She's crawling everywhere and pulls herself up on anything she can. She loves to have things in her hands at all times...even when she's crawling. No teeth yet, but I think they are on the way. At least, I hope that is what explains some of her crabby moods. Devon is learning to be a good big sister and share her toys, which is proving to be pretty difficult at the moment.

Next up, what have I been doing creatively? Well, I've been participating in a contest at Transparent Touches and Tags. My scrappy friend in real life Jen is hosting it. I subscribe to TTT, so this is a great contest for me! We just have to make layouts using the kit. These are some of my very favorite kits, so it's easy for me to create with them. Monica has such great taste in products. Here are some layouts I've done for the contest. It's based on Page Maps sketches.

This first one is of Devon. We are finally finished potty training! It actually went very well. I had to strategically place a flower on her bare butt so the whole world wouldn't see it...LOL.

Next is Kinsey and her 5 month photos. We do this every month for the girls, or at least during the first year. It's fun to look back on. Of course Devon has to get in on the action!


And finally, here's one of Kinsey at the beach. Erik dressed her and brought her over. She looked so cute bundled up in her cover up! Can you tell I was paranoid about her getting sunburn?


In other news, the retreat house is going AWESOME! I can't believe it's really finished! I'll post pics later of my friends who stayed a few weekends ago.

Catching Up!

What a whirlwind two weeks it's been here. We have been getting the retreat house ready for our first guests, while at the same time trying to get ready for our week at the beach.

The Friday before we were supposed to leave for the beach, Devon got very sick. She became very lethargic in the evening and actually fell asleep on the couch...which she has NEVER done! Then later I took her temperature and it was 103.6. Yikes! Because she had also been complaining about her belly and wouldn't go to the bathroom, we decided to call the doctor. To make a long story short, on Saturday morning we had to take her in to get checked. Tested negative for a bladder infection, etc. So we left for the beach. Here she is in the car.


Her fever continued, so we took her to an emergency car center while at the beach and they took a blood test that said she had a bacterial virus. So they gave us antibiotics. Her fever finally broke on Thursday!

Here are some pics from our vacation. This is my daughter climbing up the sand wall. Our house is the one in the middle here. It's sitting back a little bit. It's called the Regency and we stay here every year. 10 bedrooms, 7.5 bathrooms, pool, etc. We love it because it houses all who go.

Here's my baby after daddy got her dressed for the beach!

Here she is in the pool. It's so nice to have a pool to go back to in the hot afternoon.

This is the whole crew posing on the boat in our backyard!

All in all it was a great week!

Layout Contest Winners!

I finally got to sit down and look at all of the GORGEOUS layouts that were submitted for my contest! These layouts will be featured in my retreat house, The Hamburg Hideaway. Congrats to the winners! Please email me your address so I can send out your prize--A Coordinates Collections May Kit--Celebration as seen here:

Without further ado...here they are!

This one is by Emily aka Eddie-n-Harley. I love the colors, the quote and the big flourish! Great job!

This one is by Lynda aka arlsmom. I love the quote, the paper and the cute photo! Nice job!
This one is by Heather. I love the design of this and the super large title! Wonderful!

This one is by Tanya. I love all of the different papers! Very pretty!

Here is one by Amber aka amberhelga. I love the design, the colors, and the photos! Fantastic!

Here is one by Heidi. I LOVE this photo! Great job!

This one is by Lan. What cute photos! I love the way she did the title, and this is some of my favorite paper! Super job!

Congrats again! And watch for other contests in the future! I'll be in touch ladies!

Addicted Scrappers Design Team Call

So I decided to try for the Design Team at Addicted Scrappers. I sub to this kit and totally love Susannah's taste in products! In total we've had two challenges that were mandatory and then 3 quick fire challenges that were optional. There are a lot of talented ladies trying for this, and we won't find out until sometime next week. But I definitely have no expectations!

For the first challenge, we had to create something using a monotone color--brown in this instance. Yikes! Everything I do is either pink or purple! So I dug through my supplies and here is what I came up with:
We were allowed to use 2 small flowers of a different color, so I chose to do that. I had to sneak some pink in there!

For challenge #2 we were given a single page sketch. We were supposed to turn it into a 2 page layout. We also were supposed to use a black background or a large piece of black paper. Here's how mine turned out:
For the first quick fire challenge, we were to use a pagemaps sketch to create a 6 x 12 layout. Here is what I came up with:

Quick fire challenge #2--still working on this one.

Quick fire challenge #3 was to create a set of 4 cards. Each card was to have 2 flowers and 3 brads each. Here they are!

Scrapdango Guest Design Projects!

I was honored to be chosen as a guest design team member for Scrapdango! I got to use the awesome Sugar kit which features We R Memory Keepers Frenzy! Here's the kit:


Here are the layouts and altered wall hanging I made using the kit:

Here is the Spice kit: