teresabelle designs

the season of giving

2011-12-12T09:09:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone,

I hope the season is treating you well!

Often this time of year, we ask family and friends, friends we may or may not know who read our blogs, as well as random passerbys who happen to walk within a certain radius of us, to please consider donating to the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund (www.fanconi.org).

As many of you know, our daughter, Emma, was born with Fanconi Anemia (FA). It's super rare, so almost the only way they get any money for research is from parents begging people to donate. There is no ongoing public support, since the public is unaware. There are FA researchers who think if they can unlock the mysteries of FA cancer, then it could potentially cure anyone with cancer. So, while FA is rare, it could potentially have a big impact on everyone.

I made a little video about my girl to explain FA, as well as to show some of what her life is like. Everything shared in this movie was done so with Emma's approval and help. She's old enough now that we feel like we need to respect her privacy.

Please consider donating, even if all you can manage right now is $1 or $5. If everyone donated, even just a tiny bit, it would end up being a lot!

If you need the direct link, here it is: http://youtu.be/FX4Y73V0NmQ

Thanks so much!
Teresa

christmas lights tutorial

2011-12-06T23:24:00.001-06:00

I posted a few photos on our family blog of our children decorating our Christmas tree. Some people emailed/left a comment asking how I did it, so I thought I would share here in case anyone else wanted to know. If you have a point and shoot camera, this probably won’t be helpful for you. But if you have a dSLR, keep on reading on…

I used Manual Mode.
Shutter Speed: 1/100
Aperture: F1.8 (used my 50mm lens)
ISO: 1000
No flash

I used a tripod to keep it steady and used a 2-second timer so that there would be no movement in hopes of making the photo be as clear as it could be. All the lights were out, except for the Christmas tree lights. You might need to adjust your settings depending on the lighting you are dealing with.

If it’s still too dark for you, try changing your ISO to a higher number and/or your shutter speed to a higher number too (higher would be something like 1/50, 1/20, etc).

If my settings make it too bright, try changing your ISO to something lower and/or your shutter speed to a smaller number (going in the direction of 1/150 or smaller).

It can take several tries before getting it right. So, keep on trying!

For the settings I mentioned, here are the results:

If you don’t have a tripod, it doesn’t seem to matter very much. The photo below was taken with me holding it, not on a tripod. Still looks pretty good. This is almost exactly the lighting and the way it looks in our house. Love our camera! It’s a Canon EOS 60D for those who are wondering, but a Canon Rebel is a great option too…as are many others.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any questions (disclaimer: I’m totally new at this. I have only had my camera for a month, and I never took photography classes, so my knowledge is quite limited. But, I might be able to help if you are even newer than me!).

Teresa

TUTORIAL: How to create/install your own background

2011-12-01T23:26:00.001-06:00

The video I created on how to make your own blog background is a bit outdated. So, I thought I would create this entry to update the video a bit.

Blogger changed how they do things a while back. There is a CSS code you can enter to place your new background, but I haven’t found a way to do that that works as well as this way (unless you want a repeating background with little control over how it looks). So, I’m sticking to this. Please know that I’m NO EXPERT when it comes to html or css. It’s all gibberish to me...mostly.

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STEP ONE: Create your blog background.

A: I like to use the dimensions 1980 X 912 pixels with the resolution at 72 (when viewing things on the web, you don’t need a resolution any larger than 72). This creates the background large enough to fill most screens, but you can adjust these numbers if you want. Just know that if you make it smaller, it will not fill the screen on all other computers, even if it appears to do so on yours.

(you can click on any image to see it larger):

B: MAKE YOUR MID-SECTION
Make it 15 inches wide.

C: CENTER IT OFF THE BACKGROUND (a tip if you use Photoshop): As seen in red in the image above, in the LAYERS PALETTE highlight your background and mid-section layers, then press the “Align Horizontal Centers” button at the top (which you’ll see available when you have your “move” tool selected). This will center your mid-section on your background.

D: ADD A SHADOW TO YOUR MID-SECTION (if you want). These are the settings I usually use, give or take some.

TIP: If you want a header for your blog, do not add it to your background. Add it as a separate element on your blog. If you put very much on the sides of your background, it will depend on the screen shape and resolution as to how much will be visible on any given computer.

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STEP 2: Save your background to use on the web.

Go to FILE, SAVE FOR WEB & DEVICES.
Save your image a size smaller than 1M (something with a K at the end is what you want). See image below to see where to look for the size (the circle in the center). And, you adjust the size of the background by changing the quality size (upper right circle).

(You can click to see image larger.)

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STEP 3: Upload to Photobucket (or another similar site).
www.photobucket.com

Make sure your settings are set to allow for large size files. You can do that by following the images/instructions below:

(You can click to see these larger)

1. Click on “customize your upload options”.

2. Select “Best possible quality (while staying 1 mb or less)

3. Save it.

4. Then upload your image.

5: Once it’s uploaded, you can view your image.

6: Locate the “direct link”, as seen in the image below. You don’t need it yet. Just remember where it is.

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STEP 4: Add your background to your blog!

1. Go to your blog.

2. Go to the TEMPLATE option.

3. Choose a “picture window” template.

4. Go to LAYOUT.

5. Click on “Add a Gadget”

6. Choose “HTML/JAVASCRIPT”

7. Paste this code into the box that pops up. Within the code, add your direct link from your background that you uploaded to photobucket:

<style type="text/css">body {background-image: url(ADD YOUR DIRECT LINK); background-position: center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; }</style>

8. Save it.

It should now show you your new background when you view your blog. If you want to change the background in the future, just change the direct link to your new background link. If you ever want to get rid of your customized background, just delete this gadget off of your blog, and it’ll return to whatever template you have chosen on blogger.

If you want to customize your blog a little more, use the Template Designer.

Choose TEMPLATE, then CUSTOMIZE:

Choose ADVANCED: You can scroll through all the options and change the font, size, coloring, etc…on all the different areas of your blog.

On my blog, I don’t want a title since I created my own, but I haven’t taken the time to figure out how to remove it. So, instead, I changed the font size to 1px and matched the color to my background (as you can see in the example below). Now it’s not visible.

Special thanks to Easy Custom Blogs. I had originally had a different code that I used for my background, but when Blogger updated things, my code wouldn’t work for new backgrounds anymore. Jeanette had a code that worked great – so yay!! If you want more tutorials on how to customize your blog, she has great ideas over there: http://easycustomblogs.blogspot.com/

Please let me know if you have any questions!

she’s here

2011-10-18T20:10:00.001-06:00

I’m only three weeks late in posting this, but our new baby girl is here! Things went well with the birth and our new little girl looks healthy and is so sweet. She’s our baby #5. The kids all love her.

I seem to have very little personal time these days…and right now is no exception! Ella was sleeping when I started, but I think she must have heard me typing because now she’s crying. I better run. We have more pictures on our other BLOG.

Oh, and I do have a kit in progress, but I have NO idea when I’ll have time to do anything more with it! I might just give it away as a paper pack when I have time to upload it.

Off I go!

the Boy (a free kit)

2011-07-08T23:28:00.001-06:00

Okay, I finally finished a kit! I told you I would one day. I really didn’t think I’d average like only three kits a year (assuming I finish another by the end of the year). But apparently that is my new top speed. Ha! Hopefully I’ll get a little faster.
And it’s ALL FREE.
I say it’s a boy kit, but it’s really a gender neutral kit overall. There are some elements that are more boy, though. Plus, I think my kits are usually girlie, so I thought I’d focus one of BOYS this time!
**Download links are at the end of the entry**

A couple layouts:
I used JennCK Designs at Scrapbook Bytes for the templates. She has a ton, and they are great!

It’s been so long, I’m not sure I have a CT anymore (hehe!), but IF I do, I’ll be checking with them soon to see if they want to create some freebies for you as well. If so, I’ll post those later. If not, I’ll post my quickpages as freebies in another entry in a few days (don’t have time at the moment).
Hope you enjoy! Here are the download links:
The Boy Free Kit – Elements
The Boy Free Kit – Papers01
The Boy Free kit – Papers02
The Boy Free kit – Papers03
PS: If you’re new to my blog, I no longer have time to sell designs (can’t keep up with the required amount!), so I’m giving them away for free for now. Baby #5 is due at the end of Sept, so I’ll have my hands pretty full. You can subscribe via email if you want to be kept up to date on any new kits. If you do subscribe, be sure to check your email for an email from Feeburner. You’ll need to click on the link from them in order to fully subscribe (so many attempted subscribers have forgotten that last step!).
Thanks!
Teresa

Charity Voting Results

2011-05-27T09:48:00.001-06:00

I apologize for taking so long to report the results! I was waiting to make sure our final position was truly final (after Chase went through each charity and verified all the votes as being by the rules. In the past, some charities have been switched around, etc). It looks pretty for sure we placed in position #29. It's not a winning position, which is disappointing, but it is an awesome position when you consider everything! We had been at #37 at one point, so to make it to #29 is amazing. Also, when you consider how small of a group of us were fundraising, and about 1000 votes per day came in the last few days, is beyond words to me! We were less than 700 votes from placing in the top 25! Soooo close…

The support has been incredibly touching and uplifting. All of us, while disappointed we didn't win, have felt astounded by the response of everyone. Who knew so many people would reach out?! I've been blown away by all the comments, emails, and support. I feel bad having to tell everyone that we didn't win! Your effort was worth it, though. Thank you so much!!

The good news is, we did win $25,000 in the first phase (had to place in the top 100). This was the second phase that we lost (had to place in the top 25). There is also a third phase. In this phase Chase will look at the top 100 charities individually and select five charities. Then those charities will present their "Big Ideas" to the advisory board. There will be a $200,000 grant and then additional ones for a total of $500,000. So, we just have to hope they'll choose us as one of the top five...odds are against it, but hopes & prayers that they chose us!

If you’d like, you can look at the final leaderboard to see the big winners (around $100,000-$500,000). Actually the link doesn’t seem to work. If you go here, then look at the tabs along the top and choose the “leaderboard” one, it’ll show you the winners. You can click on each one to see how much they won:
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/930995453-fanconi-anemia-research-fund-farf?src=charity_share

Thanks again for the love & support! I am still trying to respond to everyone who commented or emailed, but in the meantime, just know how grateful we are to you!

Teresa & all the other FA Families

bribery…to help Emma

2011-05-22T01:04:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone! I do have some freebies for you, but if you wouldn’t mind, please read this before you jump to the end to snag them. I’m kind of using them as bribery this time. I’m hoping to enlist your help in something that will only take about ten seconds of your time (not asking for money, so no worries!), and it will mean so much to us and many other families.

OUR STORY
It’s just after 1am in the morning. It’s taken me WAY longer to get this all put together than I thought! So, I apologize if this isn’t very coherent (not like it’d be any different than my usual self…hehe). And, I’ll try to keep it as short and to the point as I can.

I’d like to introduce you to our little girl, Emma. She’s my oldest daughter (8 yrs) and has a unique story to share and a purpose in sharing it right now.

When Emma was born, we soon discovered that she was a very special little girl. She had to fight from the beginning to survive. She had open heart surgery when she was a few days old to repair a major heart defect (TAPVR)…

As some of you probably can relate from your own personal experiences with a sick child, it was a very terrifying experience. Thankfully she healed quickly. It seemed like everything was moving along well, soon it would all be in the past, and we’d be able to move along in our new lives with our new beautiful baby girl.

But that wasn’t to be…

When Emma was eleven days old, just six days post-heart surgery, she was diagnosed with a really rare, fatal disease called Fanconi Anemia (FA). It causes aplastic anemia (bone marrow failure), leukemia, and different types of cancers.

It was a devastating diagnosis.

We’d never heard of it before. Turns out there are only about 300 cases in the USA and 3000 in the world. It’s incredibly rare. We almost always know more about it than doctors do, not the most exciting position to be in. It’s a double recessive gene, so both my husband and I carry it and now have a 25% chance in having another with it.

Due to FA, she also has hypothyroidism, only one kidney, very small stature (at 8.5 years old, she weights 37 lbs and is about as tall as a 5-6 year old), hearing impairment, and some other issues. FA presents itself differently in all children. Some have very few abnormalities, and some have several.

She had a cleft of the soft palate that repaired when she was three (see pic below). Poor baby did not have a good experience.

Since FA causes bone marrow failure, Emma has had to have her blood levels checked regularly, at least every three months since birth (usually every 1-2 months due to her thyroid issues). We’ve watched her blood counts slowly decline over the past several years. It’s a hard thing to see.

Here she is with her (then) two year old brother as she is about to get her blood taken (she hates it). He is the sweetest little guy and put his arm around her and kept telling her it was okay. He seems beyond his years in his understanding and compassion. They have such a special relationship.

She also has to have a bone marrow biopsy at least once a year, sometimes more, depending on results. This checks for cancers and bone marrow status. As of right now, only about 10-15% of her bone marrow makes blood. At her age, it should be about 92%.

Here she is about to have one. They put her to sleep for it…thank goodness! It’s not a fun thing to watch, but we always stay with her because it makes her feel safe.

As of about 18 months ago, she fell into severe bone marrow failure ranges and required red blood and platelet transfusions for about four months. As she started her first blood transfusion, we also started her on androgens in hopes of it boosting her bone marrows ability to make blood.

Here she is having a blood transfusion. She likes to make faces at the camera.

After each transfusion, she’d go home and run around really fast. She’d tell us how fast she could run now that she had enough blood. She told us that before the blood, she could only run really slow, which was true. And, when it got really bad, she could hardly walk to the bathroom and back. She would get so out of breath and exhausted.

It’s been heart breaking watching the disease progress.

Finally, after four months, the medication boosted Emma’s bone marrow production of red blood cells high enough that she no longer needed transfusions. Now she goes in at least every six weeks for blood work. Her platelets are very low and her immune system is very weak. Her red blood cells are doing pretty good! They are low, but it’s nothing like it was. The medicine is helping.

A bone marrow transplant is a treatment for the bone marrow failure. In Emma’s case, a sibling donor is especially important. We have had three more beautiful little children, and none of them are a match for Emma. But, each one of them is healthy! What a blessing. We are currently pregnant with baby #5. We’ll find out if she is a bone marrow match for Emma once she is born. We’ll save the cordblood for her. So far all testing shows that she is also a healthy little one.

Here are some pics of our little clan (it’s nearly impossible to get a normal shot. They LOVE to make faces!)

But even after a bone marrow transplant, it doesn’t cure them of FA. They have a crazy high risk of developing various types of cancers (especially reproductive and head/neck cancers). Due to how FA works, they can’t radiate or do chemo like they can on non-FA people. In the end, there is no cure for the cancer, and thus, no cure for FA. It’s always fatal.

I’m nearing the part where I need you…

As I mentioned at the beginning, FA is very rare. There is a research fund that is dedicated to finding a cure. They’ve already done a tremendous amount of research and improved treatments. Children are living longer now. There are more successful bone marrow transplants. But, still, way too many are dying young. There needs to be more research, and we need more money for it. There is no public awareness of it, so almost all incoming funds are from FA families holding fundraisers.

Now, you’re part…

There is a charity contest going on. We need votes – no money – just a vote! It really only takes about ten seconds. We already won in the first phase, and our charity earned $25,000. The current phase we need to place in position somewhere between 1 and 25. Right now we’re in the 30’s. I just looked, and we are SO CLOSE to getting in the top 25. If we rank high enough, we could potentially get $500,000 for FA research, which we desperately need! The contest ends on May 25th. We don’t have a lot of time to get all these votes in.

Would you mind voting for us? I haven’t had time to create a new kit (I’m so sorry!), but I went through some of my layouts I’d created in the past using my kits and have created some freebie quickpages for you. It’s my bribe attempt to encourage those of you with Facebook accounts to vote and help us earn money to hopefully save my baby and other little ones with FA too.

Obviously I’ll have no idea if you do or don’t, so it’s up to you.

If you don’t have a FB account (which means you can’t vote), please feel free to download the quickpages still! I’d love for you all to have them.

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VOTING:
If you’d like to vote, here’s what you can do:
- Go here: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/930995453-fanconi-anemia-research-fund-farf?src=vote_share

- You’ll need to “Like” Chase Community Giving (the company that is donating all the money to the charities – awesome group!).

- Then cast your vote for us. You can only vote one time. And no money donations can be accepted through them, so no worries about that!

- If you feel comfortable doing it, I’d love it if you could pass the link on to your family & friends! The more the merrier!

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Also, I do keep a blog about our family and updates on Emma for those interested:
http://cliftonclan.blogspot.com

And, thank you so much for reading to the end! I’m sorry it’s so long. It really is summarized, I promise! hehe. For those who vote, thank you, thank you!

QUICKPAGES
I hope you enjoy the quickpages as my way of thanking you. They are a bit of a mish mash. I really wish I had a new kit to give to you! I am working on it when I can. Hopefully it won’t be too much longer.

If you’re new to my site, I’ve had to quite selling my designs. I needed to put more focus on my family & knew I couldn’t keep up with the demands of creating/selling kits. So, for now at least (and probably for a long time), I’ll be giving my stuff away for free. I’m much slower than I was, but you can subscribe and be notified when I have something new out, if you’d like!

For some reason the link on the preview below isn’t working. So, I added another one HERE and at the very end of the entry.

CLOSE UPS:
Here are close-ups of the layouts I made to see what you’re getting in the QP pack:

Below: This one got messed up last night in my delirium as I was working on these. All the layers deleted (sob). So, no psd file, but there is a png file. At least I have the original full size jpg so I can print it off. I can’t believe I did that! Be sure to try using your eraser tool if you have any photos crossing over into places you don’t want:

You can download the QP from here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?z6fan51hu37aiwh

I haven’t used mediafire much before, so if any of you have any problems, let me know, and I’ll upload it to another site.

Thank you again!!
Teresa

charity kit…

2011-04-01T20:33:00.001-06:00

Hey, remember me?! It’s been a while! Turns out almost as soon as I finished selling at the store and decided to turn into a rogue freebie kit maker (at least for a little while), I found out I was pregnant with a very surprised baby. Actually I don’t think the baby was surprised, but we were! I’m almost 13 weeks along and morning sickness has FINALLY passed (thank goodness!).

That makes five offspring. Our last two kidlets will be about 15 months-ish apart (oops!), and the youngest four will be under five years (I need a nap thinking about it). I think I’m going to be pretty busy for a while. They are the most wonderful little people that we love and adore and are so excited to add another to our little clan. Here’s a couple photos to show you our awesome little people:

Our kids love “Tangled” and are wearing their new little dresses.

My little man was trying to not smile in the pic below…

CHARITY COLLAB: BELIEVE IN MIRACLES
I am slowly in the process of making a new kit (for free). In the meantime, here is a charity collab kit that I participated in for a designer who had some bad fire damage to her house. A lot of designers donated to this in hopes of raising funds for her to help her deal with her loss (I *think* she didn’t have home owners insurance either!!).

There are more than 200 papers and 376 elements if you get the whole thing, which you can grab HERE. If you would rather buy just bits and pieces, follow the links below. I will link each preview to where you can get them.

Here’s my portion of the kit (not available separately):

Get it ALL – the complete Bundle – HERE for $14.99:

Get only the Kit HERE for $7.99

Get the Alpha Pack Only HERE for $3.99

Get the Template Pack only HERE for $3.99

Get the Glitters only HERE for $2.99

Get the Gels only HERE for $2.99

I know that Heather will appreciate any and all donations to her cause! Thank you so much ladies and gents. I hope to have a freebie kit for you in not too much longer…

sale extended

2011-02-01T12:00:00.005-06:00

So, I closed my store for a few hours, but due to popular demand (you guys are so cool!), I am re-opening until Saturday.

You can still BUY MY STORE FOR $10 or buy my kits for only $1.50-2.00.

And, of course, I'll be offering freebies in the future:-)

uploading site suggestions?

2011-01-29T21:12:00.001-06:00

I’m going to miss not having a store to upload files to! Does anyone have a favorite uploading site to use for free? I could pay for an account, but then I’d be paying you to download my kits for free…hmmm…hehe. It seems like there are issues with each site I’m using. 4shared won’t even open up on my computer. I can get the account part to open, so I can upload it. I just can’t view the download page itself, and some of you have issues getting to that page too. Then megaupload.com has a limit on how many downloads a person can do in a day from it, which can make that frustrating for you guys. Both have wait times to download. Anyone have any sites to suggest? I can keep using 4shared and megaupload, if I need to. Just curious if anyone knew of any better sites. It would be nice to have something that worked for everyone.

Also, in case you missed my update on the previous entry, some have asked for smaller files to download, and I thought I’d share with everyone in case it helps. Here are some more additional links/options. If you’ve already downloaded this quickpage, you don’t need to download any of these again:

Get only the Font & QP in png format (no large psd file):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GZVWMGXQ

Get only the font & nothing else:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=T2RQXHSJ

Get both QP file types & font (original link from previous post):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HJ4V72S4

Enjoy!
Teresa

freebie quickpages

2011-01-29T07:31:00.004-06:00

Howdy Everyone!

Here’s a coordinating quickpage to go with the kit (my photo will not be included). I’ve included a png version, as well as the full psd file (which is why it’s such a big file to download!). Figured if you already have the whole kit, why not let you choose to modify what you want by including the psd.

Just clip your photo to the photo layer. Here’s some instructions if you don’t know how (for PS/PSE):

Place your photo above the layer named “PHOTO'”.
While the photo itself is selected in the layers palette, press ctrl+G (or ctrl+alt+G for CS4), and it’ll have the photo take shape of the white photo layer beneath it.
Press Ctrl+T on the photo layer itself, if you need to resize the photo (be sure to hold the shift key while adjusting the corners in order to keep the proportions correct).
To save it, go to File, Save As, choose the file extension jpg, name it, and click okay. It’ll flatten it really quick, then save it, then return it back to a psd file. Then you can save your psd file by pressing ctrl+s.

FREE KIT: And, if you’re new to my site and missed my first post, here is the freebie kit you can download. I’m “retiring” from designing due to having too much going on with my four little ones, and I need to put my focus on that right now and can’t keep caught up on designing responsibilities. I will be offering freebies in my free time, so feel free to follow my blog, subscribe to it (both options off on the right of my blog), and/or follow me on facebook.

FOR KIT:
Download from 4shared or MegaUpload

FOR QUICKPAGE/FONT:
For Font Only: MegaUpload
For Font & Quickpage (png format only): MegaUpload
For Font & Quickpage (png & psd formats): 4shared or MegaUpload

FONTS: The fonts that I used on my layouts are “the King and Queen” font from dafonts.com, and the other one (used for the journaling) is my own handwriting turned into a font named “teresabelle”. I have included my font in the download with the quickpage because many of you have asked for it. Just be aware that my font doesn’t work to enlarge very much. You can’t create an alpha, or anything like that, because it loses a lot of quality when enlarged (must be the site I used to create it). But it works great at journaling size. Here’s an example of my font, clipped from my completed layout:

MORE FREEBIES:
Some of my CT members wanted to offer freebies as well (aren’t they so nice?!). You can stop by their blogs and download their offerings…

MARA
CASEY
JENNIFER

SALE:
Only three more days left for my sale, and then my store will close! Not sure if it’ll be closed forever, or just for a few years or what, but these kits likely won’t be for sale again. None of these products will be available for free. So, it’s now or never…
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=155

Also, if you didn’t see, Scrapbook-Bytes got a new facelift! Amy redid the site again, and I LOVE IT. It looks awesome. I’ll miss that store & the designers/owner!

Hope you enjoy!
Teresa

free kit “Bare Winter”

2011-01-22T05:00:00.001-06:00

Greetings! I’ve finished up a partially created kit and am offering it as my first official freebie. It isn’t a full kit, and it’s not a mini-kit. It’s more of an in be“tweeny” kit, hence the kit description. I know…that’s like super cool. (download links at end of entry)

KIT PREVIEW: It has five papers and 33 elements, including a glitter pack.

LAYOUT: Within a week, I’ll have more layouts (hopefully) to show you from my creative team, and potentially some additional freebies from them. No promises, though, as I’ve yet to ask them.

(Download links are below…)

NEW TO MY BLOG?
For those new to my blog, I’ve decided to stop selling my designs, at least for a little while, so that I can put focus on my family more. I will still be making kits but will be offering them for free instead (and much slower than I had been). So, if you’d like some free kits, you can subscribe to my blog, follow my blog, and/or follow me on facebook. I do prefer no real life stalkers, though.

FINAL STORE SALE
In case you missed it, I am having my final sale in my store. I’ll be closing up at the end of January. Right now you can get my whole store for only $10 ($100 worth of products). I will not ever be offering these kits for free, so if you want to get them, it’s the perfect time!
Store Link: http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=155

DOWNLOAD LINK FOR KIT:
http://www.4shared.com/file/NGaSOX5s/tbd_barewinter_tweenykit.html

Some of you have mentioned having trouble getting the 4shared link to work, so I'm adding this link as a backup (if 4shared works, you don't need to use this link):
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QJA59DJ7

Enjoy!
Teresa

permissions

2011-01-10T11:03:00.001-06:00

I have had some questions regarding my TOU, and I thought I would answer it here for others that might be wondering. You are more than welcome to take advantage of my Buy My Store for $10 to use for your S4H or S4O work.

You may create things for others with my designs. Quickpages, blog design, cards, or other similar types of creations, are totally okay by me. Please only give them a flattened version, though (no files with layers). It’s fine if they pay you for your time and work to create the product for them.

To make sure there is no confusion, you may not use my products in your own kits. For example, you can’t take elements or papers from my kits and sell them as elements in your kits, even if you alter them. The only products you may use in your own kits are my products that are marked as commercial use.

My TOU applies to small business. If you are a larger business, please contact me.

The one thing I ask is that you include a link to my blog in your credits (http://teresabelle.blogspot.com). If anything is posted publicly, please include a link back to my blog. I’m not going to hunt anyone down if you don’t do this (even though I am a fully trained ninja), but I would appreciate it since I will still be offering designs, very slowly, for free.

If you still have any questions, please ask! teresabelle@gmail.com

Thanks,
Teresa
My Store

the ad…

2011-01-05T19:22:00.001-06:00

Here’s my little ad for the sales.

STORE LINK: http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=155

closing shop & final sale

2011-01-03T22:32:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s already 2011?! I really can’t. This past year went by soooo fast. It must be a sign of my old age…hehe.

Anywho, as you’ve probably gathered by now from the title of this blog entry, I have decided to close up shop and stop selling my designs. It’s something I’ve been debating about for a few months now. I find that as I become more successful, I have a really hard time keeping my focus where I want it to be. When I am with my kids, I find myself thinking about designing. Since I’m homeschooling them, I really need to not play a mental tug of war with myself, and I need to just throw all my focus on them.

I will still be designing now and again. Instead of selling, I’ve decided to give my work away for free for now. I figure it’ll be easier to keep myself focused! Plus, I know times are hard for a lot of you, and I’d love to offer a little something to help those of you might be a little tight on money right now.

So…I’m putting my store on a final sale. I will not be offering any of my current products in my store for free at any time in the future, so if you want them, be sure to get them now.

BUY MY STORE FOR $10
That’s $100 worth of products for only $10.
It’s over 200 papers and 535 elements, plus some template packs, quickpage packs, stickers, alpha, glitters, CU textures, CU ribbons, all my freebies, and some other items…

OR, if you’ve already bought most of my products, I’ve marked everything down to
$1.50-$2.00 (excluding the bundle) so you can grab whatever else you might want.

http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=155

Hope you enjoy!
Teresa

bargain bytes friday!

2010-12-23T19:47:00.001-06:00

It’s almost Christmas Eve, as I write this – can’t believe how fast this year has gone by! I hope you are all having a special time this year with family and friends as you celebrate the holidays. We’re having a great time here, busy, and lots of fun!

I’m doing an extra special sale on my newest kit, Everybody Bundle. You can get it all for $3 (if purchased separately, it totals $20). I figured it was Christmas, why not almost give it away for free! I really wanted to do a Christmas kit this year, but I haven’t had time - oh well!

Just so you know, this sale is good Friday ONLY (well, if you read this tonight - Thursday night - it’s good now too!). You can go HERE to get it.

Here’s a few sample layouts:

it’s fixed…

2010-12-06T13:55:00.002-06:00

I fixed the settings in my store, and now all should be purchasable again! I apologize:-)

Get the BUNDLE for only $6:
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_everybody_bundle_html

Or get only the Full Kit on sale for $3 (50% off):
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_everybody_fullkit.html

BITS & PIECES
If you’re interested in just the bits and pieces, here are links/prices:

Glitter Pack ($1.50):
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_everybody_glitter_html

Sticker Pack ($2.50):
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_everybody_stickers.html

Quickpage Set (3.00)
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_everybody_quickpages.html

Alpha (2.00)
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_everybody_alpha.html

Template Set (3.00)
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking- supplies/tbd_everybody_template.html

Mini-Kit ($2.00 – or free if you purchase bundle)
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_everybody_minikit.html

Thanks!

winner & “Everybody” Kit sale

2010-12-05T23:05:00.003-06:00

WINNER
It’s time to announce the winner of the “Everybody” kit! Ashley you have won (from the comments section) - congrats! Just send me an email, and I’ll give you your code to the kit for free: teresabelle @ gmail . com (minus the spaces).

The rest of you, if you follow me on Facebook, be sure to check there in case you won!

KIT SALE/BUNDLE
I’m doing things a little differently this time. I’m offering more options and BETTER sales!

You can opt to buy the full kit on sale for $3 (normally $6)
You can buy just some bits & pieces/add-ons of the kit ranging from $1.50-3.00 each
or you can buy the WHOLE BUNDLE - $20 worth for only $6.

PREVIEWS:

The BUNDLE contains:

Everybody Full Kit (60 papers/19 elements)
Everybody Glitter Styles (5 colors)
Everybody Quickpages (four pages, png format)
Everybody Templates (four pages: psd, tiff, and png formats)
Everybody Alpha (full lower case, 0-9, and some punctuation)
Everybody Sticker Pack (27 stickers)
FREEBIE: For those who missed it the first time around, the Everybody Mini-kit is included in this kit for free.

LAYOUTS from my awesome CT:

Layouts from me (also the Quickpages & the template layouts):

Hope you enjoy!

new kit “EVERYBODY” and Drawing…

2010-12-01T21:57:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!

My new kit, “Everybody”, has finally arrived. It has 19 papers and 60 elements. It coordinates with the blog train freebie that was given away a couple weeks ago (and will be for sale in a bundle with this kit for those who might have missed it, as it is no longer a freebie). There will also be some additional coordinating packs available with this when I release it for sale.

DRAWING
If you’re new to my blog, I always hold a drawing for each new kit I make. Here’s how you can join in, if you’d like:

Leave a comment, or…
All email subscribers are automatically entered to win. (You can subscribe off on the right of my blog, just be sure to complete the subscription process by clicking on the link feedburner emails you, otherwise you won’t be subscribed). Followers are included in this.
Or you can do both. Leave a comment & subscribe! It’ll double your chances.

FACEBOOK DRAWING
I will be doing things a little bit different on Facebook from now on. I learned it’s against the rules to hold drawings like I was (oops!), so now I’ll be randomly picking a fan of my page to give the kit to. If you’d like a chance, be sure to “like” my page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/teresabelle-designs/112876432082493

Here are some previews of the kit:

Thanks!

black friday sale

2010-11-25T21:04:00.001-06:00

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving (for those of you who celebrate)! I’m placing my store on sale again where all my products are only $2 each. This is good Friday through Sunday.

Hope you enjoy!

download fixed...

2010-11-08T10:11:00.003-06:00

You might have noticed there were some downloading issues with the mini-kits on many of our blogs (too many downloads from SBB at once!), but it's been fixed. I'm also adding a 4shared link in case anything happens again, so there will be a backup:-)

(Subscribers, you can get back to the blog here to get to the download links in previous entry: http://teresabelle.blogspot.com)

sbb blog train

2010-11-07T21:40:00.009-06:00

Hello Everyone…

FEATURED DESIGNER SALE:
All my products are on sale until Nov 15th for only $2 each, which is over 50% savings on most of them!

BLOG TRAIN
We’re doing a blog train this week! The designers at SBB are working with the same color palette and have created some super cute mini-kits for you for free. For those that participate in the color challenge at SBB, these kits will be used for that for November.

For those new to my blog, you can subscribe via email (on the right), and you’ll be given special freebies, sales, and automatically entered into any drawings I hold here to win my kits for free (I do one with each new kit). Just remember to verify your email address (in an email that will be sent to you) in order to confirm your subscription! :-)

Here’s my portion of the blog train. This will only be available for free through Nov 14. I’m also creating a full kit version of this kit that I’ll be releasing in the next couple weeks, so keep your eyes out for that. You can click the image or click (disabled link) to download the mini-kit. (Just added this to as well in case you need it.) **Links Disabled**

Here’s a layout I made:

You want to go to Connie Prince Designs for your next stop.

And, just in case you get lost, here’s the full blog train list for you to continue tooting your way along! (Just FYI: If you’re reading this before Monday morning, all of the blogs might not be ready yet, so be sure to check back!)

Mye De Leon
Designs by Helly
danimoy designs
teresabelle designs (you are here)
Connie Prince Designs
Aja Abney
Inspiredbydominic Designs
LorieM Designs
Spinky Dink Scraps
Armina Designs
Colie's Corner
Trixie Scraps Designs
Lydia Designs
Dreamer's Magic Designs
eNKay Design
JennCk Designs

Hope you enjoy! Thanks!

SBB Featured Designer

2010-10-31T20:24:00.005-06:00

Hope you all have had a great Halloween and aren’t too sick from all the candy!

I’m the featured designer at Scrapbook-Bytes from November 1-15th. All my products are on sale for only $2.

My new little team has been busy putting together some layouts with my older kits, and they’ve come up with some pretty cute stuff!

Hope you enjoy!

my new Creative Team

2010-10-28T13:57:00.007-06:00

I’d like to introduce you to my new creative team! I had originally only wanted five, but things got out of control, and before I knew it, there were a lot more...hehe! These are some great ladies with amazing talent. I tried to choose ladies with various styles, skills levels, and experience in hopes that there’s something here to appeal to everyone out there. I’ve included a list of their blogs (or galleries) below in case you want to stalk them:-)

BLOGROLL:
Jennifer R: http://www.aneedforcaffeine.blogspot.com/
Jacqueline: http://www.jacquelinesscrapblog.blogspot.com/
Flohbock: http://flohscrap.blogspot.com/
Tine: http://tine.bplaced.net/wordpress/
Amelia: http://www.createdbyamelia.blogspot.com/
Tricia: http://www.g6scrapped.blogspot.com/
Casey: http://ellasellagance.blogspot.com/
Krista: http://kjkreations.blogspot.com/
Jennifer B: http://jennibien.blogspot.com/
Jamie: http://digiscrapaddicts.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=262
Cheryl: http://cherylraydesigns.blogspot.com/
Mara: http://pezzidifantasia.blogspot.com/
Julie: http://scrapbook-bytes.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=100987

Thanks again to everyone who applied. I wish I could have said yes to everyone!

CT Call

2010-10-13T21:22:00.001-06:00

Hi Ladies & Gents,

I know many of you have already responded from my previous post, but I wanted to go ahead and post a little more detail…

I'm on a quest to set up my very first creative team. I'm looking for some creative, beautifully skilled people. Here's my little rundown of what I'm looking for:

1 layout per kit downloaded (approx 1 a month)
Post to 3 galleries (DST, SBB, and one of your choice)
Post on your blog & facebook (if you have those)
Enabling/ISO would be appreciated but not required
Help with freebies would be appreciated but not required

To get the most accurate representation of my work, be sure to focus mostly on my last two kits, as that is what I consider to be my current & future style (thanks to learning the wonderful program, Illustrator!).

If you're interested, please send me a link to your galleries & blog, a little bio about yourself, any other CT/design teams your on, etc... You can send info to me at teresabelle@gmail.com.

Call will be open for at least two weeks, maybe longer, depending on when I feel like I have the team together:-)

Thank you!

winner/sale & unofficial CT call

2010-10-11T21:57:00.001-06:00

WINNER: The winner is #28: princessedu…
I’ve emailed you your code to get the kit for free. Congrats!

SALE
”A Little Fall” is on sale for 40% off, only $3.00 through the month of October. You can get it HERE.

A COUPLE MORE LAYOUTS:

Credits for Above: Quote font is Pea Nic Script by kevinandamanda.com

Credits for Above: Used a template from the Helping Hands Charity Kit by designer clivesay.

CREATIVE TEAM CALL:
I’ve decided to start a creative team to help make some lovely little layouts. If you’re interested, email me: teresabelle@gmail.com. I’ll be doing a separate post solely for this in a couple days, but until then, if you’re interested please email me with a little bio, links to your galleries/blog, where you sell designs (if you’re a designer), and other CT you are part of (if any). I ask for at least one layout per kit that you download (more if you want), posting in three galleries, and you’ll get my kits for free. I’ll write more details later (when I figure them all out), but I’m short on time and have to run!

A Little Fall (Drawing & Freebie)

2010-10-06T15:09:00.001-06:00

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the fall weather. We have been loving it here! It’s so nice to go outside and not melt from the heat. The kids have been spending hours outside. It’s been great!

I have a new kit out, A Little Fall. It has 21 papers and 41 elements. I’ve been learning how to use Illustrator, which has made it super fun to create things!

HOW TO PLAY:
As usual, I’m giving the kit away for free to a winner. If you’d like to join the drawing, you can:

Subscribe to my blog (in the “subscribe via email” box on the right). Not only will you be entered for this drawing, but you will be for all future drawings too.
You can leave a comment
Or do both & you’ll be counted twice (for those on email subscriptions, some have been confused how to do this. You can click here to get to my blog and leave a comment).

I’ll also be holding a drawing on Facebook. You just need to leave a comment, and you’ll be entered to win (best odds to win there as there!).

PREVIEWS:

There are 21 papers in total. Here are a few close-ups:

BELOW: some pretty solids…

BELOW: some of the patterned papers…

I need a creative team to create me some pretty layouts! But until I put that together, here’s a sample layout.

FREEBIE:
And, lastly, here’s your freebie quickpage…

Download from scrapbook-bytes (secure server)
Download from 4shared (not secure)

Sale Date Correction

2010-09-20T02:51:00.003-06:00

Someone pointed out that the sale ends Sept 3. I'm sorry! I meant Oct 3rd. I'll be fixing that:-) But for anyone who might be confused, the sale is good from now through Oct 3rd.

winner & sale

2010-09-19T21:46:00.005-06:00

And the winner is #86: jjcrobertson…

Congrats! I’ll be emailing you privately with your coupon code.

For everyone else, you can get the kit for 50% off until October 3rd. You can grab it HERE.

Here are a couple other previews:

Here’s another layout:

Thanks for playing & hope you enjoy!

new kit drawing & freebie

2010-09-17T14:57:00.001-06:00

I have a new little kit for you all. It’s called Just LION Around. It was inspired by my baby’s new bouncy seat. Sounds inspiring, eh? Some people are inspired by sunsets or the lives of incredible people or other things like that. I’m inspired by seats that bounce.

So, here’s the kit. It has 44 elements and 17 papers. It’s a gender neutral kit. While it has lots of cute little elements, it works for older children/adults as well.

Here are some layouts:

(I totally scraplifted this one, but I cannot remember where I got it from! I’ll be back to credit them if I can remember where it came from.)

DRAWING
If you’d like a chance to win this kit for free, here’s how you can play:

Leave a comment, or…
Subscribe to my blog off on the right (Please be sure to check your email after you sign up to complete the subscription process. Feeburner will send you an email that will have a link you’ll need to click on, and then the subscription will be complete.) When you subscribe, you’ll automatically be entered to into future drawings as well, or…
You can do both. Leave a comment AND subscribe. It’ll double your chances.

If you want another chance to win, I am holding a drawing on my facebook fanpage too. (You have the highest odds of winning there!)

FREEBIE
Lastly, I have a freebie for you as usual. It’s a quickpage…

You can download it at either place below:

Download from scrapbookbytes.com (secure server)
Download from 4shared.com (unsecure server)

Last day…Summertime Kit $1.50

2010-08-15T17:03:00.001-06:00

My mini-kit has morphed into a full kit. I’ve added six more papers. I was going to sell them as a separate pack but changed my mind. You can still get it all for $1.50. Since I’m posting this at the end of today (have had family in town!), this sale ends tomorrow evening. You can get it HERE.

(Those who have already bought the kit, you’ll be receiving an email from me with info for you to get these new papers for free.)

If you’re new to my blog, you can subscribe for free off on the right (under “Subscribe via Email”). I always offer a freebie with every new kit, as well as hold drawings to give them away for free. All subscribers are automatically entered into those drawings.

FREEBIE
Here’s a quickpage freebie for all to enjoy!

Download from Scrapbook-Bytes (secure server)
Download from 4-shared (not secure)

Grab-A-Byte (GAB) – Summertime Mini-Kit ($1.50)

2010-08-09T15:05:00.001-06:00

What is GAB? It’s where all the participating designers at Scrapbook-Bytes work off of the same color palette, create kits (random themes), and put them on sale all on the same week.

Here is my donation to GAB this month! It’s called “Summertime” and has 7 papers, 38 elements, and 1 alpha. Due to the small amount of papers, I’ve decided to sell it as a mini-kit and will probably be adding more papers later on.

As shocking as it might be, this kit is actually for girls AND boys! I tend to lean pretty heavily on making on girlie kits (don’t mean to!), but this one works great for both. I wasn’t sure what I thought of the color palette at first, but I have to say that I’ve found it to be adorably cute!

You can pick this pretty baby up for only $1.50. It’s on sale this week only. Then it will be set to normal price. You can get it HERE.

I’ll probably be adding more layouts as they are created, but until now, here is one…

Bargain Bytes – Kit only $2

2010-07-30T09:52:00.001-06:00

Today is Bargain Bytes Friday! You can get my Sweet Pea kit for only $2 today only (normally it’s $5). You can grab it here:

http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_sweetpea.html

CU Grab Bag & Freebie

2010-07-12T17:20:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!

Don’t mind the background on my blog. It’s a work in progress as I figure out the new blogger thing and how to put my own handmade background on it again:-)

FAMILY NEWS
A few weeks ago, we had another baby girl. We call her Rhys (Reese). She’s our fourth baby (3rd girl), and we are loving having her sweet little self in our family. She was 9 lbs 7 oz and really cute (as evidenced by the photo below!).

CU GRAB BAG!!
In all of my free time (what free time?!), I've put together my first commercial use grab bag. From now until the end of July, you can get the grab bag for only $5. That gives you a savings of $15 since all those products will be sold for a total of $20 afterwards.

(If you aren’t in need of commercial use items, just keep on reading. I have a personal use quickpage/template that you can download for free at the bottom of the entry.)

I haven’t decided if I’ll always reveal my grab bags when I put them up for sale, but I decided this time I would since it’s my first grab bag. You can get it HERE or by clicking on any of the photos.

So, here are the products that are included:

THREE TEXTURE PACKS:
These packs contain 12X12”, 300 dpi, jpg texture pages to help you create your own scrapbook pages. There are four papers per pack. They are all for commercial use, so you can use them to create your own kits for sale (kits that you sell as personal use kits for other people. They are not to be used for you to sale as commercial use items for other people).

You can mix and match several different ones, play around with the blending modes to get the papers that you want.

RIBBON PACK:
There are four extracted ribbons in this pack. (I included the color ribbon for example only. It is not in the pack.) They were all extracted by me using my nifty little pen tool. They are in png format, 300 dpi, and come in various sizes. Each ribbon comes in two shades of grey (dark and light) to help you get the colors that you want when you colorize them.

DOODLE PACK:
This doodle pack contains seven doodles. (The flower example is not included in the pack.) All the little noodles, I mean, doodles, were hand drawn by me using Adobe Illustrator. Then I saved them in Photoshop as png files. They are 300 dpi. I also have included psd files that contain the solid part of the flowers so you can easily color the inside of them.

FREEBIE:
The freebie, as promised.

I like baby feet.

DOWNLOAD FREEBIE
You’ll be downloading a quickpage, as well as a template so that you have the option to choose your own papers since I know those of you with little boys probably don’t want them in a bright pink layout!

download from scrapbook-bytes (secure server)
download from 4shared (unsecure server)

winner is…

2010-06-14T22:18:00.001-06:00

Thank you all for playing:-)

The winner is Kathy! (6th comment down in the comments section) Email me, and I’ll send you your code to get it for free.
(my email is: teresabelle @ gmail . com).

For everyone else, the kit is on sale for 50% off, only $2.50, until June 30, and you can snag it HERE.

Hope you enjoy!

Chasing Butterflies Kit & Drawing & Freebie

2010-06-12T22:57:00.003-06:00

I know, I know. It’s been like five years since I’ve put out a new kit. End of pregnancy makes it difficult to sit and design very much, especially when my belly is the size of a whale…or at least I feel like a whale. Or maybe I feel more like a cow. I’m not sure.

Anyway, my newest kit is called CHASING BUTTERFLIES and has 16 papers and 44 elements. It was somewhat inspired by my three little ones who love to run around and chase butterflies. It’s so precious and sweet to watch them. They get so excited and the look in their eyes is precious…um…until my 22 month old daughter decides to grab the butterfly and pull it’s wings off (innocently, of course) while my other two scream at her to stop and end up devastated. So, only the first part is what inspired me. The part where they run and chase the butterflies.

Here’s a preview of the kit:

Here are a few layouts I created using this kit. AND, I should tell you yet again that this kit works great with the FEEL THE GRUNGE kit. It helps blend two papers really well. I know most of you have it by now, but if you don’t, you can snag it HERE.

On to the layouts…

The layout above was created using the Feel the Grunge kit that I mentioned above (blended two papers into one to create the paper).

DRAWING TO WIN IT FOR FREE:
I’m holding a drawing to give the kit away to someone for free. It’s easy to play and here’s how:
- Leave a comment. You’ll be entered.
- Subscribe to my blog
(using the “Subscribe via Email” box on the right)
- Or do both and you’ll be counted twice.

I’m also going to be holding a drawing on my Facebook Fanpage that I just started when I released my last kit. If you’d like to join that drawing, visit my Facebook page and leave a comment.

FREEBIE
As usual, I have a quickpage freebie for you.

This quickpage comes as a png file, as well as a psd file.

You can download it from either of the following places:
Download from Scrapbook-Bytes (secure)
Download from 4shared.com (not secure)

I’ll be back on Monday or Tuesday to announce the winner of the drawing. Things are a little certain at the moment considering the baby could arrive at any time, so I can’t be too specific!

Hope you enjoy!!

Happy iNSD! (freebies & sales)

2010-04-30T21:32:00.001-06:00

This whole weekend, Scrapbook-Bytes has a lot of fun stuff planned, including freebies!

Speaking of which, I have a freebie here on the blog for you, as well as somewhere else…so keep on reading.

FACEBOOK HOP
We are doing our very first Facebook Hop, starting Saturday, May 1st. There are ten designers participating. We are all giving away our portions of a store collaboration kit called “Advent of Summer”.

When you go to our individual facebook pages, you’ll see a link to our portion of the kit, a coupon to get the kit for free, and then a link to the next participating designer. (If for some reason a designer’s links aren’t up yet, check back again later. They come from different time zones and might be a little off with posting!)

In order to participate, a couple days ago I had to create a Facebook page. My goal is to have one fan by the end of the weekend! What can I say? I’m an optimist. (I will be offering special freebies & sales on my facebook page as well, so if you’re interested in becoming a fan, all you have to do is click “like” at the top of the page.)

You can start the facebook hop HERE (if you have any problems or questions, please ask me!):
http://www.facebook.com/pages/teresabelle-designs/112876432082493

PREVIEW OF FACEBOOK HOP KIT
These are some images that preview my portion of the kit that you can get for free. I’m starting with the layouts first because I think they are so cute (cuter than the preview I made)!

Below: My portion of the kit. I kind of got carried away and ended up with a full kit. It’s 17 papers and 40 elements. This is what is available on my facebook page for free. I have a link & a coupon listed so you can get it from my store for free.

Little Note: I used my “Feel the Grunge” kit to combine the background papers (two papers into one) on the layouts above.

STORE SALE:
Also, my whole store is on sale for 50% off from May 1-3rd. This is the first time I’ve done a sale like this, and the discount will show up once you add the products to your cart. Everything is set to 50% off…so add it to your cart and then look in your cart & it’ll be 50% off.

FREEBIE
And now…for the freebie. Here are two quickpage freebies for you. If you’re new to my site, you can subscribe to my blog (on the right of the page). I give freebies away almost every time I make a new kit & also offer special sales & freebies only for those who subscribe (it’s free):

Download from Scrapbook-Bytes (secure server)
or
Download from 4shared.com (not secure)

Hope you enjoy!

Bargain Bytes Friday

2010-04-22T22:14:00.001-06:00

For those who don’t know, Scrapbook Bytes has a “Bargain Bytes” Friday where many products are listed at a special discount for that day only.

So…for today only (Friday, April 23), my Emma Kit is on sale for $3. Enjoy!

Sweet Pea Winner..

2010-04-17T22:58:00.001-06:00

Thank you everyone for playing! I used random.org to generate the winning number. I always count the subscribers first, then the comment section next, and then the followers section after that…

The winning number was #145 and comes from the comment section and is cinmfoster. Congratulations! Drop me an email & I’ll send you your coupon code (teresabelle@gmail.com).

For everyone else, the Sweet Pea kit is on sale for about half off, only $3, until 4/30.

Also, I have put together a quickpage pack with four quickpages. It’s for sale for $3. You can get it HERE. (Subscribers, be on the lookout for an email from me with a discount code in it for the quickpages.)

And, here’s my newest layout (it’s one of the quickpages in the pack above).

New Kit: SWEET PEA

2010-04-14T20:17:00.002-06:00

(Freebie & Drawing info at the end of the entry)

I just looked and saw that it was back in February when I last had a kit out! Yikes. I really haven’t dropped off the face of the earth! Life has been pretty busy, but my hobby has finally prevailed & I finally have a new kit, Sweet Pea. There are 19 papers and 52 elements.

PREVIEW (not all elements are shown):

Example Layouts:
(you can click to see them larger)
(Template Credits for above layout goes to Creativity by Crystal, who has some super adorable scrapbook products)

(Template credits for above layout go to Studio Hillary who has since retired, but I love her templates!)

CHANCE TO WIN IT FOR FREE:
As usual, I am holding a drawing for someone to win it for free. Here are the ways you can play:

If you’re a subscriber, you are automatically entered, whether you like it or not (hehe).
If you aren’t subscribed, but would like to be, you can subscribe using the “subscribe via email” box off on the right. This will automatically enter you into all future drawings, as well as special subscriber-only sales & freebies.
Or you can leave a comment and you will be included in the drawing (subscribers may also leave a comment to be counted twice). If you leave an anonymous comment, please remember to include your email address so that I will have a way to contact you.

FREEBIE FOR ALL:
Here is a quickpage freebie for those interested.

Download Freebie HERE
(you might need to wait a moment for the download screen to appear, depending on your connection speed)

Bargain Bytes at SBB

2010-02-19T14:14:00.001-06:00

I know some of you have already heard, but for those who haven’t, Scrapbook-Bytes is starting a new little thing where every Friday there is a
ONE-DAY sale of various kits/products (whatever each designer chooses). The sales vary per designer.

This Friday is our first Bargain Bytes day! I joined in and put my As Autumn Falls Kit on sale for 50% off (which means it’s only $3 for you). The sale is for today only. I apologize for getting this out to you so late! My internet is being weird again. But, you can grab it HERE.

Also, if you haven’t already snagged it, don’t forget that my new kit Cutie Patootie is on sale for $3 as well. You can get it HERE.

the winner is…

2010-02-15T23:15:00.001-06:00

I used random.org to pick the winner & it was #73, which means the winner of the Cutie Patootie kit is “rbartosz”. Congratulations!

Subscribers – check your email;-)

I have the Cutie Patootie Kit on sale for $3 for two weeks (until March 2nd). You can grab it HERE.

I also have Feel the Grunge up for sale now. It’s $3. You can get it HERE.

Thank you all & hope you enjoy!

Teresa

Blog Hop Freebie & New Kit/Drawing

2010-02-12T23:58:00.002-06:00

Greetings!
If you’ve stopped by for the BLOG HOP, your freebie is at the very end of this entry, as well as links to the other blogs involved where you can grab a freebie at each place on the list!
And, if you stop by Scrapbook-Bytes, you’ll notice it’s getting a makeover through out the day! We’ll be having new fan blinkies, which we’ll post once we get.
But first, I have a new kit, Cutie Patootie, which coordinates with the freebie below. As usual, I’m holding a drawing for someone to win it for free!
TO PLAY:
All subscribers to my blog are automatically entered into the drawing to win the kit for free (you can subscribe for free off on the right, if you’re not already). You can also leave a comment to be included in the drawing. Or do both and be counted twice!
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON TUESDAY.
Here are some previews of the kit:

PREVIEW LAYOUT:

The layout directly above was created using the Cutie Patootie kit, as well as using a paper mask from this new paper mask kit below. It helps you combine two papers (similar colors) into one blended paper.

SUBSCRIBERS: Be on the lookout for a special 3-day sale for the “Feel the Grunge” kit. You should receive your email around Tuesday sometime.
The Cutie Patootie kit will be on sale for everyone (not just subscribers) for two weeks once it’s available after the drawing ends.
BLOG HOP FREEBIE
You can download HERE.
Hop on over to the other blogs…
Late Night Scraps
Charlize Creations
Designs by Helly
Kari Hentzelt
A+ Designs
..:: Silvia Romeo Designs ::..
Creations By Rachael
Dani's Scrap
teresabelle designs (you are here)
Diamante Designs
Kalo Designs

Green with Envy Winner

2010-01-27T23:58:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Thank you all for playing! And welcome to all the new subscribers. The winning number was 67, which goes to JANBULL. I will be emailing you sometime soon with your coupon code!

For the rest of you, the kit is on sale for $3 for two weeks (until Feb 10th). You can snag it HERE:

Hope you enjoy & thanks for playing!

Drawing & Freebie: Green w/Envy Kit

2010-01-25T14:34:00.002-06:00

It’s that time again! I’m releasing another kit and holding another drawing. Some of you might recognize it from my previous store. It’s a really fun kit to play with!

As usual, I am holding a drawing to pick one lucky winner.

TO PLAY: All subscribers are automatically entered. If you aren’t subscribed but want to be, look for the “subscribe via email” box off on the right of my blog and subscribe! This will automatically add you to all future drawings, as well as some subscriber-only freebies, sales, & specials.

If you aren’t subscribed, you can leave a comment (subscribers can as well, to be counted twice), which will enter you in to the drawing.

I’m also holding two more drawings elsewhere that you can join, if you wanted to increase your chances to win:

Scrapbook-Bytes Drawing

DigiShopTalk Drawing

WINNER WILL BE ANNOUCED ON THURSDAY MORNING

Here are some previews of the Green with Envy kit.

Here are a couple layout examples:

ABOVE: Little layout about myself.

BELOW: Layout with my son, niece (middle girl), and daughter, Emma. We were at Camp Sunshine (amazing place!).

FREEBIE

And, as usual, here’s a digital scrapbook freebie for you to enjoy. It’s two quickpages made from the two layouts above. Some of you have already downloaded this freebie from the challenge I held at SBB. But in case you missed it, here it is.

Download from Scrapbook-Bytes (secure server)

Download from 4shared (not secure server)

SHAPE SHIFTERS:

Also…I have another new product out called “Shape Shifters”. Many of you have already grabbed yours. If you missed it, you can get it for $2 in the store. Examples and instructions are included with the download.

Here are some previews:

And here are a couple examples:

Hope you all enjoy – and don’t forget to grab the freebies if you haven’t already:-)

Scrap Challenge Today…

2010-01-23T17:08:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!

The time has come. I am hosting my very first scrap challenge today at 7:30 pm eastern time at Scrapbook-Bytes forum. It will go until Monday, 8pm eastern time.

The theme is “All About Me”, more specifically, “Things I Love”.

If you’ve never done a challenge before, it’s easy! All you do is create a layout with the info I give you.

THE INFO IS: Your layout needs to include a photo of you – current or non – or a drawing done by your three year old. Basically in the end, I want some type of something to represent you! And then you need to include journaling listing at least five things that you love.

You can create your layout from scratch, using whatever kit you want, or you can download a quickpage that I have available (free) if you’re short on time and can’t create your layout from scratch. The quickpage is available in the forum (and is available to anyone, whether you use it for the challenge or not).

If you have time between 7:30pm eastern tonight and 8pm eastern, Monday night – I’d love to have you stop by and participate! It would be a fun way to get to know more of you.

To participate, go HERE.

To check out the other challenges available, go HERE.

Here’s an example layout (which is also one of the quickpages you’ll get in the download):

SBB Birthday Party & Freebies & I’m Hosting a Challenge…

2010-01-22T11:20:00.002-06:00

Don’t forget to drop by SBB sometime this weekend starting RIGHT NOW (Fri, Sat, Sun)! We have lots of fun stuff to do while you’re there. Several designers created a “Birthday Bytes” kit. For those who participate, you’ll get it for free. After that, each designer gets their parts back, and it’ll be for sale in our stores. But that’s not as fun! Come get it for free…

Also, I am doing a challenge in the forum this Saturday at 7:30pm eastern time (so, 6:30pm central, 5:30pm mountain, 4:30 pacific…and that is the limit of my time zone knowledge). I’ve never done one and really have no idea what I’m doing (hehe), but I’ll have a cute freebie quickpage available that you can use in case you are short on time…or just don’t feel like making your own layout from scratch that day. The qp is from my Green with Envy kit (that I’ll be re-releasing next week).

If you have no idea how to participate in stuff like this, just head on over, and I’ll explain it in a way that’ll make lots of sense. Feel free to ask questions! It’ll be fun;-) I’ll post exact details on the blog when the time comes, and I’d love to see you there! (Assuming I can ever get our internet to work…as it is, this blog entry will be arriving at least a day late.)

Here’s some previews of the Birthday Bytes kit that another designer was so kind to make! It’s such a big kit, it’s hard to see everything in it:

Here’s my portion of the kit (FYI: writing is not included on the balloons):

For updates, you can follow along on the SBB forum:

http://www.scrapbook-bytes.com/chat/sbbs-7th-birthday-event/

Also, here are some layouts I created using my part of the kit (you can click to see them larger):

I scraplifted (layout lifted?) from Scrapbooks Etc for both of these layouts.

Here are a couple digital scrapbook freebies for you created from the layouts above:

Download from Scrapbook-Bytes (secure server)

Sorry the 4shared link took me forever! I was having internet issues…so, finally, here is the link:

Download from 4shared.com (not secure server)

Scrapbook-Bytes is turning SEVEN!

2010-01-19T19:40:00.001-06:00

Scrapbook-Bytes is turning SEVEN this weekend, which means lots of fun stuff is planned! Freebies, coupons, prizes, challenges & chats & a birthday kit…

Be sure to stop by scrapbook-bytes on Friday (22nd) to join in the fun. I’ll be sure to send a reminder the day before!

Here’s a cute little ad that Amy (store owner) made:

(To my subscribers, the freebie I promised you is still on the way! It’s a little later than I had intended, but it’s coming soon! Our little Emma has been having some serious health issues (which you can read about HERE), and it’s thrown me off my timeline. I’m hoping in the next day or so at the very latest I’ll have it out to you.)

Hope to see you at SBB this weekend!

Winner & 100th Subscriber

2010-01-12T20:23:00.001-06:00

Hey Ladies (and Gents),

Thank you all for playing! I used random.org to choose the winner of the drawing. The winner was #107, JENADAMS88. Congratulations – I’ll be emailing you your code to get the kit for free! If you signed up at either of the other drawings, be sure to check over there in case you’re the winner.

Also, I now have over 100 subscribers to the blog – thank you all! That’s always fun;-) I’ll be emailing the 100th subscriber (bcheney6) with a special little something. The rest of you, be on the look out for a special email with a little freebie in it for you…which I’ll hopefully have out to you in the next couple days!

I have the Emma kit on sale for $3 for the next two weeks. PLUS, if you buy the kit, you will get a $3 off coupon (included in the Emma kit download) to go towards one of my others kits. In the end, it’s like getting two kits for the price of one!

You can go here to snag the little Emma Kit.

Thank you all for playing!!

Emma Kit: Drawing & Freebies

2010-01-09T12:02:00.006-06:00

Howdy Ladies..and any scrapping men out there!

I hope you all had great holidays. We had a special Christmas…and a unique New Years.

Some personal news - we are expecting baby #4 (can’t believe we’ll have FOUR!). I’m 16 weeks along. We’ve yet to find out the gender, but we should be doing that in a couple weeks. Due to morning sickness, the computer made me feel very sick. So, it was hard to feel very creative! Thankfully that phase has finally passed.

Anyway, I’ve made a new kit, which was inspired by our firstborn, Emma. It has 17 papers and 37 elements. I think it’s fun to play with! As usual, I am holding a drawing for someone to win it for free.

TO PLAY: All of you who are signed up as subscribers or followers are already included in the drawing. If you want an additional chance (or if you aren’t subscribed), you can just leave a comment, and you’ll be included. If you aren't subscribed, but want to be, it's free - just look off on the right of the blog under "subscribe by email" and add your info! Just be sure when you subscribe that you remember to look for an email that will be sent to you that will have a link in it for you to click on to complete your subscription.

I decided to hold two other drawings as well, if you’d like to participate to increase your chances, you can go to:

SCRAPBOOK-BYTES DRAWING

DIGISHOPTALK DRAWING

Winner will be announced this TUESDAY.

Here are some previews of the kit:

Here’s a couple layouts I made (I’ll post more, if I make more):

(CREDITS: Lifted the layout design from the ADORE layout, which she lifted from a magazine. I thought it was too cute! Font is Pea Faye from PEA FONTS)

FREEBIE: Two QuickPages (below)

Here are a couple digital scrapbook freebies for you.

DOWNLOAD FROM STORE (secure server)

DOWNLOAD FROM 4SHARED.COM (not secure sever)

Hope you enjoy & thanks for playing!

Winner

2009-12-04T19:42:00.004-06:00

Thank you all for playing:-) The winner of the kit was #79:

bhmorrow@...

I'll be emailing you with your coupon code.

For everyone else, you can get the kit for 50% off (so for only $3) by using the coupon code "whispers".

In order to use a coupon code, you'll need to be signed in to your account, add the kit to your cart, and the coupon code box will be there in your shopping cart. Let me know if you have questions:-)

You can get it here:
http://scrapbookbytes.com/store/digital-scrapbooking-supplies/tbd_whisperings_html

Thanks again!
Teresa

2009-12-01T20:20:00.002-06:00

Here’s my newest kit up at Scrapbook-Bytes. This is one I had over at Divine Digital, so you might recognize it!

I'm going to hold another drawing, and those who are subscribed will be automatically entered to win. If you aren’t subscribed, just leave a comment – or do both and you’ll be counted twice;-)

Drawing ends on Friday. If you want another chance to win, I’m holding another drawing over at Scrapbook-bytes HERE

Example Layouts

My “Buy My Store” Links are up

2009-11-27T15:11:00.001-06:00

FYI: This entry is aimed to those who bought my store back at the end of October (see this ENTRY if you’re not sure) – right before Divine Digital was hacked into and all the products deleted. I know that some people who bought my store weren’t able to download my kits prior to the hack.

So…if you were one of those people who didn’t get to download it in time, download links are available to you again. I apologize it took so long! There was a lot of re-setting up, and it took a while before I was able to get my access (especially since I’m not a designer there anymore).

I’m pretty sure the download links in your email (back from when you bought my store) aren’t accurate anymore, but if you could forward your email to customercare@divinedigital.com and let them know that you need the new download links, they’ll send you that info.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I’m sorry that this all happened! It’s sure made a mess for poor Divine Digital!

(Just in case anyone is confused, I do not currently have a buy-my-store sale going on – and I am now selling at Scrapbook-Bytes HERE. I’m still working on transferring some of my old kits over to the new store!)

Winner is…

2009-11-04T20:12:00.001-06:00

Hey Ladies!

I use random.org and the winner was #57:

mrscarol@…

I’ll be emailing you the coupon code to get it for free! Subscribers – email is on it’s way. Everyone else, you can get the kit for 25% off it’s current price by using the coupon code “25off”.

Thanks so much!

New Kit: As Autumn Falls…Drawing & a Freebie

2009-11-01T19:27:00.002-06:00

I’ve started at Scrapbook-Bytes now and have a brand new kit out, called As Autumn Falls… I really love autumn and have LOVED creating this kit!

As usual, I’m holding a drawing for someone to win the kit for free.

HOW TO PLAY:

- You can subscribe to my blog. All of those who are subscribed will be entered to win this kit, and will also automatically be entered into drawings to win my future kits (as well as get special freebies & sales only for subscribers).

- If you would prefer to not subscribe, you can still play! Just leave a comment.

- Or, double your chances and do both. Subscribe AND leave a comment.

CLOSE UPS

PAPERS:

ELEMENTS:

LAYOUTS:

NEW PERKS FOR SUBSCRIBERS:

For all those who have subscribed to my blog, it feels like you need a little something extra special! So, I’ve decided to do things a little bit differently. I’m going to start sending out special freebies and sales only for subscribers.

To give an example, at the end of the drawing this week, all my subscribers will be getting a coupon code to get the quickpages for free instead of for $3. You’ll also be getting a coupon code to get the kit for 50% off.

I’ll still be giving freebies and sales on my blog as well. They’ll just be a little bit different. Below is the freebie for those who stop by. This is one of the pages included in the quickpage pack above (so, subscribers, you’ll be getting this, plus the others once the drawing is over). This freebie is available for a limited time only. Once the drawing is over, so is the freebie. So, snag it now (just click on the image and add it to your cart and buy it for free)! Or subscribe and get all four QPs at the end of the drawing…hehe.

Drawing ends this coming Wednesday, Nov 4th.

I’m holding an identical drawing over at Scrapbook-Bytes, so if you want to further your chances to win, head on over THERE and leave me a comment!

Enjoy!

Divine Digital Issues…

2009-10-30T20:08:00.001-06:00

For those who might be wondering what the problem is over at Divine (the website won’t load), according to fellow designers, someone hacked into Divine Digital and deleted everything (or most everything). Why anyone would want to take the time to hack into a digital scrapbooking site is beyond me, but rest assured that the owner, Royanna, is doing her best to get the store back into working order.

I just wanted to let you know what was going on in case you’ve recently purchased something and haven’t been able to download it…or in case you’ve simply been wondering why you can’t get the store to load.

I have no idea how long this is expected to take, but I’ll try to keep you updated as I learn more. For those who purchased my kits during my little sale, if you weren’t able to download them yet, I’m told that once things are back up and running, you’ll be able to at that time.

Thanks so much!

Teresa

Buy My Store for $5

2009-10-28T09:52:00.001-06:00

Originally my announcement was that I was going to be expanding to two more stores (yay!). But then some unexpected circumstances came up and have changed my ability to have enough time to do that.

So, instead, I’m announcing that I’m closing my store at Divine…and opening a new store at Scrapbook-Bytes.

I’m doing a closing shop sale at Divine Digital. You can get $25 worth of products for only $5. Some of these kits will NOT be going with me to my new store, so this is your last chance to snag them. The sale goes from now until October 31st when I officially close at Divine. Then November 1st, I’ll officially be opening at Scrapbook-Bytes.

So, come on and snag these at a great price:-)

You’ll get:

April Flowers
Freedom Kit
I’m Feeling Crumply (CU paper overlays)
Green with Envy
Whisperings

Click on the preview below (or go HERE) and there are previews of the kits included in the additional images:

And, here’s a quick preview of what you’ll find coming at Scrapbook-Bytes on November 1st (drawings will continue of course!!):

Sale Extended…

2009-10-07T20:00:00.001-06:00

Oops! It was brought to my attention that I had the dates wrong with the coupon code for my new kit Whisperings. I thought it was going to expire at midnight tonight, but it expired at midnight last night! Sorry!

I’m extending the sale for Whisperings…as well as for Green with Envy, since I know I made the same mistake with that kit.

The codes are good from now until this Saturday, October 10. Each kit will only be $2.50 instead of $5.00.

For Whisperings, the code is “halfoff”

For Green with Envy, the code is “liver” (what can I say…it was the first word that came to mind):

Enjoy!

Tutorial: How to Lighten Photos

2009-10-06T14:15:00.002-06:00

(For Photoshop or Photoshop Elements)

Ever have a photo you want to lighten? There are so many different ways to adjust your photos, but here’s a really, really easy way to do this. Just duplicate your layer twice. Then you apply the “screen” blending mode to the middle one & adjust the opacity as needed. Then turn your top one to black and white, apply the “softlight” blending mode, and adjust the opacity as needed…and you’re done.

Need more details? Read below:

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Take your photo and duplicate it. You can do this by selecting your layer and pressing “CTRL+J to duplicate it.

Once you duplicate your layer, it will now look like this in your layers palette:

With your top layer selected, in your blending modes, choose “SCREEN”.

If you don’t know where your blending modes are, they are in a drop down menu in your layers palette. By default, “normal” is selected.

Select “SCREEN”

If this lightens your photo too much, adjust the opacity to decrease it some. If it still needs to be lightened MORE, then duplicate your screened layer, which will lighten it more. For my photo, I needed to decrease the layer and settled at about 83%.

To me, my photo is now a little bit too washed out.

So, I duplicate it again and now have three layers. The bottom layer is the original. The middle layer is the screen photo. Then the top layer I do the following to:

I change the photo to black and white (this will affect only the top layer – or whatever layer is selected). In PS, go to Image, Adjustments, Black & White (or use your channel mixer, which is pretty cool!). It should be something similar in Photoshop Elements, though there is no channel mixer in PSE (as far as I know). The reason I make this layer black & white is because when lightening a photo it can add too much color back in if I don’t turn it b&w first. (There is also a way to use softlight without turning it b&w…when you want to saturate your photos more).

Once you’ve changed it to black and white, then choose “softlight” from the blending modes.

Adjust the opacity to whatever you need (or duplicate it to add more). Mine worked at 83% like the screened layer did.

FINAL PHOTO: Here’s the final results…

As you can see, the photo above is much lighter and richer in color than the original photo below. The one below is darker and not as sharp.

ORIGINAL PHOTO

There are a ton of ways to adjust your lighting/coloring, but this is one I use most often.

Let me know if you have questions.

Also…

I’m working on a new kit called, As Autumn Falls, and here’s a quick preview of it:

Thanks!

Teresa

Whisperings Winner

2009-09-30T09:37:00.003-06:00

Thank you all for playing! I used www.random.org to pick the winning number, which was 31.

Our winner is:
karenminfl-scrap@...

Congrats! I'll email you privately with your code.

For the rest of you, if you would like to get the kit, you can use the code "ilovesquid" to get it for 50% off from now until next Wednesday, Oct 7. That's for $2.50 instead of $5.

You can snag it here:

http://divinedigital.com/boutique/product.php?productid=14765&cat=0&page=1

FYI:
I'm going to be starting a mailing list for all those who are subscribed to my blog. I'll be emailing special deals, just for subscribers. So, if you're not subscribed but want access to these deals...sign up!

New Kit & Freebies – Time for another drawing!

2009-09-23T09:54:00.001-06:00

My brand new kit, Whisperings, is finished. There are 11 papers and over 20 different elements…and I love it!As usual, it’s up for free for ONE person who wins the drawing. If you’d like a chance to get it for free, here’s how to participate in the drawing:

You can subscribe via email, which signs you up to receive email updates (found off on the right). This will enter you into this drawing, as well as every drawing in the future. (If you sign up, please be sure to click on the link that is sent to your email in order to fully subscribe. Only those fully subscribed will be included in the drawing.)
Or, you can leave a comment at the end of this blog entry. (if you comment anonymously, please remember to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win…I will ONLY use it for that purpose, I promise.)
Or, you can do both – sign up and leave a comment. You’ll be counted twice and increase your chances to win.

The drawing will end in next Wednesday, September 30. I’ll announce the winner, as well as offer coupon codes for the rest of you who might be interested in getting it for a discounted price.

CLOSE-UP VIEWS

Here are some sample layouts (you can click to see them larger…they look much better larger!):

(this one especially needs to be seen larger! Otherwise it looks all cluttered…looks better bigger!)

FREEBIES: Here are some digital scrapbook freebies for you. They are three quickpages made from the layouts above for you to download for free:

Hope you enjoy!

PS: For those who haven’t snagged my previous kit, Green with Envy, you can still get it for half off until Sept 30 – for only $2.50!! Just use the coupon code iamacow.

Green with Envy Winner…

2009-09-16T15:31:00.001-06:00

OUR WINNER

Thank you all for participating in the drawing!

I used random.org to pick a random winner, and the lucky number was 25, which means our winner is:

kimip1981-scrapbook@…

Congratulations to you! I’ll be sending you a coupon code to get it for free.

50% off COUPON

For those who are interested in purchasing the kit, you can get it for 50% off (for only $2.50) for the next two weeks by using the coupon code “iamacow”.

HOW TO USE A COUPON CODE

To use the coupon, simply go HERE, add the kit to your cart by clicking “add to cart” at the bottom of the page. It’ll take you to your shopping cart, and on the bottom left, there will be an option to enter in a coupon code. Enter in iamacow and click “submit”. You should now see a discounted subtotal equaling $2.50. You can continue shopping or check out.

PREVIEW OF NEXT KIT

I’m already working on the next kit, WHISPERINGS. I wanted to try something a little bit different. I love being able to capture the magical side of childhood & life, and wanted to try my hand at a kit that helps achieve that. I love soft colors and blues... So, here’s a little preview of what is to come:

Thanks again for everyone who participated. Hope you enjoy!

New Kit, Drawing & Freebie

2009-09-12T00:13:00.001-06:00

It’s finally done! My newest kit, Green with Envy, is here. It is my 4th kit (3rd for my store). It’s perfect for old, young, male and/or female, human or non, etc…

And, as usual, I’ll be holding a drawing to give the kit away for free to one lucky winner.

How to participate in the drawing:

You can subscribe via email, which signs you up to receive email updates (found off on the right). This will enter you into this drawing, as well as every drawing in the future. (If you sign up, please be sure to click on the link that is sent to your email in order to fully subscribe. Only those fully subscribed will be included in the drawing.)
Or, you can leave a comment at the end of this blog entry. (if you comment anonymously, please remember to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win…I will ONLY use it for that purpose, I promise.)
Or, you can do both – sign up and leave a comment. You’ll be counted twice and increase your chances to win.

The drawing will end in the evening next Wednesday, September 16. I’ll announce the winner, as well as offer coupon codes for the rest of you who might be interested in getting it for a discounted price.

MORE DETAILED VIEW OF THE KIT:

PAPER PREVIEW

There are NINE papers. Five solids, four with cute prints.

ELEMENTS PREVIEW

There are over TWENTY different elements. Including all elements (same element, different colors), there are 45.

LAYOUT EXAMPLE

Here’s a page to give an idea of what you can do with it. You can click on the photo above to see it larger.

FREEBIE

And finally…here’s a digital scrapbook freebie for any and all. It’s a quickpage. You can download it directly from HERE (you’ll be downloading directly from Divine Digital).

Little Note: Those who have found me through one of the freebie search engines, for some reason it is showing the image of the kit as the freebie instead of the quick page as the freebie (sorry, but the kit is not for free). I’m sorry for any who might be confused! I’m not sure how or why it grabs whatever image it does. Hopefully we’ll get that fixed, but until then, just to clarify, it’s the quick page above that is the freebie;-)

Hope you enjoy!

Christmas in July Blog Train

2009-07-25T10:02:00.006-06:00

(I'm so sorry this is late!)

Divine Digital is having a blog train. All freebies coordinate with the Christmas in July Mega Kit that you can get for free if you spend $2 anywhere at Divine Digital.

If you're new to my site, sign up for email updates (off to the right), and you'll automatically be entered into drawings to win my new kits for free!!

Here's my matching freebie:

You can download it HERE.

Here's the train:

Kiss This Designs
http://littlebitofthisandalittlebito....blogspot.com/

Scrappin Mommy
http://www.scrappinmommydesigns.blogspot.com/

Dorothy's Creations
http://dorothyscreationss.blogspot.com/

Kalo Designs
http://kalodesigns.com/wordpress/

Wetfish Designs
http://www.wetfishscraps.blogspot.com/

Jen Balding
http://scrapsbyjenn.blogspot.com/

teresabelle designs
YOU ARE HERE

gallimaufryuk
http://www.gallimaufryuk.blogspot.com/

Sherry's Scraps
http://sherrysscraps.blogspot.com/

Cinda
http://blog.digitalcompilations.com/

Crafty Bloss
http://digilicious.typepad.com/digi_licious_designs/

Foxy Designs
http://foxydesigns.biz/

Terrell S
http://waititgetsbetter.blogspot.com/

k.joi.studios
http://kjoistudios.blogspot.com/

sas-uk
http://sasdesigns.blogspot.com/

Studio RA Designs (Royanna)
http://royanna.blogspot.com/

Heavenly
http://www.heavenlydesignz.blogspot.com/

Freedom Kit Drawing Winner

2009-07-14T22:08:00.008-06:00

Thank you to everyone who played! So many new people have stopped by and subscribed, which is sooo fun since I'm really new to designing and love to meet new people. Thank you for all the comments as well!

Now to the most important part. The winner of the Freedom Kit ended up coming from the email subscribers and is:

joyrangel@......net

I'll be emailing you privately with the coupon code to get the kit for free.

For the rest of you who are interested, you can use the code "liberty" to get the kit for $2, instead of $5. You can pick it up HERE.

I'm hoping to finish up my other kit soon, and we'll be doing another drawing then. Oh, and of course, if any of you end up making layouts and want to share them with me, I'd love to see them!

Hugs,
Teresa

Freedom Kit Drawing...

2009-07-10T20:04:00.009-06:00

Howdy Ladies...

I have finished the kit! It has 11 papers and over 30 elements (13-14 different kinds).

HOW TO PLAY:
- Those who are subscribed via email (top right of page) are automatically entered to win. **Please be sure to verify your email address after you subscribe via email. An email will automatically be sent to your email address for you to click on to complete setting it up.**
- Those who leave comments are entered.
- If you are subscribed via a reader, leave a comment and tell me you are a Reader subscriber, and I'll count you twice (one for being subscribed, and one for leaving a comment).

So, you can do any and all of them and get counted more than once.

I'll be back Tuesday evening to announce the winner. Hopefully this time I'll post the winner on the correct blog. But you never know with me. I like to trick people, including myself...

FREEBIE - 4th of July

2009-07-04T12:03:00.006-06:00

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!! Hope you're all having a great day with family and friends. We're stuck home (as usual it seems!) with sick kids.

I'm almost finished with a new FREEDOM kit. I decided kind of last minute to go ahead and do one. I'm getting faster! I started on Thursday, and so far it has 14 papers and over 20 elements.

Below is a little tiny little biddy freebie sample for you. It was really hard to pick just a few things!

(view larger)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

(FYI: You'll be downloading this from Divine Digital. No having to take chances with viruses like you do with 4shared.com or rapidshare.com.)

New Kit...almost done

2009-06-29T07:11:00.003-06:00

Here's a preview of part of the kit I'm working on. There are more papers than this and there are obviously going to be elements, but here's just a little sampling:

This one is definitely not as girlie as my last kit. I can now use it to scrap pages for TS! It's so nice. I'm hoping to have it finished in a couple weeks and will hold another little drawing to see who can get the kit for free! So, be ready!

Besides being new at it (this is my third kit to ever make), I also lock myself off the computer all day so that I keep my focus on my family. I have no self-control and can't keep the computer on during the day or else I'd spend most of my time on it! Lame, I know, but this works! I get a couple hours in the morning (if I get up early enough), and then I have an hour or two at night to work on it. Makes the going slow sometimes! My goal is to become a speed maker...we'll see how that goes. But, in case you ever wonder why it takes so long...those are the reasons.

Now, I must introduce you to Marquita Stewart...The Original Black Martha (if you're reading this later, it's this exact post HERE that is a must read). Everything I've read of hers so far has cracked me up. She found me on youtube (?) with my How to Make Your Own Blogger Background video. Check out her blog. She made me burst out laughing.

So...off I go to feed my kidlets! Poor TS has had a rough week but things are finally improving! Sweet baby boy.

results...

2009-06-02T06:43:00.002-06:00

(Contrary to what one might think, I did actually post this last night...on the wrong blog. And I didn't realize it until I was already in bed and couldn't get to the computer! hehe...I've never done that before.)

Howdy, Ladies!

I hope you all have had a lovely day, or lovely sleep, depending on your time. The drawing has ended tonight. Thank you all for playing!

peridotljs@..... from email subscriptions has won. Yay! I'll be emailing you privately with your free coupon code (expires June 7).

The rest of you losers (hehe) can use the "iamacow" coupon code to get it for $2, if you're interested. This is good until June 7. After that the kit will be back to it's original price of $6.

__________

And, to answer some questions I've received, most of my "official" training was from www.naods.com and www.scrapgirls.com. Naods taught me how to scrapbook (to use PSE, which I was able to use to learn to use PS). It didn't help with designing at all. Scrapgirls taught me some basics of designing (I used their advanced tutorials), and I was able to take the concepts and expand on it A LOT. I also researched a ton and found lots and lots of random tutorials that taught me other things. The one thing I learned from scrapgirls was the basics on how to make paper. I didn't learn a whole lot else I didn't already know, but that one thing was worth the price to learn.

Some of you have asked for tutorials, and that is one goal I have with this blog. I want to spread the knowledge of how to do things! But scrapgirls.com advanced tutorials has a great base for you to use to learn if you can't wait;-) If there is something you want to know how to do, and if I know how to do it, I'd be more than happy to share, just let me know! Oh, and it might take me a while. I have limited computer time, but eventually I get it up on here!

:-) Teresa

April Flowers Kit Drawing

2009-05-27T19:57:00.006-06:00

Greetings Ladies!

I've finished the complete kit and am holding another drawing because I find them oh-so-fun! Whoever wins will be given a coupon code to download the kit for FREE. For all the losers (hehe!), I'll be passing along a coupon code for you to use to get it at a discount, if you so desire...

HOW TO PLAY:
1) If you are subscribed to my blog (whether you already have or do it now), you are automatically entered into the drawing.
2) If you leave a comment, you are automatically entered into the drawing.

This means if you subscribe AND leave a comment, you are entered twice and double your chances to win...

Monday, June 1st, the winner will be announced.

Here's the pretty baby you are trying to win (and, yes, you do think it's pretty):

Here's a close up of the elements:

There are a total of 12 papers and over 20 different types of elements (88 elements total). Two entries ago I have more detailed photos of the papers if you haven't seen them yet.

Or you can check it out at the store to see more detailed photos (scroll down the page for photos):
April Flowers Kit

Come play!!

and the winner is...

2009-04-21T22:14:00.002-06:00

Actually, it's "winners". I decided to do a winner from the email subscriptions, as well as the comments;-)

So, the two winners are:

larcanril@comcast.net (email subscription)
AND
Elizabeth Harmon (from the comments)

I'll be emailing you both with the code to get it for free.

Anyone else who might be interested, you can get it for $1 using the code "prettyflowers" when you check out at the store HERE.

Thank you all for the sweet comments and for playing! It was fun. I'll be doing this with each new product I have, so come play again!

Paper Pack: April Flowers

2009-04-18T14:45:00.009-06:00

Guess what?! I have two new designing positions at a couple scrapbook stores (Divine Digital and the-digi-boutique...though I have nothing up yet!). Here's my very first product. It's a cute little paper pack filled with girlie papers and a couple alphabets just for fun.

Before I list it in stores, I thought it would be fun to have a drawing and give it away to some random winner. I'll be doing this with each of my new products as they come.

All you have to do is subscribe to the blog (upper right hand corner of blog). Or, if you already are subscribed or have me on your Reader, just leave a comment. Come Tuesday night, a random winner will be selected. But those who play will receive a coupon code for a nice discount off of it in case you want to buy it...fun, eh?

There are twelve papers in this pack. They are all created at 300 dpi and are in jpg format. It is a personal kit, but is S4H/S4O friendly.

Here is an example layout. I used one of the Rounded Templates from my friend, Crystal, at Two Peas (she has some great stuff!).

"Add Your Own Background" Video

2009-01-03T16:18:00.014-06:00

Update July 03, 2010:

Blogger has updated how they do their backgrounds/design portion of the blog. I'm in the process of updating this to give you instructions on how to use the new set up to add your own background. I just had a baby (a really cute one, I might add), and it might be a bit before I can do that, though. The new way is really easy though! So you might figure it out on your own.

In the meantime, the youtube tutorial will still be helpful, but instead of looking for just a line of code, you need to replace ALL of the code with code I've included below. Since you no longer have the Minima option, you need to skip that part of the video and go directly to your html code and change it to the Minima code that I will be giving you.

To do that, you go to your blog, go to "Design", then go to "Edit HTML".

Once there, delete ALL of the code that is there. Then download & open the link directly below. Copy all of the code within that and paste it in your html box.

Click here to open Minima HTML code document (notepad)

Then you need to look within the code for the part that says:
(ADD YOUR DIRECT LINK WITHIN THESE PARENTHESIS)

You can find that line a few lines after the "Variable definition" section within the code (look a few lines under the list that follows the title "Variable Definition". It will be within a line of code.).

Delete the writing within the parenthesis and paste the direct link to your blog background within that. Then preview your blog. It should have your new background on there. If so, you're good to go. Save it, and you're done.

Hopefully soon I will have updated info for you. I'm hoping I didn't miss any steps for you. If you try this and it doesn't work, let me know.

-----------------

Here's a video to help explain how to make your own blog background and install it. The video isn't meant to teach you how to use your program, though.

If all you need is basic info for a background, I do a 1450 by 912 pixel background with a 72 resolution and save it as "Save for Web". Then I upload it as a 1mb size file to photobucket.com. You need to set your blog template to Minima and then find the code (listed below) within your html. Then replace that code for the other code (listed below) and add the direct link.

If you need more detail than that, hopefully the video will have all the answers you need. I'll include a small trouble shooting area at the end of this entry.

Also, for those curious, I use Photoshop Elements 6, which I LOVE. They have a new one out, Photoshop Elements 7, which is hardly different, but it comes with tutorials to teach how to scrapbook. I would definitely recommend that one because it is always nice to know how to use your program and those tutorials are great (my sister bought it, so I was able to watch some of them).

If you want to see the video in the best quality possible, go to where it is on youtube HERE, and under the bottom right hand corner there is "watch in HD". Click on that to watch it.

Here's the video:

Here's the direct link if you need it:
Blog Background Video

Here is the code you are looking for:
_________

body {
background:$bgcolor;
margin:0; color:$textcolor; font:x-small Georgia Serif; font-size/* */:/**/small; font-size: /**/small; text-align: center;

________

Here is the code you want to paste in place of the code above:

body {

background:$bgcolor;background-image:url(direct link);background-position: center; background-repeat:no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed;

margin:0; color:$textcolor; font:x-small Georgia Serif; font-size/* */:/**/small; font-size: /**/small; text-align: center;

Be sure to credit the person whose kit you use. It's illegal not to (unless they give permission).

Also, be sure to visit www.thecutestblogontheblock.com. I got the basic info from them and the code, and then tweaked it a bit to get what I have. They have a lot of cute stuff on their site!

TROUBLE SHOOTING:

If your background is too small...
- Make sure that the file is smaller than 1mb prior to uploading it. Also make sure you are saving it as "Save for Web." Make sure when you upload it to photobucket.com that you have chosen "1mb file size".

If your background is too big...
- Try lowering the resolution. You don't want to go below 72, but if you have it 100 or above, it can be too big. So, make sure you have it as low as you can. Make sure when you upload it to photobucket.com that you have chosen "1mb file size".

If you see white on the sides of your background...
- You probably have a super big computer screen. When you create your background, it is one set size. It depends on the computer screen as to how much a person can see of the background. Small computer screens see much less of the background and the large computer screens can see beyond the background and see white on the sides. If this is the case for you, you always have the option of increasing the size of your background. You would want to make the "1450" wider to fill up your screen.

If you have more questions, let me know. Not sure I'll have the answer, but I'll give it a try.

Thanksgiving 2008 first page

2008-12-22T11:05:00.008-06:00

Here's the first page of our Thanksgiving photos. We have several photos, so I'm planning on putting several photos to a page on the other pages.

(You can click on it to see it larger.)
CREDITS: Summer Driggs Gratitude Kit. Flowers are from the KL Autumn Spice kit. Font is Teresa (my own handwriting turned into a font by www.fontifier.com).

Violet's Eyes

2008-11-30T22:54:00.006-06:00

Here's one of another child of mine, Miss Violet.

For Christmas, Siouxsie got me the most coolest book for scrapbooking. They give layout ideas. So, this is my first one to make from it. Thank you again, Siouxsie, I LOVE THE BOOK! Plus it was fun to use my newly acquired page tearing and shadow making skills...

Credits: I used the kit by Sweet Digi Scraps, Flowers A Go-Go (by Liz). Font "Teresa" (my own personal handwriting font...) created by Fontifier.com.