Giving Thanks, a Photo Challenge, and a Freebie!

In these stressful times there are still things that make us thankful. I am thankful for the big things like my family, friends, and job of course, but I'm also thankful for the little things like audiobooks, Earl Grey tea, e-mail, and fizzy bath bombs.

Photo Challenge: Take some pictures of the things that make you thankful. Here are some additional ideas:

• your creativity
  
• warm socks on a cold night
  
• the first cup of coffee or tea in the morning
  
• that album or song that always makes you feel better
  
• spellcheck
  
• your snuggly bed pillow
  
• leftover turkey and pumpkin pie (yum!)

Here's a special 12x12 quickpage made from one of the 52 weekly templates in my upcoming "Project 365" set to help you scrap your "thankful" photos. Click here or on the image to download it.

Leave me a message in the comments area with a link to your finished page. I'd love to see it!

Please remember to send your friends to this blog to get their own quickpage, too.

Oh yeah, before I forget...THANKS! for visiting my wee blog!

Good Karma Friday - Holiday Mail for Heroes

Have you gotten an e-mail recently telling your to send a holiday card to a wounded soldier at Walter Reed Veteran's Hospital? Although this is a great idea, don't do it. Walter Reed does not accept the cards and has not done so for years. For more info, click here.

Instead, the Red Cross has a 'Holiday Mail for Heroes' program where they will distribute the cards. Here's the details...

• All cards must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, December 10, 2008. Cards sent after this date will be returned to sender.
• Please ensure that all cards are signed.
• Please use generic salutations such as “Dear Service Member.” Cards addressed to specific individuals can not be delivered through this program.
• Please send cards as opposed to long letters which delay a quick review process.
• Please do not include email or home addresses on the cards, as the program is not meant to foster pen pal relationships.
• Please do not include inserts of any kind, including photos, as these items will be removed during the reviewing process.
• Participants are encouraged to limit the number of cards they submit to 25 from any one person or 50 from any one class or group. If you are mailing a larger quantity, please bundle the cards and place them in large mailing envelopes. Each card does not need its own envelope.
• All cards received may be used in program publicity efforts, including appearing in broadcast, print, or online mediums.

So, go ahead and get going and send a few right now! You''ll make someone very, very happy!

Fun Geeky Products for Your Holday Gift Giving!

I love looking around at all the new gadgets coming out
for holiday gift giving. You never know when one of them may actually be a brilliant idea! Here's a couple I found on PC Magazine's
web site that I thought were clever.

The sneaky and subtle OH! *#% (yes, that's really the name of it!) flash drive from Fred & Friends takes file security to a new level. It looks like a wire from a broken plug-n-play thingy but it's actually a self-contained 2GB flash drive! Who'd ever think to steal a ratty looking thing like this! LOL! The only drawback I can see is that it really can be mistaken for a useless piece of junk and it might get tossed in the trash...accckkk!

Laptop art from Infectious will add a whole lotta flair to your laptop! Infectious also produces designs for your wall, car, and other devices. The art is printed on easy to apply 3M vinyl - just peel and stick. If you want a change, just peel it off and apply another! There are more than 70 designs available right now.

Best of all, there's an open call for submissions, so why not try your hand at designing? All designs selected get 5% of net sales and up to $100 in Infectious product. Design of the month gets an additional $400 in cash. Go do it!

Have you found a cool gadget, too? Tell me about it in the comments section!

Another One Bytes the Dust: Digital Scrapbooking Magazine is dead

Posted on the Creating Keepsakes online community web site...

Dear CK Media employees, readers, and loyal contributors,

I am saddened to share the news that, due to difficult conditions in both the economy and the publishing market, CK Media has made the decision to cease publication of the print version of Digital Scrapbooking magazine after the February/March issue (on sale Jan 6, 2009).

Go to their web site to read the full article. As more information becomes available, they will post it on www.digitalscrapbooking.com.

I guess the key is to keep it DIGITAL and only make it available online. That would cut the production cost at least in half...no printing...no paper!

My very favorite digital scrapbooking magazine of all time was Scrapbook Answers magazine with a CD full of video tutorials and free kits. Sadly, it was discontinued in late 2006 even though it was a success and had lots of subscribers (like me!). The publishing house decided that it wasn't profitable enough and they decided to switch their publishing focus to young males who like video games rather than crafty, digital women. Whatever.

Good Karma Friday, a freebie, and a $5 gift certificate!

Now is the time to think about getting military holiday packages ready to mail. Show your appreciation for our men and women in the armed forces and their families this holiday season by donating handmade cards.

Cardsforheroes.org is a non-profit organization that offers safe and secure ways to donate your handmade cards. Want to participate? Please visit: http://www.cardsforheroes.org.

And here's a couple of free card sketch ideas to get you started! Click on the image for a larger view.


Send me a link to your beautiful cards and I'll post them here and give you a $5 gift certificate for my shop!

And the race is on...

Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day and a BIG $1.50 sale!

Hurry up! Come on over and pick up some great bargains...today only!