I’m really quite happy about it this year. I’m ready for a break from science projects, nightly reading longs, coming up with creative lunches, and alarms going off at 6:15 a.m.

This summer I have plans to swim a lot, play a lot, relax a whole bunch, blog a little bit, and work even less. Yes, I won’t be around quite as much, but I’ll poke my head into the blogosphere enough to offer some product reviews and giveaway and let you know that I’m still alive. See, I have to soak up this time with them. If I don’t now, it will be too late…then.

But before I go, I have two huge announcements! Ok not huge but important enough to mention before I go put my bathing suite on for the Summer:

• On my other blog, I’ve launched a new section called How To Blog: Video Tutor where I offer a whole library of blogging, photo editing and graphics tutorials. For a very small fee, you can download any video(s) you want on very practical topics such as adding links to your posts or creating a sidebar widget. I have a section on Photoshop Elements that I’ll be developing further as well. So if you have a blog and need some help, check it out!

• My digital scrapbook graphics are now housed on Etsy and called Nicole Marie By Design. Because Etsy is awesome. (And a little more exposure is always nice too.)

So until next time, stay cool, love on those kiddos while you can, and happy scrapping!

Download for free here:

download: Push Pin (3.95KB) added: 04/04/2010 clicks: 125 description:

Ideas for use:

• “Pin” a photo to a background
• Pin a journaling block to a large photo
• Tack several notes, photos, etc. to a cork board background
• Change the color of the pin

For March, I created this chandelier graphic. Chandeliers are all the rage right now and I love ‘em. Its pink here, but you can modify the color, lightness darkness, opacity, etc.

Enjoy!

Download for free here:

download: Chandelier (31.35KB) added: 14/03/2010 clicks: 134 description: Pink Chandelier

I’ve said it before, I’m a traditional scrapbooker. If I were to fully enter into the world of digital scrapping, I’d be doing pretty much the same sort of thing I do all day long for work. I need the diversion, the touch and feel of physical materials in my hand. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be much of a hobby craft therapy for me.

But…I love to spatter digital elements here and there in my scrapbooks. I love that I can find something online, purchase it, download it and print it out in a matter of minutes.

I guess that would qualify me as a “hybrid scrapper”. We love our labels, don’t we?

So with that in mind, I’ve launched a new section on this blog called the Digi Graphics Shoppe. Here, I’ve brought together some designs, illustrations, page elements and other goodies for your pleasure. The shoppe is in its infancy, but its going to be a big fat baby in a very short while.

To get things rolling, Im offering two things right up front…

1. A Tutorial. Never used a PNG file before, or know what it is, for that matter? Oh, what you’re missing. Its easy peasy. Take a look…

2. A giveaway! Who doesn’t love a giveaway? I’m offering 2 (two) readers a $15 credit in the Shoppe. And with most things $3 and under, that’s a lot of graphics!

If you don’t want to wait for the giveaway, purchasing is simple. Add the image you want to your cart, check out, pay with PayPal and your file will be immediately available for download. Simple.

Win It! Enter for a chance to win one of two $15 credits to the Digi Graphics Shoppe:

1. Comment on this post with your favorite graphic in the Shoppe.
2. For extra entries, (a)tweet about this giveaway up to once a day, (b) subscribe to this blog.
3. Entries must be made by Friday, March 12 at 11:59 p.m. MST.

For more great tips, check out WFMW (this week is at Rocks In My Dryer!)