Paper Date With Whimsy Jen Maddocks Designs, other elements not yet released Jen Maddocks Designs

Circle It II, Let’s Dance, Floral Overlays all Jen Maddocks Designs, paper not yet released Jen Maddocks Designs

The Olympian stories are not the only thing I find inspiring.  I absolutely love the logo for the Olympics this year!  Whoever worked on it is a visual genius in my opinion.

I love seeing this logo in its various forms at the different competition venues.  I felt so inspired I had to do a little creating.  I couldn’t help myself!

You can find these new paper packs in my store.

Here’s how we are celebrating.

Ava laying on the ground playing Lego Star Wars on the Wii with the controllers over her head.  When I asked her about it she was like, “Well yeah of course I play like this.  It makes it so much more interesting!”  Yep.  SO Ava!

Laney playing Lego Rock Band.  She was dancing around while playing the guitar.  It actually helped her play better. Go figure. ;D

Are you going to do Project 365?  I think it is being also being called Project 52, Project Life, Design 365, etc.  I haven’t completely decided what I want to do yet.  However.  If you are planning on doing this “project” this year I will have a line of products designed specifically for it.  I’m calling them Capture 365.  I’d rather not call it a project.  It sounds too much like something more to do in my life! ;D  My first installment is a calendar template.  You can find it in my store.

I also have signed up on Facebook for my business Jen Maddocks Designs.  Come on over and become my fan!  I’d love to hear from you!

Winding down.  Finishing up.  Making resolutions.  Thinking ahead.  Yep.  It’s that time of year.  Again.  Ali is posting her word for the year. Some are wondering if they should strike out and do project 365 again.  Or for the first time.  Yeah.  I’m thinking about all these things too.

So for me I’ve decided that a new blog header might be nice.  Two.  A new Jen Maddocks Designs logo was in the works so that needed to be revealed.  It is in my sidebar.  You will see it below and on my new paper packs now.  Three.  I need to go through my blog and see what links and other things I need to keep/remove/add.  Working on that.  What about you?  What sort of “resolutions” or things are you working on?

I have a couple of new items for the store and I have a Freebie for you. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for making this a fantastic break out year for me in the digital design world. I cannot wait to see what 2010 holds! ;D

No matter how sick I get I can’t seem to stay away from the computer.  It can lay with me on the couch pretty well.  I can’t stand to do nothing as many of you know.  Since my mind often races…but my body won’t let me do anything…I’ve been doing a little design work.  I got my December Daily day 18 layout done.  The background paper is from the new paper pack that I designed.

paper, date stamp, word art JMDesigns
mask Anna Aspnes
overlay Joanne Brisebois

May I present my new paper pack called Frosty.

You can find it in my store here.

I hope you are well and all prepared for Christmas! ;D

I have a new weekly freebie in my sidebar.  Just in time for your December daily projects.  I used one of them in this photo as well as my number set from the December Dayz Element pack.

Are you going to do the December daily this year?  Have you done it in the past?  This will be my second year doing it.  First year doing it digital.  So looking forward to documenting December!

And YES I have my first layout done for my December daily album.  Having templates helps!!!! ;D

Corey and I saw New Moon.  It rocked!  Then I saw it again last night with my friend Jill.  Even better the second time! ;D

After 35 years I finally did this…

Ava had a “mini play” in her class the other day.  They were focusing on Pilgrims and Columbus and things of that nature.  She was Samoset in her play.

Grandparents day was yesterday at school.  Every class performed something.  Here’s Laney.

Where are you headed for Thanksgiving?
Wherever you end up I’m sure you are thinking what kind of photos am I going to take and what kind of layout am I going to do?  Take lots of photos I always say.  The delete key is your friend! ;D  You can never take too many photos and you can never get back the moments and retake the photos but you can always hit delete if you have take too many…GUILTY! ;D
So what should you take photos of???  EVERYTHING!!!!
The food.
Your plate of food.
The table.
The turkey in the oven.
YOURSELF!!!!!  Get someone to get at least one photo of you!
People cooking.
People lounging around.
Watching tv.
Playing the Wii! ;D
Decorating for Christmas…if you start to do that now.
Family members.
Things that don’t seem so important.  They will later!
People praying or giving thanks.
Candles burning.
Wine bottles.
Get creative!!!
Then when you get done with your projects there are some great ideas for Thanksgiving layouts here.  I know they aren’t digi.  But you can use the ideas to inspire.  I do! ;D

Lastly I’ve been working hard on some Christmas digi stuff.  I want to do a December Daily album but this year I really want to do it digitally.  So I’ve designed a kit for just that.  I cannot wait to share it with you!  It is all done I just have to put it in my shop!  More to come…;D

Last night I was feeling creative.  I had some paper I had just gotten from Gina Miller that I knew would go perfectly with what Laney was wearing yesterday sledding.  So I made a layout. ;D  Here she be!

Layout credits here.

So Laney put her tooth under her pillow and waited for the Tooth Fairy.  And the Tooth Fairy in this house is a bad Tooth Fairy and sometimes forgets.  Sigh. I woke up this morning and thought of it right away.  I didn’t hear the kids up so I thought I was ok.  I slipped into Laney’s room and she looked like she was still asleep and so I found the tooth and exchanged it for a dollar.  She woke up just after the exchange.  So I thought I was safe.  She told me the Tooth Fairy forgot to give her money and I asked her to double check.  She did and was happy to see the dollar.  I thought I had gotten away with it but when it all came out she revealed to me she had been awake earlier and downstairs.  She had also been “faking it” when I thought she was sleeping and said she felt her pillow moving when I was taking her tooth.  Another sigh.

“Mom.  Are you the Tooth Fairy?”

“Yes.”

“You ARE!!??”

“I’m sorry Laney.  But yes I am.  Are you okay?”

“Yes.  But what about all my other teeth?  And Ava’s teeth?  What happened to those?”

“I took them.”

“Where did you put them?”

“It doesn’t matter.  In a special place.”

Ava emerged and we told her.  I asked her if she was okay.  “Yes, I’m fine.  And I don’t believe in Santa either.  Because he’s Lauren’s grandpa!”  Apparently a friend of hers at school has a grandpa that looks just like Santa.

“Well.  Since we are talking about this do you want to know the truth about Santa?”

“Santa’s not real either???”  Laney exclaimed.

“No.  Not in the way you think.  There was a person who existed called St. Nicholas who passed out gifts to children.  But there is no Santa.”

This conversation continued on for awhile.  I could tell Ava was totally fine.  I knew she would be.  I could tell Laney was completely devastated.  I knew this was going to happen as well.  Insert another sigh here.  So.  In order to help out the situation, because at this point Laney was pouting…something she is very good at…I reminded her the REAL reason we celebrate Christmas (and Easter).  She immediately said, “JESUS!”  I told her she was right.  I told her that even tho things like Santa are fun and we could still pretend and have fun, that Santa was actually a distraction from the real reason of Christmas.  After I explained it, she was okay.  Needless to say I had no intention of this happening this morning.  In a way I was very sad and also glad.  What do you do in your family with Santa and the Tooth Fairy?  Do your kids still believe?

Last night it started snowing.  I was looking at the snow and loving it but I really needed to go to bed.  Corey suggested I go out and take some photos.  It was midnight.  And cold.  I didn’t want to go out.  But I did.  I was freezing.  And LOVING IT!  Do you ever feel that way about something?

On to the next thing…there is a new digi kit at DDE.  It’s called Crisp Fall Day.

Here are a couple of layouts I did with this kit.

And last but not least…if you have stuck with reading this entire post…I made it on to the next round of the My Scrapbook Art Ultimate Artist contest with this layout.  Total surprise…and looking forward to the next challenge which is being revealed tomorrow!