Stand Up and Scrap

Meet the 2007 Stand Up & Scrap Winners!

2007-11-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

We are so excited to share a bit more about our six incredible Stand Up & Scrap Winners. These ladies were able to shine in a field of more than 400 contestants and we are so proud of their accomplishment.

Advanced

First Place
Contestant #: 16591A
Gerarda van Merkerk aka Nevache
Location: Netherlands

Why did you enter the Stand Up & Scrap Competition?

When I bought the kit, I wanted to donate and keep the opportunity open to enter the contest, but wasn't sure if I would and could due to personal commitments and a surgery awaiting. At the last moment I decided to just give it a try and see how many weeks I could enter. I dislike the competing part of this kind of contests, but I love the way the challenges and deadlines 'force' me to create something I wouldn't have done otherwise.

How did you feel when you found out you were one of our winners?

To be honest: I forgot about the contest after finishing the week 6 layout; I had to recover from surgery, real life sucked up every minute. Tuesday morning I woke up with a sweet congrats email from Catherine (Chud23)....and couldn't believe it :-) And it felt strange: there were so many beautiful layouts, scrapped with heart and soul and craftmanship; and also: I loved the challenge, but didn't really care for winning or not, like many others did, and then I'm the one running away with the prizes...it just felt strange. But after that.... it was big big joy!!!!!!!!! DH bought me a huge bunch of flowers, and we had our own little party :-)

Which of the six layouts you created for the contest is your favorite and why?

Difficult to decide: I love my week 1 layout for colors and style, week 4 because it's me-right-now, and week 6 for the journaling ... My ultimate layout would be one which combines it all, but that's one that has to be created yet :-)

Second Place
Contestant #: 16341A
Vibeke Breivik aka madame mim
Location: Norway

Why did you enter the Stand Up & Scrap Competition?

I just had to give it a go for that ENOURMOUS prize! LOL! Although I NEVER expected to be one of the winners, I knew that in doing these six layouts I would challenge myself to to my very best, explore new styles and techniques and learn a whole lot. Which I did.

How did you feel when you found out you were one of our winners?

Well, it was very exciting because I knew that only me and one other contestant had had 4 layouts in the top ten until the last round, but it was still quite open because of the "invisible points". So of course I expected that I wouldn't make it :) When I heard I was number 2, I was jumping up and down with a huuge smile on my face doing a happy happy happy dance with my 8 month old who also got very excited :) It is the first time I've been in a competition like this, so it was totally incredible to actually win something!

Which of the six layouts you created for the contest is your favorite and why?

My favourite layout was the one i did in week 3. Because I am both very happy with the visual expression, I got the shadows just right and the light/darkness contrasts toghether with the overall composition - and the lyrics that inspired this layout carries so many good memories. The little sprout there in one of the photos is also quite special to me, because it is the first plant I have managed to not kill in a very long time, so to me it really represents a new hope and a new life :)

Third Place
Contestant #: 17099A
Syrin Syrah aka Syrin
Location: Norway

Why did you enter the Stand Up & Scrap Competition?

I heard about SUAS over at Digishoptalk. I got interested because of the good cause; this is something that is important to me!

How did you feel when you found out you were one of our winners?

I was very, very surprised. I had no idea, and wondered if you had an calculation error! The Stand up and scrap gallery was full of amazing layouts, and it felt strange, almost akward, to be one of the winners. I know several layouts in the contest that are better than any of mine. After the first surprise, I got busy trying to find out what I had won. I never checked the prizes! LOL :)

Which of the six layouts you created for the contest is your favorite and why?

I think it has to be "My needs" for week 2. It's not the one that got the most points, but I like it :D I love Pearn's papers here (there are some neutrals in the pack that I LOVE; so simple and basic! ) I'm very happy with the shadowing on the elements, and the golden espresso "feel" of the layout. I also think I managed to make a layout that is both masculine and feminine at the same time. And finally, I'm happy with the journaling. Journaling is important to me, and it was a big challenge for me to express myself in a foreign language. I normally only journal in Norwegian.

Intermediate

First Place
Contestant #: 16067I
Kristen Gagnon aka girlflies
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Why did you enter the Stand Up & Scrap Competition?

Lurking around LDD and SSD as I do, the competition jumped right out at me. To begin with, it is a cause near and dear to my heart. We (my family and I) have been altering our consumption patterns and lifestyle for several years now to tread more softly on this planet; so I was thrilled with it's focus. And on a personal/scrapping level, the couple of challenges I had participated in previously at SSD had really forced me outside the scrap-zone I was in. I knew this competition would do the same. And, wow..., did it ever.

How did you feel when you found out you were one of our winners?

Well winning really is a cascade of emotions isn't it? It started with the 'I didn't hear this right so I'd better listen 7 or 8 more times' portion, followed by strangled, whooping scream that woke every breathing creature in my house. Proceeded shortly by the hysterical call to my mom, my mother-in-law, and the crazy lady 3 doors down. Then, there were the tears (blubbering really), some guilt (how can I win when there are SO many deserving competitors), a dose of chocolate (ok... two), and finally, an ecstatic, giddy acceptance.

Which of the six layouts you created for the contest is your favorite and why?

Well, that's just like asking me to tell you which of my kids I like best!! (depends on the day now doesn't it?!!) ;) I suppose..., if I HAVE to... my first one. I really experimented with it and had a lot of fun. And then all the incredible feedback from everyone just breathed life into me and carried me through the entire six weeks. What a ride!

Second Place
Contestant #: 16077I
Connie Prince aka conniep or digidiva
Location: Douglasville, GA

Why did you enter the Stand Up & Scrap Competition?

I entered Stand Up & Scrap because I thought it sounded fun and challenging, plus it was for a good cause. I had never entered any type of digi-scrapping contest before and I wanted to see if I could make it through 6 weeks of challenges without giving up.

How did you feel when you found out you were one of our winners?

When I heard my name in the broadcast it didn't register at first, I had to rewind a few times before I realized they really had said it. It was a very exciting surprise and I'm completely humbled to have even placed with all of the incredible talent that was involved in this competition.

Which of the six layouts you created for the contest is your favorite and why?

My favorite layout of the six is my week 6 layout. I knew what I wanted to convey with the layout and I spent about 4 days trying to figure out how to get my message across! I was driving when the concept hit me, so I had to pull over and jot down my thoughts right then and there. That one layout will serve as a reminder to me as to what this journey has meant to me personally.

Third Place
Contestant #: 16128I
Rebecca Wilken aka denali
Location: Granbury, TX

Why did you enter the Stand Up & Scrap Competition?

Who can resist a good challenge? Surely not I! *LOL* I love challenges because they provide both inspiration and direction at the same time. Truly, some of my very favorite pages have been prompted by challenges, and this one in particular. Leave me to my own devices and I'll just hoard product, but give me an assignment and I'll sprout wings! ;) The idea of supporting a charity like the Alliance for Climate Protection sealed the deal for me, and on top of that the kit was delicious. I couldn't be expected to turn all that down now could I?

How did you feel when you found out you were one of our winners?

I could say I felt shocked, euphoric, or maybe even giddy when I heard my number, but I think the most accurate word is 'giggly' *LOL* Throw disbelieving and unworthy into the mix and you'll have a pretty good idea of the state I'm in!

Which of the six layouts you created for the contest is your favorite and why?

My favorite out of the six pages is definitely "Regaining My Health" from the first week. Purely graphic, totally new to me, and a subject near & dear to my heart. It was also an entirely uncharacteristically fast scrap for me, I'm usually such a slow scrapper. I created that page from midnight to 3:00 AM, after my houseguests had gone to sleep. Methinks I should scrap in the wee hours more often... except that I tend to be a bit too revealing about the personal stuff when it gets to be that late! *LOL*

With that, all of us on the Stand Up and Scrap team are signing out! Thanks again for a wonderful experience over the past two months. It's been inspirational, motivational and just plain fun! Maybe we'll see you again in 2008 for a brand new challenge and charity. Until then make every day count!

As Promised...

2007-11-08T00:30:00.001-08:00

...here are the point totals for every contestant who scored points throughout the contest listed in a week by week format. Our teams of judges had their work cut out for them and the layouts they loved and scrappers who received points were well represented beyond the top 10's each week. Congratulations to each of you on all you were able to accomplish throughout the contest.

We'll see you this weekend as we bid farewell to SUAS 2007 by getting to know our winners a little better.

Congratulations!!

2007-11-05T21:55:00.001-08:00

So the big day is here and the final results show of the Stand Up & Scrap contest are now available at DiScTalkRadio!!

Listen Now

The finale show is a lot of fun to listen to with Michelle and Robin joining DeAnn and Shanah in the Dishin the Digi Coast 2 Coast studio and we are really proud of the outcome of this event. The top 20 layouts from Week Six will be posted at DSTR but if you want to know the grand prize winners of the contest you'll have to tune in and listen to the show!

We'll be posting a short featurette on our winners here on the blog later this week along with the points totals for all contestants as well so be sure to stop back in to check it out! If you want the scoop sooner than that, be sure to give the finale show a listen!

Now that the contest is officially at it's end, we invite and encourage you guys to post your contest layouts in your usual galleries so you can share your identities and gorgeous pages with the community! The stand up contestant galleries will be available at both the Sweet Shoppe and Little Dreamer for at least the next two weeks. However, after that, all anonymous usernames and galleries will be deleted to clean up our servers so be sure to get in there and take a closer look at them in their entirety before they are gone!

Finally, before we wrap this up, we just want to say thanks again for the inspiration and all the love and energy you've put into this contest. Whether you completed 1 week's layout or all six, every one of you made a difference and we've accomplished so much! Also a HUGE congrats to our grand prize winners, we are so proud of you and applaud your success.

That's a wrap!

2007-10-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

So the midnight deadline to get your week six layouts has come and gone now and we just wanted to congratulate the 237 incredible scrappers who submitted pages for this final challenge. A big thank you goes out to each and every one of you who participated in this event, whether it was completing 1 layout or 6, or even just purchasing the kit - you helped make a difference and for that we are grateful.

You can hear the week five results show NOW on DiScTalkRadio and be sure to tune in next week for a very special finale show where Michelle Coleman & Robin Carlton will join DeAnn and Shanah in the Dishin the Digi: Coast 2 Coast studio to discuss our week six top 20 and reveal the identities of our grand prize winners.

We hope each of you feels a sense of accomplishment and pride for being a part of Stand Up & Scrap. Best of luck to each of you as our final group of judges pick their favorite pages.

Meet the Week Six Judges

2007-10-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

So it's about time that we introduce our final group of judges in the Stand Up contest. We've been watching the gallery this week and more than ever these judges have their work cut out for them as the entries this week are all so incredibly meaningful, beautiful and different. Each of you has done a brilliant job and we want to thank you so much for pouring your hearts into this week's finale! Let's meet our judges...

This week's celebrity guest judge is none other than Shannon Bieger who is known by just about everyone in the digital community. Shannon has been digital scrapping since early fall 2005, and together with her husband Erick, founded DigiShopTalk.com in June 2006. They work together on the site with their 2 little girls, McKenna and Kyla playing underfoot and anxiously await the arrival of their third daughter, Katie who is due in January. Shannon feels very fortunate to be in a position to positively influence the digital scrap industry and does not take the responsibility lightly. Being able to work from home and own a business that is centered around a hobby she is passionate about and a community that she loves is a dream come true and she hopes it will continue for a long time. When she forces herself to take free time, she enjoys scrapping, crafting, cooking, shopping, family outings to Disneyland and she is always in the middle of at least one good book. When Shannon isn't busy running her site or raising her children, she scraps a little & see her gallery at DST.

One of the longest standing members of the Sweet Shoppe staff, Sue Setiadji has been a SugarBabe from day one. Sue lives on the bushland outskirts of Sydney, Australia with her husband of 8 years and her 2 daughters Natalie and Jaslyn. After leaving school Sue pursued a long term career in Information Technology that ended with the arrival of her first daughter. Happily giving up her career to raise her family she spends much of her time involved in her children's schooling and sporting endeavours and returned to the workforce recently as a Child Care worker at a local preschool. Sue was first introduced to paper scrapbooking through her local craft group where she both participated in classes and ran beading workshops. She has always enjoyed a wide range of crafts including sewing, beading, knitting, and crosstitching. While delving into the world of paper scrapping she utilized the digital community to help provide inspiration. She decided to create her first digital layout in July 2005 thoroughly enjoying the process of creating without mess. She now spends most of her free time either capturing her families memories on film or documenting them through this digital art form. See more of Sue's amazing layouts in her gallery at SSD.

Dagmar Newman may be short on words, but gushes when it comes to having talent! She is a stay at home mommy to a 5 1/2 year old princess. She is wife to a Computer Geek (join the club - lol!) Dagmar loves cats - she has four! Originally from Germany, she now lives in sunny California. Dagmar stared digital scrapping about a year ago and is a proud member of the Little Dreamer team. It's so hard to believe someone this great has only been doing this for one year! She did paper scrap before and holds onto her stash as she's just not quite ready to let it go. When Dagmar is not scrapping, she loves to cook, eat, read and watch movies. You can see Dagmar's incredible gallery at LDD.

Joining us from DiScTalkRadio this week is Pattie Knox. Pattie lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband Tom, where they raised two beautiful children, David and Tiffany. By day, Pattie is a Technology Specialist, assigned to two elementary schools and LOVES what she does! When asked why, Pattie simply says, "I get to work with two of my great loves, kids and computers each day, and no two days are the same." When asked about her journey to digital scrapbooking, "I dabbled in paper scrapping for a few years but found that I seemed be more adept at buying things than actually using them to create layouts! When I discovered that I could combine my love for all things Photoshop and scrapping it all came together and I�ve been obsessed with digital scrapping for 3 years now. No more glue in my hair or ink smudged finger prints in the middle of my layouts I love that undo key!" Pattie is not only a great scrapper, but is also a dynamite designer herself. You can find her products at Designer Digitals. She also serves on the Creative Board for Simple Scrapbooks Digital Scrapbooking Magazine and hosts the monthly show, Hullabaloo on DSTR.

Our next judge is one incredible person, Amy Tanabe! When Amy was in high school she started keeping titles and pictures from magazines to paste around photos of her friends and family. Collecting memories has always been something that excites Amy and provides her with huge amounts of Joy! She continued on with her little hobby throughout college but really started getting serious when she was pregnant with her daughter in 1996. Amy was lucky enough to start digital scrapbooking 3 years ago. She loves that she doesn't have a mess to clean up later and the fact that she doesn't have to drag out a whole bunch of supplies. Am believes she's been blessed with some great opportunities in digital scrapbooking like being published in Creating Keepsakes, Legacy magazine, Simple Scrapbooks Digital 3, being a featured artist in Simple Scrapbooks Digital 4 as well as sitting on the Creative Board for Simple Scrapbooks Digital Scrapbooking Magazine. Amy simply loves the creative process and the satisfaction at the end of a project. On a more personal note, Amy lives in rural Colorado on a working farm/ranch with her husband Kevin and their children Abbie and Trenton. By day she is works in the health care business as a Director of Operations for and Assisted Living company. In Amy's own words, "I live a very busy and hectic lifestyle enjoying my family and my career. Life is Good!" To see more of Amy's incredible pages, stop by her Dream Girl gallery at LDD.

One of the incredible designers making her debut at Sweet Shoppe Designs on Saturday, November 3rd, Traci Reed is an amazing scrapbooker too! Traci and her family live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in sunny California! She's been married to her wonderful husband Patrick since 2004 and has two sons Karsten, who is 3.5 and Josiah who is nearly 2. Traci's boys love of all things with wheels; cars, trains, bicycles and motorcycles keep her busy all day! Her boys bring constant joy and laughter to her and her husband's lives and they give her so much pride. Traci has been scrapbooking ever since she was a little girl, when her mom took her to her first stamping party. She was hooked back then and she's still hooked now. She has to admit, she never felt like she was very good at paper scrapping, and thinks that she has really found her style in digiscrapping. When asked about her feelings towards digital, "I've always had a knack for design and computers, so the leap into digital scrapbook design was more of a shuffle for me." Traci has been designing products since January of 2005. Traci honestly can say that she's found her true calling and is blessed that designing allows her to stay at home with her kiddos. In her own words, "Yes, the they drive me nuts, but boy is that a blessing! LOL"

We hope you enjoyed meeting this week's judges! Don't forget that your week 5 results show airs tomorrow at DiScTalkRadio. We'll see you then!

Stand Up: Final Challenge

2007-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

WOW - so this is it! We can hardly believe that our last challenge is already here and I think all of you are right there with us when we say it's a bit bittersweet! How exciting to have come so far and done so much, but at the same time, it's a bit sad that it's almost time to put this contest in the history books. Each of you has scrapped your hearts out for the duration of this event and this final challenge may just be the toughest one yet, but the possibilities are endless. Let's get right to it...

Challenge #6: What Will You Do Next?

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

You've spent several weeks thinking about the world around you, your dreams, loves and motivations. You've invoked powerful emotions through photography, the use of color and design. You've looked outside your typical places to find inspiration. You've done an amazing job. Now, we want you to tell us - "What are you going to do next? What are you going to do to make this world a better place?"

The design requirement this week - Scrap your heart out. Sky's the limit. It's all yours to design, so go for it! We want to see the best darn layout you can possibly scrap that will be your inspiration to make change happen. Hopefully, you'll return to this layout again and again in the future as a reminder of your promise to make this world a better place.

Your final layouts must be posted in the following galleries at Sweet Shoppe Designs no later than midnight PST on Tuesday, October 30th.

Week #6 Intermediate Gallery
Week #6 Advanced Gallery

Next Wednesday, our final group of judges will submit their votes and the scores will be tallied. The top 10 layouts from both the intermediate and advanced groups for the final week will shared and the 6 Grand Prize winners identities will be revealed in a special results show which will air on Tuesday, November 6th. Good luck to each and every one of you as you bring this "sky's the limit" finale of a challenge to life!

Week 4 Results Show!

2007-10-23T15:02:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Just wanted to give you a heads up that the Week 4 Results show is live at Disc Talk Radio. As we mentioned yesterday, the layouts are stunning so be sure to tune in and take a listen to what our judges had to say about why they love these pages.

Listen NOW

See you tonight at midnight as we reveal the final challenge of Stand Up & Scrap!

Meet the Week 5 Judges!

2007-10-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

Wow! Can you guys believe we're on challenge #5?? That means there's just one to go and all of you who have hung in there through the entire event should be so proud! We have an awesome set of judges this week who will be evaluating the gorgeous layouts featuring your favorite and most impressive photographs so let's get right to the introductions...

No stranger to stunning photography, this week's celebrity guest judge is none other than the amazing Jenn Olson. Jenn, who you may know as ScrapRascal, had been a frustrated paper scrapper for sometime before discovering digital. Once taking the leap into digital, she toyed with throwing out all of her paper supplies, but eventually discovered the combining the two was the perfect balance. As a winner of the Creative Keepsakes Hall of Fame, 2006, Jenn has enjoyed seeing her work published in CK and other publications. When not scrapbooking, or taking photos, Jenn spends her time with her family of one husband, three children and three dogs. On any given day you might find her knitting, reading or figuring out ways to sneak her latest purchases past her husband! Learn more of Jenn by logging on to her blog.

One of the incredibly talented Dream Girls at Little Dreamer, Lisa Warren (aka georgiagogo) has a gorgeous gallery full of beautiful layouts and stunning photographs. Lisa has been married to her husband, Brent, for 9 years and has 2 little ones, Ella (5) and Ben (3). She is a self admitted scrapaholic for sure. She'd like to say she scraps "to preserve my family's memories", and though that IS true, Lisa admits for scraping for selfish reasons as well. When asked to explain, Lisa says, "Scrapping is my creative outlet, MY creative expression and interpretation of my life and the lives of my family and friends. I admit, I do it because I love my family and I also do it as my guilty pleasure!" Lisa has been a paper scrapper for the past 10 years and started digi-scrapping just over a year ago. Other things Lisa likes are spending LOTS of time with family and friends, going on holidays, Starbucks caramel frappaccinos, playing cards, 80's music and of course, Target. You can visit Lisa's amazing gallery at LDD.

Laura Deacetis is one of the Sweet Shoppe's sweetest designers with a gorgeous shabby style her fans adore. Laura lives in a small town in the S.W. burbs of Illinois with her sweet hubby Mark and their two sweet boys Nicky and Morgan. She is blessed to be able to have her dream job, being a SAHM, which is the only thing she has ever really wanted to do in this world. She stumbled into digi scrapbooking in October 2005 and quickly became addicted. Several months later she began designing and has been with the Sweet Shoppe since the summer of 2006. When she isnt scrapping, designing, or taking care of her little guys, her hubby and the house, she enjoys cooking, hanging out with friends and family, shopping and snuggling up with Mark to watch their fave shows. Laura is totally obsessed with themes, from her kitchen dishes pattern, to the "Snuggle Bugs" nursery, to her pink shabby chic Christmas decor and the fun parties she throws - everything has to be perfectly themed, so you'll see that alot in her kits! See more of Laura's wonderful designs at the Sweet Shoppe.

You may know Amy as her user name, Alb52, or as one of the Owners and Designer at the Lily-Pad, but no matter 'how' you know Amy, we all know she's great! Amy has been digital scrapbooking since 2004. Her work has been published in various scrapbooking magazines and was recently awarded an Honorable Mention in the 2007 Creating Keepsakes - Hall of Fame Contest as well as a Runner Up in 2008 Memory Maker's Masters Contest. When asked about her style, Amy response, "My style is constantly changing as I am attempting to always improve while enjoying preserving family memories. I love lots of open space on layouts and the challenge of keeping layouts balanced." When not scrapbooking, Amy enjoys time with her husband & three children. She also enjoys swimming, running, and reading. See more of Amy's incredible work in her gallery at LDD and check out her designs at The Lily Pad.

One of the Sweet Shoppe's fabulous SugarBabes, Jennifer Jorgenson is an exceptional screapper who has been preserving her memories for years. Jennifer is a native of Utah growing up by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. This is where she met her husband of 11 years. Together they have 3 children (Cade - age 8, Brinley - age 4, and Ava - age 2) who are the main subjects and sources of inspiration for her layouts. Jennifer and her family now reside in Arizona and have called it home since 2000. Before moving to Arizona, Jennifer worked as a Technical Writer for a software company where she wrote online help programs and support manuals. She is now busy being a SAHM and loving every minute of it (well, almost every minute). Jennifer paper scrapped for 8 years before discovering digital scrapbooking in 2005. She spent several months learning how to use Photoshop and has never looked back. She is convinced she will never touch paper again. Jennifer loves the home she has found in the digital scrapbooking community and is inspired by the amazing talent of designers and scrappers. Visit Jennifer's, aka jorgies5, fabulous gallery at SSD.

Meet our last judge, the amazingly talented Angie Wagner, known in the scrapping world as Wags. Angie lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her husband of 19 years, and their two beautiful children, a 16 year old daughter, and a 4 month old son. Angie was a paper scrapper for 9 years before discovering digital 3 years ago. And as we hear so often, she hasn't paper scrapped since! When asked about how she feels about digital scrapbooking, Angie replies with a smile, " I'm so thrilled to preserve our family memories digitally, and I've made lifelong friendships with people all over the world thanks to my involvement in our digital community." Not only is Angie juggling life with a teenager and a baby, she is busy creating incredible layouts for Designer Digitals, and Gina Miller, but she is the Producer of DiScTalkRadio's weekly show, Dishin' the Digi - Coast 2 Coast. See more of Angie's talents in her gallery.

As always, you've made these ladies jobs a tough one! Dont forget to tune in to the Dishin' The Digi - Coast 2 Coast show at DiSc Talk Radio tomorrow for the results of week 4. The top 10's are stunning from the monochromatic challenge, so don't miss em!

Stand Up: Challenge #5

2007-10-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Week 4 is in the history books and what a gorgeous week it was for all of you. We have loved this week's entries and many of them truly expressed emotion through color and we are sure our fabulous judges are going to be impressed and overwhelmed with the job in front of them. To each of you who are hangin in there, Congratulations! You should all be so proud of yourselves for sticking with the competition and completing 4 unique and meaningful layouts for these challenges.

This week's challenge will take you in another direction all together and we can't wait to see the results, so let's get right to it...

Challenge #5: A picture says 1000 words

Inspirational Focus:

"A true photograph need not to be explained, nor can it be contained in words." - Ansel Adams

Many times a photograph says everything without a single word. It can capture a moment in time perfectly, express an emotion that will bring a tear to your eye, or bring a distant memory back to life as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. Oftentimes, photos express what our words cannot and this week we want you to prove it!

Design Focus:

Clean & Graphic Pages - This week, we challenge you to capture a photograph that simply speaks for itself and then create a clean and graphic page which lets your photograph do all the talking. A small date or caption is acceptable but otherwise your page should have NO major journaling and NO substantial titlework. Additionally, NO stock photography may be used this week - your photo must be one you took personally.

So, what are we looking for this week specifically? Use of negative space, clean lines, very few embellishments. Think minimalistic. We want the focus to be on your amazing photos! Remember less is more.

Challenge #5 Layouts must be posted in the following galleries at Little Dreamer Designs no later than midnight PST on Tuesday, October 23rd.

Week #5 Intermediate Gallery
Week #5 Advanced Gallery

The final challenge of the Stand Up Contest will be posted Wednesday, October 24th. We can't wait to see your best photography start filling the gallery. Good Luck!

Week 3 Results Show

2007-10-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!!

Just wanted to let you know that the Week 3 results show is up at Disc Talk Radio!

Listen NOW

The early buzz on the show and this week's Top 10s has been great! It looks like a lot of fan favorites made the cut. Congratulations to everyone for 4 weeks of incredible galleries.

See you tonight at midnight with a brand new challenge. Good Luck!!

Meet the Week 4 Judges!

2007-10-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey all you Stand Up scrappers! It's time to meet the fantastic set of judges who will be evaluating this week's color challenge. As usual you guys are crankin out the amazing layouts for this week's challenge and these ladies are going to have their work cut out for them when they go to pick their favorites. We have an awesome line-up for you this week, so let's get to know them a bit better...

This week's celebrity guest judge is none other than the incredibly talented CD Muckosky! Who doesn't LOVE this girl?! We sure do!!! She is every bit as sweet as she is talented. Proving this by becoming Creating Keepsakes' Scrapbooker of the Year, 2006. CD describes herself as a simple girl who is completely satisfied with a cozy night in. Especially if that includes ice cream, a goofy game and a cup of hot chocolate with friends! She married her high school sweetheart and very best friend, Cam, who is amazing on so many levels. They have been blessed with three incredible little girls who make them laugh and teach them new things everyday! She tells us that those four are all of her biggest dreams come true and remembers being a little girl and when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up she always said "I want to be an artist, and a mommy and a good wife". CD feels that what she has right here is all that she could ever need and everything else from here is just icing on the cake. She also feels truly blessed and totally grateful! Keep in touch w/all that CD is doing by reading her blog and look for her to stop by DiScTalkRadio in December to catch up our listeners on the year that she's had.

A former SugarBabe turned designer and Dream Girl, Amy Hutchinson is overflowing with talent! Amy is a Southern girl who longs for the sun and sand of her Florida birthplace. She currently lives in Memphis, TN (the music capital of the world!) with her husband of 10 years, 3 beautiful girls (ages 7, 9, and 13), and a rambunctious 2-year old son. Although she graduated college with a 4.0 in Biology, Amy has given up goals of graduate school in lieu of motherhood. She couldn't be happier with her choice, and continues to be awed by the challenges it presents on a daily basis. She discovered digital scrapbooking on accident when searching for a way to share family photos online. Although she had done a small amount of paper scrapping before, she never really got into it. Digital provided the perfect outlet for her creativity, without the mess! Amy is completely hooked now and views each of her pages as a work of art. Not only something beautiful to look at, scrapping allows her to share her photos, memories, and legacy with the world. Recently, Amy took the plunge in the world of design - and boy did she make a big splash! You can see Amy's wonderful products at her own site, Amy Hutchinson Designs and her amazing layouts at Little Dreamer.

Another judge representing the South this week! Angela Spangler was born in Memphis, TN, and has lived in the deep South most of her life. In August 1998, she was transplanted to Michigan to marry her military sweetheart, Andrew. She was in the National Guard, and he in the Reserves. They've known each other for over eleven years, and have been married for seven. They have two daughters, Cora, who's six, and Sarah, who just turned 5. Her girls are her main scrappin' subjects. Angela is pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, along with running a photography business. She loves both passionately! Speaking of passion, Angela started paper scrapbooking in Sept 2000. After a few years of picking photo splits off the floor, she decided to try digital in December 2005. It's all about the pixels for her now! She loves the creativity and endless possibilities. She's also been published several times and was given an honorable mention in Creating Keepsakes 2007 Hall of Fame. When she's not scrappin', you'll find her reading or hanging out at the Archery Club shooting her Olympic Style Recurve Bow. Need more Angela? Check out her gallery at Sweet Shoppe Designs and her blog.

When asking Tracie about her favorite things, on the top of her list is her love of photography (and family, of course!) She has loved photography at some level her entire life. In 2003, she finally decided to start taking her love seriously, and it was through that love of photography that she discovered digital scrapbooking. Tracie had always loved the thought of paper scrapping, but for some reason, had never taken the plunge. Digital scrapbooking was an instant obsession. When she's not scrapping, she's homeschooling her two children at her home in Chicago, which they recently returned to after nearly 5 years in Texas. Homeschooling opens the door to all kinds of fun photo opportunities which then show up in her scrapbook pages. Tracie and her husband love to travel so they try and go on lots of family trips (which also gives her more to scrap about - lol!). Tracie was also honored this year as one of CK's 2007 Hall of Fame Honorable Mentions & a 2008 Memory Makers Master. She recently became the new host of DiScTalkRadio's Inside the Scrapper's Playhouse. Stay up to date with all of Tracie's on-goings by following her blog.

Let's meet Alissa Jones! Alissa, also known as tsajones in the galleries, lives just outside Portland, Oregon with her husband and two daughters. Along with her family, she enjoys spending time together in their backyard playing on the swing set, hunting ladybugs in the fairy garden or enjoying a warm fire on the patio while dinner cooks on the grill. (sounds nice, doesn't it!) Alissa began paper scrapbooking in 2002 but never really accomplished too much and her pages were, as she says, "very average." (Which is hard to believe, isn't it!?!) She didn't really discover what scrapbooking could be until she was introduced to digital scrapbooking March of 2006. Alissa says, "I feel that digital scrapbooking really brings the creative side out of me because I have the freedom (without the additional cost) to make a mistake and then try again. And of course, some of the best results actually happen when you do make a mistake! For me, digital scrapbooking is more than a hobby; it is truly something I am passionate about." If you're looking to be inspired, check out her Alissa's gallery at Little Dreamer.

Ah, another judges with Southern roots - but this time, Southern California! Julie Billingsley is a Southern California girl that left the sunshine to move to the greener (and wetter) Pacific Northwest. After living in Washington for her teen years, she moved to Oregon where she ended up finding the love of her life in the single's group of her church. Now Julie and her fabulous husband Tom are happily raising their family in a suburb of Portland, Oregon. She is a mom to two boys, Jacob and Logan (ages 15 and 4) that absolutely fill her life with joy, laughter, and craziness. She worked many years in medical billing administration, but currently Julie is primarily a stay at home mom with aspirations of going back to college. Julie started digital scrapbooking in the spring of 2006 and immediately fell in love with the creative process. She says she loves scrapping because it freezes a moment in time for her boys but secretly the real reason she loves to scrap is that it allows her to play with flowers and bows and lace, which she normally wouldn't get to do since she only has boys. Visit Julie's gallery at SSD, it's chocked full of inspiration and fun!

With that, we'll wish this week's judges the best of luck in choosing their favorites from this week's entries and dont forget, your pages will be due in the Sweet Shoppe Gallery no later than midnight tomorrow nite! See you then with a brand new challenge for week 5!

Stand Up: Challenge #4

2007-10-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

So midnight is here and that means the deadline to get your entries for week 3 posted at Little Dreamer Designs is officially history! This past week's challenge has been one of our favorites to look through at this point as we love all of the creative uses for fonts and alphas we've seen in the gallery. Congratulations to all of you, we can't imagine what a difficult job the judges will have evaluating this week's entries - so kudos to you!

The results for week 3 will be posted at Disc Talk Radio next Tuesday, October 16th so while we wait for them, let's get you started on a brand new challenge...

Challenge #4: Color = Power

Inspirational Focus:

" I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldnt say any other way - things I had no words for." - Georgia O'Keeffe

What color do you see when you think of your best friend? How about a new baby? What color would you use to describe your favorite food? How about your most romantic, or even horrible, moment? Color has the ability to portray emotion and the feelings you express through color can be just as powerful as your photos or journaling. This week we challenge you to use COLOR to create a layout which expresses emotion and captures a memory you want us to FEEL.

Design Focus:

Monochromatic Color Schemes - this week, bring your emotions to life using a monochromatic color scheme which accurately expresses the feelings behind the memory you are trying to share. A SINGLE color family (ie pinks, greens, etc) in addition to the allowable use of black, white and neutrals (kraft paper, etc) are what the judges will be looking for in this week's design focus. You are free to use photos and journaling to back up your memory but your use of color to convey emotion should be especially clear in your finished product.

Challenge #4 Layouts must be posted in the following galleries at Sweet Shoppe Designs no later than midnight PST on Tuesday, October 16th.

Week #4 Intermediate Gallery
Week #4 Advanced Gallery

Challenge #5 will be posted Wednesday, October 17th. We can't wait to see these colorful layouts start filling the gallery. Good Luck!

Week 2 Results & Meet the Week 3 Judges!

2007-10-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!!

We are super excited to announce that week two's results show is up at Disc Talk Radio so take a listen! Congrats to the top 10's in both levels and the 30 other intermediate and 28 advanced scrappers who received points last week! The contestant gallery was gorgeous and each of you should be proud. Remember tonight at midnight is the deadline to have your week 3 layouts uploaded to the gallery at Little Dreamer Designs. The layouts we've seen this week are incredible, so keep em coming and good luck!!

Now it's time to introduce you to the ladies who have the incredibly difficult task of judging your layouts for week 3!

This week's celebrity guest judge is none other than the fabulous Andrea Mooney, founding editor of Digital Artist Magazine. Andrea resides in Illinois with her two beautiful children, supportive husband and hairy dog. She discovered digital scrapbooking in February of 2006 and like many of us, was completely hooked. She remembers scrapping until 3am those first couple of months! All of her other hobbies quickly took back seat. Soon after, Digital Artist Magazine was born and she hasn't looked back since! Digital Artist Magazine is a magazine dedicated to the art of digital scrapbooking. Each month they release an issue filled with amazing layouts from their contributing artists and articles to help you take your digital scrapbooking to the next level. Digital Artist Magazine strives to represent a wide variety of styles to suit every scrapbooker. Listen to Andrea talk all about Digital Artist Magazine on DiScTalkRadio.

One of the amazing and talented designers at Little Dreamer, Leora Sanford is an inspiring force in the community. As far back as she can remember, she has been putting to use her interest in creating. When she was a senior in high school, she was chosen to design a brochure for a job program that was being implemented into her school. Using nothing but clipart and Corel, Leora managed to create the likes of one that was good enough to pass out at a local job fair. That one job sparked an interest in designing and when she entered college, she found herself at a fork in the road - she could pursue this newly developed interest or stick the plan of becoming an elementary school teacher. Leora chose to be a teacher - at the time it was more practical, though she never did give up on using her creative abilities. When she took up scrapbooking in 2001, Leora saw it as a creative outlet while being able to document the memories of her family. When the digital era really began to emerge, it was a natural transition for her to go with. Leora taught herself how to use Photoshop and it wasn't long before she wanted to try her hand at designing. In Leora's own words, "I still have so much more to learn but I'm enjoying the process every day." And with all that talent, we're sure glad she shares with all of us. To see more of Leora's work, click here.

One of the fabulous SugarBabes at Sweet Shoppe Designs, Libby Weifenbach (that's WIFE-n-bock) knows a thing or two about typography as her layouts always stand out for her creative use of fonts and alphabets. Libby lives live in Arkansas with her husband Marti and their 2 children Taylor and Kendra. She was a paper scrapper for 8 years before turning to digital in July 2006. As a paper scrapper, she created layouts for manufacturers such as QuicKutz and Arctic Frog. Libby has been published many times in various magazines. One of her prized positions was her spot on the 2006 PaperKuts Power Team. Libby found digital scrapping after returning to work as an orthodontic assistant. She needed to find a creative release that would fit with her new lifestyle and not take too much time away from her family. Her goal with digital scrapping is to make her layouts look as much like paper as possible. Libby was very comfortable with the bold graphic look of her paper style, and she feels that she's been able to translate that easily into digital. Still, she loves the freedom that comes with digital that she never had with paper. Libby has been a Sweet Shoppe Sugarbabe for just 3 months now, and she couldn't be happier! In addition, she is also a creative team member for Robin Carlton, Dani Mogstad, and ChereKaye. You can take a look at Libby's fantastic gallery here.

In true Terra fashion, when asked for her bio, this is how it begins..."I enjoy long walks on the beach and love lamps...oh wait - wrong profile!" Seriously, Terra has been an addicted digi-scrapper since October of 2005 when she FINALLY got a digital camera and began looking for a way to use all those digital photos! She was instantly hooked from her very first Shabby Princess download and the rest is history! (oh, how many of us can relate!) Terra has been an avid paper scrapper since 1999, and still does like to combine her love of both digital and paper into creating hybrid projects and even a few hybrid albums for her three precious girls, ages 5, 3, and 3 months. When Terra is not scrapping you can find her gathering SENSATIONAL sites for her DiScTalkRadio show with Kristin Tilley - "Site Sensational", or working on the final edit of the DST Insider Newsletter. And when she gets REALLY bored, she occasionally tries out some housework or cooking for her family. Terra's life goal is to be an award winning actress and to bring about world peace. But most days she would just settle for a few hours to scrap, kids that aren't fighting, and a nice cold Coke in her hand. Terra is honored to be able to be a SUAS judge and part of this awesome community of inspiring scrappers! Hear more from Terra, turn in on the 14th of each month to DiScTalkRadio's Site Sensational show - it's a real treat!

One of our incredible judges from Little Dreamer, Crissy, started paper scrapping in 1998 and never really felt like her pages measured up to what she wanted them to be. In September 2005 she accidently discovered digital scrapbooking when looking for something and it was the best thing that ever happened in her scrapbooking hobby!! Crissy really feels that she can now give the feeling in her pages that she has always wanted. She loves the endless possibilities to help get her creativity going. Crissy has enjoyed it from day one and has made so many good friendships over the past two years. She also enjoys using her DSLR every chance she gets so she has an excuse to scrap. Digital scrapping has also given Crissy a chance to spend more time with her kids and documenting the important as well as the fun times in their lives. When asked how she feels about digital scrapbooking, "I am completely hooked!!" And we're hooked on Crissy. See her amazing gallery here.

Another one of the Sweet Shoppe's incredible SugarBabes, Darla Vasquez is a full-time working mother with two daughters, Amy and Hayley, who are the inspiration for many of her layouts. In between the long commutes to work (a fact of life in California) and running to school activities, girl scouts and games, Darla manages to scrap as many pages as she can while also doing special projects for the designers she works for. She is affectionately known as "Super Darla" to many of her friends and designers because of her ability to juggle everything with a smile! Darla started paper scrapping seven years ago after picking up a copy of Creating Keepsakes and falling in love with the designs she saw. Already a computer lover Darla often created her journaling and titles in Microsoft Word and then printed them for her layouts. One day while looking for a way to create something special for some Girl Scout scrapbooks she was making with a friend, she found an all digital magazine that had inspiring layout ideas along with website addresses! Slowly she started browsing these sites, downloading kits and asking lots of questions about this new art. On a lark, her family encouraged her to try out for a new digital scrappers contest and after winning it - she was hooked on digital scrapbooking! It has been a little over a year now and Darla has accomplished more than she ever thought she would and yet is quite humbled by it all - understanding that her main focus in life is to create both the memories and the pages that reflect the daily lives of the Vasquez family! Want some amazing inspiration, stop by Darla's gallery.

Thanks for getting to know this week's judges a little better, we'll be back tonight with your challenge for week #4. Good Luck!

Stand Up: Challenge #3

2007-10-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Two down, Four to go! As of this posting, there 360 GORGEOUS layouts ready and waiting to be judged in the week two gallery at Sweet Shoppe Designs. We've absolultely loved this challenge and can't wait to see what our judges decide this week. There have been so many interesting and unique ways to use patterned papers in this week's challenge and anyone browsing the gallery is sure to find tons of inspiration. We hope all of you are enjoying the first results show on Disc Talk Radio and we can't wait to put together the results show for challenge two.

While all of you are on pins and needles waiting for it, let's get you started with a brand new challenge for Week #3. Remember, you need to combine both the inspirational focus and the design focus of the challenge into one outstanding and memorable page using products from Sweet Shoppe Designs, Little Dreamer Designs or any of our contest sponsors exclusively. Here is your challenge for week #3...

Challenge #3: Let the Music Move You

Inspirational Focus:

"Where words fail, music speaks" - Hans Christian Andersen

Music - ah, the sweet notes, the poignant lyrics, the melodies. There are times when a song or lyric captures exactly what we have on our minds. It can be the soundtrack that plays consistently through our lives. It can give us comfort when we are lonely, respite when we are tired. Music can convey so many feeling and thoughts. Music and lyrics can transport you back in time and invoke memories. Lyrics can also be a magical inspiration for creating amazingly powerful layouts. Our challenge to you is to let music be your muse - Use a lyric of a song to create a layout that is meaningful to you and the people you love.

Design Focus:

Typography - The font work a scrapbooker uses can take a layout from good to amazing in a variety of ways. It can be superb eyecatching titlework that draws a viewer in or fantastic, graphic journaling or captions that take a layout over the top. It can be clean and easy to read, grungy and reminiscent of the mood of a page, handwritten as if the artist herself took the time to journal directly on the page and so much more. This week, use typography to add interest and mood to the lyrical focus of your page.

Challenge #3 Layouts must be posted in the following galleries at Little Dreamer Designs no later than midnight PST on Tuesday, October 9th.

Week #3 Intermediate Gallery
Week #3 Advanced Gallery

Challenge #4 will be posted Wednesday, October 10th. We can't wait to see what you do with this week's challenge! Good Luck!

The Week One Results Show...

2007-10-01T23:21:00.000-07:00

...has been posted at Disc Talk Radio.

Listen Now

Remember, you will have be to registered to listen to the show, but it's free and easy, so take a minute to sign up so you can hear all of the results, judges comments and lots more.

For your information, a final week by week point total for every user will be posted after the finale show airs on November 6th so that each of you know how you ultimately scored throughout the contest. For now though, we want you to focus on creating your best layouts ever in an effort to enjoy, learn and grow as digital scrappers.

Finally, as a reminder, there are just about 24 hours left to post your week two layouts in the intermediate and advanced galleries at Sweet Shoppe Designs. Good Luck and Congratulations to this week's top 10 layouts in both categories.

Meet The Week Two Judges

2007-09-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

It's time to meet this week's group of amazing and talented judges. Last week's team had their work cut out for them and all of us know that it won't be any different this week. The work shown so far in the Stand Up Gallery for Week 2 is incredible and all of you should be applauded for making this so incredibly hard to judge! Introducing...

This week's celebrity guest judge is the fabulously talented Janet Phillips. We are thrilled that Janet was able to join us as a judge for Week 2. She has just returned from Memory Trends 2007, where she was celebrated as one of 10 finalists in this year's Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year contest. What a well deserved honor to a great scrapper. Janet is a wonderful representative of what is special about our community. As for her style, clean lines, strong design, heart-felt journaling, and a touch of fun is the best way to describe it. After more than two years scrapping digitally she is forging a path trying to encourage others to scrap their life, their way. Her passion is to help others scrap -- easier, faster, better, more genuinely. With her daily blog posts, her template business at Scrapbook Graphics, and her creative team work with some of the top teams in the community, she strives to put herself fully into her art and to let others come in and take a peek at who she is. "If I can show someone that their life is beautiful and worth recording, then I am happy" she says. Janet is wife to husband Jason and mother to three preschoolers - Alaina (4), Caleb (3), and Levi (1) and one more on the way. They live in Orlando, Florida where Jason and Janet serve as house parents to ten boys in a residential facility. Want a real treat, listen to Janet's interview on DSTR, you'll be truly inspired.

One of the Dream Girls at Little Dreamer Designs, Tiffany Tillman is a brilliant digital artist. Tiffany fell in love with patterned paper in May of 2005 when she casually peeked into a scrapbooking store one year after her daughter was born. A regular Friday crop-night with friends turned into a passion once she discovered digital scrapbooking and how to mix digital techniques with paper products. Her colorful and playful designs always feature her fervor for storytelling. Tiffany won the Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame contest in 2006 and was a finalist for 2006 Creating Keepsakes Scrapbooker of the Year. She contributes regularly to Simple Scrapbooks Digital Magazine, designs for ScrapNFonts, Little Dreamer Designs and writes hybrid tutorials for Tarisota Collections based in Australia. Read more about Tiffany by checking out her blog, SimplyTiffany, where you'll find links to all her wonderful work and activities.

A founding designer at Sweet Shoppe Designs, Amanda Slagle, known to the community as MandaBean is not only a trendsetting designer, she's a brilliant scrapbooker too. She resides in Northeast Georgia with her adorable husband Jules. Although Manda has no children of her own, she absolutely adores her nieces and nephews. Aside from digital scrapbooking, Manda loves completing 1000 piece puzzles and preserving them, cooking up southern cuisine and shopping at some of her favorite places like Hobby Lobby and Marshall's. Manda is insanely fond of tacos and goats..something that her friends never quite understood, but it's good for a laugh. Her favorite sweet treat is a nice thick slab of NY style cheesecake with caramel or strawberry topping. She collects 80's memorabilia and is especially fond of her Miss Piggy collection. Manda currently designs products for Paper Salon and is also a proud member of the Scrap Gypsies team.

Joining us this week from the Disc Talk Radio team is one of the producers behind the scenes, Bree Clarkson. Bree started scrapping back in highschool, when she realized that she wanted to document what was important in her life and things that she had done. It was never a serious hobby, though, until Bree had her first baby, Mason, in November 2002. Once her second baby (Natalie) came along in April 2004, little fingers were into everything, and she became reluctant to pull out all her paper supplies from their hiding spots. Still wanting to do SOMETHING, friends convinced her to try drawing sketches. Bree got the hang of it quickly and started uploading them to her favorite galleries, and soon after realizing the success of it, launched Scrap-Maps.com. Learning to do sketches digitally opened the door for digital scrapbooking when it was introduced to her in June 2004. 11 months later, in May 2005, she decided to take a shot at designing. September 2006, Bree launched a new line of sketches and layered templates, which are appropriately named Launch Pads, and has expanded from just layouts to printables and hybrid classes! When Bree is not busy creating amazing templates and other wonderful goodies, she finds herself holding down the job as Producer of Inside The Scrapper's Playhouse and Admin. Assistant at DiScTalkRadio. You can check out Bree's Launch Pads in her Studio at Scrapbook Graphics.

Another of the dreamily delightful Dream Girls at LDD, Tana Coleman has been an accomplished member of the community for a long time. Tana has been a digital scrapper for two years, thanks to the introduction and beginning lessons from a good friend, Michelle Coleman! It completely captivated her and she often finds herself thinking about this crazy hobby every day. Tana also loves to play board games, baseball, garden, read a good book and volunteer in her children's classes at school. She is also known as an adrenaline junkie to her family and close friends. Her motto - "I will try anything once!" Tana is an amazing scrapper and we'd love to invite you to check out her gallery for some real inspiration.

Finally, we are so excited to introduce you to one of the sweetest SugarBabes of the lot, Aggie Aviso. Aggie is a non-practicing registered medical technologist and licensed nurse currently living in Manila, Philippines. She is a happy and loving wife to a man she has been with since she was 15 and a doting mother to two adorable kids, Matthew and Martha. She was lured into digital scrapbooking in December 2005 and has not stopped preserving memories since then. She loves the ease of scrapping without the mess and the wonderful community the digital world has. She is now involved with an online Filipino community which motivates fellow Filipinas to try digital scrapbooking and hopes to get digital scrapbooking into the mainstream of scrapping in her homeland. She is a self confessed chocoholic and pink and brown addict, and is now trying to not drink Coke like water.

As a reminder, the results from Week One's challenge will be aired on this week's Dishin the Digi Coast to Coast show at DiSc Talk Radio first thing Tuesday morning. So if you havent registered at DSTR to listen, we would strongly encourage you to do so sometime in the next 24 hours! Good Luck : )

Stand Up: Challenge #2

2007-09-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

So Week #1 is in the history books and your hard work is in the hands of our brilliant team of judges. All of the layouts in the gallery were absolutely stunning this week and honestly, we don't know how the judges are going to do it! A huge thank you to each of you who put your hearts into these pages, you should be proud of the gorgeous galleries that have come out of week one's challenge.

We have five challenges to go in this amazing contest, so let's keep the momentum going with the announcement of your second challenge! Don't forget, you must create a layout which ties both the inspirational and design focus of the challenge into one outstanding and memorable page using products from Sweet Shoppe Designs, Little Dreamer Designs or any of our contest sponsors exclusively.

Our first challenge was dreamy, so it's only right that our second challenge is sweet right? Here are the details...

Challenge #2: Life Is Sweet

Inspirational Focus:

"That it shall never come again is what makes life so sweet" - Emily Dickinson

What makes your life sweet? Where do you find sweetness in your everyday life? What about today do you want to remember for a lifetime? What happened yesterday that found you standing there with a smile on your face, or a tear in your eye? It can be as simple as an 'I love you', whispered across the room. It can be life altering; the birth of a baby, a brand new home. This week, we want you to tell us about your sweetest moments.

Design Focus:

Patterned Paper - most of us have a huge stash of gorgeous papers laying around and we want to see you use them! This week, we challenge you to bring your sweet moments to life using no less than 3 prints on your page. Remember, a little pattern goes a long way so show us your creative uses for patterned paper without being gawdy.

Challenge #2 Layouts must be posted in the following galleries at Sweet Shoppe Designs no later than midnight PST on Tuesday, October 2nd.

Week #2 Intermediate Gallery
Week #2 Advanced Gallery

Challenge #3 will be posted Wednesday, October 3rd. As always, we wish you the very best of luck!

The Final Push

2007-09-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!! We just wanted to post a reminder that we're in the final stretch of week one with just about 14 hours left to get those layouts finished and posted in the Week #1 galleries at Little Dreamer Designs. We are so proud of the work you have done as a result of this challenge and hope that you love your layouts too!

Once midnight rolls around, our amazing team of judges will have 24 hours to submit their scores so that the Disc Talk Radio team can begin production on the Week #1 Results show!

Every Tuesday, beginning on October 2nd, DiScTalkRadio will be airing the results of the past week's challenge. Point distributions, judges comments and links to the top 10 layouts in both categories will be shared by Shanah Gordon and deann McDaniel on Dishin' the Digi - Coast 2 Coast.

In order to listen to the show, contestants will need to register at DiScTalkRadio. Listening to the shows, as well as registering, is free and easy, and takes just a minute to do. If you are not already registered at Disc Talk Radio, we highly recommend doing this BEFORE Tuesday, October 2nd. Please use your user name, rather than your ID # that has been given to you as a contest participant as DSTR doesn't need the same level of anonymity and would like to get to know you by your names!

After registering, you will receive a verification code, if you don't receive this immediately, check your junk folder, they like to hide in there every once in awhile. If you have questions about registering at DSTR, please feel free to contact them.

We'll see you back here at midnight for a brand new challenge!

Meet The Week One Judges

2007-09-22T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! As you know, there will be a new team of judges evaluating and choosing their favorite layouts for each week of the competition and we thought it would be fun for you to get to know the incredible team who will be picking their faves this week.

Each team of judges will consist of Two Sweet Shoppe Staffers, Two Little Dreamer Staffers, One of the radio sirens from the Disc Talk Radio Team and a Special Celebrity Guest Judge. So let's get to the introductions!

This week's celebrity guest judge is none other than the fabulous Jessica Sprague. Jessica started scrapbooking in the summer of 2004, after having set out to make a "baby book" for her first child. A web designer by trade, Jessica incorporated computer techniques into her pages from the beginning, but didn't start digital scrapbooking until October of 2005. Jessica won both the Memory Makers Masters and the Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame contests in 2006, and was invited to join the Creating Keepsakes team as a contributing editor in July 2006. She authored a special issue of Creating Keepsakes called "Computer Tricks for Scrapbookers", which shows scrapbookers how to incorporate computer techniques into their paper pages. She regularly contributes digital and paper layouts, digital scrapbook kits, and Photoshop tutorials to the magazine, teaches at CK live and online events, and provides a free weekly Photoshop tutorial called Photoshop Friday on her blog. She also teaches instructor-led online digital scrapbooking classes at her web site, jessicasprague.com

Mandy Koontz aka Mandy joined the Sweet Shoppe Team as a SugarBabe in 2006. Mandy's scrapbooking addiction started in 2003, shortly after her husband left for a 2 year deployment. She read about scrapbooking online and made the decision to take the plunge into the paper crafting world. It kept her mind off of missing her husband and her hands busy...she loved it! She slowly found her niche in altered arts and became a published scrapper and a design team member for Fibers by the Yard. In 2005, Mandy began dabbling in Photoshop and really enjoyed the capabilities of the program. She started out making photo bars for friends and decided she liked using the program so much that she'd read every tutorial she could. It wasn't long before she heard about digital scrapbooking and decided to give it a try, hoping maybe her love of scrapbooking would stimulate her to create again. She made her first digi layout in the summer of 2005 and was instantly and hopelessly addicted. These days you can find her behind the lens of her digital camera or in front of her computer trying to create digital memories that her family can cherish for years to come. If you missed Mandy's interview on DSTR's Inside the Scrapper's Playhouse, it's not too late, listen now.

One of the Dream Girls at Little Dreamer Designs, Stacy McFadden aka flowergirl has been scrapbooking for 10 years. In 2005 Stacy was chosen as a Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame winner and shortly after that discovered digital scrapbooking and hasnt looked back! Scrapbooking took on a whole new meaning for Stacy when her husband died a year and a half ago. She decided at that time to make each of her boys an album with all the pictures she could find of them and their dad and it has blossomed into so much more. Stacy keeps a scrapbook/journal for herself, recording her journey and allowing her to express herself creatively; she's discovered how truly important it is to document fleeting moments as well as events and casual occasions; she's also learned to hand the camera over and get into the pictures with her kids as she was sad to realize how few pictures she had of herself and her husband together! Most importantly, she's learned to try and open up her heart when she has something say. It makes her happy to be involved in a hobby that can bring so much more than she ever thought it could!

One of the sirens on the Disc Talk Radio Team, Kristin Tilley aka wyowoman is the co-host of Site Sensational which airs on the 14th of each month. Kristin is a semi-kooky, 38-ish, mom to three and wife to one. She lives on the farm that she was raised on in Wyoming and works in local government with natural resources and agriculture. She tells us that she eats chocolate chip cookies (must be homemade) for breakfast, can't survive without fraps, and loves color- vivid, wonderful colors. She has been scrapping for 3 years, digi scrapping for two. She is on several creative teams, including: Amy Martin, Amy Wolff, Gina Miller, Kimberly Giarrusso, Kim De Smet, Lauren Reid, Misty Mareda, Shawna Clingerman, The Lilypad, and Traci Murphy, as well as being a guest on Eve Recinella's team. Kristin also has fun as the Associate Editor for the DigiShopTalk Insider. If you missed Kristin's Interview on Inside the Scrapper's Playhouse, you can listen now!

Also a SugarBabe at Sweet Shoppe Designs, Dixi Goulden aka 2BG joined the team in April of 2007! Dixi is a stay at home mom to her two girls (ages 3 and 1) and wife to Mike for 4 wonderful years now. She lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. She has always been fascinated by design and all things crafty, but has never really found one thing that she was drawn too as much as digital scrapbooking. Growing up she always wished that her mother had captured everyday moments and documented them for her to read when she was older and she knew that when she had a family of her own that that was exactly what she would do for them. At first she thought that just taking pictures almost everyday was enough but soon she discovered that she needed to tell the stories behind the photos. She found digital scrapbooking through an insert in her photo editing software and being frustrated by the lack of immediacy and fed up with the constant trips to scrapbooking stores for supplies, she soon found that digi was the perfect fit for her. Digital scrapbooking is so much more than a hobby for Dixi now, it is a creative outlet, a passion, an addiction, and a stress reliever.

Our final judge for week one, is the amazing Dream Girl, Ranie O'Dell aka Juliet! Ranie lives in Oklahoma with her husband and daughter. She's a full time working mother and also owns a non-profit overseas ministry. She discovered digital scrapbooking after her daughter was born and she was searching for a special way to preserve family memories. When it comes to scrapbooking, she enjoy trying new things and getting inspiration from the world around her. She and her husband both have a passion for photography and collect antique cameras. Not only is Ranie a fabulous scrapper, she also designs amazing quickpages which are available at CatScraps for purchase.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know this week's amazing judges. Each of them has their work cut out for them as they begin looking through the stunning layouts you are creating for our first challenge. Good Luck!

Stand Up: Challenge #1

2007-09-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

September 19th is finally here and all of us on the Stand Up & Scrap Team are so pleased to be officially kicking off the first of six challenges that more than 500 digital scrappers will be completing over the next six weeks in an effort to raise awareness for a climate in crisis while also proving they are among the best of the best scrappers out there!

All of us want to thank each of you for being a part of this gigantic event and wish you all the best as you complete each challenge in the contest. We hope that the anonymous aspect of Stand Up & Scrap allows you to explore things you might not otherwise have challenged yourself to create and that you end up with six gorgeous layouts that you will cherish.

Each contestant must create a layout which ties both the inspirational and design focus of each challenge into one outstanding and memorable page using products from Sweet Shoppe Designs, Little Dreamer Designs or any of our contest sponsors exclusively. Here is your first challenge...

Challenge #1: Dream Big

Inspirational Focus:

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has a genius, magic and power to it." -Goethe

Dream Big - If you could have one dream come true what would it be? What does your dream say about you? Be creative and design a page that is meaningful to YOU and shares with the world a dream that you hope will come true someday.

Design Focus:

Brushwork - we think brushes have the ability to take an ordinary layout extraordinary places and want to challenge you to use brushes to bring the inspirational focus of your page to life. Brushes can add whimsy, grunge, beauty and so much more to a page so use them to create a mood to suit the dream you are sharing.

Challenge #1 Layouts must be posted in the following galleries at Little Dreamer Designs no later than midnight PST on Tuesday, September 25th.

Week #1 Intermediate Gallery
Week #1 Advanced Gallery

*Please remember to post your layouts using your anonymous contestant numbers only*

Challenge #2 will be posted here on the blog Wednesday, September 26th. Good Luck!

Are You Officially Registered??

2007-09-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Click Here to view the official contestant list of eligible scrappers as of 4pm PST on Monday, September 17th. Please make sure your contestant # is on the list in black to assure that you are properly registered to compete in Stand Up.

If your number is missing from the list or highlighted in red, please review the registration instructions to make sure you have followed the steps required to be considered an official Stand Up & Scrap contestant.

Thanks so much & Good Luck!!

Semi Annual Sale at Little Dreamer!!

2007-09-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

Stock up and save BIG!! Save 30% on everything in the Little Dreamer Shoppe!
*Excluding the Stand Up and Scrap Kit*

Sale is on now!

3 Days Left to Register

2007-09-14T11:08:00.001-07:00

It's Friday afternoon and that means there are just 3 days left to purchase the Stand Up Contestant Registration Package at Sweet Shoppe Designs and get yourself registered to compete in what is sure to be an incredible six week competition! The first challenge will be posted here on the Stand Up Blog on Wednesday, September 19th, so stay tuned!

The registration package will be removed from the Sweet Shoppe on Sunday night at midnight PST and all contestants will have until Monday night at midnight PST (9/17) to send their private message to Register4StandUp on the Sweet Shoppe forums requesting that their entry in the contest be considered official.

Don't forget that the password is not sent automatically and if you would like to unzip the kit and compete in the contest, you will need to confirm your registration via PM at SSD. Any contestant who isn't officially registered via private message by Monday night will not be eligible to compete in the Stand Up Contest.

As a reminder, Stand Up will remain available at Little Dreamer Designs throughout the contest for anyone wishing to purchase the kit without the obligations of competing in a six week competition.

Stand Up Contestant FAQ

2007-09-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

By request from on ongoing Q&A thread at Sweet Shoppe Designs, a contestant FAQ has been added to the Official Links in the sidebar. All contestants should review the information posted in the FAQ as some great information has been shared as a result of the questions asked by other contestants. Please let us know if you have any questions before competition begins on the 19th.

Stock Up to Stand Up

2007-09-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

If you're looking to grab some new goodies eligible for use in the contest, Sweet Shoppe Designs is having a storewide sale for the next 4 days. Check it out...

In addition to all the latest contest news, we'll be keeping our eyes open to keep you informed on any of our sponsor sites who might be making special offers throughout the Stand Up event so stay tuned!

Stand Up Contestant Blinkies

2007-09-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

The official contestant blinkies are here so snag one to your liking and add em to your signatures around town. When allowed, we'd loved if you could link em back here to the blog so people who are interested can come find out what you're up to!

Remember you ARE allowed to wear these on your "real" usernames but please DO NOT reveal your Contestant # to anyone! We're so excited that some people might reinvent themselves and their style to be the best they can be as one of the anonymous 16K. Exciting stuff!

In other news, Stand Up is on sale without encryption NOW at Little Dreamer Designs. Anyone who wants the gorgeous Stand Up megakit but doesnt want to compete in the six week competition should head over there to pick it up soon.

Remember Stand Up is a limited edition kit and will be available to contestants at Sweet Shoppe Designs until 9/16 and throughout the contest at Little Dreamer Designs. When the contest ends, this kit will disappear forever.

Contest Dates

2007-09-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Some people have mentioned that they are trying to think about dates and their schedules before they register so I thought I would post our schedule so you can take a look at what will be happening when...

September 1st-16th - Contest Registration at Sweet Shoppe Designs
Wed, September 19th - Challenge #1 Revealed
Tue, September 25th - Challenge #1 Due
Wed, September 26th - Challenge #2 Revealed
Tue, October 2nd - Challenge #2 Due, Challenge #1 Results Show airs on Disc Talk Radio
Wed, October 3rd - Challenge #3 Revealed
Tue, October 9th - Challenge #3 Due, Challenge #2 Results Show airs on Disc Talk Radio
Wed, Octiber 10th- Challenge #4 Revealed
Tue, October 16th - Challenge #4 Due, Challenge #3 Results Show airs on Disc Talk Radio
Wed, October 17th - Challenge #5 Revealed
Tue, October 23rd - Challenge #5 Due, Challenge #4 Results Show airs on Disc Talk Radio
Wed, October 24th - Final Challenge Revealed
Tue, October 30th - Final Challenge Due, Challenge #5 Results Show airs on Disc Talk Radio
Tue, November 6th - Finale Show on Disc Talk Radio - Grand Prize Winners Announced

There will be NO eliminations throughout the event and you must complete all 6 challenges to be eligible to win any of the grand prize packages. We do reserve the right to give extra goodies away throughout the event on a "because we feel like it" basis : ) Buckle your seatbelts and prepare for an inspiring ride!

5 Hours & Counting

2007-08-31T18:38:00.000-07:00

So there are just over 5 hours to go until Stand Up is available @ the Sweet Shoppe for contestants who want to register to compete in the Stand Up & Scrap Event!

Our Official How To Register information has been posted, so take a few minutes to look the instructions over so you know what to expect from the registration process when you purchase the kit. Remember Stand Up will be available beginning Monday, September 3rd at Little Dreamer for anyone who does not wish to compete but still wants to purchase the kit.

It's going to be an exciting 6 weeks and we can hardly wait to kick off the competition so we can start seeing your gorgeous pages! Speaking of, here's just a few of the incredible pages created using Stand Up...

A Moment of Peace by Laurie Nowling

The Future by Suzy Nunes

Puddle Jumper by Colleen York

Visit the Stand Up Inspiration Galleries at Little Dreamer & Sweet Shoppe Designs for lots more!

Stand Up: The Mega Kit

2007-08-31T11:35:00.000-07:00

All of us on the Stand Up & Scrap Team are thrilled to show off the mega kit which has been created to draw attention to and raise money for the Alliance for Climate Protection. Take a look at this stunning collection of digital goodies...

Stand Up is more than 700MB and has been created by the most impressive team of designers assembled for a collaboration including Amber Clegg, Amy Martin, Ange Barton, Anna Aspnes, Audrey Neal, Christina Renee, Christy Lyle, Eve Recinella, Gina Marie Huff, Gina Miller, Heather Ann Melzer, Heather Roselli, Heidi Williams, Jackie Eckles, Jen Wilson, Julie Mead, Kate Hadfield, Laura Deacetis, Lauren Grier, Lisa Whitney, Lori Barnhurst, MandaBean, Meredith Fenwick, Michelle Coleman, Miriam Lima, Mindy Terasawa, Nancie Rowe Janitz, Robin Carlton, Sara Amarie, Sara Carling, Shabby Miss Jenn, Susan Bartolini, Tiff Brady and Zoe Pearn.

The kit will be available at Sweet Shoppe Designs beginning Saturday, September 1st to any scrapbooker wishing to register to compete in the six week long Stand Up and Scrap Contest Event. Official rules of the contest can be found here and should be reviewed before purchasing Stand Up at Sweet Shoppe Designs. Detailed information on how to officially register will be posted here on the Stand Up Blog later this afternoon and included in the registration packet at SSD.

For those scrapbookers who do not wish to compete in the 6 week event, Stand Up will be made available at Little Dreamer Designs beginning Monday, September 3rd. DVD versions of the Stand Up Mega Kit will also be sold at Little Dreamer Designs.

100% of the proceeds raised by Sweet Shoppe Designs and Little Dreamer Designs through the sale of the Stand Up Kit & Registration Package will be donated to the Alliance for Climate Protection.

We look forward to inspiring you to create some of your best pages ever throughout this event and appreciate your desire and interest in being a part of what is sure to be one of the most memorable and important digital events of the year.

Stay tuned for more information!

Have You Heard The News?

2007-08-26T12:28:00.001-07:00