I need your vote!

I'm going to be hosting a template challenge at MouseScrappers soon and can't decide which one of my layouts to turn into a template. So I'm giving you the choice. The poll is located on the side bar. Look at the layouts posted below and vote for the one you would most like a template of. The poll will end April 10 at 8:00 PM PST.

Your 5 choices:

1. Disneyland Ears



2. First Look



3. Kilimanjaro Safari



4. Safari Donald



5. Spectromagic



So please take a moment to cast your vote!

Thank you!
Melissa

New at ScrapMatters 3/12

Wendy released some awesome templates inspired by fellow CT members. I used the Be Inspired - Melody ones.

Be Inspired - Melody by WM squared Designs



My layout:

Each moment - Photo of the sunset at Gettysburg National Military Park


[Click for Credits]

Here is Wendy's other set of new templates:

Be Inspired - Megan by WM squared Designs



Britt teamed up with Gwenipooh Designs to create a super cute and fun kit, "Banana Split"

Banana Split by Britt-ish Designs and Gwenipooh Designs



Here are my layouts:

With a cherry on top - Photos of the sundae Melinda got for her birthday at Tony's Town Square from January 2007.


[Click for Credits]

Monkey Jammies - A layout of my favorite monkey pajamas.


[Click for Credits]

The SM Designers have put together an awesome collab this month! It's on sale for a week for 50% off! This is a fabulous deal!



March Monthly Collab by the Scrap Matters Design Team



Be sure to stop by ScrapMatters to check out the other fabulous new products!

Spring Cleaning sale!!!

The designer's are cleaning out their stores at ScrapMatters, which means some awesome deals for you!!!



All of the retiring products have been marked 50-60% off!!! Once the sale ends, these products will be gone. So this is a sale you don't want to miss. :)

March Quick Page Exchange

This month at ScrapMatters the Quick Page Exchange is going to feature "So Big" by Man in the Moon Designs.



Check out the forum and blog tomorrow for more details.

Battlefield Trip Report - Day 8

Before I switch this blog over to all scrapbooking info, I wanted to post the last installment of our battlefield trip report. Thanks for following along with our journey. Enjoy!

Day 8 - September 19

It was time to go home! Even though we had a lot of fun in Gettysburg and Hagerstown we were ready to go back home. We missed our kitties. We got up early, packed up the car. We grabbed a quick breakfast from the hotel then checked out. We took a few photos on our way out of town. I was really nervous because I knew I had to drive over the mountain what we call the "swirly mountain of death" which scares me. I do not like driving on mountains. Though the mountain portion is only 20 miles long, it still freaks me out. Melinda was having fun taking pictures of the dilapidated buildings along the way. It took us about 2 hours to get from Gettysburg to the PA turnpike. I was going so slow on the mountain. Luckily there wasn't too many cars behind us and those few that were behind us were able to get around. Though right before we got to the turnpike we found what Melinda had been wanting to find - the exotic dancer shacks! We had seen them on our way back home in 2007 and laughed the entire way home. Most people who we told about them didn't believe us, so we wanted to get some photos. There wasn't anyone behind us at the time so I was able to pull off onto the shoulder and Melinda got out to get photos. She was a very happy after that and said that we never again had to go on the swirly mountain of death. YAY!

Driving towards the Swirly Mountain of Death!



The Exotic Dancer Shacks!







Approaching the turnpike junction



I was happy to be on the turnpike, where there were two lanes of traffic and was far less swirly. We were both kind of hungry by this point and we had learned our less on the way to Gettysburg to stop at all of the service plazas since you don't know how far it will be until the next one. So we stopped at the first service plaza. Melinda got a slice of pizza and I got some mini Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, which were so heavenly! YUM!

The Turnpike! YAY!



A river. I can't recall which one. Oops!



There wasn't too much traffic and the drive was pretty uneventful. It didn't seem to take that long to get to Ohio. We decided to wait to get lunch until Ohio. We knew not to stop at the first service plaza since it only serves McDonald's. Luckily the next service plaza wasn't too far away. I like that there are different options in the service plaza since Melinda and I don't always want the same thing, so its nice that we can each get what we want. I think I had pizza and she actually got McDonald's. Not the most interesting lunch, but it refueled us for the rest of our journey.

Driving along the Ohio turnpike is actually quite boring. There are more billboards than in Pennsylvania, but it's still really boring! It seemed that Ohio was never going to end!

Some of my favorite signs!





Welcome to Michigan!



Eventually we got to Michigan! YAY! As we were nearing Detroit we got stuck in some construction. We had called Pat to let him know we were in route. When we got to his apartment we went to dinner at the new Sonic that opened up near him. It was good.

After that Melinda and I began the last part of our journey home. Normally it only takes 2 hours, but there was a lot of construction and it was dark and we somehow missed the connection for 23. D’oh. We of course didn’t realize it right away and ended up going about 10 miles out of our way before we turned around. We think that there was a construction sign or truck that had blocked the exit, which is why we didn’t see it.

The sunset was so pretty!



We finally got home about 10:00 pm and were utterly exhausted. It had been a really long day. Melinda and I had such a great time and will never forget this trip. We can’t wait to go back!

Thank you for reading my trip report! :)

Melissa

New at ScrapMatters

Here are just a few of the new products at ScrapMatters this week for the two designers I CT for.

First up here is what Britt released this week:

Inspired by Jenny Templates by Britt-ish Designs



My layouts:

Dinner with a Show - photos of our dinner at the Biergarten last year.


[Click for Credits]

Nor shall your story be forgot - Photos of the NY State monument at Antietam. This is probably my favorite monument at Antietam.


[Click for credits]

Britt also released this fun pack of frames

Jellies: Frames by Britt-ish Designs



My layout:

Mellow Yellow - A layout of my favorite yellow kitten, Scotty. :)


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Wendy released an awesome bundle in time for St. Patty's day. Since I don't have any St. Patty's day photos, I scrapped the Irish Brigade. :)

Shamrocks: Bundle by WM squared Designs:



Riam nar druid ó sbarin lann - The Irish Brigade monument at Antietam. The title means " We will never fly from the clashing of blades" which was the motto on the Irish Brigade flag.


[Click for Credits]

Wendy also released a really cute collab kit with {simply.scraps}:

Where The Heart Is by WM squared Designs & {simply.scraps}



My layout:

On the move - The story of when we moved Pat down to Detroit in 2002. It is a true story! LOL


[Click for Credits]

You can check out the rest of the great new products here.

I hosted a really fun Speed Scrap at ScrapMatters on Friday. Here was my layout:

Kilimanjaro Safari - Photos from Kilimanjaro Safari from March 2009


[Click for Credits]

That's all for now. Gotta finish watching "POTC: At World's End"

Later!
Melissa

New blog

I've decided to split my blog and create another one. I'm going to use this one to focus on my scrapbooking projects, etc. The new one is going to be for my personal posts, trip reports, etc. The new one is going to be private. Anyone who wants access to it needs to send me an email and I will send you an invitation to join.

If you want access to my new blog email me at YBDesigns 19 at yahoo dot com.

I will be back later to post some fantastic new products at ScrapMatters and my layouts with them. :)

Later!
Melissa

New products and a Speed scrap!

The designers at ScrapMatters have outdone themselves this week! Check out some of the fabulous new products and what I've scrapped with them!

Around the World by Britt-ish Designs and Sahlin Studio



Taste of Americana by Britt-ish Designs & Sahlin Studio
Taste of Asia by Britt-ish Designs and Sahlin Studio
Taste of Canada by Britt-ish Designs and Sahlin Studio
Taste of France & Italy by Britt-ish Designs and Sahlin Studio



Taste of Germany & Norway by Britt-ish Designs & Sahlin Studio
Taste of Great Britain by Britt-ish Designs & Sahlin Studio
Taste of Mexico by Britt-ish Designs & Sahlin Studio
Taste of Morocco by Britt-ish Designs & Sahlin Studio



Taste of the World Combo by Britt-ish Designs and Sahlin Studio



The Ultimate Round Trip Ticket Bundle" by Britt-ish Designs and Sahlin Studio



Here is what I scrapped with this fabulous collab:

World Showcase:



O' Canada:



Kidnapped for a day:



Destination: Italy:



Penalty Box by Chelle's Creations



Penalty Box: Team Blue
Penalty Box: Team Black
Penalty Box: Team Gold
Penalty Box: Team Orange



My layout: Honorary Captain



Vibrant Memories by Pri Rocha



My layout: Now Entering the Fun Zone



Forever Treasured: Bundle by WM squared Designs & Sya's Blueprints



Be Inspired - Bexy - Templates by WM squared Designs



My layout: Remember this moment



Check out the other fabulous products at ScrapMatters! :)

Erica is hosting a Speed Scrap tonight. It's a bit late for me, but I'm going to try to be there.