Look at me!

Sometimes I am completely floored while checking out my favorite blogs. This is one of those times.

See, when most of your friends live in the computer (but I'm working on that, mom!), you have NO idea how well-known you are. Does that make sense? I have no idea if people in the digital world even know my little shop at The Digichick even exists. I have no way of comparing my sales to anyone else's. Is there any "word-on-the-street" about me? I don't know!

My parents gave me a unique spelling for my first name (have you noticed?), and I married a guy with a strange last name (I can say that because I am one of THEM now!). All put together, the name Kelleigh Ratzlaff sort of freaks people out when they see it and realize they have to actually say it out loud to me without stumbling. (Kelly Rats-laugh, by the way.) However, of course, my computer doesn't speak. I have no idea if people even know who I am!

So, this morning, while checking my Google Reader, I clicked on over to The Daily Digi (because some sites just deserve the click-over, huh?), and there I am. Look:

(click on the pic to see the full article)

Whaaaat? Can you see my name in there, nestled between Tiffany Tillman and Jen Wilson? WHAT? That's little 'ol me, listed on the same line as half of Ali Edwards' name!! Oh, and half of Jen Caputo's!! Good grief! (Can't forget mentioning Kaye Winiecki in this post, because she totally rocks!)

If you know scrapbooking AT ALL, then you know these names. I mean, even if you have never digitally scrapped, you KNOW Ali Edwards and Tiffany Tillman, at the very least. If you are a paper scrapper and don't know them, pull your head out of the ground! (And I say that in a sweet tone-of-voice with your best interests at heart.)

I am shocked and honored to be mentioned beside these ladies! The Daily Digi has mentioned me before (which tickled me at the time), but never alongside such amazing talent. I totally look up to these ladies, and I certainly talk about them (in my head, anyway), so to think that they might in some way be aware of me (although I did give decorating advice to Jen Caputo once, and my own sweet Jen Wilson knows me!) rocks my world.

Thank you Janet!! You made my morning!

The Boots: A layout.

Yes, I actually DID complete a layout over National Scrapbooking Day weekend!! Here it is!


Everything by Jen Wilson!

It's $2 Tuesday! Grab the Tall Box!

Yep! It's $2 Tuesday again! I went ahead and put my famous Tall Box template on sale. Well, okay, maybe its not FAMOUS, but it certainly is popular!! Enjoy!



And, here is a little layout I did last night. It was SURE nice to actually scrap a bit. I've been so busy with design stuff that I haven't made time to scrap!! Not any more! YAY!



By the way, EVERYTHING (except the cutie) is by Jen Wilson for the Project 52 challenge. I've been SUCH a slacker! This is the week 6 layout. The challenge was to scrap a perfectly imperfect photo. (You'll notice he is blurry.) We are now on week 16. Yikes! I have some scrapping to do, huh?

Catch Up Post

This morning I said goodbye to my parents and two youngest sisters who had been visiting us this week from California. They were only here for a few days, but we made the most of them and had a wonderful time. My sisters (ages 9.95 and 10) did a marvelous job of occupying my sons while my mom and I sewed. Check out our fabric concoctions. Yes, they are the same Amy Butler Swing Bag pattern that I posted about below.

My Mom's bags:


My bags:

Truly, my bags are more gorgeous, right? I was planning to take the little guy to the fabric store with me this morning in search of a new pattern and some crazy funky fabric. However I just woke up Grant and he won't be going to school due to "a plugged nose on both sides, mom." Shoot. Maybe I'll be brave and drag them both out.

Anyway, we went to the coast on a cold, wet day. It was awesome to just GO and not have an agenda in mind. Except for Mo's clam chowder, of course.


Isn't he hot?


What else? Hmm . . . I released some new stuff at The Digichick.


All of my templates (including hybrid) are 40% off this week!

And at Funky Playground Designs.

Just $1 this week!

And, I created a layout about my adorable nephew.


I thought I would mention here that I did a couple of blog posts for The Hybrid Chick blog.

Where to Start
Preparing Hybrid Templates for Printing

The newest issue of Bella Scraps Magazine was released, and I did a little tutorial about adding photos to Quickpages.

And . . . I think that's it. Well, I'm sure there is more, but it's early and I need my coffee to take effect. Hopefully I'll come back and post again!!

Digi catch up post!

I have TOTALLY been slacking when it comes to showing off my digi stuff, so I'm going to try to catch up today!

First, at TDC, a new product:



and my project up close:



And, released today at Funky Playground Designs (I'm a guest! Wahoo!):







Here's a link to my little corner of FPD!

And a sweet little layout:

credits here.

•I finally finished up my latest article for Bella Scraps Magazine. Whew!
•The March issue of the DST Insider was released. Yay!
•I have a mini album that I am so proud of that is in a holding pattern circling Jen Wilson's server. (She's having computer problems right now.) I'll link you up to the blog post I prepared for her as soon as I can!!
•I'm working on a project for The Hybrid Chick! (Oh, is that still a secret? It won't be a secret anymore on March 15th!! Fun times!)

**side note:

I recently got together with some friends, and they told me that I really should be writing for something. It occurred to me that I might not have mentioned that I actually DO write for some online publications and stuff like that.
For example, I am the Editor-In-Chief and sometimes (okay, often) feature writer of The Digishoptalk Insider - a free publication available for DST members (click the link above). I REALLY love that job. Yeah, I do get paid. It is fun and keeps my brain from turning to mush.
I'm also a feature writer (mostly hybrid-related tutorials) for Bella Scraps Magazine. This is one you have to pay for, but I do get to give away two copies per month! Maybe I'll have a giveaway on my blog for March. Hmm.
Sometimes I write blog posts for various stores, although that has slowed down a bit (thank goodness!), but you can find my older blog posts at The Digichick and Funky Playground Designs. Obviously, as stated above, I'll be posting on Jen Wilson's blog soon. AND, then there is The Hybrid Chick! (I imagine that will take up a lot of time.) Oh, and I've contributed to The Daily Scrapper (online mag). So, yeah, I do write for something. Which is why I don't always get to my own blog!!**

So what did you do yesterday?

Grant is sick. I mean, he's ADORABLE, and sick. He has a fever and the sniffles and a loud, hacking, old man cough. And he is SOOOO sweet and SOOOO cute. Always is, right? Actually, he's just a tad pathetic and wants his mommy to hold him, so I did lots of cuddling yesterday. That and watched Star Wars. Over. And. Over.

In the meantime, Cole was quite chipper! Annoying when you would like your 5yo to keep sleeping on the couch, but the 2yo wants to play with the BIG Legos that are super loud when the tall tower falls on the hard wood floor. But, that little booger is adorable, too. Of course.

I meant to mention that I FINALLY bought a new lens. Ahhh. I love it! It was super cheap (as far as camera lens' go) and takes the MOST gorgeous pictures in low light. Indoor shots are amazing! I don't know why this lens wasn't the kit lens. Drives me crazy to realize I have had my SLR for over a year and JUST bought this lens. Oh, the pictures I could have taken!! If you are on the fence, hop over. Seriously. You need a prime lens (Cannon EF 50mm 1:1.8 - not that I know what any of that means). Expect better pictures from me.

I have to tell you that with all of that creativity last week, I am POOPED! However, I just can't seem to stop myself, so I did create one more little thing just in time for Valentine's day:

(edit: Deleted the pic! Working on this one for the future!)

In my store!

They are supposed to be kinda like this. I can picture my templates with the top edges cut with deckled scissors and punched with pretty punches.

People were asking for them (seriously, I got like 3 emails in one day and all kinds of posts on the message boards), so I made 'em up really quick (okay, not really quick, 'cause I really don't know what I'm doing with this "designing" thing).

And, last night I attended the Digichick Friday Night Chick Chat, which was a speed scrap. Oh, THAT was fun. Every 10 minutes, we were given instructions and a specific "recipe" for a layout. For example, the first instruction was to use a solid paper for the background and a patterned paper for a 5 inch tall strip that extends across the page. I followed all of the instructions, took MUCH longer than I should have, and came up with this.

Here for credits.

These are the girls in my family at Thanksgiving! My mom always wants to take a picture with just the girls, and although we are missing a few sisters in this pic, she finally got her wish! Yeah. I have a big family. And, see the little cutie in the pink shirt on the left? My niece, Cara, who is over 3 now, JUST had her adoption finalized yesterday!! YAY! We can all breathe a sigh of relief over that bit of news! It was a LOOOONG journey, but so very worth it in the end.


I also did a layout for the Project 52 challenge going on over at Jen Wilson Designs. I've had this story in mind for a long time now, and I am so glad I finally did a layout. Oh, I love this boy!!


Here for credits.

Well, that's it! I hope to do a couple of layouts with my new super-sharp indoor pics of Cole (who loves saying "Hi!" every time the camera comes out, which gives us the cutest bright-eyed smiles). In the meantime, I'd better clean the house before Mitch comes back from hunting, just to make up for the mess that was NOT cleaned up last night while I was scrapping!!

Been working a TON!

Some fun things happening in my digital scrapbooking world. I'll spare you all and just show you my new stuff.

First, a grab bag! It's kinda a secret, but I'll tell you that there are three template sets, and two sets are new boxes. Hee, hee!



Next, I created this little box last night and popped it in the store this morning for only $1. I've used it a few times today, and I still love it!



And, I put a couple of my Valentine themed items on sale for only $1, too! Go check out my store at The Digichick!

JEN WILSON! Seriously!!

If you have been reading my blog for a while, then you know that I am totally in love with Jen Wilson. I own a ton of her digital products, and even some of her paper stuff from My Minds Eye. In fact, there is a metal dinosaur sign in Grant's room that is a "Jen Wilson".

So, about 2 weeks ago I asked Mitch if I could attend a chat that Jen was having at her store to celebrate the release of a new digital line. Mitch said yes (bless him!) and so at 7:00pm, Mitch gave the boys a bath while I attended the online chat. Oh, it was so much FUN! They always are. During the chat, I teased a bit and told Allison (a CT member) to beg Jen to have me on her CT. I was totally joking, because I had begged dozens of times before and never actually thought I would have a chance to be on her CT.

Imagine my SHOCK when, while I was downloading my newly purchased goodies, I received an email from Jen Wilson herself, asking me to be on her CT. Ack! I was stunned! Oh, it was an exciting night filled with multiple emails and lots of fun moments. She said that she had actually been thinking about asking me for a while! Jen Wilson! Thinking about little ol' me!

Since that night, I have been having SO much fun creating stuff for Jen Wilson. In fact, we got to chatting one night (eeek! I chat with Jen Wilson!) and she asked if I would ever consider putting together some hybrid printables for her. For Jen Wilson! And . . . I went a little overboard . . . and this is what I did:





Click here to be taken to my little section of Jen Wilson's store. Oh my gosh! Did I just type that? MY little section of JEN WILSON'S store! Eeek!

So anyway, I need to calm down a bit. Whew! Here are some of my recent layouts/projects as a new CT member for Jen Wilson!! Click here for credits.

Drive by posting

I know it has been a LONG time since I last posted. Sorry about that! I thought I would just swing by and drop off some layouts and projects, then come back later to update you on life around here!

You and Me Together


I Love You


Sing


Jude and Mommy (my newest nephew!)


My thoughts on being a mommy


A2 Sisters - This is my sister Angela and her biological sister, Adi! Adi was adopted by a family from England, and Angela is a total California girl. Both girls were born in Romania. Adi came to the US to visit over Christmas break and the two girls had a blast meeting in person for the first time. I made this layout as a little gift for the two girls.


Love, Joy, Peace, Hope - You might remember these little layouts as a wall hanging that I did mid-December. Well, I wanted the pages in my scrapbook, too. Luckily, a very talented designer came out with some cool digital page protectors. Perfect!!


AND, my prize from Prima Hybrid arrived last week! WOWSERS! It is awesome and amazing! I can't wait to play with it and show it off!! I can't believe they gave me so many goodies!!

Okay, back later (when I have time) for more personal updates!

Snow Days

We are having a beautiful white Christmas around here! The snow started last week, and with it came the snow days. Grant was home all of last week, thus beginning his Christmas break a week early.

On Wednesday, Katie came over and we baked cookies and the two kids built a snowman:


Then, on Saturday, while I went Christmas shopping, the boys built an igloo! Okay, so it is missing some parts, but it was a lot of work!! I took a picture of it last night:



And this is the same view (through the sliding glass door) today:

Notice the snow build-up along the bottom!

And, just for fun:




So, while I've been cooped up, I've been working on some fun things. The layout above is courtesy of some new items from Vera Lim. As I mentioned earlier, I was asked to join her hybrid CT, and I was THRILLED to accept. I already own a bunch of Vera stuff, and it is so fun to get it for free, now!! For my paper-lovin' friends, Vera is also a designer for Prima Marketing (and so are Dianne and Corina!). Here is the hybrid project I created for this release:


And, I put together this little layout with Danielle Engebretson's newest release featuring my cutie:


And this one with a pic from Thanksgiving using Anne DeJong's newest release and a template that I am putting in the store on Thursday:


And, since I'm stuck here, I thought I would have a sale at my store:

It's a new release!!

I've been having so much fun with this new set of templates. So cute! You saw the sneak peek yesterday, and they are in the store and on sale today!!


***

And, I picked up these fun quick pages by Jaime Young yesterday, popped my pictures in them, resized them to 4x4 and printed them out. I glued them to coasters, hot glued some ribbon on them and this is what I have:

This was a super fast project!! The QPs are only $1 today at Funky Playground Designs.

Oh, AND I entered a contest at Prima Hybrid. It was a "sport our blinkie" contest and didn't require any talent on my part. Easy. Well, only 3 of us entered the contest, and I won! I feel kind of bad because I don't think anyone knew about the contest. At the same time, I had a giveaway going over at DST for a Prima Hybrid kit, and 157 people entered. Oh, if they only knew that their chances were MUCH better over at the PH site. Oh well! Their loss!! I'm excited to see what I get. They said, "A kit", and those are valued at between $29 and $35. Good grief! Well, I will definitely be doing the kit justice and will thank them profusely by posting it all over the place!!