be AUDacious

stamping secrets: new ella e-book giveaway!

Stamping Secrets: 7 Sensational Stamp Sets Used 21 Ways

By stamping experts Nichol Magouirk, Ashley Cannon Newell, Lea Lawson, Nancy Burke, Robyn Werlich, Shari Carroll, and Shemaine Smith

Ready to make the most of your favorite stamps, and learn new tips and tricks along the way? 

In 28 packed pages, you'll enjoy 21 gorgeous projects, 35 expert stamping tips, 6 step-by-step written tutorials, and 20 minutes of exclusive video instruction—all for just $10.99.

We hand-picked seven sensational stampers and invited each of them to:

• choose a favorite stamp set from a favorite stamp company
• create three versatile projects using that set (scrapbook layouts, cards, and more)
• share their expert stamping tips, tricks, and tutorials with you!

With stamps from Stampin' Up!, Hero Arts, Technique Tuesday, PaperTrey Ink, Lawn Fawn, BasicGrey, and Unity, this eBook truly offers the best of the best. No matter your skill level, Stamping Secrets will put you on the path to stamping success!

LEAP DAY SPECIAL AND E-BOOK GIVEAWAY

For today only (Leap Day), you can purchase Stamping Secrets at a special introductory price of just $7.80 -- that's 29% off the regular price. Beginning tomorrow, you'll be able to grab it for $8.79 -- 20% off -- until March 7th, when it reverts back to the regular price of $10.99.

Even better, I have a copy that I'm giving away to one random person. Just leave a comment on this blog post -- post about it on Facebook and Twitter for extra chances to win (just make sure you come back here and leave a comment with a link to your Tweet or FB status). I'll use random.org to draw a winner on Saturday. All comments must be recieved by midnight CST on Friday, March 2 to be eligible. 

(If you've already purchased a copy of the e-book, you can still enter the contest -- Ella Publishing Co. will just refund your purchase price.)

 

Celebrate Leap Year with these great sales!

To celebrate Leap Year, we're running an all-day sale at Design House Digital -- everything in the shop is 29% today only! In addition, today is the last day that you can grab our Daily Dollar Deals products. After today, everything reverts to its original price, so if you haven't grabbed these items, do it now!

 Ella Publishing Co. is having a Leap Day sale too, and they've got this great giveaway going on right now:

ONE lucky winner today (randomly drawn from the comments) will take home $150 worth of stamps, pictured here! All you have to do is leave a comment on the Ella blog telling us which of the pictured stamp sets is your favorite.

ONE additional lucky winner randomly drawn from the comments will receive the February SMAK Kit by Unity Stamp (value of $45). We'll ship free to winners with U.S. addresses. International winners will pay shipping. Deadline for comments is Wednesday, February 29. Winners announced March 1.

10 on Tuesday: the book series I enjoy edition

I posted last week about the books I'm looking forward to being released in 2012 and mentioned that there are a number of series (particularly YA series, since that seems to be the only way in which a book can get published these days -- as part of an ongoing series) that I'm excited to continue during 2012 with new releases. Here's a collection of the ones which I'm most excited about:

The Enchantress by Michael Scott:
I've really loved the entire pantheon of immortals and gods/goddesses that Scott has invoked in these books. There's such a wide variety of cultures represented, which is a bonus for a myth-geek like myself. Plus, he tells a great story, so it's a winning combination all around.

Black Heart by Holly Black:
Black's Curse Workers series is one of the most original series to hit the paranormal YA shelves in some time -- it's like a (much needed) breath of fresh air. She's one very talented writer, and she's constantly putting out strong, quality material.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver:
I think this book has already been released (just within the past week, maybe?) Or perhaps it will be released within the next week. Anyway, you can get it soon. While I thought the overall idea for the series seemed awfully similar to Westerfeld's Ugly series, I can't deny the appeal of Oliver's prose. She writes so gorgeously, that I can forgive a multitude of sins in her books just because of the writing.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth:
Roth's dystopian debut was one of the best additions to this wildly popular trend that I've read in some time. I'm excited to see how she continues building this future world and how her characters continue to develop.

The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan:
While I don't enjoy The Kane Chronicles as much as I like the two Olympus series, Riordan's work still completely captures my attention while I read. I love his use of mythology, and he has a knack for action, dialogue, and compelling characters. I'm also excited about the next Lost Heroes book due out in the fall, The Mark of Athena.

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor:
This is one that I'm seriously excited about. Taylor writes like a dream, and the world she has created takes standard paranormal fare and turns it into something otherworldly. Not to be missed!

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare:
Even though I get so aggravated by her characters at times, this is a series that I can't imagine not completing. And I think the fact that I react to the characters the way that I do speaks to how much I enjoy the series, even when it makes me angry! ha!

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson:
I was really (delightfully) surprised by the strength of Carson's first novel; it reminded me so much of Robin McKinley's The Hero & The Crown, which remains one of my favorite YA novels of all time ever in the history of the world. This is another one that I'm really excited about -- I know I'll be picking it up immediately upon hardcover release.

Timeless by Gail Carriger:
I've really enjoyed the magic and manners atmosphere of this series. The books are quick, light reads and they are a lot of fun. They're great for a break in between longer or heavier reads. Definitely a series to spend some time with if you need something a little fluffy.

The Darkness Dwellers by Kirsten Miller: (cover art not available)
The Kiki Strike series is just perfect: a band of misfit girls, each with some awesome talents, work as spies and discover a secret underground world in New York City. There's so much cool stuff in these stories, and they are exceptionally well-written.

And a bonus for you:

Cold Days by Jim Butcher: (cover art not available)
Harry Dresden is my favorite wizard by far, and after 14 books, Butcher is still able to keep me reading late into the night, wondering just what is going to happen next and stifling my snickers at Dresden's smart mouth. 

 

 

 

movie adaptations of your favorite books

I didn't watch the Oscars yesterday evening; I spent most of the time putting together this week's coursework for a class I'm teaching at MSU. I did, however, follow along via comments on Twitter.

I've been quite interested in just how many of the Best Picture nominees this year are adapted from books. I'll admit, I haven't seen any of them. Hugo is on my list (and the girls are both excited about it as well), particularly as I think that The Invention of Hugo Cabret (and author Brian Selznick) is one of the most gloriously written/illustrated books I've ever read. Can I tell you another secret? I still haven't seen The Help either, though it's a novel that I just loved. See, that happens a lot. A novel that I love will get made into a movie, and then I'm so scared to see the movie because I'm afraid it will end up ruining the book for me. I've heard wonderful things about the movie, but I don't know -- something about it just makes me wary. I think it is because all the trailers make it look so funny and lighthearted, and that's not what I took from the novel at all. (Two of my most favorite books of all time, The Time-Traveler's Wife and Possession have both been made into movies that I've never seen, and I'll probably never work up the nerve to see them, to tell the truth.)

There are a significant number of books being adapted for the big screen this year; while I don't watch a lot of movies (I always have PLANS to watch them but I just never get around to it -- maybe I should change that?), I am looking forward to several of these.

Of course, Cass and I are excited about The Hunger Games. I think Collins' book will make for a great adaptation, like several other YA series: the Harry Potter books and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief both come to mind. Speaking of those two movies, their stars Emma Watson and Logan Lerman (who I think is just TOO CUTE) are starring in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is one of my most favorite YA novels. I think this one has so much potential, especially since Chbosky wrote the screenplay and was actively involved in the entire process.

I'm excited for The Hobbit, of course; I think LOTR was phenomenally done. There's a remake of The Great Gatsby hitting theaters at the end of year. This has always been one of my favorite books to teach, so I'm interested to see how this will stack up against Redford's Gatsby. Baz Luhrmann is directing, so it has the potential to be a hot mess, but I think most of the casting is just stellar (I'm still on the fence about Tobey McGuire, and I think I might have preferred Michelle Williams as Daisy, rather than Carey Mulligan). 

Another one I'm interested to see is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. That book has been at the top of my to-read list for ages; I'm heading to the library later this week, in fact, to finally make a point of finding it and reading it. Life of Pi is also being adapted; I enjoyed the book, but I'm just not sure I'm interested enough in seeing a movie adaptation, especially one that will be in 3D (I HATE 3D movies!)

One of the releases I'm actually most excited about is The Secret World of Arrietty, based on The Borrowers by Mary Norton, which I ADORED as a young girl. (I am currently convincing Cami that she needs to read these books, and since she wants to see the movie, she knows that she needs to read the book soon). The minute we saw the trailer, we knew it had to be a Studio Ghibli film, and we were thrilled to see that Miyazaki did the screenplay. We've seen every Miyazaki film we can get our hands on (I'm waiting for the day when I can find a collection of EVERYTHING he's done); we particularly love My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Howl's Moving Castle.

What about you? What are your thoughts on movie adaptions of your favorite books? What books have been adapted well, in your opinion? What adaptations have been terrible? Are there any books-turned-movie that you are excited to see this year?

new releases: chalkboard fun for any project!

Here are a couple of new releases from me, including another Dollar Deal product. All new releases are 30% today only, and the Dollar Deal products will only stay that way until the end of February -- then they revert back to regular price, so grab them while you can!

 

10 on Tuesday: the 2012 books I'm looking forward to

It doesn't matter that my to-read list at Goodreads has 444 books on it; it doesn't matter that I literally have a bookcase at home that's completely full of books I haven't read yet; it doesn't matter that I just went to both the public libraries to which I have access and checked out a stack of books from each. None of those things matter, because when the following 10 books are released this year, I will pick them up as soon as possible! Some of these are books that I've been waiting on for quite some time. Others are from authors whom I've just discovered -- and isn't that a nice feeling, to know that your newest author crush is quite prolific, rather than being someone you have to wait years to get another novel from (hello, Patrick Rothfuss!)

1. The Woman Who Married a Cloud: Collected Stories by Johnathan Carroll (June 2012)
This is probably the release I'm most excited about this year, for several reasons. One, it feels like it has been FOREVER since Carroll released something new. Two, this is a signed limited edition, and I was lucky enough to place a preorder in time. It will take a place of honor among my other signed books (I'm beginning to amass quite a collection, which makes me all goopy-happy). 

2. Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers (March 13 2012)
Tim Powers is another novelist that I adore; every time I go to the bookstore, I make sure to check the section where his books are, in case he released something and I wasn't aware of it. This novel is a follow-up, though not necessarily a sequel, to The Stress of Her Regard, and I'm really looking forward to immersing myself in the product of his imagination, intelligence, and sheer genius.

3. Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore (May 1 2012)
I can't wait to step back into the world of The Seven Kingdoms; Cashore's writing is a real treat, and I love that these books really feel like intelligent fantasy written FOR women. 

4. The Diviners by Libba Bray (November 6 2012)
Libba Bray makes my list of the best YA authors of all time; she's intelligent, screamingly funny, sarcastic, observant, talented. Her range is astounding, and I'm looking forward to getting into some well-written historical fiction with a supernatural slant again.

5. Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (July 10 2012)
I thought this first book in this series was a great combination of a number of different subgenres that I enjoy: novels featuring academic research, time travel, paranormal. Wrap all that up in one package and it definitely appeals to me. I'm excited to see what some of my favorite historical characters will look like in Harkness's able hands.

6. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Cathrynne M. Valente (April ?? 2012)
I am not positive that the sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making will actually be released in April -- nothing seems as set in stone as these other releases are. However, this book definitely makes this list, because I have a massive crush on the first book and cannot wait to continue September's story.

7. The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King (April 24 2012)
The Dark Tower has always been one of my favorite book series, and when I thought that Stephen King might not live to finish the series, I was so distraught. I'm thrilled to see that he's revisiting Mid-world again.

8. The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan (September 11 2012)
This novel has already been released in Australia and (perhaps?) the UK, under the name Sea Hearts. I don't think I've ever come across an author whose work can move me like Lanagan -- her work is powerful, gut-wrenching, and hard to stomach, but it's also illuminating, lyrical, and eerily beautiful.

9. Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak (September 2012)
This is another book where the publication information is sketchy, but I'm hoping that the latest info I've seen is accurate. Zusak is another go-to YA author for me, and I wish he had a more extensive body of work, because it's hard to wait three or four years between books. 

10. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (September 18 2012)
Another great new series in the works from Maggie Stiefvater. She's got loads of talent, and she writes the kind of fantasy that I love to read, so really, it's a match made in heaven.  

 In putting together this list, I came across lots of series that will be continuing with new releases this year. Come back next week for a glimpse at some of the YA and mid-grades series that I'm most excited about continuing this year.

 

new releases

I've got three new products available in the shop today; make sure you check them out, as they're discounted 30% today only!

Jennifer shared a layout with one of the Take 12 templates; these really are so simple to use for the project.

I scrapped our December trip to The Parthenon in Nashville with my 2012: The Monthly template. It's a great way to scrap a photo a day, but it also gives you the flexibility of scrapping large events, like trips or family gatherings.

(Note: Jen's layout uses my collab with Karla Dudley, A Life Recorded; my layout features items from my Currently kit.)

celebrating february

February is one of my favorite months at Design House Digital, because that's when we have our Daily Dollar Deals: every day, several brand new kits are released in the shop and for the entire month of February, they're only $1.00 each. Right now, I've got three Dollar Deal products available:

If you haven't grabbed any (or all) of these products yet, make sure you grab them before February is over, because once March blows in, they'll revert back to the original pricing! $1.00 is too good a deal to let pass you by!

Did you remember to take your 12 photos on February 12th for the Ella Publishing Co. Take 12 Scrapbook Challenge? I didn't focus on any particular theme this time around -- I just snapped what caught my eye. But when I sat down to upload the photos I'd taken to the Take 12 Flickr pool, I realized that almost every single one represented something that our family loves, in one way or another (heck, what woman doesn't love a photo of her husband vacuuming the floors, right?) How fitting for February!

If you're still looking for a way to scrap your Take 12 photos, I've got some products in my shop that make putting together coordinating pages really simple: the 2012 digital kit and the 2012 Photo Templates Vol.1 and Vol.2. Here's a look at the digital kit, as well as a peek at a new template (part of a set of 4) that will be releasing on Thursday.

I've been shooting all of my #Take12 photos with my iPhone 4s camera and then editing/sharing them in Instagram. I really LOVE the Lo-fi filter and use it on almost all of my photos.

DESIGN TIP: That sketchy/stampy black border is my favorite. It works great for scrapbooking these photos too, because you can easily erase the white edges, leaving you with just the stamped border, like I did in the layout above.

 

a new take on Take12

Are you gearing up for the February edition of Ella Publishing's Take 12 Scrapbooking Challenge? Your reminder email should arrive today (unless you haven't registered for it -- but it's not too late to do so!)

Challenge recap: It's simple. On the 12th of each month, take 12 photos during the course of your day. Use your fancy camera, your phone camera, whatever is handy. Hand your camera off to your husband, your daughter, your son, your best friend -- the more, the merrier! Of course, you aren't limited to just taking your photos on the 12th. If another day works for you, then go for it. Or use the concept as a way to summarize your entire month by pulling together 12 photos at the end of February. And don't worry if you are just getting started -- this is a project that is infinitely flexible! In fact, that flexibility is helped inspire my $Dollar Deal$ product at Design House Digital today.

These quickpages and templates use my Currently papers and elements and are perfect for layouts featuring 12 photos. The quickpages are simple to use -- just drop your photos in and print. Or you can add your own papers and elements to the template to truly personalize your layout just the way you want it. (Might I suggest using items from my 2012 product line: Lifeblocks, Photo Templates Vol 1, Photo Templates Vol 2, Digital Kit) Did I mention these templates/quickpages are just $1.00 through the whole month of February?

These quickpages and templates also offer you another way to make the Take 12 Scrapbooking Challenge work for you. I'm always looking for ways to get my family more involved in my memorykeeping process. My oldest daughter has discovered Instagram and has been participating in a PhotoADay Challenge through the site. (Can I just add that I LOVE seeing her pictures each time she uploads them?) Since she's always got her camera phone with her, I asked her to document a regular day for me; to help her out, I gave her a list of verbs to use to help provide her with some photo ideas -- things like "wearing," "eating," "craving," "listening to," etc. I combined her photos with one of my quickpages for a snapshot of Cass at 15 that I simply adore looking at. 

NOTE: This particular quickpage in the kit is an 8.5x11 page. I turned it into a 12x12 page by simply placing the quickpage on top of a 12x12 sheet of digital paper, which I personalized a bit more by digitally coloring the 1's and 5's to represent her age. 

Remember, if you're participating in the Take 12 scrapbooking challenge, we've got a Flickr group where you can upload your photos. We're also using the hashtag #Take12 on social media sites. Don't forget to stop by the blog and check in -- each month you'll have a chance to win some great prizes too!

new release: currently

For some reason, I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water this week. My to-do list is not overwhelmingly long (which is to say it's LONG, but not go-to-bed-and-ignore-it-so-that-maybe-it'll-go-away long), but I just don't feel like I'm really on top of things right now. I've got a cold -- why is it that colds never take their time showing up, so that you can kinda prepare for the fact that you're going to be sick? Instead it's just one day you're fine, and the next day you're sick as a dog. Or at least, that's the way things seem to work with me. 

One of the things that I've actually managed to complete this week has been a new kit for my shop. This kit combines a more masculine color palette with a worn texture and some graphic patterns, as well as lots of stitching, stamping, and painting. It's a little bit messy and text-y and perfect for scrapping your right now. It's called Currently, and the papers and elements are available separately. 

Here are a couple of sample layouts; the first two are from a couple of our DHD Decorators, Anna and Jennifer, and the third one is a glimpse of a product that I'll be releasing on Saturday as part of February's Dollar Deals promotion. I'll be posting more about that on Saturday, along with a fun new take on the Take12 scrapbooking challenge I'm participating in at Ella Publishing (are you playing too?)