Freebies

Just a few freebies I saw today.

Vintage cards @ Far Far Hill.
Four mini samplers @ Little Dreamer Design's Blog.
Template @ SSD's Blog.
"One in a Million" Wordart @ Word Art World.

I am taking the kids to Hurricane Harbor early so I am out!
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Freebies

Toot! Prince in the City Gallery Standouts

Toot! Toot!

2 of the 3 pages I posted with the Prince in the City kit by Lorie Davison have been chosen as Gallery Standouts at Digishoptalk. 9426

Toot! Prince in the City Gallery Standouts

The Band/Prince of the City

Wow, I can't believe that this is the 3rd page I've done in the last 24 hours! I wanted to do some traditional pages, but it's not happening. This is what is coming to me at the moment so I am just going with the flow. I can't get enough of the grungy, distressed, cross-processed look of these pages.

I used Lorie Davison's Prince in the City
http://shop.scrapbookgraphics.com/Prince-In-The-City-With-Everything-In-It.html

The Band/Prince of the City

Alex/Prince in the City

This is my 2nd page for my uncle's anniversary album.
I used Prince in the City by Lorie Davison @ SBG.
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Alex/Prince in the City

Phat Beats/Prince in the Ctiy

In early June, I attended my uncle's wedding anniversary celebration. My uncle's wife's grandson has a band, and played their very first public gig. :) This is one of the pages for the album and my first scrapbook page in almost 2 months.

I used Lorie Davison's Prince in the City @ SBG. 9414

Phat Beats/Prince in the Ctiy

Fabulous Freebies Friday

Hello,
I just returned from Hurricane Harbor. It's been a long, hot day and I kind of feel like scrapping. It's been many, many weeks since I had the desire to scrap. Enjoy!

The Funky Playground designers are having a STAYCATION Blog Train. Click on their names, which are linked to their blogs, for a fabulous freebie.

4 shades of Blue
Jen Balding
Michelle Batton
Jaclyn Bernardo
Amanda Carlson
Charlize Creations
Daybreak Scraps
Donna Duncombe
Jennilyn Designs
Fe Marini Designs
Misty O’Brien Designs
Recherche by KH Designs
Ruby Lane
Shanmomto4 Designs
Siamese Studio
Sir Scrapalot

Digital Scrap Cafe is having a qp beach-themed blog train, too. As you know, beach kits are my faves!
If you are short on time, these cute bragbook/qp are just then thing for you.

The ScrappingCop has a fabulous retro viewmaster retro template. I remember vividly playing them them. :) Gosh, I am dating myself!

Sarah Henderson has a qp over at the Shutterfly blog.

Template at Linday Jane Designs.

Kjersti has an Autumn-themed mini kit and quickpage.

Mystique has a brand new kit out. She is giving away a free quick page and a blog template, which was made with said kit.

Bella Gypsy has a super cute beach-themed frame. :) 9393

Fabulous Freebies Friday

Stampington Co. Needs Your Help!

Stampington and Company's art department needs help selecting the cover for their Autumn 2010 issue of Somerset Digital Studio, in which I will have 3 of my pages published! Woohoo!

You have until July 16 to CAST YOUR VOTE.
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Stampington Co. Needs Your Help!

I Won! And You Can, Too

If you'd like to enter, read the instructions!


July 2010 Mega Kit @ Inspiration-Lane.com
http://www.inspiration-lane.com/boutique/product.php?productid=20563

I never enter giveaways, but when I saw Jen Yurko's blog post titled "Wish for It Wednesday" for a chance to win a kit of one's choosing, I decided to enter. Imagine my surprise when I got home this afternoon and found download links to the kit of my choice! Now to find time to scrap our daily trips to the theme park, playground, etc. Thank you very much for your kindness, Jenn. It is very much appreciated. 9373

I Won! And You Can, Too

Hot, Hazy, Humid Day Fun

Monarch Butterfly

Dragonfly

Verbascum thapsus - Common Mullein, Great Mullein.
Tall plant with woolly leaves diminishing in size as they alternately rise up the sturdy stem-stalk, which is terminated by a tight cluster of showy yellow flowers.



At first I thought that the orange near the bee was pollen, but as it turned out, it was pollen that it had collected and stored.


check out the bee's legs. Both of its legs were filled with pollen, yet it continued to collect pollen.

Kaylie and Liam showing off their frogs.

Close up of Liam's frog.

Liam trying to prevent the frogs from hopping off of the table. They did not harm the frogs, which were promptly returned to the pond.

Kaylie and Liam at a table admiring their frogs. :) Can you believe that the girl actually chased and grabbed the frog?

Tiny bullfrog.

The kids were delighted that they spotted a tiny bullfrog on the road by the side of the pond. Considering that Liam did not want to come to the park, and I had to force him to come, he seemed pretty happy to chase after the tiny frog. I kid you not when I tell you that the frog was tiny - it was about 2 inches long.












What do you do with 2 kids on a hot, hazy and humid day? If you are me, take them to the park, of course!

Liam didn't really want to go to the Hainesport park this morning, but he had to go anyway. I usually bring his bike, but he didn't want to ride his bike, or scooter. Kaylie, on the other hand, decided that she wanted to ride the scooter. Kaylie rode the scooter when she got to the park, and then Liam decided that he wanted to ride the scooter. However, he didn't bring his helmet so he got stuck wearing Kay's purple helmet. :) They took turns walking and riding the scooter. After I walked around the park, the kids headed towards the playground for a bit of fun. Gosh, it was so hot and humid that after a little while, I told them we had to go home.

On our way home, we drove by Long Bridge Park and I couldn't pass by it without visiting it. I was hot as heck, but I forced myself to go for a small nature walk. I love Long Bridge because it has a trail that meanders around the lake, has a pond and there's always lots of birds and flowers. The kids like it because it has a playground and they can climb rocks.

We went for a little nature walk where we spotted lots of Cardinals, Robins, 2 types of dragonflies, bees and flowers. On our way back to the playground, I spotted a tiny frog hopping along the road, which I promptly pointed out to the kids. They rushed to see the tiny frog and made a joint effort to capture it. Liam was very gentle and managed to grab it. Kaylie spotted another tiny frog and quickly went after it and claimed it. We sat at a picnic table for a bit to admire the little bullfrogs and took a few pictures. We then went to the pond where the frogs were serenading each other and returned them to their families. :) We then proceeded to the playground where the kids climbed the rocks and swung on the swings. Despite the fact that it was really hot and humid, they managed to have fun and actually enjoyed themselves.

As for myself, I was hot and bothered, but very happy to have been there to see them having fun regardless of the the weather. That, my friend, is my reward.

Enjoy the photos! Hugs, Kait

Hot, Hazy, Humid Day Fun

Diary Excerpts: From the Cat & the Dog

This is too funny. Just perfect for all the pet lovers out there. :)

Diary Excerpts: From the Cat & the Dog

Diary Excerpts: From the Cat & the Dog

The Weather, an Extractor and a Book Maker

Good Morning! Kait here with a weather report.

Yesterday, after many weeks of scorching heat and high humidity, we got a good amount of rain. The copious rain came suddenly and some areas in our county got flash floods. As always, the ground cooled off, but the heat emanating from the ground made the air hot and humid again. Overnight we got torrential rains that made the temperature drop to a reasonable and more palatable 75 degrees. The sky is overcast and it appears as though we will be getting more rain throughout the day. In the meantime, I am off to the park to get a bit of exercise and to get the kids to burn off excess energy before they drive me to drink. ;0) But before I go, I thought I would share some things with you.

While at the Barnes and Nobles website, I noticed that they had an ad for a website where you could make your own book. It is a pre-designed book that you can customize to your liking. They have several titles that are very cute and peaked my interest. I especially liked the setup of the blurb/commentary and design composition. It gave me ideas for my own scrapbook pages and creating my own book. The website is called: Tikatok.

If you are looking for a free compression utility, give UNIVERSAL EXTRACTOR serious consideration. It can extract files from more than 50 different formats.

Unsharp Mask tutorial @ HawtMamaTeamBlog.

Last, but not least, Jenn from Scrapper's Workshop, has a good overview about the healing tools in photoshop. It will definitely help you get rid of ghastly pimples, age spots and wrinkles! (unfortunately, it only applies to your photos! :) CHECK IT OUT.

I must leave you now. Take care wherever you are.
Hugs, Kait 9354

The Weather, an Extractor and a Book Maker

Lorie Davison's Monsters Kit

I just saw this preview of Lorie's upcoming Monster in the Bedroom collection over at her blog. Isn't it fabulous? The woman is seriously talented. I wish I could sit with her to watch her work. I'd kill to have her kind of talent. But alas, it wasn't meant to be. I'll just have to live vicariously through her. 9338

Lorie Davison's Monsters Kit

From My Lens

Echinacia purpurea - Coneflowers (from my front yard)

We recently bought Coneflowers for our garden and have been delighted by sightings of big and small butterflies.



I love to see the farmer/field workers out in the field with their farming equipment. It makes me happy to see the once barren land come alive. This is one of the reasons why me moved to our county 20 years ago. Sadly, this is a dwindling way of life around here.

Sometimes I feel like somebody is watching me. (Sung to the tune by the same name by Rockwell and Michael Jackson.) (Click to view clip.)

Eastern Grey Squirrel. He is a daily visitor to our backyard. We've placed two water dishes out for the backyard wildlife since everything is so dry and barren here.

Hello from rainy New Jersey! We are finally getting a reprieve from the hot weather. Dancing raindrops are sliding on the roof of the house. It brings back childhood memories of my siblings and I playing in the rain. 9332

From My Lens

A Leisure Walk

Tiny dragonfly resting on a leaf at the lake.


Hello Sunshine!

Yes, this is Liam in front of the base of the fallen tree. I tell you the root/base was enormous....Just look at how little Liam looks!

We encountered this humongous fallen tree during our walk. The exposed roots were a neat sight!



Mimosa tree/Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

After dinner, DH, the kids and I went out for a walk at our beloved Smithville Lake/Smithville Park.The temperature was cooler which helped a lot in motivating us to get out there and get some exercise.

When we got to the lake, we were greeted by the beautiful sight of a Mimosa tree in full bloom, and an equally beautiful resident, a Papilio glaucus, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

As usual, Daddy and the kids forged on ahead, while I lingered behind to examine the local fauna and flora.

While the temperature was cooler, the humidity in the air was more tangible with each and every step we took. The flies and gnats were out in force and flew into one's face, which Liam despises. He was hot and bothered, and the darn flies and gnats were "out to get him." :)

My most favorite part of the walk, besides being out as a family, was when we exited the canopy of trees and walked into a sunlit clearing. I loved the play of shadows and light shown in the photo of Kay and Daddy exiting the canopy and of Kaylie running to meet the sunlight. In all, we walked about 1 1/2 miles.

I have to go clean the house now, before the kids wake up. Have a great day wherever you are. Kait 9302

A Leisure Walk

Odessa Klezmer Band

Ed Goldberg

Jay Dubin

Joel Pecchioli

John Lesniak

Joel Pecchioli

Dennis Ionata


Barbara Goldberg









John Lesniak


Barbara playing a Middle Eastern drum called a darbuqua.

Last night, Daddy and Kay went to visit grandma in Trenton, while Liam and I planned our "Mommy and Me" time.

Liam and I made plans to attend the live music performance by the Odessa Klezmer Band at the Burlington County Library. We were first introduced to them 2 summers ago and loved them. (Click here to see the June 28, 2008 concert photos.)

The presentation was schedule to start at 7:00 p.m., but we arrived at 6:15 to enable us to get good seats. While there was already a crowd forming, Liam and I were able to score front-row seats! Woohoo! I recall that last time we attended, we arrived at 7:00 p.m, but the library was jammed-packed. The only seats we found were all the way in the back and the kids couldn't see the musicians. We ended up sitting in the floor, by a tree, which was uncomfortable, but gave us a better view of the performance.

Last night's presentation was outstanding. Each and every musical piece was better than the next, and had me foot-dancing and toe-tapping. Liam enjoyed the lively, exotic sounds and was totally engrossed in the experience.

Anyone that knows Liam knows that Liam has a short attention span and can't sit still for long periods of time; but I have to tell you that he sat quietly (without squirming) for the entire performance. As a side note, I have to add that during the 2008 concert, Dennis played the flugel horn, which Liam adored. As a result, he wants to learn to play the flugel horn, trumpet and clarinet. Had it not been for this free performance at the library, I don't believe that Liam would have been introduced to this wonderful music genre. I do have recordings by the Klezmatics, the Barry Sisters and also listen to the Klezmer station on AOL, but somehow the experience is different when experienced live.

But I digress, I must say that all of the musicians are at the top of their game. They played cohesively and stayed on-cue while still allowing Ed to improvise at will. A mere look at their faces and at their body language would tell you that they totally love what they are doing and are truly happy to share their joy with the audience. The audience, in return, hung to each note and word, and gave them their undivided attention.

I especially loved the performance by the clarinet player, JAY DUBIN, who attends the Cleveland Institute of Music. (Wishing you much success, Jay!) He not only played the music, but was immersed and driven by it. Liam was mesmerized by him and asked me how come he kept "dancing" around. I told him, "that my son, is the love of music."

During intermission, I approached Dennis, and had a nice chat. We were then joined by John, and both graciously agreed to pose for several photos. Dennis even let Liam hold his trumpet! (These are the only posed photos of the bunch!)

Anyway, the 2 hour performance went by like a quick blur. We thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend them. I hope that they return for a concert at the library next year! I am crossing my fingers... :)

If you'd like to learn more about the Odessa Klezmer Band, or want to book them for a private performance, check them out HERE.
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Odessa Klezmer Band