Weekend Project: Geocaching

I came across this great little article that explains, in simple terms, the wonderful hobby of geocaching. My hubby & I have been geocaching for a few years now, and it is so much fun! I take my camera & get some awesome photos, and we get to see places we might not otherwise visit. We also get out of the house and get some exercise, too! :D

Weekend Project: Geocaching
Author: Kit Kemper
Posted using ShareThis

This weekend’s project is a bit outside the norm, but in many ways, that is the point. It is intended to get you off the beaten path and to explore some parts of your neighborhood or city that you might not be all that familiar with.

If you don’t know about geocaching, it is most easily explained as a geek scavenger hunt. It revolves around “caches,” which are hidden treasures that have been placed by other geocachers. The goal is to uncover a cache using a Global Positioning System or GPS (you can even use your iPhone) based on clues and geographical data that can be found online at geocaching.com. Once you locate the cache, you sign a logbook as evidence of your discovery, and either swap some loot or find additional information about another cache. There are variations on the theme such as serial caches, where one leads to another, and another type that feature puzzles.

The number of global caches is astounding. A quick search of my neighborhood shows 19 within a radius of a few blocks.

As with any scavenger hunt, the bulk of the reward is in the search. I set out a few weeks ago with a few neighbors and my camera. I discovered a number of hidden areas in Indianapolis, and got some great photos.

If you are looking to mix up your photography, explore your neighborhood, or just need a fun new family-friendly activity, you should give geocaching a try.

My Sad Pictures… in a Scrap

Yesterday I had to watch as Nature took its course, and a poor mama deer had to stumble through what seemed to me a very long day. I had to keep reminding myself that these are animals, not humans, and so not to project too much human emotion onto it, and yet I am a mama and so I just cannot help but empathize.

Click picture to see larger on PGD.

Credits: Papers & elements from my Herbal Garden kit at PGD
Fonts: Another Typewriter, Pea Charmaine

Special Blog Train Coming! (My FIRST!) :D

That’s right! A blog train is heading to town next week, and I have created an adorable kit to be included in a mega collab kit that you can receive for free just for taking part! This is a unique blog train, in that you will be doing a bit of a scavenger hunt!!

Here are the details:

And here’s a peek at my part of the mega collab:

(I had so much fun doodling these stickers!)

I’ve seen previews of some of the other contributions to the mega collab, and they are adorable! So hop on over to DigiTownSquare and sign up for the July Carnival!

[It isn’t at all necessary, but since I have already been asked once for my DTS username to use as a referral when joining DTS, thought I’d share it here: CariCreates. :D ]

Some Great Scrapped Pages by PGD’s CT

The gals on the creative team over at PGD have made some beautiful pages using my new kits, so I just have to share a few of them here!

(Click the previews to see them larger & with credits.)

by Whit

by Lor

by Laura

And just for fun, here’s a page I made with my Herbal Garden kit:

  

Don’t forget, my debut kits will be 30% off through July 2nd! :D

Looks Who’s Designing Now!!

The big day is finally here!! If you have caught all the hints I’ve been throwing around, you might have realized I have been holding back some really big news…

I am now officially selling my digital scrapbooking designs at Pixel Gypsy Designs!

I am so excited to announce that my designs are now exclusively available at PixelGypsyDesigns.com. After getting to know the wonderful folks at PGD for the past several months, and seeing their top-notch customer service with their super-friendly community, I have had no doubt that I wanted PGD to be the place I sell my designs. And now that day is here! Woohoo!

(Click the poster for a larger version)

My first two kits are now available at PGD:

Herbal Garden

 

Knoticals

 

 

 

All my designs are high-quality, 300ppi images.

And now for the extra special part! With each kit I release at PGD, I will be offering a coordinating, layered deluxe tag for *free* here on my blog! To kick things off, here are the deluxe tags for my two debut kits:

Herbal Garden pw: HGtag89

Knoticals pw: KNtag1114

*Please remember to send your friends here, to my blog, if you think they’d like these tags. A password is required for each tag download – it is located directly under the tag above. Enjoy!

I have one more wonderful thing to tell you before I wrap up this looong post…

To celebrate my debut at PGD, I am offering a full week of 30% off all my debut products!

Visit my PGD store!

Best Digi Deal in Town

It's Wednesday again, which means the best digi deal in town is happening at PGD! :D

Wednesday Indulgence

My Backyard

I am so blessed to live where I do in the woods of North Idaho, I get to see gorgeous views and wildlife every single day. It never stops amazing me. On Saturday, I was watching one of our local wild turkeys stroll through the backyard when I got all excited because I saw she had two young babies with her – one of them jumped up on the backstop for our horseshoe pits (1st photo below)! I got my camera, started snapping, and in the background I see a beautiful white-tailed deer stroll through! Is my backyard just amazing or what?? :D

Cinnamon-y Carnations :)

These beautiful mini carnations surprised me at the garden store - as I walked by the shelves full of them I was amazed to smell... cinnamon red hots! :D Yep! These bright pink and red little beauties smell powerfully like cinnamon candies. So I brought one home and planted it right next to the porch where my old wooden chair is that I like to sit on every morning!

On another note, I have some *very* exciting news to share this week... I can hardly wait! Yet, wait I shall... watch my blog for some fantastic news that will be of definite interest to you digi-scrappers. I should have the news posted here (& there, & everywhere :D) by Wednesday, I think.

Toodles! Enjoy your day!

Half Off Sherrie's Awesome Digi Products!

Have to let all you digi-scrappers know that today through Sunday you can get 50% off *all* of Sherrie Piegdon's products at PixelGypsyDesigns.com! She's even including her Commercial Use (CU) products in the sale - wow! Sherrie has some of the best digi designs I've seen - I own sooo many of her kits - so don't miss this chance to stock up on the good stuff!

Happy shopping! :D

PixelGypsyDesigns.com

 

Oh! I just can't forget to invite you all to join us tonight for a *fun fun fun* Word Artistry Crop in the chatroom at PGD. Sherrie does one of these the third Thursday of every month, and they are always *such* a great time! Show up tonight and you get a beautiful wordart for free. Make a layout with it & share it on PGD by Saturday and you will get this Word Artistry - Summer Pack as a free bonus!

My Happy Place

Do you have a happy place? A place where you can go, and sit, and forget about your worries and troubles for a little while? I guess I really would have to say that I have more than one happy place. One of my favorites is my little pond and garden area behind my house. Just sitting on the bench, watching the fountain and watching the birds come and go and bathe in the cascading pools, listening to their songs and the delightful sound of the fountain and mini waterfall. It melts away my cares and lets me focus on the blessings in my life. I love it there.

(Wild tigerlilies in bloom all over Moose Trail Acres. Specifically, this is the Columbia Lily wildflower.)

Here's hoping each of you has a happy place to go to, and goes there often! :D

Like to Vote? Like Beautiful Scrap Pages?

There's still time to vote in the Pixel Gypsy Elite Scrapper of the Year contest, so if you haven't done it yet, please give it a try! *ANYONE* can vote, not just members of PGD, so if you want to see some of the best layout artists out there, check it out. Each of the nominees has 10 of their best layouts displayed so you can rate each artist according to a nice selection of their work. It's really easy, and quick, too. When I voted, I was amazed at the gorgeous variety of pages, and was very much inspired by them!

VOTE for the Pixel Gypsy Elite Scrapper of the Year

MTA Quick Pic!

Just a quick photo taken here on Moose Trail Acres this beautiful morning! This is what the gorgeous blooms along my front walkway look like - gorgeous!

Want Some Great Digi For Cheap?

Just a quick heads up on some awesome deals on digi stuff at PixelGypsyDesigns.com today:

First, it's Fantabulous Friday... that means you get 30% off all newly released products today! (Check out Ami Collofello's Sweet Tweats Mini Kit!) AND, through Saturday, Abish Allen has her entire PGD store on sale at 75% off! Zow!

Have fun shopping, and then use some of your great new stash to join in my scraplift challenge! ;D

My Very First Scrap Challenge!!

I am SO excited to be presenting my very first scrap challenge today! As a Gypsy Girl team member over on PixelGypsyDesigns.com, I have just posted today's challenge: a scraplift of a wonderful page featuring a memory board.  I have always loved "real" memory boards - usually with fabric attached to a padded board and criss-crossed ribbons or ricrac attached with heavy upholstery tacks - then filled with photos, notes, and other ephemera that hold some special meaning. Then I saw a beautiful layout shared by Christine aka supertwinkle on PGD, and I knew I wanted to try creating my own memory board page. Now that I have, I'm challenging everyone to give it a try!

Challenges at PGD are fun & it's easy to join in - plus you earn points toward discounts and gift certificates for PGD products! I hope you'll join in and give my challenge a try - just head on over to PGD: My Scraplift Challenge post

Here is my memory board page:

[click layout to see larger]

Credits:
From PixelGypsyDesigns.com:
Staples & flowers by Sherrie Piegdon from Fantastical
Butterly & gingham ribbon by Sherrie Piegdon from Candy's Fairy Dreams
Brads, foliage, & lace by Abish Allen from My Garden
Tag, bookplate, button, & alpha by Sherrie Piegdon from Urban Edge
Chain hanger & frame by Sherrie Piegdon from Debbie's Camp Hilaka
Paper, flower by Sherrie Piegdon from Effervescent
String hanger by Sherrie Piegdon from {Into The}Twilight
Denim heart & daisy by Sherrie Piegdon from Denim'n'Daisies
Label by Ami Collofello from Table Scraps
Starfish & fish stamps by Sherrie Piegdon from Christine's Seaside Escape
Ribbon by Abish Allen from Springster
Paper by Sherrie Piegdon from Corrugated Autumn
String by Alicia Murphy from Washed Away
Paper by Tami Miller from Spice of Life

Wire Corner by Snowsmoon Designs at snowsmoon.blogspot.com
Adventure wordart by Inspired Mommie Designs at ...
Always stone & Chinese fortune by *me*
Fonts: Pea Mystie Unicase, Pea Jenny Script

A Special Memorial Page

I created this special page using a photo that I took at my brother, Jesse's, wedding last year of my son Justin. He was holding my dad's cowboy hat - one you rarely saw my dad without and one that we placed on a chair by Mom at Jesse's wedding. Having that hat there was so much more emotional than I had expected. I broke down crying when I photographed it there on the chair. We had lost Dad just 8 months before, and that moment at the wedding was so very poignant for our family.

Credits:
All items at PixelGypsyDesigns.com
Papers by Sherrie Piegdon from {Into The} Twilight
Clouds by Shawn Headley from Got Clouds?

Buttons by Elise Hansen from Cowboy Cool

Fonts: Pea Jordan, CK Academia

A Darling Wednesday :)

Oh, it is time for PGD's Wednesday Indulgence again - and I must confess the wonderful kits they've bundled today are some I had somehow never seen! The Darling Paper Pack & Darling Element Pack are in shades of pink with a bit of browns and some diamond bling! And as always on Wednesday Indulgence deals, you get both for just $2!

I will try to be back later today to post some photos and also some layouts I've recently created. So watch for more to come! :D

PGD Challenges Reloaded!

I think you all know that I love love love the challenges over at PixelGypsyDesigns.com. Well, PGD has revamped our challenge system and the new format is awesome! Here's a little poster with the basics: (gee, who created that beautiful poster?? Hmmm... lol)

Get the details here: Gypsy Challenges