A Long Rest is Just What I've Needed

Well, I decided that retiring from designing is NOT the answer, and I'm currently looking for a new store at which to sell my designs. I'm not sure where exactly I'll end up, but when I do come back I'll have some fresh new designs to share with you.

I've Had a Good Run...

I'm making this announcement with a little tinge of sadness and some anticipation as well. The last day that you'll be able to find my designs for sale at Digitals will be Thursday, May 31. Until then, all of my products are on sale for 50% off. After that time, they will no longer be for sale anywhere. So if there is something that you've been planning to get, you'd better get it while you can. I do not currently have plans to sell at another store, but that may change in the future. For the present, I am discontinuing with design (except for my own personal use), and will be changing roles at Digitals. I'll be joining the CT there effective June 1st. For the forseeable future I'll be sharing my layouts on here, and I may even share the ocassional freebie, so be sure to check back.

Sneak Peek

The sneak peek is running a little late this week, but I don't think you'll be sorry that you had to wait. It's almost time for the May C.A.K.E. (Create a Kit Event) at Digitals again. We'll be releasing our new C.A.K.E. offerings on Saturday, but I thought I'd offer you all a sneak peek. I was really inspired by the colors this month, and made a set of pattern papers, solid papers, an alphabet, and a set of elements. The solid papers feature a texture with a small amount of grunge and are in great shades of blues, white, and greens.

The pattern papers feature some of my new favorite patterns like the herringbone print, as well as some of my old favorites like a madras-style plaid, a design that wouldn't be out of place on a pair of board shorts, and the classic argyle pattern. These papers have the same grunge effect as the solid papers so that they coordinate perfectly.

 
 
 
 

Next up is the element pack. I've included twig frames in two sizes, a cheerful yellow dandelion, a dandelion puff that's just waiting to be wished over, a dandelion on it's stem, a sunny daisy, 2 paper frames, and a sprig of leaves. This element pack is full of fun.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Last but certainly not least is a fun polka-dotted alphabet. I love polka-dots, and I love big alphabets that really make a statement on your layout. If this is too much of a statement for you, the alphabet can easily be resized to whatever size you desire. Best of all... all of these packs are on sale this weekend at an introductory price of just $1.50 per pack!

~Katie

Tuesday Treats

Judith has been busy creating with Katie's new Fleur kit. The mix of pinks and yellows speaks of spring, of flowers and of girls. What ideas do you have for a kit with these colors?  This week's treat is a quick page that Judith created using Fleur.

                                                        download here

We'd love to see what you create with this page as a base. Lorilee

Sum it up Saturday

Can you believe that it's Saturday again already? This week has mostly flown by. I was on pins and needles most of the week waiting to find out if I'd get the job I applied for (I didn't), and trying to do schoolwork, housework, and still find time for family and scrapping. I introduced a new kit, which was inspired by my mom's love of her garden. Mother's Day is always a mixed blessing for me. I miss my mom. I'm so blessed to have my own son, Austin and be a mom myself, and I'm sad that my mom never got to experience being a grandmother.

I introduced a new kit, which was inspired by my mom's love of her garden. Mother's Day is always a mixed blessing for me. I miss my mom. I'm so blessed to have my own son, Austin and be a mom myself, and I'm sad that my mom never got to experience being a grandmother. Be sure to check out Fleur if you haven't already done so. If there's some particular theme that you'd like to see in a kit, let me know. I have a few generic kits that I'm currently working on, but love it when you offer me up some inspiration. Happy Mother's Day everyone. I hope your day is filled with family and love.

~Katie

Mother's Day Ideas

Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.

 I am preparing to honor my Mother this Sunday. I have a page in progress. The journaling is giving me difficulty. How do I condense the things my Mom has done for me to fit on one page? I think I have found the pictures I want to use. I know pictures exist of just her, more common are the ones with a grandchild on her knee or leaned in beside her.As I looked through the photos, I found more stories to tell.

Instead of a page, I should have planned a whole album!

Another way to honor Mother's is with cards. My husband would rather a card I make because I have to choose the words inside. The idea makes sense. Since he told me that, I try to make all my cards. I assume others like the hand chosen sentiments as well. Often times, I will design the front of the card on the computer and then use my hand-writting to fill the inside. It ads that extra personalisation.

I haven't started the card for Mom. I have been browsing through Katie's kits and found a few that would make nice cards. I've shown a few here. The various pink and green hues of the Shabby + Chic kit and the Fleur kit are obvious choices for Mother's Day. However, some moms just aren't that into pink. My girls would know to look for a nice red like in the Alisa kit. Whatever your Mom's preference, there is sure to be a kit that works.

How do you plan to honor your Mom this Sunday? How would you like to be honored?












Lorilee

In Celebration of...

Here in North America, we are preparing to celebrate our Mother's. My Mom introduced me to scrapbooking. She is a writer and storyteller. She has encouraged me to tell my stories as well. Many of my stories focus on my girls. I have learned much from them over the years.

This week, Stephanie has created a quick page that can be used to honor mothers or daughters. One of the things I like about this page from Stephanie is the variety of ways it can be used. She created it as a base to build upon. You can put your photos where they work for your story. Do you have a group of photos to honor a group of friends? Do you have one large photo you want to highlight? Either will work with this page.

If you like the colors in this page and want more, be sure to check out The Greatest of These is Love in the store. Find the download here or click the preview above.


Do you like the gift? Let Stephanie know in the comments. How do you plan to use this page? We'd love to see what you do with it.

Lorilee

New Release Sunday

Well it's the start of another week, and I think I'm almost ready for it. This past Friday marked the 12th annversary of my mom's loss, and I sure did miss her this year. Some years I can get by with just a wistful wish that I still had her with me, but this wasn't one of those years. I know that it's tough on my family when I miss her this badly.

I have a job interview tomorrow for a part time job with my company. The hours are good, not quite as many as I'd like, but good hours that work well with my family's schedule. Well between missing my mom and worrying (I know God is going to come through) about my job, I had time to finish a new kit that was inspired by my mom's love of her garden. I call it Fleur, and I hope you like it as much as I do.

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So what do you do when you're stressed or worried? Drop me a line and let me know. I wish you all a blessed week! Don't forget to check back on Tuesday for a new Treats on Tuesday release.

~Katie

Sum It Up - Saturday

Hey y'all - it has been one very long week, and I'm glad that the work part of it is over. I've been praying for more time to create, and it looks like God is answering my prayers. Has anyone else noticed that you may get what you pray for, but not exactly in the way that you had hoped? My "real" job is work at home telephone customer service. It's a good job, and most of the time I really enjoy it, but lately I've been wishing that I could cut my hours a bit so that I'd have more time to focus on designing. Well, I may be able to do that in the very near future. My current contract is ending unexpectedly, and the only available openings are part time. I may find myself working part time very soon.

On a brighter note, I really wanted to share a layout done by Judith this week. She used Decorator Series Shabby & Chic, and I love the layering she did down the side. You can leave her some love in the Digitals gallery by clicking on the image.



Don't forget that we still have the Tuesday Treat up until the next one comes along, so if you like it and you didn't get it yet, time is running out. I have a new Sampler up in the store. Its based on my newest kit, Fleur. You won't want to miss this Sampler, it includes a special element created by Creative Team Member, Judith Blanchard and I know you're going to love it!

Are you glad when the end of the week comes along, or do you wish there was a little more time left? Drop me a note and let me know.

~Katie

Take a Picture

I should be creating my own pages. Instead, I've been gallery surfing. There are some wonderful pages there. Today I found a page I just couldn't resist. Take a Picture Momma features a photo of sisters. I am always looking for ideas to scrap photos of sisters since I have two sisters and two daughters.

 The blocking on this page and the vibrant colors lend themselves to a variety of different types of pages. I just love the energy that bright colors give. Stephanie used Katie's Alisa kit to create this fun page.

Stephanie also used Alisa for the page Baby. This is a scraplift that uses clustering to draw the focus to the adorable photo.

What ideas can you think of to use a bright, cheery kit like Alisa? I am thinking I'd like to use it for a garden page. It would be great for kids at the playground as well. Share your ideas in the comments and we can all be inspired by each other.  We'd love to see your pages as well. Create a page inspired by either of these pages or the kit let us know in the comments so we can come by for more inspiration.



Lorilee

Treats on Tuesday

Can you believe that it's May 1st already? It's so hard to believe that winter has come and gone and we're almost halfway through the year. I used to think my Mama was not quite right in the head when she'd say how quickly time flies, but these days I know exactly what she was talking about.

I think being aware of how quickly time flies and how important it is to capture all those moments in our lives before they're gone is what makes today's freebie so important to me. The talented Yvonne made a beautiful quick page from Memories. Here's a look at the kit. You can purchase this and other Katie Mann designs, by clicking on the image.



Here's a preview of the quick page.


Download no longer available.

Yvonne and I hope that you enjoy this quick page. Be sure to leave a comment letting Yvonne know what you think!

~Katie

Introducing....

...some of the team:

Judith known as the51mom at digitals is an artist and a singer. Scrapbooking helps fill her creative urge.

I am known as lorig in the digital galleries is a storyteller. Scrapbooking is one of the means I use to tell stories. I can also be found blogging for Digitals from time to time and regularly at My Fragmented Journey. I love to learn and try new things.

Caroline is a proud grandmother. We can see from her page that family is important to her. She enjoys genealogy and combines that with her scrapbook hobby.

Stephanie lives in Washington State. She homeschools her two girls during the week and works weekends at a bounce house center. She loves reading, cooking, playing board games... Her favorite color is blue, but finds that since her girls came along she looks at pinks and purples consistently with a smile :)
Theresa is also a part of the team.
We have each used a different one of Katie's kits for our introduction pages. Do you know which kits were used? Let us know your favorite kit in the comments and your guesses on what has been used.

Lorilee

Sum it Up Saturday

I can't believe that it's finally Saturday. Better than that, it's only 7:30 on Saturday night and my homework for the rest of the week is done and turned in. I actually have a little free time for myself for a change, and I'm struggling over whether I want to go finish the 2nd book in The Hunger Games series, or play with graphics. Don't hate me, but I think reading is going to win. I'll have another sneak peek of my next kit for you for tomorrow's Sneak Peek Sunday.

You can still get the 2nd quickpage made with Austin, and I hope that you like it as much as I do!





Download here

~Katie

Another "Treat" from Austin

The fun with Austin isn't over yet. I have another quick page to share.





This download is no longer available.

Sneak Peek Sunday

Here's a sneak peek at what I'm currently working on. It will be coming out really soon.



Just a little something to look forward to. I hope you're all enjoying your Sunday. I spent most of mine in the car. We managed to get 4 of our sons, our sons' girlfriends, and our granddaughter together all in one place at one time. That was the first time that we've had the boys all together in several years, and we had a lot of fun.

~Katie

New Release and a Freebie!

It's been a bit since I released my last kit, Alice. This one took a bit longer for a good reason. This is the kit that I've named for my son, Austin. I've done kits inspired by many of my family members, but haven't done one for the person who first inspired me to scrap and then to design. My son Austin is a complex individual. He likes to read and gets good grades. He likes to cook and craft. He even likes to go shopping and watch chick flicks. He also likes to play football, fish, and hang out with his Dad and uncles. I've tried to include a wide variety of papers and elements in this kit, because he is such a diverse personality.



I loved playing with this kit while I was making it, so I put together a couple of quick pages for you. I have the first one available for download now.



This download is no longer available. Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know how you like it!

Sneak Peek Sunday

This is the last sneak peek before I release my new kit. I hope you're liking it as much as I do.



I hope everyone is having a happy Easter.

~Katie

Easter Gifts

This download is no longer available. They aren't Easter eggs, and they don't come in a basket, but I have Easter gifts just the same. I'm giving away not one, but two quick pages made with elements from Easter Parade.



Another great product using my Easter Parade kit is the Easter Parade Bracket Album. This is a great standalone item for making bracket shaped albums, but each bracket page can be used as a cluster on a full-size page.



Here's an example done by Caroline:



Feel free to click the image to leave her some love in the Digitals GalleryAnd now that you've read through all that (you did read it all, didn't you?), here are the freebies!



I hope you and your family have a blessed holiday!

~Katie

New Kitties

I've been wanting a kitty. Badly. I live in the sticks (my apologies to the sticks, because they are probably more populated than where I live.) I work from home and go to school from home. Austin is in school all day, and my husband works really long hours. Really long. To put it mildly, I get a little (okay, a LOT!) lonely.

I've been pinning pictures of kitties on Pinterest and sending the pictures to my husband in email. I've been looking at the local shelter website, and sending him links to likely looking kitties. Nothing. It was the only thing on my Christmas list. Nothing.

Yesterday, my husband started sending ME links of kitties from the local shelters, and then he sent me a phone number about someone giving away kittens. I called. I described the kitties to him in IM, and he told me to have her hold TWO of them. So now I'm the proud mama of two adorable babies. And if you don't think I'm right about them being adorable, just look for yourself.



Am I right, or am I right? That white lump is the toy lamb that I bought Austin when he was a baby. He didn't want the babies to be lonely or scared. Do you have pets? Do you scrapbook about your pets? Leave me a comment and share your layout links. I'd love to see your furbabies!

~ Katie

Scraplift Challenge

"Bad artists copy. Good artists steal."
Pablo Picasso

Hi everyone, my name is Lori and going to help Katie highlight some things for the blog. Hopefully we will have full introductions within the next week of the team that is helping. I can be found in the Digitals gallery as lorig.

We wanted everyone to know about the challenge Katie is hosting at Digitals. The Scraplift challenge for April and May has been posted. Katie has chosen a piece by Angie Young as the inspiration piece. It has many liftable elements. You could be inspired by the design, the colors, the mood invoked. Use that piece that inspires you most and create your own page then link it up in the gallery at Digitals for a bonus.

Katie has created a mini kit to go with the Lovely in Lilac theme. For full details on how to earn this mini check out the challenge. You are welcome to leave a comment here as well. We'd love to see what you've entered. Hopefully we can all inspire each other.


"Copy nature and you infringe on the work of our Lord. Interpret nature and you are an artist."
Jacques Lipchitz

~Lorilee

Sneak Peek Sunday

I'm declaring today Sneak Peek Sunday. My guys both stayed up way too late, and I went to bed early, so I woke up just as they went to bed. No fighting for computer time on this Sunday morning, and I decided to take advantage of it. I've been working on a new kit (and some coordinating freebies!) and decided to give everyone a sneak peek.



Any guesses as to the theme? Leave me a comment telling me what you think!

~Katie

CT Call Closed

Well - my CT Call is closed. I'm happy to announce that I ended up with five extremely talented ladies, including one who will be making posts here from time to time. I'm sending them each a questionnaire, and I'll be posting little mini interviews with them very soon. To celebrate my new CT, I'll be having a mini sale! From now through Monday, March 19th, my entire store will be on sale for 25% off. No coupon code is necessary, just visit my store at the link to the right.

I have a CT!

Well, I did manage to attract four scrappers to my creative team. I'm thrilled to death, and will be announcing them soon, along with their first layouts. I still have room on my creative team, so if you held off responding give me a shout and we'll see about adding you to the team. At this point I am primarily looking for someone who can help with blog posts and other social medai, so if this something that you have an interest in, just drop me a line at katiemanndesigns at gmail dot com.

Try My Designs For FREE!

Some of you may not know that I have a free sample in the store, available for you to download and try out. This lets you check the qualify of my work for yourself before you buy. And for those of you who own the Barry kit, this gives you a chance to get a few more pieces. Just click on the image to go get it!

Brand New Create A Kit - Shall We Tangerine Tango?

We are kicking off a new Create A Kit Event (CAKE): Shall We Tangerine Tango. Now through March 2 is your chance to build your own kit with these amazing new colors centered around Tangerine Tango, the Pantone Color of the Year. Its bold, but not too bright, just right. We have some boy themed pieces, which scrappers are always asking for, and lots of general papers and elements that you can use in almost any type of layout. Be sure to pick up a bundle at the low price of just $1.50 per set!



Pin It

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

No. I'm not leaving y'all. But my external hard drive has given up the ghost. I'll be transitioning from my old 1 TB hard drive to my new 3 TB hard drive over the next couple of weeks, but it's sure hard to get the files off my old drive when it only runs for about 10 minutes at a time, once every 24 hours! I did manage to save all of my working files AND my Photoshop, so at least I can still design new stuff, it's just getting all of my completed stuff off of my hard drive that will be hard. Right now I'm trying a trick that one of the IT guys at work suggested. It sounds kind of crazy, but it let me get about 20G of stuff off all in one shot yesterday. Don't try this at home, unless you're absolutely positive that there's no other resort. I had completely given up on getting anything else off of my hard drive, so was willing to try this. I wrapped my hard drive in a kitchen towel, put it in a zip lock bag and squeezed all of the air out. I put it in a crisper drawer (so nothing would get spilled on it), and let it sit in there for 24 hours. Brought it out and let it warm up to room temperature (this part was really important, because it wouldn't even run when it was cold), and I was able to run it for about 30 minutes instead of my usual 10!

To celebrate my good fortune, I'm going to work on a little freebie for everyone who signs up for my newsletter. So if you haven't already signed up, you should get to it. I'll be emailing the link to the freebie sometime next week, and then it'll only be available for purchase. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Another Alice Layout

And this one isn't by me! Many thanks to Judith (the51mom) for her wonderful layout with my newest kit, Alice. I love the clean, graphic look of this layout. Be sure to click on the Judith's layout if you'd like to see more of her wonderful layouts.



Alice is still on the introductory sale price for a limited time. I'm a huge fan of clean lines in layouts, but I like layouts with lots of "stuff" too. What kind of layouts do you prefer?

Introducing Alice

Alice is finally in the store, and is available at 20% off for a limited time. This kit is named after my great-niece, Alice. She just turned one, and is absolutely adorable. Alice's parents aren't your typical parents of a baby girl, and love all things hot rod, heavy metal. Alice's wardrobe reflects their love of the unusual and I tried to reflect that in this kit by not choosing your typical baby girl colors. I think the colors and patterns in this kit reflect a more modern baby, and that is perfect for Miss Alice.

Included in this kit are 16 backgrounds, 3 fabric ruffles, 2 strips of lace, 2 fabric flowers, 5 ribboned rings, 1 eyelet, 1 paperclip, 2 binder clips, 2 bulldog clips, 1 tag, a glittery flourish, and a postage stamp alpha that includes letters (upper and lower on the same stamp) and numbers.



Here are some layouts that I made with the kit. Not only would it be delightful for baby pictures, but it worked really well for some of my pictures from our trip to the zoo last summer.





Don't forget about the Create Your Own Kit going on right now at Digitals. These items are only on sale until February 11th, so you'll want to grab yours before they go up to full price. Here are my pieces of the kit:







I am still accepting applications for my CT call. You can get more information here.

And don't forget my retiring products that are now on clearance for just $2 each!

Another Sneak Peek

Alice is almost done, and will be in the store soon! In the meantime, here is one last sneak peek before the final reveal.



Don't forget about the Create Your Own Kit going on right now at Digitals. These items are only on sale until February 11th, so you'll want to grab yours before they go up to full price. Here are my pieces of the kit:







I am still accepting applications for my CT call. You can get more information here.

And don't forget my retiring products that are now on clearance for just $2 each!