Props to the Swass Posse

I know I've been a bit MIA -- thanks for the notes/emails checking up on me :) Sadly, a nasty flu bug has been running through each of my boys this week... thankfully it's only a 24 hour bug but each one has been sick each day this week! so it has made for a LONG week :( -- especially since my dh is out of town... oh, also - my little guy turned 1 on Saturday!! Here's the LO I did of the big day!

Before I sign off I was thinking how my CT - aka: the Swass Posse - is soooooo awesome but I never give them credit here on my blog! So... enjoy the little eye candy from the girls! If you'd like to see the full credits or see their other fabulous work -- just click on their names to be taken to their gallery at DST -- :)

From Lisa

From Brittney

From Claire

From Corinna

From Brynn

From Heather

From :)M

From Vicky

From Kara

From Dale Ann (DA)

From Katie

From Christy

From Lynn

From Sue

That's it for now! Enjoy your Thursday and stay healthy!

Grab Bag Revealed and Freebie Overlay

Thanks for all of your sweet comments about my house pics! They really made me smile :)
So today I decided to reveal my grab bag! It should have been called the TEXTURE Grab Bag! LOL -- It's available (for a tad bit more) at both my shops for the next few days or so. It includes 7th Lane Textured Paper pack... Give 'em Feelings Texture Overlays and a new set of my photoFX in a variety of sizes (12x12, 8x8, 8x10 and 4x6). Also if you were lucky enough to receive the ES Mega Grab Bag -- you would have received these new Photo Tabs from me -- If not.. and you think they're just too cute to pass up on - they are also up for sale ($1.99) at both stores. Alright... so I actually scrapped for the first time in like a month this past week! SHOCKER I know!! Scrapgal (my "normal" hangout) was having a Page-a-Day challenge and I figured that's just what I needed to get a jump start! here are 4 that I really liked the end result of. For full credits on all of them ---> Click here and thought I'd throw out something other than a template today - gasp! It's this 12x12 overlay in png format (preview is just shown on a white piece of paper - not included ;)

Download Here

House pics! & Freebie

alright I know many of you will faint from surprise.. but... I'm making good on my promise of getting the pics of the new house (and painting) up for you guys! Now.. I DO have a disclaimer to make... I am in NO WAY an interior decorator (oooooh how I wish I was though!!) so don't be thinking that these are going to be model home quality decor (BUT.. if any of you ARE blessed with an interior design eye and see something that you think i could do to enhance the look - I'm all about suggestions :)... ok... so here we go on my little picture tour!

This photo shows the view from the front door/entry way area. The double doors on the right lead into the "man room" - which we'll get to in a moment and the little partition to the left is the stairs leading up. to the left of the family room is my kitchen... now, I actually painted it a really rich deep red but I just didn't like it! I *wanted* to love it - but I didn't.. and after 3 weeks I just had to get rid of it. My boys really loved it and so I'll be putting that color in their room - where I think it'll really work well :) OK.. so here's the kitchen with a really soft silvery-sage color which I like MUCH better! Still not head over heels about it - but we'll see what the future brings... Here are some pictures from the Man-Den! Take special notice of the blue couch in the second photo... that is the blue couch we purchased from proceeds of Shandy Vogt Designs! so THANK YOU GUYS!!!! the matching Loveseat is upstairs in the loft (which I guess I'll throw in a pic of that below too -- nothing special going on there but we totally enjoy the seating of the loveseat - so THANKS AGAIN! one can never give out too many thanks! :) LOL ok.. this last photo is of Ben's room. He really wanted to have a "Bronco Room" so he helped me and we painted an accent wall and then he helped me paint his dresser blue to match. He really likes his little "reading cove" that we blocked off with some fabric. None of the other bedrooms are done yet... Our master bathroom has all the elements purchased to decorate it but they haven't been installed/hung.. but once they do that'll be like my favorite room in the house! (and I'll have to post more pics)..

ok.. now I'm being serious here when I solicit this next thing... Our master bedroom is like 20x30 - and I REALLY want it to be like a retreat for us but have NO CLUE on how to arrange our furniture or how to make a really inviting sitting area in it. If any of you have experience or an eye for decorating I would trade full access to my store for 1 month in exchange for looking at the floor plan and showing me what you would do with it (truthfully I just need some ideas on what piece(s) of furniture I need to get to fill the space and how to actually utilize the space to the fullest - kwim) - anyway, if anyone's interested just email - shandyvogt AT hotmail.com

ok... last but not least -- I've got another template (BIG surprise, huh? LOL)... snatch it up if you likey :)
Download Here

TEMPLATE and opinions needed :)

hooray! I'm feeling like my life is taking on somewhat of a normalcy - and it feels GOOD!! In our new ward at church I was asked to be the new Wolf Den leader! eeeks! I guess they figured with 4 boys of my own.. I'd have the whole scouting thing down.... ummmm.. think again! Today was my first den meeting and I'm pleased to report that it went rather well and the boys were VERY well behaved!!! I was happy :)
So are you guys getting bored with my templates?? Out of everything - I actually prefer making templates so hopefully you guys are cool with it (until I get onto my next "kick" - LOL)

Before the template - just wanted to tell any of you new gals just checking me out today that I've got a ROCKIN 50% off sale at both of my shoppes right now! It'll go through the weekend and then.... your buck won't go as far :( so if you're wanting to browse and do a little shopping - you can just click here or here (nothing like enabling, huh?? heheheh) hey also wanted to ask you guys a question... do you *like* challenges? or are you overloaded on challenges at all the different sites? ES has a blog that is offering challenges if you're interested in checking it out... but I know that several designers do challenges or contests from their personal blogs... is this something you guys would be intersted in me incorporating???? Just leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Ok.. so on to the template.... ENJOY IT! Download here

Teaser and Template Freebie

Hey guys!!
I hope everyone's been having a wonderful Labor Day weekend! I actually had my dh home for the weekend (HOORAY!!) and we put together (what I like to call...) the "Man Den".... he's a huge Boise State Fan and has so much paraphenalia that we decided he needed his onw Man Room.... it actually turned out cool with a large wall collage of all his signed jerseys and posters (and I'm sure you guys won't beleive it till you see it... but I WILL post pics... SOON!!) but in the meantime I've got 2 things for ya today....
First - a Teaser!! This is a super sweet LO that Heather (one of the newest members of the Swass Posse) created predominantly using a product that can only be found in my Grab Bag! and for the next few days both of my stores are at a whopping 50% off!! Also if you're in the mood to find lots of fun goodies - all of the designers over at Elemetal Scraps also have their shops at 50% off! That's like going to the mall and all of your favorite store were half off!! Plus if you spend as little as $10 - you get the Mega Grab Bag for FREE!! ok... so here's another fun little template for all of you blog peeps!! I'm thinking I really like this one! I hope you do too :) You can Download it Here

New Products... NEWS... & a Freebie :)

Let's start off with the NEWS...
I've invited 2 gals to join the other members of my Swass Posse! Heather Bowen and Brittney Leavitt are the newest additions to my CT! I'm just so beyond thrilled to have them!
In other news.... my boys started school this week (3 of the 4 get to go) and I have been taking advantage of the peace and quiet (during Nathan's nap times) and have gotten much more accomplished this week! I'm feeling a bit more settled and the upstairs (minus our bedroom) is pretty much moved in... so that feels good! OK.. I'm sure you guys are bored with me keeping you updated on our move-in stats each week so I'll move on to the scrappy news...

Yep... it's time for my new releases! I must admit that I had such high hopes for MANY more products to get done (but there just weren't enough hours in the days! anyone want to lend me some of theirs??? LOL)... but I did get enough to package up a swass Grab Bag with 3 new products as well as a couple of others (another one is VERY close to being finished and I *hope* to have that uploaded by Saturday night :) -- wish me luck!)
now... not only are there these new goods to snatch up... but you can snatch them up at a BIG OL' 50% OFF SAVINGS for the next week! Both my stores at Elemental Scraps and my personal Shandy Vogt Designs shoppe reflect this awesome deal! Check 'em out :) and Finally... a Freebie!
this is actually the number set that coordinates with the Outlined Alphas (and thought I'd offer them to you guys for FREE first before uploading them into my stores...) These were actually created by using my own handwriting as the foundation (which I don't normally like my handwriting but I DO think these turned out pretty cool...)

You can Download them here

ps: I can't remember if I announced this earlier but regarding my SHINES... Just for the time being (insert... untill I get more settled and life calms down a bit...) I'm just going to be showcasing the SHINES every other week -- but please keep sending in your submissions! I trully LOVE seeing them!!

have a happy Sept. 1 and weekend!

I'm ALIVE!!! (and a Template)

{{Coming up for air}}
alright... this whole moving thing has REALLY taken a toll on me! I can't seem to get organzied and settled! I know where absolutley NOTHING is and it's driving me crazy! Several of you have emailed and checked up on me (thanks!! :) meant a lot to me :) and it has been pointed out on MANY occassions that I haven't updated my poor blog since August 9th! Now THAT'S a crime! Got the next batch of SHINES up -- thanks to all who participated and good news.... I HAVE NEW PRODUCTS!! they are on hold for a Sept 1st release but I will be emailing you gals a link to get one of them early (I have LOTS getting ready to be released... why you might ask do I have lots of new products in the works when I feel soooo frazzled??? well.. the asnwer is simple.... becuase I REALLY like to spend $$!! (and I don't feel *as* guilty when I spend my design money - LOL..)
Before I forget.. I need to send a couple of shout outs...
(1) To Brooke in Oregon (her LO using one of my Swass Templates got left out of the SHINES slideshow so here it is all big and fancy!
(2) OK.. my girl Heather B -- wow... she left me speechless today so just have to send out props to her! She participated in a challenge where you use all items from your favorite designer and guess who she chose!... yep.. yours truly. What is a designer to do/say when a scrapper deems you as their all time favorite??? I'll tell you what... (well.. actually I can't say quite yet... but stay tuned for an update (hint hint...) OK..Here's her Swass LO that she created for the challenge (using a Got Ads? Template, 5th Ave. Textured papers and Alpha Masks with Class)
(3) I don't have my laptop connected to the internet (which is where my pics of the house are downloaded to...) so I can't post any pics right now but I promise they'll be coming soon!!
(4) Here's a quick template for you guys -- for being faithful readers of my blog (even when there hasn't been an update in 2 weeks!!) Called Tempalte #32 (since I'll be turning 32 on Sunday :).... Enjoy it! You can Download Here

Shines!

hey peeps! what a fabulous Thursday evening :) My boys spent the day with grandma and I got lots of shopping (for home decor items) and unpacking done. I really feel productive! I'm even feeling MORE productive since I finally got the SHINES out for the past few weeks. I'm soooo sorry that it took me this long! I know you guys all understand and will forgive me - but just wanted you to know that I did feel bad...
So I saw another blog where the designer used a slidshow to showcase LO's that had been sent in to her and that's when the big light bulb went off - WHY HADN'T I THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE???! I'm thinking I like this way to show off the weekly SHINES submissions... what do you guys think? Plus this way is MUCH faster for me!
For those that participated - you will be receiving a GC to my store -- I was hoping to have something new made up to give you but haven't gotten that far- eeeks! So check your emails and if you somehow didn't get one - please let me know :)
With that -- I am off to do some more painting :) I'll def. have to take some pics of my progress -- the accent walls are turning out quite Swass!!
Until later....

PSA and (another) Free Template :)

ok ladies... this is my public service announcement to everyone reading.... BACK UP RIGHT NOW!!!! you just never know when something might happen! Sadly I've been feeling like it was time to back up again (I *try* to do it once a month -- although I should really be doing it weekly!)... case in point... my hard drive crashed as well as 2 memory sticks (whatever those are - hee hee). The good news is that it was still under the extended warranty we purchased... the sad news -- the warranty didn't cover any data recovery.... HELLO! I need my goods! So... I had to pay to get all of the data retrieved ($69 well spent!). So.. don't put it off any longer and GO BACK UP! ok... I've done my good deed to the digital community.
So it's been almost a week that we *moved* into our new house... I'm feeling quite good about my productivity this week :) oh, and just have to say -- even though we are still somewhat living out of boxes... I have 2 rooms painted!! Yep.. I have my priorities straight - LOL. I want to take some pics and show you guys but my dh has hidden (ok.. he put them in a *safe* place and can't find the batteries)... so guess the pics will have to wait for another day. (plus, I'll need to post a pic of the couch set you guys helped fund with last months sales :) -- everytime I see them I think - awww.. my peeps bought these for me! seriously.
Alright... real quick before I get to the Freebie for today - just wanted to let you know (if this is your first time visiting...) that I've got 2 terrific sales going on right now! and what I mean by terrific is a whopping 50% off my entire inventory at both Elemental Scraps and Shandy Vogt Designs. Also - every designer over at ES is marked down half price PLUS if you spent a total of $10 you get the mega grab bag for FREE! and yes - it really is valued at over $40! (plus we're so nice over there that we're even givin you a sneak peek at what's inside!)... so yeah.. can't beat that deal going on!
and just cause I think you guys are the bees knees... here's another template (sorry - no fun name for this one -- just blog freebie template #30) You can
Downlaod it here

Sale and Freebie Template!

What a whirlwind the past week has been! Just a quick update (since I know you are all just dying to hear - hee hee)... we closed on our new house the end of last week and spent the weekend moving (joyous) and then the past 2 days cleaning the old house (even more joyous!)
But to celebrate the move - both of my stores have been slashed to 50% off!! Yep... both Elemental Scraps and Shandy Vogt Designs are at blowout prices for the next few days :) Hooray! Oh, I should mention that if you're looking for my Textured Overlays or my PhotoFX Elegant Frames they are only at my personal store (long story short -- my computer crashed tonight before I was able to get those uploaded to ES -- and yes! I am VERY SAD :( so please buy something from me to make me happy - LOL - just kidding...

Click Here here to see the previews of all my new releases - or scroll down a couple of posts to see them here on my blog...
With moving - I've had to leave an awesome neighbor - Shaina! So... as a little tribute to her, I made this template with some of the specifics that she gave me (although she did want one of the photos to be in a circular shape -- sorry Shaina -- wasn't working for me on this one - hee hee) but if you think you can use it... Download the Shaina Template

PS: just wanted to say to all the participants of the SHINES -- I haven't forgotten you! With all the hustle of the move it's just been crazy around here! I'm going to combine and do a big debut this week of all the submissions!

PSS: also -- I've been tagged again (by Sweet Sondra!) but am too tired to do that right now... but stay tuned for that as well....

Tagged, LO's and schtuff

isn't that word (schtuff) just so fun to say??? come on.. try it... just like it sounds... kind of just rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn't it?...

alright... let's see... first off - Brooke tagged me so I guess I've gotta tell all you friendly peeps 7 random things about me... feel free to skim this part... I'm really not all that intereting.

1. I have lived in Korea twice. My father was stationed there for 2 years when I was growing up and then DH was stationed there. His was to be an unaccompanied tour but I was like "you're not leaving me! I'm comming with you!"... so the two older boys (they were just 6 months and 2) and I flew over and lived in a little Korean Villa for a year (with DH of course ;)

2. I had my last two babies at home (planned) and LOVED it!

3. I'm the B.I.G.G.E.S.T. scaredy cat! I'm still afraid of the dark - so when DH was deployed to Iraq.. I slept with lights on for like the first year! LOL

4. I have fallen out of a moving vehicle before - growing up, seatbelts weren't really enforced and one time (actually coming home from the hospital from getting my arm in a cast) my dad took a corner... and out I went! had to go back to the hospital :(

5. Before my "digital days" -- I had done some freelance work for Memory Makers

6. I can sing the whole song "Part of your world" from The Little Mermaid with no prompts :)

7. I absolutely LOVE cereal!! any and all kinds of cereal! I could eat it for every meal of the day. seriously. In fact, I have... many times :)

alright... Got 2 LO's to share.... and they are both by me! (I know.. shocker, isn't it??) I've got a Week In Review ongoing album and I'm getting BEHIND - so I did a LO for it tonight.. it was when I was gone to girls camp last month (so I'm not that far behind - hee hee) I haven't posted these yet so I can't link you to the credits - so guess I'll do that here.The template is from the Ready to Scrap Vol 13 pack by Chantal Taake. Papers are from my new 5th Avenue and the little sticker embellies are by Holly McCraig.

This one is using a template by Tracy B, stamped flower by Kaye and the papers are by Kim Christensen. Isn't my little baby boy just absolutely ADORABLE!!! when my 3rd son was this age - our whole family was part of a wedding so I got this little tux (you can't tell from the pics but it's a full tuxedo with cumberbun and TAILS on the coat! -- I'm going to have to do another photo shoot soon where Nathan cooperates and stands up to show off the suit - LOL)

let's see what else... oh with my dh having drill this past weekend- he missed the whole HP frenzy but is out right now (yes it's like 1:30am here) driving to all sorts of walmarts in search of a copy! He actually just found one at the neighboring city's WM -- he's flying back out of town in a few hours and wanted it for the flight...
anyway.. guess I'd best get to bed myself... if you're still reading - I'm impressed! Chat again later....

template freebie :)

hi everyone! I sure hope you guys have had a good weekend so far :) We had a BBQ at the church which was delicious! and then a little dance afterwards... Came home and did some more packing -- it's comming along rather nicely for me :) took a little break and wanted to make something for you guys - so here's another template from me. My texture overlay sample is still available (next post down) so be sure to grab it if you haven't done so already.
and one more thing -- Just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you who have taken advantage of my Bag O' Money promotion -- You guys helped me purchase a (new to me) couch for the upstairs loft! Once it's all moved in (next weekend)... I'll take a pic and post -- me AND MY BOYS thank you tons!!!! so yeah.. enjoy the template! Download here

Bag O' Money (oh & a FREEBIE)

So... you all know that I'll be moving into our new house next weekend and I just keep finding new furniture and decor items that I WANT to put in it! LOL.. so I thought to myself... alright, I need to design up some new goodies and come up with a fun little promotion for my dedicated supporters (insert: "blog readers" here :) so I don't go broke on my SHOPPING SPREES! Anyway, this is what I came up with -- my BAG O' MONEY products to tempt ya (hee hee)... basically what it is - I've got 3 Bag O' Money products in My Store that are each $5. Each of them has a mystery amount of "Shandy Ca$h" (aka: money good only in my shoppe).... One has $8, one has $10 and one has $12. You can purchase all 3 for $15 and then you'd be doubling your money (with a total of $30 to spend in my store) - PLUS.. I've got everything on sale at 35% off -- so you'd REALLY be getting the most for you buck!
ok.. so enough about the fun Bag O' Money promotion... I've also got several NEW PRODUCTS that just hit the shelves tonight! WOOHOO! Here's a preview of them...
I really thought that the texture overlays were so cool - so thought I'd give you guys a sample one to try out :) Be sure to play with the opacity and blending modes to get the perfect look! You can Download it here