“Gratitude is the memory of the heart.”  ~Jean Baptiste Massieu

Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner in the United States!  What do you think about most of all on Thanksgiving?  Friends, family, memories, some wonderful food and gratitude?  When we gather around our big tables laden with the fruits of the harvest, our hearts are filled with the gratitude of today, tomorrow & of days gone by.  But, we don’t need to be sitting around a Thanksgiving table to feel greatful toward someone or something do we?  Gratitude is so much a part of our lives ... so much so that we each sometimes need to take a little time to say thank you to those to whom we are grateful.  I love this quotation from Cynthia Ozick ... “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”

Today our inspiration layouts begin with this page from Katrina {katrinak}.  When thinking of “gratitude”, Katrina immediately thought of Joe ... a person in her life that meant so much to her.  A person who unknowingly helped to shape her life.  Katrina had no photographs to use for this layout. I think that the soaring birds are perfect, don’t you?  “Photos taken yesterday . story a bit older!”

Katrina’s Supplies:  Layered Template No. 37, Classic Cardstock: Muse Paper Pack, Collageables No. 02, StraightLine Stitched White No. 01 & Worn Photo Edges No. 04: Golden Years.

A Happy Childhood is one thing that came to Debbie’s {DebbieHodge} mind. I love the photograph of Debbie & her brother, Mark playing with their wagon.

Debbie’s Supplies:  A Million Miles Kit, Worn Edges Mixed No. 02, Woven Ribbons No. 01, Tied Fasteners No. 03, Flossy Stitches: Blue, Mega Tag Pack, CircleIT Basix No. 01 BrushSet, Stitched by Anna Baby Blue No. 01 & Brad Bonanza No. 03: Digital Fasteners.

Patricia {iUma} does a wonderful job with each and every heritage page that she creates.  Patricia tells us that she loves being able to stitch her stories together with her past. She said, “My Mom’s writing her mother’s life story has made it a lot easier. A letter to my Grandfather seemed the best way to express how happy I am to be his granddaughter.”

Patricia’s Supplies:  Vintage Journal No.4, Tabbed Brushes and Stamps No. 03, Transfer Photo Frames Brushes and Stamps, Vintage Photo Frames: Large No. 02, Carded Stacked Frames, y Family Genealogy Definitions Brushes and Stamps No. 02, UpcycledART Paperie #5 & Sprawling Paint.

Next we visit Fiona {Applechick} in Scotland and see her lovely tribute to her father, with the simple title of Thanks Dad.

Fiona’s Supplies: Basic Notebook Edge Masks, Simply Stripes No 1 paper pack, Collageables No. 01 , Letters Home Elements and Brushes, Letters Home Paper Pack, From My Bookshelf No. 01 Kit,Grungy Ledger Grids Brushes and Stamps, Overhanging Leaves, Worn Photo Edges No. 04: Golden Years, DifferentStrokes No. 02 BrushSet & Stitched by Anna Cream No. 03

I hope that you will enjoy creating your own layout to remind you of the gratitude that you feel for a special someone or something.  When you do, post it in the Heritage Gallery so we can all enjoy your efforts.

Congratulations to Jennylwren. Her layout Let Your Light Shine has been selected as the featured layout of the week where she won a $ 5 DesignerDigitals Gift Certificate for product of her choice!

This week’s Adobe Photoshop or Elements tip of the week is now available on video. This weeks tip is on How to Print Several Items on One Page.

Saturday Scraplift No.128

I love the creative use of the journaling tags and the great color scheme in this gorgeous page by Artmidget:

It is a great classic “triangle” design too - with the elements from the top journaling tag to the strip of photos forming a strong visual triangle.

And here is how it inspired me:

Credits: Layout by Lynn Grieveson, papers, wordart and worn strip from A Million Miles kit (coming soon), Nature’s Best flowers, Fall Festival kit(journaling tags) all by Lynn Grieveson.

Credits: layout by Jodi, Little Creepers Kit(recolored),and Little Creepers stickers by Mindy Terasawa, stitching and Scripttease halloween brushes by Anna Aspnes, PartyOn Pennants: Halloween by Pattie Knox, Stacked Photo Clusters, Fine Lines Borderlines brushes and Simple Classics Halloween kit by Katie Pertiet.

Credits: layout by Anke, A Millon Miles kit (coming soon) by Lynn Grieveson, Metal rimmed Frames, Collageables No.02, simply stripes #1, basic notebook edge Masks #1, basic twill Plain, vintage flashcard alpha #3 (all coming soon) by Katie Pertiet, Precious wordart (coming soon) by Anna Aspnes and How Did They Do That No.13 Bending Shadows by Cassie Jones.

Don’t forget to post in the Saturday Scraplift gallery if you are also inspired!

~ Lynn

Good morning girls ... it is Mollie from the M & M team of Mollie & Merrilee with a new 3 Kits 3 Ways challenge for you.  I think that you will love the three wonderful Designer Digitals products from the DD Store this week.  I know that I thought each of them lots of fun and interesting to play with.

This week the three kits are:

Absolutely Acrylics: Clockworks from Pattie Knox

Pattie makes time stand still with her elegant and useful clock faces!  Love ‘um ... love Pattie!

Revealing Overlays No. 01 from Katie Pertiet

This is my favorite overlay ... it looks like hours of work & only takes seconds thanks to Katie!

and, Basement Frames from Lynn Grieveson

In this element pack, Lynn as created 10 distressed, antique style thin paper frames in several styles.  You will love using them for many different sorts of layouts!

Now let us go to the three ways part of the challenge!

First of all is Bonnie’s {bjwtville} wonderful page about her darling little Lucy getting into the Pluff Mud!  I am just crazy about the “rebus” style of journaling that Bonnie uses here, aren’t you?

In addition to the three challenge kits, Bonnie used:  Krafty Journal Strips, Sacked Solids: Earth Tones Paper Pack, Sacked Solids: Harvest Paper Pack, Scalloped Photo Masks, Stitched by Anna Borders No. 01, Worn Page Edges No. 03, Farm Fresh Collection, DoodleDo Alphabet Brushes and Stamps, Chipboard Alphabet: Black, Digital Date Stamps Vol. 06, ArtPlay Palette Fall Mini Kit No. 01 & Absolutely Acrylic Alphabet No. 01.

Next, Linda {earlofoxford} takes a walk down Memory Lane in this absolutely perfect layout about the marriage of her grandparents.

Linda added only these three additional products to her complete her layout:  My Family Genealogy Definitions Brushes and Stamps No. 02, Manhattan Paper Pack & Hipster Plume Korners N Edges No. 02 BrushSet.

I hope that you will enjoy working with these three Designer Digitals products just as much as Bonnie & Linda did.  The third way was going to be my way . . . but my computor sort of semi-crashed on me a couple of weeks ago and I am not back up and running yet much to my dismay.  I know that there will be more “ways” in the 3K3W challenge gallery for lots of great inspiration. Remember that in creating a layout for the challenge, you use the three challenge products and you can use any other DD products on your layouts that you would like. 

Post your layout in the 3 Kits 3 Ways Gallery at Designer Digitals . . . Merrilee & I will love to see them there!