Thursday, July 31, 2014

Then & Now | Belle Dress





As I was going through some photos, I discovered some photos from 4 years ago, when Beth went to a Princess Festival for the first time. I was shocked to realize that she was wearing the SAME dress-up dress as she wore this summer. I thought it was a fun comparison to make! 



Then | 2010 Princess Festival


* Belle was her favorite Disney Princess

* Her Belle Dress was brand new and too big for her
* Beth would let me curl her hair
* She was FIVE
* She was just starting to read and really love it
* She was starting to show her independence and wanting to do things herself
* She would never smile showing her teeth - just upturned her mouth


Now | 2014 Princess Camp


* Belle is still one of her favorite Disney Princesses
* Her Belle dress is really getting too little and is faded and worn from being used so much
* Beth now wants to do her hair by herself
* She is NINE
* She is reading above her grade level and still really loving it
* She's still very independent and doesn't want me to help her with anything
* She still smiles the same way - no showing teeth


All in all not a ton of changes. She has definitely grown and become more of a tween instead of a little girl. Mostly I think her personality has just grown into just more of herself.  I think the time for dress-up with the Princesses is going to be over this year. She still enjoys it, but it is definitely not as often, although she still loves the Disney Princesses. I have enjoyed watching her grow. She'll always be my Princess!



I encourage you to take a look at some of your old photos and make comparisons with the present! So much fun to see the growth and the changes!

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Then & Now is a series of posts that share my photos and stories, comparing the past with the present.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Wednesday Sayings | Count Your Blessings

This week's quote:

COUNT YOUR
BLESSINGS
NOT YOUR
TROUBLES



___________________
Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you! I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! I also create pieces of wordart with these quotes each week and offering them to you as a freebie!!!  Feel free to use them in your scrapbook layouts or just print them out for great wall decor!

If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Family History TuesdayZ | Food Indulgence


Here is this week's journal prompt :



My Personal Journaling:

This one is easy for me.  Chocolate. I'm kind of funny in that I don't particularly like expensive chocolates.  If you want to indulge me - just buy me a Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar with Almonds. Mmmmm....chocolate.




Each Tuesday, I am going to be offering prompts or ideas. If you don't write in your journal regularly - I am going to encourage you to write just ONCE A WEEK and answer the question/idea that I give on Tuesdays. These ideas hopefully will spark a memory and you will be able to capture that in what you write/record so that it can be left for your children/grandchildren/family/friends. Give as much detail as you can when answering.

Will you do this for me? Will you do this for your families? You can write it down in a journal, you can type it up on a computer or journaling software, you can take a recorder and talk, you can videotape your answers, you can even scrap a page with the journaling. It doesn't matter how you do this - it's just important that you do it. The memories, the dates, the information is the only real thing we can leave to our families when we are gone.

If I come up with other family history ideas - I will be sure to share it here too - and if you want to share with me your ideas - that would be wonderful and I'd be glad to share them here too. Just comment here or email me at dedesmith32@gmail.com.

Monday, July 28, 2014

Featured Product Monday | All Aboard!





Today I would like to feature a collection that is perfect for all of your train adventures!  Maybe you are planning a train ride or you have a train fanatic!  There are also lots of textured papers that would be great for even a non-train photo!


Take a Look at my All Aboard Collection! There are 5 products in this collection! There is the main kit - All Aboard!, plus Textured Papers, ClusterZ StackZ & ScatterZ, QuickpageZ, a Bracket Album, and get a special deal by buying the BUNDLE (all 5 of the products)!






It was fun to go back to 2008 and do a layout with this kit. November 15, 2008 - We were so excited to experience the Heber Valley Railroad! We were able to take the train down Provo Canyon for a great afternoon ride. Both of the kids LOVED it, especially JJ. We loved being together as a family!


Here is a layout I did with my All Aboard! Collection:


I used "All Aboard! Collection" by DeDe Smith 
and "Fill'er Up Templates" by Britt-ish Designs



ENJOY! Thanks for reading my blog and have a great week!

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Life 2014 | First Temple Trip


In my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), we have sacred ordinances that we do in temples. When a young man or woman reaches the age of 12, they have the opportunity (if they live worthily), to attend the temple and do an ordinance that we call, Baptisms for the Dead. This ordinance gives people who have died the opportunity to be baptized and receive the gospel on the other side. This is the only ordinance in the temple that the youth can participate in. Once they are older (usually after the age of 18), they are able to go through the temple for other ordinances.

My son turned 12 in January and received the Aaronic Priesthood in February.  This gave him the opportunity to go on his first temple trip with the Young Men in March. With JJ being on the Autism Spectrum, we are always concerned with his ability to understand and to mentally be prepared for things. I am probably too protective of him, but I was really nervous about him receiving the priesthood. So far though, it has been a good experience for him. He is passing the sacrament at church and the other boys are helping him (especially a young man named Aaron Mellor - who we are so grateful for). JJ is high function, but communication is an issue a lot and sometimes, I just wish I could see inside his head so I could understand where he is coming from.  We didn't talk much about the temple trip, but from what he said, I felt like it was a good experience for him and that he felt the spirit. It can be overwhelming, I remember it was for me, my first time. But I hope he will remember it and treasure these experiences.


Here's the layout I did for JJ's first temple trip on Wednesday, March 5, 2014:



I used "Scripture Heroes" by DeDe Smith and a template from Simple Scrapper

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Challenge Saturdays | SKETCH & SCATTERZ Challenge

Today's Challenge is SKETCH & SCATTERZ!
You do a layout using a sketch and you will receive 
a ScatterZ element as your posting bonus!

Here's what you need to do:

1. You create a layout using the following sketch. Your layout can be any theme, but has to include MY PRODUCTS ONLY. Feel free to turn the sketch 90 degrees or move the pieces around, flip it, turn it into an 8.5" x 11" layout, etc. and you may also add additional elements.


TODAY'S SKETCH:


2. Upload your layout to my FACEBOOK PAGE for all of us to see! If you don't have Facebook - you can email it to me (dedesmith32@gmail.com) and still participate! Please include what product(s) you used!

4. You must complete and upload your layout by Sunday, July 27th at 11:59pm EST.

5. If you participate in this challenge you will receive this 
July 2014 ScatterZ
by DeDe Smith (DesignZ by DeDe)

I can't wait to see your lovely layouts! I hope you all will participate! Please spread the news and have a great weekend!

Let me know if you have any questions!

_________________________
Welcome to Challenge Saturdays! I got a new challenge for your weekend scrapping pleasure!  Please join in!


Friday, July 25, 2014

Sketch & ScatterZ Challenge is Coming!

Please join me for a SKETCH AND SCATTERZ CHALLENGE this Saturday! Come back to my blog here and you will have 48 hours to complete a fun Sketch Challenge to get a great ScatterZ!

Please come and join in!





High/Low + Freebie | July 25, 2014

My LOW this Week is that my family is still struggling through some family drama. Sorry to be so cryptic, but its a very personal issue and something that just shouldn't be shared here.  But your virtual hugs and lots of prayers would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

My HIGH for this Week is that I got to spend yesterday with my brother and his family. We really love spending time with them and since it was a Utah Holiday (Pioneer Day - Utah Statehood) - we had a BBQ and did Fireworks. It was a good time and I really needed that.

I do have a freebie for you today! The next in line of my COLOR SKETCH SILHOUETTEZ!  Meet Rapunzel!  :)  Have a great weekend!
DOWNLOAD LINK


High/Low & Freebie Friday | www.designzbydede.com
High/Low + Freebie Posts | Each Friday, I get a little personal and share my high and low points of the week and then I offer a digital scrapbook freebie for everyone to download for FREE.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Top 10 | Boy Names


TODAY'S TOPIC: BOY NAMES

1.  Nathan
2.  Jack
3.  Jess
4.  Josh
5.  Ty
6.  Tony
7.  Ethan
8.  Jamie
9.  Trey
10. Ian


Your Turn! Comment and share your top 10 Boy Names!

______________
TOP 10 LIST is a series of posts that share a quick list of my top tens in specific topics. Join in and share your top tens too! 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Wednesday Sayings | Keep Calm and Scrap On

This week's quote:

KEEP CALM
AND
SCRAP ON


___________________
Each Wednesday, I am going to be sharing a quote/saying with you! I am a collector of quotes/sayings/scrapbook titles, etc. and I love to hear new ones! So, each week, I will share a quote/saying with you that I hope will inspire you and make your day a little better! I also create pieces of wordart with these quotes each week and offering them to you as a freebie!!!  Feel free to use them in your scrapbook layouts or just print them out for great wall decor!

If you have any great quotes/sayings - feel free to send them in to me at dedesmith32@gmail.com - I would love to use them!

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Family History TuesdayZ | Song Lyrics


Here is this week's journal prompt :




My Personal Journaling:

These are on my favorites playlist right now - no judging!  :)





Each Tuesday, I am going to be offering prompts or ideas. If you don't write in your journal regularly - I am going to encourage you to write just ONCE A WEEK and answer the question/idea that I give on Tuesdays. These ideas hopefully will spark a memory and you will be able to capture that in what you write/record so that it can be left for your children/grandchildren/family/friends. Give as much detail as you can when answering.

Will you do this for me? Will you do this for your families? You can write it down in a journal, you can type it up on a computer or journaling software, you can take a recorder and talk, you can videotape your answers, you can even scrap a page with the journaling. It doesn't matter how you do this - it's just important that you do it. The memories, the dates, the information is the only real thing we can leave to our families when we are gone.

If I come up with other family history ideas - I will be sure to share it here too - and if you want to share with me your ideas - that would be wonderful and I'd be glad to share them here too. Just comment here or email me at dedesmith32@gmail.com.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Featured Product Monday | Americana BearZ





Today I would like to feature a collection that is perfect for July! I realize the 4th is over, but now is the time to scrap those pictures! This is one of my favorite kits, because of all the BearZ in it and I love my country!


Take a Look at my Americana BearZ Collection! There are 4 products in this collection! There is the main kits  - Americana BearZ 1 & Americana BearZ 2, plus ClusterZ StackZ & ScatterZQuickpageZ, and get a special deal by buying the BUNDLE (all 4 of the products)!







I've shared this layout in 2012 - and you can see the information HERE, but I wanted to share it again as I am featuring this kit today!


Here is a layout I did with my Americana BearZ Collection:


I used "Americana BearZ Collection" by DeDe Smith and a template from The Shabby Shoppe




ENJOY! Thanks for reading my blog and have a great week!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Life 2014 | Summer Camp with the Princesses

Summer Camp with the Princesses
June 23, 25-26, 2014

Beth had the opportunity to participate in a Princess Summer Camp. She’s getting older and this Princess stage is not going to last forever, so it was really nice to see her still enjoying dress-up and play with the Disney Princesses! She got to spend three days with various princesses and got to do SO many fun activities! She had a blast and it will definitely be something she will always remember!      

Beth’s first session was a Frozen party and she got to be with her favorite princess, Anna and her sister, Elsa. She was so excited to wear her Anna dress. She got to make a wand, had ice cream, had a snowball fight with cotton balls, and was crowned a princess!

Next session was the Adventure camp with Merida and Rapunzel. She got to paint a lizard, shoot a target with arrows, stuff a bear, make a wish with balloons and danced with ribbons!

Then came a Luau with Jasmine and Ariel. She got to paint a treasure box, taught Jasmine to hula,made sand necklaces,  and made headbands to go with the hula skirt and lei!

The last session was a Spa Day with Belle (her 2nd favorite) and Aurora. Belle did Beth’s hair and nails and Aurora did her makeup. They got a butterfly treasure box with beauty supplies.


Here's the layout I did:



I used "Fill'er Up Templates 3" by Britt-ish Designs, "Happily Ever AfterZ Collection" by DeDe Smith, and "Color Sketch SilhouetteZ Collection" by DeDe Smith

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Challenge Saturdays | ONE WORD Challenge

Today's Challenge is all about ONE WORD!
Today's word is CRAZY!

Here's what you need to do:

1. You create a layout using today's ONE WORD. You must use this word in the title of your layout. Your layout can be any theme, but has to include MY PRODUCTS ONLY.

2. Upload your layout to my FACEBOOK PAGE for all of us to see! If you don't have Facebook - you can email it to me (dedesmith32@gmail.com) and still participate! Please include what product(s) you used!

4. You must complete and upload your layout by Sunday, July 20th at 11:59pm EST.

5. If you participate in this challenge you will receive this A Friend Loves At All Times Quickpage!

A Friend Loves At All TimeZ Quickpage
by DeDe Smith (DesignZ by DeDe)


I can't wait to see your lovely layouts! I hope you all will participate! Please spread the news and have a great weekend!

Let me know if you have any questions!


____________________
Welcome to Challenge Saturdays! I got a new challenge for your weekend scrapping pleasure!  Please join in!

Friday, July 18, 2014

Come join me for a ONE WORD CHALLENGE!

Please join me for a ONE WORD Challenge this Saturday! Come back to my blog here and you will have 48 hours to complete a fun challenge to get a great quickpage!

Please come and join in!



High/Low + Freebie | July 18, 2014

My LOW this Week is that I am still dealing with a personal family issue. I would love it if you could pray for my family. Thanks.

My HIGH for this Week is that I have really been getting going on my two businesses - DesignZ by DeDe and Origami Owl. I have been able to keep up with all the social media and blog posts and just feeling really good about how its all going. I haven't got many sales, but I feel like I am making progress! 


I do have a freebie for you today! The next in line of my COLOR SKETCH SILHOUETTEZ!  Meet Belle!  :)  Have a great weekend!
DOWNLOAD LINK

High/Low & Freebie Friday | www.designzbydede.com
High/Low + Freebie Posts | Each Friday, I get a little personal and share my high and low points of the week and then I offer a digital scrapbook freebie for everyone to download for FREE.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

All About Baby Expo & Toddler Fest!




I am so excited for the All About Baby Expo & Toddler Fest that will be happening in Provo, Utah in October!  I am thrilled to be a vendor for the event - I will have an Origami Owl Booth as well as be showcasing my DesignZ by DeDe Digital Scrapbooking Products! If you are in Utah - I really encourage you to come and hang out and check everything out! The General Admission tickets are FREE, so if you have a baby or going to have a baby or toddler (or lots of kids) - please come on over and check it out! Lots of fun activities and booths!

You can get your free tickets at this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-all-about-baby-expo-toddler-fest-utah-valley-tickets-11572261947.

So I hope to see you there - please come by my booth!

http://www.AllAboutBabyExpo.com
FB - https://www.facebook.com/AllAboutBabyExpo
Twitter - @AllAboutBabyXpo

#AllAboutBabyExpo , #OrigamiOwl , #AllAboutBabyXpo , #DesignZbyDeDe

My Favorite ThingZ | Apps








MY FAVORITE APPS

So I admit it, I love technology. Not sure how I would survive without it. It's really hard for me to unplug and to not look at my phone or my tablet or be on my computer. It's hard not to turn on the tv and use the dishwasher. I feel a little lost, when my wireless internet connection goes out or my tablet is dead. I just like having the wonderful options I have that greatly convenience my world.

So, I have a Mac, I have a Google Nexus 7 (tablet), and an iPhone and I tend to collect a lot of Apps. I enjoy having so many tools that make blogging and emailing and viewing and posting so much easier. I also like to play games. So I'd love to share some of my favorite apps with you today!


I'm a bit of a Google junkie.  I use google to search on the internet, I use the Google Chrome Browser, I use gmail, I use the Google Calendar and the Google Maps and Google Drive. Of course, I have a Google Tablet as well, so yea, you could say that Google is one of my favorites.  So yea, I use this on my desktop, my tablet, and my phone.





Yea, I spend a lot of time on Facebook. I enjoy connecting and reconnecting with people. I love using it for my businesses and I love being able to share all kinds of stuff with my family/friends/acquaintances/customers. I don't play games on Facebook though. So no game requests from me!  So yea, I use this on my desktop, my tablet, and my phone.





I love using Pinterest too. I love having a place to collect all the images and fun ideas that I find. I also like having a gallery to be able to show off my designs!  So yea, I use this on my desktop, my tablet, and my phone.








Symphony is one of my recently discovered internet apps that I LOVE. It is the PAID extension to NetworkedBlogs. I find that it is so worth the money. I use it to schedule my blog posts to go to my Facebook pages and Twitter. I love how it works and how you can write up your own descriptions and which image you want to go along with them.  So fun and easy and makes my social media life so much easier!



ecwid is the shopping cart system that I use for my blogstore. I was able to get in on the system right from the start, so I got an amazing deal on pricing. Unfortunately, the pricing is pretty high now.  But I love the system. It is so easy to get it working with my blog and adding new items.








I use Feedly to organize and read all my blogs. I used to love Google Reader and was really saddened when they discontinued it. But I've recently got into Feedly and I love the organizational features and it works great. So much easier to keep track of all the blogs I like to read. I like that I can read it on my desktop computer or on my tablet and/or phone. It makes it so easy to access whenever I am ready.


I love using Evernote. I love being able to track all my notes and lists. I know there is so much more I could do with it, but for now, it keeps my notes organized and accessible on all my devices.


I have been a little obsessed with SwagBucks lately. I'm trying to earn enough to add to my Paypal balance (for my Disneyland trip), so I have been using it constantly for searching the internet and doing the surveys and polls, and running the video apps on my phone.  If you haven't tried this yet, give it a shot - your SwagBucks can add up fast and you're on your way to free gift cards!


I love my Audible app. I use it mostly on my phone and tablet.  I have a subscription and I love being able to get new audiobooks. I listen to them when I am walking and also when I am working on my computer or doing household chores. Love being able to get through books. I love reading, but I'm not always able to just sit down and read - so this is perfect.



I also love my Amazon Kindle App. I don't have a Kindle, but I love that I can still purchase ebooks and use them through the Kindle app on my phone and tablet. I also love that you can email yourself (to a specific kindle email) pdf files (and other formats) and have them show up on your device.








Who doesn't love the Netflix app right? I love being able to stream movies to my tablet or on my computer or even my phone. We also have a chromecast that makes it easy to stream it to our tv. Gotta love technology!



Discovering the MyJobChart app really changed the way that I work with my kids. It has helped me teach my children how to work and it gives them great incentives to get their stuff done. I'm using it all summer for everything and they are earning points to do fun things on the weekend!




I love my Cozi app. It is my organizational system in running my household. I use the calendar that I can access on all my devices. I also use the menu planning and the shopping list. It even has a place that I can write down notes if I need too and once again access it through all my devices.  It gets the most use for me for my shopping lists and menu planning.



The LDS Gospel Library is awesome. I love having access to my scriptures and LDS magazines and teaching manuals and everything right at my fingertips. I use it most on my tablet and I love it!





Okay I could go on and on - I love my apps. But I would like to share with you my favorite games that I play. I have about a million games, but there are 4 games that I play the most on my Google Tablet (Android device).


Dragonvale by Backflip











Solitaire by Backflip












Sudoku by AI Factory








Ticket to Ride by Days of Wonder
















So those are some of my favorites and ones that I use EVERYDAY!  What are your favorite apps?  Please comment and share!  I love trying out new apps!  If you have any questions, let me know!


______________________________
My Favorite ThingZ is a series of blog posts, focusing on some of my favorite things. I hope you can find some interesting new things that will work for you in your life!