PPF Great Scrap-Off Grand Prize Winner, I mean, WINNERS

Okay, so it was down to me and Andrea/Boyerville Scraps. We waited. And waited. And waited. At one point I commented that I felt like we were on the American Idol stage and were awaiting the results . . . and Ryan Seacrest had gone to a commercial break! LOL!

The announcement finally came last night . . . and we BOTH won the GRAND PRIZE. Some very awesome goodies and a chance to CT for the site for one year.

See the official announcement at the PURPLE PAPER FLOWERS BLOG

When I first registered for the Great Scrap-Off, the post in the forum that I read didn't say anything about a CT position being a part of the contest. I thought I was just competing for prizes. It was brought to my attention by a designer I CT for that yes, indeed, a CT position was included in the prize package. I went to the PPF blog . . . and yup, there it is in black and white ~ two CT positions were up for grabs. I was already at Challenge 3 or 4 at this point. I'm already on quite a few CTs, but the designers at PPF are incredible, so I decided to continue the contest and see what happened. And WOW, the prizes are awesome and I think the CT position is going to be one I'm really going to enjoy.

Prepare yourself: now's when I start rambling. I feel very blessed to CT for the designers and the sites that I do. Some teams have more requirements than others . . . but I'm going to be scrapping anyway and it's a pleasure to be able to work with their designs. I am so overwhelmed by my passion for this craft that I start to get emotional . . . it feels like I am a child again filled with the wonder and joy of life. Don't get me wrong: I have an awesome life apart from scrapping. My dear husband and two children are incredible and my immediate and extended family are a big part of that, too. I have a relationship with Christ that is still growing. I love to read as well. Yet there is something about digi scrapping, the ability to create, that is immensely satisfying and rewarding. Part of that is learning how to scrap my faith (thanks Faith Sisters) and letting that come through in my pages . . . being able to share Christ's love through scrapping . . . wow! The other part is feeling that I am doing something of lasting value. I'm still not finding the words to get this out right. I am just grateful that I have found something that makes me feel so ALIVE.

So off my soapbox and back to reality . . . woo-hoo for me and my prizes and my CT position at PPF! I think this is gonna be a GREAT year!

Purple Paper Flowers Great Scrap-Off Layout Entries

Over the weekend, I participated in the Great Scrap-Off at Purple Paper Flowers. These are my entries. For credits, look here: MY GALLERY AT PURPLE PAPER FLOWERS. Each challenge round had different specifications for each layout, and the time constraints made this difficult, especially on a busy weekend! But I felt like I was able to stretch myself and grow some in my layout designing skills. I've created some pages that I really treasure. I love that I captured my daughter in a less than happy situation . . . sometimes that's part of life, but not one we often document in photographs or in our layouts. I also love the layout with my son who is just discovering the joy of books. Considering my great love for books, it is very delightful to see how studiously he examines the pictures on the pages.

The winner of the Great Scrap-Off is to be announced today, Monday, March 10, 2008 . . . I'm anxiously awaiting the news!