B-Movie Star

In a scrapping slump? Need some inspiration? Just want to take a break and have some FUN?  Want a fun way to earn money to buy your favorite designer's latest kits? Please come by the Designs In Digital forums and join us in some great challenges this month! The challenges are fantastic and creative ways to get some layouts done, see some awesome artwork done by other artists, and gets those creative juices flowing!!

If you've never participated all you need to do is register at DID (it's quick and painless) stop by the challenge forum thread - pick a challenge that seems appealing to you, read the instructions and GET STARTED!

Wanna know the BEST PART? The challenges will MAKE YOU MONEY! Yes!! You have fun and earn points that add up to dollar amounts that you can spend ANYWHERE in the DID shops!  Each month there will be different challenges set by some of our designers and creative team members. For each challenge that you complete we will give you a set number of points. Those points will turn into cash (coupons) to use at Designs In Digital.

Be sure that you upload your challenge layouts to the gallery. Also go back to the appropriate challenge thread to link us up to your gallery layout. In each month you will find a sticky thread to help keep track of your challenge points. At the end of the month your points will be tallied and you will be sent a private message with your total. You will then have the option to cash in for a coupon, or roll them over to the next month. Once you reach 1,000 points you must cash out, though.

100 points = $1.00 coupon

Challenge Points differ for each challenge, and are posted in the forum. There is a 5 point bonus for using a kit by a DID designer. Do all of the months challenge and receive a 25 point bonus!!!

So are you ready to play? Here's a few of the awesome challenges going on NOW!

FREE WORD ART WITH THIS CHALLENGE!

FREE DESKTOP TEMPLATE!

MORE FUN STUFF AWAITS YOU! DON'T MISS OUT!

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Here's an really easy way to decorate for the season - a printable banner!

Just click on the image to download the zip file and print off the pdfs.  After you have them printed, trim them out and punch holes in either side and string them through with twine, or string or ribbon and then hang! What could be simpler you ask? Well how about hanging them on a string by clipping them with clothespins? Or hanging them on your fridge with magnets . . . or hey, just tape them up in your window!

However you want to use these to decorate with, have fun!! Only 26 more days till Halloween!!!

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Well, of course I love owls - whoooo doesn't?  (Oh, wow. THAT was cheesy)  So, okay then, here are some really cute and great owls for this Halloween pre-season!

Did you know a group of owls is called a Parliament? Yeah, I just looked that up. That's not to be confused with this Parliament:

or this one

Any-whooo . . . . here is a cool parliament of owls - and all the images are linked so you can get directions or find out more about them!!!

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Here's a cute game for a Halloween party. I found it over at Martha Stewart.  Don't get me started on Martha's Halloween stuff!  Anyway - this looks like a blast - it reminds me of those old fashioned carnival games.  There is a tutorial if you want to make one. You could also fill the balloons with confetti and small candies and include a paper with a number written on it. Whatever number the child gets in a balloon would correspond with a "Trick," (something they have to do, i.e., tell a riddle, do a cartwheel) or a "Treat," some kind of party prize. I think kids would love this game - I know I would!  You could also make the balloons into the shape of a skull, using black and white balloons - I'm sure you can think of other things too!

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Sure, I know you think we're going to discuss green fuzzy mold - how you can grow it, how it can be used in your next haunted house . . . and that really sounds like fun, but today I'm going to show you some different, yet just as awesome molds for food!

First, I saw this cake on Not Martha.  OMG really! Isn't this just the coolest? I mean this is the kind of cake that could be made year round! When ISN"T a skull cake appropriate?  Birthdays! Family Reunions! Mother's Day! Okay, well that might depend on if your mother is closer to Morticia or Mrs. Cleaver. But anyway, she has a tutorial for this lovely orange cake, which got me to searching, and look at all these adorable molds I found on Amazon! Who Knew!? Not me obviously.

This pan, from Wilton, is the one that Not Martha used to make her 3-D skull cake - there are just so many decorating possibilities too! A day of the dead decorated skull would look fantastic!

I also discovered this pan, which appears to be a more traditional cake pan - one that would lie flat - still it would be awesome!

I also discovered these little skulls! How cute is this!

And here's one for skull cupcakes. Awww CUPCAKES!

Then I also saw that they have skull ice cube molds - I think these are awesome too!

Lastly I found a few other molds, not skulls, but still Halloween related - first some bony fingers!!!

and lastly, some harmless little pumpkins . . . or are they . . . guess that would be up to YOU to decide!!

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Don't be late for this very important date - it's the Mad Hatter Tea Party and you must come be part of it!

This fantastical kit was created by the design team of Missy's Bits and Sugar Moon Designs. They have put together a magical kit full of sparkles and flowers and tea cups and JAMMED PACKED with whimsy and merriment! Perfect for all your fun and madcap layouts!

Included in this kit that is created at 300 ppi with no drop shadows is:

• lace doilies,
• ribbons
• bows
• hats
• buttons
• clips
• corners
• frames
• strings
• vines
• mushrooms
• butterflies
• rainbows
• stitching
• word art
• fasteners
• clouds
• daisies
• roses
• assorted poseys
• swirls
• Flower Alpha with sparkling stems
• and MORE!

Scrap for Hire is Okay!

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE - when you purchase this Mad Hatter kit, the Doormouse has slipped in a little gift for you! A complete set of eight glitters and two sparkle brushes! - FOR FREE!!! Don't let the Mad Hatter know about this - it's our secret!

Now you just head over to Designs In Digital and we'll see you soon, we must go now and try to figure out why a raven is like a writing desk . . . .

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Well, I saw some Halloween Candy already in the aisle at the grocery store and that made my heart skip a little beat. I don't know why, but Halloween just cheers me up. I am planning on doing the Halloween countdown in October again - it's so much fun - but I've found a little preview that I have to share with you early.

You can download these FOR FREE from Paperglitter - they are so adorable huh?  She also has tips and ideas if you don't want to use them as cupcake toppers. - Heck you could even just cut them out and hang them up for decorations - or attach them to strings and make a mobile. Anyway, they are cute, and they are making me me think about Halloween . . . get excited!

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the manifesto of encouragement

right now:

There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.

Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.

Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.

Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.

A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."

Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you. Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favorite food is, and treat you to a movie. Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you -- for free.

Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.

The next great song is being rehearsed.

Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.

Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.

Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. They just can't see it from where they're at.

Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want -- and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it's reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."

Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche -- this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.

Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.

Someone is fighting the fight so that you don't have to.

Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe. Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.

Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable. Someone is curing the incurable.

You. Me. Some. One. Now.

. . . . . . .

SPREAD THE RA-RA. ADD TO THE MANIFESTO. ENCOURAGE.

This was taken from "WHITE HOT TRUTH" Blog - go there and read more inspiring posts - you really should . . . GO.

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I found this over at Executive Homemaker and I just love it! Each pebble inside the jar has something that we can take a few moments to enjoy and refresh our souls.

How many times a day do we pass up the chance to do the things we really love? I presume, with all the workload we have set out for ourselves, we sometimes barely have enough time for the important things. This inspired me to create a jar filled with ideas on how I would like my time to be spent. So every day, I take a dose (or more when I feel the need) of these inspiring pebbles.

Click on the photo above to head over there for a tutorial to make one for yourself. She also has a printable file with ideas of what to put on your pebbles . . .

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I was over at John Rozum's Blog and I see that he has a mention of it being Ray Harryhausen's birthday - so of course I had to run right back here and do the same, because I'm just a big copycat like that!!! Actually I wanted to tell you to go over to his kid's blog and read his post there - nice work and very well said!  He also posted this link where you can check out all of  Mr. Harryhausen's creations.

I think I'll watch Jason and the Argonauts tonight . . . or maybe Clash of the Titans . . . or The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad . . . who can choose just one?!

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