If you’re not familiar with March Guest Designer Suzy Iverson of SuzyQ Scraps, it’s time you become acquainted. Lucky for you, we have a variety of fun ways for you to do just that this month at Log Your Memory.

For starters, Suzy has very generously provided a ton of free goodies for participants in this month’s new challenge chat series … our Memory Logbook Weekly Challenge Chats. Book Club members who attend these chats receive a brand new free layered template from Suzy just for stopping by, perfect for use in your Weekly Challenge layouts or any other page you wish. And to sweeten the deal, those who complete and post their layouts by noon Mountain/2 p.m. Eastern on Thursday receive an additional free gift.

This month, that free gift just happens to be a portion of the brand new digi-kit … “Serendipity”… created by Suzy especially for Log Your Memory. Complete all five challenges and receive all five pieces, which amounts to getting the complete kit absolutely free! That adds up to more than 65 MB of digi-goodies for the kit alone, not to mention the five templates given away in the process!

But that’s not all …

Everyone is also invited to attend our Guest Designer Template Challenge Chat this evening at 7 p.m. Mountain/9 p.m. Eastern for an hour of inspiration, a chance to visit with our generous Guest Designer, and you guessed it … even more goodies to play with, including another free template and the chance to earn an entire alpha set that coordinates with Suzy’s great kit!

The chat is open to everyone, but you must be a registered member to enter the chat room. If you are not already registered, you are welcome to do that here prior to the chat.

And in case you’re not quite convinced (and even if you are!), we have yet another treat for you … a free download of this adorable add-on kit below, which gives you a nice little sneak preview of the fabulous new full-sized kit we keep talking about…

Click image to begin download (16.7 MB)

If you like what you see, I hope you’ll also check out Suzy’s blog and store, where you’ll find lots more of her wonderful designs. And to help you do that, Suzy has even offered a special discount just for Log Your Memory fans.

Have fun playing with all these goodies … and hope to see you at the chat!

Get the inside scoop, be the first to know about new product releases & get special discounts by subscribing to our new weekly newsletter, the Log Your Memory INSIDER. Delivered directly to your INBOX every Sunday afternoon.

Please share your thoughts in a comment below …

Taking the lead as our Calendar Girl of the Month is the lovely & talented Jen DeLorenzo (jend). Jen sets the stage for a month full of sweetness with her “real life” guest post below. Jen will also assist with choosing the Layout of the Week later in the month, plus compile a special edition of our weekly Story Board.

February has arrived and love is in the air.

As the song goes, all you need is love… … and within a family there is an abundance to capture. There are so many little glimpses into the power love holds.  When my children look back through my scrapbooks as adults I want them to feel the overwhelming love I have for them.  I want them to see my heart on each and every page.

There are so many little stories that would get missed and lost in the progress of time if they weren’t written down.  The sweet little everyday tidbits disappear and we are just left with a warm glow and fond memories, but none of them distinct.  It is so important to capture that love and get it down before it slips through your hands.

A human memory is so fleeting.  It is so easy to go about our normal day and think “oh that was such a cute/sweet/special moment” and do nothing about it. Love has no limits.  You can love people, animals and things.  I think recording it all is important.

If you just try to steal those moments back from time, I guarantee you won’t regret it.  Those pages will quickly become your favorites. I have posted some examples of pages that to me speak the language of love.  I hope you take this and go scrap your love story!

Introducing February Guest Designer Misty Cato

I am excited to introduce this month’s Guest Designer … the fabulous Misty Cato. Right in keeping with this month’s theme, Misty has created a beautiful kit especially for us, which one lucky Log Your Memory reader will win for free in a special giveaway later this month. For everyone following along with the Logbook Weekly Challenges, you’ll find that Misty’s creation … “Adoration” … is a perfect complement to Weekly Challenge #7: Who is your most favorite person in the world?

To give you a little taste of the goods, Misty has provided this wonderful freebie mini-kit just for you! Click on the image to download this little goodie … and be sure to leave a note in our comment section to let Misty know how much you appreciate her generosity!

Also be sure to check out Misty’s store at Sweet Shoppe Designs. To sweeten the deal, Misty’s even offered a special coupon just for Log Your Memory readers.

Note: Offer excludes scoops/dips and coupon must be used on a single purchase of Misty’s products. Fans are also invited to subscribe to Misty’s newsletter here.

Please share your comments through our community forum…

Thinking about doing something a little extra special for Valentine’s Day? There’s still time, if you get started right away.

Personalized hybrid mini-albums are among my favorite items to give, particularly the ones I put together last year for my husband, two boys and oldest daughter. Each album, called “10 Things I Love About You,” features 10 photos of the person for whom the album was created, plus brief journaling on each page describing one of those 10 things.

For instance, my oldest son’s 10 things were…

1. You’re a lot of fun to play games with!
2. You have a great laugh that’s really contagious!
3. You have lots of talents that you’re putting to good use!
4. You love a good set of Legos (just like me!)
5. You are just so creative!
6. You are a great big brother to all of your siblings!
7. You’re a great friend!
8. You’re not afraid to show your enthusiasm!
9. You’re such a great sport with all your little girl cousins!
10. There’s no one else in all the world exactly like you!

At the very end of each album, I also included a little picture of myself and a handwritten message to the recipient. I could hardly wait to give these to my family last year, but it was well worth the wait. They LOVED them.

They loved seeing 10 great photos of themselves. They loved reading the 10 reasons I think they’re awesome. They loved that the entire book is all about them. And I think they found it pretty cool that I took the time to focus on them that way.

It’s the best Valentine gift I’ve given so far … and believe me, I’ve tried to be creative with this holiday on more than one occasion.

I had so much fun doing these albums that I created a downloadable quick-page kit so others could do the same. As of today, you’ll find the complete kit in our on-site store.

Just purchase & download the kit, choose your recipient, come up with 10 things you love about them, choose 10 photos to go with it, drop the photos into the openings using your favorite scrapbooking software & add your journaling. Print the pages and the included covers, adhere to CDs or a round chipboard album kit, bind it all together … and you’re done!

To get you started & give you a little taste of the colors & patterns of the album, I’ve even got a free mini-kit to share with you right here. Simply click on the image below to download this digital scrapbooking freebie! (File size: 21.1 MB)

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

You got it.

Several of you using the print-your-own version of the Memory Logbook have requested various “extra” pages to help you better customize your book to fit your needs. Seemed like a great idea to me, so you can now find more than a dozen add-on pages right here in our on-site store. New pages include:

• Blog Topics
• Check It Out! ~ Artists, Music & Movies
• Check It Out! ~ Website & Reading Material
• Contact List
• Fave Meals & Recipes
• Fave Websites
• Gift Tracker
• Layout Notes
• List & Sketch
• Menu Planner
• Playlist
• Profile Tracker
• Reading Log

The above pages are available for just 50 cents each … or you can get the entire set all at once for just $5, a savings of $1.50 off the total individual price.

I’ve even created a little freebie pack with three basic pages you can customize however you might like. You can find them in the store along with the others … or you are welcome to download them right here, if you’d prefer. Just click on the image below to start the download.

Memory Logbook Basic Add-Ons (FREE!)

If you’re looking for a special page that isn’t here, feel free to add your request to our forum thread started just for this purpose. It just might show up in our store someday…

Also new this month …

If you are a Kindle user, you may also be interested in another new item now available through Amazon’s Kindle Store.

A special edition of Real Life Scrapbooking Weekly Challenges is now available for the Kindle. It contains all of the challenges and questionnaires of the print & downloadable editions. The only pages left out of the Kindle edition are the Story List and Page Planner sketch pages, as they would be rather useless without the ability to easily write on them.

Of course, you can also subscribe to our daily blog posts on your Kindle for just 99 cents a month, with a free two-week trial subscription to get you started.

Don’t own a Kindle? You might want to check out a couple new options offered through Amazon, including the ability to download & read Kindle books on your PC or iPhone.

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

I’ve got a special treat for you today.

This month marks the debut of the Log Your Memory Guest Designer program. Through this program, one talented scrapbooking product designer will be featured each month here on our site.

Each designer’s month-long stay will include  a special guest blog post, a freebie mini-kit download, and a generous giveaway of a brand new digi-kit developed in conjunction with one of our Weekly Challenges, just for starters. Many of our Guest Designers will also be offering special product discounts just for members of the Log Your Memory community.

January Guest Designer Julie Klaus of Julie Marie Designs

Our first Guest Designer has gone all out to get this program started on the right foot. January Guest Designer Julie Klaus of Julie Marie Designs has created an absolutely fantastic digital scrapbooking kit called “Color of Music” that will perfectly complement Weekly Challenge #3 … “Do you have a song that evokes a particular memory for you?” One lucky winner will receive her amazing kit for FREE in a giveaway following Julie’s guest Q&A post, which will be featured here on Monday, January 18th.

I’m anxious to share Julie’s kit with you, but that will have to wait until it is unveiled on the 18th. I will, however, share a little sneak preview with you today. Check out this mini-kit created from the full kit …

This isn’t just a preview, however. Julie has generously donated a FREE DOWNLOAD of this mini-kit for every visitor to our blog! All I ask in exchange for this great digital scrapbooking freebie is that you leave a comment below thanking Julie for the download.

If you like this kit, be sure to check out Julie’s other products. To help get you started, she has even shared a special coupon offer just for us. You can find that HERE in our Sponsor Gallery. And be sure to come back right here on January 18th to learn more about Julie and her designs, plus try your chances at winning her full Color of Music kit!

Interested in being a Guest Designer on our site? Find out more about the requirements HERE. If you’d like to apply, feel free to download an application HERE. You are also welcome to share this information with your favorite designer friends who might be interested in the opportunity themselves.

Did you know …

• The purchase of any version of the Memory Logbook or Real Life Scrapbooking Weekly Challenges qualifies you for membership in the Log Your Memory Book Club. However, enrollment is not automatic. You need to register HERE before you will officially be added to the Club roster.
• Now through January 31, 2010, you can get a 10% discount on book orders placed through Lulu.com by using coupon code: READMORE2010. I will also honor that coupon in our on-site store.
• You can now subscribe to our daily blog posts via Kindle. Give it a try with a free trial-subscription HERE.
• We have a new group on Flickr especially for all of you taking part in a Photo-A-Day project for 2010. You can join us HERE.
• You can also find Log Your Memory enthusiasts on Facebook and Twitter!
• The best way to support Log Your Memory is to share our message with your friends and family! Every time you post a note on Facebook, retweet on Twitter or share a link through your own blog, you’re helping this wonderful community to grow and thrive! So a huge THANK YOU for all you’ve done already … and please keep it up!

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…