If you’ve been having fun playing with the free sampler of “Color of Music” by Julie Marie Designs, you are probably anxious to get your hands on the full kit released just this week at Elemental Scraps.

The good news is this kit is now available for purchase. The even better news is we are about to announce the name of the one lucky winner of yesterday’s giveaway who will be downloading the full kit for free.

Before I share the winner’s name, however, check out some of these great pages from our gallery that were created with this fantastic kit…

"Music" by shmooangel

"A Little Country, A Little Rock" by alien21xx

"Musically Inclined" by jend

"Fanatic" by ltarbox

"Music in Me" by aly321

Commenters on yesterday’s giveaway post included:

1. lindainsask
2. margotmacg
3. Claudi
4. zonemama
5. Crystal
6. Sue
7. tettletop20
8. DonnaNJ

And now the name you’ve been waiting for … the winner of our giveaway, chosen by random number generator, is:

Claudi says: January 18, 2010 at 4:26 am Music is something I really can’t live without…. I always sing or hear music! And singing is something I really love! Esp. praise-music is something I just LOVE. I love to praise the lord with music!!

Congratulations to Claudi! Check your email for information on how to download your free kit!

And thanks to everyone who shared their musical stories & questions for Julie in yesterday’s post!

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

Our January Guest Designer has already shared her talents with us through her fabulous free download earlier this month. Today she shares a bit more of herself through a Q&A-style interview. Read on to learn all about Julie Klaus of Julie Marie Designs … and be sure to enter our giveaway contest for a chance to win the full version of her amazing new kit!

January Guest Designer Julie Klaus of Julie Marie Designs

Name: Julie Klaus
Username: juliemarie
Location: Idaho

Retail Outlets:

• Elemental Scraps
• Gotta Pixel
• Also a guest at The Digi Chick in January.

My Blog: http://juliemariedesigns.com

Please tell us a little about yourself … your family, your background, pets, hobbies, etc… I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. With two daughters – a teenager and a preschooler  – there is never a dull moment in my home! Even the dog is exhausted!

Are you a digital, paper or hybrid scrapper/designer? What do you like most about this method? I will always be a digital scrapper, it is really my main addiction. I have also paper scrapped in the past, and I have done some hybrid as well. Digital scrapping fits my lifestyle much better at the moment because it’s so easy to work on a layout for a few minutes at a time.

How long have you been a designer & how did you first get started? When I discovered digital scrapbooking in 2006, I had just became a stay-at-home mom. My former job was working with Photoshop, so I knew that I could create the products as well as scrapbook, but it took me awhile to get serious about designing! I began taking designing seriously a little over a year ago.

Is scrapbook product design your full-time job? If not, what else do you do? I also sell Scentsy products. I don’t actually do that for a “job,” rather I became a representative for them because I love their products so much and there wasn’t anyone locally! If you aren’t familiar with Scentsy scent warmers, they are a safe way to have fragrance in your home without the dangers of candles.

What software & platform do you use in your design work? Do you use any other special tools? I’m a Windows girl. I use Adobe Photoshop CS4 & Illustrator. I also love using ACDSee for organizing. I have a Bamboo Fun tablet that I don’t like as much as I think I should

Has your design style changed over time? What has influenced this? Yes, I look back at older stuff and cringe because my stuff now is so much better. I have taken a couple classes on using Adobe products, plus I am always on the lookout for Photoshop or Illustrator tips & tutorials.

What is your biggest challenge as a scrapbook product designer? For me personally, it’s finding the time. Like most, I wish there were more hours in the day!

What has been the biggest reward or most fulfilling aspect of being a scrapbook product designer? Thank you letters I have received from customers. It’s nice to get a blog comment thank you for a freebie, but getting an email thank you is really touching!

Where do you get your product ideas? Who & what inspires you? Almost anything & everywhere! TV shows, magazines, catalogs, newspaper ads, clothing, bedding patterns, & my own photos.

How long does it typically take you to design a full kit from concept to delivery? What is your process? I almost always start with the papers first. It really just depends on my creativity & any deadline I have nearing (unfortunately I work better under pressure). A kit can take anywhere from one really, really long evening to a few weeks.

What has been your most popular product? Giving Thanks

What is your favorite kit and why? The Good Life – it reminds me of Olive Garden, one of my favorite restaurants!

How do you incorporate “real life” scrapbooking into your personal & professional scrapbooking & design work? Looking back at the layouts I did when I first began digital scrapbooking, I realize too many of them are just a photo with a bunch of elements. Of course I think they are beautiful, but 20 years from now looking back at them wouldn’t be much different than looking at just the photos. I now realize scrapbooking is about much more than a pretty layout focusing on a photo. Journaling is incredibly important. I often ask myself  “what doesn’t the photo tell?” and that is how I come up with more meaningful journaling.

What fills your time when you are NOT scrapbooking? First & foremost, my family. I also love photography, cooking, blog reading & watching tv.

What advice do you have for fellow scrapbookers interested in pursuing the scrapbook product design field? You need to be designing because you love it, not for the money. In the beginning it will take months of hard work with little pay. I think a lot of new designers end up stopping before they get successful.

Product Samples:

"Snow Berry"

Country Christmas

Planes, Trains & Cars

So Very Basic Paper Pack

And of course, the brand new release you’ve all been waiting for … the full version of Color of Music created especially for Log Your Memory!

Color of Music

This brand new kit is available for purchase from Julie’s store, but one lucky Log Your Memory blog reader will win the entire kit for FREE in today’s Guest Designer Giveaway. To enter, simply leave a comment below either asking Julie a question of your own (to be answered later this month) or sharing one way in which music has enriched your life. One random winner will be drawn from all comments received here on the blog as of midnight (MTN) tonight, January 18, 2010. Our winner will be announced in tomorrow’s post. Good luck!

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

Lost jobs. Shattered dreams. Poor health. Self-doubt. The search for balance. Battles with depression. Weight issues. The unique challenges of parenting … or being unable to parent.

This week’s Logbook challenge question was a tough one: “What has been your biggest challenge or most frequent struggle?” But that didn’t stop our Book Club members from putting together a gallery full of insightful and powerful layouts, making it rather difficult to choose just one for our featured Layout of the Week.

But I did find myself repeatedly returning to one particular page because of it’s intensely honest journaling and beautiful design.

“It’s every girl’s dream,” writes alien21xx. “Why can’t it be mine?” Read on…

"Yes..." by alien21xx

It’s something I’ve constantly asked myself when I started having serious relationships: Am I really ready for this? Do I even want it? The honest answer is “I don’t know.”  And I know that Jay won’t be too happy with it. We’ve talked about it as if we’re fait accompli once his legal issues on his previous marriage are resolved, but honestly, I don’t know if I could get over myself enough to be able to say yes. Even though, technically, I have said yes. I feel that I have too many doubts about myself. And it’ll be hard to explain it to him when he finally pops the question. How do you say “It’s not you, it’s me” without turning the one you love away?

Tough stuff. It takes courage to admit to yourself when your feelings don’t match what most would expect of you, even more to not only put it on paper but share it so publicly. And as if the journaling wasn’t enough, this talented gal pulled it all together with a perfectly blended photo, elegantly personal handwriting and a touch of sparkle.

Congratulations to alien21xx for creating this week’s featured layout! She will receive 10 bonus points through our Real Deal Book Club Rewards Program. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to check out the other layouts in the Week #2 challenge gallery. There’s a whole lot of heart and soul there waiting for you.

After a couple of weeks of rather intense challenges, we’re all looking forward to our Week #3 challenge that’s on a much lighter “note”. We’ll kick it off Monday with a special guest post featuring a Q&A-style interview with this month’s Guest Designer, Julie Klaus of Julie Marie Designs. We’ll also reveal Julie’s full version of her fabulous “Color of Music” kit, with an opportunity for one lucky blog reader to win the entire kit absolutely free! You don’t want to miss it…

While you’re waiting, be sure to stop by tomorrow and check out the new additions to our on-site store! Let’s just say a couple wishes might have been granted this week…

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

While cruising some of my favorite neighboring forums recently, I came upon a very interesting thread highlighting how one particular scrapbooker was using her Memory Logbook in a very creative way. So I asked her to share with us just what she’s doing …

Guest Blogger Stacy Hamby

When I was a teenager (back in the 80s), I liked to carry a small calendar in my purse and in it, I would keep track of not just the things I HAD to do, but also things I had DONE. I didn’t need a planner, I didn’t even have a job, but I really liked to keep track of birthdays and events and I also started making notes about places I had gone and who I had gone with. (There was quite a quick rotation of boyfriends in that thing, ah-hem!) I decorated it with stickers and photos and magazine cut-outs and even some colored paper clips, just for fun.

Thanks to Kristin and Log Your Memory, I now have the ability to do the exact same kind of memory-keeping, on a grander scale. I use my book to jot down To-Do lists and silly things my toddler does and says. My book already has an amazing amount of information in it after only 10 days. When I find an interesting ad in my paper or print out something I find online, now I have a place to put those items.

Click on image for close-up view

What is really amazing to me is how little time making these entries takes. I usually just sit down with my Memory Log at bedtime and fill in some thoughts and activities from the day.When I upload and review the photos I’ve taken every couple of days, I quickly print out a few on my photo printer and just add them onto my pages.

Click on image for close-up view

By the end of the year, I will have a time capsule of my family’s daily life in 2010.

"One Way Ticket" for Weekly Challenge #1

Stacy Hamby is a mom of four in Phoenix, Arizona, who has been scrapbooking for 10 years. “I love taking photos,” she says, “which I’m not very good at and playing Rock Band with my boys, which I am pretty great at!”

Are YOU using your Logbook in a unique or interesting way that might be inspiring for others to see? Tell me what you are doing and you could be our next Guest Blogger!

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

Welcome to Day 5 of our Countdown to 2010 … just one more day to go before we’re celebrating (and logging) the New Year!!!

Today I have a very special Story Board for you … a collection of fabulous year-end layouts! Perhaps they will inspire you to create one of your own … and if you do, be sure to enter it in our Year-End 100 Things Layout Challenge! Check this post for details… and enjoy these great pages!

"2009 Creative" by Wilna

"Favorite Photos 2009" by cintiascrap

"Year in Review 2009" by CindyS

"2009" by Manderin Oranges

"Neill in 2009" by pom

"2009" by dancingscrapper

"Our Year in Review" by Mary Rogers

Coming up in tomorrow’s Countdown to 2010: New Year Traditions

Today’s Story Board brought to you by …

Interested in seeing YOUR business, store, Web site or favorite designer promoted here? Sponsorship opportunities are available … to find out more, inquire through the Contact Us page.

Click on “comments” below to share your thoughts…

I love everything about today’s Layout of the Week, from the adorable collection of photos to the cheery color scheme to the clever framing. I especially enjoyed the story …

"14 Photos" by Misty Cato

I gave the kids their Christmas PJs and attempted to take a festive photo for our Christmas cards. At first they pouted, but then I coaxed them into silliness. They danced, tumbled, hugged, giggled, and played with their feet. And I have 14 photos that will not be appearing on our Christmas cards.

I love that instead of getting frustrated with the non-cooperative photo subjects, Misty instead turned the experience into something fun … and then took the time to scrapbook it! For the record, I think any of these photos would have been great for the Christmas cards. But I’m so glad Misty instead created this fun page and then took the time to share it with us!

If you haven’t been participating in our daily December Challenge questions, you’ve been missing out! Not only does joining in earn you a chance at our $50 gift certificate, there have been some really fun traditions, stories, recipes and other holiday goodies shared by your fellow members. Check it out today … you’ll be glad you did!

And if you haven’t done so already, be sure to cast your vote for our Cover Girl contest! The deadline to vote is midnight (MTN) tonight, with our winner named next Monday. Check out the entries & get the scoop in this post.

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

I just love it when December finally arrives each year.

Christmas was always a big deal in my house growing up and continues to be important for our entire family. Every year, Mom goes to great length to decorate the house for the holidays.  As kids, we usually made a paper chain to count down the days until Santa arrived. Today my own kids have two countdown calendars – one is a wooden tree with numbered stars that hang on little nails. The other is a wooden Santa holding numbered tags. If I don’t get the house decorated before December 1st, my oldest son hounds me constantly until it gets done, simply because that’s when I pull out those countdown calendars.

Compounding the excitement for me personally each December is the fact that my birthday falls right between Christmas and New Years. I always loved that I never had to go to school on my birthday, which helped balance out the frustration at having a tough time some years getting friends to help me celebrate because they were all out of town with their families for the holidays. This year is no exception and I’m looking forward to the Christmas week fun, except that as my husband has been reminding me for over a year now, this birthday’s a “big” one.  Ha ha.

This year, December has totally crept up on me. Maybe it’s because we have absolutely no snow on the ground right now and unusually warm temperatures outside. Maybe it’s because Thanksgiving seems to be later this year. Or maybe I’ve just been so busy with Log Your Memory that time has slipped by more quickly than usual. Whatever the reason, I thought it might help get me … and all of you … in the Christmas spirit by hosting a special contest this month focused on the holidays.

So… today we kick off our first “December Challenge,” a month-long opportunity to participate in Christmas & December-related questions, polls & other activities with a chance to win a special prize on New Year’s Day. Here’s how it works:

• Each day, you’ll find a new question, prompt, poll or other activity posted in the special December Challenge forum.
• Simply reply to each day’s item by doing whatever you are asked to do … don’t worry, it won’t be difficult and it will help get you in the holiday spirit!  Generally all that will be required is a quick answer to a question… and if you choose, you can go back at the end of the month and collect all your answers for some great December scrapbooking material! These items might also be helpful to you if you are working on a December Daily project.
• Many of the questions will be Christmas-related. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, you are still welcome to participate. Simply respond to the questions in whatever way makes sense for you … and feel free to tweak the question to make it work for you.
• At the end of each day, I will go through the responses to that day’s question and write the name of each participant on a separate ticket and toss it in a bucket. You are welcome to participate in a particular day’s question after that day is over, however only those who take part on the day the question is posted will be included in that day’s tickets. When in question, the date & time shown on the actual forum posts/replies will be what is used to determine eligibility.
• You may participate as many times as you’d like for each day’s question, however only one time will be counted per day. The more days you play, the more tickets – and chances at winning – you’ll have!
• On January 1st, we will draw one name from the bucket … and that will be our special prize winner!

And what is the special prize? Our lucky winner will receive a $50 gift certificate good for anything available for purchase directly from our on-site store. This gift certificate will not expire, so it could be used for current or future downloadable books or workshops, even next year’s Memory Logbook! Several new products are in the planning stages, so this prize will come in very handy for our winner!

Today’s question is ready and waiting for you! So head on over to the December Challenge forum and join in the fun!

For those of you looking for the Facebook Fan Site Scavenger Hunt that was planned to launch today, I apologize. The event as planned was canceled, with a much smaller, less organized version taking its place later this month. I have decided not to participate in that replacement event. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for you…

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

On this day of shopping & saving & getting ready for the holidays, we have a few special savings to offer those of you choosing the online route …

For a limited time only, all downloadable items purchased directly through our on-site store are 20% off when you use the following coupon code: THANKu20. Offer expires at midnight on Monday, November 30th.

All items purchased through our Lulu bookstore are also discounted when using the following coupon codes:

10% off your order ~ Code: GREATBOOK ~ Expires November 30, 2009.

Save $3 on a purchase of 3 books ~ Code: SAVE3 ~ Expires December 24, 2009

Save $4 on a purchase of 4 books ~ Code: SAVE4 ~ Expires December 24, 2009.

Save $5 on a purchase of 5 books ~ Code: SAVE5 ~ Expires December 24, 2009

If you’ve already purchased our Memory Logbooks for yourself, consider picking up another for a scrapbooking buddy … or even someone who does not scrapbook but could use an easy way to record family memories!!! You could even buy the downloadable books, print them up, add a few pocket pages, tabs and other goodies, and present a very unique gift that will definitely be remembered.

Enjoy the weekend & best wishes on tackling that shopping list!

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Around our house, Thanksgiving is extra busy because my youngest son was born just a few days before the holiday. This year his birthday fell on Tuesday, so while most folks were busy getting ready for Turkey Day, we were knee deep in tween-age boys, birthday cake, presents and your general birthday chaos!

It’s also hunting season … and around our house, that’s significant. Let’s just say my husband chose Lewistown first for the hunting & fishing, second for the job. So pretty much everything revolves around the last hunt, the current hunt, the next hunt … you get the idea.

So as I write this on the eve of Thanksgiving, my husband has already packed a lunch for tomorrow and gone to bed, with the alarm set for 5-something so he can get out to his favorite spot before sunrise. Even though it is after 10 p.m., my house is crawling with my very awake nieces and nephew, who managed to sleep a chunk of their 6-plus hour drive over here with my parents and are now raring to go for a while yet.

There’s a thawed out (I hope) turkey in the fridge, four pumpkin pies stashed in the back porch (no room in the fridge), and a new layer of toys, popcorn, shoes & other “stuff” strewn across my all-day cleaning job.

So rather than concoct some clever Thanksgiving layout to share on this site for this Thanksgiving Day … or create some other appropriately-themed post, I decided to instead share a couple birthday photos before shifting focus away from the computer and on to the family.

Which is exactly where I hope you are on this wonderful holiday as well.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with you and yours … and we’ll catch up again after the turkey’s all gone!!

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…

The Calendar Girls have really hit the ground running and just a week into their term have already put together their first Layout Challenge for you! Check out the freebie download they have created just for this challenge …

Calendar Girls Layout Challenge

Clicking on the image above will take you to the Challenge Central forum where you’ll find this download and details on how to participate in the challenge, plus links to tons of inspiration to get you started!

If you haven’t visited the forum lately, you’ll want to do so … there have been several new conversations started with tons of great ideas, including the new “Collective Wisdom” section where you can read and contribute to all sorts of fun lists … and even start a few of your own! Current topics range from “All I Want for Christmas” to “Pet Peeves”. It’s fun reading and a great way to get to know your fellow Log Your Memory community members.

The Calendar Girls have also been busy already putting together sample pages for the Weekly Challenge prompts in the December 2009 Memory Logbook. Our first Weekly Challenge officially starts just a week from today, so if you haven’t gotten your December logbook yet, now’s a great time to do so. Plus you’ll want to be sure you’re signed up for our Book Club, which will get you front row access to all of those inspiring Weekly Challenge pages. All you need to qualify for the Book Club is the purchase of any one of the Memory Logbooks. Check out our online store to see the options.

Have you entered our Cover Girl Contest?

Time is quickly running out for another Log Your Memory contest … the Cover Girl logbook cover contest! To refresh your memory, we are looking for the creator of the most loved Logbook cover! You create a cover and send us a photo and then we’ll display it for the rest of the Log Your Memory community to vote on. The cover with the most votes will win the prize … one free item of your choice from the Log Your Memory Gift Shop and the opportunity to be featured as our Cover Girl on our blog!!!

To enter the contest, you need to first create your cover. Anything goes … scrapbook it, sew it, stamp it, glue it, build it, borrow it … you are limited only by your imagination. You may create a cover for either the Memory Logbook 2010 or the December 2009 edition – take your pick. Take a clear photo of your cover and email it as an attachment to kristin@logyourmemory.com with “Cover Girl Contest” in the subject line and your first and last name, username and city/state/country of residence in the body of the email.

Entries must be received by 12 midnight (Mountain Time) on Monday, November 30, 2009 to be included in the contest. We’ll put the covers up for a vote a few days later here at Log Your Memory. The cover with the most votes will win! You do not have to own the Print-It-Yourself Logbook to win and you may enter as many different covers as you would like.

Make a Wish …

If you attempted to access the Log Your Memory eWishList this weekend, you found out it didn’t work out quite as we had planned. Unbeknownst to us, the system we had set up for the eWishList was going through some major migration this weekend, making our form unavailable. That transition is still underway.

As soon as that system is up and running again, we’ll post an announcement & you will be able to get your wishes delivered to Santa…

Click on “comment” below to share your thoughts…