Scrap Buddha

Waiting for Spring...

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:54:00 +0000

I am not a cold weather creature. I got chilled in December and I haven't been able to warm up yet! It doesn't matter how high I tweak the thermostat, or how many clothes I wear, or how many blankets I snuggle under. I'm cold. All the time.
Spring is my time of year. My birthday is on the first day of spring - the Vernal Equinox, to be exact. My husband laughs every year when I finally "smell the dirt". You know that smell. When the earth starts to thaw out and the air warms up just enough to carry the scent, and you can smell the moist, earthy, wormy-ness. Ummmm. Now, that's a great smell.

Usually by the time I smell the dirt, the air is warming up, but there's still an underlying chill to remind me that it's not quite over yet. Old Man Winter may just make a final appearance before heading south for the Summer.

Well, I'm ready. I'm ready for spring and warmth and green and dirt smells. So, I created this bright, cheery kit so that we can all get in the mood in anticipation of all things new. Hot pink, orange and lime green are sure to warm your toes. You get 6 papers, 2 frames, 12 brads, 2 word art, 1 alpha, 1 sticker, 4 flourishes, 1 chain border, 4 photo/page wraps, and 2 charms. PNG and JPEG formats. High-resolution, 300 dpi files for excellent print quality. Each element comes in its own file. One zip, 38.5 MB. This is a personal use license - commercial use licensing is available - please email me with inquiries.

I hope you enjoy it!

Spring Fling Digital Scrapbooking Kit
$5.99 (personal use)

10% off Valentines Sale at DigiScrapShop

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:07:00 +0000

10% off sale at DigiScrapShop.com. Here's the code: VALENTINE10

Enjoy!

What's Your Sign?

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:09:00 +0000

First of all - exciting news! I've just been accepted as a designer at Deco-Pages.com. I'll be loading my store this week. Check back here for more updates or visit the shop.

Happy year of the Ox! I lived in Hong Kong for 5 years, and Chinese New Year is a great time of the year. The entire city is decked out in bright colors and whimsical designs celebrating the lunar new year. The high rises along the waterfront all invest in light displays tens of stories high - usually depicting the outgoing and incoming animal of the year. Lots of people hire junks and take harbor cruises at this time of year to enjoy the displays.I miss celebrating CNY - here it's just a novelty to wish someone a "Happy Chinese New Year!". So, to get back a little of that old celebratory feeling, I whipped up some embellishments and brushes featuring the 12 zodiac characters. Hope you like them! You can also find them in my shops at DigiScrapShop and ScrapMall.

Chinese Zodiac Cloisonne Animals
PNG, 300 dpi
$3.50

Chinese Zodiac Characteristics Brush Set
ABR, PNG, 300 dpi
$3.50

Chinese Zodiac Animals Brush Set
ABR, PNG, 300 dpi
$3.50

As for your freebie - I'm going to offer my Year of the Ox again! See it here. Download it here.

Kung Hei Fat Choy

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 22:28:00 +0000

That means "Happy Chinese New Year!". I used to love this time of year in Asia - the whole town would be decorated in bright, exciting colors and lights. Small orange trees (symbolizing wealth) adorned every shop, and I would spend hours preparing lai see packets for the office staff and building security guards.

I've created a crazy-bright kit to celebrate the coming Year of the Ox. The colors and whimsical feel remind me of all the wonderful decorations in Hong Kong. I've even given you a freebie to commemorate the trusty Ox. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Oxen know they will succeed through hard work and sustained effort and find no truth or benefit in concocting get-rich-quick schemes.

This fun kit contains six papers, two frames, eight tassles, one stamp/brush, one tag and nine embellishments. Each comes in its own high resolution file - png, jpeg and abr.

I hope you enjoy the kit and that 2009 brings you wealth and happiness!

Crazy Azian Kit
6 papers, 2 frames, 8 tassles, 1 stamp/brush, 1 tag, 9 embellishments
300 dpi

$5.99

Grab your freebie here.

ScrapMall.com Is Now Open!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:59:00 +0000

I'm excited to have been chosen as one of the new designers at ScrapMall - a brand new site for personal and commercial use digital goodies. The other designers on the site are amazing and I think the shop is going to do well. I hope you'll stop by and visit!

20% Off Grand Opening Sale at DigiScrapShop

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 22:32:00 +0000

DigiScrapShop is Up and Running

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Okay, shoppers! DigiScrapShop is now up and running. Visit my store to see more of my goodies. Let me know what you think!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:18:00 +0000

Wow, 2009 is just hours away! I anticipate big changes for our family this year - growing my digi scrap business, expanding my marketing practice, a new job for the DH and possibly (gulp!) a big move. Change is good, though. We've been in the same place for six years and maybe it's time to shake things up a bit. As long as we're together and happy, that's all that matters. Or, at least that's what I keep telling the DH, who tends to stress over change a bit more than I do!

In celebrating the end of a wonderful 2008, and the beginning of an exciting 2009, I'm offering this freebie for your New Year's layouts. You get a the brush and a png version for whatever you might want to use it for. Have a safe and happy New Year!

Grab your freebie here.

The Countdown Has Begun!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:56:00 +0000

Scrap Buddha has been invited as a designer at a brand new online digital scrapbooking shop! DigiScrapShop - partner site to DigiScrapDepot - will open January 1, 2009. The site offers personal and commercial use items, as well as tagging and sigging designs.
I'm very excited to have been asked to be involved with this new site. The team of designers is great and I think you'll really like the designs you find there. Please stop by! http://www.digiscrapshop.com

Cookies for Santa

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:20:00 +0000

I really, really love this time of year. Especially as the kids get older and they appreciate the meaning of the holidays more and more. Our family traditions are really taking root - the advent calendar, the gingerbread house, cherry pie and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve.

We have a long and ongoing debate with my daughter's best friend about what snack Santa likes best. He swears Santa prefers chocolate chips (his mom's favorite), while my daughter steadfastly declares that, no, Santa prefers homemade cherry pie (a hand-me-down tradition from my Pappap, to my Dad, to me and now to her). We've reached a tenuous agreement that, perhaps, Santa likes a little variety on his travels round the world. And, apparently, he does, because he consumes all the snacks at both houses quick happily.

So, in honor of Merry Old St. Nick's impending journey, I've created a yummy Sugar Cookie alpha that will make your holiday layouts just a little sweeter. I've also added a quickpage freebie for you as an early Christmas gift. Enjoy!

Sugar Cookie Alpha
Letters and Symbols
300 dpi, PNG format
$3.50

Grab your freebie here.

Ho Ho Ho - Happy Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:49:00 +0000

Well, the tree is up and trimmed. In fact, the kids and the DH have already denuded it of the THREE packages of candy canes with which I had adorned it. The stocking are hung by the chimney with care, and the advent calendar has been counting down the days. I finished all my holiday shopping yesterday - gah! I know, I know, my friends are always the first to give me grief about my overwhelming organziation and ability to get things done before other people have started! But, regardless of my anal retentive preparations, it really is starting to feel like Christmas. This week we got our first real snow, and it dipped into the teens for a couple of days. We're getting ready for school choir concerts and class parties and before we know it, it will be Christmas Eve and we'll all be waiting for the pitter patter of little hooves on the rooftops.

In honor of the upcoming yuletide celebrations, I created this elegant and lovely set of holiday brushes. You get all five in both ABR and PNG formats, so you can use them any way you'd like. I also added a little Ho Ho Ho freebie, I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Holidays Brush Set
$3.00

Grab your freebie here.

Sweet Little Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:42:00 +0000

Most of my good friends are past the childbearing years - although we haven't ruled out anyone having a "surprise"! So, I don't get to ooh and ahh over babies much anymore. But a fellow gymnastics mom just had her second and she is precious. At two weeks old, she just sleeps quietly while the older siblings twirl and jump and us moms sit and gossip. She is sweet, sweet, sweet! Almost (but not quite) makes me want just one more...then I wrangle my five-year-old for a while and realize that that is just not going to happen!

So, in honor of Miss Emery's birth, I offer you this sweet chipboard alpha, coordinating papers and freebie frame. I hope you can use them to create a darling layout! Remember to laugh a little today. And, please, leave me some love if you like what you see!

Giggles Alpha, $3.00
Letters, numbers and symbols
PNG, 300 dpi

Giggles Papers, $3.00

5 papers, 12 x 12

JPEG, 300 dpi

Grab your freebie here:

Create Something Beautiful Today

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:22:00 +0000

I was incredibly stressed this morning - the kids were ornery, I was rushing around, didn't have time for breakfast, etc., etc. Sped off to school, sped home.

But the house is quiet now that everyone is at school, and my husband is tucked away in his basement office. My iPod is playing my favorite playlist. And I am about to spend a couple of hours being creative. I'm feeling incredibly peaceful all of a sudden and I can literally feel the tension leaving my shoulders. It's a wonderful feeling.

So, to celebrate this rare state of bliss, I thought I'd share my favorite word art. It seemed fitting to my state of mind this morning and I hope it inspires you to create something beautiful today. And, please, remember to laugh a little today!

Grab your freebie here.

Calling All Divas!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:09:00 +0000

Today my daughter's school took their annual trip to the Denver Symphony. This is a BIG deal - as the kids are all encouraged to dress up. The boys generally wear and clean shirt and tie with their standard sneakers and jeans, but the girls go all out. My daughter left the house in a gold taffeta dress with pearl details (originally purchased for a relative's wedding), a black velvet jacket with leopard fur collar, gold sparkly ballet slippers, and her beaded pink purse. My, was she stylin'. It got me thinking about how much fun it is to be a girl and get all dressed up for a special occasion. I was inspired to create some "dress up clothes" for your layouts! So, here's my version of a super-girly alpha and papers, and a little freebie for you divas out there! Each letter/number/symbol is edged in hot pink glitter. The leopard print is an homage to my beautiful girl who went off this morning all shiny and sparkly and ready to take on the world!

Diva Alpha
$3.00
Uppercase, numbers 0-9, symbols
.png format, 300 dpi

Little Diva Alpha
$3.00
lowercase only
.png format, 300 dpi

Diva Papers
$2.50
Five papers, 12 x 12
.jpeg format, 300 dpi

Grab your freebie here.

Cowgirl Alpha

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:11:00 +0000

I can't forget all the cowgirls out there! Here's a fun and funky "girly" version of our Cowboy Alpha.

Cowgirl Alpha

$3.00

Uppercase alphabet, numbers 1-9, symbols

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:09:00 +0000

Grab your freebie here.

Yee ha!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:59:00 +0000

I'm a Texas girl at heart, even though I transplanted to Colorado over 14 years ago. In fact, today I wore my favorite pair of cowboy boots to a client meeting and I felt like strutting! A good pair of boots can't be beat for style and comfort. My pair is beat up, soft and molded to my feet. Stylish without being flashy. Classic, pointy-toed, slant heeled - just like my grandpa used to wear. I love the way my boots sound when I walk across a wooden floor, and I love the way I can spin on their well worn soles. And, what I wouldn't give to have a husband who would take me kicker dancin' once in a while. Alas, my Illinois-born beloved scoffs at the whole pride in Texas thing, and couldn't dance a step on a sawdust floor. Chilling out at a Grateful Dead concert is more his speed, and his footwear of choice is either hiking boots or Birkenstocks. Sigh!

Being Texan has become a less prominent part of my personality the longer I live outside the Lone Star State. I'm much more likely to be found these days in yoga pants, a fleece and comfy clogs. Make-up and hours spent on my hair have gone by the wayside as I've embraced the bare face, simple hair, "hippy style" of a Colorado mom. And, you know, I love that, too. I moved here because I love the outdoors and seasons and the casual personality of Colorado. My husband moved here for the same things and we connected over our mutual love of our new home. So, see, we're really not so different.

But, every once in a while, I get a yen to add a tin star to my home decor, cook a great brisket for my friends, have black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, and relax my accent into an easy drawl. It's on those days that I pull on my favorite jeans and comfy boots and start to strut a little.

So, in honor of my home State and my feeling today as I kick up my heels in my favorite boots, here's a fun cow-print, western alpha to add a little western style to your layouts. Use the freebie as a frame to highlight your favorite cowboy or western landscape photo, or use it as a charm or accent element, it works great for both. See ya'll soon and please, don't forget to laugh a little today!

Cowboy Alpha, $3.00

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:58:00 +0000

Cowboy Alpha
$3.00
Uppercase alphabet, numbers 1-9, symbols

Sheriff's Badge Frame/Charm Freebie

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:51:00 +0000

Grab your freebie here.

Welcome to Scrap Buddha!

noreply@blogger.com (Katherine McGraw Patterson) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:06:00 +0000

The Laughing Buddha, also known as "Hotei", has a special place in my heart. As the Hotei traveled the lands, he spread happiness and peace. When he entered a town, he would head straight to the market, the busiest place around. Once there, he dropped his sack at his feet, raised his hands above his head and began laughing. His infectious mirth and happy countenance would draw a crowd, who began laughing right along with him.

Today we know that laughter releases endorphins, those feel good chemicals in our brain that create a sense of peace and well-being. What the Buddha knew was that laughter meditation brought both a feeling of happiness and tranquility, and it was his life's work to spread that message to all the people in the land.

When I was first told the story of the Hotei, I immediately felt a kinship to this chubby, happy guy. Maybe it's because I'm quite chubby myself ;o) Or more likely, it was because I my own philosophy is to find joy in everything I do - whether it be parenting, work or pleasure. Sometimes life is tough - like when your five-year-old dumps an entire gallon of sticky apple juice on the kitchen floor (it's happened!). But, I really believe there is joy in absolutely every situation, even the most dire and depressing. So, when the apple juice went everywhere - I chose to laugh at the look on my little guy's face rather than rage at the work ahead of me. See, peace and tranquility CAN reign if you just remember to look for it!

So, in the spirit of spreading a little happiness today, I'm offering a freebie to kick off my blogging adventure. The following word art from the Buddha is a gift to you. And remember, laugh a little today!

Download the freebie here.