Misty O'Brien: September 2010

New Collab, New Products, and a Guest Spot!

Now besides the big CT call and new look news, I have TONS more to tell you! First and foremost, I have been working on a fabulous collab with Girl Boy Girl Designs by Jen Balding. We are bringing you, Behind the Lens, a kit designed to allow you, the scrapper/photographer, to scrap yourself! It's filled with journaling prompts, frames, and lovely embellishments. Through Sunday, October 3rd, you can pick up Behind the Lens for 20% off, only at Funky Playground Designs

Layouts Clockwise from left: chookie (Jen), Glynis, Adriana, and Carolyn

And the first 10 people who buy Behind the Lens and use the code GlitterLens, will get the matching glitter set for free
(must add glitter to the cart in the same transaction)

Last month's FPD Playgroup was centered around Grab Bags. Well, I've unpacked my grab bag and you can now purchase each element pack individually. For personal use, there arePatterned Acrylic Bits, Pewter Bits, and Everyday Felty Bits. For commercial use, I've createdFall Doodles and Multi Glitter Bits.

And here's some FANTASTIC Fun news! I am guest designing at Gingerscraps this month!That's right, I am back right where it all started for me. If you want to head over to GS and hang out with me there, I'd love to see you! I will even be hosting a Speed Scrap there, later this month.

I've got 2 brand new GS exclusive products debuting there today too!
First up is my Halloween mini, Trick or Treat. It's a cute spooky mini that will take care of those costume party and trick or treating pictures you have that you still haven't scrapped! This kit is normally priced at $3 but will be slashed (no pun intended) to $1 for the Gingerscraps Bake Sale, October 1st only!

I did a quick one kit call on my Facebook Page this evening and here's a FABULOUS layout by Joanne W :)

I also have a new CU product available - "Which Way?" - hand doodled commercial use arrows! They are only $2.00 at Gingerscraps for the entire month of October.

Tomorrow, I will be announcing the winner of my $15 digi scrap giveaway! Winner (and maybe a few other bonus prizes) will be announced on my blog.

$15 Digital Scapbooking Kit Giveaway!

Hello fellow digital scrappers!

I am giving away $15 to my store to one lucky reader/follow/fan/stalker :)

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog. The lucky winner will be chosen Thursday, Sept 30th and the winner will be announced Oct 1st.

There are several ways you can enter:

This must be done first: leave a comment with your Name and at least the first letter of your last name (example: Misty O.)

Then, you may enter multiple times by...

1) Blogging about this giveaway on your own blog. Leave a comment here with your Name and a link to your blog post

2) Tweet about this contest. Make sure to use the hashtags #giveaway and #digiscrap in your tweet. You can also use this handy link http://bit.ly/akM795 - then come back here and leave a comment with your name and a link to your tweet. You can tweet once per day until the contest ends and come back and enter here for once a day for each tweet.

3) You can post about this contest on Facebook - come back and leave a comment with your name and say "Posted on FB"

4) Become a Fan of my page on Facebook! - just click like and then come back here and leave a comment with your name and "FB Fan"

5) You can add my blinkie to your blog (please host it yourself) - then come back here and leave a comment with your name and "Blinkie" with a link to your blog.

6) Go to my store and find a product you'd love to have and then come back here and leave a comment with your name and a link to that product in the store.

7) Subscribe to my newsletter - then come back here and leave a comment with your Name and "Newsletter Subscriber"

8) You can follow me on Twitter - come back leave a comment with your name and "Twitter"

Have fun! I can't wait to see who wins! :) Winner will be announced Oct 1st

Creative Team Call - Layout Artists, CT Lead, and Street Team Needed

FPD CT CALL!

Funky Playground Designs is having a Creative Team Call
for the Sandbox Crew and the Playground Peeps

Both teams require a three month commitment (from Oct 1 to Dec 31)
and require you to be actively involved in our community on a weekly basis

Sandbox Crew

The Sandbox Crew's objective is to market FPD mainly via the creation and display of layouts on the FPD site and throughout the digital scrapbooking community at large. They are also responsible for maintaining the store blog under the supervision of our CT Leader. The Sandbox Crew's requirements are:

2 posts on the FPD blog per month
a minimum of 3 layouts per month with 100% FPD product, as follows:
- 1 layout with the store collab (pre-release)
- 1 layout for the new release blog post
- 1 layout for an offsite challenge

Playground Peeps

The Playground Peep's objective is to market FPD by engaging digital scrapbookers via inspirational activities on the FPD site, as well as promoting FPD offsite via social media, blogging and posting at the major digiscrapbooking forums. The Playground Peeps' requirements are:

Host 1 playground challenge per month
co-host one speed scrap/chat per three month period (total, NOT per month)
Advertise all store-wide sales and promotions via blog, twitter, facebook, etc. as well as in digiscrap related communities where allowed and appropriate. The goal is 1 promo per week in addition to any required promo for challenges you are hosting.
1 layout with the store collab (pre-release)

Additional Information/FAQs

“Being active” means that we expect you to be chatty in the FPD forums (public and private), comment in the gallery, make LOTW suggestions, participate in site activities etc. We won’t specifically be tracking these things, but we do notice them and team members who are involved will be more likely to be invited back to the team for an additional three month term.

“100% FPD product”means that you must use only current FPD products on your layouts. You are also welcome to use CU products or fonts that don’t require you to provide credit.
Any layouts that you create as a member of either the Sandbox Crew or Playground Peeps must be posted within ONE WEEK of product download to all of the following places:

The designer’s FPD gallery with a link to the product
Your choice of DSA, DST or MSA with a link to the product AND you must either post the layout in that site’s praise game or post the product in that site’s CTM enabling thread
1 additional gallery of your choice which allows linking to the product
1 of your personal accounts (blog, twitter, FB, flickr etc) with a link to product or to the layout (as long as the layout has linked credits)
The layout tracking thread in the FPD forum

Yes, you are absolutely welcome to make more than the required number of layouts provided you have completed your other layout requirements.
An "offsite challenge" means a challenge hosted on a site other than FPD that would allow you to participate in their challenge by creating a layout using 100% FPD product.

Site Blog Posts are typically one of the following topics and you are allowed to sign up for dates/topics that work for you from our schedule.

Layout of the Week & Gallery Standouts
New Products & Sample Layouts
Monthly Desktop Freebie
Store Collab Feature

We have a challenge sign up where you are allowed to choose the dates/themes that work for you. Hosting a challenge involves:

preparing & posting the challenge instructions and a sample layout
advertising your challenge offsite in appropriate forums and social media
leaving meaningful comments on the participants’ layouts & on your forum thread
distributing the prize to a random winner at the close of the challenge

Speed Scrap/Chat co-hosts are allowed to select the date and time for their chat so long as it does not conflict with other events on the site. Each co-host must attend the actual chat, but are otherwise allowed to divide up the actual work however they see fit. The CT leader will assist you in securing prize donations from our designers. Hosting a speed scrap typically involves:

preparing the instructions
advertising the chat before hand, on & offsite
hosting the actual chat (providing instructions & chatter to attendees)
leaving meaningful comments on the participants’ layouts
distributing prizes at the close of the challenge

TO APPLY FOR THE SANDBOX CREW:

Send an email to funkyplaygroundcalls@gmail.com
with the subject SANDBOX CREW APPLICATION

TO APPLY FOR THE PLAYGROUND PEEPS:
Send an email to funkyplaygroundcalls@gmail.com
with the subject PLAYGROUND PEEPS APPLICATION

In your email, please include:your real name
a little background information about yourself
why you think you would be a good fit for the team for which you are applying
what other creative teams you are currently on
the username that you typically use in digiscrap forums
a link to your gallery that best represents your current scrapping style
a link to your blog
a link to your twitter account

Call ends September 28
All applicants will receive a response

WoW it's Wednesday Freebie!!!!

I love wednesdays!!!!! it means for me that we are very close to the weekend !!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!! and this is a very special week, yes is the 7th birthday of my sweet Stefania!!! so I'am organizing her birthday party!!!!
I prepared this frame for you all, I know you all really love and enjoy the "Asian Beauty" collab kit of Misty O'Brien and Scraps of Ellay so here you go! Now this collab is on sale, if you dont get it yet, what are you waiting for??? run HERE

Download

Girls enjoy this frame and keep an eye here because Misty is preparing an Amazing Collab!!!!!!!!!!!
Wendy

Gallery Standout for 9/21!

I found this fabulous layout that I just have to show you! I have never thought about using digital scrapping for this. I thought that you should check out the beautiful page I found at Funky Playground Designs.

Go leave gracelikerain some love!

She used the beautiful Flirtatous kit and Little Bits by Misty.

Conan C. O'Brien - You've Been John C. Mayer'd

Conan C. O'Brien, since we share a last name, it's only fitting that I be the one to John C. Mayer you. Folks, you may have heard of Conan C. O'Brien during last year's highjacking of the beloved Tonight Show. Conan C. O'Brien was screwed OVER. If I were Conan C. O'Brien, I would have ~~torched~~ re-decorated Jay Leno's new Tonight Show stage, but of course, one must be better than that, and instead blow the ratings out of the water for Conan C. O'Brien's new show, coming to TBS this fall, aptly titled, Conan.

You may be wondering, "Why the hell is she writing about Conan C. O'Brien on her DESIGN blog?!?" Well, beloved readers, Aunt Becky, the goddess of all uncensored and real life blogs, has proven there is some strength in numbers in the non celebrity world of the internet. After John C. Mayer (my celebrity husband and stuffs) deleted his Twitter account, no doubt to reinvent himself in the studio and come back next year to hand you your ass, Aunt Becky decided to blog about John C. Mayer by using his name repetively. She managed to outdo John C. Mayer's publicist and get her blog to the number 3 spot of Google search.

Conan C. O'Brien, I believe you deserve just as much attention. After attending a live Conan C. O'Brien show in Spokane (a truly religious experience), I am more convinced than ever that Conan C. O'Brien is THE late night leader. A redhead nonetheless! I wish I could tell people Conan C. O'Brien is my long lost fifth cousin whom I only see at weddings and funerals but with regret, I cannot. And since Conan C. O'Brien's staff has posted some internship opportunities (hello, I'd be an awesome Talent Intern!), I am dying to go back to school for underwater basket weaving or something, just to be able to apply (yes, you have to be enrolled in college and be able to receive college credit for your freaking fabulous Conan C. O'Brien internship).

You should really follow Coco aka Conan C. O'Brien on Twitter and Facebook. Be a fan, get the news, show some devotion to the hair.

Conan C. O'Brien, I hope you enjoyed being John C. Mayer'd. I'm definitely looking forward to the debut of your TBS show. Rock on.

Love,
Misty O'Brien

Hi! Deanna here! I'm having fun guesting for Misty this month! I'm happy to be bringing you some Funky Playground goodies today! Take a gander at this great studio 365 Collaboration! I love the colors, and the elements are so darn cute! Look at those big flowers! Aren't they adorable? Another good thing about this kit is, it's FREE with a 15.00 purchase through the 15th, so get a move on and grab it quick!! Another good thing is, it says it's PART 1 which in MY mind says MORE goodies are going to be released for part 2!! What fun!!

[image]

This Crossover collab between FPD and the Digi Chick. Part 1 is free with any $15 purchase at FPD
http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/store/product.php?productid=23320&cat=5&page=1
Don't let this Night Owl chat get by you either!! They are always a lot of fun!! I'm glad it states all the different times across the USA because I always get messed up--how about you?? I live in the PT, but for some reason, I can't count backwards!!

[image]

Must be registered in the forum and then click "Enter Chat Room"
http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=145Have you seen any of the grab bags?? You can get them through the 30th!! They always deliver more than expected! I always get my money's worth with them!!
[image]

http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/store/home.php?cat=6
Now this Lost and Found weekend looks like fun! You can't beat the price for sure!! I've picked up some great deals in these sales in the past!! Don't miss it!! Mark it on the calendar--and remember, there are different things each day!! September 17-18-and 19!!
[image]

http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/store/home.php
Ah, a fun Speed Scrap. Do you do these?? If I don't put them on the calendar, I forget!! So this is another thing to put on that thing!!
And let's see--Central time 8 pm--that makes it 6 pm PT, and 9 pm ET?? :) Hope that is right!! Oh, and LOOK!! The participation prize is from Michelle Batton!! I hope I don't forget this one!! Hope to see ya there!
[image]

http://funkyplaygrounddesigns.com/forums/chat/flashchat.php
Don't forget to check out Misty's store too! She has some amazing kits!!
You can check it out here: Misty's Store

Beautiful Dreamer Freebie

Lindi here bringing you a QP freebie from the Beautiful Dreamer Collab from Misty and Scrappin' Serenity! Sorry for being a day late on this. This kit s great for pictures of kids sleeping, but it is also great for everyday pictures.

Here's the layout that I done

Finally here is the QP

You can grab it here

Happy scrapping!

Halloween is Coming!

So this is off the scrap topic but sort of useful for Moms and Dads.

I am the kind of mother who plans ahead. That's about where it ends though. I plan what needs to be done but the execution usually comes at the last minute. It's not because I procrastinate, it just happens that as a Mom, you always find something that derails your plans. There will always be something more important or urgent to attend to. Well not this Halloween!

The Costume Supercenter contacted me for an honest review of one of their costumes. Since Toy Story 3 has been ALL the rage with my kids lately, they sent me a costume of Woody, in my 3 year old, Ian's size.

When UPS knocked on the door, I couldn't wait to tear the packaging open. Who doesn't like to get new stuff? I was dying to try the costume on Ian so we very carefully opened and inspected the suit.

Ian received the Deluxe Toy Story 3 Woody costume.

Before I give you the goods on this costume, let me give you a bit of background on my costume buying experience. I am NOT the mom who would spend more than $20 on a Halloween costume. I may WANT to spend more the $20 but the frugality in me just won't let it happen. However, each year, the let down happens when halfway through trick or treating, the costume starts falling apart while my kid's still wearing it. Ian wanted to be a train conducter a couple years ago and I found myself digging around my purse for safety pins just to keep the darn thing on him!

So back to Woody. This costume retails for about fifty bucks but Costume Supercenter sells it for $39.99. As we carefully removed each item from the bag, I studied the construction. Let me say, I was impressed. The cowboy hat is made of a durable material and fits Ian's head well. The suit is a sturdy cloth that will not only add some warmth on Halloween night, it's also NOT that cheap flimsy material you might find on a $20 costume. The "boots" were just cuter than all get out. They slide on over Ian's shoes for a great fit. And we added the bandana around his neck, just like in the picture on the front of the costume packaging. All and all Ian was adorable. So adorable that even HE did not want to take it off.

I am so pleased with this costume, I'll be considering Costume Supercenter for Aidan's Halloween costume. They even do same day shipping for us last minute moms!

Check out a pic of Ian as "Woody" (from the iPhone without proper lighting, so excuse the pic quality! sorry!)

Gallery Standout of the Week

Good morning, this is Lisa coming to with the Gallery Standout for this week. I had to choose this one from one of our own guest CT's Gracelikerain. She used Misty's Just Married kit and it is absolutely stunning. I love the soft feel of it and the journaling is very touching, it is just beautiful. You can also visit Gracelikerain's gallery at FPD and view more of her fantastic LO's.

If you head on over to Funky Playground Designs you can get this kit on sale for less than $2. That my friends is a 40% savings. What an awesome deal!! Of course you will want to browse through Misty's whole store, she has several gorgeous items.

Misty O'Brien & FPD Happenings

This Month, the Designers of FPD have teamed up with the Designers of DigiChick and created a cuper cute "Friendship Collab!" You can get it free with a $15 purchase through the 15th of this month! (to check it out click the ad below)

And there will be a Night Owl Chat on the 14th of this month! Check out the ad below for more info...Please note Must be registered in the forum and then click "Enter Chat Room"

Misty is offering free matching CU glitters all this month if you buy her collab with Scrappin' Serenity called "Beautiful Dreamer!" Click the preview to go check out the kit in her store.

September - Grab Bags, Crossover Collab, and Blog Train!

September's Playgroup at FPD is devoted to Grab Bags! I've created this little ditty to include 2 commercial use products and 3 personal use products. Take a sneak peek by checking out my CT's layouts (using some of my older kits) or check out the "additional images" link in my store.

(all preview images are clickable)

Layouts Clockwise from top left: Adriana, Glynis, and Trina

Also, I am having a BOGO offer on my Beautiful Dreamer collab with Scrappin' Serenity and the matching Glitter. Buy the collab, get the CU/PU glitter for free! Add both products to your cart and use coupon code DreamGlitter

This month, FPD Designers and Digi Chick Designers did a crossover collab! How cool, eh? The theme is friendship and the color palette supports the Studio 365 line at both stores. Here's Part 1 and between Sept 1st-15th it's FREE with any $15 purchase! Head over to FPD and check it out.

PARTICIPATING DESIGNERS: Amanda Carlson*, Danielle Engbretson, Design by Heather T, Donna Duncombe, Dysfunctional Design, Elise's Pieces, Girl Boy Girl Designs, Girl Friday Studio, Jaclyn Bernardo^, Jan Hosford*, Jennifer Labre, Jennilyn Designs*, Kelly Mize^, Laura Banasiak, Madame Wing^, Mari Koegelenberg, Michelle Batton*, Misty O'Brien Designs, Pixel Gypsy, Quirky Twerp, River Rose, Roben-Marie Designs, Sara Jones^, Shanmomto4 Designs, Sir Scrapalot, Viva Artistry, and Wendy Page.
[*part one only. ^part two only]

And lastly, I have my contribution to the September Blog Train, Fall Carnival. If you've come here along the train, the previous stop was JennCK. Of course, you can always visit The Blog Train Blog for the whole map.