www.debammerman.com - New Blog

Hi everyone, I am starting a new blog today! I am not sure if I will keep this one or not, my new blog address is http://www.debammerman.com/ I am not very good about updating, as you know, but I will try to do better. Here is a page I did yesterday from my son’s martial arts class.

I am so proud of Matthew for continuing on with his classes. He started this many years ago, he was in the first or second grade, and now he is in 7th grade! Part of his requirements for this semester was that he had to help his instructor in the classes before his own. The first class has little kids in it, about the age Matthew was when he first started, as I watched, I remembered… He started this when he was this little! WOW! They grow up so fast, it seemed like only yesterday!

I used my Martial Arts kit for this page, it can be found in the store at Deco-Pages.

I don't know if you have heard about the photography challenge at Deco-Pages, but I would love it if you would come and check it out! This month we are doing a photo a day challenge. Every day you have to take at least one photo, and create a page with it. Because December is such a busy month for everyone, I am extending the dead-line for submission of your pages until January 15th, but by that date, you have to have 31 pages done.

If you hear about this challenge and have not been taking photos all month, I will allow you to play catch-up... but you must post to the thread in the forum on the day you intend to start, so that I can watch for your pages to come in. Here is a link to the Photography Challenge at http://www.deco-pages.com/ ,

Here are a couple of the pages I have done for the challenge so far...

We love to tease Matthew, and always tell him we are going to get him Barbie Dolls for Christmas... Today there was one on the kitchen table when we got home, and Matthew saw it, and I think his heart skipped a beat! LOL! He is so much fun to tease! Jeff picked these things up to give to the Toys for Tots program tomorrow.I used the December Color Challenge Starter kit by Lori Staton for this page, I thought it was just perfect! I love the way the page came out, Thank you so much Lori!

Now that Matthew is getting older, I have desided that he needs to learn how to do some things, so it was time to pass along the secret recipe for our family meat balls and sauce... some day, his future wife will thank me! LOL!

I used the quick page by Burkhart Scrapzone from the Cabin Fever Mega Kit for Club Deco, which is available for download all through December for our Club Deco Members. If you are not a member yet, this is just one great reason to join! Michaele, thank you so much for the Quick Page, it worked out great for this page... I did rotate it.

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha Twist! Yummy

December 1st ALREADY! Can you believe it! I don't know where all the time has gone, or that it has been two months since I last wrote in here. There just are not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do!

I have been doing alot of scrapbooking and have even created a couple of new kits for my collection since I last wrote here... Today, I have one of my favorites to share with you... I really love the way this color challenge page turned out! Doesn't that look yummy!

I used the starter kit for the Color Challenge at http://www.deco-pages.com/ by Lori Staton for this page. This kit is only $1.99 for the month of December! And you can earn add on kits for it if you do the color challenge! So be sure to check it out!

Here is a link to purchase the starter kit:

http://www.deco-pages.com/product.php?productid=18060&cat=0&page=1

And here is a link for more details on the Color Challenge:

http://board.deco-pages.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4524

I am hosting the Photography Challenge at Deco-Pages this month, we are doing 31 photos and pages for this month. I am extending the dead-line for the challenge until January 15th to give a little extra time to complete your pages, because I know this month is very busy for everyone... Here is the page I created today...

The reward for completing the photography challenge for December is that you will get to choose any one kit from my collection that you would like to have, and I will give it to you for free, AND I am going to create a new kit before the end of the month that I will give to you in addition to the kit of your choice! This is a wonderful way to get that camera out on a daily basis and capture the moments of your life, to concentrate on what the Season means to you, what traditions you treasure... and to look back on in the years to come! So please do join us for the challenge! :)

I am also having a sale on my newest kit - Shimmery Holiday, which is available in the store at http://www.deco-pages.com/ now. You can get this kit for 50% Off, between now and December 31st. The coupon code is: HoHoHoMC

Here is a preview of the kit...

As a bonus, I have included a sheet of the Angel gift tags you can print out on your 8.5 x 11 printer on card stock and use as gift tags under the tree! :)

It's been forever since I last updated this blog! oh well... I am here now... Today was a fun day, I met Carol Rupley for lunch, we had a great conversation, and fabulous soup & salad from the Olive Garden!

Because I am hosting the October Photography Challenge at Deco-Pages, I brought along my prop for the challenge, and Carol was a good sport and posed with it. She is such a card, she was dancing with him, and being silly! She always makes me laugh!

If you have not heard about the Photography Challenge at http://www.deco-pages.com/ please do check it out! This month, I am giving away this kit for participation... It is called Early Autumn and it will be in the store soon. The image below shows just a small part of the kit you can earn if you complete the challenge.

This weekend I am going to Long Island for a long weekend. I am really looking forward to the trip! September was a really LONG month at work. I am so glad it is over, and I am getting this little mini-vacation! I really need it!

I have not given away a freebie on my blog before, so I thought I would start off by offering you this birthday card, I hope you all enjoy it!

Click here to download the greeting card.

Even More New Pages

This is part of a two page spread I did of my Dads side of the family from my brothers wedding. Again, I used the June Color Challenge kits. Thank you again Marcee, this is turning out to be a wonderful mini-album from my brother's wedding.

Here is a photo of me and Matthew at my brother's wedding.Again, I used the starter kit for the June 2008 Color Challenge by Rose Made Designs... Thank you Marcee! Love the way this turned out.

I took this photo while I was on a break from work at FMA I love looking around at the different textures everywhere. I had no idea what I was going to do with this until I started playing around in photoshop. I love applying the different effects and filters and watching as my photo is transformed into a work of art. Sometimes, the pages end up in the trash, other times, I keep them. My paint brush may have been replaced by a mouse, but I sure do love what I can do with it.I used elements from my contribution to the Feb. 2008 Club Deco Mega Kit - Totally Grungy

As I was working on this page for the Photography Challenge, I asked Jeff what the names were of the plants in our yard... when I asked him to spell one of them, Matthew spelled it for me, I asked him how he knew that, and he told me he learned it on Runescape, I told him to go tell those things to his Dad... At least the child REALLY IS learning something while he plays games on the computer!The big arguement around here most of the time is about Matthew playing games on the computer... but at least now we know that he really is learning something! This page shows lots of different textures of the leaves in our yard. It really amazes me how many different textures there are in nature... don't think I could photograph them all in a life time if I tried! I really am having fun with this challenge! This page was created with a new kit I am working on called Down Right Grungy. The paper was created from a texture photo I took, with lots of different effects applied. You wouldn't even know there is a bird's nest in there somewhere! LOL!

More new scrapbook pages :)

Oh! I had to laugh when I saw my reflection inthe back of the mirror of Jeff’s Old Ford Pickup truck! What a hoot!

Some times you feel like a nut... some times you don't... I guess I was feeling a little nutty tonight! This just tickled me! This was my texture photo for today by the way!

I have to give a great big shout out to Kathie Woolery for this wonderful Quick Page from her Totally Grungy Contribution to the Club Deco Mega Kit from Feb. 2008! Was this perfect for my photo or what! LOL! Thanks so much Kathie!

Some photographers take reality...and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation. - Ansel Adams This is a quick page that I created using my new kit ... Quilted With Love... it will be in the store soon. The quick page is showing some photos of texture I took for the June Photography Challenge. We are having so much fun with this challenge, if you have not joined us yet, please come to the forum to see what it's all about!

Well, it happened again... Every time, I tell myself I won't let it... but here I am again... in need of some serious attention! Time to break out the bottle of hair color that has been sitting in my hall closet for weeks, and then head over to the salon to get my hair cut!

I was playing around with a new technique I found in a book at the library to make photos have a soft focus Effect... believe me... you ARE VERY happy I applied it to this photo! You would have run from the screen in fear had you seen how bad I really look! LOL! After I get my hair colored and cut, I will take another photo, and share a tutorial on how to do this effect if you are interested.

I used the Quick Page by Mary Ridgeway from the Mother's Day Mega Kit for Club Deco Members, May 2008. Thank you for the wonderful page Mary!

I love the textures in the Angel I have in my back yard. I used a frame by Carol Rupley from the Totally Grungy kit for Club Deco Feb 2008. I love the way this turned out.

I took these photos of Matthew on his last day of school for the 7th grade. How this year went by really fast!

I used the Quick Page by Theta from the Totally Grungy Mega Kit for Club Deco Members Feb. 2008 Check the store ... Did you know that our designers sell their contributions to the Club Kits! So once they are not a featured kit for the Club, they go on sale by the individual designer!

Today was a very special day for you Matthew! Not only was it your last day of school for the 7th grade, but it was also your CAST-AWAY party at the doctors office! I know you could not wait to get your cast off! You were so lucky that you only had to wear your cast for three weeks! But I know it seemed like a long time when it was sweaty and itchy! Boy did that ever smell bad when they took it off!

ok, I am pulling your leg... but it looked like snow!This is a quick page by CAZ from the Totally Grungy kit! It was just perfect for this!

Yesterday, I had to be back at the office at 2pm to meet with a guy coming to look at the computers for an upgrade, but I was done with my work their at noon, so I went to the library to take up some time... on the way there I had my eye out for some texture, when I saw this entrance way! I could not believe my luck, the brick with the black iron was just fantatic... and what a piece of art! I think this building should be an art studio, not a dental implant center!Paris Designs Quick Page from the Totally Grungy kit was just perfect for this page! I love the way it turned out!

After seeing the photo my Mom had taken and printed when she was in college, I was inspired to host the photography challenge at Deco-Pages again this month. I have been having so much fun taking photos of all kinds of things, from the bottom of the bird-bath in the back yard, to the broken stone work on the front of the house. I can hardly wait to see what will catch my eye tomorrow! I used the Totally Grungy Kit Contribution by Kathie Woolery for this page. Thank you Kathie, your contribution to the Totally Grungy kit was just perfect for all these grungy textures I took photos of today!

I walked around the yard today looking for textures for the new Photography Challenge at Deco-Pages. As I was taking photos, I was amazed to see flowers that I had not seen just the day before. I know they are just weeds... but God put them here, and I realized that I was very blessed to see them.

I think it is important to stop and look around once in a while. I am far too busy these days. I try to fit so much into the day, and although I am busy all the time, I sometimes feel like I have not gotten a single thing accomplished. Is it really going to matter in 100 years if I got that ad done, or folded the laundry, or dropped off that payment at the gas company? The flowers don’t care... they just keep blooming and wanting to be seen and admired.I am so happy that I got to see these little beauties today. What a gift I was given.

I used this wonderful Quick Page by Michaele Burkhart from the Club Deco Mega Kit - Garden Party for my page... I love the way it turned out! Thank you so much Michaele!

This is one of the photos my Mom took several years ago when she was taking photography classes in college that inspired the June 2008 Photography Challenge... Please come and participate in the challenge, you can find out all about it in the forum....http://board.deco-pages.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3855

This is what I did with the Quick Page I created for you all with the Garden Party kit for Club Deco Members. If you are a Club Deco Member, you can download this Quick Page in the download area of the forum. If you are not a Club Deco Member, there are several options now for joining that Club. You can join for 1 month, 3 months or the Annual Membership! All great deals! Please join us! You will love the Club!

Here is the recipe for the Strawberry Cream Trifle. Sorry, I am too lazy to type it today, but if you can't read it, you can visit it in the gallery at Deco-Pages and read it without problem... Here is the link to the page...

http://board.deco-pages.com/showphoto.php/photo/21459/cat/500/ppuser/3/sl/d

My friend Andi and her Mom hosted a Pampered Chef Party today and invited me. It was really fun, and we had very YUMMY Treats! The Pampered Chef Consultant is in the photo with the dessert, and my friend Andi and her Mom are in the other photo.I am going to do another page with the recipe for the dessert on it. I used the Quick Page by Mary Ridgeway from Totally Grungy Mega Kit for Club Deco Members Feb. 2008

Here are the photos I took last night after I finished my Coffee Tumbler (Travel Cup) from Starbucks. I love the way it came out!

Again, I used Marcee's (RoseMadeDesigns) Contribution to the Feb. 2008 Totally Grungy Mega Kit for Club Deco.

Well, I thought it would be fun to do a page about the Photography Challenge itself for my Starbucks Coffee Tumbler for my first insert

Again, I chose to use Rose Made Designs Contribution to the Totally Grungy kit, and I added some little hearts in the corners from Carol Rupley... I love the way this turned out...

Every once in a while, I like to get myself a little present, and I just could not resist this one... it is a coffee tumbler I saw at the Starbucks in our grocery store. I can change out the scrapbook page in it when ever I want to... this of course will be a two page spread, once I deside what page I want to put in it first!

I used Marcee RoseMadeDesigns Quick Page from the Totally Grungy Mega Kit for Club Deco Members for this! It was the kit from Feb. 2008. Thanks Marcee! I love the way this page turned out!

This little guy was out in the back yardthis morning, and when he saw me, hestarted puffing himself up, like he wassome big tough strong guy! Then the song“Bad” by Michael Jackson started playingin my head, and I was glad I had my camerahandy! I had to laugh ... this little guy was smaller than my foot!

The photos are not the greatest, because I had the zoom up as high as I could get it, because I knew if I took one more step toward the little guy he would high tail it for the woods... but you get the picture!

I used Jen Hanson's Quick Page from the Wild Thing Mega Kit for Club Deco for this... Thank you Jen... the page was just what I needed for this bad boy!

Several Months ago, Matthew and I were out and about, and we decided to go and visit Grammy... however, I am so horrible with directions, and I even called hubby to ask him where the grave site was, and we still did not find it, so, on Memorial Day, when we went to visit and put some silk flowers and a flag on her grave, I took these photos to help me remember next time we want to stop by for a surprise visit. I also thought this might be something good for future generations... as long as JC Penny doesn't go out of business, or leave the Mall!

I thought Michaele Burkharts Quick Page from the Totally Grungy Mega Kit for Club Deco Members was just perfect for this! Thank you Michaele!

Found these two hangin out in the park yesterday! This is the Quick Page by Mary Ridgeway from the Feb. 2008 Club Deco Mega Kit Totally Grungy!! I love this page Mary! Thank you so much!

I took these photos today at the parade. We picked up my FIL and DH, DS and I went to watch the parade. I don't think Matthew was as impressed with the parade as he was when he was younger, but it was a nice family time.

I used Celebrate Freedom by Kathie Woolery for this page. I love her new kit... it is just fantastic! If you have not taken a look at this one in the store, please do... it is going to come in really handy for 4th of July too!

I was out on the back deck, waiting to turn the hambergers on the grill, when I saw this little guy hitch a ride on my lawn ornament color wheel... it was really something the way he hung on and it spun around like a ferris wheel.... I think I was able to get this photo, because he got dizzy! LOL!

I used elements and a background from Inner Spirit Light Extra and Add On kits to create this page... thank you so much Marcee... for the chat, which was lots of fun, and the fantastic presents!

This is a card I created with my new kit, Paisley Glitter...

I love making greeting cards! I really like the way this one turned out!

The little flowers opened up today... they do smell pretty... not as potent as the big lilacs I love, but pretty none the less.

The background and weaves are from a new kit I am working on called Quilted With Love, and I used a couple of goodies from Cathie Woolery - Feb. 2008 Totally Grungy contribution for Club Deco (The flower in the clip, and the paper clip), and my tacks from the same kit.

Tonight we took Matthew out to dinner and to a movie. Ironman was pretty good... I enjoyed it, and I think the guys did too.

I used the Quick Page by Lorene Hill from her contribution to totally grungy mega kit for Club Deco for Feb. 2008... thanks Lorene... I think the page worked out great for my evening out!

I just released a new Personal or Commercial Use kit in the store called Doodle All The Day!

Doodle All The Day! By Deb Ammerman

Personal Use - Commercial Use OK

Doodle All The Day is a series of doodles created 100% digitally in Illustrator and imported into Photoshop for crisp, clean edges and great vector quality. Each doodle has been drawn by me to create a fun and whimsical element for your scrapbooking needs.

Use Doodle All The Day! to create embellishments, frames, backgrounds or tags. Use them in whole or in part. Combine them for even more fun. Make stickers or glitters, patterns or fun little hand drawn elements. Color them in or leave them as line art...it’s all up to you!

I applied some glitter to the elements shown here on my scrapbook page example. This photo was taken in my yard earlier this month... I love my little bug don't you!

Last weeks photos and pages

My new kit is out, it is called Paisley Glitter and these are just a few of the goodies you will find in the kit. If you are participating in the Photography Challenge for May... you will get this kit if take your photos every day and get all your pages done for the Challenge!

Journaling reads: Matthew, What a fun time you had with your Uncle Gary when he came for a visit from Seattle. He loves to goof around, so he brought plenty of goodies with him, and was the hit of the party! You had fun with the rubber poop, plastic cockroaches on the dinner plates, envelopes with baby rattlesnake eggs, and so much more. It’s no wonder you enjoy your Uncle so much... he’s just a great big kid!

Here is a link to the new kit in the store at Deco-Pages:
http://www.deco-pages.com/product.php?productid=17573&cat=0&page=1






Well, I actually had to pay $3.99 a gallonfor fuel today. How frustrating! I don’tknow what the answer is... hybrid cars thatrun on less fuel and electricity... drivingmuch smaller vehicles that get more mileageto the gallon of gas. But it really doesmake me mad that the oil company profitshave quadrupled at the expense of so many people having to do without. People on a fixed budget are really hurting now and they are saying that it is only going to get worse. I heard on the news last night that fuel could go as high as $6 per gallon!





Quick Page by Deb Ammerman Totally Grungy Club Deco Contribution Feb. 2008 recolored

I waited for you with anticipation to see what you would look like. I enjoyed your beauty and you brought me great joy my little tulips... I will wait and watch for your next year to come and dazzle me with your beauty once more... Your time was too short.

My poor tulips petals are all falling on the ground... the time I had with them, short but sweet... I will miss them until next year...

I used the Quick Page by Becky Smith from the Totally Grungy kit for Club Deco, Feb. 2008 ... if you missed this wonderful kit from Club Deco, you can order the designers contributions individually in our store. Thank you for the wonderful Quick Page Becky!

Matthew came up with this little idea all on his own, and I thought it was so cute, I ran to get my camera.

I used Jen Hanson's Quick Page from the Feb. 2008 Club Deco Mega Kit - Totally Grungy! Did a little color alteration on it to go better with the spegetti... Love the way it came out! Thanks Jen!

On my way home from the office yesterday, I stopped by the dam to take a photo. This is actually 4 photos that I spliced together to create the big picture... I do not have a wide angle lense... had to do some cloning and color adjustments on the photos. I am really happy with the way it turned out.

Driving home from the office this afternoon, I saw these pretty wild flowers on the side of the road. I see them every Spring, and wish they grew in the woods by my house. Soon the day lilies will start to show up. I do love the Springtime flowers.

I used Dragons Lair Designs Quick Page for this, again I did a little color alteration to match my photo... I love this quick page from the May 2008 Club Deco Mega Kit - Mother's Day.