In Which Nothing Important is Written

I haven't posted anything on here in a good long while, and so it stands to reason that the first thing I post would be something unrelated to the real world.  It's not like there's anything to talk about, after all.  We're certainly not days from having a baby or moving in a week.  I haven't just started a new business venture with my company that is taking off.  Of course not.  The most important development in my life is Champions Online.


For those of you who don't know what Champions Online is (no, of course I know YOU know what it is, I just don't want to make HIM/HER over there feel bad, so I address everyone), it is an online roleplaying game in the vein of World of Warcraft.  There are hundreds of players online at any given time, and you all populate the same world.  This time, instead of being an elf or gnome, you take on the role of superhero.  You patrol the streets of Millennium City, keeping the citizens safe from harm.  Your protection comes in the form of beating the stuffing out of bad guys.  Unlike most MMORPGs (Massively Multi-player Online Role-playing Games), Champions Online is free to play via the recent Free for All update to the game.  It operates on a "freemium" model.  Anyone can play the game without having to buy anything.  If you choose to subscribe at the price of $15/month, you get access to extra content for free.  If you don't pay monthly, you can purchase this content a la carte.

Tin Woodsman and Crimson Shadow

I played originally almost a year ago, before the change to free happened.  When Virginia and I found out it was going free, we decided to give it another try.  I play the two characters Tin Woodsman and Crimson Shadow, a Blades archetype and Inventor archetype respectively.  Virginia plays Yong Kia (Korean Dragon), who is a Behemoth archetype.

Champions is a game you really have to get used to, especially if you're transferring from WoW.  You don't get nearly as many abilities, and so you have to learn how to use the ones you do have to the greatest effect.  You have to learn which stats are most important for the way you play, and equip appropriate items for those stats.  I found myself dying a lot because I wasn't using my abilities efficiently.  Healing is pretty non-existent in this game, so managing your health is extremely important.  Regeneration of health is covered by the Recovery stat, and it affects how quickly you will regenerate health outside of combat.

So far, Virginia and I have both found it to be entertaining, and a good alternative to the expense of World of Warcraft.  We've joined up with a Super Group (IE guild), and we're looking forward to playing more.  This is definitely a game that is much more fun with people to play with, so a Super Group may turn out to be a must.  When playing by myself, I found I was overwhelmed by enemies quickly and dying, and just not having a lot of fun.  When Virginia and her dad were playing with me, it was much more enjoyable, even when the bad guys surrounded us out of nowhere.

Now that I have gotten the important stuff out of the way, I guess it's back to the normal, nothing-going-on life I lead.  If I decide to write anything else nobody wants to read, you'll find it right here.

LDS Blog Train Blog

Hey, all! :) I'm sorry this post is so late going up today - Nathan and I have been dealing with craziness lately... But I do have your freebie for you! Just click on the preview below to download from Mediafire. :)



You should have come here from Becoming Peculiar. I am the last stop on the blog train. If you think you've gotten lost, feel free to check out the LDS Blog Train Blog for the full list of designer's blogs!

New Release by Robyn Pali Designs!

Isn't this adorable? "Lovebug" is the new release by Robyn Pali Designs that I was telling you about on Monday. It has 16 elements, 8 digital papers, 5 glitter sheets, and a full size alpha! (Isn't the little stitched alpha adorable? Think of all the different things you can use that for!)

It's also ON SALE until Monday at her ESS Store.- for only $1.75 for the kit! What a steal!

You should definitely go check it out!

The White Dress

A little while ago, my aunt did a photoshoot of my cousin in a pretty white dress. (I should mention that my aunt is a professional photographer, so... Yeah. There are lots of photoshoots.) This one caught my eye because of the softness of the photos. And, you know, because my cousin is pure adorable in a little stoppered bottle.

This month's Scraplift Challenge at ESS was to use a layer blend technique to make a photo seem like it was blended into our LO's background paper. :) I did that, and then played a bit more. Here's what I came up with:



I used Robyn's new kit, Springster, and a template from her Template Set 1. :) You can find them both in her ESS Store.

April Desktop

ESS Challenges, Ahoy! It's a new month, which means I have a whole new run of challenges to complete over at ESS! :) I'm super excited about April's groupings. I can't wait to share all the wonderful things I'm going to make!

As a start, I thought I would tease you all with a preview of a new product that Robyn Pali will be putting in her store THIS FRIDAY! It's a kit called "Love Bug" - and it's super adorable!



Doesn't it look adorable? You'll be able to buy it in her ESS Store on Friday. :) I said that already, didn't I?

Well, since I had this adorable kit to play with, I thought I would use it to complete the April Desktop Challenge at ESS. :) I tweaked the template a little, and voila! This is what I got:



Happy Scrapping! I'll have more soon!

New Kit by Robyn Pali Designs! :)

Robyn has released a new kit, "Springster", in her store! It only just came out today, and it's full of bright, cheerful colors to help you scrap your spring layouts.


It's on sale in her shop at Enchanted Studio Scraps, but only until Monday!

She was also nice enough to release an awesome little sampler that coordinates with her kit on her Facebook Fan Page. If you aren't a fan - why not become one? It's free, plus you get access to news & updates from Robyn, and cool weekly freebies like this:


Well, what are you waiting for? Go check it out!

ADSR6

I am participating in a scrap-a-thon this spring called the Amazing Digital Scrapbooking Race. :) There are well over 130 teams competing, of two scrappers apiece, and we're all cranking out two layouts (apiece) a week, over the course of seven weeks. At the end, each participant should have 15 theme-coordinating scrapbook pages (this year's theme is 'Family') that they can put towards finishing an actual album!
Each team that successfully completes all 15 challenges will be entered in a drawing to win the Grand Prize (which hasn't been announced yet), and each team member gets rewarded with exclusive scrapbooking freebies as they complete challenges. :)

I have so far completed 3 of the 4 challenges that must be turned in by Midnight EST on Sunday (the 4th challenge is a team challenge, for which I provided the pictures/journaling and my partner Chris is going to determine the color scheme/design the actual layout, etc.) And I thought I'd give you a look at them.

I do intend to expand upon these themes/challenges, and create more pages that I do want to eventually print and put in an actual, hold-in-your-hands album, to chronicle my family as it is now. Because we all know in the near future it's going to go through a really big change. :)

Challenge 1: 6 Facts About Your Family


Credits: Kits: Genuine by Jennifer Reed, Festival and Happy Go Lucky by Shabby Princess, Alpha: Freewheeling by K. Aaragard, Papers: Distressed Solids by Crystal W., Template: Template 53 by MandaGirl
(I actually did 10 facts, instead of 6 - but that was allowed in the rules)


Challenge 2: Someone Who Inspires You

Credits: Kit: Genuine by Jennifer Reed, Alpha: Freewheeling by K. Aaragard, Font: Segoe Print (PSE7/Win7 Standard)


Challenge 3: What Your Family Does With Their Free Time

Credits: Alpha: Freewheeling by K. Aaragard
All other elements/papers present in this LO were designed by me using Photoshop custom shapes and photographic textures.

Keep your eyes open for more, as the competition progresses!