Wow. Can you believe today is the last day of June? Yeah. Me neither.

We sure hope your summer is off to a great start that you've been making lots of special memories and taking many pictures!

We have been so fortunate to have Karen Grunberg as our Guest Designer for the Sweet Summertime collection this month. Her layouts have, of course, been superb, and I hope you've taken the time to check out Karen's blog and been inspired by her amazing art journaling and her daily diary, in which she documents the ins and outs of everyday life and remembers to be grateful for something every day. And so much more.

So today, with a touch of sadness, I bring you the last layout from Karen. (But don't worry she's always just a click away!)

Here's Karen's final Q&A:

LYB:  Are you an "events" or "moments" scrapbooker?

Karen:  Moments. Through and through. Even when I am scrapping an event, I will choose a moment that was poignant for me and scrap the event through that.

LYB:  Are you a sit down or stand up scrapbooker?

Karen:  Sit down. I don't know how people can stand up for two hours!

LYB:   Do you have a favorite quote?

Karen:  Yes, it's by Mark Twain: "Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”

LYB:  Are you a neat scrapbooker or is your space a mess?

Karen:  While I scrap, I tend to make a huge mess but after I am done I always clean up and cannot start another layout unless my space is clean.

LYB:   What is your best time or money saving tip?

Karen:  Money: For me it's punches and sewing machine. They are both more expensive than a small embellishment but they can be used again and again. I use both on every single layout so it saves me a lot of money in the long run.

Time: I print all my photos in batches. A month at a time and then cut them up and put them in a drawer next to my table. This way, when I have time to scrap, I am not wasting any of it on choosing or printing photos.

LYB:  Do you have a favorite adhesive?

Karen:  Nope. I have a frustrating relationship with all adhesives. I dislike them all equally. My favorite way to adhere to a page is by using my sewing machine.

LYB:  Describe your style.

Karen:  I don't know that there's a word that you can use to describe my style. If I had to use one word, I would pick "meaningful." I know that "clean" is probably what most others would pick but, for me, the most important part of the layout is the story and a lot of the design choices I make are related to that priority. For example, I tend to favor long titles because it's a great way to summarize the main point of my journaling and I figure that even if you only read my title, you'd still know why I made this page. I also favor multiple, series photos. This, too, is my way of enhancing the story by demonstrating it using sequential photos to give you the feeling of motion. You can almost see the story playing out on my page. And, most obviously, I hand-journal on every page.

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What a great quote! How many of you are now planning on using that on a scrapbook page some day?

OK here's Karen with her final post!

For my last layout with Sweet Summertime I wanted to share something that actually has a summer theme. I rarely scrap themed pages but I bought this outdoor table for my kids for the summer so that they could play together outside while I work, so I thought it would be the perfect photo to go with this line:

Here's another example of several embellishments stacked together to create a new one. This particular corner has the chipboard cloud, lemon ribbon slider, lime chipboard, red chipboard button, and a fabric favorites sticker.

here's a closer look at the middle section where I placed my photo on top of three layered envelopes from the envelope album kit. I love using envelopes on my layouts.

I also added extra color to the chipboard elements by adding colorful chipboard buttons in the middle and a sticker on top.

Like my other layouts, I added elements to the edges to keep your eyes coming back to the middle of my page.

And here's the journaling on this layout:

My sweet boys, I know summer can be a lot of work for a work at home mommy like me and I am trying to make sure you have a lot to do so that I can work without interruption as much as possible. But I am also looking forward to summer so much because it means David will be home everyday and I can watch the two of you play together. That is my very favorite thing to do lately. It makes me feel so very grateful and deeply happy.

Thank you very much for letting me share all my layouts with the beautiful Sweet Summertime collection. This collection is perfect for summer or for people who like bright, happy papers. I absolutely adore every paper and embellishment in this line because just looking at them makes me happy and these colors and patterns are my favorite to scrap with so it's been a pleasure and honor to get to create with them.

A big thank you to Little Yellow Bicycle for the opportunity and thanks to all of you letting me share.

_____________________

And a great big thank you right back to YOU Karen Grunberg! We will miss you!

Peg

Welcome to the fourth installment of LYB's CHA Sneak Peek Week!

This time it's the new Wonder & Wishes collection ... which you can expect to see in stores this fall! Wonder & Wishes celebrates the joys of the holiday season … from warm mittens to stuffed stockings, to reindeer and angels and elves! You'll find traditional plaids and prints paired with matte silver foil, a fanciful flourish, and a twinkle of glitter. It's sure to bring wonder and the warmest wishes to your holiday celebrations!

Now for the peeks!

You'll see mini albums:

As always fun embellishments:

Poinsettias ...

And of course amazing papers!

How much fun is that? That's it for today ... but be sure to stop by tomorrow for our fifth and final CHA sneak peek! Trust me ... you'll be glad you did!

It's strange thinking about back to school, sports, fall and Christmas during the last days of June, isn't it? Well I'll be back later with our final Sweet Summertime post from Guest Designer Karen Grunberg! Plus I have lots of new layouts from the Biker Chicks ... and a new Training Reel next week! Never a dull moment. Seeya soon.

Peg

I'm back with another CHA sneak peek!

I think this just might be my favorite collection from our fall & winter series. Wait ... strike that. They're all my favorites. But still there's something about fall, and the new Hello Fall collection ushers in Autumn, in all its rich, brilliant splendor! This lively and vibrant collection features a deep, delightful palette and cozy-sweater style. You're going to love it too! I promise!

OK, I know I've been really sneaky about the sneak peeks and only giving you teeny tiny snippets of the collections. MANY of you have told us you want to see MORE! So today I'm going to be a softie and give you a little bit more... but not too much! Have to leave some surprises for CHA!

First up ... you're going to love these paper flowers (don't worry, I'll show you the whole wreath soon!):

And the 10 things pocket!

And finally, one more sneak peek (plus a few more flowers!):

The Hello Fall collection will be out in mid-August! Check back tomorrow for the next sneak peek...plus our last post from our Sweet Summertime guest designer Karen Grunberg! Good thing these new collections make me so happy because saying goodbye to Karen will make me sad!

Peg

Back with another peek for LYB's CHA Sneak Peek Week!

Today it's Get Your Game On!

Now all the sports enthusiasts in your life can relive the glory with the spectacular Game On collection. Whether your sport is baseball, soccer, football, or basketball, Game On is so perfectly sporty - you can almost hear the crack of a bat, the crunch of the line, the swish of the net, or the squish of the mud!

Here's one more peek:

Watch for it in July! ... And be sure to come back tomorrow for another sneak peek!

Peg

Hard to believe this week marks the end of June and the beginning of July! And at LYB, July means CHA Summer! So all this week, we’ll be showing you teeny-teeny-tiny sneak peeks of our fall and winter collections!

We can’t wait to share the full reveals during CHA week, but for now, these peeks will have to do!

First up:

it's Head of the Class! A collection that's specially designed for all the little brainiacs in our lives! Head of the Class pushes primary colors to an exciting new level with some fantastic shades of gray and bit of grunge for good measure.

Check back tomorrow for the next sneak peek!

Peg

Hello friends! Hope you're enjoying the Sweet Summertime!  Have you picked up your Sweet Summertime collection yet at your LSS? It's a rainy day here in Connecticut today (not complaining, because we have had some gorgeous weather lately...but today it's a little drab and wet) ... so I'm looking forward to playing with these beautifully colored papers to bring a little bit of scrappy-sunshine-in-a-package and happiness to my day!

Today Biker Chick Tania Willis is back with another fun and easy LYB Training Reel! She'll show you how to make a shimmery-summery set of cards using layered flower embellishments, featuring the brand new Sweet Summertime collection from Little Yellow Bicycle!

First, take a look at these four fun cards you can create with elements from the Sweet Summertime collection (and a little help from Tania!) ... remember complete instructions are available in a downloadable pdf at the end of this blog post!!

And now, here's Tania with the video. Watch it and then scroll down for more close-up pics and complete instructions!

Here are a few close ups of the cards and layered embellishments Tania has created:

Hello Sunshine ... You Make Me Happy:

and a close up:

When Life Gives You Lemons ...

and a close up:

Sweet Summertime:

and a close up of this one:

And finally, You Make Me Happy:

...and a close up!

And here is a pic with whole bunch of flowers that you can make by layering paper flowers with LYB embellishments to make a unique assortment. Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge it and get a better look!

Now download the PDF by clicking below...

Download Sweet Summertime Cards by Tania Willis

... and get started!  And if you loved these cards, head over to Tania's blog by clicking here, and tell her! She'll be so happy to hear from you!

Have fun!

Peg

Hi all!

Back again with another beautiful page from our Sweet Summertime Guest Designer Karen Grunberg! Have you been loving these pages or what? I find myself most intrigued that she has used a decidedly summery collection and created really fantastic pages that are not even summer-themed! Wow.

So let's get right to a little more LYB Q&A with Karen!

LYB:   What is the funniest topic you’ve ever had for a scrapbook page?

Karen:  My kids. I love scrapping about my kids. Especially how they interact with each other.

LYB:   Computer or handwritten journaling?

Karen:   I exclusively handwrite. I used to exclusively computer journal but I switched about a year ago.

LYB:   What is your favorite color (or colors) to use in your pages?

Karen:  I love bright and happy colors. Red, blue, green, orange, and yellow, in their happiest shades.

LYB:   How long does it typically take you to complete a layout?

Karen:   I'd say my average is two hours. Sometimes it takes forever and rarely it's about an hour.

LYB:   Do you use any tools that are not specifically designed for scrapbooking?

Karen:   Not really, unless my sewing machine counts :)

LYB:  What’s the oddest embellishment you’ve ever used on a page?

Karen:   I'm not a big embellisher. In one of my layouts I put my son's first baby tooth (that fell off.) It's inside a small manilla envelope.

LYB:   Do you scrap chronologically or out of order?

Karen:   I don't scrap in order but I scrap a lot and I don't even dig up old photos unless I am looking for something specific so I often end up scrapping recent events/stories.

... and now...Here's Karen with her latest creation!!!

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I am back with a simple layout this time. My youngest son turned two just a few weeks ago and we threw a little get together for him in our housing complex. It was small but really fun. I wanted to create a layout to remember the day so I grabbed some of my favorite photos of him with the cake, opening and playing with his presents and created this simple page:

I like that the title has several layers. At first you just see "happy birthday," then the browns add "your happy second birthday" and then with the blues it reads "celebrating your happy second birthday together." And finally the whole thing comes together to reveal the true theme of the page.

Just like the last layout I shared with you, I layered my banners together in this one, too. I like the dimension it adds to the page. In this case, I also stitched on the canvas banner for some color and texture. I also added the chipboard "sweet" behind the banner for a pop of blue.

Here's a better way to see the dimension it adds:

The journaling on this page reads:

My sweet boy, even though you can't tell from the pictures, we celebrated your birthday in the little common area outside our house with all the neighbors and their kids. This was the second year we did it and it was so much fun to see all the kids more grown up than last year. I hope we can continue some form of this tradition every year. I love you so much my son. Happy happy second birthday.

When I am scrapping an event, I like to take a specific moment or story from that event and scrap that. So, in this case, it was about how we celebrate with the neighbors and it's a tradition we started that I hope to continue.

Thank you, once again, for letting me share.

_____________________

Thanks so much to Karen for yet another wonderful layout! I just love her little boy's chubby cheeks! We'll be back with our last post from Karen next week. Be sure to visit Karen's blog for even more beautiful work!

Peg

Hi everyone! Are you ready for another Sketch Challenge? Tomorrow is the FIRST official day of Summer (ok everyone, get up from your computer screen and do a little happy dance with me) ...so we asked Biker Chick Liz Qualman to do a little Sweet Summertime Sketch Challenge for you!

Hooray!

Here's Liz to introduce her sketch!

Summer in the Rocky Mountains can be a little unpredictable, especially with the weather, but that does not stop my family from getting out and having a good time.  Last summer we went boating on Lake Dillon, which has an altitude of about 9,000 feet. You can imagine it can be a little chilly, however, these gorgeous Sweet Summertime papers still capture the feeling of this exciting summer day and may even cast a bit of a warmer glow upon it.

The Chipboard Shapes with glitter accents in this collection add just the right amount of summer fun and include a tiny bit of glitter to make them pop off the page.  I added a Fresh Verse sticker to this cute chipboard cloud to add another sentiment about our wonderful day.

I love the combination of the Sweet Summertime chipboard kite with the journaling card.  The tail of the kite winds around the journaling card and photo to tie them together beautifully.

The journaling cards in this collection are not just for writing.  I used the beautiful shape and color on this one to matte the wallet sized photo so it would stand out just a bit more from the other two photos and an additional sentiment to my title, "Happy Summer." 

______________________________

Another amazing layout. Thanks Liz! And if you love sketches don't forget to check out Liz's Blog for more simply fabulous sketches!

Here is the Sketch:

And here are the rules:

-  Use Liz's sketch as your guideline. However, feel free to flip it, modify it or make it your own.

-  Please submit your layouts to "peg@mylyb.com" or post on LYB's Facebook Wall.

-  Contest runs from now until July 15, 2011. 

-  Submissions should be 75% from the Sweet Summertime, Tiny Princess or Baby Saurus collections.

-  Liz will choose three finalists. Each of the finalists will win a $25 LYB prize pack.

-  Then we'll post the three finalists so you can vote for your favorite. The grand prize winner, who receives the most votes on our blog and Facebook page, will win a $50 LYB prize pack!

Thanks so much for participating in our recent sketch challenges. It's so much fun to see what you have created.

Good luck to everyone, and thanks again to Liz for another fantastic sketch!

Hello Friends! Happy Friday!

Have you checked out Big Picture Classes lately? We will be partnering with Big Picture Classes as a sponsor for the month of October. We'll tell you more about that when we get a little closer, but for now, Big Picture Classes has generously offered a little freebie for Little Yellow Bicycle fans! Two slots in their upcoming class "BPC Colour! Or is it Color?"

Here's a little about the prize:

"BPC Colour! Or Is It Color?" class by Nic Howard

Do you love colour? Would you love to improve the way you use colour in your projects? Do you want to immerse yourself in a workshop that takes you through a whole rainbow of possibilities? Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet… colours are all around us!

Join Nic Howard as she uses instructional videos, handouts and audios to guide you through a variety of techniques to create stunning scrapbook pages. If you want to be part of a workshop full of fun colour theory, techniques and step-by-step assignments to extend the way you include colour in your projects, then Nic is here to help you achieve your creative scrapbooking goals!

And here's how to win.

Simply follow these links to go to BPC's Blog or Facebook Page and leave a comment. Be sure to tell them LYB sent you! Then leave a comment here on OUR blog or Our Facebook Page telling us you did. We'll pick two winners on Wednesday, June 22. The class starts on Thursday, June 30 and lasts for 6 weeks!

Hello friends! Back again with another amazing layout by our Sweet Summertime Guest Designer Karen Grunberg! I'll get right to it but first, a little more LYB Q&A with Karen!

LYB:  Do you have a favorite scrapbooking snack?

Karen:  Coffee. I don't eat when I scrap but I often drink coffee, tea, or water.

LYB:  Any unique tips or techniques you use?

Karen:  Besides the super-long titles, I use a lot of stitching on my pages. I stitch through my titles, my embellishments. I like the imperfection and texture it adds to my pages and it's a perfect adhesive.

LYB:  Describe your biggest scrapbooking ‘mishap’?

Karen:  Hmmm….I tend to just go with the flow and I am a clean scrapper so I don't have a lot of mishaps. However, I've consistently been unable to use sprays on my pages. Last time I tried, I sprayed all my fingers orange and it wouldn't come off for days.

LYB:  What are your favorite scrapbook magazines?

Karen:  I don't read any magazines, scrapbooking or otherwise. I made the decision a while back that I prefer to read books so I use my magazine time to read books.

LYB:  Do you have a favorite die cutting system?

Karen:  I have a cricut and a wishblade. I haven't used either enough to comment with confidence. However, I do use punches a lot.

LYB:  Are you a morning bird or night owl?

Karen:  I think I am naturally a night owl but I have two young kids so I am often up between 6 and 6:30am and I tend to scrap both early in the morning and late at night.

And now, here's Karen!

______________________

Hi everyone!

I am delighted to be back with another layout from the Sweet Summertime collection. I am a huge fan of the Canvas Banners and the Crepe Paper Lace Stickers in this collection and I've used almost all of them on my layouts. Here's the one for today:

I often tend to layer my embellishments and this one is no exception. I added the smaller Lemon Banner on top of the big one and then cut up the Clear Cuts Sun and layered a green Chipboard Lemon on top of that and topped the whole thing with the number four (there are four of us in my family.) This way there are lots of bits of color but nothing is too distracting.

I also loved the stickers and decided they went perfectly with my theme so I stacked them on the bottom right side of my page and stitched right through them. I love putting elements on the edges of my pages because my pages always have a white background and having elements on the edge forces your eye back on my page and stops it from wandering away.

The journaling on this page reads:

In the beginning of 2011 I decided we would take full family photos weekly. I knew that even if they were posed and in the same spot, I would love having them. What i didn't know then was how we would invent tickle time at the end of each session and how I would cherish those photos even more!

See how amazing the colors in this line are? They go perfectly with the colors my young kids tend to wear.

Thank you for letting me share another layout with you!!

______________________

Thank you, Karen, for another beautiful project! Hope everyone enjoyed it! Be sure to check out Karen's blog by clicking this link, and let her know we sent you!

Have a great day, folks! Create something beautiful!

Peg

Exciting Things are Happening at Little Yellow Bicycle – New Collection Extensions from Déjà Views ... a Little Yellow Bicycle Brand!

We’re excited to share the latest development at Little Yellow Bicycle with you!

Several years ago, before the LYB brand existed, we launched the Déjà Views brand – bringing you many popular collections including Sharon Ann’s Timeless and Home for the Holidays, as well as papers, embellishments and page kits that continue to inspire our customers today – sold through independent scrapbook stores as well as specialty craft chains.

A few years ago, we launched Little Yellow Bicycle – limited-edition collections available only at independent scrapbook and paper craft stores – and over time (thanks to you!) the brand has evolved to what it is today. We are so happy to have developed a loyal following of customers and we strive to create collections and ideas that will take your imagination for a ride! But many of our customers don’t have a nearby LSS and still wanted to be able to get the Little Yellow Bicycle designs you’ve come to know and love.

So today, we proudly introduce Déjà Views, a Little Yellow Bicycle brand – an evolution of the Déjà Views brand that includes all-new varieties of some of the most popular LYB elements – but still completely different from the limited-edition collections at your independent scrapbook store. These new products will be available in July at craft stores across the US. Here’s a sneak peek!

Déjà Views includes an assortment of our popular “10 Things” Pockets: 

Plus banners and embellishments that coordinate with Déjà Views themed papers. Some themes include travel, family, baby boy and girl, friends, wedding and more. Here’s another look:

Fun, huh? We’re still planning FIVE amazing new Little Yellow Bicycle collections that we’ll debut this July at CHA Summer, but now, there’s more to love with Déjà Views, a Little Yellow Bicycle brand … coming in JULY to a craft store near YOU!

And Now, Here’s YOUR Chance to Guest Design for Déjà Views!

Have you always wanted to be a part of a design team? Here’s your chance! We would LOVE to publish YOUR original creations on the LYB blog! Simply use our new Déjà Views products to create an original scrapbook page, paper craft or home décor project. Take your imagination for a ride! Even wow us with your own “Training Reel” video tutorial if you wish.

Submit your original creations to LYB by sending them via email to "peg@cthruruler.com". Be sure to include several photos, complete instructions (and a YouTube link if you do a video), and all of your contact information to “peg@cthruruler.com.”  If we publish your tutorial, you’ll receive $25 in merchandise from LYB and Déjà Views - plus our gratitude and appreciation!

We can’t wait to see what you create!

Peg

We were so happy when Karen Grunberg agreed to be our Guest Designer for the month of June, using the brand new Sweet Summertime collection! If you are not familiar with Karen's work (gasp!), do yourself a favor and click the link to check out her blog. You are in for a rare treat.

In addition to having a clean, cool, and unique scrapbooking style, you will be wowed by her breathtaking art and art journaling, her daily diary, and her photography of her family and her two beautiful boys. I find myself scratching my head and wondering "how does she fit all this into her day??" She works full time, designs and guest designs, is a mom to two very young boys, creates art, journals, blogs, and exercises every day. So I have to ask ... Karen, do ya ever sleep?

But I digress...and seriously... we just love Karen's work. So here is a little more about Karen!

LYB:  What is your ‘go to’ embellishment?

Karen:  Alphabets. I use many many of them on my layout pages because I tend to favor very long titles. Other than that, it's anything that's in the shape of a butterfly.

LYB:  Do you prefer cardstock or patterned paper?

Karen:  My backgrounds are always white cardstock.

LYB:  What kind of music gets you in the scrappin’ mood?

Karen:  I generally watch TV or listen to podcasts while I scrap. If I am listening to music (which is rare) it's Glee.

LYB:  Do you like to go to crops or prefer to scrap alone?

Karen:  I prefer to scrap alone. I am very talkative so if I go to a scrap, I often end up chatting and not scrapping.

LYB:  What are your favorite types of projects—pages, mini albums, cards, altered projects, etc?

Karen:  I used to do a lot of mini albums but in the last year or so I've switched to exclusively creating layouts. I still do a few albums every year and I do a lot of art journaling but, my scrapping projects are most often creating layouts.

So now, here's Karen!!

______________________________

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to be here and to get to be a guest designer for Little Yellow Bicycle. I am a huge fan of all their lines but I specifically remember seeing Sweet Summertime during CHA and falling in love with all the bright colors and wonderful designs of this line. So when they asked me to design with it, I was elated.

The first thing I wanted to show you is that this line is definitely not exclusive to summer-themed layouts. While the elements are perfect for summer, the papers and embellishments in this line can be used for just about any theme.

Here's a layout I made about my oldest son:

You can see how I was able to use the canvas letters in my title to talk about my son's personality instead of the weather. I also love those letters because they add so much texture and dimension to my page:

I also used the chipboard and dimensional stickers to add more color to my page and to strengthen the "sunny" theme.

Another thing I did was to layer my embellishments so the main part of the kite wasn't visible and all you see is the string with little bits of color. I even stitched on top of it to add more texture.

Here's the journaling on this page:

There are so many things I love about you David. You're so kind and giving and generous and you're funny and sweet. You always listen to me and do what I ask without complaining, You take walks with me and give me hugs and curl up with me. But what I love the most is how happy you are. How you don't have my sad demeanor. and how you can lift me up with just one smile and you smile a lot! I love you David.

Thank you for letting me share one of my layouts, see you soon with another!

_________________________

I don't know about you, but I can't wait! We'll be back later this week with Karen's second post. Meanwhile cyber-RUN over to Karen's blog, and check it out. Tell her we sent you! Then subscribe. You'll be so glad you did!

See you soon!

Peg

Have you seen it yet?

Sweet Summertime is HERE! We began shipping last week, so if you haven't seen it already, you should see it any day now at a LSS near you.

You will go crazy for the beautiful brilliant, summery colors and juicy watermelon and lemon images. I personally love the fireflies, dragonflies, and the lemonade stand. Well, actually, I just love it all!

So here's Biker Chick Tania Willis with a lovely, summery 12x12 layout, plus a Training Reel tutorial showing you exactly how to make a three-dimensional pinwheel that exactly matches the cardstock pinwheel stickers from the collection. This is a must-see, folks.

Then take a look at the photos, and download full instructions for how to make the entire layout at the bottom of the blog!

And here are a few close ups!

Make this pinwheel by following Tania's step-by-step instructions in the Training Reel:

Don't you love the spinner, kite (look at the tail!), and dragonfly?

And another close up! I think it's so cool how Tania used the Journaling Cards as elements in this layout.

Tania did such a great job, didn't she? You can visit Tania's blog by clicking here!

Now download the instructions (click the link below), run to your LSS for some sweet Sweet Summertime, and get working people!

Download Twillis_SS_Sweet Summertime Layout Training Reel Instructi.

And I'll be back tomorrow with our first post from our June Guest Designer for Sweet Summertime! Can't wait!

Peg

Check back tomorrow for a new Training Reel from Tania, featuring the Sweet Summertime collection, and after that, we announce our June Guest Designer!

Hey did you hear? Two Peas in a Bucket has announced the winners of the May LYB challenge!

Here they are!

"Grow & Love" by Suzanne Sergi:

"Just Us 2" by Mary Ann Jenkins:

and "Nurture" by Robmab!

Congratulations to the winners and THANKS to everyone who played along!