New: The Good Life, July 2023 + Freebie

I mentioned back in my May post that we were leaving Mexico and the future had yet to make itself known exactly. As we sit now on the cusp of July I'm a little bit wiser about things but not a lot. We enjoyed a family road trip from Oregon to Arizona for a wedding. Stopped at lots of National Parks and enjoyed some camping! I'll share some of my travel journal spreads soon. We're back in Oregon for a month before we head out on a year of nomading. We plan to see what we can of the USA, so if you have some favorite spots let me know in the comments. Our trip is as of yet unplanned so we're open to suggestions.

As we took our trip to Arizona and I considered the year head of me, it became clear that this will be my last Good Life bundle. I've been making these for six years if you can believe that, and the time has come to switch things up. I'm working on that now, and you'll see the beginnings of that new journey here on the site in September. I'm pretty excited about it and also exploring some new creative paths (COLORS!). All the nature we've been exploring is definitely having a impact of what I feel like creating.

I really loved how all these bundles turned out, so I'm glad to be ending my Good Life journey on a high note with all this fun stuff.

And here's this month's freebie. Click on the image to download.
Link will expire after July 31, 2023

And now some inspiration from the Creative Team:

▼By Brenda

▼By Bourico

▼By AMarie

▼By Bina

▼By Becky

▼By Linda

▼By Shaindel

▼By Lou

▼By Cathy

▼By Fibul

▼By Marlyn

Tags:

new,

freebie,

digital scrapbooking inspiration

Recent Comments

Marisa Lerin Mon, 07/10/2023 - 07:46

I also forgot to mention stickers for my planner, which I still hope to make most months!

Marisa Lerin Mon, 07/10/2023 - 07:44

@Justina: We just passed through Sedona on a recent trip and I loved it! I was surprised to find so much forest in Arizona!

Marisa Lerin Mon, 07/10/2023 - 07:43

@Zoe: Thanks for all that detail! It sounds like what you are describing is also what I like about my kits, so I think a lot of that will be staying. The things I want to be able to focus on in my upcoming kits are lots of elements, a mixed media feel but with "clean" options, and general word art. The color palettes may have a more "natural" feel than I've used in the past. I think that may be the biggest difference. But we'll see!

I plan to still coordinate with the blog train palettes and release a bundle at least once a month. Being a bit more focused I may be able to release a smaller bundle monthly as well.

Justina Friedrich Sat, 07/08/2023 - 20:51

Although you've recently been in Arizona I'm unsure if you've visited Sedona (it's a dark city, that is it minimises light filtering into the night sky) and is one of my favourite places I've been in the US (amazing scenery). There is a great day loop drive trip that visits several different types of things to do from this location.

Another fantastic journey is the Going-to-the-sun Rd through Glacier National Park.

And for National Parks - I loved Yellowstone, Grand Canyon (North Rim, particulary) and the Petrified Forest to name a few.

Some other places I really enjoyed were San Diego, San Franciso, Seattle, Chicago and New York. All so different but with wonderful things to see and do.

Hubby and I have done four trips to the US (from Australia) and usually transit through one of our favourite West Coast cities (Seattle/San Francisco) to wherever we plan to be next. Our last trip started our journey on the eastern side of the great dividing range, so I'm looking forward to seeing what your journey brings and what I might just need to add to my bucket list.

Zoe Harris Thu, 07/06/2023 - 08:19

@Marisa: Well, there are a number of aspects I found indispensable. One was the huge variety of components. I very rarely needed to venture outside of the kit to find the decorative element, design/building block element, or text sentiment I was looking for. It was one-stop shopping in all the best ways. I know some scrappers like to assemble their own kits, but I don't have the time or inclination, so I love when one solitary kit serves all my myriad needs.
Two, the quantity. Quantity of included components was amazing, and quality didn't even suffer for it! I used each GL pretty much exclusively over the course of the month in my annual book, and very rarely needed to use the same file twice, just because there was so much great stuff.
Three, how it coordinated with each month's blog train. Even MORE goodies to pile into the kit I use for the month!
Four, because the GL kits came out monthly, they were well-tuned to the month they were covering in terms of holidays and seasons. I didn't even have to go searching elsewhere for decor and sentiments appropriate to the time period I was scrapping -- but they weren't, like, HOLIDAY or SEASON kits. I had other things to use and choose from for just a regular day, too.
Five is harder to explain, but I'll do my best. I've been in a spectacularly challenging "season of life" for the last year and a half, with no end in sight, and my life feels kind of empty and sad a lot of the time. Logging on the first of each month to download my new GL kit and all of the cheery (but not toxically positive) sentiments it contained made me want to redouble my efforts to find stories in and take photos of my existence that would be worthy of scrapping with these wonderful new goodies. It meant a lot to me.

I know this site contains wondrous bounties of which I have sampled only the smallest fraction, but the GL kits alone got me to subscribe, and have kept me here. Which is not to say that I'm gonna leave without them, because I won't, but I'm going to have to figure out finding new kits each month that work for what I make. I'm coming off of autopilot, in other words, and I rather enjoyed being on autopilot!

Marisa Lerin Mon, 07/03/2023 - 09:40

@Zoe: Can you tell me what about the GL is indispensable to you? What are the best parts you hope I continue?

Marisa Lerin Mon, 07/03/2023 - 09:38

Thanks for all the recommendations everyone!!

Jan Stong Mon, 07/03/2023 - 08:24

I'm so glad you have the chance to see the US! I recently traveled from Kansas to Virginia Beach. I went through Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio (barely), West Virginia and then Virginia. I think the highlight of the trip was Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. On the return trip, the plan is to travel the southern route through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Having recently travelled, I can certainly understand absorbing new sights, sounds and colors! Can't wait to see what you have in store for us!

Zoe Harris Sat, 07/01/2023 - 17:02

Genuinely sad to hear this will be your last GL bundle; I've scrapped with almost nothing else since I picked up the hobby in 2019. I understand, as it must be a ridiculous amount of work, but I'm going to have to adjust my workflow now! Thanks for such consistently lovely GL bundles over the years. They are not only pretty, but easy to work with in any kind of layout, which I intend to be the highest compliment of all!

Sarah Palmer Sat, 07/01/2023 - 15:13

Downeast Maine is a must (it's the upper part, above Freeport). I adore the coast & the islands (many of which have ferries to them). Lake Champlain in VT is fabulous & has become our new favorite place to get away to. If you haven't been to the Adirondacks, they are lovely year round. And while you're in the northeast, Newport RI is fabulous, the White Mountains in NH are lovely, & WMass is very overlooked. Boston & the Cape are wonderful (but my god, the traffic!) but we'd love to see you if you head anywhere near WMass. And I'd be happy to list other New England suggestions if you'd like. One of the loveliest things about New England is that compared to much of the rest of the country, we're small so you can get around quite easily - 6 states in no time at all (add in our honorary member, NY, & you get 7 in the amount of time it would take for you to see 1 of the big states!). Enjoy your vagabonding - I've always wanted to explore the country that way!

Kelly Wardlow Sat, 07/01/2023 - 08:39

Oh Marisa, That sounds so exciting. I hope that you enjoy all of the new and wonderful things you see. We live outside of Philly and would definitely put you up if you were in the area and needed a spot to park. Seriously, I'm not just saying that. We love all that you do and all that you stand for and are so thankful for all you've given to this community. I'm thinking that a cross country state kit would be great. It might be fun to have everyone contribute in the commons to different state sections. It would be great for scrapping going through that state but it would also be so cool because it would be like a idea list of places to make sure that you see.

Lidia Grad Sat, 07/01/2023 - 07:56

Oh, how exciting to be able to travel for a whole year! If you end up anywhere near Canada, come visit our beautiful country. Your last Good Life bundle is gorgeous and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in the future.

Cheryl Martin Sat, 07/01/2023 - 07:51

Thank you for sharing al these years. Nature as God's creation definitely can inspire us ! He is so good! I lived and worked in Glacier National Park, Zion, Bryce, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and Alaska with Denali National Park... all very highly recommended. Plus if you go ot MT may I suggest stopping at Izaak Walton Inn on the other side of East Glacier, MT. So rustic and beautiful!! 1939 renovated Inn.

Brenda Roberts Sat, 07/01/2023 - 06:32

Thank you for sharing these beautiful inspirations! I'm anxious to see in what direction you're moving. I love the little tease. :)

Connie Ideker Sat, 07/01/2023 - 05:45

Be sure to swing through my state of South Dakota. We are a friendly lot. Mount Rushmore & the Black Hills are gorgeous.

Robin Sampson Sat, 07/01/2023 - 05:22

This is. STUNNING bundle. Last one I a bang! Looking forward to what you will do next.

Kristal Daniel Sat, 07/01/2023 - 04:41

How exciting!! I would love to spend a year or so just traveling around the U.S. Now I just have to get my husband on board. :-)

Blog By

Marisa Lerin

About Me

Hi There! I’m Marisa Lerin and you’ll see me around at DigitalScrapbook.com a lot. I started this site in 2010 soon after I discovered a new love in digital scrapbooking. DigitalScrapbook.com has gone through some significant changes since that time and it’s grown into this lovely community site you are seeing now. I am daily surprised by the turn of life’s events that has led me down this path. If you're new to the site, welcome! Here are a few tidbits about me that I hope will help you get to know me better!

I’m originally from Minnesota, USA, but spent a good chunk of my childhood living abroad (in Bolivia and Hong Kong). I returned to Minnesota to attend university, got married and then moved overseas again (Korea, then Jordan and 1 year of traveling). My designs are heavily influenced by these many nomadic years. I am currently back in the USA, now living in the great state of Oregon!

I have no official training for what I’m doing, since I decided very wisely (haha) to study physics in university. I am always learning new things about digital scrapbooking, and this community has been immensely helpful for that!

If I manage to stop digital scrapbooking you will probably find me watching TV, reading or baking. I also enjoy writing for the blog here at DigitalScrapbook.com where I talk about whatever happens to be catching my fancy at the moment.