Kindness – what a simple way to tell another struggling soul that there is love to be found in this world.

Here at the Sweet Shoppe, we believe in spreading love and kindness by leaving words of praise on layouts shared in our community Gallery. In fact, we believe in it so much, we’ve made it an integral part of our monthly challenge system! You’ll find the “Show Off & Shout Out” thread in our This or That Challenges forum. Here’s how it works:

Reply to the thread to claim your spot. Throughout the month, update it with

• links to 15 pages in the Gallery on which you’ve left a comment (we call it “leaving love”),
• an image of a layout you created this month and posted in the gallery you want to show off,
• a sentence or two about why you’re proud of the layout you created or why you love it so much,
• an image of a layout someone else created and posted in the gallery to which you want to give a shout out, and
• a sentence or two about why their layout inspires you or what you love about it.

That’s all there is to it: leave love for 15 layouts in the gallery, share your Show Off, and share a Shout Out, and at the end of the month, you could win a free kit or mini bundle up to $15 in value.

I asked some of the Sugar Babes to share their own Show Off and Shout Outs to wrap up the month of March. Here’s what Carrie, Jacinda, Jaye, Kiana, Sarah, and Sherly had to say.

Carrie’s Show Off

Why Carrie is proud of this layout: “I love digging thru my photo archives to scrap layouts of my children when they were little babes. As soon as I saw Kristin’s kit, I knew I needed to dig. The elements and kit colors are just the sweetest. My baby boy is about to turn 16 and I love remembering the sweet years!”

Carrie’s Shout-Out

Why Carrie loves “Good Fortune” by Scrap-therapy: “Look at all of those layers! I love the mixture of stickers and realistic elements. The photos are just adorable. This layout instantly put a smile on my face! It’s so fun and happy!”

Jacinda’s Show Off

Why Jacinda is proud of this layout: “Now that one child has left the nest, opportunities to catch both of my girls in the same photo is becoming rarer. I love these photos of them at the Harry Styles concert. They niggle at each other all the time, but also treasure time together. Kristin’s kit provided a fun medium to scrap them with.”

Jacinda’s Shout-Out

Why Jacinda loves “March 20-23” by Stefanie: “The grid style with the doodled dividers had me at hello. I love this simple but effective way of capturing her days in March. There’s a good balance with the extra elements too. I think it’s beautifully done.”

Jaye’s Show Off

Why Jaye is proud of this layout: “I love cardinals and get especially excited when I am able to get a good shot of a female as they seem to be more skittish. On this day there was an avid birder next to me who told me about the different types of sparrows we have in our area (photo of cardinal and sparrow). I decided to go with an off-centered frame and build up behind the photo keeping with neutral tones to show off the birds. I like this page because it is soft, delicate and simple.”

Jaye’s Shout-Out

Why Jaye loves “Northwoods Vacation Page 18 & 19” by lovely1m: “Those photos!! Oh, what a beautiful vacation it looked to be. I could only pick one, but since it’s a two-pager I am going to include both. The colours in the kit she chose are simply perfect to highlight the photos. The simple clusters are effective in drawing into the photos as you find new things to look at in each view. The subtle neutrals with soft blue/greens really highlight the water. Perfect vacation memories are documented beautifully.”

Kiana’s Show Off

Why Kiana is proud of this layout: “Erica’s kits always give me a way to express my feelings about my son’s epilepsy journey over the years. The word bits and eclectic elements lend themselves well to the sometimes confusing emotions I’ve had over the years.”

Kiana’s Shout-Out

Why Kiana loves “I Am Strong” by Shawnbear: “The visual interest here with the mix of paints/splatters and 3d elements and papers is so detailed and beautifully done. I love how the photos lead your eye across the page and her happy face is perfect for the touches of pinks & yellows of the kit.”

Sarah’s Show Off

Why Sarah is proud of this layout: “Last minute idea on Finn his birthday. Taking a photo of him holding a photo of him on the day he was born. Next year on his birthday, I want to take a photo of him, holding this photo. And so on… I love my layout not only because of the photos, but also because of the color scheme. It took me some time to find neutral elements that would work together. So, I love the memory and I love how my layout turned out.”

Sarah’s Shout-Out

Why Sarah loves “Lucky Couple” by AmaneseFe: “What a beautiful layout she created! The large black and white photo covering the whole canvas. The beautiful page design with the wreath and the scatered elements, the colors, the use of the journal card, the clusters and shadows. All is so beautifully placed on her layout and makes her layout so eye-catching. Love it!”

Sherly’s Show Off

Why Sherly is proud of this layout: “Mirjam’s template made it so easy to create this page and I was so drawn to that big bracket on the template as well as the alpha of this gorgeous collection. I love that, despite it being a minimalist page, it’s still so pretty to me. On top of that, the photos hold a deep meaning for me, as it was taken during the COVID years, the time when our family were separated because of the lockdowns.”

Sherly’s Shout-Out

Why Sherly loves “Farm Life” by EvelynD2: “I love the themed element choices that are so perfect on this page! I also love all the details and the way Evelyn utilised the template so perfectly! The shadowing is also creating the perfect depth for the scene she created.”

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“Kindness,” it’s been said, “is a gift everyone can afford to give.” All it takes here at the Sweet Shoppe is a moment … a moment to hit the “comment” button and leave a few words of love for a fellow scrapbooker. Our monthly Show Off & Shout Out thread is a perfect way to get started! What are you waiting for? Get over to the This or That Challenges forum, reserve your spot in the April 2023 Show off & Shout Out thread, and start leaving the gift of kindness all throughout the Gallery right now!