Me * My Life * My Passion

My NAME IN PRINT!

2009-11-25T12:23:00.007-05:00

I'm so thrilled! Last night when I got home from work this was waiting for me in my mailbox!

I should explain though that this is the first time I have ever had in mailed to me and the reason for that is because I was published for the FIRST TIME in it! So this is my complimentary copy. ;) This is what I had published. (mines on the bottom of the page)I little closer up! See my name! :)
What a rush! Very cool indead to see my hubby and boys in a magazine! The other cool thing is they did include the mention of my dad because he made the wood plaque, so my dad gets published too! heehee! Anywho, I just might have to try my hand at a submission to two again, because the excitement of seeing my name in print is the coolest thing evah! Thanks for putting up with me today! :)

Lastest Project

2009-11-12T22:04:00.005-05:00

Happy Friday all! I seems like I don't post scrappy stuff as much as I'd like. Perhaps that is because I seem to have so little time to create stuff to post! Okay enough boo whooing from me, I have had a little time and this is what I have been working on. I've been doing more mini albums lately then anything and when I'm on a project like this I don't work on any single page layouts, not sure why, just me I guess. Anyways, anyone who knows me also knows that my mini albums are far from mini. This one isn't too bad though! It was a day trip we took to Greenfield Village in Dearborn Michigan. First time really working with Graphic 45 stuff, it was perfect for the theme. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

November Kit Studio Calico

2009-11-06T11:04:00.003-05:00

So in just 2 weeks I should have this at my front door.

I love the trees, the pear paper and the little Maya Road houses! Oh how I love to get scrappy mail!

So what are your plans this weekend? I went from having a pretty open schedule to one that is jammed packed! How did that happen you ask? Well I just don't know I must have said I was free this weekend out loud or something! LOL So tonight I go to families house to celebrate 2 of my nieces college graduation. Tomorrow that kids have their activities during the day which will keep me hopping since Ken is working overtime. Then Elliott will be going to a sleepover and I will be going out with a friend to see a locate musical. Sunday I'll be going to the Paper Pickle to their Christmas Open house, and then to our old neighbours house (they just moved away 2 weeks ago) for a visit and to pick up Elliott from the sleepover. Phew! see what I mean? And I when easy on the details.

I hope to find a little scrappy time, but we'll see. Happy weekend all!

Look What He Finally Lost, Just in Time For Christmas!

2009-11-05T22:19:00.002-05:00

I've been meaning to post this adorable photo of Elliott. He is so proud! Finally after many (if not all his friends) he has lost his 2 front teeth. Funny thing was, he lost one on Monday and the second one the next day at school, I didn't even get the chance to take a photos of just the one tooth missing! And to top it all off the next day was picture day at school. Now is that perfect timing or what!

Halloween Photos

2009-11-05T22:08:00.002-05:00

So for Halloween this year Braydn debated as to whether or not he was going to go out trick or treating. These are sad days for momma, as even though I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, I am sadden that my oldest is growing up! In the end I don't think he could resist the idea of not getting any candy, so he resourcefully came up with a costume from things we had around the house. He became...Mr. Bedhead. I think he did a pretty good job of it too. Must be those acting classes! He used my robe, dad's sleep mask (for those awful midnight shifts and needing to sleep during the daytime) put bags under his eyes and did a real number on his hair. Grabed his favourite pj's and pillow and voila! Big yawn, Mr. Bedhead :)

And of course Bumble Bee! Cutest little Bumble Bee I've ever seen! :)
Hope you all had a great Halloween.

Medival Times on Thanksgiving

2009-10-21T23:13:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to post some fun photos of our little surprise to the boys on Thanksgiving weekend. We waited for a year for the right price on tickets, because they aren't cheap! It was a fun experience but one of those things for us that is a one time deal. Can't see going again, but it was definitely worth doing once! My photos are all messed up and out of order so bare with me!
These first few are taken at the park across the street from Medival Times and are taken after the show. This tree had been creatively decorated with little people and such it was cute!

This one taken outside the building. And as you can see from some of the photos above out crowns that we were cheering on the blue knight! He was a great knight, but in the end was beaten out be the red knight. Good times!

Lost But Now I'm found

2009-10-14T14:41:00.005-04:00

So some sad news came back in August that my favourite monthly kit club was closing its doors. I was coming up to being a member for 2 years. I was a fairly committed forum chatter and checked in almost daily. It was the first place I would say that I really became attached and felt like home. The talent there was urber and so inspiring! So needless to say I was very sad to hear that it would be no more. Of course there were several ladies there, that I got to know and thanks to blogging I have been able to sneak a peak into their lives still even though it isn't through a forum. I have also followed some of them around to places where they design and tried to find a new home. As you know there are so many amazing monthly kit clubs out there, but for me there are a few things to consider. One being, if I chose one in the US then shipping is always a concern. Of course cost. One of the things I like about kit clubs in the fact that they challenge me to think outside the box and give me a sampling of product lines and items that I would not otherwise purchase. I also struggle with combining multiple companies together. A kit club does all that for me! :) And the last thing I consider is the product. Of course right? But what I mean by that is, I'm afraid I'm guilty of not only purchasing a monthly kit and I often have too much overlap in what I purchase verse what is coming in these kits, you know what I mean? Well this is the other thing that totally sold me about these kits. They also manufacture their own paper and stamps! So their kits of course feature their papers, which as far as I know I can't buy anywhere around here! I have been eyeing this particular company for quite sometime, but never looked into the costs of shipping well for one because I was already getting a kit from somewhere else right? Not that a girl can have too many kits, but I'm pretty sure hubby wouldn't feel that way! So to my delight I contacted the owner of STUDIO CALICO and was pleasantly surprised that shipping was only $1 more then shipping within the US. This is rare! To top it off once becoming a member, I can add anything to my order from their store without increasing my shipping costs! I MEAN IS THAT FABULOUS OR WHAT????? So I took full advantage of that...actually too much advantage and ordered several additional items! This is what I'm waiting for.

I am so stoked! Although, waiting is the difficult part. Shipping always takes so long to get here. I mean ladies in the US can practically have all their supplies used up and I won't even have mine yet! Oh well, that is the price you pay I guess if you shop over the border.

Some friends and I will be getting together in a few weeks to crop together so I'm really hoping to dive into my new stuff then. Cross my fingers it gets here in time!

I also wanted to share that my scrappy room just got a small facelift! We moved everything out of the room! (I mean everything, oh what a job!) and laid laminate flooring down, yes we removed the carpet! :) No craft room should be carpeted, in my opinion! :) SO I'm happy to announce that everything has been put back together and ready for it to be messed up again (giggle) :-) Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Class Details - Pink Paislee Amber Road YUMMY!

2009-10-14T14:04:00.020-04:00

Have I mentioned before how much I LOVE Pink Paislee? Well their new fall collection is no exception. I knew I had to do something special with it so I decided to make this mini album of the photos we had taken last year. I'm very pleased with how it turned out and will be offering it as a class at Crop Til You Drop in Wallaceburg. Take a look, class details below.

What do you think?

FALL MINI ALBUM ~ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23RD
COST $35.00 ~ CLASS TIME 7:00PM

PLEASE RESERVE A SEAT
BY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21ST

Fall Mini Album (11 ½ x 5 ¾)
Featuring Pink Paislee’s NEW Amber Road Collection
(9 pages front and back for 18 pages total)
You will receive the complete paper collection
(5 double sided papers and 1 single sided decorative paper)
2 Decorative border stickers
1 Canvas
1 sheet of 9 diecuts shapes
1 complete sheet of alpha stickers for you to personalize your album
Front and back chipboard cover and binder rings
(you will have use of the matching stamp set)

PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE LARGE SIZE OF THIS ALBUM YOU
MAY NOT COMPLETE THE ENTIRE ALBUM IN THE CLASS
Recommended number of photos is approximately 20-4x6

If you are interested at all don't delay sign up right away there are only a few spots left!

Thanks for looking, I'd appreciate any comments! Happy Wednesday!

MIA

2009-10-09T14:12:00.000-04:00

Yes I have been MIA. As a result, this blog has been terribly neglected! It's called summer you see, I went on vacation and just never got back to the routine of things. I'm sure many of you can relate to how much things seem to change when the kids are home EVERYDAY! :) SOOOOOOOOO many things have happened. I don't even know that I can recall it all. But I'm going to do my best to post a few things here and there. I was originally going do one great big post (but that was a month ago) and I still haven't gotten around to it since that would be so much and now only more things have happened. So today, is just a day to get back into it and FINALLY publish this post of the layouts that I did while I was on holidays....We had nothing but rain for the whole week, which totally sucked, but at least I had this wonderful hobby to fall back on :)

Stay tuned, I'm going to be blogging again! I promise.

So Long, Farewell

2009-06-25T23:18:00.004-04:00

So summer is offically here! YAY! That also means the kiddos are out of school (as of yesterday) and we are leaving on vacation tomorrow. So that being said I just wanted to touch base one final time before heading off to a world without computer/or internet for a week. What a change that will be. And even though I will miss it and be very anxious to get back to it, blog hopping and keeping in touch, I'm going to welcome it and embrace it. Speaking of blog hopping I have a little fun to share. My last post was about the Father's Day Blog Hop at The Paper Passion, it was so much fun. So many talented ladies sharing what they do, awesome. Along the way there were a few prizes to be had and guess what? That's right I won one, you can see what wonderful scrappy goodies I won by hopping over to Hayleys' blog here. Thanks Hayley, can't wait to get it. :)

So before I sign off for a whole week I'll share the last two layouts I was able to squeeze in last weekend. I did both of these layouts using a fabulous kit that I got from CMK last year. I challenged myself to only use the contents of the kit and here is what I came up with, I'm quite please with them both. Plus you will never believe how much product I have left, I suspect I could easily produce 10 more layouts if I really tried and half of them you would even know I used the same kit! That rocks! If you are looking for an unbelievable kit club you should check it out here.

Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate the feedback! :) Happy vacation to me....until next time! ;)

The Paper Passion Blog Hop- A Father's Day Tribute!

2009-06-18T09:04:00.001-04:00

Welcome to The Paper Passion Blog Hop! (A Father's Day Tribute)

What is it all about you ask? Well if you don't already know members of The Paper Passion forum have volunteered to make a post on their blog today in celebration of Father's Day, either by making and posting a card or layout. Each members blog has a link to the next member so if you complete the entire list and get to the end (which you have 3 days to do) you will be entered into a prize drawing! How fun! Rosa (the owner of The Paper Passion )is the best!

So without further a do... my tribute is to both my husband and my father. If you follow my blog you have likely seen this before. I did this as a class as a gift for Father's Day.

My dad is the talented guy that made these wood plaques for me so I made up a different design for him.

The next blog in the hop is Dawn's Blog: HERE

To go back to the previous blog: Wendy's HERE

Enjoy!

It's a Wrap!

2009-06-15T09:50:00.013-04:00

Yup the long awaited dance recital weekend if finally over. Lots of running, very busy, yet very exciting! It is what every performer/dancer lives for! Bittersweet really. The boys did a great job and I am very proud of them! Here are a few quick pictures of the boys in their costumes.Dress rehearsal, waiting back stage with all his breakdancer buddies.Playing gameboy to pass the time....All ready to go, break a leg!My ham, he's such a little actor!First show "Broadway Babes, Junior Show" Elliott in Musical Theatre "Annie in Never Fully Dress".Braydn breakdancing to "Closer". Elliott's Bubblegum Flower, absolutely perfect for a boy!Second show "On Broadway, Senior Show". Braydn, Musical Theatre "Hairspray, Nicest Kids in Town".
Braydn in Musical Theatre, Spelling Bee.
Braydn however, did request a flower and it had to be pink! Pink is "in" for boys you know! :) So I played around with the feature on my new camera that only picks up one colour. It is very cool. I will be playing around with this feature alot more!

I couldn't be more proud of them, they really did a great job, all their hard work paid off! Congratulations boys!

So one more week of dance, just a fun class this week and only 9 more days of school! Hard to believe. I have several things on the go right now that I have to get a jump on, now that all the dancing is done. I have a class to get ready for, my father's day project to complete and teacher gifts to make. So hopefully my next post will have some scrappy stuff in it! Happy Monday ALL!

Quick Post Today, Just Wanted to Share...

2009-06-08T22:20:00.003-04:00

The last layout I did. I have been pretty dry lately. I think it must be the sunshine. Just feel like being out doors more then in! Thanks for looking. Happy Tuesday Everyone!

13 Years Ago Today...

2009-06-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

I got married........to this handsome guy right here...

I don't want to get all mushy, but I did want to say how much I truly love his man and I'm thankful for having him in my life each and every day. He provides for his family and works very hard for us, to have the things we need and those that we want. He is loving, caring, smart and funny. I love to laugh with him! It has not been without some trials, we have had many hurdles but at the end of the day I wouldn't want it any other way! He has shown me so many things and I know there is still so much more we will grow and do together. Here is to many more years! Love ya!

Taking Care of ME!

2009-05-26T10:18:00.006-04:00

Yup! I have been taking just a little better care of me lately. Something I'm sure you can relate to if you are a mother. I have started walking again. I'm really happy about that. I forget just how much I enjoy it. 30 minutes of just me, nature and the ipod. Feels good.

I also can't remember the last time I went shopping for myself! I have grown (in more ways then one if you know what I mean) to actually not enjoy that, too much. a) it is so expensive! b) nothing fits the way I would like it too anymore and it is so easy to get discouraged before really given it a go. c) It is so much easier to shop for the kids so I'm easily distracted, don't have to try them on! d) I'd much rather buy scrapbooking supplies! LOL ;)

But this weekend I went shopping with my best friend and we did NOT shop for the kids, we did NOT shop for our husbands, we did NOT shop for the house WE SHOPPED FOR US. So long over due. We were both of the frame of mind that if we found things weren't working out for us that we would call it a day and catch a movie. So we had a back up plan or an out if you will. But that didn't happen. We had a wonderful day! Not only was it great catching up but we made successful clothing purchases! BOTH OF US!! WOOHOO! Not with out a few bumps in the road, but overall it was a refreshing day. I almost think that it works that way on purpose. You know the theory if you go shopping and you have money to spend that you can't find anything and when you don't have any you find EVERYTHING! Well I think this weekend was the same. Since neither of us expected good things from the day our expectations weren't too high and we were SUCCESSFUL. Again feels good.

So to top of the taking care of me, I have also decided to go for my second, Yes I said second pedicure for the season. I went back in April and I'm going again. Just because. I usually only go a couple times a year. And I will also be going to get my hair done in couple of weeks. Its all good! Life is good.

Now on a scrappy note. Not much to share in the way of new creations, been to busy taking care of me! LOL So I will brag about my latest purchases. First off, I'm awaiting my newest cricut cartridge "Life's a Beach" it is very fun! Don't you think?

Next is this fabulous travel kit by Little Yellow Bicycle. I just absolutley love the colour combination and can't wait to get my hands on it. I'm going to make a mini album for our summer vacation either for this year or last year, haven't decided which yet.

Well that's it for todays post! I hope all my American friends had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and that everyone is inspired by my this post to do something for themselves, ladies don't forget to take care of yourself!

I Had an Absolutely Wonderful Long Weekend! Did you?

2009-05-19T12:23:00.005-04:00

It was one of those weekends where we had nothing planned and just did whatever we wanted, which mostly included NOTHING! You gotta love weekends like that! Just kicking back and relaxing. I have been on the move so much lately that I really needed that!

On Friday I want out for lunch with my hubby (this is rare!) and after work I had an hour massage scheduled. :) It was wonderful, of course.

On a sad note (for all us Scrapbookers but a happy note for my friend Sue at Memories on Main Street) I received an email that she would be closing her store at the end of the month, just closing the chapter on this part of her life. So as previously posted I will NOT be teaching the Father's Day class at her store in June. To celebrate her store closing she is offering 40% off storewide and who can resist a deal like that right? So after Braydn's Breaking class on Saturday morning we took a quick drive up there. I cashed in on a few great deals. Best of luck to you Sue.

As for the rest of the weekend and in between my soaking up the sun I got a little time in being creative. Here are a few layouts that I have been working on. This first one I actually did on Mother's Day, I have to say for having boys that this is the most fru-fru layout I have ever done!

This one I started a few weeks ago when a few scrappy friends and I got together. This is my best friend and I of 18 years. Photo was taken last summer while we were away together for the first time as a 2 family vacation.
This one I started on my scrapbooking weekend away at the retreat. Love that paper it is so stricking!
This one I started from scratch yesterday. Simple but sweet! at least that kid in the picture sure is!
So that's it! Things are going to get pretty busy again in the next while with teaching classes and end of school activities but I hope to not be as bad as last month and pop in a little more often!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Where do I start?

2009-05-13T10:20:00.010-04:00

Yes it has been over a month since my last post. Sounds like confessional huh? But April was soooooo busy! You have to know what I'm talking about! So much going on like: finishing up taxes, teaching classes, getting ready for new classes, finishing April Mandeville's Photography portfolio/showbook for my new business, Creating Your Keepsake my Aunt and Uncle's 40th wedding anniversary, Scrapfest, National Scrapbook Day with so many online contests and crops, The Great Lakes Mega Meet in Novi and Mother's Day! There are so many little things I could have posted along the way, but just didn't have the time for. So I'll play a little catch up but I'll try not to bore you!

First off I'll post a link of the Heritage Maker's project I did for April Mandeville's Photography, here.

I have also been working on a wood project with my talented father, for a Father's Day Class. I will be teaching this at my LSS Crop Til You Drop on Saturday June 6th at 1:00. Cost is $25.

I will also be teaching this class at two other fabulous stores!

Memories on Main Street (Lambeth, Ontario) on Friday June 5th at 7:00 & at The Memory Mill (Dorchester, Ontario) on Wednesday June 3rd at 7:00. I'm so excited to be spreading my wings a little!

Lastly, I will just share a few of my FAVOURITE most recent purchases.

First off Fancy Pants Summer Soiree. You can see a much better pic of it on their site. My favourite is the new journaling cards in the spiral book! It is so awesome, so many possiblities.

Next, My Mind's Eye never disappoints and this is no exception! Love this new cool, fun, beach, adventure line called It's Time... Breaking Free (Adventure Series) Here is just a taste.

I know I've posted more boys stuff, but of course that is what I buy having two boys....but if I had a girl who could resist that bikini and those flip flops! Adorable!

I also wanted to show you these cute little guys. They are so stinkin cute. I have to admitt that I have very little from DCVW in their stack lines but this one was a must have!

TOTAL SWEETNESS!

Well I think that is enough for my first post back after over a month! I have a few new layouts to share and hope to post a little more about our summer vacation coming up only 6 1/2 more weeks away! and the boys and their year end recital coming soon. Hope everyone has had time to break from the madness of everyday life to get your SCRAP on! Cheers!

Lots of Layouts, Wonderful Weekend

2009-04-09T12:14:00.009-04:00

So last weekend I went on my first scrapbook retreat. It was fabulous. I can't wait to go back. Heather from Younique has a wonderful thing going there. She has done a fantastic job. Not only can she accomodate 8 scrappers for the weekend (2 nights) she can accomodate a few scrappers through the day as well. She makes terrific homemade meals and has all the little extras, like chocolates on your pillow, a Tassimo machine and lotions/bodywash to take home. She also has a scrappy store in her house. If you ever get a chance to go, I would highly recommend it! WARNING! Be prepared to have lots of fun, not get alot of sleep, and either get lots of scrappy layouts done, or maybe not! ;) LOL

So here is what I got done. I can actually say that this retreat was a good thing for me. Quite an accomplishment for me actually, I got 7 layouts done and started an 8th. The following are photos I took of this marvelous country retreat, the bright yellow school bus, (I mean Scrappy room) , the store, the friends I went with and a few home decor details that I loved.

So that's it in a nut shell. Another busy weekend ahead, Easter plans and all. I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend!

I Simply Cannot WAIT!

2009-03-31T09:33:00.003-04:00

So what has everyone been up too? Me? I whole host of things of course. First off I have made a new addition to the scrappy room. What do you think? I got the idea from the CMK forum and simply fell in love with this photo. Rebecca is the owner of Pink Paislee, did you notice all those Pink Paislee alpha goodies on her wall? To die for! I have a thing for alpha stickers too. But since I am becoming so limited on space I have several stickers on each ring. I kinda sorted them by colour, company and size.
As for my "simply cannot wait" comment I will be going away to my first ever scrapbooking retreat this weekend with 7 other ladies 4 whom are good friends the others I don't know. I have been to one overnight crop before at The Great Lakes Mega Meet in Novi, Michigan a few years ago which of course was fabulous, but that included the classes and the shopping through the day with only scrapbooking at night and of course you couldn't crop til the wee hours of the morning if you were on a roll! You know what I'm talkin' about?! :) So I have been trying to be as organized as I can while packing my treasures and trying to not bring it all! NOT AN EASY TASK I SAY! LOL I really want this time to be productive though so sometimes less is more right? Okay who am I kidding? I need...sorry want it all! :)

While I was packing I was inspired to do this layout.

I'm ready to pump out the layouts this weekend! :) We will also making a quick stop at a few scrappy stores on the way there and back so needless to say I'm very pumped about this trip. If you are looking for a great weekend retreat I highly recommend this place the price is perfect and the food I understand is fab and the service and little details are impecable! Check it out here.

Oh I almost forgot! One other small addition to this post. The Paper Passion has launched their forum! Very cool! I can tell you it is already shaping up into a great little community and is a great place to hang your hat!

Happy Spring and Happy Birthday to me!

2009-03-20T12:31:00.003-04:00

Quick post here today as I have so many plans today. The most exciting is I'm going away for the weekend with my girlfriends. I'm going to be off for a massage in a couple of minutes so I just wanted to share with you what I have been up to for the last couple of months. You can check it out here.

There is a RAK involved to so please check it out. Happy Spring everyone I'm off to finish packing!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T10:31:00.001-04:00

So did you remember to wear your green today? I did, at least the little green I have! Which is funny because green is my second favourite colour after brown. I just don't seem to have much of it in the way of clothes. Now if you were to see me at a crop you would see just how much I do like green. These are my scrappy totes.
And when I got my Miche purse last weekend I couldn't resist this one:
I don't really even have anything to match with it, except my scrappy totes and I didn't even think about them matching when I bought it! LOL But I did want something that was springy feeling and this colour fit the bill!

I wanted to share the layout I did last weekend with my new Pink Paislee goodies. This is Fetching from the Winsome Collection. I also added some chipboard diecut goodies from Fancy Pants The Daily Grind Line. It went so well together. Isn't that fish the cutest!?!? I just realized that I didn't date it! That is what I was going to do on the sticker that says "note".

Since it is the kids March Break, I will be working half days for tomorrow and Thursday and taking Friday off for my birthday! (Ken has not been working Mondays and Fridays and doesn't start work until Tuesday night at 11:00PM) so he has been off with them yesterday and today. Braydn is old enough to babysit now, and has successfully completed the baby sitting course but we are only just adjusting to this change in babysteps. Besides I don't think it is fair that he need to be responsible for his little brother for a whole day, (and it gives me the opportunity for some time off) ;) But since Ken is only working part time, we can't afford for me to take the full 2 days off. So wish me luck that the kids survive tomorrow and Thursday...on the bright side they aren't completely alone, as Ken will be sleeping but I hope they don't keep him up either! He will definitely need his ear plugs! LOL

Fun with Photos

2009-03-10T08:48:00.001-04:00

Good morning! Hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was so busy! Friday night I got my Miche purse at Costco in London. Then on Saturday I had to work at the LSS. Sunday I went scrappin' in the afternoon with some friends. I got one layout done. I haven't had a chance to take a photo of it yet, hopefully in the next day or two. We also moved the clocks an hour ahead and I'm still trying to adjusting from that. Just wanted to share some fun photos that I was playing with over at Photofunia, what a hoot! These are what I ended up with.

There is a problem with this one though. Do you see it? Yes the artist is sketching Elliott and the person in the background is obviously a girl, looks like a skirt to me! LOL

This is our doggie, Hunter.

This is my favourite one. That photo is actually an enlarged framed print in my house. So it is a picture of a picture. It is an amazing photo. Even though it is washed out here (because of the program) you can see the absolutely endearing look on my boys faces. This is one of those once in a lifetime moments that was captured on film. It was taken about 5 1/2 years ago when the boys were 6 and 2. My youngest is looking up at his big brother with absolute wonderment and my oldest is looking down at him like I'll show you the world. It is just priceless. I don't know if you can see all that, because this photo doesn't do the original much justice but you can take my word for it, it is one in a million. Happy Tuesday.

Mini Album Class

2009-03-06T07:03:00.009-05:00

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

First I want to share this with you....look what I'm getting.....

I can hardly believe it! I've heard rumors that these are already backordered everywhere! I was reading it over on the Everything Circut blog. Let me tell you I am so impressed to get my hands on these little baby's! What is even more surprising is I scooped them up right here in Canada! WOO HOO! Now when does that ever happen! You know what I'm talking about! But thanks to my great friend Rosa at The Paper Passion she has done it again! I told you I love that place!

You might recognize this mini album. I posted 3 of them around Christmas time that I made as gifts. I also mentioned that I would be teaching it as a class. I wanted to offer it as a Mother's Day gift idea. Can you believe how prepared I am? This time I used the new My Minds Eye Bella Bella Bellezo Collection. It is so pretty! Browns and pinks. The best thing about this class is the extras! Everyone will get half of the whole collection and you will only use a fraction of the materials in the project. So you will go home with a bunch more product to play with! (So you don't have to give all to your mom :) ) LOL The collection include 9 coordinating papers and 1 12x12 sheet of diecuts. Now unfortunately not everyone will get exactly the same pieces, but I'm confident that you will love no matter what half you get. There will only be room for 9 people in this class due to limited supplies.

Notice the tabs? Forever?

and Always?

They pull out to more hidden photos!

Even though you can't see it there is sparkle on the flowers and the butterfly!

Well I hope everyone has a wondeful weekend. It is going to fly by for me! Lots to do. Cheers!

Yes it is March!

2009-03-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

So what's new? I definitely have spring fever! Can't wait for it! I've been still very busy lately and March is going to be no exception. It will be even busier! I have alot to look forward to in March. Firstly, my birthday comes in March, I was born on the first day of spring/last day of winter. I like to think of it as the first day of spring though ;)

On Monday, Elliott and I went to London for the day for allergy testing. As we expected he is allergic to cats and very allergic to dust mites! (those things really gross me out and I hate to think about them!) This is such an "aw ha" moment for us though as he always seemed to have trouble breathing in his sleep. This is so good to know! On the down side we will have to make many changes to correct this problem as much as we can. First off, will be removing the carpet in his room (which was something we wanted to do anyways) and change it to laminate. Secondly, sorry Mr. Webkins you can't sleep with Elliott anymore! They will have to be put up! As for me, my allergies have changed over the years. I have grown out of some, but have added different ones! Great! So no longer am I allergic to pollen, ragweed and dust. I am still allergic to mold (that's probably a good thing) who wants to be around that?!?! But I'm now also allergic to MILK? WHAT? Are you kidding me? However, it is not completely a surprise. Although I don't remember it, I was allergic to milk until the age of one. Of course I don't remember that and can't remember a day in my life without dairy. Until my first son came along and we found out he was allergic to the "protein" in milk. This was discovered a month after he was born. I had supplemented him at our Thanksgiving get together and he was just sick! So after taking him to the hospital and them coming to the conclusion that he was protein intulerant I was to cut it out of my diet as well as long as I was breast feeding! EEK! What a challenge! Needless to say I only lasted until Christmas and that was the end of that. They figured he would grow out of it in a few years...well 8 years later, with no, milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, cream of anything soups, cookies or chocolate, Braydn is now freed from this allergy! Now apparently I have it! What? I should clarify that it obviously isn't severe. They have also not yet advised me to eliminate it from my diet. They are doing further testing as they don't think that is the reason for my problem. My problem? I get stuffed up when I eat and my throat gets a frog in it. It is just plain weird I know. But it is a uncomfortable! So we will see what happens when we get the results back.

For my birthday I'm going to get a Miche purse, remember when I posted about those? I have to go out of town to get it though, so a friend of mine and I are going this Friday night.

Saturday I will be working at the Scrapbook store. I'm hoping to complete a project for a class that I want to teach as a Mother's Day gift. I'll be finishing it tonight and tomorrow night. Sunday I'm getting together with friends to scrapbook for the afternoon. So I'm really looking forward to that. Its been a long time!

One the weekend of my birthday me and my ya-ya sisters are heading to Beamsville for the weekend to hang. We only get together about 3 times a year so we are always pumped to get together!

I also wanted to share a layout that I squeezed in this weekend. The only thing I have bought new so far this year from the CHA winter release was each of the Bella Bella and Bloom & Grow paper collections from MME. This is from the Bella Bella French Flea Market Line. All of the patterned paper and the title. The florish and the heart are from Fancy Pants Daily Grind Line. I also used a ticket from Creative Cafe and Making Memories mini letters, plus a tag from a previous MME line, 29th Street I think!

I ordered this stuff from my friend Rosa at The Paper Passion. My new favourite online Canadian Scrapbook Store! If you haven't checked out her store you really should! Her prices are the best! She just got in all the Pink Paislee Collections, which I for one, was dieing to have. I should be getting my scrappy mail today! :)
This is one of the best pictures ever of my husband and I together. Between us, he is hard to take a good photo! Again complements go to my friend April of April Mandeville Photography. You will be seeing much more of her work in the future.

I'll hopefully have time tomorrow to upload all of the wedding layouts that I have been working on for my dad's book that I mentioned a few weeks back. Happy Hump Day!

Picture Filled Post

2009-02-19T11:30:00.009-05:00

Hello Everyone! Happy Saturday! This will be another quickie post today, just to show off my pictures from my "So You Think You Can Dance" show the other night. I took like 120 photos and these were the best of them. First a pic of my friends, Tracy and Jenny. :)

Opening number.

The dancers put on the entire show, announcing each others performances.

The final 4 performance.

My favourite dance couple.

Group performance before intermission.

One of the best shots I got.

First group performance after intermission, I took a few of these.

Another great photo of the group.

Nico.....yes Nico, my favourite dancer, and Canada's. Plus Allie. She is my girl, since ballet is near and dear to my heart, and she is a ballerina! Props to her!

Katelyn and Issac jazzin' it up!

Natalie and Nico.

Lisa and Vincent.

Natalie's solo. They all did solos but they were short and difficult to get photos of.

Allie and Danny another favourite couple together.

Miles and Nico's number.

Allie and Issac, bustin a move in hip hop, sassy!

My absolute favouite routine. The mirror number with Lisa and Miles. Just breathtaking. They put soooooo much emotion into it. It was fab!

Natalie and Vincent.

My second favourite number of the season with Nico and Arasay. Nico plays a black angel, it is also full of emotion.

It was a great show and I'm so happy I got to go! :)

Fallin' Off the Face of the Earth?

2009-02-18T10:13:00.003-05:00

You'd think so! Still having computer issues. GRRR! Can't believe how much I rely on it. I shouldn't say computer issues either as much as internet issues. I can only stay connected for so long and then it cuts out on me. Every 10, 15 minutes or less! Can't get much done and what I do get done takes forever and a day. That is making my new business venture very difficult to say the least.

I took some time to change up my blog today, The Cutest Blog on the Block has some fresh new designs for spring. This one is called Too Darn Cute, and I think it is just that! It reminds me of Pink Paislees Spring Fling release from last year, so it makes me happy. Speaking of blogs, I was reading a thread over at CMK on blog banners and backgrounds and Daniela mentioned this great new website called House of 3 by 3 very talented scrapbookers Heidi Swapp, Rhonna Farrer and Janet Hopkins. You should check it out! My hope is to use something from them for my new blog, that I'm working on for my new venture ;)

Lastly, I wanted to share my excitment. I'm going to London tonight to go see "So You Think You Can Dance Canada" at the John Labatt Centre. I'm going with two of my dancing buddies Tracy and Jenni! It is going to be so much fun. Can't wait to see Mr. hottie himself and favourite dancer Nico! Hopefully, are seats will be close enough to get some good photos so I can post them. Oh and just in case Mother Nature is listening, thank you for not sending a storm today so we can get to and from London safely. :)

I Was Tagged...

2009-02-06T10:41:00.005-05:00

by my friend Juliana.

Here's how you play...Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.

1. Pick the 6th Folder, then select the the 6th picture in that folder.

2. Post that picture on your blog and the story that goes along with the picture.

3. Tag 6 other people that you know or don’t know to do the same thing and leave a comment on their blog or an e-mail letting them know you chose them.

Now because I'm having to post from work (because of my computer/internet issues at home) I have limited photos here. But nevertheless I think this is so fun.

This is a picture of Elliott in front of our house, this past fall the day we carved our pumpkins. Isn't he such a poser? LOL I've trained him pretty good! :)

So I'm going to tag... Alison, Daniela, Danielle, Elizabeth, Megan and Renee.

Just a quickie fun one today. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Wish me luck I'll be having computer withdrawals....maybe a good opportunity to get scrappin'! :)

New Do and other Exciting News!

2009-02-01T16:16:00.004-05:00

So this past weekend (I know if is almost Friday!) I got a manicure, a massage and my hair cut and had my low lights done. Boy does that look better! A girl, just has to do what a girls gotta do sometimes! (giggle) :)
I'm very busily working on my new venture and hope to share really soon! Promise not to keep you waiting too much longer :) That is if I don't come down too sick! I'm feeling a little under the weather today and I don't know if I'm getting something or just a little run down because of all this stuff going on. My fingers are crossed as I don't have time to be sick! I have a class to teach at Crop Til You Drop this weekend and I don't want to miss that. We will be doing those cute little Let it Snow blocks that I did at the end of last year. As for my other exciting news I have an opportunity to upgrade my camera. While I was at an event this weekend an acquaintance made note that I was using a Canon S1 IS. He has the Canon S5 IS. He only bought it just over a year ago and it came out in the summer of 2007. He is looking to upgrade it already as he has his eye on something else. He is willing to sell it to me with a filter (which I do not currently have) for $180. I do not need a new camera, but with techology improvements and additional new features, who could pass that deal up? I'm quite excited. Mind you I have to figure out how to come up with the $180 because of Ken being underemployed right now (only working PT rather than FT) I can't justify taking that money out of the budget. So I have to be creative. I'm hoping between my class on Saturday and the sale of a few things around the house and some scrappy stuff on facebook I can swing it. Wish me luck! :) One more note, I'm posting from work right now as we do not have internet at home at all right now. We have been having trouble with it for over a month and things just keep getting worse not better. Now I'm going to be taking my computer in to be looked at to see if there are any problems there. Please pray that it isn't anything expensive. That is the last thing we need right now.

My Dad's Wedding Album

2009-02-01T15:10:00.000-05:00

As I had hoped I have been able to upload all the photos that I took from the mini 9x6 album that I have made from my dad's wedding. I have only 5 double page layouts left and the front and back cover of the album to complete it. I used all MME papers and embellies, oh and lots of rub ons from Creative Imaginations, they are so pretty! Please don't mind some of the crappy photos, I try, really I do. Some I couldn't be bother to take again, sorry! The girls in the wedding party are my step-sisters and myself. My husband was the photographer through the ceremony and I was after the ceremony (except when I was in the photos, but I did all the arranging) Braydn was the usher and Elliott the ring bearer. Then of course the handsome groom! My daddy! I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for looking. Happy Thursday!

Some Scrappy Stuff

2009-01-26T16:04:00.005-05:00

I can't believe another week has come and gone since my last post! Not to mention that we are already in the last week of January! I guess time flies when you are having fun! :) And I have been having lots of scrappy fun this week. I have been busily working on a 9x6 album of my dad's wedding from Fall 2007. I really wanted to get this out of the way so I can continue working on more of my day to day pages. I have a really difficult time jumping all over the place and would rather work on one project at a time. I have started to photograph some of the wedding album to post but I dont' have time to post them today. But the good news is as of the 1st of January I only had 6 pages done, to date I have completed 32 more! WOW I'm impressed! I've never accomplished so much in such a short time. Mind you I know they are on a smaller scale not 12x12's or anything, but still a great accomplishment for me! Oh and I only have 16 to go! :)

But with all this wedding scrappin' I was really in the need for a change in pace. We had professional family photos taken this past fall and I have been itching to scrap them! The pictures here hardly highlight the beautiful photos that were taken but they still have great meaning to me. We were just goofing off, because the kids had been so patient through the whole section and they wanted to just have fun. Who could blame them right? Well these are the result of that fun...

I did this layout using this sketch from the "Friday Scrappy Formula" over at CMK. They are so much fun!

In other news, I've been up to something! But I can't share yet! It's all very exciting though and I can't wait to spill the beans! So until next time! Stay warm.

Pink Paislee Doesn't Disappoint!

2009-01-19T22:36:00.007-05:00

I look so forward to this time of year! Anticipation plus for all the new products and creations from all the scrappy manufactorers! The blogs and websites have been flooding with sneak peaks of all the lines! But with out a doubt right now this one has won my heart! Guess what it is called? "Fetching"The Winsome Collection. Couldn't have a better name. ~Swoon~ As a momma to two boys this collection just makes my heart sing! I cannot wait to see more from this wonderful company! Thank you Pink Paislee and to the amazing design team that keeps me coming back for more!

The Price of Children

2009-01-15T11:40:00.003-05:00

The Price of Children.

Here is something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice.

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down.

It translates into:
* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is ; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up.
You get to:
* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck.
You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price! Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren. It's the best investment you'll ever make!

I'm Excited for Mail this Week!

2009-01-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

I came about to wonderful finds last week that I'm really excited about. One is a new Canadian online store that I really liked called The Paper Passion. I love the name. They are having a great deal on shipping right now, only $5 for all standard sized orders U.S. or Canadian until January 25th. How great is that?
Secondly, I came about two awesome new Cricut Cartridges called Graphically Speaking and Storybook. Thing is I know they aren't brand new. They came out in the summer, BUT to me it was a hidden secret. As I'm sure many of you have experienced if you own a cricut that you usually can't just pick cartridges up at your LSS. Pretty much only the big box stores carry them because they are so costly but the closest Michael's to me is an hour away. So we rely mostly on the internet for ordering, or at least for browsing and then I can place an order for one at the LSS that I work at.

Now what started me even looking in the first place is now my Step Mom got a Cricut for Christmas (thanks to me) :) and she wants to build her collection so we can swap cartridges. So I started the hunt for some good deals. Made a list of possibles and went from there. I usually tend to like font cartridges more then graphic ones. When I came upon the Graphically Speaking Cartridge there wasn't much detail on what it offered. It only showed a few pictures. I liked what I saw, but wanted to see more! So I googled it. WOW was I pleasantly surprised! Do you guys have any idea what this cartridge can do?????? Here are some pictures, are you ready to fall in love? First Graphically Speaking:

Secondly Storybook:

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES HERE! Are you as amazed as I am??? How fun! These cartridges totally out do any other cartridge that Provo Craft has come out with, in my opinion. The features are packed with extra graphics! Did you see the borders? Florishes made into borders and also the whole series of numbers too! How about that owl! :) He makes me smile. See the new shapes that would be perfect for journalling cards? I could go on about them forever! I truly believe that Provo Craft under marketed these babies! Or I've been living under a rock!

Here's a Good One!

2009-01-08T08:18:00.000-05:00

Quote of the day.

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater.

If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.

If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.

If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.

If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.

This is so true!!!! It makes me giggle! Hope everyone's week is going well! Ta Ta for now!

Just Struck a Cord

2009-01-07T08:47:00.000-05:00

HAPPY 2009! Here is pic from New Year's Eve at the big bash we went too. Good times!

I have been having some trouble coming up with what I wanted my first post of the year to consist of. Still working on the idea of what my new years resolutions should be. Then it hit me. Really there are two main things I want to do. Lose weight and create more. Period. Do I have lots of goals? Yes, have a wrote them down? No. But then a very dear friend of mine today sent out this email and it just struck a cord with me.

A NEW YOU in 2009

1) Take a 10-30 minute walk every day, and while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2) Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3) Always pray, eat right and always make time to exercise.

4) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of six.

5) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured.

6) Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat broccoli, almonds and walnuts.

7) Make at least three people smile each day.

8) Clear your clutter from your house, car, desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

9) Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment called "NOW".

10) Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

11) Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a layman and dinner like a beggar.

12) Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 13) Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

14) Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15) You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

16) Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present. ALL YOU HAVE IS NOW!

17) Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

18) Go on and burn those 'special' scented candles, use the 600 thread count sheets, the good china and wear fancy clothes now. Stop waiting for a special occasion. TODAY IS SPECIAL!
19) No one is in charge of your happiness except you. Don't Worry ... Be Happy! IT's A CHOICE! 20) Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

21) Forgive everyone for everything.

22) What other people think of you is none of your business.

23) Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!

24) However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

25) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch with them.

26) Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

27) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. God provides, remember?

28) The best is yet to come.

29) No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

30) Do the right thing!

31) Call your family often.

32) Each night before you go to bed, complete the following statements:
'God, I am so very thankful for __________.' 'Today I accomplished _________.'
33) Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

34) Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH LIFE'S A gift. That's why now is called the PRESENT ... UNWRAP IT!

That sure sums it up doesn't it? It just spoke to me, about a better life, about a better me. A lot of great words here. Here's to everyone goals or resolutions and making 2009 great!

Final Post for 2008

2008-12-31T09:54:00.002-05:00

Well I can't believe that today is the last day of the year! Anyone have any plans??? We do! This will be the first New Years Eve that we will going out in all the 12 years we have been married! Should be a blast. We are going with my dad and step mom and step sisters/brother. As well as my brother and sister-in-law with my nieces and their boyfriends plus I know of one other friend who is going. Not to mentioned that the event we are going to sold 550 tickets so, I'm sure there will be a few other familiar faces. We are having dinner there at 5:30 followed by 3 different Yuk Yuks comedians. Then dancing and ringing in the New Year! I'll have to share pictures of us all dressed up tomorrow. But for now I gotta run, lots to do to get ready today. I hope everyone has a SAFE and fun evening and I wish EVERYONE a terrific new year!

Where Do I Start???

2008-12-30T15:28:00.022-05:00

First off, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I haven't been able to post for days and it has been killing me! We have been having internet problems and it has prevented me from posting and I have had sooooo much going on that I would like to share.

First for the bad news. On Saturday we had flooding in our bedroom. Yes our bedroom is in the basement. The worst part is we just renovated the room in the fall and have only been able to enjoy it completed for 2 months now. We put in all new laminates and they are ruined! :( Lucky it was only our room effected but nevertheless it looks like we will be doing it again. We aren't sure at this point if insurance is going to cover it and even if it does we don't know if the damage will amount to more then our deductible. We have been in this house going on our fifth year with no troubles at all. Nor did the owners before us. It was because the system just couldn't get a break from all the water that rained and then thawed all the snow we had. On Saturday we had 66 degree weather!! Just days earlier we were hit with a ton of snow! So BIZARRE!

Just because a picture is worth a thousand words here is a picture of us putting in the floor after we painted and then the finished product.

Every thing you see is brand new! From the furniture, to the bedding to the Ikea wardrobes! Unfortunately, we will have to uninstall the wardrobes because they are on top of the floors. Yes I'm crying.
Now for something that makes me happy! There are the fun gifts we gave the kids teachers for Christmas this year. I made one in blue and one in red.

Have you ever heard of Snowman's Soup???? It goes like this:

When it's so cold that you holler and whoop,

It's time to bring out the Snowman Soup!

Pour the packet in a mug.

Add the snowballs too.

And throw in the kisses from the snowman to you.

Now add some hot water and use the cane to stir it.

Sip slowly and soon you'll feel the warm winter spirit.

Isn't he the cutest??

And for some more major cuteness here are a couple of pictures from Christmas morning. Elliott with is puppy Biscuit, that Santa left him.

And this picture shows the excitement on the kids faces when they opened their Wii.

Now for some of my excitement. I'm so thrilled that I'm finally done this project! I've been working on it for quite sometime. This was our family vacation last summer (2007) This is my first big project that I have used my Bind it All for. It is amazing! Love it. Enjoy!

And lastly I want to show you what I got for Christmas. Anyone who knows this gal well enough knows that all I really would like for Christmas is scrappy goodness. But that can prove to be a very difficult thing to buy for someone who has a much as I do. So I asked for some racks from Ikea to do some more organizing in my room. Now, last year at this time I was VERY busily switching rooms with my son. I was taking his little bedroom for my larger scrapbook room. I was not to anxious about losing all my space but as it turned out I ended up with an awesome little room! These are the pictures of my room last year after the project was completed.

And here are the pictures that include my new racks. One is holding the majority of my punches over my container storage.

Then I have two addition sections on the other wall. Do you see my owl??? :)

Here I have my embossing powders, glitter, staz on, glimmer mist and stickles stored in the baskets.

Here I have some of my Prima's and paint.

I'm so thrilled with the space I have gained from adding these racks!

So there you have it. Sorry for the long post, but I hope it was worth it. Packed with lots of fun! (okay well for the most part!)

Spreading the News RAK from Triple the Sketch

2008-12-21T12:27:00.006-05:00

Just sharing the love on this cold, windy, snowy total wintery Sunday, which is the perfect day to stay in and scrap!
Patter at Triple the Sketch posted a RAK on her blog for Unity Stamps, they are having a 50% of sale which I'm definitely going to go check out! What scrappy girl can have enough stamps!? NOPE NOT THIS ONE :)
I have lots of stuff I want to accomplish today in the scrappy department so I'm off! Cheers :)

Blast of Winter!

2008-12-19T09:22:00.015-05:00

Right now we are getting a great big blast of old man winter! Brrrrr! It is expected to last for most of the day! And all to happen on the very last day of school. Lots of fun. There is no doubt that we are going to have a white Christmas!

I just wanted to share the mini albums that I put together to give to our families for Christmas.

I should also mention that this mini album and the "Let it Snow" blocks from my previous post are going to be offered as classes at "Crop Til You Drop" in the New Year. Details to follow later.

Each one is slightly different. I had to use paper that matched the 3 different coloured Carousel Notes (the scalloped circles) that I bought from Stampin' Up. And of course I can't take complete credit for the idea, although I modified it for my needs :) It actually started out as a purse design. Just turn it over on its side and add ribbon for handles...can you picture it?

Okay(LOL) here is a picture of the one my Stampin' Up Demonstrator-Jackie Bultje made. Isn't it too cute?Here is the inside of one of mine. Sorry about the crappy photo. I'm really going to have to figure out my camera. I am not a photographer! I admit it! I'm a point and shoot girl ;)

These are hidden inside of the envelope. One on each side where you see the words "Forever" & "Always" on the tabs.So remember these are Christmas presents so ssssshhhhhhh! Don't tell anyone! ;) Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and wraps up all their holiday needs. Or if you are local, I hope you get to stay in nice and warm. Grab yourself a cup of hot cocco and let the creative juices flow! Cheers!

Look What We Got Last Night!

2008-12-17T13:34:00.006-05:00

Yup lots of snow! It was a beautiful night! We all went out for a family walk after supper to enjoy the winter wonderland! And of course to make snow angels.

Now I promised some scrappy goodies this time. So here we are. A few things I have been working on the last few weeks. First off My "Let it Snow" blocks for our basement to go along with my snowman theme tree!

Then I totally lifted this from Davinie at CMK who designs for Pink Paislee. You can see her's here. Isn't it beautiful? I loved the Pink Paislee papers with it, but unfortunately that wouldn't have matched my theme so this is what I did.

How stinkin' clever huh? It was so easy to do too! The only thing was by the time I was done my hand was killing me from all the punching! But so worth it! Thanks for the inspiration Davinie!

Doesn't my pail of snowballs look perfect with Mr. Snowman? I love it! Next, is a challenge I did over at CMK. Lisa supplies us with a weekly sketch on Fridays to be put in a draw at the end of the month for all that participate and get it done each week by the deadline. Unfortunately, I didn't make the deadline, but this is the first week out of like the last 12 that I have been able to even touch it, so I'm very pleased. I sure hope to be able to do more in the future. This is the sketch: And this is what I came up with. I use the October kit also from CMK. Have I mentioned how much I love that place! It is the best! I'm so glad I found it. The ladies there are not only wonderful people, but they are so truly talented. And Lisa the owner is absolutely, fabulous! She puts up with me so that has to say something! :) LOL

I also have some mini albums to share that I have been working on for Christmas, so I will post them next time. Thanks so much for stopping by! :)

Somebody Loves Me

2008-12-16T09:18:00.005-05:00

Look what I got on Friday! :) Not something that happens everyday that's for sure! So I will enjoy it for what it is!

Just as a funny I thought I'd include a link to a video that my friend Alana sent me the other day, too funny! Perhaps this is my husbands way of staying clear from the doghouse! LOL! Or more accurately, because of the strange look I got when I told him he should follow my blog! He replied "So if I need to find out whats going on with my wife now I have to check her blog?" He clearly doesn't get it. Does anybody elses husband just not get it???

I think the video is hilarious. I'm thinking alot of you ladies will agree. ;)

Doghouse Video

Next post I hope to share some scrappy fun! Happy Tuesday!

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas!

2008-12-15T09:36:00.022-05:00

At the Millson house! Yes we got our tree this weekend. Unfortunately, my photos didn't turn out the greatest (I had it on the wrong setting -grrrr) But this was option #1.

Option #2

We marked them with Tim Horton's coffee cups, so we could find them back! LOL And we ended up with option #1. Here is Elliott cutting it down with his grandpa.

He was so proud of himself!
And his brother walked away with his prize :(

I thought this was a great picture.

We were headed to the campfires to warm up! Now normally we would roast hot dogs too but this year we didn't have the time to put it all together, but luckily a very nice old man from the campfire next to us had leftovers and gave them to us! So nice! So we enjoyed our few hot dogs, hot chocolate and the warmth!
I have a few shots around the campfire, but they were pretty smokey!

This is Elliott explaining how much he loves Christmas.

Afterwards we returned home and made some chicken nachos for everyone (a family tradition after the tree hunt) and started up the fireplace and started decorating.

Yes I did mean the tree, but you know the kids! LOL
Although he kinda seems smaller then previous years, he still decorated up quite nice. Don't you think? I just love my snowman/snowflake theme. The boys were really into it this year and pretty much did all the decorating themselves.
I have a few more things I want to share, but I'll post them a little later! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Absolutely Revolutionary!

2008-12-12T13:25:00.003-05:00

This is the coolest! I just had to share! Miche Bags have you heard of them??My friend Celina from work just bought one of these the other day while she was at Costco. I'm so getting one! Althought you can order online, you get a far better deal at one of their booths. You get 4 shells instead of 3! More information and booth locations are here. And for all my US of A friends, they have to be coming your way soon! They seem to be available everywhere else?, I just don't understand it! Sorry! It's just the coolest thing EVAH! Never having to dump your purse out again to switch purses. Brilliant, I say just brilliant. Think of the endless possiblilities, they must have butt loads more shells in the making. Now to just pick 4??? Awwww decisions. I think this one is my favourite, what about you?

I'm so excited about this weekend! Will we be going to Sloans to pick our annual Christmas tree. We have been going every year now since we moved into our new house 4 years ago (this is our 5th Christmas though) We go with my dad and my step mom Kelly. We roast hot dogs at the campfire and drink hot cocco. The village has so much for the kiddos to do, they love it and of course I snap up a few dozen photos which I will share later, of course. So I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and happy Friday to you all!

This is it!

2008-12-11T12:23:00.006-05:00

Okay, here we go! I'm jumping in with two feet and saying HELLO to the blog world! I still have a bit of tweaking to do, but that will come!
It's funny because I never really thought that I would start a blog, thinking that I wouldn't have much to share. Then recently I was approached about a possible but fabulous opportunity to do scrapbooking for others. I thought this would be an excellent way to go about showcasing my work...OF COURSE! So I'm a little slow with the times! HA! So now all of a sudden I have had so many things that I would like to share. So here I am. First off I would like to give credit to the photographer who took all the fabulous photos of my family on my blog. You can see more of her work here . Thanks April!

I should also mention that another really good reason for starting this blog is because of Create My Keepsakes they are having a Design Team call right now and it is the coolest application process ever! However, you need to have - you guessed it a BLOG!!! Okay you don't have to have a blog, but that is how they are wanting you to apply! So cool. Anyways, I would love to be on that design team. All the ladies there are sooooooo very talented. But one step at a time! LOL

Okay enough chit chat! One thing I enjoy the most about others blogs are photos! So for today I'm going to leave you with a picture of the Christmas card that I'm going to be sending out. The template is compliments of Pink Paislee. The photo compliments of April and with help from my friend Daniela from CMK. (I have no idea what I'm doing in Photoshop!) ;)

Until next time....