the joy of creativity

a Liebster blog award

2012-01-26T07:30:00.042-05:00

i was surprised yesterday with a very sweet blog award from Bev Code aka Bee cee creativity. thank you Bev!

"Liebster”is a German word meaning dearest, beloved or favorite, and the Liebster Award is sort of a chain letter among bloggers that’s intended to showcase exceptional up-and-coming blogs (typically, those with 200 or fewer followers). There’s no evaluation committee or formal award process for the Liebster, but in a way it’s even nicer – it’s recognition that a peer has noticed and appreciated your hard work.

Here are the rules:

Choose 5 up and coming blogs of fewer than 200 followers to award the Liebster to.

Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

Post the award on your blog. Link back to the blogs you have given the Liebster to so everyone else can pay them a visit.

so here are the awesome blogs i would like to award the Liebster blog

dee's paper tree

just another day in my life

mbi origionals

stampy mcstamperson

queen b creative me

there is so much inspiration out there.

Joy

Wordless Wednesday ~ how to spend a pa day

2012-01-25T07:00:00.005-05:00

use your stuff + one

2012-01-23T09:05:00.009-05:00

this week our newest member at uys, bronwyn, challenged us to use white and one other colour. i'm not sure about you but white is always a challenge for me to use. I tend to use it as an accent colour only. I made a card this week with my + one of brown.

i used the pti set warm happiness and matching dies, pti

fresh snow ink, some micro beads, twine and the hero arts

background stamp flower dot pattern.

i forgot to post last mondays uys layout. here it is.....

a colour challenge~ blue, green, orange and brown.

sketch credit

happy monday!

Joy

project life week one

2012-01-22T07:30:00.026-05:00

last year i wasn't always happy with the way my pl layouts looked. one thing i am trying to do this time around is to be a little more scrappy with the layouts... you know, adding in the pretty decorative stuff. that includes more stamping. i have collected several stamp sets and some random images to use this year throughout the album. stamping more on my scrapbook pages is a goal this year.

i'm one of those people who likes to use a computer or typewriter to do my journaling, it's so much neater than my handwriting. i promised myself no matter how messy or misspelt my journaling turns out i am not going to rewrite or replace it with typing. the only spots i can type on are those little white labels and tags. i'm already itching to replace some!
this week i used several technique tuesday stamps, washi tape and papers that came with the pl kit.

on a side note...it's so nice a quiet here this weekend, not much is going on. i am lovin' the hours in my craft-room. moving on to week two!

thank you for your kind comments, i really appreciate them.

Joy

project life title page

2012-01-19T07:30:00.015-05:00

i thought i would share my project life title page today, i had some pending projects that i wanted to finish before starting.
the title page is a mix of products from the core kit - turquoise edition and these digital pieces by marcy penner, digi project life - clementine edition, october afternoon stickers and a few things cut on the silhouette.

the hubby isn't much of a smiler. i'll catch some in the album

here's some details

i love that camera!

i'm off to a good start and hope to get the first 3 weeks finished this weekend while the man is working for the next three days. one goal i have this year is to include some ephemera we collect over the weeks like hand written notes, labels, shopping tags and receipts. i'm really thankful that i have a calendar started helping me keep photos and journaling update, it has been pretty painless and very quick.

happy thursday!

Joy

times & seasons

2012-01-15T11:24:00.004-05:00

lots of goodness this month in my dt kit from The Scrapping Bug.

here's what i came up with this month.....

for the love of typewriters

a canvas inspired by Ms. Regan and her amazing work and this sticker from the EP stickers sheet.

i made the sky with tissue paper and distress inks

We R Memory Keepers pocket pages layout

Some details

check out what the other dt members made this month here

thanks for stopping by

Joy

a little bitty sneak peek

2012-01-13T09:40:00.003-05:00

happy friday the 13th!
it's almost time for the reveal. the scrapping bug design team reveals their projects
on the 15th of every month. I'm putting the final touches on my last project.

here's a little bitty peek at one of my layouts

to visit the bug board click here.

have an excellent weekend, see you on sunday.

Joy

Wordless Wednesday ~ yesterday

2012-01-11T09:23:00.000-05:00

Project life update

2012-01-10T07:15:00.003-05:00

week one of project life is complete and my system is working well, i am up to date with photos and journaling. two things came up over the weekend, it was very photo heavy so i am going to have to narrow things down and i did not journal. it's all caught up now. all of our photos are in the book but i have some deadlines to meet so creating the layouts will have to wait.

the small square photos on this layout are pictures taken on my iphone. i am addicted to photo apps,

are you? share your favs. with me in your comment.

this week i used camera+, instagram and diptic. click the name to find out more about each app.

remember the space i set up for this project......

it's not big or fancy, it sits beside my printer and above my computer desk. it's very functional and everything is within arms reach. see those glass bowls, i dug those out of some boxes that have been sitting for years in our storage room. they were my grandma ainley's and i'm so happy to be using them.

that's it for project life this week, i hope to complete the layouts this coming weekend.

on a side note my girlies are coming to my place today to scrapbook, i suspect there will be lots of laughter & chatting instead of scrapping because this is our first gathering since before christmas.

what a great way to spend my birthday, life is good!

Joy

Use Your Stuff # 16 ~ Ad challenge

2012-01-09T09:00:00.006-05:00

this week ms. barb is challenging us to use this ad as inspiration for our projects.

here's my take

to check out what the other ladies made this week, head to the

UYS blog if you link up your creations at UYS you may have it featured the following week.

Joy

You are my favourite

2012-01-06T07:15:00.015-05:00

i thought i would share a couple of the crafty things i've made this week.

a card with a bit of lacing

i used some echo park papers and element sticker from the home & seasons line some brads, ribbon and embroidery thread for the lacing.

a little something for my hubby to hang on his wall

i used both sides of some older bo-bunny paper, screw head brads and a road bike shape from the silhouette store.

thanks for lookin'

Joy

Organization for Project Life

2012-01-04T07:00:00.022-05:00

the beginning two thousand and twelve brings with it a new beginning for project life. i started project life a year ago full of ambition and plans for a grand year long project, which turned into an overwhelming and stressful flop. i really love the idea and potential of this project, so this year i'm starting fresh with a little experience under my belt.

sparing you the extra detail, i expected too much of myself and i was not as organized as i thought i was.

i'm a pen & paper kinda gal when it comes to tracking, list making or planning. don't get me wrong i love my techie toys, sometimes writing it out makes things a little clearer for me.

i find simple joys in doing things the old fashioned way.

here are a few of the ways i am organizing myself this year....

i have created a project life work area, the only items here are task specific to pl
purchased an calendar with month at a glance and week at a glance (a la michelle wooderson, awesome idea! you must read this post she wrote about her pl process)
monthly calendar will be used to keep track of the photo for each day complete with file name
the weekly section of the calendar will be used to journal and keep track of details
i am printing my photos at home this year, daily. sending them out weekly was to much hassle
extra photos i want to include will be housed in a page protector with notes until I make that layout
ideally i will take time to complete the layouts at the end of each week but we all know life isn't always ideal

i will also post my layouts here as i complete them to help keep me accountable.

well that's it for today, if you are creating your own project life or p365 leave me a link to

your blog in a comment, i would love to check it out.

Joy

Use Your Stuff challenge 15 ~ add it up

2012-01-02T07:30:00.005-05:00

It's time for the first challenge of 2012 on the Use Your Stuff blog.

I was searching through my stash and found a full page numbers die cut that

had been sitting for quite a while. It made me think of my top 25 most played songs

in iTunes. The list is forever changing so I decided to document it.

Visit the Use Your Stuff blog to link up your numbers inspired projects.

I can't wait to see them.

Thanks for visiting.

New year coming, new look

2011-12-31T07:00:00.037-05:00

Two-thousand & twelve is on it's way

Don't drink and drive, have fun and hug the ones you love.

Wanted to share with you

2011-12-29T22:07:00.001-05:00

This year for Christmas I gave my nieces and nephew gifts certificates for Kiva instead of toys or clothes. After the gift opening and play time I sat with each of them at the computer to choose

who would receive their gift. Kiva is a great way to get them thinking globally and remind

them giving is one of the best parts of Christmas.

You have an opportunity to give someone a helping hand for FREE !

Use this link and you can give $25.00.

Kiva and Ladies' Home Journal have partnered to make a small number of Free

trials available for new lenders.

The Free trials will get snatched up quickly, so don't wait.

If you would like more information about Kiva visit this post or
visit www.kiva.org

Holiday inspiration on Pinterest

2011-12-22T14:40:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if you visit Pinterest but I love to surf their site.

So much inspiring stuff.

Holiday craft and DIY ideas o'plenty !

I posted more pictures on The Bug blog head over to check them out.

I'm blog host this week

2011-12-20T07:35:00.004-05:00

I hosting the blog over at The Scrapping Bug this week.

Today is Design team Tuesday and I'm showing a tutorial on how to make these

gift card wallets..........

Head over to The Bug blog to get the easy peasy instructions, they take less than 10 minutes to make.

Give it a go, you'll be happy that you did.

Thanks for stopping by today, Merry Christmas!

Sunday photo share

2011-12-18T09:29:00.000-05:00

The Scrapping Bug December reveal

2011-12-16T07:45:00.004-05:00

It's that time again, I get to share what made with my design team kit.

This month I got to work with some great products from Teresa Collins, Echo Park,

Core-dinations and Ranger. When I first got my kit I was a little stumped, well unsure really how

all the black would look. The Christmas Home line by TC has lots of black in the mix I was

happily surprised with the way things turned out. Playing outside my comfort zone wasn't that bad.

This is a chipboard 11.5x4 inch album, the inner pages are a little smaller.

Head over to the Scrapping Bug gallery to see what the other design team members have been up to.

There are some great projects this month.

Thanks for lookin' !

Amazing

2011-12-13T01:28:00.000-05:00

The gift of Kiva

2011-12-09T14:43:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of Kiva?

Watch this to see how it works.

Maybe this year you can give a gift that will help someone to...

transform their business, help send their kids to school or help them fix their home.

Think of the possibilities.

Visit Kiva here they even have Kiva gift cards.

Is this too much ?

2011-12-07T08:00:00.003-05:00

Use Your stuff # 14

2011-12-05T08:50:00.000-05:00

It's my turn set the challenge this week and I'm in full Christmas mode.

The lights are on, the decorating is now complete and I'm working away on gifts.

This weeks challenge is to use your favourite holiday colours.

I think I got them all on this on.....okay not pink.

Head on over to the UYS blog and play along, I know some of you are making

some stuff that uses some festive colours. Link it up to the challenge

so we can share the love for all things Christmas.

Stocking stuffers

2011-12-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

I have lots of projects on the go right now for the upcoming holidays & yesterday

I made these hair clips for my nieces using Mister Huey's colour mists and

Pink Paislee (mist)-a-bles fabric flowers.

These pretty flowers are going into their stockings for Christmas.

Mister Huey's colours: Cameo, Plum Thumb, Dewey, Lemonade & Bonny Blue

You can find Mister Huey's @ The Scrapping Bug store and online here

Tomorrow I get to hang out with my pal Theresa, I haven't seen her in a long time.

She needs some crafty time and I need to finish more Christmas gift.

Enjoy your weekend, thanks for stopping by.

Wordless Wednesday ~ December Daily

2011-11-30T16:50:00.000-05:00

Little Red Wagon challenge #108

2011-11-25T07:45:00.028-05:00

It's been a while since I joined the challenge over on LRW but with the holidays

fast approaching I just happen to be working on my Christmas cards.

Avril's challenge this week was to make a Christmas themed project........here's one

of the Christmas cards I'm sending out this year.

Most of this card was made and cut on the Silhouette, the car is a print n' cut file, the tree is from

a Kerri Bradford digital cut kit and the snow was actually intended to be used as a wave.

The only stamping on there is are the snowflakes on the background and the sentiment.

A special thanks to Adriana for suggesting I "tie up" the tree.

Thanks for stoping in today.

I made a how to video

2011-11-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure about you, I like to learn about techniques & see how people put together crafty projects. I watch a lot of online videos on the crafty blogs I follow and I have always wanted to give it a try. I wasn't really sure about what was involved but I jumped in with both feet. I can only say that I am SO glad I have iMovie. It's very user friendly and it did not take long to figure things out.
Of course my Alex had to help me out. He is such a techie and I am really glad I have him around to help me out with our computers. Thank you Alex.

Design Team Tuesday was yesterday over on The Scrapping Bug blog, and it's my week

to host the blog posts. I shared these two videos and issued a challenge that I hope you can participate in.

There's a prize !!

Head over to The Bug Blog to check out the challenge.

Thanks for stopping in for a lookie.

Card share

2011-11-18T07:55:00.001-05:00

Hi ya,

I'm stoppin' in quickly to share a few cards I finished over the past few days for a challenge over on
the Scrapping Bug board.
One of the challenges Helen gave us this month was to make 3 cards, each card has to have
a snowman on it somehow. Here's what I came up with....

Thank you for stopping in for a peek, head over to the Scrapping Bug's board

and click on the November Challenge link to see if there is a challenge

that you would like to participate in.

Have a nice weekend.

Show & Tell

2011-11-15T07:45:00.006-05:00

It's reveal time !

On the 15th of every month the design team at The Scrapping Bug

gets to share what we made with our monthly kits.

This is a gift card holder & birthday card made from

Canvas Corp flute/corrugate paper

This layout uses the Studio Calico intertwined circle die cut paper

and a circle punch. I glued the circles to the back of the die cut paper

in rows, then mounted that to brown cardstock.

I have two more little items to share with you...................

The snow man was made with a circle cutter and the pieces of coal

were cut with an eyelet setter. The arms are corrugate paper.

The base of these gift tags were cut with Spellbinders and the tree and hat

were drawn out then hand cut.

Head over to the gallery see what the other gals made this month.

Thanks for checkin' in on the blog today, see ya soon.

Looking back

2011-11-11T08:00:00.012-05:00

Hey there friends,

I've been working away in my scraproom on my design team projects for The Scrapping Bug but I can't share them with you quite yet. The fifteenth will be here soon & I'm excited to share them with you.

Recently I asked my parental units to send me some family photos and they found some really great ones of my grandparents. Unfortunately I did not get to meet either of my grandfathers and one of my grandmothers passed away before I was old enough to really remember her. This layout is the first of several I hope to make about both sets of grandparents.

I hope you are able to take sometime today Remember how lucky we are to live in Canada and the scarifies that were and continue to be made by the Canadian troops. I will always remember.

Have a great weekend and thank you for leaving your comments I appreciate all of them.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Watching for Squirrels

2011-11-09T11:56:00.000-05:00

Stamp it up!

2011-11-07T10:38:00.000-05:00

On the Use Your Stuff blog this week it's my turn to set the challenge.

I've been trying to use stamps on my layouts more often, ya know because I happen

to have a little stash of stamps. The challenge for the week is a simple one......use your stamps.

I created my own background with inks and stamps.

To join this weeks challenge and see what everyone else is creating with their stamps,

visit the Use Your Stuff blog. Don't forget to link up your project!

Thanks for lookin', have a great week.

For Today

2011-11-04T07:23:00.018-04:00

Outside my window...we have a lovely view of the truck yard beside are hotel

I am thinking...pumpkin spice donut I had yesterday was mmmmm good

I am thankful...for hot tea on a cold day

From my scrapbook room...I'm pulling together my first month of DT projects for the

Scrapping Bug

In the kitchen...Alex might be cooking chilli?

I am wearing...my PJ's and it's almost time to get ready to check out

I am creating...some make & takes later today

I am going...out with Ms. Janet and Ms. Ginny in a little while

I am reading...Sookie Stackhouse series, still

I am looking forward to...meeting some online friends on Saturday, in person

I am hearing...Janet talking, talking, talking

One of my favorite things...Riesen caramels

A few plans for the rest of the week: LOTS of crafting, cleaning and some cookin'

Here is picture I'm sharing...

To participate in the Simple Woman's Day book
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Wordless Wednesday ~ Halloween flashback

2011-11-02T07:00:00.002-04:00

Challenge #9 It's the Little Things

2011-10-31T08:50:00.016-04:00

This week at Use Your Stuff Barb challenged us to use those little bits of embellishments that might get

forgotten about or thrown aside. I used up some scrap pieces, flowers, stamps and some pearls that

had been lost in my leftovers bucket to create three embellishment clusters.

This week challenge comes with a bonus!

By linking your project to this weeks challenge you will automatically be entered to win a prize.

So don't forget to link us to your blog, flicker page or your Facebook page for your chance to win.

Head over to the Use Your Stuff blog for full details.

AND ONE MORE THING...........

We weren't invited...

2011-10-28T08:00:00.007-04:00

.....but we celebrated anyway.

A group of friends and I got up early to watch the wedding back in April.

Some of us dressed up in silly out fits and some didn't.

Some of us had tea and biscuits for breakfast and some of us didn't.

Some of us fell asleep....

Nice tiara!

....and some of us didn't

I wore a vail with my pyjamas. Classy right?

Thanks for visiting today, enjoy your weekend!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Clouds

2011-10-26T08:15:00.002-04:00

from my iPhone

Use your stuff #8 Punch it out

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

The start of a new week means a new challenge has been posted over at the Use Your Stuff blog.

I'm hopelessly addicted to kraft cardstock but if you've been following this here blog

you already know that. I just can't stop I tells ya!

Head on over to UYS to see some more creations.

Have a wonderful week, thanks for lookin'.

a little piece of fall

2011-10-22T15:26:00.000-04:00

This layout is full of Silhouette goodness and things I love about this time of year.

I just love the print and cut function and made the leaves with it. Even my title was done on the Silhouette using the sketch pens and a sketch font.

If you are interested in the shapes let me know in your comments.

I hope your having a great weekend, thanks for stopping by!

YAY !!

2011-10-20T07:45:00.003-04:00

I got some exciting news yesterday ! I am going to be a part of the design team at.....

I am a little nervous & really excited at the same time. I can't wait to get started.

Congratulations to the other DT members.

Wordless Wednesday ~ pocketbooth stache

2011-10-19T16:47:00.002-04:00

Pocketbooth app.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Rainbow

2011-10-12T08:00:00.003-04:00

photo taken using Instagram App. on my iPhone

Use Your Stuff #6 Put your picture on it

2011-10-10T10:00:00.005-04:00

Good morning friends!

It's time for another Use Your Stuff Challenge. Head over and check out the blog

& check out what the other DT members have created.

This is what I made this week.....

I used a photo from my iPhone that my friend Barb took while we were out for dinner.

I adore the Instagram App, the filters are awesome!

Have a great week, thanks for stopping in today.

I really appreciate it.

Holiday gifts

2011-10-09T09:30:00.002-04:00

I've got Christmas on the brain all ready, thinking of what I can make for gifts this year. I have a few things on my list.....first up card sets. The sets contain 10 cards, 10 envies with varying themes.

To finish them off, a little tag and some wrapping paper. One thing I can check off the todo list.

Now I really should get working on my Christmas cards!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy the time spent with your family.

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!

~Author Unknown

Wordie Wednesday ~ Different ideas

2011-10-05T08:47:00.000-04:00

Playing with Blocks

2011-10-03T09:05:00.053-04:00

YAY It's Monday !

I would normally never utter such a statement, but Use Your Stuff posts

new challenges on Monday....so Mondays a much better now.

Barb challenged us this week to play with blocks. Blocks of photos that is.

I got 11 photos on my layout this week with the help of blocks.

Oooooooh the awful hairstyles I had when I was a child. The youngest years were caused by my

scissor happy mother. Don't you just love how my bags were cut STRAIGHT across my forehead?

I did look pretty darn cute in pigtails, if I do say so myself.

Check out the UYS blog to see what the other gals made for this week challenge.

I dare ya to join in on some of the challenges.

LRW challenge #100

2011-10-02T08:45:00.006-04:00

It's Little Red Wagon's 100th challenge. That's a big milestone, congrats ladies !!

Head over to the blog check out the challenge, join in and make something with a postage theme.

Here's what I made

Thank you for popping by for a look-see!

Digital Cutting

2011-09-30T08:05:00.000-04:00

Just over 1 month a new machine arrived at my home. I made the decision to sell the Cricut machine that I had only used a handful of times and use the money from that sale to purchase a Silhouette SD.

The price was really great, less than $200 and I was really interested in the Print & Cut function.
This function allows me to print an image on my existing home printer. It will print out registration marks that the Silhouette's optic eye will read and use to help guide it when cutting out the image.
Awesome!
I love using this machine, it cuts so well even on the most intricate designs. It's been a lot of fun cutting out designs and playing around with all the functions. Silhouette America also recently introduced a new function called "Pattern Fills" where you can fill any regular cutting shape and turn it into a print and cut! This function even resizes the pattern size to fit in your image, which is like buying a 6x6 paper pad for the smaller patterns.

As if you can't already tell, I am very happy with my purchase.

Thank you for stopping in today for a read, see you on the next post!

Both images have been borrowed from the Silhouette America web page or Silhouette America blog

Mist it Baby

2011-09-26T19:00:00.001-04:00

Hey there, I'm sharing a card today that I made for the Use Your Stuff challenge blog.
As the title suggests we were asked to get out our mists this week. Now I don't own that many but after making this card I think I am going to buy some more colours.

I used my Silhouette to cut a background shape called flower_4petal_square_1225 and used it as a mask. Then I sprayed lemon Mister Huey's over it several times. I found some matching yellow cardstock and cut some matching flowers. The sentiment frame is from the Framed greetings set by My Favorite Things

& the sentiment is from Papertrey Ink Signature Greetings set.

I am totally lovin' yellow/mustard colours right now.

Here are some awesome colour combos I found on the web....

Photos found on

www.mymindseye.com,

www.designseeds.com,

www.authentiquepaper.com,

www.pinterest.com

Thank you for stopping by here today

What a wonderful trip

2011-09-24T22:08:00.001-04:00

We had a blast at Memories Manor!

Lots of laughs, late nights, more laughs & excellent food.

The meal teams really out did themselves this year....

New Year's Eve Party

a Halloween Party

a Trip to India

and on leftover night

the Trash Fairies came out to play

(they were kinda like surly lunch ladies when it came time to serve up the food)

I can't wait to get started on making some layouts with all the photos.

Can you imagine how many were taken by 20 scrapbookers in one week?

Thanks to all my road sistas for such a wonderful trip, I can't wait until next year!!!

Wordie Wednesday~ Never grow up

2011-09-21T11:33:00.002-04:00

Remember to have fun, life is too short to be serious all the time.

UYS challenge #3 Colour combo

2011-09-19T09:05:00.001-04:00

Over on the Use Your Stuff blog the challenge is to use this colour combo....

Orange, Pink, Green, Yellow and Blue

I though I would change things up this week, so I made cards.

I found it hard to get all of the colours on one card so I made four.

Thank you for stopping by today guys, have a great week!

Wondering

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Can I fall in love with reading? I want to so I 'm giving it a try.

Buying a book is a scary thing for me. What if I don't like it...? What if I don't finish it...? This is what runs through my head while standing in Chapters. I then go to the magazines, buy 1-2 and go home.

As I am sure many of you have, I too have borrowed books from friends and the library. My commitment phobia when trying to buy a book stays neatly tucked away when I borrow one instead. The book or books inevitably sit and never get opened then get returned to the owner.....most of the time months later.

So what is my solution to these odd problems I run into when I come face to face with a paperback?

Mix it with technology. We (ok Alex) found a cheap e-reader for me on the web, which has now been delivered. I (yes me) downloaded the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris figuring that I know I like the t.v. show....so they might have a chance of getting read.

I sat for a little while the other day reading and read 33% of the book. That fun little number came from the e-reader. So I made a deal with myself.....read before turning on the t.v., my shows are being recorded anyway. Good deal I think. More books less t.v.

Thanks to stoping by for a looksee.

I will be out of town for a little over a week on a scrappin' vacation at Memories Manor starting today.

I'm going to try and blog some pictures or layouts while I'm gone. I hope they have WIFI.

Have a great week!

Wordie Wednesday~ Life is an echo

2011-09-14T08:45:00.011-04:00

Use Your Stuff challenge #2

2011-09-13T08:05:00.000-04:00

This weeks challenge was to use a product or tool in a way that is different from it's intended use.
I chose to use an eyelet setter and this is what I cam up with.

Head over to the Use Your Stuff blog to see the other creations & share what you create with your stuff !

Digital party invitation

2011-09-10T08:05:00.007-04:00

We are heading off to Memories Manor next week, for an entire week! I have heard so many great reviews of Memories Manor and I'm really looking forward to the trip.
There are 20 of us going and we have meal teams set up form Sunday to Thursday. Every year the meal teams come up with an idea or theme to design their dinners around. In the past we have had themes like Christmas dinner, 50's diner, My big fat Greek wedding and Octoberfest to name a few.

This year I made an invitation but I can't share are theme as it's strictly confidential until the soiree starts.
I created this in Photoshop Elements 9 using some digi scrapping products.

It should be very interesting to see what kind of outfits the ladies put together.

They were told the could interpret "black tie" any way they wanted......they could show up formally dressed or like the Mad Hatter. It's going to be so much fun!

Have a terrific weekend.

Wordie Wednesday~ Procrastination

2011-09-07T06:03:00.000-04:00

Do you procrastinate?

Let me know in your comments.

Happy hump day! thanks for stopping by.

Today is the Day

2011-09-05T09:01:00.003-04:00

Today is the day the the Use Your Stuff blog starts up. Use Your Stuff is a challenge blog that will issue a new challenge every Monday to help you use your stash. I have lots of stuff I want to use but sometimes I need a little inspiration.

This weeks challenge is to use the ad below as a starting point.

I loved the lines in this ad, the white even borders around the elements and the large area in the middle.

I hope that you head over to check out the Use Your Stuff blog and maybe try taking the challenge.

I would love to see what you create.

Thank you for stoping by today

Sunday funnies (PG13)

2011-09-04T08:23:00.008-04:00

I have been holding on to this one for a while, not really sure if I should post it.

It's so funny though so I hope this does not offend you.

Not even the mannequins think they're comfortable !!!

If this did offend you, please ask someone for Help!

You may have broken your funny bone.

(that was a little sassy)

Did it make you smile at least?

Enjoy the rest of your day!

We went back

2011-09-02T07:59:00.000-04:00

Thank you for the kind anniversary wishes in your comments, very sweet.

We had a great day yesterday, we went back to.......

The church where we were married

Ever heard of Dear Photograph? (check it out)

I hadn't not until Ms. Barb mentioned it. Thanks Barb !!

so AWESOME, you will totally get it when you check out the site.

We also went back to the park where we had pictures taken

He bought me flowers.

He even remembered that I had blue roses

in the centre of my bouquet so I had a single blue rose in this one.

The remote for the camera came in handy for this.

Then it was time for dinner, more on that another day.

Thank for stoping by guys.

Ten Years

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you for all the yesterdays,
I appreciate your love today,
And look forward to all the tomorrows

Happy Anniversary

Sharing some instaLOVE

2011-08-31T08:00:00.013-04:00

So have you heard of Instagram? It's an app. available in the Apple App. store and I am telling you it is so addictive. You take a picture and instantly apply a cool filter to the photo then save it, email it, post it, or Facebook it or Tweet it all on your phone.
The trouble.....is choosing which effect you like the best.

Now since this little app. is so stinkin' popular lots of people are printing the photos, making stickers, making all shorts of things........even scrapbook layouts.

Mrs. Cathy Zielske created the (above) digi template to capture the instaLove. She even had the most wicked idea......make one of these each month with some of your favourites. YES!

Awesome Cathy, simply awesome idea.

Do you Instagram?
Let me know in your comments if you do so I can check out some of your pics.

Happy hump day!

Thanks for stoping in for a look-see.

Only shop in town

2011-08-17T08:00:00.001-04:00

Hello bloggie friends, I have a little share for you today.
I found a layout sketch over at Shimelle.com that I really liked and it happens to be a challenge layout.
So maybe you might give it a try and go over to her site to check it out. While you're there she has some awesome video's.....I really like this one and this one very inspiring! and very fun.

Here's the sketch

Here is my take

Thanks for stopping by friends

Taking a break

2011-08-11T17:11:00.001-04:00

Hi ya,

I'm popping in today to say that I'm taking a little break from the blog. I have some projects that need my attention, some creative and some not.

We took the plunge and we started a raw food cleanse which lasts for 30 days and it's a bit labour intensive from what we are used to. There is quite a bit of food prep. like soaking nuts and sprouting chickpeas and LOTS of shopping for fresh food.
We make everything at home from scratch so it's taking time to adjust to this new way of doing things.

I really don't know how you moms do this for an entire family and keep up on house work/chores. & have time to Scrapbook !
We are doing well so far and keeping up on everything but I feel like I need to give up a few things in order to free up some space on my daily to do list.

I may show up once a week with a layout or card, as I am still keeping up with my BP Class.
It's getting closer to our Layout a Day for 26 days. I'm getting a little nervous!

Enjoy the last weeks of summer vacation before the kids head back to school.

I appreciate you stopping by, see you on the next post. :)

Wordie Wednesday~ I wanted to let you know

2011-08-10T08:00:00.012-04:00

I kept going back to this in Pinterest.

LRW: Challenge #92

2011-08-07T08:00:00.023-04:00

This weeks challenge......Cause if you liked it then you should have put a critter on it

I had a couple of ideas for this challenge.

First, bookmark corners.....

These are really simple to make, 2 cuts and 3 folds and a little decoration.

I used These instructions to create mine, but there are several tutorials floating around in cyber space.

My little worm reminds me of Lowly worm from the Richard Scarry books for children.

The worm stamp is from Imaginisce and his little hat was made by me.

The monster was made using circle punches for the eyes and a square punch to notch out teeth.

Inspired by this card made by Regan from the LRW design team.

I made this card......

I made my own grass fringe with a craft knife and 3 strips of cardstock.

The sun was cut from this My Favourite Things die-namic, the clouds were cut with this

Papertrey Ink die and the Lion is from an older Close to My Heart stamp set called "Life's a Jungle"

then coloured with copics.

Thanks for stopping in for a visit.

Wordie Wednesday- My Dog

2011-08-03T08:15:00.001-04:00

HAHAAAAAHA

I found this on Pinterest and this really does happen at my house.

I have only noticed it with Jack so far.

I'm not crazy. But wouldn't it be cool !

LRW: Challenge #91

2011-08-02T09:15:00.000-04:00

It's that time again!

The challenge this week is to heat emboss.

On my card this week the flowers (Hero Arts-dotted flowers) are heat embossed in black on kraft cardstock and cut out, I used a Cuttle Bug embossing folder for the white background,

nestabilities die for the frame, stamped a sentiment from CTMH (thank you set) and used Vintage Photo distress ink around the edges of the card and on the center of the frame.

Don't forget to click the LRW logo to check out what everyone else had made.

Thank you for stoping by for a lookie loo !

Flower Pots and Simple Stories

2011-07-29T03:07:00.000-04:00

It's almost the weekend.....awesome possum! Can't wait.
I am busy, busy, busy with lots of scrappy goodness these days. I am taking online class, planning page kits for a week long retreat in September and I am organizing my digital images. Busy as a bee you see.

I made a quick layout the other day and I mean Super Fly fast.......

I printed a photo I love at 18x12 at home and cut it to fit into the pockets. I chose a 6x12 piece for the left side from the Simple Stories Destinations kit added some stickers, a title, journaling, small photo and a few stamped images then called it done!

Here is a photo of one of the flower pots that I have to get one a page shortly. These rock formations are so beautiful.

I gotta tell ya, ever since I saw the Simple Stories kits Elementary and Life Documented I have always wanted share my excitement about them with others. I LOVE the 100 Days of Summer line ! and I am currently working with the Destinations line for a travel album.

It is a perfect product for all types of scrapbookers. I have worked in scrapbook stores before and sold Close to My Heart products in the past and I love to share my hobby with others. Showing people that this is a meaningful hobby for not only the crafter but also for the people that they scrapbook about.

I could ramble on about this for quite a while (Loves It!) but I will quickly get to the point......

If you know someone that might be interested in scrapbooking get a Simple Stories kit and
We R Memory Keepers pocket pages and scrapbook with them, help them to create a page or two.

So fast and easy...... (I borrowed the images from the Simple Stories site)

And for the experienced scrapper use it as you would any other paper line.

Don't feel restricted some of the designs.

Share scrapbooking with someone soon!

Thank you for stoping by.

Wordie Wednesday- Best Friends

2011-07-27T07:08:00.000-04:00

This is truer than true.

Come back soon, I will have a layout to share with you.

Thanks for stoping by for a lookie loo.

Happy Hump Day!

Sunday Funnies

2011-07-24T00:49:00.000-04:00

This is the best commercial.

I warn you now.

You might have a "Whoopi moment"......so break out the Poise!!

LRW: Challenge #90

2011-07-21T23:16:00.001-04:00

This weeks challenge is to use music notes. As it turns out this was a bit challenging for me as the one thing I own with music on it is the Hero Arts Music background stamp and it's not been used until today.

I made an easel card this week with a wintery theme with the hope that this might be something that I will mail out to some of the people on my Christmas list this year.

Go check out the LRW site by clicking the logo above, there are lots of beautiful cards being posted.

Now I'm going back to class to see what we get to work on today.

I am taking The Mother Load class with Lain Ehmann over at Big Picture Classes.

If you can imagine......we will be scrapbooking a layout a day for 26 days once we have finished our "marathon training" which gets us ready for the big event. So far I am really enjoying it !

I will have more posts about this over the summer.

Thank you for popping in for a look-see today, stay cool.

Wordie Wednesday

2011-07-20T02:07:00.000-04:00

Don't you think Summertime speaks to us, tells us to get out and explore?

I sure do, I'm feelin' the itch to get out there. Take a drive to an unknown destination, talk a walk on a long tail just to be surrounded by nature. Find a beautiful spot and enjoy a sunset,

anything to get outside & forget some of the to do's on my list.

Roll down all the windows, feel the breeze and enjoy the journey.

Thanks for stopping by.

Stop & Enjoy

2011-07-17T16:44:00.003-04:00

This is the first time I have ever done a layout with pictures from our garden. I used a sketch from book

#3 of the Sketches for Scrapbooking series. I am really happy with the way this layout turned out but we have lived in this house for 10 years and nothing.......I'm not all that surprised that this is the first one, because we don't really have the "green thumb" or desire to do much gardening. Quite frankly we don't take the time to appreciate/enjoy what we have just outside our door. Jack & Gracie (fur babies) enjoy the backyard much more than we do. Insert giggle here.

I have been reorganizing my layouts this weekend to work in my Library of Memories, (thanks Stacy Julian, Finding Photo Freedom) which is why I am noticing gaps in my storytelling/memory keeping.

My family has 4 album categories....All About Us, People We Love, Places We Go & Things We Do.

There are sub categories in each album, these are just the main ones.

After shifting layouts around in our albums, the All About Us (sub category Home) is VERY thin.

This is the only one about any part of our home....I am very surprised about this. A lot of pictures get taken inside these walls of people, dogs, traditions and moments we want to remember.

Something new for the TO DO list I think.

Let me know in your comments.....Have you made any layouts about the place you call Home?

I hope you are enjoying your weekend, thank you for stoping by!

Little Red Wagon challenge & a little bit of life

2011-07-15T15:32:00.002-04:00

This weeks challenge is to use lime, pink & white.

This is what I created....

A bit of Basic Grey paper from the Pheobe line, the Butterfly Dreams set/die and

Background Basics: Text Style PTI stamp sets. The bling flowers are

from Hero Arts and I believe the border punch is EK Success

Head over to the LRW blog and check out what has been created for this challenge.

A little bit of what's been going on around our house this week......

The hubby re-did the small garden at the front of the house

I took some pics of all the pretty flowers

and my niece was at our place again this week for some more Smashing

Enjoy your weekend!

I'm going out to crop on Saturday with some girlfriends and Sunday I am going

to work on organizing ideas from miss. Stacy Julian and her Photo Freedom book.

Thanks for stoping by.

Wordie Wednesday- Journeys

2011-07-13T19:01:00.000-04:00

Creative Time

2011-07-11T14:13:00.001-04:00

What I am most excited about is that my niece gets to come to my place to work on this class with me over the summer. The class is from Big Picture Classes, Kidding Around 2 is helping kids

document their summer while also giving them fun homework assignments.

In the layout above I used lots of older products to document the first day we worked together.

I made my journaling tags using a stamp & die My Favourite Things , a set from Hero Arts and the Binding Edge edger punch. The papers are from about 4 years ago (except for the pink woodgrain) .... can I just say that it feels so great to use products that I've had stashed for that long !!

Have you ever challenged yourself to use certain products on your layouts?

I love making cards, I love getting inky and I love my stamps BUT

I have only been using my stamps to make cards. SO.

I have issued myself a challenge, to use my stamps on my layouts.

1 layout done.

(Yes, I'm going to keep track. It's a challenge right?)

Happy Monday, thanks for stoping by!

Christmas in July

2011-07-09T22:56:00.000-04:00

Check out what the other participants made by visiting the blog

This is my card for the challenge....

Very simple card using an old Quickutz die, Basic Grey papers,

letter stickers from Lilly Bee and my typewriter.

I'm not totally happy with it but I'm callin' it done....

maybe stitching around the edge??

Thanks for stoping by for a look-see

PS. I said I would stop making cards for a while so I could get my Scrapbooking mojo back...

the printer is needing some calibration so no prints today. Wanted to!

Instead a card.

Wordie Wednesday- destiny

2011-07-06T18:55:00.002-04:00

TTFN

Woo Hoo I finished a layout

2011-07-04T08:13:00.000-04:00

It's feels good to finish a layout, doesn't it?

I am trying to get back to scrappin' as it's been I long while since I created several layouts.

Back in March I completed quite a few but since then only 2 that I can remember. My card making has dominated my creative time for sure.

In an attempt to reconnect to the scrappy self I made a layout about why I scrapbook.

I even used a cool Digi photo overlay I bought from Two Peas in a Bucket then printed

the photo at home.

Cross my fingers this is the first of many to show up on here over the next while. :)

Thank you for stoping by today and leaving your comments.

I read them all and appreciate you taking the time to post them.

Wishing You

2011-07-02T06:25:00.000-04:00

I found a pattern on the Sketch Support website very inspiring and thought is would

make an excellent Pattern for a masculine card.

Sketch Support has also running a very cool "stitching week" on the site,

it's totally worth checking out.

Thank you for checking out my little part of the web today.

Have you found anything inspiring on the sites you visit?.........

Let me know in your comments so I can check them out.

Wordie Wednesday

2011-06-29T12:40:00.000-04:00

Happy Wednesday bloggers

So much power in this.

Ciao for now

Angry Birds in my fridge

2011-06-27T11:12:00.002-04:00

What???

These funny birds are from a game app. that you can download on many devices.

http://shop.angrybirds.com/ or in the Apple App store.

I think they are so freakin cute! and had to get the for my brother's birthday.

The cake inside is SO yummy.

Yes they might be on the childish side for a 33 year olds b-day but sometimes it's

nice to change things up from the traditional cake.... I simply could

not resist when I saw them on Sarah's Cake Creations.

This talented cake goddess does everything my hand....AMAZAZING.

The cake inside is SO yummy.

The whole family enjoyed the angry bird cake-pops, this little miss got

right into her birds persona......

Thank you to Sarah for making these yummy treats.

Have I mentioned the cake inside is SO yummy?

Thanks for stopping by.

Road Trip & Wall art

2011-06-24T08:12:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday

The end of the week is here !!

I used some photos back from 2005 of a road trip to Montreal with my sister in-law.

The layout is from a free sampling I received from Two Scrapbook Friends with my last online order.

The papers are from the new We R Memory Keepers travel line called Travel Light.

It's all about the retro.

AND

This piece now hangs in my craft-room, I found the idea at the Studio Calico blog

I used several Lilly Bee papers, PTI stamps and butterfly die cut,

My Favourite Things die-namic 1/4 rosette and glimmer mist.

On a somewhat sad note my group of girlies called the Lunch Bunch is over

for another year, summer comes and vacations start.

I love meeting up with them every week, we laugh so much and I really

enjoy their company. I will get to see some of them over the summer here and there, I hope

everyone has a fantastic summer with their families.

I know when September comes we will have lots to talk about, lots of photos to

scrapbook and many fun Tuesday's in our future.

I'll will miss you chicks over the summer.

Take care, be safe, make memories & take pictures !!!

Wordie Wednesday

2011-06-22T20:09:00.000-04:00

Sunday funny

2011-06-19T12:31:00.000-04:00

hehehehehe !!!

#85 at Little Red Wagon

2011-06-16T21:24:00.001-04:00

This challenge is all about Father's.

I went retro for this Father's Day, I also got a little carried away....I made 3 cards.

Here is a close up....I really like the sentiment

(I noticed the colours are not showing well online)

Thanks for stoping by.

Ok self.....time to get some scrappin' done.

Wordless Wednesday ~ New to the room

2011-06-15T14:56:00.000-04:00

Ink Storage

(built by Mr. Alex)

Buttons and Ribbon

(jars are from Ikea)

Challenge #84 at Little Red Wagon

2011-06-12T18:07:00.001-04:00

The challenge this time was to use mist.

I only own 2 mists so I used both.

Check out the Little Red Wagon website and take a look at the other creations.

Ciao for now.

new crafty space

2011-06-11T15:10:00.003-04:00

Hello happy new crafty space

Lookie, lookie I have a window!!

I am really happy with the way things are coming along.

A bit more organizing is needed and

the walls are pretty bare right now so something will

have to be done about that.

The teak table was our family dining table when I was going up and

I love the new happy yellow (sweet buttercup) paint colour.

I have another small tucked in the closet area for my computer

and for when a friend comes over to crop.

The little desk is actually my Dad's desk from when he was a child.

This little area behind the door is the die cut station and stamp storage area.

I store my stamps in DVD/Stampin' Up storage cases.

Such a space saver I tell ya!

My friend Michal has a great space at her place, I loved the way she stored some

of her supplies on peg board. Thanks for the idea Michal!

Have a great weekend readers.

I am off to pick up an order (no not more Copics)

and have dinner with a friend and her "mini me"

Ciao for now.

Still working

2011-06-10T10:40:00.001-04:00

Hey there blog pals !
I'm still working away at organizing my craftroom, I should have some photos to share Sunday.
It's really coming together....the new paint colour is called Sweet Buttercup and most of my stuff is
moved in and put away. I have lots of things to purge, mostly paper, that I think I will take with me to my Tuesday lunch bunch get together and then give the rest away.

Here is a cool storage idea I found on the Creating Keepsakes website......

I love the ribbon storage idea.

I need to go to Ikea for some storage containers....anyone else need to go?

Have a great weekend, thanks for stoping by !

Wordy Wednesday ~ Something to Ponder

2011-06-08T05:46:00.000-04:00

Very interesting, don't you think?

What colour are you?

2011-06-06T09:25:00.001-04:00

Pick a colour before reading the description.

Tell me if it was right in your comment.

Alex and I spent yesterday painting one of our bedrooms that has not been redecorated

since we moved in.....way back in 2001.

This room is not really used and is on the small side however it has a nice big window,

lots of natural light and potential. I hope it will be a new space for me to create in.

I am hoping to move my crafty space to this room in the future so I am giving it

a little makeover and a trial run.

I will post some pictures soon :)

What did you do on Sunday in that warm sun we had?

Here is a few cards that have been on my desktop waiting to be posted.

Thank you for taking the time to post a comment.

I really appreciate them :)

Saturday funny

2011-06-04T07:58:00.000-04:00

DAMN YOU AUTO CORRECT !!!

Love the part where the guy asks "how much applesauce did you buy from them? WTF"

Have a great weekend blog friends :)

Holy Hannah and more cards

2011-06-03T08:27:00.000-04:00

Look at the size of this creative space.....................HOLY HANNAH !

All I can say is, how big is the rest of the house?

(found the photo on Teresa Collins blog)

Now on to those cards I mentioned...

The first card has some hand stitching and PTI stamp sets

"just the ticket" & "up, up and away"

Here are 2 birthday cards. One again has hand stitching

(totally loving that right now)

& on both cards I used the Hero Arts stamp set "friendly flags"

the blue card sentiment is from "essential messages"

the pink card sentiment is from "sending smiles messages"

oh yes the grid background is a Kaiser Craft acrylic stamp "grid"

the flags were coloured using copic markers and are covered in glossy accents

and they look a lot better in person.

Thanks for checking things out today !

Card Challenge

2011-06-02T09:19:00.000-04:00

Over at Little Red Wagon

Challenge #83 is a sketch

Here is my take........thanks for lookin'.

WOW two post in one day......what is going on???

Ciao for now.

Not all at once

2011-06-02T02:16:00.000-04:00

I know its been a while since I posted anything creative but I haven't really been creating all that much over the past month. I realized that I had created some cards back at the end of April while I was at a creative retreat and this past weekend while I was at a friends cottage.

I honestly have not been going in my studio.....I need to clean it up a bit.......OK a lot. I work well when everything is in it's place. Except when I am creating I have things all over my desk that get cleaned up before moving on to the next project.

I have a couple of small piles of new items and/or things that need to be filed away in the proper homes, my rolling tote is full of ink, stamps, paper and embellies that need to find their homes also.

I guess I am avoiding the chaos.

Please leave a comment let me know......what your creative process looks like?

Is everything neat or do you have a bit of creative chaos going on while you are in the act?

Here are a few cards for now......I don't want to post them all at once.

The focal of this card was stamped on canvas

using an old CTMH set called "sweet flowers"

and the sentiment is from My Favourite Things"framed greetings"

On this card I used PTI background/butterfly stamps & an EK success border punch

I coloured the butterfly with copic markers

and wrapped brown embroidery floss round the middle

This card uses the same CTMH stamp set as the first card

and a sentiment from Hero Arts from the "everyday sayings" set

Ciao for now

Wordless Wednesday ~ Self Explanatory

2011-06-01T00:32:00.001-04:00

Good for a laugh

I will be back tomorrow with post full of cards.

Ciao for now.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Here it is

2011-05-25T17:43:00.000-04:00

Ciao for now

Wordless Wednesday ~ Soon

2011-05-18T17:55:00.001-04:00