Cupcakes anyone?!

Tonight was my open house, and I had a great time with the ladies that came out. Thanks everyone who came!!

There is a great new stamp set with cupcakes that we used for our make and take. I'll show the make and take projects later, but for now I'm going to show you some of the snacks :) I made some carrot cake cupcakes, and used my "cupcakes" wheel to make little toppers for each one.


A variety of circle punch sizes were used to make these layers. The cupcakes were stamped in black, and coloured in with SU! markers.

Isn't it ironic?

New New New!

New catalogue... New colours... New stamps... new ribbons... new accessories...

new new new! All at my "New Catalogue Open House!"

Don't miss it...

who? YOU (and why not bring a friend?!!!!)

what? New Catty Open House

where? my house (email for directions)

when? Thursday, August 28th from 7:00 - 9:00pm

why? Because there will be Snacks, door prizes, deals on retired stamps and accessories....

how??? (I've never really thought that one fit with the rest...) but Come check out some new products, and do a make and take as well!

Please RSVP to stampinsars@hotmail.com (so I have enough make and take supplies ready to go!)

Tea Time

While in Victoria, I had a few friends over for a tea party... It was so fun catching up, and talking about kids, boyfriends, and fiances, while sipping one of my favourite drinks - tea! Crystal is planning her wedding, and for those of us already married, we had fun hearing all the details and sharing our own wedding advice :)

Scott had fun playing with my friend Rayael's little girl, and he is still talking about her, days later! They coloured, picked blueberries and raspberries (and of course, ate them all, too!) and they even let Todd and Elise play for a bit with them!

My friend Elise gave me these beautiful flowers!! Thanks Elise :)

39 Years...

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Haircuts...

I am having a kidless and husbandless night... so what do I do? I blog about my kids. Just like when Steve and I go out on a date, we end up talking about the kids throughout the whole dinner!!!

Today, I cut all the boys' hair, and Steve requested mohawks. But not to keep! I was actually going to put off cutting their hair until the next time we saw my mom, but Todd came to me before dinner today and practically begged me to do something with his hair. He's usually the one I have to fight with to give a haircut, and he usually only gets half as many haircuts as Scott... but, ask and ye shall receive (at least when it comes to a haircut :)

So I cut Todd's hair, and then he cried. Nice.

So I cut off the 'hawk and he was happy!

Scott was next, and he didn't want to give up the new do....

But I made him let me cut the rest off!

Steve... well.... his lasted all of 5 minutes, and sorry to say, it just didn't have the same effect - but they all had fun, and I am sure we'll do it again!

Even Elise wanted to get in on the action, so I gave her a "soap hawk"... no way I was going to cut her hair! The boys are easy.... she'll be a piece of work, and I pity my hairdresser when I take E there for the first time... She always wants to see what's going on!

new curtains :)

Just wanted to show you my fun new curtains... they are from Avon, and I bought 2 panels, which was perfect to achieve the ideal puffiness!! They are called balloon curtains, and they have a pretty eyelet pattern. On the backside of them are little plastic rings that allow you to raise the curtain higher (more balloonish) or have it lower... I have raised it 4 rings. These are in our en suite, and I like how they finally finish off the room.

BTW - yes, the curtains are made in China, BUT the towels and artwork are all Canadian!!!!! So I figured that balanced it out, supporting our own country. I did the paintings a few years ago when we desperately needed some art in our bedroom. I searched at IKEA for something, but nothing grabbed my eye, so I bought some canvases, and got busy one afternoon. They add a splash of colour to an otherwise plain bathroom, so I hung them up in the en suite when we moved here a couple years ago.

A Couple new "faves"

I probably spend too much time online... but it's all craft and stamping related... (oh, and a little Facebook :) and I know that some of you can totally relate - new samples on Splitcoast, bloghopping from one blog to the next.... before you know it - it's been an hour! Maybe you've made a few sketches, maybe you have saved a few links in your "favourites," or maybe you've just enjoyed a relaxing time, drinking a cup of tea while browsing for card and scrapbook page ideas!

There are so many talented people out there that share their ideas via blogs and websites. I wanted to highlight a couple that I have just discovered.....

Claire in Australia http://clairedaly.typepad.com/

Shelli Gardner http://www.soshelli.com/

I am going to add these both to my sidebar, so you can have fun checking them from time to time!

I'm in trouble......

Check this out... Steve came down the lane carrying 4 boxes of catalogues a couple hours ago. He said, "do you KNOW how heavy these are?!!" Makes me glad he went for the mail instead of me. But if it had been me, I probably would have sat down on the lawn by the mailboxes and opened up the box of catties and started reading it! So, it's good that he went.

It has such a beautiful cover, and the inside goodies are even better!!!!! That's why I'm in trouble... my wishlist is growing and I've only had the catalogue for a couple hours!!!

If you are in Canada and want a catalogue to call your very own, please let me know, and I would be happy to arrange it. They are $10 each or $14 to mail within Canada, or free with a $100 order of merchandise from the new catty.


Is it the kids' bedtime yet?? Because I just want to curl up with a cuppa JOY tea and read my catty **... some Timbits would be nice, too.....


*** magazine pictured in bottom photo is not the SU! catty.

What have I been up to?

July flew by, faster than the speed of light... we went away twice camping. I got a lot of scrapbooking done (pictures will come eventually!) to catch up on our family yearbook albums. (2005 is done, and I have gotten halfway through 2006) I did a tiny bit of scrapbooking for my kids, but mainly for our family books, which are 8 1/2 X 11 size.

Today, after Steve put up the top shelf in our little room off the living room (an extra walk-in that has been many things already... the boys' playroom, a "Little People" room, Elise's playroom, a dumping ground when company comes!!) I finished making it into a little schoolroom for the kids. I just need a magnetic board for their letters and numbers (someone suggested getting an old cookie sheet from the thrift store). I thought about a chalk board, but that just screams dust and dirt, so I think we'll skip that addition!

By putting up 3 shelves (from Home Depot) I can put the "dangerous" stuff up top... like felt pens and play dough! (Steve put up all the shelves!! Thanks husband :)

Scott is starting kindergarten in September, and I bought him a k-1 Homework book, which he is just cruising through. And he LOVES this new schoolroom... we just pull in a chair when he wants to sit at the table.

A little clothesline to hang artwork on...


Around the corner in the room... it's not as claustrophobic in there as it looks from the doorway! And there's a window that gives great light, too. Of course there are still a few toys...but we're working to get them all settled in the basement!!

I did these Sesame Street character paintings for Todd's first birthday party decorations... 3 years ago.

Scott did this abstract painting when he was 20 months old. It's still one of my faves... I gave him a little canvas, and it is artist's quality paint, so it will last forever!!! Also, I have a TON of teaching stuff in boxes (teachers never stop collecting, I don't think!) so I pulled out a strip of classroom border with the alphabet in sign language on it, and stapled it to the wall. The boys have already been practicing their signing!

So, what has everyone else been up to this summer?