Sew Much Fun!

Who knew I'd love to sew?! I didn't think I really liked sewing, (except for the odd scrapbook page here and there!) but a few months ago, some friends were getting together to sew and they heard I had a sewing machine, so I got invited!! I went, I sewed, I enjoyed!

We are affectionately known as "the Bag Ladies" (can you see a trend? It makes things more fun when you add a catchy name to them!!). On one such night, I started a messenger bag to add into the Christmas gift for my son's teacher. See that bag here: Purple Messenger Bag. I had some fabric leftover from that bag, so I made Elise a small little purse-on-a-string that she loved the second I gave it to her! Eventually, I will get some pics of her actually using it, but for now, here are a couple pics from last Friday when the Bag Ladies got together to sew at Marcia's house.

The inside of the bag, as shown by my lovely hand model, Marcia :)

If you want to join our Facebook Group, "Bag Ladies Strike Again" please feel free! There are tons of links to FREE online patterns, and members can post photos of their latest projects. A great place to ask sewing questions, too. I won't likely be the one to answer your questions, because I won't likely know the answer!!! But there are lots of qualified sewers on there that would love to give you advice! Happy Sewing :)

Scrappin' Class

Last night, I had my final scrapbook class in a series of classes I started in the Fall. These are the pages we did last night. We used the tag punches, and the new 2-step bird punch. Also, my new favourite paper... Sweet Pea designer series paper. Love it!

Sale-A-Bration!!

Sale-a-Bration is the most highly anticipated time of year for Stampin' Up! customers, hostesses and Demonstrators alike. It is a time when everyone comes out a winner!

Customers: With orders of $65, you get a free gift.

Check out the great selection right HERE!

New Demonstrators: If you have been thinking of joining Stampin' Up! as a career or hobby Demonstrator, then during Sale-a-Bration is the best time to do it... you get a discount on the starter kit, and you get a free stamp set (valued at up to $63.95)

Starter Kit	Regular Price	Sale-A-Bration Price (15% off)
Standard Starter Kit	$269	$225
Digital+ Starter Kit	$239	$199

Hostesses: And, of course, hostesses benefit, too, because when a workshop totals $395 or more, you earn a free Sale-a-Bration product, in addition to the generous hostess benefits.

For more information, or to place an order ANYTIME check out my website: Sarah's Website

Remember - all orders totalling $200 before shipping and taxes receive hostess benefits.

Tea for Six, please!

There are six of us that get together on a fairly regular basis for lunch. We have called ourselves "The Ladies Who Lunch." (Lunch Ladies just sounded a bit too cafeteria-ish!!) These gals have become really special friends, and we always share lots of laughs together. I think food just tastes better when you're in good company!

This week we returned to a favourite spot, the quaint "Apeldoorn's" in Chilliwack. Lovely little place (I'm allowed to talk like this because I'm referring to a tea house!).

(l-r) Jill, Me, Andrea, Rhonda, Cindy (holding Andrew - our token male :) and Madelyn is taking the picture.

My tea choice was "Creamy Vanilla" and I must say it was delicious!

I love all the different tea cup and tea pot patterns.

I had a ham and swiss cheese sandwich on sourdough bread... yum! Steve was surprised I picked ham. I like ham. I like swiss cheese. It was a good combination!

And this little number finished it all off for me just right. Pineapple cake. I had to go home and make some sort of pineapple cake after this - so I just made a very simple pineapple upsidedown cake when I got home, and shared some of my teatime joy with my family! But I will be getting some ingredients to make this treat... soon!!

They still had their Christmas decorations out, and these little guys reminded me of the Stampin' Up! stamp called "Dasher." I want to find some to add to my Christmas collection!

Family Fun in the Park

On Tuesday, when Steve headed out the door to pick up the boys from school, he said, "Be ready to go out when we get home." So, Elise and I got ready and were waiting for the guys when they got home. Steve had some Family Fun in the Fresh air in mind for all of us.

We went for a drive, got a snack at the Tim Horton's drive thru, and then headed to a little school not too far from us so the kids could play on the playground. They loved it!

To top it all off, I had joined a Facebook group that said to "wear red for Haiti" on Tuesday the 19th, so we all sported our RED clothes in support of Haiti relief.

A Whole New Look!

Here are the pictures!! We love the new look... I think Steve's favourite part is that his beloved Eagle picture is going to be front and centre now, and he painted the fireplace black. The TV is down to the left of the fireplace, and the piano is moved into the living room. The whole place just has a much cozier feel to it.

What am I up to?!

Haven't been doing a lot of stamping the last couple days... besides sorting through about 4 different stamping orders that all came in the course of 2 days (but lots of orders are a good thing!!).

This weekend I wanted to go away, but Husband didn't feel the same urge to travel somewhere with the kids in tow. So, I settled for the next best thing - home decorating!

Here's a peek at the "before" look of our living room:



Stay tuned for the "after" photos... coming soon... all I can say is "Goodbye Builder-beige!"

Paper Storage

I am such a lucky girl to have a dad so talented in woodwork. Look what he gave me for Christmas!! 8 1/2 X 11 paper storage. I LOVE them! My handy hubby put them up on the wall for me this week, and I quickly filled them up with all the great colours from Stampin' Up! Sure makes it easy to just glance up and see what colours I am running short on, too!

Elise's bedroom mural

When Elise was born 3 1/2 years ago, my friend Tricia did this awesome sketch and had it attached to the gift bag. I have kept it on the side of the fridge for over 3 years with the idea that I would paint it on Elise's wall.

I finally got around to that... last night I projected it on the wall and traced it, then today I painted it all in.

Steve was in awe of my paint palette (or maybe it was shock!) so he had to take a picture it because it was such a mess.

I finished it this afternoon, and I love how it turned out!

Elise loves it, too!

It's quite big, but really makes the room cheerful...

New Year... New Deals!

It is a very exciting time at Stampin' Up!... Sale-A-Bration! This always means great new sets and a gift with purchase. Check out the fabulous sets and projects right here in the Sale-A-Bration flyer.

CLICK HERE FOR FLYER

And not only is it Sale-a-bration, there is a new mini catalogue filled with treasures! The Occasions Mini has new paper, new punches, and of course fabulous new stamp sets. But to top it off, you now have a choice - traditional wood-mount sets, OR, the brand new clear-mount sets. Note: the clear-mount stamps are still made with Stampin' Up!'s high quality red rubber, but they can be repositioned on clear blocks, and they are a huge space-saver!

OCCASIONS MINI

Stampin' Up! has also expanded their offering of Home Decor items. Click on the link below for the latest in decor accents, stencils and vinyl artwork.

DECOR ELEMENTS

Some pics to share...

I have been away from my blog for a couple weeks now, and I just wanted to share a few highlights of what we did for Christmas.

For Christmas this year, we drove 2 days each way to see my sister and her family on the Canadian Prairies. We experienced extreme cold, but also some of the most gorgeous blue skies and sunshine. The kids played outside a couple times, but my westcoast kids couldn't stand the cold the same as their prairie cousins!

Scott and Jackson:

Ethan... I think he was hoping for a suntan! It was almost bright enough on this particular day!

Elise with her "Little Buddy" Liam... but Liam is 14 months older than her, so really, she's the "little" one!! She just happens to be the bossy one, too :)


The drive was fine on the way there, just a couple icy patches, and one short stretch of freezing rain. But on the way home, it was pretty much perfect. We had no ice or snow anywhere on the way home. There was half an hour where it actually snowed, but it didn't stick. That is pretty amazing when you think of what the weather could be like on a 3 province drive at this time of year. We count our blessings!

The drive there...
The drive home... (my parents' truck was in a lot of my pictures from this trip, because for the most part they were right in front of us!)

Christmas Day dinner:
Steve was pretty popular when he volunteered to play Wii games with all the little boys!

My brother gave all his nephews and his niece new jammies that they got to open on Christmas Eve and keep on while we opened stockings the next morning.

While we were there, the girls (my mom took the pic) slipped out for a little quiet time! No kids, no men, just our XL coffees and a little peace in the local coffee shop!

Steve and I also celebrated our 8th anniversary on this trip... not the most romantic anniversary of the last 8 years, but still, a very memorable one!

Wishing you all a blessed and Happy New Year!