Stamping Class

Today I had a stamping class at my house and we made a mini scrapbook/journal using the On Board Art Journal in the SU! catalogue. Everyone did a great job. The title I chose was "What Makes Me Smile" but I gave the option to make your title more personalized. Other choices were:
- Live Laugh Love
- Things I love
- Special People, Special Smiles,
- Moments in my life
I might have missed one or two, so if you had a different title and want to tell me, leave a comment and I will add it!

When I was at Regionals in April we learned some great tricks with this journal to make pockets. Here are a couple shots of the journal, I won't show you every page, though!

book cover
top and bottom side pockets
tags in pockets
folded pocket with scalloped edge
oval photo matte

When I get the pictures printed from Church Ladies Retreat, I want to make another journal like this using the "Out and About" scrappin' kit.

Special Gift

I love what comes out of the mouth of babes... Todd brought me these buttercups the other day when they were playing outside and I said, "oh, bless your heart little boy!" He asked me to put them in water right away! A little bit later he came back with a very dead dandilion and said, "oh bless your heart little mommy, this is a beautiful flower for you! Please put it with the yellow flowers." I did for a bit and tossed that one when he wasn't looking. Scotty brought me the "beautiful green leaf" but I was not allowed to put the gifts from both boys in the same glass of water! As a mom you need moments like this once in awhile, because they are the things you treasure on other days when the kids aren't quite as cute!!!!!

Barn Window Frame

I spent the morning getting this barn window all spruced up to be a picture frame. The window is from an old barn we tore down on our property several years ago. We sold that farm last year.


The other day I took the glass out, and only broke one old pane. Today I cleaned it a bit and put new glass in it. Each pane is exactly 8X10, so when we had Jason at Revival Arts Studio take our pictures last month, I ordered these with the barn window in mind to create a collage.


I like how it turned out, and once we get some hangers on the back of it I will put it in the hallway at the bottom of the stairs (also the entry way in our house). On the same wall I will hang a piece of handwork done by my grandma (Mormor) that is framed in some wood from their old barn that was on their farm in Ontario.

Thank you flowers

Last Saturday I sang at a Ladies Luncheon and was given these beautiful flowers. I love the colour combination of the arrangement. It is proudly displayed on my island.

Tagged

Oh ok, I will play this one.... I got tagged by Cindy and I am supposed to give one word answers.... (I kind of failed on a couple of them by going over a one word answer... maybe the one beside me should say Talkative!)

Yourself: friend
Your Partner: superdad
Your Hair: fun
Your Mother: generous
Your Father: hard working
Your Favorite Item: camera
Your Dream Last Night: neighbours sold their farm and moved!
Your Favorite Drink: chocolate milk
Your Dream Car: pickup truck
Dream Home: new, on acreage
The Room You Are In: office
Where You Want to be in Ten Years: singing
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: care group
You’re Not: pregnant
One of Your Wish List Items: patio set
The Last Thing You Did: changed a diaper
You Are Wearing: black
Your Favorite Weather: 25 C (or less)
Last Thing You Ate: pita appy
Your Life: blessed
Your Mood: happy but tired (up all night with a teething baby)
Your Best Friend: Steve
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: nap with kids
Your Car: '03 Escalade
What Are You Doing At The Moment: answering this survey
Relationship Status: Married
What Is On Your TV: Nothing
What Is The Weather Like: beautiful
When Is The Last Time You Laughed: this morning

Ok, I'll tag 5 others...
- Leanne
- Louise
- Kerry
- Tricia
- Alexa

Have you scrapbooked today??

I have!! Just one 12 X 12 page to finish a layout I started as a demonstration at a workshop. But hey, that's 5 more pictures out of the box and into the book! Did you know that May is National Scrapbooking month? I think there is a specific Scrapbooking DAY, but I like the idea of celebrating it all month... My birthday is in May as well, and when my cousin Silja sent me birthday greetings from England she said "Happy Birthmonth!" It is a tradition of her family to celebrate not just the day of your birth, but the entire month.. hey - it works for me!!!

So, in honour of this month (and with only a few days to spare) here is a scrapbooking poem to share with you by Kimberly Rinehart....

A Scrapbooker's Verse

We gather up pictures
and bits of our past
and srapbook them into
a gift that will last.

We write about milestones
and travels and such-
the times of our lives
that we treasure so much.

A few special photos,
A Family Tree,
A few thoughtful words
and soon we will see...

This album we've made
is much more than a book.
It's worth even more
than the time that it took.

It's a gift holding memories
and made with great care
by hearts and hands
with love to share.

-Kimberly Rinehart

Colour Inspiration

If you ever find yourself stumped for a card or scrapbook layout idea, why not look around and get inspiration from your surroundings. Some people get their ideas from magazines... you know, bedspreads in the SEARS catalogue have some great colour combos that would make a beautiful card. Or what about the colours you see on a set of dishes? Well, tonight we were at Home Depot looking at tiles for our new bathroom, and we picked up some paint chips for the other new rooms as well. While we were in the paint aisle, I grabbed some chips and brochures that had different colour combination suggestions. While some of them looked more like foundation colours from a Mary Kay catty, I quite liked some of the others... What do you think? One of my next projects will be to try some of their colour suggestions out! Why don't you try some too?!

Bye Papa!

After spending the last 9 days with us, Papa is going home today. The boys are so sad to see him go (do you think Papa would notice if I put the boys' carseats in the backseat of his truck and sent them home with him for say - a week... or three??) My dad (Papa to my kids, "Dad" to me) has been helping us finish our basement, and it looks fabulous!! I have been taking a ton of pictures and at some point I will share all the stuff that has been accomplished. A total transformation of the basement - so exciting!! (but it's not finished quite yet) Thanks Dad - you can be the first one to sleep in the guest room that you built!!!!

Scott and Todd love it when Papa reads to them!

Just one more kilometre!

Here's a pic my sister Louise took on her recent trip to or from Calgary... Don't stop now - Success is soooo close!!! Check out more of her fun trip pics at her blog. And if you scroll through to her card samples and scrapbook pages you will see how talented she is!!!!!

Another card from Regionals

Here is another one of the make and takes we made at Regionals. I am not really crazy about it, but it is a cute idea. Inside it says "hello." They showed another sample exactly the same except for the stamp inside the tag. That was a lion from "Wild About You" which suited this style of card a lot more, I think. So when I picture the lion inside I like the card better... I might even change this one!

10 Months already!!

Where does time go? My baby girl is 10 months old today. Here are a couple pics from this morning. She always wakes up happy... what a blessing!




And this one is from a couple weeks ago when Elise was playing outside on the deck.

New Playhouse!!

Our boys are so excited to have a playground in the backyard. Elvin came a few times to build it, and Steve helped with it as well. My dad helped with the big posts, but he mainly came over to work in our basement (that's for another day!) We just have to get sand or gravel in the sandbox and at the bottom of the slide and it will be done. It is also in a perfect spot to block the sun while they play underneath!

For Shane...

Ok, here's what I came up with for Shane. Still the same paper and the same lion, but a little more boyish with no pink. When the kids get up from naptime, I will get them to make a card each, too, and we will send it off in the mail. Look at this post to see what I am talking about if you missed it a few days ago....

Palette 'o Prints

There is a special on right now with Stampin' Up! where you can get a sampler package of designer paper from the new catalogue.... Here is a card we made at Kerry's downline meeting last week using this paper. Beautiful colours in 6 different double sided designs.



I made this card, but the design was Kerry's!

Simple Scallops

There are several ways to use punches to create a scalloped edge... here is one simple way that I saw at Regionls in April.

Here's the front of a 6X6 page that we did using Double Line Doodles (available in the Fall/Winter SU! Collections on July 1st).




And to see the secret to making this scalloped edge, check out the back of the page..... so simple, eh? I love it! You can make them in any size you want, as long as you have the circle punch that size.



Over the next little while I will show other fun uses for punches.

Warms my Heart!

So, my kids like stickers... a lot! Todd appeared one day like this... Gotta love him!



Here is Scott with the 2 beautiful hanging baskets Steve and the kids gave me... just need to put them up now. The bench was from my inlaws for my birthday on May 2nd.

And this is the card they made for me! Look at how Scott wrote his own name!!!

Cupcake

Have you seen the blogs that have cupcake Fridays, where they highlight a different project each week using cupcakes? Well, it's already the wee hours of Saturday, but here is my version of Cupcake Friday..... Steve has called Elise "cupcake" since she was about 2 months old, and Auntie Louise gave her this shirt that says "2 cupcakes - 25 cents" Elise loves it!

Retiring Wheels.....

You may have heard that the wheels on the Stampin' Up! retiring list were "while supplies last." This has been changed, and so all wheels that are retiring will be available up until June 30th... but after that, they will be gone gone gone! If there is a stamp set or a wheel that you would love to get before it's too late, don't hesitate..... Click here for the retirement list.

Stampin' Up! is also introducing the "Dormant List" concept... read more below:

Dormant List

The Dormant List contains stamp sets that, while they have not been retired, will not be listed in the Fall/Winter Collection 2007. These sets are available for purchase from July 1, 2007 through January 1, 2008 and may or may not be listed again in future catalogues.

106638 Bodacious Bouquet pg 114
105583 Images de mon pays pg 156
105038 Never Ending Joy pg 28
105592 Serenité pg 156
104243 Summer by the Sea pg 129
105280 Word by Word pg 168
100360 Acorns wheel pg 238
104070 Bloomin' wheel 238
107466 Bodacious jumbo wheel pg 239
105750 Bouquet jumbo wheel pg 239
107481 Butterflies & Blossoms wheel pg 238
104279 Leaf Prints wheel pg 238
107480 True Heart wheel pg 238
105033 Wings & Things wheel pg 238

Happy Mother's Day!

This coming Sunday is Mother's Day... I was going through old files, and found this poem I had saved. Author is unknown, but I am sure many of you can relate. Hope you have a great weekend whether you are a mom or not! Enjoy!

Here's one for all the Moms!

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted.
I never worried about how late I got to bed.
I soaked for as long as I wanted in my bubble bath.

Before I was a Mom
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to lullabies.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on

Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of
My thoughts
My body
And my mind.

Before I was a Mom
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.

Before I was a Mom
I never knew that something so small
Could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The wonderment
The heartache
Or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

New stamp set

Here's a card I stamped last week for Cindy's birthday. I used the Double Line Doodles set from the upcoming catalogue. Everyone that attended Regionals got it free! I love it.


(I blognapped this pic of the card I made from Cindy's blog and she had even put my watermark on the pic! thx CK!!)

Online again at LAST!

Have you ever been offline for an extended period of time, not at your own choosing? We just experienced 6 LONG days of no computer. Do you KNOW what that means? That means....

- no blogging,
- no email,
- no sharing digi pics
- no google....
- the list goes on.

I realized in the last few days how much we use our computer. And we didn't end up watching more TV because we still just have rabbit ears, so TV's not a big draw. And I was almost in a panic on Saturday night when I was trying to find the address of the place I was supposed to be for a meeting... but it was in an EMAIL, so I obviously couldn't retrieve it. I couldn't even GOOGLE MAP it, or look up the phone number on Canada 411.

But I think the saddest part of no computer is that I missed hearing firsthand of the birth of my friend Tricia's baby. I couldn't see his pictures until TODAY, and he was born on Sunday.

But it's definitely not all bad. Although, Steve has a job that requires 7 hours a day in front of the computer, so... he got some unwanted time off! He got to sleep in until 7 (normally up at 5:30) and help build our kids' play fort. We got a new computer that is apparently going to be faster, and all the old files that we never get around to deleting, are now deleted for us!! So... always look at the bright side of things!

We are also very thankful that the computer guys were able to put all our pics from the old computer onto the new one! That was a concern of mine.

Happy to be back online! This is a pic from a few months ago when Steve took the computer apart for a different problem.

6X6 page

Here's a brag book page I did using the In Full Bloom scrappin' kit. Scrappin' Kits are a very quick way to get a page done fast. And if you use it throughout the whole scrapbook, it will make the completion of an entire book super quick!

The stamp set "In Full Bloom" is on the retirement list (see previous post) and so I would imagine that this scrappin' kit will be retiring as well. Going, going... soon to be gone - get 'em while they last...

Retiring Stamps

If you haven't seen the retiring list of stamps already... it's a doozy - the biggest one yet, but that just means that there are going to be many many new fabulous stamp sets in the new catalogue that comes out on July 1st....

Click on the link of your choice to see the list!

List by page number
List by stamp set
Stampin' Up! Catalogue

Page Redone

Usually in scrapbooking, I tell people not to go back and redo pages that they have done in the past. There are enough new pics to get scrapbooked, and our abilities and tastes change and improve over time, so going back and changing what you did in years' past is really a time consuming process. You will be forever changing your pages if they have to be what you like "right now."

So, this said, I have a different style of scrapbooking than I did when I started books for Scott 4 years ago to Elise's book that obviously only started this past summer. And a much different style than when I scrapbooked on a really tight budget in my university days and my early teaching days.

There is, however, ONE page that I allowed myself to change. It was in Scott's book from the very beginning. I loved the theme "A Few of my Favourite Things." But from the first picture I set down I hated the layout and colours... so, I never finished the page. I just left it and went on to the next page. For 4 years this page was unfinished and ugly in Scott's book. So last week I FINALLY changed up the layout, added designer paper and some embellishments from a simply scrappin' kit. And now I like looking through his book again!

Here is the revised double layout (sorry, I didn't even take a picture of the old one to show you... that page is destroyed! Same pictures are used, though.)

click on picture to see it larger

My Turn!!

Last night Steve and the boys went to Safeway to get my cake. I feel like I need the stamp set "Eat Cake" because that is what we did with vigour today after lunch!

Todd greeted me this morning with "Happy Birfday Sugrwips!" and both boys asked all morning when it was time to eat the cake they bought me! Finally the time came, and although we don't have candles, Steve pulled out the party hats! And if you need to know my age, just read the boys' fingers!



For a much cuter picture of me, check out Louise's post.

Pictures from Regionals

Here are a few pics from our fun day on Saturday.

First... this is Shelli Gardner and me!!! She is such a sweet lady and took time to have pictures with anyone who wanted them with her. She's a great speaker as well, and I loved her talk on Saturday morning.



Next are a couple of pics of our group. One at the table and one with Shelli and the group....




And finally.... a highlight for me was to see one of my contest entry cards (not a winner, but nevertheless, it has been traveling to Regionals!!!) on the display boards at the back of the Conference room. I was excited - hence, the hyper smile on my face!

Regionals...

What a great day. I just got back this evening from the Vancouver Stampin' Up! Regional Convention. Pictures will follow (I had lots of camera buddies there that said they'd email me pics... thanks!!), but for now I will just touch on a few highlights!

Got my pic with Shelli Gardner (co-founder and CEO of SU!).... twice! Once just me and then later we got a whole group shot, with the matriarch Val and all her baby chicks. (ok, so Val is my Grandma upline and there were several of her extended SU! family members (downline several levels deep) there.... any non-SU! people reading this might think I've gone crazy, but it just means that we're a big family of stampers and the family keeps on growing!)

Every month Stampin' Up! has artwork contests that demonstrators can enter. Around a year ago I sent in a card that I made, and today... I saw it again! It was on the display board at the back of the conference room. How cool is that?!

We made tons of make and take projects, and there were several business builder tips and talks. What a great way to get hyped up about my business and about stamping. This is something I really love to do and to be in a room with a few hundred other people who love it too is so awesome! Someone at my table even won a stamp set as a door prize. I was so excited to be so close to someone that won!!

Can't wait to share some pics in the next few days.

More Markers....

I just want to point you to Sarah Moore's article on Craft Critique about markers... what an artist!!

New Catalogue Sneak Peeks.......

A whole bunch of Stampin' Up! demonstrators just got back from their week long cruise to the Panama Canal.... (no, I wasn't one of them... at least not this year! I will be in the future :)

On the cruise, they were given a sneak peek at some of the new products that will be in the July 1st Collections... if you want to take a look, Caroline has them posted on her blog. Check it out here. Very much fun! Now I really can't wait to see the new book!

ps- we are borrowing a digi camera this week... so check back for some photos in the next few days!!!!!!

Celebrate Creation!!

Today is "Earth Day!" So, to celebrate, we should thank God for his beautiful creation. Here are a few pictures from a hike I did last weekend at our Ladies Retreat. Beautiful hike... the rain stopped just in time for us to hike through the woods, over this stream and up a hill. We (a group of about 30 ladies did the hike) hiked for about an hour. Beautiful creation!

Mini Albums

I am planning a mini scrapbook class and to get some inspiration for a theme I put out a call for help to a couple of the yahoo groups I am a part of. I was looking for themes for mini albums that would work for anyone... not so specific as "My Trip to Hawaii...." which wouldn't appeal to people that had never been to Hawaii :)

Here are a bunch of the ideas that I was given, and some I came up with as well...... The one I have decided to use, btw, is "What Makes Me Smile!"

- What's Special to Me
- Christmas or other Holidays
- a special vacation
- Life is Good
- Family Fun
- All in the Family
- Celebrating Siblings
- Nature or Natural Instincts
- Happy Days
- Smiling Faces
- Friends
- Legacy Book (most influential people in my life)
- Personal Goals/Dreams
- Gratitude scrapbook
- Through the years (birthday book)
- ABC's (every page a different letter)

If you have any other ideas, please share them in the comments! Thanks! I will post a picture after the class (which is not for another 5 weeks or so..... hopefully I'll have my camera back by then :)

MORE IDEAS.....
- Seasons
- 10 Reasons why I love you
- My Heart Belongs to...
- New Baby
- Favourite Photos of the year
- Recipes

No Camera.....

I am sad to report that I will be without a digital camera for approx. 6-8 weeks. "gasp! what will I dooooo??!" Last Friday as I was packing to go to our church ladies Retreat, I turned the camera on to delete some pics... worked fine. About an hour later while I was in town to drop off some stamping orders, I turned the camera on to check the time (you know... take a pic then check the display and it will tell you the time you took the pic!!! I don't wear a watch :) And to my horror, there was nothing but a picture of a broken/cracked flower. This same image appeared whether I put it on picture taking mode, or viewing mode. So sad :( I was, however, still able to take pics and upload them to my computer, and that all worked fine. So I still took the camera to the Retreat and took pics... hmm, maybe I'll have to share some of THOSE pics on here!!!!!!

The next part of the story is that we couldn't find the receipt... so, we dug out the M/C bill and got the date and amount of the bill and I was able to take it back to the store and they had no problem taking the camera back and sending it off for fixing because it is still totally under warranty. I am really hoping that the 6-8 week time frame is the worst possible scenario and that they will call me in a week or so and tell me my camera is ready! So I bought batteries for my other camera and will probably go through a couple rolls (ok, most likely more!!!!) before I get the digi back!

Anyway, I am already thinking of ways to get pics on my posts, so hopefully there will still be something to see here. Our printer is about to give up, so I might just see about replacing it with a scanner/printer/fax, or whatever the combo is... anyone have experience with those multiple use machines? tips?

Craft Critique

Just want to let you know I added a link to Craft Critique on my sidebar. They have lots of neat ideas, not limited to stamping... take a peek for some neat crafting tips.

Be glad this isn't you.........

And you think you're having a bad day at work!!!!!

Although this looks like a picture taken from a Hollywood movie, it is in fact a real photo, taken near the South African coast during a military exercise by the British Navy.

It has been nominated by National Geographic as "The Photo of the Year."

Check us OUT!!!!!!!

Last Thursday we had an awesome portrait session with Jason and Darcie of Revival Arts Studio. We met them at City Hall and Jason clicked pics for an hour while Darcie kept our kids smiling. What a great team they make, and the hour flew by and they got some great shots! Here are a couple... check out their site for some more of us, and for all the other fun pics they take of other people and places.

Thanks Jason and Darcie! These portraits will be treasured.

Marker Tips and Tricks....

I love my Stampin' Up! markers. One of the best things about them is that they are perfectly coordinated to go with SU! paper and other accessories.

BENEFITS:
- dual tipped marker... 2 different sized tips. One is a brush size and one is a writing tip.
- flexible but durable tips keep their shape for a long time.
- markers work great on paper or directly colouring on the rubber stamp.
TIPS:
- whether you get one marker, or the whole set, it is best to store dual tip markers flat so the ink can flow equally to both ends and one end won't become dried out.
- use your markers to add more than one colour to a stamp before stamping it, or omit parts of a stamp that you don't want on your project by just inking that part up with the marker.
- or use your markers to colour in an image on paper.


The possibilities are endless... but the most important thing is USE THEM! Make sure when you purchase fun new supplies that you actually crack the box open and use your goodies... they do you and your projects little good unopened (although they are quite fun to look at too :)

If you have any other tips and tricks that you use your markers for... please share!

Easter Bonnet